This mandarin almond flour cake is a variation of the classic Italian orange-almond cake, only without the sugar! The mandarins are blended whole with the wet ingredients to create an exceptionally moist and citrusy cake. Serve with a cup of spice tea for a nutritious winter dessert.
Use this sauce to brush over chicken breasts, ribs, tofu, or as a simmer sauce for cooked beans. I use organic strained tomatoes from the company, Bionaturae. I like this product because it comes in a glass container thereby eliminating the use of the BPA-lined cans so often used for tomato products. Store any unused sauce in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 14 days or freeze for longer storage.
Serve this nutrient-dense kale salad with baked salmon and cooked quinoa for a balanced meal. You can vary the ingredients in this recipe to what you have on hand. Replace the currants with raisins and the oregano with fresh basil. The pine nuts could be replaced with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds to save money (pine nuts can be a bit pricey). This salad serves 2 adults and a few small children. You may want to double it if serving to a larger number of people.
This antioxidant-rich sorbet is the perfect healthy treat to round out a nourishing meal. I like to add about a tablespoon of raw blue spirulina powder to this sorbet recipe to deepen the color and add more phytonutrients!
This ice cream needs to be made in an ice cream maker. It can also be made into popsicles. If your ice cream maker container is too small to fit the strawberry-coconut cream, pour the remaining into popsicle molds. Serve ice cream with sliced fresh strawberries and fresh mint leaves for a cooling summer dessert.
These refined sugar-free cookie bars are so quick and easy to prepare! They make a great after-school snack for hungry children or can be packed in school lunch boxes as part of a balanced lunch. The sunflower seed butter can be replaced with either peanut butter or almond butter if nut allergies or histamine intolerance is not an issue. This recipe makes one 8x8-inch pan of bars, or 8 cookie bars. Double the recipe and use a 9x13-inch pan for 16 bars. The chocolate topping is optional!
This rich, dark chocolate cake is high in protein and nutrients like zinc and essential fatty acids (linoleic and oleic fatty acids). Because of its richness, serve it with a light, fruity sauce or sliced fresh strawberries. Watch the baking time closely. Test for doneness after about 35 minutes. If the top of the cake feels jiggly to the touch it needs more time, if not, pull it out.
I have been asked a number of times for ideas to bread chicken breasts, fish, and vegetables - gluten-free.
Tonight I thought I would offer some ideas on this topic, some of my own and some gleaned from my fellow foodies.
Ideas for Gluten-Free Breading
I have been asked a number of times for ideas to bread chicken breasts, fish, and vegetables - gluten-free.
Tonight I thought I would offer some ideas on this topic, some of my own and some gleaned from my fellow foodies.
Keep a jar of this dressing stocked in your refrigerator so you can create nutritious salads daily! I place all of the ingredients into a wide mouth mason jar and use my immersion blender to make this dressing, but you could also use a regular blender. This dressing will keep in the refrigerator in a sealed jar for about 2 weeks.
This delicious, nourishing casserole makes the perfect fall or winter plant-based meal. I initially created this recipe to utilize the fresh turmeric I had on hand, but it also can be made with dried. If you work during the week, then try making this recipe on the weekend to have available for the week. The long baking time may not make this suitable for a quick weeknight meal. I use a stone casserole dish for this recipe. Portions can also be frozen into small containers for future use. Enjoy!
This easy Instant Pot rice and beans recipe comes together quickly once the beans have finished soaking. Serve rice and beans with sliced avocados, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges for a delicious and easy plant-based meal!
Rhubarb’s beautiful, rosy stalks poke up out of the ground in spring before any other fruit making them the quintessential “fruit” for this season. The tart, tangy flavor that rhubarb offers to baked goods is unequivocal. These little gems won’t last long after being baked!
Serve these delicious curry roasted potatoes with baked fish, steak, roasted chicken, or a curried lentil soup. Be sure to cut the potatoes so each piece is relatively the same size. This way the potatoes will cook evenly and perfectly.
Serve this nourishing winter kale salad for Thanksgiving or Christmas! The walnuts can be replaced with either pecans or hazelnuts. Add fresh pomegranate arils for more color, flavor, and antioxidants!
The phrase "Be a Yocal, Buy Local" still rings in my head from my Bozeman, Montana days. Yes I used to live there and loved it! The co-op there had stickers with the above phrase that I had plastered on my Nalgene water bottle. (No, I do not use a Nalgene bottle anymore....stainless steel for us now!).
Greens, greens glorious greens are the local veggies that are available at our Farmer's Market right now. Last Saturday we bought loads of fresh kale, arugula, mixed baby greens, sorrel, baby bok choy, napa cabbage, green onions, and baby garlic.
