Easy Acorn Squash Soup

Acorn squash soup

I picked up a couple acorn squash at Trader Joes (the price was great) to make baby food for Jacob. I love these squash they look so cool - they are not that big which makes handling easier - and they have a creamy rich flesh when roasted. I roasted and pureed the squash and I ended up with quite a lot. I wanted to make a appetizer soup for dinner... I looked at the squash and thought perfect. So I heated chicken broth added the pureed squash and herbs and it was great. So easy. Tonight for dinner I was dining alone so I made this soup again and paired it with leftover bread sticks and it was satisfying as a main course too. This soup is pretty thin so it's a nice change. Soup can be SO thick at times almost a porage consistency - well this one is not. It's soup weather today... you really never know around here - one day its 60 degrees the next its 80.

Soup:
1 C roasted and pureed acorn squash (roast at 350 degrees about 1hr - use water to puree)
3/4 C water
1 packet Trader Joes Chicken broth (hopefully it's not too bad for you - if you have chicken broth on hand by all means use that and substitute for the water)
fresh herbs - any kind you like - I used chives and oregano

Boil water in a small pot - add chicken broth - add squash - heat just until simmering - pour into a bowl and top with fresh herbs.

Pumpkin Smoothie

Well fall is here but in So. Cal we still have very warm days... so how do combine fall with a hot day - a pumpkin smoothie. If you have been following my blog you will know that I love banana smoothies and we are constantly freezing banana's so we have them on hand. I used my basic banana recipe and added pumpkin and spices and it turned out great. Like cold pumpkin pie in a glass. The baby loved it too.

Pumpkin Smoothie

3 frozen bananas sliced

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

dash of sea salt

1/2 tsp stevia - you can leave this out and use more honey if you like

2 TBS raw honey

1 1/2 C almond milk - or more

Put ingredients in blender in order listed and blend until smooth add more almond milk if necessary pour into glasses and top with cinnamon. Makes 2 glasses and a tiny glass for baby ;)

Lasagna time!

Cool weather is here and it's time to turn on the oven. There is something about waking up to a cool morning that says boil a cup of hot tea and plan a yummy warm dinner. I had not made lasagna in so long and it sounded great so I decided to take a swing at making a heathy cheese free version. I took some pics during the process in case it turned out good and it was! It didn't leave me wanting the "real" version at all.

Lasagna

1 package whole wheat noodles boiled and cooled

1 Jar Organic marinara sauce

1 lb ground turkey cooked and browned

handful or more of fresh basil chopped

dairy free bechamel sauce:

4 TBS coconut oil

4 TBS flour

2 1/2 C cashew milk

sea salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet heat coconut oil over med/high heat add flour and stir with a whisk about 1 min. quickly add cashew milk while stirring with a whisk to prevent lumps. Cook until thickened about 3 min. -I think. If too thick add more cashew milk. Add salt and pepper to taste - (1/2 tsp. salt or so). Remove from heat.

Mix marinara sauce with basil and turkey. Cover the bottom of a large glass 9x13 pan with a small amount of bech. sauce then a layer of noodles then a layer of meat sauce etc. until you end with bech. sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40min - remove foil the last 5-10min.

The actual plan - 40 days

-40 Day Health Challenge -

sorry I forgot to post this until now... let us know if you decide to start!

During all phases drink pure water and herbal and green teas - drink 8oz of water 10-20min before meals

PHASE ONE:
Every morning upon rising drink one of the following: 1 glass warm water w/ 1TBS lemon juice, 1 glass water w/ 1oz cranberry juice, 1 glass water w/
TBS apple cider vinegar, 1 glass water w/ 1oz cherry juice (trader joe's has unsweetend cran and cherry juice)

DAY (salad dressing:apple cider vinegar or lemon juice w/olive oil,sea salt & pepper

One
fruit, fresh fruit juice
Two
fruit, fresh fruit juice, raw vegetables, fresh vegetable juice *
Three
fruit, fresh fruit juice, raw vegetables, fresh vegetable juice, cooked vegetables *
coconut oil for stir fry
Four
fruit, fresh fruit juice, raw vegetables, fresh vegetable juice, cooked vegetables *
Five
fruit, fresh fruit juice, raw vegetables, fresh vegetable juice, cooked vegetables, raw nuts, seeds
Six
fruit, fresh fruit juice, raw vegetables, fresh vegetable juice, cooked vegetables, raw nuts, seeds, beans, lentils
Seven
fruit, fresh fruit juice, raw vegetables, fresh vegetable juice, cooked vegetables, raw nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, eggs
Eight
fruit, fresh fruit juice, raw vegetables, fresh vegetable juice, cooked vegetables, raw nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, eggs

* add raw nuts for breastfeeding or other health reasons
(add lots of fresh herbs, garlic and ginger)

PHASE TWO: phase one plus…
(add nut butters and humus for dip and stevia for sweetener)

DAY

Nine
brown rice, wild caught fish
Ten
brown rice, wild caught fish
Eleven
brown rice, wild caught fish
Twelve
brown rice, wild caught fish
Thirteen
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk
Fourteen
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk
Fifteen
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk

Sixteen
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk
Seventeen
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk, free range organic chicken
Eighteen
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk, free range organic chicken
Nineteen
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk, free range organic chicken
Twenty
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk, free range organic chicken
21
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk, free range organic chicken, free range bison
22
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk, free range organic chicken, free range bison
23
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk, free range organic chicken, free range bison
24
brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk, free range organic chicken, free range bison

PHASE THREE: phases one and two plus...

DAY (dried fruit and low sugar dark chocolate)
25
yogurt, kefir (preferably raw)
26
yogurt, kefir
27
yogurt, kefir
28
yogurt, kefir
29
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread
30
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread
31
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread
32
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread

33
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread, honey, maple syrup

34
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread, honey, maple syrup

35
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread, honey, maple syrup
36
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread, honey, maple syrup
37
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread, honey, maple syrup, butter (preferably grass-fed)
38
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread, honey, maple syrup, butter (preferably grass-fed)
39
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread, honey, maple syrup, butter (preferably grass-fed)
40
yogurt, kefir, whole grain bread, honey, maple syrup, butter (preferably grass-fed)

Tamale Pie

Tamale Pie - so easy one dish a side salad and you are done. I don't really have the exact recipe for this one but you just mix up the bottom ingredients top it with cornbread throw it in the oven and there you have it. It's nice to have a meal that is an all in one dish. This is how I made it.

Tamale Pie:

base ingredients:

ground turkey

onions

bell peppers

corn

tomatoes

tomato sauce

kidney beans

chili powder

garlic

cumen

sea salt & pepper

corn bread topper:

1 C whole wheat flour

1 C corn meal

2 TBS honey

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 eggs

1 C water

1/4 C coconut oil (i used the non flavored one)

preheat oven to 425 degrees

Brown the turkey in a skillet mix in onions and peppers and cook some, put in all other ingredients - cook until heated through and bubbly. Pour into a cast iron skillet or glass pan. Mix corn bread ingredients together and spoon over the cooked ingredients & smooth the top - throw it in the oven and bake at 425 degrees umm... maybe 20 min - I really have no idea just check to see if the corn bread is done if it is then it's ready.

Instead of topping it with sour cream I made a mock sour cream out of soaked cashews and coconut milk and a pinch of salt. (kinda like the creamy pasta sauce) It was great on it. I'm going to make this again wihout meat and with more veggies like zuchini etc.

Dairy - Free Creamy Pasta

Jason and I enjoy the idea of eating dairy-free and I make many of our meals dairy-free. I made a creamy spinach brown rice pasta and it tasted great. I started playing around with cashews and coconut milk in place of cream and butter. This recipe is something I threw together without much thought and it turned out - so here is the recipe - give it a try. Jason really loves healthy food and I feel so lucky to have a husband who raves about my healthy cooking it's great. Well he had 2nds and maybe even 3rds of this dish... yup I remember he finished off the dish completely!

Creamy Pasta - dairy free - wheat/gluten free - great without the meat too for vegetarians

1 C raw cashews

1/4 C coconut cream - I'm sure you can use coconut milk too - coconut cream has a higher fat %

1/2 package brown rice pasta - Trader Joe's has the best price

1/2 lb ground turkey and 1 TBS coconut oil

1 C cooked chopped spinach

handful of basil leaves

Place cashews in a small bowl pour boiling water over and let set 1/2 hr or longer. (or soak over night) Brown turkey in a small pan with coconut oil and add basil and sea salt at the end - remove from heat and set aside.

