Tag Archives: smoothies

DIY COCONUT YOGURT

I’m obsessed with COCONUT.  OBSESSED.  And OBSESSED with this COCONUT YOGURT RECIPE I’ve been making lately.  I like to make it on Sunday evenings and store it in glass jars for the week.  Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!

—»  HOMEMADE COCONUT YOGURT  «—

Coconut Yogurt

DIY Coconut Yogurt

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BREAKFAST (contributor Sara Upton)

written by Contributor Sara Upton…

Eating a healthy breakfast does a number of positive things for you physically. For instance, it gives your body the perfect dose of energy that it needs to make it through your busy morning. It has also been linked to enhanced weight control. Up to 90 percent of people who have been able to maintain weight loss for more than year indicating that they eat this important meal at least five of the seven days per week. 

However, the key to making breakfasts work for you is to choose food options that supply a decent amount of nutrients while tasting amazing. What are some to consider?
Tasty Yet Healthy Breakfast Options
If you have a little bit of time on your hands, a breakfast burrito is a great way to get some nutritious foods in your system and satisfy your hunger at the same time. Don’t be afraid to load it up with veggies either. Peppers, avocado, tomatoes, and any others you want to add will boost the flavor while keeping it healthy. 

Another option, and one that is slightly more filling, is whole-wheat apple pancakes. By adding wheat flour, you’re consuming healthier carbs. The apples are good for you too as they are loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants and fiber, which is good for your digestive tract, lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes, and even has the potential of reducing your cholesterol levels.

If you don’t have a lot of time to make a meal, a nutrient-packed breakfast to consider is a simple green smoothie. Some ingredients that are great in green smoothies include kale, spinach, and parsley. Of course, you can always add other non-green foods as well, such as different fruits, flax seed, and other nutritious ingredients that you’ve grown to love.

Juicing is yet another alternative and one that a lot of people find enables them to start their day with a lot of energy without giving them a full stomach that can weigh them down. How is juicing different than smoothies? The main difference between the two is that juicing removes a large amount of the fiber. 

It’s still good for you, though, as many people have experienced improved health via juicing. Jil Larsen is one of them. She was able to reverse her skin disorder after just six months of eating healthier foods and juicing.

And here is one more idea for a quick and healthy breakfast for those crazy busy mornings…

Healthy Breakfast Tips
If you typically struggle with eating a healthy breakfast, here are some tips that can help:

  • Buy nutritious breakfast foods that you not only enjoy eating, but that you also don’t mind making, so you aren’t tempted to walk out the door without them.
  • Have a number of healthy food options on hand so you don’t get bored eating the same breakfasts over and over again.
  • Keep your fridge and pantry stocked so you can’t skip breakfast due to the excuse that there’s nothing to eat.

Click HERE for more details about the NOVEMBER BINGO CHALLENGE and sign up HERE!

Come join the fun!!

 

bingo final

Thank you Sara for encouraging us in these healthy ways!

Follow Sara now on Twitter —»  here «— for more on healthy lifestyles!!

5 Really Good Reasons to Eat KALE This Year

A new school year is beginning and this is the PERFECT time to establish a few new healthy choices for your life.  What do I suggest?  Oh, thank you for asking.  Well here’s one:  

EAT MORE KALE.  

Here are 5 reasons to make KALE your best friend this year…
1. KALE has more vitamin C than an orange.
2. It’s… kind of fatty (in a good way).
3. KALE is the queen of vitamin A.
4. It has more calcium than milk.
5. KALE helps combat inflammation!  And arterial plaque formation!  WOW!  Food friends like avocado, olive oil, and lemon juice go great with kale and make the health-promoting compounds that are in kale even more powerful!  

Oh, be sure to buy this power-house food in the organic section because it is one of the crops to most likely have residual pesticides.
Read more about the goodness of KALE in this article of the 
My favorite way to eat KALE is by putting it in my smoothies.  
Yes, I really do this and you should too.

Here is the RECIPE for the SMOOTHIE I make my daughter before school.  
It has kale AND it is yummy!  🙂

NOW YOU TELL ME HOW YOU ARE PLANNING TO EAT KALE THIS YEAR…

Smoothie Shopping List


I realized today when I was shopping at Trader Joe’s that I have a mental smoothie shopping list that I use.  I keep foods from this list in my kitchen so that my family can have a variety of smoothie options available to them.  So I’ve decided to put MY list down on “paper” and share it with you!  With smoothies, I encourage you to be creative!   Some are better than others, but soon you will find combinations you LOVE!  This happens to be my list, so feel free to add other foods to your list.


FRUITS 
bananas
apples
oranges
strawberries
rasberries
blueberries
blackberries
pineapple
mango
papaya
kiwi
dates
*If possible, choose ORGANIC and SEASONAL fruit.  If not, consider frozen fruit.  Also remember that fruit has a lot of sugar, so go easy and leave room for your green friends I list next!
 
GREENS
kale
spinach
parsley
cucumber
 
PROTEIN SOURCE
high quality time-release chocolate protein powder 
organic greek plain yogurt
almond butter
oatmeal
 
LIQUID
water
almond milk (we don’t have much dairy around here)
orange juice
coconut milk/water
and yes, coffee and herbal tea
 
EXTRA GOODIES
coconut oil – click HERE to check out the best coconut oil!  If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you!
honey
bee pollen
flax seeds
hemp seeds
spirulina
mint leaves
cinnamon
ginger
agave nectar
stevia
 



WHY I’M A FAN OF SMOOTHIES:

  1. Blending food takes care of the first step in digestion: chewing!  Food breaks down faster in the stomach.  It’s like a mini-vacation for your digestive system 🙂
  2. Smoothies offer a chance to “eat” food you usually wouldn’t eat.  For instance, I dislike Kale… a lot!  I’ve tried it different ways, it’s just gross to me.  One day I got brave and put a small amount in a smoothie.  Surprisingly I didn’t hate it!  In fact, I kinda liked it.  Slowly I began adding more and more kale.  Now I’m to the point where I crave it.  Yes, I’ve gone there!
  3. Smoothies offer a chance to sneak food to your kids body that they would NEVER imagine eating!  THIS REALLY WORKS!  At first my kids had no idea what they were “eating”, but by this point, they know I put all sorts of stuff in.  Both of my kids like their smoothie different ways, and I adjust them according to their preference.
  4. They are easy.
  5. They are fast.
  6. They are yum.
These are some of my favorite smoothies:
 
 BERRY GOOD SMOOTHIE
 
 
Please share the foods you add to your smoothies!

IT’S ALL ABOUT FOOD!

recipes…  

24 DC = Advocare 24 Day Challenge   SCD = Slow Carb EatingSOUTHWESTERN OMELET – 24 DC, SCD
STIR FRY PIZZA – SCD
ZUCCHINI LASAGNA 
TOMATO BASIL SOUP
SLOW-CARB SANDWICH – SCD
3 MINUTE MEAL – video/SCD

smoothies AND shakes AND working out…

 

about food…

supplements…

food reviews

MUNG BEAN PASTA – (24 DC)

eating out…