Tag Archives: Dairy Free

Mango Banana Blender Ice Cream

This creamy blender ice cream is a guaranteed way to satisfy a sweet tooth and a craving, and it only takes seconds in the blender! Three ingredients is all you need, and you will have a nutritious, figure friendly ice cream without the guilt! All you need is Bananas, Mango and Vanilla Extract. I always keep frozen bananas on hand, because they are so creamy when blended into smoothies.

Most everyone knows that bananas are a good source of potassium, but did you also know they are a source of vitamin B6 which our body does not store and is used to make antibodies to fight infection? Bananas are also a source of vitamin C and have 3 grams of fiber each. The Mango packs a punch of vitamin C (96% in an average sized mango) as well as vitamin A, fiber and some calcium.

Mango Banana Blender Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 Frozen Ripe Bananas, cut into chunks

1 Cup of Frozen Mango cubes, the riper the better

1/2 Teaspoon alcohol free for AIP Paleo or Pure Vanilla Extract, No Additives,

Directions:

Place the ingredients in a high speed blender that comes with a plunger, and blend on high pushing the fruit down with your plunger until it is creamy and blended. Serve immediately.

1 – 2 Servings

Eat Your Nutrients!

Strawberry Apricot Granola (Grain Free)

It is pretty easy to make your own granola, and it is worth the extra effort. This week I have a really delicious granola recipe for you that is grain free! If you like variety in your granola, this Strawberry Apricot Granola recipe is a delicious way to add it. It may become your new favorite! It is definitely my springtime favorite this year! With nuts, seeds, fruit and healthy fat, what’s not to love? I like to grab a handful for a snack, and for breakfast it is good with dairy free milk and fresh fruit. It is also fantastic with yogurt.

Strawberry Apricot Grain Free Granola

Ingredients:

1 Cup Raw Pecans

1/2 Cup Raw Pistachios

1/2 Cup Raw Sunflower Seeds

1/2 Cup Raw Brazil Nuts

3/4 Cup Dried Strawberries (like these) not freeze dried

6 Medjool Dates

1/2 Cup Dried Apricots

1/2 Cup Very Hot Water

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

1 Tablespoon Ground Flax

1 Tablespoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil, Melted

Directions:

Preheat oven 325º degrees.

In a food processor with a blade attachment, puree dates, apricots, vanilla, coconut oil and hot water until it is smooth. Add the nuts, sunflower seeds, flax and coconut flakes and pulse until you have a medium grind and everything is sticking together nicely. Add in the cinnamon and salt and pulse to combine. Dice your dried strawberries into 1/2 inch pieces then add them to the food processor and pulse a few extra times to incorporate them.

Turn the granola out onto a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 325º degree oven for 35 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, or until golden brown. Cool and store in an airtight container. Enjoy this delicious granola for breakfast or as a snack! It travels very well also!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Cheesy Kale Chips

Are you a kale lover? Yeah, yeah, you have heard about all the benefits of eating kale, but you just don’t like it that much? Well, have you tried kale chips? It is the best way to initiate anyone into eating kale. Kale chips made in a food dehydrator are addicting! Just like a potato chip, but hey they are good for you! Here is a second variation of kale chips if you like variety, like I do! The Pizza Kale Chip recipe can be found here. Although my daughter’s like them both, they each have a favorite. Skyli’s favorite is the Cheesy Kale Chips and Jessica’s the Pizza Kale Chips. Try them both, they are so good!

Kale has many health benefits, including fiber, B vitamins, vitamin A, K, C, Calcium, Copper, Potassium and Magnesium. I have been getting a lot of leafy greens in my diet lately and feel amazing! Fat helps digest and access the nutrients in greens, and the pine nuts and pumpkin seeds that give these chips a cheesy flavor, also add fat to the chips, as well as the walnuts, so you can absorb the nutrients!

Here’s the recipe!

Cheesy Kale Chips

Ingredients:

2 Large Bunches of Curly Kale

1 Cup Pine Nuts

1/2 Cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds (I used sprouted)

1/2 Cup Raw Walnuts

2 Red Bell Peppers, Seeded

1/2 Cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Honey

2 Scallions, green parts only

1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

Directions:

Taking your thumb and index finger along the spine of the kale leaves, strip the leaves in one swipe from it’s rib or stalk. Thoroughly wash the kale leaves under cool water. Lay out on paper towel in one layer to dry completely, 30 minutes to an hour. I like to use a salad spinner first to get most of the moisture off. It is important the kale is thoroughly dry if you want crunchy chips!

