Almond Flour Brownies

Mom found this recipe here, (keep reading for our variation) my family really likes it~ and because they are made with Almond flour, it is a very friendly recipe to GAPS folks, Gluten Free folks and the GenoType Diet folks as well! 

Almond Flour Brownies

2/3 cup honey  (we used 1/3 honey or Agave & 1/3 veg glycerin)
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil  (we used butter)...(or olive or rice bran oil)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract   (we used 2 t.)
3 eggs

1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup cocoa (I used Organic Cocoa from Frontier)
1/4 tsp. baking soda (this can be omitted)
1/2 tsp. sea salt


(12/11/15 note: we added 1/2c each Mini Chocolate Chips & Pecans)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix honey, butter, vanilla and eggs until smooth. (If omitting baking soda, beat eggs until foamy before adding in other wet ingredients.) Add almond flour, cocoa, baking soda and optional salt. Stir to blend. Pour into greased 8x8x2 inch pan. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, (we like 20) until center no longer jiggles and top feels cakey.

Cool on a wire rack before cutting (a plastic knife cuts best).  


Good Fresh or Frozen! =)

~Happy Eating! 

Adrienne

Note: If you realize after the pan is in the oven that you forgot to add the butter (mine likes to hide on the stove), don't worry, bake them anyway, and butter them as you eat them!  =)

"Cream" Soup

(the Julie & Julia playlist/video is embedded in this post)

"Cream" of Broccoli (& a few homegrown green-beans tossed in too) Soup with sauteed fresh, home grown organic squash & EV olive oil.

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My quick recipe:
I just cooked one bag of frozen (Costco) organic broccoli (or about the same quantity of other veg) in one tub of good homemade chicken broth, with a lot of butter, garlic, salt & pepper, added some extra gelatin. Stick-blended it, and called it done! (NOT a real Cream soup!)

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The dressing is homemade Cranberry~Apple Sauce* (made with butter, cinnimon, stevia and a bit of xylitol), mixed with EV olive oil. And the whole thing is topped with organic home-roasted peanuts and Costco's bacon bits. (The lettuce is Costco's organic baby lettuce.)

*the apples were organic, but not the cranberries

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The next time I made "cream" soup, I made 2 kinds at the same time:
1. Broccoli (organic) -Carrot & TOO much fresh garlic
and
2. Cauliflower (organic) & organic ground & toasted Sunflower seeds

Soup number one was not so good, but too many veggies for the amount of broth...
Soup number two was REALLY good! So, I mixed them both together, and got a reasonable tasting soup. We jazzed it up by adding some of those Costco Bacon bits, and Tillamook cheese (also from Costco) to each serving! Dad wanted everyone to know that that is paint on his fingers, NOT soup!

~Happy Eating!
Adrienne

Happiness is...

~Peach Ice Cream~
16 oz of fresh or frozen (thawed) peaches
(maybe add 1-3 T. Lemon Juice...I did not, but the peaches I used already had their "stay fresh stuff" on them...)
2 cups Kefir
1/4 (slightly heaped) teaspoon Stevia powder
a dash of Pop-corn salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
(you could add an egg and/or 1-2 tea. Vanilla)

Process the peaches till smooth, add the other ingredients and process to make sure that they are well mixed and really smooth. Chill until you are ready to freeze. Then just freeze it like you would any other ice cream! =)


Note: we own the Donvier 1 qt hand crank ice cream maker. (look for them on e-bay)

~Happy Eating!

Adrienne

Dinner...

Last week I cooked up a mess of Liver and Onions...
This was only the second time I have ever cooked Liver, and it turned out lots better this time than last.
There are only 2 problems with Liver & Onions:
1. No one will help you eat it. =(
and
2. I can't eat very much of it at a time, so I am REALLY tired of it before I finish it.

...it was pretty good for liver...
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For tonight's dinner, I oven roasted Rehoboth Ranch Chicken, with "Adrienne's Super Secret Chicken Rub" rubbed under the skin, and oil & pepper on top!
Oven temp: 370 (Mom said between 350 & 375....)
Cooking time: 30 minutes, and turned the pans, and baked for another 30.

...it was delightfully delicious...

GAPS "cake" variation #3

So just as a quick note really, I wanted to tell you that when I made my "cake" this week, I did not add any water to my carrot puree. So it was a lot thicker. =)
I also used 4 whole eggs instead of the combination that I used in the past.
And I increased the Cinnamon to 1 teaspoon.
And I used about 5 & 1/2 oz of fat.

You want to know what the best part is?!? I baked it in 2 large glass loaf pans (for the same length of time), instead of a 8inch pan, so EVERY piece had a outside edge!
~And instead of just 4 corners, I now have 8!!!!~
The only draw back is that you have 2 pans to grease. Oh well, I think that it is worth it! =)

~Happy eating!
Adrienne

I am happy...and thankful~

I am thankful that Dad has a job, and I have a full belly. My belly is full, and I am not hungry. And I am happy that I am 3 months into this diet.

