Common Seed Nutrition & Fun With Kefir

Sometimes I feel so gosh darn lucky to be surrounded by smart, creative people. Case in point: my nutritionist roommate who has started a lecture series, "Common Seed Nutrition." Tammy Chang, along with her colleagues Tess Bliven and Corrine Steel (all students at Bauman College), believe that nutrition education should be available to all, and offer donation-based community nutrition classes.


Look at that healthy glow! For their first lecture at Actual Cafe, these knowledgeable gals overviewed the basics of healthy eating and went into interesting detail about some of obstacles we face to getting the right things in our bodies. Emotional eating and convenience eating can play huge and complex roles in our food choices. I loved their emphasis on having compassion with yourself, and compared nutrition to a bank account - there are deposits and withdrawals. Too many withdrawals from your account (by eating refined, unnatural, and high sugar foods) can lead to an array of ailments and set the stage for chronic disease. But by making regular deposits (whole foods, lots of vegetables, nutrient dense foods and healthy fats) you have the leeway to enjoy some of your favorite "bad" foods. I personally employ the strategy of enjoying healthier versions of my favorite indulgences (dark chocolate & raw milk goats cheese are two examples).

Check out their Facebook page for more information!

I've also been doing some more kitchen experimenting, and am super stoked about my most recent success: coconut milk kefir! Kefir is an ancient fermented beverage, similar tasting to yogurt, but thin, effervescent and drinkable. You can make kefir from any kind of milk, and I've even heard of people making water kefir.

I'm really into fermentation. Fermented foods are easy and incredibly nutritious. Read my post about yogurt making simplified. That's not to say that they are always without incident. My first shot at kefir was with homemade almond milk, and it separated into strange clumps that floated on top of the watery weirdness that remained underneath. It smelled none too good neither. Luckily coconut kefir was a success.



Native Forest brand coconut milk is supposedly the only brand that uses cans with no BPA in the lining. Their milk is also luscious and delicious. Simply combine with packet of kefir grains, or a few tablespoons of your last batch of kefir. Leave it to ferment overnight, or even a day and a half, in a glass container in a warm place. I always use the oven (off of course) for fermenting kombucha, yogurt, and now kefir.

And now for a coconut kefir recipe!
Goji Sunrise Showers (uh, let me know if you think of a better name)
1.5 cups coconut milk kefir
.5 cup water
1 banana
2 tablespoons goji berries, soaked in water for a few minutes then squeezed
1 tablespoon maca powder
1 tablespoon coconut oil
whisper of almond extract
2 whispers of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cacao nibs (those are the showers)

Blend everything until smooth




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