Crock-pot Quinoa Stew
Posted: May 17, 2012 Filed under: Crock-pot, Thoughts | Tags: Basil, Black Beans, Black pepper, Celery, chili powder, Cumin, Garlic, green pepper, Inspiration, kidney beans, Olive oil, Paprika, Quinoa, Red Pepper, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, Tomato Sauce 4 Comments »FOOD
I love healthy food but I don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen preparing it so when I come across a crock-pot recipe with nutritious ingredients, I get a little excited. :)
*This recipe may look like it has a lot of ingredients but most of its seasonings which makes this dish DELISH!
Quinoa Stew
Ingredients
1-tablespoon olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 handfuls of chopped up celery
2 handfuls of chopped up mushrooms (any kind is fine)
1 red or green pepper (or half of each), diced
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½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-teaspoon cumin powder
1-teaspoon paprika
1-teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1-tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium)
Black pepper to taste
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½ cup uncooked quinoa
3 cups of water
8 ounce unsalted tomato sauce
1 can (15 ounce) kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can (15 ounce) black beans (drained and rinsed)
Directions
- Sauté garlic, celery, mushrooms and pepper in oil for 10 minutes on medium.
- Add spices, herbs and soy sauce to mixture and stir in for a few minutes.
- Combine water, tomato sauce, quinoa and beans in a large crock-pot.
- Add mixture from step number one. Stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
*If you like it hotter (sounds a little personal) add more chili powder or red pepper flakes.
This recipe has been revised from original.
INSPIRATION
Mushrooms, Magic Soap and Movies
Posted: April 28, 2012 Filed under: Beauty & Hygiene, Fitness, My own recipe creations | Tags: Asparagus, Baby, Beauty & Hygiene, Brown Rice, Coconut oil, Collage Video, Dr. Bronner, Food, Garlic Powder, Humor, natural beauty products, Portobello mushroom, Recipe, Red Pepper, Soap, Stir fry 2 Comments »FOOD
De’s Quick Stir Fry
Ingredients
1 10-ounce bag of frozen asparagus (chopped up)
2 gigantic Portobello mushrooms (chopped up)
1-2 handfuls of red pepper (chopped up)
1-tablespoon coconut oil
Garlic powder
Minute maid “ready to serve” brown rice
Directions
Heat coconut in large frying pan. Add asparagus, mushrooms, red pepper and sprinkle with garlic powder. Heat around 15 minutes or until asparagus has softened (not soggy). Prepare rice according to directions. Place a big spoonful of veggie mix on top of rice. Add hot sauce if you are feeling feisty. :)
BEAUTY
The soap of the moment (for me) is Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap All-One Hemp Unscented Baby-Mild. It’s rated 7.9 (out of 10) overall according to http://www.goodguide.com/# and rated a 10 in health. It’s made with organic oils and the rest of the ingredients are recognizable. You can learn more about Dr. Bronner’s products at: www.drbronner.com. Switching to natural beauty products is an ongoing journey for me and I’m always on the lookout for the one (product) that is going to complete me (as my friend Tracy would say). :)
FITNESS
Let me be honest with you…when it comes to physical activity, I’m lazy. I rather read, study, surf the Internet (because actual surfing would take way too much energy), watch my favorite TV shows, cuddle (wink wink), watch movies and maybe some leisurely shopping. Three-hour lunches with friends are always nice. The ultimate vacation for me is the beach and even then, walking across the street to get to the ocean seems like a chore. Just give me a chair and my favorite person/people to talk to and I’m content for a week. With all that said, I depend on: http://www.collagevideo.com/, my treadmill and a jump rope to get my hour workout in every morning (5 days a week). Collage Video is awesome. They provide quick delivery and they have a fantastic return policy. They will refund your money even after you have opened and watched it (if you decide you don’t like it). Check out their website. You can watch clips of all the DVD’s they offer. Of course, yoga is my “thing” but I’ve been branching out recently and will post a few of my favorite workouts in the near future.
INSPIRATION
Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritation and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place. ~Mark Twain
Super Simple List
Posted: April 19, 2012 Filed under: START HERE | Tags: Blueberries, Carrots, Fruit, Orange, Red Grapes, Red Pepper, Romaine lettuce, Spinach, Strawberries, Sunflower seeds, tomato, Vegetables, Veggies, Dressings and Sauces 5 Comments »Don’t you just wish someone would tell you which fruits and vegetables are the most nutritious? I’m not talking about exotic or rare plant and fruit species that you can barely pronounce properly let alone find in a regular supermarket. I’m talking about common fruits and vegetables that you grew up on.
