Nourish Mama by Sherry Rothwell
Nourish Mama, a nutritional program by Sherry Rothwell

18 Nut FREE, Mostly Grain FREE and Mostly Dairy FREE Lunch Ideas

I have come up with 18 Nut FREE, Mostly Grain FREE and Mostly Dairy FREE Lunch Ideas that I am happy to share with you here! Even if your child’s school doesn’t have food restrictions, I think you’ll find a few ideas that you might want to add to your roster of wholesome take a way lunch ideas!

1) Coconut Bacon Muffins

2) Chicken Nuggets

3) Refried Beans

4) Salad Roll with sunflower dipping sauce

5) Chicken Salad “UnSandwich” Wraps

6) Tuna Nori Rolls

7) Sunbutter and Jam in Coconut/Flax Wraps

8) Meditteranean Skewers

9) Sushi

10) Devilled Eggs

11) Bread Free BLT’s

12) Bean Salad

13) Lentil Patties

14) Soup

15) Collard Wraps

16) Dolmas

17) Potato Pancakes

18) Not Hot Dogs

Happy Brown Baggin’ It!

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Sensational Soy

While in North America soy used to be reserved for hippy’s past, today soy is mainstream and these days has become controversial in the natural health community.

As an ex vegetarian, I fell in love with the versatility of tofu decades ago. As a nutrition educator, I am well aware of the arguments for and against soy.

I believe that the truth comes down to context, so let’s take a look.

October 1 002You may have heard that the Okinawans (the world’s longest-lived people), have eaten whole, organic and fermented soy foods like miso, tempeh, tofu, soy milk, and edamame (young soybeans in the pod) for more than five millennia.

Today soy is recognized as a healthy food with it’s long history of safe use in Asia.

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, “Human studies on soy while limited, have demonstrated that soy may help lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, increase bone density, protect the kidneys of people with diabetes, and relieve menopausal symptoms like hot flashes.”

It is believed that the beneficial effects come from isoflavones, which are considered weak plant (phyto) estrogens, that can block the absorption of more powerful human estrogens and harmful xenoestrogens (toxic environmental chems).

On the other hand you may have also heard that…

Soy might promote breast cancer, block thyroid function and prevent the absorption of minerals and interfere with digestion.

Here is what Dr. Hyman has to say about these concerns…..

He says that studies that show poor outcomes with soy were done with unusually high amounts of soy, much more than the average person would ever eat on a daily basis and goes on to say “breast tissue density is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. Breast tissue density increases with estrogen replacement, but decreases with isoflavone consumption in postmenopausal women. That’s a good thing.”

He says that studies also show that “Eating soy foods at an early age (childhood and the teen years) appears to have a significant protective effect against breast cancer.”

As for the impact on thyroid health, he says, “A review of the research found no significant effects of soy on the thyroid except in people who are iodine deficient — a condition that is rare in this country. Based on my assessment of this and other research, I am convinced that normal amounts of traditional soy foods pose no risk to thyroid function.”

He believes that the effects on the thyroid are not relevant unless you are deficient in iodine and that one can mitigate the effects by eating fish, seaweed or sea vegetables, or iodized salt.

Not everyone agrees…..

The Weston A. Price Association, an organization that promotes staying true to the traditional foods of our ancestors, is strictly against the use of soy products. And that’s because the way that North American’s consume soy is not in keeping with the safe and time tested traditions of Asia.

The organization stresses that soy should never be consumed without being first fermented – and then only served in small amounts, alongside animal foods like meat and iodine rich fish broth, to mitigate their goitrogenic effects, as well as to prevent mineral depletion from their naturally occurring phytic acid content.

They discourage the consumption of any unfermented soy, as they say it has been shown over and over to have many detrimental effects in animal studies.

Soy seems to be both good and bad, so which one is it?

It is very possible that negative outcomes associated with soy are based on the consumption not of the whole bean, but of SPI (soy protein isolate) and hydrolyzed soy (HVP) which is a second cousin to MSG (the soy is boiled in hydrochloric acid and then neutralized with sodium hydroxide leaving a brown powder that contains a form of MSG used by food producers as an additive to make things taste savory – in place of meat broth). SPI is the type of soy used in processed foods and meat substitutes.

