Coco Joy - Enjoy the Holidays Without Sacrificing Those Classic Treats

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The holiday season tends to be filled with delicious food, family gatherings and endless indulgences. It can be easy to overindulge on tempting sweets, so this season try something new with a fun, healthy twist on the classics by using coconut oil, coconut water and milk water from Coco Joy, first all-natural portfolio of coconut products.

  • Coconut Oil: Deemed a superfood, coconut oil is the perfect substitute for butter, margarine or shortening and also (melted) in any recipe that calls for oil. Coconut oil is almost 90% saturated fat, but don’t let this scare you. The saturated fat in coconut oil is called lauric acid, a medium-chain saturated fatty acid that appears to have a more neutral effect on heart health when compared to longer-chain saturated fats found in meats and dairy products.
  • Coconut Water: Coconut water provides nutritional values while also being a more satisfying alternative to plain water. Because coconut water is rich in potassium and magnesium, and naturally loaded with electrolytes, it is a great alternative to unhealthy sports drinks as well. Compared to other coconut water brands, Coco Joy is fat and cholesterol-free and has fewer calories, less sodium, no added sugar and no preservatives.
  • Coconut Milk: For those with dietary restrictions, coconut milk is a delicious alternative to traditional milk. Coco Joy Coconut Milk contains no dairy, lactose, soy, gluten or casein and is vegan friendly, thus a perfect substitute ingredient in recipes and equally satisfying on its own.

Below is a round-up of delicious holiday treats using Coco Joy Coconut Oil, Coco Joy Coconut Water and Coco Joy Coconut Milk,--

Hot Coco {Joy}

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup Coco Joy Coconut Milk; Divided

¼ cup Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder

¾ cup Coco Joy Coconut Water

3 tbsp. Sugar

½ tsp. Vanilla Extract Pinch of Sea Salt

½ tsp. Coco Joy Coconut Oil

Directions: In a small saucepan, whisk together cocoa powder, coconut sugar, salt, coconut oil and half of the coconut milk until well blended. Whisk in the remaining coconut milk until smooth, then whisk in coconut water until blended. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium low heat, whisking occasionally. Whisk in vanilla. Divide between two mugs. *Add ½ cup of Coconut Rum to spike your hot chocolate!

Santa’s Helper Eggnog

Ingredients:

4 cans Coco Joy Coconut Water

6 eggs yolks

½ cup sugar

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

8 oz spiced rum

Ice

Cinnamon

Coconut flakes

Directions: Bring coconut water to a simmer in a medium pot over medium high heat. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until smooth and pale. Gradually whisk half the hot coconut water into the egg mixture, then pour into pot with remaining coconut water. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thick and mixture nearly coats the back of a wooden spoon, 2-3 minutes. Pour through a fine strainer into a bowl. Stir in rum and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to overnight. Pour into a pitcher, serve over ice and garnish with coconut flakes and cinnamon.

Jolly Santa’s Cookies 

Ingredients:

¼ cup Coco Joy Coconut Oil

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup Desiccated Coconut Flakes

2 tbsp. Brown Rice Flour

1 ½ cup Peanut Butter

1 tbsp. Coco Joy Coconut Milk

¼ tsp. Sea Salt

100g Dark Chocolate, cut into chunks

¾ cup Sugar

Directions:  Preheat oven to 320 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Combine Coco Joy Coconut Oil and coconut in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until coconut is light golden brown. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, white sugar, coconut sugar, eggs, Coco Joy Coconut Milk, brown rice flour, and salt; stir until completely combined. Add coconut mixture, mix well. Drop by tablespoon onto prepared baking sheet. Press a chunk of chocolate onto each cookie. Bake until cookies are golden on the bottom, 10-14 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Naughty (Almond) and Nice (Apple) Cake

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup Whole Almonds

2 tsp. Almond Extract

¾ cup Sugar

½ cup Coco Joy Coconut Oil

1 tsp. Cinnamon

½ tsp. Sea Salt

½ Red Delicious Apple; thinly sliced

2 tbsp. Brown Rice Flour

½ cup Sliced Almonds

2 tbsp. Corn Flour

2 tbsp. White Sugar

1 tsp. Baking Powder

3 Eggs

Directions: Preheat oven to 356 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8-inch spring form pan with coconut oil and line bottom with greaseproof paper. In a food processor, combine almonds, sugar, and salt. Blitz until almonds are very finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add cinnamon, brown rice flour, corn flour and baking powder; pulse until they are mixed through. Add eggs and almond extract; process until a think batter forms. Pour in coconut oil and process until batter is well combined, about 20 seconds. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Arrange apple slices over the top. Sprinkle evenly with sliced almonds, then with white sugar. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Let cool in pan for about 20 minutes before serving. Run a knife around the edge of cake before removing sides.

Snowball Truffles 

Ingredients: 

¾ cup Raw Unsweetened Cacao Powder

2 cup Raw Almonds

¼ cup Raw Cashews

½ cup Maple Syrup

¼ cup Coco Joy Coconut Water

1 Heaped tbsp. Coco Joy Coconut Oil

Pinch of Salt

Coating Options: Crushed Almonds; Cacao

Directions:  In a food processor on high speed, combine all ingredients and blend until you have a thick batter. Shape into small balls about 1 inch in diameter; roll in desired coating; place on a plate. Cover and keep in the freezer until ready to eat.

Silk Meatless Monday Night - Take the Challenge! #MeatlessMondayNight #SidelineMeat

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Hey Everyone! Its Alicia Bell here from Train It Right! This post was sponsored by Silk but the opinions are solely my own and do not represent those of Silk. It has been a long wait but it is finally football season! Get ready for NFL Monday night football with your family and friends by hosting a Meatless Monday Night. Myself and Silk are inviting you to take the challenge along side of me. You can use this to kick start a family tradition, and you also can win a giveaway from www.silk.com when join the challenge.

Why join the #MeatlessMondayNight Challenge?

Silk_Product_Image

My personal reason for trying the Silk #MeatlessMondayNight Challenge is this football season is because plant based foods keep you active during sports, fitness events and day to day living. There are many benefits of plant based foods but some of the most interesting benefits have been known to include:

1. Lowering your blood pressure

2. Helping with blood sugar levels

3. Lowering your risk of developing cancer

4. Lowering cholesterol

5. Linked to weight loss

And I think those are all good reasons to increase the amount of plant based foods in my diet and so should you. For my very first Silk Meatless Monday Night #MeatlessMondayNight I plan on making a smoothie. You can make your own Silk #MeatlessMondayNight recipe or make mine. Make sure to post your photo and recipe and hashtag #MeatlessMondayNight

smoothie

Train It Right's Silk Meatless Monday Night Smoothie

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Ingredients:

2 Cups Silk Almond Milk (unsweetened) Or Silk Product of Choice

1 Cup Kale

1/2 Frozen or Unfrozen Banana

1 tsp Matcha Powder

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein of Choice (I use Sun Warrior)

1 Cup Ice

Instructions:

Pour Silk Almond milk in first and add in all other ingredients with protein being last. Blend all ingredients into a blender until smooth. And serve with or without a straw!

Happy #MeatlessMondyNight Challenge

Use our store locator to find Silk products in your area.

Visit www.silk.com/sidelinemeat (Live September 14th, 2015) for more recipes and and a chance to win a giveaway. www.silk.com

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Hey guys I wanted to share this yummy recipe for a healthy salad! Give it a try and let me know how tasty it was!!

Salad

#Zespri4Life Black Rice Salad with Kiwifruit and Cashews

 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Start to finish: 15 minutes

 

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 1/2 cups cooked and cooled black or brown rice

2 Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit, peeled and cut up

1 cup quartered strawberries

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

1/3 cup salted cashew pieces

 

In small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, honey, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic. In large bowl, stir dressing into rice. Stir in remaining ingredients except cashews. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend. Stir in cashews just before serving.

 

6 (3/4-cup) servings

 

*1 cup uncooked black rice yields 2 1/2 cups cooked rice.

 

Recipe tip: A serrated peeler works best for peeling kiwifruit.

 

Serving Size: 1 Serving Calories 210 (Calories from Fat 80), Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 1.5g, Trans Fat 0g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 270mg, Total Carbohydrate 30g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 7g), Protein 4g; % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 80%; Calcium 2%; Iron 6%.

 

*Percent daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

GIVE IT A TRY! YUM!

Great recipe even though the woman and the kitchen along with the music is kind of creepy.

 

 

Kale has recently become the talk of the town! This leafy green veggie has been popping up on menus at an insane pace and for a good reason! So, why all the hype? I will tell you! Out of all the green veggies to choose from, Kale packs the most bang for your buck when it comes to nutrients. The list of health benefits is pretty long but here are some of my favourites: Kale is super high in fibre, which is essential when it comes to maintaining or obtaining a healthy body. Foods high in fibre lower cholesterol and fight off heart disease! For just one cup of kale you are getting 5 grams of fibre. The other standout nutrient is IRON! Calorie for calorie, our green goddess contains more iron than beef. If you are a vegetarian, including kale in your diet is an excellent way to get your iron fix. Kale is also high is vitamin K and antioxidants such as carotenoids and flavonoids, all of which help prevent cancer. Vitamin K has also been linked to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease. This being said, it is simple to add kale to any meal! You can make a kale salad, sauté with extra virgin olive or coconut oil, or make kale chips! These are my new favourite snack because they are easy to make, nutritious, and versatile. You can put virtually any seasoning you desire on these healthy "chips" to satisfy your craving for salty snack goodness. Here is the recipe for yummy kale chips:

Ingredients

1 head organic kale

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees

2. Wash and dry head of kale

3. Rip apart chip size kale pieces (keep in mind the pieces will shrink when you bake them). Do NOT include the stem

4. Place kale pieces in a freezer size Ziplock bag. Drizzle olive oil into bag with the kale and seal (flatten the Ziplock to make sure there are no air bubbles)

5. Massage the olive oil onto the kale, making sure each piece is covered.

6.  Lay the pieces of kale out on a baking in a single layer (this will take at least 2 baking sheets)

7. Sprinkle the salt and cayenne pepper evenly amongst all kale pieces

8. Put in oven for 20 minutes

9. Take kale chips out, allow them to cool for 15 minutes.

 

These "chips" are delicious with any seasoning. As you can see, I prefer the more spicy flavours, but you can use parmesan, oregano, or garlic salt. Kale chips are a yummy way to incorporate this amazing green into your diet! Enjoy!

My newfound gem for healthy cooking? Coconut oil. If you are a fan of coconut, you will find that this oil adds a light coconut flavour to your food, not to mention the health benefits are abundant! Yes, coconut oil is a saturated fat, which some might say are "bad" but the way that it reacts in the body is GOOD! Here's how it works: coconut oil is nature's richest source of medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. Due to the fact that MCTs have a shorter chain it is easy to digest and quickly burned off by the liver for energy but without the spike in insulin. This causes a metabolism boost and uses the coconut oil fat for energy, thus causing you to lean out. I use organic extra virgin coconut oil on practically everything! I sauté my veggies in it and even use it when cooking my eggs in the morning! Here is my favourite dinner recipe using this gem. This dish will pump up your metabolism and give you a healthy dose of your omega-3s!

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

16 ounces Atlantic salmon filets (with skin on)
2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 lemon wedges

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Smear 2 tablespoons coconut oil on the bottom of a rectangular baking dish
3. Place fish on top of the oil, skin side up
4. Place fish in oven for 15 minutes
5. Remove fish from oven and use a spatula to gently peel skin off of salmon
6. Place fish back in oven for an additional 15 minutes
7. Remove fish from oven and squeeze on your lemon
8. Sprinkle on your salt and cayenne pepper evenly
9. Cut into 2 servings and plate

That's it! Such a simple recipe and you can mix it up with different spices and flavours but don't forget the coconut oil!  Serve your fish with some nice green veggies and a salad to complete your meal. Enjoy!

 

We all know that chicken is a lean meat, which is great fuel for the body. But chicken often has a bad rep for being bland and dry! This recipe is a no-fail way to make delicious chicken that comes out juicy and full of flavour! By pretty much making your own pasta sauce, you are taking out the additives that you would find in store bought tomato sauce, such as sugar and excess salt. Also, by throwing in some whole Roma tomatoes, you are reaping the benefits of cooked tomatoes. By cooking the tomatoes, you are boosting the lycopene levels, which is a phytochemical that acts as an antioxidant. Including lycopene in your diet has been correlated with reducing your risk of cancer. With little prep time and all the nutritious benefits, this meal is perfect for a post-workout dinner that won't take the entire evening to make.

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

2 Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or 4 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
1 can tomato purée
4 roma tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sriracha (hot sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 fresh basil leaves for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to  350º
2. Place chicken and roma tomatoes in a rectangular baking dish
3. Pour 1 can tomato purée evenly on top of chicken
4. Add olive oil, sriracha, salt and pepper on top
5. Place in the oven for 40 minutes or until meat is no longer pink

Once the 40 minutes has passed you will have a ready-to-eat meal with fresh tomato sauce. No artificial colours, flavours, or sugar in this meal! Plate your chicken and tomatoes and sprinkle with basil leaves. Eat and enjoy!