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Eating Clean

by | Jun 6, 2017 | Community Space

Hi! My name is Laura, I am the founder of Ahzalhea.  I wanted to share with you some of my favorite snack recipes and some of my story. If any of you have had diet issues, health issues, or just enjoy eating clean, you can understand the frustration of finding new healthy recipes or even trying to find things that you can eat.  I am going to give you some of my favorite go-to snack recipes (vegan, dairy free, nut free, grain free, and just plain delicious). I will add the link to where I found the recipe and share how I altered it. Get creative with these, that’s the most fun part about cooking!

I have been coping with food battles for a while, figuring out what works for my digestion. I also had some serious nerve pain in my leg that we could not figure out the root of, after xrays, MRI’s, physical therapy, and no real answers.  I finally decided to assess the diet to see if maybe it was inflammation.

Gluten was the first thing I cut out about 5 years ago, but it was time to acknowledge how much food is a part of everything that goes on in your body. It powers us or slows us down. Nourishing every action of healing… Finding the balance can be extremely time-consuming.  

I decided to do a 28-day gut reset challenge with my sister. We cut out sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine, legumes, grains, and nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers) Since they tend to be inflammatory for some people. And within the 3rd week, my nerve pain was completely gone!  After the 28 days I slowly reintroduced some of the foods that I felt didn’t effect me, but really try to avoid most of them. I find that I just feel better.

I have had to cut out even more due to other health problems and am currently trying to avoid nuts and seeds… and man, this can cramp some style especially when you have to cut out something that feels like such a staple. But there are so many inspiring recipes out there and I love to experiment by taking out ingredients and adding new ones.  

Eating clean is a way of life, a practice, and can be so rewarding. All we can do is do our best!

 

Here are a few of my favorite snack recipes.

Nut Free and Dairy Free Pesto

http://theprettybee.com/2016/03/nut-free-dairy-free-pesto.html

I like to add a whole avocado to this, it makes it so creamy and delish! You can always add cilantro or parsley as well for an extra boost of folate and Vit K. If you aren’t avoiding nuts, add in a ¼ cup pine nuts.

3-5 garlic cloves

¼  cup olive oil

2 cups fresh basil

2 Tbs nutritional yeast (this is optional it’s to replace the cheese flavor)

½ tsp salt (more to taste)

  1. Place all ingredients in the food processor and process until combined.
  2. Taste and add more salt if needed.
  3. Serve with your favorite GF pasta also delicious with spaghetti squash.

Raspberry Chia Seed Pudding

http://kriscarr.com/recipe/raspberry-chia-seed-pudding/

When I was eating seeds this was a favorite for breakfast.  Add banana, blueberries, yogurt, cinnamon, and some almond butter to make a delicious breakfast bowl. If sugar isn’t a problem for you, drizzle some maple syrup on top. You can also make this plain without the raspberries, or add them whole after the chia seeds have gelled. I like to add a few drops of stevia, and add the berries whole instead of blending.

Make it the night before and it will be all ready for you for breakfast.

1 cup coconut milk

½ cup of raspberries

¼ cup of chia seeds

  1. Combine the milk and fruit in the jar of a blender and blend until smooth
  2. Pour into mason jar and add the chia seeds
  3. Close the lid tightly and give it a good shake
  4. Refrigerate and allow to gel for at least 3 hrs

Banana Ginger Smoothie

http://www.prevention.com/food/20-super-healthy-smoothie-recipes/slide/2

You can use any type of yogurt here. I use coconut yogurt or milk, and you can add a handful of spinach to this if you want to make it a green smoothie and nutrient packed. I also like to sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top.

Soothe digestion, heartburn, nausea, and other stomach trouble with the fresh ginger in this natural remedy smoothie recipe.

Servings: 2

1 banana

¾ c vanilla yogurt

1 Tbsp honey

½ tsp freshly grated ginger

COMBINE the banana, yogurt, honey, and ginger. Blend until smooth.

Hope you enjoy, if you have any goodies to add please share them in the comments. I love to have new things to try!