Goji Coconut Balls

Goji Coconut Balls

1 cup shredded coconut flakes
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 1/4 cup hempseed
1/2 cup goji berry powder (I grind my gogi berries in a coffee grinder)
1 1/2 cup goji berries
1 cup tocotrienols (mechanically powdered rice bran that can be left out)
2 1/2 Tbsps. raw honey
1 pinch of celtic sea salt

Method
Grind seeds and nuts separately in a coffee grinder, then add the remainding ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until turned into a mush. Roll this into balls and then refrigerate.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Coconuts Can Save Your Life

The first time I ran into anything coconutty was via a well known bar that is sold in Europe called a Bounty bar. These delicious chocolate covered sticky coconut treats, became an absolute favourite of mine. However, when I realised that my almost daily indulgences were causing my skin to itch and my chest to wheeze, I was devasted and I thought I'd never find anything similar again. Little did I know how untrue that was. It was during one of my nutrition courses that my favourite treat was about to become an old favourite of mine again, but without all the processed rubbish.

I am all to aware that for some, the taste of coconut is just a no no, but in writing this small piece I hope to appeal to those inner tropical paradisers among you who think it's as wonderful as I do, but also to appeal to those who find its taste less than palatable. I do hope you will reconsider after reading the following.

In Sanskrit, the coconut palm is know as "kalpa vriksha", meaning "the tree that supplies all that is needed to live". According to David Wolfe, no matter how badly you have treated your body, or what you have done, fresh young coconut flesh, coconut water and coconut cream/oil can save your life.

Coconut Cream and Coconut Oil
This causes some confusion in many raw food recipes, but really the two are interchangable and they are both extremely beneficial to your health.

The coconut oil is made by grinding the mature hard, white coconut meat into a coconut cream and extracting the oil out separately. Even though we would expect coconut oil to be a liquid, coconut oil will be solid at room temperature, but will become liquid when heated. For maximum nutritional benefits, the oil should be used raw. For the oil to remain raw, it must be extracted using a temperature no greater than 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

By weight, coconut oil has fewer calories than any other fat source and unlike the cholesterol soaked, long chain, saturated animal fats found in meat and dairy products, coconut cream and oil are made of raw saturated fats containing mostly medium chain fatty acids that the body can metabolise efficiently and convert to easily to energy. So just remember, not all saturated fats are bad for you.

Coconut cream is sometimes referred to as coconut butter. Coconut cream/butter is make from the hardened white flesh of the coconut. This meat is shredded and collected and put through stone grinders. Over a period of about 24 hours the meat is broken down into a type of nut butter which is what we have termed coconut cream. Nutritionally there is very little difference between a fat and an oil and they can both be used interchangeably.

More great news about coconut oil/cream is that they contain absoultely no cholesterol and can actaully help balance cholesterol levels. Recently coconut oil received recognition by many health professionals and has even been dubbed the "diet fat" because it helps the body to beak up accumulated fats in the system and metabolize them.

If that isn't enough to sway you, hopefully, the following benefits from are from coconut product in general:

Benefits
1. They are incredibly valuable to the immune system as they contain many antiviral, antifungal and antimicrobial saturated fatty acids.

2. They improve the absorption of many fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K).

3.The improve the blood sugar levels by lessening the sympthoms of hypoglycemia.

4. They consist of 90% saturated fat (medium chain) - essential building blocks for every cell in the human body.

Ways of Getting Coconut into the Diet.

Coconut Water

Young coconut water is almost identical to human blood plasma and therefore makes an excellent universal donor.

It is also excellent for rehydration and makes a wonderful base for your smoothies.

It is also an excellent tonic for all ages and for infants in particular.

Coconut water is easily available in health food stores nowadays, which makes this wonderful product more accessible than ever.

Coconut for Cooking

Using coconut oil for all your cooking needs is the most valuable piece of information I learned many years ago. Coconut oil is the most stable oil (of any known butter/oil) at high temperatures. This means that you should definitely throw away the sunflower oils and good quality olive oils for cooking. When most oils are heated to the high temperatures needed for cooking they become carcinogenic, with the exception of coconut oil. This is one change to your kitchen cupboards I suggest you make.

Coconut Cream/Oil for Desserts

This is my favourite way of using coconut products. I just adore making raw desserts with coconut oil/cream and dessicated coconut. I have already posted my raw macrons on this site, but the following is another great dessert that was created by Sandy B from Chocolate Face.

Goji Coconut Balls
1 cup shredded coconut flakes
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 1/4 cup hempseed
1/2 cup goji berry powder (I grind my gogi berries in a coffee grinder)
1 1/2 cup goji berries
1 cup tocotrienols (mechanically powdered rice bran that can be left out)
2 1/2 Tbsps. raw honey
1 pinch of celtic sea salt

Method
Grind seeds and nuts separately in a coffee grinder, then add the remainding ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until turned into a mush. Roll this into balls and then refrigerate.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Stinkin Thinkin

When I was studying for my B.A. degree, I was introduced to a concept called "The Ghost in the Machine". This was used to explain how the body could be influenced by the mind, without making too obvious a reference to the much mistrusted idea of "a soul" and was based on the work of the philosopher, Rene Descartes. There was much speculation about how something that was not mechanistic in nature i.e. our thoughts, could actully affect something that was not only mechanistic but chemical and biological too. Of course in today's world we know only too well that our thoughts carry powerful consequences.

Is it true that the mind can not tell the difference between something that is imagined and something that is real? Amazingly, the answer to this question is yes. When explaining this concept, most people ask you to imagine a sable tooth tiger in close range to you, however, I believe choosing something more personal to you is better for encouraging the right response. So I now invite you to choose your own example of something that might illicit a physical response from your body. Personally, if I think of being locked into a particularly small room, my beathing begins to quicken, until I change the image. To be honest, I usually change this fairly rapidly as I do not like to spend much time in this state. Don't spend too long here, it's just to make the point about how our mind/thoughts affect our body.

Where am I going with all this? I want to help you see that while we may not be fully aware that our thinking controls much of how we spend our day, it does. Our thinking also has more to do with the food choices we make than we realise. It is also said that 95% of our thinking is unconscious. Wow! perhaps you would like to reflect on that for just a short moment. 95%. What a staggering number! This basically means that until you become aware of something, it may be very difficult if not impossible to change it. Difficult, but not impossible.

With many of my clients, one of the first questions I ask them is to outline their top three values. If I don't hear that health is up there in the top three, I ask them to put it there. Good health is one of my top three goals in my own life as I know and value it more than anything else. If it's ever been taken away from you, you will know exactly what I mean when I say this.

However, even though I really value my health, some days my thinkin is so stinkin that it really is only fit for the rubbish heap. Am i alone in this? I think not. It is in these off days that I find myself at the chipper door ordering a single of chips and a veggie burger (was I not listening in the hydrogenated fats lecture!!). After eating, I feel a sense of stillness, almost as if someone has put a muzzle on me. Listening carefully for my motor mouth mind, I can no longer detect any stinkin thinkin. It has been silenced. Actually, I no longer think or feel anything. It is unlikely that we will reach for the mung bean sprouts when we are in this state of mind, and yet, it is almost exactly what we need. Yes, I did just say that!

So what do I suggest you do when it attacks? My suggestion is to run with it, but if you are at home when it hits, at least have your kitchen filled with whole and healthy foods that will lessen the impact. If all you can find are Kimberly Mikadoes(and coconut creams:)), then guess what you're going to much on?? You got it in one. And if you are not at home and happen to be passing the chipper and there's absolutely no way your Ghost in the Machine is letting you away with anything less than a single, then only have one, make it a small bag and do not get the the extra scoop! Oh, and have a handful of sprouts when you get home.

No one is immune to these bouts of madness, but as anyone will know who has started a diet (not a favourite word of mine), when these stinkin thinkin attacks, the chips are eaten, washed down with diet coke and a few squares of dark chocolate that has turned into a whole bar and sure I've ruined it now I might as well finish the Ben and Jerry's and start again tomorrow..but when tomorrow comes, guess who's forgotten to go shopping!

I suggest you, stand strong and stare down your stinkin thinkin...Why? because you're worth it!

Benefits of Cacao

There’s so much to say about cacao that it’s hard to know where to begin. Although, I think as good a place as any is to confirm that what you’ve heard about chocolate being good for you is absolutely true. It is incredibly good for your health on so many levels. However, before you go out and buy yourself a large mars bar quoting that you saw it written somewhere that chocolate is great for your health!, you might like to read the rest of this post to find out exactly the chocolate I’m talking about. Although, I’d say that if you’re any way savvy or like to read a little, you had your doubts about it being the convenience store variety.

So, which chocolate does have these amazing health giving properties? Well, it is the actual cacao bean that chocolate is derived from. The one that is grown in the regions of central and south America, before it meets our processing plants. I can understand that when people hear that chocolate is good for them, they are delighted, and can’t wait to nip off to tescos to top up on a few bars. The thing is, even if you do buy 70% cacao which is a whole lot better for your than milk or white, it still contains quite a lot of refined sugar. It was the Europeans who first combined the cacao bean with sugar to form something similar to what we find in our stores today, but luckily the raw version is beginning to show its face again, in select outlets throughout the world.

We now know that the refined sugar that is in most chocolate bars draws minerals out of the body and causes blood sugar problems and is highly addictive. This added refined sugar also lowers the healing quality of the cacao which is so rich in nutrients but it is the more bitter variety that we need. The chocolate that is sweetened with agave, yacon or stevia, even zylitol retains more of the health giving properties, particularly if it is in raw form, but ou may find these hard to locate in your local shop.

Cacao starts off life, after it has been pollinated, as a green pod-like fruit. It changes colour green to red, orange and even yellow as it begins to ripen. It takes approximately 5 to 6 months for each pod to ripen. Each fruit contains anywhere from 20 to 50 almond shaped beans or seeds that we know as the cacao bean. This is also what is known as the raw or natural form of chocolate and it is this “chocolate” that is exceedingly good for you.

Top 5 Reasons for Eating More Chocolate

According to David Wolfe, Superfood Expert Cacao is the best natural food source of the following nutrients:

1. Antioxidants
Cacao contains the highest concentration of antioxidants of any food in the world. By weight, cacao has more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries, acai, pomegranates and goji berries.

2. Magnesium
Magnesium is one of the most deficient major minerals for those on the Standard American Diet. Magnesium is an essential mineral for heart health, causes strong bowel movements, helps build strong bones, it also is one of the few alkalising minerals that our body needs in order to maintain a healthy PH. Cacao also seems to be the number one food source of this macro nutrient also.

3. Iorn
A low iron count is experienced by people suffering from anaemia. If you’ve ever experienced a low iron count, you will know how important this nutrient is to maintain good health. It keeps our blood healthy. Cacao is high in iron too.

4. Chromium
Is very helpful for balancing blood sugars. Cacao contains enough of this nutrient to reverse a chromium a deficiency.

6. Zinc
Zinc is a trace mineral that we only need small amounts of. Zinc plays a critical role in supporting the immune system, liver, pancreas, sexual fluids and skin. It is also involved in thousands of enzymatic reactions through the body.

So, now, if you've managed to get through this blog, you totally deserve to go out and eat lots and lots of chocolate!

Loving, delicious, chocolate filled moments!

Kitchen Greenie.

Ps: I will post up a recipe for a simple, cacao smoothie in the next few days.

Pss: Now you know how good the guilt free, raw cacao macroons are for you.

Raw Cacao Macroons

My contribution to dinner at a friends!

Raw Cacao Macroons
3 cups desiccated coconut
11/2 cups cacao powder
1 cup agave
1/3 cup coconut butter
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Method
Combine all ingredients in large bowl and stir well. Using a tablspoon, scoop out all mixture and pat into flat circles. Roll in coconut and place into the fridge until ready to eat.

Dulicious!!

KG.

Nettletastic

Hello Kitchen Greenies,

I've just had my morning green smoothie and today's was nettle. As I was making it, I thought "I must write something up about this much under valued, wild edible on my blog" and so here it is....

Stinging nettles get a lot of bad press, and if you've ever walked through a field and being stung by a bunch, you'll know exactly why. That said though, I feel that they do not get the respect they deserve, particularly because they are so good for us. They are high in iron, silica, magnesium, calcium, sulphur, Vit A, B and C. They also have diuretic properties that help flush toxins out of the body and also strengthen the blood. Sulphur is also excellent for healthy hair, skin and nails and is also good for detoxing the body. They are particularly good at clearing the blood and helping to cure anaemia.

The question that’s probably on everyone’s lips is “won’t they sting when I blend them?” and the answer is no, they won’t. Firstly, pick young stinging nettles or only use the leaves of older ones if you can. Another little tip is to wash them first, then run boiling water over them for a few seconds, before plunging them into ice cold water. You don’t actually have to do this, but if it will neutralise some of the formic acid that causes the sting and may put your mind at rest. This should do the trick and will render them safe for blending. A note of warning however, about picking these little weeds initially, please uses rubber gloves or you definitely won’t be using them in the kitchen.

Here's my recipe from today....

1 cup full of stinging nettles
1 banana
1/2 an avocado
2 cups of water.

The reason I added the avocado is because I've read on many other blogs that when usuing stinging nettles the smoothie must be drunk immediately after making it. This seems to be particularly true in the case of nettles, but if you add a half an avodaco i.e. good fats, the fat acts as a binder and stops this separation. It also makes it so much creamier. However, there was quite a strong taste of avocado off mine (which I love), so if would prefer to soften the taste, then just add another banana. You could always add some lemon juice too.

I hope this has helped in some way and you will now be picking those weeds in your backgarden and using them for the nutritional power houses that they are.

Feel free to share this post!

Have a super healthy day.

Kitchen Greenie.

7 Day Spring Cleanse

Kitchen Greenie’s

7 Day Spring Cleanse

A lighter, brighter, healthier you…in just one week.

Have you got some nasty little food habits that you would like to kick?

Are the pounds creeping on?

Are the kids taking it out of you now because you’re not as young as you used to be???

What about too many aches and pains?

Just feel sluggish after the comfort eating of the winter?

Well then maybe this 7 day kick start cleanse is for you…..

Look, there’s no easy way to say this, but we are a great big bunch of energy zapping addicts.  Addicted to sugar, coffee, alcohol….the list goes on.  Thing is, in order to break this habitual way of eating….e.g. eating any old thing just to fill the gap or constantly eating those little treats, that are more the norm rather than the exception nowadays. By undertaking a cleanse you are choosing to nip these nasty little habits in the bud and end up feeling pretty great as a by-product of this elimination process.

The bottom line is, we all need to do a cleanse every now and then in order to maintain a healthy God Pod and Spring is the perfect time to do it.  Just think about it, with the brighter weather and longer days, we feel intuitively guided to clean our homes and wear lighter clothes. We also seem to have no difficulty doing this, yet when it comes to our body, we seem to think that we can eat what we like, when we like, so long as we exercise it off! And get away with it.  Well, guess what?? You can’t. Let’s think of your body as less like a house, and more like a bank account.  If we continually take money out of my bank account, our account ends up in the red right?  Well, the same holds true for your body.  It was not designed to take the daily onslaught of pollutions, from the environmental type such as those we find in our atmosphere from cars, microwaves, televisions to those found in our food such as pesticides, herbicides and growth enhancers and many more.  However, all this said, our bodies are constantly detoxing from the by-products that are produced from respiration and our normal metabolic processes, and unless you are facing a serious illness, you should consider undertaking a cleanse slowly.  If you were to stop eating all together for a week and only drink water, the body may feel it safe to dump a lot of acids into your system, because of the reduced load from the lack of food, however, it could be quite unsafe to do so. My advice is that is it is always better to undertake something like a detox slowly, to let your body slowly acclimatise. 

The purpose of this 7 day cleanse is to help you regain some of that good feeling back into your own body.   To help you feel at home in your body again and to allow our natural bodily systems to remember what it is like to feel brighter, lighter and healthy again.

Our habits, both good and bad are deeply ingrained in us.  Our habits feel comfortable.  Like a best friend. But just because something feels comfortable doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

Your future is definitely in your hands and one seriously good way to have a brighter one is to make different food choices.

Give me 7 days of your life and I will help you change the way you eat forever……..

What you will get from me………

• A daily email of inspiration and motivation, support and guidance.
• Recipes galore for those evening meals that you won’t have a clue what to make because the recipes don’t contain meat, to lunches that won’t leave you craving for something sweet afterwards. You will receive a recipe daily whether it’s how to make your own dairy free, nut milk to some super, charged, incredible desserts that you will be able to have while cleansing.  These emails will help keep you on track and provide an arsenal of live, great food recipes that you can use time and time again to wow your friends.  Being healthy has never been so good.
• Access to your very own personal, holistic health and lifestyle coach.   I will endeavour to answer your questions within 24 hours from cleansing reactions to providing motivation when you’ve fallen off the wagon, which most of us do, but if there’s someone that you have to be answerable to, it’s much easier to get right back on and begin again.
• Advice on which are the best supplements to take.
• Alternatives to those toxic household and skincare products that you may currently be using.
• Email advice on acid/alkaline balance and how the best tips for keeping it in balance.  This will include the top 5 best easiest and hassle free ways to change your body’s ph to one that is more alkaline.
• Physical exercise reminders. These will be gentle, but a reminder nevertheless.  You won’t get fully healthy until you begin to move.  You need to raise your heart rate at least 30 mins a day for optimum wellness.

With all this in mind…..I am only one person.  I will always try to answer your questions to the best of my ability, however, I need to remind you that I am not a doctor.  Nor do I have any form of medical training.  I have been working and studying in the natural health and wellness industry for over 20 years, but it doesn’t mean I am perfect.  I have training in both health and fitness and naturopathic nutrition, but mainly I know about the power of cleansing from doing it myself.  I also know how good a tin of shortbread tastes.  This cleanse is not about being perfect, however, it is about giving it a go.  It’s an inexpensive way for you to link into something that will have you feeling a lot better physically that you do now.  There will be an emotional release at some stage, so if you find yourself crying in the middle of your kitchen for no apparent reason, that’s ok. It is a perfectly normal reaction and all I can say is just go with it.

All this aside, I can almost guarantee that you will feel lighter, brighter and healthier.

Financial Details

Cost: I will be charging €40 for the week’s cleanse. 

Method of payment is either via cheque to my home address, which will be provided upon application or via Paypal if you have an account set up with them.

Kitchen Greenie 7 Day Cleanse