Laura Schmitt NE

NOTE - Bob Red Mill's Buckwheat Cereal NOT gluten free

2010-03-13T06:17:00.003-06:00

I wanted to send this note out, as a client brought to my attention a change on labeling of one of our favorite products. If you look at the Bob Red Mill site, it says the Creamy Buckwheat Cereal is "No longer produced gluten free". I don't know the details of why this has changed, but I know some of you are so very sensitive to gluten, that even the smallest infraction can be problematic, so I wanted to pass this along.

Locally, we'll be looking to add a new line of gluten free buckwheat cereal at the Advance Health location within the next two weeks (or as soon as we find a safe alternate). For those of you who can have gluten, though, you can still enjoy the benefits of buckwheat in this easy to grab packaging.

Gluten Free Multi Grain Bread, Eggs, Greens, and Salsa.

2010-03-06T09:26:00.004-06:00

Not just for breakfast, this fabulous combination makes a winning quick meal any time of day.
Ingredients:
1 slice French Meadow Bakery Gluten Free Multi Grain Bread
1 large egg
1 cup spinach - raw (it will wilt down to a much smaller amount)
2 tablespoons Newman's Black Bean and Corn salsa
1/2 tablespoon Veganaise

In a large pan over medium heat, scramble egg, warm bread, and wilt spinach all at the same time. This meals goes together quickly. Stack, and top with salsa and a bit of Veganaise or Feta cheese/sour cream/Aioli. Enjoy!

This speedy and delicious quick meal packs in over 11g of protein, 4-5g of fiber, and less than 3g of sugar. Additionally, you receive a wonderful variety of minerals and nutrients from this combination of grains, seeds, egg, and vegetables. The serving size above is actually quite small, but if served with a fresh fruit smoothie, it makes a satisfying meal. You can certainly add a second egg, more spinach, and more salsa, however.

Start your day with some protein, fiber, and vegetables and try it for a week. See if it helps you feel more balanced, focused, and less starving as the morning wears on. Many of my clients tell me that switching to a breakfast like this one is a favorite aspect of changing their dietary path to one that focuses on eating for wellness.

In the area? Stop by Advance Health, downtown to pick up some Multi Grain gluten free bread by the French Meadow Bakery. While you're there, say hello!

Almond Flour Cookies - Gluten Free, Dairy Free Specific Carbohydrate Diet Safe

2010-02-24T18:53:00.005-06:00

Hmm...It seems my mind is on sweets as of late. Looking through here, cookies, cookies, rice pudding. I can see I need to post a decent salad recipe again soon! I just had a delicious salad, by the way, with fresh squeezed lemon juice, cucumbers, mixed greens, and tomatoes. It tasted like summer! I digress, back to cookies and almonds. I have a fresh batch of Almond Flour and I decided to make a batch of Almond Flour chocolate chip cookies. These are a nice cookie choice for those doing an SCD (specific carbohydrate diet - well, only if you skip the chocolate chips!) as there are no grain/starches added to this mix. The ingredients are rich, warm, and heavy! With all the natural fats of coconut, almonds, and the sweet honey we consider this a nice granola bar replacement. Besides that, it just tastes delicious!
Simple and natural Almond Flour Cookies. Yum.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups almond flour/meal (great source of protein)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (not SCD safe - can alternate with raisins or any dried fruit of choice)
1/2 cup second nut flour/meal or nut butter. You can put almond or peanut butter in for this step, or just grind up some pecans with a mini food processor
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut flour (great source of fiber)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil, palm shortening, ghee, or earth balance (earth balance is not SCD approved)
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon milled flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water (this equals one egg)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix ingredients and press into rounded teaspoons onto stoneware baking pan. Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees for 12-17 minutes, or until cookies begin to turn golden (check them often so that they don't burn on the bottom). Stoneware works nicely to prevent cookies from burning on the bottom in the way that they tend to with glassware.

Enjoy!

In the area? Stop by Advance Health for your almond flour, coconut flour, and to say hello!

Rice Pudding Please

2010-02-22T11:08:00.004-06:00

Well, we skipped our drive to Chicago this weekend due to snow predictions. So, with so much extra weekend time on our hands, we did some baking. Bella requested a favorite warm dessert, rice pudding. I was out of my usual brown rice, but I had a little jasmine, so the two of us made this sweet and incredibly filling dessert. I decided a little granola sprinkled over it in the morning would be a wonderful replacement for the texture and cool thickness of yogurt.

Gluten Free Dairy Free Rice Pudding
1/2 Cup Jasmine rice (or any pudding rice would work)
1/4 cup honey, or Monin Organic Vanilla syrup
1/4 cup raisins
1 can Thai Kitchen coconut milk
2 cups water (add additional 1 cup of water if you like a soupier rice pudding - this will be thick)
optional: sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon, 1/4 cup pistachios

Put rice, sweetener, raisins, coconut milk, and water into a baking dish (such as a glass or ceramic cake pan), leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch room for bubbling. Stir ingredients. Add optional pistachios and light dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon. Bake for 1 hour.

Healthier variations: I always recommend using brown rice over a white rice. This pudding is delicious with brown rice, too, but it does take quite a bit longer to cook. I find that I can leave it in the oven for up to 3 hours when I use brown rice. Also, when using brown rice for this dish, you'll need to use 3-4 cups of water in addition to the coconut milk. The benefit of the long cooking time is a caramelizing that takes place on the top of the brown rice version of this pudding as you remove it from the oven.

If you want to omit the sweetener, I recommend you just add more fiber rich fruit and cut back or remove the honey/vanilla syrup. The coconut milk and rice have a rich and wonderful flavor on their own, and when you add raisins and pistachios to this mix, you may find that the sweetener isn't required. I think this is especially true if you plan to top it with a sweetened granola. I had some of the gluten free Bakery On Main granola in my pantry and this is a VERY sweet granola. When adding that to the filling and rich rice pudding, I felt quite full and my sweet tooth well satisfied.

Is your rice pudding too thick the next day? Just add more water, rice milk, almond milk, or coconut water and mix it back in.

