Meet my B.F.Fs- Al and Coco

Al Mond and Coco Nut, that is. OK, cheesy, I know (mmm…cheese…).

Well, it’s week five on my metabolic typing/gluten free/candida free diet.  It has been a struggle, although I don’t have nearly as many of the “OMG I CAN’T ANYTHING! WHAT CAN EAT?!” freak out moments as I used to.  I also am noticing how much I don’t miss a lot of fruits, vegetables, and candies that I thought I couldn’t live without.  So, what am I trying to say? It’s getting easier.

Two things that have been my crutches in this diet are almonds and coconuts.  Seriously, I never realized how many things you can make out of both of these things. Flours, oils, milks, not to mention the regular nut or fruit. And the best part? They are extremely healthy for you!

I do stick with my original consensus, though, that the path towards better health is not for those weak in will and determination. There are a lot of moments (often on Fridays after my consulting sessions….) where I feel like I can’t do this or it’s just too hard.  Often times I think to myself, “I gave up all of this stuff and now there’s MORE?!” I’m starting to get the hint that there’s ALWAYS more—more limitations, more things to be careful of, more things to take, etc.  I’m starting to reach the point of wondering how far I want to take this path, and I think that’s key.  My advice to anyone looking to get healthier is to set a goal and then take it from there.

The great thing about this change in diet is that a lot of persistent health problems no matter how minute they are or I thought they were, are starting to surface and become more obvious, especially since other more temporary issues are starting to go away and get healed. I say this is great because now I can start to see what real damage has been done to my health, which ties into my personal goals.  Originally, I just wanted to eat healthier and have a better diet, but with more problems starting to become obvious, my goals are starting to change a little bit. I want to get to know why my body is reacting in certain ways.  The key here is to be flexible and remember the Buddhist teaching- the only thing that is permanent is impermanence. I also like to remember that just because I deny something to be true or deny that something is happening, it doesn’t mean that it’s not happening. I’d rather just admit it and fix it.  Ignorance doesn’t do anyone any good ever.

It’s funny.  Six weeks ago I would have told you that I was healthy and perfectly fine.  I still consider myself healthy, but now I know that there are kinks to work out. There are ALWAYS kinks to work out.

This week is all about increasing my fat intake (again…I just can’t seem to get used to that…) and starting to take some supplements that will hopefully further put my body back into balance.

I can’t stress enough to those looking to invest in a healthy lifestyle to take the plunge. Do your research. Definitely invest in a nutritionist or coach who can walk you through this stuff. It’s easier when you have someone who you can talk to and can help sift through some of the things that you are going through.  It’s not easy, but it’s well worth it.

Recipe: Velvet Crumb Strawberry Dessert

I made this over the weekend, and I have to say I was very pleased. Once again, it is more of a summer dish, and was a nice little pick-me-up instead of the typically February dreariness. It was a light dessert in the sense that there wasn't a lot of it, and it wasn't too heavy on the sugar.

Taste: Wonderful. I loved how all of the tastes of the strawberry, the cake, and the cream cheese blended together into one smooth, delightful taste. It particularly worked out because the strawberries that I had were slightly on the tart side, so the dessert wasn't sickeningly sweet. The cream cheese, which I was skeptical about, gave it a great twist.

Grade: A

Cooking: For a cake, extremely easy. The recipe calls for a baking mix, which takes a lot of the mixing out of the picture when you're making the cake. In fact, the glaze was the hardest part. It comes together really quickly.

Grade: A

This is a great dessert for the summer or even spring during Easter.

Here's the recipe:

Velvet Crumb Strawberry Dessert (Summer Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, 1989)

1 1/2 cups baking mix (Bisquick)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk or water
2 tablespoons shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
Strawberry glaze (recipe below)
2 packages (3 ozs each) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups strawberry halves

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour round pan, 9 x 1 1/2 inches. Beat baking mix, sugar, milk, shortening, vanilla, and egg in large bowl on low speed, scraping bowl frequently, 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; invert on serving plate.

Prepare strawberry glaze; cool. Mix cream cheese and lemon peel; spread over top of cake. Arrange strawberries on cream cheese mixture; pour strawberry glaze over strawberries. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour. Refrigerate any remaining dessert.

Strawberry Glaze

1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
3 or 4 drops red food color

Mash strawberries. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in strawberries and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute. Stir in lemon juice and food color; cool.

Recipe: Melon Cucumber Salad

Recently I've been into "eating healthier", which means eating more fruits, vegetables, and grains. I figured I'd start off with a salad, and I have to say that this was a great choice. It was a nice little pick-me-up, since February is such a depressingly dreary month. Warning though: it is a summer salad, so the ingredients (specifically the melon) will be slightly more expensive.

Taste: It is wonderfully refreshing. When I first ate this, I thought that it needed a different dressing because I didn't soak the melon for all 8 hours, but I have to say- the longer the melon sits in the oil and dressing, the better it is. The next day, this salad was fantastic, and it definitely did not need a different dressing. So, lesson- soak it for all 8 hours...at least.

Grade: A

Cooking: Extremely easy. The only thing is getting the melon and it has to soak for a while.

Grade: A

I would definitely serve this during the summer at any time.

Here's the recipe:

Melon Cucumber Salad (from Summer Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, 1989)

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground pepper
3 cups 3/4-inch pieces melon (honeydew, watermelon, cantaloupe)
2 small cucumbers, thinly sliced
Assorted salad greens

Mix oil, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper in tightly covered container; toss with melon and cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours. Drain; toss with salad greens.

Recipe: Yuletide Linzer Bars

This was the third and last cookie I made for the holidays. I didn't go too overboard since my mom was making some as well.

I liked these. They were a favorite amongst the family as well. They are good with a hot cup of coffee or tea. The crust is like a crumble, with a light cinnamon flavor and ground almonds. The raspberry preserves in the middle at a delicious tartness to it that allows the cookie bar to not be too overbearingly sweet. I thought the raspberry was a great touch (as opposed to cherry or any other flavor).

Taste grade: A

Baking these were quite fun, in my opinion. The hardest part was crushing the almonds and putting the dough on top of the preserves. I noticed that there is just enough dough to make the bars. No waste, which we all know I love. In fact, the top will have holes in it and won't quite cover the preserves in parts, which is perfectly fine. After they come out of the oven, they are easy- one and done. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top and your finished! Over all, I think this was the most put together and best recipe out of the three that I did.

Cook grade: A+

Here is the recipe:

Yuletide Linzer Bars (from Santa's Favorite Cookies: Sweet Treats for the Christmas Season, 1999)

1 1/3 cups butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole almonds, ground
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raspberry preserves
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until creamy. Beat in egg and lemon peel until blended. Mix in flour, almonds, and cinnamon until well blended.

Press 2 cups dough into bottom of prepared pan. Spread preserves over crust. Press remaining dough, a small amount at a time, evenly over preserves.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; cut into bars.

Recipe: Chocolate Chip and Banana Pudding

I loved this recipe. First of all, this wasn't a regular pudding. It was a bread pudding. The way it was made was soooo cool. It was baked by being steamed in a double boiler for two hours. It was so neat. I loved how moist it was, too. The banana taste wasn't too strong. In fact, I would argue that perhaps it was too light. I think it would've been better, also, with nuts. The glaze that was used for this was...interesting. I think I would've tried a different chocolate glaze. Over all, I thought this recipe was not only awesome to make, but it was really tasty.

Pros: Too cool. It was delicious. There was also very little clean up.

Cons: It took a very long time to make. I suggest making this first before you start on a main dish for dinner. It needs to steam for two hours on the stove top. Also, the glaze I didn't feel was the best.

I would serve this for a girls' night or an intimate dinner setting.

Here's the recipe (from Appetizers, Finger Foods, Buffets, and Parties, 2009)

Chocolate Chip and Banana Pudding

1 3/4 cups self-raising (self rising) flour
6 tbsp unsalted (sweet) butter
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup caster (superfine) sugar
4 tbsp milk
1 egg, beaten
4 tbsp plain (semisweet) chocolate chips
glossy chocolate sauce and whipped cream, to serve

Prepare a steamer or half fill a pan with water and bring it to the boil. Grease a 4 cup heatproof bowl. Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Mash the bananas in a bowl. Stir them into the flour mixture, with the caster sugar.

Whisk the milk with the egg in a jug (pitcher) or small bowl, then beat into the pudding mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and mix well until thoroughly combined.

Spoon the mixture into the heatproof bowl, cover closely with greaseproof (waxed) paper and a double thickness of foil, and steam for 2 hours, topping up the water as required.

Run a knife around the top of the pudding to loosen it, then turn it out on to a warm serving dish. Serve hot, with the chocolate sauce and a spoonful of whipped cream.

Recipe grade: A

Got Fruit?

Cliche, I know- but it's my first real post, so give me a break!

Ok, so this one's relatively new. During one of my jaunts to the grocery store within the past week or two, I came across a product called "Fruit 2day". It is a fruit drink with fruit bits in it. 100% fruit, equivalent to 2 servings. I don't know about you, but I'm a maniac when it comes to fruit juice. If it's not 100% juice (no sugar or any other variant), I don't want it.

I was pretty skeptical at first (I mean, who puts chunks of fruit in your drink?), but I was feeling adventurous and got 2 flavors- Cherry Grape and Mango Peach. I eagerly got home and cracked one of the Cherry Grapes open. It was amazing. One of the best fruit drinks I've ever had in my life. The fruit bits make the drink. It's not too thick and it doesn't have the texture of puree, which is good because with the bits of fruit in it, I don't want my drink having the texture of vomit. The flavor is slightly tangy, but sweet enough that you won't pucker your lips after you take a sip, haha.

After trying both flavors I recommend the Mango Peach over the Cherry Grape. The former has bits of peach and the latter has bits of pear in it. I prefer peaches. I tried the Pineapple Banana today. I was also skeptical (I'm not that much into tropical flavors), but I wound up loving it. I think it's really hard to go wrong with this product. I personally find it to be great for a snack or breakfast.

Is there a downside? Yes. Two, actually. The first- they only come 2 in a pack (as far as I've seen). The second-they are a little on the pricey side. I think it was over $2.50, if not $3.00 for a pack. However, I definitely thought it was worth it.

First Impression: Fab!

Ok, so that was my first review. Hope you enjoyed it! :)


Photo source: http://www.fruit2day.com/flavors.htm