Thursday, August 29, 2013

Great Breakfast Smoothie!

This is one of our favorite go to Smoothies in our home that not only tastes wonderful it also holds you over from hours and hours. Throw everything into the high speed blender and give it a whip. We make the recipe up the night before minus the frozen bananas and leave it in the Ninja container inside the fridge overnight. Pull it out, add the frozen bananas and more almond milk if you need to thin it out some and hit the ON BUTTON. Instant healthy breakfast on the go!



This is Dr Fuhrman's Chocolate Smoothie recipe from his Eat to Live Plan

Great way to start the day and get your greens in too without anyone knowing...Wink Wink

Sunday, August 11, 2013

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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Fresh Bountiful Basket Produce Makes Wonder Soup!

Almost every week on Monday I place an order with the Bountiful Basket Co Op for amazing produce...I say almost because 1 week a month (yikes 2 in August), he has to work so that Saturday afternoon we always hit the farmers market in Dallas. If you have never experienced Bountiful Basket Co Op check and see if it is offered in your area. We get top rate produce for a remarkable price. Anyways on with my story.... This is what I create for us to eat on this week based on my BB Basket 2 Saturdays ago (yes it is still fresh...AMAZING!) and a few items from the Farmer's Market this past weekend.
Cabbage soup
1 head of cabbage chopped
1 half head of Napa Cabbage chopped
8 nice size roma tomatoes chopped
1 white or yellow onion chopped
6 carrots chopped into bite size disc
2 carrots to be finally chopped
1 hatch or bell pepper chopped
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped (want more heat add 2)
1 head of garlic minced
½ head of cauliflower flowers chopped
Sea salt to taste
2 teaspoons pepper

Put all the above into a large of water except for the 2 carrots and ¼ of the cabbage head.
Bring to a boil and turn down to medium.
Last... chop the 2 carrots along with the ¼ head of lettuce.( I use my Ninja on pulse to do this.)
Add the finely chopped carrots and cabbage to the boil and continue to cook.  The soup is done when the cauliflower is soft. It usually takes about a hour to hour and half on medium heat. Make sure the water doesn't go down.



This makes a HUGE pot of soup that we eat on all week long. If you eat quinoa, cook some in water or veggie stock and add to a bowl topping with the soup. This makes a wonderful and healthy  meal all year long.



Friday, August 2, 2013

Mangoes are all the Rage this Summer

Mangoes Here ...Mangoes There ...Mangoes, Mangoes Everywhere..


I love Mangoes and today I made up a Mango Black Bean Salsa for dinner. The recipe can be found at our sister blog Recipes 4 Shweet Living.
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Mangos taste so good that people forget they are also healthy!  Discover how the “king of fruits” can help you, plus fascinating trivia and a few mango cautions and concerns.

Health Benefits:
1.  Prevents Cancer: Research has shown antioxidant compounds in mango fruit have been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. These compounds include quercetin, isoquercitrin, astragalin, fisetin, gallic acid and methylgallat, as well as the abundant enzymes.
2.  Lowers Cholesterol: The high levels of fiber, pectin and vitamin C help to lower serum cholesterol levels, specifically Low-Density Lipoprotein (the bad stuff)
3.  Clears the Skin: Can be used both internally and externally for the skin. Mangos clear clogged pores and eliminate pimples. (Read more on page 5.)
4.  Eye Health: One cup of sliced mangoes supplies 25 percent of the needed daily value of vitamin A, which promotes good eyesight and prevents night blindness and dry eyes.
5.  Alkalizes the Whole Body: The tartaric acid, malic acid, and a trace of citric acid found in the fruit help to maintain the alkali reserve of the body.
6. Helps in Diabetes: Mango leaves help normalize insulin levels in the blood.  The traditional home remedy involves boiling leaves in water, soaking through the night and then consuming the filtered decoction in the morning. Mango fruit also have a relatively low glycemic index (41-60) so moderate quantities will not spike your sugar levels.
7. Improved Sex: Mangos are a great source of vitamin E. Even though the popular connection between sex drive and vitamin E was originally created by a mistaken generalization on rat studies, further research has shown balanced proper amounts (as from whole food) does help in this area.
8. Improves Digestion: Papayas are not the only fruit that contain enzymes for breaking down protein. There are several fruits, including mangoes, which have this healthful quality. The fiber in mangos also helps digestion and elimination.
9. Remedy for Heat Stroke: Juicing the fruit from green mango and mixing with water and a sweetener helps to cool down the body and prevent harm to the body. From an ayurvedic viewpoint, the reason people often get diuretic and exhausted when visiting equatorial climates is because the strong “sun energy” is burning up your body, particularly the muscles.  The kidneys then become overloaded with the toxins from this process. ****Use Coconut water with Mango to balance without having to add a sweetener. ****
10. Boosts Immune system The generous amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A in mangos, plus 25 different kinds of carotenoids keep your immune system healthy and strong.

Info from an Article by Diana Herrington