I like to cook. This is a website about cooking. I'm not a nutritionist, nor have I ever pretended to be. I don't like to count calories or other nutrition information for that matter. So imagine my surprise when I received this comment the other day:

Yes, we know you do not answer nutrition questions, but it would be helpful, useful, and simply kind if you would simply supply this information with the recipes you provide. Organic Valley egg nog has 180 cal. and 10 g fat, while Living Without vegan egg nog has 366 calories, 33g total fat, per serving! For vegan! No cream, or cholesterol laden eggs! And Elana's recipe? God alone knows. Elana-- this seems a bit of a grinch like policy on your part.

First, let's get down to basics. Anyone can use a simple website called sparkpeople.com to gather nutrition information about anything they eat. Including my recipes. Second. I am not a big corporation. I'm a mom. I have celiac disease. I have multiple sclerosis. I also have 2 children. And, even a husband. Though I neglect him. To write posts like this. I'm not complaining though. I like to write. It's good. But, just like all of you, I'm juggling my way through life every day.

I like to share recipes. It makes me happy. That's why I have this website with 600 recipes on it. I don't like to sit with spread sheets and calculators. I used to do that a lot when I had this job. I owned a big company when I was 28 years old. I had lots of employees. Some of them were a lot older than me. All of my clients were. It was fun. I was in Fortune Magazine. I made lots of money. Lots more than I do writing books. But writing books is fun. So I do it. Yup, I traded in that old power suit (navy blue by the way) for a Power Bar. Now I write power bar recipes. And other stuff like that. It's fun.

If you need nutrition information along with your recipes, then you probably do not want to buy my book. Who knows though. You'll need to decide that. On your own. Don't listen to me. I like my books. Of course I do. I wrote them.

Often when people find out I write cookbooks, they say, "oh, I am going to buy your book."

"Stop," I reply, "I have a website with free recipes. Take a look at that to see if you like my cooking and see if it is a good match." It is the yentl in me, I want to make a good match. I don't like it when people waste their money. Even on me.

So this is a post to tell you. I don't provide nutrition information. I might someday. But I might not. Don't hold your breath. Don't call people names. It's not nice. And by the way, I'm doing really well with my health. So don't worry about me. I take really good care of myself now.

If you hate me, I won't even take it personally. I know that I suck to many people. Just don't read my blog. I promise. I won't tell anyone.

I was quite inspired yesterday when I saw an article in the New York Times about healthy hospital food.  Healthy hospital food?  Yes, this term need not be an oxymoron.

You may want to take a look at the entire article as it is filled with detail and solutions (on a small level, though it's a start) to our national health crisis.  What health crisis?  One-third of Americans are diabetic or pre-diabetic which in the coming years could cost our system billions of dollars, along with other diseases related to lifestyle.

Last week I discussed Mark Bittman's proposed soda tax as a possible idea for dealing with this looming crisis.  The response?  Most comments were not in favor of such a tax.  I want to thank all who left comments on the soda tax post --they were informative and I enjoyed the lively debate.

Today, I want to take a different approach by looking at examples of individuals and institutions that are changing our food landscape through innovation and new ideas.

Here's a great example.  More than two years ago, in the wake of dismal patient food ratings, New Milford Hospital revamped its food service operation.  It also instituted an "aggressive healthy-food initiative."  Some of the changes included eliminating the cafeteria's deep fryer, as well as no longer using canned or processed foods.

"The hospital’s food service rating soared," said Marydale Debor, a former vice president of external affairs at New Milford Hospital and a co-founder of the web site Plow to Plate, a grass-roots effort to bring local food and agriculture to the hospital and the community. Ms. Debor also established the cafe’s daily Senior Suppers, which became so popular with senior citizens that a second sitting was added.

The program has its costs and the chef explains how he has dealt with increased costs:

Buying local is expensive and labor intensive, Mr. Gold said, so he offsets the increased cost by buying less red meat and serving low-cost alternatives: protein-rich quinoa citrus salad and portobello burgers, for example. With help from community volunteers, Mr. Gold also installed a rooftop garden.

