Thursday, March 7, 2013

Satisfy your cravings!

The recipe on the package -
I added blueberries and used
coconut oil.
My first blog post ever included a picture of gluten-free blueberry pancakes, but I haven't mentioned them again. Well, I've been having a craving for them and this morning I simply had to satisfy it. Last summer I froze so many of the blueberries I picked at Creekside Farm that I still have a ton in my freezer to use in smoothies, baking and pancakes! I used my favorite gluten-free baking mix from Bella Gluten-Free, followed the pancake recipe on the package (using coconut oil  as the oil) and cooked my pancakes in a pan greased with coconut oil. They were so delicious; the coconut oil added extra yummy, natural flavor.

The batter
Sizzling in the skillet.
Ready to eat and leftovers!   


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Bulletproof coffee

My brother told my mom about bulletproof coffee and she shared it with me. There's plenty of information on the web out there about it, especially on the website: www.bulletproofexec.com. For now I'm just using organic, fair-trade Bolivian coffee from Trader Joe's, but essentially I'm following the same basic principle. Blend fresh brewed coffee with about a tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon grass-fed butter. I've even been adding some organic, unsweetened coconut milk and a dash of pumpkin pie spice. The result is a drink that will help you focus and perform at your peak.

I was a bit concerned about consuming this much fat at first, especially because I had my gallbladder removed a couple of years ago. It turns out that our bodies can process the medium-chain triglycerides found in coconut oil and the short-chain triglycerides found in grass-fed butter without bile, meaning that they aren't potentially harmful to people with gallbladder disease or those without a gallbladder. This is great news! Here's more information about why: http://www.ofspirit.com/brucefife1.htmhttp://www.primalbody-primalmind.com/?tag=butter

Here's this morning's cup:

Bulletproof coffee with a dash of pumpkin pie spice.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Back on the road to wellness

I haven't posted much of anything in while and it's been far too long. My hiatus also reflects my temporary abandonment of my gluten-free, vegetarian (almost vegan) diet in favor of being more of a "flexitarian" as my neighbor has called me. Well apparently "flexitarianism" hasn't been good for my health. Last week I had a little flare up of endometriosis resulting in a ruptured ovarian cyst. While I've had them before, before going on an anti-inflammatory, endometriosis diet four years ago, this was the first one I'd noticeably had in about 4 years. I feel fairly confident that this has to do with venturing off the healthy path in favor of being more pragmatic. Well now it's caught up and it was enough of a wake up call to go back to eating the way I know I should. So today I got started and back on my road to wellness and stocked up on all kinds of good things at Trader Joe's: kale, coconut oil, gluten-free pasta, coconut milk, dairy-free cheese, avocados, tomatoes, decaf green tea, organic fair trade Bolivian coffee (for the bulletproof coffee I've heard so much about with grass-fed butter and coconut oil), dry roasted, unsalted pistachios, and several other things.

I've just finished making my mid-day meal, which is a vegetarian pasta sauce over gluten-free pasta. For the sauce: heat up some coconut oil and sauté chopped garlic and onion. Add baby orange bell peppers, spinach, chopped fresh mushrooms, 1 large can of organic diced tomatoes, one peeled and chopped blood orange, a handful of walnuts, a handful of sun dried tomatoes (not the ones in oil, just dried in a bag) and sea salt. Simmer until ready to serve over GF pasta.


The finished dish - the cheese is a soy-free, dairy free
mozzarella alternative.