Delicious, Healthy, AND Easy to Make “Superfood” Raw Cacao Brownies!

Are you ready to make the most delicious raw cacao brownies from scratch in only 10 minutes??

If no, please scroll down and read  the AMAZING HEALTH BENEFITS of ALL the ingredients in these Superfood no bake brownies.

If yes then bam here’s the recipe:

Raw Cacao Brownie (Jenius Style) Recipe: (10  minutes-TOTAL)

2 cups of organic walnuts (Because walnuts have a lot of pest issues and as such are saturated with pesticides and                                                       more chemicals than any other nut.  Their fat content allows them to absorb these                                                                 chemicals..so ORGANIC is very important when it comes to buying walnuts.)

1/2 cup of raw cacao power

**1/3 cup of maca***add in

pinch of  real salt

1 cup of de-pitted dates or date paste

(Yes only 4 ingredients unless you add maca and cinnamon..which are both new additions!) **Note you could add some cinnamon as well for some additional health benefits….what ever amount you want..the more you add the more it taste like gingerbread cookie.**

You will also need a food processor..and that’s it!

1. Put 2 cups of walnuts into food processor and grind until fine.

2. Add 1/2 cup of raw cacao powder (maca if adding) & pinch of salt into food processor….30 seconds or until blended. If not blending properly then use a spoon along the side to loosen. (while food processor is OFF of course.)

3. De-pit 1 cup of dates and slowly add them into the food processor..between each addition wait for food processor to “calm down.”

4. Once well mixed remove and shape as desired. I like to make small balls (the size of a whole date.)

5. Eat! Try not to eat all of them…SHARE!!

(6.) If you don’t eat them all, put them in a sealed container and put them in the refrigerator, then when wanting to eat again, remove from refrigerator and sealed container for 1-2 hours. FYI: They’ll never be as good as they were when first created but pretty close!

Health benefits of these easy to make, raw cacao brownies:

Walnuts

1. They’re packed with omega-3 fatty acids. A diet rich in omega-3s is beneficial in reducing depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cancer and Alzheimer’s disease and there’s also strong evidence that omega-3s counter inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease.

2. They can reduce risk of diabetes Women who reported eating one ounce (30 g) of nuts at least five times per week reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by almost 30 percent compared to those who rarely or never ate nuts, say researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. The mono- and polyunsaturated fats in nuts are good for insulin sensitivity.

3. They contain antioxidants that boost heart health. A new study from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania shows walnuts have higher quality antioxidants and a mix of more healthful antioxidants than any other nut.

4. They can help you deal with stress. A diet rich in walnuts and walnut oil may help the body deal better with stress. Research published last year in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that walnuts and walnut oil lowered both resting blood pressure and blood pressure responses to stress in the laboratory. The researchers said the study shows that a dietary change could help our bodies better respond to stress.

5. They can reduce the risk of breast cancer. Eating about 28 walnut halves a day provides antioxidants and phytosterols that may help reduce the risk of breast cancer, according to a study at the Marshall University School of Medicine in West Virginia. Mice were fed a daily diet with the human equivalent of two ounces (60 g) of walnuts. Compared to mice fed a control diet, the walnut eaters had significantly decreased breast tumor incidence and a slower rate of tumor growth.

Raw Cacao Powder

1. Raw chocolate can lower blood pressure & improve circulation. Flavanols, theobromine, and other components found in cacao may lower blood pressure and enhance circulation by promoting dilation, strength, and health of blood vessels

2. Raw chocolate can promote cardiovascular function & health. The antioxidant power of flavonoids and essential minerals and vitamins found in cacao can support healthy heart functioning5 by lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow, lowering LDL cholesterol, and reducing plaque buildup on artery walls.6

3. Raw chocolate Can Neutralize free radicals/ Shields nerve cells from damage. High levels of antioxidants protect the body from a buildup of free radicals from sun exposure, pollution, cigarette smoking, etc., which may damage healthy body tissue giving rise to cancer and cardiovascular disease. So basically cacao also reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease & stroke.

4. Raw Chocolate can improve digestion. A sufficient amount of fiber delivered with each serving of cacao supports digestion while cacao stimulates the body’s production of digestive enzymes.

5. Raw chocolate can enhance physical and mental well-being. There are many components of cacao including alkaloids, proteins, beta-carotene, leucine, linoleic, lipase, lysine, and theobromine, that all work together to improve physical and mental health.  For example, theombromine helps to stimulate the central nervous system, relax smooth muscles, and dilate blood vessels, giving the body a boost of energy;  “bliss” chemicals found in cacao help to increase circulation and availability of serotonin and other neurotransmitters in brain, improving mood and combating depression. Cacao can increase levels of certain neurotransmitters that promote a sense of well-being, which is the same brain chemical that is released when we experience deep feelings of love – phenylethylamine.

6. Lowers insulin resistance (great for diabetics)

7. Protects your nervous system: Cacao is high in resveratrol, a potent antioxidant also found in red wine, known for its ability to cross your blood-brain barrier to help protect your nervous system

8. Reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease: The antioxidants found in cacao help to maintain healthy levels of Nitric Oxide in the body. Although Nitric Oxide has heart benefiting qualities, such as relaxing blood vessels and reducing blood pressure, it also produces toxins. The antioxidants in cacao neutralizes these toxins, protecting your heart and preventing against disease.

9. Guards against toxins: as a potent antioxidant, cacao can repair the damage caused by free radicals and may reduce the risk of certain cancers. In fact cacao contains far more antioxidants per 100g than acai, goji berries and blueberries. Antioxidants are responsible for 10% of the weight of raw cacao.

10. It is rich in minerals: magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper and manganese.

 

Real Salt or himalayan sea salt or any health salt (but NOT table salt)

Real Salt® brand sea salt comes from an ancient sea bed in Central Utah, where for more than 30 years we’ve delivered completely natural sea salt — nothing added, nothing taken away. That means you get more than 60 trace minerals in a delicious, healthy salt that is never chemically treated, bleached, or kiln dried.

Dates

1. Promotes Digestive Health, Relieving Constipation – Fiber is essential for promoting colon health and making for regular bowel movements. The insoluble and soluble fiber found in dates help to clean out the gastrointestinal system, allowing the colon to work at greater levels of efficiency. Some other benefits relating to fiber and colon health are reduced risks of colitis, colon cancer, and hemorrhoids. (Dates could even be coupled with other home remedies for hemorrhoids.)

2. Boosting Heart Health – In addition to promoting colon health, fiber is also known to boost heart health.

3. Anti-Inflammatory – Dates are rich in magnesium – a mineral known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. One study found that “inflammatory indicators in the body such as CRP (C-reactive protein), TNF (tumor necrosis factor alpha), and IL6 (interleukin 6) were all reduced when magnesium intake was increased.” Further, inflammation in the arterial walls was also reduced with magnesium intake. Based on magnesium’s anti-inflammatory properties and the findings of this study, magnesium can effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other inflammation-related health ailments.

4. Reduced Blood Pressure – Magnesium has been shown to help lower blood pressure – and again, dates are full of the mineral. Additionally, potassium is another mineral in dates that has several functions within the body, aiding with the proper workings of the heart and helping to reduce blood pressure.

5. Reduced Stroke Risk – After evaluating 7 studies published over a 14 year time period, researchers found stroke risk was reduced by 9% for every every 100 milligrams of magnesium a person consumes per day. The research can be found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

6. A Healthy Pregnancy and Delivery – Further adding to the health benefits of dates, one study performed by researchers at the University of Science and Technology set out to discover how the date fruit impacted labor parameters and delivery outcomes. After studying 69 women for a year and 1 month, the researchers found that “the consumption of date fruit in the last 4 weeks before labour significantly reduced the need for induction and augmentation of labor, and produced a more favorable, but non-significant, delivery outcome. The results warrant a randomized controlled trial.”

7. Boosting Brain Health – Some studies, such as one found in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that sufficient vitamin B6 levels are associated with improved brain performance and better test scores.

Basically these are the best thing ever and good for diabetics, pregnant women, and pretty much everyone! ENJOY!!

Love, US!

Ashley & Jenius

@ashleyiocco & @jeniuslife

@shopashleylove & @jeniushealth