Dairy Free Cream Cheese = YUM!

We are always on the lookout for yummy new products that meet the needs of so many. This product find is one of my new favorites! I have always had a fond love for cream cheese, on just about anything lol, but these days it’s usually on a raw veggie, grain free crackers, or whipped up into a fun topping or icing for a paleo-inspired dessert!

This particular cream cheese is extra special because it’s dairy free, it’s made from almond milk and can therefore meet the needs of all the vegans, vegetarians, paleo-enthusiast, and dairy-sensitive individuals. So next time you are at your local health food store take a peek in their dairy alternative/cream cheese section and see if they carry this delicious product. Here’s the details on it:

Kite Hill Brand Cream Cheese

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Oh, and PS- My KIDS LOVE IT TOO!!!!!

 

Launching The Nutrition Scene: An Online Nutrition Community

A New Vision, A Larger Mission…. Here we GO!

Since We began our healing journey as a family back in 2006, we have experienced so many ah-ha moments, so many trials and victories, and have witnessed first hand the impact of God’s Plan for us in numerous areas of our lives. We have stopped along this journey multiple times to sit in the “Waiting Zone” knowing that God is shifting us once again, and in HIS time not ours. These last few years we have experienced this like no other. God has brought so much to us, and also taken much from us, in order to communicate clearly and effectively on this next mission he has called us to. This mission is one to impact more lives on a larger scale, and to do so as a family! With this being said, we are eager to announce our initial launch of this mission, from our family to yours!

We are bringing to you a new community, an online community for all things Nutrition! We are launching The Nutrition Scene with the goal in mind of helping individuals, couples, and families begin their nutritional journey to good health. With the onslaught of conflicting information, research, and news in the market today, many find it very difficult and frustrating to first,,, know what to do and what to change, and secondly, how to go about doing it. We have encountered many people throughout the years from friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, professionals, and community members asking us “how did you do it?” or “How do you stay on track?”  and “How do you know what to do, what to buy, what to feed your family?”

From questions about specific health matters, to cooking and food prep, to eating out and traveling, and raising healthy kids, we have heard it all and helped so many along the way. We find ourselves constantly giving out advice and guidance to anyone that asks. So with that in mind, here we are…. Ready to embrace all of you and give you the guidance, wisdom, and encouragement that you need to start making changes. Whether it be jumping in, ALL in, at once or taking baby steps towards a better you and a healthier family, we are here to serve and provide. We wish you luck in your quest for health as you embrace these changes and embark on the next step in your journey to Life-Long Health and Wellness!

Kindly in Health,

Tracy Mastandrea,RD,LD/N and the Mastandrea Family

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Here’s our plan of Action for this coming year:

Phase 1 of The Nutrition Scene

~Bringing you the latest and greatest, and the TRUTH for all things Nutrition to our online community nutrition scene. We will be sharing recipes, nutrition facts, Q&A sessions, product recommendations and reviews, traveling and tips for eating out, budget advice, raising healthy kids, and much more via our social media sites:

12923689-small  Twitter: @NutritionScene

fb-logo    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenutritionscene

youtube_logo_small   You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbQGS33m5pfMu3sZm1Ru3_A

images      Instagram: https://instagram.com/thenutritionscene/

~Phase 2 of The Nutrition Scene

Meet our family! We will be introducing you to our family, our home, and our lifestyle over the next few months. We want you to get to know us, from our home to yours!

~Phase 3 of The Nutrition Scene

Launch of our online Nutrition Store and our website coming soon!!!

 

 

Baked Ziti with Lentil Pasta

Ingredients:

2 boxes of the Tolerant Brand Red Lentil Penne Pasta

Tomato Sauce approx 6 cups (can make your own or buy organic ready made sauce in Jar)

2 lbs fresh Mozzarella (1 lb cut into cubes and other 1 lb thinly sliced)

15 oz container of Ricotta Cheese (prefer natural by nature grass-fed brand)

1 1/2 cups freshly grated raw Parmesan Romano Cheese

2 cloves of garlic freshly minced

1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a little sea salt, and boil the lentil pasta until al dente (approx 8-10 minutes). Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix the ricotta cheese with the fresh minced garlic and the 1 lb of cubed mozzarella cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and parsley.

Toss the cooked pasta with the cheese mixture, tomato sauce, and half of the parmesan cheese. Then transfer the mixture into a well greased (use coconut oil to grease dish) large baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese and top with the other half of the sliced mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Bake until lightly browned and hot, approximately 20-30 minutes.

Serve immediately, approximately 8-12 servings.

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Grain-Free Gluten-Free Baking Mixes

We all have those days when we need a quick fix and quick recipe to make… I finally found a healthy convenient solution. On a recent trip to North Carolina I was exploring one of my favorite stores there called Earth Fare when I came upon this brand of baking mixes. It caught my attention quickly as I saw words like Gluten Free, Soy Free, Almond Flour, Coconut Flour, and Paleo-friendly. When I read the ingredients and the instructions, I knew I just had to try it out. I have clients tell me they would love to cook and bake more but they just run out of time. So this is a great alternative, you can have the mix done in about two minutes, and then in the oven it goes! My first item I tried from Simple Mills was the pumpkin muffin mix. I personally think that the spice blend in this mix could not be more perfect. My 16 month old son and 9 year old daughter LOVE them too! I have since tried all of their mixes and they are all wonderful! Health tip: when making these products, I prefer to use coconut oil for the oil mix-in ingredient. We know the multiple benefits of coconut oil and this is a perfect opportunity to include it in a recipe.

The Simple Mills distribution channels are still limited, however you can order directly from the company on their website and shipping was very inexpensive: Simple Mills Website

Here’s a picture of the pumpkin muffin mix I first tried…. YUM! Just in time for Fall, ENJOY!!

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Xylitol- an alternative sweetener

When using xylitol in recipes you need to be careful what type of xylitol you get. You want to get a xylitol made from 100% birch bark. My favorite brand is Ultimate life’s “the ultimate sweetener.” It can be purchased through Luckyvitamin.com at a good price. Xylitol is good to use in baking recipes because it substitutes more equally to sugar. Typically if a recipe calls for a 1/4 cup of sugar you would use a 1/4 cup xylitol as a replacement.

I still prefer pure Stevia as the number one sweet alternative, however Stevia is difficult sometimes to bake with. So xylitol is another option…

A few warnings with xylitol, animals can NOT have it so please keep it away from your pets. Also, some people experience stomach sensitivity to xylitol, if you do you would not want to consume it.