Monday, December 26, 2011 0 comments

1 Healthy Day Before Christmas!

Well, sorry this post comes after Christmas. I was doing so well getting a post out each day and then I had my birthday, Christmas, traveling with 5 kids, and before you know it it's Dec. 26th. But, this is what to do next year to be all ready for a special healthy Christmas morning breakfast!



Lisa’s Christmas Morning Pancakes
2 c. Quick Oats (Put them in a blender to form a flour consistency)
2 c. Unbleached Flour
1 1/2 T. Baking Powder
2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
1 T. Cinnamon
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
2 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 c. Organic Dry Milk Powder
1/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 Organic Egg
1/4 c. Olive Oil
1/2 c. Water

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat egg and add oil in a large bowl. Add dry mix alternating with water into egg/oil mixture.

*For GF use a GF flour mix (4 cups) and gluten free oats (2 cups). For DF use Dairy-Free powder instead of dry powdered milk.

Merry Healthy Christmas!
Thursday, December 22, 2011 0 comments

2 Healthy Days Before Christmas!

Here is an amazing Christmas dessert that will leave everyone awestruck! It is from the Living With Out Magazine
Gluten-Free Yule Log
Makes 2 yule logs Serves 16

The recipe for Elegant Chocolate Cake, including Coconut Cream Filling and Chocolate Coconut Milk Ganache, makes two Yule Logs. Prepare cake batter as instructed below and then follow directions to construct Yule Logs. If not served immediately, store Yule Logs in the refrigerator. Return to counter at least 30 minutes before serving.

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 2 jelly roll pans or rimmed cookie sheets (15×10×1 inches) with parchment paper. Grease parchment paper.

2. In a double boiler, melt chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool about 10 minutes.

3. Place eggs into the large bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment. Beat until light yellow, about 1 minute. Add sugar and beat until batter falls from a spoon in a heavy ribbon, about 5 to 7 minutes. (To replace eggs, see egg-free instructions on page 22.)

4. Add vanilla, oil and milk and mix on slow speed just until incorporated.

5. Fold in melted chocolate with a large spoon or rubber spatula just until mixed.

6. In another bowl, combine dry ingredients. Sprinkle over batter and fold in gently.

7. Pour batter into prepared jelly roll pans. Place in preheated oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes until center is set and springs back to touch. (Do not over-bake or cake will crumble when rolled.)

8. Immediately loosen each cake from edges of pan and turn each upside down onto a clean linen or cotton tea towel (not terry cloth) generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. Carefully remove parchment paper. Trim off stiff edges of cake, if necessary. While still warm, carefully roll cake with the towel so that cake always touches the towel as it rolls (never cake touching cake). Cool on wire rack.

9. When cool, gently unroll cakes and remove towels.

10. Prepare Chocolate Coconut Milk Ganache . Carefully spread ganache over the cakes, leaving a 1-inch margin on sides.

11. Prepare Coconut Cream Filling. Spread filling over ganache, leaving a 1-inch margin on sides.

12. Carefully re-roll the cakes, wiping away excess ganache and filling. Slice and serve. If desired, garnish with a sprig of artificial holly. (Note: Real holly berries are toxic.)

Each serving contains 484 calories, 25g total fat, 10g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 54mg cholesterol, 207mg sodium, 68g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 5g protein



Cake
1 (6-ounce) package semisweet chocolate, chopped, melted
4 large eggs
1¾ cups dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup neutral vegetable oil of choice
1 cup milk or dairy-free milk of choice
2½ cups Mary’s Gluten-Free Flour Blend or all-purpose flour blend of choice
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans.

2. In a double boiler, melt chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool about 10 minutes.

3. Place eggs into the large bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment. Beat until light yellow, about 1 minute. Add sugar and beat until batter falls from a spoon in a heavy ribbon, about 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Add vanilla, oil and milk and mix on slow speed just until incorporated.

5. Fold in melted chocolate with a large spoon or rubber spatula just until mixed.

6. In another bowl, combine dry ingredients. Sprinkle over batter and fold in gently.

7. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Place in preheated oven and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set and springs back to touch.

8. To assemble cake, place one completely cooled layer on a cake plate. Place Coconut Cream Filling in the center of layer. Top with remaining cooled cake layer. Place cake in the freezer about 1 hour to chill.

9. Remove cake from freezer and frost with Chocolate Coconut Milk Ganache. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar, if desired. Store cake in the refrigerator. Return to counter at least 30 minutes before serving.

For Egg-Free Chocolate Cake, replace 2 eggs with Ener-G egg replacer (ener-g.com), following package directions. Replace 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons arrowroot. Mix together and add to sugar in Step 3.

Coconut Cream Filling
MAKES 1½ CUPS

2 tablespoons cold water
1 (¼-ounce) envelope
unflavored gelatin
1½ cups canned lite coconut milk, divided
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla or coconut extract

1. In a small bowl, add cold water and sprinkle gelatin on top. Let sit to soften, about 10 minutes.

2. Heat ½ cup coconut milk in a small pan. Add to softened gelatin, mix and chill. Place remaining 1 cup coconut milk in the bowl of a heavy stand mixer or a metal mixing bowl. Place in freezer to stiffen, about 15 to 30 minutes.

3. Remove bowl and add sugar and extract. Using the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whisk until mixture forms soft peaks. Add gelatin mixture and whisk until peaks form again.

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ganache
MAKES 2 CUPS

¾ cup canned lite coconut milk
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

1. Heat coconut milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over chocolate and stir until melted.

2. Whip mixture with an electric beater on high for 3 to 5 minutes until ganache is well aerated and thickens to a spreadable frosting.

Each serving of cake without frosting contains 259 calories, 5g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 54mg cholesterol, 135mg sodium, 51g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 4g protein.

Each serving of cake with filling and frosting contains 484 calories, 25g total fat, 10g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 54mg cholesterol, 207mg sodium, 68g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 5g protein.


Mary’s All-Purpose Flour Blend
MAKES 6 CUPS

2 cups brown rice flour
2 cups white rice flour
1⅓ cups potato starch (not potato flour)
⅔ cup tapioca starch/flour

1. Mix ingredients together. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until used.

Each cup contains 564 calories, 2g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 4 mg sodium, 127g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 7g protein.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 0 comments

3 Healthy Days Before Christmas

Traveling with special diets can be a challenge! I have found that I do a great deal of packing for our holiday travels as a family of 7, but I do equally as much packing of food as clothes! However, my packing pays off both for piece of mind and costs!

The first thing I do is plan and prepare the food for our trip. I chat with the people we are going to visit and create a menu of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for the time we will be away. I plan things that will be similar to what everyone else is eating to make it a little less obvious that we eat differently! I pick up all the items that I know I can get at home for a better price than where we are traveling to. Then when I get into town I pick up the odds and ends I did not bring with and we are set for the time we are visiting.

In the car I always pack a bunch of snacks like homemade granola bars, apples, oranges, blueberries, crackers, gf pretzels, nuts, etc...then I always pack a cooler for lunch with sandwiches, carrot sticks, coconut yogurt, bananas and make sure everyone has a big bottle of water!

If flying I usually just stock up on a few boxes of Lara Bars, Mrs. Mays Bars, or Snack Nut packs to make sure I have safe and filling snacks as we travel or find ourselves waiting to get some "real" food once we arrive!

Hope these trips make your Christmas and New Years traveling filled with peace and health!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 0 comments

4 Healthy Days Before Christmas

Parties are full swing for the Christmas and New Years Season! How many times do you walk into a party and find there is nothing to eat. Well, here are a few ideas of some things you can bring with you to much on that are festive, fun, and appetizing for any pallet.

Little Sausages in BBQ Sauce
1. Place a package of (grass fed all beef little sausages-Thousand Hills Cattle Co. is the brand I use) in a crock pot
2. Cover with a gluten free BBQ sauce of your choice (I use BoneLickin' Sauce)
3. Cook on low until heated through
*Serve with toothpicks!

Taco Dip
1. Mix 1/2 c. Dairy Free Cream Cheese (Tofutti) and 1/2c. Sour Cream (Tofutti) until smooth. Smear as a bottom layer on a platter.
2. Make or purchase a GF guacamole and smear that on top of the cream mixture.
3. Dice 1/2 a medium onion and sprinkle over guacamole.
4. Dice lettuce (bite size), put on top of onions.
5. Dice Tomatoes (bite size), put on top of lettuce.
6. Serve with organic corn chips
7. Dip chips in dip and enjoy!

Pickle Rolls
Smear a piece ham with Tofutti Cream Cheese. Place a pickle in the middle of the ham and roll. Slice into circles. Enjoy!

Garlic Cheese Bread
Slice a pack of GF/DF hotdog buns into circles, brush them with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic salt. Place in 350 degree oven and toast. When toasted sprinkle some Dayia DF cheese over each one. Place back in oven until melted! (These are just as good without the Dayia) You can put these out with some GF spaghetti or pizza sauce for a tasty appetizer everyone will love!

Hope this gives you a few ideas of quick, fun, and yummy appetizers to spice up your Christmas/New Years Season!
Monday, December 19, 2011 0 comments

5 Healthy Days Before Christmas

Healthier (Dairy Free, Naturally Sweetened) Hot Cocoa

1. Heat up about 1 c. of your favorite milk alternative (Almond- by Pacific or Coconut- by SoDelicious are our favorites)
2. Add 1-2 T. Cocoa (Unsweetened: I use Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa)
3. Sweeten to taste with honey

Enjoy! This is a fun and festive treat. To dress it up for the Christmas top it with some (soy or rice) whipped topping. Crush up some candy canes (make sure they are food coloring free- you can find them at your local co-op) sprinkle those on top and you can even sprinkle a few Enjoy Life (DF, GF, SF) chocolate chips too!

I guess we just need a little bit of cold weather and snow to create the perfect environment to enjoy this tasty treat!
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6 Healthy Days Before Christmas

Christmas Nuts! When I was little we would go to my grandma and grandpas house and they always had a huge bowl of nuts in their shell. We would take the nut cracker and break open the nuts and pick out the nut pieces and eat them. We have made this a holiday tradition in our family, as we decorate the tree we get out a bowl of nuts, the nut cracker and enjoy nuts right out of the shell. My kids love it!

Nuts have so many nutritional benefits as they are full of good brain building oils, this is a great way to introduce nuts if you have not yet done so!

So, get cracking and enjoy some holiday nuts!
Saturday, December 17, 2011 0 comments

7 Healthy Days Before Christmas

The recipe today is one that come from the tradition I had growing up, making almond bark pretzels. Well, when we switched our diet we were no longer able to use almond bark. So this is the alternative we came up with. This is a relatively low sugared treat for Christmas in comparison to many out there. The sweet and salty are alway a hit, and the candy canes give them a holiday touch!



Dark Chocolate Covered GF Pretzels with Candy Cane Sprinkles
GF Pretzels (we use Glutino)
1 bag (10oz) Chocolate Chips (Enjoy Life: GF,DF,SF)
Organic Candy Canes (Naturally colored- you can find them at any co-op) or candy sprinkles (Naturally colored- See post from day 9)

Directions: Crush Candy Canes into bits. Melt chocolate in a double broiler (if you do not have a double broiler just make sure to heat your chocolate slowly so it does not cease). Dip pretzels individually into the pan of melted chocolate and then place on an unbleached parchment paper. (I drop each one of mine in the chocolate, then flip it with a fork, and remove it from the pan with a fork as well.) Sprinkle each pretzel when wet with candy cane sprinkles allow to sit and harden. To harden quickly place in the refrigerator until chocolate sets.

Enjoy!
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8 Healthy Days Before Christmas

Christmas just is not Christmas with out cookie cutter cookies. Here is a recipe for some that are GF with a DF option as well. We love to roll out the dough, cut out all the pieces of the manger, decorate them and set up the manger scene with our own cookies! Although these cookies are not without sugar, they are a bit healthier if you use a good grass fed butter, raw sugar and GF flour! Have fun cutting and decorating!

Gluten-Free Cut Out Cookies
1 c. Brown Rice Flour 1 1/2 c. Millet Flour
2 tsp. Xanthan Gum 3/4 c. Raw Sugar
1 c. Grass Fed Butter 2 tsp. Pear Juice (No sugar
1 Organic Egg added)
1 T. Vanilla 1 tsp. Baking Powder
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In mixer bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, and pear juice. In a separate bowl, combine flours, xanthan gum, and baking powder. With electric mixer on, slowly add dry ingredients into mixer bowl. Roll out dough to ¼ inch on rice flour dusted surface. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters of your choice. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 6-10 minutes, until slightly brown around the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

*For a dairy free version use 1c. Earth Balance (Stick form, not whipped).
I just use a powdered sugar frosting recipe for the decorating.
Thursday, December 15, 2011 0 comments

9 Healthy Days Before Christmas

Nothing says Christmas like the smell of gingerbread cookies filling the house. With only 1/4c. of sugar they are better than most cookies when it comes to sugar content. Here is a quick and easy GF/DF version of gluten free gingerbread that you can cut into any shape you like. My kids LOVE to decorate a village of different people. We decorate our cookies with Sunspire Sundrops (like m&m's with no food coloring), Lets Do Organic's Sprinkelz: confetti, Enjoy Life's GF, DF, Soy Free Chocolate Chips, and India Tree Snowflakes (Super fun for buttons). I use a basic powdered sugar frosting recipe for the frosting- I just use coconut oil instead of butter to make it DF.

Gluten Free Gingerbread People Cookies


1 1/3 c. Gluten Free All Purpose Flour of Choice
1 T. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Ginger 2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Baking Soda 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1/4 c. Raw Sugar 1/4 c. Olive Oil
1/4 c. Molasses 2 T. Water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add oil, molasses, and water. Mix well, adding more GF flour as needed to make a soft dough that can be kneaded. Roll out on a GF flour dusted surface to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut out with gingerbread people cutters, dipping cutters into flour after each use. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 14 minutes. Remove from pan when hot and cool on a wire rack. Cookies will be slightly chewy.

Happy Baking!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 0 comments

10 Healthy Days Before Christmas

The immune buster smoothie! With the season of colds and flu bugs surrounding us it is with due diligence that we can pour great whole foods into our bodies to keep our immune systems strong and able to kick those unwanted bugs right out of our system and we will not even miss a beat! I have a fun smoothie that my whole family loves and it beefs up the immune system at the same time.

1-2 cups Organic Apple Juice (depends on how thick you like your smoothies-start with 1 and you can always add more...we like them almost scoop-able)!
1 cup frozen Wild Blueberries
3 whole Frozen bananas (to prepare bananas just peel them, break them in 1/2, put them in a freezer container and freeze)
2 T. or more of liquid flaxseed oil (Barlene's)
1/2 to 1 Beet (you can cook it first if your blender has a hard time pureeing it)

(Optional 1/2 to 1 cup of fresh spinach: wilt it in a tiny bit of water on the stove and then toss the wilted leaves into your smoothie)
The beets even make this a festive smoothie for this time of year!

Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 0 comments

11 Healthy Days Before Christmas- Boost That Immune System!

A tip I just learned from our chiropractor was that at the slightest hint of anyone in the family not feeling 100% we begin vitamin A and zinc. We all take it until the last person is symptom free for 3 days! This has been working awesome and we are staying mighty healthy while those around us fall. We are also taking a daily dose of good tummy bacteria to keep our tummies strong in this season as well. Along with this we declare daily The Schulte's walk in divine health- Every germ, virus,and bacteria must die in the name of Jesus!

The brands we are taking are:
Micellized Vitamin A by: Klaire Labs- We each take 1 drop- and only 1 drop as more can be toxic to your system

Zinc: Rhino Zinc Chewables by: Nutrition Now: The little ones (baby,5, 7, 9 year olds take 5mg)
Zn-Zyme by: Biotics Research Corp. My almost 13 year old and us adults take which is 15mg

Good Tummy Bacteria: Multi-flora ABF by: DDs Probiotics
The little ones (5, 7, 9 years old take 1 a day)
My almost 13 year old and us adults take 2 per day


Changed my mind on the gingerbread cookies for today....day got busy and we did not get into the kitchen....watch for it in the near future!
Monday, December 12, 2011 0 comments

12 Healthy Days Before CHRISTMAS!


For the next 12 days I am going to be blogging various tips and ideas to make your Christmas healthier! So, get ready and lets dig in!

DAY 12: Safe food colorings and sprinkles for all your holiday baking!

One thing that we all want to do is keep our kids and selves free from artificial food coloring as they have many adverse effects on the body. (For more information on food coloring read the following article it is a great overview www.iatp.org/files/421_2_105204.pdf)

Tips to avoid these coloring over the holidays: At your neighborhood co-op you can find India Tree brand or online at Amazon.com or Indiatree.com (click on natures colors). Not only do they have colors but they have colored sugars and sprinkles that are colored by food not synthetics!

So, roll up your sleeves and get those little bakers ready to go to work in the kitchen! Tomorrow will be a recipe on GF Gingerbread boys and girls with a yummy dairy free cream cheese frosting!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011 1 comments

Sensory Processing Disorder Disappears!

I went out last week and taught at a MOPS (Mother's Of Preschoolers) group and recieved the most wonderful gift. As I was setting up a lady came over, I recognized her but couldn't remember where I had met her. She introduced herself and said she had been in my class at her friends house two years ago. I then remembered her! She said through tear filled eyes that after the class she was so encouraged that she went home and changed the way her family ate. She did not do an elimination diet (gluten free, dairy free, etc...) she just went to a whole foods diets (a diet free from processed foods) and her sons Sensory Processing Disorder went away! It just goes to show that when we give our bodies the food God created for us to eat our body is designed to heal itself! She did not do any "fancy" diet just began to feed her family real living foods and the results are amazing! God is so good. What a way to start the day!
Friday, December 2, 2011 0 comments

Tip #8: Get Them Cookin'


Tonight was a perfect example of how to get your kids to eat new foods, get them cookin'! I tried my very first gluten free vegan meal, with a sushi appitizer, and homemade gluten free carrot cake for dessert (this was all a big deal as we just picked out our Christmas Tree for the season, so as dad put up the tree the kids and I began the cookin'). My 5, 7, and 9 year old set out dicing up cucumber, avacado, and crab. My 12 year old whipped up a carrot cake from scratch all on her own...with a delicious gluten free/dairy free cream cheese drizzle to top it! I diced and sauteed veggies that topped brown jasmine rice and was covered with a tomato/olive oil dressing! The kids all ended up at the table rolling sushi as I tossed the rice, veggies, and dressing. We had a delicious 3 course dinner that everyone ate! My tip to you, get those little ones in the kitchen with you. If they cook it they are more apt to eat it. And it is fun, makes lasting memories and I would rather have memories than a clean kitchen!
 
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