A Higher Fiber Nutrients Rich Dessert Recipe – Chocolate Zucchini Bars

 

Click HERE to Get These Super Healthy Sweet Treats & Dessert Recipes

Zucchini, a summer squash (also goes by the name courgette), has its origins in America although countries like Japan, China, Romania, Turkey, Italy, Egypt and Argentina are the largest producers of Zucchini today.

Although there are a few varieties from yellow (golden) to light green and dark green, the dark green is the one most often found and that most people are familiar with.

This healthy summer squash is actually considered a fruit but most often used as a veggie. It looks similar to a cucumber (and also has numerous seeds like cucumbers) and offers much in the way of health benefits:

Boasting high levels of vitamin C, protein, fiber and carbohydrates. It also offers healthy doses of potassium, folate and Vitamin A, and helps promote eye health and other diseases that occur from vitamin C deficiency such as scurvy and sclerosis and it even helps those who bruise easily.

Zucchini is grown year round and enjoyed raw, sliced or cooked. It is often shredded and used in breads as well as cold and hot salads. Full grown zucchini are a bit tough and too fibrous to enjoy but young zucchini offer a soft covering with a subtle taste and buttery white flesh.

The whole squash, the flesh, seeds and skin of a zucchini can be eaten and enjoyed. It has even been known to help reduce weight (how’s that for an added benefit?) while boosting nutrition because it is very low in calories providing only 17 per g.

The peel of zucchini is good source of dietary fiber, helping reduce constipation and offering some protection against colon cancers. It also contains no saturated fats or cholesterol.

Here’s a great Zucchini recipe to get you started. This is just one of many you’ll find in “Blended Bites” a collection of some of my favorite dessert recipes that use veggies/fruits as a main ingredient.

Creating desserts like this take that awful “guilt” out of the equation. 

Chocolate Zucchini Bars

Base

• 1 cup almonds

• ½ cup sunflower seeds

• 1 cup dates, soaked at least 30 minutes and drained

• ¼ cup cocoa or cacao powder

• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Place almonds and sunflower seeds into a food processor and process until mixture is broken down and crumbly. Add other ingredients and process until well combined. Spoon out into a small dish or pan and spread out evenly.

Filling

• 2 cups desiccated coconut

• 1 cup zucchini, peeled and diced (about 1 medium zucchini)

• ¼ cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

• 2 tablespoons honey

Blend all ingredients together until are well combined. Spread over base mixture.

Topping

• ½ cup cocoa or cacao powder

• ¼ cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Mix all together in a small bowl and swirl on top of filling. Place into fridge to firm up then cut into bars.

Want to have another high fiber nutrients rich dessert recipe? Watch this video – High-fibre chocolate fudgy brownie bites

Ready to take your traditional type desserts and turn them into “life giving” desserts? Grab my “50 Desserts with Hidden Veggies. “  In it you will discover no bake, Paleo friendly, no sugar, gluten free, healthy sweet treat and dessert recipes…

It’s time to make every bite you take count!

Author Bio:

Carolyn Hansen is the author of The Blended Bites Healthy Snack and Dessert Recipe Collection. This is a one-stop resource for delicious, healthy, guilt-free snacks that you can eat every day. And even better, EVERY ONE of these recipes are RAW healthy snack foods that taste as good as their fattening counterparts.

You can NOW satisfy your snack urge without any negative impact on your weight loss and fitness goals, and without sweating over a hot stove. These easy-to-prepare snacks contain no sugar, no flour or butter and are paleo friendly.

So, if you want to get your hands on recipes for desserts and snacks that you will not need to feel guilty about eating the next time you have a craving for something delicious, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s books at Blended Bites, where she will show you how to take control of your blender and churn out mouth-watering desserts and snacks that will have the kids in your neighborhood lined up around the block for a sample.

How to Create Healthy Homemade Snacks with Lemons?

 

Click HERE to Get These Super Healthy Sweet Treats & Dessert Recipes

Improve Your Health and Your Disposition with Lemons

The lovely little yellow lemon is packed with flavor but thankfully not with calories.

One whole lemon is only 12 to 20 calories, yet provides our bodies with nearly all of our daily vitamin C requirements.

Vitamin C among other things, builds collagen in the body. Collagen is essential for smoothing out wrinkles and lines in the face.

