Happy Hearts: Chocolate Chip Cookies

This might be the simplest cookie recipe you've ever experienced.  It also happens to taste incredibly sinful and yet is actually really good for you and your heart.  Its chock full of soluble fiber which not only helps to keep you regular, but it binds to toxins and kicks them out of your body.  You'll find this recipe super sticky, be happy about that. That's the fiber in action.  

The sticky fiber also eliminates the need for eggs and the hazelnuts eliminate the need for butter. Which makes this a ZERO cholesterol cookie!  Moreover, the soluble fiber will actually lower your cholesterol! So make, eat, repeat!       

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup roasted organic hazelnuts
• 2 cups organic oatbran
• 4 dates
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond or cashew milk
• Chocolate chips of choice. (I used Lily's stevia sweetened, vegan dark choc. chips)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a high-speed blender, blend the hazelnuts until you get a creamy hazelnut butter.  Depending on your blender, you'll may need to use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides down and then re-blend until you get the proper consistency.  (Alternatively, you could just buy hazelnut butter, but where's the fun in that?)
3. Dump all the other ingredients except the chocolate chips and blend until everything is evenly incorporated. 
4. Taste the batter.  Make sure it is to your liking.  If you prefer life on the sweeter side, add another date.  
5. Transfer to a bowl and throw some chocolate chips on it.  Feel free to use as much as you'd like.  (Note - when using a high-speed blender, the batter may warm up a bit which is fine, but you may want to bring it back to room temp. before adding chocolate chips, unless you like the chocolate a bit runny through the batter like I do) 
6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicone liner.  Grab a tablespoon and create cookie shapes onto tray.  Your dough will be incredibly sticky, but this is totally normal.  Wait 30 seconds after you place the dough on the tray and then use your fingers to even out the dough into smooth cookie shapes. 
7. Pop cookies in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. 
8. Enjoy! 

Thanks for making this! I would love it see how it turns out. Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @fastbeets so I can see your #fastbeetsapproved healthy creation! Any questions on it? Message me on Snapchat.  

Xx, SS

5 Min Bowl of Anti-Inflammation

It's faster than fast food and will make a nutritional superhero out of you!

Think of this as the new fast food.  If you're like me, when you get hungry you want to eat and don't really want to spend time thinking about what and how.  What if you could make something in less than the time it takes to tie your shoelaces and it gave your body superhero power? Its not very far-fetched.  

Read The Nutritional Low Down below for all the ways this Fast Lunch will give you a superhero edge!

 

Ingredients:

The amounts of each of these ingredients are up to you.  Its all good for you, so use as much as your hungry for.  Its a foolproof recipe after all, so there are no rules!

*If you're questioning the use of canned beans, fear not! Canned beans are a nutritious way to provide cheap and fast beans. If you buy organic and BPA-free cans, which are becoming more prevalent, then you're fine.  

What about rinsing the beans? You actually don't need to. The liquid contains so many good for you minerals, you don't even need to drain and rinse it.  

Beans cause you digestive issues like flatulence? Not to worry. Canned beans make it easier for you to digest.  So no more flatulence and no more sitting around waiting for the beans to cook!

• Organic and BPA-free can* of lentils
• Organic spinach
• Optional: Any desired herbs 
• Organic flax seed oil 
• Himalayan salt 

Method:

1. Open a can of Bpa-free organic lentils (i know, very challenging) and put desired amount in a bowl.
2. Water sauté organic spinach or leave them raw and washed, then add to lentils. If you're feeling spunky you can add garlic or whatever herbs you have on hand. 
3. Since your lentils are cold, you can add flax seed oil.  Flax seed oil will get denatured if exposed to any sort of heat or light. Which makes it great for this recipe as your lentils are cold. 
4. OPTIONAL: You can lightly heat your lentils with your spinach, it will still only take you 5 minutes, but then skip the flax seed oil.  Try olive oil instead or no oil at all. 
5. Top with a bit of himalayan salt. 
6. CHOW DOWN

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The Nutritional Low Down

Lentils are a nutritional beast of a legume. Lentils come stocked with loads of fiber and protein for a very low amount of calories. 

The soluble fiber in lentils helps to keep you regular, detoxifies your body, lowers cholesterol, reduces the risk of heart disease, stabilizes blood sugar, and can keep you lean! 

Spinach is a leader in the leafy green category.  It's of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat.  Meaning per bite of spinach you're getting more nutrients than almost any other food on the planet!

Spinach has phytonutrients and antioxidants that provide anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits. Check this out: These spinach extracts have been shown to slow down cell division in human stomach cancer cells (gastric adenocarcinomas), and in studies on laboratory animals, to reduce skin cancers (skin papillomas). A study on adult women living in New England in the late 1980s also showed intake of spinach to be inversely related to incidence of breast cancer.

Lentils & Spinach are a great plant based source of iron and folate.  Of the many things that your body needs iron for, did you know that iron deficiency could be what's causing your dark under eye circles?  Iron deficiency also causes a lack of energy.  So eat up!

Flaxseed oil is an amazing source of Omega-3 fatty acid which your body is in dire need of.  Omega-3 goes into your body and helps repair inflammation.  This anti-inflammatory property helps prevent chronic diseases like heart disease and arthritis. 

Flaxseed oil also has a 4:1 ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids.  Your body needs to be consuming more Omega 3 than Omega 6 for a good balance. The typical American diet tends to contain 14 to 25 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. Many researchers believe this is a significant factor in the rising rate of inflammatory disorders in the United States.

Additionally, Flaxseed oil helps prevents depression and supports good brain health. Who here doesn't want to be happier and smarter?

xx, 

Your Resident Beetmaker, Shaina Simhaee