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!

Step Out Into New Things. Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back!

Be Fearless!

Happy Friday! How was your week? You were created to have a vibrant life! Are you holding back from living your life to the full extent you were intended to? If fear is holding you back, and you are staying in the “safe zone”, how does it feel? It is comforting to be safe, I understand, but it is not always where you will live the life you were meant to have, and experience all the opportunities and blessings that are out there waiting for you. It can become boring and repetitive. To be human is to make mistakes, and sometimes this can make us fearful.
Spring is just around the corner, and it is a time of renewal. Today, I encourage you not to let fear keep you from enjoying your life, and putting the brakes on your destiny, no matter what your age!
What is something you would really like to do, but haven’t because you are afraid? It could be things as simple as talking to people you don’t know, starting a new career, changing your lifestyle, traveling, moving, volunteering, starting a new hobby or taking a class to learn something new…….fill in the blank. If fear is preventing you from making a change, start with something small. Pray about it. Seek a friend to encourage you. Then move on up and watch your life expand!
Love you guys!
Have a beautiful weekend!
Sandra Shields, Certified Health Coach

Fresh Basil, Chive and Dill Herb Sauce

Sauces are one of my favorite ways to elevate the flavor of anything!

This sauce is a savory one that can be used in many different ways. I use it as a dip for crackers or raw vegetables, drizzle it on meat or fish after it is cooked, sautée it with vegetables, and use it as a marinade before grilling. It also is a delicious way to dress a salad by thinning it with a little more lemon juice.

Fresh Basil, Chive and Dill Sauce

When I have sauces handy, it is going to be a good week in the eating department, even if I don’t have a lot of time to spend cooking! What I mean by this is, it makes it super easy to elevate meals from boring to spectacular. Sometimes on the weekends, I spend a Saturday morning making sauces to use for the next couple weeks. I like to freeze half of them, so I can pull them out of the freezer when I need them. There are 21 other recipes for sauces and dressings to choose from under the Sauce section in my Recipe Index.

Fresh Basil, Chive and Dill Sauce over Pork Tenderloin

This sauce utilizes three different herbs that gives it a Mediterranean flare and lots of beneficial nutrients. I am always taking into consideration the benefits as well as flavor of recipes. 🙂 Herbs are generally under-used in cooking, and really bump up flavor and nutrition.

This recipe makes 1 1/4 cups. I like to pour it into two jars, one for the fridge and one for the freezer.

Fresh Basil, Chive and Dill Herb Sauce

Ingredients:

3 Packages of Fresh Basil (3/4 oz.)

1 Package of Fresh Dill (3/4 oz.)

1 Package of Fresh Chives (3/4 oz.)

1/2 Cup Raw Pecans

6 Tablespoons Garlic Infused Olive Oil

6 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

(or 12 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and 2 Fresh Garlic Cloves if not following Low FodMap Diet)

1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

Ready to Blend Ingredients for Sauce!

Simply put all the ingredients into a blender, and blend on high until smooth!

Now, how will you use your fresh herb sauce? I would love to hear your ideas!

Versatile Herb Sauce as a Dip with Crackers!

Bacon Scallion Grain Free Crackers

Bacon and Scallion Grain Free Crackers

Good Morning! Are you as excited about Spring and “springing ahead” as I am? Today the sun is shining after some very wintry weather and many “no school” days for the kids.

This weekend is birthday weekend at our house. Three of my daughters have birthdays consecutively starting Sunday.

I have this really good cracker recipe that includes bacon and chives that would be great as an appetizer for any get together. It doesn’t go crazy on the bacon, just two tablespoons in the batch really imparts a bacon flavor to the crackers.

Whether or not you are eating with food restrictions, this cracker should appeal to everyone. I am always looking to create recipes that I can feed to company, that I can eat too, and uses real ingredients.

You can cut these crackers into fancy shapes, or just use a pizza cutter to cut them into squares or rectangles. They are intended to be bite size, so if using a cookie cutter, use accordingly. 🙂

Baked Bacon and Scallion Almond Flour Crackers

Bacon Scallion Grain Free Crackers

1 1/2 Cups of Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Scallions, Green Parts Only (finely minced)

2 Tablespoons of Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

2 Tablespoons of Crispy Cooked Bacon, crumbled (use sugar free bacon if eating SCD Low FodMap)

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350º degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients with a fork, including the bacon and scallions. Add the lime juice and olive oil and whisk again with a fork until the dough holds together. You can add a bit more lime juice if needed.

Bacon and Scallion Cracker Dough

Form the cracker dough into a ball, and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Between two pieces of parchment or plastic wrap, from into a rectangle. Then, roll the dough with a rolling pin into an approximate 8″ x 11″ rectangle.

Bacon and Scallion Cracker Dough Ready to Roll

Ready to Cut

Now you can cut out the shapes, I used a small heart shaped cutter, or using a pizza wheel, cut the dough into squares or rectangles about an inch and a half in size.

Ready to Go Into the Oven

Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 20 minutes. This a a wide range, but I have found it really depends on the thickness of the cracker. So keep an eye on them, and bake them until brown but not over brown. Cool completely on the baking sheet to allow them to crisp up.

