Gluten Free Healthy Oatmeal

I don't post a lot of recipes with grains anymore, since my son and I no longer eat them.  However, my husband loves this oatmeal!  It is so easy to make and has no refined sugars.  I make him a small portion, but with the added fruits and nuts it fills him up just fine.  You can make larger portions easily.  I only buy gluten free, organic oats.  See the link below.  Also, be very careful which kind of stevia you purchase.  Some are loaded with chemical additives.  I use sweetleaf stevia.  This is also great with added fresh blueberries or other berries.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup gluten free, organic oats
1/2 cup pure water
1 ripe banana
ground cinammon
1 stevia packet
handful of walnuts

Directions:
In a small pot, bring the water to a boil.
Add the oats and stir until water is absorbed.  (It only takes a few minutes, so keep an eye on it.)
Smash the ripe banana in a bowl using a fork.
Add some shakes of cinnamon and the stevia packet.
Mix together with a spoon and then add the oats and mix again.
Break some walnuts into the bowl and then mix together again.
Add berries if you like.
Enjoy your oatmeal!

OMG Grain and Dairy Free Carrot Cake

There is a good reason for the name of this cake:  It is that incredibly delicious.  I literally uttered "Oh my god," while I was eating it.  I made this for myself as a special treat for making it through a challenging week.  It is inspired by a recipe from Elana Amsterdam of Elana's Pantry blog.  I tweaked it in several ways, including this dairy free cashew frosting.  I also only made one layer instead of two.  Remember that when you find a recipe you want to make, but have certain dietary conditions, just change it to meet your needs.  I do this all the time, and I will admit that I was really hesitant to try it at first.  Sometimes the results are not so good, but sometimes they are amazingly fantastic like this cake today!  So, be brave.  You never know how good it can be until you try it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of almond flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tblspn ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 organic eggs
1/2 tsp of ground chia seeds
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
Grease a cake pan (or a pie pan) with some coconut oil (or other oil) and dust with almond flour.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, sea salt, baking soda, and spices.
In a medium bowl, mix together the safflower oil, maple syrup, eggs and ground chia seeds.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry.
Add in the carrots, raisins and walnuts. (I actually ground the walnuts with a nut/coffee grinder.  It was like adding another flour.  And I left a few chunks, which are so delicious in the cake.)
Put the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 35 minutes until a fork or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Let the cake cool off.

Cashew Frosting:

I love to experiment with different non-dairy versions of typically dairy foods to make with cashews.  You can adjust this frosting to your own sweetness level.  I made this one "too sweet" for my husband, so I got to eat the whole thing by myself!  :)
Blend together in a high speed blender on very high the following ingredients:
1/3 cup raw cashews
1 - 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup almond milk

You really want to blend on high so that it is smooth and also less liquidy and runny.

Pour over the cake and spread evenly.  Cool in the fridge for a bit to set the icing.  I know it is hard to wait, but it is worth it for the total yum experience.

I hope you enjoy!!   This is by far one of the best things I have ever eaten.  :)

Balsamic Beets

I have never been a big beet eater, but this recipe really has won me over!  Delicious!  I actually bought three large beets at the store.  The first, I juiced and drank.  That was OK.  The second, I cut up and ate raw with a salad.  Also, OK.  The last one, I cooked and oh boy was it good!  Beets have so many healthful qualities and I am glad that there are so many ways to enjoy them.

Ingredients:
Red beets
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt

Directions:
Cut off stems and peel however many beets you want to cook.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place beet(s) in an oven safe dish with 1/2 - an inch of water and cover with a lid or aluminum foil.
Cook in oven for 45 mins - an hour until soft enough to poke a fork through.
Remove from oven and dump out water or change beets to another bowl.
Pour some balsamic vinegar over them, followed by a generous amount of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Enjoy!!

My Homemade Dog Food Recipe

Over the last few months, I have been making my dogs' food myself.  My smaller dog never liked eating store-bought food.  He used to dump his bowl over and then walk away, leaving the food on the floor!  Over the years, I have tried several brands for them, moving away from the popular, but highly toxic Science Diet, once learned about the dangers of GMO corn and soy.  I even bought ones with more organic ingredients, but little Murphy still dumped his bowl over.  So, finally, I decided to make it myself.  Now, he gets so excited to eat his meals, he whimpers at me and jumps around until I give him his food!  They both devour every morsel as quickly as they can.  I feel so good that I can give them what they need and what they like each day.  It does take some time, but it is so worth it.  Our dogs are an integral and important part of our family and they deserve healthy foods, too!

I spent a lot of time researching until I came up with this recipe.  The added nutrients I learned about from Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.  I make his "Healthy Powder" in bulk and keep it in the refrigerator and then add 4 spoonfuls to each batch of food I make.  You can make as large of a batch as you want and freeze it.  I prefer to make smaller batches and use them right away.  But, I have made more when I have had to go out of town and freezing them worked out perfectly.  This is the most common recipe I use for them, but I have also used chicken and also eggs as a protein base.

My little Murphy can't digest any veggies except for sweet potatoes, although Hollie is fine with other veggies.  So, if you want to add more veggies and see how your dog does, you can do that.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of organic or natural (no antibiotics or hormones) ground beef

2 organic sweet potatoes

Organic olive oil

Dr. Pitcairn's Healthy Powder (see link above)

2/3 scoop of organic wheatgrass powder

Three or four handfuls of organic, gluten free oats

coconut or safflower oil for cooking

Add ins:

I add a little bit of cod liver oil to their bowl in the morning and a scoop of plain, organic yogurt with their dinner.

