Natural Shampoo Recipe with Coconut Milk from Wellness Mama

I have been trying to find natural solutions for hair care that are simple to make, not too expensive, and work with my hair type. I have tried a few recipes that have really dried out my hair and not worked well for me. 

Recently, a friend of mind turned me onto this recipe from wellnessmama.com.  I made a double batch with lavender oil and olive oil.  It lasted for 3 weeks (I have thick long hair) and really left my hair moisturized and smelling great. 

She reminds you to shake before each use (just put it in an old shampoo bottle).  It can stay in the shower for use for up to one month. 

• 1/4 cup coconut milk 
• 1/3 cup castile soap
• 1/2 of a teaspoon Vitamin E oil (optional)
• 20 drops of Essential Oils of choice (like this lavendar oil)
• For dry hair: add 1/2 tsp olive or almond oil (optional)

Hot Mocha in a Pinch!

I love coffee shops!  I have always loved the smell of coffee, even before I liked the taste of it.  If I am going to escape somewhere to relax, I will drive to a local coffee shop.  While I'm there, I will likely order a latte or mocha.  That is my treat!

The other day, I couldn't get away to hideout with a special drink.  I was at work!  But I did find some coffee and a box of instant hot chocolate (salted caramel flavor).  I mixed it together, and Voila!  A hot Caramel Mocha in a pinch.  Yum...  What treats do you like in a pinch?

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies from realsustenance.com: gluten, grain, egg and starch free

I've been making these chocolate cookies from realsustenance.com lately.  Yum and Yum. 

Check out the original directions below (and then see bottom of post for my own variations). 

• 2 packed cups Blanched Almond Flour 

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

• 1 Tsp. Baking Powder

• 1/4 Tsp. Salt

• 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbs Granulated Sugar 

• 1 Tbs Vanilla Extract

• 4 1/2 Tbs Room Temperature Butter  (Earth Balance, Goats Butter, Shortening or Coconut Oil)

• 2 Tbs Applesauce

• 1-2 bars of Dairy Free Chocolate Chopped into Chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a large cookie sheet with either parchment paper or a baking mat to prevent sticking.
2. Chop your bar(s) of chocolate into chunks (as big or as small as you want them).
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (by hand should work as well) combine all of the ingredients until the dough comes together stirring in the chopped chocolate last.
4. Form 12 cookies with your hands into round / flat patties (I made mine 1 inch thick and about 3 inches wide).
5. Bake 15-16 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing from baking sheet.

My own variations--
I use 1/4 cup agave nectar and 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar.  I like the texture of the cookie a little better this way.  If I don't have applesauce, I actually use one large egg because I do eat eggs.  I use coconut oil and it works out well.  The cookies are great without chocolate chunks or chips as well.  Recently I put in mini-chips and dried cherries.  

Check out Raw Chocolate-Swirl Cheesecake bars from Detoxinista.com

This is a great one from detoxinista.com.  I actually make a double batch of this recipe and use a cupcake tin with liners to make 12 servings.  I keep them in the freezer, and eat one for breakfast as I run out the door for protein packed goodness.  It fills me up and lasts a long time.  The basic recipe is below, but use the link for the most complete directions. 

Raw Chocolate-Swirl Cheesecake bars

Chocolate Crust:

1 cup raw pecans
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

In a food processor, process the pecans and crust ingredients until crumbly.

Cheesecake filling:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least an hour
1/2 cup zucchini, peeled and chopped
2 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup honey (or agave, for vegans)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Throw all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until silky smooth. Pour the filling over the chocolate crust and smooth the top, using a spatula.

Chocolate Swirl:

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon coconut oil, in liquid form

Directions:

Whisk the ingredients together until smooth. Next, using a spoon, gently pour 3-4 lines across the cheesecake bars and swirl.

Vegan Ice Cream Recipe

My 7 year old son follows a gluten free, casein (dairy protein) free diet.  This helps him manage his symptoms within the autistic spectrum.  We are always on the look out for healthy and yummy alternatives for favorite foods like ice cream. 

A few years ago, I played around with recipes for making homemade ice cream.  We use a Cuisinart ice cream maker (I don't think the model is even being sold now) and probably make about 5 batches a week. We have been doing this for about 4 years, and the machine is holding up well. 

The milk base I use for the ice cream is a mixture of hemp milk and coconut milk.

Hemp milk is an alternative to cow's milk made from hemp seeds. 

One 8-Ounce glass generally contains the following nutrients:

900 mg Omega-3 Fatty Acids, 2800 mg Omega-6 Fatty Acids, All 10 Essential Amino Acids, 4 Grams of Digestible Protein, over 40% of RDA of Calcium, Vitamin D, and many other nutrients.

Coconut milk is produced when water and coconut "meat" are mixed together and then pressed so the milk is harvested.  

Some sources I read said the water used is coconut water and others just said "water." Coconut milk contains medium chain fatty acids, the fatty acid type most easily recognized and used by your body.  Because coconut milk is not a cow's milk product, it is free of lactose and the large milk proteins that can be associated with intolerances and allergies.  It is also vegan.  It is versatile and can be used in smoothies, rice dishes, soups,and curries.  Coconut milk is found in cans, sometimes in the international food section of your grocery store.  

