Ice Cream Topping: Chocolate Shell

Yes, I am deeply in love with coconut oil and though I have no problems finding ways to eat it everyday, I know there are many out there who struggle to incorporate this healthy fat into their diet. Since I recently got an ice-cream maker and have been experimenting with different recipes for frozen treats, I have also been trying to find inventive toppings for my desserts. My absolute favorite of the moment is this chocolate shell. Coconut oil turns into a liquid when heated up but gets rock hard if it gets put in the refrigerator or freezer or say, on top of ice cream. Combined with a little unsweetened cocoa powder and stevia, this jumps leaps and bounds over that artificial store bought version you can buy. Indulge in a decadent dessert and consume your day’s healthy fats? Check.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons coconut oil (organic, virgin)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Stevia to your taste (for me it’s about 3 packets)

 

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a cup and microwave until the coconut oil turns to liquid. Stir until well combined and pour over your ice-cream.

{pictured above: homemade coffee ice-cream with strawberries, almonds, coconut flakes, and of course, a chocolate shell}

 

Pistachio Ice Cream

I recently purchased an ice cream maker with the intention of making batches and batches of ice cream that won’t hurt your waste line. Yes, sometimes I would prefer a big bowl of ice cream instead of a regular meal, but it seems that eating store bought ice cream for dinner and looking good in a swimsuit are mutually exclusive. I knew my first couple of batches would be a little off, and even though my recipes still need tweaking, I am enjoying eating all of the so-called practice. So far the pistachio was my most successful attempt/version worth sharing. I am not getting sick of playing with this new kitchen contraption in the least, so I can only image that there will be no shortage of healthy ice cream coming your way. Stay tuned!

Ingredients:

2 cups of non-fat Greek yogurt

1 ½ cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon almond extract

1/3 cup of finely chopped pistachio nuts

Stevia to taste, I used about 6 packets

4-5 drops of natural green food coloring

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until smooth, excluding the nuts. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow the machine’s directions. With about 5 minutes to go before the ice cream is done, add in the nuts. I have found because this ice cream is relatively low in fat, that it freezes harder than regular ice cream, so it is best eaten an within the first few hours of making it. Garnish with any extra nuts and enjoy!

Cauliflower Soup

 

It is just about the season for soup. Soup can be an incredibly healthy start to a meal or sometimes even an entire meal in itself. It fills you up, gets you to eat vegetables, and besides, what’s more comforting then a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter evening? For a hearty soup, I love blending together an assortment of vegetables together in broth, then adding tons of fresh garlic and spices. Its so easy to get a rich, thick soup using just vegetables, I don’t know why people so often bother to add cups of cream. Because I am mildly obsessed with cauliflower, this soup here is one of my absolute favorites. It looks/tastes just like a potato soup but is much lighter, and depending on the add-ons you sprinkle on top, you could fool people into thinking they are eating baked potato soup.

Ingredient:

One container of vegetable broth (32oz)

2 heads of cauliflower chopped up

3 mild white onions

3 cloves of garlic

3 oz of soft goats cheese

2 tablespoons of non-fat Greek yogurt

½ teaspoon of pepper

Salt to taste

To sprinkle on top: turkey bacon, cut up scallions, parmesan or mozzarella cheese, or a dollop of Greek yogurt

 

Directions:

Coarsely cut up the cauliflower, onions, and simmer in the broth for about 40 min (be sure to cover the pot with a lid).Turn off the heat, add in crushed garlic and using a hand blender, blend all the ingredients together. Stir in the goat cheese and yogurt and reheat the soup, but be careful not to simmer or boil it, otherwise the soup will start to separate because it now contains dairy. Serve hot with any additional topping sprinkled on.

 

 

What to Eat Before and After the Gym

 

We all go to the gym with the intention of being as healthy as possible and looking as great as we can. Maybe meeting the person of our dreams there does cross our mind, but first two reasons are usually the main reasons. Get the most out of your strenuous workouts by providing your body with proper nutrition before and after your sweat session.

