November 24, 2017
I have been on the strict AIP (autoimmune protocol) diet for the past seven months. For those of you who aren’t quite sure what the AIP diet is about, It is a very restricted diet (no dairy, grains, nightshades, legumes, nuts and seeds, eggs, processed foods, sugars, NSAIDs, alcohol). These foods tend to irritate your gut. The AIP diet is used in attempt to help heal your body from illnesses or autoimmune diseases. Your gut and digestion will gradually improve on the AIP diet and your symptoms will start to fade or become less painful. You might be able to feel a little more like yourself and not have your illness completely restrict you.
I have only recently started introducing new foods, (black pepper, peas, and egg yolks) not because I have completely healed, but because we were going on a trip. I didn’t want to have a bad reaction to the food and swell up like a balloon while on vacation.
I have stuck with the AIP menu. It has been interesting eating with my family (husband and two young children). They haven’t exactly understood all aspects of the diet but they have been supportive through this process. I have learned how to make meal time less stressful. I make them and myself the same menu item, except I modify mine to be AIP approved (they have a hamburger with bun and all of the fixings, while I have a hamburger on lettuce and sauerkraut and we all enjoy parsnip fries).
I do believe you have to be strong in order to survive the AIP diet as it takes a lot of will power to resist all of the lovely foods and treats you become exposed to. I am having a little difficulty as we approach holidays and birthdays. On occasion, I have made an AIP approved pumpkin pie or coconut cream pie recipe from the cook book “He won’t know it’s Paleo”. If you take a look at AIP dessert recipes even that can be exhausting just looking at all of the steps and ingredients. I find that baking the dessert recipes can be quite finicky; every now and then you get a “good batch”. This brings me to my next point…Canada Day!
There are all kinds of hype as we approach Canada Day. Canada’s turning the big 150! That is incredible! I can’t wait to see how great the fireworks are going to be this year. There will definitely be all kinds of treats out that day.
I have created a simple cookie recipe in honour of Canada. It is a maple flavoured shortbread cookie. Even though I say shortbread it is still soft and chewy. I would love to attend a party or picnic and be able to share a cookie with everyone. No more of “he can only eat…” or “I would but I’m allergic to…”. The best part is it is AIP, PALEO, VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE, NUT FREE approved (unless you would like to add nuts of course). Even your average food junky will enjoy these cookies. So this cookie is really dedicated to everyone out there; everyone that would like to eat a cookie without feeling guilty.
Maple Shortbread Cookie
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Makes approximately: 15 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Arrowroot Flour
- ¼ Cup Coconut Flour
- 1 Tbsp Gelatin or Agar-agar
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- ½ Tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- ½ Cup Coconut Oil
- ½ Cup 100% Canadian Maple Syrup
- 1 ½ Tsp Vanilla
Directions
- Preheat oven 350 degrees.
- In a bowl, add all six dry ingredients. Stir.
- Melt coconut oil. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir.
- Spoon 1 Tbsp sized amounts of the mixture on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Place in oven for 10 minutes.
I find this recipe is quite universal. You can easily add ½ cup of nuts or chocolate chips if you want to make these cookies even more interesting. These cookies are so great that if you can resist eating them the first day, they taste even better the next day. Just store the cookies in a sealed container.
Now when Canada Day approaches, please, let’s all make a toast with a drink in one hand and a maple shortbread cookie in the other.
Cheers!
