This blogger covers a lot of things, from my personal
feelings, to gift ideas, to my opinions on style as a mother. But one of the
things I have really yet to talk about is health, sustaining energy, and that
stubborn belly pudgy that takes forever to go away…Bottom line though, you don't HAVE to be a mom to appreciate this recipe, and these diet suggestions. Just a busy person, who wants to be healthier, and more balanced.
With age and or children
your energy can suffer, and yes that strange little pudgy feeling no matter
how skinny you get. I was having a lot of problems before I finally decided
to make a big switch to including more vegan dishes into my diet, and less
animal proteins.
The biggest reason for me was digestive issues. I won’t get
into it too much, but yes it got to the point where probiotics weren’t cutting
it, and I was having constant digestion problems. My husband was working a lot
so I was on my own with dinners, and that’s where I started. I started
replacing my regular fish and salad dinners with very hearty vegan meals. I
felt fuller without the bloating. Which is surprising, you would think
more veggies wouldn't do that, but no. Apparently the fish was creating problems
for me. As was complex pastas, breads, and cheese. I decided it was time for a
BIG change. After a month I am feeling really good about all the changes.
This is will be the first of several food blogs to get your
body back on the right path. With this diet, you will be able to eat more food,
and enjoy the things you love. But it takes will power, and time, you have to
be committed, change your pantries contents a little, but this is not just about image, but your over all health and
happiness. My husband actually told me after two weeks on this diet that my
mood was so much better. And I felt it too. Less worried, less stressed, better skin, and was stopped
feeling bloated all the time. I had even tried Activia, which I think made my
problems worse.
Here are some facts you may want to take into consideration.
Dairy, it’s been proven that dairy actually causes anxiety. So for someone like
me, who suffers with clinical anxiety, this was a good change indeed. Before I was having a breakfast shake
(which was milk based), eating yogurt with lunch, and ladling my salads with
cheddar and ranch. Two, beans, nuts and other legumes have the most absorbable
proteins for your body, without all the cholesterol. What my diet is basically is this, vegan and raw through the
week, and on the weekends I can have meat dairy etc… Having the things I still
love, but in moderation. Because I still believe a good red steak is good for
you, and I will get into that in another blogger.
The first recipe I will share is one that I LOVE! You may
have to buy a few things, but it’s well worth it. And if you can’t find certain
things in the store, I suggest ordering on vitacost.com. You can buy a giant 54 oz tub of coconut
oil for only 20 bucks, which is WAY better than the 14 ouncers for $10 at the
store. But if you aren’t sure this diet is for you, you may want to start
small. Chia-coconut breakfast bars. This recipe comes from The Raw Food Diet
book by Christine Bailey.
1 ½ cup almonds (raw, plain, not roasted or flavored)
2 heaped tablespoons chia seeds (which have naturally occurring
omegas, good for weight loss)
2 cups dried mango CHOPPED (if you don’t like mango any dried fruit
will do)
Juice of one orange (if you have a juicer you are in luck,
if not squeeze baby squeeze!)
2 tablespoons of xylitol ( I only used 1, this stuff is a
dietary supplement, and not a sweetener). NOTE: You may have to special order
this item, or not add it at all, I think it would taste fine without it.
4 tablespoons melted coconut oil (again great for weight
loss)
3 tablespoons arrowroot powder (the original recipe calls
for lucuma powder, but it’s very pricey and I couldn’t find it anywhere.)
1/3 cup ground flaxseed (flaxseed flour)
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut
Prestep: After cutting up mango, soak in a bowl of water for
10 minutes and drain
Steps
1.
Place Chia seeds in food processor and grind em
up
2.
Then add the almonds, grind it up!
3.
Add juice, coconut oil, and half the mango, and grind it up!
4.
Then add arrowroot or lucuma powder ground
flaxseed, and most of the shredded coconut (leaving enough to pat on the top).
Grind it up!
5.
Mix in leftover mango pieces.
6.
And press into a parchment lined tray 12x8 (or I
used an 8x8) flatten down, then sprinkle leftover coconut on top press into the
top, and throw it in the refrigerator for 2 hours till very firm.
7.
After that, chop into stix, should make 18 bars.
8.
FACTS: Each bar is 209 calories per bar, but
this is better than any slim fast bar you will ever find. When Chai seeds are
added to water, they form a gel that helps slow down the digestion of sugars,
helping to stabilize blood sugar, keeping you fuller longer.
Can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, or store the rest
the the freezer for up to a month!
If you start slowly replacing your animal protein meals with
raw and vegan dishes, you will begin to feel lighter, happier, and less
stressed, I feel I am the proof.
I advice including more vegan and raw dishes slowly, your
body needs time to adjust to the changes. So this recipe is a great way to
start.
More about the benefits of coconut oil over other oils and why I now include it in more of my dishes: http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
Vitacost: http://www.vitacost.com/
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