SALTED CHOCOLATE BARK WITH BALSAMIC GINGER FIGS

SALTED CHOCOLATE BARK WITH BALSAMIC GINGER FIGS

By onegreenplanet.org - Laura Peill

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil

1 1/2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp raw cacao

3 figs, diced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp grated ginger

Salt to top

Instructions

Combine the coconut oil, maple syrup and raw cacao in a pot over low heat. Stir to melt and then set aside.  Meanwhile, dice figs and add figs, ginger and balsamic vinegar to a small pan.  Heat until figs and ginger caramelize and turn sticky.  Add figs to the pot with chocolate and stir to combine.  Pour chocolate onto a piece of baking paper on a baking tray and place in the fridge to harden.  After the chocolate has started to harden, sprinkle with salt.  Once completely hard, break into pieces and store in the fridge.

EAT A LOT OF FRUIT? READ THIS

EAT A LOT OF FRUIT?  READ THIS

By mindbodygreen.com - Jini Cicero

Nature’s candy, also known as fruit, has gotten a lot of bad press these days. Some people believe fructose acts in a way similar to high-fructose corn syrup, and think it provokes high triglycerides and other unhealthy blood lipids that lead to metabolic syndrome and heart disease.

The truth is that you can eat fruit without going into a fructose overload, especially athletes who have a slightly higher threshold than sedentary folks. Fruit can become a healthy, satisfying, panic-free part of any athlete’s diet when you follow these seven rules.

1. Don’t eat fruit to fuel up.

Studies have found that for optimal training performance, muscle glycogen stores must be replenished daily. For the average athlete, this means a daily carbohydrate consumption of 500 to 600 grams. But that doesn’t mean you should load up on fruit before a workout.

Here’s the deal: While your liver can metabolize fructose into liver glycogen,fructose doesn’t raise muscle glycogen stores. To do that, you’ll want to choose glucose-rich foods like brown rice.

2. Though fruit is a good option for a post-workout snack.

Okay, so fruit doesn’t replenish your muscles' glycogen stores, it still comes loaded with nutrients ideal for post-workout recovery and repair. Throwing some berries into your protein shake provides vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, and deliciousness. 

READ MORE HERE

5 WEIRD SIGNS YOU HAVE CELIAC DISEASE

5 WEIRD SIGNS YOU HAVE CELIAC DISEASE

By prevention.com - Jessica Migala

You probably associate Celiac disease—the autoimmune disorder where gluten (the protein in wheat, rye, and barley) damages the villi (small finger-link projections that line the small intestine)—with gastrointestinal awfulness like diarrhea and stomach pain. But brace yourself—there are actually close to 300 symptoms that Celiac can set off, according to The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, and they can run the gamut from psychological to physical to neurological. "Some patients have strange symptoms, like early menopause or thinning hair, but don't associate them with celiac disease," says Sonia Kupfer, MD, assistant professor and member of the Celiac Disease Center.

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, the condition may affect 1 in 100 people, so it's important to ID the hidden—and bizarre—signs that you may be suffering. Even if these symptoms sound familiar though, you shouldn't ditch gluten completely on your own and see if you feel better. Make an appointment with your doctor and ask about getting the simple blood test that detects the disease. (If you stop eating gluten before you take the test, the results won't be as accurate).

Here, five common—but strange—signs you might have Celiac:

1. You're anemic

If a blood test has revealed your body is running low on iron—the mineral that helps make hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that ferries oxygen around the body—Celiac may be the cause, since iron gets absorbed in the part of the small intestine damaged by the disease. "Women often think it's their period that's causing the iron deficiency, but that may not always be the case," says Kupfer. Doctors don't always make the connection between Celiac and more vague symptoms like anemia, but one study found that one-third of patients diagnosed were anemic. If you're experiencing symptoms of anemia, like fatigue and weakness, ask your doctor about running an iron level test, and if yours turn out to be abnormally low, consider being tested for Celiac.

READ MORE ON PREVENTION

RAW CHOCOLATE AND HAZLENUT TART

RAW CHOCOLATE AND HAZLENUT TART

By thebrightonkitchen.com

For the crust:

150g ground hazelnuts

3 tablespoons cacao powder

4 fresh dates (pitted)

2 heaped tablespoons of softened coconut oil

1 pinch of pink Himalayan salt

1 teaspoon vanilla powder

1 tablespoon of runny raw honey

For the filling:

150g Coconut butter

220ml Coconut milk

8 fresh and pitted dates

1 generous tablespoon runny honey

150g raw cacao powder

2 teaspoons of vanilla powder

Instructions

Blend the crust ingredients in a food mixer. Pulse for a few seconds each time. The mixture should resemble wet sand and should stick together if pinched. Be careful not to over-pulse as the hazelnuts as they will turn from flour into butter. Key tip – make sure the coconut oil needs to be very soft to ensure that it doesn’t clump.  Press the mixture into a flan tin, ensuring that the mixture is pressed evenly up the side and on the base. Place the tin into the fridge and chill for 30 minutes.  Add all the ingredients into your food processor bowl and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the crust, smoothing the top with a palette knife. Chill overnight, or for at least 3 hours.  Once the filling has set, top with fresh fruit and serve!

10 BENEFITS TO DAYDREAMING

10 BENEFITS TO DAYDREAMING

By lifehack.org

The sound of my heels on the hard floor, I find myself on stage, my face hot and eyes slightly squinting from the bright golden lights. I’m bowing before a standing ovation given to me by a much bigger room than I expected, full of admirers. The applause is overwhelming, and pride in my presentation bubbles up through my core. A wave of gratitude washes over me as I realize that my cheeks hurt from the work of smiling, then, suddenly, I am snapped back to my living room where I am writing an article on my Mac and the little cue card that pops up in the right upper corner notifies me of another reminder I had set weeks ago. So I collect my thoughts and continue my work.

We are mostly aware of the proven benefits of taking vacations. We are repeatedly and painfully reminded that our obsession with keeping up with the Jones’ and impressing our bosses is taking its toll on our efficiency, creativity, performance, and even our health! If we insist on leaving a couple vacation days in the bank each year, however, could taking a periodic trip to la-la land also be beneficial?

Daydreaming, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a pleasant visionary usually wishful creation of the imagination,” and by that definition, it is proving to be like a mini-vacaton that carries with it more than just a handful of scientifically proven benefits!

1. You can exercise your brain (not your mind)…

Neuroscientist Dr Muireann Irish says that daydreaming is hard work and serves some very important functions. The capability to remember the past and imagine the future is a very complex form of thinking—as far as we can tell, we are the only species with this remarkable ability. The way in which you daydream and think is actually the effect of your brain’s physical structure, which, in turn, is constantly changing in response to new information in the form of new neural pathways due to neuroplastisity!

READ MORE AT LIFEHACK

IS THE FEAR OF DISAPPOINTMENT STOPPING YOU?

IS THE FEAR OF DISAPPOINTMENT STOPPING YOU?

By wakeup-world.com - Nanice Ellis

Did you know that the fear of disappointment stops more people from living their lives than anything else? We are so afraid of disappointment that we fail to even dream. Many of us believe it’s better not to dream at all than to get our hopes up, only to fall.

If you live your life in fear of disappointment, you are not truly living — disappointment has tricked you into playing it safe, and you will end up with the very thing you sacrificed your life to avoid.

Disappointment is your ill begotten friend who wants to keep you safe from loss and pain. But disappointment knows nothing of resiliency, determination, and perseverance. Disappointment knows nothing of reaching the mountain top and planting your flag!

If you are truly committed to your dream, disappointment is impossible. Disappointment only occurs if you give up. If you are committed to your desire, there is no giving up. If not one way then another – and another and another, until you succeed. Every successful person has experienced temporary disappointment but each got over it and “on with it” – to ultimately experience success. When you refuse to take no for an answer, disappointment is impossible and so is failure.

READ MORE AT WAKE UP WORLD

BLUEBERRY ALMOND PANCAKES

BLUEBERRY ALMOND PANCAKES

By spicysouthernkitchen.com

Ingredients

1 banana – mashed up

1 egg

1½ tablespoons almond meal

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 tablespoon vanilla protein powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon almond extract

100g/½ cup blueberries

coconut oil and honey

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, adding blueberries last so they don’t get smashed.  Grease a griddle or large nonstick pan with coconut oil.  Using ¼ cup measuring cup, pour batter onto griddle. Cook until undersides are browned, flip and cook until pancakes are set all the way through.  Serve with honey.

Yield: 2 servings (2 pancakes per serving)