Whole Foods Challenge Continues

I hope some of you have decided to join me in my whole foods challenge. It is so exciting to be doing this. I wanted to share another recipe that I made, a soup, that is loaded with nutrients. My ingrediants were organic.

Loaded Veggie Soup

1 bunch of bok choy (use all the leaves, and only use about 2 of the stems) chopped
1 c. of cooked lentils
1 c. of brown rice
2 leeks, chopped
1 sweet potatoe, peeled and chopoped into cubes
1/2 c. yellow onion
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 zuchinni, skin on, and chopped
5 large mushrooms, chopped
6 c. of low sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp. of minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. of oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1.4 tsp. celery salt
water for cooking

Set aside cooked rice and lentils. In a deep soup pot, add about 1/2 c. of water and add carrots, onion, zuchinni, garlic, ginger, sweet potatoe, and the two chopped bok choy stems. Allow to cook until soft and tender. Add more water if needed. Once soft and onions are translucent, add the chopped leeks and mushrooms and stir well for about 3 more mintues. Next, add the veggie broth and seasonings. Add rice and lentils and stir well. Allow to simmer for about 30-40 min. Just before serving, add the bok choy leaves (try to remove all middle stems). Serve hot.

Join Me On A Whole Foods Challenge

In a continued effort to block all refined, processed foods, I am starting whole foods challenge. As seen on this blog here, it may seem I only eat whole foods. Well, now it's time to be strict. That means in this challenge, I am dedicating myself to be at least a 95% whole foods eater. It took a lot of recipe searching and food blogs to find a recipe source so I can make this challenge. It's not easy, and I have tried it before. In doing a whole foods challenge, you are not allowed to eat anything that is pre-packaged, or processed. This means, all the goodness of fresh ingrediants such as garden veggies, fruits and more. Today I started out with my typical oatmeal, followed by a pureed soup I made in my blend tec. I will post recipe below. I am following a food blog in which a woman named Jeannette eats only whole foods and has tons of recipe ideas for you to look at if you are interested. Her blog is amazing and it will be my resource for this whole foods challenge. visit: jeanetteshealthyliving.com

Here is the recipe for the soup I made today.

Potatoe and Lentil Soup

1 T. olive oil
1 c. lentils, cooked
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 of an onion, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and pre-baked
4 c. of vegetable broth
3 c. of water
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. tomatoe paste
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 T. fresh cilantro leavesWash the lentils and cook with one garlic clove in three cups of water. Once liquid is absorbed, they should be done. Set aside,
2. in a deep pot, saute onion, and remianing garlc in olive oil until soft. Add spices and tomato paste. Mix well
3. Add 4 c. of vegetable broth and lemon juice. bring to boil.
4. place soup, lentils, baked potatoe and cilantro into a blend tec or vita mixer*** and secure lid. Blend on soup mode. Serve hot.
*** If you don't own a blend tec or vitamixer, you can use a regular blender, but you may need to do several rounds depending on size of your blender.

Strawberry and Oat Flour Pancakes

It seems that nothing I eat fills me up, until I gobbled down about ten of these this morning. I ALWAYS crave a hearty yet healthy pancake. Anyhow, I want to share this recipe for these. So here goes.

Ingredients
2 c. Oat flour (buy it, or make your own. I used my beloved blendtec and used two cups of oatmeal to make oat flour. Genius.
3 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c. Soy milk or almond milk. I dont drink cows milk due to hormones, steroids, and other things in there you dont wanna know.
1/2 c. Olive oil,
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
3 c. Strawberries for topping
Mix egg, vanilla, milk and oil in bowl.
Add to oat flour and then add everything else and mix well. Scoop 1/2 c. Of mixture onto hot saucepan. Once done, serve with berries.

Homemade Tomatillo Salsa Verde

I love salsa verde, and making it is so easy. Use it in homemade tamales which I made tonight, or use as a dip for chips, ect. I love the lime flavor combined with the tomatillos. So yummy, yummy, yummy. :)

Ingrediants
1 pound tomatillos
1/2 c. Onion
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 c. Water
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 jalepeno pepper, chopped
1 T. fresh cilantro leaves
Bring above to a boil, then simmer til tender. Puree in blender. Chill and serve, or serve hot.

Chicken, Yam, and Chard Soup (one pot soup)

I got the idea for this recipe from sara from lifewithladniers. So, she made this soup and I had to make it too. So good, hearty, and healthy. The day I planned to make it, I had to track down chard. Nobody carried it that day, so I went to Kaysville and found it at Bowmans. I was very determined to get chard to make this soup. And it was worth the drive to get the chard.
Ingredients
1 bunch of chard, chopped with stems
2 T. Olive oil
1 yam, peeled and cubed
1 pound chicken thigh meat, chopped
2 carrots chopped
1 bunch of green onions chopped with whites too
1/2 c. Chopped onion
1 jalepeno pepper, seeds removed, and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. Oregano
1/2 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Sea salt, divided
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 fresh lemon
4 c. Vegetable broth reduced sodium
6 c. Water
In deep pot, add oil and saute carrots, pepper, garlic until translucent. Add thyme and oregano.
Meanwhile, add 1/2 tsp and 1/4 tsp. To chicken, mix well. Add chicken to pot and cook until tender.
Add broth and water and everything else to pot, along with chard and chopped stems. Add remaining salt and pepper. Simmer 20 min. Add fresh lemon juice to individual servings. Enjoy!! :)

Avocado Lime Quinoa

I made this avocado lime quinoa salad tonight for dinner. I bought two bags of quinoa at Costco, and I am already half way through the second bag. Yes siree, I eat lots of quinoa, almost everyday. I eat it cooked in chicken stock, with lemon pepper seasoning and dried cilantro. There are many recipes on this blog with quinoa.

1 1/2 c. Quinoa. You can use a rice cooker to cook it also. Cook with lid on stove on low heat. Keep the lid on and let cook for app. 20 min or so. Check it often and stir. It will be very fluffy and light when cooked properly.
Meanwhile do this:
Chop 1/2 c. Red pepper
"" "" "" "" cucumber
"" "" "" "" tomatoe
"" "" "" "" "" avocado
1/4 c chopped scallions
Set aside
Open can of black beans and set aside.
Now do this:
Add 3 T. Olive oil
"" 2 T. Red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. Salt
"" """ pepper
Juice of one lime
Whisk this dressing with fork, then mix cooled quinoa with veggies and black beans. Toss in dressing and then stir all together. Let chill in fridge 15 min before serving. Serve with dried cilantro and fresh lime juice on top (if desired).

Indian Curry (My Way)

I eat a lot of Indian Curry, like once a week if I can. I wanted to share this recipe. It's so quick and easy.

2 c. rice of choice cooked in rice cooker while curry is being prepared
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 can cocunut milk
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. chopped chicken or shrimp
dried cilantro (optional)

In medium saucepan, cook meat until done. Add chopped onions and cook on medium until onions tender. Add tomatoes and cocunut milk. Stir and then add all other seasonings. Simmer for 10 min. on low. It is supposed to be thin, so don't worry. Pour over rice and you are good to go.
dried cilantro on top (optional)