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Paleo Chocolate Chia Pudding

Paleo Chocolate Chia Pudding

Jul 16, 2021 | Uncategorized

Chocolate? What’s not to love? This Chocolate Chia Pudding is so easy and so good. Unsweetened plain cocoa powder is one of my favorite foods to recommend for kids. Here’s why you should let your kids enjoy it:

  • It has a good mineral profile, providing zinc, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and copper.
  • It is rich in polyphenols, which lend antioxidant power.
  • It might even help you boost good cholesterol – that is, the high density lipoprotein (HDL) that helps cholesterol work healthfully in the body.
  • It has an array of all macronutrients too, including protein, carbs, fiber, and fats.
  • Plain cocoa powder is unsweetened and has no cane sugar – which means you can get its health benefits when you use it in all sorts of recipes.

This Chocolate Chia Pudding recipe brings together a bunch of all-good ingredients, giving you a fast easy option to store bought sugary pudding cups. Besides cocoa powder, the recipe’s chia brings the pudding texture to life while delivering its own complement of minerals (potassium, calcium,  phosphorus), omega 3 fats, protein, and fiber. Full fat canned coconut milk – another go to in many of my nutrition care plans – gives high calorie, easy to digest fats that work well for a fast-access energy boost, without sugar. These fats, called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), have an array of health benefits for heart health, weight loss, and even immune support. And good local organic honey – raw if your children are over a year old – will give antioxidants, more traces of minerals, and all the sweet you need.

For Paleo Chocolate Chia Pudding, just blend ingredients and chill – it will set in 1-3 hours. I’ve had some batches set quickly, while others take longer – in that case, I’ll add an extra spoonful of chia and give it another hour or more to set.

 

Paleo Chocolate Chia Pudding
Print Recipe
Rich and creamy, deep cocoa flavor, with soft texture of gelled chia seed. Enjoy!
Servings Prep Time
6 servings 10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6 servings 10 minutes
Paleo Chocolate Chia Pudding
Print Recipe
Rich and creamy, deep cocoa flavor, with soft texture of gelled chia seed. Enjoy!
Servings Prep Time
6 servings 10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6 servings 10 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Instructions
  1. In a blender, food processor, or with hand mixer, combine all ingredients but the chia seeds. Process until texture is smooth and all ingredients are evenly blended.
  2. Fold in chia seeds, so that they are evenly distributed throughout the pudding mixture. Cover and place in refrigerator until firm.
  3. If pudding hasn't set after two hours, stir in 1 more tablespoon chia seeds and allow another hour for it to set.
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SCD Apple Pancakes

SCD Apple Pancakes

Feb 15, 2021 | Uncategorized

Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) leans hard on eggs. Eggs are great, but not everyone can eat them, let alone every day in quantity for breakfast. Here’s an option that minimizes the daily eggs-for-breakfast habit while giving some helpful SCD-legal carbohydrates too. Plus, who doesn’t love pancakes? Enjoy plain or drop in fruits as your child’s progression in the SCD stages allows. Or, top with soft cooked diced apples! If egg is an issue, double the applesauce and omit the egg entirely. Pancakes will be more dense but still work.

