GLUTEN OR GLUTEN FREE BAKING

WHAT IS GLUTEN; These are collective natural group of proteins found in wheat, grains, rye and barley. It is also a thickening protein agent for grains in baked goods. it has its pros and cons mostly when it comes to baking. Gluten is very important in baking mostly for the elasticity of of the dough but it also has it issues healthy wise for the people with gluten sensitivity causing an autoimmune disease called celiac disease, it can also cause inflammation if one consumes to much baked foods with gluten protein which can cause weight gain and joint pains but all this can be prevented if you follow a gluten free diet or eliminating most of the foods that include gluten like white refined food, bread, cakes, white rice and pasta.

Having said all that, so many people have started watching what they eat when it comes the carbs for example, pastas, bread or the desserts. Don't you worry, you can still indulge in all your sweet or carbs that are made out of gluten free or whole foods e.g; corn, teff, tropica/cassava flour, brown rice, quinoa, millet, nut flours(almond, coconut, potato), oat, and buckwheat.

During this quarantine time, i have been getting down in the kitchen practicing some gluten free baking myself and i have enjoyed it. i would like to share a few of my delicacies that i was able to make.

CASSAVA FLOUR PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS;
11/2 cup of flour
1 egg
2 tbsps of butter melted
1 cup of water or non diary milk
1/3 cup of honey

Mix the wet and dry ingredients to make the pancake mix. use a non stick pan to make your pancakes, you can use butter or coconut oil(organic).








MICROWAVE BANANA BLUEBERRY CAKE

INGREDIENTS;

1 cup of teff flour
1 cup of cassava flour
2 ripe bananas
1 cup of blueberries
2 eggs
2 tsps of baking powder
1 tsps of cinnamon powder
1 tsps of vanilla extract
1 tsps of bicarbonate soda
1 cup of almond milk
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of melted butter
3 tbsps of coconut organic oil

mix all the dry ingredients in a baking bowl without the blueberries
Add all the wet ingredients and bananas in the blender and puree all together. Add the puree to the dry ingredients and mix all together.
Bake for 10 mins in your microwave or you can use a an oven and bake for 1 hr at 250 degrees. This recipe is very simple and quick which is vey good for breakfast or a quick and healthy snack.

TEFF BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST SCONES

These are made out of teff flour too.

INGREDIENTS;

2 cups of teff flour
1/2 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup of honey
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of butter not melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup of soy, almond or coconut milk
1/2 cup of teff flour for kneading
orange zest for flavouring-optional

mix all the dry ingredients in the bowl add the butter cut in small cubes and mix together
Add the wet ingredients and the blueberries and then knead the dough, After kneading the dough you can cut into desirable shapes and bake at 350 degrees for a period of 1hr.

KALE BANANA GREEN  CUPCAKES.

With these i used almond flour & coconut flour

1 cups of almond flour & 1 cup of coconut flour
1 cup of kale leaves
1 ripe banana
1 tsps of cinnamon
1 tsps of baking powder
1 tsps of salt
1 tsps of vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup of honey or maple syrup
1 cup of coconut organic oil
1 cup of shredded coconut
1 cup of coconut milk

mix the dry ingredients in the baking bowl
Add the wet ingredients in the blender together with the banana and the kale and blend to make a puree.
Add the puree to the dry ingredients and mix to form a paste then add the shredded coconut.
Beste the cupcake cups with coconut oil and fill them with the cake mix.
Bake for 17 mins at a temp of 350 degrees. When ready sprinkle with shredded coconut and get ready to indulge#shelike.food.

I love all these recipes because they are strictly gluten and dairy free and mostly very healthy for snacking or early or quick breakfast for both the adults and kids. I started baking with gluten free flours and i have never gone back to eating anything with gluten because trust me once you get used to it you realize you are not missing any thing with all the wheat products and thus preventing a lot of digestive issues for and your family
Hope you get to try out some of them👌👌👌

EASTER DINNER

                                                             HAPPY EASTER!!!!! 🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣

Today i decide to go with a new dish, it is first time to try it. This is recipe from New Orleans it is one of their traditional dishes.ladies and gentlemen let me introduce to the CAJUN NEW ORLEANS JAMBALAYA. I  found this recipe on pinterest and was hooked once i read through the recipe so i decided to  prepare it for dinner. They are so many different ways you can make you just have to put your own touch to make it the way you desire.

INGREDIENTS;

Chicken sausages or andouille sausages
2 tbsps of olive oil
1 tsps of garlic powder
1 red onion
2 stalks of celery
3 bell peppers red, green and yellow
Mushrooms and okra if you desire
2 tsps of cajun powder
2 tsps of dry oregano
2 tsps of dry tyrme
2 tsps of paprika
1 cup of thai organic rice
1/3 cup of worchester sauce
1 piece of breast chicken cut in small chunks, you can also use shrimp if you desire.
1 cup of tomato paste
2 cups of chicken, vegetable broth or water

PREPARATIONS;

Start by adding tablespoons of olive oil to a large cast iron pan
Add the cut vegetables and saute on a medium heat until the veggies start to become tender for 4minutes.
Marinate the chicken  with some salt and pepper and then add together with veggies and the sausages and saute everything together till the chicken stops appearing pink
Then add chicken broth or vegetable broth, tomato paste, rice and seasonings. Stir everything together until well combined. cover the pan with a lid  and let it cook on a medium heat.
You can also use a slow cooker if you do not what to use pans. let it cook till the rice is tender stirring every five minutes to all the ingredients to simmer very well this also prevents the rice from sticking at the bottom.
If you are using the shrimp, once the rice is done fold in the shrimp, cover the pan and let the shrimp to cook till it's no longer pink. once shrimp is ready, you can serve your lovely meal with spring onions garnishing.

I fell in love with this dish because it has the components of a balanced plate, you get to have all the portions for example, proteins, vegetables, fats, and carbs.....

Hope you get to try it out, i really enjoyed making and eating it too....😘😘😘😘😘😘
# NEW ORLEANS TRADITIONALS
# GETTING CREATIVE AND TRYING SOMETHING NEW.....

CLEANING EATING

What is cleaning eating? One might say it's a way of eating whole foods in their most natural state and avoiding processed foods. Another will say is a way of eliminating all the foods that are not good for your body in terms of losing weight or maintain a certain kind of weight.

Well i would say, Eating clean is about being empowered with knowledge, making the best choices you can for yourself, going easy on ourselves and doing the best we can can do from day to day by putting primary food (food of the soul)first and then secondary food (food on the plate).


BASIC PRINCIPLES OF CLEAN EATING

KEEP IT WHOLE; Whole food are those foods that occur in their most natural state and have not gone through lab testing for example; fresh vegetables and fruits, free range meats and dairy, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

GET IN THE KITCHEN; When you cook for yourself your are at most guarantee to keep up the nutritional value of your food because you're in control. Restaurant food is more processed, less fresh, and often over seasoned. Always keep it simple and then build your own recipes as you learn more.

ELIMINATE REFINED SUGAR AND CARBOHYDRATES; Eliminate all the white foods from your diet, like the white sugar, white flour, if you are aiming at eating clean then all standard desserts containing white sugar or white flour must go, white rice, pasta, bread and pastries must be eliminated. instead replace that with gluten free flour( teff, torpica, almond, coconut flour), replace the white sugar with natural sweeteners like honey, organic maple syrup or nectarines, bee pollen.
Replace the wheat, white rice and white pastas with whole grains like quinoa, black rice, brown and wild rice, teff, whole grain pastas.

MAINTAIN BLOOD SUGAR; Don't wait too long to eat in between meals e.g ensure you eat whole foods every 3-4 hours

REMEMBER THE MAGIC COMBINATION OF PROTEIN, FAT AND CARBOHYDRATES;
You should always aim to get a serving from each group. This will create optimal blood sugar levels and stop all your cravings and brain fog bring me to a balanced plate, stay tuned for our next topic involving a balanced plate 😘😘😘

LET'S EAT AND LIVE HEALTHY FOR OUR BLOOD TYPES

As per James D’Adamo; one man's food is another man's poison, hence different people react to food differently based on their blood types.

The principle is different blood types  dicates how differently we all react to food and each blood type has certain strengths and weakness. This promotes the concept of Bio-individuality bringing me back to the concept that diets don't really work since are bodies are engineered differently.

Food is divided into three categories based our blood types; beneficial, netural, and void,under the four basic blood types A, AB, B and O.

BLOOD TYPE A;

People with blood type A tend to be very sensitive with an immune system that thrives well with a vegetarian diet of whole grains, vegetables, fruits. 
Foods that are usually recommended for type A people are; seafood, soy products, occasional poultry and fish, herbal teas, nuts and seeds, vegetables, fruit, some beans, olive oil, buckwheat, and gluten-free grains. Foods to avoid include processed meats, dairy, and excess gluten. supplements to take, folic acid, b12, vitamin C&E and calming exercises like yoga is good for them.


BLOOD TYPE B;

People of blood type B tend to be very balanced, torelate, flexible and creative people, they have strong immune system, strong nervous system but have a tendency towards autoimmune breakdowns and rare viruses. They are prone to type 1 diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome. They are omnivores, meat eaters, dairy, grains, and beans, Eat more; of greens, eggs, liver and licorice teas or herbal teas. Eat less; of the  corn, peanuts, sesame seeds, buckwheat,and any kind of wheat.
supplements to take; Magnesium, ginkgo and lecithin.
Practice moderate exercises like, hiking, tennis, and swimming.

BLOOD TYPE AB;

These are extremely rare, enigma, mysterious and highly sensitive people. They adopt well to modern life, have a sensitive digestive tract, high risks of cancer, heart disease and anemia.
They work well with a mixed diet in moderation, like seafood, dairy, tofu, legumes, beans, grains, vegetables and fruits,they eat less; of red meat, kidney beans and wheat,caffeine and alcohol.
supplements to take; vitamin C and they exercise well with yoga, cycling and tennis.

BLOOD TYPE O;

Blood type Os are the original hunter-gatherers and are said to thrive on a high-protein diet, light on dairy, beans, and grains,very susceptible to wheat and corn allergies.
They have a hardy digestive tract, strong immune system, natural defences against infections, efficient metabolism, short small intestines and usually less chances of cancer.

Have low intolerance for new diets and new environments. Baked goods causes a tired and foggy feeling.
Usually have low thyroid, subjected to inflammation, arthritis,blood clotting disorders, anemia,ulcers.

Foods to eat; should include, red meat, light protein(seafood, breast chicken), vegetables and fruits, kelp, spinach, broccoli, pineapples,liver,salt.
Foods to reduce; wheat/corn, baked foods, kidney beans, lentils, Brussel Sprouts, cauliflower and dairy.

Supplements to take; vitamin A,B12,D, calcium, iodine, licorice, iron, magnesium,selenium, probiotics(this helps to break down the food since these type of people with this blood group have small intestines that's why they have a lot of digestive issues)and zinc.

Form of exercising for them is very intense physical exercising, such as running, aerobics, martial arts and power yoga.

As you can see, all this relates to bio- individuality to a certain extent, honoring the notion that different types of individuals require different food and lifestyle approaches, but lets not forget practicing a balanced life for example incorporating in our primary food( Exercising, spiritual practicing, love and relationships, career)

Lets all think back at the time your just balanced all that you do for you and your body in the rightfully way and good it made you feel..... have a lovely week ahead of you and please share your views with me am always open to learning something😘😘

GET CREATIVE IN YOUR KITCHEN

You don't have to go hungry under the lock down, just become creative with what you have in your fridge or pantry. it doesn't have to be new or old, turn your leftovers into a new meal.

Alright my friends brunch is severed. oven baked leftover pasta accompanied with egg stuffed bell peppers, served with baby kale.

simplicity is the key in having a good and healthy meal.let us practice the concept of cooking once and eating twice.

Have a lovely day....😘😘😘😘😘😘

DIFFERENT HEALTHY COOKING STYLES

Cooking can be very  hectic for mostly career oriented people but at the same time it is the most rewarding activity. if you want to practice having a good and healthy meal every day then you have to find a way to create time for that healthy meal.
Making your own meals is not only healthy but also very economical for you. Healthy in the sense you get to be in control with whatever is added in your meal and economical in a sense, cook once, eat twice.

I would like to share a few of my cooking styles that getting me going when am on the run.

1. RAW COOKING- This is a way of preparing a meal that is not cooked or heated at any temperature. For example fresh vegetables, nuts, fresh fruits,seeds. its ois quick and fast but it's not easy to adopt but very good for the body. 
2. JUICING AND BLENDING- This can fall under raw cooking but its a bit different, with juicing you are literally removing all the fibrous materials leaving only the liquid from the fruits and vegetables. While with blending, you have it all, the fiber and the pulp, i personally blending works for since smoothies are my best friend and easiest food in the morning. They fill me up and keep going the early hours of my day and good source of energy and honestly you get to have all your nutrients without losing any and very economical so a win win situation.😜😜
3. STEAMING- With this kind of cooking you need to have a steamer, it is the best way of cooking vegetables without losing their nutrients and not becoming soggy. it is a simple and quick way of cooking.
4. WATER SAUTE'- Basically this is an art of cooking without any oil involved. Have a pan heated put some some and include your vegetables. it is mostly used for vegetable dishes, fish and eggs which others call poaching .
5. STIR FLYING- This basically a chinese way of cooking, heating of vegetables, meat, chicken on a high heat with oil and wok as being stirred with ingredients.
6. SOUPING- It is the easiest and quickest way of cooking. Saves a lot of time and very healthy, basically all you have to do is cut all your fresh vegetables and put everything in the pot with your broth and boil.

Dinner is saved

Home-cooked meals are so refreshing, so i made a little something just came up with this recipe.

CHICKEN MEATBALLS

3pcs of the chicken breasts

2cups of spinach

1 Onion

1 clove of Garlic

1teaspoon of dry basil

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper

Chop the chicken in small pieces and all ingredients and place in the blender

Puree into a paste.Transfer the paste in a bowl and add some oat flour to make paste hard so that it's easy to form the balls when you roll it in palms

After you make the balls deep fry them but I don't deep fry I use the air fryer.

Serve with steamed zucchini's and quinoa 

Before

Dinner is served

what are we reading today

Dying of boredom, having nothing today, why don't we grab a book and refresh our minds

 After all knowledge is power. So let's share what we all reading for better minds

You be surprised how this book relates to your life and the people surrounding you.

Enjoy the read.....

PRIMARY FOOD VS SECONDARY FOOD

We all struggle to keep a sane and healthy body and soul but what we don't know is how to rightfully feed our bodies. All we do think about is nutrition and calorie count or how much we consume on a daily basis, but all that comes in as secondary source of energy/food.
mindandbodyglows.liveeditaurora.com
Think back at the time when you were happy and in love or had a very exciting project to look forward to, how that made you feel, or worst case scenario when your self esteem was low and you were feeling depressed or lonely, what was the first instinct that came to your mind when you got home? Your first instinct will be to look in your refrigerator for something to eat yet all you need is a hug or someone to talk to....

That's where primary food comes in, No amount of food on your plate(SECONDARY FOOD) will be enough, you can eat as much as you want but never satisfied because the fun, excitement and love of daily life have the power to feed us so that food becomes secondary.

PRIMARY FOOD; Feeds us but it does not come on the plate, examples include; love(meaningful and good relationship), an inspiring career, meaningful spiritual practice and a very exciting physical activity-yoga, running, walking, gym anything that gets your heart pumping.


Hence the more primary food we receive, the less we need or depend on secondary food the reverse is true,the more we feed our bodies with secondary food the less primary food we are able to receive.
 

ALWAYS TAKE TIME TO EXPLORE YOUR PRIMARY FOOD FIND WHAT YOUR MISSING ,DO YOUR BEST TO FEEL IT AND ALWAYS ENJOY AND HAVE FUN IN LIFE.

#mindandbodyglows.liveeditaurora.com

we are what we eat