White Peach Sangria

Refresh yourself during peach season and learn how to make the coolest ice cubes.

Summer Party Wedge Salad

So perfect for a party, using fresh corn, fresh tomatoes and don’t be afraid to cut up soe peaches too.

Greek Chicken Kabobs

It might be too hot for the stove and these will also use up some of your fresh summer veggies.

Shrimp Avocado Tomato Salad

This is refreshing and just right for the hottest of days.

Greek Chicken Thighs on the Grill

I adore chicken thighs for their tender and moist meat. This marinade will bring it up a knotch.

Low Carb Strawberry Shortcake

Make an easy low carb vanilla cake and enjoy the classic.

The post What to Cook This Week appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

There’s also a traditional version of these cupcakes made with regular all purpose flour which placed me second in a cupcake contest. I’m pretty sure it’s the nutmeg that helped me win, because it adds another layer of flavor that works so well with the coconut.

Coconut cake is as much beloved in the south as fried chicken or fried corn. This almond flour keto coconut cupcakes recipe is just as good as the coconut cake I grew up on and this traditional recipe.

We use six whole eggs (not just the whites), sour cream (or coconut milk), and either avocado oil or olive oil. I’ve been preferring to use an organic olive oil in my keto baking and it works well.

Can You Bake Cakes with Olive Oil?

The short answer is yes. In the bakery I use organic extra virgin olive oil for almost all my cakes. Oil keeps a cake moist, but it needs to be healthy. I will use either olive oil or avocado oil and you cannot taste the difference.

Baking with Almond Flour

Baking with almond flour is sheer joy and miraculous. It’s hard to believe that almonds can be turned into a flour that can be baked to a very similar texture as wheat flour. It does not have gluten (obviously) but with enough eggs to give a good rise and xanthan gum to hold it together. I do add some coconut flour to the mix which helps to create a perfect cake texture.

Keto Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

What Kind of Coconut Do You Use for Keto Almond Flour Coconut Cupcakes

I use unsweetened coconut either from Publix (Unsweetened Greenwise) which sells both coconut flakes and shredded Coconut or Trader Joe’s Flaked unsweetened. I prefer the flakes when I can find them.

Variation for Flavors

• Nutmeg, freshly ground (this addition won me a cupcake contest second place)
• Lime Extract with lime zest (for a tropical feel)
• Chopped Pecans (why granola is so good) add one cup.
• Add Frozen Raspberries. (Raspberries and coconut go well together).

How to Color Coconut for Holidays

Coloring coconut is very easy. I have a post and a video for coloring coconut for Easter in this post, but you can easily switch that out to Christmas with red food dye and green food dye.

Cake Variations

• Make a Triple Layer 6-inch cake. You can make a triple layer six inch cake using this same recipe. You will probably have to double the ingredients for the frosting.
• Make a Bundt Cake. This version would be great with the addition of chopped pecans. Use this bundt cake technique with this batter recipe. You will find the tips you need for a perfect bundt cake there.
• Make Buttercream instead of cream cheese frosting using this vanilla buttercream recipe, adding in coconut flakes and coconut extract.

Keto Coconut Recipes You May Like

• Coconut Coconut Mounds Bar
• Coconut Flour Lemon Raspberry Cake
• How to Color Coconut
• Triple Layer Coconut Cake with Coconut Flour

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Keto Coconut Cupcakes, Keto Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Keto Coconut Cupcakes, Keto Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Course Dessert Keto

Cuisine American

Keyword keto coconut cupcakes

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 260 grams almond flour 2 1/4 cups
• 28 grams coconut flour 4 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup Swerve granulated (Powdered Erythritol)

Wet Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract optional
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Keto Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese full fat
• 8 ounces butter room temperature
• 1 1.2 cups Swerve Confectioner's Sweetener more if needed to taste
• Dash salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
• Mix all the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
• Add eggs to mixer and beat for about five minutes.
• Stream in oil.
• Add Coconut milk.
• Add extracts.
• Add dry ingredients and mix on medium just until mixed.
• Pour evenly into cupcake liners, 3/4 full.
• Bake for 15 to 22 minutes, depending on oven and size of liners. Internal temperature should be 207 F for cake to be done,

Keto Coconut Cream Cheese

• Mix butter until mixed about a minute, Add cream cheese to butter and mix just until incorporated. If you over-mix, topping will get soupy and be too full of air.
• Add coconut extract. Add Swerve confectioner's 1/2 cup at a time.
• Top the cupcakes with the buttercream and top with plenty of coconut.

The post Keto Coconut Cupcakes with Almond Flour, Keto Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Baked Goat Cheese on fresh summer tomatoes make the most delicious classic french tart. You can make this low carb by using my low carb almond flour tart crust.

Bell Pepper Recipes

• Stuffed Peppers
• Sausage and Peppers

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The post Summer Veggie Dinners: What to Cook This Week. appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Keto Shrimp Scampi with Pork Panko Breadcrumbs with lemony butter sauce is no compromise.

