You might be in a healing phase or just enjoy the way you feel so you continue to adhere to an anti-inflammatory way of eating, but sometimes you just really want to indulge in something sweet!
I get it girlfriend! Nothing compares to a sweet treat when you are needing a little pick me up or just want to feel your taste buds dancing. Living a healthy life is only possible if you include pleasure, joy, and fun or else it will feel like prison or restriction and those low vibes in an of itself won't allow for sustainable healing and enjoyment.
When we start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we notice more good days than bad with our digestion we start to forget the pain we were in and slowly begin to venture outside of the healing foods we adhered to. Learning your limits once your gut starts to repair itself is crucial. We stay in our lane and then slowly venture out to test the waters. I encourage this type of testing as your body is the best experimental lab you will have. Study evidence is a great place to begin, but personal evidence will always trump the scientific studies. You must venture out and test your resiliency.
However, the problem is we tend to venture out with processed sugars, fried foods, and packaged indulgences and find ourselves feeling like we are back at square one in our healing journey. Taking 10 steps back and losing even more trust in your body and food. I know, because I have been there.
Here's the thing, you can have your sweets and heal too. But you have to do it slow and with ingredients that give to your body more than they take.
We look to using low-glycemic sugars like:
coconut sugar
black strap molasses
maple syrups
raw honey
stevia
As well as healthy fats that are anti-inflammatory like:
grass-fed butter (if you can tolerate dairy)
coconut oil
unsweetened shredded coconut
And sticking with gluten-free options to ensure we do not reverse your leaky gut repairing efforts like:
rice puffs
almond flour
quinoa flour
coconut flour
I pulled together 3 easy options for your to try that have minimal ingredients but packs a tastebud punch as well as comforts the soul. Give these recipes a try!
Happy cooking!
xo,
Jessica
Baked Apple Recipe
Apples have been shown to be immune system modulators by decreasing inflammation due to the pectin and quercetin found in the fruit and skins of the apple. The added cinnamon has an anti-inflammatory impact as well as supporting blood sugar control while eating the apple.
My mom use to always make these for us as kids so it brings back some comforting memories for sure!
Ingredients:
3 apples, cored (Honeycrisp or Red Delicious is best)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Mochi (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Blend a few Tbsp water with the
vanilla. Drizzle into and over the apple in a baking
dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 20 minutes.
For something a little different, cut a small of mochi
and place it in the core of the apple about 6 minutes
before the apple is baked. YUM!
Sherry's Yummy Fruit Crisp
A long-time friend and client shared this recipe she developed while participating in my signature Body Reset cleanse. Filled with fiber, healthy fats, and natural sugars that are sure to quench that sweet tooth! With her permission I am sharing her incredible creation below:
Ingredients (1-2 servings)
1-2 apples cored, sliced (Honeycrisp is best)
1 large banana, sliced
1/2 cup of fresh pineapple, sliced
Fresh squeezed lemon juice from 1 large lemon
1-3 tsp of ceylon cinnamon for sprinkling
1/4 - 1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut
1-4 dark cherries
Directions:
Heat oven to 375
Grease an individual (or small) glass casserole dish with coconut oil
Layer thin slices of Apple 1/2 way up the dish. I use Honeycrisp apples (rule of thumb is 1/2 apple, per person). Squeeze a fair amount lemon juice to cover the apple layer and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Layer thin slices of Banana over the apple layer (rule of thumb is 1/4 banana, per person)., a tad more cinnamon and then repeat with VERY thin slices of pineapple. If you want you can spread another thin layer of the coconut oil over the pineapple layer if you prefer a moister dish (or not)!
Top the fruit layers with shredded coconut and the decorate with 1-4 dark cherries.
Bake for 30-35 minutes and set to cool for 5 minutes before serving, ENJOY! :-)
Crispy Date and Chocolate Bars
Another friend of mine and a woman I have looked up to in the kitchen created this gluten-free and dairy-free treat that checks all the boxes. Sweet, crunchy, satisfying!
Gemma Wade from You Say Tomato is a whizz in the kitchen but also teaches you how to not have to live in the kitchen to prepare healthy, delicious, and fast meals the whole family can enjoy. I have had the pleasure of taking a few of her in-home cooking classes and took away so many new tips and tricks to meal creation.
You too can learn from her through her online cooking classes!
I have included the ingredients needed below, but please visit her website to review the directions as she clearly walks you through the process!
Ingredients (makes 16-20 bars):
9oz Medjool dates
4oz or 1 stick grass-fed salted butter or coconut oil
3oz puffed rice, I like the natures path rice puffs as they are 100% rice with no other ingredients. Be aware that Kellog’s Rice Crispies, while traditional, have added sugar and all sorts of other stuff.
A pinch of sea salt
1lb chocolate – I use Green and Black’s 70% dark chocolate. You may want to use milk chocolate or a lower % dark chocolate for children. Be aware that the lower % chocolates tend to include dairy if that is an issue for you
Optional – 2-4 tablespoons Grade b pure Maple syrup or honey