Author Archives for Sandra Shields, Healthy Food and Wellness Blogger, Health Coach, Balanced Living, Clean Beauty Consultant

About Sandra Shields, Healthy Food and Wellness Blogger, Health Coach, Balanced Living, Clean Beauty Consultant

Hello! I am Sam. I am a foodie, baker and a Health Coach who likes being in the kitchen making food. My recipes are all gluten free and there are recipes for different food intolerances as well. If you are looking to incorporate healthier eating habits and live a more balanced life, I hope to inspire you. I have had an obsession with baking since I was ten! I started this blog to share recipes I was making for myself after finding out I had gluten sensitivity and other food intolerances which I have mostly healed, but will always be sensitive to gluten. I went to school for Health Coaching as a second career at Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Nutrient dense food gives the body the best fuel and building blocks to be vibrant, healthy, prevent disease, and maintain great energy as well as heal. I am excited to share delicious food recipes, tips, baking and treats too!

Shrimp and Shallots Bowl with Spaghetti Squash Noodles

Shrimp and Shallot Bowl with Spaghetti Squash Noodles

Recipes that are simple and delicious are exactly what I am looking for in the Summertime when there are more hours of daylight to be enjoyed.

Yesterday I started off with a quick 20 minute workout using resistance bands that made me feel energized and ready for the day. I had a green smoothie for breakfast and my go to Matcha Green Tea Latte.

We are in Northern Michigan for a few months, where there is 40 minutes more of daylight up here than in Maryland, and we are trying to enjoy every minute! My daughters and I went to a local coffee shop where they are having a fierce Summer competition of a card game called Quiddler. They keep score of every game to have a grand champ score at Summer’s end!

Fierce Quiddler Competition

After lunch we went to the beach, and for dinner I made this new recipe that was blog worthy using Shrimp and Caramelized Shallots over Oven Roasted Spaghetti Squash. The citrus flavors really complimented the dish! I liked how the orange juice in the “noodles” melded with the lemon in the shrimp in each bite!

Shrimp and Shallot Bowl

Shrimp and Shallot Bowl with Spaghetti Squash Noodles

Ingredients:

1 Pound of Baby Baby Shrimp

1 Large Shallot or a Few Small (1/4 Cup) thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

2 Cloves of Garlic, minced

Zest of one Lemon

1/8 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/8 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

for Noodles:

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash (halved lengthwise and seeds removed)

Juice from one Orange

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste

Fresh Basil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400º degrees. Lay the prepared squash on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Sprinkle with Sea Salt and Pepper and place face down and bake for 40 minutes, or until tender. Flip over to cool slightly while you make the Shrimp. Wash and Tear about a quarter cup of fresh Basil and set aside.

For Shrimp – in a large pan on the stove top, add the olive oil, and heat over medium high heat to warm. Add the shallots, garlic and lemon zest. Sprinkle with Sea Salt and Pepper, and cook until the Shallot starts to brown and caramelize. Add the shrimp, and cook quickly over high heat until pink.

Set aside and cover to keep warm while you use a fork to shred the Spaghetti Squash into a mixing bowl. Add the Olive Oil, Orange Juice, and Sea Salt and Pepper to taste to the squash noodles. Toss it all together.

Mound the Squash Noodles into three personal sized bowls. Top with the Shrimp and Shallots, and sprinkle with Fresh Basil!

You are ready to eat! 🙂 Grab a fork!

After dinner we hiked our favorite trail with our two pugs, Ming and Lily.

Walking with Pugs

I hope you are enjoying your Summer! What are some of your favorite activities and food?

Eat Your Nutrients!

Cherry Lemon Biscotti

Delicious Cherry Lemon Biscotti

Good Morning Everyone! I am so happy Summer is here! It is so relaxing having the kids out of school and having extended hours of daylight! We are spending time in Northern Michigan this Summer, and it is staying light until ten p.m. I love this time of year! I get so much fresh air because I am outdoors a lot more!

This is the Cherry Capital of the world, so what better time to make some Cherry Lemon Biscotti cookies to dunk in a cup of delicious coffee or tea?

Grain Free Cherry Lemon Biscotti Cookies

Here’s the recipe!

Cherry Lemon Biscotti

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Lay out a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1 Tablespoon of Coconut Flour

Zest of 1 Lemon

1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

2 Pastured Eggs

1/3 Cup Good Honey

1 Tablespoon of Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

1/3 Cup of Dried Tart Cherries

Directions:

Sift together your dry ingredients in a medium to large bowl. In a separate bowl with an electric hand-held mixer, blend your wet ingredients. (The cherries are last, so don’t add them yet). Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with your mixer until fully smooth and incorporated. With a spatula, fold in the cherries evenly. Mound the dough onto your prepared, parchment lined baking sheet. With wet hands, form the dough into a 1 1/2 inch high rectangle like this:

Biscotti Ready for first bake!

It looks fancy with the cookie cutter design on the top, but it disappeared during baking, so no need to do this! 🙂

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes on the cookie sheet.

With a serrated bread knife slice the biscotti on a diagonal, starting at a short corner. Make the slices approximately an inch thick. If some fall apart or break, at this point you can pat them back together. Lay cut side down back on the cookie sheet. Bake for seven minutes on one side, then remove from the oven and flip them to the other cut side and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Enjoy these sweet and tart lovelies!

Cherry Lemon Grain Free Biscotti

I couldn’t resist adding a picture of me with my daughters this Summer, and also a picture of my Ming Ming enjoying a Summer Evening! Blessing to you! Have fun!

My Two Youngest Daughters and I

Ming Ming enjoying Summer!

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List from Stitchfix

Make the most of the Summer with this inspiring, fun filled, list!

Sam

Summer Bucket List

French Asparagus Salad

It’s Asparagus Season! After my trip to Florida this month, I came home and recreated a salad I had while dining at a French restaurant, Bistro Chez Jean-Pierre, in Palm Beach. They made the salad on the fly, just for me, when I told them of my food intolerances. The asparagus was crisp tender, and the leafy greens tossed in a vinaigrette where perfect with it. They also brought out a beautiful bowl of fresh berries for me for dessert.

Spring and Summer are the easiest times to eat local, seasonal food, and I like to take advantage of the Farmer’s Markets for sure! Research has proven that nutrients are the most plentiful in produce when it has just been harvested. After it has traveled to the store and sat on the shelves for several days, the nutrient content lessens day by day. (You can read more about this here).

French Asparagus Salad

It is such a pretty salad! I hope you give it a try and also take advantage of all the beautiful, locally grown food this time of year. Your body will love you for it!

French Asparagus Salad

Ingredients:

10 Asparagus Spears, Snapped at the ends to remove tough portion

2 Cups of Fresh Leafy Salad Greens (You Choose)

1/2 of a Red Bell Pepper, Diced

2 Tablespoons of Sliced Green Onion

Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Teaspoon of Djon Mustard

1/2 Teaspoon of Dried Oregano

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon of Dried Parsley

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

1 Tablespoon of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons of White Wine Vinegar

1/2 Cup Good Olive Oil

Directions: Whisk the dressing together until emulsified. Refrigerate any leftovers.

To make the salad, steam the asparagus for six minutes until fork tender but not mushy. Immediately move while it is hot to a shallow bowl, and toss with 2 Tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Let this sit for ten minutes to marinate.

Place the two cups of leafy greens in another bowl, and toss with a generous amount of vinaigrette. Arrange the asparagus on two plates evenly in a fan. Add the diced red pepper artfully. Then mound the leafy greens at the end of the spears. Sprinkle with scallions and a little additional salt and pepper.

It is ready to serve!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Easy Chocolate Mousse for Two

By definition a Mousse is a dessert that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture and can range from light and fluffy to creamy and thick.

