First off, I apologize again for my absence on my blog.  We now have a contract on a house and are in the midst of all the details before we close.

Also, on a personal note, I am finding that winter time has been urging me towards resting more and being more internal.  I mentioned in one of my New Year’s posts that I am not suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) this season like I have in the past.  What I feel is happening instead is that I am actually enjoying the “yin” energy of the winter.  This is mostly showing up as working less, relaxing more, taking more baths, and not going out as much.  It seems like it started shortly before the massive winter wonderland we received a few weeks ago. To me, this is a real sign that my being is balancing out and becoming more in tune with nature, the way we are supposed to be.

New Changes to my Menu Planners and Website:

At the same time, I am very excited about some upcoming changes to my website.  I am not ready to go into all the details of what is going to change but I feel I want to start talking about them at some level.

These changes are in response to the needs people with multiple food allergies have.  When I started my menu planners, I didn’t really know what I was getting into.  But I did realize that making menu planners for people with food allergies posed some real problems to solve.  The main one being – everyone is allergic to something different.  There are common food allergens, but from there, there are so many other foods that people can be allergic to.  Beyond that, people, especially children, have many preferences of what they like to eat and what they don’t like.

I have been solving this problem by creating menu planners for specific diets.  The response to this has been great and so far I have the following menu planners.  Most of them are for four weeks of menu plans:

Meat and Seafood Diets:

• Wheat-free and Gluten-free Menu Planner
• Gluten-free and Casein-free Menu Planner
• Dairy-free Menu Planner
• Wheat/Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Soy-free Menu Planner
• Nightshade, Wheat/Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Soy-Free Menu Planner
• GAPS/Paleo and Limited Diet Menu Planner
• Thanksgiving Limited Diet Menu Planner
• Holiday Limited Diet Menu Planner
• Valentine’s (special occasion) Limited Diet Menu Planner
• Just Desserts for Limited Diets (e-book)

Seafood/Vegetarian Diets

• Nightshade-free, Wheat/Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Soy-free

However, people need more. Namely, people need a menu for their limited diet, and now.  People are emailing and calling me everyday telling me about their multiple food allergies and asking me what I can do for them.  From this alone, I feel that something more is truly needed in terms of menu planning for limited diets and multiple food allergies.

So while I’m not ready to divulge what I am creating in the background, I will say a few things about it.  This is what I hope the outcome will be for people with multiple food allergies who come to my site for menu planning:

• You will be able to have menu planners designed specifically for you and your families’ food allergies, restrictions, likes and dislikes.
• No matter how many food allergies you or your children have, you’ll be able to find menu planners and recipes that meet your needs.
• Access to breakfast, lunch and snack recipes.
• Easy and simple process!
• You will have access to many recipes that work for your diet.
• I hope to have this ready by the summer of this year.

So these are just a few teasers.  What I want to do is start a discussion on this blog post about WHAT YOU NEED!  So many people email me and call me to tell me what they’re looking for.  But I thought it would be great to have it all in one place on my blog.

So don’t be shy!  Please leave a comment and tell me what kind of menu planner you are looking for.  Even if it seems like a dream and not possible, I want to hear about it!  The more dreams I hear, the more I can tailor the site to your needs!

Here are just a few requests I already have (but please let me know if you have the same request)

• breakfast and lunch menu planners
• egg free breakfast ideas
• egg free menu planners
• nut free
• fructose free menu planners
• multiple food allergy menu planners (there are too many to list here)
• breakfast, lunch and dinner menu planners
• snacks
• Weston A. Price Foundation style menu planner
• fully vegetarian and vegan menu planners
• beef free, chicken free, seafood free, shellfish free
• the list goes on!

If you’ve already sent me an email telling me your needs, please also list them here.  Thanks so much!  I look forward to creating a site that can truly meet you and your families’ needs!  It is truly my joy!

Gluten, grain and sugar free cut-out holiday cookies

I had so much fun making these holiday cookie cutter cookies AND they taste great!  They are a little crisp but chewy, spiced and sweetened just right. If you can’t eat gluten or grains or dairy or sugar, these cookies will satisfy your holiday craving for cookies without making you feel yucky.  Even if you can eat these foods, don’t let the “free of everything” scare you off.  These are very yummy and very healthy for you if you’re trying to keep off the extra pounds this season.

I first tried making them with my toddler because I thought it would be a fun project.  He ended up just wanting to eat the dough and when I was cutting the cookies, he kept destroying the cut-outs!  My first batch didn’t turn out that great in appearance – they had finger print indentations all over them.  But they still tasted yummy, so I made some more when he was sleeping and made sure not to pat the dough at all after it was rolled out.

I had never made cookie cutter cookies, much less gluten, grain, dairy and sugar free ones!  A few things I learned may help you out on your cookie cutter adventure:

• When you cut the dough with the cookie cutters, move them back and forth just a tad before lifting them away from the dough.  This creates some space around the cookie and makes it easier to remove the excess dough.

• Don’t use cookie cutters that are too small – medium to large ones work well for this recipe.

• Don’t make the cookies too close together – this makes it hard to remove the excess dough.
• Don’t pat the dough once it is rolled.  This will create finger prints and then cracks when baking.

• If you don’t finish all of them in one day, freeze the dough for later – I still have a lump of dough left in the freezer for later.

So here’s the recipe for you to enjoy!  Also, my Just Desserts for Limited Diets recipe e-book is almost complete and will be available this Wednesday, December 9.  There is a 20% off pre-order offer happening right now if you preorder the e-book and the Holiday Menu Planner by Tuesday night.  These also make great gifts!

Cookie-Cutter Christmas or Holiday Cookies (gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, dairy-free)
Adapted from: Pecanbread.com
TOTAL TIME:   1 HR. & 30 MIN. * MAKES 24 cookies, or more depending upon size

Ingredients:
3      cups almond flour, almond meal or other finely ground nut meal (nuts are best soaked and dehydrated)
1      stick unsalted softened butter, OR 1/2 cup softened coconut butter
1      egg
1/3 – 1/2 cup honey, to taste
2       teaspoons vanilla
1/4   teaspoon salt
1       tsp cinnamon
½      tsp ginger
¼      tsp nutmeg

Steps:
1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, cinnamon, ginger powder, nutmeg, and salt.  In a smaller bowl, mix together coconut oil, honey, vanilla, and egg.

2. Stir wet ingredients into dry.  Chill dough in freezer for 1-2 hours or in the refrigerator for several hours.

3.  Preheat oven to 300 F.  Place a ball of dough on the parchment, and cover with another sheet of parchment. Roll out dough between sheets of parchment with a rolling pin, until 1/4” thick. Peel off top sheet of paper.

4.  Using cookie cutters with open centers, cut shapes directly on the parchment-covered cookie sheet. Press firmly and move the cookie cutter back and forth a little bit. Don’t make them too close other wise it is hard to remove the dough between the cut-outs.  Remove excess dough between the cut-outs carefully.

5. Transfer with the parchment paper with the cut-out cookies to a baking sheet.  Bake 10-15 minutes Watch carefully, edges brown quickly. Cool thoroughly to preserve shape before removing from parchment.

Now, imagine a family whose members have food allergies and/or food restrictions.  Maybe this family can’t eat dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, corn and sugar.  Maybe the youngest member is also allergic to eggs.

Unfortunately, there are many families who face this reality every day.  If you don’t have these food restrictions yourself, you may not realize how much this limits one’s diet.

Eating out is “out”

A family on such a diet has a hard time eating out, if at all.  One main problem is that most restaurants use “vegetable” oil or soy oil to cook their food in.  This basically eliminates eating-out.

Fortunately, there are a lot of restaurants popping up that offer gluten-free options.  However, sometimes it is hard to get the wheat/gluten and dairy-free combo at a restaurant.  For instance, they may put dry milk powder in the gluten-free pizza crust.

Grocery shopping is a chore

Even buying food at the store becomes a chore.  You basically have to read all the ingredients lists and even then, finding foods that are free of dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, corn, sugar and eggs is tough!

This is why I create my menu planners.  I personally am on a very limited diet that forces me to cook basically everything we eat.  If I don’t do some planning for the week’s meals, I usually end up spending a lot of time driving back and forth between home and the grocery store.  I also end up spending more money because every time I go, I end up buying things I didn’t plan on.

The Nourishing Foods Menu Planners

My plan is to create menu planners for just about any limited diet.  My next series of menu planners are going to be for the extremely limited diet such as the following (these are subject to change as I get more feedback from people)

• The GAPS diet: this is a wheat/gluten, grain, starch and sugar-free diet that helps people’s digestive systems to heal.   This diet also works great for people on “low-carb” diets or the Paleo diet because it is free of grains and uses high protein nuts and seeds for flours.
• Egg-free, Dairy-free and Gluten-Free
• Nut-free, Legume-free, Wheat/Gluten-free and Dairy-free
• Common-allergen Free:  free of wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, nuts, fish, peanuts
• Kid-Friendly menus

As of now, I have the following weekly menu planners available:

Meat and Seafood Diets:

• Wheat-free and Gluten-free Menu Planner
• Gluten-free and Casein-free Menu Planner
• Dairy-free Menu Planner
• Wheat/Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Soy-free Menu Planner
• Nightshade, Wheat/Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Soy-Free Menu Planner
• Holiday Menu Planner for Limited Diets – this is a grain, dairy, soy, corn, and sugar free menu
• Thanksgiving Menu Planner

Seafood/Vegetarian Diets

• Nightshade-free, Wheat/Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Soy-free

Dessert

• Just Desserts for the Limited Diet

Gift a Gift of Nourishing Foods to someone on a limited diet this Holiday Season!

I recently updated my Gift a Gift page where you can gift your friend or family member with one of my many menu planners.  I also offer hourly consulting over the phone as well as personal chef services for the Washington DC, Baltimore and Frederick, Maryland areas.

If you’re looking for a gift that keeps on giving, that can really help someone improve the quality of their life and can bring renewed inspiration to their dinner table, buy a menu planner for your loved one or friend.  They will love it and continue to thank you!

Give a Gift today!

First of all, the brain isn’t separate from the rest of our bodies.  Of course this is obvious when we look at the human body.  But somehow, we have been led to believe in our culture that our stomachs and the food we eat don’t really affect our brains and how we think.

In Five Element Acupuncture, the body is viewed as an intricate whole.  There are separate systems but each one of these systems or elements affects and relies on one another.  It is also said that the Earth element, which is connected to the stomach and the spleen, is the most important element, or the Mother of all elements.  If out of balance, this can lead to many other imbalances within the body, mind and spirit of a person.

To understand this, you only have to imagine the Earth.  When the Earth is diseased – unhealthy plants, too many toxins, pesticides, etc. – this has a detrimental affect on the living organisms on the planet.  We have seen the result of pollution on the Earth over the past several years and can attest that an unhealthy planet leads to diseases in plant, animal and human life.

Another example:  Imagine a bicycle wheel and the spokes that come out from the center.  The stability of the center is vital for the bicycle wheel to function properly.  Now imagine a broken center, where the spokes don’t connect properly or there isn’t any real substance of the center to hold the spokes.  So what happens?  The wheel falls apart.

