I’m a Greatist!

Posted on by
2

I am super, DUPER excited and honored to announce that I’ve been selected as a Greatist Ambassador for www.greatist.com! The ambassador program is about living well, making healthy choices, and inspiring others to do the same in a major way. Each ambassador has their own unique story 🙂

I’m thrilled to be welcomed into the inspiring Greatist Family, and look forward to brainstorming with my fellow ambassadors. I’m looking forward to connecting with the editorial team to impact what the website covers, features and shares (it’s a FABULOUS website on health, wellness, food, exercise, BTW).

You can read about my profile here: http://greatist.com/p/Lindsay-Swanson/

African Memories, Part 1

Posted on by
7

So many people have asked what my favorite memory is from our trip to Africa, and surprise, I can’t choose. We experienced so many new things, saw culture and diversity we didn’t realize existed, animals in their natural untouched habitat that we thought we’d never see, and quite frankly, had the time of our lives. I’ve decided to post here about some of my favorite experiences. Hope you enjoy!

Wild Game Dinner in Swaziland

One of my favorite memories, was an evening spent in the country of Swaziland. My brother-in-law has some friends that live there, working for US organizations. They were gracious enough to entertain us for the evening while we there, in the capital Mbabane (think “mmmm, ba bon”). They’ve lived in Swaziland for 5 years, and have a daughter, Lily.

We began the evening at their home for pre-dinner drinks (and may have found a black mamba snake-skin on the patio chair before sitting down, so we checked under the cushions 😉 ). Ironically enough-there was a show on PBS the night before we left for Africa, featuring the Black Mambas in Swaziland, so I was promptly instructed by my mom, to be careful. There is something so captivating and charming, about meeting and interacting with individuals who are living and working abroad, they’re special people.

After we had drinks, we headed to a restaurant they’ve been frequenting for years: eDladleni. They had what appeared to be an awesome relationship with the chef, who goes to France for a week each year, and is really into the slow food movement. There was no ordering. She served us creations that she’s come up with, family style. It ended up being probably a 14 course meal-it just kept coming. It was amazing. (Of special note, there may have been an ornery goat, that kept sneaking in the restaurant to try to eat the cushions on the chairs, hee hee).

On the menu: warthog, pop-pop, sautéed veggies, peanut chicken, impala, lamb, filet, spinach, sweet corn cakes, rice, fried bananas…032

We ended the evening, having more drinks back at their home. Not only was the company gracious, the food was amazing, and the conversations fascinating. Truly something I will cherish forever.

My brother-in-law, Noah, Myself, Seth, and Lily (SHE IS MY FAVORITE):034

Baked Lemon Rosemary Cod

Posted on by
Reply

The commissary had some good looking wild caught (never frozen) seafood, so I bought some cod the other day. Not a fish we usually eat, so I thought it’d be fun to give it a try. We’re trying to incorporate more seafood into our diet, plus it’s so versatile!

Baked Lemon Rosemary Cod

  • Fresh, wild-caught cod
  • Garlic
  • Lemon
  • Rosemary
  • White wine
  • Kosher salt/pepp
  • Coconut oil

Seth marinated the cod in a little white wine, loosely chopped garlic cloves, fresh lemon slices, rosemary (from the garden, in January!), and seasoned lightly with kosher salt/pepp. It marinated in the fridge for a couple of days, every once in a while, I’d take it out and swish it around to mix up the juices.DSC_0052

I put a TBSP or so of coconut oil in a glass baking dish, popped that in the oven to melt the oil, then took it out and placed the fish in the dish. I baked at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. The flavors of the marinade, combined with the richness of the coconut oil, were perfect.DSC_0057

I paired it with a green salad, and a couple clementines. Mmmmm!DSC_0062

Pancakes, a recipe review!

Posted on by
8

Seth and I have this long-standing tradition of getting up early on the weekends, and going out for breakfast-we beat the crowds/lines, and have “talky time” where we catch up, talk and plan our weekend. This past Saturday however, I decided to make breakfast at home instead, so I could make a new recipe I’d been wanting to try-pancakes (plus, I wanted to use my new stove-top griddle I got for Christmas-thanks Mom)!

I found the recipe here: http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/breakfast/perfect-paleo-pancakes/. For those of you not familiar with Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations, I suggest you check out his website: http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/. Not only are his recipes fabulous, his story is inspiring. Being an Active Duty Navy Spouse myself, I’m thankful for his commitment to our country, and empowered by his approach to health and wellness.

The pancakes were nothing short of amazing-and completely satisfied my craving for pancakes (which was always one of my favorite carby foods pre-Paleo). A few notes:

  • I followed the recipe exactly, as I always try to do the first time
  • They actually didn’t taste very banana-y, even though this was the base for the batter
  • I used my kitchenaid mixer, so I still had some banana pieces in my batter-which was fine with me
  • I see what he means about keeping them small, for ease of flipping
  • I kept ours dairy-free, but drizzled just a bit of organic maple syrup on them
  • You would think 3 bananas wouldn’t create enough batter for 2 people-it totally did! We both had a decent portion of pancakes, and then we paired it with protein
  • Very easy recipe! The best kind!!
  • Tip: how to know when to flip your pancakes? When they get little holes in the top-see pic

Looking forward to trying more recipes from Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations 🙂DSC_0039DSC_0043DSC_0047DSC_0045DSC_0050