Oatmeal Fruit Bars

let me tell you how great these wholesome, fruity bars are. I originally got the recipe off the back of a Western Family Oatmeal Container, but adapted it a bit. To make these, you will need:

Ingrediants:

3/4 c. butter

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. sugar

1 c. flour

1 1/2 c. quick oats

2 c. cocunut

3/4 c. raspberry preserves or any fruit combination preserves. I used, raspberry, acai, cherry preserves.

Oven at 375. In a bowl. combine melted butter, salt and sugars. Mix well. Add 1 cup coconut and mix into batter. Add flour and oatmeal and mix. Mix dough until all combined. Grease 9 x 13 baking pan and add 1 c. of dough and press evenly around pan. Add preserves and then add remaining dough and crumble on top. Add remaining 1 c. of cocunut on top. Bake for 25 minutes and allow to cool completely. Cut into bars.

picture credited to allrecipes.com, author: Sunflower

REAL Water

When i first saw a women drinking this water, I asked her about it and where she got it. I was very curious as to what real water was. I found that this is the only water with E2-Electron Energized Technology, the most advanced water out there. It is the only alkalized, anti-oxident water with stabilized negative ions.......(this came from off the water label and I have know clue what that means) As you know from my blog, anacidic body enviornment can be unhealthy, and needs to be balanced with more alkaline which is found in almost all vegetables and fruits such as apples, lemons and limes to name a few. This water label goes into great detail how it works so I will let you discover this water for yourself. I only drink this water now. It's available at healthfood stores such as Natural Grocers, Good Earth, ect. It's rather expensive, going for 2.50 for a liter bottle. I was lucky enough a box on sale.

The Benefits of ACV.......added bonus, it's cheap!!!

This is the exact product you want to invest in. Under 4.00, this has benefits that are incredulous. Top ten reasons I love ACV:

1. It's alkaline

2. just one tsp. in water is all you need once or twice a day

3. Gets rid of cold, flu, and other health conditions

4. you can use it in bath water for great benefits

5. Great toner for face, gets rid of pimples and keeps your skin clear. Better then most toners.

6. Its cost effective

7. it doesn't taste bad

8. It's super good for you

9. it will keep you healthy

10. great for acid reflux, even though i dont have this, I do know some people who do and this works better then acid reflux medicines.

Do the research and learn more about ACV!!!!

Baked Chicken Taquittos

Do you ever wonder what to make for dinner? Is it stressful sometimes? I have to say that I am ever so thankful for food blogs. I turn to them more then recipe books. I have a few food blogs I love that has been a real help to me. What I do is look at a few food blogs, and look at recipes that use similiar ingrediants. Then I make a list of all the ingrediants needed so I can get them at the store. I like to plan out dinners for up to two weeks so I know ahead of time what to buy in advance. Here is one meal idea I felt inclined to share. Turned out great and I never thought of making these before.

Baked Chicken Taquittos

Optimize Your Workout With this product

It's called fitmixer Amino. I use this before or after I go running each day. The benefits are amazing, and the taste is a added bonus...fruit punch. It's got tons of nutrients and contains a natrually occuring sugar called isomaltulose, which has a low glycemic index and is digested more slowely then sucrose (another type of sugar. Some of the benefits of this product is that taken before, during, or after exercise, it increase oxgyen delivery throughout the body wihch is great in supporting natrual energy in the body. It contains eight amino acids that increase strength, define lean muscle, and support muscle repair. I purchased mine at Costco for 15.00, and I was told it is more expensive other places. I love this stuff, love the taste, and I highly recommend it. Once this stuff is gone, I am definately getting more.

***use one scoop in 16 oz water and mix once a day.

What's In A Color

I learned that certain colors are great for your health. I never realized that colors influence different feelings, but according to this research I did:

I found that red is used to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation. Yellow is believed to stimulate the nerves and purify the body. Orange is used to increase energy levels.

Blue is believed to soothe as well as be calming and peaceful. White brings feelings of purity, green brings cheerfulness, and light pink can be romantic, especially painted in a bedroom.

(about.com, 2011)

Kale Salad

The most addicting salad I have ever eaten, seriously! Just like the post below, who would think this superfood veggie could be so good. I got this recipe from my favorite food blog where I turn for recipes every now and then. Mel, from mykitchencafe, massages her kale with salt for two minutes to tenderize the kale before tossing in the other ingrediants. I made this last night, husband was in awe of the flavor, and am making it again for the second time. In fact, I made a special effort to stop at the store after work, just to get kale. Does that say a lot about how much I love this salad.

Recipe (adapted from melskitchencafe.blogspot.com)

1 bunch of kale, stem removed and chopped

1/2 c. red onion, chopped

1/2 c. feta cheese

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. chopped apples

1/3 c. toasted sunflower seeds

2. T. red wine vinager

1/4 c. olive oil

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

In a bowl, place chopped kale and add salt. Begin to massage the kale for about 2-3 minutes or until the kale is tender and dark. Then and add onion, cranberries, apples. Heat sunflower seeds in skillet for about 10 min. or until golden light brown. In small bowl, mix oil, sugar, and vinager and whisk together. Pour dressing over kale. Toss in sunflower seeds and then add feta cheese and toss.

Kale, Zuchinni, Tomato, and Sausage Ragout! (adapted)

This is very good. You should make this immediately! I never thought this would be as good as it is, but after getting this recipe off my favorite food blog, melskitchencafe.blogspot.com, I had to make it. I adapted it a little, but it is still as good as Mel's came out I'm sure. You might ask, how could something with all those veggies actually be tasty? Let me assure you right now, that if this were not tasty, I would not be posting it here today. Trust me, it's good, it's healthy, and you will be proud of yourself for eating this way and desiring to make it again. I served it over couscous, but rice or even quinoa will work too. This meal is also under 30 minutes.

Recipe (adapted/slightly changed from melskitchencafe.blogspot.com)

1-2 T. olive oil

1 medium size zuchinni, cut into cubes with peel on

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can white beans such as navy or great northern

5-6 chicken or turkey sausages, sliced ( I couldn't find the apple chicken sausage she used, so I just used turkey sausage (without preservatives).

1/2 c. chopped onion

6 c. chopped kale with center stem removed

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2. c. free range organic chicken broth

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and add onion and garlic. Once onions are tender, add sausage and stir for about 3 min. Add chopped zuchinni and stir for two min. Add, tomatoes, beans, salt and pepper and 1/2 c. chicken broth. Simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes on low heat. Add kale and stir in as final step. kale cooks fast, so once stirred in, it should be tender. Serve over couscous (my recommendation).

Back to Yoga

This last few weeks have been very busy. We just moved into our new place which I love. The view is magnificent, lots of beautiful, magestic mountains from every window view. I never imagined having a view like this. So peaceful. It is great to say the least. With the move, I am still scrambling ideas, sorting through boxes, and still striving to make effort to cook the healthiest of foods. With all the moving, I have not been able to do my daily yoga. But I am going to get right back to it as soon as we are settled. If you have never tried yoga, please try it. It is has many health benefits and deeply soothing to the mind. Yoga is also great at distributing energy throughout the body in a very balancing way. I wanted to recommend a few yoga DVD's and instructors that I love. Crunch:Superslim down is faster paced but goes fast and the teacher keeps you engaged the entire time. I also like anything from lisa and charles Matkin, they are slower paced and target deep relaxation, deep breathing, and stretching. You can access these on netflix or purchase on DVD.

Homemade Baby Food

With the blendtec we now own, I have decided that this lil beauty will be doing much more then just making drinks for rodney and I. When we have a baby, we will be making every bit of baby food in this blender. I am also already sharing baby food recipes to friends and family members as well for their babies. I found some awesome recipes for every baby food you can imagine. Why buy the gerber baby food which has you don't know what in it, make your own. Here are some recipes below.

Apple Sauce

I apple

Going Preservative Free

This is a great paraben-free, all natural lotion with essential oils, that I really like. After doing research on how preservatives and additives in processed food can affect our bodies, I have decided to really watch what can be absorbed into my skin as well. Most lotions have preservatives, such as paraben, to protect the shelf life of the lotion, the same way food has preservatives to protect it from bacteria and fungi.

Here are common preservatives and additives in food that I watch out for. (healthfood stores generally don't carry foods with these preservatives).

TBHQ: this preservative is found in items such as taco shells, ramon noodles, packaged breaded fish sticks...

Nitrates: this is found in most deli meats found at grocery store.

MSG: a flavor enhancer that can cause headaches.

Red 40 and other food colorings such as tartrazine (yellow food coloring)

stannous chloride (tin) This is found in canned foods mostly. Avoid going above 250 mg per liter.

The list goes on. There is a reason why people turn to whole foods and avoid processed foods all together.

Common Cosmetic Preservatives include:

Paraben

glycol

artificial colors

synthetic fragrances

sulfates

propylene

The Magic Of Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass has become one of my best friends lately. I am on a role of going to Jamba Juice every day and getting this daily two ounce drink. Some may wonder why I don't just save money and juice it myself. I tried that once and we'll leave that at once! I thought I would put my juicer to work and juice it myself. A huge carton of about three pounds (valued at about 6.00 at heathfood store) produced about 2 ounces of juice and a huge mess. It took me a very long time to clean the juicer. The price of a once ounce is 1.95 and two ounce is 3.25. I just learned that two ounces of this juice is equivalent to three pounds of veggies. Wow, I think I am sold on getting this juice. Their are so many detoxing benefits of wheatgrass. Numerous books have been ritten on the benefits of this juice. Is it worth the 3.25 I spend on this juice daily? Totally!!

Alkalining your Body and The Rotation Diet

I have so much to learn still about the science of food combining and balance. In my previous post back in May, I wrote about the alkaline diet and how alkaline foods need to be balanced with more acidic foods. I decided to redo this post and delete the previous post because I realized I was sending wrong information out. I will blame that on a book I read in which I took out of context due to misinterpreting information. Here is what I have learned that has more truth behind it according to research.

First of all, the body, (unless it has celiac (allergy to gluten) or some food allergy) needs to have a diet rich in all foods, rotated throughout the week. I have learned that extreme dieting is not good for anyone (unless your doctor specifies it's okay). Eating the same food daily without being properly balanced with fruits and veggies, will create a body too high in acid, which can lead to disease. No germ, parasite or virus can really survive in a alkalined body, and the body does have reserves to fight off too much acid when person doesn't eat enough alkaline. But when the body becomes weak and depleted of its reserved preserves, then acid can rule the body and then sickness or disease can occur. So, a rule that I like to follow and keep simple is too just make sure I am not eating an over-abundance of the same food day after day. Here is a sample of a eating protocol I like to follow in this rotation diet.

Day 1 Wheat and meat

Breakfast: whole grain, high fiber flourless bread such as Ezikial bread, with almond butter, oatmeal, and fruit smoothie drink.

Lunch- organic turkey meat with goat cheese, avocado, sprouts, and tomato on spelt flour tortilla with carrots and apple/celery

Snack-apples and goat cheese together, chips and salsa, yogurt with pro-biotics, veggie drink

Dinner-Speghetti with meat and whole wheat pasta

Day 2 Rice and Corn with a little meat or none at all

Breakfast- rice or corn cereal, fruit and eggs

Lunch, Salad with black beans and rice in place of meat

Snack- apples, carrots, rice crackers and hummus

Dinner- chicken enchiladas made with corn tortillas, or veggie and tofu stir fry with rice

Day 3 Soups and easy digestables

Breakfast- apple sauce, cream of wheat with soft, heated berries, yogurt

Lunch- Soup of your choice

Snack, protein smoothie, fruit smoothie, or carrot juice

Dinner- mashed potatoes and gravy, cooked grean beans or other veggie.

Dessert- chocolate protein smoothie

Day 4- Back to wheat and meat of your choice (include alkaline veggies throughout the day)

Day 5 Back to rice and corn

Day 6 back to soups and easy digestables

Day 7 back to wheat and meat.

Hope this is helpful for some who don't understand the rotation diet. It is difficult to do unless you keep track and plan meals. If you want to give this a try, it's worth it!

I LOOOOVE My Blendtec

This is a picture of a blendtec and I am the proud owner of one. You may have seem this one at Costco, during demo time, making all sorts of scrumptious juices, soups, yogurts, ect. For months we have been wanting one, but the price being 400.00, we just couldn't give in. My mom has a vitamix she got, and I would get spoiled using hers. Have you ever wanted something so badly, but just couldn't come to terms with how expensive it is? I had a solution. Sell our kitchen table and purchase one. We did just that, and now I can say it's well worth 400.00, in fact, this super blender is the best 400.00 I have ever spent, the best investment too...an investment to health!

I use this thing about twice a day. I make lots of veggie drink combos, fruit juice combos, soups, salsas, everything, you name it! This blender is ultra-powerful and does what most average blenders could not do. In fact, your average blender would break if you put whole veggies in it daily and made it do what this blender does effortlessly. In a former post I wrote about how important it is to get more alkaline in our diets. With this blendtec, I make pure alkaline drinks. I love super-charging my system. The benefits are amazing. Here are some sample recipes I make.

Alkaline Carrot Combo Drink

2 carrots

2 celery

handful of spinach

1 c. water

1 apple

Super-charged Veggie Drink (sordive like V-8 but without all the salt)

2 carrots

2 celery

handful of spinach

1 yam or sweet potato

2 tomatos

1 cucumber

1 c. water

Fruit Combo drinks

2 oranges

2 carrots

1 c. water or juice

Banana Combo Drink

2 bananas

1 c. spinach

1 c. soy milk

1 c. chopped pineapple

There are many more combos, but just think of how long it would take you to eat all those fruits and veggies if you had to eat them in their basic form. Drinking them takes less time, and you are able to get so many more servings of fruits and veggies that way. Also, more digestable in liquid form, full of live enzymes your body needs, and delicious. If you can't afford a blend-tec, I recommend you save for one. You will definately get your moneys worth out of it, if you are committed to your health daily.

Basil Spring Rolls

20 rice papers (your choice of size) I recommend the largest so you can cut into thirds.
15-20 fresh basil, cut into halfs
1 1/2 c. mung bean sprouts
1 1/2 c. chopped cucumber
2 pounds of cooked, cleaned and deveined shrimp with tails off
1 big bunch of romaine lettuce, shredded
1 c. shredded carrots

dip each rice paper into warm water for 10 seconds. Take out of water and lay flat on cutting board or large cutting surface. Begin by placing a small handful of each ingrediant on each rice paper. Wrap like a burrito and continue same process for each of them. Serve immediately.

These tast great in peanut sauce. Either you can buy peanut sauce at store or make your own. I used homemade version.

1/2 c. smooth peanut butter, heated on stove until melts
1 T. brown sugar
3 T. soy sauce
1/4 c. water
a drop or two of sesame oil
mix all together and then heat on stove. sprinkle with chopped peanuts if you like.