Just a quick post to show off my pretty little smoothie that I made this afternoon. Not all green smoothies come out looking so vibrant and lovely. Many times, I’ll end up creating an incredibly delicious yet completely revolting looking concoction. Today was different, thankfully.
Recipe:
1 cup original almond milk
1 cup water
1 medium banana
2 pitted dates
2 handfuls chopped kale
1/2 medium cucumber
Hey kids, it’s been a hectic few weeks here at Enlightened Nourishment headquarters. Lots of snow days, runny noses, homework, writing and filming. This morning I decided that it had been way too long since I’d updated my blog and kept you in the loop as to what I’ve been up to.
Some truly lovely things are filling up my life lately. I have 3 wonderful health coaching clients that are working their tails off trying to improve their lives, one step at a time. Each individual session that I have with them, brings new discoveries for both client and coach. I can’t express how much I love this work. Together, we set goals and week after week, continue to reach them! I am so proud of them all. It takes a courageous person to look at their life and say, it’s time for a change. It takes an even stronger person to take the steps to actually make that change. So this is me saying, “Woo hoo!!”.
My book is coming along slowly, but surly. It is a no nonsense guide to how to feed yourself and your children, creating a healthier future. Thankfully, I haven’t been short on inspiration so far. My husband and kids have been the best source of data for me. Three men with very different tastes and temperaments. My husband, a life long picky eater. My oldest, a good eater, but a dawdler. My youngest, is finicky to say the least.
Also, school is still filling my brain with so much new knowledge, that I feel it may pop. Big, scary knowledge. We are well into the business end of becoming a health coach. This is a scary area for me. Nutrition comes easy to me, the money end of it definitely does not. Going in to this program, I wanted to save the world one person at a time. Of course, I knew that I also needed to eventually charge people for this help. On top of learning how to get paid what I’m worth, I am learning how to market my business to get an edge over my competitors. This is so not me. Before I started school, I pictured myself magically having lots of clients that would somehow just transfer money into my account without me asking or even talking about the “M” word. In reality, it’s incredibly hard for me to put a monetary value on what I do. I want everyone to be able to afford my services, but I also need to make ends meet. In the end, I have decided on a rate that is slightly higher than I am comfortable with, but lower than the “going rate” for health coaches. Blech, money talk.
Lastly, I had taken a rest from pinning for quite a while. I found it to be a big sucker of my time. However, I have found a new and wonderful use for Pinterest. I created a board called “Nourishments” specifically for my clients to follow. It’s full of recipes, food prep ideas, exercises and inspirations. Sure, anyone can follow it, and I hope that they do. But this way, if a client is stuck in a dinner rut or in need of a new workout routine, this can be their go to page. Go ahead, take a gander at the “Nourishments” board and let me know what you think!
If you are someone that suffers from chronic migraines or high blood pressure, you should be aware that consuming MSG is a major trigger for both of these conditions. It’s not enough to check that there is no monosodium glutamate listed on the box or bag you just picked up. MSG goes by many different names. Here is list of some of the aliases that the food industry tries to slide past us, never mind the health risks.
-Hydrolyzed protein
-Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
-Sodium caseinate
-Yeast extract
-Hydrolyzed oat flour
-Yeast nutrient
-Autolyzed yeast
-Textured vegetable protein
-Calcium caseinate
-Yeast food
But did you also know that MSG can be hiding in harmless looking words (spices, seasoning, artificial flavors, natural flavors and flavoring)?
Basically, the only way to tell if you are getting MSG free food is to either not buy anything that comes in a package or make sure that each ingredient is clearly listed. For example, if the box lists the spices it contains (salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil…) go for it. If it literally says “spices” in the ingredient list, skip it!
What an amazing weekend this has been! The inspiration alone has been groundbreaking. My present and future have opened up to me like a gorgeous, vibrant lotus flower. This has never really happened for me before. To see my year laid out so clearly and to feel so sure about every step that I will be taking, it’s an incredible endorphin rush. I’m trying to not be too obnoxious about it with my husband. I don’t want to overwhelm him with my giddiness, but it’s so hard to hold it in.
First, there will be my vlog series that will be featured here and on YouTube. That will be starting up within the next couple of months. Then there is the knowledge that by the end of this summer I will be a certified health coach, able to lead clients to their own brighter future. And most recently, I have begun writing my first book! This is perhaps the scariest and most exciting of all my goals for this year.
I am embracing that fear and turning it into exilhiration and drive. By stepping outside of my comfort zone, I am able to reach new heights that I never dreamed could be possible! Being a published author has always been on my bucket list, but until now, it never felt realistic. Now it’s more of a need to get my message out in to the world, to create a ripple in the sea of collective consciousness. See, told you I was giddy.
Lastly, when logging in to write this post, I was greeted by a notice that traffic to my blog has exploded beyond anything it’s had before. Now, I’m not one to usually care or even notice how many views I get a day. I like to stay grounded and write because I love to write. However, I must admit that seeing the stats today gave me a rush of pride and a renewed conviction for my life’s direction.
So, thank you everyone for making a glorious weekend even brighter. I hope that you are feeling even a fraction of the excitement for life that fills me today.
I’d love to hear what is new and good in your life that is making you feel like dancing today!
One of the first questions that we are taught to ask while training to become a health coach is, “So, what’s new and good with you?”. It starts the conversation off on a positive note. It gets the client thinking about accomplishments and blessings in their life, as apposed to all the things that they feel are dragging them down. Though I’m not one to follow a script while meeting a new client, this question feels like a great way to start a coaching session.
So, what’s new and good with me? Everyone in my little family is relatively healthy and happy. I have completed the first quarter of my health coach certification. I recently quit my part time job in order to spend more time with my family in New York and concentrate more on my future career. My family and circle of friends is filled with smart, talented, hilarious and incredibly creative people that enrich my life daily.
What’s new and good with this blog? Well, the look is new and I think that’s good. This theme is a bit more simple and sleek looking than what it was previously. The other thing that I’m getting pretty excited about, is that I am planning to do a weekly vlog. I will be answering your questions (one or two a week) relating to nutrition and general health concerns. So, if you have a question for me, please e-mail it to enlightenednourishment@gmail.com. If I don’t answer your question here, I will respond by e-mail. Please limit your questions to health and nutrition. I can’t tell you if that mole looks weird or why your friend has daddy issues. See disclaimer below.
*I’m not a doctor (or a certified health coach yet), but I do know bucket loads of information related to these topics. The answers I give to your questions will be meant as suggestions or opinion only and are not to replace a doctor’s treatment.*
That’s it for today, kids. Can’t wait to hear from you and start vlogging. See you soon!!
Getting your kids in to the kitchen to help you cook/wash vegetables/create new recipes, is the best way to get them to enjoy trying new foods. Juni, who refuses all things green, knowingly ate kale twice today. All I did differently was to let him add the greens in to the blender for our afternoon smoothie. Then tonight, when it appeared on his plate, he gobbled it all up without blinking an eye. He said, “What is it, Mama?”. I said, “It’s Kale, honey.” He said, “Oh! I like Kale!”. That’s it. No big drama. No wailing about how he doesn’t like green.
When kids touch the ingredients of the foods that they’ll be eating, it opens a door for them. They are part of the process. They have power over how much goes in to the dish or how clean the veggies get. They get to smell the raw produce, feel the texture of the grains between their fingers. See what color the beets will turn their hands, just from touching the surface after it’s peeled. It’s like they’ve stepped in to a science lab and they get to set up the experiments. The stuff we do everyday, it’s all new and cool to them.
There is a great gift to sharing time cooking with our children. A little bit each day is all it takes to raise kids that not only love cooking, but hopefully have a healthy relationship with food. Not to mention that it’s 10 minutes that you get to spend with them that doesn’t involve playing trains/princesses/secret agents/whatever it is they just begged you to play for the 17th time today.
Yup, cinnamon is one of my best friends, especially in the fall. Of course I love the flavor, but it’s what cinnamon does for me that keeps me coming back for more. Cinnamon regulates blood sugar, reduces LDL cholesterol levels, reduces arthritis pain, it’s an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It’s not just a latte topper anymore.
Because of all of it’s lovely healthful qualities, I take it daily as well as give it to my children when cold and flu season comes around. A little sprinkle here, a pinch there and we are good to go. It’s wonderful for avoiding getting sick when everyone else around you is hacking up a lung and sneezing all over you. It is also fantastic if you have managed to catch what’s going around, to shorten the span of the sickness.
Like I said a little goes a long way with cinnamon. No need to over do it. It’s wonderful in plain yogurt, since it adds a natural sweetness. I put it in my coffee and my kid’s oatmeal or grits in the morning. But I wouldn’t have more than a teaspoon a day. There’s really no need.
So, if you like the flavor as much as I do, give it a try. Here’s another tasty way that I’ve been adding cinnamon to my diet:
So, one day I was getting sick of drinking plain water and was also getting a little scratchiness in the throat. I decided to add some lime juice to get some vitamin C in me. Then I thought, why not add a little cinnamon (2 shakes) to take the sour edge off? Then I was like, well I’m right here in the spice cabinet, why not throw in some turmeric (again, 2 shakes) and shut this cold down before it starts?! It totally worked and tasted great doing so. Now I try to have one of these a day. So far I’m feeling terrific and getting my autumn spice fix!
Being a student again is amazing. I love being in a program that is so well rounded. I will be learning over a hundred different nutritional theories as well as learning how to become an effective certified health coach. It’s only been a little over two weeks and I feel like I’ve already learned so much. Most recently I’ve learned that to be a good health coach, one needs to just get over themselves.
The goal of a health coach is to guide the client in finding their best way of nourishing themselves. Each individual has their own needs nutritionally. They may have a history or family history of heart disease, diabetes, anemia, cancer, hypertension or thyroid issues to name a few. Ethnic background plays an important roll as well. So to guide someone in the direction of your own personal nutritional beliefs is misguided and potentially harmful to your client. The goal is to listen to the person in front of you and encourage them to listen to themselves to reach the best version of themselves. Not another version of you.
I’ve been witnessing several heated debates in the online discussion groups for my fellow classmates. One person will bring up a topic such as: How anyone can advise a client to get their protein from an animal source, when it is so clearly wrong and cruel to do so? Yes, this is a topic that is going to ruffle some feathers. Yes, there are people that have gone from meat eater to vegetarian and back again (myself included). For the most part though, people (especially health nuts like myself) have uber strong opinions on what is the best way to eat. However, forcing these opinions onto others won’t work as a health coach. If the goal is to turn everyone on the planet in to a vegan raw food-ist, you might want to consider a new career. The same goes for any other heart felt nutritional belief. It’s not about you anymore, it’s about that one person in front of you that is absolutely desperate to be healthy. That’s what we are signing on for.
The other day I was discussing this with a couple of friends and the connection was made that nutrition is like a religion to many people. They think they have the one true way of eating and everyone else just hasn’t found the “Truth” yet. Not to get too down on organized religion, but there have been a lot of wars and death in the name of “I’m right, you’re wrong”. The key is to respect the views of others and maybe try to find a common ground if possible. Get down off your veggie crate or stack of porter house steaks and try to look outside yourself and into the eyes of the person in front of you.
I am lucky enough to live near several farms that produce either certified organic, transitioning to organic or sustainably grown produce from May to the end of November. After all, New Jersey is called the Garden State for a reason. We have some of the most lovely farm land in the country. Now that the weather is starting to turn cooler in the mornings and evenings I am happy to get back to one of my favorite ways of cooking all those beautiful tomatoes, onions, garlic, squash, tomatillos, peppers, green beans, eggplants and whatever else shows up in my farm share box each week. Oven roasted vegetables have such an amazing flavor and are so easy to incorporate in to your everyday dishes.
