Don't be fooled by the healthiness of this next recipe! It's super yummy and you'll be plenty satisfied with all the wonderful variety and flavors.  I wish I could claim this glorious recipe but it was originally created by the tastykitchen. I simply adapted it to fit our needs. I've been searching for recipes that my entire family can all eat right now because my husband is currently on a special Intense Cleanse similar to the Candida Cleanse. Not only can he not have wheat or dairy but a whole bunch of other foods as well! It basically boils dinner down to mostly veggies and meat. ;) (Which, don't get me wrong, are always great to have but I LOVE variety!)

Be sure to see the recipe alterations for special diets.

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free, Grain Free, Paleo)
Adapted by jalene by inspired by the Tastykitchen.com

Ingredients: 

• 1 whole spaghetti squash
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup gluten free chicken broth, divided
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup frozen peas 
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked & sliced
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (for dairy free use 2 Tbsp of Nutritional Flakes instead)
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

3.   In a large, deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. 
4.    Add 1/4 of the chicken broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and broccoli. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the peas, chicken, and remaining 3/4 cup of chicken broth. Shake about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese into the mixture (just enough to thicken the chicken broth). If using Nutritional Flakes, the sauce may not thicken fully.
5.    Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 3 minutes. Serve mixture on top of spaghetti squash or combine all together. Garnish with more parmesan cheese.

 

This recipe can be used on Dr. Nielsen's Candida Cleanse. Simply omit the cheese, and sub fresh tomatoes for the sun-dried. 

By the time I was 25 years old, I could count on 1 hand how many times I've tried Brussels Sprouts. Okay, actually 1 finger. As you can guess, that 1 time was dramatic enough that the details are edged in my memory forever! Ha ha. 

When I was little, my mom had told us (me, my brother, and sister) that we were trying something new for dinner, and... if we ate it,  we could have some special CANDY she got for us. Oh, how my little ears perked up with the sound of candy and bribery! As she started cooking this mystery food though, all I can remember is this horrific smell oozing from the kitchen! We had to eat whatever was making that smell??! Forget it! 

I remember having to stay at the table FOREVER (along with my siblings) until we finished every last bite of our brussels sprouts... Yikes. What a nightmare. I had never worked so hard for candy in all my life!

Luckily, I've found other ways to eat these little healthy veggies (rather than boiling them.) Ironically, this next recipe was created by my mom. Turns out she's found a better way to enjoy them as well. 

So my challenge to you...give brussels a chance! If I can overcome my traumatic experience and learn to LOVE them, you can give them a try! They're super healthy, high in vitamin c, have some protein, low on the glycemic index chart, and can actually help you FEEL full. 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Egg Free, Nut Free)
Created by alene (jalene's mom)

Yields: 2 cups
Ingredients: 

• 1/2 lb brussels sprouts
• 3 slices of nitrate-free bacon (we use Hormel)
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil 
• sea salt, to taste
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions: 

1. Wash the brussels sprouts thoroughly and cut off the tough end. Using a large grader, shred all of the sprouts. (I use my food processor to speed things up.) Set aside. 
2. Cook the bacon according to package directions. When cooked, remove from pan and allow to cool on a paper towel. Discard all of the bacon grease EXCEPT for 1 Tbsp. Place the pan back on the stove over medium heat and add the 1 Tbsp of bacon grease and 1 Tbsp coconut oil. 
3. Add the shredded brussels sprouts to the pan and stir-fry for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste while cooking. Remove from heat, crumble your bacon, and add to the pan. Stir well and serve warm. 

Store leftovers covered in the fridge. 

This recipe can be adapted to use during Dr. Nielsen's Candida Cleanse. Simply omit the bacon and add an extra tablespoon of coconut oil to cook the brussels in. 

