If you’re looking for healthy, sugar-free and gluten free dessert recipes and a delicious allergen-friendly Holiday Menu Planner this season, you won’t want to miss the 20% OFF pre-order offer that will be expiring tonight at midnight PST.
I grew up celebrating Christmas, but if this is not the holiday you celebrate, these menu planners and recipes could most likely work for any festive celebration and holiday.
I think for many families, having a nice breakfast on either Christmas morning or another special day during the holidays is very common. So I decided to include a breakfast menu to the holiday menu planner as well as a dinner menu.
Once again, the menu planner is going to be free of the following foods, so that it can work for almost any limited diet:
no dairy - (butter may be used in some recipes but there is always another option that is dairy-free)
no wheat or gluten – all grains and products containing gluten
no grains
no sugar - only natural sweeteners will be used, such as raw honey and maple syrup
no soy – no soybean oil, lecithin, and other soy products
For whatever reason, many of the recipes I worked on this week ended up being raw or mostly raw. In part, I was continuing my quest for some travel-friendly treats for my son and decided to try some raw fruit and nut balls, similar to Larabars.
I was also testing recipes for my menu planners for limited diets free of gluten, grains, dairy, eggs sugar and other common allergens. Many raw recipes work great for people with a lot of food limitations. The only drawback I find is that they use nuts extensively, which is a common allergen. I find though, that seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds can be used in place of nuts in some of these recipes.
As far as eating raw nuts goes, it is really best to soak them for a varied amount of time, depending upon the nut or seed. This process is what releases their enzyme inhibitors and unlocks their full nutritional value. In terms of soaking, you can either soak just long enough to germinate, or longer to sprout (however it’s difficult to sprout some nuts).
I have to admit that I didn’t soak the nuts and seeds in the recipes I tested this week. This was partly due to the recipes not asking me to do this and in part laziness and impatience on my part. However, if I were to do them again, I would soak the nuts and seeds in these recipes.
Here is a list of some new and yummy things I made this week:
Cashew Apricot Bliss Balls and Cherry-Walnut Bites
I have been enjoying the Tuesday Twister blog posts by Wardeh Harmon at Gnowfglins.com for the past few weeks or so ever since I found her website. These blog posts have been a synopsis of her week in the kitchen and what has been twisting in her cooking. I love reading them, mostly because she focuses on nourishing, whole foods!
Last week she announced her new Blog Carnival, the Tuesday Twister Carnival and her invitation to participate in the weekly postings. I started thinking about doing this and then a couple days ago, inspiration struck I finally decided to give it a go. I can’t promise I’ll do it every week, but we’ll see what happens.
My Meal Un-Plan
I started thinking about my week in the kitchen and what it is normally like during our busy days. And what stood out to me the most was the fact that I hardly ever meal plan.
One of my favorite homemade sauces is tomatillo salsa. The green salsas you buy in the grocery store simply don’t compare with the fresh home made version! The only tomatillo salsa in a jar that I like is the Trader Joe’s brand. There are however some great salsa verdes available at some Mexican and Spanish restaurants. However, if you don’t eat pork, you’ll have to ask if they added pork to their recipe.
For me, I not only love eating this wonderful fresh salsa with chips, I love using it to make chicken casseroles or just smothering fish or chicken in it. You can make it ahead of time and then add it to many dishes! If you don’t eat meat, you can use it in vegetarian tacos or burritos or vegetarian Mexican casseroles.
The other day I was inspired to make this salsa and it turned out hotter than I really like, so I sauteed a whole onion until it was very sweet and browned, and then blended it into the salsa. It toned it down and made it a bit sweeter. Very nice!
So if you’re looking for a great Tomatillo Salsa recipe, here it is!:
I receive a lot of emails from people who have found my site and are looking for ideas for their very limited diet. Some of these people are at a complete loss as to what to eat because their diet is so limited. I received one of these emails from someone last week inquiring about a diet for her daughter.
Here was her list of foods that her daughter was told to avoid:
gluten (wheat, barley, oats, spelt, kamut, tricale, and all products containing gluten such as soy sauce, etc)
grain (includes rice, millet, teff, and other gluten-free grains)
dairy
egg
soy
corn
banana
kiwi
This is a similar list to many of the people who come to me. There are definite variations and more limited diets like those without any meat or fish, legumes, nuts, all fruit, etc. But I thought I’d start with this diet to give you some ideas on where to start.