To me the best way to use up the weekly harvest before it goes bad is to make homemade pasta sauce. It’s such a simple way to make sure my family is getting the most nutrition out of something they already love. This week we received our first batch of tomatillos in our share and I was so excited to see them. Most people use them in salsas, but I love the zippy flavor they give to sauces and soups. So I added them to the regular line up of veggies and the results were as expected.
I know most people use some sort of oil when they roast vegetables. I choose to dry roast them except for a bit of water in the bottom of the roasting dish. I feel like I am getting the true, sweet, rich flavors of the vegetables rather than the flavor of the oil this way. Also, it’s really much healthier to drizzle a bit of olive oil on after if you love that flavor, than it is to roast them in the oil. Here’s why.
Tonight’s pasta sauce was made with:
3- large tomatoes
1- large red onion cut in half
3- cloves of garlic
10- tomatillos
This morning while the oven was preheating to 400 degrees, I washed the tomatoes and took the outer leaves off the tomatillos and gave them a good rinse. I put all of the veggies in a large glass baking dish with a half an inch of water in the bottom. I set the timer for 30 minutes and read my little guy a story. When the timer went off, I took the dish out of the oven and let it cool on top of the stove til the afternoon. When I was ready to make the sauce, I put two batches of veggies in to the blender and blended it to a smooth red sauce.
Now I have a large container of delicious pasta sauce that I can season any way I want with fresh or dried herbs and spices.
*A helpful hint that I learned from my parents when it comes to making homemade tomato sauce, is to cook a carrot in the sauce to cut down on the acidity level of the tomatoes. I also like to add a tablespoon of butter to my sauce when I’m heating it up to add to pasta. The added oil and fat from the butter helps to absorb more nutrients from the vegetables. Here’s a little article from WebMD on that.
Today I started my new journey to become a certified health coach. I’ve finally begun my online courses at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. They have started us out nice and easy as to not scare us away with a heavy work load all at once, but we’ve been assured that very soon we will very busy little health nuts. We’ve been advised that we should consider ourselves to be entering medical school. Tell friends and family that they won’t be seeing as much of us and that we won’t have as much free time for social engagements as we use to. This is both scary and exciting to think about. This has been my dream for so long that I do want to go all in. Now, I just need the courage and stamina to get it done and come out the other side ready to inspire others.
Last week I created a daily schedule for myself so that I can stay on track and get everything done. Cooking, child rearing, car pooling, studying, exercise, meditation and yes, the occasional social engagement. Today got off to a bit of a rocky start as just at the beginning of it I learned that a dear friend’s mother passed away. It threw me. I lost my footing for a couple of hours as I have known and loved this family for 20 years. As I did eventually get back to my tightly made schedule, she and my friend remained constantly in my thoughts. I was able to get a large chunk of this week’s module done and have determined how much time I will need to dedicate to the remaining assignment.
Other than mourning my friend’s loss, I am feeling pretty solid about today. To all the children and adults going back to school this fall I say, stay focused. There will always be outside forces that can easily knock you off course. Just remember what your goal is. My goal is to graduate a year from now with more nutritional knowledge and a greater ability to guide others to a longer, happier life.
Tonight, I made tacos for dinner. For the first time. Ever.
If this sounds ridiculous to you, it should. I’m kicking myself for never thinking of doing it before. I’m always trying to think of the most creative, nutritious well rounded meal to feed my family. I never thought tacos would fit the bill. But when my son told me how much he loved the tacos at my mother in-law’s house, I knew I should give “healthy” tacos a shot.
What are healthy tacos? Well to me, it just means using great fresh ingredients instead of the pre-seasoned packages. I don’t really do recipes, I mostly just rely on my sense of smell and knowledge of flavor combinations and start throwing the spices together. It almost always works.
So I made some pretty awesome tacos out of fresh, local and mostly organic ingredients. The family loved and devoured them all, so there are no pretty pictures to show. I will list the ingredients below if you’d like to give my version a shot.
