Snicker Doodle Cookies

These are FANTASTIC. I made them last night for the Bike-A-Thon at my daughters school. They were a HIT at snack time with all those adorable three year olds adorned in over sized helmets. OH! TOOOOO CUTE!

I just Love Love Love all these little people! It was crazy madness, but by the looks on their faces, it was worth the work. Thank you school - for putting this on to help St Jude Hospital.

OK, I know. I know. You are here for the recipe....well, now you know it is kid tested and approved, as well as School tested and approved. So here it is:

SNICKER DOODLES

3/4 C Zylotol (sugar or sugar replacement- I use Zylotol in all my baking)

1 egg (room temp)

10 TBS butter (room temp)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract(alcohol-free)

3/4 C sweet rice flour

1/4 C brown rice flour

1/2 C potato starch

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp Atlantic Sea salt

1/2 tsp guar gum

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3 Tbs Zylotol (or sugar)

2 tsp cinnamon

Combine dry ingredients: flour, starch, salt, tartar, gum. stir and set aside.

Cream together Zylotol and room temp butter until mixed well.

Add egg and vanilla. Beat on medium until mixed well and fluffy.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter/egg/zylotol mixture. Stir until mixed then blend on medium for several seconds.

In a separate bowl, combine the 3 Tbs zylotol and Cinnamon. Roll dough into balls (smaller than a ping pong or golf ball) roll them in the mixture and place them on a cookie sheet using parchment paper.

Bake at 340 degrees about 10-13 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

In-Joy!

Dannielle

Keep on - Keepin' on!

Well, I have to say, Kyla. I am so proud of you! You are so strong and willing. I admire your strength during this cloud in your life, and I am encouraged by your willingness to make adjustments and drive to "keep on - keepin' on". You are a blessing to have as my friend. I am fortunate to be able to share this journey with you, even though it is a journey neither of us would have chosen for ourselves or each other. Sometimes the best times are on the trips that aren't planned...I think we both know that from our many impromptu road travels. So, with that said...Keep it up MEAN GREEN KYLA JEAN! I am proud of you, I will be your cheerleader. or I will be your silent partner. Which ever you need me to be. I will. LOVE YOU!

In Joy,
Dannielle

Getting back on track

I know that PCOS and Insulin Resistance is the number 1 reason I have a hard time losing weight and getting pregnant. I have been doing allot of reading lately and recently came across this website that provided the below list of steps to getting control of your PCOS. Most of these points are not new to me but it was a good reminder and as someone who loves to make and stick to lists I think that this might be the answer to getting back on track with my health.

TEN TIPS TO KICKSTART YOUR PCOS DIET

1. Eat low Glycemic Index (GI) carbohydrates such as vegetables and whole grains. It is very important for women with PCOS to completely avoid refined carbohydrates including sugar, white flour, whole wheat flour and products made from them eg pasta, breads, desserts, pop, and candy)
2. Keep your blood sugar stable with a daily schedule of meals and snacks every three to five hours that includes some protein and good fats (for example some nuts/nut butter, seeds/seed butter, hardboiled egg, hummus dip). Protein foods take up to 5 hours to digest while carbohydrate foods digest within 30 minutes.
3. Eat at least five servings a day of vegetables including two of leafy greens
4. Have a daily serving of legumes like black beans or lentils.
5. Enjoy grass or pasture fed meat up to three times a week
6. Eat at least three daily servings of fruits like berries --which have a lower glycemic impact fruit as part of a meal or with a protein.
7. Limit or eliminate milk and dairy as these can aggravate internal dampness. If you do have dairy have only non homogenized full fat milk
8. Pay careful attention to portion sizes in order to moderate glucose load and minimize insulin resistance
9. Add one or two Tbsp of cinnamon on cereal each morning to help decrease insulin resistance.
10. Include prebiotic and probiotic foods which promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract. Prebiotics are found in whole grains, onions, bananas, garlic, honey, leeks, artichokes and some fortified foods. Probiotic foods are found in fermented foods (sauerkraut, live culture yogurt, kim chi, miso).

I plan on using our blog to journal the changes that I making in my life to combat PCOS.

