Raw Healthy Easter Chocolates

Raw Healthy Easter Chocolates

It seems like only yesterday I was writing my last years Easter Chocolate recipe, the difference is this year I have a published Cook book and another one on it's way. Anyone who knows me personally and well will also remember how much I loved chocolate and desserts. Back in my fitness competition days, with being on a rigid diet, I use to spend hours in the kitchen trying to make a yummy treat, back in those days it was often with chocolate protein powder!! Thanks to my new holistic natural RAW and SUPER healing food way of life, learning to live a powerful life through raw food, meditation and Yoga I am most  grateful every Easter not to worry about eating processed chocolate, artificial sugars and cope with the emotion and guilt that use to come up after eating too many Easter eggs. 

The greatest thing with these chocolates is you seriously only need one or two to satisfy  you, leave you energised, calm and grateful with guilt free emotions. 
Now that has to be good for you! Please enjoy these recipes, remember the raw way of life, only takes 5 minutes to prepare, so time is not and excuse to make these for your loved ones. 

Check out the healing food  Puffed Millet, I have added to this years Chocolates for my girls. 

Love and Light at Easter 

Nicky xx

Healthy Raw Eater Chocolates 

200g raw cacao butter

50 raw cacao powder 

100g raw honey, pure maple syrup or rice malt syrup (I used maple syrup, Agave is too high in Fructose)

1 tsp vanilla extract essence 

pinch Himalayan pink salt 

Chop cacao butter roughly with a knife on a chopping board to 2 cm cubes.. Place cacao butter into mixing bowl. place in blender or processor for 20 sec.

Blend until the  cacao butter is melted, or  for 10 mins/low speed, scraping down sides of bowl with spatula towards end  to ensure all the cacao butter is melted.

Add remaining ingredients to mixing bowl and continue processing  10 mins low speed 

Turn on high speed for 10-20 sec to fully mix chocolate and to blend honey or syrup in, then pour immediately into lined dish or chocolate molds or onto a tray for a thin chocolate bark.

Additions:

I used half of this mixture and added it to a cup of  Puffed Millet, as my daughters love the texture to give it that  rice bubble effect but only healthy. 

12 Health Benefits:

1. Millet is alkaline and it digests easily.

2. The Hunzas – who live in a remote area of the Himalayan foothills and are known for their excellent health and longevity – enjoy millet as a staple in their diet.

3. Millet will hydrate your colon to keep you from being constipated.

4. Millet acts as a prebiotic feeding microflora in your inner ecosystem.

5. The serotonin in millet is calming to your moods.

6. Millet is a smart carb with lots of fiber and low simple sugars. Because of this it has a relatively low glycemic index and has been shown to produce lower blood sugar levels than wheat or rice. (Kamari and Sumathi, 2002)

7. Magnesium in millet can help reduce the effects of migraines and heart attacks.

8. Niacin (vitamin B3) in millet can help lower cholesterol.

9. Millet consumption decreases triglycerides and C-reactive protein. Scientists in Seoul, South Korea concluded that millet may be useful in preventing cardiovascular disease. Nutrition Research. April 2010; 30(4):290-6.

10. All millet varieties show high antioxidant activity. A team of biochemists analyzed the antioxidant activity; all varieties showed high antioxidant activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 9 June 2010; 58(11):6706-14.

11. Millet is gluten-free and non-allergenic. A great grain for sensitive individuals.

12. Millet’s high protein content (15 percent) makes is a substantial addition to a vegetarian diet.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/12-health-benefits-of-millet.html#ixzz2yweKEynb

If you like fruits and nuts, chop or blend cranberry, raisin, almond, or my favourite chia seeds Place in the freezer to set. 

My Chia Seed chocolates from 'Cooking with Chia'

2 Tbspn coconut oil

2 Tbspn cacao powder - organic 

2 Tbspn chia seeds 

2 Tbspn raw honey, or maple syrup

2 tbspn mixed seeds 

pinch himalayan salt 

Melt the coconut oil on a low heat in a saucepan,, pour into a bowl, ass all other ingredients and mix. Spoon into cupcake patties. Freeze. store in freezer or fridge otherwise they will melt. 

