Grain-Free Pumpkin Bread French Toast

Grain- Free Pumpkin Bread French Toast 

(Paleo)

I have been in the Autumn spirit ever since my trip to New York City recently.  I love Autumn and the vegetables that come from this time of year are my favorite!  I am always looking for ways to incorporate them into my diet!  The air this morning is crisp and cool and I have a heavenly glimpse of what I miss most about this season.  I remember bonfires and hay rides.  I took my daughter to the apple orchards when she was young and we would carve pumpkins every Halloween.  Unfortunately in Florida this season in easily missed so I am always looking for ways to bring back those memories.  Some of my favorites things to make include pumpkin butter, pumpkin pancakes, roasted root vegetables, and roasted beets.  So this time I have decided to upgrade an old classic favorite: French Toast.  

As a Health Coach there are some food rules I have come to follow in my journey to better health and healing myself from hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue.  The number one food rule is USE REAL FOOD!  I stay away from processed foods and that means when I bake I don't use processed sugar and I also prefer gluten free or grain free flours.  I recommend to all my clients to eat whole foods, but everything else is very individualized. One person's treasure can be another person's poison.

So this wonderful recipe comes from wanting something yummy for breakfast but different.  First you have to start with the PUMPKIN BREAD, you can find this recipe on my website but I will show you it quickly here!

To make the Pumpkin Bread mix the almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and baking soda till fine without any lumps.  In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, pumpkin, coconut milk, coconut oil, and honey. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and incorporate until smooth and creamy. Pour in oiled bread pan and bake for 45 minutes at 350.  Get my recipe here : Pumpkin Bread Paleo

Pumpkin Bread French Toast

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

4 Slices Pumpkin Bread

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

Dash of Cinnamon and Nutmeg

Coconut Oil

Maple Syrup

Heat griddle or skillet to medium heat. Lightly oil with coconut oil. Add 2 eggs to a flat dish and beat till fluffy.  Add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Place pumpkin bread in egg mixture and allow to soak then flip over to cover both sides.  

Place pumpkin bread on griddle and fry.  Each side should be be left for several minutes before flipping over.

Serve hot topped with pure Maple Syrup for a decadent, yet healthy alternative to sugar loaded French Toast!  Love these recipes and want to learn more?  I offer one on one health coaching, group programs, cooking classes, and workshops.  Call me for a consultation at 561-578-9492 or visit my website Healthy Healing Habits

Seeing green

So Day 3 of the Spring Green Clean was great for me!  I had lots of energy (but I wasn't going through caffeine withdrawals as much as others).  I did light cardio in the morning and some heavy weights upper body then did Insanity: The Asylum Day 24 later at night.  I feel my energy stores picking up and I wasn't hungry.  Although I know at least one person doing this detox with us was quite hungry!


In my cleansing program I have include many superfoods and other ingredients for their amazing properties.  I will try to inform you about each of these throughout the 10 days. Today I'm going to talk about one of the important ingredients in my detox plan.  

Wheatgrass

Is Wheatgrass important? Yes! It increases red blood-cell count and lowers blood pressure. It cleanses the blood, organs and gastrointestinal tract of debris. Wheatgrass stimulates metabolism and the body’s enzyme systems by enriching the blood. It  aids in reducing blood pressure by dilating the blood pathways throughout the body.

Stimulates the thyroid gland, correcting obesity, indigestion, and a host of other complaints.

It also restores alkalinity to the blood. The juice's abundance of alkaline minerals helps reduce over-acidity in the blood. It can be used to relieve many internal pains, and has been used successfully to treat peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, constipation, diarrhea, and other complaints of the gastrointestinal tract.

Is a powerful detoxifier, and liver and blood protector. The enzymes and amino acids found in wheatgrass can protect us from carcinogens like no other food or medicine. It strengthens our cells, detoxifies the liver and bloodstream, and chemically neutralizes environmental pollutants.

Wheatgrass fights tumors and neutralizes toxins. Recent studies show that wheatgrass juice has a powerful ability to fight tumors without the usual toxicity of drugs that also inhibit cell-destroying agents. The many active compounds found in grass juice cleanse the blood and neutralize and digest toxins in our cells.

