Shredded Chicken Tacos

The easiest way to add stress to your day is to

NOT

make a weekly dinner plan.

...I know this...

and somehow I ALWAYS fail to plan.

So I took inventory of what was in my fridge and tried to figure out what I could make for dinner tonight.

Here's what I had:

2 very ripe avocados

1 red onion

1 yellow onion

2 Trader Joe's flour tortillas

Some hard shell corn tortilla shells

A garden full of greens

3 frozen chicken breast tenders that I had set out in hopes of finding a recipe to use!

I hate cooking Chicken unless it is in a crock pot recipe. It always seems dry and bland.

But when looking on FOOD GAWKER I found a great recipe for Shredded Chicken Tacos

that called for POACHED chicken.

Poaching chicken is something I had never attempted before and I feel like I've been missing out on life. 

Poached Chicken Breasts (serves 2 or yields about 3-4 cups shredded chicken, depending on size)

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

5 cups water

1 medium onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Bring water, onion, garlic and salt to a bowl. Add chicken breasts and oregano.

Turn down the heat and simmer, partially covered for 35-40 minutes.

When finished cooking, remove chicken with a slotted spoon, if using in another dish shred with two forks, if not, serve. Strain liquid and reserve for stock.

...So here is my recipe review...

It was 

FANTASTIC

Jess gave it 5 stars :)

We made mini tacos using the flour tortillas and also used the hard shells

I made my Favorite Guacamole and also homemade salsa to top it all off.

So fun just going in my backyard and harvesting the cilantro and jalapeño for the salsa!

Shredded Chicken Tacos (makes enough for 12-15 tacos)

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped or grated
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups shredded POACHED chicken
1/2 cup crushed tomato
1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions

In skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute.

Add chili powder, cumin, sweet paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, oregano and cayenne pepper. Cook for another minute or until fragrant.

Turn down heat to low and add the chicken. Stir so that the chicken is covered in spices. It may take a few times to get chicken fully coated.

Add crushed tomato and chicken broth. Cook for a minute or until only a little liquid remains.

I will definitely be making these again and am so glad I discovered the process of POACHING!

**Recipes and Photos from http://www.livinglou.com

Broccoli Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

I am LOVING this cooler weather and trying some new soup recipes for the winter.  I had the best Broccoli Cheese Soup at Pita Jungle awhile back and I have been on a mission to find a recipe that could compare.  I whipped this up for dinner a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised how yummy it turned out!
Nutrition tips:  My quest for nutritional enlightenment is never ending and I am constantly reading books, magazines, news articles, and websites to further my knowledge.  Since this is also a spiritual journey for me, it is fitting that probably my favorite source of inspiration is the Word of Wisdom Living blog.  My friends over at Please Hold the Onions posted about it awhile back, but it wasn't until recently that I really began to read it.  I would recommend it to everyone interested in health.  He is one smart man who has read countless nutrition books, and he goes really deep sometimes but try to stay with him.  He takes his knowledge and then applies scripture to write his posts.  I love how he breaks everything down into making one healthy change a week and then adding another one when you are ready.
Anyways, a growing amount of recent research shows the importance of eating your cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.) because they are thought to be very protective of cancer.  Therefore, I have been making sure they are on our menu multiple times a week!  Luckily, this little one cannot get enough and tries to steal the broccoli from me before I can get it cooked.  That's okay though, raw food can be even better!

Broccoli Cauliflower Cheddar Soup
adapted from Panera Bread
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/8 cup melted butter + 1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups fresh broccoli
2 cups cauliflower
salt and pepper, to taste
4 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
PREPARATION:
Saute onion in olive oil. Set aside. Cook melted butter/oil and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the milk (this is called making a roux). Add the broth whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli and cauliflower. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. (This gives it that smooth consistency.)  Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended.
Someday I will get better at taking my own pictures, but for now this one looks yummy.  (As does this newly discovered website… foodformyfamily.com.)

Enjoy!!

Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen!

 This weekend my sweet husband spent hours upon hours working in the scorching hot sun to create our GARDEN AREA!

Last year my dad built us a small garden box to experiment with and we had SO MUCH FUN growing our own food!

