Smoothie Tuesday! Apricot carrot smoothie

It has been really hot here in Washington this past week! It seems hotter than the typical July here at least. We have been eating a ton of coconut water popsicles and drinking smoothies to stay cool. Here is an idea- you can pour your smoothie in a Popsicle  mold and make smoothie popsicles! We just received a big box of apricots from my father in law so I am trying to figure out what to do with them all!

 

Smoothie Tuesday!

Apricot carrot smoothie:

8-10 apricots
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
2′ chunk ginger
2-3 cups water
1-2 packets stevia powder
pinch turmeric

 

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Living V8 juice!

Don’t buy dead juice in a can that has been processed and cooked when you can make your own living version! You must buy a juicer if you don’t have one already!  This is a tomato free version, but you can add tomatoes if you would like! One other veggie I would add if you have it on hand would be cilantro. Cilantro is an excellent detoxing food especially heavy metals in the body. If you want to make this the ultimate healing  juice add a pinch of tumeric powder to your juice!  Living juice has many more benefits than dead juice including large array of live enzymes, higher antioxidants, and powerful cleansing and detoxifying effect on the body.  I dilute my juice with water with about 2/3 juice and 1/3  water so I can extend it out a bit.

 

Living V8 juice

Add to your juicer:

5 carrots

5 stalks celery

1-2 red peppers

1 lemon

1 large bunch of parsley

1/4-1/2 onion

4 large romaine leaves

2 kale leaves

 

Vitamin C Blaster smoothie! Tips for preventing and fighting colds!

To prevent those spring colds you should increase your intake of vitamin C! Also foods high in zinc like seafood/ seaweed can be a great immunity stimulant!  Avoiding dairy,grains and sugar is also important too for preventing mucous build up that can trigger an impending virus from taking hold. When I know I am on the verge of getting a cold what usually does me in is eating something sugary like a piece of chocolate (this just happened this week).Fortunately I can usually get rid of a cold in 2 days if I really rest and watch my diet.

Hot soups and hot teas are great keeping the phlegm at bay. Especially if you can add ginger, turmeric, and other spices to help clear out the lungs/sinuses. It is also helpful if you can try to do some light exercise to sweat out the pathogen and increase your immunity when you are starting  to get sick.

 

Vitamin C blaster smoothie:

20 strawberries
2 peeled mandarin oranges
1 lemon with peel
1 grapefruit peeled
juice of 1-2 limes
handful of cherry tomatoes
2-3″ fresh ginger
1/2-1 teaspoon of turmeric powder (or small chunk of fresh)
1-2 packets of stevia (optional)
3 cups water

*Make sure you drink this smoothie at room temperature if you want to prevent and fight a cold! Eating/drinking too many cold foods can increase your mucous! Even better would be to have a cup of tea or soup with your smoothie!

* Cheers to good health!

This recipe can also be seen here http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2014/04/24/whole-food-fridays-4-25-2014/ along with many other fabulous whole food recipes.

Smoothie Tuesday! Lemon mango smoothie

Well my week fasting was a bust! I had a last minute road trip across a few states over to southern Idaho for a funeral. There was no way I was going to be able to do a fast in a car for 12 hours a day in a car with several other people. I was glad I was able to make my grandfather in law’s funeral because it was truly inspiring to hear about such a loved and positive man and learn about his life story. He was one of the few small farmers that actually made a good living out of only farming. It is amazing to see the effect one person can have on so many people.

Driving through Montana and Idaho was gorgeous and always makes my husband and I consider moving to a smaller mountain town. I think as of now we are thinking Bend Oregon might be the place to raise our family. But we also haven’t really been there (I have only driven through it) so we will scope it out in a few weeks when we are down in Oregon visiting my sister in law. It seems like the perfect compromise- more sunshine for me and more snow for my husband:)

I have decided to discontinue my “Vegan Mondays Round Up” because I think it doesn’t really work on smaller blogs like mine. I Just don’t have enough bloggers posting their links. I will continue with it in the future if my page picks up with a larger audience. Thanks to Gluten Free Cat , Bite Sized Thoughts, and Sift ,Stir and Savour for supporting the round up!

Lemon mango smoothie:

1/2 lemon with peel
2 ” ginger
1 cup mango (frozen or fresh)
1/2 avocado
3 stalks celery
1/2 cucumber
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups water
10 drops vanilla stevia
large chunk pineapple
2 tablespoons spirulina powder

* To make the layers just leave out the spirulina powder (or something green and leafy) and save half of the yellow smoothie before you add the green to the other half. Then gently layer using a spoon.

This recipe is also seen here http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/gluten-free-wednesdays-3-12-14/  and here http://omnomally.com/2014/03/14/weekend-wholefood-blender-party-17/with many other yummy recipes.

Raspberry vanilla breakfast pudding parfait

I am really excited to start making breakfast parfaits! I discovered them last year but haven’t really made one yet. I know my kids will love these because they look like desert but are only sweetened with stevia and some fruit. Ok I know I was suppose to be studying and not blogging but….a girl needs a break from studying right?:) This can be cooked or made raw (just soak the groats over night)

Raspberry vanilla breakfast pudding parfait

1 cup cooked or soaked buckwheat groats

1 cup cooked or soaked steel cut oat groats

3/4 cup of water or non dairy milk

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoon shelled hemp seeds

2 tablespoons shredded coconut

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/2 cup water

15 drops vanilla stevia

1/2 cup thawed or fresh raspberries

1/4 cup soaked cashews

* Blend or process the oat and buckwheat groats, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, coconut, stevia, and milk/water.

*Mix up the chia seeds with about 1/2 cup of water, stir and let sit for a few minutes to absorb the water.

* Layer the chia seeds on the bottom, the oat/buckwheat pudding on top, then cashews, then the raspberries. I also put a few chunks of cacao to make it extra yum.

* Makes about 2 servings-Enjoy!

This recipe can also be seen here http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/gluten-free-wednesdays-2-26-14/   and here http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2014/02/27/whole-food-fridays-2-28-2014/  with many other gluten free recipes.

Smoothie Tuesday! Berry power protein shake

Ok I am going to take a break for a few days after this and banning myself from my page! I have a midterm that I need to study for that includes knowing everything about over 200 acupuncture points and their locations. This smoothie was awesome if you love really creamy shake like smoothies like I do:) Enjoy!

Berry power protein shake:

1 cup raspberries
1 cup blueberries
2-3 tablespoons shelled hempseeds
1 tablespoon hemp protein powder
2″ piece fresh turmeric root
1 grapefruit peeled
1 stalk celery
2 tablespoons green powder mix (spirulina,chlorella etc)
1 tablespoon avocado
1 tablespoon chia seeds
15 drops vanilla stevia
2 cups water

This recipe is also seen here http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2014/02/27/whole-food-fridays-2-28-2014/ and here  http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/gluten-free-wednesdays-3-5-14-change/ with many other whole food recipes.

Raw living chili

This was a fun experiment. Sprouted beans don’t really resemble their cooked counterpart!  I would make this without beans if you are going for a raw chili. One thing I might add to this would be some soaked cashew to give it some protein and a legume feel to it.

Raw living chili

3 cups filtered/spring water

3 tablespoons chopped onion

1/2 red pepper chopped

1/4 cup chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup chopped carrots

2 medium roma tomatoes chopped

1/2 medium avocado cubed

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons chili pepper powder

2 teaspoons cumin powder

1 chopped garlic clove

pinch of coriander 

2 teaspoons lemon juice

optional: 1/4 cup soaked cashews or sprouted beans

pinch of sea salt

*Chop ingredients and mix together

* Let sit for a few hours ( in fridge or counter) before eating so the flavors come out and mix together.

*Serves 2

This recipe can also be seen at my Vegan Mondays Round up http://applesandginger.com/2014/02/24/vegan-monday-roundup-february-24th-2014/

Smoothie Tuesday! Goji berry lime smoothie

Goji berries are an awesome superfood that are almost a complete protein source. They are high in antioxidants such as flavanoids, polyphenols, carotenoids, and  high in vitamin C, E, and A. They are great for eye health, immunity, lowering blood glucose, and lowering cholesterol.  This berry happens to be helpful for strengthening your yang energy balance in your body which means it will help keep you warm in the winter and give you an energy boost! The perfect food to add to your daily life!

Goji berry Lime smoothie:

1/4 cup soaked goji berries
large chunk pineapple
1 grapefruit peeled
1/4 medium beet
juice of 1 lime
2 stalks of celery
1/2 avocado
handful of cilantro
2″ chunk of ginger
about 3 cups filtered water

This recipe can also be found here http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/gluten-free-wednesdays-2-5- 14/   here http://www.rickiheller.com/2014/02/wellness-weekend-february-6-9-2014 here  and here http://www.glutenfreecat.com/2014/02/raw-foods-thursdays-2614/with many other yummy recipes.

*Cheers to good health!*

Smoothie Tuesday! Basil cilantro smoothie

I love using fresh herbs in my smoothies! Not only are they amazing for you (anti inflammatory/cleansing) but they give your smoothies so much flavor! I sometimes let my kids decide if they want a smoothie or regular veggies for dinner and they almost always choose smoothies! But I still want them to enjoy the taste of real veggies without the sweetness so they still have to eat their regular veggies most of the time.

Basil cilantro smoothie:

Handful of basil
Handful of cilantro
1 apple
1 celery stick
1 cup orange juice
1 ” of fresh ginger
1 large kale leaf
1/2 avocado
about 2 cups water
pinch of turmeric

*Drink at room temperature for maximum digestive health. Even better drink it with a bowl of soup or a cup of hot tea!

I am on facebook ,pinterest  and twitter also so check it out! Cheers to good health!

This recipe can also be seen here http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2014/02/06/whole-food-fridays-2-7-2014/with many other whole food recipes

Smoothie Tuesday! Nectarine queen

 

 

Today I made a nectarine smoothie with the best nectarines I think I have ever had. Now that fall is here my smoothies are going to turn up the heat so to speak. The spices are going to be extra heavy to allow the stomach to actually digest a cup of coldish fruits/veggies on these cold days. Make sure you drink your smoothies with some hot tea or soup so it doesn’t cool off your digestive fire!

 

Nectarine Queen

1 large nectarine

1 medium orange

1 cup chopped cauliflower

1 soaked date

2″ chunk ginger

about 2 cups of water

large pinch of cinnamon

pinch of turmeric

* I topped with goji berries, raisins, cinnamon, and chia seeds.