tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11512302240285747722024-03-03T16:25:32.072-08:00Cookie baker lynnCookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.comBlogger520125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-67377076397296086542014-01-05T06:10:00.002-08:002014-01-05T06:11:58.783-08:00Traveling with high maintenance eating<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0XeP0iOAld2bxhm1N6djHI1Iyb7_FQi9NM9owrv2eaRsbAv-cTFR1Ss0GKVsHL-bqYTHFiwY1WRE-2o9ECg1Exi5vN9sSFmTZIJ6hseTtpwLl9qiwi6C4_GuS7brlB2Vu8XV6aZiFCI/s1600/IMG_5630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0XeP0iOAld2bxhm1N6djHI1Iyb7_FQi9NM9owrv2eaRsbAv-cTFR1Ss0GKVsHL-bqYTHFiwY1WRE-2o9ECg1Exi5vN9sSFmTZIJ6hseTtpwLl9qiwi6C4_GuS7brlB2Vu8XV6aZiFCI/s320/IMG_5630.jpg" width="240" /></a>I recently got back from a 2 week vacation to Maui. The
adjustment has been a little rough. We drove to the airport in 85 degree
weather and landed at SeaTac in 45 degree clouds. Ugh.<o:p></o:p></div>
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To console myself, I spend an inordinant amount of time
scrolling through the pictures on my phone, remembering the sights, sounds, and
smells of Maui. Aaaaah. What better way to hang onto a piece of the vacation?
Well, maybe to share some tips in case you, too, want to go there. It’s going
to be a long post so go get your cup of coffee now. Ready? OK, here we got.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The biggest challenge to traveling on GAPS is, of course,
food.* This was a major stressor for me in the month leading up to our
trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How on earth can you go on
vacation and eat clean for 2 weeks? Well, it takes a lot of planning. And since
I’m not that good at planning, I had my daughter help me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tip #1 – Menu Plan for the entire
trip, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and travel snacks</span></strong>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqgeCkbEoi9pjVA7ZT-Tjd3Z61HEzd0NyGp6IyfAo4vZjyxBl4JDA0t5tHRlBH_pXQ3ZZHp4TQMxRWq1d8dZgWsiykstg3eGWF1Ngfq4N4x04Ao1PfSrZrjZbQIiwNZsqrp_vsohtbHI/s1600/IMG_5424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqgeCkbEoi9pjVA7ZT-Tjd3Z61HEzd0NyGp6IyfAo4vZjyxBl4JDA0t5tHRlBH_pXQ3ZZHp4TQMxRWq1d8dZgWsiykstg3eGWF1Ngfq4N4x04Ao1PfSrZrjZbQIiwNZsqrp_vsohtbHI/s320/IMG_5424.jpg" width="240" /></a>I kept a master notebook with pages for what to pack from
the bathroom, the kitchen, and the bedroom, as well as extra odd things. In
that same notebook, I wrote out a menu plan for the whole trip. Each day had 4
lines – breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Next to the day, I would also
write what plans were for the day. The activities dictated what I would fix. If
we needed to get out the door quickly (to get to the 7 am farmer’s market, for
example), I’d do fried eggs. If there was more time, I planned smoothies or pancakes
(recipe at the end of the post).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now the important thing about the notebook was that it was
flexible. It was not holy writ. Things could be shuffled from one day to
another, depending on the weather, our energy level, and what we felt like. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As I menu planned, I kept running lists going on three
separate notebook pages. They were shopping lists for Costco, Whole Foods, and
the health Food store. Then I kept another page for the “Must buy or make
before we go” items.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tip #2 – Make Shopping lists for
as soon as you leave the airport<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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Just outside the airport on Maui is a Costco. Must have
items from <b>Costco</b>:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Coconut oil<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Salad
greens (organic)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sea Salt<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Bananas
(they had local apple bananas there!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Wine (if
you’re into it. Most other places don’t have a brisk turnover of stock and it’s
not reliably good. Plus Costco’s prices are good.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Frozen fish<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>2 pack of
frozen organic chickens<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Frozen
organic chicken breasts<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cheese ( we
got Dubliner and Gouda. Yes, we ate it all. Don’t judge.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Chicken
Sausages (<a href="http://www.aidells.com/products">http://www.aidells.com/products</a>)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Onion<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Garlic<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lemons<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Limes<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Avocadoes<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">dragon fruit)</span></div>
<b>Whole Foods</b>:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Almond
butter<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Organic
Valley Pastured Butter<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fresh
veggies<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Organic
canned Salsa<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Eggs<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Olive Oil<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Organic
Apple Cider vinegar<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tomatoes<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Health Food Store</b>:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Coconut
milk (the only place that carried coconut milk without guar gum. Be forewarned,
it’s $3.86 a can)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Additional
fresh fruits and veggies<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kombucha.
At about $5 a bottle, this was a huge splurge<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Farmer’s Market</b>:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Farm eggs
(they cost $6/dozen. Get over it. That’s still a cheap protein source. )<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Raw Honey<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Coconut
water kefir<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Local
fruits and veggies<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Things we packed</b>:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Wild, troll caught tuna from Costco. The Costco in Hawaii doesn’t carry it.
Worth taking as it makes a great quick lunch or a snack.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Frozen
grass-fed beef in our checked-through luggage, double bagged in Ziploc bags<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Spices in
zip bags, labeled. I included spice blends for specific recipes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Gelatin.
WARNING – Place into a different container, like a jar with a lid. The change
in air pressure made our tube of gelatin sneeze all over everything inside the
suitcase, which made for several sticky messes)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://www.epicbar.com/">Epic bars</a>.
Greatest travel meal replacements ever. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>2 lb bag of
soaked, dried walnuts<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> D</span>ried apple
slices<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> B</span>eef jerky
(made from flank steak and beef heart – fabulous to sneak in organ meats.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tea bags<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fermented
cod liver oil, nestled next to the frozen meat<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> C</span>oconut flakes (for <a href="http://popularpaleo.com/2013/10/02/apple-pie-snack-mix/">This recipe</a>. It’s tremendous)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Coconut
flour<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Raw Cocoa
powder<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Water
filter pitcher <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Coffee French press<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our condo was fairly well stocked, but unfortunately, all of
the pans were non-stick. Boo! We even went to the thrift store to see if we
could score a cast-iron skillet, but were out of luck there. All they had was
non-stick cookware that was no longer non-stick and would shed large chunks of
Teflon into your scrambled eggs. Double boo.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Other than that, we ate like kings! We feasted on lots of
salads, quick meals like hamburger patties, tuna salad (over salad), chicken
salad, and lots of grilled meat. <o:p></o:p><br />
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Even on the go, we ate well. I put together Paleo Packs in
sandwich size plastic bags. The mix should be protein, fats, and carbs, so I
put in jerky, nuts, coconut flakes, and dried fruit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A couple of times I wanted DESSERT! So I made it. Cocoa
powder, coconut oil, shredded unsweetened coconut, and a bit of honey. Awesome.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the favorite breakfasts for my family was a recipe
that I cobbled together, adapting an online recipe with what I had on hand. We
served it with sausage and it made for happy days with full tummies and even
blood sugar levels.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Almond Butter Pancakes</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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(makes 12-16 4” pancakes, using about an 1/8 cup batter per pancake)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>3 large eggs</i><br />
<i>1/4 cup coconut milk</i><br />
<i>1 tsp honey</i><br />
<i>2 Tbsp coconut flour</i></div>
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<i>1/2 cup almond butter<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i>1/2 tsp baking soda</i><br />
<i>1/4 tsp salt</i></div>
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<i>1 overly ripe banana, medium sized, mushed<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i>1 Tbsp gelatin</i><br />
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Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes. The batter will thicken a bit as it sits. While the batter is resting, heat a large skillet (not non-stick!) over medium heat. Use coconut oil to grease the pan and scoop the batter into the heated pan. Let the pancakes cook till bubbles have formed throughout and then turn, cooking briefly on the other side.<br />
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Serve the pancakes with plenty of good butter. You can top with unsweetened applesauce, if you need a bit of sweetener on it.</div>
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*Technically, we weren’t on GAPS for the vacation. We
couldn’t pack bone broth. But we did eat as clean as possible. And the rest we
shrugged and said, “It’s vacation!” <o:p></o:p></div>
Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-56863674615326357052013-09-03T07:05:00.001-07:002013-09-03T07:06:23.146-07:00So Much To Do At The Zoo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I went to the zoo this week with my kids and granddaughter. I am blessed to live a short drive from the fabulous <a href="http://www.zoo.org/">Woodland Park Zoo</a>. I've taken my kids there since they were tiny tots and they've loved seeing all the changes that have happened at the zoo.<br />
<br />
Since we started going to the zoo, they've made a beautiful African savanna exhibit where the giraffes can wander and nibble on the trees, hippos can wallow in pools, and zebras can strike a pose for the cameras.<br />
<br />
The penguin pool has been revamped so that you can see the penguins climb the rocks, dive into the water, swim underwater, and receive their ration of something that smells suspiciously like fish. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's fish. If not, they might want to get their refrigerator checked, because something definitely smells fishy there.<br />
<br />
A Northwest trail has been built to showcase wolves, eagles, and other critters from around my neck of the woods. Gorillas now have a large area where they can swing, rolls, play, cuddle, and hang out to groom each other, French braiding their back hair. Otters have their own slip and slide stream. And there is an awesome space for little kids to get in touch with farm animals, seeing how chickens lay eggs, pretend milking a cow, and petting goats and sheep.<br />
<br />
The animal exhibits aren't the only thing that's changed at the zoo, though. My daughter pointed out something fascinating. Kids at the zoo have changed.<br />
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When my kids were vey little I'd bring along an umbrella stroller (the kind that's lightweight and folds easily), just for them to rest in. But as soon as they were walking, they didn't spend much time in the stroller. They were too eager to run and explore. There were places to climb, things to touch, and, oh yes, animals to see. Why sit still in a stroller when there was all that to experience?<br />
<br />
What we saw a ton of at the zoo this week was kids in strollers as big as an SUV. And these kids were strapped in. And they always had snacks in front of them. Once it was pointed out to me, I was shocked. <b>Kids are ALWAYS EATING</b>. Even when they are too big to put in a stroller, they walk with food in their hands.<br />
<br />
What are we teaching our children if we take them to the zoo, strapped into what's basically a couch, and put food in front of them? Honestly, you might as well stay at home, put the kids on a real couch, turn on the Discovery channel, let them eat cereal and candy, and save on the gas.<br />
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Doing the zoo this way does two things:<br />
<br />
1- The <b>kids never engage </b>with the environment. Sure, it's a pain to constantly make sure your kids aren't getting into trouble, but the seemingly easy trade-off for not training your children to obey you is that you get passive, couch potato children. They are not going to be curious, eager learners.<br />
<br />
2- <b>They will get fat</b>. No exercise plus food they're not hungry for is a recipe for obese kids. Didn't I hear somewhere that kids these days are getting fatter? Yeah. There might be a reason for that. Parent's are strapping their kids into mobile restraining devices and feeding them unneeded junk. (In my book, even "healthy" whole wheat Cheerios are junk.)<br />
<br />
So<b> stroller + snacks = passive and massive</b>. Ugh.<br />
<br />
"But," I hear those mothers saying, "my cherub gets so hungry! If I don't bring snacks she whines the whole trip."<br />
<br />
Easy solution. Feed that child a nourishing, satisfying, <b>nutrient dense breakfast</b>. Then let them run and play at the zoo. They'll be too busy to even notice that they don't have their snacks in front of them!<br />
<br />
Most mornings at my house breakfast is either eggs (fried or scrambled, sometimes with cheese and salsa on top), or smoothies made with bananas, farm eggs (raw), spirulina powder, cacao powder, grass-fed gelatin, homemade raw yogurt and homemade raw milk kefir. On Saturdays, though, I tend to put a little more effort into it.<br />
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This is a wonderful coffee cake that I made with freshly picked strawberries. My husband and daughter both asked for scrambled eggs to go with it, as they feared the carb crash that usually follows a coffee cake. Not to worry! Since it has coconut flour and a ton of eggs, it's hearty and satisfying and won't leave you feeling lethargic in a carb coma. <b>Try it and see how much more energy you have for the day!</b><br />
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<b>Strawberry Breakfast Cake</b><br />
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<i>6 eggs</i><br />
<i>1/4 cup coconut oil or butter, melted</i><br />
<i>2 Tbsp raw honey (or maple syrup, if you're not on GAPS)</i><br />
<i>1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract</i><br />
<i>1/2 cup milk of choice (coconut, almond, raw dairy)</i><br />
<i>1/2 cup coconut flour</i><br />
<i>1 tsp baking soda</i><br />
<i>1/4 tsp sea salt</i><br />
<i>1-1/2 cups strawberries, diced and divided</i><br />
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Topping:<br />
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<i>1 cup nuts/seeds of choice (I used soaked and dehydrated almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds)</i><br />
<i>1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes</i><br />
<i>2 Tbsp raw honey</i><br />
<i>2 Tbsp butter or coconut oil</i><br />
<i>1 Tbsp cinnamon</i><br />
<i>pinch of sea salt</i><br />
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1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking pan with coconut oil.<br />
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2- In a large bowl mix together the eggs, oil or butter, honey, milk, and vanilla.<br />
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3- Add the coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined.<br />
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4- Fold in 1 cup of the diced strawberries. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.<br />
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5- Combine all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl.<br />
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6- Spoon the mixture over the top of the batter. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup strawberries over the top.<br />
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7- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the a cake tester poked in the center of the cake comes out clean. If you need to bake longer than 45 minutes and the top is looking browned, cover it with a piece of foil so that the topping doesn't burn.<br />
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<br />Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-4718818411143674522013-08-10T12:53:00.001-07:002013-09-03T07:07:12.440-07:00You Might Be A Hippie If...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes I get so entrenched in my routines that I forget that what I do and how I live is not average or "normal." Then a visitor comes to my house and I see my life through their (wide) eyes and I realize, "Oh, this is kind of different." So, if you're not sure where you fall on the scale of Normal to Weirdo, this post might be helpful to you.<br />
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<b>You might be a hippie if-</b><br />
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1- You schedule your week around the <b>Farmers' Markets</b> and picking up your <b>Farm Box</b>.<br />
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2- An essential kitchen tool is the roll of <b>painter's tape</b> and the <b>sharpie</b> for marking all of the mystery mason jars in the refrigerator. Otherwise, how do you know what's raw milk, what's kefired milk, what's homemade yogurt, what's homemade sour cream, or whey?<br />
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3- You <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XumPQLTzPWI">walk outside barefoot</a> as part of your health care regimen.<br />
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4- You <a href="http://wellnessmama.com/3662/best-way-to-whiten-teeth-naturally/">blacken your teeth with activated charcoal</a>. To get them white.<br />
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5- You make your own <a href="http://www.mommypotamus.com/mint-chocolate-whipped-body-butter/">lotion</a>, <a href="http://cookiebakerlynn.blogspot.com/2012/06/doesnt-smell-like-teen-spirit.html">deodorant,</a> and <a href="http://everydaypaleo.com/easy-remineralizing-toothpaste-recipe/">toothpaste</a>.<br />
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6- Your most used kitchen appliance is your <b>dehydrator</b>. Or your juicer.<br />
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7- You spend a half an hour each morning <a href="http://mamanatural.com/how-to-do-oil-pulling/">swishing a mouthful of oil</a>.<br />
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8- When you're pregnant, the big question is whether or not you'll have a water birth. It's a given that you will <b>birth at home with a midwife</b>.<br />
