2. Snicker Doodle Blondies @ Chocolate Covered Katie
6. Lowfat Vegan Nacho “Cheese” @ Happy Herbivore
2. Snicker Doodle Blondies @ Chocolate Covered Katie
6. Lowfat Vegan Nacho “Cheese” @ Happy Herbivore
One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to eat some form of greens everyday. The more I read on the health benefits of greens, the more I realize how important it is to consume them daily and in large amounts. I am devouring the book Eat To Live Eat To Live by Dr. Fuhrman. It is by far one of my most favorite books on nutrition, second only to The China Study. This recipe is taken from that book.
Here is what he says about greens:
“Dark green leafy vegetables –kale, spinach, arugula, swiss chard, romaine, mustard greens, collard greens & watercress–get the very highest score in highest nutrient density foods. They contain the very most phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals of all foods. They are rich in all necessary amino acids. They are packed with cancer-fighting phytonutrients that protect us from a variety of threatening illnesses.”
Greens rock!
I love a good salad, and it is a good thing since I eat them most days for lunch AND as a side to dinner. I also love green smoothies. But sometimes, I just want to get my greens in quick and not have to think about it the rest of the day.
This Blended Mango Spinach Salad is an awesome way to do just that. It only makes about 4 1/2 ounces, so to gulp it down takes just minutes. Most of my green smoothie recipes make 2 cups of smoothie which takes a chunk of time to finish. This blended salad recipe is the same idea of a smoothie, and uses the same amount of greens as a green smoothie (3 cups!) but it is more concentrated.
The mango adds a nice creaminess and sweetness. It tastes very fresh and quite green. I like it, quite a lot, but I’m also used to the taste of green smoothies and greens. I could not drink 2 cups of it at once, but as a quick “shot” of nutrition, it is perfect. I will be making it often.
Cut your mango and do your best not to eat it just like this!
Mango art!
Check out that beautiful color!
Add greens and milk.
Blended Mango Spinach Salad
2 cups spinach
1/2-1 cup romaine or other greens (I used a mix of baby chard, kale & watercress)
1 cup fresh mango
1/8 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)
Peel and chop the mango and place in a food processor or high powered blender. Add the spinach. Blend until combined. Add the greens and milk. Blend until creamy.
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Nutrition Facts
User Entered Recipe
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| 1 Serving
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Amount Per Serving
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| Calories | 128.0 | |
| Total Fat | 0.8 g | |
| Saturated Fat | 0.2 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.2 g | |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.2 g | |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 mg | |
| Sodium | 74.4 mg | |
| Potassium | 759.6 mg | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 31.3 g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.0 g | |
| Sugars | 24.8 g | |
| Protein | 3.4 g | |
| Vitamin A | 194.0 % |
| Vitamin B-12 | 0.0 % |
| Vitamin B-6 | 19.8 % |
| Vitamin C | 118.3 % |
| Vitamin D | 0.0 % |
| Vitamin E | 17.7 % |
| Calcium | 10.6 % |
| Copper | 14.9 % |
| Folate | 49.4 % |
| Iron | 14.7 % |
| Magnesium | 21.5 % |
| Manganese | 42.6 % |
| Niacin | 8.1 % |
| Pantothenic Acid | 3.2 % |
| Phosphorus | 6.2 % |
| Riboflavin | 15.5 % |
| Selenium | 2.7 % |
| Thiamin | 11.1 % |
| Zinc | 3.6 % |
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What do you think?
Do you think you could handle a nice, sweet, fresh shot of greens?
Let me know if you try it and what you think.
My local health food co-op just recently started a YouTube channel/site called Starting Out Raw. I have been enjoying the different recipes they post and I REALLY enjoy that I can get all ingredients just down the road at Open Harvest.
I have been intrigued by the whole ‘raw food’ movement. It makes sense to me that many foods are MOST nutritious when consumed whole and raw. Heat can destroy many of the nutrients found in food. I also love the idea of having some recipes in my box that do not take any cooking or baking! I have been really surprised at how easy and delicious raw recipes can be.
These bars are high in Omega’s thanks to the chia and walnuts. The raspberries have great antioxidants and the dates add a beautiful sweetness that makes one completely in awe that these bars are sugar-free. They are a decadent treat, one that I love eating with a cup of coffee, but they are full of ingredients that are very good for you, and can even be eaten as part of breakfast guilt-free!
TRY THESE. You will love them. Even if you are not a coconut fan, or a date fan or a walnut fan…I think you will still love them!
Raw Raspberry Bliss Bars
Base Layer:
1 cup dried coconut
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1 cup walnuts
8 Medjool dates pitted
Blend coconut, vanilla, cinnamon & sea salt together in a food processor for 30-60 seconds.
Add walnuts. Blend. Then add in 8 pitted Medjool dates. Blend well.
Press mixture in a wax paper/parchment paper lined 8×8 square pan. Set in fridge to firm up.
Raspberry Layer:
1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed, drained
4 Medjool dates, pitted
1 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds
Blend only raspberries and dates until dates are well combined. Pour into a bowl, and stir in chia seeds. Let set for 15 minutes. It will thicken into a nice raspberry “jam”. Spread over the base layer.
Topping:
1/3 cup dried coconut
1/3 cup walnuts
pinch cinnamon
pinch sea salt
Pulse topping ingredients together until a nice crumble is formed. Sprinkle over raspberry layer. Set in fridge to firm up.
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I’ve been making this Crockpot Refried Beans recipe about once a week lately. It is great to have on hand, a jar in the refrigerator and a few in the freezer. My girls make themselves bean burritos as after school snacks with these beans. I love having a quick wrap for lunch made with these beans, salsa, tomatoes, and lettuce. They are great smeared on a tostada or to eat as a side to tacos with rice. Also great for chip dipping.
They have so much more flavor than canned beans, and I feel great staying away from cans due to their BPA lining. Another great thing about making these beans is that you can make them as chunky or as mashed as you like it. I like a bit of texture in my burritos, but for nachos, I mash them and thin them out a bit more.
I put off making my own beans for a long time. I kept reading how you have to sort them and soak them. It felt intimidating and like too much work. Boy, was I wrong! Sorting takes minutes, and with this Crockpot recipe, there is no soaking.
I measure out my beans (3 cups for this recipe) on my large cutting board. I then quickly sort them, the pile in the front are sorted beans, the pile in the back has yet to be sorted. This literally takes me maybe 2 minutes to sort 3 cups of beans.
You are looking for shriveled beans, halved beans, or just plain ugly looking beans. I also take the ones that look too small out. Pictured above are my rejects.
Put beans in a colander, and give them a quick rinse.
Dump them in the crockpot, along with 1 chopped onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper. This recipe calls for a lot of salt, but it also makes a nice amount of beans. Use it, they need it.
Set the crockpot to high and in 5 hours (can let them cook longer if needed) you have wonderful beans. I love how these make the house smell. We are eating less meat around here (next to none) and it has been great, but I have missed throwing something in the crockpot and having it make the house smell good. Well, these beans solve that problem…they smell so good as they cook! Yum!
Once in a while, I make a recipe that I end up getting giddy excited to share with you. This 5-minute raw nut taco meat is one of those recipes! Can you imagine not having to deal with the greasy mess of browning hamburger meat for tacos, but still have the amazing flavor of taco meat? This recipe keeps your stove off and will please even the meat eaters in your life.
I served this to my kids last night and said, “I’m trying out a new recipe. It is chopped up nuts that are flavored with taco seasonings. Nuts are super good for you and will give you the protein and good fats that our bodies need. Try it and let me know if you like it.”
Okay, so I only told 2 of my daughters that. My youngest HATES nuts, so I did not tell her what was in her taco until she devoured it. Hee! Sneaky Mom! She looked at me with wide eyes and a dropped jaw when I told her. Then crossed her arms over her chest and said “Mom! Why didn’t you tell me?” I answered, “I thought just maybe you were getting old enough to start liking nuts, but I was not sure.” She was not sure if she liked that answer!

Such a great meat alternative for those Taco Tuesdays or Meatless Mondays! My family now prefers this over ground beef. Bonus: no heating up the oven or stove!
I used unsalted nuts. The original recipe I found on Pinterest. It is from Raw Veggies & Yoga. It called for an entire teaspoon of salt, which just about ruined my batch. It was WAY too salty. Fortunately, I had enough ingredients to double my batch and I ended up saving it.
I went for years without a food processor, and now I don’t know how I lived without it. I use mine all the time. I have a 7 cup Kitchen Aid Food Processor. I love using it for chopping onions and veggies for soups, for making nut butter and date pastes, and my yummy healthy chocolate mudballs.
I am new to the world of sun-dried tomatoes but bought them for a pasta recipe that I will be sharing with you soon. I am now a HUGE fan. The flavor they add to this recipe is key. I had no idea how much flavor these packed! I now keep a jar in my refrigerator at all times.
I used these Chia Seed Flour Tortillas that I just found at Trader Joes this week. They are my new favorite. Boy, do they fill you up with all that extra fiber from the Chia. New to Chia? Read all about this mega superfood here.
I just put the tortilla on a plate, added some rice and cheese. I microwaved it for 30 seconds until the cheese melted and the tortilla was soft. I put the Raw Nut Taco Meat right on top.
Would you consider having a meat-free meal once a week? Do you think you could get your family to try this recipe?
My lil’ sis of Beauty Divine Design has been asking me all kinds of questions about how we eat, as they are wanting to eat a more plant strong diet.
Here is a Facebook chat we recently had:
Think I overwhelmed her with my crazy run-on sentences and gazillion suggestions? Yep, I did. She then sent a message with some more specific questions she had, and I have decided to tackle all of her questions, little by little, on this blog.
I know she sent these messages without thinking that I would share them publicly. I left all our typos, casual language and misspellings to keep things ‘authentic.’ Tee hee.
Questions for eating plant-based
Okay a ton of questions but you don’t have to get to them all immediately… whenever.
What can you use instead of milk for cooking- does almond and soy milk work the same? Which one tastes the best for adding to cereal?
You can use almond milk and coconut milk for cooking. Plain almond milk is what we use. We use almond milk exclusively, I can’t have soy and I don’t trust soy anyway. You could also try rice milk or coconut milk. We like almond milk, especially on cereal. There was an adjustment period, my kids grumbled at first, but when it was the only thing in the house they gave in and ate it, now we are so used to it that none of us can stand the taste of cow milk. I think the kind that you can get in the cold milk section tastes the best.
What do u use instead of butter, whipping cream, cheese etc. does any of it actually taste good? Lol
I use soy free Earth Balance. It is a super popular butter substitute with vegans. It tastes good. If you use real butter at least make sure it is organic. There are vegan cheeses but I think they are nasty and made up of way too many ingredients…processed. If we eat cheese, it is organic. This makes it expensive so we eat very, very little cheese. Even on tacos or pizza I use about 1/4 of what we used to use, and I pick it off my finished piece completely. Lots of vegans soak cashews, then put them in a food processor which makes a creamy, cheesy like sauce. I have done this a couple times and liked it but want to experiment more. I don’t use whipping cream unless we are making a special occasion dessert and if so we use the real thing because it is so rare. I buy organic cream cheese for the girls and their whole wheat bagels, but I’ve noticed they only put a super thin layer on. I think they are losing their taste for this, which keeps happening with animal products. They just have slowly stopped wanting them. It is kinda crazy!
Which oils to avoid? Is olive oil ok?
Some, like Rip E in the below video don’t use oil at all. Happy Herbivore is another plant based eater that rarely uses oil…her recipes are great. I use small amounts of olive oil for marinades, pestos & homemade salad dressings. It has a low smoke point so it is ok to cook with as long as the heat is med or lower. I use coconut oil for high heat cooking/frying/sauteing. I also use coconut oil for baking. I believe coconut oil is very good for you…see this post for more on coconut oil. There are two types, one that tastes and smells like coconut and one that doesn’t. I often use applesauce in place of oil in baking recipes.
Is soy good or bad? I feel like I’ve heard both.
Most of the soy in the US is genetically modified and I don’t trust it. My Oncologist wants me to stay away from it because my caner was estrogen positive. They do eat soy in lots of Asian countries where cancer rates are low, but they mostly eat it fermented and as more of a condiment or seasoning, less as a main dish as many vegans in the US do. There is controversy with soy, but following my Oncologist orders makes it easy for me to just stay away from it. Plus, most vegan soy foods are highly processed…not whole foods. I’m not a fan of companies turning soy into something that is supposed to taste and feel like meat. Blech. So fake.
Are any animal products better than others? Can I sneak some chicken in every once in awhile haha
Sure you can. It does not have to be all or nothing. I call myself a “plant eater sometimes cheater” and I eat fish and eggs at times. I was willing to make meat for my family a couple times a week, but they have all lost their taste for meat for the most part. They can eat it if it is in something, like a casserole (which I don’t make anymore) but the texture of chicken and red meat is a bit off- putting to them now. I was surprised this happened. I now have 3 little bean- eating girls with vegetarian palates! Never thought I would see the day! It has just slowly happened. If you do eat meat, stay away from red meat as much as possible, and buy your chicken organic. It is more expensive but worth it.
What are your go- to meals each week? Top 5 regulars maybe?
~Chili No Meat
~Tacos made with beans–I love the crockpot beans in this post, we’ve also made the homemade tortillas in the same post and they were AMAZING.
~Spaghetti, homemade tomato sauce, no meat. I use this recipe sometimes, too.
~Soups–we love French Lentil Soup & Vegan Creamy Broccoli soup.
~Breakfast for dinner–whole grain pancakes, organic eggs
I will write a more detailed post about this.
Replacement snacks/desserts that are sweet but not loaded up with ickies?
I will write a post about this, in the meantime, read this post titled, Healthy Snack Ideas For Kids
How do u know if something is processed? Like our whole wheat bread has like 27 ingredients but it is whole wheat and my homemade bread tastes like cardboard.
Lol! Cardboard?! You need to try this recipe…we love it. I just made it tonight to go with our spaghetti dinner and my Teagan said “Mom this bread is the best!” It does get more dry by day 3 or 4, but then it makes the BEST toast. Here is a post I wrote about store bought bread. Look for no high fructose corn syrup, 3-4 grams of fiber per serving & make sure it says 100% whole wheat bread. My rule is try to eat food as close to whole as possible. This post on my Favorite Food Rules might be helpful, these simple suggestions really helped me in my journey of eating clean.
Meal ideas for kids cuz Little Man only likes PB and J or chicken nuggets right now as a main course. Sometimes pizza or Mac n cheese but won’t even try anything else. He does good with fruits and veggies as a side.
This is hard. Kids are picky, but eventually he would get hungry enough to eat something new. Keep trying new things more than once. If they get used to seeing it around, they are more likely to eat it. I wish I was more tough with my kids when they were little and didn’t give in so much to what they wanted instead of what they needed. Keep up the fruits and veggies, try making them the main dish. I will write more about this another time. Hopefully my readers will chime in on this one!
How to break pop addiction?! I’m seriously an addict!
Ha! Is it the caffeine or the bubbly sweet that you love? If it is the bubbly sweet, then mixing juice with sparkling water is a good substitute. I love this Fresh Lime Soda & also this Lemonade Spritzer. If it is a caffeine thing, cut down slowly and replace with herbal teas. Even black coffee is better than pop. Diet has aspartame and regular has HFCS. Even the “healthy” pops have loads of sugar. The best way to break this is to know what it is that you are putting in your body, when I learned how sugar affects the body, it made me want it less. Read about lemon water and why it is good for you…drink it every morning for a week and I bet you will be hooked on water…you will start becoming very thirsty and nothing will quench that thirst but water.
Here is a bit more inspiration for you:
Steps To Healthy Living
And short and great video on eating plant strong:
We’ve gone greek and are loving it! We had some new friends over a few nights ago and wanted to give them a fun gluten free culinary experience. It was their first time to eat totally gluten free and vegan, and we wanted to show them how much fun and delicious it can be.
Falafel Ingredients:
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