Baking with Less Sugar

Ann from California asked me if I have a cupcake recipe with less sugar for her son's first birthday.

My response:

I don't have one off hand, as I don't do much baking of sweets; however, a book that I LOVE as a mom is Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair. Cheap on Amazon--I highly recommend it. She says you can "replace 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup overripe banana puree (blended with a few TBSP water until smooth). Freezing them first and then thawing before using makes an even sweeter puree".
She also says:
"When using any liquid concentrated sweetener in place of granulated white sugar, reduce liquid content by 1/4 cup. If no liquid is called for, add 3-5 TBSP flour for each 3/4 cup liquid concentrated sweetener (maple syrup, banana puree, etc). When replacing a sweetener with a dry (eg, replacing honey with date sugar), increase the liquid content of the recipe by 1/4 cup or reduce flour by 3-5 TBSP".
So I would use my normal recipe and follow the above instructions.

Thanks, Ann! I learned something from this one that I will definitely use!

Fast Healthy Lunch

I have a lot to do this afternoon, so cooking a big lunch was not on the agenda. However, I still wanted something warm and balanced to satisfy my appetite after the gym, and I wanted something that would really benefit me nutritionally. All I found in the fridge were my CSA veggies, as I haven't been to the market for much else than their hearty homemade soups for the past couple of days. Hey, no work, no hubby, no kid--I'm taking a little break. That said, I still want to eat and feel well.
What I found in the fridge was fresh baby spinach and other assorted baby greens, some fresh sage leaves left from Christmas and a small bit (a little under an oz) of herbed goat cheese. Warm was what I was craving, so decided it wouldn't be too much trouble to chop up some garlic and saute it before throwing the greens in the pan (no chopping necessary with baby greens). I used about 1 tsp each of organic ghee and rendered duck fat (so yummy and quite healthy if you weren't aware. Very high in good monounsaturated fat.) as my oil.
I heated the oil in the pan, threw in the garlic and then the rinsed greens after 1-2 minutes. I gave the greens a few minutes with some stirring and then broke the sage leaves up with my fingers (again, no chopping!) and dropped them in, stirring. When the greens were soft, I crumbled the goat's cheese in and stirred some more, adding a dash of sea salt and pepper. This took about 5-7 minutes total. I then turned the heat off and let the greens set while I gathered the rest of my meal.
Now, I said I wanted benefit, balance and minimal preparation, so I reached for a can of plain, water-packed sardines (High quality protein and Anti-inflammatory Omega 3's!) and dished them out onto my plate. I added about 1 Tsp real mayo (Real food only, for me, thanks.) and a dash of lime juice and mashed/mixed with my fork. For my quick grain, I used a handful of Mary's Gone Crackers gluten-free whole grain herbed crackers (I recommend eating a low gluten diet to reduce cancer risk, which is backed by research). The whole meal took about 15 minutes to create, and I am still fondly satisfied as I recount the steps of its creation. Clean up was simple as well, and I have greens left over for lunch tomorrow.
This meal is proof that all it takes to eat well without taking tons of time is commitment to optimal health and a little creativity.

Blessings and Good Health,
The Gourmet Healer

Functional Nutriton Course from IFM

As I sit in the Ft. Lauderdale Airport, waiting for my flight back to Albuquerque, I'm extremely excited. Excited, of course, to get home to my family, and also to share and apply the wealth of knowledge I gained over the weekend from the Functional Nutrition Course from Institute for Functional Medicine.
I am so happy to have found a group of like-minded individuals who want to see doctors and nutritionists (and other health care professionals) working together to help patients heal and approaching patient care with a holistic and evidence-based view. This weekend, I met MDs, NDs, RDs, CCNs, RNs, PhDs and Lifestyle Educators who all agree that diet and lifestyle should be at the core of ALL treatment plans. I deepened my physical nutrition assessment skills and coaching skills and also learned more about functional lab testing and using nutritional supplements & medical foods along with a Core Food Plan to help prevent and reverse many common ailments and forms of chronic disease. To name a few, we discussed the aforementioned in relation to Cardiovascular Disease, Insulin Resistance, Type II Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases, Chronic Fatigue, Obesity and many more.
I am bursting at the seams with new knowledge and cannot wait to get back to my patients and clients at my jobs in clinical and private settings.

Blessings and Good Health!
Gourmet Healer
Angie King-Nosseir