DIY Wednesday: Homemade Gluten-Free Flours

May 18, 2016May 18, 2016 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

For those of you that bake and cook with gluten-free flours often, you know that it can be a pricey endeavor. You can get five pounds of all-purpose flour for like a nickel but 2 ounces of any type of gluten-free flour costs all the gold in China as well as your firstborn child.

Ok, maybe it’s not that dramatic, but you get the idea.

For awhile, I had relegated myself to shelling out the extra dough when it came to gluten-free flour but then I started to think about it. Most of the flours I bought weren’t blends, they were just straight up one-ingredient flours. Almond, brown rice, quinoa, oat, buckwheat, corn, coconut… all flours made with just one thing.

I can make things with just one ingredient in my own kitchen.

I have a blender/food processor.

Why am I paying an arm and a leg for these things again?

So I started saving money and making my own flour at home. If you have a decent blender or food processor you can do the same thing. Heck, if you have a pretty crappy blender or food processor you can get by making a few of these on your own. I did until I got a new food processor.

Here are four of my favorite flours to make at home and a few ideas on how to use them!

Oat Flour

This is probably the easiest and cheapest flour to make. All you need are regular rolled oats and you can make your own oat flour.

1 cup regular rolled oats = a little less than one cup of flour.

Pulse oats in a food processor or blender until you have a fine flour like texture.

Uses: Great for cookies and quick breads. I like to use it as a binder in lentil meatloaf or meatballs too.

Buckwheat Flour

Even though it has the word heat in the name it’s still gluten-free. You will want to find plain buckwheat groats, not roasted.

1 cup buckwheat groats = about 1 cup of flour

Toast the plain groats in a dry pan over medium-high heat until nutty and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Pulse the groats and then blend into a fine powder.

Uses: I like using it to make pancakes, bread, and crackers. It also makes a nice crispy crust for pork or chicken if you mix it with a few spices, salt, and pepper.

Quinoa Flour

You might need a little bit more powerful blender or food processor to grind up the tiny quinoa seeds. A smaller bowl or pitcher work better if you have one of those. You can use any color quinoa you like but I like to use white quinoa because it has a more neutral flavor.

1 cup quinoa = less than 1 cup of flour

Toast the quinoa in a dry pan over medium-high heat until fragrant and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes
Blend in a food processor or blender until you have a flour consistency. This might take a bit longer than other DIY flours.

Uses: I have been using this a lot in rolls and breads because it gives a nice nutty flavor, you can also use it for my cauliflower pizza crust!

Coconut Flour

Perhaps the best smelling flour in the bunch, I like this because it lets me use up the leftover coconut from my coconut milk!

1 cup coconut shreds = less than 1 cup of flour
If you are using leftover shreds from making milk let them dry out on a pan completely before continuing.

Preheat your oven to the lowest setting (mine is 200 and it worked just fine) and toast the dried coconut shreds until golden. About 20 to 30 minutes
Let the shreds cool then pulse them in the blender or food processor until you have a flour-like texture.

Uses: I use coconut flour a lot around here for things like pancakes, avocado fries, and desserts like these chocolate PB bars.

So there you go! You can make your own gluten-free flour for a fraction of the cost at the store. Just make sure to store all these flours in an airtight container to maintain freshness.

DIY Wednesday: Better For You Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

January 13, 2016January 12, 2016 / ktbuchs87

DIY Wednesday: Better For You Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins I was watching Friends the other day, a normal happening in my house and the two random episodes that I watched mentioned mini muffins. This then made me think of the little packages of Hostess mini muffins that were all the rage in middle school. You were someone if you had mini muffins.

Yeah, it was weird.

I usually did not have mini muffins because they were expensive and my mom wasn’t going to waste money on junk food. Because let’s face it, muffins, even in mini form, are generally not a health food. Especially when they’re made by Hostess. DIY Wednesday: Better For You Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

But boy are they delicious. And something about them being mini made them even better. Little food is always better. That’s just science. I decided to attempt to make a better for you mini muffin that would still taste good but wouldn’t be full of all this stuff. That’s what’s in those little bites of happiness. Yum….

My favorite muffin was always banana walnut but I decided to switch the walnuts for chocolate because duh, chocolate. My version uses dark chocolate, but you can use whatever you have on hand. I also decided to add just a few chips to the top rather than mix them throughout because I thought they would be just a little too big for mini muffins. But you do you. And you should do these mini-muffins.

Banana Chocolate Mini Muffins- gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and egg-free. I promise there is something in there!

1 1/2 cup almond meal
3 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed and 5 tbsp water mixed together)
1 large banana, very ripe
4 tbsp almond milk
3 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
handful of dark chocolate chips, optional

Preheat your oven to 350 and mix together your flax egg and set aside. Line a mini muffin tin with muffin cups or grease with a little coconut oil.
Put all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together so there are no clumps.
In another bowl, mash the banana so it is fairly smooth. Add in the rest of the wet ingredients, including the flax eggs, and whisk with a fork to combine and smooth.
Pour the wet into the dry and use a spatula to combine everything. Drop about a tablespoon of dough into each well. These won’t rise a ton, so you don’t have to worry about them spilling over. If you’re using chocolate chips, press about 3 or 4 into the top of each muffin.
Bake the muffins for about 10 minutes and pull them out to check. If they are brown around the edges and fairly firm in the middle you’re good. If not, bake for another 2 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes and then place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

These will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week or you can make a bunch and put them in the freezer to pull out whenever you need a mini muffin!

What were some of your favorite middle school snacks?

DIY Wednesday: Gluten-Free Pie Crust

December 16, 2015December 15, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I DIY Wednesday: Gluten-Free Pie Crust | Life Healthfully Lived have another holiday edition of DIY Wednesday for you guys today. Pie is eaten all year round, but I think that it’s most special around the holidays. From pumpkin to pecan to sweet potato pie, there are some pretty delicious options.

Pies are a little difficult though if you have to stay away from gluten. The store bought versions can taste a little (ok, a lot) like cardboard plus they are pretty expensive compared to the regular pie crusts. Homemade gluten-free pie crusts are better, but can sometimes call for ingredients that you might not usually have on hand. DIY Wednesday: Gluten-Free Pie Crust | Life Healthfully Lived

I made this simple one with a pie that my mom made for Thanksgiving. It was a crustless pumpkin pie and while it was really good, it needed some type of crust. The beauty of this crust is that you can use it raw or cooked so if you have a tart or treat that you don’t need to bake but still want a crust, you can use this. It also holds up to baking and adds a nice sweet flavor to any pie.

If you’re looking for a quick crust for your baked goods, try this gluten-free pie crust!

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

10 Medjool dates, soaked in water if needed
1/3 cup almond flour
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt

If your dates aren’t, soak them in some hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain (save the water) and slice them in half removing the pits.
Pulse the dates in a food processor or blender for a few minutes until they come together in one ball
Add the rest of the ingredients to the processor and pulse until everything comes together. If it is too dry add a tablespoon or two of the date soaking water. If it’s too wet add a little more almond flour or pumpkin seeds/walnuts.
Place the date mixture into the fridge to cool for at least an hour. This makes it easier to handle when you put it into your pie tin.
Once the date mixture is cool, grease your pie tin well. Then, press the date mixture into the bottom of the tin and up the sides. Make sure there are no bare spots.

You can keep it in your fridge if you will be using it later that day, in the freezer if you are going to use it later in the week (just let it thaw a bit before you use it), or pour in your filling and use it right away! DIY Wednesday: Gluten-Free Pie Crust | Life Healthfully Lived

What is your favorite kind of pie to make/eat this time of year?

DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy

December 9, 2015December 9, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy | Life Healthfully Lived have another holiday edition of DIY Wednesday for you today: gravy. After the ganache last week, I thought we would go savory today. I know it’s a little late for Thanksgiving, but there are still plenty of meals this season that will warrant gravy. I wanted to show you how easy it is to make your own gravy because I was just as surprised when I learned.

When I was younger, gravy was bought in a jar. My mom pretty much made the rest of our Thanksgiving feast from scratch, but the gravy and the jellied cranberries came from a jar and a can. So in my tiny kid mind, that is how all gravy was made. In a jar and then heated up on the stove. DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy | Life Healthfully Lived

As I got older and started cooking for myself and reading cookbooks, I saw recipes for gravy. What?! You can make this from scratch?! Yes. Yes, you can. And it is really easy.

I’m making a mushroom gravy for those of us who don’t eat meat, but you can make gravy from pretty much any cooked meat you have following this recipe. Whichever you choose, it’s really simple and so much healthier to make your own gravy. It’s also cheaper which is a must during the holiday season!

Mushroom Gravy

8 oz mushrooms (I used baby bellas), sliced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil
1/3 cup onion, minced finely
1 to 2 tbsp coconut aminos, liquid aminos, or soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp potato starch or tapioca starch (I used potato)
1 1/2 cup cool water
1 tsp parsley
3 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
salt and pepper.

Heat a little olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper then add the garlic and saute for another minute.
Add the coconut aminos or soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and the vegetable broth. Cook until the liquid has reduced by about half and the mushrooms have gotten smaller.
While the mushrooms are cooking make the starch slurry. Combine the 1 and 1/2 cups water and 1 tablespoon of starch and mix together with a fork. Make sure the mixture is smooth and all lumps are gone.
Pour the slurry into the skillet and stir to mix everything together. The slurry will start to thicken as it cooks. Add the parsley and rosemary. Taste and add salt and pepper to your taste.
Once the gravy is thick enough, pour into a gravy boat or bowl and use immediately.

Gravy needs to be used right after it’s made, because unlike its store bought counterpart it doesn’t last forever. It’s much better fresh and since it’s so easy to make you can whip it up right at the end of your cooking. DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy | Life Healthfully Lived

What is your favorite holiday dish to make from scratch?

Healthy Doesn’t Have to be Hard

January 13, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Hopefully all of you made it through the polar vortex and have thawed out just a bit. Thankfully we made it through with minimal damage, only one pipe burst. It was fixed quickly and didn’t cause too much stress, that was good!

This past weekend I was thinking about my “health mission”. What did I want my message to be to the readers of my blog, people who come to me for advice, and eventually people that work with me one on one? I narrowed it down to two main ideas. The first being not everyone will become/stay healthy in the same way. I’ve talked about this before on the blog. We are all unique and our bodies function and work in different ways. What may work for me might not necessarily work for you, and that is ok! This goes for how you eat as well as how you exercise.

The second message I want to share is that healthy does not have to be hard. Many of you reading this right now are thinking otherwise. You have tried to get healthier numerous times, but always end up right where you started. Some of you believe that in order to become healthy you have to follow complicated rules, stick to strict schedules/menus, or buy fancy and expensive equipment. While you can do those things, they are not at all necessary to become healthier.

When I first started out, I also thought I had to get fancy. I figured that following a fad diet and working out with a special routine or equipment was the only way to be the healthy person that I wanted to be. By trial and error, I learned that it was actually much simpler than I first believed.

The biggest thing that you need to become healthier is the desire. You have to be in a place where you truly want to start this journey. Otherwise you will keep failing or quitting or not giving it your all. Once you find that motivation, the rest is fairly simple.

In terms of eating, you don’t need to buy into fancy diets or food systems or companies. Get rid of all processed food products and then start experimenting. Do you do well on a more plant based diet or do you thrive with more meat? Maybe you do better on a high fat diet full of quality, healthy fats. Or you find that more whole grains is your thing. Whatever it is, make sure you feel right and can go about your day without misery or gnawing hunger.

When it comes to exercise, there are so many inexpensive and simple options. The main goal is to move daily in whatever way gives you the most joy. Don’t like running? Then don’t waste hours on the track hating your life. Think yoga is crazy? Then don’t sign up for a hot yoga class. Again, experiment with a bunch of different forms of exercise. Maybe something as simple as walking gives you what you need or perhaps you learn that you love weightlifting because it makes you feel awesome. The most important thing is to figure out which form of activity brings happiness to your life and doesn’t feel like a chore.

When it comes down to it, these are very simple ideas and strategies. Yes, it can seem hard to completely overhaul or change your life. Start small. Focus on changing one meal a day or adding fifteen more minutes of exercise to your day. Once you master those add in more. Realize that this is a process and it can be a very simple one. What makes you feel happy and full of life and energy? Find that and the rest will fall into place!