Christmas Wreath Cookies {GAPS Legal}

It's the holiday season! More specifically, it's cookie season!   I love making, giving away (and eating) Christmas cookies. But it's been a long time since I have enjoyed many of the cookies I grew up making, so this year I decided I wanted to create real-food versions of some of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes.  

First up, Christmas Wreath cookies!

  This cookie is traditionally a mix of corn flakes, marshmallows, and butter. So let's look at the ingredients...

• The butter is already a real food!

• Marshmallows I have made before, modified from Mommypotamus' marshmallow recipe.

So all I had to do was figure out a substitution for the corn flakes (and see if the marshmallows actually work the same as the commercial variety).   Challenge accepted!

Christmas Wreath Cookies

Makes about 36 cookies (recipe can be halved)

Ingredients

For Marshmallows

• 2 cups honey

• 1 cup of filtered water

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 6 TBS grass-fed beef gelatin

• 1 cup of filtered water

For Wreath Cookies

• Marshmallow paste (above)

• 8 ounces organic butter

• 14 cups coconut flakes (approximately 20 ounces)

• Red hots (my homemade recipe)

• Natural food coloring, blue and yellow packets (I used this one)

Directions

Place the coconut flakes in the oven at 200°

Toast the coconut until they are light brown—this makes the cookies crispier! When done, remove them from the oven Place in a large bowl, set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat When melted, remove from heat and set aside   Next, make the marshmallow paste. See recipe here.

Soften the gelatin

• Add gelatin to 1 cup hot water

• Stir and allow to to sit, keep warm (not on stove)

While gelatin is softening... Heat honey and water in a medium saucepan (medium to high heat), stirring frequently, until it reaches the soft ball candy stage (about 235°F).

If you don't have a thermometer, you can check by dripping the heated honey into a glass of cold water. When the candy forms a ball, it is ready!

When the honey has reached the soft ball stage, remove from heat. Add the heated mixture to the softened gelatin in a large bowl. Add vanilla.

Do these steps quickly, you don't want honey mixture to cool off too much!

Whisk the mixture using an electric mixer or stand mixer for about 10 minutes.

When the mixture is thick and looks like marshmallow paste, it's done!  

If you want marshmallows, you can stop here. Put the marshmallow paste in a greased glass 9x11 dish and allow to cool and dry for a 24-36 hrs. Then cut up and serve.  

But we are not stopping here! To make traditional Christmas wreath cookies you melt the marshmallows and turn them back into paste-which is what you just created!  

Next, stir the melted butter into the mixture. It will deflate the mixture somewhat, this is normal.

Mix in the blue and yellow food coloring packets. This will turn it green (not neon green—that's an artificial color). But when it's made into wreathes it does look green—although you're going to have to take my word for it!

Pour the marshmallow mixture into the bowl with the toasted coconut flakes. Mix until the flakes are coated.

Finally, form the warm mixture into wreath-shaped cookies on parchment paper.

Add decorative red hots as berries (see my homemade recipe) Allow to cool.

See, I told you they look green!

All that's left is to share and enjoy these delicious treats!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Your trust is important. I only recommend products I trust. 

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Christmas Wreath Cookies

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

For Marshmallows

• 2 cups honey
• 1 cup of filtered water
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 6 TBS grass-fed beef gelatin
• 1 cup of filtered water

For Wreath Cookies

• Marshmallow paste (above)
• 8 ounces organic butter
• 14 cups coconut flakes (approximately 20 ounces)
• Red hots (my homemaderecipe)
• Natural food coloring, blue and yellow packets (I used this one)

instructions:

