Tag Archives: dates

Recipe: Light Peach & Banana Smoothie

April 16, 2012

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Hello all! Hoping you all had a wonderful weekend!

We spent some time doing some more spring cleaning – and by that I mean mostly me. It was time to (finally) get to a closet project I’d been dreaming of for a while (but hadn’t the courage to tackle).

So I did it…and (seriously)……it feels just as good as I thought it would!

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.

- Robert Louis Stevenson.

Today is also the first anniversary of the day I woke up and started something new – the idea for Not So Fast was officially born a year ago today. My how time flies!

It is wonderful to see the journey that has emerged from starting this blog (and this super fun project). It is one of true community – and THAT my friends is a (very) beautiful thing – so thank you (truly) for the support, appreciation, & the sharing & sheer inspiration that overflows from this wonderful blogging community!

You all amaze me. Truly, you do!!

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

– Helen Keller.

So, let’s get to this yummy smoothie now, shall we?

The More:

More fresh fruit to start the day means more simple natural sugars to get you going. More bananas (from fair trade farms) means more good hearty nutrition with minimal calories and heaviness. More blended goodness means digesting is a snap – so lightness is yours for the day!

The Less:

Less sweets and extras in your smoothies means simple ingredients on hand are all you need. Less of the fancy stuff means ingredients are attainable and cheap – so you can get more for less – and feel great doing it!

Light Peach & Banana Smoothie:

  • (2) bananas, fresh or frozen
  • (1) cup peaches, frozen or fresh (you can also sub nectarines)
  • (3-4) dates, pitted
  • (1- 1.5) cups almond milk
  • (4-6) ice cubes
  • cinnamon or cardamom to sprinkle on top (optional)
  • a lovely cinnamon stick to dress up the glass (optional too of course!)

Combine all of the ingredients in your blender and blend on high until frothy and beautiful. Feel free to add more almond milk or water as needed to get the mixture rolling.

Enjoy on your deck (in a clean mason jar maybe :) ) with a good book, view, or just one or two quiet moments to yourself.

The best things in life aren’t things.

~ Art Buchwald

Be helpful. When you see a person without a smile, give them yours

– Zig Ziglar

With all this nice weather – smoothie season is about to kick in to high gear – I am getting giddy just thinking about it!

Here is a quote that I found particularly awesome this weekend:

Life is not about weathering the storm….it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

  • What smoothies are you loving these days?
  • Got any tips on how to dance in the rain?

Let’s get moving, shall we? I am already…

:)

Yours in Less,


70 Comments

Filed under Food, Gluten Free, Happiness, Not So Fast, Photography, Raw, Recipes, Rich & Simple, Sweet Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Recipe: Sweet Life Coconut Chocolate Chews

March 24, 2012

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

~ Mother Teresa

Want to stay sweet?

Life is quick, yes – and so it should be good.

And by good, I mean full of sweetness and joy – not just for us as individuals but for those special people we share our lives with.

Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.

~ Plato

Being good (comes with being sweet) isn’t as easy as we wish it was. Like anything worth doing, being good, consistently, is hard work.

So make it easy for yourself. Start with you!

Treat yourself as you would have others treat you!

Whip up a batch of these delicious bars, throw them in the fridge, and enjoy a healthy feel good treat whenever the mood strikes you.

Share them with friends. Live the sweet life. Never look back.

The Less:

Less processed foods in your sweet treats means more real energy to infuse goodness into your cellular self. Less flour based treats means easy simple sugars, protein, and whole foods in their pure form that are a snap to break down and provide long burning fuel that doesn’t need baking. Less refined ingredients in the form of oils and less heat from not cooking means your food stays in tact in its raw state. Less ingredients mean your stars can take their sweet spot at center stage.

The More:

More real chocolate, nuts, and coconut means more rich satisfying goodness that will feed your soul and your stomach. More super foods and dried fruit means less of the sugared stuff is needed to be satisfied. More sweetness on your tongue means more sweetness where you speak, so whispering sweet words and spreading kindness have never been easier.

Sweet Life Coconut Chocolate Chews:

  • (200) grams good dark chocolate
  • (3) cups shredded coconut (part can be roasted lightly)
  • (1/4-1/2) cup cocoa nibs
  • (2) cup pitted dates soaked 4-6 hours in cold fresh water
  • (1) cup raw whole brazil nuts, coarsely ground
  • a pinch of good sea salt (or two)

Start by soaking the dates 4-6 hours in advance using the same method as I described here for Coconut Date Bliss Balls.

Once ready to make, begin by melting your chocolate using a double method of your choice (I outline mine here).

Grind your brazil nuts using a hand blender grinding attachment, a food processor, or my latest accessory: a hand nut grinder ($12.99)! If you choose to roast a portion of your coconut, heat the oven to 350 degrees and roast the coconut for a few minutes only, 2-3 minutes should be plenty.

Drain the soaked dates (reserve the soaking liquid in case you need any) and add to a blender. Blend the dates on high without additional water until blended (it’s okay if there are a few chunks). If you feel you need to, add a little of the date soaking water to facilitate better blending, just be careful not to make it too wet.

Combine all prepared ingredients – melted chocolate, roasted or raw coconut, blended dates, cocoa nibs and ground nuts – in a large mixing bowl and mix together by hand. Add a little pinch or two of good sea salt to the mixture if desired (you’ll want to do this part but only with really good sea salt).

Line a 9 by 9 inch square pan with parchment paper (if you don’t have parchment paper a little oil or butter inside the pan will be fine). Spread the mixture into the pan and press with your hands to make a firm even layer of yummy. This is like a massage of love onto your dessert and so essential to the taste!

Think good thoughts while you do this (maybe take a few long deep breaths too)!

Once pressed (and blessed), throw the pan into the fridge to set for an hour or so. Remove from fridge to cut into whatever shape you desire and store in a sealed container either at room temperature or in the fridge (I opt for the fridge).

Enjoy your sweet treats – you deserve them…really! We all deserve sweetness, whether bestowed on ourselves (by ourselves) or by others.

That it will never come again is what makes life sweet.

~ Emily Dickinson

Wherever you find yourself on this gorgeous March day, I hope your day is smelling sweet, and your kitchen is smelling even sweeter!

As for me, I’ll be taking in the sights and sounds of the soccer field sidelines and reveling in the sweet moments I am collecting to tide me over for my future. My kids won’t be young forever – and neither will I :)

  • What are you reveling this fine weekend?
  • Any good deeds you’d like to share with us?

Go ahead, make our day!

Thanks to all of you for coming back to visit – your support, comments, and blogging inspiration are truly wonderful and I love hearing from you – so wherever you are on this fine day: thanks for being you!

Yours in Less,

41 Comments

Filed under Desserts, Gluten Free, Nut Recipes, Photography, Raw, Recipes, Rich & Simple, Sweet Treats, Uncategorized, Vegan

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

Recipe: Mindful Almond Milk/Cream

February 24, 2012

“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

How many of us eat on the go, or eat while doing other things, or (my worst or best habit depending on how you look at it), eat what feels like an entire dinner while preparing food?

I’ll admit it…….I am a bit of a snacker. I know, right? Is there anyone who isn’t?

I enjoy preparing food and having fun with it and I have to, I have 2 kids and a hungry husband to feed – never mind satisfying my own needs for fresh, healthful fare that keeps me feeling light on my feet.

But snacking is not a meal. Is it?

I should really be sitting down. And we do as a family, but during the week I definitely need to do it more.

  • How do you stay mindful when you eat?
  • Do you chew your food 30 times slowly?
  • How do you stay in the present moment through your day?

I thought of this the other day when I was I was standing at my kitchen counter, peeling these almonds I soaked. I did this because a reader had asked about nuts other than cashews for making cream (Thank you Fiona!) – it brought me back to memories of almonds.

Specifically, it brought me back to thoughts of peeling the skins off almonds.

As I stood there (peeling almonds) focusing wholly on the task at hand, it struck me at how meditative the practice of popping off those skins was, one at a time, by hand. As each almond was touched by me, I imagined it was sort of ‘thanked’ as I handled each one and prepared it for what it would become:

Delicious, Nutritious, Fresh, Awesomeness.

Corny I know, but isn’t this why we love preparing food so much? Isn’t a meal only as good as the love it was prepared with?

So with this thought, I will share with you this recipe for almond cream, or milk. This base can be used for either, depending on how you prefer to enjoy it – I love cold almond milk over granola or on it’s own, it’s so refreshing and healthful.

The Less:

Freshly soaked almond milk means less packaging from store bought tetra paks. Less processing means more freshness. Less time grocery shopping in the center aisles means more time to peruse the fresh aisles and be inspired by the bounty available to us.

The More:

More live nutrition from soaked nuts means more energy infused into your cells. More time mindfully preparing food means more love in your tummy and calm in your center. More dairy-free options means less fat and calories from animal products.

Almond Cream/Milk Base

You will need:

  • 1 cup whole raw almonds
  • 4-6 dates
  • cold water for soaking (enough to cover as the nuts will expand)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Soak almonds in cold water for 12 -18 hours. Soak the dates in a small bowl separately for the same amount of time. When ready, drain the almonds, and rinse well with cold water. Leave the almonds in the bowl of clean cold water.

Using another bowl to hold the peeled almonds, practice your super-powered yogic breathing (or just your regular breathing!), while you pop the skins off of each almond. If you’ve never done this before, you will be amazed: just apply a teeny bit of pressure to the tip of the almond and pull the skin back – those little white almond kernels will shoot right out!

