Tag Archives: grain free

Dairy Free Cream Cheese = YUM!

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We are always on the lookout for yummy new products that meet the needs of so many. This product find is one of my new favorites! I have always had a fond love for cream cheese, on just about anything lol, but these days it’s usually on a raw veggie, grain free crackers, or whipped up into a fun topping or icing for a paleo-inspired dessert!

This particular cream cheese is extra special because it’s dairy free, it’s made from almond milk and can therefore meet the needs of all the vegans, vegetarians, paleo-enthusiast, and dairy-sensitive individuals. So next time you are at your local health food store take a peek in their dairy alternative/cream cheese section and see if they carry this delicious product. Here’s the details on it:

Kite Hill Brand Cream Cheese

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Oh, and PS- My KIDS LOVE IT TOO!!!!!

 

Launching The Nutrition Scene: An Online Nutrition Community

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A New Vision, A Larger Mission…. Here we GO!

Since We began our healing journey as a family back in 2006, we have experienced so many ah-ha moments, so many trials and victories, and have witnessed first hand the impact of God’s Plan for us in numerous areas of our lives. We have stopped along this journey multiple times to sit in the “Waiting Zone” knowing that God is shifting us once again, and in HIS time not ours. These last few years we have experienced this like no other. God has brought so much to us, and also taken much from us, in order to communicate clearly and effectively on this next mission he has called us to. This mission is one to impact more lives on a larger scale, and to do so as a family! With this being said, we are eager to announce our initial launch of this mission, from our family to yours!

We are bringing to you a new community, an online community for all things Nutrition! We are launching The Nutrition Scene with the goal in mind of helping individuals, couples, and families begin their nutritional journey to good health. With the onslaught of conflicting information, research, and news in the market today, many find it very difficult and frustrating to first,,, know what to do and what to change, and secondly, how to go about doing it. We have encountered many people throughout the years from friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, professionals, and community members asking us “how did you do it?” or “How do you stay on track?”  and “How do you know what to do, what to buy, what to feed your family?”

From questions about specific health matters, to cooking and food prep, to eating out and traveling, and raising healthy kids, we have heard it all and helped so many along the way. We find ourselves constantly giving out advice and guidance to anyone that asks. So with that in mind, here we are…. Ready to embrace all of you and give you the guidance, wisdom, and encouragement that you need to start making changes. Whether it be jumping in, ALL in, at once or taking baby steps towards a better you and a healthier family, we are here to serve and provide. We wish you luck in your quest for health as you embrace these changes and embark on the next step in your journey to Life-Long Health and Wellness!

Kindly in Health,

Tracy Mastandrea,RD,LD/N and the Mastandrea Family

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Here’s our plan of Action for this coming year:

Phase 1 of The Nutrition Scene

~Bringing you the latest and greatest, and the TRUTH for all things Nutrition to our online community nutrition scene. We will be sharing recipes, nutrition facts, Q&A sessions, product recommendations and reviews, traveling and tips for eating out, budget advice, raising healthy kids, and much more via our social media sites:

12923689-small  Twitter: @NutritionScene

fb-logo    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenutritionscene

youtube_logo_small   You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbQGS33m5pfMu3sZm1Ru3_A

images      Instagram: https://instagram.com/thenutritionscene/

~Phase 2 of The Nutrition Scene

Meet our family! We will be introducing you to our family, our home, and our lifestyle over the next few months. We want you to get to know us, from our home to yours!

~Phase 3 of The Nutrition Scene

Launch of our online Nutrition Store and our website coming soon!!!

 

 

Homemade Tortillas (grain-free, gluten-free)

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There are those moments when you are disappointed with something new that you make in the kitchen,,, and then there are those moments when you could kiss yourself for finding the perfect new item! This post is one of those moments, and my family is loving me for this recipe too! It’s become a new regular staple in our house, and it’s super easy to make and delicious! Oh, and did I mention inexpensive?? Yes, you heard me right, an inexpensive healthy food item? What? You mean it’s not a ‘Whole Paycheck’ type item? LOL, no it’s not! It’s 4 ingredients, plus either butter or coconut oil to cook it in. You can make a couple of batches at a time and have them ready to go for convenience. These are a thick tortilla/burrito type wrap, that can be used for so many things… Breakfast burritos; veggie, meat, or fish tacos; sandwich wraps (think gyro style), quesadillas, and are even good just on their own.

The delicious tortillas are made with almond flour and are gluten and grain free. They are approved for cellular healing plan, are vegan (if cooked in coconut oil), and are paleo friendly. You can’t beat that right? But don’t take my word for it, check out our video on how to make these and see for yourself how amazing they are!