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9- You participate at nurse-ins.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglB33i9DhW4O7b7_AFxWY3O69N7RlcUAo_VvHfjPeyPT1JIwEpHsfY0MPD950hbUE75zNZCISwbB0qSYHcfh46Ebh_i02u66o0z52jYTV7cXTIzyBSeMXdwfxeoq-vf-tbHc48UPXQf5M/s1600/DSC_6687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglB33i9DhW4O7b7_AFxWY3O69N7RlcUAo_VvHfjPeyPT1JIwEpHsfY0MPD950hbUE75zNZCISwbB0qSYHcfh46Ebh_i02u66o0z52jYTV7cXTIzyBSeMXdwfxeoq-vf-tbHc48UPXQf5M/s320/DSC_6687.jpg" width="320" /></a>10- You get excited to find a new recipe that uses beets. Or kohlrabi. Or fennel.<br />
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11- You plant <b>food plants</b> in the front yard instead of ornamentals.<br />
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12- You consider moving to a different neighborhood so you can <b>keep chickens</b>. Or you already have chickens, but want more.<br />
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13 - You consider moving to a different neighborhood so you can <b>keep a goat</b>.<br />
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14- Your kids are the only ones in their play group that <b>aren't vaccinated</b>.<br />
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15- Your dining room has a corner devoted to a collection of 2 gallon jars brewing Kombucha.<br />
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16- Your kitchen counters are full of jars bubbling with <b>fermenting foods</b>.<br />
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17- You not only know that <b>the head of the FDA used to work for Monsanto</b>, you care. Deeply.<br />
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18- You examine the label on every bar of chocolate at Whole Foods for one without the dreaded "soy lecithin."<br />
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19- Your toddler doesn't understand how to play with the plastic drive-though toy at the play center. Or orders "broccoli" at the window.<br />
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20 - You pack your lunch in glass and stainless steel.<br />
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And the top, most telling sign that you might be a hippie? Rinsing and reusing your plastic vegetable bags. Although, if you were really, truly a hippie, you'd bring your own <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/reusable-produce-bags-zmaz09jjzraw.aspx#axzz2bb41ThlC">homemade cloth vegetable bags</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZu0iutsJ5L7V9HOCKdJ_-O9S8SCz16zpysJO8vBuJndl283tvIGIaHFTGvneKtchDKl9B7l-DD_F1gyhWXRcnh8-5rbV0SU7UjkKbTpxhB2i2h1dKV1_zCRP18Do2eERcJJ9Q2n7xbk/s1600/DSC_6694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZu0iutsJ5L7V9HOCKdJ_-O9S8SCz16zpysJO8vBuJndl283tvIGIaHFTGvneKtchDKl9B7l-DD_F1gyhWXRcnh8-5rbV0SU7UjkKbTpxhB2i2h1dKV1_zCRP18Do2eERcJJ9Q2n7xbk/s320/DSC_6694.jpg" width="320" /></a>Now that you've cleared up your standing on the normal to weirdo scale, let me introduce you to a new favorite dish in our home. As you might know, we used to have pizza every week. And that was one of the saddest parts of giving up grains. No more pizza! But happily, we have found workarounds. <a href="http://cookiebakerlynn.blogspot.com/2012/02/baby-step-2.html">Cauliflower crust pizza</a> is a keeper. We also love making mini pizzas with rounds of squash (maybe lazy me will get around to blogging that someday). But this recipe incorporates pizza flavors with the ease of a quiche. My family gets so excited when it's on the menu!<br />
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The top three reasons for making pizza quiche are:<br />
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1- It makes two, so there's some for tomorrow's lunch.<br />
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2- It's delicious. Everyone will love it.<br />
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3- It's real, whole food, so you can enjoy it and not regret it later.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zTENCwuw1aWE3G1yH-2Q5ssXJ4wnPL-mUHRWuF_O5I_jyUJoWDrG8UZD-w4IsU43q07sropjGXU3E7ML5L1_uxHwC_vHfZ5AwO1Oz9xPzawYcJ65jI7c_qbUpFNW7JgvQl5310Uh1Vc/s1600/DSC_6700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zTENCwuw1aWE3G1yH-2Q5ssXJ4wnPL-mUHRWuF_O5I_jyUJoWDrG8UZD-w4IsU43q07sropjGXU3E7ML5L1_uxHwC_vHfZ5AwO1Oz9xPzawYcJ65jI7c_qbUpFNW7JgvQl5310Uh1Vc/s320/DSC_6700.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
<b>GAPS Pizza Quiche</b><br />
- adapted from Spunky Coconut<br />
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<i>1 small butternut squash</i><br />
<i>Olive oil</i><br />
<i>1 lb Italian sausage</i><br />
<i>1 onion, diced</i><br />
<i>2 handfuls spinach or kale</i><br />
<i>1/4 cup sliced olives</i><br />
<i>1 can full-fat coconut milk</i><br />
<i>1/4 cup tomato paste</i><br />
<i>8 eggs</i><br />
<i>1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling</i><br />
<i>1/4 tsp garlic powder</i><br />
<i>1/2 tsp dried Italian Seasoning</i><br />
<i>1/4 lb. grated GAPS legal cheese</i><br />
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1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. with rack in the middle of the oven.<br />
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2- Peel the butternut squash and slice the neck into 1/4" thick slices. Cut the bulbous part in half and scoop out the seeds.<br />
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3- Brush 2 pie dishes with olive oil and lay the squash slices into them, covering as much as possible. Cut the bulbous part of the squash into pieces, fitting them into gaps for better coverage.<br />
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4- Brush the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.<br />
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5- Place the pie plates in the oven for 15 minutes.<br />
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6- While the squash slices are baking, cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat.<br />
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7- When the sausage is cooked through, remove it to a bowl and set it aside. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into the skillet and cook the onions until they are softened.<br />
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8- When the timer rings, remove the squash from the oven and heat the oven to 375 deg.<br />
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9- Divide the onions between the two pie pans.<br />
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10- Place the spinach or kale into the skillet over med-low heat. Place a lid on the skillet and cook just to wilt the greens. Remove the lid and let the steam rise off the greens. If they're sweaty, roll them into a kitchen towel or paper towels and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Divide the greens between the two pie plates.<br />
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11- Divide the cooked sausage between the two pie plates.<br />
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12- In a blender puree the coconut milk and the tomato paste.<br />
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13- Add the eggs, salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and puree again till frothy.<br />
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14- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the sausage. Quickly sprinkle with the cheese and place in the oven right away so they won't lose their loft.<br />
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15- Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.<br />
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<br />Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-21016905154200691602013-05-29T19:09:00.001-07:002013-05-29T19:16:00.705-07:00The Zen of Grocery Shopping<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnih3kVEq5jGjzJeq-tav3mIULGtlhAtwZcz80mjjF03Cjywi5bqFiY3dx433_mV80_hyl8LhkYeqbZjBN3Pn7hm4tl9Dq7IO4Y9HVs2zkVVtkxCne_UoGpeMve958nOhruXtUsWVOio/s1600/Supermarket+Checkout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnih3kVEq5jGjzJeq-tav3mIULGtlhAtwZcz80mjjF03Cjywi5bqFiY3dx433_mV80_hyl8LhkYeqbZjBN3Pn7hm4tl9Dq7IO4Y9HVs2zkVVtkxCne_UoGpeMve958nOhruXtUsWVOio/s320/Supermarket+Checkout.jpg" width="220" /></a>Most people I know find grocery shopping annoying. I think it's annoying to try to get out the door to go grocery shopping, but once I'm there, I enjoy the calm zen of shopping. How do I achieve that inner peace, you ask? I am happy to share my secrets of zen procurement with you.<br />
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<i>Step One</i>- This one is crucial and non-negotiable. <b>Leave the kids at home</b>. But it's a good teaching time, you say. <b>No</b>. There are other teaching opportunities. But I don't have anyone to watch them, you say. Let them watch television, I say. They'll never even know you're gone. (Bad parenting? Perhaps, perhaps.) The only exception to this iron-clad rule is if you have an infant. They will know. Especially if you're breast-feeding. And if your baby wakes up hungry and you're not there, you will be strolling down the aisles trying to cover your shirt with large collard greens to hide the leaking breast milk. Strap your baby to you to go shopping. Although, really, if you have a nursing baby, you should send your husband out to do the shopping. After all, you're already getting food for one member of the family.<br />
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<i>Step Two</i> - <b>Don't rush it.</b> Take you time. Go down each and every aisle. Stop to admire the artful produce pyramids. Take a few moments to read the labels. Chat with the butcher about the best way to cook a particular cut of meat.<br />
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<i>Step Three</i> - <b>Enjoy the music</b>. If they are playing hits from your high school years, you have my permission to hum along.<br />
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<i>Step Four</i> - If they are giving out samples, don't take one and rush along. <b>Stop and chat</b> with the sample lady. Ask questions about the product. They are happy to have people interested and it makes them feel less like a hog farmer at feeding time.<br />
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<i>Step Five</i> - If there is a wine section, find the wine guy and <b>ask advice</b> on what to serve with a vegetable medley casserole. Even if you don't drink wine. Wine guys are passionate about their wine and one question can keep them talking for upwards of 20 minutes.<br />
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<i>Step Six</i> - Chat with the person at the checkout counter. Ask about their plans for the weekend, whether they've tried the frozen shrimp and if they liked them, what the medical and dental benefits are of the grocery store. Talking slows them down.<br />
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<i>Step Seven</i> - If the store offers help getting your bags out to the car, by all means <b>accept that offer</b>. A nice chatty bag boy can extend the shopping excursion another 5-10 minutes. After all, he's happy to get out of the store and delay getting back in as along as possible.<br />
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<i>Step Eight</i> - You've been gone a long time now. When you arrive home, honk the car horn, indicating that you require assistance with the copious amounts of food you've brought home. And obviously, since you've had such an exhausting time getting the food (fighting traffic, fighting crowds, lugging the bags, etc), you can't be expected to put away all the groceries. That task should be done by other family members while you <b>rest your feet</b> and possibly sample that wine the wine guy recommended.<br />
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See how relaxing that sounds?<br />
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One of the things that annoys me deeply is having the zen of my grocery shopping time shattered by whining children. Some times I have to bite my lip hard to keep from going up to the parent and offering to smack their child for them. What terrible parenting to allow their child to whine relentlessly until they get their way! Why didn't they leave them at home parked in front of a cartoon?<br />
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And usually the stuff the kids whine for is garbage. Truly putrid stuff filled with artificial food coloring, HFCS, sulfites, and about a wheelbarrowfull of sugar. No wonder those kids are whiny if their parents let them eat that.<br />
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Instead, they should offer them treats like these brownies. Something that doesn't spike their blood sugar and make them behave like monkeys on cocaine. These are a decadent treat for those of us in GAPSlandia. Full of dark chocolatey flavor, sweetened only with honey, and grain-free. Whoo hoo! The berries were a delicious complement to the brownies. A dollop ice cream would not have gone amiss, but, sadly, I didn't have any on hand. But no one whined because, after all, not only did I bring home the groceries, I baked the brownies!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjie36Sij99ppXv80qpHLKzMVc0u5EDJ0MO0NQlmzOtWH2CXpBeEhnVmpBcShmxQowZo5QfPzlbgvlDLd8l3u2QsNvWY5BL_Qrm46cawxdIs9opgxlEZvLZAfv8zNrHcYnIXlDqhF9eVXg/s1600/DSC_6725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjie36Sij99ppXv80qpHLKzMVc0u5EDJ0MO0NQlmzOtWH2CXpBeEhnVmpBcShmxQowZo5QfPzlbgvlDLd8l3u2QsNvWY5BL_Qrm46cawxdIs9opgxlEZvLZAfv8zNrHcYnIXlDqhF9eVXg/s320/DSC_6725.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Real Food Grain-free Fudgey Brownies</b><br />
(adapted from <a href="http://www.thefreckledfoodie.com/">The Freckled Foodie</a>)<br />
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<i>1 large, ripe avocado</i><br />
<i>1/4 cup sunflower seed butter</i><br />
<i>1/2 of a small banana</i><br />
<i>1/4 c. honey</i><br />
<i>4 oz unsweetened, 100% dark chocolate</i><br />
<i>1 Tbsp coconut oil</i><br />
<i>1/4 cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder</i><br />
<i>3 large eggs</i><br />
<i>1 Tbsp vanilla extract</i><br />
<i>1 Tbsp coconut flour (sifted)</i><br />
<i>1 tsp baking soda</i><br />
<i>1/2 tsp fine sea salt</i><br />
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1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Prepare a 9x9 pan - either grease with coconut oil or line with foil.<br />
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2- Cut avocado in half, peel and seed, and place in food processor. Process until VERY smooth.<br />
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3- In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together, stirring frequently.<br />
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4- Transfer avocado to a large bowl and add the melted chocolate mixture and the remaining ingredients.<br />
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5- Using a hand mixer, whip until very well combined and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.<br />
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6- Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 28-30 min. Remove when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool before cutting.<br />
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7- If you have the willpower, allow these to chill in the refrigerator for up to 3 days for optimum flavor. Or, break down and serve immediately with berries and whipped cream or ice cream.<br />
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Note: for those who are humor impaired, this was a humorous post. Let me reassure you that I am not actually advocating leaving your children home unsupervised. Nor do I actually smack other people's children. But sometimes I am tempted.Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-36865469801661348482013-04-30T05:23:00.000-07:002013-06-27T07:32:26.299-07:00More Notes From GapslandiaWhen I work out I'm a terrible clock watcher. I know you're not supposed to do that; you're supposed to focus on your workout and be mentally present. Well, some days being physically present is the best I can do. And I look to the clock to help me get through the workout. I break things into fractions.<br />
<br />
My mental conversation for the cardio portion of my workout goes something like this:<br />
" It's only 5 minutes in. I can't quit yet! I know my calves hurt, but they always hurt 5 minutes in. It'll get better. Keep going."<br />
" Oh boy, 10 minutes in. I'm a third of the way through!"<br />
" That particular move (bang, bang) means we're halfway through. Hooray!"<br />
" I'm tired, but there's only 10 minutes left. I know I can do 10 more minutes."<br />
And then, I'm done. Sweaty and weary, but I made it all the way through!<br />
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It was something of a shock when I counted it out on my fingers to realize that we're already 6 months into GAPS. If we go the full 2 years, that means we're 1/4 of the way through. Hooray! I think we can do this thing!<br />
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Here are a few thoughts for those who are interested in GAPS, contemplating doing GAPS, or know someone who is on GAPS.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKd3ooAyucub8HueTWMOrLnYLY9IijA_UEaliBZNg5TvXqRzTWxisn4VLYQKcIyQ11J6gg2iysXTcLe8tG2lUarJ5iZJKkjNiaQ4I7E7BF52PSQ0AeFOvJ3erqURrUGz6QtHWmdwjq0v0/s1600/DSC_6639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKd3ooAyucub8HueTWMOrLnYLY9IijA_UEaliBZNg5TvXqRzTWxisn4VLYQKcIyQ11J6gg2iysXTcLe8tG2lUarJ5iZJKkjNiaQ4I7E7BF52PSQ0AeFOvJ3erqURrUGz6QtHWmdwjq0v0/s320/DSC_6639.JPG" width="212" /></a>1- <b>GAPS is not a "gosh I need to lose 10 lbs for swimsuit season" diet.</b> It's a tough life-style change and not to be undertaken capriciously. <a href="http://gaps.me/">Read up</a>. Get all the information. If possible, talk to others who've done it. That might need to be online, as not a lot of people have heard of GAPS. My naturopath hadn't. (I'm no longer seeing that naturopath.)<br />
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And if you know someone who's on GAPS, please don't say things like, "Oh, you're so skinny, you don't need a diet!" "You can eat anything you want and not gain a pound." "Go ahead and live a little. You know you want it....." That's not helpful.<br />
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The decision to go on GAPS is motivated by serious health issues. Unless you want to hear a whole rundown on how that seemingly healthy person isn't, don't ask. It's a big decision that they've made for big reasons. Respect that.<br />
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2- If you've been convinced that you or your family would really benefit from doing the GAPS diet, look at where you are now and <b>be realistic</b>. If you're eating the Standard American Diet (aka, crap), then it will be brutal to jump to go right into the Intro Diet. Take some baby steps. Work towards it. Start reading labels and eliminating all the junk from your food. Clean out your pantry. Make the choice to stop buying soda, candy, chips, and junk. You know, <b>if it's not there, you can't eat it</b>.<br />
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After you've purged the pantry,<b> start cooking.</b> For some folks, this is no big deal. They already cook everything. But for some people, this is huge. There are families that never cook. Never. They either eat out, go get fast food, or pull something out of the freezer. The oven and stove are not used, other than for reheating. For that kind family, the intro diet would make their heads explode.<br />
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If you are that kind of family, start by making chicken broth. <b>Broth is the backbone of the GAPS diet and you'll be making LOTS of it</b>. And it's not hard at all, but if you've never made it it might seem daunting. I'll break it down for you below. Try it! Once you see how easy it is, you'll be motivated to try making other things.<br />
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3- Keep your reasons in front of you. It's easy to have a pity party about all the things you can't have, but you can change your attitude and <b>be grateful for all the positive changes you are seeing</b>. When the pounds come off on the Intro Diet, rejoice in that. When your picky eater husband tries green vegetables and likes them, get excited about that. When your picky eater child says, "I love this! Can you make it again?" to a dish he previously wouldn't have touched, throw a party! And when your skin clears up, your hair stops falling out, and your chronic stomach ache disappears, shout it from the rooftops!<br />
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<b>Chicken Bone Broth</b><br />
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1 organic whole chicken<br />
1-2 onions<br />
4 (or so) organic carrots<br />
4 (or so) organic celery stalks<br />
4-6 peppercorns<br />
Filtered water<br />
Organic apple cider vinegar<br />
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What goes into a bone broth is really subject to what you have on hand. The only non-negotiable items are the organic chicken and the filtered water. The chicken needs to be organic as arsenic is routinely added to chicken feed to keep parasites away. That arsenic ends up in the non-organic chickens. Ick. And the water needs to be filtered so you don't make broth that tastes like a swimming pool.<br />
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Prior to making the broth, you can keep a scraps bag in the freezer. Bits and bobs of vegetables can go in there to save for broth - carrot shavings, the last 1/4 of an onion, etc. Then when you get around to making broth, you can dump it all in. If you don't have that bag in your freezer, no worries. You can still make great broth.<br />
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1- Pull the chicken out of the packaging, removing the giblets (the neck and organs, usually stuffed into the cavity of the chicken) and any non-chicken bits (the little chicken Pampers that soak up blood). If this sounds too icky to you, recruit a child to help. They'll think it's cool in a gross kind of way. Set the giblets aside.<br />
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2- Place the chicken in a stock pot. At least 4 quarts in size. Roughly chop up the vegetables and throw them in with the chicken. Cover the chicken with water (cold or room temperature) and set the pot over medium heat.<br />
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3- Bring the water to a boil, then place a lid on the pot and turn off the heat. Let the residual heat continue to cook the chicken for 15-20 minutes. Turn the chicken over, replace the lid, and let it sit for another 15-20 min.<br />
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4- Take the chicken out of the water (carefully, so you don't burn or scald yourself!) and remove it to a cutting board. If you poke it with a knife, the juice should run clear. Pat yourself on the back. You just poached a chicken! Remove the meat from the bones and toss the bones back into the pot. Save the meat for other meals (chicken salad, chef salad, enchiladas, etc).<br />
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5- Add the giblets to the pot. Add more water, if necessary to bring up the water level.<br />
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6- Pour in 1/4 cup (or so) of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. You need to ad an acid to draw the minerals out of the bones. Bring the broth to a boil over medium heat and turn it down to just simmering. Simmer for 24 hours. (This part can be done in a crock pot for safety and convenience)<br />
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7- Strain your lovely broth. It should be a dark, golden brown now and smell amazing. The bones should be soft and the cartilage dissolved. Toss all of the chunky bits your strained out and put your lovely broth into quart containers to freeze. Be sure to label the contents and put the date on it. It will keep in your freezer for at least 6 months, but if you're on GAPS, it won't last that long!Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-27839319282446276362013-03-25T15:23:00.001-07:002013-03-25T15:24:52.665-07:00You Think I'm Nuts? You Might Be Right<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvyllTnmJLpxv5Ij7VGb0c9Uej3bpUp7thkvcKX50xlpTthY951O2ito7qBSH2irwNB41OYFM8j39gI10a0qC6irSJ5-cvVsWpZ9bFNkj7wmM2MypaqTff0O0PJaq8-pJgb2drbbeq44/s1600/DSC_6564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvyllTnmJLpxv5Ij7VGb0c9Uej3bpUp7thkvcKX50xlpTthY951O2ito7qBSH2irwNB41OYFM8j39gI10a0qC6irSJ5-cvVsWpZ9bFNkj7wmM2MypaqTff0O0PJaq8-pJgb2drbbeq44/s320/DSC_6564.JPG" width="320" /></a>Insomnia sucks. I've been battling it for over two years. In that time I've had maybe a handful of nights when I slept through the night. I have no trouble getting to sleep (because I'm so exhausted), but at 2 or 3 am my brain goes into hyper-drive and the weirdest thoughts come out to play, pinging around in my brain like quarks in a particle accelerator.<br />
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This morning what I woke to was my brain having a conversation with itself. "What if, " it postulated, "you did a mash-up of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/?ref_=sr_2">The Hunger Games</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM9qd1VRSyA">The Dating Game</a>?" "Yes," it answered, " you could have a group of teenagers fighting to the death for a chance to go out with..... Justin Bieber!"<br />
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So while weary me is just wanting to go back to sleep, my brain is planning out what The Hungry Dating Game would look like.<br />
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The volunteers (I'm unsure on the number - one from each state? an even dozen? ) would stand on their platforms around the cornucopia, eyeing the loot and eyeing each other. Would it be smarter to run, or should they dash in to get the goodies. And which to choose? The hair dryer? The eyeshadow palette? The curling iron (a lethal weapon, if you can find an outlet)? A safe bet would be the Prada backpack. It's bound to have some mascara that can be used to stab someone in the eye.<br />
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I'm unsure how the actual games would play out. There would doubtless be some horrific scenes of broken nails and hair pulling. But when the final cannon sounded, there would be one victor. And poor Justin Bieber would have to go out with a mass murderer. But, that's why his bodyguards make the big bucks, right?<br />
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Eventually I fell back to sleep, waking groggy and disoriented several hours later. At which point I'm bored with bed and get up to go do the Sudoku on the computer. And think about breakfast.<br />
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All week long we have eggs for breakfast. If you're a fat-o-phobe, it might give you heart palpitations to learn that I have 2-3 eggs fried in coconut oil every day, topped with butter. My son, when he's hungry will have 4, sometimes making them into an omelette with cheese. But he gets bored with eggs. So on the weekends I try to do something different. Today I'm going to make waffles. Lovely waffles with coconut flour and lots of eggs, so they're high in protein and won't give a blood sugar spike, followed by a carb coma. I'm going to make an extra big batch so that we can have leftovers (hopefully). Left-overs in waffle land mean (gasp!) sandwiches for lunch! My husband, the sandwich-o-phile, will be so happy.<br />
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<b>Coconut Flour Waffles</b><br />
- adapted from <a href="http://www.healthhomehappy.com/">Health, Home, and Happiness</a><br />
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<i>1/2 cup melted coconut oil, butter, or ghee</i><br />
<i>1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted or sieved</i><br />
<i>12 eggs</i><br />
<i>1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract (read the label to make sure there's no added sugar)</i><br />
<i>1/2 salt</i><br />
<i>1 Tbsp gelatin</i><br />
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1- Preheat waffle iron. Grease it generously with coconut oil.<br />
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2- Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes. It will thicken as it rests.<br />
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3- Pour batter onto the iron, using a spoon or small cup appropriate to the size of your waffle iron. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown.<br />
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4- Serve with lots of butter and whatever else you choose. If you want to save some for lunchtime sandwiches, allow them to cool draped over the handle of a wooden spoon so they don't get soggy.Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-15526738344294572692013-03-22T13:06:00.002-07:002013-03-22T13:07:23.903-07:00Taco Rack Winner!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JunaA3NlgMR_Zz_EbOHX8hrfyWjtSRseARFfyx0FyNnai98bnWNwU8ltevjLyQW8wY-kYE4KBuzLQKqyKh1Rw2DFW_YrB6glXM1yaomEUaF6WOVouNhpZAWVqZmzIz0Cx13-C0YRn54/s1600/DSC_6529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JunaA3NlgMR_Zz_EbOHX8hrfyWjtSRseARFfyx0FyNnai98bnWNwU8ltevjLyQW8wY-kYE4KBuzLQKqyKh1Rw2DFW_YrB6glXM1yaomEUaF6WOVouNhpZAWVqZmzIz0Cx13-C0YRn54/s320/DSC_6529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And the winner of the <a href="http://tacorack.com/">Taco Rack</a> giveaway is.......Kelly!<br />
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Please get back to me by Monday with your contact information so we can get your Taco Rack shipped out to you.<br />
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Congratulations, Kelly, and happy tacoing!<br />
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<br />Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-56067645197644249702013-03-19T08:17:00.000-07:002013-03-19T09:07:52.522-07:00Taco Bliss Giveaway<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNIDj09LP6ETjkOPCGmImgJCFtqTtqXUR3J4FJUveWXiYstyzg4e0if4LEzWvbgkxVP5K4Ui74dL1ZM0sxBBp3yCHAWxRh7K9Rt3-Ds-BFBF4Io0NKL4Gn4Py8h62ClP-qvE2Ha6UaNM/s1600/DSC_6513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNIDj09LP6ETjkOPCGmImgJCFtqTtqXUR3J4FJUveWXiYstyzg4e0if4LEzWvbgkxVP5K4Ui74dL1ZM0sxBBp3yCHAWxRh7K9Rt3-Ds-BFBF4Io0NKL4Gn4Py8h62ClP-qvE2Ha6UaNM/s320/DSC_6513.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It blows my mind that someone invented the folding chair. I mean, I can barely get the things opened, and someone, looking at a regular chair one day said, "Hmm, if I could fold this up, it would take up way less storage space." And then they made it happen.</div>
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Inventors are amazing. When I'm irked by something, I whine and complain about it. If I do think up a solution, it's so impractical it's laughable. Case in point: getting stuck behind a semi going 35 mph on a freeway onramp. Frustration! Solution? Transporters. Like in Star Trek. Why don't we have them??</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugZ1aXx4OgS48UtI5fGCG6khOcVH87dZwt6WRqkqsneJnO5R5iIc_lRyflptKNqydZZ-eJvO-i264Cep5jHwrDnfqSPmjzS-f1X3e_CDn2yHPHJU0BC6PGTHQy07eHCfc_tAGNZ55mTU/s1600/DSC_6515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugZ1aXx4OgS48UtI5fGCG6khOcVH87dZwt6WRqkqsneJnO5R5iIc_lRyflptKNqydZZ-eJvO-i264Cep5jHwrDnfqSPmjzS-f1X3e_CDn2yHPHJU0BC6PGTHQy07eHCfc_tAGNZ55mTU/s320/DSC_6515.JPG" width="212" /></a>Clearly I do not have an inventor's brain. And inventor is someone who looks at a problem and then thinks through the steps to a solution. And then takes those steps to improve their life and the lives of countless others.</div>
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A friend of mine, Nicolas, is a fanatic about Mexican food. His deep and abiding passion in life is tacos. And Elvis. But that's another post. Back to the tacos. He loves tacos, but was always frustrated with them. Taco shells that shatter when you bite into them? Lame. It's eating taco salad with your hands. </div>
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And really, what is the heart of Mexican food? The reason we love to go to Mexican restaurants? I mean, besides the margaritas. The cheese, of course! Melted, gooey cheese. The more the better! Where in a typical homemade taco is that ooey gooey delight? You don't get it. By the time you sprinkle your cheese over your cooked meat, the meat is too cold to melt the cheese. Fail!</div>
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Such were the ruminations of Nicolas as he worked on a job at a factory that used a laser to cut steel. The light bulb moment hit. Aha! Cut steel into a shape that would hold a taco and then you could bake the taco, melt the cheese, and have peace on earth in our time! Well, maybe not that last one, but you could definitely have a happier dinner table.</div>
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Nicolas send me a <a href="http://www.tacorack.com/">Taco Rack</a>, his invention, to try and I was super impressed with the craftsmanship (made in America!). It's sturdy stainless steel, so it's good for a lifetime. It's dishwasher safe, which makes it a win in my house. And, bonus, it comes apart to store flat in a drawer! I love that!</div>
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I took my Taco Rack to my sister's house to make tacos. (She eats grains, plus her house is way cleaner than mine.) We tried both corn and flour shells, prebaking to crisp, filling with cooked, grass-fed ground beef and cheese, and then baking to make the cheese melt and the heart sing. OMG, what a difference a baking makes. When I packed up to head home my niece was happily chomping one one of them.</div>
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At home, I made the GAPS version. My daughter helped me to dream these up and I named them. They're like little canoes of food. Made from zucchinis. Zucanoes. What do you think?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5l2lR40JpUFFbZCYXdyUea5exRNwCz2BZR1PdAXlEMuMGNiP1UUmbNmWWDpLXDDU2MdP18oncTVScHm4vyGC9whwGCGqIBHyYsUZe5ZnbNDsqaNw2OPWp-WSL8WumHsGbAsyQCJEfiU/s1600/DSC_6546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5l2lR40JpUFFbZCYXdyUea5exRNwCz2BZR1PdAXlEMuMGNiP1UUmbNmWWDpLXDDU2MdP18oncTVScHm4vyGC9whwGCGqIBHyYsUZe5ZnbNDsqaNw2OPWp-WSL8WumHsGbAsyQCJEfiU/s320/DSC_6546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Zucanoes</b> (GAPS-friendly)</div>
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<i>zucchinis</i></div>
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<i>Italian sausage</i></div>
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<i>cheese</i></div>
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<i>toppings</i></div>
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<i>sour cream</i></div>
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<i>salsa</i></div>
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Start with smaller zucchinis. You can't use the end of season baseball bats here because they need to fit on the Taco Rack. Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.</div>
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Cut a V-shaped wedge out of the top of the zucchini, leaving the ends alone. If you cut all the way through, they'll leak. Save your wedges for soup, stir-fries, or to eat with dip. With a spoon, scrape out the seeds. Discard the seeds.</div>
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Put the Taco Rack on the cookie sheet and place the zucchinis on the taco rack. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 min. (The bake time depends on the size of the zucchinis. You want them crisp/tender)</div>
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Cook Italian sausage and stuff the zucchinis 2/3 full with sausage. Sprinkle generously with grated GAPS-legal cheese. Return to the oven and bake till the cheese is nicely melted.<br />
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Remove from the oven, top with your choice of fresh toppings. I used chopped tomatoes and drizzled sour cream over them. They were amazingly good! </div>
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Now, to reward you for making it to the bottom of the post, a giveaway!<br />
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Because he is kind and generous, Nicolas offered to share the joy of <a href="http://tacorack.com/">oven-baked tacos</a> with one of my US readers. Leave a comment below to be entered in the giveaway drawing. If you mention the Taco Rack giveaway with a link on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, come back and leave another comment letting me know that for extra entries. I'll do a drawing on Friday and let you know who the lucky winner is!</div>
Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-33098888306830328102013-03-17T04:06:00.002-07:002013-03-17T04:06:44.892-07:00A Bit O' The Green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I was in 8th grade my Jr. High announced a contest in March. The first person to bring a 4 leaf clover into the office would win a bag of gold. When I heard this, I smiled, knowing the gold was mine. Am I unusually lucky? Not really. But what I did have was a front lawn full of 4 leaf clovers.<br />
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As a child, when I'd first learned that finding a 4 leaf clover was supposed to be very lucky, I'd started the habit of looking through the clover whenever I was sitting in the grass. And I found that a particular patch in my front yard always had an abundance of 4 leaf clovers. Finding one for the contest should be a snap.<br />
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So, it looked like that bag of gold had my name written all over it. Except for one minor detail. Me. Remember one of my major character flaws is procrastination? Yeah. They announced the contest on March 1st, winner to be announced on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. Did I race home that day and scour the lawn for the winning clover? No. I forgot. Hey, I had homework and stuff! It's not like I'm a total loser and just watched Gilligan's Island or something.<br />
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An announcement 2 days before the event reminded me and I groaned, knowing that most likely someone else had already stepped into the winner's circle. But, I had to at least participate. So that afternoon I found my clover and the next morning I turned it into the school office.<br />
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There was a stomp scheduled for St. Patrick's Day. I don't know how prevalent that term was, so let me clarify. A stomp was an informal dance, held in the school gym, with records played. No one invited a date or anything. All the students just came and danced. Or, like me, stood against the wall and watched others dance.<br />
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So there I was, in the traditional wallflower stance, checking out the cute guys dancing with the cute girls, when the principal took the microphone to announce the winner of the contest. He said that there had been several entries (dejected sigh, shoulders sagging), but most were dried and pressed, only one had been fresh (perking up), and the winner was (eager look).....ME!<br />
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I was thrilled to win, but super embarrassed to have the whole student body looking at me. I wormed my way through the crowd to receive my sack of gold and found that the school district's budget did not run to 14 karat giveaways, but did include milk chocolate coins wrapped in gold-toned foil. As I tried to edge back to my wall spot, it seemed like the whole student body wanted a coin. So, embracing my inner lady of largess, I flung handfuls of coins up into the air and had the fun of watching everyone scramble to get a coin.<br />
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Now here is the point where I would normally segue to a St. Patrick's day recipe, preferably one that had the tie-in of chocolate. And I did have that. Really. I made cookies that turned green. Without food coloring. They were amazing. I was using a recipe that called for almond butter, which I did not have. But I did have sunflower seed butter, so I used that. And the funky thing about sunflower seed butter is that when you put it into a batter, it starts to get a greenish tinge. And the longer it's exposed to air, the greener it gets. The first tray of cookies was not nearly as green as the last tray. And as the baked cookies sat in a container on the counter, they ripened into an almost emerald green.<br />
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I was amazed at the color and knew I had to blog them for St. Patrick's Day. There was just one problem. Remember that character flaw? Yeah, procrastination. We ate all the cookies before I got around to taking pictures. Sorry!<br />
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<br />Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-89903825028351308172013-03-05T06:56:00.000-08:002013-03-17T04:22:50.588-07:00Snack Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are a lot of things that I did with my older kids that I shudder about now, particularly what I fed them. Besides always (and I mean ALWAYS) having the cookie jar full, and making plenty of homemade cakes, pies, and breads, I also succumbed to the pleas for snack food from the grocery store. I bought Otter Pops, Twinkies, and Frosted Flakes. Particular favorites were chips, gummy candies, and granola bars. (I felt pretty righteous about the granola bars. Until I read the labels.)<br />
