Tag Archives: gluten free

Baking, Cooking, Health and Nutrition

Oatmeal cookies for Santa!

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The last 30 days have been a whirl wind at my house.  Coast to coast traveling and hosting Thanksgiving left me with little time to share the next great recipe. This Sunday was the first Sunday in a long time that our family was able to have a lazy morning. I woke to the sound of Christmas music and the smell of my husband cooking breakfast for the entire family. A girl could not ask for more! It was heaven!

Drinking a cup of tea and listening to Christmas Carols inspired me to gather all my kids and make a trial batch of cookies for Santa! And why not, lets do the cooking in pajamas!

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Admittedly, I am a little worried about Santa’s diet, especially at Christmas. So this year I decided to give him some cookies that will give him energy to keep going all night without going into a sugar comma. Don’t worry, there is still a yummy sweet taste to these cookies, but the ingredients are closer to their natural unprocessed state.

These cookies have been approved by friends who have shared them with me over a cup of tea, but most importantly they have been approved by the toughest judges at my house, my three children! After baking and sampling the first few, they are looking forward to taking them as a special treat in their lunch boxes.

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Whether you have a sweet tooth or not, these cookies are great to give you a boost of energy. The most important difference in these cookies is the coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is lower on the glycemic index. Is about 70-79% sucrose (you want to stay away from high fructose), and also contains minerals and amino acids that are beneficial to your health. I am not suggesting using coconut sugar as a way to add nutrients to your body, but simply as an alternative to other processed sugars.

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So what is the yummy goodness in these cookies?

1/2 cup of applesauce (or mashed bananas)

3/4 cup of raw coconut sugar

2 tbs of maple syrup

1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

1 cup of steel cut oats ( you can also use gluten free oats)

1 cup of brown rice flour

1 cup of chopped dates

1 cup of chopped walnuts

1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of allspice

Pre heat oven to 350 F. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl with a spatula, feel free to use your hands! Use an ice cream  scoop to measure each cookie and bake it on a pan stayed with coconut oil for about 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Enjoy!

Portuguese recipe below.

If you enjoy my recipes and would like to have a nutritional consultation with me contact me at armenia@blissbalancehealth.com or call me at 864 5515731.

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Biscoitos de aveia

1/2 xícara de purê de maçã (ou purê de bananas )

3/4 xícara de açúcar de coco cru

2 colheres de sopa de xarope de bordo

1 colher de chá de extrato de baunilha

1 xícara de aveia de corte de aço (você também pode usar a sem glúten)

1 xícara de farinha de arroz integral

1 xícara de tamaras picadas

1 xícara de nozes picadas

1 xícara de coco ralado sem açúcar

1/2 colher de chá de bicarbonato de sódio

1tsp de canela

1/2 colher de chá de noz moscada

1 pitada de cravo em po.

Aqueça o forno a 350 F. Pré Misture todos os ingredientes em uma tigela com uma espátula, sinta-se livre para usar suas mãos! Use uma colher de sorvete para medir cada bolinho e asse -o em uma panela untada com óleo de coco por cerca de 12-15 minutos , até dourar. Aproveite!

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Cooking, Health and Nutrition

It’s Pumpkin muffin time!

pumpkin muffin

Beautiful colors, aroma, and once a year flavors are all converging on my favorite season, Fall! Fall is absolutely my favorite season and I look forward to it every year! During this week’s grocery trip I was happily surprised to find that pumpkins were displayed beautifully at the market I shop at. Of course I grabbed a couple of them and was excited to use them right away!

Fall may not be my whole family’s favorite season, but pumpkin most certainly is a family favorite. My husband’s all time favorite dessert is pumpkin pie and my kids just love the pie and the muffins I usually make. After the kids brought home awesome progress reports, I decided that they earned this season’s first treat. Welcome back pumpkin muffins!

I am always looking for healthier alternatives my for children’s snacks as well as for myself, these muffins are exactly that! They are great for afternoon snacks and no one would tell the difference between these super natural and healthier muffins than the ones from the grocery store that are loaded with processed ingredients. As with most my recipes, these muffins are also free of animal products, making them a good choice for those who have removed milk ingredients from their diet. They are also gluten free.

So what is so nutritious about these muffins? Pumpkins are full of antioxidants, dietary fiber, and is one of the least caloric vegetables ( 3oz contains 26 calories and no saturated fat). Pumpkin is also a great source of complex B vitamins, and minerals such as copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. The combination of spices help to regulate blood sugar and boost digestion. The flaxseed, coconut oil, and chocolate provide a dose of healthy fats that are essential to the proper distribution of vitamins and minerals throughout the body. When you’re feeling a little adventurous, dark chocolate chips can be added to increase your healthy fats and increase distribution of vitamins and minerals throughout the body.  Today, I’m feeling adventurous!

Is your mouth watering already? Let’s find out how easy these are to make!

pumpkin muffin

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of brown rice flour (1 1/2 copo de farinha de arroz integral)

1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon ( 1 1/2 colher de chá de canela)

1 tsp ginger ( 1 colher de chá de gengibre em pó )

1/2 tsp of nutmeg (1/2 colher de chá de noz moscada)

1/8 tsp clover (1/8 colher de chá de cravo)

1 tsp baking soda (1 colher de chá de bicarbonato de sódio )

1/4 tsp of baking powder ( 1/4 colher de chá de fermento)

1/2 tsp salt (1/2 colher de chá de sal)

2 Tbs of flaxseed mixed with 6 Tbs of water (2 colheres de sopa de farinha de linhaça misturada com 6 colheres de sopa de água )

1/2 cup of melted coconut oil (1/2 copo de óleo de coco derretido)

1/2 cup of coconut sugar (1/2 copo de açúcar de coco ou mascavo)

1/2 tsp of vanilla (1/2 colher de chá de baunilha)

2 cups of pumpkin puree or 1 15 oz can of pure pumpkin (2 copos de pure de abóbora )

1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips (1/4 copo de chocolate meio amargo)

1/4 cup walnuts (optional) (1/4 copo de nozes)

In a medium bowl mix the first 8 ingredients together. Make a well in the center and add the flaxseed mixture, oil, sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. After mixing the wet ingredients in the center, mix them with the flour mixture. Add the nuts and chocolate chips if using and mix well. Fill muffins pans 3/4 of the way with dough and sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!

Em uma tigela média misture os 8 primeiros ingredientes juntos. Faça um buraco no centro e adicione a mistura de linhaça, óleo, açúcar, óleo de coco, baunilha e purê de abóbora. Depois de misturar os ingredientes no centro, misture-os com a mistura de farinha. Adicione as nozes e raspas de chocolate e misture bem. Preencha muffin pans três quartos do caminho com a massa e polvilhe algumas raspas de chocolate extras no topo. Asse por 15-18 minutos ou até que um palito inserido saia limpo. Aproveite!

Meditation – Yoga – Ayurveda

http://www.blissbalancehealth.com

armenia@blissbalancehealth.com

864 551 5731

http://www.facebook.com/blissbalancehealth

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Health and Nutrition

Pancakes for any day!

flax seed pancake

It’s Sunday morning!!! The perfect day for having some yummy pancakes! Although in my house, fresh made pancakes is something that happens very often!

One of the things that I aim to do for my kids every morning before school is make them a hot breakfast. Growing up in Brazil, breakfast consisted of breads, cakes, and coffee. Moving to The United States at the age of 15, the very first meal I had after leaving the airport in Houston was at IHOP. Two things have stuck with me forever from my first meal in the US.  One, being shocked at the big breakfast a lot of people had.  And two, these incredibly tasting hot, sweet, flat, delicious cakes stacked on one another,….PANCAKES! To me lunch was being served at breakfast. After all, in Brazil lunch is the biggest meal of the day.  Now after living more than half of my life in The United States I have adopted the “hot breakfast” custom and make my family something comforting, as often as possible.

Timing is an issue at times and cereal is my go to on those mornings, but if you have 15 minutes to make breakfast, this recipe is for you. Only a few ingredients are required for this recipe and none of them are animal based, thus making it safe for those with milk allergies. It tastes great and it has been approved by the Gary children!

Why make this recipe instead of a batch of frozen pancakes? Nutrients! My recipe contains a diverse mix of nutrients that you can’t find in the frozen variety. The addition of flax seeds gives you a portion of Lignans, healthy fats such as omega 3, and both insoluble and soluble fiber types. These nutrients are linked to heart health and have anti cancer properties.  Yes, my pancakes could be helpful for your cardiac and immune system!

How do we make tasty, healthy, quick pancakes every day?  Let’s take a look….

flax seed pancake 2

Ingredients: 

1 cup of whole wheat flour (1 cup of brown rice flour if gluten free) (1 copo de farinha integral or farinha de arroz integral para receita sem glúten)

1 Tbs of ground flax seed (1 colher de sopa de farinha de linhaça)

1 Tbs of coconut sugar ( 1 colher de sopa de açúcar de coco ou açúcar mascavo)

1 pinch of cinnamon (1 pitada de canela)

1 Tsp of baking powder (1 colher de chá de fermento)

1 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond or soy milk (1 1/4 copo de leite de amêndoas ou soja)

2 Tbs of grape seed oil (2 colheres de sopa de óleo de semente de uva ou outro óleo de coco derretido)

Vegan butter (manteiga vega ou normal dependendo da sua dieta)

Whisk the first five ingredients together. Mix the oil and milk then add it to dry mixture. Combine dry and wet mixtures together. Melt some vegan butter on a large skillet over medium heat. Place Tbs size dollops of batter on pan, when bubbles begin to form on top, flip the pancake with a spatula. Remove from skillet when golden brown on both sides. Serve with your favorite fruits and a drizzle of maple syrup. Enjoy!

Misture os primeiros cinco ingredientes juntos . Misture o óleo eo leite , em seguida, adicioná-lo à mistura seca . Combine misturas secos e molhados juntos. Derreta um pouco de manteiga vega em uma frigideira grande em fogo médio. Coloque mistura do tamanho de colheres de sopa de massa na panela, quando as bolhas começam a se formar no topo , vire a panqueca com uma espátula. Retire da frigideira quando dourar dos dois lados. Sirva com suas frutas favoritas e um pouco de mel (maple).Aproveite!

Meditation – Ayurveda – Yoga

http://www.blissbalancehealth.com

armenia@blissbalancehealth.com

http://www.facebook.com/blissbalancehealth

864 551 5731

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