Gluten Free eggplant, and chicken parmesan

I was never a big fan of chicken parmesan as a kid. In fact looking back I don't think I was ever made chicken parm outside of school. the only way I had this dish before the age of 27 was was in a school cafeteria. If you never had chicken parmesan from a public school cafeteria  then count yourself lucky. The sauce was bland and water down tomato, with this rubbery disk on top that they claimed was chicken, the chicken was coated in some sort of cross between sand and shake n bake, and half the time they would forget the cheese on top.

Needles to say as an adult, I never had any want to learn how to make this dish, that was until I visit a friend who made this meal with real ingredients. We also had a vegetarian there so she made some eggplant parmesan as a chicken replacement for the vegetarian. Well I suddenly understood why this was a staple meal in so many homes. This is definitely a meal I enjoyed.

I try and make sure there is a vegetable in at least two meals a day, so when I was looking into making this for my family I decided why not keep the eggplant and do chicken as well. This way I get both meat and vegetables in the same dish. and don't have to worry about making a side.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/2 an eggplant ( cut into 6 slices)
• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose GF flour
• 1 1/2 cups of cornmeal
• 2 cups shredded parmesan
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 jar of homemade spaghetti sauce ( or one from the store)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 4 1/2 inch slices of mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 F. Take your sauce and pour onto the bottom of a casserole dish. Now in one bowl whisk together the heavy whipping cream and eggs, in another bowl mix together the GF flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of shredded parmesan. Pour some oil into a frying pan and let heat up on  the stove at medium heat.

Take the eggplant and dip in the egg mixture, let excess drip off then coat with the flour mixture, fry and place ontop of the sauce. When all 6 slices are in take a 1/4 cup of the shredded parmesan and sprinkle on top.

Next dip the chicken breast the same way you did the eggplant and cook in hot oil for 6 minutes on each side. Place the chicken on top of the eggplant (about 1.5 eggplant slices per chicken breast). Sprinkle the last of the parmesan on the chicken, and place the mozzarella slices on as well. Bake until the chickens internal temp hits 165 F and the cheese is golden. Let sit for 15 minutes and enjoy!

Shameless plug

I try really hard to keep Crunchy Lifestyle organic. I don't pay for ads or promotions on facebook, I don't post clickbait, I don't advertise anything that I don't believe in nor do I advertise things that are irrelevant. I try and keep my adsense ads minimal and non intrusive on both mobile and desktop version.

Would I like to make money doing this? Of course! But it is more important to me to have a safe place for me to explore, and focus on some things I found I am passionate about despite the sometimes controversial reaction. It's important to me to create a safe place for people who are also excited about the same things. So if you like my my post please comment, like, share. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and on Blogger. The more interactions I get the more people I reach.

That wasn't my shameless plug though, My husband works hard at a job he is great at, he brings in decent money, and I am able to stay at home with my kids and work towards becoming a doula. In the past couple years he has realized he doesn't enjoy his job. He isn't sure what he wants to do for a living anymore. Watching someone come to the realization that they years of hard work they put into something in the end didn't make them happy is rough. Not only is it rough it's heartbreaking. This man has supported me in my dreams, and I can't support him in his dreams in the same way. We are dependent on his income.

He has been exploring his dreams in his spare time, and currently he has really gotten into writing. He is not sure if this is the new career for him, but he is certain he is enjoying  it. He has been doing a bit of writing for over a year now. He even wrote a small book with a friend of his. He typically really gets into writing epic fantasy, but occasionally he will write a snarky, yet humorous short story. So if that sounds interesting to you at all please go support him on Patreon.

So There is my shameless plug. I love my husband and I will support him anyway I can.

Strawberry matcha sorbet popsicle

It's been really hot these last two weeks for most people. My kids are getting cranky because going outside to play in the sprinkler is still too hot. Luckily we have our AC (even if it can't maintain it's programmed temperature if it's over 95F) So in attempt to keep my kids cool and hydrated I made popsicles. My daughter is over the moon for them.

First you are going to make sure you have popsicle mold. I love the silicone ice pop mold in comparison to the the the Popsicle stick molds. I feel as though they are more secure and less likely to spill. 

The recipe was really easy.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of frozen strawberries ( You can use fresh, but i would still freeze them before hand to make sure you get the right consistency)
• 3 cups of unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (You can sub some for water for a less coconut flavor
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon of matcha tea powder
• Sweetened with local honey to taste ( I used 2 tablespoons, but will probably use less next time) 

Blend coconut milk and strawberries first, then mix in the rest of the ingredients. It's definitely more of a sorbet than anything else. You can pour it into a tupperware and just scoop out a little bowl for a late night snack. Yumm :D

The kids love having something they can take outside and run with so I pour the sorbet into the molds. If you use frozen strawberries I would freeze for about 3 hours before eating, longer if your strawberries weren't frozen.

Chicken Makhani

My husband and I both love Indian food, but it tends to be more pricey, and harder to find in our neighborhood. We ended up only being able to go out for indian for really special occasions, and we found ourselves wanting to enjoy one dish more than the others, Butter Makhani, or more commonly known as Butter Chicken.

This dish has a rich and creamy based sauce, with those great indian spices packing it full of flavor. A couple of the ingredients can be harder to find in your local grocery store, so try and find a Indian grocer near you. I will post links to Amazon products incase you still can't find them.  

(Note: I seem to have lost my photos for this meal. I will update with photos in the future.)

The night before you need to marinade 2 Large chicken breast or 3 small ones. Chop the chicken into 1 inch cubes before adding to the marinade.

Marinade:

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1.5 teaspoons kasuri methi
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

In a large skillet start making the sauce. Start by slowly sauteeing your spices to really bring out their flavors.

The sauce/Makhani Masala:

Sautee

• 5 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 2-4 fresh green chili pepper, slit
• 4 green cardamom pods (or 2/3 tsp cardamom powder )
• 1.5 – 2 inch cinnamon sticks (or 1/8-1/2 tsp cinnamon powder)
• 2 cloves
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 1/2 -3/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 10 almonds, soaked, peeled and made into a paste
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon kasuri methi

Now that your spices are all in turn down to a low simmer. In another pan cook your chicken with your marinade. Once fully cooked add just the chicken (not the marinade) to your your spices.

Finish the sauce

• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 can Tomato puree
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon honey

Mix in last on reduced heat

• 3/4 cup half and half
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

Now serve over basmati rice and Enjoy! :D

DIY Coconut aloe lotion (And how to harvest aloe)

I have this aloe plant that was given to me as a housewarming gift from my sister in law 5 years ago. I struggle with using it enough, so I decided to look into making a really hydrating lotion.

Aloe is known for it's healing properties when it comes to skin it does good against sun burns and small wounds. Aloe is also a anti-inflammatory and moisture rich without being oily. I knew I wanted to use coconut oil for it's antibacterial and an smooth consistency so finding other ingredients that weren't  overly oily were a must.

This is my aloe plant, I should probably move the poor thing to a bigger pot, but I like having it on my window sill. If you don't have an aloe plant you can get one here or you may be able to get away using aloe vera gel from the store.

To harvest the aloe I cut off 3 of the leaves that were about 5 inches long. I cut the thorny sides off each leaf first. Then using a knife I peeled the top and bottom off of the leave leaving as much meat as possible. It's a bit of a messy process but I ended up with with these clear gels strips that I blended down into a gel. you should get about 1/4 cup of aloe gel.

Now onto the lotion.

Ingredients

1/4 oz (2.5 teaspoons) beeswax

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon of grapeseed oil

1/8 teaspoon vitamin E oil

1/4 cup aloe gel

10 drops of essential oils ( I used 2 drops tea tree, 3 drops jasmine, 5 drops lavender

Melt down the beeswax on the stove top. When it is melted add it to coconut and grapeseed oil and mix using a blender. Once it's blended smoothly add vitamin E and aloe gel, again blend till smooth. Wait till everything has cooled a bit before mixing in the essential oils. 

What should my next post be?

Now that I got instagram working again it's time to focus on my blog. I have a few unfulfilled promises. I promised roller bottles recipes, I promised lotion recipes, I promised a blog article. So I'm asking you what you want to see first, or you can ask for something else entirely.

Instagram update

After a few months of not being able to access my instagram profile and settings I decided to create a new account today. It didn't work yesterday but today it does. Instagram is something I use frequently so expect to see a lot more of me!