This next recipe is a fun variation of my Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies. Same concept, slightly different order of things. They're super yummy. Probably too yummy, so eat sparingly. ;) 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by southyourmouth.blogspot.ca

Yields 10 cookies
Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk or dairy free milk
• 2 Tbsp butter or Earth Balance
• 1/4 cup natural unsweetened peanut butter (we suggest using organic)
• 1/4 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup gluten free quick oats
• 2 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Directions: 

1. Tear a 12x12 piece of wax paper and set aside. 
2. In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring to boil the sugar, butter, and milk. Boil the mixture for 1 full minute then remove from heat. 
3. Add the peanut butter and vanilla. Stir well until smooth. Add the oatmeal and mix until fully incorporated. Quickly drop the mixture by spoon or with a cookie scooper onto your prepared wax paper. 
4. In a microwavable safe small dish, pour in the chocolate chips. Zap for 30 minutes and then stir, then zap for another 15 seconds and stir...(and so on until the chips are fully melted.) Spoon the melted chocolate into a snack size ziplock baggie and seal the bag. Cut a tiny (1/8 of an inch) slit in one of the corners and drizzle the chocolate across each of your cookies. Allow the chocolate to set up (takes about 10 minutes). Store in an airtight container. 

The other day I watched a young mother feed her 5 month old baby a (dyed) red strawberry cake with frosting. I almost fell off my chair! Knowing what I know about food allergies, especially wheat & dairy, that alone was enough to almost make me want to yell out, "Nooooooooooo!"

From a holistic doctor point of view, let me teach just a little on the subject. Even if your medical doctor says it's okay to start solid foods at 4 months you may want to take a look at the studies and organizations behind WAITING to introduce them! Delaying solid foods until a baby is at least 6 months old gives the baby greater protection from illnesses, gives their digestive system time to mature, and DECREASES the risk of food allergies! In fact, newer studies show to wait even longer until age 2 to introduce HIGHLY allergic items such as dairy, wheat, and peanuts.

And don't even get me started about the red food dye... 

Thankfully the little baby spit most of the cake back out (which should have been a good sign to the mom). Hopefully, the more knowledge people gain, the less likely they will be to make this mother's same mistake. :(

Along that line, a couple of people have asked me what I did for Audrey's 1st birthday since she was Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Refined-Sugar-Free. I found a great alternative that Audrey was happy with. 

I think some people let their own emotions get in the way, "But wont they miss having a normal cake?!" Remember, they're only 1 and they don't know any differently. You can still bake a cake for the rest of the family and keep your little one safe. In fact, for most of Audrey's childhood, she was happy eating, when we were eating, even if she wasn't eating what we were eating. ;) 

Overall, Audrey's cake turned out cute with 3-tiers and pink frosting (made naturally with NO food coloring!) She loved the taste too! The cake's consistency was thicker than a normal cake and the frosting was unique but it works! Maybe this recipe will help someone out there. 

PS- the cake can also be made into little mini muffins and served as a snack to your toddler. Because it contains an egg, I would wait at least until they are 1. ;) 

(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free)
Created by jalene 

Cake Ingredients:

• 4 oz white rice flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 oz coconut oil
  
• 8 oz ripe bananas
• 1 egg

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch square pan or round pan with coconut oil. 
2. Blend the oil into the flour and cinnamon. Mix in the bananas and egg. Scoop batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean. Use 2 or 3 different sizes of circle cookie cutters to create a tier cake. 

Adapted by jalene from elanaspantry.com 
(dairy free, Vegan, refined-sugar free)

Frosting Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup canned coconut milk
• 1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup
• pinch sea salt
• 1 & 1/4 tsp arrowroot powder
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• (Pink coloring) squeeze drops out of a cooked beet, do not use more than 3/4 tsp 

Frosting Directions: 

1. In a medium saucepan, heat coconut milk, syrup and salt, simmer for 10 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, combine arrowroot and water to form a smooth paste. Pour arrowroot mixture into saucepan.
3. Whisk vigorously to combine, then bring to a boil, briefly, until shiny.
4. Remove pot from heat and very gradually blend in coconut oil with a hand blender.
5. Allow pot to cool for 10 minutes.
6. Place pot in refrigerator for 45-120 minutes, until frosting solidifies and turns white.
7. Remove from refrigerator, add the pink coloring, and blend again with a hand blender, until fluffy.
8. Spread over cake. Return to refrigerator until ready to serve. 