I was considering calling this mousse Miracle Mousse because there is no cooking and no eggs or dairy in the recipe yet it is thick, creamy and smooth. I whip this decadent dessert up in five minutes flat, at which time it resembles a chocolate syrup. After refrigerating it for 4 hours it thickens and becomes the creamy deliciousness you see below.

Dairy Free Easy Chocolate Mousse for Two

Raw cacao is my favorite for making chocolate recipes, because it is cold pressed and keeps the live enzymes, and you can control what sweetener you use. In this case it was raw, local wildflower honey.

Why should you make this mousse?

You Crave Chocolate
You Want to Impress Someone
You Need A Fast Dessert Recipe Because You Are Busy
It Has No Refined Sugar
You Have a Romantic Date
It Has Clean Ingredients
It’s Darn Good!

The recipe serves two! How romantic! 🙂

Easy Chocolate Mousse for Two

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups of Full Fat Coconut Milk (see In My Pantry for my favorite brand)

1/4 Cup Raw Cacao Powder

1/4 Cup Raw Local Honey

1/4 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

a pinch of sea salt

Directions: Dump all the ingredients in a high speed blender. I used the big cup on my Ninja blender. I have also made it in my Vitamix. It just needs to be high speed to incorporate those air bubbles that makes chocolate mousse…..mousse. 🙂

Pour into two individual ramekins, serving bowls or cups.

Refrigerate for 4 hours and up to two days.

This is a decadent dessert for chocolate fans! Enjoy!

Easy Chocolate Mousse for Two

Eat Your Nutrients!

Greek Salad with Grilled Skewered Salmon

I just returned from a very relaxing time in South Palm Beach Florida. I was traveling with my husband, Doug, for his President’s Club business/pleasure trip, and we stayed at The Breakers Resort where I found it very easy to eat clean, healthy food much to my delight! We also went snorkeling and saw many colorful fish including Barracuda.

Greek Salad with Skewered Grilled Salmon

Greek Salad with Grilled Skewered Salmon

One of my favorite restaurants in the resort (they had ten to choose from) was The Ocean House, which was casual dining overlooking one of the pools and the ocean. It has a wrap around porch with seating on the porch in the shade.

The Ocean House Restaurant – Doug

The Nitrogen Infused Cold Brew Coffee was so creamy and refreshing it was hard to believe that it was just coffee, and the nitrogen imparts a creaminess. See the picture below. It was soooooo good! Wish they had it locally where I live. I could become totally addicted to the stuff. It is so mild and delightful!

Nitrogen Infused Cold Brew Coffee

However, the Greek Salad was so delicious, and you had the option of adding Skewered Salmon to the salad (my favorite) or chicken, steak or shrimp. The Salmon was simply grilled with olive oil, salt and pepper and was so tender and flaky. I wanted to recreate the recipe at home.

Throughout the resort, you could also get fresh pressed raw juices that had just a touch of honey in them and were made daily by the staff. My favorite was the green detox and the second runner up was fresh watermelon juice with lime and ginger. Here is a picture of the pineapple coconut water juice I had. I tried them all. 🙂

Fresh Pressed Pineapple Coconut Juice

We walked to beach every morning and saw the beautiful sunrise. There were other sunrise lovers on the beach and locals with their dogs. One dog in particular was hilarious. He was a hot dog dog, more properly called a dachshund, and he was digging for soft shell crabs and eating them. He had a hole dug as deep as he was with just his rear end sticking out. His owner told us he regularly did this and had a love of crab.

Sunrise at Palm Beach

Waiting for our Guide to go Snorkeling!

Here is my version of this delicious main course salad! Sadly, I cannot pass on the sun, sand and water to you along with it, but I would if possible!

