Good morning sunshines! The sun is shining, the skies are blue (here in Texas), and the weather is cool and breezy. I’ve been able to wake up earlier these past couple of weeks, and it is amazing to get things done in the morning before work. Like this post. I hope that you are having a great start to your week. Maybe you can make these “brownies” this evening to guarantee you are going to have a good week? Good idea!

Gooey Paleo Brownies

(makes enough for a bread loaf pan–10 fairly small brownies–double or triple for a full pan of brownies)

Ingredients

• 1/8 cup raw macadamia nuts
• 3/8 cup raw walnuts
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup honey (warm it up for 10 seconds in the microwave to make it runny)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325 F
• Place all of the nuts into a food processor and blend until it becomes a nut butter consistency. You can add a few drops of water to bring it together, if necessary
  
• Add the egg and blend again
• Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth
• Fold in chocolate chips, if using
• Pour into an oiled loaf pan (or pan of choice, remember to increase the recipe for a larger pan)
• Bake for 12-14 minutes at 325 F
• Allow to cool before cutting
• Enjoy your gooey delicious, yet sinless, treat

Isn’t he super cute?

My contribution to your dairy free life, “How to Treat Yourself, Even if You’re Dairy Free“, is over at the super fun and positive website PlumDeluxe today. Check it out. Have a wonderful day!

Zucchini Hummus

Ingredients

• Two large zucchinis, ends cut off, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

• Pulse the diced zucchini and garlic in the food processor
• Add the tahini and lemon juice and process until smooth
• Stream in the olive oil and taste for desired acidity {add more lemon juice if it tastes too “rich”}
• Add chili powder and salt and pepper to taste
• Process again
• Store in an airtight container for up to a week

According to a study on self-reported lactose intolerance, people underreport being lactose intolerant. Estimates of lactose intolerance in the United States range from 30 to 50 million (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases). That’s a lot of people! There are about 314 million people in the US today.. so it is estimated that from 10-16% of people in the US are lactose intolerant.

BUT… I’m fairly certain a lot of these people don’t recognize their symptoms. Maybe that’s you? Maybe you have a mystery stomach ache that won’t go away, potty troubles, or are just always feel bloated and retaining water? I know people that have simply come to expect digestive consequences  when consuming a food— that’s just part of the experience. I suppose that is one way to cope, but I prefer to know my triggers and be able to control them.

Medical tests for lactose intolerance exist, but are not widely administered . Your doctor may empirically diagnose you, or ask you to refrain from dairy and see how you feel… then tell you to avoid it if you feel better. Hmm.. well thank you, doc, I could have done that myself. Now don’t get me wrong, you should seek medical attention for digestive issues because they could be due to something much more serious than lactose intolerance.

My challenge for you today is to think about the people in your life, your spouse, your kids, and consider if they might unknowingly be lactose intolerant. Obviously, talking about such topics can be a little bit awkward, but think about it–you might be able to significantly increase their quality of life! No one should live with a constant tummy ache and a long leash to the potty.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients

• A pint of strawberries, rinsed and dried (important to dry well)
• A bar of super dark chocolate (to your liking, but I like 85% or darker)

Directions

• Chop up the chocolate bar and place in a microwave safe bowl
• Microwave the chocolate for 30 seconds first, then 15 seconds at a time as needed, with stirring, until the chocolate is completely melted
• Hold each strawberry by its green top and dip into the melted chocolate
• Place the strawberries on wax paper on a cookie sheet
• Allow the chocolate to harden
• Serve immediately or refrigerate to harden even more

I was on my way to being completely dairy free right as I met my husband. He encouraged me to go completely dairy free (probably because he was tired of my constant complaints of digestive distress) and has been super supportive of my lifestyle since the beginning. However, the man will NEVER give up his cheese. And that’s ok!

Day-to-day, that means we do have cheese, milk, cream cheese, and all kinds of things that my stomach doesn’t quite tolerate in the house/refrigerator. In all honesty, it does make it harder to abstain… and I stumble occasionally.

One thing that we have done for non-perishables that I shouldn’t consume is to put them in a separate storage place. We have a chest (with a lock) where lots of his snacks that aren’t good for my digestion are stored. Now, this may seem extreme to many of you, but there is a unique void felt in the diet when you must remove several food groups, which leads to strong cravings. Storing this food separately has helped me fight those cravings and eat them less often (which means I have a stomach ache less often)— so it’s all good.