Cook fresh chopped or frozen chopped spinach in a pot until done - season with sea salt. Set aside.

Boil water and a 1/2 TBS sea salt in a large pot and cook pasta until done. Meanwhile strain cashews and place in a blender add a 1/4 C water, 1/4 C coconut cream, 1/2 TBS rosemary and sea salt & pepper to taste. Blend well until smooth and creamy. Drain pasta well and dump into a large serving bowl pour cashew sauce over and stir well top with turkey and spinach and stir a little - serve right away.

Comfort food

When someone says "comfort food" what comes to mind? Rich, unhealthy, lasagna, fattening... However sometimes you just want to eat a basic hot meal. Well I'm here to say "comfort food" CAN be healthy. I wanted crispy chicken even though I don't like fried chicken and never have. I was bored with BBQ'd and broiled chicken. So I decided to make oven "fried" baked chicken, mashed potatoes and peas. We never eat a meal like this so it was fun - it almost looked like one of those pictures on a T.V. dinner box looking at you behind the glass in the frozen food aisle.


It was simple and good and different... especially for someone like me who thrives off of eating different unusually super healthy ingredients and heirloom vegetables. I also had to restrain myself from making a green salad to go with dinner... growing up we ALWAYS had green salad - I honestly can't remember a dinner without one and I seem to be carrying the tradition on.

Dinner for two:

2 small organic chicken breasts - skinless boneless
crushed organic corn flakes - couple handfuls - (Trader Joe's)
1 egg - beaten
2 tsp coconut oil - plus some to oil pan
sea salt and pepper

Potatoes:
4 organic potatoes
almond milk 3/4 - 1 C
sea salt and pepper

1 1/2 C frozen organic peas
1 tsp butter
sea salt and pepper

Oven 350 degrees - Oil a small baking dish. Mix corn flakes with salt and pepper in a small dish - dip chicken in egg and then in corn flakes to coat both sides. Place chicken in pan and drizzle with one tsp coconut oil. Bake 20 min or until done I use a meat thermometer. Then peel and cut potatoes into large chunks and steam or boil until very soft. Use a potato masher or blender and blend with almond milk and seasonings. (I was going to add a bit of butter but they didn't need it.)
Steam peas stir in butter and salt. That's it - easy!

Personal review and testimony

A fellow "40 day challenger" and friend along with her husband just finished the 40 days! Great job guys :) She wrote an amazing personal review and testimony that is posted on their bog. Check it out you will be inspired: http://bagleybunchblog.blogspot.com She also posted the actual cleanse program... good idea - I don't know why I've never done that - I will post it today too ;) So if anyone out there has been thinking about embarking on the 40 Day Health Challenge then here is another great reason to just start. I love hearing personal stories from people who live healthy natural lifestyles so over the next couple weeks I will be posting more testimonies of friends who have done the challenge. Remember to let us know if you start the challenge so we can cheer you on!!

Lettuce Wraps

lettuce wraps served with melon and ice tea

Lettuce wraps are super easy... yummy... healthy... and quick! Everyone is always giving Iceberg lettuce the "cold shoulder" In a salad bar people reach right over it and go for those dark leafy greens - however Iceberg lettuce is not to be shunned. Iceberg lettuce is an excellent source of potassium and manganese and a very good source of iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. It also contains traces of sodium, copper, zinc. Iceberg lettuce is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin K and vitamin C. It is also a good source of thiamin, vitamin B6, folate (vitamin B). Lettuce wraps just are not lettuce wraps without cold crisp Iceberg lettuce. So go ahead and reach for some Iceberg next time you are in the produce aisle!

Lettuce Wraps:

2 chicken breasts chopped into small pieces

1 can water chestnuts chopped small

3-4 green onions sliced

1 TBS fresh mint - minced

large piece of fresh ginger grated (about 1 1/2 TBS)

seasonings

Saute in a tablespoon or so coconut oil and all ingredients in a wok or large pan - as it is cooking add a pinch of sea salt, a few TBS of soy sauce, some black pepper, garlic, chili sauce, and any other spice you like... sesame oil would be good too. Cook until chicken is done and any liquid has cooked off. Remove from heat add a few TBS hoisin sauce stir and serve with cold Iceberg lettuce and sauce. My sauce: soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and pepper

Thumbprint cookies

Thumbprint cookies

There all many different versions of this cookie. But they all have that irresistible appeal by featuring a dollop of baked jam crowing the top. I also topped some with chocolate chips because who doesn't like chocolate?? Here is my healthy take on thumb print cookies I'll be adding this to my Christmas recipes. BTW have you seen Christmas stuff in the stores already?? Ahhh... they bring that stuff out so early - I love Christmas but give me a break... not in the middle of summer.

Thumbprint cookies

1/2 C coconut oil

1/4 C almond butter

1/4 C sunflower butter

1/2 C raw honey

3 packets stevia

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour - freshly ground if possible

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

all fruit jam - I used Trader Joes raspberry jam - sweetened with fruit juice

Cream wet ingredients add dry and beat until combined. Refrigerate if needed to handle - then roll into 1" balls put on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten a bit. Press your thumb in the top of each cookie - fill with a 1/2 tsp or so of jam or a few chocolate chips. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 8-9 min cool on wire racks . I think it made about 30 cookies maybe more :)

beans beans beans

There has been a lot of talk about beans lately - ha! Anyway I have been using beans in desserts lately and that is defiantly a new thing for me. I love using them it opens up a whole new idea of what beans are for. Well I made a big pot of white beans for a cake. It was my friends baby's 1st birthday and she asked me to make a healthy little cake for him. I made a little sandcastle cake and it turned out pretty healthy and was sweetened with honey. Anyway so I had all these beans and was super hungry so I put about a cupful in a bowl threw in a egg and some bread crumbs and blended it some - not too smooth. Then I added some onion and seasonings and cooked them in a pan on the stove with coconut oil. Then I topped them with a quick corn relish and they turned out yummy, fast and different. They actually tasted a bit like potato cakes. It was something I had never thought of before but will make again. Here is a recipe more or less:

Bean cakes

1 C white beans

1 egg

1 slice bread crumbled

1/4 C onion chopped fine

3 TBS cilantro chopped

salt and pepper to taste and a dash of chili flakes

Combine blend or smash then cook in a hot pan over med heat with coconut oil. You will have to spoon it into the pan - it will not hold together until cooked.

Quick corn relish

1/2 C corn

1 small tomato chopped - I threw in chopped yellow grape tomatoes too from my garden

1/8 C red onion chopped fine

Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and spoon over cooked bean cakes - serve immediately. I tried one a few hours later... not nearly as good - eat them right away.

Pancakes

A summer Sunday morning called for a yummy stack of warm pancakes spread with butter and smothered in honey. When I make pancakes I usually just throw ingredients together and they are different every time some are whole wheat, some gluten-free, some multi grain. Today I made a new recipe using the leftover wet almond meal from almond milk. It turned out surprisingly good so I decided the recipe was a keeper. It is gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free... except we spread them with Irish butter :)

Pancakes

1 C rice flour

1 C wet almond meal

1 C millet flour

2 TBS honey

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 eggs

2 C water

3 TBS coconut oil

Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl - add extra water if needed to thin the batter. Cook on a griddle (I set mine at about 250ish) until golden brown on both sides - serve immediately with butter and honey or maple syrup and fruit.

Keeping it basic

Look what I grew in my garden! I'm so proud... but really all I did was put the little plant in and God did the rest.

A friend and I were talking about our post challenge eating and how it is easy to get into bad habits of not eating enough of phase one. Fruits and vegetables really are the most important part of anyone's diet. It's easy to fall into the habit of grabbing a slice of bread as a snack instead of a piece of fruit or a handful of carrot sticks.
This week I am working on getting back to the basics and eating my fruits and veggies. Right now as I am typing this I am also enjoying a yummy green leaf lettuce salad with sauteed zucchini and walnuts. I am going to cut up veggies and fruit for the week too and store them in containers in the fridge then I can just pull some out as a snack or mix a few for a fast salad. Another easy way I get enough fruits and vegetables every single day is by taking Juice Plus +. Juice Plus + is 17 different fruits and vegetables in a capsule. I take the fruits in the morning with breakfast and the vegetables at night with dinner. I have seen so many amazing health benefits since taking Juice Plus + for 6 years that I am now a distributor - If you would like more info on it or if you would like to order it here is the website: http://www.tpalmerjuiceplus.com/

Have a healthy happy day!

A gift from Grenada

Banana pancakes made with rice flour and nutmeg. Yummy!


Lake Bars Jason and I made out of: dates, raisins, almonds, walnuts, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, vanilla, sea salt and nutmeg everything ground in a food processor then formed into bars and rolled in coconut.

Fresh nutmeg!

Jason came home from our practice a few days ago with two shiny brown seeds. One of his patients had visited Grenada and she was thoughtful enough to bring us fresh nutmeg.

I knew very little about nutmeg and even less about Grenada so I did a little google research. Grenada is known as "The Spice Island of the Caribbean". It is said you can smell the nutmeg wafting in the air.

"There are three layers that surround the nutmeg fruit. The outer layer, known as the pericarp, is used to make nutmeg jelly. The red membrane, which enwraps the shiny dark nutmeg shell, is known as mace, nutmeg's twin spice, which is eventually dried and ground, and used in a variety of dishes. Inside this shell is a seed - the nutmeg. No part of the nutmeg is ever wasted including the shell, which is used as flower bed mulch and for covering garden plants." http://www.nut-med.com/story.htm

Well I was excited to get such an unusual treat and from such a far away land! I broke the thin outer layer off exposing the meat of the seed. I have been grating nutmeg and sprinkling it on almost anything the past few days - love it.

We took a trip up to the mountains to escape the heat and take the baby to the lake. We decided to make a little snack with us. Jason and I set to work making fruit and nut bars. I grabbed the food processor and Jason started pulling stuff out of the cupboard - the result yummy bars. We rolled them in fine coconut tand packaged them up they were perfect to enjoy by the cool lake.

WE DID IT!!! 40 DAYS

We have officially completed our 40 day challenge! You would think I would feel excited or liberated... well it's just the opposite. I'm a bit sad and wondering now what. I won't be anticipating the next phase because there are no more phases... oh wait... phase 4 "40 DAY LIFESYLE". I really love eating extra healthy - my taste buds have changed in the last 40 days- I love the way real food tastes in my mouth and the way you still feel great after a large meal or a "healthy treat". There is no way to beat pure basic real food - the way God intended it!
This morning Jason, Jacob and I set out to... yep... the "green lady" AKA Starbucks to get "daddy" a cup of coffee. Coffee was not part of the challenge so Jason had gone 40 days without drinking a single cup - way to go Jason! He got a modest tall cup of Pikes Place brewed coffee w/ cream and raw sugar. After the first sip he wasn't too sure. Lots of build up well did he still like coffee...


As it turns out he does. He said it was good but not as exciting as he had anticipated. I think he is going to continue to drink coffee but not like before. He would have about 2 - 3 cups a day. Later today we made a blended coffee drink from a recipe I got from a great blog I have been reading http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/. Jason and our friend Josh really enjoyed the drink and it was dairy and sugar free - yum... I found it super good too but because of breastfeeding I only had a little.

Our friend Charissa - a fellow "40 dayer"

A month ago Trader Joes was selling Haggen Dazs honey ice cream - well it was only $1.99 a pint so Jason picked some up and hid it in the back of the freezer for today. I was going to make a sugar filled white flour cake to go with it but we have been enjoying healthy desserts so much I opted to make a chocolate bean cake. See how we have changed - white flour and sugar - "na I'll have black beans and honey in my cake". So anyway the ice cream was yummy but - ugh way too sweet and rich. I felt so yucky after I had to have another bowl of salad to offset the feeling.


Chocolate bean cake and the ice cream that I don't want anymore of even though I waited a month to eat it :)



I made almond milk last night and it was so easy and it really is good. We usually drink rice milk but we will be switching over to almond now. When you make the milk you have leftover almond meal after straining the milk. I decided to make brownies out of mine and they turned out so good - you won't believe they are healthy. We even took some to our neighbors to get their opinion and they enjoyed them too.

