Blog

For a week in July, my family and I flew to Oahu to enjoy a summer vacation in the sun! Here are the places we went and all the things we did.

Polynesian Cultural Center Review

This year for my birthday, my dear husband took me and the kids to Oahu to celebrate! I was quite surprised to find the most famous place in Oahu to attend a luau for tourists is owned by the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I didn't find out until after I had attended the luau. While reflecting afterwards, I was intrigued and was wondering how much a talented luau or hula dancer makes there because I was so impressed. Turns out not as much as I thought and by accident, I found out it was owned by a "mormon" church. It's a nifty fact so thought I'd throw that out there first.

I really had an amazing time walking around each cultural area and all of the activities! I attended my very first luau here on my actual birthday! My husband booked the Aliʻi Lūʻau package for the 4 of us in the family. It costed a total of $804.22 (including taxes and fees). It was pricey and it may costs more over time from the day that I am posting this. There were many different types of experiences to pick from. The Aliʻi Lūʻau package included the following:

• Group guided tour through 6 authentic island villages
• Enjoy award winning Aliʻi Lūʻau buffet with live entertainment
• Gold level seating at "HĀ: Breath of Life" show

During the luau, they found out it was my birthday, so they brought out this special chocolate cupcake with white frosting for me. Since the luau buffet already had several dessert options and I had taken advantage of that at this point, I didn't finish all of my special cupcake but I thought it was still very kind of them to do that. Here is the cupcake they gave me in honor of my birthday.

I think the real highlight of it all for me was the "HĀ: Breath of Life" show. Sure, the luau made me very full and it had a great line up of food but what I think about when I reminisce about my birthday night at the Polynesian Cultural Center is the "HĀ: Breath of Life" show. It took place after the luau and was so memorable! We're not allowed to take any pictures during this show so I don't have any pictures of it to show you so, you will have to take my word for it.

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort

For the week-long summer birthday trip, my husband booked us at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. It's a famous resort and many famous people have stayed here. We stayed at the Rainbow Tower on the 18th floor. There were several pools for guests and a lagoon. We had the opportunity to swim in all of them except, we decided to not go to the 18+ only pool because we have kids with us. We enjoyed all of the pools that we did go into, and they each had certain things that made each one of them a little unique. We went down slides, went in the hot tubs, and enjoyed the complimentary towel system.

There were several great restaurants and shops within the village of the resort in cool Asian architecture. We never had to walk very far to get water or something to eat. I was very impressed with all of the ABC Stores nearby. I could get a bowl of ramen for just seven bucks or a spam musubi for less than $3! To my surprise, if there is a food budget, it is very doable as long as there is a few ABC Stores nearby.

Chee Hoo Patisserie & Brews at Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort

For one of the mornings there, my husband brought back a couple of pastries from Chee Hoo Patisserie & Brews that's located there at the resort and next to our Rainbow Tower. Their pastries were so amazingly special, especially the charcoal one. I devoured the fluffiness and great balance of its taste and weight. It was pricey, but worth it for a special treat.

View From my Balcony at Aloha Tower at Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort

We stayed on the 18th floor at the Aloha Tower. Every day was a gift when I stood outside on my balcony and took in this amazing Waikiki view. We had a view of the lagoon, dock, and ocean!

Here's another look of our view from later on the day.

On Fridays, the resort lights fireworks. While we were there, this weekly fireworks brought hundreds of locals and tourists from other resorts to the beachfront to view the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort's fireworks. It's quite a spectacle!

USS Arizona

It was a sad and meaningful experience when we visited USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Seeing the names of the servicemen who passed away on the wall really hit me. It's a very popular place to visit as a tourist and there is a great reason why. There were a lot of tourists coming here in waves and getting tickets for it is quite a process. You have to book for a particular time and if you were not able to secure tickets ahead of time, you can come and be on stand by.

They don't allow you to bring a bag in, unless it's a clear bag. Fortunately, I was carrying a clear bag the entire week! I do this because going through TSA for airport travel is much easier with a clear bag since I always have small liquids like hand sanitizer with me. If you don't have a clear bag, they will ask you to check it in the bag check area near the restrooms or another option is to put it in your car and return. Once you go through gate, you can only line up to get on the boat when it's within your time opening. If you're too early, they will ask you to get out of the line until it's time. The process is very strict, but it's well worth the visit to visit this historical grave.

Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay

It was such a hot summer week when we were in Oahu and snorkeling at Hanauma Bay was the most perfect adventure out there. Instead of renting snorkeling gear, we brought our own gear in our suitcases on the plane. They were bulky but we figured it would make us feel more comfortable using our own gear. It was a perfect call for our family of four.

What I particularly liked about Hanauma Bay is you could see fishes within 3 feet from the shore! They were amazing! So, if your kid is just getting used to snorkeling as a beginner, this is good perfect place to get your kids interested and feeling safe. There were also lifeguards out there on watch the entire time. A bonus is we saw a monk seal right when we got there! Of course, you or your kids should still be a good enough swimmer if you want to be snorkeling out there.

Hiking to Waimea Falls

I swam in Waimea Falls with my kids and they really enjoyed it! There were life jackets there to borrow for free. I recommend bringing your water shoes because it's a rocky walk down. I wore my water shoes the entire hike to prepare for jumping in the falls and felt confident climbing in and out of the water. I saw some adults and kids getting nervous in the water. Life jackets are a requirement to enter the falls so if you're already a confident swimmer, you should have no issue swimming in this one. The trickiest part is getting in the water through the rocky path, but that is still manageable without water shoes if you're careful.

The hike going towards Waimea Falls was easier than some of the hikes that my kids and I had went on in San Luis Obispo County so I would say it is pretty family-friendly. I saw some families brought their strollers with their babies.

Oahu Restaurant Reviews

[Restaurant Reviews in this Section are Still in Progress!]

• YYK Dim Sum

  YYK Dim Sum was located in Ala Moana Mall's Food Court on the second floor! They had dim sum, noodle soups and tea. I thought for express dim sum, it was pretty good! The only odd thing is if you ask for black pepper, they would say they didn't have it.

• Blue Water Shrimp Grill

  Blue Water Shrimp Grill was located within the Hilton Village in Waikiki so it was a very short walk to get food here. The line could get really long. Thankfully, they had an online ordering system so I ordered online from my phone and then, showed up 30 minutes later to pick it up on the mobile order line. Their seafood and Hawaiian plates were delicious!

• McDonald's in Waikiki

  McDonald's in Waikiki and in Hawaii are very different than the McDonald's in the other 49 states of USA. They serve rice, spam and Portuguese sausage here, in addition to the traditional menu that I'm used to! We ordered McDonald's for breakfast one morning and my sons enjoyed getting rice from McDonald's. It's like a novelty.

• Leonard's

  Leonard's was the place we chose to get malasadas! Malasadas are donuts that kind of remind me of very upgraded sugar round donuts that you'd typically find at a mega Chinese buffet. I only like the traditional kinds but my husband really enjoyed their jelly-filled ones too!

• HK Cafe

  HK Cafe was located in the basement of a building that was in the unique food court of a dozen other restaurants. It felt like I undiscovered a hidden secret. I ordered a wonton soup with noodles and it was so satisfying! They also had a kid's menu that was very well portioned. Their leaking milk dessert is worth a try if you're not lactose intolerant and have room for sweetness at the end.

• Starbuck's Coffee in Waikiki

  Starbuck's in Waikiki was in abundant! I like to do mobile order so that I don't have to wait around too long. I ordered for a location that was about a 10 minute walk from my hotel and that's usually how long it took for them to get it done during a busy morning, anyway. When I got there, I found my drink in the pick up spot and discovered that they drew a flower on my cup. It was a very sweet surprise. I walked back to my hotel along the Waikiki shore and had a fantastic walk, coffee in hand.

Aloha Stadium Swap Meet in Oahu

The swap meet at the Aloha Stadium only takes place on Sunday so we took advantage of it! We went there with the intention of just looking around, but I we needed up getting matching Aloha al fits, islander food: like lumpia, spam musubi and meat on a stick, a ukulele, 3D art, and souvenir t-shirts!

I even saved the spam musubi that I bought from the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet to the pool at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort.

