Raw Cabbage Salad

 

This is inexpensive, simple to make and delicious, too! You can add extra protein like walnuts or organic turkey or chicken for more protein if it is your main meal.

Ingredients:

• Green and purple cabbage
• Raw, hulled hemp seeds
• Apple cider vinegar
• Olive oil

Directions:

• The most convenient way to make this is to buy pre-chopped cabbage. But you can chop it yourself. Add the amount you want to a bowl.
• Add 2 or so teaspoons of hemp seeds. They add texture and tons of nutrition without any flavor.
• Add a very small amount of olive oil. Less than a teaspoon should be enough.
• Add a spoonful of apple cider vinegar.
• Sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt. Add a little pepper if you like.
• Mix together and enjoy!

Low Glycemic Vegan Meal

Some of the best and safest foods for people with Diabetes or blood sugar issues to eat are cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, and greens because they have a lot of nutrition and don't significantly raise blood glucose. You can have healthy, delicious meals that fill you up without grains or meat.

It's easy and delicious to make meals using these vegetables all together. Cook them in some water until they're soft (Add the greens at the last minute or leave them raw to retain more of their natural nutrition). Add some protein like tempeh (see picture below), tofu, or white beans. You can add healthy flavor in different ways: Make a sauce out of organic, reduced sodium tamari and some garlic and cinnamon powder. Or use a little coconut oil with sea salt. If you can't have soy, add some coconut aminos for flavor.

Grain Free Pecan Cereal

You will not believe how simple and delicious this is!  There are only three ingredients and they combine perfectly to create a "cereal" you can enjoy eating with a spoon!  If you soak and then dry out the pecans beforehand they will be easier to digest.  I soak mine overnight when I get them home from the store, then dehydrate them until they are crispy, and then store them in a mason jar in the fridge until I want to use them.

You can use any type of milk that you want for this.  I think that almond milk tastes especially good with the pecans.  If you don't have almonds for making your own almond milk on hand, I recommend Whole Foods Organic 365 Unsweetened Almond Milk because it has the least amount of additives.

Ingredients (I used all organic):
Pecans - as much as you would like
Raisins - as much as you would like
Almond Milk

Directions:
Break up the pecans into small pieces with your hands.
Place all ingredients together into a bowl.
Enjoy your cereal!!

Grain Free Dairy Free Almond Flour Chia Biscuits

I bought some great looking fruit preserves on sale the other day and I really wanted to try them, but I didn't have anything to spread them onto!  So, I made these biscuits!  They were really good by themselves, but with the sweet topping, they were AMAZING!  Yum!  With the strawberry on top, it tasted like a dessert - with no sugar at all!  Oh, and they smelled fantastic while they were baking - like fresh bread!

I found the biscuit recipe from Elana Amsterdam's, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.  I made a few changes and I'll share those with you:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 large organic pastured eggs
3 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 tsp chia seeds ground and mixed with 1/4 cup water (forms a gel)
2 tsp water if needed

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I use bleach free)
• Grind the chia seeds (I use a coffe/nut grinder) and then mix together with 1/4 cup water in a medium bowl.  Let sit to form a gel while you do the next step.
• In a larger bowl, mix together the almond flour, sea salt and baking soda.
• Whisk together the eggs, melted coconut oil, and apple cider vinegar.
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry in the large bowl until combined.  If there isn't enough moisture to thoroughly combine, add a little bit of water.
• Place the batter in small scoops on the parchment paper.  You can reshape with your hands if you wish.
• Bake for about 20 minutes until they are golden.
• Let them cool briefly and then enjoy!

You can slice them carefully in half and eat with jelly or add ghee or any other topping you like!  Or just eat them plain.  You could substitute ghee for the coconut oil.  The coconut oil adds a bit of sweetness that I like!  Delicious!

Vegan Carob Brownies

These are AMAZING!  And they only have 3 natural ingredients!  And you don't have to bake or cook them at all!  My son and husband gobbled these right up - couldn't get enough of them!  I've decided after making several batches that they actually taste like tootsie rolls!  Yummy!!   I have not eaten chocolate in over a year and I was really, really wanting it, so I used carob, which, unlike chocolate is caffeine free and alkalizing!  Hooray!

All you need is:
10 - 12 large medjool dates (Use soft ones.  If they aren't soft, soak them in some water first.)
Two giant, heaping spoonfuls of almond butter (plain, no salt or oils added)
Three tsp carob powder (You can find this at natural food stores or online)

Directions:
Place everything into a food processor.  Process until it starts to form a unified ball.
Everything should be smooshy and there should be no separate date pieces.
Use your hands to shape into a large square.  Then, cut into four squares with a knife. 
That's it!  You can eat it right away or put into the refrigerator - it's just as good cold. 
Or you can just start eating it right away and forget about the whole shaping and cutting thing.  It tastes like candy, anyway!  Enjoy!!

Grain Free Bagels and Dairy Free Creamy Cheese

It's the time of year for traditional Jewish foods, and I've been getting lots of great ideas from Elana at Elana's Pantry!  My family and guests especially loved her Honey Cake and Tsimmes (I made with dates instead of prunes), which I didn't take pictures of because we devoured it all so quickly!  I also learned by making the cake that substituting ghee for palm shortening works just great!

