Lemon Coconut Breakfast Bars

Not too sweet, these one-layer moist lemon bars are an excellent grab-and-go energy snack at any time of the day.

Ingredients:
1½ Tbsp chia seeds
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup oat flour
½ tsp baking powder
pinch sea salt
¾ cup + 2 Tbsp shredded dried coconut, divided
2 Tbsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp applesauce
¼ cup maple syrup or agave nectar
½ cup packed soft medjool or honey dates, pitted (about 8-9)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease a 8×8” baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and chia seeds. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl mix together the oat flour, baking powder, salt, and ¾ cup coconut flakes. Sprinkle in the lemon zest and mix again until distributed.

In a separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, apple sauce, and agave nectar. Mix in the soaked chia seeds. Chop the pitted medjool dates finely, and mix in with the other wet ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until blended. Spread the mixture into the prepared baking pan, and use a spatula to flatten out the surface. Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbsp coconut on top, patting them down lightly into the mixture.
Bake for 25-28 minutes, until edges begin to turn golden brown. Cut while warm into squares. Makes 16 2”x2” squares.

Get printable recipe HERE.

No doubt, there’s been plenty of backlash against High Fructose Corn Syrup. And the Corn Refiners industry has been feeling it where it hurts: its pockets.

The guys and gals over at the Corn Refiners Association need to turn this idea of “bad” around. So rather than change their crappy product, they’ve hired a fancy marketing team to help give them a new, fresh spin. Hence, the birth of the ad campaign: “Sweet Surprise . . . providing factual information about high fructose corn syrup – an ingredient that’s more than just a natural sweetener.“  Because, you know, that really explains a lot. Enjoy your 30 seconds of greenwashing:

Let’s look back in time for a moment. In 1882, America saw the invention of corn syrup. Corn syrup is made through an enzymatic conversion of cornstarch, into a syrupy concoction that contains primarily glucose – the form of sugar the body uses as energy. Because of its relatively inexpensive cost, tastelessness and potent sweetness, corn syrup quickly became a vastly popular sweetener in foods throughout the world. Just about every product imaginable began to include it – from energy bars and bread, to soup and drinks.

In 1958, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) was invented using different enzymes that converted the sugars into fructose instead of glucose. The advantages to this version included further inexpensiveness, and its ability to prevent drying and also preserve the product in which it was used as an ingredient. By the 1970’s, now notorious HFCS was the corn syrup cousin that had taken over the market.

Sweet Surprise claims that HFCS contains that same calories as sugar, and is a “natural” product derived from corn. Since that’s really all the good things they could come up with, the rest of their campaign is more an attempt to portray non-HFCS consumers as idiots.

Although Sweet Surprise attempts to make the product sound harmless and silly, High Fructose Corn Syrup is potentially an incredibly toxic ingredient. One of the reasons for this health hazard status its “high fructose” content: 42%-90% according to sources. Author and nutrition guru Dr. Weil explains, “Never before in history have so many people been consuming so much fructose. I am concerned about its possible disruptive effects on metabolism, including its potential to cause insulin resistance. Along with a growing number of experts, I believe that HFCS is a chief driver of the obesity epidemic in this country, particularly of childhood obesity. I deplore our government’s role in making HFCS so cheap through federal subsidies of corn production.” With sugar metabolism diseases like diabetes at an epic high (and rising), I’d say Dr. Weil is onto something.

Additionally, “natural” high fructose corn syrup was recently found to be contaminated with toxic mercury. Earlier this year, The Washington Post reported, “Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.” Although I wouldn’t tout cane sugar as “good,” it certainly does not contain mercury.

And of course, Sweet Surprise’s claim that “everything is ok in moderation” is ridiculous, as it’s very difficult to achieve moderation when HFCS is in just about every packaged food imaginable. The American consumer continues to enjoy an average of 12 teaspoons a day of HFCS syrup, with teenagers averaging up to 80% more.

I have nothing against the corn industry (when the corn grown is organically and non-genetically modified). What I take issue with is the refined and nutrient-void foods that are a result of the industry . . . and their damaging effects on our body. Meanwhile, there are a plethora of delicious, healthy, truly natural sweetener alternatives to be enjoyed — including agave nectar, stevia, palm sugar, and yacon syrup, just to name a few. They may cost a tad more than high fructose corn syrup, but they also come without the tax of long-term degenerative disease.

At the end of the day, I’d rather have my sweet WITHOUT the surprise.

Agave Lemonade – Live Without Type 1 from Julie Morris on Vimeo.

At just three years old, little Kylie was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. As diabetes is an “incurable” disease, her family was absolutely devastated. Yet rather than accepting the lifelong fate of insulin shots and drugs, her mother Kim was determined to find a better road for Kylie’s treatment.  Amidst a crisis situation, Kim discovered that following a natural diet specifically designed to stabilize insulin levels — including low glycemic, grain-free, and cow milk-free foods — served as a profoundly effective method in combating the disease.  Kylie’s blood sugar levels have been treated solely through a natural diet plan. The results have been so great, the family now celebrates “We LIVE WITHOUT TYPE 1.”

Today, Kylie enjoys a healthy, normal lifestyle without having to rely upon insulin shots or drugs – an achievement that most diabetics can only dream about!  Having founded Living Without Type 1 in 2008, Kim now helps others effectively fight diabetes naturally.

Both Kim and Kylie stopped by on their recent trip to Los Angeles to make an easy healthy recipe that would be good for Kylie.  Watch us make it HERE!

For more information about natural diabetes care, please visit LiveWithoutType1’s blog.

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches

Another persuasive example of junk food without all of the junk. Luxurious and decadent, yet full of living whole foods, this innovative recipe is loaded with essential minerals and healthy fats.

INGREDIENTS:

(For the ice cream):
½ cup hemp milk, almond milk, or other non-dairy milk beverage
2 frozen bananas
½ medium-sized Hass avocado
2 Tbsp agave nectar
½ tsp peppermint extract
1 Tbsp minced fresh mint
several drops of liquid chlorophyll (optional – enhances green color)

(For the cookie):
1/3 cup raw cacao powder
1 cup almond flour (ground almonds)
8 dates
¼ cup agave nectar
1/3 cup raw cacao nibs, plus a little extra for rolling

DIRECTIONS:

Blend: In a blender, combine non-dairy milk of choice, bananas, avocado, agave nectar, mint extract and fresh mint. Blend until smooth. Stir in liquid chlorophyll if desired. Transfer to a small bowl.

Freeze: Freeze the ice cream for 1-2 hours.

Mash: Combine all of the cookie ingredients in a food processor, and process until thoroughly chopped. Form “dough” into two even halves.

Assemble: Use a muffin tin, and line 6 of the muffin molds individually with saran wrap or tin foil. Sprinkle lightly with cacao nibs. Using one of the cookie dough halves, place a spoonful of dough evenly into the bottom of 6 the lined and “nibbed” muffin molds. Press firmly to form a “cookie.” Next, fill each of the molds evenly with the partially frozen ice cream. Line an empty muffin mold with saran wrap, and use to form 6 more cookies from the second half of the cookie dough, sprinkling with cacao nibs prior to pressing each time. Top each mint ice cream with a cookie to form a sandwich.

Freeze: Freeze sandwiches for 2 more hours. To serve, simply remove ice cream sandwiches from the saran wrap or aluminum foil and serve whole or sliced, if desired. If wrapped tightly, these sandwiches can keep in the freezer indefinitely for future enjoyment.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

Raw, vegan, & gluten-free

©2009 www.JulieMorris.net