Sesame Cookies and Lazy Daisy Cake

This is what I made today. Easy and yummy.

Gluten Free Sesame Cookies

1 ¼ cups blanched almond flour, ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ⅓ cup agave nectar, ⅓ cup tahini (raw or roasted, though roasted will give more flavor) 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup sesame seeds (hulled or unhulled -I used hulled)

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
In a smaller bowl, blend together agave, tahini, oil and vanilla
Blend the dry ingredients into the wet
Form the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the sesame seeds
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and flatten
Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes until lightly brown
Cool on baking sheet
Serve
Makes 14 cookies

This is from http://www.elanaspantry.com/sesame-cookies/print/

P.S. Today I didnot roll them in sesame seeds and they turned out so good. It made making them a little faster. I just used a fork and pushed it down a little.

The other recipe for the cake was quite easy also.

SCD Lazy Daisy Cake (SCD)Cake

2 Eggs 1/2 cup Honey 1 teas. Vanilla Extract 2 cups Almond Flour 1 teas. Baking Soda 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt, 1/2 cup Yogurt or Yogurt Cream (yogurt made from half and half), heated just to room temp (I used the top of the can of coconut milk with a little vinegar or you could use Lemon juice) 2 TBSP Butter, melted

Topping:1/3 cup plus, 1 TBSP Honey,1/2 cup Butter, melted1 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8" x 8" baking dish. (I use a pyrex dish)For Cake: In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, honey, and vanilla until combined well and just a bit frothy, about one minute. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Then add to the egg mixture and beat just until combined. Beat in yogurt and melted butter. Pour into buttered baking dish and bake about 30-35 minutes, until cake tests done. Let cake cool for about 20 minutes.

For Topping: In a small saucepan melt butter and stir in honey until combined. Then stir in coconut. Spread over cake. Place under the broiler for about 3 to 4 minutes until browned and bubbly. Watch it closely, once it browns it doesn't take long to burn. Cool and enjoy! It seems like the next day it was even better.

This cake is quite yummy too. The only change I made was to the yogurt. It turned out great.

http://mrsedsresearchandrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/07/scd-lazy-daisy-cake.html

Thanks again to Elana and Mrs. Ed for their terrific recipes.

Magnesium

Low Magnesium Levels Increase Risk of Sudden Death

Magnesium is a mineral that is very important for the body. Unfortunately, research has shown that the majority of Americans do not ingest enough magnesium. Some reports state that 80% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. What is magnesium needed for?In fact, there are over 300 enzymes that are dependent on magnesium. Furthermore, magnesium is needed to maintain optimal bone health, as well as cardiac, neurologic, and immune system functioning. Both the thyroid and adrenal glands depend on adequate magnesium for optimal functioning. I have been checking magnesium levels for nearly 20 years and I am still amazed at how many patients are severely low in magnesium.A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2011;93:253-60) found that, in women, the risk of sudden cardiac death was inversely related to magnesium intake and magnesium blood levels. In fact, there was a 37% increase risk of sudden cardiac death in women who had the lowest magnesium levels compared to women who had the highest levels.Magnesium is an inexpensive mineral. Magnesium is found in unrefined salt, green leafy vegetables such as spinach and nuts. The only side effect with magnesium supplementation is loose stools. This is easily treated by lowering the dose. Average doses of magnesium for supplementation range from 200-600mg/day.
posted by Dr. David Brownstein

I take 750 mgs in the morning and 750 mgs before bed. I don't get cramps in my legs at night and it helps with bowel movements. I back off if my stools get loose.
A good book to read and you can get from the library is The Miracle of Magnesium by Carolyn Dean.

Here is another website that has our health at heart  http://blog.imva.info/medicine/surviving-sepsis-fungal-infections/

Healthy Life
Suzanne

Natural Deodorant

I made my own natural deodorant. I gently melted some coconut oil and added a few drops each of lavender, tea tree and patchouli. I have also add a bit of Burt's Bees baby powder after I have smoothed on the oil. I haven't noticed any smell and it has been very hot here. I found that the natural deodorants I have bought were not really do the job so what did I have to lose.
http://chemistry.about.com/b/2011/07/02/antiperspirant-health-hazards.htm
These are the reason why I like to use natural deodorants.

Coconut Chia Pudding

Ingredients:
4 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup coconut milk
1 banana
1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
pinch celtic sea salt
pinch cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut flakes

Directions:
Blend all ingredients except coconut flakes together until smooth in a food processor. Stir in coconut flakes, and let sit approx 15 minutes or until thick. Enjoy!

This is an easy recipe that you can make at night before bed or in the morning to have for dessert at night.

More on why to eat Paleo

Did you know?