But, lemons are way more than flavor and vitamin C. They are a real powerhouse of antioxidants known as flavonoids that help reduce the risk of heart disease, inflammation and even have the ability to fight certain cancers.

Flavonoids help to locate and eliminate potentially harmful particles called free radicals that could otherwise damage the body’s cells and DNA. Additionally, lemons help to improve cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and relieve heartburn. They provide both antioxidant and antibacterial properties.

This small but powerful superfood not only provides us with Vitamin C, but also provides many B vitamins, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and fiber. When enjoyed with foods high in iron (such as leafy greens) they can help the body to absorb it.

Even though lemons themselves (before you eat them) are acidic in nature, they actually work to keep your body alkaline – a healthy pH level. They also boost the immune system and benefit the digestive system and are known to help with weight loss because the fiber they provide is pectin and studies have shown that pectin reduces hunger cravings (because it helps us to feel fuller longer.)

Like most fruits and vegetables, the whole fruit is what provides full health benefits…so don’t be afraid of using the peel (where most of the vitamin C is found.)

Although the big punch of vitamin C is located in the peel of the lemon, all of it can and should be used…juice it, zest the peel, or use the lemony flesh in any dish that requires a bit of brightening up. Citrus enhances both savory and sweet dishes.

Don’t be duped into buying pre-squeezed lemon juice. Go for the real thing if you really want to benefit from this little yellow jewel. When buying fresh lemons choose the ones that are fully yellow and if possible go organic. Any green left on the lemon means that it has not yet ripened fully.

Avoid lemons that are wrinkled, dull in appearance or excessively hard. Most people are not aware that you can even freeze citrus whole…including lemons. So, there really is no reason to not have fresh lemons at your fingertips. It’s always best to go fresh but this works in a pinch.

Although drinking lemon water has been a mild trend for a while now, this trend is growing rapidly as more and more people discover the exceptional benefits that lemon water provides. Best when used in warm water and perfect as your morning “stimulant.” It’s great for flushing out toxins and preventing constipation.

In a recent study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “regularly consuming vitamin C led to younger-looking skin with less wrinkles.” How’s that for a benefit?

Even the scent of lemons is pleasant to most people and has been found to improve moods as well as decrease stress levels.

Want to create healthy homemade snacks with lemons? Watch this video – Easy Healthy Lemon Bars (5 ingredients!)

So, what are you waiting for? The next time life hands you lemons, make lemon juice!

Looking for some exciting dessert and treat recipes using lemons that actually contribute to your health? Are ready to take your traditional desserts and turn them into “life giving” desserts?  “50 Desserts with Hidden Veggies” is your answser. In it you will discover no bake, Paleo friendly, no sugar, gluten free healthy sweet treat and dessert recipes… It’s time to make every bit count!

Author Bio:

Carolyn Hansen is the author of The Blended Bites Healthy Snack and Dessert Recipe Collection. This is a one-stop resource for delicious, healthy, guilt-free snacks that you can eat every day. And even better, EVERY ONE of these recipes are RAW healthy snack foods that taste as good as their fattening counterparts.

You can NOW satisfy your snack urge without any negative impact on your weight loss and fitness goals, and without sweating over a hot stove. These easy-to-prepare snacks contain no sugar, no flour or butter and are paleo friendly.

So, if you want to get your hands on recipes for desserts and snacks that you will not need to feel guilty about eating the next time you have a craving for something delicious, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s books at Blended Bites, where she will show you how to take control of your blender and churn out mouth-watering desserts and snacks that will have the kids in your neighborhood lined up around the block for a sample.

Why Raw Cacao is a Super Ingredient Choice for Creating Healthy Snacks?

 

Click HERE to Get These Super Healthy Sweet Treats & Dessert Recipes

Raw Cacao – A Rich Source of Nutrients and a Powerhouse of Antioxidants

The cacao bean is the source of both cacao powder and cocoa powder. However, if you are looking for the purest form of chocolate you can consume packed with the most nutrients, raw cacao is your answer.

Cacao powder has been enjoyed for centuries in the kitchen and as a health aide. It is believed to be the highest source of antioxidants of all foods and the highest source of magnesium of all foods – it even trumps dark chocolate when it comes to antioxidants provided offering 300 different chemical compounds with nearly 4 times the antioxidant power of dark chocolate.

