Chia Seed Pudding with Chai "Cream"

CHIA SEED PUDDING
¼ cup chia seeds
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon raw agave nectar
½ banana
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt

Blend together almond milk, agave, bananas, vanilla, and salt. Pour over chia seeds and soak for 30 minutes to an hour.

CHAI CREAM
¾ cup cashews
¼ cup raw agave nectar
¼ cup water
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
½ inch fresh ginger
4 pink peppercorns
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Portion into glass, drizzle with chai cream and fresh berries.

Fluffy Love- Or Am I Crazy?

The video that got me into cloth diapering:

Coconut Sugar

Shopping List 6/25

Produce

bananas (S2)
berries (B1)
orange (Din1)
kiwi (D1)
watermellon (D1)
strawberries (D1)
pineapple (D1)
pineapple juice (D1)
tomatoe (Din 3, Din 5)
bell peppers (Din4)
onion (Din 4)
zucchini (Din 4)
garlic (Din 4)
lettuce (Din5)
carrots (Din 5)
celery (Din 5)
cuccumber (Din 5)
almond slices (Din1)

Refrigerator

goat cheese (Din 3)
eggs (Din 5)

Bulk Food

mixed nuts (S1)
brown rice (Din 2, Din 4)
corn tortillas (Din 3)

Canned

red chili sauce (Din 3)
diced tomatoes (Din4)
olives (Din5)


Meat

salmon (Din 1)
ground turkey (Din 2, Din 3, Din 4)
deli meat (Din 5)

Baking/Spices

vanilla (B1)
cinnamon (B1)
honey (Din 1)
paprika (Din 1)
salt (Din 1)
pepper (Din 1)
rosemary (Din 1)

Condiments

peanut butter (S2)
salad dressing  (Din 5)

Health Food Store

GF oatmeal (B1)

Menu 6/25

Breakfast

(B1)  Oatmeal
 Prepare oatmeal. Add vanilla and cinnamon to taste. Throw in some berries of your choice. Enjoy.

Snacks

(S1) Mixed Nuts
.


(S2)  Banana and Peanut Butter

Dinners

(Din1) Honey Citrus SalmonThis is my husbands creation and the best salmon I've ever had.


Ingredients:


2 salmon fillets
zest from 1 orange
juice from 1 orange
1 tsp honey
paprika
salt
pepper
almond slices


Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, zest one orange. Mix in juice from orange and honey. Add salmon to mixture and let marinade for 1/2 hr. flipping once during the recommended time. After salmon has marinaded, place on a broiling pan. Sprinkle desired amount of salt, pepper, paprika  and almond slices on each fillet.
Broil for 10-12 min. Salmon is done when it appears rosy in color and easily flakes. Serve with veggie of choice.
*We like to eat this with asparagus.






(Din2) Simple Rice n' meat dish


Ingredients:
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 lb. ground turkey, browned
1 tsp. rosemary


Directions:
Cook rice. While rice is cooking, brown turkey over high heat, salt and pepper to taste. Add rosemary to meat. When rice has finished cooking add to meat and mix thouroughly. Serve immediately.


(Din3) Easy Enchiladas


Ingredients:


1 lb. ground turkey
1 tomatoe, cubed
1 pkg. corn tortillas
1 can red chili sauce
cheese (optional)


Directions:


Brown Turkey. Add tomatoes and chili sauce. Let simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the flavors to blend.  Layer 1/3 meat mixture on bottom of glass pan. Lay 6 corn tortillas on top. Sprinkle cheese on top of tortilla layer. (skip this step for dairy free or try goat cheese) Repeat three times. Meat mixture, tortiallas then cheese.  Put in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or untill bubbly and brown on top.


(Din4) Summer Stuffed PeppersD4) Stu


Ingredients:


8 medium sweet red, yellow or green peppers
1-1/2 lb. ground turkey
I medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomoatoes, undrained
1/2 cup cooked brown rice


Directions:


Cut the tops off each pepper and set aside. Remove seeds and membranes. Cook whole peppers in boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove and invert on paper towels to drain. Remove stems from pepper tops and chop enough of the top to make 1/3 cup. In a skillet, brown turkey over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, cabbage, zucchini, garlic and chopped peppers; saute until tender. Add tomatoes and rice. Stuff hot meat mixture into peppers. Makes 8 servings.


Tips: I make this recipe with whatever veggies I want or with what I have on hand. So if you don't like carrots, cabbage or zucchini try a veggie you do like. I like to use corn, peas, carrots, etc.  Also, if the kids won't eat a stuffed pepper, I put the meat mixture by itself in a little 8X8 pan and bake it that way for the kids.


