Here are some pictures of what we have been up to the past few weeks. My 4-year-old participated in a Frozen dance camp. This is her with her big sister and best friend.

My 4-year-old also started learning to cheer like her big sister. She loves being able to do some of the things her sister can do!

My 8-year-old particiapted in a hip hop camp. This picture is from Luau day.

My son has been busy playing in lacrosse tournaments. He is #17.

My 4-year-old performed in her first ballet recital.

My 8-year-old went to see Katy Perry with two of her friends!

We went to a carnival with our best friends!

Pop pop (my dad) came for a visit! Grandma came for some visits too, we need to get pictures of that next time.

Lastly, we have been experimenting with new desserts! It has been so hot so I have not been in the mood to turn on my oven much, so we have been making sweet treats in the blender, refrigerator and freezer. Stay tuned for more of what we have been making!

This chocolate mousse from The Detoxinista is one of my favorite new recipes that we found. I find myself soaking cashews everyday in preparation to make this amazing dessert! I have also been doubling the recipe because it does not last long in our house. It takes as long to prepare as a smoothie, super quick and easy!

Cashews are so good for you and I love being able to give my family a dessert that promotes health! Did you know that 2 handfuls of cashews is the therapeutic equivalent of a prescription dose of Prozac?  Inside you, the essential amino acid L-tryptophan is broken down into anxiety-reducing, snooze-inducing niacin. Even more important, tryptophan is also made into serotonin, one of your body’s most important neurotransmitters. Serotonin gives a feeling of well-being and mellowness. This is such a profound effect that Prozac, Paxil and similar antidepressants usually either mimic serotonin or artificially keep the body’s own serotonin levels high. (Source)

This recipe also uses cacao, which is sooooo good for you! It is the most antioxidant-rich food in the world. Cacao also contains natural mood-boosting compounds, making it a good food for people suffering from anxiety, sadness and depression.

I love that this mousse is sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar. Maple syrup is an excellent source of manganese and a good source of zinc. The trace mineral manganese is an essential for energy production and antioxidant defenses. Zinc and manganese are also important allies in the immune system. Most traditional pancake syrups contain added salt, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and sodium benzoate. Both corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup are potential GM (genetically modified) ingredients.

There are two varieties of maple syrup to choose from, USDA Grade A and Grade B. Grade A is the most popular, with a light maple flavor and a relatively thin consistency. It’s a good choice for pancakes, and can make a great topping for desserts and other foods.

Grade B maple syrup is much darker and has a stronger flavor. It also is a bit thicker, tending towards the consistency of pancake syrup rather than the runnier Grade A. Grade B is often recommended for baking because its stronger flavor comes through more readily, but it can be a better choice for pancakes or waffles than Grade A if you are a fan of the flavor of maple in general. The two are interchangeable as far as what will work in a recipe that calls for maple syrup. Grade C maple syrup, it is now called Grade B. Thus, Grade B & C are the same.

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Decadent Dairy-Free Chocolate Mousse

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

WholeFoodRealFood.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked 2 hours
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse the cashews well, discarding the soak water.
2. Combine the soaked cashews, almond milk, melted coconut oil, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt in a high-speed blender, and blend until completely smooth and creamy.
3. Pour the mixture into 4 ramekins, and place in the fridge to chill until set, about 4 to 6 hours.
4. Serve chilled, with shaved chocolate, sliced almonds, raspberries or any other topping of your choice.
5. Enjoy!

Notes:

Recipe source: http://detoxinista.com/2014/03/chocolate-pots-de-creme-vegan-paleo/

Decadent Dairy-Free Chocolate Mousse

• 1/2 cupraw, unsalted cashews, soaked 2 hours
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I prefer the taste of the type without alcohol)
• Pinch of Himalayan pink salt

1. Drain and rinse the cashews well, discarding the soak water.
2. Combine the soaked cashews, almond milk, melted coconut oil, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt in a high-speed blender, and blend until completely smooth and creamy.
3. Pour the mixture into 4 ramekins, and place in the fridge to chill until set, about 4 to 6 hours.
4. Serve chilled, with shaved chocolate, sliced almonds, raspberries or any other topping of your choice.
5. Enjoy!

To receive daily health tips and gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and sugar-free meal/snack ideas, like us at www.facebook.com/wholefoodrealfood.

“When you know better, you do better.”

When purchasing your honey, raw unprocessed honey is a good choice. 75% of all honey sold in stores contains no honey at all. A comprehensive investigation conducted by Food Safety News (FSN) has found that the vast majority of so-called honey products sold at grocery stores do not contain any pollen, which means they are not real honey. “Raw honey is thought to have many medicinal properties,” says Kathy Egan, dietitian at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.  ”Stomach ailments, anemia and allergies are just a few of the conditions that may be improved by consumption of unprocessed honey.”

Cacao Benefits

Cacao contains a naturally rich supply of antioxidants and is a good source of dietary fiber.  Raw cacao contains the highest concentrated antioxidant of any other food.  It is also known to be one of the highest dietary sources of magnesium, flavanols and polyphenols. Cacao polyphenols may improve the health of your heart and brain arteries by serving as antioxidants and inhibiting blood platelets from forming a clot. If your blood cholesterol is somewhat elevated, cacao polyphenols may also lower your low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol, and raise your high-density lipoprotein, or “good” cholesterol levels.

Cacao may help to keep your bowel movements regular. A 1-ounce serving of raw cacao nibs contains 36 percent of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber, or 9 grams. Adding as little as 6.6 grams of cacao fiber per day to your diet may improve your bowel habits, according to a clinical study appearing in “Nutrition and Metabolism.”

Cacao products appear to be heart-healthy as well. One of the main health benefits of cacao is for the arteries in your heart and brain. Eating cacao foods such as chocolate several times per day may decrease your likelihood of having a stroke or heart attack, according to clinical studies published in the “Journal of the American College of Cardiology” and the “Journal of Internal Medicine.” In both studies, the frequency of stroke and heart attack in human subjects declined with an increase in chocolate intake. (Source)

Swiss Miss

The Rich Chocolate version of Swiss Miss hot chocolate contains the following ingredients (items in red are at risk of being genetically modified):

SUGAR, NONFAT MILK, MODIFIED WHEY, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), CORN SYRUP, HYDROGENATED COCONUT OIL, LESS TAHN 2% OF: SALT, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SODIUM CASEINATE, CARRAGEENAN, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE.

Besides being full of GMOs, this hot chocolate also contains carrageenan.  All forms of carrageenan are capable of causing inflammation, specifically gastrointestinal inflammation… chronic inflammation is a root cause of many serious diseases including heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and cancer. Further, carrageenan is used in animal experiments to predictably cause inflammation, which allows pharmaceutical scientists to test the effectiveness of new anti-inflammatory drugs. In a report Cornucopia released, there is indication that scientists have raised concern about carrageenan’s safety for decades.  These concerns are based on their research linking the common food additive to gastrointestinal disease in laboratory animals, including colon tumors.

Swiss Miss also contains hydrogenated coconut oil, which is not a good choice. Hydrogenated oils and trans fats are especially unhealthy because they both raise our LDL “bad” cholesterol while lowering our HDL or “healthy” cholesterol. If you purchase coconut oil, look for labels that say “virgin” and make sure it’s not hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated and contains no trans fats.

Raw Cacao

Here is the ingredient breakdown for Navitas Naturals Cacao Powder: CERTIFIED ORGANIC CACAO (THEOBROMA CACAO). Theobroma Cacao is a small evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae native to the deep tropical regions of Central and South America. Its seeds are used to make cocoa powder and chocolate.

This recipe is as easy to make as a Swiss Miss packet, I hope you enjoy it!

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Real Hot Chocolate

Prep Time: 5 minutes

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Whole Food. Real Food. Good Food. www.facebook.com/wholefoodrealfood

Ingredients

• 8 oz Almond Milk (any milk of your choice will work)
• 3 tsp cacao powder
• 3 tsp honey or maple syrup

Instructions

1. Heat Almond Milk in small saucepan on stove.
2. Pour milk into mug.
3. Add cacao and honey.
4. Stir to combine.
5. Enjoy!

Real Hot Chocolate

• 8 oz Almond Milk (any milk of your choice will work)
• 3 tsp cacao powder
• 3 tsp honey or maple syrup

1. Heat Almond Milk in small saucepan on stove.
2. Pour milk into mug.
3. Add cacao and honey.
4. Stir to combine.
5. Enjoy!

To receive daily health tips and gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and sugar-free meal/snack ideas, like us at www.facebook.com/wholefoodrealfood.

“When you know better, you do better.”

My kids used to tear through bags of the Entenmann’s Brownie Bites like they were the last brownies on earth and to my surprise, they tore through these new brownies last night just as they did with the Entenmann’s brand.  You can double or triple the batch and freeze these for future use, so they can be grab and go just like the Entenmann’s we are all used to — after all, that is what makes the Entenmann’s little brownie like products so desirable, they are quick, easy and delicious.  Now we have a new option that is quick, easy and delicious with just a tad of planning.  We use WEXY Lunch and Munch Snack Bags to freeze our mini muffins.  These bags are BPA free and are fun for the kids with cute little monsters on each bag.  We put 3-4 muffins in a bag, freeze and grab when we need them.  If you pack them in a lunch they will be defrosted by lunch time.

We used Navitas Naturals Cacao Powder.  The only ingredient is Certified Organic Cacao. Cacao contains a naturally rich supply of antioxidants and is a good source of dietary fiber.  Raw cacao contains the highest concentrated antioxidant of any other food.  It is also known to be one of the highest dietary sources of magnesium, flavanols and polyphenols.  I was so excited to find something that promotes health that my kids would enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these brownies as much as we did!  Brownies are one of our favortie treats, and now we have an option that is actually good for us.  If you look at the ingredient breakdown, you will see that each ingredient in the brownies serves a nutritional purpose in one form or another. Simply click on the ingredient and you will see for yourself the goodness and wholesomeness you will be providing to you and your family.  (For this particular recipe 4 brownie bites equal 1 serving). You will be not only eating for pleasure, but for purpose.  The food we eat needs purpose.

This vs. That ~ Cacao Brownie Bites vs. Entenmann’s Little Bites Fudge Brownies:

(Apart from other health concerns, many of the ingredients in the Entenmann’s Little Bites are potentially GM (genetically modified) — sugar, corn syrup, fructose, cornstarch modified, soy lecithin, mono and diglycerides & xanthan gum.)

Almond Flour, Baking Soda, Himalayan Pink Salt, Raw Honey, Coconut Oil, Organic Eggs, Vanilla Extract, Raw Cacao Powder vs. Sugar, Egg(s), Wheat Flour Bleached, Chocolate Powder (Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Dextrose), Canola Oil, Palm Oil, Milk Non-Fat, Soybean(s) Oil, Corn Syrup, Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Fructose, Whey, Salt, Cornstarch Modified, Gellan Gum, Sodium Citrate, Soy Lecithin, Flavor(s) Natural & Artificial, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol Monoester, Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Potassium Sorbate Preservative

When purchasing your honey, raw unprocessed honey is a good choice. 75% of all honey sold in stores contains no honey at all. A comprehensive investigation conducted by Food Safety News (FSN) has found that the vast majority of so-called honey products sold at grocery stores do not contain any pollen, which means they are not real honey. “Raw honey is thought to have many medicinal properties,” says Kathy Egan, dietitian at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.  ”Stomach ailments, anemia and allergies are just a few of the conditions that may be improved by consumption of unprocessed honey.”

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This vs. That ~ Cacao Brownie Bites

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes

Total Time: 21 minutes

Number of servings: 12

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup raw honey
• 1/2 cup coconut oil or ghee
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs (preferably organic)
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup raw cacao
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease muffin pan with coconut oil spray or ghee.
3. Mix honey, coconut oil or ghee, vanilla and eggs until smooth.
4. Add almond flour, cocoa, baking soda and optional salt.
5. Stir to blend.
6. Fill muffin cups with batter (approximately 1/3 full).
7. Bake for 11 minutes, until centers no longer jiggle and tops feel cakey.

Notes:

Another alternative is to pour the batter into a greased 8x8x2 inch pan. We use coconut oil spray to grease the pan. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until center no longer jiggles and top feels cakey. Recipe Adapted From: http://grainfreefoodie.blogspot.com

Cacao Brownie Bites

2/3 cup raw honey
1/2 cup coconut oil or ghee
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 eggs (preferably organic)
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup raw cacao
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease muffin pan with coconut oil spray or ghee.
3. Mix honey, coconut oil or ghee, vanilla and eggs until smooth.

4. Add almond flour, cocoa, baking soda and optional salt.

5. Stir to blend.

6. Fill muffin cups with batter (approximately 1/3 full).

7. Bake for 11 minutes, until centers no longer jiggle and tops feel cakey.

8. Let cool for 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

~ “To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”  – La Rochefoucauld

I came across Navitas Naturals Cacao Powder.  The only ingredient is Certified Organic Cacao. Cacao contains a naturally rich supply of antioxidants and is a good source of dietary fiber.  Raw cacao contains the highest concentrated antioxidant of any other food.  It is also known to be one of the highest dietary sources of magnesium, flavanols and polyphenols.  I was so excited to find something that would promote health that my kids would enjoy!  I used it in a milkshake and they loved it — it was delicious!

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This for That ~ Cacao Powder Milkshake

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 4 minutes

Number of servings: 2

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Ingredients

• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream (we use Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean)
• 1/4 cup milk (we use Organic Valley 1%)
• 1 heaping tbsp Cacao Powder (we use Navitas Cacao Powder)

Instructions

1. Combine ice cream, milk and cacao powder in blender.
2. Blend until smooth.

Notes:

The ingredients in our ice cream are: Cream, Milk, Sugar, Vanilla & Vanilla Bean. I have seen organic ice cream in the stores, this would make a great choice too -- just read the label and make sure it is carrageenan free.

This vs. That: Cacao vs. Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup

Certified Organic Cacao vs. High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Water, Cocoa, Sugar, Contains 2% or Less of: Potassium Sorbate (a Preservative), Salt, Mono and Diglycerides, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 60, Vanillin, Artificial Flavoring.

My son had two friends spend the night tonight and asked me to make these milkshakes.  The boys said they were “delicious”!  They wanted me to take their picture with their milkshake mustaches.  So here you go!

~ We need to teach our children TO EAT REAL FOOD. No Fast Foods. No Junk Foods. No Processed Foods. Just Honest, Nutritious, Real Food.