But this year we are going FULL out!

Jess started by killing the grass on the side of the yard, then dug it all up by hand. Next he leveled all the dirt, dug out a tree trunk, had curbing put in, built 2 boxes out of redwood, laid down landscaping cloth, and shoveled in 1 and a 1/2 TONS of rock! 

It was a pain in the neck (literally) but we are so pumped now that it is all done. Can't wait to start planting! Thanks JESS!

So why is it so beneficial to grow your own food or buy ORGANIC food at the grocery store?

***PESTICIDES*** 

Read below to find out WHAT foods you should ALWAYS buy organic and which ones aren't such a big deal

The Dirty Dozen

Of the 12 most contaminated foods, 6 are fruits: apples, strawberries, peaches, domestic nectarines, imported grapes and domestic blueberries. Notable findings:

• Every sample of imported nectarines tested positive for pesticides, followed by apples (97.8 percent) and imported plums (97.2 percent).
• 92 percent of apples contained 2 or more pesticide residues‚ followed by imported nectarines (90.8 percent) and peaches (85.6 percent).
• Imported grapes had 14 pesticides detected on a single sample. Strawberries, domestic grapes both had 13 different pesticides detected on a single sample.
• As a category. peaches have been treated with more pesticides than any other produce, registering combinations of up to 57 different chemicals. Apples were next, with 56 pesticides and raspberries with 51.

Celery, spinach, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, lettuce and greens (kale and collards) are the vegetables most likely to retain pesticide contamination:

• Some 96 percent all celery samples tested positive for pesticides, followed by cilantro (92.9 percent) and potatoes (91.4 percent).
• Nearly 90 percent of celery samples contained multiple pesticides, followed by cilantro (70.1 percent) and sweet bell peppers (69.4 percent).
• A single celery sample was contaminated with 13 different chemicals, followed by a single sample of sweet bell peppers (11), and greens (10).
• Hot peppers had been treated with as many as 97 pesticides, followed by cucumbers (68) and greens (66).

The Clean Fifteen

The vegetables least likely to test positive for pesticides are onions, sweet corn, asparagus, sweet peas, eggplant, cabbage, sweet potatoes and mushrooms.

• Asparagus, sweet corn and onions had no detectable pesticide residues on 90 percent or more of samples.
• More than four-fifths of cabbage samples (81.8 percent)  had no detectible pesticides, followed by sweet peas (77.1 percent) and eggplant (75.4 percent).
• Multiple pesticide residues are extremely rare on vegetables low in overall contamination. No samples of onions and corn had more than one pesticide. Less than 6 percent of sweet potato samples had multiple pesticides.
• Of the low-pesticide vegetables, no single sample had more than 5 different chemicals.

The fruits least likely to test positive for pesticide residues are pineapples, avocados, mangoes, domestic cantaloupe, kiwi, watermelon and grapefruit.

• Fewer than 10 percent of pineapple, mango, and avocado samples showed detectable pesticides, and fewer than one percent of samples had more than one pesticide residue.
• Nearly 55 percent of grapefruit had detectable pesticides but only 17.5 percent of samples contained more than one residue. Watermelon had residues on 28.1 percent of samples, and 9.6 percent had multiple pesticide residues.

Goals and Menu

We’ve got some new goals around here.  I was super happy to see that Michelle Obama introduced My Plate this summer to replace the old Food Pyramid.  She is a big health advocate and this is definitely a step in the right direction for our country.  Also, I love using this plate as a visual reminder and am trying to teach this to my children too.

Balancing Calories

● Enjoy your food, but eat less.

● Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase

● Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

● Make at least half your grains whole grains.

● Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce

● Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers.

● Drink water instead of sugary drinks. 

To learn more about the government’s new guidelines, go here. 

 

Anyways, back to my goals.  I haven’t been feeling my best lately, and I have learned of some changes I need to make to get my strength back.

 

1.  Make at least half of my plate fruits & vegetables.  (Hard for me, but I feel so much better when I do and our Bountiful Baskets are definitely helping!)

2.  Eat more protein.  (Especially for breakfast.)

3.  Cut back on sugar and carbohydrates.  (Even organic sugar and whole grain carbs…waaaahhhh.  I am determined to keep all sugars under 25 grams a day, then work down.)

4.  Exercise.  Regularly.  Get stronger.  (Hard for me, again.  Thanks to my super awesome trainer who is getting me motivated!)

 

This inspiring quote is keeping me going as well.  Love it.

 

So, what are we eating around here this week?

 

Breakfasts

My Favorite Steel Cut Oats (protein powder added) & Peaches

Eggs and Veggies (Loving this high protein breakfast combo lately.  Thinking of trying this and this.)

Peach French Toast Bake

 

Lunches

Salad, salad, and more salad…

Seriously, what a great way to get lots of vegetables!  I also discovered that if you involve your children in the entire salad-creating process, they are much more likely to eat it!  This was Olivia’s very first bowl of salad and she was certain that croutons were vegetables! 

 

Dinners

Veggie Spaghetti Dinner 

Our Favorite Pork Enchiladas

Salmon Cilantro Grains Salad (Tanner’s dad gave us some freshly caught wild Alaskan salmon from their recent trip!  I haven’t had the best of luck cooking salmon, so we’ll see how this recipe turns out!)

 

Snacks

Best Granola Ever (My friend Brittany brought me some in a cute bag for my birthday and I’ve been dying to make more.  Recipe and my own pics coming soon.)

(Copied cute picture from here.)

 

Smoothies

(We have been on a smoothie kick again around here after a long break from them.  The one pictured below was some frozen mangoes and coconut milk.  Wow.  Our daily concoctions usually consist of… )

- some sort of liquid (almond milk, coconut milk, 100% juice)

- usually some organic plain yogurt or Greek yogurt (I just bought Kefir to try for the first time this week!  Yay for probiotics!)

- frozen fruit (pineapples are a must, berries, peaches, whatever)

- 1 T. flax oil (Read here.)

- 1 scoop fruit & veggie mix (trying to use up this super healthy powder I bought awhile back)

The girls are also having a blast sitting on the counter and choosing what will go into our daily smoothies, then we all get our glasses and enjoy!

 

Carrot Apple Muffins – I’m off to go make these right now to use up the carrot shavings that were leftover from my juicing this morning.  That is, after I go workout my legs and core…

 

And just one more picture that I took last week.  I can’t even tell you the excitement I had coming home with healthy goodies from my favorite store and getting a new issue of Clean Eating in the mail!!

Roasted Broccoli

TRY.... THIS.... NOW

 Recipe & photo from "Can You Stay For Dinner"

Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 2 heads broccoli, chopped into florets
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, or any oil you like
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lay the florets in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
2. Pour oil into small bowl and dip a pastry brush into the oil and then onto each floret to coat lightly.
3. Sprinkle evenly with salt.
4. Roast for 15-18 minutes, or until broccoli tips have begun to blacken and they can be easily pierced with a fork.

serves 2

Product Favorites & Dinner Idea

Man, life just never slows down does it?

Sorry Kristen & I have been blog slackers lately (come on Kris!)

She has been enjoying her month off of teaching piano and I have been busy with my first month OF piano!

* But let's get back to business here *

Remember how Trader Joe's is my heaven on earth? Well here are a few of my current FAVORITES.

* 100% Pineapple Juice *

This stuff makes amazing smoothies! I find Jess drinking it straight from the can all the time :)

And seriously with the cans?? How stinkin cute are they?

* Unsweetened Coconut Milk *

Gluten/Dairy/Sugar Free and Smells so delicious

 4 oz coconut milk + 4 oz pineapple juice + frozen fruit + flaxmeal or flaxoil = Favorite Breakfast

 * Chocolate Icecream made w/ Coconut Milk *

Dairy Free and surprisingly addicting :) They also sell strawberry

* Chile Lime Chicken Burgers *

Find these in the frozen section! They are healthy with all REAL ingredients

 Now obviously this messy pile of goodness is no masterpiece but let me tell you it was phenomenal.

Chile Lime Chicken NACHOS!

(This recipe made enough for 2 adult servings. If you use ALL 4 burgers, double the RED ingredients)

Ingredients:

These ingredients in RED are optional but highly recommended!!!!

