Blog, Dessert, Recipes

Lemon π (Pi)

March 14, 2015

Today is National Pi (π) Day! I don’t know a lot about math, so I decided to celebrate with a different kind of pi…Lemon Pie!

Happy Pi Day everyone!

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Ingredients:

The crust:

  • 1 cup of raw almonds
  • 1 cup of raw walnuts
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • a dash of Himalayan sea salt

The lemon filling:

  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 3/4 cup lemon juice (I used fresh squeezed juice from 4 large lemons)
  • 1/2 cup coconut cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

for the whipped cream and topping:

  • 2 1/2 cups of coconut cream
  • 2 TB of raw cane sugar
  • 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
  • sliced lemon

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Directions:

The crust:

Place all of the ingredients for the crust (except the dates)  in a food processor and pulse it until its kind of like flour. Add in the dates and mix until you have dough. Press this firmly into the bottom of a pie or tart pan.

Put aside the 2 1/2 cups of coconut cream for the whipped cream in the fridge.

The lemon filling:

Putt all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until its smooth.  Pour the filling in the crust and spread with a spatula. Then, put the pie to the freezer for around 2-3 hours.

The whipped cream:

Take the coconut cream out of the refrigerator and add the sugar and vanilla. Next, with an electric mixer, mix until fluffy and smooth. When you are ready to serve the pie, top it with the whipped cream and sliced lemon.

Viola!

lemon pi 4 lemon pi 3

Blog, Lunch/Dinner, Recipes

Falafel Burgers

March 3, 2015

Falafel Burger Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 cup of breadcrumbs (I used organic whole grain bread)
  • 1 yellow onion (diced)
  • 3 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 tsp of ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp baking powder

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Directions:

Turn on the oven to 400 degrees. Grind chickpeas in a food processor until they are smooth. In a bowl, add processed chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, coriander, salt, black, pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and baking soda. Slowly add in the bread crumbs until the mixture holds together like dough. Then shape the dough into patties. Put the patties on a nonstick cooking sheet and bake for 10-12  minutes longer, until golden brown.

I topped my falafel burger with sautéed brussels sprouts and roasted peppers.

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Blog, Health & Recovery

20 Things You Need To Know About Eating Disorders

February 24, 2015

Before I developed an eating disorder, I honestly didn’t know much information about it. Since today begins eating disorder awareness week, I thought I would share a great post by Liz Gombach Junod.

 

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1. Eating disorders can happen to happy, well-adjusted people living in happy, well-adjusted families.

2. More people have eating disorders in the western world than have green eyes.

3. Eating disorders are not always the result of a deliberate diet. People sometimes develop them when they lose weight because of an illness or even a well-intentioned fast.

4. An eating disorder is a brain disorder to which some people are genetically predisposed. It is especially risky for those people to lose weight, but they usually don’t know this until it’s too late.

5. Eating disorders have the highest fatality rate of any mental health condition.

6. One in five people with anorexia die prematurely of the disorder, usually of organ failure, typically of heart failure. One in five.

7. Anorexia is not “all about control”. It is not a response to controlling parents. It is not a severe case of vanity. It is a brain disorder.

8. When someone develops an eating disorder, their brain chemistry and structure change. You cannot reason them out of this.

9. By far the most effective treatment for an eating disorder is food. Therapy can help, and may be essential, but it is food that heals the brain.

10. People can develop an eating disorder without becoming dangerously – or even, in some cases, significantly – underweight.

11. Women can have an eating disorder, including anorexia, without ever losing their periods.

12. Recovery from an eating disorder is not about waiting for the sufferer to want to get better.

13. The single worst thing you can do for someone developing an eating disorder is “not to make meals a battleground”. They need to eat, and this can be a difficult, nasty, vicious and bloody battle.

14. If someone has been starving and starts to eat properly again, they can suffer from refeeding syndrome, which is dangerous and can be fatal. Restoring a proper diet should be done gradually and with medical advice.

15. When someone has been starved and starts to gain weight again, the weight goes on first around the middle to protect the organs. It will redistribute, but only after many months. This sucks.

16. At least 10% of people with eating disorders are boys or men. That number is rising.

17. Just because someone with an eating disorder has regained weight does not mean they are fully better. Mending the brain can take months or even years after weight restoration.

18. A shocking number of mental health experts only have a passing understanding of eating disorders.

19. Swift treatment makes a huge difference to the chances of recovery, but it can take months to see a specialist. Those months can make the difference between life and death.

20. Recovery is possible. Not everyone with an eating disorder recovers completely, and the risk of relapse is huge, but it is not necessarily a life sentence. People can – and do – make a complete, full and lasting recovery.

 

Blog, Health & Recovery

Learning to Love Yourself

February 4, 2015

“Beauty is when you can appreciate yourself. When you love yourself, that’s when you’re most beautiful.”

