The recipe came out really good – I was very pleased with it!  I do think next time I may try to use two full cans of coconut milk (rather than 1 and 1/2) to see if they’re a little more “jiggly.”  They were pretty firm but still had a “jello” type texture.  I did like that the coconut milk cream rose a little bit over the liquid which made two distinct layers in the jigglers.  I thought the top cream layer was very tasty ;p

Here’s the recipe:

Jigglers

1 1/2 cans Coconut Milk
4 Tbs plain gelatin
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup raw honey, or to taste

Place coconut milk into a saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over top. Allow to sit undisturbed for 15 minutes to soften, then bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Turn off the heat, cool for 15 minutes and stir in vanilla and raw honey. Pour into a greased 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) pan and chill until set. Once set, you can cut into squares or shapes with cookie (biscuit) cutters.

I believe this recipe credit goes to KerryAnn from CookingTF but I can’t find it on her website; I’ve had the recipe saved in a text file for ages.  I am fairly sure I got it from her, however!

This recipe is part of Real Food Wednesday – see more kid-friendly recipes at Cheeseslave.

This week’s Real Food Wednesday is featuring “fast food.” I’m not talking about the BK down the street – this is all about food that’s good for you and you can make quickly. I’ve been looking forward to today to get some ideas for my own kitchen.

Some tips I’ve thought of are: keep basics in stock – veggies like carrots and celery that can quickly be thrown into a pot to make a tasty soup. Potatoes, which can always make the baked potato standby (load on the butter!). Keep home made stocks in your freezer so you can quickly make up soups or sauces. Cooked rice freezes well so the next time you make rice you may want to make a double batch. Keeping eggs and things like canned beans on hand can also help you make up quick meals.

If you’re pregnant or taking care of a baby/small children it can be really helpful to have a collection of nourishing “fast foods” on hand because it can be hard to find time for food preparation.

Quick Beef Meal

Saturday my family was out for most of the afternoon at an art class. We got home later than I expected so I made up a quick dish using beef, stock, and leftover cooked rice.

I took a steak weighing about 1lb (which I’d gotten on sale) and cubed it, then pan-fried it in butter and tallow with some mushrooms and onions. Once it was cooked to our liking I put it in an oven-safe bowl and into the oven to keep warm (I put it on 150-200 degrees).

I then poured a couple of cups of home made beef stock into the pan and brought it to a boil, scraping up the juices and such from the pan. I added a bit of red wine for flavor, and probably some more butter. Then I stirred in some cream, salt, and pepper.

I let this simmer for a few minutes while I pulled a salad from the fridge and whipped up a quick dressing. I also put my leftover rice in a steamer basket over the stock I had going on the back of the stove.

You can let this sauce simmer down some to thicken, or if you’re in a rush thicken with flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot.

I put hot rice on each plate, followed by some beef and onions/mushrooms – then ladled sauce over. I put salad on the side and dressed resulting in a quick, very tasty meal!

Having certain staples on hand really helps make a quick meal happen when needed so I recommend stocking the cupboards, fridge, and freezer with the basics!

Visit Kelly the Kitchen Kop for more Real Fast Food ideas!

I’m featuring two recipes for this week’s Real Food Wednesday because I feel like they compliment each other well and they’re inexpensive – which is perfect since our topic is Real Food on a Budget.

The major portion of this meal is the Lentil Loaf – lentils are cheap even when you buy them organic! The recipe also calls for brown rice, another inexpensive staple. The soup calls for only a small amount of beef which compliments the lentils while being easy on the wallet.

Lentil Loaf

1 & 1/2 Cups lentils

Water to cover

1 Tablespoon whey

2 cups soaked and cooked brown rice

2 onions, chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon marjoram

Salt to taste

For topping:

1 can organic tomato paste

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons sherry

3 Tablespoons butter (melted)

salt to taste

Soak lentils in water with whey overnight.  Drain and rinse, then cover with water and bring to a boil.  Simmer until soft.  Fry chopped onions in cooking oil of your choice and mix with lentils, mashing partially as you mix.  Add rice and mix in seasonings. Press into a greased loaf pan.

Mix ingredients for sauce well and spread over lentil mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  (Recipe is adapted from the Farm’s cookbook)

Korean Beef Soup

1 1/2 quart beef stock

1/2lb beef brisket, sliced very thin (I have used other beef cuts as well)

1/2 cup brown rice

1/2 cup brown rice or buckwheat noodles, broken into pieces

2 Tablespoons naturally fermented soy sauce (or tamari)

Bring stock and rice to a boil and skim.  Add brisket and soy sauce and simmer for 1 hour.  Add noodles 10 minutes before serving.  (from Nourishing Traditions – I love the soup recipes!)

The lentil loaf also freezes well so this meal can be doubled and done in two loaf pans for a quick meal another day.

For more Real Food on a budget ideas visit Cheeseslave!

More on eating well! During pregnancy (and lactation and preconception) you need to be eating a really nutrient-dense diet. Children also need lots of nutrition packed into all their meals – in fact, there’s not much room for empty calories.

So even if you’re not dieting (don’t diet when you’re pregnant or nursing an infant!) low-carb can help you make sure you aren’t filling up on carbs that aren’t nourishing you – or your kids.

Enter my Real Food Wednesday snack today: Braised Marrow on Raw Milk Cheese.

Marrow is a very nutrient dense food that is happily regaining popularity stateside.  In the UK it’s often eaten just spread on toast.  I decided to braise ours for a little more flavor.

It turned out well – yum!

You need:

• Bone Marrow (I used thin cut slices of beef marrow because these are a good size for the kids; they’re cut about the size of scallops.  You could also use 3-inch pieces of marrow and serve the cheese on the side)
• Salted Water (optional)
• Coconut flour
• Salt and Pepper to taste
  
• Braising fat (I used tallow, I think next time I’ll use coconut oil, or a coconut oil/butter mix)
• Raw milk cheese, sliced (about 1oz slices are perfect for pregnancy, slightly thinner for kids)

1. Pop marrow out of bones.  Reserve bones for stock-making!

2. Soak the marrow in salt water to draw out most of the blood, if so desired.  I skipped this step but you may want to.

3. Dry marrow well.  Mix flour, salt, and pepper.  A few tablespoons of flour will be good unless you’re doing a lot.  Roll marrow segments until completely coated.

4. Heat your fat.  I did mine on medium and next time I will probably do just below medium heat.  Braise marrow segments until coating is crispy and lightly browned.

5.  Place one marrow segment on each cheese slice.  Spread if desired – my kids wanted theirs spread.  I just ate mine as braised

This snack was a hit with the kiddos, which is good since it’s very good for them!

Mine came out a little more browned than I would have liked but they were still tasty. This recipe could also be done without the breading, or with the marrow dipped in a little buttermilk and then breaded lightly. It’s very nice to bite into the soft warm marrow and the taste goes along well with the tangy raw milk cheese! I served up milk with our snack as well.

A good variation that is not low-carb is to serve on a lightly toasted soaked grain bread. A strong flavored sourdough or rye would be best!

Visit Kelly the Kitchen Kop for more low-carb recipes from this Real Food Wednesday!

A parting picture of Galen (10 weeks now!), who made this post possible by snoozing through the entire process