Chocolate Cream Pie and Coconut Whipped Cream

Chocolate Cream Pie

Got this fabulous recipe from the DrAxe.com site.  Dessert is a delicious opportunity to step back and truly enjoy life. When you are trying to responsibly manage your health and weight, it can feel less like a happy opportunity and more like a moment that throws away all your hard day’s work. But, it is possible to have the best of both worlds. Which is awesome for us!

Being a chocoholic and coconut lover, this recipe is the best combination of cocoa, coconut oil, and coconut milk. You can read more about it on Dr. Axe's site (click on the Chocolate Cream Pie link above).

This chocolate cream pie recipe makes a truly tasty dessert or a yummy alternative to a birthday cake.

Total Time:
Prep & Cooking: 30 Minutes
Chilling: 3 Hours or Overnight

Serves: 8–10

Ingredients:

Crust:
½ cup pecans
½ cup almond flour
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon raw local honey
5 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Filling:
⅔ cup dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 can full fat coconut milk
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons raw local honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted
3 tablespoons arrowroot powder, sifted together with cocoa
½ cup coconut shreds
2 egg yolks, beaten
Coconut Whipped Cream (checkout video below)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In a high-speed blender, blend pecans into coarse meal and place in a bowl. Add almond flour, salt, honey and coconut oil, and mix together thoroughly.

3. Press crust mixture into a pie pan and bake for 10 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Let cool on a wire rack.

4. Melt chocolate chips and butter in a double boiler. Stir together, remove from heat and set aside.

5. In a medium pot, heat coconut milk, salt, honey and vanilla over medium high heat, whisking often.

6. Once mixture starts steaming, add cocoa and arrowroot and whisk vigorously until mixture is smooth and thickened, 2–4 minutes.

7. Remove from heat and add chocolate-butter mixture. Stir to combine, and add coconut shreds.

8. Slowly drizzle 1/2 cup of chocolate mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly so as not to cook yolks. When combined, add this back into the chocolate mixture, stirring constantly.

9. Pour chocolate filling into pie shell, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

10. When ready to serve, sprinkle coconut shreds over the pie and top with coconut whipped cream.


You're also going to want to make the Coconut Whipped Cream, the best homemade whipped cream versus the store bought kind:

Total Time: Overnight
Serves: 2
Ingredients:

1 can full-fat coconut milk
stevia or maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.Allow can of coconut milk to sit in fridge overnight, untouched.

2.In the morning, open the can and scoop out the solid cream on top. Pour the liquid into a different container.

3.Add vanilla and stevia or syrup to taste and use a high-powered hand blender to whip the cream into soft peaks. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Pudding with Bananas and Graham Crackers

Dark or semi-sweet chocolate can make you smarter and keep you healthy

Chocolate or, more specifically, cocoa powder made from ground, defatted cocoa beans, contains compounds that have the potential to protect against heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.

A new report analyzing 14 studies on chocolate, published in Frontiers of Nutrition, found that brain function may get a jump from the flavanols, or antioxidant compounds, in cocoa. In one study, participants showed an uptick in working memory 2 hours after consuming 773 mg of cocoa flavanols; in another, the antioxidant compounds appeared to counteract cognitive impairment from a poor night's sleep.

When you eat healthy, there is no need to diet - the pounds will drop off naturally.

Enjoy This Eating Tip: Melt ¼ cup of dark or semi-sweet chocolate. Drizzle over fresh strawberries for a belly-flattening dessert.

Enjoy this flat belly recipe with no deprivation!  Repeat after me: No more dieting. Ever. Instead, learn how to eat clean—with zero deprivation!

Chocolate Pudding with Bananas and Graham Crackers
A creamy, sweet-tooth-satisfying dessert--and it's good for you!

Flat Belly Diet Recipes

TIME: 20 minutes + chilling time
SERVINGS: 6

3 whole graham crackers, crushed
1 lg ripe banana, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
3 cups 1% milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips

1. DIVIDE graham cracker crumbs evenly among 6 custard cups or ramekins. Press into bottom. Top with banana, reserving a few slices for garnish.

2. MIX sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in large saucepan. Stir in milk. Whisk over medium heat until pudding thickens and comes to a boil.

3. COOK 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into prepared custard cups. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Top each serving with 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips and garnish with reserved banana.

Nutritional Info Per Serving
391 cal, 7 g pro, 65 g carb, 4 g fiber, 15 g fat, 8.5 g sat fat, 6 mg chol, 150 mg sodium

7 Dessert Recipes That Use Bananas Instead Of Added Sugar And Flour

by CAROLINE PRADERIO

Bananas are kind of magical. They're brimming with nutrition and they can somehow make green smoothies taste like decadent milkshakes. But if you're only using bananas in your blender, you're missing out: They're also the perfect way to add natural sweetness to baked goods—sometimes even standing in for flour. The result? Desserts with far fewer blood sugar-spiking refined carbs, and all the deliciousness. (Lose up to 15 pounds WITHOUT dieting with Eat Clean to Get Lean, our 21-day clean-eating meal plan!)

Try these 7 banana-sweetened treats from some of Prevention's favorite food bloggers, http://www.prevention.com/food/no-sugar-added-baked-goods-with-bananas

Here's one of my favorites:

Paleo Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Gooey dark chocolate chunks are the perfect complement to the banana-almond butter batter used in these muffins from blogger Bakerita. The best part? They only take 20 minutes to bake.

Author: Rachel Conners

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 12 muffins


Ingredients:

• 3-4 medium bananas 
• (1⅔ cups mashed or 380 grams 
• 3 eggs, room temperature 
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• ⅓ cup (100 grams) almond butter + ¼ cup almond butter, divided 
• ⅓ cup (50 grams) coconut flour 
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda 
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder 
• ¼ teaspoon salt 4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped 

Directions:

Line a 12 pan muffin tin with paper liners and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl or mixer, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla extract and ⅓ cup almond butter until fully combined.

Add the coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

Add 1 tablespoon of batter to the bottom of each pan. Add a heaping teaspoon of almond butter to the center of each muffin. Divide the remaining batter evenly into the muffin cups, about another tablespoon of batter. Top with more chocolate chunks if desired.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about ½ hour. Flip out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.


To keep the muffins Paleo and refined sugar free, use Paleo-friendly chocolate or try making your own.

Not Your Mother's Chicken Soup

Be Well!
Despite doctor recommendations, I have never had a flu shot.  And it's been nearly 20 years since the last time I had the flu (extremely mild one at that).

I just continue to eat well by choosing organic and raw foods, take supplements, meditate, qigong and energy healing, maintain a peaceful and harmonious outlook...

Of course, tea and chocolate is a given.... :)

One of my Power Foods Against Colds and Flu
I prefer to use Cayenne Pepper in lieu of black pepper and hot pepper sauce, since it works so well as an immunity booster as well as an anti-inflammatory. Add according to the level of spicy hotness you like...

I also prefer chicken breasts instead of legs, low sodium chicken broth (or make my own).  Try to go with farm raised chicken when you can...if you can get locally grown, even better.  It's best to know that they were happy chickens - which should apply to any livestock - free roaming, organically fed,  free of antibiotics and anything artificial that will end up in your digestive system.

By The Editors of Prevention

4 whole bone-in skinless chicken legs
4 c fat-free chicken broth
2 c water 5 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 carrots, sliced
1 lg leek, white part and some of the green, rinsed and cut into ½" slices
1 lg sweet potato (12 oz), peeled and cut into lg chunks
6 c packed torn spinach
1 lg tomato, cut into ½" chunks
¼-1 tsp hot-pepper sauce

1. DIVIDE the chicken legs into thigh and drumstick portions. Remove and discard any visible fat.

2. PLACE the chicken in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the broth, water, garlic, ginger, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming the surface occasionally.

3. STIR in the carrots, leek, and sweet potato. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

4. ADD the spinach and tomato, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted and the tomato is heated through. Add the hot-pepper sauce to taste. Makes 4 servings


NUTRITION (per serving) 340 cal, 36 g pro, 36 g carb, 5 g fat, 2 g sat. fat, 105 mg chol, 7 g fiber, 380 mg sodium

DIET EXCHANGES 0 fruit, 2½ vegetable, 0 milk, 1 fat, 1 carb, 4 meat

No Bake Eclair Cake

This recipe for the Eclair Cake is so simple to make, needs no baking...And it's TASTY!  :)

INGREDIENTS
2 (3.4 oz) packages Vanilla Instant Pudding mix, dry
3½ cups whole milk
12 oz. cool whip
2 (14.4) oz packages graham crackers

- FROSTING -
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 cup powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Blend milk and vanilla pudding packets for about 2 minutes. Fold in Cool Whip.
2. In a 9x13 pan, Layer graham crackers to cover entire bottom of pan. You may need to cut and shape the crackers to fit nicely.
3. Pour half of pudding/cool whip mixture on top and level.
4. Put another layer of graham crackers to cover entire surface. Cut and shape crackers accordingly.
5. Put the second half of pudding/cool whip mixture on top and level.
6. Put the final layer of graham crackers on top with bumpy side down. This will help the top look more smooth when you go to put the frosting on top. Once again, cut and shape crackers accordingly to avoid pits and cracks.
7. FOR THE FROSTING: Microwave butter and milk just enough so that they are melted together. You do not need to boil it. Add cocoa and powdered sugar and blend together. This will be a runnier frosting/glaze. Pour over top of graham crackers and smooth out nicely. (**I usually double the frosting recipe)
8. Refrigerate overnight and Dig in!

For more tasty treats:  Eclair Cake | Chef in Training

Why not celebrate the new year and yourself with a tasty and healthy treat...yum!

Chocolate Pudding with Bananas and Graham Crackers
A creamy, sweet-tooth-satisfying dessert--and it's good for you!

Flat Belly Diet Recipes from Prevention.com

TIME: 20 minutes + chilling time
SERVINGS: 6

3 whole graham crackers, crushed
1 lg ripe banana, sliced
1/2 c sugar (you can substitute with natural sweeteners like stevia or agave in smaller amounts according to taste)
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt (use iodized salt)
3 c 1% milk (or unsweetened soy or rice milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (pure extract, not flavored)
1-1/2 c semisweet or dark chocolate chips (MUFA -  monounsaturated fatty acids)

1. DIVIDE graham cracker crumbs evenly among 6 custard cups or ramekins. Press into bottom. Top with banana, reserving a few slices for garnish.

2. MIX sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in large saucepan. Stir in milk. Whisk over medium heat until pudding thickens and comes to a boil.

3. COOK 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into prepared custard cups. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Top each serving with 1?4 cup of the chocolate chips and garnish with reserved banana.

Nutritional Info Per Serving
391 cal, 7 g pro, 65 g carb, 4 g fiber, 15 g fat, 8.5 g sat fat, 6 mg chol, 150 mg sodium