CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY CHIA PUDDING

CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY CHIA PUDDING

By mariaushakova.com

CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY CHIA PUDDING

INGREDIENTS:

6 Tbsp chia seeds

480ml/2 cups coconut milk beverage or any non-dairy milk

6 large squares dark chocolate (yield about 2 Tbsp melted + 4 Tbsp grated chocolate to decorate)

100g/½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries + a few raspberries to decorate

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a small pot melt about 4 chocolate squares over low heat (should yield about 2 tablespoons melted chocolate). Add 1 cup of the coconut milk beverage or your favourite non-dairy milk and stir until combined making sure the mixture doesn’t become too hot. Turn off the heat and let it cool to the room temperature.  In the meantime, add the raspberries and 1 cup of coconut milk beverage or your favourite non-dairy milk to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the mixture into a jar or a glass container and add 3 tablespoons of chia seeds. Mix well until all the chia seeds are covered with the liquid. Cover with a tight lid and place in the refrigerator.  Once the chocolate mixture is cool, pour it into a jar or a glass container and add 3 tablespoons of the chia seeds. Mix well until all the chia seeds are covered with the liquid. Cover with a tight lid and place in the refrigerator. Keep the chia seeds in the fridge overnight or for at least 8 hours.  Once ready to prepare the pudding, check the consistency of the chocolate chia. If you find it too thick add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the milk of your choice and mix well.  Divide the chocolate chia in half and place each half into 2 small bowls or dessert glasses. Divide the raspberry chia in half and place on top of the chocolate chia.  Grate the remaining 2 squares of the dark chocolate using a grater or shave it with a knife. To decorate the chia pudding, add about 2 tablespoons of the shaved chocolate and a few raspberries to each dessert glass.

NOTES:

This dessert keeps well in the fridge for up to 10 hours. This recipe makes 2 puddings about 1 cup each. You can also make 4 mini-puddings about 1/2 cup each.

GUACAMOLE STUFFED CHICKEN - PALEO GLUTEN FREE

GUACAMOLE STUFFED CHICKEN - PALEO GLUTEN FREE

By paleoleap.com

SERVES: 4

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless;

2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted;

50g/¼ cup red onion, diced;

50g/¼ cup fresh tomato, diced;

1 tbsp. lime juice;

1 garlic clove, minced;

¼ tsp. chili powder;

¼ tsp. ground cumin;

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;

Seasoned Flour Ingredients

1 egg, lightly beaten;

120g/1 cup almond flour;

1 tbsp. paprika;

1 tsp garlic powder;

1 tsp. dried oregano;

1 tsp. chili powder;

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;

Preheat your oven to 400 F/200C.  Pound each chicken breast thin and flat, using a meat mallet or rolling pin.  Place the avocados in a bowl and mash with a potato masher or a fork.  Add the tomato, onion, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, and cumin to the mashed avocados. Season to taste and stir until well combined.  Spread an equal amount of guacamole in a thin layer over each chicken breast.  Roll up each chicken breast and secure with toothpick or cooking string.  Mix together almond flour, paprika, garlic, oregano, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste.  Carefully dredge each chicken breast in beaten egg and then coat with the almond flour mixture.  Place chicken in a greased baking dish, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

5 THINGS EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THEIR MENSTRUAL CYCLE

5 THINGS EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THEIR MENSTRUAL CYCLE

By lifehack.org - Jenna Anderson

It seems like from the time we are very young women are affected in some way by the monthly cycle. For young girls it is through our older sisters, cousins, aunts, and female relatives where we see the effects of menstruation, in how they change their day to day, moods, and how they interact with us as children.

In adolescence we look forward to the growth into womanhood. We think that menstruation will be a sign showing we’re becoming adults, even though we don’t understand the hormones and moodiness which we later learn will plague us through one week out of the month– not to mention the uncomfortable cramps, struggling with being at school when you don’t feel good, and not being able adequately process and deal with the all the changes happening in our suddenly strange little bodies.

Once we’ve passed the mile marker into adulthood, we spend the rest of our time trying to figure out how to get rid of menses, contain it, control it, or otherwise manipulate this very natural part of our lives until menopause…which is an entirely different post.

What we don’t learn about our periods is learning to track and pay attention to what your cycle is doing; naturally, this is your first clue as to what’s happening with your health. Furthermore, it’ll give you great insight into your own moods, feelings, energy levels, and the power of really knowing and understanding your menstrual cycle. This gives you the power to use the information to enhance your life, instead of believing it is a burden.

Here are five things you may not have known about your cycle and how they can relate to your health.

1) Notice the Flow

Just keeping an eye on your monthly flow can help you determine changes happening in your body. Is it lighter? Heavier? Did you have to use more protection or less? Are you suddenly bleeding more than usual?

Granted, it may seem like you’re losing a lot of blood during your cycle, but, on average, women only shed about a cup from the uterine lining. It’s not unusual to have a few days of heavy flow. With that said, increased heavy flow for 5 days or more can cause anemia, polyps, or endometriosis, some very serious health issues.

On the other side of this, if you continually experience extremely light periods (without birth control) you could be suffering from poor nutrition, extreme stress, or it could be an indicator of an auto-immune disorder or other health issue.

READ MORE HERE

RAW LIME TART WITH CACAO CRUST

RAW LIME TART WITH CACAO CRUST

By onegreenplanet.org - Tiana Haines

LIME TART WITH A CACAO CRUST [VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE]

For the Crust:

16 Medjool dates, seeds removed

150g/1 cup raw buckwheat groats

75g/1/2 cup raw macadamias

40g/1/2 cup desiccated coconut

2 tablespoons cacao powder

1 tablespoon coconut oil

For the Filling:

4 medium avocados

120ml/1/2 cup lime juice

70g/1/3 cup coconut oil

170g/1/2 cup maple syrup

Zest of 1 lime

Instructions

For the crust  -  blend together all ingredients until combined (don’t over blend as the crust is better a bit crumbly).  Line a round springform cake tin at the bottom only with baking paper and press the crust into the tin, transfer into freezer while making the filling.

Cut avocados in half, remove seeds and scoop filling out, place in blender along with all remaining filling ingredients, and blend until smooth.  Pour on the base the spread evenly with the back of a dessert spoon, place back into freezer for 3-4 hours.  Take out and add optional toppings, like lime zest and pistachios.  Store in fridge or store in freezer until ready to serve.

PALEO COCONUT ICE

PALEO COCONUT ICE

By themerrymakersisters.com

Serves 12

Ingredients

240g/3 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut

180ml/3/4 cup coconut milk

52g/1/2 cup coconut oil

150g/3/4 cup fresh raspberries

1 tbs. raw honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Line the base of a 15 x 25cm slice tin.  In a saucepan over low heat place the coconut oil, coconut milk, rice malt syrup and vanilla. Stir until melted and combined.  Remove from heat and combine with desiccated coconut in a separate bowl.  Press half the mixture into the prepared tin and place into the freezer. Leave in the freezer until just firm.  Meanwhile, in a food processor (we use our Vitamix) whiz the raspberries until smooth. Combine the raspberries with the remaining coconut mixture. It should be pink!  Take the tin out of the freezer and press the pink mixture on top of the white.  Place back into the freezer until firm (about 30 minutes).  Cut into slices.

6 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO BRING MORE KINDNESS INTO YOUR LIFE

6 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO BRING MORE KINDNESS INTO YOUR LIFE

By lifehack.org - Diane Koopman

Kindness is becoming rare and sometimes if feels as though we live in a very hostile world. We are more connected than ever these days with social media and the 24 hour news cycle, so it is easy to become saturated with the conflict, politics, poverty and discord of the world around us. For people who work in high needs care industries; doctors, nurses, emergency service personnel, social workers, criminal lawyers; or ordinary people who care for elderly or ill family members, life can become a cycle of stress and trauma and they can begin to suffer from compassion fatigue.

Whether it is from too much exposure to ‘bad news’ or too much exposure to the suffering of people around us, we can start to show physical, mental and emotional symptoms. There’s no denying that this type of negativity is bad for our health.

However, studies have shown that kindness and generosity are not only great for our health, they’re contagious and self perpetuating.

The more people are good to one another, the more both the givers and the receivers want to do it. Furthermore, altruism and empathy have been found in species other than humans. Biological altruism, whether conscious or not, is evident in animals and insects alike, especially those that have very well organised systems, like ants, for example.

So how do we strike a balance between giving and not giving too much? How do we live our lives in a way that enhances our humanity and our altruistic nature, without letting it destroy us?

Juliana Breines, Ph.D from the Greater Good Science Center says that there are several ways to strike that balance. We must strive to feel connected and supported with one another thereby achieving ‘attachment security’. We can also wonder at the world and universe around us: revel in nature, indulge in our humanness and what it can achieve. Take ‘awe walks’ out in nature or sit in silence in a magnificent building, walk over a long bridge, lie in a meadow and stare at the clouds.

Similarly, kindness meditation and practicing mindfulness can help us to stay in the present moment and regulate our breathing and blood pressure. We must strive to turn benevolence into a habit by participating in random acts of kindness regularly and whenever possible.

We also need to learn when it is OK to say no and when it is crucial that we are kind to ourselves first as forced kindness is abrasive and counter productive. Establishing ways to acknowledge our shared identity by, for example, putting a face to human suffering; educating ourselves about what other people experience and understanding the reality of those less fortunate will maintain our connectedness and keep us in touch with the reality of our privilege. Teaching kindness to children is another way that we can maximize mutual empathy from an early age.

Kindness doesn’t have to be exhausting or a chore. Kindness as a concept is a way to bring generosity and positivity to others as well as ourselves.

Here are 6 ways to bring more kindness into your life:

Smile

Smile as much as you can muster. Not just at others, but also at yourself. Look in the mirror and smile. Be conscious of your facial expression regularly. Sometimes we are just concentrating or thinking and we don’t realize that we are scowling. Engage in things that make you laugh; genuinely laugh. There is nothing more satisfying than laughing hysterically at something until there are tears and everybody knows that laughter is contagious.

READ MORE HERE

LENTIL LOAF WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

LENTIL LOAF WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

By heavenlynnhealthy.com

For the lentil loaf

– 1 cup (125g) of walnuts

– 1 carrot (about 80g)

– 1/2 cup (100g) of celery

– 2 small or one large yellow onion (about 150g)

– 3 cloves of garlic

– 1/2 a leek (about 100g)

– 1/2 cup (60g) of buckwheat flour

– 1 slice of one or two day old rye or gluten free bread

– 2 teaspoons of fresh or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme

– 1 teaspoon of dried oregano

– 1/4 teaspoon of chili flakes

– 1 small apple (about 60g)

– 1/2 small pear (about 35g)

– 1/3 cup (50g) of raisins (optional)

– 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

– 1 teaspoon of salt

– 1/4 teaspoon of pepper

For the healthy cranberry sauce

– 1 cup (about 100g) of fresh cranberries

– 1/2 cup (125ml) of fresh water

– 4 tablespoons of maple syrup, honey or agave

– 2 tablespoon of fresh orange juice (optional)

– 1 teaspoon of fresh organic orange zest (optional)

Cook the lentils according to instructions on the package.  If you have a food processor, mix the lentils for a few seconds into a course mixture, but make sure to leave some for texture. If you don’t have a food processor or strong blender, smash the lentils with a fork, also making sure to leave some lentils whole for texture.  Pre-heat the oven to 160°C (325°F).  Finely chop the walnuts and place them onto a baking sheet and roast them for about 8-9 minutes. Do not leave them out of site, as they tend to burn quickly. Set the walnuts aside and raise the temperature to 180°C (356°C). Then cover a loaf pan with baking paper.  Now chop your vegetables. Roughly chop the onions and leek. Crush the garlic. Grind the carrot, celery, apple, and pear. Roughly chop the slice of rye or gluten free bread into bread crumbs.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and sauté for about 4 minutes until the onions are translucent. Season them with salt and pepper. Now add the leek, celery, carrot, apple and pear and raisins (if using). Sauté everything for about 5 minutes.  Now stir in the processed lentils, flax or chia seeds, chopped walnuts, buckwheat flour, bread crumbs, thyme, oregano, one teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and chili flakes. Stir well until combined.  Press the lentil mixture firmly into the loaf pan that you have prepared. Bake uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes until the edges turn slightly brown. While the loaf bakes, make the cranberry sauce, see below.  Take the loaf out of the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Slice the loaf gently; it may be kind of crumbly when it’s still very warm inside.  Serve with the cranberry sauce

For the Cranberry Sauce

Place the cranberries, water, orange juice and zest (if using) and sweetener of your choice into a small saucepan.  Simmer for about 15 minutes on medium heat.  Once the sauce has reached a thick consistency, remove from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.  Serve the sauce with the lentil loaf.