Fresh Blueberry Pie (Sugar-Free)

Fresh Blueberry Pie

This is a delightful, tasty pie! A lightly baked coconut-almond crust filled with a raw creamy blueberry filling. (Sugar-free, Wheat-free!) Full of antioxidants and healthy fats and nutrients.

If you happen to be following the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan, a small slice topped with stevia sweetened whipped cream would be a great (S) dessert. If you're not familiar with THM check out the web site or book reviews on Amazon or visit their Face Book page. There's a revolution of fluffy Mamas slimming down because of it!

Getting rid of sugar and wheat is something I've not been able to do in the past. Bread has always been my weakness, and though regular sugar has not had a place in my recipes for some time, maple syrup, coconut sugar and sucanat are not what I want to consume right now. Candida is an underlying concern so I'm even watching my fruit consumption. THM has delivered me from unnecessary sugar and wheat in my diet, and from those terrible late afternoon carb cravings! I'll explain more at a later time about what's been going on in my life and kitchen related to THM, but for now, on to this scrumptious recipe . . .

Coconut-Almond Crust

  




Processing the Filling

Oh so good!

Fresh Blueberry Pie (Sugar Free)

by Kathy Reynolds

Cook Time: 10 minutes

---

Full Post

Print

Email

Text

---

A lightly baked coconut-almond crust filled with a raw creamy blueberry filling.

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond meal or flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup finely shredded coconut
• 5 Tbs melted butter
• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 Tbs homemade Truvia (1 tsp pure Stevia per 1 cup Erythritol) or Stevia or other, taste to your liking

Blueberry Filling Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup raw cashews (or 1/4 cup cashew butter)
• 1 Tbs almond butter
• 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (separated)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp salt (I like Pink Himalayan)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Stevia to taste (equivalent to 2 or 3 Stevia packets)

Instructions

For Crust:

• Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl. Using your fingertips, pat the mixture into a glass pie plate until you form a pie crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool.

For Filling:

• Place one cup of blueberries aside. Put all remaining ingredients into a food processor. Process well, stopping and scraping down batter several times. You should not be able to taste pieces of cashews in the mixture. When desired consistency is reached, mix in the one cup of blueberries that you set aside. Pour this raw filling into your crust. Smooth the top and dot with additional blueberries if desired. Refrigerate. Serve with stevia sweetened whipped cream or coconut cream for the topping.

I love to find new recipes and tweak them to my liking. My inspiration for this recipe came from here: Low Carb Almond Pie Crust  and Raw Blueberry Pie

Hemp Seed & Almond Meal Crackers

Hemp Seed & Almond Meal Crackers

My husband still buys plain ol' saltine crackers. I don't even try to dissuade him anymore, but once in awhile I'm tempted to. Recently, he bought several pounds of hemp seed and he likes to just eat it by the spoonful, but I wanted to use it in a recipe other than the usual throw-it-in-a-smoothie or on-a-salad (which is great too). Besides, I want wheat-free goodness!

Hemp seed is a superfood—A heart healthy, brain food, high in protein with many health benefits! 

I recently saw a raw Zucchini Hemp Banana Bread that sounded interesting, but I didn't have zucchini or bananas and I was in the mood for crackers and I wanted them quick, baked in the oven, to go with a chicken and wild rice soup I had planned for lunch. I found these Grain-Free Almond Sunny Seed Crackers from which I adapted my recipe. 

Yum! I loved these crispy Hemp Seed Crackers! 

(The soup was perfect too!)

Roll out and score

Baked

Hemp Seed & Almond Meal Crackers

by Kathy's Kitchen

Cook Time: 15 - 20 minutes

---

Full Post

Print

Email

Text

---

High protein hemp seed crackers, baked to a golden brown.

Ingredients (Approx. 50-60 crackers)

• 1/2 cup hemp seed
• 1 and 1/2 cups almond meal (or flour)
• 2 Tbs. flax seed
• 2 Tbs. sunflower seeds
• 1/2 tsp pink salt
• 2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
• Pure onion and garlic powders
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 4 Tbs. cold water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Mix all ingredients together, adding in olive oil and water last. I did not measure the onion and garlic powders, but sprinkled generously over the batter. Let sit for about 10 minutes.
• Take half the batter and roll into a ball and place on parchment paper that will fit a flat baking (cookie) sheet. Roll thin between two pieces of parchment paper to desired thickness.
• Remove the top parchment paper, place the bottom parchment paper with cracker dough onto your baking pan. Score with a knife to make cracker shapes.
• Bake for 15 - 20 minutes depending on thickness. Watch closely as they can turn very brown in a matter of minutes.
• Break apart, cool, and enjoy!
• Repeat, using the remaining batter to make a second batch of crackers.

---

Break apart

Have you experimented with hemp seed? Do you have a favorite hemp seed or cracker recipe?

Linking up with Wellness Weekends 
and Whole Food Fridays

Super Green Salad Juice

Super Green Salad Juice

Have you thought of drinking your salad? If you're familiar with detoxing, you probably have. This was a great tasting super green boost of a juice.

Ingredients:

1 celery rib

1 lg. cucumber

1/4th head of cabbage

3 pears

1 apple

3 parsley sprigs

4 oz organic spinach leaves

1 lg. Swiss chard leaf 

Cut/slice all ingredients into pieces to fit your juicer and juice!

Inspiration for this recipe comes from a similar recipe in Juices & Smoothies

   

Orange Mango Smoothie

Orange Mango Smoothie

This smoothie is a delight!

Ingredients:

4 oranges (juiced)

2 Tbs lemon juice

1 ripe mango

1 Tbs coconut oil

1 Tbs brown rice syrup (or 2 pitted dates, or other sweetener)

1 cup frozen banana slices

2 large Fuji apples cut up in chunks

Place the first five ingredients into a high-powered blender (like Vita-Mix).
Blend well. Add the banana and apple pieces and using the tamper, blend well. 
Pour and enjoy!

It's Detox Time! 3-Berry Smoothie

It's Detox Time!

For the past month I've made fresh vegetable/fruit juice just about every day. My husband and I have been trying to replace at least one meal a day with juicing. It's been a precursor to the detox diet that we started 5 days ago, and it's going great!

I liken our detox diet to the Hallelujah Diet of which I am familiar, but without the BarleyMax (I use my own powders/supplements). They promote an 85% raw, 15% cooked diet, made up of vegan choices. And glance at their testimonials and you'll see what a blessing it is to eat this way—for life!

But I'm not espousing a particular diet really, just whole "vegan and gluten-free" foods, mostly raw, and with no meat products for this time of detoxifying. And of course, fresh juicing to maximize our daily nutrient content and give the body something to enable us to heal.

What our detox includes:
Drinking a variety of fresh juiced vegetables and fruits
Healthy fruit and green smoothies
Raw fruits, vegetables and dehydrates
Big green salads
Steamed vegetables (been eating a lot of Brussel sprouts)
Homemade vegetable soups
Herbal tea
Fresh lemon/limeade
Nuts (no more than a handful)
Coconut oil

You're not ready, until you're ready!

Hubby and I both are beyond middle age. We're still young-at-heart, and so it's not fun when health issues interfere with life's enjoyment and our abilities. I feel like if I don't get serious now about true healthy living I might as well give up. I know we'll be making sacrifices—albeit good ones, as we change to better eating habits. I'm determined to—once and for all! I'm ready already.

I'd like to eventually proceed forward and make it a juice only detox, so I'm really preparing myself for when I feel the time is right. I'm inspired by documentaries like Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead and Hungry for Change. I find that a big part of making a lifestyle change or going on any diet for that matter, it takes the right timing, the right mental focus, and the right environment to make it a successful journey. I knew that now was the right time to begin. And having hubby on board makes it much more doable.

Our very first juice on day 1 was:  

Apple-Broccoli Juice

4 Granny Smith apples
1 lime
4 celery ribs
Bunch of cilantro
1 head of broccoli

I had never juiced broccoli before, but since I had plenty in the fridge I wanted to make good use of it, and I saw a recipe for Green Apple Pie Juice that stirred my interest. My Apple-Broccoli juice was so GOOD! I'm getting used to the taste of cilantro and it's useful to draw out heavy metals in the body.

This week I made another awesome smoothie recipe using blueberries (since we got such a great deal on frozen blueberries):

3-Berry Antioxidant Smoothie

This was a great tasting and so-good-for-you breakfast smoothie that utilizes three different berries: blueberries, blackberries and cranberries. One of the best sources of antioxidants, berries help to fight against aging and the chronic disease processes that many of us know about first hand. Even the American Institute for Cancer Research admits that blueberries are “. . .  substances that can slow the aging process and reduce cell damage that can lead to cancer.” Here are 7 Berries You Should Eat Everyday.

Not included in that list of 7 are cranberries, which when consumed in their raw form or juiced, have huge health benefits warding off urinary tract and yeast infections, dental plaque, and helps with blood sugar issues such as insulin resistance. See Cranberry juice benefits made simple.

3-Berry Antioxidant Smoothie

by Kathy's Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: juicing raw gluten-free raw vegan

---

Full Post

Print

Email

Text

---

A so-good-for-you antioxidant fruit smoothie that utilizes blueberries, blackberries and cranberries.

Ingredients

• 1 cup blueberries (raw, frozen or partially thawed)
• 1 cup blackberries (raw, frozen or partially thawed)
• 1 cup cranberries (raw, frozen or partially thawed)
• 1 Tbs. coconut oil
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 Tbs. lime or lemon juice
• 1 tsp. spirulina powder (optional)
• 2 Tbs. green powder supplement (optional)
• 2 tsp. coconut sugar, maple syrup, or other sweetener

Instructions

• Add all ingredients into a high powered blender (like VItaMix) and using the tamper, blend until well combined. Pour and serve.

---

Right now I've got naked kale chips in the dehydrator and when I get some more sunflower seeds I'll make some red hot snackers crackers, but I won't indulge, and now at day five I'm feeling past the terrible late afternoon cravings (thanks to the wonderful nutrients I'm giving my body and cells). I'm not having the sugar and chocolate cravings but hubby is still dealing with it, and at 270 lbs. he requires more food than I do so he eats a tad more. (I don't scold, I'm very glad and proud of him and he's losing weight faster than I am!)

So today, I look forward to feeling good, staying active, and slimming down. How about you?

Linking up with Gluten-Free Cat and  Raw Foods Thursdays 

Blue-Green Smoothie

This Blue-Green Smoothie

tastes WONDERFUL!

I LOVE blueberries, and I love adding greens into smoothies where it doesn't change the taste! For this treat, the greens used were raw spinach and spirulina powder—an antioxidant delight!

We had an excellent buy on large packages of frozen blueberries, so I eagerly threw some into my Vita-Mix and made this delicious blue-green drink. Actually, I spooned each mouthful, relishing the taste like I would an ice cream sundae!

Blue-Green Smoothie

by Kathy's Kitchen

Keywords: gluten-free raw

---

Full Post

Print

Email

Text

---

A raw smoothie to enjoy like a blueberry sundae, but disguised with healthy greens.

Ingredients

• 2 cups organic apple juice (fresh juice preferred)
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 Tbs coconut sugar or preferred sweetener (optional)
• 2 Tbs hemp seed (optional)
• 1 tsp spirulina powder
• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 3 cups frozen blueberries (thawed or partly thawed)
• 2 large handfuls of washed raw spinach leaves

Instructions

• Combine the first six ingredients into a high speed blender like a Vita-Mix and blend well.
• Add the blueberries and use the tamper to mix together.
• Add the spinach and use the tamper to mix while blending.
• Pour and enjoy!

Not familiar with spirulina powder? Dr. Mercola explains what this ancient plant is—a form of blue-green algae with "miracle" benefits: 

• detoxifying
• protein rich
• immune boosting
• allergy relief
• normalizes blood pressure and cholesterol
• reduces cancer risk

Caution: You may need to be careful with spirulina powder and work your way upward, starting with a small amount (like in this smoothie). Spirulina is safe to consume, but some people may have a reaction to it depending on their state of health.

Pom-Blueberry-Apple Cider

Pom-Blueberry-Apple Cider

We had some lovely frugal finds over the holidays recently. $2.00 for a gallon-size bag of frozen blueberries was almost a steal, so we stuffed five in our freezer. At the same discount store they offered apple cider for $2.50 a gallon. At Aldi's, the pomegranates were getting a bit too ripe so my hubby asked for a price reduction and picked up a boxload full for 25 cents each! It was a no-brainer to mix up a delightful pom-blueberry-apple cider concoction and BOY it was DELICIOUS!

How I did it:
In the Vita-Mix blender I put two cups of the apple cider and mixed in half a bag of the blueberries that I had thawed. (Leaving them frozen makes it taste like a yummy smoothie but my hubby is sensitive to cold right now.) I broke apart and seeded six pomegranates using the wooden spoon whacking method, I juiced the arils (using a few carrots also), and added this juice to the blueberry mixture, mixing everything together utilizing a half gallon of the apple cider.

Knowing the nutrient-filled, antioxidant rich benefits of pomegranates and blueberries I think we did alright! 

What else can you do with pomegranates? You may want to check some recipes online like those at Simply Recipes. 

A few of my sons love to eat the pomegranate seeds by themselves, but take a peek at the Chocolate Pomegranate Clusters at Lexie's Kitchen!



What are some of your best frugal finds and deals, and what did you make?