I really felt like it was a fun swap meet shopping and eating experience there. It was really cheap for entry too. I think they only took cash for entry so make sure you have cash in your wallet before pulling up tot he gate. My kids were free entry because they were under a certain age.

Flying Hawaiian Airlines and United Airlines

Flying from San Luis Obispo (SBP), California to Honolulu, Oahu, we had a layover at in San Francisco (SFO). However, our first flight from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco was unexpectedly delayed! So, we we were going to miss our second flight from San Francisco to Honolulu. We were supposed to fly using United Airlines both times. However, we called United Airlines about our options for our connecting flight and they said they work with Hawaiian Airlines and there is later flight through them that we could hop on for no extra charge. We didn't hesitate and agreed. Well, it was probably the best surprise ever because Hawaiian Airlines still gave everyone a complimentary meal for long flights like this one that we did from San Francisco to Honoluly. I got a free sandwich and adult beverage too. Yes, all complimentary.

I thought my complimentary sandwich that I received on the Hawaiian Airlines plane tasted before than the sandwich I picked up at Bun Mee while at SFO Airport!

EXPLORE Feature

For the APR/MAY 2025 spring issue of SLO LIFE Magazine, there's a feature that I wrote about an art class instructed by Jason Knox that I took at Art Central in Downtown San Luis Obispo. It's now an archive so you can view the digital version of this issue from SLO LIFE Magazine archives.

At Art Central, art classes are available for adults or kids. There are many options and dates to pick from.

To view a behind the scenes reel from my point of view while I took the art class, go to my instagram reel for Art Central.

Read my latest EXPLORE Feature that I wrote for SLO LIFE Magazine by buying a printed copy from the stands of Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo.

• 70 piece art supplies


• 176 piece art kids with sketch paper and drawing tools


• Art set for adults or kids with portable case

Lure Fish House is a newer seafood restaurant in Downtown San Luis Obispo with bold architecture and a wonderful fresh seafood menu that will make you feel like you're somewhere else! It's a nice escape. Upon doing a quick research online, I realized they've been open for a year at this point now!

With high ceilings and posh service, I'm reminded of all the amazing restaurants that I've visited in the last few decades. Besides creating delicious dishes, Lure definitely knows how to find the right servers to provide memorable service!

Service is an art. There may be little science like learning a list of things to absolutely not do nor say, but what each server says right and the timing is most definitely art! I've dined here twice and both times, I've been impressed with the charming confidence and quick wittiness of both of my services from two different servers.

For this particular blog post, I'm primarily focusing on my lunch experience at Lure Fish House in San Luis Obispo after a busy Thursday morning for work in March. Thursdays are good days for me as I've intentionally set my schedule to work only half days on Thursdays; an agreed schedule that I sorted out with the software company that I'm temporarily helping out with a couple of roles right now. Therefore, after finishing work on Thursdays, I usually have this mini celebratory feeling after vigorously completing tasks for a few hours on the computer. After I disconnected, I made my way to Lure. It was a quarter past noon and also happened to be Spring Break for some schools! I always enjoy the opportunity to walk around a couple of blocks and see happy tourists and locals roaming around downtown in good moods.

The week day lunch crowd is definitely a big contrast to my prior visit for dinner on Valentine's Day weekend at Lure with my hubby. For lunch, I was seated immediately after the hostess made her way in the front and asked me how she could help me. I said, "Seat for one, please".

They seated me at a table closest to the host stand, which I didn't mind. Hearing people coming and and going through the main entrance sometimes gives me random insights about out-of-the-blue subjects that I didn't intend to learn, but was happy to accidentally acquire information about.

I decided on a Berry Mule as a drink and I was so hungry that when the server came and asked me for my drink order, I asked her if the Crispy Calamari under the Shared Plates list was big in portion size. She said it's a good size if you're just eating it for lunch. I thought I could also box any of it up if I couldn't finish something so I told her, "I'll have the Crispy Calamari and the Lure Coppino. If I don't finish anything, I'll box it up so I can save room for dessert!"

Come to think of it, I skipped breakfast that morning so it's no wonder how hungry I was! Lately, after adjusting the clocks for daylight savings a couple of weeks ago, time have seem to be flying so fast that every morning is like a feverish race against time as I simultaneously try to help my sons and get myself ready for school and work.

To add to the morning tight schedule, I have this mental checklist to aim to throw in one load of laundry and wash all the dishes by the time I'm clocking in for work at 9AM in the morning. Why I set that out to complete in the midst of packing my sons' lunches, putting make-up on and calling orders to my sons to put on their socks and shoes? I'm not sure, but it helps me feel like I had started my day right whenever I'm able to accomplish those to-dos.

My Crispy Calamari Starter and Berry Mule

Boy, this was a great combo! My server brought out my Berry Mule, while another lady, who was at the stand earlier, brought the Crispy Calamari starter at the same time to my table! The dynamic teamwork here really got me pumped up as they delivered my much needed fuel and refreshing libation to me!

The Berry Mule had just the right balance of sweetness and tartness that felt so perfect for spring. The light breading and flash fry of the Crispy Calamari on my plate helped lifted up any cloudiness of the day as they gave satisfaction to my taste buds. It was the first bite of food that I had that day and it felt like the wait to finally break my fast was all worth it.

There's been many times I thought over the years that if I were to only have room in my schedule to eat once a day, it should be a nice feast in the middle of the day just like what I was having here.

I particularly liked how the Crispy Calamari came with two sauces and the presentation of the half lemon in the center of my plate gave unity and purpose. I definitely squeezed the lemon all over my calamari. Both sauces were both great with the red marinara one more acidic and the other pinkish aioli one providing a base to calm any spiciness that may be too much heat for any bite.

I felt accomplished as I finished all of the delicious calamari from my starter. I really should have taken a picture of my plate after I had gobbled it up! Shortly after I finished my Crispy Calamari, my Cioppino arrived!

Lure Cioppino

The sun was finally coming out of the clouds around the same time that my Lure Cioppino arrived at my table! The opened clams and mussels were inviting me into their shells with the little fork that was provided to me on the entree in the center of my dish! It was such a beautiful and colorful entree! Aside from the nice sized mussels and clams, there were also shrimp, scallops and fish. I'm going to say it on this post: this is the most beautiful cioppino that I've ever had in my life! The stew really shined with the fresh basil that tasted like it was freshly plucked from a healthy garden minutes before! All of the seafood was fresh and cooked just right. The stew is a little bit more spicy than I'm used to, but it was so robust with flavor that I just drank more water so that I could continue devouring it.

Every clink of the empty shells that went into my silver bucket that Lure provided for me was like a festive activity in my space. Although I was so full when I ate about half of the portion, I made sure that I, at least, finished all of the shellfish! The sourdough slice of bread that accompanied the Cioppino was so well made and baked. I looked at the grains closely and it definitely gave me the inkling that it was locally made. I asked the server if they made their own bread in-house and she said it was from Edna's Bakery, a local San Luis Obispo bakery. Ahh, no wonder!

As I was down to the last two bites of my toast, with envy, I looked over at the table next to me and saw that they had several slices of bread that they didn't touch, which I did not have. I think the ladies saw my eyes wandered over there because they paused their conversation and started looking at their own bread as well. I shifted my eyes back. No matter, I was so full and my stomach reminded me that I've had enough food for the hour! Before I threw in the towel and while I was still staring at my Cioppino while chewing, the server remembered that I wanted dessert so she asked if I'd like to look at the dessert menu now. She was so efficient and smart! I quickly said, "yes" and within a couple of minutes, she was back to present to me a nice small "SWEETS" menu. 

The last time that I was here dining at Lure at this exact location and coincidentally, maybe same table, my husband and I had shared the Sticky Toffee Pudding. He let me picked the dessert, but he also wanted to try the Flourless Chocolate Cake. Even though he's at work while I was enjoy a nice lunch at Lure for this occasion, I ordered the Flourless Chocolate Cake and thought of him. How sweet of me, right?

Flourless Chocolate Cake

To my surprise, the scoop of vanilla ice cream that came with the dessert was larger than my flourless chocolate cake and I'm not complaining! The dessert was quite a nice portion. Another surprise is there were cocoa nibs on the dessert, but it wasn't noted on the menu. They looked like nuts, but are not! I'm not allergic to nuts, but at this point in my life, I've personally met more than a handful of people in my life with a nut allergy and since I care about them, I'm just more well aware now and wanted to note that they are not nuts! However, the texture of the cocoa nibs definitely was needed to round out the dessert.

