Nutritious, delicious, intolerance-friendly recipes and advice
Apple crumble is a delicious, warming dessert. My crumble is low in sugar, full of fibre and high in protein. The apples are packed with insoluble fibre, as I leave the skins on. The crumble topping is made with almond meal, quinoa and coconut sugar – a natural sweetener packed with nutrients.
It is gluten free, and dairy free and can be used as a topping on apple crumble muffins too….
This creamy, coconutty vegetable curry with chickpeas is one of my simple go-to dinners. You can use whatever veggies you have in the fridge, so it’s a great way to use up excess, or if you’re just not sure what to do for dinner!
The chickpeas add a bit of protein to the dish, without the need for meat or fish. There’s extra calcium from the anchovies (any edible fish bones are packed with calcium). And it’s nice to have an easy dinner that can be whipped up in one pan in minutes!…
I needed a pizza sauce that had no tomatoes and no citric acid. Plums are naturally low in citric acid, unlike most other fruits! And BBQ sauce is pretty awesome, so this tasty (little bit sweet, little bit sour) sauce was born….
Stewed apples are so easy to make! With skin on, they’re a good source of insoluble fibre, which is great for lowering cholesterol, as well as keeping your bowels healthy.
Delicious stewed apples can be used in apple crumble, muffins, on pancakes or just enjoyed plain.
They’re delicious served on natural yoghurt. We use sheep’s milk yogurt, which is less reactive if you’re intolerant to casein, the protein in cow’s dairy.
If you’re intolerant to lactose, you should be fine with any natural or Greek yoghurt, as the bacteria used to make yoghurt eats the lactose, which is a sugar. So don’t waste your money on lactose-free yoghurt!…
Gluten-free doesn’t necessarily mean healthy. Lots of the gluten-free breads on the market are very ‘white’, made from modified tapioca starch and white rice flour. These are not healthy choices for our bowels, as they don’t feed the good bacteria. They are not good for our energy either, spiking our blood sugar and then making us crash later.
It’s also pretty hard to find gluten free bread on the market that caters to multiple food intolerances, such as dairy, egg and soy. And if you do, it’s usually full of additives and costs $10 for a small loaf!
I think it’s easier (and definitely cheaper) just to make my own. This one also has no grains, just buckwheat and tapioca flour (not starch). Buckwheat is very high in protein compared to grains (it’s actually a seed), and high in fibre, so it keeps you fuller for longer. It also naturally contains B vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium and selenium. …
kale chips – crispy, tasty
I’m sure you’ve heard of them before… but have you tried kale chips yet?
Kale chips are a hit in my family and a delicious way to get leafy green veg into the kids’ diet. They are rich in anti-cancer properties too, just like broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts.
They’re also really easy!…
sugar-free banana muffins
I am all for baking! I absolutely love baking… and, let’s be honest, eating my baking. But I no longer have any desire for high-sugar, wheat-filled, inflammatory and unhealthy muffins and cakes! No thank you! Gluten-free whole-food healthy baking and treats for us now.
My intolerances led me to gluten-free baking, but it’s my desire for a healthier lifestyle that has kept me creating new and healthier treats. There is really no need to eat a lot of processed sugar, and we all know it’s not healthy. The less sugar you eat, the healthier you’ll be.
apple crumble alternative
Fruit has the benefit of being the whole package – fibre, vitamins and minerals, in a perfectly sweet package. This allows the slow release of energy over time, keeping us fuller for longer, and without spikes and troughs in our blood sugar (which can lead to disease over time). Using bananas for sweetness is a perfect way to get a tasty treat without added sugar, and some B vitamins for energy, to boot! **And now, a new apple quinoa crumble version below!…
Deliciously flavoursome, a little sweet (from the pumpkin) and gently fragrant (from the basil). This easy risotto makes a lovely meal with grilled chicken or fish and some fresh greens. Only takes about 10 minutes to prep and throw everything in, then set and forget.
Works well with substitutions to keep the salicylates moderate. For the rest of us, it’s very sticky and rich and full of vegetable goodness….
Salads don’t have to be boring. It feels good to be healthy – both inside and out. And if you’re a foodie, you have to do it with taste!
Beetroot and pumpkin are delicious roasted – especially if you can get a little caramelisation on the pumpkin. Tossed through with a sweet balsamic and olive oil dressing, some fresh greens and salty goat’s cheese, it’s a delicious, warming autumn salad.
But which olive oil is best for you?
For anyone with an intolerance to salicylates or amines, extra virgin olive oil isn’t a great option….
I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for a good biccie or cookie! They don’t even have to be that sweet, but there’s something very comforting about a crunchy or chewy little morsel of deliciousness. These biccies are soft in the middle and just a little crunchy on the outside.
However, being a nutritionist, I like my treats to be healthy and full of goodness. My self-made mission in life is to turn tasty treats into healthful and still delicious treats. When we eat what makes us happy, in the right portion sizes, include all the food groups and stay moving, we are at our most healthy.
These biccies cover off healthy – tick! – intolerance friendly – tick tick! – and they’re yummy too. The biccies are packed full of fibre and protein from the chickpeas and more protein and zinc from the cashews, so they’re going to keep you fuller for longer and not send your blood sugar into a spike. They are also made with a whole food sweetener that’s also packed with vitamins and minerals (and not completely devoid of nutrients, like processed sugar). If you’d like a fructose-free option, that’s there too.
You can mix these up with different nut butters and seeds, but I’ve kept them low in salicylates and amines for those of us who need that. Stay away from those store-bought, sugar-laden biccies that are no good for you, and probably full of palm sugar too (which is leading to deforestation and the destruction of many beautiful animal species). Try these instead. As always, they are super quick and easy, and make the perfect after school snack with a piece of fruit 🙂
If you can, buy BPA-free cans of chickpeas. BPA builds up in our system and mimics oestrogen. We can have trouble excreting it, which may lead to symptoms of excess oestrogen, such as sore breasts and irritability before your period, and more serious complaints, such as early-onset puberty, fibroids and breast cancer. It also messes with our other hormones, such as cortisol, the stress hormone, throwing them out of balance too. So please be mindful to choose BPA-free whenever you can.
Cashew & chickpea biccies
Gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free
Ingredients
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup cashew butter
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds (or hemp seeds)
1/4 cup maple syrup (or rice malt syrup for a less sweet, fructose-free version)
1 tsp baking powder
Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease two flat oven trays.
Combine all in food processor and blend until smooth. Use a dessertspoon to scoop out heaped spoonfuls and slide off the spoon with your finger. (They are very sticky so try and do it in one movement – they’ll flip over – and place them straight onto the greased tray.)
Place in preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
Makes about 18 biccies.