FYI… Be patient with your first time making these, it may take you a few rounds to get your stove top temperature and pan just right, but once you do there will be no stopping you. They are super simple to make, like a pancake!

Check out our How-To video for: Homemade Tortillas

Homemade Tortillas- Gluten Free and Grain Free

Ingredients:

1 and ¼ cup almond flour

1 cup tapioca flour

1 cup water

1 tsp sea salt

~Raw organic butter or coconut oil for pan

1)   Mix all ingredients in Vitamix, blender, or whisk by hand till thoroughly mixed.

2)   Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3)   Heat skillet on stovetop over a lower-medium heat. Add raw butter or coconut oil to skillet, then pour ¼ of the mix into pan. It should resemble a pancake.

4)   Cook for 2 minutes then flip tortilla over and cook other side for 2 minutes.

5)   Adjust stovetop temperature to low/med-low heat as skillet gets warm making sure not to burn tortillas.

6)   Repeat cooking the tortilla mix in skillet for each one adding a bit more butter or coconut oil between tortillas.

7)   Place tortilla on parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in oven for 10-12 minutes.

Serve and enjoy! This batch makes 4-5 nice size tortillas. You can also slice tortillas into triangle shapes and bake an additional 10 minutes in oven for homemade tortilla chips!

Favorite ways to enjoy these tortillas: breakfast burritos, grass-fed beef or fish tacos, open face sandwich, sandwich wrap, or toasted with butter and a stevia/cinnamon blend.

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Garlic and Bean Dip

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Quick and healthy snacks are always a hit in our household. So I was recently testing out some options for making fun, hummus-like dips with other types of beans, and have been enjoying this garlic-yyyy dip with fresh veggies and grain-free crackers. This is SUPER EASY and quick to make, and can be quickly adapted to your own likings. If you don’t like a strong garlic taste, you can omit the garlic clove and opt for garlic powder or leave the garlic out and have a simple bean dip.

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Garlic and Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 can white beans (cannellini beans), drained and rinsed (prefer Eden brand beans)

1/4 – 1/3 cup organic olive oil

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 – 1 clove garlic

1-2 tsp dried parsley

Sea Salt to taste

Directions: Add all of the ingredients to a high power food processor or blender (such as the Vitamix) and puree until desired consistency. Will last in refrigerator for several days and makes a delicious quick snack with fresh raw veggies or grain-free crackers. Can also be added to a meat dish or on top of a salad for a unique twist! Some add-in’s to this recipe can be: olives, roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes, or spinach.

This pairs great with our Rosemary Cracker Recipe. We also enjoy the Go Raw crackers, it’s one of my son’s favorites, and they are delicious dipped in this bean dip.

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Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup

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This is a new crowd favorite! We had a house full of family and friends over on New Year’s Day to watch the Football games for the College Football Playoff Series. We were cheering on our Crimson Tide football team, and while the outcome of the Bama game was a sure disappointment, at least this new soup recipe was a WIN! I chopped everything very quickly that morning, then placed everything in the crockpot and didn’t think about it till 8 hours later when it was ready to serve. The house smelled amazing too!

Ingredients

1 tbls of unrefined coconut oil

2 lbs organic boneless skinless chicken breasts

15 oz can organic diced tomatoes (or fresh diced tomatoes)

2-3 cloves of fresh minced garlic

1 large, or 2 small organic bell peppers, chopped/diced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped/diced

2 cups organic free range chicken broth

1 tbls chili powder

1 tsp oregano

3/4 tsp paprika

1 tbls cumin

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Optional- for a spicier soup you can add a diced jalepeno or a few tbls of hot sauce. A few other add in options are sliced organic mushrooms or organic black beans.

Directions:

1) Place the tablespoon of coconut oil in the bottom of your crock pot or slow cooker.

2) Chop/dice all the vegetables.

3) Place the chicken breast in the crock pot, and then add in the onion, bell pepper, garlic (and any add on’s such as jalepeno or mushrooms) on top of the chicken.

4) Pour the chicken broth in to cover the chicken, followed by the diced tomatoes.

5) Add in the seasonings: chili powder, oregano, paprika, cumin, sea salt, pepper.

6) Cover the crock pot/slow cooker and set on the low heat option for approximately 6-8 hours.

7) As you are serving the soup, you can pull apart or shred the chicken into the serving bowls.

Toppings: A few options for adding to the top of your soup are organic sour cream, organic plain yogurt, shredded organic raw cheddar or jack cheese, and/or sliced avocado.

Serves approximately 6 people

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