Podcast Episode #168: Grain Free Baking, Brittany Angell, Author of Every Last Crumb

Topics:
1. What’s new for you from Diane [3:32] 2. Introducing our Guest, Brittany Angell [6:00] 3. A little bit about Brittany’s personal health journey [7:52] 4. Brittany’s detoxing journey [12:15] 5. Explaining the MTHFR gene mutation [19:53] 6. Brittany on allergy cooking [25:16] 7. Brittany’s recipe testing process [32:22] 8. Paleo baking staples [38:38] 9. Substituting duck eggs in baking [41:01] 10. Alternatives to sugar in recipes [44:52] 11. Balance with paleo baking [46:58] 12. Staying on track with paleo eating [50:58] 13. PMS brownies [57:09] 14. Final thoughts from Brittany [59:28] [smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/balancedbites/BB_Podcast_168_Final_cut.mp3″ color=”00aeef” title=”#168: Grain Free Baking, Brittany Angell, Author of Every Last Crumb ” artist=”Diane Sanfilippo & Liz Wolfe ” ]

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Diane Sanfilippo: Hey everyone! Diane here. Liz is having a little break this week. But I have an amazing guest to talk to you today, and I’m really excited to introduce her to you, and get into this whole interview. But first I want to say, welcome to episode 168 of the Balanced Bites podcast.

Liz Wolfe: We have some amazing sponsors who make this podcast possible. Sponsors we’ve handpicked, metaphorically, of course, that we want you to know about. So listen up.

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1. What’s new for you from Diane [3:32]

Diane Sanfilippo: Quickly before I jump into my interview, I want to give you a couple of really brief updates. My holiday eBook, it’s free for my subscribers, so if you’re on my emailing list, you’ve already gotten that or you will get it, if you’ve just subscribed. It’s available as a PDF, but it’s also going to be available soon as a kindle book. So if you’re looking for a gift that you want to send to a kindle loving friend, or you know somebody who probably isn’t into getting updates all the time, but would love to have access to that eBook, it’s going to be called Practical Paleo Holiday, so you can find that on kindle Amazon marketplace pretty soon, if not now.

The only other updates I wanted to give you guys this week are about the Mediterranean Paleo Cooking tour, or #MedPaleoTour, or #PaleoTour, perhaps, because we are super excited to rope in today’s guest to the last leg of the Mediterranean Paleo tour, which is kicking off in Seattle on December 7th, and I think we’re going to have 2 events there. It’s going to be a book signing in the evening in Lake Forest Park, and I think we’re going to have a brunch with Gluten Free Girl and the Chef, so keep your eyes peeled for details on that.

On Monday, December 8th, we’re going to be doing a dinner event at Departure in Portland. So you’ll be able to get tickets; again, just check out my website for details on how to get tickets for that. On Tuesday, December 9th we’ll be in Portland, actually it’s Tigard, is the name of the town, it’s a Costco, so we’ll be doing a book signing there.

On December 10th, Denver, and we’ll be there with my guest today, Brittany Angell. Also, Juli Bauer. And then we’ll be in Houston on December 11th, and then in Rochester on December 13th. And yes, I know we’re crazy, but we’re familiar with the weather in Rochester, and we’re hoping that it will hold out for us. But we’re psyched to go there, because Brittany Angell, who will be on this whole leg of the tour with us, is actually based in Rochester, and as many of you may know, my fiancée, Scott, is also from that area. So we’re excited to go back there and get to see some friends and family and all that good stuff. Check out BalancedBites.com; you can RSVP right on the sidebar, and get details about any of the dinner events, or dinner and brunch events.

2. Introducing our Guest, Brittany Angell [6:00]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, so I’m going to introduce our guest today, and then we’ll get right into our interview. So Brittany Angell is the author of the best selling Essential Gluten Free Baking Guides, part 1 and part 2, published by Triumph Dining, and is the founder of this fast growing, allergen free food blog, BrittanyAngell.com. She’s created over 600, holy cow {laughs} diverse and delicious recipes that are primarily dairy and gluten free; however, she strives to serve the allergen free community by developing creative, unique, and hard to find recipes that are also soy, egg, corn, sugar, and grain free. Whoo!

As a worldwide leader in food allergy awareness, Brittany is a sought after author, speaker, and consultant to corporations and restaurants seeking to capitalize on the expanding gluten and allergen-free market. Brittany’s foray into the food allergy world began in January 2010 after many months of unsuccessfully solving her own health issues through traditional means. Once she took her health into her own hands through education and research, she was led to several specialists, and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, accompanied with various food allergies and intolerances. Her ultimate goal remains  to connect, engage and understand the needs of others and to guide them through their journey to health through education, support and recipe development.

Brittany resides in Rochester, New York with her husband and three rat terriers. Her brand new book releases next week on December 9th, and is called Every Last Crumb. I did write the forward for that book, because I’ve become friends with Brittany and I absolutely love her approach, and her energy and effort that she puts into everything she does to help people with lots of food allergies, so I want to welcome Brittany. Hey!

Brittany Angell: Hi! {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Thanks for joining me. Kind of excited to be able to just chat with you, and introduce you to our listening audience, so thanks for coming on the show.

Brittany Angell: Thanks for having me.

3. A little bit about Brittany’s personal health journey [7:52]

Diane Sanfilippo: So why don’t we get started. Why don’t you tell our listeners a little bit about your health story, and then how you got into this whole allergen free baking world.

Brittany Angell: Yeah, sure, sounds good. So, 2009-2010, I started getting sick. I was 24-25 years old, and I had perfect health leading up to that, and all of a sudden my health just started crashing. I got pregnant, had a miscarriage, and from that point on, things just started getting completely crazy. A lot of people know that have thyroid issues, that it can be really complicated to get a diagnosis and figure out what’s going on, because endocrinologists really are not looking at the thyroid levels as closely as they should be. So at this point, I had no idea that I had thyroid issues. I had a sneaking suspicion; I have some people in my family that have it, but I didn’t know if that was the case for sure, but that was my gut feeling that was going on. My digestion during this year just started to completely stop. Laxatives, you name it, nothing worked. At that point, gluten and dairy and everything else, it was starting to give me heartburn and just making me feel brutally ill.

So one of the first doctors that I saw was pretty good. She was not able to diagnosis the thyroid stuff, but she was the one that kind of put me onto food intolerances, and to do an elimination diet, and to see if food was causing any issues. And it definitely was, but it wasn’t everything for me. So I saw, oh gosh, probably 10 more doctors in the next year and a half, and they all were like, oh you're great, your blood work tests out perfect, you're healthy. Meanwhile, I’m dying, like falling asleep every day. I have the chills, I couldn’t go to the bathroom, food was making me sick. I was just like, what is going on with me.

Finally, doctor number 12 did some blood work. She tested, let’s see, 5 different thyroid levels, including antibodies, which are TPO thyroid levels. And she finally diagnosed me with Hashimoto’s disease, and told me about the paleo diet, highly recommended it, and I was off to the races from there.

Diane Sanfilippo: Wow.

Brittany Angell: So that’s basically the gist of it. It was pretty intense. Oh, the other thing that happened during that process, I went in, saw a gastroenterologist, and he was like, oh it’s your gallbladder, your gallbladder is inflamed. That’s what is causing all of your issues. So they ripped that out, and I thought that was going to solve all the issues, and that didn’t do anything. So it’s kind of scary, if you don’t go to the right doctor, you can get misdiagnoses, and you can have organs taken out that weren’t even…

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Brittany Angell: You know, that were fine. It’s crazy. I’m very thankful because Hashimoto’s is starting to get more press, and it’s starting to get understood better, and more doctors know about it. It’s still kind of a struggle to get diagnosed with it, but it’s getting easier, which makes me so happy. Because you know, I totally suffered, and I hate seeing other people suffer.

Diane Sanfilippo: I think your story is really common in terms of how many doctors you had to go to before you really found a solution. It’s kind of a bummer, for sure. I think it’s so important that people hear stories like that, because I know a lot of women, specifically, who they go to their second, and third, and fourth doctor who are consistently telling them, there’s nothing wrong with you, it’s all in your head.

Brittany Angell: Yep, yep.

Diane Sanfilippo: Or everything looks fine. I think it’s really important that people listen to their bodies and know, like you said. You were so tired, you weren’t going to the bathroom. That is huge. If somebody is not eliminating, they have to find out what’s going on. Hashimoto’s is a huge reason why people get very, very constipated

Brittany Angell: Totally.

Diane Sanfilippo: Or just really can’t go to the bathroom. I know there’s a little bit more to your kind of health history in terms of what you discovered about detoxing.

Brittany Angell: Oh, totally. {laughs}

4. Brittany’s detoxing journey [12:15]

Diane Sanfilippo: Only because I know you so well. About detoxing and this whole MTHFR gene mutation.

Brittany Angell: Yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: Which has become a really hot topic. People want to know more about it. So do you want to talk a little bit more about that, and then we can talk about baking. {laughs}

Brittany Angell: Yes. {laughs} So, what’s crazy about Hashimoto’s disease, like most autoimmune diseases, it’s totally triggered by different things. So, when I found out I had Hashimoto’s that was the beginning of the rat race, trying to figure out what was causing it, how to stop it, and that was another two-year process in itself. I kept seeing even more doctors. I lost complete count of how many I’ve seen total, but I kept seeing them. I’ve just gotten to the point that, if a doctor is not telling me something I want to hear, or if they’re not giving me some new information, I dump them and move on to the next. It’s crazy.

During that process, I found out that I had adrenal issues, I had Candida issues, and then because of those things together, I was borderline diabetic. Which is just, I was 25 years old, I had always eaten healthy, I was active; I was just like, what? How did this all happen. And it’s taken me a few years to kind of piecemeal what happened and why it happened. It’s like, the best part about seeing all those doctors is finding answers. Because once you have answers, nothing can stop you from getting better. If you want to go after it and get better, you can make it happen. You just have to be willing to fight hard, and try anything, and see as many doctors, and all that jazz.

What I figured out happened is that during that year of having major digestive issues, toxins weren’t getting out of my body, and that was breeding ground for Candida issues and yeast issues. And then, the yeast started getting completely out of control and became systemic, which caused the adrenal issues. Which caused the blood sugar issues. So, the next process was going on a very strict paleo diet. I was not exact AIP, autoimmune paleo, but I was close to it. I was eating very low carb, no sugar, and I did that for a year and a half with tons, and tons, and tons of detoxing. Which I hope I never have to go through that again, to that level. But that year of detoxing and eating clean and eating alkaline diet, and drinking all kinds of green juice, that was totally what saved me.

At this point, that year of detoxing put me into remission. I’ve been in remission for about two years. Basically, the other thing that can happen is that Candida can cause leaky gut, which is what caused all of my food intolerances. So, it was all about healing my gut, getting that leaky gut under control, and once I got my leaky gut issues under control, my autoimmune disease virtually went away. So, while I still have Hashimoto’s disease technically, I have it under control. And I know that as long as I maintain a healthy diet, and probiotics, and I continue to take care of myself, that I’ll be able to keep myself in remission, which is pretty cool.

A lot of people don’t realize that you can go into remission for really long periods of time, if not forever, if you do the work to take care of yourself.

Diane Sanfilippo: And so when you talk about detoxing, I know it’s always a hot topic, because obviously I have a program called The 21-Day Sugar Detox.

Brittany Angell: Yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: But that’s not what you're talking about. You're talking about a practitioner guided program. Which I think, when people hear about a Sugar Detox, and then I get so many questions, like is this safe if I’m pregnant, and I’m like, yes it’s safe, it’s just a food based program.

Brittany Angell: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: What they’re thinking it is is something more like what you were doing, which was practitioner guided and involved a lot of different supplementation and things like that, right.

Brittany Angell: Yes. It was a combination. In essence, I was kind of following a 21-Day Sugar Detox, except I was doing it long term.

Diane Sanfilippo: Right.

Brittany Angell: And the main difference is, when you do it long term, I was not willing to give up sweet things that long, so if I’m doing a long term Candida diet, I am ok with doing stevia just to keep myself sane.

Diane Sanfilippo: Right.

Brittany Angell: It’s different than doing a quick reboot to try to get your palate back in check so you’re not craving all the bad things. It’s like a long term, got to take care of myself, got to get rid of this yeast. So it was low carb, sugar free, and then I was on a lot of natural, as well as prescription antifungals. So garlic, I’m trying to remember what else I took. Tons and tons of probiotic. I was on a prescription drug called Nystatin, which is strictly for antifungal. It’s like an antifungal for your gut. And I was on all that for a year. I did another crazy thing where I went to New York City, and I saw an immunotherapist. Basically I was put on allergy drops, which is kind of crazy, and what they did is they triggered my immune system and kind of built it up like you would work your muscles out at the gym to kind of rebuild my immune system, because the whole issue with yeast is that your immune system is not strong enough to keep it under control.

