Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream, Trigger Point Therapy, and an Invasion of Ants

Dairy is something that doesn't agree with me. I have found a great alternative to ice cream that my grandchildren LOVE and is good for you! It only has a few ingredients in it and is so easy to make.

1 can of organic coconut milk 

{I use Native Forest since it seems to be the most pure.}

2-3 frozen bananas

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Sweeten with a little bit of stevia, organic raw honey or maple syrup

pinch of sea salt {optional}

Blend in blender and then enjoy. I pour mine into a metal cupcake tin, freeze them, and then pop them out and freeze all of them in a Ziploc bag. This way I can give one to my grandbabies whenever they come over.

I took a long walk in flip flops. Did you know you aren't supposed to take long walks in flip flops? A few days later, my toes, feet and legs hurt so badly I could barely walk. I had painful tendonitis in my feet from it, so I thought. For two weeks, every day for two hours I ice dipped my feet. It wasn't working. They still hurt badly. Then I remembered The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. I had frozen shoulder so severely after having my neck fused years ago that I couldn't move it at all. I found this book, bought myself a theracane and shortly afterwards, I was completely out of pain.

I read up on feet pain and found out that muscles from your lower leg can cause foot pain. The muscle that ran on the outside of both lower legs was very painful so I began trigger point therapy on them every two hours and the next morning I could walk! Every day since, it continues to get better and better. If you have any pain that involves muscles or tendons, I highly recommend this method.

The method is very simple. You find the painful spots in your body
 and then do these steps ~

1. Use deep stroking massage, not static pressure.
2. Massage with short, repeated strokes.
3. Do the massage stroke in one direction only.
4. Do the massage stroke slowly.
5. Aim at a pain level of seven on a scale of one to ten.
6. Limit massage to six to twelve strokes per trigger point.
7. Work a trigger point three to six times per day.
8. If you get no relief, you may be working the wrong spot.

This can help you with tendonitis, TMJ, headaches, neck and back problems, etc. You can use your hands but you will need a theracane if you need to use it on your back or want to save your hands. I find it helps A LOT to put a pack of frozen peas over the spot you did therapy on for fifteen minutes each time.

We have lived in this home almost 18 years. We haven't had ants for many years. Due to the heat wave and drought, we have been getting some recently. I have the easiest, cheapest, and fastest way to get rid of them! Just use your finger and smash as many as you can, leaving the dead ones there.  If there are a ton of them, get a heavy jar or roller pin and just roll over them, killing as many as you can. After an hour, they will be gone and most of the dead ones also. They must learn quickly or hate the smell of death but this method works every time for me!

Through him then let us continually offer up a 

sacrifice of praise to God, that is, 

the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

Hebrews 13:15

***Remember, I'm NOT a doctor. I'm just a homemaker who loves to research 

natural cures and have found many that have worked for my family and me. Information I have given is for educational and informational purposes only and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. Any statements or claims about the possible health benefits conferred by any foods or supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or course of treatment.

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie

 

Ken has been making these for many years and they are a hit for everyone that eats them!  This recipe makes 16 large cookies {and I mean large}.

In a large bowl mix together:

•4 ½ cups Organic Oats

•2 ½ cups Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

•1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

•1-2 Tablespoons Cinnamon {or more}

•3/4-1 cup chocolate chips or chunks 

In a smaller mixing bowl:

•½ cup of melted Butter

•½ cup of organic Safflower Oil
{or more butter or coconut oil ~
my preference but Ken dislikes the taste of coconut oil}

•1 1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup {can use 1/2 organic sugar}

•1 1/2 Tablespoons pure Vanilla Extract

•½ teaspoon of Almond Extract…
{optional but really good!}

•1 Tablespoon Water 

Mix all together.   Then taste the batter and tweak to liking.. add more cinnamon, chocolate, maple syrup, etc. Place on a baking sheet in large globs. Don't press together too much, just enough to form a cookie shape. They do not spread out so place as close together as you want. 

Place the cookies into a preheated oven set at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Best when frozen!!! But also very good when hot out of the oven!

Sistas' Famous Cookies

These cookies are AMAZING!!!  My sisters make them for everyone ~ basketball teams, soccer teams, football teams, teachers, gifts, etc.  They are especially good right out of the oven.  Debbi used them at an auction at our high school and got a huge bid for them.  Then she had to make hundreds of them that year to fulfill the bid!

This recipe is doubled since they are usually made for so many people!

Dry Ingredients

4 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

Important Step!  MELT 3 cubes {sticks} of butter.  
Room temperature just doesn't make them as good.

To the melted butter add ~

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla or a little more

2 eggs

Mix all the ingredients together and then blend them well using a hand mixer, Kitchenaid, or a strong son.

Add in 1/2 pound of chopped dark chocolate {They get the 72% kind from Trader Joes.  They said chocolate chips aren't as good, but I am sure you can use them.}

8 Skor or Heath bars chopped {This is the secret ingredient in my opinion!} Debbi chops hers up in small pieces and Alisa chops hers up in big pieces!

Blend in well.  You must now roll them in love {according to Debi...although Alisa leaves out this essential step and hers tasted mighty good!}

Alisa makes big, giant cookies and Debbi makes smaller ones as you can see in the picture. {I didn't get a picture of Alisa's.}  It may be that Debbi has made thousands and Alisa has made only hundreds!

Cook in a 375 degree preheated oven for 11 minutes.  They turn out perfectly in their 25 year old ovens when they are cooked that long, although Alisa likes hers slightly undercooked.

Debbi only cooks hers on one rack at a time.  If there is more than one rack in the oven, the cookies don't taste as good.  I think Alisa may use more than one rack at a time...

Now, as you can see, these are not healthy in any way.  If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know I am VERY health conscious but these are SO good.  Just don't have them around the house TOO often, okay?

P.S. The first picture is how Debbi wraps them when she gives them to people.  Aren't they a gorgeous way to receive cookies!  People just love them.

Cassi's Carrot Cake

Cassi is really getting into this cake decorating thing.  I think she has missed her calling!  For Father's Day, I made the cake part and she decorated it.  When we want to bake something special, we find a recipe we like and make it healthy.  Here is our version of a healthy carrot cake.  It is light and yummy!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a Cuisinart mix ~

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend for 5 seconds. 

In a bowl, add the above ingredients and toss well with ~

3 cups grated carrots

In the Cuisinart combine ~

2 cups organic sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup coconut or vegetable oil  (Butter would probably be great!)

Blend well.

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl, then add 1 1/2 cup chopped nuts and 1 pound of chopped of dates.

Pour into a well-oiled bunt pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes or until the cake reaches 205 to 210 degrees in the center.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool 15 minutes in the pan. After 15 minutes, turn the cake out onto a rack and allow cake to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting. 

Cream cheese frosting ~

1 stick of organic butter

16 ounces of cream cheese

1/2 cup honey

1 Tablespoon of vanilla

Blend well in Cuisinart and use to decorate the cake after it has cooled.  Good luck decorating it like Cassi decorated ours!

Chocolate Banana Freezer Pie

Cassi made this tonight...Yummy!!!   She topped it with organic, whole whipping cream sweetened with vanilla and maple syrup.  Then she shredded dark chocolate pieces and almonds over it. 

She use to work for Marie Calendars, therefore, she became very good at decorating pies.  She also added a  bit of Stevia to the pie filling to make it sweeter.  She loves baking and making us healthy desserts! 

The original recipe used a normal whole wheat crust in a pie pan. I am pretty sure you could also use this crust in a pie pan. I also think that cream in place of the coconut milk would be great, or even just whole milk.

Crust:

1 cup of almonds  (Soaked and Dehydrated nuts would work great!)

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

Pie Filling:

5 ripe bananas

1 cup of full fat coconut milk

½ cup of cocoa powder

1 teaspoons vanilla

1) Toast the almonds in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until browned and fragrant. Place in a food processor with the butter and honey. Blend until finely ground. Push evenly into the bottom of a greased 8 inch spring form pan, or pie pan.

2)  Rinse out the food processor and add the pie filling ingredients to it. Blend until quite smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Pour over pie crust and freeze until well set (at least 4 hours).

3) Use a very sharp knife to cut into pieces. Can let sit for about 20 minutes to soften it up a bit. For presentation and added flavor, top with sliced bananas, sliced almonds, or chocolate shavings.

Delicious Apple Crisp

This was the dessert my dad requested for his 80th birthday party and it was great!  I found the recipe on the food network but I changed several of the ingredients, like white flour and sugar, to make it healthy and added a few of my own.

Filling~

5 Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and chopped small

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

3 Tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup organic sugar

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Mix all the ingredients together and place into an 8 X 8 pan.

Topping~

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup organic oats

1/3 cup organic sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

6 Tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Mix the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.  Blend the butter into the mixture until it forms pea size lumps.  Stir in pecans and sprinkle over filling.  Sprinkle a little bit of organic sugar over the whole thing.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Delicious Sweet Potato Brownies

I make these at least once a week for my mom and me.  My mom actually has them for breakfast most mornings as they use only good, healthy ingredients. They are great straight out of the oven, but even more delicious when frozen.  They are the perfect chocolate fix being a hybrid between brownies and fudge in textute and taste, but none-the-less they are the perfect alternative, or superior, to brownies.{From my daughter's blog Live Right Be Healthy.}

Sweet Potato Brownies

Makes an 8x8 pan of brownies

Ingredients: sweet potato, eggs, coconut oil, honey, vanilla extract, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and cacao nibs {or chocolate chips}

First, bake at 425 degrees:

• 1 medium-large sweet potato

Cook for 30-40 minutes. Remove peeling and place in a blender or a mixing bowl

Blend or mix together w/ the sweet potato:

• 3 eggs

• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil

• 1/4-1/3 cup honey {depending on sweetness of the sweet potato and personal preference}

•  1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix in a separate bowl:

• 1 1/2-3 Tbsp coconut flour {for more silky and fudge-like use less coconut flour}

• 4-5 Tbsp cocoa powder

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• pinch of salt

Combine the sweet potato mixture to the dry ingredients and then add:

• 3 Tbsp cacao nibs {they add a great crunch. Can omit or substitute with 1/2 cup chocolate chips, but then use less honey}

Pour into an oiled or buttered 8x8 baking pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Now you have deliciously addicting Paleo brownies! 

*Best stored in the freezer

*I've also made a batch with 1/4 cup honey and 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup.  So good!

Quotes from those who have tried this recipe ❤

~ Tastes like frozen fudge brownies in Ben and Jerry's ice cream but even better! Oh dear I see myself just wanting to live off these...[I] am in sweet potato heaven! ~

~ These are some of the most amazing thing I've ever had.. I am in lurve [love]. I licked every last drop off the batter from the bowl... I am soo tempted to eat all of these right now ~

~ I made these tonight totally not expecting to like them but they are sooooo good!!!!!! Thank you for this recipe :) ~

~ Oh man.. The most amazing HEALTHY brownie! Paleo Sweet Potato Brownies. You'll seriously be amazed ~

~ These brownies are healthy alternatives and actually taste soo fudgy it's amazing ~

~Just died and gone to paleo-heaven ~

~ They are so awesome. I didn't have coconut flour so I used almond flour and they turned out great ~ 

~ Unbelievably incredible Paleo fudge brownies. This is a MUST to try. My husband couldn't believe that it was made of sweet potatoes and not the store bought kind... Yummiest and healthiest brownie you'll ever have :) my whole family is addicted ~

~ Sweet potato brownies sounded strange to me at first but these were absolutely amazing!!! ... I have tried frozen, refrigerated and fresh our of the oven... I loved them cold/refrigerated best!! Oh also I added the maple syrup too! Best! ~

~ Made these tonight. My whole family loved them. I have been trying lots of different "healthy" brownies recipes and my 16 yr old daughter said these were the best yet. I agree :) Thank you for the recipe ~

~ I'm obsessed with this recipe.  Have been making it weekly.  I have been making one new recipe each week from your blog and have loved every single one!! Thank you so much and keep them coming. You rock ~

Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

These are just as good as Reese's peanut butter cups but they are actually GOOD FOR YOU!!!  They are so healthy because of the organic coconut oil {keeps your body well-oiled and is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal} raw organic honey {kills virus' and bad bacteria}, and organic cocoa {chocolate is good for everything, right?}. 

Nut Mixture

1/4 cup of organic peanut butter {or other nuts made into butter}

1/2 cup almond butter (We make our own by throwing salted nuts in a Cuisinart.)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons honey (Raw organic honey)

1/4 cup of coconut oil (Organic coconut oil)

1/3 cup of chopped nuts

In a Cuisinart (or by hand in a bowl) combine the peanut butter, almond butter, coconut oil, vanilla, honey, and  nuts.

Mix until well combined.

{Best to combine coconut oil and honey first.  You may want to melt both of them a little bit to make the mixing easier.}

Drop by the heaping teaspoon into muffin tins and flatten down.

Place in freezer.

Chocolate Topping {Makes enough chocolate for 1 1/2 batches of the nut mixture.}

3/4 cup cocoa powder {Organic cocoa powder}

1/4 cup of honey

1 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

*I add a little bit of stevia to make it sweeter.

Combine these ingredients in a 2 or 4 cup glass measuring glass and

place in a pot of simmering water on the stove.

Heat until everything is just melted, and remove from heat.

Whisk briskly until combined well.

Take out the muffin tins from the freezer, and divide your chocolate

mixture over it.

Place back into the freezer for about 30-45 min then remove and put

into a Ziploc bag.

*Must be stored in the freezer.

Enjoy!  They don't stay around for long...

This recipe is from my daughter's Paleo Blog that has 
many wonderful recipes!