French Toast Scrambled Eggs

Have you made yourself French Toast and you wondered to  what do with the left over Egg mixture?  - Well the perfect answer to this question is ------------------------
French Toast Scrambled Eggs!
 - It probably sounds a little strange but it is quickly growing to be my favorite breakfast, second only to my Something Cereal which is fantastic for mornings when you're in hurry or want something cold. French Toast Scrambled Eggs are a sweet and protein packed way to start the day, one in which I throughly enjoy.

I am going to be completely honest with you, I regularly go out of my way to make my eggs this way, whether I am making French Toast or not. In the picture above you'll see I made mini French Toast with some thinly sliced, day old Chebe Rolls. However I frequently make these Eggs on their own and sometimes I pour a little Almond Milk over the top which makes a delicious and nutritious, sweet but protein rich warm "Cereal."     - 
It's sweet, cinnamony and oh so tasty. I've made these a lot lately! 

French Toast Scrambled Eggs:
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1-2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
4 Tablespoons Almond Milk or Other.
--- Whisk ALL ingredients in a bowl until mixed well and pre-heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Melt 1-2 Tablespoons Butter or Oil in the pan and add Egg Mixture and scramble them as you would any scrambled eggs.  -  Serve on a plate alone or in a bowl with milk of your choice, optionally you can drizzle on more maple syrup. Mmm, Mmm Tasty!

If you love French Toast but haven't found any bread substitutes that you like or that fit your diet, you can still enjoy all the flavors, minus the bread... with this recipe. When served in a bowl of milk, it is strikingly similar to a breakfast my Mother made me as a child. She would served cooked rice in a bowl of milk with melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. It brings back wonderful memories of breakfasts gone by. 


Have you got any creative, healthy breakfasts you or your family just love? Please post in the comments and share with us, we'd love to hear them. Or if you have any comments on this recipe, we'd love to hear those too.
 - Until next time, I wish you Peace, Health and Happiness!

Fermented Vegetable Juice - Day 2

So tasty! So Nutritious! So Red and Green and Festive looking!

 Today I had my one teaspoon of Fermented Beet Juice in soup! -
It was delicious! I was surprised by how that 1 teaspoon really punched up the flavor of this simple Broccoli Chicken Soup. Yes, very simple, because that is a whole piece of chicken in chicken broth with cooked broccoli.


I could so easily see why these Fermented Vegetable Juices would be amazing for flavor boosting and in the case of the Beet Variety, clearly some potent food coloring as well. I am dreaming of all the pink things I could make with this and that is definitely an added bonus because I am not using food coloring at all anymore. I feel it's best to use nutritious things to tint whatever I wanted colored.


How the juice experiment is going...
Well yesterday certainly got things going but I consider that a good thing. : )  - By late last night I was suffering something highly unusual for myself... I have been off refined sugar for around 6 months and I considered myself to be pretty done with the Sugar Demons. However, last night they were back with a vengeance and I could barely stand it. I ate a Banana to try and stave off the sweet cravings but it barely sufficed. Today it occurred to me, as I sat on my couch tweaking for a sugar fix... "Why am I having such bad sugar fits???" - Suddenly it dawned on me, perhaps those little soldiers, those good and friendly bacteria... are killing off some bad guys? Like Yeast, Fungi, etc. and maybe in their dying hour, they crying out for sugar to survive. Since we all know Yeast and naughty bacteria love and thrive on sugar in it's many forms. That got me to thinking, this is probably some sort of die off effect that I am experiencing. Which leads me to a conundrum, do I feed the sugar cravings somewhat safely with Maple Syrup and Fruit... or do I deny the heck out of these sensations and risk feeling like crud but maybe eventually coming out the other side feeling better?

Now todays dose did not "get things going" - so to speak and I feel my body acclimating and giving into the sugar cravings is certainly making this easier. I think resisting might be the better road though but for now I have too many things going on and I need to be able to function properly.

That's all for now, tune in tomorrow for more "Adventures In Fermented Juice!"

Any comments? Feel free to share.

