Category: Recipes Page 11 of 24

Rosemary Apple Chicken Skillet {Gluten-Free, Paleo}

On June 2, 2015

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Recipes, Tips & Tricks

We JUST made the decision to renovate our kitchen and dining room (YAY!) but don’t want to use our small space as an excuse not to have people over for dinner.

We were trying out a new chicken recipe for our friends Brian and Kara and also prepared some of our go-to staple dishes like this super simple asparagus and this creamy roasted garlic cauliflower mash.

We devoured it and couldn’t get over how tender and flavorful the chicken was!

Cutting the chicken into cutlets makes it cook faster and more evenly on the stove than keeping the chicken breasts whole, so I included a picture of how we did that below.

The key to this recipe is giving it about 30 minutes to marinate in the fridge, which you can totally do while you’re preparing the rest of the meal.

This will become a new family favorite! It’s one of the tastiest dishes we’ve ever made…and so simple!

Ingredients

2 large boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts, cut in half to form 4 thin chicken cutlets (see pics below)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
Juice from 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 apples, cored and thinly sliced

Directions

Combine garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large plastic bag and add the chicken. Massage, so the marinade evenly covers the chicken, and then put the bag in the fridge for about 30 minutes, so the chicken can marinate (longer if you have the time!).
Bill cutting the chicken into thinner, faster-cooking cutlets!
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and dump contents of marinade bag onto pan, along with apple slices.
Saute for 5-7 minutes, tossing apples but leaving chicken on one side to brown. Then, flip chicken pieces to the other side and cook 5-7 more minutes or until done.

San Diego: A Healthy Foodie’s Paradise & Top 10 Places to Eat

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On May 31, 2015

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Healthy Dining, My Story, Paleo, Tips & Tricks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Eating healthy and traveling can be a challenge, but in San Diego, it is almost effortless.

With juice and smoothie bars popping up on every corner and a commitment to serving sustainable, local, fresh and nourishing cuisine, San Diego is a healthy foodie’s dream.

(Especially for someone like me who is always looking for tasty dairy-free and gluten-free options!)

My husband Bill and I recently made our first trip to California and had an amazing time exploring the relaxing and beautiful coast and eating lots of delicious and energizing food.

I have to give a shout out to my friend, Janna, who was kind enough to take the time to send me a few of the recommendations below. Bill and I did some exploring on our own, too, and came across some awesome food that we wish we could have brought home with us.

Check out my top picks below for places to try the next time you’re in sunny San Diego! I will give you more details about the vibe, what we ate, and what you have to try if you go there. Here is the short list (in no particular order).

Vitality Tap
Cafe21
Peace Pies
Georges at the Cove
Juice Crafters
Hillcrest Farmers Market
Plumeria
Burger Lounge
Jimbos Naturally!
SOL CAL Cafe – HAS SINCE CLOSED

Vitality Tap

650 1^st Avenue, San Diego; 619-237-7625; www.vitalitytap.com

The Vibe: If you do not know what to look for, you could easily miss this place. It is inside of a nutrition store. They had a list of dozens of superfood boosters, including chlorella, goji berries, lucuma powder, and chaga mushrooms that you could add to any smoothie. Which reminds me, I have been doing a lot of research about chaga mushrooms recently, as one of my friends told me that she uses them to boost her immune system. You can read more about the therapeutic potential of chaga mushrooms here: https://www.chagainsight.com. Vitality Tap also encouraged us to post a review on Yelp to get a free detox shot. Free? Sign me up

What We Ate

Green Ingredient Smoothie (I was warned this was a pretty “intense” smoothie, due to the lack of sweetness, but I was ready for it). With a blend of greens, mango, lime, lemon, hemp seed, cucumber and spirulina, I knew it was an anti-inflammatory, detoxifying concoction that my body would love. Remember, medicine doesn’t always taste good, but people take it anyway This is true when food is medicine, too!
Flexin’ Smoothie (This was Bill’s favorite)
Avocado Bliss Smoothie
Undressed Greens Juice
All Day Energy Shot
Detox Shot

Cafe21

802 5^th Avenue, San Diego; 619-795-0721, www.cafe-21.com

The Vibe: Farm-to-table restaurant in the heart of the Gaslamp district that sources its food from local farmers and distributors and is committed to crafting creative, seasonal, and delicious dishes and drinks. There is a Mediterranean vibe that I loved about this place, but their menu is eclectic and offers something for everyone. The chef was accommodating and creative when it came to my dairy and gluten-sensitivities, and any dish our servers recommended was a winner. We liked it so much that we went for dinner and brunch. It was the best thing ever to come from Tennis Lessons San Diego and sit down and eat lunch at this place.

What We Ate

Dinner

Lentil, Cauliflower & Chicken Soup
Avocado, Mushroom & Eggplant Fries with Mediterranean-inspired Red Pepper Dip & Avocado Mousse (They made it dairy-free and gluten-free for me!)
Sangria-Marinated Short Ribs (Bill had these and they melted off the bone)
Black-Eyed Peas, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Onions & Peppers with Spaghetti Squash

Brunch

Garden & Vegetable Omelet Skillet with a Strawberry & Mixed Greens Side Salad
Mango Sweetie Hot Tea (you have to try their homemade teas!)

You Have to Trythe Avocado, Mushroom & Eggplant Fries. Our minds were blown (hence Bills face in the pic above)!

