Gluten Free Coffee Breakfast Muffins

Sorry for the terrible photo! Photographing food is obviously not a talent of mine.

This recipe is oh so delicious! I perfected the basic muffin recipe so I could modify it any way to make many different varieties of muffins. I will note how to change the recipe at the bottom of the post with several ideas.

There are many muffin recipes online for gluten free bakers, but none of them really tasted quite right to me. I found a basic recipe (and if you have ever used gluten free flour to back, you know that basic recipe is fairly similar-brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, etc.) and added some touches that I feel really improve the taste and texture overall. First, I added a dough conditioner, white vinegar. The muffin dough bakes up so much softer and lighter with the addition of the vinegar. Second, I used buttermilk in lieu of milk. I swear by buttermilk for baked goods. For breads I find that the powdered buttermilk is fine, but for a muffin, you want to buy the real deal. The thick old fashioned buttermilk you can find near the half and half and heavy cream in the grocery refrigerator section.

Remember, start with the gluten free flour mix I posted previously. To refresh, whisk together 6 cups of brown rice flour, 2 cups of potato starch, and 1 cup of tapioca flour. I use Bob's Red Mill brand.

Dry ingredients:

2 cups plus 4T gluten free flour mix
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum

Mix all together in the bowl of a stand mixture and set aside.

Add to dry ingredients:

1 tsp white vinegar

Mix again until combined. In a separate bowl...

Wet ingredients:

1/2 cup melted butter
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk

Whisk all wet ingredients together and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine:

1 tsp GF vanilla extract
1 (2g) packet instant coffee (I use Taster's Choice Decaf House Blend)

Also, measure out and set aside:

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Also, you will want to have some crumb topping prepared. I normally make a large amount and store it in the freezer so I can take it out and use it easily for each batch.

Crumb topping:

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup GF oatmeal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until crumbs form.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients in a stand mixture. Mix at medium speed until combined (30 seconds).

Stir in vanilla/coffee mixture and chocolate chips. I like swirls so I don't mix too much.

Line a cupcake pan with paper or foil muffin cups (recipe makes 12 muffins). Fill cups with mixture until almost full. Cover with crumb mixture. A sprinkle of cinnamon on the top of each muffin is optional.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Remove to a rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Variations:

Blueberry Lemon Muffins
3/4-1 cup frozen or fresh berries (add the vanilla to the wet mixture and add nutmeg and cinnamon to the dry mix). Glaze top with lemon curd before adding the crumb and baking.

Orange and Chocolate Muffins
Use orange extract and/or orange zest in place of vanilla extract. Add 3/4 cups chocolate chips.

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

For many of my gluten free recipes I use an all purpose flour mixture. I found the measurements from the King Arthur Flour site, although I use Bob's Red Mill products and it comes out great too.

6 cups brown rice flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch

Whisk all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

This all purpose flour is used to make pizza and muffins, so it is good to have a batch made up and ready to go.

I find that gluten free flours and mixes can be very expensive in stores so I buy mine in bulk from Amazon.com. I have a Prime membership and it is worth every penny to get the free two day shipping. I have not really looked into how much the flours are direct from the BRM site, because Amazon's prices are so good and if shipped from elsewhere, I am sure it would be expensive. Flour is heavy after all!

Homemade Toothpaste Recipe

This is a great fluoride free alternative toothpaste using xylitol. See my prior post about xylitol if you have never heard of it before. Amazon.com carries many different brands of xylitol, though I prefer to buy the Health Garden brand because it is made in the USA, and made from birch, not corn. I suggest making a small batch of toothpaste at first to make sure the soapy taste doesn't bother you. The soapy taste is very mild and doesn't bother me in the least, but some people's taste buds are more sensitive than others.

Peppermint Toothpaste

1 Tbsp distilled water
2 1/2 Tbsp Xylitol
4 Tbsp extra virgin organic coconut oil
2 tsp Dr. Bronner's peppermint liquid castille soap
10 drops peppermint essential oil

Add a small amount of water (enough to boil) to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Measure out 1 Tbsp and add to a bowl (I use a 2 cup glass measuring cup to make it easier to pour at the end). Add the xylitol and stir. Melt the coconut oil and add to the water and xylitol mixture. Add the liquid castille soap and whisk like crazy for several minutes until it starts to cool. When it holds its form blended together and has cooled slightly, add the peppermint essential oil and whisk it to combine. Transfer mixture to a small bottle (this makes a bit more than 3 oz, so a 4-6 oz bottle is ideal) before it cools fully.