Aside: If you have allergies, this mama is going to preach and suggest that you mention it to any server at any location ahead of time, even if you don't want to draw extra attention to yourself.

The sweet flourless chocolate cake is quite thick so the vanilla ice cream is a great accompaniment. After a few bites of the flourless chocolate, I knew there was no way I could finish this whole dessert. I ate all of the ice cream and asked the server if I could box up the rest of the chocolate.

I asked for the check and another to-go box for the dessert. My leftover Cioppino was already boxed up earlier. Checking the time of my phone, I realized I still had 45 minutes until my meter time would run out, but it's time to end my lunch feast. So, after I left Lure, I walked into the street and crossed the crosswalk over to Boo Boo Records that's only down the street before marching up the hill to find my parking spot on the street to drive home. 

The downtown location, sleek ambiance, professional service and top chef-made food at Lure will bring me back here again. Next time, I'm going to try their happy hour!

Lure Fish House Address: 1101 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

See my quick instagram reel from my lunch visit at Lure Fish House on my instagram.

[ Like what you've read? See all of the pictures I've taken at restaurants and my reviews for them under the 'Restaurants' category! ]

Surprising to many, one of my kids rather have cookies without chocolate chips. We had some gluten-free flour lying around so I concocted a batch of cookies that uses Monkfruit Sweetener with Erythritol instead of sugar, so it's also sugar-free. I also used vegan butter instead of regular butter. All in all, I really like how the cookies taste with monk fruit and vegan butter. It has a very rounded flavor with a hint of fruitiness that I very much enjoy.

My son boasted that it's the best cookies I've ever made!

Here are the ingredients that I used for my best gluten-free, sugar-free, cinnamon cookies:
• 6 tablespoons on Vegan Butter
• 1/2 cup of Monkfruit Sweetener with Erythritol
• 1 egg
• 3/4 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 cups of Gluten-free Flour Blend that also has Flax & Ancient Grain
• Sprinkles of Ground Cinnamon
I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Then, I creamed up the vegan butter and Monkfruit Sweetener with Erythritol with a hand mixer. Then, I mixed in the egg until it melds with the vegan butter and Monkfruit Sweetener with Erythritol. After that, I mixed in everything else on the ingredient list. When the oven was ready, I scooped the dough out into oval shapes and baked them on a baking pan for 12 minutes. When it's time to take them out of the oven, I lightly sprinkled ground cinnamon on the cookies.

There was a period of time when one of my kids had to go on a strict low sucrose streak because of blood work that indicated that he had sucrose intolerance. It was a big list of food elimination to reset. For a few weeks, I scrambled to find recipes and suggestions on the internet for ideas on meal and snacks so that we could stay on the right path. Here, I'll share what I've found and concocted.

Shortcut to Starch-free and Dairy-free or Sucrose Intolerant-friendly Recipes:

No sugar and dairy-free Almond Cookies

Gltuten-free, starch-free, and dairy-free Cassava Flatbread

Cassava Loaf Bread Recipe (No Sugar, No Dairy)

Turkey Breakfast Patties (No Sugar, No Preservatives)

Pork Loin Chops Marinade for Sucrose Intolerance

What is Sucrose Intolerance?

Many people know what lactose intolerance is, which is intolerance to dairy products. What not a lot of people know, including me before the diagnosis, is that individuals can have an intolerance to high sucrose ingredients which a lot of products have like: table sugar, wheat and gluten-free pasta, and even some high sugar vegetables and fruits like carrots and bananas! Luckily, there are low sugar vegetables and fruits that are safe to consume and the grocery stores here in the county have an abundant of substitutions like Stevia and Sweet'N Low! I have an older family relative who is diabetic so a sugar-free diet is not unfamiliar. However, many restaurants use sugar in their recipes. Therefore, I'm encouraged and determined to do more creative home-cooking!

