Greened up Orange Julius

Homemade Orange Julius smoothies were a treat at our house when I was growing up. And it was one of the few things I knew how to "cook" before I left home. I had the recipe memorized. Yum!

Fast forward 12 years. I haven't made Orange Julius smoothies once since I got married. What? This had to be remedied.

So, of course, I figured out a way to "Green it up".  Now it's yummy and nutritious! Probably still a little high in natural sugars because of the refined juice, but sometimes you just gotta have something sweet.

Greened Up Orange Julius
by Shana Galbraith

Ingredients:

3 cups unsweetened vanilla Almond milk
1 cup (2 big handfuls) spinach
1 large kale leaf
2 packets truvia
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 bananas (the texture is best if you've previously cut up your bananas and frozen them)
1 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/3 of a container of orange juice concentrate (Not diluted - use the concentrate straight from the can)
1 cup ice

Directions: 

Add first 3 ingredients to blender. Blend.
Add the rest of the ingredients - blend again.  Enjoy.

This recipe made enough for 2 adult sized servings and one kids sized serving. Or - last time I made it, I put the kids sized serving into 6 popsicle molds, and now I have the perfect treat for a hot summer day. If hot days ever get here in Idaho. :)

Snack Attack! - Endurance Crackers and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I have a new favorite snack. It's high protein, high fiber, gluten free, nut free, dairy free, vegan, and totally delicious.  Looking back at that sentence, I should have put "totally delicious" first if I were going in order of importance. Because who wants to eat healthy food if it doesn't taste good, right? :)

From left to right: Endurance Crackers- adapted from OhSheGlows.com, and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, recipe from my sister-in-law, Becky. Hi Becky. Thank you! :)

Added endorsement for the crackers (which are an adaptation of a knockoff  ;D) : 

*My 10 year old will totally scarf these crackers.

*My husband took them to work today, and the guys in the office were asking for the recipe so their wives could make them. 

Endurance Crackers - adapted from Angela Liddon at OhSheGlows.com

See the original here

I didn't change much on this recipe. I simply substituted uncooked quinoa for the sesame seeds because that's what I had on hand - and I don't really care for sesame seeds.

Yield: 22 large crackers

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup pepita seeds (or pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp grated sweet onion
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp Herbamare - any other dried herbs you'd like
• 2 dashes kelp granules (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix the seeds and quinoa together. In a small bowl, mix the water, grated garlic, grated onion, salt, herbamare, and kelp granules. Whisk well. Pour the water mixture onto the seeds and stir until thick and combined.  (It usually takes 2 or 3 minutes for the chia seeds to absorb the water and make the mixture thick.)
3. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet with the back of a spoon until it’s less than 1/4 inch thick. Not to worry if a couple parts become too thin, you can just patch them up.
4. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, slice into crackers, carefully flip onto other side with a spatula. Bake for another 30 minutes, watching closely after about 25 minutes. The bottoms will be lightly golden in color. Allow to cool completely on the pan. Store in a container or plastic baggie.

Check out all that high fiber, delicious seedy goodness in those crackers!

And for the second recipe:

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus - taken from Becky Greene

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp tahini
1 clove garlic
15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
¼ C water
1 C roasted red bell pepper (about 2 big peppers)
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
½ tsp honey

Directions:

1. Clean peppers. Cut into a few pieces. Put peppers and garlic clove on a cookie sheet and broil until sides blacken and it smells good. (About 7-10 minutes)

2. Add all ingredients to blender and puree until desired consistency.

3. Scarf down like there's no tomorrow. (Okay, I added that step. :D)

She's also done this hummus with black beans instead of garbanzo beans, and it's equally delicious. Go ahead. Try it out. Prove me wrong. ;)

And for those of you who like the menu plans, I plan on getting one up by the end of the week. I have it written out, I just want to test 2 of the recipes before I pass them on to you. :)

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup and Gluten Free Pasta recipes

Sorry for the absence lately, people. I have been going through some stuff for my thyroid - and doing a crazy restrictive diet for a month. Which means I have not been into researching recipes or meal plans. I've just been surviving. And dreaming of the day I could get back to eating foods other than organic fruits and veggies. I missed me some grains, and nuts, and beans. And now they're back. Hallelujah!

So this week I got back into recipe research. Hooray! :) And I tried 2 new recipes that I just have to share with you guys. Muy delicioso. And the secret ingredient in both of them is ............drum roll please......... beans!