So what do you do when you get a list like this? My hope is that in this post, I can give you my process for starting to come up with some foods and recipes you can eat when you receive a long list of foods you should be avoiding, even temporarily.
I am also working on compiling my recipes into menu plans for different diets such as this one so that people can have a menu planner for their specific limited diet. I am also going to start writing some blogs about how you can start to do this for yourself!
Do you ever feel like you have to forgo almost everything that looks delicious because of your very limited diet? If you’re like me, you may look longingly at a thick piece of chocolate cake at the grocery store and wish you could eat it.
Well, now you can. Thanks to my friend Penelope at Two Frogs Healing Center who introduced me to this recipe, I feel like I have finally found that moist, chocolaty goodness. And the great thing is, if you are on a very limited diet and are gluten-free, wheat-free, soy-free, egg-free, sugar-free, or corn-free, you can still eat these delicious babes. They are even potato-free which is a problem for many people. You can even make them with carob and make them chocolate-free!
And the best part is they are extremely easy. With only a handful of ingredients and only one flour (I used rice flour), they are quick and very easy to make.
The original recipe comes from the Ecological Kitchen Cookbook but my friend adapted it to be gluten and wheat free. The original recipe is for carob cake, so if you’re allergic to chocolate, you can use carob and it is just as good! Stay tuned, I’m going to try these with quinoa or blanched almond flour and see if they work just as well. That would make them grain-free as well!
I am usually a very experimental cook, but I do find myself stalling sometimes; stalling to try something new in cooking or baking. The reason is simple; it’s entering into the territory of the “unknown” and that little question, hiding in the background, seems to take precedence over my best intentions sometimes.
The little question? “But what if it doesn’t turn out?” For some reason this stops me, and many others, from trying something new and dabbling in a little creativity. Our minds simply don’t want to deal with the risk that something terrible might happen if we actually get up the nerve to try coconut flour or egg-free baking.
And if we really think about it, the worst that can happen is that something doesn’t turn out and we are left with a pile of tasteless crumbs. Or maybe they are tasty crumbs that need to be eaten with a spoon. Either way, if we actually face this question straight on, we see that it is just a small part of ourselves that is a little afraid of something new. And that’s okay, because we all have a comfort zone that is, well, comfortable.
But what happens when life hands us a different set of cards and we find ourselves with less ingredients to work with because of an allergy or condition that limits a food group from our diet?
I have always loved eggs. They are great protein and fill my tummy up very well if I have them for breakfast. I even gave egg yolks to my son starting at 6 months old because they “supply cholesterol needed for mental development as well as important sulphur-containing amino acids.” I used all organic eggs from pasture-raised chickens, which are rich in omega-3 amino acids. These fatty acids are essential for the development of the brain and are also found in mother’s milk. I learned this from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (pg.600). Egg whites however, should be avoided in a baby’s diet until at least one year of age because they can cause an allergic reaction if introduced too early.
However, though not officially tested yet, Elijah breaks out around his mouth now, even after eating just an egg yolk, even worse if he has egg whites. So, while I have always been hesitant to use egg replacements, simply because I haven’t had a problem with eggs and because it is easier just to throw in an egg, I have started using some of the many concoctions that are great for replacing eggs in my baking.
And the foods I am creating egg-free are still turning out great! In this week’s menu planner, I included a recipe I adapted from an Arrowhead Mills package of amaranth for Amaranth Date Pecan Bread. The original recipe had wheat flour and eggs and butter in it (I used butter but you can easily use grapeseed, safflower or coconut oil) and I converted it to be egg, wheat, gluten and grain free.
At this point, it was almost a fun challenge to see if I could make it grain-free and still taste good. So I made up a quinoa blend with tapioca flour and potato starch. The result was surprising! Chewy, a little crunchy, and sweetened with dates and honey, it was a real treat. It was very yummy and even Elijah agreed. It ended up being great as a snack, breakfast, or slightly sweet treat.