Meanwhile, make the “cheesy” seasoning. In a high speed blender, like a Vitamix, blend all the remaining ingredients to make the pizza sauce. In a very large bowl, place your dried kale and pour the sauce on top. Get your hands in there and thoroughly mix and coat the kale leaves.

Place on six teflon lined dehydrator trays and place in your food dehydrator at 118º degrees for 10 to 16 hours until very crisp.

In the dehydrator, they get crunchy like potato chips and stay that way! If you don’t have a dehydrator, and would like to own one, I highly recommend this one! I have two of them, and they come in handy for a lot of food, including fruit rollups……see the recipe for delicious Banana Coconut Leather here.

Enjoy getting your nutrients!

8 Servings

Eat Your Nutrients!

Apple Pie “Oatmeal” Cookies

These cookies are my latest obsession! They are grain free, but have the texture of a soft oatmeal cookie and the flavor of apple pie! They are also egg free, dairy free, have no added sugar, and are packed with nutrition from apples, walnuts, dates, currants and healthy fat! I also think these cookies rock because, if your child wakes up and asks, “Mom, can I have a cookie for breakfast?”, like mine have done, you can say “Yes” to these cookies. There is something about putting wholesome ingredients together in cookie form that makes kids really love to eat them………….me too!

Let’s bake some cookies!

Apple Pie “Oatmeal” Cookies

Ingredients:

3 Cups Diced Granny Smith Apples, cored peel left on

8 Medjool Dates, pitted

1/2 Cup Very Warm Water

1 Cup Raw Walnut Halves

1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut, Unsweetened like this

1/2 Cup Dried Currants

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil

1 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract, no additives like this

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Directions:

Preheat your oven 350º degrees. Set out two cookie sheets covered in parchment paper.

Place your pitted dates in the 1/2 cup of very warm water and soak for ten minutes to soften. Meanwhile, in a food processor, place your chopped apples and lemon juice. Pulse until they are finely chopped. Drain your soaked dates, and add to the food processor along with the vanilla extract and coconut oil. Continue to pulse. When mostly smooth, add the remaining ingredients except the currants and walnuts. Puree until smooth, about one minute. Finally, add your currants and walnuts and pulse until the walnuts are coarsely chopped, about six pulses should do it.

Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, make rounded mounds of cookie dough on the parchment lined cookie sheets, twelve cookies per sheet. Using a fork, flatten cookie dough mounds to about 3/4″ inch thick.

Apple Pie “Oatmeal” Cookie Dough Ready to Flatten

Bake in your preheated oven for 28 to 30 minutes. They will be soft and golden brown when you remove them from the oven. They will firm up when they are completely cooled.

Makes 2 dozen nutritious, delicious cookies

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New England Clam Chowder

This week was “Eat the Pantry Week” at our house, and I made this amazingly delicious New England Clam Chowder from items I had on hand. Have you ever done that? You don’t go shopping unless it is an emergency item, and you cook from your pantry for a set amount of time. I have been making some really delicious food, it is a great mind exercise and creative outlet, plus I think I have saved about $500 bucks just by using what I already had on hand!

Whether you are eating from the pantry or not, this is a dairy free, low fodmap, Paleo clam chowder recipe that will warm your insides and nourish your body!

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

3 – 10 Oz. Cans of Clams, drained and juice reserved (I used Crown Prince)

8 Oz. of Sugar Free Bacon, chopped (you can get it at U.S. Wellness Meats or Pete’s Paleo)

3 Cups Diced Celeriac Root (this will naturally thicken your soup without starch)

1 1/2 Cups Chicken or Bone Broth

1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk no additives (like this)

3 1/2 Cups Diced Carrots

1 Bunch Scallions, sliced (green parts only)

4 Tablespoons Garlic Infused Olive Oil (I use this brand)

2 Teaspoons Dried Thyme

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions:

In a large dutch oven or stock pot, add 2 tablespoons of garlic infused olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Add your diced celeriac root and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Sautee for 8 minutes covered, stirring occassionally. After 8 minutes, add 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or bone broth. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 12 minutes until tender. Meanwhile in a small skillet, cook the chopped bacon. After the bacon is crisp, drain the fat and set aside.

Place your cooked celeriac root with broth into a food processor with a blade attachment and puree until very smooth, adding a little more broth if necessary.

In the same pan you cooked your celeriac root, add the remaining two tablespoons of garlic infused olive oil. Heat over medium high heat and then add your diced carrots, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook until tender, about ten minutes. When the carrots are tender, stir in the green scallions, bacon and reserved clam juice. Then, incorporate the pureed celeriac root, stir in the coconut milk, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a medium high simmer. Continue to simmer for ten minutes. Finally, stir in the clams and warm through.

Serve!

6 servings

For a delicious grain free bread to go with your clam chowder, check out this Grain Free Sandwich Bread recipe from Danielle Walker of Against All Grain or this Simple Bread recipe from Elana’s Pantry.

If you have an experience with eating from the pantry you would like to share, please tell us about it in the comment section!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Strawberry Nut Bites

Valentine’s Day is a fun time to eat these delicious little pop ins. They are rolled in crushed, organic, freeze dried strawberries that burst with flavor in your mouth and have the health benefits of Raw Almonds and Walnuts! I recently finished reading The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from The People Who Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner, and eating nuts is one of the things the octogenarians in all the blue zone regions had in common. They are simple to make and portable. I have been packing them in lunches, (include an ice pack), and they are great when you want a little something sweet. February is a busy month at my house. Three of my daughters have birthdays this month….the 21, 22nd and 23rd, and also my youngest daughter’s adoption day is on the 22nd. For Valentines Day this year my husband is taking me out to our favorite Spanish Tapas restaurant. The food is excellent, and they are very aware and careful about food allergens. It is a Paleo friendly restaurant as well. The recipe for Strawberry Nut Bites is below.

Strawberry Nut Bites

Ingredients:

1 Cup Freeze Dried Organic Strawberries, Like These

1 Cup Raw Walnuts

1 Cup Raw Almonds

1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut, unsweetened

1/4 Cup Clear Honey

2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/8 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

Directions:

Place the strawberries in a food processor with a blade attachment and finely grind the strawberries. Remove them from the food processor and put in a medium bowl for rolling the formed nut bites in.

In the same food processor, place your nuts and coconut and pulse until finely chopped. Add the honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Continue to pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Pinch off enough of the nut filling to form 1 1/2 inch balls with your hands, and roll the balls in the strawberries. Store them in the freezer or refrigerator. I like them frozen. They are berry delicious! Sorry, I couldn’t resist!

Whether you have a significant other or not at this time in your life, I hope you have a Happy Valentines Day, spread a little love, and enjoy these nutritious treats!

*Note: 1 Strawberry Nut Bite is a serving if you are very Low FodMap.

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Banana Walnut Muffins

Looking for an easy, no added sugar, healthy, grain free muffin? These Banana Walnut Muffins are sure to please! All you need is a food processor and a few ingredients. They are moist and have the perfect crumb. The sweetness comes from whole food – dates and banana. I like to make a double batch and freeze half for a quick and easy school day breakfast for the kids. Just thaw in the microwave.

Banana Walnut Muffins (Grain Free, Paleo)

Banana Walnut Muffins

To Begin:

Preheat your oven 350º degrees.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Cubed Zucchini (about 2 medium or 1 large)

1 Ripe Banana (with black spots)

1/2 Cup Coconut Flour

4 Medjool Dates, pitted

1/2 Cup Hot Water

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract (no additives)

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/3 Cup Raw Walnuts

To Make The Muffins:

Line a 12 cup muffin pan with muffin liners.

Soak the pitted dates in the 1/2 cup of hot water for ten minutes. Meanwhile cube your zucchini and assemble the rest of the ingredients. Place the dates and soaking water in the food processor and puree together. Add the zucchini and banana and thoroughly puree. Add the eggs, coconut flour, vanilla and baking soda and puree until thoroughly blended and coconut flour has absorbed some of the liquid and it is the consistency of cake batter.

Using a muffin scoop or a 1/4 cup measuring cup, fill the muffin liners with the muffin batter. Top with walnuts, dispersing evenly. Bake in a 350º degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for ten minutes before placing on a wire cooling rack.

Enjoy these delicious muffins! They are less than 100 calories each and full of healthy ingredients you can feel good about.

Makes 10 Muffins

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Lime Pork Shoulder with Blueberry Pomegranate Reduction Sauce

Hello lovely people! I hope you are enjoying January wherever you may be in the hemosphere! I have to say, I would like to see a teeny tiny bit more sun here on the East Coast. However, January seems to be speeding by, and what better way to enjoy it than a warm, hearty, nutritious meal with fast and easy to cook pork shoulder roast (aka pork butt) cut into cubes, and drizzled with a blueberry pomegranate reduction sauce!

Lime Pork Butt with Blueberry Pomegranate Reduction Sauce

It is pretty, delectable and much faster than roasting a whole pork roast, but with the same delicious juicy flavor, because it is broiled! As an added bonus, cubing it allows more square inch for the lime zest to cover the pork! Serve it with carrots, brussels sprouts and mashed celeriac root, or your favorite sides, to balance out the meal with lots of important veggies. Sound appealing? Well, stick with me, and you will have it on the table in no time! You choose the sides! You can do this dish in advance up to the broiling! The meat is marinated from 4 to 24 hours, and the reduction can be made in advance as well.

Lime Pork Shoulder with Blueberry Pomegranate Reduction Sauce

Ingredients for the Pork:

1 3.5 Lb. Pork Shoulder, I get mine from U.S. Wellness Meats

3 Fresh Limes, zest and juice

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1/4 Cup Sliced Green Onion, Green Parts Only

Ingredients for Blueberry Pomegranate Reduction Sauce:

2 Cups Wild Blueberries, Thawed

1/2 Cup POM Wonderful 100% Juice (I called POM Wonderful direct and was told that their juice contains only 100% pomegranate so it is SCD Safe)

2 Teaspoons Garlic Olive Oil

1/2 Teaspoon Chipotle Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt of Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions:

Cube the pork shoulder into 2 inch cubes and place it in a gallon ziplock bag. Whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and green onion. Pour over the cubes and make sure the pork is evenly coated. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

To make the reduction sauce, blend all the sauce ingredients in a blender until completely smooth. Pour the sauce into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat when boiling to a simmer, and continue to simmer until it has reduced by half. This will take approximately 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it, and when it is half its original amount and thickening, it is ready.

When ready to cook your pork, preheat your broiler to high heat. Remove the pork cubes from the marinade, discard the marinade, and place the pork on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or foil for easier cleanup. Broil the pork for seven minutes, then remove from the oven, turn the cubes over, and broil 5 – 7 more minutes or until the pork has reached 145º degrees in the center.

Serve with warm Blueberry Pomegranate Reduction Sauce on top.

Serves 8

Lime Pork Shoulder with Blueberry Pomegranate Reduction Sauce

Eat Your Nutrients!

Island Get Away Immune Boosting Parfait

Island Getaway Immune Boosting Parfait

It is so important to keep our immune systems strong and feed ourselves nutrient dense foods during the winter months when we want to avoid colds and flu! For me, that means the treats I choose to put in my mouth need to be full of nutrients as well. I am not a perfectionist when it comes to food, but if you want to heal your digestion and keep your immune system strong, live long, and avoid downtime due to winter illness, there are ways to have your treats and not sacrifice nutrients. The Island Getaway Immune Boosting Parfait recipe consists of organic superfruits including raspberries, mango, pomegranate juice, currants, walnuts, almonds, lemon juice, banana, cinnamon, superfood matcha green tea, coconut, honey and a little vanilla. It tastes like a decadent dessert, but it is also a dense, nutrient rich food that will benefit your body’s cells, be part of a diet to keep your immune system strong, has flavonoids, phytonutrients, antioxidants, good fat, vitamins and minerals. All you need is a blender!

Some lifestyle choices that will help you meet your wellness goals this winter season are moving your body, getting enough sleep, getting outside in the sunshine and/or supplementing with Vitamin D3, and as mentioned, food choices. Most people are deficient in Vitamin D in the winter time. We get it naturally from the sun, but during the winter months and even the summer months, due to sunscreen, our bodies often do not absorb enough. Vitamin D is supportive to our immune systems. It is a hormone, not a vitamin, and is necessary for our immune systems to function properly. I started supplementing with Vitamin D3 this Autumn and within a week I was sleeping better. Here is an article for more information on the benefits of Vitamin D along with a short video. Also, Chris Kresser has written an informative article on Vitamin D entitled, “Vitamin D: the new super-nutrient?” You can read that article here.

So, pick your favorite exercise and commit to it regularly. For me that means weights and cardio three days a week in the mornings, yoga on the other days, and walking outdoors (weather permitting). Restorative yoga helps me wind down and sleep in the evening, especially when I have had a hectic day, (just 15 minutes will help). Lately I am really having fun with ball workouts. They make me feel like I am playing like a kid, not working out, but I am seeing results! Here’s one that I like. So, choose something that is fun! You will be getting the benefits of exercise and endorphins from doing something you enjoy, like jump roping or hula hooping. Here is a inspirational article on winter workouts from The Aloha Way, Source of Happiness entitled “Winter Workouts, Take it Inside“ by Eric Petri. And another on the benefits of stretching called “Stretch Your Way To Wellness” by Donna Flagg.

So here is the delicious, nutrient rich, parfait recipe:

Island Getaway Immune Boosting Parfait

Ingredients:

First Layer Mango:

1 Ripe Mango

1/4 Cup Raw Walnuts

1/4 Cup Organic Dried Currants

1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Second Layer Raspberry Pomegranate:

2/3 Cup Organic Frozen Raspberries, Thawed

1 Tablespoon 100% POM Juice

1 Ripe Banana

1/4 Cup Finely Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

Third Layer Matcha Green Tea

4 Teaspoons Powdered Matcha Green Tea

1/4 Cup Raw Almonds (I used sprouted)

1/4 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk, no additives

2 Tablespoons Finely Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

2 Tablespoons Pure Honey

Finish with pomegranate seeds on the top.

Directions: Starting with the first layer, blend all the ingredients until smooth and pudding consistency. Divide between three glasses or dishes evenly. Repeat with the Raspberry Pomegranate layer. Repeat with the Matcha Green Tea layer. Top with 1/2 teaspoon pomegranate seeds on each parfait. Chill two hours before serving.

Keeps in the refrigerator for 4 days.

I like these for breakfast. It is a serving of Matcha in each parfait. They are also good post workout! I hope you enjoy them. Imagine you are in a sunny island paradise on vacation while you are eating it for extra benefits!

Makes 3

Eat your nutrients! You deserve it!

Eat Your Nutrients!

*I contacted POM Juice directly to inquire about any additives or fillers in their 100% POM Juice and was told they put nothing in it. It is pure pomegranate juice. So, this item is SCD Legal.

Eggnog Toasted Almond Ice Cream

Confession! I love to eat eggnog anything during the holidays. Me and Eggnog Toasted Almond Ice Cream had an appointment yesterday with one of my favorite seasonal movies, The Holiday, with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and the very hot and English Jude Law. I love that movie! The English Cottage, Rosehill Cottage in England, is the home of Iris in the movie. It is ultra charming and such a contrast to the swanky Los Angles home of Amanda (Diaz). I love the thought of home exchange to travel, and am considering trying it myself. I can watch this movie every year during the holidays! It is a feel good movie, and the Eggnog Toasted Almond Ice Cream is perfect with a favorite holiday movie. Hmmmmm, might have to have some while I watch Prancer! It is a great way to unwind with a healthier version of ice cream, during this sometimes stressful time of year, a movie and a seasonal favorite flavor!

This recipe is a very authentic eggless eggnog recipe. So, if you are sensitive to eggs, or are looking for a dairy free, egg free recipe, this one is a keeper!

Eggnog Toasted Almond Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 Cans of Full Fat Coconut Milk (no Additives)

1 Cup Toasted Sliced Raw Almonds

1/2 Cup Clear Honey

1/4 Cup of Great Lakes Gelatin (Green Label optional adds nutrition)

1 Teaspoon of Freshly Grated Nutmeg

1/8 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

2 Tablespoons of White Rum

Preheat your Oven 350º degrees. Lay the almonds on a cookie sheet in a single layer and toast in the oven for 5-7 minutes until just golden brown. Set aside for when you churn the ice cream. Mix together the remaining ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk.

Refrigerate the ice cream base for 2 to 4 hours until very chilled. You can make it a day ahead too. Churn in your ice cream maker. It takes about 30 minutes. Add the toasted almonds the last five minutes of churning. Sprinkle servings with additional freshly grated nutmeg if desired.

Makes 12 scoops!

Now for a movie and ice cream to get those feel good endorphins maximized!

(Santa Plate Painted by Sam Shields)