Need your CHOCOLATE fix?

As the leaves start changing and it gets closer to the holidays, 

you may just need that chocolate "fix." 

This will satisfy your craving for something chocolatey and crunchy.

Kind of like a candy bar. 

So on those "not-so-resistant" days, whip up a batch of these:

No-Cook Chocolate Chia Crispies 

(www.greensmoothiegirl.com 12 steps cookbook and guide)
*Drink water with these, as Chia seeds absorb up to 10 times its own weight in liquid

1 C almond butter

2/3 cup raw honey

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/2 cup raw cocoa powder

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 Tbs vanilla

1/4 tsp sea salt

6 C crisped brown rice (in a cereal box at the health food store)

Cream together all the wet ingredients in large bowl by hand. Add the chia seeds, cacao, and salt and then blend well. Add the crisped rice and stir until evenly mixed. Chill the dough for 1-2 hours, then form into balls and refrigerate until serving.

Easy enough!

Cooking with Coconut Oil

Finally! 

Success with dinner! 

It has been a challenge to make something that EVERYone will eat. I've got kids that have suddenly decided to be picky. And they are leary of everything I put in front of them because mom might have been sneaky with the veggies, lol. Addyson examines her food VERY closely. 

Asking "what's that?" every time she sees something unusual.

This was VERY easy to make, and I was so excited to try cooking with coconut oil. It's very foreign to me, but REALLY good for you (especially for diabetics)...The only thing I REALLY wished I had was fresh mushrooms. They went bad before I could use them. So canned mushrooms had to do. (And they are slimy and just not the same). Next time I may just substitute almond slices for mushrooms. It would be more alkaline anyway... Addyson asked me if the mushrooms were chicken, and I lied (I know, I know) and said it was...I knew if I told her it was a mushroom, she wouldn't eat it, lol...

So...here it is: ( I doubled the recipe. Next time I will make more sauce because it seemed pretty dry by the time I mixed it with the rice, but it was still yummy, especially with the tomatoes and parsley on top)

Broccoli-Rice Bake with Coconut Curry Sauce 

(compliments of www.greensmoothiegirl.com)

2 Cups brown rice, rinsed well

4 Cups water

1 Can (14 oz) coconut milk

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. Curry Powder

1/2 C chopped cilantro

1/4 C fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried)

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

3 stems of broccoli (including most of stalk), cut into bite-sized pieces

8 oz mushrooms, washed well and cut into thirds

2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

Bring the water and rice to a boil, turn down to medium low, cover, and simmer for 45 min. (Or just put rice in the rice cooker like I did) In a large wok or frying pan, lightly saute broccoli on medium high for 5 minutes, then add mushrooms and saute another 2 minutes. In a blender, blend coconut milk, cornstarch, curry powder, and salt. Add the blend to the vegetables and heat on medium high, stirring frequently, gradually reducing to a simmer until sauce is thickened. Toss mixture gently into brown rice, along with the parsley, tomato, and cilantro. Serve hot.

Lunch from home...test run...try, try again...

K...well...
my kids aren't that excited about bringing a
lunch from home.
Even with their COOL new lunch boxes...

The hamburger and pizza they served today for school lunch
was very tempting to them, 

and Brynley even got one of her friends
to share some of her pizza with her. 

Today in their lunch box I packed
carrot sticks; 
grapes and blueberries; 
almond butter and honey sandwich on wheat 
and a water...
Yaaa....
Pretty boring...
Most of which they brought back home with them.

According to my 8 year old,
they only have 5 minutes for lunch.
She assured me that she wasn't talking either, lol...
Hmmmm...
I'll have to check the schedule.

So...as far as the great lunch ideas,
I plan on trying a recipe for a nutritious cookie...
some of the ingredients being
ground flax seed and coconut oil...
I will post the recipe after I try it myself
and see if it makes my girl's lunches any more exciting, lol...
TRY, TRY AGAIN...

How can I beat chocolate milk and a cookie though?

NON School Lunch!

Stay tuned for some healthy ideas for lunch made with love...from home!

Green Smoothie Girl

I just attended a "Green Smoothie Girl" event and class in Orem at Runner's Corner...

 taught by Robyn Openshaw, author of "Green Smoothie Girl"

VERY EXCITING STUFF!

Check out her website: GREENSMOOTHIEGIRL.COM 

She is a mom of four and her story is amazing! She is not your "crunchy granola" type at all...

just a REGULAR person like you and I. ;) 

Along with her book, she also has a "12 Steps" program to help you with the process of adding more veggie and fruits and eliminating soda, coffee, caffeine, dairy and meat...

Can't wait to try out some of her recipes! 

Sign up for email newsletters on her website and get free recipes! 

Thanks Robyn!

How to Naturally Whiten Your Teeth

I can't wait to whip up a batch and try it out...

as you can see, we REALLY need it at our house!

Here's the recipe:

1

Mix baking soda and the juice from a fresh squeezed lime, you want to use enough lime juice to bring the baking soda to the consistency of a paste. The lime juice whitens your teeth and the baking soda polishes them. I recommend using 1 tablespoon of baking soda, but you can make a larger batch if you like by using more baking soda and lime juice.
Step
2
Apply the paste to your toothbrush as you would with normal toothpaste and brush your teeth front and back as you would normally, massaging in circular motions. You should use this mixture about twice a week for a few weeks, depending on how much you want to whiten your teeth. You should notice a difference after 2-3 uses.
Step
3
After brushing with the baking soda and lime mixture, follow up with your regular toothpaste if you like (this is not necessary).

Rainy Day Banana Bread

I made this the last night and it turned out SO good! The girls loved it and had it in their snack for school. I had it for breakfast...and a snack.

I got this recipe from the girls over at GREEN SHAKES AND GIGGLES.

Just a tip:

Make sure you (follow the directions, lol) let it cool in the pan for a good 10-15 min. I made the mistake of trying to take it out, and it fell apart on me...it was still SO yummy though!

Rainy Day Banana Bread (and I made it on a rainy day!)

1/2 cup unsweetened milk alternative of choice (I use almond)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (hmmm...I actually didn't grind this up. Still turned out ok)
1 egg or 1/4 cup egg replacement (optional)
2 cups whole grain spelt flour or whole wheat flour (I used spelt flour)
2 tablespoons finely shredded dried coconut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 dropper full vanilla creme stevia, or 1 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 medium sized very very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cups nuts, dried fruit, or other add-ins (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl combine the milk alternative and flaxseed and egg and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Returning to your mixing bowl, blend in the oil, vanilla stevia, and bananas until well mixed. Stir in the dry ingredients being careful not to over-mix; a few lumps are okay. Gently fold in the coconut and nuts and any other dried fruit you want. Spread the batter into prepared pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is browned and resilient to the touch (I always stick a toothpick in to make sure it's done). Cool for 10-15 minutes before removing it from pan and placing on wire rack.


yields 10-12 servings


*I prefer to use 4 full sized bananas. It's more flavorful and moist. But using 3 bananas does allow the bread to rise more.