Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies

My favorite treat for some years was Pillsbury chocolate chunk cookies. I would always volunteer to make them so that I could eat the batter while I chopped up the cookies – I would then be too sick to eat the cooked ones…  As you can imagine, Pillsbury cookies are not part of the clean eating plan, so I’ve had to find a healthier, but still tasty, treat replacement.   This recipe is easy to make, it requires no baking and it is also gluten-free and vegan.

Dough:
- 1 3/4 cups raw cashews
- 3/4 cup raw oats
- 1/4 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-1/4 cup coconut oil

Chocolate chips:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 cup cocoa powder (you can also use half cocoa, half carob powder)
- 4 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place all dough ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix. I like the cashews and oats to be ground up, almost like flour, maybe slightly chunkier.

Place all ingredients for the chocolate chips in a bowl. Mix well.  Roll the dough out with a dough roller on parchment paper.  Place the chocolate in freezer for 30 minutes.  Once done, cut the chocolate into chunks – you can use a knife or a pastry slicer.

Once the chocolate chips are ready, mix the chips into the dough.  I like to make the cookies into balls, but you can flatten them or form them into whatever shape you like.  Once done, place cookies in fridge to harden for about 25 minutes.  I usually place them in a baggy because I like to freeze them later – it’s part of my attempt to not eat them all and have SOME will power!

This recipe is courtesy of oh she glows.

I hope you enjoy these cookies.  If you have any feedback or have a clean cookie recipe, please share!


Expanding your Salad Horizon

To many people salads as boring and unsatisfying.  I have to agree; the thought of having some leaves, tomato and cucumber tossed in a house dressing is so not appealing to me.

Sometimes you just need a couple of ideas in order to put together a good salad. Here’s a salad I had the other day.  Not only is it healthy and hearty, it’s also tasty. Feel free to change it up, add some ingredients, and omit others. My intention is to  give you some ideas and to expand your salad horizon.

Salad:
-    Kale, chopped  
-    Beet, grated
-    Carrots, grated
-    Cucumber, diced
-    Red pepper, chopped
-    Avocado, chopped

Toppings:
-    Sunflower seeds
-    Hemp hearts
-    Wakame (seaweed)
-    Quinoa, cooked

Dressing:
-    2 medium tomatoes
-    1 lemon, squeezed
-    1/4 cup olive oil
-    1/4 cup tahini (ground sesame seeds)
-    3 Tbs. tamari sauce or soy sauce
-    1/2 tsp. sea salt
-    1 tsp. cumin, (or basil, dill, and oregano)

Blend. If you have fresh herbs use them, and triple the quantity.

* Dressing recipe is courtesy of Sunfood.

I'd love to hear about your favorite salads!


Spring Detox with CLEAN Nutrition

Do you have low energy, feel sluggish, have difficulty losing weight, have skin problems, feel bloated, have digestive problems or allergies, experience mental confusion or aches and pains? It may be time for a detox!

As we head into the spring and the weather gets warmer (and hopefully stays warm), it’s the perfect time of year to do a detox. For the next week or so, I will be blogging about what you need to know in order to prepare, start and complete a detoxification.

What is detoxification?
Detoxification has been practiced around the world for thousands of years.  It is about resting, cleaning and nourishing the body from the inside out.  When you remove and eliminate toxins, and feed your body with healthy foods and nutrients, detoxification helps protect one from disease and restores health by correcting imbalances in the body such as hormonal, digestive and inflammatory imbalances.

 A detox program supports the body’s detoxification process by:
- Resting the organs by removing foods and toxins that are difficult to digest and clear
- Stimulating the liver to drive toxins from the body
- Promoting elimination through the kidneys, intestines and skin
- Improving blood circulation
- Refueling the body with healthy foods and nutrients

Detoxification benefits include:
- Weight loss
- Reduce bloating and belly fat
- Boost metabolism
- Increase energy levels
- Improve hair and skin glow
- Enhance mental clarity
- Eliminate cravings
- Improve digestion
- Clear allergies
- Boost immunity
- Improve sleep
- Regulate bowel movement


Interested in reaping the wonderful benefits of a detox? Visit CLEANnutrition.ca/blog as I will be blogging about what you need to know in order to prepare, start and complete a detoxification. I will be providing tips to make this as easy for you as possible, so please drop by my site for different detoxification plans, recipes and tips, to help restore optimum health. Come by tomorrow for 8 Ways to Detoxify your Body.

If you are in the Toronto area, stay tuned for my FREE seminar to kick-start your spring detox.