Todays Menu Included: (each smoothie has different greens for variety such as romaine, kale, beet tops, carrot tops, dill, parsley, swiss chard, spinach, etc)  These are all my own creations!

Breakfast:  Orange, Carrot, Collard Green Juiced

Snack: Beet Me into Submission (Superfoods smoothie)

Lunch: Brocolli Soup (garlic, cayennne)

Snack: Orange you in Mint Condition (orange, mint, carrot tops)

Dinner: Salad in a Cup Smoothie

Before Bed: Pearly Coco for You ( coconut oil, flax)

I have now lost a total of 8 lbs in 3 days, please understand though that this is not normal I retain A LOT of water.  I am completely nourished and not worried about losing muscle. I am "seeing" green every where you will notice it too just check the toilet!

Interested in doing your own cleanse?  I offer guidance!  Health Coach

Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes and Happy Holidays

Last night I made Vegan Gingersnap Molasses Cookies and they were delicious. So I decided when I awoke this morning to take the guts of that recipe and make some wonderful pancakes.  These pancakes are sensational and healthy.  You can substitute the type of flour depending on your taste or needs.  I wanted some extra protein so I made the majority of mine with a soy flour, but I have used coconut, whole wheat, or any other gluten free flour of your choice.  I hope you enjoy and may you have a blessed holiday season!

Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup soy flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flower

2 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbs. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 or 2 crushed candy canes

Wet Ingredients:

1 Tbs. coconut oil

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup molasses

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

3/4 cup water 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients is a bowl and create a well in the center for the liquid ingredients.  Add liquid ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Add crushed candy canes last heat griddle and cook!  Makes 2 to 4 servings depending on how hungry you are!

Are Your Cooking Oils Killing You?

Polyunsaturated oils, such as corn, soy, safflower, sunflower, and canola oil, are the worst oils for cooking.  They are very heat sensitive and break down to release free-radicals.  Free-radicals are known to increase your risk for cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, obesity, and most degenerative diseases in general.  The solution is simple: Coconut Oil.  Coconut Oil is a saturated fat that is heat stable, but has gotten a bad rap over the years.  The benefits of coconut oil go beyond just cooking though.  Coconut oil, a nutritious food and skin conditioner, fell out of favor in the 1960s when the food industry and doctors with no nutrition education started making false claims that it contains cholesterol and should be avoided. Saturated fats do not all contain cholesterol. Saturated fats are, in fact, necessary for optimum health.
Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), also called medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs are what make coconut oil special. Coconut oil is the richest source of MCTs.  MCTs are smaller than most fats so they pass into membranes without difficulty and acts like a carbohydrate in its ability to be used for energy, but doesn’t require insulin. This property makes coconut oil an excellent choice for energy for diabetics, people with hypoglycemia, and those with blood-sugar swings. MCTs are easily digested and are converted quickly by the liver into energy rather than being stored as fat. This quick energy stimulates metabolism and weight loss. In fact, the ability of MCFAs to be easily digested, stimulate the metabolism and turned into energy has been shown to enhance athletic performance also.
Benefits of Coconut Oil:

* Weight loss

* Improved athletic performance

* Reduced risk of heart disease

* Immune system support

* Reduced cancer risk

* A rapid energy source.

* Increases energy like carbohydrates, but does not cause wide fluctuations in blood sugar.

* Prevents and treats bacterial, viral and yeast infections

* Easily digested and assimilated by those with digestive problems

* Protects skin from UV light damage and wrinkles.

Coconut Oil is also a highly effective detoxifier.  It contains lauric acid, a saturated fatty acid with antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral and COX-1-2 inhibitors that has anti-microbial properties.  Coconut Oil is used both internally and externally to fight viruses, bacteria, yeast, fungi, and parasites. Use coconut oil on skin to fight sun damage and wrinkles.  Contact me for information on how to cleanse and detoxify with Coconut Oil or how to use in cooking and body products.