Healing Golden Tea

No, this is not another web recipe for the famous golden milk. This recipe was created purely in the hopes of healing me from sickness.

I very rarely get sick. Every couple years maybe less? I do get a runny nose or a cough at times, but that’s not really being sick. Being sick is when I cannot take care of my household or anything else because my energy is so low and I just need to rest and take care of myself. Being sick for me is when something is so physically uncomfortable that I need to retreat and put the only energy I have towards healing.

That’s what happened on sunday. Thankfully it was on a sunday where my husband was home and we had nothing planned, so I could just set up the living room as an ongoing movie theater and let myself melt in the couch.

When I get sick I do two things: I cut out most foods and I drink PLENTY of liquids. I try to make those liquids relevant to what I am feeling in the moment. This is where this tea came in. I needed something that felt healing, while providing some quality nutrients to help assist my immune system in fighting what I had. What I had was a very sore throat that led up to my ear and create a lot of pain there as well. The left side of my neck and ear were swollen to the point of creating pressure in my head. I didn’t have any mucus so I didn’t want to consume too much heating foods such as garlic. Which is my go to for runny noses and colds. It felt like an infection so I treated it as such.

Lemon Peel: it has all the same vitamins as lemon juice but 5 to 10 times more potent. In my case I used it because it helps against bacterial infections as well as overgrowth of parasites. If I did have an infection, this will help lower it. For a sore throat you can chew on some lemon peel without swallowing it for 5-10 minutes, kinda like gum. I make sure to use organic for this.

Turmeric: helps fight inflammation, increases immune system strength amongst many other things. But those two I mentioned are the reason I used it.

Coconut oil: It helps the body absorb turmeric as it is fat soluble. And also since I was barely eating, it felt good to have a tiny bit of fat in my system.

Ginger: anti-inflamatory, as well as helps lower infections. It’s warming and improves circulation. Good for upset stomachs and digestion.

Mint leaves: helps soothe headaches as well as alleviate inflammation. It has germicidal qualities that help keep bacteria in the mouth under control. And it tastes good 🙂

 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 lemon, with peel on
• 1/2 to a whole lemon juice
• 1 large chunk of ginger, the size of a knuckle about
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 5-10 mint leaves
• dash of himalayan pink salt or any other good salt as long as it’s not table salt
• Large spoonful of raw local honey, raw is important here, you don’t want to use honey that has been heated as it looses all of it’s nutritional value.
• 3 cups hot water

 

Steps:

• put everything in a blender and blend on high until everything is very well combined
• pour in a thermos and sip throughout the day.

 

I made the is the first day I felt something was coming on and after the first sip I said to my husband: “This tastes like it’s going to heal me”. Not in a bad way, in a potent and delicious way. I very much enjoyed drinking this and made myself one last batch this morning just to be sure. My kids happily drank some as well. We tend to all take medicine when person is sick. Since everything we take at my house is all plant based and usually home made, there are no side effects of taking those while healthy.

 

I really do think that drinking this helped a huge deal in my speedy recovery. 24 hours later and I was already ready to eat again. While I only stuck to soups and fruits to ease back in to “normal living”, I felt good enough to eat.

For other natural home remedies that I have used and liked check out these recipes:

Cough Suppressant

Immunity Boosting Tincture

Multi Vitamins for kids

 

What home remedies do you use when you are feeling under the weather?

 

 

 

 

 

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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.

Strawberry Grawnola

Nice and crunchy, light and flavorful, what better way to satisfy a sweet craving than with a bowl of home made (almost raw) granola? In all honesty I can find (and have found!) dozens of others ways to satisfy a sweet craving very satisfactorily but this a great way as well. Thanks to the sprouted buckwheat base, this granola is filling without making you feel heavy, gives you loads of energy without any nasty sugar crash and fuels you with beneficial vitamins and minerals thanks to all the beautiful ingredients.

I used lucuma powder, which is a fruit, and has a significant amount of potassium, calcium (good for strong bones and teeth) and phosphorus (important for bone and protein formation as well as proper digestion and hormone balancing). It also has a good amount of protein (4 grams per serving) as well as fiber.

The coconut provides you with a nice dose of healthy fats. Pair this with a cup of some freshly made almond milk and you got yourself a wholesome, nutritious, delicious meal!

Thanks to the strawberries, the kids love this one, and we have been eating it on homemade raw yogurt, with milk and sometimes just straight out of the jar.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups buckwheat, either sprouted, or soaked at least 8 hours then rinsed really well.
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup coconut slices
• 3 TBS lucuma powder (optional but it gives a nice flavor while adding a lot of beneficial vitamins and minerals)
• 1/2 cup powdered freeze dried strawberries (I powdered them in my blender), plus another 1/2 cup in pieces
• 1/4 cup + 2TBS coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup quinoa crispies (not raw)(this is like puffed rice but with quinoa)
• 1/2cup water

Steps:

• mix everything in a large bowl
• lay on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 105*F for about 12 hours or until fully dried and crispy
• store in an airtight container for weeks! Or if it’s like at my house, this will only last several days….

No dehydrator? No problem! Just put it in the oven on the lowest setting and check it after 45 minutes, toss it and leave it for a while longer until it is fully crispy. I estimate it taking about 1.5 hours.

Peanut Butter and Honey Rawcoroons

Crunchier than my other rawcoroons, these peanut butter bliss balls hit home with the kids (and the adults too!!) The combination of honey and peanut butter really puts these rawcoroons in my top 3 flavors at the moment. These little balls are such a great thing to have around the house as they are packed with nutrients, healthy fats and carbs, to keep my kids full and satisfied when we are on the go. The perfect snack that packs easily or the quick breakfast when there is no time to be in the kitchen, or really just an awesome cookie when the craving hits.

I had made a peanut butter raw cookie like this before but this time I switched up the recipe because of what I had on hand, and they came out much tastier than I expected them to.

And I tested a few in the oven in order to relay good information to those of you who don’t have a dehydrator, and I am happy to say that the oven version was equally as delicious. While I am a huge advocate of raw as much as I can in order to preserve nutrients in the foods I consume, I understand it is not convenient for everyone, and eating a homemade baked cookie made with these ingredients is better than not eating a cookie at all. There, I said it. Eat a cookie. It makes life tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond meal or flour or finely ground raw almonds (For this particular recipe I used almond pulp left over from making milk, that I had then dehydrated to make flour)
• 1 cup oats, ground to a flour (I used my blender but a coffee grinder works too)
• 2 cups shredded coconut, ground finely but not to a flour consistency
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1/8 cup water

Steps:

• combine everything in a large bowl and mix well
• taste and make sure it is to your liking, add more honey or pb if the need be 🙂
• scoop out into balls (I use an ice cream scooper)
• put on a dehydrator mesh screen
• dehydrate at 105*F for about 8 hours. Check them at 6 hours and see if the consistency is to your liking. The longer you leave them, the drier they get.

If using an oven:

• preheat your oven to 200*F and bake them for 1.5 to 2 hours. Check them to make sure they are to your liking. If you don’t care in preserving too much of the nutrients, go ahead and bake them at a regular cookie temperature for much less time. I am sure it will work too, I just haven’t tried that yet.

Store in an airtight container for several days. In all honesty, I have no idea how long these last as they were gone in under 48 hours.

Red Cabbage and Beet Sauerkraut

I’ve always been a lover of sauerkraut. I loved it as a kid and still love it as an adult. I don’t remember when I started making my own but if I asked my wallet I’m sure it would remember 😉 If you are someone who buys or has ever bought raw sauerkraut, you know what I’m talking about. It’s amazing how much money one can charge for a head of fermented cabbage. I spent that money for some time because it was well worth it for me. And while I will still purchase it on rare occasions if the craving hits and I didn’t anticipate that 2 weeks prior, then I splurge. Sauerkraut, which is a fermented food, is a very high source of probiotic, which is essential for good gut health. Having a healthy gut is pretty much one of the best things you can do for you overall health. Have you ever heard that we have two brains? Our actual brain, and then our gut, or “second brain”? Well it’s true. Our gut holds so much information that it is imperative we take care of it. Eating fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, amongst many other things, is a great way to introduce probiotics to our systems. While I make the plain and simple version more frequently, I like to play with the flavors every now and then. My latest kraut creation is a beautiful combination of red cabbage, beets, and red onions. Not only are we getting the benefits of fermentation here, but we are adding all the health benefits of raw beets (great for blood health and liver cleanser) and onions (awesome immunity booster). This batch came out surprisingly mild in flavor while still containing that delicious fermented taste that I look for. If I would have let my sauerkraut sit for a few more days, I probably would have gotten a stronger flavor, which would have been awesome as well. I’ve been introducing sauerkraut to my kids since they were babies, and they all like it. They are not always in the mood to eat it but I keep on presenting it to them, and some days they eat happily. I think it’s important we give our kids plenty of chances to eat “funky” foods without pressure in order to teach them about variety and so they can be familiar with all kinds of flavors of health boosting ingredients. Go slice yourself a cabbage and enjoy one of the cheapest ways to eat your way to a healthy gut.

One of my favorite lunches recently has been this sauerkraut combined with some avocado, yellow yams, and whatever fresh greens I have growing in my garden. I actually crave eating that most days!

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of purple cabbage
• 2 small beets
• 1 large red onion
• 1 TBS salt or to taste
• 1 cup filtered water

Steps:

• run vegetables in a food processor with the shredding attachement
• put in a large bowl and add water and salt and massage really well to get the salt in there, it will get the vegetables to start releasing their juices faster so the fermentation process can start
• either use this method here, or put your mixture in a large mason jar with screened lid covered with a piece of fabric (to keep bugs out) and press it down every few days to make sure the cabbage remains submerged in water. This is imperative or it will go bad!
• let it sit on your counter or any place out of the way, for at least 2 weeks, taste it and let it sit longer if you want a stronger flavor.
• when you are satisfied with the flavor, put it in sealed jars and keep it in the fridge for weeks!

Garden Love and Gomassio

I finally started up my garden again this year after a couple year sabbatical. It feel so great to be playing in the dirt again, planting little seeds watching them grow, feeding our bodies directly from the earth and bringing awareness to my children of the importance of where our food comes from.

Growing up on an organic farm, we ate mostly from what my parents grew. And as a kid I took it for granted. That’s just the way it was! Food grows outside, we pick it, we eat it. During the summer time and school was out, we had to participate in the upkeep of the garden. It was a chore. All my friends were out playing and I had to stay back and put in my two hours before I could do anything. I didn’t like doing it. I complained often. But boy am I happy my parents did that! It is definitely one of those moments where my parents said “You will thank me later”, and I did 🙂

Having ma parents show me what real food was at such a young age, got me to grow into a food conscious adult, as well as bring awareness to the planet and living things. Now with my kids when we are out in our little city back yard, they observe bugs and ask questions about why I grow certain things and not others and talk about edible flowers. When having children, gardening becomes so much more than just eating from the source. And while I do not have the capacity to grow enough food to feed my family all the vegetables we require, it is still enough to have fresh greens daily and to involve my kids in something I find so important: Health and our Earth, and how the two are connected.

We have been eating a variety of greens and herbs from the garden for several weeks now, but this is our first batch of radishes, and the kids were so excited to pick them!! Radishes are such a great vegetable for kids to grow because they are so easy, grow fast, are easy for them to pick,  and are cute and pink! Although they have a little spice to them, my kids didn’t seem to mind. I think the excitement of eating from the garden took over the slight spiciness 🙂 I remember loving radishes as a kid. When we ate them at my grandmas house we would put some fresh organic butter on them and then dip them in gomassio, this powder thing that my grandma would buy. For many years I reminisced about how tasty that was, thinking it was a childhood memory or that i had to be at my grandmas house to eat radishes that way. Until I found out that Gomassio was essentially just sesame seeds and salt. So I recreated this childhood memory with my own kids and it was perfect 🙂 We had some leftover gomassio and my daughter being the awesome little creative chef she is decided to use it to make a vegetable stir fry 🙂 I unfortunately have no pictures of that dish. 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
• 1 tsp himalayan sea salt, or real salt

Steps:

• smash them together until fine enough to dip radishes in it!
• A mortar and pestle would be ideal here, but I broke mine a while ago and never bought a new one, so we used my daughters mini food processor

Food for Fuel

photo source: Internet

Why do you eat? Why do you eat what you eat? Do you have a thought process before eating certain foods? Do you feel like your relationship with food could improve?

Food is essential for life. Without food or some form of it, we would not be able to live. Yet in these modern times, food is the cause of so much illness, poor health, sometimes even death. Why is that? Why is it that something that is designed to keep us alive, kills so many?

I think the reason why is because too many have lost contact with food’s primary purpose: FUEL. Then, nutrition.

Food is fuel for our bodies. Just like we need to put gas in our cars regularly, we need to put food in our bodies regularly. The highest quality gas will allow your car to run optimally. The right amount of radiator fluid and good oil, have the same purpose: to help your car to function properly. Too much or too little of these things will make it that your car will either overflow and not know what to do with all the extra liquid, or won’t be able to get you to where you want to go because of insufficient energy. While our bodies are much more amazing and intricate and complicated than a car, the basics are very similar. We need the proper kind of fuel to move optimally. The wrong kind of gas will break your car just like the wrong foods can create illness and poor health. Treat your body as you would your car, fill the tank with the right kind of fuel when it is empty, stop filling when it is full, give it the right kind of oil and at the right time.

Isn’t that great news? I think it is, because it really is THAT simple.

Too many people have lost touch with the simplicity of feeding one’s body and that is where eating disorders, obesity, poor health, etc…. arises. I don’t believe many foods to be truly evil. As a matter of fact, other than being a strict vegetarian, there is nothing I absolutely won’t eat. (Don’t quote me on this I might change my mind later). What I do believe in though, is eating the right foods at the right time. How do you do that? Well just think about what you are trying to accomplish. If all you are interested in is the pleasure of awakening your senses with delicious foods, then by all means, go for it, because, let’s not be hypocrites here, eating food for pleasure can be quite delightful. (Have you seen some of the recipes on my blog??) Even then though, I would suggest to be mindful about this. Do you eat for pleasure every time you eat? If that’s the case, I would suggest you make sure that what you find pleasurable also has a double purpose of properly fueling your body with nutritious ingredients. If it doesn’t, then maybe it’s time to revisit your relationship with food. If you are interested in being healthy and having your body work properly, then I suggest you start thinking about your meals and what you are going to be eating according to what your activities following that meal are. Are you going to be exercising? Are you going to be sitting at your desk for several hours? Are you going out dancing? Are you going to the park to play with your kids? Are you sitting on the couch watching a movie? Depending on what you will be doing, your body will require different forms of fuel. The foods I choose before an afternoon at the park running around, often are different than the foods I choose once the kids are in bed and I am reading a book or watching a movie. With this mindset I rarely feel deprived. If I MUST have a cupcake or ice cream or pizza or croissant, or which ever other foods that are not optimal for my body’s wellbeing, then at least I can make sure to eat those things at a time where my body can use those foods as energy instead of storing them as fat.

Subsequently, choosing the proper nutrition for your fuel will have an even greater positive impact on your health. I mentioned pizza, cupcake and such, and while I believe it is fine to let myself eat those things at times, it is rarely what I will choose to FUEL or FEED my body with when I have health in mind. Using the proper fuel will ensure optimal body function. While eating pizza at lunch when I will be going for a run later is much better than pizza at dinner when I will just be sitting and watching a movie, no pizza is best. So do not let yourself get trapped in the “FUEL” mindset, meaning you are using the fact that you will be using what you just ate as fuel for exercise as a reason to feed your body junk regularly. Combining proper fuel with proper nutrition is where it’s at if you are looking for optimal health. While a cookie might be lower in calories than some dried fruit and nuts, the benefits you will get from the latter outweigh the benefits you would be getting from a cookie. Wether you are burning off the calories or not.

I believe that the quality of your calories are far more important than the quantity of those calories, I will also argue that at which time you choose to consume those calories are almost equally as important than the calories you are choosing to consume.

It might take some practice at first but eventually this will be second nature. Reaching for a cookie at bedtime, or going to the gym on an empty stomach won’t make any sense to you. Having a big carb loaded lunch will sound awful if you know you are returning to the office to sit at your desk for several hours. By thinking of food this way you are bringing back your intuition to what feels best. Because in the end, isn’t that what we all want? To feel good? And I can guarantee you that the momentary “good” feeling you get from eating a “treat” is nothing compared the long lasting bliss that comes with eating a clean, nutrient rich diet.

So next time you reach for something to eat, ask yourself, “What am I trying to accomplish for my body with this food?”

Pre-Party Smoothie

We had two birthday parties to go to yesterday. Which means there would be a lot of unwholesome eating in one day. I try not to be too strict with my kids with that stuff. I don’t want them to form a negative relationship with food because “mom never let us eat “junk””. At home I feed my family what I believe to be the highest quality foods and nutrient dense meals, and when we are out, while I still try and make sure they don’t spend the whole time gorging themselves with sweets, I let them eat what is offered.

I do put a limit on things such as “You either get a piece of cake OR a cupcake. You get the juice box OR the ice cream”. They are still just children and need a little bit of guidance, no? For the most part they are on board with this. And if I do catch my 6 year old daughter sneaking an extra piece of cake, or juice box or cookie (or anything else, because this happens, often) I try not to make her feel bad about it. I use this as an opportunity to check in with her and ask her how it makes her body feel, or if it makes her happy to eat sweets, or any other question that comes up that will allow me to have her be in touch with a deeper part of herself versus just the immediate palate satisfaction. While eating just for pleasure is fine sometimes, when it happens too often, it is not just for pleasure anymore. If it were up to my daughter, she would have it all, 3 times. My son can easily have his piece of cake and go right back to playing. The baby, well since he is only 15 months, has not really been exposed to sugar yet. Holding off as long as I can on this one. With two older siblings its just a matter of time.

So while I want my kids to be exposed to other peoples way of eating so they can make their opinions about food, their health is still very important to me. That is why I make them a Pre-Party Smoothie before we leave the house. The Pre-Party Smoothie allows me to make sure they get a good dose of healthy fats, fiber and protein in order for their little bodies to function properly not only to be able to play and have fun with their friends, but also so they can handle what ever foods they might eat that their bodies are not used to digesting often. And, if done right, they might not even be that hungry to have pizza AND cake AND ice cream. *wishful thinking* 

While I get my kids to drink their smoothies and juices regularly, they still sometimes put up a fuss. The Party Smoothie is easy because they know we are not leaving until their cup is empty. I make sure to remind them that this smoothie will give them lots of energy so they can play for along time.

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 1/2 avocado
• 2 TBS hemp seeds
• 2 cups almond milk
• 2 cups fresh greens (this time it was spinach)
• Optional: a handful of sprouts because I had some handy.

Steps:

• Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth
• this made enough for 3 small servings

For some of my thoughts on eating at parties, you can check out my post from a few months ago:

https://anaboreal.wordpress.com/2014/08/26/tips-to-avoid-over-eating-at-parties/

Sneaky Blood Orange Cacao Muffins

Because blood orange cacao muffins wouldn’t be good enough as it is that I had to make them sneaky. How? By adding a large cup of fresh kale to the mix. Seriously, if you didn’t see me baking these, you would have no idea that there was a healthy serving of greens in there. The kids were with me, so they saw, but it didn’t stop them from chowing down once they were out of the oven!

A a kid I did not like fruit in my chocolate. It was a flavor/texture thing. And I did not like nuts in my chocolate either. It was a waste-of-space thing. A big almond in my chocolate bar meant less chocolate. Ummm no thanks. My how times have changed!! I love chocolate so much I will eat it with almost anything. That is why it is so fun for me to come up with all kids of creations. Wether or not I am original in my pairings, it is still a fun process 🙂

I think blood oranges have a natural raspberry flare to them. Somewhat sweet, somewhat tangy. So last minute, once the batter was all ready to go into the muffin tins, I decided to accentuate that flavor by adding whole raspberries to the mix. A total win.

I won’t even lie and tell you that when my son didn’t feel like eating his salad for dinner, I justified not asking him to by saying “He had 3 muffins today, that’s a decent amount of greens.” Ha! Ninja parenting makes my life easier!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour ( I mixed garbanzo and buckwheat)
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup cacao powder, depending on how chocolatey you like things
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds soaked in 1/2 cup water for 10-20 minutes
• 1 cup blood orange juice
• 1 TBS blood orange zest
• 1/2 coconut oil
• 1 1/2 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup chopped fresh kale
• 1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen then thawed

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325*F
• grind flax seeds in coffee grinder if needed and soak in water
• combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl
• combine the rest of the ingredients minus the raspberries, in a blender
• blend until the kale is well broken down
• mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients
• slowly fold in raspberries as to not have them break down too much
• grease your muffin tins
• bake for 10-12 minutes for mini muffins or probably around 18-20 minutes for regular size muffins