Easy Cake $3 gluten free microwave cake. Seriously.

2010-02-18T19:13:00.002-06:00

So, this is not health food. As a nutrition educator, I can't recommend this as a food item to help your health for the fact that it is loaded with sugar. Combine that with it being cooked in the microwave and I REALLY can't claim any nutritional value going on here, but what I CAN claim is that this is the cutest little packaging idea I have seen in a long time! It is so cute, I had to get one for the girls.

For $3, and cooking it in the microwave, I was not expecting much. Well, truth be told, I was expecting a warm bowl of mush, but we were all surprised when the little yellow cake rose up in it's bowl and actually COOKED in there. Who knew? The texture was warm, thick and spongy. Somewhere between a vanilla pancake and a sponge cake. It did fill up to the height on the package, and it came with a lump of white chocolate (we opted not to use this, as the chocolate contains dairy, but for those who can eat dairy, you can create the dripping frosting effect seen in the photo).

The girls topped this little cake with fruit and gobbled it down. I thought that one of these cakes was plenty for 2 people, and would have been ample for 3, when served with fruit (although, some cake lovers may disagree with me on those serving sizes).

It's very fun, very cute, easy enough for a child to put together, and the flavor was good. For a treat, I think we'll pick up the chocolate one next week.

In the area? These little cakes are available at Advance Health in Cedar Rapids. I imagine they will start popping up in other stores, soon!

Upcoming Class - What's on the Menu. Gluten free and dairy free whole foods for breakfast.

2010-02-18T18:22:00.003-06:00

The first class in the series, "Your Inner Natural Chef" is right around the corner as February flies by. I hope you'll join us on March 18th as we make and taste the following fabulous breakfast foods, guaranteed to add a variety of nutrients to your breakfast repertoire:

Grandma's Granola (modified to create the perfect gluten free granola)
Hot Breakfast Cereals - with added fiber, nutrients, and flavor!
Almond Flour Pancakes
Chia Seed Coconut Cream Topping
Fruit Salads - with a twist
Fabulous Fish Preparation - in the morning?
Spinach Egg Pie
Eggs and Greens

As always, all ingredients used in class, and all recipes within the handouts, will be free of gluten, dairy, and soy. So, what are you waiting for? Join in the fun. Click here for details on how to save your seat for this event.

Indigo Nights Organic Fudge Bar - Raw Foods and Gluten Free

2010-02-18T16:43:00.006-06:00

I am getting spoiled with new products to try, courtesy of my new part time position at Advance Health and the sudden ease of accessibly to so many wonderful choices....but before I go too far off on a tangent, let me do a quick rave for the Indigo Nights all natural Organic Fudge Bar by Everything Raw. It's gluten free and dairy free (of course) and oh so dark chocolate, yet sweet. The dates and agave give this plenty of sweetness, while the cocoa nibs and powder deliver that warm chocolate flavor that I love. If I had this bar and a Cocoa Mole Lara Bar side by side, it would be hard to choose which would win. Maybe the Lara Bar would trump for sweetness, but if I was really wanting some dark chocolate, I think the Indigo Nights bar would prevail.

Like the Lara Bar, these deliver some protein and fiber and a LOT of natural sugar from the dates! With that in mind, I treat these as candy bars and not "food" bars (meaning, I would not eat one of these for a quick lunch).

For those looking for a gluten free, dairy free "fudge" that is healthier and free of refined white sugars, I think you'll really enjoy these raw food bar choices. I look forward to testing some other products offered by Everything Raw, soon.

Finally, a fish oil the kids LIKE!!!

2010-02-17T15:38:00.003-06:00

Well, over the years we have tried many fish oil products. We have used very high quality lines of fish oil with a variety of flavors to appeal to children. While my youngest will take all of them without trouble, the oldest is quite picky when it comes to fish oil. There is no amount of flavoring that makes her forget the texture and taste of the underlying product.

So, in an ongoing effort to be healthy, we tried a new product and I am happy and shocked to say that they both LOVED it! With the Nordic Naturals Tangerine Gummies, the girls are ASKING me for their fish oil.

It looks like my ongoing quest for the perfect fish oil for kids is complete. Of course these are gluten and dairy free, which is a must for us. Click here to see nutrition information on this item.

In the area? Stop by Advance Health in Cedar Rapids to pick up some gummy yummy Nordic Fish oil supplements for your sweeties!

Gluten Free Breakfast Cookie - Dipper

2010-02-10T06:21:00.004-06:00

This gluten free breakfast cookie packs in all the familiar ingredients in a granola bar, but it delivers in sweet cookie format. This is a recipe I made about 6 years ago, and I adapt it each time I make it. What I have found is that you can play with the amount of nuts, oats, and coconut you use. If you want to add more of one, and less of the other, it will still work! Just keep the end ratio the same :) And keep in mind that the nuts give some natural oils that help balance the oats and coconut. Either way, you'll want a morning cup of tea or coffee with these gluten free dairy free granola cookies!

Ingredients:
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1 C GF oats
1 1/2 C nut flour (I often grind up walnuts, but any nut flour you'd like to use will work)
1 C coconut (finely shredded - no added sweetener)
1/2 cup melted coconut oil, melted earth balance, or melted palm shortening
1 cup honey (or you can cut back to 1/2 cup honey + 1/2 tsp stevia)
3 eggs (this recipe does work with flax seed as an egg replacer! See details)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Optional: 1-2 cups added dried fruit or chocolate chips
Optional: 1/2 cup applesauce (I used an organic cherry applesauce in this recipe)

Mix ingredients with your hands. I find this works best for the large quantity of thick batter. However, if you have a good mixer and you want to keep your fingers clean, I guess that would work, too ;)

335 degrees F for
17-22 minutes on a stoneware pan. Remove when cookies begin to look golden all around.

This makes a pretty huge batch, and they freeze well.
Tip: If your audience does not like chunks of nuts, oats, or even coconut, you can finely grind all of your ingredients with a mini food processor before mixing.
Enjoy!

