Another Green Smoothie

Green Smoothies are a health must, in my opinion! What better way to start the morning than with green leafy vegetables? Green smoothies build your immune system and provide overall nutrition to each cell in your body. This is a very creamy and delicious smoothie.  So do your body good and add green smoothies to your daily diet.

Green Smoothie

Ingredients
1 cup Spinach Plus (includes baby spinach, baby bok choy, baby red and green chard)
1 kale leaf
1/2 cup parsley
1 whole avocado (peeled and pitted)
1/2 cup green grapes
1 cup frozen pineapples
1 1/2 cup Almond milk
8 raw almonds
1/2 lemon (peeled and seeded)
1 inch ginger (peeled)
2 tbsp agave nectar

Directions
Add all ingredients in a NutriBullet or Ninja Master prep or VitaMix and puree until smooth.

Delicious Squash Casserole

This squash casserole can be used as a side dish or the main course, if vegetarian.  I imagine that other vegetables such as, chopped zucchini, broccoli, or carrots could be added in as well.  This dish reminds me of a vegetable lasagna without the pasta.  I love the crunchiness of the bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese.

 



Use 6 cups of fresh sliced squash or 2 - 14oz bags of frozen sliced squash.  Spray pan with olive oil and add vegetables, kosher sea salt and pepper to taste.  Roast for about 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

In a large bowl, add roasted vegetables and 1 cup chopped green onions.  Fold in  8oz. sour cream. Spray an 8 x 8 inch pan with olive oil.  Add the vegetable mixture. Top with 1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese and 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown.  Let cool. Cut into squares and serve.  Makes about 9 servings.

Mixed-Up Spinach Salad

Salads! My favorite meal.  I'm not sure how I came to enjoy them so much.  Perhaps it's because there are so many different ingredients that can be used to make a salad.  Or maybe it's because salads are quick and easy to make and you don't have to be an expert in the kitchen to create your own masterpiece.  Either way it's definitely a Win!  I made this creation at the office in about 10 minutes flat.  No kidding.  So let your creative juices flow and see what you can come up with. Oh...and don't forget to give it a name too.

Mixed-Up Spinach Salad

2 c baby spinach
5 cherry tomatoes, sliced
1/2 c cucumbers, sliced
1/2 granny smith apple, diced
1/2 tangerine or satsuma, peeled and sliced
1 c black beans
1/2 c alpha sprouts
Raspberry vinaigrette dressing to taste

Directions
Place spinach on a plate, layer remaining ingredients.  Drizzle dressing over salad mixture and enjoy!

Green Smoothie

Remember hearing your Mother say "Eat your vegetables!"  Well Momma was right.  Green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, bok choy, and swish chard are packed with phytonutrients that build your body's immune system and helps to fight off free radicals.  This smoothie also contains cranberries which are super antioxidants that help your skin look young and keeps your internal organs functioning better.

  

Green Smoothie
1 stalk of celery
1 whole kale leaf
1/2 lemon (peeled)
1/2 grapefruit (peeled)
1 c cranberries
2 tbsp agave nectar
2 c kefir water

Directions
Add all ingredients into a Nutribullet or Ninja Master Prep and blend until smooth.


Kefir Water
2/3 c Coconut Palm Sugar
2/3 c Rapadura Sugar
1 1/2 c kefir culture or 2 pkts of kefir starter
1 gal purified water

Add all ingredients to a large gallon size glass jar, such as a pickle jar.  Stir.  Seal with the lead and place in a warm dark place for 24-48 hours to allow the kefir to ferment.

Makes 16 cups

Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

  

This dish is one of my favorite breakfast meals when I want something warm, sweet, and crunchy!  Quinoa is the only super grain that I know with about 10 grams of protein per cup.  That's more than from an avocado.  This breakfast bowl meets so many nutritional needs:

• Walnuts - good source of Omega-3 that helps to lower triglycerides and blood pressure
• Granny smith apple - a main source of flavonoids that's rich in vitamin C
• Cinnamon which is good for lowing blood sugar - a benefit for type 1 and 2 diabetes. 

 

 

Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

1c Rainbow Quinoa

1/2 apple (diced)

1 medjool date (chopped)

2 tbsp chopped walnuts

1 dollop of apple sauce

Cinnamon sprinkled

 

Directions:

Rinse quinoa and add to 2 1/2 cups of boiling water.  Cook for about 15 minutes on high the cover and let sit for 15 minutes.  This allows the quinoa to absorb remaining water and become fluffy.

 

Place 1 cup of quinoa in a bowl, garnish with remaining ingredients and add cinnamon to taste.

 

 

Rosemerry's Rice Salad over Vegetable Greens

 

I love poking around Earth Fare, Whole Foods, and New Leaf Market seeing what new nutritional ideas and recipes I can find.  I found this recipe at New Leaf Market. Although I'm accustom to the spelling Rosemary (an herb that I love to add to soup), New Leaf Market's spelling of this recipe is Rosemerry.  Even my spellcheck doesn't agree with the spelling while I'm pinning this post.  Ha!  My first encounter with this very tasty rice salad was at New Leaf Market's delicious food bar.  After that, I was hooked and had to have the recipe for my very own!  Although it's sold in small containers in the refrigerated deli section of the store,  it sells out quickly and they don't always have it available at the food bar.  So I find it easier to make it myself and store the remaining in the freezer to enjoy whenever I want.   Just thaw, warm, and eat!

 

I make it a habit of including leafy greens and vegetables in my daily meals, so I added the rice salad over lettuce, cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes, and chopped granny smith apple to get the added fiber to leave me fully satisfied.

 



 

Recipe from New Leaf Market

Rosemerry's Rice Salad

3 cups cooked Brown Rice (cooled)
1 1/2 c Raisins
1 1/2 c chopped green onions
1 1/2 c chopped broccoli florets
1 1/2 c chopped celery
3/4 c sesame seeds
1 1/2 c cashew pieces (toasted or raw)
1 1/2 c chopped pecans

Dressing
3/4 c orange juice
1/2 c soy sauce
1/8 c rice vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 c safflower oil

Directions:
Prepare rice according to directions.  Allow to cool.  In a large bowl, add the cooled rice and mix in the prepped vegetables, raisins, and nuts.

Take a separate bowl and add all the ingredients for the dressing and whisk until smooth.  Pour dressing over rice mixture and fold until well coated.

Makes about 6 - 8 1 cup servings.

Health Benefits of Kefir Water (How to Make it)

Water kefir is a lacto-fermented probiotic beverage made with either kefir grains or a powdered kefir starter culture, sugar, and purified water.  If you are watching your sugar intake, not to worry.  Kefir grains are cultures of various strains of healthy bacteria and yeasts which are held together in a polysaccharide matrix created by the bacteria.  The symbiotic relationship of the microbes produces a stable growing culture.  The microbes feed on sugar and produce lactic acid, alcohol (ethanol), and carbon dioxide, yielding a fermented carbonated beverage.  The alcohol content in kefir varies with the fermentation time, and is usually less than 1%.   Since the “grains” feed on the sugar, it leaves an extremely mild sweetness.
 

Probiotics are good bacteria that help keep you gut healthy. While it is thought to be not as strong it contains a greater number of bacterial strains than are found in kombucha - a fermented tea.  These good bacteria help us to digest our food, prevent allergies, boost our immune system, and overall keep our body healthy. Kefir grains or kefir culture can also be added to milk, such as cow milk, goat milk or coconut milk and makes a delicious yogurt.  When making Water kefir, you can substitute purified water coconut water.  You can drink a cup of Kefir water plain, or add it to smoothies and other beverages.

Kefir Water Recipe 
1 gal of Purified Water
2/3 c Coconut Palm Sugar
2/3 c Rapadura Sugar
1 1/2 c Kefir Culture or 2 packets of Kefir Starter
 Directions:Place all ingredients in a large jar, stir, cover and place in a dark warm place to allow the kefir to ferment for 24 hours. After 24 hours, strain the kefir (the grains at the bottom) and place in a sealed container and store in the refrigerator to use as a starter when making more kefir water.  Keep the kefir water in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.