Almond Butter

Almond butter is a healthier alternative to peanut butter. Not only is almond butter tasty, it’s also packed with nutrients – from manganese, vitamin E, magnesium and tryptophan. Other health benefits of almonds include:

- Lowering your LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol linked to heart disease and atherosclerosis) and reducing your risk of heart disease. These benefits are partially due to their high monounsaturated fats content, the same type of health-promoting fats that are found in olive oil, which is associated with reducing the risk of heart disease. Almonds are also high in antioxidant vitamin E.
- Almonds protect against diabetes and cardiovascular disease by decreasing the after-meal rises in blood-sugar and by providing antioxidants.
- Eating almonds promote weight loss. Studies have shown that when one incorporates almonds into their diet, they are less likely to reach for foods that encourage weight gain, such as processed carbohydrates.
- Almonds are high in protein. A quarter-cup of these nuts contains 6.5 grams of protein, which is more than an egg, which contains 5.5 grams.

Here is the recipe for almond butter:

Ingredients
2 cups almonds
A pinch or two of sea salt (optional)

Directions
Place the almonds into a food processor. Start your food process and scrape the sides to ensure that all the almonds are blending. Process for about 10 minutes. The almonds first start off as powder, they will eventually turn somewhat doughy. You'll want to keep processing until they become buttery. After approximately 10 minutes of processing (it could take longer depending on the strength of your processor) your raw almond butter is done. You can add a pinch or two of salt and mix by hand - I don't but feel free to.

Store in an air-tight, glass container in your refrigerator for up to one month.

And you may notice that my almond butter is totally creamy, but that's based on preference.

If you have tried making almond butter or have a different variation of the recipe, I’d love to hear about it.

Why Processed Foods are so Harmful

A processed food is one that has been altered from its natural state to make it cheaper, more convenient, more appealing or to extend its shelf life – or even all four. Foods you eat should be clean, and by clean I mean as close to its natural state as possible. Processed foods are typically made in a factory, stripped of its natural goodness and usually injected with manmade preservatives.

A food that is natural and has not been tampered with is better for our health, mind, looks and waistline. It’s not to say that you should never have processed food – that would be extremely difficult. However you should make informed decisions when choosing which processed foods to buy. My typical rule of thumb is to go with the packaged food that has the least amount of ingredients, all of which I can pronounce and know what they are.  For instance, organic natural yogurt has only a few ingredients and is much better for you because it has retained a lot of its natural goodness.  White bread on the other hand, has been stripped of its natural goodness and injected with additives.
 

Here are the worst processed foods:
- Frozen meals
- Packaged cakes, cookies and muffins
- Chocolate, candy and chips
- White bread, pasta and rice
- Processed meats (chicken nuggets, hot dogs, lunch meats)
- Soda
- Breakfast cereal (there are healthy options such as the Nature’s Path)
- Diet foods

Food additives and weight gain
Processed foods became big in the 1970s when food manufacturers realised that mass-produced foods that could last a long time would lead to more profits. It’s much cheaper for them to take poor quality food, add sugar (or sweeteners) for flavour and add additives for colour and to extend the shelve life, as opposed to using fresh, high-quality ingredients that spoil after a few days.  But here’s the thing, during this process these packaged foods lose almost all of its nutrients – vitamins and minerals.  The more nutrients a food contains, the more it nourishes your body and the less likely you are to feel hungry and crave sugar. The more processed foods you eat, the more toxic your body becomes. It becomes difficult to feel satisfied with what you eat; you’ll feel hungry and your body will cling to fat.  Studies also show that preservatives slow down the metabolism and interfere with fat-burning hormones.

In addition to reducing the nutritional value of food, processed foods have other health implications.  Colouring, flavouring and texture-enhancing agents are added to foods to make them more appealing. But some of these additives can be harmful.  Trans fats, which is added to store-bought goods, such as cookies and muffins to extend their shelf life, is one of the more harmful. Trans fats have been linked to some cancers, infertility and heart disease.  Although food manufacturers have started to remove trans fats from some packaged foods, it’s important to know which foods contain trans fats (there are still many of them out there!) Please avoid them at all costs.

Tips for avoiding trans fats
Always check food labels. Although trans fats are less widely used, they can still be found in the following:
- Anything that includes the words “hydrogenated" or “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredients list
- Margarines
- Fried foods
- Doughnuts, cookies, muffins, crackers
- Processed meats
- Salad dressing
- Prepared meals
- Ice cream

What type of packaged foods do you turn to that are healthier than other packaged foods? In this day and age where life is hectic and we're often on the go, it's great to have a go to list of healthier packaged foods that we can pick up when we need to. Are there any processed foods that you know aren't healthy for you but you just can't seem to give them up? 

Clean Nutrition - Toronto Nutrition & Weight Loss - www.CLEANnutrition.ca