Quinoa muffins with Sweet Potato or Carrots - Recipe

These muffins turned out super delish. :)

I found the recipe online somewhere - I wish I could remember the source! - and then I adapted them. 

Here's the recipe:

A few notes: 

1. If you want muffins that are more muffin and less sweet, you can substitute { 1/4 c sucanat, 1/4 c agave nectar, and 1/2 cup all natural applesauce} for the regular amounts listed of sucanat and agave nectar.

2. You can use any kind of flours you want if you're not familiar with spelt flour - just make sure that the total equals 2 cups.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 c sucanat

1/2 c agave nectar

1/2 c coconut oil - melted

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c white flour

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c spelt flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 T wheat germ

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1/4 c sunflower seeds

1- 1 1/2 c shredded sweet potato or carrot

Directions:

Combine first 5 ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and stir. Combine both bowls of ingredients and mix till just combined. 

Spoon into 12 muffin tins lined with cupcake papers or greased well.

Bake at 350 for 22- 25 minutes.

I did it the first time with the sucanat and sugar as listed and used carrots. They were almost candy like. We loved them.

The second time around, I substituted some applesauce for some of the sucanat and agave, and I used sweet potatoes. And they were still good, but they weren't nearly as sweet. But I felt better about using less sugar.

Next time I will try using "flax eggs" instead of regular eggs to make them vegan. I saw the idea on Oh She Glows. It looks like you just soak some flax meal in some water and then use it to replace the eggs. I'll let you know if it turns out. 

There you go. :) Have fun.

Sweet Potato Apple Lentil soup recipe

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com - and then I altered it. :) It was pretty good the first day. And then I had leftovers.

So, the day after, I added some leftover white rice when I reheated it - and it turned into more of a thick stew. The pic is of the soup on the second day. My son says it looks like barf. I kind of have to agree. But it tastes delicious.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 large yukon gold (or russet) potato, peeled and cubed
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 apple (I used gala), peeled, cored, and cubed
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup lentils
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper (leave out if you like things less spicy)
1/2 tsp paprika
6 cups water
salt to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced sweet potato, potato, carrots, apple, and onion. Sautee for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

2. Add the lentils, ginger, pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, and water. Do NOT add the salt yet. It will make your lentils too hard.

3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium/low. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

4. Salt to taste and serve with rolls.

For the stew consistency, the next day I simply reheated this on the stovetop and added 3/4 cup cooked white rice.

Bon appetite!

Healthier Milkshake - vegan / vegetarian

Okay, here's the "healthy" milkshake recipe. may not be perfect, but it's better than ice cream! and I think it tastes better too. :)

2 cups almond milk
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp peanut butter (I use Adams natural peanut butter)
1 banana
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup ice.

Blend. Makes 2 good sized milkshakes.

Quinoa Fruit Salad Recipe

Quinoa! I LOVE quinoa! Seriously - the wonder food. You can use it in place of rice, oatmeal, couscous or any other small grain, and it's packed with protein. It's the only plant food that I am aware of that is a complete protein - which means that it contains all 8 essential amino acids!

 I usually try to put it in everything that I can.  I eat it like oatmeal, I put it in my green salads, I use it in place of rice - it's just good stuff.

I find mine in bulk at Winco - it's a lot cheaper that way than in the small boxes you'll find at a regular grocery store.

Anyway, this morning, I was out of things to put in my kids' lunches. They had eaten all the bread and all the veggies in the house while I took my Sunday afternoon nap yesterday. So - I knew I had to send them something that would be nutritional enough to be a main course. Quinoa instantly seemed like the best choice. I rummaged through what else I had on hand. And this is what I came up with.

I've gotta say - it's delicious! I was so glad there was some left over for me to keep here at the house for my lunch! And the kids loved it too. Bonus!


Quinoa Fruit Salad
by Shana Galbraith

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 can mandarin oranges
1 can pineapple tidbits (I used 3/4 of a large can)
2 handfuls sliced frozen strawberries - you could use fresh if they're in season
1/4 cup agave nectar
10 to 12 shakes cinnamon

Bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the mandarin oranges and pineapple tidbits. Place in a large bowl. Add frozen strawberries, agave nectar, and cinnamon. Don't stir it yet - you don't want to break up the mandarin oranges any more than you have to.


Once quinoa is cooked, place in refrigerator to cool. (I put mine in the freezer for 10 minutes because I was short on time.)

Once quinoa is cooled, add to the salad and mix gently. Either refrigerate until you're ready to serve, or serve immediately.

Bon appetite!

p.s.
To complete their lunches for the day, I included this salad, a baggie of black olives, an apple from grandma's tree, some trail mix, and some apple juice. It's heavy on the fruit for a lunch, but not bad for a pantry raid. :)

Really Great Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

Okay, guys - as promised - here's my recipe for whole wheat bread. Okay, okay, so it's not my recipe - I got it from my cousin-in-law, Brita. I tell you, she's a veritable treasure trove of great healthy recipes. She's the one who got me hooked on green smoothies, too. But I digress.

Here's the recipe for the most delicious, soft, moist, awesome whole wheat bread ever. - And you only have to let it rise once. Fabulous!

This recipe will make 4 yummy loaves of deliciousness. And I got the cost down to $1.41 per loaf - that's less than you'd spend on cruddy, store bought, processed bread. And there are no artificial fillers, sweeteners, etc. Score!

Mix:
5 1/2 c warm water
1/4 c honey
1/2 c canola oil
1 T sea salt
1/4 tsp citric acid (do not skip this! it's probably the secret ingredient)
3T yeast

Combine in a bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved and starting to rise - about 10 minutes.

Then add:
 11-12 c whole wheat flour
1 or 2 cups white flour - as needed while you're kneading

Mix until it's formed dough, then knead for 10 minutes.

Shape into 4 loaves and place in pans. Let rise until doubled in size - about 45 minutes to an hour.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Dump onto cooling racks or towels immediately.

Scarf down. :)

Let me know how yours turns out!

Yet another Green Smoothie Recipe

So, I've been doing green smoothies for about a month. And I am addicted. Plain and simple. LOVE them.

I've had a lot of people ask me for a recipe. So, I decided to put it here on my blog instead of sending out dozens of emails. Anyway, this is my most favorite, go-to recipe for green smoothies. It's even sweet enough that my kids will drink it - and my neighbor kid asks for it when he comes over. :)

Shana's Go-to Green Smoothie:

Start with:
1 cup water
1 cup 100% apple juice   -   I've tried prune juice too, and that was pretty good - if you like prune juice. ;)
2 leaves kale or swiss chard (I like kale better)
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
2 stalks celery

Blend all these so you can fit more goodies into your blender.

Add:
1 cup frozen tropical fruit (my mix had mangos, strawberries, and pineapple)
1 banana, sliced and frozen
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 packet Truvia - you can use any brand of stevia sweetener, but I like Truvia because it doesn't have a bitter aftertaste like the others
1 cup crushed ice

Blend. Enjoy!

If you want to find out more, I read the book "The Green Smoothies Diet" by Robyn Openshaw - or you can find her videos here: http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/videos/videos-page-1/

Green Smoothies!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, guys, I just had my first green smoothie - and YUM!!!!! On a deliciousness scale, it was a 10. :) It's like V8 meets Jamba Juice .....on crack. LOVE!

I was gonna take a picture and show you all - but it wasn't actually green - it actually looked kind of brown - because I added strawberries and blueberries. :) So - it looked kinda gross - and I didn't wanna discourage you from trying it.

So I wanted to share the recipe I used because, um - hello - amazingness in a glass!

This is what I used: 

3 big leaves of Kale

2 stalks celery

1 baby cucumber, skin on

1.5 cups apple juice ( no sugar added) - next time I'll just use water

Blend those together.

Then add: 

1 cup frozen mangos

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 banana

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup crushed ice.

1 packet Truvia (optional)

Blend and enjoy!

This will make quite a lot! It made 2 ginormous cups - enough to share - or keep it all to yourself, like I did. :)

I was inspired to do this by reading The Green Smoothies Diet by Robyn Openshaw, and The China Study. Both eye opening books. And they go right along with the Word of Wisdom.  Thanks, Brita for recommending them to me!

I've had a green smoothie - I'm a convert - and I'm never going back. :)

Here's a rough estimate on nutritional info:

Calories - 572 (but keep in mind, this was 2 ginormous glasses full)

Fat- 2g

Cholesterol -0mg

Sodium -148 mg (10% RDA)

Fiber-17g (67% RDA !!!!!)

Sugar -100g

Vitamin A- 245% daily recommended dose

Vitamin C- 245mg (327% RDA!!!!)

Calcium- 229mg (23% RDA!!!)

Iron- 5.3mg (29% RDA)

Potassium-2163mg (46% RDA)

Now those stats sure beat the heck out of breakfast cereal.