Banana Chocolate Chip Quinoa Muffins

Here is a GF/CF, medium sugar, high protein muffin. Quinoa is also high in calcium and iron. To lower the sugar, cut out the chocolate chips, but they make the muffins taste so much better. The walnuts also add a nice flavor and texture, but you can omit them if you desire.

Banana Chocolate Chip Quinoa Muffins
(based from Ancient Harvest Quinoa box)
1/2 cup Organic Quinoa flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup Organic Quinoa flakes (Ancient Harvest)
2 tsp Baking powder (Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp Baking soda (Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 tsp Salt (Celtic salt)
2 Tbsp Organic honey or light agave nectar
2 Very ripe bananas
2 Organic eggs
1/2 cup GF/CF chocolate chips (Enjoy Life)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix flour and flakes with dry ingredients. In separate bowl mix together bananas, eggs and honey, add to dry ingredients. Scoop batter 3/4 full with a cookie scoop into lined muffin tins. Bake 18-20 minutes. Let sit in pan for 5 minutes then place the muffins on a wire rack to cool. Yields 12 small muffins.

YouTube Video by Tanya Darling

Here is my first video posted to YouTube. It's a new original song called, "Those Possibilities." I hope you enjoy it!

There is life beyond making gluten/dairy/soy/corn-free food. This is the proof in the almond cookie batter.

Soft Almond Butter Cookies with Quinoa Flakes

These soft cookies are a healthier and gluten-free alternative to peanut butter cookies. Add a piece of chocolate on top for more yumminess. Quinoa is packed with protein, coconut flour is high in fiber and amaranth flour is heart healthy so you can feel good about eating cookies or a little less guilty if you eat them for breakfast. I use Bob's Red Mill for all of my flours. This recipe is gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free, corn-free, egg-free and peanut-free. 

Soft Almond Butter Cookies with Quinoa Flakes

Gluten-free/Dairy-free/Soy-free/Corn-free/Egg-free

Ingredients:

2 Enjoy Life Boom Choco Boom Dark Chocolate Bars cut into small squares

Medium Bowl:

1/3 cup Organic Amaranth Flour

1/3 cup Sorghum Flour

1/3 cup Organic Coconut Flour

1/3 cup Arrowroot Starch

1 cup Organic Quinoa Flakes

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Celtic Salt

Large Bowl:

1/3 cup Organic Coconut oil (melted)

1/2 cup Organic Almond Butter (I like Once Again's Raw Crunchy Almond Butter)

1/2 cup Organic Sugar (check for a vegan seal like Florida Crystals)

1/2 cup Organic Brown Sugar (packed)

1/4 cup Almond Milk 

1 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract (gluten-free like Flavorganics)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine Medium Bowl ingredients by hand in a medium sized bowl. Mix Large Bowl ingredients in a large bowl. Pour Medium Bowl ingredients into the large bowl. Mix to form dough.

Scoop dough with a medium sized cookie scooper and place on a cookie sheet two inches apart.

Bake for 6 minutes. Flip the cookie sheets and bake 7 more minutes. Press a piece of chocolate into the cookie and let them melt. If you don't use chocolate, press the cookies down with a fork. Leave the cookies on the sheet for ten minutes. Slide the paper off of the cookie sheet and let the cookies sit on the counter to finish cooling.

Yields: 24 cookies. 

Gluten-free, Casein-free Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Like my children, I eat gluten/dairy-free to make it easier to shop, cook and live. It also makes me feel better. What I miss the most is my favorite sweets, like peanut butter cups. Today, I put together this easy and delicious gluten/dairy-free treat that makes me miss those chocolate kisses a lot less.

If you have enough bars, you can kiss all 30 cookies with chocolate. If not, you can leave some of them almost kissed. Press the naked ones down lightly with a fork. They taste almost as good. Enjoy them! They don't last long in my home.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies (Gluten/Dairy/Soy/Corn-Free)
Ingredients: 
1 organic egg
1 cup organic unsalted peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
1 cup organic sugar (check for a vegan label)
1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt
Enjoy Life - Boom Choco Boom dark chocolate bars

Directions:
Heat oven to 350. Lightly beat the egg. Add the salt, sugar and peanut butter. Mix with a fork. Scoop 1-inch balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Chop or break the chocolate bars and press a piece into the cookie. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes. 

Chewy Almond Butter Cookies With Quinoa Flakes

A healthy and gluten-free alternative to peanut butter cookies, which I have been craving lately. Quinoa has a lot of protein in it, so you can feel good about eating cookies or a little less guilty if you eat them for breakfast. This recipe is gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free, corn-free, egg-free and peanut-free. I use as many organic ingredients as possible. I especially recommend buying organic rice products as they are heavily sprayed with pesticides.

Almond Butter Cookies With Quinoa Flakes

Gluten-free/Dairy-free/Soy-free/Corn-free/Egg-free

Ingredients:


Small Bowl:

1/4 cup sugar for rolling (if desired)

Medium Bowl:

1/3 cup Organic Brown Rice Flour

2/3 cup Sorghum Flour

1/3 cup Arrowroot Starch

1 cup quinoa flakes

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Large Bowl:

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 cup almond butter (I like mine organic, raw and crunchy)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

1/4 cup almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine Medium Bowl ingredients by hand in a medium sized bowl. Mix Large Bowl ingredients in a large bowl. Pour Medium Bowl ingredients into the large bowl. Mix to form dough.

Scoop dough with a medium sized cookie scooper and roll the balls in a bowl of sugar to coat. Place on a cookie sheet two inches apart.

Bake for 7 minutes. Flip the cookie sheets and bake 6 more minutes. Press the cookies down with a fork. Leave the cookies on the sheet for ten minutes. Slide the paper off of the cookie sheet and let the cookies sit on the counter to finish cooling.

Eat one cookie (at a time).

Yields: 24 cookies.

The Diet Unwrapped

Tanya Darling here. My three-and-a-half-year-old is thriving on a gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free diet. He also eats a very clean diet, which means he eats as much whole organic foods as possible.

It took me months to figure things out. I want to help by giving you a list of our favorite foods.


BREAKFAST FOODS: (Check ingredients. Some cereals are made in a plant that processes soy or wheat. It depends on how strict you have to be.)

Cereals:
Nature's Path Organic WholeO's
Nature's Path Organic Corn Flakes
Nature's Path Organic Rice Puffs (corn-free)
EnviroKidz Organic Gorilla Munch

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Original (refrigerated) We buy the Original flavor.

Organic Free-range Eggs. Try to avoid the ones with Omega 3 added. It may go rancid. I like the CFO brand. Go to a local farm if you can.

Nature's Place (Hannaford Brand) All Natural Uncured Bacon


LUNCH:
Once Again Organic Raw Almond Butter (smooth or crunchy)
Polaner All Fruit
Lundberg Brown Rice Organic Rice Cakes (Salt-Free)
Ideally, bake your own bread with organic rice flour (don't use a nonstick pan)
Rudi's Gluten-Free Bakery Multigrain Sandwich Bread
Food for Life Rice Pecan Bread
Boar's Head Deli Meat


DINNER:
Cheeseless, gluten-free pizza
- Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza crust mix or homemade recipe
- Organic marina sauce
- I add chicken, mushrooms and black olives
Tip:
- Use a dedicated pizza stone for gluten-free pizza
- Hide the chicken if necessary by cutting it up into tiny pieces and mixing it with tomato sauce

Hotdog night:
Oscar Mayer Angus Nitrate-free Hotdogs
All Natural Hotdogs
Pick up some organic mustard and go without any bun or use gluten-free bread
Wrap some gluten-free pizza dough around halved hotdogs and bake your own "corn dogs"

Gluten-free Chicken Nuggets, Ian's is the favorite in our house, or make your own with gluten-free pizza dough.

Quinoa Organic Pasta, it tastes great and it's high in protein. I buy Ancient Harvest.


SNACKS:
Pamela's Simplebites Ginger Mini Snapz Cookies
Pamela's Simplebites Extreme Chocolate Mini Cookies
Enjoy Life cookies
Enjoy Life bars
Larabar bars
All Natural Fruit Twists (Hannaford has its own brand, Nature's Place)
Annie's Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks (cheapest price is at Target)
Let's Do Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones

HOMEMADE FOOD I MAKE

Recipes from the Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise G. Roberts

Waffles

Banana Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins

Lemon Cake

Pizza Dough

MY RECIPES (Will share soon)

Strawberry Almond Ice Cream 

Gluten-free Italian Cookies

GENERAL TIPS:
Use the least amount of milk substitute as possible
- drink water
- use milk for cereal and adding supplements

Buy as much organic food as possible
- Always buy organic rice products, non-organic rice products are heavily sprayed with pesticides
- See Dirty Dozen-top foods to buy organic below

Invest in good pans and bakeware
- Avoid using non-stick pans
- Use ceramic or stainless steel bread pans

Vegan means there is no dairy or casein in the product

Use frozen vegetables instead of cans
- Cans contain aluminum and many have a BPA lining
- Look for cans that say they have a BPA-free lining

Hannaford has it's own line of organic and all natural foods called Nature's Place. I use them for my organic frozen vegetable and fruit.



ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT:
Calphalon Waffle Maker
Stainless Steel or Ceramic bread pan
Pizza Stone
Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker
- I make Strawberry Almond Ice Cream out of almonds. It's delicious!


THE DIRTY DOZEN

TOP 12 ORGANIC FOOD CHOICES TO PURCHASE

FROM:  WWW.EWG.ORG

Peaches

Apples

Bell Peppers

Celery

Nectarines

Strawberries

Cherries

Kale

Lettuce

Grapes (Imported)

Carrots

Pears

By choosing organic foods, you can reap the health benefits of fruits and vegetables without exposing yourself to potentially harmful chemicals.

TOP 15 NON-ORGANIC FOOD CHOICES TO PURCHASE

Onions

Avocados

Sweet Corn

Pineapples

Mangos

Asparagus

Sweet peas

Kiwi

Cabbage

Eggplant

Papaya       (Check for Genetically  Modified/GMO)

Watermelon

Tomatoes   (Check for Genetically Modified/GMO)

Sweet Potatoes

These contain the least amount of pesticide, but you should still wash them thoroughly before eating or cooking to remove dirt and bacteria.