LaraBar - Gluten Free Dairy Free Sweet Treat

2010-02-08T11:22:00.006-06:00

Lara Bars are my favorite bring along bar. You know what I mean by that, as all of us with a dietary restriction will often carry an emergency food item ... just in case! For me, that is the LaraBar. I would not really look to this as a granola bar replacement. To me, this is more of a dessert/sweet treat. Still there are times when I am glad we have a bar on hand due to our allergies to dairy and gluten.

One thing I have discovered about these date sweetened delights is that everyone seems to have a different review! Some love them, some hate them, some adore one flavor, while the next person cannot tolerate the same flavor.

Well, here are my favorites:
The Cocoa Mole is my new favorite. It is a great replacement for a chocolate craving, and with the cocoa powder, a nice antioxidant boost. The bar has 4g of protein, 5g of fiber and a whopping 21g of sugar from dates! Wow that is a lot of sugar (even if it is fruit sugar). As I said, this is what I eat instead of grabbing a cookie, or candy bar when I am out and about. It's also my go to when I'm really feeling the need for chocolate!

The Peanut Butter bar tastes just like a peanut butter cookie, to me.

I Adore the Lemon, as it is the fizzy lemon meringue pie taste I have not had in years.

Cherry Almond is another top choice that I never tire of, for what's not to like about cherries and almonds?

I even like the Apple Pie with it's strong cinnamon and pie spice flavor, and the coconut which is very...coconut!

I am not, however, a fan of the chocolate coconut or the jocolat mint chocolate. This is where the individual preference comes in because those are my daughter's favorites! She could eat the mint chocolate daily, and she avoids all the ones I listed above, like the plague. So, I guess you'll just have to try some for yourself and see what you like. Let us know!

The texture of these bars are firm, yet soft (due to the ground up dates). The nuts are not broken down, entirely, so there are chunks to chew through here and there. So, if you are looking for a travelling treat that delivers to your sweet tooth, yet still carries it's weight in nutrients, I can recommend Lara Bar.

I look forward to trying the newer Crisp bars, which are signifigantly lower in sugars!

If you are looking for more of a health food bar, take a glance at Raw Revolution bars. They have an impressing ingredient listing such as spirulina seaweed powder and sprouted flax in additon to a nice balance of fiber, protein, and sugars.

Reminder: When you're eating compressed food bars, don't forget to stay hydrated! Drink your water.

Flaxseed as an egg replacer - Gluten Free food booster

2010-02-07T17:40:00.004-06:00

Often times I run into people who are not only on a gluten free diet, but an egg free diet as well. Egg allergies are among the most common, so it's good to know how to tweak a gluten free dish to serve a larger audience. For nearly 10 years, we have been using milled flaxseed as an optional egg replacer. It has worked beautifully again and again. Besides getting rid of the egg, this egg replacer adds a bit of fiber to our gluten free baking. Fiber is often lacking in gluten free baked goods, so any little tricks we can use to boost that fiber are great tools for our gluten free kitchen!

When using flaxseed as an egg replacer, you want to buy any milled flaxseed, or better yet, mill your own by grinding whole seeds in your coffee grinder, blender, or food processor. What you'll see pictured is a pre purchased milled flaxseed. If you grind your own, you will have a finer end result. Also, you can purchase the golden flax for a lighter texture and color.

Ratio:
1 egg = 1 tablespoon milled flaxseed + 3 tablespoons hot water.
Mix together and let sit for 2-10 minutes before adding to your recipe. The mixture will thicken, similar to an egg in consistency (although not in appearance!)

This works great with gluten free/dairy free pancakes, waffles, chocolate muffins, chocolate cake, and quick breads. For some products, such as the Breads From Anna mixes, I actually prefer the end product when I use the milled flaxseed egg replacer.

There are a few things that I don't love using this egg substitute for. I find that the flavor comes through a bit too strong in a pumpkin pie, a white cake, and a brownie has trouble setting with equal ratio of this egg substitute to egg. For obvious reasons, a high egg white recipe won't fare well with the flaxseed replacer, but for so many recipes, it is a great choice.

More tips for milled flaxseed:
Want to boost your omega 3 and fiber? Add 1 tablespoon of milled flaxseed to your hot cereal (just when you sit to eat, don't cook it for this purpose). Add it to your yogurt, your salad, or any dish that you can tolerate a little extra texture. You can add up to 3 tablespoons a day, per adult. (note, if you are eating a high fiber diet, it is essential you drink plenty of water to keep your fiber from blocking en route).

A xanthum gum substitute. We went through a spell where we could not do corn, so I just tried subbing milled flaxseed for xanthum gum...why not? Well, I found out that for almost EVERY recipe, this works beautifully. I know there are many gluten free bakers who will swear you MUST use xanthum gum, but we have not used it in 5+ years, and our baking results speak for themselves. I enjoy the affordability of this little seed, as well as the many health benefits.

Chia seeds can be used in a very similar manner. I will soon be posting a great coconut and chia seed pudding recipe for you to enjoy!

Store your flaxseed in the refridgerator or freezer.

Reusable Lunch Bags

2010-02-02T19:27:00.004-06:00

When lunches need to travel, I am eager to send them off with the most earth friendly (and body friendly - low or no toxins please!) food containers and bags as possible. A few years ago, I stumbled onto www.reusablebags.com where I picked up some safe drinking containers for the kids. 5 years later, they are still going strong, so I can see that was a good investment.

Recently, I decided to try the Wrap-N-Mat in place of those handy dandy ziplock bags. There are several variations of these reusable food bags, but this cute checkered adjustable style appealed to me, so I ordered one for each of us, and here is how it works. It's so darn cute!

In this photo, I have made a very tiny gluten free sandwich with the small slices of Udi's bread, which I recently reviewed. The closure system adjusts nicely for small or larger items. Besides sandwiches, I use this for wraps, cut fruit and veggies, and anything that I don't worry too much about "smashing". Basically, anything that could have traveled in a disposable bag. Clean up is a cinch, so that is why I have to shout out some love for this product. Looking at it, I can see that it would be easy to sew if you had the materials available (and the talent!). Knowing my eagerness to splurge at the fabric store, I figured I would come out ahead by just purchasing these bags online.

