Raw Paleo Tiramisu


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In pinterest, I came across this beautiful tiramisu recipe from Peachy Palate which is gluten free and vegan. However, since I don’t drink alcohol, I substituted apple cider for brandy. Try the recipe and add your comment.

Ingredients (9 squares)

    Base & Centre Layer

    • 75g (3/4 cup) roasted peeled hazelnuts
    • 75g (3/4 cup) pecans
    • 40g (1/3 cup) coconut flour
    • 60g (1/2 cup) ground almonds
    • 90g (1/2 cup) Medjool dates
    • 3 tbsp (42g) coconut oil melted

    Coffee Brandy Cream Layer

    • 1/2 can (200ml) full fat coconut milk
    • 80g (1/3 cup) raw cacao butter
    • 2 tbsp (15g) raw cacao powder
    • 45g (1/4 cup) Medjool dates
    • Seeds from half a vanilla pod or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 shots of espresso or 3 -4 heaped tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1-2 tbsp boiling water
    • 3 tbsp brandy (or Marsala wine..sherry or whiskey)
    • 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or ghee melted

    Cream Layer

    • 1 cup (120g) raw cashews soaked for 8 hours or overnight
    • 1/4 cup (60ml) full fat coconut milk
    • 1/4 cup (55g) coconut oil melted
    • 2 tbsp (40g) raw honey
    • 1 tbsp (14g) melted cacao butter
    • Seeds from half a vanilla pod or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

    Instructions

    Base

    1. Blend dates to a paste in your food processor. Remove and blend hazelnuts and pecans to a coarse crumb. Add all ingredients to the food processor and blend to combine.
    2. Place 1/2 of the mix in to a 6 inch loose bottom cake tin lined with baking parchment paper.
    3. Spread evenly and press down to compact.
    4. Place in the fridge while you make the chocolate layer. Set remainder of crumb to one side at room temperature.

    Chocolate Layer

    1. Blend dates to a paste in your food processor. Add in coconut milk and blend to combine.
    2. Add all other chocolate layer ingredients and process until smooth.
    3. Pour and spread evenly over the base. Sprinkle over the remainder of the crumb. Spread it evenly and lightly press down but don’t compact as you did with the base!
    4. Return to the fridge while you make the topping.

    Cream Layer

    1. Blend soaked cashews (drained!) with coconut milk in a high speed blender until smooth. Combine with all other ingredients in blender or food processor.
    2. Pour over the second crumb layer. Gently spread to ensure it’s even.
    3. Return to the fridge to set overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours.
    4. Push up out of the loose bottom tin. Slice in to 9 squares. Dust with raw cacao powder and serve. Store in the fridge for up to one week or freeze in a seal tight container or wrapped in clingfilm for up to one month.

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    Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction


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    Stress…what do we mean when to talk about stress?How do we describe stress. It’s our body’s fight or flight response. National Institution of Mental Health (NIMH) defines stress as the following:

    “Stress can be defined as the brain’s response to any demand. Many things can trigger this response, including change. Changes can be positive or negative, as well as real or perceived. They may be recurring, short-term, or long-term and may include things like commuting to and from school or work every day, traveling for a yearly vacation, or moving to another home. Changes can be mild and relatively harmless, such as winning a race, watching a scary movie, or riding a rollercoaster. Some changes are major, such as marriage or divorce, serious illness, or a car accident. Other changes are extreme, such as exposure to violence, and can lead to traumatic stress reactions.”

    Nevertheless, our exposure to stress might be it can have a big toll on our health, hence my today’s blog. I, like many of us have dealt with stress to the point that I always had palpitation, high heart rate (higher than my usual benign high heart rate), insomnia, and anxiety. However, all that changed when I decided to take the 8 week Mindful Based Stress Reduction class Dr. Gina L Sager. She is a retired board-certified general surgeon, named one of Baltimore’s Top Docs in October 2000. Gina taught us to be aware of the present and be in the moment. I am currently in the 7th week of the class and I have so much difference in the class. You can talk her class in Town for $500 or simply her CDs 10% of the proceed of which will go to HopeWell Cancer Support.  I use her Yoga Nidra, a deed relaxing guided meditation CD every night help me fall asleep along with Melatonin. I have to say that has been a lifesaver for me. I also use her guided Sitting meditation CD during my one hour subway commute to work everyday that help feel focused and ready to take on the day with all my attention even with my ADD personality.

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    During one my long morning commute to work, a lady tapped my shoulder while I was on my meditation mode, and gave a local Washington Post Express newspaper pointing to a particular newspaper article, and saying “this is you”. What was interesting was that she observed it right. The lady in far left was like me. This is what I do everyday. So I am not alone. The article provided the following mindful commuting tips: 1) Focus on your surroundings: Focus you attention from when you will get to you destination to what you notice via your senses, like the sounds, the feel of you feet touching the ground, or places of your body that feel tense. 2) Focus on your breath: If you’re not riding a bike or driving take five slow, deep breaths, then return to normal breathing but try to notice each breath and the space between breaths. 3) Refuse your thoughts: you red lights or stops on a train or bus as a reminder notice whether you’re lost in though. Then refocus on your breathing or your senses.

    There are some great free apps with guided meditation. The one that I love that most is Calm. It’s free in both Google Play and Itunes. This app can help you meditate, sleep, relax, focus and much more.  Don’t let stress take over your health and life. Let’s start by focusing on the moment and being aware of the present. However, in on order to conquer stress to we have to be aware of our feeling.

    Next time I will focus on how pleasant and unpleasant feeling of stress. Until next time, I leave you with the following quotes from Jerry Spinelli,

    “Live Yesterday.
    Not Yesterday.
    Not tomorrow.
    Just today. 
    Inhabit your moments.
    Don’t rent them out to tomorrow.”
     

    Forever NijLeave a comment

    Introduction


    Hi There! Welcome to my blog. I just wanted to introduce myself to the blog world. I am Munziba. I am so a newbie to this blog world. I thought may be it’s time for me to introduce myself to the outspoken world of blogging. I am part of the Millennial generation.

    I am so proud of my generation. We have accomplished so much. According to New York Times articles from August 15, 2014 “We are the generation nice”. Almost two-third of us rather make $40,000 a year in a job that we love than $100,000 in a job that we think we are boring. I am for sure one of them. I have family members who tease me that I am not doing anything with my life with two Masters degree but I love my job doing what I do doing research. For me it is important that I rather make a difference than making money. We are the generation who introduced social network and gave the world occupation Wall Street, and have embraced our own mode of entrepreneurship.

    We reject the presumed security of the corporate job and are afraid to pursue our own ventures even if it means working out of our parents’ basement. We care of the environment and our health. Even in terms of fashion, many of us are indifferent to prestige brands and lavish ad campaigns, preferring to buy online or get clothing at H & M or Zara, which claims that its organically farmed cottons are completely free of pesticides, chemicals and bleach. Similarly, when it comes to food are conscious eating organic, gluten free, healthy diet.

    That was a very interesting article to have read in the the New York Post. I will be posting about fashions I like, recipes I come across, beauty products I have used, and of course natural DIY beauty products I use.  I will end the blog with a quote from Emerson, “To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!” Hope you enjoy my blogs.

    Forever NijLeave a comment