Also, if you sign up for their newsletter, they’ll send you special deals, including a free meal on your birthday!

Peace Pies

4230 Voltaire Street, San Diego; 619-223-2880; www.peacepies.com

The Vibe: I was super excited to check out this place when I saw their menu online. It is a Bohemian café with a locally sourced menu of raw, vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free dishes. I’m pretty sure we went to Peace Pies three times for some combination of lunch/dinner/dessert. We loved it!

What We Ate

Magical Mango Curry Wrap with Kale Chips
Mediterranean Sampler
Voltaire Street Tacos
Majestic Mediterranean Wrap
Banana Chocolate Coffee Pie
Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich
Stuffed Date with Maca Cashew Butter

You Have to TryMango Curry Wrap & Kale Chips (yum x100)…and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich!

Georges at the Cove

1250 Prospect Street, La Jolla; 858-454-4244, www.georgesatthecove.com

The Vibe: Talk about a view. Wow. Not only was our rooftop table overlooking the Pacific picture perfect, but so was our meal. The sea was absolutely stunning and we found out from some locals that you can take a kayak tour of the sea caves in La Jolla, San Diego which will have to try next time we visit. After multiple people recommended we check out Georges, we knew we had to make it part of our trip.

What We Ate

Scallop Ceviche
Seared Yellowtail with Asparagus, Mushrooms and Red Pepper Puree
Fresh Fish Tacos (Bill ate tacos every day :))

You Have to TryScallop Ceviche. My co-worker, Gina, turned us on to this appetizer. She told us we absolutely had to have it, and we’re so glad we took her advice! Light, crisp and refreshing, it was a perfect start to our West Coast lunch on a breezy afternoon.

Juice Crafters

Multiple Locations; 935 Silverado Street, La Jolla; www.juicecrafters.com

The Vibe: We stumbled upon this place when we were wandering around La Jolla and looking for something hydrating and energy-boosting before dinner. Juice Crafters is a family-owned cold-pressed juice and powerhouse smoothie bar whose approach is to “live well and be well.” That’s my kind of place!

What We Drank

Green Juice Plus

You Have to TryAnything on the menu! We only stopped by for something to hydrate us before dinner, but all of their smoothies looked good, especially the Chunky Monkey Smoothie they were advertising outside that day.

Hillcrest Farmer’s Market

3960 Normal Street, San Diego, www.hillcrestfarmersmarket.com

The Vibe: Held Sundays from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., this was our favorite of the three farmer’s markets we checked out while in San Diego. There are over 175 vendors there, so give yourself some time to explore. Take a look out all the awesome eats below!

What We Ate:

Taste of Africa – This was one of our favorite meals of the whole trip…and the cheapest. For $11, each of us ordered a bowl served with jasmine rice and vegetables topped with rich and creamy (and dairy-free!) curried lentils and chopped and sautéed collard greens. Bill ordered the jerk chicken instead of the lentils, and both of us took our first bite, looked at each other and made “the face” we make whenever we’ve just tasted a little bite of heaven.
Green Fix – They sell juices and smoothies that highlight vegetables as the star, unlike many smoothie places that load up on the sweet stuff. They have options that accommodate a wide range of taste preferences with varying levels of sweetness, so if you’re gungho, try a jug of the “Raw” version.
Asana Foods – They have lots of unique paleo options from granola to almond butters and are known for their killer acai bowl. We bought a jar of their cardamom goji berry almond “buddah”. They ship, too, so we can order online here.
Happy Pantry – Best sauerkraut around. Fermented foods like sauerkraut (something I used to hate until about a year ago!) are excellent for our digestive health, skin, and overall immunity. We loved the variety of combinations and ended up with a jar of the Power Krautage. Bill loved the kimchi as well. Definitely check out this place. The people who work there are super friendly, too.
B*tchin’ Bars & Dips – I’m not one to swear on this site, but that’s the name of the company! Their paleo-friendly bars, and gluten and dairy-free dips are OUT OF THIS WORLD. They’re made with almonds instead of beans, so people who have trouble with beans might want to try out this as an alternative. My favorites were the Pesto and Bombay curry flavors, but they are all amazing! You can’t help but laugh as the guys taking your order tell you to “have a b*tchin’ day.” Here’s to not taking life too seriously

Plumeria

4661 Park Boulevard, San Diego; 619-269-9989; www.myplumeria.com

The Vibe: Described by Janna as her “favorite Thai restaurant in all of California,” we knew we had to check it out. On our last night in San Diego, we ventured to Hillcrest to check out this vegetarian restaurant. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy the food there though, so don’t let that stop you.

What We Ate

Spearmint Tea, Spicy Ginger Tea
Zen Soup
Ginger, Tofu & Vegetable Stir Fry
5-Spice Duck Stir-Fry

You Have to TryZen Soup (one of the most delicious, flavor-packed dishes I’ve ever tried!)

Burger Lounge

Multiple Locations; Coronado Island, www.burgerlounge.com

The Vibe: Before we left for San Diego, we asked people about “must-see” places, and almost everyone suggested Coronado Island. We spent the morning at the beach and wandering around the island and worked up an appetite. We were debating doing one of the famed San Diego whale watching trips but just ran out of time, which was gutting! When we saw the line in front of Burger Lounge and the signs for 100% grass-fed beef, we were sold. If only other fast casual chains would get on board with having higher integrity, quality ingredients that taste delicious like Burger Lounge. I’m hopeful it will happen the more we ask for it!

What We Ate

Turkey Burger on a Fresh Vegetable Salad with Basil Dressing
The Lounge Burger (100% Grass-fed Beef Burger)

You Have to Try…Turkey Burger with Basil Dressing (YUM!) The best turkey burger I’ve ever had. Period.

Jimbos Naturally!

4S Commons Town Center, 10511 Commons Drive, San Diego, www.jimbos.com

The Vibe & The Eats: Okay, so it’s not technically a restaurant, but I’m a sucker for cool grocery stores. I went to this place about every other day during the trip for drinks, snacks, immune booster packs (the time change wasn’t loving me), and even toiletries I had forgotten to bring.

It’s always nice to have a trusted grocery store to go to when you’re staying in a new place.

SOL CAL Café – I just learned that this place has closed, unfortunately!

Check out Cafe Gratitude instead!

910 J Street, San Diego; 619-255-2927, www.solcal.com

The Vibe: With a tagline of “Healthy. Happy. Yummy,” I knew this place was for me They serve cleanse-focused juices, smoothies, elixirs and modern vegetarian eats in a cheerful, contemporary setting. One morning we ran there for breakfast and walked home. The free cucumber water was refreshing and thirst-quenching after our run.

What We Ate

Lively Liver Elixir (detoxifying combo of dandelion, burdock root, red clover and cinnamon)
Happy Greens Juice
Om Sweet Om Smoothie
Lean Green Smoothie
Kelp Pesto Noodles with Mushrooms & Sundried Tomatoes
Waffle with Berries & Cream. Deliciously dairy-free and gluten-free, Bill had these for morning one day. Don’t they look amazing?! He cleaned his plate.

We could have eaten every meal there for breakfast, lunch and dinner for two weeks and eaten something different every time. I would love to go back and try the Cacao Oatmeal, Loaded Baked Sweet Potato, and the Sol Kale Salad.

And last but not least, here are a few honorable mentions worth checking out!

Seasons 52 (Focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients)

Cafe Gratitude (I have heard great things!)

Puesto (Bills favorite taco place. Amazing guac and yummy tacos)

BarleyMash (Not exactly known for their healthy food, but their baby kale salad with lemon vinaigrette and chicken on top was deeeelish!)

So, that’s my list! We went to a few other places, too, but those were my top 10. Have you been to San Diego? What are your favorite healthy places to eat? Feel free to leave a comment below!

Homemade Pizza Combos {Paleo, Vegan}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On May 26, 2015

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

If you grew up in the 90s or knew a kid who did, chances are you at least knew about the tasty snack gems known as Combos.

These little hollowed out pretzel logs were stuffed with all sorts of flavor-packed goodness, from cheddar cheese to pepperoni pizza.

I could house a bag of Combos in a matter of minutes, and my absolute favorite flavor was Pizza. They were addictive!

And after taking a look at the ingredient list, I can see why.

As a kid, I couldn’t have cared less about the ingredient lists of the foods I was eating.

(Which would explain why things like Toaster Strudels, Gushers, Fruit by the Foot, Sour Patch Kids, Dunkaroos, Funyuns, and Little Debbie Swiss Rolls were perfectly permissible snacks on a regular basis :))

But, as an adult, who feels better than I’ve ever felt, I do care.

I don’t follow a strict set of “rules,” per se, but I do make sure that the food I eat is real (not a chemical concoction), whole (an avocado vs. a Cheeto), unprocessed (is a plant vs. made in a plant) and health-promoting.

I prioritize the “fuel” I put in my body and make sure it’s high quality, going to give me energy, and make me feel good…because I like feeling good.

Don’t you?

I was inspired to “upgrade” Combos and bring some of the same flavors to a healthy snack bite. When Bill and our friend, Brian, tried one for the first time, they said it tasted like Pizza Combos…YES!

One of the best parts is that they are no-bake, so they come together quickly. These are snacks you (and your kids) could have every day!

Ingredients

1 cup almonds
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes (I used Trader’s Joe’s jarred ones, since they were soaked in olive oil. If you only have dried tomatoes, soak them in hot water for about 30 minutes to soften them and add 1 teaspoon olive oil to the final recipe for moisture.)
1/4 cup hemp seeds

Some of the ingredients in this yummy recipe!

Coating (Optional but awesome)

1/4 cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Process almonds in a food processor until they reach a fine meal, about 30-45 seconds.
Add remaining ingredients through hemp seeds and process for about 60 seconds, or until the mixture looks like this and clumps together. The longer you process, the longer the oils from the nuts and seeds release and bind everything.
Form the dough into 1 inch balls and set aside.
In a mini food processor (or the bigger ones you just used), make the cashew coating, and process until it reaches a fine texture.
Roll the dough balls in the coating and store them in a glass container in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Aaand this is what my kitchen looked like afterwards…:o) It’s okay to make a mess. It makes me feel like a mad scientist!

Quick & Easy Mexican Black Bean Scramble {Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On May 14, 2015

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nourish, Products I Use, Recipes

“What should I eat for breakfast??”

I hear this question a lot and have an answer for you

When we crowd out things like bagels, bread, milk, and processed and sugary cereals and granola bars, it can feel like we’re not left with many options aside from smoothies (which are my personal go-to!).

I’m here today with some good news and a brand spankin’ new breakfast recipe that I think you will LOVE!

When I was writing last week’s post about my favorite upgraded Mexican-inspired dishes for Cinco de Mayo, I was inspired to blend some of those ingredients together for a filling, satisfying and energizing breakfast dish.

As I’ve shared before, the key to all-day energy is to combine Protein + Fiber + Healthy Fats in our meals to keep our blood sugar stabilized. This is important because it helps us prevent blood sugar peaks and crashes, which lead to cravings and trouble controlling our weight.

Most of us, especially women, don’t eat nearly enough protein at breakfast (we’re not going to find it in a Nutrigrain bar or a bagel with cream cheese), so we end up feeling unsatisfied and with cravings later in the day. Eating adequate protein at breakfast is one way to combat that.

I love this dish because it combines protein (beans, eggs), fiber (beans, avocado), and healthy fats (eggs, avocado)…and it tastes AMAZING! My husband Bill liked it so much that he had it for dinner last night and breakfast this morning.

One ingredient in this recipe that I want to focus on is the beauty-boosting, health-promoting avocado.

I didn’t even TRY an avocado until I was 25.

As a picky eater, I had deemed avocados a “weird” and “gross” food, never having actually tried them. It’s so much easier to write off certain foods than give them a chance and run the risk of not liking them.

When I finally did, I was hooked! According to nutritionist Kimberly Snyder, here are just SOME of the many benefits we can get from eating avocados:

One of the TOP anti-aging, beauty foods, especially for supple skin
Powerful anti-aging effects on skin and joints
Rich in skin-smoothing vitamins – A, C, E, and K
Contain glutamine – an amino acid that helps protect our skin and curb cravings
Source of glutathione, a liver-loving, anti-aging antioxidant
Excellent source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and fiber

If you want to geek out a little more, check out the top 12 benefits of avocados from Authority Nutrition.

I’m going to dedicate a future post to why we NEED fat, but in the meantime, the bottom line is this: Stop fearing fat. Healthy fats are not making us fat. In fact, most of us don’t eat enough of them.

Refined and processed sugars and flours are the key offenders driving our weight gain and health issues. When we started making everything lite, low-fat, and fat-free, we started gaining weight.

Eat fat for beauty, health, and happiness It makes food taste awesome, keeps us feeling full and satisfied, protects us, and helps us look our best!

Serves 2 (cut recipe in half for a single serving)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil, divided (you’ll use half at the beginning and the other half later)
½ cup yellow onion, diced
½ teaspoon cumin powder
1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed. We use Eden Organics)
4 eggs (from pastured, cage-free chickens. We buy ours from Hometown Harvest)
¼ cup salsa of choice (we like Drew’s)
½ avocado
A few sprigs of cilantro
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

Add half a tablespoon of coconut oil to a medium skillet set to medium high heat.
Add onion, cumin and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until onion is translucent but not brown. Add black beans and toss to combine. At this point, you can either set the bean/onion mix aside in a bowl, scramble the eggs in the same pan and then add the beans back in (pics above) OR just move to step 3.
Add remaining oil to skillet with beans. Whisk eggs together in a bowl and pour them into the skillet. Add another pinch or two of salt and pepper to taste and scramble eggs with beans to your desired texture and consistency.
Once eggs are cooked to your liking, put them on a plate and top with salsa, sliced avocado and cilantro. ENJOY!

12 Tasty Cinco De Mayo Recipes {Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On May 5, 2015

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, GBOMBS, Gluten-Free, Recipes

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone!

One of my earliest memories of Mexican food was celebrating Thanksgiving in a Mexican restaurant while I was studying abroad in Spain as a junior in college.

It was an experience I’ll never forget!

I feel funny getting excited about this holiday because I used to hate Mexican food!

As a kid, I was partial to Chef Boyardee, Kraft, Rice-a-Roni and Tysons and pretty much didn’t eat anything that others might have considered to be “ethnic” food. I was very picky and unwilling to try anything I deemed “weird.”

Fast forward to my 30s, and I’ve learned to not only try but also enjoy Mexican food.

After returning from a recent trip to San Diego, Bill and I have both had our share of tacos, guacamole and salsa, so I thought I’d dedicate a post to all things Mexican and highlight the Cinco de Mayo-friendly recipes on this blog.

Like all of my recipes, they are dairy-free, gluten-free, and muy delicioso

Make-Your-Own Chipotle Style Burrito Bowl with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette

Walnut Taco Boats with Cashew Sour Cream (Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it! My friends Sam and Jillian LOVE their sour cream and go nuts over this stuff!)

Mexican-Inspired Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Watermelon Mojito Salad

Cashew Queso Dip

Mexican Brownie Bites

Salsa Fresca

Green Goddess Guacamole

Mexican Black Bean Scramble

Here are a few more Cinco de Mayo-friendly recipes to try:

Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from Against All Grain

Avocado Crema from Against All Grain

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken (great for tacos!) from The Gracious Pantry

Do you have any favorite Cinco de Mayo recipes? If so, feel free to share them below with all of us!

Not-Just-for-Moms No-Bake Lactation Cookies {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On May 3, 2015

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Products I Use, Recipes, Tips & Tricks, Vegetarian

The other day, Bill and I were hanging out with my brother, his wife and their two adorable kiddos, Braxton & Raleigh.

We are lucky to live so close to each other to be able to see our nephew and niece grow up.

We had just finished eating this Better-than-Takeout Chicken “Fried” Rice dish for dinner before throwing together our favorite Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Bites (which our nephew LOVED!).

He wanted to help us make them, too, so we propped him up on the counter next to the food processor and laughed as he watched the food processor whirl, mesmerized and totally focused on his newfound entertainment.

My sister-in-law, Layne mentioned that she’d heard a mom on a local radio station talk about Lactation Cookies that she used to stimulate milk production while she was nursing.

The only problem?

It costs $40 for one dozen cookies.

Not exactly something most of us could afford on a consistent basis, no matter how tasty or helpful they are.

Layne had also heard about the benefits of Mother’s Milk tea from Traditional Medicinals, which contains many of the lactogenic ingredients listed below.

Determined to find an alternative to the $40/dozen cookies, I went into nerdy food research mode and started looking online to learn more about lactogenic foods called galactagogues (ga-LAC-ta-goggs) – foods that are known to naturally increase milk production. I found a few different lists, but certain foods were consistent:

Flaxseed
Oats
Nuts, seeds and nut butters
Beans & legumes (lentils, peas, beans)
Leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, broccoli, etc.)
Carrots
Stone fruits like papaya, dates, and apricots
Ginger
Garlic
Coconut & coconut milk
Brown rice
Herbs & spices like cumin seeds, anise, fennel seeds, fenugreek, alfalfa, milk thistle, and turmeric

As I was looking through the list, I noticed some common themes. They’re all whole, unprocessed, real foods, and many of them also have strong anti-inflammatory properties.

So whether you’re breastfeeding or not, these foods are nourishing! And, no, you won’t start lactating just because you’re eating lactation cookies. You have to be breastfeeding for that to happen

Check out the recipe below to make your OWN no-bake lactation cookies (much cheaper than $40/dozen!). The key lactogenic ingredients are oats, flaxseed, dates, cinnamon, and coconut.

A few notes about this recipe that will be helpful as you shop for ingredients:

We buy gluten-free oats from Trader Joe’s.
We use a coffee grinder to grind our flaxseeds, but you can also just buy milled flaxseed or flaxseed meal. You get the most nutrition from the seeds when you grind the whole seeds just before using them.
We always use raw honey because of its health benefits. Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, MOMs, Whole Foods, and any natural foods store sell raw honey.
You can use almond butter instead of peanut butter for a greater lactogenic effect. If you use almonds, use a total of two tablespoons of honey because almond butter is milder in flavor than peanut butter.
The shredded coconut is optional and doesn’t leave a coconut taste – it just adds another galactagogue! If you absolutely hate coconut (like my husband) or are allergic, you can leave it out. The peanut butter dominates the taste anyway, so Bill didn’t even notice the coconut

No-Bake Lactation Cookies

These little bite combine a bunch of lactation-supportive ingredients that nourish both mama and baby.

2/3 cup rolled oats (gluten-free)
1/3 cup flaxseed (ground)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup Medjool dates (pitted)
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter (or almond or peanut butter (I prefer to make them allergen-free))
2 tablespoons raw honey
1.5 tablespoon vanilla extract

Put the oats, ground flaxseeds, shredded coconut, salt and cinnamon in a food processor fitted with the S-blade, and run for about one minute until it reaches the consistency of a fine meal.
Add the rest of the ingredients, and run the food processor for about 60-90 seconds or until everything is combined and starts to clump around the sides.
Mold hunks of the dough about one tablespoon at a time into round balls. Store in the fridge in a glass container. We like taking them out a few minutes before eating so they soften up a bit.

I used to put chocolate chips in these, but babies are supposed to stay away from chocolate until about their first birthday because of the caffeine content, so if you’re not a nursing mama, feel free to add in 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or cacao nibs before taking the dough out of the food processor!

If you’re not a huge fan of flax, cut the portion back to 1/4 cup.

If you’re a mom and want to learn more about how to increase your milk supply, boost your immunity, lift depression, lose weight, and even reduce colic and allergies, check out the book Mother Food by Hilary Jacobson. Please consult with your doctor or lactation consultant for further guidance.

Here are a few other recipes on my blog that are full of galactagogues. I’ve given you a link to the recipe and listed the lactogenic foods next to it:

Curried Lentil & Rice Casserole (lentils, brown rice, carrots, coconut milk, garlic, ginger, cumin turmeric) – This is one of our FAVORITE dishes of all time. It freezes well, too!
Taste the Rainbow Super Food Kale Salad (kale, tahini, garlic, turmeric, carrots, pumpkin seeds)
Mediterranean Chickpea & Sundried Tomato Kale Salad (kale, chickpeas, garlic)
Pecan-Crusted Sweet Potato Casserole (sweet potatoes, coconut milk, pecans, ginger, cinnamon, almond meal)
Chai Almond Butter Bites (almonds, coconut, ginger, almond butter, dates, cinnamon). These were featured on mindbodygreen!

coconut chai bites

Mediterranean Chickpea & Sundried Tomato Kale Salad {Vegan}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On April 28, 2015

In Anti-Inflammatory, Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Detoxifying, GBOMBS, Gluten-Free, Products I Use, Recipes, Tips & Tricks, Vegan, Vegetarian

I’ve been a kale lover for a few years now and have fun coming up with new ways to incorporate it into recipes.

I even found these super cool kale-lover clothing items at a small store called Simply Local in San Diego that reflect someone’s serious obsession with this leafy green veggie.

Today’s salad recipe has some Mediterranean inspirations with lemon, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and chickpeas. It comes together in a matter of minutes and can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner.

From the kale and garlic to the hemp seeds and chickpeas, this delicious dish is LOADED with cancer-fighting and fat-storage fighting foods known as GBOMBS. Click here to learn more about GBOMBS and why we should eat them daily.

The key to this salad is massaging the lemon juice into the kale leaves to “cook” and soften the kale and break down its bitterness; it’s always important to give your raw kale a little massage.

Speaking of massage, when I was in college I considered going into massage therapy and even went so far as to buy a KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) guide-book to learn the basics. Clearly I didn’t pursue that route, so massaging kale will have to do!

What I love about kale salads (one of the many things) is that they “keep” for a few days in the fridge.

Any other greens’ salads will wilt in a matter of hours once you put dressing on it, but kale salad holds up for about 3 days, so it’s something you can make ahead of time and enjoy for several meals.

Check out today’s recipe, and let me know what you think!

Mediterranean Chickpea & Sundried Tomato Kale Salad

I love the Mediterranean-inspired flavors and ingredients in this salad. Feel free to add some chicken or fish on top, if you’d like, for a complete meal!

1 bunch curly kale (destemmed, washed and dried)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about one lemon)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic (crushed and finely minced (1 large clove or 2 small cloves))
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 15-ounce can chickpeas AKA garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed (I use the Eden brand))
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (chopped)
2 tablespoons hemp seeds (hulled)
Black pepper (to taste)

Tear kale leaves into pieces and put in large bowl.
Add lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and sea salt, and massage everything into the kale leaves for 1-2 minutes, until the leaves are shiny, soft, and have reduced in volume by about half.
Add the black pepper, nutritional yeast, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, and hemp seeds and toss until evenly combined. Add more salt or pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Two Moms in the Raw Cookbook Preview & Bill’s Favorite Breakfast! {Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On April 22, 2015

In Anti-Inflammatory, Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

I love cookbooks. I wrote about some of my favorite cookbooks in this post around Christmastime.

I have lots of them and always SWEAR that I’m going to make 20 more recipes out of each of them before buying another one.

Cookbooks for me are like shoes or purses for a lot of women…I can never have too many!

I’m excited to introduce a brand new cookbook to all of you that I just found out about a few weeks ago after being contacted by a company that I met at the Natural Products Expo back in September – Two Moms in the Raw.

Two Moms in the Raw's booth at the Natural Products Expo. They're coming out with a new line of bars and granola made withOUT agave and with coconut sugar instead!

Two Moms in the Raw’s booth at the Natural Products Expo in Baltimore in September. They’re coming out with a new line of bars and granola made withOUT agave and with coconut nectar instead!

They gave me a sneak peek at some of the recipes from their cookbook and even let me make one of them and share it with you a few weeks before the cookbook is set to release on May 5th.

Having never made any of their recipes before, I didn’t know what to expect but hoped for the best.

All I can say is HOLY COW. This is what the final dish looked like…

The name of the dish was a little odd yet intriguing – “Beet Shakshuka” – but the taste was incredible. It reminded me of something I’d buy at a fancy restaurant for brunch.

Bill and I both devoured it, and he said it just shot up to one of his favorite meals we make!

The recipe comes from the new gluten-free, dairy-free cookbook written by Shari Leidich, founder of Two Moms in the Raw and is titled TWO MOMS IN THE RAW: Simple, Clean, Irresistible Recipes for Your Family’s Health.

Shari and I totally align philosophically (which is the only reason I was 100% on board with promoting her book). She thinks of food as medicine and knows what we eat can truly change our lives.

Sound familiar?

The cookbook highlights both raw and cooked recipes that are focused on helping all people (good cooks and not-so-good cooks) upgrade their diet by adding in healthy and nourishing foods.

TWO MOMS IN THE RAW has recipes for over 130 dishes, broken down into chapters based on meal: juices and smoothies; breakfast; dips; soups; salads; veggie mains; fish, poultry, and beef; and sweet treats and snacks.

From the Garden Jewel Salad and No-Stress Meatballs to Peanut-Free Thai Noodle Salad (pics below) and Single-Skillet Chicken Puttanesca, the cookbook is full of delicious meals.

And just like the other desserts on this blog, the dessert recipes in the cookbook ditch processed sugar in favor of natural sweeteners and power nutrients.

In addition to the recipes, Shari offers insight on her preferred ingredients, kitchen equipment, and “household healers.”

I love when cookbooks offer more than just recipes and give practical information, too. When I write my first one, that’s what I plan to do, too.

Ok, so back to the food.

Do you want to try this amazing beet breakfast recipe for yourself? Here’s a sneak peek of the recipe before anyone else can see it. It’s TOTALLY worth making

Want to buy the Two Moms in the Raw cookbook? Pre-order by May 5th to take advantage of the sale price – it’s a great deal. You can pre-order it here!

Beet Shakshuka Recipe

Serves 4 to 6

From Shari: I keep the way I eat interesting by swapping in a variety of produce whenever possible.If that means using a veggie that contains a little more sugar—in this case, fiber-filled beets with their beta-carotene-packed leaves—I’m fine with it as long as it keeps me harnessing the power of produce at every turn. A dish with roots in Middle Eastern cuisine, shakshuka typically consists of eggs cooked to perfection in a savory tomato sauce. I keep the flavor profile Mediterranean by seasoning the dish with cumin and add a healthy shot of raw at the end in the form of springy scallions and earthy raw beet greens, which contain immune-boosting carotenoids, including lutein, which protects the eyes.

Ingredients
2 pounds assorted beets, such as red, yellow, and Chioggia—whatever you have—including the beet greens/tops
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large bunch scallions, whites and greens separated, thinly sliced
1 pound vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Separate the tops from the beets and rinse and dry the beets and greens. Thinly slice the beet greens to yield 1½ cups and set aside; reserve the remaining greens for another use. Peel and cut the beets into ½-inch cubes.
In a heavy, ovenproof 10- or 12-inch skillet (we used cast iron), heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the garlic and scallion whites and cook until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the beet greens and cook, stirring, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beets and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cumin, salt, and pepper and cook until the tomatoes release their liquid and the liquid is mostly reabsorbed, about 10 minutes.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Using a spoon, create 4 to 6 wells in the beet mixture and crack an egg into each well. Cook for 2 minutes, then transfer to the oven and bake until the egg whites are set, 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from the oven and garnish with the remaining ½ cup beet greens and the scallion greens. Serve straight from the skillet.

Click here to pre-order the cookbook for more recipes like this!

Recipes and Photo from TWO MOMS IN THE RAW by Shari Koolik Leidich. Copyright ©2015 by Shari Koolik Leidich. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

This is a sponsored post. Please know that I only align with companies that 100% philosophically support my mission for health and well-being, and Two Moms in the Raw does.

Baltimore’s EmporiYUM: My Top Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Eats

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On April 19, 2015

In Anti-Inflammatory, Healthy Dining, Products I Use

If you love food, Baltimore is a great place to live.

I was born and raised here, and only in the past few years have I come to appreciate all that this city has to offer.

This weekend’s EmporiYUM event downtown was a great showcase of dozens of local vendors and companies who put love and passion into their food.

I volunteered at the event with a company that my husband and I have used for the past year and a half or so – Hometown Harvest.

They’re a doorstep delivery service of local fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, poultry and other foods from local vendors, including fresh pressed juices, granola, hummus, nut butters, and salsa.

It was fun telling the dozens of people who came through the booth about how much I love their service and how convenient it is for us to wake up on Friday morning with a bag full of produce and cage-free eggs for the coming week.

After hanging out at the Hometown Harvest booth for a couple of hours, I ventured out to visit the rest of the vendors to see what dairy-free, gluten-free goods I could find. (If you’re new to this blog, I eat dairy-free and gluten-free because of what I’ve learned helps my body feel best!)

I also look for foods that are completely in sync with how I prepare my own food and don’t use ingredients like refined oils or sugars.

Here are my favorites from yesterday!

Some are familiar faces that I’ve mentioned before on this blog, but others were newbies and are worth checking out.

Daniela Troia, the owner of Plantbar, is one of my favorite food people in Baltimore and I’ve been a fan of her restaurant in Towson (Zia’s Café) for years.

Now that she’s set up shop with her juice, smoothie and raw/vegan/gluten-free and aptly named Plantbar at Belvedere Market (my favorite place in Baltimore), I’m even more of a fan.

Plantbar had a bright and colorful booth with samples of their coconut bacon and three kinds of fresh, cold-pressed organic juices. Thai The Knot was especially refreshing on a hot day.

Wandering down a little farther, I stumbled upon a long line for Little Baby’s Ice Cream, which I soon came to find out is an ice cream vendor based out of Philadelphia that will be making its way to the Baltimore market (Whole Foods and MOMs) by the summer.

I was elated to find out that they had a dairy-free, gluten-free option that I could sample called Coconut Tea.

OH MY GOSH IT WAS SO GOOD.

They use coconut milk instead of cow’s milk, and the texture was JUST like regular ice cream.

The only hitch is that they use agave as one of the sweeteners, so I met the owner and suggested it might be worth considering making a version with coconut nectar instead because of the controversy around agave. He was open to it, which was really cool.

Making my way across the floor, I saw an eye-catching display for tahini-based dips (made from ground up sesame seeds) from a company called Soom.

I’m a big fan of tahini and use it in my Super Food Kale Salad Recipe as well as this Snickerdoodle Smoothie, so I knew I would be on board with their products.

I sampled a few of their dips and became an instant fan. With flavors like Classic Sesame and Spicy Sriracha to Thai Red Curry and Zesty Mediterranean, these dips were delicious! I asked about the ingredients and found out that they don’t use oils I avoid like canola oil, so that was a bonus!

They’re not in Baltimore yet but hope to make their way here. You can buy their plain tahini on Amazon though and check out this link for a list of where they sell in the Philly/NYC/DC/Rockville area.

I ventured up the steps to one of the upper levels and met a company I’ve been hearing about from Hometown Harvest for the past year or so – Kate Bakes.

After dealing with years of frustrating health issues herself, Kate was determined to make delicious treats that she could enjoy without gluten, dairy or any animal products. The bars are handmade in small batches using organic ingredients.

She does use agave as the sweetener along with a soy protein powder in the bars, so I emailed her to get more information about that and to see if she has plans for using alternative ingredients in future creations, since I generally avoid those two ingredients. She was prompt, thorough, and honest in her response (all things I really appreciate and respect!):

Currently we’re comfortable using agave for how it behaves in our recipes (texture and flavor profile) as well as it’s low glycemic index. Each bar actually has less than one serving (less than one tablespoon) of agave and the rest of our sugar content comes from the fruit we use in the recipes – bananas, raisins, dates, or cherries. We use soy for the same reason. When I was creating the recipes, I actually tried several different protein powders including rice and hemp. The bars that came out the best (by far) were the ones using soy. Since I personally don’t have trouble with soy (and the list of things I do have trouble with is quite long!) I wanted to use it since I could eat it and felt it created the best tasting product. I know these ingredients may not be for everyone and I really appreciate you asking these questions to learn more. As someone with a lot of restrictions, I completely understand there are many reasons why people may choose not to consume certain foods.

Click here to buy Kate’s bars online and to read more about her story.

The next booth on my stop was Blind Spot Nut Butters, who I first found out about through Hometown Harvest. They sell them on their website, but I had never met the owner or tried more than one variety of their nut butters, so I was excited they had a booth at the event.

My favorite flavor is their Birds & Bees Almond Cashew Nut Butter, which is a great add-in to smoothies. Check out the ingredient list: Raw Almonds, Raw Cashews, Sunflower Seeds, Honey, Ground Flax, Millet, Chia Seeds. All real, whole foods. Just the way I like it!

Here’s where you can buy their nut butters in the MD/DC/VA/PA area and online on their website.

Tucked away in a back corner (but always with a line) was my favorite Baltimore chocolate maker – Pure Chocolate by Jinji.

I wrote extensively about how amazing her dairy-free, gluten-free chocolates are here and here. She sets up shop at Belvedere Market along with Plantbar and one more vendor I mention at the close of this post – Hex Ferments.

If you like chocolate, you HAVE to know about Jinji. Everything she makes is divine.

My second to last stop for the day was Cava Mezze, which makes Mediterranean dips like hummus, tzatziki, harissa, and tapenades. They had a veggie platter and a variety of their dips available for sampling.

I tried the roasted red pepper, spicy and traditional hummus varieties and they were all savory, creamy and reminded me of my semester abroad in Southern Spain. I love that Cava doesn’t use refined oils like canola oil in their products, unlike some other brands of hummus.

Check out all of their flavors on their website here or find them at MOMs Organic Market or Whole Foods.

The last stop on my gluten-free, dairy-free, journey brought me to Hex Ferments – a company I’ve known about for just over a year (mainly because they are parked right next to Jinji’s Chocolates at Belvedere Market).

As I’ve been in the process of healing my body and digestive health from years of antibiotics and acid reducers, I’ve incorporated more healing, nourishing foods into my diet, including some things I – as a picky eater – SWORE I would never eat.

Like sauerkraut and kimchi.

Both are fermented foods that support, protect and shield our immune system, digestion and overall well-being.

Hex was sampling their Sea Kraut and Miso Kimchi – both of which were packed with flavor.

Check out their shop at Belvedere Market and remember to “go with your gut!”

And, that’s a wrap

I do what I can to support local businesses by voting with my dollars and how I spend my money.

As the daughter of two entrepreneurs, I feel particularly compelled to buy local and support small businesses.

I know they appreciate the love and confidence from their customers and that it encourages them to keep doing great work dedicated to helping us be well while at the same time enjoying amazing eats!

Did you go to The EmporiYUM? What were some of YOUR favorite stops? I’d love to hear from you!

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Bites {Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegan}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On April 16, 2015

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

After making this Cinnamony Snickerdoodle Smoothie a few weeks ago, I told you I would come up with a recipe for Snickerdoodle bites…so here it is!

These little treats comes together in about 10 minutes and are great to make with your kids. I was able to recreate the chewy texture and cinnamon-sugar flavor of traditional Snickerdoodle cookies without using refined sugar or flour.

The key is using blanched almonds.

I bought mine at Trader Joe’s and dumped the whole bag in the food processor to grind them up until they reached a fine almond meal. You can also just use blanched almond meal if you have it, but the method I used is the cheaper way to go.

Most grocery stores sell blanched almond slivers in the baking aisle, so you should have no problem finding them. (I tried the recipe with whole almonds, and it didn’t taste as good.)

These bite-sized treats make a great dessert or after school snack.

They have an energizing combo of healthy fats, fiber and protein from the almonds and almond butter along with a hefty dose of blood-sugar balancing cinnamon. I know you will love this recipe!

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Bites

1 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 cup Medjool dates (pitted)
1/3 cup almond butter
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cinnamon-Sugar Coating

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons coconut sugar

Put almonds in a food processor and process until it reaches a fine consistency and no chunks of almond remain.
Add dates, almond butter, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon and process until everything is combined, about 60 seconds.
Shape dough into small balls (press between your hands, so they stick together) and roll in the cinnamon-sugar coating. Store in the refrigerator.

*If dates are not soft, soak them in warm water for 15-20 minutes and drain them, squeezing out excess water before adding them to the food processor.