Chocolate Breakfast Bread (Vegan, Gluten-Free, No Sugar Added)

Chocolate Breakfast Bread (Vegan, Gluten-Free, No Sugar Added)

To see all recipes, scroll to the top and click on Recipes or just click here!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the US (and celebrating outside of the US, too)!

We are in the heart of the holiday season now, and of course that can mean a lot of tasty treats. This “breakfast” bread, of course, has nothing explicitly to do with breakfast, but it is delicious in the morning, anyway. Tastes festive! And goes great with a steaming mug of your favorite hot bevvie. (Sorry for the blurry pic below!)

It’s sweet but not overly so and wonderful toasted. It doesn’t need any toppings, but I imagine some butter (or Earth Balance) or cream cheese would be delish on it.

Chocolate Breakfast Bread (Vegan, Gluten-Free, No Sugar Added)

Since it’s made with almond meal (aka almond flour), the carb-protein ratio is not overbalanced on the carb side. Also, both almonds and stevia are alkalizing, which helps to balance the acidifying effects of chocolate. Making this a perfectly balanced breakfast

Plus, it’s loaded with antioxidants and healthy coconut oil fat, making it the perfect start to a holiday weekend morning — or a great jump start to the Monday morning after a holiday weekend.

As we head on into “the most wonderful time of the year,” I hope you all have a very happy and healthy holiday season!

Chocolate Breakfast Bread (Vegan, Gluten-Free, No Sugar Added)

Chocolate Breakfast Bread (Vegan, Gluten-Free, No Sugar Added)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup stevia
• 2 cups almond meal / almond flour
• 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 egg substitutes (or 2 eggs if not making it vegan)
• 1/2 ripe banana, mashed
• 4 Tbsp. soy half & half (or dairy half & half if not making it vegan)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl until thoroughly incorporated.
3. Oil a 9×5 bread pan with coconut oil.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Enjoy!

Adjust the recipe as necessary for your needs and tastes. You can determine the nutritional content of your final product using Recipe Calculator.

Do you have a favorite morning treat?

Carob-Dusted Raw Power Bites (Vegan, GF, No Sugar Added)

Carob-Dusted Raw Power Bites

To see all recipes, scroll to the top and click on Recipes or just click here!

These little treats are similar to my Chocolate-Coconut Energy Bites, but with two major differences: sunflower seeds and carob. Sunflower seeds are anti-inflammatory, making them excellent for recovery. And unlike cacao, carob doesn’t have any stimulating properties, so you can eat these right before bed and not worry whether they’ll keep you awake.

Carob is less sweet than cacao, however, so if you like your treats sweeter but don’t want the extra sugar (stimulating just like caffeine!), you can add some stevia to the mix.

Carob-Dusted Raw Power Bites

Like the chocolate-coconut bites, these little guys are loaded with antioxidants, healthy fats, alkalizing properties, and pure deliciousness.

They’re an excellent refueling and recovery snack after a hard workout, but they’re equally good as a healthy dessert.

I make these very small: the recipe can roll out as many as 22 miniature servings. But if you’re a big fan, you can make 12 1-inch bites instead. Or double the recipe and make 24 1-inch bites

Carob-Dusted Raw Power Bites

Carob-Dusted Raw Power Bites (Vegan, Gluten-Free, No Sugar Added, Raw)

Ingredients for 12 regular or 22 mini servings

• 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked 4-6 hours
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked 4-6 hours
• 3 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp. + 4 Tbsp. raw carob powder for dusting
• Optional: 10 drops (or 1 packet) of stevia

Steps

1. Drain and rinse the cashews and sunflower seeds.
2. In a food processor, blend together the cashews, sunflower seeds, coconut oil, and 1 Tbsp. carob powder.
3. Hand-roll into 1-inch or 1/2-inch balls with your hands, then roll in the carob powder to dust.
4. Freeze for 15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Enjoy!

Adjust the recipe as necessary for your needs and tastes. You can determine the nutritional content of your final product using Recipe Calculator.

Do you eat before working out?

If you run long distances, do you have a favorite snack for long runs?

Chocolate-Coconut Energy Bites (Vegan, GF, No Sugar Added, Raw)

Chocolate-Coconut Energy Bites

To see all recipes, scroll to the top and click on Recipes or just click here!

This week marks the six-week countdown to my first marathon, the San Francisco Marathon, which I’ll be running with my sister at the end of July. I’m nervous but I know we can do it well!

Training for a marathon involves, as you might have guessed, lots of running. Sometimes these are long, slow runs and sometimes they’re shorter, faster, hillier runs. 

Either way, I need to make sure I’m fueled up well every time I go out. For shorter runs, a burst of quick sugars can help. But for longer runs, it’s best to have a combination of fast sugars, protein, and fat.

Chocolate-Coconut Energy Bites

These energy bites are the perfect solution for a long run! The nuts provide protein for muscle repair; the coconut oil provides fat for satiety and recovery; and the dates provide carbohydrates that are quickly digested and ready to burn for energy.

Plus, they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy fats, and pure deliciousness.

There’s no need to buy pre-made, processed, or packaged energy bars when you can make tasty treats like these. They’re easy, fast, and exactly what you need to get you through a long distance. Stick ‘em in your pack the next time you head out on a long run and enjoy their pure, natural goodness.

Chocolate-Coconut Energy Bites

Chocolate-Coconut Energy Bites (Vegan, Gluten-Free, No Sugar Added, Raw)

Ingredients for 12 servings

• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp. raw cacao powder
• 2 large Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Steps

1. Optional first step: soak the cashews for 3-6 hours. Drain and rinse the cashews.
2. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until well-mixed.
3. Hand-roll into 1-inch balls.
4. Freeze for 15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Enjoy!

