Hot Chocolate!!

It's back to cool fall weather which means it's time for warm fuzzy drinks!  One of the classics and a personal favorite... Hot chocolate!! It's easy to make and you don't need the instant hot chocolate powder that is made up of all sorts of crazy unnatural things. Soooo here is a simple easy recipe! And super tasty too!

3 Cups (unsweetened) Almond Milk - my personal favorite is Whole Foods organic unsweetened almond milk. It seems much creamier and richer than all the other brands I have tried. They are usually available in 2 packs which saves a little money. 

2 TBS Cacao powder or Cocoa - the difference between the 2 is that cacao powder is considered raw- meaning it is subjected to low amounts of heat which do not alter the presence of antioxidants (aka cold pressed).  Cocoa on the other hand has been processed in heat.  Cacao is very high in antioxidants and is considered a 'super food' for this reason- why it is much more expensive.  Cocoa does not have as many antioxidants due to the heating process.  With this being said, you are heating up your hot chocolate so the cacao does not remain in its raw state.  So there really is no benefit to using the cacao over the cocoa in this recipe.  If you were making a cold drink or not heating or cooking with it, cacao would be a much better option.  For more info on cacao vs cocoa visit this link http://nourishmylife.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/raw-cacao-vs-cocoa/.

2 TBS Xylitol, Honey, or Pure 100% Maple Syrup (Aunt Jemima doesn't count)- I didn't have xylitol at home so I used maple syrup. For anyone using xylitol (people on Candida Clear or phase 1) it may need a little bit more.  Just do a little taste test to try it out first.

1/4 TBS of Cinnamon

 

 

Over medium heat mix the almond milk and cocoa/cacao powder. Let it heat up but not boil. I probably kept mine on the stove for 10 min total and stirred occasional. After it's nice and warm take it off the burner and let it sit. Add in your cinnamon and sweetener (xylitol, honey, or maple syrup) at this time and stir. The clumps of cocoa will continue to dissolve at this time. 

Let it sit for a couple minutes and stir occasionally. Then enjoy!! 

Pure deliciousness. 

Zucchini Lasagna! Only 4 ingredients

For those of you who are missing lasagna... There is hope! It's great for anyone on Candida Clear, those avoiding pasta for other reasons (in my case I get instantly bloated and gain 2 pounds the next day. Not kidding) or for anyone wanting just a healthier option.

All you need is 2 to 3 zucchinis, goat cheese, hamburger and pasta sauce. (The pasta sauce is a tricky one. I was at Kroger and only found one that didn't have sugar or some form of it as an ingredient. You will have more options at Whole Foods I would imagine but make sure to read the labels. I have a pic of what I got below. It wasn't the cheapest thing but it was my only option. Plus I didn't use all of it so you can use it on something else. Maybe the homemade noodles? Click the link for the recipe http://drcarolynmaxfield.blogspot.com/2013/06/homemade-noodles-only-4-ingredients.html)

First throw your hamburger in a skillet and cook until it browns. While cooking try to prevent it from clumping (so it has a crumble like consistency).  

While it's cooking you can work on the zucchini. If you have a mandolin use that to cut your zucchini in slices. I don't have one so I cut it lengthwise in as thin of slices as possible. Some I could cut the whole length while others I could only make it half the length. No matter how it's cut it all tastes the same. 

One thing I didn't do that I would do next time is pull the moisture out of the zucchini so when it's all cooked the lasagna wouldn't be as runny. You can do this by slicing your zucchini and sprinkle sea salt on one side of it and let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes while it 'sweats.' Dab up the water and the flip the zucchini over and repeat.

Now it's time to layer. I put my zucchini down first. It doesn't perfectly fit together and there will be some gaps but you get the picture. Next crumble goat cheese. Then add a layer of hamburger. Lastly pasta sauce. I made 2 layers of each. 

Bake for 25 to 30 min on 350. Before I took it out I crumbled more goat cheese on top and broiled it for a couple minutes. 

Take it out and enjoy! You may notice it is a little watery which is due to the zucchini. No big deal. Also mine fell all apart when I served it. Presentation is not my priority :) So if it doesn't maintain it's form like regular lasagna don't be alarmed. If it does... Tell me how you did it! 

Other things you could throw in it that I thought about after... Chopped up onions or garlic. Seasonings such as dried oregano or basil would have been good in it too. Any or all of the above would be perfect in the pasta sauce layer. 

Now go enjoy your 'lasagna' and don't feel bad if you eat 1/2 of the pan or more! And no bloaty stomach afterwards :) Yay! 

Layer 1

 

 

 

Layer 2 and 3

 

Layer 4 

 

 

Pasta Sauce

 

 

 

Hot Flashes

Hot flashes-- "Oh yeah you can't do anything about it.  It's normal for everyone my age to have them."  NOT TRUE.  NOT TRUE at all.  It may be true that that most people have them... but it doesn't make it NORMAL.  Guess what... there are all natural supplements that can help (without the need for hormone replacement therapy which throws your body out of whack anyways)!  I have seen this over and over and over.  Ask my mom.

Yes it is very common for women going through the big, awful, dreaded menopause however it does not have to be that way!  I remember traveling with my mom in the winter time... the windows were rolled down while we were all shivering and yelling for her to roll up the windows.  About 5 minutes into the windows being up... she would roll them back down.  Up, down, up, down.  I don't know how we all didn't catch colds from that or frost bite.  After getting her on a supplement regimen she is hot flash free.  It is not an over night process but it is something that can be done fairly quickly.  Also ask Lori.  She very rarely, if ever, has had a hot flash and she will be proud to tell you why. 

Hot flashes are a way to let you know that your hormone producing glands (thyroid, adrenals, ovaries, pituitary, hypothalamus) are out of sync.  When women go through menopause they rely on the adrenals to make the sex hormones (instead of the ovaries).  Guess what body part has been stressed all your life and now you are asking it to do just one more job... the adrenals! They are the 'stress' gland in the body and are supposed to help you cope and deal with stressors in your life.  However in our daily lives we have one pressure after another after another.  The adrenals have a right to be tired.  This is equivalent to asking your body to keep running and running without a break.  Your body would break down... just like many people's adrenal glands do.  When the body starts to rely on the (tired/sluggish) adrenals to make sex hormones symptoms start to occur. 

The liver also plays a huge role in the process too.  It is the major detox center (aka filter) in your body which is a huge job.  If it is even a little sluggish hormones back up that are supposed to be eliminated and all sorts of crazy things happen... mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, depression, etc. 

Your body is going through a change and anytime you personally go through a change there is always a transition period, right? So why not prepare your body ahead of time before the change occurs.  Or if you happen to be in the full swing of things and have any signs or issues (hot flashes or anything else) let us know.  Please don't be fooled that this is normal.  Let us help you with those 'changes' in life!

Cheap Fruit and Veggie Wash

One of the things I test for in the office is chemicals.  This is such a large category that it is virtually impossible to stay away from all chemicals and toxins in our environment.  We can only do our best to lighten the chemical burden we put in and on our body.  One easy way (that people may forget about) is to wash your fruits and veggies.  I think sometimes people are just so happy that they are eating all their fruits and veggies (which you should be!) and don't think about it.  Water just doesn't cut it anymore when washing your fruits/veggies because of all the chemicals and pesticides.  There are two things you can do... 1) buy all organic (yes this is ideal... but not always realistic.  I try to buy as much organic as possible but lets face it I don't get everything organic) and most importantly 2) you can wash off your fruits and veggies really well before you eat them. 

What I do at home is fill a squirt bottle with 1/4 (if that) of Bronner's unscented soap and the rest with water.  I take whatever fruit/veggie I am eating, give it a few squirts and rub the soap around and wash it all off.  The castile soap washes off very easily and doesn't leave a residue.  It also leaves whatever you are washing all squeaky clean.  It is a great idea to just keep your fruit/veggie spray out next to your hand soap (or you can the same stuff as your hand wash... I use the eucalyptus scented Bronner's as my hand soap but don't want all my food tasting like it).  Now go out there and wash off all your fruits and veggies and eat them them right up!  :)

Turkey Burger Sliders with a Zucchini 'Bun'

This is a very simple way to recreate a healthy version of 'sliders' or small hamburgers with a bread substitution... zucchini!  I found this idea online and it is very easy to do and tastes great.

Turkey burgers
You can cook it like you normally would with spices but I added salsa and almond flour to give it a little more moisture and spice!
-1 pound turkey burger
-1.5 cups almond flour
-1 jar of salsa (watch out for added sugar and high fructose corn syrup!)

Mix together and cook as you normally would.  You can make them into little sliders like I did or large burgers.  Tastes great either way.

Zucchini 'Bun'
I cut the zucchini into quarter to half inch slices (this is something you can experiment with).  I cooked the pieces on medium/high heat for 2 minutes on each side in coconut oil.  This way they get warm but still maintain their form.  If you cooked them longer the zucchini gets soft and would be harder to make a 'bun' out of it.

There you go! Very simple to do.  I found it easier to eat them like open face sandwiches with no 'bun' on top.  With the top 'bun' I found it harder to bite into and not get all over myself.  Enjoy!

*A tip to make the sliders is to take a spoon full of your turkey mix and throw on a skillet.  They are perfect size and then you don't have to get your hands dirty each time. 

Great Video to Watch

Going through this crazy process of staying healthy can be a daunting task. Sometimes it seems easy and other days all you want to do is go back to the way you used to eat before. It's much more convenient right?

If you are feeling demotivated, frustrated, bored or just want to watch an informative little documentary I highly suggest Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. It was available on Netflix for those of you who have it. Anyways it follows a man who does a 60 day juice cleanse who, just like the title says, was fat, sick and nearly dead. He has a rare autoimmune disease and was on steroids and wanted to get his life back. Then it goes on to follow a 400lb man (with numerous health issues). Great documentary and informative. Also it is motivation for anyone who wants to do a juice cleanse! (I was actually on day 6 of one and didn't even know the movie was about it.  It was perfect motivation to do a couple more days.)

Whether you are doing a juice cleanse or not I really suggest you watch it when you have a little time to wind down. And it's getting dark sooner :( so why not watch an informative movie! :) 

I hope you all had a great weekend! 

Another Brownie Recipe! Perfect for those on Candida Clear!

Here is another brownie recipe I ran across.  This one does not use almond flour like the other one but instead uses coconut flour.  I have not found many recipes that I like which use coconut flour because it seems so dense to me.  So I was very happy to find one I enjoyed (probably because all the xylitol) plus its very simple to make.

Ingredients
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 eggs
1 cup xylitol
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 coconut flour
1 cup of nuts (optional)

Instructions
Mix melted coconut oil and cocoa powder together so all of the cocoa powder is nice and blended.  In another bowl mix the eggs, xylitol, salt, vanilla, and nuts together.  Then add the coconut oil/cocoa.  Stir well.  (My coconut oil was melted over the stove.  So when I added the warm coconut oil/cocoa mix to the rest of the ingredients, aka the cold eggs, the coconut oil quickly hardened and it didn't stir well.  The batter didn't look appetising but once the mix warmed up in the oven when baking they turned out just fine.) Then add in the coconut flour slowly until everything is mixed.  (Here again it seemed like it was hard to mix because of the coconut oil/cocoa mixture.  Just make sure the coconut flour is mixed and no chunks.)

Put in a greased (with coconut oil right!) pan and bake on 350 degrees for 28 to 32 minutes. 

When I make these again I would make sure the melted coconut oil had cooled to around room temperature before adding it to the cold eggs which in my case quickly solidified the coconut oil.  Either way it all tastes the same!  Also in the pictures it looks like it is 'marbled'.  That is just because the coconut flour didn't mix well with my hard coconut oil/cocoa.  It looks neat and there are no chunks of coconut flour in the cooked brownies so no need to worry if yours looks like this.  Lastly my brownies had a very small layer at the bottom.  This is the eggs/xylitol that settled to the bottom when cooked.  You can eat it or scrape if off (for kids who think it looks weird).  I ate it and it tastes just fine!

Just a few tips and pointers for you that I noticed along the way but... they taste great!!

 

 

 

PS. Remember NO xylitol for dogs. Its very toxic to their little systems. Sorry Louie... no brownies for you!