Friday, September 27, 2013

National Chocolate Milk Day!



At public schools, they REALLY push cow milk.   The posters of celebrities with cow milk mustaches, the "milk-time",  and of course it is THE drink at lunch.  Given a choice of white milk or chocolate milk, most kids choose the chocolate milk, which is also loaded with sugar. But both cow milks have growth hormones, preservatives, and are pasteurized and homogenized, (which is an unnecessary process that is actually even worse for the human body.)   Plus, did you know that some manufacturers bring back the unsold (white) milk from the grocery stores and mix in the chocolate/sugar to preserve it, then re-bottle and sell it as chocolate milk?  Ewww. Gross. If you want any educational reading (from DOCTORS) on why cow milk is not good for humans, click here, here, here, here, here, or just google....  I would say "Got Proof?"

Solution for our kids lunchbox:   Chocolate Almond Milk in single serve packages! (The brand pictured here is Blue Diamond Almond Breeze.)
We buy a lot of this and also keep it at Natural Selections, our retail boutique store in the drink cooler with the natural sodas and coconut water, because adults love it too! (I think it's a great treat/snack combo, and it even has protein! And have you tried it in coffee or tea? Fantastic!)

And if you are a TOTAL chocolate-lover, you will want to check out the 100% Pure Body Creme and Cosmetics made with real Chocolate!


Friday, September 13, 2013

Cookie Dough Milkshake (Vegan!)


Ok, so really it is not dough.  I baked cookies. A new slightly healthier twist on our favorite vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe.  But the children had their hearts set on a milkshake, and were begging to go to the local soft serve ice cream shop.  Defiantly, I put together this instead, and...
THEY LOVED IT!

Into the Vitaprep blender:
3 frozen bananas
a splash of vanilla extract
approx. 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
Almond/Soy/ Nut Milk of choice - maybe 2 cups?

Blend and taste for texture and sweetness.

Crunch up a couple of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and crumble on top!



Sofia's reaction when she got to the bottom of the milkshake... "Look what is at the bottom!" completely thrilled!  Apparently she forgot there were cookies in it! I love chocolate SO much (that in fact I use a chocolate body cream every day)  and this is just one more wonderful way to have it!  This reminds me I haven't had mine yet...



Thursday, September 5, 2013

Basil Coconut Pistachio Vegan Ice Cream

Many years ago I heard of a Fresh Basil Ice Cream from a small cafe in France.  I started experimenting with the idea, and found it was wonderfully refreshing!  I ended up having my version of the Fresh Basil Ice Cream published in the cookbook Eating for Two by Robin Lim (my amazing midwife and CNN HERO of the Year).



The other day I went to my cook-book shelf and searched and could not find it anywhere. (I like to lend out my overflowing stash of cookbooks.)  So, here I am, 18 years and 4 children later, and I make so many vegan dishes now, I thought, "How hard can it be?  I must try it!"

I ran out to the garden and grabbed a couple of large handfuls of fresh basil (making sure to always take the part of the plant that is flowering, so that it will keep making MORE basil for me!)  Into the Vitaprep I put the basil, 2 cans of organic coconut milk, and some sugar. I blended, tasted, and added a bit more sugar.  I left the mixture in the fridge to chill while I started dinner, and then put it into my Kitchenaid Ice Cream maker attachment, and 15 minutes later, it was done!



My kids and husband liked it, and then I added some chopped pistachios to the rest of it, and put it in the freezer.  Each day I have been enjoying a little bowl of it SO much!
 
There are probably too many words in the name of this treat, but I love the creamy, fresh, slightly surprising taste that it has.  Coconut ANYTHING is fantastic to me (I even use a coconut hand cream!)  Maybe I should come up with an acronym for the name. But I need to sleep...