You can also stir into the chocolate:

• shredded coconut
• spices: cinnamon, chilli, cardamom, ginger...
• edible essential oils: peppermint, orange, lemon, cinnamon, vanilla  just a few drops

Swirl through the chocolate:

• nut butter  (or pour a little chocolate into a mold, let it set, add a dab of nut butter, then pour chocolate over to fill molds; or fill with chocolate hazelnut spread ) I have used peanut butter in the past, for naughty treat, but I would use nut butter these days. process your hazel nuts or almonds until they form into a nut butter, you can add a pinch of salt. 

Tips:

• I use this certified Organic Pure Raw Cacao powder.

• Set in the freezer. 

• You can replace half the cacao butter with cold pressed coconut oil if you can't get any cocao butter - but just be aware that it will melt really easily and needs to be kept in the freezer.

Great gift for Easter. 

To Buy my 'Cooking with Chia' a great gift fro mother's Day  coming up click here

http://www.booktopia.com.au/cooking-with-chia-nicky-arthur/prod9781742573311.html?source=pla&gclid=CIWblpvN4b0CFY5cpQod5ngA7w

BALI HEALING YOGA AND RAW FOOD RETREAT 

If you are interested in Raw healing food and want to learn from and amazing chef on our next retreat, and indulge in some time out for YOU, practice YOGA, and learn how to meditate, increase energy, relax, check out my next retreat in Bali Aug 20th -25th. For more information please email me and I can call you soon to discuss in full detail, payment plans, bookings and content. 

Living foods, Life force and getting back to basics

A quote from my mum, 'Time to get back to basics' 

 It is true. It is time.  Are you aware of how much packet food you consume and feed to your family?

 I know what it is like to live a busy life, unhealthy habits,  anyone can change and start to transform old habits to healthier new ones. It doesn't need to be complicated, only simplistic. 

Eating a 80 % Raw way of life can make a big difference to your immune system and health, satisfies the palate and the best part is that with fewer components and fewer steps, it’s less work and is easier to prepare when you’re time- poor

 – simplicity at its best! It’s never going to be as easy as opening a can and microwaving something, but it will be better for you. And it is never ever too late to start all over again, it doesn't matter how old you are, how sick you are, its never too late to begin. 

A commitment to raw food and a healthy eating lifestyle can become habit. It becomes a life all about fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. 

This way of cooking is a ‘lifestyle’ and I promise it will unleash your creativity and energy to create ‘gourmet’, restaurant quality flavors.

Although I like to create lots of recipes, I’m aware that food is seasonal. We eat an abundance of what is in season, knowing that there will be something different next season. Nature provides the seasons this way for a reason.

 Just stop and think for a moment how often you eat the same old thing over and over again. Eat a wide variety of fresh, seasonal produce and you will find that you won’t crave. If you do crave, take it as a sign your body is deficient and it may be time to change some habits.

At our next Live food healing retreat 'Eat Love Meditate' will give you the opportunity to learn an exciting and educational time to come away with a whole new outlook on food, meditation, yoga and living a holistic way of life without medicine but using 'food as your medicine and medicine as your food'

Recipe of the week..
Tomato Basil Soup serves 4  

 

Ingredients

3 large tomatoes- dehydrate 5 hrs

¼ Spanish onion

¼ c olive oil

1 Tbspn dried oregano

1 tspn  rosemary

1 T dried Basil

pinch Himalayan salt, cracked pepper

2 c  filtered water

½ cup Brazil nut milk

Method

Dehydrate tomatoes 5 hrs. Soak the Brazil nuts

Method in a large bowl combine chopped tomatoes, onion, oil, oregano, salt, pepper,

In the blender or vitamix place water, onions, oil, oregano, salt pepper  tomatoes, puree, add ½ cup brazil milk, quickly blend well.

To warm place in dehydrator to lightly heat up. Or heat serving bowls and pour.

Brazil milk

1 cup Brazil nuts – soaked 5 hrs

4 cups filtered water

 Blend well in vitamix or blender process until smooth, strain through a cloth or nut bag and enjoy

Nicky xx

I welcome you to explore our retreat 'Eat, Love Meditate' detox  and the magical wellness centre Fivelements in Ubud. You will be picked up as a VIP and once on the property you will not want to leave. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vaa9ZSPQwg

How to Ferment food and make Sauerkraut for maximum probiotic

Do you get a bloated stomach, constantly battling with gut issues, low immune system, sugar cravings?
Did you know there is a healing way of life? Are you fermenting foods and live

I am very excited in the middle of publishing my third book and playing having fun with RAW and  'fermenting foods'

My main message is healing and preventative health. We all know probiotics  is what heals the GUT. But are you fermenting?

