We've been into baking lately and sometimes that really just means mixing things together. Mostly this is part of our baking unit study that we have been conducting for most of the summertime. Summertime is the perfect time to bake and learn because we have a garden full of fresh produce and an oven begging to be used.

Today we whipped up fresh strawberry crepes using the berries from the backyard. This isn't paleo or grain-free, but it could be adapted to be so. Then again, I never claimed to be either of those things. Live life.  Eat well. Be smart. That's what I like to say.

If you do a quick Google search for "healing cavities naturally," you will surprisingly discover dozens of health and wellness blogs boasting about the exact same study and doctor. And while the doctor in question (from a very long time ago) had some brilliant nutrition studies, these bloggers are clearly being paid by somebody to promote the Paleo diet and natural healing. 

And while I am a proponent of healing everything naturally, and in fact have healed a cavity without dental intervention, I am calling bullshit on these bloggers. How is it that all of these folks stumbled upon the same treatment, which promotes cod liver oil and butter oil supplements along with fat soluble vitamins, and a diet that very much looks like the Paleo diet to heal their teeth?

Bullshit. 

And more bullshit surfaces when not a single one of these folks have photographic evidence of said miracles. Even the blogger who states that the photos prove that the cavity disappeared is clearly not showing healing.

And oftentimes, along with this miracle treatment, the writer talk about a study (which I couldn't find) in the British Medical Journal about kids who ate oatmeal and kids who didn't. Supposedly, kids who ate oatmeal increased the amount of cavities they ate even when following a very healthy "Paleoesque" lifestyle. 

Oatmeal? Seriously? I'm here to set some things straight. It isn't good ole fashioned oatmeal giving people cavities; I've been eating oatmeal for years and I don't have a mouthful of cavities. And so has my child. No fucking cavities. But do you know what we don't eat? Processed sugary oatmeal. I'll bet money that oatmeal is getting a bed reputation here because most Americans aren't eating oatmeal cooked in a pot.

They are eating oatmeal from a teeny tiny package loaded with sugar. Did you know that a small package of instant oatmeal (Strawberries and Cream, or whatever) has roughly 10 grams of sugar! What the fuck. Who the fuck wants to eat that much sugar for breakfast? Oh yeah, that's right, kids. Because kids love sugar.

But regardless, I'd still argue that even that isn't causing cavities. Most likely it is all of the other stuff that comprises Americans' diets.

Okay, I should get back on track. I wanted to save oatmeal from catastrophe by giving you my two favorite ways to make oatmeal, all of which use good old fashioned oats that must be cooked on the stove. 

If you are worried about phytates or other mineral-binding chemicals in this relatively innocent grain, I suggest soaking them overnight in water and a tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

Today was the first day of school for the little genius and I thought that it would be appropriate to celebrate with pancakes. But wait! These pancakes aren't the kind that cause a sugar rush or interfere with attention spans or anything...they are delicious, protein-packed pancakes with a few butterscotch chips tossed in (literally, 5-6 per pancake).

These are the sort of pancakes that make you smile. They are sweet and salty and hit that "gotta have carbs" spot in your belly...or in my case, in my heart. Because I love carbs. Carbs love me. It's a win-win situation.

Anywho, let's get straight to the point because I hate those bloggers that go on and on and on with their story about their pancakes. You want the recipe. Let's do this thing. The recipe DOES NOT require bananas or any special egg tricks, but it does require protein powder. If you don't have protein powder, I would add a few tablespoons of flour, but no guarantees here.

**Because I love you, I have placed links to the ingredients that we used. Of course, you can use what you want, but as you know, I am an Amazon addict and these are the best deals for this stuff. GF cooking is freakin' expensive.

Okay okay, so you all know that I live for a smoothie in the morning. I mean, I practically sleep with my blender. Smoothies are a great way to get a HUGE amount of nutrients into your body in one go. Most of my smoothies have some veggies in it, but this one doesn't. 

The nectarine raspberry smoothie is my sweet tooth option for mornings that I need to energize. And energize quickly. The smoothie blends together pears, nectarines and raspberries together for the ultimate breakfast treat.

So what does a sweet potato do for your body? Well, quite a bit, more than it is given credit for! It provides fiber, over 200% of your daily value of vitamin A(don't worry you will not OD your child, part of this is not digested), plus it is a complex carb. The great thing about a sweet potato is that it is naturally sweet and children love the taste!

My house doesn't do syrup. I could never justify making something healthy only to ravage it with sugar-liquid. If you are going to have sugar for breakfast, you might as well have the sugar come from fruit...or a chocolate bar. I'm not judging you too much though, if you do drench your pancakes/cereal/waffles/french toast in sugar--sometimes, we add little sugar to our breakfast. 

Although, we never use syrup.  We never make "pancakes" a la IHOP either. The pancakes made in this kitchen are delectable, nutritious, and dolloped with a healthy spoonful of Lemon Curd  ;0) I'm feelin' a little feisty this morning okay. The sun is rising and the coffee is brewing.

Seriously, though.

Our house has become pancakeville. A few weeks back I made blueberry cornmeal pancakes, topped them with the lemon curd we bought at Farmer's Market, and now I am forever required to serve pancakes for breakfast. Good thing, I'm only feeding one child. Pancakes are complicated. You have to make them. Mornings here aren't timely to say the least...so I make pancakes on Sunday for the whole week and reheat them in the oven. 

That makes me "The Best Mom Ever" every single morning.

Okay, back to my pancakes. I don't like the idea of feeding my child "cake" in the morning, so I have never been privy to pancake breakfasts. And when I was a kid, pancakes were a special treat. So now you ask, "Then why the heck are you feeding her pancakes?" Because these pancakes are good for your whole body...and they warm your belly. 

I add pulverized hemp seeds to my pancakes. If you don't know what hemp seeds are, you should check them out because they are super duper healthy AND loaded with protein. Complete protein. In this house, where Vegetable is King, that is a big deal.  I pile these pancakes with a healthy helping of blueberries too. And kids love blueberries in their pancakes because they explode. I also use cornmeal. The texture is so much better than buttermilk.

Okay, now I'll shut up and give you the recipe:

This is a peanut buttery take on cold oats. I love to make this breakfast because it keeps me going until dinnertime, which can be important on some days when I don't have time to eat lunch. The oats are layered with chia seeds, peanut butter, and cocoa! Tastes like a peanut butter cup, but better.

You could omit the cocoa powder if you want.

I love dessert. Actually, if I weren't dedicated to being a reasonably good role model for my family, I'd eat a candy bar every day of the week. And it would always be between: Almond Joy and York Peppermint Patty. Always. No doubt about it. But, I do have self control and I am committed to eating right.

And you know what else I love? Bloggers. Bloggers who have taken the Paleo+Vegan lifestyle and promoted it everywhere. The recipes these days are darling and so super helpful. I can get a new recipe for just about anything. Although, I've always eaten "clean" and "whole", I do love the current propulsion toward getting a wider audience to subscribe to healthy eating.

(Yes, my rant is coming...hold on)

But, I just gotta say one thing: dessert is dessert no matter how you swing it. Plenty of these "clean eating" or paleo+vegan websites tout their recipes as healthy or good for you because they don't use table sugar, or perhaps they pour coconut oil/sugar/flour/flakes on everything. And the main proponent behind most of these "healthy" desserts is the use of agave or maple syrup or honey or dates in lieu of sugar.

Let's get one thing straight: all of these substances contain sugar...glucose is glucose no matter what product it comes from. I'm pretty sure all of these blogs are getting paid to say how much they despise sugar and love "healthier alternatives", but I can't prove it. I know they do it, and it annoys me, which is why I am dedicated to providing a website that doesn't sell out to the grand scheme of corporate marketing (see, rant...). Do I use affiliate marketing or ads? Sometimes...but I never ever ever ever flood my website with ads, and I would never link to something that I haven't used or doesn't fit my philosophy (or scientific education) on life. Anyways, sugar is sugar; we've established that.

I promise, there is a recipe attached to this rant, but my point must be made first. The latest recipe that is flooding the Paleo+Vegan blogosphere (521,000 in a Google search) is "Almond Joy Bars" and every blogger screams about how healthy they are for you. Yes, almonds are good for you. Coconut in moderation is also good for you. So is dark chocolate (scholarly article link). But taking those good-for-you foods and swirling them with cups of dates, honey, maple syrup,  blah blah blah...adds unnecessary quantities of sugary substances to your diet*.

*Diet= Food you eat every day and not that thing where people try to lose weight.

Green smoothies are a wonderful way to start out a hot, summer morning. Loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, and the refreshing cool that prepares you for a sweltering 104...smoothies rock. Many folks are worry about the outcome (taste) of a green smoothie and I can vouch that sometimes, smoothies suck. But you drink it anyways. You tighten your big girl undies, plug your nose and go for it.