Homemade Almond Butter

Since moving to Nicaragua, one of the U.S. treats I miss the most is my organic raw almond butter. In New York and in Florida, it was such a staple in my diet! A healthy fat, with benefits for my hair, skin, nails, and fat metabolism, a spoonful of almond butter helps curb my appetite for sugary carbs and chocolate. I love it on my protein pancake or in my oatmeal in the morning! But, in Nicaragua, nut butters are not accessible, and despite there being peanut farms, you cannot find peanut butter outside of the imported Jiffy brand which is highly processed and very expensive. So…

I MADE MY OWN!

This is my first attempt at making any nut butter, and it was so easy, I will never buy costly packaged nut butters again! Here’s how…
1. Soak raw almonds in water overnight (I left mine soaking in the fridge for two days because I was busy and no harm done!) I added just enough water to cover a large bowl of nuts (full raw almonds, skin intact). After a few hours the almonds greedily sucked up the water so I added a bit more and repeated that process once more.
2. Using a high powered blender (I love my Ninja blender, pictured), blend the almonds with all of the leftover liquid in the bowl.

This turned into a rather gritty almond mixture.

To smooth out the butter, I slowly added little bits of water to the blender until a creamy mouse-like texture was reached. And, voilà!

Today I used my homemade almond butter on my pancake with homemade strawberry-blackberry preserves! No berries in Nicaragua, I brought a large bag back from my Christmas trip to Costa Rica and made the jam as a way to preserve the fruit and enjoy it for longer! Another easy recipe which you can find, along with the BODYbybianca Pancake recipe on my blog (look for the jam recipe posted in April from Costa Rica).

Together in Health!
xob

Feed the One you Love

His and Hers.

Hers is the BODYbybianca Power Pancake complete with fresh ginger, cinnamon, chia seeds, almonds, cacao, banana, raisins and topped with local raw honey. With the exception of the honey drizzle, seeds sprinkled on top and raisins and cacao chopped and folded in, all the ingredients are blended into the batter with two eggs and 1/4-1/3 cup dry oatmeal in place of flour, this is truly the healthiest pancake ever!

His is an egg scramble with onion, tomato and loads of fresh garlic to nurse the flu I’ve been battling (lovers share). Both plates have my favorite sweet plantains, tossed in cinnamon then pan fried in raw coconut oil and honey, sprinkled with chia seeds and love.

As a woman there is no bigger turn on then watching a man devour a meal I have prepared for him, a meal designed to nurture, grow and heal him. In life I have found that the love I give is directly proportionate to the love I receive. So… I GIVE. LOVE. A LOT of it. As much as I have and as often as possible. In turn, I have a beautiful life. Blessed with beautiful food, lovers and friends.

Feed the One(s) you Love.

Together in Health!
xob

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A “Clean Eats” Breakfast Treat

With simple substitutions to your favorite dish, make any treat a BODYbybianca approved “Clean Eat!”

NO butter
NO flour
NO refined sugar
NO gluten
NO dairy
NO PROBLEM!

BATTER:
Blend 1/3 cup dry oats, 2 eggs (or 4 egg whites), fresh ginger (quarter size cube), 1/5 banana (just a couple bites worth, I chop the whole thing up and put the rest in the freezer), 1/2 tsp cinnamon, splash of water (less water = thicker cakes, more water = more cakes!). I use my Ninja single serve cup to blend for no fuss cleanup.

FOLD:
Add 1 tbs raw cacao nibs to batter

COOK:
Over medium-high heat, I use fat free organic coconut oil spray to coat skillet. Pour batter. Flip when bubbles form in cakes.

PLATE:
Plate cakes alternating layers  with chocolate coconut oil peanut butter, homemade blueberry preserves (recipe on my Instagram/Facebook), guava spread (a little piece of heaven I picked up from the Bahamas). Top with chocolate coconut oil peanut butter, chia seeds and always choose “Grade B” organic (local if possible) maple syrup. Grade B is less processed and nutrient rich!

ENJOY!

Together in Health!
xob

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Frozen Green Lemonade

 

As I am back in the states, and back in training, I have been eating a lot more greens! I love how easy it is to find organic local farmer’s markets in the in South Florida. Oddly, organic produce was not as readily available in Costa Rica, where the demand for fresh, drug-free food has not caught up with the growing expansion of U.S. pillaging of local soil by Fortune 500 companies like Dole (pineapple) and Chiquita (banana) who aren’t worried about preserving the sanctity of Costa Rican soil.

So, back to my smoothie… Eating more greens has lead to to find new ways to consume them that keeps it interesting and delicious! Here is my latest and greatest green smoothie that packs a serious punch!

FROZEN GREEN LEMONADE!

WHAT YOU NEED:

(makes 1 serving)

* 1-2 kale leaves

* Handful spinach

* Handful Mache

* Knuckle Fresh Ginger

* 1/2 lemon squeezed

* 3-4 ice cubes

* Stevia or raw honey (depending on preference. Stevia is a great natural leaf with the sweetness of sugar, but like anything good, it has been exploited by companies like Pepsi and Coca Cola, and comes to us over-processed and ridden with chemicals. Sigh!)

* Splash of water

** Add all ingredients into a blender. I love my Ninja single serve blending cup because it makes cleaning so easy!

So delicious! Proving that good food tastes good! Try it and tell me what you think!

If you’re interested in a fitness plan to go along with your healthy eating, email me at BODYbybianca@gmail.com. “You can do it. I can help!”

Together in Health!

xob