If you haven't already followed me on instagram you can find me here 

Essential oil roller bottle for menstrual cramps

I always have awful cramps during the first 24 hours of menstrual bleeding every month. This month I gave this a try and what a difference it made.

Apply this to your lower abdomen where the cramps hurt the most. Then apply to the inside and outside of your right ankle, these are vita flex points for your reproductive organs. Using a heating pad can help release these oils into your body, especially the peppermint.

In a 10ml roller bottle added the following

• 15 drops of lavender essential oil

     Lavender is known for having calming and sedative qualities Source for lavender

• 10 drops of peppermint essential oil

     Peppermint is known for its cooling properties than helps with soothing aches as well as works similarly to acetaminophen (Tylenol) for headaches  Source for peppermint

• 5 drops of rosemary essential oils

Rosemary is great at reliving muscle pain and encouraging circulation 

Source for rosemary

• 5 drops of thyme essential oil

Thyme is better at dealing with with menstruation cramps then ibuprofen  Source for thyme

Fill the rest of the bottle with carrier oil ( I used grapeseed oil)

Fermented salsa

This is my recipe for a femented salsa.It os really easy to make especially if you already have some extra whey in your fridge.

Fermented foods are known for being packed full of probiotics, and this salsa is so yummy.

5 or 6 good sized Roma tomatoes
1/2 a bunch of cilantro
1/2 yellow onion
1 or 2 chilies or peppers for spice (I like Serrano chilies)
Splash of Lime
Splash of lemon
Spices ( I used salt, cumin, red peppers, chili powder,)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of whey. (This is optional. You can ferment without the use of added whey )

Chop and blend ingredients together. Let it sit on the counter for a couple days, then enjoy! Last for 6 months in the fridge

Types of Cloth Diapers

One of the most overwhelming things about cloth diapers is the large variety in styles. So I am going to show you the main styles. Cloth diapers have come a long way since the days of large pieces of cloth being held on with some oversized safety pins



AIO:
These being the most expensive I have never actually bought one, but they are know for being the easiest to learn. They are great for grandparents or daycare. All of you absorbent layers are sewn right into the diaper right under the moister wicking material you see on top. They work very similarly to a disposable diaper, not very much learning here. Use just like you would a disposable, but instead of thin clingy tabs you can get these with snaps or velcro (Your choice!)

Photo from Etsy shop Artisans Garden. Check out her adorable collection of diaper and more.

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AI2:
These are cheaper than the AIO. Instead of having the absorbent layers sewn in you snap them in. AI2s can also be used as an Hybrid diaper. Instead of using a cloth insert you could buy disposable inserts and lay them in as well. The one thing I don't like about these is I find sometimes the inserts slide and bunches up at the bottom making them significantly less effective.

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Pocket:
These are comparable in price to the AI2. The pockets are definitely my favorite. These diapers have an opening in the back of the diaper so you can stuff them with your choice of absorbent layers under the moister wicking material used on the inside. The thing I like about these is the flexibility to add whatever inserts you want but still have the inside one uniform material so you don't have to worry about inserts moving around.


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Cover:
This is the cheapest option, and the one most people start off with. This diaper is made of waterproof material typically PUL. This is what you see on the outside of all the other diapers as well. This diaper however doesn't have anything else on the inside. You can easily place any insert in here most people go with the prefolds which is what i have shown in the pictures.

I plan on doing a series of posts on cloth diapers. Hopefully I will eventually answer all questions but to be sure comment below with whatever questions you have.

Breastmilk yogurt melts

I recently got asked to share my recipe for breastmilk yogurt melts. It has been almost a year since my nursling self weaned, but I still remember this easy recipe. I found these little melts were great for a teething toddler. and my daughter who was 9 when I first made these even loved them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup breast milk
• 2 tablespoons ground oats (optional for thicker consistency)

Put mixture in a ziplock bag and trim a corner off. On a cookie sheet small enough to fit in your freezer lay out some wax paper and use the ziplock bag to squeeze out small circles onto to the wax paper. When the sheet is full of dots place in the freezer. It won't take very long for the to freeze.

