We all know by now that skipping breakfast is a bad idea. I mean, everyone's heard that skipping breakfast lowers your mental and creative potential and sets the stage for cravings and sluggishness later in the day.

And yet, knowing that, many of us still rush out the door without a single nutrient passing our lips. Of course I realize that mornings can be crazy, which is why I present this lovely option: Weekend baking of healthy breakfast snacks that can be eaten throughout the week.

Morning Glory Muffins are the perfect solution, provided you actually make time to bake on the weekend and I kindly suggest that if you have time to watch TV or surf the net, you definitely have a little time to bake.

This recipe is gluten-free and has a spicy sweetness due to the cinnamon and ground ginger. They are also dense enough to fill the hunger gap for an hour or two. I'm not suggesting you replace a balanced breakfast with a muffin, but I am encouraging you to eat this rather than go on empty or worse, grab a store-bought, trans-fat laden muffin to go along with your coffee.

Recipe after the jump.

Looking for a healthy form of convenience food? These delicious mushroom and lentil cakes go great with a colourful salad and can be frozen for several weeks. They'll not only satisfy your appetite, but will keep you energized for hours.

Lentils are a kitchen staple because they are relatively quick and easy to cook compared to other dried beans. Lentils might be small, but they're big on nutrition and taste.

Lentils can:

Lower your cholesterol: Of all the legumes, lentils are leaders in fibre content, both soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract that combines with bile to remove cholesterol from the body. Insoluble fibre helps to reduce digestive problems like IBS and diverticulitis and prevents constipation.

Now more than ever, people are searching for gluten-free fare as part of a healthy diet. And it's not just for those with celiac disease -- gluten-free eating is a trend that's here to stay.

The benefits of going gluten-free can include any of the following: increased energy, better bowel movements, glowing skin, increased mental clarity and the most common one – improved digestion. I have seen the benefits with my own body and with numerous clients in my nutrition practice, so it's not surprising many people are seeking out gluten-free recipes.

My newest creation is a gluten-free chickpea and apple slaw sandwich. I've always been more of salad eater than a sandwich eater, but a client of mine had asked me for some sandwich ideas for her two children and I was inspired to create something delicious and nutritious. This recipe tastes as good as it looks.

Recipe after the jump.

When my father was diagnosed as celiac, a condition in which the afflicted person has a violent reaction to a protein called gluten found in various grains including wheat, rye and barley, it hit him pretty hard. This is a guy who took a whole wheat bread sandwich in his lunch every day for thirty years; an Italian who loved his pasta; even the malt vinegar on his fries was now off limits.

He worked out the bread thing by dusting off the bread machine and researching gluten-free recipes. Then he found a brand of rice pasta that was virtually indistinguishable from the durum wheat variety and he also found apple cider vinegar will replace malt vinegar in a pinch.

But one thing that he really missed was his beer. Brewed by fermenting barley, a gluten containing grain, beer is off limits to a celiac sufferer. Even though the filtering process some beers go through removes most of the gluten, it simply isn't worth it for the celiac to take the chance. The consequences of extreme discomfort are too great.

Andrea Donsky, cofounder of NaturallySavvy.com, a website focused on living green and healthy, shares her love of yoga, her food weaknesses, and her tricks to speed up healing when you feel a tickle in the back of your throat.

Q: Can you tell me what your exercise regiment looks like?

A: I'm very big on yoga. I try to practice hot - or Moksha - yoga at least three times a week. I love it because it's detoxifying. For me, it's both physical and mental. I'm able to relax but I'm also able to detox and get some exercise. In the summer, I'll go for walks a lot more. I also try to supplement my workout by doing videos. I love doing exercise videos - like Pilates or ab work as I love that it's when I want to do it and I don't have to adhere to anyone else's schedule. Last night, I went over to a friend's house and we did exercise from 9-10pm.

Q: Can you give me an idea of what foods you would typically include on a shopping list?

A: I buy a lot of organic fruits and vegetables. My husband is in wholesale produce, so I can get a lot of stuff through him. For organics, though, I have to go to the store. I buy organic rice, quinoa, millet, and natural meats with no hormones or antibiotics. For my kids, whole-grain breads and some healthier snack options.

The 30-Day Nutrition Challenge has officially wrapped and if you've been following this elimination diet you might be wondering, how does one end a challenge like this? First off, I have to say that although it's been an entire month without gluten, dairy, sugar, processed food, caffeine and alcohol, it's not a great idea to break a cleanse with a big plate of waffles and ice cream with strawberry flavoured syrup and a coffee with Bailey's.

Instead, you could continue with the dietary changes you've made to keep on reaping the benefits to your health. This is the option I generally recommend, as the foods you've eliminated are things that many of us are better off without in our diets on a permanent basis. However, this can be a difficult choice since eating this way isn't easy. But if you feel a whole lot better today than you did at the beginning of the challenge, the choice may be easier than you think.

On the other hand, you could also just call it quits and go back to what you were eating before. I obviously don't recommend this, but I am realistic about it. Try to resist the urge to instantly gorge yourself, however - after a month of eating well, a toxic overload of gluten, dairy, sugar and food additives could make you quite sick. Try reintroducing things a little more slowly and naturally (eg. yogurt for breakfast on day one, toast for breakfast on day two, etc.).

The following is an email correspondence between one of our 30-Day Nutrition Challenge participants, Erika, and Doug DiPasquale, That's Fit.ca's Healthy Foodie. Unlike our other two participants, Erika has been struggling with the challenge and not feeling well. Her story is important so that others can learn of possible reactions to eliminating many of their usual foods from their diets (gluten, sugar, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods).

If you missed the beginning of the 30-Day Nutrition Challenge and want to get caught up, or you want to give the challenge a try, check out the following posts to bring you up to speed.

The 30-Day Nutrition Challenge

What exactly you can and can't eat.

How to wean yourself off coffee and start eliminating the other items.

Recipes and resources to get you through the next 30 days.

Erika: Hi Doug! Sorry it took me awhile to get back to you. I've been crazy, busy with work and battling a mean bout of insomnia so my brain, unlike most of the food I've been eating, is fried.

I've had a couple of lapses on the challenge - mostly due to an emotional need as opposed to an actual dietary need.

This has actually lead to a few insights. Firstly, when finishing this 30-Day Nutrition Challenge I will not be going hog wild into "regular" eating habits. A cafe au lait and an almond croissant (my cheat food) were so, so tasty at the time, but by 9:30 that night I was feeling absolutely wrecked physically from having eaten those things.

Participants in the 30-Day Nutrition Challenge are just past the half way point in their quest to remove gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol, caffeine and processed foods from their diet for a full month.

I've received a number of questions from readers, over the past couple of weeks, who are itching to take on the challenge themselves and are looking for recipes to help them through it. If you haven't already, check out this post I wrote a few weeks ago on some recipes and resources for a few ideas on getting started.

And since no one can ever have enough healthy recipes, in my next few posts I'll be bringing you three recipes for a gluten, dairy and sugar-free breakfast, lunch and dinner. A blueberry breakfast smoothie was the first and here's the second in the series: Frittata for lunch!

A frittata is somewhere between an omelet and a quiche - it's either a deep omelet that you don't fold or a crustless quiche that puffs up. Although primarily thought of as a breakfast food, frittatas are great for lunch mainly because they're a light, non-meat protein source that will get you through the second half of the day.


Recipe after the jump.

I baked these cookies last weekend and am happy to report they didn't taste "gluten-free (GF)," which makes them a huge success in my book. Gluten-free recipes are often overly chewy and far too dense, something I know from first-hand experience as I made my share of flops before perfecting the art of gluten-free baking.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I test my recipes on people who generally turn their noses up at "healthy" food and these have officially earned the designation of boyfriend-approved. Kids will love them, too, I'm sure. If you're curious as to why someone would want to remove gluten from their diets, read this post from The Healthy Foodie.

The variety of gluten-free flours available at grocery stores is steadily expanding. I used two different kinds of flour for this recipe: almond and brown rice flour, both of which are great for baking as one is moist (almond) and the other is dry and fluffy (brown rice.)

Almond flour is a wonderful addition to your kitchen pantry. It's made from raw, blanched whole almonds that have been ground into a fine powder. If you are storing it for an extended period of time, it's best to store it in the freezer to maintain its freshness and prevent mold growth. It's a source of protein, fibre, calcium and iron and a perfect flour to add to cookies, muffins and bread.

Brown rice flour is another kitchen staple for gluten-free baking and my personal favourite because it always yields a fluffy texture, similar to whole wheat flour. I prefer Bob's Red Mill brand because many rice flours can be "gritty" due to the processing of the grain. Bob's is stone ground which creates a fine-textured flour.

Recipe after the jump

One of our readers who has been following the 30-Day Challenge, recently wrote to me about her healthy eating transformation. Cayra's email was so inspiring, I felt I had to share it with you here. But first, if you've missed our other posts on the 30-Day Nutrition Challenge, get up to speed with these links:

Benefits of eliminating gluten, dairy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and processed foods.
What you can and cannot eat
Getting started and getting off coffee
Recipe ideas and resources

Cayra is a paramedic who works long hours and a busy mom who has recently "hit 40." She says that many days she feels extremely lethargic and experiences bloating. While she used to be a professional beach volleyball player, she now finds it tricky to get much opportunity for a formal exercise routine. That said, she stays active with her kids, going on hikes and biking. Cayra had hoped that eliminating a few things from her diet might put her on the road to healthier living. Here is what she wrote to me:

Hi Doug,

For me, this challenge so far can be summed up in one word: awesome!

I am developing a whole new relationship with food! It is incredible. When we eat out or eat processed, pre-packaged food we really have no idea what we are putting in our bodies. The past 11 days [since I started the challenge] have been so eye-opening as I look closely at the labels and realize the quantities of unnecessary sugars, fillers and preservatives. Since the challenge started I have made so many of my favourites from scratch that I usually just buy like salsa, guacamole, artichokes, almond butter, almond milk and hummus. They are all fantastic and fantastically easy!!

What is the 30-Day Challenge?

The challenge is simple enough to describe, but more difficult to put into practice. Over thirty days, our challengers are going eliminate all sources of gluten, dairy, sugar, caffeine (green tea is acceptable), alcohol and processed foods from their diets. So what exactly does this mean they can't eat?

Gluten - All sources of wheat including breads, cereals, pasta, pastries and other baked goods. Gluten is also found in barley, rye, oats (although you can find "gluten-free oats" in health food stores), spelt, kamut, couscous and bulgur. Also watch food labels for these ingredients as well as "graham" or "malt."

Dairy - All milk, cheese, cream, yogurt, kefir, sour cream, butter (ghee is acceptable). Watch for things on labels like casein, lactose, milk solids, whey, or curds.

When I was a kid, Valentine's Day was naturally a popularity contest manifesting in who received the most heart-shaped cards. I always sent the boy I was crushing-on a homemade one. But, by far, the most enjoyable V-Day competition was to see who could eat the most cinnamon hearts before their tongue set on fire. My tongue usually set on fire after about 10 or 15 little delicious hearts, FYI.

Now that I'm more health-conscious, I likely won't be popping tongue-burning sugary cinnamon hearts, but I may send a Valentine's Day card or two. And, I will definitely be baking something gluten-free and delicious in my oven. Baking should and can be easy. These delightful little cookies are both easy to make and a really nice way to show your love.

Love is something that is on my mind often, (being a nutritionist) because love is a nutrient! I've written about love extensively on my own health blog because I believe that just like healthy food, love is critical for a healthy mind and body. Many people focus on receiving more love in their life, but what about showing more love? When you show more love and care for people who mean something to you, then the universe naturally sends love right back your way. As the old saying goes: Like attracts like or in this case, love attracts love.

Bake these cookies for your kids, parents and loved ones. Recipe after the jump.

Some wonderfully, healthy eating trends are picking up speed with the mainstream population, which makes nutritionists like myself very joyous. Both raw food and gluten-free diets are becoming popular while the low-fat trend of the 80s and 90s is on the way out. This is good news as the latter did nothing good for us other than make our muffin tops and love handles grow at an obscene rate due to the over consumption of carbohydrates and processed foods.

These newest food trends are here to stay because they are all about promoting health. When you subscribe to the notion of eating nutrient-dense, low-allergen foods as the path to wellness, your gut and life will change for the better.

Eating raw is not something I personally do 100 percent of the time. I love cooked foods, especially soups and certain vegetables, which are easier to digest and simply taste better when cooked, including cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower. However, as Dr. Brian Clement, a raw foodie and co-director of the Hippocrates Health Institute says, "Food is not only for pleasure; it has the potential to aid in reducing disease and prolonging life." I couldn't agree more and truly believe that eating more raw food is critical to a joyous healthy life.

Top three reasons to go raw and cookie recipe after the jump

Feeling instant warmth and joy is achievable when you create your own soup. And this recipe is comfort food like no other and so easy to make -- but you don't have to tell anyone that. I love to promote healthy food that tastes amazing and this recipe is extra-special because it meets the following criteria that health-conscious people really care about.

Gluten-free
The fact that so many people are embracing gluten-free diets doesn't surprise me. And it isn't just sufferers of celiac disease who benefit from eating gluten-free. In fact, my diet is 75 percent gluten-free because I appreciate the fact that I've eliminated gas and/or bloating after a meal and I feel satisfied and energized all day long. As I've mentioned in previous posts, Dr. Mercola (my nutrition guru) refers to gluten containing diets as "an epidemic of hidden intolerance." There are many people who have this intolerance and are not even aware of it. Try going gluten-free and see how you feel.

Dairy-free
Not as popular as gluten-free, but there are many people who cannot tolerate dairy. Dairy is acidifying, which some experts suggest causes the body to shuttle calcium from the bones to the blood as a buffering agent. This is one of the reasons that dairy may in fact not be the best choice for obtaining calcium in your diet. Of course, if you are vegetarian, you will love this recipe because it's a great choice, assuming you use vegetable stock.

Low Allergen
This soup recipe is corn, wheat, soy, nut and, of course, preservative, additive and chemical-free as those items are common allergens and best avoided to achieve your most joyous health. Unfortunately, these foods are added to nearly every packaged and processed food so we are literally overdosing on them, which eventually causes sensitivities in the gut and can lead to allergies and food intolerances.

Recipe after the jump