I've been exploring various facets of "aging" with a dear friend of mine through a series of workshops we're hosting at Asheville Yoga Center. One of the biggest tools I truly believe that we have is the food that we eat. There is nothing more powerful than feeding our body the things that actually support our vitality and well-being. 

Did you know that from an Ayurvedic perspective, certain types of food impact certain areas of the body? I love how Ayurveda is always making things simple and easy to understand. 

For this recipe, I wanted to focus in on supporting the brain and all its functionings. One of the things that we can struggle with as we get older (especially for women if they've entered menopause), is that the brain fog, forgetfulness, and lack of clarity can start to set in. Supporting our brains from the beginning is one of the greatest tools we have to support our bodies to live to our full potential all the way to 100! 

I hope you love this easy "dump and go" bar recipe that is full of all the things that support our nervous system and the brain! 

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 cups almond flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts 
  
• 1 cup oats 
  
• 1/2 cup chia seeds 
  
• 3 tbsp hemp seeds 
  
• 12 dried figs (soak them for a little, and then chop them up) 
  
• 2 tbsp tahini 
• 1/2 cup coconut oil 
  
• 1/2 cup maple syrup 
  
• 2 tbsp goji powder 
  
• 1 tbsp freeze dried raspberries 
  
• 1.5 tsp ginger powder 
  
• 4-5 tsp shankhapushpi powder 
  
• For topping: melted chocolate, flaky salt, rose petals (all optional!)
  

Recipe: 

1. Before starting anything, soak your dried figs in water so they can soften to chop towards the end. 
2. Take a large mixing bowl, and start with all of your dry ingredients: almond flour, walnuts, oats, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. Give everything a good mix. 
   
3. Then add in your herbs and spices: goji powder, ginger powder, and shankhapushpi powder. All 3 of these have a tendency to clump, so make sure that everything is smoothed out properly. 
   
4. Your figs should be soaked well enough where you can chop them up into small pieces and then fold them in to the mixing bowl now. If they still feel a little tough, you can fold them in in between any of the wet ingredients. 
5. Next, you'll want to add in the wet ingredients individually. 
   
   1. Start with the coconut oil. (I didn't melt my coconut oil, but I did use my hands to make sure it was well-incorporated). 
   2. Then maple syrup. 
   3. Then tahini last. (This one can be the trickiest as you don't want it to clump)
6. Finally, fold in the freeze-dried raspberries. These just add a nice tang/sweetness to it. 
7. Take a baking tray and line it with parchment paper. 
8. Toss everything into the baking tray and even everything out. I used a back of a spatula to smooth it all out. 
9. Place in freezer/refrigerator overnight to let everything set. 
10. The next day you can coat on top your melted chocolate and sprinkle on the salt and rose petals. 

And that's it! Shouldn't take you more than 15 or so minutes to prepare. I hope you enjoy as much as we do! 

Oh, who's been craving a little something sweet, but not over the top? The change in weather has been nothing short of throwing my cravings around a little bit, so I thought I'd put something simple, but delicious together that still supports our digestion this season! 

These ginger oat cookies have the perfect amount of kick while also satisfying the sweet tooth, without of course overdoing it. The best part? It's a one bowl recipe. You can't go wrong with that. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! 

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 cup coconut oil 
  
• 1 cup brown sugar 
  
• 2 tsp vanilla 
  
• 3 tbsp flax meal + 9 tbsp water 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 2-3 tsp fresh grated ginger 
  
• 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper (err on the side of more if you need more digestive support) 
  
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
  
• 1 cup whole oats 
  
• 1 cup almond flour
  

Recipe: 

1. In a small cereal bowl or mixing bowl, go ahead and first mix your flax meal with the water. You want this to turn into a semi-gelatinous mixture. 
2. While that is setting, in a large mixing bowl, mix together the coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla. The coconut oil does not need to be melted, but make sure you are incorporating the oil and brown sugar well. You don't want pockets of the oil stuck in the mixture. 
3. Slowly add in the flax mixture and again mix well. 
4. Next, you will add in the baking powder, grated ginger, and black pepper. 
5. Lastly you will add in the dry ingredients one at a time. Start with the oats, then flour, and then the almond flour. 
6. Let the cookie dough batter sit for about 7-10 minutes to rest. While it's resting, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. 
7. You'll want to spray a cookie tray. Roll your cookies out in small balls and flatten slightly. 
8. Bake for 9-12 minutes (or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown). 
9. Let cool and then dig in! 
10. Optionally, you can drizzle a little glaze on top for an added sweetness! 
    

I hope you enjoy this quick and super easy cookie! :) 

Grounding. That is what this season is asking for. It's winter. It's still cold. We still want to stay outside. We're starving. There are so many things happening and (not) happening. So, I needed to make something that was going to be satisfying without an overly date-like taste. 

From an Ayurvedic perspective, our appetite is the strongest in the winter time. All of that digestive fire is concentrated in our central channel, making our digestion so strong. Sometimes it even feels like we can't satisfy it in the winter months. So, we have to find ways to support that intensity. 

The ingredients in this recipe are warming, grounding, and bring in the qualities of satiating that intense hunger, without overdoing it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. 

Ingredients: 

• 20 dates, soaked
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp jaggery 
• 2 tbsp tahini 
• 2 tsp za'atar seasoning
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds 
• 1/2 cup almond flour 
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• Pinch of salt 
• Coconut flakes for rolling 

Recipe: 

1. First, you're going to blend your soaked dates with water to make a smooth paste. You can do this in a food processor. 
2. Place the the paste into a mixing bowl. Gently mix in the jaggery and the tahini. Again, mix everything well. Sometimes the tahini can clump. Using the back of a spatula can help to mash it all up together. 
3. The spices are up next. Za'atar, cinnamon, and salt. With each addition, again don't skip the mixing. It's important to make sure that everything is incorporated well otherwise the bites can get weird real quick. 
4. Lastly the sesame seeds and almond flour gets added. 
5. Let the mixture sit for just a few minutes. In the meantime pour your coconut flakes into a bowl. 
6. You are going to take your date mixture and make small bite-sized balls. Roll in coconut flakes, and that's it! 

This recipe takes no more than 15-17 minutes to make. Store your truffles in a air-tight container, and enjoy!