Blissfully Delicious Biscotti

Archives for April 2015

It's really the “little things” that bring me pleasure!

I get excited when I feel the warmth of sunbeams peeking through my window or when I simply have a moment all to myself. I think a lot of busy moms can relate.

I get complete satisfaction, in the quiet of the morning (after my kids are at school)  sitting down to a cup of my favorite tea or coffee and dipping one of these Bliss Biscottis.

These, in my opinion, are better than any biscotti you can buy at Starbucks or other specialty coffee shops and the added bonus is:  You can enjoy treats like this and still enjoy living in a healthy body!!

These are so healthy that you can even have one for breakfast. These have exactly the right portion of protein and fats to keep you going all morning long.

Here's the recipe for my Follow Your Bliss Biscotti

 

BLISSFULLY DELICIOUS

BISCOTTI

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup coconut sugar                                             
  • 1 cup unrefined coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup warm water
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 cups quinoa flour
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • 1/3 cup flax meal
  • 1/3 cup chia seeds
  • 2/3 cup Cacao Bliss or unsweetened cacao powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup coconut (optional)
  • 1 cup dried cherries (optional)
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
  • 1 cup walnuts, pecans, or almonds (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, coconut oil, and water to blend.

4. Add eggs, vanilla, and almond extracts, and beat until well blended.

5. Whisk together quinoa, flour, almond meal, flax meal, chia seeds, Cacao Bliss, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

6. Beat in dry mixture until completely blended. Mix in coconut, cherries, chocolate chips, and nuts.

7. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.

8. Shape each piece on the baking sheet into 4 inches wide by 14-inch long log, on the parchment paper.

9. Bake until the logs are firm, about 20-22 minutes.

10. Cool the logs on the baking sheet until they are fairly cool to touch, about 20 minutes.

11. Transfer the baked logs to a cutting board (I line the parchment paper onto the cutting board and then slide it out from under and put it back on the cookie sheet).

12. Using a serrated knife, cut the warm logs crosswise into 3/4 inch thick slices.

13. Arrange the slices, cut side down, back on the baking sheet.

14. Bake the biscotti until firm, about 8-10 minutes.

15. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the freezer and enjoy!

 

For those of you who love paleo…you will think you've died and gone to paleo heaven!

This makes enough to fill up two huge bags! Place them in your freezer and eat them with your coffee or tea right out of the freezer — delicious!

 

Step into your bliss,

Danette

P.S. If you liked this recipe please share it with your friends and I welcome you to leave comments below.

 

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In this short video I'm going to show you a 60 second bikini butt workout to really tone, tighten and lift the side pockets of your glutes. I'm going to show you one movement that is super effective. It's called the curtsy lunge.

Yours in health,

Danette

Not everyone has access to a dehydrator but not to worry, your oven and a few tips will result in some deliciously tasty dried strawberries.

I recently made a post to my Facebook page about dehydrated strawberries. Judging by the huge number of likes, comments, and shares this is a sweet treat that a LOT of people want to try. Judging by the taste, I can see why!

Many raved about how wonderful they were but others had trouble when they tried to make the treat so I wanted to write this blog post to offer some helpful tips and advice for strawberry drying success.

This isn't an exact recipe because there are many variables that impact cook time and final outcome. You just have to experiment a bit until you get it right using your own oven.

The size and ripeness of the berries, how thin they are sliced, the consistency of your oven temp. and even relative humidity of your climate can all play a role in how your berries turn out.  Some will take longer to dehydrate than others so keep a close eye on them.

Dried strawberries can make a great snack to satisfy a craving for something sweet. Just like most fruits they do contain a lot of sugar so should be eaten in moderation and my diabetic readers should consider how much sugar they've had throughout the day before opting for these.

Ingredients

2 pints fresh organic strawberries

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 200ºF.
  • Remove stems and rinse strawberries
  • Slice the berries ¼ inch thick Spread strawberries on a parchment-lined cookie sheet
  • Place strawberries in the oven on low heat (200 – 210F). Turn on hood vent and crack the oven door to allow moisture to escape and keep a close eye on your berries. I usually cook mine for about 3 1/2 hours rotating the cooking sheet every 90 minutes
  • When fruit appears to be mostly dry, remove from oven Let the berries ‘cure’
  • Be sure to wait until berries are completely cooled Use a spatula to carefully remove them from cookie sheet (some will still be sticky) Place in small glass jar Leave the jar open 4 – 5 days. (cover with a paper towel at night) allowing any moisture left from the drying process to evaporate Give the jar a shake every day a few times to move the fruit around
  • Storage: Store in a sealed jar in a dark, dry location (about 60 F) Feel free to keep in the fridge but note when removed there may be some condensation, and candy becomes stickier but it is still tasty!

 

Hope you enjoy this project and the delicious dried strawberries. They are a perfect treat for the kids as an alternative to candy too.

 

Yours in Health,

Danette

P.S. Please share this with your friends and I love to read all of your comments below

I don't know about you but I LOVE Mediterranean food! Most of it is much healthier than American foods and it's never short on flavor either.

I like to make this stuffed chicken breast when I'm having company for dinner or when my family and I want to have something semi-fancy but not overly time consuming.

If you can't take a cruise to the Med. today, this dish will transport your taste buds and it's a super healthy entree choice.

This recipe? makes 8 servings since I use it most often for dinner parties but it's always great to have healthy leftovers in the fridge for a quick meal on the run.Mediterranean stuffed chickenI hope you enjoy this one as much as I do! It's deliciously satisfying recipes like this one that will make you wonder why you've didn't start eating healthy sooner. You'll never feel deprived and your body will love it!

Yours in Health,

Danette

P.S. Feel free to share this recipe with your friends and family. I always welcome your comments below too.

Here are 3 surefire “tricks” you can use for instant motivation. Next time you have one of those days when you just don't feel like doing anything, try this to get yourself into gear!

Much Love,

Danette

Please feel free to share this video with your friends and leave your comments below!

Imagine being able to eat your way to health.

Taking foods instead of drugs to ward off cholesterol problems, decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other diseases that have become all too common in our society. All of that WITH the added bonus of weight loss!

Imagine adding a few great tasting foods to your diet and telling your pharmacist good bye.

Well, imagining is over. Researchers have found several foods that are reported to have super qualities that improve the health of the user.

Here is a list of 9 Super Foods that will help to improve your health today!

Blueberries: Blueberries are an antioxidant super food that are packed with phytoflavinoids and are high in potassium and Vitamin C. They will lower the risk of heart disease, cancer and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

Actually inflammation is the key to most chronic diseases, so blueberries have lots of benefits. When choosing your berries recognize that the darker the berry the more anti-oxidants they have. Half a cup of berries a day is a serving and reportedly the frozen are as good as the fresh.

Omega-3 rich foods: new super foods are great for the hearts, joints and memory. Researchers have found that omega-3 fatty acids lower the risk of heart disease, help arthritis and can possibly help with memory loss as well as prevention of Alzheimer's.

Omega-3 fatty on since are most prevalent in fatty cold water fish such as salmon, hearing, sardines and mackerel. These fatty acids can also be found in plant foods, most specifically flaxseed.

It's actually quite easy to get an adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids every day or weekly by adding milled flaxseed to your salad or smoothie. The addition of flaxseed in the milled state adds no additional flavor.

SuperFoods1-1

Fiber: a diet high in fiber will maintain healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels and will help you feel fuller longer which is a great weight loss tool. Good sources of fiber are beans, fruits and vegetables.

Tomatoes: tomatoes contain lycopenes which are in antioxidants more potent than vitamin C. These lycopene stimulate immune function and can slow the progression of degenerative diseases. Work to include at least one medium tomato each day into your diet.

Sprouts: sprouts are highly nutritious and are produced when the seed starts growing into a vegetable. They've very in texture and taste and are high in living enzymes.

Because sprouts are the beginning of a plant they are concentrated source of living enzymes that is lost when the food is cooked or not picked fresh from the garden. They are also much easier to digest than seeds or beans.

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Acai: studies have shown that this little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world. Pronounced ah-sigh-ee this berry is from a special Amazon palm tree and harvested in the rain forests of Brazil. It tastes like a blend of beer and chocolate and packed with antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids. You can find it in several health food stores and gourmet grocers.

Nuts and seeds: Nuts are an incredible way to dramatically decrease the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes as well as control your weight with no hunger pains. Nuts and seeds also reduce visible signs of aging like wrinkles and sagging skin. You can add nuts to your salad, cooking or just grab a handful in the afternoon to enjoy as a filling and satisfying snack.

Tea: recently green tea has received much press as a superfood for lowering cholesterol and inhibiting cancer. Green tea also has antioxidant which has been found to lower cholesterol levels and keep them lower individuals who drank a cup of tea a day.

benefits-of-green-tea-for-health

Calcium: you know that calcium helps build strong bones and bodies and helps to prevent osteoporosis but other studies, though inconclusive, have shown that calcium also could help to improve weight loss.

Calcium is found in dairy products such as milk and cheese but I recommend getting it from veggies if you are looking to lose weight. Fortunately calcium is found in green leafy vegetables which means you won't need to eat ice cream in order to get your calcium.

You may have noticed that these “super foods” are nothing new or unusual. Instead these are foods which researchers and doctors have been telling us for years to include in our diet to improve our overall health.

Just remember that health is not a sprint but rather a long distance run or marathon.

You must eat good foods every day to maintain your health over the coming years and you won't change your health by increasing the amount of super foods you eat on a daily basis for just one week.

Now you can make sure you're eating ALL of these superfoods and more in my easy-to-follow recipe guide:

151 delicious fat-burning recipes (chocked full of superfoods) >>

Yours in Health,

Danette

P.S. Please feel free to share this article with your friends and I welcome you to comment below.

It's barely Spring but the tastes of Summer are on the horizon! I just love juicy, fresh peaches and who doesn't adore a creamy sweet treat that's good for your body?!  

You can whip this one up in just 5 minutes and keep it in your freezer for up to a month. When you get a hankering for something cool and delicious, it will be on hand to satisfy. You won't be able to keep the kids away from this one so make extra for sharing.

This recipe serves 4 so I usually double it or even triple it if we're expecting guests. It's actually so good for you that on a hot Summer morning you could even pull off having it for breakfast.

peach frozen yogurt
I hope you love this indulgently healthy treat as much as I do. Making delicious sweet treats like this one will make you learn to love clean eating and your waistline will stay peachy too!

Liked this recipe? Then you're gonna LOVE the 150+ simple and delicious fat-burning recipes on the next page…

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Here is the #1 Fat Burning Workout. I recommend doing this workout first thing in the morning before breakfast to jumpstart your metabolism and keep your body in fat-burning mode all day long.

If you like this workout, you're gonna LOVE the super fat blasting workouts (plus step-by-step meal plan and community support) in my 30 Day Challenge, which starts Monday, July 13th. Click below to see more…

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Be sure to leave your comments below and let me know what you think of this workout.

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette