The desire to keep away from the heat of the oven only increases as summer sets in. So, when you tire of puddings and frozen desserts, how about giving these sweet bites a try? The sweet, salty, and crunchy tastes all at once certainly would be enough to give the cookies rave reviews but the fact they mix up in minutes exponentially increases their appeal. Mix up a double batch and hide half in your fridge for later because that’s exactly what you will need to do to keep them from being gobbled all up at once!

Ingredients
1/2 cup (96 g) coconut sugar
2 Tbsp (30 ml) unsweetened organic almond milk
3 Tbsp (45 g) coconut oil (or Earth Balance Coconut Spread)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup (85 g) organic natural almond butter
1 1/2 Tbsp (11 g) coconut flour
1/4 cup (45 g) sesame seeds
3 Tbsp (24 g) roasted unsalted sunflower seeds (or slivered toasted almonds)
1 cup (90 g) gluten free rolled oats
A pinch or two of sea salt

Full Instructions Here

Goodness does not need to be complicated and neither do sweet treats! If you have never tried your hand at chia pudding, now is the time. If you have experimented a bit, have you ever added raw cacao? This one ingredient is a total game changer in my book and certainly one you need to try at some point. The beauty of chia pudding is that it makes such a simple straightforward base to a host of inviting flavors. Hold the cacoa if you prefer and consider toasted coconut and mango or a mix of ripe sweet berries. So have some fun, play around with this recipe, but at least once give in to the cacao!

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (Califia farms unsweetened almond or organic canned coconut milk happen to be my favorites)
1/4 cup chia seeds
3 tablespoons raw cacao powder (I recommend Navitas)
Dash of pink Himalayan sea salt
1 tablespoon organic maple syrup or raw honey
Dark Chocolate shavings for garnish (I sub raw cacao nibs and toasted almonds)

Full Instructions Here

As the temps begin to creep up this lime tart recipe is one you certainly want to have on hand. It tastes as if you have spent hours in the kitchen (I won’t tell.) and yet is a snap to prepare. We’ve made several variations of this recipe and like it best as individual servings in muffin tins. I have also enjoyed a variation of swapping out the lime juice with Meyer lemon juice. Oh Yum indeed!

Ingredients

Crust
1 cup dates
1/3 cup walnuts (toasted pecans are also delicious)
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cashew Cream
2 cups raw cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
1/4 -1/2 cup lime juice + 1 teaspoon lime zest (depending on desired flavor intensity)
1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup water (adjust according to desired consistency)

Full Instructions Here

In my perfect practice I would have an opportunity to work with every new mom and baby. Not because I don’t enjoy all the other age groups that I have the honor to serve, but because that is when the most profound changes can be made – and simply! With minor support to the vital organs in the first year or two of life, a host of chronic conditions can be prevented completely.

My reason for focusing on elimination and its critical role in the health of all living beings is never more clearly displayed than it is in babies and toddlers. However, I’ve been told by parent after parent, no other practitioner has shown any concern about their child’s elimination until now.  Why is that so? I’ll tell you what I know to be true…

It is rare that an allopathic MD will raise an eyebrow at your baby or child missing a bowel movement or two or even three. And the reason why is that medical doctors are trained to look at the body through the lens of disease diagnosis and medicine. A missed or infrequent bowel movement is not a disease. If there is discomfort from missed bowel movements, then there are medicines that will relieve the symptoms and they can be prescribed. They have, at their disposal, a solution.

It is this limited focus on solutions rather than cure that has led countless health practitioners towards the various alternative health practices. These practitioners wanted to offer their patient/ clients more, so they looked to chiropractic training, naturopathic training, acupuncture, homeopathy, and often a combination of fields. This is certainly what led me, first for healthcare for myself and my family and next for my own training.

In the alternative form of medicine that I practice, combining Gemmotherapy Extracts, a Plant Based Diet and Homeopathy, I search for the cure not a solution. Elimination is key because when it is not optimal the natural pattern of the body to clean and heal are disturbed and the body begins to compensate for this inadequate cleaning system. Infrequent elimination is the start of a chain of increasingly serious symptoms that can be completely prevented quite easily in the babies.

That is why I’ll be kicking off a new series this month of May on Happy Healthy Babies and sharing a story or two along the way. We’re going to talk about colic, acid reflux, cradle cap, croup, and more. If only I had known what I do now my years as a young mother would have passed with much more ease. More importantly, I would have prevented a host of symptoms in my children. Due to my personal experiences and my clinical practice I am absolutely passionate about sharing this knowledge. It is my hope that shedding some light on this subject, for new parents and even those who have been at it for some years, will provide you a new perspective on your baby or child’s health. As you follow along this month you may be led to discover the root of your child’s symptoms and help restore their natural abilities to clean and heal their young body.

I’ve written a lot about elimination in the past years (to say the least) but for the purpose of this new series on babies I’d like to call your attention to this article and graphic. The article explains my fundamental philosophy on elimination and what the lack of leads to. As for the graphic, I am fortunate to have on my team the gifted designer Christine Terrell who I owe so much to for her ability to bring sense and life to all the wild connections I make in my head. This graphic is a classic example of her work and clearly depicts the importance of addressing elimination early.

Looking forward to the weeks ahead!

If you are a practitioner that works with babies you may be interested in my upcoming training on Gemmotherapy Support for Fertility, Pregnancy & Infants held July 9th in Austin, Tx. Additional trainings are available online.

Gemmotherapy for Everyone:
Building Immunity In Babies & Young Children 

This book is full of easy to use Gemmotherapy protocols for everything from colic and sinus congestion to skin conditions and ear infections. An indispensable guide for anyone caring for young ones.

Buy the Book