Tuesday, November 19, 2019

It's a Date!



 Over the last couple of months,
I've been searching for a better way to eat.
Considering that I've been a fairly "clean" eater for decades,
it surprised me to find that I could tweak my diet even more.
With the recent elimination diet that my naturopath guided me through,
I found that giving up nuts, seeds, sugar and all things gluten was pretty tough.
Although I'm still avoiding gluten anything,
I have been able to add back a substantial list of items 
that came up negative on my sensitivity panel.
Gratitude prevails for being able to once again 
consume cocoa, coffee, nuts, seeds and certain grains (not wheat).




The book featured here has been a Godsend.
Dana Shultz is a master at what she does,
which is create gloriously simple recipes
for those of us who find ourselves wanting to eat better,
but still harboring cravings for traditional comfort foods.
If you are at all interested in improving your health
without having to sacrifice taste and ease of preparation,
please run, don't walk, to your nearest book source,
and pick up her fabulous cookbook.
You can also check out her amazing website:
Rest assured, her repertoire consists of savory dishes
as well as sweet treats. 
Most of my cookbooks were given away years ago,
but this is one I will be purchasing anew.
The recipes are simple, have few (real) ingredients,
and most take under 30 minutes from start to finish.
I look forward to exploring these recipes.
In fact, until recently, I've been absolutely burned out
with regard to cooking or baking.
This book and website have motivated and excited me
to try new ways to enjoy old favorites.


Medjool dates

I've watched my sugar intake for years,
allowing myself a handful of dark chocolate daily,
knowing that my consumption was far less than most folks.
I'm a label reader, and quite particular about what I buy.
Being able to scratch cook has always been my goal,
and it's the only way I can imagine feeding my family.
One fruit I had never tried before was dates.
Since creating some of the concoctions on Dana's website,
I've discovered what a fantastic sugar substitute they make!
Dates are a great source of fiber, rich in calcium and phosphorus,
and are more easily processed by the body than standard sugars.

Does this mean I'll never again eat sugar?
Nope, but it will no longer be a daily staple.


This is the latest sweet treat I've made using dates.
The recipe can be found here.
I actually used less dates than suggested when I made it,
and it was still mighty sweet.
It's not clear if it's because I've been sugar-free
for going on 7 weeks, or if the dates are just that sweet!

I hope you'll check out these resources.
Dana has found her calling.
And I'm so grateful she has.

6 comments:

  1. Dates are amazing aren't they? So caramel-y and sweet! Minimalist Baker is a great book/blog, so happy her recipes are working so well for you! And so happy you were able to reintroduce some deliciousness back into your diet! :) I am continuing to avoid coffee. Funny, I notice that when I've had a cup of either caff or decaf I feel my sinus headache return (which I haven't dealt with in months) within hours and I get a little congested. I gave it up because I didn't like any creamers that fit the WFPB guidelines but I guess I received a gift I hadn't even considered!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's amazing what we can discover once we open ourselves up to it!
      Glad you got some relief.

      Delete
  2. Yum! May have to break my naturopath's no caffeine recommendation for these!

    ReplyDelete
  3. We use a lot of dates here to sweeten our food. Recently I added diced dates to the dough when I made bread, cutting back on the honey, the dates are "mashed" into the dough during the kneading process and add a nice sweetness and additional moisture to the bread.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Such a great tip, Melynda! Thanks for sharing.

      Delete

Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts!