Megan Rand

Category: Superfoods

  • Chaga Hot Chocolate

    Chaga Hot Chocolate

     

    Chaga mushrooms are a type of medicinal mushroom known as the Siberian Gift to the Gods! They grow on trees and are extremely hard and rigid as compared to most types of mushrooms.   They are consumed by being ground into a powder and can then be made into a delicious beverage.

     

    We all know mushrooms are a superfood but these are like mushrooms on steroids! They are a very dense source of minerals including calcium, iron, manganese. They are also great for detox as they support the kidneys and liver.  A mid-afternoon chaga tea or hot chocolate can give you a boost in energy while supporting the adrenal glands because of the high mineral content.

     

    As if those weren’t enough benefits to want to try this magical mushroom, they also support digestion and are a rich source of pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and niacin. Chaga mushrooms have been used in ancient cultures for 100s of years and people who consume chaga mushrooms on a regular basis are said to live 85-100 years old.

     

    If ground up mushroom powder does not sound that appetizing, it is actually quite delicious when made into this hot chocolate because the chaga powder has somewhat of a caramel flavor! Think Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate! (a hippy nutritious version)

     

    Chaga Hot Chocolate

    2 Tbsp chaga powder

    2 Tbsp cacao powder

    1 Tbsp coconut oil (or as desired)

    1 tsp up to 1 Tbsp raw manuka honey (or as desired)

    ¼-1/3 cup of coconut milk

    ½ inch knob of fresh ginger

    1 Tbsp collagen powder

    1 tsp cinnamon (to taste)

    ½-1 tsp nutmeg (to taste)

    Sprinkle of pink sea salt

     

    Add chaga powder and cacao powder to the bottom of mug. Fill mug ¾ full with hot water. Melt coconut oil into hot water. Add honey and stir together. Put coconut milk, ginger, collagen powder, cinnamon, nutmeg into a blender (we have a Vitamix) that can handle hot beverages (not all of them can, be aware of exploding hot drinks!!). Pour the liquid that you have mixed together in your mug into the blender. Blend on high until well blended and frothy. Pour into your mug and top with a sprinkle of pink sea salt if desired.

     

    Enjoy!!!

     

  • My Two Favorite Recipes for Chia Seeds

    My Two Favorite Recipes for Chia Seeds

     

    I see chia seeds everywhere now. They are in drinks, in the bulk aisle, in cereals and baby foods. But, it wasn’t always like this. When I was first introduced to chia seeds by my running coach in Hawaii it was not available in the local stores yet and I would order it online. At the time I had to order 20lbs of it in bulk! That is a lot of chia seeds.

     

    Luckily among our running friends chia was a hot commodity. The book Born to Run inspired this love for chia seeds since we all wanted to be able to easily run 50-100 miles like the Tarahumara. Chia was a dietary stable of the Tarahumara, the Native American people of northwestern Mexico who were known for their long-distance running ability.

     

    I can’t say that the chia seeds made running a marathon easy, but I was munching on chia during my one successful marathon in Honolulu. I was enjoying the chia seeds, but my running partner wasn’t quite as pleased since she had the “ch-ch-ch chia” tune in her head for the last 15 miles! Hey, whatever you have to do to stay distracted, I think I might have done her a favor.

     

    If you aren’t convinced yet, here are the top reasons why I love chia seeds:

    • According to Dr. Andrew Weil, chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids and provides fiber as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.
    • Great for travel. They don’t need to be ground, so you can pack them in your suitcase and have them readily available to make chia pudding for breakfast or a snack in your hotel room. You can also pack travel size containers of almond milk (if checking luggage), as well as nuts and just pick up fresh fruit in your destination city.
    • Hangover Cure. Had a little too much to drink? 1-2 Tbsp of chia seeds in a glass of lemon water before going to bed does the trick for me. Not only are you rehydrating, but the chia seeds help absorb and flush out the extra alcohol.
    • Can help pull excess estrogen out of the body. You can read more about the anti-cancer effects of chia (and flax seeds) here by Dr. Furhman.

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    My Basic Chia Water

    For 1 serving:

    • 2 cups water
    • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
    • ½ lemon, lime or tablespoon Cranberry Concentrate

     

    Add water to a large glass first and then chia seeds. Stir or shake (I like to use a jar with a lid) the mixture until the chia seeds are fully hydrated. When fully hydrated they will be evenly suspended throughout. This should take about 10 minutes. Add your lemon, lime, Cranberry Concentrate (or all 3!!) and enjoy!!

     

    Not sure that you want to drink this? Chia seed pudding is also a good option and is much more delicious than it sounds!