Everybody has Candida to some degree, but people with a sluggish immune system is where it becomes a problem and it can get out of control. So I did all these different things to kind of rebuild my immune system, flush out the yeast little by little. It’s a long process. It took me a solid year, and it’s kind of something that I’m going to have to do for the rest of my life, on some level, to kind of manage the yeast. Because I know that if I ignore these issues, all my health issues could come spiraling back.

Diane Sanfilippo: I think that’s; you made a couple of really good points. One was about the adrenal issues and the blood sugar issues, which were really triggered by this underlying, essentially it’s an underlying infection.

Brittany Angell: Yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: Because it’s an overgrowth of the Candida, which as you said, we all have this but it’s a matter of whether or not it’s overgrown. So when Liz and I, very often on the podcast we talk about people with issues with fatigue or just underlying issues of inflammation.

Brittany Angell: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: People don’t know what they’re coming from. It’s like, I didn’t think I was working out too hard. I didn’t think I was eating too much, I haven’t been eating grains. So even if they’ve just been eating lots of fruit or lots of sugar, and if they’d already had this problem. It’s the underlying infection that just internally is causing the inflammation and this fatigue that can be really, really massive even if you feel like you sleep enough, and you don’t train too hard, and you kind of do things lifestyle wise if it’s underlying then it’s really going to get you from within. I think that’s kind of a really big point for people to hear and grasp.

And so the thing that you found out why your body wasn’t detoxing, it was kind of a combination of the Hashimoto’s and having been constipated for quite some time. Again, if you’re listening, that’s a really important thing. If you are not eliminating.

Brittany Angell: It’s a problem.

5. Explaining the MTHFR gene mutation [19:53]

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, you are not detoxifying on a daily basis. Which that is one of our huge ways of detoxifying, is actually when we eliminate. But what about the MTHFR. Do you have that gene mutation?

Brittany Angell: Yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: Ok, so when did you find that out? Because I just know people are curious about that.

Brittany Angell: Yeah, totally. That, I found out about, oh gosh. That was a more recent thing.

Diane Sanfilippo: So, let’s back up just one second. The MTHFR gene mutation; I’m not an expert on the topic, but essentially for anyone listening, like I don’t know what you're talking about.

Brittany Angell: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Essentially, it’s a gene mutation that will tell somebody if your body is unable to detoxify properly, if your liver is not able to detoxify properly if you have this gene mutation that can be why. It’s just kind of a little tell-tale sign that you may need to support your body more than..

Brittany Angell: The average person.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, more than just what we all do naturally and eating clean and all that. Ok, so go ahead.

Brittany Angell: Yeah. It’s one of those things, I’m still very new to it. I’m still learning a lot. I haven’t done a blog post or anything about it yet, because I want to really make sure to get my facts straight before I’m blasting information out. But, it’s something that is very common with autoimmune diseases. Which is not shocking, because when we’re toxic, things start to go haywire. So, basically with the mutation, you’re genetically not able to get rid of toxins at the normal rate of somebody who doesn’t have it. So you’re storing up things that your body doesn’t like, things that are making you sick. And as those things build and grow, you’re going to get sicker, and sicker, and sicker. And that’s really what caused my adrenal issues, is I was just way too toxic. My body was just, what is going on, I can’t handle it. My liver was pissed off.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} I’m picturing your organs with feet and arms screaming, like little School House Rock organs or something.

Brittany Angell: Yeah, yeah. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m crazy.

Brittany Angell: So, with the mutation, I had mine tested through blood work. I tried to do Crossfit about, I don’t know if it was a year ago. I have no concept of time.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Brittany Angell: I’m just like, working.

Diane Sanfilippo: It’s always winter in Rochester. I’m just kidding {laughs}

Brittany Angell: {laughs} Yeah, that. But it was like, maybe a year agoish. I was going to try Crossfit, and I thought I was healthy, but I’m still definitely working on reversing health issues. I kind of binged on sugar for a little while, and I’m having to work back and get everything under control again. Anyway, I went to the gym, I tried Crossfit, my adrenals freaked out, and I was like, ok. I am not 100% healthy right now, I’m not ready for this, and I decided to try a new doctor in Rochester, who was amazing. She was like, you know what, it sounds like you might have MTHFR, let me test you. Sure enough I did. And the wild thing, is I had actually been treating MTHFR when I was doing my huge Candida detox. I was on, I’m trying to remember which supplement it was. Oh, glutathione. I was on that. My chiropractor at the time recommended that to help me through the detox, and I was taking that, and I didn’t realize that that had been helping with MTHFR.

So, I’ve actually been treating it all alone, I just had no idea. But it’s one of those things that is really common, and kind of scary, and a lot of people have it, so it’s worth talking to your doctor to get tested for, just because you never know. Because if you find out you have it, treatment is really easy. You just take a supplement every day to help your body detox, and it helps get your system under control a little bit so you don’t have a buildup of toxins.

Diane Sanfilippo: I think it’s a really cool discovery. I actually feel like it’s another real root cause that’s going on for people.

Brittany Angell: Totally.

Diane Sanfilippo: Because when we talk about such and such, Hashimoto’s or thyroid disease is in my family, so to speak, finger quotes around what is genetic, it could be genetic, but it’s the epigenetic trigger, the environmental factor, that turns it on. And so when you’re like, ok I have this gene mutation, that’s the genetic, or one of the genetic issues, it’s not to say an issue with the thyroid couldn’t be something that’s read somewhere else. I don’t know about DNA encoding, but I do know that if people are dealing with autoimmune disease and they find out they have this issue with detoxing, if getting rid of gluten, soy, and dairy, and doing all these things doesn’t really put you in remission and support you in that way to the fullest, then finding out that this other underlying issue is going on, that can push you to that next step, if that is what’s going on for you. And I know there are so many people listening that are probably like, oh my gosh, I have to pull over and write this down.

Brittany Angell: Yeah! {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: There are notes on the podcast, transcript notes, this whole thing will be transcribed over at BalancedBites.com. Don’t worry, you can definitely check out all the details later and read how to spell this whole thing out, and see if you want to ask your doctor about it and just see if it could be going on with you.

6. Brittany on allergy cooking [25:16]

So, let’s get into some fun stuff. Because you and I became friends, not that long ago, several months ago now, I think probably shortly after PaleoFx this year.

Brittany Angell: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: And I’ve just been following what you’re doing. When your book was getting all put together, I was kind of taking a peek at it. I actually, people ask me all the time about paleo baking. First of all, they ask me for tips on what to do.

Brittany Angell: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m like, do not ask me {laughs} about that. But more importantly, they ask about how often, and should we be eating this all the time, little details like that. One of the things I really like about your approach is that you have this mindset of, food should taste good, everybody should get their treat if they want it. Birthday cake, whatever it’s going to be, regardless of food allergies, because it is something that, even though I know you’ve healed your gut and actually a lot of your previous food allergies are pretty much healed up, so they were probably more intolerance.

Brittany Angell: Yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: Than allergies, so not to confuse people. I can’t eat walnuts, I’m not going to heal that. It’s not going to come back. This is an oral allergy, I will need an EpiPen. That’s a different thing. I just really like, and respect, the way that you have sort of passion for just helping people find that joy. For anybody who takes a minute to get know or ask you, should people eat this every day, it’s not your opinion that they should have it every single day.

Brittany Angell: Oh my god, no. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: And for me, this is just kind of my little disclaimer, introduction to writing a forward for the book. I was like, I really want to tell people that this stuff is ok now and then. I think so many people come to paleo as a choice.

Brittany Angell: Yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: But there are so many more who come to it because they can’t eat things that they’re actually severely allergic to. And those are the people that you’re here to help. Because if you can’t eat eggs, I can’t help you bake anything, personally.

Brittany Angell: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m like, I don’t know what to do! I’ll send them to you. So I just wanted to let people know that that’s why I kind of loved your approach because I’m sensitive to it. Now that I’m allergic to nuts, it is something that developed later in my life, it’s something that I appreciate being able to find a recipe for a holiday, for example, that I can use. So how did that become your passion and your real focus? Because you don’t just bake things that are grain free. This stuff is next level evil genius, whatever.

Brittany Angell: {laughs} Oh my god, thank you. Well, back to when I was sick, I was sick and everything was making me sick. I’m not going to lie, I got so intense in with trying to heal myself, I ended up with orthorexia for a little while, I was so obsessed with getting better. I really started to miss baked goods, and I really started to miss feeing normal. Going to Christmas or Thanksgiving, or whatever it may be, I was depressed. I just, I cried all the time because I just wanted to be normal. Even once I healed my guts, I still have some pretty major intolerances, like coconut, and eggs, and quinoa, which is stupid, I don’t eat that anyways.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Brittany Angell: Gluten, I can’t eat those things even still.

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m going to quote you on that. “quinoa, which is stupid, I don’t eat that anyways.”

Brittany Angell: {laughs} It’s gross. I mean, I understand there’s a health fad behind it, but I think it’s gross. It’s always made me feel gross. It doesn’t even taste that good. {laughs} Anyways, most people don’t realize, I can’t eat a lot of the things that I’m creating for my blogs and my books. I don’t even do it for me anymore. After experiencing how awful it was to not be able to eat things, and to feel left out, I was like, this is ridiculous, and I’m going to fix this for everybody else. Once I figured out how to fix it for myself, I was like, I’m going to fix this for everybody else. And I’m going to make sure everybody can have something on the holidays. Everybody can have a treat on the weekend if they want it. Everybody can have bread again if they want it.

I’ve come into contact with so many moms that have kids that were born with allergies, and it is just heartbreaking, especially for the kids, that they can’t have certain things. Or that they’re missing out at school. That breaks my heart. So I just went on this crazy mission to figure it all out. It’s taken me a very long time to figure it all out. My first books were not paleo. They were Essential Gluten Free Baking Guides, and basically I spent a year, and I call that year like my college for baking because I had no prior experience. That year I just spent playing with all the gluten free flours, and swapping them, and trying to figure out how the heck anything worked, because at that point, there was not a book. There was no information. There was only vague information about how the flours worked online.

You could go to Wegman's, or whatever grocery store and see all the flours, and have no clue which one to buy, what they were used for. So I was like, I’m going to figure this out. So I went on this suicide mission.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Brittany Angell: I’d make a muffin with 12 different flours, and I’d compare results, and I’d take notes. I am not a scientist sort of person, I’m not a mathematic… I hate math, I hate science, I am very creative. So I was like, who am I right now, getting all excited for trying different flours and testing things out, and writing. I was like, I don’t even know who I am anymore. But I got completely obsessed, and I fell in love with it. I loved the challenge. Because there’s nothing better than figuring out something after you tried it 12 times. That feeling of victory, and I figured it out.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Brittany Angell: Nothing compares. So I got addicted to that feeling. So, fast forward. When I kind of went paleo myself, I started pushing into the grain free realm and grain free flours, which I had played with a little bit, but not a ton. It became a really fun thing because I was able to take all of my knowledge with the other flours, and how they worked and kind of apply it into grain free paleo baking. It just kind of became a new challenge, and I loved it. Last winter, I got in touch with Victory Belt, and I had this crazy idea to write a paleo bread book. I was just like, oh that would be really cool, I think people would love it! But I didn’t know how to make bread.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Brittany Angell: {laughs} I didn’t know how to do paleo bread at that point . I was like, hopefully I can figure it out. So, four and a half months later, five months later, the book was written and I literally cannot believe the recipes I was able to figure out. It’s a miracle. Honestly. I don’t know how I did it.

7. Brittany’s recipe testing process [32:22]

Diane Sanfilippo: So we have a bunch of questions here from your fans over on Instagram, and a I know a lot of these are going to be questions that our listeners have too, I think they’re really good ones. One of them actually is a good one to have right after you just said. SnazzyMcGee {laughs} is the handle, wants to know how many times you try a recipe before giving it your seal of approval, and is there anything you haven’t made yet that you want to try.

Brittany Angell: Ok. So, that ranges. It depends if I don’t know how to make the baked good or not. I used to make things upwards to 16-20 times, over and over and over again. One of the things that I pride myself in is the fact that even if something tastes good, and is good, I will not stop until it’s exactly what I want. I’m not going to settle for good pancakes, I want them to be exactly like Bisquick pancakes. And I drive myself crazy playing and toying with an already really delicious recipe to take it to the next level. So, it all depends. I’ve been doing this for so long that it’s gotten to the point where I’m able to figure things out pretty quick. Like, I know exactly what ingredients are going to do, I know exactly what the flour’s going to do. I know if I add more fat, this is going to happen. If I take it away; because I’ve done so much trial and error for so long that it’s gotten easier.

For example, I created a panettone recipe two weeks ago for Club Angell, an exclusive recipes club I have on my website.

Diane Sanfilippo: I’ve seen people posting pictures of it, by the way, who’ve been making it. It looks ridiculous.

Brittany Angell: I am so proud of that recipe. And that only took me one try. But the reason it only took me one try, is because I knew I had this other recipe that was similar, and all I had to do was make a few adjustments to make it become this new thing. So, it’s like, baking is one of those things that becomes second nature. If you do it enough, you just become one with…

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} I love this interview, because I’m like, I hope I never do it enough that it becomes second nature, because I think that would be really dangerous for me, because I will eat all the things. I can’t imagine. I made a pumpkin pie yesterday, and I think I’m eating the whole thing.

Brittany Angell: You didn’t even wait for it to cool.

Diane Sanfilippo: I didn’t wait for it to cool. I didn’t even have a full crust. I had whatever leftover crust I had.

Brittany Angell: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Anyway. So, it depends. I guess that’s kind of the answer. And for the people who are doing this kind of baking at home, tell me if you agree, I always tell people. Don’t wing it from the start if baking isn’t your thing. I literally, every single time somebody asks me how to bake something, I’m like, Brittany Angell. I just keep tagging you. Because I know that you’ll have a recipe either in the new book, it will be on your website, or it will be in Club Angell. It will be somewhere, and if they just start from that, and you 9 times out of 10 you have it, not only grain free but there’s also a nut free or coconut free or egg free or something like that that you’ve got so many versions of. I’m like, go find out how to do it there, and then.

Brittany Angell: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} And then see what happens.

Brittany Angell: I get obsessed with; like in Every Last Crumb. If I know a recipe is going to be super popular; for example, waffles, or a sandwich bread or whatever. If I know it’s something a lot of people are going to want, I go crazy and I start getting obsessed and I will make that same recipe 6 different ways, so there’s a rice flour version for modified paleo people that can’t have nuts or coconut. And then there’s a coconut flour recipe, and then there’s an almond flour recipe, and then there’s a, what’s the other one. I’m drawing a blank. But I’ll just make sure that there’s something for everybody, because I don’t want anybody to be left out. I get really upset if I think one person is not going to be able to make the bread. Which is a little bit crazy and a little bit unreasonable.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Brittany Angell: It’s like I can’t let it go until I know everybody gets some.

Diane Sanfilippo: But that’s the thing, too, from my perspective. I cook, I don’t bake, and I do develop recipes. But 9 times out of 10, any of us post a recipe, and the first question is, can I substitute something. Literally any recipe we could post, it could be free of every allergen you could think of, and somebody says they can’t eat carrots, or whatever it is. I think a lot of bloggers out there just get frustrated at that, and want to scream.

Brittany Angell: Yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: Because it is frustrating. Especially if you’ve already developed as grain free, dairy free, etc. You’ve already left so many things out. What I really appreciate about your approach, and I think why you and I get along so well, is that we see that as an opportunity to help people.

Brittany Angell: Right.

Diane Sanfilippo: As opposed to a criticism of our work.

Brittany Angell: yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: Or as opposed to; it can feel upsetting in the moment. It can feel, not hurtful, but it can be upsetting where you’re like, ugh! I just spent so much time on this one! Of course someone has to ask for something else. But I think because you always have that positive approach, like, well if I don’t have it then I’ll try and make it.

Brittany Angell: Right.

Diane Sanfilippo: And if it’s not possible, I’ll tell you.

Brittany Angell: I used to get super upset. Not because I was mad at people for wanting something more; I was disappointed in myself for not knowing how to provide it. I was like, what is the point of being an allergen free blogger if I don’t know how to help everybody! {laughs} I took it as, self criticism, which is a little bit weird, but I was like, I’m going to figure this out. I don’t want to be less than. I don’t want to ever be not fulfilling people’s needs. If I’m going to do this, I want to do it right, and I’m going to figure it out. So I kind of used it as motivation to take things to the next level. Obviously, not every single thing can be swapped. Not every single recipe can be made lots of different ways. But if it’s possible, I will figure it out, and I will put it in my book, or I will put it on my website.

And I always like to try to alternate. This week I did a coconut flour recipe; next week I’ll do almond flour, so that there’s always a really nice variety, so there’s something for everybody.

8. Paleo baking staples [38:38]

Diane Sanfilippo: So, one of the things that you just kind of touched on, and I think leads into our next question pretty well. When you are doing this whole paleo, or grain free, or allergen free baking deal, you can’t just swap things one for one. You can’t just use coconut flour instead of almond flour, and leave everything else constant. You just can’t do that.

Brittany Angell: No.

Diane Sanfilippo: That’s why I always tell people, go look at the recipes that have been developed. It’s more than that, it’s more complicated. But we have one question from one of your Instagram followers, and I think it’s a she, I’m not sure. Can you talk about what your paleo baking staples are, actually it doesn’t say paleo. What your baking staples are, things you always have in your pantry. I used to keep flour, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips, etc., but now that I’m doing paleo baking, I keep needing to buy different things each time. Just wondering what you keep on hand versus what you buy for each recipe.

Brittany Angell: That’s a good question. Once a month or so, my assistant or I will go and stock up on several hundred dollars of supplies. Because it totally does save on running to the store. The things that we always have, organic coconut flour, blanched almond flour, chestnut flour. I always have 10 bags of tapioca flour; you guys don’t need to get that much, I just buy that much because I’m baking so much. Potato starch, one bag of potato flour, that will last forever. Potato flour is a really awesome ingredient, I use it a little bit in Every Last Crumb. What else? Spectrum shortening, lots of butter, coconut oil, vanilla extract. I put a lot of vanilla extract in my recipes. I always buy like 10 things at once, and we go through like 3 a week. It really does make a difference. Palm sugar, sometimes I buy xylitol, which is really good for sugar free baking. I always have stevia, usually unsweetened almond milk. Usually we have eggs, though I don’t bake with them that much. Oh, and applesauce. I use applesauce in everything. I think that’s it. It’s like the main list of things that we always have.

9. Substituting duck eggs in baking [41:01]

Diane Sanfilippo: Ok. So, the reason you don’t use eggs a lot is because I know you’re allergic to them, and we’ve got one question from someone who said that they’re allergic to eggs as well, and do you ever use or try duck eggs to substitute in your baking, and have you ever been able to reintroduce eggs?