How to cook Christmas Wreath Cookies

1. Place the coconut flakes in the oven at 200°
2. Toast the coconut until they are light brown—this makes the cookies crispier! When done, remove them from the oven Place in a large bowl, set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat When melted, remove from heat and set aside Next, make the marshmallow paste. See recipe here.
4. Soften the gelatin
5. Add gelatin to 1 cup hot water
6. Stir and allow to to sit, keep warm (not on stove)
7. While gelatin is softening... Heat honey and water in a medium saucepan (medium to high heat), stirring frequently, until it reaches the soft ball candy stage (about 235°F).
8. If you don't have a thermometer, you can check by dripping the heated honey into a glass of cold water. When the candy forms a ball, it is ready!
9. When the honey has reached the soft ball stage, remove from heat. Add the heated mixture to the softened gelatin in a large bowl. Add vanilla.
10. Do these steps quickly, you don't want honey mixture to cool off too much!
11. Whisk the mixture using an electric mixer or stand mixer for about 10 minutes.
12. When the mixture is thick and looks like marshmallow paste, it's done!
13. If you want marshmallows, you can stop here. Put the marshmallow paste in a greased glass 9x11 dish and allow to cool and dry for a 24-36 hrs. Then cut up and serve.
14. But we are not stopping here! To make traditional Christmas wreath cookies you melt the marshmallows and turn them back into paste-which is what you just created!
15. Next, stir the melted butter into the mixture. It will deflate the mixture somewhat, this is normal.
16. Mix in the blue and yellow food coloring packets. This will turn it green (not neon green—that's an artificial color). But when it's made into wreathes it does look green—although you're going to have to take my word for it!
17. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the bowl with the toasted coconut flakes. Mix until the flakes are coated.
18. Finally, form the warm mixture into wreath-shaped cookies on parchment paper.
19. Add decorative red hots as berries (see my homemade recipe) Allow to cool.
20. See, I told you they look green!
21. All that's left is to share and enjoy these delicious treats!

Created using The Recipes Generator

Fruit Chutney for your Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

One of the best things about November is the focus on being grateful and thankful. Everywhere you look there are posts and tweets showing gratitude. And we sure have a lot to be thankful for! Some things are so obvious we often forget to be thankful for. These are things like safe drinking water, warm houses, smart phones and electricity are so everyday for us that we forget how much we have.

Sometime this week, I encourage you to write a list of all the things you have to be thankful for. Don't feel silly including things like water, or your favorite pair of jeans. See how long you can make the list! Even if you don't feel like being thankful, I encourage you to do this exercise—gratitude changes our perception and experience of life, even if nothing is circumstantially different.

This is not to say that you don't have hard things in your life, or that you should pretend they aren't difficult. They are. Hard things are part of life and are very, very real. Remembering that there are good things in your life as well will help YOU through difficult situations.  

As you know, most of my posts (so far, at least) aren't recipes. But it's Thanksgiving! The start of holidays and delicious, rich, made-with-love food. Well this recipe is definitely delicious, rich and made-with-love!

I took the recipe out of Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Cambell-McBride. If you are following the GAPS diet this is legal on stage 5 or 6, when you are tolerating dried spices and peppercorns.

This recipe is very simple—chop and combine ingredients, simmer for a while, then store in jars. It would be a great recipe to make in a crockpot... you really could fix it and forget it! But simple doesn't mean plain. It's delicious and adds flavor to any meat you are eating. And I'm told, quite excellent with turkey!  

*This dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free recipe would be great for gifts as well—ladle into pint jars and add a bow!

Fruit Chutney

Makes 3-4 quarts

Ingredients

• 2 lbs dried dates (without stones, cut in half)

• 2 lbs cooking apples (about 7 cups of pieces)

• 1 lb plumbs (I used packaged prunes)

• 3 medium onions (about 3 cups, finely diced)

• 3 peppers (about 2 cups, finely diced)

• 2 cups raw apple cider vinegar

• 1-2 tsp whole peppercorns (freshly crushed)

• 1-2 tsp aromatic seeds (I used cumin and dill)

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1-2 tsp natural salt

Directions:

Cut dates in half (and remove stones (seeds) if needed)

Slowly boil the dates in about 1 cup of water in a large pot until soft (about 10 minutes)

If you live in Colorado like me, and don't use a lid (also like me), you may need to add extra water during this process.

When the dates are soft, turn off heat and mash them with a potato masher—they don't have to be perfectly smooth, just mashed.  

While you were softening the dates, I hope you were furiously chopping! I completely underestimated the time it was going to take to chop everything I needed for this recipe. If you want the process to go smoother, I would recommend chopping everything at the beginning. Then as soon as the dates are soft you can add the rest, stir occasionally, and walk away!

The directions from Dr. Natasha are:

Add everything else to the dates and simmer 1-1/2 hours on very low heat, stirring occasionally.

If you are like me and work better with a little note of panic, then by all means, chop furiously and add things as you chop. For all you step-by-steppers like me, below are pictures to show what I added.

Sterilize the jars.

Dr. Natasha recommends doing this in an oven. I had never done this but it seemed to work great! Place cold jars in a cold oven. Heat the oven to 250°F, then leave it at that temperature for 40 minutes to sterilize the jars. Pull the jars out of the oven one-by-one as you are ready to fill them so they stay hot. Use oven mitts!

Ladle the hot chutney into the jars.

