When I need a sweet boost in recipes I’ll always turn to fruit or stevia first (whole natural foods = yay!), but when those foods simply can’t pull the weight, it’s palm sugar comes to the rescue. I teamed up with superfoods company Navitas Naturals a couple weeks ago — who offers organic palm sugar — and shot this fun Navitas-style video for their “Chef’s Notes” video series. In this video we discuss what makes palm sugar so easy to love, how to use it, and showcase my mini-recipe for Palm Sugar Limeade as well (it’s a winner). You can find Palm Sugar in natural food stores and also online.

My mission is to share the delicious enjoyment of nutritious natural food and an eco-friendly lifestyle with everyone I can, so yup – the book’s totally free (it’s a great introduction to this fantastic lifestyle!). Head over to the right side of my blog page to the sign up box and get access to your instant download of:

A Day of Superfoods: 5 easy natural recipes for feeling fabulous, morning to night.

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• breakfast: strawberry banana hempseed parfait
• lunch: mediterranean collard wraps
• dinner part I: simple spring salad with creamy house dressing
• dinner part II: fiesta pizza
• dessert: dark chocolate orange truffles

YUM, right? And these aren’t just any regular recipes, by the way. From an in-the-know superfood ingredient list, to mouth-watering photos, to easy to follow instructions, these recipes are designed to make a healthy energy-filled lifestyle delicious, fun, and accessible. I’ve written each recipe so that everyone – not just professional chefs or health gurus – can make flavorful natural food, and appreciate the benefits of healthy food immediately.

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But vintage naptime had one good thing going for it that even my 3 year old self could appreciate: the post-sleep graham cracker snack. This was a very exciting point in the day, where if our 30 minutes of rest was a success, we each received 2 crackers (which broke into a total of 8 rectangles) accompanied by a glass of juice. The world was a much better place when there were graham crackers around.

No extra motivation is needed for naps these days, but the graham cracker lure has far from ceased. I mean, just think about them: kinda like a cookie, kinda like a biscuit, it’s always a good time for a graham cracker – am I wrong? I like to make mine with buckwheat flour – one of my favorite flours to use for its generous flavor. This is definitely graham cracker version 2.0 (and also free of gluten and dairy), with a revamped ingredient set including ground flax for extra nutrition, sweet mesquite powder for extra flavor and protein, palm sugar for a brown sugary goodness that has less of a glycemic impact, and coconut oil because, well, coconut oil is just good in everything. These are really, really good – and even better with a smear of almond butter. You can also add in a bit of cinnamon for a spiced-up twist. Playtime.

Buckwheat Graham Crackers

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups buckwheat flour
¼ cup mesquite powder
¼ cup ground flax seeds
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup palm sugar (date sugar may be substituted, or sucanat)
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
¼ cup maple syrup (grade b, if possible)
¼ cup coconut oil
2 Tbsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor,* pulse all the dry ingredients together, including the sugar, until combined. Add in the remaining wet ingredients, and process until a dough has formed. If dough is too dry, add additional almond milk, one tsp at a time. Dough will be firm and slightly sticky. Divide in half and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place one chilled dough half on a large piece of floured parchment paper (use additional buckwheat flour or preferred kind). Place a second piece of parchment paper on top, and use a rolling pin to roll very flat – about 1/8 inch thick. Place on a baking sheet, and carefully remove top layer of parchment. Using a pizza cutter or ravioli roller (or simply a knife), cut the dough into squares. Use a fork to score the crackers with decorative dots. Repeat with second dough half and place on a second baking sheet. Bake crackers for 22-28 minutes or until dried out but not burned. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then place crackers on a wire rack to finish cooling and become crisper. Makes about 5 dozen 2” crackers, and will keep in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.

*You can mix all of this by hand, but it’s infinitely easier with a food processor