Testimony of the Day
“Hi, Maria! I’ve been putting off doing this for a while but finally decided its time to share! After 10 years of struggling with my weight due to the effects of enduring chemo for breast cancer, I was frantic to find answers. I don’t know how I stumbled upon your blog, but it has worked wonders for me.
You can see the left photo I was very pasty, puffy, and miserable! About the same time (one year ago) that I decided to follow your plan, my husband was having extreme digestive issues, he’d had ah Pylori, was unable to sleep at night due to bile and acid problems-no matter if he ate a banana or pizza! He was about to go on a special diet to try to remedy his problems as Prevacid and every other Rx was doing no good at all. The problem was, everything his “new” diet proposed, was completely opposite from what I had been reading about and was preparing to try. I asked him to do one thing for me first. That was to try this “other way” (“Maria way”) for 2 weeks to see what would happen. I told him I’d be happy to prepare his meals separately if necessary but if he would please give this a try first.
He agreed and his heartburn and indigestion went away within 3 days!!! He has never turned back!!! He dropped 30lbs quickly-he wasn’t overweight but now he looks great! It took my body a bit longer to acclimate and begin the fat burning process but I did not give up. I kept hard at it, as well as exercising faithfully.
By week 8 I began to see some changes. My clothes began to get loose, and by month 3 I had lost 20lbs. The photo on the right is me 3 months into this change. I was thrilled. I will never ever go back to that old way of eating…and I love it when you post the question about what some of the worst questions or comments we get from people-it never stops! But that will not deter me from my plan. My 16-year-old daughter does not need to lose weight but she has embraced this way of eating and now I am working on my three younger children. (A little more difficult) I have breakfast and dinner down, just mastering lunches and snacks!!!” – Kari
If you want to get started on your “after” photo, click HERE. The 30-day meal plans will help you take the planning out of how to get the perfect keto ratios in your meals.
Great deals on Nut and Seed Flours
Great news! If you use this link for your Nuts.com flour orders I can a little percentage that enables me to buy flours to experiment and make more great recipes! So stock up on one of these great “Maria Approved” flours:
Almond Flour (I buy the 25-pound bag and keep extra in the freezer, only $4.29 a pound!)
Coconut Flour
Peanut Flour
Hazelnut flour
OR Pumpkin seed flour
Just Click HERE. Thanks so much for your support! 🙂
FOOD DYE
I saw an amazing recipe for Key Lime Cupcakes on Bon Appetit.com. Besides the white flour and sugar, they also added food dye. Did you know that the most common “food” we eat isn’t even food, it is food dye! There’s good reason to cut the artificial food coloring. They’re in almost all processed foods and even some fresh whole foods; fruit growers are now allowed to dip oranges in a carcinogenic red food dye to make them more appealing. We have a natural instinct linking color to freshness, and to entice kids to eat junk. It’s not just the hot pink cherries in Captain Crunch that have these detrimental dyes; cheese, vegetable juice, and yogurt contain food coloring.
Did you know cheese should be white? Synthetic dyes cause hyperactivity because it is an excitotoxin, where it over stimulates our dopamine production, but then we don’t produce enough; which causes a deficiency.
ADD is a symptom of a dopamine deficiency. Becoming quickly bored with the routine and having a hard time focusing are classic symptoms. People with dopamine deficiencies tend to start a lot of things yet don’t finish them. They work on a lot of different things at once. In an ADHD child, low levels of dopamine don’t allow the child to focus or attend to anything in the environment, looking very physically hyperactive due to their lack of focus. As dopamine levels in the brain begin to rise, we become excited and energized. If it gets too high, which usually happens with stimulations like MSG, food dyes, and drugs, then the body becomes hyper-stimulated by our environment, becoming guarded and suspicious.
