Gluten Free Banana Blackberry Bread #NationalHeartMonth

Valentines Day means heart shaped boxes filled with chocolate, candy hearts with cute messages on them and  even Teddy Bears holding a little stuffed red heart reading   "I Love You".  But did you know that February is also National Heart Month?  Now is the time to start making small or big changes and getting into healthy habits for your heart and over all health.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease. The good news is that heart disease can be prevented by making healthy food choices, exercising even moderately and getting regular checkups with your doctor. 

While I was pregnant with my 4 and last baby I had signs of preeclampsia, a dangerous condition that causes a sudden onset of high blood pressure. Luckily for me, it was a mild case and I didn't need to take anything for it. I've always been very  healthy and so hardly ever saw a doctor. A year or so later, I started getting frequent, excruciating headaches and saw several doctors who all wanted to treat me for "migraine like" headaches and sent me off with migraine and narcotics prescriptions (the latter I never filled). One said they were stress headaches and gave me muscle relaxers. My blood pressure  was  high at the office visits but since I'd never had HBP before, they said it was high because I had such a bad headache.


It wasn't until I began lifting weights last year and was becoming very dizzy and nauseous during my workouts that I started randomly taking my blood pressure. I then realized that I now had very high blood pressure. I'm very lucky that I didn't have a stroke or cause some permanent damage as high as it was for as long as it had been going on! In fact, most often HBP does not cause any symptoms and so people don't even know they have it. It's called 'The Silent Killer' for that reason.

According to the Center of Disease Control

"Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. In fact, more than 67 million Americans have high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are 4 times more likely to die from a stroke and 3 times more likely to die from heart disease, compared to those with normal blood pressure.

High blood pressure often shows no signs or symptoms, which is why having your blood pressure checked regularly is important. It's easy to get your blood pressure checked. You can get screened at your doctor's office and drugstores or even check it yourself at home, using a home blood pressure monitor."

TIME        60 MINUTES            YIELDS     2  *SMALL LOAFS


1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas
1/2 cup melted real butter
4 eggs
1/3 cup real Maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter for greasing pan or use disposable paper bread pans as I did here.
1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries (can also use strawberries, chocolate chips, nuts etc.)





Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a small 8x5 inch bread pan with coconut oil or butter. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit just on the bottom of pan.


In the bowl of your stand mixer with a cookie paddle attachment, mash the bananas. Add butter and mix to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add Maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and salt, mix to combine. Add the flours and baking soda Mix on low until just combined.


Spoon the batter into prepared bread pan. Bake on 350F for 35-45 minutes (depending on altitude, your oven and type of pan using.)  When a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean, remove bread from oven. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes. If you used a metal pan, take a butter knife and carefully slide it around the edges of the pan to help loosen the bread. Carefully, turn the loaf over and place the bread on the wire rack to cool another 10-15 minutes.


Serves warm as is or with a small slab of real butter. 

notes

If you don't have buckwheat flour, substitute with equal amount of almond flour. Coconut flour is very absorbent so I wouldn't use more of that.

When baking gluten free breads it's best to stick with smaller loaf pans so as not to create dense bread. I like this pan or small, disposable ones like these or these.



As always, thank you for purchasing my recommended products through the links I provide or through Simply Healthy Family's store at the bottom of this blog and thereby supporting this site.







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Kale Spinach and Bean Soup from Ruffles and Truffles









American Heart Association

Purple Cabbage and Green Apple Cheese Crisps #sponsored

Eating healthy seems simple enough right? Not always. Not for me. Not even armed with the knowledge, means and money, it can be a daily struggle. We all start out with the best of intentions, we all know to eat more fruits and veggies, less carbs and processed foods and most importantly to eat in moderation, several small healthy meals a day. Exercise. Yeah, we all know we should get off our ass and walk around the block and maybe do a push up or two. So why is maintaining or reaching a healthy weight such a struggle for most of us?

