Oh hey there!

So I have a little confession. I’m sure all the moms will agree. Before I became a mom, I thought I’d need a month, maybe 6 weeks, ’till we had some sort of “routine” that involved me cooking and exercising. Well, let me tell you, we’re two months in and still happily chomping through the freezer section of Trader Joe’s and as for exercise I’ve gone for a walk all of three times. And yet, somehow it doesn’t seem to matter right now. We may be a little offtrack, but there’s plenty of time to get back on. Right? (Someone please tell me I’m right.)

Truth be told, there is only one recipe consistently coming out of my kitchen, and that’s my version of “Super Healthy” Lactation Cookies. What’s a lactation cookie, you ask? It’s a sweet snack full of goodies thought to help breastfeeding mamas keep up their milk supply and produce more nutritious milk. Do they really work? I don’t know. I have poor supply and I’ve been eating these from the beginning, so I’m afraid to take them out of my diet. Besides, they taste good. And lactating or not (hello, dads and visiting grandma’s) they are still packed with wholesome nutrition, so certainly worth keeping in the kitchen. But once you try them, you might want to keep them all to yourself. PS – they are a great middle-of-the-night snack for those long nursing-and-putting-back-to-sleep sessions.

There are plenty of recipes for lactation cookies on the internet, and they have a few key ingredients in common (oats, flax and brewers yeast.) But most look like regular ol’ oatmeal cookie recipes with the latter two ingredients tossed in. While it’s important for lactating moms to maintain a higher caloric intake, I still want to snack healthfully – without the extra load of butter and sugar. Besides, there are plenty of gluten-free moms, and those avoiding dairy either for their own reasons or because it’s known to cause extra fussiness in babies. So for my cookies, the gluten and dairy had to go. And the sugar. I don’t need anything else to keep me up at night besides my baby’s cries! This recipe happens to be vegan too, so if you’re in the mood for lactation cookie dough, it will work for that too.

So what’s so special about these ingredients?

Oats are a legendary favorite of breastfeeding moms. They are a good supply of iron and fiber, both of which are important for milk production. And, they are a comfort food – and anything you can do to make your self less stressed and more comfy should help with milk supply.
Flax Seeds are another great source of fiber, and contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids which are crucial to baby’s brain development. (You can never have too many omega-3′s, which is why I also never go a day without my serving of Mila!)

Brewers Yeast is a healthy source of vegetarian protein, another key nutrient for milk production. Additionally it is high in B vitamins, which are important for women’s health, especially nursing moms.

Coconut Oil is full of lauric acid, a fatty acid known to boost immunity in both mom and baby. It’s important for nusing mom’s to eat a good amount of fat – so why not make it the right kind!

Lactation Cookies (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Yield: 18-20 cookies

Gluten-Free, vegan oatmeal chocolate chips cookies with a boost of supplements to help milk supply for breastfeeding mama's.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats, divided
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
4 heaping tablespoons gluten-free Brewer's yeast
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup chocolate chips (I prefer Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips)
1/4 cup (2oz) virgin coconut oil, slightly soft at room temperature (not melted)
2/3 cup maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine 1/2 cup oats, flax, arrowroot, brewers yeast, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for about 2 minutes, until oats are finally ground. Pour into a mixing bowl and add remaining 1 cup oats and chocolate chips. Stir to combine.

Add coconut oil and maple syrup to the food processor (no need to wash it from the previous step) and process until creamy and emulsified, about 3-4 minutes, stopping several times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir until fully combine.

Using a medium size scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto the sheets. Moisten hands and slightly flatten the mounds of dough. Bake for 10-12 minutes, and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Store in an air-tight container.

Cara Lyons, adapted from Hallie Klecker's Super Healthy Cookies

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Post tags: Chocolate, coconut oil, cookies, flax, maple syrup, oats, snacks

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Oh hello there! Remember me?

Nope, I don’t have a new recipe for you today. (Cooking? What’s that? I don’t make anything these days but lactation cookies – perhaps when there’s time to blog again, that will be the recipe I share.) But I do want to let you know that I’m alive, well, and you can see for yourself in a Google + Hangout tomorrow where I’ll be talking with the fine people from Bob’s Red Mill about baking with coconut flour. Joining me will be a bunch of other fabulous gluten-free bloggers: Jeanette from Jeanette’s Healthy Living, Lexie from Lexie’s Kitchen, Kelly from The Spunky Coconut, Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food, and Jane The Heritage Cook.

