Summer Berry Raw Jam Recipe + Eat Beautiful Cookbook Giveaway!

Before we relaunched Sew Creative to be Hello Creative Family, I spent some time working as the DIY editor for Scratch Mommy. During my time there I met many, wonderful, talented bloggers who opened my eyes to different ways of living and eating. One of the people who I met was Megan Stevens from Eat Beautiful.  

Megan and her family’s health has been transformed over the past 4 years as they have adopted a GAPS diet. Megan has spread the word about healthy eating by teaching GAPS, Paleo, and WAP traditional food cooking classes in her hometown of Eugene, Oregom. Megan recently launched her new cookbook, Eat Beautiful: Grain-free, Sugar-free and Loving It!

Megan recently shared the news with me that her book was going to be published soon. I was eager to take a look at it, partly because I’m headed back to school in the fall to get my Culinary Nutrition Expert certification. With beautiful illustrations, well thought out instructions and delicious recipes, I was not disappointed! This book will become a staple in my  home.

The book is available two ways, as a paperback book from Amazon.

Or as an ebook with 5 bonus videos for $20.

Today I invited Megan to write a post for Hello Creative Family about her cookbook and to share her Summer Berry Raw Jam recipe with us. Make sure you read through all the way to the end, because we’ll be giving away a copy of Eat Beautiful to one lucky winner!

Thank you so much to Megan for joining us! Enjoy everyone!

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I’m privileged to share my eCookbook, EAT BEAUTIFUL: Grain-free, Sugar-free and Loving It, today with Hello Creative Family readers. Hello!

I’m Megan! My health journey has been rather precarious. But, despite the odds, I’m here and ever so thankful to share with you a bit about what’s made that possible.

Firstly, I should say, while I’m still working on putting Hashimoto’s disease into remission, I have to date beaten arthritis, interstitial cystitis (a super bummer bladder disease), two additional autoimmune diseases, my daughter’s asthma and my son’s dyslexia. I was even told I would soon die of heart disease, 6 years ago, after the birth of my third child.

We’ve been around the block, so to speak; and it’s diet (and determination) that have gotten us this far. We started the GAPS diet over 4 years ago. Our symptoms were escalating and frightening. In addition to my arthritis and diseases, I had a rash all over my face and we lived in fear every time my daughter had an asthma episode. We heard about GAPS and started the very next day!

What we learned in the first year was how to make ourselves satisfied! And that’s what I want to share with you today. While many on healing diets feel deprived, we did not, or at least, not for long.

Because I have always loved to cook, bake and understand the behind-the-scenes of ingredients, having to use all new grain and refined-sugar-free ingredients became a fun challenge for me. (We needed to feel satiated by our foods if we were going to stick to a strict regimen!) Almond meal, flour and butter were okay; but I knew they are often rancid when store-bought, can be hard to digest and require sprouting. Additionally, almonds are high in omega-6s; whereas most Americans need more omega 3s. Coconut flour was okay, but only in small amounts.

So I developed a new baking technique, based on a concept originated by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, the creator of the GAPS diet. While there are about 45 recipes in the cookbook that are nut and seed-free, this method does use nuts or seeds. My e-Book package even comes with a video explaining this new process- its origins, how easy it is (as easy as store-bought flours) and why it’s so gentle to digest.

The new baking technique is shared throughout my cookbook in the form of cookies, scones, crepes, cakes, pies, breads, waffles and more.

In addition to baked goods, the cookbook has some lovely gelatins, kid-friendly easy treats, several savory snacks or meals and some exciting beverages.

My favorite chapter in the whole book is the Toppings chapter! They embody everything gooey and indulgent. Today I’ll share with you my Raw Jam recipe, because it uses summer berries; tis the season!

Are you someone who has eliminated grains or sugar? Or do you have symptoms that might recommend a dietary change? My hope is that this cookbook will enable more people to take that plunge without fear. If we have alternatives to old favorites, then there will always be something good to eat! My cookbook is just that: tried and true alternatives! So you can enjoy your healing diet with contentment… (and get well)!

This cookbook isn’t just for sick people, either. It’s got great basics, just healthier versions of them! Maple syrup sweetened Chocolate Ganache (find the recipe here on my sales page) is my favorite! I offer all kinds of comfort foods, just without the refined sugars or hard-to-digest grains. So someone who loves to cook but wants to use less sugar would love my brownies, cookies, cakes and more. There are no weird ingredients; but I do educate along the way. So if some of the items used are new to you I explain what they are and where to easily find them.

The eCookbook is currently 50% off, and comes with 5 bonus videos with extra recipes and an introduction to the brand-new grain-free baking technique that ALONE is worth buying the eCookbook. Click here for more info about the eCookbook package. The softcover version can be purchased as well. (It does not contain the 5 bonus videos.) I know you’d like to sample something yummy from the cookbook. So here’s the lovely Raw Jam recipe! And don’t forget to check out my favorite maple syrup-sweetened Chocolate Ganache!

Summer Berry Raw Jam Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups summer berries (fresh, or frozen and defrosted)
• 6 dates (optional if fructose-sensitive)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1/16 teaspoon powdered stevia (or 5 to 10 drops liquid stevia, NuNaturals brand preferred)

Directions: 1.    Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender until the dates are very small. 2.    Transfer to a small bowl or jar with lid and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Yields 2-1⁄2 cups Print or Save it for Later:

What foods keep you happy while on a healing diet? Thanks for joining me today! Be sure to check out my sales page; and you’ll see toward the bottom, the option to e-mail me. Let me know if you have any questions. I’m here to help! Best and warmly, Megan Stevens www.eatbeautiful.net  

 

Want to win an Eat Beautiful ebook with 5 bonus videos? Enter below and tell us what is your favorite food that makes you feel happy and healthy?

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As with all posts on Hello Creative Family, all thoughts and opinions are 100% our own.