Supplements I Take-The Full List

I always try to remember that when taking supplements, to vary days. As I load up my daily pill container for the week, I skip a day for every supplement. This is a good way to make sure I am not taking any pill 7 days in a row and that I am varying the combination of supplements I am taking on a daily basis. If I find that a supplement makes me feel bad, I stop taking it. Simple as that. If it doesn't feel good, I don't do it.

Below is just a brief overview of why I take the supplements in my own personal health care battles. If you are interested in any supplements listed, I suggest you do some independent research to find out if any would benefit you before taking anything.

Benebiotics Advanced Multi Probiotic-I take this first thing in the morning before eating. Because of my candida, probiotics often give me a period of feeling bad. This is caused by the die off symptoms of yeast meeting its demise in my intestines. This is an exception to the rule that I do not take anything that makes me feel bad. I know why this makes me feels bad. And I feel good about it because that means it is working.

Fish Oil-1200 mg (360 mg Omega-3)-for heart health. A quality fish oil supplement is generally made from smaller fish like sardines and is purified to remove mercury. There are cheaper options out there, but back to the "you are what you eat" idea, I always spend the extra money to get good quality supplements. Some people use krill oil. I have, but I found that they get really stinky sitting in the cabinet after a week or two. I was so repulsed by the last batch that I stopped buying them. If I can find less stinky ones, krill oil really is the best as far as omega-3s are concerned.

Calcium Citrate + Vitamin D-No gal should be without some extra calcium!

Vitamin D3-5000 IU per day-This is the exception to my rule to never take a supplement 7 days in a row. I take Vitamin D every day of the week. Vitamin D does so many good things it is hard to count. Without vitamin D, I feel like I have an autoimmune disorder. Everything aches, my back hurts, I feel tired. I always take vitamin D with food.

MK-7 (K2)-Vitamin K2 is good to take with calcium and vitamin D. It helps the body to place calcium in the right spots, like teeth and bones, not in the arteries, where it can cause arterial calcification. There is plenty of conjecture out there about how much to take. I take 100 mcg, but could probably be taking 200 safely. I like the one pill a day thing and mine just happen to be 100 mcg, so that is what I take.

Magnesium-400 mg per day-This helps to improve the body's use of calcium too. I want my calcium to work well and all in the right places!

Potassium-99 mg-I take a small amount of potassium to make sure I am getting enough. Sometimes my diet isn't perfect so I feel that supplementing a little bit probably helps me get all I need. Potassium helps to prevent high blood pressure and depletion of calcium from our bones, and helps balance fluid and mineral levels in the body. I make sure to take a low dose because too much potassium can be deadly!

Selenium-200 mcg-selenium is an antioxidant mineral. Selenium is great for people like me with iodine deficiencies and goiter. The thyroid gland needs selenium to function properly. Only small amounts of selenium are needed by the body, so I make sure not to take more than 200 mcg per day, and only 6 days per week. There have been studies conducted that have shown selenium benefits those with cancer and helps to prevent cancers. However, as with all studies involving supplements that can cure without big pharma being able to synthesize or control the distribution and sales of such supplement, these studies have been largely dismissed by the FDA as "inconclusive".

Esther C-500-1000mg-Immune support, need I say more?

Caprylic Acid 600 mg-this is a medium chain fatty acid that has antifungal properties. Also found in coconut oil. Anyone fighting candida needs this!

Biotin-5000 mcg-This is a vanity supplement for me, really, but it also helps to metabolize carbohydrates, proteins, and fat for energy use in the body. It does help skin and nails look better too.

Alpha Lipoic Acid-200 mcg-This is an antioxidant that helps to convert glucose into energy.

Turmeric-500 mg- I wish I could say I eat turmeric every day, but I don't. Turmeric is a powerful antioxidant and helps bolster the immune system.

J.Crow's Lugol's Solution, 2% (Potassium Iodide 4%, Iodine 2%)-This is not a pill I take but a solution. I used to put iodine on my skin and wait for my body to absorb it, but I have found that it is more effective for me to use 4 drops of lugol's diluted in a glass of water. I never wanted to drink it before because I thought it would taste horrible. But I must have a high threshold for bad tasting things, because diluted, it doesn't bother me one bit to drink it. The measurements are a bit hard to figure out exactly, but with 4 drops and an estimated up to 1.5 to 2 mg of iodine in each drop, I am getting anywhere from 6 to 8 mg per dose. Many Japanese people get 13 mg of iodine per day through their diet, so the amount I am taking is fairly conservative, but enough to hopefully keep my thyroid kicking out plenty of good hormone. I will most likely up my dosage to 5 drops per day in a week or so to allow my body to adjust. Five drops will get me closer to what the Japanese, who are way less obese than Americans with less incidence of breast and reproductive cancers despite smoking like chimneys, ingest on a daily basis.

Super B Complex-for energy metabolism. Good for people with thyroid problems. It gives me energy.

Iron Supplement-everyone with anemia has their favorite. I have tried a few different kinds in the past year and I am not sure which I like best yet. Bifera is my favorite, hands down.

Zinc-50 mcg-People with hypothyroid issues are found to have low zinc levels. Zinc helps the thyroid to function properly, in small amounts. Zinc can make people feel a little funny. Can cause some nausea, which I have experienced off and on and only to a small degree. Any feelings of sickness I have experienced with this supplement have gone away so quickly it is a non issue. It really does work wonders for the immune system so I keep on keeping on with it.

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth-I drink a Tablespoon of DE a day.It tastes like dirt, but mildly. It isn't too offensive. This is essentially silica with the added benefit of intestinal and colon scraping. Food grade DE has lots of minerals besides silica, and also clears out the digestive tract pretty effectively (farmers use it to keep parasites out of the digestive tracts of animals). A tsp to a Tbsp a day is good enough. I notice when I take it every day for a few weeks, my skin is much nicer and doesn't dry out in the winter.

CoQ10-200 mg-an antioxidant for heart health. Always wise to keep this in rotation.

Vitamin E-400 IU-an antioxidant for immune system health. I don't take this all the time, as too much vitamin E is not good for you.

DMAE-250 mg-for brain function. I need all the help I can get here! I take this off and on. Most of the time I forget to lol!

Digestive Enzymes-I take a nice blend from the Vitamin Shoppe. Digestive Enzymes are used by many people to aid in the digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, dairy, and glucose. I decided to start trying them when I bought them for my son. He has IBS symptoms and food allergies so I figured it couldn't hurt him! I do take them before I eat sometimes but I also take one with my amino acids before bedtime. I figure it may be helping to break down any food sluggishly making its way through my intestines. So far, so good.

When I am sick, I take oregano oil capsules. Oregano oil kills everything in the body (antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial) so I use it like an antibiotic. I take it for a week at most once or twice a day to kill the infection, then I follow it up with probiotics and caprylic acid to replace beneficial bacteria. Bacteria do not get resistant to oregano oil so I don't have to worry that I am creating a super bug by using it. For the kids, I break open a capsule and rub it on the bottom of their feet. One side effect of oregano oil is that it leeches iron out of your system, so I have to be careful about how long I use it because I already have low iron. It works great though and saves lots of trips to the doctor for antibiotics.

Grapefruit Seed Extract by Nutribiotic is another infection fighter I keep around the house. The ear drops work fantastic for ear infections. With kids in the house, it is nice to have a go-to cure for ear infections. They work so fast. Usually I only have to put the drops in the kids' ears once or twice before they feel right as rain again. I like the nasal spray for allergies. It clears out my sinuses right away. The liquid extract is good for cuts. I also add it to my laundry detergent for extra germ fighting.

This sounds like a lot of supplements, but they have all their time and place in my life. I am smart about taking them and try not to get too much of any one thing on a daily basis. As per usual, I am not endorsing any product or telling you to take it. I am mapping out MY personal journey only for your reading enjoyment. If you take something, it is at your own risk and I am not responsible for any bad side effects just because you read my blog. I have to put a disclaimer on here because some folks refuse to take personal responsibility for anything they do. Anywho, I am not a doctor, I am not licensed in anything, so don't take my word on all this. See your doctor if you want to start taking vitamins and you are unsure of what and how much to take.

Thank you for reading!

A Note About Fluoride and Hypothyroidism

Here are some facts about flouride that should really scare you:

1. Fluoride was used to lower thyroid function in those who had hyperthyroidism up until the 1950s. What this means for you is that if you have hypothyroidism (sluggish thyroid), fluoride in water, toothpaste, and teflon (PTFE) coatings can further depress your thyroid hormones.

2. Fluoride causes iodine deficiency. Chlorine also causes iodine deficiency. Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine and Iodine are all part of the halogens family of elements on the periodic table and as such they have an antagonistic relationship. Fluoride is used in water and toothpaste, as well in drugs such as Prozac, Bromine is used in flours and processed foods. Chlorine is used in our water supply and in the production of table salt. Chlorine, Fluoride, and Bromine find their way into our overall food supply as they are present in most municipality water supplies (therefore that water is used to make foods and products and also grow foods). There is even more to this story. Bromine is used as a flame retardant in carpeting and bedding. Chlorine gases are emitted from factories and cleaning supplies used around the house. Fluoride was used in Nazi Germany to make prisoners docile and less fertile at concentration camps (lowers IQ and mental clarity, and causes reproductive issues). This list goes on and on. These toxic halides cancel out the iodine in our systems and lead to sluggish thyroids. The thyroid needs iodine to perform regularly. Likewise, with the reduction of fluoride, bromine, and chlorine in our diets (using products and drinking osmosis water free of the other halides), Iodine can displace the other halides and lead to a better functioning thyroid again.

3. The truth about fluoride: Naturally occurring fluorite (CaF2) is not the same type of fluoride being added to our drinking water. Artificially made fluoride, sodium fluoride (NaF), and Fluorosilic acid (H2SiF6), a byproduct of the aluminum and fertilizer industries, are toxic, and contaminated with lead, barium, mercury, and cadmium. No testing of industrial fluoride is conducted at the source before it is shipped out to be added to our drinking water. Naturally occurring fluoride is already present in most water supplies. Various studies from around the world have shown that tooth health is not improved in communities with fluoridated water, and often the opposite is true that communities with non fluoridated water see less cavities than those with fluoridated water. NaF and other artificial fluorides have been linked to cancer, particularly breast and other reproductive cancers, in addition to headaches, IQ lowering, and arthritis among other health issues. Fluoride at higher levels is proven to cause weaker teeth and bones. Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Switzerland have all discontinued fluoridating water based on the lack of clear studies of harm from Fluoride.

4: The truth about iodine: Iodine used to be found in many products like bread and milk, but not anymore. Flour is now bromated. The dairy industry used to used iodine to clean cow udders after milking, so iodine could be found in most dairy products. Table salt is supposed to contain iodine, enough to keep us from becoming deficient, but it is processed with chlorine, which displaces iodine in our systems. Besides the fact that you would have to eat an ungodly amount of iodized table salt to even come close to your recommended daily allowance, which the FDA has already set too low. Unless you eat a lot of kelp and seafood, chances are that you are not getting enough iodine in your diet.

These are just some of the reasons why I supplement myself with Lugol's solution iodine. Every day I put a patch on my skin and allow my body to absorb the iodine at the rate it needs it. I also drink water run through an osmosis filter. Pur filters and other charcoal filters do not remove halides. In addition, I make my own toothpaste with just coconut oil, baking soda, peppermint essential oil, and xylitol.

Some people do not believe that fluoride is harmful in any way, but for my purposes, it is proven that fluoride suppresses thyroid hormone. That is enough to get me to stop using it, even disregarding other health problems it may cause. I wonder about the obesity epidemic in this country and how it possibly correlates to fluoridation of the water in part. 60% of the water in this country is fluoridated. Believe what you want, but if you have a sluggish thyroid, you may want to think twice about using fluoride. In fact, I would go as far as to say that keeping fluoride out of our kid's drinking water is good policy to prevent suppression of their thyroid hormones. I am not a scientist, but it stands to reason that if a substance is used to treat the exact opposite problem I have, it is not something I want to be ingesting. Just some food for thought. Fluoride has been studied as a toxic substance since before World War II. We have plenty of information about the plethora of harmful side effects of ingesting this substance. What are we looking for anyway? Eighteen more reasons not to use it? We have many very good reasons to discontinue using it now. Has common sense completely abandoned this country?

Mujaddara Recipe

If you haven't eaten Mujaddara before, you are in for a real treat. The traditional way to make this dish is to use lentils and rice or bulgar. I have changed the recipe for my purposes, because I try to avoid rice as much as possible and I never eat wheat. Mujaddara is the Arabic word for "smallpox" in reference to the lentils. It is a dish eaten throughout the Arabic world and it is a little slice of heaven. Peasant food, yes, but utterly delicious and easy to adjust based on what you have in the pantry and what you want to go into it for your health. I make several different versions.

By far my favorite is the chick pea version I put together. I eat this for lunch as much possible because it is so delicious!

Chickpea Mujaddara

You will need:

1 cup dried chickpeas, cooked and drained, set aside
4 onions, sliced into rainbows
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 T olive oil
EV coconut oil for cooking (1 Tbsp or so)

Step One: Cook 1 cup dried chick peas until done and drain. (See my earlier post about how to cook the perfect bean if you are not sure how to use dried chickpeas).

Step 2: In a frying pan, melt a Tbsp EV Coconut oil over medium heat. Add 4 onions, sliced into rainbows.

Step 3: Cook onions until they caramelize, stirring occasionally.

Step 4: To onions in the pan, add cooked chickpeas, 1 tsp cumin (I use roasted cumin by mccormick for the best flavor but any cumin will do), 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 2 T Olive oil.

Step 5: Stir together to combine and heat for just a moment. Remove from burner.

Step 6: Put a serving size of Mujaddara in a bowl and fill the rest of the bowl with lettuce, tomato, carrots, red bell pepper slices, any other salad greens or veggies you desire. You can add chicken slices if you like, or tzatziki sauce, hummus. Any combination of fresh yummy additions is great. Enjoy your healthy lunch full of fiber and fresh veggies!

Lentil Mujaddara

You will need:
2 cups lentils
4 1/2 cups water
4 onions, cut into rainbows
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2T olive oil
1 T EV coconut oil for cooking

Step 1: In a large pot, sautee onions on medium heat with 1T coconut oil until they caramelize. Remove half of the onions to a bowl.

Step 2: To the pot, add lentils, water, and spices to the onions.

Step 3: Simmer until lentils are done. Add reserved onions and 2T olive oil to the pot.

Step 4: Stir to combine and heat for a moment or two.

Step 5: Enjoy your yummy lentils with everything you would enjoy the chickpea mixture above with. Vegetarian salad bowls are my favorite!

It doesn't get any easier than this! This recipe is great because it combines good fats with a lot of fiber, and fresh vegetables. It is even better the next day and subsequent reheatings so I always make a big batch and eat it all week for lunch. Sometimes dinner too :) I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do!

How to Cook a Yummy Bean

I have found out from talking to my friends that most of them don't know how to properly cook dried beans! I do this so often that it is second nature for me, so I thought I would write up a little tutorial about how to get the perfect bean every time.

As a side note, cooking your own dried beans is not only way more cost effective than using canned beans, but canned beans are also packaged in cans that are lined with BPA. BPA is bad bad bad stuff and should be avoided at all costs.

Here are the instructions to cook a yummy bean:

Step 1: Soak beans overnight in water with a few Tbsp of kosher salt. Do not skip the salt. Salt helps give the beans a touch of flavor, but more importantly helps to soften the beans.

Step 2: When you are ready to cook your beans, drain them in a colander and rinse them off. Beans will naturally release toxins when they soak so you want to rinse as much of them away as possible.

Step 3: Put drained beans in a large pot with fresh water to cover them at least 2 inches. Add a couple Tbsp of kosher salt in the pot and 1 or 2 bay leaves.

Step 4: Put a lid over the pot on an angle so some air can escape. You want to cover the beans but also allow air to escape. If you put the lid on tight, the pressure will eventually blow your beans apart and you will have a mess.

Step 5: Bring water to a boil on high heat. When water boils for a few minutes, turn the heat down to a lower temperature. I usually go with 3 on my stove so it is still hot, but not actively boiling.

Step 6: Depending on your beans, cooking can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. You want to check them often so they do not overcook. When beans are done to the softness you prefer, drain them in a colander and remove bay leaves.

I usually make a ton of beans and bean dishes on a Sunday so I have them throughout the week. I use them to make hummus or bean dip, bean salad, or just keep them to use in other entrees as I cook during the week.

I will be posting tons more bean recipes as time goes on so be on the lookout!