Fermented Vegetable Juice - Day 1

Hello and welcome to Day 1 of my little experiment. Honestly I couldn't be more surprised by the initial results and believe it or not... there ARE initial and immediate results. Today I decided I would consume my 1 teaspoon of Fermented Vegetable Juice in some Raw, Fresh Juiced Juice. I selected 1 pound of beautiful, Organic Carrots, washed and prepared them accordingly. I then chose 3 gorgeous, Organic Apples and washed and quartered them as per the instructions of my Juice Extractor. My whole family of four decided to join in on this so I divided the Carrot Apple Juice into fourths between us all.

I added 1 teaspoon of the Fermented Beet Juice to each glass and I added some Almond Milk to mine.
I have to admit that I was weary of the flavor of the Fermented Beet Juice but it actually tasted pretty good even by itself. The mixture I concocted was a creamy, dreamy, delicious and refreshing beverage that I thoroughly enjoyed. On top of that, it was healthy, how can you beat that? The most shocking part of all is within 15 minutes of beginning drinking the Juice Mixture, I felt an almost immediate surge in energy and alertness. I was much more aware after drinking it than before drinking it. I truly felt energized and revitalized and that feeling is still with me.

Maybe all those Probiotic Soldiers went in there and got started doing their jobs right away or perhaps it was the Fresh, Raw Juice... or a combination of all of the above. In either case, day 1 is considered a smashing success and I cannot wait to see what other benefits I will experience after a few days or after a week or more. I would be very thrilled to have less stomach problems and to digest my food better. Considering how much you health goes hand in hand with digestion, no wonder it's so important! Tune in tomorrow for another brief update of how it is going, how I consumed it and how it went.

 Have you got any experiences with Fermented Vegetables or Fermented Juices? Feel free to share in the comments below. What about Juicing? Do you Juice? Feel free to share you experiences and knowledge in the comments below. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.  - 
Until next time, I wish you all Peace, Health and Happiness!

Disclaimer:  There is no scientific proof or evidence in this experiment and results may vary.


Update: I see what they meant when I read that "Fermented Juices" are good for the constitution. I typically have a great deal of problems with constipation but about forty-five minutes to an hour later, this concoction, whether it be the tiny amount of Apple Juice or the Fermented Vegetable Juice, certainly got things moving. I will say there was a small amount of discomfort that was quickly remedied but it definitely shows this is indeed doing things.

Fermented Vegetable Juice and Juicing

                                                       Isn't it a beautiful sight to see all those little Organic Labels?

I am so pleased to tell you all that this past week I had the wonderful opportunity of participating in a Fermented Vegetable Juice Giveaway hosted by Jill of the Real Food Forager Blog and I won! The giveaway featured a wonderful product called Caldwell's Organic, Raw, Cultured Vegetable Juices. I cannot even begin to explain how prompt the delivery was, I am very impressed by this companies fast shipping. It arrived in a nice styrofoam cooler with dry ice packs all around the Juice, so it was already ice cold and ready to sample!

If you are interested in reading more about the benefits of Fermented Cabbage Juice, Jill at the Real Food Forager Blog put together two beautifully detailed and well researched posts called 6 Reasons To Drink Fermented Cabbage Juice. And 8 Reasons To Add Probiotic Food To Your Diet, I found them to be very informative and I learned a lot, it's definitely worth checking them out. Definitely look into her article The Autoimmune Crisis: What To Do About It because it is very eye opening and talks about the connection between gut health and autoimmune disorders. After doing research about the benefits of Fermented Vegetables and Fermented Vegetable Juices, I am excited to incorporate these into my diet. Not only to try them and enjoy their flavors but to see if I might benefit from consuming them regularly.

My prize was a variety pack that contained five, 8oz bottles of Fermented Vegetable Juices, including Beet Juice, Daikon Juice, Carrot Juice, Sauerkraut Juice and Red Cabbage Juice. Freezing these juices is perfectly safe, so I intend on freezing four of my five flavors because it is very important to start introducing Fermented, Probiotic Rich Foods and Beverages very slowly to avoid stomach upset. I am going to look at this as somewhat of an experiment, I'll be starting out with 1 teaspoon of the Fermented Juice in a glass of Raw, Fresh Juiced Juice OR perhaps as a dressing or condiment or just added to my food once cooled, on a daily basis. I'll increase to 2 teaspoons after the first week and move up from there until I reach a daily dose of 2 tablespoons of Fermented Vegetable Juice a day.

I will then report back any changes or benefits that I note and write progress report entries for my blog so you all can read and experience it along with me. I have a multitude of stomach problems and I anxiously await the prospect of this potentially easing some of those issues. I'll be starting tomorrow, Saturday, February 11th - 2012. Coincidentally this will also be the inaugural, maiden usage of my brand new Juice Extractor, so that is also exciting. Anyway, I hope you will all join me on this journey and hopefully we will all learn something and benefit as we go.

Are you interested in purchasing some of these juices for yourself? Then I have great news for you, thanks to Jill, anyone interested in purchasing these juices can get a 10% off discount coupon and place an order simply by clicking this link for Caldwell's Raw, Cultured Vegetable Products!  Please note: This offer is valid until March 3, 2012 for orders over $50. Shipping is free to mainland USA.


Also, don't forget to stop and see my friend Jill, she has a wealth of knowledge available to read on her blog.

And feel free to leave me a comment, ask questions or share your experiences with Fermented Foods and Beverages in the comments below.

Disclaimer: I am NOT receiving any kick-backs, promotions or money for you clicking the links in this article.

Grain Free Tortillas/Crepes

Hello one and all, after doing some experimenting and long missing the wonders of burritos, my family came up with this recipe. These work well as Tortillas or Crepes and I am sure you could do many, many things with them. Simply by adding/removing or changing up seasonings, you could completely alter the way you use them. For instance, a little cumin and other seasonings would make this a perfect Tortilla for Burritos. If you were to add a little sweetener, cinnamon and other seasonings instead you could easily use this to serve cut fruit with a creamy dressing or topping like Cream Cheese or Custard or a Nut Butter.

Grain Free Tortillas/Crepes

(makes about 6 - 8 crepes)

1 Cup Tapioca Flour
1 Cup Water, Milk or Milk Substitute (or combination)
2-3 Tablespoons Coconut Flour

1 Egg

Optional Seasonings

For Tacos/Burritos - 
1/8 Teaspoon Onion Powder, 1/8 Teaspoon 
Garlic Powder, 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cumin, 
a dash of Salt and a sprinkling of Italian Seasoning.
For a sweeter version - 
1/8 Teaspoon Nutmeg, 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon 
and 1 Teaspoon Granulated Sweetener like 
Maple Sugar.

Directions:
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Heat a frying pan on medium heat and melt a small bit Butter or Coconut Oil for in the pan. Use Measuring Cup or Soup Ladle to scoop out some batter. Remember, this batter will be VERY runny, like really thin Pancake Batter. Pour it into the pan to coat a thin layer or whatever desired thickness in the bottom of the pan and fry until golden brown, 3-5 minutes per side. You will know when they are not cooked enough as they will be very difficult to scoop and flip. If you are having a hard time with this, you may not be cooking on the first side long enough.

I am sure you can do so many things with this recipe and I would love to hear what some of you try, please post in the comments and share.

Update: I recently made a Coconut Free, Dairy Free Sweet Version of these.

1 Cup Tapioca Flour
1 Cup Water
6 Tablespoons Almond Flour

1 Egg

1-2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup

Instructions are the same as above.

And they were FANTASTIC! I served them with a variety of things, for instance one was served with Cream Cheese and Cherries for my Brother who is NOT Dairy Free. Another was served spread with Creamy, Sweetened Pecan Butter and I loved it! The Creamy Sweetened Pecan Butter was made by tossing my Sweet Glazed Pecans into a food processor and processing for about 5-10 minutes. However this morning I had one filled with my French Toast Scrambled Eggs and it was a fantastic breakfast.

This post is linked to Healthy 2Day Wednesday.

Something Cookies and Cereal!

Yeah, that is kind of strange title for Cookies and Cereal isn't it? I'll tell you why I chose that name. Right after I made these cookie for the first time, I thought to myself... "Wow, that tastes just like something I used to eat before I changed to a real food diet!" - They are of course very addicting because they remind me so much of something I once loved but what was that something? I never figured it out. Even more interesting is how everyone who tasted them said a similar thing. They all said "Man, this tastes like something! but what?..."  - some had ideas or eventually figured it out but they were all different. One person said "It tastes just like a waffle cone!" and another replied "No, it tastes exactly like Cowtails!" (Those cylindrical carmel, cream filled chewy, candy sticks. Not an actual cow tail, lol.)

These cookies are super addictive and I usually end up eating half of them before I am even done baking them all. They are a thin cookie but they have a nice slightly crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside texture. I always bake these on parchment paper though because stick pretty bad, especially if you prefer to make them chewier, rather than crispier because they come off quite easily when cooked crisp but half of them tends to stay on the pan if you go for chewy. Or maybe that is just because I am always pulling them off while still warm and eating them long before they are ready, lol I am not sure. Either way, these taste great and are simply amazing and who here that has gone grain free doesn't miss cereal? ACTUAL cereal with a nice crisp texture that you toss into milk or milk substitute and eat freely? I know I have missed cereal desperately.

But now that I have experimented with my Something Cookies recipe, I have also discovered Something Cereal and it is fabulous in a bowl of Almond Milk. It's crispy, it's satisfying, it's sweet but nourishing, it's the perfect balance. I just make up a batch of Something Cereal, bake it and store in an air-tight container. Then for the next few days I can eat cereal and Almond Milk and be happy as a clam for breakfast. Well I suppose I should get to sharing the recipe, now shouldn't I?

Something Cereal before being baked.

"Something" Cookies:

We call these "Something" Cookies because everytime someone take a bite of one of these cookies for the first time they always say "This tastes just like something!" and my family has been back and forth about what they may or may not taste like but one thing is for sure, they taste absolutely amazing! and they remind

everyone of "Something"

1 cup Almond Flour

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1/2 cup Maple Syrup

1 Egg OR Flax/Chia Gel if you are allergic to Eggs, though I haven't tried this, it should work.

Just throw all these ingredients into a single bowl and mix with a wooden spoon, couldn't be simpler. After it is all stirred together, you will see this is an incredibly runny cookie dough. That's okay, because you can just take a spoon or measuring spoon and spoon some out onto parchment paper lined baking pans. You may or may not want to butter or grease the parchment paper, I never do but it can stick if you don't. Smaller amounts are better because this will spread. I usually do about 1/4 of a tablespoon size cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. I know that is quite a discrepancy but it depends on how crisp you want them. I usually do 12 minutes for my cookies.

***NOTES:  The longer you bake, the more crisp they will be. The less time you bake them, the harder they will be to remove from the parchment paper. Always allow to cool for several minutes before trying to remove them. The center of cookies that are baked less will be almost caramel like. The less you bake them, the chewier they will be when they are cooled. The longer you bake them, the crispier they will be when cooled and the easier they will be to remove from the pan after cooling. These cookies come out quite thin but they make up for it in flavor.

****TIPS: These would make great sandwich cookies if you put frosting in the middle OR they would be excellent Grain Free/Gluten Free ice cream sandwich cookies. 

*    "Something" Cereal:

Follow the same recipe as above only put tiny drops of batter, the size you desire. I aimed for about Pea sized drops and after baking they became Dime/Nickel sized cookie bites. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes depending on taste, you really do want these crisp, so try to let them bake until thoroughly cooked crisp. When cooked crisp they slide right off the parchment paper, even without buttering or greasing the

paper. Then store in a ziplock bag or air tight container and use as cereal, in a bowl of whatever milk or milk alternative that you want. Or you could use them as bite size cookies, snacks, trail mix addition or put them on top of ice creams, custards, etc. These are great in Almond Milk!

Until next time, Happy, Healthy baking to all!

Anyone tried making these? How did they turn out? Any suggestions for what else could be done with these? Or do you have a Grain Free Cereal recipe? Feel free to share in the comments below.

I participated in the Healthy 2Day Wednesday Link-Up! and the Monday Mania Blog Carnival!

Waking Up - Part I

Okay, some might wonder why I chose this title but I have very good reasons for choosing it. Those of you who are confused as to what this post is about, it's about making the switch from the SAD - Standard American Diet - to REAL food. This series will just be periodical updates into how I am doing with my new way of eating and how it evolves over time. The reason I chose the title "Waking Up - Part I" is because when I first switched over, I felt awake for the first time in years. Now sadly the amazing way I felt at first is barely there anymore but I am always trying to make improvements. At first I was eating ALL organic, hormone/antibiotic free, grass-fed beef, vegetables and almost nothing but Beef and Vegetables. It was pretty incredible. Having grains gone for the first time in my life was really invigorating, I felt awake, alert, less fatigued, slept less, my chronic nausea went away, my foggy head got clearer, I just felt better, so much better. I had almost no stomach aches, less mood swings, happier in general, lighter, brighter and much healthier feeling.

Unfortunately a few of those things are back now but I blame my diet. I had cut out Chicken in the beginning for a reason, I feel I might be sensitive or intolerant to it and now I am eating Chicken again. So that could easily be causing problems. The Beef I am eating is now sadly conventional Beef and that is due to being impossibly poor and broke right now. I keep telling myself... when I get the money, I will do this and that and this... well that day will come, just not yet. I want to go completely organic/grass-fed/pastured as soon as I am able. Another change, I included Coconut Oil and Coconut Flour into my diet and these were wonderful, they gave me more energy and had me regular within a week or two... but then it hit, the part I don't like. The part where what I am doing either stops working OR... at least appears to make me sicker? Say what?! Yes, that is why I keep changing my diet, because I'll be doing well and then all of a sudden, not well at all. I have severe digestive issues and now the mere act of eating 3 cookies made partially with Coconut Flour causes me severe and excruciating stomach cramps.

Over all, I am more awake, more alert, less depressed and my stomach issues have improved but all of this is not to my satisfaction. My goal is to completely fix my stomach problems, be able to put on some weight, have the kind of energy I did in the beginning and somehow get to the point where I feel like I know what is best for me. See, this is a very individual journey, we all have sensitivities, allergies and intolerances to different things, we all have different tastes, likes and dislikes. So my diet of NO Grains, NO Dairy (except Butter,) NO Soy, NO Corn, NO Caffeine, NO Chocolate and NO Fast Food/Process Food, Pre-packaged, boxed, bagged or wrapped food and junk food of any kind. Is definitely not the ideal diet for everyone, heck... I am not even sure it's the ideal diet for me yet because I am not as well as I want to be. I am still always making adjustments to my diet and I have goals of where I want to be and how I want to be eating in the future. This will chronicle my adventures into Real Food and hopefully help inspire others to do the same.

I started this way of eating roughly in October of 2011 and so at this time, it has been about four months. Let me assure you, it is not hard at all. Do I still miss things like Oatmeal Cream Pies? Pasta? Candy Bars? and Chips? - Sure I do, just ever so slightly. However I am finding great and creative ways of making Real Food somehow mimic that naughty stuff I wont eat anymore. I can make my own potato chips and they are just as good, I just substitute for things that fit this way of eating and keep me from feeling deprived. Now I do not have will-power of steel but it has been four months since I've eaten chocolate, over two years since I've drank soda and going on three years without ice-cream and milk. It has taken a while to phase dairy out but the first things to go were milk, ice-cream yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, then almost a year later processed slices and all cheese in general. Up next to go... Butter. And then I will be completely Dairy Free. Of course this is only because I am lactose intolerant, anyone who tolerates dairy well would be fine simply switching over to healthier forms of dairy, like organic, grass-fed, pastured, etc.

Yes I miss Oatmeal and Grains in general but I feel like grain free is way for me to go. I am skipping out on ALL Corn and Soy because most of it is GMO and that is very bad. All in all, four months is not long enough to put into something to see how well it will work, after all, I ate Fast Food every day for the previous six months and nasty SAD food all my life prior. This is going to take some time to undo all the bad that has been done. I need to replenish the good bacteria and enzymes in my stomach, I need to always do my best to avoid and eliminate toxins from my life. This is still a work in progress and you all can join me on my journey, I'll keep you up to date periodically so if you enjoyed this entry be sure to keep your eyes peeled for "Waking Up - Part II"

Have you made the switch? Thinking about making the switch? Any thoughts about switching at all? Feel free to comment and let us see what you have to say about it.