The vegan snacks that we've been accumulating will now have to go in the trash. Since so many general snacks at the grocery store has dairy in it, in the past, we'd resorted to vegan snacks because they don't have dairy. However, they add a lot of sugar! I've looked at the ingredients list of the 5 boxes of vegan snacks in our cupboard and added sugar was all there, plus there are starches that we have to avoid now.

I'm going down this rabbit hole of researching for the best recipes and alternatives for my son and I'm going to collect all of my research and thoughts here so that I can always go back to this blog post and be able to share it with others as well. I know my son's situation is very unique because he is lactose-intolerant and sucrose-intolerant. However, for those who are sucrose-intolerant, it seems that dairy has to be omitted anyway because it's high in sugar!

Omitting Pasta (Even Gluten-Free), Grains, High Sugar Fruits Like Apples, and Table Sugar

I have what I call the "no eat" list for sucrose intolerance from our Dr.'s office that notes that he should avoid the high sugar items like: cereals, gluten-free bread, bread, rice, oats, polenta, arrowroot, millet, psyllium, quinoa, sorghum, tapioca, dairy milk, dates, dried beans (including soy bean), carrot, parsnip, potato, silverbeet, sweet potato, taro, banana, cantaloupe, grapefruit, honeydew melon, oranges, passionfruit, pineapple, tangelo, and of course, plain sugar or table sugar. I'm sure there is a bigger list in the universe, but as a popular food item list, this is what the doctor gave me, which I'm very grateful!

So many items on this list are perceived as healthy and very many are items that my son really enjoys eating, but he can no longer have them because of his sucrose intolerance. It's really sad. I had to have a talk with him and tell him that I wish he could have all of these so-called "healthy" items, but for his body, they are not healthy for him because of the intolerance to sucrose. I encourage him to make the right decisions for himself as he grows older, without needing me to constantly remind him because ultimately, his body pays for it with inflammation internally. I'm also going to encourage him to learn to cook beside me, even though he is currently only 11 years old, so he can learn to be creative with cooking with things his body can tolerate. I think this is something my son and I can creatively do together and bond over multiple discussions.

Using Stevia, Sweet'N Low as Sugar Substitutes

As mentioned earlier, many grocery stores have sugar substitutes which include Stevia and Sweet'N Low. Luckily, I already have some lying around in the house because I had ordered a big coffee box from Starbucks for a soccer tournament to share with other parents and Starbucks gave me so many of them. I had saved them!

I also noticed that a lot of restaurants have Stevia and Sweet'N Low on tables for coffee, and I appreciate that more than ever!

List of Vegetable and Fruits that Are Okay for Sucrose Intolerance

I had mentioned the list of high sugar fruits that my son should avoid already, but what's equally helpful is a list that he can actually have that is "safe" for his sucrose intolerance. Here is the vegetable and fruit list that his Dr. gave him that is safe for him to consume: alfalfa, bamboo shoots, bean shoots, green beans, bok choy, celery, chives, cucumbers, endive, ginger, lettuce, olives, parsley, pumpkin, bell pepper, green section of spring onion, spinach, squash (depending on the individual), tomato, zucchini, blueberry, boysenberry, cranberry, grapes, kiwi, lemons, lime, raspberry, rhubarb, and strawberry. I'm sure there is a bigger list out there on the internet, but this is what our doctor's office gave us as a reference and I think it's a great starting point.

Substituting Grains with Shirataki Noodles and Almond Flour Baked Goods With No Dairy And No Sugar

This is where I have to be super creative with recipes as a mom of a son who loves pasta! He can't have any pasta which includes any with wheat, gluten-free, tapioca starch, arrowroot, millet, quinoa, sorghum, psyllium, rice or oats. It's a strict list! I'm very early in my journey on this, but I found out that shirataki noodles may be a good option, so I will be on the look out for that at my local grocery store! I've never had shirataki noodles before so I'm very eager to try it. I just have to make sure there is no soy bean (like miso) and other starchy ingredients in the labels as many of them have them for flavoring. Because I don't want my son to go through this journey completely alone, I'm going to eat with him when I cook these new dishes for him. Amazon is going to be my best friend for items that I can't find at my grocery store in San Luis Obispo County.

Luckily my son is not allergic to tree nuts, like almond, because I can definitely substitute baked goods that usually use wheat or gluten-free flour with almond flour. I've been baking with almond flour for a little while so, fortunately, this is something I'm familiar with doing! I baked a lemon almond cake for his birthday earlier this year.

See my clip below of the cake I baked as I put a Dog Man topper on top:

Recipes I've Found That Are Safe For the Sucrose Intolerant

As I stumble onto great recipes on the internet that is safe for sucrose intolerant individuals, I will add them to the list below. We are not a vegan family as my son will still continue to eat chicken and seafood. However, coincidentally, because we are avoiding sucrose (including dairy), some of the recipes are vegan. 

• Simple Grilled Salmon & Vegetables


• Seasoned Cod


• Almond Cookies - Inspired by this recipe: Almond Cookies, I made a couple of adjustments to make it sucrose-free. I swapped out Coconut Sugar for a smaller portion of Stevia.
  Here is my version and my list of ingredients to make Sucrose-free (also Dairy-free) Almond Cookies:
  • 1 cup of Almond Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Baking powder (that is wheat-free, and no corn starch, etc for sucrose-free diet -- This is trickier than expected.)
  • 5 small packet of Stevia powder(about 3/4 tablespoon of Stevia)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
  • 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
  • 1.5 tablespoons of Water
    Instructions: I mixed all of the ingredients together and baked it in the oven for 15 minutes for 350 degrees. This is how it turned out.
    Thankfully, my son likes them and that he's not allergic to any tree nut, so we're able to utilize almond flour.
• Cassava Bread and Baked Goods - I've baked a banana bread with cassava before and it had a really nice texture. However, this was before I knew my son has sucrose intolerance so I have to work on baking without bananas now. I found this Cassava Flatbread Bread recipe online.
  The exact ingredients that I used for the Cassava Flatbread are:
  • 1 cup of Cassava Flour
  • 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Salt (I put less than what the recipe stated)
  • 6.5 tablespoons Unsweetened Oat Milk (recipe said to use any type of milk but I had oat milk at home)
  • Water (as needed if it's dry)
  
  
  It was only 5 ingredients and it tasted wonderful to my son! What's particular about the cassava flat bread is it requires a unique technique. After combining the ingredients into a crumb like texture, you have to warm it up in the microwave for 30 - 40 seconds and then be able to knead it to the right texture. I did find that it was still dry after I microwaved it so I added 1/3 cup of water until it was more of a pillowy texture, but you don't want it to too wet or it'll be too sticky! Then with a rolling pin, I flatted them out and cooked them on a cast iron outside. Cassava tends to burn and smoke up easily from my experience so to avoid setting off alarms, I cooked it outside, just to make sure. My son liked eating the cassava flatbread with his eggs, so it was a success! Here is the picture of my cooked cassava flat bread!
  
  
  There is also a Cassava Loaf Bread recipe that I've found, I had to make some changes to remove the yeast and maple syrup and replaced them with baking powder and monkfruit sweetener and it turned wonderful!
  Cassava Loaf Bread Ingredients that I used:
  • 1 ½ cups of Cassava Flour
  • 1 tablespoon of Monkfruit Sweetener with Erythritol
  • .8 teaspoon of Baking Powder (find that I if I put too much in the past when I bake, it has a interesting taste so I am usually a bit conservative
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • ¼ Olive Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ½ cup warm Water
  Instructions: After mixing the ingredients together, I actually let it sit for 30 minutes covered. I didn't put any yeast in this, but felt like I should give it some time to meld. When it was time, for 35 minutes, I baked the loaf of bread in 400 degrees Fahrenheit in a regular bread pan. However, I really needed a baguette pan because the original recipe said that this batter is made best as a narrow bread. So, I put some parchment paper in my loaf pan so that the bread was more narrow and not wide. It turned out alright!
  
  This is probably the best cassava product that I've ever made! The bread was moist and the flavor was nice and simple. There was no weird after taste.
  
