Peach nice cream AND snickerdoodle cookies? You bet your balls I’m embracing the AND. Because we are imperfect…and perfect, at exactly the same time. So yes, I eat ice cream (and sometimes nice cream), I eat burgers (and sometimes they’re veggie) and there are days where I rack up a whopping 3,000 steps (and sometimes it’s 20,000). If you want to give it a label, label it intuitive eating. If you want to give it a definition, consider it embracing your inner wisdom. And my inner wisdom is 100% accepting of sweet treats, especially when it’s hotter than you know what. So read on to learn more about embracing that inner wisdom..and to whip up the sweetest of no bake treats.

The diet culture continues to fascinate me. First it’s calories, calories, calories – that’s all that matters. Then it’s the RIGHT calories that matter. And then you’re trying to eat the RIGHT calories and find out that those oh so healthy beans have something called “lectins” and you should avoid those. Sometimes I feel like a drunken bumblebee buzzing from one thing to the next. You feel me?

Let’s return to the definition of “diet”. Diet, accordingly to Merriem-Webster is “a food or drink regularly consumed” and also, “habitual nourishment”. And I like that definition a heckuva lot better than what traditional media considers a “diet” – restrictions, rules and off limit everything. While I’ve never followed a “diet”, I found myself getting caught up in expectations of how one should look…and wasn’t willing to give up on my favorite foods. So what did I do? Binged. Purged. Repeat. And while that period in my life only lasted a short time, what helped me to get past it was embracing intuitive eating and surrounding myself with supporters. It was removing restrictions and guilt, listening to my body and intuition….accepting the perfect and not so perfect elements of myself. It was essentially, embracing my “AND”.

Embracing my inner wisdom wasn’t immediately easy.  The mind is a muscle and mine required some strengthening. It meant tuning into the signals that I was blocking…to truly listen if I was hungry or maybe just bored. It also required experimentation…to see what routines gave my body energy and radiated positivity…and which weighed me down both physically and mentally. Years later, this mindfulness has a label – intuitive eating. Intuitive eating is a set of guidelines that connects you to your body’s signals so you can learn (or re-learn) hot to eat naturally and normally. Everyone’s guidelines will be different, so there’s no secret to intuitive eating. But, here are a few things I’ve learned along my journey to a positive relationship with food.

6 Way to Embrace Intuitive Eating:

1.) Clarify Your Body’s Signals: One of my favorite morning rituals is hot water with lemon. It cleanses, requires me to slow down to drink it and most importantly, it hydrates. And often, when we’re hungry, we’re actually thirsty. This daily glass of lemon water helps me to reset so I can clearly read what my body needs.

2.) Eating Mindfully: How often is your head in your phone or staring at the TV while shoveling said “nourishment” into your body? Also notice how a heaping pile of nachos can disappear in 2 minutes flat when eyes are glazed over those blue screens? When we slow down, sit down and savor what we’re eating, we allow our bodies to talk back to us. Allow yourself to enjoy the nourishment (even if it’s nachos) and be mindful of when enough…is enough.

3.) Ask Yourself Why You’re Reaching for a Snack: My snacking language is boredom. More often than not, if I’m snacking, it’s out of boredom. How do I know? Because if I’m knee deep in a project that I’m really digging (like photographing something super yum) and blaze past dinner without a snack I…don’t miss it. Because I didn’t need it. So next time you’re reaching for that snack, pause a second before the devouring.

4.) Try an Elimination Diet: I know, after all this dumping on the diet culture, I’m suggesting a “diet”. Here’s the thing though, it can be hard to read the body’s signals when we’re eating all kinds of things that cloud the message. If you’re wondering what is slogging you down or making that tummy gurgle, try cutting one thing out of your diet that may be aggravating the condition for at least a week. If it goes away? You’ve found the culprit! If not, try something else.

5.) Remove Contradictions to Your Intuition: By contradictions, I mean the crap that makes you feel crappy. Take it out of the house. Put it in the trash bin and don’t bring it back in. Out of sight, out of mind legit works. If I had a dozen cupcakes mounded with frosting on my table, I’d be downing cupcakes like every day was my birthday. Instead, you won’t find cupcakes at our house, you’ll find a lot of fruit. And that doesn’t mean cupcakes are outlawed (the horror!) it means I have to work a bit harder when the craving comes along – like make that stuff from scratch or physically drive myself to the bakery.

6.) Surround Yourself with Supporters: The most important aspect of intuitive eating is surrounding yourself with others who radiate your intuition. I surround myself with people who also like to eat healthy and not diet, who like to move their bodies and not to the brink of exhaustion, who are eternal optimists, acceptors and enjoyers of life!

And speaking of enjoying life, that includes…DESSERT! Yes, you can have your dessert and eat it too. Guess what else? You can have that dessert and not turn on the oven either! Ladies and gents, we’ve hit the jackpot. Get in the winnings with some of my favorite healthy(ish) no-bake desserts!

Peach Nice Cream
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
– 2-3 peaches, pitted, roughly chopped and frozen
– 1 banana, peeled, roughly chopped and frozen
– 1/4 C pecan or almond butter, like Sunday Provisions Pecan Spice
– 1/4 tsp cinnamon
– 1/2 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
-optional: Superseed WELL Snickerdoodle Cookies made with a 7-seed blend and nearly guiltless!

Directions:
Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or high speed blend and puree until creamy. Add additional almond milk, depending how thick you’d like it. Eat immediately as soft serve, or freeze for 4-6 hours. Allow to thaw 15 minutes before scooping. And consider forgetting the spoon – just scoop with some Superseed WELL snickerdoodles!

Coconut Vanilla Cheesecake Cups
Serves: 8-12

Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/2 C pitted medjool dates
1 C raw chopped almonds (or roasted if you prefer a softer bite)
1 C pecan pieces (toasted, if preferred)
1 tsp salt
Vanilla “Cheesecake” Layer
½ C cashews (soaked in water overnight)
½ C coconut milk, from a can placed in the fridge overnight
½ C desiccated coconut
2 T maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract
Toppings (optional)
Fresh figs, sliced

Directions:
Step 1: Make the crust by adding the almonds, pecans and medjool dates to a food processor. Pulse until it clumps together easily in a crust-like consistency. Press the crust mixture into individual silicone muffin cups, creating a layer that is 1/4″ thick.
Step 2: Prepare the vanilla “cheesecake” layer by adding the soaked cashews (drained of water) to the food processor. Pulse until it forms a creamy paste. Take the can of coconut milk from the fridge and scoop off the cream, adding it to the food processor (the cream and water should have separated overnight). Discard or reserve the coconut water for another recipe (such as a smoothie). While the processor is still running, add the maple syrup, desiccated coconut and vanilla extra. Continue to pulse until a creamy base forms.
Step 3: Pour the “cheesecake” mixture into the individual cups, forming a layer that is roughly 2″ thick. Place the individual cups in the freezer to set for 2 hours. Once set, top with optional fruit for decoration. Allow to thaw roughly 20 minutes before serving.

Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Pudding
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Vanilla Cinnamon Chia Pudding
– 1 1/2 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
– 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/4 tsp cinnamon
– 1/4 C + 2 T chia seeds
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
– purchased, or make your own with the recipe below!
Garnish
– additional fresh sliced strawberries
– chopped nuts or a grain-free granola like Wildway Grain-Free Coconut Cashew Granola

Directions:
Step 1: Make the chia pudding by adding the almond milk and seasonings to a mason jar. Stir to combine. Add the chia seeds and stir until evenly distributed. Place in the refrigerator overnight. Note that I always recommend adding the chia seeds after you’ve mixed everything else together because the seeds very quickly start to clump and adhere to the mixture. Combining the other ingredients first ensure more even distribution of the flavoring.
Step 2: Make the Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam (recipe below) or use store-bought. Layer equal amounts of the jam into 3-4 glasses or mason jars. Top with the coconut chia pudding once it has set and garnish with additional freshly sliced strawberries as well as chopped nuts or granola.

Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam
Makes: 1 mason jar

Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam
-2 1/2 C strawberries, quartered
-1 C of rhubarb, sliced (1-2 stalks)
-4 T maple or date syrup
-2 T chia seeds
-squeeze of lemon juice

Direction:
Add the strawberries, rhubarb and maple (or date) syrup to a small pot over medium heat on the stove top. Stir to combine and continue heating until bubbling. Once bubbling, mash the strawberries and rhubarb with a fork or potato masher, then add the chia seeds. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat and give it a squeeze of lemon. Store in a covered mason jar for up to a week.

Embrace all the AND your heart and stomachs desire, friends!

The post Yes and…I’ll Have Dessert appeared first on The Shooks Life.

On a (clean) sweets kick lately and I do. not. mind. These creamy coconut cashew vegan cheesecake cups may look putzy, but I’m definitely not into putzy. The secret: silicone muffin cups. No mess and dishwasher safe – these beauties slide right out of their silicone bed. If only I slid out of bed looking this purdy. Find out more about the wonders of silicone and get the dEATs for these coconut vanilla “cheesecake” cups with gluten-free crust below.

Where did all my baking prowess come from? I got it from my momma. A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting home (Oshkosh, WI) and my mom insisted on sending me home with these silicone baking cups to try out. Like any good daughter, I said “sure” without high expectations. Let me tell you  though, these are amazeballs (thank you Giuliana Ranci for inventing this phrase). They’re non-stick, eco-friendly, BPA free and microwave, oven and freezer safe. Whoa. Plus, these are good for all sorts of things other than muffins. You can use them to bake eggs, portion snacks, or even use them to create a do-it-yourself bento box – check out these examples on Amazon. Once I tried them for these individual cheesecakes, I was sold hook, line and sinker.

Portion control is a big challenge when it comes to sweets – at least for me. That’s why I love making these individual “cheesecakes”. The base is a grain-less crust made of raw almonds, dates and pecans. The creamy “cheesecake” is derived from  raw cashews (soaked overnight), coconut milk, desiccated coconut and a touch of vanilla as well as maple syrup. While this is a “cleaner” version of a traditional cheesecake, portion control is important since nuts and coconut are high in good-for-you polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. This also means that one cup is that much more satisfying. Half the time we just finish the portion that we’re served before our bodies have time to send signals that we’re full, so portioning forces us to stop, assess and more often than not, decide that the portion is just right.

If you haven’t ever tried a vegan cheesecake, you are in for a treat. While it might be hard to believe, cashews and coconut milk create the creamiest of textures. And this recipe can be made in 20 minutes or less. Granted, you do need to freeze it for 2 hours, but you can spend that time relaxing on the couch or getting ready for summer get-togethers. If you’re up for something a little more advanced, check out these double layer Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Bars that I made a couple of weeks ago. Otherwise, this vanilla coconut version is a great starter if 1.) you’re a more novice baker or 2.) I haven’t completely convinced you that this is the most creamy, delectable treat you’ll make all summer!

Coconut Vanilla Cheesecake Cups
Serves: 8-12

Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/2 C pitted medjool dates
1 C raw chopped almonds (or roasted if you prefer a softer bite)
1 C pecan pieces (toasted, if preferred)
1 tsp salt
Vanilla “Cheesecake” Layer
½ C cashews (soaked in water overnight)
½ C coconut milk, from a can placed in the fridge overnight
½ C desiccated coconut
2 T maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract
Toppings (optional)
Fresh figs, sliced

Directions:
Step 1: Make the crust by adding the almonds, pecans and medjool dates to a food processor. Pulse until it clumps together easily in a crust-like consistency. Press the crust mixture into individual silicone muffin cups, creating a layer that is 1/4″ thick.
Step 2: Prepare the vanilla “cheesecake” layer by adding the soaked cashews (drained of water) to the food processor. Pulse until it forms a creamy paste. Take the can of coconut milk from the fridge and scoop off the cream, adding it to the food processor (the cream and water should have separated overnight). Discard or reserve the coconut water for another recipe (such as a smoothie). While the processor is still running, add the maple syrup, desiccated coconut and vanilla extra. Continue to pulse until a creamy base forms.
Step 3: Pour the “cheesecake” mixture into the individual cups, forming a layer that is roughly 2″ thick. Place the individual cups in the freezer to set for 2 hours. Once set, top with optional fruit for decoration. Allow to thaw roughly 20 minutes before serving.

The post (Clean) Sweets Spree appeared first on The Shooks Life.