Baby, You're Worth It: Recipes for Low-Carb Root Beer Floats

Do you ever wonder why one alcoholic becomes sober and another doesn’t?

Or why one person makes dietary changes in the face of chronic inflammatory disease and the other doesn’t?

I do. I think about this a lot. It is clear that there is an element of grace, but there's also something else, at least for me. Fear helps me avoid my drug of choice - sugar.

You see, if we are going to celebrate food’s ability to heal the body, then we also have to respect its ability to destroy the body.

I know that fear isn't a welcomed word in the wellness community. We need to do everything out of love, right? Nope. Fear is healthy, and there is evil in this world.

A healthy fear helps us avoid things that have the potential to hurt us. I’m not going to jump head first into shallow water. I’m not going to put my hand in boiling water. And I’m not going to eat frosted fucking cornflakes for breakfast.

Some of these may strike you as common sense but then why do we eat sugar when we know it's harmful? Because if you're not tuned in to your body, the effects seem "down the road." It's true, there are fast poisons and there are slow poisons. Sugar is the latter.

Alongside fear is this simple question I ask myself: is it worth it?

This is the question I carry with me every time I’m faced with a decision as to how I treat my body.

The donut isn’t worth it.

Staying up late to watch a movie isn’t worth it.

Having a glass of red wine with dinner isn’t worth it.

Eating my son’s leftover sweet potato fries isn’t worth it.

That beer with a plate of hot wings isn’t worth it.

The convenience of wireless connections in my home isn’t worth it.

These things aren’t worth it because I understand their impact on my body and won’t feel as well if I partake in them. Sure, they are fun in the moment, but what about the aftermath?

The truth is that life is FULL of fleeting pleasures. They will always be there for us. But right now, in this moment, fleeting pleasure doesn’t interest me. I want to build my life force, not deplete it. I want to love my body, not disrespect it.

In the words of Fifth Harmony, baby I’m worth it! And so are you! (I would kill this song in a karaoke bar, by the way.)

So in the spirit of finding treats that give something back to our body (or at least don’t take something away from us), I want to share my favorite low-carb root beer float recipes with you. This is a hit with my entire family:

Start with making a low-carb, high-fat vanilla ice cream. These are my two favorite recipes:

Keto Vanilla Ice Cream from Healthful Pursuit

A Low-Carb Ice Cream Miracle from Bulletproof

Note to self about this recipe: I only use 3 Tablespoons of xylitol. 5 is too sweet for me.

This is the ice cream maker I use.

Once you make the ice cream, you know what to do: scoop into a cup and pour a stevia-sweetened root beer on top. My two favorite brands are: Zevia and Virgil's Zero Sugar Root Beer. While both are delicious on a hot summer day, I must say that I am partial to Virgil's because it has a darker color which makes it more like a "real" root beer, but that's just me! Either one is a winner.

Enjoy your root beer floats in peace, my friends!

Love,

Charlotte

PS: If you are longing to improve your relationship to food and your body or maybe you feel like there's something you're missing in terms of your wellbeing, you might want to check out my book Eat in Peace to Live in Peace: Your Handbook for Vitality. Thanks for being here!

Recipes: Kale & Chocolate

Let me clear, kale is not one of my favorite vegetables. It can be tough, bitter, hard to digest and overly hyped. I have totally dissed it over the years. BUT I just received a bunch of it from our biodynamic CSA with Aspen Moon Farms and it was amazing - so tender and flavorful. And just like that, I have to take back everything bad I've said about kale! It was a wonderful side dish with salmon. Here's how I prepared it:

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 bunch of organic kale

Dairy-free Caesar dressing from Primal Kitchen

Organic blueberries

Organic walnuts, chopped

HOW TO:

Rip the stems out of the kale (that always feels good). Place leaves on a cutting board and cut into strips. Put in a bowl. Pour a generous amount of dressing on top and massage the dressing into the kale, until wilted (so sensual). Throw in a handful of blueberries and chopped walnuts and stir. Serve with your favorite meat.

Now, I'm sure that this would be wonderful with a homemade dressing, but there was no time for that tonight! Now, let's move on to dark chocolate...

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 pound dark, organic, fair trade 85% cacao chocolate

3 Tablespoons coconut oil

1 five ounce bag Salted Pili Nuts

HOW TO:

Prepare your double boiler on the stove; heat water to high. In the meantime, break up dark chocolate bars into smaller chunks on a cutting board. When nice and hot, melt coconut oil in the double boiler and then add chocolate, stirring constantly until smooth. Pour the chocolate and coconut oil mixture onto a small cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle Pili Nuts on top. Refrigerate and make sure that the pan is sitting on a flat, even surface. When the chocolate is hard, break up into large pieces and store in a container in the fridge. Enjoy – frequently!

Side note: I've also made this with chopped macadamia nuts and a sprinkling of Saffron Salt, and that was delicious, but the pili nuts are THE best. Pili nuts have the right texture, flavor and are the lowest in carbohydrates and highest in good fats. They turn your chocolate into food!

If you have a favorite combination not mentioned here, I'd love to hear from you!

Now you maybe thinking: how are chocolate and kale related? Why put these two recipes together? Well, I have an answer for you. Reclaiming your vitality and building your health is not a single event when it comes to food (or anything for that matter). One meal isn't going to heal you. Healing occurs with thousands of little, tiny decisions you make each day over the course of years...which happen to include eating nutrient dense foods like kale and dark chocolate.

Eat your kale and dark chocolate in peace, my friends!

Recipe: Kava Chai

This is an absolutely wonderful beverage: caffeine-free, dairy-free, low-carb, warming, nourishing, AND relaxing. What more could you ask for?

Here's what you need...

1 small can coconut cream, warmed

3 scoops Blue Lotus Rooibos Masala Chai

2 scoops collagen powder

2 scoops Perfect Keto vanilla MCT powder

1 1/4 cup boiled water

2-6 Kava Forte tablets from MediHerb, crushed (available through trained health professionals)

Combine all ingredients in blender until frothy and enjoy. This recipe will make two 8-ounce cups.

A few more thoughts...

If you want to learn more about kava, you can read my blog post titled Kava: Herbal Stories From My Heart to Yours. In this writing, I share some personal experiences with this plant as well as a recipe for Kava Coladas. I developed this Kava Chai recipe out of a desire to have a kava-enriched, low-carb beverage during the winter months. Plus, the flavor of kava blends in really well with the spiciness of a well formulated chai. Black pepper and kava are both members of the piperaceae family, also known as the pepper family.

While I enjoy making homemade chai, I absolutely love this product from Blue Lotus. It's made with organic hot water soluble rooibos powder and organic powdered ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper, cinnamon and cloves. It's a lovely shortcut in your kitchen! Traditionally, chai is made with black tea, but who needs the caffeine if you're trying to relax with kava? Not me!

All of these warming spices offer amazing digestive support, as well as increasing circulation and relieving the body of stagnation - gotta keep that blood moving, particularly during the winter time when we are prone to the constricting effects of cold and are immune systems can be stressed. Sometimes I notice that my face will turn pink after drinking this beverage, especially if I enjoy it in a hot, relaxing bath. It's herbal medicine at its very best!

I hope you enjoy it.

PS - I have many more recipes in the back of my book Eat in Peace to Live in Peace: Your Handbook for Vitality, and if you want to keep in touch, be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter here. In the meantime, drink your Kava Chai in peace!