According to www.soyatech.com……

“About 85 percent of the world’s soybean crop is processed into meal and vegetable oil, and virtually all of that meal is used in animal feed.  Some two percent of the soybean meal is further processed into soy flours and proteins for food use… Approximately six percent of soybeans are used directly as human food, mostly in Asia.”

Processed soy foods are made from soybean meal that has been dehulled and defatted and processed into three kinds of high protein commercial products: soy flour, concentrates, and isolates used in soy junk foods and animal feed.  Not to mention these types of soy are most often genetically modified (typically Monsanto’s Roundup Soyabeans) unless they are certified organic.

Examples of these processed and harmful soy foods include:

  • soy supplements
  • soy cheese
  • soy ice cream
  • soy oil
  • soy burgers
  • soy hotdogs
  • soy margarine

These poor quality foods don’t have the thousands of years of traditional use that whole soy foods do. Not only are they processed, but they contain unhealthy fats and other toxic additives.

Processed forms of soy can sometimes be hard to detect……

In order to avoid hidden forms of soy, you must also avoid products that list these ingredients:

  • soy protein concentrates or isolates
  • hydrolyzed
  • TSP textured vegetable or soy protein,
  • “boullion,” “natural flavor,” and “textured plant protein.”
  • Mono-diglyceride
  • Soya, Soja or Yuba
  • Lecithin
  • MSG (monosodium glutamate)

But is there a healthier form of soy?

The health benefits from soy are most likely attributed to soy consumed in moderation in a fermented form.

Fermented soy is definitely a better choice than non-fermented soy, and of course it beats out SPI and TSP by leaps and bounds.

Here is why……

Soybeans (as well as other legumes contain phytates- naturally occurring food chemicals that binds to minerals, thus reducing their absorbability).

The Asian cultures that have traditionally consumed soy, typically ferment it first thus reducing the phytic acid, and through fermentation adds extra nutrients and beneficial bacteria (probiotics).

Fermented and safe soy foods include:

  1. Miso
  2. Natto
  3. Tempeh
  4. Fermented Tofu (identifiable under the following names: fermented bean curd, sufu, tofu cheese, or preserved tofu and can be found in Asian markets)
  5. Naturally brewed soy sauce
  6. Fermented soymilk (the most recently developed and the only one to have originated in Europe in the early 1900s).

To be on the safe side, Dr. Hyman recommends limiting yourself to 2 servings a day.

But what about the minimally processed unfermented tofu and soymilk, edamame and sprouted soya?

A little every once in a while in small amounts should be fine (but only if they feel easy for your body to digest).  These foods are eaten occasionally in Asia, and specifically, sprouted soy beans have been a consistent part of the Korean diet (and seemingly so without harm).

In my home, we eat certified organic tofu occassionally (never soy milk) and first ferment it in a marinade that includes at least one ferment: traditionally brewed soy sauce and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar or Kombucha…..but we pass on both processed soy based meat alternatives and non organic tofu.

Practicing moderation, eating according to the food traditions of our ancestors and avoiding processed foods is just good common sense.

References:

1) How Soy Can Kill You and Save Your Life by Mark Hyman, MD (article)
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/08/06/how-soy-can-kill-you-and-save-your-life/#close

2) History of Fermented Soymilk and Its Products by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi (article) http://www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/fermented_soymilk.php

3) Weston A. Price Soy Alert (webpage) http://www.westonaprice.org/soy-alert/ and  http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/studies-showing-adverse-effects-of-isoflavones-1950-2010/

Additional Resource:

1) The Hidden Dangers of Soy
https://www.healthambition.com/the-hidden-dangers-of-soy/

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More Ways to Use Whey

Not to be confused with whey protein powder (which is basically the dry concentrated form), whey is the watery ‘stuff’ you’ll find sitting on top of your whole plain yogurt.

While it is best know for being a starter culture for home made cultured veggies and condiments, whey has health benefits all on it’s own! whey

Here are some of the health benefits of using whey:

  • Minerals
  • Protein
  • 1 tbsp of whey in a glass of water with or before meals will help digestion
  • Use ¼ cup whey in a glass of water with a pinch of unrefined salt for better water absorption
  • Keeps joints movable and ligaments elastic

“For stomach ailments, 1 tbsp 3 times per day will feed the stomach glands and they will work well again” (Hanna Kroeger in Ageless Remedies from Mother’s Kitchen)

Wondering what else you can do with it?