So you know how I'm addicted to peanut butter? You realize it was only time before I would come up with a peanut butter granola right?! This recipe is really easy, not too sweet, and the peanut butter & honey gives it a nice softness compared to other crispy granolas. There's also lots of room to alter this recipe so run with it! And if you're feeling a little crazy... you can even add mini chocolate chips to it! YUM! Enjoy. 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free)
Created by jalene

Makes almost 5 cups
Ingredients: 

• 2 & 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats
• 1/2 cup gluten free quick oats or quinoa flakes
• 1 cup puffed brown rice cereal (or you can use 1 more cup of rolled oats)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used cashews but you could use any)
• 2 Tbsp flax seeds
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (we use organic so Audrey doesn't develop an allergy!)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil

Sheesh, I have not posted a bread recipe in a long time! The funny thing is I didn't even notice because we usually don't consume a lot of bread in our house. We've simply adapted to not having it around. This may sound impossible for some of you starting out your gluten free journey but your body CAN and DOES ADAPT and soon you WILL stop craving the gluten-infested items as much. I'm proud to say I can drive by a Krispy Kreme donut shop now and no longer lick the car window... ;)

I think the whole cravings issue is what stops some people from being completely gluten free. They'd rather continue to eat the food that makes them sick rather than eat properly! Which is so crazy to me but it does happen! (I know because I was that way...ha ha.) It's funny but maybe we've all done it! I bet you can think of something right now that you KNOW is not good for you but you eat it anyways. ;) Busted.

My sister has a friend with Crone's Disease (which is very closely related to a gluten/wheat allergy) and when she is off gluten/wheat entirely, she feels SO much better! But, frankly, it's "too hard" for her. She rather not deal with a diet change. So what she is dealing with instead are sores on her gut. Medication can help calm the symptoms, but it can't take away the body's real issue of being allergic to wheat. 

Well, now that you've gotten your "Don't be lazy and eat what's bad for you" pep talk for today let's get to our next recipe! This one was submitted by my mom. She said it's a great garlic bread with a whole wheat type of texture. I'm going to work on making it dairy free and with less starches so Audrey can enjoy it too. Stay tuned for updates! :)

(Gluten Free)
Submitted by alene (jalene's mom) from an original recipe by Tricia Thompson, MS., RD  
 
Serves 8 (Serving size: 1-inch slice)
Ingredients: 

• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 & 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar or evaporated cane juice sugar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic-minced
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 2/3 cup tapioca starch
• 2/3 cup corn starch (we suggest using non-GMO)
• 1/3 cup buttermilk powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds or flaxseed meal
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• Gluten-free cooking spray or vegetable oil

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl, mix the water, yeast, and sugar (I did it in my 2 cup glass measuring cup). Let stand about 10 minutes. The yeast should double in size. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.  Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: sorghum, tapioca, cornstarch, buttermilk, xanthan, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, gelatin and flaxseed meal.
4. In a mixer add the yeast mixture, eggs, vinegar, and garlic & olive oil mixture to the bowl. Beet on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients, 1/4 cup at a time.  The mixture will be thick.  When all of the dry ingredients have been added, turn the mixer to medium and beat for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Oil or spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with gluten-free cooking spray.  Spoon the batter into the pan and cover with a dish towel.  Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Bake the bread for 50 minutes. If using a glass pan, it will bake quicker in 40 min and form a dark crust.  Cover the pan with foil about halfway through baking to prevent bread from getting too dark.
8. Remove the bread from the pan and cool it on a wire rack.  Serve warm! Goes great with herb butter or herb cream cheese.

 

Sometimes I get a little frustrated when I look at the back of prepacked items. It seems like they throw all sorts of unnecessary stuff in there! Let's take Honey Roasted Almonds for example, shouldn't it have only a couple of ingredients? And since when do you need soy to make Honey Roasted Almonds?! 

This next recipe is simple, yummy, and quick to make. Plus, you can save money doing it yourself! We purchase our raw nuts in bulk from Costco or Health Food Store bulk bins and then refrigerate the rest. (That saves us money too!)

You're going to love the smell of these babies and they taste just as good! They make a great snack and you can even throw them into a trail mix instead of food-coloring-coated-candies to help sweeten things up! 

Watch out though! These are highly addictive! My little Audrey ate 15 (I was rationing) and was she was still begging for more! 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene from multiple recipes online

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups raw whole almonds
• 1/4 cup sugar (I used evaporated cane juice sugar)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Mix the sugar and salt together in a small bowl and set aside. 
3. Rinse the almonds and spread out on a cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes (stirring every few minutes and watch careful not to burn them.) Set aside. 
4. In a saucepan melt the honey, oil, and water together until it boils. Add the almonds and stir continuously for about 5 minutes. 
5. You can either sprinkle the salt and sugar mixture on top of the almonds or you can stir the almonds into the mixture. Spread the almonds so they are not touching out on wax paper to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. 

You might cry after you try this next recipe. I know I almost did! But I have an excuse, I'm pregnant... and I LOVE FOOD! I owe this amazing recipe to my part Asian husband. ;)

Last month I was sick in bed with the 24-hour flu and the only stinking thing that sounded good was Ramen Noodles. Mind you, we stopped eating Ramen Noodles LONG ago back when we found it had MSG, no nutritional value and full of gluten. There was no hope for this glorious comfort food to ever be seen in our house again.

So, why the sudden craving? Who knows. Luckily, my sweet husband grew up eating Ramen Noodles! (He claims before most of America was eating them because they had special hook-ups with his mom being from Hawaii and all...)

So if anyone were to try recreate it, he'd be the man.

When he brought up the soup for me to eat in bed, it was almost enough to start the ol' water works. This soup not only hit the spot but I started thinking...You realize what this means?! Gluten Free College students have been liberated! They can now eat the same as gluten-infested eaters... you're welcome college students. 

Go ahead and feel free to dim-sung this up! Add peas, chicken, corn, whatever! It all tastes good. 

And thank you to my wonderful husband for taking care of me! I love you! I'm so thankful we get to be together forever! ;)

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Sugar Free, MSG Free, etc.)
Created by jalene's husband Brandon

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups gluten free chicken broth
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp curry powder
• 4 oz. gluten free rice noodles (see note)

Directions: 

1. In a medium saucepan, add everything except for the noodles. Stir and bring to a boil. 
2. Add the rice noodles and cook according to package directions. (Mine took about 7-9 minutes.) Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container. 

NOTE: If you want more liquid and less noodles decrease the noodles to about 3.5 oz instead. If you refrigerate this, the rice noodles tend to soak up a lot of liquid as well. 

Food for thought: A day after posting this great recipe Yahoo published a crazy article on a teen's strange Ramen noodle addiction! Apparently she's been eating mainly Ramen for the past 13 years! (YIKES!) According to her doctors she is malnourished and has the health of an 80 year old! Sad. So the lesson here, eat a well balanced diet and parents, don't allow your kids to make poor eating choices. You're the boss. You can say no. :)

Yum, I've been in LOVE with this next recipe. It only takes 5 minutes to throw together and then you let the oven do the rest of the work! Don't you just love recipes like that!! It works great on those days you have other things to hurry and get done instead of slaving over a stove. But, if you do have time to slave, it works great as a breakfast side dish too! 

Word to the wise, if you have a large family, double the recipe. They disappear fast! If you want to make them Dairy Free, simply leave off the cheese! 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Created by jalene but inspired from recipes off Pinterest

Makes 7 Breakfast Cups
Ingredients:

• olive oil for greasing the muffin tins
  
• 7 slices of Nitrate Free Ham (I used Hormel)
  
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 tsp dried chives
• 2 cups frozen shredded hashbrowns
• Cheese (optional)

Sometimes I forget to post the quick little things we eat if we need a fast snack. This next one is a great in between meal for those hungry little eaters. You could even turn it into a meal depending on what you serve with it! We love to throw in avocado or replace the ham for cooked chicken. Whatever combination, it's sure to please! 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Created by jalene

Ingredients: 

• Corn Tortillas (we use organic)
• Ham Slices (we suggest using Nitrate FREE, especially for kids and if you're pregnant)
• Cheese (use a Vegan alternative to be DF)
• oil (like olive oil or coconut oil)

Directions: 

1. Heat a large flat pan over medium heat. Add a little bit of oil and 1 corn tortilla. Top with meat and cheese then cover with another tortilla. Cook on each side for about 3-5 minutes or until heated and the cheese is melted. Slice & serve. Store leftovers in fridge.