Cinnamon and Honey Shake

Here is a recipe a friend of mine made me. It is a delicious, healthy pick-me-up energizer and gives you the same warm zing of L-Glutamine. :) He requests that I post a link to the blog, so here it is.


Cinnamon and Honey Shake
3-4 pints


Put into a big ole blender the following items:

1 Young Coconut, Meat and Water (the kind in the white husk - visit www.rawfoodmedia.com for instructions to open)

2 Big Handfuls Raw Cashews

At least one BIG GLOOP Raw Cold-Packed Honey, AT LEAST! (Piick one with a robust flavor too!)

2 Pinches Celtic Sea Salt (or other quality grey, unrefined salt)

Several Vigorous Shakes Organic Powdered Cinnamon

...and blend until it's super nice and creamy. If you want to make it creamier, add more cashews and honey. Then season to taste!

Once that's done, add ice cold filtered water or ice, and blend out the mixture until it's appropriate for drinking. Bottle it up, and you've got a delicious healthy shake that will keep your eyes bright and your tummy full! This recipe makes 3-4 pints, depending on how thick you make it and how meaty your coconut turns out to be.


This is super easy to make, very tasty, and - oh, shucks, just try it. :)

Aunt Mary in the Afternoon

One of my good (and ridiculously talented) friends has created a delicious summer (and really all year long) treat that is all natural and insanely addictive. His product, Aunt Mary's Velvet Ice, is relatively new but can be found in several Farmers Markets in the Los Angeles area. If you happen to come across this stuff, don't just get one silly 1/2 gallon. Get lots. Keep it in your freezer, give it to friends, serve it at parties. It's - quite simply - awesome.

In the event that you do manage to find this stuff (it should be available for online ordering soon), here is one example of how you can make it even more awesome for a summer evening get-together. 

Aunt Mary in the Afternoon 

(invented by J. Johnson)

2 cubes ice

2 generous scoops Aunt Mary's Lemon Mint Velvet Ice

3-5 fingers Tanqueray gin

Mix well. Serve cold. 

Taste-tester approved. :)

Delicious Morning Banana Milk

So I was looking for a way to jumpstart my morning energy levels and kept experimenting until this delectable AM treat swirled into my brain.

Delicious Morning Banana Milk

1 small banana
1/2 spoonful raw honey
sprinkle cinnamon
1/4 cup almond milk
optional, add a scoop of protein powder and a little more almond milk.

Take above ingredients, blend, and enjoy. This is also a great, healthy pick-me-up for later in the day. :)

Sinless Strawberry Ice Cream-in-a-Glass

"No, young man, you can't have cake for breakfast. You get fried cake with syrup for breakfast! Now, load up on that and try not to nap." 
-J. Gaffigan

Ever notice how much we love sweet things in the morning? Why on earth is that? Growing up, I was never really a fan of syrups on my pancakes or waffles, but I sure could polish off a bagel slicked with sugar-laden cream cheese or a plate of spam drizzled in honey (one of my favorite youthful treats - don't laugh!). Now, with a little more wisdom and will-power, I avoid most sugars because I know that an hour or two after the deliciousness will come the uncomfortable lethargy that always seizes me after a bout with a sweet treat. Still, I have a sweet tooth - I think it runs in my family - and the way I tame it?

Dessert for breakfast - three times a week. Now, I know what you're thinking. Whaaaaat? No!! Don't fall off the wagon! Not after all this talk of health and happy wholesomeness!

Trust me.

So let me take you through one of my "dessert for breakfast" mornings. I wake up at 6:40am, I go to the gym and I run for thirty minutes, then I run through the list (squats, leg lifts, dumbbell press, pushups, crunches, side bends, side squats... I won't scare you with the rest.) In short, it's a little past 8am when I get back to my apartment and start this short and sweet ritual. Protein, vitamins, calcium, probiotics - it's all in here. And it tastes like strawberry ice cream.

Sinless strawberry ice cream-in-a-glass
(serves 1)

1/2 banana, sliced
1 large spoonful nonfat plain yogurt*
1 scoop whey protein* (I use GNC's Pro Performance 100% Whey Protein)
1/4 cup orange juice (not from concentrate)
5 strawberries, frozen
[*You can make this a vegan recipe easily with simple substitutions. Soy protein, for instance. And there are some yummy vegan yogurts out there. Whole Soy and Silk, if you want a soy alternative. Nogurt, if you want something non-dairy and non-soy.]

Take your strawberries, put them in a freezer bag and drop them in the freezer the night before.

The next morning... Place all ingredients in blender. (I use my Cuisinart Immersion Blender because the cleanup is ridiculously easy and quick, but any blender will do.) Blend. Enjoy.

If you want a thicker, more ice creamy texture, try freezing the banana overnight as well. Or cut the orange juice down to 1/8 cup. Find your own style. You can replace the strawberries with any other berry - so long as you make sure they're nice and hard-frozen when you blend them, you'll get that cold, desserty experience.

Cheers!

For a few more dessert for breakfast ideas, follow these links:
Homemade Pop Tarts
Amazake Carrot Muffins
Easy Jam Tart

Black Velvet and Colcannon (St. Patrick's Day feast)

Now, I know, I usually do food recipes for the holidays, but I mean... it's St. Patrick's Day! C'mon!

So I'm switching it up a bit and starting with a drink.


Black Velvet
A Black Velvet is my favorite way to celebrate St. Patrick's baptism of the Irish. This recipe makes 2 pints.

1 pint Irish stout (Guinness, Murphy's, or Beamish - not Harp)
1 pint champagne

Chill both. Combine in a large glass jug. Stir. Pour into pre-chilled tall glasses. Drink. Repeat.

Slainte. :)

Colcannon
Now, colcannon is traditionally Halloween fare in Ireland, but it's my favorite "pub-at-home" food so here you go. :) Makes about 4 servings.

1 lb kale (or green cabbage if you can't find kale)
1/2 pt water
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1.5 lbs potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup skim milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Simmer kale (or cabbage) in the water and oil for 10 minutes.
Drain thoroughly, chop finely.
Boil potatoes and carrots in the same pot until tender.
Put milk and onion into a saucepan and cook lightly.
Drain the potatoes and carrots and mash them together. Add the onion, milk, and cooked kale to the carrot/potato mash. Mash and mix some more. :)
Serve warm. Enjoy!

[These recipes are from a book called "The Feckin' Book of Everything Irish", with alterations.]