* 1 mexican grey squash (or a regular zucchini works too)

* 1/4 c. chopped onion

* 1 T. chopped cilantro

* 1 small garlic clove, minced

* 2 TJ's Chile Lime Chicken Burgers

* TJ's Reduced Guilt Tortilla Chips

* Extra Sharp Chedder Cheese

* Homemade CLEAN Guacamole

* Pico de Gallo

Directions: If you want to take the super simple route, heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame and add the 2 chicken burgers. Cook through, crumbling burgers into taco-style meat as you cook. Construct a layer of tortilla chips on your plate, add SMALL amount of *Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, top with chicken, guacamole, and pico.

This time around I used my mexican squash that I had gotten in my Bountiful Basket! Heat oil in a large skillet and add chopped mexican squash (or zucchini) & onion. Saute for 5 minutes or so until softened. Add cilantro and garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add 2 Chicken Burgers and cook thoroughly, crumbling into taco-style meat. Layer goodness and directed above :)

*p.s. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese has a much stronger flavor and taste than regular cheddar cheese, so you can use LESS but still get MORE flavor. WIN WIN Situation.

Thanks for READING!

Homemade Sloppy Joes

Do you ever feel like certain people come into your life for a reason? Well I sure DO! My visiting teacher and long lost friend from Elementary School, Wendi, has been such an amazing help to me lately! I was so happy to see she was in our ward because she was the only person I knew. We still didn't see eachother or talk to eachother until one day she told me she was my visiting teacher! So she came over and we started talking about food and health and who knew we were both CRAZY HEALTH PEOPLE! (She much crazier than I )

She is an all star and is GLUTEN FREE and mostly DAIRY FREE because of her sons food allergies.

She has given me so much information and great resources to finding the healthiest food and recipes out there.

My most favorite resource would have to be http://www.desertrootsfarm.com/

This website sells so many wonderful things.. including 100% grass fed beef that they get from THIS FARM.

click on the link to read all about the "integrity" of their meat. My favorite part is:

"Fat is minimal and Omega 3 levels are many times higher than Salmon (We test our beef to prove it!)"

WOO HOO I don't have to eat salmon!

The ground beef is $6.00 a lb and I purchased 5 lbs to try out and have used 2 lbs so far to make hamburgers, spaghetti sauce, and tonight... Sloppy Joes. And can I just tell you that this meat tastes SO AMAZING. So much different than regular ground beef I have bought before.

Now for the recipe: Homemade Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes to me have always been considered unhealthy because I remember them coming in a can and being slapped between to hamburger buns. But this recipe... with this ground beef... is fantastically healthy.

...Jess was so impressed by the taste...

The original recipe is from FAMILY CIRCLE MAGAZINE and is a crock pot recipe that calls for ground turkey. I adapted it to a skillet recipe with 100% grass fed beef. For the crock pot instructions.. click on the link.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of grass fed ground beef

1.5 Tablespoons coconut oil (or canola or olive oil)
2 carrots, peeled and FINELY chopped

1 medium-size onion, finely chopped  (I did 1/2 an onion, a whole onion seems a little much to me)

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste (I used an 8 oz can of tomato sauce because its what I had!)

2 tablespoons cider vinegar (I used "Bragg"organic apple cider vinegar. Health benefits!)

2 tablespoons light-brown sugar (I used 1 Tablespoon and it was still fantastic, imagine that)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

** hamburger buns

Directions

1. In a medium sized skillet, heat coconut oil and add chopped carrots, onions, and celery. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until softened. In the meantime, brown the ground beef in a seperate skillet. Once veggies have softened, add minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds, then add cooked ground beef to veggies mixture. Add tomato paste (or sauce), vinegar, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, paprika, dry mustard and salt and stir until fully combined. Cover and let simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally if you would like.

Put on top of hamburger buns with shredded cabbage. Or be REALLY adventurous and make a cabbage WRAP! I know I will do that next time!

Flatbread Pizza w/ Spinach, Carmelized Onions, and Feta

This recipe comes from our sister Kelli Adams! Kelli and her husband Payne are serious GOURMET cookers.  Payne smokes his own meat for like 10 hours, makes his own special BBQ sauces, etc! They are pretty much the best cooks in the family.

This pizza recipe look delicious! Especially with the healthy spinach!

Thanks Kelli!

Flatbread Pizza with Spinach, Caramelized Onions, and Feta
Recipe originated from Our Best Bites

·         Flat Bread or Pizza Dough (Whole Wheat Pizza Dough from Fresh & Easy or homemade)

·         Tiny Bit of Alfredo sauce (either store bought from a jar or homemade)

·         Fresh baby spinach leaves

·         Cooked chicken, cut in cubes, strips or shredded

·         Caramelized onions*

·         Feta cheese

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

If you are using pizza dough, roll out your dough on a stone or pan and then pre-cook it for 7 minutes.

Layer the above ingredients on flatbread or pizza dough and cook in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  Slice and serve!

*Caramelizing Onions: thinly slice onions and saute them in a skillet on med-low heat with a couple of pats of butter.  After about 15 minutes, when they’re nice and soft, add a sprinkle of sugar (either brown or white) if you want to enhance the sweetness.  Continue cooking until they’re caramel colored.  It can take 20-30 minutes depending on the heat of your pan and the thickness of the onion.  You could make them ahead of time and just store them in the fridge.

Kim's Menu & Small Venting Session :)

...Eating food is such a fascinating concept...

...Food is what literally KEEPS US ALIVE...

We HAVE to eat every few hours and are 100% dependent on this food for our daily energy.

What we eat determines SO MUCH about how we look, feel, and act.

The statement: "You ARE what you EAT" has so much truth to it.

But realizing how important that statement is can be an overwhelming experience.

I, for one, am currently burnt out. 

I would like waffles with syrup and milk for breakfast

A "Charlies Steakery" Philly cheese steak w/ lots of ketchup for lunch

and 2 chicken hard shell tacos with refried beans, rice, chips, and salsa for dinner (prepared by someone else besides me)

Followed by a bowl of Breyers vanilla fudge swirl icecream for desert

Oh how i both PITY and ENVY those who can eat this way without any guilt or any bad physical side effects.

If I ate that for a day I would have shooting stomach pains after breakfast (stupid milk), no energy after lunch, 5 lbs of fat added after dinner, and acne in the morning from the dessert. 

"YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT"

So important to remember and sometimes a hard thing to stick to. 

But a few things motivate me to continue spending time and energy caring for my health and the health of my little family (aka Jess).

*I love learning all I can about health so I can help others who are curious and excited about it!

*I love how thankful Jess is when I hand him his homemade dinner or his packed lunch for work

*I love knowing that I did all I could that day or that week to take care of my body that Heavenly Father blessed me with.

*So thankful to not have any serious health problems and want to keep it that way!

*I know my body is very fragile and does not respond well to unhealthy eating at all.  

So for all of you who feel the same way I do today, just know that by reading this blog you are taking a step in the right direction.  Seek knowledge everyday and DO WHAT YOU CAN.  

Because that's all you can do :)

 Dinner Menu for the Week

Mon: Easiest pasta & broccoli recipe (not very good which might be why I'm grumpy :)

Tues: Orange Chicken & Brown Rice w/ Veggies 

Wed: Breakfast for dinner (never did it last week)

Thurs: Crock Pot Sante Fe Chicken 

Fri: Eat Out

Sat or Sun: Leftovers or Crock Pot Baked Potatoes w/ Wheatberry salad 

Hoping tomorrow is a better day!

I know it will be! 

Bountiful Baskets

 

My cute sister-in-law, Holly, found out about Bountiful Baskets recently.  We got our first baskets last Saturday (for only 15$) and I am in love for these reasons…

1.  Saves me time at the grocery store.  (Hooray!)

2.  Saves me money!

3.  Forces us to eat even more fruits/vegetables than we normally do.

4.  Supports eating local and seasonal produce.

5.  Encourages us to try new foods.  (I just found out that purple thing is kale, a serious superfood.)

Go here to read more about them and how to order.  They also offer amazing deals on fresh, clean bread and other yummy foods.  I just ordered my basket for this week along with a box of organic mangoes!  I believe you have until Tuesday at noon to put your order in, but they go pretty fast.  Thanks, Holly! 

