Food Balance Your Body Type Archives - Page 7 of 45

Breathing In New Are Life Opportunities

You can start a new season with just your breathing. When you breathe in fresh oxygen, you reset. Your thoughts change with new O2 energy permeating inside you. And thoughts change feelings that bring new life.

That’s empowering… and all creatures are empowered to do what they were created to do. Like butterflies with the purpose to pollinate flowers. 💐

So it’s only natural for you and me to find out what we’re made for.

Taking a breathing reset and pause is where you can take in a moment of reflection. And that brings in new ideas.

Changing of the leaves fall season is such a great time to do this… if you’re a dominant Vata especially because this is YOUR season! 🍂

In an instant, you can change your mindset old ways with fresh ways…

You don’t need new circumstances to change on you for something new.

You create the change that naturally creates a change in you (of what you see, think, and feel).

And this snack-bite blog post is a quick reminder of how you can support and encourage your positive changes through your breathing habits.

…Especially if the season you’re in is tired (stale) or you’re transitioning and feeling uncertain.

Just 5 minutes a day of focused breathing can create positive changes for you.

(But more minutes is better).

And there’s no reason to say no as you only reap benefits. It’s like when you’re taking care of your teeth… is spending extra minutes ever a bad thing?… no. You never regret that.

And as you relax knowing you’re doing yourself a world of good, getting away from your busy schedule to breathe… you gain more benefits.

And less stress that means more ideas coming to and flowing through you.

On your yoga mat or wherever you’re seated, you can decide to let go of what isn’t working well this season with a few breaths.

Exhale out old ideas.

And breathe in new ideas and ways.

You can also do this laying down, standing, or a pose that’s comfortable to you. It’s function over form.

And you can choose from a variety of breathing techniques.

4-7-8, Ujjayi, and Lion’s Breath are 3 effective breathing resets.

4-7-8 is a balanced breathing way that you can do well while you’re standing or walking. It’s a good practice when you’re out enjoying nature and soaking in awareness.

Ujjayi is good for relaxing, clarity, and energy like a matcha drink.

And lion’s breath is good for forcefully expelling out anxiety or a bad mood. It’s an adult way of sticking out your tongue and telling the day and world who’s boss. 😊

Any of these breathing techniques can also carry you through your day so you can stop worrying.

…Because most everything will change around you anyway. It’s better to stay calm and not let situations get the better of you… as those too will pass.

Breathing in new oxygen and energy brings new flowing opportunities from the change of your perspectives. It’s even better than a warming cup of tea.

With energy, you get the oomph to sit optimally and taller. You stretch further and higher, and that spills over into your life where you do and try a few more things that can make all the difference in your life.

You end up giving yourself more space. And love. You go into places you didn’t go or imagine before. It’s like when you get new ideas or feedback from others, except you don’t have to rely on circumstances to fall in your favor. It’s a given.

And best of all, you can breathe intentionally and deeply in your body just where you are. Your body is the only equipment you don’t have to pay for. That you can never forget at home.

Oh, the places you’ll go… remember Dr. Seuss?

Those were the inspiring days when you had dreams and visions of how the future plans could go.

…And they still can go. All is possible.

As long as you’re breathing, anything and everything is possible.

And you have your life as proof.

Breathing deeply into your breathing space today, dreams come alive tomorrow when you enthusiastically believe again.

Today, all you need is to carve out that time. 5 minutes if that’s all you’ve got. And find a ritual that will help you get in your breathing mood. It can be as simple as music, a candle, or opening your front door.

And then let nature do the rest.

Rocky Road Energy Snack Bar (No-Bake)

Rocky road is a good name for a lumpy and bumpy chocolate, marshmallow, and nut blend. This one has crystallized ginger and a few hidden bears that can make a challenging road over-bearing (!) and even more slippery.

Imagine driving over this rocky road.

And gratefully this is the edible kind… so the rockier and more challenging the better! 😊 One that you can make today.

An easy way to make your rocky road snack is with a setup where you have an easy Silpat (silicone sheet) set in a deeper baking pan that you can easily pull out. You don’t need baking paper or baking spray. This way ensures no sticking and no messy oils. It’s the easy road (if that pleases you).

In mine, I added some of my favorite plain salty satiating snacks like almonds and pretzels. And this one can be more healthy than a nutritional bar because there’s less sugar.

And you can sub or add in popcorn that’s fiber-rich as a whole grain. And that helps offset the happy food like marshmallows or anything with sugar.

But you can keep it low-sugar like I did… where most the sugar added is the healthy kind… dark chocolate and coconut. Sure, there are a few hidden gummy bears, but those surprises are worth the add!

And trail mix blending this all up in a tasty rocky road bar may just be the energy that’s needed to get you through to your next meal or dinner… and especially good for growing people with lotsa burning energy. 😊

In any event, a rocky road bar is a fun afternoon snack. And can be a colorful one that mimics colors and styles that can be found in nature.

Like rarely do you see straight lines in nature. Not even trees. Everything has some bends and swerves because they weren’t created with a straight edge.

A seemingly messy look is natural, as are beautiful curves.

And even man-made roads and steps aren’t straight as they’re built over nature’s bumps and curves.

And that’s okay!… nature is comfort and provides us with the natural (healthy) foods we can use to make a mimicking rocky road or tiffin bar.

They both are “kitchen sink” snacks as you can throw everything in the kitchen in them.

The one here is oozing with ingredients from nature:

Chocolate melted is like pitter patter rain in the mud tracks.

Cacao tree that produces the bean that cocoa is from. And then cocoa (paste) butter is used to make chocolate that looks a lot like the color of tree trunk and logs.

Almond trees provide almonds and almond flour.

Flowers like dried rose flowers after their season has ended.

Palm trees that produce (shredded) coconut and coconut oil that was used to easily melt the chocolate.

Pretzels, oh well are not natural but you can turn into a natural pretzel in your home yoga. And you can keep your rocky road all-natural if you sub in nuts and seeds.

Peanut butter is one you may have to think about… because we see it creamy in a jar, but nature provides peanuts from the ground up. Unlike tree nuts like almonds that grow from drupe seeds, peanuts come from pods that make them legumes. 🥜

Beans and peas are other different types of legumes. They share healthy in common. Plus, a garbanzo bean and a chick pea are one in the same.

I also added some bears to shake things up. This is a happy snack. 🎉 The happy bears at least fit in the nature theme. They add color, fun and texture when you bite into your rocky road bar.

…’Da bears add to daily comfort too (like stuffed bears 🧸).

And after you’re happy with your trail bar, you can take your rocky road bar and make a trail mix by breaking up the bar into smaller, uneven pieces.

They’ll fit right into your natural activities.

You can take them on your hikes in cooler months when chocolate won’t melt.

That helps remind us of season changes and autumn cooler temp relief is near.

Fall btw is Vata season, so it’s common that you crave sweet and salty more. This is when squirrel are gathering nuts. 🐿️ And us peeps are making trails.

With opposable thumbs you can take it a step further and make many one-of-a-kind rocky road bars. The kind that Rocky and Bullwinkle would love.

Look at these oozing delights read to dive into.

Oh, and if you want to amp up your healthy snacks with all-healthy ingredients, then try this chocolate chip coconut bar made with dates, oats, applesauce, and honey.

No-Bake Rocky Road Energy Snack Bar

A snack that's sweet and salty, with texture and the perfect afternoon snack for some energy

Course Snack

Prep Time 20

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

2 oz cocoa powder (or healthy cacao powder)
2 oz natural peanut butter, creamy
1 oz shredded coconut
1 oz pretzels, broken small
2 oz nuts (almonds, peanuts, pine nuts) and/or seeds
4 oz melted chocolate
1 oz gummy bears (optional), marshmallow or healthier dried fruits
2 oz almond flour

Instructions

Add a baking sheet where the sides will come over the deeper baking pan so you can easily pull out. Use a pan at least 2 inches deep (e.g. a bread loaf pan).
Add a layer of almond flour for the base (or a dry powder like cocoa to absorb the more wet ingredients to come).
Pile a layer of the salty ingredients (nuts, seeds, pretzels, etc.). Drop spoonfuls of peanut butter randomly. You can leave looking rustic (like mud in nature) or smear in as another layer with a knife/offset spatula.
Pour melted chocolate.
Add some of the sweet ingredients (shredded coconut, gummy bears, dried fruits etc.) before the chocolate melts. Reserve some of the colorful sweets for the visible top later.
Add more salty and zhugh ingredients you want to see popping out of the bar.
When you're happy with your bar, refrigerate until set at least 20 minutes.
Pull out of the fridge, break or cut into rectangles or pieces. Enjoy! Store in fridge so the chocolate remains solid.

Matcha Cookie (No-Bake) – Low-Sugar

Matcha cookie is hard to match-ah. This one you don’t have to bake, tastes great and is low sugar. And sweet tooths, you don’t have to love green tea.

And the healthy benefits are BIG and green:

Matcha green powder comes from the chlorophyll pigment that’s anti-inflammatory (along with EGCG catechin found in green tea, some other teas, fruit, wine, cocoa, and most coffee, to name a few sources).

And matcha powder has L-theanine that’s also found in black, green, oolong and white teas that come from the same Camellis sinensis tea plant shown to be good for calming, sleep, and productive mental focus.

The downfall is matcha green powder is not naturally a sweet ingredient, so if you’re not a fan of the bitter and earthy taste… you’ll love this matcha cookie that turns out sweet as honey!

But is low-sugar.

There’s actually healthy honey in the cookie (but less than 2 tsp per cookie).

And you can make this without butter that most cookies are made with.

Coconut oil is a good healthy fat to use instead and is used in the recipe below.

It’s a recipe that fits the easy and fun mold.

And in the mold, you can simply refrigerate and enjoy.

These matcha cookie shaped-as-donuts are delicious on their own (and dare I say more satisfying than a donut! 🍩). But you can try for yourself.

And you can add a strawberry glaze with jam if you like (but is not needed especially if you’re counting low-sugar grams).

…Now we’re jammin’! 🍓

Oh, and if you want to pop these cookies (…yes, they’re cookies!) in the low temp oven and bake these for a little crunch, you can.

But I like ‘em (taste and texture) just as they are as a low-sugar sweet bite with healthy ingredients.

You can also make this matcha cookie gluten-free with buckwheat, coconut, tapioca, or all almond flour as substitution choices.

Since gluten-free flours usually make a more crumbly dough, if you find that happens, simply add a little more coconut oil and/or honey and you’ll see the crumbly bits come together when you press into the dough.

This is as easy as playing with dough and as fun as edible Play-doh!

Low-Sugar Matcha Cookie - No Bake

These are cute healthy cookies that you don't have to bake... matcha that!

Course Dessert

Prep Time 10

Servings 2 cookies

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour substitute)
1 tsp almond flour
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp green matcha powder
1/4 tsp green matcha powder (for dusting/zhughing)

Instructions

Add flour to a bowl. Make a well/hole in the middle.
Add and combine honey, extract, and matcha to make the dough mixture. Tip; Combine with a spoon starting in the middle and moving out so the liquids are incorporated. Make another well.
Heat or microwave coconut oil (for 20-30 seconds) into liquid (if not already). Add coconut oil to the dough mixture warm.
Use spoon and fingers to make a dough. The dough should be a little wet and like Play-doh. The small pieces should stick together easily.
Press into silicone mold (if using).
Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Dust with additional matcha powder. Add a a glaze if desired and/or enjoy!

Notes

Tip: If the dough is too dry and pieces aren't combining fully, then add a little more liquid (coconut oil, honey, or extract).

Cupcake Low-Sugar Recipe (Easy For Any Occasion)

Cupcake is a comfort dessert that somehow isn’t as catchy as they once were in simpler dessert times (from my cupcake history memory).

But in my dessert world, I still think cupcakes are great… and maybe you do too 🧁 if you like simple sweets! And the ones here are low-sugar.

The low-sugar cupcake recipe below is for easy, foolproof cupcake that’s as easy as a cake mix box… but substitutes in more healthy baking ingredients without sacrificing taste or texture!

That’s exciting to me. Because cupcakes and I go waaaayy back. They remind me of grade school when someone’s mom sent their child to school with homemade cupcakes. Remember those days?

My Hi-Sugar Cupcake Journey: 🍥

I also grew up close to Georgetown near the original Georgetown Cupcakes in Washington, D.C. Then came Sprinkles. 🧁

And the chic destination cupcakeries like Magnolia Bakery that are nostalgic. And memorable for the pastel buttercream frosting. 🍥

Today of course, you can still enjoy a cupcake. And when you get a hankering, you can whip up a batch as quick as it takes to go out to get one.

Oh, and you can have these mini-cakes ready to enjoy watching Cake Week from the Great British Bake Off (#GBBO). 🇬🇧

You probably already have the cupcake ingredients in your pantry.

With healthier ingredients available to source, you can make a healthy, low-sugar cupcake version (for any occasion) that doesn’t sacrifice sweet taste or texture.

Cupcakes (that don’t get gobbled up 😋) can stay moist covered for days in the refrigerator.

That totally reminds me of an adult cupcake event in my past…

Where I took my Hi-Hats out of the fridge and to a church event. The cupcake recipe came from Martha Stewart’s Cupcake cookbook that I adore.

…And even though mine baked out of the oven looked imperfect with like low-er hi-hats, they tasted wickedly good… and I’m glad I made 2 per person.

They were a hi-hat hit.

…And that’s the beauty of cupcakes. They’re great no matter what!

So with that low-bar…

Make Your Low-Sugar Cupcake Batter:

From the same base batter, you can create white or chocolate cupcakes (or mix-n-match) where you divide up the batter. With just one ingredient (cocoa) add, you have a chocolate cupcake recipe.

That’s what cake box mixes sitting on shelves don’t want you to know. 😁

It’s an easy One-Bowl batter you can’t mess up!

Cupcakes always end up with a smooth dome top. And if you set your timer, they’re golden.

And it’s a great lazy bake or kid prepare bake because it doesn’t even matter if some of your batter bowl misses your cupcake holder.

So you can make these healthy-inspired cupcakes, relaxed with one-eye open. 😜 And no cake box mix.

You can substitute in these healthy ingredients:

Healthy Flour:

Using mostly almond flour (or another gluten-free flour like coconut or tapioca flour) and light oil (no butter needed).

The sunshin-y cupcakes below are mixed with whole wheat flour that has more fiber and protein than all-purpose or cake flour.

Because “whole” wheat ingredients preserve the bran and seed’s embryo (that has B-E vitamins and some minerals). You can B-E good.

So why not? Plus, whole wheat flour is usually around the same cost range.

Whole wheat turns out a little more beige brown but it will be covered by a cupcake glaze or frosting. And these look a little like sunflowers so they’re more wholesome and natural 🌻 And maybe attract bees.

Anti-Inflammatory Sugars:

And best of all… for this cupcake recipe, you won’t need a measuring cup for the healthy monk fruit sugar used.

Think: a little-little spoon of sugar if you use monk fruit sugar because it’s about 2.5 times more sweet tasting than refined sugar.

And many more times healthy, since it comes from an antioxidant fruit.

Then when you add a big spoonful of healthier maple syrup (or honey), these will not compromise sweetness.

And that’ll be enough sweet for the number of cupcakes in this cupcake recipe version that’s 6 of 1 or half-a-dozen of the other (as we used to say in my hotel catering days).

Or simply 6.

While baking is oven chemistry, there’s no complicated math to remember to make this cupcake recipe.

It’s either 1 or 1/2.

And for tools, all you need is a measuring cup (that has the equivalent of a 1 cup measurement). Plus a teaspoon.

And a tablespoon is handy, otherwise use 3 tsp =1 Tbsp.

I like to capitalize “T” for Tablespoon so it doesn’t get confused with little “t” t-spoon (teaspoon). That’s how I handwrite them down on index cards.

For easy amount size remembrance: the diameter is a half-dollar (for the Tablespoon if I remembered those right in the piggy bank?) or quarter size for a teaspoon.

Or convert to your country’s coin currencies.

And even easier than baking spray in paper cups is using reusable silicone cupcake holders.

Simply wash them out and then you don’t need any baking spray to prevent sticking.

They’re oven-safe for cupcakes at 350°F/180°C.

And actually safe for even higher temps.

And good news… you don’t need a mixer or a whisk (that can eat some of your batter you’ve measured out)!

Instead, you can use a spoon and sometimes I even use the Tablespoon measuring spoon.

So easy!

You’re simply combining wet and dry ingredients.

And there’s no butter to smoothly mix in so that makes it even easier.

Flavors:

Tip: Don’t leave out the capful of vanilla extract or you’ll miss the nice vanilla bakery scent.

You’ll enjoy the pre-baked aroma.

Which btw means it will be even MORE flavorful when it comes out of the magical oven on the other side.

If you want to make a chocolate cupcake batch, add 1 Tablespoon of cocoa (and a splash more milk).

For more almond flavor, add almond extract. This is great with almond flour.

Low-Sugar Frosting or Glaze

Depending on who these cupcakes are for (or what the occasion is), you have low-sugar sweet zhugh options.

You can add a low-sugar chocolate frosting without heavy cream on top after baking or chocolate melted in the best way.

Or you can add a lighter glaze…

Like on these cupcake bottoms that I turned into cake cookies.

…It’s dangerous having a bag of pistachios that can be slung onto sweet honey tops. 😊

Or you melt chocolate ontop. So many options… you can’t go wrong!

easy low-sugar cupcake duo made from almond flour recipe.

Easy Cupcake - Low-Sugar

Easy foolproof cupcake to enjoy or share.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

2 egg yolks
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup all purpose or cake flour
1/2 cup milk, plus a little more
1 tbsp neutral baking oil (light olive oil)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of kosher salt
1 tsp lemon juice or ACV (to activate baking soda and powder)

Instructions

Mix wet ingredients in one bowl. Sift in dry ingredients.
Pour into cupcake holders in cupcake tin plan about 3/4 full.
Bake at 350°F/180°C for about 20 minutes (bottoms are golden brown)

Fasting For Gut Detox

Fasting (temporarily) is a way to do gut detox without green juices. And then appreciate preferred foods like a berry smoothie… with beet that (for me) can’t be beat.

Fasting is a practice that I’m proud of.

…I no longer freak out when I haven’t eaten. I look at not eating differently than my younger self would have.

I now know it’s healthy detox.

So now it’s my choice to fast occasionally.

And fasting is a form of empowerment.

(…And it can be for you too if you choose).

It’s a smart move.

Because living today, we are exposed to so many daily toxins like microplastics, bacteria, and pesticides.

And they end up in our gut and food.

That wreaks havoc on our gut health and how we daily feel.

So an easy way to at-home detox is to simply fast: to not eat temporarily and occasionally.

Fasting is countercultural to western world upbringings where we eat, eat, eat. And snack, snack, snack.

…Which never gives our bodies a break.

But fasting once a week or even once a month does a world of good for the body.

If you choose a day to stop eating at a certain time like 4 pm (like I do) and then resume back at 9 am the next day in time for breakfast (to break the fast), you’ll have turned your body into a healthy cleaning machine.

And it’s really not that difficult from a discipline perspective since you’re sleeping (and not eating anyway) for most the time.

It’s more about breaking old habits and mindsets.

You probably (surprisingly!) won’t even be hungry in the AM… and could even go to the afternoon or 24 hours if you had a reason.

Those additional hours of fasting reaps even more healthy body benefits.

But I find that a 16-17 hour fast is the sweet spot, doing wonders, and doesn’t disrupt my life.

Around that 17th hour mark (that’s more or less for some people), the body switches energy sources from glucose (blood sugar) to fat.

You may have heard of this process (ketosis) from the Keto Diet. But fasting is not about a Diet (with a capital “d”). Because in fasting, you’re simply not eating, temporarily.

Then when you start eating again, it’s about resuming regular eating… hopefully with healthy foods like in an anti-inflammatory food diet.

…Where the type of healthy food matters most (when eating)… much more than counting fat and protein calories, and avoiding high carbs that can cause a yo-yo diet effect.

You lose weight from not eating at all temporarily (when fasting) and not because you’re eating less carbs and calories.

And while fasting is helpful for losing weight, I don’t fast to lose weight… I do it for the healthy benefits.

It’s good for anyone.

Even thinner people (aka Vatas) like me.

…It’s like doing some cardio is good for anyone with a beating heart.

And fasting is part of a healthy lifestyle.

…And one that’s changed my life.

I no longer freak out when I haven’t eaten for some hours on a day I choose to fast.

I look at not eating totally different than I was taught growing up.

And if I have low blood sugar during the day when I’m not fasting, but because I don’t have anything in my stomach or I forgot to pack a snack, I know I’ll be fine.

…Because I know I do the same thing when I purposefully fast.

I’m not eating in both cases.

But the body doesn’t know if I’m choosing to be hungry for fasting healthy reasons or if I forgot to pack a snack.

But my calmed mind does. And I do.

As long as my mind and I know, that’s all that matters. And my body is happy with me.

I’m letting it do its full reset and cleaning job, uninterrupted.

Then the next morning, my body rewards me.

I wake up feeling refreshed… like I’d slept for days.

That’s when I’m humbly reminded of how it feels to have energy without needing cups of coffee to get going!

Without missing a beat, I’m never more excited to taste a beet smoothie 🫜and start my day.

And I know I’m not the only one. 😊