Weight Loss

From: stock.xchang

This is a topic I've been wanting to touch on for awhile. It is very important topic in my life and there has been a lot of press lately on whether or not a gluten free diet will help you lose weight. I think many people still see the gf diet as a fad and every health reporter or blogger is trying to find ways to discredit gluten free foods. So far, most of the articles that I've read - about whether or not gluten free eating really is good for you - have made a clear statement about celiacs and why we eat the way we do and why the shelves are full of gluten free labels. As I've stated before and I'll say it again, eating this way is a life style. When one goes gluten free it makes one realize all the bad and good things that are put into the body. When someone wants to lose weight it is no different. Every diet guide on TV, books, and online will tell you to eat more fruits and vegetables and less junk. There is a reason for that, the celiac is just more aware of this simple fact.

My Weight Loss Story
My story began before going gluten free. I was working at a job with a lot of stress and there was always baked goods to eat and they were all place just outside my desk. We always had cakes for birthdays, donuts on Fridays, cookies from the Vice President, gift baskets from clients, catered lunches, and drinks after work. I always tried to eat healthy, but my tasted buds controlled my actions more then my life. I would work out at the gym every other day, running for hours, but the pounds just wouldn't budge. I found out I had a thyroid problem, and taking meds for that helped me feel better, but the weight just wasn't going any where. I was buying only whole wheat everything and still nothing.

Then I got pregnant with my daughter. Kinda hard to lose weight when you have to eat for two. I ate very healthy for my baby and found out that preservatives made me sick so that made me eat very wholesome things. After the baby was born I couldn't shake off the baby weight. I worked out the best I could, which is very hard to do after baby and with a baby, but I tried. It wasn't till I went gluten and dairy free that I started to lose weight. I have lost 10 pounds during each December for the last two years for a total of 20 pounds just during the holidays. I've lost more weight then that since having my daughter. I was 208 pounds right before I had my daughter. I lost 30 pounds after her birth, mostly water, and that left me at 178 pounds. Since then I have lost 25 pounds and counting. I am now back to where I was on my wedding day!

The change wasn't so much from going gluten free, even thought that is a big part of it, but eating right. We now eat more fruits and vegetables and meats. We have very little carbs in the house these days. We do have bread, cookies, and pasta, but they are mostly for my daughter. She eats gluten free too, but being a child she needs carbs to grow, but she loves her fruit alot too. Her allergist was impressed with how well she eats. Gluten free foods are expensive. It is nice that there are gluten free for almost everything on the store shelves, but paying $5 for bread isn't in our budget. So I either make it from scratch or we do without. I've learned that if I keep chips and sweets in the house I'll eat them and most of them. So I don't buy them and buy more fruit and vegetables instead. If I want a sweet snack I'll eat some fruit. If I want salty I'll have an apple with some Sunbutter. If I want crunchy I'll have carrots sticks or roasted edamame.

Eating right, drinking water and working out is nothing new, the experts have been saying it for years. If eating a gluten free life style forces someone to make the right choices when eating then by all means go for it, and your body will be happier too because there will be less processed junk in your body. Now I know a gluten free diet isn't for everyone and that is fine, but if I hadn't discovered the key to being healthy then I would be very over weight instead. Taking care of our bodies is very important, we only have one shot at this life. I can't not see myself eating what I want with the mind set that "Life is short eat what you want." Instead I think of life this way "Life is short, so instead of living in pain and being unhappy with how I look, I'll eat right and maybe live longer for it too."

Shrimp with Green Beans

I am in love with our health store that is just down the street. It is Sunflower Farmers Market, it is only in the west right now, but they are quickly growing. I love everything about them. They have great deals on everything and it's fresh and local and just so convenient with it being down the street from me. If you live near one go on Double Add Wednesdays, because you get two weeks worth of deals on one day! Some of my friends complain about the prices there, but you have to know when to shop and Wednesday is the day. I go into a regular grocery store and I can't bring myself to buy anything in the produce and meat departments. I look at a sale sign for $1.20 per pound for apples and I just pass them by because I can get them for $.88 a pound at Sunflower. I love their meat and eggs. I don't have to worry about where they came from or what they were fed before they became food. Their eggs are the best, they don't make me sick and they are super cheep (no pun intended). They have the best selection of gluten free foods by volume and we love their bulk section too for cheep snacks. We spend very little money on groceries for the three of us. We spend about $60 a week. I'll talk more about that another day, but if it wasn't for this store I know we would be spending more.

I love sea food, especially shrimp, but unfortunately we can't always afford it or it's not always fresh. At Sunflower I can get them frozen and wild caught, which is a huge plus and I can get it for under $4 a pound too. I don't know about you guys but farmed fish is just gross, it just tastes like dirt. I love getting a big bag of shrimp and then only taking out what I need. I can take out two shrimps and cook them up in some oil and lemon for a sushi lunch or add them to pasta. When buying shrimp all you need to know is the number per pound. That number will also tell you the size of the shrimp. For the recipe below I say use U21, that means it takes 21-25 shrimps to make a pound, that is about a medium size shrimp. So if I say U12 that means the shrimp are big. U25-30 are tiny, great for shrimp cocktail. If you can get them de-vained first, but if not, just use a knife to cut the back of the shrimp then a tooth pick will get that vain out.


Shrimp with Green Beans
1/2 lb of U21 uncooked shrimp
1 cup frozen green beans
2 Tbs water
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp mirin or lemon juice
1 tsp tapioca starch
Salt and pepper to taste


Add olive oil to a skillet over medium high heat. Clean shrimp and the the shells off if desired. I left the shells on because they protect the shrimp during cooking and add a nice flavor. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Once the shrimp are pink on once side, flip them over. Once the shrimp are almost cooked on the second side add the green beans with the water and stir. Add garlic, mirin or lemon juice and stir together. Once green beans are thawed and warmed through, whisk in the tapioca starch to avoid any lumps and to scrap any brown bits that are on the bottom of the pan. Mix in with pasta or serve by themselves. Serves 4.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

As you all just learned I love Japan, but my other love is all things Irish. My family and my husband's family have Celtic ancestors. I love Celtic music, the culture, history, art, and I would love to go there some day.  So at our house we do St. Patrick's Day up big. We normally go to the parade and I make corned beef and cabbage. I put on some Gaelic music and we all wear green, and if it is nice out we go for a walk. If you don't know about the history of St. Patrick's Day, Veggie Tales put together a very cute and very informative piece about this holiday.

For corned beef I do things very simply and of course taste matters. What I normally do is buy corned beef at the store. I find buying corned beef at the health store is always better then at a normal store, because it's leaner. I don't like eating corned beef that is mostly fat, it just kinda turns me off to the whole meal. This year I bought one just in brine but without the spices. I couldn't find any mild ones and since I have a kid, hot things don't work very well. So I'm doing the spices myself this year. I like to cook it in the crock-pot, that way I don't have worry about it and it melts away any fat that is on the beef.  In the past I've cooked the potatoes and cabbage all in the crock pot, and that turns out well and everyone likes it just fine, but this year I thought I try something new with the potatoes and cabbage.

I found an Irish cooking show on PBS and I'm going to be doing the potatoes sorta like how it is done on this show. The host is Rachel Allen and her recipes are very simple. I have to change up her recipe to make it dairy free. Her recipe is more traditional Irish cabbage and potatoes called Colcannon. I like potatoes and cabbage this way and will make it like this from here on out.

Corned Beef
1 Corned beef brisket in juices or in juices and spices*
2-3 carrots pealed and chopped
1 onion chopped 
2 cloves garlic minced
water 
Trim away any large pieces of fat from the corned beef. Spray the inside of the crock pot with cooking spray or olive oil. Place the meat, vegetables, and garlic into the crock pot and cover with water. Cook for 8 hours. Once cooked, slice the meat and put onto a serving platter and add the carrots and onions to the platter. Reserve the juice if you like and serve with the meal. Serves 4-6 depending on size of brisket. 