Today I made her bagel recipe and everyone loved them!  I used chia seeds (ground in a nut grinder first) instead of flax and I left out the poppy seeds.  You can see the recipe here:  Elana's Paleo Bagels.

My son wanted some cream cheese and since we don't eat dairy, I had to be creative.  I found a recipe here http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2012/12/how-to-make-soy-free-vegan-cream-cheese/ and then I did my own thing with it:

"Dairy Free Creamy Cheese"

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cashews
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
around a 1/4 cup water (enough so that the blender will work, but not so much that it is runny)
sea salt

Directions:
I don't plan ahead for recipes well.  When I get a taste for something, I want to make it right away.  So, I didn't have 24 hours to soak cashews.  But, I do have a high speed blender.  So, I just placed the first 3 ingredients into the blender and blended on really high until smooth.   Then, I mixed in sea salt to taste.

At first I thought that the apple cider vinegar flavor was too strong.  But, after I placed it into the refrigerator for a few hours, the taste was perfect!  And the texture was also just right for spreading or even dipping.  I had to make myself stop eating!  My son and husband ended up enjoying their bagels with organic strawberry preserves, and everyone was happy!

Shrimp and Broccoli

An easy to make dinner that my son loved!

Ingredients:
Fresh or frozen broccoli florets
Wild, peeled and deveined shrimp
Onion
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
Ghee or coconut oil - will provide different tastes in the end, and either is great!
Sea Salt

Directions:
Steam broccoli until soft, but still bright green
Saute onions and garlic in ghee or coconut oil in a pan
Boil shrimp in water until curled up and able to be poked through with a fork
Add cooked shrimp and broccoli into pan with onions and cover with more ghee
Add some salt to taste
Enjoy!

Grain Free, Sugar Free Muffins

I have been on a sugar free, grain free muffin kick for about two weeks.  I took some recipes I found in different places and changed them to be sweetened only by fruits and stevia.  All were delicious!  Above you see Date Pecan Muffins.  Below, Apple Cinnamon Walnut Muffins.  And last, Strawberry Banana Muffins!

Now that I've been cooking for a few years (I used to only eat pre-packaged food or take-out from restaurants), I feel much more confident about changing other people's recipes to suit my family's personal needs.  I'd share the recipes I used for the above, but I was creating them on the fly and not completely measuring everything.  All three are made from almond flour and eggs, use about 10-15 drops of vanilla stevia, and contain some amount of coconut milk and unsweetened applesauce.  I usually look for recipes from Elana Amsterdam of Elana's Pantry, or Danielle Walker of Against All Grain, and then modify them.  Also, Kelly of The Spunky Coconut shares creative ideas, too.

I encourage you to do this, too.  Don't ever feel limited by a recipe you find.  Paleo recipes are especially open to change.  For instance, when you see palm oil as an ingredient, you can substitute with ghee and sometimes coconut oil for more nutrition and less damage to the rainforest.

Happy Baking!

Nutrient Density and Superfoods

We know that we are supposed to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.  However, not all fruits and veggies are created equally.  That is, they don't have the same quality of health-promoting nutrients.  Here are some of the ones that we make sure to get into our diet so that we are getting plenty of colors (these different vibrations are important and beneficial to the body), antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

• Superfruits:  Gogi berries, mulberries, golden berries, blueberries - Berries are the key!  They are lower in sugar, come in a multitude of colors, and are so healthful.
• Green Veggies:  From leafy greens to broccoli, green is vital to life.  You can blend or juice green veggies, break them up and add them to soups, or use them a little wraps for sandwiches.  My son adores eating broccoli with ghee and a little sea salt.  Make green a daily habit for everyone in your family.  Be creative to find ways to get it all into everyone's bodies.
• Yellow and Orange Veggies:  Squash and sweet potatoes are a good source of carbs and beta carotene.  They are especially wonderful to enjoy as carbs in diets that exclude grains.
• Nuts and Seeds:  Soaked and dehydrated pecans, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and almonds provide nutrition, good fats, and proteins.  It is nice to enjoy them with some superfood berries!

If you fill up on corn, peas, and white potatoes as your veggies, there is no room left for the ones that are more nutritious and less sugar-dense.  Likewise, grapes, watermelon, and bananas are so fun to eat, but their sugar content is very high.  Peanuts are not even actually nuts, and don't contain the nutrient density of other nuts, in addition to being a common allergen.  If you can get your nutrients from other sources, like superfruits and berries then you are doing your body a great service.  Try to make these sugary fruits and veggies a sometimes food, while eating the superfoods everyday.

Go For Nutrition When You Eat

Make everything you eat have a purpose toward nourishing your body.  Nutrient dense foods can be really delicious.  Adding a little coconut oil or ghee with some sea salt to your veggies can bring in beneficial fats and minerals, while making them taste great!  Our bodies aren't designed to utilize empty calories for the purpose of being able to thrive.  If you want a snack, think about what nutrition your body is needing in the moment and then put that food into it.  Not a grain cracker or cereal fortified with vitamins, but pure vitamins right from the natural source.  If you need protein, don't opt for some kind of overly processed protein powder drink or bar, eat some pure protein from an organic source.  And yes, despite what marketing will tell you, your body can tell the difference.

