Granola that Doesn't Suck

Check out the recipe for these scones below

With summer right around the corner, it conjures up images of picnics, long days at the beach, hikes and getting lost in the park. With that you’ll want light healthy food that’s packed with energy and portable…  what you need is granola. 

Commercially available in every processed and sugar packed was possible, granola has long been labeled as a health food. Done right, it can be very healthy. Packed with healthy Omega 3 fats, fiber, protein and lots of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Done wrong, processed, it can be full of sugar and stripped of all its natural goodness.

Best way to ensure you’re getting the best, is to make it yourself. It’s pretty simple and you can get creative with the ingredients to make it your own. 

Here’s a basic recipe (it’s gluten-free too ;):

• 3 cups oats
• ¼ cup chopped cashews
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup rice flour
• ¼ cup dried cranberries (look for no sugar added brands)
  
• ¼ cup dried apricots, cut into ¼-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/3  – ½  cup honey (or try it with maple syrup instead)
• ½ cup apple juice, unsweetened. Fresh squeezed is best. 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 250. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and/or coat the sheet with coconut oil.

Flour mixture: Combine the oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, dried berries and rice flour. Toss until the flours coats everything. When it looks well coated, add the spices and mix again.

Honey/Maple Mixture: In a large measuring cup (or bowl), combine the honey, juice, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Whisk them together until they have stick evenly.

 

Combine the flour mixture with the honey mixture by pouring the honey mixture into the flour mix. Stir it all together until it’s thoroughly intermingled. Put the combined mixture onto the baking sheet flatten it out into even layer.

Bake for fifteen minutes. Take it out, and turn over to allow both sides to bake evenly. Let it get messy and broken up. Even it back out and put back into the oven to bake for another 15 min. Once browned, flip it again and allow it to bake for another hour and half (or until it cooks thoroughly to a crisp!) Keep flipping periodically to avoid one side form burning.

When done, (it should no longer be sticky) let it cool for about 20-30 minutes. Spoon into storage containers- will stay good for up to 10 days.

Gluten Free Muesli Scones

While scouring the web for some ideas.. I ran into this little gem and I had to share. For my gluten-free friends that thought they had to give up this yummy little baked good, fear no more!

From Elena’s Pantry http://www.elanaspantry.com/muesli-scones/

• 2 cups blanched almond flour (I’ve found this at Trader Joe’s)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup dried cranberries (look for no sugar added brands)
• ¼ cup dried apricots, cut into ¼-inch pieces
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• ¼ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 1 large egg (size does matter as dough will not hold together with a small or medium egg)
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar (Maple syrup would work too)

Enjoy with coffee or tea!

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and soda
2. Stir in dried fruit, seeds and nuts
3. In a small bowl combine egg and agave
4. Stir wet ingredients into dry
5. Use your hands to form dough
6. Shape dough into a 6 ½ x 6 ½ square that is about ¾" thick
7. Cut dough into 16 squares
8. Bake at 350° on a parchment paper lined baking sheet` for 10-12 minutes
9. Serve

What's Blood Type Got to do With it: Gluten

Hey baby… what’s you’re type? Blood type that is <wink, wink> Sounds like a corny pick-up line… but there’s more to your blood type than you’d expect. Some have called the Blood Type diet another fad to go the way of polyester suits and bell bottoms. But there’s some research that would argue otherwise. 

The Blood Type diet is an eating plan made famous by Dr D’Adamo in his book “Eat Right 4 Your Type.” The book explains that optimal health it is important to understand the correlation between the four blood types and the appropriate diet for each group. It breaks down the various blood types: O, A, B and AB and explains what foods are beneficial and which are harmful and lead to disease. His assertions are backed by decades of clinical experience in his both his own practice as well as his father’s work. He’s also conducted a multitude of lab tests to prove his observations.

What I find fascinating by the blood type theory is the simplicity of the observations.  For example, he explains that type O (the oldest blood type) does best to eat more animal proteins, certain vegetables and avoid most grains. He even goes as far as to say that the majority of blood type O might be sensitive or intolerant to gluten and/or wheat. This makes sense since type O is the first blood type to evolve, and predates the introduction of wheat into our ancestors’ diets (during the Middle Ages.) Therefore it’s not farfetched that those with type O blood lack the genetic adaptation to properly digest the protein gluten. Furthermore, the wheat products in today’s food (those giant, although delicious, bagels, oversized pastries and puffy not-so-Wonder bread) have higher quantities of gluten than the traditional products eaten by our ancestors… but I digress…

The blood type theory explains that foods contain lectins, but that the lectins in certain foods maybe toxic for certain people. Our immune system’s job is to defend us against intruders. When a harmful lectin enters, it strikes and causes an inflammatory reaction. The inflammatory reaction can cause damage to the digestive tract as well as to the blood cells, leading to diseases like irritable bowel disease (IBS) and arteriosclerosis among others. 

So how do you know if the food you’re eating contains lectins that are harming your body and causing inflammation? Well there’s always elimination/reintroduction diets where you remove a suspected food, one at a time and check your symptoms. The Blood Type Diet helps by clump the various types of lectins into categories, then makes recommendations based on those categories and the individual blood types. In that way, it simplifies the elimination diet by providing a roadmap.

arthritis can be due to food allergies

An old adage says , “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.” Considering that there’s much evidence that proves that some people just don’t do well with certain foods, it would so helpful to have a simple way to determine one’s optimal diet. Looking at blood type might provide a good start to figuring out which foods work best for an individual. 

As I do more research I’ll share more of my findings… stay tuned! ! And don’t forget that I’m conducting a detoxin January- that might be a perfect time to start an elimination/reintroduction diet if you suspect that you might be sensitive to wheat/gluten or any other food allergens.  Email me (Lara@WealthofHealthRX.com) if you think you need help navigating the field of proper food choices