SCD Apple Pancakes
Print Recipe
These SCD legal pancakes are delicate, mildly sweet and savory all at the same time. Enjoy plain or drop in fruits as your child's progression in the SCD stages allows.
Servings Prep Time
10 3-4" pancakes 10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
10 3-4" pancakes 10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
SCD Apple Pancakes
Print Recipe
These SCD legal pancakes are delicate, mildly sweet and savory all at the same time. Enjoy plain or drop in fruits as your child's progression in the SCD stages allows.
Servings Prep Time
10 3-4" pancakes 10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
10 3-4" pancakes 10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: 3-4" pancakes
Instructions
  1. Mix the wet ingredients (first five ingredients - applesauce, honey, vanilla, coconut milk, and egg) evenly in a bowl.
  2. Mix dry ingredients evenly in a separate bowl (the flours, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon).
  3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients by adding the dry to the wet. Stir to mix evenly.
  4. Melt ghee or coconut oil in skillet and heat on medium heat. Drop generous spoonfuls of batter onto skillet once the fat is hot/melted. Skillet should be hot enough so batter quickly sets, but doesn't burn. After a few moments, slide a spatula under the pancakes to make sure they aren't sticking. If they are, add a bit more ghee or coconut oil and let it flow under and around pancakes.
  5. If you like, this is when to add fruit: Drop blueberries, raspberries, or thin banana slices into the pancake as it starts cooking.
  6. Cook til bubbles just appear in the pancakes. Flip the pancakes to cook other side. Cook for about a minute or two, then remove from skillet. If there is enough fat/oil in skillet, they will cook without sticking. Add more if need be, and lift edges of pancakes with skillet to allow fat/oil to flow under them so they won't stick.
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Coconut Butter Mochi

Coconut Butter Mochi

Feb 23, 2019 | Uncategorized

This recipe is modified from a very delicious butter mochi made by a friend of mine who is kama’aina Hawai’i. That is to say, though she isn’t of Hawaiian extraction herself her family has lived there for generations. And she knows how to bake some delicious stuff, local style. Somehow, I spent several years living there and never made this myself. But when I asked for her recipe, she generously shared it, and I’ve given it a try with some changes so kids I work with might be able to enjoy it too.

If you’ve spent much time in Hawai’i, you surely know mochi – not the kind you see at Whole Foods in the freezer cases, but the real thing, super gooey, super sticky, and super sweet, a cross between custard and chewy fudge in consistency.

It’s a recipe that isn’t exactly healthy. It calls for a lot of sugar, butter, and refined glutinous sweet rice flour. But, it offers a wonderful treat for kids who can’t eat dairy foods or grains like corn or wheat. So, mochi! Give this a try for an after school sweet if you’d like a gluten, dairy and soy free option that has a lesser evil sugar in it (coconut or palm sugar), which lightens the sweet a little but still makes it yummy.

A note about sweet rice flour or Mochiko. Don’t use brown rice flour or plain white rice flour as a substitute; the recipe won’t work. Sweet rice or Mochiko flour is glutinous, that is, it mimics the stretchy consistency of gluten, but has no wheat or gluten in it. Other rice flours don’t do this and won’t create the right consistency for this recipe.

Coconut Butter Mochi
Print Recipe
Gooey, sticky goodness, for when a treat is in order that has bonus ingredients like coconut milk, eggs, and grass fed butter. Coconut sugar creates a darker finish product and a more caramel-y taste than cane sugar.
Servings Prep Time
12-15 3-4" pieces 15 minutes
Passive Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12-15 3-4" pieces 15 minutes
Passive Time
40 minutes
Coconut Butter Mochi
Print Recipe
Gooey, sticky goodness, for when a treat is in order that has bonus ingredients like coconut milk, eggs, and grass fed butter. Coconut sugar creates a darker finish product and a more caramel-y taste than cane sugar.
Servings Prep Time
12-15 3-4" pieces 15 minutes
Passive Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12-15 3-4" pieces 15 minutes
Passive Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: 3-4" pieces
Instructions
  1. Set oven to 350. Generously grease a pyrex baking dish (8x8" or 7x10") with coconut oil.
  2. Blend the sweet rice flour, coconut or palm sugar, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.
  3. In a smaller bowl, blend the almond milk, coconut milk, flavor extracts, stevia, and melted butter. Add the eggs and beat til all are evenly mixed.
  4. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry in and mix on medium speed til evenly blended.
  5. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle the grated coconut generously on top, and press it gently down into the mixture.
  6. Bake for 40 minutes. The mochi will puff up nicely and brown slightly on top. It's done when a toothpick comes out clean. Cut into squares when cooled and enjoy.
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