Grain-free coconut chicken nuggets with spaghetti squash #gaps

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1PqgY4D

The exciting night-time activities of a GAPS Mum - splitting kefir and decanting bacon stock! #gaps #wapf #realfood

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1fsaCUE

Liver and onions for breakfast #gaps

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1Gm2dri

About to cook one of my all-time favourite dinners - oxtail stew. Drooling already! #wapf #realfood #gaps

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1FoIRkC

Tray-baked salmon with broccoli, spring onions, lemon and coconut aminos. Served with steamed carrots, sauerkraut and topped with salmon caviar!! #supermom #gaps #wapf

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1f0UclF

Sesame snaps - a simple grain-free sugar-free snack!! Takes 5 mins to make and 10 mins to cook!! Thanks to @lillyh for the recipe! #gaps #wapf #wapfireland

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1HAy77R

My new favourite ingredient!!! #gaps

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1D2ilg0

Roasted pork sausage with butternut squash - from the new GAPS cookbook 'Heal Your Gut'. Quick, easy and delicious! #gaps

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1CpTceK

I bought a smoothie maker at my school fair for a euro!! Works perfectly. Enjoying lots of kefir smoothies this week. This one is kefir, banana and elderberries. Yum! #gaps

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1BZNC8e

"You haven't lived until you've had pineapple fried in bacon fat" - Sally Fallon Morell. I agree!!! #gaps

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1DVSQRJ

Dorothy's Birthday Cake

My beautiful daughter is 15 today and this is her all-time favourite birthday cake. She requested it first a few years ago after my fantastic sister went to a lot of trouble to make it for our first GAPS Christmas. It was the most wonderful dessert on Christmas day and it has become a family favourite for all kinds of special occasions. No-one would ever suspect that it was any different from a standard lemon meringue pie, except that it tastes even better! There is a bit of work involved but believe me it is worth it! I have been asked for this recipe so many times over the last 4 years so I'm sorry you've had to wait so long!!!! I like to make the pastry the night before you need the pie, then make the filling in the morning, then make the meringue and put it all together just before you need it. That way, you don't feel like you've been cooking all day!

Lemon Meringue Pie

First make the pastry:

180g of ground almonds, 

60g butter, cold and cut into pieces

1 tablespoon honey

a pinch each of baking soda and salt

Just put everything into your food processor and blitz it until it starts to form a ball. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Next you need to roll it out to fit your tin. I use a 9" springform tin but you could also use a pie plate. The rolling out is the tricky bit. Pastry made with almond flour needs to be handled a bit more delicately than regular pastry so use a sheet or two of parchment. Flatten your ball of dough onto parchment, I like to use a long piece and just fold it over the dough. Then roll it with a rolling pin until it is about 2 inches wider than your tin. Carefully lay the pastry into your greased tin, you need to do this very gently! Stick the pastry to the sides of the tin and cut the top so it is even. Stick it back in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up, while you heat up the oven to 170 C, gas mark 3. Cook in the oven for about 12 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool.

For the lemon filling you need: 

6 egg yolks

125g honey

120ml lemon juice (juice 2-3 lemons)

60g butter, cold and cut into pieces

Put the egg yolks, honey and lemon juice into a glass bowl and sit it over a pan of gently simmering water. Whisk just enough to blend fully. Then add the butter - add a few pieces at a time and whisk gently until the pieces melt. Continue this way until all the butter has been added. Then let the mixture cook gently without stirring for 10 minutes until it is set. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely. When cool, spoon the lemon filling into your pie base and use a knife to level it.

And lastly make the meringue:

4 egg whites

a pinch of salt

3 tablespoons of honey

Preheat your oven to 190 C, gas mark 5. Put your egg whites and a pinch of salt in a clean bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Slowly drizzle the honey in as you keep whisking. When the last of the honey is mixed in, the mixture should form stiff peaks and be slightly shiny. Spoon the meringue onto the top of your pie base. Use a large spoon to form peaks. Bake in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes, keeping a close eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn. Without sugar, the meringue mix won't get very stiff, but it is still sweet and sticky and delicious!

Pork liver pâté - with pork belly, liver and rashers from Rigney's Farm in Curraghchase. #gaps #wapf

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1BI6MiS

Lucky me - one large pig's liver with my name on it!! Thank you @rigneysfarm !! #gaps

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1w9JqB7

Wise Traditions Ireland 2015

Sally Fallon Morell, founder of the Weston A Price Foundation with the organisers Brendan O'Brien, myself, Caroline Rigney and Anne Maher

Thomond Park in Limerick has been the setting for many epic days. From the infamous win over the All-Blacks in 1978 to the more recent "miracle match" against Gloucester in 2003, this is hallowed ground, a place which holds Limerick people's hearts, even if you are not a rugby fan.

Last weekend was another epic event, a two-day conference focusing on food, nutrition, farming, and most of all, empowering people to take control of their own health, and the health of their children. The Wise Traditions Ireland event was huge. Huge in the numbers of delegates, huge in the message being delivered and huge in the emotional impact it had on its attendees. They came from all walks of life - nutritional therapists, farmers, food producers, special needs parents, bloggers, and others who simply wanted to educate themselves about real nutrition. The numbers were particularly impressive given that the Weston A Price Foundation is not well known in Ireland. The number of members is low and there are only 3 local chapters. That, I suspect, is about to change! I am just about to return my local chapter application in the next few days and I believe there will be more.

One of my personal highlights from a busy weekend was the raw milk debate - which was a bit one-sided(!) but which saw raw milk farmers and advocates, including Darina Allen, speak so passionately about the benefits of drinking raw milk and also of their efforts to ensure the sale of raw milk will not be banned in Ireland. The panel asked the audience how many people present drink raw milk on a regular basis and were surprised to find that about half the delegates raised their hands! Raw milk and raw cheese was on sale at the exhibitors stands from the Little Milk Company, Derg Farmhouse Cheese and Frank Shinnick.

We were lucky to have such a diverse range of exhibitors, from milk and cheese producers to nutritionists,  acupuncturists, chiropractors, dentists and supplement producers. They were all very busy over the weekend. We had exhibitors from all over Ireland, the UK and even a wonderful couple from Austria who gave out so many samples all weekend, of their deliciously healthy goodies. My son who still eats grain-free and sugar-free was delighted that Mum came home with a huge bag full of tasty healthy "Free-Of" treats! Martin and Karin Staple were another highlight of the conference and I think they will remember fondly their week in Ireland! I could talk all day about the friendships forged and the connections made last weekend, it was a special event, filled with genuinely special people.

My big stand-out moment though, was when another GAPS mum, introduced her son to Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride for the first time and posed for a photo. I was completely overwhelmed with emotions. Gratitude - for this amazing woman, for her book and for the lives she has changed, and possibly saved. Pride - in myself for taking a leap of faith in GAPS, for persevering through difficult years and continuing to nourish my son, and pride in all the other Mums for taking that same leap in the first place! There was also relief - relief that I was given that book early enough to make a real difference to my son. It was a flood!! By the time my own son came to have his picture taken with Dr Natasha I had calmed down and regained my composure!

There were so many highlights in the process of putting on this event - the teamwork between the four of us organisers was fantastic. The incredibly hard-working volunteers who gave hours and hours of their time on Friday, Saturday and Sunday working like crazy obsessed people stuffing bags, sticking up signs, fixing chairs and tables and basically telling me to calm down! The staff of Thomond Park who were genuinely interested in our message and approached everything with a wonderfully pleasant attitude. Philip who came over from London and was a mine of information! The chef and catering company who produced such wonderul food, and who were encouragingly enthusiatic about our very precise requests surrounding the menu! The exhibitors who were so friendly and pleasant and delighted to be there. Thomond Park itself, like a shining beacon of hope and expectation. You get the idea, it was a very positive experience!!

On Sunday after Dr Natasha had finished the last talk, there was a standing ovation. It was fantastic! And then Anne Maher called Brendan O'Brien, Caroline Rigney and myself to the stage, where we were treated to another standing ovation. This was undoubtedly one of the proudest moments of my life. I hope and pray that everyone present took away the same positive uplifting memories that I have! As the audience stood, Sally Fallon Morell took the microphone and spoke to the audience about the importance of becoming members of the foundation. She told us that New Zealand has more members per capita than any country in the world. She challenged the Irish to beat New Zealand, and Brendan took the microphone and explained to Sally that she was in the right place to issue a challenge like that!!

Looking forward to tasting these GAPS friendly nibbles from the wonderful Free-Of company in Austria - two of the nicest people I have EVER met!!! #wapfireland #gaps

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1z0LqXW

This is what it's all about - nourishing our children, and ourselves!! #wapfireland #wapf #gaps

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1vzjLSk

Our programme for #WAPFireland - only a week to go. Can't wait!! http://ift.tt/1yZiaj9 #wapf #gaps

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1yZiaj7

A Weston A Price Foundation Conference here in Limerick!

It's been so long since I wrote ANYTHING that I've almost forgotten how to write! I have some really excellent excuses this time for my long sabbatical. Firstly I became involved in a fantastic project in Limerick city to open the first urban co-operative grocery store. It has been such an uplifting experience, working with a truly dedicated and motivated group. Our little project started as a buying club with only 19 members and has, within a year, grown into a full co-op shop with almost 300 members. We stock organic fruit and vegetables, sourdough breads, free-range eggs and chickens, and a small range of whole-foods. And things are only getting better! We are expanding this year, kitting out the shop properly and hoping to open 6 days a week. Exciting times. I'll write more about the co-op later in the year as things progress.

The last post I wrote was about my trip to the Weston A Price Foundation conference in London last February. Near the end of the post I mentioned that those of us who made up the Irish contingent were so impressed that we decided to put on a conference in Ireland. And that's about to happen. Next month on the 7th and 8th February, Sally Fallon Morell, Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride, Darina Allen, and more speakers will make their way to Thomond Park Conference Centre in Limerick to share their expertise and knowledge about REAL nutrition. I am proud to be a part of the organising committee that has made this happen. It's a huge event and has taken a massive effort but I couldn't be happier that it is happening in my home town. We are blessed to  have such a brilliant venue in Thomond Park and I can't wait to see it bustling with nutritionists, parents, farmers and speakers alike.

This means so much to me, to bring a conference like this to Limerick. After my own incredible success story with the GAPS diet, I really hope that this conference will encourage and enlighten others to take the same leap I did. Trying GAPS was a huge step for us but it has proven to be a total life-changer. My son is happy, and ridiculously healthy! And he is no longer on full GAPS! He eats potatoes now, and he loves mozzarella cheese! We are trying non-GAPS foods, one at a time, and all is going well. The Weston A Price Foundation diet is a perfect one for him to transition to, full of nutrient-dense foods, still including the core GAPS foods like bone broth, fermented foods like yogurt and kefir, offal meats and healthy fats. He loves his food and has a huge appetite. I hope when he is older he will carry on the good habits he has now and pass on this wealth of knowledge to his own children.

When I started out on the GAPS diet, I would have so loved to hear Dr Natasha speak. It would have spurred me on!  She is a truly inspirational speaker and will fire you up with her passion and drive.  Sally Fallon Morell, the president of WAPF and the author of Nourishing Traditions is a wonderful speaker too, with an enormous wealth of knowledge. Her talks on Dr Price's research will thrill and shock you, all at the same time. Joe Fitzmaurice will tell us all about the wonders of sourdough bread, which he makes in his wood-fired oven in the eco-village in Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary. Dr John McKenna will discuss whether antibiotics are curing us or killing us. Elisabeth Ryan will chair a panel discussion on raw milk, I'm particularly looking forward to this as I love my raw milk so much and I couldn't imagine not being able to have it! David Wetzel will inform us on fermented cod liver oil and why it was considered a sacred food among traditional cultures for centuries. And our own legend Darina Allen will open the conference. How lucky are we that this is happening in Limerick?

More information and tickets at the event website: www.wapfmunster.com.