After school snacks: give traditional treats a health makeover

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What do your kids snack on after school? Are you stuck between wanting to feed your kids something healthy and feeding them something indulgent? Here are some ideas that will allow you to do both.

5 snacks your kids will love

Instead of candy or processed sweets, give these treats a try. Bake on weekends to save time during the week and involve your kids in the process!

  1. Coconut chocolate chip cookies with coconut flour from Cooking with Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife. (1/2 cup melted butter, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar (preferably coconut sugar since it is lower in fructose and lower on the glycemic index), 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/8 tsp salt, 1.5 cups grated coconut, 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1 cup coconut flour. Drop spoon-sized mounds onto greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart and flatten with fork. Bake at 375 for 15 mins, makes about 2 dozen cookies).
  2. Peanut butter cookies from Breaking the Vicious Cycleby Elaine Gottschall (1/2 cub butter, 1 cup peanut butter (no additives), 1/2 cup honey or coconut sap, 1 cup nut flour (i.e. almond meal), 2 eggs, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp vanilla. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 325 for 10 mins).
  3. Chocolate Milkshake with raw milk and stevia. Clickhere for the video.
  4. Black Bean & Avocado Brownies. I know how it sounds, but give them a try using coconut sap or honey instead of agave syrup.
  5. Try a savory snack! Leftover chicken, beef or pork can be quickly re-heated with your kids’ favorite veggies (mushrooms, bell peppers) in a skillet. Cut into cubes and let your kids eat the pieces with toothpicks or on a skewer.Coconut flour, coconut sugar, stevia and raw milk can be found in local health food stores including New Leaf, Staff of Life and Rainbow Grocery.

    Non-sweet snacks your kids will love

    1. Tuna salad and celery sticks
    2. Grass-fed mini hamburgers
    3. Sliced veggies (let them pick their favorites) and hummus-yogurt dip
    4. Apple slices with nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, macadamia, walnut)
    5. Rollups–lots of options here. You can used any sliced meat and/or cheese OR lettuce & sliced pepper or other favorite veggies. Stack them on top of each other and roll them up.

    Involve your kids in the food making process. They may even surprise you by making their own delicious and healthy creations!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Coconut Flour & Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

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These cupcakes are gluten-free, low-carb and astoundingly tasty!
I slightly modified Bruce Fife’s recipe from Cooking with Coconut Flour to lower the sugar even more for my daughter’s upcoming 1st birthday. I used coconut palm sugar which is low on the glycemic index and lower in fructose than honey, maple syrup, and regular sugar. They are amazing! Gotta give them a try!


Ingredients:
12 eggs
1 cup coconut flour
2 cups finely grated carrots (about 3 large carrots)
3/4 cup + 2 T full-fat coconut milk
8 T butter (1/2 cup), melted
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used raw walnuts)
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
3 T powdered stevia
1 tsp each of baking powder, salt, vanilla and nutmeg
1 1/2 tsps cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions:
Mix up eggs, butter, coconut milk, vanilla, and spices in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, stevia coconut flour and baking powder. Add to the wet ingredients, whisking to blend thoroughly and eliminate any lumps. Next, fold grated carrot and nuts into the mixture.
Fill mixture into paper-lined cupcake trays, about 3/4 full.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 mins or until toothpick comes out clean.
Makes about 30 cupcakes.

Cream cheese frosting:
Thoroughly mix contents of two 8-ounce packages organic cream cheese with 2 tsps vanilla and 15-20 drops vanilla stevia extract.

Eating for Optimal Energy

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Join me at the west side New Leaf next Wed, August 24th at 6:30pm for a FREE class on Eating for Optimal Energy!

Description and sign up available here.

Peaches & Cream

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This is part 2 of our Nutritious Delicious sugar-free dessert series. This recipe can be made vegan and requires no added sweeteners. It’s a perfect guilt-free summer treat!  See the video here.

Ingredients:

1 organic peach

1 tbsp butter or coconut oil

2-3 tbsp coconut cream

1/4 cup walnuts, slivered almonds, or even our low carb granola

Dash of cinnamon

How to:

Melt butter or oil on low-medium heat. Add peach slices and cook for about 5 minutes until peach is soft. Remove from heat and add coconut cream. Coconut cream is the thick coconut milk that comes in canned coconut milk. Add walnuts and cinnamon. Enjoy!

Why is it a MUST to use organic peaches?

In the video we mention that peaches are in the Dirty Dozen. This is a list compiled by the Environmental Working Group of the top 12 most toxic fruits and vegetables. Be sure to always buy these foods organic. The Clean 15 is the list of least toxic fruits and vegetables. If you can’t afford to or don’t have access to 100% organic, the clean 15 are safer to eat than many other conventionally farmed fruits and vegetables.

Sugar-free chocolate mousse

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This is the first Nutritious Delicious video in a series of sugar-free dessert series. We were inspired to do this series by our many patients and clients who want to get off of sugar but feel challenged by doing so. Our hope is that by having healthy sweet alternatives that getting and staying off of sugar will be an easier and more sustainable process.  We hope you enjoy making and eating this mousse as much as we do. 🙂

Ingredients: 

8 oz grass-fed organic whipping cream (We like Kalona brand. Bonus if you get raw cream. 🙂 )

2 Tbsp raw unsweetened cacao powder

2-6 drops flavored liquid stevia (We used vanilla cream but other options are – toffee, raspberry, valencia orange. Liquid is much easier to use than powdered.)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional toppings: cacao nibs, nuts, raspberries, orange zest

Serves 2

How to:

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and whip it good! We prefer using a hand blender (so much easier to use and clean) but you could also use a regular blender or food processor. Whip for a minute (or less) until desired consistency is reached. Start on a low speed to avoid powdered cacao explosion! Chill for 1+ hour and enjoy!

 

Why Stevia?

Stevia is a very sweet-tasting herb that is gaining popularity for use as a sugar-substitute. It is chemical-free and now comes in a variety of flavors. Stevia is a great alternative to sugar because unlike other sweeteners (even honey and agave) it does not raise your blood glucose (blood sugar) when you consume it. On the contrary, it actually supports your pancreas in insulin and glucose metabolism.

Try it in sugar-free desserts, coffee, or tea and see if you can feel the difference. Remember, when using Stevia – less is more! Start with a couple of drops and then gradually increase to your taste preferences. 

More info about Stevia here

Purchase flavored Stevia here 

 

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