Author Archives: Amber

Monday, May 5, 2014

Grain Free Cashew Thumb Print Cookies

917939a40a4e964d82bda81a16633005Okay, these aren’t really thumb prints I guess, more like heel prints (ha ha).  I like lots of filling in my cookies so I make the dips bigger than your typical thumb print width. So these cookies were inspired by a new paleo cookie that has arrived at my local natural foods coop (created by a local bakery called Sugar Plum Vegan).  The ingredients: super simple.  The price: OUCH! One cookie costs $4 – I’m not kidding. That’s a bit outrageous, especially since these cookies are very easy to make with some very basic paleo ingredients.  I bought one to taste test (and I really liked it) so took note of the ingredients and made my own batch the next day. My recipe contains an egg because I like to use egg as a binder and like the way it tastes with the cashews (vegan option in notes).  The flavor is truly spot on.  I could not justify buying another $4 cookie when I literally had everything at home to make a big batch. These are my family’s new favorite treat.  I try to make 2 or 3 homemade snacks each week for the kiddos to decrease my dependence on packaged food (especially packaged snacks).  And these are super easy to make and low in the sugar department (which is always a plus).    Continue reading

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Labels: cookies, dessert, grain free, grain free desserts, Paleo.

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Thursday, May 1, 2014

Honey Kissed Mint Watermelon Salad

textIt’s warming up here in these parts.  A heat wave is moving through right now and pushing temps into the 90s.  Therefore cool, refreshing dishes are in demand.  It will drop back down to cooler temps next week, and let’s hope May is nice and mild. May is usually our last month of decent weather before the searing summer heat blankets our region.  But it’s all good.  I love the summer and I’m no stranger to hot, dry heat.  As a child I grew up in the desert near Death Valley (in Southern California) – so bring it on.  I was at Costco the other day and found organic, fair-trade mini seedless watermelons.  Awesome-sauce!  They are super delicious and so sweet. I’m thinking this would be a great dish for any summer gathering.

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Labels: AIP, GAPS, Paleo, raw, salads, SCD, sides, summer cuisine.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Allergy-Free Wednesdays Week 115: April 30, 2014

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Hello and welcome to Allergy-Free Wednesdays (AFW).

AFW is a weekly blog hop where folks can share their allergy-free cuisine, gain knowledge about allergy-related topics/issues, and connect with others living or caring for someone with food allergies.

Please read HERE for AFW guidelines before linking up. Thank you!

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Posted by Amber at

Labels: Allergy-Free Wednesdays.

7 Comments

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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Allergy-Free Wednesdays Week 114: April 23, 1014

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Hello and welcome to Allergy-Free Wednesdays (AFW).

  AFW is a weekly blog hop where folks can share their allergy-free cuisine, gain knowledge about allergy-related topics/issues, and connect with others living or caring for someone with food allergies.

Please read HERE for AFW guidelines before linking up.  Thank you! 

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Posted by Amber at

Labels: Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Uncategorized.

6 Comments

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5 Easy and Fun Ways to Decrease Waste Including Inspired Projects + Resources

Happy-Earth-Day-1Picture Source

Last year for Earth Day I wrote a post regarding my frustration with Earth Day festivals. The juxtaposition of these celebrations and the production of disgusting overflowing landfill waste and mess.  I don’t attend Earth Day festivals any longer due to the damage they create.  I do attend something called the Whole Earth Festival in my town that is a 100% waste free event.  This happens in May over Mother’s Day weekend.  Continue reading

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Labels: green living, Uncategorized.

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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Homemade Alcohol-Free Hand & Surface Sanitizer

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When I first became a mommy I was a total spaz about germs.  It was like a pharmacy in my obnoxiously oversized mom bag (which was filled with things that could last me through a natural disaster).  I had like 15 different hand sanitizers, sprays, gels, soaps, wipes…you name it, I had it, and it didn’t matter the cost. I bought the best organic, non-toxic products money could buy, because of course, nothing was too good for my new baby. Okay, fast forward 8 years and I am MUCH more relaxed (and knowledgeable) about germs. In fact, I welcome and encourage them.  After reading the many research articles about how we are making our bodies ‘too clean’ and thus ‘too sick’ I changed my tune. I get it, I get how being too clean can damage our microbiome and in turn damage our immune system.  So I backed off – big time.  For me, a step in this more evolved direction was being okay with my kids getting sick, because getting sick equals exposure to germs.  I used to think my job was to protect my children from germs so they wouldn’t get sick.  I remember when my daughter, Skylar (my first child), came down with a cold for the first time at 18 months…I was so sad – I felt like I failed her. How did you get germs in your mouth with all my anti-germ armor!  Now I’m like, hum, my kid’s haven’t been sick in a few months…what’s going on?  I appreciate how important it is to expose the body to germs, and how important it is to build anti-bodies.   Continue reading

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Labels: homemade remedies, Uncategorized.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Allergy-Free Wednesdays Week 113: April 16, 2014

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Hello and welcome to Allergy-Free Wednesdays (AFW).

  AFW is a weekly blog hop where folks can share their allergy-free cuisine, gain knowledge about allergy-related topics/issues, and connect with others living or caring for someone with food allergies.

Please read HERE for AFW guidelines before linking up.  Thank you! 

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Posted by Amber at

Labels: Allergy-Free Wednesdays.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Allergy-Free Wednesday Week 112: April 9, 2014

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Hello and welcome to Allergy-Free Wednesdays (AFW).

  AFW is a weekly blog hop where folks can share their allergy-free cuisine, gain knowledge about allergy-related topics/issues, and connect with others living or caring for someone with food allergies.

Please read HERE for AFW guidelines before linking up.  Thank you! 

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Posted by Amber at

Labels: Allergy-Free Wednesdays.

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Raw Pepperminty Nutty-Roons

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I shared this recipe last month with Ricki on her blog: Ricki Heller.  I found Ricki’s blog shorty after I started blogging (about 2 1/2 years ago). I distinctly remember visiting Wellness Weekend for the first time to share a recipe and instantly fell in love with Ricki, her writing style, and (of course) her recipes (of which I’ve made many)! Personally, I suffer from candida, so her blog is of great interest and value to me. I reference it constantly and refer friends and family to her site. Ricki’s cookbook Naturally Sweet and Gluten Free is one of my favorite cookbooks with so many healthy treats for my family.  For the guest post I wanted to share a recipe for Ricki’s readers reminiscent of her cooking style with common ingredients used by Ricki herself.  I call these “Nutty-Roons” because they are like a macaroon, but with a nice nutty bite to them.  Made with only a few simple ingredients, these raw little bites of coconut bliss are sure to please.  I made about 10 batches of these as Holidays gifts last year (I kid you not) and they were well received by all.  I hope you enjoy them too.  You can view my guest post here.

Nutty-Roons

Raw Pepperminty Nutty-Roons
 
Author:
Recipe type: Raw, Paleo, Grain Free
Ingredients
  • 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • ⅔ cup raw walnuts
  • ⅓ cup raw cashews
  • 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or coconut nectar
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoons peppermint flavor (or more to your preference)
  • 5 drops liquid stevia (plain or flavored)
Instructions
  1. In a food processor fitted with the S blade, add in the walnuts and cashews and blend for 20 seconds.
  2. Next add in the shredded coconut and blend with the nuts for another 20 seconds.
  3. In a small cup, mix together the maple syrup, stevia, vanilla extract, and peppermint oil.
  4. With the food processor running, pour in the coconut oil and the maple syrup mixture.
  5. Blend for 10 seconds.
  6. Scoop out mounds of the mixture and create little macaroon shapes (I use a small ice cream scooper).
  7. The mixture makes about 15 nutty-roons. Place them in freezer for ½ hour.
  8. While the nutty-roons are in the freezer, melt some chocolate*. I like to use a 1 cup glass Pyrex, placed in a pot of boiling water. This keeps the chocolate raw and melts nicely.
  9. Remove the nutty-roons from the freezer and dip each into the chocolate.
  10. Store the nutty-roons in the fridge. They hold up well at room temperature too, but I like how they taste cold.
Notes
1. You can replace maple syrup with coconut nectar (or honey if not vegan).
2. You could also make your own chocolate (see recipe below).

Raw Chocolate Recipe
 
Author:
Recipe type: Raw, Paleo
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons coconut nectar, honey, or maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon raw ground cacao
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract -Optional: a few drops of stevia
Instructions
  1. Place the above ingredients into a 1 cup glass Pyrex.
  2. Place the glass Pyrex into a pan of very hot water and mix around until everything is melted. Do not heat over 110 degree

Nutty-Roons-closeup

Nutty-Roons-packaged

This recipe was shared on:  Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Raw Foods Thursday, Plant Based Potluck Party, Savoring Saturdays

{Affiliate links in post}

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Labels: chocolate, dessert, grain free desserts, guest post, low glycemic, Paleo, raw.

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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Allergy-Free Wednesdays Week 111: April 5, 2014

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Hello and welcome to Allergy-Free Wednesdays (AFW).

  AFW is a weekly blog hop where folks can share their allergy-free cuisine, gain knowledge about allergy-related topics/issues, and connect with others living or caring for someone with food allergies.

Please read HERE for AFW guidelines before linking up.  Thank you! 

Continue reading

Posted by Amber at

Labels: Allergy-Free Wednesdays.

2 Comments

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