Valentine's Day Love

I find  "love"  in the most unexpected places ...my Sweet Potato Chips!

Love is the most wonderful of all feelings in the world.

 It is almost Valentine's Day 2013 and recipes abound that are filled with sweetness, so I thought it was the perfect time to share with you my newly updated page of  "Blog Love"  with links to many of the blogs I love! 

 

A bell is no bell 'til you ring it,
A song is no song 'til you sing it,
And love in your heart
Wasn’t put there to stay -
Love isn’t love
'Til you give it away.

~Oscar Hammerstein, Sound of Music, "You Are Sixteen (Reprise)"

Wishing you much love and a Happy Valentine's Day!

XO

Toxic Slippers and the "Less Toxic Guide"

Once I heard that if you pay attention to the things that stir you up or upset you then you will find your passion.  I must say that I am passionate about spreading the word about environmental toxins.  Maybe you do not notice them as I do, but realize that the toxins in our environment are seriously dangerous to our lives.  There are 48 million people who have connected the dots with toxins and their health complaints and consider themselves to have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities or MCS.

I stand on my "soap box" today and tell you there is a high price to pay when we take the easy road when chemicals are involved.  Toxic chemicals bio-accumulate in our bodies and produce disease.  Our bodies were designed to detoxify, but with the pervasive abundance of unsafe chemicals we are exposed on a daily basis, it is evident we all must be vigilant to reduce our toxic burden in order to have the most abundant health.

It takes time and energy to seek out natural sources that are safe if you have chemical sensitivities or are trying to avoid them.

I understand the need, at times, for something to be done fast, but all too often it is not the case, but just taking the "easy" way out.  How many times have we taken the "easy" way and exposed ourselves to toxins?

Just last week we had the exterior of our house power washed and the chemicals overloaded me, so I have been working to detoxify my body with specialized nutrients, sweating in the far infrared sauna, reducing my total body load in my safe "haven" with my Austin air purifier, plus rehabilitating my nervous system with Quantum Neurology, the most awesome technique I have ever experienced.

On Sunday, however, a few minutes in my safe " haven" did not turn out as I expected.   It was baffling to me, so I left the room and thought straightening up the house would make it go away. Usually, moving my body helps me to feel better, but not this time.  I took my best detox nutrients and returned to my "haven" only to continue with the worst foggy brain.  As I sat on the bed struggling to focus and read I spied shoes....bedroom slippers to be exact, that I had gifted my husband last year at Christmas.

Those shoes had been very difficult for me to tolerate last year and they have spent 11 months in "exile "in our garage airing out. Only they never did! My sweet, unsuspecting husband had no idea when he left them near his closet that I would be made ill by them.  I immediately removed the shoes and my brain fog began to clear, although it took a while for me to recover.


I ask you...What toxic chemicals belong on house slippers?  Isn't my brain and cognitive function more important to protect than slippers?

Yes!
 
While it is not possible to escape all toxins in our world we can make the effort to seek out safer  products, but I am most excited to share the do-it-yourself recipes listed in the Less Toxic Guide that I am sharing with you today.


I step off my "soap-box" now and leave you with this comprehensive  Less Toxic Guide to help you to live less toxic in our toxic world. 

Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookies - Free of: Grains, Gluten, Eggs, Casein, Sugar*

Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookies

A grain-free and sugar free diet may not be the easiest diet to follow, but you know I am absolutely grateful that the diet I eat is a health and life giving diet.  I am looking back with eyes that see how I was being led in the right direction for the best health.  My thoughts lately have been a lot about sugar and how detrimental sugar is to health. Specifically, I am pondering the recommendations of drastically reducing sugar for cancer prevention.. (I find all nutrition studies very interesting.)  It makes sense to me because sugar weakens the immune system.  My studies have taught me that the body turns grains into sugar. It is after reading these studies that I am totally grateful I have eaten sugar-free for the past 11 years or longer and grain-free for 2 years.  Grain-free was my missing puzzle piece.

My readers may know that my boys have been riding along with me on my "sugar-free" diet for quite awhile.  My blog has a mixture of recipes...most that my boys like, but always low in sweeteners and most often use stevia.  Some of my blog posts share recipes that my boys are allowed to eat,  but I may not be able to eat due to the fact that I began slowly introducing small amounts of raw honey into their diet this past year.  I think they are doing well with it.  They are pretty happy with this diet change.

Most of the recipes I share are the recipes that I feel meet the needs of most readers or may be easily adapted.  I may be a bit shy sharing my candida-friendly recipes for fear that no one except me would eat them! Maybe that will change, but for certain I don't feel I can label my recipes as candida-friendly for everyone. After all, I am not a doctor, so I don't give medical advice! ;)  I just share what works for me and my family.

My boys are now 17 and 11 (for one more week). It is a balancing act to guide and teach our children, but yet at some point we need to let out the ropes, so to speak, and allow them to learn about food and their bodies.  We hope that our teachings will be past down to generations to come and that our firm stance against "bad" unfood will produce healthy eating habits and not rebellious eaters.