Picture from http://dailymom.com/

Homemade deodorant (Updated 8-21-17)

Okay, I told you I would post this here, so here it is!! My homemade deodorant. First off I would like to point out that there is a big difference between deodorant and antiperspirants. Deodorant kills bacteria when you sweat, so you don't smell. Antiperspirants stop you from sweating with aluminum. Aluminum is only one of the many hazardous ingredients inside of store bought antiperspirants and deodorants, most of which can heavily impact or hormones.
Secondly a lot of homemade deodorants use significantly more baking soda then you need to keep dry, in return you may end up with chemical burns this is what many people will tell you is the "transitional period". There is no reason that you body needs to endure pain to go healthy. Please if you have a painful reaction to something please find the source ingredient and limit use are stop altogether. Baking soda may cause chemical burns in higher concentrations, but  in smaller amounts should be perfectly safe to use. 

Recipe:

• 2/3 cups coconut oil
• 1/2 1/4 an ounce of beeswax (I prefer a softer deodorant so I decreased the amount of beeswax)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda(With the addition of shea butter I found I could increase the baking soda to teaspoon without irritation)
• 1 capsule of vitamin E oil (this time I used a bottle so I tried my best to eyeball it)
• 2 deodorant empty deodorant containers
• 20- 40 drops of essential oils I prefer at least 10 drops to be tee tree 

Some of the oil blends I like are

• 5 drops of thieves EOs, and 15 drops of lavender EOs
• 5 drops of sweet orange EOs, 5 drops of bergamot EOs, 5 drops lavender EOs, and 5 drops of Jasmine EOs

Mix all the ingredients except the essential oils in a small pot over low heat, until coconut oil and beeswax are melted. Take off heat and add essential oils. pour into your containers and set aside in the fridge for 2 hours or until solid.

This deodorant doesn't need to be left in the fridge. So feel free to put in your bathroom cabinet without fear of it melting. it goes on really smooth and my highly sensitive skin hasn't had a breakout since I made the switch. If you think you would prefer a more dense deodorant add more beeswax.

Golden "Tummeric" milk

The colder months are upon us, and with those months we find ourselves trying to avoid the flu and common cold, usually with out success. So let me introduce you to my new best friend Turmeric milk. 

Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties. It is obvious why we have been using turmeric to avoid falling ill for 100's of years With the help of turmeric plus some other great health-boosting spices you can make yourself a delicious cup of turmeric milk. I think it is time to put away the hot chocolate, and enjoy a delicious cup of "Golden Milk"

Ingredients (makes 2 cups)

• 2 cups of low fat milk (alternative milks are great options too)
• 1 Tablespoon of Turmeric
• 1 Tablespoon of raw honey
• 1 Teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
• A pinch of salt (I prefer pink Himalayan  salt)

Warm the milk and all the spices on the stove-top slowly ( I usually do it at medium low) while continually stirring. Once the milk is warm (almost hot) and frothy pull of the heat and strain out the spices.

How to make yogurt

Yogurt is easy to make, and costs significantly less then store bought. So why did it take me to so long to start making my own?  Learning to trust the fermentation process has always been hard for me and even scarier when it comes to dairy, but we have been fermenting foods for 1,000's of years.

Now that I feel I have mastered yogurt I want to share with you the 2 worse things you could do when making yogurt: 1) curdle the milk 2) don't let milk cool enough before adding starter. In both of these situations you will still make yogurt, so take a breath and jump in.

This is the method I use to make yogurt

What you need

• 1/2 Gallon of high fat dairy milk
• 1/2 cup of starter yogurt leftover plain yogurt from you last  batch or any store bought plain yogurt that says it has live cultures will work
• Cooking thermometer
• Large pot
• Crockpot
• 2 large towels

First you need a 1/2 gallon of milk (preferably a high fat content dairy milk), pour the milk into a pot and slowly heat up the milk

I usually keep the stove at medium low while bringing up the milk temperature to 180 F - 190 F. This is to sterilize the milk

Pour the milk into your crockpot and wait till the milk cools below 120 F before adding in your 1/2 cup of starter. Make sure you mix the yogurt in well.

Wrap you crockpot in the two large towels to keep it slightly warm while it ferments. Leave it alone for 12 to 18 hours

Your yogurt should come out thick and creamy, you can get a yogurt strainer if you would prefer more a of a Greek yogurt thickness.

I usually add honey to half of my yogurt for breakfast, and keep the other half plain for curry and a sour cream substitute.

ENJOY!

Guacamole stuffed chicken

My husband loves all things spicy, and being a Thin man who has the genetic disposition of having high cholesterol, he has taken quite the liking to guacamole and the wonderful benefit of avocados. My kids are not a keen to spicy foods as he but this is one meal we all agree on. It is delicious.

Guacamole 

2 large avocados

1/2 a tomato diced

1 shallot diced

1 clove of garlic diced 

Splash of lime juice 

1 Tablespoon sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)

1 Serrano chili minced (remove seeds for a more mild flavor

Mix in stand mixer

Take 4 thawed or fresh raw chicken breast and tenderize until thin.

Add 2-4 tablespoons (depends on size of chicken breast) of guacamole to the center of each breast.

Roll up sides of chicken breast to the top and pierce with 3 toothpicks to hold it shut.

Dip chicken in an egg bath then in bread crumbs. Put chicken on a broiler pan

Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes (or until chicken is fully cooked)

Usually I shred some Parmesan on top after pulling it out of the oven. I forgot to do that tonight this night.

Incoming recipe

I haven't been writing blogs, or posting recipes, or diy house cleaner lately and I am sorry for being so quiet. I am working on a recipe though. My husband and I have been working on a Chicken Makhani  recipe for almost a year now, and its almost finished. This is probably the most work I have ever done on one recipe but the end result is delicious. Keep following me to get the recipe. You can also follow me on Facebook

Health(ish) Rice Krispy Treats

Looking for away to satisfy your sweet tooth?? Usually I just eat a lot of fruit when a sweet tooth moment hits. Sometimes that's not enough, there are tons of recipes that can transform your favorite dessert to something more healthy.
My rice krispy treats is based off of Alton Browns recipe.
-Dry ingredients
•3 cups puffed brown rice toasted in the oven for 15 minutes stirred every 5 minutes
•1/3 cup dried cherries
•1/3 cup dried cranberries
•1/3 cup golden raisins
•1/3 cup whole flax seeds
•1/2 cup pecans
-Marshmallow mixture (melt together )
• 4 cups of marshmallows
• 3 Tablespoons of coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon raw honey
Mix marshmallow mixture with the dry ingredients. Press down into a pan and let cool.

Update

I still have house cleaners, home remedies, more food recipes, and a couple other random things to move over here from the Tumblr page, but it is getting done, I am really happy that I have been adding new content here lately as well. Feel free to comment below what you think my next post should be about.

Lasagna

Here is my lasagna recipe and you don't have to precook the noodles!!

Ingredients

• 1/2 walla walla onion
• 1/2 a green bell pepper (chopped)
• 1/2 a red bell pepper (chopped)
• 2 cups of chopped cauliflower
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 pound beef
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 beef bullion cubes
• 12 oz can of tomato past
• 1 1/2 -2 cups of water
• 8-10 lasagna noodles
• Ricotta cheese
• 1 cup of cheddar cheese
• Seasonings (I used Oregano, Thyme, chili powder, turmeric, black peeper, salt, and fresh basil)

In large skillet saute onions, garlic, and bell peppers in olive oil until onions are transparent. 

Add beef and cook till browned. Then add wine, and cauliflower. simmer to reduce the wine.

Add water, bullion cubes, tomato paste and seasonings.

In 2 medium bake-ware dishes (or 1 large) lay down in layers sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese, then repeat these layers and top off with the cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350F for 90 minutes

Tada!

Homemade sourdough tortillias

My family loves Mexican food whether it be burritos, nachos, enchiladas, or quesadillas. So naturally we go through a lot of tortillas, and I like to make as many things from scratch as I can. Well there is this jar of sourdough in my fridge that my husband tends to only use for waffles and the occasional loaves of bread. So I scoured the internet and for ideas and put together my own recipe for sourdough tortillas this weekend. I hope you enjoy. :)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
• 5 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons of Himalayan pink salt
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2/3 cups melted bacon grease
• 2/3 cups melted coconut oil
• 1 cup hot water

Add all you liquids to the starter first, then mix in the salt and baking powder. Slowly mix in 1 cup of flour at a time. Ounce all the flour is mixed in separate into 18 balls, and cover with a towel. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Roll out the balls into a 12 inch circle and fry them on a dry frying pan for 45-60 seconds on each side.

If you are planning on storing these you will need to rewarm them in a microwave for 2 minutes on medium power wrapped in a moist towel.