Recipes

THM Hack for QuirkyJo’s Coconut Lemon Chicken Soup (S)

I was having an S day and some of my folk have a cold so this is the perfect recipe to serve for tea. So quick and easy as well. I made a double batch so made it on the stove instead of the Thermomix.

To boost the protein content I added 2 tablespoons of Just Gelatin, like Serene does in her bisque’s.

As this is quite a tangy soup that we love, I also added 2 TB Baobab powder.

Result = Wowsers! This soup tastes even more amazing than before!

Note: I added half a packet of konjac rice noodles ( I LOVE that stuff!) to my bowl and poured the soup over keeping it to an S.

For my menfolk, I added rice vermicelli (but rice works better) to the bottom of their bowl before pouring over their soup, making it is a Crossover for them.

See QuirkyJo’s lovely recipe here: Coconut Lemon Chicken Soup.

Hack for Golden Chana Soup (E)

Hack for Golden Chana Soup

E p 99 THM Cookbook
After our holiday we are a bit tight so we’re eating out of the fridge and pantry, purchasing only small selected, mainly fresh, ingredients until payday. I decided to make Chana Dhal soup because I had all the ingredients.

At the store, I found one of those pre-packed root veggies in a foil tin going out cheap. So I roasted them, threw them in the Thermomix/food processor along with about 2-3 cups of the soup and blended it, then added it back into the soup.

Result = More Veggies = Even More Delicious!

PS: This meal was a straight E meal for me but I added a dollop of butter to everyone else’s meal and the 5yo also chose to add some grated cheese on top – making this a Crossover for everyone else.

Low Carb Milk: THM Friendly (S)

By jove, I think I’ve done it!

You know how I have been on my quest. A quest to satisfy my daily habit. I have tried everything – almond, cashew, coconut, sunflower, flax, hemp and blends but none of them have been able to satisfy me.

Until now. The inspiration came to me while making the instant cookie dough protein bars which are yummy and hit the spot. So I experimented and I still may not fully be there yet but I think so. This has been in the works since mid November and now I’ve learned to tweak it each time I use it depending upon my needs for that time.

I won’t lie, it is calorific. But it is an S and as low/moderate/high in protein as you make it. You can customise the recipe depending upon your budget, taste, dietary needs, etc. Leave out the Sunflower Lecithin if you don’t have it. Use 1/2 TB of WPI and 1/2 TB of Collagen Peptides if you’d prefer. You can even use 1 TB of cream if you find 2 TB too heavy for you. This is similar in composition to a Rich Trimmaccino but I don’t much like the texture or taste of MCT in my beloved coffee. I also tried to make it similar in composition to normal dairy milk… it comes pretty close except my recipe has more protein, more fat and less carbs so quite different really. 🙂

And it texturises just like dairy or soy milk! BUT it isn’t dairy milk! It’s dairy though, just not dairy milk.

As it is the nutritional breakdown is:

Protein: 13
Fat: 12
Carbs: 2
Calories: 164

Susan’s Low Carb Milk

1 cup water
Pinch of mineral salt
2 tbsp of cream (pure, no added sugar)
2 teaspoon Natvia or sweetener of your choice (sweeten to taste)
1/8 tsp Sunflower Lecithin
1 Scoop (30g), 100% Whey Protein Isolate – Natural Flavour

Blend gently to combine in Thermomix, food processor or whatever you use. I then use this was a 60ml shot of espresso to make my cappuccino because this milk froths and textures up beautifully!

Let me know how you go with this recipe. I hope this enables you to enjoy a rich, delicious normal tasting cappuccino occasionally.

Homemade Cashew Milk

Regular readers and friends will know about my search for a dairy milk replacement that I can tolerate. I can’t stand Almond Milk unless it is combined with coconut milk but even then I don’t really like it, I just manage to tolerate it. So I kept experimenting and have found Cashew Milk to be something I can enjoy. Although I suspect I might also like this with macadamia nuts or brazil nuts but cashews are a little cheaper. But do you know the best thing about this milk? It doesn’t need straining! Wahoo! The secret is in the soaking. By soaking for only 2-6 hours it doesn’t need to be strained but if I soak longer than that I don’t like the un-strained texture so squeeze it through a nut milk bag or new paint strainer bag.

