Sunflower Butter Blondie Bars

Given the research indicating Alzheimer's is caused by glucose intolerance (some are calling it Type III diabetes), I'm really working to decrease our exposure to sugar and refined flour.  While my efforts to find a healthy treat are ongoing, this one is a winner right now.  It has 6 grams of sugar, 4 g protein, 4 g fiber and 6 mg iron per serving.  Not too bad in my book.  It is cake-like in texture.
Makes 24 bars

Ingredients
wet:
1 16 oz. can or 1 3/4 cup of white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup sunflower butter
1 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil, softened or liquid form

dry:
2 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Enjoy Life Mini Chips

toppings (optional):
dress it up with cinnamon, nuts, or other items

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease large rimmed baking sheet with coconut oil.  Blend wet ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth.  Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.  Combine wet and dry ingredients in mixer or by hand.  Pour mixture into baking sheet and spread out an even layer.  Add optional toppings.  Bake for 15 minutes or until center cooks through.  Cool completely, slice, and enjoy.

Nutritional Information:
1 bar 140 calories, 6g sugar, 4g protein, 4g fiber, 6 mg iron

Rating:
5 out of 5 family members love them.

Vegan "Meat" Lovers Pizza

Vegan "Meat" Lovers Pizza

After a long day of travel and dealing with my mother's illness, I came home to this delicious meal. It tastes so great it is hard to believe it is vegan. While a whole wheat bread would be healthier, the sourdough bread is a nice treat.  We love Pomi tomatoes since they are so sweet. Plus, they come in a cardboard container avoiding the issues of canned goods.  The kids love this sauce so much they eat it straight out of a bowl.

Ingredients
Sliced Bread
Expeller-pressed Canola Oil Spray

Sauce
1 container (26 oz.) Pomi Tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Toppings
Daiya Mozzarella
Field Roast Grain Italian Sausage, chopped
Field Roast Grain Smoked Tomato Deli Slice, chopped (optional)
Roasted Vegetables, chopped (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400º.  Combine sauce ingredients in Vitamix or blender and purée. Lightly spray bottom of bread slices and place on sheet pan.  Add approximately 2 tablespoons of sauce per slice and then toppings.  Bake in oven for 11 minutes.  Cool for 2-3 minutes.  Enjoy!

Ratings
5 out of 5 family members love it

Food Allergy/Intolerance Information

We use Field Grain Roast Meat Co. products.  So far we haven't met a product we don't love.  We have found Ethan can eat Rudi's Rocky Mountain Sourdough bread.  It is vegan, Non-GMO, organic, and 0g of sugar.  It is baked in a facility that uses tree nuts but it does not bother Ethan.  Oh, and it is yummy!

Making the pizza

He ate every last bite

9 Months of Learning

Trip to California

Tomorrow Ethan turns 2 1/2 years old.  It's been about 9 months of living on a mostly whole foods plant-based diet.  What an interesting ride it has been.  We have learned so much it is hard to know where to begin.

Food
Ethan has been able to return to eating fish and cooked egg whites without issue.  Soy, beef, and egg yoke still are troublesome (dairy and nuts haven't been attempted) .  After months of trials with cinnamon we have confirmed it causes issues (bright red cheeks that are really hot to the touch and stomach pain).  Our pediatrician says an issue with cinnamon is more common than we think.  It still doesn't make sense to me.

Travel
On car rides to see family we meal plan and bring all of our food with us.  We've had too much trouble finding anything Ethan can eat on the road.  For longer trips/vacations, we are keeping to locations where there is a Whole Foods store.  They are very allergy friendly in the products they offer.  Without that store we struggle to find breads and other items that are dairy and soy free.

Cleaning
We changed all of our cleaning supplies and laundry soap to those rated well by EWG.org (Environmental Working Group) for the chemicals in them.  I was hoping this would eliminate the last of his eczema.  I haven't noticed any changes but will keep at it.  On a related note, I feel like my seasonal allergies are better with the change in cleaners.  The real test will be when April arrives.

Cleaners we use:
-50/50 mix of water and vinegar plus some citrus (vinegar sits in orange peels for a few weeks)
-Green Shield Surface Wipes
-365 Glass Cleaner
-Green Shield Laundry Detergent Free & Clear

Family Impact
My husband and I really enjoy the changes in our diet.  I feel much better eating this way as long as I stay away from simple carbs which can be vegan too.  It is easy to ignore the whole foods part of the plant-based diet when there are so many delicious vegan options out there for desserts.  My older children (Lillie 6, Vivian 5) get frustrated with the diet at times.  Discussions about how the food we eat is the fuel that goes to our muscles, brain and entire body seem to get us through tough times.  We talk about diet as it may relate to why my mother has Alzheimer's.  This seems to really help them understand.  Plus, on occasion, I sneak dairy cheese into their school lunches.

I see this trial of a whole foods plant-based diet as a long term one.  The more I read of Dr. Andrew Weil's work the more I see us following a modified version his food pyramid (ours would be eggs and fish as only animal proteins).  Will I still splurge on a local farms grass feed, humanely raised rib eye?  Of course, but rarely.  I really thought I'd miss some foods but with the right recipes it is a filling and delicious diet.

Next Steps....Sugar
Given recent headlines about Alzheimer's Disease being insulin resistance in the brain (Google "alzheimer's diabetes"), the amount of sugar in our diet is now more of a priority than ever.  We aren't big sugar consumers compared to the average American but we could still use some work in this area.  My life has been forever impacted by watching my gifted mother waste away into an infant-like state.  If providing a whole foods plant-based diet low in sugar gives my family a better chance at healthy aging then count me in.

1st haircut goes better with a snack.

I hope you have enjoyed my food therapy blog thus far.  I make no money and am clearly not in it for fame.  It provides an outlet for me.  If I've helped one other person dealing with similar issues it is worth the effort.  

Sunflower Butter Birthday Treats

Cocoa puffed riced

Lillie, who is in 1st grade, has a birthday coming up.  In an attempt to find something that works for Ethan and Lillie's peanut-free and gluten-free classroom this is the best I could do.  It is a delicious treat.  Have any other ideas?  Please send me any suggestions on other treats!

Makes 12


Ingredients
1 cup puffed rice (plain or cocoa)
1/2 cup sunflower butter
3-4 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Enjoy Life Mega Chunks (for melting)

Directions
Combine sunflower butter, agave and vanilla in mixing bowl (heat a little bit if mixture is too firm).  Add puffed rice, stir.  Place mixture in refrigerator to firm up, about 15 minutes.  Roll into 12 balls.  Dip balls into chocolate.  Refrigerate before serving, about 15 minutes.

Ratings
5 out of 5 family members love them

Food Allergy/Intolerance Notes
Enjoy Life brand of Mega Chunks works well for this recipe.

Sourdough Rolls

These rolls were a huge hit at our Thanksgiving dinner.  They were loved by all.  Making them is relatively simple but it does take some planning. Makes 12.





Ingredients
480g Sponge (225g whole wheat flour+ 225g water+ 30g sourdough starter)
425g whole wheat flour (or combination of ww and bread flour)
165g water
25g maple syrup
10g sea salt
50g Earth Balance buttery spread, soy free

Directions
Day 1: Combine ingredients to make sponge.  Cover and rise for about 12 hours.
Day 2: Mix sponge with rest of ingredients.  Cover and sit for an hour. Stretch and fold*.  Cover and sit for an hour.  Stretch and fold (2nd time).  Cover and sit for an hour.  Repeat for 3rd time.  Shape into 12 even rolls.  Cover and sit for 2 hours. Bake in preheated oven for 22 minutes at 430º.

*Stretch out the dough, then do full letter fold (left to right, right to left, bottom over top, top over bottom).  Lightly spray bowl with expeller pressed canola oil after each stretch & fold session (helps when removing dough).

Ratings
10 out of 10 family members loved them!

Black Bean Soup

This is my new favorite soup recipe.  I found it on the Whole Foods website but for some reason it is no longer there today.  Good thing I printed it out!  While my older children claim to not like it and Ethan did not even try it, I don't care.  It is delicious!

The original recipe calls for soaking beans overnight and then cooking for 1 1/2 hours.  I usually don't have that kind of time.  I prefer to get them soaking in the morning at breakfast so they are ready for cooking at dinner.  Then, I use the pressure cooker to cook them which takes about 4 minutes once the pressure cooker is rocking.  I use 1 teaspoon of salt during soak and cooking so the beans stay intact.

Makes 8 1 cup servings

Ingredients:
1 pound dried black beans
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
ripe avocado, chopped (optional)

Directions:
Rinse and soak beans with 1 teaspoon salt for at least 6 hours.  Rinse, drain, and cook 4 minutes pressure cooker or other method.   In large pot, bring 1/2 cup water to simmer over medium-high heat.  Add onions, bell pepper and garlic.  Cook about 10 minutes until onions translucent.  Stir in cumin and chipotle.  Cook about 1 minute, stirring.  Add beans and 1 cup water.  Bring to boil then simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove 4 cups soup and purée in blender.  Return purée to pot, stir in cilantro, nutritional yeast, and lime juice.  Garnish with avocado (optional).

Nutritional Information:
1 cup serving: 216 calories, 3g sugar, 14g protein, 15g fiber, 30mg iron

Ratings:
2 out of 5 family members loved it!

Roasted Veggie Spread 2.0

I have perfected the Roasted Veggie & Chickpea Spread recipe for my family.  While I tried various combinations of veggies (red peppers, cauliflower, yellow squash), only one was deemed good enough to eat by all three of my children, even the pickiest eater!  The winning combination is....about 3/4 lb. broccoli, 1/4 lb. carrots and 1/2 red pepper (removing skin once roasted).  Of course, I enjoyed all of the variations.  What a great way to eat vegetables!


Makes 2 cups.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound raw broccoli (or other vegetables)
1/4 pound raw carrots
1/2 red pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground pepper (to taste)
1 (15 ounce) can or 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Expeller pressed canola oil, spray
1 cup water or less, for desired texture
Carrots, crackers, or bread, for serving

Directions:
Heat oven to 400º.  On rimmed baking sheet, lightly spray vegetables with expeller pressed canola oil.  Roast until tender, about 20 minutes.  Let cool slightly, rub off skin of pepper.  In food processor, pureé chickpeas and garlic until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add roasted vegetables and up to 1 cup of water to get desired texture.  With machine running, drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil and vinegar.  Add salt and pepper.

Nutrition Information:
1 serving (1/2 cup): 177 calories, 27g carbs, 6g fat, 8g protein, 8g fiber, 13mg iron

Ratings:
5 out of 5 family members like it.