My father works at a university hospital and growing up I used to go to work with him on the weekends, so growing up I spent my fair share of time in a hospital cafeteria. I don't recall great offerings back then, though happily, he says things have changed, "in previous decades the choices in my hospital cafeteria were limited, now, however, there is a full array of  healthy food."

So, here's a new topic for us to chew on: hospital food.  Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts on the type of program the New Milford Hospital has implemented.  Do you think programs such as this can have an impact around the country?  Do you have other ideas?  Better ideas?  Let us know!

Wait a minute.  There will be loads of people who vehemently object to Bittman's proposed soda tax.  Why?  They will claim that we are creating a nanny state.  They will argue that the process of determining which foods are healthy and which are not is too complicated and subjective.  Bittman however, has sound comebacks for each argument that the critics throw his way.

Bittman's points are compelling, here are just a couple:

Bittman has plenty of solutions for the spiraling healthcare costs associated with the Standard American Diet (SAD).  He talks about spending revenues from a soda tax on local gyms and to pollinate food deserts.  He also notes that for the first time in our history, “lifestyle” (preventable) diseases, will kill more people than communicable ones."

Finally, Bittman drives his point home when discussing the historic ramifications of the implementation of the tobacco tax, noting that since its institution just over three decades ago, smoking has declined by more than half.

What are your thoughts on the soda tax?  Leave a comment and let's discuss this controversial issue.

It seems like everyone I know had a sore throat last week.  So I made a big pot of my favorite healing brew, Ginger Licorice Tea.

As I often do, I went on twitter, this time to chat about my fave tea for colds and sore throats.  While everyone was familiar with ginger, several folks told me they hadn't ever heard of licorice root.  So here we go, I'll tell you all about licorice root and why it's absolutely indispensable in my home this time of year.

In the world of herbs, licorice root is primarily known as a demulcent (that is a soothing substance taken internally to protect damaged or inflamed tissue) and an expectorant (a substance that assists in expelling mucus from lungs and throat).  Licorice root is commonly used in alternative medicine to treat colds and sore throats.  However, licorice does not only act upon the respiratory system.  It can also be soothing to the gut and work as an effective liver cleanser and blood detoxifier when combined with other herbs.

Licorice is also used for chronic conditions such as adrenal insufficiency.  However, used in large doses, over long term, licorice can exacerbate hypertension, so it is best to see a doctor or herbalist if you are going to use this substance for chronic conditions.

Although my background is in Ayurvedic herbology, I do have some knowledge of Chinese herbs, and licorice is used often in Chinese medicine, considered one of the most important herbs in that system.  Licorice is also commonly used in Ayurveda as well, as it is very soothing for the vata dosha (constitution).

Licorice basically helps people that are experiencing ailments of "dryness" in the body become more moist.  I tell my children that when you have a cold, taking licorice is like putting a humidifier in your body --that's how it works.  For this reason, licorice is not the best herb of choice for those that tend to retain water in their body --those that we refer to in Ayruveda as having the kapha dosha.

With licorice and other roots, I was taught that it is best that they boil in water for 2-3 minutes minimum to release all of their healing properties.  While licorice tea is available (in tea bags) in many health food stores, to get the full benefit of the licorice root, I would recommend purchasing in bulk, and simply boiling the root in a pot of water for 2-3 minutes.

I kept a pot of Ginger Licorice Tea steeping on the stove every day last week as we had severe, harsh weather here in Colorado.  Every humidifier in my house was on.  Some days the temperature didn't even make it above 5 degrees.   Drinking this simple herbal remedy was very moistening for myself and my family given this cold, dry tundra we're living in this winter.

So, finally, just to be clear, when I'm talking about licorice root, I am not referring to licorice candy.  This is a totally different thing made of molasses, flour and other ingredients.  Let's not confuse the pure healing licorice root with licorice candy.

Have you ever used licorice root?  If so, what ailments do you use it for?  Leave a comment and let us all know!

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2011!  After all of the cookies, candy and gifting, I thought it would be nice to talk about walking.  Yup, that's right, walking.

Sounds kinda silly, doesn't it?  Walking?  What does that have to do with recipes?  Well, for me, walking has been one of the key recipes to recovering my health.  Just a few years ago, a walk around the block was less exhilarating than exhausting.  Everything was for that matter.

Over the past few years I've slowly built up my stamina.  I remember being overjoyed one day when I was emptying the dishwasher and found that the process did not induce fatigue, relief surging through my veins, that I could again perform the most simple of chores without feeling tired!

The secret?  Walking.  I walked everyday.  I started out just walking for 10 minutes once per day.  Then, a few months later, I added in an additional 5 minute walk.  Three months after that, I was walking 10 minutes twice a day.  A couple of years later, I am now at the point where I can walk for more than an hour straight and feel great afterward.

Walking to me is like gardening.  I walk almost the same path everyday, taking in the changes in various trees, bushes and flowers around me.  I mentally garden my way through my neighborhood.  It's oh so peaceful and calming and just one more way that I stay in touch with the outdoors and the seasons.

Walking is free.  Walking is healthy.  Walking is anti-inflammatory (that's right, it ultimately decreases inflammation in the body, according to my Dad).  Walking calms my mind.  Walking allows emptiness to fill me as I move through something much bigger than myself --the world, mother nature.

So, if you're looking for another New Year's resolution, here's one you just might try.  It's free --in so many ways.  It's walking.

What are your New Year's resolutions?  Leave a comment and let's have a conversation about healthy living to kick off 2011.

For me, diet is a four letter word, I doubt you'll find it very often on this website.  I don't spend a lot of time discussing gluten free around here either.  That's because I take it as a given that the food I eat will be gluten free, that's just part of my life at this point, though it wasn't always this way.

Lately, a number of people have asked me to share the story of my celiac diagnosis and personal transition to a gluten free eating plan and lifestyle.  So here it is.

I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1998 during my pregnancy (not uncommon since pregnancy is considered an immune event and celiac is an auto-immune disorder) with my older son.  I was 30 years old and sick as a dog --I could barely get out of bed --no exaggeration.  Things were very, very bad.  My father suggested that I get tested for celiac disease.  My mother had been sick for most of her adult life with various odd symptoms and had been recently diagnosed.  I was tested and low and behold, yes, I had celiac disease.

Unlike the usual process, where it can take people as many as 9 years and numerous doctors to get a diagnosis and find out what's going on, my diagnosis came only a few months after the onset of acute symptoms.  In that way, I was very lucky.  However, when I look back, I had been having classic symptoms of celiac disease and malabsorption for most of my life.

What were these symptoms?  I was chronically anemic and whenever I was under stress would get angular chelitis, which is when the corners of your mouth crack and get a little rash.  This is also a symptom of nutritional deficiency.  So, maybe my diagnosis wasn't so quick after all.  I had to get to the point of being severely ill and bedridden to finally get the diagnosis.  Still, I think I was lucky to get it so quickly once that did happen.

As many of you know, celiac disease is a genetic disorder --it runs in families and it has hit my family quite hard.  Not only do my mother and I have celiac, my sister and older son have it as well.  Incidentally, my mother-in-law also has celiac.  So, as you can imagine, the work that I do in creating gluten free recipes is very personal for me.

Anyway, when I received my diagnosis I was tremendously relieved.  I finally new what was going on with my body.  I had already had a 3 year training in Ayurveda which included yoga asana, herbs and food, so I was fairly comfortable in the kitchen.  That doesn't mean I could actually make tasty food --my husband disliked my Ayurvedic fare with a passion!  He was not a big fan of kichidi, or kichari, as some refer to it.

Of course after the diagnosis I went completely gluten free.  As I mentioned, the diagnosis wasn't a big deal for me.  I cooked very simple gluten free foods --vegetables, quite a lot of grains and some proteins.  A few months later, I spent a lot of my time making baby food too, once my son finished nursing around a year old.

