Gluten Free & Vegan Give your Valentine a healthy home-made snack this year instead of a box of chocolates! This granola is delicious all by itself or paired with your favorite milk or yogurt. Packed with heart healthy monounsaturated fats from the almonds this granola will keep you feeling fuller longer and provide a rich infusion of potassium and magnesium - both essential for good cardiovascular health. The ground ginger lends a subtle spice and comes with lots of therapeutic benefits, including improving digestion and reducing inflammation. This granola is also under 7 grams of sugar per serving - another bonus for those of you who are watching your sugar intake! Ginger Almond Granola (PRINT RECIPE) (PRINT GLUTEN FREE RECIPE) Makes 1 1/3 cups, Serving size 1/3 cup Ingredients: ¼ cup pure maple syrup 1/4 cup creamy unsalted almond butter 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 cups rolled oats or gluten free rolled oats 2/3 cup sliced or chopped almonds Directions:
You can store this in airtight container for up to a week, but it probably won't last that long. Enjoy! ~Billie & Jen
0 Comments
Grain Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, Low Carb I don't know how you feel, but it seems to me that finding a pre-packaged protein bar that doesn't break the bank is pretty tough, especially for those of us with food sensitives and/or blood sugar issues. I recently found Health Warrior Chia Bars and fell in love with the coconut flavor, so I thought I'd try to make my own version. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! These bars are truly delicious and are also...
Chia seeds were once the staple of the Aztec and Mayan diets and today are being hailed as one of the top superfoods - and for good reason! This nutrient dense food packs a lot of benefits:
Coconut-Almond Chia Seed Bars (PRINT RECIPE) Makes 12 bars Ingredients: 4 large Medjool dates, pitted and halved ¼ cup filtered water ½ cup chia seeds ½ cup raw almonds, chopped ¼ cup almond meal/flour 2 tablespoons shredded coconut 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted Dash of salt ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Directions:
Happy Eating! ~Billie Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Dairy Free or Vegan Versions Two of my favorite foods - pizza & quinoa - come together in this surprisingly delicious appetizer to fulfill that pizza craving in a healthier way! Slightly crunchy on the outside but moist and cheesy on the inside..tastes like you just bit into a slice of margarita pizza! Well, close enough anyway..:) And so much better for you than a slice of pizza...you can have 4 of these for only 148 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 19.5 carbs! Since quinoa is a grain high in protein, you also get 6.9 grams per serving in these, which will keep you feeling fuller longer. These snacks come together in a flash with pre-cooked quinoa, ricotta cheese and fresh veggies like basil, tomatoes, and red onion. Warm up some pizza sauce on the side for dipping and you have an irresistible (and very cute) appetizer. You may want to plan ahead and double this recipe because these quinoa bites will be gone in a flash! Cheesy Quinoa Pizza Bites (Naturally Vegetarian and Gluten free) Cheesy Quinoa Pizza Bites (Gluten Free Dairy Free) Cheesy Quinoa Pizza Bites (Gluten Free and Vegan) If you are making our gluten free- dairy free or vegan recipe, you will also need Jen's recipe for Homemade Creamy Vegan Ricotta. You will not need the whole batch for this recipe, but it makes for a delicious snack on crackers or chips or smeared inside a wrap with veggies and clean proteins. p.s. - Our vegan ricotta recipe does contain soy, so if you are also soy free, you can modify the vegan recipe to include 2-3 tablespoons brown rice flour instead of the cheese or vegan ricotta and increase your veggies by another 1/4 cup total. You may also need to add a dash of xanthan gum to hold everything together:) Happy Eating! ~Billie This gravy will not disappoint - in fact when I served it at Thanksgiving the last few years and everyone was raving and asking for the recipe. I had two 'meat eaters' tell me it was the best gravy they had ever had! It really thew them for a loop when I told them it was a vegetarian gravy - they had no clue!!
Bottom line...you do not have to stand over the stove and frantically try to make gravy with your turkey drippings while the whole family waits to eat. And you certainly don't have to buy canned -huge yuck! You can make this gravy while your bird roasts or the stock and/or the gravy can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It also freezes really well, so you can make a big batch for all your holiday meals at once. Just defrost in the fridge overnight (if needed) and reheat on the stove top over low heat when you are 20-30 minutes away from serving. This recipe also includes very simple conversion instructions to make it gluten free, dairy free, and vegan! It is also one of 24 delicious recipes included in our new, Anti-Inflammatory Diet Holiday eCookbook. This book is loaded with clean meals that your whole family love this holiday season - download your copy here today! ROASTED GARLIC VEGETARIAN GRAVY (PRINT RECIPE) Makes 4-5 cups gravy Ingredients: 1 large head garlic 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil plus additional for drizzling 1 leek, quartered and washed 1 onion, left unpeeled, quartered 2 carrots, quartered 2 celery ribs, quartered 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns 1 1/2 cups dry white wine (sub more broth if you are sensitive to alcohol) 1/3 cup soy sauce 6 cups cold water 5 tablespoons organic unsalted butter, organic ghee, or vegan butter 1/3 cup all purpose flour, brown rice flour, or quinoa flour ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper Directions:
Happy Holidays! ~Billie As summer nears an end and the kids are heading back to school, it is important to think about your plan to get healthy food into your kiddos each day so they can be the best they can be! Between work, school, sports, homework and other activities, every family's schedule seems to fill up quickly and we often put our health needs last. We wanted to suggest some simple ways to implement whole foods into your kids diets without adding too much time to your schedule. We will start with breakfast! Studies show that breakfast eaters tend to have higher school attendance, less tardiness, better concentration, higher test scores, and better muscle coordination. So whether they eat at home or at school, be sure your children eat a nutritious breakfast every day. The idea is to give them balanced nutrition to start their day - a combination of lean protein, healthy fat, and vitamin and nutrient packed fruits and vegetables. Fast, Nutrient Packed, Kid Friendly Breakfasts: Overnight Oats (1 serving)
NOTES: When the rolled oats 'marinate' in the milk overnight, they will have a consistency like you are used to when you cook them on the stove top (I promise!). Besides being a time saver, the extra bonus is that by not cooking them, you are retaining more of the gut healthy enzymes and nutrients they are packed with! Sneaky Green Smoothie (2 servings)
NOTES: This is an easy way to get healthy greens like spinach into your kids without them tasting it:) The berries and protein powder cover up the taste of the greens so most kids have no idea they are even eating spinach! Once your kids gets used to this flavor, you can play around with other combinations or types of greens. *We recommend a protein powder that is low in carbohydrates/sugars and high in protein - use the 15/15 rule - you want 15 or LESS grams of carbohydrates and 15 or MORE grams of protein per serving. We hope you and your family enjoy these nutritious and delicious breakfast ideas! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more Back to School, Kid-Friendly Nutrition Ideas... Happy Eating! Billie |
Billie Shellist, FDN-P
I practice functional nutrition, an approach that allows me to look at your entire health history and help you find the "root causes" of your chronic health complaints. This cuts out the trial and error process and helps you get real symptom relief and resolution! Food is medicine and knowledge is power -I hope you enjoy my anti-inflammatory recipes which are gluten, dairy, and soy free as well as very low grain and sugar. If you'd like to heal from the root cause(s) of your chronic symptoms, try starting with a complimentary 15-minute consultation. Click here to request your free session. |