Stephanie Pedersen's Blog, page 14
April 23, 2015
Really? An Avocado A Day?
Really? An Avocado A Day?
Those of you who have been with me for awhile know I love superfoods of all kinds. One of my favorite things about them is how easy they are. Just one or two a day, used in any way that you love, goes a long, long way in rebuilding health, maintaining wellness and making you more gorgeous than ever. It’s this ease that makes them such a big deal. After all, eating a handful of pomegranate seeds and putting avocado on your salad is a lot easier than chucking down daily handfuls of supplements, downing protein bars and mixing up powdered greens.
Plus, superfoods are delicious. Take avocados, one of my favorites. Filled with healthy fat for a flawless complexion, cardiovascular health and improved brain function, these creamy wonders also boast stellar levels of omega 3 fatty acids, a host of antioxidants, and fiber.
To encourage you to enjoy more delicious superfoods, I share this scrumptious recipe. It’s got avocado, plus two other powerfoods: Mango (full of vitamins C and A) and Pomegranate (also full of vitamin C, plus a host of antioxidants). Together, these three ingredients pack a triple immune system and skin-beautifying punch.
If you want to try a delicious experiment, eat a half-cup of this dip every single day for five days and see the difference in your skin, (as well as your energy levels). You may even want to take before and after pictures. Yes, this triple-threat dip is that beautifying. It’s also versatile, easy to make and outrageously tasty. Enjoy!
Chunky Superfood Guacamole with Mango and Pomegranate
Makes 8 servings
I’m a guacamole lover. I adore the way my California friends’ abuelas would make it, with a bit of salt and a dash of lime. But I also like all of the jazzed up, yuppified, superfied versions floating around. This one was inspired by my friend Gaby Dalkin, author of Absolutely Avocados and one of the presenters on my past Superfood Superheroes Summit. Play with it! It’s flexible! And it’s just as good with tortilla chips and veggie slices as it is spread in a sandwich or used to top fish, chicken, grains, beans or veggies.
4 ripe avocados (2 pounds total)
1 cup finely chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia
1 or 2 fresh Serrano or mild jalapeno chiles, finely chopped (up to 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, or to taste (use lemon, orange or a mix of citrus if you’d like)
3/4 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 pomegranate)
3/4 cup diced peeled mango
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1. Halve, pit, and peel avocados. Coarsely mash in a bowl.
2. Stir in onion, chiles, 1/4 cup lime juice, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, then fold in pomegranate seeds, mango, and cilantro
3. Season with salt and additional lime juice.
4. Note: Guacamole can be made 4 hours ahead and chilled, its surface covered with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature and stir before serving.
Much love,
Stephanie Pedersen, MS, CHHC
April 14, 2015
Beet + Coconut = YUM!
Beet + Coconut = YUM!
After a long winter of stodgy, heavy food, spring arrives, and with it, a host of detoxifying vegetables to help the body shed the winter weight. One of my favorites is spring beets. I love the cheerful color, the sweet taste, and the way they play off greener, sharper-tasting spring offerings like fiddlehead ferns, nettles and ramps. Beets have anti-inflammatory benefits and strengthen the immune system. And thanks to the phytonutient betalain—which provide a rosy color—beets help the body shed toxins through the urinary tract. They also are used as a traditional folk medicine for purifying the blood and liver. Purchase spring beets with their tender leaves and you have a delightful spring green to enjoy along side the earthy sweet roots. Enjoy this easy nourishing spring recipe, versions of which are in my current book, Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood and the upcoming The 7-Day Superfood Cleanse, both published by Sterling.
Beet Coconut Soup
Makes 4 servings
I am a beet lover. I don’t think you can be a Danish-American health writer who grew up in Australia without loving beets. If you, yourself, are any of those things, you’ll know what I mean. Note: If you come upon small springtime beets, you can use 7 or 8 of them in place of the 3 large ones.
2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
3 large red beets, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
5 cups rich chicken or vegetable stock, divided
1 14-ounce can coconut milk (not “lite”)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Optional: chopped chives, cilantro, dill or parsley
In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, 5 minutes.
Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.
Add beets and 4 cups stock; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until beets are fork-tender, 20 minutes.
With an immersion or using a regular blender and working in batches, puree soup, adding remaining 1 cup stock as needed to reach desired consistency.
Stir in coconut milk, salt and pepper.
Garnish with optional herbs, if desired.
Much love,
Stephanie Pedersen, MS, CHHC
Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood is out……
The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood
Perfect for dishes both savory and sweet, coconut is delicious—and even better, it’s a nutritional powerhouse, with health benefits that range from preventing dehydration to stabilizing blood sugar to increasing immunity. Find out how to choose, use, and store every bit of the coconut—the meat, the water, the oil—along with more than 75 recipes that include coolers, smoothies, hot and cold cereals, baked goods (muffins, breads, bars), chilis, soups, stews, lunch bowls (like Mexicali Quinoa Pilaf), salads, sandwiches, snacks, spreads, dips, dinners, desserts, and so much more. Informative sidebars provide interesting facts and background.
Much love,
Stephanie Pedersen, MS, CHHC
April 4, 2015
Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood
The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood
Hello Gorgeous!
Happy spring to you! I hope you’ve been fantastic!
Perfect for dishes both savory and sweet, coconut is delicious—and even better, it’s a nutritional powerhouse, with health benefits that range from preventing dehydration to stabilizing blood sugar to increasing immunity. Find out how to choose, use, and store every bit of the coconut—the meat, the water, the oil—along with more than 75 recipes that include coolers, smoothies, hot and cold cereals, baked goods (muffins, breads, bars), chilis, soups, stews, lunch bowls (like Mexicali Quinoa Pilaf), salads, sandwiches, snacks, spreads, dips, dinners, desserts, and so much more. Informative sidebars provide interesting facts and background.
Much love,
Stephanie Pedersen, MS, CHHC
April 3, 2015
MORE COCONUT LOVE!
MORE COCONUT LOVE!
Hello Gorgeous!
Happy spring to you! I hope you’ve been fantastic!
Today I want to share a delicious, refreshing drink from my latest book, Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood (Sterling Publishers). It allows you to enjoy the heart-healing medium chain fatty acids, immune system supporting-lauric acid, and skin-beautifying powers of coconut in four forms: Milk, sweetener, oil and dried.
If you have a favorite coconut recipe, maybe you’ll share it? We’ll be hosting a recipe contest soon—look for details in the next newsletter!
Key Lime-Coconut Frappe
Makes 1 or 2 servings
All three of my sons and I have January birthdays (hubby is late December). Because we each enjoy Key Lime Pie on our special days, January is dubbed Lime Pie month in our household. Is it any wonder that this is one of our favorite blender drinks?
1 cup coconut milk (homemade or from a can, aseptic box or refrigerated carton)
1/4 teaspoon grated lime rind
Juice from one large lime
1 tablespoon coconut nectar or sugar (or any other natural sweetener you desire)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
¼ cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
3 ice cubes
1. Place first 6 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.
2. Add ice cubes and pulse until smooth.
Much love,
Stephanie Pedersen, MS, CHHC
February 16, 2015
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO YOU!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO YOU!
Hello Beauty!
I hope you are having a fantastic new year and are enjoying February!
Valentine’s Day is almost here! The day when we celebrate the third century martyr, Valentinius, for his dedication to uniting lovers in matrimony.
Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? I do! It’s my wedding anniversary! This year’s holiday marks my 22 years with Richard Joseph Demler. Wow. When I first got married, I could not believe that it was possible to be with one person for such a long period of time. Divorce is rare in my families—so I had many examples of long marriages—but I didn’t know if I could sustain a long marriage: Up until that point I had loved boys, loved kissing boys, loved my freedom—I had such a hard time wrapping my head around giving all of that up!
Here I am, decades later. I have no big aha for you, other than I’ve “done marriage” one day at a time. Some days have been wonderful. Some days have been decidedly not-wonderful! Every single days has taught me something.
I tell you this because, in celebration of 22 years’ worth of days, I have a Valentine’s Day gift for you! It is entry into my beta program, I want to share with you my friend, holistic nutritionist and health author, Stephanie Pedersen. Stephanie has created The Wellness Circle, a small, online, elite group of women, ages 44 to 100. If you want to balance your hormones, lose weight and heal your food issues, join us! I will help you with nutrition. I will teach you biochemistry. I will talk superfoods and other ingredients. I will talk shopping and teach you how to cook and walk you through how to stock your kitchen, deal with cravings, make food for the week, pack lunches, and find time for fitness. You will go places you’ve never gone with food, from using food to increase your intuition to learning non-food ways to curb emotional eating.
And you get to hang out with some amazing, wise, supportive women. The kind of women you may be searching for right now. Friends will be made! Connections will be created! You will learn from each other. And you’ll have fun.
The Wellness Circle is a beta program, which means in turn for giving me the feedback I desire to perfect this program, I have priced it outrageously low. The Wellness Circle, is $19 a week (for 8 weeks). That’s than buying a coffee from Starbucks each day—and so much better for your body and soul! You will get constant access to Stephanie, two phone calls per week, and so much education and support that you will have no opportunity to do anything but succeed.
To ensure those who join The Wellness Circle are a good fit, I am filling this program by application only. If you want more information, you can email me here.
We start Friday, February 20, 2015. To join The Wellness Circle, email me here for an application.
Pure Coconut Bars
Makes 9 servings
In celebration of my latest cookbook, Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood, I offer you something sweet and coconutty! In fact, this fun recipe is pure coconut—filled with healthy brain fats, fiber, protein, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Chocolate lovers may want to add ½ cup chopped dark raw chocolate to the mix. I haven’t tried it, but chopped macadamia nuts, cashews or almonds could also be delicious.
2 cups unsweetened shredded dried coconut
1/3 cup coconut nectar, agave or pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons liquid coconut oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Line an 8 x 8 pan with foil. Set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are well combined and mixture is smooth.
3. Firmly press mixture into prepared pan, smoothing the top.
4. Allow to set in the freezer for an hour or the refrigerator for 3 hours before serving.
5. Cut into bars with a wet knife.
Much love to you!
xoxo,
Stephanie
February 10, 2015
WHEN YOU WANT SOMETHING SWEET….
WHEN YOU WANT SOMETHING SWEET….
Yum! Homemade coconut chocolate spread!
A lot of people I know adore those sugary chocolate-based sandwich spreads that are so popular. Yes, they are tasty, but let’s be honest: You’re kidding yourself if you think they’re healthy. (I know a lot of moms who think they are a healthy alternative to nut butter.) Filled with corn syrup and hydrogenated fat, these sweet spreads are not a good health choice.
If you’re a fan of these sweet spreads, I have a suggestion: Ditch the store bought product and make your own. Thanks to the coconut, this delicious version is filled with fiber, medium chain fatty acids, immune system-boosting phytonutrients and lauric acid for brain health. This recipe was created for Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood (Sterling). We had so many recipes, however, it was (sadly!) cut from the book. I present it to you now. I know you’ll love it!
Ready to make some for yourself?
CHOCOLATE-COCONUT SPREAD
Makes about 2 cups
In a food processor or a high power blender (such as a VitaMix or BlendTec) whir 2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut until it becomes a paste. It will look like a pale peanut butter.
While the coconut is whirring away, chop up a 3.5 ounce dark chocolate bar. Use one with 70% Cacao for the biggest health benefits. Toss the chopped chocolate into the food processor and keep whirring.
Pack the delicious paste in a jar and store in the fridge.
Variation: If you love chocolate-nut-butter blends or would like a spread with a bit more protein, add in anywhere from ¼ to 1 cup of your favorite nut or seed butter. A pinch of cinnamon or allspice or a dash of vanilla extract could also be nice.
OUT NOW: Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood
OUT NOW: Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood
I am thrilled to announce my 22nd book, Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood (Sterling) is on its way to booksellers throughout North America! This was a fun one to write: I love superfoods, I enjoy cooking, I am passionate about teaching nutrition and I adore coconut!
In the weeks to come I will be sharing with you some of the fun things my publisher is doing to promote the book. Right now, however, can I ask you a favor? If you have a moment or two today or in the coming week, do you want to send a tweet on my book’s behalf? If you need them, here are a few (editable!) samples that you can cut and paste into your twitter feed:
– Love coconut? Superfood author, Stephanie Pedersen’s latest book is out! http://amzn.to/1xCTDQH
– Learn how to deliciously add more brain-boosting coconut to your diet! http://amzn.to/1xCTDQH
–From water to oil to nectar, Coconut is the most versatile superfood around! http://amzn.to/1xCTDQH
– Superfood author Stephanie Pedersen’s 22nd book is out. It’s about coconut! http://amzn.to/1xCTDQH
Thank you SO much! I am so, so grateful! xoxoxo
THE “PERFECT FOR ME” PERSON: ARE 5 OF YOU READING THIS RIGHT NOW?
THE “PERFECT FOR ME” PERSON: ARE 5 OF YOU READING THIS RIGHT NOW?
My New Year’s 21-Day Detox officially ended on Friday, February 6, and I want to give a shout-out to the most amazing bunch of detoxers ever: Congratulations folks! You made it! You were incredible!
Twenty of the nicest, most dedicated, fiercest, funniest detoxers dove in and cleaned up their food, took on new clean habits and did a wide range of things designed to help their bodies flush trapped fat, water weight and toxins, while simultaneously rebooting their eating and losing their cravings for sugar and carbs.
I will be running another detox program—a shorter one—this spring to coincide with the publishing of my next book (I’ll tell you the title when we get a bit closer to its publishing date). But right now, let me tell you a bit what’s going on in my world: One of the things I do in my 21-Day and 30-Day detox programs is work on mindset and spirituality. The cleaner you get, the bigger your desire to let go of messy entanglements, hurts, food addictions, resentments and other heavy, negative stuff. Decluttering your emotional and spiritual lives is an important, natural part of a longer detox—it’s also a natural side effect of eating clean.
Born out of my experiences with this New Year’s 21-Day Detox is a desire to have a “Wellness Circle”: A small, elite group of women, ages 44 through 100. Spiritual in bent. Open-minded. Big believers in the food-mind-body connection and all things woo-woo. We are going to spend 8 weeks together going deep. I call this, not coincidentally, The Wellness Circle.
We will talk hormones and sleep and beauty. We will talk sexuality and sensuality and self-care. We will talk schedules and desires and careers and how to gracefully step into something new if you’re tired of what you’ve had. (I will tell you how food is connected to all of these things!) If you have health conditions you are living with or trying to heal, we’ll work on those, as well in The Wellness Circle.
And yes, we will be talking nutrition. We will be talking biochemistry. We will talk superfoods and other ingredients. We will talk shopping and I will teach you how to cook and walk you through how to stock your kitchen, deal with cravings, make food for the week, pack lunches, and find time for fitness. I’m a nutritionist, after all, so this is important to me. But you’ll find as you go deeper with your clean eating, you will positively crave the woo-woo stuff. So I am going to not only give that to you, but help you harness your spirituality to support your health. And vice versa.
You will go places you’ve never gone with food, from using food to increase your intuition to learning non-food ways to curb emotional eating.
And you get to hang out with some amazing, wise, supportive, spiritual women. The kind of women you may be searching for right now. Friends will be made! Connections will be created! You will learn from each other. And you’ll have fun.
The Wellness Circle is a beta program, which means in turn for giving me the feedback I need to create this program as we go, I charge you a crazy-low price. My 1-on-1-session rate is $125 per hour. I am going to charge you $19 a week. For 8 weeks. You will get constant access to me (my detoxers will attest that I am exquisitely attentive!), two phone calls per week, and so much education and support that you will have no opportunity to do anything but succeed. And your feedback will help me design the program.
I am filling this program by application only. I already have registrants and it is important to me that the women who join us be a good fit. At this time, I do not have a web page promoting this, so if you want more information, I’ll ask you to email me here
We start Friday, February 20, 2015. To join us, email me here for an application.
Thank you! I look forward to you joining our circle!
February 5, 2015
Some Coconut Superfood Granola Love
Some Coconut Superfood Granola Love
One of my favorite things about writing books is actually the promotional work that I get to do once the book is published. I adore book signings, Q&A sessions, lectures, recipe demos and sitting on expert panels. Why? Because I have a chance to meet you in the flesh! I get to get out of the kitchen, walk away from my writing desk, and interact with you. You give me so many ideas for future books, things to try in my own kitchen and even tools that could help the clients I work with in my nutrition practice. Plus, you’re fun. And I love fun!
I mention this because last weekend I was at the American Library Association’s conference in Chicago sharing several of my books, including Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood (Sterling), which will be in bookstores next week. I had so much fun signing books, talking about superfoods, answering your questions, taking photos with you, collecting the recipes you so generously shared with me and chatting. Plus, Chicago rocks! What a great town!
While I was at the conference, I had the opportunity to talk to people about coconut—from the various coconut products available, to their uses, and the health benefits of this wonderful food. I even shared a recipe (with samples) from the book.
Look for more information on Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood (Sterling) in upcoming newsletters. As well as more info on coconut in general. For now, however, I want to share the Coconut Granola recipe that I made for the folks who attended my talk. It is a wonderful high-fiber, high-protein, lower-in-sugar snack or meal option for the entire family. Plus it is versatile. Play with it. Add a different type of nut. Throw in a couple of extra handfuls of seeds. Change up the flavorings. Sneak in some dried fruit. Do whatever you want to it. And with it!
Coconut Granola
MAKES 5 CUPS
Coconut granola is not super sweet, but it is dense in protein, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, heart-and-brain-healthy fats, and antioxidants, making it a great way to start the day, especially if you enjoy it with fresh fruit. Berries are particularly nice—and don’t forget the coconut yogurt if you want to make a pretty breakfast parfait that tastes like dessert. NOTE: A serving is about 1⁄3 cup, although most people (including me) tend to eat much more at one sitting.
Coconut oil for greasing the pan
1/4 cup nut butter (almond, peanut, cashew, sunflower, or other nut)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 to 1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned or steel-cut oats
1-1/2 cups quinoa flakes (or an additional cup of oats)
1 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup almonds, or other nuts, chopped
1 cup sunflower seeds (or other nuts or seeds, chopped)
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Lightly grease 2 or 3 baking sheets with a very small amount of coconut oil.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the nut butter, coconut oil, coconut sugar, salt, and cinnamon until mixture is combined and smooth.
Turn off heat and stir in oats, quinoa flakes, shredded coconut, and chia seeds, completely coating oats in the nut butter–coconut oil mixture.
Stir in almonds and sunflower seeds until coated.
Scrape mixture onto cookie sheets in a thin, single layer, being careful not to crowd granola on top of each other. (Note: If you like chunky granola like I do, pinch pieces together into chunks.)
Place baking sheet on middle shelf of oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Stir and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes until granola is golden brown. Do not over bake granola—it will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven, so you want it to be a bit sticky when you take it out.
Allow granola to completely cool and firm up (about an hour) before eating or storing in airtight canisters in a cool, dry place.
For a pretty presentation, serve the granola layered with coconut yogurt and fresh berries. Or sprinkle on applesauce, pearsauce, a pudding, in fruit salad or even onto a green salad.
Love Kale? Have a recipe to share? I would adore it if you could head over to my facebook page and share with me! Go here.
Are you a coconut fan? Have a recipe you’d like to share with me? Come on over here and post it! I love to try out new recipes!
