Drinks/ GF, Vegan & Raw/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES

My Kids Drink Their Greens: Simple Easy Smoothies To Give Your Kids More Greens

by Teniel Moore–our Austrailian Raw Foods Contributor

Now that I have your attention……. Do your kids get enough vegetables in their day?
I know as a mum of 3, with 2 younger kids it can be a challenge. But quite simply you can get loads of greens into your little darlings even before they walk out the door for school or kindy that day. It’s as simple as throwing a few items in a blender and off you go.

I have included a few recipes that I make for my kids as an example. But like any recipe you can make it what ever you want. Just remember to include a leafy green and or a vegetable. Lets face it. Most kids get enough fruit in their diet. It’s the veggie part I’m trying to emphasise here.

If you have to start off by hiding the greens you put into your drinks, then do so. Do whatever you can to get your kids enjoying them. After they taste how delicious drinking their greens are, they might not mind you adding the mystery items.

I have come to a point now where I don’t need to hide what I put in. They see me throw in zucchini and kale and they still drink it. Some are more popular than others, so don’t give up. Just keep trying new recipes and combinations until you find what works for your child.

Green Pineapple Smoothie : Aka Tropical Slim

1 cup of good quality coconut water (look for one that has no added sugar)
1 large handful of organic baby spinach
1 Tsp of Raw honey (or your sweetener of choice)
1/2 small pineapple
1/2 zucchini (trust me, you can’t taste it)

Blend until smooth & creamy. Pour into a fun cup or mason jar with a straw. Kids love straws.

Banana Smoothie: Aka Nutty Monkey

1 Banana fresh or frozen
1 cup of Almond milk
Generous dash of cinnamon
Stevia to taste
1 Tbls of Nut butter
Dash of vanilla
Ice
1/2 peeled zucchini (I peel the zucchini in this recipe to keep the colour nice)

Blend all in a high-speed blender till smooth & creamy. Pour into fun glasses with a straw.

Green Juice : Aka Rise & Shine

1 Small aloe vera leaf (leave this out for newbies)
1 – 2 celery stalks leaves & all
1 bunch of Pak choy or Bok choy
1 green Apple
1 Lemon peeled
Handful of green grapes

Juice all your ingredients. If you do not own a juicer you can blend everything in a high-speed blender & strain through a nut milk bag then pour into a glass and serve with a cute straw.

My Tips For Getting Kids To Drink Them

1. Give them a choice of the type of smoothie flavour they want and work from there
2. Let them help you make it
3. Make up crazy silly names for the drinks
4. They gotta taste good
5. Make their smoothies attractive and fun to look at. It’s as simple as giving them a straw or a fun cup, Let them add a topping like coconut, chia seeds, fruit or crunchy nuts or seeds

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TENIEL MOORE OF ADDICTED TO RAW

Raw Foods Contributor

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Serving Your Company Leftovers

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I’m all about being perfectly imperfect lately, and serving my company leftovers is a great example of embracing the imperfect and reaping quite perfect benefits.

About a month ago I had my Mom over for lunch. I love having her as I know her favorite foods and flavors. I know she loves meatloaf and sweet potatoes which we actually had for dinner the night before, I also knew that one of her favorite flavors is coconut, which ended up being the perfect topping for our sweet potatoes!

We had a wonderful lunch together, and although she knew most of the meal was leftovers, she enjoyed it and we had precious time together.

So let’s talk leftovers. At first I felt weird serving my company leftovers, but then I thought about my favorite deli at my local health food store, and realized everything they serve ‘to -go’ would be considered a ‘leftover.’ The have a glass case with a wonderful selection of foods, and I know that all of their foods are fresh, but not all are made exactly that very day.

I know there are some people who really dislike leftovers, but I love them. I love the ease of just reheating food and enjoying a hot meal that was easy to just heat and eat!

Just about everything we ate that day for lunch would be considered a leftover. Even the wine I served was a bottle that was opened the night before, but one that my girlfriend and I did not finish, so I served it with our lunch. Why not?

The meatloaf, beans and sweet potatoes were all made for our dinner the night before. Even the salad was tossed the night before. The cheesy bread was a asiago cheese bagel leftover from breakfast that we split, since there was only one and limiting carbs is always a good thing. A simple sliced apple was a great way to round out our little lunch. Can you tell that my Mom and I don’t mind our food touching? I purposefully used small plates to make the lunch look filled out and hearty.

Nuts were the appetizer and cupcakes that my lil’ one made the night before was dessert. A few little touches like lemon in our water and fun napkins made the table look special.

I don’t know about you, but if leftovers looks and tastes like this lunch did, I’m all for reheating food and offering it to my loved ones.

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What about you? Do you use leftovers? Would you or do you use them for entertaining?

FUN/DIY/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES/ Sides

Simple Mason Jar Salads

Salads in a Mason Jar

I’ve seen these mason jar salads all over Pinterest and Instagram, and have been wanting to make them myself for quite a while now. I love the idea of just grabbing a jar and having a healthy lunch or snack right at your fingertips.

These jars took just minutes to make. I decided to keep mine simple, which helped make the process super easy.

I wanted to use ingredients that all members of my family would eat, as I hoped that having some beautiful jars of goodness in our refrigerator would encourage my 3 girls to grab one and eat up their veggies.

It worked, especially on my oldest girl who is a cross-country runner and is quite motivated to get her veggies in! She loved these so much that she asked if she could take them in her school lunch instead of a sandwich.

Salad in a Jar

I’ve seen quite elaborate salads- in- jars all over the internet, but I knew simple would work best for our family. Most that I’ve seen put the dressing at the very bottom, then add veggies, a protein (beans or hard-boiled eggs) then the salad at the top.

Putting hearty vegetables in-between the dressing and the lettuce keeps the lettuce dry and makes them last 5-7 days in the refrigerator. It is great for a to-go lunch or snack.

My family members all like a different dressing, so I skipped putting the dressing in the bottom. We ended up eating most of these at home, where we could easily grab the dressing we liked, dump the jar onto a plate, and add any other toppings at the time of eating.

Really, for my family, the salad jars were a great way to present enticing, healthy, grab and go food. I think it is worth the little bit of time to put the jars together to make this happen.

Sometimes when veggies just sit in their bags in the refrigerator, my girls are less likely to grab them and eat them. Having them in such pretty jars really made a difference in the number of vegetables we consumed that week.

I’ve written before about keeping fresh veggies cut in jars in our refrigerator. Most weeks when I am making a salad for dinner, I will cut up extra vegetables and put them into jars–again–worth the extra time for my family to see healthy foods in our refrigerator.

They will not grab a cucumber and cut it up to eat it, but they will grab a jar of sliced cucumbers and munch away.

The week I made these jars, I made sure I had hard-boiled eggs peeled and chopped, ready to go as it is one of my families’ favorite salad toppings and a great way to add protein.

I also had red pepper slices and cooked peas, both in separate jars, which are two of my favorite salad toppings.

In my pantry, I had a large jar of croutons, a jar of dried cranberries & a jar of sunflower seeds, all of which are great salad toppings.

Jars a wonderful way to keep healthy ingredients at your fingertips, store ingredients so that they last a long time, and make the refrigerator and pantry look beautiful and organized. I just love them!

Below is a list of salad ingredients that can be stored in jars to top your Simple Mason Jar Salad, or to make more elaborate Mason Jar Salads.

If you are wanting to make these with the dressing and all of the ingredients layered in the jar, make sure you buy large mouth jars and layer the ingredients in the right order.

Best Order:

Dressing, hearty vegetables (ones that can marinate in the dressing without breaking down like carrots, peppers, grape tomatoes, cucumbers), fruits, protein/carb (beans, pasta, chicken), dry toppings (seeds, croutons, dried fruit) then lettuce.

Ingredient Ideas for Mason Jar Salads

Shredded Rotisserie Chicken

Chopped Bacon

Whole-Wheat Bow-Tie Pasta

Sliced Strawberries

Blueberries

Grapes

Pineapple

Mandarin Oranges

Dried Cranberries

Avocado

Green Peppers

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Carrots
Peas

Radishes

Cucumber

Tomatoes

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Feta Cheese

Croutons

Sunflower Seeds

Sliced Almonds

Simple Mason Jar Salads

Here is how I made mine:

Cucumber

Shredded Carrots

Shredded Broccoli Stalks

Baby Spinach

Lettuce Mix

*all of my ingredients (except cucumber) came prepped in bags from Trader Joes- easy!

Directions:

Add ingredients in jars in the order given. Put a lid on and store in refrigerator 5-7 days.

When ready to eat, take out, add whatever extra toppings you would like, add dressing & enjoy!

What about you?

Do you like the idea of having these available in your refrigerator ready to grab and eat? Do you think it would motivate you to eat more veggies?

For a very detailed article on Mason Jar Salads, click here.

Drinks/ Featured/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES

Honey Ginger Lemon Tea – A Cold Reliever

Yesterday there was a blizzard here in the Midwest. It was super fun to be snowed in, even though it was Super Bowl Sunday. We stayed in our jammies all day, I made a big ol’ lasagna, and my Avery made some chocolate chip cookies. It was a super slow, super chill, super fun Super Bowl Sunday!

Today my 3 girls had a snow day as the roads were still a mess and the windchill was too low to be outside and stay safe.

We decided it is the perfect day for tea, especially when my Avery girl (11 years old) came to me and said “Mom, I think I’m getting a cold. My nose is stuffy and my throat is a little sore and has ‘stuff’ running down the back of it.” Oh no. Not cool. Especially when she has been home bound for 2 days already. She will be extra bored with a 3rd day at home, especially if she is not feeling well.

Time for a cup of good, healthy tea.

I’ve been drinking this particular tea every morning, shortly after I wake up, and before I have a cup of coffee. It is a great way to hydrate and get all those amazing good things that lemon- in -water gives you. The addition of honey and ginger makes the tea even more nutritious. When I drink it in the mornings, I add a pinch of cayenne. I’ve read that it is a great way to stimulate the liver to do its detoxifying magic first thing in the morning. Read more about that here.

I know when I have a cold, sipping on something hot is so very soothing. I prefer something hot & light…like chamomile tea or this honey ginger lemon tea. The steam will warm you right up, and the ginger & lemon will help clear sinuses, and the honey will help soothe a sore throat. My sweet Avery certainly enjoyed it
and was very thankful for her cup of tea. Later I will make her my Sweet Tart Smoothie for even more nutrition from aronia berries. I do not want this cold going anywhere but away!

The lemon in the tea gives a nice dose of vitamin C & there is wonderful goodness to the essential oils that diffuse into the tea from the rind of the lemon. The ginger, honey and lemon all have their own natural medicinal qualities so when you drink them combined, they create a calming and relaxing tea that can ease cold symptoms and boost immunity.

This cleansing tea will become a favorite , whether you have a cold or not. Make it for your family. You will love it and so will they. It tastes like a lightly sweetened hot lemon drink, with just a hint of ginger flavor. It is so very thirst quenching and soothing.

Before we move on to the recipe, I have a great tip for having ginger on hand and how to store it. It is to keep it in the freezer. I like to store it in mason jars in the freezer 2 ways. One–sliced thinly for tea. Two–in chunks in a jar ready to be grated and used in the next recipe…like Korean Beef over Rice. Frozen ginger is easy to peel and grate, and it lasts so much longer in the freezer.

Here are 7 of the top benefits of ginger:

1. Ginger improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body.

2. Ginger clears the “microcirculatory channels’ of the body, including the pesky sinuses that tend to flare up from time to time.

3. If you chew on ginger, it will help with nausea and airsickness.

4. Got a tummy ache? Eat some ginger.

5. Joints giving you trouble? Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that can bring relief.

6. If it is cold outside, ginger tea has warming benefits.

7. Rid throat and nose congestion by drinking ginger tea!

Don’t you love that porcelain infuser teacup? It was a gift and it is my fav. Buy it here.

On to the recipe.

Honey Ginger Lemon Tea

6 oz hot water

1 teaspoon raw honey

1 teaspoon thinly sliced ginger

1/2 lemon

~Start heating up water. I LOVE my electric tea kettle and use it everyday. It does a great job of heating the water quickly and keeping it warm for multiple cups of tea throughout the morning.

~Take a tea cup that has an infuser in it, and using a fork, pierce the half of lemon while holding it over the infuser and twist the fork and lemon to juice it. Squeeze as much of the juice out of the lemon half as possible. Cut the lemon half into 2-4 pieces. Add them to the infuser.

~Meanwhile, take 1 teaspoon of thinly sliced ginger and put into the infuser. (Slice using a mandolin and store in the freezer in a mason jar.)

~Last, take 1 teaspoon of honey and drizzle it over the lemon and ginger.

~Put the infuser into the cup of tea, then pour hot water over.

~Let steep 3-4 minutes.

~Lift the infuser our of the cup and enjoy your amazingly light, clean, fresh & oh- so- good for you Honey Ginger Lemon Tea!

Healthy Eating/ How-Tos/ Nutrition/ RECIPES

How To Fill Up With Nutrition To Leave Less Room For Junk

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Aloha, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #myAloha and #AlohaMoment http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV”

Do you feel it? Do you feel the New Year coming?

Our Christmas celebrations just started this evening, and let me tell you…my family can COOK! We celebrated with my Mom’s side of the family & we partied pot-luck style. I am sitting here feeling full and happy—and ready for the New Year.

I’m ready for the fresh start that the New Year brings–especially in the area of health.

You all know I live a pretty healthy lifestyle, but every year without fail, by the end of the year and all the holiday celebrations, I have let my MOST healthy habits slip a bit. I still am eating pretty clean and healthy, but I feel off-balance. I am not paying as much attention as I typically would to getting the nutrients I need and making sure my diet is balanced. There are days when I have too many carbs, other days I wonder if I had enough protein, & getting those superfood and greens in happen some days, but some days not.

Usually I would wait until the New Year to evaluate where I am at and be more mindful of my health, but not this year! I’m starting NOW! This does not mean I can’t enjoy the holidays and all the great food it brings, but it does mean that I want to be purposeful about getting all the good, nutritional stuff in my body FIRST so that the not-so-good-for-me stuff does not affect me as much. If I am full of nutrition, I have less room for the junk.

Here are some of the best ways I have found to fill up with nutrition:

1. Start with a smoothie.

I know, I know. You have heard it a million times…but there is a reason why smoothies are so popular. They are so versatile and such an easy way to get fiber, protein, superfood, greens, veggies & fruits into the body. They are also really appealing to eat in the morning or as a snack, which are 2 times of the day that it really counts to fill yourself full of nutrition. I am excited to share with you a new favorite product calledthat I have been using in my smoothies…keep reading!

2. Make SURE you are getting enough protein.

We eat a lot of plants in our family, and even did quite a long stint with going vegetarian as a family. We have recently added a bit of animal protein back into our diet, as I found it pretty hard to get my kids to eat enough plant protein, but it is only a couple of times a week and I am very picky about where the meat comes from. I have made friends with our local farmers to get that good, grass-fed, organic meat. BUT plant protein is still my first choice, so we still eat lots of beans, quinoa, greens and use plant protein powder in our smoothies.

That new favorite product I mentioned above? It is called and I am super excited about it. I was instantly drown to this product when I read that one of the main ingredients is plant protein from pumpkin seeds! I am familiar with whey protein, soy protein & pea protein–but this was the first time I have heard of pumpkin seed protein in a protein shake product. It made me excited because I know how stinkin’ healthy pumpkin seeds are for you, and I have been trying to find ways to incorporate their goodness into our diet.

I will tell you more about below.

3. Make carbs count.

If you are going to eat carbs, make sure they count by being whole grains & full of fiber. The fiber will slow down the digestions of the carbs, which in turn keeps the blood sugar stable. Carbs are needed for fuel and energy, but they should not make up the bulk of your meals. If the majority of your plate is white or yellow with pasta, bread, mac n cheese, white rice; then some changes need to happen. This is what was happening in my family when we ate vegetarian. I found that we were unbalanced and eating too many carbs. Some carbs are good and needed, but make them count by making sure they contain fiber.

4. Drink your fill of water before indulging in other drinks.

Lets face it. The holidays are full of calories, so a great way to cut empty calories is by being mindful of your liquids. Holidays bring egg nog, amaretto coffee, hot cider, hot cocoa, and all kinds of fun, festive drinks. Go ahead and indulge, but drink a nice big glass of water before you do. The water will fill you up and you will be satisfied with sipping more slowly on all those empty calorie drinks, and you will go for refills a bit less often.

5. Eat breakfast

It’s a given. If you eat a good balance breakfast, you will not be as hungry and over indulge the rest of the day. You will find that your concentration will be so much better if you start out the day with good nutrition.

6. Eat plants. Vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Plant food is full of phytonutrients & antioxidants–all those amazing things that snuff out inflammation in our bodies and protect us from disease. Plant food is filling, so if you are getting your share of plants, you will be full and less likely to overindulge. That fried onion topped green bean casserole? It does not count! Watch for those recipes that add junk on top of your veggies & avoid them or take a smaller serving. If there is a raw vegetable platter and dip at those holiday parties, have some dip–but dip dainty–don’t scoop!

A quick nut tip: Did you know that if you have a palm-full of almonds 20 minutes before a meal, that it will curb your appetite and you will in turn eat much less? It is a great trick. I often grab a handful while I am making dinner.

7. Take a Multi-Vitamin.

I know little pills can in no way do what plant food can do, but I do believe they are a great ‘fall-back’ or a ‘just -in- case’ you didn’t get all of the vitamins and minerals you might need through food during the day. I am learning more and more just how important certain minerals are for digestion & brain health & energy & clear skin & shiny hair &…well…the list goes on and on! Just one deficiency in one type of vitamin or mineral can really throw one’s health off.

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Aloha Protein Powder

A protein smoothie is a great way to accomplish a lot of the tips above, all in one swoop.

I have tried many, many types of protein powders and have even reviewed some here on the blog, and let me just say, they keep getting better and better! has for sure given protein powder a powerful improvement, and after using it for the last couple of weeks, I personally won’t have to look any further for a protein powder. It is by far my favorite. It tastes amazing.

It is a plant-based protein and uses superfood components. It is made with organically grown and wild-harvested ingredients and is tested far beyond government regulations. It made responsibly both socially and ecologically.

The nutrients in the powder are made with whole foods, and has a complete amino acid profile, with no added chemical amino acids, vitamins or minerals. Each serving provides 18 grams of plant-based protein! It has no sugars & no fillers which is super important to me, especially the filler part. I cannot stand buying a protein powder and later learning that most of my money went towards fillers!

The plant protein comes from Sacha Inchi Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds & Peas. I like that!

Let me just list the ingredients for the Vanilla Protein Powder and see if you are as impressed as I am:

Ingredients:

Sacha Inchi Seed Protein, Pumpkin Seed Protein, Pea Protein, Coconut Water, Coconut Cream, Coconut Sugar, Apple Juice, Wild-Harvested Vanilla, Madagascar Cinnamon, Sunflower Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Hawaiian Pink Salt, Monk Fruit Extract

That ingredient list makes me very happy. Short, sweet, recognizable & quality ingredients.

The Chocolate Protein Powder ingredients are just as impressive, and uses fair-trade cacao. The chocolate is my favorite. When I tasted the powder for the first time, what hit me what that it did not have an after-taste or a weird texture. I am hooked.

My favorite flavor is the chocolate. My favorite way to use it is by blending it with almond milk & adding a spoonful of peanut butter. OH. MY. YUM.

The Aloha website has a ton of recipe ideas if you want to get more creative with the powder.

Would you like to try it out for yourself? Do what I did and . The trial is 14 days with the benefits of becoming auto-enrolled into the monthly subscription –while supplies last. You will pay a small bit for shipping, but I am telling you…it is well worth it!

You can also follow Aloha on:

Facebook // Twitter // Pinterest // Instagram // Google+ //

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Are you in the habit of drinking smoothies?

What time of day do you drink yours?

Brunch/ GF, Vegan & Raw/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES

Crunchy Toasted Quinoa Topping

{“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Pure Via®, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PureViaSweethttp://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV”}

Crunchy Toasted Quinoa Topping! You are going to love this. It is an amazing way to add a healthy protein crunch to the top of your daily oatmeal or a berry yogurt snack. It would even be great on top of ice cream.

I have been thinking about this recipe for about 2 years now. Yep, it is about time I allowed my taste buds the privilege of tasting crunchy, roasted, toasted quinoa again.

The first time I had toasted quinoa, I didn’t even know what it was! We were enjoying an amazing family trip at Disney, and were at Boma, a restaurant in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Boma is known for their breakfast buffet, and I’m a huge breakfast fan, so I was pretty excited to wake up that morning and EAT!

GF, Vegan & Raw/ Healthy Eating/ Sweets

Sugar Free Raw Chocolate Brownie Bites

{A recipe from our Raw Foods Contributing Author, Teniel Moore.}

Oh how I love the combination of chocolate, nuts and peanut butter. To me, its like a match made in heaven, so this super fast brownie bite seemed the perfect thing to whip up when I was feeling like a quick sweet treat.

This slice is super rich and not meant to be overly sweet. It is perfect for those wanting to cut back on sugar or who are on a candida diet.

If you love this combination as much as I do, I’m sure you are going to enjoy this one!