Passionfruit & Pomegranate Snack Cup - Paleo, Keto, GF, SF, DF

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I have to admit, lately I've been kinda getting over the "meat and veg" part of my lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I still love this way of eating, but every now and then, just like every one else mumma craves something a little more decadent, and a little more 'naughty'. I don't like naughty food though so this was something awesome to make that feels naughty ... without it actually being naughty. I just said naughty way too much... but I think you get what I mean yeah?

To be fair, this isn't exactly a 'recipe' because it is literally so super simple - it is more of a food idea to give you something else to hide up your sleeve for the days where your basic meals just won't cut it... or if you are perhaps having people over for dinner, and you don't want to miss out on desert. Although I think we are all old enough and ugly enough to hear the ugly truth - you can celebrate and catch up with people WITHOUT feeding your face - but - who am I to judge... if you would like something to take the edge off, or in fact celebrate by spooning delicious things into your mouth cavity, here it is. 

This differs from a lot of the other 'treat' keto recipes you'll find for a few reasons. The first one being that this sexiness in a cup jar thing, is actually quite nutritionally dense. This recipe doesn't rely on artificial sweeteners and fake flavours to make it tasty. The flavours come from fresh seed fruit (relatively low in carbs because they aren't generally foods you would sit down and eat 100's of grams of) and a Fermented Paleo Protein powder - I use RAW Fermented Paleo Protein Powder which you can get if you click HERE.  I urge you to please not choose a whey protein powder. Choose a plant protein powder or a flavourless beef protein powder. Dairy is a known inflammatory trigger when it comes to everyone's health, largely contributing to the rise in chronic health conditions around the world. Did you know - The countries with the largest dairy consumption, also have the highest reported cases of osteoporosis? That's not a coincidence. Consumption of dairy can cause a state of metabolic acidosis. In order to neutralise the acidic environment, the body releases calcium stores from the largest known source which is the bones. Pairing this with the hormones in dairy which actually hinder the absorption of the calcium that is found in dairy products (despite marketing gurus drilling it into us for DECADES that we should drink this white bovine hormone secretion because it is the best form of dietary calcium) means your body is left depleted of its stores which leads to the bone crushing condition. After digestion, absorption, and metabolism, nearly all foods release either acid or bicarbonate (base) into the systemiccirculation. Dairy is net acid producing. You're really hungry for cow puss now aren't you? Wait, I mean dairy?

The second reason this beautiful little delight differs to other 'ketofied treats' is because most other keto-crap (as I like to call it) is all fat, otherwise known as 'Fat bombs'. Yeah great, they may serve their purpose if you follow medical ketosis, but if your goal is Fat Loss, you want to have a calorie deficit from your fat macro, so your body burns your own stores... ie - If you have fat on your hips, you don't put it on your plate. This is why this recipe is good. It is not overly fatty and therefore is a perfect fit for nutritional ketosis. Because we are also using a protein powder instead of just fat upon fat, we are making sure that we are contributing to the protein macro which is the most important macro of them all. Without consuming adequate protein for our bodies Lean Body Mass, your body can burn its own muscle stores, including organs which is not a good thing! 

Let me get this straight through to you though yeah, because I feel like I can see your brain ticking going "eat MOAR BROTEIN? thats CRAZY! IT WILL TURN TO CAKE AND ALL MY HARD WORK WILL BE RUINED BECAUSE MOAR BROTEIN TURNS TO GLUCOSE!!!!!" So - before you go off on that tangent and start pulling your hair out (although if you don't eat adequate protein now, chances are that shits falling out by itself anyway) and hulking your way through the streets raging and stressing about eating more protein because you've heard how bad that is for you when keto from the several groups of uneducated butter chuggers that have weaselled their way into the keto world, you should know that the process is called gluconeogenesis, and this process is completely demand driven. This means your body will only turn protein to glycogen IF IT NEEDS TOO (and by the way, glycogen is ESSENTIAL for cognitive function...if you have NO glycogen, your brain can't function and you will die, ya hear?). This is why it is important to eat adequate protein per kilo of LBM, because if you don't eat it, and your body needs glycogen, it will result to burning your muscles and/or organs - turns out the bods pretty nifty hey?! So you heard it here.... don't be dumb... and don't be scared of eating protein. Ontop of this reason, protein is the most satiating macronutrient and aids in keeping your fuller for longer AND it is more nutritionally dense than fat, so eating adequate protein keto means you are also getting more Micronutrients, in your Macronutrients (more micros for your macros... get it get it?)

The third reason this little gem is different, is because it's anti inflammatory, and not filled with products that can be harmful to your health such as gluten, grains, dairy and refined sugars. Just because you think you need to lose weight, it doesn't mean you overlook your health. I know a lot of skinny people who eat like arse holes and are the farthest thing from being healthy. So remember, just because your thin, doesn't mean you are healthy. So eat well and make the best choices where you can. 

The Macros I will give you for this single serve please remember are singular to the products that I personally used. If you decide to use a different Coconut Yoghurt, protein powder etc then the macros will vary. So please try and enter them into your tracker (yes! your tracker, humans are terrible at portion control which is why so many of us got fat in the first place! so weigh and track your foods to save yourself from over eating) for the specific products that you use. However, If you decide you are going to use the products I used (which are listed below in the ingredients) the macros are : CARBS 12g FATS 14g PROTEIN 14g

If you are looking for support and information on a Ketogenic Diet - you can join our Facebook Groups Wholefood Keto  and Keto For Beginners Australia - and don't forget to Like and Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more healthy healing recipes, our health and lifestyle blog and to be kept up to date with amazing new natural health businesses coming onto the market!

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Recipe

Time - 5 Minutes - 

Serves - 1 - 

MACROS: CARBS 12g FATS 14g PROTEIN 14g

THESE MACROS ARE PRODUCT SPECIFIC AND NEED TO BE ENTERED BASED ON THE PRODUCTS YOU CHOOSE

What you need:

Mixing Bowl & Spatula

100g Nakula Natural Coconut Yoghurt

15g RAW Fermented Paleo Protein Powder (Half Serve) BUY IT HERE!

10g Organic Fresh Passionfruit

20g Organic Fresh Pomegranate

What to do:

Its really not rocket science this one!

Measure and weigh your yoghurt and your protein powder out, and mix together in the mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.

Place a layer in the bottom of your jar or cup, then add your measured passionfruit

Add another layer of yoghurt ontop of the passionfruit and then add the pomegranate on the top

best part : EAT IT!

Turmeric Choc Chip Cookies - Paleo

YUM! I am SO excited to share this recipe with you! It was a bit of a fluke which makes it all the more exciting! These turned out so deliciously chewy I had to be careful we didn't eat them all at once! 

So today while the whole of the nation were engrossed in the horrible cruelty filled day that is horse racing (it's Melbourne cup day), I decided to have a date with my kitchen and do something that makes my heart and soul sing, instead of make my heart ache and break in half which is what seeing those poor horses be whipped does to me. 

So I turned off all Social Media, TV, Music and I was just at one with the baking. It must have done me well because this recipe worked like a treat (and to be honest... I have never made cookies before so it was a gamble!)

If you have recently seen the front page of my website, you will notice if you scroll right to the bottom that every now and then we have a quote by someone amazing in the land of natural health. Today I changed it to "Every time you Eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it". Since being diagnosed with Hashimotos Auto Immune thyroid disease, this is the mantra I live by. Everything that I put in my mouth - and my families mouth, I want to benefit us. This is why these cookies are filled with good fats, anti inflammatory ingredients, pre biotics and Turmeric. 

Having an Auto immune disease puts me at higher risk for inflammation within my body, and also means that my children have a pre disposition to developing the same disease, if not others. Therefore I take the Food As Medicine principle very serious in our house. That was the driving force behind adding Turmeric into the cookies. I didn't want to add pepper which you should normally do when consuming Turmeric ( It increases the Bio Availability of the Curcurmin ) as the cookies really aren't very sweet anyway. So I added the Cinnamon to aid in absorption of the anti inflammatory benefits of the curcurmin. 

When you are buying Turmeric, It will really see you well to buy a good quality product. You want to aim for 4-5 % Curcurmin. Curcurmin is the yellow pigment in Turmeric which is where all the health benefits lie. You can usually get a good grade Turmeric from your local health food store. You can use supermarket turmeric... but ... with all the processing that foods go through, I wouldn't trust it and the curcurmin value is quite low. You can tell this by the light colour that it is. 4-5 % Curcurmin is a really really deep gold colour. Just beautiful. 

I often cook with Turmeric. So much that I barely have a white shirt that doesn't have yellow stains. But as you know, the minute you apply heat to anything, it loses nutrient value. This is why I try to add it into so much that we consume... although weirdly enough.. this is the only recipe it is in so far in my blogged recipes! I'll have to blog the recipe for my Veggie turmeric curry. It really is a winner! 

Anyway, it's cookies for now! I look forward to sitting tonight once the tribe are in bed, and enjoying a warm Golden Milk Latte with a couple of cookies. I have a mad fascination with Channel 33 ( The Food Channel ) and my SB ( Secret Behaviour ) when no one is home or awake is sitting with good food, a great drink and watching the food channel. It is pure decadence. Mind you... I spend most of my time criticising the chefs for cooking unhealthy foods, and one woman in particular who thinks she's super healthy but the recipes are really just junk food. So that's me in spare time. I criticise people and eat food.... hahahahahahah. Seriously though if you're a foodie like me you probably would be doing the exact same thing.

SO enjoy! As per usual... let me know what you think if you give the recipe a go. And don't forget to share with your friends and family! This is a great alternative for little tikes birthday parties instead of all the processed sugar filled crap on the shelves! Happy Baking!

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Recipe

Serves - 8 - 

Time 45 Minutes

What you need:

Baking Sheet and Baking Paper

Hand or Stand Mixer

1 1/4 cup almond flour

1 Tablespoon coconut flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 Cup coconut sugar ( I did between 1/3 Cup and 1/4 Cup )

6 tablespoons Coconut Oil ( Room Temperature )

1 teaspoon mollasses

1 large egg

4 Lines 85% Dark Loving Earth Vegan chocolate

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric.

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 180 Degrees Celsius and line a Baking sheet with Baking Paper. 

In a stand mixer ( or hand mixer ) mix the Coconut Oil and Coconut Sugar until well combined. Once combined, add the egg and molasses and whip again until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Almond Flour, Coconut Flour, Salt, Baking Powder, Turmeric, and Cinnamon. With a wooden spoon mix until combined. 

With your Vegan chocolate, chop to chunk size pieces. 

Incorporate your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients with the mixer on low speed. Once all of the dry ingredients are in the bowl, turn to a medium speed and mix well until combined. 

Once combined, remove the bowl from the stand mixer and stir in chocolate chips

Scoop a teaspoon size of dough and roll between your hands, then push down with your thumb in the middle and place on the baking tray about an inch apart. 

In 180 degree oven bake for 10 minutes or until the bottoms are golden. 

Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to cooling rack. 

Let sit until firm. They will be chewy and delicious in no time! 

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This is my little Cookie tester and Model. Pretty Cute huh :)

Gut Loving Mint Choc Smoothie

What do you think when you think of Smoothie? I bet it isn't 'Decadent', 'Rich' and 'Amazingly Good For You' all in one go!

I've starting mucking around lately with Blue Green Algae and Chlorophyll because I've been doing a bit of research as to how to increase nutrients into our diet in different ways. Normally with supplements, I'm quite picky because our gut can only absorb so much at one time. I mean don't get me wrong, if you see our 'Medicine' Cabinet, It is chocked full of Supplements, but all of those are taken on different days at different times and all of them are staggered unless its the usual, Magnesium before Bed and Calcium upon waking. So when I came across a recipe with Spirulina, I was like BAHH I'm not adding anything else. But THENNNNN I saw that its powdered and you can actually just add it to food and drinks! 

Salads, Smoothies, Drinks, Soups - you name it! These little powdered beauties can be added nearly anywhere.  

So I did it! I found Blue Green Algae (Spirulina depending on the brand you buy) and Chloraphyll. The Algae is in a powder and Chloraphyll is a liquid, with Mint Added! First of all when I opened the Chloraphyll, I put it in water with Ice, and it was amazing. SO refreshing and I can't wait to have this as a go to in Summer! *watch this space for an exciting array of iced teas*  

The Algae caught me off guard. It has the strongest most pungent smell which truth be told, turned my stomach a little bit. But once you mix it with anything, you can't taste it really because you don't use too much of it.  

I do warn you though, I think I over did it the first time I used the Algae... and the toilet was my friend that afternoon. TMI I know but I have to be honest. If you asked me to describe what came out... the answer would just be - Green - 

So go easy with it.  

If you aren't aware of the benefits of Spirulina or Algae, you can do some reading Here, and Hereare the benefits of adding Chloraphyll to your diet.  

I've searched high and low for information on if this is safe for children, and there has been nothing to indicate that it isn't unsafe. So I happily fed this to my 3 year old. He bloody loved it, and he's alive... so the proofs in the pudding! 

So there you go! If you have the stuff give it a go, and if you're up for incorporating more nutrients into your diet - but keep it fun - then this is definitely for you! The Chlorophyll I use in this particular Smoothie is by Grant's. It was only $14.00 for a bottle. But you can use any powdered Spirulina provided it's by a reputable company. There shouldn't be many issues.

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Recipe 

Serves -2- 

Time: 10 Mins

 What you need: 

1 Banana 

3 Tablespoons of Coconut Yoghurt ( No Sugar ) 

2 Cups Coconut Milk 

1/2 Teaspoon Algae 

2 Teaspoons Minted Chlorophyll 

1 Tablespoon Great Lakes Collagen/Gelatin

1 Small Handful of Spinach 

1 Tablespoons Cacao and 2 Tablespoons Extra Coconut Milk Blended together 

 - Any Toppings you like. I did Hazelnuts, Cashews, Brazil Nuts, Cacao Nibs, Chia Seeds, and a small scoop of Coyo -  

 What to do: 

In a Blender ( I used a Nutri Ninja ) add the Banana, Yoghurt, Milk, Algae, Chlorophyll and Spinach, and blend until there are no lumps and a smooth consistency is reached. If you want it more liquidy, then just add more milk.  

Mix your cacao and milk together to form a chocolate paste and pour around the sides of your glass.  

Pour in the smoothie and top with your toppings! 

I also made one in a bowl - however, it was harder to eat because it was so wet (if that even makes sense?) So if you do it in a bowl, take a quarter of the liquid away so its more Smoothie Bowl Consistency!