Author: Chef Kim

A Little Meal Planning Goes A Long Way

Chef KimLeave a Comment on A Little Meal Planning Goes A Long Way

Meal planning goes a long way! It frees you up if you are wracking your brain every day on your way home from work about what you’re going to fix for dinner. Are you running from soccer practice to piano lessons after school and don’t have time to make a home cooked meal? Or do you hate cooking and rely on the drive through or order takeout to save time but know your health and your family’s health is being compromised?

Life is busy but I believe food should be prioritized as family health care. The foods you choose to eat really do impact your body’s ability to repair, recover, grow, protect and function optimally. The nutrients in food determine the quality of your cells. Cells are always dying off and being replaced. If you eat poorly, your cells will be compromised and weak. If you choose to eat high nutrient dense foods, whole foods, mostly plants, your cells will improve their integrity and perform better. Your health will improve.

So then, food is important! And planning makes home cooking doable. Home cooked meals will help you save money, lower stress and improve your health. It looks a little different for each person or family. Here are some tips to help you get started:

  • Make a list of your favorite meals, ask family members to participate.
  • Determine how much time and where in your schedule you have time to prep some things ahead of time. (Can you chop veggies in the morning to use for dinner? Can you load the slow cooker before work? Do you have two hours on Sunday to roast a sheet pan meal, cook a pot of rice and make a soup?)
  • Get the kids involved, they are more inclined to eat what they help choose and prepare.
  • Always keep certain ingredients on hand for a go-to meal in case things don’t go as planned. (My go-to meals are: black bean & sweet potato quesadilla and broccoli coconut soup, I always try to have those ingredients.)
  • Use a weekly or monthly calendar to plan out what meals to have on which night and generate a grocery list for the recipes. Make a list and stick to it, less impulse buying means better choices.(There are online templates you can print & there are grocery list apps for your phone, choose what works for you.)
  • Starting slow with one or two meals per week might be helpful until you get into the hang of it.
  • For a healthy start with breakfast, think about making a large batch of regular or baked oatmeal, chia pudding or smoothie bags. Oats are easy to warm up quickly, chia pudding goes into a bowl and add fruit and nuts to it, or dump contents of smoothie bag (fruit, greens, protein) into a blender and add plant milk or water.
  • For lunches, make enough dinner to have leftovers for lunch or think about layering ingredients into jars to make different salads in jars or even burrito in jars, ready to grab and take to work or school.
  • When you’re in the kitchen prepping food, turn on some music, an audio book or listen to podcasts, it helps to keep you going.
  • If you’re really short on time , take advantage of fresh ingredients that are already chopped, either packaged or in the salad bar at most grocery stores. Having frozen peas, corn, squash, spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower rice and grains can make tossing dinner on the table quick. Have canned beans, tomatoes and fish for convenience and quick turnaround. Meal delivery services can be helpful as well, for those short on time, but they will not save money.
  • Make a quick dressing or sauce each week to have for salads, roasted veggies or grain bowls. (I think dressings are one of the worst things on the grocery shelves, they have so many additives for shelf life and the oils used become rancid.)
  • Meal bowls like THIS ONE are easy to put together from ingredients you’ve prepared ahead of time or from frozen. (Combine a grain or starchy vegetable + raw or sauteed greens + plant protein + non starchy vegetable + herbs, spices + condiment dressing)

Providing nourishing home cooked meals are more nutritious than restaurant and convenience foods because you are in charge of the ingredients. Most restaurants and convenience foods have high salt, sugar and fat /oil.  Your meals don’t have to be fancy, but you can definitely express your creative side with the colors, flavors and textures you choose.

It does take time to plan, but after a long day, knowing what to have for dinner, reduces stress and brings mindfulness to the act of nourishing yourself and those you love.

Meal planning will get easier with tools and practice and I’m confident that if you take a little time to plan, you will see great rewards in your health. Food is the best medicine!

Mocha Energy Love Bites

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I made these yummy little bites at a recent snack class and it was the favorite recipe of the night. They come together very quickly with a food processor and keep for weeks in the refrigerator.

It’s a great recipe to double and make a big batch and keep ready in the freezer, for a quick pick-me-up. I tend to gravitate to them when it’s time to prepare dinner. Just having a little something to wake up the taste buds while prepping makes the process go a little more smoothly. Plus they satisfy the urge without eating half a bag of chips.

We all struggle with making healthy snacking choices and these are sure to please..if you like coffee and chocolate! So make a batch this weekend and see how much better you feel after snacking on these!

Print Recipe

Mocha Energy Love Bites

Packed to the brim with flavor and nutrients to keep you going through the slumps in your day.
Prep Time15 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten free,, sugar-free, vegan
Servings: 6

Equipment

  • food processor

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almonds, Brazil or hazel nuts
  • 1 tsp espresso powder or coffee extract
  • 2 tbsp cacao powder
  • 2 tbsp vanilla protein powder
  • 12 dates pitted and soft
  • 3 tbsp cacao nibs
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  • Combine the nuts, espresso, cacao, protein powder and salt in a food processor and
    process into flour.
    Add half the dates and process adding more dates until the mixture forms into
    dough. It may take a few more or less depending on the stickiness of your
    dates. Then add the nibs and seeds and pulse a couple times to incorporate them
    evenly.
    Scoop into balls or transfer the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, fold over
    plastic to cover dough and press into a rectangle an inch thick. Cut into
    bite size pieces.
    Bites will keep for several weeks if kept sealed at room temperature, or longer
    refrigerated.






 

 

Quick Whole Food Snacks To Have On Hand:

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Whole fruits and fruit salad

Raw Vegetable sticks or sliced, in separate containers ready to go.

Thinly sliced root vegetables, tossed with aminos or a little olive or coconut oil spray, baked until crispy chips

Dates stuffed with a whole almond or pecan or nut butter and kept frozen. This is like caramel candy.

Trail mix– combine nut and seeds mixture with chopped dried fruits, cacao nibs and coconut flakes, optionally season with spices, cayenne and salt

Kale chips– Tear leaves off the stem, massage with olive oil or aminos and sprinkle with herbs/spices, salt and toss. Or for a sweet salty chip toss with a teaspoon of coconut sugar and salt. Bake at 300 for 15 minutes, turn and bake another 5-10 checking so they don’t burn. If you have a dehydrator, dry overnight.

Popcorn – toss with 1 T each of coconut oil and maple syrup, sprinkle with cinnamon

Popcorn – toss with coconut aminos and nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor

Spiced nuts/seeds – toss choice of nuts/seeds with coconut aminos, garlic powder and cayenne or a little maple syrup and water, sprinkled with cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric and pepper, bake at 325 until dry and crisp.

 Fruit Sorbet – 1 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen cherries or berries, ¼ cup dairy free milk blended together on high speed until smooth, thick and creamy soft serve texture. Use a food processor if you don’t have a high speed blender.

green minestrone

Green Minestrone

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This green minestrone soup is a lighter version of the traditional minestrone soup but packs a nutritional punch with the addition of kale, zucchini, garbanzo beans and peas. The pasta does not have to be penne, whatever you have on hand or prefer will work in this recipe. Spaghetti can be broken, macaroni or fusilli would work or even substituting a whole grain brown rice or quinoa could turn out delicious.

I use gluten free pasta, Tinkyada or Jovial brands because they have good texture and flavor. But if you have a favorite, go with it. This makes a nice light meal and can easily be portioned in jars for grab-n-go lunches or dinners.

