I had heard the brand Cup4cup Gluten Free Wholesome Flour Blend was good, but I thought it was a little pricey. I came across it at Stop and Shop though, and figured I would give it a try in my Best Blueberry Muffin recipe. I was not disappointed!
These muffins really are the best because they are loaded with blueberry flavor! Last year I became obsessed with The Great British Bake-Off on PBS for two reasons. Number 1: I love baking and number 2: because I love all things British! Well, I noticed that they were always making jam (with no recipe, by the way, just berries and sugar). Since gluten free baking can often come out dry in texture, I got the idea that adding a blueberry jam to these muffins would not only add flavor but moisture too!
The Cup4cup Gluten Free Wholesome Flour Blend was also a winner, as these came out with the taste and texture of a whole wheat muffin, plus this flour is a healthy GFree alternative as it has a lot of fiber in it, since it is whole grain and contains ground flaxseeds.
Add 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to almond milk and let sit while cooking berries.
Bring 1 cup of blueberries and coconut sugar to a simmer in a small pot. While it is cooking, mash the berries with spoon, and reduce the mixture for about 6 minutes until it is thickened. Allow to cool about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest, and salt. *If using frozen berries, rinse them under cold water before adding them to the flour mixture now.
In a separate bowl whisk eggs with almond milk, maple syrup, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla.
Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients along with 1 cup of remaining blueberries just until combined.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Then spoon about a teaspoon of blueberry jam onto each muffin. Using a skewer, swirl cooked blueberries into the batter, then top with remaining batter, divided evenly.
Even our food companies have replaced traditional fermented foods like ketchup, sauerkraut, salsa, and pickles with unhealthy vinegar and sugar based alternatives. Our cheeses were aged and our breads were fermented and raised with a traditional sourdough, rather than commercial yeast. It’s no wonder so many of us have digestive problems.
Did you know that we can aid our digestion by adding these delicious fermented foods into our diet? When we digest our food properly, we can absorb all of the nutrients in them that our bodies need. On top of that, the nutrients in fermented foods are much easier for our bodies to digest. They also contain probiotics which help to maintain gut health.
MAKING YOUR OWN IS EASY
I used to be afraid to try fermenting my own food because I thought I would poison myself, but it is much easier than you think. One of the easiest fermented foods to make is sauerkraut. I love this versatile food, and I use it so many ways or sometimes just eat it right out of the jar. All you need is a head of cabbage and salt to turn fresh cabbage into a food loaded with Vitamin B, C, and K as well as loads of probiotics!
Try these too!
Some other fermented foods to try adding to your diet are kombucha which is a fermented black tea and another of my favorite probiotics that costs pennies to make at home. Some other great choices are tempeh, miso, kefir, kimchi, pickled vegetables, and grass-fed yogurt.
Acorn squash in my oatmeal? Yup, that sweet nutty flavor is warming and delicious in oatmeal and a great way to add loads of nutrients into your breakfast to start your day!
Acorn squash contains powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties! It’s also packed with fiber, Vitamin C as well as magnesium and potassium. It helps regulate your blood sugar which helps keep the weight off and conquers those cravings! Winter squash has also been shown to have clear potential in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
My kids loved this hearty, filling breakfast. I may not have mentioned it was made of squash until after their plates were cleaned empty! They’re getting there…
The key to making quick, healthy meals each week is all about meal prep. For some of you, though, getting started may not come easily to you. So this post is designed to motivated you one step a time a time with simple tips and tricks to get a wholesome meal on the table faster than you can order and pick up take out, or heat up a frozen pizza!
Now I don’t mean cooking an entire week’s worth of meals ahead of time. That would be totally overwhelming! Choose a few of these steps to get started. Week by week, add something new to find what works for you, and before you know it, you’ll be a pro!
Step 1: The Plan
To get started, start with some simple recipes that you already know. This is not the week to attempt that new complicated recipe you found on Pinterest that you’re dying to try. Now creating a weekly meal plan may take some practice in the beginning, but it will save you so much time in the long run! After a little while, you will have a few complete meal plans with a prep schedule and grocery list that you can reuse over and over again! meal prep
First, take a look at your week to see what is going on. Are there days when you need to have something in the crock pot, hot and ready, for when the family returns from a busy day? Is there a night you can make a meal ahead for days when you are running from piano lessons to soccer practice to scouts? For some of you, it might be easier to have the same meal on a certain night each week.
Next, put together a weekly meal plan. Do you want to make a soup one night? Fish? Something grilled? Then write the days of the week across a piece of paper and list your meals and snacks underneath. I plan three meals a day plus two snacks. Write on your list which meals include recipes and where you can find that recipe.
Over time you can start to add a new recipe each week and expand your menu. I find this exciting to try something new and expand our tastes. Make a note of what works and what doesn’t.
Tip: Think of ways leftovers can be reused for breakfast or lunch another day. Perhaps make a little extra, so you have some to reuse. Make a day of the week that combines all of your leftovers so that you can get a day off. (Sadly, my extras disappear through the night with four teenage boys in the house right now, so that nugget NEVER works in my house!)
Step 2: The List
Now the next step is preparing your grocery list. Going to the grocery with a list and sticking to it saves you so much time and money. You will be much less inclined to pick up extras and less likely to have to throw out produce that went rotten because you never used it. The best part of the list is that it reduces your trips to the grocery store. I hate grocery shopping. With a list of all my ingredients for the week, there is no more running out to the store to pick up that one item I need for a recipe. Nor do I have to grab convenience food because I have no idea what to make for dinner, and those hungry boys are scouring the pantry!
Write your list at as you are planning your week and note what you need for each recipe. Also, write how much you need of each ingredient. No need to write down what you already have. I like to break my list into categories like produce, meat, etc. to make getting through the grocery store quicker. (Did I mention I hate grocery shopping?)
Note: I often hear that buying healthy food to cook at home is too expensive. That is just not true. Grocery shopping becomes expensive when we fill our carts with chips, processed food, cookies, and juice that have no nutritional value. Preparing healthy meals and snacks is not more expensive if you STICK TO THE PLAN.
Step 3: The Prep
This step has changed my life! As I am looking up my recipes, I make a prep list too. First I add my ingredient to my grocery list. Then I put how that ingredient needs to be prepped, how much, and what it is for. It looks something like this:
Ingredient
Amount
Recipe
Carrots
3 chopped
2 sliced
Carrot Ginger Soup
Coconut Curry Chicken
Zucchini
1 shredded
Bolognese sauce
Cashews
½ cup soaked
Cashew cheese
Within 24 hours of grocery shopping, I prep all of my ingredients for the week and store them in glass containers in the fridge. At first glance, this may seem like it takes a lot of time. But since I am doing it all in one shot, it takes much less time than prepping ingredients each day for each meal. I only have to take my food processor out once, and I only use one cutting board and knife which saves on clean up. Then through the week, I only need to pull out the ingredients for each meal, and I can easily throw together a quick, simple and healthy dinner with minimal clean-up.
Prepped ingredients in the fridge
Step 4: Putting it into action
My final step is making a daily task schedule that I can follow each day. This can be as detailed as you want. It looks something like this:
Day
Task
Estimated time
Sunday
Prep veggies
1 hour
Sunday
Prepare overnight oatmeal
5 minutes
Monday
Bake pumpkin muffins
20 minutes
Meal prep and planning may all seem overwhelming to you at first, but start small. Don’t try to do everything at once. Maybe try doing a menu plan for just one day with a grocery list, and then work up to a full week over time. Maybe just try prepping your vegetables or snacks for the week. The best way to continue to eat to nourish our bodies with wholesome food is to make it from fresh, real ingredients and organization is the key. I promise you, that if you can eventually incorporate these steps to meal planning, the stress of what’s for dinner will finally disappear.
The trick? Soak them! Soaking your beans or lentils overnight in cold water makes them much more easy to digest. Just remember to drain and rinse them in fresh water before using them.
Another help is to add seaweed like Kombu to beans or legumes to make them more digestible, and it is a great way to add seasoning as well as a healthy dose of iodine, essential for a healthy thyroid!
Try this red lentil stew. The spices in it like cumin and ginger also help aid in digestion. Cardamom, coriander, and cinnamon help reduce those cravings! Cinnamon is an awesome spice that helps regulate your blood sugar. Turmeric is an amazing spice that reduces inflammation in the body.
Red Lentil Stew
Ingredients
2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee ½ teaspoon ground coriander ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground turmeric 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon 2 onions, minced 6 garlic cloves, minced 6 carrots peeled and chopped medium 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 4 cups water 1 14oz. can coconut milk 1 four inch strip Kombu seaweed 1 pound red lentils, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed 4 to 6 plum tomatoes, chopped 1 cup frozen peas sea salt and pepper ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
Instructions
Heat coconut oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamon, and red pepper and swirl until fragrant, 1 minute. Add onions, garlic, carrots, and ginger and saute until onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Place in slow cooker along with water, coconut milk, kombu, and lentils and stir.
Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high 3 to 5 hours.
Stir in tomatoes and peas. Cover and cook until heated through, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in cilantro.
Irish moss paste not only thickens this delicious carrot ginger soup but adds a dose of thyroid supporting iodine! Simply simmer about a cup of Irish moss in 4 cups of water for about 20 minutes. Then scoop the seaweed out and rinse it thoroughly to remove any sand. Puree it in a food processor or blender with 2 cups of fresh water and store in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to two months.
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 tbsp. coconut oil
2 onions, chopped fine
2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
Salt and pepper
2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
5 cups water
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbs. Irish moss paste
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Chopped chives
coconut milk
Instructions
1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add ghee. When melted add onions, fresh ginger, garlic, and two teaspoons salt. Cook until onions are softened, stirring often for 5-7 minutes till onions are softened, but not browned.
2. Turn heat on high and add carrots, water, thyme sprigs, Irish moss, and baking soda and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until carrots are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Discard thyme sprigs. Process soup in a blender smooth. Return soup to clean pot and stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a sprinkle of chives and a swirl of coconut milk.
Coconut milk ice cream is a delicious alternative to dairy! I’ve served this to lots of kids now who have no idea there is an avocado in it.
Recipe
1 can of full-fat coconut milk
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup or monkfruit
2 tsp. vanilla
1 ripe avocado
For chocolate add 3 tablespoons raw cacao.
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Place in your ice cream maker. If you don’t have one, then freeze all but 1/2 cup of the mix in ice cube trays. Refrigerate the 1/2 cup. Place the frozen cubes with reserved mix into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Enjoy!