Sauerkraut

I have been reading allot lately about Fermented foods and they were number ten on my new PCOS list. So I decided to give it a try.

I googled allot of different recipes and then combined that with what I have read in the Body Ecology Diet and came up with a recipe /system that would work with what I had on hand.

I shredded half a head of organic cabbage and massaged in some sea salt. Then I layered the cabbage in a small mason jar smashing it down with a wooden spoon. I added a little water between each layer until my jar was full. Then I washed one of the outer cabbage leaves and used it to create a seal. I added water to a smaller jar and used that as the weight. I set the whole contraption in a bowl and covered it with a dishtowel. This was really easy and I am excited to see how this turns out.

Apple Strudel Bread

Apple Strudel Bread? Sugar Free? OH MY GOODNESS! I made this, and on my first try, it was a HIT~! A home run in my house!
It is several steps (four to be exact) and takes a little time but boy oh boy is it worth it! It even makes a little extra which are fantastic for muffins!
Here you go!

Step One:
Make your brown rice flour mix
BR FLOUR MIX:
2c brown rice flour
2/3 c arrowroot
1/3 c tapioca flour
seal in an airtight container. (I doubled mine to make pancakes with)

Step Two:
Make apple swirl yum yum
You will mix this into the loaf just before baking
in a sauce pan combine
2 tbs apple juice
2 finely chopped granny smith apples
dash of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of allspice
pinch of clove
pat of butter
and a few drops of stevia
Simmer on low until apples are soft (approx 20 minutes stirring often)
Cool slightly before folding into batter

Step Three
Make the strudel topping
1/2 C BR Flour Mix
1/3 C Brown Sugar Substitute-from previous post (or the real thing)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp guar gum
3 tablespoons melted salted butter
mix these together until all ingredients are moistened by the butter. break into small pieces. Set aside.

Step Four
Make Bread
Ingredients:
2c BR flour mix
2/3 C xylotol
1Tbs baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp guar gum
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C milk
1/2 c grape seed oil
2 Large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Spray loaf pan with cooking spray
Combine dry ingredients: Mix flour, xylotol, baking powder, baking soda, guar gum, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a large bowl
Combine wet ingredients: Combine milk and oil in a small bowl; remove 1 Tbs of liquid and discard it. Beat in eggs and vanilla
Add liquid mixture to flour mixture (wet ingredients into dry ingredients)

Fold apple swirl yum yum into the batter (from step Two)
Pour into loaf pan. no more than 2/3 full! IT WILL RISE (you can use the extra batter for muffins)
Top with Strudel topping (from step Three)
Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

IN-JOY!
Dannielle

SF Brown Sugar replacement!

I figured out a replacement for Brown Sugar!
1Cup Zylotol
1Tbs Dark raw Agave
blend well, and store in an airtight container

It works! I will post a recipe next that uses this new found gem.

Yummy GF Tortillapita!

I made these tortillas the other day, due to a huge craving for burritos. My daughter LOVES bean burritos, and I had left over black beans from a meal the previous night. I tried this and it worked! It really worked! We ended up making quesadillas, but, WOW were these tasty and light. They have the texture of pita bread, but no yeast, no wheat, no dairy, and no egg!

I am so excited to have this new recipe! I made a full batch that made 12 tortillas, and froze half of them. They have been just as good reheated!

I think I may try them a tad thicker next time, with a lower heat, for pizza crust! I guess I will let you know how that turns out.

For the Tortillapita:
combine:
1c rice flour/millet (you can use all of one, or half and half)
1/3c arrowroot
1/3c tapioca flour
1/3 c fava bean flour
2 tsp guar gum
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp zylotol (or sugar)
1 1/4 tsp sea salt

Cut in 2 Tbs organic vegetable shortening
Slowly mix in 3/4 - 1 c warm water (closer to 3/4)
Heat a skillet or griddle to med
Form 12 even balls
Roll or spread each into flats about 1/8 " thick
Place on griddle until the first side bubbles (3-5 minutes)
The second side doesn't take too much longer
Flip only once (they are chewy if you flip them more than once)

In-Joy!
Dannielle