When that same son turned 3, I started to notice some digestive and behavioral issues in him.  I fed him a gluten free diet during the week; however, during the weekends, he went to birthday parties, and the food served at those parties was pizza and cake (gluten galore).  Let's just say that Monday, Tuesdahttp://www.elanaspantry.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?post=14183&action=edity and Wednesday were full of tantrums and mal-digestion.

I asked my son's fabulous pediatrician (Mark Nesselson, he's still in practice in NYC), to test my son for celiac and the test came back positive.

This diagnosis had quite an impact on me.

I wanted my son to grow up with all of the delicious treats that I had had in my childhood.  So, I made it my mission to turn all of my favorite recipes into gluten free classics.  For myself, all I really cared about was getting healthy.  For my son, this was a social issue and one that I did not want to color his childhood and experience of food.  Of course it did, though hopefully not in a bad way.

This site and my book, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, are the result of my passion for providing my son with delicious gluten free food.  It's been quite a journey and one that has really had a positive impact on my family.

It took a long time though, to heal my gut and my son's as well.  Like some of you out there, the standard gluten free diet didn't really do much for my son or myself.  Probably a lot of you are here for that exact reason.  Regular, plain old gluten free doesn't always work.  There can be other food allergies (such as dairy) and issues of chronic malabsorption.

My search for better health lead me to research, lots of research, and my son and I ended up on the introductory phase of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.  We stayed on that (the intro phase) for about a year.

If you don't know what that is, let's just say that we didn't eat sweets for quite some time, and when I say sweets, I'm talking about fruit, dessert, etc.  This was a huge challenge, though it really worked for us.  My son is now merely gluten free, which for him is fairly easy compared to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet introductory phase.

I personally am fairly Paleo, I find that works really well for my body since I cannot digest any grains whatsoever.  I've been grain free for more than 9 years now.

Is there a one size fits all solution when it comes to diet and healing?  I don't think so.  I believe we are all different, in fact, completely different bio-chemical individuals.  Given that, what works for you?  Do you have a specific eating plan that you follow? Do you eat things that you know will make you feel yucky?  I do.

My biggest challenge these days is dairy.  As you can see from my Month O' Cupcakes, I like dairy, a lot!  I know that cow dairy probably isn't the best for me, as when I have some cheese or whipped cream, the next morning when I wake up, my right elbow hurts a bit.  That's an allergic/addiction that I'm dealing with right now.  Nobody's perfect!  I also find it challenging to stay on my ideal eating plan when I'm baking tons of desserts for this website or my books.  During those times (which seems like all the time) I knowingly take in more sweets than is best for my body.

So there you have it.  My perfect fare is protein and greens with a little bit of fruit --make that low glycemic fruit such as berries.  When I eat that way, I feel like a million bucks.  Although I have great discipline, I'm also like everyone else.  If it's there, I'll eat it --to a point, I still draw the line at many, many foods such as gluten, grains, etc.

What do you like to eat?  How did you find out you had celiac or were gluten intolerant?

I'm certainly going to go into more detail in future posts and provide specific information about how I like to eat and other tools that I have used to help heal myself.  And some of that information might work for you, and some, you might just want to toss out the window!  Take what works and leave the rest behind.  For me, all of life is simply the process of self-discovery and continual refining and adjustment.

Recently there has been a storm of controversy surrounding agave nectar, an ingredient that I use frequently in my dessert recipes.  This controversy seems to have been kicked up by Dr. Mercola, who is generally ahead of the curve when it comes to medical and dietary information.  I didn't say he is always right, I did say "ahead of the curve."

People such as Dr. Mercola often promote things I heartily believe in such as the consumption of fish oils, large doses of vitamin D, sleep, aerobic and non-aerobic exercise, etc.  If you are a proponent of the alternative lifestyle, this stuff is about as controversial as baseball and apple pie.

Alas, I digress.  Back to agave.  I was somewhat surprised by the vehemence of Dr. Mercola's article that came out against agave.  Both my husband and I read his article, several times over, in order to digest all of the information in it.  He does have some good points that I very much agree with.  However, we were both curious as to why he went on a rampage against agave. While his article also calls out honey as being worse than HFCS...

