Posts

Life Water {Coconut Water}

Better than any sports drink loaded with sugar and artificial color. Coconut water is life water. A natural source of electrolytes, it replenishes the body’s potassium and sodium. This hydrating fluid is rich in Vitamin C, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Copper and Magnesium. It has naturally occurring enzymes that promote gut health.

 

young Thai coconut

 

It is an ideal food for breaking your fast in the morning or replenishing your electrolytes after a workout.

 

Coconut water is sources from young coconuts. If you’ve ever travelled to the Caribbean, chances are you may have seen a truck on the side of the road loaded with green coconuts. The seller will take his machete, hack off the top, and you can sip pure, delicious, nourishing life water right from the coconut.

 

green coconut

 

Today, coconut water is bottled and readily available in most conventional grocery stores and specialty markets. In the states, young coconuts can be found in a market like Whole Food, though they’ll be grossly overpriced. If you have a Thai market in your area, you can find them there. My local international market sells Asian, Hispanic and Caribbean foods and I get mine from there.

 

young coconut 2

 

Hacking into one of these babies is an art. A sharp knife and some wrist action will get you in but you want to do it just right as to not waste one drop of the precious water inside. You can find YouTube videos on how to cut into one. Once you get it open and take that first sip…Mmm. It is an acquired taste. To me it really doesn’t “taste” like coconut. It has a faint coconut taste, more like a coconut aroma than a strong taste. It is slightly sweet and nutty, and thoroughly nourishing to the body.

 

young coconut meat

 

Pick up a few of these gems and fuel your body today with this potent life water. You can drink it straight up or to recover after your workout, try the recipe below. And after you’ve consumed the water, you can even scrape out the tender coconut meat to eat or add to smoothies.

 

Post-Workout Coconut Smoothie

 

1 cup coconut water

1 frozen banana

1 scoop plant based protein powder

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp organic raw honey

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve Inspired To Live Fully!

/0 Comments/by
,

Blackstrap Molasses, The New Black Gold

“Eeww, what’s that brown stuff?” my 4 year old asked as I placed a heaping spoon of viscous goodness in the blender.

This brown stuff, nearly black in color and a little pungent is none other than Unsulfured Blackstrap Molasses.

molasses

Molasses is something we may think of as a strange thing from a bygone era. Sure it is in gingersnap cookies and gingerbread but is anybody really using it these days? And what is it really?

 

Molasses is the byproduct that’s left over from converting sugar cane into sugar. While the end result, table sugar gives you no nutritional value, its byproduct molasses is chock full of goodness.

 

To me, molasses is a superfood that doesn’t get nearly enough recognition. It’s like crude…Black Gold, Texas Tea. Just 2 tablespoons contains half of your daily intake of iron and nearly half your daily intake of calcium along with other minerals and vitamins such as B6, magnesium and potassium.

 

I began taking blackstrap molasses several years ago during a pregnancy. The doctor said I was anemic and I knew I didn’t want to take a supplement that could cause constipation so I went on the hunt for natural remedies. I came upon the wonderful benefits of molasses and began taking 2 tablespoons a day either in a smoothie or directly off of a spoon.

 

And you know what? My iron levels returned to normal.

 

It’s a safe sweetener for diabetics as it has a low glycemic index and does not cause sugar spikes. It is also a natural stool softener.

 

So head over to your natural food store and pick up some blackstrap molasses, the new Black Gold today. And before you know it, you may be inspired to whip up a batch of gingerbread, molasses cookies, baked beans, and molasses bread, all because of your newfound love of molasses.  I just made a batch of gingerbread scones, made vegan by replacing the butter with coconut oil and the egg with a flax egg.

molasses jar

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

/9 Comments/by