recipe

Sacred Cycle Sweets

Cooling, grounding and hormone-nourishing, these Sacred Cycle Sweets weave together shatavari, fennel and cardamom to support women’s cycles while offering a naturally sweet treat for body and spirit.

Here's How to Make My Sacred Cycle Sweets:

Ingredients (makes ~10):

1 cup shredded coconut
½ cup cashews, soaked 2 hrs
6 Medjool dates
1 tsp shatavari powder
1 tsp cardamom
½ tsp fennel powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch pink salt
1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions:

Blend cashews + coconut into a paste.
Add dates, shatavari, spices + vanilla. Process until dough forms.
Roll into balls, coat with extra coconut. Refrigerate.

Raspberry Oat Hormone Bars

Sweet, tart and chocolatey comfort! These bars blend magnesium-rich nuts, fiber-filled oats, and antioxidant raspberries to steady mood, ease PMS cravings, and nourish your hormones the Ayurvedic way.

Here's How to Make Them:

Ingredients (makes ~12 bars):

Base:

1 cup rolled oats (ground to flour)
½ cup walnuts or almonds (magnesium powerhouse)
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
2 tbsp almond butter
Pinch sea salt

Raspberry Layer:

1½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla

Chocolate Topping:

½ cup dark chocolate chips (at least 70%)
1 tbsp coconut oil
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Instructions:

Process oats, nuts, dates, almond butter + salt until dough forms. Press into pan.
In a saucepan, simmer raspberries, chia, maple + vanilla for 10 minutes until jammy. Spread over base.
Melt chocolate + coconut oil, stir in cinnamon, and pour over raspberry layer.
Chill until firm, slice into bars.

How to Make the Perfect Summer Salad

Summertime is the time for salad—the possibilities are endless. 🌺🌱🍅 In the Virginia summers, greens grow in abundance, fruit starts popping off and there are edible flowers galore! It’s one of my favorite times of the year. ⁠

Of course Ayurveda suggests not over consuming raw food, but there are plenty of ways around this. Salads are appropriate in the hot summer months and if your digestive system is a little sluggish, you can always pair your greens with a cooked element or additional spices to support your specific needs. ⁠
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I love going to the farmer’s market in the summer and seeing what creations I can make with the various colors and shapes of the vegetables. Making food should feel like an art (of course it’s not always going to feel easy), but it is an act of creativity that can really serve you well. ⁠
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When it comes to making salads you can get really creative. Just simply think of what flavors and textures you love most and create a salad from that. For me, I love crunch, I love FAT and I love citrus. I usually end up making a big bowl of greens, some sort of seed sautéed in ghee, avocado, radishes and all of it topped with a lemon vinaigrette. I often will always add some sort of protein source. Grilled chicken, fried tempeh and hard boiled (farm fresh eggs) are all my favorite go-to forms of protein.

Here's How to Make my Perfect Summer Salad:

Salad Ingredients:

½ cup cooked quinoa
1 ½ cups summer greens (mix of your choice-diced)
1 tbsp lightly toasted pumpkin seeds
½ cup summer cherry tomatoes (halved)
1 handful of summer sprouts
Optional protein add ons: ¼ cup cooked chickpeas or grilled chicken

Dressing Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegan mayo
¼ cup fresh mint & parsley mix (diced)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Assemble all of your salad ingredients into a bowl (except the sprouts) organizing however you would like. Whisk dressing ingredients in a bowl using a fork (adding more or less apple cider vinegar depending on preference). Generously pour dressing over the salad. Garnish with fresh edible flowers and sprouts!

Enjoy! 🥬🌱🍅🌼

Fatty Balls Recipe

In Ayurveda, fat is seen as an important nurtient because of it's role in keeping the body lubricated and hydrated. All the doshas can benefit from adding fat to their diet. You don’t want too much, but you don’t want too little either. Fat helps to fuel your brain, aids in keeping your internal organs functioning optimally, and it also helps to keep your hormones in balance.

Did you know that the human brain is made up of 60 percent fat?

A recent study from the National Library of Medicine, found that fatty acids are among the most crucial molecules that determine your brain's integrity and ability to perform. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20329590)

As always, we love getting our nutrients through whole food sources. So, when it comes to fat we are looking at things like: avocados, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, organic pasture-raised egg yolks, raw nuts and seeds, and even dark chocolate. Certain fats you want to avoid are things like: highly processed vegetable oils, butter and other meat products that aren’t organic and grass fed, non-organic nut/seed butters, and any other processed trans fats from foods like packaged baked goods, margarine, and fried foods.

In addition to fueling your brain, boosting your mood, and keeping your organs lubricated, fat is also an incredible source of energy and will keep you full for longer. That’s why these “fatty balls” are my favorite go-to snack when I’m in a hurry and need an extra boost. (if kept cool, they're a great snack for hiking/physical activity because they're filling and give you energy 😉

These are SO easy to make, contain only the healthiest ingredients, have no sugar, and are stupid good.

Fatty Balls Recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup coconut shreds
1/3 c. coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pepitas
1/2 cup walnuts (brazil nuts or macadamia nuts work great too)
1/2 cup almonds
2 tbsp cacao nibs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1/3 c. almond milk (optional)

*optional add ins: chia seeds, marine (or grass fed beef) collagen powder

Directions

This recipe is super simple to make. All you need is a food processor or a high powered blender.

* Place all ingredients in your food processor. Pulse or blend on high until they reach your desired consistency. We like ours to be pretty well blended with maybe a few crunchy chunks here and there.

* After making the batter, you may need to let it firm up just a bit in the fridge in order to form your balls (usually takes about 10 min). After that you are ready to form the balls into any size you like. Keep in mind the size you want and where you'll be consuming them.

* This is our favorite part of the process: toppings! It’s easiest if you put the toppings in small bowls in order to fully cover the balls. (Don’t you love how many times we've used the word balls?) We use either cocoa nibs, hemps seeds, or cinnamon (sometimes all three). But, feel free to get creative. Crushed rose petals or shredded coconut works well too.

* After you’ve topped your balls, place them in the fridge (or freezer) again and let them get a little firm — now they should be ready to eat! For best consistency store them in the fridge or your cooler bag when on the go.

Ep. 03 Summer Date Shake! OMG Love!

Here in Virginia, we're in the middle of a heat wave. So in today's mini-episode, Katie shares her favorite date shake recipe to help you stay cool and feel amazing!

In this episode, you'll hear:

~ Katie's current obsession with dates!

~ The importance of milk in Ayurveda

~ The benefits of cardamom

~ Summer Date Shake Recipe (see below)

~ All you need is a blender, milk, dates, and SPICES!

Summer Date Shake Recipe

~ 2 cups milk of your choice

~ 1 or 2 dates with pits removed

~ Cardamom to taste

~ Optimal: crushed rose petals for topping

Put everything in a blender and mix for about 30 seconds. Pour into your favorite glass and sprinkle with crushed rose petals. You can drink the date shake straight away, put it in the fridge to enjoy with your tea or coffee later or heat it up and sip before bed.

Enjoy!

Or Subscribe on iTunes

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From my heart to your screen,

Katie