Nut-ella YUM!!

This simple recipe definitely gives the satisfaction of eating nutella without all the guilt! You can decide how much and what kind of sweetener you use and it is free of all those awful oils and added toxic ingredients that you find in most of the store bought ones.

Yes, there are now some much better versions out there, but the price?? Plus, to me, it’s always so satisfying being able to whip up something this delectable in my own kitchen, and sharing it with my kids.

My oldest helped with this and it gave us an opportunity to talk about why I don’t buy the popular brand and why I choose the quality ingredients that I do.

If you are a nutella lover, I believe you will enjoy this healthy take on it.

Enjoy!

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 1 TBS coconut or macademia nut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 125 ml (about 1/2 cup) coconut milk (I use the fatty one from a can)
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 80 ml (about 1/3 cup) of sweetener. I used a mix of honey and maple syrup. Honey is much sweetener than maple syrup, I f I were to use it exclusively I would use less. To keep it sugar free you could use stevia or rice malt syrup.
• dash of salt

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*F. Bake the nust for 8-10 minutes. This helps the oils come out and create a smoother texture.
• once baked let cool a few minutes and peel the skins off as they can be bitter. This doesn’t need to be exact. We actually put ours in a jar and shook it a bunch and that was enough! We still had quite a bit of skins left but it came out great.
• put nuts in the food processor and blend a few minutes until a nice creamy butter is formed
• add all other ingredients and continue blending until well combined.
• taste and adjust according to taste buds
• Share and enjoy!

 

 

 

40 days of confinement and a Shiitake broth recipe

 

If you are here just for the recipe, go straight to the end of this  post, as I am starting it with a story about my postpartum days. 

 

My 40 days of confinement, inspired by The First 40 Days, are officially done.  I made the decision to stay home with my daughter for the first 40 days postpartum, eating warming nourishing foods and practicing self care while tuning in to my daughter’s energy, thanks to the book The First 40 Days. Read more about that in this post.

I am so incredibly grateful that I was supported in doing this and I am proud of and happy with myself to have made this commitment. I received such amazing nourishment from friends and family, I’ve been very gentle with myself, and have been relishing on what it feels like to be home with no obligations other than being with my family.

It has been an incredibly inspiring time. I started filling up my days with more reading, more learning of subjects that I had been interested in for a while and just never made the time for, more singing with the kids and more self care. All these things are going to stay with me as I slowly start to re-integrate in the outside world. My daughter is calm and happy. Her siblings treat her with gentleness and love, and we are all around a happy and healthy family. Make no mistake, “healthy and happy” does indeed include sleep deprived, at times frustrated and impatient, and learning to adjust to life with a 4th child while stumbling through past parenting successes that are no longer successes, and needing to find a new path. Thats for a different post. But the appreciation for happiness is only truly possible when one fully accepts life’s challenges as well. 🙂

I highly recommend mothers take this time postpartum. I know this is common for a lot of cultures, but here in the United States, not so much. And if you are like me, with no immediate family near by (other than my sister in law, who is amazing with the kids), or grandparents, then taking the time to just BE with my new born is something that comes with a lot of pre-planning.

Other than making sure there is always someone to be with my older kids, and the endless hours of snuggling with my new love, the two most beneficial things I got out of this time at home was the nourishing foods and the self care.

I really tuned in to my body and followed my gut’s intuition, literally, to feed myself. Unsurprisingly, not once did I crave salads, or smoothies, or anything cold. I stayed away from most flours as the thought of the weight in my stomach sounded too, well, heavy. I was eating a lot of soups and stews and warm oats, with almond milk. Lots of fatty foods such as avocados, coconut and olive oil on everything. No nuts or seeds as is, in butter or milk form was great. I avoided dairy other than the occasional yogurt craving that actually felt good on my digestion and abundant amounts of ghee. No eggs or cheese. Out of nothing other than the lack of desire for them. I am vegetarian so meats and fish and bone broths were not in my diet, though I do recommend eating lots of bone broths for meat eaters as it is highly nourishing and replenishing while being incredibly gentle on the digestion.

As for physical activity, I didn’t do anything for the first 4 weeks other than very mild stretching to open up my chest and get some blood circulating. Since I wasn’t leaving the house I didn’t go for walks. It was hard yet I surrendered easily in to this as I was committed to being with my newborn, at home, away from cold winds or bright sunshine, or harsh noises (we live in a city). At week 4, I started increasing the frequency and intensity of my stretching and adding some mobility drills to get my joints supple and prepared for when I would eventually start exercising again. I would also perform frequent heat massages on myself, on my ankles, elbows, knees and wrists, with sesame oil. At week 5, I started doing some very gentle core awakening exercises added in to my stretching. Week 6 is when I start leaving the house, going for walks on the beach, then to the beach and home. Now, starting week 7, I have started a very gentle and mild exercise routine. It’s not much of a routine really as it is more of a permission to exercise whenever I have the time. With four kids, including a new born, I get to do a couple exercises here and there throughout the day. I have no actual “workout” time carved out yet. And I have not started doing cardio either. I am focusing on rebuilding my core and improving my flexibility, while increasing the intensity of my walking before I start adding anything more intense. Next will be walking stairs and then bike riding.

I will eventually be writing a more extensive post on my exercise regimen with examples of how I am bringing myself back to a place of strength and balance in my own body.

Self care was very important for me during this time. I had friends come over and provide healing sessions. I got some reiki, body talk, sound healing, cranio sacral and massages. When I didn’t have someone working on me, I worked on myself. I performed frequent self massages, took candlelit bubble baths (once the bleeding had stopped, which for me was after 6-8 days). I journaled, read, meditated, colored and drew, and worked on my own vibration either through song or tuning forks. And on occasion I would make myself yummy nourishing foods that weren’t being provided.

Now that the 40 days are up, I am committed to keeping a lot of these practices alive. I am continuing to feed myself gentle foods for the digestion, mostly because it feels really great that way, and also because we are in between autumn and winter and warm nourishing foods are of the season.

I am excited to start feeling in to my body more and more. The hardest part for me is not finding the motivation to exercise but rather making myself slow down and really take it slow. I am strong and can do a lot, even postpartum I can do more than some of my fitness clients, so not getting caught up in my strength and slowing down is a challenge. This is one of those times where I am choosing to NOT listen to my body, as it wants to keep going, but to tune in to my EXPERIENCE and knowledge instead. I know that taking it slow now will set me up for a much more empowering and healthy future.

One of the harder things for me to be coming out of the 40 days is the real distractions and demands that come from having 4 children. I was really enjoying spending all my time with my new baby, massaging her, singing to her, watching her coo at me and responding. Laying luxuriously for hours in bed and nursing and snuggling and not rushing her or forcing her in to anything. Now that the 40 days are done, we don’t really have the support of friends and family in the same way. My husband is working and I am with the kids, who need me to cook for them, play with them, take them places and so on. I don’t mind it as it is my chosen life, but I am saddened that the cocoon phase is over. I still spend a lot of quality time with Haumea, but she is quickly strapped in to the carrier even though she could spend a longer time lounging in bed with me, because the other kids need me. The pacifier comes out way more often than I would generally be okay with just so I can finish making breakfast for hungry and agitated little people before sitting down to nurse her.

Regardless of how you enter life postpartum, it is a huge shift. Wether is is your first or your 4th, it is a huge shift. But entering life postpartum after giving myself those 40 days of “confinement” feels so much more gentle and empowering. While I am tired and have very little time to myself without a child on my body, my mental state feels strong and peaceful. The upsets arise, as they always do, but I generally have the patience to handle with them more peace than I once had. I have my own internal struggles, as well as the shifting of roles and dynamics in my marriage as we navigate this new territory, yet I do not have fear, or frustrations at the unknown.

My husband and I have been disconnected, not in a negative way, just in a way that happens because I have taken on caring for a new born and he has taken on being with older kids more and taking them out of the house when he can. We have always done everything together, and right now we are dividing ourselves to better serve our family. It is a necessary step in the process yet it is time for him and I to reconnect and talk about how we will make our relationship a priority again in the near future.

My capabilities, desires and needs are shifting and I know his are too. Talking about those and understanding where we both are in this transition will help us grow stronger, keeping resentments and attachments out of the equation.

We are all adjusting, and keeping communications open and clear during this time are of the utmost importance if we want to keep on thriving as a couple and a family.

The 40 days are up, and I feel so ready to take on this new life, with all it’s challenges, upsets, beauty and joy.

 

Below is the recipe for what quickly became my favorite postpartum nourishment: Mushroom broth that I got from the book The First 40 Days. The first few days, when my digestion was very sensitive and my insides felt like a ghost town, with lots of empty space and gas bubbles, I would drink this  while eating avocados. I didn’t really want much else. As my organs slowly started finding their way back and my intestines had more support I started adding oats or congee to the broth. Now I make it and keep eating with oats or congee as I truly love it. It is becoming a staple in my house.

As with any broth, you can build your own, add or substitute ingredients given what you have on hand. There is no wrong when it comes to making broth as long s you have enough liquid with your veggies!

 

Shiitake Mushroom Broth

 

Makes 2 quarts (2L) (I’m not gonna lie, I always wish it makes more, i need to start doubling the recipe…)

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 leeks, green parts discarded, white parts roughly chopped
• 2 TBS olive oil or other cooking oil or ghee
• sea salt
• 2 cups (85 g) fresh shiitake mushrooms, or 1 cup dried
• 1/2 cup dried reishi mushrooms (20g)  (optional but I highly recommend it as it adds great immunity properties and flavor!)
• 1 cup (60g) cremini or white button mushrooms
• 2 strips kombu (helps with digestion and flavor)
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 medium tomatoes, halved, with seeds is fine
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 inch knob of fresh turmeric, unpeeled, halved
• 2 cups (140g) roughly chopped green cabbage
• 1 loosely packed cup (50g) roughly chopped parsley
• 2 TBS lemon zest
• 1/4 cup miso paste (optional as it is my personal add-in that wasn’t in the original recipe)

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, brown the onions and leeks in the oil with a pinch of salt.
• Quickly rinse the mushrooms and kombu under running water. Add everything but the parsley, cabbage and lemon zest to the pot, with 3 quarts (2.8L) of water, or enough water to cover the veggies by 1 inch.
• Cook for 1 hour over medium, low heat, covered.
• During the last 20 minutes, add the cabbage, parsley and lemon zest.
• season the broth to taste. Remove from heat and strain.
• I add 1/4 cup miso paste at this point (this isn’t in the recipe but this is the way I have taken to make it as I love the flavor)
• Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months

Congee

Congee is a rice porridge originating from China and other Asian countries. Congee is soft, warm and mushy, requiring minimal effort to digest, making it a perfect comfort food for when you are under the weather, recovering from surgery, or like myself, recovering from childbirth. It is so versatile as it will take on the flavor of what you pair it with.

I started eating congee at the end of my pregnancy, and it was a staple in my diet for the first few weeks postpartum. I continue to eat it because I just fell in love with the possibilities of flavors it promises.

Because this recipe makes such a large batch, I started freezing small portions in zip lock bags that are easily defrosted for a quick add in to most meals. I’ve mixed it with soup, curries, chillies and other veggie one pot meals. During my first weeks postpartum I would add it to simple veggie broths for a little sustenance. I’ve had it sweet as a custard (see below), or just with milk and fruit. Your imagination is the limit here!

 

White Rice Congee (from the book The First 40 days)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups white jasmine rice
• 1/2 cup white sticky rice

 

Steps:

• In a large pot bring the uncooked rice with 1 quart of water to a boil, or enough to cover the rice by 1 1/2 inches, to a boil
• reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, until the grains soften and open up.
• You’ll want to stir often and add water as its being absorbed. I usually end up adding up to 4 cups of water throughout the cooking to make sure the rice stays moist and becomes pudding like.
• Eat hot or store in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

 

 

Savory Congee with parsley pesto

 

Sweet Congee Custard

• Stir in one whole egg while heating it up, with a splash of milk and some honey and it tastes just like custard!
• add in whatever you like to have to a sweet bowl! Here I have black sesame seeds, cacao nibs, bananas, cinnamon and coriander powder.

Coconut Haystacks

This is a very quick (if you have an electric hand mixer), very simple recipe here that I got from the book The First 40 Days.

This is my first time making coconut haystacks the more traditional way as I have been making the raw version, that I call Rawcaroons, for years now.  I have a basic version, the almond rawcaroon, a lemon one, raspberry flavor, and there are probably a few other flavors in my recipe repertoire as well, if you are up for the search 🙂 I have definitely made many more flavors just cannot remember if I have blogged about them all.

While I LOVE the raw versions, they can be heavy on the digestion and they take so much longer to make. Since I am still in my early post partum days I am continuing to be mindful of my digestion and choosing foods that feel gentle and not to heavy.

These were wonderful! They don’t hold up as nicely as the rawcaroons as they are more fragile, but so worth it! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6 large egg whites
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 TBS pure vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 or 3 drops rose water (optional)

Steps:

• Preheat over to 350*F
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites until a stiff peak forms (this is my first time using my hand held mixer with eggs whites, and oh man was it easy and quick!!)
• Gently mix in all other ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix!
• Drop tablespoons of the batter on to a greased or lined baking sheet
• Bake for 8 minutes and check. They need to be slightly golden brown. The book says 8-12 minutes here, and I did mine for almost 20 before they started to brown on the top! They got crispy on the bottom and I actually liked that as it added a little caramel flavor 🙂
• Remove from oven when done to your liking and let cool 5-10 minutes.

 

 

These are the perfect snack for me to have around the house for a quick pick me up or little treat with my tea.

Cough Suppressant Tea

So simple and so effective. I had a cough lingering for a little over a week. Any thing that lingers for over 24 hours has overstayed it’s welcome. And I take serious action to get back to my fully functioning self.

I went on a field trip with my gardening class to a local farm and as we were walking through the orchard and admiring all the fruit trees my teacher starts talking about the Loquat tree and the healing properties of the leaves. As soon as he said “it is known to help alleviate coughs”, I grabbed a few leaves and asked him how to prepare it. As soon as I got home I made a batch and within a couple days of drinking my cough was completely gone! Not that I am surprised that nature works so well, I am just continuously amazed at the simplicity of healing myself naturally.

So I am sharing this with you, in case you believe in the power of nature as well and you can get your hands on some loquat leaves!

Loquat leaves have this fuzz underneath them. You need to rub that off gently as it would be unpleasant to drink it.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 large loquat leaves, fresh or dried
• 5 cups water

 

Steps:

• rub the fuzz off the leaves
• chop up in large pieces
• add to 5 cups of boiling water
• simmer for 5 minutes with a lid on
• let it cool
• strain
• drink a small cup 3 times a day until the cough is gone!

I found the tea to be a subtle and pleasant flavor. Very easy to drink. You could add fresh lemon and honey to add to the benefits of healing, but I found it effective and tasty as is.

Just Persimmons Pudding

Another persimmon pudding? Yes. I am shamelessly posting another persimmon pudding recipe. Mostly because I just made this today, faster than it took my boys to destroy the living room. That’s how quick this recipe is! And also because I love persimmons and my husbands client just gave us a huge bag of the Hachiya kind, which are the ones that need to be super ripe before eating, which means the best way to eat them in my opinion is prepared, not just as is, as they are so messy when they are ripe enough.

This isn’t even a recipe. It’s really just an inspiration for you guys 🙂

 

 

Ingredients:

• 4 really ripe persimmons
• 1/4 cup liquid (I used coconut milk)
• 1 chunk of fresh ginger (optional, but with people getting sick everywhere I throw ginger in everywhere I can to boost our immune systems!)

Steps:

• wash and stem the persimmons
• add everything to a blender
• blend on high, serve and enjoy!

 

I enjoyed mine over some warm buckwheat porridge with a bunch of spices added to it (cardamom, cinnamon and fresh grated ginger). Had a cup of chai tea with it, the perfect warming rainy day fall breakfast 🙂

Persimmon Pudding

Thick, creamy, silky, rich and unctuous, this little pudding got our tastebuds dancing!! I made this for our in house date night treat. When we feel like it’s been too long since we’ve gone on a date, we satisfy our need for connection with a little in house intentional time. It always includes a home made treat 🙂

It’s persimmon central at my house. I just can’t seem to ever buy enough at the farmers market, and just like bananas, when they start becoming too ripe to eat as is, there are so many fun recipes to create with them!!

This pudding was so easy and quick to make. A few ingredients, a blast of the blender and some spoonfuls later you are on your way to gastronomy heaven. And then, to really bring this dessert over the top, I added a square of some divinely tasty and healing chocolate. A Purified Life makes beautiful artisanal chocolates infused with healing and medicinal mushrooms. If you need an extra reason to eat chocolate other than the fact that it’s amazing, has numerous health benefits and lots of nutrients (antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, to name a few), eat A Purified Life’s chocolates, because she brings it over the top with her masterfully blended ingredients in order to provide us with the most satisfying cacao experience while healing our bodies at the same time.

http://www.apurifiedlife.com/superfood-chocolate/

While you wait for your chocolate order to ship, you should still whip up this pudding, add your own chocolate or eat it without.

Ingredients:

• 2 very ripe persimmons (hachiya or fuyu)
• 1/2 cup coconut water (or nut milk)
• 2 medjool dates (optional but oh so delicious!)
• 2 frozen bananas (not frozen is fine but I really love the texture that frozen bananas give)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream (the thick stuff in the can; or if you are up for it and have it on hand, replace that with fresh young coconut meat)

 

Steps:

• put first 4 ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth
• add coconut cream and keep blending until smooth
• pour in a glass or bowl, top it with fresh persimmon and chocolate if you like
• give a kiss to who ever you sharing this with and enjoy!!

 

Persimmon Apple Muffins

The smell filling the house this morning is autumnally divine 🙂 The combination of the sweet persimmon puree, mixed with the subtle spice flavor from the cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander create a wonderful home for the soft chunks of apples that easily melts in your mouth. Add to that the occasional date bite surprise and you got yourself a beautiful fall muffin treat, healthy enough for breakfast, sweet enough for dessert.

I just thawed my last bag of muffins this week, so I had been pondering what muffin flavor I was going to start with to work on filling up my freezer again. While I had a few other flavors in mind, when I looked at my fruit rack this morning and saw the abundance of ripe persimmons, there was no doubt that was going to be the flavor of the week 🙂

For this recipe, either persimmons will work, but I used the fuyu, the small squatty ones that can be eaten hard. I had some soft ones so I used those. If you have some super ripe hachiya, those will work great as well, but just make sure they are super ripe. These are the tear drop larger ones. Those are pretty much inedible unless they are fully soft to the point of almost falling appart in your hand. I learned this the very hands on way. 

While I am typing this, it is quiet in the house as the kids are busy eating all the muffins that are barely cool enough to grab, but I made sure to put a large batch in a box out of reach. It makes me happy that my kids love my cooking this much, yet at the same time, it’s hard to not have them eat all the baked goods in one day!

 

 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour (I mixed spelt, rice and teff. Don’t use spelt if gluten free)
• 1 cup small oats (regular works fine)\
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 4 large dates chopped really small (I used medjool because I love how juicy and thick they are)
• 2 ripe persimmons, pureed
• 1 small apple, chopped small
• 1 cup water (or more if you find your dough too dry depending on what flour you use)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds soaked in 1/2 cup water

 

Steps:

• preheat oven to 350*F
• grind your flax seeds and put them in a small bowl in water, set aside
• mix first 9 ingredients in a large bowl
• blend the persimmons in order to make a puree
• add all the remaining (wet) ingredients in another bowl and mix well
• combine wet and dry ingredients
• grease muffin tins
• pour dough in tins and bake for about 10-12 minutes for mini muffins, probably around 18 minutes for larger ones, or until a toothpick comes out clean
• let cool in pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks
• eat at will or store out of sight so you are not tempted to eat at will!!

 

Note this made about 56 mini muffins. I like to make mini muffins because it’s easier for the kids to handle and good to transport. Also, I make this many because I like to freeze some for later use so I can have an easy snack to grab, or a quick breakfast on the go.

 

 

Homemade Vegan Coconut Yogurt made into Parfaits

Thick, rich and creamy, not only is this yogurt delicious but it is good for the body with it’s probiotics and healthy fats. I have been seeing homemade yogurts for a while now. First at Nouveau Raw, if you have never checked this woman’s blog yet and you are in to raw foods, you MUST go now!!! She is incredible. Her creativity paired with her skill, knowledge and presentation leave me speechless. She is like the Martha Stewart of raw food.

Then I’ve seen this yogurt done several more times. But the one that finally got me doing it is Larice over at Feeding Your Beauty. Larice and I don’t know each other but reading her feels like we have been friends for a while because we seem to feel the same way about raising nutritionally conscientious children and have the same taste in food 🙂  She just made it all look and sounds so simple that I decided it was time for me to give it a go. And I am SO glad I did!!! And so are my kids!

Other than breaking open the coconuts, the yogurt in itself was so quick and simple and came out great the first time!

Will be making this often 🙂

Here I am showing you the yogurt turned into a delicious morning treat, by layering fresh fruit, a drizzle of honey and some homemade raw grawnola. 

Ingredients for the yogurt:

• 5 young thai coconuts
• 2/3 cup of coconut water
• 2 capsules of probiotics

Steps:

• open all the coconuts and sac the water aside. Larice shows her step by step system, in her post. Which is slightly different than mine but since hers is photographed you might as well check hers 😉
• put the young coconut meat in the blender with the water. Blend on high until a rich and creamy consistency is achieved. Add water if you want a slightly thinner yogurt.
• pour in a bowl, open the probiotic capsules and dump them in. Mix with a wooden spoon.
• put a towel over it and let it sit somewhere dark and warm for 12-24 hours. I left mine in my unopened, turned off stove.
• Taste it and if it’s to your liking, eat right away or store int he fridge where it will become a little more tangy.
• I have no idea how long this will last as we ate the whole batch in one sitting, my little family of 5.

Luxurious Chocolate Chai Latte

Just as the title states, luxurious, hint of chocolate, creamy and decadent, this beverage is a weekend treat. After making my Black Tea Mocha a few months back, I knew I was on to something with replacing coffee for tea in all the specialty coffee drinks. I like coffee, but I prefer tea. My warm beverage drinking world has opened up even wider!

This is a perfect fall beverage. While I enjoy chai tea at any time of the year, I feel more drawn to it during the fall and winter months because of all the warming spices. And if you’ve been following me for a while now, you have surely caught on to what a chocoholic I am, so naturally finding ways to sneak that delicious superfood in where ever I can has become quite a skill 😉

And lastly let’s not forget about what makes this drink so luscious: coconut butter. That’s right. I’ve been using coconut butter in drinks for a while now to add healthy fats and decadence. A winner every single time.

While I would love to say I get to enjoy this beverage quietly in a cozy chair while reading a book, the truth is, I generally have 3 minutes to myself before I have to brace the cup and raise it high above my head while I get jumped on by one of my children, or shoved off my seat by another or even just have the cup grabbed out of my hand because “Can I have some?”. In any case, how ever you get to enjoy this Latte, it is well worth it and will put a smile on your face 🙂

Ingredients:

• 2 cups steeped and strained chai tea (I buy mine in bulk and prefer the slightly spicy kind)
• 1 cup almond milk (or any other milk), for this drink I used almond coconut milk that I had just made, and it was such a divine choice 🙂
• 1.5 TBS coconut butter OR 3TBS coconut cream (the rich stuff from a can)
• 2-3 dates
• 1-2 tsp cacao powder (Depending on how chocolatey you want it)

Steps:

• Put everything in blender and blend on high until you get a little foam at the top
• pour and enjoy!