Category Archives: Baking

Baking, Cooking, Health and Nutrition

Need a pick me up? Try the Bliss Poppers!

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Have you ever been to a Brazilian birthday party and tasted “docinhos”?  No? Do not worry, today I’m bringing you the infamous Brazilian treat to your kitchen. Literally translated into little sweets, docinhos range in a variety of flavors.  From chocolate, coconut, to fruit flavors. The “brigadeiro” or the chocolate kind is by far the most popular and the genesis for this post.

Your favorite Vedic Master has been experimenting in the Bliss Balance Health test kitchen with an assortment of energy snacks for myself, husband, and children. My husband and I will usually eat things just because they are good for us, but add kids to the mix and taste becomes super important! A healthier version of docinhos was the perfect solution for my family and yours too! Thus, I bring you the Bliss Popper!

Interesting enough, “energy balls” seem to be popping up on social media sites. Embracing the trend, I created a couple of unique versions with full flavor combinations.

So what is in an “Energy Ball” aka Bliss Popper?

Dates are a very under appreciated treat.  And in our house, they are used in multiple ways for cooking and acting as a base ingredient for many recipes. A little side note, I have even turned a couple of people into “date addicts”.  But alas, lets get back to the Bliss Popper.  Dates have a pure organic taste of sweetness and wonderful texture that makes them very easy to substitute for sugar.  Dates are the base of my poppers. Nuts and nut butter are also added to help with texture and increase protein and healthy fats. I recommend almond butter. Completing the organic mix for the base are coconut flakes and cacao powder. These ingredients are essential in their Brazilian counterparts. As your taste dictates, experiment with the options I provide.

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You can also play around with toppings to roll the “docinhos” . My favorites are cacao powder, cacao nibs, goji berries, and coconut. Feel free to come up with your own!

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Ingredients:

Base

1 cup of dates

1 cup of almonds

1/4 cup of almond butter

Version I add…

2 tbs of cacao powder

2 tbs of water

1/4 cup of coconut flakes

Version II add…

1 tbs of maca powder

1 tsp spirulina

2 tbs of water

1/4 cup of coconut flakes

In a food processor blend all the ingredients together. Roll them into balls, add more water if necessary. Roll them with your favorite topping and enjoy!

http://www.blissbalancehealth.com

armenia@blissbalancehealth.com

864 551 5731

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook

Receita em Português

Ingredientes:

Base:

1 xícara de tâmaras

1 xícara de amêndoas

1/4 xícara de manteiga de amêndoa

Versão I adicionar …

2 colheres de sopa de cacau em pó

2 colheres de sopa de água

1/4 xícara de flocos de coco

Versão II adicionar …

1 colher de sopa de pó de maca

1 colher de chá de spirulina

2 colheres de sopa de água

1/4 xícara de flocos de coco

Em um processador de alimentos misture todos os ingredientes juntos. Rolar em bolas, adicione mais água se necessário. Cobrir com sua cobertura favorita!

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Baking, Health and Nutrition

BBH NutSeed Bread

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A week ago I asked a my Facebook network what kind of recipes they would like to see in the new year. The majority of responses revolved around light sandwiches and healthy breads. Catching my attention were the bread requests.  Admittedly, bread is typically low on my list of new recipes to experiment with.  But after seeing the feedback, I realized bread’s place at the table is still as important today, as it ever has been.

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So here we are, after a few trials and errors, the BBH Nutseed bread has risen to the occasion. No pun intended (ok maybe a little pun). I have discussed here on the blog many times the importance of including nuts and seeds into your lifestyle. This bread has just that, a diverse combination of my favorite nuts and seeds. Designed to be enjoyed by all but also those who adhere to a vegan and gluten free lifestyle, it does not contain animal products or wheat. With that being said, the bread is a bit dense in the middle, but the outside still has a crunch to it.  The organic and dense texture provides an excellent canvas for applying your favorite spreads.

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Personally, my favorite element of the NutSeed bread has been experimenting with different toppings or spreads. Here are several ways to enjoy this bread:

  • Sliced avocado and tomatoes sprinkled with lime juice and a bit of salt and pepper
  • Hummus, spinach, zucchini, carrots, and tomatoes
  • Tahini with figs and a drizzle of honey
  • Nut butter and sliced bananas
  • Nut butter with sliced apples
  • Dark chocolate spread and strawberries

Have fun experimenting with your favorite toppings! Make sure to share any special combination you have with me!

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Bliss Balance Health’s test kitchen is busy creating a few natural spreads to enjoy with the nutseed bread. Keep a look out for those posts coming in the near future!

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Ingredients:

1 cup of ground cashew

1 cup of ground almonds

1 cup of brown rice flour

1/4 cup of coconut flour

1/4 of sunflower seeds + 1/4 cup of ground sunflower seeds

1/2 cup of ground flaxseed

2 Tbs of ground chia seeds

1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds (without shells )

2 Tbs of sesame seeds

3 Tbs of psyllium husks

1 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of black pepper

1 Tbs of maca powder

3 Tbs of grapeseed oil

2 Tbs of maple syrup

21/2 cups of water

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the water, oil, and syrup in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together. Add more water if necessary, mixture should be moist. Add the mixture to a 9×5 lightly oiled bread loaf. Let it rest for 3 hours at room temperature covered. Bake for 60 minutes at 350F oven. Remove from the oven when firm. Remove the bread from pan then bake it directly on the rack for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Slice the bread only when the it is completely at room temperature. Enjoy it with your favorite spreads!

http://www.blissbalancehealth.com

armenia@blissbalancehealth.com

864  551 5731

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

Versão em Português
Ingredientes:

1 xícara de castanha de caju moída

1 xícara de amêndoas moídas

1 xícara de farinha de arroz integral

1/4 xícara de farinha de coco

1/4 xícara de sementes de girassol moida  + 1/4 xícara de semente de girassol normal

1/2 xícara de semente de linhaça moída

2 colheres de sopa de sementes moídas de chia

1/2 xícara de sementes de abóbora (sem a casca)

2 colheres de sopa de sementes de gergelim

3 colheres de sopa de casca de psyllium

1 colher de chá de sal

1/4 colher de chá de pimenta do reino

1 colher de sopa de pó de maca

3 colheres de sopa de óleo de semente de uva

2 colheres de sopa de xarope de bordo

21/2 xícaras de água

Misture todos os ingredientes secos em uma tigela grande. Misture a água , óleo e xarope em uma tigela pequena. Adicione os ingredientes molhados para o seco e misture bem. Adicione mais água se necessário, a mistura deve ser úmida. Adicione a mistura para um refratário de pão untada com óleo. Deixe descansar por 3 horas à temperatura ambiente. Asse por 60 minutos em forno 350F . Retire do forno quando estiver firme . Retire o pão do refratário, em seguida, coloque o pão  diretamente na prateleira por mais 15-20 minutos, ou até ficar levemente dourada. Cortar o pão apenas quando a estiver completamente à temperatura ambiente . Aproveite-o!

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Baking, Cooking, Health and Nutrition

Oatmeal cookies for Santa!

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The last 30 days have been a whirl wind at my house.  Coast to coast traveling and hosting Thanksgiving left me with little time to share the next great recipe. This Sunday was the first Sunday in a long time that our family was able to have a lazy morning. I woke to the sound of Christmas music and the smell of my husband cooking breakfast for the entire family. A girl could not ask for more! It was heaven!

Drinking a cup of tea and listening to Christmas Carols inspired me to gather all my kids and make a trial batch of cookies for Santa! And why not, lets do the cooking in pajamas!

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Admittedly, I am a little worried about Santa’s diet, especially at Christmas. So this year I decided to give him some cookies that will give him energy to keep going all night without going into a sugar comma. Don’t worry, there is still a yummy sweet taste to these cookies, but the ingredients are closer to their natural unprocessed state.

These cookies have been approved by friends who have shared them with me over a cup of tea, but most importantly they have been approved by the toughest judges at my house, my three children! After baking and sampling the first few, they are looking forward to taking them as a special treat in their lunch boxes.

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Whether you have a sweet tooth or not, these cookies are great to give you a boost of energy. The most important difference in these cookies is the coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is lower on the glycemic index. Is about 70-79% sucrose (you want to stay away from high fructose), and also contains minerals and amino acids that are beneficial to your health. I am not suggesting using coconut sugar as a way to add nutrients to your body, but simply as an alternative to other processed sugars.

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So what is the yummy goodness in these cookies?

1/2 cup of applesauce (or mashed bananas)

3/4 cup of raw coconut sugar

2 tbs of maple syrup

1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

1 cup of steel cut oats ( you can also use gluten free oats)

1 cup of brown rice flour

1 cup of chopped dates

1 cup of chopped walnuts

1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of allspice

Pre heat oven to 350 F. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl with a spatula, feel free to use your hands! Use an ice cream  scoop to measure each cookie and bake it on a pan stayed with coconut oil for about 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Enjoy!

Portuguese recipe below.

If you enjoy my recipes and would like to have a nutritional consultation with me contact me at armenia@blissbalancehealth.com or call me at 864 5515731.

Check out http://www.blissbalancehealth.com to see what other services we offer!

Also like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/blissbalancehealth to see what is going on with us!

Biscoitos de aveia

1/2 xícara de purê de maçã (ou purê de bananas )

3/4 xícara de açúcar de coco cru

2 colheres de sopa de xarope de bordo

1 colher de chá de extrato de baunilha

1 xícara de aveia de corte de aço (você também pode usar a sem glúten)

1 xícara de farinha de arroz integral

1 xícara de tamaras picadas

1 xícara de nozes picadas

1 xícara de coco ralado sem açúcar

1/2 colher de chá de bicarbonato de sódio

1tsp de canela

1/2 colher de chá de noz moscada

1 pitada de cravo em po.

Aqueça o forno a 350 F. Pré Misture todos os ingredientes em uma tigela com uma espátula, sinta-se livre para usar suas mãos! Use uma colher de sorvete para medir cada bolinho e asse -o em uma panela untada com óleo de coco por cerca de 12-15 minutos , até dourar. Aproveite!

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