Whether you’re looking for a healthy appetizer board for your next dinner party or you just need some snacks to pair with a bottle of wine – this Healthy Cheese Board is the perfect option.
Let’s talk about dairy …
There’s no question that dairy doesn’t work for everyone. Some people are allergic to or intolerant of the proteins in dairy, while others are highly sensitive to lactose, the sugar in dairy.
According to Chris Kresser, Functional Medicine Doctor, why dairy benefits some people and causes problems for others boils down to the health of the gut.
“If someone has compromised intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut”, it’s more likely that their immune system will respond to potentially allergenic components in milk such as alpha- and beta-casein, casomorphin and butyrophillin.
This is especially true for people who are gluten intolerant, because it has been shown that milk proteins commonly cross-react with gluten. Put another way, if you react to gluten, it’s more likely that you’ll also react to milk.
Along these same lines, people with small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) – which is one of the major causes of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – may be more likely to react to milk because the bacteria in their small intestine aggressively ferments lactose, the sugar in milk, causing gas, bloating and other G.I. symptoms.” Read more HERE.
If you’re not sure where you stand with dairy, the best approach is to remove it for 30 days and then reintroduce and see what happens. Elimination/reintroduction is still the gold-standard for determining sensitivity to a particular food.
If you are lactose intolerant, there’s good news … You may be able to enjoy some dairy since many types of cheese naturally have very low or non-measurable amounts of lactose.
Soft cheeses tend to have more lactose than hard cheeses. In addition, as cheese ages, it loses even more moisture, therefore the longer a cheese has been aged, the less lactose will remain in the final product.
Here’s a list of cheese types that are aged for long periods of time and are likely to have very small or non-measurable levels of lactose:
Cheddar (aged 12+ months)
Swiss (ages 14+ months
Gouda (aged 18+ months)
Parmigiano-Reggiano (aged 12 to 24 months)
Grana Padano (aged 12 to 20 months)
Mimolette (aged 22 months)
Romano (aged 3 to 4 years)
Give this fresh and delicious cheese board a try. Feel free to select cheeses that work well for your body.
What you need for this healthy cheese board
3 cheeses of your choice
Grapes, green
Cucumber, sliced
Walnuts & almonds, raw or dry-roasted
Olives, green
Bosc pear, sliced
INSTRUCTIONS:
Grab a glass of wine and let your inner artist have fun with laying out these foods on a wood board or large platter. Don’t forget to brag about your food art when company arrives.
Want more healthy appetizers? You’re going to love these …
Want healthy chocolate chip cookies in your life? Look no further than these soft and chewy Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies! They’re gluten, grain and dairy free + perfect for those living a paleo lifestyle.
This Paleo Baking Flour from Bob’s Red Mill makes kick@$$ chocolate chip cookies! No hype or fluff here, it’s the honest truth. I’ve shared these cookies with adults + kids and the response is always the same… they absolutely love them! Yes, that’s right–kids love these cookies too!
Paleo Baking Flour is a unique blend of nut flours and root starches. The ingredients are clean and simple … almond flour, arrowroot starch, organic coconut flour and tapioca flour.
My cookie tasters always say, if I didn’t tell them these cookies were free of everything that is normally in chocolate chip cookies, they would have no idea. Some may say that these cookies taste even better than traditional chocolate chip cookies, BUT I’ll let you decide for yourself 😉
Give these chewy chocolate chip cookies a try … you won’t regret it!
Want healthy chocolate chip cookies in your life? Look no further than these soft and chewy Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies! They're gluten, grain and dairy free + perfect for those living a paleo lifestyle. Paleo Baking Flour from Bob's Red Mill makes kick@$$ chocolate chip cookies!
Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a food processor or hand-mixer, mix together coconut oil and coconut sugar until smooth.
Add egg and vanilla extract and mix.
Add in flour, baking soda and salt and continue to mix until smooth batter is formed.
Fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.
Scoop onto baking sheet, about 2 tbsp or 1 ice cream scoop per cookie. Leave as is (do not flatten). Cookies will expand during baking so leave enough room around each cookie.
Bake at 350F for 12-minutes or until edges are golden. Let cool on baking sheet.
This creamy and easy Turmeric Golden Milk is incredibly healthy, and so delicious! Golden milk is a traditional Indian drink that has its roots in Ayurveda. Made with coconut milk, powerful spices like turmeric, ginger and cinnamon, and naturally sweetened.
DID YOU KNOW? There are over 12,500 peer-reviewed articles published on the benefits of turmeric, in particular one of its powerful compounds, curcumin.
Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant, making it great for both weight loss and IBS.
Unfortunately, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high, so if you want to experience the full effects of this powerful compound, you need to take a supplement that contains high amounts of curcumin.
In addition, curcumin is poorly absorbed during digestion, so many different supplement formulations have been created to improve its bioavailability.
Curcum-Evail is my go to curcumin supplement. It’s a highly bioavailable and absorbable formulation containing a unique combination of three health-promoting compounds known as “curcuminoids,” which are derived from turmeric root.
In order to get the most benefit from consuming turmeric (and to increase absorption of curcumin), consume with healthy fats like coconut and/or black pepper.
I used coconut milk and added black pepper to this recipe, so you can get the most out of your golden milk!
This creamy and easy Turmeric Golden Milk is incredibly healthy, and so delicious! Golden milk is a traditional Indian drink that has its roots in Ayurveda. Made with coconut milk, powerful spices like turmeric, ginger and cinnamon, and naturally sweetened.
Paleo General Tso’s Chicken is crispy tender pan-fried chicken coated in a delicious sauce. This gluten & soy free General Tso’s Chicken recipe is a healthier take on the classic takeout dish. It uses whole food, high-quality ingredients, PLUS heat stable oil for frying. A true guilt-free pleasure for those living a healthy lifestyle!
I honestly thought my days of general tso’s chicken were long gone until the BF and I attempted this mind-blowing recipe.
Even though this recipe takes about an hour of prep (with two people in the kitchen), we made it twice within the last month because it’s just so damn good. Plus, we’re both big foodies and excited to spend time in the kitchen if it means good food in our bellies.
As a matter of fact, if we had to describe our perfect date night it would probably go something like this …
We’d start with a trip to the grocery store and load up on some healthy ingredients for a dish that we want to create that night. I’d probably take 10-minutes to find the freshest chicken with the latest expiry date while he gives me the “Are you for real?” look.
From there, we’d head back home and decide who’s doing what in the kitchen and set clear boundaries because according to some people (I won’t mention any names), boundaries are very important in a kitchen.
After making a mess and crossing all boundaries that were set, we’d chow down our creation and then discuss whether the dish is blog worthy over a glass of wine or two (OK fine, the entire bottle!). Oh, wait! Before all of that happens, I would spend another 10-minutes taking 50 photos of the same dish in hopes that one of them will turn out good for my blog.
AND that’s how our perfect date night would unfold – and usually does.
So, grab your significant other or friend and plan a date night in the kitchen where you can have some fun creating the most delicious general tso’s chicken you’ll ever taste!
Paleo General Tso's Chicken is crispy tender pan-fried chicken coated in a delicious sauce. This gluten & soy free General Tso's Chicken recipe is a healthier take on the classic takeout dish. It uses whole food, high-quality ingredients, PLUS heat stable oil for frying. A true guilt-free pleasure for those living a healthy lifestyle!
1.5lbschicken breasts or thighs, cut into small chunks
1head cauliflower
1/4cuparrowroot starch/flour
1red/yellow/orange pepper, sliced into small sticks
1/2yellow onion, sliced
Avocado oil
Sea salt & pepper
1green onion, chopped (optional garnish)
General Tso's Sauce
4clovesgarlic
2tbspFrank's RedHot, or Siracha
1tbspground ginger
2dates , or 1 tbsp honey
2tbspsesame oil
1/4cupcoconut aminos
2tbsp.water
Instructions
Chop cauliflower into chunks, put in food processor and process into rice like consistency. Place on baking sheet, add 2 tbsp. avocado oil and sea salt then mix. Bake at 400F for 30-minutes while prepping other ingredients.
Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with avocado oil and heat until it begins to sizzle.
While oil is heating, combine arrowroot flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl and mix. Add chicken chunks and coat. Remove the chicken, shaking off extra flour and add to hot oil. You may need to do this in two batches if your frying pan is not big enough.
Cook each batch for about 10 minutes, turning mid-way through, until all sides are golden. Set chicken aside.
Add red pepper and onion to a large pot with 1 tbsp avocado oil and cook for 5-minutes or until tender.
While veggies cook, blend all sauce ingredients until smooth.
Add chicken and sauce to pot with red pepper and onion. Turn to low heat and mix to coat chicken with sauce for 1-2 minutes.
Top cauliflower "rice" with general tso's chicken, garnish with green onion and enjoy!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts are the perfect side to your next meal! They’re easy to make, delicious and super healthy. This recipe is keto, paleo, plant-based & AIP friendly!
DID YOU KNOW? In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Brussels sprouts are used to improve digestive health.
Just one cup of cooked Brussels sprouts provides four grams of fiber, which numerous studies show is important for digestive function.
Fiber helps to support digestive health by encouraging regular bowel movements, preventing constipation or diarrhea, and detoxifying the body by pulling toxins and waste out of the gut.
In addition, Brussels sprouts contain glucosinolates and sulforaphane. Glucosinolates can help protect the lining of the digestive tract and stomach therefore reducing the chances of developing leaky gut or other digestive disorders. Sulforaphane facilitates in the body’s detoxification process and can help prevent bacterial overgrowth from occurring in the gut.
According to TCM, it’s recommended that cruciferous veggies (like Brussels sprouts) be cooked to enhance digestion and to nourish the spleen, which can become taxed if bombarded with too many raw or cooling foods.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts are the perfect side to your next meal! They're easy to make, delicious and super healthy. This recipe is keto, paleo, plant-based & AIP friendly!
This Healthy Trail Mix contains the perfect combination of tastes and textures. From nutty & crunchy to fruity, chocolatey & chewy–you’ll never get bored of this healthy snack. This trail mix is plant-based, paleo, low-carb & delicious!
Trail mixes make for a great snack when you’re on the go. They’re easy to carry around in a zip-lock bag or small container and the right mix will do a solid job of satisfying a hungry belly in-between meals.
BUT beware … many trail mixes on the grocery store shelves contain nuts that have been roasted at high temperatures, low-quality oils, excess salt, and/or high amounts of sugar from dried fruit.
Since it’s not easy to find a squeaky clean trail mix, I like to make my own. They’re real easy to put together and you have full control over what goes in them. You can get super creative or keep it simple – you’re the boss of your trail mix!
This Healthy Trail Mix contains the perfect combination of tastes and textures. From nutty & crunchy to fruity & chocolatey, you'll never get bored of this healthy snack. This trail mix is plant-based, paleo, low-carb & delicious!
My mission is to help women heal their gut, lose weight and feel great through simple and delicious smoothies, whole food nutrition & healthy lifestyle habits.