     

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    Chia Pudding Recipe

    For 1-2 servings:

    • 1 cup coconut, almond, or hemp milk
    • 2-3 tablespoons chia seeds
    • 1 banana
    • ½ cup strawberries (frozen are OK)
    • Handful of almonds or walnuts, if desired
    • Cinnamon, to taste

     

    Mix all the ingredients together and let them sit in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Stir after a few minutes, as the chia seeds are “gelling” into a pudding-like consistency. Let it sit in the refrigerator about 20 minutes or until ready to eat.

    If you find the pudding too thick, you can add more milk or a little water. If you find the pudding too thin, add more chia seeds or any of the other ingredients to make it thicker. You really can’t go wrong with chia pudding, which is why I love making it so much.

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    Are you singing ch-ch-ch-chia right along with me?

     

    What are your favorite recipes for chia seeds? We’d love to hear!!

  • The BEST Guilt-Free Honey Sweetened Chocolate

    The BEST Guilt-Free Honey Sweetened Chocolate

     

    I am not a stalker usually… but last week I was.

     

    I overheard a mom with three children explaining to someone else at Whole Foods that she makes her own yogurt and her children follow a pretty strict Paleo diet. As she was speaking, one of the children was asking “mom does this have corn in it?”

     

    We needed to be friends.

     

    As a health coach mom with a child who is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, corn free and junk free, sometimes our restrictions can be alienating. Meeting another family able to keep up with the lifestyle with THREE kids… I was impressed to say the least.

     

    As we walked away I whispered to my daughter “Lily, those kids eat like you do!” She quickly turned and said “I want to meet them!!”

     

    The good news is that when you become a mom, stalking someone in a grocery store because your daughter wants to meet them is a little more acceptable than without children.

     

    I am very glad that we were stalkers that day because as it turns out Julie was one of the founders of Pure 7 Chocolates and I have fallen in love with their chocolate and their story.

     

    After visiting Julie & Carrie, the co-owners of Pure 7 Chocolates in their local kitchen I asked if I could interview them to share their story. Check it out!

     

    Q:  As 2 busy moms, what prompted you to want to start your own chocolate company?

     

    A:  When we first started our company together, we had 7 children ages 8 and under.  Our youngest were still toddlers so it was a very busy and crazy time to start any new project, let alone a start-up company.  But, we are both driven to feed our families healthy and nourishing food and we saw a need in the market (and in our families) for a healthy chocolate.

     

    Q: Why not just eat the healthy chocolate already out there?

     

    We needed a chocolate that was honey sweetened with no additives or fillers.

    When Julie’s son was diagnosed with autism she went through many different iterations of a healthy diet to support her son. A gluten free, dairy free diet showed huge improvements but she soon realized they were still addicted to the Standard American Diet (SAD) just without the gluten and dairy.

    The SCD diet came next with even better results as his eye contact and presence returned. After about 6 months they switched to the GAPS diet and this made the most drastic difference!  Julie’s son & daughter both stopped stimming after 2 weeks on the diet.  They stayed on the GAPS diet and followed the stages with a GAPS practitioner for 2 years.  They currently follow a Paleo type diet now.

    (For more details about their journey and GAPS you can read Julie’s blog here)

    Although they were able to follow their plan consistently, they missed CHOCOLATE!  Chocolate is allowed on the full GAPS diet but nobody was making a GAPS legal chocolate and Julie was a strict follower of the diet.  All the chocolate at the stores were filled with sugars, fillers and artificial flavors!

    That is why we started making Pure7 Chocolate!

    [image url=”http://gingernewtrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Ginger-Newtrition-chocolate-almond.png” raw=”true” alignment=”left” margin_left=”0″ margin_right=”10″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”0″ link=”http://www.pure7chocolate.com” target=”_parent” width=”300″ height=”300″]

    Q:  What was the biggest hurdle or hardest part about starting your own business.

     

    A:  Everything was hard in the beginning.  We first had to figure out how to make honey sweetened chocolate which we were told over and over could not be done.  It literally took us a year of research and experimentation in the kitchen until we finally figured out the exact recipe and how to temper honey-sweetened chocolate.  Once we had a product, we had to figure out all of the other details of starting a business from the ground up.  We just networked and took notes and relied on advice from people who were in start-up food businesses.

    If you have a product that you love and you can stand behind 100%, I think people can see that and success happens organically.

     

    Q:  What makes your chocolate so awesome?

     

    A: We make handcrafted Raw, Organic & Fair Trade honey-sweetened chocolate. Our bars are unprocessed, unrefined and free of chemicals, dairy, soy, gluten and refined sugars.  Just Pure!

    Because our bars are sweetened with honey, the texture is smooth and creamy…almost like a milk chocolate in its texture.  Our bars are all 85-87% cacao…but because they are sweetened with honey, they are not bitter like a lot of other dark chocolate.

    Pure7 Chocolate has been a HUGE hit for the Paleo, GF, DF, SF & raw diets!

    We believe PURE ingredients are naturally nutritious and simply taste better.  That’s why we are committed to hand making our bars in small batches without the use of chemicals, dairy, soy, gluten and refined sugars.

     

    Q:  Where can we find your product?

     

    A:  We are in gourmet/specialty stores in New England and New York City as well as Whole Foods in New England but you can also purchase our chocolate online.  We are expanding quickly so for a list of all of our most up-to-date locations, check out our website at www.pure7chocolate.com.

     

    This is what I hope you take away from this post:

    • If you have children and are struggling with getting them the best food for their situation, know that you are not alone. Keep it up and know that you will be setting them up for a lifetime of health.
    • If you see a need for a product in the market that can help families live healthier, happier lives… go for it!!
    • Go get some chocolate!! This stuff is delicious and supports fabulous people! pure7chocolate.com

     

    Are you following us on Instagram? Check us out: gingernewtrition.   We are doing a giveaway soon of this fabulous chocolate.  I don’t know about you, but I would hate to miss free chocolate!!

     

  • Top 10 daily Superfoods (and some of my other favorites)

    Top 10 daily Superfoods (and some of my other favorites)

    Superfoods are a special category of foods found in nature. By definition, they are sparse in calories and dense in nutrients, meaning they pack a lot of punch for their weight. They are superior sources of antioxidants and essential nutrients that we need but cannot make ourselves.

    The most important thing for everyone to know is that superfoods are easy to find in every local supermarket. They’re worth looking for!

    Top 10 Daily Superfoods:

    1)     Apples

    2)     Blueberries

    3)     Beets

    4)     Avocados

    5)     Kale

    6)     Kiwi Fruit

    7)     Lentils

    8)     Sweet Potatoes

    9)     Walnuts

    10)  Wild Salmon

    These nutritional, powerhouse foods are loaded with nutrients crucial to a healthy, long life.  If you can include a variety of them in your diet every day, I promise they will change your life!

    I have also included a few of my favorite superfoods that you may or may not have tried:

    Maca:
    Maca is a potent, ancient Peruvian superfood highly prized by Incan warriors to increase stamina, boost libido, and combat fatigue. The maca root was prized throughout the Incan empire for its adaptogenic-like qualities that enable it to nourish and balance the body’s delicate endocrine system and to help cope with stress. It also energizes naturally, without the jitters and crashes of caffeine, and it can aid in reproductive function, helping to balance hormones and increase fertility.  Add maca to smoothies for an extra energy boost.

    Chia Seeds:
    Ancient cultures throughout Central America have long enjoyed chia seeds as a key part of their food and medicine. The seeds were even used as currency. Chia seeds are loaded with omega fats, protein, antioxidants, and dietary fiber. These are a hot commodity among my running friends who would like to be more like the Tarahumara; the Native American people of northwestern Mexico who were known for their long-distance running ability.  They have a mild nutty flavor and, since they absorb liquid, they’re ideal for hydration and feeling full.  Check out this recipe for Chia Pudding:

    Hemp Seeds:
    Hemp is a well-balanced, vegetarian protein source that includes all of the essential amino acids. Not only is hemp one of the best veggie sources of protein, it’s easy for the body to digest and assimilate. Hemp also features plenty of other nutrients, including abundant fiber, chlorophyll, vitamins, and omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids. Sprinkle hemp seeds on salads or add them to smoothies for added protein. Just 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds will add 11 grams of protein to your smoothie.

    Raw Cacao Nibs:
    Nature’s chocolate chips

    Cacao nibs are made from pure cacao beans that come straight out of the tropical cacao fruit. Cacao was a culinary treasure to Mesoamericans for thousands of years and touted as the “Food of the Gods” for its superior nutritional profile and exceptional flavor. Make a trail mix with shredded coconut, raw cacao nibs, dried cranberries, and a nut of your choice.

    Goji Berries: Goji Berries provide a number of important macronutrients, including carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and soluble fiber. There’s even more to this sweet, little, red berry including 18 amino acids, free-radical fighting antioxidants, carotenoids, vitamins A, C, and E, and more than 20 other trace minerals and vitamins including zinc, iron, phosphorus, and riboflavin (B2). Ounce-for-ounce, goji berries contain more vitamin C than oranges, more beta-carotene than carrots, and more iron than soybeans and spinach. Munch on these goodies as your afternoon snack.  At our house we call these “goji berry vitamins”. The solution for my 3 year old who wanted to take her daily vitamins, with a mom who wanted to avoid colorings and additives that were in the gummy vitamins.

    Maqui Powder:
    The purple Chilean maqui berry is one of the most antioxidant-rich foods. It contains an abundance of vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, anti-aging anthocyanins and polyphenols, and anti-inflammatory compounds. Navitas Naturals Maqui Powder has a tart, fruity flavor that’s a delicious addition to juices, smoothies, and desserts.

    What is your favorite? Is there anything new you are willing to try? Leave a comment below to let us know!