Creamed Italian Meatballs, Need I Say More?

This reminds me of my old roomate cooking up her swedish meatballs with a creamy sauce from a packet! UGH don't even get me started on those preservatives and artificial flavorings! Anyway, it still brings me memories of her preparing it in the kitchen getting her chef on. This I am sure tastes even better and is even good for you! I made this three weeks ago and have not stopped craving it, all I can say is YUM!! I usually serve it with some spaghetti squash on the bottom and 4-5 meatballs on top with the white sauce. Just try it!!

MEATBALLS
1 lb. ground organic beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together all ingredients ( I usually use my hands to make sure everything is combined). Form into walnut size balls and brown 15 min. Drain on paper towel and fold into prepared white sauce. Add 2 tsp. basil and 1/2 tsp sea salt to taste.

WHITE SAUCE
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup brown rice flour
4 cups almond, coconut, or rice milk
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Heat oil in pot. Whisk in rice flour. Blend until smooth. Slowly add milk while whisking. Simmer, while stirring until thickened. Yields 4 1/2 cups sauce. I usually 1/2 this recipe and I have plenty but if you make the whole recipe just freeze when you make this again (trust me you will!)

SPAGHETTI SQUASH
1 medium spaghetti squash
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt, dried oregano, basil
Slice squash lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Place in dish flesh side down. Add 1 inch water and cover with foil. Bake at 400 for 45-60 min. until tender. Scrape out insides with a fork into bowl. Fold in oil and seasonings.
Courtesy of Debbie Blanchard, HealthQuest H.E.L.P.S LLC

AHA Tuna Salad!!!

Last night, I was running a little low on money and had to get some sort of lunch together for the crazy day of tomorrows classes. So I saw some cans of tuna in my cupboard and thought hum tuna? When was the last time I had tuna? It had to have been before I found out about my allergies. Memories of cheesy, mayoy, drenched goodness perfectly squeezed into a baguette came to mind and I thought ok without mayo what is tuna? But, then I started doing some research and also had half an avocado in the fridge and I put two and two together and made what is currently my favorite way to make tuna!!

1 can of tuna
1/2 ripe avocado
1/2 TBSP. Olive Oil
1/2 lemon-juiced
Optional: diced red onion, celery, cucumber

Mix all together and add salt and pepper to your liking. Voila!! The yummiest tuna salad minus the mayo and calories! I ate it with some brown rice tortillas toasted in an oven to make oven chips or you could even eat with some veggies. You have to try it! You won't want tuna any other way.

The Struggles of College

So seeing as its three days into the fall semester,  reality has set in and school is indeed in motion! This brings back all of the emotions, problems, and struggles that come up when school is in session. The constant planning, packing, waking up early, trying to find a microwave, cramming in a snack between classes, oh how the list could go on! The one thing that I have tried to keep constant is that by dedicating one day for grocery shopping and cooking I can organize all the food for the week and start to pack it up which helps so much. I usually rotate meals and sometimes I do get sick of the same thing but next week I try to switch it up and try something new. But, I find it hard once I find a recipe I like I usually cook it for a couple of weeks. My new food obsession has been cashew butter! It is so creamy and nutty, I love it. I usually mix it in my cream of buckwheat in the morning and mix a pinch of cinnamon to punch it up even more, yum!! I even prepare the cream of buckwheat on my cooking day and freeze it in icecube trays so I can pop some cubes out and microwave it and in less than 2 minutes I have hot buckwheat cereal! Anyway, I think the hardest part of all of this is not feeling like everyone else. You can't as easily go out and get something to eat or go out with friends for drinks. You have to change your life around which can be tough. But you can do it!!! You can adapt and find new ways for fun and social interaction. I have found that food has become still a part of my identity but I no longer rely on it for comfort or reward, I use it purely to sustain myself. What are some of the struggles you have found? 

Oh How I Love Chocolate and FUDGE!!!!

So here begins my collection of recipes that I cannot live without. Another thing I cannot live without is a chocolate indulgence every now and then! I came across this recipe in a magazine called Healing Path and it put a whole new meaning to healthy fudge which I never thought was possible. It was in an article for Candida to starve of sugar cravings. I love it because of the coconut oil, almond butter, cinnamon and stevia, all of which I love! It also has a ton of fiber which we all know is important.

Here it is:
Karen's Incredible, Edible, Healing Coconut Fudge
6-8 TBSP. Coconut Oil (need to heat to soften)--I usually use 8 Tbsp.
8 oz. almond butter, room temperature
3 packets stevia
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
3 TBSP. cocoa powder--I usually do heaping tablespoons
1TBSP. Cinnamon

Mix oil and butter until smooth, stir in the remaining ingredients. The batter will be sticky. Pour into an ungreased 9x9 pan. Add pecans or walnuts on top if you like. Refrigerate until solid and then enjoy. For a quicker way for this to become solid, I put it in the freezer! Then cut it into pieces and store in freezer. Try not to eat it all at once, I know it will be hard!!

Let Me Introduce Myself

So I am completely new to this and I am so excited to get started. My life has sort of taken an exciting but dramatic turn as I completely changed my life. I no longer eat the processed, enriched, and sugar filled "food" that filled my childhood. Now I opt for turkey meatloaf and some steamed chard, sounds like a party right? I still am learning the difference between chard and kale. I will get back to you on that! Anyway, I got sidetracked,  I really want to help others and as I struggle myself I hope we can struggle together. Because eating this way and living with these allergies is hard no matter what. But having to go through college not being able to sip a cold one, go out for ice cream, go to football games and enjoy a hamburger, or just grab a bite with friends, and oh how the list could go on is tough!! I think it is so easy to focus on what you can't have that we forget to focus on what we can. Simple whole foods are so delicious yet we try to mask the flavors, add unecessary ingredients, and ultimately we have no idea what a carrot tastes like. It's just absurd to me! We are #37th in the healthiest nations and yet with all this healthcare reform we fail to focus on the core of the matter--our food. It just makes me so mad becaue why do you think we have all of these allergies? Our bodies weren't meant to process these absurd ingredients and flavorings. We are so concerned with being healthy that we forgot how our ancient ancestors ate and we consume ourselves with low-fat/low-carb/low-sugar, etc...So in a way, I think that all of this happened for a reason and in a way I found my passion for food, cooking, and the simple tastes of food. Stay tuned for recipes, vegetable analysis, features on spices, great products, and more!!!!