Taco Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil melted
1 tablespoon taco seasoning (great recipe in REAL Pantry Volume 2)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 45 minutes or until deep golden brown.
Stir occationally.

Nutritional Info
Egg-Free
Casein-Free
Gluten-Free
Vegetarian

Comments
You can soak seeds overnight in water and some Celtic salt to make them more digestible.

Natural Alternatives to White Sugar...3 Simple Ways to REDUCE Sugar Intake

Americans are eating around 150 pounds of sugar EACH year! As Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS notes in her book Get the Sugar Out, sugar has been linked with multiple health problems [cancer, impaired immunity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes Type II, obesity, and many more]. Many parents notice that sugar also affects their child’s mood, activity level, and ability to concentrate.

Let’s face it - most of us love sweets. So what are some sweet alternatives? Minimally processed sugars are natural and contain beneficial nutrients - and some do not cause rapid spikes in blood sugar like the white table sugar.

Sweet Alternatives
[with Quantity to Replace 1 cup white sugar]

*Honey [1/2 cup]
*Maple Syrup [1/3 cup]
*Blackstrap Molasses [1/2 cup]
Sucanat [1 cup]
Stevia [2 Tbs]

*Reduce the quantity of liquids in the original recipe to accommodate moisture included in the syrup

Honey [Caution: NOT for infants]
Contains trace amounts of vitamins, minerals & antioxidants
Maple Syrup
[the REAL deal, not imitation filled with corn syrup & artificial flavorings] Contains trace amounts of vitamins & minerals

Blackstrap Molasses
Contains iron and other minerals or try Sucanat which blends molasses with white sugar for easy baking

Stevia - The Sweet Herb
Staple in South American & Japanese cooking for decades
Use the green or brown [whole] stevia extracts or powders which contains phytonutrients

3 Simple Ways to REDUCE Sugar Intake

Eat REAL Foods loaded with Complex Carbohydrates: Fruits, Vegetables, Legumes, Nuts & Whole Grains Whole foods contain naturally occurring sugar WITH fiber to slow down the absorption of sugar, keeping your blood sugar in check
Avoid Processed Foods full of Simple Carbohydrates: All baked goods with White or Wheat Flour [including bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, many cereals] & Sugar, Corn Syrup, Fruit Juice, Candy, Soda Pop Processed foods have sugar WITHOUT fiber which is quickly absorbed, causing a rapid spike and drop in your blood sugar
Read All Food Labels: Avoid products whose top 3 ingredients include sugar and simple carbohydrates

Splenda...If you use Splenda...read this.

Sucralose, sold under the trade name Splenda, is an artificial sweetener. It's made by selective chlorination of table sugar (sucrose). It's presented as natural because it derived from sugar, but clearly its not a REAL food, it's not as nature intended.

So it's not a REAL food, but is it safe?

The concern is through chlorination of sucrose to make sucralose, an organochloride is born. Some organochlorides are toxic and known to cause adverse health effects, others occur naturally in foods like seaweed. So......what to think?

It's approved for use in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, European Union, Japan, United States and some 80 or so countries. The FDA's approval is based on review of more than 110 studies in humans and animals, which found no adverse effects in humans or animals. My concern is someday they may find adverse effects. Just like the plastic story that continues to unfold - just stick to glass containers and stainless steel bottles.

My thoughts.....It's not a REAL unaltered food in it's original form as nature intended. I choose to use natural sweeteners.

Sesame Chicken Tenders

Ingredients
1 lb chicken tenders, cleaned, rinsed & dried
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 cup sesame seeds, untoasted
1 Tbsp sesame seed oil
Directions
Lightly season all of the tenders with sea salt.
Pour sesame seeds into a bowl and coat each tender evenly with the seeds.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a saute pan over medium heat and cook each coated tender for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden.

Nutritional Info
Casein-Free
Egg-Free
Gluten-Free

*Sesame seeds are a great source of magnesium, copper, zinc and calcium.

Crackers - Wheat / Gluten / Yeast Free

Ingredients
1 cup flour - use any type wheat free - buckwheat, oat, brown rice, chickpea
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tb olive oil or coconut oil or grapeseed oil
1-2 tsp seasonings

3-4 Tb water



Directions
Preheat oven to 400
-
In food processor or by hand mix flour, salt, oil and seasonings.
-
Add 3-4 Tb water - start with 3 and whirl or work in and add more as needed to form a ball.
-
Remove dough and roll out on well floured surface using same flour as in mix.
-
Transfer to baking sheet or pizza stone and bake 10 minutes at 400
-
Once they are nicely browned, cool and break into pieces. One serving is 1/4 of the recipe.
-
Try chickpea flour and after rolling out cracker sprinkle with sesame seeds and use rolling pin to press into the cracker. (Good with hummus)
-
Try buckwheat flour and after rolling out cracker sprinkle sea salt and use rolling pin to crush it into the cracker.
-
Add some Italian spices to the mix before mixing. Try basil, oregano, granulated onion - about 1/2 tsp each.
-

Number of Servings: 4