I love all my bowls, but the beautiful white bowl on the right was recently gifted to us. When I eat out of that bowl, I feel like I’m at a fancy restaurant. The white bowls are so elegant and I feel so nice eating out of them. But, shortly after I started using them, I realized that I was feeling very full before I finished my meal. So why didn’t I just stop eating when I was full? Great question! I, like many others, have a tendency to eat whatever is in front of me, regardless of portion size.

If you’re trying to lose weight, that’s definitely not the best way to eat. But, this is also important for those of us who are looking to improve our digestion. When we eat to the point where we are stuffed, there is very little room for our digestive juices and stomach acid to do their work. Sometimes it’s helpful to think of your stomach like a bottle. If you fill the bottle all the way to the top with water, and then add some soap and shake it up, it’s very hard to mix together. But, if you only fill it ¾ of the way, it’s easy to shake up. It’s the same thing for your stomach. If you fill it all the way to the top with food, it’s hard for your digestive enzymes to break down the food. It can also contribute to “food comas”, gas and bloating, heartburn and reflux.

So what is there to do about it? Buy small bowls! Buy beautiful small bowls so you feel good when you eat from them. If you are still hungry, you can always serve yourself more food, but it’s way better to start with less than to start with too much. Happy bowl shopping!

Being on a strict candida diet has been hugely helpful and beneficial for me. But when I fall off the wagon because of stress, fear, low energy or any other unwanted emotion, I forget about fruit and immediately go for something completely off limits, like a cookie or brownie. When I do this, I end up feeling crappy both physically and emotionally, and the sugar high comes with an equally dramatic crash.

As a person who has usually fallen on the extreme ends of anything with two ends lol, I’m using this as an opportunity to train myself in moderation. I’ve gotta say, I’m catching on! And sometimes, that means going for the deliciously ripe fruit when I need an extra boost, rather than the forbidden and oh-so-tempting baked goods. Can fruit still effect my health, absolutely! But stress also has a tremendous effect on my candida and IBS, so if choosing fruit once in a while eliminates a large chunk of stress and gives my body the sugar it is craving, I’m all for it.

So what did I do with my semi-ripe (still learning) nectarines? I’m glad you asked! I made a delicious raw, vegan, paleo, gluten-free nectarine parfait with cashew cream and walnut crumble. Fancy, right? Check out the recipe below with my adaptations or visit Gourmande in the Kitchen for the original recipe and some beautiful photos. My favorite part of the dish was actually the walnut almond crumble. It also makes a great granola.

For the lemon cashew cream:
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked
• ½ cup filtered water (for the cream)
• The juice of one lemon
• The zest of one lemon
• 1 Tablespoons raw honey (or maple syrup for a vegan version)

For the walnut crumble
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup almonds
• ¼ cup raisins
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

For the parfaits:
• 4 small or 3 large nectarines or peaches
• The juice of ½ a lemon
• 1 batch of walnut crumble
• 1 batch of lemon cashew cream

Instructions

Make the lemon cashew cream:
1. Put the cashews in a bowl and add cold water to cover. Soak the cashews for at least 30 minutes (or up to one night in the fridge), then drain, rinse and pat dry.
2. Place the soaked cashews, fresh filtered water and the rest of the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. (If you don’t have a high-speed blender you may want to strain the cashew cream through a fine-mesh sieve for a smoother final consistency.)
3. Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Make the walnut crumble:

4. Place the nuts and the rest of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until even chopped but still chunky. (The mixture should have a crumbly appearance but clump when you pinch it together.) Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Assemble the Parfaits:

5. Slice or dice the nectarines into bite-sized pieces and toss with the lemon juice to coat.
6. Place a spoonful of fruit in the bottom of a serving glass and top with a layer of crumble and a layer of the cashew cream. Repeat to create multiple layers if desired and serve.

I didn’t actually measure the ingredients as I made this. I tend to view cooking like painting, it’s a creative process and you can always add a little more yellow, or blue. Feel free to also substitute the carob for cacao powder (that’s what I would do!) and add a little sea salt, cayenne, stevia or cinnamon. You can also sub out the raisins for your favorite nut, pumpkin seeds, or other dried fruit. The combinations are endless!

Carob Covered Raisins

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs coconut oil
• approximately 2.5 tbs carob powder
• approximately 2 tbs raisins

Directions:

1. Melt the coconut oil by placing the closed jar under hot running water (or use straight from the jar if it’s warm out and the coconut oil is already liquid).
2. Measure the coconut oil and put it in a large bowl. Add the carob powder and stir until the oil is saturated with the carob powder. You can add more or less carob powder depending on how rich you want the coating to be. You do want the mixture to stay wet, you don’t want any dry powder or carob chucks.
3. Add the raisins and stir until they are completely coated. If you have more of the coating, just add more raisins.
4. Place the raisins on a plate, piece of wax paper or tray. Keep them spread out to keep them from sticking. If you like, you can sprinkle some carob powder on them at this time to give them a different appearance.
5. Place the raisins in the fridge. After about 10 minutes they should be good to go! Store them in the fridge to keep the coating from melting. If it’s cold in your home, you can leave them out.

Enjoy!

*carob powder is sometimes used as a replacement for chocolate for people who are sensitive to caffeine or other properties of chocolate. It has a very unique taste to it, and while it looks like chocolate, the flavor is very different. It’s also low in fat, high in calcium and high in fiber. You can read more about carob here.

One of the things we always made for the salad bar was roasted and seasoned sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. These little gems add a ton of extra flavor and crunch to your food, and they’re also great as a snack on their own. You can use any combination of spices you like, in whatever proportion suits you. Here’s a jump off recipe that you can adjust however you see fit. Enjoy!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:
1/2 cup raw (and shelled) pumpkin seeds
1/4 tsp coriander
1/3 tsp cumin
2 pinches salt
1 punch cayenne pepper
a little less than 1 tsp olive oil

Mix all the ingredients together until all the seeds are coated. Place in a toaster oven or regular oven for about 10 minutes at 350. You want them a little bit golden, so if they need more time just check on them every couple of minutes. I usually like to make these when I’m already using the oven for another purpose, this way I don’t have to wait for it to preheat.

Other great spices to use are smoked paprika, garlic powder or chili powder.

What’s your favorite spice combination?