Spinach, kale, fruit smoothie! Make your own liquid base!

Made my own apple and clementine juice with my juicer today!  I like to juice them for a liquid base for my smoothies!  You can also freeze the juice in an ice tray and use them for slushies or pop-sickles.  I also like to give them to my daughter.  She LOVES the freshly juiced apple juice!  It's tastes better and is better for you :)

1  1/2 cup freshly juiced clementines/oranges

handful of baby kale

handful of spinach

1/2 cup mangoes (cubed)

1/2 cup pineapple (cubed)

2-3 ice cubes

2 big servings!

One for me and one for the hubby <3

Homemade Hummus!

Save $$ and make your own hummus!  Just as good as store bought hummus!

Ingredients:

1 can organics garbanzo beans  (save liquid in bowl)

2 cloves garlic

1/4 c tahini

1 t sea salt

3 T lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

3 T liquid from garbanzo beans

few dashes of cayenne pepper  (optional)

I used a blender but if you have a food processor, i recommend using that instead.  Add all ingredients to blender and blend well.  Taste and add more salt/chilli powder if necessary.  Chill and serve with pita bread or chips!  

Father's and Mother's Day Presents

Here's a pic of what i made for Father's Day!  I made a detox bath mix, lavender sea salt scrub, and tea tree oil bath salt!  My dad, grandpa, and husband work really hard to provide for their families and often times come home very tired.  I wanted to make them something that would allow them to relax and pamper themselves for all the hard work that they do.  It's not just the women that need to be pampered.  Men also need it every once in a while :)  

For Mother's day, i made bar soap!  Making it was actually a lot harder then i thought it'd be, but it was still fun :)  My mom and grandma love the soap and the smell of it.  Best of all, it lasts longer than most bar soaps do :)  Homemade soaps are always the best because you know exactly what you're putting into it. That's why i made them for the best moms i know :)  

Kale Chips

- 1 bunch of kale 

- 3-4 T nutritional yeast (optional)

- 1 T olive oil

- salt to taste
- parchment paper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Rip kale leaves off of stem and wash thoroughly.  Dry with salad spinner.  In a dry bowl, mix kale leaves with olive oil.  Add nutritional yeast and mix again.  Lay out on baking tray over parchment paper.  Make sure you lay the kale out in a single layer so they cook evenly.  Sprinkle VERY little salt over your kale.  The kale will shrink a lot so don't oversalt.  Stick in oven for 10 minutes.  Kale chips are done when they are slightly browned on the edges and are crispy.  If they are not done after 10 minutes, leave in oven longer and check every 1-2 minutes.  They burn VERY easily.

Nutritional yeast has a cheesy/earthy flavor.  I personally love it but i know several people who don't.  Here is some information about nutritional yeast.
 http://www.justgoodenergy.com/2010/06/14/the-health-benefits-of-nutritional-yeast/

For people who like spicy foods, add pepper flakes/cayenne pepper/etc.  Squeeze fresh lemon over cooked chips and enjoy!

cucumber, kale, peach smoothie

1  1/2 cup coconut water
3 heaping T plain yogurt
leaves from 4 kale stalks
1/2 large cucumber diced
1/2 peach frozen
(serves 2-3)

I recommend peeling off the skin of the cucumber because there is wax on it to prolong its shelf life.  If you use a english cucumber like i did, you don't need to remove the skin. 

Enjoy this healthy smoothie!  

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Here's another one of my fav. summer meals! My version of Vietnamese fresh spring rolls!  I first had them at my best friends house.  SUPER bomb!  

- spring roll wrapper 

- bean thread noodles 

- carrots (julliened)

- green onions (sliced thin long way)

- cucumber (sliced thin long way)

- mint

- green leaf lettuce

- shrimp (cooked, shell removed, deveined, cut in half) 

- any other veggie you want to add in

- big bowl of water 

- siracha sauce (optional)

peanut sauce                                                                    T = Tablespoon

- 2 T peanut butter                                                             t = teaspoon 

- 1 T low sodium soy sauce

- 2 t vinegar 

- 2 T water

- 1  1/2 T sugar

- 1/2 t tabasco 

- 1/2 t onion powder

Take 1 spring roll wrapper and wet it thoroughly in bowl of water.  The spring roll wrapper will still be hard but will continue to soften as you assemble your spring roll.  Place on plate and add veggies, noodles, siracha sauce, and shrimp. Fold in the edges and roll tightly(burrito style).  If wrapper breaks while rolling, wet a new one and wrap it around your broken roll.  Dip in peanut sauce with each bite!  NOMS! 

easy fresh bibimbap!

I LOOOVE eating this in the summer!  It's very healthy, simple, satisfying and best of all, no stove/oven cooking required!  It's not the traditional bibimbap style recipe most people are familiar with, but to me, it's just as good!     

