Sugar Free Breakfast Smoothie

April 8, 2013 at 12:01 AM (Beverages, Fast, Recipes, Simple, Sugar Free, Whats for Breakfast?)
Tags: cancer, candida cleanse, candida diet, Coconut oil, Cook, cooking, diet, DIY, easy, Easy Recipes, food, Frugal Recipes, fungus, Health, kitchen, paleo, real food, smoothie

Breakfast is tricky for me. I am not hungry in the morning! I know it’s supposed to be this big healthy meal full of protein and fabulous vitamins to start the day off, but quite frankly at 7am I am too tired to chew. I also love to sleep! So I wake up at the last possible second. If I am to eat a ‘proper’ breakfast, I would have to wake up earlier in order to prepare it. Realistically, in the actual life of me…..not going to happen.

So I have resorted over the years to either a piece of fruit in the car while I’m driving to work, or a smoothie. Since I am erradicating all Candida from my life for this experiement, I can no long have fruit sugars. According to the experts I’m allowed to eat only the following fruits:

Berries
Grapefruit
Lemon
Lime
Green Apples
Avocado
Fresh Coconut

Part of me is tempted just to throw every one of those fruits into a blender and call that a smoothie, but that would be WAY too much fruit sugar all at once. So I add as much protein as I can. I have noticed that this keeps me full for a very long time. I normally take a lunch hour around 1pm, and this satisfies until then for sure!

Green Apple Smoothie

1 Large Green Apple- seeded & cored (if your blender is a little on the wimpy side you may want to peel it as well)

5 medium carrots

1 cup homemade yogurt

2 raw eggs*

1 cup greens (not Kale, not making that mistake again)

1 Tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

Put it all in the blender, duh
Pour it in a glass and get in the car and go to work! Hurry up you have 1 minute and 8 seconds to be out the door!
* I wouldn’t consume the average commerically farmed egg raw. That shit will kill you. I am lucky to be madly in love with a chicken farmer, who grows me organic, completely free-range and soy-free eggs (why soy free you ask? READ THIS). They are bright orange-yolked bundles of goodness, full of Omega 3′s and all 23 essential amino acids. Really, the perfect food. You should find yourself such a source and eat raw eggs until the cows come home. Or the chickens in this case.

What does it taste like you ask? It tastes mildly sweet and very creamy with a bit of tartness from the yogurt and the apple. You could probably sweeten it with Stevia or something, but I like it just fine as is. But I’m weird so…

Candida Diet Taco Salad

April 6, 2013 at 12:01 AM (Ferments, Homemade Seasoning Mixes, Recipes, Whats for Dinner?)
Tags: Cook, cooking, easy, Easy Recipes, Frugal Recipes, homemade, kitchen, Nutrition, real food, recipe, Salad, Venison

Taco Salad for the Candida Free Kitchen

2/3 Cup Quinoa

1 Cup homemade Bone Broth

1 lb ground turkey/chicken/beef/venison etc

2-4 Tbsp homemade Taco Seasoning

Romaine or iceberg Lettuce

Olives

Diced Onions

Green Chilies

Grape or Cherry Tomatoes

Sliced avocado

homemade Salsa Verde or ‘green sauce” as Rob likes to call it.

Bring bone broth to a boil, add quinoa and simmer until tender
Brown ground meat
Add cooked quinoa, and homemade taco seasoning. Adding more broth if mixture is too dry
Allow mixture to cool slightly
Toss mixture with all remaining ingredients to make salad.
Top with homemade yogurt if desired.

We love this meal. Something about the still slightly warm meat mixture and the crunchy cold lettuce. Yum! Plus it is “Phase One” safe, if you are following a Candida free way of life, or just plain trying to eat more vegetables!

Candida Cleanse And What To Eat

April 4, 2013 at 1:01 AM (Health, Herbal Medicine, Your Journey to Health)
Tags: alternative medicine, cancer, Candida, Cook, cooking, diet, food, fungi, fungus, Health, herbal medicine, medicine, Nutrition, real food, Recipes, weight loss

So I have decided that I’m going to give Gary Kaufmans ”Phase One” diet a try and see what happens. I am going to follow it to the letter, including all of the anti-fungal herbs and supplements that he recommends in his books. And you get to follow along on my journey of pain and suffering whether you like it or not. If have no idea what I’m talking about READ THIS first.

My Symptoms to Start:

Constantly and wildly fluctuating hormone levels
Hair Loss
Sinus congestion
Alternating Anxiety and Depression (are we having fun yet?)
Constipation
Brain Fog
Bloated Abdomen
Fierce Chocolate Cravings

We are about to find out if any of this is caused by a systemic fungal infection or if I am just a hypochondriac

The Diet:

Eat ONLY the Following Foods

Meats:

Beef, Fish, Poultry, Lamb, Turkey, Pork

Nuts:

Raw nuts, including pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews, and pumpkin seeds. Stored Nuts tend to gather mold, so be careful!
No Peanuts and No Pistachio’s

Vegetables:

Most fresh, unblemished vegetables and freshly made vegetable juice. (avoid mushrooms, corn, and potatoes)

Beverages:

Bottled or filtered water, non-fruity herbal teas, stevia sweetened fresh lemonade or limeade, freshly squeezed carrot juice.

Fruits:

Berries, grapefruit, lemon, lime, green apples, avocado, fresh coconut

Dairy:

Organic butter, organic plain yogurt, ( use the following very sparingly) cream cheese, unsweetened whipping cream, real sour cream

Eggs

Vinegar:

Apple cider vinegar

Oils:

Olive, grape, flax-seed, cold pressed virgin coconut oil.

Sweeteners:

Stevia, Xylitol.

According to www.knowthecause.com:

PHASE ONE DIET

“This diet minimizes fungal food, because it minimizes sugars that fungi require in order to grow. Ask your doctor about experimenting with this diet for 30 days and monitor your results. Many people keep a dietary log each day and share this with their doctor upon their next visit. Often, people begin to challenge this diet, wanting back some of the foods they miss, after achieving good results within a month or two. Most find that their symptoms begin coming back as they go back to their regular diets. This indicates that the fungi were successfully starved, but perhaps not eradicated. Many people, after reading our recipe books, realize that there are hundreds of wholesome and delicious recipes on this phase one diet. With their symptoms much better and their diets now getting more exciting, this diet becomes the genesis of their health program.”

Ok Doug, we’ll see! I’ll share my arsenal of anti-fungal drugs and start on new recipes tomorrow. I’m scared! Did you notice the complete lack of cookies on this program? No cookies! Holy Crap! Wish me luck.

Is Cancer a Fungal Infection?
The Easiest Cancer Cure in the World?
Is Candida Overgrowth a Real Problem?

3 Comments

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

May 30, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Recipes, Whats for Dinner?)
Tags: bacon, brussels sprouts, Cook, cooking, Easy Recipes, food, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, kitchen, Nutrition, real food, Recipes, Salad, Simple

This recipe is very simple, but full of flavor. I love the saltiness of the bacon, the sweetness of the raisins and the bitter brussels sprouts all mixed together. A fabulous side dish!

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

3 slices thick bacon

4 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

1/4 cup golden raisins

1 medium shallot, minced

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup homemade chicken stock

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

In a heavy skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside to crisp up.
Add Brussels sprouts to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until well browned and almost soft. About 7 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add raisins, shallot and butter. Cook 3 minutes
Add broth and bring to a boil, being sure to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Reduce heat and simmer broth 1-2 minutes.
Mix in vinegar and crumbled bacon. Taste and season as needed. Serve warm.

I only had a tiny amount of golden raisins on hand, so I added 1/4 cup of dried cranberries also. It turned out delicious!