*If your brisket didn't come with spices take 2 Tbs of pickling spices and lightly toasted them in a dry frying pan and add them to the brisket. For the best results: place the brisket with it's juices  and with the pickling spices into the crock pot and refrigerate over night. This only works if your corned beef has been in a brine but not spiced, most store bought ones have been in a brine.

Colcannon
2-3 lb potatoes peeled and chopped
1 lb green cabbage, core removed and thinly sliced the leaves
4 Tbs butter
1/3 cup mayo
Salt and pepper to taste


Cook potatoes in salted water on medium high heat. Once potatoes are tender, drain and mash. Add butter and mayo to the potatoes, stir till you get a nice creamy texture (you may need to add some dairy free milk if not creamy enough), and set side. In a frying pan add some water, about 2 Tbs, and add the cabbage, cook over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt to the cabbage and stir occasionally. Once the cabbage is bright green and wilted remove from the heat and mix in to the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6.

Hodgson Mill Cookie Mix Review

I noticed in the store the other day that Hodgson Mill now makes gluten free products. I loved their whole wheat before finding out that I have Celiac. Cookies are not the easiest thing for me to make since going gluten free, so I really like using mixes. This cookie mix sells for $2.89 which is less then the Betty Crocker cookie mixes, and we love the Betty Crocker ones, but I had to give this new mix a try.

This mix doesn't require a lot of ingredients, just some butter, shortening, an egg and some vanilla. However, I had to wonder why it needed butter and shortening. I live at high altitude and I know that too much fat will make my cookies flatten and become chewy, not what I wanted so I skipped the shortening and they came out perfect. If you are not at high altitude like I am, you will want to keep the shortening.

I like that they included 5 recipe options right on the box, that way I don't have to pull up their web site each time I want to make a different kind of cookie with the same mix. We just did basic sugar cookies, but we added some green food coloring for fun in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

The instructions say to flatten out these cookies after they are dropped onto the sheet and they do need to be flatten or they will stay little balls. However, I wish they had phrased this part of their instructions differently. They said to use a "glass dipped in flour or sugar." If someone who bought this mix to make for a gluten free friend, who isn't gluten free themselves, may not realize that the flour must be gluten free flour. They could have at least plugged their own all purpose gluten free flour here instead of just saying flour. Also they say that the cookie size will be 3 inches. Mine did not come out to be 3 inches, that is a big cookie if you ask me. I think mine where a good 1 1/2 inches and those were plenty big and they didn't run into each other on the cookie sheet either.

This mix does contain cornstarch, and I'm not sure what their xanthan gum is made from so it too may not be corn free. Over all these cookies baked up well and have a nice taste. They are soft and just a bit flaky, but not crumbly. The taste was balanced and their was no after taste. So far a good buy in our book. We will have to try some of the other alterations soon.

Pray for Japan

I know many have shared their concern for the people in Japan after the massive earthquake and the tsunami, and it was great to see so many gluten free bloggers pause in their blogging to pray for Japan; however, it is sad to see how quickly we here continue on with our lives thinking that brief pause was enough.

Things continue to grow worse in Japan with the failure of the nuclear power plants and many aftershocks and it makes me sick when I read through my facebook and local news how quickly many people have turned away their attention. Why is that? I have to wonder. When Haiti was in their massive earthquake over a year ago the new hung on it for a long time and so many people were willing to text the Red Cross to offer aid, but not so with Japan. Why? I understand that Japan is a far better off country economically then Haiti when they had their earthquake, that is very understandable. I know Haiti isn't designed for earthquakes like Japan is, but still shouldn't the human race reach out to those in need no matter where it happens or what the disaster is?  People have died, and maybe more to come that is no reason to turn away from anyone no matter who they are or where they live. It's one thing to say "It is so sad," and then do nothing verse doing something. Now I'm not asking anyone to do anything but pray. Prayer is free and it is powerful. A simple prayer can heal, change lives, and open closed doors. If you can give money to aid those in Japan, that is great, but prayer is something we should all do.

You maybe wondering why I care so much about Japan. I care so much because my sister's husband's family all lives in Japan. Now they may not be direct relation to me, but when I got the chance to travel to Japan with my sister and her family, they took me in and treated me as though I was family. My brother in law's mother helped me with my Japanese homework (yes I studied Japanese), his father exchanged currency for me so I would get a better rate, his uncle paid for dinner at a nice restaurant, and his aunt was very sweet and gave me a few yen. I wasn't just a guess in their home, but family. That trip to Japan is one I'll never forget. For me it was the first time on a plane, first time I left the country, and the first time I experienced two earthquakes.

The earthquakes I felt were nothing compared to what they felt last Friday, but they are the same magnitude as the aftershocks. It kinda gives one a baseline to compare what they are feeling right now. Being from a land locked state me and my sister never experienced earthquakes before, let alone two. For us it was scary, even though everyone else was fine, but now I'm sure everyone is more freaked out then me and sister ever where when we felt our first quake.

To watch what is on TV and to read the reports online only makes me thank God that family in Japan is safe, but scared for their lives as I continue to see all that is happening with the power plant. Things don't seem to be getting better over there and our prayer and support is still greatly needed. Why is it that we, and by "we," I mean Americans - seem so ready to turn our attention some place else instead of where it is needed the most? When disaster strikes we seem so concerned for the first few days, but soon we get tired of hear and seeing about it on the news. Yet things don't get better that quickly. Things in Haiti still have not improved since their quake and the South is still recovering after Katrina and that was several years ago. Life does go on, but things do not heal as quickly as our mind likes to move on.  So continue to pray for Japan, but let us not forget those who are still in need in Haiti, and other countries who do not have nearly as much as we do.

As the Bible says "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," if you do not want people to forget about you if you are found in a crisis, then don't forget about those who currently are. It takes many years for life to start over again from a crisis and only God knows what is next for the people of Japan. But let's not be selfish and put our woes over others. Do you have dirty dishes? Dirty clothes? A house that might be trashed by small children? Money to buy food for more then one day? Then you my friend are richer then most of the world. Thank God for what you have, and bless those who are less fortunate then you.

If you wonder why bad things happen in relation to God this sermon can help answer those questions.
How can a good god allow suffering?

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

 

The weather is getting warmer, but I still love a good soup. I like nice creamy soups that are great to eat with a slice of bread, or being sipped from a large mug. However, the issue with creamy soups is that they are often made with cream and other dairy products. Considering that I don't eat dairy and can't even handle coconut I had to find another way to cream my soups. 

I've tried dairy free milks like soy and hemp, but they just didn't add the right amount of creamy taste and texture. I've added Earth Balance spreads and that helped with taste, but not texture. I saw a cooking show on TV talk about celery root, also known as celeriac, and that is when I got an idea. I've never used one before but it looked interesting. Celery root is full of vitamin K, fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. So I thought I would try it and in a soup. So I came up with this recipe. It is so simple and tasty, my husband couldn't get enough of this soup, which is a good thing since he ate it every day for lunch. It is amazing how a root vegetable can add so much creamy flavor and texture. I plan to try this vegetable is other cream soups in the future, and I'll post my findings here.

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
1 butternut squash peeled and chopped into large pieces
1 celery root peeled and chopped into large pieces
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp celery seeds
2 Tbs butter
Water or stock
Salt and pepper to taste


Spray the inside of the crock pot with non-stick spray. Add the chopped vegetables, garlic, curry, clove, celery seeds, salt and pepper to the pot. Add water or stock to the crock pot. Pour the water till it is about an inch below the top of the vegetables. Tuck in the bay leaves into the pot and add the butter or Earth Balance vegan butter to the top of the vegetables. Set crock pot for 4-6 hours or 6-8 hours. Once vegetables are cooked, take a potato masher and mash the vegetables. Remove bay leaves and puree the soup in a blender with the lid cracked until smooth - hot soups will blow the lid off the blender if not cracked open. Pour into a pot or a into individual bowls.  Serves 6-10, depending on the size of the squash.