  I also experimented with baking cassava cookies a few times but was unsuccessful at first. After the third batch, I was finally able to successfully bake them without burning them or tasting kind of weird! I used monkfruit sweetener, which helped with the sweetness and taste as oppose to regular stevia.
  Here are the ingredients that I used for my Cassava Cookies:
  • 1.5 cups of Cassava Flour
  • 2/3 cups of Olive Oil
  • 1/3 cup of Monkfruit Sweetener with Erythritol (It's the only one I found at Grocery Outlet, but some stores sell just Monkfruit Sweetener without the Erythritol)
  • 1 tablespoon of Stevia Extract/powder
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
  • 1 small drop of Lemon Extract
  
  
  Instructions: After mixing the ingredients together, I baked them for 11 minutes in the oven in 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I noticed that when I bake them for more than that, they start to have a burnt taste, so watch them carefully. Now, there is a dry and airy texture to cassava cookies, because it's not a starch but a root vegetable, but it's much better than not having any edible cookies to eat at all!


• Chia Bread - As I was researching for sugar free bread recipes that is sucrose intolerant friendly, I stumbled on this Chia Bread recipe that only uses two ingredients! It seems that you will need a good food processor for this.


• Sugar Free Jam - I found this Sugar Free Jam recipe that only uses 4 ingredients and I'm eager to try it.


• Turkey Breakfast Patties - My son really misses eating breakfast pork sausages, so I decided to make turkey patties with similar herbs and he actually loved it. (Image of this is coming.)
  Here's the list of ingredients that I used for the Turkey Breakfast Patties:
  • 1 lb of Ground Turkey
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Black Pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Fresh Thyme (you can use dried too)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Fresh Sage (chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
  1/4 teaspoon of Oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Red Chili Flakes (you can omit if you don't want this kick)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Paprika
  Instructions: I just mixed it all together and let it sit to meld for an hour before cooking them into patties on the pan. It's definitely less greasy than pork meat, but it still taste fine. Make sure to add olive oil to the pan before cooking them.


• Baked Pork Loin Chops - We eat pork loin chops every once is awhile, as we try to cut down how much red meat we consume. Furthermore, in addition to significantly cutting down how much red meat we eat, we also eliminated soy products per doctor's orders. My son's doctor think this will help him with inflammation, even if he doesn't outwardly look like it he is allergic when he consumes soy products. Eliminating soy products is quite more more difficult than I thought. There is soy in so many packaged food products! We also miss using soy sauce. So, I decided to try coconut aminos to cook for the first time by using it to marinade pork chops. It's a great substitute for soy sauce and the recipe I found, turned out to the best marinade I ever used on pork chops! Coconut aminos are quite expensive so I can see how I've missed using this ingredient before. However, It's delicious to cook with and I'm so glad I've been able to experiment with it now! Here is the link to the recipe that I found: Pork Chop Marinade.
  Pork Loin Chops Ingredients that I used:
  • 3.75 - 4 lbs of Pork Loin Chops with Bone-In
  • 1/3 cup of Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup of Coconut Aminos
  • 1.5 tablespoons of fresh Lemon Juice (A man sells them for 4 of them for $1 at the local flee market in Nipomo, but he kindly threw in an extra one for me for some reason. Support local!)
  • 1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
  • 4 gloved of minced Garlic
  • 3/4 teaspoon of Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Black Pepper
  Instructions: I used my hand blender to blend the marinade together before putting it in a ziplock with to marinade my pork chop loin. Man, what an immersion difference this hand blender makes! Using a hand blender takes getting used it. I still get my clothes dirty each time using it from the splashes. I've also been utilizing my cast iron a bit more often lately as well. I've started to sear food outside to avoid starting my fire alarm in the house. The smoke detector in my house is so close to my kitchen. So for the pork loin chops, I seared both sides of each pork chop for 2-3 minutes. Then, moved them to a baking pan, but spraying a non-stick spray oil first to the pan to avoiding sticking. Then, I baked them in 400 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven for 8 minutes. They were fantastic! I wish I had taken a picture.

Part of making this journey successful is the sucrose-intolerant individual will need to learn to be open-minded with eating and expanding their food options to more things that their body can tolerate, and eliminate the items they can't anymore. I can only help him out so much with the incorporation of tolerable ingredients as I try to cook or make what I think will still taste good. However, this journey is an educational journey for both of us.

This blog entry will be actively updated so bookmark and visit the page again in a couple of weeks for more updates.