One particularly challenging aspect of living with a normal eater is cooking for them. In my household, I mostly cook foods that I can eat and maybe make a side dish exclusively for the hubby, but I really don’t test my limits. Earlier in our marriage, I would try to make him pizza for dinner, but it was too much for me to handle because my self-control can only go so far. So now he eats pizza at restaurants or when I’m not around.

It’s those little changes that can make or break your adherence to a dietary lifestyle when living with someone who doesn’t eat in the same way as you do. I am fortunate to have a supportive partner who is not a picky eater, and who wants me to feel at my best all the time.

Salmon Cakes (4-5 cakes)

Ingredients

• One 6 oz can salmon, drained (be very careful here because canned salmon can be quite yucky. I really enjoy the clean, pink tenderness of the 365 Whole Foods Wild Caught Skinless Boneless Salmon or the 365 Whole Foods Wild Caught Red Sockeye Salmon)
• 1 whole egg, 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• A pinch of red chili flakes
• Salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup almond meal (be flexible here, you want a patty consistency)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions

• In a medium bowl, mix the drained salmon with the eggs, onion, cilantro, and spices
• Once well combined, add almond meal
• Form into 4-5 patties
• In a skillet on medium heat, add the coconut oil and wait until it is visibly hot (the oil makes waves)
• Add the patties and cook for ~3 minutes on each side
• Serve with guacamole! Ole!

For today’s glorious holiday, I am not just bringing you a regular grilled cheese sandwich, I’m making you a whopping beauty monte cristo sandwich using Daiya cheddar shreds. I usually don’t buy alternative dairy products because I feel like they don’t measure up to the real thing… and honestly, if I’m dying for cheese, I’ll usually have some cheese and deal with the consequences. But that’s just me.

For those of you who are allergic or vegan, I understand that’s not a possibility, so you may be more inclined to go with an alternative. I made my husband this sandwich with the Daiya cheese and he (a tough critic and smeller outer of all things “fake”), actually liked it, although he could tell it wasn’t real cheese.

This sandwich is to die for. Eat one in honor of the holiday. With or without the cheese.

Tomato Basil Monte Cristo Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 thick slices of your favorite bread (I used crusty French loaf)
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 3-4 ounces deli turkey
• 1/4 cup Daiya cheddar shreds
• 3 thin slices of tomato
• 3 leaves of fresh basil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup of unsweetened regular almond milk (make sure it’s not flavored)
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F
• Lather the mustard on to each slice of bread
• Layer the turkey on each side
• Add the shreds on one slice and top with tomatoes and basil
• Close the sandwich
• In a bowl big enough to dunk your sandwich, beat the egg and almond milk
• Before dunking the sandwich, press it down with your hand to make sure it will stay closed
• Quickly, submerge each side of the sandwich
• Remove from the egg/milk mixture and place on a plate
• Heat coconut oil in a skillet on medium heat
• When the oil is hot, place the sandwich in the skillet
• Cook on each side for 1-2 minutes
• Remove the sandwich from the skillet and place on a baking sheet
• Baking at 350 F for about 5-7 minutes, until the cheese “melts”
• Slice in half and enjoy that sucker

Gluten Free Ginger Snaps

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond meal
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons nondairy butter (you could try coconut oil)
• 1 heaping tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• A pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• In a large bowl, mix the almond meal, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt
• In a medium bowl, mix the honey, molasses, butter (or oil), and ginger.
• Microwave the wet ingredients for about 30 seconds to make the sweeteners more runny
• Add the wet to the dry and mix
• Make small dough balls and slightly flatten them into the desired shape (these don’t spread when baked)
• Bake for 8-10 minutes
• Allow to cool before digging in because they are a bit fragile!

When your coworker tells you, “I made this banana bread from scratch yesterday, try a piece”… how in the world do you say ‘no thank you’? Or worse, what if it’s your boss? Hello, peer pressure! Or boss-pressure… Or “I-don’t-want-to-be-rude-pressure.”

So what’s an dairy free or gluten free person (or for that matter a person watching her weight) to do? These are three options that I’ve found to be helpful:

1. Take the food and leave it on the napkin. “I’m saving it for later.” Then, dispose of it or give it to someone else who would like to eat it.

2. Decline and explain your food intolerance or allergy. I find that the word “allergy” works best here. I’ve said, “I’m gluten sensitive” before… which is my actual diagnosis, but that usually leads to questions and a discussion about food that I don’t really want to have at a work meeting. Allergic usually solves the problem.

3. Be the one that brings something into the office. Bake something that you enjoy and that you can eat. People will ask you what it is and then you can segue into explaining how you eat (if you want). Even if you don’t explain, you look nice and can enjoy along with everyone else.