Apples!!!!

Apples, apples, and more apples! The kids and I took a trip to the orchard this week and picked ourselves several hundred pounds of apples. Since apples are ok to eat when dealing with candida,  I plan on making several pints of applesauce to use to sweeten my baked goods through out the winter. You must try this delicious dish. I am still savoring the delightful texture and flavor of this wonderful treat. I modified a recipe I found online to make it dairy free and reduce the sugar content. This one is going to be a regular in our house!

German Apple Pancake

2 apples( a tart variety) peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 stick butter
In a skillet melt the butter and fry the apples until brown and tender. About 5 minutes.

1/2 cup almond milk
4 large eggs
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs xylitol
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
 While apples are cooking, mix these ingredients together on medium speed for about 5 minutes.

1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup
Pour apples into a 9 inch baking pan or dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with maple syrup, honey, or agave syrup. Pour batter over apples. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-17 minutes until puffed and brown.

I am so excited to wake up tomorrow and have this for breakfast! Delicious!

It has been so many weeks since the beginning of my health journey that I have ceased to keep track of them. My life has taken on a new permanent diet that I have learned to love. Sugar has lost its grip on me, and I now find that I enjoy foods I would never have tried before. Cooking is a new adventure full of wonderful aromas and interesting flavors. I see no end in sight to this new routine, but I find that I no longer mind the idea of eating this way. My body is faithful to tell me when something I have eaten does not agree with me. I am thankful that I have such a sensitive system. It makes determining problem foods much easier and the guess work is minimal.

My health is returning, but the process is slow. I still have days where I feel pretty down and struggle to believe it is all working. Those days have become far and few between, now only a few days each month. When I get discouraged or frustrated a simple look back to only a few months ago usually brings my spirits up. It is amazing to think how poor quality of life I had become accustomed to. The road is long, but the trip has been worth it so far. I am sure there are still hills to climb, but I know that I have enjoyed a few moments of cruising. So thankful to know that I am able to take an active role in my health and that there is hope.

Candida Diet Blueberry Muffins

Oh thank you Lord for the most delicious foods you have placed on this earth! I am in love with the new foods I am eating. Seriously, this is no joke. I love eating this way. All cravings for old foods are slipping away because those foods can't compete with the new ones. Raw, natural foods used to seem so boring and bland to me, but that was only because I didn't know how to prepare them. My taste buds are rejoicing right now! I can eat a muffin that tastes like a muffin, only better! Find the recipe at Natural Health Answers.

Chocolate Cake Wannabe

This recipe is my newest favorite. I actually might prefer it over normal chocolate cake. It seems strange that it would taste so delicious, but it does! You must try this one. I tested it on several people including our entire church on Wednesday night. It was approved by adults and kids! This one came out of an accident one night when I was craving something bread like. I made a german pancake, but decided to add a twist and try my newest ingredient, carob powder. This wonderfully delicious cake was born! It was love at first bite!

Chocolate Cake Wannabe
1/3 cup organic raw coconut oil (melted)
6 farm fresh organic eggs (room temperature)
3/4 cup organic almond milk
1 tsp alcohol free vanilla extract
1/3-1/2 cup raw organic honey (melted)

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup organic carob powder
2 tsp aluminum free baking soda
2 tsp stevia powder
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tbs butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Add 2 tbs butter to a 9 inch glass baking dish. Place in oven until butter is melted and bubbly. Meanwhile mix the coconut oil, eggs, almond milk, vanilla, and honey on medium. Reduce to low speed and keep mixing while preparing the dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to mixer slowly and mix well after each addition. Pour into glass dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center of cake does not jiggle when the pan is moved. Ice with Honey-Carob frosting.

Honey-Carob Frosting
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup carob powder
2-4 tbs almond milk

Add all ingredients to saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring continually. Simmer until frosting is slightly thickened. It should be slightly runny, but like frosting when cooled. Pour over cooled cake. Top with chopped walnuts.

Chocolate Walnut Wannabe Cookie Recipe

One of the hardest, most difficult things about being on this anti-candida diet is the lack of chocolate. I am a die-hard chocolate fan. There are days when a chocolate run is a must for sanity in our house. I have heard of carob, but I never had a reason to give it too much thought. That is until now! On our way home tonight I did a quick grocery run. It seems like grocery trips have become a daily thing in our house! Fresh foods just don't seem to have the same shelf life as many of our overly processed and preserved foods. Go figure. I also seem to eat more vegetables in a day than I knew was humanly possible. There was a time when I couldn't stand the sight of them. I most definitely was not going to eat them if they were cooked. Yuck! Oh have times changed! I love cooked veggies. They are my favorite part of each meal. I like them sauteed, baked, roasted, grilled, in soups, slathered in butter, drenched in olive oil, and I am sure I will discover many other ways to prepare them. 

My diet has become quite simplified. I can prepare meals with relative ease and usually in a decent amount of time. Everything is fresh. I don't eat left overs (it is not allowed.) My shopping trips involved perusing the outer corners and fringes of the store. I avoid the dairy section, the bakery. all processed foods, the majority of the freezer section, and most of the meats. Depressed, frustrated, annoyed, and defeated were all things I felt those first few trips to the store. I wanted my old comfort foods. I wanted foods that weren't going to take an hour to make. It was sad. I hated going there. Slowly though I have developed a new appreciation for grocery shopping. It is exciting to find new foods to eat. I am exploring new flavors and spices. There is no boredom from plain foods in our house! With that all said, I still miss chocolate. So tonight I set out to make a mock chocolate cookie that I can actually eat. They turned out pretty darn good if I say so myself. My first from scratch cookie recipe! 

Chocolate Walnut Wannabe Cookie Recipe

 3 eggs

1/3 cup coconut oil melted

1/3 cup raw organic honey softened

1/2 tsp alcohol free organic vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup shredded organic coconut 

1/4 tsp natural raw salt

1 cup organic brown rice flour

1/3 cup organic coconut flour

5-6 tbs carob powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2/3 cup rolled oats ground into flour

1 tsp aluminum free baking powder

5 tbs roasted slated sunflower seeds

2 tbs almond milk

3 tbs flax seed finely ground

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preaheat oven at 350 degrees . Mix almond milk and flax seed together in a small bowl. Set aside. In a mixing bowl blend together eggs, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla. Do not turn the mixer off between any of the steps. Continue mixing on low speed the entire time. If using a hand held beater, mix on low for 3 minutes. Add in the flax seed mix.  Add applesauce, coconut, salt, carob powder, rice and coconut flours, cinnamon, rolled oat flour, and baking powder. Mix until fully combined. Add in nuts. Make 1 inch balls with your hands. You can leave them plain or roll them in crushed nuts, sugar and cinnamon, or shredded coconut. Place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet and slightly flatten using a fork or the palm orf your hand. Bake for 12 minutes.