Clean eating with autoimmune disease

So I never seem to make cheesecake as I always think it is very time consuming to make. Although for my birthday on the weekend I decided I wanted to make something different and thought I would try cheesecake. I made the recipe in muffin trays so that way I didn't have to try to cut a large cheese cake. Each one is perfect for one serving and the recipe made around 16 mini cheesecakes. This one is vegan and gluten free and only uses a few basic ingredients. I soaked the the cashews for about 30 minutes, just enough to soften them to blend up for the filling. Base For the Base: 1 packet of Gluten and Dairy free arrowroot biscuits 4 tablespoons of coconut oil 3 teaspoons of Pure maple syrup  For the Filling: 200gms of cashews a few drops of lemon essences 1 cup of coconut cream 1.5-2cups of mango pieces 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup 3 tablespoons of coconut oil Method Line a muffin tray with paper liners and blend all the base ingredients togeth

I have been battling against chronic fatigue and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis for some time now and up until recently getting sick my chronic fatigue had mostly disappeared and I had been easily managing my autoimmune disease with supplements and diet. Several week ago I came down with what appeared to be the flu, after visiting the doctor for some medication I slowly overcame the sickness but for the last few weeks have constantly felt exhausted and sleepy all the time. I didn't look sick anymore but still felt very unwell and I had figured that the flu had triggered once again my chronic fatigue and I tried to rest as much as possible when I was not working. Although no matter how much I rested I just couldn't recover. As school holidays finally came around and I headed back home for the holidays and was able to schedule an appointment with my Naturopath. She ran a system check and noticed that my body had been exposed and had contracted the Epstein-Barr virus which had n

Oh how I have missed chocolate muffins. Since starting a specialised diet for my autoimmune disease I found it very hard to find baking recipes that I could use. There were always a few ingredients I couldn't have and was never one to bake much so I would only use recipes I didn't have substitute ingredients for. After realising that this made it very hard to actually bake. So every second weekend is now baking time for testing out new recipes. I must admit they don't always go to plan, not every creation ends up how I would like but these came very close to how I remembered chocolate muffins. These are a yummy healthy option that are free from gluten, dairy, grains and refined sugar. Ingredients   1 cup natural peanut butter 1 scoop vanilla protein powder 1/4 pure Canadian maple syrup  1/4 cup cacao  125gms apple sauce unsweetened  2 eggs Pinch of salt 1/2tsp baking soda Dairy free choc chips Blend all ingredients except choc chips in a food pro

Nothing more I love in winter time then hot meals, especially ones that only require one dish to cook. I absolutely love using my slow cooker, although I feel like I am always making curries so thought I would try something new. This beef stew is so simple and quick to prepare. This recipe was used for a 3.5L slow cooker and makes 6-8 meals depending on serving size. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or 3-4 hours on high. I also made so yummy garlic bread to go with the stew. Ingredients  800gm s of diced beef 3 carrots sliced 4 potatos chopped large handful of mushrooms sliced 2 tins of diced tomatoes 1 teaspoon of beef stock 1.5 cups of water 1 tub of tomato paste 3tsp mixed garlic 1tsp onion powder 4 bay leaves Rosemary  chopped parsley  Salt and pepper to taste Optional: I added a little bit of arrowroot flour in to thicken it at the end. Garlic bread 1 Gluten free bun cut in half 2 spoonfuls of Nuttelex coconut oil 1tsp minced garlic rosemary Melt nutte

I alway love making banana bread but really dislike that it takes 70 minutes to cook. So making Banana muffins just makes more sense, especially when I am hungry and want to eat or I don't have enough time. These only take about half the time to cook and are just as yummy, especially when you top them with chocolate chips. This recipe makes 12 muffins. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups of blanched almond meal 2 tsp baking powder 4 bananas 4 eggs 3 tbs of coconut oil 2 tsp pure vanilla extract topping dairy free chocolate chips Method Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Place all ingredients (except chocolate chips) into a food processor and blend until smooth.  line muffin tin and scoop mixture into each. place several chocolate chips on top of each muffin batter. cook for approx 30-35mins until golden on top.

Always up for experimenting new recipes especially when it comes to protein balls. I make a batch of protein balls every weekend and wanted to make something a little bit different this time. As much as I loved my cookie dough protein balls i made last week I felt like using some new ingredients. These are inspired by a dessert my friend made a while back but I couldn't remember the recipe except that it contained chickpeas and chocolate. Ingredients 1 can of organic chickpeas  10 dates (softened in water) 2 teaspoons of pure Canadian maple syrup  2 teaspoons of vanilla extract  1 cup of oats 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut  1/2 cup of vanilla protein powder Handful of cacao nibs 1/2 block of 70% dark chocolate melted (coating) Method Rinse chickpeas and blend in food processor until smooth. Add maple syrup, vanilla extract and dates. Slowly add in oats, desiccated coconut and protein powder until mixture is smooth Stir through cacao nibs. Roll into little b

Trying out some new protien balls, they are gluten free, dairy free, vegan, refined sugar free and nut free. Perfect for snacks and taste like cookie dough. They are easy and quick to prep. Ingredients 2 cups of oats 1/2 cup of water 1/2 cup of shredded coconut  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract  2 teaspoons of pure Canadian maple syrup  A dozen dates Handful of dairy free choc chips 2 scoops of protein powder Mix everything except choc chips in food processor and stir through choc chips through, roll into little balls and chill in fridge for an hour.

What better way to spend them morning after a gym workout than sitting outside on the balcony with a protein shake. The only trouble I have found with dairy free shakes is for months every one I made always just tasted like nut milk. I could never figure out the right ingredients to add to sweeten it or I always ended up adding way to much nut milk. So after having several amazing shakes when I would go out to cafes I thought I would again begin experimenting making protein shakes this time with some different ingredients. One of my favourite ingredients I like to use is peanut butter, so I thought I would try adding it into my shake along with only a few other simple ingredients. This is my favourite flavour protein shake so far. Ingredients: 1 & 1/4 cups of almond milk 2 large tablespoons of natural peanut butter 2 teaspoons of pure Canadian maple syrup 1-2 scoops of protein powder 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract  handful of ice cubes Blend all ingredients t

Weekends are meant for pancakes for breakfast. Although when I went On the GAPs diet for my autoimmune disease I struggled trying making pancakes it just wasn't the same. I tried lots of different recipes although they never quite turned out, as there was always some ingredient I wasn't supposed to have. Eventually improvising using a few ingredients from different recipes I managed to find pancakes that actually tasted like pancakes. This recipe makes 4 big pancakes. 1 cup buckwheat flour 1/2 cup arrowroot flour  1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract  1 cup almond milk 1 egg 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 cream of tartar  Optional 1-2scoops of protein powder  Optional handful of dairy free choc chips  Combine all wet ingredients and slowly adding in the dry ingredients. If the mixture is too thick add small amount of extra almond milk to the mixture. I like to add a handful of dairy free choc chips into the mixture after everything else is combined. Cook in fry

I don't know about you however I can relate to each of these points. For years before I was diagnosed with my autoimmune disease I had struggled to get out of bed in the morning and it could be hours after waking up before I had the energy to get up and do something. I spent most of my days on the couch (in my pj's) binge watching TV shows. I would often have an afternoon nap and on really bad days I would sometimes even have an extra nap in the morning. Days where I had to work or attend university (in the early days) were difficult and felt long and no amount of caffeine helped the tiredness. Up until 18 months ago working full time just didn't seem possible. Some weeks I would struggle to work more that 2 days in the week and would need the rest of the week to recover. If caught the flu which often happens working around children it would take me twice as long as what it should to recover, my body would struggled to recover and I would spend even more time on the couc

One of my all time favourite guilt free treats I like to make are these yummy protein balls. I love making these as they are so simple and taste amazing. I tend to make a batch of these little guys every  3 weeks they are that good. It has often been hard finding a recipe that suits my dietary needs so I'm often left to improvising or taking ingredients 2 or 3 similar recipes and adding them together.  This recipe was similar to one I found in the Woolworths free monthly magazine. Although I did substitute  a few ingredients for healthier options and opted out of puting in the skim milk powder. INGREDIENTS 1 cup natural crunchy peanut butter (brand Mother Earth)  1/2 cup oats (health food isle: freedom foods)  1 cup desiccated coconut  1/4 cup raw cacao   1/2 cup vanilla protein powder  1/2 cup honey (Byron Bay Honey) Blend all together in food processor and roll into little balls and coat with extra desiccated coconut. For best result chill in fridge for at least 3

After over 5 years of being very unwell and numerous medical tests that came back clear every time I decided to change from a medical approach to a more holistic approach to my health. I began seeing a Naturopath in October 2015 and within a few weeks she had identified that I was suffering from an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. With this disease instead of your immune system protecting the body it perceives the Thyroid gland as a threat to the body and the immune system attacks it. This causes numerous underlying issues throughout the body. I had been informed of my options from both the Naturopath and the doctor and it came down to 2 very different treatment options that could help prevent and reverse the disease. As I did not want to take the medical approach of medication for possibly the rest of my life I chose to follow a more natural approach with close guidance of my naturopath focusing on diet and supplements. This blog is designed to not only o

INGREDIENTS 1 egg  1 cup blanched almond meal  1/2 cup mulled tahini  1/2 cup raw cacao  2tsp pure vanilla extract  1 scoop vanilla protein powder  1/4 melted coconut oil  1/4 cup pure Canadian maple syrup  1/2 tsp baking soda  pinch of himalayan salt  2 pieces of Lindt 85% cocoa broken into small chunks to add to the top  Combine wet ingredients together then slowly add in the dry ingredients until mixed well. Allow mixture to chill in fridge for 15-20min then scoop onto baking tray.  Cook for approximately 10 minutes at 180 degrees.