Brownies using leftover almond meal (Jason is excited - he said "now every week after we make almond milk we will have brownies too)

Brownies

1 C black beans

2 eggs

2 TBS olive oil (still need to order coconut oil - ahh)

2 TBS cocoa powder

1/2 C leftover wet almond meal
1/3 C honey

1 packet stevia

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 C chocolate chips - or dark chocolate chunks

1/2 C coconut flour

Blend beans and eggs in blender until very smooth dump into a bowl. In a tiny bowl mix oil and cocoa (I think you could skip this step) add to large bowl add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well. (It seemed a little too runny so that's why I added the coconut flour - I may try it without just to see if they still turn out good.) Dump into a greased 8X8 glass pan and bake 350 degrees for about 22 min. Cool some until you can cut them then dig in - really good warm.

Oh yeah... I frosted them with 1/3 C chocolate chips and 1/3 C coconut milk (full fat) melt in the micro 20-30 sec and stir well. ;)

Muffins

We had our girls Bible study here today and for snack one of the girls brought these yummy muffins from Trader Joe's. I have had these muffins before and they are healthy and good. However they are really big - you could split one - they cost a lot and they spoil quickly. The spoiling part is good because you know for sure they don't have preservatives. Anyway I decided I wanted to try to make my own muffins similar to those. They are sweetened with white grape juice and I happened to have some left over from the jello cups. I took a peek at the ingredient list and went from there. My muffins turned out great and Jason said they are better than the Trader Joe's ones. I was excited to make such a yummy muffin recipe so I will share it with you.

TP's Muffins :)

1 C bran

1 C oats - coarsely ground in the blender

1/2 C whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp sea salt

mix together in a large bowl

2 C white grape juice - simmer in a small pot until reduced to 1 cup - important

1/4 C coconut oil

1/4 C applesauce

2 eggs - I think I will try it with just 1 egg next time

1/2 C blueberries - mine were frozen

1/2 C mango - chopped small - reserve some for topping

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix just until combined. Spoon into greased muffin pan and top with 1 or 2 pieces of mango. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min. Remove from pan and cool. Makes 12 muffins

Red, white and blue jello

We had a wonderful 4th of July up in the cool mountains. We had a healthy spread for lunch of barbecued chicken and fresh sand bass - caught the day before by our friend Josh- olive oil potato salad, green salad, corn on the cob and homemade baked beans. For dessert I made these festive jello cups. I layered fruit juice jello from white grape juice and strawberries then topped it with yogurt pana cotta and fresh blueberries. It was very patriotic and fun to have a cool treat.

Jello cups:

3 Envelopes of plain gelatin

1 C cold juice

3 C boiling juice

1 1/2 pints strawberries

1 envelope plain gelatin

2 C whole milk yogurt

1/4 C honey

1/2 C water

1 pint blueberries

Smash 1 pint of fresh strawberries press through a strainer keep solids for another use and add juice to the white grape juice to make 4 cups. Sprinkle gelatin over 1 cup cold juice and let set 1min add 3 cups boiling juice and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour into individual cups add about 1 TBS chopped strawberries to each cup and refrigerate until set. Heat honey and water until boiling pour over gelatin in a small bowl stir until gelatin is completely dissolved cool some and then add yogurt and stir well. Refrigerate until mixture just starts to set up. Then pour over set gelatin cups top with blueberries and refrigerate until set.

Granola

I have been waiting until we could add honey to make more granola. I made some with stevia and it was good but now I made some with honey and wow it is really good. I made one batch and we ate so much of it that I just made another batch. We have been eating granola around here all day and we still want more. Granola is really good on yogurt, fruit, with rice milk, warm from the oven or by the handful. It is so easy to make if you haven't made it before try it. The possibilities are endless but I will put my recipe on here if you want to give it a try. You really have to watch it and stir it often. It takes a while to crisp up but when it starts to it can start to burn and turn brown kinda fast.

Basic recipe

1/4 C coconut oil (I ran out so I used olive oil not the best choice because of heat)

1/3 C honey

2 TBS maple syrup (I left this out and used a little more honey the 2nd time)

1/4 C water (or coconut milk)

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

heat in a small pan on the stove at med/low until just simmering remove and add

1 tsp vanilla

then mix

4 C oatmeal

1 C sliced almonds

1 C chopped walnuts

1/2 C dried unsweetened coconut

combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and pour hot mixture in and stir to combine. Pour out onto a large cookie sheet and bake at 275 degrees stirring often and checking for about 1hr. Remove and add

1 C raisins

12 chopped dates

stir cool and store in airtight containers. I have no idea how long it lasts because we eat it too fast.

Day 32 - lunch

Wednesday's lunch - Trader Joe's sells a great loaf of whole wheat bread with very few ingredients and the right ones. We really enjoy this bread and it comes with a small price tag too $1.99! I toasted the bread and then I made a spread out of Greek yogurt. I mixed a small amount of yogurt with chopped fresh basil and herbamare seasoning but you can use any seasoning you would like. I spread both pieces of bread with the yogurt then layered cashews, sliced red onion, grilled white onion and red leaf lettuce and closed it up. It was a easy sandwich I just threw together but Jason and I were both really surprised how much we liked it. We will definitely be making it again.

Day 31

Mini date cake

Well we now have less than 10 days left for our challenge! Jason and I both feel great eating extra healthy. We have lots of energy and never have that "stuffed" or "sick" feeling after eating. We have now added back whole grain bread. I had a slice yesterday with almond butter. It was good but I don't plan on eating bread every day or anything. The idea of this challenge is to eat the majority of your food from phase one: fresh fruit, fresh and cooked veggies, raw nuts, beans, lentils and eggs. Then smaller amounts of phase two: brown rice, wild caught fish, oatmeal, rice milk, free range organic chicken, free range bison. And finally a little here and there from phase three: yogurt, kefir (raw), whole grain bread, honey, maple syrup, butter (grassfed). So we plan on keeping the main thing the main thing and that is FRUITS & VEGGIES!
The baby is also doing our 40 day health challenge - except he has been drinking fresh breast milk from day 1 :) He really likes food and eats anything I give him. He loves our banana almond butter smoothies... when the blender is on he gets really excited because he knows a smoothie is coming! I try to make his food interesting and yummy and of course healthy. He loves yellow squash and basil, rice cereal with coconut milk, applesauce with blueberries or cinnamon, papaya, oatmeal with rice milk... pretty much anything. He does his scooting exercises everyday, treads water in the pool, prays before meals and has slimmed down in the waist and gained 1lb of pure muscle in the past 31 days. He is doing a wonderful job on the 40 day challenge! I'm posting the recipe for the little (it's actually really big to a baby) date cake I made him - it's yummy but keep in mind we have been eating really healthy for a while now so healthy food tastes really good. I made the cake in a little 6" pan.
12 dates soaked in 1/3 C boiling water
1/3 C applesauce
1 egg
1tsp vanilla
put these ingredients in blender and blend until smooth
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 C rice flour
1/3 C buckwheat flour
1/3 C unsweetened coconut
mix together and then mix in the wet ingredients, pour into pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 min or so - cool a little then remove from pan and cool. Tear up tiny pieces and serve. Or just slice and eat if you are not a baby anymore. I put the leftovers in the fridge because the weather is so warm it will spoil fast.

Day 29

Last nights dinner - a modest piece of Albacore, sauteed asparagus with Braggs, and a salad topped with a creamy dressing made out of white beans. I got the recipe off of a blog: http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/ it turned out yummy. I wouldn't say it tasted like regular ranch dressing at all but it was a good dressing and a nice change from oil and vinegar.

This is a fun melon we got - orange flesh - it looks like a honeydew on the outside and a cantaloupe on the inside but it tastes more like honeydew. It was super sweet - I will definitely buy this type of melon again.

Jason's favorite salad right now is very simple:

Purple cabbage, green onion, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, lots of cashews and seasoned with either sea salt & pepper, herbamare or Braggs - http://www.bragg.com/ he asks for this salad almost everyday!

We have decided cashews are our favorite nut! They are just so good, creamy, crunchy, nutty, delicious. Cashews are a super nutritious food they are high in magnesium and antioxidants. Did you know unlike many other nuts the cashew actually grows on the bottom of a cashew fruit called a marañon. It clings to the bottom of the cashew apple. The fruit is also edible but it is extremely perishable so we probably will not see it here in the US. I wonder what it tastes like.