Greek Salad with Grilled Skewered Salmon

Ingredients for Salad:

4 Cups of Leafy Lettuce

1/2 of a Red Bell Pepper, Diced

1/2 of an English Cucumber, Diced

1/4 Cup Finely Diced Red Onion

1/4 Cup Pitted Kalamata Olives

1/4 Cup Scallions, sliced thinly

Place all the ingredients for the salad in a medium bowl, and set out dinner plates.

Greek Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 Garlic Clove, minced or garlic pressed

1/2 Teaspoon of Dried Oregano

1/4 Teaspoon of Dried Parsley

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon of Djon Mustard

2 Tablespoons of White Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1/2 Cup Good Olive Oil

Whisk it all together until emulsified, and set aside.

Grilled Salmon

2 Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon Filets

1/3 Cup Good Olive Oil, plus more for the grill pan

Generous amount of Sea Salt and Black Pepper

6 Bamboo Skewers.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Preheat your grill pan on the stove top on medium heat, dry, for five minutes. Slice each salmon filet into three strips. Brush generously all over with olive oil. Then season with salt and pepper. Place a generous additional amount of olive oil on your grill pan, brushing to coat it so the salmon will not stick. Thread the salmon on the skewers. Grill the salmon three minutes, basting with more of the olive oil, then turn for an additional three. Then place the grill pan in the oven and finish off the salmon for five minutes, or until the center has reached 145º degrees. This will happen quickly.

To assemble the salad. Toss the greens and other salad ingredients you prepared previously with a generous amount of Greek Vinaigrette. Divide the greens between two or three plates. Top with the hot salmon skewers!

The Breakers Palm Beach

Won Ton Shrimp and Pork Meatballs

After traveling in China a couple times about 14 years ago, I had a whole new appreciation for authentic Chinese cuisine, and when I returned home I searched for a cookbook that could help me recreate the flavors I had enjoyed while traveling in the beautiful country with such friendly and fascinating citizens. It was a magical time not only because we were adopting our two youngest daughters, but also because their cuisine was much, much different than the Chinese restaurants here in the states.

Won Ton Shrimp and Pork Meatballs

I found a book by Eileen Lin Fei Lo entitled The Chinese Kitchen. I consider her the Julia Child of Chinese Cuisine and Technique, and I started frequenting Chinese Markets back home and working my way through her cookbook, making delicious and authentic tasting dishes. It was a huge learning curve at first, and then I got better and better at it, and my family was thrilled. My little baby girls loved Congee and Steamed Egg Custards, and I was able to make them for them. Then I became gluten sensitive, and the book sat forlornly on the shelf collecting dust.

Won Ton Shrimp and Pork Meatballs

This week, I pulled it off a gluten free, wrapper-less, won ton that I think you will love regardless of your food preferences. I was craving those little won tons I used to eat, and I was determined to make a Paleo version of them. I was pretty gleeful after I mixed up the meatballs and let them refrigerate for a couple hours before forming them, because the meatballs were too soupy……… until I sprinkled in a couple teaspoons of gelatin at the very end and mixed it up again, then said a little prayer and popped them in the refrigerator.

When I took the mixture out of the refrigerator to form the balls, I could tell when I started rolling them that they were the perfect texture and were going to be silky on the tongue.

This meal is grain-free, so I made julienned carrots and zucchini sauteed in fat our your choice. I like olive oil, which is not traditional, but very healthy. My kids and hubby gobbled them up. The only sad part is there are no leftovers for lunch today. Next time I will make a double batch!

Won Ton Shrimp and Pork Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 Pound Pastured Ground Pork

1 1/2 Cups Cooked Baby Shrimp, finely diced

1 Tablespoon of Coconut Aminos (this is a fantastic soy substitute)

1 Tablespoon of Fish Sauce (I used Red Boat)

1 Teaspoon of Honey

1 Teaspoon of Toasted Sesame Oil

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon of Onion Powder

1/2 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder

1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon of White Pepper

2 Teaspoons of Grass Fed Gelatin (the kind that thickens like Vital Choice Green Label – see In My Pantry)

For Cooking:

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl with your hands, except the gelatin, until very thoroughly blended. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top of the mixture, and quickly incorporate thoroughly with your hands. Place in the refrigerator for at least two hours and up to 24.

To make the won ton. Preheat the oven to 350º degrees. Form the won ton into tablespoon sized balls. Place the oil in a large non-stick skillet, and melt over medium high heat. When melted, evenly distribute in the skillet, and add the won ton. Cook on one side until lightly browned, then turn them and cook a few more minutes. Then place the pan in the oven for ten minutes to cook through the center.

Serve.

Eat Your Nutrients!

Orange Apple Pecan Cookout Salad

I am so excited that cookout season is here finally! Cold salads to serve alongside something on the grill lets me relax outside with a glass of something to sip beforehand, because the sides are prepared and marinating in the refrigerator.

Orange Apple Pecan Cookout Salad

Leafy green salads are great, but heartier salads to heap on your plate are filling and fun as well. I have a new recipe for you that is packed with vegetables and fruit with a sprinkling of crunchy pecans. You can make it up to two days in advance. It just gets better with time. One of the things I love about this salad is all the colors and the fresh tastes.

This is a robust side with healthy, grain free, nutrient rich carbohydrates. Here is what you will need!

Orange Apple Pecan Cookout Salad

Preheat the oven to 375º degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and prepare the Squash.

Butternut Squash Prepped for Roasting

Place the squash cubes from below on the cookie sheet and toss with 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, 1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt and 1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper. Roast for 20 minutes until tender but still holding together. Try a piece to make sure it is how you like it. Then,

Ingredients for Salad:

1 Medium Butternut Squash, Peeled, Seeded and Cubed into 1 1/2 inch cubes

(Roast the Squash Above and Cool Slightly before making the Salad, Measure out 4 Cups of Squash and save any extra for another time.)

1 Can of Mandarin Oranges (I used Native Forest Brand in it’s own juice)

1 Apple, seeded and diced (I like Fuji, but you choose)

1/4 Cup Fruit Sweetened, Dried Cranberries

1/4 Cup Raw Pecans, Coarsely Chopped

2 Scallions, sliced

Ingredients for Dressing:

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

2 Tablespoons of Cider Vinegar

1 Tablespoon of Honey

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

Directions: Whisk together your dressing and set aside. In a large bowl, add the prepared salad ingredients including the roasted squash cubes that have mostly cooled. Pour the dressing over the ingredients, and gently toss. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Place in the refrigerator two hours before serving to let the flavors meld.

Ready to Toss

This salad keeps well in the refrigerator. It is a delicious, filling, colorful salad that is packed with all those wonderful fruits and veggies to make us glow with health!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Strawberry Mug Muffin! (Fast and Easy) Yum!

Strawberry Mug Muffin! Yum!

With Strawberry season upon us, why not have a mug muffin? This recipe is a microwave mug muffin that you literally can make in five minutes start to finish. Mug muffins are a convenient way to have a quick breakfast or snack without having to make a huge batch of muffins. They are single serve, which makes them very appealing to college students, kids in the kitchen who want to do some independent food preparation, someone who is single, or someone like me who wants something quick, healthy and pretty!

This recipe for a single mug muffin is Grain Free and has healthy fruit, fiber, protein, and fat, and is sweetened with a touch of honey. Embellish the top with more fresh berries, a dollop of coconut cream, and sliced almonds if you like!

Beautiful Strawberry Mug Muffin Recipe

Eat Your Nutrients!

Simple Tartar Sauce

Sauces elevate food! Chefs and restaurants know it, and the French have it nailed. You can have the simplest of meals, add a sauce, and it makes your mouth do a happy dance!

Today I have a new tartar sauce recipe for you! I had it this week with grilled lemon salmon. It would be delicious with any seafood. Add it to you repertoire!