Use raw, organic honey in moderation or avoid it completely as it is 70 percent fructose

...he stops at one sentence and does not have a full polemic ranting against honey.  Kinda odd.  His article was so vicious (and full of generalizations) that we were actually a little bit suspicious (and this is a guy whose advice I generally enjoy) of his motives.

Let's start at the beginning.

So there you have it.  Agave is just another form of sugar and sugar causes inflammation.  Back in the day, the old days, that would be, we humans didn't have access to sugar, let alone fruit, all year long like we do now.  We had some apples in the fall, and maybe some tart blueberries in the summer (unless we lived in the tropics).

We are not designed to eat sweets all year round day in and day out.

Then there is dessert.  I like my dessert.  If you want to follow Mercola's advice, don't eat dessert.  Or have an apple for your dessert --and goodness gracious, don't dare to have anything more or sweeter than one large apple the entire day.

Now don't get me wrong.  When I am feeling weaker and need to heal, I give up agave, along with every other sweetener there is and I also give up fruit.  Entirely.  This is not easy in our sugar shocked culture.  This type of eating plan --lean protein and green vegetables has helped me through just about every healing crisis I've ever had.  I've gone without agave for months, at certain points, and fruit too.  This plan works well for me and I drink a lot of green juices when I do it.  It's kind of my own Paleo plan.

My family however, is surrounded by a world of sugar.  Sugary cakes and cookies served to the boys at school.  Teachers who give them candy for answering a question correctly (yes, I wanted to start a protest at the school over this one).

I find that making treats sweetened with agave that use high protein almond flour (I have an entire book of those called The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook) is a fabulous compromise when it comes to the wide world of desserts.  However, Dr. Mercola does not want you to compromise.  He wants you to eat no more than one apple a day for your total fructose consumption and calls for the use of stevia "in moderation."

That's a little extreme for me.  So I'm choosing balance.  And no, I don't think that agave can be compared to anti-freeze (as Mercola states).  I frankly think he's a little over the top when it comes to most of that article.  Then again, in all movements, political, healthy food, etc. we need all the points of view and they all have a place within the movement.  So, thanks Dr. Mercola for your perspective.  I'm going to try different sweeteners out on my own body and see which ones suit me best.

Yes, agave does sometimes have a higher percentage of fructose than other sweeteners.  However, those mangoes also have more fructose than an apple.

No, I'm not going to go into how fructose is metabolized by the liver and how it can raise your triglycerides to unhealthy levels --by the way, I have my triglycerides tested twice per year and they are off the charts low.

If you don't like agave, don't use it.  We are all bio-chemical individuals and different things work differently for all of us.

If you don't like seeing agave in my recipes, then find something that works for you.  And leave a comment or start a topic in the forums and let us know what, and how much you used in its place.

So now you know.  Buy good agave from a source you know.  I try to know the source of all of my food.  Maybe do a little research and find an agave company you like.  Or not.

Have a good day, and please, let's drop the agave focus before it becomes a fetish.  There's plenty of good stuff to eat out there, let's focus on that.

Warning! This post is a scroller. Just the other day I received this touching email from one of my readers Nicole, a young woman dealing with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I won't get started on the health insurance aspect of her words. Sometimes that issue is absolutely heart breaking.

In any event, as you will see below, Nicole has written to me for advice on what to eat. In spite of this site, I am a very boring eater.

My husband makes fun of me at dinner time when I eat an entire 2 heads of steamed broccoli (with this yummy Mustard Marmalade Dressing of course), all the while chomping away like a rabbit and teasing him that I need to get my 5-9 servings of produce every day (neurotic, I know). Of course I have a decent helping of protein with said broccoli and do so at every meal. More on that later, let's get to Nicole and her lovely epistle:

Hey Elana,

I first want to say that I absolutely love your website and recipe ideas. My name is Nicole and I am 20 years old, and I am looking for your advice.

I am currently saving up money to treat my Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I am doing this because I have aged out of my parent's insurance. I recently got a job, the first one since my illness, and have been working the best that I can to save up.