Homemade Cashew Milk

Serves 7

1 cup Raw Cashews
6-8 cups of water
Pinch of salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Optional Ingredients

1 TBS Hydrolyzed Collagen (Great Lakes green can)
1 Doonk Stevia Extract (A doonk is a THM measurement for 1/32 of a teaspoon)
1 Doonk Glucomannan Powder
1 tsp Sunflower Lecithin

Options:

In fact, everything except the cashews and water is optional. You do not have to include the collagen, stevia, vanilla, lecithin or gluccie.
When making this into a hot chocolate or latte or smoothie, the fat count can be increased by adding 1 TB of MCT oil, if desired.

Method

Stay with me here, it’s long and complicated. Not.

Soak the cashews for 2-8 hours. Then, drain excess water and plop into the Thermomix or good blender with the other ingredients. Blend, blend and blend again. Fire up the latte machine and marvel at how quick and easy it all is.

Green Matcha Yogurt

Over the years I have put some weird tasting stuff in my body. Even though I have mellowed and settled a lot in this area (thanks to THM) I am still susceptible to subjecting my body to obscure sounding and weird tasting foods. That’s not to say that I like the taste but I’m drawn to the health benefits. Chlorophyll, spirulina, chlorella, maca, bee pollen… the list goes on. I’ve not found them easy to ingest, rather it’s a chore I do in the name of health.

So it with great surprise that I have found Green Matcha Powder quite easy to take! And for a latte lovin’ gal such as myself, I do not prefer it as a Green Matcha Latte rather in my yogurt. A side note: The THM authors make a mean looking Green Matcha pudding here.

What is Green Matcha Powder and Why Would Anyone Put It In Their Body?

Organic matcha from Little Tokyo image I could go on… but I’ll leave that to those more knowledgable. But quickly…
Matcha is premium green tea powder from Japan used for drinking as tea or as an ingredient in recipes. While other green teas are grown throughout the world, matcha is unique to Japan. It is the heart of the Japanese way of tea and has been celebrated in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony for hundreds of years.

Matcha Green Tea Powder is:
Rich in powerful anti-aging antioxidants
Full of cancer-fighting catechins
A natural mood enhancer
An energy booster
Unparalleled nutrition in a single serving – one cup of matcha is equivalent to 10 cups of green tea!

Follow the links…
Matcha Source – matcha benefits. About Matcha…

Where To Buy Green Matcha

I sourced this beauty from Little Tokyo, a small specialist store in the Adelaide Central Market but even my local Tea Emporium stocks it so I’ll be buying local from now on. It can be purchased online but I encourage you to look locally.

Here is my daily Green Matcha Yogurt

Start with this basic Fuel Pull version then add S/E ingredients if desired.

½ cup blueberries
½ cup no-fat or low-fat Greek yogurt
1 scoop WPI (I used 20gms)
½ – ¾ tsp Organic Green Matcha Powder
THM Pure Stevia Extract to taste (or equivalent THM sweetener)
1 tsp Vanilla Paste

Method
Sift matcha powder over yogurt and blend well. Then add berries, stevia, vanilla and other (S or E) ingredients. The matcha must be sifted else it will clump and be inedible. Honestly, just believe me on this one.

Optional Ingredients for a Satisfying Snack

Ground flax
Coconut flakes
Chia seeds
Nuts
Choose low fat Greek yogurt

Optional Ingredients for an Energising Snack

Choose kiwi fruit, apple, mango or fruit of choice
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp chia seeds

Use this recipe as an introduction to green matcha powder. Feel free to mix it up and create your own tastes.

Do you use Matcha in your THM lifestyle? I’d love to hear more about your ventures with it!

Coconut Pancakes with Blueberries & Vanilla Cream {S}

Coconut Pancakes {S}

I’ve been following trim healthy mama style of eating for a year and a half. Using coconut flour was new to me, until about a year ago. It can be temperamental. It doesn’t follow the normal rules of baking/cooking. But don’t let that scare you – simply follow my easy peasy recipe and you will be nom nom noming on some delicious coconut pancakes for breakfast or lunch. Please note that this recipe doesn’t have a load of protein. You could add half a scoop of Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) if you wanted to… or you could have a Fat Stripping Frappe (FSF) for morning/afternoon tea.

I’ve found that my body functions best when I have {S} breakfasts. If I do have an {E} breakfast, it is usually only a very small serve. E breakfasts seem to affect my blood sugar levels in a way that makes me slightly dizzy, light-headed and feeling spaced out. But a gal can only eat fried eggs, boiled eggs, omelet, scrambled eggs and frittata so many times before it becomes monotonous, eh? Enter… Coconut pancakes!

Coconut Pancakes

Coconut Pancakes with Blueberries & Vanilla Cream

Serves 1 (with 2 pancakes)

1 egg
1 TB coconut oil
1 Tsp Natvia or other plan approved sweetener
pinch of sea salt
1 TB coconut flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
40ml coconut milk (to cut about 8grams of fat content of this meal you can use unsweetened almond milk instead)
1/4 – 1/2 cup blueberries (as many as you like but to keep this as an S do not exceed half a cup)
40 – 50 ml cream or Greek Yogurt seasoned with 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract and a pinch of Natvia

Mix egg, coconut oil, Natvia, salt, coconut flour and coconut link in a blender, stick blender or magic bullet. Set aside.
Gently heat blueberries in a little water until thawed or nice and syrupy. Add a sprinkling of natvia. Set aside.
Combine cream, vanilla and another sprinkling of Natvia. Set aside.
Heat a non stick fry pan, with a teeny little of coconut oil or butter. You only need a smidgen. Pour in half of the pancake batter and gently cook through. Flip to cook the other side. Repeat with remaining pancake mix.
Serve on a plate, topped with syrupy blueberries and vanilla cream.

Easy peasy and yummy in my tummy.

A new, Australian, online store to source all those ingredients!

I have purchased from iHerb.com and their shipping and prices are good… but there is an Aussie mama, who is also a THMer and she has opened an online THM type store called Aussie Mamas. Go check it out!

AhmoCoco – Almond & Coconut Milk

Almond & Coconut Milk

AhmoCoco? Have I gone mad? What am I concocting in my kitchen now?

After my successful attempt at making a latte from homemade almond milk I knew that I wanted to try and thicken it with natural ingredients. I considered using oat milk and that would certainly raise the protein amount per cup but it would also add a few more carbs – not what I want. I thought also thought about incorporating flax milk and that is certainly is on my to-do list.

However, my son-in-law, who is a Personal Trainer and certified Holistic Lifestyle Coach gave me the idea of adding in some coconut milk. And so my AhmoCoco was born!

Same ingredients as my Almond Milk except I added 1/2 cup of Coconut Milk. Textures it beautifully. And if I don’t have any coconut milk in the cupboard or fridge then I will simply add 1/4 cup of dried coconut to the almonds for soaking and make as usual.

AhmoCoco Milk

1/4 cup almonds
3.5 cups water or coconut water
2 medjool dates or 3-4 dried dates
½ tsp vanilla
Pinch celtic sea salt
Stevia Extract (Nunaturals Pure Extract Powder or NOW Stevia or Nirvana Choc Flavoured Stevia Drops)
1/2 cup coconut milk

Soak almonds and dates in water overnight.
Drain and rinse almonds and dates.
Put into blender with coconut water. Blend.
Add salt and stevia to taste.
Place tea towel or nut milk bag over bowl and drain/squeeze. Pour liquid milk back into the food processor, add the coconut milk and give a quick whizz. Season to taste.

Notes:

Left over almond pulp can be used in cakes, muffins, breads or dehydrated and processed in food processor as almond flour.
The addition of coconut water gives this milk an extra boost of nutrient goodness.
If coconut milk is unavailable, simply add some dried coconut to the almond/date mixture , soak overnight and complete the recipe as usual.

Skinny Chocolate

After much trial and error I have finally tweaked the Trim, Healthy Mama (THM) recipe to [my] perfection!

Recipe

4 tsp up to 1/4 cup xylitol, ground OR 1-3 TB Homemade Sweet Blend (see recipe below)
A few shakes of NuNaturals Pure Stevia Extract Powder (do not add if using Homemade Sweet Blend)
1/4 cup pure cocoa
1/2 cup coconut oil
1Tb cream (or cream cheese will also do the trick!) – *optional
¼ tsp. of salt

*Optional additions: coconut, berries, chopped nuts, berries, peanut paste, etc. Maybe even a squirt of Nirvana Stevia Chocolate Drops.

Note: I have the handy dandy shaker that came with the NuNaturals Stevia. I open the lid to only have the powder come out from three little circles. I then give the Stevia about 3 gentle shakes. However, it’s all personal taste learned through trial and error.

A Serving Size is about one third of this mix at each sitting.

I only buy pure cocoa. Cacao is too expensive for me, and I don’t particularly see much difference between it and pure cocoa. Simply check the back of the packet for the ingredient list to ensure you have pure or 100% cocoa. Some producers add all sorts of sweeteners and fillers to their cocoa so you don’t want this.

If you want to know what Trim Healthy Mama is, pop on over to my Nutrition Coaching website and have a look around.

If you want to read more variations on the THM Skinny Chocolate recipe, see the THM Pinterest board.

Addendum 11/03/2015: I was finding my own Skinny Chocolate tweaks to be missing the spot… and then I stumbled across a homemade sweet blend that does the trick perfectly.

I tsp. THM Pure Stevia Extract
1 cup erythritol
1 cup Xylitol

Blend together in processor or bullet. Use spoon for spoon.

Vegetable Juices

Abba asked if I would share some of our vegetable juicing recipes… so here they are! Make sure you have a one serving blender.

Obvious Juice
2 large handfuls baby spinach
4 oranges (or tomatoes)
4 carrots
1/2 lemon (or a slice of pineapple)
This is my ‘go to’ juice. It’s easy to remember and jam packed full of nutrients. I call it Obvious Juice because it is Obviously Healthy.

Everyday Juice
3 carrots
1 apple
½ orange
1 celery stick
1cm ginger root
Ginger gives this juice a real kick and makes it invigorating!

Carrot and Apple Juice
8 carrots
2 apples
Slice of ginger
Simple but delicious!

Veggie Cocktail
3 celery sticks
3 tomatoes
2 carrots
½ lemon
Tangy and nice!

CCCA
4 carrots
1 apple
1 celery stick
¼ a cucumber
½ a lemon
Pleasant and refreshing. Good for those who aren’t accustomed to fresh veggie juice.

Metabolic Boost
1 Apple (or pear)
1 grapefruit, peel thinly, leaving the pith,
6 mint leaves
2 sticks of celery
Celery is FANTASTIC in juice as it helps to cleanse and purify the blood. Whenever my husband feels his liver is acting up, he craves celery. It always helps!

Weight Loss Juice
1 tomato
2 stems parsley
2 stalk celery
1 orange
1 spring onion or a clove of garlic
1 grapefruit
1 radish
1 mild capsicum

Tip
When juicing fruits and vegetables, alternate them through the juicer to get the maximum juice from soft fruits. e.g: juice oranges then carrots then spinach.

Green Tip
If you want to start juicing greens but find them a tad overwhelming, start with celery, fennel and/or cucumber. Cabbage is actually quite pleasant too- and very healthy. These make a nice and healthy combination that is quite pleasant and not as overwhelming as spinach, kale or the darker, leafy greens.