What it comes down to is this, I now know what countless parents have known for years. You can’t go wrong with tacos. Tonight after dinner, my older son suggested that every Thursday be Taco Night. I’m cool with that.
1 pound local pasture raised ground beef
1 small red onion diced
3 cloves garlic sliced
4 tablespoons homemade tomato sauce (roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, green bell peppers puréed)
1/2 cup small broccoli florets
Salt, white pepper, chili powder, turmeric and cumin to taste
Brown the beef then add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is tender. Add tomato sauce, salt, pepper, turmeric, chili powder and cumin. Cook for 10 more minutes. Add broccoli florets and cook for 5 more minutes.
I used the Garden of Eatin’ yellow corn taco shells made with organic corn. They were fantastic. For toppings I set out Wegman’s organic medium salsa, plain whole milk yogurt and shredded Mexican blend cheese from Organic Valley. Since the taco mix already had broccoli, I didn’t feel the need to add shredded lettuce.
Thanks to a food blog (that slips my tired brain right now) I recently found out that I can roast veggies in a slow cooker! This is huge. I love roasted vegetables in the fall and winter months, but haven’t done much roasting in the summer for obvious reasons. Um, hello! Way to hot to have the oven on 400 degrees for any amount of time. So, before now, I haven’t been able to enjoy the awesome flavors of roasted squash, tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic… you get the picture. That’s all changed, my friends. Oh yes, it is officially on!
Today I made homemade pasta sauce, using roasted tomatoes, zucchini, yellow summer squash, yellow onion and garlic in the crock pot on high for 3 hours. This process added almost no heat to the kitchen and took very little of my precious child rearing time. I greased the crock pot lightly with coconut oil, added the cut up veggies, seasoned them with salt, pepper and fresh oregano and drizzled it all with a bit of olive oil.
At the end of the 3 hours, I spooned it all in to the food processor and voila! Delicious, perfectly roasted pasta sauce. I wish I could say that the pasta was perfectly cooked, but alas, it was overcooked and mushy. You can’t have it all, I guess.
Hey there! Last week was… just what I needed. Being away from my normal life for an entire week was fantastically relaxing and a huge stress reducer. I camped with a totally new group of people (Clan Blue Feather) in a “no kids allowed” camp. I don’t think I need to tell you that for a SAHM this was a bit of paradise. Of course I love my children and would die for them blah blah blah… but come on! Everyone needs and deserves a vacation once in a while! I ate when and what I wanted. I drank alcohol without the nervous guilt of needing to be a responsible parent. I stayed up late, knowing that there would be no 6:30 am “Mama!” wake up call. It was heavenly.
Aaaaaand now I’m back. I’m glad to be back with my lovies, knowing that they missed me terribly and I indeed missed them. We are slowly getting back to our regular schedule, with one major difference. I have loads more patience than I did before vacation. I have more compassion and understanding too. Being not so quick to jump down their throats for the slightest naughtiness, has made a huge difference for all of us. I said it last week and I’ll say it again. It makes me a better parent.
Being away also gave me time to think about my goals for the next few months. School will be starting in a month for both my son and me. Big changes and challenges are coming and I know this time away gave me a more solid foundation to accomplish what needs to be done. Trying to get my school work, house work, child care responsibility done while dealing with all of my pent up stress would make every single thing that much harder.
So today I am thankful. Thankful that I have an amazingly supportive husband that gives me a break every year. Thankful that I can afford to take a week away to myself. Thankful that the people I camped with were so welcoming and now consider me one of their own. Thankful that I now feel ready to take on the next phase of my life with confidence and renewed energy. I know how fortunate I am and I try my best to take none of this for granted.
Rekindling the fire
One of the many sources of nourishment that I will be learning and talking about this year is that which comes from caring for yourself. Being a stay at home parent brings days that are filled with amazement at your child’s growth, laughter, snuggles, dance parties, new adventures and so much more. It also brings frustration, stress, anger, sadness and a general feeling of being burnt out. It’s the greatest job in the world and the hardest at the same time. The love from your child verses the endless meal planning. The pride in raising a kind, generous child verses reminder after reminder to “PUT YOUR SHOES ON!”.