Now return to the human being.  The stomach or Earth element is our center.  It is the place where the nourishment and food we eat becomes digested and transformed into energy in order for our bodies to be healthy and happy (hopefully!).  It feeds every cell in our bodies, especially our brains.  So in essence, the food we eat fuels the way we think, how we feel, and how well we are able to accomplish a task at hand.

We don’t usually think about food in this way.  But when you take into consideration that alcohol can affect speech, actions and thoughts, it is easy to understand that the food we eat also affects our minds, either positively or negatively.

Now imagine the Earth element or digestive system that is imbalanced or unhealthy in a person.  The result is that the food doesn’t become digested properly.  Toxins, yeasts, and unfriendly bacteria build up simply because there is a shortage of the good bacteria or normal gut flora to keep these toxins in check.

The Earth element is very unhappy in a person like this.  And what’s more, the gut lining of this person becomes damaged.  This is what is termed “leaky gut syndrome,” where undigested food and toxins leak through the gut and into the rest of the body.

Where do these toxins go?  They can go all over the body, unfortunately, and wreak havoc on any other body part.  Skin rashes, eczema and psoriasis can begin this way, from an unhealthy, leaky gut.

Where else do you suppose these toxins swim to in our blood stream?  Unfortunately, these toxins reach the brain and cause all sorts of malfunctions.

What are some of these problems? To name a few; depression, autism, ADHD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, learning disabilities, schizophrenia, anxiety, nightwakings, behavioral problems, hyperactivity, bipolar disorder and others.

Is this for real?  Yes, and a lot of people, including some doctors, still don’t believe that a poor digestion has anything to do with the way one acts, thinks or feels.  But fortunately there are doctors, parents and other people who can vouch that this is indeed true.

One of these pioneers is Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride who wrote Gut and Psychology Syndrome.  She is a doctor of Neurology and Human Nutrition and she herself has a child who was diagnosed with learning disabilities.  But through a specific diet, she was able to heal her child who now lives a normal and healthy life.

Reading this book has been like finding the missing piece I’ve been looking for over the years.  Everything she writes makes perfect sense, even if sometimes I have to read it 2-3 times because it is a little technical.  I haven’t even finished reading it yet, and when I do, I’m going to start over at the beginning.

In my recent posts, I have written about how my diet is going the grain-free direction.  Actually, it’s already there, I think for at least a couple weeks now.  I have decided to do the GAPS diet, which is a grain-free, sugar-free, starch-free diet.  (I am waiting to do the Intro. diet until my son is no longer nursing.)

This diet is based on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet with a few modifications.  From the GAPS guide book:
“GAPS relieves symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Celiac Disease, depression, colitis, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, learning disabilities, diverticulitis, Cystic Fibrosis, chronic diarrhea, schizophrenia, Attention Deficit (Hyperactive) Disorder, anxiety, Crohn’s, rheumatoid arthritis, nightwakings, eczema, non-anaphylactic allergies, asthma, behavioral problems, gas, bloating, constipation, feeing difficulties, coilc, reflux, food intolerances, vomiting, heartburn, psoriasis, dyspraxia, hyperactivity, urinary and fecal incontinence, malnutrition, tummy pains, stool abnormalities and more.”

Why have I decided to do this diet?  If I stay away from certain foods, such as most dairy, gluten, soy, beans and most sugars, then I can keep my food allergies and symptoms in check.  However, I don’t feel that eating a limited diet like this is ultimately going to heal me from my food allergies.

What I have been learning  is that through a specific protocol of avoiding all grains, starches and sugars (honey and fruit is okay), while giving the body probiotics and nutrient packed foods that are easily digestible, the gut lining can begin to heal.  After about two years on this specific diet, people’s guts have normal gut flora, their linings are healed and they will no longer have the symptoms they once had from eating certain foods.

This means that for many people, they are able to eat dairy products again, maybe after years of avoiding them.  People become “un-allergic” to other foods too, such as eggs and nuts.  It is also said that after the gut lining heals, you can deviate from you diet and eat some grains (even glutenous ones) here and there and you won’t have the symptoms you used to have from eating these foods.

Now, would I rather continue eating a gluten-free diet for the rest of my life?  Or will I be able to stay grain-free for two years in order for my body and gut lining (the source of the problem) to heal so that I can live a healthier and happier life?

Although this diet is not easy, I am choosing the latter.  For many people with children with autism or other mental and digestive problems, this diet is their last straw and hope.  Although this diet is not a “quick fix,” there are many families, individuals and families who have done the diet with success and have had some amazing results.  Click here for testimonials.

I think I’d better stop here.  I am very passionate about this subject, this diet and what it can do for millions of adults and children who are suffering right now.  Please help me spread the word, check out the diet or tell someone you love about it today!

Grain-free Coconut Crepes

Last week I got hit pretty hard with a Herxheimer reaction.  A what, you say?

A Herxheimer reaction (also called a “die-off” reaction or a “Healing Crisis”) “is the result of the rapid killing of microorganisms and absorption of large quantities of yeast toxins, cell particles and antigens.”  (Virgin Coconut Oil).

Basically what this is saying is that when toxins try to leave the body faster than it can handle, it creates “die-off” symptoms which can vary from person to person.  The symptoms are usually a repeat of symptoms a person already has but they can get worse before they get better.

But it’s a good thing!  It means your body is actually on its way to achieving a new level of healing.  However, it is difficult sometimes to know if you’re simply reacting to something you ate (in a bad way) or if there is actually a healing crisis going on.

For me last week, I felt like I was getting the flu.  My whole body ached, I had a headache, sore throat and a stomach ache.  I also felt like I was in a brain fog for a few days as well as experiencing some emotional ups and downs.  I was also extremely tired and had to rest many times.  It started Tuesday and let up on Thursday, during which time I was pretty sure I was having a “die-off” episode.  I hadn’t eaten anything else that would have triggered an allergic reaction and since I’ve been making a lot of changes in my diet, I almost expected it.

If I had really had the flu, it would have most likely lasted a lot longer.  Instead, it just kind of went away gradually after a couple days.  I also felt wonderful over the weekend, like a new layer of an onion had been peeled off of me!

On another note, you can do things to avoid big die-off episodes such as these!  Like going slow when introducing new foods like coconut oil, fermented veggies, kefir, or bottled probiotics as well as making changes to your diet slowly.  Take these new foods and supplements in very small amounts and then add more and more slowly until you reach the desired amount.

Chicken Soup from homemade stock

Chicken Soup, nourishing and wholesome
After I started feeling better, I started getting back into the kitchen.  My first stop was a chicken soup.  I first made chicken stock and  followed the recipe in Nourishing Traditions (minus the chicken feet).  I then made chicken soup with fresh garden tomatoes, zucchini and carrots.  It was so simple and so nourishing.  We ate it for several days afterwards.

After making the chicken soup and getting back to my normal speed, I began to bake up a storm in the kitchen using minimal grain-free ingredients.  I had discovered a wonderful new blog called GrainFreeFoodie and I decided to try several of her recipes.

Nut butter muffins (Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free)
These were another wonderful surprise!  Though my son wasn’t crazy about them, I was somewhat surprised that you can make a muffin out of eggs, nut butter, honey, baking soda and lemon juice!  I look forward to making them into apple, pumpkin, banana and other kinds of muffins.  They are very simple and have a great texture!

Banana Pancakes (Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free)
Yummy!  I loved these simple little treats.  Elijah liked these better than the muffins and I again loved making pancakes without any kind of flour!  I’d like to make them with almond or cashew butter next time!

Grain-free coconut crepes

Coconut Crepes (Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free)
These are just completely awesome.  I really can’t believe how good they are.  Teri is exactly right-on when she says these are “company-worthy.”  And I was pleased to see that mine turned out looking very similar to her’s.  I didn’t make any filling for these – I was mostly experimenting with the crepe recipe but look forward to filling them with all sorts of goodies in the future.

Pancake “Bread”
These turned out pretty good, but rather labor-intensive.  I also think I fluffed my egg whites a bit too much but they were still good.  I ended up making most of them into muffins because I was tired of making pancakes.  They turned out pretty good this way but were better as pancakes.

Grain-free almond flour pizza crust

Almond Flour Pizza
Teri’s recipe is for Hazelnut Pizza but the original recipe is from  Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall and she uses almond flour.  I too used my blanched almond flour and it turned out very yummy – better than I had been expecting I must admit!  It is a bit of a dense crust, but very soft, moist and delicious.  A great alternative for people who are grain, gluten, dairy, corn and sugar free.  Yes it does have eggs in it so this may be a problem for some.

I was overall very happy with the results of these recipes!  Thanks Teri!  It gives me great hope that it is incredibly possible AND enjoyable to live grain-free, which is the direction my diet is taking me!

Any other ideas for grain-free baking?  I’d love to hear about them!

Again, this is my weekly submission for the Tuesday Twister Carnival!  Check out all the other great posts at GNOWFLINS.com!

Zucchini Pasta Noodles

This is my weekly post talking about what’s been twisting and brewing in my kitchen.  It is part of Wardeh’s Tuesday Twister at GNOWFLINS. Check it out!

It’s been a busy and eventful week!  I have been very inspired and have been experimenting with new and wonderful recipes!  My week started out last Sunday with a renewed inspiration and dedication to creating traditional foods that are very nourishing for the body.  Wardeh’s post about reversing food allergies through traditional foods got me started with this.

Midweek, I was contacted my someone who had emailed me a few weeks ago asking for help with menu planning for a very limited diet.  The first time she emailed, she was reacting to many foods including all grains, eggs, casein, poultry, and milk.  On top of that, she also has celiac disease.

Last week she emailed me and told me she had been doing the GAPS diet and program.  She said that it was not only helping with her problems, she was becoming “un-allergic” to foods that had previously upset her.  Her diet is still very limited but she is looking forward to introducing more foods and sounds really good!

Now, when I hear the same thing twice in one week from two different sources, I feel like “someone” is trying to tell me something!

I checked out GAPS and was intrigued by what it claims to help people with!  In a nutshell, it aims to heal the gut lining, and therefore helps adults and children with an array of digestive AND mental problems such as:  depression, celiac disease, non-anaphylactic food allergies and sensitivities, autism, ADHD, colitis, obsessive compulsive disorder, Chrohn’s, learning disabilities, diverticulitis, candida overgrowth, and much more!

I am almost finished reading the Gaps Guide, by Baden Lashkov and will soon be ordering the book, The Gut and Psychology Syndrome, by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD.  I am completely fascinated by this diet and program and am really enjoying reading it!  I am still learning so much;  when I am a bit further with it, I will write a more thorough post about it.

Fermented Carrots:
So my week started with making some Fermented Gingered Carrots, from Nourishing Traditions by  Sally Fallon.  I had tried making these a couple years ago and completely messed up the measurements somehow and didn’t pound the carrots enough so that they weren’t under the liquid.  The result was very salty carrots that didn’t really ferment properly.

This time, I think they turned out properly but still a bit salty.  I really like them on brown rice or on steamed veggies.  Fermented veggies are supposed to be eaten in small quantities and with other foods so I guess that is why!  They aid in digestion as they contain beneficial bacteria, such as the strains found in yogurt and kefir.  Fermented veggies are great for people who can’t eat fermented dairy products.

Soaked Oatmeal
Last week I decided to test the theory that if grains are properly soaked that they are easier to digest.  I haven’t eaten oatmeal for over a year and wanted to make some for Elijah, so I decided to give it a go.  I soaked it with goat milk kefir overnight and then cooked it according to directions in Nourishing Traditions.

The first day I felt great.  By the next day in the afternoon, I felt a reaction coming on.  For me, I get depressed, spacey, and frustrated easily.  This lasted at least a good two days, telling me my body was simply not ready for even properly soaked oatmeal.

Soaked and Dehydrated Almonds

My next experiment was soaked and dehydrated almonds.  Although I have soaked nuts and seeds for recipes, I hadn’t tried dehydrating them in the oven until last week. Nourishing Traditions calls them “crispy nuts,” and they are prepared this way to remove the enzyme inhibitors that are naturally occurring in nuts and seeds.

The first problem I had was my oven simply won’t go below 170 degrees.  The recipe says “no more than 150 degrees.”  I’m not one to let that stop me so I just went ahead and put them in the oven.  Well, I put them too low in the oven and some of them ended up burning slightly on one side.  I moved them up to the top rack after I realized this.  They also were not all “crispy.”  Anyone have tips on dehydrating nuts in the oven without a dehydrator??

Sunflower Seed Brownies

Grain-free Brownies made with Sunflower Seed “Flour”
Despite my somewhat failed attempt at the almonds, I decided to try a “snack” recipe from Nourishing Traditions for brownies made from sunflower seeds.  They are made from strictly ground up sunflower seeds, carob powder, salt, vanilla and water.  That’s it!

You basically combine everthing into a thick dough, and then pat it into a pan and then bake it at 150 degrees F, for 24 hours.  Well, I ended up baking mine again at 170 degrees, but on the highest rack this time.  I also only baked it for, I think, about 16 hours.  It gets a little fuzzy after 12 hours how long it was!

These are really good!  You can taste the sunflower pretty strongly but they are a great snack!  Once they cool, you can cut them into pieces and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Goat Kefir Popscicles

Kefir pops for breakfast

Inspired by Wardeh’s Kefir Pops, I used some goat milk kefir from the Common Market to make some popsicles for Elijah.  He loves them!  He even had them for breakfast in his pj’s.  The only problem is he throws a fit when I make them and then put them into the freezer because he wants them NOW.  Pour guy!

Smashed Cauliflower

Potato-free Smashed “Potatoes” – made with cauliflower
A lot of people can’t eat potatoes so I decided to try something I had been wanting to try for a while – mashed cauliflower.  I added goat milk, butter, salt, garlic and nutritional yeast.  The result was good, however, I have to admit they didn’t get eaten up like most of the other food does around here.  I think they’d be really good added to something or with gravy.  I’m dreaming up a potato free Shepherd’s Pie, which these would go very nicely with.

Zucchini “Pasta”

Zucchini Pasta Noodles

If you haven’t see the raw zucchini pasta that a lot of raw foodies make, here is a link to a video demonstrating how to do it.  However, I don’t follow a strict raw food diet and I really can’t manage to eat raw zucchini.  I saw a recipe somewhere (can’t remember where now) for the same idea of using a vegetable peeler to peel strips of zucchini to make noodles.  Instead of eating them raw, you saute the zucchini strips a little bit in olive oil, just until they are wilted but still bright green.  I decided to give this a go to go with our spaghetti sauce, and it was a big hit!  I also made brown rice noodles because I wasn’t sure if my husband and son would like the zucchini noodles.  But my husband and I both liked the zucchini ones better!  As for Elijah, I don’t think he was very hungry because he wasn’t eating much of anything, but he did try the zucchini noodles.

Beef Stock
I make my own chicken stock, which is super easy and super nutritious for you.  However, I have always been a little afraid or shy of making beef stock.  I don’t know why, maybe because those bones seem so foreign to me.  But I am learning that beef stock in particular is very healing to the gut lining.  The GAPS diet/program begins by using beef stock and vegetables to make blended soups.  This is the initial stage and is said to help the gut lining heal.

So I finally gave it a try, following the recipe in Nourishing Traditions.  I ended up cooking it for about 28 hours.  Minimum time is 12 but you can cook it as long as 72 hours.  I strained it last night but haven’t yet tried it.  I’ll keep you posted on this!

Coconut Biscuits

This was a spontaneous creation that I made in less that 30 minutes after I saw the recipe on Gapsguide.com.  They are made from coconut flour, eggs, honey, salt, coconut oil and optional shredded coconut and dried berries.  I made them plain without the shredded coconut and dried berries.  They turned out good, but a little dry.  I added an extra egg than was called for because my eggs were a bit small.  I’d like to try it again and change it a bit to see if I can make them more moist.  Elijah gobbled these up with plenty of butter added to them!

Did I mention I also made pot of black beans?  I don’t know how I ended up making and trying so many new things this week but that’s what happened.  I think it also has to do with the fall weather coming on.  When the weather gets cool, a lot of my energy goes into cooking!

What about you?  What are your favorite nourishing foods?

Gluten-free pizza crust, tarte style

Notes:  I’m having some quirky problems with my website so I am using bullets to separate the paragraphs in this post.  I am also submitting this post as part of the Tuesday Twister Carnival at GNOWFGLINS.  Please visit Wardeh’s site to see all the other wonderful weekly posts.

• As promised, I am posting a recipe for gluten-free pizza crust.  However, this is a different recipe than the one that I mentioned in my review of premade pizza crusts.  The following recipe is for a tarte style gluten-free pizza crust that I adapted from a recipe in Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon.  I have been slowly transitioning to more traditional methods of preparing and making baked goods, as suggested in her book.   The main step that is added in traditional methods of preparing baked goods is to soak the flour for 12-24 hours in yogurt, buttermilk, or water with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar if you can’t eat dairy products.

• This extra step (though it takes planning and time) makes baked goods much more digestible than if they are baked without soaking.  Through soaking flours, the process of lacto-fermentation begins, which is a natural process that creates healthy bacteria like the ones in yogurt and traditional sauerkraut.

• I have to say I’ve been somewhat resistant to transitioning to this new “lifestyle” of soaking flours ahead of time.  I usually end up wanting to make something right before I’d like to eat it, which doesn’t work so well for this process.

• But after making my muffins, and then this pizza dough, I am becoming sold on this way of preparing baked goods.  And it is mostly due to the way these baked goods make me feel verses ones that aren’t soaked first.

• When I ate this pizza crust, I didn’t get that “carbohydrate rush” that comes with most baked goods.  Instead, I felt nourished and fulfilled.   My blood sugar remained “stable” and it also felt more like a meal than regular pizza makes me feel.  I didn’t have any digestive upsets from it at all, which I normally have even a little bit of after I eat non-soaked flours, even if they are gluten-free.  On the contrary, I felt like it was nourishing food for my body.

• I will say here that this pizza dough has a lot of butter in it, 2 sticks to be exact.  Now, I believe that fat isn’t necessarily bad.  I do believe that the wrong kinds of fats are quickly degrading our health.  However, organic butter from grass-fed cows (preferably) is actually very healthy for you!  On the other hand, hydrogenated oils such as the ones found in margarine are the ones that are creating great health problems.  This of course is really another subject, so for now, let’s stick to the pizza.

• Of course, if you’re allergic to casein or can’t eat butter, this may not be a great recipe for you.  I did consider trying it with palm shortening, but haven’t got that far.  I would also like to try it without yogurt and use apple cider vinegar water instead for the dairy-free version.  I’ll keep you updated on this.

• On another note, don’t be surprised if this doesn’t taste like your normal pizza crust.  Since it’s torte style, and has 2 sticks of butter in it, is has a very buttery, dense taste and texture, similar to pie crust, only thicker.

• I actually didn’t like it at first because it was quite different from the normal yeasted pizza crust.  But don’t let this keep you from trying this.  After my first piece, it started to grow on me.  And within two days, the two pizzas were devoured by our family of three.

• The other thing I loved about making this recipe is that it is a roll-able and knead-able gluten-free pizza dough recipe.  With most gluten-free pizza dough recipes, you end up with a wet, cake-like batter that needs to be spread with a spatula.  I personally love kneading bread and getting my hands a bit dirty and feeling like I am creating something with my hands, rather than a machine doing the work for me.  It also has a most amazing scent as you knead the dough.

• Let’s not leave out the fact that this is also a yeast-free pizza dough.  For those who are gluten-free and yeast-free but who can have a bit of dairy in the form of yogurt and butter, this may be a really great recipe for you.

• As for the toppings, this is completely up to your imagination.  I stuck to the traditional pizza sauce with cheese for this one and I used almond cheese.  It didn’t melt like I would have liked but it was still a good addition.  Other ideas might include pesto sauces in place of pizza sauce, vegetables like mushrooms, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, or meat such as seasoned ground turkey, beef or lamb.

the crust, pre-baked

So without further ado,
Torte Style Gluten-free Pizza Crust
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup millet flour
1 ½ cups tapioca flour
1 cup yogurt (I use whole goat yogurt because goat’s milk is easier to digest than cow’s)
2 sticks of butter (1/2 pound), softened at room temperature
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
Arrowroot powder to roll dough
This recipe makes 2, 10” pizza crusts

Steps:

1.  Cream the yogurt and butter together with a hand mixer.  Add the flours, xanthan gum and salt and continue to mix until well combined.  (I actually used my hands for the second part and it was very fun.  There is something about using your hands directly, especially when you’re making bread.)  Cover with a towel and let sit at room temperature over night or 12-24 hours.

2.  Scrape dough out of the bowl and pat into a ball.  Cut into two pieces.  Flour a counter or large cutting board with arrowroot powder.  Form each half into a ball and then roll into two 10” rounds.  Transfer to an oiled pizza pan and then finish the edges to make the crust.  Prick crusts well with a fork.

3.  Prebake pizza crusts at 300 F for 30 minutes.  Add your toppings, then bake again at 350 for 30 minutes or until crust is baked through and the cheese melts.

with almond cheese, before baking

I hope you enjoy this new gluten-free pizza crust.  Please let me know how it goes for you and how you like it!

I actually like it better than my first attempt at slice-able, casein-free cheese.  The first one was a bit flimsy, though it did slice.  And the only way to get it to grate was to freeze it, which was time-consuming and a bit cold on the fingers!

I found this new recipe in The Real Food Daily Cookbook by Ann Gentry under “Cashew Cheddar Cheese.”  I made some adjustments – such as replacing the soy milk with almond milk and canola oil with olive oil.  I also halved the recipe completely because it called for 2 ounces of agar agar.  At around $7 or so an ounce of this seaweed, I decided to just half the recipe to see if I even liked it before spending so much on the agar agar!

Because this recipe uses agar agar, it is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.  The previous recipe called for gelatin, which I’m not too fond of either.

The other great thing about this new recipe is that the cheese can be grated without freezing it!  See below:

And yes, it can be melted after it hardens, or you can use it as a melted cheese when you first make it.

As for the flavor, I thought it had a nice flavor, however I may use a tad more garlic and onion powder next time and maybe a bit more nutritional yeast.

Here is the recipe:

Cashew Cheddar Cheese
Adapted from The Real Food Daily Cookbook by Ann Gentry
PREP TIME:  25 MINUTES * MAKES 16 SERVINGS

Ingredients:
2/3    cups cashew nuts
1/4    cup nutritional yeast
1        tsp onion powder
1        tsp salt
1/8   tsp white pepper
1/2    tsp garlic powder
1 3/4 plain and unsweetened almond milk
1 oz (about 2/3 cup) agar flakes
1/4   cup olive oil
1/8   cup soy-free miso (made from chickpea), or an additional 1/2 tsp salt and 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Steps:
1. Finely grind the cashews in a food processor.  Add nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Pulse until spices are blended.

2.  Combine milk, agar and oil in a saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over high heat.  Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until agar is dissolved.

3.  Pour the milk mixture into the food processor and blend into the cashews until very smooth and creamy.  Add the miso (or additional salt and nutritional yeast) and lemon juice.  Pour mixture into a loaf pan or another mold to cool and harden in fridge.  Use right away for melted cheese or let harden and use within an hour or so.

4.  Enjoy grated or sliced on pizza, tacos, burritos, salads, sandwiches, or anything else!

A note on portions: Even though I halved this recipe from the original, it still made plenty of cheese.  The cookbook says it will stay fresh for 4 days in the fridge, so unless you want to freeze it, or make a lot of pizzas, the above recipe works well for a family of 3-4.

Per Serving: 76 Calories; 7g Fat (75.2% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 216mg Sodium.

If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it.  Or if you have any other ideas for dairy-free and casein-free cheese, let me know!  I am also going to work on a nut-free version so any ideas about this would be welcome!  I would love any comments so don’t feel shy to say hi!

Did you you know that it used to be common practice to soak flour in cultured milk, buttermilk or cream to make baked goods such as pancakes, muffins and cakes?  For people who are allergic to dairy products, water with a little lemon juice or vinegar can be used.

Why soak the flour?

As many people know, wheat and other grains are one of the hardest things to digest.  This accounts for many of the sensitivities to wheat and grain products that people have today.  However, if the grains and flours are first soaked for 12-24 hours, this begins the “digestion process” well before it hits your stomach.

“Because they are acidic, buttermilk,cultured milk, yogurt and whey (as well as lemon juice and vinegar) activate the enzyme phytase, which works to break down phytic acid in the bran of grains.  Sour milk products also provide lactic acid and lactobacilli that help break down complex starches, irritating tannins and difficult-to-digest proteins.  Soaking increases vitamin content and makes all the nutrients in grains more available…”  Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, pg. 476.

Before I went completely gluten-free in my diet, I experimented with soaking my flours for breads before I baked them.  For me, this wasn’t enough and I found I needed to cut wheat and gluten out of my diet.  However, since going gluten-free and sometimes grain-free, I find that these baked goods are already much easier to digest even without soaking the flours first.

I am also a creature of habit and a spontaneous and impatient one at that.  Maybe I am like my toddler who wants what he wants, when he wants it.  I think we all have this quality in us at some point or another!  Needless to say, sometimes I just don’t want to wait 12 hours to bake my bread!

However, I’ve been re-inspired to continue soaking my baked goods, primarily due to the inspiration I derive from Wardeh Harmon at GNOWFGLINS. Her nourishing and traditional methods of preparing foods has inspired a new level of baking in my house, and for this I am grateful.

I also know that there are many people who still can’t eat wheat or gluten flours, even if they are first soaked.  And, many people continue to have problems with grains, even when they eat foods containing no gluten.  So, here is one of my first successful soaked, gluten-free muffin recipes.

And, I find that the extra soaking does make them more digestible!

This recipe is actually also grain-free, because it is made with quinoa flour.  However, I still soaked the flour because according to Nourishing Traditions, all non-gluten flours should be soaked, including quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat, which are all grain-free.

Please share what you know about the subject of soaking grain-free “grains” and other grains and flours in the comments section.  Thanks so much!

Apple Muffins:  Grain-Free, Dairy-free and Sugar-free

3  cups quinoa flour

1  cup goat or cow’s yogurt and 1 cup water, combined, or 2 cups water and 2 Tbsp lemon juice  if allergic to dairy

1 1/3 cups applesauce

1/2  cup coconut oil

2/3 cup raw agave nectar

3 eggs

1 apple, grated

1/2 tsp vanilla

Dry ingredients:

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xanthan gum

3/4 cup dried, unsweetened dessicated coconut

1/2 cup flax meal

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

Steps:

1.  Combine the quinoa flour and yogurt water or lemon juice water, together in a medium mixing bow.  Mix well until well combined.  Cover with a towel and leave overnight for 12 hours or up to 24 hours.

2.  In a separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, agave or other sweetener and eggs together.  Add the grated apple and vanilla and stir.  Add this mixture to the soaked quinoa flour.  Stir until well blended.

3.  In another bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients together – the salt, baking soda, xanthan gum, coconut, flax meal, cinnamon, raisins and nuts.  Stir until combined.  Add dry ingredients to the flour mixture.  Stir until well combined.

4.  I made these into muffins and they made about 24 with a little batter left over, which I made pancakes out of the next morning.  You can also make this into a loaf bread.  For the muffins, I baked them at 350 for 25 minutes in well oiled muffin tins.  They were very moist, not too sweet and very nourishing.  For a loaf, you would bake in a well oiled pan for at least 1 1/2 hours.

I am submitting this post as part of the Tuesday Twister Carnival at GNOWFGLINS.  There were other tasty things I made this week, which included a new and improved recipe for dairy-free and casein-free cheese that is grateable, as well as a wonderful quesadilla I made with dairy-free seed cheese, olives, caramelized onions and fresh herbs.  I will be doing a separate post very soon about the cheese!

I recently checked out the book, The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook at my library to see what new recipes I might find for the GF and CF diet.  I haven’t completely finished perusing the book but for the most part I would highly recommend it.  One great thing about it is that it has many soy, nut, egg and corn-free recipes as well.

One recipe that caught my eye was the “Sensory Sensible Pot Pie Muffins.” This recipe is a muffin for kids who can’t eat gluten and dairy and who may not like to eat regular chicken or vegetables.   To solve this problem, they put the pureed chicken and veggies right into the muffin.

This, I gotta try, I said.  My son used to eat literally anything I put in front of him.  But with the toddler stage, he has become a bit more picky.  He still loves cooked veggies, especially green beans but isn’t too fond of chicken these days.

Also, since we’re on the go a lot, I was looking for a snack that was travel-friendly, healthy, gluten and dairy-free and high in protein.  These muffins seemed like the answer!

Pot Pie Muffins made with Namaste muffin mix

I really tried to follow the recipe for the first attempt.  But I have to say that although it looked easy, it turned out to be confusing.

Here’s the recipe:

• 1 box (14.8 oz) store-bought GFCF muffin or quick bread mix

• 1 cup pureed vegetables (one or more of the following:  carrots, squash, peas or green beans)

• 1/2 cup applesauce

• 1/2 cup pureed chicken*

Steps:

1. In a large bowl, prepare cake mix batter according to package directions.  Add pureed vegetables, applesauce and chicken and mix to combine.
2. Lightly grease muffin tin or line with paper liners.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each about 2/3rds full.  Bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.*To puree chicken, combine cooked, chopped chicken with a bit of water or stock in a blender and blend until desired consistency is reached.

Easy right?

Okay, so first of all I have to tell you that it’s a production to make these muffins.  If you want to make them, make the chicken the night before and make extra veggies when you make dinner for the muffins.  That way you are already half way done.

The other thing that was a bit of a challenge was finding a muffin mix free of sugar.  I personally don’t like using cane sugar in baking and every mix I picked up had this in it.  Also, I couldn’t find one that was exactly 14.8 oz and I didn’t have time to figure out mathematical calculations in my head with my toddler yelling at me, “down, down!”

So, I ended up grabbing the Namaste mix because I wanted to make it simple and follow the recipe as best I could.  It is also made of brown rice verses white rice flour and is free of most allergens.

When it came to baking, I measured out just under 2 cups which is about 14.8 oz.  So I have a bit of mix left because it was a full pound.

So when I went to prepare the muffin mix, I felt I should modify the muffin mix directions because 1) I wasn’t using the whole bag and 2)  I felt like these muffins were going to be way to wet when I added the chicken, veggies and applesauce.  So I decided to use one less egg than was called for in the mix (called for 2).

They seemed like a good consistency so I went ahead and baked them.  They were actually good, but still a bit wet.  They taste more like heavy cake than a muffin.  They also deflated a bit due to the heaviness.  I personally like my muffins a bit more muffiny than these turned out to me.  It may have been that the extra egg would have helped, I am not sure.

No matter what I think of the muffins, Elijah loved them.  So there you go!

I decided to take a new approach and sack the prepared mixes.  I started again with one of Elana’s recipes with coconut flour because I was interested in making them grain-free as well.  They already called for carrots since they were her carrot muffins so this was a good start.

Pot Pie Muffins adapted from Elana's Carrot Muffin Recipe

Here is her recipe and what I did to change the recipe is next to her’s:

Gluten Free Carrot Mini Muffins
¼ cup coconut flour (I used 1/2 cup)
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt (I used 1/2 tsp)
¼ teaspoon baking soda (I used 1/2 tsp)
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground (I used 1.5 tsp)
3 eggs (I used 5 eggs)
¼ grapeseed oil (I used 1/2 cup)
¼ yacon syrup (I used 1/3 cup agave nectar)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (to tell you the truth I forgot to add this, but would do 1.5 Tbsp)
1 cup carrots, grated (I used just over a cup and I grated them instead of cooking and blending)
¼ cup currants (I used 1/3 cup)
I added:
1/2 cup chicken puree
1/2 cup applesauce

1. In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon
2. In a large bowl, blend together eggs, oil, sweetener, (applesauce, chicken) and vanilla
3. Blend dry ingredients into wet, then fold in carrots and currants
4. Grease a mini muffin tin with grapeseed oil and then dust with coconut flour
5. Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of batter into each greased mini muffin cup (I used regular sized muffins and it made about 15 and took 25 minutes in the oven)
6. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes
7. Cool and serve

I had a good feeling about these muffins as I was mixing them and as they were baking.  They smelled yummy with the added cinnamon and I felt like they were going to be better than my first attempt.

Besides them sticking to the pans a bit, they were much better than the first recipe – much more springy and muffin-texture-like than the first batch.

The only thing that my be a problem for people is they definately need eggs – I used 5.  With this amount of eggs in them, it would be hard to convert this particular recipe to be egg-free.  They also have coconut flour in them but if one is allergic to coconut, you could use a GF baking blend with rice, tapioca and arrowroot.

As far as making these little babies last, I wrapped each one in plastic wrap and then put them all (except a few to munch on) into a freezer bag and froze them.  That way I can just take out one or two when we need them and they will last a lot longer.

And what did Elijah think of the second batch?  He gobbled them up too!

Anyone else have some great travel-free healthy snacks for kids?  I’d love to hear about them!  Thanks so much!