Simple Baked Fish and Local Veggies
The phrase "Be a Yocal, Buy Local" still rings in my head from my Bozeman, Montana days. Yes I used to live there and loved it! The co-op there had stickers with the above phrase that I had plastered on my Nalgene water bottle. (No, I do not use a Nalgene bottle anymore....stainless steel for us now!).
These flour-free blender pancakes are so quick and easy to make! Just add the buckwheat groats and rolled oats to a high-powered blender along with all the other ingredients and blend until smooth! Serve these nutrient-dense pancakes with scrambled eggs or sausages for your children's breakfast.
What you put on your skin is equally as important as what you put into your body. This homemade body lotion, or body butter, is incredibly easy to make and will deeply nourish your skin. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and absorbs much of what you put onto it. It’s so easy to make your own skincare products using simple, unprocessed ingredients. Shea butter is the foundation of body butter and what makes this lotion so nourishing for the skin. Shea butter is a rich source of fatty acids that hydrate, protect, and soften the skin, as well as soothe inflamed or cracked skin. Stearic acid and palmitic acid are the two main fatty acids in shea butter responsible for these benefits. Shea butter is excellent for dry, cracked hands and feet, and for helping to heal skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea.
How to Make Homemade Body Butter (skin food)
What you put on your skin is equally as important as what you put into your body. This homemade body lotion, or body butter, is incredibly easy to make and will deeply nourish your skin. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and absorbs much of what you put onto it. It’s so easy to make your own skincare products using simple, unprocessed ingredients. Shea butter is the foundation of body butter and what makes this lotion so nourishing for the skin. Shea butter is a rich source of fatty acids that hydrate, protect, and soften the skin, as well as soothe inflamed or cracked skin. Stearic acid and palmitic acid are the two main fatty acids in shea butter responsible for these benefits. Shea butter is excellent for dry, cracked hands and feet, and for helping to heal skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea.
Simply making sure you have a good lunch can be a challenge sometimes, but what about your child? I know mornings can be frenzied and kids may go to school with less than optimal lunches. Or you may be the type that packs a super healthy lunch everyday only to find most of it uneaten in the lunchbox at the end of the day.
There is a solution.
Have your child pack his or her lunch in the morning! This way they pack what they want within the realm of healthy options and you have more time for other things in the morning.
Packing a Healthy School Lunch
Simply making sure you have a good lunch can be a challenge sometimes, but what about your child? I know mornings can be frenzied and kids may go to school with less than optimal lunches. Or you may be the type that packs a super healthy lunch everyday only to find most of it uneaten in the lunchbox at the end of the day.
Quick Tour of the Meal Planner
Serve this easy chicken recipe over cooked penne pasta and either steamed green beans or a simple green salad with a red wine vinaigrette. If you are following a low-carb or keto diet, serve this creamy chicken dish over cooked spaghetti squash.
These gluten-free and vegan pumpkin donuts are the perfect treat for a holiday morning or brunch. They can be made the night before, and actually taste better the next day! A food processor and donut pan are required to make this recipe. Top each donut with a powdered coconut sugar glaze and chopped nuts for a special treat.
This vibrant spring slaw comes together quickly with the help of a food processor—use the slicing disc for cabbage and the shredding disc for carrots. It’s rich in cruciferous vegetables that support detoxification and liver health, thanks to compounds like sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol. Chives add a fresh, pungent note and are one of the easiest herbs to grow. Make a large batch and store the slaw undressed; triple the dressing and keep it in a jar to drizzle over individual servings throughout the week. Don’t forget the chopped almonds for a satisfying crunch!
This easy, no-cook pumpkin custard is reminiscent of pumpkin pie, but without all of the preparation work! It can be made in minutes using a high-powered blender. Chill to set and then top with whipped coconut cream if desired.
Serve this buttered cinnamon roasted winter squash recipe as a side dish with fish, chicken, or beef. It is also delicious served with whipped cream or crème fraîche for a healthy dessert!
This quick and easy high-protein breakfast will leave you energized for hours. A breakfast with high protein, fiber, and healthy fats will keep blood sugar levels stable all day. Each serving contains over 30 grams of high-quality protein!
This nutrient-dense vegan salad is even better on the second day after the kale has softened from the olive oil and lemon juice! This is a great way to use leftover brown rice. If you do not have leftover cooked rice on hand then cook 1 ½ cups of rice with just under 3 cups of water and it will equal about 4 cups cooked. When making this salad, make sure your rice has cooled to room temperature. If you have chives growing in your garden, replace the green onions with approximately ½ cup chopped fresh chives.
This creamy white dairy-free ice cream is flecked with little bits pink from the diced nectarine. It is sweet, rich, and scoops perfectly; definitely a crowd pleaser! I use my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker to churn the blended ingredients into ice cream. When making this recipe you can use either fresh or frozen nectarines. If using frozen, your blended cream with turn into "ice cream" much quicker once in the ice cream maker.
Kitcheree is an Indian stew meal made from mung beans and brown rice. Spices and vegetables make up the remaining ingredients which can vary widely. Here I use carrots, kale, peas, and cilantro. Fresh tomatoes can be added as well if you can tolerate nightshade vegetables and are not following a low-histamine diet.
This smoothie is a great way to introduce greens into your child's diet without overwhelming them with the color "green" in their smoothie. Start with a little spinach and then add more as their tastes adjust. I think the consistency is best if some of the fruit is frozen. I use frozen plums, blackberries, and blueberries. If you have leftovers, try pouring some into Popsicle molds. My kids love just about anything when it's frozen!
Enjoy this recipe when fresh figs are in season. It's simple and kid-friendly, and delicious even as leftovers! Serve with Roasted Delicata Squash and a green salad with Fig Balsamic Dressing.
This bread can be prepared in minutes, perfect if you are looking for something to serve with dinner. It is great dipped in a good quality olive oil with chopped fresh herbs. Cut it into small squares and place into your child's lunchbox with a bean spread or nut butter. This can also be made thinner by baking it in a 10 X 14-inch pan. For more variety, try stirring in chopped garlic, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or fresh herbs into the dough.
The large sweet onion in this recipe is sautéed for a long time and then garlic, ginger, and carrots are added. Once the water is added a beautiful, flavorful clear broth forms. Then with the addition of Herbamare, the flavors deepen. Complexity is formed when the quinoa and cabbage are dropped in. With the final touch of cilantro, you have a bright, colorful, and flavorful soup just waiting to help your body detoxify!
These gluten-free, dairy-free beauties are packed with flavor! I have added a whole cup of almond flour which raises the protein and overall nutritional value. I also use sorghum flour which bakes up nice and light. I use unsweetened hemp milk for the milk, though I am sure cow or goat milk would work as well. Use two cups of diced fresh peaches or a combination of peaches and fresh blueberries. Other fruits work as well such as raspberries, blackberries, or chopped cherries!
Romano beans are available in the summertime from your local Farmer's Market. They are a pole bean, and incredibly easy to grow in your backyard! I use my large, 11-inch skillet for this recipe. Use a large enough pan so the beans can move around and sauté without being overcrowded and turn to mush. Cut very long beans in half to keep all of them relatively the same size.
Either fresh or frozen blueberries work in this recipe. You can also mix it up a little and use blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries.....or a mix of all of them! Use as an alternative to maple syrup for pancakes. The berry syrup works well drizzled over homemade ice cream as well!
When you are in a hurry and need to put a nutritious meal on the table, consider poached fish! Any brand of marinara sauce works well in this recipe, just look for one that does not contain any added sugars. You can toss in some greens to the pan as well to round out the meal. Try chopped kale or spinach. The trick to keeping the salmon tender is to keep the heat low in order to produce a gentle simmer.
Serve this Paleo side dish with baked salmon or roasted chicken. It's a great way to use up all of that garden zucchini! I use a 9-inch deep dish pie plate to bake this, but any type of casserole dish would work.
This easy citrus-berry detox smoothie is full of vitamin C, anti-inflammatory flavonoids (such as anthocyanins), and detoxification compounds (such as sulforaphane from the cabbage). Drinking this smoothie for a few days in a row can begin to dampen down inflammation, giving you more energy and clarity! If you are needing a cleansing smoothie for breakfast, add a few scoops of amino acid powder, collagen peptides, or your favorite protein powder to make this smoothie into a meal.
If you need a quick and easy anti-inflammatory meal, try this recipe! These Asian-inspired lettuce wraps are sugar-free and soy-free, and high in protein. Make a batch of the turkey filling and keep it in your fridge for quick lunches. Gently warm the turkey filling and add it to several lettuce leaves for a healthy and fast lunch or dinner.
This grain-free, starch-free, and refined-sugar-free cookie recipe is so easy to make, and it's great if you need a healthy treat to replace sugar-filled desserts. Use a good quality organic dark chocolate bar that is 55-70% cacao. If you don't have a chocolate bar, you can press several chocolate chips onto the tops of each of the cookie dough balls before baking.