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Monthly Archives: October 2014
Join US! Happy Healthy Holidays is coming soon!
{ https://www.facebook.com/groups/856387267726978/}
Join me! It’s 100% free – no obligation – join me to bring a healthy spin to your holidays! We will begin Monday, November 24 and end on New Years Eve
You can join for FREE– Happy Healthy Holiday’s Group and not only will you receive lots of love and support through the holidays– you will even get my newsletters and tips – and it’s all for FREE.
- Nutrition (adding in at least one healthy food per week)
- Exercise (a minimum of 30 minutes 6 days a week)
- Gratitude (take the time to be grateful for at least 3 things in your life daily)
- Giving (challenge yourself to give without expectation of reciprocation once daily)
Just click on the link and join me! Be sure to bring your friends along, Everyone deserves Happy Healthy Holidays!
#happyhealthyholidays #healthyholidays #happy #fungroup #nutritionsupport #gratitude #giving
Chocolate Almond Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate Almond Peanut Butter Cups
Quick and Easy: Chocolate Almond Peanut Butter Cups
Who can resist?!
Use honey to sweeten, dark cocoa powder and nut butters, that’s about it.
Remember Reese’s? Same concept, only much more healthy!
Nutrition notes:
Use fresh ground nut butters, if you can. Certainly do not use any that have added sugars! The labels should read ground peanuts or ground almonds.
Read the labels on your cocoa, it should be pure raw cocoa for best benefits
Toast your own nuts, it’s easy and you are doing the process.
Add dry milk powder or protein powder for added nutritional boost. I like to use maca powder for this.
Using dry milk powder will also help them hold shape better when at room temperature.
Extra virgin coconut oil please. Or grass-fed butter, but that’s a lot and it would be decadent but certainly not vegan.
Chocolate Almond Peanut Butter Cups
Before you begin, line a mini-muffin tin with pleated paper liners. It is important to use paper liners as you’ll need it to hold them while eating.
Make two layers, chocolate first as it needs to firm up before adding the top layer.
Use mini-muffin tins.
Fill cups half way with chocolate mixture
Chocolate Almond Layer:
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup local honey (use maple syrup if vegan)
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup maca powder, if desired
- 2 Tablespoons toasted almonds, crushed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Using a double boiler, melt the coconut oil, honey and almond butter until smooth. Realize that it won’t be totally smooth due to the nuts you may choose to use.
Rub the cocoa powder and maca powder through a mesh strainer to remove any lumps. Add a pinch of salt to the dry ingredients.
Fold the almonds into the dry ingredients
Fold melted coconut oil mixture into the cocoa powder mixture, stir to totally incorporate; add vanilla and salt and stir well.
Fill each of the paper-lined muffin tins half way up with the chocolate mixture. Be careful not to dribble along the edges so the final product has a clean appearance. Work carefully.
Once filled half way, pop the tray into the freezer to firm up while you make the next mixture.
Add the peanut butter layer, top with toasted nuts before freezing
Peanut Butter Layer
- 1/2 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter (I love the chunky kind!)
- 1/4 cup local honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Sliced toasted almonds to garnish the tops
Melt everything over a double boiler until everything has melted. Depending on the texture you chose, it may be smooth or lumpy.
Remove the chocolate cups from the freezer, fill each cup with the peanut butter mixture to the rim of the paper.
Sprinkle the top of each cup with toasted almonds and a piece of Maldon salt if desired.
Freeze for a couple of hours before serving.
These are best served frozen or extremely cold. if serving as finger food, leave the paper on, if plating a dessert with them, remove the paper. They will become rather soft as they remain in room temperature.
If a firmer room temperature texture is desired, add 1/2 cup dry milk powder to each mixture. This will boost nutritional value as well.
Irresistible Chocolate Almond Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate Almond Peanut Butter Cups
#vegandessert #peanutbuttercups #healthypeanutbuttercups #chocolatealmondpeanutbuttercups #honey #honeydesserts #nutbutter #chocolatealmond
#glutenfree #musteatnow #healthytreats #healthydesserts
Happy Healthy Holidays
Happy Healthy Holidays!
Happy Healthy Holidays!
Just imagine: Healthy, happy holidays, peaceful and full of joyful spirit.
Together we will face the tempting treats and the pack-on-the-pounds holidays without busting our diets or losing energy while keeping focus.
Join us. We will transform our holiday season together and start the New Year out right!
In this FREE program, we focus on 4 main areas:
- Nutrition (adding in, not taking away. This is key to consistent energy)
- Exercise (movement to increase your endorphins and energy)
- Gratitude
- Giving
You will receive daily inspiration, weekly focus and lots of support in our “secret Facebook group”.
The program begins Monday, 11/24/2014 and runs through 12/31/2014. Get supported in achieving your goals through this holiday season and make it a Happy Healthy Holiday!
Follow the link to join, then invite your friends to join in too. The more the merrier!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/856387267726978/
#healthyholiday #happyhealthyholiday #goals #goalssupport #nutritionsupportgroups #gratitudegiving #gratitude #giving #stayhealthythroughtheholidays
Eat Fresh! What’s in Season NOW: October 2014
Fall is in the air!
Fresh Crisp Fall Apples
A nip in the morning, time to grab a light jacket.
Here is a quick listing of what’s in season now.
These are the things you should be seeing in the markets, things that are growing locally.
Click on the links for recipes and other great information while you read the list!
Apples – Quite abundant for apple dumplings and apple sauce now through February. Find an orchard and go apple picking!
Beets – get some baby ones and roast them. So delicious! Pickle some for later. Ummm
Pickled beets
Apples on display
Bok Choy – debuts mid month! Make a refreshing salad of crisp stir-fry
Cabbage – plenty on hand until mid December. Try your hand at making Sauerkraut or Kimchee
Cherry Tomatoes – these juicy gems will be gone by November. I’ve witnessed my plants slowing way down in production. Enjoy them now!
Collards – A year round favorite green. Make some cornbread, cook up some pinto beans, add simmered collards and YUM! You’ve got quite a meal.
Cucumbers – are saying good bye. As in days of yore, if you haven’t put up your pickles yet, you’re almost out of time!
Greens – Like cooler weather so there should be a good selection through mid December. Time to fortify.
Herbs – There are many you will find in the markets. They are quite easy to grow so you should consider a small container of herbs for your kitchen.
Indian Corn – for decoration
Stuffed Mini Pumpkins
Kale – Hearty and healthy; abundantly available. Make salads, stews, soup, smoothies, chips, saute it, wraps. . .
Lettuce – makes another quick season before it gets too cold.
Muscadine Grapes – nearly gone. Freeze some for holiday punch bowls and drinks. Crush, simmer and extract the juice. Make sorbet to die for. Definitely worth doing
Muscadine grapes
Mushrooms – you should be seeing a nice supply through the end of November
Napa Cabbage – shows us a quick cool season until mid December when the deep cold sets in with shorter sunlight hours
Peanuts – Seems these are always available
Pears – Nice juicy pears are around until the end of October. Poach a few, can a few more for winter treats.
Persimmons – The perennial Fall Favorite to those who like them. Honestly, I don’t get it.
Pumpkins – Yay! I get them for carving, roasting, eating, I plant succulents on them, decorate with them. After Thanksgiving, I paint them Christmas colors.
Painted Pumpkins Lined up to dry
Radishes – There should be a bunch of radishes this month. I love the French Breakfast Radish. Yeah.
Raspberries – Fresh and short lasting. Enjoy them, freeze them but that’s just not the same as fresh. Gotta love those little seeds!
Romaine – Another lettuce for the Fall season. Practice your Caesar Salad skills.
Caesar Salad
Snow Peas – Toss some into your Stir-fry, I like to snack on them like chips. So crisp and delicious!
Spinach – Add just a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg to your spinach for an awesome flavor compliment. Just a small pinch is all you need.
Sweet Potatoes – Available all year.
Tomatoes – If you grow them, watch for the first freeze and pick whats left. Make Green Tomato Chow-chow or Green Tomato Pie (tastes just like apple!)
A delicious Green Tomato Pie
Turnips – add some to soup, mash some with your mashed potatoes. Toss some into your greens as they cook. My favorite, Pickled Turnips!
Pickled Turnips
This, is the list for the Piedmont area of North Carolina.
What’s growing where you live?
#localfood #eatfresh #healthyeating #freshfood #seasonalfood #localfarmers #farmersmarkets #freshfruit #freshvegetables #whatsinseasonnow
Spoon Feast 