Smoothie Run

I have been planning to go on a morning run for weeks, (Ask Dan- he thought this day would never come as I repeatedly pressed snooze on my alarm-clock for 2 weeks straight). But Today I FINALLY did it. I left my apt at 630 AM and ran for 30 minutes. My goal is to make it a morning routine! Afterwards, I rewarded myself with a green smoothie!

Green Smoothie Recipe
-1/2 c Frozen Pineapple: bromelain and manganese*
-6 ea Organic Frozen Strawberries: vitamin C, A, B-complex vitamins, silicon, fiber and potassium.*
-1/2 Organic Cucumber: silicon*
-6 Kale leaves: chlorophyll, calcium, iron, and vitamins A + C*
-2 Tbsp E3 Live: B vitamins, Chlorophyll
-2 Tbsp Organic Aloe Vera Juice: increase immune support, contains antibiotic, antiviral, antiparasitic and astringent properties*
-1 Tbsp Chia Seeds: protein, Omega 3
-1 Tbsp Hemp Seeds: Protein, Omega 3+6
-1 Tbsp Flax Oil: Omega 3
-Spring water (Just enough to blend): hydrating

Cheers!

* Wood, Rebecca, The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia

Millet, My Super Grain!

Dan surprised me last night with dinner. Again! He told me he was going to be at work late so I was terrified when I opened my door to lights and a manly "hello." He made it up to me when he told me "dinner is ready." Dinner is by far the largest meal of my day! (Due to my mid-shift schedule I skip lunch). Last night Dan told me, "no one believes me when I tell them how much you can eat." I love to eat and I can put it away when it comes to produce and whole grains. A huge bonus of eating healthy, gluten-free, vegan food is I can eat as much as my stomach desires. Shockingly after consuming this large plate of food I went back for seconds. Don't judge. I was satiated but not uncomfortably full.

 

Millet is a gluten free nutritional powerhouse and a versatile ingredient:

"Of all the true cereal grains, millet has the richest amino-acid protein profile and the highest iron content. Ir is very rich in phosphorus and the B vitamins. It is gluten free and due to its high alkaline ash content, the easiest grain to digest. USE: If millet is cooked with little liquid (1 cup millet to 2+1/4 cups liquid), it makes a light, dry, fluffy pilaf. Increase the liquid to 3 cups and it has a smooth texture like mashed potatoes or polenta." 

Woods, Rebecca. The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia

Dan cooked about 2 cups of millet and stirred in sauteed garlic, ginger and crimini mushrooms. He added a splash of brown rice vinegar. It was rich and flavorful. I proclaimed it could easily be a stuffing. He topped the millet with lightly sauteed fresh corn, summer squash and scallion. The side dish included arugula, hot house tomato, shaved red onion and avocado tossed with apple cider vinegar and flax seed oil. Before I dug in I added a drizzle of coconut oil to the corn and pilaf combo. Rich and decadent but not heavy!

My Mornings...

 I begin my day with a cup of warm water and the juice of half a lemon. Lemon is alkalizing to the body and revs up your digestion by stimulating bile production in the liver. It is super cleansing and pretty painless to consume.

Recently I rekindled my obsession with cantaloupe. A couple of weeks ago they were on sale 2 for $3 and I've been hooked ever since! Unfortunately they're back to $2.99 each... 
Cantaloupe is high in beta-carotene and potassium. Since melon has a high water content it is best to eat them solo to avoid fermentation in the stomach due to food combining. Wood, The new whole foods encyclopedia.

Three months ago I switched my skincare products over in search of healthier versions. I've been going crazy trying to find the perfect trio of products. In a nutshell my skin does not like change and its REBELLING. Hormonal imblance is also a likely culprit...
I started drinking this herbal tea about a week ago. Green tea is included so it's a welcome morning side-kick.

I got inspired by tara bliss's idea to add coconut oil to her morning tea. One word: Yum!

I also prepare an herbal skin saver ice tea for the evening... serving as the perfect dinner beverage. I boil 1 quart of water and then add a tea bag of red raspberry, rose hips and dandelion.

 

 Dandelion: Calcium, iron, magensium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc,vitamins B1,2,3 and C. Cleanses the blood and liver, and increases bile production. Improves functioning of the kidneys, pancreas, spleen and stomach.*

Rose Hips: Calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, vitamins B1, B2, B3, C and E. 

Red Raspberry Leaf: Calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, silicon, zinc and vitamins B1,2,3, C, and E. Promotes healthy nails, bones, teeth, and skin.*

I toss in the other half of lemon and let it cool in the fridge until I return in the evening. It's super refreshing and tasty!

Lastly, I take 3 tablespoons of E3 Live blue-green algae before I head to work.

* Prescription for Nutritional Healing

** IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION OR TAKING MEDICINE CONSULT A DOCTOR BEFORE ADDING HERBS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO YOUR DIET TO AVOID COMPLICATIONS. I AM NOT A DOCTOR OR A NUTRITIONIST. THIS IS JUST WHAT WORKS FOR ME. EVERY BODY IS DIFFERENT!

Quinoa stuffed mushrooms

Dan made dinner! Quinoa stuffed mushrooms. It was delicious and apparently only took him 15 minutes to make (including the quinoa). 

Ingredients:
white quinoa, 1/2 c, (uncooked)
garlic clove, 1 ea, minced
ginger, minced, 2 tsp
scallion, 2 ea, chopped
yellow bell pepper, 1 ea, diced
kale, 6 leaves, sliced thin
vine ripe tomato, 1 ea diced
portobello caps, 2 ea, whole
crimini mushrooms, 1+1/2 c, chopped
shiitake mushrooms, 1/2 c, sliced
cold pressed olive oil, 2 tsp
brown rice vinegar, to taste (less than 1 tsp)
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

-Cook quinoa on stove with 1+1/2 c of water and a pinch of sea salt. Place lid on pot once it reaches a boil and reduce heat to low.
-Place salted and peppered portobello caps in preheated oven (450 degrees) for about 15 minutes.
-Add 2 tsp of olive oil to sautee pan. Sweat the minced garlic and ginger. Add yellow pepper, shiitake and crimini mushrooms. Once veggies have softened add the kale and tomato!

Dan added baby arugula as a side dish. I definitely piled on  3 more handfuls to my plate AFTER taking the photo. I dressed the greens with flax seed oil and raw apple cider vinegar. Amazing protein packed meal! 

P.S. Sorry for my two month hiatus! I'll be better... I promise!

SUPER GREEN

 

I have been planning to juice all spring and today was the day. Last week Dan ordered a bunch of greens from Verill Farm in Concord, MA. I have been eating greens twice a day for a week and I still have a shelf full. I refused to let them go bad so JUICING it is! 

I could have added an apple but I prefer bitter greens. If you are just beginning to juice and need to make the greens more palatable definitely add apple, beet, carrot or cantaloupe...the options are endless. 

Today I made a Skin Saver Juice:
Organic Dandelion Greens: Chlorophyll and vitamin A rich
Organic Radishes: Silicon rich
Organic Cucumber (Whole Foods), Silicon and Chlorophyll (from the skin)
Organic Lemon (WholeFoods), vitamin C rich and a great liver cleanser

I attempted to blend it together all at once but that was not working. So...I took all the produce out and juiced the cucumber and lemon (no rind) together first. I slowly added in the radishes and Dandelion. I also added just enough water to get the blender going. Once everything was blended I put it through a nut milk bag to extract the juice from the pulp. NOTE:You definitely do not need a juicer or blender to make juice. You can simply blend your produce in a food processor (adding just enough water to blend) and then put the puree through a nut milk bag OR cheesecloth.

Nut milk bag

Cheers!

Mushroom Burgers

I had three packages of mushrooms and a fridge full of greens so I decided to make burgers. 

-Organic Baby Portobello mushrooms, 3 packs

-Organic Red Bell Pepper, 1 ea

-Organic Chard Tatsoi, 1 bu (from Verill Farm)

-Organic Parsley, 2 bu

-Organic Yellow Onion, 1/2

-Hemp Seeds, 1/2 c

-Ground Flaxseed

-Dried Basil 1 tsp

-Cayenne, dash

-Sea Salt to taste

Burgers dehydrated for about 6 hours.

Last night at 11 I made a quick salad for an after work dinner. I had a bowl of Organic baby Arugula from Verill Farm, Avocado, vine-ripe tomato, ground cumin, sea salt, Extra Virgin Olive oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Dijon Mustard and Sea Salt topped with two Burgers.

NEW FLAVOR: Green Chia with Chlorophyll! The emerald Green color and viscous texture may throw you, but its actually pretty tasty and Sooo Good For you! 

"Chlorophyll is liqufied sun enery. The molocule of chlorophyll is remarkably similar to the molecule of heme, human blood...It heals and cleanses all our organs and even destroys many of our internal enemies, like pathogenic bacteria, fungus, cancer cells, and many others... Chlorophyll builds a high blood count, provides iron to organs, makes body more alkaline, helps purify the liver, etc" (Vicotria Boutenko, GREEN FOR LIFE).

DRINK YOUR GREENS!

Milk and Cookies

I made Dan vegan, high RAW oatmeal raisin and coconut cookies today. The rolled oats have been steamed so they are not RAW but it is definitely a healthy alternative to the standard oatmeal raisin cookie made with butter and white sugar. These cookies are full of protein, calcium and potassium. They are also super filling due to their high fiber content, so they are a great snack for Dan to bring to work to satiate his hunger.

- 1 cup Organic Raw Almonds (blended to a chunky flour)
- 2 cups Gluten free Rolled Oats (1 cup blended fine)
- 3 Organic Bananas 
- 2 Tbsp Cinnamon
-1 Tsp Maca powder
-1/4 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 cup Organic Raisins (1/2 cup soaked in water)
-1 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

Dehydrate at 115 until desired texture is achieved

(about 5-6 hours). They could also be baked in an oven at a low temperature.

and Ice Cold Unsweetened Almond Milk...