Meal Prep and Emergency Preparedness #WellnessWednesday

Hello Everyone! This Wellness Wednesday Week 4 and I'm here to talk to you about Paleo Meal Prep and Emergency Preparedness. One of the easiest ways to fail with a Paleo diet is to not have a plan. It's so easy to get home late and think to yourself "I don't have time to cook now, we can get takeout tonight." That may be okay if you choose the right restaurant and pick a paleo option, but it's really
easy to let "tonight" become tomorrow night, and the night after that, and before you know it, you have been eating out for several weeks in a row. Taking the time to form a plan for your meals for the week ahead of time can not only save you time, but also be easier on your budget (eating out is expensive!).

Some of the best ways to prepare are baking a whole chicken and/or ham; steaming several day's worth of quinoa or wild rice; baking sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, or another starch; or even preparing breakfast foods such as pancakes, egg cups, waffles, or baked oatmeal. Don't forget that a crockpot can also be an excellent asset, allowing you to prepare tomorrow's meal today.

You can either prepare enough meals for a few days and use all of them fresh, or you can prepare enough for the entire week and freeze some for the end of the week. This is also helpful for when the primary cook in your house is going out of town. It can also be great for when your children are home from school with a babysitter or when you are preparing for a big storm. I grew up in rural Connecticut and we lost power several times a year for days at a time because of the weather, and it was always nice to have food prepared ahead of time rather than having to live on processed foods and tuna fish.

While you're at the store, don't forget to pick up a few gallons of drinking water, extra batteries for flashlights, anything missing from your first aid kit, and stop by your local sandbag distributor if your home could be in a flood zone (also a good idea to check evacuation routes!).

Stay safe, stay dry and please remember to reschedule your appointment if you won't be able to make it!
Yours in Health,
Dr. Chelsea

Gas and Gut Health #WellnessWednesday

Hey everybody! Thank you so much for turning back in for Wellness Wednesday! I'm so excited to be back here with you! I'm outside in my neighborhood tonight to air out what I think is a sensitive topic and very taboo in our culture. Raise your hand if you have been in a crowded board room, in a classroom or even an intimate moment with your partner when you had to pass gas and it changed your entire demeanor? I think everyone can think of at least one tragic memory. 

Here's the thing, gas is a totally normal process in our bodies. We have, according to science, more bacteria than we have cells in our bodies, because they help us break down our food, and in exchange we feed them and give them a place to live. Pretty cool, symbiosis, great things! Unfortunately for bacteria, the standard American diet isn't exactly food-based these days, and we weren't meant to be human garbage disposals. If you don't believe me go watch Supersize Me or just Google food additives or check one of the articles on the blog. We're not just eating food anymore and our bacteria know it. If we eat food the bacteria don't want, it encourages growth of bad bacteria as well as leading some things undigested, creating the fermentation process causing smelly and loud embarrassing gas which is embarassing and very common with these food sensitivities. One of the major signs that there is a problem in your gastrointestinal system is lots of gas, pain, bloating, and the anxiety that comes with it. No wait, the anxiety comes from social stigma, but the rest is real! 

Here's the deal, you can do something about it! Start looking up these Paleo meal plans; look up probiotics and do your research, you get what you pay for; look at digestive enzymes like pineapple enzyme and low doses of hydrochloric acid (which you can get from your doctor); you can even look at using fermented foods which have been used around the world for positive gut health for thousands of years such as kombucha, kimchi, and sauerkraut. Every culture has its own version of a natural probiotic. Some even use yogurt if it's the right kind, we will talk about that later and I wouldn't advise it right now, particularly if you are still cleansing your system. Do your homework and participate! Has anyone been doing well with your Paleo meal plan? I received one piece of feedback from someone who has been following along and is already noticing a difference! I would love to hear your comments as well, tell me about it! 

Have a wonderful week!

Dr. Chelsea

Neverending Pancakes GF DF

My friends, if you learn nothing else from this blog, I hope I can teach you to ALWAYS READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE STARTING A RECIPE!

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day and the most fun to cook! I'm all about making pancakes from scratch, and I have several recipes I use which are completely Paleo and also delicious!

However, I know that making breakfast for a crowd- whether it's for a holiday, special occasion, or simply because you have a large family- can be a significant struggle. Sometimes, shortcuts must be taken, particularly when said family shows up unexpectedly. You want to be able to keep the gluten free integrity of your home, but they may be wary of "this whole no grain thing". 

Making a big show about breakfast (or breakfast for dinner) can also be a special treat to help kids who are a little more reluctant to sign on to the gluten free lifestyle. Sometimes, you have to get as close as you can to the "real thing" while they're adjusting to the transition. When your family is more established in a gluten and dairy free routine, it's easier to use recipes with fewer processed ingredients like this pumpkin pancakes recipe.

For when you need a shortcut, this King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Pancake Mix is definitely the way to go!  


If you are not cooking for a crowd, please make sure to follow the instructions for cutting this recipe in half! I made the mistake (yet again) of not reading the box where it says "add mix". Not "add 1/3 cup of mix". Not "add half of mix". They mean add the WHOLE MIX.

Whoops.

Well, I'm human. Like you, I'm not a chef. Kitchen mishaps happen. 


This made a MOUNTAIN of pancakes! A little much when you intend to make breakfast for two people, but perfect for a crowd!

I also am not the world's leading authority on flipping pancakes. Whoops.

Also please make note of where it says to let the mixture rest for 10 minutes to allow it to thicken, this is important! To make this dairy free, I subbed Smart Balance for butter and used coconut oil spray on the pan. I also used 2 cups of almond milk in place of the milk, also after not reading the box where it recommends an appropriate proportion of rice milk. 

As you can see, the pancakes fluffed up beautifully anyway, hooray! Box mixes can be wonderfully forgiving. Blueberries also make a wonderful addition.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!
Dr. Chelsea

When You Need A Quick Dessert

In case you haven't figured it out already, I have a monster sweet tooth. Of course, desserts are also crazy fun to make and write about!

However, the main reason so many desserts end up on the blog is because baked goods tend to be one of the most challenging things about gluten free living. I'm not encouraging you to eat a lot desserts, but I know we all need something for special occasions, especially for anyone with children, so I'm trying to make it easier for you.

I'm not crazy about things that come from a box, BUT I know sometimes parents don't have time to bake things from scratch. It's also back to school time and it doesn't always make sense to make a nice birthday cake from scratch like Laure's Chocolate Cake or my Angel Food Cake and then also make 24-36 cupcakes for the classroom. The lesser of the two evils of course is taking a shortcut with the snacks for school, particularly with concerns that a gluten free dessert might not appeal to small children. ***If you or your child don't do well with tapioca (a gluten mimic) or food additives such as guar gum, a box mix is not advised and you should stick with one of the recipes above or another gluten free cake recipe from scratch***

Good news everyone!

The big cake box companies are starting to make gluten free box mixes which can satisfy the need for a quick, inexpensive dessert fix. I wouldn't recommend using them often, but they can help in times of need. For Makena's birthday, we were serving a large, mixed crowd, so Laure and I decided to make two of the cakes from a gluten free box mix...

The cakes rose well, they were mildly dry (but frosting fixed it completely), and people were surprised when we told them they were gluten free! Definitely a success!

Sometimes you compromise and use a little bit of food coloring and candy decorations. Coloring is NOT recommended for children with ADHD or Autism! Not sure why? Read more here

We also made King Arthur Flour's Seven-Minute Frosting, which is a staple in Laure's kitchen for big events. I also think "7 minute" is misleading, a more honest title would be "10  Minute Boiled Frosting". It puffs up beautifully and is dairy free, so you will likely only need one batch for a 13x9 or two 8x8 or 9x9 cakes. That being said, for cupcakes or cakes with 3 or more layers or multiple colors, I would make a double batch. Doubling the recipe is also recommended for anyone who has trouble with crumb coating like I do. You can also make it a few days ahead if needed!

This would also be a great solution to try if you want to make a batch of cupcakes in advance, freeze them, and then send them to school 1-2 at a time so your child has a treat to enjoy when other parents send in desserts that aren't allergy friendly!

King Arthur Seven-Minute Frosting GF DF NF

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cold water

2 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1/2tsp vanilla powder and 1/2tsp vanilla extract)

Instructions

1. In the top of a double boiler (not over heat), combine the sugar, water, egg whites, cream of tartar, and the pinch of salt.

2. Beat with an electric mixer set at low speed for 30 seconds, then set the pan over boiling water (the pan shouldn't touch the water). Beating at high speed, cook the frosting for about 7 minutes, or until it's stiff and glossy.

3. Remove it from the heat, add the vanilla, and beat an additional 2 minutes on high.

4. Use immediately to frost a sheet cake, tube cake, or layers. Or refrigerate in an airtight container and use as needed.
You may be able to add 1-2 drops of food coloring if needed or even better, puree a small amount of fruit such as raspberries, blueberries, or kiwi and mix in to add some color! If it thins the frosting too much, add a very small amount of cream of tartar or meringue powder.

Start with the ingredients away from the heat

Mix while heating over boiling water for 7 minutes

Starts to look like cake batter here

Stiff peaks let you know you're done!

I hope this serves you well!

Dr. Chelsea

Food Sensitivities and Why We Have Them #WellnessWednesday

Thanks for tuning back in for Wellness Wednesday!

How did you all do with your homework this week? Were you able to successfully add in a Paleo recipe to your meal plan? Was it easier than you expected? Did you run into any difficulties? Do you feel like you need more information? Did you enjoy it? Leave me some comments and I'll do my best to address them!

Just to recap, the basic premise of the Paleo diet is eliminating wheat, dairy, processed foods, and refined sugar, instead increasing your intake of fish, well-sourced meats, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and healthy oils like olive, coconut, and avocado.

Some of you may be thinking, what's the big deal? Grains make up a large portion of the food pyramid! The traditional food pyramid we think of actually dates back to 1992, and there has been much more research in the fields of food and nutrition sciences since then! The CDC currently recommends that grains should only make up one quarter of your plate, equal to or slightly less than your serving of vegetables. Many Americans see that and think “okay, then I'm going to eat a whole wheat bun with my dinner”.

Here's the problem: the way we harvest, store, and process wheat and other cereal grains has strayed away from traditional practices, and they have become inflammatory to many people. Some researchers believe it's because the grains develop small amounts of mold during processing, others insist it's because of genetic modification and too much cross-breeding. Regardless of the cause, we are seeing more and more studies asserting the inflammatory nature of these grains.

If we grossly oversimplify the issue, there are two very basic types of physical characteristics that we will see with food sensitivities. The first person tends to be very slender, has difficulty gaining weight, experiences hair loss, anemia, nervousness, and other symptoms similar to and possibly including an overactive thyroid. Why? Because when her gastrointestinal tract gets inflamed, it speeds up digestion so more inflammatory chemicals don't leak into the rest of the body, and doesn't allow her to absorb the vitamins and nutrients she needs. These cases can sometimes be harder to diagnose because individuals overall look “healthy” because they are slender and don't show as many markers on blood work. The second person tends to be overweight, has difficulty losing weight even with dieting and exercise, and has symptoms similar to and possibly including an underactive thyroid because her body slows down digestion and inflammation builds up. These individuals still may have trouble getting help because their symptoms are written off as being part of obesity, fibromyalgia, or another disorder.

Individuals in both groups tend to experience acne, depression, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, sleep disturbances, joint pain, acid reflux, stomach ulcers, abdominal swelling, vomiting, gas, and diarrhea or constipation or fluctuate between both.

If you're sitting there saying “Wait, this sounds like me, why haven't I been diagnosed with a food sensitivity?” it's because there is very little testing that properly identifies food sensitivities. In my last video, I touched briefly on food sensitivities and how they differ from traditional food allergies, so if you're lost right now, go back and watch that again if you need a refresher. As a whole, medical research tends to focus on food allergies, anaphylaxis reactions, because they are more immediately life threatening and better understood than food sensitivities. On top of that, as we have noted before, inflammatory reactions, which are the symptoms of food sensitivities, are diverse and look very different in each individual person.

I'm not asking you to take my word for it, do an experiment for yourself. Keep following along with Wellness Wednesday and see how you feel. Unless you jump right into strict paleo, it might take a few weeks to notice a difference, be patient. 

This week I want you to incorporate 4 paleo meals into your meal plan! You can do it! It's going to be great! 

Have a sparkling day everyone!

Dr. Chelsea

Need recipe suggestions? Try one of these Simple Paleo recipes!

*Any health topics that are covered should not be considered medical advice. If you have specific questions please contact your doctor or make an appointment with us. You should check with your doctor before making radical dietary changes, particularly if you have heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or are pregnant or nursing.*

Simple Paleo Recipes

There are probably thousands of Paleo recipes on the internet, but if you need a starting block, you have come to the right place. Here are a few simple Paleo recipes with short ingredient lists to get you started. Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to modify your own family favorites as well!

Let me know which ones you fall in love with and if you find any that are even better!

Enjoy!

Dr. Chelsea

Breakfast

Any egg dish with a side of meat and veggies. Omelettes are easy. So are fried eggs with chicken sausage and baby spinach or sauteed peppers.

Twice Baked Breakfast Sweet Potatoes Highly recommend you cook the potatoes the night before!

Sweet Plantain Apple Bacon Hash

Flourless Banana Pancakes I make variations of this regularly, they are my favorite!

Pumpkin Pancakes (21 DSD)

Beef

Mini Pepper "Nachos" I would actually add some more toppings to this like tomatoes, beans, olives, and jalapeños

Mexican Zucchini and Beef

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew

Chicken

Sweet Potato Broccoli Chicken Bake

Creamy Maple Dijon Chicken (DF)

Whole30 Chicken Tenders

Mustard Glazed Chicken

Seafood

Honey Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli

Baked Salmon with Almond Parsley Salad

Thai Coconut Mussels

Our first video! Welcome to Wellness Wednesday!

Hello World, I'm Dr. Chelsea Drda and I'm blessed to be a chiropractor along with two of my family members, Dr. Mark Frank and Dr. Celeste Holstein at the Frank Clinic of Chiropractic in Zephyrhills Florida. Today is Wellness Wednesday and I'm here to speak to you about my journey with weight loss and health transformation.

I'm sure some of you have read my previous blog post about how I lost 60 pounds and 10 pant sizes the healthy way. I come from a family that is very active and eats well, but even still growing up I was always overweight for my age. Dr. Frank first told my parents that I was likely allergic to dairy when I was around 13. I stopped drinking milk, but I “couldn't” give up cheese or ice cream, they were just such huge staples in my life. So of course I had chronic sinus issues and asthma and was completely miserable. It impacted my focus, limited my ability to participate in athletics, and took away all of my motivation. It went on for so long that I thought that's just what my life was supposed to be like, I didn't know I could feel any better. Finally, after a series of severe allergy attacks leading to weeks of recovery, I hit the breaking point and decided to make a change, so my diet has been dairy free for about 4 years now.

Once I cleared the dairy from my system, I still had some issues with my stomach, and I decided to see if eliminating gluten would help. Since I eliminated gluten from my diet 18 months ago, I have been so much happier, healthier, and energetic. I don't ever feel deprived, I always have something delicious to eat that is excellent fuel for my body, and I am not miserable after I eat.

The biggest thing I want to impress on you is that what I have seen with myself, my family, and my patients is that allergy testing does not always pick up on food sensitivities. Allergy testing is most sensitive to anaphylaxis, the throat closing, tongue swelling, inability to breathe reaction that we see with peanut allergies, and isn't tuned to picking up sensitivity reactions. The other issue with sensitivity reactions is that they tend to vary from person to person, but the classic indicators are weight gain or inability to gain weight, chronic sinus issues, acid reflux, gas and bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, nausea, stomach ulcers, fatigue, ear infections, tonsillitis, and thyroid disease.

The good news is, eating a cleaner diet without gluten or dairy is actually a lot easier than you think, and it doesn't have any side effects! The biggest obstacle for most people is cooking at home and I know that for busy families it can seem like a daunting feat. If you need a structured plan, the easiest format to follow is the Paleo diet program. You can buy a book if you want to, but there is an abundant wealth of free information on the internet. The basic premise of the Paleo diet is eliminating wheat, dairy, processed foods, and refined sugar, instead increasing your intake of well-sourced meats, fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and healthy oils like olive, avocado, and coconut. I'll post some resources for you to look into after this post.

Just remember that it doesn't have to be fancy or complicated, eating well can be very simple! I'm not a professional chef and I didn't spend much time in the kitchen growing up, so most of what I do is self-taught. You have no idea what you are capable of until you start doing it, and I was amazed what I can create without taking a lot of time and will please everyone. I have also found that cooking at home is cheaper for most families than eating out every day. So over the next couple of months, we are going to be talking a lot about different recipes, tips and tricks and other things I have found helpful with implementing these kinds of diet changes.

Your homework is to substitute one paleo meal into your meal plan for this week. I want you to try something simple and easy with a short list of ingredients. I don't want you to get burned out cooking the fanciest existing paleo recipe that is so nutrient packed and amazing that it takes you 6 hours to prepare and you quit after the first day. So keep it short and simple and we will revisit this next week.

I hope you'll tune in and I'll be seeing you next Wednesday, have a sparkling day everyone!

*Any health topics that are covered should not be considered medical advice. If you have specific questions please contact your doctor or make an appointment with us. You should check with your doctor before making radical dietary changes, particularly if you have heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or are pregnant or nursing.*

http://paleoleap.com/paleo-101/

http://thepaleodiet.com/what-to-eat-on-the-paleo-diet/

http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/

https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/

http://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/paleo-diet

Your Health Is In Your Hands

When we discuss diet changes with our patients, our friends, and the people around us, something we frequently hear is "Wow, I would love to do that, but it just sounds so hard".

Change is daunting, I get it. Particularly when the people around you aren't supportive or even worse, are critical.

I'm here today to tell you that it's worth it.

Growing up, I was always overweight for my age class. I don't think I ever completely passed the fitness test in school, despite having very active parents who promoted outdoor activitie, and encouraged fruits and vegetables. My "seasonal" allergies (which were supposedly limited to ragweed and dust according to traditional allergy testing) were year round, included a constant supply of new (and piles of used) kleenex tissues, were significant enough to require an inhaler for the asthma component and made physical exercise unenjoyable. Sugar and dairy cravings were 24/7; in high school, my friends would come over for movie night and we would eat pounds of candy or cookies dipped in a whole container of frosting. I always felt uncomfortable; my stomach would hurt, I ate, then I felt worse. Bloating and gas were constant issues, as was acid reflux, all of which left me feeling chronically fatigued and perpetually embarrassed. I was taking over the counter pain medication 3-4 days a week for migraines that otherwise forced me to spend hours lying in a dark room and not able to study. In 2012, I was living the life of a full time graduate student and hit the breaking point. One morning, I looked in the mirror and decided I wasn't happy with my health or how I looked and decided to make a change. 

It started slow.

I hit a lot of barriers and did some backsliding. New symptoms emerged as others dissipated and then those went away too. 

Every struggle was worth it.

Four years later, I'm down 60 pounds and 10 pants sizes, I eat (mostly) clean (mostly paleo), and for the first time in my life I feel truly healthy. I'm still human; I have cheat days, I fall off of the fitness wagon, and I don't always take my own advice, but I have completely turned my life around from a path that would have lead to diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. I have only had one bad allergy attack in the last 3 years and it was self-inflicted, otherwise my allergies are 99% gone, I have so much more energy, and I have fallen in love with aerobic activities. Cravings are almost non-existent and I have control over what I eat without feeling deprived or obsessive about it. I'm glad I went through all of this because I can tell you from the inside what it looks like, feels like, and what to do about it. Cutting out gluten and dairy was the best thing I have ever done for myself.

What I want you to take from this story is that you have the power to transform your life. It's not about making one massive change, the most successful way to do it is to make a series of small changes and to be consistent with them. No one can do it for you. However, when you make the decision to seize control over your habits you will not only improve your health but also find strength and empowerment within yourself. 

That being said, we want to help you along your journey. Starting this week, I'll be posting a Simple Paleo recipe weekly. It will be something with few ingredients that doesn't require hours of preparation time. My goal is to teach you how to make small conversions in the things you eat every day that can have a monumental impact on your health. Not only is it much easier than you think, it also can be a lot of fun. And you can do it without feeling like you are dieting or depriving yourself!

What kind of transformation would you like to see? Let's see if we can get you there!

Yours in health,

Dr. Chelsea

In case you're a skeptic, here's some proof. The first photo is from 2012, the second from 2015 in my "fat pants" and the third from this morning in my (formerly) "skinny pants".

Ratatouille (the dish, not the Disney movie)

My favorite thing about summer at the clinic is lunchtime. In the interest of eating well, decreasing stress, and solidifying our relationships, we cook lunch in teams. Every team has a day, so we are constantly eating fabulous, unique dishes and we each only have to cook once per week. Most of the time we also use this as an excuse to try new recipes. It's just another aspect of the wonderful culture that Dr. Frank and Laure have built here at the Frank Clinic!

Dr. Holstein and I make lunch on Thursdays and we always try to come up with something sumptuous but simple. A few of the recipes we have tried out are crockpot barbecue chicken, spaghetti squash with vegan chili, and of course the angel food cake I made for her birthday found its way in there as well.


Like many Disneygenarians out there, I have wanted to try to make Ratatouille since seeing the film. It's naturally paleo and also vegan and is great when you want to feed a whole group of people. This recipe comes from The Comfort of Cooking.

LAYERED RATATOUILLE

YIELD: Makes 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 onion, finely chopped *You won't find onion in any of my recipes, I left this out*
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree
¼ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant, such as Italian or Chinese *I recommend actually getting a small one, the large ones present an issue when you start to layer everything. In fact, try to be sure that all of your veggies are approximately the same diameter*
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 long red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme *We were out so I used rosemary. Basil would also be fabulous*
Salt and pepper

Parchment paper

Look at all of that color!

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, one tablespoon of the olive oil, and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. Trim the top of the red pepper and remove the core.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

*Or if you don't have fancy kitchen tools, do the best you can with a knife. My slices were anywhere between 1/16 and 3/8 of an inch thick*

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside.

Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

If you don't want to get too fancy with it, you can actually just bake the vegetables in a large dish, what some people call "Country Ratatouille". Either way, it's colorful and delicious and is an excellent way to incorporate several different kinds of vegetables. I arranged mine in two different patterns, since cooking at the office required a double batch.

Bon Appetit!
Dr. Chelsea

Easy Nutritional Jello/Gummies (no artificial anything!)

What if I told you that you could make delicious jello and/or gummies for your kids (or yourself!) that were completely free of artificial sugar, food dyes, and flavorings? What if I also told you that it is incredibly easy?

Laure adapted this recipe from the fabulous people over at Bulletproof (yes, the people who put butter in coffee, we will explore this later). This particular version uses their Collagelatin, but with some tinkering can also be made with grassfed gelatin.

Why Collagelatin? It is a readily digested source of essential amino acids (13g of protein per Tbsp), promotes healthy joints and skin, and ignites bone and tissue repair. So who may benefit from it? Everyone! In particular,

• children (especially picky eaters who avoid meat)
• athletes and anyone else who exercises
• post-surgical patients and anyone with a fracture
• people with joint pain or arthritis

This can be made with any kind of fruit, but this week Laure chose blueberries.

Ingredients:

2.5 cups fruit (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup lemon juice (optional-good for berries)

1/4 cup water + 1/2 cup water (separated)

2.5 Tablespoons collagelatin (for jello) OR 3 Tablespoons collagelatin (for gummies)

3 Tablespoons honey or other natural sweetener (buy local whenever possible!)

Instructions:

1. Add fruit and 1/4 cup of water and lemon juice (optional) to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium heat.

2. To a measuring cup add 1/2 cup of water  and add 2.5 OR 3 Tablespoons of collagelatin (see above) and allow the gelatin to bloom for 1 minute.

3. Add the hot fruit mixture and the gelatin to a blender and beat (or puree if you have large fruit chunks).

4. Add honey and any additional flavorings (stay tuned for coffee gummies) to the mixture in the blender and mix again.

5. Pour into a dish (8x8 or 9x9 works well) and refrigerate until firm.

So what are you waiting for?

**The Frank Clinic of Chiropractic does not obtain any sponsorship from Bulletproof, we simply enjoy their forward-thinking**

Staff Bio Series: Dr. Celeste Holstein

My name is Celeste Holstein and I am Dr. Frank's daughter. Dad says he knew I would be a healer of some kind from a very young age. I was always the child that knew if the dog was sick or if our goldfish was going to die. I was also the child that couldn't be told what to do, and my dad understood that and never pushed me toward chiropractic. I always knew I was going to be a doctor, but what kind was to be determined.

I decided to go into pre-med with the goal of being an OBGYN. I wanted to change the way birth happened in the hospital. While I was at New College we had a midwife give a lecture and she talked about how managed care and malpractice were making the OBGYN's in town all retire because they could no longer practice evidence based medicine and their hands were tied by insurance or hospital policy. She talked about how the midwife model of care was much different than the medical model. Midwives believed that birth was natural and a woman's body was made with the wisdom to birth. It was a light bulb moment for me! It sounded a bit like...<gasp> what chiropractic philosophy says about the body!

I immediately decided to transfer schools to become a nurse midwife. Nothing worked, transcripts were lost, the program was full, etc. While I tried to trudge through I started working with Dad in the office therapy department. I remember spending a lot of time with a few new car accident patients who were in serious pain, out of it, grumpy, maybe even a bit rude. Over 2 months time I saw these people transform into happy, bright, grateful people as they healed. I realized maybe I never knew what Dad was doing in his office in the first place. I immediately asked that he hire someone to do my job, and move me in as his transcriptionist so I could watch what  he was doing. I was immediately bitten by the chiropractic bug.

I changed my major back to pre-med at USF and things flowed beautifully. I graduated with my biology degree and went straight to Life University, dad's Alma Mater. I worked hard, learned everything I could because I wanted to be the best doctor I could, and before I knew it, it was graduation time and the Dean was on the phone telling me to write my Valedictorian speech.

How does this whole story come full circle? Chiropractic philosophy says that the body has the ability to heal itself if we just remove the interference. Our goal is to allow the body communicate optimally from brain to body. No time is this more important than we are growing a new human! The pregnant body undergoes enormous change through gestation and quite a bit of that anatomical and biomechanical change happens to the spine. This is precisely why so many midwives advocate chiropractic care for their patients. Through better spinal and pelvic alignment there are often
easier pregnancies, shorter deliveries with less need for intervention, and less stress put on babies during delivery.

My initial desire to help moms achieve more natural births has been met, just on a different path than I originally expected. Now I see pregnant women from preconception through their deliveries and into their aftercare as a chiropractor. Of course, I also see their newborns and their grandparents as well, but prenatal care will always hold a special place in my heart!

Celeste Holstein, D.C.

Lemon Berry Angel Food Layer Cake GF DF SF

Angel food cake is one of my favorite things to bake gluten free! One of the biggest complaints about gluten free baking is that the product is too heavy; angel food solves that with the whipped egg whites, adding air and height and rising as beautifully as a full-gluten cake. Not to mention that it is naturally dairy free and absolutely delicious! This is the quintessential summer dessert and you can make it so many different ways!

This recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour website. I would recommend preparing it a day ahead if you can so everything chills properly; the angel food cake requires a minimum of 2 hours of cooling time and coconut cream always holds together better when it has had time to chill. If you're going to create all of the components today, go right now and stick a metal or glass bowl in your freezer for the cream and put the cans of coconut milk in the fridge. Also read all of the instructions first, I missed the note about having to sift the flour with the sugar and cornstarch and had to do it on the fly.

Lemon Berry Angel Food Layer Cake GF DF SF

King Arthur Angel Food Cake

• 3/4 cup King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour or ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons brown rice flour blend*
• 3/4 cup Baker's Special Sugar** or superfine sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups egg whites (10 to 11 large eggs, separated, yolks discarded or reserved for another use)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract or Fiori di Sicilia, optional 
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Baker's Special Sugar** or superfine sugar
• **Can you substitute regular granulated sugar? Yes; it'll take much longer for the egg whites to attain their require volume, and the cake's texture won't be as fine.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in its lowest position.

1. Whisk together and then sift the flour, cornstarch, and 3/4 cup sugar. Set aside.

1. In a large, clean (grease-free) mixing bowl, beat together the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until foamy.
2. Add the flavorings. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer and continue beating until the egg whites have increased in volume, and thickened.
3. Gradually beat in the 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, a bit at a time, until the meringue holds soft peaks.
4. Gently fold in the sifted flour/sugar blend ¼ cup at a time, just until incorporated.
5. Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10" round angel food pan. Gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter and remove any large air bubbles.
6. Bake the cake until it's a deep golden brown, and the top springs back when pressed lightly, about 45 minutes.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan onto the neck of a heatproof bottle or funnel, to suspend the cake upside down as it sets and cools, about 2 hours.
8. Remove the cake from the pan by running a thin spatula or knife around the edges of the pan, and turning the cake out onto a plate.
9. Cut the cake with a serrated knife or angel food cake comb. If it's difficult to cut, wet the knife and wipe it clean between slices.
10. Serve with whipped cream and fruit. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature.
11. Yield: one 10" cake, about 12 to 16 servings.
12. *Make your own blend
    Many of our gluten-free recipes use our King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour, which includes ingredients that reduce the grittiness sometimes found in gluten-free baked goods. Our flour also increases the shelf life of your treats, keeping them fresh longer. 
13. 
    The following make-at-home blend, featuring stabilized brown rice flour, works pretty well when substituted; and it tastes better than a blend using regular brown rice flour. 
14. 
    Whisk together 6 cups (28 1/2 ounces) King Arthur stabilized brown rice flour; 2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) potato starch; and 1 cup (4 ounces) tapioca flour or tapioca starch. Store airtight at room temperature. 
15. Note: You can substitute white rice flour for the brown rice flour if you like; it'll make your baked goods grittier (unless you manage to find a finely ground version).

Additional Ingredients:
12 oz. raspberry jam

Fruit of choice

1 package organic blueberries

1 package organic raspberries

Whipped Coconut Cream

4 cans of full fat coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen Organic)

1/4 cup of sugar

6 teaspoons lemon extract

This is not a paid advertisement, simply a celebration because I have always been a huge fan of King Arthur products. I also happen to feel that trying to combine
8 different kinds of gluten free flours to get the right consistency is a pain, so any opportunity to use a great blend is highly cherished! I substituted the 2 tsp  vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp almond for 1 tsp vanillaand 1 1/4 tsp lemon extract to give this a bright flavor.

Like many of you, I'm a home cook with limited space, so I don't just keep superfine sugar in my 

cabinet, and I wasn't about to go buy some just for this recipe. The solution? Throwing cane sugar

in the food processor! 

I recommend processing it in small amounts to make sure 

it grinds evenly and when you go to sift the ingredients 

together, this doesn't happen.

When it is ground properly and sifted, it will be lovely 

and fine, and actually resemble cake flour 

like this.

It will be very tempting to stop beating the egg whites

at this point, keep going a little bit longer!

This is as close as I have ever been able to get to perfect "soft peaks" in a meringue

I panicked a bit when it said to suspend the cake upside down on a funnel; exactly which way

is upside down for an angel food cake? So I settled for placing it on a wire rack and extending

the cooling time a bit. See how it rises so beautifully? You would never know it's gluten free!

Since I had time, this project got separated into a 2-day process in my kitchen, but you can 

easily construct the coconut whipped cream while the cake is baking or cooling (it's quick

and easy if you chilled the bowl ahead of time). For this cake, I omitted the usual vanilla

and cinnamon and instead added 4 teaspoons of lemon extract. I multiplied my usual recipe

by 4 because of the size of the cake, so you may only need 1-2, just taste it as you go and

adjust accordingly.

Whipped Coconut Cream is a staple in my house because it is quick, easy, and decadent!

Knowing this dessert could spend some time sitting out, I opted for layering in a trifle dish.

Coconut cream melts just like standard whipped cream, so you can't leave it out for long. 

If you cut the cake into fewer layers (2-3) and can freeze the construction before serving, you

may be able to make a layer cake like this one. For this cake, cut the cooled angel food into 4-5

sections horizontally. Place the first piece of cake on the bottom of the dish, then layer in coconut

cream, jam, and berries, followed by the next layer of cake.

Get creative with the decoration on top!

Happy Birthday Dr. Holstein!

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Bon Appetit,
Dr. Chelsea

Post note: I made another variety for Laure's birthday too! She doesn't do well with gum additives like guar gum that are in coconut milk, so I improvised a little on the cream. Yes, I have tried using the gum-free coconut milk, no it does not set up properly. However, I found that the So Delicious coconut milk "yogurt" is gum free!

Instead of using raspberry jam and my coconut cream, I used lemon curd (I LOVE Stonewall Kitchen) and what I can only in good consciousness refer to as blueberry "cream" sauce (see below). In addition, I used 2 Tablespoons of lemon extract with 1/4 Tablespoon of almond extract.

Blueberry "Cream" Sauce (recipe in progress)
Ingredients:
4 cups blueberries
1 large banana
1 cup unsweet coconut milk "yogurt"
1 cup coconut palm sugar (or regular sugar or honey)
6 drops lemon essential oil or 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (to taste)
2 cups Kerry Gold butter or dairy-free butter

Instructions:
1. Add all sauce ingredients to blender.
2. Puree until smooth.
3. Alternate layers of angel food cake with lemon curd, blueberries, and blueberry sauce.
4. Garnish with berries and lemon slices.
5. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until serving.

If I was going to do this again, I would simmer the berries first and skim off the skins to improve the texture of the sauce. You could also easily skip the banana and/or butter and use more "yogurt", or if you're fine with gums go ahead and blend the berries into my coconut cream. Let me know if you create a variation you like!