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Golden Pancakes (Zero Points)

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This recipe comes from the book Eating for Life by Bill Phillips, creator of the Body for Life program. 1 cup uncooked whole grain oats (non-instant) 3 whole eggs or 6 egg whites (3/4 cup of liquid egg whites) 1 cup fat free cottage cheese 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. baking powder 1 to 2 packets Splenda depending on your desired sweetness level Combine ingredients in a blender and blend on medium until smooth batter forms. Drop batter by 1/4 cups into prepared heated skillet. Cook until pancakes are bubbly on top and dry around edges. Flip and cook until other side is golden brown. Serves 2 - Zero Points each Pat's Notes :  Sweetener:  my personal preference is to use real sugar. Adjust portion up 1 Point for each teaspoon of sugar added to full recipe. You could also throw a small ripe banana or 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce into the blender to keep it Zero Points. You might need to add a little water or milk to get a good batter consistency. Pumpkin pe...
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Quinoa Tabbouleh

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I came up with this recipe  early in my gluten free days simply because I missed true Lebanese tabbouleh.  I was mourning the loss of many favorite foods - pizza being the hardest - while learning and adapting to this new lifestyle.  When the time came that  I wanted Middle Eastern takeout  for dinner, I could not enjoy the tabbouleh because it is made with bulgur or couscous - both forms of wheat.  Si nce I was getting tired of mourning the loss of each wheat-based favorite after the other, and because I'm a creative cook, I took this bull by the horns and decided quinoa should work as a replacement.  It turned out beautifully! I liked it so much that I began bringing it to gatherings and it always gets eaten.  It's fresh, colorful, and offers a unique and healthy option on the table.  This recipe is also perfect for tweaking.  Cucumber is traditionally incorporated, but for Christmas I like to use red and yellow bell peppers instead....
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Gluten Free Pancakes with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour

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I've loved pancakes all my life. Who doesn't? We had pancakes often, even for dinner. When the weekly paycheck began to run dry Ma got down the box of Bisquick and not one person whined about it. Sometimes my sister would make a pancake man for me, with a smiling face and eyes. In fact, when I was a child pancakes were the first thing I taught myself to cook.  I'm gluten free by necessity now and have had so many pancake failures. I've tried vegan scratch GF recipes using coconut flour, almond flour or oats ground in the Vitamix, and they were okay, but usually gritty, unfluffy and "tough." Subbing gluten free flour blends for regular flour in a standard recipe never provides the correct ratio of ingredients for a good outcome, and I haven't cared for other GF pre-mixed pancake brands. My last failure attempting to bake a pumpkin bread subbing GF flour taught me that when searching for a recipe, you must find a dedicated gluten free recipe. I'm not a ...
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Acorn squash two ways

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Black-Eyed Pea Stuffed Acorn Squash The smoky black-eyed peas are a separate scratch recipe, but they incorporate bacon.  My suggestions for getting the smoked flavor without meat are to use smoked paprika, or maybe a chopped up chipotle in adobo sauce?  There's always the alternative of dressing up a can of BEPs. :D Here are the BEPs: Here's an alternative vegetarian acorn squash recipe that makes a larger amount: Moroccan Chickpea Stuffed Acorn Squash Happy Thanksgiving!!
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Slow Cooker Moroccan Butternut Squash Stew

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Slow Cooker Moroccan Butternut Squash Stew This is my own spin on a WW vegan classic.  I make it spicier than the original version with the addition of garam masala and a little extra red pepper.  A bowl of this warming vegan stew is extra satisfying when paired with quinoa or mashed sweet potatoes.  I often save the time of prepping the butternut by buying a package of pre-cut squash. I must confess to having a little Instant Pot guilt here.  I don't  use my old four quart Rival Crock-Pot anymore, which makes me feel sad sometimes.  Our Rival used to be the fourth member of the family!  But everything just comes out tasting better when it's made using the Instant Pot slow cooker function, and the added benefit is not needing a separate piece of cookware to saute the onions and garlic. Sometimes I like to add a little torn kale to bump up nutrients and color, but not too much.  I like the orange vibrancy of the carrots and butternut to shine. Ingr...
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Living Out of Balance - June is Scoliosis Awareness Month

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Living with scoliosis is a puzzle.  Often a person doesn't know they have it until some crisis brings attention to it.  For some it is mild, for others it is debilitating.  For me, It's a moody situation - some days I'm doing very well, others not so much.  I do my best by listening to my body and regularly engaging in weight training, stretching and Pilates.  Yin yoga and restorative yoga are my cornerstones in managing the pain and giving me a much needed mental and physical rest from it.   Having to deal with doctors is the worst part.  I don't want to see x-rays or MRI reports, and hate having attention called to the skeleton in my closet.  Doctors have, for the most part, been useless.  They give me mixed responses, none of them helpful unless it's a physical therapy referral.   So I joined a Facebook scoliosis awareness group to learn more, and most of what I've learned is horrifying.  The fusion isn't a once in a li...
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The Power of Affirmations

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Introduction Like many of us with a meditation practice I have heard about affirmations and how they can be lifechanging.  I was introduced to the concept about 10 years ago by an acupuncturist who was treating my arthritis.  She is a holistic doctor who taught me that treating the mind and spirit is just as is important as treating the physical body, if not more.  She suggested I read up on Louise Hay , a popular motivational writer and the New Age guru of positive affirmations.   I signed her book, Heal Your Body , out of the library.  It did not float me, to be honest, but it opened a new line of thinking. As time went by the concept of setting affirmations would crop up here and there, but never really gelled until I discovered yogini Kassandra Reinhardt via her YouTube channel, Yoga with Kassandra .  Kassandra offers a lot of yin practices on her channel and is fond of incorporating positive affirmations.  With this gentle introduction, while...
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