Gluten-free Recipes

Gluten-free Carrot Cupcakes

I borrowed this recipe from Martha Stewart and made a few tweaks to make it gluten-free

 

Ingredients

·         2 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour

·         1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder

·         1 teaspoon gluten free baking soda

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

·         1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

·         1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·         ½ teaspoon xanthan gum

·         3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature

·         1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

·         3 large eggs

·         2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

·         1/2 cup water

·         1 pound grated carrots  (about 2 3/4 cups)

·         1 cup walnuts

*Bob's Red Mill offers a complete line of gluten free ingredients*

 

Directions

1.        Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with muffin cups. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg and xanthan gum.

2.       Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat 3 minutes. Add vanilla, water, and carrots. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture, then chopped walnuts.

3.       Drop into muffin cups to ¾ full. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Frost generously with cream cheese frosting.

 

Cream Cheese frosting

 

Ingredients

·         1 pound (16 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

·         2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

·         1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

·         2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS

1.        In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and vanilla until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add butter, beating until incorporated.

2.       Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add sugar, beating until incorporated.

 

 

 

Is It All Natural…Really?

I am constantly scouring health food stores and others to get a good feel for what people want and what is available to them.  I am an avid label reader, (this requires my reading glasses with which I have come to terms), and to be quite honest, as a consumer, I am not thrilled with the choices presented to me.  As I read these labels, there is always a chemical embedded in the long list of ingredients, and the item is then neatly returned to the shelf.

I met a woman expecting her first child.  She asked me if I made any products for babies.  She is planning a very organic start for this baby right down to the diapers.  With that said, if you are planning to be that thoughtful, shouldn’t your choice for products that will be absorbed into your baby’s skin be just as thoughtful? 

Our skin is the largest organ on our bodies.  It is the first line of defense against infection, but it is also porous, and soaks up moisture, and also chemicals to which we expose ourselves passively and purposefully.  And a baby’s skin is perfect; soft, smooth, supple, just beautiful, something we strive forever to achieve as we age.  So when given the power of choice, why not choose a harmless route?

At Wyatt Earth Organics, we promise to provide safe, affordable, organic alternatives that are fragrance-free, chemical-free, natural and organic. And because there are no chemicals, a little goes a long way.  The only fragrance you’ll find comes from therapeutic-grade essential oils that have a purpose, not just a scent.  The dill and lavender in our baby lotion will soothe a colicky belly and calm fretfulness, which will facilitate bonding. 

So if you plan to start your baby on the right little foot, try something better.  How about ZERO chemicals for starters?  And no chemicals means no harm to your child’s future environment!  It just makes sense, doesn’t it?

testimonial

  I am quite excited about this.  Thanks to your Healing Balm, not only is the sore on my nose

caused by the BiPap nicely healed, but the large age spot at the bridge of my nose, I always

covered with make-up, has disappeared!!!  Helene Chutjian

 

In good health,

Jennifer Wyatt

401-286-4855

You Are What You Eat

Let’s talk about farming.

I live in a farming community and here, it’s not unusual to see a bumper sticker on a Ford pickup truck that reads “No Farmers, No Food.”  I think people in the city have no clue about the amount of work it takes a farmer to produce the food that we take for granted will be in our market when we want it.  After sowing, tending, and cultivating our small organic garden, I have grown to appreciate the labor of love that farming is more and more. 

About a year or so ago I learned about the farming crisis in the San Joaquin Valley in California.  The story goes that the federal government cut off the water supply to the valley because a very small fish was getting caught in the filtering system, and the “powers that be” decided that the life of the fish was more important than feeding people.  The food supply decreased by 40%, and the farmers in the valley were standing in food lines waiting for handouts because they were unable to grow food.  Whaaat? 

So I researched the fish. Apparently, this particular “endangered” fish – the Delta smelt, a bait fish - is not even indigenous to the area…What?  So I called the White House, and I asked when the water supply would be turned on.  The gentleman on the other end of the phone had a very thick accent (maybe he was from the UN) and while I had a hard time understanding him, the reply was just that he would pass along my question and he offered no dialogue.  I don’t think he knew what I was talking about.  So in protest and to support American growers, I decided to never buy any produce from a foreign nation (unless it can’t grow here), and I hoped that others would follow my boycott.  My goal was to have foreign produce rotting in the grocery stores.  That never happened and I think it’s because people have no clue where their food comes from, nor do they ever look at the little sticker. As long as we can just go pick it off the shelf then all is well.  But I don’t think that the American farmer feels that  way.

If nobody farms- and if our government keeps them from farming - then where are we going to get our food?  China?  Mexico?  Holland?  What type of regulations are they held to?  How fresh can this food possibly be and what chemicals are being used to keep it fresh?  What types of pesticides are used?  Why are we sacrificing American farmers?   Think about it. 

Check out your local Farmer’s Market and encourage your local community to prosper.  Talk about fresh! Other than your own garden, that’s as good as it gets.  And when you go the grocery store, seek out produce grown in the USA.  It’s fresher, better, and when you can buy organic. I strongly suggest you do so and rid your body of pesticides - only God knows what that does to you.  Remember, you are what you eat!

Risk vs. Benefit

I want to take a moment to talk about digestion. As an RN working in a hospital setting, almost every patient (and I mean every patient) is prescribed a proton pump inhibitor or PPI like Protonix or Nexium. At first I never thought that much about it; I figured the doctors had a rationale for that, for post-op abdominal surgeries, things like that. But then I thought a bit more. Why EVERY patient?