Want to see more lunches that travel? Look inside Bean's lunch bag to see what kind of gluten free and dairy free foods she takes to school on any given day. Let it inspire you for some fun travel lunches for those times when you feel stuck in a lunchtime rut.

Crispy Cat - A gluten free candy bar review

2010-01-31T15:51:00.004-06:00

When I see a dairy free, gluten free chocolate covered treat, it's hard for me to resist at least one taste test! The Crispy Cat Almond bar was a nice surprise. The outer coating was a smooth dark chocolate, free of dairy, yet plenty sweet. The inner was more of a granola rice bar that is common among the gluten free options. Unlike some brown rice sweetened rice bars, the flavor did not taste malty or dull. This could be due to the fact that the outer coating is made with sugar, which hits the tongue before the inner rice syrup sweetened product is exposed. Either way, it was quite good. I preferred it to the Envirokidz bar, and to the Bakery On Main bars. One bar contained 2g of fiber and 2g of protein, with 16g of sugar.

While I would not consider this a health bar, or a food replacement, it would be a fine substitute for a special occasion treat that travels.

Edited to add: These bars are not made on a dedicated line. It says on the fine print that they may contain cross contamination of wheat, so be aware!

Udi's Whole Grain Bread - gluten free dairy free

2010-01-31T15:37:00.006-06:00

Udi's recently hit our Eastern Iowa shelves, and while I was late on the bandwagon, I had to give it a try! My hesitation with purchasing this bread was my ongoing disappointment with all the pre-made gluten free breads I have tried. End results always pointed to the same conclusion...homemade is better.
So, a loaf of whole grain Udi's bread and some nut butter, and test time commenced. First test subjects were the kids. They liked it! Good :) Next up...me. The pieces were small, but that doesn't bother me. We have strayed from bread as a regular staple, so 2 small pieces were an ample snack. The texture, taste, and appearance were all very pleasing. The overall product fared better for my palate than rivals I have tested in the past, with one exception...

My favorite premade gluten free bread is the French Meadow Bakery multi-grain gluten free bread. While Udi's bread is good, the pieces truly are tiny and the amount of fiber in their whole grain bread is only 1g per serving. With French Meadow Bakery, you get a much more impressive 3g of fiber per serving. Fiber is sorely lacking in the gluten free bread market, as is protein, often times. If you can tolerate the corn flours used in this bread, it makes for a very nice and easy treat.

While I would enjoy the ease and taste of either of these, I still prefer homemade bread mixes for the warmth, texture, and flavor. It's hard to beat the smell of freshly made bread. I find Pamela's, Breads From Anna, and Bob Red Mills Whole grain mixes are all quite tastey. The added benefit of making the bread from scratch is that you can add in some protein and fiber with the baking process through the addition of coconut flour (fiber), ground seeds, nut flours or bean flours.

If you are buying a premade gluten free bread that is low in fiber, consider topping it with hummus, homemade bean dip, or top that nut butter with ground flaxseeds for added fiber!

Top 10: Kitchen Food List For Health

2010-01-13T14:45:00.009-06:00

As a nutritional consultant, I am often asked to provide a shopping list. To me, provide someone a shopping list is such a vague place to start. Without having been in their kitchen, it would be hard for me to know where to begin. For example, would I find fresh produce or only canned? Would there be whole grains to choose from or only refined? Would refined sugar be a common food additive in the house, or a different choice for sweetening? With so many variables, creating a base shopping list would surely miss something, or if I tried to include everything, it would certainly overwhelm.

So, instead of sending my clients off with a shopping list, I give them a good meal plan, some brand recommendations and nutrition to help them identify how they can begin a path of healthier eating. For those who really want the list, however, I have created a compromise. Here is my list of top 10 kitchen essentials for a healthy kitchen. This list applies to those who live a gluten free lifestyle, but the principles carry over to healthy eating across the board.

1) Greens. The kitchen should always have fresh and/or frozen greens. My personal favorites are the easy to use organic baby spinach, fresh chard, kale, and broccoli. The latter three, I always steam before serving, but the spinach we eat either raw or wilted. In order to get enough of our daily nutrients from foods, and cancer fighting benefits, we should be eating greens daily, if not with every meal. In order to do this, we need to have these greens on hand! Here are some sample uses for greens in one day:

a. Breakfast: tear greens into your egg scramble and top with salsa. Wrap in a corn shell, or enjoy plain.
b. Snack or on the go quick lunch: Add raw spinach or kale to a fruit smoothie! These greens taste delicious with a blend of banana, mango, and fresh squeezed lemon. If you are using a smoothie for your meal, add a bit of protein powder or nut butter to give balance to this quick food.
c. Lunch or dinner: a large chef salad is a great way to get your vegetables in each day. You can vary the vegetables in a chef salad, and add 3 ounces of a lean protein such as egg, fish, turkey, or chicken. Nuts, seeds, or tofu are options for protein as well. Get yourself into the habit of eating a salad each day to help you on your way to achieving your vegetable serving goals.
d. Side dish or snack: with any meal, or as a snack, wilted or steamed greens topped with hummus, olive oil and vinegar, or fresh squeezed lemon/lime will surely please the palate and add healthy nutrients to a dish.

2) Antioxidant Spices: I rave the use of spices in everything we eat to help us achieve or antioxidant goals each day. Some of my favorites to add to foods are: parsley, cilantro, chives, cinnamon, cocoa, turmeric, cumin, basil, and oregano. Adding a teaspoon to tablespoon of these dried spices, as your palate can tolerate, or eating them fresh, will help you on your way to boosting those antioxidants in your system. This will help your body in the fight against free radical damage, and cancer.

3) Colorful fruits and vegetables: again, to work toward that goal of receiving nutrients and antioxidants through foods, it will require eating a variety of colorful foods each day. We all know that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables each day will help prevent cancer as well as increase health in a variety of ways. Almost any study on health will focus on increase of fruits and vegetables. Look to add fresh fruit as a snack, unsweetened dried fruit, berries for their high antioxidant load, brightly colored peppers and other vegetables. Each time you walk through a produce area, try something new! And even though they aren’t very colorful, let’s not forget mushrooms for their immune enhancing effects.

