The Beet Rejuvenator

Now that we are past the holidays, I have been trying to get back on track with eating a healthful diet. I am a sucker for sugar, and find myself craving it after eating so many holiday treats! I have been trying to detox off of sugar and caffeine, replacing sweets, treats & coffee with green smoothies & juicing.

One of my favorite juices for detoxing is Beet Rejuvenator. I really used to dislike beets, but the more I eat them, the more my palate adjusts. They are one of the most powerful, cleansing vegetables you could eat.

This juice is super cleansing and packs a punch of goodness! I’m surprised that it is one of my favorites despite the ‘my-not-so-favorite’ beets in it! The carrots help sweeten, and ginger + lemon always add a great flavor to any juice, and cucumber mellows everything out.

The Beet Rejuvenator

3-4 Carrots

1 Cucumber

1/2 Lemon

1 Ginger Root (1 inch piece)

1/2 Beet Root (including stem and 1-2 leaves)

Juice.

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Need a juicer?

Breville compact is what I use and I love it!

Drinks/ GF, Vegan & Raw/ RECIPES

Golden Milk

{post by our Contributing Raw Foods Author, Teniel Moore}

I know when its cold outside, you want something delicious, sweet & hot to warm you on the inside and make you feel good.

You might reach for a hot chocolate full of processed sugar & artificial flavors & sweeteners.

Next time you fancy a comfort drink why not try my golden milk. This is delicious creamy & full of warming spices that not only taste yum but are so good for you.

Did you know that turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory and a great antioxidant? I have it fresh every day in my green juice.

Studies are showing it helps reduce the oncoming of Alzheimer’s disease. Helps fight cancer and so many more benefits. So why not try and include it in your diet?

Now let’s get making this delicious milk.

Golden Milk

Cook Time

10 mins

Recipe Type: Brunch

Servings: 1

Ingredients

1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp maca powder optional
1 - 1 1/2 cups coconut milk or milk of your choice
3 - 4 drops stevia or add sweetener of choice

Optional Add Ins

fresh vanilla beans
pinch of himalayan salt
cardamon pods

(all organic ingredients if possible)

Instructions

Warm your coconut milk on the stove on a low heat.
Add in your spices and stevia and continue to stir with a wooden spoon or whisk until the spices are well combined and the milk is hot.
Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy.

I really hope you enjoy this golden milk as much as I do.

Cheers to delicious health.

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Teniel Moore | Raw Foods Contributor

You can follow her here:

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3 Ingredient Best Pumpkin Spice Chai

2 pumpkin spice rooibos tea bags, chai concentrate

I had one of my best girlfriends, Carma, over for lunch yesterday, and she brought along a super special treat. I had seen a photo she put on instagram telling about Pumpkin Spice Chai that she loved so much that she used the hashtag #nocoffeenoproblem. I know she is a coffee lover, so my ears, eyes and taste buds perked up! I asked her to bring the ingredients along to our lunch so I could try it out..because, you know…best girlfriends can do that. We can extend a lunch invitation but then ask them to bring a beverage so you can try it out. {smile}

Our time together was precious and almost 2 hours of chatting felt like just minutes. We have much in common. Our husbands work together, we are both mothers of middle school girls, we share our faith & have lived a lot of life together the last 6 years.

She was a rock for me when I was sick. The perfect balance of listening to me and letting me cry on the hard days but also cheering me on and not letting me get stuck in the yuckness of it all. She was the one who came to the first Oncology appointment with Todd and I. She was our stable notetaker, and boy, did I ever need stable that day! I was a mess, needing a bowl in the waiting room because I was so nauseous with fear and nerves. I couldn’t think straight so she thought for me. I still have her notes from that day. Seeing her handwriting, knowing her hand wrote hard words out of love for me, touches my heart and made me keep those notes. She also came to my first chemo and was my ride home. I will never forget her love in the battle.

pumpkin spice rooibos tea, almond milk & chai concentrate

Back to our lunch. We are both foodies and both have certain restrictions to what we will eat due to health issues. It is fun to have her for over knowing she will appreciate my weird food. I took the easy way out and got some amazing vegan soup from a local spot nearby. I made kale chips, roasted some carrots with a little oil, salt, pepper & garlic, & had some tomatoes from my garden to eat as sides.

Carma showed up with a cooler which made me smile. Not only did it have the Pumpkin Spice Chai ingredients in it, but she also brought black bean hummus with chips & 2 individual bowls of fruit. That made me happy. She knows what I will love and appreciate.

We saved the Pumpkin Spice Chai for an after- lunch drink. I’m so glad we did because I have to tell you…IT WAS SO GOOD THAT IT WAS LIKE DRINKING DESSERT!

We have had a few cool weather days here in Nebraska, and I’ve found myself wanting a comforting, fall-like drink. A pumpkin spice flavored drink that was easy to make and somewhat healthy. Well, people…I found it…or at least Carma found it for me.

Here it is:

Start with one cup of milk of your choice. We used almond milk.

Add 2 bags of Trader Joes Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Tea. If you do not have a Trader Joes near you, keep reading for good substitute ideas.

Let steep for 5-7 minutes, warming the milk gently on the stove.

When it gets to be this milky, caramel-ly color, get your head down in there and take a whiff. Deliciousness! I told Carma I want a fall candle that smells like this! Remove the tea bags.

If you don’t have a Trader Joes near you, shed a few tears, then wipe them away and order some from Amazon using this affiliate link. {I appreciate your support of this blog.}

After you remove the teabags, make sure the temperature is what you desire for warm, comfortable sipping.

Add 3/4 cup Oregan Chai concentrate. This amount is flexible. If you want less sweet, use less Chai concentrate.

Pour into your favorite mug & enjoy!

3 Ingredient Best Pumpkin Spice Chai
1 cup milk (I used almond)
2 pumpkin spice teabags
3/4 cup chai concentrate, or to taste

Put milk into a saucepan. Add teabags. Steep 5-7 minutes & warm to desired temperature. Add chai concentrate. Stir. Pour into 2 mugs and enjoy!

Don’t Forget To Pin It!

Drinks/ How-Tos/ RECIPES

6 Reasons Why You Should Drink Green Juice

mason jar of green juice surrounded by greens, parsley and broccoli

MY NAME IS TENIEL AND IM A CRAZY JUICER! ARE YOU?

Along with raw food I adore my green juice.

Juicing is part of my everyday routine. It would feel some what strange not to have my green juice in my day.

I have lots of reasons why I love to juice:

1. I find it refreshing

2. It helps me add so many extra greens into my diet

3. It easier on my digestion

4. Its very alkalising (very important)

5. Quick release of nutrients into my body

6. Recipe combinations are endless

I like too keep my juices as green as possible. By this I mean my juice is about 95% greens and the rest are spices and lemon.

This is the way I like to make my juices, as I don’t wont to overload on fruit sugars each day. (Fruit is great, but I don’t need them in my juice so why add it.)

I understand my combinations are not for everyone. So adding an apple is a great way too add a little sweetness.

Pictured below are the typical ingredients that go into my green juice most days.

Kale
Celery
dandelion
aloe leaf
cucumber
ginger
turmeric
lemon

woman drinking green juice and green juice ingredients

To make your juicers extend further and add extra nutrients I always add the following as a base for every juice I make

Lemon/lime
Celery
Cucumber

We have so many wonderful greens that are full of vitamins and minerals.

So remember to think outside the box and add some different greens to your juices

You don’t always have to be stuck with kale or chard!

Here are some of the greens I like to rotate in with my juice

greens to juice, burnweed, dandelion, stinging nettle, marshmallow

Most kids love juice. So it’s a great way too sneak in some greens with fruit if you need to.

These days I do not need to sneak greens in. The kids see what goes in and they are fine with it as long as I add some

fruit to make it palatable for them. I often include an apple or pineapple along with celery, kale, lemon, ginger, turmeric and cucumber for them.

kids drinking green juice with green mustaches

Other great greens to add include:

Beet top greens

Radish top greens

Cilantro

Basil

Parsley

Aloe leaf

So If you don’t juice I hope I have inspired you to try it. Its a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen as they

love to help use the juicer and make something themselves with some supervision.

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Raw Foods Contributor

You can follow her here:

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Back To School Gluten Free Recipes

As summer is coming to a close, kids are starting to go back to school and lives start to resume their normal stream of busy-ness. Instead of cramming your kids full of things they don’t love, why not try

to tempt them with these healthy gluten free treats? They are chalked full of nutrients (well, minus the pop tarts, but I couldn’t resist!) and are filling as well as energy boosting.

Chard and Peach Smoothie– This chard and peach smoothie is the perfect after school treat for the kiddos. It’s creaminess is due to the peanut butter as well as the frozen bananas that make up it’s base. Adults and kids alike will love this morning or afternoon treat!

Chia Seed Jam– We have fallen head over heels in love with this chia seed jam over at our house. It’s given us the ability to stop buying jelly, and start using fresh veggies and healthy sugars for our own jam! The chia seeds are nature’s energy kicker, and will give your kiddos the brain food they need to make it through their long school days.

Gluten Free Poptarts– I really can’t say that these guys are healthy, BUT they are gluten free!! Thanks to Pillsbury for finally coming out with a great gluten free pastry crust, you can make those pop tarts your kids have been missing. This would be a great Saturday morning treat for your family.

How is your family adjusting to the back-to-school craziness?

Do you have any go-to recipes that get you through the school year?

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Meghan Newsom

Health & Gluten Free Contributor

Meghan’s site: eat.live. make.

You can follow her here:

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Detox Green Smoothie – So Fresh & Clean Tasting!

Detox green smoothie in mason jar with orange straw

At the beginning of the year, one of my New Year’s goals was to eat dark leafy greens everyday. I’ve done a pretty good job, but needed to find a new green smoothie recipe to mix things up a bit. This Detox Green Smoothie is my new favorite. It tastes so fresh, and the ingredients are so very good for the body. I’ve see a glow in my skin and my digestion is amazing {sheepish grin} when I drink this daily.

Another new favorite of mine is Trader Joe’s Frozen Kale. I love that if I have used all my fresh leafy greens up in salads or by making my favorite kale chips, that there is an option for my green smoothies sitting in my freezer. Now I am never out of leafy greens so I have no excuse to not eat them everyday!

Other uses for frozen kale?

~Toss into soups (great in Minestrone)
~Put a bit into an omelet
~Use to add great nutrition to casseroles.

Detox Green Smoothie

1-1 1/2 cups frozen kale (can use fresh, too, just take stem off if fresh)

1/2 cup cucumber

1 cup frozen mango

1 green apple, cored

juice of 1 lime

1/2 inch piece peeled ginger

1-2 cups water (can use coconut water)

A high speed blender works best to get the most creamy smoothie. Add all ingredients to the blender. Start with one cup of water and blend. Add more water until desired consistency. You know the consistency is right when you see a vortex in the middle of blender.

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A Little Bit About Blenders

Professional Grade High Speed Blender

Some of the best money I have ever spent!

Vitamix Professional Blender and accessories

Vitamix Professional Series 750

This is the model I have. I drooled over it for a couple of years!

It was a splurge, but worth EVERY penny. I use it 2-3 times a day.

It makes crushed ice in seconds. It takes almonds to almond butter in seconds. It makes the best raspberry fruit purees for pancakes and ice cream–obliterates all those little seeds into smooth puree heaven! We are eating 3 times the amount of fruits and veggies since purchasing this amazing blender, which I know is keeping us out of the doctors’ office and away from those expensive co-pays, so in my mind it has paid itself off.

Ninja Mega Kitchen Blender and accessories.

Ninja Mega Kitchen System

I’ve never used one, but have heard good things about them. They are not professional grade like the Vitamix, but the price is much easier to swallow and they are powerful.

{my old Oster on the left, my New Vitamix on the right}

Oster

I had one of these for years and it does the job. You can’t beat the price, and for smoothies, it works, although you have to blend much longer. You will still have chia and raspberry seeds in your smoothies, but if you don’t mind the extra texture, this one will do. If you have had a high speed blender, you will not be happy with this one. If you are looking for something to get by until you can get a high speed blender, and to just get those smoothies in you, this will do just fine.

Drinks/ RECIPES

Chocolate Cashew Mocha Smoothie

This has been my go-to smoothie when I need a creamy and decadant snack. I love coffee and chocolate together, and the soaked cashews give this smoothie an amazing creamy texture. It is dessert-like, but so filling, and packs a great protein punch with 5 grams of protein. I love when my desserts are not just empty calories but actually have some nutritional value.

Not only are the cashews a healthful whole food, but cacao nibs are considered a superfood. Cacao nibs are my new favorite food, and they contain heaps of anti-oxidants to boot! They add a great texture to smoothies that reminds me of little chocolate chip bits. They are not sweet, but add a great chocolatey flavor to this smoothie.

Coffee Cashew Smoothie

via Shape.com

The creamy texture in this decadent drink comes courtesy of the cashews, which also add 5 grams of protein to help keep your blood sugar—and hunger—steady, Brazier says.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cashews, soaked six hours or overnight (just add water to cover nuts and refrigerate)
1/2 banana, peeled and chopped (frozen optional)
1 tablespoon cacao nibs
1/2 cup Ice
1/4 cup cooled coffee
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tablespoon coconut sugar (optional, or sweetener of choice)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

I added a bit of almond butter & cocoa nibs on top for pretty.

Nutrition score per serving: 361 calories, 7.5g protein

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