See if you don’t meditate (just a little) while you get in this groove!

Once you are done this step – proceed to the next. Are you calm yet? No big deal either way….maybe you are dancing in the kitchen, that’s just as good!

Next:

Drain your dates. Combine the almonds, soaked dates, vanilla extract, and 1.5 cups of cold water in a blender. Blend on high until creamy, about 2 minutes.

From here you can:

1. Save and eat with the pulp as a cream just like cashew cream (it will be a little thicker)

2. Add up to 3 more cups of water to make milk

If you are making milk, add the extra water and blend on high. When smooth, strain the milk through a super fine strainer or cheesecloth into a large measuring jug or clean bowl. Voila! Fresh Almond Milk!

Store in the fridge in a sealed container for 3-4 days and enjoy cold!

*If you want to, feel free to skip the peeling, this is totally an option if you are short on time. Just be sure to take a few deep breaths while the blender is running!

Be sure save the pulp from the almonds if you make milk – that’s my next post! Can you say chocolate?!

I hope you enjoy this as just another way to stay fresh and nutty and (maybe)…(just a little) less hectic and (maybe, just maybe)…….(just a little) more mindful.

Or, if you don’t, at least you can say you have now peeled almonds before!

Be well – I hope you are all having a wonderful Friday – I would love to hear how it goes!

Yours in Less,

18 Comments

Filed under Nut Recipes, Photography, Raw, Recipes, Rejuvenation, Rich & Simple, Sweet Treats, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Recipe: Date Coconut Bliss Balls

February 21, 2012

 

Got a sweet tooth? Here’s a good challenge – ever tried cutting out baked goods and other sugary treats and replaced them with dried fruits and nuts for a week?

The pursuit of perfection, then, is the pursuit of sweetness and light.

Matthew Arnold

Here’s a sweet way to feed your sweet tooth, with a little chocolate variation to make it even sweeter. All you need is good dates, dried coconut, a little nut butter, and of course, rich, healthy and incredibly satisfying hemp hearts. Combine these ingredients and enjoy a hit of sweetness before a workout or for dessert. Delicious with a spot of tea! Even your mother-in-law will like them.

Because everyone deserves a little sweetness in their lives.

The Less:

Sweet dates are an ancient food prized for their gooey natural sugars. Substitute these for refined sugar and consume less of the white stuff. Nutritionally, these treats will fill you up longer, meaning you can eat less of them to satisfy your craving. More sweetness means less deprivation. Less deprivation can only be a good thing. Because who wants to feel deprived?

The More:

More satisfaction from nutritious nuts and seeds means more sustained energy through the day. Hemp hearts, nut butter, and coconut provide long burning fuel that fills you up for longer. That means more time for all the other sweet things in life.

Date Coconut Bliss Balls:

  • 2 cups pitted dates, soaked in water 6-8 hours
  • 3 tbsp Pumpkin Seed Butter (you can substitute almond or cashew butter)
  • 4 cups dried coconut
  • 6 tbsp hemp hearts

Here is how:

Soak dates for 6-8 hours prior to preparing in enough water to cover.

When ready to go, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 2 cups of coconut onto a cookie sheet. Roast the coconut in the oven until fragrant (about 4 minutes) and turning brown. Remove from oven to cool in a bowl. Drain dates and add to blender. Blend dates to a paste (you will need to stop the blender to make sure you get it all blended, do not worry if there are a few chunks left). Do not add any additional water to the dates when blending.

Remove dates into a large bowl, making sure to scrape them all out from the blender with a spatula. Combine roasted coconut, plain coconut, and hemp hearts in a bowl. Add this mixture to the date paste one cup at a time, stirring with your hands. Add pumpkin seed butter – keep stirring! Don’t be shy with your hands..the mixture should be firm enough to roll into balls.

Roll into one inch balls with your hands until all done, yum….good work!

If you are adding chocolate, melt some high quality dark chocolate over boiling water (I do this by melting the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl over a pot of bowling water). Dip the balls into the melted chocolate by hand and set on a parchment paper lined flat pan. When done, set the balls by refrigerating until the chocolate is firm.

A little rustic presentation is okay. Unless you are serving the Queen of course. (Then – and only then- you might need to obsess about such things).

Though this won’t be relevant – these will store indefinitely in a sealed container in the fridge!

These aren’t totally raw, as the roasted coconut takes care of that, and you certainly can’t classify chocolate as raw – but they can be if you want to skip those steps. I use Omega’s pumpkin seed butter….so good and they add a little sea salt to it.

I’d love to hear how you find bliss.

Yours in Less,


22 Comments

Filed under Children, Cooking, Nut Recipes, Raw, Recipes, Success, Sweet Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,