Everyday Alternative Medicine And Green Clean Eating Page: Coconut

With all the talk about how good coconut oil is for you, as well as other parts of the coconut, it is worth investigating. I just saw a Facebook post saying that coconut oil will help you lose weight. There was also a picture with it ( a drawing) of a woman with a tape measure going around her waist. On the final picture, this once fat woman was now slim, due to taking coconut oil. Maybe this is the key to losing weight.

Last year, my mother in law, who lived about 2 hours away from us, was suffering from dementia. I had heard that coconut oil helps with dementia, so when we went to visit her, I made her some candy with coconut milk and oil. I love this stuff, and she did too, according to what I had heard. She was becoming a picky eater, but there was no problem with her eating the candy I made (I don't even think I added any sugar to it). If I lived up there, I would have given this to her all the time, but because we lived so far away, it was hard to get this homemade candy to her.

When I sold Shaklee, we had available some informal classes on nutrition and health, and I was in a place where I could go to these classes. I learned a lot from them. They taught us how to make protein balls with their protein powder. The recipe goes something like this:

Protein Powder Balls

1/3 protein powder
1/3 honey
1/3 peanut butter

Combine and roll into balls. Eat and enjoy this nourishing snack.

I have come up with my version of something similar, but with the value of coconut too.

Coconut Protein balls

1/2 cup protein power
coconut cream (a can of coconut milk separated. Put in fridge to help with separation before opening)
flaked coconut (you can get unsweetened)
Peanut butter (optional)
1 TBS. coconut oil

Coating
Chocolate chips, melted (I would use chocolate chips that have a high percentage of cacao).

This recipe is a little tricky because the coconut cream will make it very soupy and hard to work with. Take a can of coconut milk and put it in the fridge for a while, then open and the cream part should be separated from the liquid like milk part. Combine protein powder, coconut cream, coconut, peanut butter, if using, and oil. Add more protein powder if too soft. The rolled balls will be very soft, and they need to be refrigerated for them to harden. After they are rolled, place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
I have put too much protein powder into them and then they become kind of hard when in the refrigerator. You can add peanut butter if you want to, but it is not necessary. If you like peanut butter, it is a good choice to add. If you leave the peanut butter out, the coconut protein balls appear like Mounds bars. Also, coconut butter can be added (see picture below).
Melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler or on very, very low heat. The chocolate chips are the only thing in this recipe that contains sugar. I have added liquid stevia to the mixture to make it sweeter.
Dip the balls into the melted chocolate chips. Put back in the refrigerator to harden again.
I don't really have any measurements to this, and I add the ingredients until they make a fairly good consistency. They will be very soft until refrigerated.
Another word about chocolate chips; If they are heated too high, the chocolate will 'seize' which I guess means that the melted chocolate will be grainy and will not spread. Been there. Done that.