Monthly Archives: January 2018

Move Forward and Keep Striving for Excellence!

If you are human, you have made mistakes. You simply cannot be living and get everything perfect all the time.

When you start out as a baby, one of the ways you learn how to crawl, walk and run is by trial and error. There will inevitably be bumps and bruises, some more than others. The learning and mistakes go on throughout life.

Move Forward and Keep Striving for Excellence

As we get older and have more freedom and choices, the mistakes get bigger than stumbling and bumping your head as a toddler.

I have found mistakes have helped me grow, and some of my most meaningful moments and times have been when I was afraid to do something, and I did it anyway. Sometimes stepping out has brought much heartache and a longer recovery period for my heart than I could have ever foreseen. But it has always, always made me more than I was yesterday.

I want you all to know dear ones, that you are more than your mistakes. You should never feel defeated by them for long. You are more than you were yesterday, and you will be even more than that tomorrow. Let yourself be open to love, abundance, forgiveness and hope for the future. Keep going.

XOXO

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Best Grain Free Graham Cracker’s Ever!

The Best Graham Crackers Paleo Egg Free

Oh my goodness, do I love a good, crunchy graham cracker! Since going gluten free and mostly grain free, a good graham with clean ingredients has been hard to find, and the other recipes I have tried either fall apart, don’t taste amazing or are too soft and wouldn’t hold up to toppings or s’mores.

The Best Grain Free Grahams Ever!

These I literally had to put out of my sight in order to keep myself from munching on them every time I came into the kitchen. If you are a fan of the Sandlot Movie, like I am, (It’s an all time family favorite), you know Smalls would never settle for a whimpy gram to stuff his face. Watch the scene here:

These grahams are delicious in every way……texture, flavor, sturdiness….. and you can make them any size you want. They also happen to be egg free. I have been testing them for several months, and never was completely satisfied until this week when I was in a hurry and whipped together some while making dinner on a busy night, because we needed some Grahams in the house. They turned out great! Since I wasn’t actually in “testing” mode, I didn’t write it down until after they were done, and turned out so well. So, the next day, I retested them with honey instead of maple syrup. They turned out tasty with the honey, but you have to watch them carefully so they don’t burn. I again tested them using maple syrup, and they were s’more worthy! The maple syrup version is my favorite. It gives the grahams a true graham flavor and doesn’t over brown. These graham crackers can be enjoyed year-round. They are great for packing in lunches sandwiched with some nut butter and good quality fruit spread, and they are so, so s’more worthy! So campfire season, watch out, because Everyone should have good grahams!

Everyone Deserves a Good Graham

The Best Grain Free Graham Crackers Ever!

Preheat your oven to 350° degrees F.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Coconut Flour (I used this brand) scooped and leveled

2 Teaspoons of Ground Cinnamon

2 Tablespoons of Ground Flax Seed

2 Tablespoons of Grass Fed Gelatin (I used Vital Proteins)

1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/2 Cup of Avocado Oil (it is heart healthy and has high smoke point)

1/4 Cup of Pure Maple Syrup (You can substitute honey for SCD compliant, but watch carefully to prevent over browning)

4 Teaspoons of Pure Vanilla Extract

1/2 Teaspoon of Lemon Juice

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, cinnamon, flax and baking soda. Then, in another bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients which are vanilla, avocado oil, maple syrup and lemon juice. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients, and beat with a hand held mixer for one minute. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top, and beat again until it is completely incorporated.

Form the dough into a ball, and place between two sheets of parchment paper. Flatten the ball with your hands, starting to form a rectangle. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle to fit a cookie sheet pan. The parchment paper should still be sandwiching the dough. This prevents your rolling pin from sticking. The dough should be about 1/4″ thick. Remove the top piece of parchment. With a fork’s tines, poke holes all over the dough, then use a pizza wheel to score vertical and horizontal lines making the graham crackers the size you like. Place the parchment with the rolled out grahams onto a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. They don’t take long. I recommend checking at eight minutes. When the edges are starting to turn golden brown, they are done. Remove them from the oven and cool completely on the cookie sheet before breaking them apart at the score marks.

How do you like to eat your grahams?

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Dreams and Purpose

Happy Friday Beautiful!

Dreams and Purpose

What are your dreams? I hope you have some, because at every age we need dreams and purpose no matter how young or old you are! Dreams give us things to strive for, hope, excitement about our lives, and goals. I have found when I talk to people that tell me they don’t have dreams, they are in a state of depression, illness or some other difficult circumstance. Finding a purpose and going to sleep with a dream can help.

Dreams and purpose also tie in with thankfulness. Can we be thankful in all circumstances? I admit it is much easier to be thankful when everything is going right, but it is possible to be thankful, have purpose and dreams when things are not. One tip is to get into the practice of writing down ten things you are thankful for every morning. You can have a pad next to your bed, a notebook, or jot it down while you are having breakfast on your phone’s notes. If you can’t think of anything, because your circumstances are too hard, start simple.

Please share with me, I want to know. What is one dream you have right now? What is one thing in your life that gives you purpose? Share with me in the comments. I promise, I am listening.

Sandra Shields, Certified Health Coach

Chinese Chicken and Noodles with Bok Choy

I have a new Chinese chicken makeover that will fulfill all your cravings for Chinese takeout and not leave you feeling bloated and thirsty the next day.

Chinese Chicken and Noodles with Bok Choy - Perfect for Chinese New Year - Paleo, AIP

The chicken is skillet to oven, and we are going to make some butternut squash noodles and oven roast the bok choy! It’s a really, really good dinner.

Chinese Chicken and Noodles with Bok Choy - AIP Paleo - Nightshade Free

I am making this for Chinese New Year this year and am still working on some other recipes to add as well. It is a very special time for my family. Two of my daughter’s were adopted from China when they were babies, and I have always honored their heritage. One of the ways we do that is having a party on Chinese New Year and also the Autumn Moon Festival. Visiting China was magical each time, and authentic Chinese food is amazing, with lots of healthy vegetables included.

Chinese Chicken and Noodles with Bok Choy - Gluten Free - AIP Paleo

Chinese Chicken and Noodles with Bok Choy

Preheat your oven to 375º degrees F.

To begin, prep your butternut noodles and bok choy (see below). Then, mix together the ginger, tarragon, cinnamon, sea salt and cloves, and season your chicken cubes evenly with it.

Ingredients for the Chicken:

8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, cut into fourths

1 Tablespoon of Ground Ginger

2 Teaspoons of Tarragon

1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

1 1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon of Cloves

1 Tablespoon of Garlic Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil (you may substitute 3 minced garlic cloves if you like and use regular olive oil in place of the garlic infused olive oil.)

Directions for the Chicken: In a large oven safe skillet, add the olive oils over medium high heat, swirling to coat the pan. Then add the seasoned chicken when the olive oil is hot enough to sizzle. Cook the chicken four minutes on one side or until golden brown, then flip the cubes and brown the other side. When the chicken is brown but not cooked through, pour the reduced chicken sauce over the chicken in the skillet, and toss to coat evenly. Place the skillet into the oven and cook the chicken an additional five minutes, or until the chicken is done. Spoon the chicken into a bowl and pour the sauce from the pan and all the brown bits over the chicken.

Chicken Sauce:

1/4 Cup of Coconut Amminos

1/4 Cup of Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

3 Tablespoons of Honey

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

Directions for Chicken Sauce:

Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Then, lower the temperature and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half. Set aside to prepare the chicken.

Ingredients for the Butternut Noodles:

1 Butternut Squash (Spiralized)

3 Cloves of Garlic (Omit for Low FodMap and Substitute Garlic Olive Oil for the Olive Oil)

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Aminos

1 Tablespoon of Honey

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Directions: Spiralize the solid end of the peeled butternut squash. (I use this one and love it.) In a large skillet, add the olive oil, salt and garlic and cook over medium high until fragrant, this happens very quickly. Add the spiralized butternut squash noodles. Toss and cook until al dente. Then, whisk together the coconut aminos and honey, and toss with the squash noodles to coat. Cook a few more minutes, then set aside until ready to serve.