  1. Substitute it in any recipe that calls for water or milk (such as salad dressings, sauces, muffins, bread, pancakes etc.)
  2. Instead of milk in smoothies.
  3. To soak grains, lentils and beans for better digestibility.
  4. Use it to cook your grains, pasta, rice or oatmeal with.
  5. Use it in soups or stew when you don’t have broth.
  6. Use it to marinate your meats for better digestibility.
  7. Feed it to your plants.
  8. Compost it!

Click here to learn how to make some for yourself!

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How to Make Labne (yogurt cream cheese balls)

How to Make Labne (yogurt cream cheese balls)

This recipe is so easy and so to die for! Homemade yogurt cream cheese is healthier and easier to digest than store bought cream cheese.

before the mixWhat you will need:
1 quart of yogurt
unrefined salt (to taste)
fresh chopped herbs
pressed garlic (to taste)
olive oil

How to do it:
Step 1: Drip the whey from 1 quart of yogurt for 2-5 days (click here for more detailed instructions for making whey and cream cheese)

Step 2: Stir in a ½ tsp or more of unrefined salt and garlic to taste and fresh herbs of your choice (if you have some on hand).
labne ball
Step 3: Roll into balls and drop into a 500ml jar.

Step 4: Pour olive oil on top.

Step 5: Store in the cupboard or on your countertop.

Enjoy by scooping out balls as a side dish or spread on bread or crackers!

When you are done, strain the olive oil with a coffee filter and use to make salad dressings (no need to let it go to waste)!

The finished product does not need to be refrigerated as the olive oil will act as a preservative. The longer it sits, the more sour it gets, so if you don’t love the sour taste, then make sure to consume it within 3-5 days. Honestly in this house, we never make it to day 3!

labne completeThis recipe is great to wow a crowd at potlucks or to gift to family and friends for the holidays. 1 quart of yogurt will make two small jars (as shown in the photo).

Wondering what to do with the leftover whey?

1) Enjoy this article for more ways to use whey!

Looking for more kid friendly cultured food ideas?

1) Enjoy this list of  kid-friendly ferments : )

2) Join the Cultured Kids e-course to get the recipes, video demonstrations, inspiring audio trainings and more!

What else do you make with your yogurt cream cheese? Share your ideas below!

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How to Make Whey & Yogurt Cream Cheese

How to Make Yogurt “Cream Cheese” & Whey

making wheyCream cheese is nice, but yogurt cream cheese is even better (and FREE of nasty additives)!

What you will need:
 plain full fat yogurt
a cheesecloth or nut milk bag (or you can use a tea towel).
optional: unbleached coffee filter

Grab a medium sized bowl, your nut milk bag (or cheese cloth) and the yogurt. Pour the yogurt into the nut milk bag (or put a strainer over the bowl if you are using a cheesecloth). The liquid portion of the yogurt is the whey and it will begin to drip through into the bowl.

wheyYou will need to hang your bag over the bowl so that the process can occur over a period of 4-8 hours (depending on the texture you want your yogurt cream cheese to have). When I use cheesecloth and a strainer, I actually let the strain happen for a few days inside the fridge.

* To make sure that no milk solids have dripped through, do a second strain with a coffee filter as shown in the photo below.

Keep the whey and the cream cheese in separate glass containers and store in the fridge.

The cream cheese will last from 5-7 days and the whey will last for up to 6 months!

You will use the whey to culture your ferments.

You can use the cream cheese to spread on toast, to make cheesecake, cream cheese icing or whatever you normally use cream cheese for. Mmmmm…..imagine probiotic desserts!!  A whole new realm of guilt free pleasure is available to you!!

Wondering what else you can do with your cream cheese? 

1) Make labne (spreadable yogurt cream cheese balls)

What about the whey?

1) Enjoy this article for more ways to use whey!

2) Make these kid-friendly ferments : )

3) Join the Cultured Kids e-course to get the recipes, video demonstrations, inspiring audio trainings and more!

