Avocado chocolate pudding

I semi followed a recipe, just tweaked a little to make it a little healthier

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of Olivinia spread...I used 3 tablespoons of coconut oil and 2 of Olivinia

1 cup of avocado puree

1 cup of powdered sugar....I thought that was crazy so I used 1/2 cup of sucanet and 2 table spoons of powdered sugar

1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup of cornstarch

In med saucepan, melt spread and coconut oil over low heat. Stir in avocado puree, sucanet, and powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Cook mashing wellwith a silcone spatula to smooth out any lumps from avocado puree, until mixture thickens..3 mins about. Off the heat gradually stir in cornstarch. Serve warm with your choice of topping. We topped ours with woth fresh berries.

****Pudding is a very rich dark chocolate pudding, the kids and I like dark chocolate, I know a lot of people don't care for dark. ******

Corn and Potato Chowder

Ingredients:

3 tablesoon of butter
1 tablespoon of onion powder...because kids and Mike don't like the texture of onion (lol)
2 tablespoon of wheat flour
32 ounces of low sodium vegetable broth
3 bacon slices
2 1/2 cup of potatoes diced up
1 cup of frozen corn niblets
2 little cans of creamed corn
1 can of of cream of celery (healthy request kind)
sea salt
pepper
2/3 cup of milk....(I used light cream)
and 2 handfuls of chedder cheese

I garnished mine and the kids soup with fresh avocado

In a large saucepan dice up bacon and start cooking in dutch oven. When bacon crisps up add onion powder and stir. Add butter and mix. When melted add 2 tablespoon of whole wheat flour, coating bacon and onion powder. Add broth bring to a boil and whisk until smooth. Reduce heat add potatoes and cream of celery and simmer for about 20 mins...till potatoes are tender. Add corn, and creamed corn, add the milk. Cook for 5 mins. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Season as see fit with salt and pepper. I garnished mine with diced up fresh avocado....and enjoy

Honey Wheat Bread

1 loaf

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

Instructions:
1. *Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

Kefir..mmmm

If you don't know what Kefir is, it is basically like yogurt but much more nutritious. It's known for having probiotics which help in digestion. For those of you who don't drink milk or eat yogurt because of lactose intolerance, kefir can be easily digested.

Drinking the plain by itself is not that tasty. I would recommend blending it with frozen fruit or mixing it with fruit as a snack. Lifeway Kefir comes in other flavors but check the labels as they are sweetened with sugar.

If you do eat yogurt or drink milk, I would say try this product out (at least the plain version.)

Recipes

True Blue Treat
Great ice cream alternative!

Pour frozen blueberries into pretty clear bowl. Pour Strawberry Lifeway Kefir over berries to cover. Stir slightly. TRY to wait 60 seconds before eating! As blueberries melt, kefir freezes.

A scrumptious nutritious treat without additives. Very satisfying!

Good year round.



Sweetheart Cookies
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar - packed
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Lifeway Kefir
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour


Very Berry Smoothie
Ingredients:

* 1 cup plain Lifeway Kefir
* 1/2 cup blueberries
* 1/2 cup strawberries
* 1 cup ice cubes

Preparation: Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. If it gets too thick add a tablespoon of water. Pour into a tall glass once blended.





You can learn more about Lifeway Kefir here:

http://www.lifeway.net/

My addiction with baby thai coconuts

Well here you go....I had a couple of inquires of why I love them so much, so I'm giving you two recipes that I use the coconuts for.

*******Pink Smoothie******

The water from one (BT) coconut

frozen strawberries

one carrot

a splash of vanilla

1/2 of a beet...or a whole I use a whole because I love beets. (Boil and peel first if you don't have a juicer...I first juice my carrot and beet (raw) then add to blender with coconut water and frozen strawberries, vanilla.)

dates

Then blend everything together and enjoy...yum!


Another recipe I do with BT Coconuts is a raw chocolate pudding.

**********Raw chocolate pudding************


Fill blender with...

Meat from BT coconut

agave necter...5 tablespoons

real maple syrup just a drop or two

a cup of raw kale

organic cocoa powder, or raw powder chocolate

a dash of sea salt

1 cup of water

a handful of dates

and some raw nuts if you wish

Blend together till smooth and enjoy.

The kids and I like it and way better for you then the other stuff out there.


Another way to enjoy the Baby Thai coconut is split open and eat meat....my favorite.

Jazz up that butter baby

Orange-Honey Butter - Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of honey and 2 tsp. of orange zest to a stick of softened butter.


Vanilla Butter - Stir in 1-2 tsp. of vanilla and 1 Tbsp. of powdered sugar to softened butter.


Berry Butter - Mix a few berries with 2-3 Tbsp. of powdered sugar into butter.


Cinnamon Butter - Add 2-3 Tbsp. sugar, 1-2 tsp. cinnamon and a small dash of vanilla to 2 sticks of softened butter. Use on bagels, pancakes, bread or even on baked sweet potatoes topped with some extra brown sugar.

I like using organic butter, and Olivina spread....great treat on toast, and I sometimes use the berry or cinnamon to soft cream cheese for an extra yummy treat.

Sunny Start Smoothie

Need a boost in the morning try this...YUM

1 cup of fresh orange juice

2 bananas- cut

2 tablespoons of honey

1 orange- peeled and cut

1/4 cup of granola

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend til smooth