Healthy Holiday Cookie Recipes: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free, and Low-Glycemic
It’s unfortunate that many of the holiday foods out there contain processed and damaging ingredients like gluten and sugar. Many holiday recipes contain foods that also contribute to hidden food allergies.
When you choose to make healthy alternatives for your favorite holiday recipes like these delicious holiday cookies and the recipes in my e-book, Healthy Holiday Traditions: Nourishing Recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Celebrations, you’ll feel more energetic, lighter, enjoy a smaller waistline, and think more clearer!
Those are *my* kind of cookies! Enjoy these gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and low-glycemic cookie recipes and give yourself a healthy treat for the holidays!
Dr. Ritamarie’s Healthy Holiday Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup almonds, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
- 3/4 cup dates, pitted
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- pinch sea salt
Directions:
- Process nuts and dates with salt and spices in food processor until they are completely chopped. Mixture should be a little coarse and should hold together. If needed, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.
- Roll or press dough onto non-stick sheets and use cookie cutters to make into desired festive shapes.
- Place in freezer until they are firm.
Dr. Ritamarie’s Low-Glycemic Healthy Holiday Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup almonds, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup unsweetened dried coconut
- 1 tablespoon Chia Gel
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- pinch sea salt
- 10 – 15 drops stevia concentrate, to taste (Sweet Leaf)
Directions:
- Process pecans, almonds, coconut, and chia gel with salt and spices in food processor until they are completely chopped. Mixture should be a little coarse and should hold together. If needed, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.
- Roll or press dough onto non stick sheets and use cookie cutters to make into desired shapes.
- Place in freezer until they are firm.
Chia Gel
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup chia seed
- 2 1/2 cups water
Directions:
- Put chia and water into a quart sized Mason jar or a glass bowl that can be covered.
- Shake or mix well.
- Allow to stand at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight or for 12 or more hours in the refrigerator. Store up to a week at room temperature.
The healthy holiday cookie recipe above can be found inHealthy Holiday Traditions: Nourishing Recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Celebrations containing:
- Gingerbread Men
- Latkes
- Christmas Cookies and Pudding
- Eggless Egg Nog
- Hors D’oeuvres
- Apple Pie and Ice Cream
- Candies and more!
Tags: chia, chia seeds, cookie recipe, dairy free recipes, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, food allergies, gluten free christmas, gluten free cookies recipes, Healthy Holiday, healthy holiday recipes, low-glycemic recipes, sugar free desserts
Posted in Gluten Free Diet, Healthy Holiday, Holiday Recipes, Raw Food Recipes, Raw Foods
Chia Crisps: Raw Food Snacks
One of my favorite snacks in place of crackers!
1 cup chia seed
5 cups water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 cloves of garlic
Put chia seeds into a deep bowl and cover with water. Stir well to make sure there are no lumps.
Cover and let sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight. The seeds will become a gelatinous mixture.
Spoon onto teflex sheets, and use the back of the spoon to shape into rounds.
Dehydrate at 105 degrees F until they are dry enough to remove from teflex sheet and place directly on mesh sheet (about 24 hours). Dehydrate further until completely dry.
Variations
Replace 2 cups of water with 2 cups of fresh vegetable juice.
For a cookie, replace 2 cups of water with 2 cups of apple juice or other fruit juice. Add
a dash of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
Tags: chia, chia crackers, chia crisps, chia seeds, dehydration, Dr. Ritamarie, Omega 3 Fats, raw food recipes, raw food snacks
Posted in Raw and Living Foods, Vegan Diet
Chia Seeds: A Raw and Living Superfood for Overcoming Chronic Fatigue and Creating Vibrant Health, Stamina and Endurance
I recommend chia seeds quite often in my articles, talks and recipes. It dawned on me though, that I don’t always talk about the many benefits of chia, so I decided to make chia our super food of the month!
Commonly associated with Chia Pets™, chia seeds have amazing health benefits that are often kept quiet and hidden. The use of chia as food has been dated as far back as 3500 B.C., especially in Mexico, where chia was ground for flour, used in medicines and even pressed for oils.
When chia seeds are mixed with water, they form a gelatinous substance. This same substance is believed to form in your stomach when you eat them. The coating this creates, makes it harder for carbohydrates to be digested which in turn slows down the process of transforming carbs into starch and ultimately sugar.
Chia also has a tremendous ability to hold water – up to 12 times its weight. This helps our bodies to hold on to the water and moisture inside, giving strength and support to precious electrolyte balances.
Given the fact our bodies are mostly water, staying hydrated is incredibly important.
Other benefits of chia include:
- A rich source of omega-3 fatty acids
- A favorable .3 to 1 ratio of Omega 6 to omega 3 fats. Research shows that when you eat foods with more omega 6 fats than omega 3 fats, you are much more prone to inflammation, which causes pain and disease.
- An excellent source of calcium
- High in fiber content
- Rich in antioxidants
- Great source of protein
Chia seeds are fast becoming known as a superfood.
In the popular book, Born To Run, author, Christopher McDougall, tells us how chia seed is the secret food of the
powerful runners of the Tumahumara tribe in South America. They make a drink called chia fresca, made with 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 12 ounces of water, lemon or lime juice and a splash of honey.
Chia has long been regarded as a superfood for athletes. Several studies with long distance runners and triathletes have shown superior performance in the groups that ate chia seeds over the groups that did not.
The uses of chia are almost limitless. Breads, crackers, puddings and sprouts are just a few ways to use chia seeds.
You can make a gel from the chia seeds by placing 1 cup of chia and 5 cps of water in a bowl and allowing it to seit for several hours or overnight until all the water has been absorbed and a thick gel is formed. This gel can be used as the basis for purring, added to smoothies or salad dressings or made into dehydrated crackers or crisps.
Chia seeds are available as white seeds or black seeds. There is no significant nutritional difference between the the colors. The black ones are more common. Chia seeds are also sold as Salba and Milo, at a much higher price. These are identical to chia seeds.
When purchasing chia, be sure you are getting organic or a very high agricultural standard chia. Those used for the Chia Pets, are generally loaded with pesticides and not suitable for consumption.
High quality chia seeds can be purchased at Raw Food World and Hidalgo Natural Foods, http://www.hidalgofoods.com.
This month I’m including two of my favorite recipes: Chia Pudding and Chia Crisps. Watch my video on making chia pudding.
Enjoy!
Resources:
http://www.chiaonly.com/chiahistory.html#
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/chia.html
http://www.oprah.com/health/The-New-Superfood
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, chia, chia crackers, chia crisps, Chia Pet, chia pudding, chia seeds, chronic fatigue, Dr. Ritamarie, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, endurance, fatigue, Living Foods, raw and living foods, raw foods diet, raw foods recipes, Vibrant Health
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Holistic Nutrition, Raw and Living Foods, Vibrant Health
Omega 3 Fats – Support for Your Immune System, Adrenals and Fatigue
I love coming up with new recipes that offer delicious ways to meed your needs for basic nutrients that support your in overcoming chronic fatigue, autoimmune conditions and hormone imbalances. Omega 3 fats are commonly deficient in today’s world, and imbalances here are a major contributing factor in most chronic and degenerative disease. The proper balance of Omega fats can protect you from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, chronic fatigue, autoimmune disease, thyroid issues, hormone imbalances, and any chronic inflammatory condition you can think of.
Getting enough omega 3 fats is a problem. Most Americans eat a ratio of 25:1 or higher of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fats. Omega 3 fats are found in meat, dairy, eggs, peanuts and most vegetable oils, like soybean, canola, safflower, corn and sunflower. All processed foods contain an imbalance of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fats.
Researchers estimate that a healthier ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 intake is between 1:1 and 3:1. Is this possible to achieve? Yes! In eastern countries, like Japan, people eating a more traditional diet have ratios of 1.5:1, while those eating a more western diet have ratios more similar to Americans.
There are lots of strategies I teach my private coaching clients and those in my programs, like Balance My Body. In fact we have several hours of recorded classes on this topic from last week alone and I’ve created charts and spreadsheets to assist people in measuring their omega fats and bringing them into balance.
I’ve been playing and came up with a super delicious high omega 3 chia pudding:
Dr. Ritamarie’s Omega 3 Rich Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 3 T chia seed
- 1 T flax seed, ground after measuring
- 1 T hemp seeds
- 3T finely ground dried coconut (I like Ultimate Superfoods brand)
- 1 T cinnamon
- 1 t vanilla powder of extract or ground bean
- 2 apples, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons pomegranate powder (optional )
Directions
- Soak the first 4 ingredients in 2 cups of water.
- Once it’s thick, stir in the alst 3 ingredients.
- If desired top with nut milk and any other condiments you desire, like raisins, goji berries or raw cacao nibs.
For more pudding and other hearty powerful breakfast ideas, go to:
http://powerbreakfastideas.com/
Check out the video to see me making chia pudding.
Please ost your commitments for the day.
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, Autoimmune, chia seeds, chronic fatigue, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, fatigue, livingfoods, Omega 3 Fats, pomegranate, Raw Foods
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Articles, Autoimmune, Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, Raw and Living Foods, Sleep for Vibrant Health, Vibrant Health