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Now that we're doing the gut-healing <a href="http://gaps.me/preview/?page_id=20">GAPS</a> diet, all of those snack choices are out the window. My cookie jar is in storage, as is the bread machine, and I'd gnaw my left hand off at the wrist rather than buy candy to feed my son. So, what do I do when my child is in a growth spurt and haunts the kitchen, cheeks sucked in to indicate imminent starvation? The question asked daily is "What can I eat?"<br />
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Fruit, while a fresh, whole food, isn't a snacking option right now. My son is still not able to handle sugars well. Adding just a bit to his diet negatively affects his behavior and cognitive abilities. We won't even talk about what happened when he ate his sister's homemade brown sugar/ honey facial scrub that was sitting on the counter. That was not a good day.<br />
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So when he asked for something besides eggs the other day, I asked if he'd like squash. A year ago if you'd asked him that, he would have screwed up his face to indicate repulsion, possibly feigning retching. This time he said in a cheerful voice, "Yes, please!"<br />
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I had on hand a Kabucha squash. I'm very fond of them. They are sweet (unless you're comparing them to a Snicker's bar) and are great baked and in stir fries and soups. You might need to go to an Asian market to find one; they are used in a lot of Asian dishes.<br />
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I cut it in half, vertically, scooped out the guts, cut it into slices, peeled the slices (this is optional. You can eat the skin, but if you have a family member with texture issues, I recommend not skipping this step.). Then I cut the slices into chunks.<br />
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I heated my large cast iron skilled over medium heat and added a generous amount of coconut oil. Truly generous, like a politician with taxpayers' money, about 3 Tbsp or more. When a small piece of squash tossed in the pan made small bubbles come up around it (and if you you don't have enough oil to see bubbles, you don't have enough oil!), I added the rest of the squash and stirred it, coating all the pieces with oil. Then I took my cinnamon shaker and coated them so they looked like they'd taken a dirt bath in cinnamon. If you like sweet/ salty as a combination, toss some salt in there, too.<br />
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Stir the chunks every couple of minutes, adding more cinnamon and oil as necessary.<br />
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When the squash is fork tender, scoop it into a bowl and add a BIG pat of butter. Not just any butter. Beautiful butter from grass-fed cows. Which is now available at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Costco under the <a href="http://www.kerrygold.com/">Kerrygold</a> label. Woo hoo! Butter is <a href="http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/03/butter-is-better-the-health-benefits-of-grass-fed-butter/">amazing stuff</a> and makes everything taste better. Besides all it's other healthy properties, it provides satiety, that feeling of fullness. Just what a hungry boy needs!Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-65166075806481712792013-02-02T10:45:00.001-08:002013-02-02T10:45:51.598-08:00These Are Not The Pancakes You're Looking ForIn our house we have a giant, green Tupperware bowl. It goes by various names. It's been called The Popcorn Bowl. Also The Puke Bowl. (Think about that the next time you're tempted to feel sorry for me because I no longer eat popcorn). Currently, it's the compost bowl.<br />
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When I was a youngster, my dad thought that composting was the answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything. (Thanks to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Hitchhikers-Guide-Galaxy/dp/0345453743/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359830111&sr=1-1&keywords=the+hitchhiker%27s+guide+to+the+galaxy">Douglas Adams</a>, we now know the answer to be 42, but my dad was without that knowledge.) We could never just throw away waste, be it kitchen or yard waste. It needed to go back into the soil! In our back yard he built himself a two-stall compost producer. And being of the "do it right, or don't do it all" school of thought, he built it out of concrete. He made forms and poured concrete so that he had two concrete bins, open on the top, resembling stalls for small Shetland ponies, so that he could fork the rotting humus from one bin to the other.<br />
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In his quest for the optimum composter, he'd forgotten one itsy bitsy, teensy weensie factor. Oxygen is kind of important for composting to happen. And 6 cubic feet of compressed leaves, grass, and dead tomato plants does not breathe well. My dad ended up getting rid of that compost bunker (I'm not sure but I think he might have had to use dynamite) and replacing it with something less sturdy and more breathable.<br />
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That whole attitude left an indelible stamp on me. The 11th commandment subliminally implanted in my brain is Thou Shalt Compost! And for many years I did. I dutifully heaped, forked, turned, sifted, and lovingly applied my beautiful dark, worm-ridden soil to the garden. But when we landscaped the yard to turn it into a <a href="http://cookiebakerlynn.blogspot.com/2008/06/happily-wedded-bliss.html">wedding venue</a>, sadly there was no room for a compost heap. So I've resigned myself to tossing my kitchen scraps into the yard waste bin provided by the city and letting them do the composting.<br />
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With our new diet, though, we produce a LOT of kitchen scraps. We fill the compost bowl at least once a day with quality, organic leavings. It pains me to consign them to the green bin. Surely there must be some way to reuse!<br />
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I was thinking this the other day, as I looked at the juice leavings. We juice carrots, kale, celery, spinach, and apples (and whatever else we think to toss in) and produce about 4 cups of dry waste from that daily. I had the leaving on the counter as I was preparing to make GAPS pancakes, whose ingredients are squash, eggs, and nuts. And then I had an AHA! moment. I used the juice waste in place of the squash to make the pancakes, adding a little coconut milk for moisture.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(These are King Arthur Flour Pancakes. They are prettier than mine. Plus I was too lazy to take pictures of mine.)</span></div>
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Were these the <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/simply-perfect-pancakes-recipe">light, fluffy pancakes</a> like those I used to make with white flour and sugar? No, no they were not. But they were a lot like the squash pancakes and since my family is used to those, they didn't complain. Did they squeal in joy, asking how soon we could have them again? No, they did not. But these days, any meal which they will eat without gagging or complaining is a victory.<br />
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And I got to have the pleased glow all day of having rescued some perfectly good kitchen waste from the bin.<br />
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<b>Aprés Juice Pancakes</b><br />
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<i>Dry leavings from juicing - about 4 cups worth</i><br />
<i>2 cups <a href="http://thenourishingcook.com/crispy-walnuts/">soaked and dehydrated walnuts</a></i><br />
<i>6 farm eggs</i><br />
<i>about 1/4 cup coconut milk</i><br />
<i>Coconut oil or tallow</i><br />
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1- Into a food processor or blender, add all the ingredients (the dry leavings last - unless you want to burn out the motor on your blender. Don't ask how I know. Just trust me on this one.)<br />
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2- Process until you have a smooth, creamy batter. Add more coconut milk if it seems to thick.<br />
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3- Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add coconut oil or tallow to coat it. You want a lot of grease in there!<br />
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4- Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto the hot pan, spreading with the back of a spoon to an even thickness.<br />
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5- When the underside is done, flip carefully with a spatula and cook the other side. If the consistency is off, the pancakes may break up. No worries. Go with it and call them scrambled pancakes and hope to do better next time.Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-3584450045876328112013-01-18T16:19:00.001-08:002013-01-18T16:19:20.663-08:00A Piece of AdviceI'm considering a career change. Sure, being a homeschooling mother and part time lazy blogger is glamorous, but the pay stinks and the hours are horrible. I was thinking about becoming a relationship counselor instead. This would combine two of my favorite things - telling people what to do and listening to other people's problems so that my own problems seem not nearly so bad by comparison.<br />
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As a relationship counselor, I could hang out my shingle and people would pay me to listen to them complain about their girlfriend/boyfriend/parent/child/teacher/co-worker/or whoever. This is pretty much what I already do for free. I'm good at it, too. People who paid for my services would get top quality head nodding, concerned and sympathetic smiles, and lots of "tell me more."<br />
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Then, when the relationship has been thoroughly examined, the problem extrapolated, and the dynamic explained, I would swing into action and give extraordinary advice. Some people feel that you need letters behind your name before you're qualified to give advice. I disagree. I've got an Mrs. in front of my name and an MOM after it, so I feel supremely qualified to wade into the murky waters of troubled relationships. Plus, I watched a soap opera back in college, so I know exactly what NOT to say.<br />
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The easiest clients would involve work relationships. Employee making you nuts? Fire them. Boss making you crazy? Put a laxative in his or her coffee and get a new job. Co-worker driving you round the bend? Watch a few episodes of The Office. I'm sure you'll get some ideas.<br />
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I think I might have to go into practice with a partner. Then I would pass off all the parent/child/teacher problems to that person. It's not the I'm not qualified. More like overqualified. I've been there, done that, and have the wrinkles to prove it.<br />
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I think my favorite group of clients would be the love-lorn. So easy.<br />
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* <i>How do I get a girlfriend (or boyfriend)?</i><br />
~ You don't. Go make friends, both with boys and girls. Hang out with people whose company you enjoy. Talk to them. Listen to them. Have fun together. Maybe something will come from it. Maybe not. But at least you'll have friends that you can hang out with.<br />
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* <i>My boyfriend (or girlfriend) doesn't call me every day. If they really loved me, wouldn't they call every day?</i><br />
~ Maybe. But more likely not. Unless you're on your honeymoon, you can't expect that other person's thoughts to be on you 24/7. If it's a healthy relationship, that other person has other things going on besides waiting by the phone to talk to you. If they are waiting 24/7, taking the phone in the potty so they don't miss your call (not just to play Angry Birds like normal people do), that's obsessive, unhealthy, and they should get a hobby.<br />
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* <i>Where can I find the love of my life?</i><br />
~ See the first question. When you find a really good friend, you might have found the love of your life. Potentially. So, make friends. Who knows what could come of that great conversation you had on Tumblr when you found out that you weren't the only one who thought a cross-over between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Anne of Green Gables would be the best thing ever? But if you go to a bar looking for the love of your life, you're guaranteed to come home smelling like cigarette smoke and most likely without the love of your life. Unless you've always wanted to be hitched to a drunk.<br />
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* <i>My girlfriend (or boyfriend) is super whiny. How do I change her (or him)?</i><br />
~ You don't. You upgrade to the non-whiny version.<br />
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*<i> I want to break up with my boyfriend (or girlfriend). How do I do it without hurting their feelings?</i><br />
~ Go with the classics. The tried and true "let's just be friends" has stood the test of time. And if you say it nicely enough, it might take him (or her) till you get a new boyfriend (or girlfriend) to figure out that he (or she) has been dumped.<br />
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That's just a sampling of the superior advice you'd get when you come to Cookie Baker Counseling services. Interested? Call or email to make an appointment.<br />
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Not convinced? Here's a freebie - a solid piece of advice is to try these shakes. They are like everything a GAPS girl or guy wants in a mate: rich, sweet, and satisfying.<br />
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<b>Dairy-Free Chocolate Milkshakes</b><br />
- adapted from Eat Like A Dinosaur<br />
serves 4<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxC25fsdlaOhvriwhcBc7yPgkGwPyuYYNk2brBAFWwzk30TqN0O4FHVlpWLhGtnYV0TmkUzR2FQ05P02cBpbmqpXkCEKpqFylMwkBnWTjbx_q0j0ulz6C3WSzKtndDKveVNeInnS3AtA/s1600/IMG_3435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxC25fsdlaOhvriwhcBc7yPgkGwPyuYYNk2brBAFWwzk30TqN0O4FHVlpWLhGtnYV0TmkUzR2FQ05P02cBpbmqpXkCEKpqFylMwkBnWTjbx_q0j0ulz6C3WSzKtndDKveVNeInnS3AtA/s320/IMG_3435.jpg" width="240" /></a>(Because this recipe calls for chilled and frozen ingredients, you need to plan ahead)<br />
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<i>2 dried dates</i><br />
<i>1 14 oz can full-fat coconut milk, chilled (to be GAPS legal, it can't have added thickeners)</i><br />
<i>1 cup ice</i><br />
<i>1 avocado, peeled and pitted</i><br />
<i>1 ripe banana, frozen</i><br />
<i>1/4 cup cocoa powder (preferably raw)</i><br />
<br />
1- Place dates in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them sit for 15 minutes.<br />
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2- Remove the dates from the water and pat them dry. Remove the pit and place them in a blender.<br />
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3- Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender. Purée until smooth.<br />
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4- Serve in small glasses with straws.Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-84607188200436386312013-01-12T16:15:00.004-08:002013-01-12T16:19:25.344-08:00All Done Whining<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love watching my daughter parent. She's an awesome mother, much better than I was at her age. She sets clear boundaries and is consistent in not allowing the flopping of a toddler shoe across the line. One of the things she does not allow is whining. I have to bite my lip not to laugh when my granddaughter says, tears streaming down her face, "All done whining! I be happy girl!"<br />
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I take this toddler lesson to heart with GAPS. It's easy to be sad when grocery shopping, wandering the aisles of forbidden foods. It was especially difficult at Christmas, when Trader Joe's had tempting chocolate treats and peppermint hot cocoa right by the check out aisle. There were times that I came close to tears, but then I'd put on a brave smile and say to my kids, "All done whining. I be a happy girl."<br />
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Being a happy girl is a choice. And a big part of making that choice is looking for things to celebrate, things about which you can genuinely be happy. I could have ruined our Christmas with whimpering and whining about all the treats we couldn't have (and don't think it would have taken the rest of the family more than 5 seconds to follow my lead), but instead I looked for ways to make our Christmas wonderful, even without the forbidden foods.<br />
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Instead of baking cookies for the neighbors, we used the time to do some much needed cleaning and decluttering.<br />
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Our stockings were hung with care (on the windowsill, because we don't have a fireplace in our living room), but they were not filled with chocolates or hard candies. I had to get a little creative and dig through the dollar bins at Target to find sparkly nail polish, a Rubik's cube, earrings, erasers, and other small, inexpensive but fun items. The kids didn't miss the candy and I didn't miss the sugar-induced melt-downs.<br />
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The biggest concern was our Christmas Eve dinner. Since the early days of our marriage I've refused to do a big Christmas dinner. It just didn't seem fair to have everyone else in their pajamas, reading books, and playing games, while I had to go into the kitchen and work for hours to produce a feast. Instead, our special Christmas meal is on Christmas Eve. And the tradition is crab and clam chowder. The french bread on the side we could live without, but the crab and the clam chowder are non-negotiable.<br />
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Crab is no problem, as far as our diet goes. We were even far enough along on GAPS that we could have butter with our crab. Yeah! Another reason to celebrate!<br />
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But clam chowder... how do you make clam chowder without flour or milk? A daunting task, yes, but not impossible. I turned to my go-to friend, the internet, and found an almost paleo recipe for clam chowder. One minor tweak and I made GAPS-friendly clam chowder that was amazing.<br />
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We served up the feast and I took a tentative first sip. Christmas would still be Christmas, even if the chowder was kind of yucky. But it was good. Really good. I think I even like it better than my old reliable Joy of Cooking recipe. The coconut milk made it creamier without the heavy floury taste that a roux can give clam chowder.<br />
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I can't promise that I'm all done whining for good. You know me. I love a good glass of whine. But for our Christmas, I was a very happy girl.<br />
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<b>GAPS-friendly, Paleo Clam Chowder</b><br />
serves 8<br />
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<i>6 Tbsp butter (from grass-fed cows)</i><br />
<i>6 slices bacon (from clean, pastured piggie), chopped</i><br />
<i>1 large onion, chopped</i><br />
<i>4 ribs celery with greens, chopped</i><br />
<i>8 sprigs thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme, if that's all you've got)</i><br />
<i>salt and pepper to taste</i><br />
<i>4 tsp. hot sauce, optional</i><br />
<i>1/4 cup blanched almond flour</i><br />
<i>2 pints coconut milk</i><br />
<i>4 cups chicken broth</i><br />
<i>1 celeriac root, peeled and shredded</i><br />
<i>4 cans whole or chopped clams and their juice</i><br />
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1- Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the bacon, onion, celery, and thyme. Season with salt, pepper, and optional hot sauce and cook for 5 minutes, or until onion is soft.<br />
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2- Add almond flour and stir to combine. Cook 1 minute.<br />
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3- Add coconut milk, broth, celeriac, and clams. Raise heat and bring to a boil, then lower and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and remove thyme.Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-40657642635378347322013-01-03T13:43:00.001-08:002013-01-03T14:35:05.447-08:00Random Neuron FiringsI was discussing writing with a writer friend of mine who was frustrated with the concept of writing a book. I pointed out that not all writers shine at producing a work the size of a book. Many writers excel at writing short stories or magazine articles. I've found that I best express myself in something the size of a blog post. Short and sweet.<br />
