Category: Giveaways!

Low-FODMAP Lemon Olive Oil Cake and Book Giveaway!

 

Oh yes, she’s a beauty….low fodmap lemon olive oil cake 1

Gorgeous in every way and so delightful and slightly sweet…

low fodmap lemon olive oil cake 3

This Lemon Olive Oil Cake is beautiful at every angle!

low fodmap lemon olive oil cake 2
Photos: Colleen Francioli, FODMAPLife.com

The recipe for this lovely Lemon Olive Oil Cake is from the book, IBS-Free Recipes for the Whole Family (The Flavor without FODMAPs Series) (Volume 2) by Lisa Rothstein recipe developer, Patsy Catsos MS, RDN, LDN and Karen Warman MS, RD, LDN (learn more about the authors here).  From lunch-box to the briefcase, picnic to dinner party and after-school snacks to dessert, these ladies have shared a few delicious low-FODMAP recipes for the whole family to enjoy.  If you or a family member are following the low-FODMAP there’s no need to make separate meals as everyone can enjoy these recipes together. 

In this book you’ll find: Tips and precautions for using the FODMAP approach with children; Menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner; Snack ideas; Lists of low-FODMAP foods (updated 9/2015); Flavor without FODMAPs in over 110 recipes; Low-FODMAP versions of family favorites.

A couple of my favorite recipes from IBS-Free Recipes for the Whole Family  include:

  • Quinoa Falafel with Chick Peas
  • Thai Sweet and Salty Pork in Lettuce Wraps
  • Beef Fajitas
  • Mac N’ Cheese with Hidden Squash
  • Savory Sausage and Kale Bread Pudding
  • Cranberry Scones with Orange Glaze
  • Chocolate Fruit and Cookie Dip
  • Chocolate Banana Microwave Mug Cake
  • Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake Smoothie

And just in time for the holiday season, the authors and I are holding an Instagram giveaway for this super-helpful book!

low fodmap book giveawayAll you need to do is:

  1. Snap a photo of some culinary inspiration – prepping vegetables or other ingredients, a dish you made, your kitchen, kitchen tools, a vegetable or fruit garden, your favorite chef, your favorite cookbooks – get creative!
  2. Tag @FODMAPLife and use the hashtags #bookgiveaway #lowfodmap  That’s it!

U.S. residents only please, thank you!  Four winners will be chosen, good luck!

Enjoy this recipe! It almost reminds me of the lemon loaf I once had long ago at Starbucks. It’s great for a holiday dessert or have it in the morning with low-FODMAP tea!  Top it with berries or more lemon zest.  Also you can buy pre-toasted/roasted almonds, but I enjoyed toasting my own at home.  Just spread a ½ cup of unsalted raw almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350°F, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 12 – 15 minutes.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe

Cake:

  • ½ cup whole toasted almonds
  • 1 cup sugar (divided)
  • 1 cup Low-FODMAP all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup lactose-free yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Lemon Glaze:

  • ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch cake pan with baking spray or oil. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper and spray the paper.
  2. Pulse toasted almonds and 1/2 cup sugar together in a food processor in short 5-10 second bursts to grind nuts until they resemble coarse flour.  Add flour, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and zest and pulse to combine.
  3. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer.  Beat in remaining 1/2 cup sugar until mixture is lemon colored, about 2 minutes.  With beater on low, drizzle in olive oil until incorporated, then mix in yogurt and almond extract.  Slowly drizzle in lemon juice.  Add flour and almond mixture and beat for one minute on medium speed.
  4. Pour batter into cake pan and bake in the middle of the oven until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-40 minutes.  Cool cake in pan.  Turn cake out onto serving platter and peel off parchment.
  5. Stir glaze ingredients together in a small bowl to make a thin, pourable glaze.  Drizzle glaze over cake, letting it run over the sides.  Serve with berries.

Servings: 10

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Have a great rest of your day!

Colleen Francioli

colleen frnacioliCertified Nutritionist Consultant

Primal Pit Paste Review and Giveaway!

primal pit pasteOn FODMAP Life I talk about different natural foods and food products that are safer for us to eat.  We can’t forget about what we put on our skin, in our hair or on our nails.  That’s why I am slowly making the transition to KNOCK OUT the products on my shelves that have harmful chemicals and/or synthetic ingredients.  What’s my new go-to everyday product?

Ever since I tried a sample of Primal Pit Paste at Expo East last year I have been hooked!  It’s totally changed my view of deodorants.  I know there has been a lot of research about the correlation of breast cancer to the use of antiperspirants.

What’s the Deal with Aluminum?

