Amaranth and Quinoa: Two Plants with Great Protein Content

Traditional Medicinal's Everyday Detox - Dandelion

This is a great tea for the evening, especially after a heavy meal.  Another awesome offering from Traditional Medicinals...

(NOTE: It may be too strong for you to drink on an empty stomach.)

Best Sugar for the Planet, for You

So many kinds of sweetener!  Some people say all sweeteners are all the same, while others say This One or That One is the best.

After voluminous research we've concluded that high-fructose sweeteners (like corn syrup, agave nectar, & honey) can be harmful, especially if they are cooked at high temperatures. (source).  Scientific research indicates fructose has a lower immediate effect on blood sugar level as the majority of it is first processed by the liver...but in high amounts it may eventually damage the liver (and lead to fatty liver disease), contribute to glucose intolerance, and help cancer cells metastasize.  Research indicates glucose can also have damaging effects upon your body; it can contribute to the initiation of various forms of cancer and type II diabetes.

Ultimately it appears that sugar in excess is just plain hard on our bodies.  Therefore in tune with our holistic approach to mind- and body wellness, we here at Happy Food Living aim to indulge in low amounts of sugar (most of which are derived from fruits), exercise regularly (which is believed to be associated with a variety of health benefits including blood sugar moderation and mitigation of cancer development), and generally adhere to a low-carbohydrate, grain-free diet (grain-based diets are believed to be associated with type II diabetes and cancer as well).

Therefore it seems the best approach to meet our goals of sustained health and well-being is a low-sugar, low carb diet (link to perfect diet discussion, ie create another post on this blog).  With this, however, we acknowledge that as long as we're going to be baking we need to use some sugar, so why not choose the cheapest, most environmentally sustainable kind?  We found Florida Crystals cane sugar to be a high-quality product, produced sustainably using energy from sugar cane biomass.  Florida Crystals sugar is also Fair Trade certified.

NOTE: You may find this sugar reasonably priced at Walmart.

Chia and Fruit Bowl Breakfast

This is one of the easiest breakfasts you might indulge in, if you have access to fresh ingredients....

Chia & Fruit Bowl Breakfast:

1 - 2 T chia seeds

1 - 2 c fresh fruit (bananas, strawberries, papaya, mango, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)

1/4 c light coconut milk or almond milk

1 - 1.5 c water

*We recommend use of organic ingredients where possible.

Mix 1-2 T chia seeds with 1-1.5 c water and let soak.

Meanwhile simply slice up as much fruit as you desire and place into a bowl.  (The dish above contains bananas, blueberries, and strawberries.)

Once about 10 minutes have passed and your chia seeds are swelled with moisture from the water, pour them over the fruit.  Add the light coconut milk on top and slurp up!  (NOTE: almond milk will suffice as a replacement for coconut milk.)

Banana Coconut Cream Dream Pie - Dessert!

The ultimate recipe for the ultimate banana coconut cream pie.  This culinary concoction is vegan, low sugar, and gluten-free.  If divided into ten slices, each slice weighs in with approximately 8 grams of protein, 33 grams of carbohydrates, and a massive 34 grams of fat, 18 of which are saturated...to quote President Obama, "I believe that is the point."

Banana-Coconut Cream Filling:
3 medium bananas
3.5 c light coconut milk
1/4 c corn starch
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 T coconut oil
2/3 c unsweetened shredded coconut

Vegan, Grain-Free, Gluten-Free Pie Crust:
1.5 c almond meal/slivers (use any ratio you'd like; 1 c meal + 0.5 c slivers works well)
1 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1 T coconut oil
1/4 tsp salt

Cashew Cream Icing:
1 c raw cashews
1 c light coconut milk
1 T granulated sugar
1/3 c unsweetened flaked coconut

*We recommend use of organic ingredients where possible.