Before I share my new recipe please I want to share my values for the Mind Body Transformation work. See recipe below.

                                                        Mind Body Transformation  

                           ‘Live life mindfully, live food a live vibrant body and positive mind’

 INSPIRATION

My purpose is to help you transform your mind and body, make lifestyle changes so you can live healthy, pain free body, happy with longevity.

Everything I provide for you in this book is designed to accelerate your energy and well being to create a healthy balance fulfilling lifestyle so you can have the energy  to live your  busy life.

My Mission

My mission at MBT is three inspired actions

1.     To educate and empower a community of heart centered people to create healthy changes

2.     To deliver highly effective nutrition recipes, ideas programs and exercise workouts

3.     To form a community hub of all my books and training of resources to assist people in sharing my message to busy modern day people to make vital changes now and create a spiral effect in sharing my message ‘Live with preventative  health and healing actions’ to minimize the illness and disease.

My vision

My vision is simply to live in a world where everyone becomes more conscious and aware of what they are eating, breathing in, thinking and feeling.

A world in which each individual has complete alignment and balance in mind Body Spirit. Alignment between thoughts and actions.  A world of appreciation, sharing, happiness and great health. A world with less illness and disease, stress but EMPOWERMENT gratitude love, health and happiness.

My values

Compassion- I have walked in your shoes

Mind and body connection through healthy diet and Yoga practice- you don't have to get old and live with pain.

Gratitude – Practicing daily gratitude toward nature and the resources , focusing on what we do have not the lack of. 

Now what you have been waiting for How To FERMENT veges and why?

Sauerkraut is a probiotic food

The lactic acid process that naturally preserves sauerkraut is ripe with probiotic power.  The good bacteria that are common to lactic acid preserved food, there is Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. plantarum, L. caret, L. pentoaceticus, L brevis and L. thermophiles. There is a wide range of healthy bacteria responsible for these tasty ferments, so you won’t find the same good bacteria count in every batch, but what you will find is a product brimming with healthy probiotics that will help ensure good gut health. Because of antibiotic use, and even the chlorine in our water, the healthy bacteria in our systems are often beaten down. Including naturally fermented foods such as sauerkraut is an excellent way to rebuild healthy gut bacteria levels.

RUBY KRAUT RECIPE

Vegetables 

1 red cabbage 

2 carrots 

2 tbspn  Himalayan salt 

Spices 

1 tspn celery seeds, divided 

1 tspn dill seeds, divided 

1 tspn black peppercorns, divided 

1 bay leave

Method

Shred, slice or grate cabbage, using a food processor or by knife. Finely slice like a coleslaw consistency 

Do the same for the carrots

You can add to a huge mixing bowl. Add the salt and toss to combine. Leave while you clean up the kitchen, for 30 minutes. 

Then go back to it and knead the veges. Then fill your mason jar, add spices, keep pressing down on the veges and you will see the water submerging this should be during fermentation.

I used small plastic bags filled with rice to act as a weight.

Squash the veges down hard, checking their is no missed air traps, it is important the veges are well covered in liquid. 

Add spices - Optional 

Seal your jars with  lids, out of direct sunlight on your kitchen bench at room temperature.

The kraut may bubble as it ferments, so it can be a good idea to place the jars in a shallow baking dish.

If the veges haven't released enough liquid by the second day to stay submerged, you will want to top them with brine.

Bring water and salt to the boil stir until the salt is completely dissolved, then let cool and add to the veges.

Leave a n inch or two head space in the jars. Add weight again and seal. You will see the bubbling over the next couple of days, it is facilitating as the bubbles are the off-gassing of  CARBON DIOXIDE from lactic acid bacteria at work.

Once a day loosen the lids to let the fermentation gases escape. Pay attention to any veges that have worked their way up the side of the jar or around the bag, you will want to push them back down so they do not go mouldy. 

As the lactic acid bacteria proliferates, your cabbage will turn into sauerkraut. Theoretically your cabbage is ALIVE with probiotics, by day four it can be eaten, hover for best flavour you can leave it from anywhere from one week - 3 weeks depending on how warm the room temperature is. Warmer climates speed up fermentation while cooler temps slow the process.

Refrigerating slows down the process so once ready you can eat and enjoy.