About Me

I am a geek. I love to research. I love to see how our bodies interact with our surrounding and food. I love to learn more about how our bodies metabolize different foods and "non" foods. I love to bust open myths that we all believe as Americans...and I love the quest for learning...

All of our Bodies truly are fearfully and wonderfully made! Not a single one of us is the same. If there is one thing I have learned after 10 years of research it is this! There are so many things that make our bodies tick, not a single 40 food diet is the answer for everyone. My quest here is to introduce to you all what I have come to believe is healthy, and for you to figure out which of those foods actually work well with your system...


For example: while we use dairy in our recipes, you might find dairy doesn't sit well with you. It isn't that dairy is bad for you...it is just that your body doesn't process dairy well...so it is a food you should avoid...but everyone doesn't need to avoid it.

Muddling through the nonsense we have all come to believe about "health" is an uphill battle. The Gods of Money and Corporations are powerful, and learning "truth" in the midst of lies is tough.

I have been on my fair share of "low fat" fad diets and almost any other "diet" that was trendy while I was in College, and all produced no results...and left me feeling worse. I was only 16 when I was diagnosed with a disease called Reflex sympathetic Dystrophy, a disease in your central nervous system, that left me unable to walk. After 2 plus years in the "traditional" realm of medicine I found myself 3 surgeries, and lots of prescription pills, and I was still in pain.

I was first introduced to "alternative" medicine via an Applied Kineseologist and chiropractor who immediately diagnosed me with a systemic yeast infection...and put me on the candida diet for 6 weeks. It was the worst thing I had ever endured...removing all my sugar laden foods from my diet was hard...especially in college, but it was well worth the effort. This is what started my journey into "health." When I was done with the diet...I was done with prescription drugs for the RSD and Pain killers, constipation, sinus infections, and weight I just couldn't lose.

I instantly became a "believer" in the healing power of food the way the Lord gives it. The journey has been long...but the benefits worth it! Understanding more about our bodies and food, has brought me to a greater understanding of who the God of the Universe is!

I am now a wife, to Jonathan, and mother to a fabulous eclectic dude Noah with lots of special food needs, and a heart melting Isaac. I spend a lot of my time in the kitchen cooking for my family and I have found I have come to view it as an art form! It isn't about how long something takes to prepare, but rather how nourishing the end product is.

On a side note: I hate doing laundry and scrap-booking...and I still love a great cup of coffee with cream!

Buckwheat Noodles Baby! (GF and Overnight Soak)

So, first let me say sorry it has been so long between posts. Our family has been quite busy...between surgeries and a seizure, I haven't had a tremendous amount of time to update my recipes. But with no further ado I bring you the best addition, to date, to our families menu planning....Buckwheat Soba Noodles.

Pop Quiz: Is buckwheat a grain?
If you answered yes, you are in the same boat I was a week ago, after all buckwheat does have the "wheat" name in it. But the answer is actually no! Buckwheat isn't a grain at all, and it doesn't contain gluten despite what one might conclude. It is actually in the same family as Rhubarb So, it is a "safe" alternative for allergy ridden families!

After the discovery that buckwheat wasn't a grain and in the same family as quinoa, which N can eat, I got so excited and just had to try a recipe with it.

While I was contemplating a recipe one of my favorite blogs, The Nourishing Gourmet posted a Buckwheat noodle recipe, perfect timing. I took this as a sign from above that Soba noodles should be one our menu this week!

One thing worth noting is that Buckwheat is considered a complete protein, so no "meat" is required when using these noodles. Which I really appreciate with the budget being tighter these days.

Here is the recipe:
2 cups freshly ground buckwheat groats (hulled buckwheat is light in color and can be found at Wegmans, Lori's Natural foods and or Feel Rite in Buffalo)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

The above made enough for N,J, and Me with enough for 2 lunches, and we ate it as a Main meal, not a side dish. I would double if you are feeding more than 4 adults as and using this as a main dish.


The night before you want to eat your noodles, measure out 2 cups of freshly ground buckwheat groats and place it in a large glass or non-reactive bowl. Slowly stir together 1/2 cup water and vinegar and add, mixing with a non reactive spoon, to the flour. The mixture will be dry and clumpy.

Start to hand knead the flour and water together. (side note: this is an extremely sticky and messy process. You might think you have done something wrong because the flour is just stuck to your hands, but you haven't! Just keep going, it will get better.) When you have most of the flour in a ball, feel free to knead on a clean surface a few times till a stiff, but not too dry ball is formed.

Clean the bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Place a wet, but not dripping, towel over the bowl and let sit for 12-24 hours.

Now, normally I hate rolling dough out, but I have to say these were easy and quick to roll out. I managed to complete rolling and cutting all the pasta within 20 minutes!

Cut the dough into 3 or four sections and heavily flour the surface of a large wooden cutting board or counter top if you don't have one. Make sure you have ample flour, if the dough is sticking at all, add more flour to the surface of the dough. Roll out one section of the dough until about 1/8 inch thick. You may roll thinner or thicker depending on the thickness of pasta you like. The thinner you roll it, the easier it breaks into pieces post cooking when trying to toss with sauces etc.

When you have reached a desired thickness cut noodles in desired width. I cut mine the thickness of fettuccine, but have fun with this. The kids could even help. To make it slightly easier to cut. I folded my dough into thirds so it was less cutting, again important to make sure they are well floured and not sticky! When noodles are cut, hang over the edge of the bowl. Repeat process with the remaining dough. LET THE DOUGH REST FOR 10-20 MINUTES.

Bring a pot of water with ample salt to a rapid boil and boil your noodles for about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water, and toss with desired sauce immediately. They will get sticky quickly, so have your sauces ready! Enjoy with finely sliced carrots, cabbage or broccoli.

N and J both really liked them, and we were all glad to have some sort of pasta back in our diets! :)

I wanted to let you all know we did this recipe with traditional tomato sauce and it was amazing! So, for those of you who wonder does buckwheat work well with italian dishes? Yes, is the answer!