A jar funnel is a lifesaver here!

I left just a little room for air, much less than my fermenting self wanted, but no jars exploded so it must be okay!

Wipe off any chutney on the rim of the jar. Then immediately seal the jar, tightening the lid.

Again, use an oven mitt—the jars are hot!  

Place the jar on the counter, some distance between them.

It's better to not move the jars until they are cool, so place them where you will not need to move them for many hours, overnight is better.

When cool, place the jars into the refrigerator.

This is not a fermented food, so it does require refrigeration.  

Serve with meats and fish. Good cold or warm.

It's delicious! I made this for our Thanksgiving feast in a few days, but tried it out with some chicken today. I enjoyed it thoroughly! I hope you enjoy it as well!

Onward!

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Fruit Chutney

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

• 2 lbs dried dates (without stones, cut in half)
• 2 lbs cooking apples (about 7 cups of pieces)
• 1 lb plumbs (I used packaged prunes)
• 3 medium onions (about 3 cups, finely diced)
• 3 peppers (about 2 cups, finely diced)
• 2 cups raw apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 tsp whole peppercorns (freshly crushed)
• 1-2 tsp aromatic seeds (I used cumin and dill)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1-2 tsp natural salt

instructions:

How to cook Fruit Chutney

1. Cut dates in half (and remove stones (seeds) if needed)
2. Slowly boil the dates in about 1 cup of water in a large pot until soft (about 10 minutes)
3. If you live in Colorado like me, and don't use a lid (also like me), you may need to add extra water during this process.
4. When the dates are soft, turn off heat and mash them with a potato masher—they don't have to be perfectly smooth, just mashed.
5. While you were softening the dates, I hope you were furiously chopping! I completely underestimated the time it was going to take to chop everything I needed for this recipe. If you want the process to go smoother, I would recommend chopping everything at the beginning. Then as soon as the dates are soft you can add the rest, stir occasionally, and walk away!
6. The directions from Dr. Natasha are:
7. Add everything else to the dates and simmer 1-1/2 hours on very low heat, stirring occasionally.
8. If you are like me and work better with a little note of panic, then by all means, chop furiously and add things as you chop. For all you step-by-steppers like me, below are pictures to show what I added.
9. Sterilize the jars.
10. Dr. Natasha recommends doing this in an oven. I had never done this but it seemed to work great! Place cold jars in a cold oven. Heat the oven to 250°F, then leave it at that temperature for 40 minutes to sterilize the jars. Pull the jars out of the oven one-by-one as you are ready to fill them so they stay hot. Use oven mitts!
11. Ladle the hot chutney into the jars.
12. A jar funnel is a lifesaver here!
13. I left just a little room for air, much less than my fermenting self wanted, but no jars exploded so it must be okay!
14. Wipe off any chutney on the rim of the jar. Then immediately seal the jar, tightening the lid.
15. Again, use an oven mitt—the jars are hot!
16. Place the jar on the counter, some distance between them.
17. It's better to not move the jars until they are cool, so place them where you will not need to move them for many hours, overnight is better.
18. When cool, place the jars into the refrigerator.
19. This is not a fermented food, so it does require refrigeration.
20. Serve with meats and fish. Good cold or warm.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Zucchini Bread {GAPS legal}

Zucchini... if there is one harvest that defines summer, it's zucchini.

Zucchini is great because of its versatility: it can be used hot or cold, baked or fried, and in soups, salads, breads, or even as a noodle substitute.

Today I want to share with you a recipe for a zucchini bread that is legal on the full GAPS diet, WAPF diet, Paleo diet and Whole30. I want you to remember (and take hope in) the fact that I am not primarily a chef. I am just average in the kitchen. If I can make this, so can you! This recipe is very forgiving—so try it!

There are a couple keys to this recipe that need to be followed. Don't shortcut them...they are what make this recipe forgiving, and the bread yummy! The first key is also the first step: fermenting the almond flour. Have you eaten baked goods made of almond flour that are dense and dry? Fermenting the flour creates a lighter, fluffier end product. But that's not all! Fermenting is one of the three processes that can be used to make nuts more digestible.

For more about soaking, sprouting or fermenting, watch this video.

The other key is using sour cream (you could also substitute in a full-fat yogurt) for the fat. As a cultured food, sour cream helps make the bread lighter as well.

