Kickin' Chipotle Swiss Chard Roll Ups!

What to do with all that wonderful Swiss Chard???

Our CSA shares have included Chard the last two weeks and I know there is more to come.  Many folks are not familiar with this colorful leafy veggie, so I would like to offer some ideas.  You can also check  my previous post... Cheezy Garlicky Swiss Chard

                               Kickin' Chipotle Swiss Chard Roll Ups

 Oh my, these are wonderfully delicious.

Early this morning I thought I'd make some kind of sunflower seed cheese.  So this afternoon

I decided that I would create one...how hard could it be?????   

This cheeses is so good I will be making it again.

Chipotle Sunflower Seed Cheese

In a glass mason jar:

1 c. raw sunflower seeds

cover with water and allow them to soak for several hours

drain, rinse, drain again

place in a Vita-Mix or food processor

add:

3 cloves of garlic

Himalayan salt to taste

Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipolte~no measurements..

my lid fell off as I was shaking it

add enough lemon juice to blend

Blend until smooth

This Cheese will make anything taste good, so if you are not fond of the strong flavor of Chard

make the cheese hot and roll it up!

Assembly line for the Swiss Chard Roll Ups

Chipotle Seed Cheese

chopped up stems of the chard leaves (waste nothing)

cilantro

zuchinni and carrot noodles (leftovers from Pasta Marinara)

tomatoes

spread your cheese on the wide end of the chard leaf add toppings of your choice and roll up!!

Use whatever toppings you and your family prefer...be creative

You can also make a wrap with romaine leaves, collards, cabbage or whatever leafy green you have

The Cheese is good for a dip for veggies or crackers

Before rolling

Get your greens on...eat them raw as often as possible...they are nutritional powerhouses!

Thank you for taking time to read my blog

I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful weekend!!

love

peace

joy

God Bless

                                                                            Kathy

CSA Share this week! Green and Red!

Each week I am posting my CSA share.  If you are interested in joining contact me.

From top left~

2 heads of Green Ice lettuce,

1 bunch of swiss chard

  1 bunch of chives

asparagus

 1 bad of mixed greens

2 lbs of strawberries

parsley

lemon balm

The Simply Raw Living Foods Detox Manual~Living Muesli recipe

 I recently read~, "The Simply Raw Living Foods Detox Manual "
by Natasha Kyssa.
I have to say it is one of the most comprehensive and compact books of its kind. Her raw food philsophy is grounded in the teachings of Ann Wigmore, Brian Clement, Colin T. Campbell, Victoria Boutenko, Steve Meyerowitz, Matt Monarch and his wife Angela, Paul Nison, Rich Anderson, Harvey Diamond, Louise Hay, Sherry Rogers and Christopher Vasey.  If you are familiar with the teaching of these people mentioned and want a great detox manual, get this one!.....or if you are new to raw foods and want to transition and clean house, this would be an invaluable resource.  Natasha will educate you and gradually get you there through her 28-Day program and instruct you in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Click on the picture above to go to Amazon and read more about this book or to purchase one for yourself.

This is a recipe from Natasha's book.  I have modified it a bit and given more detailed instructions.

My recipe is for four servings.

LIVING MUESLI

In a quart mason jar add:

4 T chia seeds

4 T. hemp seeds

4 T. raisins

fill with raw almond milk

cinnamon and vanilla to taste

put lid on jar and shake it every few minutes for about 15-20 mins so the chia seeds do not clump together

In a separate glass jar:

4 T. raw sunflower seeds

4 T raw pumpkin seeds

4 T. raw almonds

cover with water and let soak overnight

Place both jars in the fridge until morning

In the morning:

drain nuts and seeds~rinse~drain

add mixture to chia seeds mixture

 then add:

4 banana's chopped into small pieces

Enjoy!!

This will keep for a couple days in fridge...if you don't mind your banana's getting softer and discoloring a bit.

We have been eating in for b-fast and snacking!

Beware...the picture below is not food!!

my daughter found this outside in our wooded yard climbing a tree....

What do you think this is???

We live in the midwest.......

Butterscotch-y Cacao Nib~ Dandy Blend Smoothie

After my second walk today I needed a quick pick me up. 

Yes, I know it looks like a Starbucks...but it is NOT.  Just go to Starbucks for the triple filtered water and fill it up at home with your own smoothie.  :)

This smoothie taste like it has coffee in it since the Dandy Blend taste like coffee..but it's better for you!

Read about Dandy Blend here.

Butterscotch-y Cacao Nib Smoothie

1 c. fresh almond milk

1 over ripe banana

1 t. Dandy Blend or if you drink coffee 1 t. organic instant coffee

1 T. cacao nibs

1 t. maca powder (this powder has a butterscotch flavor)

1/2 to 3/4 of one squirt of Hazelnut liquid stevia by Sweetleaf

Below are links to Amazon.com  for most of the ingredients

The Stevia and cacao nibs are available at a 15%  discountwith their subscribe and save program.

Cheezy Garlicky Swiss Chard

This post is for my CSA friends who don't know what to do with their Swiss Chard....

Cheezy Garlicky Swiss Chard

In a bowl place:

1 bunch of swiss chard~(Chiffonade) follow the link for demonstration of this technique

& massage the chard to wilt and soften it.

2-3 small celery stalks diced

4-5 green onions chopped

1 container of grape tomatoes

6-7 radishes finely diced

(soaked pumpkins seeds make a nice addition to this salad)

Cheezy Garlicky Dressing

1/3 c. tahini

1/4 c. lemon juice

2-4 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos

4-5 garlic cloves

2 stalks of celery~coarsely chopped

1/4-1/3 c. nutritional yeast

dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

  add water to thin if necesary

Blend in Vita-Mix or high powered blender

Pour this dressing over the salad and mix into it with your hands. Let it sit and marinate for 30 mins to meld the flavors together or it can be eaten right away.

You can also add swiss chard to salads, smoothies, juices or use it as a wrap instead of tortillas for avocado roll ups or in place of nori rolls.

For those who prefer to cook it.  It is good lightly steamed~adding onion/garlic/Bragg's or whatever your taste dictate

I encourage you to eat as many of your vegetables raw this season and see if you notice any improvements in your health. 

Why eat raw foods???

check out these sites

The Best of Raw Foods

Living and Raw Foods

Speak kind and encouraging words today...

the power of life and death are in the tongue....

you reap what you sow

what you plant will grow

plant

peace

 love

joy

Banana Puddin' & Recovery Smoothie

After my morning walk with the ladies of our community it was time for a recovery smoothie and a bowl of my daughter's Banana Puddin'

Green Smoothie

1 c. water

1 banana

1/2 white peach

1/2 container of blackberries

big handful of spinach

1 celery stalk

2 radish leaves with stems

 (yes, I said leaves)

dash of cinnamon

couple drops of liquid vanilla creme stevia

ice

BLEND & ENJOY

While taking care of our bills my daughter popped into the room and grabbed the camera.

Yesterday in our CSA share we received a multitude of Greens, so I thought I'd indulge myself and not let anything go to waste....

Kale  Salad

&  Other  Bitter Greens

layer bottom of bowl with 2 swiss chard leaves chopped

2 flowering stalks of arugula (from my garden)

2 radish leaves and stems diced

Top with Kale Salad

and

2 radishes diced finely

grape tomatoes

dulse granules

This is a very Green & Bitter Salad.  Unless you like it this way...leave out the extra bitter greens and just try the Kale Salad recipe, which is very good.

Greens have a multitude of benefits. Check out this link for the Importance and Health Benefits of Greens this list is not exhaustive but has some basic information.

Greens are great for alkalizing, detoxing, cleansing and building the body!

Get your greens on today!

The average adult should be consuming approximately 2 bunches of greens each day for optimal health according to Victoria Boutenko author of, "Green For Life"

Remember to be thankful today!

We all have something to be thankful for.

Breathe Deeply

Love passionately

and

   Smile!!!

First CSA share of the Season!!! Everything is turning Green!!

This is two different shots of the same portion of veggies.

I wanted to make sure you could see all the good greens we received in all their glory.

Included are from top left corner.

1 bag of mixed salad greens

1 bag of spinach

1 bag of kale

1 bunch of radishes

loose bunch of swiss chard

asparagus

Green Ice lettuce

Extra's we get for free

from top left corner

chives

parsley

apple mint (bottom right corner)

sorrel (bottom left)

lemon balm (in the middle)

tarragon (right under the chives)

If you are interested in our local CSA and you know me contact me via e-mail or by phone and I will get you connected.

or~if you want to find a CSA in your area go to Local Harvest.org

Pasta Marinara and Banana Pudding

 

Raw Pasta and Marinara Sauce

spiralize 1 1/2 small zuchinni

Marinara

1/2-3/4 c. sundried tomatoes (soaked)

1 medium sized vine ripe tomato

1/2 c. roasted and  marinated red bell peppers (in olive oil)

3 garlic cloves

blend until desired consistency

pour sauce over zuchinni noodles and top with pine nuts

I added some granulated dulse and nutritional yeast after I took the picture

This dish was absolutely delicious and very filling.  I can hardly wait for the abundance of zuchinni we ususally get with our CSA share.

Snack time!

banana and blackberries

The pictures below were taken by my young teenage daughter H'N'K

I walked into the kitchen while she was creating these yummy snacks for herself.

She was so proud of herself for coming up with these idea's and I am proud of her for striving to eat healthy and take care of her body.  After all, our bodies are the temple of God if we belong to Him and we are to honor Him by taking care of it.

H'N'K was spreading banana just like butter on her romaine and said she was having butter and bread..raw style.  She added cinnamon and raisin to top it off!

very yummy

Soon after her Raw Bread and Butter she came up with

CHUNKY BANANA PUDDIN'

BY H'N'K

1 banana

drop of vanilla extract

small handful of raisins

1 T. raw almond milk

smoosh together

Finished product~CHUNKY BANANA PUDDIN'

BY H'N'K

H'N'K also discovered this tomato with a nose.

I wanted to put eyes on him with raisins...

...my daughter said this is where the idea of Veggie Tales must have begun.

Laugh and love deeply today...

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others Ph. 2:4

Liquid-y Day.....Lori Painter~Yoga for Back and Hips!

I hope you all are having a good day!  I've been busy around the house today.  I love home! 

Routine cleaning~food prep and some schooling with my daughter

Pictured above are part of my liquids for the day. 

Two bottles of Cucumber, Celery, lemon, ginger juice and a green smoothie.

Daily Green Juice

2 whole cucumbers

4 cups of celery

about 1/3 c. lemon juice (I didn't measure)

1" piece of ginger

squirt of stevia

I just blended this in my Vita-Mix and strained it!

Easy peasy!

this made a little over 32 oz.

I already had one 16 oz prepared in the fridge (not pictured) that I drank this a.m.

This juice is hydrtating, cleansing and beautifying for the skin! We could call it an anti-aging juice.

You can add a granny smith apple, pear or pineapple to sweeten it up if you like.  I prefer the fruit in my smoothies and not in my juices most of the time.

Green Smoothie

1 container of blackberriess

2 mango's

2 banana's

1 c. pineapple

1" piece of ginger

4-5 oz of spinach

few ice cubes

Blend in Vita-Mix or high powered blender

All of this should keep me going until dinner tonight and then I will prepare a savory blended soup or salad with some hemp seeds and/or tahini.

Lori Painter from Inspire 2 Act has posted a great video for stretching and lengthening lower back and thigh muscles.

Check it out!

Remember to warm up before trying these poses!!!

If you are interested in learning the other poses Lori mentioned you can find pictures of them and instructions at About.com Yoga pages

Green Drinks and Ear Candeling

Hello Blog family! 

 I haven't been blogging much lately because I've been hanging with my own family and working on some projects in my community.  I encourage you to do the same. 

Get out in your community and find ways to connect and be an encourager.

You've heard the saying it is better to give than to receive...check it out!

********

I've been getting my Green on, but I've put my juicer aside at the moment for the quick blender method of juicing in my Vita-Mix.

Green Juice

Below I have blended~

2 cucumbers

huge handful of celery

pineapple

ginger

and then strained it through my nut milk bag and placed it back in my Vita-Mix container

and added:

beetroot powder

carrot powder

barley powder

squirt of stevia

and pulsed it quickly to mix

This is super hydrating and great for the skin!

no pic of the finished juice....but trust me it was delicious.

This is another Greenie I've been enjoying

mango

banana

(one day I used  kiwi instead of banana)

strawberries

 4 oz of spinach

(one day I used 3 oz. spinach and one oz. of romaine)

a little water and a few ice cubes and blend until smooth

This lasted me most of the morning and then I had a

Banana Celery Smoothie

3 med banana's

2 1/2 oz of celery

ice and a little water

blend until smooth and sprinkle with cinnamon

Ear Candeling time for hubby!

Ear Candeling is a great way to remove wax from my husband's ears instead of going to a doctors office for wax removal and it is less expensive.

Ear Candeling may or may not be for you. This is a decision everyone must make for themselves.

The first time we did this a few years ago, some of the burnt paper fell onto his arm and he wasn't too thrilled about this method.  Now I lay a towel around his shoulders and arms to keep this from happening.

Watch this video for simple instructions on Ear Candeling.

This video explains how the Ear Candle works.

God Bless your week!