THAT ARE ALSO DARN GOOD FOR YOU!

Maca or Ashwagandha Balls and Hot Cacao & Reishi Latte

BY CIRCLE YOGA SHALA’S, CHEF DAVA

Maca or Ashwagandha Balls

Use Maca if you want energy and focus or if you want to balance your hormones. Use Ashwagandha if you want to relax, sleep well and regulate your thyroid and adrenal systems. Though they are both adaptogens, I wouldn’t put them in the same Ball, as they are meant for opposite reactions in your body via, energy and relaxation.  You will notice more effect by taking them separately.

You have to have a Cuisinart/food processor for this one.

• 2 tsp melted coconut oil or ghee
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1-2 T Raw honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup almonds or cashews or a mix of both
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp Ashwagandha or Maca

Add all of these ingredients to your food processor and pulse until you have a sticky dough that holds together. Add a little extra coconut oil or ghee if the balls don’t hold together.  Add Ghee or Coconut oil to your hands next little and shape them into balls. Store in the fridge in a covered container and eat them at your leisure.

Maca Powder is a super adaptogen. Adaptogens go to work in you as regulators helping your body do its daily balancing act. Maca is most known for giving you amazing energy, mood, focus and for balancing estrogen. Gals say goodbye to those night sweats and hot flashes and say goodbye to postmenopausal depression too. For you fellas, Maca can increase your libido and make you more fertile and help with performance. Hoo Ha! Maybe a little more trial and error on that one, wink wink.

Ashwagandha is one of Ayurveda’s most revered medicines. It is highly indicated as a fall and winter remedy because of its warming energy. It’s kind of stinky so using it in these balls really helps to mask its horsey smell. It is key for balancing Vata Dosha. It is useful for so many things that it is hard to mention them all. It goes deeply into your tissues and It can help regulate your immune, neurological, endocrine and reproductive systems. I love it best for its ability to lower stress. I have an underachieving thyroid and tired adrenals and this is my go-to herb. Try mixing a tsp of Ashwagandha and a pinch of Nutmeg into your Golden milk at night for deep sleep. I’ll give you that recipe in January!

Hot Cacao & Reishi Latte

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup favorite milk (Goat, Cow, Almond, Coconut, etc)
• 1 T Cacao powder
• 1 tsp reishi mushroom powder
• 1 tsp ghee or coconut oil
• Pinch of cardamom and cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1-1/2 T of maple syrup or agave

Serves 2 yogis

Instructions:

Add all your ingredients to a small pot and bring to a simmer (low boil) for a few minutes.

Next, you will want it to be good and frothy, right? Use an immersion blender to blend it to a froth or do what I do and put it in your vita mix.

Yum!

Here is a little info I gathered from the internet on Reishi and Cacao. I love this new trend of edible adaptogens.  There are great products being made as well as supplemental powders that you can add to your own recipes. These highly revered and timeless natural adaptogens, fungi and mood boosters are trendy right now, but I can easily see why.  You can buy all of these boosters online or at your local health food store. As a perc, they are user-friendly, too. When I know I won’t have time for a cacao break midday, I blend the Reishi into my morning coffee for an effortless superpower kind of day.

Reishi Mushrooms are prized for their ability to strengthen your immune system, fight cancer, decrease anxiety and depression, balance your blood sugar and they help you sleep at night!

Raw Cacao is full of phytonutrients and flavonoids. These properties make cacao responsible for weight loss, euphoria, muscle, and nervous system regulation and are even constipation relieving. Oh my, it does so much more and doesn’t forget the best thing! It is chocolate…

Enjoy this drink all winter long and please let us know if you like it, Hugs!