I mix mine with lettuce or spinach and eat it like a salad. Yum!

5 Comments

Lake Trout with Morels

May 28, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Recipes, Simple, Whats for Dinner?)
Tags: Bake, baking, casserole, Cook, cooking, Easy Recipes, fish, food, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, kitchen, morel, Nutrition, real food, sea food, trout

Any fish will work for this recipe. Just pick your favorite fillet and go with it. We just happened to have a huge lake trout in the freezer, so this is what I used. It is finally mushroom season, and morels are my favorite. Time to stock up!

Lake Trout with Morels

1 lb fish fillets 1/2 to 3/4 thick

2 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/3 cup green onion, sliced

Sea salt

1 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/4 tsp dry thyme

Thaw fish if frozen. Pat dry and place in baking dish. Sprinkle with sea salt.
In a saucepan melt butter and add mushrooms, onions and thyme. Cook until tender.
Pour over fish and bake in 450 degree oven for 12-18 minutes. Fish should flake easily with a fork when done.

If you are lucky enough to have a surplus of morels this year there are many ways to preserve them. I have tried just about everything, and several methods work.

1. I thoroughly rinse the mushrooms in cold water. Then sauté in butter for no longer than 3 minutes. Let cool and place in a zip lock baggie with juices from pan. When you are ready to eat, cut off the plastic bag and place the whole frozen block in a skillet. Cover and cook on low. Tastes just like fresh, with a slight difference in firmness and texture.

2. I have dried them on a string in the attic for a month, I have laid them on the oven rack and dried them at 160 degrees for about an hour. I have laid them on window screens out in the back yard until dry. I have never owned a dehydrator, so that’s the only method I haven’t used. Of everything I’ve tried, threading them onto a string (like a little mini-clothes line) was by far the best. When rehydrated the taste and texture was exactly the same as fresh out of the ground. Maybe because no heat is used?

3. I have washed and drained the mushrooms so they are almost dry. Then laid them on a cookie sheet and placed them in the freezer until solid. Pack into bags and vacuüm seal. This method changed the texture a bit, but the flavor was the same.

4. My least favorite method was packing a mason jar (or other freezer container) with mushrooms, covering that with cold water and freezing. They would be ok for soup, but the texture was too mushy for my tastes. And a lot of the flavor gets dumped out with the water after thawing.

Happy mushroom hunting!

2 Comments

The Truth about Sea Salt

May 25, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Health, Non Toxic, Your Journey to Health)
Tags: Cook, cooking, food, Health, kitchen, Mineral, real food, Salt, Sea salt, seasonings, Simple, Sodium chloride

Hawaiian Deep Sea Salt

Salt has received a lot of press in past years. One minute it is absolutely essential to life, and the next it is giving you hypertension and trying to kill you.

Salt contains sodium, which is necessary for life. It also provides chloride, which produces acid necessary to digest protein. Chloride is also essential to proper brain growth and function. Salt contains magnesium, which is important for many, many functions and is a crucial, but often overlooked mineral. See my post about magnesium here. Salt is important for muscle contraction and expansion, nerve stimulation, and the proper functioning of the adrenal glands. As with any thing on earth, moderation is the key. The body needs 500 mg of sodium per day. Today the average person eats 6,000 to 10,000 mg of sodium per day!

The truth lies in the different types of salt.

Celtic Sea Salt

Table Salt

Heated to over 1,200 degrees
Highly processed
Mined from rock salt beds
97.5 sodium chloride
Added iodine
Aluminum hydroxide added as a ‘flowing agent’
Added silicon dioxide and dextrose
Added fluoride
Often contains corn sugar to make it more palatable

Sea Salt

Unrefined
Unheated
Extracted from ocean water by evaporation
High mineral content: potassium, calcium, magnesium, selenium, copper, iron, zinc, and manganese.
Contains zero additives
Contains microscopic plant life, which naturally contain iodine
Contains live enzymes, which aid in digestion

Portugese Sea Salt

I love sea salt, and find the highest quality that I can afford. By far the best tasting salt I’ve ever had is Selina Naturally Hawaiian Sea Salt. It happens to also be the sea salt with the #1 highest mineral content. So if you are looking for my top recommendation, that would be it. (around $24 lb)

Runner up: Celtic Brand Sea Salt, not quite as high in mineral content, but very delicious. ($11.00 lb)

Other high quality sea salts I like are Selina Naturally Portuguese Sea Salt ($8 lb) and Himalayan Sea Salt ($5 lb).

Most other brands I’ve seen marketed as natural sea salt, have such low mineral content that you might as well buy iodized table salt and not bother.

Himalayan Sea Salt

11 Comments

The Worlds Best Barbeque Sauce (sugar free)

May 16, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Homemade Condiments, Make It Yourself, Recipes, Sugar Free, Whats for Dinner?)
Tags: Bake, baking, Barbecue sauce, casserole, chicken, Coconut oil, Cook, cooking, DIY, easy, Easy Recipes, food, frugal, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, homemade condiments, kitchen, low carb, no carb, Nutrition, paleo, Pork, real food, recipe, Recipes, Simple, sugar free

It is grilling season, so it’s time to whip up my secret weapon. I have been adapting and changing this recipe for so many years that I don’t remember what I originally started with. All I remember is that I had a half used can of tomato paste in the fridge I was trying to get rid of, and this recipe was somehow born. I love that it has no sugar, but still tastes sweet and has this great spicy kick that goes well with just about any meat. I also really love the base of nourishing bone broth, which you can never have too much of. Tonight we’re grilling bone-in pork ribs from our local farmer with some cornbread. Mmmm, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

The Worlds Best Barbeque Sauce

makes 2 cups

1 Tbsp grass-fed butter or coconut oil

1 cup sweet onion, diced small

1 Tbsp soy sauce

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp dry mustard powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock (or beef or vegetable)

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2-1 tsp stevia powder (or sweetener of choice)

Heat butter/oil in sauce pan and sauté onion for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. You can serve it just like this, but I like to boil it down to thicken it a while. I turn down the heat, cover the pan and let it simmer for 20 minutes or so. I also find the longer cooking time melds the flavors, and it turns out even more delicious.

I have used this sauce on every cut of pork, beef and chicken that I can think of. It is a great marinade, basting sauce, oven baking glaze and dipping sauce. If you are feeding young kids or someone who doesn’t like spicy food you may want to add the chili powder a little bit at a time and taste as you go.

If you want to make this even healthier, you could let it cool and add 2 tbsp of whey and leave it on the counter over night. Then you would have a sugar-free probiotic condiment.

This keeps for 3 weeks in the fridge, and also freezes very well. If you eat as much meat as we do, it won’t last you that long

Coconut Banana Custard (with or without sugar)

May 14, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Real Food Dessert, Recipes, Sugar Free)
Tags: Bake, baking, Banana, Coconut, Coconut milk, Coconut oil, Cook, cooking, dessert, DIY, easy, Easy Recipes, food, frugal, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, housekeeping, kitchen, Nutrition, real food, Recipes, Simple, Vanilla extract

I have made this as a dessert and omitted the sweetener and served it for breakfast. It is delicious either way. It tastes great warm or cold and is full of healthy fats, omega-3′s and protein.

Coconut Banana Custard

1 1/2 cups coconut milk powder (I buy mine from Wilderness Family Naturals)

4 cups very hot water

4 over-ripe bananas, mashed

8 free-range soy-free eggs (why soy free?)

2 Tbsp homemade vanilla extract

1/2 cup maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)

3 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp sea salt

Mix coconut milk powder and hot water. Whisk until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients and blend. Pour into a 11×13 casserole dish. Set the casserole dish into a larger pan filled with water. Bake in 350 degree oven for 55-65 minutes. Do not over-bake! Custard sets as it cools, and even more in the fridge. If cooked too long, the liquid will separate from the eggs, and it will turn out like a sweetened scrambled egg, with a bunch of excess liquid. You are looking for the edges to set, but the middle to slightly jiggle when you bump the pan. For the perfect custard, let it cool in the water bath for at least 30 minutes, then cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 4 or more hours.

This can also be baked in individual ramekins or glass Pyrex dishes (for 35 minutes each). Pyrex dishes are very convenient if you’re planning to pack this in your lunch. You can just let it cool completely and snap on the lid and you’re all set.

I have made this with no sweetener before and it is delicious that way as well. It comes out slightly sweet and more eggy tasting and makes a great breakfast hot or cold.

You can use canned coconut milk (or make your own fresh), but I find it cheaper to use the powder.

For a more beautiful presentation, after the custard is finished baking place a layer of banana slices (or coconut flakes) on top and place under a hot broiler for 3-4 minutes. The bananas will carmelize and blacken and look beautiful on the plate.

5 Comments

Baked Beans in the Crock Pot

May 12, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Buying in Bulk, Recipes, Simple, Whats for Dinner?)
Tags: Bake, Baked beans, baking, casserole, Cook, cooking, crock pot, easy, Easy Recipes, food, frugal, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, kitchen, Nutrition, Oven, real food, recipe, Recipes, Simple, Slow cooker

Baked Beans in the Crock Pot

This makes 1 quart of beans

1 cup dry kidney, navy or pinto beans soaked (see below)

2 sweet, yellow onions, chopped fine

1/2 cup raw maple syrup (or brown sugar)

1/4 cup molasses

1/3 cup organic or homemade ketchup

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 lb bacon (from pasture raised pigs)

To soak the beans: Place beans in large bowl or pot, cover with 1 quart of very warm water (110-130 degrees). Soak for 8-24 hours. I put mine in the oven with the pilot light and oven light on, to keep them toasty. They next day, drain the beans and rinse.

Place beans and all other ingredients EXCEPT SALT in the crockpot, laying the bacon across the top. Adding salt to dry beans, keeps them from getting soft. Always add salt to beans after cooking. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

These are very good and very filling. I serve them with fresh cornbread right out of the oven and we usually eat way too much. This recipe freezes and reheats very well. I have made a quadruple batch before and froze it in individual containers (back when I had a chest freezer, geez I miss that!).

3 Comments

Homemade Garlic Butter Croutons

May 11, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Almost Free, Fast, Make It Yourself, Recipes, Simple, Under $1.00)
Tags: Bake, baking, bread, Cook, cooking, Crouton, DIY, easy, Easy Recipes, food, frugal, Frugal Recipes, housekeeping, kitchen, Nutrition, real food, recipe, Recipes, Salad, Simple, sourdough

Salad season is a lot of fun for me this year. I am having a blast coming up with all sorts of salad dressing and fun creations. But what is a salad without a crunchy, salty, buttery crouton? I had Rob time me, and these took exactly 3 minutes and 4 seconds to prepare, and 9 minutes to bake in the oven. Now, that’s what I call fast food! (and a great use for stale bread).

Homemade Garlic Butter Croutons

1 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Cloves garlic, crushed

salt and pepper

Dash of basil, thyme or parsley for color (totally optional)

4 slices bread, cubed

Preheat the oven to 425. Heat butter, olive oil and garlic in a skillet. Cube some stale bread (I used whole wheat sourdough, but whatever you have around will work) and throw it in the pan. Toss the bread around and stir to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread onto a cookie sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container. They will keep for 2-3 months.

3 Comments

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A Real Food Lover

Sugar Free Breakfast Smoothie

Green Apple Smoothie

Candida Diet Taco Salad

Taco Salad for the Candida Free Kitchen

Candida Cleanse And What To Eat

My Symptoms to Start:

The Diet: