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.

Nourished Cooking $11.99 USD

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.

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.

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.

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: 

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:

Blueberry Banana Spiced Custard Cake (nutrient-dense : GAPS : primal : gluten-free : grain-free)

Custard cake (also known as clafoutis) is perfect for breakfast or brunch, and can even be dressed up for dessert. This blueberry banana version is spiced nicely with cinnamon and ginger.  The blueberries lend a sweet-tart, juicy flavor while the bananas and spices meld wonderfully together. Blueberry banana spiced custard cake can be served warm or cold, and can be topped with sweetened whipped cream for a special dessert.

Blueberry Banana Spiced Custard Cake

Serves 6 generously

• 12 Tb (1&1/2 sticks) butter
• 1/3 cup plus 2 Tb mild-flavored honey
• 6 eggs, preferably from pastured hens
• 3/4 cup sour cream  
• 1 Tb organic vanilla extract (or use homemade)
• 3/4 tsp organic almond extract (omit if using almond flour)
• 1&3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1&1/4 tsp ground ginger
• rounded 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 pinches ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
• 5 Tb coconut flour* OR 1/3 cup plus 2 Tb ground crispy almonds**
• 1 large ripe banana or 1&1/2 medium ripe bananas
• 1 cup frozen blueberries***

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Turn off heat, add honey, and stir a bit.
2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, vanilla, almond extract (if using), spices, and salt.  I like to use my immersion blender to mix it all up together, but you could certainly use a mixer instead.
3. Add melted butter and honey to wet ingredients and mix or blend.
4. Add almond flour OR coconut flour and blend until well-combined (or use mixer until smooth). Using the immersion blender is great because it further grinds the nut flour (which doesn't get particularly fine when I grind it in the food processor).

Our Adventures in Backyard Chicken Keeping

This article was originally published in the March/April 2013 issue of Real Food and Health magazine.

We Decide to Get Chickens

My family lives on a small suburban plot of less than 1/4 acre, and over the last five years we've dedicated more and more of our yard to growing our own fruits, herbs, and vegetables. In the hot, dry desert where we live, I'm not sure that gardening is any less expensive than buying local produce at the farmer's market. Much has to be done to improve our soil and frequent watering is required during the many warm months. Yet I feel that there is an intrinsic value in knowing how to produce our own food, and in observing the cycles of growth and decay in our own back yard. I want my children to know where their food comes from, and to learn the skills for producing their own food as they grow up. The next logical step was for us to get chickens.

I've never owned or cared for any farm animals, but with the encouragement and support of a chicken-keeping friend, we decided to take the plunge and get two baby chicks. Springtime comes with lots of baby chicks at our local feed stores, and we were overwhelmed by the loud sound of hundreds of baby chicks peeping. The baby chicks seemed unbelievably tiny and fragile, like irresistible little fluffballs. We selected one Plymouth Barred Rock (known to thrive in our desert climate) and one Araucana (known for their beautiful blue-green eggs). We drove home with the pleasant sound of cheeping emanating from a little cardboard box.

Most Important Tip for Making Enough Breastmilk

There are lots of tips out there for ensuring an adequate supply of breastmilk: drinking dark beer,eating oatmeal, taking herbal concoctions.  Sure, these may help, but there is one thing that is the most important to ensure an adequate supply of breastmilk:

 

Allow the baby unrestricted access to the breast.  The more the baby nurses, the more milk the mother will produce.

Supplemental feeding with formula, especially during the first 3 months of breastfeeding, can inadvertently sabotage a mother's milk supply. Additionally, bottle-feeding with pumped breastmilk can reduce the mother's milk supply.  Why?

Mother and baby have been perfectly designed to make breastfeeding work.  The more the baby stimulates the breasts, the more milk the mother makes. The more the baby is given something other than breastmilk, the less the baby is stimulating the mother's breasts, so the less milk that is produced.
Use of pacifiers can also result in a reduced supply of breastmilk. Pumping breastmilk does NOT stimulate the breasts the same way that a nursing baby does, so pumping rather than nursing can also reduce milk supply.  