So next time you notice a part of yourself stalling in someway to try something new in cooking or baking, take a step back and just notice the question or thought that might be getting in the way. Then tell it to take a break and have some tea and you’ll get back to it when you’re done with your little experiment. (Or not!) Even if something does turn out to be a flop, you will always learn something from it. And the best medicine I’ve found for being disappointed with an experiment? Laughing!
Pecan Crusted Amaranth Bread, Grain and Egg-Free
Amaranth Date Pecan Bread (Grain-free)
Servings: 4
Prep and cook time: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped dates
½ cup amaranth, whole
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs or egg substitute*
½ cup honey, agave or maple syrup
¼ cup butter or safflower oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups Quinoa blend**
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped pecans
* I used 2 Tbsp flaxmeal in 6 Tbsp boiling water. Let sit for 10 minutes or until thick
** Grain-free mix – 2 cups quinoa flour2/3 cup potato starch1/3 cup tapioca flour
A reminder about egg replacements: Use for 1 egg:
3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce (or another fruit puree) + 1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp flax seed meal + 3 Tbsp hot water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until thick. Use without straining.
Egg Replacer, according to directions.
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Soak dates and amaranth in boiling water for 15 minutes. Beat eggs (or use substitute), add honey and butter (or oil). Stir in remaining ingredients, except for the nuts, mixing well.
2. Pour into oiled loaf pan and spread chopped nuts over top. Bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour, or until tester comes out clean.
Substitutions: Whole amaranth: amaranth, qunioa or millet flour. Quinoa blend: other GF blend, spelt, barley or wheat flour. Pecans: leave out if allergic to nuts or use sunflower or sesame seeds. Recipe inspiration: Adapted from recipe on Arrowhead Mills package of amaranth
The “insides”
Elijah and the amaranth bread. Yes, I was having fun with photoshop:)
Is your next meal going to make you sick or are you just plain sick of you allergen-free food?
I find that people with food allergies or sensitivities fall into two categories – do you see yourself in one of these situations?
You know you’re allergic or sensitive to certain foods but for whatever reason, you end up eating something that you’re sensitive to during the week.
This may be because you find it too difficult to plan meals for the week that work for your diet. When you go out during the day or want to have lunch with a friend, a little voice says, “There’s nothing you can eat on this menu except lettuce leaves. Skip your diet today and get back to it tomorrow.”
Or maybe you have a laundry list of foods that you’re allergic to and you simply can’t find foods that work for your diet. You have to eat so you end up eating something that makes you feel sick.
You go through the cycle again. You get sick. You have a brain fog. You can’t think and you feel awful. You gain weight. You feel depressed. Or you break out in hives. Whatever it is, it isn’t fun, is it?
If you’re lucky, you’re in category two and you’ve managed to stay on your diet. But because you’re limited, it’s easy to get in a rut with your meal planning. And often times when people are prone to food allergies, eating too much of one food (like rice, corn or soy) can lead to additional food allergies.
Whether you are searching for a menu plan that can finally help you stay on your dietor one that will give you new and creative ideas for your allergy-free living, you’ve come to the right place!
The Nourishing Foods Menu Planner is unique in that it offers individual menus for specific diets:
Meat and Seafood Diets:
Wheat and Gluten-free – One Month of Spring/Summer Menus Available Now!
Wheat/Gluten and Dairy Free – One Month of Spring/Summer Menus Available Now!
Dairy Free – One Month of Spring/Summer Menus Available Now!
Coming very soon:
Wheat-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Soy-free
Egg-free, Dairy-free and Gluten-Free
Nightshade-free, Wheat/Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Soy-free
Nut-free, Legume-free, Wheat/Gluten-free and Dairy-free
Kid-Friendly Wheat/Gluten-free and Dairy-free menus
Extremely Limited Diet: Gluten-free, Wheat-free, Grain-free, Corn-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free, Shellfish-free, Fruit-free, Peanut-free, Egg-free, Refined sugar-free, Yeast-free, Preservative-free, MSG-free and artificial flavoring-free (also very limited in legumes and nuts)
Seafood/Vegetarian Diets
Wheat-free and Gluten-free
Dairy-Free
Wheat/Gluten-free and Dairy-free
Wheat/Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Soy-free
Nightshade-free, Wheat/Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Soy-free
Don’t have food allergies but just want to eat healthy food?
Many of our customers find our menu planner who don’t have food allergies but are looking for a healthy menu with recipes that use fresh, whole and seasonal ingredients.
While the gluten and wheat free diet is for people with celiac disease, food allergies or sensitivities, it can also be used as a detox diet.
Wheat and gluten can bog the body down if eaten in excess. By giving the body a break from foods made from wheat and gluten, people report feeling lighter, healthier and many end up losing weight.
Each week of menus offers you the following:
A menu for five delicious and creative dinners plus five complementary side dishes each week
One dessert recipe a week to compliment your meals
Easy to follow recipes for each dish
Quick to prepare – 30-35 minute prep and cook time total for each meal (entrée and side dish together).
An organized shopping list for the entire week, which is coded to each meal so you don’t have to cook every dish
Kid-friendly ideas for each recipe
Ideas for substituting main ingredients for each recipe
Nutritional information is included in all recipes.
Recipes focus on using fresh, seasonal produce and whole foods as much as possible.
Family-friendly recipes!
Plus articles about health, allergies, and other food issues.
Ready to eat delicious food? We put the “yum” back into allergen-free meals!
Buy one of our specialized menu planners:
1) Gluten-free and Wheat-Free Menu Planner (Meat and Seafood menu)
Only $12.95 for one month, emailed weekly:
2) Dairy-free, Gluten-free and Wheat-free Menu Planner (Meat and Seafood menu)
Only $12.95 for one month, emailed weekly:
3) Dairy-free Menu Planner (Meat and Seafood menu)
Only $12.95 for one month, emailed weekly:
More menu planners coming soon!
When you buy any menu planner, you get the FREE bonus:
A Whole Foods Grocery Guide: A Complementary Handbook to the Nourishing Foods Menu Planner or for any type of Whole Foods and Allergy-free Cooking
by Sarah Schatz ( $14.95 value)
100% Guarantee! Be satisfied with delicious, healthy, and allergen-free recipes or receive a full refund within the first 30 days!
When you click “Buy Now,” you will be directed to Paypal where you can pay securely for the menu planner.
If you don’t have a Paypal account and don’t want to create one, you can pay by credit card by clicking on the link inside Paypal that says, “Don’t have a Paypal account? Pay by credit card.”
If you want to pay by check, please contact me for my mailing address.
When you subscribe to the menu planner, you will receive your first one immediately in your email after you verify your email address. If you do not receive it right away, please send me an email and I will send you a link to the menu planner.
After receiving your first menu planner, you will receive a menu planner every week on the same day of the week that you signed up. Example: if you signed up on Tuesday, this is the day you can expect to receive your menu planner for each month of menus.
Click here to read what one of our customers has to say about the menu planner. By purchasing a Nourishing Foods Menu Planner, you will:
Save time – no more searching for new and interesting recipes to feed you family
Save money – no more impulse buying because you have a shopping list for the whole week
Eat delicious food - no more “getting by” with frozen GF breads or tasteless frozen meals
Eat healthier – by eating homemade foods made from whole ingredients
Spend more quality time with you family - no more waiting for your dinner table at a restaurant
Eat a variety of foods - no more eating the same meals every week
Have less stress in your life - no more trying to figure out what to cook at the last minute
Have less shopping trips - no more running to the store for forgotten ingredients
Eat foods that work for your body - no more cheating on your diet because you want to eat something yummy or can’t find something to eat.
Feel Happy and Healthy! When people follow a diet that works for their body, they often feel better than they ever thought possible!
Please note: This is no longer a subscription service. I am presently making monthly menu planners for specific diets and am selling them per month and emailing them weekly. I will be adding months to certain diets and it will soon be possible to buy 2-3 months of menus at a time. Please be patient with me – I’m a work at home mom!
To balance out my last post, I am now writing about the gluten-free chocolate cupcakes that I talked about. They really turned out great so I want to share the recipe. I used goat yogurt in them, but you can easily replace this with a non-dairy milk. They are also egg-free and maple syrup sweetened! It is adapted from the Carob Cupcake recipe in May All Be Fed by John Robbins. I made it gluten-free. I also made a Cashew-Coconut Icing to go with it that was great – but it’s not in the picture.
A Whole Foods Grocery Guide: A Complementary Handbook to the Nourishing Foods Menu Planner or for any type of Whole Foods and Allergy-free Cooking