Broccoli & Lemon Soup

In the cooler months there is nothing better to warm cold bodies than a nutritious soup before the main meal or for lunch. I’ve also found that a healthy soup before the main meal tends to fill us up more thus we don’t eat quite as much, which is a positive. This dish is a favourite in our home. It is high in Vitamin C and even those that don’t like broccoli will love it.

Broccoli & Lemon Soup

Yield: 8 x1 cup serves
Time: 20 min

5 cups water (1250ml)
4 chicken stock cubes, although I use whatever I have on hand- vegetable stock powder usually.
600 grams chopped broccoli (stalks and all)
1 large coarsely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2tsp fresh or 1/2 tsp dried sweet basil
freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp lemon juice
grated rind of half a lemon

Method

Bring water and stock cubes/powder to the boil in a large saucepan. Add broccoli, onion, garlic, sweet basil and pepper.
Return to the boil and simmer for 10 min.
When cool enough, puree in blender (or stick blender) and adjust the liquid until it equals 8 cups.
Reheat and add lemon juice and grated rind.
Serve with a slice of lemon on top.

Nutritional Information Per 1 Cup Serve

Calories: 45
Protein: 2g
Fat: 1g
Carb: 7g
Fibre: 3g

A Week of Green Smoothies

Monday: Purple Smoothie
✩✩✩✩✩

Handful of frozen red grapes, a banana and mixed berries (all frozen)
2 glasses of cold water
Handful of cos lettuce
Handful of baby spinach
0.5 Tsp Vital Greens

** Caffeine: only 4 cups of tea or coffee for the day.

Tuesday’s Green Smoothie was even better!
✩✩✩✩✩

Handful of frozen banana and 2 handfuls of frozen grapes.
Handful of cos lettuce and baby spinach.
1.5 glasses of cold water
0.5 Tsp Ultimate Greens
Half teaspoon honey

** Caffeine: only 4 cups of tea or coffee for the day.

Wednesday’s Smoothie
✩✩✩✩✩

2 apples (peeled and cored)
2 handfuls grapes
2 handfuls baby spinach and 2 handfuls of cos lettuce
0.25 avocado
1 tsp Ultimate Greens
1tsp honey
1.5 cups cold water

** Caffeine: only 4 cups of tea or coffee for the day.

Thursday’s Smoothie
✩✩✩✩✩

2 handfuls frozen grapes
2 plums
1 handful baby spinach
1 handful cos lettuce leaves
1 tsp Ultimate Greens
Splash lemon juice
1 tsp honey

Friday’s Smoothie
✩✩✩✩✩

Handful of frozen banana and 2 handfuls of frozen grapes.
2 cups of Carrot/beetroot juice
Handful of cos lettuce and baby spinach.
1.5 glasses of cold water
0.5 Tsp Ultimate Greens
Half teaspoon honey

Weekend Smoothie
✩✩✩✩✩
2 handfuls baby spinach
2 handfuls full grown spinach
2 stalks celery
2 handfuls grapes
2 kiwi fruit
A splash of lemon juice
0.5 tsp Ultimate Greens

Homemade Yogurt is EasiYo

Don’t you just love yogurt? We do. I don’t like paying the exorbitant prices for it though, even though we only buy the natural yogurt it is still expensive enough for me to ration it out for the children. Unless… I make it myself! John takes a small tub of yogurt with him to work… and the boys snack on it during the day. Usually I don’t add sugar or honey to it before putting it in the Easiyo maker as I like the yogurt to be as natural as possible – when it is out and in the bowl for eating it can be flavoured according to individual taste. I put a teaspoon of raw honey into each bowl or container and then I also add frozen fruits like blueberries or mixed frozen berries. Even a teaspoon of apricot or raspberry jam is quite nice. And who doesn’t love homemade muesli with spoonfuls of yogurt rather than milk?

No added sugar. No added preservatives. No added flavours. Have you looked at the container of store bought yogurt? It has either sugar or worse still artificial sugar (poison) as well as preservatives and artificial flavourings. How is that good for the human body? I’m not a food purist but with something that is so easy and inexpensive to make at home it doesn’t make sense to buy store bought.

I used to make my own yogurt from scratch… but honestly, who has time and energy to do that when it doesn’t always turn out perfectly? Not so with EasiYo satchels.And if you keep a few tablespoons of the natural yogurt as a starter you can make another batch just using powdered milk! (See recipe below) How cheap and easy is that? I do understand that for some this method is not the most natural or organic or pure… but for me it is a matter of sometimes second best is really THE best.

Aside from it being fairly healthy, I can have a batch of yoghurt to go in 12 hours, flavoured to taste but the best part is the cost. It is SO much cheaper than buying store bought yoghurt! Apparently, it can keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge but I really couldn’t say… one litre doesn’t last more than 48 hours in this house.

Our favourite everyday salad dressing uses unflavoured yogurt:

Delicious Dressing

- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1 ts Balsamic vinegar
- 1 TB Dijon mustard
- 2 TB Plain, whole yogurt or Greek yogurt
- 1/2 glove garlic or sprinkle of garlic powder
- 1TB (or to taste) Orange Juice
- 1ts Maple syrup or honey

Homemade Yogurt using an EasiYo yogurt as a starter

You’ll need an EasiYo Maker
2 cups milk powder (either full cream or skim)
2 tablespoons natural yogurt from previous batch (this is the starter)
Cool water (not too cold- room temperature is fine)

Half fill the EasiYo maker with cool water, add the milk powder and the 2 tablespoons natural yogurt. Put the lid on and shake well to combine. Make sure there are no lumps of milk powder left. Fill the jar to the top with more water, seal and shake well.

Place the EasiYo container in the EasiYo thermos. Pour boiling water around the jar until it reaches approximately 2/3 of the way up the sides. Put the lid on the thermos, sealing it tight.

Set aside for about 12 hours, depending on how thick you like your yogurt. Once it has reached the consistency you like, place the jar of yogurt in the fridge to cool.

Save 2 tablespoons of the unflavoured yogurt to act as a starter for your next batch.

Sweeten to taste with sugar or honey, maple syrup, jam, fruits, etc.

Do you make yogurt at home? If you make it differently I’d love to hear about it.

Zucchini Pasta with Marinara Sauce

I’ve posted a few Zucchini recipes before but this topic came up recently on the AussieHomeschool forum and so I shared a recipe that I tried and to my surprise most of the family loved it.

Marinara Sauce
Food processor or blender (blender is smoother: food processor is chunkier)

4 slice of Tomato
1/2 cup Tomatoes, Sun-dried
1/2 of Bell Pepper
1 cloves Garlic Clove
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp Basil, Dried
1/2 tsp Spices, Oregano Leaves
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 medium Zucchini (raw)

Don’t be put off by the sound of cold zucchini strands- this dish really is delicious! However, I do cheat a little. I warm the zucchini pasta and sauce up just a little bit. When the sauce was ready, I just threw the zucchini into the wok, stirred it around for a few seconds, threw in the sauce just to heat it up.

Zucchini Noodles with Parmesan Sauce
from the Reluctant Entertainer

12 small zucchini
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper

Sauce
10 garlic cloves, pressed
2 T. olive oil
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup fresh, grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

With potato peeler create long, wide zucchini ribbons by starting at the top of each zucchini and peeling down the length of it.

Heat a large skillet and add the olive oil and ribbons. Saute for approx. 2-3 minutes; do not overcook. Salt and pepper to taste.

In a saucepan, saute the pressed garlic in olive oil. Add the whipping cream, turn the heat to high, and sir until it begins to boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes; Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Pour over the noodles and serve.

Don’t these dishes just sound divine?

Liver long and prosper

We have a family member who suffers with liver problems… including a fatty liver. There is way too much information available on the Interwebs and some of it is just plain wrong! In a nutshell though, it can be described as NASH, which stands for Non- Alcoholic Steatorrhoeic Hepatosis or Non-Alcoholic-Fatty-Liver-Disease (NAFLD) simply put, the liver is being invaded with fat! Fatty liver or NASH, is very common in overweight persons, over the age of 30.

We have a few books by Sandra Cabot, the Liver Doctor and we use fresh vegetable juicing as part of the cure during a flare up. We always plan to continue with the juicing during maintenance but it gets so expensive and time consuming that sometimes it just falls by the wayside. Here are a few recipes that we use for liver cleansing.

Fatty Liver Juice

½ whole lemon or grapefruit, peeled
2 carrots peeled
1 clove garlic or ¼ red onion (optional or use less if it is too strong)
1cm slice fennel
Half cup chopped parley
1 red radish and tops
1 cm slice of fennel
¼ beetroot peeled
2 dandelion or 2 rocket or 2 cabbage leaves

*I add some celery as John feels its benefits immediately.
**Apples may be added to improve the taste

Liver Cleansing Juice

2 dandelion or 2 rocket or 2 cabbage leaves
½ cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets 2 large brussel sprouts
1 clove garlic or 1 small radish
½ cup chopped parsley
1 whole red apple

*Drink 500 ml to 1 litre daily.
**Juice may be sweetened by adding one or two of the following: strawberries, grapes, carrot or beetroot.

Liver Tonic Juice

1 carrot
125 grams asparagus
125 grams cucumber with skin on
1 apple 2 dandelion or cabbage leaves

You can learn heaps more here at Dr. Sandra cabot’s website, the Liver Doctor as well as read through a quick checkup guide.

Weight loss with Green Smoothies

Just a quick post…

John (DH) went back to the doctor yesterday. The doctor was really pleased and a little surprised with him. Why?

John has lost 3 kg in weight and 4 cm from his waist!

The doctor wanted to know how or what he had done to achieve this positive result. He answered by telling the doctor that it’s all his “wife’s doing…it’s this green stuff she’s making me drink”

He went on to tell the doctor about green smoothies and the doc said it as great and to tell ‘the wife’ that she’s doing an excellent job! How’s that for cool?

Yesterday’s smoothie was delicious.

About 2-3 cups of watermelon.
About 3 large handfuls of cos lettuce
1 orange
1 fennel bulb
2 frozen bananas
Dash of flaxseed oil

Smooth yet creamy…sweet but not overly so…very healthy.

Green Smoothies

Seeing as how my few readers seem so keen to talk more about Green Smoothies I thought I’d post a few links, a recipe or two and a video. I’m so keen to share this so would like to offer as much help as I can.

First, a few links but searching google will easily bring up many sites:

The Raw Divas has blogs, articles, recipes and more.
The Green Smoothie Blog has loads of information also.
Raw Foods-Living Foods has a section on Green Smoothies
YouTube search brings up many hits.

Recipes

Plain Smoothie
Little cold water
Blender full of greens. I used baby spinach.
2 apples
2 bananas
smidgen of flaxseed oil
ice

Fennel & Orange
One stalk of fennel including leaves and bulb
Two oranges, peeled and segmented
One handful baby spinach
Water or ice
Smidgen of flaxseed oil
1 tsp Bee Pollen

Plain smoothie
Cos lettuce
1 apple
1 cup carrot/celery juice (from the morning’s juicing session)
Handful of frozen strawberries
Some freshly ground flaxseed
Few grapes
Ice

Videos
ReasonablyRaw
Karen Knowles: quick and dirty guide to making a green smoothie

Italian Pizza Soup

Italian Pizza Soup

This delicious soup is quick and easy to fix. Just add crusty bread for a hearty meal!

5 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 medium onions, chopped
2 1/2 green peppers, chopped
2 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
5 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/4 cups uncooked rice
2 1/2 cups diced or crushed tomatoes
10 cups chicken broth
2 1/2-5 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
1 1/4 cups shredded provolone cheese or mozzarella cheese
1 1/4 cups grated parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.
Saute the onion and green pepper until softened.
Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute.
Add the oregano, basil, rice, tomatoes and broth, and bring to a boil.
Turn down heat and place cover on saucepan.
Simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
Stir in the pepperoni, and sprinkle with the cheese.
Continue cooking for another minute or two.
Serve, and add an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

If I don’t have pepperoni, I just add whatever I have – bacon, chicken or whatever. I ALWAYS add olives…it makes it!

This can either be done on the stove top or in the crockpot. I’ve done both.

Cold Brew Coffee, Butter Blend, Bliss Balls

Cold Brew Coffee. Sounds gross eh? We’re talking about it over on HOMEschool Fellowship and one of the ladies posted a link so I thought I’d try it. Here’s what I did:

Cold Brew Coffee

Coarsely grind about 1/3 cup organic coffee beans and put it in a jar with about 1.5 cups of water

Stir and cap and leave for about 12 hours or so. This makes a concentrate, and from here you can make coffee milkshakes, cappuccino and other things. We’ve just had some, and it is nice! It isn’t bitter or acidic.

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Butter Blend

And I’ve been whipping butter. We use real butter (500grams) and I let it get to room temperature. I put it in the blender along with 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 4 tablespoons of either flaxseed oil or coconut oil. Then, I blend it and put it in a container, ready for use. Not only is this healthy, but it seems to stretch the butter out and make it last longer!

Favourite Fruit Brekky

1 Banana (sliced)
1 Gala Apple (Diced)
2 tablespoons Organic Oats
2 tablespoons Organic Raisins
2 tablespoons pecans OR walnuts
1 teaspoon Organic Honey
Mix above ingredients together and drizzle honey on top. ENJOY!

Banana Pecan Bread

1 1/2 C. bread or plain flour
2/3 C. Sugar
1 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Salt
1/3 C. Olive oil or pure butter
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 C. dairy sour cream
1 t. Vanilla

When beep sounds, add:

2/3 C. Mashed ripe banana
1/3 C. finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Put everything in pan except bananas & nuts. Use “cake” setting. When machine beeps after about 5 minutes, add banana and nuts. Press “start” again. The “complete” light will flash when bread is done. (check on it often after it bakes for 40 minutes.)

Garden Salad

1/2 head red leaf lettuce, torn
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, torn
1/8 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2avocado, thinly sliced
1 Roma tomato, in wedges
2 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Toss all ingredients. Serve immediately. Makes 1 serving

Bliss Balls

1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup almonds
1/3 cup dates
3-5 tbs. carob powder/pure cocoa
Pinch of nutmeg and/or cinnamon
Small pinch of sea salt

Put the sunflower seeds and almonds in the vitamix to make them into a flour or powder. Then, mix them with the rest of the ingredients.
Get about 1-2 tbs. of the mixture and shape it into a nice round ball. At this point you may roll it in sesame seeds, coconut flakes, or carob powder. Continue this process until all of the mixture is gone. Put the bliss balls into the freezer until ready to eat. Source of protein and keep hungry little bellies happy.

Nori chips

Everytime I’ve logged on lately to blog, it has been about food…so I decided against posting. This is, after all, a *homeschool* blog, isn’t it? Yes but our life is one of learning so I guess it doesn’t matter so much. I guess if it continues though I should think about discontinuing this blog and moving somewhere to start up a food blog.

I’ve just done something quite interesting with some nori sheets that I had left over. I put them on a tray and seasoned them with some oil (I made a few different combinations: olive oil & flax and another combination of coconut & olive oil with a dash of chilli oil). I baked them at 180 degrees for about 6 minutes and then when they came out, yet still warm, I sprinkled them with a Parmesan Sprinkle mix, which is 1 tsp of Celctic sea salt with 1 TB of sesame seeds which have been combined and ground, either in the Magic Bullet or using the mortar and pestle.

I then cut them into finger sized (bite sized) pieces and put them into an air tight container.

They are yummy! I think John will like to snack on them at night. They’ll make a great, nutritious substitute for chips, not that we have many, but what a way to get some extra nutrients. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!