I’m well aware that not everyone has time to shop for different types of produce and then go home and prepare gourmet meals with them. I don’t even work outside of the home and I don’t have time for all that jazz. Okay, I could make the time, but I rather study. :)
So, I compiled a small list of easy to find nutritious fruits and veggies (and some seeds) that will help you stay healthy. Honestly, you don’t have to do anything with them but…eat them!
Spinach: Is one of natures best all round nutrient providers. Use it in place of lettuce for a salad, throw it in a smoothie, sauté it or just eat it. One time at the airport I saw a lady eat half of bag of fresh spinach for breakfast. I was like, “Hey, why didn’t I think of that!”
Romaine lettuce: Is an excellent source of vitamins A, K and C, folate, manganese and chromium. Use it in a salad, smoothie or again, just eat it. I’m going to get sick of writing, “just eat it” huh?
Red Peppers: They have more Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Beta Carotene than green or yellow peppers. Cut them up or I’ve even seen people eat a pepper like an apple. I love them with hummus.
Strawberries: Ranked one of fifty best antioxidants. Dipped in dark chocolate? OR yes, just eat them. :)
Tomatoes: Excellent source of Vitamin C. Wash, slice (or eat whole), sprinkle a little sea salt and eat it. I eat a medium tomato this way everyday.
Carrots: Some call them the “King of the Vegetables”. You can find baby carrots all ready to eat in a bag. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.
Blueberries: Memory protecting food. Wash and go.
Oranges: Yep, you guessed it, lots of Vitamin C. I’m pretty sure you know how to eat an orange. :)
Sunflower seeds (low or no sodium, non flavored): Contain a wide variety of nutrients. They are known to be the perfect easy snack.
Red grapes: Have a high content of antioxidants which green grapes only have a small amount of. Wash them, put them in a sandwich bag and carry them with you for a snack.
Eating healthy doesn’t need to be complicated! So, you may want to add these 10 powerhouse fruits and veggies to your grocery list.
Spinach
Romaine lettuce
Red peppers
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Carrots
Blueberries
Oranges
Sunflower seeds
Red grapes
Picture: unknown
*The simplest things are often the truest.-Richard Bach
My New Favorite Salad
Posted: April 15, 2012 Filed under: My own recipe creations | Tags: Avocado, black bean avocado salad, black bean salad, Black Beans, Corn, Lime Juice, Olive oil, Red Pepper, Sea salt 6 Comments »Between my numerous food intolerances and my picky husband, coming up with recipes can be quite challenging at times. Yesterday, I was searching for a black bean salad and after 20 minutes, I decided to create my own. I LOVE it and Den ate two bowls worth so it must be pretty good. :)
Black Bean/Avocado Salad
Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can of black beans (rinse in cold water and drain)
1 (11 ounce) canned mexican corn (lowest sodium possible) cook and cool (using fresh or frozen would be better for you)
1 small red pepper (cut in little pieces)
1 avocado, scoop out and cut into little chunks
2-3 tablespoons of lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl, combine beans, corn, pepper, avocado, lime juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Chill before serving.
Sorry about the picture. This is what was left-over. I didn’t think about taking a picture until after we were done eating.
Drink your Veggies!
Posted: March 6, 2012 Filed under: My own recipe creations, Smoothies and Drinks | Tags: Avocado, Carrots, Celery, Cucumber, Flaxseed, juice recipes, Kale, omega 3 fats, red cabbage, Red Pepper, Romaine lettuce, Spinach, Vegetable smoothie, Vegetables Leave a comment »I’ve had some requests for vegetable ONLY smoothies/juice recipes. It always makes me a little nervous to post smoothie recipes because I will seriously drink any combination as long as I know it’s good for me. It doesn’t even matter how it taste. BUT… for your sake, I want them to be nutritious and enjoyable as well. Developing delicious vegetable ONLY smoothie’s is quite a challenge.
I personally like the idea of blending rather than juicing. It’s easy, nothing is wasted and you reap the benefits of ALL the nutrition and fiber.
Drinking green smoothies guarantees you consume the recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables. I have several friends that serve green smoothies to their children, which allows them to get all the nutrients they need on a daily basis.
The first recipe is one that I created. You may think it’s a little boring, but below I’ve listed why I chose these ingredients.
