Coconut macaroons!!!



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I am sooooo making these this weekend.  Usually I like to make things before I post them but I am gladly making an exception.  These look amazing.  If you like Amazon, look for their organic coconut flakes to go on sale and get a discount and free shipping with subscribe and save.  You can spread shipments out up to 6 months and you can cancel at any time.  Why organic coconut?  Look at the list of inactive ingredients and preservatives on a bag of sweetened coconut.  Organic cocnut also tastes amazing to say the least.  Lee and I usually get sick eating it by the cup when we open a fresh bag. 

Most macaroon recipes also use condensed milk and white sugar.  These ingredients are so much healthier!  Here's the recipe from Jordan Rubin's Extraordinary Health website:

Coco Macaroons

Makes about 4-5 dozen

Ingredients:

7 cups of dried coconut flakes

2 cups Rapadura or raw honey

6 Tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract



Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, mix the Rapadura or raw honey with the coconut oil and vanilla extract until well mixed. Slowly add the coconut flakes. Blend together well or knead with your hands if necessary. Drop mixture by the tablespoons onto baking sheets. Place in the oven with just the oven light and let them set for 24 hours or you may use a dehydrator set on 105 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours. Serve. Store the remaining macaroons.



Recipes courtesy of Extraordinary Health team

Makers Diet: Grass-fed beef

Grass-fed organic beef is not always affordable for our family. I am really trying to incorporate it as much as I can but often it is only organic ground beef that I buy. Jordan Rubin is a huge proponent of grass fed organic beef as are many health experts. My ultimate goal is to eat primarily organic meat but it will be awhile before we get there. A 2009 study between the USDA and researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina (Go TIGERS!) found many reasons that grass-fed beef is better than grain-fed. Here is their analysis:


o Lower in fat

o Higher in beta-carotene

o Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)

o Higher in the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin

o Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium

o Higher in total omega-3s

o A healthier ratio of omega-6s to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 to 4.84)

o Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter

o Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)

o Lower in the saturated fats linked with heart disease.

Makers Diet: Fermented beverages

Jordan Rubin writes a lot about fermented foods and beverages in his books. To be honest, I do not completely understand the fermentation process and all of the advantages. I still have a lot to learn. What I do know is that fermentation is a method of preservation and it helps enzymes and nutrients to be released and absorbed. I cannot say that I am completely sold on many of the food recipes, but I actually enjoy two fermented beverages. Kombucha and kefir.

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Kombucha is basically black tea, sugar, and a “mother” culture or mushroom. The culture is a blend of bacteria and yeast that ferments with the tea and sugar. The end result is full of probiotics and B vitamins. It is very fizzy and has a slightly sour but sweet taste. There are several well-known brands and even recipes to brew your own. If you find yourself at a nearby health food store, try a bottle and see what you think. It is supposed to have many more health benefits than I have named here.

Kefir is a fermented milk drink made from kefir grains (mixture of bacteria, yeast, proteins, fats, and sugars) in any kind of milk—cow, goat, coconut. It can be easily made at home with kefir grains starter kits. It is widely available at most health food stores and costs about the same as goats milk and slightly more expensive than organic whole milk. Kefir contains a ton of probiotics as well as folic acid. Many people who are lactose intolerant are able to drink kefir without any side effects. Kefir is like a slightly sour, drinkable yogurt. There are many flavored varieties but check the sugar content.