The purpose of those medications is to inhibit the production of stomach acid. The reason we have acid in our stomachs is to break down food so our bodies can separate the vital vitamins and nutrients we need and process the rest as waste. Acid is essential for proper digestion. And if that is the case, then wouldn't PPIs decrease the efficacy of other medications, and completely interfere with the entire digestive process? Was God wrong? Don't we need stomach acid?

You need to know that PPIs bring a profit of over $13 billion each year to pharmaceutical companies. Research studies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggest that daily PPI use increases c difficile infection by 74%, accounting for over 28,000 deaths in the USA. C difficile is an infection and inflammation of the bowel causing uncontrollable diarrhea that usually requires antibiotics to kill the infection and hospitalization to balance fluid and electrolytes. This infection is most often the result of long-term antibiotic use and/or immunosupression.

In 2009, the FDA issued a warning to clinicians that PPIs with plavix used for post-cardiac stent placement increased the risk for another heart attack by 25%. They stated that Prilosec and Nexium were the problem, but Protonix was ok. Really? So when my colleague actually saw on xray the oval pill with the letters Protonix written on it, it all made sense to me. Of course it's "ok" - it doesn't break down in the stomach because there isn't enough acid there to break down the pill in the first place!

So why are these pills prescribed if the risk is greater than the benefit? Dr. Galland (my hero), says that people don't suffer from acid reflux because of overproduction of stomach acid, but because the sphincter in the esophagus doesn't close sufficiently. Aggravating factors that characterize acid reflux - like spicy foods, excess weight, eating late at night and stress - are all avoidable things.

Take control over the situation and eliminate those aggravations from your life. When acid reflux persists, use nature. Belly Honey is soothing, helps with stomach upset and reflux, and improves digestion throughout the GI tract. A few people have experienced diarrhea as a side effect, but for a person with IBS, that is a Godsend. Improve your digestion and take control of your own health naturally. And keep your stomach acid...God was right!

Sustainability

While getting ready for work yesterday, placing 2 bobby pins criss-cross in the front of my hair, the top of the pin kept sliding over the bottom and I had a hard time keeping it from slipping.  I studied it for a few seconds and I noticed just how cheaply this thing was made.  I’ve used these pins for over 20 years and I can’t recall them ever being so flimsy!  I read the label with the same quick assessment I use on any food product that I purchase…you guessed it: Made in China.

American products historically have been top quality.  We have always depended on it. And it makes sense; people will stick with brands they trust as long as the quality remains the same even if they cost a little more than other products. Now, with high taxation on US businesses, it is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to maintain their bottom line, and more and more have outsourced their manufacturing to foreign countries to keep their doors open. Americans lose jobs and the quality of the products we buy deteriorates.  If we have no industry here, how can we possibly maintain our standard of living?

Wyatt Earth Organics are proudly made here in the USA.  One of our most important goals is to grow the company in order to create jobs and sustain them.  All the ingredients that go into our products are grown in the USA (unless the herbs can’t grow here), and our recyclable packaging is manufactured here in the USA.  We are constantly searching for US manufacturers, first locally, then nationally.

We as a nation are facing hard choices - our economy is at risk and so are our jobs, but how did we get here?  If we want to sustain American jobs here in the USA, I believe it is up to us as a people to make it happen – one way is to insist on buying American products.

Start by reading labels.  It is hard to find things made here, but with a little inexpensive effort on our part, we can keep our neighbors working.  If we all do our part, choosing USA made products as a rule and not the exception, we can change the fate of our economy together.  

By the way, I still have my mom’s potato masher; I remember using it as a child over 30 years ago. My sister still has the sweater my mom used to wear roller skating in the 50’s. Both made in the USA. Go figure.

http://americansworking.com/

Welcome

Welcome to Wyatt Earth Organics.  I hope this website finds you in good health.  Wyatt Earth Organics was developed to offer people a natual, organic alternative to today's pharmaceutical options that can sometimes cause more harm than good. You know it's risky when the list of side effects is longer than the list of benefits! I hope that we can create some great dialogue and share our experiences about health, organics and any other subject you feel is important.

So spring has finally sprung in New England!  It feels as though it took forever. My family can finally come out of hibernation and spend more time outdoors. To support the work we're doing and our own lifestyle, we maintain an organic garden on the "back forty" that we can just now begin to work on. With careful tending, we can achieve self-sustainability and hopefully have enough to share with those who are less fortunate. We use garlic spray around the garden to keep out the heavy deer population and unwelcome pests; because it's natural, it doesn't discourage helpful pollinators. We use organic soils and compost. In everything we do, we try to avoid inorganic chemicals, right down to our toothpaste and deordorant. Our garden harvest wouldn't satisfy the Jolly Green Giant, but our crops are nutrient-dense, incredibly tasty and free of chemicals and poisons 

 

Like you, we are all too aware of the gnats, mosquitos, and black flies annoying us in the garden, around the pool and in the neighborhood. That was a real impetus for developing Wyatt Earth Organics all natural insect repellent.  It contains no DEET or any other chemical for that matter.  You can feel confident using it on your children, knowing that they're enjoying nature without absorbing chemicals or toxins. We use it every day while working outside, or just hanging out on the deck with family and friends.  Try it for yourself.  It's guilt-free.

Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have about any of the products Wyatt Earth Organics provides.  I'd love to hear from you.

In good health,
Jen