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Recently, though, I've had trouble putting together my thoughts. It's been really difficult to compile my ideas in an organized and hopefully entertaining fashion, long enough to complete a<br />
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So, my first post for the new year (since one of my New Year's goals is to not let my blog completely die) is going to be random neuron firings.<br />
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* One of the hardest things in my life right now is doing the remembering for 4 people. I have to remember and remind the family to start the day off with a glass of water and probiotics. One person has to be reminded to take a <a href="http://www.iherb.com/Natural-Path-Silver-Wings-HMD-Heavy-Metal-Detox-2-fl-oz-60-ml/26180">heavy metal detox liquid</a> 10 minutes before every meal. That same person also has to be reminded to get out and rinse off the ingredients for morning juicing. And to empty the dishwasher. And to brush his teeth.<br />
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I have to remember <a href="http://www.iherb.com/NutriBiotic-Grapefruit-Seed-Extract-With-Echinacea-Artemisia-Annua-90-Capsules/4210">parasite cleanse pills</a> 3 times a day and remind 3 people. And to thaw meat and broth for the next three meals. And to have soup once a day. And to put olive oil or butter over everything. And to order and take (and remind everyone else to take) the fermented cod liver oil supplements.<br />
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<i>(If you need to order any of those, or other pills, food, cleaners or whatever from iHerb, use the code RUC080 and save some $$ on your first order. It helps me too!)</i><br />
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I guess I have job security. Because there's no way they'd survive longer than two days without me. Especially after they figured out the laundry doesn't wash, sort, and fold itself.<br />
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* I hate washing dishes in the winter. Because our house is always cold, I always have long sleeves on. And when I wash dishes, the water splashes on my sleeves. I hate having cold, wet, cuffs. I'd rather go change my shirt than walk around with cold, clammy cuffs. Or let the dishes pile up beside the sink. Which is what I usually do.<br />
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* I love it when people randomly say and do nice things.<br />
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* Pinterest is a huge time suck. It makes me feel productive, pinning pictures of clever crafts and helpful household tips. But it's deceitful. I won't refinish those cupboards or turn old Scrabble tiles into charming decorations. But I suppose I can pretend. And maybe somewhere along the way I'll get super motivated and actually finish one of those projects. Or at least click through on the link and read the how-to post before deciding it's too much effort. (And if your life doesn't have enough random stuff in it, you can follow me on Pinterest - Lynn Craig.)<br />
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* Parenting involves a certain amount of schizophrenia. During December I found myself wanting to shout at my children, "Go away and leave me alone. I'm stressed out from having so much shopping and wrapping to do because I'm buying so many presents for you because I love you so much. So go away!"<br />
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Perhaps the answer is to buy less and spend more time with the kids. That's the Good Parenting Magazine answer. The real answer, of course, is that I love to give my kids gifts that will make their eyes sparkle as they say, "Thank you!!!" My favorite part of Christmas is watching them open the gifts I've been sooooo excited to give.<br />
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This year's gifting involved sewing, which is a major "Go away!" activity. It's hard to keep gifts a secret when they watch you making them. But wasn't it worth it?<br />
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I found some fabulous red, sparkly material and made a dress, and matching mommy and daughter leggings. How cute are they? (They being daughter who is auntie to granddaughter.)<br />
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* Wine is proof that God loves me.<br />
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* Sometimes pain brings you gain. And sometimes it's just pain.<br />
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* Christmas without cookies is fundamentally wrong.<br />
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<i>(These are from 2010. Nothing like this showed up in my house this Christmas.)</i></div>
<br />
* Stealing is mean and mean people suck. My daughter had Christmas packages stolen off her porch. Several times. Really? How low do you have to be to take Christmas presents???<br />
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* It's amazing how my sweet tooth has diminished. We've been craving chocolate, but in order to be GAPS legal, it can't contain added sugar or soy. I challenge you to try finding that! And when you do, send it to me. They all have sugar and soy lecithin. So we've been reduced to gnawing on unsweetened chocolate. It's just a tad too bitter for me, but it's better than no chocolate!<br />
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* If you go through the holidays with GAPS, there's no need to go to diet purgatory in January.<br />
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* Why did anyone freak out about the Mayan end of the world? Why would you trust people that ripped people's hearts out?<br />
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* I don't have control over the debt ceiling, which politician is currently trying to steal my children's futures, or whatever crisis is currently in the headlines, but I can make sure my family eats well, that the toilet is scrubbed, and the laundry gets washed and folded.<br />
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Next time I'll post food. I promise! Till then, stay warm, safe, and count your blessings.Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-78280696170335631042012-11-29T12:00:00.001-08:002012-11-29T12:10:12.189-08:00Notes from GAPSlandia<b>Week 1-</b><br />
<br />
- Waaahhh! Whu..? Why? How? Who? Huh?<br />
<br />
Where's my brain? Why can't I think or string together words to form a ... word thing?<br />
<br />
Why is my kitchen covered in grease? All the time?<br />
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When am I supposed to have time to do anything except food prep? Taking 1/2 an hour out to go pick up my farm eggs threw me into a panic. I don't have time for this! I need to be home peeling squash and starting broth cooking.<br />
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Soup. Endless soup. Hooray for the garlic that goes in every bowl. At least there's some flavor there.<br />
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How am I supposed to get everything done? And then do the schooling, the laundry, the shopping, the.... it's too much. I'm exhausted. I need to go lie down.<br />
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Boiled meat is gross.<br />
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I miss wine. And cheese. And chocolate.<br />
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<br />
<b>Week 2-</b><br />
<br />
Aaaaaah - who drove a spike through my head? Is this what die-off feels like? Because if I have to feel like this much longer, I'll pick the die option.<br />
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I worry that the nightly sauna my bathroom has with the detox bath for 4 people routine is damaging the finish on my cabinets.<br />
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We got to have stuffed bell peppers. Didn't realize they couldn't be green, so had to wait for them to ripen. It was a race between ripen or mold. Mold only won on one. I forgot to put water in the bottom of the pan, so the peppers came out a bit crisp. Oh, it feels so cheaty to eat food with crunch, but we relished the cheat.<br />
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My son now has the title of garlic boy. We go through so much garlic (and it only took me a week to figure this out) that it's much more convenient and tidier to peel at least 2 heads at a time and store them in a glass jar in the refrigerator. It's my son's job to cut the hard end off (practice those knife skills!) and peel them. He has to do this about every other day.<br />
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I'm so tired of thinking about food. I have to be constantly thinking at least 3 meals ahead to stay on top of shopping, defrosting, prepping, and cooking. Nothing is quick and easy. It might be easy to throw everything into a crock pot, but it's at least 4 hours from being done.<br />
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If one more person asks me a question that starts with "When can we have..", I'll smack them!<br />
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We talk about poop a lot.<br />
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Avocados are my new best friend.<br />
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<b>Week 3-</b><br />
<br />
More cheats. I'm sneaking in 1/2 bottle of Kombucha per day. I've let it ferment for almost a month, so I'm pretty sure there's not residual sugar in there. It tastes pretty much like drinking apple cider vinegar, but it's a change, so it's delicious.<br />
<br />
Figured out that the cheap butternut squash from Trader Joe's is cheap because it's not organic. And I thought that was OK, but apparently it's not. So I've been carefully fixing all this squash soup and pancakes with pesticide squash. Crap. And what do I do with the rest of the squash that I've carefully stock-piled?<br />
<br />
My inner 3 year old looked at a bowl of soup and had a tantrum. No soup, no soup!<br />
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My husband got asked at work if he had cancer. I bought him a new belt.<br />
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My son gets excited about carrot juice. My new juicer has a very high toy factor.<br />
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<b>Week 4-</b><br />
<br />
The flu hits. My daughter says, "I thought it would be impossible to get sick on this diet!" Apparently not. We're knocked on our butts for a week and regress to lots of soups. Many because I don't have the energy to make anything more ambitious. Plus chewing sound like too much effort.<br />
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My kitchen is always a disaster zone. I can barely make room on the counter to work.<br />
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I've taken to keeping a giant Tupperware bowl on the counter for all the kitchen scraps. It's lots easier than using the dainty bin we have. Giant squash shells and chunky beef bones fit in there more conveniently, plus I don't have to buy bags to go in it.<br />
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My farm box started up. Trying a new vendor was not a good plan. It's 85% fruit. Uh, yeah, can't have that. In my last box I got lots of apples, pears, and tangerines, parsnips (not GAPS legal), leeks, and kale. I'm giving away the tangerines and parsnips, making apple/pear sauce with the rest of the fruit, leaving me with a really pricey bunch of kale and 3 leeks.<br />
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I made a chicken salad with kimchi, sauerkraut, and avocado. People eating normal food probably think this sounds weird and/or repulsive. We loved it. My daughter was thrilled to have something to take to school that didn't involve a thermos.<br />
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Applesauce made it onto the menu this week. I served us each about 2 Tbsp. It was so sweet, it was like eating a candy bar. I'm almost afraid to put fruit back on the menu. Will we revert to being sugar fiends?<br />
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If you wonder where I've gone or what I'm up to these days, hopefully this answers your questions. Off to the store to buy more veggies!Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-17656658644009232692012-11-17T07:58:00.001-08:002012-11-19T05:21:18.512-08:00Alternative to the Junk Food ApocolypseI've been hearing from my fan base that I'm a lazy blogger. (Well, to be specific, from my fan. But it sounds better if I say fan base.) And the fan base is correct. I have been lazy. 39 days without writing anything is a long time. But beside being lazy, I'm also uninspired. I feel like I have nothing to blog about. When I pointed that out to the fan base, he told me that I should blog about the reason my yummy treats to make list is so thin. So I've been guilted into doing a post, and if it bores you to tears, I'll give you the email address for the fan base and you can complain to him.<br />
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I'll start out with a book review. The book that I've been working my way through for several months is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gut-Psychology-Syndrome-Depression-Schizophrenia/dp/0954852028/ref=pd_vtp_b_1">The Gut And Psychology Syndrome</a> book, commonly known as GAPS. The author, Dr. Natashya Campbell-McBride is a neurologist, specializing in the treatment of autism. In her practice she noticed that she did not see a single autistic patient who did not also have digestive disorders. Further investigation and research led her to the conclusion that the seat of many (if not almost all) psychiatric disorders spring from an unhealthy gut. And further research showed that a host of auto-immune conditions and other illnesses also had their roots in gut dysbiosis.<br />
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Our guts are inhabited by friendly, helpful, necessary bacteria. They are essential to the proper digestion of the food we eat. They also are warriors that keep the bad bacteria in check. When a gut is populated with the right amount of good bacteria (about 5 lbs in a healthy person), the bad bacteria doesn't have a chance to make us sick.<br />
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Trouble arises when that balance is upset. When we have a course of antibiotics, we can wipe out the helpful bacteria and the bad bacteria takes over. The gut is ravaged. Unchecked, they can damage the gut wall, allowing partially digested food (remember the good bacteria is essential for digesting) to leak into the bloodstream, where it can travel around the body, acting as a toxin, causing sickness.<br />
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If you have somehow, miraculously never had antibiotics, you still can't pat yourself on the back and think your guts are fine. The food that you eat affects your gut bacteria balance. Simple carbohydrates feed the bad bacteria. Eating lots of sugar, white flour, pasta, and potatoes sets up your guts for a wave of bad bacteria. Plus, processed foods are high in preservatives, nasty harmful fats, and toxic food colorings. Environmental toxins take their toll on our gut health as well. Exposure to toxic chemicals found in everyday life (new paint, carpet, air pollution) as well as antibacterial soaps wage war on your friendly bacteria.<br />
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As I read through the GAPS book, I found multiple members of my family in it's pages and I became convicted that we needed to do this diet. The purpose of the GAPS diet is to heal and seal the gut through a protocol of nourishing, easily digestible foods, that are low in carbohydrates. The bad bacteria are starved, the good bacteria are supplemented with probiotics, and the gut is soothed with bone broths and nutrient dense foods.<br />
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You need to be really convinced of the need for GAPS in your life to undertake it. It is not for the faint of heart or the dabbler. You need to commit. Depending on how damaged your gut is, the GAPS diet takes 1-1/2 to 2 years. That sounds daunting, doesn't it? But the funny thing is that the diet isn't that different from the Paleo-style of eating we've been doing. What's difficult is the Introduction Diet, which is where we are.<br />
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The Introduction Diet is in 6 stages. You start out at stage one having bone broth with every meal. You can have meats and a limited number of vegetables (squash, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, garlic, and carrots), but they all need to be boiled, preferably in broth. So, basically, it's soup for every meal. If you have places to go during the day, a thermos is your best friend.<br />
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You have to throw away the concept of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and think of Meal 1, Meal 2, and Meal 3. If you mourn over the foods you can't have, you'll be miserable and hate life. Think instead of the healing that's taking place inside you and rent a good movie. Preferably one that doesn't have restaurant scenes.<br />
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At each level you get to add in new foods. That's exciting. My family got amazingly happy when avocados came back on the menu and scrambled eggs caused a hallelujah breakdown. Have you ever seen someone moan while eating scrambled eggs? I have. Several times.<br />
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The tricky thing about the intro diet is that it's not set in concrete. My family is comprised of a bunch of OCD planners who want to put dates on the calendar. I can't tell you the number of times my son has asked me what day we get to have apples again (no fruit yet because the sugar feeds the bad bacteria). My family now knows not to ask me questions that begin with "When can we.." They know I'll shriek at them, "I don't know!! We'll get there when we get there!!!"<br />
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The reason you can't plan is that each person's physiology is unique and the damage that needs to be healed is not necessarily the same for every family member. Foods need to be introduced gradually, a tsp on the first day, watching for reactions. (Not the 1/2 an avocado some family members ate on the first day - cough cough) If there is a reaction, the food needs to be removed, then reintroduced a week or so later, to see if there's still a reaction.<br />
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If there's minimal healing that needs to take place, a person could conceivably whip through the Intro Diet in a month, then move on to the full GAPS diet. But some people stay on a particular level of the Intro diet for weeks or even months.<br />
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We are finishing up our 4th week on the Intro Diet and we are moving into Stage 4. And what progress have we seen?<br />
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The most visible change is the weight my husband and I have lost. His pants are falling off him. He got asked at work if he had cancer. Not because he looks ill, but because of the dramatic weight loss.<br />
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My son, who has always been a picky eater, continues to surprise me. Where he would formerly turn up his nose at vegetables and would prefer to go hungry than eat certain foods, he now will happily eat squash, carrot and celery juice, and soups. He even asked me if we could still have the squash and nut pancakes once we were off the diet because he loves them so much. It's amazing what a motivator hunger is, especially when there's no alternative in the refrigerator.<br />
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We were driving in the car the other day and he commented on the proliferation of fast food joints along the road. He said that when he grew up he wanted to open up a restaurant. But not something nasty like McDonalds or Taco Bell, something where you could go and get good food. Like meat and soup. Or soup and meat. I had to smile at that.<br />
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My daughter? She's tired and crabby all the time. That doesn't sound like an endorsement, does it? But it's truth. And hopefully as she heals she'll start to find more energy and feel better about life. And if not, we'll have to send her to a boarding school. (Just kidding.)<br />