What does loving yourself mean to you?  Is it when you build yourself up and encourage yourself? Being confident in your own skin regardless of your weight?

For a while, loving myself and my body seemed very unnatural. It seemed like something that should be a last thought and should be put on the back burner. In my mind, it was always “love others first & love yourself later” … but the later would never come.

During my eating disorder (ED), I would associate my disordered eating behaviors with loving and comforting myself.  It seemed I was doing something good for myself, all while conditioning my mind to hate what I saw every time I looked in the mirror. I learned the hard way that how I was treating my body was not showing it love and ended up hating my body and hating myself.

There is a Bible verse that most people have heard at some point in their lives. Its one of those verses where you read it and think “Yeah, yeah I know that already,” but recently I’ve read it with a new perspective.

The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:31

When I used to hear this verse, I would instantly think in terms of loving your neighbor first and loving ourselves second, but that’s not what God wants us to do.  He commands us to love our neighbor, but He also expects us to love ourselves.  Loving ourselves is supposed to come naturally to us.  It should be something that is second nature, not something that is an everyday struggle. So why does it feel so hard at times?

With our society today making it so easy to have a sneak peek into someone else’s life, we get caught up in comparing ourselves to other people. We compare our bodies, our looks and personalities, wealth and social status, and even how many followers we have on Instagram.  This was an issue long before the Internet and iPhones, but it seems like social media has only made this problem worse. You are constantly viewing girls that have taken a picture at a perfect angle so it makes them look thin, or someone that seemingly has perfect skin, or someone whose hair looks like it is styled by a professional every day. No wonder its so hard to look in the mirror at everything you are and fully accept what you see when you are constantly trying to match your flaws to other people’s strengths.

This is something I have to remind myself when I’m on social media: Social media is a filtered version of people’s lives. What you see there doesn’t always accurately describe people’s everyday life. Is anyone going to post a picture of themselves lying in bed with no makeup while binge-watching Friends? No!

Long story short…comparing will get you nowhere, easier said than done I know.

I am all about taking care of your body, which is why I feel like the next few words are so important.

What I’ve realized is that if you don’t take the time to love yourself, it will be nearly impossible to take care of your body while treating it in a respectful and healthy way.

In order to love yourself and love your body, you have to fully appreciate and have respect for every part of you.  This means realizing that there is really no such thing as the perfect body and that is a good thing. You should love your body because it’s YOUR body. Personally, I had to hit rock bottom before I realized the importance of loving my body and myself. Having to literally start from the ground up on your mental and physical health gives you a new appreciation and respect for yourself.  We are all human…we will gain weight, we will lose weight, but your physical appearance shouldn’t be the factor on which you base your worth or how much you should love yourself.

Blog, Breakfast

Coconut Pancakes

January 20, 2015

Who doesn’t love pancakes? The smell of them cooking on the griddle in the morning is one of the best things ever!

Since we are on the subject of pancakes and before we get to the recipe, here is pancake art inspired by The Beatles.

Enjoy!

Pancake recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoon white sugar

2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups full fat coconut milk or whole organic milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 very ripe banana, mashed

2 tablespoons coconut oil melted or 2 TB butter, melted

1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Syrup ingredients (for 6-10 pancakes)

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

 Pancakes 3

Makes 12-15 pancakes

Stir flour,2 tablespoon white sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Mix coconut milk (or regular milk), egg, and vanilla in another bowl. Stir together milk mixture into flour mixture.

Beat banana in a bowl with a mixer until smooth and add mixture to flour mixture. Stir melted coconut oil (or butter) into batter. Refrigerate batter for 10 minutes.

Stir in shredded coconut to the batter for all coconut pancakes or leave out and sprinkle on top of each pancake while on griddle to make some plain and some coconut.

Heat griddle to 350 or skillet over medium heat (if using skillet you will need to use oil too). Cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side, 3 to 5 minutes.

To make syrup: Add coconut oil and honey to sauce pan over low heat.  Stir until heated through.

Pancakes 1

Blog, Health & Recovery

Resolutions

December 31, 2014

2014 is officially over and it’s time to kick off a new year! New Years is one of the best times of the year because this is when everyone gets a fresh start and a chance to make the most out of the next twelve months. I love looking back on the year to see how I’ve grown and to start looking towards all that I want to accomplish in the upcoming year.

There is really nothing special about December 31st.  It’s just another day like all of the others, but it always brings with it that feeling of another chance to either finish something you didn’t get to complete or start something you never got around to over the year. New Year’s Eve is all about new beginnings and new experiences and this year I am super excited for both.

For many years with my eating disorder (ED), New Year’s never felt like the beginning to a fresh start or a time where I could improve on myself. It was just another day where I felt like I was trapped in one place with my eating disorder and it was hard to focus on anything else.  Even with the promise of a new year, everything ahead was centered on obsessing and worrying about calories and food.

When you’re in the middle of an eating disorder or just starting out in recovery, it feels like you are attempting to learn another language. The idea of relearning positive eating behaviors and seeing yourself in a positive light is completely foreign and unnatural.  All I could see for the New Year was more of the same and I couldn’t see past the hold of my eating disorder to push past it all and view the New Year as something to look forward to.

I started my recovery around New Years a few years ago and I felt like I had nowhere to look for direction.  I was meeting with therapists and nutritionists and I had the support of family and friends, but despite their guidance, I still felt lost. It seemed a lot easier to sink back into old destructive habits that were comfortable than to branch out into this new world of recovery outside of my eating disorder. After months of small improvements in the right direction, it all started to feel more normal.  Taking care of me and doing it the right way started to feel natural.  It all started coming together and pretty soon the New Year brought with it the promise of knowing how to love myself again.

So what will you do with this promise of a new year and how do you plan to take the first step?  It’s pretty common to make the annual list of “Resolutions”, “To Do’s” and “Self Improvements” for the upcoming year.  This time of the year forces most of us to stop looking in the past and start concentrating on what’s ahead.  Whether it’s your physical or emotional health that you want to improve on or relationship or life goals to work towards…we all have the promise of the New Year to make it happen.

The one thing that I have learned from my recovery is that it’s always best to take baby steps. It wasn’t until I took the pressure off of myself and started working towards little improvements that I started seeing progress.  Many of you might be planning your New Year’s resolutions around your eating disorder or plans for recovery.  That was definitely the center of mine the last few years.  This year, thankfully, I’m trying to look past all of that and work towards a new set of goals that aren’t ED related.  It feels good to look ahead for all that is out there for me without being held back from the lies of my eating disorder.

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No matter where you are with your eating disorder or what your New Year’s resolutions are, here are some tips to help you get started in making baby steps towards a new beginning and a new you:

  1. Make monthly goals:  Have something small to work towards each month that will lead you in the right direction. Make it manageable and something that is realistic. For me, during my eating disorder, one of my monthly goals was to branch outside of my safe foods list and try one or two dishes that I was scared of eating.
  2. Stay positive:  This one seems obvious, but it can be one of the hardest things to do. Having a positive mindset is one of the greatest ways to help you keep working towards your goals. During my recovery, I wrote notes of affirmation around my room and on my bathroom mirror.  Most of the time, I was my own worst enemy with all of the negative thoughts constantly going through my head.  Remember that a positive outlook usually starts with your own self-talk and a positive thought life. If this sort of thinking doesn’t come naturally, the notes will be good reminders to love yourself and keep things positive!
  3. Realize you’re going to mess up:  You are not going to do things perfectly every time. If you mess up, you have to know that it is okay. Take each mistake as a way to learn and grow from it. Be as kind and forgiving to yourself as you would to someone you love! Give yourself a break! Realize that you’re only human and messing up once isn’t the set up to continuing the same mistakes…learn from them and move on and try to improve the next day.
  4. Imagine yourself reaching your goal:  Always keep your end goal in mind. Imagine looking back and seeing the improvement and hard work that went into accomplishing the goal. When things get tough, picture the finish line and keep going!
  5. Keep moving forward:  There are going to be many times when you feel like you can’t keep going, but have your goal in sight. Never give up no matter what comes your way.  Anyone can make lists, but goals are only accomplished when you turn your list into actions!

My ED-Free New Year’s Resolutions 2015:

  1. Be more spontaneous.
  2. Give thanks in all circumstances.
  3. Surround myself with positive people
  4. Have patience and stay positive.
  5. Work on being more selfless.

One of the main road blocks to accomplishing your goals will always be fear.  Don’t let the fear of trying something new keep you from working towards a better you.  No matter what your resolutions are, try to take everything one step at a time and keep moving forward.  Here is to all things new, a fresh start and a happy and healthy 2015!

Blog, Dessert, Lunch/Dinner, Recipes

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 27, 2014
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
because it means you’ve made a difference.
It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

~Author Unknown

Remember the things you are thankful for today! Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Chocolate Ice Box Tart

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For the crust:

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 TB coconut oil, melted
  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour (you can make your own by grinding almonds in a food processor until its the consistency of flour)
  • 2 TB maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp salt

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and mix until it forms into dough. Press dough into a pie pan and put into the freezer for a min of 30 minutes.

For the ganache:
  • 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
  • 6 oz. of dark chocolate (min 70% cocao)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Finely chop the dark chocolate and place in a bowl. Bring coconut milk to a boil in a saucepan then pour hot coconut milk in the bowl with the chocolate and let stand for one minute without stirring. Then stir until smooth and creamy and add vanilla. Once the dough is done freezing, pour ganache on the crust and spread until its even on all sides. Put it back in the freezer for 45 min.

For the pumpkin:

  • 3 frozen bananas
  • 1/3 cup of canned pumpkin
  • 3 TB almond butter
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice.

In a food processor, combine all ingredients until it is the consistency of ice cream. Take the pie pan again out of the freezer and pour the pumpkin mixture on top. Top with leftover ganache and coconut chips. Put back in the freezer one last time for around an hour.

Store in freezer.

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Sweet Potato Casserole

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For the Sweet Potatoes
  • 3lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes and put them on a sheet pan. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes and stir midway through cooking. Once they are done cooking, put them in a food processor. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and add the melted coconut oil, coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, spices, and salt. Mix until smooth then pour sweet potato mixture into the bottom of a baking dish (spread until smooth and even in the dish).

For the Topping
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup coconut flakes
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup walnut pieces
  • 1/2 cup pecan pieces
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • zest of one orange
  • pinch of salt

Combine rolled oats, coconut flakes, walnuts, pecans, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and the zest of one orange into your food processor. Mix until well combined. Crumble the topping on the sweet potato mixture and make sure its spread evenly on top. Bake casserole for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

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Happy Thanksgiving!!

Blog, Recipes, Snacks

Espresso Hot Chocolate

November 15, 2014

Its finally cold outside! Freezing weather, for me, means cozying up next to a fire in the fireplace, wrapping up in an electric blanket, fuzzy socks, and of course – hot chocolate. Hot chocolate is one of the most delicious ways to warm up on these cold fall and winter days. Today, I was craving something hot, but I couldn’t decide if I wanted hot chocolate or, my go-to drink…coffee.  Since I couldn’t choose between the two, I thought “why not combine them both?” So I am here to share with you my new favorite cold-weather drink – Espresso Hot Chocolate.

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Espresso Hot Chocolate

  • A shot of espresso (1 ounce)
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1.5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 Tbsp dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 Tbsp raw sugar
  • Vegan marshmallows (optional)

On the stove, heat up almond milk until warm then whisk in cocoa powder and chocolate. Mix until there are no clumps of chocolate or cocoa in the almond milk. Then, add raw sugar and whisk again until everything is combined. Keep mixture on the stove until hot and stir continuously.

After that, make one oz of espresso (if you don’t have an aeropress or an espresso machine then you can add 1/4 cup of brewed coffee to your hot chocolate). For my coffee grounds, I use Shay Latte Coffee. They are a fair trade coffee company that is GMO free, organic, and absolutely delicious! Once you make your espresso, add it to your mug of choice and pour the hot chocolate in with the espresso. Stir to combine.  To top my Espresso Hot Chocolate, I used Marshmallows.

Voilà! A perfect treat on a cold day!

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Blog, Health & Recovery

Whatever

October 5, 2014

Add up the number of hours that you’ve been awake…got the number? Take that number and multiply it by 2,500.  That is the number of thoughts you have had with yourself since you’ve been out of the bed.  Now take the same amount of hours and multiply that number by 2,000.  That’s how many negative thoughts you’ve had today.

For all of you visual thinkers out there – imagine that one person you know that brings you down the most. This is that person that never has anything positive to say and makes you feel terrible about yourself. Now imagine them walking around with you constantly throughout your day, all while whispering something negative in your ear 2,000 times an hour! That’s a lot of negative thinking! According to studies done on our brains, whether we are talkers or listeners, we are all hearing our own thoughts as we talk to ourselves throughout the day.

Would you consider yourself more of a talker or more of a listener?  I am most definitely an introvert and I naturally just listen more than I speak.  Don’t get me wrong, I love laughing, sharing and talking with my friends and family, meeting new people and hearing their stories.  But, I guess I’m just wired as more of a listener.  Listeners and talkers both have their strengths and weaknesses but no one wins when they start believing their own discouraging thoughts.

With an eating disorder, your outside appearance doesn’t always reflect what is going on inside your mind.  As I started recovery, people told me I looked better, but my mind was still in a very unhealthy place.  It took my mind some time to catch up with my body’s recovery.  The only way I was able to move forward and start cleaning out all of the junk in my thought life was to find a standard of positive thinking to hold all of my thoughts up to.  The standard I used was Philippians 4:8 – “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”   I soon started filtering my thoughts through this verse.  If what I was thinking about myself didn’t match up to this standard, then I knew those thoughts had to go and I knew that I shouldn’t dwell on them.

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Now (above)

After a few years of trying to renew my mind and filter my thoughts, I feel like I’m at a good place with what goes on in my mind. Everyone will experience negative thoughts and I still have them at times but now I’m able to see the difference between the truth and the lies. Changing the way you think about yourself takes time and constant effort.  Wherever you are in your life, it’s worth it to get control of your thoughts.  There is no way to move forward in a positive direction without first having positive thoughts.

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.”

– Helen Keller 

“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.”

– Joyce Meyer