Keep it Simple & Clean in 2015

We want the foods we eat to be a mouthful, not the ingredients they’re made of to be a mouthful when we attempt to identify them. Regardless of where we get our groceries can we all just agree on this? It’s perhaps never more urgent than for those of us who have children. How satisfying is it to give them a snack they love? What about when that snack only has only five pronounceable ingredients listed on the bag? It turns we out we prefer nature’s simple gifts over foods cooked up in a lab.
Amanda Dumas recognized this when she founded Enamored With Nature, a business that makes the healthy eating habits of her family of six available to the general public.

“I got frustrated at the learning curve,” Amanda says. “I realized that if my family was gonna try to avoid wheat, or not eat Corn Syrup or GMOs, I had to learn to make foods very different from other moms and that I was never gonna be able to step into a grocery store because those foods are not even good for a week without preservatives.” After a lot of trial and error, she found a way to scale up her cooking volumes, bringing clean eating to those who don’t have the time to prepare healthy meals. If you’re often frustrated by stores and restaurants insensitive to your diet, Amanda has an abundance of free samples at her table, suitable for all diets.

In fact, Enamored with Nature will barely fit in its market space on a given Monday, featuring a revolving catalogue of natural products often made from local products. From moist and airy gluten-free/dairy-free pomegranate muffins to ice cold, delicious coconut milk, Amanda’s cottage business promotes good tummy health and avoids refined sugars and unnatural processes.

Every item that Enamored With Nature sells is gluten free, grain free, and all but one is dairy free (she makes a home-cultured yogurt that goes in one recipe). Additionally, Amanda offers at least one option every week that is egg free providing a vegan option given that the consumer is okay with honey. She only uses natural sweeteners like maple syrup, dates, fruit or honey which makes her products a good fit for those on the Paleo diet. Thankfully, even if you don’t have any food sensitivities or are accustomed to eating whatever tastes good, you’ll probably still enjoy the homebaked quality and creative flavor combinations – not to mention the great source of energy found in her products.

In addition to wholesome foods, Amanda has a line of chemical-free beauty products such as facial cream and hair detangler as well as hygiene essentials such as deodorant, toothpaste, mouthwash and hand soap. She also carries a line of herbal baby care products and wellness/alternative health products that she makes herself and uses to keep her own family going strong.

It’s 2015 and it’s high time we kick the chemicals that have been harming our bodies and enjoy the fantastic bounty nature has to offer. Become Enamored With Nature every Monday evening from 6-10pm at the Audubon Community Market. Happy New Year!

When a cold snap shows up take advantage of this
hot cocoa recipe free of refined sugar!

2 cups of Enamored with Nature Coconut milk
Scant ¼ cup of cacao powder
¼ cup of maple syrup
(or 2 oz of raw chocolate in place of syrup and cacao)
1 tablespoon of Coconut Oil (healthy alternative to milkfat)
Splash of Enamored With Nature homemade vanilla extract

Heat ingredients in 3-quart saucepan stirring occasionally to keep even texture. Be careful not to scorch, but definitely serve hot.

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