Raw Vegan Coconut truffles

2 Dec 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies , ,

1 cup dates

½ cup walnuts

½ cup almonds

½ cup + 2 Tablespoons raw cocoa powder

½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

¼ cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon salt

Extra coconut, cocoa powder or nuts for finishing.

1)

In a food processor or Vitamix blend together the dates, walnuts and almonds until they form a crumble-paste. If it is too thick, add a little water, but only enough for it to come together. It shouldn’t be totally smooth; some nutty pieces are desirable. Add the cocoa powder and blend until mostly incorporated. Remove the nut mixture from food processor and place it in a large bowl. Fold in the remaining ingredients by hand.

2)

Now it’s time to truffle. If the “dough” is too sticky at this point, place it in the freezer for 30 minutes until it rolls easily into balls. Measure the truffle mixture out as 1 heaping tablespoon each. Roll into balls and then toss in your desired topping.

While these could be eaten right away, the truffles are best when cold. For best results place the truffles in the freezer and allow to harden (at least 1 hour). Store the remaining truffles in the freezer and pull out 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe by:  thesweetlife.com

Baked Sweet Potato Fries: a Healthy Snack for Kids

1 Oct 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies , ,
  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 small)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise, and place it flat side down on a cutting board. Cut the potato halves into 1-inch-wide wedges.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the oil, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Place the potatoes on a roasting pan and brush with the oil mixture. Lay the potatoes flesh side down on the pan and put the pan in the oven.
  3. Cook until soft, 20 to 25 minutes, turning once. Remove the pan from the oven and season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let the wedges cool for a bit, and serve warm. Recipes by Parents.com

Homemade Moldable Ice pack

18 Jun 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies , , ,

Making your own ice pack is a great economic solution to buying the more expensive versions.  It is also nice to make one so that you don’t ruin your bags of peas during a more acute injury that requires regular ice treatments. We use rubbing alcohol since it is cheap and it drops the freezing point of the water allowing it to stay moldable so that it will take the shape of the body part that you are placing it on.

  • 2 parts water : 1 part alcohol (Use a measuring cup)
  • Place a quart sized or larger freezer bag in a bowl
  • Label the freezer bag so that the contents are not consumed by anyone in your household.
  • Pour the liquid into the freezer bag. Make sure that you remove as much air as possible so that the bag will seal properly.  Make sure to fill bag only ½ full as things expand a bit when frozen.
  • Double bag the freezer bag so no leaks occur.
  • Place in the freezer and wait at least 3 hours before using.
  • Store the ice pack in the freezer until needed.

Vegan Breakfast Millet Pudding

29 Apr 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies , , , ,

1 cup millet (uncooked)

4 cups water

1-2 cans coconut milk to taste

1 tsp.  vanilla

¼ c. sweetener (turbinado or date sugar)

½ cup portions fresh fruit of your choice

Boil water with a dash of salt.  Add millet and cook for 45 minutes.  Remove from heat and blend hot millet with coconut milk ‘till creamy. Add the rest of the ingredients except fresh fruit.  Chill overnight.  Serve with fresh fruit

Vegan Strawberry Pineapple Cheesecake

29 Apr 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies , , , , ,

3 T of agar-agar flakes or 3t of agar-agar powder

1¾ cups boiling pineapple juice

1/3 cup sugar or honey

1 cup cashews raw

½ t salt

6 ice cubes

1 10 oz can of drained crushed pineapple

1 graham cracker pie crust

In a saucepan boil the pineapple juice and add the agar-agar flakes to dissolve.  Place the pineapple juice mixture and all other ingredients, except pineapple and ice, into blender and blend ‘till smooth.  Add ice cubes and blend ‘till smooth.  Fold in the crushed pineapple and pour into the graham cracker crust.  Let set in fridge for 2 hours.

Strawberry topping

2 cups frozen berries

1/3 cup sugar

1T xanthan or cornstarch

Defrost berries and place in saucepan with the sugar. Bring to a simmer.  Dissolve 1 tablespoon of xanthan with ¼ cups water and add to the berries stirring continually until thickened.  Remove from heat and let cool.  When both the cheesecake and the berries are cool, place the strawberries over the cheesecake.

Foam Roller Stretches

1 Apr 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies, Your Overall Health , ,

Self-­‐Myofascial Release Using a Foam Roller.
How do I know if I should be doing foam roller massage?

If you have a chronic area of injury like a bad knee or an ankle prone to sprains, you should definitely be foam roller massaging. Sprains and strains occur in ligaments and muscles when they are stretched beyond their normal pattern of motion. This can also occur due to micro trauma when repetitive minute injuries occur due to improper body position or limited physical movement. Leading a sedentary lifestyle weakens the body making it more prone to injury. Blunt force trauma from a fall, a sports injury or daily living can also cause injuries and bruising. The most common causes of adhesions occur at a desk with a misaligned keyboard or working around the home.

With these types of injuries you will experience pain, aching, burning, decreased range of motion in a joint or muscle (not being able to stretch as far as you used to) and trigger points in muscles that won’t go away no matter how many times they have been massaged.

How does it work?

Traditional stretching is important but can only lengthen a muscle, which can prevent injury if no damage or dysfunction is occurring in the tissue. However, if you have adhesions, traditional stretching will not break them down. In fact, stretching can even cause further injury. Self-­‐Myofascial Release (SMR) activates an autogenic inhibition which uses the muscle’s own sensor for tension to help it to relax. The Golgi tendon organ is a mechanoreceptor at the muscle tendon junction that senses how tight a muscle is and will prevent a tendon from stretching to the point at which it would rip. However, in terms of a tight muscle it can get stuck in a continually tight cycle and not allow a muscle to relax limiting its range of motion. SMR stimulates the Golgi tendon organ and allows the muscle to relax. By using a foam roller you can prevent improper form from hurting your body.

How do I do it?

This is the simple part. Roll slowly over a muscle group and pause at the most painful or tender areas. Essentially if it hurts, you have found the spot that needs the most attention. When you first begin, support yourself with a leg or your arms, or roll standing against a wall, which decreases the pressure so that you will not have too much pain or discomfort. Eventually, as your muscle heals, you will be able to transfer to the floor where you will be using the majority of your body weight.

Generally you start with the part of your muscle that is nearest the center of the body and work outward. You don’t have to massage the whole muscle at once. Work in pieces or shorter strokes, by rolling the top part of the muscle then the middle and finish with the bottom. The reason you want to start at the top is because you want to save the most painful and tense portion of the muscle for last. For example in the quadriceps, the tendon around the knee is the most sensitive. Starting at the top will begin to relax the muscle as a whole which will make the tendon by the knee far less painful once you get there.

Who should do Self-­‐Myofascial Release?

Self-­‐Myofascial Release can help with muscle tone in athletes and people of all shapes and sizes. We want our bodies strong but we also want our bodies to be healthy. In the case of a muscle that means three major things; strength, flexibility and tone.

Please enjoy the exercises and follow the rule of thumb that says discomfort is ok, but pain that is sending you the message that your body is hurt is bad.

If you want to See the PDF version with Pictures Click Here:  Foam Roller

Fluids for Immunity

1 Apr 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies , , , , , , , , ,

Remedies for lingering colds and sore throats.

Still fighting the cold that is out there, use food to fight congestion and infection.  Traditional broth remedies have been used for years and help nourish and heal the body here are two favorites in our office.

Chili broth

This is a simple broth that combines nourishing broth, immune stimulating garlic, chili decongestant and thyme a known anti-bacterial/viral.

2 cups   Chicken or vegetable broth (organic is best)

3 cloves   Fresh garlic, crushed or minced

1/4– ½ tsp Red chili flakes

3   Sprigs of fresh thyme (remove before eating)

Sore Throat Drink

Drink warm or cold the honey and lemon can soothe a sore throat, while the ginger and cayenne will boost immunity and kill infection.

2 cups   Water

2” piece   Fresh ginger, sliced into ¼” pieces

½ -1 tsp   Honey

3 Tbsp   Fresh lemon juice

¼ – ½ tsp   Cayene pepper ( as much as you can stand)

Can add other tinctures to this mix if you need any more of a boost, just contact our office.

An Irresistible Valentine Treat Oreo Truffle Balls

7 Feb 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies , , , , ,

Because sometimes you have to splurge just a little.

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
16 ounces Oreo cookies, broken into quarters
2 cups chopped white chocolate (use the best you can find)

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese for a couple of minutes until smooth. Add in just over 1/2 of the broken Oreos and mix until thoroughly combined. Add in the rest of the Oreos and mix just until combined – some bigger pieces are ok.

Cover bowl and chill for at least 2-3 hours. Scoop out dough with a heaping teaspoon and roll into 50-60 balls. Cover and place back in the refrigerator to firm up.

Slowly melt the white chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until most of the chunks are smooth. Remove and stir to melt the rest of the chocolate. Dip each truffle ball in the white chocolate and set aside on a Silpat or parchment paper. If the chocolate mixture starts to firm up, place back over the double boiler to slowly re-melt, or gently re-warm in the microwave. Store in the refrigerator after all are dipped.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies By elana pantry

7 Feb 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies , , ,

 

2 ½ cups almond flour (Honeyvillegrain.com)

½ tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ cup butter or vegan option (coconut oil)

1 Tbsp. vanilla

½ cup coconut sugar

1 cup Enjoy chocolate chips

 

Combine all dry ingredients, except sugar, and stir.

Combine all wet ingredients and add the sugar. Stir, and then add to dry ingredients.

 

Mix and divide dough into ½ inch balls and flatten.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

 

These cookies earned a thumbs-up in our office taste test and were just as good the second day!

 

Castor Oil Pack Treatment

31 Jan 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies, Your Overall Health , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Castor oil packs aid in the elimination and detoxification of the body.

Indications: The castor oil pack has many applications and is used in many conditions including uterine fibroids, non-malignant ovarian cysts, headaches, migraines, abdominal pain un-explained, nerve pain, constipation, colitis and other intestinal disorders, gall bladder and liver conditions, arthritis and chest colds.

Contraindications: Do not use heat with uterine growths, bleeding, pregnancy, ulcers or while menstruating. Do not fall asleep while using the electric heating pad.

Supplies:

  •             Flannel cloth (cotton or wool; 20-40 inches by 24-48 inches)
  •             Plastic wrap (clear kitchen wrap or plastic bag without ink)
  •             Glass dish (square 9×9 inch Pyrex or similar container)
  •             Bath towel
  •             Hot water bottle or hot gel pack
  •             Two safety pins
  •             Six ounces of castor oil

Directions: Choose a container to store and heat the castor oil pack. Fold the flannel or wool cloth 2-4 times, so that it is several layers thick and a suitable size to cover recommended body area.
Pour oil onto flannel until it is well moistened. Heat flannel/oil in glass dish in oven or microwave to a comfortable temperature. The pack should be very hot, but not hot enough to burn your skin. Lie down placing flannel directly on skin over the treatment area. Place plastic wrap that is 1-2 inches larger than flannel on all sides over the flannel and plastic and pin in place. If using heat, apply hot water bottle or hot gel pack over the treatment area. Rest. You may use this time to meditate or use visualization techniques.
Treatment should continue for at least 1 hour. Longer treatments are not harmful, though it is not advisable to fall asleep with the heating pad on. You may replace the flannel pack in the glass container and store in refrigerator. This flannel and oil may be used for 20-25 applications.
To remove the oily feel to skin afterwards, wash skin or towel in a solution of 3 tablespoons baking soda/qt of water.

Usage of Castor Oil Pack

Your clinician will recommend the frequency of use. Typically, the castor oil pack is used 1-3 times/day in acute situations, and 1-3 times/week in more chronic situations.

           

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