Directions:

Boil the sweet potatoes until completely soft

Once they are cooled a bit, peel them.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.

Add the beef and brown.

Once the meat is cooked, remove from the heat.  Pour olive oil over it and mix it in.  Add the sweet potatoes and mix together with a spoon or spatula.  Add the oats and then mix 4 tsp of Healthy Powder and the wheatgrass.

Allow to cool and then feed the happy dogs!

Store in the refrigerator or freezer and use as needed.  This much would last quite a while for a small dog, but with my Golden Retriever and the little guy together, it only lasts three days.

Kids' Favorite Green Smoothie

If your child does not like to eat veggies, have no fear!  Smoothies are the answer!  This is the recipe for my son's favorite green smoothie.  It is easy to make, delicious and contains loads of beneficial fiber, vitamins and minerals.  Plus, it is packed with detoxifying power!

Ingredients - Use Organic:

Two big handfuls of fresh spinach leaves

One ripe banana

One carrot, cut into chunks

About a 1/2 cup of frozen mango (more if you are making it for two people)

1/2 - 1 cup of unfiltered apple juice (use the 1 cup if you are making it for two people)

An extra dash of pure water

Note:  You do not have to use the apple juice.  I have made this with water as a base and it is still delicious.  Also, you can use orange juice.

Optional:

Add a few tablets of organic, broken cell wall chlorella for extra detox support.

Directions:

Place everything in a high speed blender.

Blend until completely smooth.

Note:  I have a Blendtec and I use the "smoothie" setting and then blend it again for about 20-30 more seconds on a 3 setting.

Pour into a tall glass and smile as you watch your child drinking up the goodness!

Grain Free, Vegan Happy Peanut Butter Cookies

These grain free, vegan peanut butter cookies so delicious and so easy to make - a sure way to bring a smile to your kids' faces!  I have recently discovered these Lily's Dark Chocolate baking chips.  I like to buy them because they are non-GMO, natural, fair trade, vegan and have no sugar or evaporated cane juice.  I hope you will enjoy them as much as my family did!

Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
1 cup peanut butter (I use plain, organic pb with nothing added)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup coconut oil melted
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate chips - optional

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line two baking sheets with non-bleached parchment paper.
Combine the almond flour, baking soda and sea salt in a medium bowl.
Combine the peanut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla in a large bowl.  Mix with a spoon.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ones.
Form cookie shapes with your hands and place onto prepared baking sheets.
Add chocolate chips if you desire.
Bake for approx. 15 minutes.  Watch carefully after 12 minutes because they can burn easily on the bottoms.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

Healing Grass Fed Burger Bites

Here's something that we have found to be very helpful for respiratory allergy flare ups, which I haven't really read anywhere:  Add more high quality fats to the diet!  I know, it even still seems odd to me, but it has to do with balance.  My son has really been having some allergies lately with the change of the season and despite all that I have done to help him, this morning, the sneezing was still persisting.  So, I made him some organic, grass fed beef burgers cooked in organic, grass fed ghee and viola!  Sneezing and drippy nose has stopped.  He tends to like to eat vegetarian foods, mostly vegan, but this just does not provide enough of the necessary fats that he needs.  I have personally experienced this very same thing.  Neither of us eat cow's dairy products, but sometimes we really do need the special vibration of ghee.  Ghee has the lactose removed from the butter.

Here are some other things you can do for allergy flare ups:
1.  Eliminate chemicals from the diet and environment
2.  Use air purifiers
3.  Take sea salt or epsom salt baths
4.  Energetically clear your space
5.  Drink green smoothies and make sure to get plenty of vitamin C
6.  Get outside and get vitamin D from the sunshine
7.  Get plenty of rest

Ingredients:
One pound of organic, grass fed ground beef
Sea Salt
Organic garlic powder
Organic, grass fed ghee

Directions:
Heat a spoonful of ghee over medium heat
Sprinkle sea salt and garlic powder into the ground meat
Shape the beef into burger shapes with your hands
Place the burgers into the pan and cook for several minutes until cooked through.
Cut into fourths and serve

Sweet Golden Beets

Delicious and nutritious!  I thought I'd try something new with these beautiful golden beets today.  I cooked them in coconut oil, which added some sweetness and then drizzled them with a little bit of pure maple syrup.  So good!

Ingredients:
Three golden beets
Sea Salt
Maple Syrup
Coconut Oil

Directions:
Heat a spoonful of coconut oil in a skillet over medium low heat
Peel beets and cut into thin slices
Cook in the oil until slightly browned
Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with maple syrup

Vegan Strawberry Chia Pudding

This is a delicious pudding, which I love to have for breakfast.  It is so simple to make.  You can adjust your sweeteners as you wish, but you don't need to add too much because the strawberries are already sweet.  In fact, you don't need to add any sweeteners at all, I just have such a sweet tooth!  You can also add a 1/2 or whole ripe banana to this, which eliminates the need for any other sweeteners, too.  Remember to use organic strawberries to avoid a lot of pesticides.  Using frozen strawberries assures you will have the perfect consistency without having to refrigerate, so you can enjoy eating it right away!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup plain almond milk
3/16 cup (1/8 + 1/16 cup)  chia seeds
8 small frozen organic strawberries (adjust amounts if you have large strawberries)
2 medjool dates
1 tsp coconut sugar

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.