Caesar Salad with Avocado and Chickpeas and Kombucha Recipe

Rise and Shine Smoothie

Homemade Almond Milk

Vega One Chocolate 

Swiss Chard

Blackberries

Apple

Celery

Turmeric

Ginger

Ice

Blend & Enjoy!

Brewing Kombucha

Filtered Water

4-5 bags of Organic Oolong Tea

1 c. Organic Cane Sugar

Kombucha Scoby

1/2 c. kombucha from the previous batch

 Bring  approximately 3 c. of water to a boil and remove from heat 

add the tea bags

steep tea bags for 10-15 mins.

add sugar while tea is steeping and stir until dissolved 

this will make a concentrate

Let cool to room temperature then  pour the cooled tea and more filtered water into gallon jar leaving head space for your scoby and a 1/2 c. of previous kombucha batch

Also..leave space at the top of the jar to allow for breathing room after the scoby has been placed in the jar

Lay the Scoby on top and then pour 1/2 kombucha over it 

(Be sure that your new brew is room temp before adding your scoby or else it could kill your it)

Cover the opening with a cloth or paper towel that permits airflow and secure with rubber band

wrap the jar with a towel and place it in a quiet area so that it is not disturbed

I keep mine in the cupboard

Ferment for 7-14 days

Taste test until desired ferment is achieved

Then remove scoby and 1/2 c. of liquid for next batch and bottle the rest

After you bottle your kombucha you can add ginger and/or berries to flavor and help to make it fizzy

Let it ferment for 2-3 days more on the counter and then place in fridge & enjoy!

Be sure to sterilize all equipment and containers to keep your scoby healthy and mold free !

Second Ferment

I added fresh ginger and a blackberry to each bottle

Caesar Salad with Avocado and Chickpeas

romaine lettuce

diced tomato

diced avocado

chickpeas

Caesar Dressing

3/4 c. raw cashews

fresh or dried basil to taste

1 T. nutritional yeast

3-4 garlic cloves

1/4 t. Himalayan salt

1/4 water

1/4-1/3 c. lemon juice

1/4 t. dulse flakes

lots of cracked pepper

Blend in high speed blender like a Vita Mix until smooth & creamy  

add more water if needed for desired consistency

this dressing will thicken after it sits awhile

Smoothies, Juice and Soft Serve

Lemon Balm Green Smoothie

2-3 c. water

4 c. kale

1/4 c. lemon balm or mint leaves

1 1/2 c. blueberries (frozen or fresh)

 1 c. of mixed fruit blend 

(I used  frozen mango, strawberries, peaches & pineapple)

2 T. hemp seeds

Blend & Enjoy!

This made about 2 quarts  my daily dose of green smoothie. I normally drink 1-2 quarts of green smoothie per day. This is a good way to get a significant amount of nutrient dense greens into your diet.  

Green Juice

kale 

spinach

romaine

leaf lettuces

beet greens

cucumber

zucchini

2 radishes

ginger

lemon juice

Juicing is another way to flood your cells with nutrients.

This is for pure pleasure!

Strawberry Soft Serve with Cacao Sauce

1 c. fresh almond milk

2 frozen bananas

frozen strawberries with greens

Blend in a Vita-Mix or food processor.

To make this more nutritious you can add some spinach or green powder.

Cacao Sauce

2 T. raw cacao or cocoa powder

1 t. vanilla 

agave to sweeten and blend to desired consistency

I made this soft serve the next day.  

Chocolate Sunbutter (taste like peanut butter) Soft Serve. 

1 c. almond milk

2 T. sunbutter

2 frozen bananas

vanilla

blend in Vita-Mix or food processor 

Banana Soft Serve can be made into any flavor you desire.  Just remember the almond milk & frozen bananas are the base.  Use your imagination and enjoy!

What's For Breakfast?

At our house we endeavor to eat a nutrient dense vegan diet.  We do this for health reasons of course.  We want to be healthy and to prevent diet related illnesses.....like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer, and many of the autoimmune diseases
and inflammatory conditions.  There is much scientific proof to validate that a nutrient dense vegan diet has this effect and that this type of diet can and does reverse these conditions. I encourage you to do your own research!  
You can start by watching a preview to the documentary, "Forks Over Knives", to get an idea the why of a vegan diet.  I highly recommend watching the full  length version of this documentary.
It just may change your life!

The picture at the top of page is my family's breakfast today.

FRUIT SALAD

blackberries

strawberries

persimmons

oranges 

(Cara Cara & Navel)

mango

We usually top our fruit salad with walnuts or other nuts and/or seeds.  Hemp seeds are one of my favorite.

Just use whatever fruits you have on hand and create your own blend.