National Nutrition Month with Biblical Insights

March is National Nutrition Month. The celiac life style is a fairly healthy way to live, if you know how to do it right. It is easy for new celiacs to get caught up in the prepackaged gluten free hype. While these products are convenient they are still not perfectly healthy. Having gluten free cookies and snack cracker on hand is fine, as long as they are eaten in moderation. Moderation is the key no matter how anyone eats. These prepackaged gluten free foods can be costly so I try to make more than what I buy pre-made. Sticking to a grocery list that is primarily fruits and vegetables with good sources of protein is the secret to any healthy life style and a economical gluten free one.

By filling our plates with good foods that come from the Earth and not by man, we closer to they way God intend man to eat. Some would argue that a vegan or vegetarian diet is what God intended since Adam and Eve didn't kill animals as part of their food supply, but we enjoy our meat and God did ok the eating of animals later. Now I don't care if you eat meat or not, that is up to you and I enjoy have vegetarian meals a couple times a week. I mostly care about where our meat comes from, and what the chicken or cows were eating before they became our meatballs and chicken nuggets.

In the book of Daniel we see the benefit of eating health that is now know as the Daniel Diet. The original reason for the Daniel Diet was for the soul reason that Daniel and his friends wouldn't be eating food that was offered to idols, a big no-no according to God's law (Daniel 1:8-17). Now this diet is a good diet to follow as a healthy guideline in our modern times. Many books have been written calming this diet to be a detox or as a fasting regiment (Daniel 10:2-3). I first looked up this diet when my Bible study group was doing Beth Moore's study on Daniel and doing the Daniel Diet; as I read through the list I came to realize that this is basically how I eat now, except the meat and the occasional treat. Here is what the Daniel Diet or the Daniel fast details according to Daniel Fast. 

All fruits. These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned. Fruits include but are not limited to apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, figs, grapefruit, grapes, guava,

honeydew melon, kiwi, lemons, limes, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, prunes, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, tangelos, tangerines, watermelon

All vegetables. These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned. Vegetables include but are not limited to artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chili peppers, collard greens, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, ginger root, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, parsley, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, scallions, spinach, sprouts, squashes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, yams, zucchini, veggie burgers are an option if you are not allergic to soy.

All whole grains, including but not limited to whole wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, oats, barley, grits, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas, rice cakes and popcorn.

All nuts and seeds, including but not limited to sunflower seeds, cashews, peanuts, sesame. Also nut butters including peanut butter.

All legumes. These can be canned or dried. Legumes include but are not limited to dried beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils, black eyed peas, kidney beans, black beans, cannellini beans, white beans.

All quality oils including but not limited to olive, canola, grape seed, peanut, and sesame.

Beverages: spring water, distilled water or other pure waters.

Other: tofu, soy products, vinegar, seasonings, salt, herbs and spices.

Foods to avoid on the Daniel Fast

All meat and animal products including but not limited to beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and fish.

All dairy products including but not limited to milk, cheese, cream, butter, and eggs.

All sweeteners including but not limited to sugar, raw sugar, honey, syrups, molasses, and cane juice.

All leavened bread including Ezekiel Bread (it contains yeast and honey) and baked goods.

All refined and processed food products including but not limited to artificial flavorings, food additives, chemicals, white rice, white flour, and foods that contain artificial preservatives.

All deep fried foods including but not limited to potato chips, French fries, corn chips.

All solid fats including shortening, margarine, lard and foods high in fat.

Beverages including but not limited to coffee, tea, herbal teas, carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and alcohol.

This list is pretty close to how I do things on a daily bases, except I still eat meat. Also, the grain section has to be changed for us celiacs, but there are plenty of good whole grains for us to eat like qunioa, sorghum, brown rice, millet, and buckwheat. Sweets are a fine treat in moderation as well, but fruits do satisfy the sweet-tooth. I try to avoid fried foods as much as I can, but everything else seems fine and pretty reasonable and easy to do.

Our church recently went through a 21 day fast and many chose to do the Daniel Diet or give up sweets or coffee, and some gave up solid foods. I was talking to an older lady at our church about health and how food affects our body. She shared with me that she did the Daniel Diet during the all church fast and was telling me all about how her body was feeling better and how much she just liked how she felt after eating all those fruits and vegetables. She has more energy and was feeling great in her mind, body and soul; well enough to maybe continue to eat that way after the fast. It was so refreshing to hear a person rave about this diet and thinking that my eating life style was honorable. I even over heard her tell another person that eating the Daniel Diet way could help them solve some of their many health complaints that we mostly assume comes with age. 

God commands us to take care of our bodies, "After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church." Eph 5:29. Christ loves us so much he gave his life for us and he calls the church his bride. The way God loves the church is called agape love. This love type is how we should love other. This type of love puts the needs of others be for our own needs; we have their best interested in mind, even if they want something else. By feeding and caring for our bodies the way Christ cares for the church we are putting what is healthy and good for our bodies over what is harmful. We should take care of the body that God gave us with love and respect. We should feed ourselves good things and do what we should to keep healthy. Eating junk food and man made foods are junking up our bodies and can cause all sorts of health problems. I won't go into detail about that, so many talk shows talk about how junk food is bad for us already.

I can't stand fast food chains, all of the things that they put into the food; as Mark Bittman said "11 weird ingredients you would never keep in your kitchen." in his responds to McDonald's oatmeal disaster. If I don't know what is in the food I am going to eat, then I won't eat it. If I can't remaster the same thing at home, why would I buy it else where? The whole fast food thing makes me sick just thinking about what all they put into food then sell it like it's all ok and safe. After reading what was in Taco Bell's so called "beef", it became more aware to me just how much we put our taste buds over health. The whole stigma that "If it taste bad it's good for you. Only unhealthy stuff tastes good," no wonder our country has such problems with losing weight and getting healthy. We put our taste buds, who are only in contact with food for a few seconds, over our bodies who have to break it down, digest, and pass it around the body for the next day or more. If we teach our kids that only healthy stuff taste bad, then they will grow up thinking the same thing and teaching it to their kids.

Eating healthy starts as a family. I am healthier now that I have gone gluten free. I have learned so much and I wouldn't want to change that. I eat better, I feel better, and I am finally getting to the weight I want to be. And no I'm not depriving myself either, I just eat smart. I'm not a big fruit eater, but my daughter is, because of her we keep a lot of fruit in the house. By enjoying a snack with my child have I learned that fruit really does satisfy that sweet-tooth craving and I don't have to feel guilty if I eat "too" many. A healthy life starts with what we eat, whether it's for health reasons or food allergies, food is the foundation for life, and how we feel. Enjoy your food, always, but be smart about it and teach your kids that healthy foods do taste good.

Sunbutter Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Who says you can't enjoy ice cream again after going dairy free? And who says dairy free ice cream should cost you an arm and a leg? Not me, that is for sure. I love ice cream, always have and always will. I grew up having a bowl almost every night. My husband thought I was crazy in love with ice cream when we first got married because I always insisted that we have some in the house. So no surprise, to him when I first went dairy free, that I went out and bought an ice cream maker. 

As you will learn over time, I love my Kitchen Aid. I think it is one of the best tools anyone can have in their kitchen and if you love to cook and save money, get one! I have three attachments for my Kitchen Aid that I love, they all work well, and they have saved me a lot of counter and cabinet space and money. So when getting an ice cream maker I of course got the Kitchen Aid attachment one. It works great and has paid for its self in the year that I've owned one. I can make 2 quarts of dairy free ice cream for a dollar or two less then a pint of dairy free ice cream at the store. Plus, I get to create my own flavors, just what ever ice cream-aholic needs.