 

Let me know if you give it a try.

green minestrone
Print Recipe

Green Minestrone

This is a light and refreshing take on traditional minestrone.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: gluten free,, plant-based, sugar-free, vegan
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • dutch oven
  • knife

Ingredients

  • 3 garlic minced
  • 1 zucchini chopped
  • 1 bunch kale stemmed, chopped
  • 1 can garbanzo beans drained
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
  • 1 1/2 cups gluten free penne pasta

Instructions

  • Prepare the vegetables.
  • Add a splash of water to a Dutch oven and bring up to medium heat. Add the zucchini, garlic, oregano and basil to the pot, Stir and saute for 3 minutes.
  • Then add the broth, beans, peas and pasta, cover the pot and bring to a boil.
  • Cook for 5 minutes, stir and add the kale. Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until pasta is tender.
  • Test the pasta for doneness. Remove soup from heat when the pasta is to your liking.
goji orange and spice

Immune Vinegar

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This is a type of Fire Cider. Use this vinegar as a remedy for cold and flu, taking it by the teaspoon or preferably, mix with olive oil and use as a vinaigrette daily with salad or as a finish for cooked vegetables.

To make 2 cups of herbal vinegar tincture you will need:

  • 3 T minced onion and garlic
  • 3 T grated fresh ginger (or 1 T powder or 3 dropd ess oil)
  • 3 T grated turmeric root (1 T dried powder)
  • 3 T fresh horseradish (or 1 T prepared)
  • 3 T mustard seeds (or 1 tsp powder)
  • 3 T black peppercorns (or 2 drops ess oil)
  • 1 or more whole cayenne chilies (or 1 tsp. dried chili flakes)
  • 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup of honey

To make the herbal vinegar, mince the onion and garlic and put in a pint jar. Grate the ginger and horseradish and add them to the jar. Add the mustard seeds, peppercorns and chilies. Stir them all together. Pour vinegar over the mixture to fill the jar. There should be about 1 inch of liquid space above the other ingredients. Cap with a plastic lid (since the vinegar will corrode a metal lid). Let the mixture sit for 2 weeks shaking the bottle daily to mix the herbs and the liquid. After two weeks, strain the mixture using cheesecloth so that you can squeeze the herbs to extract all of the liquid. You’re almost done with your herbal vinegar at this point.

Add the 1/3 cup of honey to help preserve your mixture. Pour into a clean jar and store it away in your cupboard. Use as a preventive during cold and flu season and to ease sore throat. Makes a delicious topping for salads and roasted vegetables.

*To make vinaigrette, combine equal parts vinegar and olive oil and shake well. Use over greens or as a finish over roasted or steamed vegetables.

IMPORTANT: Use a plastic lid OR a piece of plastic wrap under a metal lid when making an herbal vinegar. The vinegar reacts to metal.

*Use the mustard seeds and herbs after straining, to make hot mustard: blend with a little honey and water until smooth.

Fight Back Naturally

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You can’t escape hearing about the Flu or Coronavirus right now. (My daughter lives in Beijing, China, so this is information I’ve sent to her as well.) But knowing that pathogens are always lurking and understanding what you can do to prevent infection is important to know. There are very effective means of fighting back naturally and building up your immune response. Obviously the following should be practiced:

  •  Frequently washing hands and nails with warm water and soap is important as is refraining from touching your face and eyes.
  • It’s okay to NOT shake hands, instead, show your jazz hands for a fun way to welcome someone.
  • Stay home if you don’t feel well and encourage others to do the same. Do not send achy and feverish kids to school.
  • Drinking a lot of water is beneficial in keeping you hydrated and flushing of toxins. Warm/hot water is especially helpful in reducing viruses in the throat area, so try warming teas, or hot lemon water.

Doesn’t it make sense to boost our immune systems rather than relying on vaccines or treatments after we catch something. Did you know food significantly impacts the immune system’s response against pathogens?  For starters, sugar and refined grains can actually depress the immune system for 4-6 hours (that’s with just 1 T sugar). So, eliminating foods made with refined flours and sugar can allow for better immune response. Also, dairy products are often mucus forming, which becomes a favorable environment for pathogen growth. Eew!  You don’t want to make it comfy for them.

Thankfully, some foods have specific immune modulating effects and increasing their consumption during the times when your immune systems are bombarded can reduce your susceptibility and improve our risks of getting sick.

Some of these foods include, garlic, onion, ginger, and medicinal mushrooms. Incorporating them into meals is ideal. See a Chimichurri bowl here.  But also focusing on foods high in vitamin C, zinc, selenium, antioxidants and probiotics are key to supporting the immune system. See this immune boosting tea.

Try to incorporate foods that contain specific Immune boosting nutrients:

  • Vitamin C is important for immune, antioxidant, cellular function. Food sources: peppers, broccoli, berries, mangoes, rose hips, cranberries, cherries, citrus
  • Zinc enhances the immune system and may reduce the intensity of cold symptoms as well as the duration of colds. Plant Food sources: lentils, peas, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, raw cacao
  •  Selenium is important for many functions in body including the formation of the master antioxidant, glutathione, and proper thyroid hormone conversion, and immune system function. Plant food sources: Brazil nuts, mushrooms, mustard seed, chia, oats, goji berries, sesame seeds, lentils, carob
  •  Phytonutrients are so important for boosting immune system and the darker the color the higher the nutrient density available. “Eat the Rainbow”   Food sources: sweet potato, red and yellow peppers, dark leafy greens, red cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, beets, squash, berries
  • Probiotics found in gut influence the immune system, so making sure you have a good population is important. Acidophilus and bifido-bacterium make a big difference in immune response and recovery time – Food sources:  kefir, active cultures yogurt, miso, tempeh, raw krauts and pickles, cultured vegetables and fruits.

There are also specific foods that have direct immune boosting and anti-pathogenic properties:

Shiitake mushrooms possess benefits ranging from anti-cancer to immunity-boosting and stress relief.  Also in China and Japan, they are a long standing remedy for colds and flu.  Shiitake mushrooms add a delicious meaty flavor to soups and dishes.

Garlic is a strong antimicrobial food and boosts the immune system. Garlic has a full spectrum effect as antibiotic, anti-virusal, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic. It’s important for colds AND flu.  Garlic is most potent if chopped or crushed and allowed to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before eating. This significantly increases the amount of allicin it produces. Allicin is the component responsible for its powerful affects. Try it in hummus, pesto, garlic paste on toast or Juice it and add it to other juices, or make this Immune Vinegar.

Onions are natural sources of quercetin, a bioflavonoid that has shown to suppress the rhinoviruses which are the underlying cause of the common cold. Add to vegetable sautes, salads, soups and roasted vegetables or heat on med low heat to caramelize and use as a topping for almost anything…so good.

  •  Onion honey cough syrup – Cut onion into slices, place in a jar, cover with raw honey and allow to sit overnight (8 hours), strain off onions and seal, jar keeping in fridge for a month.  Onion and honey are active against microbes and pathogens commonly found in the throat or pharynx and often associated with sore throats or infections that cause cough.

Ginger is a spicy root that can promote digestion, quell nausea, lessen headaches, reduce pain, fight intestinal infections, and is particularly famous for treating cold and flu. Ginger can be stewed in boiling water to make ginger tea. Use 2 tablespoons ginger powder in bath to induce sweating and break a fever, while sipping ginger/mint tea.

Certain supplements may also help, look at adding a vitamin D3 and zinc for fighting infections and improving immune response. But remember whole foods provide many more nutritional cofactors and phytonutrients that help nutrients work optimally and improve the body’s assimilation of those nutrients.  To ensure you get plenty of immune-boosting nutrients, eat  fruits and vegetables, fresh or frozen. Eat vegetables raw or lightly steam them for best nutritional density.  Avoid frying anything as this introduces harmful free radicals that increase your toxins and inflammation.

Herbs and spices are also helpful agents against the cold and flu. Try different herbal teas, but the following have historically been used in these circumstances:

  • Fever:  Ginger, mint or catnip teas
  • Cough/sore throat:  Throat coat tea*, single or blend of Chamomile/slippery elm/licorice/marshmallow root, lemon and honey tea, or thyme tea
  • Flu: Echinacea/golden seal, green, garlic, or ginger tea

 Green Tea is known to help prevent flu and the common cold. Catechins, the same compounds that are responsible for green tea’s weight loss promoting properties, have been shown to inhibit the activity of the common cold adenovirus as well as certain influenza viruses. To maximize the release of catechins, add a bit of lemon juice or other vitamin C rich juice to your tea

Golden milk has some powerful herbs and spices that are great immune modulators: turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper in warm plant milk. See recipe HERE

Rose Hips are high in vitamin C, and great if used in teas, smoothies, cooked into pies and cobblers. Reconstitute dried hips with warm water.

Essential oils are another natural source for fighting pathogens. Many oils have pathogenic properties. Here are a few to consider: Eucalyptus oil, Thyme, Rosemary, and Wild Oregano.

You can help your body fight effectively against whatever-is-going-around by using foods, herbs and spices and essential oil that naturally have anti-pathogenic and immune boosting properties. I hope this information helps with your strategy to stay healthy this time of year.

Mushroom Bolognese

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Italian cuisine is a favorite for plant-based meals. When I come across ways to pack in extra veggies, I will always try. This sauce is perfect for adding in extra veggies and it can be used in so many ways.

Try it with lentil walnut loaf balls, crumble in some tofu, ladled over rice or pasta, or especially good over roasted spaghetti squash.

Print Recipe

Mushroom Bolognese

A veggie packed sauce that is wonderful on gluten free penne pasta or roasted spaghetti squash.
Prep Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: gluten free,, plant-based, sugar-free, vegan
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • dutch oven
  • knife
  • food processor (optional)

Ingredients

  • 2 cup yellow onion chopped
  • 1 cup carrots about 3
  • 1 cup celery 2-3 stalks
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms finely chopped
  • 3 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 (15 oz.) can fire roasted tomatoes diced with juices
  • 1 Tbsp tamari
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat, when hot add 2 tablespoons of water along with the onions and saute until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
  • Add carrots, celery and mushrooms stirring to combine and cook until all become a bit tender, about 10 minutes.
  • Stir in tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water, followed by remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
  • While sauce is cooking, prepare pasta, rice or roast a spaghetti squash.
  • When sauce has thickened a bit, serve over your choice of starch.

Notes

To make light work of the chopping, cut the onion, carrots, celery  and mushrooms into similar sized chunks and place in a food processor and pulse each until finely chopped. there's no need to wipe out container between ingredients. 
If you'd like the sauce to be more "saucey" and less chunky, process half of the cooked sauce in the food processor until smooth and add back to remaining sauce.

Lentil Walnut Loaf

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I’ve tried several different meatless loafs and this one that I adapted from Oh She Glows is my favorite at this point.

The lentil walnut mixture can be used to make meatless balls as well. Be sure to press the mixture together tightly when patting it into the loaf pan or into balls.  Try the balls with the mushroom Bolognese sauce or make the loaf slices into meatless loaf sandwiches, that are sure to bring back good childhood memories of grandma’s meatloaf sammy’s.

Print Recipe

Lentil Walnut Loaf

This is a hearty plant-based loaf that really is delicious. Oats, flax and walnuts add texture and nutrient density. This recipe is adapted from Oh She Glows.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten free,, nuts, vegan
Servings: 4 people

Equipment

  • loaf pan
  • pot
  • food processor
  • mixing bowl
  • skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 cup lentils
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 cup sweet onion chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup celery (2 -3 stalks) minced
  • 1 cup carrot (2-3) minced
  • 1/3 cup apple shredded
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 3 tablespoons ground flax seed
  • 1 cup oats
  • Pinch of cayenne optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  • Grease a 5X9 loaf pan. Add lentils to a pot and cover with water. Cook at a simmer for 25 minutes. then drain and add to a large bowl, mash them with a fork into a chunky paste.
  • While the lentils are cooking, warm oil in a skillet and add onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook stirring to prevent garlic from burning. Cook until onion and celery are tender, about 10 minutes, then stir in apple and herbs, stir for a couple minutes and remove from the heat.
  • In a food processor or blender, pulse the oats into a coarse flour, then add the walnuts and pulse on and off to break them into small bits.
  • Transfer the walnuts and oats to the lentils in the mixing bowl and add ground flax. Mix to combine.
  • Stir in the skillet veggie mixture and season to taste. If the mixture seems dry, add 2 tablespoons of water and mix well. Getting your hands into the mix can help to combine and soften the texture of the mixture, also making sure that the mixture will hold shape. Add more water if needed.
  • Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan and press firmly to form a loaf.
  • In a small bowl combine tomato paste and balsamic vinegar, mix well and spoon over the top of the loaf.
  • Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until edges are brown and its firm to the touch. Serve by the slice or crumble over salad.

Notes

To mince the carrots and celery quickly, roughly chop the carrots into large pieces and chunk the celery and add to a food processor and pulse until minced.  

 

Chocolate Swirl Cookies

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These swirl cookies are pretty quick to put together. I adapted this from a recipe I saw on Audrey’s unconventionalbaker.com blog. I decided to use almond and tapioca flour along with a 5-seed butter. The flavor and texture is really nice. This recipe is definitely a keeper. You can change up the nut or seed butter to change up the flavor. This recipe makes 12-15 cookies.

  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 2 tablespoons 5-seed butter
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch salt

Process the ingredients in a food processor until a dough is formed. If the dough is too sticky to roll out, sprinkle with a little more flour. If it is too dry to stick together, add a little more syrup. Scoop the dough onto a sheet of parchment and press into a disc. Let this rest while you make the chocolate dough, no need to clean the processor container.

  • 1/3 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 2 tablespoons cacao powder
  • 2 tablespoons 5-seed butter
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch salt

Process everything in the food processor until it becomes a dough. Add a little more flour or maple syrup if the consistency needs adjusting. Scoop the dough onto a sheet of parchment and press into a disc. Cover with another piece of parchment and roll out into a rectangle of 1/4 in thickness. Remove top sheet and place on the vanilla dough and repeat, rolling into a rectangle of similar size and thickness.

Remove top parchment sheet and set aside. Take the sheet with the chocolate dough and flip it over onto the vanilla dough and remove the sheet of parchment paper. On the longest side of the rectangle, lift the bottom parchment sheet up and over using it to help roll both layers of dough into a log.

Use a serrated knife or a length of dental floss to cut through the dough into 1/4 inch slices. Lay the slices flat onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool and then store in sealed container.

 

Pecan Fingers

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These delicate cookies are a remake of the traditional buttery sugary cookie that was always one of my favorites. By replacing the sugar, butter and flour, you get a gluten free, sugar free, vegan delight.  Recipe makes about 20 cookies.

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup organic vegan butter at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup powdered monk fruit-erythritol blend, more for dusting**
  • 1/2 cup almond flour or oat flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Whip the butter and olive oil together until emulsified and light. If you have crystallized and not powdered monk fruit, put a 1/2 cup in a blender and blend until powdered. Add 1/4 cup of the monk fruit and remaining flours and vanilla to the oil mixture and beat until completely combined and smooth. Stir in chopped pecans. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 . Using a small spoon, scoop and roll into short logs and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes in the middle of the oven, until lightly browned.

**I powder my own sweetener rather than paying the higher price for already powdered monk fruit. I use a small container blender with the flat blade base which grinds grains, seeds and powders granulated sweeteners.