Healthy Eating

There are all kinds of theories out there about what the best type of diet is. Vegans believe they have the corner on health; the Weston A. Price people believe they are right; there are those who believe in the “whole foods” approach; and then there are those who think that it doesn’t really matter what one eats. These people usually tell a story about how their grandfather, despite eating fried chicken and pork rinds every day of his life, lived to be 97.

Why am I writing this on my homeschool blog? A few reasons:

1. We homeschooling moms (or dads, or grands) spend a lot of time feeding our charges. Nearly every single meal and snack our kids eat is prepared by us. That’s a lot of preparation! Several moms have asked me to share my healthy snack and meal ideas.

2. My girls have been wheat/gluten-free for almost seven years, which means I’ve been cooking that way for that long! Wow, it doesn’t seem possible. My eldest has also been dairy-free for five years, and soy-free for hmm…..I’ve lost track. But you get the idea.

3. I love to share my recipes and ideas and by doing so, it keeps me motivated.

This is how I looked some days when I first started out.


Going from a quick, throw-it-in-the-microwave for dinner kind of gal, to a woman who had to spend the majority of her time in the kitchen was very difficult for me.
I spent many hours leaning on my kitchen counters sobbing.

But I’m here to tell you, cooking and preparing healthy foods and snacks doesn’t have to be that difficult, or time consuming. I’ll show you by posting easy-to-make, healthful, and yummy recipes.

I’m re-inspired myself lately, because I had slacked off on my “clean” diet little by little over the last couple of years. In fact, slacking seems to soft a word. This summer I literally jumped over the cliff into the land of Ramen noodles and chocolate by day and Cheetos and chocolate by night. No wonder I was feeling tired and sluggish.

For me to feel really good, I need to eliminate grains, all processed foods and refined sugars from my diet. That’s where I’m at again. This time I am not crying in my kitchen, I’m smiling because I am feeling so much better. Plus, I’m and taking pictures and blogging about the food I cook. I hope that you enjoy the recipes that I share here as much as we do!

Grain-Free Apple Pancakes ~ Super Yummy!

This dish tastes more like a dessert than a breakfast food! The original recipe can be found in one of my favorite recipe books, Grain Free Gourmet. We adapted it some. Here’s how we did it.

Peel and coarsely grate 6 apples. We used Granny Smith.

Squeeze out all the extra liquid. You could use cheesecloth but I just used my hands. Wow, that's a lot of apple juice!

Mix in 2 eggs and some cinnamon

Fry in butter or alternative for a few minutes until each side is light brown and slightly crispy.

Top with jam, berries, honey, or anything that strikes your fancy!

I have made experience cooking grain-free and following the the recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, but I had never made these before today. They were super easy (and fast) to make and delicious too! Since this mama has to get back to healthier eating, these are definitely going to be a staple in this house.

We didn’t top ours pancakes with anything because the flavors were so good on their own, it didn’t need any extra.

Wheat/Gluten/Dairy Free Crackers $2.50 per box!

Thanks to my youngest who has a wheat allergy, and my eldest who has wheat, dairy and soy allergies, I have learned a lot about healthy eating. Before my girls were born I was a Dr. Weil fan, and ate a pretty healthy diet, but after they were born I had to change my own diet, and drastically. It was not easy.

Aside from the allergens above, we also stay away from refined sugars, food colorings, nitrates and most processed foods. I’ve often been asked, “Gee, what CAN you guys eat?”

I always make sure my children’s diet is excellent; however, today, I sometimes slack off on mine. Or I “reward” myself with less-than-healthy food while I’m out and away from my own kitchen. I don’t have food allergies, but I know that I do feel better and have more energy when I eliminate wheat, dairy and most sugars (except honey) from my diet. My youngest daughter and I like these crackers by Ener-G very much. They’re a staple in our house.

When I discovered that I could get these on Amazon I did a happy dance because they simply have the best price on the things we can eat. Plus, with the Subscribe and Save feature we save an extra 39%! :-) This works out to be a little more than $2.50 per box. Half the price of what I was paying at our health food store, and waaaay less than I paid through our buying club.

Hooray for half-price finds!

Ener-G Foods Wheat-Free Crackers, 7-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6)