The recipe I use for my ice cream is based off one by Ashley Skabar from About.com Dairy Free Cooking. Her recipe:

2 cups unsweetened soy milk

1 tsp xanthun gum

2/3 cup honey

Here is my updated version from her recipe, which makes more:

1 quart dairy free milk (I used hemp but soy and rice works too.)

1 1/2 tsp xanthun gum

3/4 cup of honey or brown rice syrup

dash of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sunbutter Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

1 quart dairy free milk (I used hemp but soy and rice works too.)

1 1/2 tsp xanthun gum

3/4 cup of honey or brown rice syrup

dash of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup Sunbutter (I used store bought)

1 tsp coco powder

2 ounces of semisweet chocolate broken into small chunks with a knife or 1 bag of mini Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Have ice cream maker ready for making ice cream, I have to freeze my bowl first. In a blender mix together milk, honey, salt, vanilla, and coco powder. In a small sauce pan or in a microwave safe bowl soften the sunbutter. Add the sunbutter and the xanthun gum to the blender and mix for 1 minute of till thickened. Pour mixture into ice cream maker, and mix as directed by the manufacture. Once done, stir in the chocolate chips or chunks. Enjoy right away or freeze. Makes 2 quarts. 

Miso Beef with Sweet and Sour Broccoli

I love ethnic foods. They are fun to make and to eat. I love going traditional and just being creative with the flavors. Another great thing about ethnic foods are that they are often gluten free to begin with. American food just seems so full of carbs and junk. There isn't much in our cultures cuisine that doesn't require some tweaking to make it work. It's fun to see what each store carries in their ethnic section, because they are hardly ever the same. I've found great quinoa and rice crackers at Target, but found great Mexican flavors at Kroger stores and cheep Asian fixings at the local health shop. Just taking the hint of those cultures and putting them in my cooking is always fun and exciting for the taste buds, as if my Mexican Lasagna didn't tell you that already.


I came up with this recipe after going on an Japanese easting frenzy. I was in the mood for real ramen and sushi. I bought some miso to put in my ramen and of course I have a lot of miso left over. So I thought I use some of it for a marinade and create something new. Growing up my mom made flank steak often and I would always have to make the marinade for it, because she was at work and I was at home. So by the time I left for college I had her recipe memorized, which I believe came from a Betty Crocker cookbook. So I took that traditional recipe and add in a few twists of my own to create something new, that my friends is the true joy of cooking.

Miso Beef
1-2 lbs of either flank steak, London broil or round steak
2 Tbs gluten free soy sauce
2 Tbs Worcestershire
1-2 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tbs miso paste
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste (I used red pepper flakes)

Poke holes in the steak with a fork all over the top. Mix soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper together and pour over steak. Take the miso paste and smear over the top of the steak. Let the meat marinate all day, covered, in the refrigerator or for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Grill either on an outdoor grill with the lid down or on an indoor grill with a foil tent on top. Cook until desired inside temperature, we like medium well. Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes. Cut the meat in thin slices across the grain. Serves 5-6.

To go with my miso beef I wanted something that would really add to my meal. I started thinking of other Asian side dishes and for some reason broccoli came to mind. I was thinking about the broccoli you get when at a Chinese restaurant, but of course mine is nothing like that, but went very well with the beef.

Sweet and Sour Broccoli
Two medium/small heads of broccoli with the florets cut off
2 Tbs water
1Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1Tbs Mirin (Japanese cooking rice wine)*
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp tapioca starch
1Tbs butter substitute
Salt and pepper to taste


Put the water in a frying pan heat on medium heat. Add broccoli and cook, this will steam the broccoli. Once broccoli is bright green add soy sauce, ginger, mustard, salt and pepper and mix well. Add lemon juice and mirin, cook till broccoli is tender. Whisk in the tapioca starch, a little bit at a time to avoid lumps. Stir in the butter. Serves 4.