From The Ground Up

If you haven’t noticed already, I have a bit of a sweet tooth. But I am always looking for desserts and snacks to satisfy my cravings that are made without refined sugar. 

But even when you think you’re eating a healthy dessert, you might actually be hurting yourself more than helping. Like I’ve said before, most “low calorie” and “low sugar” desserts are often made with artificial sweeteners and sugars. When you’re on the go, the McDonalds Fruit and Yogurt Parfait seems like a good dessert option, right? Let’s take a look at the ingredients first…

Yogurt: Cultured pasteurized Grade A reduced fat milk, sugar, food starch-modified, fructose, whey protein concentrate, corn starch, gelatin, natural (plant source) and artificial flavor, potassium sorbate. 

Granola: Whole grain rolled oats, brown sugar, crisp rice (rice flour, barley malt extract, salt), dried high maltose corn syrup, honey, sunflower oil, salt, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, apple puree concentrate, soy lecithin, cinnamon, crushed oranges, natural flavor. 

Those are two long lists of ingredients. The only thing possibly redeeming about their parfait might be the fruit. The yogurt is made with lots of artificial ingredients, and has added fructose (sugar). It’s also made with gelatin, which is an animal byproduct. How many “vegetarians” do you think have unknowingly eaten gelatin without even knowing? And why does it need to be in yogurt? The granola seems fine at first, until they had to include high fructose corn syrup and soy lecithin, which is a GMO soy product. 

By making parfaits at home, you not only save money, but have control over the amount of ingredients you use to make them, as well as the quality of ingredients. And don’t skimp and buy pre-made granola. Making your own is so easy and cheap! This granola is made with Maple Syrup, which is an unrefined sugar, and has tons of nutritional benefits. Check out my recipe for these quick and simply Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits.

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

• 2 cups Organic Old Fashioned Oats
• 1 cup Organic Cereal (choose a flakey variety)
• 1 cup Chopped Nuts of your choice
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 cup Organic Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup Organic Maple Syrup
• Stonyfield Organic Vanilla Yogurt (or organic Soy Yogurt, for you Vegans!) 
• Fresh Fruit of your choice (I used strawberries)

First begin by making your granola. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Combine the oats, cereal, nuts, salt,  cinnamon, and brown sugar in a bowl. Cover the bottom of a large baking pan with parchment paper, and spread mixture evenly inside. Next, drizzle the maple syrup over the granola, and stir with a spatula until it is covered evenly. Bake in five minute intervals, stirring each time, for fifteen minutes. Let the granola cool, then assemble your parfait. It doesn’t matter what order you go in, but I do a layer of granola, then yogurt, then fruit, repeat. Serve chilled and enjoy!

I’ve always had a microwave. It has always been an essential part of my kitchen anywhere I’ve lived. But when we moved into our new apartment, that’s one thing that wasn’t included.

Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about living a healthy lifestyle, and have also become more and more skeptical of microwaves. So needless to say, I’ve been living without one for the past six months… and it’s been easy.

Microwaves were introduced in America, in the 1960s. Microwaves heat food by bombarding it with electromagnetic radiation causing polarized molecules in the food to move and build thermal energy in a process called dielectric heating. They make reheating food and beverages very easy, as well as cooking pre-packaged foods.

While microwaves definitely offer a more convenient lifestyle, they also have many negative attributes as well. The most obvious, is that is depletes the nutritional density of your food. Microwaving food changes the chemical structure of food, and takes something that like organic vegetables and makes them a “dead” food that can potentially cause disease. A study by The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found that broccoli that’s been cooked in a microwave lost up to 97% of its beneficial antioxidants. And steamed broccoli? It only lost about 11% of its nutrients. Also, a Japanese study by Watanabe showed that by microwaving milk for just 6 minutes, it lost 40% of its beneficial B12 vitamin. Studies have also shown that heating breast milk or formula in the microwave as apposed to the stove top depleted the vitamin content as well as converting other beneficial substances to being completely useless.

Microwaves also have a lot of trouble heating food evenly. “Hot Spots” occur when one area of the food being microwaved gets heated more than the others, and can get hot enough to actually cause it to burn, which then causes carcinogenic toxins to be released into the food. The worst culprit of contaminating food is BPA (bis-phenol A), which is an estrogen like compound that’s used in plastic products. When you heat food in this type of container, BPA is released into your food.

Microwaves also use radiation to heat food, and while the radiation leakage is very minimal, it is still present. Standing in front of your microwave while it’s in the process of heating something can expose you to about 400 milliGuass of radiation, and a mere 4 milliGauss has been linked to causing leukemia.

Recent studies have even shown that when our tissue is directly exposed to microwaves, “microwave sickness” can occur. People with this condition experience insomnia, headaches and dizziness, swollen lymph nodes, impaired cognition, depression, nausea and appetite loss, vision and eye problems, and frequent urination.

Aside from all the negative effects on food and our bodies, using a microwave discourages cooking, and preparing healthy meals. Our society has become lazy and obsessed with instant gratification. Why would someone spend an hour making a meal for their family when they could do it in five minutes or less? Cooking homemade meals is something we cannot afford to lose. Recipes, tricks, and methods used to be passed down through the generations, and now people don’t even know how to crack an egg. Now, I’m not suggesting you completely toss your microwave, but consider using it less and spending more time preparing and planning meals. You’ll be not only helping your own health, but bringing your family together over a sacred tradition!

We’ve been told our entire lives to start the day with a healthy, well balanced breakfast. But in recent years, it’s been harder and harder to find something that fits those qualifications. Whether it’s cereal, waffles, pop-tarts, toaster strudel, yogurt, granola, or oatmeal, they all tend to be full of artificial dyes, sugar, enriched grains, and preservatives. For a meal that is deemed so important, we sure aren’t given many healthy options.

Take, for instance, a typical pancake breakfast. Not too bad, right? Wrong. Standard pancake mix is made with enriched, bleached flour, as well as mysterious ingredients like “sodium aluminum phosphate” and “mono-calcium phosphate”. And the “maple syrup” is far from real maple syrup. Real, organic maple syrup is actually quite nutritious; it is full of antioxidants that help prevent several chronic diseases, settles digestive problems, helps with muscle recovery and contains zinc, iron, calcium, and potassium. But this wimpy excuse for “maple syrup” is made with a dyed form of high fructose corn syrup (for those of you who use IHOP, Aunt Jemima, or other off brand versions of “pancake syrup”, sorry to break the news to you, but you’ve been dealing with a fake).

This recipe for Vegan Oat Pancakes with Apple Compote is a great alternative to a typically unhealthy breakfast option. The pancakes are made with unbleached flours, oats, flax meal (which is incredibly high in omegas), and any dairy free milk of your choice, making them quite nutritious and much lower in fat. And by using real maple syrup instead of the highly processed “pancake syrup”, you not only gain nutrients, but your body also knows how to process it much better. So give breakfast another chance. It really can be the most nutritious meal of the day!

Vegan Oat Pancakes

• 1 Cup Organic Unbleached Flour
• 1 Cup Organic Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 Tbsp Organic Sugar (use maple syrup in the pancakes if you’d like!)
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 2 Cups Non-Dairy Milk (I used Organic Almond)
• 1/4 Cup Oil
• 1/4 Cup Oats
• 1/4 Cup Ground Flax Meal

Begin by all of your dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the oil and non-dairy milk. Set your batter aside and prepare the Apple Compote…

Apple Compote 

• 1 Large Organic Apple, diced
• 3 Tbsp Earth Balance Margarine
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/8 tsp Cloves
• 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon (or more if your a cinnamon nut!)

Begin by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced apple to the melted butter and let the apple begin to cook down. After a few minutes, stir in the brown sugar, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. The brown sugar and butter will create a syrup around the diced apples. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer until apples have become tender. Set the compote to the side and begin preparing your pancakes.

Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle on medium high. Pour batter into 5 inch circles on the hot surface (I typically only do two at a time). When the pancake begins bubbling, it is ready to flip. When both sides are brown, remove the pancake from the heat and continue until all of your batter is gone.

Top pancakes with more Earth Balance Margarine, Apple Compote, and real Maple Syrup, and enjoy!

Sometimes I think I may actually be Hispanic. I cannot get enough Mexican food. Typically, however, our American-ized Mexican food tends to be greasy and fried, covered in sauce, and high in calories. And the chips… Don’t get me started. They’re so good. But when have you honestly stopped yourself before you’ve eaten a whole bowl? Or two?

But Mexican food doesn’t have to be bad for us. Have Mexican night at home and make your own versions of your favorite dishes! It is very easy to sneak in lots of vegetables and other wholesome ingredients into a recipe when it’s homemade, because you then have control. In my Easy Vegetarian Quesadillas recipe, I’ve added in these three very nutrient dense vegetables to give this standard dish a healthy makeover…

Black Beans: An obvious nutritional fact about beans is their high amount of fiber, which is help keep the digestive track working at a healthy pace. They’re also responsible blood sugar regulation, good cardiovascular and nervous system health, are rich in antioxidants, and help to prevent cancer. 

Spinach: As I listed before in my post on pizza, Spinach is a major super food. It is rich in Vitam A and K, as well as fiber, calcium, and antioxidants. Spinach is also used to lower blood pressure, build immunity, and promote healthy skin and bones.

Corn: While corn can be very starchy, it is also full of nutrients such as Vitamins B1, B5, E, C, Folic Acid, Magnesium, and Phosphorus.  

Instead of using a typical corn, or flour tortilla, I made these quesadillas with Engine 2 Plant-Strong Tortillas. These are not your everyday store bought tortilla, which are usually made with enriched and bleached flour, as well as lots of preservatives. Plant-Strong tortillas are made of fruits, vegetables. whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. By using these tortillas, you also get an added punch of fiber, as well as nutrients that corn and flour tortillas are lacking. And as far as cheese goes, select an organic variety, that’s free of growth hormones and artifical dyes and ingredients. So give in to your cravings, and indulge in some healthy Mexican food tonight!

Easy Vegetarian Quesadillas

• 2 Engine 2 Plant-Strong Tortillas (you can find these at Whole Foods!)
• Olive oil, just enough to cover the tortillas
• 1/4 Cup Organic Canned Corn, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 Cup Organic Black Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Spinach
• 1/2 Cup Organic Pepper Jack Cheese (if you like a less spicy cheese, go with Moteray Jack or Cheddar)

Begin by heating a non stick skillet over medium heat. Next, using a pastry brush, brush one side of each tortilla with olive oil (this will help the tortilla crisp up, while also providing healthy fats). Place the oiled side down on the hot skillet. Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the tortilla. Do the same thing with all the corn, black beans, and spinach. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and add your other tortilla to complete the quesadilla. When the bottom tortilla has begun to brown, and the cheese is melting, use a spatula to flip the tortilla. When the other side is brown, it is ready to be removed from the heat. Pair with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and enjoy!

I told you it was easy :)

Another essential part of a “snow day” is baking cookies. The two just go hand in hand for me. Cuddling up with my puppy, watching movies, and munching on warm, gooey, chocolate chip cookies… all day. 

I know, however, that having dietary restrictions can make it very difficult to enjoy this classic feel good dessert. A lot of vegan cookie recipes I’ve tried end up being too runny, flavorless, or come out of the oven looking more like pancakes than cookies. It’s also very important to me that even in baked goods I am getting some kind of nutrition. The traditional store-bought cookie dough is full of preservatives, refined sugar, and hydrogenated oil, which are not necessary whatsoever. Along with being processed, by buying cookie dough that’s already made, you give up complete control of the quality of the ingredients that are being used.

Cookies have gotten a bad reputation over the years for being a diet “ruin-er” and completely off limits to anyone trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but they don’t have to be! This recipe for Vegan Dark Chocolate Apricot Cookies have zero refined sugar, are made with whole wheat flour, and flax meal. Because they are vegan, they have absolutely no butter or eggs in them, easily making them lower in fat.

Vegan Dark Chocolate Apricot Cookies

• 3/4 Cup Oil (you can use canola oil, or softened Earth Balance spread)
• 1 Mashed Banana
• 1/2 Cup Organic Maple Syrup
• 1 Cup Organic Cane Sugar
• 1 Egg Substitute (1 Tbsp Flax meal, 3 Tbsp hot water, let sit for 5 minutes)
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 Cups Organic All-Purpose Flour (plus extra if dough is too runny)
• 1 1/2 Cups Organic Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 1/2 Cups Chopped Dark Chocolate (you can use Carob chips as well)
• 1 Cup Chopped Unsulphured Apricots

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. First things first, mix your egg substitute, since it will need to combine for 5 minutes. Using a small bowl, combine 3 Tbsp of hot water and 1 Tbsp flax meal together. Meanwhile, combine the other first six ingredients listed. After they are mixed, whisk in the egg substitute. In another bowl, combine flours, baking powder, and salt. Slowly incorporate the dry and the wet ingredients together. If the dough seems too wet, add a little more flour. Mix in the chocolate and apricots. Now your dough is ready to form!

Roll the dough into 1 1/2 - 2 inch size balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet or ungreased pizza stone. Bake for 10-15 minutes, and enjoy! Like I said, these are GREAT for a snow day… so go make them!

I’m just as ready for summer as anyone. I can’t wait for all of the home grown veggies and berries, salads, corn on the cob, the fireworks and barbecues. But alas… there are five inches of snow outside and all I can think of is hot cocoa and soup. 

Most people who enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, like me, find it very frustrating trying to eat in season during the fall and winter. There just aren’t as many options. So we resort to frozen dinners, eating out, and heating up overly processed cans of soup. Many times canned soup is very high in sodium, artificial colors, preservatives, and let’s face it, pretty flavorless. 

Making homemade soup is a lot easier than you think (and cheaper!). This recipe for Winter Vegetable Soup uses a variety vegetables that are actually seasonal in winter, such as kale and potatoes. 

Potatoes are extremely high in Vitamins C and B6, as well as Potassium. Although mostly made of carbohydrates, they also offer quite a bit of fiber and protein for those of us who are vegetarians and vegans.  

Kale is probably one of the most nutrient dense foods known to man. Kale is rich in Vitamins B6, A, K, Iron, and Beta Carotene. While it is low in calories, it is rich in fiber and sulfur which help detoxify the body. It also cooks down quite nicely, and has a great earthy flavor.

Winter Vegetable Soup

• 2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1/2 Onion, minced
• 2 Carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 8 Small Red Potatoes, quartered
• 3/4 Cup Sliced Mushrooms
• Thyme (to taste)
• Parsley (to taste)
• Rosemary (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp Sage
• 2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 10 Cups Water
• 1 Can Organic Kidney Beans, washed and drained
• 1/2 Cups Cooked Shell Pasta (about 3/4 cup uncooked)

Begin by heating oil in a large 8 quart pot. Sauté garlic and onion in the oil for 2-3 minutes. After the onion has turned a slightly golden color, add mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, and seasonings to the pot. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes on medium high. After the potatoes and carrots are cooked through, add water, beans, and pasta. Let the soup come to a boil for 10 minutes, then simmer over low heat until ready to serve! 

One of my favorite memories as a child was getting those big tins of popcorn at Christmas time. We would leisurely sit around the television, watch “The Christmas Story” and munch for hours, unknowingly consuming hundreds and thousands of calories of yummy processed goodness.

We live in a world where microwaved and store bought popcorn is the most popular way to consume this tasty treat. There are so many varieties; low fat, 100 calorie bags, low sodium, movie theater butter, extra butter, salt and pepper, extra cheese, kettle, and my personal favorite, caramel. When trying to pick the most healthy option, it’s obvious why we have such a hard time. But even though a package reads “100 Calories” or “Low Fat” does not mean it’s in anyway healthy. Have you ever taken a chance to look at the nutritional information on a bag of microwaved popcorn? The ingredients may look a little something like this:

Popping Corn, Palm Oil, Salt, Less than 2% of Natural Flavor and Artificial Flavors, Butter, Color Added, Freshness Preserved with TBHQ and Citric Acid.

The popping corn and butter are essential, but what about the others? First of all, Palm Oil has been shown to raise bad cholesterol levels. It’s not only bad for you, but for the environment as well. It is made from trees that orangutan’s have been nesting in for thousands of years. The trees are being cut down to make palm oil, and leaving these animals without a home. An area the size of a football field is being cleared every hour.

Next, artificial flavors and color being added to any food should be a major red flag. By adding these things to our food, we are allowing ourselves to be the FDA’s science expirement. Food needs to be real, whole, and clean. Artificial flavors and dyes are doing absolutely nothing positive for us, but instead causing food addictions, disease, and obesity.

And lastly, TBHQ. Tertiary Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is in most processed foods, and is used as a preservative, and is a form of butane. Consuming high quantities of this harmful additive can cause vomiting, collapse, nausea, and ringing of the ears. In long term studies, it was even shown to cause cancer in rats. Here’s the kicker: TBHQ has been known to cause ADHD symptoms. Think about that for a minute. This is an additive that is in many processed foods (candy, granola bars, brownies, McDonald’s chicken nuggets, etc.), most of which we are feeding to children. So is it just a coincidence that children are hyperactive? Most parents want a quick fix, so they load their kids up with medicine to minimize their symptoms, when all they really had to do was take away that candy bar.

However, popcorn doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Popcorn is naturally very high in fiber and is quite filling. Popping it in a large pot on the stove with a little olive oil and sea salt is a great alternative to a bag of microwaved popcorn. But if you’re like me and favor caramel corn, I have a super easy recipe for Maple Caramel Corn to share with you! By using organic maple syrup, this caramel corn is completely stripped of any refined sugar and artificial ingredients that may be present in another caramel corn recipe. This recipe only contains 5 ingredients and is a healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Maple Caramel Corn

• 2-3 Tbsp Canola Oil
• 1 Cup Popping Corn Kernels
• Sea Salt (use as desired)
• 1/2 Cup Butter (or you can make it Vegan by using Earth Balance!)
• 1 Cup Organic Maple Syrup

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Next, combine oil, corn kernals, and a dash of salt in a large eight quart pot, and begin popping over medium high heat. When you hear the popping sound slow down, remove from heat, and pour into two parchement lined 9x13 pans. Meanwhile, begin by melting butter in a sauce pan and whisking in the maple syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil, and let boil for 4-5 minutes. After the sauce is done, pour evenly over popcorn. Coat the popcorn evenly with caramel sauce. Bake the popcorn for 10 minutes, then remove and toss popcorn once more. Let cool completely and enjoy (or eat while it’s warm and gooey!)

Lactic acid, sodium phosphate, calcium phosphate, yellow 5, yellow 6, and enriched macaroni product are just a few of the dangerous ingredients found in a box of commercially made Mac N’ Cheese.

Children beg their parents to make this old favorite night after night, and even as adults, there is something so comforting in a big bowl of noodles covered in cheese sauce. But when you buy a processed, boxed version you’re also buying and consuming a long list of preservatives, artificial colors, processed dairy from unhealthy cows, and bleached, enriched noodles. There is little to no nutrition found in a box of this delectable side dish, and one of the biggest reasons would be the quality of the cheese.

Like I talked about in my milk post, because the cows are raised in such harsh conditions, fed grain, and treated with growth hormones, your body really isn’t getting any of the calcium the makers advertise the product being so high in.

Along with the bad conditions our cows are being raised in, the milk is also ultra- pastuerized. Wait, I thought that pasteurization removed harmful bacteria from the cow’s milk? It does, but it also removes all of the beneficial bacteria. Most consumers don’t really know what pasteurization even is. Pasteurization is the heating of milk to a very high temperature (usually around 180 degrees farenheight) for a short period of time. What we also don’t understand, is that the pastuerization of commercially sold milk is crucial, because the cows are so sick that the milk would probably kill us if it weren’t pasteurized. So here’s what I’m saying… Milk from cows living on factory farms must unfortunately be treated with chemicals and pasteurized to be safe for human consumption, because the cow’s producing the milk are sick and carry deadly diseases. Milk from healthy, grass fed cows does not need to be pasteurized to be safe for human consumtion. In fact, it is much better for you when it’s not pasteurized and Raw, or at least Vat-Pasteurized (meaning it was heated to a much lower temperature, so the milk maintains many of it’s health benefits, and is legal to sell in all states). And you’d better believe that the dairy found in a box of Mac N’ Cheese is definitely not a good quality product.

Now, there are some healthier, organic options if you don’t have time to make your own homemade mac. However, making your own is simple and the taste is incomparable to anything pre-packaged. This recipe for Smoked Gouda and Spinach Mac N’ Cheese that I adapted from a Cooking Light recipe is an incredible alternative to the every day macaroni recipe. By using real cheese, organic butter, and vat-pasteurized milk, you are getting beneficial bacteria that’s only found in organic and clean dairy products. You are also able to control the quality of the pasta by buying an organic variety, and gaining a lot of Vitamin A & K by incorporating chopped fresh spinach.

Smoked Gouda and Spinach Mac N’ Cheese

• 1 Slice of Whole Grain Bread
• 2 tbsp Organic Butter
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, Chopped
• 3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
• 1 Cup Sliced Mushrooms
• 2 tbsp Organic All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Cups Organic or Vat-Pasteurized Milk (Kalona variety is widely available)
• 1-2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 3/4 Cup Shredded Smoked Gouda Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 5 Cups Chopped Spinach
• 4 Cups Hot Cooked Organic Pasta (2-2 1/2 cups uncooked, you choose the type of noodle!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place piece of bread in a food processor, and pulse until the bread is turned into fine bread crumbs.

Boil water in a large pot, and cook pasta. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large sauce pan. Add onion, mushrooms and garlic and let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add flour, and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add in milk, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until thick. Add cheeses, and stir until melted.

Add spinach and drained noodles to the cheese sauce, and stir until combined. Pour mixture into a greased 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and bake for 15 minutes, and enjoy!

We buy into fad diets everyday. Take this pill, cut this food out, only eat radishes, no carbs, low fat, low calorie, eat laying down, eat only purple food, blah blah blah. Now I know some of those were exaggerated and probably don’t exist, but we really will do just about anything to lose weight. But could you really see yourself on one of those diets forever? Or do you find yourself hungry all the time? Those are two questions you have to ask yourself, and if the answer is yes, then you should probably change diets. Or not diet at all. 

One of my biggest issues with diets is that there is no room for “cheating”. If you deprive yourselves of all the foods you love, you are destined to fail. Now I’m not saying go out and eat a whole piece of fried chicken, or an entire pint of ice cream, but I do think we can be smarter about the junk food we do eat. By completely cutting out the unhealthy snacks you love, you will find yourself craving them all them all the time. And when you decide to give in to temptation, you’re liable to binge eat.

For many, brownies are a huge no-no. But they don’t have to be. This recipe for Fudge-y Vegan Brownies is anything but unhealthy. Typical homemade non-vegan brownies would be made with butter, eggs, white table sugar, and bleached enriched flour. And that’s not even the worst. For instance, store bought, pre-packaged brownies contain hydrogenated oils, preservatives, soy, artificial colors and flavors. I know I say this a lot, but by making your own junk food, you can control the quality of the ingredients much better.

I am a firm believer that you can make an “unhealthy” food “healthy” in some way, shape or form. This recipe uses all natural cocoa powder, which is incredibly high in nutrients. Cocoa decreases blood pressure, lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol. It is also high in polyphenolic flavonoids, which fight heart disease. These brownies also have flax meal in them, which widely known as a superfood, and is high in antioxidants, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids. Flax is high in nutrients as well, such as most B vitamins, magnesium, and manganese.

So, without further adieu…

Fudge-y Vegan Brownies

• 1 Cup Organic All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup Organic Wheat Flour
• 2 Cups Organic Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 2 tbsp Flax Meal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 Cup Strong Coffee
• 3/4 Cup Hot Water
• 1 Cup Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl, then gradually add in the wet and stir together. Spread evenly in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. And enjoy! 

*For less fat, you could even try replacing the oil with mashed banana, or applesauce. You could also stir in some toasted almonds or walnuts. 

Xylitol, Dextrose, Maltose, Maltitol, Glucose, Glycerol, Sorbitol, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Spenda, Sacchrin, Aspartame, and Sucralose. What do all of these things have in common? They are all refined sugars that are extremely dangerous to our health.

Refined sugar is in nearly everything. From salad dressing, to bread, milk, bologna, pretzels, chips, yogurt, cereal, and much more. It is almost impossible to avoid. What exactly is refined sugar though? Refined sugar is when natural, raw sugar goes through the refining process which takes out any of the beneficial nutrients, and adds lime and carbon dioxide to make it a more appealing color (for instance, table sugar is white, and goes through a bleaching process). White table sugar, Splenda, Aunt Jemima “Maple Syrup” (which isn’t maple syrup at all), any kind of corn syrup, and powdered sugar are just a few examples of the refined sugars most of us use on a daily basis.  And if you think you aren’t consuming them, but you eat processed foods, brand names, fast food, frozen dinners, or anything that comes in a box, you certainly are.

You may be thinking, “Well, the FDA says that all sugars are the same, and my body won’t know the difference.” I’m sorry, but that is a lie. Again, if we aren’t sick, the Federal Drug Administration cannot make any money by selling us over the counter medications. Refined sugar is not healthy, and consuming it in mass amounts (which is what most American’s are doing) will only lead to disease, and eventaully death. Let’s just talk about some of the negative effects refined sugar has on our body…

• It is completely void of any nutritional value and is very hard for the body to process
• Sugar thickens blood and inhibits blood flow
• Causes tooth decay and cavities
• Causes Diabetes
• Hypoglycemia happens when the pancrease has to react to large amounts of sugar, and then releases too much insulin, causing a “tired” feeling
• Causes gallstones
• Increased anxiety and irritability
• Increased PMS symptoms
• Chronic fatigue
• Has the same effects on the brain that cocaine does, and can cause mental problems. It is even known as a “narcotic” to some
• Lowered white blood cell count, which means you’re more prone to disease.
• White sugar is bleached with chlorine, which combined with organic compounds produces a deadly chemical known as dioxin
• Your liver processes High Fructose Corn syrup the same way it processes alcohol, and is known to cause impaired judgement, slow response time, and impaired motor function
• Higher cholesterol levels
• Drinking fructose causes a rise in uric acid, which causes high blood pressure
• Artificial sweeters (Aspartame, Sacchrin, Splenda, etc.) are neurotoxins, and even more poisonous

It’s nearly impossible to cut it out of your diet completely, I get that. There are small changes you can make, however, that will help you limit the amount you are consuming. Raw honey, real maple syrup, organic stevia, organic cane sugar, organic brown sugar, unsulphured molasses, sucanat, and sorghum are all examples of unrefined sugars. You will find that they are very rich tasting, and are all high in various nutrients! Give them a try and make the change from refined to unrefined!