SUMMARY: This recipe, Luke’s Healthy Poptart, is particularly healthy because it uses blueberries, nuts, flaxseed, and Ceylon cinnamon. We’re talking brain health, microbiome supportive fiber, phytochemicals, and blood sugar regulating spices! The recipe is so satiating that nugget sizes are the serving size! This recipe came about because Luke was reminiscing and belly aching about not having the snack bag which included Poptarts, that we use to pack for the long 11 hour trip to the beach. It was easy to redo that food into a whole clean food, bursting with gut microbiome supportive ingredients and minus those that evidence shows can cause harm. Enjoy this recipe with redic delic pleasure! Happy New Year, Happy New Decade!
Category Archives: Recipes: Desserts
So Simple Birthday Chocolate Cake and healing diets
Summary: I subscribe to the Julia Child philosophy of
The deal breaker for SCD/GAPS is the cacao. SCD/GAPS would just substitute honey for maple syrup.
But the UMass version of SCD, called IBD-AID, would permit the ingredients of this cake providing sugar-free dairy-free chocolate shavings are substituted for the dark chocolate chips.
FODMAPs would permit this recipe (recognizing small sizes are consumed) providing:
Lastly, what about AIP? Sorry, but this recipe would not pass muster due to both the sweetener and the cacao.
“I’d rather eat an occasional little piece of the real thing than a giant bowl of the imitation!”
November… two Scorpios living under the same roof, celebrate lit candles on this So Simple Chocolate Birthday Cake. FODMAP friendly, and within limits of UMass modified SCD named IBD-AID. This coconut flour and maple syrup based seven ingredient cake was actually preferred in its taste trial test compared to the traditional iced cookie cake. That is reason enough to not relegate this dessert to a once a year show, rather keep it in your families rotation. We certainly do.
It’s size? Small? Yes, see… it is so nutrient dense and satiating that a little goes a far way.
So Simple Birthday Chocolate Cake and healing diets
Only seven ingredients to evaluate. The verdict: legal for UMass version of SCD and FODMAPs, but not legal for SCD/GAPS:
- The sweetener used is maple syrup (honey is not permitted due to excess fructose) and
- Dark chocolate shavings (sugar-free and diary-free) are substituted for the morsels. Cocoa and dark chocolate shaving are low FODMAP. Avoid carob chocolate which is high in oligos (fructans).
- The small serving size is important since FODMAPs avoids large serves of chocolate. Chocolate is high in fat, and when consumed in excess, can affect gut motility and may trigger symptoms. –Monash University – Easter special: What is the FODMAP content of chocolate?
school lunch bag chocolate chip cookies
SUMMARY: I hear you… school lunch bags and dessert. Well… here is what I pack; it is the very same chocolate chip cookie recipe that you sampled. Actually, I always double this recipe making it in bulk using a very large stainless steel mixing bowl that I happened upon at Marshall’s. I freeze all these cookies, and we just eat them straight out of the freezer! They make great packable school lunch bag chocolate chip cookies! Substitutions for healing diets SCD, GAPS, and UMass IBD-AID are noted.
The best part: it beats any store bought snack or protein bar because this recipe uses protein rich blanched almond flour and eggs. Kick it up a nutritional notch and use pastured eggs. The fat is a medium chain triglyceride full of antimicrobial lauric acid — coconut oil; it is easily absorbed in the small intestine. Finding prepared food that uses coconut oil is rare. Even Whole Foods bakery and other prepared foods uses soybean oil (soybean oil, corn oil, and vegetable oil which was found to increase diabetes, metabolic syndrome and paired with fructose, replicate IBD symptoms.)
And the sweetener — none other than maple syrup (it’s beneficials are called out below the recipe) and Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels. Updated to provide substitutions for the healing diets: for SCD/GAPS try subbing honey for the maple syrup, and for the chocolate, sub raisins, apples or properly prepared chopped nuts. For UMass IBD-AID sub Penzeys cocoa for the chocolate chips (see slide below for the How-To’s). But remember… make sure you are not filling up on these; consuming adequate vegs/fruits/meats, etc… is priority on healing diet regimens — for why, see WHY EAT THE BEETS, CABBAGE, RED COLORS, my top read post thanks to CNN.
It’s great to nix the processed sugars, rice syrups, and industrial seed oils of commercial baked goods. This recipe does it deliciously, and honestly, these are so great, they have replaced their traditional wheat flour counterpart on all my Christmas platters shared with family and friends.
Interestingly you’ll learn that you actually eat less of these types of whole foods compared to their commercial counterparts “where you can’t eat just one.” Many equate this to the increased nutrient density and more satisfying protein/carbohydrate/fat components.
Lucky kidos that get to nosh these out of their lunch bags. Lucky too those that nosh these straight out of their freezers!
What a _great protein and fat combo_ this cookie is! It tastes so great, that it honestly has replaced the traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe on all my Christmas platters that we share with family and friends. I _always double_ this recipe and freeze these cookies. They are great in the school lunch bags! Credit for the original recipe goes to [Primal Palate|http://www.primalpalate.com/paleo-recipe/chocolate-chip-cookies/] though I do incorporate several changes. Source: biomeonboardawareness.com
Credit for the original recipe goes to Primal Palate though I do incorporate several changes.
The ingredients I use:
Blanched Almond Flour. Tip: Buy this in bulk, break into user friendly sizes, and then freeze. Keep a container in the fridge for use. My Biome Onboard Awareness, LLC Facebook Page, notes every time a discount code becomes available, so make sure you “like” that page for notice.
Vanilla — This is tricky; just kidding. I make my own soaking real vanilla beans (cut lengthwise) with vodka! Couldn’t be easier. It takes about 4 months to get a decent flavoring but you certainly can use it sooner. All you do is pour off a small sized glass container amount for baking use, and then just top off the original, shake, and let it rest till you need more. Just pour off, repeat top off… as used. Now you know how to make amazing vanilla. Reuse your beans until your bean flavoring runs out, which is a very long time, years in fact. If you use store bought, read labels to be certain the only ingredients are vanilla beans, alcohol, and perhaps water as most add in a sugar compound.
Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels. These chips contain unsweetened chocolate and cane sugar and are completely free of:
- Gluten
- Wheat
- Dairy
- Peanut
- Tree Nut
- Egg
- Soy
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Casein
- Sesame
- Sulfites
- Potato
Maple syrup… it is a plant derived natural sweetener used throughout the world and truly… it is another functional food. The skinny on why I advocate nixing processed sugars (used predominately in US) and instead move to foods using maple syrup (or honey) (see the post, TWO WEEK SUGAR ELIMINATION: MIND AND BODY PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES for inspiration in weaning off and eliminating sugar) is that amazing health benefits keep being found for maple syrup. Most important: Read labels and make sure yours is 100% pure or it’s guaranteed to be adulterated with sugar and chemical additives.
A “WOW” maple syrup finding: Take this 2015 study reported in Oncology Reports: the researchers examined the effect of three grades of maple syrup (grades are based on the color of the syrup and ranges from light to darker with color being influenced by time of year and processing technique) on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells in order to investigate whether maple syrup is suitable as a phytomedicine for cancer treatment. Their findings, which need to be carried forth in human trials, show:
Maple syrup inhibits CRC cell growth, proliferation, and invasion through suppression of AKT signaling pathway activation… These findings suggest that maple syrup, particularly dark colored ones, might be suitable as phytomedicines, which have fewer adverse effects than traditional chemotherapy for CRC treatment. –Inhibitory effect of maple syrup on the cell growth and invasion of human colorectal cancer cells
4th of July Fruit Roundup & Burger Thoughts
Sharing an EASY 4th of July Fruit Roundup, and a Grassfed Burger recipe, for party & picnic ideas, although honestly, these are fun & fabulous anytime!
And the best part… absolutely NO artificial colorings, artificial flavorings, or additives! Nature is providing all!
Tip: Just dip banana slices in lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
Berries… please buy organic as they are on EWG’s Dirty List:
For the
4th of July Cashew Cheesecake with Nut Crust, SCD/GAPS/PALEO
Summary: This is a great 4th of July dessert, and it is just in time for the holiday! But honestly, we always have this Cashew Cheesecake with Nut Crust in our freezer for snacking! Some add peanut butter into the filling, or blueberries swirled atop the cheesecakes, and others top with coconut milk whip cream. I suppose that is what makes this recipe so fun… you can dress it up but you certainly don’t need to! It is equally delicious as is! Credit for this recipe goes to Minimalist Baker, although I’ve modified it to include proper nut preparation as well as to proportionately increase the filling ingredients to reflect 15 full sized muffing tins instead of one dozen, since I always get 15 nut crusts!
Practically timing preparation of properly prepared nuts:
Since I am all about ease of digestibility and maximizing nutrient absorption, and for those that tolerate nuts, any recipe I provide will use properly prepared nuts for easiest and optimal nutrient absorption and digestion. I prep walnuts and pecans in bulk, then freeze them so they are always available if needing such fora recipe or just to snack on. Regarding the prep work for cashews… I just time it so they begin soaking 4 hours ahead of the time I plan on needing them. The How’s and Why’s of properly prepared nuts are detailed below the recipe.
The concept of using properly prepared cashews as a dairy substitute… totally intriguing, yes? Does it really work? Absolutely!!! Give this recipe a try and you’ll be sold on using cashews, at least as a dairy substitute for cheesecake type recipes.
Hope you enjoy this Cashew Cheesecake with Nut Crust dessert as much as us! Happy 4th of July!
SCD Protein Bar (similar to Cliff Bars) or Bite Sized Candy
SUMMARY: This is a favorite SCD protein bar that we actually cut into bite sized nugget pieces which are then frozen. It is perfect for snacking. The recipe uses a food processor and no baking is required! The ingredients are pressed into a parchment lined dish, frozen, and then cut into the desired nugget sizes. I always double this recipe since it is a freezer stored food.
Maisie Jane’s Almond Butter which is Kosher certified, gluten free, wheat free, vegan, sugar free, and it is made in a plant that does not process peanuts. See the recipe’s note section for insight into why I prefer almond butter over peanut butter.
Properly prepared walnuts and pecans — these instructions follow WAPF and Excalibur Dehydrator Raw Food instructions.
Go Raw Simple Seed Mix for properly prepared pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and
Let’s Do Organic Finely Shredded Coconut Flakes.
Last, omit chocolate chips to make these SCD/GAPS legal.
Ingredients I Prefer to Use
The ingredients in this recipe make these bars an advanced food for those on healing diets such as SCD, GAPS, or PALEO. For this very reason, I recommend properly preparing nut and seed ingredients whenever possible to make such more easily digestible. I use the following ingredients for this very reason although I am not aware of “SCD legal” letters for them. Be cautious if you are SCD or GAPS and use these brands, but many use them without problem. You can be creative and use your favorite nuts, seeds, and nut butters, but I prefer: