The way we keep ourselves balanced through these cold winter months in this house is by moving. Early morning ski missions, chilly runs in the cold, bike rides after the sun has warmed the canyons, spinning our wheels into the long-shadow times of day. It’s how we continue to fill our cups through the dark. And all of it requires SNACKS.
I have a couple of heirloom tins on my countertop this time of year, always filled with a few options to sate us as we leap from movement to work, and all around the dynamic pieces of our lives. These Better Butterscotch Blondies are a long-time favorite recipe that deserves a home here because they’re SUCH craveable fuel. They make one or two appearances in these special tins as the season parades through. Most of the time we opt for treats that are sweetened with maple syrup, or coconut sugar. But no one is ever sorry to see a little stack of them when they go hunting for ride fuel, ski snacks or mid-afternoon treats. They’re dense and chewy, sweet and satisfying. Decadent, and purposeful both – a spoonful of sugar is medicine, sometimes.
When I ask new clients to describe their eating habits, many of them tell me they “eat clean.”
This is effectively the same thing as “eating healthy.” And, from an Ayurvedic perspective, it doesn’t mean much.
For them, this typically means that they eat foods that make them feel good about their choices and avoid foods that they have heard are “dirty.” These substances vary for everyone, but most often the biggest offenders are things like gluten, dairy, sugar…I could go on. All foods that generally came from a whole real food, have been rumored (by some short-sighted modern study) to have “side effects,” and have all been bastardized by our food system one million times over.
While limiting these offensive substances has allowed them to feel good about their choices, these same “clean eaters” have often allowed highly processed foods into their lives in other forms such as store-bought oatmilk or almond milk, virtuously labeled microwave meals and ready-made, pre-frozen smoothies, energy bars, protein powders, supplements, snack foods and so so so much more.
From the perspective of Ayurveda, there aren’t and good foods or bad foods. All foods can bring benefit, and harm to the body. The discerning factor is HOW we use them and consume them. This wisdom is so ancient – 6000 years at least – that “clean food” means food that was prepared that day, and not a single moment more. Which is to say that eating a microwave meal prepared months ago then shipped around the world is far more “dirty” than a cookie you baked yourself. Food for thought.
Sugar holds a special place in Ayurvedic medicine. Sweet foods (including sugar) are recognized as some of the most nutrient-dense, physically valuable foods we can consume. Foods with sweet flavors include fruits, root vegetables, animal products, grains, and of course sweeteners like sugar, honey, maple etc. These foods biologically help to nutrify the body, replenish energy stores, reduce inflammation, soothe the nervous system, moisturize the tissues and more. We know this, even with our sciency brains: we know that “sweets” give us energy (and sugar crashes if they’re used improperly) and are what we crave when we feel stressed. The only harm done here is when we reach for a highly refined food instead of a real food when we feel this urge, when we receive this important message from the body saying “please send sweets!” This is a critical, important message about the state of our energy stores. It’s important that we honor that call.
Refined sugar – specifically granulated sugar that has been stripped of its nutrients and minerals, bleached and packaged – contains no nutritional benefit. This is not a great thing to put into the body when it’s asking for nourishment….because it provides none. And this is the ingredient prevalent in our foods when we buy a bag that says “granulated sugar” on it, or when we buy a packaged food that lists sugar in the ingredients. This empty food confuses the body by sending a messages to the nervous system and digestive system that nutritionally dense food is on the way! But when the package arrives, it’s empty. Leaving us feeling drained and our systems feeling inflamed — our bodies need the promise of quality nutrition to come through.
We want to steer clear of nutrition-less foods as much as possible. This includes refined sugar, but also stevia, monkfruit, and all of the other zero-nutrient, zero-calorie sweeteners out there.
We need to listen to our bodies requests for sweet. But we also need to honor them, rather than sabotage them.
Unless we’re eating sugar cane straight from the field, all of our sugars are “refined” to some degree. But we can now easily find sugars and sweeteners that have their minerals, nutrients and other beneficial ingredients intact. The dark brown sugar and cane sugar (unbleached) used in this recipe are two examples. But so too are coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey, and on. These foods are – if we’re living active lives – very important for us to incorporate into our diets in moderation. Because they deliver energy, specifically for high-output events. Because they help our nervous systems downgrade after stressful efforts, they deliver much needed glucose to muscles in action and on and on.
Enjoying foods with these special substances is helpful and part of a “clean-burning fuel” program from an Ayurvedic perspective. (ESPECIALLY if we’re implementing appropriate digestive care!)
If eating “clean” means eating whole, nourishing foods that come from real, whole foods sources (even sugar cane plants,) then sign me UP.
Are a winter favorite fuel for me. I love taking a dense, chewy something with me out into the mountains, knowing it won’t get hard in the cold. These blondies go particularly well with a warm mug of cider or Ginger Aide if you’re sweating. And they’re also a lovely mid-afternoon snack to enjoy on a cozy, cold day where you want a moment to reflect.
They came to be after I fell in love with an old blondie recipe from one of my mother’s cookbooks; realizing that the texture of this heavenly treat was perfect for packing in a pocket, but the fat and sugar content made for a treat too decadent or sweet to enjoy when I’m on the move, I replaced some of the butter with applesauce and employed whole grains. These little tweaks worked and the result is a perfectly moist blondie that’s easy to digest, sweet (but not too sweet) and lovely no matter where you take them.
They’re easy to make, require few extra ingredients, and are very difficult to mess up.
No matter how you use them, I hope you love them as much as we do!
That's ok, just sign up or log in to see this recipe.