Red Quinoa Stir Fry

Quinoa Stir Fry is so nutritious and delicious.  Quinoa is naturally gluten-free, contains many vitamins & minerals, and is the only plant food considered to be a complete protein with 9 essential amino acids.  1 cup of quinoa yields 8 healthy grams of protein.

INGREDIENTS:

Organic Red Quinoa = 1 Cup

Filtered Water = 2 Cups

Pasture Raised Eggs = 2 - 3

Organic Mushrooms = 1/2 - 1 Cup

Organic Ground Cayenne Pepper = 1/2 Teaspoon

Organic Celtic Salt = 1 Teaspoon

Organic Ground Cumin = 1/2 Teaspoon

Organic Ground Chili Powder = 1/2 Teaspoon

Organic Black Ground Pepper = 1/2 Teaspoon

Ghee or Coconut Oil = 1 Tablespoon

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INSTRUCTIONS:

 I prefer to prepare my Quinoa in my InstaPot, but you can also prepare the Quinoa in a saucepan (see below).

InstaPot Quinoa: Place one cup of Quinoa into Instapot, cover with 2 cups of filtered water, and add seasonings of choice.  Cover and place on rice setting.  Instapot will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and Quinoa will be perfectly fluffy.  Hint: make extra to use in other recipes throughout the week!

Cast Iron Skillet - Place 1 tablespoon of ghee in cast iron skillet and sauté mushrooms with salt and pepper.  Add 2 pasture raised eggs, scramble gently with mushrooms, add Quinoa to the mix and sauté together for a few minutes.  

Serve and enjoy!

Stove top Quinoa: Add 2 cups of water and salt to sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and let simmer until water absorbs- about 15-20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let set aside for 5 minutes, uncover and fluff with fork. 

Ideas: Add spinach or any other veggies to your stir fry! Experiment with seasonings and enjoy this healthy and nutritious dish.

Amazing Immunity Protein Bars...

This yummy bar just happened by accident, like most recipe creations or makeovers do.  I wanted a bar that would incorporate all the minerals that I was seeking in my nutritional balancing plan and it just turned into this amazing bar, full of immunity building nutrients as well as some good protein.

Ingredients- the ingredient measurements do not have to be exact.  I have found myself not even measuring when I make these now and just throw the ingredients in, and they always turn out wonderful. If you like it sweeter then add more honey, if you like it sweet and salty, add more salt, etc. Enjoy!

DRY INGREDIENTS

2 Cups of Organic Steel Cut Oats

1/4 Cup of each type of organic chopped raw nuts (pecans, walnuts, cashews).  I prefer to soak the nuts overnight to eliminate some of they phytic acid to aid in digestion and assimilation.

1/4 cup of each type of organic raw seeds (sesame, chia, flax, pumpkin)

4 scoops of protein collagen (my favorite is Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides)

1/4-1/2 teaspoon of celtic salt

1 Tablespoon of finely ground bee pollen (I grind mine in a simple coffee grinder)

INGREDIENTS TO BLEND IN VITAMIX/BLENDER

12-16 pitted Medjool Dates (you could use prunes, raisins, etc., I simply enjoy the texture of the dates in this recipe)

1/2 cup of Honey

1-2  tablespoons of Elderberry Syrup (optional)

1/2 teaspoon of organic vanilla extract

1/2 - 1 cup of raw cashew, almond, or pecan butter

Process:

Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.  Blend Dates, honey, elderberry, vanilla, and nut butter in Vitamix.  Mix all ingredients together.  This may take a little work so wash your hands and get in there and get those hands dirty. Press out onto a parchment paper lined baking pan or roll into balls and place in freezer for 10-20 minutes.  Enjoy the taste and the wonderful nutrients of this amazing bar!

Be Blessed!

Nut Butter Cups

We love these Nut Butter Cups made with Raw Cacao, Organic Coconut Oil, Honey, Maple Syrup, and Organic Vanilla Extra and your favorite Raw Nut Butter!  Our favorite is homemade Cashew Butter, but you can use any Nut Butter that you love.  

Instructions: Simply follow our Homemade Healthy Chocolate recipe. Click here for recipe.  When pouring your chocolate into your waxed baking cups, just pour enough to cover the bottom of the baking cup, and set the rest of the chocolate mixture aside.  Place the raw chocolate filled baking cups in the freezer until hard (about 10 minutes).  In the meantime, prepare your nut butter or use your favorite purchased raw nut butter.  Remove chilled chocolate and gently spoon your nut butter on top and place into the freezer one more time (just until the nut butter adheres to the chocolate).  Last step is to spoon the remaining chocolate on top of the nut butter and place in freezer for final hardening.  

Remember, this recipe is made with coconut oil so these Nut Butter Cups should be kept in the refrigerator.  Enjoy!!!!

Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Homemade Elderberry Syrup is a staple in our home.  The mighty elderberry is known to be antiviral and immunity boosting. Elderberries posses one of the highest antioxidant strength of all the edible berries, and they are an excellent source of Vitamin C.  100 grams carries approximately 60% of the daily recommended intakes levels of Vitamin C. These wonderful berries have a history of treating congestion, colds, flu, soothing upset tummies, detoxification, and more.   According to the Herbal Academy of New England, Elderberry Syrup will keep up to 1 year in the refrigerator if it contains 20% sugar, and this recipe meets that qualification with the added raw honey.   Although, unless you make gallons, it won't last that long...it's just so good.  Did you know that you can use this syrup on your pancakes, waffles, hot cereals, smoothies, and more!   In our family we consume about 2 Tablespoons per day and more at the first sign of a cold or flu. 

How I make Elderberry Syrup

INGREDIENTS:

4 Cups of Cold Filtered Water

2 Cups of Organic Dried Elderberry

1 Organic Cinnamon Stick

1.5 Teaspoons of grated organic ginger

Raw Local Honey (amount will vary upon liquid amount and taste)

PROCESS:

Bring water and berries to boil and let simmer for approximately 35 minutes.  Remove from heat and press berries into the water to release the berry juices, further.  Pour berries and juice/water into a very fine strainer or cheesecloth and let the juice drip into a glass bowl or large glass measuring cup.  Measure the liquid strained and add approximately the same amount of raw local honey.  I use about 1/4 cup less than the berry juice measurement because I don't like it overly sweet.  To ensure that the honey is dispersed thoroughly within the berry juice, heat very gently on the stove while stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, let cool, and place in sterile glass containers!

Options: You can add Rose Hips Seeds for more Vitamin C impact and Whole Organic Cloves for a great Cinnamon & Clove combination. 

ENJOY!

Bean, Veggie & Red Rice Soup (InstaPot)

This hearty soup is nutrient packed and so simple to make!!!  Healthy protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber and probiotics.  Add some shredded raw cheese or avocado for a healthy fat!

Ingredients: Approximately (Feel free to add more rice, beans veggies or spices)

2.5 Cups of Organic Red Beans

2 Quarts of Filtered Water

1/2 Cup of fresh organic broccoli

1/2 Cup of fresh organic carrots

1/2 Cup of fresh organic celery

1 Cup of Organic Red Heirloom Rice

1 teaspoon of organic cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon of himalayan salt

1 teaspoon of organic turmeric

1/4 of Raw Sauerkraut (per serving)

Makes approximately 6 servings

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Instructions:

Place all ingredients (except sauerkraut) into instapot and cover with filtered water.  Cook for approximately 30 minutes, mix in sauerkraut and enjoy!  I like using the "bean" setting on the instapot - it turns out perfect!  Feel free to add in other vegetables and spices that you like.

Golden (Turmeric) Tea

I love my afternoon Golden Tea time.  Turmeric Tea is rich in flavor, nutrition and benefits.  Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and has a tough brown skin and a beautiful orange flesh.   Turmeric has long been used in Chinese and Indian medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat many conditions, such as, bruises, chest pain, colic, jaundice, hormonal difficulties and more.  In addition, Turmeric contains a volatile oil known as "Curcumin." Numerous studies have sited that Curcumin's anti-inflammatory effects are comparable to potent drugs as well as over-the-counter anti-inflammatories and unlike these drugs that can have significant toxic effects, Curcumin reportedly produces no toxicity. 

Considerations: Turmeric is fat-soluble, meaning that it dissolves in fat. Without fat the active component "Curcumin" has a difficult time being absorbed into the small intestine.  This is why I use nutrient-dense whole fat raw milk.  I also add black pepper to my tea to enhance the bio-availability of the Curcumin and it's delicious this way. 

Golden Tea Recipe

1/4 Teaspoon of Organic Turmeric Powder or Grated Raw Turmeric Root

1/4 Teaspoon of Organic Black Pepper

1 Cup of Raw Milk 

1/2 Teaspoon of Raw/Local Honey

Place Turmeric, Pepper and Raw Honey into your cup and pour in hot milk.  Stir and Enjoy!

Who is your audience?

Recently, I was reading through one of my planning journals from 2013 and one entry stood out to me:

"Who do you want sitting in front of you as your client base?" "Who is your ideal client?"  My Answer: I want people who want to pursue health & longevity. People who want to learn to eat and exercise for their health as their first priority and through those changes they reap the benefits of some less important desires such as looking good ."  

I remember exactly why I wrote that.  I was getting frustrated working with people who simply wanted to "lose weight" and wanted some easy-peasy program to do that for them. They wanted a meal plan, a shake, a pill or some magic exercises to melt the fat away and give them the body of their dreams.  No matter how hard I tried to convince them that learning to eat nutritiously and exercise smart could lead to the body of their dreams, they didn't really want to invest into a lifestyle change.  So many simply wanted to lose weight quickly and they wanted the guru to lead the way, but many struggled. The dedication & consistency that leads to a healthier lifestyle just wasn't there.  I have had many people tell me that I should just work with those people, anyway.  After all, appealing to that market can be very lucrative and maybe they will actually learn something. Unfortunately, I found that the ones who wanted a quick fix were quick to quit.

Once I wrote this "want" down and committed my plans to the Lord things started to shift.  The majority of the people who sought out our program were beyond excited to change their lifestyle with nutrition and smart exercise. People sought me from out of state, from down the street, or through word of mouth.  Although our program makes no promises of a beach body or a quick fix; the rewards, relationships, improved health & well-being of my clients are immeasurable. They certainly haven't showed up in masses, but I believe that the ones that I am suppose to work with, find us!

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans" Proverbs 16:3

Chocolate Covered Brazil Nuts

Cacao Covered Brazil Nuts made with Raw Cacao, Coconut Oil & Raw Honey (see my healthy chocolate recipe) are not only delicious but they are nutritious.  

Of course you can use any kind of nut you like or even a variety of raw nuts together, I like to keep raw Brazil nuts on hand for the specific mineral benefits that I need in my nutrition protocol. 1 of Brazil Nuts can provide about 20% of the daily value of phosphorus, 8% of the daily value of zinc, 15% of the daily value of manganese, 25% of the daily value of magnesium and 780% of the daily value of selenium. Not to mention Brazil nuts are a great source of Thiamine and Vitamin E.  

One of the many cool facts about Cacao, besides that fact that it tastes good, is that it is the highest source of magnesium and chromium of any food! Magnesium is the most deficient mineral in the average human. All of the compounds found in raw cacao benefits longevity in humans. For my healthy chocolate recipe with Raw Cacao, click here.

Here's to healthy snacks with a mineral punch!