4) Fiber: This is a hot topic for almost all of my clients. It seems most of us do not get our daily recommended amount of fiber, and so many people suffer the effects! Fiber is nature’s broom, pushing the toxins out of your system and keeping your GI tract healthy and functioning. Without fiber in the diet, constipation and the release of toxins back into the body can occur. By eating complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, you will be getting fiber each day, but to boost fiber, try sprinkling a tablespoon of milled flax seed, milled chia seed, wheat germ, or coconut flour into a portion of a main meal or smoothie. Sprinkle a tablespoon of milled flax seed over a bowl of hot buckwheat cereal or oatmeal in the morning, just before serving.5) Complex carbohydrates. This is a big one, in terms of importance. I can’t think of any health benefit of refined carbohydrates. When carbohydrates are refined, the fiber and nutrients from the germ/bran are removed. What is left is nutritionally void compared to the whole grain counterpart. Additionally, refined carbohydrates coupled with refined sugars (and minimal sugar) create havoc on our blood sugar regulation, and over time, can create stress to the insulin response mechanism that keeps our insulin regulation working to serve us. With the increase in problems such as diabetes, adrenal fatigue, insulin resistance, obesity, and more, it is a wonder to me that so many people still rely on refined carbohydrates for their daily food staples. Instead, look for healthy whole grain choices such as quinoa, millet, brown rice, buckwheat, whole wheat (if you are not eating gluten free), oatmeal and more. When purchasing whole grain breads or mixes, look for breads that are high in fiber and protein and low in sugar. French Meadow Bakery is a good place to use as comparison for how high of fiber and protein you can find compared to low sugar, for their hemp based breads and bagels (not gluten free). For the gluten free side, most premade items will not be as high in comparison, but some products do fare better than others such as Breads From Anna mixes and French Meadow’s whole grain gluten free bread. It is important for those on gluten free diets to make sure they get good fiber intake from their other whole grain sources, such as hot cereals, skins of fruits and vegetables, and added fiber boosters mentioned above.

6) Beans: According to Michael Murray ND, author of The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, we reduce our risk of many types of cancer by a dramatic amount by simply adding common beans to our regular food routine. Eating beans 4 times a week, or more can add a significant amount of fiber and protein through complex carbohydrate as well as an increase in minerals such as magnesium and molybdenum. When you eat beans with brown rice, you create a complete protein, which can be used in place of meat as a protein during meal time. Beside the high fiber and protein aspect of beans, we benefit from adding these complex carbohydrates to our diet for their low fat! Don’t forget bean flours. Bean flours can boost common gluten free baking by adding texture benefits, which are often lacking, in gluten free baked goods. Lentil flour, Urad, can be used in a variety of flat breads, as can a variety of bean flours be used for most baked goods. In addition, beans can be used to make different variations on traditional hummus for a quick snack, dip or spread.

7) Quality Meat: We Americans have chosen to eat in such a way that our Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio is very far out of balance. According to Ed Bauman, of Bauman College CA, the American ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 is closer to 20:1 then the preferred 4:1 ratio we aim for. By choosing pasture raised lean beef, lamb, or bison, and wild salmon, chunk light tuna, and lean meats such as natural chickens and turkeys that are raised outdoors, we can increase our omega 3 ratio, nicely. Besides the Omega 3 benefit, we also find these choices to be leaner and healthier meats. We use a whole, natural, chicken to create several family meals, as the bones can be used to create a healing bone building broth. This broth is another staple in our house, and one I recommend to anyone struggling with Intestinal distress. Most of our meat sources come from local farmers who take pride in caring for their animals, their land, and the people within their community whom they serve. www.eatwild.com is a good source for finding a farmer near you.

8) Water: Of course this is important! We all know we should be drinking our 8 glasses of water a day, right? Yet how many of us fall short? Carrying a clean, reusable bottle of water with us each day is a good way to make sure we don’t forget to drink! If you find yourself bored of drinking plain water, consider adding fresh squeezed lemon juice or lemon juice and stevia to make a healthy lemonade. Herbal teas or green teas can be added to water, as can small amounts of fresh juice to liven up a glass. It will be essential to drink plenty of water when increasing the fiber in your diet. If you eat a high amount of fiber, but you don’t drink your liquids, you can end up with a blockage, which could be very uncomfortable, if not even dangerous. Stay hydrated!

9) Healthy Oils: For high heats, I recommend coconut oil, avocado oil, ghee, butter, palm shortening, and walnut oil. For medium to low heat, olive oil, or the above listed oils. For strictly low heat or for serving without heat, hemp or extra virgin olive oil are nice choices. Store oils in dark area and look for oils in dark jars, as light exposure leads to oxidation of the oil. If you are confused about which temperature to use for an oil, the spectrum brand can be helpful in identifying temperatures per oil, as the smoke points are listed on their bottles. These oils can be found in the health markets, or health market section of larger grocery stores.

10) Healthy Sweets: We eat too much sugar on the standard American diet. Far too much. Instead of consuming these sugars that are linked with increase in diabetes, obesity, adrenal fatigue, and a host of other illnesses, let’s look to use natural sweeteners. What I advise is having fresh fruit, fruit sauce/butter, and unsweetened dried fruit on hand. Make desserts based on healthy ingredients, such as a blueberry crisp made with stevia and a bit of pure maple syrup to sweeten, and topped with ground nuts and oats. Baked apples and pears are delightful for cooler months, and frozen fruit pops and sorbets are treat in warmer months. Stevia is a favorite natural sweetener in our house, which we use to cut back the quantity of honey we would use in a recipe. If a baking recipe called for 1 cup of sugar, I may opt to use ¼ - ½ cup of honey and ¼ - ½ teaspoon of stevia instead. If you really need the texture of sugar for a baked good, I recommend using Lakanto, a 0 glycemic index natural sweetener. Also, when given the option, I would choose honey, pure maple syrup, dates, date sugar, brown rice syrup, and blackstrap molasses over white or brown sugar. With all sweets, they should be used sparingly. Dessert is for special occasions and should not be expected after each meal. A piece of fruit, however, can be enjoyed much more frequently!

There is no order of preference here, as these top 10 are just base essentials for healthy eating, in our home. I hope they help you as you evaluate your kitchen and look for those healthy boosters and reduce those health offenders in your kitchen and in your life. Enjoy!

Pork chops stuffed with gluten free apple dressing - comfort food

2010-01-07T19:25:00.004-06:00

It's snowing outside, and here in Iowa, we got the craving for some comfort food. This was a first attempt at a stuffed chop, and it was just delicious. Pork is not my meat of choice, and I would always prefer turkey, chicken, fish, or a pasture raised beef or bison, but for our first run we decided to try this with the traditional pork. The next time I make this, I will fillet turkey breast and wrap that, with twine, around ample amount of apple and stuffing instead.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs bone in chops (2 pork chops - thick cut)
3 pieces of gluten free French Meadow Bakery multi grain bread or GF bread of choice - cubed
3 tablespoons earth balance butter or coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup rice milk - plain (or almond)
1 medium apple, peeled and diced

Method:
Melt 2 tablespoons of earth balance butter (or coconut/palm oil), add spices and mix with fork. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk. Add diced apple. Fold diced bread into liquid spice and apple mixture and set aside.

Filet chops by cutting a pocket in each one. Stuff with dressing mixture.
Brown pork chops in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat for 4 minutes on each side, turning gently so as not to lose stuffing.

In separate bowl, melt remaining tablespoon of earth balance butter and remaining milk. Add to lidded baking dish. Place chops onto liquid, and use remaining stuffing to place over the chops, not directly in the liquid. Cover with lid and bake at 375 degrees F for 25-35 minutes, or until meat registers cooked with internal meat thermometer.

While this dish was cooking, we double teamed the oven heat and cooked a pan of Alexia Potato Nuggets, for nostalgia sake. A healthier choice would be freshly chopped sweet potatoes or yams dash with cinnamon and a touch of coconut oil on the pan, or a tray of roasted diced vegetables.

Serve with greens of choice such as green beans, cabbage salad, spinach salad, steamed broccoli. We enjoyed this comfort meal with a red cabbage salad, potatoes, and green beans.

New Take On Ham and Bean Soup - Lentil Veggie Style!

2009-12-08T12:09:00.004-06:00

I promised my family I would hold off on making soup this week, but I can't help myself... I love soups! Everything you need in a meal is all warmed into one delightful bowl. Couple that with the comfort of a steaming batch of soup on a cold wintry day and you have a match made in heaven. Today, with the snow falling around us, I could not resist making soup. So, what started off as a batch of lentil stew somehow manifested into a remake of an old flavor that I love...ham and bean soup, melded together with a variety of antioxidant rich vegetables and complimentary tastes! Here is a much healthier version of a ham and bean soup, that is sure to please. It has even passed the kid test (Bean gives it thumbs up, particularly, the broth). Enjoy -

Ham Bean and Vegetable Soup - Lentil Veggie Soup Gluten free and dairy free

1 cup dry lentils - rinsed well
4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Put the above ingredients together in a pot and bring to boil, covered. Let cook at a slow boil while you begin the next steps:

Gather the following ingredients:
1 cup mushrooms - rinse and chop
1 cup carrots - clean and chop
1/4 - 1/2 cup nitrate free ham (or bacon), diced small
1/2 cup chopped red cabbage
Set aside for now.

In a second pan over medium heat, add the following:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion - diced/chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced/pressed
3 tablespoons dried parsley
cook for 2 minutes, until onions soften.

Add 1 small package/bunch cleaned bite size spinach.
Cover and let wilt.
Pour contents of all containers into the larger pot of broth and lentils.
Let cook, covered, over medium heat for 30 minutes, or until lentils are softened and done.

Variation: Vegetarian lentil soup - omit ham and use only vegetable stock.

Merry Christmas Cookie Tins - Gluten free and dairy free

2009-12-06T15:05:00.004-06:00

I have been baking up a storm the past few weeks, getting ready for the holiday gift giving. The results are in, and it's a sweet success!

My freezer is loaded with plenty of sweets to share with friends and loved ones in the days to come. What better way to share in the season then to pass the recipes along to all of you!

1) Peanut Butter (Nut Butter) Chocolate Chip Cookies - gluten and dairy free. Can be peanut free
This is the easiest recipe! Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
1 cup nut butter/seed butter (natural - no added sugars)
1 cup lakanto, sugar, or sugar substitute of choice
1 egg (can be omitted for egg allergies)
1 teaspoon baking powder
Mix in Enjoy Life Food mini chocolate chips to taste.
Mix with fork, spoon onto stoneware baking pan, and flatten slightly with fork.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, check for doneness. Cookies should just begin to brown, lightly, around the edges. Let cool before removing from pan.

2) Mexican Wedding Cookies - gluten free and dairy free - adapted from Living Without Magazine
1/2 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1 cup earth balance butter sticks, melted (they make soy free, now, in the tubs!) or coconut oil or palm shortening
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 tsp flax seed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnut flour or coarsely ground walnut meal
1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
Method:
First mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with melted 1 cup butter and vanilla. Then add all ingredients and mix well. Let it chill for 30 minutes - 1 hour.
Scoop into 1 inch balls and leave them rounded up, not flat.
Cook for 20 minutes at 325. They should not really turn brown, but they should be set. I let mine just start to get a tad golden on the edges.
Then, scoop them into a bowl of powdered sugar and coat them, once, while warm. Layer them for freezing and enjoy!

3) Mini Chocolate Cupcakes: head on over to my mix review page if you're not sure which cake mix you want to buy. The ones in this photograph are the new mix by Betty Crocker for chocolate cake, gluten free. Follow package directions.
To frost these cupcakes, I melted Enjoy Life Food chocolate chips in a double boiler with just enough coconut milk to soften and smooth. I drizzled the chocolate ganache onto the muffins, and put them in the freezer to set. Easy and delicious. No one will know it's a gluten free dairy free mini cupcake treat!

