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.
Is there a way to heal the gut, to alleviate the symptoms of autism, depression and other mental illnesses?
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.
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.
Like any mom with a child with food restrictions combined with a dose of pickiness, I have been looking for new recipes to feed my son who can’t eat dairy products. I am also allergic to wheat and gluten so I end up making baked goods wheat and gluten free so I can eat them too.
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!
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!:
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!
As a person with food allergies, sensitivities, or someone just wanting to learn to cook, you may be looking for some simple ways to make your food taste good. Eating out usually isn’t an option for someone on a restricted diet so it is a daily task to find ways to spice up the life of your food! If you are very restricted in your diet, it can feel like you are using the same herbs to make your meal taste good. This can get old after a while and it is helpful to have a fresh look at some other herbs or new ways you can possibly make your food tastier.
Here is a list of ingredients I use on a regular basis in cooking to make food more delicious. I also use many of these in combination with each other. This creates a whole new taste and you might be surprised how different combinations can make or break a meal. The best thing is to experiment with different quantities and combinations of some of these ingredients.
There will most likely be something that doesn’t agree with you on the list. Focus instead on using the other ingredients and see what you can come up with to add some spice to your food. I am sure there are other ingredients one can use in allergy-free cooking.
Salt and pepper: sea salt is best
Fresh and dried herbs and spices: The list is too long to print here. Browse your bulk herb or bottled herb section at your grocery store to see if you can find something new and interesting that may add some new life to your food!
Curry paste: comes in yellow and red, possibly others
Fresh ginger root: fresh is best or if buying a jar of grated ginger, check the ingredients for high fructose corn syrup or other ingredients you may be sensitive to
Onions and garlic: can be raw, sautéed, steamed, caramelized, roasted, minced, diced, sliced, etc.
Diced celery and celery seed: cooked or raw
Lemons, limes and oranges: also the zest of one or more of these adds great flavor
Coconut milk: buy whole, unsweetened and organic if possible
Tamari and Miso: if you can eat soy, these add great flavor. Tamari is wheat-free soy sauce.
Honey, agave, maple syrup
Vinegars: apple cider vinegar is the best. Some vinegar has sugar added to them; use with care.
Mustards and ketchups: most ketchup has sugar added to it but it is possible to find it without or make your own
Nuts and seeds: whole, ground, chopped or as butters
Olive oil, butter, coconut oil
Chili peppers and green chilies
Seaweeds: adds flavor and nutrients to food; great substitute for salt
Nutritional yeast: full of B vitamins, this adds a cheesy flavor to foods
Sesame oil: can be regular, toasted or some have added spices
Tomato sauce: great for pizzas, spaghetti but also great for other dishes with a tomato base. I try to find brands that are sugar-free.
Do you have more ideas on how you spice up your allergen-free food? I would love to hear your ideas! Please post a comment!
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!
Maple Roasted Carnival Squash Slices (Recipe below)
I have been recovering from sleep deprivation from last week so this week I have been trying to catch up on everything. But today I finally have time to post this week’s menu along with some photos and recipes.
This week’s menu planner:
1. Sweet potato Black Bean Tacos and Cilantro Basmati Rice
2. Chipotle-dusted Steak and Autumn greens
3. Chicken with Parsnips and Leeks and New Potatoes Mashed w/ Garlic & Rosemary
4. Chicken Curry and Maple-Roasted Squash Slices
5. Tilapia with Creamy-Herb Sauce and Simple Sautéed Asparagus
Vegetarian/Seafood menu options:
1. Sweet potato Black Bean Tacos and Cilantro Basmati Rice
2. Chipotle-dusted Tuna Steaks and Autumn greens
3. Bay Scallops with Parsnips and Leeks and New Potatoes Mashed w/ Garlic & Rosemary
4. Mahi Mahi Curry and Maple-Roasted Squash Slices
5. Tilapia with Creamy-Herb Sauce and Simple Sautéed Asparagus
Plus, for dessert, I have another upside-down cake. This week I used a recipe from my sister that I remember was very delicious – a Pear Upside-Down Cake. Of course it was not gluten, dairy or sugar free so it took some tweaking, but it turned out not only delicious but also very beautiful! In fact, it didn’t last 24 hours between enjoying it ourselves and giving some away to friends and family! And my little boy loved the pears I took off the top for him.
Pear Upside-down Cake - Gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free!
As a person with food allergies, sensitivities, or someone just wanting to learn to cook, you may be looking for some simple ways to make your food taste good. Eating out usually isn’t an option for someone on a restricted diet so it is a daily task to find ways to spice up the life of your food! If you are very restricted in your diet, it can feel like you are using the same herbs to make your meal taste good. This can get old after a while and it is helpful to have a fresh look at some other herbs or new ways you can possibly make your food tastier.
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
