Coco-nutty Chocolate "Pudding" Recipe

If its three o'clock in the afternoon and your feeling like you want to reach for caffeine or something sweet...here's a quick, easy (not to mention delicious!!!) alternative!

Coco-nutty Chocolate "Pudding"

Ingredients:

• 1 part Raw Cacao 
• 3 parts Coconut Oil

Add the rest of these to taste! You an use almonds or other nuts as well. Note that you may need to add more coconut oil to get a creamy consistency.

These are the ingredient brands I use!

• Organic Raisins
• Coconut Crystals
• Cinnamon
• Organic Hemp Seeds
• Organic Sunflower Seeds
• Organic Chia Seeds

1. Mix your ingredients up in a bowl.
2. Put in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
3. Take out and enjoy a creamy, yummy energy boost! Very good with green tea...the flavors together are amazing!
4. Make a larger batch and store in the freezer in small glass bowls or in a flexible ice tray and pop 'em out for an afternoon snack!

Fishies are super cute!

The high protein and high fat content of this combo with give you energy you need to get to through those last few hours before dinner!

How To: Replace Eggs In a Recipe

     Egg Substitutes

I want to preface this with the idea that if we all used organic/free range eggs, we wouldn’t become as sensitive to eggs. Generic white eggs do not contain the correct Essential Fatty Acid ratio that a free range egg does; it’s missing the pieces the body needs to utilize it. Egg substitutes work very well in most baked goods. But, if you’re looking for an omlette, I’m sorry but you’re going to be sorely disappointed!

For one egg, you’re going to add 1 Tablespoon of your substitute to 3 Tablespoons of hot water.

• ·         Flax Meal
• ·         Chia Seeds

For one egg, you can also use 1 ½ Tablespoons of a high fat yogurt such as Fage.

Gluten Free Bread Recipe (adapted from Gluten Free Goddess)

We're always looking for baked goods, you and me, my gluten free compadres. Lucky for us, there are a few good recipes out there that just need a little bit more tweaking!

Gluten Free Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Sorghum flour
1 cup Potato Starch 
1/2 cup Oat flour
2 teaspoons Xanthan Gumor Corn Starch
1/ 1/4 teaspoons fine Sea Salt

1 packet Rapid Dry Yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 cup Warm Water (at 110 to 115ºF)  
2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
1 tablespoon Coconut Crystals
1/2 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Organic Free-range Eggs, beaten or 2 Flax Meal egg replacers

Directions:

1.      In a cup of warm water, add your packet of yeast and one teaspoon of coconut crystals then set aside. Yeast should begin frothing.

2.      Whisk together all of your dry ingredients (flours, xanthan gum, sea salt).

3.      Combine the remainder of your wet ingredients (coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, eggs) in another small bowl.

4.      Add yeast to flour mixture and combine.

5.      Add wet mixture to flour mixture and combine. The mixture is going to look more like a batter than dough; it will be sticky more like muffin batter!

6.      With wet fingers, push dough into a greased bread loaf pan and let rise for approximately 45-55 minutes in a warm place.

7.      Preheat oven to 350* and bake for 45-55 minutes. If you’re looking for a harder crust, remove the loaf from the pan after finished baking and then bake for an additional 10 minutes.

8.      To store in freezer, cut bread into slices and wrap each slice in a paper towel.

Makes one loaf.

How to: Make Soup Stocks

No soup is complete without its stock! Whether you choose to make your own or use a high quality  store stock, when you're making soup, it's a must. I'm going to give you a little how to on the soup stocks I use the most.

Chicken Stock
This stock is one of the most flavorful and versatile stocks I use. You can stick to that lovely, free range organic chicken flavor OR you can spice or sweeten it to something completely different.In my family, we always took the leftover chicken and boiled it down to make soup. This is just another way to re-purpose your food and ultimately save you money.

Ingredients:

• 1 roasted organic, free range chicken (picked mostly clean)
• 1 large Onions
• 5 Celery Stalks
• 4 Cloves Garlic (optional)
• 1/2 cup Butter
• Sea Salt and Pepper (to taste)

1. In the bottom a large soup pot, brown onions, celery, and garlic in butter.
2. Fill the pot halfway with water and allow to reduce down.
3. Add your chicken and fill pot up to about 3/4 full.
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and let bubble for approximately 2 hours covered. Stock should reduce to fill the pot half way. Add more water to taste and the quantity you desire to make.
5. Remove chicken from pot and put to side.
6. Strain or emulsify the stock to use in other soups OR add more veggies and pull remaining chicken meat and put back into pot for a chicken soup type thing.
7. Stock is great to freeze for later use or use immediately. Should keep in fridge covered for 5-7 days.

Vegetable Stock

When you don't have a roasted chicken laying around, a veggie stock is your only option. Not that veggie stock isn't a good option all by itself! Veggie stock can be used most everywhere that chicken stock can be used. The procedure is much like the chicken stock, but I think it's even easier.

Ingredients:

• 2 large Onions
• 5 Celery Stalks
• 5 Cloves Garlic
• 5 Scallion Stalks
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon Herbes de Province
• Sea Salt and Pepper (to taste)

1. In the bottom of a large soup pot, brown your veggies in butter. You can add more veggies or replace some; it's really to your preference. 
2. Add Herbes de Province or any other herbs such as parsley, thyme, or oregano; again this is to your personal tastes. Add Sea Salt and Pepper.
3. Fill pot with water, and let reduce on medium heat until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 1/3 left in the pot.
4. Fill pot to 3/4 of the way full with water again and cover. Let simmer for approximately 1 hour or until the liquid has reduced to 1/2 way full.
5. Emulsify veggies into stock or strain them  OR add more veggies and make some veggie soups!
6. Stock is great to freeze for later use or use immediately. Should keep in fridge covered for 4-5 days.

The timing is loosely based due to the variation in pot sizes and what not. Just keep an eye on the soup stock so that it doesn't burn. Always stirring occasionally through all steps of the process! I've made that mistake a few times so that you don't have to ^_^

Sweet Potato Ginger Soup & Autumn Plans!

It's getting to be that time of year where we're craving hearty soups, and chewy soft breads...Unfortunately, for the pursuer of health and wellness, this season can be deadly with sweets and treats. That's where I come in! I'm going to be doing a bit of an expo on "legal" breads, pies, and soups! All the recipes will be cut and dry and relatively easy to put together!
We'll go in groups of three (Soup, Bread, Sweets) a week for three weeks and we're starting this week with Sweet Potato Ginger Soup! 

Sweet Potato Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

• ·         ½ cup Butter
• ·         2 inch chunk of Ginger
• ·         3 cloves of Garlic
• ·         4 Scallion
• ·         1 large Onion
• ·         5 cups peeled and chunked Sweet Potato
• ·         4 cups Organic Free Range Chicken Stock
• ·         1 tablespoon Cinnamon (or to taste)
• ·         1 ½ cups Coconut Milk
• ·         2 tablespoons Honey
• ·         Cayenne (optional)

1. In large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. 
2. Add chopped ginger, garlic, scallion, and onion to butter and brown. 
3. Add potatoes and chicken stock and let simmer until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). 
4. Add cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Puree liquid in blender or in emulsifier and then add coconut milk and honey.
   
   Heat up or eat cold, top with a sprinkle of cayenne if desired. Melt raw cheddar cheese on top for an added treat!

Serves 6 to 8!

My Testimonial

"I was 18 years old when I walked through Dr. Jenn’s door. I was hopeless, heartbroken, and for the second time in my life, my body was beginning to fail. It did not look good: my heart rate was skyrocketing to 187 BPM at rest, I was having panic attacks, and I was passing out. I was never really well my whole life, but years of abusing my body through eating disorders and other forms of abuse were brought to a head when I experienced a major heartache. I was angry, deceitful, and my body was shutting down. I was consumed by an absolute apathy and the only thing that dragged me to that door was the fact that I did not care if I came or went anymore.

In walked this tall, blonde haired ray of unconditional sunshine and she immediately began to change my life. What she gave me that day was more than health, more than good nutrition tips; Dr. Jenn Constable gave me hope. Hope for a future that never really seemed to matter beforehand. Over the course of the next few months and with a lot of life changes, I began to heal; body and mind. My head became clear, my body became strong, and I was given purpose. While I’m still working toward optimal health, you might not have recognized me today if you’d seen me a year ago. From the way I speak, to my posture, to the light in my eyes and the colors I wear, I am a 180* turn around case from where I was when I first came in and I’m continuing in the right direction. I could not be more grateful for the aid the Nutrition Response Testing, Dr. Jenn and the hope she has provided has given me.

Today, I am working toward becoming the next best Nutrition Practitioner! I have a passion for this work due to my own experience with it. Frankly, it saved my life. Whether or not I would have died from my previous illnesses is at this point unknown. But I am sure that without it, I would never have truly lived. I love life like I never have before and I cannot wait to give this same gift to everyone who wants and will work for it. I am ecstatic to begin helping anyone on their own personal journey to health and wellness!"

It took a lot of work to get to where I am today. I had to commit myself to getting better and becoming conscientious of my choices in every aspect of my life. I am ecstatic to help anyone willing to take baby steps toward healthy lifestyle changes and I'm more than willing to point people in the right direction on this blog ^_^