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Apple Chia Breakfast Casserole

chia casseroleI have a strong preference for breakfast’s that can be pre prepared the night before so that I can get my kids off to school on a full tummy -without rushing. This recipe is soooo easy, you’ll have no trouble making it while cleaning up from dinner : )

Apple Chia Breakfast Casserole

What you will need:
4 apples
1/4 lemon squeezed
1 cup canned coconut milk
4 tbsp chia
1/4 tsp green leaf stevia (or only slightly more to taste)

How to do it:
Step 1: Cut apples into bite sized pieces and layer into the bottom of a casserole dish.
Step 2: Squeeze some fresh lemon juice and pour over the apples to keep them from browning (use a fork to distribute the juice evenly).
Step 3: In a seperate bowl, mix coconut milk, 4 tbsp chia and 1/4 tsp of stevia.
Step 4: Spread the chia mixture over the apple base and refridgerate for breakfast the next day.

Enjoy a delicous and peaceful breakfast!

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Spelt Sourdough Oven Pancakes

If you feed a batch of sourdough daily, then you’ll love this quick and delicious recipe for spelt sourdough oven pancakes.

Starter 2If you don’t have a sourdough starter, it is actually very easy to make. You can learn how here.

I prefer oven pancakes because they are easier, faster and more nutritionally dense than a regular pancake because there are more eggs in the recipe. And in this case with sourdough as the base, they are easier to digest too  : )

This recipe is kid approved!

 

Spelt Sourdough Oven Pancakes

What you will need:sourdough pancakes
2 cups sourdough starter
6 eggs
1 tsp unrefined salt

How to do it:
Step 1: Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees F
Step 2: Put 2 cups starter in the blender, crack 6 eggs ontop and sprinkle in the unrefined salt and blend until smooth.
Step 3: Generously grease an oven safe casserole dish with butter, ghee or coconut oil and pour batter in.
Step 4: Bake for 12 min.

Serve with maple syrup/ jam and creme fraiche/butter/yogurt on top!

sourdough pancakes served

 

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Motherhood: The catalyst for your calling.

Becoming a mother changes how we view the world.

With our sweet little bundle arrived, it can suddenly feel urgent to create a brand new world for our children to live into. Seemingly strange, motherhood simultaneously kicks our drive to make a difference into high gear, while at the same time putting our foot on the brake -with the round the clock responsibilities of motherhood.

WFP photoWhile both of my children are now in school I must admit that throughout my 10 years as a stay at home mom, whilst fully engaged with my passions -I often felt perplexed by my seemingly contradictory urges to fully embody my role as a nurturer and at the same time fulfill my dreams, passions and purpose as a woman.

It was a conflicted time for me as I lived with the story that my work compromised my mothering and that my mothering compromised my work. I often felt like I wasn’t doing a very good job of anything. Unable to give myself fully to either and in many ways living only to a fraction of my capacity.

Sigh.

But a story is all that it was. A collective pattern and mindset (one that I believe is part of the collective feminine pain body) bullying us into believing that we can’t have it all (and shouldn’t). Battering us into believing that we are required to give our selfhood over to motherhood and simply put our lives on hold- if we are to be a good mother.

It’s bruising and it’s a lie.

I believe the truth is that we are called as mothers to gather resources and do whatever it takes to conjure up more energy (than we’ve ever had) and to give more fully of our whole selves. We are called to model living fully self expressed in the truth of who we are, so that our children can naturally and easily do it too.

It is a truth that my husband gently reminds me of, when I feel guilty for swinging too far from a lifestyle that I personally feel is in the best interests of my family- and yes, of course there are seasons like that when you dare to defy the traditional role of a mother- you’ll feel like a shit mom, and sometimes you’ll be one- despite your best intentions you are only human and we are all learning as we go.

While it isn’t always easy, it is worth figuring out how to live harmoniously and in consensus with both our soul’s drive to create and our children’s inherent needs. I believe that we are the ones who will recreate the story and create a new blueprint for motherhood.

We are finding our way….

Feelings and urges are meant to be expressed, not suppressed (the latter of which of course which only adds fuel to the fire of the passions we are trying to put out or starve).

By virtue of having a desire, our soul is speaking to us of a yet unmet need. You can’t argue with a feeling, it just is. It must be felt, acknowledged, released or expressed. Either way, it is coming out- whether destructive or creative. We get to decide -if we choose to look at it.

And you can’t argue with reality either. If it is universal that women give birth to creative power, while also giving birth to a child (many women can attest that this heightened creativity begins as early as pregnancy), then could it be that we are wired this way for good reason?

Who better than a mother high on love hormones to recreate the world?