I experienced this myself with my firstborn since I was still working outside the home.  I pumped breastmilk for about 15 months so that my daughter would be able to drink breastmilk while I was at work, but it was very obvious to me early-on that I was not able to pump very much.  If my daughter was nursing, the milk would just keep coming as long as she nursed (as evidenced by repeated let-down sensations and her vigorous swallowing).  But with pumping, I was only ever able to get a small amount of milk at a time.

 

What does unrestricted access to the breast look like?

GIVEAWAY - Two Copies of Diet Recovery 2 Book

Matt Stone from 180 Degree Health has generously agreed to give away two copies of his book Diet Recovery 2: Restoring Mind and Metabolism from Dieting, Weight Loss, Exercise, and Healthy Food.  One winner will receive the eBook format, and one winner will receive the audio book version 180 Platinum Collection). (which is not available for individual sale, and only normally available when you buy the

I bought this book for myself a few weeks ago, and am very excited to be able to share it with you.  In Matt's words,

Being healthy is a lot easier than you are making it out to be...

Diet Recovery 2 really is a “health book” too.  It contains a foolproof and fully up-to-date strategy for restoring optimal metabolic rate and overcoming the many health problems that can be caused by restrictive eating and attempts at forced weight loss.  Nothing, not even thyroid hormone drugs, are likely to raise your metabolism to the extent that following this general diet and lifestyle prescription will.  And it’s all very simple with no special foods to avoid, magic meal plans, “metabolism supercharging supplements,” or other crap.  Just the biggest results with the absolute smallest changes – none of them difficult or requiring willpower.  No wagons to fall off of.  No rebellious splurges right around the next corner.

With the help of Diet Recovery 2, you should not only be able to overcome your diet obsession and eat normally again, but you can also confidently expect to:

•  Raise your body temperature significantly – most returning to the normal 98.6 degrees F or above in just a few weeks
• Become “fat proof,” more or less incapable of gaining body fat eating whatever you want, in the quantity you desire, with or without exercise
• See major health improvements in areas that were being impaired by the metabolism-suppressing effect of restricted diets
• Learn how to make small changes in your diet to function properly in the main competencies of physical function – such as digestion, metabolism, sex drive and function, sleep, mood, dental health, and other primary places
• Completely eliminate all strong cravings for any and every food 100% in just a matter of weeks
• Eradicate binge eating, emotional eating, and other behaviors only seen when a person is consciously interfering with his or her food intake
• Receive simple guidance to get the benefits of exercise you’ve never been able to get, with just a fraction of the time and effort that you put into it in the past
• Actually see big improvements in how your body looks (more muscle, less fat, better proportions) a year or two down the road from having fully completed the diet recovery process

There are three ways to enter this giveaway:

• Leave a comment below including your location and your first and last name. Entries that do not include this information will be excluded from the drawing.*
• Pin this giveaway on Pinterest and then leave another comment to let me know that you have done so. 
• Share this giveaway on Facebook, and then leave another comment to let me know that you have done so.  

This giveaway will be closed to more entries on Tuesday April 9th.
I will randomly select 2 winners on Wednesday, April 10th. 

*In one of my previous giveaways, multiple people claimed the same entry.  To prevent that from happening again, I am requiring people to include both their first and last name, as well as their location.

Ways to Deal With (Our Own) Anger and Irritability

Before I became a mother, I rarely got angry and I almost never lost my temper.  Motherhood, with it's accompanying temper tantrums, lack of sleep, and near-constant demands, has shown me that I still have some work to do when it comes to dealing with negative emotions.  I struggle with irritation and anger much more often than I'd like. While I still have a long way to go, the following methods have really helped me in learning to keep my irritability and anger in check. 

• Paying close attention to my own emotions to see when I am starting to get irritated. It is amazing how hard it can be to recognize the signs in myself that it is time for a break, and to be willing to actually take a break. When I don't pay attention to the escalation of my internal emotions, I may end up at the point where I boil over, resulting in two crying kids and a regretful mom. When I can recognize that I am starting to get irritated, taking a quick break can keep me from getting to my boil-point. My kids are getting old enough now that I can tell them why I need a quick break and they are okay with that (as they know it is better than the alternative of me losing my temper and yelling at them). *Fortunately*, I get plenty of opportunities to practice this every day. 

