Tag: vegan dessert

Some philosophie superfood toddler/baby ideas!

I've had several requests to share what I feed my sweet boy(s). Leo is now 6 months old and I've started to slowly experiment with food for him. So far he's had raw zucchini and cucumber, banana (he loves!) and oatmeal with a little breastmilk and GREEN DREAM! I'm so excited to continue to explore and experiment for new Philosophie products with my sweet boys.

Here are some foods that Kai (2 1/2 years old) LOVES.

  1. Green Dream Smoothie- depends on the day but usually I do the classic recipe with almond butter, cinnamon, spinach/kale and banana. Lately I've been doing a fun tropical one with mango, pineapple, kale, coconut oil and Berry Bliss.
  2. Cacao Magic Smoothie- (just not too close to bedtime!) i always add leafy greens to this smoothie... so easy to sneak a lot in because it tastes soooo good!
  3. Goji Berries, Pumpkin seeds and Sunflower seeds as a trail mix. Great for a snack on the go. If your child is younger and doesn't have a lot of teeth, you could process in a food processor until powdery and mix with coconut oil, Berry Bliss and dates to make into a bar by pressing it into a pan and freezing.
  4. Coconut Butter, Cashew Butter and almond butter- straight from the jar! We both love sharing it that way and it makes it more fun! My favorite brand is Artisana for the butters or Garden of Life for coconut oil. These are "good fats" so don't be afraid of them! SO IMPORTANT for your growing child!
  5. Frozen lima beans, corn, peas and/or edamame- SO EASY. I just heat up on the stove top and add a little coconut oil or earth balance "butter" with a pinch of sea salt. Frozen veggies get a bad rap but according to the research I've done, most of the time organic veggies are flash frozen at their most ripe stage, preserving most nutrients. "fresh" produce, may have spend days in transit or at the store, so it isn't necessarily better for you.
  6. Fresh berries-Especially strawberries and blueberries. I just take the entire box of blueberries with us on a walk and let him hold it in the stroller... he LOVES IT. SO much fun to have it all to himself!
  7. Raw "ice cream"- I blend frozen banana with green dream powder and whatever fruit I'm in the mood for. Sometimes we do a strawberry banana with Berry Bliss powder which is great because it adds protein, most times I do a chocolate one with Cacao Magic. DEEEE-LISH!
  8. Fresh Coconut Water- he could drink 10 of these if we had them. I am going to start getting them by the case from the Thai Market in Thai Town because it's just ridiculous how many we buy one by one throughout the week.
  9. Seaweed Nori strips- sometimes we buy the unsalted large sheets, other times we do the small sheets roasted and lightly salted that come in a container. He's happy with either!
  10. Superfood Protein Truffles- recipe here! So easy, raw, vegan, gluten-free and simple to take in the car and on the go. We all gobble them up so quickly! Next time I'm going to make triple the amount and freeze them so they last longer!
  11. GREEN DREAM POPSICLES! this was a guest post/recipe from a wonderful, inspiring friend. My soul sister on the other coast! Here's the post if you want the recipe!

I'm SO excited because I finally got the courage to ask the principal to Kai's preschool if I could bring in fresh fruit and veggies and Green Dream and give them a smoothie recipe for all the kids. He eats so beautifully at home and at school it's not "bad" but definitely not superfood rich! So I'll bring some Green Dream in Monday morning and they will blend it up! I'm thrilled.

For more specific tips on sneaking healthy foods into your kids meals, see this post.

What do your kids love that you love?  What's super healthy but they beg for it and it makes you secretly smile? Please share below in the comments!

Love,

Sophie, Kai and Leo! <3

                                                  

Superfood Babies!!

Leo's cousin, Omri and my sister-in-love came to visit this weekend! Omri and Leo are only 7 weeks apart and soooo sweet together. Today I was making Philosophie Superfood Smoothies for the hubby, sista, Kai (my toddler) and myself and the babies WENT NUTS for it. We gave them little tastes which then turned into huge gulps. Lots of grabbing and whining for it. They were SO happy and elevated... all of us giggling, jumping, loving-- high on the superfood magic.

Here's the recipe I used (I tripled it for all of us):

  • 8 oz coconut mylk (can use almond, hemp or oat mylk)
  • 1 T Green Dream
  • 1 T Cacao Magic
  • 2 handfuls frozen organic kale
  • 2 ice cream scoops of coconut mylk Mint Chip vegan "ice cream"
  • fresh mint (about 10 leaves)
  • 1 T Cacao Nibs
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 T coconut oil
  • 1 T sunflower seed butter (could use any nut butter)
  • 2 handfuls of ice

BLEND!

In Joy....with those you love most!!!!

The Jaffe Family <3

Philosophie voted "Top 50 Raw Food Blogs" for 2012!

Cacao Magic Fiber Breakfast Cookies! Gluten-free & vegan

Fiber breakfast cookies with Cacao Magic

You know how you’ve heard people say “eat dark chocolate” for antioxidants and abundant health? Yeah, that’s because of UNPROCESSED, RAW, VEGAN Chocolate… CACAOCacao powder is chocolate in it’s most raw and nutritious form. The Philosophie Cacao Magic has Cacao nibs, Cacao powder, Tocos (Vitamin E- good for skin and nails), Mesquite (high in iron & protein), Maca (good for energy & balancing mood) and 3 medicinal mushrooms that are excellent for anti-aging, preventing cancer* and healing the body.

WET INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup chopped prunes or prune puree*
  • 1/4 cup sweetener (such as maple, brown rice or agave syrups)
  • 1/4 cup apple sauce
  • 1/4 cup nut butter (such as almond, pumpkin seed or tahini)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 egg or 1/2 ripe banana
  • 1 tsp vanilla

DRY INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup whole grain flour (or gluten-free flour)
  • 1/2 cup psyllium
  • 1/2 cup ground flax
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup or more of nuts, seeds, trail mix, or chopped dried fruit
  • 2 TBL or more of Philosophie Cacao Magic

 

*to give them a sweeter taste, you could add chocolate chips!

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Place chopped prunes in a blender and just cover with boiling water. Let soak while you prepare the dry ingredients. Also, lightly oil a large baking sheet and preheat oven to 350.
  2. Measure all dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Measure all wet ingredients into the blender with the soaked prunes (do not drain), then liquify and stir into dry ingredients, combining well. Drop batter by the heaping tablespoon onto the greased cookie sheet and flatten just a bit with wet fingers or the back of a wet spoon. Bake for 15 minutes. Make sure you have a glass of water or cup of tea with each cookie. Makes about 20 cookies.

This recipe makes the cookies slightly crunchy on the outside. For a softer cookie double the amount of prune puree and apple sauce. This will make them almost muffin-like.

Enjoy!


This amazing recipe was contributed and created by Julie Collier–THANK YOU, JULIE! Please keep sharing your delicious, creative recipes, Philosophie lovahs! I’ll keep posting them as you send them in!

Philosophie for Kids!

Now that I'm a mommy and wifey, I don't just have to think of my own nutrition and health. I have to consider my children and husbands well-being as well. 

 

My son, Kai, is a little over 2 years old. His first solid food was butternut squash pureed, followed by a puree of green vegetables. He didn't have any sugar until a few months ago when he went to a birthday party, and to be honest, he didn't even care for it much. I was terrified once he had the processed kind of sugar he'd never want to go back to his clean ways of eating. Au Contraire.

His palate is so sophisticated now. He can eat anything no matter where we go. He loves spicy foods- he's happy and at home in any Indian restaurant and equally safe at sushi or any other ethnic cuisine. We've traveled to Paris, Costa Rica, Tel Aviv & South America and he's happy no matter where we go and what we feed him. This takes a little more effort on my part, to pave the way to healthy foods being part of his normal routine.

Phases and Bumps along the way

Sometimes he's not in the mood for a certain type of food. He'll push things he's loved for months away or throw it on the floor for our dog to eat. My trick is to lay out ONLY fruits and vegetables to start with-- a huge variety-- some cooked, some raw. Some warm, some cold. All different colors and flavors to entice his little appetite. He LOVES organic frozen veggies, which makes it super easy for me. He especially likes peas & lima beans, eating them one by one. I don't usually add any butter or salt to the veggies because he eats them without. So what's the point? He takes "butter" (Smart Balance) on his gluten-free waffles in the morning as a treat and loves it, but doesn't expect it yet. He's never touched syrup and there's really no reason to introduce it.

 

 

The best time to give him the foods he's not in the mood for is when he's super hungry after playing outside. Sometimes I just need to give him a "gateway" food to get him started. When he was super little just a few little Organic Puffs would do the trick. Now I'll give him half a piece of an organic cookie or the green flavored Pirate's Booty (our version of junk food) and after a few of these snack items he moves right into veggie land. Works pretty much every time.

Other days he just doesn't feel like sitting in his high chair and eating. On those days I let him run around and snack as he pleases. He'll graze on the veggies and fruit I put on a plate on the coffee table and run around and grab what he wants when he chooses to.  Many parents are really militant about kids sitting in their chairs and eating, and I understand their feelings. I get that sentiment, that it's more "proper" to eat meals sitting in their high chair. With my lifestyle (always on the go) and my manner (I'm not a very "proper" person myself) I allow him to guide the way, as the most important thing to me is Kai getting the nutrients he needs to GROW "properly", while being a formal "correct" child falls a bit lower on the priority list. Every child is different. Some kids really need that type of structure to stay well behaved. Kai is (luckily) really flexible and adaptable with my crazy on the go lifestyle.

Green Dream and Philosophie superfood blends save the day

When all else fails, I can make a Green Dream smoothie and at least feel good about Kai getting all the nutrients and greens he needs for the day. In one smoothie I can be sure he's getting good fats, vegan sources of protein, no weird fillers and nothing processed. This makes things a lot easier and makes me feel secure in what he eats for the rest of the day. Lately one of the only ways I can consistently get green veggies into his body is through smoothies. And that's fine with me! Sometimes in the morning I'll add Cacao Magic powder to his oatmeal or even a dash of Green Dream. Other times I'll sneak it into an "ice cream" where I blend frozen bananas, spinach and green dream or cacao blend. These tricks ensure the love of my life is getting everything he needs nutritionally. Not to mention the hubby benefits from these tricks as well! If you're interested in buying Green Dream, Cacao Magic or Berry Bliss blends, email me: sophie@thephilosophie.com and mention this post for a mommy discount!

 

I'm not sure where the "green" phobia in kids begin, but I can't help but think it's from parents trying to drive the foods down their kids throats. Kai loves Green foods and actually gravitates towards these foods vs running away from them. I think this practice starts early, but that you can retrain your kids brains by sneaking greens into a smoothie or into an ice cream... so they don't feel they are missing anything. I mean let's revisit Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess! In the end, he lovessss the Green Eggs... it just took TRYING them!

In Gratitude and Elmo obsessions,

Sophie

PS. SPEAKING of Green Eggs... an easy way to make your own Green Eggs is to blend the eggs and fresh spinach in the blender until smooth. Then cook as you normally would! Kai loves them, your kids will too!

Philosophie for Kids!

Now that I'm a mommy and wifey, I don't just have to think of my own nutrition and health. I have to consider my children and husbands well-being as well.

My son, Kai, is a little over 2 years old. His first solid food was butternut squash pureed, followed by a puree of green vegetables. He didn't have any sugar until a few months ago when he went to a birthday party, and to be honest, he didn't even care for it much. I was terrified once he had the processed kind of sugar he'd never want to go back to his clean ways of eating. Au Contraire.

His palate is so sophisticated now. He can eat anything no matter where we go. He loves spicy foods- he's happy and at home in any Indian restaurant and equally safe at sushi or any other ethnic cuisine. We've traveled to Paris, Costa Rica, Tel Aviv & South America and he's happy no matter where we go and what we feed him. This takes a little more effort on my part, to pave the way to healthy foods being part of his normal routine.

Phases and Bumps along the way

Sometimes he's not in the mood for a certain type of food. He'll push things he's loved for months away or throw it on the floor for our dog to eat. My trick is to lay out ONLY fruits and vegetables to start with-- a huge variety-- some cooked, some raw. Some warm, some cold. All different colors and flavors to entice his little appetite. He LOVES organic frozen veggies, which makes it super easy for me. He especially likes peas & lima beans, eating them one by one. I don't usually add any butter or salt to the veggies because he eats them without. So what's the point? He takes "butter" (Smart Balance) on his gluten-free waffles in the morning as a treat and loves it, but doesn't expect it yet. He's never touched syrup and there's really no reason to introduce it.

 

The best time to give him the foods he's not in the mood for is when he's super hungry after playing outside. Sometimes I just need to give him a "gateway" food to get him started. When he was super little just a few little Organic Puffs would do the trick. Now I'll give him half a piece of an organic cookie or the green flavored Pirate's Booty (our version of junk food) and after a few of these snack items he moves right into veggie land. Works pretty much every time.

Other days he just doesn't feel like sitting in his high chair and eating. On those days I let him run around and snack as he pleases. He'll graze on the veggies and fruit I put on a plate on the coffee table and run around and grab what he wants when he chooses to.  Many parents are really militant about kids sitting in their chairs and eating, and I understand their feelings. I get that sentiment, that it's more "proper" to eat meals sitting in their high chair. With my lifestyle (always on the go) and my manner (I'm not a very "proper" person myself) I allow him to guide the way, as the most important thing to me is Kai getting the nutrients he needs to GROW "properly", while being a formal "correct" child falls a bit lower on the priority list. Every child is different. Some kids really need that type of structure to stay well behaved. Kai is (luckily) really flexible and adaptable with my crazy on the go lifestyle.

Green Dream and Philosophie superfood blends save the day

When all else fails, I can make a Green Dream smoothie and at least feel good about Kai getting all the nutrients and greens he needs for the day. In one smoothie I can be sure he's getting good fats, vegan sources of protein, no weird fillers and nothing processed. This makes things a lot easier and makes me feel secure in what he eats for the rest of the day. Lately one of the only ways I can consistently get green veggies into his body is through smoothies. And that's fine with me! Sometimes in the morning I'll add Cacao Magic powder to his oatmeal or even a dash of Green Dream. Other times I'll sneak it into an "ice cream" where I blend frozen bananas, spinach and green dream or cacao blend. These tricks ensure the love of my life is getting everything he needs nutritionally. Not to mention the hubby benefits from these tricks as well! If you're interested in buying Green Dream, Cacao Magic or Berry Bliss blends, email me: sophie@thephilosophie.com and mention this post for a mommy discount!

I'm not sure where the "green" phobia in kids begin, but I can't help but think it's from parents trying to drive the foods down their kids throats. Kai loves Green foods and actually gravitates towards these foods vs running away from them. I think this practice starts early, but that you can retrain your kids brains by sneaking greens into a smoothie or into an ice cream... so they don't feel they are missing anything. I mean let's revisit Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess! In the end, he lovessss the Green Eggs... it just took TRYING them!

In Gratitude and Elmo obsessions,

Sophie

PS. SPEAKING of Green Eggs... an easy way to make your own Green Eggs is to blend the eggs and fresh spinach in the blender until smooth. Then cook as you normally would! Kai loves them, your kids will too!

Recipe for Raw, Vegan, Apple Pear Pie Crumble

I stared at my fruit bowl today and felt sad. My pears and apples were going to go bad any minute and I knew we wouldn't eat them in time. There were just too mnay. What to do??  Make a raw pie crumble of course!! This  dessert can obviously be made of just apples and use as man different varieties as you like.

Ingredients for Crust:

* 2 cups almonds (soaked 12-24 hours)

*2 cups pitted dates

*1 tsp orange or lemon zest

Ingredients for filling:

*5-6 organic apples

*3-4 organic pears

*1 cup raisins (soaked several hours in just enough water to cover them)

*2 tbsp ground flax seeds or psyllium powder

*2 tsp cinnamon powder

*1/2 tsp allspice powder

*1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

*1 pinch Garam masala

To make crust:

place all crust ingredients in a food processor and process with the S blade until it resembles dough. It will form a ball in the processor, then you know it's ready! Press into a pie plate or 9x12 pan.

To make filling:

*Core and chop the apples and pears into medium sized pieces. Place half the apples into a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients, including the water from the soaking raisin's, and process until smooth. Set aside the mixture in a mixing bowl.

Place the rest of the apples in food processor and pulse until a chunky texture is achieved. Mix the batches together. Pour into the pie shell or pan and enjoy!

Letting the pie settle in the refrigerator for a few hours will stiffen up the filling. Or place in the oven on low for a few minutes with vegan ice cream on top! yum! 


Garnish with apple slices and sprinkle spices on top!

Craving for Peppermint Patty

Last weekend I was really craving a peppermint patty. I made my girlfriend pull into a (*gasp!) gas station to buy me one because I needed it so badly. I'm a big mint&chocolate person... my favorite flavor of ice cream is mint chocolate chip. I'm so glad there are a few great vegan brands out there now made with coconut milk or almond milk. I have yet to find a good substitute for peppermint patty's though! I decided to get working in the kitchen, and here's what I came up with! (inspired by a recipe by Kelly Keough)

Ingredients:

*1 1/2 cups extra virgin coconut oil, melted

*3/4 C hemp butter

*1/2 C ZSweet (see bottom of post)

*1 teaspoon peppermint extract

*3 drops of liquid stevia peppermint

*3 drops of liquid stevia chocolate

*1/4 C agave

*3/4 C vegan carob chips (melted) or powder

*1/2 C raw cacao nibs

FILLING

*1/2 C hemp butter

*1/4 C agave

*1/4 C powdered ZSweet

*2 drops of liquid stevia peppermint

Line mini cup cake tins with paper liners. Melt coconut oil by placing jar under hot water. when coconut oil turns to a liquid, pour the oil in medium bowl. Slowly whisk in hemp butter until smooth.

Whisk ZSweet into wet batter. Add in peppermint extract, liquid stevias, and agave one at a time and blend.

Slowly stir in the carob and cacao powder a spoonful at a time. Stir raw cacao nibs one at a time. Batter should run off the spoon easily, but not too runny.

To make the filling:

in a small bowl, mix together hemp butter and agave. Add ZSweet and Liquid stevia and mix. with two spoons, drop a small teaspoon full of filling into prepared paper liners. 

Spoon a tablespoon full of prepared batter on top of the filling. Freeze for 15 minutes. Store in the freezer.

Yield: 50 candies

[caption id="attachment_1520" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Score!! "][/caption]

My Hubby Loved them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:) :) :) :) :) :)

A fellow LA vegan chef, Kelly Keough, introduced me to ZSweet. This recipe was my first time experimenting with the calorie free sugar substitute, and to be honest I didn't taste any difference. I am going to keep experimenting with it and let you know my thoughts! So far, so good!

raw, vegan carob truffles- delicious dessert!

carob treeMy husband is from Israel. Kids in Israel used to take pods straight from a tree and chew on them for the sweetness. For years he searched for this mystery "haroov" from his childhood.

Low and behold, it turns out it was carob from a carob tree!

We love this sweet raw, vegan, carob truffle. Made with hemp butter, agave and rolled in coconut, we're sure you'll love it, too!


fudge- it ball truffles

  • 3/4 cup organic raw, unsalted tahini
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons light agave nectar
  • 1 teaspoon organic vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 packets or 2 teaspoons Stevia Plus Powder
  • 1/2 cup raw carob powder
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut


In a medium mixing bowl, place tahini, almond milk, agave, vanilla, and cinnamon.  With a flat spatula, mix until smooth.  Add stevia powder and mix until powder is distributed evenly.  Using a tablespoon at a time, add carob powder to mixture.  Using spatula, work carob powder into mixture with a folding and pressing action against the bowl.  Continue this process until all the carob powder is used.

The batter will look and feel shiny and hard like a fudge.  If the batter is too sticky to roll, add a bit more carob to get the texture of a non-sticky fudge.

Scoop out a tablespoon of the fudge batter and roll into a ball.  Roll ball in unsweetened coconut and serve in mini-cupcake papers.

Yield: 24ish truffles.

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