4) Choclate Coconut Candies rolled in Cocoa Almond Crumbles - gluten free dairy free candy
In a double boiler, heat water over low-medium heat, and let Enjoy Life Foods chocolate chips begin to melt. Stir constantly. For aproximately 1 cup of chocolate chips, add 1 tablespoon of coconut milk (or more as needed to make chocolate smooth). Remove from heat, and continue to stir. Drop into balls onto a sheet lined with crushed cocoa almonds (I used the Blue Diamond brand and crushed them in a mini food processor). Place in freezer to set.
Alternate candy treat - roll pitted dates in melted chocolate mixture, and cool.

5) Lebkuchen - gluten free dairy free
This beautifully spiced cookie is loaded with ginger and topped with a lemon icing, but I have not mastered the recipe, yet. It is good, but a bit granular and overly sweet, so I will play with this some more before posting.

The best thing about the holiday cookies is sharing them! Enjoy -
Laura

Soothing Soup

2009-11-18T10:17:00.004-06:00

With colds, flu, and tummy bugs rolling around, I have been keeping a steadfast supply of homemade and store bought chicken stock on hand. With an upset tummy, I decided it was time for a quick batch of soothing soup. It's an easy soup to put together, and oh so soothing on an upset stomach.
Ingredients:

32 ounces chicken or vegetable stock (homemade is preferred)
Four 5 inch strips of dried seaweed (Alaria - Wakame was used for this soup)
1 cup cut carrots
1/2 cup cut celery
1/2 - 3/4 cup diced mushrooms of choice
1/2 tablespoon parsley
salt to taste
2 large cloves pressed garlic

Bring above ingredients to boil and add

rice noodles or quinoa

Boil until noodles have cooked and enjoy.

Why seaweed? Seaweeds are rich in vitamins and minerals. With Wakame type seaweeds, you add vitamins such as: Vitamin A, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, and even some Omega 3s.
A soup such as this one delivers a variety of vitamins and minerals, while remaining easy on the digestive system.

*optional: omit rice, and add other vegetables of choice such as chopped kale, diced squash, onion, beets and more. Crack open an egg or two into the boiling soup to add protein to your dish.

To Disney and Back Again...Again. Gluten and Dairy Free

2009-10-29T13:28:00.002-05:00

We are back from, yet another, family vacation to Walt Disney World. Why would this bit of personal information make it's way here, you may wonder? Well that is easy. The food!

While we were there, we were able to dine at a variety of both quick service and table service eateries and we always found plenty of gluten and dairy free options. Because of the ease of taking your allergies on vacation with Disney, I am always eager to share our experiences in an effort to help others plan for their own family get aways.

Be warned...eating this well and with such little effort may force you to plan repeat trips to the land of the mouse. You may become spoiled to the point that carrying your kitchen with you on future trips will somehow seem a nuisance, in comparison. If you do make a trip to the mouse, enjoy looking through my food reviews here. Even if you are not likely to venture to Florida anytime in the near future, you may become inspired by some of the dishes served and products used that fit the bill for the gluten free dairy free diet.
Enjoy!

Squash Muffin - with Toro

2009-10-03T15:32:00.003-05:00

I started with a Toro White Bread Mix. I had not yet tried this gluten free mix, so I was excited to give it a whirl! I took at look online at their recipes and I saw Pumpkin Bread.
It was a start, however, if you follow my food philosophy, you can guess I was not likely to put 1.5 cups of sugar into a bread made with all white flours! This was a good start, but it needed some fiber and a decrease in sugar, so here is what I came up with...

Squash Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Toro White Bread Mix
1/3 cup millet flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup oil (melted coconut is nice!)
2 eggs (I'm sure this would be good with 2 tablespoons milled flax seed mixed with 6 tablespoons of water in place of egg, as well. This would be another way to add fiber to this muffin!)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon stevia powder
1/2 cooked acorn squash. Spoon cooked flesh of squash into the mix

Method:
Mix all ingredients together by hand, and pour into muffin pan. This made a batch of 12.
Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes.
While I felt this was a step in the right direction to "health up" this pumpking bread, I think that next time I may want to even step it up a notch and cut back on the white bread mix and add more gluten free whole grain flours or nut flour. The taste was very good! Another great use for fall squash, of any variety. Enjoy!

5 Antioxidant Super Spices For Wellness

2009-09-29T08:52:00.005-05:00

For those of you who missed the conference last Saturday, I hope you'll be able to attend the next one because it was just full of great information and wonderful people. I truly enjoyed connecting with everyone I was able to chat with last weekend.

Dr. Haley and Dr. Davis both spent a great deal of time discussing the importance of proper levels of glutathione and the key values of high antioxidants in the diet. While I am not a chemist, nor a doctor, I cannot discuss in depth the chemistry behind the brilliant presentations shared, I CAN talk to the importance of antioxidants!

Here are some short cut powerhouse antioxidants you can add to your daily routine to increase your overall health. Many studies tout the benefits of antioxidants in relation to cancer prevention as well as their ability to grab on to those free radicals and pull them out of our system.

To get you started, see what you can do with these 5 powerful antioxidant spices in your diet! To understand their ranking a bit, let me introduce the term ORAC value. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, and what it tells us is how much antioxidant capacity a food source contains, with a high number being better. Or, more plainly said, the higher number the food is ranked, the more capable it is of destroying free radicals. The USDA would like us to get 5000 ORAC units a day.

1. Cinnamon: add 1 tablespoon to your hot cereal in the morning, and a dash to your warm cocoa in the winter. If you are making anything that can benefit from this delightful spice, take advantage of it's very high ORAC value. According to the value rankings at ORACValues.com 1 tablespoon (7g) in one day would rank you over 18,700 on the ORAC value chart!

2. Cocoa: It's easy enough for me to enjoy 1 tablespoon of unsweetened, natural, cocoa powder mixed into my rice milk/ almond milk on a chilly fall morning. Cocoa is another great antioxidant, and by making your own cocoa with natural unsweetened cocoa powder, a safe organic milk, and a small bit of honey or stevia, you can avoid all the unpleasant health destroyers that are often found in commercial cocoa mixes. 1 tablespoon (5g) of cocoa powder ranks in on the ORAC value chart at a little over 4,000.

