Chocolate Buckwheat Granola {gluten free}

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Berries are in season right now so what better way to enjoy the season’s best than with some crunchy homemade granola!

Granola can be a crunchy and satisfying breakfast with fruit or afternoon snack. Most packages granolas a full of sugar and additives your body would prefer to skip. Buckwheat is used as a crunchier alternative to oats. Toasted with pumpkin seeds and flax in this recipe then coated in a simple chocolate glaze, divine!

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Chocolate Buckwheat Granola {gluten free}

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole hulled buckwheat
  • 2 T. ground flaxseed
  • ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • Chocolate glaze:
  • 1 T. cacao powder
  • 1 T. grapeseed oil
  • 1 T. raw honey
  • Pinch of pink salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Grease an 8x8 glass baking pan, set aside.
  3. In a bowl, combine buckwheat, ground flaxseed, and raw pumpkin seeds.
  4. In a separate smaller bowl, combine cacao powder, raw honey, oil, and pinch of salt. Mix together until thoroughly blended.
  5. Pour chocolate mixture over buckwheat and seeds in medium bowl. Stir to coat evenly.
  6. Pour granola into baking pan, spread evenly then back 25 minutes, stir halfway through baking time.
  7. Remove from oven when pumpkin seeds are toasted.
  8. Allow to cool then store in glassware in fridge.
https://www.totalhealthcounseling.com/2014/chocolate-buckwheat-granola-gluten-free/

See my recipe featured on Vitacost:

http://blog.vitacost.com/recipes-2/non-gmo-recipe-chocolate-glazed-buckwheat-granola.html

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Serve up in a fancy parfait glass and enjoy!

New 28-Day Program: Partnering with SloBody

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Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 7! SloBody is celebrating their 1st Anniversary in their beautiful space in Delray Beach with a huge event! I wrote about them last year when they first opened up.

The day starts with free yoga from 9:45 – 10:45 AM, call to reserve a spot: 561-400-0608.

After a great yoga session, stick around for the party for food, fun, and raffle prizes! Sample delicious and yummy clean eats provided by yours truly of Total Health Counseling, The Olive Taste of Delray, and Fit Food Express of Delray.

Food samples will be straight from the recipe guide in my 28-day program. There will also be samples from Lori of The Olive Taste – she has amazing gourmet vinegar’s which will be available at the fruit sundae bar. Olive Taste also has high quality olive oils loaded with healthy fats that your body needs to absorb nutrients, vital for healthy organs and to give you glowing skin and silky hair. You’ll want to use Lori’s olive oil for many of the dips and dressings in my 28-day program to make them extra delicious and gourmet. Dean from Fit Food Express will also have delicious fresh juice and food samples. Fit Food is right around the corner from SloBody so you can zip over after a great SloBody workout if you’re short on time. Dean offers high quality healthy foods on the quick.

You will also learn about my new partnership with SloBody to bring you a whole new experience of exercise and clean eating. I have created a new 28-day Clean Eating Program to work alongside their new program SloBody Kick Start. Janine and Kirk are the exercise experts and I am the clean eating expert!

I will show you how clean eating can improve your health with weekly eating plans for 28 days.

You’ll get:

· A full guide explaining the entire program

· how to successfully transition to clean eating

· plus tips on self-care for reducing stress

· Full recipe guide with 66 recipes!! Breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, and dessert.

· Weekly menus and shopping lists

· Plus a food diary to track your eating and how you are feeling

Additional handouts:

· Eating out 101, tips for keeping it clean when dining out

· Staging your kitchen for success

· Carb Tolerance on choosing the best carbs to eat

· Plus juicing recipes for those who like to make juice

My new 28-Day Clean Eating program is loaded with all delicious and healthy meals you can make each week. Everything is made from fresh and simple ingredients. Easy to make and keeps well in your fridge for a couple days. So you can cook once and eat several times. This program is customizable, you can add your choice of protein if you are vegetarian or eat meat. I make recommendations for both in the program guide. Everything is very flexible.

We are also super excited to open up a special Facebook group just for you to be able to ask questions and get support in a private group setting. I’m also giving each participant a free 30-min power session over the phone with me for 1:1 support anytime during the 28-day program. You will also get weekly check in e-mails delivered right to your inbox.

My practice, as a Health Coach and in life is based upon the idea that there is no one way of eating for everyone – we are all individuals. I grew up eating based on the food pyramid, like most people, but it didn’t work for me. I never felt that great, but after changing my diet, based on the foods that worked for my body – everything changed. I learned more about this way of eating in my education at Integrative Nutrition. And many of my clients have benefited from eating based on their own bio-individual needs.

Another important aspect to overall health is the concept of Primary Foods, which describes everything around food that affects our well-being including exercise, career, creativity, spirituality and relationships. Encompassing healthy foods and healthy lifestyle changes is a whole person approach to a healthy and balanced life. In my own life having a family, busy life, high stress corporate career, and my own business – clean eating is crucial for me on a daily basis to not only get through my day but feel great in the process.

For more info about the event please call: 561.400.0608 or check out http://slobody.com/training.

Hope to see you there!

XO

What I Did Wrong

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It seems like so many people have allergies these days or at least it’s being talked about more in recent years. If you’ve ever gone to the allergist for a scratch test to determine what you are allergic to but suspect additional allergies then you may need to go a step further and take a delayed food allergy test called IgG.

I never thought about food allergies when I was younger, it just wasn’t talked about. All I knew was my stomach hurt after almost every single meal. As I got older I started changing my diet a bit and realized that dairy wasn’t one of those foods my body needed or wanted – it actually wreaks havoc on my body. I tried to make it work since we are told to have 3 servings of dairy a day, but they I finally decided to give it up after experiencing not only digestive upset but also terrible acne and headaches.

In recent years I suspected more food allergies and took a test from Immuno Labs about 4 years ago. This type of test showed delayed food allergy reactions, which can be harder to determine because symptoms can occur 12 to 72 hours after consuming offending foods. I also did an elimination diet following the test by taking out the foods the test revealed and I began to feel so much better! After feeling better for quite some time, I decided that I could start adding foods into my diet again. This can be OK for some people, but needs to be done very slowly and the foods are to be eaten in small amounts. I didn’t go this route and started added back foods too much too soon. I started to feel a little off but dismissed what I was feeling. I thought that I could will my body to accept these foods again. Oh I have never been so wrong!

My health started to make a downward spiral and not only was my belly unhappy, more heartburn occurred, and I also developed eczema all over my body, mainly my legs, but also my belly, back, underarms. It seemed to come out of nowhere and for whatever reason, I did not equate this to all of the foods I had reintroduced into my life again. I thought it was just bad luck and stress. Sometimes we can’t see what is right in front of us! If a client told me this story, it would be so much easier for me to see that it was all the offending foods back in the diet that were causing problems.

So I decided to get another delayed food allergy test. This time from USBiotek. A friend referred me to a location that could administer the test and so I went and got it done. This time I am going to eliminate these foods for good. I am sure my husband will keep a close eye on me too!

More about the testing: USBiotek offers a delayed allergy test you can get done on about 96 foods in several categories: General, Vegetarian, Mexican, Asian, Japanese. These tests will cover grains, legumes, nuts/seeds, dairy, fruits, vegetables, meats and eggs, fish, spices. Each categorized test has a specific protocol of the foods it will test. They also offer testing for environmental factors including inhalants that can cause reactions mold, trees, weeds, indoor allergens.

Your test results will show your reaction based on a scale of 0 to VI (7). Zero being no reaction, I = Very Low, II = Low, III = Moderate, IV = High, V = Very High, VI = Extremely High. Ideally, you will then avoid all foods that gave results of II (Low) to VI (Extremely High) for at least 6 weeks. Then you may reintroduce the foods one at a time, starting with the lowest reaction, to see if the reaction subsides. Sometimes our bodies need a break from foods we eat a lot and other times, we need to avoid foods forever. The foods on the High reaction and above may need to be avoided indefinitely or perhaps several years, then consumed sparingly if at all. Learning which foods work well for your body and which foods cause allergic reaction is key to optimal health.

Some common delayed food allergy reactions may include: fatigue, anxiety, depression, brain fog, rashes, eczema, asthma, hives, digestive upset, heartburn. Delayed food reactions may occur 12 – 72 hours after consuming a food so that can make it much harder to detect than an immediate food allergy.

If you want to get the UsBiotek test done, you can locally by this provider or go to the website and contact UsBiotek directly.

Dr. Frank Driano

(954)-438-1212

9684 Pines Blvd, Pemproke Pines, FL 33025

Here are my test results. If you see me eating an egg, please throw it on the floor (results are at Level VI – Extremely High Reaction)!

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Have you had delayed food allergy testing and traditional scratch testing done? Did removing those foods from your diet help improve your health?

There are a lot of foods I shouldn’t be eating so I am going to get more creative with my meals, because despite everything I still love food! If you are in the same place and need help figuring out what meals to eat with a limited selection I can help. Please contact me for more information: totalhealthcounseling@gmail.com

I hope sharing my experience will benefit you in some way!

XO,

Pam

Nutri-Health Contest for Heart Health Month!

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I have a special treat for you!

My friends over at Nutri-Health Supplements are offering a special contest for the month of February, also known as Heart Healthy Month!

The details are as follows:

1. Comment about your favorite heart-healthy food or product from Nutri-Health on Facebook or Twitter.

2. Tag #HearYourHeart in your comment for a chance to win!

3. Check out and Like their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nutrihealthsupplements

4. Follow them on Twitter: @Nutri_Health

Why enter?

1 winner will receive a $200 Gift Card to shop at Nutri-Health.com!!!
Contest ends February 28th at 11:59 p.m. EST.

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Nutri-Health: http://www.nutri-health.com/

Your source for nutritional supplements, probiotics, and digestive enzymes.

All products made in the U.S.A.

Contest Rules:

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Sweepstakes period starts 2/11/14 and ends 2/28/14 at 11:59 p.m. EST.. Void where prohibited. Open to U.S. residents at least 18+. One (1) $200 Gift Card will be awarded. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Sponsor: Nutri-Health Supplements, 260 Justin Drive, Cottonwood, AZ 86326. Nutri-Health employees, contractors, and their families are not eligible to participate in the contest. This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Pot Pie {Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free}

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Winter is here and we all want delicious and filling foods to warm our bellies. I am obsessed with sweet potatoes, more specifically garnett yams when I can get my hands on them.

Black beans are great paired with sweet potatoes and a cornmeal crust had to go on top. My first version had a regular pie crust on top, it was good, but I craved a cornmeal crust and there you have this version below.

I made this dish for Vitacost.com, they feature my recipes and wellness articles on their blog spot called Vitablog at http://blog.vitacost.com/.

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For the full recipe head to the Vitablog posting:

http://blog.vitacost.com/recipes-2/sweet-potato-black-bean-vegan-pot-pie.html

What is your favorite winter dish? Please share in the comments section below.

XO,

Pam