by Christina | Feb 24, 2017 | Wellness
Here I am again, torn between telling you about my latest obsession and keeping it my little secret. I don’t want this place to become popular because I selfishly want it all to myself, but I do want more people to know about it because amazing restaurants like Wild Living Foods deserve major recognition. And a lot of business.
With so many incredible restaurants in Los Angeles, I never thought I would say what I’m about to say, but… I have officially found my favorite restaurant in L.A. HANDS DOWN.
Whoa.
Wild Living Foods is everything I could ever want. When I first stumbled across the photos on Yelp, I was instantly intrigued. And very confused. The food looked incredible, so how had I never heard of it before?! Turns out, WLF just opened a few months ago, so it’s still a baby! Thank god, because if Wild Living Foods had existed for a long time and I didn’t know about it for my past 4 years in L.A., I would be seriously depressed about how much I missed out until now.
Wild Living Foods is an organic, plant-based restaurant in downtown L.A. Trust me, it’s very worth the drive downtown. All of their dishes are prepared under 118* to keep all of the nutrients in tact. The food is fresh, delicious, beautiful, and unique. It’s extremely allergy-friendly, of course, but it’s not your typical gluten-free place.
The number one thing I look for in a restaurant is high-quality ingredients. Whenever I eat out, I expect to get a stomachache or feel gross after eating…even when I’m eating at “clean” places. Wild Living Foods will actually leave you feeling better than before you came in, though. You can taste the difference in their ingredients.
Another thing I love about WLF is the overall vibe. It’s a place of community. Everyone who works there is extremely kind and welcoming. They’re the kinda people who ask you how you’re doing (and actually want to know the answer) and give you free samples just because they have some leftover smoothie in the blender. When you go in, you’ll make friends with everyone there. I also got a chance to chat with one of the owners, and she literally lit up the room. So sweet.
Besides that, the decor is on point. There is a stunning, bright, colorful mural on the wall, and the floor is covered with unique, vivid tiles that light up the entire space. It’s a place for creativity, individuality, and acceptance. And it makes the eating experience that much more divine.
Let’s get to the food! OMG. With all of my food allergies/restrictions/preferences, I’m accustomed to only being able to order a few things off of any menu. At most, 3 or 4. This is literally the first place I’ve ever eaten at where I could literally order anything. I cannot tell you how exciting that is for me, but it’s also really overwhelming because everything looks beyond delicious. To start, they have an amazing selection of warm soups and small appetizers – broccoli lime, sea vegetable, garden tomato soups…spring rolls and avocado toast and chips and guac. You can’t go wrong.
Let’s get on to the really fun part. All of the things that I can’t usually eat when I’m out, but that I totally can here. BURGERS AND SANDWICHES. They have really creative burgers and sandwiches that are served on onion or flax bread (all gluten-free). There’s a portobello burger, a tuna sandwich, a guacamole burger, and more. I didn’t get a chance to try it, but the Pablo Burger looks especially amazing – it’s their twist on a classic burger with cashew cheese, ketchup, and mustard.
Next up, SUSHI. Gluten-free, vegan sushi. I love regular sushi, but I actually think this is much better. They have a few rolls to pick from, and it’s IMPOSSIBLE to choose one off the menu. We got the Dynamite Roll, which has cashew cheese, red cabbage, tomato, avo, ginger, onion, coconut jerky, ranch, hemp, and flax oil. ARE YOU DROOLING?! I think the coconut jerky and ranch were what really made this roll divine. Next time, I have my eye on the Spicy Tuna Roll – it has barbecue kale chips inside…
Their main entrees are honestly insane. Everything is not only delicious and healthy, but it’s plated like a piece of artwork. You can really tell the time and care they put into each dish. The Rainbow Wrap is one of my all time favorite things EVER. I don’t usually get to order “wraps” off of menus, so it was very exciting that I could do so here. This has almond and sunflower seed pate with cabbage, avo, tomato, and red bell pepper, and it’s wrapped in a sun-dried tomato coconut wrap topped with chipotle dressing. My favorite part is the home made ranch dressing it’s served with, though. I’m a sucker for ranch, and it’s really hard to find an allergy-friendly, healthy one anywhere. This combination is a serious flavor explosion, in the best way possible.
Another thing we loved was the Flat Earth Pizza, which comes with walnut pesto, onions, olives, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, marinara, and cashew cheese. It has a sprouted almond crust and is served with a side salad. I never get to order pizza when I’m out, so obviously this was a dream come true. This is way better than traditional pizza – trust me. It is so flavorful, and all of the different flavor combinations meld perfectly together.
I also love that they have so many warm pasta dishes. That’s another thing that I never get to order off of a menu. I don’t eat regular gluten-free pasta, but I can eat THIS gluten-free “pasta”! Their warm pasta dishes are created with kelp noodles, so literally anyone can have them. I have an obsession with kelp noodles, if you didn’t already know, but WLF makes the best kelp noodle dishes in the game. We got the Earth Pasta and the Pasta Supreme. Both were absolutely delicious. I need to talk more about the Pasta Supreme for a second, though. The “meat balls” are literally the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten in my life. They taste like real meatballs… I’m not sure how. And the marinara sauce is by far the best marinara I’ve ever had. I want this as my last meal on Earth.
There are so many things on the menu that I need to try next. The Chile Relleno, Pueblo Wrap, and the Lettuce Eat Tacos are next on my list.
Now onto my favorite section…dessert! WLF blows it out of the water in this category as well. First of all, they have different raw desserts available each night, and every thing I’ve tried has been beyond amazing. They have a raw cinnamon roll, which I seriously died over. I also tried the almond coconut slices (almond joys), the almond butter cups, and the wild jungle peanut squares. They’re all rich without being overly sweet, and they just taste like real food. You know? It’s seriously the perfect way to end your meal. If you’re a chocolate lover, you’ll melt over these!
Beyond that, the star of the show is definitely the ice cream/gelato. I think Wild Living Foods has the best ice cream in Los Angeles, and it’s HEALTHY. Gluten-free, vegan, soy-free… everything. It’s made from a coconut base and sweetened with coconut nectar – super clean.
The flavors are seriously amazing, and they’re all thick and creamy like classic ice cream. They have chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, salted caramel, cookies and cream, almond butter cup, and coffee crunch. Their chocolate and strawberry flavors are the best choc and strawb you’ll find anywhere, but my all-time favorite flavors are the almond butter cup, salted caramel, and cookies and cream. The almond butter cup ice cream is definitely my FAVORITE ice cream on this planet, no joke. I mean, it has almond butter cups in it…come on! COMING HERE FOR MY BIRTHDAY.
They also have a ton of delicious smoothies, dessert smoothies, and milkshakes. For milkshakes, you can pick any flavor ice cream and have it blended with almond milk. We tried the Molly Berry Smoothie,which has cashew almond milk, sweet cream, blueberries, honey, trail mix, and vanilla, as well as the strawberry bliss – cashew almond milk, sweet cream, strawberries, honey, trail mix. If you love strawberry, YOU NEED THE STRAWBERRY BLISS. All of their smoothies look amazing, but I have my eye on the Cacao Ceremony. It has cream, almond butter, coconut meat, cacao, maca, honey, vanilla, and pink salt! NOM.
They also have a wide selection of warm healing elixirs and medicinal shots. If you ask one of the employees about the health benefits of any elixir, prepare to be amazed. The Twelve Tribes is insane – it has chai, turmeric, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, and honey – ultra healing.
They also sell a ton of delicious cold-pressed juices and drinks. These are real deal, high quality ingredients. To make a long story short, a lot of juices aren’t pressed the right way. These ARE, though. I am not generally a fan of juices and drinks, but I’m down for anything from WLF.
They also have an amazing salad bar where you can build the salad of your dreams. And they also recently opened up a breakfast bar! I haven’t been yet, but you can get chia pudding, coconut yogurt, apple spice cereal, a chocolate mousse crepe, a cinnamon roll… I know you want it. Heading back ASAP.
There is honestly nothing that could make me love Wild Living Foods more. Anyone who is gluten-free and dairy-free will really appreciate this restaurant for all of the high quality, delectable dishes it provides. Dishes that we can’t usually have, but here? No problem. Even if you don’t have food restrictions, it’s impossible to not love this place. Like I said before… currently the best spot to eat in L.A.
If you head out to Wild Living Foods, tell ’em I sent ya! And DEFINITELY let me know what you order!
by Christina | Feb 17, 2017 | Wellness
**Please read my most recent post on food sensitivity testing for my updated opinions on food sensitivity testing! You can find that post here.**
**Update on THIS post is at the bottom***
This post has been long awaited, I know. BUT IT’S FINALLY HERE! In case you didn’t know, a food intolerance test called the Pinner Test exploded all over the Internet a few months ago. It seemed like every blogger was taking the test, discovering shocking food intolerances, and sadly removing things from her diet.
What’s so exciting about the Pinner Test? The Pinner Test is a test that you can order online, have mailed to you, and perform at home by yourself in order to discover what foods you’re intolerant to. The fact that this test is so accessible and so easy is what made everyone do a backflip over it.
Let’s go back to food intolerances for a sec. Who cares about food intolerances?! Well, everyone should. As I’ve said time and time again, a healthy gut is the key to overall health. Our gut affects our digestion, yes, but also our brain and the general functioning of our bodies. Food intolerances are not the same as food allergies, and they can be much more difficult to notice on your own. Food allergies are immune system responses to certain foods. Food intolerances, however, do not require a full-on immune system response. Usually people have no idea that they’re intolerant to certain foods because those foods are sneakily wreaking havoc inside their bodies and showing no external symptoms. Symptoms from food intolerances can take hours or days to pop up, so it’s hard to find a correlation between why you feel a certain way and what you ate. There are so many symptoms of food intolerances that it can be really hard to tell what’s happening – bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, join pain, tiredness, rashes, brain fog…the list goes on. The symptoms are generally related to digestion, but not always.
When it comes to the accuracy of food intolerance testing, there are a lot of mixed opinions in the scientific community. When I was first trying to get to the root of my gut issues, I wanted to take a food intolerance test to see if I was eating something I was intolerant to. The test that my doctor uses is from Cyrex labs, which tests for both IgG and IgA food intolerance responses. Because the test is very expensive, I obviously did a lot of research before going through with it. From my own research, I agreed that if I was going to trust any test (at all…will get to that later…), it would be the Cyrex tests. The people who’s opinions I trust most in the health world, like Chris Kesser, all seemed to agree that Cyrex had the best technology when it came to food intolerance testing.
I spit out the money, got a lot of blood drawn, received my test results, and was pretty sad about what I found. Foods that I ate every single day showed up – chicken, eggs, almonds, salmon, tuna, trout. Other foods that I don’t eat as often also showed up – whitefish, melon, and gums, like locust bean gum, in processed foods. I took all of those foods out of my diet for six months, and I later added them back in. More on that in a second.
Anyways, I’ve always been kind of curious about what my results would be if I took another test. I didn’t take another Cyrex test because of the cost, and also because I was feeling much better. When the Pinner Test exploded on the Internet, I was obviously intrigued. It was cheaper than my Cyrex test, and it was something I could mail in and do from home. It seemed too good to be true. Honestly, I’m very wary of anything overly hyped by bloggers. What blogger would turn down a free food intolerance test that’s that easy to take? When it went on sale over Thanksgiving, I ordered a test just to compare my results. (Yes, I actually paid for it.)
Taking the test is extremely simple and painless. You just prick your finger and let the blood drop onto a little packet, then you mail in the kit. Boom, done. When I got my test results back a few weeks later, I was pretty disappointed. I don’t really know what I was expecting or hoping. I guess I was hoping that something would be the same as on my previous test…especially when it came to the foods I don’t eat very often. However, nothing overlapped. My Pinner Test showed that I’m intolerant to chives, garlic, and coffee. Coffee and garlic have always upset my stomach, so that wasn’t really surprising. Chives…whatever. Don’t really eat them. However, I wanted something to overlap, like the melon or fish, so I could be more confident in the Pinner Test’s accuracy. But then I realized those foods aren’t even on the Pinner Test.
I think there are a lot of misconceptions about food intolerances and food intolerance testing that I would like to clear up. First of all, just because you are intolerant to a certain food right now does not mean that you can never eat that food again. For example, the reason my first Cyrex test showed that I was intolerant to so many foods that I ate every day – salmon, eggs, chicken, almonds, etc. – was because a) I had a very leaky gut, and b) I ate them so often. Sometimes when you eat too much of a certain food too often, your body can start to build up an intolerance to it. When this is the case, you just have to remove the food from your diet for a few weeks or a few months and then slowly reintroduce it, and making sure not to overdo it again. (Unless you notice your body has a big reaction to it – then don’t add it back in.) This is exactly what I did with chicken, eggs, salmon, and almonds. Now, I have no problem when I eat them. Also, when you have a leaky gut, your body can start having responses to regular foods that aren’t really a problem because of the food itself – it’s just because your gut is leaky! The food particles are going through your gut lining and your body recognizes them as invaders – it makes sense that the foods you eat most often would mount a response. Oftentimes if you heal your leaky gut, those “food intolerances” will go away.
Second, even the tests that are considered to be the most accurate are known to still be inaccurate at times. It is not uncommon for false positives to come up, and it is also not uncommon for things that are causing problems to not show up either. Basically, take everything with a grain of salt. This is why it is very difficult for me when I see people take a test that is not shown to be very accurate, like the Pinner Test, and then remove random foods from their diets. Could you use it as a guide? Sure. But at the end of the day, you have to realize that the test could be totally wrong. At the end of the day, how your body feels might tell you more than a test.
Third, a food might not show up if you haven’t eaten it recently. For example, I’ve never had gluten or dairy show up on any of my food intolerance tests, and that’s because I haven’t eaten those foods in two years. However, I am definitely intolerant to them. This is an example of how you can’t take these test results as total truth.
There are other food sensitivity tests besides the Cyrex arrays and the Pinner Test, but I am only focusing on those since those are the two I have taken and gotten results from. I recently took an MRT food sensitivity test but have not gotten the results back yet, and I will happily discuss that when I do. To compare the Pinner Test and the Cyrex test — the Cyrex test is much more thorough. It tests for both the cooked and raw versions of foods, and overall it tests for more foods than the Pinner test does (if you get all of the arrays, like I did). There are different arrays you can buy. Less arrays mean less foods tested, but less money spent. The Cyrex tests are more expensive and must be taken through your doctor. The Pinner Test is cheaper and can be taken at home by anyone who is willing to buy it. The Pinner Test tests for IgG reactions, whereas Cyrex tests for both IgG and IgA responses. In other words, you could be missing a lot of information with the Pinner Test. The accuracy of the Cyrex test has been studied much more than the Pinner Test has, and while the Cyrex test is not 100% accurate (no food intolerance test is, at this point), it is much more accurate than the Pinner Test.
My doctor explained the problem with the Pinner Test very scientifically when I talked to him about it in person a few months ago, and I honestly forget exactly what he said. Typical. However, I remember the regular person English version, which is really all that you probably care about. Basically, you get your blood drawn when you take the Cyrex tests, which allows the lab to centrifuge the blood and separate the blood serum from the rest of the stuff in there, allowing for a more accurate reading. The Pinner Test uses a drop of blood to test the response, and the particles in the blood aren’t separated out. That means that the test can pick up things it shouldn’t and miss things it shouldn’t because it’s already dealing with a “muddy” test, so to speak. Make sense? It’s like trying to find a shirt in Forever 21 vs Nordstrom.
If you want my personal opinion, this is it: I think that food intolerance testing is very powerful and a great option for those of us struggling with gut issues, especially if you can afford it. Unfortunately, though, it is not completely accurate, so the results of all tests need to be taken with a grain of salt. I regret spending money on the Pinner Test. I think if you’re serious about it, I would save enough money for the Cyrex test and get that done through your doctor. I just don’t think the results of the Pinner Test are that trustworthy or valuable, and it’s smarter to go for something that has been shown to be more accurate. That being said, all test results should be interpreted in the context of your body, and it’s important to realize that these foods do not need to be avoided forever. Just temporarily. I don’t think everyone needs to take a food intolerance test. If you’re in a position where you’re having a lot of symptoms, have taken other tests without answers, and don’t know where to turn, then I think that food intolerance testing is a great option.
I got a quote from my doctor, Apostolos Lekkos, just so you have a real medical opinion on the Pinner Test. (Because we all know I am definitely NOT a doctor!)
“I can’t vouch for the accuracy of this new technology developed by Arrayit corporation, but I do like the fact that they do triple testing on each sample to make sure the sample is stable. I also like that they test the allergens and controls at the same time to ensure accuracy. The problem is the technology they use has yet to be validated and studies need to be done to get a better assessment of its clinical utility.
Food sensitivity testing can be questionable. I have seen it pick up foods, and when the patient stopped eating them, it made a world of difference. And I have seen it come back negative to a food, when the patient clearly cannot tolerate that particular food.
I feel it’s worth testing because sometimes you’d be surprised at what food comes back highly positive, and avoiding that food can make a big difference. I use it as a guide, per se, and combine the testing and how a patient says they react to eating certain foods to make a plan.
I like Cyrex labs testing best because they test for IgG and IgA antibodies to foods. You get two antibodies, when most other companies only test for IgG. I have seen patients have testing with other companies and get a negative IgG to a food, then do Cyrex testing and, bam, a strong positive IgA shows up and they need to get off that food.
I also like how they test for raw and cooked foods. For example, they test for raw and cooked broccoli. When you cook a food the protein structure of it changes, so you may be able to tolerate cooked broccoli, but not raw. No other company I know of does this. You are getting a lot of information for your buck.
Cyrex has very good quality control and does multiple checks on the same sample to ensure the results are as accurate as possible.”
There you have it! I know this was a long one, but I think it’s worth the read. If you have any other questions about food intolerance testing and my experience with it, please let me know!
***Update*** Since writing this post, I have a few more years of experience with food intolerance testing, and my opinion has slightly changed. My current professional opinion is that the MRT is the food intolerance test that has gotten me and my clients the best results. If the MRT is unavailable, I go with Cyrex, and if neither is available, I skip food intolerance testing altogether. There are many food intolerance tests out on the market that are highly inaccurate, so be aware.
by Christina | Feb 14, 2017 | Recipes, Wellness
So many people hate Valentine’s Day, but I adore it. I love any excuse to dress up, eat a fancy meal, and indulge in an epic dessert. Not like I need an excuse, but I really just love any reason to celebrate. Each year, I try to do something special. I usually take a friend on a “date” – a movie, a nice dinner, cute outfits, a smokey eye… you know the drill. I’m not sure exactly why I love Valentine’s Day so much. I think it’s because I love love. Love makes me happy. Being around it, seeing other people in it… it’s just infectious. How can people not like LOVE?!
When I think of Valentine’s Day, my mind immediately goes to two foods – chocolate and strawberries. Is that just me? Recently I realized that I want to push my cooking and baking skills in two ways. First, low or no sugar dessert options. Second, making things I don’t usually make. Chocolate is always my default. It’s so delicious. You can put chocolate on anything and it will automatically taste good. To get out of my comfort zone, instead of going the chocolate route this Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d go with the strawberry route. Besides, there are plenty of chocolate recipes out there for Valentine’s Day. And let’s be honest, we all know I’ll have plenty more chocolate recipes comin’ throughout the year, anyways.
Choosing strawberry shortcake was a no brainer. (Well, I did have my roommates vote on it just to make sure, but I had secretly already chosen before I got their answers.) I have a lot of fond memories when it comes to strawberry shortcake. I used to eat it at my grandma’s house, but it was literally just angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries piled on top. Looking back, that sounds disgusting and was pretty lame. At the time, though, I loved it. It was a classic grandma move.
What I was really craving, though, was an actual cake. When you look up strawberry shortcake, I guess it’s not technically supposed to be a legit cake. Shortcake is more of like a sweet biscuit. Fine, but I want a cake. So I’m pretending that shortcake is just a regular cake.
I also wanted more of a regular frosting – not just whipped cream on top. Whipped frosting sounds much better. On real cake. It’s like strawberry shortcake’s sexy, more mature older sister. I also decided to throw a strawberry jam in between the two cake layers to give it some extra oomph. Some sliced strawberries on top of a cake just doesn’t do it for me. I need some more, ya know?
The frosting is literally crack. Ideally, you want to wait, like a normal person, until the cake is cool to put the frosting on. I made this at 11 PM the other night and NEEDED TO GET IT IN MY MOUTH, so I frosted the cake while it was still hot, and the frosting basically melted into it. It ended up tasting delicious and hardening like icing later on, but still. I later added more frosting to the top so it was more like a normal cake with normal frosting. Either way, freakin’ delicious.
Let’s get on to the best part of this cake – it’s sugar free. The sweetener in the cake itself is Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (use code WELLNESS for 15% off), which I’ve been experimenting with a lot recently and have completely fallen in love with for baking. Lakanto is a mix of monk fruit extract and non-GMO erythritol, which means it’s a ZERO glycemic sweetener! It also has no calories, but I don’t really care about that. Lakanto is so great because it doesn’t raise your blood sugar or insulin levels like normal sugar does. In case you didn’t know, that’s why sugar sucks. It raises your insulin levels too high and sends your body on a rollercoaster, which can lead to increased cravings, hunger, and fat storage, among other things.
For the jam, I didn’t even use a sweetener. I just used some lemon juice to bring out the natural flavor of the strawberries. Trust me, strawberries are plenty sweet themselves.
The frosting contains just a bit of honey, which provides the perfect texture and sweetness. You could probably sub this out for some powdered coconut sugar or other sweetener if you want, but maple syrup probably wouldn’t work with the texture.
I’ve also been really fascinated with naked cakes ever since Jen Glantz mentioned them on one of our more recent podcast episodes. Originally I was going to frost this like a normal cake, but then I realized how cool it looks with the sides slightly more naked so the strawberry jam filling oozes out. NOOOMMMMM.
This strawberry shortcake is light, fluffy, moist, and utterly delicious. It’s the perfect cake for any occasion, and a great alternative to chocolate on Valentine’s Day. I mean, it looks pretty extravagant. The thing is, though, it’s super easy. There are three parts, but each has minimal ingredients and is a pretty brainless process to carry out. You just kinda slop it all together and call it a day.
Because I’m a “go big or go home” kinda girl, I doubled the recipe from what most normal people would make so that it would be extra tall and extravagant. If you want a huge cake, you can double this recipe to make it how I made it, but you can definitely just make the regular recipe and have two smaller layers if you don’t need a 10 foot tall cake.
This cake definitely brings me back to my childhood, but gives it a new twist. It’s still light and airy, but it tastes like real, wholesome ingredients. Not artificial cool whip. Who would’ve thought that a paleo, sugar-free, low carb cake could taste this good? I mean, I would’ve. But now you have to believe me.
Paleo, Sugar-Free Strawberry Shortcake
Total Time: 1 hour
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients:
Cake:
** In the photos I made two large layers, and this cake was huge. This is the recipe for a single layer, which you could split between two pans for a more regular-sized cake. If you want a giant cake like in the photos, double the cake recipe twice (the filling and frosting recipes will remain the same).
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (use code WELLNESS for 15% off)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 3/4 cup almond milk (or other dairy-free milk)
- 2 cups strawberries
Strawberry Filling:
- 16 ounces strawberries (about 3 cups…one container at the store)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- Juice from one lemon
Frosting:
- 3 cans of chilled coconut milk (chill in fridge overnight if possible, or for 6-8 hours. Or you could put it in the freezer for an hour if you’re on a time crunch like me…)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
Instructions:
Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350* F. Grease two 9-inch round pans with coconut oil.
- Add all of the cake ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together until well combined.
- Pour half of the mixture in one pan, and half in the other.
- Put in the oven for about 30 minutes (35 minutes if making two full sized layers), or until a toothpick/fork/knife comes out clean and the top is puffed up.
- While the cakes are baking, make the strawberry filling and the vanilla frosting. Slice the strawberries for the top of the cake.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
- Place one layer down on a cake stand or plate. Cut the very top of the layer with a knife to make it as flat as possible. Cover the cake with a thin layer of frosting.
- Cover the thin layer of frosting with the strawberry jam until the entire layer is covered with the filling.
- Add the second layer on top of the first. Frost the top of the cake with the vanilla frosting. Frost as much of the sides with the frosting as you want. You can leave the sides naked, cover them completely, or just do parts.
- Add as many sliced strawberries to the top of the cake as you want!
- Slice and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in the fridge, covered.
Strawberry Filling:
- Wash the strawberries and chop them up into small pieces. Add them into a saucepan on medium heat and cover with a lid. Let the strawberries simmer for about 5 minutes.
- As the strawberries soften, take a wooden spoon and smash them so it starts to look like jam. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Add in the chia seeds and stir them in until they are evenly distributed.
- Allow the mixture to continue to heat up for another 5 minutes or so, until a jam-like consistency starts to form.
- Once it looks like jam, remove from the heat and put in the fridge until you’re ready to add it to your cake.
Whipped Vanilla Frosting:
- Open the refrigerated coconut milk cans and pour out the liquid. You can either save it for something else, like a smoothie, or toss it if you don’t want it. Put the heavy cream that’s left over at the bottom of the can into a large bowl.
- Add the maple syrup and vanilla into the bowl.
- Use a hand mixer to mix all of the ingredients together until they are whipped and well combined. Store the frosting in the fridge until ready to use.
If you try this out, be sure to tag me in a photo! I promise you – this does not disappoint. Hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
by Christina | Feb 11, 2017 | Recipes, Wellness
We all know I have a major sweet tooth. Alongside that sweet tooth is an intense appreciation for beautifully made sweet treats. Combined with my health issues, that has led to an even deeper appreciation for delicious desserts that are completely allergy-friendly. If it’s delicious, allergy-friendly, and looks like a piece of artwork, I’m completely obsessed. And impressed.
That being said, it’s my mission to find and share the best eateries in the area, because you should never feel deprived! There are so many incredibly delicious places hiding in L.A., and it kills me that they don’t get more recognition! That’s what I’m here for.
I’ve been dying to feature Pomegranate for a long time now, and with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I realized I had to call attention to to it ASAP. Pomegranate is a dessert shop in West Hollywood that features all vegan, gluten-free, soy-free desserts. They use only the best ingredients – no refined sugar, no artificial colors, and no chemical preservatives. That’s rare to find, nowadays.
It’s pretty easy to find allergy-friendly ice cream in L.A., but when it comes to cakes, that’s a much harder task. Pomegranate stands out as somewhere you need to go if you want a healthy, delicious cake in your life (or bae’s).
They also have quite a few other desserts that you’d have a very difficult time finding allergy-friendly versions of anywhere else. Pomegranate serves delicious puddings, creme brûlée, cobblers, tarts, and more!
Not only are the desserts healthy, but they are also impeccably beautiful. The chefs put a lot of time, effort, and care into every single dessert they create. Each slice is truly a piece of artwork. Very picturesque and perfect for the ‘gram. It makes you appreciate your dessert so much more when it’s so beautiful, don’t you think?
In the shop, they have a lot of single serving slices ready-to-go, which you can buy right there. You can also order larger cakes for more people and order ahead if you need to! I’m already trying to decide what I want to order for my birthday in April…
They can do custom orders and wedding cakes, or you can select something from their very impressive whole-cake menu. Any of the cake slices you see in the shop can be made into a full cake. I have my eye on the Strawberry Chocolate, Raspberry Chocolate, and Double Chocolate cakes. But my heart is especially singing for the Salted Caramel Nuts and Chocolate Banana cake!
Their most popular dessert is the Green Tea Mousse Cake with Mochi, pictured above. If you enjoy green tea, you will adore this. I’m seriously obsessed. It has an incredible mixture of flavors and textures, and the mochi really adds a nice little flair. The green tea sponge cake layers alternate with a creamy mousse, and the whole thing ties together perfectly! I’ve never had anything like this before.
Another one of their most popular options is the Tiramisu. Divine. I’m not usually a Tiramisu person, but this makes me drool excessively.
And can we talk about how STUNNING this pumpkin pudding is?! I’ve never felt so in awe of an ombre effect in my life.
Another standout is the Raspberry Chocolate Cake. It’s almost too pretty to eat… almost. I’m a sucker for the raspberry/chocolate combo.
Then we have the Strawberry Chocolate Cake, another flavor combo that’s totally unreal. Chocolate loves to combine with strawberries. I want to inhale this.
I also almost fainted when I saw they had a baked apple pie. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed this, but gluten-free, vegan apple pie is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find anywhere. It’s something I felt like I would never have again unless I made it. I’ve found raw apple pies at some restaurants, but it’s not the same when it’s raw. This is the real deal, though.
If you’re a cobbler kinda person, then definitely check out their Blueberry Jam Cobbler! Good cobblers are very hard to find, but Pomegranate knows how to do it. If you’re into savory cakes, they have options for that too! Their Savory Pumpkin and Kale cake is extremely unique and fit to impress.
There is literally no better place to be on Valentine’s Day than Pomegranate. With the holiday coming up, the owners created some new, special cakes, and they have really good deals going on so you can satisfy all of your dessert cravings! You can get the three chocolate cake set just for Valentine’s Day… and I’m all over that.
One of the cakes they created just for Valentine’s Day is this Sugar-Free, Chocolate, Hazelnut, and Raspberry cake. Yes, you read that right. SUGAR-FREE. I kid you not, this might be the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had at a restaurant. I love the chocolate-hazelnut combo, and we all know adding raspberry to the mix just kicks it up to a new level. You would never know this is sugar-free! They use bananas to add the sweetness, and it’s plenty sweet. I definitely want a full size of this one!
The chocolate cake is seriously exquisite. I think if someone gave this to me on Valentine’s Day, I wouldn’t even know what to do with myself. Immediately marry that person? The desserts are so delicate and divine, and they taste even more delicious than they look.
The Strawberry Shortcake is another one that just completely steals the show. It’s SO PERFECT AND PRETTY. If you want to impress someone, this is all you need.
I also love their mini ice cream sliders – perfect for an ice cream sandwich lover like myself! My favorite flavor was the coffee ice cream in between the salted bitter caramel cookies — so amazing. The matcha green tea ice cream sandwich in between the sesame cookies is a close second, though.
Another thing I love about Pomegranate is that if you’re indecisive (hi!), you can order their Pomegranate Garden to sample everything. That’s so up my alley. I mean, how could anyone decide between all of the delicious desserts they have on their menu?! TRY THEM ALL.
As I mentioned before, Pomegranate also sells adorable, mini vegan/gluten-free cookies. My favorite are the Vanilla Coconut and Pumpkin cookies, but they have a ton of flavors to choose from – Orange Chocolate, Spiced Almond, Black and White Sesame, Salted Bitter Caramel, Matcha Green Tea, Fig and Raspberry, and more!
These bite-sized beauties will not disappoint. If you have a cookie-lover in your life, I would definitely recommend getting them the cookie tasting jar! It’s a cookie lover’s dream!
In addition to their special Valentine’s Day items, like the chocolate coated almonds, you can also find teas from American Tea Room (one of my favorite companies), organic skincare, juices from Juice Served Here, and other to-go food items, like sushi rolls.
While the desserts are exquisitely crafted and look very fancy, one of my favorite things about Pomegranate’s desserts are that they’re …not too much. Literally the perfect amount of sweetness, and the perfect size for dessert. You get your money’s worth, for sure, and you’re not going to feel sick from the sugar rush afterward. You can taste the real ingredients. None of that artificial ish.
Pomegranate’s sweet treats are beyond delicious. Whether or not you live a gluten-free or vegan lifestyle, you will adore these desserts. They are so unique and well-crafted – you can’t get anything like this anywhere else. Anyone who says that food intolerances hold you back…THIS IS PROOF THEY DON’T.
I also got to chat with the owner, Annie, and she is so incredibly sweet (like her desserts!). The amount of attention and care she puts towards her customers and the food is really something I admire, and only makes me love Pomegranate that much more!
Not sure about you, but I think this is a prime date spot. Obviously ideal for Valentine’s Day, but I’d happily head to Pomegranate all year round!
by Christina | Feb 2, 2017 | Wellness
On average, adults sit for about 6 hours each day. Now that more and more people have jobs that require staring at a computer screen, that number is increasing. So many of us spend most of our lives sitting on our butts….and we def shouldn’t be.
There are a ton of health risks that have been associated with sitting for too long. First of all, there’s weight gain. Sitting all day every day reduces the activity of lipoprotein lipase (an enzyme that helps us burn fat) by 90%. In English: sitting a lot leads to a slower metabolism. Besides weight gain, sitting for too long, too often has also been linked to cardiovascular disease. Too much sitting can increase blood pressure and shrink the diameter of the arteries, which is a risk factor for heart disease. Sitting too much has also been linked to osteoporosis. A lot of sitting decreases mineral bone density, which increases the chances of bone fractures. Being sedentary has also been correlated with decreased insulin sensitivity and diabetes (which go hand in hand). And that leads back to the weight gain. Yikes. Besides these specific risks, too much sitting has been linked to early death, in general.
What if you workout? The thing is, exercising doesn’t negate the effects of sitting on your butt all day long. So if you’re sitting for 8 hours at work or school, and then you drive to the gym and workout for an hour, you’re not saving yourself. Sure, exercise is good for you, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that you spent most of your day sitting down. Actually, it’s been shown that people who do exercise a lot are often the ones who sit more throughout the day, because they think, “Oh, I got my exercise.” (I used to be one of these people.)
Think about it. We weren’t designed to sit on our butts all day. We were designed to walk around and move throughout the day. A little sitting, a little standing, a little sprinting, a little lying. But definitely not sitting in a chair for 12 hours in a row, only getting up to go to the fridge and pee.
The best way to stay healthy? Don’t be sedentary! Try to spend half of your day standing or walking. First of all, take walking breaks during your work day. It’s not only good for your body, but it’s also good for your brain. You can’t just sit all day long. When someone calls you, get up and walk around while you talk. If you’re meeting with a friend or a coworker, walk and talk instead of sitting down for coffee. Just get up. It doesn’t mean you have to sprint walk. This isn’t about working out! It’s about moving, and not being on your butt. It can be slow movement, or just standing.
Another trick? I always either walk around or stand while I’m checking social media. Social media takes way too much time out of my day, and I’m not going to sit around while I go through my feed. You guys might have noticed that I walk in circles half the time when I’m making Insta-stories. My roommates think I’m weird, yes, but that’s okay. I’m preventing heart disease and diabetes! Score.
The big problem, though, is that there’s a lot of work I need to do throughout the day that I can’t do while moving. I know some people can read books while walking, but I can’t. I get dizzy. Enter: the standing desk. This has been a lifesaver. Ever since I bought a standing desk, I do almost all of my work standing up. At first it was weird, but now I can’t focus if I’m sitting down. I get antsy.
I bought a pretty cheap foldable table / standing desk on Amazon that I just stick on top of my desk to make it the right height for standing while working. There are a ton online, but this is the exact one I bought. You can go all out and buy a full-on standing desk if you want to, but it’s not really necessary. If you don’t want to buy anything, find somewhere in your living/work space that’s tall enough to act as your standing desk. For example, when I’m in my bedroom, I do my work on top of my dresser. It’s the perfect height. Out in the living room, I either use the little fold-out table I bought on Amazon, or we put our computers on top of the fireplace mantel. Get creative. Do you have a bar area? Maybe that’s a good height. A cabinet? A counter? Look around – I’m sure you’ll find something.
Besides preventing all of those unfortunate health risks I mentioned before, using a standing desk has other benefits, too. Working while standing has been shown to increase energy and productivity. One study suggests that working at a standing desk can increase productivity by 46%. I don’t know about you, but I want to be 46% more productive. Ben Greenfield (one of my idols) cites this all the time, so I’m all over it. Using a standing desk can also increase your core strength and might even help with your posture. Think about it…you probably hunch over when you sit at your desk. Lastly, standing more often will help you burn extra calories throughout the week. I hear it’s 87 more a day. Not a ton, but still.
People might think you’re weird at first, but whatever. They’re the ones missing out! Like most healthy habits, people will make fun of you at first, and then they’ll copy you. And they’ll be jealous they didn’t do it first. Once you get into the standing-while-working lifestyle, you might develop different feelings toward your favorite coffee shop that you usually do work at. That’s okay. You’ll eventually find a spot with a high enough table. OWN IT.
In all seriousness, I feel the difference. Now that I’m used to standing while working, I can’t go back to sitting. It makes me feel like a slug, and I can’t get as much done. I don’t have time to not get a lot done, and you probably don’t either. So get off your butt and work at a standing desk! You’ll thank me later.
