Category: Recipes

Allergy-Friendly Christmas Cookie Recipe

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date December 11, 2020
No Comments on Allergy-Friendly Christmas Cookie Recipe

Christmas time is filled with traditions and quality family time that revolves around food. For those with multiple food allergies, it can be a tough reminder of everything we cannot eat, and we may feel left out of certain experiences. That is why I was determined to make these allergy-friendly Christmas cookies.

Christmas is important to me and I did not want my son to miss out on fun childhood memories due to his multiple food allergies. So, last year we started the tradition of making Christmas cookies together. It was not easy to think of a recipe with the few foods he can eat but I am proud to say that I made it work!

Allergen-free Christmas Cookies

These cookies are free of dairy, eggs, nuts, corn, soy, gluten, and grains. Unlike conventional cookies, these Christmas cookies are filled with healthy, nutritious ingredients. For the flour, I use buckwheat and arrowroot powder; instead of egg, applesauce and ground flaxseed; in place of butter, coconut/sunflower seed butter; and finally, to keep these cookies low-sugar and healthy, I used coconut sugar and stevia to sweeten. The applesauce also adds sweetness.

I was very surprised at how good these turned out! They are chewy and delicious. We love them. They are by no means as sweet as regular sugar cookies but we actually like that about them too. If you have more of a sweet tooth however, you may want to add more coconut sugar, stevia, or maple syrup.

The Christmas Cookie Dough

Conventional cookie dough should not be “overworked” and needs refrigeration before shaping the cookies. However, that is not the case for this dough.

When you use wheat flour, kneading the dough activates the gluten making the dough grow like a bread, which you do not want for cookies. However, since we are using gluten-free flour, you can mix and knead all ingredients until you have the desired consistency without risking overkneading. This cookie dough will also not expand because we don’t use any baking powder or egg (hence it does not need to be refrigerated).

In fact, you want the cookie dough to remain room temperature, not cold. This will make it easier to roll out for cookie cutting. I recommend cutting the dough in 3 sections and work on one section at a time. Keep the remaining dough covered with a cloth to prevent it from drying out and getting cooler.

I recommend you roll the cookie dough in between two sheets of parchment paper. This will keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Roll it out to about ¼ of an inch thick. You don’t want them any thinner than this or else they will become hard.

Decorating the Christmas Cookies

Because I want to keep these cookies healthy and allergen-free, I don’t use any icing to decorate them. However, you can get creative and use other things to embellish the cookies. You will want to decorate them before you put them in the oven.

To add designs, we used a comb to make lines and dots. Blend blueberries and strawberries to add some natural color. Shredded coconut, date paste, seeds, and carob add additional decorations. Get creative and see what you find in your kitchen to decorate the cookies.

Storage

These cookies are good for up to a week. You can keep them in the fringe or even the freezer to extend the life of the Christmas cookies. Because these cookies don’t have any baking soda, gluten, or egg (ingredients that help baked goods rise), they are very dense and will become harder when they are cool. You can warm them up in a toaster oven for a minute to soften.

Allergy-Friendly Christmas Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

5 cups sprouted buckwheat flour (see notes)
½ cup arrowroot powder
1/3 cup coconut sugar
½ tsp. ginger powder (optional)
½ tbsp. stevia powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup coconut/sunflower seed butter (see notes)
¾ cup apple sauce
5 tbsp. vanilla
¼ cup ground flaxseed
½ cup water

Instructions

Make a flaxseed egg by mixing ¼ cup ground flaxseed with ½ cup warm water. Whisk with a fork and let sit until it thickens into the consistency of an egg.
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl: buckwheat flour, arrowroot powder, coconut sugar, ginger powder, stevia powder, and salt. Stir well using a spoon or whisk.
Mix all wet ingredients in another bowl: softened coconut/sunflower seed butter, apple sauce, vanilla, and flaxseed egg.
Whisk the wet ingredients and add the dry ingredients slowly as you whisk until all ingredients are well mixed.
With your hands compact the dough together creating a ball and divide it into 3 sections.
Grab one section, place it on a parchment paper, and place another parchment paper on top. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
With a rolling pin, roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness and use your favorite cookie cutters to cut the shapes.
Decorate your cookies with seeds, coconut, blended berries, dates, or create lines and shapes with kitchen tools.
Place cookies on a parchment paper and bake at 350 °F (180 °C) for 8 minutes.

Notes

Buckwheat Flour: I make my own sprouted buckwheat flour by soaking, sprouting, dehydrating, and grinding the buckwheat. Store-bought buckwheat flour uses the whole buckwheat including the shell, and it is not soaked or sprouted. This can cause inflammation and digestion issues for those who have gut problems. You can buy sprouted buckwheat flour here.
Butter: I make my own coconut/sunflower butter by processing shredded coconut and dehydrated sunflower seeds, 1:1 ratio, with 1 tsp of salt. Recipe from the Autoimmune Plant Based Cookbook. If you are not on an oil free diet, and don’t have time to make this butter, you could use ¼ cup coconut oil.
Replacements: You can to replace the buckwheat flour with quinoa flour; apple sauce with pumpkin puree; and as mentioned above, the “butter” with coconut oil.

Tags allergy-friendly, christmas, cookies, food allergies, recipe

Recipes

Homemade Infant and Toddler Formula

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date November 19, 2020
20 Comments on Homemade Infant and Toddler Formula

Every new mom has high hopes of breastfeeding their infant. We know that breast milk is best for our little ones and as moms we desire to provide what is best. I personally breastfed my boy for three years on a restrictive diet due to all of his food allergies. However, supplementing with this homemade infant formula when he had trouble eating solids was a turning point for our son to gain much needed weight.

Before you try an alterative infant formula, I encourage you to check all breastfeeding resources available to you. It is possible to breastfeed a baby with multiple food allergies when the mom eliminates all allergens from her diet. There are also natural methods you can use to increase milk supply. Two helpful resources are KellyMom.com and Ellen Fisher’s e-book “Breastfeeding”.

Who is this Homemade Infant Formula for?

There are multiple infant formulas on the market, but your baby may not tolerate any of them or you may wish to find a healthier alternative. This homemade infant formula may be just what you’re looking for. It is especially designed for:

Infants whose moms cannot produce enough breast milk or need to abruptly stop breastfeeding due to a medical procedure.
Infants with multiple food allergies and mom has a hard time adjusting her diet to continue breastfeeding.
Infants who struggle to gain weight with breast milk alone.
Toddlers who, due to health conditions, struggle to eat solid food and depend on formula for nutrition.

I can say with confidence that this formula will be adequate for babies starting at 6 months of age. However, I know of mothers with babies as young as four months old who have exclusively used this formula successfully. Use your own judgment when considering your child’s condition to establish if this formula is a good option for you. My son was two-and-a-half years old when we began supplementing with this formula. He barely ate solid food and this was his main source of nutrition for a year. At one point, he drank 28 oz of this homemade formula a day. Read more about his story here.

The Issues with Store-Bought Formula

Why go through the struggle of making a homemade formula? Why not simplify life and use regular, store-bought formula? After all, it has gone through extensive testing and approval to be certified as baby formula. Let’s take a closer look:

Dairy-based formula

The most commonly prescribed infant formula is dairy-based. There’s a good reason for this. Dairy is high in lactose, a good source of sugar and calories. Dairy also has plenty of fat that babies need to develop. The problem? Many babies, if not most, cannot tolerate dairy. It causes reflux, diarrhea, constipation, eczema, and asthma. Even if an infant may appear to tolerate dairy at first, they may be at a higher risk of developing these symptoms and diseases later.

Standard dairy-based formula is also filled with unhealthy oils such as palm oil, soy oil, and high oleic sunflower oil. Most of these formulas use nonfat milk, which is more processed and requires these refined oils be added. A health-conscious adult would not eat these oils on a regular basis, so why feed them to an infant?

Lastly, dairy formulas lack healthy, living bacteria and nutrients to feed the healthy bacteria. It is well established that a healthy microbiome is vital to health. Good, balanced microbiota live in living plant organisms. Additionally, it is essential to create a gut environment that will grow good bacteria. Some formulas may add probiotics. However, it is important to note that there are many different types of bacteria in our natural environment, but only a few are used in high amount in probiotics. This in itself can cause dysbiosis – an imbalance of the gut microbiota. It is best to trust the microbiome naturally occurring in food and nature.

Soy-based formula

The first alternative formulas prescribed to babies with a dairy allergy or sensitivity are soy-based formulas.

I am a strict vegetarian; I believe in a plant-based diet from infancy. However, I would rather give my child a dairy-based formula than a store-bought, soy formula.

The first ingredient in soy formula is either corn-syrup or brown rice syrup. According to their labels, 54% of the ingredients in soy formula come from these unhealthy sugars. I don’t think I need to go into detail about why this is horrifying. Again, no health-conscious adult would ever eat a diet based on 54% corn-syrup or brown rice syrup. How are we feeding this to infants?

Yes, breastmilk is around 50% sugar, but we cannot compare natural breastmilk sugars to processed corn-syrup or brown-rice syrup.

The ingredients that follow are refined vegetable oils (26%): palm oil, soy oil, coconut oil, and high oleic sunflower oils. So far, 80% of the ingredients don’t sound healthy or nutritious. Then we have the soy protein isolate and added vitamins and minerals.

And as with dairy-based formulas, soy formulas also do not provide healthy bacteria for a strong gut microbiome.

Elemental formula

When a child is allergic to dairy and soy, an elemental formula is prescribed. It is thought that the protein in foods is what causes an allergic response. For this reason, elemental formulas contain broken-down proteins, amino-acids, to make them easier to digest and not cause an allergic reaction.

EleCare and Neocate are the most commonly used formulas for infants with multiple food allergies. Similar to soy formula, elemental formulas contain as the main ingredients: corn-syrup (55%) and refined vegetable oil (24%: comprising palm oil, coconut oil, high oleic sunflower oil, and canola oil or soy oil).

For older children, Neocate Splash is available. The main ingredient here is actually water (85%), followed by maltodextrin (6%), sugar (5%), and refined vegetable oil (high oleic sunflower oil, palm oil, coconut oil, and canola oil). At first sight this looks like a better option, and I think it is. However, maltodextrin is associated with worsening irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, and increasing bad gut bacteria.

Sugars increase bad gut bacteria and these formulas don’t provide any healthy, living bacteria. Most infants and toddlers who have multiple food allergies already have an unhealthy microbiome, autoimmune conditions, and digestive issues. These formulas make the root cause of their disease even worse, making it harder to heal.

My son reacted to all these formulas with vomiting or diarrhea. He did best with Neocate Splash, but at the end it caused him diarrhea as well. Read about how we made the switch to this homemade infant formula here.

Allergy-Friendly Alternative Infant Formula

The homemade infant formula I want to share is plant-based, meaning it has no animal products. It is soy-free, nut-free, corn-free, and gluten-free. Yet, it is very nutritious. (Read the notes at the end for alternative ingredients.)

Fats
Infants and toddlers need more fat than adults to help develop their fast-growing brains. This homemade infant formula provides most of its calories from fats through coconut milk and flax seed oil.

Carbohydrates
Sprouted quinoa and buckwheat are the main source of sugars and carbohydrates in this formula. Coconut also provides a good amount of it.

Protein
For protein, this formula uses one of the most easily digestible legumes – sprouted mung beans.

Importance of Sprouting

Infants have a sensitive digestive track that has not been fully developed yet. Breastmilk provides easy-to-digest nutrition that is hard to find in solid foods. Toddlers with health conditions also have a sensitive digestive system which requires special consideration.

Sprouting the quinoa, buckwheat, and mung beans greatly increases their nutritional content and makes these foods easier to digest. Do not skip this step!

Especially if you are dealing with a baby or a chronically-ill toddler, you want to make sure these foods are sprouted. However, do not use sprouts raw! They can be filled with bad bacteria and hard to digest.

Soak the quinoa, buckwheat, and mung beans overnight and let them sprout in a strainer for two days (wash twice a day). Cook the quinoa and buckwheat in water for about 20 to 30 minutes and cook mung beans for 1 hour.

Important Nutritional Notes

Omega 3 is crucial for the development of healthy babies. For this reason, the formula includes 1 tablespoon of flax seed oil. However, flax seed oil can go rancid very fast and it can not be heated. A better option is ground flax seed. When your child is around seven-month- old, you can start mixing ground flax seed with baby food. Our favorite way is in smoothies or with avocado. Start with ½ teaspoon and increase the amount slowly as they grow. At around two-years-old, use 2 teaspoons.

Vitamin B12 is a bacteria needed for healthy brain development and it is not available in plant-based food. You will need to find a good, healthy supplement. We use Global Healing Center B-12. Just a few drops under the tongue once a week will be enough for infants and toddlers. Another great way to get vitamin B12 and other healthy bacteria is to play in the dirt! Take your children to nature or garden with them. Let them get dirty playing in the soil. This is not a reliable method of getting B12, but it has multiple health benefits.

Vitamin D is a hormone essential for the immune system and our overall health. Although Vitamin D is not found in plant foods, we can get it from the sun! Take your infant or toddler out into the sunshine daily, without sunscreen. Let their skin soak in as much sunrays as possible without getting burnt. In the winter, however, you may want to consider supplementing with vitamin D. We use this vitamin D supplement.

Homemade Infant Formula Recipe

Finally, onto the homemade infant formula recipe. Our son LOVES this formula. It tastes very good—in my opinion, much better tasting than any store-bought formula.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups coconut water (12 oz)
1 cup full fat canned coconut milk (8 oz)
½ cup mung beans (sprouted and cooked)
¼ cup quinoa (sprouted and cooked)
¼ cup buckwheat (sprouted and cooked)
1 tbsp flax seed oil (optional if child eats ground flax seeds)
2 dates (optional to sweeten)

Instructions:

Put all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth (about 3 minutes). Strain using a fine mesh strainer. Refrigerate in a glass container for up to 3 days. This recipe will make 26 oz.

Notes

You can substitute the coconut water and milk with 1-2 fresh young coconuts (water and meat depending on size). This will avoid the possible toxins found in the can lining. However, we have always used canned coconut milk.
Make sure the coconut water and coconut milk you buy don’t have any other added ingredients like sugar or preservatives (Guar Gum is ok). It may be hard to find pure coconut milk, but get the best you can. We buy ours at Trader Joe’s.
Substitutes in case of allergy:
- if your child reacts to mung beans, try sprouted red lentils or sprouted split peas
- if your child reacts to quinoa, try using a pseudo grain called Kaniwa or double the portion of buckwheat
- if your child reacts to buckwheat, try using Kaniwa or double the portion of quinoa
The dates are really not needed in the recipe but we did use them when we transitioned from regular formula that is very sweet. While our son adjusted to a sugar-free formula, we used 6 dates. Then, we slowly reduced the amount of dates. Now, we don’t use any dates.
Pro tip: sprout and cook the quinoa, buckwheat, and mung beans in bulk. Then, freeze them in bags to always have at hand. I made this milk daily for over a year. It can get tiring at times but having the ingredients ready to use in the freezer was of huge help.

Tags failure to thrive, food allergies, formula, infant, plantbased

Recipes

Simple 6 Ingredient Quinoa Bread

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date September 2, 2020
12 Comments on Simple 6 Ingredient Quinoa Bread

Simple 6 Ingredient Quinoa Bread

One of the hardest foods to replace when making lifestyle changes is bread. We are accustomed to eating bread every day or at every meal in certain cultures. However, bread, as we know it today, does not provide much nutrition. In many cases bread has become empty calories, filling our stomach but not nourishing our mind and body. For many people wheat is also inflammatory, making it even more crucial to find a replacement. The problem with gluten-free breads is that many use corn flour or white rice flour which are not much better and can also cause inflammation. Whatever your reason for wanting to reduce or eliminate bread consumption, I have a great recipe for you.

This recipe is very forgiving in the sense that it is easy to test out and still get a great bread. I have made several different varieties of this bread, so feel free to play around. Your essentials are the quinoa, salt, and flaxseed. This recipe does require a good food processor although it may also be done in a Vitamix blender with some effort.

Ingredients:

3.5 cups quinoa
1/3 cup water
1 cup sunflower seed
1 cup ground flaxseed
1.5 tbsp honey or 3 Tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp salt

Instructions:

Soak quinoa and sunflower seeds, separately, for at least 8 hours or overnight.
After soaking, rinse quinoa and sunflower seeds very well using a strainer. You may leave the quinoa covered in the strainer during the day to give it a chance to sprout or you may use it right away. Sprouting is recommended for those with sensitive digestion, but the recipe will work either way.

Put the quinoa and water in a food processor and process between 5 to 10 minutes until the quinoa is fully grinded and pasty.
Add the sunflower seeds, honey or coconut sugar, and salt, and process for another 3 minutes.
Add the ground flaxseed and process for a few minutes. The dough should become thick at this point.
Add water or more flaxseed meal as needed until you have the desired consistency as shown below.

Place parchment paper on a cooking tray. Take a large spoon of dough, place it on the parchment paper, and mold the dough into a biscuit using a wet spatula.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 ºF or until golden brown.

After the quinoa bread has cooled, store it in an air tight container or bag for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. You may also store the bread in the freezer to preserve for longer time.

Enjoy!

Tags bread, gluten free, healthy, plantbased, quinoa, vegan