As a result of all the ups and downs and burnt out feelings that come with the full time parenting, I choose to take one week out of each year to care for myself. I go away. Far, far away. My husband takes the week off from his job and stays home with the children. Yes ladies, I realize how very lucky I am. He’s wonderful with the kids and I trust that everyone will be breathing when I return home. This week is my therapy, my reboot. Without it I become Monster Mama half way through the year. I truly feel that every stay at home parent needs and deserves a week away to refresh themselves and maintain an even temper with their children.
I’ve found that after my vacation, I can’t wait to see those little smiling faces. I am filled with renewed energy for my husband, children and myself. It also gives my husband a better appreciation for everything I do for the family every day as well as giving him time he wouldn’t normally have with his kids.
This year, I am going camping in western Pennsylvania at Pennsic (a two week long medieval reenactment gathering). I’m not a reenactor myself, but I love the environment there. It’s beautiful, quiet, relaxed and because of elevation, a few degrees cooler than it is in central New Jersey. Everything is slower there and although there are children around, there are none that need any care from me. So, starting tomorrow morning, I’ll be on my yearly one week vacation. I most likely won’t be posting anything here, but may be able to share photos and short updates on my facebook page. If you haven’t “Liked” Enlightened Nourishment on facebook already, please do.
Have a wonderful week everyone! Don’t forget, nourishment doesn’t just come from food.
My throat started feeling a bit sore yesterday afternoon and it’s been bothering me all day today as well. I have a week long camping trip that starts next weekend, so whatever it is, I want it gone! I’m pulling out the big guns to try to stop it before it turns in to a full blown cold. This is it. If this doesn’t help, I’m not sure what will. I will warn you, it’ll put hair on your chest.
2 oz lime juice (Vitamin C!)
2 tblsp local raw honey (Strengthens Immune system and soothes sore throats)
2 pinches of cayenne pepper (Anti-bacterial, soothes soar throat, detox support)
1/2 tsp powdered ginger (Soothes sore throat, helps in absorption of essential nutrients)
8 oz water (Um, it’s water. We need it to live. Also, it keeps us hydrated and our throats lubricated)
It’s not pretty, but it gets the job done.
Today I had the privilege of being a guest blogger on a lovely blog by a very inspirational woman. Fitpixiemama is letting us follow along on her journey to better health and vitality through better food choices and fitness. She doesn’t consider herself an athlete or health guru, but she is very determined to create a healthier, pain-free life for herself. When I don’t feel like exercising or like I just don’t have the energy to cook one more well thought out meal for my family, I think WWFD (What Would Fitpixiemama Do)? Then I push myself to get off my butt and just do it, because I’ll feel better that I did once it’s done. I am encouraged my her resolve on a daily basis.
So, thank you Fitpixiemama for letting me be a part of your project and for being a hero of mine.
https://fitpixiemama.wordpress.com/2013/07/20/what-works-for-me-may-not-work-for-you-so-how-do-you-figure-out-what-will-work/
I got a little “creative” in the kitchen this afternoon. I knew I wanted to make pancakes on the griddle to avoid turning on the stove or oven (it’s crazy hot this week!). So, I found a recipe for grain-free pancakes that sounded pretty tasty, but I didn’t have some of the necessary ingredients. This is where the creative bit comes in. What’s easier than avocado to mash up and substitute for apple sauce? OK, maybe a banana, but I wanted to get some green in our dinner and cut some of the sugar. Besides, avocado has 2.9 gr of protein, 708 mg of potassium, vit. B-6, vit. C and magnesium.
The recipe went over well with the kids and the husband. Win!!
