I am on day five of the pre-cleanse for a 28 day detox.

It is led by the dietician at our healthclub…it’s not a fast, colon cleanse, or caloric restrictive program.

We eat whole foods and eventually replace a couple of meals with smoothies.

Basically, we eliminate alcohol, caffeine, refined sugars and flours, dairy products, and foods containing yeasts.

We will eat a lot of organic veggies, lean protein, and some fruits.

Since baby girl has a wheat and dairy sensitivity this is probably how we should be eating anyway. So, I am looking forward to this challenge and hopefully making some longterm changes for our family.

We tend to eat pretty healthy, but when Ryan travels I eat like crap.

Seriously.

And, he probably does, too.

I get tired and the last thing I want to do is cook, so I make some mac & cheese or a hot dog for the kids, load the rest of their plate up with the berries and fruits I know they will eat, but we all miss out on the veggies that are so good for us!

I am cheating myself and my kids.

I hope that I can change that and cook some family friendly foods that are easy and good for all of us!

I got sidetracked a bit by an impromptu roadtrip to Idaho over the weekend (more on that later). I guess it’s a good thing I am just in the “pre-cleanse”.

At any rate, it has prompted me to pull out the Pamela’s Baking Mix from the pantry and try out some gluten free/sugar free/dairy free recipes.

Last week I baked some banana bread that the whole family liked. I doubled the batch and added a bit too much salt, but otherwise it was very tasty. Here is the recipe:

4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar or honey
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup banana, mashed
1-3/4 cups Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Beat together butter, sugar or honey, eggs and banana. Add remaining ingredients and mix together. Pour into a large greased loaf pan.

Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 1 hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

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Just a few minutes ago the little guy and I put some chocolate chip pumpkin bread in the oven. I did not make the topping…we’ll have to see how it turns out! Here is the recipe for that one:

Pumpkin Bread with Crumble Nut Topping

4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar {I used honey instead}
2 large eggs
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1-1/3 cup Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves

¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Topping: (optional)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of nuts (sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans)

Beat together butter, sugar, egg, and pumpkin. Add remaining bread ingredients and mix together. Gently mix in chocolate chips.  Pour into a greased loaf pan (8 x 4). Mix nut topping ingredients and smooth evenly over batter to the edges. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or when toothpick inserted comes out almost clean.

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I am using organic ingredients where I can and find that Trader Joe’s has a great selection. I also shop at Safeway and use their “O” brand. We also live less than 2 miles from a Whole Foods and I know I can find plenty of organic and gluten free cooking supplies there. I am finding it hard to find options that are BOTH organic AND gluten free, but I am sure it will happen soon.

home is…making healthy lifestyle changes.