No one complained when I got rid of processed food!

We’ve always eaten pretty healthy, or so I thought. A few cereal bars, fruit snacks and boxes of whatever were staples in the cupboard along with the fruits and veggies that always get served.

When I started my journey to get rid of Lyme and feel better, it led me to learn more about how and what to eat. This led me down the road of the traditional diet and to the Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA), which teaches about a nutrient-dense whole food diet and treats food as medicine.

I had been eating mostly Paleo for a couple of years, but the rest of the family wasn’t. My food sensitivities pretty much forced me to make everything I ate from scratch, but not everyone else. The kids got an occasional treat - a homemade muffin or cookie - when time allowed, which usually wasn’t often and the rest of the treats came from the store.

The more I learned, the more obvious it became that I needed to “de-crap” the pantry. I worried about the backlash and expected the kids to scream bloody murder when all the processed food disappeared.

I threw out old Halloween and Easter candy. (Yeah, this one they didn’t know about.) Gone were the Saturday morning trips to Target where the “Red Devil” somehow put things like Teddy Grahams and an occasional treat in the form of a box of Trix into the cart along with a some help from a couple of little monsters.

Boxes and bags were tossed.

Silence.

Favorites such as Kashi Strawberry cereal bars were emptied slowly, never to return.

Silence.

Requests for Dunkin Donuts were met with let’s make our own. Saturday or Sunday mornings are fun times to make muffins or baked Paleo donuts together.

Still silence.

Where is the begging to go to Target?

The request for fruit snacks???

Is it possible that all the stuff that they “loved” they didn’t really care about so much?

Was it just a habit or do they really just eat what's available in front of them? I don’t fully get it, but I'm not complaining.

We’ve gone fully organic and grain-free when possible. The extra money spent on organic fruits and vegetables is no longer being spent at Target, so in the long run we’re probably saving more money because of all the things we didn’t need that somehow ended up in the Target shopping cart. My husband usually does the shopping and leaves the kids home. We only buy the dog's food at Stop & Shop and the rest comes from local farms and trips to Whole Foods, Mrs Green's and Trader Joe’s.

I make my son chocolate chip cookies to take to school for snack instead of eating the cookies at school at lunch. They’re grain-free with coconut flour, dates and maple syrup. It was way more fun to try different cookie recipes with them until I got it right. We tried coconut, chestnut, tapioca and cassava flours. The kids got to taste test one against the other and there were some real debates on which was the best. They also get to grab a few from the rack as they are cooling. Can't do that with Chips Ahoy.

Do I get it right all the time? Nope, just ask my kids about the grain-free hamburger buns or the sandwich rounds that went over like lead balloons. It’s interesting though, my oldest who always liked to help a little in the kitchen has really taken an interest in cooking shows and loves Chopped and Kid’s Baking Championship. They know the words Kombucha and kefir and are learning to try new things even if I have to bribe them to try. Every day is a step forward.

Sam thought I should share my chocolate chip recipe as my first.

Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 tsp maple sugar (or coconut sugar)
1/2 C butter (or coconut oil)
1/2 avocado
15 small pitted dates
1 egg
2 T raw honey
¼ C applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
3 T kefir

2/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp gelatin (such as Great Lakes)

½ C chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F

Mix maple sugar, butter, avocado, dates, egg, honey, vanilla and kefir in a blender until smooth. Pour into a bowl.

Combine coconut and tapioca flours, baking soda, salt and gelatin. Add to wet ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto parchment paper on a baking sheet and flatten. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden. Cool on baking sheets for 1-2 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

These are best stored with the cover angled on top and not secured as they can get too moist. I also freeze these and take them out as needed.

Grain-free Chocolate Chip Cookies