BLACKBERRY PINEAPPLE SMOOTHIE

2-3 c. water

1/2 bunch of kale with stems

1/2 pineapple

2 c. blackberries

1 orange 

( I used 1/2 Cara Cara and 1/2 Navel orange)

2 T. chia seeds

2-3 T. dulse

optional~pitted dates or liquid stevia for additional sweetness

Blend thoroughly.  This made 2 quarts.  I am drinking one now and saving the other for later today or for tomorrow morning.

                                         MANGO SOFT SERVE
                                                  1 frozen banana
                                               1 c. frozen mangoes
                                              raw almond milk to blend

You can make this in a high powered blender (Vita-Mix) or a food processor. Process until smooth.
You may also freeze this for later.
                                              ******************

Remember to be kind....use kind words.  Words have the power of life and death in them.  Bring light and life to those around you, especially your children.  Be positive and encouraging.  Negative words tend to suck the life out of those who hear them and those who are using them.  This also has an impact on your health and the health of those who are the constant recipients of the negativity.


Negativity breeds negativity......Kindness uplifts.....and don't forget to smile.


Sometimes we develop negative habits of thinking and speaking.  It is important to break these habits.
This negativity begins in the heart or mind.
First begin to recognize it and then stop and think of positive ways that you can communicate.
Pray. God desires to change us for our good, the good of those around us and for His glory.
He is All Powerful.
I hope you know Him.

Drinking Again...day 2 and an Apple Pie Smoothie

My daughter and I are drinking our food today.

My first smoothie of the day is not pictured.

Here is the recipe~

Veggie Smoothie

1 vine ripe tomato

1 Swiss chard leaf

handful of spinach

2 celery stalks

1/4 red bell pepper

1 hot red sweet pepper

next up....

Green Smoothie

1 c. water

large handful of baby spinach

1 banana

1 c. blackberries & blueberries

1 t. beetroot powder

1 T. ground golden flax seed

blend and enjoy!

Now I am drinking the best one yet~

 

Apple Salad

3 gala apples chopped & mixed with 1 T. lemon juice

2-3 large stalks of celery diced

large handful of raisins

large handful of walnuts

dash of cinnamon

  

Apple Pie Smoothie

1 c. coconut milk

1 1/2 t. -1 T. coconut butter

handful of ice

I

(If you make the salad above..just add 1-1 1/2 c. of the salad to the coconut milk, coconut butter & ice..instead of the ingredients. listed below)

1 gala apple

large celery stalk

small handful of raisins

1/4 c. walnuts

dash of cinnamon

1/4 t. lemon juice

Blend, drink up and Smile.....

                                                                        

Superfood Smoothie and Spearmint Tea

Ingredients for my morning Smoothie:

1 c. coconut water

1 kiwi

1 mango

1/2 banana

1 c. blueberries

handful of beet greens

2 handfuls of spinach

2 T. ground sesame seeds

1 t. Amazon Bliss

wheatgrass powder

Klamath Power3 (4 capsules)

2-4 T. Aloe Vera Juice

fresh ginger

Blend and add ice and blend again

Yummy!

The recipe above made about 6 cups.  I drank 4 cups and then went for a powerwalk with my daughter and one of the dogs.  When we got back I placed the rest of my smoothie in the blender and added 1/3 of a cucumber, 2 stalks of celery and some more ice for a recovery smoothie.

My daughter filling up the jug to make some Spearmint Sun Tea!!

1 gallon of filtered water

large handful of fresh spearmint leaves

cap and sit in the sun for several hours

remove leaves when finished and add sweetener of choice...we like liquid stevia

Superpowered Breakfast Smoothie

I wanted something that would stay with me for awhile, so this is what I came up with.

I love smoothies because you can be so creative and never make the same one twice.

My Superpowered Smoothie

kale

parsley

arugula

pear

strawberries

hemp seeds

Klamath Power3

Wheatgrass

raw cashews

ground raw sesame seeds

vanilla cream stevia by Sweetleaf

ginger

and

water to blend

I made two smoothies...one for my son and one for me

the second one had blueberries in it..I had a bit leftover to I topped mine off with it

Thanks for reading and I wish you all a wonderful weekend!!!

remember to

be kind to others

breathe deeply

and

     Smile   :)

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

Dreaming of Green Smoothies & Honey Cinnamon Walnuts and Almonds

Yes,  I've been dreaming of green smoothies.....this one has

Coconut water

strawberries

banana

orange

mango

spinach

vanilla stevia

ice

oh yeah~

sometimes I had barleygrass & or wheatgrass powder and spirulina

Honey Cinnamon Walnuts & Almonds

I blogged about these the other day.  I made them for Christmas and they are delicious.

First I soaked walnuts and almonds overnight.  Then I drained and rinsed them a couple times.  I placed the walnuts in a bowl, drizzed cinnamon, honey & agave. (about 1/2 and 1/2 of both sweeteners to avoid the sugar impact of the honey) pinch of Himalyan salt. Mix until well coated.  Placed in the dehydrator set below 115 degrees and dry well. Store in fridge.  I used the leftover sweetened mix for the almonds