Sunday, October 30, 2011

What are your soy reactions?

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Happy Fall ~~~<~@ (Photo Credit: Dreamstime.com Free)
If you react to soy, what type of reaction do you deal with most?


It's strange the amount of different reactions I've heard about from many people with soy issues. Share your story and symptoms by leaving a comment below.

Wishing you a week of excitement and peace of mind,

Bethany xoxo

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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Source your fish: Buy wild, not Farm-raised



After another run-in with soy contamination, I'm needing to remind myself and others; Source everything, especially any animal products you may consume.

The Problem: I would never think to source my fish, but when you'd never think to source it is usually when you have to source it the most. Find out what it's fed before buying it to avoid wasting time and money.  The latest offender: Meijer brand Tilapia.  It's farmed, which I knew was worse for the fish, but now I know it's not ideal for us either. Farmed fish are usually fed a diet of corn and soy, just like all the other conventional livestock in this country. I'm not sure why I originally thought fish would not be included in this. I suppose the idea of fish eating soy seemed so ridiculous to me that I felt foolish for even considering. That ridiculousness has not seemed to cross the mind of large producers of fish for huge grocery chains.

Tilapia fed a corn/soy diet has decreased Omega 3's, but increased Omega-6's which is not ideal. Eating unhealthy fatty acids instead of good ones is not why most people eat fish.

Quick and easy fix:  Buy only "wild" fish. It may be a bit more expensive depending on where you buy, but it's better than waking up at 5:30a.m. to find a lump in the throat from a delayed reaction. Buy wild, and stay healthy.

Leaving you with a thought I find is very true and real:



Every thought I think is creating my future." --Louise Hay



With love,

Bethany xoxo

P.s. My boyfriend has really been a huge help through all these surprise reactions that find a way to sneak into our home. I was feeling pretty defeated this morning before I could figure out what had gotten me, but he reminded me that even though I was being realistic about the contamination, I had to stay positive. It's much easier with someone as sunny as him helping me. I really don't give him enough credit, so here it is for everyone to see! You rock hunny.

Monday, October 24, 2011

6 ways to re-purpose produce usually thrown out.

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(Photo Credit: Dreamstime.com Free)

On a budget, it's best to use everything you possibly can from everything you grow, buy, or cook. Actually, it's best to do it even if not pinching pennies. Some great ways to use "every part of the cow," so to speak:



  • After juicing your vegetables, don't discard the pulp and scraps in the left over compartment. Re-purpose them into homemade vegetable stock to jazz  up your other recipes! Just throw them in a large saucepan with some water, herbs, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for a half hour up to a few hours depending on how strong you like your stock. Turn off the heat. Either strain out the pulp, store and refrigerate or freeze your homemade stock, or even enjoy it right there without straining as a frothy delicious veggie soup. Add the stock to soup recipes or cook your rice in it for savory added flavor.

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  • When cooking squashes or pumpkin, make sure to save the seeds for roasting and toasting. It makes a nice salty, sweet, or savory snack that's great for your body. Pumpkin seeds are known to have anti-parasitic properties and can help cleanse your system. Wash off the seeds once removed from the squashes' flesh, soak in water, spread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil, garlic powder, cayenne (if you like the heat!), salt, and pepper. Bake them in the oven at about 250-275 degrees fahrenheit for 15-30 minutes depending on the level of crunch you enjoy. Watch them closely to prevent burning.


  • Re-purpose your already squeezed citrus fruit peels for zesting (grating into recipes for added flavor). Store peels in ziploc bags in the fridge or freezer instead of discarding them immediately. Fresh zest really adds a punch of flavor to baked goods, frostings, meat dishes, and more. Plus, it's a gorgeous garnish.

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  • Remember those fresh berries you bought that are starting to look a little sad? Instead of throwing them out, prolong their life and make a yummy and beautiful addition to your everyday drinks or occasional cocktails. Crush the berries and put the remnants in an empty ice cube tray. Fill the trays and freeze. You could also leave the berries intact for a different, elegant look.


  • Reuse old teabags--specifically chamomile, rosehips, and mint-- by removing them from the hot water, allowing them to cool slightly, and smoothing them slowly over your face and neck area for a refreshing, revitalizing facial. Rosehips and chamomile really enliven the skin and add a healthy glow. Rosehips is great for wrinkle prevention as well.


  • Don't let your organic garden get away from you just because winter is on the way! Freeze as much fresh organic grown produce from the rapidly retreating warm weather months. Freezing organic produce saves pretty much all of the nutrients, so you'll have a healthy abundant organic garden to pick from in the dead of winter--right in your freezer! Seems like a no-brainer right? But you'd be surprised how many of us tend to eat more canned fruits and veggies in the dark winter months instead of fresh produce. Plus, the "fresh" produce offered in the regular grocery stores in the winter is often not very fresh at all. Depending on where you live, it is shipped from warmer regions, losing nutritional impact on the journey. It is best to eat seasonally whenever possible to ensure your best nutrient intake. Buying local is a great way to support this.

My outlook on life is unlimited
I have no limits – I am limitless. I decide what I want from life and everything I want is available to me. I believe in me and magic happens."  -Deepak Chopra.

From scratch, with love,

Bethany xoxo

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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Hidden Allergens: What is your meat fed?

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What is your meat fed? Start asking the question if you haven't already.

Recently, I'd been having small soy reactions but I couldn't pinpoint the culprit. This led me to the dreaded double and triple checking all over again, but I'll spare you the details. One of the companies I contacted even though the label stated that the pork sausage was soy free, informed me of the possible risk of cross contamination from the pig feed.


Have you been sickened or reacted to soy or gluten in meat feed?



Power Superfoods: Naturally Soy free, Gluten free

Navitas Chia Seeds

Do your healing body some good and incorporate some super powerful anti-oxidant and nutrient heavy foods into your food allergy or intolerant diet!  There is no real concrete definition when it comes to naming superfoods, but here I list my favorites and the ones I find to be most beneficial. (This is not a medical statement or advice). I don't list pomegranate below because I seem to react negatively to it, but please note if you're not sensitive to it, it's excellent for you!



  • Dark Chocolate (or Cocoa powder) --chock full of flavonols and anti-oxidents, but make sure if you eat it to buy at least 60% cocoa dark chocolate.  The higher the percentage of cocoa the better! Do eat in moderation (if possible) though. I absolutely love Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate bars, and probably eat them more than I should... =)


  • Chia Seeds --I love Navitas Chia Seeds. Who knew your chia pet was delicious? ;) I've listed a great recipe from Mimi Kirk and links below to Chia seed inforamtion.


  • Blueberries --Full of polyphenols which help to prevent excessive weight gain, cancers, and brain damage to name a few of the many benefits. Many cancer patients have incorporated blueberries into their diets. Best to buy organic whenever possible.


  • Oats -- Gluten free and Certified that is! My favorite brand at the moment is Udi's Gluten free Vanilla Oats. Add these to plain coconut yogurt with cinnamon and your favorite berries.  You have a powerful breakfast or snack to get you going. Probiotics, fiber, anti-oxidants, and a great B vitamin source.



  • Avocado --Good source of monounsaturated fats (HDL- high density lipoproteins: good fats!) which help to stabilize cholesterol levels and even lower bad cholesterol (LDL -low density lipoproteins).


  • Red Wine --A glass of red wine a day is said to be very beneficial for your heart, among other things. It helps to boost good cholesterol and has a high anti-oxidant content.


  • Kale --We were lucky enough to have these given to us by my boyfriends mother all summer from her organic garden. Thanks Mrs. Charniauski! Great cancer fighting and prevention properties with high anti-oxidants. Read more on the health benefits of Kale here: http://alternativemedicinenow.com/the-health-benefits-of-kale/ We are juicing this stuff a lot these days.


  • Almonds-- Make your own almond milk or eat them raw after soaking them to increase your body's absorption. Great source of good monounsaturated fats.


  • Garlic --A natural antibiotic and great for cancer prevention. It also holds anti-parasitic properties. Try a few cloves of garlic in your tea or raw combined with a few raw cloves to fight off toxins and parasites chilling out in your system. You may feel some die off symptoms at first (worse before you feel better), but you'll feel way better after the cleanse. I did a small 3 day cleanse and felt amazing afterwards!


  • Apple Cider Vinegar --Also good for cleansing your system and detoxifying. I'm currently looking for a different brand than Bragg's (Beware! Has soy cross contamination in manufacturing process. From personal experience). I'll post a good brand as soon as I find one without c.c. About a tablespoon a day added to your water is great from time to time and especially when you're feeling under the weather.


  • Salmon --In moderation! Fish and seafood can contain mercury, so don't load up too much. Great source of Omega-3 fatty acids, but be sure to buy wild pacific salmon--Not farmed salmon! 



  • Coconut Oil --I not only add this to my recipes, but put it on my skin too! It really makes your skin glow.  Coconut Oil contains MFCA's. These are good fat chains that are easily converted into usable energy in your body instead of stored as fats (like animal fats). Incorporate coconut milk, yogurt, butter and oil into your diet and you'll be feeling healthy and full of energy!






Sending you health and good energies,

Bethany xoxo

P.s. Take some time for yourself today. Green tea break?

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Saturday, October 8, 2011

Healing: Drink your Veggies!

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 (Photo credit: Dreamstime.com Free)

Just popping in for a short post today on healing after your diagnosis.  When I was diagnosed with a soy allergy, I weighed in at a whopping 96 pounds.  My gut was severely damaged (and is still healing a couple months after).  I have since been filling my body with as much fresh organic produce as possible, which has been easy thanks to my boyfriend's mother.  She is so sweet and has been providing us with organic veggies, squashes and greens from her garden all summer and fall.  She also bought us a juicing machine--I'm hooked for life.  It's so good for your body when healing since you are able to absorb over twice the amount of vegetables you would just eat regularly.  For instance, if I feel like eating carrots, I will probably only be able to fill up my stomach with 2 large ones.  If I make carrot juice on the other hand, I can add 4-5 carrots, some celery, and tomatoes into the juicer, and drink all of them in the same amount of time.  It's great for addressing your nutritional deficiencies caused by food allergy/intolerance malabsorption.  Juice takes up less room in your stomach and your body is able to process it much faster.

It's best to drink your vegetable or green juices on an empty stomach so all the vitamins and nutrients can be absorbed into your body in about a 20-mintue window.  After drinking, wait a 10-15 minutes before eating to ensure proper absorption.  You can experiment with all different types of veggies and greens.  Try adding a dash of salt and pepper or cayenne pepper to your juice for added flavor or a kick of hotness ;)

I like to drink veggie juice in unlimited quantities, but I tend to keep my fruit juice intake to 1-2 servings of juice a day to control my natural sugar intake.  I usually use our Black & Decker fruit juicer instead of the Hamilton Beach power juicer for fruits since it's easier to add the pulp back into the fruit juice if you like the added texture (and nutrients!). I've also been using the pulp from the vegetable juices to make homemade vegetable stock for soups.  You can make it now with organic, in-season vegetables and store it in the freezer for soup making in the winter.  I recommend freezing it since it

Happy juicing....the healthy veggie/fruit kind! ;)   Here's some links to the juicers we are currently using and loving!  They may not be the largest or most powerful, but they work just as well and are great affordable options.



Hamilton Beach 67650 Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor: http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-67650-Mouth-Extractor/dp/B000FHQJ6C

Leaving you with a thought and good energies:


The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.  --Buddha

Wishing a beautiful weekend,

Bethany xoxo

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Allergen free, Gluten free cake in action, plus Breast CancerAwareness, and steamed Salmon recipe.

Allergen free, Gluten free cake and Fondant

Whoop there it is! ;)

Just checking in to share a photo my aunt took of the allergen free, gluten free wedding cake I made for my sister. I know it's small in comparison to their ginormous gluten filled cake, but hey, mine was four layers! The only downside was that my sister and I had to eat around the sugar flowers that got placed on it by the other baker when I wasn't looking =P They might have been alright to eat, but I wasn't prepared to take that chance. I was pretty surprised they topped it without asking me, as we already had other plastic cake toppers to put on. But all in all, the cake was awesome and a big hit!

I also wanted to say Happy Breast Cancer Awareness Month! 

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I love the awareness campaign, as it changed my life. Resources from the campaign let me know that just because I'm a young woman, it doesn't excuse me from doing monthly self exams. Good thing I listened!  I ended up finding a tumor in my left breast about a year and half ago. It's grown a lot since then, but I've gotten multiple checks on it which say that it's benign. We are watching it since it's still growing, but I am so thankful to this campaign for enlightening women all over the world about catching potential problems early. Don't ever let a doctor tell you that you're too young to have a tumor. Thank you to the Breast Cancer Awareness movement and all of it's supporters/affiliates! Wear pink to show your support this month!

A great food that's soy free, gluten free, dairy free, and pretty much all other allergen free (expect for fish of course,) is Salmon! And guess what? It's great in supporting healthy breast tissue with Omega 3's, and....it's pink =) Here's a basic recipe of mine that is a stand by whenever I'm working with Salmon:

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Recipe/Directions: ~ Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (fahrenheit). Get some foil to wrap your pieces of salmon in, and place the salmon in each piece of foil, leaving enough to close it like a packet.

Drizzle your salmon with olive oil and juice of half a lemon.  Add about 1/4 of a large onion diced, fresh dill, and fresh grape tomatoes-halved.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a dash of cayenne pepper, dried thyme, and diced fresh garlic (1-2 cloves depending on your preferences).  Close up your packets, place them in a baking dish or baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.  The salmon will come out steamy, flavorful and tender!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Going to the Chapel...with allergen free cake and fondant frosting!

Dreamstimefree images 
 (Photo Credit: Dreamstime.com Free)


What a magical wedding weekend it was!! I am so happy for my big sister and new brother in law!  Everything turned out so beautiful and wonderful.  And the cake/frosting nightmares have finally stopped!  I'm not kidding, I literally had three different frightening dreams of being covered in frosting sliding off of cake.  I'm very relieved that the cake and frosting was such a success, and I can't wait to share it here with you.

I ended up doing a few trial cakes and even more trial frostings before the wedding, but it really paid off in the end.  The first frosting recipe I tried was from a gluten free cookbook that I had loved for great dinner recipes.  I figured since the other recipes were so delicious, the frosting/icing recipes must be just as good.  Wrong!  The "wedding cake frosting" recipe I used was terrible--so terrible in fact it slid off the cake and collected in a moat-type fashion around the cake, which made it kind of look like an interesting yummy castle, but hey! I needed a frosting that would stay on the cake. I thought there was definitely some kind of typo in the book, since the recipe didn't even call for powdered sugar, but regular coarse sugar instead.  That really just doesn't hold up in good fluffy frosting, so don't waste your time experimenting with that too much, unless it's a very trusted source telling you to do so. (I tried this recipe 2x just to make sure it wasn't me or my mixer with the issue; it turned out just as terrible both times).

The second problem I ran into was with a second batch of white frosting that held up well, but wasn't really easy to cover a chocolate cake with.  As some of you may know, gluten free or allergen free cakes tend to be a little more difficult to frost as sometimes they can crumble off the top, even if they are very moist.  It was a pretty cake after the frosting job, but the tiny pieces of dark chocolate cake that came off the top colored the frosting to more of a mocha/coffee color--which was great, but not for 4 layered wedding cake.

Finally, I decided to experiment with fondant; a more professional type of frosting/icing that is great for decorative cakes.  I looked at different recipes online for fondant and picked, pulled, and tweaked ingredients until I came up with a good allergy free mix of ingredients and substitutions.  Here's what it looked like when I got it all rolled out:

Fondant!

Here's the recipe for the allergen free/gluten free fondant that I made:  (Please note that according to sensitivity levels, you may need to experiment with different brands of the following ingredients.  I am very sensitive to soy and gluten, and had no reaction to the following.  I had trouble finding glycerine that didn't contain soy, so I omitted it from my recipe and it turned out perfectly roll-able anyway.  Free of the top 8 most common allergies, and yeast!). 

~ Just over 1/4 cup of water

~ 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin (Make sure it's unflavored! Many of the flavored kinds contain soy. I used Knox brand gelatin).

~ About 8 cups of powdered sugar (You may need more or less after mixing depending on the consistency of your fondant).

~ 1/2 cup of corn syrup

~ 1 teaspoon 100% pure vanilla extract

~ 1 tablespoon of olive oil  (Most recipes call for vegetable oil, but often that is made from soy, so I switched the oil and had no problem).

~ 2 tablespoons Olivio Coconut Spread (Usual recipes call for shortening, but the switch works well).

~ Corn starch for rolling out the fondant, and for reducing stickiness if your fondant turns out too wet. (I used Argo brand).

Directions:  Add the water to a saucepan over low heat and melt the gelatin.  This may take over 5 minutes.  While heating, add your powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl and make a "dent" in the middle of the pile with your fist, but not to the bottom of the bowl.  Add the corn syrup, vanilla extract, olive oil, and buttery spread into the dent you made and mix with an electric stand mixer, electric hand mixer, or by hand.  I did a combination of an electric hand mixer and my hands.  After mixing a bit, add in the melted gelatin/water mixture and continue mixing.  Be sure to add either powdered sugar or corn starch to your kneading/rolling surface before kneading.  When well combined, begin to knead the mixture with your hands.  When your fondant is soft and moveable without being too sticky, dust your surface again and roll it out.  Here's what half of my wedding cake covered with smooth fondant looked like:

Cake and Fondant!

I found the following video helpful as far as rolling out the fondant and placing it over the cake.  I take zero credit for this video, as it was made and uploaded by someone who is clearly a pro baker/cake decorator.  Hope it's helpful to you too =)






For the Allergen Free Wedding Cake, I used two boxes of King Arthur Flour's Chocolate Cake Mix.  Here's what the product looks like, and you can usually find in your local Meijer, Kroger, Whole Foods Market, or health food store:


For tweaking the cake to be completely allergen free, I used Ener-G brand's "Egg Replacer" product in place of the 4 eggs.  I also used 2/3 cup of So Delicious Chocolate Coconut milk and 2/3 cup of water instead of just using 1 1/3 cup of water as the original directions call for.  Make sure you are using 100% pure vanilla extract in the mix as well to avoid any unwanted allergens.  Follow the directions on the back of the box closely and your cake will turn out moist, delicious, and very chocolatey =)

*Note: Please let your cake cool completely before placing the fondant on top.  I also used a basic powdered sugar frosting to frost in-between the layer of the cakes to make sure the cake held together well.  I used the following recipe:

~ 2 cups powdered sugar

~1/4 cup softened non-dairy butter replacement (I used Earth Balance Soy free buttery spread, but you could also use a coconut spread such as Olivio soy free coconut spread for a coconutty flavor.  Coconutty might not actually be a word, but I don't mind ;) )

~1-2 tablespoons of Orange Juice (I squeezed my own fresh, organic orange juice for this, but you could also use pure vanilla extract if you want, or a different type of juice or liquid that you like).

Directions: Basic Frosting:   Beat or Whip all ingredients together until light and fluffy.  Add your liquid by the tablespoon though to make sure that the consistency stays like frosting.  If your frosting is too thick, add more of your liquid by the drop.  If your frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar.

I'll have more pictures of the completely decorated and finished wedding cake that I used at the wedding once the wedding photographer gets them to my sister.  For now, I only have pictures of the bottom double layer covered in the fondant, but you get the idea.  For the top layer, I cut out a circle using a large bowl as a cookie cutter and made another double layer round cake.  I placed it on top of the square cake for a little added interest. Here's my thumb being very proud of my nearly finished product (at 1 a.m. the night before the wedding!)


Please email me at Soyfreeglutenfreehaven@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding steps and directions for the fondant, frostings, and cake! Remember: Have fun with it!  And give yourself plenty of time to get the cake and frostings done if you're making them for an event.  I placed the cake in the fridge after it was finished until the reception.  It really kept the fondant looking great!


P.S. Congratulations again to my lovely sister and brother in law! Love you lots!