Cacao powder is also considered brain food because it contributes to cognitive function and the flow of blood to the brain – it improves heart health, stress and cholesterol levels and reduces inflammation. It is perfect for desserts, smoothies and even makes the cross-over easily to savory dishes.

Cacao beans grow in cacao pods on the fruit tree known as “Theobroma Cacao.” When the pods are cracked open the cacao bean is released. The bean is then harvested, fermented (not always) and dried.

Cacao and cocoa powder are not the same

In cacao powder the bean is still in its raw state – uncooked, unprocessed and additive free. It is unadulterated and is not as processed as traditional cocoa powder. It is processed by cold-pressing (pressing the oil/cocoa butter out) unroasted cocoa beans which removes the fat but keeps the living enzymes active.

Cocoa powder on the other hand has been roasted at high temperatures which changes the molecular structure of the bean and reduces the enzyme activity lowering the nutritional value.

The fattest part of the cacao fruit is the cacao butter that lines the inside of the cacao bean. Offering a rich, buttery texture similar in taste and texture to white chocolate.

Cacao powder is what remains of the fruit once the cacao butter is cold-pressed removed. It is the most important ingredient for making chocolate. An excellent source of nutrients, offering monounsaturated fats and cholesterol-free saturated fats. It also offers a wealth of vitamins, minerals, fiber, natural carbohydrates and protein.

Cacao nibs are cacao beans that have been chopped into edible pieces similar to chocolate chips but with no added sugars or fats. They do contain the same wealth of nutrients, fiber and fat you find in cacao beans. Nibs are just small bits of fermented, roasted, dried and crushed cacao bean. Offering an intense, non-sweet, chocolaty taste, they are very good for your health.

Cacao nibs and cacao powder are becoming a healthy cook’s best friend and are showing up everywhere.

The versatility of cacao nibs is one reason for their recent popularity. Similar to a macadamia nut in texture, cacao nibs are crunchy yet tender. If chocolate is already a favorite treat of yours, then you’ll likely fall in love with cacao nibs – even if their somewhat “bitter” taste takes a bit of getting used to.

They are perfect as is just sprinkled on your favorite gluten and sugar free cupcakes or mixed into your favorite homemade granola.

Consider creating healthy snacks using raw cacao? Watch this video – Deliciously Ella – Cacao & Almond Energy Balls

Ready to take your traditional desserts and turn them into “life giving” desserts? “50 Desserts with Hidden Veggies” was written with you in mind.  In it you will discover no bake, Paleo friendly, no sugar, gluten free healthy sweet treat and dessert recipes…

Isn’t it time to make every bite you take count!

Author Bio:

Carolyn Hansen is the author of The Blended Bites Healthy Snack and Dessert Recipe Collection. This is a one-stop resource for delicious, healthy, guilt-free snacks that you can eat every day. And even better, EVERY ONE of these recipes are RAW healthy snack foods that taste as good as their fattening counterparts.

You can NOW satisfy your snack urge without any negative impact on your weight loss and fitness goals, and without sweating over a hot stove. These easy-to-prepare snacks contain no sugar, no flour or butter and are paleo friendly.

So, if you want to get your hands on recipes for desserts and snacks that you will not need to feel guilty about eating the next time you have a craving for something delicious, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s books at Blended Bites, where she will show you how to take control of your blender and churn out mouth-watering desserts and snacks that will have the kids in your neighborhood lined up around the block for a sample.

How to Choose the Right Ingredients to Create Healthy Nutritious Desserts?

 

Click HERE to Get These Super Healthy Sweet Treats & Dessert Recipes

Shift Your Perception about Dieting by Adopting the Addition Diet

Elimination diets have been around for a while now. They are a dime a dozen putting focus on food groups that need elimination from your diet. Filled with words like “can’t,” don’t touch,” and “bad for you”…all pointing the fingers in a negative direction.

It’s no surprise then that many people “fall off the bandwagon” when trying to improve their eating habits by following such negativity.

But just as all things in life change and evolve, so too does healthy eating and there’s a new kid on the block gaining popularity called the “addition diet.” Even the name sounds positive and reflects positive images into our psyches.

The “addition diet” represents a real shift in perceptions (a psychological shift) from negatively to positively approaching our diets. It shifts the “can’t” to “can”…a much more empowered way of doing things.

Truth is, human beings are curious by nature. If we are told we cannot do something or cannot eat something it seems as though a trigger goes off inside and suddenly we want those things more than ever and that’s when real battle begins.

The “addition diet” avoids this negative “dieting” trigger by allowing you to add foods not subtract them.

This puts your mind in a different mindset, a healthy, positive mindset…one focused on the positive rather than the negative putting you on a direct path to success.

Dieting in general teaches us to remove unwanted, unhealthy foods such as certain types of breads, sugar and all processed foods but they fail to inform us on what to replace these foods with so we’re left with a big gap in food and meal choices. Unfortunately, most times we end up filling these gaps with “junk foods.”

The first thing you need to do before beginning an “addition diet” is to make a list of foods that will be added to your eating plan rather than subtracted from. These foods should be real, natural, whole fresh choices.

Your goal should still be stellar health and vibrant living and that can only happen with real live food.

So, if you’re ready to shift your diet perceptions from negative to positive then it’s time to start making a list of foods you’ll want to incorporate into your new “addition diet.”

Here a short list to get you started (this list is only an example and not the end-all).

Fruits and Vegetables: Be adventurous and expand your horizons. Mother Earth has provided us a rich bounty. Try some fruits or vegetables that you have not been willing to try before…or possibly some you have not had in a while. Vegetables such as sweet potatoes are perfect choices but why not reach for that Mango you’ve never tried too?

Protein: This is another area that you can get adventurous in. Quality proteins include things such as grass fed meats, fresh fish from the ocean and free range poultry and eggs. High quality whey protein powders are also good choices.

Healthy fats: Your body needs fat in order to be healthy but we’re talking healthy fats – not bad ones. Coconut oil is one of the perfect fats that can replace some of the “bad fats” that may be lurking in your kitchen cabinets.

Nuts and seeds – There are lots of raw nuts and seeds you can add – nutrient-rich and packed full of healthy fats too.

The whole idea of an addition diet is to focus on adding foods into your diet that “contribute” to your health balance and by doing so; you automatically “crowd out” the ones that are “subtracting” from your health balance.

Simple, important and powerful!

You don’t have to give up desserts and treats either if you plan and choose the right ingredients – even desserts can be made healthy, nutritious (using veggies and fruits will help you meet your daily requirements too) and good for you!

Watch this video – Homemade PROTEIN BARS Recipe (Easy & Healthy)

If you are ready to take your traditional desserts, treats and snacks and turn them into “life giving” ones grab my “50 Desserts with Hidden Veggies. “  In it you will discover no bake, Paleo friendly, no sugar, gluten free healthy sweet treats and dessert recipes…

It’s time to make every bite you take count!

Author Bio:

Carolyn Hansen is the author of The Blended Bites Healthy Snack and Dessert Recipe Collection. This is a one-stop resource for delicious, healthy, guilt-free snacks that you can eat every day. And even better, EVERY ONE of these recipes are RAW healthy snack foods that taste as good as their fattening counterparts.

You can NOW satisfy your snack urge without any negative impact on your weight loss and fitness goals, and without sweating over a hot stove. These easy-to-prepare snacks contain no sugar, no flour or butter and are paleo friendly.

So, if you want to get your hands on recipes for desserts and snacks that you will not need to feel guilty about eating the next time you have a craving for something delicious, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s books at Blended Bites, where she will show you how to take control of your blender and churn out mouth-watering desserts and snacks that will have the kids in your neighborhood lined up around the block for a sample.

How to Create Healthy Raw Sweet Desserts and Treats to Satisfy Your Sugar Cravings?

 

Click HERE to Get These Super Healthy Sweet Treats & Dessert Recipes

Explore the Exciting World of Raw Sweet Desserts and Treats

Have you ever made a cake without having to bake it? Or whipped up desserts like chocolate mousse, cookies, and ice cream without using sugar, flour, dairy, soy or eggs as ingredients? Does that seem impossible to you?

It’s not only possible, it is by far the preferred way to prepare snacks and desserts and most people are astonished to discover how easy it is to make exciting, delicious sweet recipes which use raw and live food ingredients including vegetables.