Adjust the recipe as necessary for your needs and tastes. You can determine the nutritional content of your final product using Recipe Calculator.

If you run long distances, do you have a favorite snack for long runs?

A Year of Natural Health & Beauty Tip #24: Use Coconut Oil to Remove Makeup

Image by Robert Wetzlmayr via Wikimedia Commons

To view all tips so far, click here or simply scroll to the top of the screen and click on 52 Tips.

Coconut oil is the oil of the moment! Of course, some of us (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) have known about the wonders of this natural oil for years. Far too many years than we feel like divulging at the moment, but suffice it to say, we’ve been using it since high school.

Around here, we cook with it, bake with it, use it as lotion and leave-in hair conditioner… But it’s only been recently that coconut oil has revealed its secret super power: as a makeup remover!

You might be familiar with using olive oil as a makeup remover, a trick many soft-skinned grandmothers have passed down. If you don’t have access to coconut oil, definitely give olive oil a try!

The main difference is that coconut oil solidifies when it’s cooler than body temperature, so it’s often in solid form when you scoop it out of the jar. Olive oil, on the other hand, is liquid all the time. If you’re averse to messy, dribbly things in the bathroom—or not keen on smelling like salad dressing after your luxurious bath—you might want to try coconut oil.

And gents, if you’ve read this far, you know this message applies to you, too. Makeup is equal opportunity, as far as I’m concerned. But while your eyeliner is lovely, boys and girls, I’m not afraid to tell you that conventional makeup removers are loaded with junk and preservatives, some of them toxic and/or carcinogenic. Yech. Ditch the multi-ingredient stuff and invest in an $8 jar of organic coconut oil, instead. Your skin will thank you for it, and whomever snuggles up close to that skin might, too

Coconut oil gets off every trace of makeup, even waterproof mascara. I can personally attest to this! I love makeup and sometimes wear quite a bit. And I rely solely on coconut oil for a trace-free clean face when I’m done with the day (or night).

If you’re currently using a conventional makeup remover, I challenge you to try coconut oil instead and see how it works for you

Stuff to Know:

• Spot test any products or ingredients before using any homemade products on your face, head, or body, especially if you have sensitive skin or are prone to irritation and/or allergies.
• Store coconut oil in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark place for up to two months.

Coconut Oil Makeup Remover

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. raw, organic coconut oil (use more as needed)

To Use:

1. Take out your contact lenses, if you wear them.
2. There are various ways to apply the coconut oil to your face. I like to scoop it out of the jar with a cotton pad and then wipe it over my face in small circles. You can apply it directly with your fingers or with a washcloth.
3. With a clean cotton pad, wipe away any excess coconut oil from your skin. The makeup will be removed with the oil!
4. For eye makeup, you can swirl a Q-Tip around in the coconut oil and then use that to remove the detailed traces. Swipe a cotton pad or washcloth gently over your eyes to remove the excess oil.
5. If you like, apply a toner afterward, like my Green Tea Toner.

Do you wear eye makeup?

Do you have a favorite makeup-removal method?

No-Sugar-Added Coconut-Chocolate Fudge (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

No-Sugar-Added Coconut-Chocolate Fudge

To see all recipes, scroll to the top and click on Recipes or just click here!

If you follow my Things I Love Thursday posts, you may recall my recent shout-out to A Real Food Lover, whose Raw Coconut Fudge recipe made me swoon.

I was super-eager to make it, but I didn’t have any sweet potatoes on hand. Being a frugalista, I decided to make do with what I had, rather than taking an extra trip to the store. What I had was pumpkin! Used in place of the sweet potato, it worked perfectly. And what’s most amazing? It doesn’t taste like pumpkin at all! It tastes like sweet, delicious, coconut-chocolate fudge!

Health Benefits of Pumpkin

Pumpkin is one of those amazing foods that I overlook too often. It has tons of vitamin A, which helps your eye health (think carrots) and boosts your immune system. It’s loaded with carotenoids, which fight off free radicals and keep your skin glowing and young-looking. It’s high in magnesium, which I’ve talked about before: a crucial mineral for regeneration and relaxation. It’s also high in potassium, which also helps regulate and rebalance your body after a long and hard workout.

Add to that the essential fatty acids of coconut oil, which help the body recover in dozens of different ways,  and raw cocoa powder, which has several times more antioxidants than blueberries, and you’ve got…

THE PERFECT POST-WORKOUT SNACK. Yes!!!

Of course, it’s also the perfect post-dinner dessert, or the perfect sweet breakfast treat, or the perfect … anytime fudge

You can eliminate the shredded coconut, or do as A Real Food Lover did and sprinkle it on top instead of mixing it in. I liked the texture of it all blended together, though. If you make this, I’d love to hear about your own variations!

No-Sugar-Added Coconut-Chocolate Fudge (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

No-Sugar-Added Chocolate Fudge (Vegan, Gluten-Free, No Sugar Added)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin, canned or cooked and pureed
• 1/2 cup raw, unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, gently melted
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• dash of sea salt

Steps

1. Blend all ingredients together in a food processor.
2. Line your dish dish with parchment paper.
3. Press fudge into pan.
4. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to set. Enjoy!

Adjust the recipe as necessary for your needs and tastes. You can determine the nutritional content of your final product using Recipe Calculator.

Do you eat after working out?

Do you use pumpkin in your sweet recipes?