So you are making your own nut milk now right? Well I hope so, considering carcinogens are often found in processed milk products. I make almond and/or coconut milk every week to make parfait porridge and my freezer has just been overfilled with dried pulp, dying for me to come up with ways to use it. I’ve got a few pulp recipes now that I will be sharing, but I had to share my favorite one first.
Last month, as you may remember, I was traveling in Asia. One of the wonderful aspects of being in Asia is getting to experience a lot of spa treatments on the cheap. My most memorable spa treatment was in Borneo, Malaysia, which inspired this organic body scrub that smells incredible and so simple to make.
My husband and I enjoyed a body scrub made from coconut one afternoon after a long day of diving in Sipadan (one of the world’s best dive spots). This scrub left our skin feeling incredibly soft, so soft that we still enjoyed our renewed skin after we got back home for a few days. Daydreaming about this, I decided to develop a similar scrub that I wouldn’t have to travel all the way to Borneo for! Talk about bringing the vacation back home and to all of you
Reusing pulp and adding a few other ingredients can save you some major money from buying expensive exfoliating scrubs at the store. I love make-it-yourself beauty products, don’t you?
I hope you enjoyed the first habit to start in the new year and beyond – I am imagining lemons being squeezed all over the world on January 1st morning.
However, you don’t need to wait until then – go out, buy some lemons and get going already! Life is short. You can experience wellness now!
On to Habit #2….
#2 Develop a Distaste for Refined Sugar
Asking you to eliminate every type of “sugar” from your diet is just crazy – any person trying to do this will fail in the long run. The key here is to still include sugar in your diet but get it in forms that your body can easily assimilate and sources that also provide nutrients, minerals and vitamins your body will use. Avoiding man-made sugars made from cane, beet and corn but still enjoying naturally occurring sugar in moderation is one of the keys to ultimate balance in life.
The problem with eating refined sugar from cane, corn or beets vs. other sources of sugar, is that refined sugar is acid forming in the body because it has been chemically stripped of its minerals. The natural minerals in whole food are important for our bodies ability to process nutrients in food and to ultimately keep our bodies alkaline. Remember – a body in an alkaline state is primed to avoid disease and a myriad of other aliments.
So how do you develop a distaste for refined sugar?
Step 1 – Don’t buy, consume or keep products in your house with the following ingredients in them:
This doesn’t mean you can replace these sugars with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose. Those are off limits too! They are just as bad for the body and even worse because some of them have been proven to be carcinogenic. (Note: If you are diabetic, stevia and xylitol are your best and safest options.)
Step 2 – Continuously train your palate for natural sweetness….
Before you decide on a dessert or something sweet to eat – think about the natural options you have available that will satisfy your sweet tooth – The satisfaction you will get from natural and unaltered foods will go far beyond their processed counterparts. Overtime, your distaste for refined sugar will come naturally and it will become innate. I am a living example in this change of mindset – my friends and family who know me understand this very well watching me grow into who I am today. My mother can’t stand the look I make when I find out something has refined sugar or other chemicals in it – she said if I don’t stop making this face – my face will permanently start to look like a frown. (BTW Mom – I’m trying to work on this… ) Nonetheless – this might happen to you if you develop this habit in the new year – be warned!
Here are some satisfying trades I make when I crave something sweet -
When I crave chocolate – I go for a piece of a Righteously Raw Bar that is comprised of 90% raw cacao and sweetened with goji berries and agave nectar. These chocolate peppermint patties made with honey are just fantastic too!
When I crave something fruity – I eat a couple of “sulfur dioxide” free dried organic fruits mixed – like apricots, prunes, cherries, golden berries, dates, goji berries and figs mixed with coconut. Dried coconut for some reason has a natural sweetness to it – but has less than one gram of sugar per serving. Sometimes, I drink cranberry or fruity herbal teas. Making a quick apple cobbler with just apples, cinnamon, oats and a little sprinkle of maple syrup in a ramekin also does the trick.
When I crave something chewy, warm and comforting – I make cookies made with Food Babe’s Sugar Blend or coconut palm sugar. Also – I like to make warm brown rice pudding with unsweetened almond milk with a little honey or maple syrup.
When I want some ice cream or something cold – I eat Luna and Larry’s coconut ice-cream or a bowl of frozen grapes.
When I crave something salty and sweet – I make kettle corn with stevia or eat pieces of sprouted wheat pretzels dipped in raw cacao chocolate.
Get the gist? See how easy that is?
If you develop this habit and practice it on a regular basis, you’ll be less likely to go overboard when presented and tempted with refined sugar desserts. Even more, you’ll naturally eat less sugar in the long run because your body is getting real nutrition from the food that hasn’t been chemically altered. Eventually…you’ll get that distaste for refined sugar and your desire for ultimate nutrition will become intuitive. What a wonderful habit to develop and keep for life, no?
Ahhh…I can hear your response now when someone asks you if you want that double stuffed oreo – “that’s just a little too sweet for me, no thanks!”
Anybody have other swaps they’d like to share? I’d love to here them! Leave a comment here or visit my Facebook Fan Page and share your inspiration!
The theme song for the Baskin Robbin’s commercial has been running through my head ever since I made this pumpkin ice cream cake last night.
Here it is, if you don’t know what I am talking about…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzwbcrKDFs
That song is so catchy isn’t it? You gotta love the marketing that goes behind Baskin Robbins cakes. There is a lot of other things too – lurking behind the fun, care-free appearance of their cakes. Lots of preservatives, food coloring, growth hormones and antibiotic filled dairy, pesticides, GMOs, corn syrup, trans fat and other man made toxic chemicals!
Check out the list of ingredients in a typical mint chocolate chip cream cake -
Can you believe this cake has so many detrimental ingredients to your health all in one slice?…
Once you understand what is in Baskin Robbins, and other conventional ice cream brands – I hope you think twice about your support of these establishments. Even “once and a while” – I don’t call going to Baskin Robbins or anywhere else that uses these types of ingredients “a treat.” Why would I want to treat myself with carcinogenic toxins (propylene glycol, growth hormones), increase risk of heart disease (partially hydrogenated coconut oil) and other potential aliments…(corn syrup, blue 1, yellow 5)?
This is why I find it so hard to understand people when they say they just eat <Insert Dead Toxic BIG FOOD company product here> “once in a while” to “treat” themselves. There are so many good sweet delicious desserts that won’t put your life and health at risk. Remember voting with your dollars is the only way we are going to stop the production of toxic chemicals into our food supply – support local bakeries that make good ingredient decisions, buy your cakes from natural food stores, and eat out at restaurants where they make their own desserts from scratch….And do the unheard of! Make your own freakin’ ice cream cake!
Homemade Pumpkin Ice Cream Cake – Voila!
The secret ingredient is store bought “Coconut Bliss” Icecream – A company I will spend my money on – because they are 100% certified organic and do not support GMOs. Their coconut based ice creams don’t contain refined sugar either! They source their agave nectar from a quality distributor in Mexico that doesn’t overly process the natural sugar. If you haven’t tried their ice creams yet – do – because all of them are amazing!
This recipe is easy. And the outcome is REWARDING (in big caps – because everyone will think you are genius cook after making this….). I just had a piece of this incredible cake today – and let me tell you – IT WILL IMPRESS, DELIGHT and EVERYONE WILL WANT SECONDS (I certainly did!). The best part – you don’t just have to “treat” yourself “once in a while” with this cake – you can have it more often than that – because it is vegan, free of refined sugar and contains ZERO harmful chemicals! Amazing, I know.
I made two cakes last night – one for me and my husband and one for Thanksgiving on Thursday… The one for us is already half gone – if I don’t take the other one to my Mom’s house tomorrow to store in her big freezer, it might not make it until Thursday! Wish me luck!
3 cups of flour – A mix of 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour and 1 cup oat flour works well
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
⅔ cups coconut flakes
⅔ cups coconut milk
1 cup coconut oil melted
2 cups pumpkin puree
6 dates chopped
6 prunes chopped
2 ripe bananas chopped
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup maple syrup
For Ice Cream Cake Assembly:
3 containers of Coconut Bliss Vanilla Ice Cream
2 cups dried cranberries
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease large baking dish (9×13)
Sit containers of ice cream out on counter to soften/melt
In a large bowl combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, salt, and spices)
In blender combine all sweeteners & liquid ingredients (pumpkin puree, coconut oil, coconut milk, dates, prunes, bananas, maple syrup and vanilla) – Blend until smooth
Slowly stir and incorporate liquid mixture into dry ingredients – fold in dried coconut until moistened
Pour batter into large greased baking dish
Bake for 30-45mins – check doneness with a tooth pick (it will come out clean)
Allow cake to cool before starting assembly with ice cream
In a 8×4 baking dish – layer bottom with soft or melted ice cream and sprinkle top with some cranberries
Slice cake pieces to about ½ inch thick and layer on top
Repeat layer of ice-cream, cranberries, and cake one more time until you end with ice cream on top, finish with cranberries and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
Freeze assembled cake for at least 4 hours
Take cake out of the freezer for 5-10 mins before serving and slice into thin pieces
Notes
Recipe makes enough cake for 2 ice cream cakes (Two 8×4 baking dishes). This is a perfect dish that can be made ahead a week or two before a holiday gathering! ***Please buy all organic ingredients if possible***
3.2.1682
I wish I could see and hear you taste it – I am imagining a big Ooooo and a big Ahhhhhh when you do…