This week, I have had the pleasure of observing my teenage son while he has been studying the Real Food and Nutrition E-Course written by Kristen Michaelis. You may know Kristen as the writer of the popular blog Food Renegade.com.. The lessons in this E-Course reinforce the healthy lifestyle and  principles that I have adopted in our home. It excites me that my son is gaining knowledge about "real" food in this e-course.

I love that he wants to engage in conversation about the cool things he is learning about health and nutrition regarding whole unprocessed food.  Today he asked me, "What is buttermilk?" Then he decided to research for himself just how to make it with non-dairy milk and told me he wants to make pancakes next time with "buttermilk".  I am delighted to see this spark of interest in the food he eats and especially that he wants to cook for himself. 

Hopefully, my story will encourage you to keep on setting a healthy example for your family and one day you will see that they will understand.  It is all worth the effort to have a healthy family.

Okay, so here I share with you a healthy cookie to enjoy while I ponder more about sugar....
With our love to you!

 Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookies

Free of: Gluten, Grains, Casein, Eggs, & Sugar*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Equipment:

• electric mixer  
• "Measure-All" wet dry measuring cup -optional, but very helpful for measuring

First, mix the wet ingredients in the electric mixer bowl.

  Wet ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons chia seed meal
• 10 Tablespoons applesauce (1/2 cup + 2 T)
• 5 Tablespoons palm shortening
• 15 drops stevia 
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Add in dry ingredients and mix well.

  Dry ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons raw cacao powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup pecan meal
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Shape into small cookies with your hands.  They do not spread out on their own so they need a little help from you.

Press Enjoy Life Chocolate chips into the top of each cookie before baking

*To be truly "sugar-free" you will need to leave this brand of chocolate chips off.* 

(Today I saw a recipe for DIY homemade chocolate chips made with honey and I would love to make them for my boys.  If you have made them I would love to hear from you.)

Bake 10 minutes on parchment lined baking sheet.

Orange Creamy Custard (gluten and dairy-free)

A little back-to-school treat for my home schooled boys...

At the moment, I am up to my eyeballs in school books and I am finding joy as I see all I have accomplished in organizing  and preparing for school.  Thankfully, I have more energy this week to tackle this task. This is a welcome change!  One thing for sure,  I have hungry, growing boys and cooking and baking AND school must go on! 

 I made this custard for the boys and they loved it and are requesting it again today.  I expect I will need to teach them how to make this as I have tons to do before school starts next week.  

This custard is creamy and delicious and a great high protein treat   A healthy comfort food for my dairy-free boys.   I shared my ideas with the boys of all I imagined we could do with this recipe, but my youngest son declared..."It is good all by itself."  Nothing else needed.  So here I give you my simple, but delicious easy recipe...just the way he likes it..

Hope you enjoy it, too!

Orange Creamy Custard

Gluten, Grain, Dairy and Refined sugar free

1 1/2 cup coconut milk ( I used a mix of my leftover cans in the frig....full fat and light)

3 organic egg yolks

1/2 Tablespoon Tapioca Flour

10 drops stevia liquid

1 1/2 Tablespoons raw organic honey

1/8 teaspoon orange flavoring

Add coconut milk, egg yolks, tapioca flour, stevia, honey and flavoring to a saucepan and heat on medium heat stirring with a  whisk.  Mix well.. Continue whisking occassionally as it begins to boil.  Stir with the whisk constantly as the custard simmers for 8-10 minutes.

Recipe Serves 2 Happy Boys

In Loving Memory....Heavenly Cherry Cashew Bars

My dear readers, it has been a tough few weeks.  My heart has been heavy with grief at the loss of both of my parents only six days apart. We have been surrounded by love overflowing  from a community of wonderful people who love my parents.  I kept thinking how we were receiving this love as a gift from the love my parents had given out that kept on blessing us even when they were not here.  That is just how my parents would have planned it if they could.  I find comfort that my parents are together with our Lord, forever and I know one day we will be reunited.  What a glorious day that will be!

As believers we believe “in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began!” (Titus 1:2) 
 
I am thankful for the wonderful gift God gave me of loving parents.  Their love for God and family shaped me and I am who I am because of all they taught me.  If you met my parents they would have made you feel like family. Their door was always open.


It has been hard to believe.  I know our lives have changed in ways that I can not even begin to think about. My childhood youth minister described this time in our life as "wading through the deep waters."  Yes, at times I feel just like that.  Those deep waters are heavy on my limbs as I press through. I realize my world will never be the same without them.  I am told time can ease the pains.  I trust God to comfort me through all of this.

In my grief and sorrow I took to the kitchen and used the little energy I could muster to create these bars.  I found healing in the midst of this creative moment. I didn't plan these, but just started mixing as the spirit lead me. Out of my grief these delicious bars came to birth.

I share these Heavenly Cherry Cashew Bars in loving memory of my dear and precious Moma and Daddy. 

Heavenly Cherry Cashew Bars

Mix all ingredients in a food processor:

1 1/2 cup raw cashews
1- 2.2 oz. bag of Bare Fruit 100% Organic Baked-Dried Cherries (about 1/2 cup) (optional)
1/4 cup dried & unsulphured Made in Nature Apricots
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shredded
1/2 cup coconut creme concentrate
1/4 cup organic coconut oil expeller pressed
1 or 2 Tablespoons raw organic honey

Spread into a 8 x 8-inch square glass dish and refrigerate until ready to eat.  

A Favorite Place....Nags Head, NC

 

My family and I had a little getaway to our favorite place... Nags Head, North Carolina.  Since I have readers from around the world, I thought you might enjoy a few snapshots from our trip. The beach in May is quiet and a peaceful place.  I love quiet and peaceful. 

Everyone, including the dog had a great time.

This trip is always a "test" for my detox pathways. A few years ago, I became ill very quickly from the toxins in the carpet in my families cottage. This time I was improved and I was able to stay a few days with my Austin air purifier following me from room to room.  That is better than last trip when we had to leave the next day after a miserable night.  I even tried to sleep in the car. This year I felt extremely tired much of the trip.  Fatigue just might be one of my early warning signs, but when my body reached its limit this time I became nauseous.  I don't know how I did it, but I had forgotten some of my key supplements that support detoxification. It was time to pack up and head back home.

I can truly say that my chemical sensitivities have taught me to enjoy the moment, because I don't know how long my tolerance will last.  I cherish these times with my family and posting these pictures here will encourage me to keep on my race. 

Environmental toxins are real, even  though you may not notice them.

Just in case you missed it, Diane Eblin of The Whole Gang recently blogged her story about remodeling and her chemical sensitivities.  She shares two juicing recipes that look fabulous for detox. 

Everyday Dutch-Oven Roasted Organic Chicken

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you probably know I am overcoming health challenges and among those is fatigue. It is never easy living with limits no matter what they are and what age we might be. As a parent I know I must give my children limits and sometimes they are not always readily accepted.

I suppose I am no different than my children in that I don't like my energy limits.. Pushing at them, which so often is my natural inclination, is not the way to heal.. Everything you were taught in life to be successful - keep going and don't give up, just try a little harder...will not promote healing in this case. The only way to avoid the vicious cycle of pushing and crashing is to discipline yourself to rest and build up reserves.

One day my acupuncturist explained to me in his most kind and gentle manner that we all are given energy from our parents and have the energy we were born with, but when that energy is gone... well...then we leave this earth.  Wow, it was really shocking to hear these words, but deep inside I knew he spoke the truth to me.  It was one of those turning point moments for me.  Words can be incredibly  powerful in creating change.. Thankfully, I have found alternative practitioners who have taught me and given me guidance to help me heal just when I needed to hear it.

There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. ~ Proverbs 12:18

My energy is to be used for healing and restoring my body, therefore I have been on a mission to simplify my meals and time in my kitchen.  I had heard many rave reviews about dutch -oven cooking and finally a few months ago I purchased a 4.5 quart cast iron dutch oven by Lodge.  I really agonized about this purchase thinking it might be just another pretty pot that would take up space in my cabinet.  Boy, was I wrong! Move over crock pot....the dutch oven is here to stay!

The flavors of my everyday foods come alive in the oven when roasted in this cast iron dutch oven. It is fun to toss in whatever I have on hand at the moment and in an hour or less it is like magic has happened to these everyday foods.

I am sharing a very easy recipe that you can follow or create a delicious meal with what is in season or whatever you like.  Carrots are great.  My husband and I love brussels sprouts, too.

It is a good thing to have time to sit down and prop my feet up while we wait for this naturally gluten-free and grain-free meal.

Do you have tips to share how you simplify your cooking?  I would love to know.
.

 

Everyday Dutch-Oven Roasted Organic Chicken

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit

Oil the bottom of dutch oven and layer chopped onions in the bottom of the pot.  Place the whole organic chicken (approximately 4 pounds) on top of the onions.  Wash, peel and slice sweet potatoes into slices that are not too thin and lay them around the chicken. The sweet potato slices I have pictured here are almost too thin for the cooking time, but you get the idea, right?  Sprinkle the chicken with sea salt and your favorite spices.  I happened to use sea salt and oregano.  Then I added chopped celery. Sprinkle a little oil on top of the chicken. Then put the lid on the dutch oven and put in the oven to bake for approximately 1 hour or until done.


Notes:
I am not sure how this recipe would work without the Cast Iron Dutch Oven, but maybe if you do not own one you could drop a few hints.  Mother's Day is coming up this week! :)

I love my 4.5 quart size,. but it is very heavy for me to lift with my tiny wrists. I could not handle a larger pot.  I have learned it is easier for me to place the bottom of the dutch oven without the lid first and then once it is in the oven I put the lid on.  Whatever works for you.

Washing it....well, my husband has come to my rescue many times. He doesn't mind this task, because he loves the flavor of everything I have made in this dutch oven.