♥ CHIA ♥

Chia & Cocnut Fruit Pie

Even though Chia has been around for a while now, it's pretty new to our diet.  We had lots and lots of chia in the cupboard with many well meaning intentions to get to know all about her but, never quite got around to it.  

It was only after Kate Magic's recent visit that I decided I really should get the Chia out and do something with it.  

We were missing out on all of the benefits this lovely seed has to offer!


So, I opened the 1kg bag and guess how long it took us to consume the lot.....                     It was all gone within two weeks.  
We found that

♥ We LOVE Chia ♥

So what did we do with all the Chia?

The recipe for this chia breakfast was in the  August Newsletter

We had a chia pudding everyday, sometimes milky and creamy and other times filled with fruit.  I liked to have mine mid-morning or for lunch, sometime after I'd finished my couple of litres of daily juice.  Pras enjoyed his for breakfast. 

And Oh ~ what can I say?

♥  Chia crackers  ♥

 
I have to buy more chia soon so I can make more crackers.  I've never made such crackers before.  

I'm hooked!

While I've always loved the idea of crackers I'd never loved a cracker before chia came along ♥ 
 

The reason I don't usually eat crackers it that they feel heavy in the body, I didn't find this with the chia crackers.  They were light and crunchy and I just couldn't leave them alone.   They disappeared super fast. 

  
We had some Chia for dessert a couple of times too.  
That makes it sound like we have meals doesn't it?  Which is slightly misleading.  
In the Raw Faerie house there is more of a grazing theme to food, we eat whatever we want when we want it, including desserts.  

Chia and coconut fruit pies were the dessert I chose to make with the last of our seeds and it was thoroughly enjoyed.  
  






We found that the Chia was really easy to digest and filling too.  I also love how it just takes on the flavours of the other ingredients.  Eating Chia once a day made me feel great, I had more consistent energy levels throughout the day.

If you would like to know what the benefits of Chia seeds are... why they are good for you... and what their nutritional profile is ~ You can click through to Angela Stockes-Monarch's blog ~ Raw Reform for the details.  They are an amazing source of protein, nutrients and omegas ~ I'm not surprised I feel so great when I eat them daily.   

Organic & Raw Coconut Butter for mothers and babies

 As promised.... here is the article about the benefits that coconut oil can introduce to mother and baby




Virgin Coconut Oil Increases Beneficial Properties in Human Breast Milk
by: Cori Young

VIRGIN OCONUT OIL FOUND BENEFICIAL FOR LACTATING MOTHERS...
The unique composition of human breast milk fat includes the fatty acids, lauric acid and capric acid, which have potent antimicrobial properties. These fatty acids offer the nursing infant protection from viruses such as herpes and HIV, protozoa such as giardia lamblia, and bacteria such as chlamydia and heliocobater.

A study published in 1998 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that lactating mothers who eat coconut oil and other coconut products, have significantly increased levels of lauric acid and capric acid in their breast milk. Thus, the milk supply has increased amounts of the protective antimicrobials , which will give even greater protection to the nursing infant.
Pregnant females store fat to assure successful lactation. Any lauric acid and capric acid in the diet becomes part of the adipose stores. The milk fat of a lactating mother is made up of these stores as well as her current diet. If her diet doesn´ t contain lauric acid, then generally her milk fat will contain around 3 lauric acid and round 1 capric acid.

When a lactating woman adds foods rich in lauric acid to her diet, the amount of lauric acid available in her breastmilk increases substantially to levels three times the original level and nearly double the amount of capric acid. In countries where coconut oil is a diet staple, levels of lauric acid in the mother´ s milk can be as high as 21 and capric acid can be as high as 6 giving her infant even more protection against viruses, bacteria, and protozoa.

Coconut oil can be used instead of butter in cooking and baking. You can stir it into oatmeal or even use it as a spread. Also, this oil´ s antimicrobial properties are beneficial for the skin. Pregnant women in many cultures the world over rub cocnut oil on their expanding bellies to keep skin soft and prevent itching.

Virgin coconut oil can also be used to massage baby... 



This article wasn't written from a raw food perspective, but it really does spell out what an amazing food coconut butter is and the great effects it can have when added to the diet during pregnancy and the postpartum.  If looking for ways to incorporate raw coconut butter into meals, it can be blended into smoothies, sauces, soups, or curries.  It's also a great ingredient to include in raw desserts and treats :) 

 I will follow up with a post about the benefits of eating dates during pregnancy and the postpartum really soon 

Would you like to try Organic Young Baby Coconuts?

Just a quick post to let you all know that I am offering to order in organic young baby coconuts to coincide with our Raw Vegan Potlucks.

If you would like to order a coconut or two (or three or four :) ♥) then get in touch.  Coconuts will be £3.01 each and you will need to pay on ordering (I will provide you with my account details so that you can make a direct transfer).  The coconuts can be collected at the Pot Luck events, if you can't make it to the pot luck but you still want some coconuts, you are welcome to arrange collection another time (please keep in mind that the use by date is limited so the sooner you collect the fresher your coconut will be).

Please note: As things currently stand, I am not making a profit by co-ordinating the orders of these coconuts so I take no responsibility for how happy you are with your coconuts!  I thought that this would just be a great opportunity to make good quality organic young coconuts available to those who attend the raw food pot lucks, so it's all being arranged through good will  :)

Love to you all  ♥ ♥ ♥

Why I choose 'Organic' Young Baby Coconuts

Coconuts are very porous and anything put on them (e.g. chemicals) soak into the coconut.  Antifungals and Formaldehyde have both been associated with coconuts, being used to prolong the life of the coconut during shipping.  I don't know about you, but I don't want these things in my diet!

Check out this video for some more information about regular coconuts and an experiment that was done which seemds to quite clearly indicate just how permeable the coconuts are.

For our future Pot Lucks I am adding Organic Young Coconuts to the Raw Faerie Shop.  If you would like to order a coconut (or a few), for collection at the pot lucks, then let me know.  Coconuts cost £3.01 each <3 <3 <3 

So, tell me about the ingredients in your cakes?

Irish Moss

Often when people try my cakes they find it hard to imagine how I've made them.  The idea of a cake that hasn't been cooked and that contains no processed foods or animal products can be hard to digest for those new to raw foods.  My creations contain no dairy, cheese, flour, eggs, sugar, milk or cream - all the main ingredients used in baking are nowhere to be seen.

Berry Sauce

I choose my ingredients really carefully.  Most ingredients in my creations are organic.  I would love for all of the ingredients to be organic but unfortunately it's not always possible as some organic ingredients can be difficult to source (e.g. passionfruit).

My creations can contain a wide range of ingredients ranging from seeds, nuts, coconut, cacao, fruits, goji
berries, seaweeds and superfoods such as maca, mesquite and lucuma.  When it comes to the fruit that goes into my cakes, I always try to source local or organic first.

Blueberry Heart

All ingredients are vegan and also wheat & sugar free.  These cakes are great not only for those who are enthusiastic about raw food but also those who are vegetarian (there is no gelatine), vegan, have food intolerances or just looking for a guilt free dessert :)

Sometimes there are fresh berries inside too!

All creations are filled with love and made especially to order.  I'm always happy to answer any questions or enquiries about my raw cakes, just don't ask for my secret recipes!

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