I love food, and have gone grain free for the passed 3 months to help me lessen the symptoms of my illnesses while i work. Being that i am so tired all the time, and work takes the energy that i do have, i am finding myself slipping into my old eating habits because i don't have the energy to prepare my meals anymore. I am also completely boring myself with my lack of ideas. If i eat one more salad, or one more plate of grilled chicken with veggies, i think i just might lose it!

You mentioned that you were grain free. So i am curious if there are any tips you have, or any ideas, on how i can still eat grain free, VERY low sugars/fruits, and still have time to sleep,so that i don't want to eat every grainy, sugary food in my wake. I sadly, almost purchased a package of Oreo's and was going to admit defeat while watching Pride and Prejudice. I was even going to dunk them in milk, which i also have been avoiding. So you can see, I am coming VERY close to undoing all my hard work.

My main problem is also breakfast, because the standard omelet or anything egg just DOESN'T fill me at all. I have to tell you, I am a hungry hungry girl in the morning, and without grains as an option, i am losing ideas. Any advice you could give would more than help me I'm sure.

Thanks so much for your time reading this novel of a question,

Nicole

First of all, I think what Nicole is dealing with is common for so many of us. We live in a world of processed junk food and are likely addicted to foods that aren't so good for us until we break the habit. At least that's what I've found to be the case for myself. We often crave the foods we are allergic to and this is called an allergic-addiction. Quite a lot of interesting information on this can be found in the book, Dangerous Grains.

Anyway, on to some solutions (and confessions). And you might not be very impressed. At all. An ideal day for me consists of eating the same meal for dinner, then breakfast and lunch the next day. This meal repetition saves a lot of time and I also find it strangely comforting. It's not boring though because I use so many flavors in the dishes that I make. I love to snack on nuts and berries (goodness, that sounds so puritanical and annoying, I do apologize).

While I have gluten free junk food in my house for the boys, after years of going without it, I do not have cravings anymore. It takes time. And remember, patience, as so many of us are dealing with chemical cravings to sugar or other substances of choice that we might not feel so great eating. When I look at the stuff instead of thinking of a good sugar buzz, my brain somehow automatically goes to the migraine that I would get after that. My goal in dealing with both celiac disease and multiple sclerosis is to eat as clean as I can and to have as much energy as I can to keep up with my boys.

I would say that it is this passion (for them and for living) which helps to keep me focused on my goal.

When I do get cravings I find myself munching on organic fruit sweetened dried cranberries --I am obsessed with everything cranberry right now.

I have read books that claim that MS (and other disease) symptomology can be kept in check with diet. In particular, the book The Gift of Remission espouses this way of living and eating.

However, I know this way is not for everyone.

I do want to post a couple of yummy menu items that might help Nicole (and you) out. This week is so busy that I will be making a double batch of Ina's Grilled Lemon Chicken and stretching it into 2 nights of dinners, plus my breakfast and lunch. I've been making double dinners this whole week since it is a zany one and I'm out of the house so much.

You'll notice I incorporate fruit with my meals. I like to do this as I feel more satisfied after eating a meal with something sweet in it.

I hope this post is helpful to you, Nicole and others who may be dealing with similar situations. This is just the way I do things, it is what works for me and simplifies my life. It may have no baring on anyone else's. Just my humble offerings. Enjoy and laugh at it if you must :-)

"Why do you use agave? I've heard that it's very unhealthy"  I'm asked this question about my "go to" sweetener on at least a daily basis.

First off, there really is no perfect sweetener, so I recommend everything in moderation.

We often take sugar and other sweeteners for granted, forgetting that they were not widely available to humans until the modern era (excluding of course, those living in the tropical regions feasting on mangoes and pineapple). Processed sugar was invented between the Medieval Period and the Enlightenment (more than 500 years ago), it became more widely available during the 1400 and 1500's. By 1750 (with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the invention of sugar mills) sugar became wildly popular.

So if we really think about it, up until a couple of hundred years ago, the majority of the human race (at least those living in colder climes) only experienced the taste of sweetness by eating fruit when it was in season (or when nursing, of course). The fruit that was eaten was not the overly ripe, super sweet fruit that is bred today. Think of wild blueberries --they are tiny and tart. The fruit we eat today has been cultivated for its juicy, sweet flavor.

I think the spike in diabetes and other diseases we have seen during the past decades may partially be due to the fact that humans are not accustomed to eating large quantities of sugar and are not able to efficiently metabolize this substance.

Sugar is sugar. Agave is sugar. An apple is sugar with some good vitamins, minerals and fiber. Basically, many of us (especially those with celiac) would be prudent to monitor our intake of sugar in any form (celiac and diabetes ride on the same HLA gene, so the presence of one increases the likelihood of the other).

While I do use agave in my dessert recipes, I am very cautious about my overall intake of this (and all other sweet substances) because I find that unfortunately, I am one of those whose body rebels against too much sugar. Of course, my husband and children can eat a lot more of this substance than I do and still feel great. That's what keeps me baking like a fiend. They want their treats and they do just fine with them.

For those of you that are now on the anti-agave bandwagon, I have come up with this date sweetened recipe.  Of course, I will still be using agave because I feel ok when I consume it in very small amounts.

Banana Walnut MuffinsNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
3 eggs
¼ cup coconut oil
2 medium bananas
3 dates, pitted
10 drops stevia
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1. In a Vitamix, combine eggs, oil, bananas, dates and stevia and blend on medium speed until combined
2. Add in coconut flour, salt and baking soda and blend until smooth
3. Fold in walnuts
4. Scoop ¼ cup batter into lined muffin pan
5. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes (my batch took exactly 23 minutes, though all ovens are slightly different)
6. Cool and serve

These tasty gluten-free, Paleo (I think) muffins do not contain agave for all of the agave-phobes out there.  I will be creating some desserts with alternative sweeteners just to spice things up (plus, I like a good challenge every now and then).  However, I will still be using agave for some recipes.

In terms of the great agave debate, I want you all to know that I use Madhava Agave Nectar. While I've noticed a lot of your comments with links to articles about the evils of agave syrup I want to also point out this link posted by one of my readers, Shari, from Madhava's President Craig Gerbore.

On a much lighter note, here's a cool coincidence in regards to agave nectar. The winner of last weeks Freebie Friday is Karen from wrighttherapies.com. She left an interesting comment regarding the controversy over agave nectar on my Asian Salad Dressing post.

Agave or not, have a great weekend!

UPDATE: please visit Madhava's Agave MythBuster website for more information on the agave debate.

Just about 3 years ago, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  While I had been experiencing symptoms of this illness for several years, there was no conclusive information as to what this array of symptoms was due.

Oddly enough, receiving such a pathological diagnosis as multiple sclerosis helped me to turn inward and listen more closely to my body.  While I would not ever call this diagnosis (or any) a gift, I would call it very eye opening. Having a serious diagnosis taught me to better manage my energy.

Although I am no expert on multiple sclerosis or health, I have become an expert on myself.  And for that I am grateful.  Now, I know what works best for me.  What is it?  Among other things, sleep (lots of it), easy cardio exercise, strength training and eating well (for me that means no grains, dairy and of course, NO gluten).

I do not plan to give out advice on coping with MS, because I believe each person is a unique individual that heals quite differently. I am sharing my story in order to let people know that when you find balance from within, this illness (and perhaps others) can be dealt with on a day-to-day level that results in significant quality of life and productivity.

So, there you have it.  At this point, it takes more energy to not disclose it and so I feel that it is time to share what I am experiencing both with my online community (you) and others that I am in contact with in my life.

Yes, I do things a bit differently and perhaps oddly, due to this diagnosis.  Yet, in many ways, I am quite "normal."  To say the least, I am very happy.

Thank you for listening and one request, please if you feel anything for me, let it be happiness and hope.  These are the two guiding principles of my life and I want to share them with all of you each and every day.

Thank you for being my readers and so many of you, my friends.