Neither of the Food Combining books talked about snacks. Like, literally nothing. I even found a Food Combining group on Facebook, but they are very inactive and no help. So I have been working to figure this out on my own. In the mornings I have been having nuts. Rotating between cashews, almonds and walnuts. Raw nuts are more nutritious than cooked. And you'll know if its raw because they'll tell you on the packaging. One ounce is a serving and I try to measure this amount up about once a week and put the nuts in containers so they are ready to go. You can do this easily with a kitchen scale, just remember to us the tare button once you place your container on the scale to get your total weight back to zero.
Afternoon snacks have been harder to perfect. One recipe that works is the Elimination Diets Chia Brown Rice Bread. And I'll be honest here and confess that I have a little bit of butter with this bread, toasted, but I do not react to it and keep it a small amount.
Chia Rice Bread
From Elimination Diet
Dry ingredients
2½ to 3 cups brown rice flour
1 cup arrowroot powder
1¼ teaspoon sea salt
Wet ingredients
2 cups warm water (105º to 110º)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
½ cup ground chia seed
Grease an 8.5x4.5-inch glass bread pan with coconut oil.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
Place the water into a 4-cup glass liquid measuring cup or small glass mixing bowl. Add the honey and yeast; whisk together. Let the yeast activate. It should get bubbly or foamy after a bout 5 minutes. Then vigorously whisk in the chia seeds.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together with a wooden spoon. Continue to need the dough with your hands until the ingredients are completely incorporated. It should feel a little moist and sticky. If it is so wet that it sticks to your hands, add more flour, a few tablespoons at a time, and knead until combined.
Place the dough into the bread pan and cover with a towel, plastic produce bag, or piece of waxed paper. Place the pan in a warm spot in your house and let the dough rise for about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake the bread for about 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, and then gently loosen the sides with a knife and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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I also tried and tried to make their Zucchini Chocolate Muffins work (the book calls them cupcakes--I think they are too savory to be a cupcake). This recipe has some applesauce in it and I wonder if I am reacting to the fruit and the starch of the brown rice flour. They trigger reflux for me. I also adapted their Banana Muffin recipe to a Pumpkin Muffin. I still got reflux from these most times I have them, so not sure I'll keep them in the rotation. But it's a good recipe so sharing here.
Pumpkin Muffins
Adapted from Elimination Diet’s Banana Muffins
Wet ingredients
1½ cups brown rice flour
¼ cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ sea salt
Dry ingredients
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
½ cup melted coconut oil
2 teaspoons raw apple cider vinegar
Heat the oven to 350℉. Oil a 12-cup muffin pan with coconut oil or line it with unbleached paper liners.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and vigorously mix together. Fill each muffin cup about three quarters of the way full with the batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
To make banana muffins substitute 2 cups mashed banana for the pumpkin and eliminate pumpkin pie spice.
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This month I've been having these bars on Mondays and Fridays for my afternoon snack.
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bars
adapted from Against the Grain
1 c smooth or chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 large egg
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 unsalted peanuts
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 baking dish, then line it with parchment paper, allowing paper to overhang two sides of the dish.
In a bowl, with a hand mixer, blend the pb, honey, egg, baking soda, and sunflower seeds until thick and creamy. Scoop the batter into the baking dish and use a rubber spatula to spread the batter until it is even.
Bake the bars for 18 to 20 minutes, or until set and the edges just barely starting to brown (the center will be slightly lower than the edges when set). This batter has a tendency to overbake very quickly, so be sure to check for doneness at around 18 minutes. Remove the bars from the oven and allow to cool fully in the pan before cutting.
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Other good afternoon snacks are tortilla chips and popcorn. If you're buying tortilla chips and popcorn packaged in the store please read the ingredients label and find ones with very minimal ingredients. If you can pop your own popcorn, please do so. If you need to purchase a bag read the ingredients! Angie's Boom Chick A Pop is a great option! I like their white cheddar flavor the best!
Keeping my snacks as simple as I can seems to work the best for me!