READ THIS POST! Menu & Super Food Reveal!

How is it already Tuesday July 12??!!

...Time needs to SLOW DOWN...

On Sunday I must have gotten side tracked because it's TUESDAY and I have NO DINNER PLAN!

For the next two week I am teaching a dance camp from 3-6pm everyday and that really puts a damper on my dinner making time. 

Time to get creative I guess.

Also, I find I am spending more $$ on food lately than I would like. Probably because I am not utilizing LEFTOVERS properly.

Must fix this dilemma...ASAP.

(Vegan) Monday: Whole Wheat Rotelle Pasta, Italian side salad 

Tuesday: Leftover Broccoli Chicken Calzones made with THIS homemade Pizza Dough

(Vegetarian) Wednesday: Breakfast for DINNER! Hashbrown Egg White Nests, fresh fruit smoothies

Thursday: Parmesan Chicken Wraps

Friday: Eat out or Turkey Sandwiches on Homemade Wheat Bread

Saturday or Sunday: All you can eat Veggie Party: cook as many veggies as i can stuff my face with! 

Phew! Now that that is over, on to bigger and better things

...I present to you... 

CHIA SEEDS

 What are they?

Chia seed originated in South America and was a staple in the diets of ancient Mayans and Aztecs. Today, chia is grown by passionate farmers dedicated to this miraculous seed. 

What are the nutritional benefits of Chia seed?

#1: Antioxidants

Chia seed packs more antioxidants than acai, pomegranate, artichoke, or blueberries.

#2: Protein

Chia seed is a complete source of vegetarian protein providing all the necessary amino acids to fuel muscles and build up tissue strength.

#3 Fiber

Chia seeds are extremely nutrient dense, containing nearly 50 energizing nutrients in one small seed. They are gluten free and very abundant in vitamin C, protein, minerals, essential fatty acids, and fiber. The soluble fiber content of chia (about 11 grams in just one ounce) is more than 1/3 of the USDA recommended daily amount. Chia makes you feel full for hours and can absorb more than 10 times its volume in water so that you can fill up on fewer calories!

Also regulates the bowels and can start to work in just one day.  Whether your bowels are "too tight" or "too loose", chia can balance all types of gut grief and calm your colon.

#4 Omega-3s

One ounce of Chia yields about 5 grams of omega-3s, making it the highest source of omega-3s gram to gram of any of the omega-3 rich foods-including flaxseed and salmon. The omega-3s in Chia have also been proven to reduce belly fat.

#5 Minerals

      Once ounce will give you nearly 200 mg of calcium, making this the highest vegetable source of this macro mineral. Chia is also loaded with magnesium, potassium, and zinc!

 How do I store Chia Seed?

  Chia does not need to be refrigerated or ground up to release their spectacular nutritional benefits, however it has been said that soaking the seeds in water for 12 hours releases the omega-3s and makes them more EASILY digestible. Since they soak up 10 times their volume in water, eating them without soaking can cause them to soak up the liquid in your stomach and cause cramps. 

How do I soak Chia Seed?

The ratio for chia seed soaking is 1 cup of water : 1 Tablespoon of seed

I usually do 4 cups at a time in a large pitcher and keep it in my fridge and allow to soak for atleast 12 hours before consuming. 

Can I eat Chia Seed without soaking?

Of course! These seeds are great in oatmeal, smoothies, dressings, soups, stews, eggs, etc. The possibilities are endless. I personally have not had any "stomach trouble" consuming them without soaking. 

What do they taste like?

I have tried chia sprinkled on top of my oatmeal and I notice NO taste difference. When the seeds are soaked, I will say that the TEXTURE is not pleasant. But they have NO TASTE, which is a plus. They just taste "earthly" if that makes sense. The texture can only be described in two words... "slimy balls"

      

How can I down soaked Chia seeds and make it more pleasant?

GATORADE! Put 1 cup of soaked chia seeds in 1 1/2 cups of any flavor COLD gatorade and enjoy. Seriously NOT BAD AT ALL!  