“I received free samples of Cabot Cheese mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe challenge sponsored by Cabot Creamery and am eligible to win prizes. I was not additionally compensated for my time.”







Lot's of factors play into that question, for me it's a combination of time, lack of energy (which I know I have more of when I exercise but ugghhhh, I really just want a nap) and well, not enough will power. I've never been a morning person and I doubt I ever will. I mean I've been getting up either for work or with the darlings at the crack of dawn or earlier for over 20 years. I still HATE it. The thought of getting up any earlier to exercises is nauseating to me. I get a major energy rush mid day and power through my workouts then. If I have to work, I know I should at least climb the stairs or walk around the hospital on my break but don't do it often enough.

Meals and snacks I can totally take control of!  No problem. I know I have a weakness for salty chips, salsa and guacamole, it's my Kryptonite! So, I don't buy them. If they're in the house I sit and think about it, tell myself 19 times I'm not even hungry and then go grab a handful..... 3 times. Who needs that torture and then guilt???

Whatever your food Kryptonite is, acknowledge it, don't feel guilty about it and then do something about it!!! Out of sight out of mind. 

Eating foods that are spicy and/or tangy have been known to 'trick' your mind into feeling more satisfied so you won't snack later. 

I knew I wanted to make an appetizer using my home made purple sour kraut, green apples and a white cheddar cheese. Either a Panini, Quesadilla or Pita Crisps. What I wasn't sure of is exactly which cheese would pair perfectly with my slightly unorthodox appetizer. Lucky for me, Cabot has a very handy pairing tool on their website. Every bar of cheese has a very specific description of the flavors of the cheese and also some recipe suggestions and food and wine pairings! 

Melt it in a grilled cheese sandwich and you're likely to be labeled a culinary Ninja. Perfect for all-around grating, cooking and melting. It has a creamy, smooth texture and a slightly acidic taste. Nuances of sweetness are balanced with a rich buttery tang. Cabot fans will tell you to pair with sweet tart apples, Bartlett pears and crusty sourdough bread.

Like I said, I wavered between these pita crisps and a grilled Panini with sour dough or Rye bread. 

SERVES      8 - 10 AS AN APPETIZER            TIME      15 MINUTES TOPS


You Will Need


6  Whole Grain Pita Wraps, cut into triangles 
2 Granny Smith Green Apples
1 cup of  *home made saur kraut
12 ounces Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheese, shredded
3-4 tablespoons deli style horseradish mustard (lighter on the horseradish side)





Putting it all Together


Preheat your oven to 350F

Place your cut pita chips on a stone baking sheet {No oil is needed if you use a stone pan}.Bake for 5-6 minutes to just crisp them up so they can withstand the cheese and other ingredients without becoming soggy. 

Using an oven mitt, remove the pan from oven. Sprinkle a bit of cheese on each crisp. Bake for just 1-2 minutes more!

Remove from oven and top with very thinly sliced apples and a bit of saur kraut. Drizzle with horseradish mustard. As an option, you can thinly spread the mustard on the pita crisps before adding the cheese. It's all about your personal preference of presentation. 

*Home Made Saur Kraut


I'm ashamed I've not posted this yet. Bucket List!
So, so simple. You thinly shred a head of cabbage ( I almost always use purple, more vitamins and prettier ;)   Put in a large bowl and generously sprinkle with good quality sea salt ( 2-3 tablespoons). 
Toss to combine.  Pack it tightly into a large mason jar (or two), really stuff it in there! Let it sit in a cool spot in your kitchen for a day. It should be just barely covered with water, if not add just enough to do so. Let sit another 24 hours. After that, refrigerate it in an air tight jar. 


Your sweetly sour kraut will keep in the fridge for many, many months! Up to a year I'm told but we eat ours much quicker than that. On grilled potatoes, sausages, eggs, veggies and of course, Pita Crisps!

An InLinkz Link-up

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream with Gingersnap Crust Sprinkles

This simple and healthy ice cream is dairy free, super low in sugar and takes about 2 minutes to blend up ~ no churner needed. It is completely adaptable to your tastes by adding extras of your choice, chocolate chunk pumpkin ice cream anyone???

This month on Recipe Redux we are talking about Food Memories. It's funny how certain smells and tastes can sometimes have such an amazing affect on us. For me it's roasted, sugared pecans, freshly squeezed lemon aid, home made tapioca pudding and pumpkin. Those foods will always instantly transport me to my childhood. 

The winter Holiday's mean different things to different people depending on your life circumstances, where you grew up and what your traditions were. I grew up in the 80's and 90's in a close knit, middle class neighborhood with 2 younger sisters and a brother. No extended family lived nearby so Holidays were usually a small affair except for when we drove up to Salt Lake City to have a huge Thanksgiving at my grandma and grandpa's home. Fond times. 

Slightly sweet and very creamy this pumpkin pie ice cream brings fall flavors to the table without having to unbuckle your belt (or put on your mommy yoga pants) afterwards. 

What I remember most about our family of six's Thanksgiving is the home made pumpkin pie with freshly whipped cream. The smell is what always got me and while I am not a pumpkin pie lover, the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin is very nostalgic for me. 

Wait. Wuuuuut?  'You don't like pumpkin pie?!' you say.

Nope. Or most any pie for that matter except maybe cherry and apple. But I'd rather have it as a cobbler than a pie. As for the pumpkin pie aversion, I think it's a texture thing, too thick and mushy. I do however l.o.v.e. pumpkin. Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin eggnog custard,  pumpkin granola, pumpkin cinnamon rolls and even pumpkin stew. All of that, but my newest obsession is 

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream. 

Holy raving nostalgic overload with a surprising twist factor. 

nostalgia |näˈstaljə, nə-|

noun

a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations















































HANDS ON TIME     2 MINUTES         TOTAL TIME 4 HOURS           YIELDS    4 CUPS 

Ingredients
2 cups canned or cooked pumpkin1 can of coconut milk or plain, fat free yogurt3-4 bananas, chopped and frozen1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix1 teaspoon real vanilla (I sometimes use bourbon vanilla ;)1 cup crushed gingersnap cookiesOptional additionschocolate chipsnutscaramel drizzlecrushed graham crackers
In your blender place coconut milk, pumpkin, bananas, spices and vanilla. Blend on your frozen dessert setting (or on high) for 2 minutes. Pour mixture into a bread pan and place in freezer. Freeze for  3-5 hours depending on the 'frozeness' of your bananas, your freezer temperature and what size pan you use to freeze it in. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Simply Healthy Family's Favorite Fall Recipe Roundup {say that 10 timesfast!}

Here's what's happening right now. I decided to stop blogging because

a.)   I keep comparing myself to other bloggers even though I firmly believe in not comparing myself to anyone, ever and therefor am making myself depressed, crazy and then just plain pissed followed by a general annoyance for no good reason. (I do however believe in random, run-on-sentences) and

b.)   I've become overwhelmingly consumed by guilt from spending too much time on the computer editing, writing and researching for my blog and not enough time with my children. No matter how many times I tell myself that a little bit of "me time" is a good thing I still feel guilty every time I'm sitting here and the kids are running around the house like banshees.


Then,  I had a day off, the weather dropped  20+ degrees into down right awesome here in Phoenix, I had a nap, then a glass or two of wine and  got over myself.  Onward and upward,  all things in moderation et cetera, et cetera.......




Lastly and coincidently, my 3 younger children have been playing very nicely together for 4 hours straight. No one is under the influence of medication or bribery, no one has incidentally knocked out someones tooth and no one has cried, died or gotten on anyone's nerves for FOUR HOURS STRAIGHT.  I'm going to go with my positive self and not think about the calm before the storm that will hit full force right around bedtime. Happy thoughts.





So in an effort to remind myself why I do what I do in this silly blogging world I compiled my very favorite Fall Foods to share with you. I usually don't do 'round ups' but looking through my favorite recipes and flavors, Fall is always on the top of the list. Every time.

I hope you stick with me and more importantly have tried or at least saved a recipe or two from my humble little place here. Any thoughts or suggestions are always appreciated. What would you like to see more of here at Simply Healthy Family? What are your favorite Fall foods? Do you ever experience "Mom Guilt"? How do you cope?

Fall Favorites from Simply Healthy Family

for football parties, fall picnics and fire pit gatherings. 

Apple Cider and Pomegranate Popsicles

Cast Iron Skillet Green Chili, Buttermilk Corn Bread

Chipotle en Adobo Butternut Squash Lasagna

Chipotle and Cheddar Cheese Cauliflower Poppers

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower with Home Made Blu Cheese Dressing.

Vegetarian Stuffed Poblano Chilies with Ancho Guajillo Sauce

Pumpkin Egg Nog Custard {sugar free}

Pumpkin, Chick Pea and Red Lentil Stew 

South Western Style Spaghetti Squash with Chorizo and Peppers

Roasted, Buttered Spagetti Squash with Two Bean Croquettes

Sweet and Smokey Slow Cooked Garbanzo Beans on Home Made Flax Seed Crepes

Healthy Almond-Coconut Thumbprint Cookies with Melted Chocolate

Pumpkin and Apple Spiced Granola

Would you believe that I've never made my own home made granola before this? I'm not sure why, I never really thought it would be difficult or time consuming and it's definitely not. It was just a matter of gathering the ingredients and throwing them in a bowl, mixing, baking on low heat and then voila, warm, cinnamon apple and pumpkin granola for breakfast served with some Greek plain yogurt. 

Simple. Delicious. Fall flavors, Check.

I've made several batches of this and can't seem to keep it in the house for more than a day or two which is a very good thing.  The kids are enthralled with this granola and who can blame them? Home made granola is everything I imagined it would be and more. Seriously. Pumpkin and apples and cinnamon and o.k. everything fall flavored is my happy place. 

{I just had an image of Will Ferrel dressed as a school boy in Zoolander  spinning in circles saying "Happy, Happy, Happpppy, Happy....."

Unlike store bought granola, home made turned out much, much well, moister (is that a word? Can granola be moist?) Never mind. It's damn good. Obviously, you can substitute whatever nuts and dried fruits you like in this granola. I also like to add Hemp Hearts, ground flax and/or chia seeds.

A handful of ingredients to gather, change it up to your liking and in 10 minutes your house will smell like a potpourri of Autumn goodies.

Throw the mixed granola onto a stone baking pan for optimal toasting and non sticking.

YIELDS    4-5 CUPS        TIME    40 MINUTES

Ingredients

2 cups Coach's Oats (or other whole, unrefined oats)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup *real maple syrup
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped, dried apple
1/4 cup pepitas/roasted pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons coconut oil
stone baking pan or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper


Preheat oven to 300F.

In a large mixing bowl, or bowl of your stand mixer with cookie paddle attachment, combine pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil and spices. Mix for 1 minute till combined.  Add remaining ingredients, mix till combined. Spread onto cookie sheet, place in oven and cook for 25-30 minutes until fragrant and toasted, tossing with a spatula once.

Remove from oven and let cool. Enjoy with plain, fat free yogurt. 

Chocolate Cherry Chunk Bars #RecipeRedux

Question, what do you feed a mob of hungry kids at 3:17 p.m. after "working really hard all day long at school"?

Answer:  Home made Chocolate Cherry Chunk Bars served with a big glass of ice cold milk and sealed with a kiss.  Love mom.

You all know by know that store bought granola bars are not health food right? Right. Well, anything made in Mystery, Who Knows Where and packaged in a box with an ingredient list only chemists can decipher is probably not something we should be eating, however convenient it may be. I hate that excuse. Sure it can be argued that there are a few healthier varieties of packaged snacks out there but the whole year or more shelf life thing of a granola bar disturbs me.


I literally tossed a handful of ingredients in a bowl, mixed, pressed into a baking dish and bam. My house smells like toasted, cinnamony oats and nuts and warm cherries. Oh, they were really yummy too.


Snack emergency, solved.

The best part, you can use whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruit you have in your pantry. Substitute almond butter for sunflower seed butter if there is a nut allergy issue. Pureed dates or maple syrup can be used instead of honey. The possibilities are endless.

Chocolate Cherry Chunk Oat, Nut and Seed Bars

TIME     30 MINUTES        YIELDS     14-16 BARS

You Will Need:

1 1/2 cups of whole grain oats
1 1/2 cup chopped almonds, cashews or other nuts
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup local, Organic honey
*1/4 cup hemp hearts (optional)
1 cup almond or sunflower butter
1 teaspoon ground (Saigon) cinnamon
1 teaspoon real vanilla
1 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
parchment paper or coconut oil for brushing pan 

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare an 8 x 11 baking dish with parchment or brush with coconut oil. 

Coarsely chop nuts. Add them and remaining ingredients except chocolate chips to a large bowl and mix to combine. 

Press the mixture into the prepared pan using your hands or a spatula. Cook for 15 minutes then pull out of oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips, cook for another 15 minutes. Yes, you can just mix them into the batter if you please. We thought they looked fun and had more chocolate 'power' with them scattered on top. 

notes

Hemp Hearts are full of protein with 10 grams of complete plant-based protein per 30 gram (3 tablespoons) serving size. Hemp Hearts are also a great way to add omegas or EFAs (essential fatty acids) to your diet. Hemp Hearts contain more protein and Omega-6 & 3 and less carbs than a similar serving of Chia or Flax.

You can eat them right out of the bag and add them to baked goods, yogurt, smoothies, salads and more.



I love Coaches Oats which are much healthier than quick cooking varieties yet faster than steel cut.

An InLinkz Link-up

Introducing "Beyond Broccoli" starting with Cauliflower Chipotle Cheddar Poppers {guest post for Cupcakes and Kale Chips}

For about a year now I've been meaning/thinking about/procrastinating on putting together a page called Beyond Broccoli in an effort to help people try and experiment with different veggies. I'm excited to say I finally managed to pull it together over the last week or so! If you've ever been intimidated or confused about what to do with a vegetable you've never tried before I hope you will visit my new page "Beyond Broccoli" for a categorized list of all of my favorite veggie recipes on Simply Healthy Family. There are seasonal charts for your convenience. 

Let's start with cauliflower shall we? 

I'm a veggie lover from way back and can't think of one I don't like. My favorites are green leafy vegetables but also cauliflower for it's versatility as well as nutritional value. I use it in everything from pizza crusts, substitute it for starchy mashed potatoes, chop it up and use it in place of rice for pilaf's and fried rice and even in place of chicken for vegetarian Buffalo Wings.


My new addiction involving cauliflower are these Chipotle Cheddar Cheese Cauliflower Poppers. By pulsing cauliflower florets a few times, they turn into a rice like consistency and then you add an egg, some grated chipotle cheddar cheese and roll them in some gluten free cracker crumbs for the crutch factor.





My friend Brianne over at Cupcakes and Kale Chips has asked a few fellow bloggers to guest post for her this summer while she is busy with moving and other super fun things like that  (ugghh ;)
I've loved Brianne's blog for as long as I can remember. Her photography is gorgeous but I especially like her "Yin and Yang" approach to food. In her words, "It's all about being balanced" and she has a a large variety of healthy, gluten free recipes as well as sweet treats.

These little guys are super simple and damn good I must say and perfect for any party or afternoon snack attack. With Fall quickly approaching put these on your list for fancy football finger foods. The chipotle cheddar cheese in these are super addictive!

Please pop over to Cupcakes and Kale Chips for this Chipotle Cheddar Cauliflower Popper recipe!