Is it possible that it is within the divine plan, that a strong desire to manifest is also birthed inside a woman as she becomes a mother? Could our creative urges be divinely inspired?

With all of my being, I believe that childbirth is a woman’s vision quest and that not only are we downloaded with a  blueprint for how we are to parent, but that we are also given a vision for birthing a new humanity through mothering.

This inner drive need not be misconstrued as a force that calls us away from conscious mothering, but rather acknowledged as one that calls us more fully into mothering with intention and living our divine life purpose (of which motherhood is part of the practice).

It is all how you look at it.

In the famous words of Wayne Dyer, “when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”.

How would you live differently if you thought of motherhood as the catalyst for your calling?

Learn how to create a feminine based business here!

 

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Cheesy Meatballs

Want to make meatballs without the breadcrumbs? Then let me introduce you to nutritional yeast! Nutritional yeast is cheesy flavoured vegan superfood that not only stands in for cheese, but it also has a salty flavour.

Nutritional yeast is high in B-vitamins, chromium and natural glutamic acid (which make is a great superfood for those struggling with fatigue, alcoholism and sugar cravings).

Cheesy Meatballs

Makes 40 meatballs

What you will need:

1 lb ground beef
1 medium egg (whisked in a bowl)
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1-2 Tbsp honey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
3 Tbsp prepared mustard (optional)
1/8 tsp basil (or 1 tsp fresh chopped)
1/4 tsp oregano (or 2 tsp fresh chopped)
1 tsp parsly (or 1/4 cup fresh chopped)
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 teaspoons anise seeds (optional)
2 Tbsp yogurt or cream (more or less depending on the texture thus far- will depend on how many optional ingredients you include)

How to do it:

Step 1: Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and then shape into small meatballs.

Step 2: Drop the meatballs into a simmering sauce (I simple opened a can of tomatoe sauce and mixed with cream to extend it into two pots, but you can use your favourite cream or tomatoe sauce) and allow to continue simmering for 10-12 minutes.

Step 3: Turn meatballs over and simmer for another 10-12 min (or until meatballs are cooked through). If your sauce starts to evaporate off too much then add broth, cream or water to extend it.

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Cream of Seed Cereal

Looking for a more wholesome and wheat free alternative to cream of wheat cereal?

You can still get the same texture and taste of Cream of Wheat cereal (without the gluten and anti nutrients) by using this nutritious seed grain alternative containing millet, amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa.

Seed grains are not technically grains, but cook up just like them being the perfect step up for gluten and grain intolerant people.

This is the perfect dish to warm up a cloudy fall morning and it is easy and fast to make at home!

 

 

Cream of Seed Cereal

What you will need:
1/2 cup millet
1/2 cup amaranth
1/2 cup buckwheat
1/2 cup quinoa
2 cookie trays for toasting (or simply use a frying pan on medium heat on your stovetop).

How to do it:
1) Rinse the seed grains in water (important to get rid of the bitter taste) and then place on two separate cookie sheets (I like to put millet & amaranth together and quinoa and buckwheat together because they are similar in size).


2) Toast in the oven for 20 minutes or more (until they are toasty-dry and have a nutty flavour). The time it takes to do this will depend on how much water is left on your seed grains. You can let the water drip out through a colander for a few minutes so that they are not dripping wet.
3) Take the toasted seeds out of the oven and let cool.


4) Pour into a jar and store on your countertop until ready to make “Cream of Seed Cereal”

*Alternately (and especially if you have digestive trouble) soak the seed grains overnight in water with a splash of apple cider vinegar and then dehydrate until crispy again (great raw food alternative too)!

What you will need:
1/2 cup ‘cream of seed cereal’
1/8 tsp unrefined salt
water
cream, milk or hemp milk
unrefined sugar
cinnamon
fresh fruit or dried fruit

How to make the fresh cereal:
1) Grind 1/2 cup of the toasted seed grains in a coffee grinder.
2) Mix in a pot with 3 cups of water and 1/8 tsp unrefined salt.
3) Bring to a boil (stirring constantly) and then simmer for 15 min (stirring occasionally) makes about 4 small servings or 2 large.
4) Top with generous amounts of buttter/coconut oil, cream, milk or hemp milk, unrefined sugar, chopped fresh or dried fruit and cinnamon to taste!

Kid tested and approved! Enjoy!

 

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