5-ingredient vegan walnut pesto over zucchini noodles (vegan, gluten free, paleo)
Yep, it’s been waaay too long since I posted, but there’s a good reason for that. If you saw my last post, you’ll know that I started on something new earlier this year. The name change of this online space was just the first hint of that! Since enrolling in my health coach training program, I’ve become even more excited by the possibilities for transformation that I can bring to my clients…and to you! This online space will take a little catching up to what’s been happening “behind the scenes” since March. For now, I’m content not to rush it. In the end, it will mean better content for you…
cheesy kale chips (vegan, oil free, gluten free, soy free, paleo)
Aren’t snack foods made from good-for-you ingredients the best? Like kale chips! The first time I tried kale chips, it was love at first bite. Savory, salty, crunchy…yum! But the thing I wasn’t in love with was the price tag, especially for frequent snacking (keep in mind we have four hungry children to feed, three of which are boys). So I turned to my own kitchen to try and re-create the ideal snacking experience. Here are few things I’ve learned along the way: The key to a good kale chip is the seasoning. Since kale is strongly flavored itself, if you’re too light with the seasonings, you…
apple cabbage slaw with apple cinnamon dressing (vegan, raw, paleo, gluten free, no added sugar)
In the apple vs. pumpkin debate, I fall in with the apple crowd. What about you? It’s been a great year for apples here in Northeast Ohio…especially the organic red apples we’ve been enjoying from my parent’s neighbors. Which got me brainstorming ideas for a fresh fall apple-based salad… Voila! Apple cabbage slaw with apple cinnamon dressing. I can eat it like candy. My favorite thing? I can’t decide. It’s a toss up its crunchy sweetness (but without any added sugar!) or being the perfect balance to the heavier comfort food dishes because the apple cinnamon dressing is free of heavier oils found in traditional coleslaw. The apple cabbage…
game, set, matcha coconut lime energy bites (vegan, no added sugar, gluten free, paleo)
As we’re learning, life in high school is busy…especially when you throw in sports. It usually makes for a long day and a late arrival home. To brighten up my daughter’s long day and making snacking on the run easier, I whipped up these matcha coconut lime energy bites – a nod to her chosen sport this season and because matcha naturally boosts energy. It also helps with mental alertness, has antioxidant powers (hello bright green powder!), boosts the immune system and cardiovascular health and can fight infections – which gives it an A+ in my books. This was my first time trying matcha after hearing of it…
raw rutabaga pizzas (vegan, gluten free, anticandida diet, paleo, raw)
The hardest thing about modifying your diet can be figuring out just what the heck your now going to eat. This month, I’ve been following the anti-candida diet which cuts out all sugars and drastically cuts carbs among other things to address the problems that come with a systemic yeast overgrowth. Since I’m a big fan of hummus which is not ACD-friendly, I needed an alternative for a hearty and satisfying snack. And thankfully I found it in baba ganoush. I also had to switch out raw carrots for the first couple of weeks and replace those with rutabaga – a veggie with strong anti-fungal properties. I came up with…
6-ingredient Cauliflower soup (vegan,anti candida, gluten free, paleo)
Today is Day 4 of the full Sugar Detox Challenge. I’m also adding the twist of following the anti-candida diet which you can learn more about here. One of the keys to succeeding with any diet change, is preparation. Mental and physical. So much of what and how we eat is tied up in our emotions, our memories and our culture that breaking from your traditional diet can be tough. I’ve found the best way to mentally prepare for a diet changhttps://shebloomflourish.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1024&action=edite is praying about it and leaning on God to get me through. But I also put that faith in action by researching recipes and articles…you could say it’s…
chocolate mousse cake (vegan, sugar free, gluten free, paleo)
I’m not really sure if “cake” is the right work to describe this dessert. Pie doesn’t really fit either, although this does have a crust. But after doing some research to see if there was a more fitting name for this confection and turning up nada, I’m running with cake. Food people, if I’ve missed named this dessert, please let me know. I’m all ears. Ever since radically reducing my sugar intake a couple of years (and more on this to come next week), I’ve tried to stick to desserts that use mostly fruit to sweeten them. After seeing similar concoction around the Web, I knew I had to try…
naturally salty sweet peanut butter banana jumblelaya (vegan, nut-free/raw option)
Sometimes, I think the best recipes are those that are cobbled together…a little of this, a little of that, nothing measured. Just a few favorite ingredients in a bowl, in a cup, on a plate. Snacking especially lends itself to improv eating. Although my go to snack often is enough to satisfy, sometimes, I’m looking for something a little bit more… This snack is by no means intended to approximate the traditional Cajun jambalaya in the rice-veggies-meat sense, but it does mimic the dish’s mish mash approach to pulling ingredients together. Peanut butter + banana have long been a favorite of mine. (In my white-bread eating days, it was especially…
oven-baked sweet potato chips + guacamole (vegan, oil-free)
I grew up in a home where we ate quite a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. But somehow the avocado eluded us. And guacamole? The first time I tried it I was in my late twenties. It was love-at-first-bite. But chips, guac’s side kick, are rather low on the healthy eating spectrum, sprouted, organic, GMO-free or not. And despite their salty, crunchy tastiness, I’ve been looking beyond the vegan label to examine what I’m actually putting into my body. Because eating a plant-based diet doesn’t necessarily = a healthy diet. So when I want a healthier compadre for my guacamole, I round up some sweet potatoes and put…
oh-lay early spring salad
It’s funny how much we talk about the weather, at least around these parts. Perhaps it’s because we’re all in it together, this waiting for spring to be spring. I check weather updates repeatedly as if somehow my multiple visits per day to our local weather station’s website will translate to warmer temperatures in the forecast. Even now my fingers are itching to check it once again. The calendar says it’s spring, but the temperatures seem reluctant to leave winter behind. I need to remind myself as I remind my children that it is the Lord who controls the weather and, thankfully, He is not bound by a calendar. At…
