Chia Pudding with Blackberries, Coconut and Pistachios

A healthy pudding alternative!

A Whole30 Breakfast Idea from copymethat.com

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

- ½ cup blackberries
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 cup unsweetened nut milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut
- 10 raw, unsalted pistachios

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, crush the blackberries with a fork so that they’re the consistency of a thick jam.

2. Add chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla extract, and shredded coconut.

3. Stir everything together to combine, then transfer to a small airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

4. When you’re ready to eat the pudding, roughly chop the pistachios and sprinkle them over the chia pudding to eat.

330 calories, 23.9 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat), 29.5 g carbohydrate (20.5 g dietary fiber, 9g net carbohydrates, 5.3 g sugars), 10.8 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol, 182 mg sodium

By Admin|2018-02-24T11:16:33-05:00February 18th, 2018|Articles, General, Recipes|

Grainless Granola

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(A delightful gift for the holidays when put in a Mason Jar with a bow on top)

½ cup raw pecans
½ cup raw walnuts
½ cup raw hazelnuts
½ cup raw almonds
¼ cup raw or roasted pumpkin seeds
⅛ cup chia seeds
⅛ cup hemp seeds
½ cup flaked or shredded unsweetened coconut

Place each nut in a food processor one at a time, pulsing just 3-4 times until pieces are “granola size”. Pulse until coarse but not a powder. Place all the contents into a gallon size freezer bag or tall Mason jar and toss in the chia seed and coconut. Increase flavor by toasting the coconut first if desired. (Spread coconut flakes on a cookie sheet and place in the middle of the oven, set to broil and keep your eyes on it until toasty brown. Don’t step away because coconut will burn very fast. Cool it before adding to the granola mix) Seal the bag, or place the lid on the container, shake it up and store in the refrigerator or freezer. (These ingredients really don’t get hard or “freeze” but it is a good place to put it to save refrigerator space and keep your “granola” fresh. Makes just over 3 cups.

Serving Suggestions:

Put 1/3 cup in a small bowl and pour unsweetened almond, cashew, flax or coconut milk on top for a breakfast cereal. Top with fresh berries if desired.
Mix with ½ cup peanut or almond butter and 1 stick of melted butter and press into a baking dish for no bake nutrition bars. Or roll into balls and coat with additional coconut flakes.
Sprinkle over the top of baked or mashed sweet potato or acorn squash
Stir into Unsweetened, organic applesauce for the kiddos.
Rotate nuts and add variety using cashews, brazil nuts, pine nuts and peanuts.
Spice the mix up with cinnamon, allspice or flaxseeds or add ¼ cup 60% or higher dark chocolate chips or 2 tablespoons of dried cranberries for a sweeter treat.

By Admin|2016-11-10T17:24:32-05:00November 10th, 2016|General, Recipes|

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Makes one 9 inch pie, serves 8-10

Ingredients

Crust:

3 cups raw walnuts
12 pitted medjool dates
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Pumpkin Pie Filling:

1 ½ cups pureed pumpkin
1 cup full fat canned coconut milk
½ cup pure maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom, optional
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Add the pie crust ingredients to a food processor or high powered blender and process until a thick, dough-like mixture forms.

3. Press the crust mixture into a 9-inch pie dish and press firmly to make an even layer. If desired, use a piece of parchment paper to press down the crust to even it out. Refrigerate crust until ready for use.

4. Add all of the pumpkin pie filling ingredients together in a blender. Blend until smooth.

5. Pour the mixture into the crust. Place on the center rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes to one hour, or until the filling has set up and the edges are golden brown.

6. Allow pie to cool for 30 minutes, then cover and chill for 2 hours before serving.

7. Cut thick slices and serve with coconut whipped cream.

Reference:

http://www.theroastedroot.net/

By Admin|2016-10-05T14:42:14-05:00October 5th, 2016|General, Recipes|

Coconut Oil

By Nancy Mehlert, MS

If you haven’t incorporated coconut oil into your lifestyle, it is time! From every standpoint, nutritional or supplemental, it is a wise and healthful choice for the whole family. It should be one of the primary cooking oils used in your kitchen every day. While you are at it, add it to your personal hygiene and first aid kit too. According to Mary Enig, Ph.D., the nation’s leading expert on fats and oils: Coconut oil has a unique role in the diet as an important physiologically functional food which offers health and nutritional benefits. We recommend the real thing rather than a coconut oil pill. We don’t recommend broccoli pills either. Eat the real thing.

What’s unique about it?

Unlike most vegetable and seed oils, coconut oil is nature’s richest source of medium-chain fatty acids (rather than a long-chain fatty acid). This quality makes coconut oil much more capable of permeating cell membranes easily, and much more easily digested.
Medium chain fatty acids, such as coconut oil, go directly to the liver where they are immediately converted to energy rather than being stored as fat.
Medium chain fatty acids are also able to stimulate metabolism which can support weigh loss. One way it does this is by stimulating the activity of the thyroid.
Coconut oil also has anti-microbial action due to the lauric acid it contains. Lauri acid is also found in mother’s breast milk. Lauric acid fights dangerous micro-organisms such as viruses, bacteria, yeasts, parasites and molds.
Coconut flour and coconut oil are considered gluten free and hypoallergenic, unlike most nuts and flours.

How do I know what to buy?

As with most oils, it is very possible and likely that cheaper versions will be manufactured, refined and chemically treated. These will not yield the health benefits desired. Look for these key words and phrases on the jar to ensure the highest quality:
USDA Certified Organic
Non-GMO
Raw, unrefined, cold or expeller pressed
If the container does no more than to say it is “pure”, even if it is organic, it is likely coconut oil made from copra, a dried, old and moldy coconut that must be refined, bleached and deodorized using chemical processing with chemicals such as hexane.
We recommend Tropical Traditions, Fresh Shores, Dr. Bronners, Nature’s Way to name a few. We carry Tropical Traditions at our facility for your convenience.

How do I use it?

In our world of internet information, and to save space, I will suggest that you explore internet resources because frankly, coconut oil has too many uses to list here. But know this:
If you eat, you need coconut oil: It is a perfect oil for stir fry, baking, and sautéing literally anything from eggs and veggies to meat. Toss a tablespoon into your morning smoothie and add to your cup of coffee! Then season your cast iron skillet with it.
If you bathe and groom your body, you need coconut oil: From makeup remover, to lotion or deodorant, hair conditioner and toothpaste, solving diaper rash or jock itch, coconut oil is an outstanding choice for personal body care.
If you have a medicine cabinet, you need coconut oil: Antimicrobial action protects scrapes and burns, soothes away baby rash, psoriasis or eczema, works as a lubricant for anal or vaginal use without disturbing normal flora and so much more.
If you have a home, you can even explore polishing furniture and leather with it (look for good instructions and test a small hidden area first).

The uses are many, the benefits are countless. Go coco-nuts!

By Admin|2016-04-29T09:15:52-05:00April 29th, 2016|Articles, General, NANCY’S NUTRITIONAL NUGGET|

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on Coconut Oil and Olive Oil

By Nancy Mehlert, MS

We often emphasize how important it is to choose healthy oils and we describe them as “undamaged”. Typically, once man begins to extract oil from its source, the goal is to find the fastest, cheapest way to extract the oil from the source, maximizing the amount of oil extracted, then treating the oil to make it look, smell and taste good, and last as long as possible. All of this is accomplished by using high temperatures, extensive refining and chemicals. Unfortunately, not only are the health benefits of the oils lost in this processing, but can actually cause harm. Here’s the scoop you need to know about two of the most important oils we recommend for everyday use, coconut oil and olive oil.

Copra

In the coconut industry, conventional coconut is dried in a wood-fueled kiln or in the sun over a period of several days. The result is called copra and it is packed tightly into burlap type sacks that hold the meat of about 400-500 coconuts. These bags are then moved through a very slow, time consuming transport to a large, industrial oil mill, usually in Europe or Asia. As a result of unhygienic drying methods, humid tropical conditions, bulk shipping and long distances with lengthy delays, the copra develops mold on it. These molds can also result in carcinogenic aflatoxin contamination. The oil extraction begins using large-scale, high pressure, energy intensive equipment and chemicals such as hexane to remove the mold from the copra. The result is a very low quality, damaged coconut oil with little to no available health benefits. This is why we emphasize organic, non-GMO, expeller pressed or raw and unrefined coconut oil so that you can benefit from the undamaged oil.

In the olive oil industry, a similar process occurs. Heat and chemicals are used to extract every last bit of oil from the olives, and these chemicals degrade the final product. To make matters worse, you may have recently seen the CBS News show 60 Minutes which exposed the hazardous chemicals and mislabeling of olive oil coming out of the Mediterranean. According to Italian authorities, as much as 80% of the olive oil investigated uncovered fraudulent labeling and false documentation. In one investigation of 10 tons of colored table olives, the coloring agent added was a prohibited and dangerous copper chlorophyllin complex also known as E141. “Made in Italy” claims were fraudulent and other illicit substances were found in production areas. Pesticides, mineral oil hydrocarbons, plasticizers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and styrene were also found in the oils. For these reasons, we HIGHLY recommend First Cold Pressed, Organic, Non-GMO verified oils from small family owned farms, and more recently, from California.

Healthy undamaged oils are essential for good health but unfortunately highly processed and damaged oils are dangerous to your health, contributing to inflammation and disease. Be sure to make good choices when purchasing your oils.

References:

http://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu/research/files/report041211finalreduced.pdf

http://www.kokonutpacific.com.au/production/CopraKP.php

By Admin|2016-04-29T09:04:00-05:00April 29th, 2016|Articles, General|

Chia Pudding with Blackberries, Coconut and Pistachios

A healthy pudding alternative!

Ingredients:

½ cup blackberries

3 tablespoons chia seeds

1 cup unsweetened nut milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut

10 raw, unsalted pistachios

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, crush the blackberries with a fork so that they’re the consistency of a thick jam.

2. Add chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla extract, and shredded coconut.

3. Stir everything together to combine, then transfer to a small airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

4. When you’re ready to eat the pudding, roughly chop the pistachios and sprinkle them over the chia pudding to eat.

Grainless Granola

——————————————————————————

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Coconut Oil

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on Coconut Oil and Olive Oil

By Nancy Mehlert, MS