Homemade fudgesicles

Dairy Free Fudgesicles – customize your own!

Posted on by Carie Perrino

Homemade fudgesicles

Now that its summer we all want ice cream, right?

I always thought I hated chocolate ice cream but one thing I love is fudgesicles in the summer time! Who am I kidding, how could I hate chocolate ice cream?

Brandon and I keep hearing the ice cream truck pass by our house but I swear it makes sure that we are not outside because we are usually outside most days of the week and he never drives by when we want him too!

This weekend I got creative and tailored a standard fudgesicle recipe to my food sensitivity results and then I got to thinking. How can I make this even more customize-able!? I want everyone to be able to eat fudgesicles if their heart desires.

what your heart desires

And fudgesicles make me happy.

 

But I guess, I do like other desserts too – like this sorbet 🙂

Dairy Free Fudgesicles
 
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These fudgesicles are super chocolaty and perfect for a hot summer day!
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • ½ C cocoa powder or carob powder
  • ¾ C allowed granulated sweetener
  • 2 Tbsp allowed liquid sweetener
  • 1 tsp flavor extract
  • 2 C allowed milk
Instructions
  1. In a pot, whisk together the granulated sugar and cocoa or carob powder.
  2. Add the liquid sweetener and flavor of your choice.
  3. Turn the stove on medium heat and pour in your milk.
  4. Whisk until chocolate and sugar are dissolved. The mixture does not have to boil but the heat helps it dissolve better.
  5. Pour into popsicle molds.
  6. Place in freezer until solid.
  7. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition information is not provided due alterations that can be made to accommodate food sensitivities.

 

Alternatives:
Milk: whole fat coconut milk or 2% or whole cow’s milk – you need some fat!
Granulated sweetener: cane sugar, blonde coconut sugar, beet sugar
Liquid sweetener: corn syrup, brown rice syrup, honey, maple syrup, cassava syrup, coconut nectar, homemade simple syrup – I use this recipe to make my simple syrup
Chocolate: you can also use carob powder for a caffeine free version!
Flavor Extract: vanilla, almond, mint would all be great flavors – I would use ½ tsp if you use mint because it is strong.

Products:

Enjoy!

fudgesicle

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Posted on by Carie Perrino

Oatmeal Breakfast CookiesI’ve always struggled with finding a quick and easy breakfast that fits with my food sensitivities. Then I came across these cookies, made some modifications to meet my food sensitivities and BAM – my oatmeal breakfast cookies were born ?.

I started making these cookies a couple of years ago and got my whole family hooked – I even gave them out as Christmas presents! Oh the life of a poor post grad… Those were the days when it was acceptable to give cookies for family Christmas presents.

These past couple of weeks on the new job have been great…and busy! I love my cancer patients and survivors about a healthy diet but I am so glad to keep my private practice and continue my work with food sensitivity clients.

With my busy schedule of work during the day and food sensitivity clients in the evenings and weekends I am always looking for quick, healthy meals. I had forgotten about these cookies until recently and I’m excited to bring them back and share with all of you.


Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
 
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These cookies are great frozen!
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Ingredients
  • 1.5 C whole rolled oats
  • 1 C unsulfured, unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
  • ¾ C coarsely chopped allowed nuts OR ½ C nuts + ¼ C LEAP friendly chocolate chips
  • ½ C allowed dried fruit
  • 1 C unsweetened applesauce OR 3 ripe mashed bananas
  • ¼ C coconut oil or other mild allowed oil
  • 1 Tbsp allowed liquid sweetener
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place parchment paper on large cookie sheet.
  3. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl then add all the wet ingredients. Mix well until combined.
  4. Form cookies – about 2 tablespoons each – onto the cookie sheet.
  5. You can place them all on one pan because they do not spread so keep them close together.
  6. Bake about 25 minutes until golden brown then cool completely on the pan.
Notes
Nutrition information is not provided due alterations that can be made to accommodate food sensitivities.

 

Alternatives:
The chia seeds and cinnamon are optional. Leave them out if you have not added this into your diet or do not know if it is a potential trigger food.

Allowed nuts – chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, or sliced almonds might be good options
Allowed dried fruit – banana chips, chopped unsulfured apricot, dried cranberries, dried blueberries
Allowed liquid sweetener – maple syrup, honey, brown rice syrup, corn syrup, tapioca syrup

Products:

What do you eat for breakfast?

Enjoy!

Grain-free, Egg-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Grain-free, Egg-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on by Carie Perrino
Grain-free, Egg-free Chocolate Chip CookiesWe have finally arrived in sunny Arizona! Here is a picture that I took on our drive. Wegrain-free, egg-free choc chip cookies took a wrong turn and ended up on 50+ miles of switchback road through the mountains. It was getting dark so this was not a fun part! We made a short stop to let our cars cool down and this was the view that we had :).

Isn’t it pretty!

Yesterday I put my kitchen gadgets away and got organized so naturally the first thing I did this morning was bake chocolate chip cookies (isn’t that what anyone else would do?).
 
This drive was not easy – 27 hours total! We split it up over 3 days but sitting for so long really tested my patience… and my hip flexors. I brought a couple healthy snacks like pistachios, dried apricots and corn nuts.
Side note: Yes, I know corn nuts are not healthy. 

https://feelgoodrd.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Safe-Snacks-for-road-trip.png

Meals were difficult because on road trips you’re expected to eat fast food, right? I brought food with me but that only lasted so long. I tried to pick the best foods for me which consisted of hamburgers, French fries and unsweetened ice tea. Based on my food sensitivities, that was the best option. I know that I can handle bread, beef and potatoes. The frying oil was questionable but all went well!
 
Some may ask why didn’t I get a salad? And the answer is that I have a lot of foods that cause my IBS to flare up, several of them are the proverbial “healthy” foods. There are so many ingredients in a salad, not to mention the dressing. At a minimum there is lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrots. Then you add salad dressing, which is an oil, vinegar, and a boat load of spices – which typically includes garlic. In this short list, I am sensitive to tomato, carrots and garlic. These are some of my biggest triggers so I went the safe route and ate a hamburger and French fries.
 
Now back to cookies!
Our pantry is sparse right now but I managed to alter a recipe from The Food Fanatic to meet my food sensitivities as well as my clients.

Grain-free, Egg-free Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • ¼ C coconut oil (solid)
  • ¼ C allowed liquid sweetener
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 5 Tbsp coconut flour
  • ¼ C almond flour
  • ¼ allowed chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Mix together solid coconut oil, allowed liquid sweetener, vanilla and salt.
  3. Add baking soda, coconut flour, almond flour and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chip cookies.
  4. Let cookie dough sit for 5-10 minutes so that coconut flour can absorb the moisture.
  5. Place cookie dough on prepared baking sheet in 1.5-2 tsp portions. Using your finger, spread out the cookie dough (they don’t spread like traditional cookies)
  6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to cooling rack. These cookies will be soft right out but as they cool they become chewy and delicious.
Notes
Nutrition information is not provided due alterations that can be made to accommodate food sensitivities.

 

Alternatives:
Allowed liquid sweetener – honey, maple syrup, rice bran syrup, tapioca syrup, corn syrup
Almond flour – try cassava flour or make your own sunflower seed flour

Products:

What is your favorite sensitivity-friendly cookie recipe?

Enjoy!

Apricot Cherry Vegan Protein Bars

Vegan Protein Bars – Cherry and Apricot

Posted on by Carie Perrino
Apricot Cherry Vegan Protein BarsAfter my month long hiatus I’m coming at you with some pretty amazing vegan protein bars. This month has been busy and I have not had much time to try new recipes or even cook much!
 

So many things that happened this month:

  1. WE’RE MOVING! I accepted a great job in Phoenix, AZ as an Integrative Dietitian. I will be working at an Integrative Oncology Center associated with MD Anderson. *Pinch me!*
  2. I became a consultant for Beautycounter. This company blew me away when I learned about them! They are growing fast and making a huge splash in the beauty industry. They have high standards for their products. One thing I loved was that they placed 1500 chemicals on a Never List. This is a list of chemicals they will never use because of their harmful or potentially harmful effects on the body. (More on this later I’m sure!)
  3. I recently came back from a trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It was a blast but talk about a challenge for those us of with IBS! I was sick with stomach pains for a good part of the trip but I tried not to let that interfere with the fun. My food sensitivity test results allowed me to make smart choices. It was difficult when I didn’t know the ingredients in meals and sometimes it was hard to avoid. Nevertheless, I have a new love for cassava/yucca because that’s what I ate most of the time. I’m excited to experiment with it now that I’m home and make some awesome recipes!
 
Whew! That was a lot but now I’m back and getting back into the swing of things ?
 
Okay so back to these amazing vegan protein bars that I touched on early. I wish I could claim this recipe but I have adapted it from Lindsay Cotter at her blog: Cotter Crunch. She specializes in healthy, gluten free cooking and has some pretty amazing recipes!
 