Bok Choy on Sheet Pan

Ingredients for the Bok Choy

6 Baby Bok Choy (Mine were pretty large, so you be the judge of how much you want.)

1/4 Cup of Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder (Omit for Low FodMap and substitute 1 Tablespoon of Garlic Olive Oil in place of 1 of the tablespoons of Olive Oil above)

1 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger

1 Tablespoon of Coconut Aminos

1/2 Teaspoon of Fish Sauce

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Directions: Preheat the oven to 375º degrees F. Wash and half the bok choy lengthwise (see photo). Lay on a rimmed sheet pan. Whisk together the rest of the ingredients, and brush evenly over the bok choy. Bake in your oven for 20 minutes.

To Serve:

Place a mound of noodles on your plate. Spoon Chinese chicken and sauce over the noodles add some bok choy on the side. Dig in!

Delicious Chinese Chicken Dinner that is Grain Free, Paleo and AIP. It is the perfect dinner when you have a Chinese Takeout Craving!

How I Bounce Back from the Holidays and What I’m Eating to Start the New Year and do a Reset!

New Year's Reset - What I'm Doing

The New Year is here, and I’m resetting my taste buds after enjoying the holiday and extra treats.

The number one rule I have when doing a food reset is Don’t Starve Yourself. That just messes up your metabolism and hormones, so don’t be tempted by that. It never works long term.

I am taking out extra sugars, which for me would be maple syrup and honey mostly, but still eating low sugar fruit like blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, which are full of nutrition and fiber.

I am making sure I get plenty of low starch vegetables in like spinach, bok choy, artichokes, broccoli, zucchini, Swiss chard, kale, cucumbers, leafy green lettuces, mushrooms, asparagus, fennel (one of my favorites) onions, a little bit of fermented vegetables each day, and Brussels sprouts. I eat as many of these vegetables as I want.

I’m eating complex carbs from vegetables like butternut squash, beets, carrots, and winter squash. You can make “noodles” with butternut squash, beets and zucchini noodles using a spiralizer. (I have this one that suction cups to the counter top and cleans up like a breeze! It’s under $20. now. ) You need adequate protein for each meal like grass fed meat, pastured chicken and seafood such as salmon, and also healthy fats, especially whole food avocados.

I am also prioritizing sleep. Plenty of sleep helps avoid cravings and lowers cortisol levels. High cortisol can cause you to store belly fat and make you crave sweet things more than ever.

I’m drinking plenty of water and clear teas which are perfect hot for this deep freeze we are having in Maryland! My favorite teas are Dandelion Root, Rooibos, Chamomile and Milk Thistle with a piece of ginger root in it. I also have one cup of coffee a day with raw cacao powder, a scoop of collagen and a tablespoon of coconut milk.

I have a shoulder injury at the moment involving the lower trapezius muscle by my right shoulder blade, so weight bearing arm workouts are on hold for now. It’s an injury that occurred last June that healed, and then I re-injured it doing planks again. So, now I’m starting physical therapy to help heal and learning techniques to strengthen that muscle and restore the range of motion to prevent another re-injury. It’s a bummer for me, but you have to take care of your body. Currently my exercise routine looks like this, and I’ll add there is a point of exercise where you feel good and refreshed, and one where you overdo it and feel depleted. You want to avoid feeling depleted. If you can’t recover quickly, then it’s too much. For me what works is twenty minutes in the morning of some form of toning exercise like pilates, resistance bands, cardio step or an exercise ball, and then later in the day a 30 to 40 minute brisk walk, preferable outside, but on the treadmill if the weather isn’t good. I start out my walk with a square of 70% dark chocolate. I’ve been doing this for years, and it works very well for me as a motivator.

Happy, Healthy New Year to Everyone!

Sam

Happy 2018! What are you looking forward to in the coming year?

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Happy 2018 Everyone!
What is one of your favorite memories of 2017? What was hard, and what are your plans, goals, and what are you looking forward to in 2018? I want to know.

Blessings!
Sandra Shields, Health Coach