Yeast Free Living

Archive for the ‘Snacks’ Category

Corn Tortilla Chips are one of my favorite candida friendly snacks and although I know I have to eat them in limited quantities I am so glad that these were not off limits.  What else would I eat my hummus and salsa.  Many of the snacks you find in the supermarket have preservatives and additives that are prohibited on the candida diet.  When I first started the diet I had to find a new corn tortilla chip that was appropriate.  The first one I came across was the Garden of Eatin Organic Corn Tortilla Chips and was thrilled that they contained all candida safe ingredients but I did not like the price.  They were over $3.00 a bag and they never seemed to go on sale.  This is very hard to swallow for someone with very little brand loyalty and who had previously been eating according to what was on sale.  I bought them anyway so that I could surround myself with candida diet friendly snacks and not be tempted. 

One day I ran into the store to buy a new bag of tortilla chips and came accross Sage Valley Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips.  They were in the organic chip section of Shoprite and were marked with a sale sign for $1.99. “Surely at that price they have to have something that I can’t eat in them,” I thought to myself.  I picked up the bag anyway to take a look at the ingredients and I was so excited.  These were okay and so much cheaper.  I have been buying them ever since.  They have stayed at the price of $1.99 since they first appeared on the supermarket shelves a year ago.  If you are a fan of corn tortilla chips give these a try. 

Product Name:
Sage Valley Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips

Who Makes It?
Sage Valley (Tree of Life a Kehe company)
St. Augustine, FL
32085-9000
1-800-223-2910

What are the ingredients?
Organic Yellow Corn
Expeller Pressed Safflower and/or Sunflower and/or Canola Oil
Sea Salt

Where can I find it?
Shoprite

 Special Features
100% Natural
No Artificial Colors or Additives
No Artificial Preservatives
No Hydrogenated Oils
0 grams Trans Fat Per Serving

Price
$1.99

I had almost given up on these Brown Rice Tortillas that I found at Trader Joe’s about a year ago.  I first bought them thinking I was going to use them to make wraps for lunch but turned out to not work so well for that as they are very stiff and began to break when I tried to stuff them with turkey meat and other sandwich fixins.  Realizing that very few convenient candida diet products are available I hated the idea of completely abandoning these.  I decided to explore what other uses they may have in a yeast free kitchen.  I next tried them to hold our taco fixins but they again fell apart.  My results with fajitas and quesadillas were pretty much the same.  I would always end up eating most of my meal with a fork and quickly went back to using corn tortillas and offering my corn allergic daughter a brown rice tortilla if she wanted.  They did come in handy as a snack though when I decided to heat them for a few seconds in the microwave one day and enjoyed breaking them in small pieces and dipping it into hummus.  I continued to buy a pack or two when I would go to Trader Joe’s and  I would freeze them and heat them as needed for Cheyenne or to enjoy with my hummus. 

While brainstorming about potential corn-free snacks for my oldest daughter these brown rice tortillas immediately came to my mind.  ”Maybe I can make tortilla chips out of these for Chey,” I thought to myself.  I immediately Googled brown rice tortilla chips to see if anyone had done this and of course it has been done and the results are spectacular.  Karina Allrich’s recipe for Brown Rice Tortillas chips at Gluten Free Goddess is perfect, tasty and completely yeast free.  Unfortunately upon further inspections of the ingredients in the Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Tortillas I realized these were not completely corn free and therefore are not suitable for Cheyenne as they contain xanthan gum which is usually derived from corn sugar.  Although these did not serve the purpose I was hoping for in my household, I dare not hold back a great candida diet recipe.   We will enjoy these on occasion and I will continue to look for corn-free snack alternative for my dear Cheyenne.   Check out Gluten Free Goddess for the ingredients and directions on how to make these.  They are really delicious and I now prefer them to corn tortillas.  It is so funny how something that was such a poor substitute for real tortillas can be reinvented to make something amazing. 

I had given up on finding a commercially prepared salsa that may be okay on the candida diet.  To my delight I stumbled across Whole Foods 365 Organic Salsa and was pleasantly surprised to find the ingredients were candida diet friendly.  Most salsa offered in the supermarket have vinegar and/or citric acid in them.    The ingredients in 365 Organic Salsa (Mild) are Organic Tomato Puree, Organic Tomatoes, Organic Onions, Organic Red Bell Peppers, Salt, Organic Jalapeno Chilies, Organic Garlic, Organic Cilantro and Organic Lime Concentrate.   Enjoy it in with your Mexican recipes or just as a quick snack with a few tortilla chips.

To succeed at the Candida Diet I believe that we must have convenient Candida Diet snacks on hand.  Let’s be honest we do not always prepare and we end up out somewhere hungry and frustrated and often end up cheating.  After carefully reading many labels I believe that there are some commercially prepared snack that you can keep on hand so you are not tempted to cheat. 

I do enjoy making my own popcorn in the air popper but when I am pressed for time I may not have enough time to stop and do this.  I started to wonder if any of the brands of popcorn  in the store would be okay for the candida diet and fortunately I did come across a few.  Sage Valley Lite Organic Popcorn has very few ingredients and does not appear to include any that will sabotage the candida diet.  It is 100% natural containing only organic popcorn, organic canola oil and sea salt.  

Product Name:
Sage Valley Popcorn

Who Makes It?
Sage Valley

What are the ingredients?
Organic Popcorn
Organic Canola Oil
Sea Salt

Where can I find it?
Shoprite

 Special Features
100% Natural
Air Popped
Low Sodium
No Artificial Colors
No Artificial Preservatives
0 grams Trans Fat Per Serving

Price
$1.19

Let’s be honest.  It is hard to find tasty snacks on the Candida Diet.  So what are we to do?  Must we give up snacking?  While I do not think that we need to give up snacking we do need to reevaluate what we snack on.  Most snacks that have we have chosen prior to starting the candida diet are characteristic of the other processed, sugar/salt laden,  and carbohydrate heavy foods that we once ate.  It may be difficult to resist that box of cookies, box of cheese crackers and potato chips.  There are some delicious snacks that you can still enjoy while following the candida diet.  The following are 10 of my favorites: 

Air Popped Popcorn
Invest in an air popper and you can continue to enjoy this terrific snack in a much healthier way.  Add a small amount of clarified butter and sea salt and I promise that you will enjoy this more than the microwave varieties.  Ready-to-eat Air Popped Popcorn can also be found in various stores such as Whole Foods or CVS, just make sure to read the label carefully to avoid any prohibited ingredients.  Some  microwave varieties may be okay but again just make sure to read lables carefully.  Popcorn is high in carbohydrates, so be sure not to consume too much in one sitting. 
 

Brown Rice Crackers
There are many different varieties of brown rice crackers and not all are good.  There will be a little trial and error to find the ones that you like. I like the Hol Grain variety and often eat these with a can a tuna, egg salad and chicken mixed with homemade mayonnaise.

Hummus
I love hummus!  I eat it with raw veggies, tortilla chips or a sliced warm brown rice tortilla.  A lot of the varieties in the store are preserved with citric acid so you may not find a candida friendly commercial brand in your supermarket.  I buy Trader Joe’s garlic hummus.  It has all candida diet approved ingredients.  Alternatively, you can find a recipe and make it from scratch.  Hummus is actually very easy to make.   

Nuts
Both of my daughters are allergic to several different types of nuts so for a while I did not keep them around much.  Now that they are old enough to know why they can’t eat them I do keep some around.  Nuts are a “superfood” of sorts.  They are packed with monounsaturated fats, protein, fiber, vitamin, nutrients and antioxidants.  Additionally, they have cholesterol lowering effects. 

Rice Cakes
Even before I went on the candida diet I enjoyed rice cakes only I loved the sugary apple cinnamon or caramel ones.  I am actually pretty shocked that I have come to really enjoy the plain no salt type.   This make a great bread substitute for a quick sandwich.  Another idea is to spread them with nut butters.  They also taste pretty good plain. 

Salsa
There are many varieties of salsa in the supermarket.  Unfortunately many of them are not compatible with the candida diet.  There are some like Whole Foods 365 brand salsa.  The most common ingredients that trip us up here are vinegar and citric acid.  If you are having trouble finding a brand that works find a simple salsa recipe and substitute any troubling ingredients.  I usually enjoy my salsa with store bought or homemade tortilla chips. 

Tortilla Chips
These are high in carbohydrates so you must limit your intake but if you have the willpower a few of these make a tasty snack.  Garden or Eatin, the brand featured in the picture are one of my favorite varieties, although a little pricey.  I buy them because they are all natural.  There is a new brand, Sage Valley that I have been purchasing lately at Shoprite.  They too are all natural and not as expensive.  You can also make your own with this homemade Tortilla Chip Recipe.  Enjoy them with salsa, hummus or plain. 

Vegetables
 Vegetables have become such an important part of the candida diet for me.  I was accustomed to cooking everything or rather overcooking everything.  To actually eat a vegetable in its raw form is not only healthy but suprisingly tasty.   

 It took me a little while to be able to enjoy yogurt plain.  I used to really enjoy the once with the fruit at the bottom.  Blueberry was actually my favorite.  Plain yogurt however is a very good candida snack.  Yogurt contains live and active cultures that help to restore the balance to you digestive tract.

Yogurt

Popcorn is one of  my favorite Candida Diet  snacks.  My love affair with this snack began long ago and not even braces in high school stopped me from indulging in it.  Yes,  it would get stuck in my braces but I would just make an extra effort to brush again.  I love it salty and buttery and I am happy that I can still indulge even while following a strict candida diet. 

I actually enjoy it so much that I invested in an air popper a few years ago.  I purchased one at Walmart for about $14.   Popcorn is very high in carbohydrates so I do not indulge in too much in one sitting.  Some people may also be sensitive to corn so watch for any negative reactions. 

There are some microwave and bagged popcorns available in the stores that may be okay but make sure to read labels very carefully as many of these have ingredients that are not conducive to the candida diet. 

Bon Appetite! 

Air Popped Popcorn Ingredients
1/2 cup popcorn
Clarified Butter to taste
Sea Salt to taste

Air Popped Popcorn Directions
Prepare popcorn  according to your air popper’s directions
Use butter melter at top to melt butter
Skim milk fat off melted butter to clarify
Sprinkle butter on popcorn and add sea salt

These homemade Tortilla Chips are simple to make and extremely tasty.  Remeber to watch you Carbohydrate count.

Bon Appetite!   

Homemade Tortilla Chip Ingredients
8 corm tortillas (5″ size)
Sea Salt

Homemade Tortilla Chip Directions
Preheat oven to 400F
Sray Cookie Sheet with Cooking Spray
Cut Tortilla into 8 pieces
spray with Cooking Spray
Lay tortilla flat on cookie sheet
Cook for 7 minutes on one side then turn
Cook for additional 5 minutes on the other side