Simple Sweet Potato Fries

I find that eating the simplest foods that are the most packed with nutrition possible is the best.  Loading up with too many ingredients just makes more for sensitive bodies to work to digest.  Here is a two ingredient, super-delicious, kid-friendly recipe!  My son loves these - he won't eat sweet potatoes in any other form!  I have also served these to other kids and to my husband, and everyone loves them!

Ingredients:
To make these delicious sweet potato fries, all you need is:
Organic sweet potatoes
Sea Salt

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Cut up the sweet potatoes in the shapes and sizes you like.  Try to make them a somewhat uniform thickness so that they will bake evenly at the same time.
• Place onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and then flip them over.  Keep an eye on them from this point on.  My son likes them kind of crunchy, but you can also cook them for less time and they will soft and also super yummy.  You don't want to take the out before they are soft, though, or they will not be thoroughly cooked through.
• When they have reached your desired texture and doneness, sprinkle with sea salt, allow to cool slightly and enjoy!

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!

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!

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

Almond Flour Popcorn Shrimp

Today I found a great way to get my son to eat super-healthful coconut oil!  This fried shrimp recipe is absolutely delicious!  It does not taste coconutty, but rather quite sweet.  He loved it and filled up on protein, while getting the benefits of coconut oil.  I hope you and your kids will enjoy as well!

Ingredients:

• small shrimp
• 1 egg
• almond flour
• sea salt
• coconut oil

Directions:

• Warm a skillet on medium heat with enough coconut oil to coat the entire bottom with a layer a few centimeters thick.
• Scramble the egg in a bowl.
• Place about a cup of almond flour into another bowl with some sea salt added.  You can add more flour to the bowl if you need it depending upon how much shrimp you are making.
• After peeling, deveining and rinsing shrimp, dip them into the bowl of egg and then into the bowl of almond flour.  Coat with almond flour.
• Place shrimp in a single layer into the skillet.
• Cook until bottom side is browned and then flip over and cook on the other side.

Dairy Free Creamy Strawberry Popsicle

These turned out so amazing!  And it only needs 4 ingredients!  You can vary the sweetness and amount that you make.  I made three popsicles out of the following:

7 frozen organic strawberries
1 very ripe organic banana
1/2 can organic coconut milk
2 organic medjool dates

Place all into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.  Then pour into popsicle molds.  These taste like creamy strawberry popsicles!  YUM!

Paleo Family Dinner - Grain Free

Just take a look at this gorgeous dinner that my mother-in-law and I prepared for our family during her visit last weekend!  High quality proteins, organic greens and veggies, and pure green smoothies and juices!  I felt so good serving this to my family!  She generously bought me this new cookbook while she was here and I have already been making creations from it like crazy!  I love it.  The food is pure and whole, the recipes are simple and they are adaptable to whatever your diet may be.

The dinner we made were the sliders (grass-fed beef) from the cookbook.  Instead of bread for the buns, we used grilled portabella mushrooms with lettuce wrapped around the outside.  I had never tasted portabellas with bison (my body doesn't do as well with beef as it does with bison) before and it was amazing, I have to say.  We grilled some peppers and onions to add to the burgers, also.  Everyone enjoyed a salad, plus a green smoothie (which is how my son always enjoys his salads!), and I had my green veggie juice.  

I so appreciate my mother-in-laws unconditional love and support of my attempts to feed my family the most health-promoting foods that I can.  She even trusted me and used coconut oil for the cooking!

Paleo Frittata - Grain and Dairy Free

Yum!  This was so delicious and so simple to make!  I got the recipe from my new cookbook, Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie and Charles Mayfield.  It is amazing when you just put some simple whole foods together and they form such delicious harmony!  The all organic ingredients in this dish were: 

ground organic turkey, onion, broccoli florets, spinach, eggs (pastured), zucchini, sea salt, black pepper, basil and a little bit of coconut oil for sauteing.  That is it!  And it was great and nicely filling.  

Paleo recipes leave out cheese and milk, which is great for me because I do not do well with dairy.  I highly recommend this delicious and versatile cookbook!

Green Smoothie Popsicles

These are awesome!!!  It is so hot during the summer and I don't want to give my son anything sugary or even more juice for a popsicle since he already drinks a green juice or smoothie everyday.  So, I froze his regular smoothie and he loved it!!!

Ingredients I used (all organic):
Spinach
Banana
Apple juice
Frozen mango
Little bit of orange juice

You only need enough liquid for it to blend smoothly. This mix of fruits is also good without the apple juice.  Just add some water instead.

Really, you can use whatever fruits you want. You cannot taste the spinach with the fruits!  I may sneak a little wheatgrass powder in next time, too.

Directions:
Blend all together until smooth

Pour into popsicle holders and freeze

If you have some favorite mixes of ingredients, please share in the comments.  I have already heard someone mention pineapple, peach and spinach - YUM!