Baked Bacon and Scallion Almond Flour Crackers

Enjoy these delicious little crackers as an appetizer, or with whatever your heart desires!

Makes approximately 40 bite size crackers.

Very Low FodMap Serving Size is 4 crackers.

Eat Your Nutrients!

Easy Pineapple One Bowl Muffins

One of my favorite cakes in the 80’s was pineapple upside down cake. Crushed pineapple was really popular to use in baking, and added lots of moisture to the recipe. Hummingbird cake, pineapple upside down cake, and dump cakes are three that come to mind. I loved pineapple upside down cake growing up, and I thought why not try a muffin with a few simple ingredients that can be made fast, grain free and low fodmap……….I had a craving! 🙂

So, if you like pineapple, here is a recipe that is simple, fast, and a pleasure to put together, that I think you will love! It makes an even dozen, and the muffins have a beautiful crumb. They start to brown on the tops as they are finishing off, for a truly delicious muffin that is not overly sweet.

Easy Pineapple One Bowl Muffins

Easy Pineapple One Bowl Muffins

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Line a twelve cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. can of Native Forest Crushed Pineapple (or one without additives)

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Clear Honey (Clover Honey is Lower in FodMaps)

1 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Ginger

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Okay, this is really, really simple, and I love it! Put the ingredients in a bowl in the order listed above, and using a hand held mixer, mix until completely blended. Scoop evenly into the muffin liners. I used a muffin scoop. Bake for 30 minutes in your preheated oven. They will be starting to brown on the top, and when gently pressed, the tops will spring back when done. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Pineapple Dump Muffins Batter

The Batter is Ready to Scoop!

Ready to Go Into the Oven

Muffins Ready to Bake Above.

That’s it!

Makes 12 – an even dozen!

Have a great day!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Hearty and Nourishing Vegetable Bison Soup

Winter storm Jonas is bearing down upon us here on the East Coast, and I decided there is never a more perfect time for making a big pot of hearty, nourishing soup! I wanted one that was easy to digest, nutritious, low in fodmaps, and tasty!

Hearty and Nourishing Vegetable Bison Soup

Put some favorite tunes on and lets get chopping. The vegetable prep is the longest part of making this soup, but it doesn’t have to be boring! Here’s the recipe!

Hearty and Nourishing Vegetable Bison Soup

2 Pounds of Ground Bison

3 Slices of No Sugar Added Bacon

4 Cups of Broth, Beef, Chicken or Vegetable

6 Endive, washed and sliced

2 Cups Carrots, peeled and sliced

6 Scallions, green parts only sliced

3 Small Zucchini, diced

1 Fennel Bulb, washed and diced

1/4 Cup Dry White Wine, optional

2 Tablespoons of Garlic Infused Olive Oil

2 1/2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt, divided

1 1/2 Teaspoons Black Pepper, divided

1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley

1 Teaspoon Dried Tarragon

1 Teaspoon Dried Chives

1/4 Teaspoon Dried Dill

2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice, added before serving

Hearty and Nourishing Vegetable Bison Soup

Directions:

In a large sautee pan, cook your bacon until crisp, then drain on paper towel and set aside to cool. Drain off the extra bacon grease in the pan, and add your ground bison to the same pan. Add the salt and pepper, and cook over medium high heat until brown and crumbly, stirring often. Meanwhile prepare your vegetables by peeling and dicing them.

Add the cooked beef to a large stock pot, and crumble the cooled bacon on top. Dry the sautee pan the beef was in with paper towel, then return it to your burner, and add 2 tablespoons of garlic infused olive oil. Heat over medium high heat, and add your vegetables. Sprinkle the vegetables with an additional teaspoon of salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook the vegetables until the endive has wilted and the vegetables are just beginning to soften. Add the white wine and cook for one minute.

While the vegetables are cooking, add the dried herbs to the bison in the stock pot. Add the wilted vegetables to the stock pot on top of the bison and herbs. Pour in 4 Cups of broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer on low for 40 minutes.

This makes a large pot of hearty, satisfying soup for a cold winters day, and it feels good in your belly, warming you from the inside out! Enjoy!

Hearty and Nourishing Vegetable Bison Soup

You’ve Got the Beet! – Day 7 – Seven Days of Smoothies

Today is the final smoothie recipe of the Seven Days of Smoothies series! You’ve Got the Beet! has a respectable amount of fiber from figs (6% per medium fig). Sweet delicious figs also contain calcium, potassium, magnesium, Iron, Vitamins B, C, Selenium, Phosphorus and Zinc. There are two colorful vegetables incorporated into today’s smoothie, (you guessed it beet, and also carrot). Strawberries are a low sugar addition to this smoothie and provide over 140% RDA of Vitamin C. Choose your favorite dairy free milk to add, and don’t forget the protein!

You've Got the Beet Smoothie - Day Seven, Seven Days of Smoothies

You’ve Got the Beet Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 Cup Frozen Strawberries

2 Turkish Figs (soak them if they are not soft for ease in blending)

3 Baby Carrots

1 Slice of Beet (about a Tablespoon)

1/2 Cup Dairy Free Milk

2 Tablespoons Pomegranate Juice Concentrate

1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

Blend it thoroughly to incorporate those figs! Then add:

2 Tablespoons of Collagen Powder and/or Your Favorite Protein Powder (add after initial blending and blend just until incorporated to prevent foaming).

