Sunday, May 26, 2013

My 2nd eCookbook - Nourished Cooking!



I am pleased to announce the release of my 2nd eCookbook, Nourished Cooking.  This cookbook is packed with over 60 recipes, and is perfect for those who eat:
  • traditional, real foods
  • whole foods
  • gluten-free diets
  • grain-free diets
  • Primal diet
  • GAPS™ Diet
  • Specific Carbohydrate Diet

All recipes in this book are nutrient-dense, gluten-free, and use no refined sweeteners. This book contains 49 GAPS-legal recipes and 58 grain-free recipes, suitable for Primal eating.

Although similar cookbooks typically sell for $15-20, I price my cookbooks very low so that more people can benefit from them.  This cookbook sells for only $11.99.

Nourished Cooking comes in PDF format, for easy electronic viewing, and it is also formatted for printing.  That way, those who prefer to have a hard copy can print their own copy.  I myself keep a hard copy in a 3-ring binder, and use plastic sheet protectors for each page so that any cooking spills can be easily wiped off.

 

Table of Contents for Nourished Cooking  

Article: To Eat Grains or Not?
Notes About Ingredients

Breakfasts
  • Applesauce Spice Custard Cake grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal 
  • Banana Custard Cake grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal 
  • Lemon Coconut Muffins grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal 
  • Millet Porridge gluten-free 
  • Mushroom and Cheddar Crustless Quiche grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Raisin Muffins grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal 
  • Triple Berry Custard Cake grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Zucchini Spice Muffins grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal 
Main Courses
  • Basil Salmon Salad grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal 
  • Beef and Bean Layered Bowl grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Basic White Navy Beans grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Ground Beef Taco Meat grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Braised Cabbage and Sausages grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Breakfast Salad with 3-Spoon Dressing grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Cajun-Spiced Beef Roast grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Crispy Kombucha-Battered Fish with Tartar Sauce gluten-free
  • Curry Meatballs and Veggies grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Double Cheese Burgers grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Fresh Spring Rolls with Sesame Lime Dipping Sauce gluten-free
  • Italian Wedding Soup grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Lemon Basil Chopped Summer Salad grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Meatball and Mushroom Soup grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Mussels in Red Wine Sauce grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Pizza Toasts grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Slow-Cooker Beef Fajitas grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Slow-Cooker Chili grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Tuna Salad grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Teriyaki Chicken Wings grain-free gluten-free primal
Article: Real Food Convenience Foods and Compromises

Side Dishes
  • Caramelized Beets and Carrots grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Caramelized Green Beans grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Cheesy Bread grain-free gluten-free primal
  • Cranberry Sauce with Apples and Ginger grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Creamy Cukes with Beautiful Salmon Roe grain-free gluten-free primal
  • Fried Green Tomatoes grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Grain-Free Sandwich Bread grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Nutrient-Dense White Rice gluten-free
  • Simple Buttered Veggies grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Zucchini Spaghetti Noodles grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
Article: Why You Might Need to Eat More Dessert

Snacks and Desserts
  • Blackberry Ice Cream grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies grain-free gluten-free primal
  • ChocoNanaBerry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Crispy Nuts grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Crustless Strawberry Cheesecake grain-free gluten-free primal
  • Strawberry Topping grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • French Apple Pie gluten-free
  • Sweetened Whipped Cream grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Kale Chips grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Lemon Lime Custard Cake grain-free gluten-free primal
  • Maple Coconut Cookies grain-free gluten-free primal
  • Molasses Cookies grain-free gluten-free primal
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Shortbread Cookies grain-free gluten-free primal
  • Strawberry Chocolate Layer Cake grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Vanilla Buttercream Frosting grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal 
  • Strawberry Ice Cream grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Vanilla Chocolate Chip Ice Cream grain-free gluten-free primal
Condiments, Sauces, and Fermented Foods
  • How to Make and Freeze Chicken Broth grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • 3-Spoon Dressing grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal 
  • How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Mayonnaise grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Quick and Easy Pizza Sauce grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Spiced Ketchup grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal
  • Tartar Sauce grain-free GAPS gluten-free primal 
Appendices
  • Appendix A: Recommended Ingredients
  • Appendix B: Recommended Kitchen Equipment and Tools
Index
About the Author 


Purchase Information



Click here to buy the Nourished Cooking eCookbook.

Money Back Guarantee: If you don’t love the book, I will refund your money within 30 days of
your purchase date.

Delivery: The download link for the ebook will emailed to you within 24-48 hours from receipt of payment. Should you have any difficulty, you can contact me at nourishedandnurtured[at]gmail[dot]com.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Sweet and Sour Snow Peas (fermented : grain-free : GAPS : primal)

Since my mom had her usual bumper crop of snow peas this spring, I came up with a new fermented veggie that is especially loved by my 3-year-old son: sweet and sour snow peas!  These are deliciously crispy, tangy, and sweet, with just a little tad of a spicy bite from some added garlic.  What a yummy way to get some probiotics.

Sweet and Sour Snow Peas
  • ~3.5 cups of snow peas
  • 3 medium cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 1 stalk of celery, OR a generous pinch of celery seed
  • 1/2 cup raw mild honey
  • 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1.5 Tb celtic sea salt
  • 2 Tb whey
  • 1 Tb pickling spice*
  • Equipment needed: quart mason jar or Fido jar, rock for weighing down the peas (boil the rock in water for several minutes to make sure it is very clean)
  1. In a medium bowl, combine mustard powder, honey, vinegar, salt, pickling spice, celery seed (if using) and whey.  Stir well to dissolve the honey and salt.  You may need to leave this sitting for an hour or two to get everything to dissolve and combine well.
  2. Wash the peas and celery stalk well. Remove and discard the ends from the peas. 
  3. Peel the garlic and check to make sure it looks very good. (I would not use any garlic that has brown spots in a fermented food, as I want to make sure I'm not introducing any molds to the jar.) Slice the garlic.
  4. Pack the peas, celery, and garlic into the jar.
  5. Pour the honey/vinegar/spice mixture over the veggies.  
  6. Pack down the veggies so that they are covered by the liquid. If your peas keep floating up to the top, try weighing them down.  I use a rock from my yard to hold the peas down (I originally boiled the rock in water for a few minutes to make sure it was nice and clean, and then cooled it down before putting it on top of the veggies.)  There should be at least 1-inch of head space at the top of the jar.
  7. Scrape any spices or veggie bits that are stuck to the jar back down into the liquid.  Then use a clean cloth or paper towel to wipe the inside of the jar above the liquid.  (This will help in making sure that the fermentation process goes well and that no funky stuff grows at the top of the jar.)
  8. Put a lid on the jar and leave at room temperature for 2 days; then transfer to the refrigerator.
  9. Enjoy!  These peas make a great probiotic side dish, or a crispy snack any time.
  10. Once your peas are all gone, don't throw out that brine and the remaining spices.  Rather, prepare some more veggies (such as peas, onions, zucchini or cucumber slices), pack 'em into a clean jar, add some fresh spices, pour the brine over them, and ferment again! This is a great way to make the most of the brine ingredients.
*I buy Frontier brand mild pickling spice from the bulk section at the natural foods store.  The pickling spice is a mixture of organic yellow mustard, organic cinnamon chips, organic allspice, organic dill seed, organic celery seed, organic bay leaf, organic mild chilies, organic cloves, organic caraway, and organic ginger root.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Homemade Freezer Waffles (soaked whole grain : gluten-free : nutrient-dense)

Freezer waffles are one of my family's staple breakfast foods.  We make a very big batch once every 4-6 weeks, and then we have the convenience of eating them for breakfast any time we'd like. Whether topped with butter and syrup, butter and jam, or even nut butter and jam, we all love to eat waffles for breakfast.

Years ago, I made freezer waffles from soaked spelt and soaked oatmeal.  Now that we avoid gluten and try to limit most grains (since they can cause behavior problems in our daughter), I developed a new freezer waffle recipe based on millet, arrowroot, and coconut flour.  Even though I use whole millet in this recipe, a grain grinder is NOT required as a blender works wonderfully to grind the millet.

These waffles hold together well and can be warmed in the toaster oven or toaster.  Like most freezer waffles, they need to be watched carefully to make sure they don't burn. I've given recipe amounts for the both the huge batch that I make as well as a smaller amount in case you want to start with less.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Animals to Guard Livestock

For a few years, I've yearned to move where we could have enough land to keep goats and a
whole flock of chickens.  One thing I've wondered about is how to protect those animals from the natural predators in this area, which include coyotes, foxes, and even mountain lions if we were to move close to the nearby beautiful mountains. 


In Jim Mitchell's ebook Livestock Guardian Animals, there is a great amount of information on how to use guardian animals to protect livestock and property.  I was surprised to learn from this book that:
"Two species of guardians, donkeys and llamas, naturally dislike canines and are effective against wolves, coyotes, and marauding dogs."
The majority of this book focuses on livestock guardian dogs, which are distinctly different from herding dogs, companion dogs, and all-around farm dogs: 

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Was the GAPS Diet Worth It?

(I've moved! You can see this article on my new website here!)

If we were to do it all over again, would we still do the GAPS Diet? The answer may surprise you.

What is the GAPS Diet?

The GAPS Diet is recommended for curing all sorts of auto-immune problems, and in our family we wanted to cure problems such as eczema, allergies, joint pain, and poor immune system. The GAPS Diet is supposed to cure these conditions by healing the gut through a nourishing diet based on healthy fats (such as butter and coconut oil), meats, fruits, veggies, broth, and fermented foods. The GAPS Diet does not allow any grains or starches, and allows no sweeteners except honey.

My family started the GAPS Diet back in the late summer of 2010. We followed the GAPS Diet very strictly for over 16 months, and completed two rounds of the Intro Diet. Initially, we had amazing results, but over time on the diet some of our problems came back, and new problems developed. I posted some unexpected GAPS results here. A rundown on the positive results and set-backs for each of us is as follows: