DARK CHOCOLATE AVOCADO FROSTING

This Dark Chocolate Avocado Frosting recipe is so easy! It’s made with just a few simple ingredients:

• 2 med/large ripe avocados (2 ½ small avocados), peeled and pitted
• ½ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil (melted coconut oil will give you a silkier texture, but un-melted works okay too; also, other oils will be fine if, like me, you don’t like coconut)
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)

1. Add avocado to a food processor fitted with an S blade and blend until smooth.
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend again until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape the sides with a spatula a couple of times. (Add the maple syrup on top of the cocoa powder to keep the dust down.)
3. Use immediately or store in fridge until ready to use. Frosting should be okay in the fridge for a couple of days.

And voilà! You have a decadently dark and creamy frosting with just the right level of sweetness. You’d never guess it’s made with avocado!

Recipe makes about 2 cups of frosting. Adapted from Coffee and Quinoa. If you liked the measuring spoons, here’s the link to them!

Now you just need to find a delicious cake to use this frosting with! How about this one? Want to see a pic?

If you make this, let me know how it is! When I made chocolate mousse from avocados recently, no one was the wiser and the dessert was absolutely delicious. I totally want to make cupcakes now!

Alkaline Water

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups water (room temp or hot water are both fine based on preference)
• 1 lemon, juiced and sliced
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar (the brand I use)
• 1 tsp. aloe vera juice (the brand I use)
• 1 tsp. honey is optional for sweetener and antibacterial properties (omit if on sugar-free detox; be sure you use raw honey)
• optional – toss in some herbs like mint or basil for digestion or inflammation support

What makes this drink so special?

1. Lemon

Lemons have astringent qualities and are alkalizing, even though before you consume them they’re acidic. Consuming lemons and other Vitamin C rich foods assist with iron absorption which means more sustainable energy, because if your iron stores are low, you’re sure to feel fatigued. Lemons can also stimulate the liver, promoting detox and a clearer complexion. Unless you suffer from heartburn or another GI issue, drinking lemon water daily can be extremely rewarding!

2. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is an age old remedy for literally dozens of health issues. Just check out this post on the same site I found this infused water recipe: 35 Awesome Ways to Use Apple Cider Vinegar for more ideas. “ACV” is often used to combat acid reflux caused by an underproduction of stomach acid, but that’s not all. It’s commonly consumed because it’s rich in enzymes and helps to balance the bacteria in the gut.

3. Aloe Vera

Most of us know aloe vera for its healing properties when applied to the skin, usually to treat a cut or a burn. However, aloe vera can also be consumed internally and while its flavor alone isn’t the main attraction, it’s palatable and easily disguised among other flavors. Aloe vera is often used to treat gut issues, and some research has been done to discover whether or not aloe vera can be used to treat concerns like colitis and diabetes.

4. Honey

Honey has been a sacred food for as far back as we can go. It’s been used as food and medicine for thousands of years, and today is still touted for its antibacterial, anti fungal properties – and is the most common reference and rebuttal to Michael Pollan’s Quote “Don’t Eat Anything that Doesn’t Rot”. Why? Because honey doesn’t rot, and almost everyone will agree that it’s a naturally perfect medicine. While honey is high in sugar and should be consumed very mindfully, medicinally it’s really quite good for fighting infection.

5. Mint & Basil

Fresh wild and culinary herbs are a wonderful addition to any diet! Mint is a well-known remedy for digestive issues and easing nausea, though it doesn’t hurt knowing mint also contains minerals and anti-inflammatory compounds as well. Basil is also anti-inflammatory and flavorful added to food and beverages with a healthy twist.

Whether it’s through dinnerware and on-the-go products that feature children’s favorite characters or tableware and kitchen prep products that represent the latest global fashion statements, Zak gives people the mealtime products that fit their appetites. Zak Designs makes everyday meals a little more special by creating safe, innovative and fashionable products that add a touch of color and an element of fun to tables around the world.

What a pretty thing to use for your infused water!

Do you drink infused water? Let me know the recipe and how you like it!

My family loves pesto. But there aren’t many different recipes. When I came across this one, which uses rosemary, rather than basil, I knew I had to try it. I wasn’t sorry.

Rosemary Pesto

Anyone with a chronic illness needs to practice clean eating habits. This is a fruit salad that hits just about every good thing – vitamins, minerals, and more.

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh strawberries, diced
• 1 lb fresh pineapple, diced
• 12 oz fresh blueberries
• 12 oz red grapes, diced into halves
• 4 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 1 (15 oz) can mandarin oranges in juice, drained well and sliced into halves
• 2 ripe bananas, diced*

• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tsp lime zest (zest of 2 medium limes)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions

• Add all fruit to a large mixing bowl. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together they honey, lime zest and lime juice. Pour over fruit just before serving and toss to evenly coat (as it sits for a few minutes the juices will gather at the bottom, so toss again before plating).
• *The bananas aren’t pictured. I decided to add them later on because I love the sweet flavor they add.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

This looks so good, I may have to go out to the store tonight…

Have you made this? Tell me how you liked it in the comments!

Almond Crackers

Recipe from AllRecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/236763/almond-you-must-be-nuts-crackers

From the author of the recipe: “These crackers have a great nutty flavor. The recipe was adapted for non-gluten, low-carb ketogenic, or paleo diets. Just add some homemade guacamole or salmon cream cheese and enjoy a visit to heaven!”

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons flax seed meal

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix almond flour, walnuts, flax seed meal, and salt together in a bowl until well combined. Add water and olive oil; mix until dough is moist and holds together.
3. Turn dough onto prepared baking sheet. Place a second piece of parchment over dough. Roll dough, using a rolling pin, into a 1/16-inch thick rectangle. Remove top piece of parchment paper and cut sides of dough to make an even rectangle. Add excess dough to corners or 1 end of rectangle and re-roll to uniform thickness.
4. Cut dough into 1-inch squares using a pizza cutter, keeping dough still attached.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until outside edges of dough are browned, about 15 minutes. Cool crackers on the baking sheet; break into squares.

Chia Seed Jam

I am so sorry I’ve been away. It’s actually for a strange, but very good reason. I recently ended a medication I didn’t think was helping my fibro and I’ve been feeling good. If you have a chronic illness, you understand what happens when you get some energy. Namely, do all those things you can’t or don’t do when you’re too tired to get out of bed. I’ve been busy! But I’m back and I have a great recipe!

Earlier this week my daughter and I went berry picking. We got blueberries, purple raspberries, and red raspberries. I felt pretty good, even after spending a couple of hours bending and reaching. The only problem? Those suckers go bad fast! Even my vinegar solution wouldn’t keep them for long, so I had to do something with them.

I found this recipe, and yay! Jam! HEALTHY jam. EASY jam.

Recipe from AllRecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/234988/chia-seed-jam/

These healthy hummus wraps are vegan, low fat, and gluten free. I naturally gravitate towards all things green, so using collard greens as the wrap is one of my favorite food hijacks. The wraps are super healthy they’re green (duh), and they are a great way to add more veggies to my day. Collard greens are packed with fiber, and are pretty filling on their own.

This wrap is packed with protein and really good quality carbs in the form of quinoa, hummus, and lentils. There are healthy fats from the avocado and added crunch from bell pepper. I had some extra beets left over, and really beets are good with everything, so I added those on top  as well! This is really the culmination of all my favorite veggies on a wrap.

Using collards as a wrap is pretty simple. You will notice that the leaves have a huge stem down the center, which can easily be remove with a paring knife. I like the stack a smaller leaf and I bigger leaf on top of each other, using the smaller leaf cover that opening of the bigger leaf once the stem is removed. I use a little bit of hummus to keep everything stuck together.

Ingredients

• 2 collard green leaves (1 big and 1 small), large part of stem removed
• 2 tbs. hummus
• 2 tbs. cooked quinoa
• 5-6 slices cucumber
• ¼ avocado, sliced
• 4-5 slices bell pepper
• 1 small beet, sliced thin

Directions

Use the hummus as the glue! Add a little bit of hummus on the back of the small leaf, and it will hold it in place when you are wrapping everything up. Remove the large part of the stem running through the leaves.

Now add more hummus to the center of the wrap, then add the things that will likely crumble away like the quinoa and lentils on this wrap. Then add the rest of the ingredients on top of the lentils and quinoa and you are ready to roll… no really just roll it up.

Fold in the sides first and then take the bottom of the wrapper up to the top keeping the sides pulled in and then pull the top of the wrap back towards the center, trying to make the filling as tight as you can. Once you feel like the feeling is as tight as possible, continue to roll it up. I like to cheat a little bit and use toothpicks to keep everything in its place and I encourage you to do the same. Just don’t forget to tell your guests about them it’s not the best way to start a meal.

*** Recipe courtesy of Pancake Warriors.

If you follow a Paleo diet, and many chronic illness warriors do, this is right up your alley. It’s got all the good stuff you love and you don’t have to avoid/skip any of the ingredients. It’s so yummy you can feed it to your entire family.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk marinade / dressing ingredients together to combine. Pour half the marinade into a shallow dish to marinade the chicken fillets for two hours if time allows. Refrigerate the reserved untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat a nonstick pan (or grill pan or skillet) over medium heat with about a teaspoon of oil and sear / grill chicken fillets on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through. (Grill in batches to prevent excess water being released.) Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
3. Wipe pan over with paper towel; drizzle with another teaspoon of oil and fry the bacon until crispy.
4. Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with leaves, tomatoes, avocado slices, corn, onion strips and chicken.
5. Whisk 2 tablespoons of water into the remaining untouched marinade / dressing and drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle the bacon over the top and season with a little extra salt and cracked pepper (optional).

NOTE: This recipe is not perfect for nutrition as far as salads go. It does contain cholesterol, saturated fat, and sugar. However, it’s also got 115% of your protein requirement for the day, as well as 28% of your fiber. It’s got a good amount of vitamins A and C too. I’ve found that with recipes like this, I weigh the bad parts against the good parts and see if the recipe is a good one. In my opinion, this one is a winner. Your mileage may vary.

*** This recipe is originally from Cafe Delites.