What's on your Plate?

Everyday we should strive to feed ourselves & our family nutrient dense foods.  

Eating this way improves our health in so many ways.  It improves immune function, mental clarity, endurance, hormone balance, digestive health....

go on, add to this list....& post your comments below of the improvements you have experienced by eating a nutrient dense diet.

Pictured are some of the items I am serving my family today.

strawberries, clementines, snap peas, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, diakon radish & dip.

I made the dip by using Addicted to Veggies vegan sour cream recipe. Click the link to find it.

This is a great non dairy & gluten free recipe that is a staple at our house.

I added dried onion flakes, garlic, lemon juice and dill, a dash of Himalayan salt and a little homemade almond milk to thin it out.  

If you thin this out a bit more it could be used as a ranch salad dressing.   

It's a good idea to have fresh fruits & veggies on your table for the family to munch on.  This helps to curb the mindless eating of unhealthy foods...

If I am on the go and I have these items pre-made at the beginning of my day, I can just bag them up or put a lid on the container and stick them in a cooler to go with me.

I also like to take nut butter or some nuts and rice crackers.

Then I never have to stop for fast food and I keep my body fueled and healthy.

I like to always be prepared and keep it simple.

Lunch today

Roasted Brussels sprouts & organic butternut squash

sprayed with extra virgin coconut oil

rosemary

Himalayan salt & pepper 

Our family loves this recipe from Real Sustenance. 

World's Best Grain Free Lasagna

(Gluten/Soy free with directions to make dairy free)

This is my second time around with this recipe.

I like to make my own modifications.

First time

 I sauteed diced mushrooms and sliced onions for the meat in the recipe

the onions made it super yummy!

*Daiya Cheese mozzarella shreds

I had left over noodles so I dried them in my dehydrator for the next time I wanted to make it.

Today I used dried shiitake mushrooms for the meat.

The dried noodles

1 1/2 jars of Muir Glen organic pasta sauce

( I got the pasta sauce at Kroger for $1.49 per jar on manager's special)

*Daiya Cheese shreds & ; nutritional yeast

very simple and very good!!

*for my local friends.....Avon Kroger carries Daiya products!!!!

Daiya is gluten free, dairy free, nut free Vegan Cheese....

I especially like their Havarti style~ jalapeno/garlic flavor~mmmmmmmmm

Raw Turtle Cheesecake & Peppermint Patties

TURTLE CHEESECAKE

In food processor~

1 c. soaked and dried raw hazelnuts (or just use raw)

1 c. pitted medjool dates

pinch of salt

blend until sticky and press on bottom of a springform pan

Filling

                       1 1/2 c. raw cashews~soaked for a couple hours and drained

  1/3 c. lemon juice

1/3 c. extra virgin coconut oil~melted

 (set in dehyrator if needed)

1/3 c. raw honey or raw agave

1 t. vanilla extract 

2 twist o Himalyan Salt

Place all ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth and creamy..you may need to scrape the sides down

After blending in the food processor I generally put the filling in the vita mix to get it extra smooth & creamy

                      

Topping

crushed pecans

 Mix cacao powder, agave or stevia to taste and a bit of coconut oil ~drizzle over pecans

                                    

after assembly~cover and place in freezer until ready to eat. Then sit out for a couple minutes before slicing.

                                                          

RAW PEPPERMINT PATTIES

 One night not long ago I was craving peppermint patties...so this is what I did and it worked out quite deliciously 

IN MAGIC BULLET PLACE 

(approx. measures...I just eyeballed it)

1/8 c. unsweetened flaked coconut & blend into a powder

add:

2 T. coconut butter

10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil to desired strength

blend until smooth

shape into mounds

place in magic bullet (no need to wash it)

2 heaping T. raw cacao

liquid stevia or agave

1 t. vanilla extract

liquefied coconut oil to blend...don't make it too thin.  I usually have to ladle it out and spread on the mounds of peppermint.   

place in the freezer or fridge until set.

You could make these much prettier by spread the cacao mixture all over one side, freeze and turn over and cover the bottoms and freeze again.

Enjoy!

  

Nutrient Dense Blended Soup or Salad & Raw Onion Bread

BLENDED SALAD

This is one of my favorite salad/soups combination.

Beginning from the bottom:

fresh mango

red bell pepper

cucumber 

tomato

spinach

cilantro

mango

celery

jalapeno

juice of one lime

water to blend

You can use any combination you like and come up with your own favorite blend.  

This is a super hydrating, fiber rich, nutrient dense and a filling soup or blended salad.

I like to leave mine a bit chunky for texture and to get my digestive enzymes flowing from chewing, but you can blend until smooth if you prefer.

My soup/salad after blending.

Blended Soups and salad can be an easy way to get nutrients into those that are ill...ex. elderly, cancer patients or someone with limited ability or desire to chew and swallow food.

For additional calories and or nutrients you can add protein like hemp seeds, chia seeds and sprouted protein powders. Sometimes I will add walnuts for omega 3's.   Extra Virgin Coconut oil is another option.  Be sure to check with your doctor if you have health conditions or concerns.

Lunch

Blended soup/salad sprinkled with dulse and diced avocado with a side of onion bread.

SWEET ONION BREAD

recipe from Raw on $10 a Day

I doubled my recipe and used sweet red onions instead of yellow/white

makes two trays of bread

Mix together in large bowl until seeds gel~

2c. ground golden flax seeds

2 c. water

2 t. salt

Add:

5 carrots chopped up in Vita Mix ( I shredded mine in the food processor)

4 large red onions sliced in Food processor (I used Sweet onions)

3 T. EV olive oil

mix together with hands until thoroughly amalgamated

dry on one side, flip and dry to desired texture and cut up with kitchen scissors

Be kind & considerate to those around you......

and put on love 

Community Supported Agriculture

I've been involved with a Community Supported Agriculture for 8 years....and I am looking forward to our 2013 CSA.   This past year I was blessed to be the host of a CSA group in my own neighborhood.

We had a great year of sharing and learning new ways to use our produce.  Some members discovered many new vegetables and found out just how delicious fresh local produce can be.

Just a few weeks ago I was still getting winter vegetables and I am longing for the greens of spring.....which is just around the corner.  :)

The pictures that you see are 1/2 share boxes.  Our boxes were always stuffed full of locally & sustainable grown, chemical free food.  

If you know me and would like to know more about our two Westside  CSA locations, give me a holler or message me.  We are having informational meetings this month and in March.

If you not in my area you can find a CSA near you at:  http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

This fig is one of the goodies I received in one of my shares....mmmmmmmmmmm.......

How to Make Almond Milk

As you may know I use raw almond milk daily. Our family goes through about a 1/2 gallon per day. I use it in my smoothies and sometimes my children will use it on raw granola's. I take the leftover pulp and make nut cheese or pate's, dehydrate it into flour, make raw cookies or add it to raw breads. I wanted to share a couple of video's on how to make RAW ALMOND MILK. This type of milk is delicious, easy to make and very helpful for those that are lactose intolerant and/or want to avoid dairy. You can find a link on the sidebar for a couple of books that will inform you about Dairy.

Thanks to RawGlow for the video above!!!
 I highly recommend, " The China Study" The China Study T. Colin Campbell,... 

Here is another video I found on Youtube.

RAW

Strawberry Cheesecake

In food processor~

1 c. soaked and dried raw almonds

1 c. pitted medjool dates

pinch of salt

blend until sticky and press on bottom of a springform pan

Filling

                       1 1/2 c. raw cashews~soaked for a couple hours and drained

  1/3 c. lemon juice

1/3 c. extra virgin coconut oil~melted

 (set in dehyrator if needed)

1/3 c. raw honey or raw agave

1 t. vanilla extract 

2 twist o Himalyan Salt

Place all ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth and creamy..you may need to scrape the sides down
after assembly~cover and place in freezer until ready to eat. Then sit out for a couple minutes before slicing.
I added the strawberries and placed it back in the freezer until we were ready to eat. 
You can use any berry or chocolate sauce drizzled over each slice

This Saturday I made this cheese cake but I changed it up a bit....first I doubled the recipe...and instead of the fresh strawberries I crushed pecans in my Magic Bullet and spread them on top of the cheesecake.  Then I made some raw chocolate....raw cacao...agave...vanilla and a bit of extra virgin coconut oil to firm it up a bit and then I drizzled it all over the top...!!!!  sorry no pics, my drive is messed up.
But it was simply amazing and a hit for those who were up for the taste test at one of our family Christmas gatherings. 


Have a blessed Christmas ...........................and remember JESUS



love

Easy Potato Soup

                          Easy Potato Soup

Potatoes are another winter vegetable we received in our boxes this past week.  

This is a quick and easy soup to prepare that can be eaten for lunch or dinner along with an avocado sandwich on Ezekiel, gluten free bread or a lettuce/collard leaf roll up.  Make sure to add a variety of vegetables on your sandwich.  I like avocado slices, red onions, red bell pepper strips, banana peppers, Mrs. Dash and sometimes a bit of Dijon Mustard. 

Easy Potato Soup

2 large cloves of garlic minced~sauteed in saucepan with extra virgin coconut oil

add:

12 c. water

3 small onions sliced in food processor

10-12 red potatoes~sliced in food processor ( or white potatoes)

1 cup sliced baby carrots in food processor

2.5 oz of  veggie broth powder ( I use Seitenbacher) or  Pacific low sodium vegetable broth

1/2 t. Himalayan Salt or to taste

1/3-1/2 c. nutritional yeast

fresh kale ~add  at the end after potatoes are cooked

Whenever I make a soup I transfer it to my crockpot and place on the keep warm setting.   

If you live in the Northern states please consider taking a Vitamin D2 supplement.  When we lack the Sunshine during the winter months it is important to make sure we are getting Vitamin D.  Nearly every person with a disease condition is Vitamin D deficient.

It is advisable to get your Vitamin D levels checked to see where you stand.

Remember to drink enough water every day.  

Sometimes I find it easier to drink flavored water.

Today I made a couple of quarts of ginger lemonade.

This recipe is alkalizing and anti-inflammatory.

GINGER LEMONADE

2 qts. of water

1 thumb of ginger peeled and chopped

lemon juice

liquid stevia to taste

LISTEN FIRST....

WAIT TO TALK....

AND DON'T GET ANGRY TOO SOON

This past week we were able to order an additional box from our CSA farmer. Our weather has been so nice that as of this past Tuesday the fields still had lots of produce....even the delicate salad greens.'

Included in our boxes were: spinach, broccoli, kale, carrots, white/sweet potatoes, parsley, kohlrabi, leeks,and beets with tops!!!  Our farmer also sent along collards and mustard greens as extra's for the taking.

I ordered salad greens among several other items. 

Below are a couple of recipe idea's to help utilize our veggies from this week.

CRUNCHY PEA SALAD

1 c.  cooked or sprouted quinos or substitute with 1 c. hemp seeds or black rice
1-2 c. frozen peas (the more peas the sweeter)
4-6 garlic cloves~minced
1 large green onion~they whole thing~chopped or use the bottom of a leek
1-2 bell peppers chopped
2 celery stalks diced
salt & pepper to taste



                                                                    Italian Dressing
olive oil~drizzle over it
lemon juice~splash
balsamic vinegar~splash
oregano
basil
dash of rosemary/thyme
I also added some Italian blend herbs (pre-mixed)

sorry no measurements on the dressing...I just tweek as I go

Mix this together and be amazed...it is delicious....and pretty much a complete meal.  
You can eat this as is, or stuff a raw bell pepper with the salad or top a green leafy salad with it! 

KALE AND MUSTARD GREEN SALAD

1 bunch of kale
1 bunch of mustard greens
2 large green onions-diced..all parts
radishes sliced
green pepper diced
sugar snap peas chopped
pumpkin seeds
garlic...I like a lot
lime juice
olive oil
Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Top individual servings with Broccoli Sprouts

massage greens, onion, garlic, lime and Bragg's until they are wilted and then add the rest of the ingreds. Let it marinate for a couple of hours 


 Spinach Avocado Dip  
 
3 ripe avocado's (pitted)
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1/3 c. of fresh lemon or lime juice (add more or less to taste)
1 small dried red jalapeno or 1/4 t. cayenne pepper powder
1 clove of garlic
a shake or two of Mrs. Dash

I blended mine in the Vita-mix but you can use a food processor or blender until desired consistency is reached.
Today I've been dipping my celery in it!