Basic recipe:

In a blender, I put one can of coconut milk (you can use either full fat or lite depending on how creamy you like it and how much you want to cut calories) and then top it off with hemp milk until I reach about 4 cups on the total blender content line.  Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of Agave nectar and blend.  

You can make flavors by adding elements to this basic recipe (our ice cream maker holds about 5 cups, so I watch the blender content line when I am adding ingredients. 

Ideas:

1. Add cocoa powder for chocolate

2. Add frozen organic fruit for a fruity ice cream

3. Add pumpkin puree to make a nice autumn ice cream

4. Add organic peanut butter and chocolate chips

We store our ice cream in a glass container in the freezer.  The ice cream will need to be warmed to scoop out, so it either needs to be taken out ahead of time or put in microwave for a minute or two to soften up.

Enjoy!

Civilized Caveman Cooking: Lemon Pound Cake (Paleo)

Interested in Paleo cooking?  You might want to check out civilizedcaveman.com,  I personally LOVE this recipe on the site for lemon pound cake.  I use agave nectar rather than honey and I leave the glaze off.  The cake is very moist and not too sweet.  I have noticed that the center often seems too soft when I take it out, which I think is a function of the coconut oil which melts easily even at near room temps.  I put it in the fridge for cooling and it firms up nicely.  

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Lemon Pound Cake

• 2 cups almond flour (185 grams)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (63 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda (3 grams)
• 2/3 cup raw honey, melted
• 2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons pure lemon extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Glaze

• freshly squeezed lemon juice from 2 lemons
• lemon zest from 1 lemon
• 1 vanilla bean pod
• 4 tablespoons raw honey

Instructions

Lemon Pound Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Prepare a 9×9 baking pan by coating the interior lightly with coconut
3. oil.
4. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and place it
5. over the coconut oil.
6. Sift dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to
7. combine.
8. Place oil and honey in the bowl of a food processor and process for 2 minutes.
9. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
10. Add coconut milk, lemon extract, and lemon zest, and continue to process until well combined.
11. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients and thoroughly combine using a wooden spoon until smooth
12. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test
13. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes
14. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely

Glaze

1. While cake is in the oven, cut vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the beans into a small saucepan.
2. Add the vanilla bean pod, lemon juice, zest, and honey to the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Let cool to room temperature. Remove pod and discard.
5. Using a fork, poke several holes in the top of the cake
6. Pour glaze over the cake, using a spatula to evenly distribute over the entire cake. Let the cake rest for an hour to fully absorb the glaze.
7. Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator.

Flourless PeanutButter Banana Muffins from Detoxinista

We are enjoying these muffins at Detoxinista.com so much.  These flourless muffins are high in protein and really filling.  They are a great breakfast or snack, and travel well in school lunches.  A few notes: I actually end up having to bake them for 20 minutes, so you can adjust that based on your oven. These muffins do rise, so don't fill more than the recommended 1/4 cup.  Also, I always add 4 or 5 dried cherries on top before baking. Yum...like a peanut butter and jelly muffin!

Ingredients

• 1 cup natural organic peanut butter

• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup mashed)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 whole eggs

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ¼ cup honey (or stevia, to taste)

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• Optional add-ins: ½ cup chocolate chips, or 1 cup fresh raspberries, or ½ cup dried raisins or cherries, or 1 sliced banana

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and prepare a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

1. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients mix until smooth. At this point, you can fold in one of the optional add-ins, if desired.

1. Scoop the batter, using a ¼ cup, into each muffin liner.

1. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F. The resulting muffins should be firm, and lightly golden.

1. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

1. Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week!

Notes
Adding fresh raspberries or dried fruit will make these taste like a ‘peanut butter and jelly’ muffin! Almond butter can easily be substituted for the peanut butter in this recipe, if you prefer. You could also try sunflower butter as a nut-free option!

Avacado Recipes: Surprising Ways to use these Healthy Fruits

This week I came home and needed something quick for dinner but didn't have much in the fridge.  Then I remembered I had some banana and some avocado in the freezer.  I threw together a smoothie with those fruits and some cocoa powder with agave nectar.  I had been hearing about using avocado in frozen recipes but hadn't tried anything yet.  It was wonderful, creamy, filling, and did not taste like guacamole!

Avocados are a fruit with many health benefits.  They contain all 18 essential amino acids, fiber, phytochemicals, as well as vitamins A, B, C, E, K, copper, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.   The fats are primarily monosaturated and good for your body.  See here for 15 health benefits of avocados: 
Avocados and Health.  

In addition to everyone's favorite guacomole, avocados can be key ingredients in a variety of other recipes.  They can be substituted for heavy creams in some deserts likes cakes and frozen desserts.  And don't worry--they don't taste like avocado.  

Check out detoxinista.com's Healthy Fudgsicles

Try this Vegan Chocolate Cake at ambitiouskitchen.com!

Using Homemade Simple Syrups in Refreshing Summertime Drinks

In my house, we love plain sparkling water.  Every now and then we also have the taste for more flavoring in the sparkling water, or even a sweet treat for a celebration or occasion.  

Using simple syrups can be a great tool in your cooking and add something special to a refreshing sparkling drink or iced beverage.  What is a simple syrup?  It is when you boil sugar in water at a certain ratio to make a syrup. It can be more appetizing than putting actual granulated sugar in a drink because you don't have to stir and hope the sugar dissolves.  There is no grainy pile of sugar at the bottom of the drink, and you have equivalent sweetness throughout the whole drink. 

A general simple syrup is made with the following ratios:

Thin simple syrup - A ratio of 3 parts water to 1 part sugar - used to glaze cakes and cookies.

Medium simple syrup - A ratio of 2 parts water to 1 part sugar - used to make sweeten beverages and iced tea.

Thick simple syrup (basic simple syrup) - A ratio of 1 part water to 1 part sugar - This is used as the basis for cold fruit drinks and cocktails. Also used to make candied fruits. 

As you can see, you can adjust the ratios to make the syrup more rich or thick.  Put cold water and the sugar portion into a pan and cook on medium heat.  Stir until the sugar dissolves, about 3-5 minutes.  The longer you cook, the thicker the mixture will be.  Cool, put in a container, and store in the refrigerator. 

Simple syrups can be brushed over cakes and cookies to add moisture and sweetness.  They are also added to beverages.  One of the nice things about adding them to beverages is that you control the sweetness of your drink.  When we add a simple syrup to our sparkling water, we can get just a hint of sweetness, or can make more of a drink akin to a soda pop. 

Another great variation is to infuse flavor into the simple syrup.  You can add a cinnamon stick during the cooking process to make a cinnamon infused simple syrup.  We also add sliced fresh ginger and then strain the pieces after the cooking process.  What flavor would you like to infuse?  Be creative and have fun.  It is an easy, healthy,and economical way to enjoy a refreshing summer drink.  

Eat Nourishing Recipe Site

I recently discovered eatnourishing.com.  Eat Nourishing was created in 2011 by husband-wife team, Anthony and Jami Delgado.  It is a recipe sharing site with recipes based on whole, unrefined ingredients.  There are many grain free and paleo recipes which I am interested in these days.  My son follows a gluten-free, dairy free diet and there are many compatible ideas on this site. 

You may be able to see from this screen shot that there are icons above each recipe that tell you what is true about the ingredients.  There are icons for vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free, grain free, paleo,etc.






I ordered some almond flour and coconut flour to get started with some of the recipes.  I would like to try this one called :  Paleo Almond Flour Crepes

 

 

Which one looks good to you?

Detoxification Bath: The Why and How To

I have been trying to focus on wellness in several areas of my life.  I have been exercising more and eating healthy.  As part of that focus, I have also been trying to take care that my body doesn't get run down, that it has the opportunity to restore and replenish. 



As part of that focus, I tried this Detoxification Bath last week.  I was glad to have directions because I have taken Epson salt baths before, but now realize I didn't stay in long enough or put enough salts in.  This article also gives instructions of other ingredients and what to do after the bath (e.g., like drink lots of water). 

After I took the bath, I really saw the impact on my physical function.  For the next day I was tired and didn't feel well.  I tried to drink lots of water, but could tell I felt a bit worse at first.  After that I felt like I had good energy.  The most amazing thing to me is that the eczema on my hand completely cleared up.  It has been pretty bad for about 5 years and sometimes I use a steroid cream because the skin splits and bleeds.  I wear gloves when I do dishes or take a shower.  But during the bath, I just let my hand stay in the water for the 40 minutes.  I was worried it would get worse, but it actually looks great. 

How do you detox?

Recipe: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (GFCF)

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (GFCF)

My son follows a gluten free, casein free diet as part of managing his symptoms of autistic spectrum.  I always like to try new recipes so he has treats and snacks that he can enjoy and let him feel "part of the group."  I have tried several flourless peanut butter cookie recipes, but I felt like they had quite a lot of sugar in them. 

The following recipe is my adaptation: less sugar, less sweet cookie

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 scoops protein powder (I use either Garden of Life protein powder which is free of gluten, or a peanut butter powder like PB2--see blog post on 12/26/12)
2 cups peanut butter
2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
chocolate chips as desired

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes; makes about 2- 2 1/2 sheets of cookies

Flourless Pumpkin Muffins

I wish I was a better food photographer, but maybe I will get better as I go along!

These muffins are a recipe I developed after trying a few different recipes and adjusting them.  They are flourless and high in protein.  They are gluten free, casein free, and soy free.  

2 cups almond meal (not almond flour)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cloves

1 cup pumpkin puree

4 tablespoons agave nectar (or other sweetener)

6 eggs

4 large tablespoons of protein powder (I use Raw Protein by Garden of Life--see post on 12/26/12)

mini chocolate chips as desired (I use Enjoy Life brand to fit with GFCF diet)

350 degrees

25 min

makes 12 large muffins

**Notes:

The recipe is a little heavy on the spices.  You can adjust them to fit your own tastes.  

Add protein powder until desired consistency, adjusting as needed.

The consistency is like a corn meal muffin because of the almond meal.