I am so happy for Rachel- happy she has a good & Godly man and a career all in the same year. I love Rachel so...I am happy that God is blessing her in so many ways- she is such a sweet sister, obedient daughter, and dear friend to all she meets- no matter how young or old.

I am happy for her. I pray that Rachel & Jack will live "happily~ever~after", that they will raise many sweet Christian children. That they will lead by example, and be shining witnesses for Christ in their everyday walk. That no one ever need doubt them.

I am tired.

I am so tired of this GAPS diet. I can't really see any changes for the better.

Starting at the end of December (and for about 1 & 1/2 months), I was doing a Candida diet, and I could see a lot of changes. Things like a lot more energy, much less joint pain, easier cycle, much less depression, & some detoxing!

Then I switched to the GAPS diet, and for the most part those good side effects have continued on. But I don't think that I have the same energy, or at least it's not increasing, and I am no longer detoxing. (The things that I was doing for detoxing and not allowed on GAPS- I have no idea why not...)

The sad thing: for whatever reason, I have stopped digesting eggs. For a (long) while I was not digesting them properly, so I would avoid them, but then they are required on this GAPS diet, and I was eating them every day, and digesting them fine! =) But not any more. =(

The only new & good side effect I have seen is weight loss. I am not sure how much- somewhere between 10 and 18LBs I think. Don't worry, I do not look like a concentration camp kid- I lost the fat from places that needed to loose it. (I was not trying to loose anything- it just happened. I was eating good food every 2 hours or so- LOTS of good fats.)

Also at the beginning of my new diet regimen, I began skin brushing 2 times a day, and some easy exercises/stretches every morning.

But still, I am tired-

I am tired of eating the funny food. But I guess that the food is not so funny- how I have to prepare it is. I am soooo tired of boiled-to-death vegetables. I am a very bad girl and eat raw green beans, peas, carrots, and radishes from time to time.
I sneak nuts. Nibbles of meat that is not prepared properly.

I am tired of being tired.

I am tired of melting down, and driving Mom crazy.

I am tired of not being diligent, or driven to do my daily tasks.

I am tired of being a strange selfish kind of girl, who feels trapped- a strange kid who wants to be an adult, but does not know how to make the change.

I am tired of being awkward.

I know that true beauty comes from within- but I don't feel very good inside right now.

I am tired of being an unhelpful not very good daughter.

Tired of being left behind...I need a niche in life.

GAPS "cake" variation #2

(this is a variation on the GAPS Guide page # 142 and the Gut & Psychology Syndrome page # 150 recipes. I think that you could also make this into pancakes. Fry them in a lot of good fat!)

I call it "cake" because it sounds like more fun that way...it is really like an oven pancake. The cake in the photo above, is slightly overcooked.

The Cake:
12 - 13 oz cooked Butternut squash or pureed carrots (I had to add a bit of water to thin the carrots)

4 -5 oz of sprouted or soaked nut butter*

3 whole eggs

2 egg whites

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

4 oz fat melted (ghee, coconut oil, tallow, etc. or combination)

Optional: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of honey.

Mix until fairly smooth, and a porridge-like consistency,

and pour into a very well greased 8 X8 pan- I used about 1/16th to 1/8th inch thick ghee.

Bake in a 300 oven, for 45- 60 mins, or till a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I cut them into 9 servings. After refrigeration, it is very portable!

Serving suggestion:

1. Top with a lot of good coconut oil & sprinkle with cinnamon.

2. Place a piece of cake in bowl, topped with kefir and cinnamon! You could mix an egg yolk with the kefir.

3. Top with ghee, and sprinkle with cinnamon.

~Happy eating!

Adrienne

Pumpkin seed "nut-butter". We divide it all out, and freeze it in recipe size portions.

* soaked pumpkin seeds (as per Nourishing Tradition directions -about 24 hours) then processed in food processor until smooth, added coconut oil and ghee to make it the right "nut butter consistency".

Q: Can I eat Cake while on the GAPS diet? A: YES!

The Cake:

~Sprouted Sunflower seeds, ground into 'nut butter'

~Soaked ground Almonds

~Baked & mashed Butternut squash

~Eggs ~Ghee ~Salt

Process until fairly smooth, and a porridge-like consistency,

and pour into a very well greased pan- I used about 1/16th to 1/8th inch thick ghee.

Bake in a 300 oven, for 1 hour, or till a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

(Mom made the cake, and I made the frosting!)

The Frosting:

A lot of Ghee

About 1/2 tea. Honey

About 1 1/2 tea. Cinnamon

Mix well (you may have to pop it in the fridge to firm it up a bit),

and top each serving of cake as you eat it!

I wrapped the extra cake up individually, and kept it in the fridge, it is pretty sturdy when cold.

~Happy eating!
Adrienne