Here is a recap of the smoothies shared during the Seven Days of Smoothies! When rotated into your routine, they will keep you from getting into a rut with food choices, and help you include a colorful array of nutrients into your diet!

Razzleberry Rad – Day 1

Blue Bumbleberry – Day 2

Orange U Sweet – Day 3

Kale Me Later – Day 4

Chocolate Mocha No Moo – Day 5

Creamy Dreamy Tropical Ginger – Day 6

You’ve Got the Beet! – Day 7

Creamy Dreamy Tropical Ginger Smoothie- Day 6 – Seven Days of Smoothies

Day six will take you to a warm paradise with the pineapple and ginger in this smoothie! Fresh ginger is wonderful for digestion, has antiviral properties, is anti-inflammatory, and is a warming food. The frozen banana makes this a creamy sweet smoothie, and the fresh lemon juice brightens the flavors.

Creamy Dreamy Tropical Ginger - Seven Days of Smoothies - Day 6

Creamy Dreamy Tropical Ginger Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 Frozen Banana, Sliced

1/2 Cup Frozen or Fresh Pineapple Chunks

1/2 Cup Orange Juice (no sugar added)

1 teaspoon minced, fresh ginger root

1 Tablespoon of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons of Grass Fed Gelatin or Your Favorite Protein Powder (add after initial blending and blend just until incorporated to prevent foaming)

Blend all the ingredients together until very smooth. Then add the gelatin or protein powder and blend briefly.

Enjoy your day!

Chocolate Mocha No Moo – Day 5 – Seven Days of Smoothies

Chocolate Mocha No Moo - Day 5 - Seven Days of Smoothies Challenge

This smoothie is like a mocha milk shake without the dairy, and unhealthy sugar. Smoothies that taste so creamy and delicious and promote health are the way to go in my book! One of my favorite reasons for using whole food sweeteners like dates is the food is unrefined with all it’s minerals and fiber intact.

This smoothie contains Raw Cacao which gives it the rich chocolate flavor. Raw Cacao is a superfood rich in essential minerals and antioxidants. Eating raw cacao releases dopamine in the brain, a neurotransmitter that boosts mood and pleasure, and it has been shown to lower insulin resistance. Coconut Butter is a healthy fat that also gives the smoothie a creaminess, as well as the coconut milk. (You may substitute another milk like almond). A touch of cinnamon and vanilla compliment the coffee and brings out more of the chocolate flavor. This is a smoothie that I like to drink with my feet up, savoring every delicious sip!

Chocolate Mocha No Moo

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk

2 Tablespoons Raw Cacao

2 Tablespoons Cold Coffee

2 Large Medjool Dates

1 Tablespoon of Coconut Butter

1 Cup Crushed Ice

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/8 tsp. Cinnamon

Optional: 2 Tablespoons of Grass Fed Gelatin or Your Favorite Protein Powder (add after initial blending and blend just until incorporated to prevent foaming)

Directions: Add all the ingredients to a high speed blender and mix until creamy and the dates are fully incorporated.

Put your feet up and Enjoy!

Have a beautiful day!

Kale Me Later – Day 4 – Seven Days of Smoothies

The midway point of Seven Days of Smoothies is today! You didn’t think I would forget about green smoothies did you? They are my favorite! In fact I love them so much, I want to give you an an A-Okay to throw greens into any of the smoothies on this seven day challenge! Kale Me Later is the smoothie of the day, but you’re going to want to do it now not later. 🙂

Lucuma powder, a maple flavored natural sweetener from the Inca fruit which contains iron, zinc, vitamin B3, calcium, and beta caroteine is an optional add in to your smoothie. Matcha adds green tea flavor to the smoothie as well as a powerhouse of antioxidants like the Catechin EGCg known for it’s cancer protective properties. It is energizing, detoxifying, and helps concentration and focus.

If you want more green goodness, feel free to double this recipe for a larger smoothie!

Kale Me Later - Day 4 - Seven Days of Smoothies

Kale Me Later Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Green Grapes

1/2 Green Apple, Core Removed

1 Cup Frozen Kale (fast & convenient, prewashed)

1 Tablespoon Lucuma Powder (optional but good)

1 Teaspoon Matcha Green Tea

1/2 Cup Crushed Ice

2 Tablespoons of Grass Fed Gelatin or Your Favorite Protein Powder (add after initial blending and blend just until incorporated to prevent foaming)

Blend all the ingredients together until very smooth. Then add the gelatin or protein powder and blend briefly.

Orange U Sweet! – Day 3 – Seven Days of Smoothies

Today is Day Three of the Seven Days of Smoothies challenge, and this one is loaded with more than 100 percent of your RDA of Immune Boosting Vitamin C! The higher sugar fruits and protein make this a perfect post workout smoothie to replenish glycogen stores.

Orange U Sweet - Day 3 - Seven Days of Smoothies