I avoided shrimp scampi for  years because I thought you could only enjoy it with a lot of crusty bread. While that’s one wonderful way to sop up the lemony butter sauce, eating scampi blanketed with crispy pork panko (a no-carb breadcrumb) is a culinary pleasure.

I’m Italian, but oddly enough never ate shrimp scampi. We were much more likely to see shrimp in a tomato sauce. Seafood was a big thing in the town I grew up in and there wasn’t a week that went by that we weren’t eating blue crab, shrimp or Dover sole.

My mom, Retro Rose, does not like garlic, which is funny because she is  a full fledged Italian, and half Sicilian, but the smell of garlic drives her far away.

Marcella Hazan talks a lot about the over-use of garlic in Italian food. She goes so far as to say if you walk into a restaurant and smell garlic, you should leave. Garlic is meant to be subtle for most Italian dishes and it should always be freshly peeled.

This Keto shrimp scampi might be the one dish where garlic is a very important component. Still there a few things you should know if you want this dish to have the right balance.

How do you peel garlic?

You want to use fresh garlic you peel yourself. I know that you can buy peeled garlic in jars, but that poses a risk of rancid or bitter garlic.  Pre-peeled garlic has a very short shelf life. My very first video on youtube was showing people how to peel garlic, easily. You have to watch it. It’s hilarious, but it will change your garlic life.

You simply take two stainless bowls, one on top of the other with garlic inside and shake for about twenty seconds. The friction causes the peels to fall off. It’s like magic.

How to Use Pork Panko

I’ve been talking about pork panko for several months now, because it’s the perfect keto friendly panko. I’m not sure how they do it, but it tastes exactly like panko breadcrumbs. I like to toast the pork panko in a little butter when I’m topping a dish like Keto Shrimp Scampi.

Shrimp Scampi with Pork Panko Toasted in Garlic Butter

My favorite way to use them is to toast them in garlic butter and that works smashingly in this recipe. Add in lemon zest and parsley and toss over shrimp. Amazing.

Unless you live in shrimp territory, use flash frozen shrimp for absolute freshness. Peel, and devein.

What do you serve with shrimp scampi?

Well if you’re eating a low carb diet, you could serve this over spaghetti squash, or you can serve it over zoodles

Shrimp with Olives over Zoodles

Shrimp over Spaghetti Squash

Find over 75 recipes at my post featuring 30 low carb vegetables here. 

More Shrimp Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Keto Shrimp Scampi with Pork Panko, Lemon, Almonds

Shrimp Scampi with butter, garlic and pork panko. Can be used an appetizer or an entree over pasta or vegetables.

Course Seasfood

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 cup pork panko ORDER HERE
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds optional
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic grated or minced
• 4 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley divided
• 1/4 cup white wine optional.
• 1 raw pound shrimp peeled deveined
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• zest of lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Put 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in frying pan. Add 1 clove garlic minced for a minute.
• Add pork panko and toast until crunchy. Add zest of lemon.
• Add 2 tablespoons parsley to pork panko. Set aside.
• In a clean pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter.
• Add remaining minced garlic. Sautè for one minute or until golden.
• Add lemon juice, optional white wine, black pepper, crushed red pepper.
• Cook wine down for two minutes.
• Add shrimp. Do not overcook.
• Cook for two minutes. Turn over and turn off heat leaving shrimp in pan, remaining to be cooked.
• Remove shrimp to a dish.
• Top with pork panko, enough to cover all the shrimp.
• Sprinkle with another dash crushed red pepper.
• Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fiber: 1g

The post Keto Shrimp Scampi with Pork Panko, Lemon, Almonds appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Happiness in the summer is living next to a blueberry farm. It’s hard to beat sweet blueberries at $2.50 a pound, knowing your hands are the only hands the berries have known.

Sadly, Saturday, August 7 is the last day for picking. Golden Bell Blueberry Farm, located in Franklin, Tennessee will open at 7:00 a.m and close at noon for the summer.

Arrive early, and plan to spend one to two hours picking away. They will even be kind enough to give you a recipe for blueberry pie.

The drive into the farm is lovely.

The blueberry bushes are tall and give good shade for picking in this intense heat wave we are having.

The blueberries are very sweet, nothing like you typically get in the grocery store. Blueberries are super healthy. In fact, they are the highest anti-oxidant fruit there is.

I live on the other side of that big house. My house is a bit smaller, but we still get to benefit from surrounding Tennessee hills and many farms as neighbors.

Seven Tips for Picking Blueberries

1. Go early, before the groups arrive. I swear I saw Snow White and her Seven Dwarfs hogging the berries.
2. Bring a ladder or a really tall person. The best berries are often hiding in huge clusters at the top.
3. Wear glasses, (sunglasses will do), for if you get competitive like me, you will get careless and a branch can swipe you in the eye.
4. Be patient. Pick the good berries, which are blue and big. Leave the red ones on the vine for ripening. The bigger the sweeter. They should pick off easily and still be firm, but not hard.
5. Go to the end of bushes, as most people get stuck right in the beginning of the bushes. Look for bushes with lots of clusters of berries and stay one one bush.
6. Ask if the bushes have been sprayed with pesticide. The temptation to eat them on the spot is too good.
7. Watch out for snakes low on ground waiting for birds, although my husband assured me there would be no snakes, he did find a few inch worms in his hair (ugh).

