We have been having some absolute fun with dessert this time around on the “Strict 60” (diet of the 60 Day Turnaround). From the CUPCAKES which you can watch in the back room, to the Xylitol Bark, to the Chocolate Pudding, and now the coconut ice cream. We have not only been drooling over the evening delights, but we have actually been knocking out the average dessert in 5 minutes or less.
Now, the cupcakes were about 40 minutes to process from start to finish, but everything else has been done in minutes. Which is awesome when I am constantly driving home how easy it is to do this from a time standpoint. The Salad from last night is another great example of easy, easy, easy!
So tonight we had a beautiful coconut ice cream for dessert. My wife used a whole can of heavy coconut milk (from the can it is much more rich in that highly coveted fat from the coconut (saturated… oooooh, the S word). And she combined it with cinnamon. Poof, done. pour it out on some parchment in a bowl, toss it in the freezer, and you are ready to prep it for serving. Simply, take it from the freezer whenever you want it, toss it in the blender, and viola. In minutes you have a fantastic, very creamy, coconut ice cream.
My wife went one step further, and she whipped up a chocolate topping for it. She wanted a “shell” topping, so she took 100% cacao, added some coconut oil and xylitol, and then poured it slowly over the coconut ice cream. By slow pouring, it froze solid as a crust, within seconds of coming in contact with the cold coconut milk. That is the beautiful thing about coconut oil. 74 degrees and below, it will harden to solid. So it is easy to make hard desserts with coconut oil around!
But, I feel like all of this talk makes it seem like you can live off of desserts. The reality is that we condone a significant amount of fruits and vegetables (13 servings a day, 10 veggie, and 3 fruit – for active people, slightly less for those less active). In pursuit of that, I often recommend that 60 Day Turnarounders push to develop a habit of two salads a day. Add some fat and protein to each, and you are in a good place.
This salad happens to be a much more filling one, while still satisfying the needs of the Strict 60 to be effective in balancing hormones and bring about weight loss. The salad was made by first slicing a butternut squash into chunks, then baking those to a mild tenderness. Gently sauteing kale and almond slices in olive oil (until the kale is wilted), adding some gorgonzola, and some more olive oil, and viola! The Butternut squash is gently coated with cinnamon during baking.
Remember to sign up for the 60 Day Turnaround (starting in September) soon! In the meantime – keep up with Dr. Mark’s Blog as he pursuits health through the turnaround, and following the Strict 60.
Be well and Be blessed… and stay the course. – Dr. E