Hummingbird Mug Cake

Cake with frosting and pecans!

This cake was really easy. I just used my mug cake recipe and changed the chocolate to cinnamon, pineapples and bananas. I still cooked the cake in the microwave. I just used a larger container and quadrupled the recipe!  If dieting, I recommend keeping the single serving mug cake recipe size.

Recipe:
Link to mug cake HERE (skip cocoa powder and add the items below)
1 TBS bananas
1 TBS fresh pineapples
1/4 tsp cinnamon (skip if a salicylate trigger-I tolerate if freshly baked-think it ferments with time)

Mix well and cook for 1 minute in the microwave.

Once cake cools, add frosting - recipe found HERE. Note:***Try making about a 1/4 of frosting recipe for mug recipe size. Sprinkle pecan pieces on top.

Cake after cooking in the microwave

Cake sliced

Cake Frosting

I am so excited to finally have a cake frosting recipe that I can fit into my diet (food intolerances and weight loss). I didn't think it was possible to make frosting without powdered/confectioners sugar. Getting the right texture is one of the challenges. Also, it needs to taste great. I don't use artificial sweetener. First of all, I don't think they're healthy for anybody. Secondly, they make my joints ache. I really want a recipe with no sugar, but low sugar will work for now. I will try a fruit sweeten version later.

Here are the steps for the Frosting!!!!

Step 1:
THE CUSTARD BASE
This recipe works great, but does require some extra prep time. There is science actually behind frosting! There must be a custard or pudding portion to stabilize the frosting (keep the butter from melting!). The custard part of the recipe has to cool before it's combined with the butter mixture. I cooked it the night before and let it cool in the refrigerator.
Recipe-
1 cup of rice milk (or any type of milk)
5 TBS spelt flour (or regular wheat flour)

Measure out 1 cup of milk. Put the 5 tablespoons of flour into a heavy bottom pot (that will later be used for heating it). Slowly add milk to the flour and stir until into forms a paste and later a liquid (the goal is to add it slowly to prevent lumps later).  Heat until thick like custard/pudding. Cool in refrigerator.

Step 2:
OIL BASE
We don't normally think oil when we think frosting. However, most mass produced basic frosting is just some solid oil like shortening mixed with confectioners sugar which is powdered regular sugar and cornstarch. For this recipe, we are using butter.
Recipe-
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks or 8 oz cream cheese - or 1/2 of each butter & cream cheese)
Start with room temperature butter. Whip until light and fluffy.

Step 3:

FLAVOR
If dieting for weight loss, you quickly learn that sugar is a flavor!  However, you learn to use less of it. It takes time but soon everything is too sweet. This recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, but I only used 3 tablespoons. My taste buds wanted more sweetness. I will keep experimenting and update. I'm thinking of trying rice syrup next time.
1 cup of sugar (or less based on preference)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Optional - Add other flavors like cocoa powder, instant coffee...
Add these ingredients to the butter. Next combine the butter mixture with the custard and blend until smooth.  Frost cake!

Rice milk in pot

Spelt flour measured

Combining the rice milk and spelt flour

Rice milk and spelt flour blended until smooth - ready to heat

Weekend - My Pitfalls

These are things that seem to cause me to stumble on the weekend:
1.  Extra time leads to more food testing and chances for food reaction. So I get inflammation weight gain.
2.  Less sleep - up late doing special projects. Sleep helps weight loss.
3.  Easy access to chocolate - relaxed and guard down! Extra calories.
4.  I am more likely to eat something with gluten - things like pasta and cake.

Forgive myself, and keep pushing!

PITFALLS!!!!!!

Thyme for PMS

Ain't nobody got "thyme" for that - PMS! 

I never really understood why I get similar symptoms from PMS as I do to a food reaction. The connection is histamine. Yes, they both fill my body with histamines. Actually, it is too many histamines. More than my body can tolerate and remove quickly. So my head hurts, eyes burn, neck hurt, vision is blurred, brain fog, shortness of breath, skin irritations, and the list goes on. I popped over the counter pills for this for decades. I finally felt better once getting the food intolerances under control, but not completely. I try not to take pain medication because it is not good for the liver. So I was super excited to find that thyme seasoning actually helps.

Just a little though and try to limit to once per day. Best to chew on it like my grandmother did her tobacco! I found making it as a tea was too powerful since it is high in salicylates, and as tea it gets in my nose and eyes and becomes overpowering.  

A Successful Friday!

I am so excited. I lost almost 2 pounds yesterday! So I thought that I better write down what I ate, and repeat it next week. I do a combination of Phase 2 and 3 for Friday. Note:  For Phase 2 days - (Wed & Thu) I mostly ate chicken and bok choy. The same breakfast as below but with egg whites, and the same snack (no liver).

Breakfast:
Whole egg in the steamer with a fresh curly kale leaf. Dash of pepper jack cheese on top.

Snack:
"Just Chicken" grilled chicken breast from Trader Joe's

Lunch:
Fried chicken livers (fried with Mazola oil blend - canola blend with soy -  high omega 3)
Bok choy

Snack:
Same as snack above with 2 chicken livers

Dinner:

Classic Chicken Cobb Salad from O'Charley - removed avocado and croutons - ate half:

• "The Classic with diced grilled and chilled chicken, tomatoes, bacon, fresh avocado, hard-boiled eggs, bleu cheese crumbles and croutons on a bed of crisp romaine, iceberg and spring mix with our Bleu Cheese Dressing"

More Ideas

Enjoy the pictures of ideas.

Salmon balls, wild rice with zucchini, eggs

Chicken and cabbage

Beet and pineapple smoothie

Chicken and broccoli

Chicken salad with golden delicious apples, celery, pomegranate

Egg whites

Turkey Meatballs

Egg white omelet and turkey bacon

Rice pasta with Basic White Sauce

Salmon, Brussels sprouts, frozen pomegranate sorbet

Salmon, tomato, asparagus with little pineapple

Gluten free spaghetti, ground turkey, fresh tomato sauce

Chicken, black eye peas, bok choy, Almost cornbread

Tuna on beet slices

Tuna with cucumber slices and celery

Tuna salad from Subway

Turkey bacon as a snack

Turkey jerky with no nitrate

Salmon and Lentils

I love the texture of lentils. I also love salmon. The lentils were purchased precooked from Trader Joe's. The salmon patty came from there too, but uncooked and frozen. I just pan seared it. This post is mainly a reminder to make your food beautiful. I find that really helps with my intolerances. I hate asparagus!  However, if I break it into pieces and make it look like green beans - it taste better! The tomatoes add bright color. Kimchi added for some probiotics that are great for keeping the gut strong. Bon-appetit!

Gluten free Pizza

Making it through Phase 2 is hard. Pizza makes everything beautiful. I have tried cauliflower pizza crust, but found later that I am sensitive to it. Also, cauliflower is only a Phase 3 vegetable.

Oh well, moving forward!  Just get some ground chicken or ground turkey. Season it with some Italian flavors (parmesan and other safe seasonings - I use just a little pesto). Shape into a crust on a greased pizza pan. Lightly cook it. Top it like pizza!

Thankful for the Progress with my Skin

That is my skin just a few years ago.  I would get those types of soars and I had no idea why.  Medication that I would put on it would make it worse.  I later found out that I had multiple intolerances.  I wish that I could go back in time and tell her!


Thank you Lord for guiding me on a path to knowledge.  I was misdiagnosed most of my life. I now appreciate cleaning my skin with soap that is made of safe oils.  Using a skin toner that is just made with rice vinegar and distilled water.  Most importantly, learning to eat foods that do not irritate and turn my face, back, chest, and leg into bump and scar city!


Truly thankful and look forward to learning even more.

Infused water

I have tried sparkling water. I love it but it is a histamine party! I don't like raising my levels. So for my next phase 2, I am purchasing a water bottle with a infuser cylinder. I plan to fill it with:
Cucumber
Ginger root
Lime (maybe)
Fiji water - (I find that it is safe and makes me feel better)

That is it!

Update:  Excited that this is working well.  No reaction and it helps curb my craving for fruit and chocolate!

Almost Croissant

I made a wonderful sandwich this past weekend. The star of the sandwich was the bread. I have been wanting a bread recipe that taste great and is made with safe ingredients. I accidentally found one. I was fascinated that kids on a cooking competition show could make eclairs. I looked up the idea on YouTube. I was surprised how simple they are to make.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 375 for about 15 minutes (try not to open oven for best rise).

Just 4 ingredients:
1 cup of water
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup spelt flour (or 1/2 oat and 1/2 spelt)
3 eggs 

Bring the water and butter to a boil. Removing from the heat and add the flour. Blend. Place back on the heat for 30 seconds. Place in the food processor and allow some of the steam to come off. Slowly add the eggs one by one. Shape on a pan with parchment paper. More details on this link - follow pastry instructions:

Play around with the shapes - I later found putting them in a muffin tin easier

Cooking on foil but parchment paper is best

Open up so it can be filled. The recipe creates a create hollow inside.

Filled with sausage, egg and cheese!

Wonderful breakfast sandwich

They turn out a beautiful shape and lot easier in muffin tin - still hollow inside

Hair Grease (really everyting grease!)

You know that I am super sensitive to oils.  So I am totally excited that I have discovered pecan oil, and that it has been really great for my face, hair, and the heel of my feet.  I have combined it with these other oils and really love how well it absorbs into my skin and hair. This recipe does not leave an oily mess.


Recipe:
2 oz. rice bran oil
2 oz. pecan oil
0.3 oz. beeswax
0.2 oz. cocoa butter


Melt in microwave or on stove top. Stir. Pour into container. Let cool and it will turn into a soft solid.
Apply as needed.

Straight Hair Talk

Professionally straight!

S - T - R - A - I - G - H - T !!!

I have not posted about natural hair in a while.  I am still all natural.  I guess my hair has been sort of boring lately!  The good thing about the boring life of my hair is, that it has given my hair a chance to grow.  I have just been washing it and not adding any heat.  Just twist outs or pulling it back into a puff. 

However for my 30 year high school class reunion, I decided that I would get it professionally straighten.  For the past 3 years, I have gotten a protein treatment about once a year.  It helps my hair to stay straight even during the hot summer months. There is no way that I could get my hair to stay straight without the protein treatment.  However once I have the treatment, I do have my little routine to straighten it after I wash it. 

Here are the steps in pictures:

Divide shampooed hair into 4 sections. Add mixture-half rice vinegar & water. Then just t-shirt towel dry.

Blow Dryer - low budget as you can see!

Blow dry each section while damp, no oil.  The water and vinegar adds protection, and evaporates out.

Electric brush - love this thing!!!!

Add a little oil to the section. "Brush" with the electric brush. Repeat for each section.

Flat iron - how did we live without these?

Flat iron and curl a mini section within each section and roll it out of the way. Repeat until finish.

Take rollers out and style. Not professional, but alright!

Breakfast Stir Fry

Breakfast Stir-Fry over an egg

I miss breakfast sausage sometimes. Bacon doesn't bother me and is the meat that I eat mostly for breakfast. I accidentally discovered something this past weekend, and will definitely create it again. I used thyme seasoning which doesn't irritate me and gives a good flavor of sausage.

Recipe:
Turkey patty, raw
Bell pepper
Onion
Mushroom
Thyme seasoning
Cayenne pepper

Chop the ingredients (add as much as you like or need). Add to oiled skillet. Cook until meat is done. Serve over cooked rice or egg.