If you’ve tried to bake with coconut flour before, you might have found it a little tricky. If you haven’t, this will be a great introduction to this high fiber, healthy alternative to wheat flour.

Click here to signup for the Hangout – or you can check back here for the YouTube link afterwards for our panel discussion on Baking with Coconut Flour. Our session will be recorded and uploaded to YouTube so you can watch it whenever you want.

Three winners will also be chosen to receive 2 bags of Coconut Flour and a $20 Bob’s Red Mill gift card at the end of the hangout! Hope you’ll join us!

In the meantime, check out a great variety of coconut flour recipes from our panelists:

Five Minute Mug Brownie, Lexie’s Kitchen
Chocolate Marble Cupcakes, Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes, All Day I Dream About Food
Chocolate Coconut Flour Cupcakes, All Day I Dream About Food
Coconut Flour Crepes with Lemon Ricotta, All Day I Dream About Food
Onion Poppy Seed Bagels and Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, The Spunky Coconut
Mini Boulder Cream Doughnuts, The Spunky Coconut
Quinoa and Coconut Waffles, The Spunky Coconut

and a few more of my coconut flour recipes!

Hope to see you there! And you may catch a glimpse of my babe resting on my shoulder if that’s what she feels like doing at the time

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This new mama stuff is no joke! I hope to be back in the swing of cooking up new recipes soon. In the meantime, I received a note from my friend Leanne at Healthful Pursuit asking if she could guest post a recipe and talk about her new Done with Dairy Toolkit, a free resource for those trying to give up dairy. This offer couldn’t have come at a better time – thanks, Leanne! Even though I do eat dairy, I try to keep it in moderation and make sure I eat a variety of nutrients from other sources too. This dairy-free lemon cream parfait with blood orange sauce is made with a secret ingredient that is probably very good for new mama’s too because it’s high in fiber. I’ll be giving it a whirl soon!

Hi Guys! I’m stoked to be stopping by today and sharing a brand new recipe with you… but before we get to the parfait action; let’s chat about dairy, shall we?

About 10 years ago, I suffered for major digestive problems, sinus infections and issues with my complexion. No matter what ointment, antibiotic or prescription I filled, the issues just stuck around. It was so frustrating. Then, my Mom discovered that she was allergic to dairy so started filling the fridge with rice milks, cheeses and ice creams (there was a limited supply of dairy-free goods back in those days). Within weeks of our family making the dairy-free switch with her, I started feeling better. No cramps, no upsets, my skin was clearing up, I could breathe out of my nostrils… it was a magical thing.

I haven’t had dairy since.

Magic aside, cutting the dairy out of your life; and out of your favorite recipes, can be a challenge. All of your favorite puddings, icings, cakes and savory dishes have to be reworked to make way for dairy-free alternatives and sometimes the alternatives suck.

Ya, I said it.

There are loads of recipes out there for dairy-free creams, milks and sauces… but if you have multiple allergies like nuts, soy or gluten, the choices become quite limited.

After a decade of being dairy-free and learning what it takes to thrive on the diet, while also being allergic to a host of other foods, I created the Done with Dairy Toolkit – a (free) guide to living dairy-free with loads of dairy-free recipes and health tips from yours truly.

One of my favorite tips from the guide is replacing the cream and starch of your favorite pudding recipe with cooked navy beans. Yes, beans! And; just because I know you’re finding it hard to believe that this would actually taste good, I made a beautiful recipe for you to prove it.

Let’s dig in, shall we?

Blood Orange and Dairy-free Cream Parfaits

Yield: 2 servings

A dairy-free, low-fat dessert made with a fruit-sweetened blood orange sauce, layered with a dairy-free lemon cream.

