Chocolate Coconut Cherry Fat Bombs (High Fat, Low Carb)

Chocolate, coconut and cherry is pretty much a magical match made in heaven. 

These delicious fat bombs are so-damn-good and perfect to whip up for your special Valentine. 

I just absolutely love cherries! I buy tart frozen cherries and always keep a stash in the freezer. They are perfectly sweet and in fact, are great for combating inflammation and helping with sleep as they contain melatonin. 

Melatonin is a hormone secreted at night by the pineal gland in the center of your brain to help to regulate your circadian rhythm. In order to produce adequate amounts of melatonin, it’s important that you head outside for at least 30 minutes – 2 hours a day (regardless of the weather), as natural light exposure helps support your natural circadian rhythm.

But melatonin is not only produced in the pineal gland—it is also naturally present in certain foods, cherries being one of them. Their was a study done on participants who drank tart cherry juice post workout to help with their recovery and they found that not only did the cherry juice help combat inflammation, but it also increased melatonin levels. 

Now, if you eat these delicious gems during the day, trust me, you’re not going to all of a sudden do a face plant on the floor and fall asleep. It’s not that strong! But they might help encourage better sleep – bonus!

As we age, we produce less melatonin, which is often the reason why so many elderly men and women struggle with insomnia. And if you throw in autoimmunity or other health complications and conditions, lacking sleep means your body is not healing. 

As I work on healing my Hashimoto’s, sleep has become my number one priority. And guess what? I’m feeling like a million bucks because I’ve been sleeping so well. 

Last year I had so many issues with sleep, getting to sleep, staying asleep and because of it, my healing process was taking a long time. I felt exhausted (obviously) and this started to affect my workouts and my day-to-day. 

Now, I’m working out 4 days a week and sleep through the night. I do take a cocktail of supplements before bed and I’ve been using the true dark glasses at night if I’m watching netflix. These glasses have been a GAME changer for blocking out blue light. I recommend getting both the yellow (for the computer) and the red glasses (the stronger ones for tv and sleep). 

Anyhow, enough talking. Let’s get to these delicious Chocolate Coconut Cherry Fat Bombs. Oh! and Happy Valentines Day xoxo

P.S. Here is the silicon molds I used for this recipe. I ordered it off of amazon here. These molds are a game-changer for baking. Easy clean up and nothing sticks to them!

P.P.S. If you’re loving the high fat, low carb way of eating, then click here to learn more about my metabolic reset weight loss program. This 12 week program is amazing for helping you burn fat and balance your hormones.

Chocolate Coconut Cherry Fat Bombs
Yields 30
Write a review
Print
Ingredients
  1. CHERRY FILLING
  2. 1 cup full fat coconut cream (from top of canned coconut milk)
  3. 3/4 cup frozen tart cherries, pitted
  4. 1 tbsp lakanto or swerve (optional)
  5. 1 tsp vanilla extract
  6. CHOCOLATE COATING
  7. 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
  8. 2 tbsp shredded cacao butter (optional)
  9. 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
  1. CHERRY FILLING: place all cherry filling ingredients into a food processor and combine until creamy. Spoon mixture into mini silicon molds. (you can use any size, I personally like the mini ones. My silicon mold holds 30). Spoon mixture about 3/4 of the way, leaving space to pour in chocolate.
  2. Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to harden.
  3. CHOCOLATE COATING: over a double boiler, melt together chocolate chips, cacao butter and coconut oil. Once melted and smooth, remove fat bombs from freezer and pour in chocolate over each mold.
  4. Place back in the freezer for 1-2 hours to set and harden. When ready to serve, remove from freezer and pop out fat bombs from the molds. The silicon is great as the fat bombs don't stick and pop right out! These fat bombs melt fairly quickly, so eat right away once out of the freezer.
  5. Can keep stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Holistic Wellness https://holisticwellness.ca/
SHARE THIS!
Share on Pinterest

Why Eating Every 2-3 Hours is a Bad Idea

I used to eat all day long. Every 3 hours on the mark. I was always hungry. 

Even at the 2 hour mark my tummy started to rumble and I was thinking of food. But how come? I just friggin’ ate 2 hours ago? Why eat again?

But, it was a good thing right? I was stoking my metabolism, keeping my body fuelled and running efficiently with my mini all day meals. 

Then one day, 4 hours went by and I hadn’t eaten. It wasn’t pretty!

I was HANGRY (angry+hungry), moody, bitchy and literally couldn’t even process anything. Food was all I needed and I needed it bad. Like NOW!

Well, I learned my lesson. I made sure to always have food with me, to never skip a meal and to always eat every 3 hours to balance my blood sugar to avoid those ravenous bitchy monster moods. 

Then I learned about this little thing called Insulin. 

Insulin is quite powerful. In fact, Insulin is one of the MOST important hormones in the body and it’s important you understand and manage it effectively. 

But before I go on, I want to talk about dieting and weight loss, as insulin is a primary factory in weight gain and loss.

There are many ‘diets’ out there that fall within the 5-6 mini meal 2-3 hour category. In fact, there are many men and women (many of which I know) that compete in body building competitions and biking contests and follow a 5-6 meal a day diet. 

Do they get results? Yes! 

Are they ripped and toned? Yes!

Can you lose weight eating 5-6 mini meals every 2-3 hours all day long? Yes!

But that’s not what I’m talking about. If you are a competitor or an athlete, then there is a good chance you can manage insulin effectively (since exercise helps with insulin sensitivity) and you’re probably working out and training at a pretty elite level.

However, sustaining 5-6 meals a day long term can be difficult and I tend to see many people rebound and develop insulin sensitivity over time due to not sustaining this type of eating. 

But, if you are not an athlete, work out 3-4 days a week (or don’t work out at all), have over 20+ pounds to lose or are obese, have PCOS, are pre diabetic or diabetic, are struggling with hormonal imbalances like PMS or irregular cycles, are constantly craving sugar and on a blood sugar role coaster all day, dealing with sleep disturbances and highly stressed, well… you get the picture. 

Eating every 2-3 hours is not the answer for you!

If you are currently following a diet that has you eating every 2-3 hours, you are doing your body (and your insulin levels) a real disservice.

Let’s look at Insulin a little deeper…

Your pancreas produces insulin, the hard-working hormone that seeks out sugar, also known as glucose and turns it into useful energy.

When you eat a meal, sugar enters your blood stream in the form of glucose. Your pancreas secretes insulin to manage the sugar in your blood and transports the sugar to your cells. Once at your cells, insulin basically knocks on the cell door and asks to enter with sugar in tow.

In a healthy body, the cell doors will hear the knock and open the door. On the other hand, if you are consuming a high carbohydrate diet and not exercising, this process doesn’t always happen and the cell door won’t answer the knock. If you are constantly forcing insulin to over work and knock on the cell doors, over time, both your pancreas and cells become exhausted. 

Your pancreas is one tough little bugger, and when your cells won’t open their door to insulin, your pancreas is forced to produce more insulin in an effort to get the sugar through the cell door. 

Chronically high levels of insulin make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to lose weight. 

When your cells no longer respond to insulin, this is what is called Insulin Resistance and it’s the precursor to diabetes.

Insulin resistance is caused by poor gut and liver health, depleted gut flora (good bacteria) and inflammation caused by the over consumption of inflammatory foods such as sugar and processed oils.

So… if you are eating every 2-3 hours, not only are you forcing your pancreas to produce more insulin throughout the day, but you’re constantly knocking on your cell doors, hoping to let sugar into your cells. Can you see how this would pose a problem?

To balance your blood sugar and insulin levels, eating every 2-3 hours is not the answer. You should be able to go at least 4-6 hours between meals without feeling jittery, moody and hangry. 

This is why my clients have such high success on my Metabolic Weight Loss Program. We manage the insulin with 3 meals a day, comprised of the right macronutrients, and not only do they lower their insulin levels, but they lose weight, with ease. 

It’s really an incredible thing to watch. Especially when you have diabetic clients who get off of their meds or lower the dosage, all because of choosing the right foods, managing portion sizes and eating 3 meals a day. 

Just to note, without the right meal plan specific for your body, it may take time to get used to eating every 4-6 hours between meals, but I do encourage you to try. Incorporating the right amount of protein, eating a lot vegetables and incorporating healthy fats can help to balance your insulin levels, keeping you satiated between meals. 

If you’re eating every 3 hours, what your body is doing is burning through glycogen (stored sugar). To actually burn adipose tissue (fat), then the sweet spot is the 5 hour mark between meals.

Really, when you think about it, were we ever designed to eat 5-6 meals a day, every 2-3 hours? If we date back to the Paleolithic era, there wasn’t an abundance of food. We followed a feast and famine type of ‘diet.’ 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner. That’s easy and it’s effective for weight loss and balancing hormones.

In fact, think about the weekend. How many times on a Saturday, have you slept in, ate a large brunch, went about your day running errands and then before you knew it, it was 6pm and time for dinner. You’ve probably had many laid back weekends where you ate only 2 meals a day.

It’s also important to note, that women who suffer with PCOS tend to have insulin resistance. Following this type of diet and protocol can help to manage PCOS symptoms and improve insulin sensitivity. I’ve seen it work beautifully over and over again. 

High insulin levels can stimulate the ovaries to produce testosterone, which is why women with PCOS tend to suffer with acne and facial hair growth. By managing insulin, you manage the overproduction of testosterone.

Both PCOS and diabetes can be managed effectively with the right diet and nutritional protocols. I encourage you to seek out a practitioner (such as myself) that can design the right nutrition program for you and work to balance your hormones effectively. 

As with weight loss, it is complex and unique to every one. Although calories in and calories out serve some (very small) part, hormones play an even bigger role. Addressing both hormones and weight will not only ensure you lose weight effectively, but will help you to keep it off for good. 

*To learn more about my weight loss program and discuss your health history and goals, email me at – samantha@holisticwellness.ca for a complimentary consult call.

SHARE THIS!
Share on Pinterest

Overpriced Shorts, Cheap Espressos & Priceless Miracles

Image[Photo by: Giuseppe Chirico]

My life was limp. Soggy and scraggly with a fleeting scent of the last granule of success I had. I settled for food that was beneath me because it was all I could afford. My weights at home collected dust because the last thing I cared about was my body.

Being a victim is something everyone wags their fingers at. But every once in a while, sucking up attention and pity felt great. I finally knew what it was like to be immersed in a pool of my own shit. It’s like I learned a whole new language. Negativity, anxiety, fatalistic. I was becoming fluent. 

Besides experiencing a miracle, I only had two saving graces. The first one being yoga. And thankfully I paid for a full year of unlimited yoga when things were still good. The second one, espressos. Oh thank the Italian gods for espressos.

When I mustered up whatever will I had left for my own self care, I dragged my ass over to the studio. Faked my way through chance encounters with a cheap smile, small talk and some leftover charm. They had no idea but I did them all a favour by not consciously leeching their energy or bringing down their day with my sob stories. So, you’re welcome.

But once I got changed into my overpriced yoga shorts and stepped into that hot room… I left the weight of the world at the door. I’d close my eyes before class started. And for those ten minutes, I imagined I was in another country. A tropical island. Sun on my face. The sound of ocean waves. Fresh, salty air at my nostrils.

And when my teacher, Soni, invited us to deepen our breath, my problems were miles away and I arrived on my mat. The next 60 minutes there was nothing to worry about except for the present moment. Beads of sweat fell to the earth as we flowed gracefully from asana to freaking asana. It was glorious.

When savasana was over, and I hated when it was over, I washed up and put on fresh clothes. As soon as my ass hit the seat of my car, the bliss evaporated and was replaced with the horrors of my reality. My gas tank was empty. My phone could be disconnected soon. What the hell am I going to do? 

And in an instant, I’m back in my own personal hell.

Like a junkie craving the next hit, I looked forward to my next class. Tomorrow. The day after that. And so on. Until eventually I was practicing 5-6 times a week. 

Not long after, in that room, on my mat, through my clothes, was not just sweat pouring out of me. It was everything else. The victim. The ‘poor me’ attitude. The scarcity.

I wrung it out like a wet towel and twisted it all out until there was nothing left for me to squeeze. The physical, mental, and emotional healing I gained probably saved my life. Reaching the edge of my comfort zone and challenging myself on my mat translated to the same thing in my life.

I gathered up the balls to make significant changes. I reclaimed control over my life.

It was like coming home and speaking English again. Power, possibility and presence. It’s my native tongue. 

And BOOM! I was back. 

Well no, not really. It was probably more gradual than I remember. Like a steam engine on the tracks I slowly gained momentum.

It translated outward into better food choices, sleep habits, and so on. I was able to get back on my feet after a long time thinking I was down for the count. To me, at least, getting physically healthy first, was the big catalyst. 

One day at a time growing in confidence, clarity and courage. Slowly my energy was through the roof. Add a shot of espresso to that and nothing could stop me.

What happened next made me believe in miracles again. In fact, it was me. I was the miracle maker. 

No fairy dust, no unicorns, and not at the snap of a finger. Just me and my body, shattering countless barriers, mental, physical, and emotional. 

Every day. Leaving it all on the mat.

____________________________________________________________________________________

The Metabolic Weightloss Program is now open! Only limited spots are available. If you are READY to commit to yourself and your health, contact Samantha at samanthagladish@gmail.com and schedule a one-on-one call to discuss if the program is the right fit for you. This comprehensive weight loss program is guaranteed to get you to your goal weight, once and for all. No pills, shakes, or fancy concoctions. Just real whole foods. Simple, effective and strategic. 

 About the Author

Oliver coaches and guides people in their personal awareness, growth and transformation. He is the founder of Integrated Self, a workshop series for self-explorers, a singer-songwriter as well as a certified yoga instructor. In between writing, coaching sessions and making music, Oliver spends the rest of his time enjoying the good life with his love Janet, eating gorgeous food, sipping espressos and travelling.
For more, go to: www.olivermanalese.comliermanalese.comwww.olivermanalese.com

SHARE THIS!
Share on Pinterest