Here's the first. - Gluten free Chickpea Flour Pasta

Image Source: Foodie Fiasco

Oh my gosh, you guys. This pasta is A-MA-ZING! I didn't think any pasta could be homemade, gluten free, and YUMMY all in one. But this one fits the bill. To. Die. For. Delish. You must try it.

Kelly, over at FoodieFiasco found it on the internet, tested it, and photographed it. And guess what, you guys? She's only 14. Fourteen! And she's one of my very favorite foodie blogs. You should really go check her out. Then you try to believe she's only 14.

*Taps fingers. Waits. Crickets chirping.*

Okay, you're back?

Now on to recipe number 2 that blew my mind this week.

Dairy free Creamy Mushroom Soup

Image Source: For the Love of Food

I grew up on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup. If there was a recipe that involved said soup, you can bet my mom knew how to make it. :) And I loved cream of mushroom soup. 

But - it's not all that good for you. All kinds of processed crap floating around in that innocent looking little can.

Then, I found this DE-LI-CIOUS recipe from Sonnet over at For the Love of Food.  It's like the canned soup - on crack! I totally could have eaten the whole pot. By myself. No regrets. :) And as it was cooking, it filled my house with the aroma of sauteed mushrooms, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. If heaven has a welcoming aroma, this would be it, in my book.

And - even though my kids thought it looked like barf (my presentation isn't nearly as pretty as Sonnet's) - they were troopers and tried it anyway. And they all loved it. Even my picky 6 year old, and my 10 year old who hates mushrooms.

Best thing - it's totally creamy and dreamy. And there's no milk. No almond milk. No soy milk. No rice milk. The creamy goodness comes from brown rice and white canellini beans. High fiber and high protein. Score!

So - go try this soup, you guys. Your taste buds will thank you.

And - lucky me - I have some leftover soup! So - tomorrow for lunch, I'm making myself some more gluten free pasta and topping it with the scrumptiously creamy soup. - Gluten free, high protein, guilt free comfort food. Now that's my cup of tea - er, bowl of soup. :)

My New Favorite Salad Dressing

My favorite color is green.

Green fruits and veggies are some of my favorite things.  I think God likes green too. He made an awful lot of it. :)

I love things like:

grapes
kiwis
apples
green beans
asparagus
kale
lettuce
brussels sprouts (yes, I really do love these - steam them with a little olive oil and herbamare - delish!)
broccoli
bell peppers
honeydew
herbs like dill, parsley, and basil
cucumbers

But the king of all of these, in my book is The Avocado. Wanna see a funny video about avocados? Click here. 

Anywho - I was trying to go more raw with my diet this last week, and I came up with this super simple, super delicious dressing.

Hooray for avocados!!!!!!

You'll only need 3 ingredients:

2 ripe avocados
1 tsp herbamare (or sea salt)
5 tbsp water

That's it! 

Dice the avocado, and add it to your food processor. (I use a tiny 1.5 cup capacity one for dressings)

Add in the herbamare and water and blend. Voila!
 

Delicious green avocado-ey (yes that's a word - I just invent-e-ted it ) goodness to spread on your salads.

I may or may not have also spread it on my hashbrowns, my quinoa, and my toast. :)

Good stuff, peeps. And good for you.

Who needs processed salad dressings when healthy ones are this EASY to make?

Enjoy!

"Throw it Together" Easy Weeknight Dinner

Yesterday, I was feeling pretty crummy. Headaches are one of nature's blessings, right? ;)

Anyway, I didn't wanna put a lot of time, effort, or thought into dinner. So I scoured my fridge and pantry to see what I had on hand. And this is what we did for dinner.

Green Smoothies:

Baked potatoes : Peel, dice, toss with olive oil and seasonings of your choice. Bake at 425F for 30 minutes.

And a Green Salad with diced apples, cooked quinoa, chopped brazil nuts, and honey mustard dressing.

 More specific deets on the salad:

2 c green leaf lettuce, shredded
1 c cooked quinoa
2 gala apples, diced
1 handful brazil nuts, chopped
Honey Mustard dressing - which is why the apples in the pic look yellow. :)
Toss all together, and enjoy.


This meal was satisfying - quick - and nutritious.
Not only do you get your whole day's worth of fiber from the green smoothie alone, but you also get plenty of protein from both the smoothie and the quinoa in the salad.

I LOVE me some easy dinners.

Quinoa , Mushroom, and Kale Bowl Recipe

I owe the credit for this dinner mostly to Angela over at Oh She Glows.

This is her meal that inspired mine:
 

Image Source: Oh She Glows

 Isn't her photography 10 times better than mine? :)

Anyway, I saw this on in my blog feed a couple of days ago and I had to try it. Mushroom gravy? You had me at hello!

So, I went to the store, got the ingredients I needed and headed home, happy as a clam.

Then I went to cook it.
And I was out of soy sauce.
Really? Out of soy sauce? Who in their right mind is out of soy sauce? If you looked in 90% of the refrigerators across America, you'd fine a bottle of soy sauce. But not in mine. :(

BUT - it was a happy accident. Because I decided to use Worcestershire sauce instead. I mean, what goes better with mushrooms than Worcestershire sauce?  Not much. And it was Divine!

So, I substituted:
*Quinoa instead of millet because it cooks more quickly - and I love quinoa!
*Worcestershire instead of soy sauce because crazy me was out of soy sauce
*and I left out the rosemary - because that was one more thing that I thought I had - and didn't.

Note to self - restock kitchen essentials!

So, here's my adaptation of the recipe. Head on over to Oh She Glows to find the original.

Printable version here

Quinoa with Mushroom/Kale Gravy

recipe by Angela Liddon, adapted by Shana Galbraith

• 1 1/2 c uncooked quinoa
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 & 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup fresh diced kale, stems removed
• Freshly ground black pepper & kosher salt, to taste

1. Soak quinoa in a bowl of water for 5 minutes to remove the saponin.

2. Meanwhile, bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan.When water is boiling, drain the soak water off the quinoa and add the quinoa to the boiling water. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, grab a large skillet and heat oil over medium heat. Add in chopped onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for about 12 minutes longer, stirring as necessary. Now stir in the  nutritional yeast and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for a few minutes. Chop the kale.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together  1 1/4 cups water and cornstarch until clumps are gone, and then stir into the mushroom mixture. Stir in kale. Cook for another 5-6 minutes or so, until slightly thickened.

Serve gravy over the quinoa and Bon Appetit!

Jamba Juice Orange Berry Blitz knockoff

I LOVE me some Jamba Juice.

So, I decided to try my hand at making one at home.

And I figured out how to:

1. Make it taste almost identical to my favorite flavor, Orange Berry Blitz (which they have discontinued, but you can still request they make it for you)
2. Make it cheaper at home
3. Make it 10 times healthier by omitting the sherbet, and adding kale, flax meal, spinach, and chia seeds - which you can't even taste!

Yay!

Please forgive the crappy photo - one day I'll improve. Maybe. :)

So, without further ado, here's my recipe for a DIY Orange Berry Blitz.  My kids love it, and my husband claims it's better than the Jamba Juice Original.

Enjoy!

Knockoff Orange Berry Blitz 
by Shana Galbraith

2 cups orange juice ( I used calcium fortified)
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1 large leaf kale
2 large handfuls spinach
(Blend here to make more room for extra goodies)
Then add:
1 packet Truvia
1 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed Meal
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1 cup frozen blueberries
1.5 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup ice
Blend again.

This made enough to serve all 5 in my family - but 3 of them were kids :)  - and their portion sizes were smaller. I'd say it would make 2 very generous adult sized servings.


1 Serving =
300 calories
6.2 g fat
11.1 g fiber (44% of your daily needs! :D)
6.9 g protein
120% RDA of Vitamin A
326% RDA of Vitamin C
31% RDA of Calcium
22% RDA of Iron
It's also high in Manganese and Potassium

Take that, breakfast cereal!


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Gluten Free, Flour free, Dairy Free, Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies

These cookies are the most amazing cookies I've ever had. And they are:

*Gluten free
*Flour free
*Dairy free
*Low sugar

And did I mention they're some of the best cookies I've ever had? (Sorry for those of you with nut allergies - they do contain nuts!)

The original recipe came from a magazine called Clean Eating, but my sister in law has made several adaptations, and wow! Yummy! So, without further ado - here's the recipe.

ALMOND BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES


2 cups unsalted almond butter
1 cup Sucanat **
1/2 cup Agave nectar **
2 large eggs (Or to go vegan, you could use flax eggs, or chia eggs)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 oz dark chocolate pieces (70% cocoa or greater)
1/2 cup coconut (organic coconut is best)
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts