-- Simple Smart Nutrition

Chocolate Coconut Dream Bites

I just made these smooth, chocolatey treats up one day, and they were delicious! And since they have healthy fats in them and little sugar, they are still a fat burning treat. Caution though–they don’t hold up well to heat, so keep them in the fridge or freezer until right before serving.

I just made these up one day, and they were delicious! And since they have healthy fats in them and little sugar, they are still a fat burning treat. Caution though–they don’t hold up well to heat, so keep them in the fridge or freezer until right before serving.

Servings: 1 dozen
Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes

2 tablespoons grass-fed butter
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup natural powdered cocoa or 1 whole 70% dark chocolate bar

In small to medium saucepan, add butter and coconut oil. Turn on medium-low heat and as the fats melt, stir in cocoa powder until mixed. Add in honey and sugar and continue to mix until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and thickens with a shiny appearance. (Be careful to not overheat or scorch the cocoa.)

Remove pan from heat and add salt, vanilla and mix. Then add the shredded coconut and mix until all coconut is covered (the mix will become thick, similar to stiff cookie dough, as the coconut absorbs the moisture).

Use a melon scoop or rounded measuring spoon to scoop out mounds and place on parchment paper. Roll in flaked coconut or cocoa if desired. Let them sit to cool and set up. Can be placed in refrigerator to firm up more quickly.

Luscious Coconut Milk Flan

Coconuts once were considered bad for you. It was thought that the saturated fat in coconut lead to high cholesterol, clogged arteries, heart disease, and weight gain. So the question is: Are coconuts really good for you or bad for you?

Sweet treats tend to be not only full of calories, but have the unfortunate downside of providing mostly empty calories.

But you can have sweet treats that have lots of health benefits too.

Coconuts once were considered bad for you. It was thought that the saturated fat in coconut lead to high cholesterol, clogged arteries, heart disease, and weight gain.

Now, coconuts have taken center stage for their nutrition value.

So the question is: Are coconuts really good for you or bad for you? Coconut is now sold in stores as coconut oil, the coconut meat itself, coconut milk and coconut water. While all parts of the coconut contain great health benefits it’s the oil that makes it a real superfood!

The fat in the coconut milk is the single best source of medium chain triglycerides.

Why does that matter?

This type of healthy fat gets burned immediately for energy. It also boosts your metabolism and help your body burn fat more easily for energy.

Besides its fat burning and energy promoting abilities, coconut oil possesses other great health benefits for your body as well.

Coconut oil is also rich in lauric acid, which boosts immunity and destroys harmful bacteria and viruses in the body. And the saturated fat in coconut also are healthy for your heart, your skin, your hair and for your brain as well.

Enjoy this dessert and know you are doing good things for your body and health as well!

Coconut Milk Flan

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can of full-fat, organic coconut milk
5 organic, free range eggs
2-3 Tbsp of pure maple syrup
1 tsp of real vanilla extract

3 Tbsp raw sugar
3 ounces of unsweetened shredded coconut for topping (optional)

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 325 °F. Fill a teapot with water and heat to a simmer.

In saucepan, heat the sugar until it melts and is a golden brown liquid. Pour sugar mixture in a glass pie plate.

Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with mixer. Pour into pie plate, and place inside a larger baking dish that is at least 2 inches deep. Then pour the hot water in the space surrounding the pie pan – allowing the liquid to reach about halfway up the sides. Bake about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the flan is set (when a knife comes out clean from the center).

For the topping–line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake raw, shredded coconut in the same 325 °F oven for about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the toasted coconut once it’s lightly browned, and sprinkle on top of flan. Serves 4-5.

Enjoy!!

Till next time, stay healthy and lean!

Look for more great recipes like this in my new upcoming Fat Burning Superfoods Recipe book!

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

What about Frozen Yogurt?

Have you joined the newest frozen 'treat' craze?

I'm talking about frozen yogurt. It seems there's a new frozen yogurt place opening on every street corner lately. And, not only do they try to come across as delivering "smart and healthy" treats, some of these places try to sound even healthier with flavors like "Dr. Coconut" and "Dr. Green Tea".

The idea behind the marketing of all these places is that frozen yogurt is great as a "diet" food, and it is also good for your health–making you skinnier and addressing health flaws from bad eyesight to wrinkles and more.

It even comes as "fat-free", "sugar-free", and infused with vitamins and antioxidants as well.

Well, it sounds good doesn't it?

Health fanatics have been smugly spooning up the stuff like crazy!

Do you know what's really is in frozen yogurt?

Well, most people think it is just that. Frozen. Yogurt. Isn't that healthy?

It sounds like it should be…

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this stuff is kinda one of those sneaky so-called 'diet' foods that actually makes you fat…

In fact if you look at the ingredients of this frozen concoction offered by some of the bigger chains (and most all frozen yogurt is made with the same basic ingredients), you will see that the primary ingredients are sugar of some form and milk.

In spite of all the health claims, frozen yogurt is basically a sugary, processed dairy dessert with some probiotics and yogurt powder thrown in to make it seem healthier.

Unfortunately, however, it flunks as a low calorie, fat burning dessert.

While specific ingredients and amounts vary from brand to brand, and from chain to chain, most frozen yogurt contains nonfat milk and dried milk, yogurt powder, sweeteners in several forms including corn syrup, maltodextrin (from corn) dextrose (from corn), fructose and more; milk solids, emulsifiers like mono and diglycerides, propylene glycol esters, guar gum and other thickeners, natural and artificial flavoring and coloring (even when the yogurt is white).

The tangy frozen yogurt flavor comes from the strains of lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilous, though the bacteria only makes up about one percent of the ingredients. And, really, ice cream is made from the same basic ingredients as frozen yogurt; it's just that ice cream does not contain the bacteria cultures.

As you can see from the ingredients list, frozen yogurt is basically just lower fat ice cream with extra sugar, thickeners, and some yogurt powder with probiotics thrown in for good measure.

Do the probiotics somehow make it healthier?

Seriously, just because there are probiotics in something doesn't make it a 'health' food!

People who wouldn't dare eat ice cream have no qualms about eating massive amounts of frozen yogurt on a regular basis–thinking they are doing their bodies good, when in reality they are just making their blood sugar go crazy–and contributing to weight gain.

Yogurt compared to ice cream is basically what "low fat" snacks are to regular snacks.

Removing the fat and adding in more sugar does not make it healthier or a better diet food.

It's actually worse, since all that sugar raises your blood sugar, stimulates your insulin response, makes you store calories as fat, and makes you hungrier later.

The trouble with foods like frozen yogurt, which are sometimes labeled "low fat" "diet" or "healthy," is that people sometimes think they can consume large portions because they APPEAR to be less fattening, and therein lies the problem–this stuff is NOT less fattening!

It is very fattening and high glycemic (raises the blood sugar and causes calories to be stored as fat). Even worse, there is a "sugar free" version out there! It's usually sweetened with toxic artificial sweeteners like NutraSweet or Splenda.

You're not doing yourself or your body any favors with that stuff.

When an ice cream craving hits, it's probably better to satisfy it with a small amount of the REAL thing and avoid the frozen yogurt craze all together.

Truth is, if you are regularly eating a healthy, fat burning diet and eating healthy fat burning foods like you'll find in The Fat Burning Kitchen Program, exercising, and avoiding sugary processed foods 99% of the time, you are better off with a small serving of REAL ice cream. (Just make sure it's the all-natural kind without corn syrup, fillers and preservatives).

The butterfat in ice cream gives it that creamy flavor and so a smaller amount should be more satisfying than sugary, processed, low fat, frozen yogurt–probiotics or not.

And butterfat contains CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which is a potent anti-cancer and fat-burning type of fat.

Just remember, moderation is the key.

Better yet, if you are really craving something smooth and creamy, but want to stick to a good fat burning diet, try this instead, and you won't even have to feel guilty a bit:

Coconut Cream "Ice Cream"

Ingredients

1 can unsweetened coconut cream/milk (the full fat kind) 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 tsp cinnamon Small amount of Stevia to taste or raw honey or maple syrup if you prefer

Directions

Puree in food processor.

Make in an ice cream maker according to directions, or pour into ice cube trays and freeze 4 or more hours. If making in ice cube trays, remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving and puree again and serve.

This is extra good sprinkled with some nuts or toasted unsweetened shredded coconut. See more delicious fat burning recipes in the new "Fat Burning Kitchen Superfoods Recipe book " coming soon!

Take care and stay healthy and lean!