About Us
Greetings Fellow Earthlings...
We've begun a new journey and are excited to have you come along! You may remember us as the owners of California Country Gal, and we believe you'll agree when we say our newest Breads & Baking Mixes are outa this world!
We've made some changes, and here's just a few reasons why...
1. Being a mom and a woman with not-so-fun 'auto-immune' symptoms, I began recipe developing almost two decades ago. The food industry has changed a lot since then, but the biggest lesson I've learned is that in order to feel and look good, we need to eat better. And what we're eating needs to be sustainable. If it's not, it's practically impossible to improve ourselves for the long term. So, our meals need to be fairly quick and simple to prepare, and they need to taste great, all the time! AND most importantly, food should never harm our health.
2. "Everything is not for everyone". However, it's my humble opinion that 'grains are for the birds'. Not just wheat because of its damaging lectins (gluten), but most other grains which are full of damaging lectins as well. Just because our ancestors painstakingly gathered and crushed and soaked and ate grains to fill their tummies to keep from starving, it doesn't mean grains are meant for regular human consumption! Over-consumption of grains, especially many whole grains, can cause nutrient deficiencies, among other problems. The fermentation of grains into sourdough may make it more digestible, but it doesn't necessarily make it good for you. I believe humans are meant to eat fruits, vegetables, herbs, leafy greens, nuts, and seeds, while hunting as needed.
3. Every so many years there are 'new' diet trends with conflicting studies, results, and opinions. However, the one fact no one can debate is that clean, real foods benefit the human body. We know this to be true, yet we also have great memories of sharing family dinners and get-togethers with a table full of comfort foods and goodies. We all remember their tastes and textures, but we know most of them weren't what we'd call super good for our energy levels or waistline. I believe we should still be able to enjoy those types of meals, without all the grains and gluten, sugar, or canned cream of mushroom soup!
4. When re-creating these classic recipes and developing our new Multi-Use Mixes, I chose the best ingredients that would bring you closest to the flavors and textures of your childhood memories. We're also well aware these ingredients are more expensive than the junk ingredients predominately used in
packaged foods today, so we decided to develop 'multi-use' mixes and package them in larger containers to save you money! Also, with the explosion of different sweeteners on the market, we've chosen to let you add the sweetener of your choice when the recipe calls for one. Now, you can use whichever sweetener you prefer. We've also created our own new sweetener blend, S'WEEET!, which we think you'll love as much as we do!
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5. In my book, the Ultimate Grain-Free Cookbook, I created recipes using whole foods with my blender or food processor. The whole foods bring their own unique blends of fiber, fat, sugars, and starches. For our new Baking Mixes I've chosen to use a blend of steam treated blanched almond flour, organic coconut flour, small amounts of organic tapioca starch (in some mixes) and yacon flour. So, if you're looking for zero net carbs, you won't find it here, however we are diligent to maintain low carb counts. Also, if you're concerned about almonds contributing to histamine issues, I would encourage you to address any nutrient deficiencies (some B vitamins particularly), so that you can enjoy many other nutritious
foods like blanched almonds again.
Well, I've taken up lots of space (lol) here, but I want to remind you, that my husband Tom is the other half of the equation that keeps this spaceship going. YOU make it all worthwhile and our new friends Tater & Tot keep us grounded!
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With love and blessings for your good health and happiness,
Anna