Despite the US dietary recommendation to eat plenty of wholegrains, grains - even wholegrains, are non-essential foods in the human diet. You’re not missing out on anything by not eating grains! Grains do not offer any nutrients that you can’t obtain from other foods in higher quantities! Even fiber is available in large amounts from vegetables, fruit, nuts and nut flours such as almond flour. There is no nutritional requirement for grains in the human diet. Robb Wolf addresses this issue in detail. So, why are we constantly told to eat grains?

A Little-Known Secret:

The message to eat more wholegrains is pushed by the US government because of their financial links with the sugar and grain industries. Politicians fund the grain and sugar industries and in return are elected into office by the them. Talk about hidden agendas.

Did you know that grains are routinely fed to cattle for the specific purpose of fattening them up? By the time these poor animals are 6 months of age their bodies are racked with disease from the grains they are fed and they would die if they weren't slaughtered for meat. This is another reason that large amounts of antibiotics are routinely fed to cattle - to treat the diseases caused by the grain-heavy diet they are fed. In contrast, cattle that are allowed to graze on fresh grass remain lean and relatively disease free. While many humans can digest grains, like the cow's digestive tract, a human's digestive tract is not designed to handle a high-carb, high grain diet over a long period of time. Allergies and auto-immune problems such as celiac disease often appear in middle age as the gut lining becomes damaged and thus more permeable as a result of a diet high in wheat and other grains.

Contrary to the 'politically correct' low-fat dietary doctrine that is still promoted in our society, research throughout history (see Gary Taubes books "Good Calories, Bad Calories" and "Why We Get Fat" for an excellent overview of this research) has shown that fats and plenty of animal protein are good for you especially if they're derived from sources such as grass fed, organically-raised meats and butter, nuts and coconut oil. Instead, it is the consumption of refined sugars and high carb starches (yes, excess wholegrains) as well as processed oils that sets us up for for diabetes, heart disease, obesity and auto-immune disorders. Despite the public health message to eat more wholegrains and less fat, the rates of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity and its associated problems are higher than they were decades ago in the US? Clearly something is wrong here.

Loren Cordain's journal article "Grains, society's double edged sword" and Robb Wolf's book "The Paleo Solution" both provide an excellent overview of this topic.

Grain-free for weight loss!

Grains rate high on the Glycemic Index (GI) and their consumption sends blood sugar soaring. Grain-free goods, being low on the GI index allow for stable blood sugar and therefore easy weight loss and weight maintenance. That's good news for dieters who still like to enjoy a tasty treat. A low GI/ low carb diet is also beneficial to epilepsy sufferers and worldwide the ketogenic and low GI diets are now used as a therapy for epilepsy in children and adults with excellent results.

A short biology lesson:

When the bulk of our diet is comprised of grains and sugar (carbohydrates) our bloodstream is constantly flooded with glucose. Glucose in large amounts in our blood is damaging to our body. When our blood is flooded with glucose our body needs to constantly release insulin to redirect the glucose out of the blood and into our body cells where it can be used or stored. When the body's muscle cells and liver have stored all the glucose they need, the rest of the glucose is delivered to the fat cells where it remains stored as fat. Insulin is the fat storage hormone - it delivers glucose to our fat cells where it is stored as fat! Continued insulin stimulation (through continual consumpton of grains and other carbohydrates) also means that insulin locks the door shut so fat can't escape our fat cells and so prevents it from being released in our bodies for fuel. This means we don't lose weight - even with calorie restriction! Eliminating grains and refined sugar from the diet dramatically lowers insulin production allowing for easier fat loss without the severe calorie deprivation and hunger associated with typical high-carb/low-fat diets.

Stable glucose levels are associated with less hunger, fewer mood swings and improved well-being and may be the critical factor preventing sezures in epileptic patients following a low GI and/or ketogenic diet.

Fluoride scam

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/08/bone-fluorides-magnet-new-studies-halflife.aspx?e_cid=20110808_DNL_art_1
Read this. Where ever the cities put fluoride into their water, we are all exposed, especially the children. Don't let dentist put fluoride in your children's mouths. Put a filter on your tap water and your shower.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

1 avocado ripe
2 bananas ripe
Cream of the coconut milk which is the semi-solid top when you open it.
Honey to sweeten about ¼ c.
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of sea salt
½ c. cocoa powder

In food processor cream avocado and bananas, add cream, honey, vanilla, salt, cream some more. Add cocoa powder and taste to see if sweeten enough. Put in fridge till cold. It thickens up and seems like regular pudding.

I fool around with the amounts and adjust sweetener and such till I find what I am looking for.
If you wanted it to be cocoa free, I like it before I add the cocoa. I have chocolate freaks around here so I have no choice.