(Din5) Chef Salad
This is a great meal that is easy to make and nice to have during the hot summer months.
Use your choice of lettuce and top with carrots, celery, cuccumbers, tomatoes, meat of your choice, hard boiled egg, olives and salad dressing.
ffed Pepper

Dessert

(D1) Frozen Fruit Pops
It is Hot Hot Hot where I live and anything cold sounds good right now. =)

Hello Everyone!  I am Brittany, one of Megan's many cousins.  I live in Indiana with my husband and two and a half kids:) My husband is in his 3rd year of Dental School and I CAN'T. WAIT. UNTIL. IT'S. OVER! Anyway, Megan asked me to be a contributor to this blog!  I love that other people enjoy what I eat! I eat this way because I feel so much better when I do. Plain and simple. So to start off I am sharing with you my recent beauty secret:) Just kidding, it's not a secret but, I can't live without it!

The best thing I have done for my skin was to make a homemade salt scrub! I even use it on my face, I use my face wash first then apply the scrub(I haven't had any breakouts from it...yet....hopefully never...every skin is different. Mine is combination).   I use this salt scrub recipe in every shower even if it's everyday! I can feel a major difference when I don't use it.  If you want extra soft skin use your favorite body lotion following. I actually haven't found a favorite body lotion so anyone out there have any suggestions?

Here is what I use in my scrub:

Almond Oil
Jojoba Oil
Olive Oil 
 Sea Salt


There are no exact proportions that I follow. It's best if you experiment for yourself.  However, when you mix the scrub, put the salt in first then the olive oil. Put the jojoba oil in next and add the almond oil(this should get rid of the smell of olive oil).  First time I tried it, I smelled like an Italian entree':)  That is, until I rinsed off.  Let me know what you all think!  Have a Healthy Day!

PS-The Menu posted this week was from me.

Menu Week of June 18th, 2012








Breakfast


(B1) Quinoa Cakes :I made these and they were really good! My husband even liked them!  These are more savory than sweet but, can be made ahead and eaten throughout the week.  I omitted the Parmesan cheese. You can add nutritional yeast if you want. Also you can use egg whites instead of the whole egg, I did that too.


Snacks


(S1)Sweet Potato Fries with Dill Sauce: I have a confession...I love fries.  I really do!  There is just something about them that keeps me coming back for more, especially when I am pregnant! These recipes are my substitutes!  I add olive oil instead of vegetable oil or you can use egg whites.  I also added a LOT of extra dill and vinegar to the ranch sauce but, that is the way I like it! Uh-Huh Uh-Huh!


(S2)  Fruit and Almond butter:  I don't know about you but I love fruit and peanut butter together.  However, I don't digest peanut butter very well.  So, I switched to almond butter.  I eat it on bananas and bananas for a snack


Dinners


(D1)Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce :  This recipe is de-LISH!  I have made it more than once.  It does call for dates but, I omitted it and it still tastes good and sweet! Another variation on this would be to add salt-free tomato paste( just add a little water, extra spices and lemon juice).  The recipe calls for zucchini as the noodles but, you can use gluten-free noodles as well.  


(D2)BBQ Veggie Burger with  Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup and Mustard(opt.) : I think I ate three of these the first time I mad this! It was so yummy! It says to dehydrate the burger but, you can use the oven or fry it in olive oil.


(D3)Raw Fiesta Tacos!: What can I say, I LOVE tacos! These are really yummy! The cashew sour cream is a weird combination and it may even taste weird by itself but, on top of the tacos it's good!  You can even omit the cashew sour cream and make sour cream from greek yogurt.  Just add lemon juice and vinegar to it to taste.  You can also use beans with cumin on them instead of the walnut/soy sauce combination.


(D4)Raw Pizza on Portabello Crust: I haven't tried this recipe but, it looks really good!


(D5)Spicy Thai Peanut(I used almonds) Sauce with Veggies and Noodles: I have made this so many times with some variation.  I used almond butter instead of peanut butter and instead of chipotle peppers I used the a tablespoon of thai chili paste(It comes in a little jar in the oriental section). I make this sauce then add raw or steamed veggies like carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, snap peas, bamboo shoots etc. You can put it on gluten-free rice, noodles or just eat as is.  My family loved it!


Dessert and a Drink


Blackberry and Basil Seltzer: Just for kicks and giggles I thought I would post a refreshing drink that I saw but haven't tried yet. Would like you all to try it and give me your opinion:)


(Ds1)Lemon Sweet Cream with Fruit : I haven't tried this either, but I have made things like this and it was really good surprisingly!  I am not a big believer in eating too much coconut mainly because all the saturated fat in it(bummer!)  But, ya know....once in a while!  You can use whatever fruit is in season or what suits your fancy.