Coconut Avocado Pancakes:
1/2 large avocado (mashed)
4 large eggs (beaten)
1 tblsp honey
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp salt (I used himalayan pink salt)
1/2 tsp baking soda
Smash the avocado. Add beaten eggs and honey. Blend well. In large bowl whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. Combine wet and dry ingredients. I added the cocnut milk at the end because the batter was way too thick. You could add it to the wet ingredients earlier in the process, it doesn’t really matter. Spoon the batter on to griddle to make approximately 18 silver dollar pancakes. Flip when browned and firm on the bottom. Let other side brown and remove. Top with whatever you like. That’s it!
These pancakes are Paleo, gluten-free, fast and very nummy.
Give them a shot and let me know what you think.
My little man likes to help out in the kitchen. His favorite chore is helping to wash all the fresh veggies for the week’s salad. We wash all of the lettuce, carrots, celery, broccoli, radishes, peppers and whatever else we happen to have from the farm that week. He loves to grab the potato scrubber and get all that dirt off in a big pot of cold water. He’s been doing it since he was big enough to reach in to the sink with the help of a chair or step stool. I think it’s helped his nutrition to work so closely with the food that we eat. I highly encourage parents to have their kids help them wash and prepare fresh vegetables on a regular basis. When they are involved in the process, they are much more likely to eat their fruits and veggies.
My most recent dietary epiphany has been that I do indeed have a wheat sensitivity. It’s something that I’ve been ignoring and blaming on other factors for years. Whenever I would have a dish of pasta, a sandwich, a cookie, scone or slice of birthday cake, I’d end up feeling bloated and nauseated. That’s pretty much every day when I think about it. Somedays would be worse than others depending on how many wheat products I would consume. I just got use to it after a while I suppose. However, now that I am really zeroing in on which foods make me feel good and which don’t, I can no longer pretend that my body can digest wheat. I’ve considered following the Paleo diet and giving up all grains, but I’m not quite sure that’s the best for me. I know that I’ll figure it out during this next year of furthering my nutritional education.
Since I’ve eliminated wheat from my diet, I’ve had to get creative with my food. Investigating wheat flour alternatives to bake with has been somewhat daunting. There are a lot of alternative flours, but none seem to be able to duplicate the fluffy, light texture that you get from wheat. You have to add tons of other wacky ingredients that don’t even sound like something I’d want to eat (tapioca starch, guar gum, xanthan gum, agar agar powder).There are gluten free mixes and some of them are even organic, though not many. They already have the wacky ingredients mixed in, so at least you don’t have to spend the money to buy each one individually.
There is one flour that seems to be as close to wheat flour as I am able to get when used alone. Quinoa flour is light and so far has given me pretty fair results when baking. It has a light odor that is definitely different from wheat, but it’s not enough to turn me off. It has 4 g of protein (same as whole wheat), but only 18 g of carbohydrates (23 g for whole wheat). So, though it is pricey, it will keep me satisfied when the cravings for baked goods come around.
Tonight, I made these yummy summer squash pancakes with quinoa flour. They cooked up beautifully and was a super way of using up some of the extra squash I had in my farm share this week. The kids devoured them so quickly, I had to make sure to save a few for my husband before they were all gone.
Sweet and Savory Summer Squash Pancakes
Makes about 12 pancakes
2 large eggs
3 tbls melted butter
2 tbls honey
2 tbls milk
2 tbls plain yogurt
a splash of vanilla extract
1 1/2 medium summer squash grated in food processor (pat with paper towels to reduce moisture)
1 cup quinoa flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Simply stated, mix all the wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk all the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add the dry to the wet and blend gently until it looks like this:
Then spoon the batter on to an electric griddle or buttered skillet:
The end result is something like a potato pancake, but sweeter and not quite so heavy.
I topped them with maple syrup and butter. Nummies 
This is a recipe that I make in the summers when my son starts asking for lemonade. Sometimes I substitute limes for lemons, either way it’s not too sweet and very refreshing. The raw honey and lemon boosts the immune system and helps greatly with seasonal allergies. You can add more or less apple juice to your liking.
4-average size organic lemons
1/3-cup raw honey
8 ounces organic apple juice
1-tall pitcher full of filtered water