Aluminum is a common ingredient in deodorant and antiperspirants, and is often linked to Alzheimer’s and brain disorders. It also poses a possible risk factor in breast cancer.  Aluminum compounds or aluminum salts, such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3), are key ingredients in almost every antiperspirant. They are powerful astringents that close pores, stopping sweat and odor from escaping the body. Antiperspirants may leave the outside of the body smelling fresh and clean – but inside, the toxins that would have escaped the body in the sweat have nowhere to go. For this reason, antiperspirants have been linked to problems with the sweat glands and lymph glands in and around the underarms. (source: Victoria Anisman-Reiner).

fodmap life primal pit pasteBack in the Day & Now

Back in the early 2000s I had tried other natural deodorants and they did not work very well – at all.  Not enough to convince me to stop using the regular junk on the shelves at drug stores.  Then I took Primal Pit Paste Sticks for a real test-drive.  I went to the sweltering hot temperatures of Nicaragua to photograph my husband surfing in April.  I was using Primal Pit Paste in Thyme & Lemongrass and left the beaches smelling fabulous.  Next stop was Hawaii in May for my birthday, and still I frolicked on land and sea and felt confident and pretty as Primal Pit Paste in Lavender guarded my pits. Then I went to an entrepreneurial event called  Awesomeness Fest in Thailand for a few weeks and tried both scents again in weather that was humid, hot or sometimes came with rainfall – still no complaints.  I felt better knowing that I was using a safe, natural product in an area that is so close to my precious boobies!

The Scoop

  • Primal Pit Paste is a truly organic, all-natural deodorant that ACTUALLY WORKS!
  • Primal Pit Paste is available in Regular, light, Strong and Kids varieties. My favorites are the Primal Pit Paste Sticks in Thyme & Lemongrass, Lavender and Jasmine.  You can SHOP for them here.amy cazin
  • Founder Amy Cazin’s turned her passion of concern and love into finding a way to protect her daughter and provide the world with a safe alternative to harmful products. She turned her energy into research, and that research into Primal Pit Paste. She believes that through Primal Pit Paste, she’s succeeded in making a healthy, organic deodorant that actually works for all types of moms, dads, kids and athletes alike.
  • Her mission: is to “provide you with a truly natural and organic deodorant that not only works but is actually good for you! lav_Stick__27583.1415811144.1280.1280By spreading awareness of the known harmful chemicals and potential dangers in personal care products we hope you will Go Primal and spread Primal Pit Paste on your Pits!”
  • All products are handcrafted and made in smaller batches, so please allow up to 5 business days for your order to be prepared and fulfilled.

The Giveaway

See you on Thursday! ~ Colleen

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May Peppermint Tea Giveaway! Ends 5/9

I am so excited to share Heather’s Tummy Teas with you, not only because the teas help with IBS, but also because there’s a personal story connected to the brand. heather von vorous

Heather Von Vorous had her first IBS attack when she was only nine years old.  She went to see a pediatrician and then several doctors thereafter kept misdiagnosing and improperly testing her.  She was finally diagnosed with IBS twenty years later. Heather has written a couple books and in 2003 she founded the Heather’s Tummy Care line of organic medical foods for the dietary management of IBS symptoms.  Today’s Dietitian has featured her IBS dietary guidelines, and she regularly exhibits at the international Digestive Disease Week conference to reach gastroenterologists and internists.

Heather’s Tummy Care currently offers extensive information, products and services for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Heather’s company “is committed to caring for the environment and society.” Her facility is organic and certified with cruelty-free organic certified products in re-fillable / re-useable containers. They do not use pesticides, synthetic or sewage fertilizers, herbicides, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), preservatives, chemical additives, irradiation or animal testing.

FODMAP Life Giveaway
photo: Colleen Francioli

May Peppermint Tea Giveaway – Heather’s Tummy Tea™

ENTER NOW ON FACEBOOK!  CLICK THIS LINK Good luck!  Ends May 9, 2014.

I used Heather’s Tummy Teas the week before I went away to Nicaragua and have to say they were very soothing and calming.  I believe they also helped to “tame” my stomach leading up to my trip.  

Instead of using these teas only after you have symptoms from IBS, I recommend using them on a daily basis after every meal and definitely after dinner.  If your days are usually very stressful, you may want to consider having the tea during the day, and taking out a couple of minutes for yourself to sit and slowly sip Heather’s Tummy Teas.

Peppermint is great for people with IBS and other digestive issues.  It is classified as a carminative herb which means it helps to tone the digestive tract and relax the surrounding muscles to eliminate gas. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Peppermint “relaxes the muscles that allow painful digestive gas to pass,” and in test tubes “peppermint kills some types of bacteria, fungus, and viruses, suggesting it may have antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.”  Heather describes peppermint as “a cooling, calming herb that, through dietary management, helps relieve the symptoms of IBS.” She notes that “clinical studies have shown that peppermint is exceptionally beneficial for IBS abdominal pain and spasms, diarrhea, and urgency (it will not cause or worsen constipation).” 

More Information about Heather’s Tummy Tea™ ~ Organic Peppermint is unique because it is specially formulated to contain a very large leaf size and the highest possible volatile oil content (both factors are integral to the quality and potency of peppermint). We carefully select our peppermint from the most recent possible harvest date, it is processed for minimal volatile oil dissipation, and it is packed to stay as fresh as possible. It is the volatile oils in peppermint that make it so effective for the dietary management of IBS symptoms. Menthol and methyl salicylate are the main active ingredients of peppermint. Internally, they have anti-spasmodic actions, with calming effects on the muscles of the stomach, intestinal tract, and uterus. They also have powerful analgesic (pain-killing) properties.

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