Holistic Instincts

I know I rarely post holiday-ish recipes but since Thanksgiving is right around the corner (literally!), I thought I would post my version of this holiday staple. The original recipe for this pie called for sweetened condensed milk, but since we cannot all tolerate dairy well in my house, I use the sweetened condensed coconut milk by Nature's Charm  and it works super well!  This condensed milk is very thick and creamy, with only a slight coconut taste (to my taste buds).  The coconut flavor does NOT interfere with the taste of the pumpkin pie.  Please note that evaporated milk, coconut or otherwise, cannot be used instead of the coconut sweetened condensed milk here. As time permits, I do make my own crust and really love the Copy Cat crust by Brittany Angell.  Her gluten-free crust works very well anywhere you need a pie shell and can be easily doubled for pies that need both a top and bottom.  However, I have been known to buy premade pie shells and have found that the

It has been a while and I am back with an interesting, but delicious, recipe:  Breakfast 'Fried' Rice, made in the microwave.  And it is so good, that my kids request this recipe several times a week before school.  Your family might ask for the same from you! I originally saw a version of this recipe on BuzzFeed, but I had to make several modifications.  The cooking times didn't work for my microwave*, and I made several adjustments to the ingredients.  Once I got the recipe where I wanted it, I haven't really played to much with different ingredients (or at all, actually), and my kids really enjoy it just as it is. I use coconut aminos in place of the standard soy sauce called for in authentic recipes.  Coconut aminos is a rich sauce made from coconut sap and it is both gluten and soy free.  This sauce is a little like soy sauce so it can be used to replace soy sauce in many recipes calling for soy sauce.  And coconut aminos are packed with minerals, vitamin C

My daughter is a huge fan of a frozen coconut milk matcha drink from a nearby big-name coffee shop.  I have never ordered a matcha-flavored anything and so this is my first time actually making something with matcha green tea! Matcha green tea is a finely ground and concentrated green tea traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies for years.  It very popular among health experts, top nutritionists, since it is touted as a super healthy beverage, useful in fighting fat and even cancer.  Since matcha green tea is so finely ground, I found it really easy to incorporate the powder in this recipe and aficionados will find no shortage of recipes using this green tea, including flavored beverages and desserts! Quality matcha green tea may be a little prohibitive when it comes to price, but only a small amount is needed to make tea or this chia pudding.  And you know, that chia puddings are one of those perfect Paleo/vegan easy-make meals, which are always great to have on hand f

I grew up eating dishes like mole colorado on super special occasions.  And I mean, SUPER special.  It is a very labor-intensive dish, and one of my personal favorites.  There are many of types of mole variations, and the state of Oaxaca even stakes claim to seven types of mole.  A mole recipe will come with a long list of ingredients that usually include:  chile peppers, nuts and/or seeds (or both), tortillas and/or bread (or both), tomatoes or tomatillos, onions, garlic, herbs, spices like cinnamon and cloves, sometimes fruit, sometimes chocolate - all of which, when put together, create a most decadent sauce.  Yes, it is worth the effort.  And no, you will not detect chocolate, or cinnamon, or any other single ingredient in the sauce.  It just works..... Mole colorado (red mole) is traditionally made with very non-Paleo ingredients, such as: bread, peanuts, and additional sugar.  I have streamlined some of the ingredients to make this much more accessible, but it is still tak

My soon to-be 13 year old daughter loves to both try new recipes and create them as well.  She is the only one in our family that tolerates dairy well, but when she gets the urge to make a dessert, she will usually oblige me and make it Paleo.  And lucky for us, she likes to make recipes like this one.  You will have to trust me when I say that these cookies are legitimately delicious! This recipe makes around 21 cookies per batch.  Her instructions do not call for you to smash each cookie down slightly before baking, but doing so may make for a denser and larger cookie. Also created by my daughter:   MX's Healthy Homemade Chocolate Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies Dry Ingredients: 2 cups blanched almond flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon real salt Wet Ingredients: 1/3 cup raw honey 1/4 cup palm shortening, melted (I use  Nutiva ) 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 eggs, room temperature 1 1/2 dairy free chocolate chips (I use  Enjoy ) Preheat the ov

   Happy 2018!  Let's start off this year right with a brand new recipe!  I just love how easily chia puddings come together, and I really love how delicious and filling they are.  Chia pudding is one of my favorite breakfasts and it is great when you need something that is quick and portable in the mornings. Chia seeds were highly valued by the Aztecs, prized for their medicinal properties and nutritional content.  Chia, which means "strength" in Maya, was used to fuel runners and warriors because of their ability to provide long-lasting energy. We now know that consuming chia seeds provides many more benefits and they are known for promoting health skin, reducing signs of aging, supporting the digestive system, and more.  And this low-sugar pudding is a great family-friendly way of incorporating more of this super food into your diet!   As usual, I use a minimum amount of sweetener, and I really think it helps the strawberry flavor shine through.  Feel free to