Tips for Storing/Freezing

1. To freeze, wash first. Spread out on tray to dry. I use a salad spinner.  Or, you can put on paper towels to dry.
2. Freeze on shallow trays for one to two hours, before placing in zip lock bags. It’s okay if they touch, as long as you get out within a few hours. Pre-freezing this way prevents sticking in the plastic bags.
3. If not freezing, store in shallow containers, not deep containers, so as to not bruise. Pick off stems, do not wash, until ready to use.

Spinach Tiger has so many berry recipes.  Go Here for all the Blueberry recipes.

These are mini pies baked in muffin tins.

This has been a summer tradition for years. We come right home and bake a pie.

This blueberry crumb pie was one of our best recipes. I remember this day as one of the best days of summer.

Another year we made blueberry muffiins with cinnamon crumb topping. 

One year we did a strawberry blueberry pie.

The post Seven Tips for Picking Blueberries and How To Store Them appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Last November I was fortunate enough to attend the World Food Championships Blogger Summit in Orange Beach, Alabama. This was my first time attending. I had no idea what to expect, and pleasantly surprised for three days.

Fifty bloggers were selected from around the country to participate in a blogger summit preceding the Fifth World Food Championship. In order to be chosen, we had to write a 750 page essay and submit it. I felt honored to be chosen, put up in a gorgeous rental property, Turquoise Place and treated to an over the top foodie experience.

There was so much packed into four days of the World Food Championships Blogger Summit that I will have to break up the posting, as you’ll want to hear about it.

I was happy to return to Orange Beach, the perfect place for a world food event that would take place in and out of doors.

The World Food Championships Takes Place in Orange Beach, Alabama

Orange Beach is the perfect place to be in November, where the event took place and will again. There are 32 miles of sugar sanded beach, 15 gulf courses, with an hour and kayak guided tours. The Gulf State Park has 6,000 protected acres and 15 miles of paved trails for biking and hiking. There is deep sea fishing and beach fishing.

In addition to meeting the many sponsors who support the world food championships, we were treated to a 12 hour field trip to several Alabama seafood destinations, including Murder Point Oysters, Shrimp, Crab, Lulu’s, and a most incredible seafood banquet at a lunch, a separate food extravaganza at the Flora-bama Yacht Club, and so much more, and I’ll talk about that in a separate post

There was so much I learned about the World Food Championships. It came as a surprise to me that it s owned and produced right here in Nashville by MMA Creative. Not only do they know how to put on an outstanding world class food event, they integrated bloggers into the mix.

What is the World Food Championships?

It’s is the most amazing and largest food sport event, with over $300,000 in cash prizes. Contestants range from chefs, to culinary stars to home cooks.

The typical contestant seeks and find brands to support them in their endeavor as more than $2.4 million is spend collectively by the teams competing. I really didn’t grasp the essence of this event until I got to witness it myself, especially watching the behind the scenes cooking.

This year contestants came from 48 states, 14 countries, comprising of over 1400 contestants, 419 teams.

There is tremendous pride and passion in this event all the way up to the top, as Mike McCloud, the President and CEO of the World Food Championships was there everyday with us, explaining the event and telling us some heart warming stories about past contestants. One of the previous winners won with his mother’s carrot cake had the dessert winner who was really number one decided she couldn’t go on due to a religious choice of not being available on a Sunday, he never would have been able to compete all the way to the top.

Mike McCloud  (r) with Mayor Tony Kennon, as Orange Beach welcomed the World Food Championships.

How Many Categories are presented in the World food Championships?

There are 8 categories: Steak, Seafood, Burger, Bacon, Sandwich, Dessert, Barbecue, Recipe (each year’s special category), Chili, Chef Challenge. You can see all the results here.

How are the Competitors Judged?

You must first qualify at a participating food contest in order to be able to participate. You can get those details here.

This is the most fascinating part, because there is very clear criteria and judges must take a class to learn the appropriate way to judge, which I’ll be sharing later.

Who Sponsors the World Food Championships?

It takes more than a village to get the World Food Championships to champion level and this is where the amazing array of passionate sponsors come into play. You can see the full list of sponsors here.

Let me first tell you about the sponsor that has changed my egg life. Happy Eggs fed us an amazing frittata, and simply told us their story. They are a true free range egg company. You may think you’re doing something good when you buy cage free eggs, but the Happy Egg chicken will disagree with you. Happy Eggs roam outside on 8 acres of pasture.  These are the eggs that work best for baking and for my oven fried eggs recipe. 

We got to taste the most expensive coffee in the world. I can’t say how much difference I noticed, but it was fun being able to say I had this.

We met Ted Wampler Jr. of Wampler Sausage, located in East Tennessee. Wampler’s is breaking ground in our state by making their facility one of the most sustainable in the industry. He presented a very scientific discussion laying out their plans to be totally 100% energy independent using a system that uses pyrolsysis to produce hydrogen, which converts to electricity.

Probably the most fun we had was down on the beach watching Hormel cook hot dogs with a blow torch with flames reaching 25 feet. We were all sent kitchen blow torches compliments of Hormel, and I’m excited to see what I can do with it.

Michael of  Michael Sewell Photography came all the way from the UK to give us some incredible food photography lessons.

Saucy Mama provided us with special sauces for our sandwich making. After Michael gave us some food photography tips, we were to make sandwiches, photo them, using Saucy Mama and Wickles Pickles.

I love oysters. When it came time to hear from Dr. Bill Walton (Dr. Oyster from the Auburn Shellfish Lab, I leaned in to hear things I did not know as a foodie. There is a revolution in the south to grow high quality oysters in the Oyster Farming Community. But, the proof was in the tasting as the next day we headed over to Sandy Beach to eat Murder Point Oysters a few hours within procuring.

We got to take home goodies like Gosling’s Dark n Stormy Rum Cake, makers of Gosling’s rum, which was delicious.

We took a class in food judging and got to judge the first round of desserts for the World Food Championships. Additionally, we received press passes and when we weren’t judging, we could go back behind the scenes and capture the moment of scurrying to make dishes that eventually would prize the winner with $100,000.

My husband and I both took the course in how to judge a food contest, you can read all about how the competition is judged and what we learned in the class. Read about how we got certified here.

The following day was election day. We all boarded a big tour bus at 6:30 a.m. and headed an hour and a half a way to find out the real low down on seafood. Follow this in the next part.

The next World Food Championship will again take place in Orange Beach, Alabama in November.

How to Get Certified to Judge the World Food Championships

The post World Food Championships Blogger Summit 2016 appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Dear Reader,

Spinach Tiger is all about big, fat, healthy food for a reason and now more than ever.

I want you all to live a big, fat, healthy life with gusto, vitality, and lots of good food.

Pardon me for taking a minute away from food to talk to you and share my personal story, which started the day I received a phone call from my doctor regarding my thyroid. This is a very transparent post for me, but I’ve already gotten such good response that I’m glad I did it.

The diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis has affected the food I eat, and much of the food I share here, which is why youh have been seeing more grain free baking and gluten free baking recipes.

As many as 30% of all women will suffer from some form of thyroid disease.

That’s a big deal, because this tiny gland is vital to our health and how our body operates with our organs on a day to day basis, including the heart, brain, liver, kidneys and skin.

I had so many questions and wanted to find out why I developed a thyroid condition and I needed to find solutions to support my health aside from a pill that I have to take daily.

This is why I’m sharing the news about a nine-part video series, devoted to the thyroid, and all the questions you may have with answers you didn’t know existed.

You’ll want to watch the trailer for the Thyroid Secret. The World Premier will be on March 1st, but read on to see how this series of videos came about.

My Personal Story with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

I get a wellness check-up every single year, which includes a blood test which tests the health of my thyroid. I hope you do that too, because it’s one way of setting a baseline for important diagnostics and it another way of catching things early, before they progress.

I was just about ready to go to Italy, and I got a call from the doctor’s office. “You’ve tested for hypothyroid, so we’re going to call in a prescription.” That was the extent of the conversation. No explanation. No further anything!

It was a shock to me, because, unlike many people who suffer from hypothyroidism, I didn’t have any of the typical low-thyroid or hypo-thyroid symptoms.

Common Symptoms for Hypo-thyroidism and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

The most common symptoms are fatigue, hair loss, brain fog, constitpation, being unusually cold, and weight gain.  I had none of those. I had lost a few pounds, and at the time was walking 7 miles a day, had high energy, and big hair. I’m also apt to be more hot than cold.

I tell you this because sometimes we don’t know what’s under our hood until we completely break down.

I was convinced they got it wrong and I made them retest me. The typical test is a TSH test. I also didn’t want to start any new medication while traveling outside the country, so I waited to retest when I got back.

What does TSH mean? How do they test for thyroid issues?

TSH is short for thyroid stimulating hormone.

The normal medical range for TSH  used to be .5 to 5.0 and was recently revised to .5 to 3.0.  You may even be told the normal range is something else. It can be very confusing for patients and practitioners.

My nurse practitioner believes one feels best at an optimal level at.5 to 1.5,  although the medical community has varying opinions on this.

An increase in TSH above the medical norm means that the thyroid needs help and is over producing TSH because the thyroid is either slow or not working.  Your pituitary gland detects the reduction of the thyroid hormone and starts making more TSH trying to get you back to normal.

Hypo-Thyroidism and Hyper-Thyroidism

If the number is too low, (under .5)  the concern is an over-active thyroid or hyper-thyroidism. Symptoms for hyper-thyroidism could include nervousness, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, hand tremor, excessive sweating, weight loss, and sleep problems.