Brittany Angell: Yes. So, the way that works, I have a, I don’t actually have an allergy, I have a really strong intolerance. So I don’t have an allergic reaction the way that you would. Instead, if I eat eggs, it triggers my Hashimoto’s disease for a day or two. I can have duck eggs. I think primarily because I wasn’t eating them a lot when I was sick, so I didn’t develop an intolerance. But duck eggs still kind of make me feel crummy.

It all depends on whether or not people have a mild intolerance that just happens to be going on because they have leaky gut, or if they have an autoimmune intolerance, which is what I have. So I probably will never be able to eat regular chicken eggs again, which I’m ok with because I know how to bake without them for the most part. But, it’s different for everybody. It all depends on your healing process, and what kind of intolerance you’ve got.

And as far as converting chicken eggs to duck eggs, you can totally do that in baking. Duck eggs are a little bit bigger than chicken eggs, so I would say on average 2 medium sized chicken eggs for one duck eggs would be a good swap in recipes.

Oh, the other thing you could do, too, if you wanted to be really precise. You could go online and pull up the gram measurements for a medium egg, large egg, small egg; these are chicken eggs. Get that gram measurement and then use that gram measurement when you measure out your duck egg, to get the same exact amount of egg into your baked good. That’s the other thing you could do.

Diane Sanfilippo: I’ve learned about gram measurements in baking from you, about how precise.

Brittany Angell: I know!

Diane Sanfilippo: There’s certain types of recipes I know that you have where, is it if you’ve listed the grams they should use them?

Brittany Angell: Yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: Or, if you at all want to have the most successful baking and you have a food scale, or you are serious about having your grain free baked goods come out with precision, if it lists the gram measurements, you should use them.

Brittany Angell: Yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m like, I don’t know, I’ll eat it anyway, I don’t really care.

Brittany Angell: {laughs} It’s different. Some baked goods are really, really finicky, and other ones are, you know, if you measure things a little bit different than I did, it’s not going to make a big huge difference. For example, pancakes, waffles, muffins, quick bread, those things are all pretty forgiving. The problem is that every time somebody measures their cup, they’re going to fill that cup a little bit different. And there’s even a difference, brand to brand of measuring cups. They’re all a little bit different, which is kind of crazy. So, the way that people measure is different.

When it comes to bread, that’s a whole nother story. Especially, I used yeast in some of the recipes in Every Last Crumb. And especially when yeast is being used. The amount of liquid and the amount of flour in your baked good will 100% make or break whether or not it turns out. So for the paleo croissants, I only listed the gram measurements, because if people change one little thing about that recipe, I know that they won’t turn out. Because they’re finicky.

So, really, it all depends on the baked good. But, always gram measurements are more accurate, and if you want your recipe to turn out exactly as I made it in my kitchen, using gram measurements is a sure fire way to get that. If you use cups, you’re adding variables, and you might use a little bit more flour than I did, or a little bit more milk, or whatever, and who knows what could happen.

10. Alternatives to sugar in recipes [44:52]

Diane Sanfilippo: So, we’ve got a question here that says, I’m sensitive to sugar. Even a tiny amount makes me gain weight. I know that you replaced sugar in many of your recipes with xylitol. My question is, is it a 1:1 swap when you say, replace coconut sugar with xylitol, etc.

Brittany Angell: Yes. Yes, it works 1:1. Xylitol has almost a little bit of a glue like quality to it, so sometimes baked goods are a little bit chewier, and I’ve noticed the texture of xylitol the day you bake it in the baked good is a little bit different than the next day, but in general, xylitol is an awesome 1:1 replacement. The only thing that it’s not good for is if you're trying to make something crunchy. So, like a crunchy cookie, or a shortbread cookie. It’s not going to be crunchy because of the xylitol, because xylitol doesn’t crystallize in the same way that sugar does. But for muffins, pancakes, anything soft, cookies, bars, xylitol is awesome.

Diane Sanfilippo: And I would let her know, I’m just assuming. Sorry about the assumption. That if you are that sensitive to sugar, then you want to be working with a practitioner to find out why you are that sensitive to it.

Brittany Angell: Yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: Because, if your gut bacteria is so out of whack that a little bit of sugar makes you gain that much weight, or your insulin sensitivity is so off that that much sugar makes you gain weight, I would really question that. Because it’s not a normal response. It can be really common, but it’s definitely not normal. So, I think when Brittany is talking about using things like stevia and xylitol when you’re on a detox, or when you’re really trying to cut back on what your system is receiving because you're trying to heal things, that’s a really different scenario than a treat now and then that has a little bit of sweetener in it.

Brittany Angell: Yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m talking to people all the time who are trying to lose weight, and of course I don’t want them eating lots of sweeteners, but your body should be able to handle a little bit of it without going totally out of whack.

Brittany Angell: Yep. Agreed.

11. Balance with paleo baking [46:58]

Diane Sanfilippo: So, here’s a question, and I think we can talk about this a little bit from both of our perspectives. But this one is, can you talk about balance with regards to paleo baking? How much is too much, and how often is too often? What do you think about that?

Brittany Angell: So, I think that if you're craving treats every single day, and you’re on the paleo diet, then you might want to consider doing a 21-Day Sugar Detox, basically.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Brittany Angell: Treats are treats, paleo or not. My focus has always been for people, primarily that need to eat this way, and they need to be able to have a treat once in a while. But if you're a healthy person, are you eating sugar, are you eating bread, are you eating treats on a daily basis? Probably not. So I think it really depends person to person and what your balance is. For me, it’s funny, I bake so much, I don’t even really crave it. I enjoy the process of it. So some weeks, maybe I’ll have a treat once or twice, some weeks I don’t have it at all. It really depends week to week, for me personally. But I try to keep my focus on meat and vegetables.

I’m not going to lie, I’m not perfect. When I travel, and things get really busy, and I’m stressed, I’m not good about following paleo. I fall off the bandwagon, and then get mad at myself. Paleo really is, for me, a great goal, and a great structure for me to get back on track, and treats are not necessarily part of getting back on track. {laughs} So I think as long as you keep a really good balance, and as long as you find what works for you, and as long as you’re not having baked goods every single day of the week as part of your regular meal, then you’re ok. I don’t know, what do you think Diane?

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Brittany Angell: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: I kind of have the same approach. I think there’s different seasons and I’m the same way as you are, when I’m traveling. And I can’t be as liberal when I’m traveling as often as I am right now, so luckily being on the road with someone like Caitlin, she really doesn’t eat sugar at all. She’ll do dark chocolate or berries. She always keeps kind of low carb. But, sometimes when we get around each other, it becomes a little more like a celebration.

Brittany Angell: Right!

Diane Sanfilippo: And we want to enjoy a treat together, like some grass-fed Jennie’s ice cream or something like that. I think having those celebrations and that time is kind of nice. And I think if people are baking this stuff at home, I think a lot of times, if you’re new to paleo, you get kind of excited with trying to replace the old favorites. I tend to see it wear off. It wore off for me, I see it wearing off for most people, and I think that within the first 3-6 months it tends to wear off, and maybe it’s up to a year. And then I think the people who have been doing paleo for 6 months to a year or even longer who haven’t realized that that’s what happens. They become a little overzealous and beat people up for doing it.

Brittany Angell: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: And I’m like, just calm down. They will realize that it’s not helping them reach their goals.

Brittany Angell: Right.

Diane Sanfilippo: If the first website they found was yours.

Brittany Angell: That would be bad! {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} And somehow they’re like, oh this is what paleo is all about! Shortly thereafter they will see something on Instagram that you post that points them to me, or whatever. They’ll get there. I’m just not too worried about it. But I do think; I don’t really bake that often, and if you see it on Instagram or whatever, that’s about as often as it happens. I try to give most of it away too, if I do bake. I’ll have a couple of pieces, and that’s really it.

Brittany Angell: I feel like you’ve baked more now that we’re friends.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} I know. Well, no, it’s the holidays.

Brittany Angell: Ok. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah. And it was because I was making that ginger snap recipe, or whatever we made. That ginger drop cookie for the holiday eBook, and I was like, can you help me, please?

Brittany Angell: {laughs}

12. Staying on track with paleo eating [50:58]

Diane Sanfilippo: So then to kind of dove-tail into that, there’s a question about someone who finished a paleo challenge at her gym, and she’s new to paleo and loves it, and just wants any suggestions or tips that we have for staying on track with it, and not just reverting back to old eating habits. What are your ideas on that?

Brittany Angell: My goal, my perfect paleo diet, is 80/20. Whenever I stick to that, I’m really proud of myself and I’m usually feeling really good. And for me, that’s usually, I’ll eat really clean mostly meat and vegetables Monday through Friday, and then on the weekends, if I want to get takeout, gluten free takeout, or if I want to make cupcakes or if I want to get something from the store, I’m ok with it. It’s a little bit hard for me to follow that when I’m writing books and I’m banging out so much stuff left and right. It’s harder to stick to that Monday through Friday structure. But that’s what I aim for, and that’s what I feel best doing.

Diane Sanfilippo: Book writing is like, imagine your work was at home and it was pretty much 24 hours a day. That’s what it’s like to write a book {laughs}

Brittany Angell: Right, exactly. And one of the biggest things for me too, is because I was so sick, and because so many things were making me sick, that for that year I had to eat so strict, I really appreciate being able to cheat a little bit and be able to be normal. You know, some people they can’t have paleo treats. They can’t. Their body is not ready for that. So it’s all about figuring out what works best for you, and finding your balance, and doing what keeps you mentally sane. I don’t necessarily need to eat treats every weekend, but I need to know that I can.

Diane Sanfilippo: Mm-hmm.

Brittany Angell: To feel sane.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Brittany Angell: I don’t want to feel like I’m living this strict lifestyle, that I’m missing out on things, and that I’m miserable. I’m not going to live like that. Life is too short.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah. So, a paleo challenge is a time when people do follow something very strictly for those 30 days.

Brittany Angell: Yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: And they’re not eating sweeteners and treats. And it’s very similar to a 21-Day Sugar Detox. But, at the end of it, I think a lot of people come out, if the gym didn’t maybe educate them a lot on the background of why they’re doing it, it’s just this thing that they’re doing, then I think people come out, and they saw it just as a challenge and just as a diet. They know that it’s better for them, they know that they shouldn’t be eating refined foods and lots of bread and pasta, all that stuff. But, at the same time, I think that there’s not as much understanding and foundation to the whys.

Brittany Angell: Yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: So this is where, it’s one of the reasons why I wrote Practical Paleo the way I did. Because I knew that actually, if you took that book and wanted to do a 30-day challenge, or follow a squeaky clean meal plan or at least the tips on what to eat and avoid, etc., just kind of follow the paleo foods list in there. If you read, the book is 432 pages, but the first 120-125 are the “reading part”.

Brittany Angell: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: If you just want to understand the whys of paleo, and get to that place where you’re like, ok. Now I understand. This is based on what I used to teach in seminars, for the first couple of years of teaching seminars around the country, I saw what questions everybody had. I saw what concepts people really needed to understand more deeply, and that’s what really formed the content for the book. So understanding how blood sugar regulation works, understanding how your digestion works. Those are kind of the two critical elements, and I know Brittany, in your story, the two highlights of the story is the blood sugar and your digestion; of course, an issue with detox and infections.

Brittany Angell: Yep.

Diane Sanfilippo: Those things are much deeper and kind of go further, but the first two things that everybody needs to figure out is getting their blood sugar in check and their digestion.

Brittany Angell: Right.

Diane Sanfilippo: And that’s really, I think once people understand that, then the path to staying even 80/20 or 90/10 paleo, whatever you want to call it. Because I don’t think any of us who teach about paleo eat 100% strict paleo all the time. Nobody does it, because it’s impossible. We don’t live in a world where that’s even possible. If you know why you're doing it, then you just continue to make those choices and it becomes part of your regular life. I’m at a Starbucks, for example. The stuff that’s in the case that’s all filled with gluten, and all the scones, and whatever else. It’s not even an option to me. Now, I am human, and I love chocolate.

Brittany Angell: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: And I do love a cookie. And so, they have a flourless chewy chocolate cookie. And there’s probably a whole lot of sugar in there, and who knows what else. But, if on the off chance I want to have something and I’m at a Starbucks, that’s a time where I will chose something like that.

Brittany Angell: Right.

Diane Sanfilippo: I won’t choose the stuff with gluten, because I just know, over time that stuff just really doesn’t make me feel good. And I personally can rebound from a little bit of sugar much faster.

Brittany Angell: Right.

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m an active person, and it doesn’t really hit me the same way. I think for everyone who comes out of a challenge, and even to come out of a Sugar Detox and know that nobody expects you to eat that way 100% all the time.

Brittany Angell: Right. Nobody’s going to judge you.

Diane Sanfilippo: No, but we hope that you learned something. We hope that you learned also, if you go off the rails again, that and see how that feels for your body, and then come back to understand that this is real food, this is not real food, this is where you should be living most of the time, and then every now and then… and then nobody really cares what else you do from there. You know, if you’ve got friends that are kind of beating you up for it, send them to me and I’ll set them straight for their paleo perfectionism. {laughs}

Brittany Angell: Right {laughs}. I think it’s one of those things where people don’t realize how good they could feel. They’ve kind of accepted average health, and then they go paleo, and all of a sudden they feel drastically better in so many ways, and they’re like, oh my god! You know? So I think really that’s what paleo is about, is finding your best health, and figuring it out, and realizing you can be healthier and feel more alive, and that’s finding a balance from that point on of how to maintain that, but still feel normal.

13. PMS brownies [57:09]

Diane Sanfilippo: Right. So, my last question for you. {laughs} Can we talk about the PMS brownies?

Brittany Angell: Oh my god! {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Brittany Angell: Those are the devil.

Diane Sanfilippo: So, I have Brittany’s book here, I’m flipping through it. Honestly, you guys, the recipes in here. It’s like, if you could imagine everything you ever wanted to bake grain free, and wish it was kind of all in one place or one website, or whatever; Brittany is really your go to source. If you don’t know where to find the recipe for grain free cinnamon rolls, grain free soft pretzels, grain free waffles, tortillas, bagels. I’m giving this book to my dad for Christmas, because he needs to start making bagels for all of us again.

But the PMS brownies, they’re kind of an institution now. This is one of the things that, besides waffles, I know you’re very known for waffles. But the PMS brownies became a thing. Instagram, people are taking pictures and posting their PMS brownies. Where did this whole thing come from?

Brittany Angell: {laughs} Well, basically I was just trying to think of the most ridiculous thing I could come up with, and that’s what happened. {laughs} I was just like, what are all the things that taste good with chocolate, I’m just going to put them all in one place. So, it’s basically, if you have a problem with sugar, do not touch the PMS brownies recipe.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Brittany Angell: Because {laughs} there is so much sugar. The base recipe is like a ridiculous; I’m so proud of the base recipe, because they’re like brownies out of a box. They’re gooey, and they’ve got that crunchy sort of top.

Diane Sanfilippo: Mmm. I love brownies.

Brittany Angell: Oh my god, I know. Who doesn’t love brownies?

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Brittany Angell: So, they’re like an espresso triple chocolate base with salted caramel and I made homemade sunbutter cups and those went on top, and then chocolate chips, and it’s just layers and layers of all the things that are sugar, basically. And it’s a very popular recipe {laughs} .

Diane Sanfilippo: I love it. I remember {laughs} I was looking at this book, and I don’t know who it was. A male. And he was like, what, PMS brownies? What? Like Pms brownies? {laughs}

Brittany Angell: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: I was like, uh.

Brittany Angell: It’s for the men too, I mean, everybody has to deal with PMS in one way or another. People need comfort.

14. Final thoughts from Brittany [59:28]

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} That’s amazing. Alright, well what else do you want to tell our listeners before we wrap up today’s show? Anything else you want to share with them?

Brittany Angell: I don’t know. I would say maybe the only thing that I didn’t talk about was the fact that, in Every Last Crumb, most of the recipes there’s a ton of egg free recipes, most everything is grain free, there’s dairy free options, there’s nut free options, there’s coconut free options, so whatever your intolerance is, you should be able to find something. There’s even some AIP friendly, autoimmune paleo friendly recipes that are nut free and egg free, and whatever.

Diane Sanfilippo: So they’re like the unicorns of baking.

Brittany Angell: Yes.

Diane Sanfilippo: That’s what Brittany creates.

Brittany Angell: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: If they don’t find a specific recipe in the book, which this book is huge. How many recipes are in here? There’s a lot of recipes.

Brittany Angell: I think there’s 160.

Diane Sanfilippo: That’s basically two cookbooks, by the way. Most run of the mill cookbooks are 75-80. I know most of us are overachievers here.

Brittany Angell: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: But this is like 2 cookbooks, legitimately. But if they don’t happen to find a recipe in there, I know your website has a ton of recipes. And if people just want to see samples of the kind of recipes that you have, they can check out BrittanyAngell.com, and also Club Angell. Do you want to talk a little bit about Club Angell?

Brittany Angell: Yeah. So on my website, there’s free recipes and there’s club recipes. Club Angell is dirt cheap. It’s $14.99 a year. When you sign up, you get two eBooks, which are also insanely allergen free, of course, and then you get access to the archives. I post usually 2 new club recipes a week, and those are, aside from the book, where my most popular extra allergen free fancy baked goods go. So for the holidays we’ve got 5 different kinds of cinnamon rolls, every flavor, like pecan pie cinnamon rolls, and pumpkin, and pretty much everything. And of course, there’s tons and tons of free recipes on my site as well, so you can get a sample of those. Club Angell is for people that want more, and love to bake, and love to get all their favorite things back, and it’s kind of that next tier. And I make sure to put different things in the club than I do in the book, than I do for free. So between all three different things, you’ll find tons, and tons, and tons of recipes.

Diane Sanfilippo: I don’t know how you do this. This is like,

Brittany Angell: It’s really, it’s so much fun. I love it.

Diane Sanfilippo: It’s magical. Brittany is insane like I am, and she works really really hard because I know she’s super passionate about helping all of you guys kind of find that joy in your food again. So I just wanted to say thank you for coming on the show with me and chatting.

Brittany Angell: Yeah! Thanks for having me.

Diane Sanfilippo: That’s it for this week. You can find Brittany at BrittanyAngell.com and her new book, Every Last Crumb, releases officially December 9. Brittany will be on tour with us for the whole week from December 7th through the 13th, and yes you’ll be able to get her book. Its available now everywhere. I think you can get it on Amazon, preorder, the day that this episode releases, and bookstores everywhere and in some select Costco stores, I believe. So you can check her out again, BrittanyAngell.com and Club Angell, all that good stuff will be there. Until next time, you can find Liz at http://realfoodliz.com/. You can find me, Diane, at DianeSanfilippo.com or blog.balancedbites.com. Don’t forget to join our email lists, and I believe Brittany’s got one too, for free goodies and updates that you don’t find anywhere else on our websites, or Facebook, or social media. We put lots of good stuff on our emailing lists. While you're on the internet, leave us a review in iTunes if you're in there. See you next week.