The truth is, understanding the role that raw foods play in your diet and the expansion of their use is critical to your long term overall health.

Living foods are alive, they have not been cooked – at least to the level that it destroys the enzymes that we would otherwise derive from the food for our benefit. Most times this means the food in its uncooked or raw state.

Raw foods that can be added to your diet daily without first needing to be cooked are any raw nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, sprouted grains, and beans. These foods are not processed, heated, cooked or altered in any way. They are nothing more than whole foods in their natural living state, a gift from Mother Nature herself.

You might question whether nuts can be considered “live food.” But, if you consider the fact that nuts sprout when soaked in water it’s easy to see that they were just in their dormant state and waiting to be prompted. They are very much alive just waiting for the perfect environmental opportunity of water, light and warmth to activate their inner life force.

This is why it is better to sprout beans, nuts and even seeds overnight – it activates the food’s living energy in the form of enzymes that pass instructions at the cellular level (important to us because it assists our ability to digest food properly.

On the contrary, cooked foods have been stripped of the enzymatic activity that raw living foods have to offer.

Gluten intolerance which is a condition experienced by many is largely explained by this idea as wheat is not sprouted before it is cooked so the gluten (part of the cell structure) becomes indigestible and toxic to those that are particularly vulnerable to it.

If wheat is first sprouted and then cooked at a temperature below 112 degrees Fahrenheit it is still alive when eaten. Essene bread (named after the Essene’s, an ancient civilization that flourished 2,000 years ago) is freshly made sprouted wheat and rye bread that is unbelievable good and contributes to your health rather than causing a toxic reaction. These nature lovers cooked their grains/bread after sprouting on a rock in the sun.

It’s important to elevate the amount of food in your diet which is rich in active enzymes because your body needs them to function properly and will actually deplete its own enzyme reserves if they are not constantly replenished.

It seems that nature gifts each one of us with an “enzyme bank account.” This account needs regular deposits made by taking in the enzymes found in raw foods. If we do not make regular deposits but simply continue to use up our present supply, we become more susceptible to aging, disease and premature death.

Once you discover

Designing healthy snacks is something of an art and cannot be made by simply taking a normal recipe based around sugar, butter and white flour and turning it into something healthy. However, once you get a feel for it you’ll find yourself experimenting more and more. Get the family involved. Find out what their favorite raw foods are and incorporate them into your sweet dishes.

Expand your horizons to include an array of vegetables in your sweet, raw desserts and treat dishes as well as savory dishes. They add moisture, texture, fiber, taste and color. They are a real adventure in boosting your health and fun to explore in more depth.

Not only will nutritional, raw, fresh ingredients (in your snacks treats and desserts) make you feel and look great, but they taste great too. And, the best thing of all, they are guilt free meals.

Eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies is key to maintaining balanced nutrition and a healthy body.

Watch these 2 videos to learn how to create healthy raw sweet desserts and treats to satisfy your sugar cravings

What I Eat When I’m Craving Sugar [Low Sugar Dessert Recipe!!]

Healthy Sweet Tooth Treats | Desserts

Discover no bake, Paleo friendly, no sugar, gluten free healthy sweet treat and dessert recipes that incorporate a wide variety of healthy vegetables…“50 Desserts with Hidden Veggies. ” 

Isn’t it time you began introducing these much ignored nutrient-dense super-stars into all your dishes…including your desserts?

Author Bio:

Carolyn Hansen is the author of The Blended Bites Healthy Snack and Dessert Recipe Collection. This is a one-stop resource for delicious, healthy, guilt-free snacks that you can eat every day. And even better, EVERY ONE of these recipes are RAW healthy snack foods that taste as good as their fattening counterparts.

You can NOW satisfy your snack urge without any negative impact on your weight loss and fitness goals, and without sweating over a hot stove. These easy-to-prepare snacks contain no sugar, no flour or butter and are paleo friendly.

So, if you want to get your hands on recipes for desserts and snacks that you will not need to feel guilty about eating the next time you have a craving for something delicious, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s books at Blended Bites, where she will show you how to take control of your blender and churn out mouth-watering desserts and snacks that will have the kids in your neighborhood lined up around the block for a sample.