I try to post recipes that contain ingredients found on our food sensitivity blood test – there are 120 different foods so we try to stick with that. This recipes veers off a little. The one extra ingredient that is not tested is chia seeds. They add 6 grams of protein to the batch and some healthy fats but if you can’t have them then take them out! I will list them as optional in the recipe below.
If the recipe doesn’t 100% work for your food sensitivities make sure to scroll all the way down. I try to make my recipes very general so that they work for everyone. There are so many substitutions that can be made for this recipe so that it works for you!

Cherry Apricot Vegan Protein Bars
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 1-15oz can whole chickpeas (rinsed and dried)
  • ½ C rolled oats
  • ⅓ C dried apricots (sulfite free if necessary)
  • ⅓ C dried cherries
  • 2 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)
  • 4 Tbsp allowed liquid sweetener - see substitutions for ideas
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ⅔ C allowed milk - see substitutions for ideas
  • dash of cinnamon (optional)
  • dash of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. In a food processor (or blender) combine oats, chia seeds and apricots. Blend until chopped. Empty contents into mixing bowl.
  3. In same food processor (or blender) add chickpeas. Blend until finely chopped (not pureed).
  4. Add chickpea meal to same mixing bowl.
  5. Mix in allowed sweetener, allowed milk, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, dried cherries. Batter will be very wet.
  6. Pour batter into greased 9x9 pan and spread out to even mixture.
  7. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center is no longer soft.
Notes
Nutrition information is not provided due alterations that can be made to accommodate food sensitivities.

Vegan Protein Bar

Alternatives:
Oats – you can substitute with any rolled grain like quinoa flakes, barley flakes, rye flakes, spelt flakes, wheat flakes.
Dried fruit – this can also be other dried fruit. Dried apples, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, etc
Liquid sweetener – the recipe originally calls for 100% maple syrup or honey but if you cannot have either of these you can also use rice bran syrup, coconut nectar, corn syrup, cassava syrup
Allowed milk – this can be cow’s milk, any nut milk, oat milk, soy milk, etc

 

 

Products:

What’s your favorite homemade bar?

Enjoy!

Easy Healthy Gummies

Easy Healthy Gummies

Posted on by Carie Perrino

Easy Healthy Gummies

I’m so glad I found these easy healthy gummies!

Gummies were always a go to candy when I was younger. I remember my brother and I having competitions on long car rides to see how many gummies we can fit in our mouths. Kind of gross now that I think about it!

I stopped eating gummies for years until recently I found that they can actually be HEALTHY! I’m not talking about gummies you buy in the candy aisle that contain corn syrup, artificial colors, citric acid. These are easy, homemade and healthy!

 

Bonus: they taste better than the chemical laden store bought gummies!

 

I tested a lot of gummy recipes to find the perfect combination of ingredients. One thing I found is that you have to use ingredients that allow you to concentrate the flavors . Many recipes I see call for 100% fruit juice + added sweetener. When I made them they do not provide enough flavor in the end product!

These gummies are packed with flavor!

 

What makes these gummies healthy?
  1. Make your gummies with beef gelatin powder. This helps improve gut health and digestion, protects joints, improves skin health, heart health and helps you feel full.
  2. I sweetened them with raw honey. Honey has antioxidants to prevent cell damage, natural allergy relief and it boosts immunity!
  3. My Lemon-Ginger gummies are a great source of vitamin C and lemon juice aids in digestion. Ginger is often used for indigestion and to calm an upset stomach.
  4. My Orange-Cranberry gummies are another great source of vitamin C and phytonutrients. They have significant antioxidant properties. Cranberry juice is most often associated with providing relief from UTIs. There are also cardiovascular health benefits, digestive benefits and many more!

I used these fun Fruit Shack gummy molds but any molds will do!

Easy Healthy gummies
 
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Clean eating healthy gummies that you don't have to feel guilty about eating!
Author:
Ingredients
Lemon-Ginger Gummies
  • ⅔ C lemon juice
  • 1.5oz gelatin
  • 6 Tbsp raw honey
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
Cranberry-Orange Gummies
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 2 Tbsp cranberry concentrate
  • Fill to 1 cup with 100% orange juice
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 1.5oz gelatin
Instructions
  1. Add liquid to pot.
  2. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and let sit for 3-5 minutes to bloom.
  3. Heat and stir to dissolve gelatin – do not boil!
  4. Fill gummy molds or pour in thin layer in a 9x13 pan
  5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to cool.
Notes
Makes two trays of “fruit shack” gummies per batch. If using a gummy bear mold – ¼ cup makes about 50 gummies.

No gummy molds? You can pour the gummy mixture into 9x13 pan and cut into squares or use cookie cutters when cooled!

**Nutrition information is not provided due alterations that can be made to accommodate food sensitivities.

 

Products:

What is your favorite flavor of gummies?

Enjoy!

Zucchini Pizza Bites

6-Ingredient Zucchini Pizza Bites

Posted on by Carie Perrino

Zucchini Pizza BitesHappy National Pizza Week!

Until now I didn’t know National Pizza Week existed but I can’t say I’m sad about it! This gave me an excuse to create a new healthy “pizza”-like recipe. So below I bring you ~ Zucchini Pizza Bites with Sauteed Onion Puree and Goat Cheese

I know you can’t wait for this recipe.
Keep reading or just scroll down to the recipe – I won’t be mad!

Throughout the years I have experimented with different carriers (crusts) for pizza and different sauces – some have been better than others. I’ve made my own pizza dough, eggplant pizza, zucchini pizza, cauliflower pizza, quinoa pizza bites, pesto pizza, bbq chicken pizza – ya dah ya dah ya dah. I love pizza because there are endless possibilities. No matter what your food restrictions are I’m confident that we can find a pizza that works for you!

carrier + delicious sauce + cheese = Pizza

My zucchini pizza bites are a take on the standard zucchini pizza but with my food-sensitivity-accommodating twist!

Here are some of the food sensitivities I avoid when attempting to make pizza:

  • Tomatoes – There are a lot of ‘no-mato’ sauces for people who are sensitive to nightshade vegetables. Different varieties are made with beets, carrots, red bell peppers, etc. I can’t say that I have ever had them but have been wanting to make beet ketchup soon! Stay tuned!
  • Garlic – To find recipes without garlic is nearly impossible most of the time. One trick that I use is to search “Low-FODMAP – insert food here” – i.e Low FODMAP pizza sauce, etc. This is a great place to start and then you can narrow down after that.
  • Olives – This eliminates olive oil. Depending on their use, it is pretty easy to replace the requested oil with any allowed oil. In my recipes I try to list the oil as “allowed oil” unless a specific oil is needed for flavor or texture – like sesame oil, which has a very strong flavor.

Anywho…

I made a New Years Resolution to myself to pay close attention to my food sensitivities because my symptoms of IBS are getting worse again – which happens when you get careless – oops! The worst thing about it is that I have total control over it but for several months had chosen to ignore it – I blame the holidays. Being able to control my symptoms and feeling good everyday makes it all worth it!

 

Here’s to the New Year, New Year’s Resolutions and Pizza 🙂

6-Ingredient Zucchini Pizza Bites
 
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Enjoy this 6-ingredient pizza bite recipe! Great for an appetizer at a family get together or just make a full plate for yourself!
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp allowed oil
  • 1 Zucchini - cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices
  • 1 Yellow onion - sliced
  • ¼ Cup chicken/vegetable broth
  • 1oz Goat cheese
  • Fresh oregano - chopped
Instructions
  1. Heat allowed oil in pan. Sautee onions until soft and golden brown - about 10-12 minutes
  2. Place sauteed onions and ¼ cup broth into blender and blend until smooth. I used my immersion blender which worked great!
  3. Place zucchini slices in the pan that was used to sautee onions. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes. The zucchini should be lightly browned on each side but not soft.
  4. To assemble pizza put a dollop of onion puree on top of the cooked zucchini (You can put as much or as little as you would like depending on your taste!), place crumbled goat cheese on top of onion puree and garnish with chopped oregano.
Notes
Nutrition information is not provided due alterations that can be made to accommodate food sensitivities.

 

Alternatives:
Carrier – I bet this would taste AH-mazing on a wheat or gluten free traditional pizza crust, eggplant rounds, yellow squash slices, or cauliflower crust
Toppings – you can use any variety of cheese like gruyere. Pair it with sauteed mushrooms!

 

Products:

Here is another great recipe that you can make with an immersion blender: 5-Ingredient Cauliflower Soup

What’s your favorite kind of pizza?

Enjoy!

Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried Rice

Posted on by Carie Perrino

Chicken Fried RiceThe idea of Chinese food always sounds good. I always think that I love Chinese food until we order it from the typical Chinese carryout restaurant and I realize that I’m not sure what I loved about it… its heavy, salty, MSG-filled, and covered in random mystery sauces. Oh and it makes my IBS flare up!

Soo…Epiphany!

Make your own! I love homemade Chinese food because it is light, filled with veggies, flavorful and totally customizable! Totally opposite of the restaurant version.

My favorite Chinese food is chicken fried rice. For this recipe I used the leftover Chinese restaurant white rice that no one eats because they always buy fried rice… If you are smart enough not to order Chinese food from a restaurant then you can make your own white rice or brown rice and use it in this recipe.

If you eat chicken and rice regularly and keep it around the house you can put this dinner together in a matter of minutes.

Chicken Fried Rice
 
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Author:
Cuisine: Chinese
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 3C white (or brown) rice
  • 2 tsp sesame oil, divided
  • ¼ C soy sauce
  • ¼ C frozen peas
  • ¼ C frozen corn
  • 1 large carrot, small dice
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 tsp sesame oil in a large pan. When hot, add frozen peas, corn and diced carrots and cook for a few minutes, until soft.
  2. Add cooked rice to the pan and mix with vegetables.
  3. Add diced chicken to the pan and heat ingredients together.
  4. Push the contents of the pan to one side. Pour remaining sesame oil (1 tsp) on empty side of the pan. Scramble eggs and add to pan. Mix eggs while cooking to scramble.
  5. Incorporate scrambled eggs in with the rice mixture until evenly combined.
  6. Pour soy sauce over contents of pan and mix again until evenly combined.
Notes
Nutrition information is not provided due alterations that can be made to accommodate food sensitivities.

 

Alternatives:
Chicken Fried Rice Protein – Use thin slices of beef or small shrimp in place of chicken

Vegetables – Any vegetables are fair game here! Broccoli bits, chopped onions, zucchini, etc. This is one way you can truly customize your meal!

Soy Sauce – this is an important part of the dish but there are alternatives that you can buy. There are many brands of soy sauce. Kikkoman in particular has gluten-free soy sauce and tamari that has limited ingredients. Bragg Liquid Aminos is an alternative to soy sauce and tamari that is not fermented (better alternative for those that are tyramine sensitive). Bragg Coconut Aminos is another alternative that is soy free and not fermented.

 

Products:

Do you make fried rice at home? What ingredients do you use?

Enjoy!

 

Crockpot Quinoa Enchilada

Crockpot Quinoa Enchilada

Posted on by Carie Perrino

Crockpot Quinoa EnchiladaA couple of months ago I started part time consulting at a local migrant Head Start program. As their nutritionist, I plot all of the kids on a growth chart to identify where they fall in terms of weight for length (height). For the kids that plotted above the 85th percentile I was able to sit down one on one with the parents of the overweight/obese kids and discuss the importance of exercise and a healthy diet. Majority of these kids are getting multiple sweets per day and limited vegetables. Just a few weeks ago I was able to host a meeting with all of the parents to share my role at the school and answer any questions.

During the meeting we were raffling off a crockpot so I made a healthy twist on the classic mexican dish – enchiladas. The director of the school told me that the kids are given quinoa and really seem to like it. Quinoa cooks very similar to rice but if a complete protein – meaning that it can replace meat in a meal.

Try this recipe with: crusty dutch oven bread!

Crockpot Quinoa Enchilada
 
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Author:
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
Crockpot Enchilada
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 - 15oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 - 15oz can corn, drained
  • 2 - 15oz cans diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups enchilada sauce
Enchilada Sauce
  • 3 cups broth
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp allowed oil
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • Optional: start with ¼ tsp cayenne pepper for spice. Add more to taste.
Instructions
Enchilada Sauce
  1. In a small bowl, mix flour, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika.
  2. In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.
  3. Add tomato paste and bowl of spice mix.
  4. Cook 1 minute, whisking continuously.
  5. Whisk in broth, increase heat, and bring to a light boil.
  6. Reduce to simmer. Cook about 8 minutes until slightly thickened, whisking occasionally.
  7. Add salt/pepper to taste.
Crockpot Enchilada
  1. Place pinto beans, corn, tomatoes and quinoa in a crockpot. Stir everything together and top with enchilada sauce.
  2. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Notes
Nutrition information is not provided due alterations that can be made to accommodate food sensitivities.

Quinoa Enchilada

Products:

Here are other great recipes to make in your crockpot: Crockpot Whole Chicken

Would love to know what you think and if you made any alterations!

Enjoy!