Fermented Almond Flour Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour (organic preferred)

• 1/2 cup whey (strained from yogurt or kefir)

• 2 cups zucchini (grated and squeezed to remove the liquid)

• 2-3 eggs (chicken or duck)

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ginger

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1 tsp sea salt (source)

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 2/3 cup date syrup (source)

Directions

24 hours (or more) before

Mix almond flour and whey together in a bow.l Cover and set on the counter for 24 hours

This fermentation, which takes place at room temperature, will change the texture of the "flour." At the end of 24 hours you will have something that resembles dough more than wet flour. This is a base that can be used for many recipes. It will keep in the fridge about a week, so many people make this ahead of time and keep it in their fridge for future use. With this step done ahead of time, you can pull it out, add ingredients, and have a fermented baked good in about an hour.

The Next Day

Preheat the oven to 350° F Grate more than 2 cups of zucchini. The zucchini is very wet, so squeeze it dry using a cloth or towel (you can see it in the picture below).

Next, measure 2 cups of the zucchini (dry, but not compressed) and mix it into the 24 hour fermented flour. Add 2-3 eggs (it depends on the size of your egg, those pictured are duck eggs, which are larger than chicken eggs).

Mix in the rest of the ingredients (sour cream, date syrup, salt and spices).

I used date paste instead of honey because cooking honey is thought to turn the honey toxic. You can also make your own date paste in a strong blender like a Vitamix.

Pour into a greased pan (I prefer lining mine with parchment paper, but this is optional).

Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from the middle. Wait at least 10 minutes before cutting into the bread. This allows the steam to finish the cooking progress, and will make the texture of the bread better. Add butter, and enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links. Your trust is important to me, and I only recommend products that I trust.

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Fermented Almond Flour Zucchini Bread

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour (organic preferred)
• 1/2 cup whey (strained from yogurt or kefir)
• 2 cups zucchini (grated and squeezed to remove the liquid)
• 2-3 eggs (chicken or duck)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp sea salt (source)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup date syrup (source)

instructions:

How to cook Fermented Almond Flour Zucchini Bread

24 hours (or more) before

1. Mix almond flour and whey together in a bow.l Cover and set on the counter for 24 hours
2. This fermentation, which takes place at room temperature, will change the texture of the "flour." At the end of 24 hours you will have something that resembles dough more than wet flour. This is a base that can be used for many recipes. It will keep in the fridge about a week, so many people make this ahead of time and keep it in their fridge for future use. With this step done ahead of time, you can pull it out, add ingredients, and have a fermented baked good in about an hour.

The Next Day

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F Grate more than 2 cups of zucchini. The zucchini is very wet, so squeeze it dry using a cloth or towel (you can see it in the picture below).
2. Next, measure 2 cups of the zucchini (dry, but not compressed) and mix it into the 24 hour fermented flour. Add 2-3 eggs (it depends on the size of your egg, those pictured are duck eggs, which are larger than chicken eggs).
3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients (sour cream, date syrup, salt and spices).
4. I used date paste instead of honey because cooking honey is thought to turn the honey toxic. You can also make your own date paste in a strong blender like a Vitamix.
5. Pour into a greased pan (I prefer lining mine with parchment paper, but this is optional).
6. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from the middle. Wait at least 10 minutes before cutting into the bread. This allows the steam to finish the cooking progress, and will make the texture of the bread better. Add butter, and enjoy!

Created using The Recipes Generator

The Root Cause of Asthma {Video}

Asthma

It is currently one of the most common diseases in the civilized world. But did you know that despite all of our medical advances, the occurrence, as well as complications and deaths related to asthma have skyrocketed? Asthma is more common than it used to be, and it's also more severe. Since 1980, the death rates for asthma have increased by more than 50% [1] In fact, asthma deaths were considered rare in the early 1900's [2]. So what changed?  

There were three major changes:

First, our world became more toxic. The effects of industrialization had taken its toll on our air, water and food. Additionally, we began to manufacture food-like substances to replace real food. These food-like substances are full of chemicals and preservatives, which had an unknown effect on the human body.  

Second, we replaced saturated animal fats with hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans-fatty acids. This was a double whammy on our lungs. We removed the substance it relied most heavily on to function properly (saturated fat) and gave it a replacement fat full of toxins and unknown substances that it now had to deal with.  

Third, medications like bronchodilators and other inhalers were invented. This forces the airways open against the body's desire to close off an area to allow for lung repair. Before medication were invented, asthma rarely caused death and was generally considered a benign condition.   To find out more about the root cause of asthma, and how the body works, check out my new video below!  

References: [1] http://www.asthmamd.org/asthma-statistics/ [2] http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/rccm.200402-185OE