If you subscribe to the theory that bread and cheese are the hardest things on our digestive systems because of the gluten, lactose, and casein, then pizza is absolute worst invention E.V.E.R…except that it’s so much fun to eat!

In my book, there is no acceptable cheese substitute, so we just take a digestive enzyme to break down the lactose and move on. However, after a lot of experimenting and Pinterest-ing, we did find a crust substitute that’s worth making.

Don’t even start about that cauliflower crust thing :/ I love me some roasted cauliflower and even caul-rice, but it was not meant to be crust!

My go-to crust uses this recipe as inspiration.

Ingredients 

1 cup tapioca or arrowroot starch/powder/flour (it may be called different things depending on the brand, but it’s all the same)

1 cup cassava flour

1/2 coconut flour

1 tsp Real Salt or some other unrefined salt

1 can full fat coconut milk

1/2 cup coconut oil (use refined if you don’t like the taste/smell of coconut oil)

2 eggs (you can sub this for a gelatin egg if necessary)

1 tsp each of onion and garlic powder

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients first. Then add wet ingredients. Combine thoroughly.
2. Divide dough into 2 balls. This freezes well as dough or after baking so you can mix once and bake twice!
3. Roll out a ball of dough between two pieces of parchment paper. No thicker than 1/4″.
4. Transfer the dough/parchment sandwich to a baking sheet (I prefer stones) and remove the top layer of parchment.
5. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit until desired doneness.

For Pizza:

I like crispy crust, so I pre-bake the dough a little longer for pizza so it’s already on the crispy side. Top the crust with your desired toppings. We used pesto in lieu of sauce for this one. If you prefer tomato sauce try a heavily salted tomato paste with fresh herbs instead of canned sauces. The lack of moisture in tomato paste keeps the crust crispier. We’ve also done cheese-less versions which are just as tasty in my opinion but would never pass muster for the cheese-lovers in our family.

For crazy bread:

Bread sticks should be soft and chewy in my humble opinion, so we pre-bake the dough for this iteration a little less. Top the bread with grass-fed salted butter, fresh minced garlic, and grated Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven until everything is melty and bubbly. Cut into strips with a pizza cutter and enjoy.

Instead, I’ve been throwing the following recipe in a blender for a treat that’s still tasty like chocolate-covered strawberries, has more wellness benefits, and takes a lot less time.

[bctt tweet=”Ingredients for Chocolate Strawberry Shake that has added #wellness benefits”]

Ingredients for Chocolate Strawberry Shake

3 to 5 strawberries depending on the size

2 scoops of chocolate protein powder*

1 scoop of greens* or a handful of dehydrated kale

3 ice cubes (or freeze your strawberries beforehand)

1 1/2 cups of liquid (I used plain water kefir, but you could use milk kefir or non-dairy milk)

1 teaspoon of maca

The end result is frothy and satisfying. Plus, unlike actual chocolate-covered strawberries, it has protein, extra vitamins, and the power of maca.

Benefits if you use the same chocolate and greens powder as me

• Provides a convenient low-fat, low-calorie, high-protein, high-fiber, lean alternative for individuals trying to lose fat or maintain a lean body composition through calorie reduction and exercise.
• Helps control the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which is associated with the accumulation
  of fat, particularly around the stomach, hips, and thighs.
• Helps control stress-induced appetite, overeating, and carbohydrate cravings.
• Provides essential amino acids to help prevent loss of muscle mass and muscle tone.
• Helps support blood sugar levels already in the normal range.
• Enhances energy levels while helping to alleviate fatigue commonly associated with dieting and exercise.
• Helps fight hunger cravings.
• Can help supplement your exercise efforts to help you control stress, maintain muscle mass, and maintain the shape you worked so hard for.
• Drink to combat fatigue from early morning workouts.
• Drink for breakfast to take the stress out of cooking a healthy, balanced meal.
• Can be used to replace meals with at least one well-balanced nutritious meal daily.
• Supports increased feelings of satiety.
• Contains ashwagandha to help manage appetite.
• Provides the body with essential nutrients.*
• Supports immune health.+
• Supports digestive health.+
• Supports weight management.+

+These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

*If you want to find out where to get our favorite non-gritty chocolate protein powder and powdered greens, send me a message.

What is your favorite shake recipe?

Enter fried cauli-rice.

You will need:

A head of fresh cauliflower
Variety of fresh or frozen Asian veggies
An egg
Soy Vay Teriyaki sauce
Sesame oil

I kinda made this up and don’t have exact quantities. It’s a pretty forgiving recipe though. Basically make it so you like it.

What to do:

Shred the cauliflower using a box shredder on the medium side. At medium-high, heat a couple tablespoons of sesame oil in a wok or skillet. Add veggies. Just before the veggies are actually finished to your liking, add the shredded cauliflower. Create a well in the middle, add some more oil, and crack an egg into the well. Stir the contents of the wok until the egg is well scrambled and cooked through and the cauliflower is hot. Don’t over cook the cauliflower. Remove from heat. Add teriyaki sauce to taste. Enjoy.

If you’re weaning your family off of grains like me, you can reduce the amount of cauliflower and add some cooked jasmine rice.

Make slow changes.

A couple of us went cold turkey, but our family transformation is much more subtle…kind of by design. I recently stopped buying breads and pasta, but upped the amount of grain-free foods that I knew they did like. Did I mention bacon? We’re still doing rice and potatoes in moderate quantities. If I have time, I try to cut them with cauliflower to up the nutritional content. For example, potato soup that’re almost half mashed cauliflower or mixing in some cauli-rice to the standard stuff. I recommend brainstorming a list of foods that your family will eat that are grain-free and focusing on those things while quietly eliminating the other stuff.

Follow the 80/20 rule.

Simple—you can cheat up to 20% of the time. This greatly increases the chance that you’ll make an overall lifestyle change rather than just having enough steam for a fad.

1. Shred or chop veggie of choice. (I used a spaghetti squash for these photos which kind of self-shreds).
   
2. Mix in enough egg to wet all of the veggie. You can also add in flax meal if you so feel incline.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can also experiment with fresh herbs and other spices.
4. Pan fry on medium-high heat until egg sets.
   
5. Serve plain or with fresh salsa.

For one of my kids, this is one of the only ways he gets veggies into his system. If I make these, he even does it without complaining!

Variations:

• Add curry spices and serve with plain yogurt.
• Add Italian spices and serve with tomato sauce

What will you try?

“… convenient, completely vegan-friendly, and delicious weight management shake mix that provides essential nutrients and only 47 calories per serving. Blended with nonfat dairy; almond, rice or soy milk, or water, [it] can be used as part of a weight-loss strategy of reducing daily calorie intake and burning fat stores through exercise. [This shake] includes a patented weight-loss ingredient that has been clinically demonstrated to help manage cortisol—a stress hormone associated with fat storage in the abdomen, hips, and thighs. [It] blends well with water or rice or almond milk and provides 8 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per serving.”

We’re not doing it for the weight loss benefit but for the high-protein content and its ability to reduce the body’s cortisol (stress hormone) levels. I’ve been impressed by the non-gritty texture and the taste.

Here are our favorite ways to use it.

1. Chocolate nut butter shake. Toss 1 cup crushed ice, 2 scoops protein powder*, 1 Tbsp maca powder, 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt, 1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1/4 cup your favorite nut butter, and 1 tsp. cinnamon into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Chocolate yogurt. Mix 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt, 1 Tbsp protein powder*, and 1 Tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
3. High protein oatmeal. Prepare one (1) package organic oatmeal (we prefer maple and spice). Mix in 1 Tbsp protein powder* and a splash of vanilla.

*We’ve chosen a specific brand of protein shake because of the company’s commitment to safety, sustainability, quality, and support. We believe life (including essential oils) is best done in community and this company has a similar mindset. Unfortunately, to protect myself from scrutiny from the FDA, I’ve chosen to not disclose the brand on my website. It’s crazy world we live in! If you want to learn more about who we chose and why, send me a message here. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send out wellness tips, event invites, and ways to get FREE oils and products.

One of the foods we miss the most since going grain-free is pizza. We did find a quinoa crust recipe that we indulge in, but Grace came up with a completely grain-free alternative recently…the pizza egg.
Basically you make an omelet and top it with sauce and cheese.

We’ve found the key to having it not stick is greasing the pan well and giving it plenty of time to heat without overheating it. We use a low-medium heat.

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

What will you put on top of your pizza egg?

Ground beef + leafy greens = lettuce wraps!

The meat is easy. Just brown and add your favorite teriyaki sauce. Ours is Soy Vay.

The rest is pretty easy, too. Wrap your meat in your favorite edible leaf. We had a plethora of bok choy last summer.

You can also use the smaller leaves and seasonal veggies to make a stir fry side.

Half of us are mostly grain free. Two of those are also avoiding phenols. Another is mildly allergic to eggs. Add normal kid pickiness and changing tastes, and cooking a main meal for everyone…impossible. Keeping up with our life while cooking for everyone…also impossible. Food is one of those battles I have chosen not to fight. We have 3 basic rules.

1. Include a protein when you eat a meal.
2. Eat a veggie (at least one green) at lunch and dinner.
3. No skipping meals.

Do I cook? Kind of. I basically cook large quanitites of meat periodically and stock the fridge with staples such as bread and pasta (for my non-primals), veggies, fruits, and a variety of dairy products. Everyone (except our 7-year-old) pretty much fends for themselves. Every once in a while, I have a little time and I get creative and make something at least a subset of the kids can eat. I usually cater toward my kids with limiting diets for obvious reasons. Through BlogHer, I recently discovered that with the help of The Wisest Kid in the Whole World, Campbell’s soup is offering a collection of delicisous, kid-friendly recipes. For more than 144 years, Campbell Soup Company has been making it easier to make meals fun and delicious. When I came across their recipe for latkes with sour cream dipping sauce, I knew I had to try it. We tweaked it a little to not use flour. What You’ll Need 6 cups of shredded russet potatoes (about 4 potatoes) 1 sweet onion chopped, separated 1 egg 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese Frying oil of choice 1 cup sour cream How to Make It

1. Stir the potatoes, 1/2 cup of onions, egg, and 1/2 cup of soup in a bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. For each latke, drop 2 TBSP of the potato mixture in the skillet, flattening into a 3-inch round with the back of a spoon. Cook the latkes, as many as will fit in the pan at a time, until well browned on both sides. Drain the latkes on paper towels.
3. For the dip, stir sour cream and remaining soup and onions in a small bowl.

Verdict? These were finger lickin’ good.

]]> https://www.thecorkboardonline.com/2013/10/perfect-primal-or-paleo-pancakes/ https://www.thecorkboardonline.com/2013/10/perfect-primal-or-paleo-pancakes/#comments Tue, 08 Oct 2013 10:00:53 +0000 http://www.thecorkums.com/?p=5416 For almost two months now, 4 of us have been eating mostly Primal (think Paleo with more dairy). If you don’t know what Paleo is, think grain-free or only fruit, veggies, meat, nuts, and seeds.

It started with me trying to kick regular migraines, a nagging joint injury, and unstable blood sugar levels when I was hungry. Then Patrick jumped on board to lose weight. We felt so good, we bribed encouraged Ty and Grace to try.

While it’s been a little challenging missing our grain-heavy favorites, we have mastered pancakes.

Ingredients

Nuts (we’ve used any combo of cashews, almonds, walnuts, and pecans)*
Primal flour (think coconut or quinoa)
Oil
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Salt
Apple cider vinegar
Vanilla
Eggs
Milk or Water

*You could probably get away with either nuts or flour. I like to grind my own nut flour due to cost but it never seems fine enough so I always add a little commercially ground flour to improve the texture. I also add hemp hearts sometimes.

Making the batter

1. Preheat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat while you mix the batter.
2. Grind nuts and flour together in a high-powered blender or food processor. I usually do enough to make about 2 cups worth.
   
3. Add about 3/4 tsp each of baking soda, powder, and salt. Grind again to mix.
4. Add 2 tsp of vanilla, 1 TBSP of oil, 1 egg per cup of dry ingredients, 1 tsp of vinegar, and enough liquid to form a pancake batter.
5. Blend well.

Cooking the Pancakes

Grease the pan using whatever fat you desire. I just pour the batter directly from the blender. I find Primal cakes tend to take a little longer to cook than traditional pancakes. You can adjust the thickness if you need to. I also add extra pecans to mine.

Serve with real maple syrup or agave (that’s how we roll).