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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

My Latest Concoction – Organic Black Sesame Seed Milk

Earlier this year, I wrote a post talking about the tremendous health benefits of black sesame seeds.

I love putting them on quinoa, millet, and on my salads, and they add a whole new dimension to whatever food that I am eating.

Since Brazil nut milk and cashew milk are two drinks that I make quite often, I started asking myself “What if I made a milk out of organic black sesame seeds?”

My immediate thought was that the taste would be too harsh or too strong, and that I would need to use a lot of honey or organic palm sugar to even it out.

Over the past week or so, I have been experimenting with black sesame seed milk and much to my surprise, I have been thrilled with the results.

A few things:

– The taste is not as bad as I thought it would be.

– The texture is lighter than a Brazil nut or a cashew milk.

– I use a different ratio of water to seeds than water to nuts. With nuts, it is generally 5:1 (5 servings of water to one serving of nuts). With the black sesame seeds, I use a ratio of probably 10:1.

You vary the ratio depending upon how thick or thin you want your milk to be. But for the black sesame seed milk, I felt that for some inexplicable reason the ratio needed to be expanded.

If you have no idea what I am talking about here, please watch the video at the bottom of this post and that should explain everything.

– The sesame seed milk was not as black as I thought it would be. This is probably because 5-10% of the seeds were not actually black but white.

– When I made a smoothie (picture in the right) using organic black sesame seed milk as the base, I used two bananas, one tablespoon of raw cacao powder, one teaspoon of organic palm sugar, and one scoop of protein powder.

And how did it taste?

Definitely good enough to earn a spot in the rotation with Brazil nut milk and cashew milk.

– Not sure how to make nut milk? Take a look at the video above.

If you want to make organic black sesame seed milk, it is the exact same process except that you alter the ratio of water/seeds.

If you’re looking for organic black sesame seeds, they can be purchased online.

The mesh strainer that I use in the video above, can be purchased by clicking here.

Good luck!

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

The Mystery Behind Organic Honey

One question has been really bothering me as of late: Is there such a thing as USDA certified organic honey?

Despite the picture you see above, there is good reason for me to have serious doubt.  Here is why.

In the past, I have spoken to numerous local beekeepers and when I asked them if their honey is organic, they have all told me that there is no such thing as USDA certified organic honey.

Yet when I go to the market, I see one or two brands of honey that have the USDA organic seal on the label. Almost all of the honey that has the seal on it comes from Brazil, which has made me wonder whether there is some type of corruption going on with the certification.

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A message from Tradin Organic

Why Tradin Organic is Prioritizing Regenerative Organic Farming

At Tradin Organic, we believe that regenerative organic farming is key to growing healthy and nutritious food ingredients — for now and for future generations.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Why Organic Coffee is So Important

A girl I used to know in New York City was so fanatical about recycling that she would literally take empty bottles home from bars because she feared that they would be tossed in the garbage.

I’ll never forget the time when we were out one night and she started filling up her designer handbag with empty beer bottles, which weren’t even hers!  She was that committed to the environment.

Yet, when she drank her coffee each morning, organic coffee was never even a consideration.

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, this didn’t make much sense.  Why?

Because conventionally-grown coffee is incredibly unhealthy for people and the planet.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Pure Rooms are a MUST for Wellness-Minded Travelers

Having recently returned from Natural Products Expo West, a very intense and long five days visiting hundreds of trade show booths and meeting with dozens and dozens of people, one thing is very clear — I felt incredibly fortunate to have stayed in a Pure Room.

Launched by a company called Pure Wellness, a Pure Room is an extremely unique hotel offering that is addressing the needs of wellness-minded travelers in a way that I have never seen before. For people who place a serious priority on health, such as myself and many Living Maxwell readers, it is reassuring to know that this lifestyle can be maintained when on the road.

And now that I have stayed in a Pure Room on three separate occasions — most recently at two different hotels in the Los Angeles area for Natural Products Expo West — these hotel rooms have completely changed the way that I think about travel and how I book my accommodations.

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