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And me? Well, besides the weight loss, I found out something that makes makes my stomach churn just to think about it. It's in the TMI department, so if you're squeamish, just skip this paragraph. Still with me? Ok. I found out I have intestinal parasites. Ugh. As the low carb diet starved them, they started showing up in the waste management bin. Ok, the toilet. I was trying to be delicate about it, but there's really not a delicate way to say it. It super creeps me out. Really. Full body shudder. Sources report that there is a 1 in 3 chance of having parasites so I'm not alone. OK, poor choice of words but I never would have found that out if I hadn't been on GAPS.<br />
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If you are curious about GAPS, I highly recommend reading the book. And if that makes you seriously consider doing the GAPS diet, here are a few resources that have been helpful for me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gaps-Guide-Baden-Lashkov/dp/B002OS6SYI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353166612&sr=1-1&keywords=the+gaps+guide">The Gaps Guide</a> - This is a practical, walk-through, how to do GAPS guide. Very helpful information that makes it seem less intimidating.<br />
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<a href="http://gaps.me/">The Gaps Website</a> - loaded with helpful information. Just reading through the FAQs page takes a ton of time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.gapsdiet.com/Home_Page.html">The Gaps Diet</a> - another cache of tremendous information, as well as resources<br />
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<a href="http://www.gutandpsychologysyndrome.com/cooking-with-gaps-dvd/">Cooking With Gaps</a> - DVD with clear step by step demonstrations of how to make the food recommended on the GAPS diet<br />
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<a href="http://www.healthhomehappy.com/grain-free-2/30-days-on-gaps-intro-e-book">30 days on the Gaps Intro Diet menu plan</a> - This menu plan saved my bacon! (even though we can't have bacon :-( ) It does all the thinking for you - that's crucial when you're having the first week brain fog. It's worth every penny!<br />
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And a few of my favorite GAPS-friendly websites are here - (If you have one I haven't mentioned, please put a link in the comments!)<br />
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<a href="http://www.mommypotamus.com/">The Mommypotamus</a><br />
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<a href="http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/">Nourished and Nurtured</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.healthhomehappy.com/">Health, Home, and Happiness</a><br />
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<a href="http://empoweredsustenance.com/">Empowered Sustenance</a><br />
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Blessings on your food journey!<br />
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(and a big thank you to The Fan for the title of this post!)<br />
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<br />Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-29095491347799660862012-10-08T15:24:00.000-07:002012-12-30T15:28:40.284-08:00What I Baked On My Summer Vacation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4Ngd0aLAOvpQhabxMpi1tO5XCtuJ-yuC5eZ-xoFH_hHtwURxXvfScKBrYQAfnOdrARd9-UBbg-J8Kt-HS8NddouKj3UAXjlmZ2KdEhVAlPj62y12bQTIlZGut8dwF3EflYfqMV3vZ0o/s1600/DSC_3028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4Ngd0aLAOvpQhabxMpi1tO5XCtuJ-yuC5eZ-xoFH_hHtwURxXvfScKBrYQAfnOdrARd9-UBbg-J8Kt-HS8NddouKj3UAXjlmZ2KdEhVAlPj62y12bQTIlZGut8dwF3EflYfqMV3vZ0o/s320/DSC_3028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Often, the fist back-to-school assignment in grade school was an essay titled, "What I Did On My Summer Vacation." That was a stumper for me. My friends would busily start writing because they did cool things like travel around the country, spend a month on a houseboat on Lake Powell, or laze around at their lake cabin.<br />
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I wasn't that cool. My essays would have to risk falling into the realm of fiction or else be stunningly dull. My family didn't do cool things. We either went on <a href="http://cookiebakerlynn.blogspot.com/2007/08/think-hink-stink.html"><strike>death marches</strike> hikes</a>, or stayed at home to do exciting things like mowing the lawn and harvesting tomatoes and beans from the garden. My birthday was in the summer, but that doesn't mean it was the highlight of the summer. Remember the part about my friends off doing cool things? No one was ever around to come to my birthday parties. I'd plan a huge roller-skating party and get two people to show up, so my mother would kindly offer to take us to a movie.</div>
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Perhaps that's the reason I put so much importance on birthday cakes. You may have a lousy no-show birthday party, but if you've got a few presents and a fabulous cake, it's still a good birthday.</div>
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You might think that giving up grains and sugar might mean giving up birthday cakes. Not as long as there is breath in my body! I'm also not willing to settle for some dense, dry, nasty brick pretending to be a cake. No, a birthday cake has to look special and taste amazing. That's the rule.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CsFu-qLPACcvhZFP9CxU-h6WHgmf2p7qxHhriEKQqPoBkZuBQQoE1fiLpKCsBRrkh85EqRawKGDB6ZzobOxT9m59wkCngM6WQOLfTmhiXbIpJhhLWnJ9e6Fc0gZXRl1qnOrC1jM3s5I/s1600/DSC_3038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CsFu-qLPACcvhZFP9CxU-h6WHgmf2p7qxHhriEKQqPoBkZuBQQoE1fiLpKCsBRrkh85EqRawKGDB6ZzobOxT9m59wkCngM6WQOLfTmhiXbIpJhhLWnJ9e6Fc0gZXRl1qnOrC1jM3s5I/s320/DSC_3038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I made this cake for my son's birthday and we loved it so much I made it again for my birthday. We served it at the same time as a lovely triple-layer lemon cake (which was a birthday cake for someone else) and I even had one person comment that they liked the chocolate grain-free one better! (I'm giving you the recipe as I made it the second time, but the pictures are from the first time. It's just a matter of how it's garnished.)<br />
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I found this recipe on <a href="http://themoveablefeasts.wordpress.com/">The Moveable Feasts</a> and did a bit of modifying. I love it and wouldn't change a thing, but I give you permission to play with the recipe and do what you want to it in order for it to make your heart sing.<br />
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<b>Can You Believe It's Grain-Free? Chocolate Cake</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2kv7ZLSkPB4lopM2qgpV4GOUK1EJaXAPBPkknzU0bmk_jAQeR7W3aop6eKQYVrDVvaCUmxbInVQ-2Yey6SbxWRvjn9W_wTkyMu9te0dUvH4dRmKv-IOebhVmVrK8JqJyleY6WQnTkMU/s1600/DSC_3035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2kv7ZLSkPB4lopM2qgpV4GOUK1EJaXAPBPkknzU0bmk_jAQeR7W3aop6eKQYVrDVvaCUmxbInVQ-2Yey6SbxWRvjn9W_wTkyMu9te0dUvH4dRmKv-IOebhVmVrK8JqJyleY6WQnTkMU/s320/DSC_3035.JPG" width="212" /></a><i>1/2 cup coconut flour</i><br />
<i>1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)</i><br />
<i>1 tsp baking soda</i><br />
<i>14 pitted medjool dates</i><br />
<i>1/4 cup honey</i><br />
<i>1 cup of unsweetened applesauce</i><br />
<i>1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, very soft</i><br />
<i>3 eggs</i><br />
<i>1 tsp vanilla extract</i><br />
<i>1/4 cup boiling water</i><br />
<i>1/4 tsp expresso powder</i><br />
<i> (OR, you can substitute 1/4 cup drip coffee for the water and espresso powder)</i><br />
<i>Coconut milk</i><br />
<i>Chopped dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao), about 4 oz.</i><br />
<i>Whipped cream or coconut cream</i><br />
<i>Sliced strawberries</i><br />
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1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Butter and 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.<br />
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2- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.<br />
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3- In a food processor, puree the dates until completely smooth, about 20-30 seconds. This should be about 3/4 cup of puree. Add the honey and applesauce and continue to puree until it creates a thoroughly combined and smooth mixture, about another 20-30 seconds.<br />
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4- Transfer the date-applesauce mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in the softened butter and mix on low speed until combined. Continuing on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla and coffee. Mix until smooth and well combined. If the mixture looks a little curdled, don't freak out. It'll smooth out.<br />
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5- On low speed, sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Mix, scraping down the sides, until the batter is smooth. The texture will be stiff, like a brownie batter.<br />
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6- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The cake may look moist and maybe even unfinished, but if the toothpick is clean, it's done. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.<br />
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7- When the cake is cooled, make the ganache. You'll need to be a bit free-form about this as I eyeballed my ingredients, rather than carefully measuring. Warm about 1/2 cup of coconut milk in a saucepan over low heat. When the milk is very warm, but before it boils, pour it over the chopped chocolate. Pour only enough milk to barely cover the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir till it's smooth.<br />
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8- Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake, smoothing it to the edges of the cake. It can be refrigerated at this point and pulled out at serving time.<br />
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9- To serve, remove the sides of the springform pan. Slice into 12 slices. Serve with a heaping blop of whipped cream or whipped coconut cream and sliced strawberries.</div>
Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-21131848555831295672012-10-03T13:19:00.000-07:002012-10-03T13:22:31.939-07:00Help Others, Help YourselfSometimes you hear a sad story and say, "Oh, that's tragic." Then you shrug and move on because there's nothing you can do. Today is not that day. <b>Today is a day you can make a difference.</b><br />
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Jenny is a homeschooling mother of 5 children. Almost a month ago she called 911 because her husband had become
disoriented and incoherent. He was immediately taken to ICU with a brain
infection and fell into a coma-like state. Over the 10 days that
followed, there was continuous prayer for his healing, with family and friends by his side. It was a bit of a
roller coaster ride as the doctors would become hopeful that they had a
diagnosis or treatment and then things would worsen once again. Two
weeks ago, he passed away, leaving behind his wife and five
children between the ages of 9 months and 11 years old. </div>
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Jenny's husband was a bit better prepared than my friend, Grace's husband was. There was some life insurance. But a 2 week ICU stay is expensive and the finances are a huge burden for Jenny. </div>
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Here's the part where you can do more than shrug and move on.</div>
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A small group of bloggers have put together a pretty amazing benefit
sale, which includes the 9 ebooks listed below plus the complete set of
Life Your Way printables. <b>The set is worth more than $50</b>, but will be
<b>available for just $5 for two days only</b>, Wednesday, 10/3 and Thursday, 10/4.</div>
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<ul>
<li><b><a href="http://easyhomemade.net/">Easy Homemade</a></b> by Mandi @ <b><a href="http://lifeyourway.net/">Life Your Way</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://52bites.com/">One Bite at a Time</a></b> by Tsh @ <b><a href="http://simplemom.net/">Simple Mom</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://31daystoclean.com/">31 Days to Clean</a></b> by Sarah Mae @ <b><a href="http://sarahmae.com/">SarahMae.com</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.mindsetformoms.com/">Mindset for Moms</a></b> by Jamie @ <b><a href="http://steadymom.com/">Steady Mom</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://lifeasmom.com/fifty-books-to-enjoy-with-kids">50 Books to Enjoy with Kids</a></b> by <a href="http://www.drgetskow.com/" target="_blank"><b>Veronica</b></a> and <b><a href="http://lifeasmom.com/" target="_blank">Jessica</a></b> <b></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/fill-em-up-ebook">Fill ‘Em Up</a></b> by Laura @ <b><a href="http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/">Heavenly Homemakers</a></b></li>
<li><a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/" target="_blank"><b>Guide to Freezer Cooking</b></a> by Crystal @ <b><a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/" target="_blank">Money Saving Mom</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://amylynnandrews.com/tell-your-time/">Tell Your Time</a></b> by Amy @ <b><a href="http://bloggingwithamy.com/">Blogging with Amy</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://life.yourway.net/how-to-have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too/">How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too</a></b> by Mandi @ <b><a href="http://simplemom.net/">Life Your Way</a></b></li>
</ul>
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<b>Click here to order your set</b>: <a href="http://life.yourway.net/barlow-family-benefit/">http://life.yourway.net/barlow-family-benefit/</a></div>
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I do not make any money from this sale. <b>100% of the profits go to Jenny's family.</b> </div>
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You can get a great deal and and do something good for a hurting family at the same time. Do it now because the deal ends on Thursday!</div>
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I promise I'll be back with food next time. Right now I need to go order my ebooks.</div>
Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-54672492718053109122012-09-30T16:15:00.001-07:002012-09-30T16:15:49.244-07:00PSA - The Death File<br />
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Usually I try to make my blog a happy little corner of the web. I put in stories that are (hopefully) amusing and thoughts and recipes that are (hopefully) inspiring and instructive. Today's post is breaking the mold. </div>
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Recently I got a phone call informing me that a dear friend's husband had died. It was quite unexpected, shocking in it's suddenness. My friend, who I'll call Grace, woke up in her normal life and went to sleep with an entirely different life. </div>
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I talked to Grace for almost an hour. She told about the numb shock of the first few days. How for 10 days she threw up everything she ate. How she didn't sleep at all for three days until she realized it was the empty bed that kept her awake. When she had her helpers move it out to the shed and bring the guest bed into her bedroom, she could sleep a bit. With the aid of sleeping pills.</div>
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And she talked about the financial chaos her husband had left behind. Her husband, who I'll call Peter, was a big thinker, a planner, making fortunes on big deals, or sometimes losing them when the deal went bust. He was good at vision, at seeing the big picture. What he wasn't good at was details. </div>
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In scouring the house, trying to find the financial records to assess where she stood, Grace found some interesting things. In one bin she found a month old bill. Unopened. In a seed catalog she found, being used as a bookmark, an uncashed check for $900. From 2004. The record keeping was spotty and the finances were in total disarray. She is working her way through stacks of papers she gleaned from around the house, trying to piece together an accurate picture of his business dealings and figure out how long she can stay in her house.</div>
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Many years ago on a radio program I heard a brilliant idea that my husband adopted. It's called The Death File. In it he keeps all the information I'll need in the unlikely even of his untimely demise. Bank account names, numbers, passwords, life insurance policies as well as contact information for the insurance agent, names and numbers of anyone pertinent plus any hidey holes in which he might have cash stored. Everything. This file should be updated once a year and hopefully never, ever needed. But if it is needed, what a lifesaver.</div>
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Nothing can ever replace a loved one, but if you are the one in charge of finances, you can make sure that the loved one left behind doesn't have to bear the added stress of financial turmoil in addition to their grief.</div>
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Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-59686900628923464502012-09-09T06:52:00.000-07:002012-09-09T06:52:44.606-07:00The Principle of the Thing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWMJQ_t_RlyfJpWDbk39EUHmglbNUEJ8xx3DqZxzhhSjumS2dL3AYVj311xryJqllKI7ffC69EaJ2GCGpxNpWCLKFE34DIUU3BcO9kDdFyTh0Q-tq5TYByv0gU0NTooqtifUTWdgdAqA/s1600/DSC_2772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWMJQ_t_RlyfJpWDbk39EUHmglbNUEJ8xx3DqZxzhhSjumS2dL3AYVj311xryJqllKI7ffC69EaJ2GCGpxNpWCLKFE34DIUU3BcO9kDdFyTh0Q-tq5TYByv0gU0NTooqtifUTWdgdAqA/s320/DSC_2772.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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School starting up again has made me a little bit nostalgic. All of the pictures friends are posting on Facebook of their cute kids with their backpacks and excited/terrified faces remind me of when I was in elementary school.<br />
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I wasn't one of the terrified kids. I loved back to school time. I got new clothes, but that wasn't the real draw. The true enticement was shopping for paper, pencils, and notebooks at Grand Central. To this day I still love filling up a cart with lined paper, packs of pens and pencils, erasers and crayons. My kids moan, "Mom, enough already! We have all that stuff at home!" But it's the newness of it that matters. A Pink Pearl eraser at the beginning of the school year is totally different from that same eraser at the end of the year. It's soft and pliable, clean and smooth. It hasn't yet been whittled down to a stump in stupid math class when you can't find the right answer to save your life, or had a galaxy created on it with your pencil stabbing it repeatedly during a boring lecture.<br />
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And I won't even go into the thing I have with boxes of crayons! Well, except to say, I never got more than 16 crayons and I had total crayon envy, so I buy my kids the BIG box with the sharpener in the back. They may have to go into therapy later in life (um, no, most likely they <i>will</i> have to go into therapy), but it won't be crayon-related!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHY7AXQF1cBUh53-10zie4WrO4Iudjx6whk90TnvpWXMFA7oz9W-6hmk4rLBxC-WNjML3Mh3hrKWoXwkFMdZLinhgbEbm-OXABiyYcQm_ktX4pFw_A7jtoyTmExfqDP9z5bOXjyCtUueI/s1600/DSC_2774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHY7AXQF1cBUh53-10zie4WrO4Iudjx6whk90TnvpWXMFA7oz9W-6hmk4rLBxC-WNjML3Mh3hrKWoXwkFMdZLinhgbEbm-OXABiyYcQm_ktX4pFw_A7jtoyTmExfqDP9z5bOXjyCtUueI/s320/DSC_2774.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>For some reason the things you learn in elementary school stick with you life-long. I'm not talking about stupid stuff like the state capitals and major exports of countries, I mean truly important things like when you play on the monkey bars, you need to wrap your coat around the bar, then hitch your leg over the coat to spin, otherwise you're going take get blisters the size of jellyfish on your bare skin (because, of course, all girls wore skirts then).<br />
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I learned the importance of holding your breath when walking around a lake of barf, otherwise you'll contribute to the pile.<br />
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I learned that if you volunteer for stuff (helping in the cafeteria, taking the erasers outside to clap them together, releasing clouds of chalk dust) you get out of class early.<br />
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Also taking up space in my brain is the mnemonic for spelling Arithmetic. Not politically correct, but:<br />
A Red Indian Thought He Might Eat Tabacco In Church. Now you will never be at a loss for the spelling on that one. If that's the winning word in a spelling bee you're in, I expect a thank you note.<br />
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And if you've ever wondered how to correctly spell principle vs. principal, and which is which - the Principal of the school is a Prince and he's your Pal. Which mine was. Mr DeVries. He's in the upper left in this picture. Doesn't he look totally nice? He was. Although, it was a bit weird when he followed us to Jr. High as assistant principal there. I guess there's a ladder to climb, even for principals. It just felt a wee bit like stalking.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrK3iHmdEjREwEKW230nxm_P-2lrhhGeP6JzD09I9R04RtJRUSdg5ISKVFITZFFxuxpMKxdMeVoWPD450rdX_SJdoj0CU470MvFbsvSH94_F5x5rM4uA7yxEwT98PxMQpwXPamK0qsbM/s1600/Lynn_grade5_class.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrK3iHmdEjREwEKW230nxm_P-2lrhhGeP6JzD09I9R04RtJRUSdg5ISKVFITZFFxuxpMKxdMeVoWPD450rdX_SJdoj0CU470MvFbsvSH94_F5x5rM4uA7yxEwT98PxMQpwXPamK0qsbM/s320/Lynn_grade5_class.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
(Bonus points if you can guess which nerdy kid was me.)<br />
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And as to the other one, there are always <u>principles</u> to remember.<br />
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You might be wondering what the point of this rambling post is, and what it's got to do with that creamy deliciousness in the tea cup, and just what is that creamy deliciousness?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7_OtM-7InWuCIcHuLIPdrGohmTTIh6wWEJGDsCz2orjmQE2Xq6HdrXVH4QxRQvb-nYXR8n4Cqz-tTydw0jYlC3N0UFBtnff0r4GqsQw0-g5ZilBF_gWSGAi-2mUxGR_2iff1nNcCeZk/s1600/DSC_2776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7_OtM-7InWuCIcHuLIPdrGohmTTIh6wWEJGDsCz2orjmQE2Xq6HdrXVH4QxRQvb-nYXR8n4Cqz-tTydw0jYlC3N0UFBtnff0r4GqsQw0-g5ZilBF_gWSGAi-2mUxGR_2iff1nNcCeZk/s320/DSC_2776.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The point of the post is to tell you about a principle (no, not Mr. DeVries, the other kind. Didn't you look at the spelling??). The simple principle is <b>"Don't put anything on your skin that you wouldn't put in your mouth."</b> Now, obviously, this applies to personal care products, not clothing.<br />
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Your skin is the largest organ of your body and it absorbs things it comes in contact with. Don't believe me? If not, why are there such things as nicotine patches? Because it's absorbed through the skin. <i>Trans-dermally</i> is the $5 word for that. Now if you read the labels on things like shampoo, face wash, body lotion, and cosmetics, you'll find a lot of things that you wouldn't want as garnishes on your dinner. And some of them, like laurel sulfate, are even known carcinogens!<br />
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So what is a girl or guy to do when it comes to personal care? Give up and go cave man? No, no. Hygiene does not need to go out the window just because you care about your health. Like so many things, you can make it yourself better and cheaper than what you buy in the store. And you can customize it so it's exactly how you like it.<br />
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Today's luscious, creamy recipe is for body butter. I put it in the tea cup for it's photo shoot because it looks so thick and rich, you'll be tempted to eat it with a spoon. And you could, because all of the ingredients are edible! But I recommend you save it for your skin and indulge yourself with silky smooth skin and a happy body!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHZQ0_-ziACOSQ8xB-9wwX-6Mp_SktHp2MSbk960KSKmCk8XjfTuOoMoMTdCSDlWH1QD9th8i9l9gib61uK-fzBEer-5-eLH8PtghM7Bg4zUSFjciORPYf6jxgRuT7jzDJfnr9PPGG4I/s1600/DSC_2767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHZQ0_-ziACOSQ8xB-9wwX-6Mp_SktHp2MSbk960KSKmCk8XjfTuOoMoMTdCSDlWH1QD9th8i9l9gib61uK-fzBEer-5-eLH8PtghM7Bg4zUSFjciORPYf6jxgRuT7jzDJfnr9PPGG4I/s320/DSC_2767.JPG" width="212" /></a><b>Rich and Clean Body Butter</b><br />
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1 cup shea butter<br />
1/2 cup coconut oil<br />
1/2 cup almond oil<br />
essential oil<br />
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1- In the top of a double boiler, melt the shea butter and coconut oil. Let this cool for at least 30 min. Chill in the fridge, if necessary.<br />
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2- Stir in almond oil and your choice of essential oil. (Lavendar or peppermint are nice choices. Be sure it's not something that will irritate your skin.)<br />
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3- Wait until oils start to partially solidify (if it's a hot day, pop it into the fridge to speed this up), then put the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip till butter-like.<br />
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4- Resist the temptation to put a spoonful in your mouth, and scoop the mixture into clean, glass containers, preferably not too deep.<br />
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Store in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-2993059373645605742012-08-04T19:54:00.000-07:002012-08-04T19:54:29.846-07:00Baking Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiND7WIPU77UycDxeSYhjI_ZDtP3RgrzY_wmpWPDq_HDCo6hRzjgu2dw72fBorqqAE2HVuVqHn6nQoJ3zG9m7qr8SGfEgWrWEH2TgyvM4bswJbBvQej2WLKLMDmQpqAiOh-rbZXGJEuOlk/s1600/DSC_3338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiND7WIPU77UycDxeSYhjI_ZDtP3RgrzY_wmpWPDq_HDCo6hRzjgu2dw72fBorqqAE2HVuVqHn6nQoJ3zG9m7qr8SGfEgWrWEH2TgyvM4bswJbBvQej2WLKLMDmQpqAiOh-rbZXGJEuOlk/s320/DSC_3338.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>27 years ago it was a very hot summer. I remember this because 27 years ago I was pregnant. Very pregnant. You could say I was great with child, but that would be an understatement. Enormous with hippopotomus might better convey the immensity of this pregnancy.<br />
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Because the summer was so very warm and humid and because I was shaped approximately like a garden shed, I bought a bathing suit. I wasn't willing to go to a trendy maternity boutique and buy something to show off a pregnant woman's curves because, a) I had zero monies and b) I didn't want to ever go through this again so I saw no point in "investing" in a cute suit. So I went to the thrift store.<br />
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Thrift stores are awesome. For a bargain price, you can find just about anything. I say just about, because a stylish maternity swimsuit is one of the few things you cannot find at a thrift store. What I found, and bought, was atrocious. It was big. It was black. If a bathing suit and a burkha mated, this is what their child would look like. But I wore it because it covered my grotesquely swollen belly and allowed a breeze to caress my legs. Not in public, though. There are laws about that kind of thing!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrN67iW0ejUPsDtKFip8gTKoR_RXp2SsEnio5vQ8CJQQf4SwhcXTa7olXlnCrrcSSf628lT6sRZeh5P46eGLI6jKJxaAy8RUmfquGPxykAg9cp8dPo0VHS2XdBZf24OFp13XW1oNZGpnc/s1600/DSC_3339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrN67iW0ejUPsDtKFip8gTKoR_RXp2SsEnio5vQ8CJQQf4SwhcXTa7olXlnCrrcSSf628lT6sRZeh5P46eGLI6jKJxaAy8RUmfquGPxykAg9cp8dPo0VHS2XdBZf24OFp13XW1oNZGpnc/s320/DSC_3339.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>What I did next was cruel. I'll just be up front and admit that. I took my almost 2 year old son with me to the corner drugstore and bought an inflatable pool. Not a large, deluxe kind of pool with a slide or the kind you can actually swim in. Sadly, that was not to be because, a) no monies (see above) and b) I had to carry it home along with the 2 year old in hand and the hippo in the oven. I got a little two-ring job that was barely bigger than my circumference.<br />
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Once home, I inflated the pool, stopping frequently to gasp for air and grab for the stitch in my side (I say "grab for" because it was tough to locate what had formerly been my side. ) When it was as taut as it was going to get with my limited lung capacity, I put the hose in it to fill it up. My son, eyes shining with excitement had his swimmy shorts on, ready for the treat of a backyard pool.<br />
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Oh, poor boy! His hopes were dashed when I sat in the pool. Between me and my gestating watermelon, there was no room for him! Well, we took turns. But my turns were longer. And when I forced him to take a nap, I'd spend the time in the pool, like a majestically anchored sailing vessel. Or a beached whale.<br />
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Thank heavens for that pool! It allowed me to get through that pregnancy. And if I hadn't endured, I wouldn't have the beautiful daughter that I have now, and she wouldn't have the amazing daughter that she has!<br />
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My granddaughter just turned two. Time certainly flies. We celebrated with presents, balloons, and cake. I'll share with you the recipe for the delicious grain-free cake that my daughter made. You can share it with your favorite pregnant lady. And remind her that the time is short, she'll get through, and if all else fails, there's inflatable pools.<br />
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Happy birthday to my sweeties!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwJwmQUGpIjCuyD7WyNqxf3gJoaZoYSREbFhy49fvDpgloGqezAFKtRoW6VpL_KN0Mz1CWUgiE7AfB3imW-RTm0mKIpNL84ZtvqZ7YoG3GVq-wwNn3xsFXyyGljEb7U9VjhvIDgEG7hc/s1600/_DSC5978+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwJwmQUGpIjCuyD7WyNqxf3gJoaZoYSREbFhy49fvDpgloGqezAFKtRoW6VpL_KN0Mz1CWUgiE7AfB3imW-RTm0mKIpNL84ZtvqZ7YoG3GVq-wwNn3xsFXyyGljEb7U9VjhvIDgEG7hc/s320/_DSC5978+copy.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Raspberry Grain-Free Birthday Cake</b><br />
- adapted from Cooking With Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife, ND<br />
makes a 8 or 9-inch 2-layer cake<br />
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<i>1/2 cup butter, melted</i><br />
<i>3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut milk</i><br />
<i>12 eggs</i><br />
<i>1/3 cup coconut sugar</i><br />
<i>3 tsp liquid stevia</i><br />
<i>1 tsp salt</i><br />
<i>1 tsp vanilla</i><br />
<i>1 cup sifted coconut flour</i><br />
<i>1 tsp baking powder</i><br />
Frosting - recipe below<br />
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1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Grease 2 8 or 9-inch round pans.<br />
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2- In a large bowl, blend together the butter, coconut milk, eggs, coconut sugar, liquid stevia, salt, and vanilla.<br />
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3- In a separate bowl, combine the coconut flour with the baking powder. Whisk this mixture into the batter until there are no lumps.<br />
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4- Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until knife inserted into the center comes out clean.<br />
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5- Cool cakes in pans on cooling racks. When cooled, remove from the pans. Fill and frost.<br />
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<b>Raspberry Frosting</b><br />
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<i>1 cup <a href="http://cookiebakerlynn.blogspot.com/2010/09/oh-nutty-me.html">cashew butter</a></i><br />
<i>1/3 cup butter, softened</i><br />
<i>2 Tbsp coconut nectar</i><br />
<i>1 pint ripe raspberries</i><br />
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1- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butters and blend well.<br />
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2- Add the coconut nectar and beat till smooth.<br />
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3- Add the berries, reserving a few to garnish the cake. Beat till well blended.Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-90840882030339755522012-07-17T06:50:00.000-07:002012-07-17T06:50:40.695-07:00Gluten-Free Glut<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBwrWOVYI3y-FVX8vrLcKuomwSETnYRQ4ty0Z6tlY4R-CH34f5oCKDGKYGKAsz52NVD4f9vdp4J-i6Gs_MzGvX-RvPx8n5BLxgXVV5E0bHtzpZnuYCOvHUuGjbJsvtmlv8yaII1MhtS4/s1600/DSC_2892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBwrWOVYI3y-FVX8vrLcKuomwSETnYRQ4ty0Z6tlY4R-CH34f5oCKDGKYGKAsz52NVD4f9vdp4J-i6Gs_MzGvX-RvPx8n5BLxgXVV5E0bHtzpZnuYCOvHUuGjbJsvtmlv8yaII1MhtS4/s320/DSC_2892.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>My daughter and I were recently having a discussion about how the Paleo diet seemed to be the new, trendy thing. She commented that although Paleo is quite popular, she didn't think it would ever become huge. The reason? You can't market it.<br />
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If you look at food trends and fads of the past, they were almost always because someone was selling something. One day a study shows that salt will kill you and the next day there are a gazillion "low sodium" products on the grocery store shelves. The next week a headline reads that Fats Make You Fat, and by the following week, you can barely squeeze your grocery cart through the maze of low-fat packaged foods. I read that when the Adkins boom went bust, there were warehouses full of Adkins bars and shakes that didn't sell.<br />
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It's hard to market a way of eating that focuses on healthy meats and lots of fresh produce. If the whole point of the diet is to eschew processed foods, who's going to market it? Aside from cookbooks, blenders, and dehydrators, there's not a lot for corporations to sell.<br />
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Another reason that Paleo won't become mainstream is the laziness factor. It is time-consuming to make all your own food from scratch. For ... Every ... Meal. No frozen waffles in the morning. No drive-through burgers for lunch or on the way home from work. No Costco lasagna to pull from the freezer because you don't have a clue what else to feed the family. Plus, a lot of things need planning ahead. Nuts take at least a day to soak and dehydrate. You might have a hankering for lacto-fermented sauerkraut or lemonade, but that's three days away! And my <a href="http://cookiebakerlynn.blogspot.com/2011/06/milk-gone-wild.html">amazing lacto-fermented bean dip</a> is almost a week in the making.<br />
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A current food trend that's very marketable is Gluten-Free. As a lot more people have become aware that they either have coeliac disease or that they just do a lot better without gluten, and as they talk about what a difference being gluten-free has made to their health, gluten-free products have proliferated like bunnies on a honeymoon. They're popping up everywhere!<br />
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The label Gluten-Free has become associated with "healthy living", so you see it on all kinds of products, even products that have never had gluten. Gluten-free soda, yogurt, and lollipops. Seriously. But does slapping a GF label on food really mean it's healthy?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6gxm8-CVPS30H_a1utGaw5qTS5Ukh6FCmI3X5LZnANqhMo7-3qbY40HDngzplFTvSsim99VdjpvVvDlUGLdHCxekrkYzwTRoHbZ9TzDa-F7haFEx3YpODkpBc1wmWyDV72YjY3L6tIU/s1600/DSC_2884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6gxm8-CVPS30H_a1utGaw5qTS5Ukh6FCmI3X5LZnANqhMo7-3qbY40HDngzplFTvSsim99VdjpvVvDlUGLdHCxekrkYzwTRoHbZ9TzDa-F7haFEx3YpODkpBc1wmWyDV72YjY3L6tIU/s320/DSC_2884.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As a baker, I've learned something in my experiments with gluten-free baking. If you're trying to recreate a product that normally contains gluten, you usually use a fair amount of starch, primarily tapioca starch, potato flour, or rice flour. In the body starches are quickly converted to sugar, and consistently spiking your blood sugar levels is hard on your body and can lead to insulin resistance. Ie, Not Healthy.<br />
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Besides not being pancreas friendly, a lot of gluten-free packaged foods don't actually nourish you. Tapioca starch doesn't come loaded up with proteins, vitamins, minerals, and friendly fats like an egg or a handful of nuts does. Plus they come with preservatives and weird chemicals a normal person doesn't stock in their pantry.<br />
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So what's a health-loving consumer to do? Push back from the table and say, "No more gluten-free jello for me, Ma." Again, I repeat my mantra, READ LABELS. Check out whether it's a nutrient dense food that will give your body fuel to grow and repair itself, or if it's just a waste of calories that will unduly burden your pancreas, bloat your body, and make you feel wretched. And when in doubt, make it yourself. Your body will thank you. And once your kids go through the withdrawal, they'll thank you, too!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkvD9nkkf-onPO_c32nvnOPGsri13OVuqw-k1b1MBYHjTmAuj5_AenIXAf-QS9YD8xmvZn-FpmaIn-PZeuD3cdybBRuQcZwspVZCLaEkpPKsoUCGIteqlCReyN1U1p8u5cFnJO1gxzCs/s1600/DSC_2894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkvD9nkkf-onPO_c32nvnOPGsri13OVuqw-k1b1MBYHjTmAuj5_AenIXAf-QS9YD8xmvZn-FpmaIn-PZeuD3cdybBRuQcZwspVZCLaEkpPKsoUCGIteqlCReyN1U1p8u5cFnJO1gxzCs/s320/DSC_2894.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b>Real Food Gluten-Free Crackers</b> (to put some crunch into a Paleo life)<br />
- adapted from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook<br />
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<i>3 cups almond meal</i><br />
<i>1-1/2 tsp sea salt</i><br />
<i>1 cup sesame seeds (preferably soaked and dehydrated)</i><br />
<i>2 Tbsp olive oil</i><br />
<i>2 egg whites, whipped till frothy</i><br />
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1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F with racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven. Cut 3 pieces of parchment paper to fit 2 large baking sheets.<br />
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2- In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, salt, and sesame seeds. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil and egg whites. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond meal mixture until thoroughly combined.<br />
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3- Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Place 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of the parchment paper and roll to 1/16-inch thickness. (Getting it really thin is the key to crispy crackers.) Transfer the dough (still between the papers) onto a baking sheet. Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Cut the dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter. Repeat with remaining dough.<br />
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4- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden. Let the crackers cool on the baking sheets for 30 minutes, then serve. Store any extras in an airtight container.Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-34163603715522064832012-06-27T07:36:00.000-07:002012-06-27T07:36:15.994-07:00Doesn't Smell Like Teen Spirit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg3FoFS2InnKScUTZWFoD2XPRpVfiIulHDvEmUEwHrS7GVNVqf098ImOxM6ZNBe_lw1bOedXJE45Ekf5wlaRtzYuPdWTQVMUwBj21c9I1RGaOdEKzEvUYb1PllQqhoQCOpaN-B1yIDOg/s1600/DSC_6587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg3FoFS2InnKScUTZWFoD2XPRpVfiIulHDvEmUEwHrS7GVNVqf098ImOxM6ZNBe_lw1bOedXJE45Ekf5wlaRtzYuPdWTQVMUwBj21c9I1RGaOdEKzEvUYb1PllQqhoQCOpaN-B1yIDOg/s320/DSC_6587.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"></span>One of my favorite board games as a child was Monopoly. My sister and I would have marathon games that involved convoluted rules and hiding of assets (under the board or behind the back was our version of off-shore accounts). We practically knew the board by heart, but it always made us snigger when we landed on the B&O railroad. BO...hehehe.....Body odor....hehehe. Hey, we were kids, ok? Body odor, like any other bodily function that involved gas, liquid, or solids leaving the body, was hilarious.<br />
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I had my fair share of actual experiences with body odor over the years. There was a college roommate who's body stench was actually nauseating and eye-watering. The smell permeated the room, infusing the bedding, lingering for 45 minutes after she'd gone to class. We slept with the windows open (even though it was winter) and I didn't spend a lot of time in my room that quarter.<br />
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My son had a crew of friends with whom he'd have overnight marathon sessions of video gaming, accompanied by mountains of pizza, junk food, and Mountain Dew (ughhh!!). I knew whenever they came over I'd have to fumigate the next day. Teen boy sweat - bleh!<br />
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I fortunately, was not one of those people. I sweat a bit, sure, but used deodorant and antiperspirant to keep things in check. Well, my feet smelled bad, that's true. Actually, fairly bad. And I'd pit out occasionally. And my shirts started having underarm stains. And then one day I realized that my deodorant/antiperspirant wasn't cutting it. I started using industrial strength shellack that you applied at night to clog up all the pores.<br />
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When I started to pay more attention to what I was putting in my body, I also realized that I'd been putting a big burden on my body by filling it up with crud, then not allowing my body a way to get rid of the crud. Body odor is a cry for help from your body. It's trying to detox, to sweat off all the nasty stuff inside. You need to sweat to detox, particularly if your body is full of nasty crap.<br />
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I'd been a hard-core Diet Coke drinker for years. When I weaned myself off that, as well as making other eating changes, my smell started to improve. I also realized that shellacking my pores closed wasn't healthy, either. I stopped that cold turkey and starting just using coconut oil. My perspiration seemed to increase for about two weeks as my body adjusted to not having the sweat glands blocked up, then it was fine. And that nasty smell was gone. Even on my feet!<br />
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Coconut oil has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, so it keeps the bacteria which cause the odor in check. But, it is an oil. Some people don't enjoy the feeling of straight oil on their armpits. My husband is one of those people. Seeing the success of my deodorant experiment, he asked me to try making a natural deodorant for both of us. After a bit of tweaking, I think I've got it down. I added baking soda as a deodorant, cornstarch as an absorbent, and tea tree oil as both an antimicrobial agent and as a scent. You can add a few drops of essential oil, if you prefer a different scent.<br />
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When I make his, I pour it into his empty stick deodorant container and he uses it just like a normal stick deodorant. For mine, I just pour it into a small container and use the back of my thumbnail to scrape out a rind to rub into my armpit. Either way works, it's just a matter of preference and convenience. EXCEPT - if you live in a hot climate, the stick deodorant container won't work. When it's warm, the oil melts and you have a liquify slurry. When we went to Hawaii last year, we just took my little tub of deodorant and would pull a small glob of the gloop out with the fingertip to rub on.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDkXIArojbBM8Qpd1Sii4wACtdWa-6fD_dRHzM-nsDFk8zRdFENRa20tYxHJhWMXgL64RiVEuFmXW7yjuZnWGNQ5mvq9VjfvahYdcLsy-b0VDeMjAusn_404PCfUZLiWjkvPd_0BYvmk/s1600/DSC_6589_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDkXIArojbBM8Qpd1Sii4wACtdWa-6fD_dRHzM-nsDFk8zRdFENRa20tYxHJhWMXgL64RiVEuFmXW7yjuZnWGNQ5mvq9VjfvahYdcLsy-b0VDeMjAusn_404PCfUZLiWjkvPd_0BYvmk/s320/DSC_6589_sm.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><b>Homemade Healthy Deodorant</b><br />
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You can play around with the amounts, proportions, and scents to get it just the way you like it. This is a good starting point, though.<br />
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<i>1/2 cup coconut oil</i><br />
<i>1/2 cup baking soda</i><br />
<i>1/2 cup organic cornstarch (regular cornstarch most likely is made from GMO corn)</i><br />
<i>tea tree oil</i><br />
<i>essential oil (optional)</i><br />
<i>containers</i><br />
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1- Gently liquify the coconut oil by placing it in a heatproof bowl set in a pan of hot water.<br />
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2- Remove the bowl from the water and stir in the baking soda and cornstarch. Stir till smooth.<br />
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3- Add several drops of tea tree oil and essential oil (if you're using any). Stir it in.<br />
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4- Pour the deodorant into your containers. This makes enough for 2 stick deodorant refills and some extra. If you have more than you can use right now, pour the extra into a small glass jar, label it, and store it in the refrigerator. When you want to use the extra, just gently reheat in hot water to liquify and pour into your container.Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-10461646164678304542012-06-12T07:18:00.000-07:002012-06-12T07:19:28.707-07:00The ChoiceIn the movie The Matrix there is an iconic scene where Neo is offered a choice. Take the red pill and learn the truth. The whole truth. With the drawback being that you can never go back. Or take the blue pill, forget everything you've learned, and go back to life the way it was - comfortable, familiar, totally deluded, dying by inches.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktdaEsjTbmxfMk9zPbsolAt8MhddNGRtKrXnTFxjR8TbiZUQLyrh3mAWq0JIABFKzEdI0fQrluN4XQ0c-3vEnyE0Q1pafbqly3U5HsX0y5uLJPxSGj5b5hmvWBJLpkwKIHNXsU0kTOiE/s1600/pill-300x168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktdaEsjTbmxfMk9zPbsolAt8MhddNGRtKrXnTFxjR8TbiZUQLyrh3mAWq0JIABFKzEdI0fQrluN4XQ0c-3vEnyE0Q1pafbqly3U5HsX0y5uLJPxSGj5b5hmvWBJLpkwKIHNXsU0kTOiE/s1600/pill-300x168.jpg" /></a></div>
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I kind of feel that way about food. I don't remember anyone ever offering me a pill, but somewhere along the line I swallowed one. Now I can't go back. As tiring as it is to look in the refrigerator and sigh, "What can I eat?", as frustrating as it is to try to figure out how to get my family to eat that mystery green item that came in the farm box, as much as I miss the happy days in the kitchen whipping up delicious cookies, breads, cakes, and marshmallows, I can't go back. You can't unknow knowledge.<br />
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I used to not think about the food I ate. If it looked good and tasted good, I ate it. It was not uncommon for a bag of Oreos to jump off the shelf into my cart at the grocery store. When they begged for it, I'd buy my kids sugary breakfast cereals, as a special treat. I also caved when they wanted Otter Pops and I'd have a whole Costco-sized box of them in my freezer all summer long. Some of my husband's favorite recipes feature Cool Whip as a key ingredient; we used to joke that he considered it one of the four basic food groups. And I lived on Diet Coke. Hey, I needed to balance out all those cookies, right?<br />
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Then I started a food blog. As I blogged my kitchen exploits, I started reading other blogs and learned from them. I learned recipes, tips, techniques, and I also started seeing a different way of thinking about food. Local, organic, sustainable? Pshaw! That was for weird hippies. Bring on the cookie recipes! Show me the chocolate! Let there be bread!<br />
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Then my daughter introduced me to Nourishing Traditions, a cookbook/textbook that fosters the radical notion that food is for nourishment. We should eat to sustain and strengthen our bodies, not for entertainment or pleasure.<br />
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I read through the work of Dr. Westin Price, who traveled the world documenting that traditional people groups who ate their traditional diet had straight, strong, white teeth. Dental caries did not show up until western diets were introduced.<br />
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I started reading labels. So many of the foods I used to buy contained high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, and chemical compounds I couldn't even pronounce. Foods marketed to kids had upwards of 30 grams of sugar a serving and a host of preservatives and artificial colors and flavors. I started to realize that couldn't be good for my family!<br />
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The more I learned, the more I realized that I was poisoning my family and the way we ate had to change. Now I read labels obsessively and make most of my food from fresh ingredients, rather than mixes or cans. I've weaned myself off Diet Coke. I buy more greens in a week than we used to eat in a month. Or more. It's not an easy way to eat. It's a lot more convenient to go through the drive-thru and grab a bag of burgers, rather than menu plan, carefully shop, and prepare a nourishing meal. But I don't have that option any more. (Have you seen the <a href="http://www.refinery29.com/happy-meal-art-project">Happy Meal Project</a>?)<br />
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Many people would say our diet is odd, unrealistic, or extreme. No grains? Come on! No processed sugar? Right, how's that supposed to work? But now that I know what I know, I can't go back. I can't feed my family food that will make them sick.<br />
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So what do I feed them? Horrible gruel that's nasty but "good for them?" No, I feed them food that's actually quite tasty. Once you get rid of additives, preservatives, and artificial colors and flavors, your palate can appreciate how good God made food to taste naturally. Don't believe me? Whip up a batch of these super simple meatballs. Coconut curry meatballs. They're delicious as an appetizer or snack with dipping sauce, or, if you're feeling super adventurous, serve them over spaghetti squash or zucchini spaghetti (which I'm doing tonight) with sauce. Or, if you're not in the same place I am on your food journey, pair them up with noodles and a marinara sauce. (And to keep it all in perspective, I'll tell you a secret. My marinara sauce still comes from a jar. But I read the label before buying!)<br />
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<b>Coconut Curry Meatballs</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5Xmn5wweT_-EvYkYasCEt8DLCoIglqilc2tFpsieLMuY2VtjPoqFdnIw7nVAUJcZSYOCPYePVzxxdQcldDsgiuGLZHYtl14z1vREjyGLqv9XSpoX4DUstTTY53BKg4IaeFNg4ePS2TU/s1600/DSC_1112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5Xmn5wweT_-EvYkYasCEt8DLCoIglqilc2tFpsieLMuY2VtjPoqFdnIw7nVAUJcZSYOCPYePVzxxdQcldDsgiuGLZHYtl14z1vREjyGLqv9XSpoX4DUstTTY53BKg4IaeFNg4ePS2TU/s320/DSC_1112.jpg" width="320" /></a> - adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Blueprint-Quick-Easy-Meals/dp/0982207735/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339509868&sr=8-1&keywords=Primal+Blueprint+Quick+%26+Easy+Meals">Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals</a><br />
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<i>1-1/2 lbs. ground turkey or chicken</i><br />
<i>1 carrot, grated</i><br />
<i>2 garlic cloves</i><br />
<i>1/2 cup shredded coconut</i><br />
<i>1 egg</i><br />
<i>2 tsp curry powder</i><br />
<i>1/2 tsp salt</i><br />
<i>handful of cilantro or parsley</i><br />
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1- Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth.<br />
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2- Divide the mixture into 24 equal portions and shape them with your hands into meatballs.<br />
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3- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat several tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil. When it's hot enough so that a small piece of meat sizzles when dropped in the oil, put all the meatballs in.<br />
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4- Cook for two minutes, then roll the meatballs over and cook five minutes more. Put a lid on the pan and finish cooking for another 6-8 minutes.Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1151230224028574772.post-86357498561370303682012-05-27T20:32:00.000-07:002012-05-27T20:32:33.420-07:00Social Fail<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
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When I started blogging, for some reason I had to hide who I was. Maybe it was the fear of internet stalkers (which hasn't happened; everyone I've met from my blog has been super nice), or identity theft (also not happened, although on days when the kids are constantly arguing, I'd be willing to give it a go), or judgement. Probably mostly the latter. Although you might not know it from reading my blog, I'm actually quite a shy person. Meeting new people is always awkward and painful. </div>
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I often feel like I was in the wrong line when people were being given the rules of proper social behavior. I was probably in the line for "how to make really weird faces at yourself in the mirror" or "how to start 102 brilliant projects and never finish them." When I'm at a party it seems like everyone else studied the party handbook beforehand and magically knows smooth, witty, and appropriate things to say. I, not having the handbook, stand in a corner wishing there was a dog to pet until forced to talk to someone. Then my mind goes blank, my palms sweat, and I wish desperately for cue cards to tell me what to say.<br />
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Even though I'm terrible at meeting new people, Jesus keeps sending me people who are kind, tolerant of my lack of social skills, and willing to befriend me. And the great thing is that they aren't just like me. It would be comfortable, but very dull, if all of my friends were clones of me. Instead, I've met ladies who are great at organizing, wonderful at interior design, fabulous gardeners, amazing encouragers, wise teachers, and absolutely bedrock, steadfast, loyal friends.<br />
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The sad thing for me is that a lot of these friends live far away. Some in different time zones. One even lives on a different continent. Talk about not convenient for girls' night out!<br />
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I have a dream that all of my favorite people could live within 10 minutes of my house. Then I could have baking dates on a moment's notice, and there would always be someone able to come over and watch a movie and drink wine with me, plus I could have a party and not break out in hives.<br />
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If the party was a dinner party, this is what I'd make. Eggplant parmesan. It's amazing. My family was unsure about eggplant. It wasn't something I'd ever made with success before, but this recipe is fabulous. When I showed a friend recently how to make it, since it's her husband's favorite, the report came back that he loved it and said it was the best he'd ever had!<br />
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I think, since my friends are so spread out, this will have to be a virtual dinner party. You're invited! If you'd like to come to my party, let me know in the comments section. To go with the eggplant parmesan, we'll need some bread, salad, appetizers, beverages, and, of course, dessert. Tell me what you're bringing and give a link, please, if it's something you've blogged.</div>
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<b>Eggplant Parmesan</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1UeuGDlN00TrrDe40ZPKPpZVe2GIrSCv6gs4ILqEI11eT1W_Mbg_YN93Us8wbYiCnmDt0fHCWIWLOfS1_vtqIJxLGIfJCel_EXyWAvg61gYrbD3CmpD3H4dsmansvHiwVqMS3OG6AVQ/s1600/DSC_2603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1UeuGDlN00TrrDe40ZPKPpZVe2GIrSCv6gs4ILqEI11eT1W_Mbg_YN93Us8wbYiCnmDt0fHCWIWLOfS1_vtqIJxLGIfJCel_EXyWAvg61gYrbD3CmpD3H4dsmansvHiwVqMS3OG6AVQ/s320/DSC_2603.JPG" width="212" /></a> - adapted from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook</div>
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<i>3 cups Tomato Sauce (recipe below)</i></div>
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<i>1-1/2 lbs eggplant</i></div>
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<i>1-1/2 cups almond meal</i></div>
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<i>1 tsp sea salt</i></div>
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<i>2 large eggs</i></div>
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<i>2 Tbsp water</i></div>
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<i>Olive oil</i></div>
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<i>2 cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese</i></div>
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<i>1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese</i></div>
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1- Make Tomato sauce and set it aside. Pour 1 cup of sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, spreading it evenly.</div>
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2- Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F. with a rack in the center of the oven.</div>
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3- Remove the skin from the eggplant. A paring knife or a vegetable peeler work equally well for this. If you don't have texture issues with the skin, you can skip this step.</div>
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4- Cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch thick slices. Making the slices the same thickness is important, so they will cook evenly.</div>
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5- In a broad, low bowl, combine the almond meal and salt. In another bowl, combine whisk together the eggs and water. Place a large skillet (I used my cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat.</div>
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6- Dip the eggplant slices in the egg mixture, then into the almond meal mixture, coating it evenly.</div>
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7- Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in the pan. When it's hot enough that a little almond meal dropped in the oil makes bubbles, place the coated eggplant slices in the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the bottom is golden brown, then flip them over and cook another 3-5 minutes.</div>
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8- Remove the cooked slices from the pan and place them in a layer in the bottom of 9 x 13-inch pan.</div>
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9- Continue cooking batches of the eggplant slices, adding more olive oil as needed. When you have about half of the slices in the baking pan, cover that layer with 1 cup of the Tomato Sauce and sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over that.</div>
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10- Continue cooking the eggplant slices and placing them in the pan. When all of the remaining slices are in the pan, cover that with the remaining sauce and mozzarella.</div>
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11- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling. Remove from the oven and top with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.</div>
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<b>Tomato Sauce</b></div>
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- makes 3 cups</div>
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<i>14 oz tomato paste</i></div>
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<i>2 cups water</i></div>
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<i>1 Tbsp herbes de Provence (do not skip this ingredient! It makes the dish!)</i></div>
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<i>1 Tbsp sea salt</i></div>
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<i>1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar</i></div>
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<i>1 Tbsp minced garlic</i></div>
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1- Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thicker. (It will spatter a lot while it simmers, so if you have a spatter screen, now is the time to use it. Unless you enjoy having your kitchen look like a crime scene.)</div>
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</div>Cookie baker Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11069661176518230573noreply@blogger.com17