Nutrient Dense To-Go Lunch and Raw Corn Chips

Nutrient dense foods are foods that contain a high level of nutrients compared to the amount of calories they contain. For optimal health and longevity eating a nutrient dense diet is the most important thing you can do for yourself.

The above picture is what my son will be taking for lunch today.~top and center is a romaine salad with celery sticks, tomato and pumpkin seeds; container on the bottom has bean mash (recipe to follow), orange bell peppers, and Wasa multi-grain crackers.

This morning my son began his day with 32oz of Green Smoothie containing~

collard greens, celery, pomagrante seeds, blueberries, pineapple, banana, hemp seeds and water to blend

According to Dr. Joel Fuhrman's research these are the top ten Nutrient Dense foods to consume.The more of these you can put into your diet, raw or lightly cooked,  the better your health should be.  For a complete listing of the top 30 nutrient dense foods to consume check out this article from Whole Foods.

Top 10 Super Foods

1. Collard, mustard & turnip greens – Nutrient Score: 1000
2. Kale – Nutrient Score: 1000
3. Watercress – Nutrient Score: 1000
4. Bok Choy – Nutrient Score: 824
5. Spinach – Nutrient Score: 739
6. Brussels sprouts – Nutrient Score: 672
7. Swiss chard – Nutrient Score: 670
8. Arugula – Nutrient Score: 559
9. Radish – Nutrient Score: 554
10. Cabbage – Nutrient Score: 481

REMEMBER THAT GREENS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD TO PUT INTO YOUR BODY!!!

BEAN MASH  

(quick version)

2 cans of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can of great northern beans (drained and rinsed)

Vegenaise to moisten

Place first three ingredients in a food processor and blend until slightly chunky.  Remove and place in bowl  then add the rest of the ingredients and blend together.

4 celery stalks diced (or more)

1/2 c. of dried onion

1 small jar of organic sweet relish

1-2 T. dried dill weed

1-2 T. granulated dulse

Place in the refrigerator  in an airtight container. 

This is one of my family's favorite dishes. It is filling and nutritious. You can use it as a dip, spread it on crackers or bread or make a lettuce or collar roll up.  Sometimes I just eat it with a spoon.

You can change up the herbs for a different flavor.  Remove the dill weed and add cayenne or jalapeno, chili powder, cumin...just follow your taste buds and enjoy! 

Last week I made Corn Salad and we could not eat all of it so instead of throwing it out I made raw corn chips.  Your dehydrator can really save you loads of money by using it to re-create your leftovers.

Recipes below.

Raw Corn Salad/Salsa

6 ears of corn~cleaned and shaved off the cob (you can also use organic frozen corn)

1/2 of a red onion corsely chopped

1/4-1/3 c. jalapeno's diced

splash of lemon juice

cilantro to taste

Mix and let marinate to allow the flavors to mingle

you could also add a dash of salt

other optional ingredients~diced red sweet peppers, diced celery or any other veggie you have on hand

you could leave out the jalapeno's and add the other veggies plus a bit of olive oil so that it is more like a  salad  rather than hot salsa

You might want to make a corn soup or chowder...

place it in the Vita-Mix and add water, salt, garlic, jalapeno, avocado, a little lime juice and blend

Be creatvive and Enjoy!

When I was ready to make my chips 

I placed the leftover corn salad in my Vita-Mix and added water and about 1/2 c. of ground Golden flaxseed, next I spread them onto a teflex sheet and scored them into chips shapes  

Dehydrate for until they are able to peel from the teflex sheet

 Peel and flip over onto mesh screen and dry until crisp.

*If you use salt be sure to sprinkle it lightly on the wet mixture so that it will stick...for a healthier salt free version sprinkle with a salt-free herb blend or cayenne. 

You can use your chips for dipping or eat them with Vegan chili.

Check out this article on fighting  cancer with flaxseeds!

Remember to spend time with the people you love, smile and really listen to what they have to say!

Raw Corn Salad/Salsa

This past week in my CSA share I received 12 ears of corn.  Some of my family enjoys their corn on the cob the traditional way.  Heated up on the stove, which is fine.  I like to try to consume much of my food intake RAW.  Most people are totally unaware that you can eat corn raw..but you can.  I like to shave it right off the cob after cleaning it.   You can toss it into a salad, in a roll up or eat it out of the hand...you can even leave it on the cob and eat it that way!

I decided to make one of my favorite ways to eat it!

