My not so traditional grain free Thanksgiving...

So I know turkey is the traditional thanksgiving meat but I don't really want to cook a whole turkey just for the 3 of us, and I've had a hard time finding turkey that all 3 of us tolerate. If we had a wholefoods close by I probably could find some but all the turkey around here has stuff added to it. So, chicken it is! I'm just going to roast a whole chicken with thyme and rosemary, seems appropriate for thanksgiving :)

Next on the list is cranberry jello. I bought some 100% cranberry juice and plan to make jello using the juice, knox gelatin, and honey. Just follow the recipe on the back of the knox box.

Our side is going to be broccoli and cauliflower casserole using the recipe from this blog.

I wanted to make this carrot souffle but we don't have chicken stock and have already exhausted our food budget for the week so it will have to wait.

We are missing stuffing here but making a grain free version would be very labor intensive and the girls are so young I don't think they'll miss it...maybe next year! Instead we're going to have coconut flour biscuits.

For dessert I'm making these cheesecake swirl brownies using this dairy free cream cheese recipe for the swirl.

So, that's how I plan to keep my family happy and healthy this Thanksgiving!









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Protein Bars

These snack bars are perfect for on the go and super easy to make!

Nourishing Protein Bars
(Recipe from Passionate Homemaking)

2 cups almonds
1/4 cup flax seeds, chia seeds or pumpkin seeds (ground in a coffee grinder or blender)  *I used flax seeds, if you're doing SCD you would want to do pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup dried prunes, dates or raisins *I used dates but may try raisins next time
½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
½ cup unsalted peanut butter *I used almond butter
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup coconut oil (melted)
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey  *I used honey to make them SCD/GAPS legal
2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract 
a few squares dark chocolate, less than half a bar needed for thin layer (optional)  *We are not doing dairy or refined sugars so I used this recipe for chocolate and poured on top of bars

Place almonds, ground seeds, dried fruit, shredded coconut, almond butter, and sea salt in a food processor, or high speed blender, and pulse for about 10 seconds. Melt coconut oil in a small saucepan then add honey and vanilla and mix well. Add oil mixture to food processor and pulse until it forms a course paste. Using wax paper press mixture into an 8x8 glass pan and place in refrigerator for about an hour or so. After it's cooled melt or make your chocolate and spread over top. Refrigerate or freeze and enjoy! (These are great for on the go if you individually wrap in plastic wrap!)

Mmmm...breakfast cookies!

Who doesn't love a good cookie? Now you can enjoy them for breakfast too! But forget the guilt, these cookies are both delicious and nutritious. I made these this morning for breakfast and they were so good I wanted to jump on here and share the recipe right away. Hope you enjoy them just as much as I did!

Breakfast Cookies
(Recipe from Comfy Belly)

2 1/2 cups almond flour, almond meal, or any nut flour *I used almond flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted (or 1/2 cup coconut oil or vegetable shortening, melted) *I used 1/2 cup spectrum vegetable shortening, melted
1/2 cup honey (or other sweetener) *I used honey
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
about 2 cups nuts, dried fruit, seeds (or whatever you desire) *I used 1 cup chopped pecans and 1 cup raisins, I think they would also be good with some cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and blend with spoon. Add the wet ingredients and blend well with spoon. Drop about 1 tablespoon at a time onto cookie sheet, spacing about an inch apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until they're starting to brown around the edges. Let cool and enjoy!

"Granola" Breakfast Cereal

One of the things I have missed most since going grain free is cereal in the morning. It's so quick, so easy, and so satisfying. I have to admit there are not many things I miss on the grain free diet, but cereal is definitely one of those things. My two daughters have also adapted pretty well to our new way of eating but when my youngest came up to me the other day asking for cereal I knew I had to find a replacement pronto! Thanks to Google I found this recipe for "Great Grain-Free Granola" over at Little House in the Suburbs. I just knew it would fit the bill...and it did, by far!

 There were only two changes I made to the original recipe, I used pecans instead of walnuts and omitted the frozen blueberries.

Grain Free Breakfast Granola
(Adapted from Little House in the Suburbs)

1 cup salted sunflower seed kernels
1 cup raisins
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup chopped raw pecans
1 cup chopped raw almonds

Just mix and store in refrigerator, or freezer, until ready to enjoy!