Superfood soup

Sweet potatoes are so delicious. Since we started feeding our daughter solid foods last year, honestly, we haven’t had a white potato in our house. We have been straight sweet potatoin’ it.

As you know I love the steamer, you can make sweet potatoes in under 10 minutes. Since it has been so hot out here in Portland and the days are longer, my man insists on eating a bit later than I like. (I have a pretty strict rules about have my last meal 2 hours before I got to bed). But like I tell my clients, friends and myself 80% of the time eat like a boss and the other 20% eat BBQ with your husband an hour before you go to bed.

Those mornings after I eat late, I find I am not so hungry in the morning. But I know better than to skip breakfast. This super food soup is warming, full of nutrients, spices and protein, a great way to get the day going.

 

1 1/2 sweet potatoes, cubed & steamed (8 minutes)

1/2 cup raw cashews (soak them if you remember, if not, don’t fret)

2 T maca powder

2 T gogi berries

1 t cumin seeds, take them on a quick trip through your mortal & pestle

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t turmeric

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 ” fresh ginger root, minced

Steam up those sweet potatoes and transfer them into the blender hot, put everything else in, along with up to 2 pints of water (depending on how thick you want it) and blend on high for 2 minutes.

Pour in a mug or bowl and ENJOY the sustainable energy.

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Want to learn more about super foods, cleansing and immune boosting? Stop by and check out Boost for some rocking immune building support.  OR Spring ahead, for the rest of May is 1/2 off, only $35 for a full on, whole foods cleanse.  Get it while you can!

 

green beans & giveaways

This salad is amazing.  It is great hot & cold.  It is so easy to make with just 5 ingredients.

The whole trimming of the green beans take some time but I recommend using scissors and doing a couple at a time.

Green Bean Salad

1 lb fresh green beans, washed, trimmed & cut into bite sized pieces (this is just my preference)

2 leeks, washed, cut into half moons

1/2 cup (packed) fresh dill

1/2 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

2 T high quality extra virgin olive oil

Fill a sauce pan with water and bring to a boil. (This is to blanch the beans). While waiting for water to boil prepare green beans.  Once the water is boiling, place green beans in the water for one minute, with a slotted spoon or similar tool, transfer beans to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, for a couple of minutes, then drain them in a colander.  Set aside while you prepare the rest.

In a medium sized skillet warm your choice oil/butter. I used 2 teaspoons of extra virgin coconut oil.  Add chopped leeks & a pinch of sea salt. Saute, uncovered for about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring.  Once the leeks have softened a bit, cover and let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. While the leeks are cooking coarsely chop almonds and dill and add them to serving bowl~ If you have a toaster, lightly toast the almonds or quickly do it in a saute pan after the leeks are done.

Leeks should be super soft & buttery.  Add beans to serving bowl and toss with leeks, dill, almonds and olive oil.

( you could also steam the leeks for about the same amount of time and get a very similar outcome)

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On to the giveaway…

 I am offering up some of my best lifestyle tips & healthy resources PLUS recipes, exercises and photos for

Be Well, an inspiration campaign.  It starts on January 1, 2013.

This is a great way to start the year off with some seriously healthy influence…

7 days, 7 topics to make you smile, think & be inspired!

It is totally free!!! Sign up at here

Spread the news, the more the merrier!

Tea & Toast

The third post in the -Tea &-  series ends here with a look at toast.

I might be toast’s biggest fan.  Bread & butter are a classic favorite in my family (and probably yours). I grew up on Roma and Columbus bakery bread. We ripped it, sliced it and my favorite.  toasted slathered with tons of butter.

These days I joke that toast is just a vehicle to get butter in to my body, but I really love its texture and warmness too. Last year, while I was pregnant, I made all & every excuse to eat good quality fats. This year I still am a big fan, since I am breast feeding and know better.  Good fats are a whole other post and some day I will go there because they are such an important addition to your daily diet.  Today though is about toast (and tea).

Gluten has been getting a bad wrap for the last couple of years. Especially with the release of William Davis’s ‘Wheat Belly’.  There are gluten free (GF) products all over the place. For some, this is great option. I have numerous dear friends who can cannot eat wheat without discomfort. When we go out to eat I am so glad there are GF options for them. I have noticed though there are a lot of junky GF options out there. I am skeptical of food/diet trends, they need to be researched before you hop on the train.

Some people can digest wheat and other can not. It is true that more and more people cannot these days due to the quality of gluten out there (as mentioned in Wheat Belly). It is important to know this about yourself before reaching for gluten free alternatives. These GF products often act similarly in the body, or are made of even more refined ingredients and SUGARS.  Good quality , properly stored, organic wheat, rye and barley products can be very nutritious. They provide protein, B-vitamins, various minerals and fiber to our diet.  I make my own flours in my blender and store them in the refrigerator.

I am grateful that I can digest wheat with out lethargy, bloating or discomfort. I do not eat mainstream wheat. I actually pretty much only eat fresh sour dough breads and the occasional pasta dish. The sourdough starter offers the bread a digestibility that is not found in yeast leavened breads.  Can you eat wheat or do you suspect you have an intolerance?

As for the tea part, this time around I enjoyed some Yogi detox tea in my favorite cup lined with sumo expressions.

Sumo emotions =a real smile generator.

 

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A little bonus to this post is….

I am running a (free) Inspiration Campaign starting January first!

Be Well is:  7 days, exploring 7 topics that we encounter often in our lives. Such as stress, love and cleaning. Each morning you will get an email with photos, recipes, links and so much more to get you thinking and ultimately INSPIRED!

Join us?  <<< brings you over to Seed to Health’s website for super easy sign up…

 

tea & cookies

tea & cookies

Sometimes you just have to have a leisurely breakfast of tea & cookies. Especially when you get up at 5:30 with a wide awake baby girl.

Plump delicious oatmeal cookies
1/2 c softened unsalted (organic) butter
2/3 c coconut palm sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 t vanilla
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3/4 cup spelt flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t cinnamon
healthy pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 c rolled oats
3/4 c raisins
1 good quality chocolate bar chopped into chunks

Preheat to 350…

Cream the first 4 ingredients together until smooth. In another bowl whisk/combine the rest of the ingredients.  Add the wet to the dry until combined.  Roll into little balls and place on a parchment lines (or lightly greased) baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.  ENJOY

I am going to try this recipe with almond flour and coconut oil, to make them an even better source of protein and saturated fat.  I will keep you posted.

“It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it… and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied… and it is all one.” -MFK Fisher

Sounds of Fall

Apple season has arrived.  Though the prevalence of berries, peaches and watermelon sure do make my summer, apple season is my favorite. The portable glory of apples make them a daily companion in my life.  My favorite being the Honey gold, then Cameo and Pink lady.  I feel blessed to be in the heart of apple country here in Oregon where the majority of the US apples (and pears ) are grown.  Our local grocers and farmers markets boast a HUGE selection.  Perhaps this year I will find a new favorite.  As usual I like to found a bounty and process apples into galettes, sauce and chips.

colors of autumn

This fall brings Seed to Health’s annual cleanse to the scene. Each spring and fall I lead a seasonal cleanse with a group of people from Portland and beyond.  This year’s cleanse starts this Monday, October FIRST.  Cleanses are a chance to build your immunity, balance your hormones and clean up your diet, with daily support, delicious recipes and new rituals!  Ayurvedic inspired recipes are at the core of this upcoming cleanse.  So think cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and more spices for superior flavor enhancers. Roasted veggies, seasoned lentils, herbal teas and fresh salads will tantalize your palette and enrich your health. Seed to Health’s cleanses are a time to eat and enjoy food on the next level, not a time for deprivation.  Some commonly eaten foods will be swapped out for more nutrient dense alternatives.  For more details and easy access. Please to join us, bring a friend, relative or neighbor. The more the merrier!

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A recent trip to NYC and Brooklyn provided these photo opportunities.  Good friends, great food, amazing structures and DIY inspiration found all over Brooklyn were the themes of our short & sweet stay

Bounty & Pickles

Tis the season for canning.  I chuckle at the process because it is often so hot outside when the time comes to put up garden bounty. Preserving so often means standing over a steaming hot pot of fruit & spices while it cooks down. Then there is the hot water bath, that takes a million years to heat up only to result in bubbling hot spring  for the duration of the canning session.  I love it though. These days I always partner up with a lady friend or two. We share our bounty, or wisdom & current experiences.  Then we have a gift arsenal to choose from for  the year’s up coming holidays & birthdays.

Grape pickles!

 We used this recipe for one batch of grape pickles, the ultimate in fancy condiments.  This is a great example of making quick pickles which DOES NOT require a boiling hot spring in your kitchen. It is as easy at simmering some flavorful brine, pouring it on desired clean, garden bounty and BAM, into the refrigerator.

I LOVE this plum galette recipe. The dough takes some getting used to. It is not the easiest to work with by following the directions but a super tasty gluten, dairy free alternative. Instead of letting the dough rest in the fridge I actually roll it out after it is made, assemble the galette on some parchment then put it in the freezer for 1/2 hour, preheat the oven, then bake it…If you have the time experiment. Early on I ended up with more of a crumble but it is always delicious, worth mastering and a favorite summer breakfast!

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LOVE this video and have been spending my days listening to Little Dragon’s Pandora station.

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Oh my gosh, I just realized that this amazing woman has a website! I was going to post a link to her top notch book Frugavore. Instead, I can link you to this for some inspiration in the name of FRUGALITY.

beautiful brine

In other news, recipe developing and tasting is underway for the Deep Clean, fall cleanse that starts October 1st!  Seasonal produce and tons of herbs will be the showcase in the recipes. This collection of recipes is being designed to offer super clean eating for nearly 2 weeks, so the body can clean out and store up all sorts of nutrients for the fall & winter seasons.  This cleanse is an opportunity to rid yourself of what you don’t need.  Then stockpile good recipes and habits to build a solid foundation of health. Interested?