 

So there you have it my friends

A cute little seed packed with mega nutrients and no taste

As always... EVERYTHING IN MODERATION

Just because this seed is amazing doesn't mean you should down the whole bag in a day. I try to drink 1 cup of soaked Chia a day, which equals 1 Tablespoon of seed. I have noticed the fiber benefits most of all. When your bowels move correctly you feel skinny and healthy! Not bloated and sluggish. 

Give these a try, about $7 for a whole pound bag. 

Madras Lentils - EASY, CLEAN, QUICK!

I think we can all agree that the PERFECT recipe is something EASY to make, contains CLEAN HEALTHY ingredients, and is QUICK to whip up and clean up. Well, here is EASY, CLEAN, & QUICK in a nutshell...

or in a yellow baggie :)

 MADRAS LENTILS!

Ingredients: Water, Tomatoes, Lentils, Red beans, onions, cream, butter, salt, sunflower oil, chilies, cumin.

I CAN PRONOUNCE ALL THE INGREDIENTS! And I know what they all are! That's a serious indication of a "good for you" quick meal. 

Other great things about this meal:

*Good amount of protein, high in fiber

*All natural

*Vegetarian

*Gluten Free

*No MSG

*No Preservatives

Jess and I just split the MADRAS LENTILS for lunch and put it on top of some leftover SPANISH RICE I had made earlier this week. (New recipe from Simplyrecipes.com)  So yummy with some Reduced Guilt Tortilla Chips from Trader Joes. With the rice already prepared this meal took 2 1/2 minutes to prepare.

*AWESOME*

I believe Sprouts carries this TASTY BITE brand in their store but I am not sure if they sell this specific meal. We get ours from COSTCO. They come 4 in a box and are somewhere between $8-$10 for the box. 

Zucchini Bread

I love this time of the year with all the fresh vegetables in season.  My dad has been gardening for a few years now and inspired me to start my own this past fall.  Unfortunately, my summer garden was a failure so luckily he supplies me with plenty of red, juicy tomatoes and delicious zucchini on a weekly basis.  I got a pressure cooker for Christmas and it gives a whole new meaning to steaming vegetables!  Our zucchini takes just minutes and the flavor is amazing.  I also like to use some of my zucchini to make bread.  I found this healthier zucchini bread recipe on Eating Well last year and made my own adaptations.  I would highly recommend.  (This recipe makes two loaves.)

Zucchini Bread

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup pecan halves
3 cups whole wheat flour (fresh ground is best, let me know if you want some)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 T. baking powder
2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 1/2 t. salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
3 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat two 9 x 5 load pans with cooking spray.  Spread oats and pecans on separate parts of a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 5-10 minutes.  Let cool, then chop the pecans.  Set aside about 2 T. of the toasted oats if you want to sprinkle some on top.
2.  Stir together the toasted oats, the pecans, both flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a mixing bowl.
3.  Whisk together brown sugar, honey, eggs, egg whites, applesauce, and oil in another bowl; stir in zucchini.  (I use a cheese grater to grate mine.)
4.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until well combined.
5.  Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans, smoothing the tops.  Sprinkle 1 T. of reserved oats on top of each loaf.  Bake until the tops feel firm when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes.
6.  Let loaves cool in the pans for 5 minutes; turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Let us know how yours turned out!

Homemade Pizza Dough

This pizza dough recipe is my absolute favorite. I use it anytime I make pizza or calzones. Start by using 1/2 wheat, 1/2 white flour and work your way up to 100% whole wheat pizza dough.

 

Ingredients:

* 2 cups flour (use 1 c. wheat flour, 1 c. unbleached white flour) 

* 1 T. sugar

* 1 tsp. sea salt

* 1 pkg yeast (use Fleischmann's RAPIDRISE highly active yeast)

* 1 1/2 T. olive oil

* 1 cup heated milk (microwave 1 minute)

Directions:

* Mix all ingredients EXCEPT oil and milk. Heat milk for 1 minute in the microwave and add oil to the heated milk, stir together. Add milk and oil mixture to dry ingredients gradually while STIRRING until dough forms. (dough should be sticky, but not wet)

*Roll dough onto greased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Add toppings

*Cook at 350 degrees until lightly browned (About 25 min.)

*Always follow the instructions in your specific pizza or calzone recipe. If the recipe says to cook the pizza at 425 for 12 min., do so.