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Tag: healthy desserts

Dark Chocolate Bark With Raspberries And Pumpkin Seeds

Need an easy, beautiful, delicious, and healthy sweet treat for your Valentine? Check out this chocolate bark recipe from Lily Nichols aka “The Pilates Nutritionist”. In less than 20 minutes I whipped this together, sourcing all my ingredients from Trader Joe’s!

I love Lily’s food philosophy, and her newsletters are full of great info about healthy eating, fitness, and self care. Visit Lily’s site to find out about her new book Real food for Pregnancy.

Recipe below, reprinted with permission from the author…

 

 

Dark Chocolate Bark With Raspberries and Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

  • 8 oz dark chocolate (I use 2 bars of Theo 85% Baking Bar)
  • 1/3 cup raw, shelled pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup freeze-dried raspberries (crumbled pieces are ok)

Directions

  1. Break or cut chocolate into small pieces, roughly ½ inch pieces or smaller. Place in a medium glass bowl.
  2. Melt the chocolate. You can either melt over the stovetop, by setting the bowl of chocolate over a small saucepan with simmering water and stirring with a spoon until melted (your bowl will need to be larger than the opening of the saucepan and the bowl should not directly touch the simmering water). Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave, stopping to stir the chocolate every 20 seconds or so, until melted.
  3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Pour the melted chocolate onto the paper and spread into an even layer using an offset spatula or a rubber spatula.
  4. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, then freeze-dried raspberries. Let cool for several hours on the counter or in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Break into pieces and enjoy!

If you can’t find Theo’s 85% Baking Bar, you can do half 100% chocolate and half 70% dark chocolate and get pretty darn close. Or, simply use whatever dark chocolate you like.

Anne McCranie is a Portland, Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers this recipe to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.

Chocolate + Coconut Pineapple Bites

Y’all know my buddy Laura Ruben? She is an insanely good cook. She crafts delicious meals with simple, healthy ingredients. You have probably sampled her handiwork at Fluid’s summer client parties and she was the head chef on our Hawaii retreats. Her latest creation, these chocolate pineapple bites are the perfect summer treat! Try this healthy dessert at your next backyard barbeque and let me know what you think.

This simple recipe relies on the amazing flavors and nutrition of each of the few ingredients. I love the Del Monte Gold pineapple because it’s not as acidic as some other varieties. One of my favorite fruits, pineapple is jam packed with Vitamin C, Manganese and healthy fiber. The deep dark chocolate balances the pineapple’s tartness, while the coconut adds crunch.

Ingredients:

One Del Monte Gold pineapple

Two cups of dark chocolate chips (60% cacao or higher)

Two Tablespoons of coconut oil (click here for my favorite brand)

One cup organic shredded coconut (I like Bob’s Red Mill unsweetened)

Toothpicks

 

Directions:

1. Peel, core and cut the pineapple into rings, and then into bite sized chunks.

2. Place the pineapple pieces on a paper towel on a plate, core side up and spear with a toothpick.

3. Pour shredded coconut into a bowl.

4. Melt chocolate and coconut oil in the top level of a double boiler until it is smooth and creamy. (or microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth)

5. Let the chocolate cool slightly. Dip pineapple in chocolate sauce, roll in coconut flakes (sides first, then bottom), set on a plate and refrigerate.

Enjoy!

 

Anne McCranie is a Sellwood, (Portland) Oregon based Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. She offers these recipes to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.

 

Healthy July 4th Recipes

Check out these lovely and gluten free July 4th recipes. My favorite is the star spangled cream tart.

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What are your plans today? I have friends coming over to BBQ. One of my buddies is following a paleo diet so I made sugar free ketchup for her burger. Also on the menu Laura’s Sour Slaw, vegan and paleo friendly.

Here is her recipe…

Sour Slaw

Ingredients:

  • 1 head green cabbage, 1/4 slices
  • 4 sprigs fresh oregano (or 2 tsp dried)
  • 1 Jalapeno, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a pot and cook over medium-low heat, no lid, for 20 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Delicious by itself or on a burger or baked potato.

Happy 4th of July!

 

Let Them Eat (Gluten Free) Apple Cake!

Ok last month I gave you a salad recipe so this month – cake!

Apple Cake ice cream 3.13

My buddy Rachel is a self proclaimed “megan” meaning she is gluten free, dairy free and consumes mostly meat, veggies, fruit and some grains. So my sweetie Jack found this cake recipe for her birthday dinner last month. It was a big hit!

I love that  (besides being delicious) the recipe is fairly easy to put together and contains ingredients you should be able to pick up at any grocery store. While I would hardly consider cake health food, the apples provide vitamin C, soluble fiber and powerful antioxidants that have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, Alzheimers, cancers and other diseases. Cinnamon has been shown to regulate blood sugar and walnuts are linked to improved brain function. So have an occasional piece of homemade cake and enjoy!

We experimented with sweet vs tart apples and I favored the sweet. The original recipe called for Golden Delicious. The cake has a chewy, brownie like consistency and you really do need to cook it for an hour to get it cooked all the way through. Try this recipe and let me know what you think.

Apple cake 3.13 (2)

 

Rachel’s Gluten Free Apple Cake

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
  • 3/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup rice flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 3/4 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup light olive oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 small apples – peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 inch pan (I recommend butter) and lightly flour (I used rice flour).

2. Whisk first seven ingredients (flours to salt) in a bowl.

3. Whisk sugar, oil and eggs in a separate bowl.

4. Stir sugar mixture into flour mixture and combine well. Fold in apples and walnuts.

5. Pour and press batter into pan. The batter will be very thick – use your hands to mush it into the pan.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for one hour, or until a knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

 

Apple Cake whole 3.13

 

Chocolate Date Brownies

Looking for a sweet treat for Valentine’s Day? Try these “healthy” brownies and let me know what you think. The eggs and garbanzos provide protein and agave has a lower glycemic index than refined white sugar.

  • 1 ¼ cups pitted dates, chopped
  • 9 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup raw agave
  • One can of garbanzo beans (2 cups)
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Measure dates in a glass measuring cup and pour in hot water to the 1 ½ cup line. Then let sit for 10 minutes.

Pour off ¼ cup of liquid and process the rest in a food processor.

Put the date paste in a bowl and add cocoa, oil and agave and mix.

Combine the beans and eggs in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Add the beans to the dates. Add the baking powder and cinnamon and mix. Pour into a 9 in round or square greased pan and bake for 45 min. Cool for 15 minutes, then slice and serve.

The consistency is close to flourless chocolate torte and unless you announce that these have no refined sugar or gluten I bet no one will notice that it is a “healthy” dessert.

Adapted from “The Healthiest Meals on Earth”