Gluten Free, Sugar Free Peanut Butter Granola Bars

 

Here's something I put together the other day that was a big hit with my son!
Ingredients:
organic peanut butter (just plain, nothing added)
one ripe organic banana
gluten free oats

I was in a hurry and not sure how they'd turn out, so I didn't write down measurements, but basically just take some oats in a bowl, then add some peanut butter, enough so that they are coated and will really stick together. Smash a banana and add to the mixture. This will add sweetness without having to add any more sweetner to it. You could add a few drops of stevia if you want them sweeter. My son isn't big on sweet flavors. You could also add raisins or dates to them to make them more sweet.
Form into bar or circle shapes and either bake in the oven until just browning or put in a dehydrator on 105 for a few hours.
I had no idea how simple it was to make granola bars until I did it.

Not Quite Mac N Cheese

 

As something different from the traditional heavy dairy laden macaroni and cheese, I made this for my son the other day. It's brown rice penne with shredded carrots and parmesan cheese. That's it! Just make the pasta, and then shred some carrots and parmesan over it and serve! It was the first time my son has been willing to eat carrots, so I call it a success. Maybe it's because they look like cheese!

Shrimp, White Beans, and Greens

 

Here's a new dinner creation I came up with today that was so simple and so delicious! At my house, I'm the only one who eats my dinner creations, so I just make them for one person. Of course, everyone likes the desserts and breads! You can use as much shrimp, beans, and greens as you want depending on how many are eating.

2 tblspns coconut oil (the yummy kind, not expeller pressed)
3 or 4 green onions
shrimp
white beans
sea salt
pepper
collard greens

Melt the coconut oil in a pan. Add some chopped green onions, mostly the white parts. After about two minutes, add desired amount of shrimp.
Cook for a few minutes over medium low heat. Then, add some white beans. I cooked my own beans, but you could use canned.
Cook together for a few minutes. Add some sea salt and pepper. Then, add some chopped collard greens and cook for two or so minutes more.

That's it! It's delicious, healthy, fast and easy! Enjoy!

Grain Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

I made these delicious grain free cookies yesterday using coconut flour and almond flour. I based the recipe off of the one at www.spunkycoconut.com. I made these with eggs, but you can find her egg free version here:
http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2010/02/chocolate-chip-cookies-gluten-free.html
So for mine, I used Kelly's recipe with small alterations:

Mix together
12 drops Vanilla Creme liquid stevia
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 to 1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil melted
3 organic, free roaming eggs

Then, add
1 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder ( I use Kelly's corn free recipe of 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp arrowroot, and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar)
1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)

Mix all together and then drop onto parchment covered baking sheet. Flatten out spoonfuls a little bit.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes. Take out as they are browning.

I gave one to the pool repair guy who was here at the time I was making them and he loved them! These are sure to please anyone! Enjoy!

Whoopie Pies

 

I have been wanting to make these special treats for a long time. I based them off of the recipe on www.comfybelly.com. She has recipes for chocolate and spiced whoopie pies. I made mine cinammon and vanilla to suit my son's taste and needs. You can make this SCD legal by using honey instead of agave. Here is my recipe I used for these modified from the comfy belly recipe:

Cinammon Whoopie Pies

* 2 cups of blanched almond flour
* 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
* 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
* 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
* 1/2 cup of agave (or other sweetener)
* 10 drops of liquid stevia
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla

Preparing the whoopie pies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together, and then add all the wet ingredients and mix well.
3. On baking sheets covered with parchment paper place heaping tablespoons (about 2 measured tablespoons) about 2 inches apart in circles, across the sheet. Flatten them out a bit.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool completely – at least 15 minutes – before sliding them off the mat with a spatula.
6. Take one pie and spread frosting on it. Place another pie on top of the frosting. Serve.

Creamy Vanilla filling

* 4 tablespoons of shortening - I used Spectrum Organic Vegetable Shortening
* 2-3 tablespoons of agave (adjust sweetness to your liking)
* 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of vanilla

1. Blend all the ingredients together with a whisk.
2. Spread, serve, and store sealed at room temperature.

GMO Awareness/Rally For The Right To Know

Tomorrow is a special day! There will be rallies across the country to raise awareness of Monsanto's GMOs and a chance for people to state that we have the right to know if the food we are buying is genetically modified. I am thrilled that there is a rally where I live and I am excited to be attending and taking my son with me. Sometimes both of feel so alone in our beliefs about food. This will be a good chance for us to connect with other people who care about this issue. GMOs are not "harmonic foods" and I work diligently to avoid eating them or feeding them to my son. I get frustrated when I see something on the shelf made with canola oil. Like these awesome lentil chips that he likes to eat. Is the canola oil GMO free? We don't know because it's not labelled. And when I want to buy cheese for him. Is it rBGH and antibiotic free? Who knows??? Today, as he was having his NRG Immune Enhancement System allergy/sensitivity laser treatment, I thought of Robyn O'Brien and all of the children she is a voice for who have food allergies and sensitivities, and the adults who are sick with cancer and other dis-eases. I alwasy tried to feed him healthy foods, but I only found out the truth about GMOs about a year ago. Corn, canola oil, soybeans - these things are marketed as healthy, but if they are not organic, they are most likely genetically modified. That means that the seeds of the food itself contain insecticides. And the dairy contains growth hormones and antibiotics. If chickens are eating corn, then the meat you eat is also contaminated. These GMOs have only been in our food supply since the 1990's and they have never been tested or deemed as safe for human consumption. Most are banned in other countries. The United States has got to step it up and get on board with keeping its citizens healthy! Say no to GMOs and help to spread the word that we want our food to be labelled! The only way to tell if corn, soy, canola, dairy, and sugar is GMO free right now is if it is labeled organic. A big thanks to organic farmers for staying strong and working hard to provide natural, healthy foods for us to feed ourselves and our children.
Check out the amazing and inspirational Robyn O'Brien here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rixyrCNVVGA
And click on the title at the top of this post for a link to a rally near you.

Vanilla Almond Flour Cake

 

Yum! These were supposed to be cupcakes, but I didn't have any baking cups, so I baked it in a cake pan. Today at my son's school, a parent brought in some store bought cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day. Of course, these are not considered "harmonic foods" due to the fact that they are highly over-processed, full of additives, preservatives, bleached white flour, and refined white sugar (which is probably GMO sourced). So, I made this delicious treat for my son to make up for the fact that he didn't get to eat the cupcakes at school. I found the recipe on this blog www.nopainnograin.blogspot.com She got the recipe from Elana Amsterdam's, The Almond Flour Cookbook. I substituted honey for the agave and organic safflower oil for the grapeseed oil. I also didn't make the icing, it's fantastic plain. I couldn't take a picture of the whole cake because we had dug into eating it before I even got to the camera!
Here's the recipe:

Very Vanilla Cupcakes
(adapted from The Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam)

2 large organic free range eggs, separated
1/4 c oil (I used organic safflower oil)
1/2 c agave (I used honey, which makes them SCD Legal)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 10 muffin cups. You must use paper cup liners, or the cupcakes will stick to the pan.
Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl until pale yellow. Whisk in the oil, agave, vanilla and lemon juice.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks with an electric mixer.
Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture.
Combine the dry ingredients. Gently fold into the wet ingredients.
Scoop batter into muffin cups.
Bake 20-30 minutes, until golden brown, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean (mine took about 25 minutes).
Let cool in the pan for half an hour, then frost if desired, and/or serve.
Makes 10 cupcakes or one layer cake.

Enjoy!!!