Paleo Cinnamon Roll Almond Butter

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I've been in the Vitamix club for almost a year now. I've done smoothies and ice creams galore, but I haven't been particularly adventurous until now.

Then again, is almond butter adventurous at all? It seems a lot of people have already done this.

BUT DID THEY MAKE IT TASTE LIKE A CINNAMON ROLL?

I got the pro tip from my friend Diane. She suggested freezing the almonds before blending, so that they are cold when you start. Since the Vitamix has such a powerful blade, it can overheat and turn itself off if things get too hot. So, freeze I did. And it worked like a charm.

I also added coconut oil to this recipe. I don't think it is necessary, and I have seen many, many recipes that do not use any oil at all (because nuts have a natural oil of their own that is released during blending). So, if you're not a fan, feel free to omit.

But, including it in this recipe will make your almond butter creamier and smoother, and shoot, it will just taste awesome. Not to mention that coconut oil has some crazy good benefits for your digestive system and skin. The only reason not to include it is if you are limiting your calories and fat. But, let's be real, if that's the case, why on earth are you eating nut butter?!?!?!

[This coming from a paleo afficionado... take it with a grain of salt]

^Speaking of salt, there is a sprinkle of sea salt in this recipe. Another thing you can omit, if you are limiting sodium (which I generally encourage, so go right ahead). It is a very small amount, though, and it truly does bring out the sweetness and flavor.

DID I MENTION HOW CREAMY THIS STUFF IS? It was so difficult to exercise self control as I scooped it out of the vitamix and into a jar. Thankfully, there were a few tablespoons that didn't quite fit into the jar...

Well, you know what happened to those ones ;-)

Paleo Cinnamon Roll Almond Butter

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of almonds, frozen beforehand
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (I used Carrington Farms)
• 1 dropper full of Vanilla Stevia Drops (or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and a sprinkle of sugar or stevia)
• 1/8 tsp salt (just a sprinkle!)
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Before starting, melt coconut oil in a microwave-safe container, so that it is in liquid form instead of solid. It should take about 30-40 seconds.
2. Place almonds in the blender. If you are using a vitamix, follow these steps: (1) Turn the vitamix on, on level one. (2) Immediately turn the dial all the way up to 10. (3) Then quickly turn it onto high. (Doing this quickly will help it from overheating - thanks again to Diane for the tip!)
3. Use the tamper (like a long stick - or if you don't have one, use a sturdy plastic spoon/spatula) to help push the almonds down as they quickly turn from nuts into a meal/flour and eventually into a buttery paste. It took me about 3 minutes.
4. It will start to look like thick almond butter. At this point, add the coconut oil, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon, and then turn the blender back on and continue to tamp/mix it for another minute or two.
5. Turn the blender off. Taste test and adjust sweetness/cinnamon/salt to your preferences.
6. Use a spatula to scrape the almond butter out and into a jar.

Notes:

• As far as I can tell from reading around online, this should last about two to three months if kept in the fridge. Good luck keeping it around for that long, though...
• This fit almost perfectly into a 12 ounce mason jar, with just a few tablespoons left over for you to use on something as a reward for your hard work :)
• Special ingredients used in this recipe: NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Drops (these are amazing in baked goods, smoothies, coffee, you name it!) and Carrington Farms Coconut Oil.
• If you don't have a tamper, get one here for only 14 bucks! It makes such a difference!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Do you have a special nut butter concoction you make? Any other secret ingredients? I am dying to try one with raw cacao powder, but I am worried it would be too rich for me to enjoy! 

The Truth About Oil Pulling

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If you've been on Facebook or Pinterest lately, you've probably heard about oil pulling. As usual, I figured I would jump on the trend early so I could decide how I felt about it...

The verdict? I love it. I first tried it after reading Wellness Mama's post and have tried to do it every day since. I do think I am seeing some whitening of my teeth, my mouth feels cleaner, and honestly, it is just fun. I have noticed that I get excited to do it, which to me is a sign that my body knows it is doing good things.

I do think the name is kind of deceiving. I get that it is supposed to 'pull' bacteria etc from your mouth, but I would really rather call it 'Oil Swishing,' since that is what it is. You're basically just swishing coconut oil (or another oil) around in your mouth, then spitting it out. Simple as pie... just a little less delicious.

The Oil Pulling Process: 

• You take about 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil - typically coconut oil, which is usually a solid at room temperature, but you can also use olive or sesame - and put it in your mouth. 
• Let it melt (or, if you're impatient like me, chew it for a second and it will melt quickly) and then swish it around for as long as you can, up to 20 minutes.
• Then, spit it out. DO NOT SWALLOW IT! It is removing junk from your mouth, gums, and teeth, so swallowing that will partially defeat the purpose.
• Rinse well and brush your teeth afterward.

 

Tips for Oil Pulling, Based on My Personal Experience:

• You don't have to start out with 20 minutes your first time! It might be difficult to do, and honestly, your mouth muscles aren't used to swishing oil around for that long at once, so it might get tiring anyway. Try starting with 5 minutes, or as long as you can go at first, and work up from there.
• Do it while you are working on something that will distract you. Watching TV? Cooking dinner?  Writing a paper? Whatever it is, find something to preoccupy you. Trust me, it will go by much faster.
• It helps me to set a stopwatch once I put it in my mouth so that I can keep checking to see how far I've gotten. Also, then I don't have to try to remember what time I started at!

Working on book querying while I swish!

Set a timer - Made it to 20 minutes exactly!

How Does It Work (in totally non scientific terms):

• First, the oil mixes with your saliva and absorbs the toxins (bad guys) from your saliva. Then, as the oil is swished around and comes into contact with your mouth, gums, tongue, and teeth, it continues to absorb toxins. Then, it is spit out (with the toxins in it) before the toxins can be reabsorbed. Typically, by the time it has absorbed toxins, it comes out as thick and opaque, sometimes even white. (unless you just ate chocolate beforehand in which case that stuff is gon' be brownnnn - been there, done that)
• Because so much of our holistic health is related to our oral health, many believe that this process also serves to improve health in the rest of the body (see below for specific benefits).

What Are the Benefits: 

According to Food Matters, Oil pulling is "an ancient Ayurvedic remedy for oral health and detoxification. It involves the use of pure oils as agents for pulling harmful bacteria, fungus, and other organisms out of the mouth, teeth, gums and even throat" (Food Matters: The Habit That Can Transform Your Health). Reported benefits are as follows.

• whitens teeth naturally, without damaging enamel
• strengthens your teeth and gums
• helps prevent bad breath by removing bacteria and fungus from the mouth
• helps prevent diseases of the gums and mouth, such as cavities and gingivitus
• helps prevent dryness of the mouth and lips
• migrane headache relief
• correcting hormone imbalances
• reducing inflammation or arthritis
• reduces eczema
• supports kidney function
• may reduce sinus congestion
• reduces insomnia
• reduces pain
• detoxifies the body
• reduces hangovers
• is fun!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Have you tried it?
• What's your verdict?
• Any tips I am missing? Share!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Oil and Sea Salt - Gluten Free Option

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I recently realized that I never posted about my favorite chocolate chip cookies. I made them for my MIL/FIL when they came to Chicago at the beginning of the summer, and entirely forgot that I'd taken out my camera during the process and captured the beauty that is chocolate chip cookies.

It's an old thing, I guess, these chocolate chip cookies that so many of us make. Yet, we are always trying to reinvent the wheel, are we not? We sprinkle them with sea salt or stuff them with nutella. We add a little peanut butter here or some oats there. It is such a standard thing, yet we all find a way to put our own spin on it. Such is life, I suppose.

On this particular day, my changes were made more out of necessity than desire. You see, when I do impromptu baking, I have a tendency to try to make do. Make do without eggs, or make do without vanilla. Make do without anything, just so I can get one step closer to cleaning out the pantry while simultaneously creating something I may never have thought of if I'd had my perfect choice of ingredients.

So, when these buggers were in the making, I made a few swaps. No olive/canola/veggie oil? No butter? I had some coconut oil on hand and gave it a whirl. No chocolate chips? Well, let's ignore the fact that a true household should never go without chocolate chips. I had a dark Lindt chocolate bar that was begging to play a role in these cookies, so I busted out the knife and got chopping.

In the end, these babies were delish. Adapted from this recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Oil and Sea Salt

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (if you are making this gluten free and using coconut flour, add an egg)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 chocolate bar, chopped (or 2/3 cup chocolate chips)
• Sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine oil, sugars, eggs, and extracts and mix well. Then add flour, baking soda, and regular salt (not sea salt) and mix until well combined. Because this recipe uses coconut oil in place of butter, it may seem a bit crumbly. Never fear! It will come out of the oven perfectly!
3. Fold in chocolate with a spoon or spatula.
4. Put 1.5 inch balls on parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt.
5. Bake for 7-8 minutes and then remove. Let cool and then stuff your face!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Do you have a special cookie recipe?
• Do you make it up on the fly or go step by step using a recipe?