3. Oregano: Do you think 1 teaspoon, ground, (2g) of oregano can be worked into your meals throughout a day? If so, you just boost your ranking by adding another 4000 on the ORAC value chart.

4. Tumeric: One teaspoon (2g) of Tumeric added to your foods each day gives you an additional ranking of 3100 on the ORAC value chart, but it should also be noted that Tumeric is a wonderful anti-inflammatory spice. If you are suffering from any sort of inflammation, arthritis, other, consider adding Tumeric to many meals!

5. Parsley: This beautiful dried green spice is easy to pile onto many warm dishes, as well as to mix into cold salads and sides. I would think adding 1 tablespoon (2g)of dried parsley to your day to reach an additional 1400 on the ORAC value chart would be doable indeed.

So, you can see that by making an effort to work in some of these delicious spices each day (and other wonderful spices such as cumin, clove, basil and more) you will be doing great! This sample day yields a ranking of approximately 31,000. Add in your fruits and vegetables for the day, and that number soars even higher!

So spice it up and enjoy the flavor enhancing antioxidant rich choices in your foods each day!

ORAC data collected from http://oracvalues.com
Nutritional weight data collected from www.nutritiondata.com

Gluten Free Dairy Free Chicken Pot Pie

2009-08-31T09:02:00.003-05:00

Utilizing the Chicken Pot Pie instructions provided by Breads From Anna (Click Here for Recipe) I made the ultimate in comfort food for the family. In this dish, I used the Gluten Free Pantry Pie Crust Mix (minus the sugar). While it did turn out very good, I strongly prefer using Breads From Anna's pie crust mix. It is a healthier choice with a better whole grain ratio and significantly less fat. But I wanted to try something new, so I gave this white crust a shot.

The report from the family was that everyone liked it. What's not to like? It was very good, warm, and a perfect one dish meal for a cold day. It does take more prep time than a usual meal I would make, which made it ideal for a weekend treat.

One important tip when working with gluten free pie crusts: It is very helpful to refrigerate the pie crust for 1 hour before working with the dough. Bottom crust can be pressed into the pan, but the top crust will need to be rolled out between two sheets of wax paper. Then take this wax paper / dough and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes before using. This will help, tremendously, when making a gluten free pie crust, of any variety!

Another tip: Also, a helpful step when making pies or tarts with gluten free dough, is to bake the dough without the filling for a period of aproximately 5-12 minutes (depending on how thick the crust and what size of pan). I pre cooked this dough for 15 minutes, and then gave it an egg white wash before adding the vegetables and stock mixture.

While this pot pie was a bit soupy when it immediately came out of the oven, it quickly thickened up and held it's own. I would highly recommend making this with Breads From Anna Crust mix or your own homemade whole grain crust mix, to add some fiber and to cut back on the earth balance butter called for in the Gluten Free Pantry Recipe.
Enjoy!

Gluten Free Pasta With Some Heat - 2 dish method

2009-08-24T12:34:00.005-05:00

Another easy meal - two dish prep. This was a hit with the 6 year old, 8 year old, and the husband (the true test of gluten free pass-ability). Everyone loved it! The Andouille does have some heat, so be warned! But I would call it a medium spice level. Enjoy :)
Ingredients:

1 package Tinkyada Spaghetti - brown rice
1 package Niman Ranch Andouille sausage (free of added gluten, hormones, nitrate etc - purchased from local Target store)
1 package of mushrooms - cleaned and chopped into thirds - button or baby bella work well
1 medium - large tomato, skinned and chopped
4 green onion stalks, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil - extra virgin
1 teaspoon basil (dried, or use 1/4 cup fresh if available)
1 teaspoon oregano - dried
1 teaspoon parsley - dried (or use 1/4 cup fresh / chopped if available)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt or real salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups spinach, chopped

Method: Bring water to boil per Tinkyada package instructions. Once water boils, add brown rice noodles and cook per package instructions. Have strainer ready and be prepared to rinse the noodles when they are cooked.
In second large pan over low heat, add oil and onions, and spices (oregano, basil, parsley, salt, pepper). While those are warming together, chop sausage and add to pan. Raise heat to medium/low and add mushrooms. Cover to speed up mushroom coking time, stirring as needed to prevent any burning. While mushrooms are cooking, add tomato, balsamic vinegar, 3 cloves pressed or minced garlic. Cover and let cook. 5 minutes before noodles are ready, add 3 cups chopped spinach to sauce pan and let cook, uncovered. Mushrooms should look cooked, but still retain some thickness and texture. All greens will be cooked and or wilted.

Mix sauce well and pour over rinsed noodles. If using a lidded container, shake the noodle and sauce mix to ensure noodles are well coated. Serve over a bed of spinach and enjoy! If you can eat dairy, sprinkle a small amount of feta or parmesian over dish before serving.
serves 6

Paella - easy method

2009-08-11T15:36:00.004-05:00

This is an easy, fresh method for a one dish meal that packs in all the essentials.

3 chicken legs (with skins)

2 chicken sausage (gluten free, dairy free aprox 4-5oz total)

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 red or orange pepper, chopped

1 tsp paprika powder

2 cloves garlic, pressed/minced

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 1/2 cup cabbage, chopped

2 cups brown rice (dry measurement)

water

optional: 1/4 tsp saffron, sea salt to taste preference

Method: Put rice in rice steamer to cook, following directions of your machine. Next, boil chicken legs in small pan of water (should have aprox 4 cups of water). Let them cook for a while, as we will use some of the cooking water in the recipe as a flavored stock. Check doneness of chicken with meat thermometer if unsure. In pan over stove, sauté onion with sesame oil on low heat until onions become translucent. Add remaining vegetables, spices, diced precooked sausage, cooked chicken, and 1/2 cup of the cooking water/broth from the cooked chicken, saving remaining broth for another meal. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are cooked, but cabbage still maintains some texture/crispness. Serve over rice.