PINEAPPLE MINT INFUSED WATER
I have just recently discovered how delicious and simple infused water can be. I love water, however sometimes I like to drink something that has flavor. Infusing your water with some fruit and herbs is a great way to give your tastes buds what they want as well as still intaking the water our body needs.
There is no need to over complicate this post. This recipe is as simple as it is delicious.
PINEAPPLE MINT INFUSED WATER
2 cups chopped pineapple (large chunks)
11 sprigs of mint
5 cups filtered water
Add all ingredients to a large mason jar or glass pitcher. Allow to infuse in the fridge for 24 hours. Pour & Enjoy!!
* The longer you keep the pineapple and mint in the water, the stronger the taste. I left mine in for 4 days.
All my love,
Kristen
BERRY COCONUT ICE CREAM
If you could be any food, what would you be? I think I want to be ice cream. There are a myriad of ice cream flavors & combinations. There are no limits, only endless possibilities. I suppose that is what I look for in life. I never want to be limited to what I can do, who I can be.
To celebrate infinite possibilites, I made berry coconut ice cream. This recipe is refined sugar free, full of flavor and delicately sweet.
I would also like to rejoice the beautiful fact that when you look out the window you see green!! The beauty in mother nature waking up after a long winter is breathtaking. Since moving back to the country, I have realized something. The beauty in the moment. For the past 7 years I have been living in various cities. Now my house sits next to a pond, surrounded by fields and forests. In the evenings I watch as the deer inch closer and closer from the trees. I listen to the frogs by the pond. The music of mother nature and my mind. They get along so well together. I have found my place in the world.
Please go....embrace this ice cream, embrace this moment and be amazed by all that lies before you.
BERRY COCONUT ICE CREAM / makes around 4 cups
Berry "Jam"
1 cup strawberries, diced
3/4 cup blackberries
1/4 cup honey
3 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cardamom
pinch of vanilla
Combine all ingredients except for the honey into a saucepan. Bring ingredients to a slow simmer & cover for about 10 minutes. Uncover and stir a few times. On low heat, add honey and mix until thickened. Turn off the heat and allow to cool and thicken some more.
Berry coconut ice cream
berry jam (recipe above)
1 can coconut milk
1/3 cup sheep yogurt
1/8 cup raw blue agave
juice of 1/2 lemon
In a food processor add coconut milk, yogurt, lemon, agave and half of the berry jam until combined. Stir in the remaining berry jam. Chill in the fridge for about an hour. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker for about 25 minutes or however long your machine suggests. Top with shredded coconut and chopped nuts.
All my love,
Kristen
MAKE YOUR OWN NUT MILK
Did you know that YOU have the power to make your own nut milk?! Yeah, it's true. If you are going out and buying almond milk, rice milk...basically any non dairy milk, stop right now. Making your own nut milk is incredibly easy, requiring no special equipment. All you need is your favorite nut/seed, a blender, water and a strainer. A nut milk bag would be ideal. I bought mine off of amazon for about $10 and I love it.
I started making my own nut milk a few years ago and it forever changed my life. The flavor of fresh made milk from any nut or seed you desire is amazing. You can get creative and combine nuts, add honey, cinnamon, dates, vanilla....whatever your gorgeous heart desires.
NUT MILK / makes 4 cups
1 cup nuts, soaked 8 hours or overnight
4 cups water
Measure out one cup of nuts and allow to soak for at least 8 hours. I let mine soak overnight so that when I wake up they are ready to go. Drain the nuts and rinse. Pour them in your blender and add 4 cups of water. Blend for about a minute. Strain out the nut pulp with either a strainer or your nut milk bag. If you wanted to add some sweetness to the milk, pour it back into the blender after you separated the pulp and add some honey or dates. I like to add cinnamon, cardamom and honey to mine. Blend again with your chosen sweeteners and then pour into a glass container. Nut milk will last about 4-5 days in the fridge. Oh and DO NOT throw away the nut pulp! You can use that to make baked goods, spreads, dips, granola, I throw in nut pulp in my smoothies.
All my love,
Kristen
MAPLE PEAR BAKED OATMEAL
I am ashamed to say that I had never eaten nor had I ever made baked oatmeal. I cannot believe what I was missing!! Over the recent months, I have found myself walking into the kitchen, grabing the same ingredients and making variations of my usual meals. I suppose I could say the the recent spring weather, blooming flowers and blossoming trees have motivated me to bloom myself. Bloom in the kitchen. I want to challenge myself to create dishes I have never made before. Grow my list of original recipes. Baked oatmeal is far from challenging. However, it is new to me so lets walk out into the unknown...create...discover...blossom.
Pears are a pretty groovy fruit. Let me tell you about them. Pears have a high amount of phytonutrients, which provide us with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits. Here is something really cool that I learned. The fiber in pears bind with a special bile called secondary bile acids. Large amounts of this bile in the intestines increases your risk of colorectal cancer. The phytonutrients in pears also helps to lower your risk of stomach and esophageal cancer and decrease your risk of type 2 diabetes. So, what we have learned from this is, pears are awesome....eat them. :)
MAPLE PEAR BAKED OATMEAL / serves 4-6
Dry Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. clove
pinch sea salt
Wet Ingredients
2 cups nut milk (I used sunflower milk)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. maple extract
2 ripe pears
Preheat oven to 375*
Grease the bottom of a baking dish (mine was 8"x12") with coconut oil.
Chop up the pears and spread them along the bottom of the baking dish.
In a bowl mix the oats, nuts, spices, dried cherries, baking powder and salt. Measure out 2 cups of nut milk and set aside. Whisk 2 eggs together and add to the nut milk. Combine the remaining wet ingredients.
Pour the dry oat mixture over top of the pears. Then slowly pour the combined wet ingredients over top of the pears and oats, making sure everything is coated.
Place in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
references: http://www.whfoods.com/