What you'll need :
                                                                                gochujang red chili paste sauce
~ calrose rice (i use brown rice instead)                      
~ julliened carrots                                               ~  4 heaping Tbsp gochujang
~ julliened cucumber                                           ~  2 Tbsp rice vinegar
~ romaine lettuce (chopped thin)                         ~ 1 Tbsp sugar
~ sesame leaves (chopped thin)                          ~ 1 Tbsp sprite/7 up or water
~ fried egg (optional)                                          ~ 1 Tbsp mul yut (korean corn syrup)
                                                                          ~ 1 Tbsp sesame oil

Mix red chili paste sauce ingredients together with a spoon.  Add all ingredients in a bowl and top with red chili paste sauce.  If you like the taste of sesame oil, drizzle a little bit over your bibimbap.  Mix well and enjoy!!  If you're having trouble finding some of the ingredients, they sell them at any korean market.  Ranch 99 also carries them.

food swaps to cut calories and add nutrients!

1) swap sour cream/ranch dressing with plain nonfat yogurt!  Add some fresh dill to plain yogurt and you have some bomb dip for your veggies :)

2) Instead of drinking bottled juice, make your own homemade juice with your juicer!

3) Swap whole milk with non fat milk or soy milk

4) Throw out the potato chips and make kale chips! (i'll post a kale chip recipe later)

5) Swap alfredo sauce with tomato sauce.  White creamy sauces are LOADED!

6) Swap ramen with homemade soba (buckwheat noodle) salad

7) Swap white rice with brown rice

8) Swap store bought croutons with homemade croutons!

9) Swap pop-sickles and ice cream with frozen freshly juiced fruits (my fav is strawberries)

10) swap red meats with fish (salmon)

11) Swap chicken thighs/wings with chicken breast.

That's all i can think of for now

Strawberry kale smoothie!

2 cups coconut water

3-4 kale stalks

5-7 strawberries

3-5 heaping table spoons of organic fat free plain yogurt  

1 banana (optional for taste)

Make sure you add coconut water first and yogurt!  Then throw in the kale and blend.  Add strawberries and banana and viola!  I made this for my fam bam when it was super hot and it hydrated them right up!  I personally don't like the taste of plain yogurt and coconut water so I put them in my smoothies to hide the taste.  The reason i add coconut water is because it has SO many nutritional benefits!  Click on this link to learn more about coconut water!  http://www.coconutwaternutrition.net/  Stay hydrated this summer :)

  

Detox bath!

I first heard about detox baths on pinterest several months ago and i immediately fell in love with them!  It makes your skin feel really soft and your entire body feels relaxed.  It's a perfect way to ease tense muscles! Men love them too! (esp after a long day at work)

what you'll need

2 cups epsom salt 

1-2 cups baking soda

1-2 table spoon ginger (optional, makes you sweat more)

few drops essential oil (i use lavender)

magazine or book

Before you do this, make sure you are hydrated!!!  Draw a warm (make sure it's not too hot) bath and dump all of the above in.  Swish around to dissolve salt and soak for 40 minutes.  Your body releases bad toxins in your body through sweat and absorbs the nutrients and minerals in the water. After your bath you can either pat yourself dry or rinse off in the shower with a natural soap that has no perfumes, dyes or chemicals.  I use Dr. Bronners lavender castile soap.  Moisturize with a natural product such as shea butter or coconut oil and once again hydrate yourself!  

Mixed green salad with salmon

Dinner tonight!  

Just get some organic greens, whatever salad veggies you like, (i used avocado and cucumber) berries, and your favorite homemade vinaigrette dressing!  If you want to add more texture and a more nutty/earthy flavor to it, add cooked red quinoa!  (just make sure you wash well before making or it can be bitter) 

For the salmon, all i did was salt and pepper it (both sides) and pan fry with some olive oil.  Squeeze a slice of lemon over salmon after.

Super healthy, filling, and best of all yummy dinner idea!  

I've been trying for 6 months to grow an avocado tree and after 4 tries, i have FINALLY got one to to start growing!  I've also been growing my own green onions from scraps!  Save money by regrowing your own veggies!  

Juicing

I decided to start a blog because one of my friends told me i should start.  I'm not the best writer but I think this will be good for me and will help me remember things better (cuz i'm HELLA forgetful)  So here i go...
  I started juicing a couple months ago and it's been amazing!  I have terrible skin, but juicing has made it nearly clear and smooth!  Not only that, but my insides feel great too!  Here's one of my favorite ones!

2 carrots

2-3 parsley sprigs

1 beet

1 fuji apple

2 kale leaves

2 celery

My 21 month old daughter loves it as well!  Great way to get kids (and picky hubbies) to get their daily veggies!