Drink it; it’s good 4 u
2 handfuls of spinach (you can use frozen spinach)
1 big handful of chopped cabbage
2 handfuls of red pepper
2 tablespoons of flaxseed
8-12 ounces distilled or filtered water
Optional: ice cubes
Blend, blend, blend!
Spinach: One of the most nutritious foods on earth! You may not have known this but Spinach is a fine source of calcium for those that can’t or don’t want to drink or eat dairy.
Cabbage: A good source of Vitamin C, fiber and an awesome antioxidant.
Red Pepper: Good source of vitamins C, A and the mineral potassium. Inflammation reducer.
Flaxseed: Rich source of Omega-3 fats
*My smoothie/juice gives you a combination of greens, sulfur and color which you should add to your diet on a daily basis.
Jackie V’s recipe
2 handfuls of spinach or kale
1 handful of carrots
1 handful of celery
Ginger
Optional: cucumber
Avocado Cucumber
1 medium avocado
1 large cucumber
¼ cup chopped parsley
3 tbsp lemon juice
Just Green
1 bunch of romaine lettuce
1 medium cucumber
2 cups of water
Of course adding fruit to any smoothie makes it taste better. You can find green smoothies with fruit under my “smoothie” folder listed to the right of my blog. I still drink the “Green Light” for breakfast every morning. A couple of times a week, I’ll drink the vegetable smoothie mentioned above (for lunch) followed by some cut up veggies and hummus.
If you have a good Vegetable ONLY smoothie and would like to share, please leave a comment with the recipe. Thank you!
Drink up! :)
Picture by: www.almightydad.com
Oh, how I love Hummus
Posted: January 7, 2012 Filed under: Detox, Hummus & Dips | Tags: cloves of garlic, crushed red pepper, Detox, Garbanzo beans, Hummus & Dips, raw veggies, Recipe, Red Pepper 2 Comments »I’ve previously mentioned that hummus is allowed on the “detox” plan and is delicious with your favorite cut up (raw) veggies. Those of you who are not following the plan will equally enjoy the recipe below. My friend found it inside her Costco cookbook and was nice enough to pass it along to me. I’ve made a couple of revisions but one I wanted to mention is that I cut the oil down (in half). I did not notice any difference in the texture. It’s still very creamy.
Spicy Red Pepper Hummus
1 can of Garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)
1 12 oz jar of red peppers drained
1-2 cloves of garlic (optional)
1 TBS of olive oil
1/8 tsp of sea salt
1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper
BLEND
Cut up red peppers with Spicy Red Pepper Hummus….YUM! 
Picture by: 123RF
His and Hers
Posted: January 6, 2012 Filed under: Detox | Tags: Detox, detox program, Dinner, Green Smoothie, Lunch, Portion sizes, Raw, Red Pepper, Salad, Vegan 2 Comments »January 2nd we started the “detox” program and since then I’ve had a few people ask about portion sizes. For such an easy question, I had a hard time answering it. When you eat 80% raw and 95-98% vegan; you don’t worry about portion sizes or count calories, fat grams or anything else for that matter.
Side-note: I usually don’t use terms like Vegan, but for this article, it’s just an easier way to explain things.
You have to pay attention to your appetite and if you feel hungry, EAT! You know what you can eat and what you can’t so there is no way you are going to “mess” up your detox as long as you are eating the acceptable foods.
Someone (you know who you are) asked if he could eat 10 cups of brown rice since it’s on the “unlimited” food list. I didn’t know what to say at the time, but I should have said YES. There is no way after eating a full salad (or any other kinds of veggies) that he would be able to consume all that rice. Side note: In only a few short days, he’s already getting the hang of it.
My husband and I are both following the plan and as expected we have very different appetites. The only meal we seem to be on the same level is breakfast. The 40-ounce smoothie seems to work for both of us. I keep asking him if he needs to drink more and he insist he doesn’t. Everyone seems to be full on the smoothie below…
Lunch on the other hand…
Above is the Fred Flintstone salad my husband takes to work (most days of the week). The average size bowl next to his, is what I usually fill with red pepper strips and cucumbers to eat with hummus and a handful of crackers. I’ve never been one to have a big appetite at lunchtime.
Our pre-dinner salads are shown below.
During the “detox” we will (also) have a baked potato or some type of healthy grain with our dinner. Of course, dinner is not always just salad, there are other healthy recipes we eat but I’m just trying to show some examples of portion sizes.
So in conclusion (I feel like I’m writing a book report), remember to pay attention to your hunger level and NEVER starve yourself. You should always feel full (not stuffed) and satisfied.
And don’t forget….
