Cilantro Pesto

I know I have posted about pesto before, but this one is a little different with the addition of cilantro. Cilantro is an AMAZING blood cleanser and detoxifier. It helps to sweep heavy metals like lead and mercury out of your system. I have to give credit to my ND, since this was from her blog. I tweaked it a bit cause I don't like so much nutritional yeast in mine. What is nutritional yeast you ask? Nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast, so it doesn't make things rise. It's high in protein, in fact it contains all 18 amino acids, which makes it a complete protein. It is also chocked full of B vitamins. It has a cheesy flavor. I put my finished pesto on zucchini or squash "noodles". Maddy puts hers on quinoa pasta. So yummy and so good for you. Although, as you can see Jackson didn't care for it.....what a shocker:)


Cilantro Pesto
1/2 c. walnuts
2 cloves garlic
1 head of cilantro (leaves only)
1/2 c. basil leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp - 1/4 c. nutritional yeast (per taste)
salt to taste
1/2 lemon squeezed juice

Put walnuts and garlic in food processor till a paste is formed. Add cilantro and basil until all is combined. Add rest of ingrediants until you get the consistency you desire. 

I love ice cream

I love ice cream! I have only had dairy a few times in the last year and both were runs to Kopps for ice cream. I have tried to make dairy free ice cream in the past....which was good, but never as creamy and sweet as regular ice cream...until yesteday! 

So, Jackson is home following his adenoidectomy. I knew that he needed cooling and soothing foods for his potential sore throat. I get the reasoning behind why they tell you to go out and buy ice cream and sherbert but it is a not very well thought up concept. Store ice cream, for the most part, is filled with sugar, artificial sugars, and dyes. Not something I would like to give a child who is trying to ramp up his immune system. Still, I understand the need for cold and creamy so I went to my favorite book.....Nourishing Meals and I made the most creamy, tasty, and cool dairy free ice cream! Today we are trying strawberry but yesterday was chocolate.

Chocolate Ice Cream/Mousse
1 can full fat coconut milk (let sit in the fridge overnight)
2 heaping tbsp cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup raw honey
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 avacado

Scoop out hardened coconut milk into a blender. Leave watery coconut milk in can and use in a smoothie or something. The hardened coconut milk will be very thick. You could also substitute a can of coconut cream. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend. Now, you could eat this as is for a pudding, but here is where the magic happens and this is why this recipe is different than the ones I tried in the past. You put the mixture in an ice cream maker for 25 minutes. You could put it in the freezer if you don't have a maker, but it may not have the same creamy consistency. After 25 minutes you have a soft serve texture ice cream. Its best to eat it in one sitting because if it sits in the freezer for longer than 3 hours it looses its creaminess.

Homemade Gatorade

I always think about making my own gatorade when my kid wakes up puking in the middle of night. No time, so I reach for the gatorade. Although, sugar is part of an electrolyte drink, there are smarter options rather than using high fructose corn syrup and color dyes. I finally started making my own electrolyte drinks when I had a little downtime. I am preparing some today for my son. He is having an adenoidectomy tomorrow so I want to make sure ,if all he can swallow is liquid, that it is really able to rehydrate him. I make 2 kinds. A lemon lime one and a berry one. Both are tasty. But, don't be expecting a gatorade taste. With 2 tbsp. of honey, these are not very sweet. They are best served cold. I suppose you could pour these into popscile molds and make ice pops as well.

Lemon Lime Drink
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups water
1/8 tsp. himilayan sea salt
2 tbsp. honey

Blend in blender and store in large canning jars

Berry Drink
2 cups coconut water
2 cups water
1 cup crushed ice
1 cup fresh or frozen berries (any type)
1/8 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. honey

Blend in blender and store in large canning jars

I am Vegucated!

I love documentaries! They are my favorite thing to watch and as you may already know...health ones are my favorite. I cannot soak up their information fast enough. But, very rarely, does one change the way I live my life. Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead prompted me to buy a juicer and now Vegucated: The Documentary has inspired me to dive into the world of veganism. I live what I call a Pegan lifestyle anyways now, which is vegetables with small amounts of protein, but it wasnt the nutrition facts that have changed my way of thinking, it was the humane impact. The documentary talked alot about factory farms and how animals are really treated. So, short of knowing the farm that your protein, eggs, and dairy come from...you are probably eating food from a factory farm. This film was disturbing but in the best way possible. So, I have chosen to do the 30 day vegan challenge and after that I will reasses where and how much animal protein fits into my life. I still plan on living what i call my prana plate. Just getting my protein from different sources.

Day #1: I prepped many foods for the week this morning. Here is a list:

pinto bean, rice, tabboleah salad
pinto beans
cannelini beans
asian slaw
sauteed asparagus
sauteed mushrooms
salad
spiced lentils and kale

I had a smoothie for breakfast, mushroom/asparagus/ tabouleh salad for lunch, and lentils/sweet potato/salad for dinner. Vegan dark chocolate for a sweet snack.

Here is a link to the documentaries website:
http://www.getvegucated.com/

Dairy Free Chocolate Bars

I never thought I would eat a chocolate bar again when we went dairy free. I was never much of a chocolate bar fanatic, but every once and a while... a girl needs a little bit chocolate. I was listening to an interesting program on Hay House Radio yesterday and the lady's guest was this guy called the Raw Chocolate Guy. He makes his own raw chocolate candy bars out of Iowa. He talked alot about the benefits of eating raw chocolate. How it is up high on the list of super foods.....lots of antioxidents! I cannot explain the excitement from my family as I told them that I made chocolate bars for dessert.

Chocolate Bars/Bark
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
1 tbsp raw honey

Mix together till smooth. Put in molds or spread thin on a parchment lined cookie sheet and put in the freezer for 1/2 hour.

This not only was good, but no joke, may have been the healthiest part of our meal. Not only is cocoa filled with antioxidents, coconut oil is a fabulous way to get some good fat. Not to mention the raw honey...antibacterial, antiviral, and tastes delicious!!! 

Maddy has been so inspired by this that she wants to make her own chocolate bars and sell them. She even came up with a name for her "company", it's called Yummo! She has been experimenting with adding different nuts and dried fruits to the chocolate mixture. We are hoping to get the molds soon so she can start selling them at my classes.

Teff Porridge

I am always searching for another warm breakfast option that doesnt involve eggs. Today, I found it....creamy, warm teff.  Teff is a gluten free ancient grain that has been a staple in Ethiopian homes for thousands of years. It makes a creamy hot cereal with the nuttiness and consistancy of cream of wheat. Besides tasting delicious, it also packs a nutrient punch. Full of calcium, vitamin C, protein, and fiber. You can also buy it in it's flour form to make baked goods, pancakes, or waffles.

I used to work in the alzheimer's ward of a nursing home. There was a lady who lived there whose name was Josephine. She would reminisce every morning about cold, winter mornings growing up in Canada. The story always ended the same...."and my father gave me a big bowl of porridge to send me off on my way to school." So, every morning, we gave her a huge bowl of oatmeal (what she called porridge). I always remembered that, so on cold mornings I send my kids out the door with something warm in their tummies....here's to you Josephine.

Breakfast Teff Porridge
1/2 c. teff grain
1 1/2 c. water

Boil water. Once boiled add teff grain, cover, and set on low. Stir every 5 minutes
or so until creamy. Takes 15-20 minutes. I diced up some apples and fried them in
coconut oil to put on top. We also added maple syrup, cinnamon and walnuts.

Sneakingly Healthy "Waldorf" Salad

I put waldorf in quotation marks because I know this is not traditional waldorf salad. Really the only thing it has in common with waldorf is the apple and mayonaisse. But, if I had called it glorified sandwich salad sandwiches,  Jackson would never have ate it....so, waldorf it is. 

Glorified Waldorf Salad
1 package of chicken of the sea salmon (You can use tuna fish, or finely shredded chicken as well)
1/4 avacado
1/4 - 1/2 of a finely chopped apple or pear
1 large spoonful of mayo of your choice. I use earth balance mayo
2 pieces of fried and diced bacon
1 tsp PURE maple syrup

Combine all together and let sit for 1 hour or overnight in the fridge (covered) if possible. Serve on toast or with crackers. You can also add pepper, salt, and any other cut up fruit if you would like to. Grapes also work well. 

This lunch is full of healthy fats from the protein source and the avacado. The maple syrup and fruit give it some sweetness and the bacon lends a salty note. Great way to get kids to eat salmon!