quinoa vegetable and fruit medley

my new favorite meal for lunch is a giant bowl of rainbow goodness. you can use any grain that has a high amount of protein and fiber such as bulgur  or quiona, farro, amaranth, couscous etc. I also find it tastes better eating everything mixed together. 

ENJOY, your body will thank you.

ingredients:

• precooked grain- quiona etc
• spices- salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, sriracha if you like!
• your favorite green such as spinach or kale- chopped
• raw veggies chopped - anything you like / have at hand
• fruit is great too!

how to:

1. cook your grain, add a little salt for more flavor if you like
2. chop your favorite green well and mix into your bowl with the cooked grain
3. pile your bowl with raw veggies and fruit you like
4. add your spices
5. check flavor, top with sriracha etc if you like
6. enjoy! sharing is optional ; )

oatmeal banana pecan berry pancakes

I loveee oatmeal and today I decided to see if I could successfully make pancakes using oats instead of flour. I also had a super ripe banana I wanted to use so pancakes it was! These turned out wonderful and most importantly they were actually a healthy version of pancakes, cuz lets be real...pancakes are a great comfort food but they're not exactly "healthy" especially if you just use white flour.

ingredients:

dry

2 cups whole oats

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup pecans (or walnuts)

wet

1 1/4 cup almond milk

1 ripe banana mushed

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup berries (optional of course and fresh or frozen works)

how to:

1. combine all the dry ingredients in your food processor/blender or the like for few seconds. you want it to be more coarse than super fine. place mixture into big bowl
2. in a smaller bowl combine all your wet ingredients
3. slowly add the wet ingredients to your dry "flour" mixture and stir until just combined
4. make sure your pan is heated well before adding batter, I also use coconut oil spray on my pan.
5. for thinner pancakes use more almond milk, especially towards the end when your batter has been sitting it gets thicker.
6. top with whatever you like! - more cinnamon, pecans, fresh fruit, maple syrup, coconut flakes etc

your guide to the daily green smoothie

i'm starting my comeback to this lovely blog of mine with a post on my brand spankin new habit!

what is it?? daily greeeeen smoothie!

i was inspired by kimberly snyder's glowing green smoothie and completely sold on the idea of substituting my breakfast for a big ol' jar of green juice to start my morning right. 

there are many reasons a green smoothie is an excellent way to start your morning and mainly it is a wonderful daily detox ritual. not to mention it is great for those looking to lose weight, increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables (particularly the greens), easily digestible, gives you an energy boost, full of antioxidants, increased fiber, benefits your skin, and it's full of alkaline foods that will help your body from becoming too acidic. 

another great part of the green smoothie is experimenting with different combinations of ingredients. below i have created an extensive list of possible vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices that work well for a green smoothie (i poured over manyyy green smoothie recipes) and i keep this list on the fridge for easy reference.

ingredients:

greens                  veggies                           

+ choose 2-3                 + choose 1-2                         

-romaine lettuce             -cucumber                                           

-spinach                              -celery                                        

-kale                                   - ginger                                               

-swiss chard                                                               

-arugula                                                                      

 fruit                fruit+  

+ choose 1-2                    + choose 1
-pear                                    -lemon
-banana                               -lime
-apple                                 -avocado
-mango
-pineapple

    

herbs                    spices
+ choose 1                         + choose 1-2

-parsley                               -cinnamon
-cilantro                               -nutmeg

-mint                                    -cayenne

                                               -turmeric

how to:

1. select and prepare your ingredients

2. put your ingredients into blender (I currently use a nutribullet but the almighty vitamix is on my wish list!)

3. add water and blend until smooth

4. you can always add more water into your drink after if it is too concentrated

5. recommended amount: drink about 16 ounces for breakfast and work your way up to 24 ounces 

6. green smoothies store for about 2 and a half days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator