How To Make Your Own Coconut Milk and VCO

Non-dairy milk is in huge demand these days after learning about the awful pesticides, hormones and antibiotics found in dairy milk! Read Dr. Hyman's 6 reasons why you should avoid dairy at all cost here. 

With that being said, I've gone the extra mile by making my own coconut milk at home for my kids to drink. It's really easy and very cheap to make! You can purchase mature coconut strips or gata from your local market in the Philippines for only 30 pesos (less than a dollar!) per bag.

On our first attempt, we tried doing it on my Hurom juicer but after about 25 minutes it stopped working. I doubt it is meant to juice grated coconut so we had to switch to manual hand labor instead!

You will need:

1 bag of grated coconut

Cheese cloth or katcha or I used my daughter's clean lampin /cloth

Hot water

A bowl to catch the milk

After boiling water, place the grated coconut inside the cloth and make a pouch and start to milk it. Warning: this is scalding hot so wait awhile before you start milking the bag!

Viola! Here's your freshly pressed coconut milk which your kids will loooove! No sweetener needed :) 

Now, if you wanted to make VCO (virgin coconut oil) you would do the same thing except wait for the oil to settle in the middle layer after a day then find a way to extract it. I made the mistake of using this container because it is very hard to skim the top layer. 

 So, I had to transfer to a bowl and then refrigerate. The oil will harden and then you will have to remelt.

I must tell you how awesome the VCO home production of my good friend, Ana (of Body Food All Natural) is in her home! You may follow her on Instagram @anagutch for inspirations like this!

Love Vegan Protein Shake Brekky To Go

Happy Valentines Day! Sharing you what we made for breakfast this morning. 

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Zero Sugar Peanut Butter from Gng Bukid (found at Ill Terrazo QC kiosk)

3 Bananas

2-3 C of Organic Oat Milk (Robinsons grocery!)

Vanilla Hemp Powder (available online at Healthy Grocery or Superfood Grocer)

2-3 Tbsp Chia Seeds (given by my yoga student, yay!)

Optional: Tobee's Apiary honey if you aren't vegan 

Just blend all ingredients and then leave chia seeds to soak before serving. 

This serves as your quick brekky to go, perfect for road trip days like today! Because a healthy breakfast is even more  yummy in the great outdoors!

Where ya guys heading to this weekend?

Healthy Recipe: Coco Chia

We've been cooped up at home because of Typhoon Ruby and my daughter has teething fever so rest and sleep is what we've been doing. When I have extra time, I try to create something with my hands, in the kitchen or crafts for the holidays. (because it's therapeutic!)

Here's something refreshing and healthy to drink. It's really easy to make, too! I highly recommend it to nursing mothers and those who exercise a lot because we lose water and essential minerals whenever we sweat. The main ingredient of this drink is COCONUTS, rich in vitamins, nutirents and electrolytes. I must have said it here before, that I chose to be born in the Philippines because we have an abundance of coconuts - which is my favorite health drink!

Time to make the COCO CHIA drink :)

Ingredients: 

Coconut juice

Young coconut meat

Pre-soacked Chia seeds (at least 30 minutes in water)

Natural sweetener like Tobee's Apiary (optional)

Directions: If you want it real easy, just blend coconut meat, coconut water/juice and then mix in presoaked chia seeds. I choose to add pure honey because it tastes better with a little sweetener. Expect your husband and kids to finish it before you can even take a sip! If you want a shake version of this, you may add nutmilk and ice but I prefer having my drinks without ice.

Want to know more nutritional benefits to this simple drink? Mercola says coconut water is --

• Rich in natural vitamins (especially the B vitamins), minerals, and trace elements (including zinc, selenium, iodine, sulfur, and manganese). Vitamins are necessary for the enzymatic reactions your cells need in order to function.
• Full of amino acids, organic acids, enzymes, antioxidants, and phytonutrients.
• Rich source of electrolytes and natural salts, especially potassium and magnesium.
• Light, low-calorie and nearly fat-free, as well as low in sugar but pleasantly sweet—contains about a fifth of the sugar of other fruit juices, like apple or grape juice, as well as containing a little fiber to moderate absorption.
• Rich in cytokinins, or plant hormones, which have anti-aging, anti-cancer, and anti-thrombolytic effects in humans.

Go to your local market and stock up on fresh coconuts (buko) it ony costs 20-30 Philippine pesos per piece (.50 cents!). 

Tobee's Apiary honey is unprocessed and unheated. Available at Backyard Farms www.bakyardfarmsph.wordpress.com

Coco Dolce Healthy Artisan Chocolates

I'm on a chocolate high taste testing the best local chocolates from Davao. Presenting Coco Dolce artisan chocolates. Free Food, the company behind Coco Dolce is also a manufacturer and exporter of organic coconut sugar.

I'm particularly excited about this brand because it is the first in the country to use coconut sugar and vco (virgin coconut oil) among other premium ingredients. It's obviously the healthier choice because the high anti-oxidant value of cacao combined with the highly nutritious and low glycemic coconut sugar creates a superfood chocolate. I'm very impressed because it is also the richest and creamiest chocolate bar I've tried, and I am a confessed chocoholic!

Coco Dolce variants - Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate with Pili Nuts and Dark Chocolate (currently not available) 

Php 280 per 100g bar of goodness

To order, text +639178386261 or email flowsurfyogasamba@gmail.com

Interested regional and international resellers are welcome to inquire :)