Holistic Instincts

I mentioned in a previous post that cassava flour has really taken the Paleo community by storm. And boy, do I regret waiting so long to jump on that yummy bandwagon.  Actually, what I regret is only buying 4 lbs of this flour .  I have less than 2 lbs in my pantry right now and I may be looking at a mutiny on my hands. Cassava flour is made from the entire yucca root, where tapioca starch, though similar, is made from just the starch of the yucca root. As a family, we have been gluten-free for several years and we have tried just about every alternative flour pancake recipe under the internet sun.  I have a few recipes that I alternate, depending on what I have on hand.  Links to those recipes are listed below, just in case cassava flour is not available to you yet.  But I strongly suggest:  find it, stockpile it and be very, very excited! It took me a few tries but I finally perfected these pancakes.  I really enjoying testing recipes with cassava because this flour truly g

By now, I am sure you have heard that chia is awesome but do you know just how awesome it really is?  Chia seeds, the same seeds that are used to create Chia Pets (yes, really), actually have a long history of being an important food crop. Chia seeds, or Salvia Hispanica , come from a flowering plant related to the mint family and have been used by South American civilizations for generations.  It was cultivated in Pre-Columbian times and may have been considered just as important a crop as maize.  Chia seeds are very nutritious and are still consumed by many of these cultures today - both as a food and for medicinal purposes. Chia seeds are rich in Omega-3's and linolenic acid (needed for human growth and development), antioxidants and are good sources of thiamine, niacin, folate, calcium (five times more than dairy milk!), magnesium, zinc and much, much more.  Chia seeds are considered useful in aiding digestion, regulating the appetite and some believe they may even help

Having a creamy dish while remaining dairy-free is not as difficult as it sounds, especially when you have a few tricks up your sleeves, like I do!  This creamy dish uses a flavorful cashew cream sauce as a base.  Cashew cream is adored in the vegetarian and vegan world (and by me!) for its velvety texture and I love to use that technique whenever I need something to mimic cream in a dish. I like dinners like this bake because they are easy to put together on a weekend (or weeknight) and leftovers reheat really well. I used spaghetti squash to replace the standard grain noodle normally used in casseroles.  Spaghetti squash is extremely versatile and easily handles any flavor you throw at it.  For this recipe, I cooked my halved, and seeded squash in a pressure cooker for 7 minutes, with a little water (my new favorite way to do so) but you can roast the halved and seeded squash in an oven (400 degrees, about 1 hour) or even microwave it (halved and seeded, too) for 7-8 minutes.

Most balance poses just did not come easily to me.  Actually, I can say most yoga poses really did not come easily to me.  I first started practicing yoga when I was unhappy with my weight and I just knew I had to find a way to exercise.  But I'd rather visit the dentist, thank you.  And if you know me, you know how much I DREAD the dentist. I have never been flexible, even as a kid but I picked a Power Yoga class at my old gym as the exercise I would try, because I figured it would be the easiest way to get some extra movement in my life with the least amount of work.  What was I thinking?  I laugh at my old self, when I remember my reasoning behind this because those classes were tough for me.  And finding stillness in my mind?  Forget it!  Trying to quiet my mind was like giving my mind permission to come up with lists, and plans.  I used that time to remember what bills needed to be paid, created to-do lists for the week and more. After a few years of on-and-off practice, a

Pesto is magic.  It is such a simple sauce and so versatile, it needs to be in your cooking arsenal for quick dinners, to add a punch of flavor to simply prepared foods and salads or to simply to increase your street cred. Traditional pesto is always made with pine nuts.  And since I rarely have pine nuts on hand, I used raw pumpkins seeds because I ALWAYS have raw pumpkin seeds around. Since I am also omitting the standard cheese, I knew I had to dial the recipe up with plenty of flavorful ingredients, which for me, means garlic.  Lots of garlic.  I love strong tasting foods and this pesto is it! I usually like to serve this pesto alongside some scrambled eggs, a grilled chicken or steak salad.  My daughter prefer zero food alongside her pesto and a big spoon.  Pesto is amazing when mixed with a bit of homemade mayo for a speedy dressing, or to tossed with some drained wild-caught tuna for a quick salad.  Pesto is magic! Magic Pesto 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds 3-4 cloves

Cat/Cow pose is one that is practiced as a warm up during a class.  This pose is practiced on the hands and knees with the spine being moved gently up and down.  The rounded back refers to the cat, while the sinking of the spine is said to resemble a cow's back. This gentle stretch warms and stretches the spine and can provide a nice substitute  for Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana (Upward-Facing Dog), Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward-Facing Dog) poses while pregnant.  This is pose is practiced with mindful breath. To begin this pose, start on your hands and knees - taking care to place the hands directly under the shoulders and the knees directly under the hips to prevent stress on the joints.  Additional care should be taken so that the shoulders do not collapse towards the ears. On the inhale, lengthen the spine, (imagine the back is a tabletop) and stretch the top of the head and the tail bone as far away from each other as possible. On the exhale, tuck the pelvis under and lo

At some point or another, everyone needs a good, soft and chewy brownie.  Or two.  Did you make it through a hard day at work?  Eat a brownie!  Did you spend some extra time organizing your desk?  Eat a brownie!  Is it Monday?  You may need four brownies! Paleo brownies normally rely on almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca starch, or a mixture, along with the usual cocoa powder, eggs, etc... and though I have tried many recipes (and I mean many!), I never really found one that was truly amazing.  I judge a brownie recipe by whether or not I want to eat it straight out of the oven.  It needs to be amazing enough to eat for breakfast.  Amazing enough to eat in the middle of the night because the brownies were calling my name and no one was looking, so they never actually made it to breakfast.  Sorry (not sorry). These brownies are unique as they use cassava flour.  Cassava flour is made from the peeled and baked yuca root and is different than tapioca starch.  Although tapioca s