Superfood Chocolate Clusters

Had no doubts that this would be a winner when I saw this recipe online.

Love the surprise of the different flavours and textures in every crunch <3

Ingredients:

½ cup raw almonds

¼ cup raw cashews

¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
¼ cup coconut flakes
1/8 cup goji berries

1/8 cup raw cacao nibs

1/8 cup dried cranberries
120 grams dark chocolate (I made my own with cocoa butter, cocoa and honey- recipe below).
Couple of pinches of sea salt

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together except for the chocolate
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of hot water on the stove
Mix melted chocolate into the dry ingredients until covered
Scoop about 2 tablespoons out and lay on baking paper

Chocolate recipe:
50g cocoa butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1/8 cup honey

Melt cocoa butter in a bowl over a pot of boiling water on stove.
Let it cool down for 2 minutes
Mix in cocoa and honey

Cookie Dough Bites!!!

These are soooooo yummy! Another one of them recipes with very few ingredients, takes little time to make and the yummiest little treats.

Recipe (makes 10 bites)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1½ tablespoons coconut milk
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ tablespoon + ½ teaspoon raw honey or maple syrup
¾ cup almond flour
3 tablespoons chocolate chips, plus more for drizzling (i made my own chocolate - recipe below).

Method:
Melt the coconut oil in a bowl over a pot of water on stove and allow to cool
Combine all ingredient together except for the chocolate for drizzling
Put dough in fridge for 10 minutes
Melt chocolate for drizzling
Roll cookie dough into balls and place on a plate or tray lined with baking paper
Drizzle the melted chocolate on top (it should harden due to the doughs coldness)


Chocolate recipe:

50g cocoa butter
1/4 C cocoa
1/8 C honey or maple syrup or maple syrup

- melt cocoa butter in a bowl over a pot of water on stove and allow to cool
- mix in cocoa powder and maple syrup or honey
- place in fridge
(I made this before making the cookie dough and crushed them into pieces instead of using chocolate chips. I used the rest for chocolate drizzle once melted)

Beautiful Berry Banana Bread

Was so exited to make this as I had never even tried banana bread before. It was nice to be able to taste the individual ingredients and texture within the banana flavour. Found that I had to allow the bread to cool before eating as I hadn't dried the berries enough so make sure you dry the berries well before adding it to the batter!

Enjoy the beautiful flavours x

3 ripe banana, mashed

9 free eggs
½ cup coconut milk
1/4 cup stevia or other natural sweeteners
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped or any other nuts
1 cup of raspberries or blueberries or other berries

- blend together mashed banana, eggs, coconut milk, sweetener, salt and vanilla
- after washing blueberries, pat them dry with a paper towel and add into batter
- combine coconut flour with baking powder and whisk into batter
- Pour into pan and bake at 175C for 60 minutes

Deep Tissue Massage Everyday Please

It was a couple of years ago, while completing my massage certificate that I unexpectedly experienced the amazing benefits of a deep tissue massage. As part of the course we received a massage 4 days in a row and since I like to feel a bit of pain with my massages I was very grateful that the girl who I was partnered with knew how to get right in there. I’m not keen on the feathery strokes. And although that may relax some people, it does the opposite for me because I’m lying there thinking, “Gosh! when are you going to put some force into those knots and release them.” Anyway! After the series of massage therapy my body felt SO different. I felt wobbly, light and movable (though I did feel pain for a couple of days). Physically I had never felt like that before and I remember thinking to myself “THIS is how my body is supposed to feel.”

If you have ever felt any relief from a massage like I have then you would probably understand why I would get a 1 hour deep tissue massage EVERY day if I could!!! My shoulders are tense almost 100% of the time and when I have been working at the desk for a while, pain can come with it too and it is not until then that I treat myself to a deep tissue massage. Never feel bad for splashing out a bit when you do get massages because apart from improving stiffness and muscle pain, deep tissue massage can also help with other issues which means your truly caring for yourself. These issues include:

- poor blood circulation
- low energy
- low mood
- poor digestion (I can always relate with improved digestion after a massage. I always always always feel hungry afterwards and I love it. Makes me feel like my body just went through a deep cleanse.)
- weight loss issues
- toxicity
- headaches
- stress
- sleeping problems
- injuries

These benefits are explained by the relaxation response which is the changes that occur in the nervous system and the mechanical response which are the physical changes.

Relaxation response:
Your heart rate drops, breathing slows, blood pressure goes down, stress hormone production decreases, muscles relax and serotonin (happy hormones) levels may also increase.

Mechanical response:
Soft tissue relaxation and normalization (muscles, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments) occurs. Blood circulation increases as a result of the changes in soft tissue and chemical changes due to the relaxation response.

Why is it important that blood circulation is improved?
Good blood circulation means that cells and organs are able to access the nutrient supplies from   your blood so that they are healthy. It also means that oxygen and nutrients are supplied to damaged tissues (eg sports injuries or tense muscles) and speed up the healing process.

Why is it important that muscles are at a relaxed state?
When muscles are contracted, nerves are compressed and could cause pain. When muscles are relaxed, the nerves that live around it are free to function and can improve the health of organs that share the same neurological pathway.

I hope you now know that getting a massage is not all pampering. It is a means of caring for your body and your health. So! If you’re ever in South East Asia do what I did, get a massage everyday!!! It’s so much cheaper there and I can guarantee that 90% of the time they will know how to get in there! And I don’t mean in a happy ending sort of way. But you will surely come out happier and healthier anyway :)

Miso Soup with Lots of Goodies

Easy to make up lots of goodness!

1) Boil 3 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of miso paste in  small pot

2) Add edamame beans and boil for 4 minutes

3) Add tofu cubes, mung beans, seaweed, and mushrooms and boil until cooked

Blueberry Banana Peanut Butter Muffins

Freshly Baked Blueberry Banana Peanut Putter Muffins on a Rainy Sunday Morning

(from Dr Libby's Real Food Chef)

 Recipe (makes 12 small muffins):

 Ingredients:
 2 Small bananas
 2 eggs
 1 cup peanut butter
 1 cup blueberries
 1 teaspoon baking powder
 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

 1) Preheat oven
 2) mash bananas and mix in beaten eggs
 3) fold in peanut butter
 4) add in baking powder and apple cider vinegar and blend well
 5) mix in blueberries
 6) pour into muffin trays and cook for ten minutes

Blueberry White Chocolate Cup Cakes

(recipe from Dr Libby’s Real Food Chef)

- I replaced some ingredients for ingredients that I had already and also cheaper alternatives – *mentioned in brackets
- this makes a BIG cake - I made little cup cakes as you can see

Ingredients:

Base:
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup almonds (soaked in warm water for at least 3 minutes)
6 chopped dates
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup dessicated coconut
1/3 cup tahini (*I used peanut butter)
¼ cup cocoa nibs
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon water

White chocolate filling:
100g cocoa butter (* I used coconut oil)
½ vanilla bean
1 cup raw cashew nuts
¼ cup maple syrup
Juice of ½ lemon

Blue berry topping:
100g cocoa butter (* I used coconut oil)
1 ½ cup raw cashew nuts
2 punnets of blueberries
¼ cup maple syrup (* I used agave syrup)
Juice of 1 lime

Method:

Base:
- Process the pumpkin seeds, almonds  and dates in a food processor
- Add the rest of the base ingredients and grind until well mixed – set aside

- Melt the cocoa butter in a small pan on low heat. Put vanilla bean in and let it soften while butter melts.

- Process the cashew, maple syrup and lemon juice in a food processor.
- Remove the vanilla bean and pour the butter into the nut mix and blend until smooth.

Topping:
- Melt cocoa butter and set aside
- Process the cashew nuts and blueberries
- Add maple syrup and lime juice
- Add the butter and blend

Assemble:

1) Press the base into a 20cm (8 inch) tart pan with a removable rim (or if making cup cake then use cupcake pan).

2) Pour the white chocolate filling over and freeze for 15 minutes
3) When white chocolate is set pour the blueberry topping o top
4) Freeze until the topping is set

Peanut Butter Yoghurt Pie

Ingredients:

Yoghurt topping:
450g unsweetened natural yoghurt
1/3C smooth peanut butter

Base:
1/8C raw pumpkin seeds
1/2C raw cashew nuts or almonds (almonds need soaking for at least 30mins in warm water)
3 dates
1/8C sesame seeds
1/4C dessicated coconut
2 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
1/8C cocoa nibs
½ Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp water

Method:

Base:
1) Process pumpkin seeds, cashews or almonds and chopped dates with a food processor.
2) Add the rest of the ingredients in and mix well
3) Fill the cupcake tin/mold with the base mixture so that its half way up

Yoghurt Topping:
1) Fold peanut butter in yoghurt and blend well
2) Pour mix on top of base
3) Place into freezer

Decorate as you wish. I put a drop of peanut butter on top with cocoa nibs and sprinkled with peanut chips

About Jacki's Feed

Hello! I’m Jacki and welcome to my blog about Holistic Nutrition.
I wish to feed your mind, body and spirit with goodness and love. I look forward to everyone’s feedback and forming some great discussions here so that we can learn and grow from each other’s ideas!

Holistic Nutrition – is simply, in a mouthful, “consuming unprocessed, nutrient dense whole foods and adopting a positive lifestyle to prevent disease, fix imbalances and heal the body.” I aspire true and overall wellness at all interconnected levels, so I’m talking about your physical, mental and spiritual health. Since this is something I think about everyday, it’s obvious to me how a healthy diet helps with physical, mental and spiritual strength. But it may sound a little airy fairy and voodoo to others?

Here’s one way to look at it; our physique, mentality and spirituality decides what we eat and in affect determines the 3 aspects of wellness mentioned. For example, when I think crappy mental thoughts, I’m telling myself I deserve crap and I dive into those crappy foods that feed those crappy thoughts and feelings.  On the other hand when my spirits high and I’m feeling good about myself I have the motivation and inspiration to eat those wholesome, nourishing foods that feed my spirit and good feelings! I’m sure many can relate to that.
With my love of making connections, whether it’s with different ideas or people, my posts and blogs will not only be about food/recipe ideas and nutritional education, but you will also experience some “random” information coming from every direction. I’m hoping that whatever I share can make you look at nutrition and health in a different way. You never know how you can affect someone in a positive way right?

Love yourself by giving yourself the most important thing in the world - health.
I’ve always believed that before you can love someone or something you must first and foremost love yourself.  And my mum would always tell me “health is the most important thing; if you don’t have health you can’t do anything, even if you have all the money in the world."

Start by loving and improving yourself from nutrient deep!

How do I love myself?

I feed my body with nutritious goodness

I feed my mind with positive thoughts

I feed my soul with good/happy/fun times

I feed my spirit with creativity, inspiration and purpose

Feeding my spirit
For personal reasons, I created this blog to feed my spiritual health. Doing this blog will spark my creativity as I create recipes and think of different ways to inspire holistic health. Knowing that my posts and blogs can be influencing someone in a positive way will give me inspiration. And sharing my feelings and thoughts and being able to be passionate about holistic health will remind me of my purpose.

Nutrition and health is my obvious way of positively connecting with you and I just wrote my first blog about it and am looking forward to writing more. I hope you enjoy reading Jacki’s Feeds :)

Fattening Fruits

Unfortunately, my fellow fruit lovers, it IS possible to eat too much fruit! There is a misconception out there that eating fresh fruit in limitless amounts is healthful and wouldn’t get you fat. If this were true I would be eating those fresh sweet fruits of different colours all day!!! So many different fruits to choose from and I have to limit myself to 1 or 2 a day?! Fruit indeed is my biggest weakness when it comes to following my ideal diet. Don't get me wrong, I am not labelling fruit as a "bad" food as they are great nutrient sources, being high in antioxidants, vitamins and fibre. However they are also sneaky hidden sources of sugar which the body converts into fat when it is consumed in excessive amounts.

Too much sugar, regardless of where it comes from has negative health effects.

Fruit vs Coke (to illustrate the amount of sugar in fruit).
I was actually inspired to write this blog after a discussion I had with my friends about where fruit stands in terms of weight loss. I was asked, "coke must have more sugar than a piece of fruit right?" You may be thinking - oh well thats a silly question and indeed yes he was correct in saying that, since a can of coke has 40 grams of sugar and an average apple or banana has about 15grams. But if you’re comparing a can of coke and a serving of freshly squeezed fruit juice (which contains about 3 pieces of fruit) you’re looking at similar amounts of sugar. Please do not stop reading here - in no way am I saying that coke can't be that bad if you can compare it to fresh fruit juice. What I am saying though is that fruit is a hidden form of sugar which can ruin fat loss efforts as it is seen as a fatless and low calorie food. In saying that I would most definitely choose nutrient dense fresh fruit juice containing their natural forms of sugar over a toxic dense, nil nutritional value can of coke containing their processed sugars. Side note: coke zero is not the answer due to its toxic chemical content which can ruin weight loss and health efforts also.

Fruit vs Vegetable
Vegetables on the other hand, I wouldn't feel bad eating platefuls of them as long as there is variety. However the message "5 plus a day" (eat 5 or more vegetables or fruit a day) get people thinking I could eat 5 or more pieces of fruit a day and never-mind the vegetables. Although these two carbohydrate sources fall in that same "fruit and vegetables" group, they do have significant nutritional differences and health effects. For one, vegetables don’t have high amounts of hidden sugars like fruits do. Secondly vegetables are better for satisfying hunger – fruits just don’t cut it when it comes to filling you up (explains why I use to eat fruit after fruit after fruit….). Vegetables also have a diverse range of minerals and vitamin Bs which fruits lack and generally have higher amounts of a number nutrients that fruit contain.

Originally, this post title was going to be called "Fruit Is My Enemy." But since fruit does have its benefits and I still enjoy eating them, it wouldn't make sense. Don’t be put off eating fruits as they do help you reach an optimum diet and they are great substitutes for your processed sweets and snacks. But remember - just because something has nutritional value or can be labelled as "healthy", doesn't mean you should eat it excessively. Everything in moderation, always :)

Steamed Vietnamese Banana Cake

OH MY GOODNESS!
Vietnamese Steamed Banana Cake Success   :D :D :D
This was my absolute fave food discovery in South East Asia and I have been meaning to attempt this for a while. I've never made steamed cakes before so this was very scary times. Plus I substituted a lot of the ingredients from the recipe that I found online so I'm glad it turned out. And it must be ok if my brother had 3 pieces in one go! Yay! ^^

Recipe:
 1/3 cup brown rice flour
 1/4 cup tapioca flour
 1/4 cup water
 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
 1/3 cup coconut milk
 1/4 cup stevia
 2 peeled and sliced bananas

 -Mix together flours and stevia in water and milk until dissolved.
 -Peel and slice bananas.
 -Grease a baking pan and pour 1/2 the batter in
 - Layer on the banana slices
 - Steam for about 5 minutes and add more batter to cover the bananas.
 - Steam again until the batter solidifies
 - Cool and cut into small pieces
 - Serve with almond sauce (made by mixing 1/2 cup almond milk with 1 teaspoon of stevia and 1/2 teaspoon of guar gum) and sprinkle with crushed almonds.

Ginger, Raspberry, Manuka Honey and Lemon Green Tea

Powerful Green Tea - with Ginger, Raspberry, Manuka Honey and Lemon

Protecting myself from this nasty cold weather with a drink that is rich in antioxidants, anti-bacterial, boosts immunity AND very importantly for me - heats up the body with ginger's warming effects (stops me from jumping into my snuggly bed too soon).

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Cookies

Ingredients:
3 large ripe bananas - well mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4C softened coconut oil or olive oil
2C rolled oats
2/3C almond meal
1/3C dessicated coconut
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp peanut butter

 Method:
 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.
 2) Combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil.
 3) In another bowl mix together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
 4) Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine.
 5) Fold in the peanut butter.
 6) Drop 1 1/2 Tbsp dollops of the dough onto baking tray lined with baking paper.
 6) Bake for 15 minutes on 180C

Lemon and Ginger Truffles + Chocolate Truffles

Made a little something sweet for my friend :)

Chocolate Truffles and Lemon and Ginger Truffles (or immunity truffles :P)
She gives me crap for my healthy food ways but is always super keen on trying my little creations and she's moving overseas soon  :( so thought I would make her some of these easy and quick truffles so she remembers the sweet side of me :P

And finally made the lemon one after discovering this recipe a while back from petite kitchen. I added ginger to the recipe though! They are yummier than I expected. Love when that happens

 

Here is the Lemon and Ginger Truffle Recipe:
1 1/2 C dessicated coconut (plus extra for coating)
1 C ground almonds (I just crushed up whole almonds before putting into blender)
4 Tbs coconut oil
4 Tbs honey
2 Tbs fresh crushed ginger
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
teaspoon on vanilla extract

Process all ingredients until well mixed. Roll into balls and over some coconut and enjoy the sweet zingyness with a bit of





Here is the Chocolate Truffle Recipe:

3/4 C cocoa
4 Tbsp coconut oil
1 C raisins/prunes
3/4 C ground almond
1/2 C dessicated coconut (extra for rolling)
3 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp water

Anzac Cookies

Healthy chewy and tasty morsels

Recipe (makes about 10-12)

Ingredients:
1 cup ground cashews
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup oats
1/4 cup sesame seeds
4 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1) Preheat oven at 180 C
2) melt the coconut oil in a bowl over water in a saucepan
3) mix the dry ingredients together
4) mix in the wet ingredients to form a dough
5) roll into balls and press into cookie shape on oven tray
6) bake in oven for 5 - 7 minutes

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Oh so easy to whip up!!!

2 ripe avocado
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
6 tablespoons honey

BLEND and DONE
(it was delicious as it was but i want to try add 4 tablespoons of almond milk for a smoother texture next time)

Peanut Butter Pear Smoothie

2 pears
½ C unsweetened almond milk
1 ½ Tbsp peanut butter

Strawberry Cream Pie

(from Dr Libby’s Real Food Chef)

Ingredients:

Base:
Zest of lime
6 chopped dried apricots
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup almonds (soaked in warm water for at least 30 minutes)
½ cup dessicated coconut
¼ cup tahini
½ tablespoon water

Strawberry topping:
100g cocoa butter (* I used coconut oil)
2 ½ cup raw cashew nuts
Juice of one lime
1 inch of vanilla stick (* I didn’t use this)
½ cup maple syrup (* I used agave)
2 punnets of strawberries
Method:
1) Melt the cocoa butter, set aside allow to cool
2) Using a food processor process the base ingredients
3) Press base mix into a 20cm (8inch) tart pan
4) When cocoa butter is cool, using a blender, blend all strawberry topping ingredients together
5) Pour strawberry topping onto base

Quinoa Sushi

Sugarless and full of flavour!
(from Dr Libby’s Real Food Chef)

Ingredients:
For the Sushi:
1 cup of mixed colour quinoa, cooked
3 sheets of  Nori
1 carrot, julienned
½ red capsicum, thinly sliced
1 spring onion (sliced thinly)
1 small beetroot, peeled and julienned
¼ cup of sesame

For the sushi dressing:
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoon of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of tahini
½ a lemon squeezed
1 table spoon of grated ginger

Method:
1) Whisk all dressing ingredients together until well combined
2) Mix dressing and quinoa together in a bowl and leave to sit for 10 minutes to absorb flavours
3) Wet hands and lay the nori sheets on a sushi mat on a working surface
4) Spread quinoa evenly over ¾ of sheet
5) Arrange carrot, spring onion, capsicum and beetroot in the middle, roll and seal seam
6) cut into 6-8 pieces
*This is the recipe from Dr Libby’s Real food Chef. I followed this method, however I used salmon, avocado, carrots, spring onion

Valentines Goji Berry Home-Made Chocolates

Ingredients:
100 gram cocoa butter
½ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons  dessicated coconut
2 tablespoons  goji berry
Method:
1) melt the cocoa butter and allow to cool
2) when cool, stir in all other ingredients
3) pour into mold container and freeze until set

Avocado Mint Smoothie

Summer Time Deliciousness

Ingredients:

1 avocado

1/2 C cucumber

1/4 C unsweetened yoghurt

Sultanas to sweeten

1 Tbs ground black sesame seeds

8 fresh mint leaves

1 Tbs flax seed oil.

Raw Beetroot Mudcake

(from Dr Libby’s Real Food Chef)

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 cups brazil nuts
4 dates
½ cup raisins
¼ cup maple syrup
3 beetroots, peeled and finely grated
2 cups desiccated coconut
½ cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons ground psyllium husk
Icing:
100 gram cocoa butter (*I used coconut oil)
1 cup raw cashew nuts
½ cup raw cocoa powder
½ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon tamari (*I used peanut butter)
Method:
Base:
1) Grind the brazil nuts in a food processor
2) Add dates, currants and maple syrup and pulse until smooth
3) Mix the nuts and dates with the beetroot in a bowl
4) Add coconut, cocoa powder and psyllium husk and blend well
5) Blend the mix in a food processer
6) Line a cake tin with baking paper and spread cake mix evenly on it and refrigerate for 15 miunutes until it is firm to touch
Icing:
1) Melt the cocoa butter and allow to cool
2) Process all other ingredients in a food d until well ground
3) Pour the cocoa butter in and blend until smooth
4) Spoon icing onto cake and refrigerate until set
*I added a middle layer of  chopped strawberries, sweetened with maple syrup

Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp ground flax seeds
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
3 Tbsp oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp soft peanut butter
3 Tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Cooking oil
2 large bananas, sliced
Directions:
1. Combine flax seeds and soy milk.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Stir peanut butter and honey into the flax/soy mix then fold this into the dry ingredients.
4. Fold in the apple cider vinegar.
5. Drizzle and heat oil in a pan.
6. Pour batter onto hot pan (about 2 tablespoons for each cake) and add banana slices into batter. Flip when ready and cook other side.
7. Serve with honey