• Ringing the peace bell. In our dining room/kitchen, we have a bell that makes a beautiful sound when you strike it. Whenever I (or the kids) are starting to feel grumpy, frustrated, or irritated, we can ring the peace bell. The idea is that, when the bell is rung, everyone else will be quiet for a moment and take a nice, deep breath. My 6-year-old daughter, especially, likes to use the bell, particularly when she notices that I am getting grumpy. (I'm pretty sure the idea of using a peace bell came from a Thich Nhat Hanh book I read a few years ago.)

• Daily afternoon quiet time: I absolutely could not survive without our daily quiet time. Every afternoon, we have quiet time for about 2 hours.  Each kid goes to a separate room with some quiet toys to play with, and I have time to de-stress through meditation, prayer, yoga, reading, or even folding laundry in blessed solitude. My 3-year-old can usually last 30-45 minutes playing on his own during this time, and then I help him settle in for his afternoon nap (and take a quick snooze myself since he is still wakes during the night). My 6-year-old daughter spends her quiet time reading, playing, coloring, or listening to music.  This time is essential for all of us to recharge and relax.

• Accepting rather than rejecting negative feelings. One thing it took me a long time to realize (and that I still struggle with sometimes) is that I have to accept my negative emotions.  Trying to deny these feelings or ignore them is a sure way to set myself up for a big blow-up. Realizing that it is okay to have negative feelings has made a big difference for me. This doesn't mean that I welcome negative feelings, but it does mean that I don't need to feel bad for having them.  I try to keep in mind that, although I may have negative feelings, I am not these feelings and I don't have to act them out.  Often, just being willing to acknowledge these feelings is a big outlet for me.

• Remembering my kids at their best. One good technique I learned while reading Simplicity Parenting is to think about my kids at their best. Payne writes,"remember the ordinary moments of the day, the moments with your children that meant something to you.  This simple exercise is like a spiritual corrective lens.  In your vision of your kids, it helps to restore the prominence of 'who they are' over 'what they need to do' or 'what they need to work on.'... Relive those moments and give them their due." I find this technique to be particularly beneficial on days when my kids have been especially difficult to live with. Remembering good moments from the recent past (and even their younger years) can help me keep perspective on my kids and establish a more positive tone.

• Limiting my screen time. I find that I am more likely to snap at the kids when I am interrupted while trying to read something or finish one more thing on the computer.   We are all happier when I can impose restrictions on my own screen usage. Limiting my computer usage to those times when the kids are otherwise actively engaged or in quiet time can help me keep from becoming so easily irritated.

• Communicating with the kids about the "Red Zone" and "Quiet Zone". When I am having anger issues, I tell the kids I've reached the "red zone". They know this means that an eruption is imminent, and that they can help prevent it by playing nicely and being polite instead of whining. I also declare "Quiet Zone" in whatever room I am in at those times when I start to get overwhelmed by the constant kid noise. Anyone in the Quiet Zone has to talk in whispers and be very quiet. The kids are are allowed to stay in the Quiet Zone with me if they can abide by those rules, otherwise I ask them to go to another room. The kids have gotten so used to this now that they will often happily run along together to play somewhere else whenever I declare Quiet Zone.

• Constitutional homeopathic care. My irritability and anger were actually some of the main reasons I decided to undergo constitutional homeopathic care for myself.  Both of these problems developed about midway through my second pregnancy, and it is clear to me that there was some sort of shift at that time because I never had issues with anger and irritability prior to then. Through constitutional treatment (which is still ongoing), I have seen some light at the end of the tunnel and I am hopeful that I will one day return to my old, cheerful self.  I have already seen some big gains in my irritability and anger, but I still have a ways to go.  (Constitutional treatment is not a quick fix solution; it takes months or even years for the treatment to be completed.)  Because constitutional treatment allows the body to heal itself on the physical, emotional, and mental levels, it is an amazing way to come back into true health on all levels of the body.  

• Being willing to change my plans. It helps me to keep in mind that there will be bad days (or weeks), and that it is okay on those days to slow down and relax.  I periodically need to just throw away the to-do list for a day, and hang out with the kids instead.  This often will actually turn a bad day into a good day instead.   

Some more ideas on dealing with anger are here and here.

Do you struggle with irritability and anger?  Are there any techniques that help you deal with it effectively rather than losing your temper?