My Test Results for Hashimoto Thyroid Condition

In 2013, I was considered  “normal”  with 2.75 TSH. It increased to 3.78  in Sept, 2014, when the doctor called. I was retested in November and the TSH increased to 4.265 in November.

Clearly I had a problem, as it was moving in the wrong direction. The good news for me was the early detection before my body had a chance to be very symptomatic.

However, if the old school numbers were still in use, no one would have called me. I could have gone years undiagnosed.

The medical community doesn’t agree on what is normal. They typically won’t use the word hashimoto’s, nor usually be concerned with anything except writing the prescription, which is either synthroid or levothyroxin.

We had no conversation about an auto-immune disorder and what I could do with life style changes to support my health.

Unfortunately, that’s not how our medical system works.Their job is to treat pathology, not worry about diet, exercise, food sensitivities, etc. They also do not do the deep testing or antibody testing, nor talk to you about hashimoto’s. When I asked my PCP about this, she said, “it really doesn’t matter why the thyroid isn’t functioning, as our treatment will be the same.”

She also said the main cause of hypo-thyroidism is hashimoto’s, and it’s estimated at 90%. Not everyone who is diagnosed with hypothroidism has hashimoto’s, but will share the same symptoms. It’s the cause that is the main differential, and it’s beneficial to know that cause to move toward holistic healing.

How to Get Tested for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis 

Perplexed and a little mad, I sought out a specialist, a nurse practitioner, who works very differently than a typical doctor. She digs deeper, and ordered more tests.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is an Auto-Immune Disorder

My nurse practitioner tested not just my TSH; she tested my antibodies and T3 and T4 levels, plus other hormone levels, B12, and Vitamin D levels.

She also tested me for food sensitivities because my immune system was attacking itself, and it’s a good idea to calm it down. It’s important in the healing process to eliminate foods the body is sensitive to and to completely eliminate gluten.

The tests that confirm hashimoto’s thyroiditis are the tests for these two antibodies: thyroglobulin and thyroid peroxidase.

If the body is releasing these antibodies above the normal range, this means they are attacking the thyroid.

My thyroglobulin antibodies were at 5. They are now at 2. The normal range for me is under 1.

My thyroid peroxidase antibodies were as high as 46, now are 38. The normal range for me is under 9.

My T 4 free  is normal at 1. My T 3 free is normal at 3.2.

My antibody numbers were never extremely high, because I was diagnosed in the early stage.

To give perspective, many are tested with thyroid peroxidase anti-bodies over 1,000 when they are diagnosed, and by this point, are very sick. My normal range is under 9, so you can only imagine what it would feel like at 1,000, which is a very aggressive attack, but not unheard of.

The biggest stories that I hear from others with hashimoto’s thyroiditis is that many women have debilitating symptoms, yet their TSH is normal and doctors send them home, or misdiagnose them. Sadly, they can’t figure out why they are sick and are gaining a lot of weight.

You could still have a thyroid condition that hasn’t presented itself through typical testing.

Although I didn’t have the usual symptoms, I did have joint pain, which I considered a normal process of aging and working out a lot. It was suggested by my nurse practitioner to go gluten free. I didn’t get on board right away, but when I did, my chronic hip pain (and limp) disappeared. These videos will go into deep explanation as to why that probably happened.

My Experiences with Drugs Prescribed for Low Thyroid

I was initially prescribed levothyroxine. It leveled things out for me, but my nurse practitioner switched me to the non-generic Synthroid, which she has a personal preference for in the non-natural drug approaches.

At my request a year later, I went with a more natural approach, dessicated dried thyroid. There are several brands, and this is something to discuss with your practitioner. I tried Armor for a year, and now take a less expensive NP Acella, which I prefer over the other drugs I’ve on.

You have to find what is right for you, and everyone is different. Some doctors won’t prescribe outside of levothyroxine and sythnthroid, but many will or find yourself a medical professional that focuses on the thyroid. You will have to get tested six weeks after anytime you change dosage or drugs to make sure they are working for you.

Dr. Izabella Wentz, has done ground breaking work with Hashimoto-Thyroid Related Conditions, following her own illness.

In my quest for information, I discovered the work of  Dr. Izabella Wentz, who went through 8 years of suffering at the hands of her own thyroid and finally got the relief she deserved. I read her book last year and excited to see she has taken her research and passion much further.

She created an incredible nine-part documentary series called The Thyroid Secret.  I did an early screening of this series and watched each video several times, because it was so rich.

The World Premier of  the Thyroid Secret  will be released on March 1st – Absolutely FREE for everyone to watch online!

This is why I am telling you about it. I want to get the word out, and I encourage you to watch these.

Check out the trailer here for this 9 part ground breaking video series. It could change your life. Each day, a video will be released for 24 hours, so please sign up to get the notifications.

These videos will go live for 9 days, as one video will be released one day at a time for you to watch.

Topics the video series will cover include:

• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Symptoms
• Healing
• Toxins
• Nutrition
• Medications
• Success Stories
• Hashimoto’s
• Grave’s Disease
• Thyroid Cancer
• Infertility
• And much more…

If you have thyroid disease, these videos could lead you down the road to the big fat, healthy life you deserve to live.

Watch the trailer now and reserve your spot for the main event!

P.S. If not you… then who? Look around you, if 30% of the population has a condition, who do you know who might be silently suffering?  Share this link with them!

I will be putting more information daily about these videos as they are released on my facebook page and will be updating this post during the coming weeks.

If you feel this is you, take the quiz.

Spinach Tiger is an affiliate with the Thyroid Secret.

Gluten Free Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Paleo Recipes from Spinach Tiger

The post Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, My Personal Story appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing Gluten Free

Gluten Free Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing is part of a series in my exploration for a homemade Asian inspired dressing. It’s important to make your own if you want it to be gluten free, as the store-bought sesame ginger dressing will have soybean oil and soy sauce, which as gluten.

I recently discovered avocado oil, which is great when you don’t want that olive oil taste (my usual preference). To that, of course I add in a small amount of sesame oil and lots of freshly grated ginger. Bottled ginger dressings have a lot of onions; I add in a smaller amount of shallots. I use Tamari (which is gluten free) instead of soy sauce and an organic rice vinegar. I added mustard to bond the dressing, but you could use honey, if you like it a little sweeter.

The Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing can turn a Salad into Dinner.

I made a salad of chopped cabbage, lettuce, toasted rice noodles, chicken, edamame, pineapple and toasted almonds. Another idea would be use the sesame ginger salad dressing on lettuce wraps and skip the rice noodles, for a paleo, low-carb, grain free option.

However, it’s so flavorful, it’s good on lettuce.

I love using fresh ginger in recipes. This gingered roasting salmon is one of my favorites. Carrot Ginger Soup is another healthy choice.

More Spinach Tiger Salad Recipes

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Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing

How to make homemade sesame ginger salad dressing for salads, dips, marinade.

Course Salad Dressing

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 large knob ginger grated (about a full tablespoon or 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 tablespoon tamari sauce or soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 2 tablespoons orange juice can use juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard can use honey
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 6 tablespoons oil

Instructions

• Peel ginger and grate.
• Mix ginger, shallot, tamari sauce, garlic, orange juice rice vinegar and mustard in a jar.
• Add in oil and shake well.

Notes

You can replace mustard with honey (or add in additionally)

The post Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing, Gluten Free appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Unlike the commercial on television that begins with a faucet to design a home, I designed a kitchen and then searched for the best kitchen faucet that would be the finishing touch.

I thought the faucet we had was just fine and would work, except it had a problem. It leaked, so I replaced it with the exact same faucet. Then I had a second problem. It didn’t quite have the style and weight our massive new Krauss sink deserved, not did it complement our amazing marble counter tops.

I went to the big box hardware stores and two upscale kitchen stores in search of “the one.” I kept hearing the same words over and over again from plumbers and friends. This is what they all said.

Choose Delta. Delta is the best made faucet. Delta stands behind it’s products.

I started taking a second look. I contacted Delta and asked them if they would be willing to allow me to review one of their kitchen faucets. I told my husband “if we don’t like it, we can always put the other brand back on.

Delta agreed and asked me to choose. After two grueling weeks of looking at their many many faucets, I chose one that had a similar style to what we already had, but it had the most magnificent feature.

I chose the Gold Kitchen Faucet

It was gold. Actually they call this champagne bronze. This brass fixture would match our brass pulls.

 




You might be thinking that brass is old fashioned, but actually, it’s made a comeback in a new fresh and modern way.

I chose the Delta Trinsic Single Handle Pull down in champagne Bronze and the matching soap dispenser. 




I designed our new kitchen to have clean lines, but classic, almost French in appeal. We painted an art deco buffet that came from France. We chose carrara marble everywhere. We painted our cabinets white on top and gray on the bottom. We found these gorgeous brass pulls from Lew’s Hardware .

I found this sign that brought more gold into the kitchen.

• I asked  facebook and my designer friends to back up my “gold” kitchen faucet choice. They did.
• Here’s the best part. When it arrived in the box,  it blew me away.
• How excited can one get about a kitchen faucet?
• Well if you’re a food blogger and at the kitchen sink all day every day, very excited.
• It is bigger and so much more substantial than what we had.
• The water pressure is twice what we had with our former faucet.
• The look is chic, classic, grown up and stunning.

If you’re looking for a gold kitchen faucet, order this. It’s gorgeous.

This model also comes with the touch sensor. After I ordered this, I went to the Parade of Homes, and they had a Delta with the touch sensor, which is just extra fabulous.

The pull out spray works well. It has a button on the front that allows you to change from spray to stream without having to turn the water off.

I am planning to show you a kitchen tour and eventually a tour of our downstairs, which we refreshed this year with new paint and furniture. You can read more about our marble counters here. Perhaps I’m working a bit backwards, but please take a second to subscribe, so you will see everything.

When I was designing my kitchen, I used Pinterest for inspiration. Where do you get your inspiration?

This is a product review. I approached Delta and I chose the faucet. I would never recommend a product I didn’t fully believe in. Affiliate links are included.



The post Delta Gold Kitchen Faucet, Chic and Super Functional appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Marble is like red wine. When you love it, you love it. When you don’t,  you don’t.

It can give some of  you a headache, one you can’t deal with. But for those who love marble, nothing stands in the way.

It’s not quartz. It’s not granite. It’s organic, has a mind of its own, and I think it’s so much more beautiful.

If you  are the type of person that can go into your garden and see how different each blade of grass is, how individual each flower is, then a carrara marble kitchen is for you. If you spend one hundred  hours a week making sure your lawn is perfect, you are probably not a good candidate for marble.

If  you love ever lasting, non-trendy, classic, beauty that awakens your soul to it’s depths in looks and touch, marble is your baby.

Years before marble became somewhat trendy (though it will never be a fad, and there’s a difference), I yearned, dreamed, and preached marble.

I fell in love with marble and wanted a carrara marble kitchen when I lived in a four story apartment building built in 1928. Every single day, I walked up the original carrara marble steps. Those steps grounded me in a very uncertain time of my life. Those steps are the single architectural element that I remember, as I carried my suitcases up and down for a job that required a lot of travel.

I fell in love again and again, and then I fell in love with pastry making, pie dough to be exact. When I entered the kitchen of a French bakery, I gazed not at the pastry dough, but at the marble, the surface dough should only ever fall upon.

We went to Italy last Fall and saw carrara marble every where. We passed the quarry and I could kick myself for not visiting. This only increased my desire to have a marble kitchen. I dreamed of replacing the quartz, redesigning my bi-level counter to one level with more prep room.

I became marble obsessed and talked to countless people about the stunning look and possible impracticality. Once I decided that I JUST HAD TO HAVE MARBLE, I tested it out.

We ordered a small piece for a small island ($300) and lived with it for a year, just to see if what the naysayers said was true. We ordered honed, which is truly the only way to go in a kitchen.  It passed the test.

My Carrara Marble Kitchen – GO BIG OR GO HOME

We loved it, and within one year, we were looking at the big slabs. We decided to do all marble on every surface possible, including this gorgeous  buffet (circa 1930’s, that came from France).

In the meantime, every show house I went to was filled with marble and I wondered how everyone suddenly wanted what I wanted. How did granite fall out of trend? My guess is that much of it doesn’t make food look good and even if people don’t consciously know that, they know that.

I ended up working with fabricators,  USA Stone in Nashville. I just walked in one day without an appointment, and a rough sketch.  I walked out with two prices, as I had my diagram with me, and I had the name of  two places that had the marble slabs large enough for my peninsula.

I set my sites on a carrara marble kitchen for its classic white and grey timeless appeal.

We chose a very dramatic slab and later found out it wasn’t large enough. No problem. We were sent back out and only by God’s hand could we have been placed in front of the most dramatic, most unique, carrara marble we’ve ever seen. USA Stone loved it so much, they purchased all the remaining slabs. It is just that gorgeous, and we ordered two slabs.

We remodeled the kitchen slightly so that there would be no raised bar and my counter would be huge for prepping, cooking, filming and entertaining. I insisted that the largest area have no seams, and they accommodated that. I didn’t want to live the horror we had lived with seams splitting with our former countertops. 

If you look at the diagram you see one small seam that only goes to the wall and is before the sinks starts. There are no seams on the area that jets out where people would stand in front of. I insisted there be no seam.

We hired a carpenter to reinforce the area that the marble would sit on. Marble companies will typically have their own person to come and make sure your counters and island can handle the weight, etc. Use their person. We had a lot of issues and redo’s with whom we hired. Don’t try to save money on this part. Get it done right, as the base marble is placed upon (or any heavy stone) is critical, and they know what needs to happen so that all surfaces are strong and balanced. We eventually got it right, but it was finished an hour before they arrived. Yikes.

You can see what our old kitchen looked like.

We cannot say enough good things about USA Stone. They have a staff that is professional and friendly. They listen. The installers are funny, and well skilled. They care about every step of the process, and their service has restored my faith in kitchen remodeling. We had a few issues which they promptly took care of in a very painless fashion.

Why You Should Choose Marble for Your Kitchen

• It makes food look good.
• It is made for rolling pastry. It stays cold, part of the charm of marble.
• It’s light and happy. It’s rich and sassy. It’s classic.
• It never goes out of style. It may be the “it” stone now, but it will always be the”it” stone.

Should You Choose Honed or Polished?

• Polished marble is probably more of what you’ve been used to seeing and is what you’ll see on fireplaces.
• Honed is just that. The stone is honed down to a very matte finish and is ideal for a kitchen.
• Polished marble etches, easily, and is not the best kitchen choice.
• Honed is the best kitchen choice. USA Stone experts agree with me on this and always try to steer their clients to honing the marble.

Marble, honed or polished will still scratch, have pits and if you accidentally walk into it with a cast iron dutch oven, it will chip. Ask me how I know that? Citrus will eat it, if you let the citrus (or any acidic food) sit on it for a long time. I’ve had good luck with wiping up spills that I didn’t see for an hour. So far, no stains of any kind, and I see this marble looking fabulous for many years. When it starts to age or patina, it will be even more fabulous.

We love the brass faucet from delta. At first I was concerned that it was not an exact match for the cabinet pulls, but it makes an amazing statement. I wrote more about it here. In retrospect I wish I would have ordered the touch control option. Notice we also ordered the soap dispenser (we keep dish soap in it).

We purchased the stools at Bargain Hunt, while trying to decide what we really wanted. We love the function of these, and my dream is to have similar stools in cowhide.

Tips for Choosing Marble

• Fall in love with the slab. Visit many places and study your marble. We chose our slab from OHM International. Don’t listen to naysayers. Listen to your gut, and design for your personal aesthetic.
• There is a lot of different marble with varying price points. Do your research. For me, it had to be carrara.
• See if they have several slabs that are identical. What if something happens and you need a redo? That can happen.
• Do NOT get a seam in the middle of your sink. I’ve seen this done and it’s horrible. Go as seamless as possible. There is one seam on this giant peninsula and not at all noticeable. The major portion that does not have a wall  has no seems. I was worried about the company carrying in such a big piece of marble, but they did it successfully.
• Don’t mix sheens. I don’t advise honed in one area, and polished in another. They will patina differently.
• Corbels – I ordered my corbels from  WoodPony1 on Etsy. Tyler Morris has a two day turn around and is fantastic. He sells several designs, sizes, types of wood and includes the necessary hardware and instructions. At the last minute, we had a design change and he had our second set of korbels to us in two days. Our largest dimension out from a support is 28 inches, so we ordered 14 inch corbels for that part. We chose 8 inch corbels for the part of the counter that jetted out 16 inches. Do ask your installer how long your corbels should be. The longer the better.
• We chose a modern simple design because that made sense with our style. These are perfect. We painted them Sherwin Williams City Scape to match the bottom island. (I call it an island; it’s really a peninsula).

• Have them remove your counter tops if you are replacing. We removed our own, but it was not easy.
• Know that you will have to have a plumber for your sink.  We did that ourselves, but my husband is good at that.
• We eventually painted them a darker gray.

The Care of  Your Marble Kitchen Counter Tops

The marble company will seal your marble. Ask them how long that seal will last, and ask them how to prevent water rings. Ask them what you need to do in the future. Ask them about future repairs, and what you can expect.

There are two issues that make a carrara  marble kitchen worrisome.

Acid and that marble is soft, porous stone.

Marble is soft and vulnerable to dropping hard objects. It could leave a sting if you drop something hard on it. If you do drop something and a white mark appears, try rubbing a little olive oil. That worked for me.

Acid will eat the marble and cause a stain, but hold on. This doesn’t happen right away. I’ve accidentally left a bit of lemon vinaigrette on it overnight and there is no stain. I use a cutting board for everything because that’s the right way to take care of your knives. Just keep a rag handy and wipe up spills. There is no need to fret. We are very hard on our kitchen and we are not living with worries. (But we have honed marble; this is different with polished marble).

Products for Maintaining and Caring for Marble for Your Marble Kitchen Countertops

You must continue to use a sealer for your marble. Ask your installer for input; we use Miracle Sealer 511 Porous Plus.



511 Porous Plus is a penetrating sealer designed for the protection of the most porous surfaces. 511 Porous Plus forms an invisible barrier that is resistant to moisture and stains while allowing vapor to escape. 511 Porous Plus is not a surface coating and will not alter the natural look. It’s food safe, but has a strong odor, which takes a few hours to wear off. Use good ventilation. I wish we would have known to apply it more frequently (monthly) because we use the kitchen more than most.



Every few days or at least weekly, you should use a good cleaner.

Use a cleaner specifically made for marble. We use 511 Kleen & Reseal. You can use this for granite, marble, natural stone, ceramic & Porcelain Tile & Grout.

I have a lot more to share with you in the future. A few topics will include:

1. How we Successfully Painted Our Kitchen Cabinets
2. How We Chose our New Faucet and Pulls
3. The Benefits of Floating Shelves
4. Staying Organized in the Kitchen (not so easy sometimes for a food blogger)
5. Choosing a backsplash. We went with the tumbled marble and chose valances that repeated the design.
   So tell me out there, have you jumped on the marble bandwagon? Do you have any tips I’m overlooking. I would love to hear from you.

Connect with me on Pinterest to see more home tour pictures coming and, of course, instagram.

Please subscribe to see everything. I post frequently and I would hate for you to miss any post.

This posts contain affiliate links with Amazon which earn Spinach Tiger a small commission, but does not affect price.

The Delta Faucet I Love in My Kitchen

The post My Carrara Marble Kitchen and Tips for Choosing Marble Countertops appeared first on Spinach Tiger.