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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Paleo Cupcake Recipe

Are you in need of a healthy cupcake recipe for an upcoming event or your little peanut’s birthday party? Look no further, not only are these cupcakes gluten and grain free, but they are actually delicious! I used this recipe from the amazing Elana’s Pantry website for my children’s birthday parties this year. Even guest that do not eat the way we do loved the cupcakes, so much so that they were all gone! There were no leftovers, but that’s always a good sign. It’s also a great way to introduce people to real food and healthy eating.

Here’s the fantastic recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes from Elana’s Pantry:

  • 1 cup coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 12 organic free range eggs
  • 1 cup grape seed oil
  • 1 cup raw honey
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract (gluten free)
  1. In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda
  2. In a small bowl, blend together eggs, grapeseed oil, honey and vanilla
  3. Mix wet ingredients into dry and blend with a mixer or hand blender until smooth
  4. Pour batter into cupcake lined muffin pan
  5. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes (make sure bottoms do not get too dark)
  6. Cool completely
  7. Top with Icing of choice.

~Makes 24 cupcakes

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My favorite, easy, simple, and healthy icing recipe involves only 3 ingredients! Yes, you heard me right, only three ingredients, and can be whipped up in no time.
Chocolate Icing Recipe:
1/3 cup Coconut Oil
1 cup Enjoy Life Dairy Free Mini Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 TBLS Vanilla Extract (gluten free)
  1. Mix the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat, it will start to melt quickly. Keep stirring to avoid burning. Once melted add in vanilla extract and stir. Then take off of burner. Transfer to a glass bowl and place in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to harden. Once hardened, use hand mixer to whip until desired consistency is achieved. Then use spatula or butter knife to spread on cupcakes. Makes enough icing for approximately 2 dozen cupcakes.

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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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Raw Food Restaurant- The Cider Press Cafe in Naples, FL

I always love testing out new recipes and the healthy restaurant options available to us. On a recent anniversary trip to Naples, Florida, my husband and I had the opportunity to test out a raw food restaurant: The Cider Press Cafe

It was divine and didn’t disappoint! We actually had trouble figuring out what to order because everything looked so delicious. We ordered the Flatbread to start. This is grain and gluten free and dehydrated in house. It’s then topped with tomato pesto, herbed cashew ricotta, lemon olive tapenade, caper berries, and sweet basil. It was amazing! We then ordered two entrees to share. The Garden Lasagna – made with tomato, zucchini, sun dried tomato marinara, herbed cashew ricotta; basil walnut pesto, and served with onion bread with basil butter. We also shared The Three Amigos raw tacos – made with three walnut picadillo tacos, guacamole, pico de gallo; and poblano macadamia cream. We devoured our food and enjoyed the energy high that comes with eating natural raw foods! Here’s a few pics of our lunch:

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New Favorite Pasta: Gluten Free, Organic Legume Pasta

I recently found a pasta made from beans, and there are no grains or gluten in this product…. And it taste amazing too!

TOLERANT, the Gluten Free, Organic, Non-GMO Legume Pasta

I have used it for hot and cold pasta dishes, I’ve even sent it in my daughter’s lunchbox for school.  I discovered it at a store in North Carolina while on vacation, and now I found it online at VitaCost for a great price. Here’s the link to order these products: Tolerant Bean Pasta 

Here is my personal favorite, the red lentil mini fettuccine:

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