With low levels of dopamine, we can’t focus while with high levels of dopamine our focus becomes intense to the point of focusing on everything as though it were directly related to our situation. Steering clear of these excitotoxins is your best defense for your family! Kraft, Coca-Cola, and other manufacturers already removed artificial dyes from the products they distribute in other countries, but not in America. Nutri-Grain bars in American include Red 40, Yellow 6, and Blue 1, but in Europe, they use beetroot red, annatto, and paprika for color. In my recipe, I use SPIRULINA for green color!
Spirulina
So, what is Spirulina? It is a very small blue-green alga that has TONS of nutritional and digestive properties. Spirulina is considered nature’s most complete superfood because it has such an array of nutrients; including being a high vegetarian source protein, a great source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and many other phytonutrients.
OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS:
1. Are you a female/an athlete/or have a food allergy and are low in iron? Spirulina is very high in available iron which is very important to supplement with especially if you are female (about 90% of females are iron deficient and this is why they don’t have enough energy and are losing hair). If you lack iron you have a hard time carrying oxygen to the mitochondria of your cell, which is where you burn fat. SO, if you are low in iron, fat burning is hard to accomplish. Low iron can be caused by a FOOD SENSITIVITY (your intestines inhibit you from absorbing iron), heavy menstrual cycles, heavy exercising, or not eating meat. Low iron causes high anxiety.
2. Improves Digestion
3. Suppress bad bacteria like candida and ecoli and help strengthen the good digestive bacteria that help reduce stomach bloating and help increase digestive health.
4. Increases Energy and Endurance
5. Detox’s metals and toxins from the body and blood. It is a great detoxifier because it naturally contains manganese, zinc, copper, selenium, and other minerals that help neutralize free radicals that cause cell damage.
6. Cleanses the liver and kidneys
7. Balance blood sugar levels to help control cravings, appetite, and weight
8. Helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels
9. Reduces inflammation and water retention
10. Reduces seasonal allergies
11. Anti-aging: high antioxidants
12. Eye Health: more beta-carotene than 10 carrots!
13. Do you have low energy, brittle nails, or hair? It could be a b-12 deficiency. Spirulina is the highest source of vitamin B-12. Also, medications such as Metformin causes a B-12 deficiency.
To learn more about specific foods and how it affects our mood, I have a very shocking class called Food Mood Energy and Weight Loss for only $25. CLICK HERE for the video.
“HEALTHIFIED” KEY LIME CUPCAKES/TWINKIES
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 limes, peeled (more if using Key limes, you want about 1 cup)Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Peel and de-seed limes, discard the peel. Place the limes into a food processor and puree until a smooth paste (you will want about 1 cup). In a mixing bowl combine coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and Spirulina. Mix coconut oil, sweetener, eggs, and lime juice until smooth. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Grease or place paper liners in muffin tins or grease a Twinkie pan (I use THIS one). Spoon batter into the pan. Bake at 325° for 30-40 minutes. Cool and top with cream cheese frosting! Makes 6 servings.
FROSTING/FILLING
1 8-oz package cream cheese, room temperature
Beat all ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Spread over cupcakes or fill Twinkies with injector tool. Makes 12 servings.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Cupcakes = 426 calories, 23g fat, 4g protein, 51.3g carbs, 0.5g fiber (50.8 effective carbs)
“Healthified” Cupcakes = 210 calories, 19g fat, 4.1g protein, 4.7g carbs, 2g fiber (2.7 effective carbs)
Hi Maria, I am curious about the consistency of the almond flour from nuts.com. Would you say the nuts.com flour is comparable to Honeyville’s in fineness of grind, or is it coarser, like Bob’s Red Mill?
Yes, nuts.com almond flour is like honeyville in consistency. 🙂
Maria, those look awesome!!! Lime is such a nice flavour! Hope you’re having a great weekend, it’s a long weekend here (Labour/Labor day)…. I might make those cup cakes!! 🙂
Thanks France!
These look great … I love the flavor of key lime.
How do you store your large quantities of almond flour in the freezer?
I buy a 25 pound bag, separate into 5 large zip locks and just keep one our for baking and the rest in the freezer. 🙂
Ahhhh…. Ziplocks of course!! I was thinking containers & they take up so much space.
Ahem, one of the most commonly used colorants, and the one used in yellow cheeses, is, in fact, a natural product: annatto. I eat white cheddar by preference anyway, but that’s because I’m convinced I can taste the annatto in yellow cheddar and I don’t especially like it. I might feel differently about foods where the annatto is there for the flavor instead of the color. Can’t say that I’ve tried any though.
It isn’t always annatto. Many still use artificial coloring.
http://www.shopwell.com/kraft-shredded-cheese-cheddar-fat-free/cheese-shredded/p/2100002541
Also, studies have shown child behavior issues from annatto also.
I don’t really like the taste of coconuts, so haven’t really delved into the flours and oils. Do these end up having a coconut flavor?
Thanks,
Stefanie
Coconut flour doesn’t have a discernible coconut flavor. Some oils can have a slight coconut flavor, but expeller pressed ones like this one don’t have any flavor. 🙂
http://secure.ttpurchase.com/6D7F3919-1E0B-90B3-0E53DEB1424EA0A7
Yay!!! I won!!! 😀 Just sent an email. Thanks so much!
Congrats! We will get it out to you right away. Enjoy! 🙂
Maria,
Could you do a post on travel ideas? Like something I can bake for on the go breakfasts & lunches? I am traveling to visit family & want to be prepared!! I feel like I will fall off track 🙁 help!!
I will try to do that soon. Thanks! 🙂
When I go out of state to visit family, I combine all my dry ingredients of a recipe in a ziploc with directions of what other ingredients are required to complete and baking instructions. For instance, I combine all the dry ingredients of Maria’s chocolate chip cookies in a ziploc and then when I’m at my family’s home, I bake healthy choclate chip cookies for everyone. It does require purchasing healthy coconut oil or butter while there; but I don’t mind that. I usually bring a ziploc of the following recipes: peanut butter cookies, bread, quiche or pie crust, rolls, waffles, etc. It works really well for me since some of our trips are a month long and I would not be able to keep the pre-baked goods for that length of time. Hope this helps!
That’s a great tip Mary! Thank you! 🙂
Hi Maria,
I was wondering where you got your twinkie pan? I’ve been looking for a good one but all of the ones I find are either aluminum or coated with nonstick. Thanks! 🙂
I use this one and love it. 🙂
http://astore.amazon.com/marisnutran05-20/detail/B0009R59QY
Your “healthified granola” with unsweetened coconut milk has become my new favorite breakfast. It fills me up and I don’t crave or get hungry mid-morning. Yay!
I signed up for your class on March 24 and am interested in using your philosophy to loose 10 to 20 # that I’ve struggled with during Peri-Menopause/Menopause. I am trying to decide which of your books to purchase first?? Also, would you recommend which book would be best for my 20 y.o. daughter with chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia/depression/anxiety. Actually, I am considering a consultation with you for her because I believe she would benefit from the guidance. She is a busy college student who goes to school full time and works at Starbucks. Would you have any thoughts on all this? Bless you for being so willing to help those who are in need of healthy guidance.
Thank you! I would suggest my Metabolism book first for both of you. Has all the tools you need to get started. 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Healthy-Metabolism-Maria-Emmerich/dp/0988512408/ref=sr_1_1?m=A51JBC26TWGDE&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1361697428&sr=1-1
I liked the lime cupcake. I should try it this weekend.Thanks for replying the comments above because few of my doubts has already been cleared in the replies.
Thanks! 🙂
In the cake directions you say to add butter, but do you mean the coconut oil? And am I supposed to melt it before using, or leave it the consistency of lard? Finally, will I know it’s done by the toothpick test? I’m enjoying your sweet and savory cookbooks, although the ingredients take some getting used to. The peanut sauce is the best so far. We made it twice in a week. Thank you!
Yes, sorry about that. I updated it above. Thank you! 🙂
They look amazing! I have to try them.
Can you give some tips on filling the cakes? I just bought the Twinkie pan and made these. The only issue was getting only tiny amount of filling inside. I ended up frosting the tops.
Maybe I waited until the cakes were too cold? When I used the injection tool hardly any filling at all went in.
Any suggestions would be appreciated! thanks!
I would fill them before they are fully cooled. Also, inject into several spots (like twinkies have 3 holes in the bottom). 🙂
Hello Maria, I love your journal! But I have a question? did you mean key limes or persian limes. Key limes are about the size of a quarter and there’s no way 2 limes gets you a cup of pulp. So maybe you used the standard lime and just called it key lime? Your picture seems to show persian limes, and a cup of lime pulp seems like alot? thanks for the information and all your time and effort with your recipes! christine
Yes, I used normal limes. I updated the instructions above. Thanks! 🙂
If you don’t have Spurlina on hand can you replace it with Vanilla Whey Protein to add some flavor. I know it won’t have the green color, but would it mess up the recipe?
I think that should work. 🙂
Hi Maria how much of the spurlina would you recommend on a daily basis? I am have struggled with anemia off and on my whole life, and after recently loosing nearly half of my blood in a uterine rupture during childbirth, I am really having a hard time getting back to normal. Maybe the surlina would work better for me than what I’ve been trying? I read your blog and fb posts daily and have changed the way I eat and look at food entirely, thanks to you!! My little boys LOVE all the recipes I cook from your kids recipe book I bought!!
It really depends on a lot of factors. In some cases I have clients take Spirulina 500 mg 6 capsules a day for a while and then check to see where iron is after a couple weeks.
Ok thanks that’s a good idea for a starting point. I just had blood work done and am going to try to start on half of what you said and work my way up. Thanks! I hope this helps.
Hi Maria! I decided to give it a try and take Spitulina powder. Should I stop taking Magnesium and Zinc (before bedtime) while having s. powder, since it already has those elements? Thanks!
I continue to take magnesium as there isn’t as much in the spirulina. 😉
Maria – I would love to make these for my mom when we visit her in Naples, Florida this weekend (we live in IL) We are taking my grandson, her great-grandson to meet her for the first time (he is only 2 months old!) In the recipe it says to put the entire lime into the food processor but then later it says lime juice – are these one and the same? I just wondered because I have never juiced limes or lemons in the food processor. Thanks so much – I have given your blogsite to my daughter (who is a music therapist working with autistic children) so she can start her new baby out with a healthified lifestyle (rather than the one I fed her – Kraft macaroni and cheese with hotdogs! 🙁
Sorry, that was a typo. I fixed it above. Use the whole limes. Thanks! 🙂
I may I have a nut intolerance. I am thinking about substituting pumpkin seed flour for almond flour in GF recipes. Is it a 1:1 substitution?
I haven’t used it but it should be close to 1-1. 🙂
I made these last night and think they could have been amazing if the amounts of some of the ingredients were tweaked a bit. First, for the cupcakes, I blended two limes and that only gave me about a half cup so I added another to get almost to a cup – WAY too much, the cupcakes tasted overpoweringly limey. Then the amount of Swerve in the frosting was so much that I felt sick eating it, not to mention I used almost my entire bag on just this recipe. I wonder if it would have been much better had I used powdered Swerve like you specified? I can’t imagine it would have made that big of a difference though. With those adjustments in mind, I’d definitely make these again! 🙂
Is spirulina safe for children? My daughter is 7 and I feel like she could benefit from it.
Yes, it should be fine. 🙂
Actually some natural cheeses are a deeper yellow, even on the orangish side. It all depends on the amount of cream in the milk and if the cows were grass-fed. Summer cheese is more yellow. Google it.