If you are in that ‘weight loss’ frame of mind, you may be reluctant to eat at both of these times. It makes sense to think that no calories in plus extra calories burned results in weight lost. While that math may make sense, take into account that if you are not eating your body will not work as efficiently and it will start to burn muscle as a way of compensating for lack of fuel. I know there are those people who are just not a fans of eating before a gym session, and I always tell them to try to get something, even if it’s small, in your stomach for your body to work off of. To wake up and go to the gym without eating is not uncommon, but remember that after sleeping for 8 or so hours, your body is kind of in a shut down, fasting mode. If you work out without waking your metabolism up with food, your body may slow down even more, as a defense mechanism. Start your metabolism going even before you hit the gym so you will burn fat, instead of muscle.

To be simple, similar snacks can be eaten before and after working out. Try and eat a slightly larger portion after your workout, and be sure to eat it in that 1-hour window after your workout ends, while your body is sill burning calories at a elevated rate. The ratio of your meal should be 40/30/30, meaning 40% of it is protein, 30% is complex carbohydrates, and 30% is fat.

Some examples of what I like to fuel my body surrounding my exercise are:

½ a protein bar before, ½ after. I like ThinkThin bars, Zone, or CarbRite bars.

A cup of Greek yogurt mixed with a scoop of no-sugar whey protein powder.

A protein shake (whey powder, ice, almond milk or coconut milk, and any extras you like i.e. unsweetened cocoa powder, instant coffee, frozen fruit) and a handful of almond.

Egg white sandwich with the bread being a hearty, complex carbohydrate such as a multigrain English muffin.

Blueberry Crumble

A good friend of mines favorite dessert is blueberry pie. Since her birthday is coming up, I was fully intending on busting out my pie pan and making her one, until she asked me not to as she is on a diet. Determined not to let her strict eating plan stop her from enjoying a birthday treat, I created this no-guilt blueberry crumble for her to enjoy instead.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups of fresh blueberries

8-9 packets of stevia (more depending on how sweet you like it)

2 tablespoons coconut oil (plus extra for greasing the pan)

¾ cup oats

4 tablespoons ground flax seeds

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup sliced almonds

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9”pie pan with a little bit of coconut oil. Pour the washed blueberries into the pan and sprinkle with 5-6 packets of the stevia. Mix together dry ingredients and slowly work in the remaining warm coconut oil. Gentle lay this ‘crumble’ on top of the blueberries and place the pan in the center of the oven. Bake until the top turns light brown and the berries become syrupy (about 30 minutes). Let cool for 10-15 minutes and serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt or frozen yogurt on the side!

{Once people know this crumble is guilt-free, it won’t last too long!}

 

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Since it is the season of all things pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes had to be added to the recipe list. I don’t know why, but nothing seems quite as comforting on a cold fall day then a warm drink by my side. And even though I live in San Diego and it never really seems to get to ‘I can’t feel my fingers’ cold, I still cannot seem to part from my warm drinks. I made my latte with coconut milk for its mildly sweet flavor, but feel free to substitute it for any milk of your preference.

Side note:  I find that when the hot drink craving stikes, I am 95% of the time too lazy to whip up a fancy latte from scratch.  Much more likely, I make a quick cup of tea, throw in an absurd amount of stevia, and I’m good to go. So although it may be ‘cheating’, when making this spiced hot drink, I double or triple the recipe (minus the espresso) and stick the leftovers in the fridge. That way, when I want another drink the next day (or an hour after my first one) I just heat up the milk mixture and add in the espresso at the last minute. Who needs to spend $4 on a Starbucks drink that is full of sugar? Not I.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2-1 teaspoon of stevia

1- 2 espresso shots

1 dollop of natural whipped topping (optional)

 

Directions:

In a saucepan, heat the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, stevia, and pumpkin pie spice on medium heat until everything is combined. Add in the espresso, transfer to big mug, dollop with some natural whipped topping, and cozy up with a blanket and good book for a relaxing evening.

 

Give Me Granola

I love granola, but I hate that the store bought versions always seem to have tons of sugar and fat in them, transforming this wholesome snack into something not so healthy. Instead of adding more fat, I added egg whites to bind everything together, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it gave the granola an extra crunch once baked. Next batch, I plan on adding dried cherries, walnuts, and raw cocoa nibs.

Ingredients:

5 cups of rolled oats

3 egg whites

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of salt

5 packets of stevia (or more depending on how sweet you like it)

1/2 cup of toasted coconut

1/2 cup sliced almonds

*Feel free to add in whatever extras you like to create a granola that fits your specific preference, like any dried fruit, nuts, or seeds.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl (minus the stevia). Combine the egg whites, vanilla, melted coconut oil, and the stevia in a separate bowl. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients, making sure all the dry ingredients are pretty well coated. Spread evenly over 1 (or 2) baking sheets, and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring the granola mixture once half way through. Try to allow it to cool for 10 minutes before diving in, enjoy!

 

Pumpkin Coconut Muffins

Since I recently did a posting about the different types of flours you can use as a substitute for the typical white flour (here), I thought I should incorporate a recipe that showcases some of these substitutions. I don’t follow the whole “pumpkin is for Thanksgiving” mindset and eat it pretty much all year round. It is such a nutrient rich food that only seems to get a spotlight two months a year. Not anymore. Pumpkin puree keeps these muffins nice and moist while the toasted coconut gives them some texture. I snuck some protein powder in too, making them an ideal breakfast for any busy morning.

Ingredients:

1 can of pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/3 cup of coconut oil

3 egg whites

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup quinoa flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup of vanilla whey protein powder

1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes

7-8 packets of stevia

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ‘wet’ ingredients together (the egg whites,  melted coconut oil, and the pumpkin puree). In a seperate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, minus the coconut flakes. Slowly, add in the wet mixture to the dry, and whisk until it is completely smooth.

Meanwhile, heat the coconut flakes in a non-stick pan on medium heat until the majority of flakes turn golden brown (keep a careful eye on them as this happens quickly).

Fold the toasted coconut flakes (even they smell amazing, try not to snack yet!) into the pumpkin mixture and then pour the batter evenly into muffin cups. Even though these muffins don’t puff up and rise too much, I would still suggest filling the cups about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 30 minutes and let cool for at least 15, they will take some time out of the oven to harden all the way. I’m so glad I don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to enjoy these!

{Keep the coconut moving while on the heat, it turns brown very quickly}

{The pumpkin mixture pre-coconut flakes}

{Toss in the toasted coconut}

{Enjoy these healthy pumpkin coconut muffins, they seem to be quickly dissapearing around my house..}

Save-the-Guilt-for-Something-Else-Nutella

Everyone loves Nutella. And if you don’t, it’s probably just because you have not tried this all-too-delicious-it-must-be-bad-for-you-food. It it something that comes with a little guilt attached, yet since people can’t seem to stay away from it, I was determined to make a healthy version of this chocolate, hazelnut spread.

I do encourage people to incorporate coconut oil into their diet, and through experiance, I know many struggle with how to actually include this fat into their day. Make this spread and kill two birds with one stone: get those essential fats into your body and put your sweet tooth to rest.

Ingredients:

· ½ cup of raw, organic coconut oil

· 1 teaspoon of hazelnut extract

· 1 tablespoons of high quality unsweetened cocoa powder

· 4-5 packets of stevia

Directions:

Combine all ingredients together (just make sure the coconut oil is left out of the fridge, otherwise it will be rock hard). I kind of wish I could give you more instructions to make it sound fancier, but it really is that simple.

{ My homemade Nutella. Perfect dipping fruit into, spreading on toast, or just eating straight}

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This delicious recipe has been approved by certified nutritionist, Coreen Reinhart, and includes the ideal balance of nutrients for optimal health, stable blood sugar and efficient metabolism.

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