CHRISTMAS GUILT-FREE SWEET TREATS PART ONE: CHIA EGGNOG & CHRISTMAS SUPERFOOD BARK | ORGANIC, GLUTEN-FREE, NO PROCESSED SUGAR (VEGAN OPTIONS!)

This homemade eggnog and organic chocolate bark is the first part in a series of Christmas recipes that I will be featuring for you guys. The nog tastes just like the classic store-bought stuff but without all the the chemical additives, horribly processed dairy, and excessive amounts of processed sugar.

Healthy alternatives to classic Christmas treats

I absolutely love eggnog, and every Christmas that’s all I want. But for the past several years I've been trying to find a good organic version. I found a few that were made with organic whole milk and organic sweeteners but inevitably, every time, they were still loaded with way too much sugar. The secret to a guilt-free sweet treat is something that has just enough of a sweet flavour to taste like the classic sweet recipe you’re creating, with all organic ingredients and without being loaded with sugar (because even if it's organic, too much sugar is still really bad for you). So basically, organic sweetness in moderation. For more information about how much sugar is healthy and its effects, check out my first blog on the subject (also my first blog ever!) here.

And don’t worry guys there are no raw eggs in this recipe! Unless you want there to be raw eggs, in which case by all means go for it. All you'll need is a blender and your ingredients.

The chocolate bark is completely vegan and the nog recipe has vegan alternatives provided below.

My go-to healthy sweetener

Believe it or not maple syrup is actually really good for you in moderation. And it’s actually one of the key ingredients to most of my guilt-free sweet treats. We get organic maple syrup from our neighbour out in the country. He literally has hundreds of maple trees all around his house. We practically buy it by the bucket load now.

Some of the health benefits of maple syrup are that it's loaded with antioxidants, and some of these antioxidants actually help to reduce inflammation. You can even apply it on your face to lower redness and other inflammation there. It has been shown to help protect against cancer when eaten in moderation, and is therefore much more beneficial compared to numerous other cancer causing sweeteners. Because organic maple syrup doesn't contain harmful chemical additives, it's actually very good for your digestion as it helps keep your digestive tract healthy and clean. Organic maple syrup is also loaded with vitamins and minerals that help increase immunity like manganese, zinc, potassium and iron.

So all in all, organic maple syrup is a great alternative to other sweeteners (even organic sweeteners!), and it helps satisfy that sweet craving, and actually has been shown to provide more satisfaction because it has a naturally sweet flavour. But I have to point out that all of these health benefits are dependent on eating it in moderation. There are about 5 grams of sugar in a teaspoon of maple syrup. That means that based on the American Heart Association's (AHA) healthy daily intake of sugar reports, women should have 5 teaspoons of maple syrup per day (or 25 grams of sugar), and mean should have 7 teaspoons of maple syrup per day (or 35 grams of sugar), and that's assuming that no other sugar is being consumed in a given day, as these are based on the healthy daily averages of overall sugar consumption.

Here's how I did it

INGREDIENTS

CHRISTMAS SUPERFOOD BARK

1/4 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup organic coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp organic maple syrup

TOPPINGS

Handful of pumpkin seeds, walnuts, chia seeds and goji berries

This chocolate bark serves 9 pieces (with 3 grams of sugar, and approximately 85 calories per serving).

CHIA EGGNOG (vegan alternatives provided)

2 tbsp ground chia seeds
1 litre organic whole milk (or non-dairy milk alternative, such as coconut milk or almond milk)
4 grass-fed eggs (or 2 frozen bananas chopped)
1 tsp ground nutmeg
4 oz of rum (optional)

TOPPINGS

Organic cinnamon to taste

The eggnog serves approximately 4 cups (recommended serving is 1/2 cup, with only 7 grams of sugar and 75 calories).

DIRECTIONS

CHRISTMAS SUPERFOOD BARK

In a small mixing bowl, combine your cocoa powder and sea salt. Melt your coconut oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Pour your melted coconut oil and your maple syrup into your mixing bowl and stir well. Next, line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Then pour your liquid chocolate into the pan, tilting the pan to evenly spread it out, and sprinkle on your toppings.

CHIA EGGNOG

Crack your eggs into a blender (or for the vegan option: place your frozen chopped bananas in the blender). Add your maple syrup and ground chia seeds and then blend until the eggs turn a light yellow colour (or until your bananas are smooth and frothy. You can also use a bit of milk to help the bananas blend well). Next pour your milk into a saucepan, add your nutmeg and heat on high, stirring continuously until it just starts to boil. Then remove your saucepan from the stove and pour your milk into the blender, blending until smooth. Next pour what’s in your blender back into the sauce pan and stir continuously on high heat until it just starts to boil. Then remove from the stove. Pour your nog into a glass container and refrigerate until cold. (Optional: add 1/2 oz of rum, or add run to taste.) This egg nog can be stored in the fridge for up to four days.

Thanks for reading guys! And I love feedback, so feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Much Love,

Natasha

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圣诞节对待第一部分蛋酒圣诞超级食物护甲| 有机，无谷蛋白，不加工的糖（蔬菜选择！）

这种自制的蛋酒和有机巧克力树皮是圣诞节食谱中的第一部分，我将为你们提供。 nog的味道就像经典的商店购买的东西，但没有所有的化学添加剂，可怕的加工奶制品和过量的加工糖。

健康的替代经典圣诞节对待
我绝对喜欢蛋酒，每一个圣诞节都是我想要的。 但是在过去几年里，我一直在努力寻找一个好的有机版本。 我发现有一些是用有机全脂牛奶和有机甜味剂制成的，但不可避免的是，每次他们还是装满了太多的糖。 无罪甜食的秘诀就是要有一种甜味，就像你正在创造的经典甜食，尝试所有的有机食材，而不用加糖（因为即使是有机的，也是太多的 糖对你来说还真不好）。 所以基本上，适度的有机甜度。 有关多少糖是健康的和其影响的更多信息，请查看我的第一个博客的主题（也是我的第一个博客！）。

别担心，这个食谱里没有生鸡蛋！ 除非你想要生鸡蛋，在这种情况下，一定要去做。 所有你需要的是一个搅拌机和你的成分。

巧克力树皮是完全素食主义者，而且食谱配方在下面提供了纯素的替代品。

相信它或不枫糖浆对你来说是适中的。而这其实是我大多数无罪甜食的关键成分之一。我们从我们邻国那里得到有机枫糖浆。他的房子周围几乎有数百棵枫树。我们现在实际上是通过桶装来购买的。

枫糖浆的一些健康益处是它含有抗氧化剂，而其中一些抗氧化剂实际上有助于减少炎症。你甚至可以把它涂抹在你的脸上，以减轻红肿和其他炎症。已经显示在适量食用时有助于防止癌症，因此与许多其他致癌的甜味剂相比更有益。由于有机枫糖浆不含有害化学添加剂，因此它有助于保持消化道的健康和清洁。有机枫糖浆还含有维生素和矿物质，有助于提高免疫力，如锰，锌，钾和铁。

所以总而言之，有机枫糖浆是其他甜味剂（甚至有机甜味剂！）的一个很好的替代品，它有助于满足这种甜蜜的渴望，而且由于它具有天然的甜味，所以实际上已经显示出提供更多的满意度。 但是我必须指出，所有这些健康益处都依赖于适量的食用。 一茶匙枫糖中约有5克糖。 这意味着，根据美国心脏协会（AHA）每天健康摄入的糖的报告，女性每天应该有5茶匙枫糖浆（或25克糖），平均每天应该有7茶匙枫糖浆（或 35克的糖），这是假设没有其他的糖在某一天被消耗，因为这些都是基于健康的日常平均糖消费量。

配料
圣诞超级食物
四分之一杯有机不加糖的可可粉
四分之一茶匙海盐
四分之一杯有机椰子油，融化
二汤匙有机枫糖浆
浇头
少数南瓜子，核桃，奇异子和枸杞
这种巧克力树皮服务9件（3克糖，每份约85卡路里）。

蛋酒（提供纯素替代品）
二汤匙地面嘉种子
一公升有机全脂奶（或非乳制乳替代品，如椰奶或杏仁奶）
四个草饲鸡蛋（或2个冷冻香蕉切碎）
一茶匙肉豆蔻
四盎司朗姆酒（可选）
蛋酒含有大约4杯（推荐的是1/2杯，只有7克糖和75卡路里）。

路线
圣诞超级食物
在一个小混合碗，结合你的可可粉和海盐。 用中火将椰子油在一个平底锅里融化。 把你融化的椰子油和枫糖倒入你的搅拌碗里，搅拌均匀。 接下来，用羊皮纸在9平方英寸的烤盘上划线。 然后倒入你的液体巧克力到锅里，倾斜锅平均分散出来，洒在你的浇头。

蛋酒
将鸡蛋打入搅拌机（或选择纯素食品：将冷冻切碎的香蕉放入搅拌机中）。 添加枫糖浆和芝麻籽，然后混合，直到鸡蛋变成浅黄色（或者直到香蕉变得光滑起泡，还可以用一点牛奶来帮助香蕉混合）。 接下来把你的牛奶倒入锅里，加入肉豆蔻，加热，不断搅拌，直到开始沸腾。 然后从炉子上取下你的平底锅，把你的牛奶倒入搅拌机，混合直到平滑。 接下来，将搅拌机里的东西倒入调味汁锅中，用高温继续搅拌，直到它开始沸腾。 然后从炉子里取出。 把你的酒倒入一个玻璃容器，冷藏直到冷藏。 （可选：加入1/2盎司的朗姆酒，或添加运行口味。）这个蛋黄可以存放在冰箱里长达四天。

感谢阅读家伙！ 我喜欢反馈，所以请随时在评论中告诉我你的想法！
非常喜欢，
娜塔莎

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All photos and recipe are mine and original.

For more about me check out my Introduceyourself

And you can also connect with me on Instagram

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And for more of my guilt-free sweet treats and other healthy recipes click the links below:

Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Turmeric Detox Smoothie

Vegan Chocolate Banana Superfood Muffins

Vegan Butternut Squash Smoothie

Vegan Double Chocolate Superfood Brownies

Vegan Healthy Banana Splits

Vegan Chocolate Chia Peanut Butter Cups

Vegan Poutine

Vegan Chocolate Chip Superfood Granola

Vegan Chocolate Date Truffles

Vegan Chickpea Curry

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cups

Vegan Pizza and Homemade Pesto

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Donuts

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Sources:
https://draxe.com/maple-syrup-nutrition/
Recipes inspired and adapted from Angela Liddon, Rachel DeVaux and Jean Nick.

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