Green / Berry Antioxident Smoothie

4 Cucumber Slices
Handful of Spinach
Handful of Frozen Berries
1/2 Green Apple
Squeeze of Lemon
6 oz. Almond Milk
1 T Ground Flax
1 T Protein Powder

Mix together in a blender or Vitamix (don't have one yet, but REALLY want one) until smooth, add more berries, Almond Milk to desired taste & consistency.

Quinoa Flakes w/ Almond Milk

1/3 cup Quinoa Flakes
3/4 cup Water
Microwave 2 1/2 mins
Add raw almonds, macadamia or other nuts
Add a splash of almond milk
Add a dash of coconut crystals
Add a dash of cinnamon

Brown Rice Tortilla-Nacho Salad

Brown Rice Tortilla (cut into triangles, sprayed w/ olive oil and toasted)
Cabbage
Cucumber
Green Onion
Chicken or Turkey seasoned w/ cumin, paprika, onion salt, garlic & chili pepper
Goat Cheddar
Salsa Fresca
Black or Red beans
Lime
Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

Melt cheese onto chips and place on bottom of plate. Assemble the rest of the ingredients, squeeze some lime on top.

Crazy For Coconuts!!!

This may sound a little crazy, but in my quest to eat clean foods I have discovered the amazing healing powers of the coconut!

In the tropical areas where palm trees grow, coconut oil has a long history of medicinal use beyond simply being a food. Coconut oil contains a number of medium-chain fatty acids, which demonstrate a powerful antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial action. These effects can help restore intestinal bacteria back to a more beneficial balance and support efforts to eradicate pathogenic organisms like Candida.

I have decided to cook with coconut oils as much as possible. Also I just started topically applying the coconut oil to my psorasis 3 times a day. I will keep you posted on my progress.

I'm free...

I have been sugar/gluten/wheat/soy & dairy free for a month now. I decided to do this because I have psorasis on my elbows, knees & hands and I read that perhaps a poor diet could contribute to this.

{these are my knees, kinda ugly, right?}

It looks like my psoriasis is improving! I have not used any of my cortozone products all month and winter is usually the worst time of the year for my condition.

Side benefit of this diet: I have lost 10 pounds, in general my skin looks great, I no longer crave sweets, caffeine or that 5 o'clock glass of wine while cooking dinner.

Although I have come up with some great recipies, I am always on the lookout for more. There are many sites and books that are gluten free but not too many that are sugar/gluten/wheat/soy & dairy free. I did find a couple of websites: thespunkycoconut.com & simplysugarandglutenfree.com that are great. They both have cookbooks that I want to order.