In time for Thanksgiving next week, I've curated a collection of gluten- and dairy-free recipes from the blogosphere to give you some healthy cooking inspo! Whether you're in charge of the family T-giving meal or needing to bring a dish to a Friendsgiving potluck party, hopefully you can find a recipe here that will fit the bill. I bet no one even notices how healthy they are!
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Ok team, I've got a warming, sweet-tooth satisfying, anti-inflammatory and deeeelicious recipe for you today.....SUPERFOOD HOT CHOCOLATE! This is a recipe I make often in the winter, either as a mid-morning pick-me-up or an after-lunch treat. It's chock full of superfood nutrients and is home run for satisfying sugar cravings.
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I have to admit, most bliss balls I've tried are a bit disappointing. They look great, but when I buy one and eat it, it's just not that good. Not sure what the deal is, but rather than trying to figure it out, I decided to try my hand at making my own to see if I could step up the game a little. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but these are pretty damn delicious.
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I'm sure y'all have heard of the Paleo diet by now. It seems to be the latest health trend / buzzword. You may be wondering, though, what actually does the Paleo, or caveman, diet entail... I get asked this question a lot so I thought I'd write what I know about it and also hook you up with a delicious and Paleo-friendly cookie recipe in case you want to jump on board the caveman train.
In a nutshell, the Paleo diet is about eating in a manner similar to how our caveman ancestors did before the agricultural revolution. This means eating unprocessed meat, saturated fats (from animals, avocados, coconuts, etc.), non-starchy veggies, nuts/seeds, eggs, and a little low-sugar fruit. It also means eliminating any food that arrived since farming and processing began, about 10,000 years ago -- stuff like grains, legumes, dairy, vegetable oil, etc.
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I reckon I love coconut more than anyone I know. I eat it every single day without fail in one form or another. There are so many variations of the beloved coconut and I love all of them just about equally. The following are constantly being replenished in my house: coconut oil, milk, cream, yogurt, kefir, ice cream, dried cubes, flakes, dessicated, shredded and, of course, whole fresh young coconuts with their delectable soft flesh and sweet water. Delicious! Just writing about it makes me want to rush out to the shops and get one. Alas, I won't, but I will continue to bang on about my love affair. One of the best things about coconut is the fact that it is has a beautifully sweet taste (without fructose) so it nips sugar cravings in their tracks. It contains saturated fat which is really good for you and fills you up so you don't need heaps of it to feel good and satisfied. Another awesome thing about coconut is that you can go either savory or sweet with your coconut creations. It works well for both! As for savory, I cook all my veggies in coconut oil. I love adding a bit of coconut milk or cream to soups and curries in winter, and often just sprinkle some shredded or flaked coconut over any lunch or dinner meal. As much as I love coconut added to savory recipes, coconut combined with sweet flavors is where the real magic happens! Coconut milk is the liquid base for most of my smoothies. I eat coconut yogurt with muesli / granola many mornings and coconut ice cream on the reg for dessert. You'll often find me sipping on a baby coconut and then digging in to get the fresh out for a snack. Sometimes I even eat the flakes in handfuls right out of the bag. As I mentioned before, I rarely let a day pass without a dose of coconut-something and I don't see this coconut-love fading any time soon.
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From time to time (every night?), I like to indulge in a bit of sweetness. Most often, however, I don’t have the time or energy to whip up something fancy. When it comes to making an at-home dessert, I have three main criteria: 1. it doesn't require me to turn on the oven, 2. it doesn't entail too much prep work or clean up, 3. it's made from real foods without refined sugar or any other nasties. I want it to be simple, clean and sweet-tooth-satisfying without being loaded with a bunch of heavy ingredients devoid of nutrients. That’s not too much to ask, is it?
Free from gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, and refined sugars, these are my five favorite plant-based (and mostly raw) desserts which are all guilt-free ways to treat yourself when the sweetness craving strikes.
I’ve broken them down into categories: Easy, Easier, and Easiest. Easy recipes involve a bit of pre-planning and/or delayed gratification while the easiest recipe is for when you need that sweet hit immediately!
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I recently organised a little 'party' to showcase an organic, local, and hand-made skincare range which I love, called Vanessa Megan. I invited about ten girls over to have a play with some of the products and hear first-hand from Vanessa why it is so important to feed your skin with natural ingredients instead of all the harsh chemicals found in most products on the market today. Vanessa Megan's motto is: "You should never put anything on your skin that you wouldn't eat." LOVE THAT! Her products are 100% natural and organic, free from mineral oils, SLS's, parabens, PEG's, artificial preservatives and fragrances. Not to mention, they smell and feel divine! The night was lots of fun and very informative. I think it served as a good catalyst for the girls to go home and read the labels on all those (probably expensive!) products in their bathroom cupboards. Also known as the Bathroom Challenge! I did this challenge a few months ago and was completely astounded by how many toxic chemicals and synthetic ingredients were in my beloved beauty regime. When we spray and lather these chemicals on ourselves every day, they undoubtedly seep through our skin (our largest organ) and directly into our bloodstream. I know many of us take such care with what we put in our mouths but few of us think twice about what we are putting on our skin. It's all going to the same place - into the bloodsteam! The first step to a beauty detox is self-education so I would definitely recommend reading labels and checking for the Big 9, as per the Bathroom Challenge. For those other ones you don't know (and probably can barely pronounce!), this cosmetic database is brilliant for searching a product or ingredient and learning about safety ratings and other health information.
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