Quick tips- Part 1

1. Drink Warm Water in the Morning
- Your body has been busy detoxing all night so one of the best things you can do is have a warm cup of water in the morning to clean out the bowels. Add some lemon to assist in the detox.

2. Eat your breakfast

- Your stomach is very eager when you wake up and is at its strongest so eat a good, substantial breakfast. 

3. Don't Drink during Meals
- When you drink during your meals you dilute your digestive enzymes which means it will take longer for you to digest and is harder on your system. Try and drink 30 minutes before your meal and wait at least 30 minutes after your meal but preferably 1.5 hours after eating.

4. Chew!
- You want to chew your food as best you can before swallowing because the saliva is where the digestive process begins and you will have better nutrient absorption.

5. Relax
-Your body puts digestion on hold if you are stressed. So be sure to eat when you are calm and sit and enjoy your meal.

6. Listen to your body
- All unhealthy foods aside, when you go grocery shopping pass by the herbs, fruits and vegetables and pay attention to what you feel looks good and smells good. And try it out!

7. Enzymes
- Sprouted grains and seeds, raw fruits and veggies and nuts are loaded with live enzymes which are the key to absorbing nutrients. So eat as much raw as you can.

8. Drink your Greens
- Try and make yourself a green drink every morning. Whether you juice or blend, throw in some fruits and veggies, focusing on the greens every morning. Here is a Green Smoothie recipe that you will enjoy:

My Smoothie
1 cup almond milk
1 cup grapes
1/2 can pineapple with juice (100% juice, no syrup)
1/4 inch slice of lemon (include the rind)
1/2-1 bunch of kale
1 apple, core removed
2 small oranges
1 banana
1 cup of frozen fruit, whatever I have at the time
Enough water until it is my desired consistency

Blend it up!!

9. Eat fruit separately
- Fruit is digested very quickly so when you eat it with other foods it just sits in your stomach and ferments which causes gas and indigestion. Eat fruit about 30 mins before other foods.

10. Light at Night

- Try not to eat before going to bed, give yourself a couple of hours to digest before bedtime. It is hard on your body and your body needs to be focusing on cleaning and detoxing while you are sleeping and not on digesting.

5 Heartbreaking Valentines Day foods

Interesting report done by PCRM on some of the most popular Valentines day foods!

http://www.pcrm.org/health/reports/five-heartbreaking-valentines-day-foods

Raspberry Spelt Muffins

I wanted to make some muffins for my girls for valentines day morning, so I grabbed some frozen raspberries and these muffins were born!

Raspberry Spelt Muffins

2 tbsp Chia seeds
6 tbsp water
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp maplle syrup

2 cups spelt flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup frozen raspberries

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF
Put the chia seeds and the water in a bowl to sit for a few minutes, it will form a gel. The chia seeds and the water act as a binding agent just as eggs do so you can use this when you want to substitute eggs in a recipe. 1 tbsp Chia seeds + 3 tbsp water = 1 egg.

In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Now add coconut oil (I melted mine first), applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla to chia seed mixture, mix well.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix just until moist, be sure not to over mix. Fold in quinoa and raspberries. The batter will be quite thick and sticky. Pour in muffin tins and bake for 30 mins.

Disturbing facts about Pop

My hubby's trainer posted an article about pop that was quite shocking, take a look.
Things You Don't Know About Soda

Buckwheat Pancakes

I am currently on a strict diet trying to figure out my babies allergies and part of that diet is avoiding gluten, which as you probably know can be quite challenging! I was introduced to buckwheat a while ago because both my parents avoid gluten for the most part and i fell in love with it! It has a very distinct nutty flavor which may take some people a little getting used to. While many people think that buckwheat is a cereal grain, it is actually a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb. I was searching for a nice buckwheat pancake recipe and found one here. I changed it slightly

Buckwheat Pancakes
2 cups buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups of almond milk
1 tbsp earth balance, melted

Combine dry ingredients. Melt butter and add milk and the butter to dry ingredients and stir until no more lumps. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter onto a greased frying pan, cook over medium heat until holes form on the top of the pancake. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds. We enjoyed them with applesauce, peaches, almond butter and jam. So good!

Super Bowl Food

The Super Bowl is this weekend which means LOTS of food will be eaten and will mostly be chicken wings, nachos, pizza, donuts, etc. I wanted to share a few ideas of snacks that you can incorporate into your weekend that you don't have to feel guilty about and that are very tasty!

This first recipe is one I found on all recipes and it is AMAZING!

Tomato Bruschetta 

6 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients together and let it sit for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors marinate, serve with your favorite baguette!

This hummus is my sister-in-laws recipe from wholefoodmommies, so good!

Pesto Hummus

1 15oz can of garbanzo beans

juice from a small lemon

1 tbs of tahini (optional)

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pesto

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 bunch parsley

1/4 cup water

Put all ingredients in your blender or food processor until it reaches your desired consistency. Serve with veggie platter 

My husband makes the best guacamole on the planet! He doesn't measure anything so here is a rough idea of what he does

Gabe's Guacamole 

3 large avocadoes

2 large garlic cloves, minced

juice from 1 lemon 

1 1/2 tbsp Franks Red Hot

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

Mash your avocadoes first and then add rest of ingredients. Experiment with how you like it!