I'm Not Cooking!

Well, not for myself anyway.(Still cooking for the family.) I am taking a week to try a Cleanse, offered by Evolution Catering. This cleanse is called "Eating Like a Caveman". It's a back to basics approach, avoiding dairy, grains & sugar. Perfect since I eat dairy free and gluten free!

I'm so excited to try this menu. Foods I crave, but nobody else here will eat. For dinner tonight, I had Honey Chile Glazed Salmon. Yum! It even had a side of squash & zucchini. Really, the sauce was amazing.

Evolution Catering offers fresh, healthy meals delivered to your door in the Bay Area. Every other week they offer the Cleanse.

I promise to report back. This could be just what I needed!

Doughnut Muffins--dairy free, egg free, gluten free--OMG

Ok, this post is not about being healthy. but is is about being happy! Once in a while you need to eat something that even SOUNDS forbidden. Let me introduce you to the Doughnut Muffin. This tasty treat was made allergen free by Nancy from the Sensitive Pantry. She thoughtfully modified them to meet all her (my) dietary needs! Thanks Nancy. I do love food blogs...

I'll repost this recipe here, but I encourage you to view her site. She's got a gift for modifying foods for the food sensitive.

My kids fought over these muffins. My husband loved them. My kids said I should sell them--they are perfect. My daughter has never had a doughnut...this may be the closest we get.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the muffin tin because you’re not going to use liners for these babies.

Mix together in a small bowl until frothy and set aside to use later:1 1/2 teaspoon EnerG Egg Replacer 1 tablespoon warm water

Combine in a medium bowl:

• 1 3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend (I used Authentic Foods MultiBlend Flour)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a separate large bowl stir together:

• 1/3 cup oil (grapeseed, canola or light olive oil will work well)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg replacer you made earlier
• 3/4 cup hemp (or other) milk

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir by hand only to combine. My batter was a little lumpy but it worked just fine.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

While muffins are baking, melt and place in a small bowl:

1/4 - 1/2 cup Earth Balance

In another small bowl, combine:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Shake muffins out of the muffin tin while they’re still hot.Dip the hot muffins in the melted butter and then into the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Place on a wire rack and allow to cool.

Also, if you can use eggs and butter go ahead and do it. Use the same measurements—1 egg and 1/4-1/2 cup butter.

I have to say, adding the butter/sugar/cinnamon to the muffins is AMAZING. I will do this for all muffins in the future.

A perfect Sunday afternoon treat--Enjoy!

Matcha Tea--Super Tea from Japan

In light of the current crisis in Japan, it seems fitting to take a minute and appreciate a Japanese custom that will benefit us all.

Do you drink tea? Are you open to green tea? Are you aware of the health benefits from drinking green tea? I just learned about Matcha green tea. It's SUPER green tea. Matcha is premium ground green tea. You use a teaspoon of the powder with 8 oz of hot water. Matcha uses the whole leaf, so the antioxidants found in green tea are magnified in Matcha. One glass of Matcha has the same nutritional value as 10 cups of green tea.

Matcha tea can help your body with:

• Antioxidant Protection
• Detoxification
• Weight Loss (yea!)
• Fighting Cancer
• Preventing Disease
• Improving Mood
• Increased Energy

Seriously, why wouldn't you drink tea that had all these benefits?

This tea has a strong taste, but it is not bad. It is also more expensive than your standard Lipton tea! It has to be--it is harvested by hand in Japan.

I just had my first cup today. I will report back and let you know if my energy increases or my mood improves. I'm sure my family will have a say in that report!

I'm Back!

I've been MIA from the blog for almost a year now. But I'm back...because now I know I need to focus on what I love.

• I love discovering new ways to use food as a fuel.
• I love helping people with food allergies find good food solutions.
• I love helping kids with food issues feel included.

So, as long as I'm back, let's fill in the back story.

I have had environmental allergies all my life. As a teenager, I was very allergic to corn. I thought I "outgrew" it, so I started eating corn again.

Fast forward to me as an adult, I was feeling generally crappy. With the help of a nutritionist, I did a food elimination diet. Turns out I don't tolerate gluten, corn or dairy. I really know about it when I slip up, so I manage my food concerns very carefully.

I also have a daughter with Celiac Disease and a severe egg allergy.

All told, our family dinners need to be Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free and Corn Free. :)

Thus I have learned to read labels, to cook, and to plan ahead.

There is more for me to learn. But I do already have a big bag of tricks to share.

I can't wait to share some with you.