We quit bread some time back. Two of my daughters and I tested postive for gluten intolerance. Our youngest daughter and my husband have not been tested yet but we decided our family would just eliminate it all together. We tried gluten free bread but haven't found one that everyone agrees on. The texture can be a little off. This has made eating lunch somewhat difficult. Gone are the days of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It has caused us to be creative which can be a little fun.
Most days Chaya asks for the same thing, either a banana boat or an apple boat. I got a little sneaky with this and threw in superfoods for good measure!
Banana Boat
1 banana
2 T nut butter or seed butter
1 t chia seeds
1 T buckwheat groats
sprinkling of Enjoy Life allergy-free chips
Cut banana lengthwise and then into fours. Spread butter on and sprinkle on goodies. Would be great to add dried cranberries, raisins or shredded coconut.
My love affair with pumpkin goes something like this : pumpkin spice cookies, pumpkin blondies, pumpkin latte, pumpkin smoothie, pumpkin waffles....you get the picture. I am excited to share this pumpkin recipe with you for several reasons, 1: it's delicious, 2: it is so easy, and 3: it is very economical. It just totally hits the pumpkin spot.
PUMPKIN CURRY SOUP
1 can pumpkin
1/2 c coconut butter
8 oz almond milk or light coconut milk
1 leek
1 T minced garlic
1 t fennel seeds
2 T coconut oil
1 t cumin
1 t tumeric
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t cayenne pepper
pink salt I never measure, I just add til its right
water as needed to reach desired consistency
Saute leeks, garlic and fennel seeds in coconut oil. Set aside. In blender mix up pumpkin, coconut, milk and seasonings. Spoon in leeks, garlic and fennel seeds. Blend until a nice smooth consistency is reached. Add water as needed. Pour into medium pot and heat on stove. Goes really well over steaming quinoa or fantastic alone. Enjoy! Serves 4-6
What's better than homemade almond milk? Nothing. Seriously, it is so easy and so wonderful you will never buy store bought again.
PURE RAW ALMOND MILK
1 C raw almonds
2 C Reverse Osmosis Water
4 C Reverse Osmosis Water
cheese cloth
high powered ninja or vitamix
Cover almonds with 2 c water. Let soak for 8 hours.
Drain almonds in colander and rinse.
Place rinsed almonds in large ninja. Add 4 C RO Water.
Blend until you can just see little bits of almonds. Its VERY loud, you may want to walk out of the kitchen.
Place cheese cloth over large pitcher. Strain almond milk through cheese cloth into pitcher. Do not let almond pulp fall into pitcher. Once liquid is strained through, pick up cheese cloth and squeeze almond pulp into pitcher until all liquid as been removed. Your almond milk is ready to be transported to container with lid and be thoroughly enjoyed. Makes 6-8 cups. Good for 3--4 days. But wait theres more!! Don't throw out your almond meal....dehydrate it for a few hours or place on cookie sheet at low temp for a few hours to remove any liquid and use in cookies, muffins, pancakes whatever. This way you really are saving!!
Sometimes you just want to be naughty. I don't miss chocolate because I eat it all the time. So I don't crave chocolate, I can just whip up some raw fudge in 2 seconds if I need chocolate. What I miss is french fries. Just the joy of sharing a big plate of fries with someone. Such an experience.
Food should be a happy experience. Don't eat what makes you sick, but please find food you love that makes you well. I am a firm believer that food, the right foods, can be your medicine....that does not mean that you will have to live a salad only diet. I love salad but there are so many wonderful foods jam packed with vitamins that are just waiting for you to get your hands on, an example... sweet potato fries!! No their not really fried but roasted to perfection!
What a fun experience to sit up at your bar with your family sharing a big tray of fries you can feel really good about. So simple yet so enjoyable!!
SPICY SWEET POTATO FRIES ( from Julie Morris-" Superfood Kitchen"...excluding mesquite powder)
3 sweet potatoes cut into 1/2 in pieces
2 T coconut oil melted
1 1/4 t paprika
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/2 t maca powder
1/8 t cayenne pepper
3/4 t sea salt
1 t coconut sugar
*Do not peel the sweet potatoes, you will lose tons of nutrients.
Preheat oven to 450. Cut fries into long strips about 1/2 in thick. Toss with melted coconut oil and spread out flat onto 2 baking sheets. Roast for 15-25 min. While fries are cooking mix together the spices and dry ingredients in small bowl.
Remove fries, place in serving tray and sprinkle spice mixture on top. Gently move around fries for even coating. Enjoy!
So simple, your kids can do it without supervision. A great way to teach your kids about making good healthy choices that will satistfy their sweet tooth with 5 ingredients!!
SIMPLY SWEET OATMEAL COOKIES
2 very ripe bananas
1 cup GF oats
1 /4 t cinnamon
handful of shredded coconut
1/2 c Enjoy Life allergy free chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350.
Mash bananas. Add next 3 other ingredients, stir in chocolate chips.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 20 min.
My kids used to eat a lot of fruit roll ups. I thought I was giving them a healthy-ish treat made with "real fruit." Upon further investigation I realized I was just feeding them a bunch of junk. Who knew it would be so easy to make them on my own??
After getting our dehydrator a lot of the old favorites are coming back into the line up. I just can't make these fruit leathers fast enough! Everyone loves them, even my husband can't get enough. I am looking forward to exploring with different fruits.
Mixed Berry Fruit Leather
40 oz mixed berries frozen or fresh (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries)
2 T maple syrup
Mix berries and maple syrup in ninja until nice and smooth. Pour mix onto 3 dehydrator trays covered with parchment paper. Spread to about 1/4 in thick with spatula. Dehydrate at 105 for 13 hours. Remove from dehydrator peel leather off and roll. Slice into indiviudal serving sizes. Cover with plastic wrap. My batch made 18. Store in glass continainer with lid for 3 weeks or freezer for much longer than it will matter. Enjoy! I understand this will work in the oven at your lowest temperature for 4-6 hours. Just keep an eye on them!!
Sound too good to be true?? If you were a Dairy Queen junkie in the past like we were, you would try anything too.
We spend a good deal of time at the beach. A McManus family tradition as far back as I can remember, was hitting the DQ on our way home. The family favorite? Peanut Buster Parfait. Unfortunately they were followed by stomach aches. Go figure. It sure was good going down though.
I have mentioned This Rawsome Vegan Life before because she is probably my favorite raw chef and she is only 19. The same age as my daughter, whom is also very health conscious, adventurous, a great photographer and an awesome writer. This Rawsome Vegan Life posted a gorgeous photo on my FB feed yesterday that made my mouth water-" banana ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce". Inspired by her and her photography (which will never happen until I get a camera other than the one on my phone) I decided to go for it. Here is my version of her recipe.
Absolutely Delish Vegan Peanut Buster Parfait
ice cream:
3 frozen bananas
chocolate sauce:
1 T melted coconut oil
1 T cacao powder
1 t maple syrup ( important that it is room temperature and not cold, otherwise coconut will harden)
garnish:
organic peanuts ( slightly warmed)
Place frozen bananas in processor. Process until they become ultra creamy. Takes a few minutes.
Stir chocolate sause ingredients in small glass dish. Pour over ice cream.
Toast peanuts slightly in oven. Sprinkle on top.
Dig in. Count your blessings. Amen.