Raw Corn Salad/Salsa

6 ears of corn~cleaned and shaved off the cob

1/2 of a red onion corsely chopped

1/4-1/3 c. jalapeno's diced

splash of lemon juice

cilantro to taste

Mix and let marinate to allow the flavors to mingle

you could also add a dash of salt

other optional ingredients~diced red sweet peppers, diced celery or any other veggie you have on hand

you could leave out the jalapeno's and add the other veggies plus a bit of olive oil so that it is more like a  salad  rather than hot salsa

You might want to make a corn soup or chowder...

place it in the Vita-Mix and add water, salt, garlic, jalapeno, avocado, a little lime juice and blend

Be creatvive and Enjoy!

Easy Cheezy Peas, Nacho Chipotle Chips, Corn Salad

CHEEZY PEA SALAD

2 bags of frozen peas

2 c. celery diced

1 red bell pepper diceed

4 green onions chopped

1/3-1/2 c. nutritional yeast

1 t. garlic powder

1/8t. dried mustard

Vegenaise to moisten...don't get too much

this should not taste like mayo, if it does add more yeast and spices to taste

This is a picture of my daughter's

VEGAN NACHO'S

bottom layer~my raw Nacho Chipotle Chips

lentil and rice casserole

Daiya cheddar cheese~vegan

Vegan sour cream

Tabasco

Nacho Chipolte Chips

thanks to Ani Phyo for the basic chip recipe in her book Raw Food Essential~I changed it up a bit

~place in a bowl mix together and sit aside

3 c. ground golden flax seeds

1 c. of nutritional yeast

In high powered blender liquify:

3 c. water

3-4 c. chopped celery

4 T. oregano

1 T. Mrs. Dash Chipotle

pour liquids over mixture in bowl and mix together..you may need to add more water as it thickens up quite a bit.  spread mixture on teflex sheets in dehyrdrator in a large square.  dry on one side and then flip, remove telfex and lightly salt with ground Himalyan salt and score in triangle shapes.  continue drying until crispy.  You will want the mixture to be about 1/8"....if it is thicker you can use it as bread...or thin out with more water.  I cannot keep enough of these around...they are yummy.  I had some with my blended salad today.

This is what's on my table today for munchies.  I purchased a membership to Costco and found those sweet mini peppers while foraging through the produce department.  Our Costco has some great prices on organic products.  One of my favorite buys was the  Italian Volcano 100% lemon juice...it has the equivalent of 40 lemons in the bottle for less than $4.  It is by far the best bottled lemon juice I've purchased.  I have been using it for about a year, but I've been paying over $6 a bottle.  I figured that I saved enough on the lemon juice I use in a year to pay for my Costco membership and then some!!!

Previously I used a case of lemons in no time...squeezing, squeezing, squeezing....well, some things are just not worth the time in my book.  Some day I may go back to squeezing...but for now, this is what works best for me...and it is a relief on the pocketbook too.

This is the other items my daughter ate with her nacho's....

Broccoli Salad, celery and a Roma tomato

This organic corn was another great buy at Costco,

5 pounds for a little over $5!

Corn salad was in order..

CORN SALAD

corn

red bell pepper

red onion

jalapeno

cilantro

lime juice

Himalyan salt

Hope you all are having a great weekend!!!

Thanks for reading!!  :)

God Bless

My husband is hangin with it!!! He got on the scale today at 206. This was at our house. When he originally weighed in at work he was at 230 lbs.
There are a few pounds difference in the scales, but less than 5. His official weigh in at work will be Thursday, so I'll report his loss then. BUT regardless he has lost a good amount of weight.

Today His eats~

1 cantaloupe for B-fast

Big Salad-red leaf, celery, carrots, avocado (small), cilantro and homemade mexican ranch dressing
Small bowl of red lentils soup
zuchinni hummus and a few raw crackers

Packed-to go
1 Cantaloupe
2 pears
2 green smoothies
carrots and 2 sandwich baggies of celery
2 8 oz jars of carrot juice


I've been in the kitchen most of the day. Here is what I prepared~

Corn Salad

1 bag of frozen corn
1 diced red sweet pepper
cilantro
jalapenos
lime juice

Salad Dressings

Honey Mustard~ Penni Shelton' Raw Food Cleanse




Raw Ceasar-
Carrot Ginger - Both recipes are from Natailia Rose's Raw Food Detox





Tabouli

1 bunch of parsley
2 c. cooked or sprouted quinoa
5 roma tomatoes diced
1 c. diced celery (I usually use cuke, but didn't have any)
1/4 red onion diced (I usually use green onion)
2 lemons juiced
1/4 c. olive oil
1 t. cumin
2 T. dried peppermint
black pepper

SUPERFOOD ALMOND TRUFFLES~modified from Raw Food Cleanse

2 c. raw almonds
grind in food processor until fine with a crunchy PB consistency
Place in bowl and add:
1/2 c. raw honey
mix together and add:
2 heaping t. of maca
2 heaping t. of mesquite
1/4 c. caacao nibs

roll into balls and coat with dried unsweetened coconut

These are very sticky. Place most of them in the freezer and they will keep for weeks in an airtight container.


My eats for today~

a.m. smoothie~ 1/2 banana, raw almond milk, mesquite, maca, lacuma, cacao
38 oz of green lemonade

2 superfood truffles

2 Nori rolls~I used one avocado, diced red sweet pepper, cilanto
tabouli topped with diced red pepper and raw ceasar dressing

5 raw pecans dipped in chocolate sauce
baby carrot

Friday/Sat/Sunday

Sunday 10-4-09
16 oz Juice
(celery, beets greens,kale,cucumber, fennel, cilantro, ginger and liquid stevia)
rawpuchinno

Blended Salad
romaine, 2 tomatoes, cabbage, baby carrots,alfalfa sprouts, dulse, water and topped it with chia seeds, nutritional yeast and beet salad

about a cup of blended salad~romaine, tomato, carrots,sprouts topped with corn/black bean salad and about 3 blue corn chips crushed into it.

snack~
corn salad and chips

nightly rawpuchinno



Corn Salad

fresh raw or frozen sweet corn
small amount of black beans
cilantro
chives (I prefer red onion)
lime juice

Exercise: 33 mins on the rebounder and strength training with weights for my upper body



Saturday~10-3
16oz juice (same as above)

Rawpuchinno

Salad~romaine, green pepper & onion (lightly sauteed) 2T. rice and small amount of black beans, pico de gallo, corn salsa, guacamole
corn chips

During my date with my oldest daughter I had about 1/4 of a Starbucks Tall vanilla latte (not very good really-so I didn't finish it...too sweet..that yukky High Fructose corn syrup) & a not so raw salad from Papa Joe's~lettuce, cheese & sausage with vinegar & oil and a bit of bread...This salad was extrememly rich tasting to me and heavy...like eating a whole cheesecake...I prefer the light energetic feeling that my blended salad's leave me with...Also this day's diet changed my digestion/elimination in a negative way...way to heavy for me...so today (Sunday I'm back to my blended action and lighter fare)

rawpuchinno~~~I have been sleeping very deeply lately...during the same time frame that I have been drinking these nightly...maybe the Dandy Blend???~a combination of dandelion and other natural ingredients...good detox combo



Friday~

32 oz. Red Detox juice

Rawpuchinno

1/2 orange
few grapes

mid day
1 1/2 red bell pepper
raw crackers
6 almonds


Beet Salad
organic sesame blue corn chips

rawpuchinno (I'm lovin these things)

Corn Salad & benefits of Rebounding

For those of you that are new to my blog I am posting what I consume each day. Some people have expressed interest and this will help me to see my own progress. I will also be posting my recipes. :)

1 1/2 pints of watermelon juice

bowl of pineapple and strawberries

16 oz green lemonade

late afternoon

bowl of romaine topped with corn salad and about 3 corn chips crushed on top

evening~
bowl of strawberries & blueberries
later~
bowl of homemade salsa & chips

25 mins on the rebounder (mini trampoline) check out this video for the benefits of rebounding http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0th5xUMSz0

45 mins cardio/weights

CORN SALAD

6 small ears of corn cut from cob

2 bell peppers (one red, one green)

1 bunch of cilantro

1/2 lime juiced

1/2 lemon juiced

Himalayan salt

Jalapeno's to taste

FRESH SALSA
2 Red tomatoes~diced
2 yellow heirloom tomatoes~diced
2 garlic cloves~pressed
1/2 bunch of cilantro~chopped
1/2 lemon~juiced
salt to taste

42 Ways the Body Responds to Rebounding
By Dr. Morton Walker and Albert E. Carter

The study of the human body is fairly interesting. The moment it becomes no less than amazing is when we understand what happens as the body is placed under the demands of movement and resistance we call exercise. Rebounding is an effective exercise that reduces your body fat; firms your arms, legs, thighs, abdomen, and hips; increases your agility; strengthens your muscles overall; provides an aerobic effect for your cardiopulmonary systems; rejuvenates your body when it's tired, and generally puts you in a state of mental and physical wellness. In fact, there are at least 41 fascinating ways the body responds to regular rebounding, detailed below:

1.Rebounding provides an increased G-force (gravitational load), which strengthens the musculoskeletal systems.
2.Rebounding protects the joints from the chronic fatigue and impact delivered by exercising on hard surfaces.
3.Rebounding helps manage body composition and improves muscle-to-fat ratio. Rebounding diminishes body fat , improves muscle tone, improves the efficiency with which the body burns carbohydrate, and lowers pulse rate and blood pressure.
4.Rebounding aids lymphatic circulation by stimulating the millions of one-way valves in the lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system acts as your body's internal vacuum cleaner.
5.Rebounding circulates more oxygen to the tissues- and where the is oxygen there cannot be disease.
6.Rebounding establishes a better equilibrium between the oxygen required by the tissues and the oxygen made available.
7.Rebounding increases capacity for respiration.
8.Rebounding tends to reduce the height to which the arterial pressures rise during exertion.
9.Rebounding lessens the time during which blood pressure remains abnormal after severe activity.
10.Rebounding assists in the rehabilitation of a heart problem.
11.Rebounding increases the functional activity of the red bone marrow in the production of red blood cells.
12.Rebounding improves resting metabolic rate so that more calories are burned for hours after exercise.
13. Rebounding helps fluid move easily within the body, thus helping muscle performance and lightening the load required of the heart.
14. Rebounding decreases the volume of blood pooling in the veins of the cardiovascular system preventing chronic edema.
15. Rebounding improves circulation. It encourages collateral circulation (the formation of new branch blood vessels that distribute blood to the heart) by increasing the capillary count in the muscles and decreasing the distance between the capillaries and the target cells.
16.Rebounding strengthens the heart and other muscles in the body so that they work more efficiently.
17.Rebounding allows the resting heart to beat less often. Each beat becomes more powerful and sends out a greater surge of blood around the body to nourish its 60 trillion cells.
18.Rebounding lowers circulating cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
19.Rebounding lowers low-density lipoprotein (bad) in the blood and increases high-density lipoprotein (good) holding off the incidence of coronary artery disease.
20.Rebounding promotes tissue repair.
21.Rebounding for longer than 20 minutes at a moderate intensity increases the mitochondria count within the muscle cells, essential for endurance.
22.Rebounding adds to the alkaline reserve of the body, which may be of significance in an emergency requiring prolonged effort.
23. Rebounding improves coordination between the propreoceptors in the joints, the transmission of nerve impulses to and from the brain, transmission of nerve impulses and responsiveness of the muscle fibers.
24.Rebounding improves the brain’s responsiveness to the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear, thus improving balance.
25.Rebounding offers relief from neck and back pains, headaches, and other pain caused by lack of exercise.
26.Rebounding enhances digestion and elimination processes.
27.Rebounding allows for deeper and easier relaxation and sleep.
28.Rebounding results in better mental performance, with keener learning processes.
29.Rebounding curtails fatigue and menstrual discomfort for women.
30.Rebounding minimizes the number of colds, allergies, digestive disturbances, and abdominal problems.
31.Rebounding tends to slow down atrophy in the aging process: Rebounding can actually reverse, prevent or diminish the hardening of the arteries. By conquering this ultimate pathology, you will keep your mind alert, skin smooth, skeleton flexible, libido intact, kidneys functioning, blood circulating, liver detoxifying, enzyme systems alive, hold memory intact, and avoid all systems of the aging process.
32. Rebounding is an effective modality by which the user gains a sense of control and an improved self image.
33. Rebounding supplies a reserve of bodily strength and physical efficiency.
34. Rebounding helps the body attain peak cell function through chemical function.
35. Rebounding expands the capacity for fuel storage, resulting in extra endurance.
36. Rebounding stimulates metabolism. Rebounding provides for a better absorption.
37. Rebounding promotes body growth. Growth of the long bones is especially stimulated by rebounding due to the stimulating effect of the pituitary gland, which produces growth hormone.
38.Rebounding increases the capacity for respiration. Breathing is controlled by changes in the volume of the chest cavity brought about mainly by muscular movements of the diaphragm, Repeated rebounding exercise accomplishes more muscle movements of the diaphragm with the consequent chest expansion.
39. Rebounding boosts red blood cells. Rebounding increases the functional activity of the red bone marrow in the production of red blood cells. The red blood cells carry oxygen and nutrients to the tissues of the body and also help remove carbon dioxide from them.
40. Rebounding helps fight fatigue. Rebounding tones the glandular system to increase the output of the thyroid gland, the pituitary gland and the adrenals-which all help to restore energy.
41. Rebounding exercises every part of your body.
42. Rebounding is enjoyable!
People who rebound find they are able to work longer, sleep better, and feel less tense and nervous. The effect is not just psychological, because the action of bouncing up and down against gravity, without trauma to the musculoskeletal system, is one of the most beneficial aerobic exercises ever developed.