Ingredients:

Blood Orange Sauce
160 grams of peeled blood oranges (2 medium)
50 grams chopped apple, skin removed (1/2 medium)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
Zest from ½ lemon
Zest from ½ blood orange

Dairy-free Lemon Cream
¾ cup cooked white “navy” beans (1/4 cup dry)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1-3 teaspoons non-dairy milk – I used unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Zest from ½ lemon
2 small pieces of fresh mint, optional

Directions:

Completely remove the rind from the blood oranges with a sharp knife. As the picture above displays, you’ll be left with a skinless orange. Then, break into it’s natural segments and remove the flesh from the skin. Once you’ve removed the flesh from the skin, place in a small saucepan and continue with remaining segments. Once complete, add remaining sauce ingredients to the saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium-low heat. Cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until apple pieces are soft.

Remove from heat, mash with a fork or potato masher, remove cinnamon sticks and cloves and set aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, add dairy-free lemon cream ingredients to the bowl of your food processor or blender. Begin with 1 teaspoon of dairy-free milk. Blend until smooth. If the cream needs a bit of thinning out, add extra milk. The amount if milk needed will vary depending on the type of beans used – home cooked, or canned. Even canned varieties differ in consistency so it’s better to start off with 1 teaspoon and work your way up. For my homemade batch of cooked beans, I used 3 teaspoons of non-dairy milk.

Once the sauce is cooled, grab two small cups; I used a tea light candle holder for one of my parfaits, and add a layer of cream to the bottom of the cup. Follow with the sauce, then top it off with cream. Smooth out the layers as you go.

Serve immediately, topping it off with a sprig of mint, or allow to chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Substitution notes:
• Feel free to use 160 grams of any fruit of your choice. Regular oranges, extra apples, or berries work nicely.
• Navy beans are recommended because they’re very silky in texture.
• Honey can be replaced with whatever liquid or granulated sugar you have on hand.
• Coconut oil can be replaced with the same amount of grape seed oil, almond oil or macadamia nut oil. It helps the cream maintain its richness.

Leanne Vogel, Healthful Pursuit

I hope you like these parfaits as much as we do. They’re quite the treat!

Author bio: Leanne Vogel is a holistic nutritionist on a pursuit of self-discovery through allergen-free recipes, travel, yoga and inward reflection. During her trip to India last year, Leanne was inspired to cut the extra baggage out of her life, embrace her true self and begin to live authentically. After returning home, she quit her highly successful corporate job and moved across the country, all in pursuit of the life she’d always dreamed of. You can find Leanne living out her healthy journey as she documents her latest kitchen adventures on her blog, www.healthfulpursuit.com.

Connect with Leanne…

Facebook: healthfulpursuit

Twitter:@be_healthful

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Meet Rosalie Pearl!

She took us by great surprise almost three weeks early!

Thursday, February 21st, 2013

8:33am

5lb, 2oz

Yup, a little peanut!

Mommy and Daddy are in love. Tired, but in love.

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First, I came across this awesome, thought-provoking video shared on my trainer Tony Gentilcore’s blog. The video actually comes from Jonathan Bailor, a former personal trainer who has devoted years of research for his new book, The Smarter Science of Slim. For all of us who wonder what the “secret” to being naturally thin is, here’s the answer: there is no secret. Our ancestors have been staying slim (and more energetic, and less disease-ridden) for years without knowledge of what a calorie is, never mind counting them or being concerned about how many were used up in a given workout session. How come in this day and age, we have more people dieting and counting calories than ever, and also the highest rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases? If you have 12 minutes, spend them watching this video. There are at least 25 quotes I’d love to share, but just watch for yourself and learn. I think we’ve all been fed way too much nonsense information and this video starts to dispel those myths in an easy-to-digest manner.

Now here’s the thing. I know we can nitpick. I’ve been a calorie-counter myself, and even though I’ve gotten away from it, I’ve still kept up with posting the nutritional content for the recipes I create and share with you. So maybe you think I’m some type of hypocrite. But know this: I’ve been two kinds of calorie-counters.

• First, the super-diligent-count-everything kind who kept that count as low as possible and always pushed myself to run the extra mile (literally) to burn more.
• Secondly, the more relaxed kind who allowed myself a few hundred calories, but making sure those extra calories came from things like lean proteins (an extra ounce of salmon or an egg is nothing to sweat), good fats (a handful of nuts with my yogurt, some avocado on my sandwich) and of course, plentiful fruits and veggies (no more weighing that stuff!)

And guess what? When I practiced the latter, I learned that my body could EASILY handle a greater calorie load. I could still lose or maintain weight as I wished, I had more energy, my body LOOKED better not only in terms of shape but skin and nails too. But I’ll still argue that some of us need to be a wee bit more careful than others because of how we’re programmed, and that’s why I continue to provide nutritional breakdown for most of my recipes.

I’d also like to add that I have some of my own questions after watching the video. Like, WHY are there naturally thin people who do eat tons of donuts (and furthermore, why can’t I be one of them?) Secondly, can’t we still eat some totally “insane” foods in moderation and still stay healthy and slim? I think we can, although just how much is not addressed in the video. So I offer you two things to keep in mind:

• Slim does not equate with healthy (I know you know this, but I think it’s always an important reminder), and I think a great follow up study would answer the question “just how many skinny-fat people are fooling themselves and the rest of us?”
• We’re all a little biologically different. There is NO one-size-fits-all when it comes to nutrition and dieting. What works for me might not work for you. The best service we can all do for ourselves is to experiment and figure out what works. Just how much “extra” can your body handle when the majority of your diet comes from nutritious, whole foods it was meant to eat? No one can figure that out but you.

So take a look and let me know what you think. And let Jonathan know too by following him on Facebook or Twitter and checking out the book, The Smarter Science of Slim.

Disclosure: This post has not been compensated in any way nor was I approached to write it. It is simply information I came across and wanted to share with you.

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Living with a man who who’s grown to love eating things like eggplant bacon, strawberry avocado smoothies, and pear soy-chorizo hash is both a blessing and a curse. The nice part is that I suggest these things for dinner and he’s totally enthused. On the contrary if I go “ya know, I really want some kind of creamy cheeseburger pasta thing” he might seriously wrinkle his nose and look at me like I have three heads. Scratch that. He did wrinkle his nose and look at me like I had three heads. I, in turn, wondered if I needed to check on his man parts because what boy wouldn’t want boy would choose kale over cheeseburger macaroni?

Ok, ok. It’s not that he’d necessarily choose kale, I think he’s just come to expect it. And never in a million years would he expect me to make something involving cheese, pasta and meat – all in one dish, like “normal” people would eat. But y’all should know by now that I don’t make anything in the “normal” way and that I already a cleaned-up version in mind.

This recipe is a spin-off of the Philly Cheesesteak Dip I made for the Superbowl feature in January’s Clean Eating Magazine (did you see the spread?!). The day I tested the recipe out on friends, I sent the leftovers home with one of them, suggesting that she toss it with pasta for a filling lunch for her toddler. It would have all the elements of a creamy mac ‘n cheese, with the addition of filling protein and veggies. And ever since, I kicked myself a little for not trying it that way myself.

While I wouldn’t go so far as to call this “health food” and it’s not something I would eat every day, I will point out that it’s got a lot more going for it than one might expect from a recipe involving steak ‘n cheese. The creamy base for the sauce comes from an unexpected – but undetectable, I promise – ingredient: silken tofu. If you’ve never worked with this before, you’re in for a treat. The most mild-tasting of all tofu, it blends to a creamy consistency perfect for soups, puddings, sauces and more. Bonus: the added protein makes the dish even more filling. By bulking up the veggie mixture with lots of meaty mushrooms, I’m able to keep the ground beef to a minimum (but because of the juicy vegetables and seasonings, 93% lean works perfectly well here.) Finally, you have the choice of whatever clean eatin’, whole grain pasta fits your fancy – I love Ancient Harvest, which is made from quinoa and corn. I’m also certain that the dish could be made entirely dairy-free with a good quality vegan shredded cheese that melts well, such as Daiya (seriously, I love the stuff so much that I often choose it over regular cheddar.)

What’s more? The dude loves it just as much as he loves his kale, and it comes together in 30 minutes or less. Win-win for this (soon-to-be) mama.

Philly Cheesesteak Pasta

Yield: 4 servings

A cleaned up version of beef and pasta in a rich and creamy sauce - just as rich and filling as you'd expect with full-fat ingredients. Easily made gluten-free and dairy-free too.

Ingredients:

8oz (dry) whole grain pasta, gluten-free if needed
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
1 8oz package sliced baby portabello mushrooms
1 tablespoon water
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 lb 93% lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
12oz package firm silken tofu (look for the unrefrigerated kind in a box, such as Mori Nu)
1/3 cup reduced sodium chicken broth or low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
6oz reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese or non-dairy shredded cheese, such as Daiya

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions, peppers and mushrooms in 1tbsp water for 5-7 minutes, until vegetables are softened and liquid has evaporated. Add garlic and beef. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to break up the meat, for about 5 minutes, until meat is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and stir in Worcestershire. Turn off heat.

In a blender or food processor, blend the silken tofu, broth or milk, and mustard powder until smooth. Add the cheese and process again until nearly smooth.

Turn the skillet heat back on to medium, and pour in the tofu mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until cheese is melted and mixture is hot.

Drain pasta and add to the skillet, stirring until heated through.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 497.6
Total Fat 16.7 g
Saturated Fat 6.4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Cholesterol 62.9 mg
Sodium 719.8 mg
Potassium 416.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 56.0 g
Dietary Fiber 1.5 g
Sugars 2.8 g
Protein 35.0 g

Cara Lyons, www.carascravings.com; adapted from Philly Cheesesteak Dip in Clean Eating Magazine January 2013, also by Cara Lyons.

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It has been a week of heart healthy inspiration. I have learned so much from the bloggers who have participated in the Gluten-Free and Heart Healthy 2013 recipe event. Thank you dear Cara for hosting me today.  

A Little About Me

For those who do not know me, my name is Lexie. I was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii. As fate would have it, I am far from the white sand beaches of the Kona Coast and have (somehow) landed on a windy plain in the southeastern corner of Wyoming. I share random thoughts and recipes for those of you on modified diets—allergy, vegetarian, vegan, low-sugar, and even some paleo!—over at lexieskitchen.com. 

I am grateful for this Gluten-Free and Heart Healthy 2013 event as it has provided me with the sobering reminder that if I want to be around to see my boys marry off, I cannot overlook the nourishing of my heart and body. As it is in so many of our families, heart disease is the big killer in ours, and it’s not the way I want to or plan to go!

A List of the 100 Best Foods for Curing Disease

Back in 2010 my husband and I discovered Eat Right for Life: How Healthy Foods Can Keep You Living Longer, Stronger and Disease-Free by Dr. Raymond A. Schep and Nicole Kellar-Munoz. It is a fantastic book and a highly recommended read. Schep and Kellar-Munoz’s list of the “100 Best Foods for Curing Disease and Maintaining a Healthy Mind and Body” is spot on. I have a copy of it taped to the fridge to inspire me to add more of those foods into our everyday meals! A handful of the heart-healthy all-stars on the list have found their way into the Onion & Sun-Dried Tomato Almond Crackers I am sharing over at Lexie’s Kitchen today. They are:

Sesame Seeds

In Eat Right for Life, the authors offer a lengthy discussion on copper—a critical necessity for heart health. Just under two ounces of sesame seeds will supply your daily requirement of copper. They have a very high phytosterol content which works to enhance the immune response and in doing so decrease cancer and disease.

Almonds

A Harvard Nurses’ Healthy Study showed that women who consumed more than five ounces of nuts a week lowered their risk of heart disease by 35%, compared to women who rarely ate nuts. Almonds contain significant stores of antioxidants, as well as fiber, arginine—a protein that keeps arteries elastic—and more of those phytosterols to help lower harmful LDL cholesterol levels while maintaining beneficial HDL levels. And like sesame seeds, almonds are excellent sources of copper and manganese. Almonds are best enjoyed raw, and preferably organic which have not been irradiated. Roasting destroys the nut’s delicate vitamin E content. 

Chia Seed

Omega-6 fatty acids are abundant in the modern diet (in meats, soy and plant-based oils). Omega-3s not so much. We need both, however we need to be consuming them in a 1:3 ratio. Excessive levels of omega-6 fatty acids, relative to omega-3 fatty acids have shown to increase the probability of a number of diseases. These missing omega-3s in our diet are necessary to prevent inflammation in joints and arteries and chia seed is an excellent source—a super food really—of omega-3s. And arthritis sufferers get this, the authors of Eat Right for Life suggest that a heaping tablespoon a day of chia seed provides enough alpha linolenic acid (ALA) to cure arthritis and even prevent it! And to top it off, chia seed packs an astounding amount of protein and is extremely high in fiber. Here’s a popular post I did on chia.

So now that you know what goes into my savory Onion & Sun-Dried Tomato Almond Crackers, I hope you will hop on over to my site for the recipe.

Let’s Stay in Touch

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February is American Heart Month and a group of health minded bloggers are gathering around to share lots of heart healthy recipes this week with a Gluten-Free & Heart Healthy 2013 recipe roundup. It’s my turn today, and I’m sharing a dish chock full of heart healthy ingredients – Walnut Crusted Seared Wasabi Salmon served with a tangy Warm Napa Cabbage Salad and Steamed Brown Rice.

Thank you so much Cara for hosting me at Cara’s Cravings today!

Before we get to the recipe, I’d like to take a moment to share some heart healthy tidbits since what we eat can have a huge impact on heart health. There is no silver bullet food that will on its own prevent heart disease; rather, it’s important to eat a well-balanced diet that includes a wide variety of heart-healthy, nutrient-rich foods to ensure that our bodies get the maximum benefit of all the phytonutrients available to us to help prevent and repair cell damage.

Eating a wide assortment of whole foods (natural, unprocessed foods) is important to heart health. Fruits (blueberries, oranges, mangoes, papaya) and vegetables (carrots, spinach, broccoli, sweet potato, red bell pepper, asparagus, tomatoes, acorn squash) come in all different shapes, colors and sizes, and each one contains a powerful dose of phytonutrients that helps prevent heart disease by wiping out free radicals.

Just as important are whole grains (oatmeal, brown rice), beans and legumes (black beans, kidney beans, soybeans), nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, flaxseed), fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines), and teas, which are also rich in heart-protective phytonutrients. Another important element in a heart healthy diet is food that is low in sodium.

Since each food has its own unique nutrition profile, we need to eat a variety of these heart-healthy foods to get the full spectrum of nutrients and receive the most heart protective qualities.

Let’s take a look at all the heart healthy ingredients in today’s recipe:

• Walnuts – good fat, good source of protein, fiber
• Salmon – rich in omega-3 fatty acids
• Napa Cabbage – cruciferous vegetable, milder tasting variety of cabbage with highest concentration of folate, high in vitamin K and C
• Carrots – high in vitamins A, K, C, and potassium; good source of fiber
• Red Bell Peppers – high in vitamins C, A , B6 and folate
• Brown Rice – high in manganese, selenium, magnesium and tryptophan; rich in fiber
• Sesame Seeds – high in copper, manganese, tryptophan, calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus; good source of fiber
• Olive Oil – heart healthy monounsaturated fatty acid

I’ve also prepared this dish in a heart healthy manner, using a little bit of monounsaturated fat – Olive Oil, and low-sodium soy sauce.

This salad is a twist on the Chopped Salmon Walnut Arugula Salad with Honey Wasabi Vinaigrette I made last year. The Warm Napa Cabbage Salad or slaw is perfect for the winter, while the Walnut Crusted Seared Wasabi Salmon is barely cooked (I love sushi). Be good to yourself and make this heart healthy dish for lunch or dinner. Your heart will thank you.

Pop over to Jeanette’s Healthy Living for the recipe for this Walnut Crusted Seared Salmon and Warm Napa Cabbage Salad.

You can also see what I’m up to on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Twitter, or by signing up for my weekly emails here.

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 Hi there! Happy Valentine’s Day! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Beth of Tasty Yummies. I would like to thank Cara of Cara’s Cravings for hosting me here today as part of our heart healthy event! I am honored to once again collaborate with a group of such talented and creative ladies for another amazing event. You can my imagine my excitement when I found out my date in this series was Valentine’s Day. I could’t just make as a salad or a savory snack. It HAD to be sweet and it HAD to be chocolate. No ifs, ands or buts. In comes my Dark Chocolate Red Wine Truffles.

I will be honest when I tell you that heart healthy recipes have never really been anything I have given much thought to, but I was very excited for the challenge. I did a lot of reading, I read a lot of lists and medical research documents. There is a lot of research on this topic. However, it seems for just about every food making health claims regarding cardiovascular health, you could click a few articles further and find a differing report. What I gathered from all of my reading is there are many foods that contain elements beneficial to heart health, but like most things, moderation is still key. Just because there is research that shows a particular oil is healthy for us and provides benefits that other oils do not, doesn’t mean we can consume our weight in it during one day and not expect it to destroy us. As with most things, less is usually more. So, please obviously keep this in mind with not just this recipe, but all foods making health claims.

Red wine and dark chocolate pop up on a good number of lists of heart healthy foods, nearly all of them, actually. They have some amazing antioxidant properties beneficial to not just our ticker, but a good number of other things, as well. Two of my very favorite things that tout a nice long list of health benefits when enjoyed in moderation, it doesn’t get much better than this.

These truffles would make the perfect Valentine’s Day treat for you and your sweetie, they would be great to bring to a dinner party, or you could just make a batch as a gift to yourself to enjoy throughout the week. One or two at a time, knowing you are not just enjoying a rich and delicious sweet treat, but you are also giving your heart some extra goodness and love!

Head on over to my site, Tasty Yummies for the full recipe plus the lists of benefits the ingredients used tout for heart health. And, lots of love to you all today! In addition to making Valentine’s Day about your one true love whom you will likely shower with gifts and love, let’s look at it as a day to embrace love all around us. Including the love you should be showing yourself, your body and your health every single day of the year. This is the one and only body we will be given (at least in this lifetime), let’s do everything we can to protect it and give it the best. Every single day.

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If you would like to keep up with Tasty Yummies, please check out the blog here for more gluten-free recipes that focus on clean, fresh and seasonal eating. Please also feel free to connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram to see what I am up to. You can also subscribe to my RSS feed or sign up to receive emails whenever I post a new recipe.

© Cara for Cara's Cravings, 2013. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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Thanks to Lexie of Lexie’s Kitchen for creating this awesome gluten-free heart healthy badge!}

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Meg and I run a little site called Beard and Bonnet. I would like to thank Cara of Cara’s Cravings for hosting me here today and for letting me share a little heart healthy treat that I have been indulging in lately.

Here I am, mid 30′s, with a business to run, a fabulous husband, 2 amazing kids, and a handful of doughy-eyed animals that all depend on me to be here, be active, and to always be in tip-top shape.  So for those very reasons, I try to do my best to always think about the choices I make and how I will fuel my body. For me, it is imperative that I have healthy snacks on hand to eat on the go. I will always hold out for a home cooked, heart-healthy meal when I am hungry for something substantial, but for some reason it is the times when I just need a little something to get me through that I get in trouble. I try to keep a variety of trail mixes, fruits, and raw bars on hand for easy heart healthy snacks to keep me going and out of the drive through line.

I wish I could say that I love to read articles about staying fit, what the new super food is, or how foods work in your body, but I don’t.  I try though, I make an effort and 9 times out of 10 as I am reading the newest buzz article I tune out just like I did in school during health class.  When I sat down to  write this post and fill it full of heart healthy information for you I knew that I had to assemble the information in such a way that it would speak to me too if I was reading it. So here is the quick breakdown of the heart healthy ingredients that make up the Almond Joy Raw Bars that I am sharing today on Beard and Bonnet.

Dates: Recent studies have shown that the consumption of dates are good for those who have heart problems. They have the ability to lower LDL cholesterol and since dates are digested very easily they are great for supplying quick energy.

Coconut Oil: Natural, non-hydrogenated coconut oil tends to increase HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol that helps protect against heart disease, and improve your cholesterol profile. People who traditionally consume large quantities of coconut oil as part of their ordinary diet have a very low incidence of heart disease and have normal blood cholesterol levels.

I hope that you will visit me at Beard and Bonnet and try these decadent heart healthy treats for yourself!

Do you love Pinterest? We do! Todd and I fill our Pinterest boards together. I love that our passion for family, food, art, and design can come together all in one place. We even have a Gluten-Free Goodies board that is sure to inspire you with indulgent g-free delights from 30 different pinners!

I recently started a Facebook page for Beard and Bonnet where I share recipes, tips from my blogging friends, and products. Stop by and join our conversations here.

Probably our favorite form of social media at the moment is Instagram! Check out what we are up to here.

If Twitter is more of your thing we tweet here!

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