Recipe of the Week: Vanilla Chocolate Chia Pudding

Aside from being ultra-tasty, chia seeds are one whole food supplement that we all should be waking up to! Incredibly high in omega fatty acids, and an excellent source of calcium, we can count on the benefits of chia seeds to boost our vitality.

Here's a fun fact - chia seeds absorb 9 times their weight in water so they create a gel - not too many foods can boast this quirky transformation. Take into account all their awesome fiber and amino acids essential for breaking down proteins into fuel, and you'll agree these little seeds pack a pretty nutritious punch! You can always add them to smoothies, or sprinkle them on salads or fresh fruit, but we've gone all the way here, creating a Vanilla Chocolate Chia Pudding that acts like a healthy breakfast food, but tastes like dessert.

You'll need:

3 cups homemade cashew creamer, plus 1/2 cup water (see our video here)

1 TBS vanilla extract or 1 tsp Vanillamax from Bulletproof

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 TBS organic cocoa from the Forest Wyfe

Pinch of sea salt

1/2 cup chia seeds

Place all ingredients in Vitamix, except the chia seeds, and blend thoroughly. Place chia seeds in a large bowl and pour the chocolate milk over them; stir well and place in fridge. Remember to stir at least once before it sets up to keep the seeds from clumping. You can get creative with the ingredients, adding cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves or whatever spices you like; even orange zest would be nice.

*You could also use 3 1/2 cups homemade pecan milk or full-fat coconut milk in place of the cashew creamer. I do not recommend even good quality store bought nut milks for this recipe. I tried it one time because I was looking for a shortcut and the final product had a very weird watery texture to it. Homemade is best!

We all know how healthy these chia seeds are, but that's no reason to take our sweet bowl of mush too seriously. Have fun with this one, folks! And as always...Eat in Peace!

Love,

Charlotte

How Our Eating Rituals Impact Digestion and Vitality - And What to do About it!

Every time I sit down to eat I light a candle, even if I'm alone. This is a practice that I have maintained for years. A candle symbolizes that something sacred is happening. In this case, it's a meal!

I believe that our culture is too casual about eating. What you eat literally creates you. Check this out…the word eat is in create! Your body is sacred ground and while you may be paying very close attention to what you eat, you might not think much about how you eat it.

Do you stand on one foot while eating off the cutting board? Do you eat in the car where your biggest concern is not dropping food on your lap? If you considered your body a temple, you wouldn’t just run through the communion line, gobble up a handful of crackers, slug down some wine while playing Candy Crush and throw the pastor a peace sign. Laters!

Unconscious eating is like arriving at a destination but we can't remember how we got there...even when we drove!

If we don't pay attention, we miss the experience entirely. Some people realize how disconnected they are around mealtimes when they try to keep a food journal but honestly can't recall what they put in their mouths that same day!

We voraciously devour information so we choose plants that were grown without harmful chemicals and are harvested at the hands of workers who can earn a living wage. We pay extra and shop locally to choose animals that were raised in open air and slaughtered using the most humane technologies. So why can’t we also choose to honor ourselves by sitting our asses down and making mealtimes sacred?

When we invite special guests to eat with us the first thing we do is set the table, light some candles and pop on some nice tunes. Maybe this is just the kind of ritual we can all do for ourselves and our families to show how much we care.

We honor our bodies and the foods that arrive to our tables by taking the time to appreciate the smells, tastes and textures of each food as it nourishes our bodies. If we don’t, we are missing out on the final stage of all that thought we put into our food choices. Creating rituals around eating also prepares your body to receive food, kind of like the Pavlov dog effect. Your digestive juices will start flowing just by association.

Mealtime rituals actually improve digestion and since we know that health and vitality begins in the belly, the simple act of lighting a candle and turning off the T.V. can improve our overall wellness!

So for every meal, I set my table and light a candle; a ritual that makes even a simple meal feel special. A candle also symbolizes the power of the digestive fire. Fire is a symbol of transformation. Fire takes wood and turns it into ash. It also takes your food and turns it into energy and building blocks for your body.

And of course, as I sit down to eat, I say a silent prayer of thanks and tell my body that it is going to know exactly how to handle what I am about to digest for the highest good. I hope you too can set your table, take a seat and light a candle to Eat in Peace...

Love,

Charlotte

Why I Eat Butter When I Have a Dairy Allergy

Butter is the epitome of flavor. Just like bacon, butter makes everything better. While I say enjoy it if you can, my vote is to leave that lactose-free milk on the shelf!

This might seem like a paradox for some of you who are staunchly against dairy of any kind. And I’m glad so many people inquire about why I choose to eat butter in spite of my allergy to dairy because I’m always happy when I see people thinking critically and questioning conventional thought. It generates a conversation like this one.

Our Western minds want things to fit into boxes; make things black and white, but people and food aren’t like that.

It is all very dynamic and complex. We like to strictly adhere to any diet that has a name and lots of rules as if it is a dogmatic religion; Atkins, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, blah, blah, blah! No one cares.

The bottom line is this - when the body has an allergic reaction to a food, it has to do with the protein. Butter contains a lot of fat, a little water, and negligible amounts of protein. Since butter is a condiment, it is not consumed in large amounts and many people who suffer from a dairy allergy can enjoy butter for this reason. There just isn’t enough protein in butter to elicit an allergic response.

If I were to be a purist about it, then I would eat ghee or clarified butter, which has had all the water and proteins removed through a process of heating and straining. Under these conditions, butter becomes an oil.

One could also argue that when the body has a dairy allergy, it is saying please don’t give me any version of that food. This is why I am not an advocate for lactose-free milk. Your body has told you that it didn’t want the dairy, so why eat this? It is generally not a good idea. Just like my pecan milk, butter is a food that I could theoretically make in my home, which I have. Do you see the difference? And butter tastes so good.

A few years ago, I gave up butter for a month just to check in to see what was happening for me, and I couldn’t tell any difference. Food is such a personal journey. Everybody is different. Some people with a dairy allergy can’t eat butter, so you have to know your body.

Your body couldn’t give a hoot about your nutritional education or your opinions about food, but if you can learn to listen to your body, it will tell you exactly which foods help it perform best. It’s so smart!

While examining the potential role of food allergies in modern chronic diseases is an essential step to reclaiming your vitality, I take no pleasure in removing food from people’s lives. I prefer expanding options versus eliminating them. Food is a source of nutrition and energy but it’s also FUN and pleasurable.