Butternut Broccoli Pasta & Salad

This dish is quick and easy! 

Boil the noodles, lightly steam the broccoli, add the sauce, and spices (Organic No Salt Seasoning, Cayenne Pepper, and Peppercorn.) With a yummy salad...lettuce greens, celery, carrots, and green peppers.

I used organic noodles mixed in with this gluten-free noodles. I really like the tru Roots brand that I find at Costco. I also like that it's from Italy. One of my Aunt's daughters has celiac disease and she said one of her friends also had celiacs and said that when her friend went to Italy she said she was just going to eat all the pasta she wanted! Come to find out none of the pasta there bothered her tummy! Our bodies genetics know that "ancient grains" or "ancient seeds" are clean, pure, and nutritious. Our bodies have become sensitive and intolerant to too many foods that man has altered, especially here in the United States. The US is one of the world's top leading producer of genetically modified crops.

This sauce is really good! 

I get a pack of two at Costco for around $6 or $7 (Costco always gets it on and off, so I stock up when I see it.) I saw it was at our local grocery store for just over $6 for one bottle.

Beets and Greens

Beets and Greens don't make the prettiest color and the greens don't make the tastiest juice, but the amounts of nutrients from greens is so good for our bodies!

Organic spinach, beets stems & leaves, parsley, cilantro, red kale, carrots, ginger, lime, and celery.

My little one had three full small Dixie cups of this. Glad he even likes the bitter juice!

Must Watch Health Documentaries

For those friends interested in more health documentaries/interviews, these are good....

***Fed Up! (For our health organic farming is BEST, GMO/pesticides/chemical crops/foods ruin pure seeds and our health.) On Netflix.

***Sugar The Bitter Truth (As silly as this may sound sugar really is poison, it's toxic because it causes diseases.)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

****Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of our Lives (Allergies (severe allergies) in kids and in everyone can be prevented or lightened, you just have to know what's in your food.)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrWRzxMUfDE

*****Nourishing Traditional Diets (WOW! Our Native Ancestors really knew how to survive well! The healthiest people on this earth had diets high in natural fats and foods that they found in their surrounding envinronemt.)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3ehzZ3yNyw

***Seven Point 2 Wake Up Call (Awesome short clip to include more of an Alkaline Diet...wholesome, raw, fresh veggies, fruit, plant based foods, etc. to keep your body functioning and working properly to ensure a life with good long health.)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMwH75q5MAU

*****Charlotte Gerson On Cancer & Diseases (Her father Dr. Max Gerson discovered miraculous ways to cure cancer and diseases through diet, she continues his work in full force!)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Ck9D45OT4

Aparagus & Pasta Green Salad

Last night I went to my grandpa's 80th bday party! One of my Aunt's made an awesome pasta salad tomatoes, red onions, olives, raw asparagus, freshly diced garlic, whole wheat noodles (or some kind of gluten-free noodle), and a little bit of Italian dresing. I took some home and today for lunch mixed it in with my salad greens...organic red leaf and green leaf lettuce, organic parsley, and I can't leave out the fresh avocados! Wow, this was really good! Thanks Aunt Nita for the inspiration!

"The Queen of Greens"

I used my sister's nice new Breville Juice Fountain. I thought it was cool to see all the different layers of pulp...carrots, kale, oranges, lemon, and more carrots.

The last time I went to the Zoo (a ways back) was when I first I realized the extremely good health benefits of Kale or "The Queen of Greens." I noticed animal after animal eating it. Since then I eat kale frequently either in juice, salads, or soups. Here are some Top 10 Health Benefits of Eating Kale (click the link to go to the website or it read below)...

"1. Kale is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat. It is great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. It’s also filled with so many nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium as well as those listed below.

2. Kale is high in iron. Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Iron is essential for good health, such as the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes, transporting oxygen to various parts of the body, cell growth, proper liver function and more.

3. Kale is high in Vitamin K. Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can help protect against various cancers. It is also necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions including normal bone health and the prevention of blood clotting. Also increased levels of vitamin K can help people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

4. Kale is filled with powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids help protect against various cancers.

5. Kale is a great anti-inflammatory food. One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids, which help, fight against arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.

6. Kale is great for cardiovascular support. Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.

7. Kale is high in Vitamin A.Vitamin A is great for your vision, your skin as well as helping to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.

8. Kale is high in Vitamin C. This is very helpful for your immune system, your metabolism and your hydration.

9. Kale is high in calcium. Per calorie, kale has more calcium than milk, which aids in preventing bone loss, preventing osteoporosis and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Vitamin C is also helpful to maintain cartilage and joint flexibility

10. Kale is a great detox food. Kale is filled with fiber and sulfur, both great for detoxifying your body and keeping your liver healthy."

凉粉 Liángfěn

Chinese cold noodle with soy sauce/vinegar/sesame oil/garlic and peanuts. A friend from China made this and brought a plate full over...my husband says, "太太 Tai Tai! Learn to make me good Chinese food!" Ummm, I wish I could, it's hard to get the sauces just right! He knows what good Chinese food is since he practically grew up in Taiwan. I have much to improve on! Thanks 王晓莉 Xiaoli!

Here's the best recipe I found for this....My Cooking Hut: Cold Mung Bean Noodle

Juice :)

Whole head of organic red leaf lettuce, organic carrots, oranges, lime, organic ginger, organic beet, & organic celery :)

Chocolate Chip Quinoa Waffles

Recipe from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood pg.19

Ingredients: Organic quinoa flour, baking powder (non-gmo), salt (sea salt), sugar (raw honey), organic eggs, milk (unsweetened almond), water, oil (coconut oil), vanilla extract, cacao chocolate chips.

I ground my own quinoa flour in my vita-mix dry grains container...

1. Heat quinoa in a pan, medium heat, stir frequently.

2. When it starts popping for one or two minutes take it off the stove.

3. I pour it onto a cookie sheet to spread out and cool down.

4. Put it into the Vita-mix and start to blend at low speeds, slowly increasing to high speeds.

(DO NOT blend for more than a couple minutes, it's not good for the blade.)

5. Put it in a container and store in the fridge for longer freshness!

*Quinoa flour has a nutty smell and flavor, that can be strong. It's a great gluten-free option!

The Ultimate Granola & Sugar

 This recipe is from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood pg.18.

Ingredients: Organic oatmeal, quinoa, flaxseed, sesame seeds, almonds, raisins, cinnamon, maple syrup.

A box of organic granola between $7-7.50 at Costco will fill up this whole container. I made 2 1/2 cups of oatmeal and 3 C of organic oatmeal in bulk costs $1.50, so my container (some already eaten) of homemade organic oatmeal costs just a few dollars.  I am also trying to avoid all types of cane sugar and organic products always have evaporated cane sugar (which seems to be just as bad as white sugar, minus the chemicals and pesticides.)

***All sugars are metabolized differently in the body and will effect us in very different ways. Our bodies need sugar for energy and for our cells and organs to function properly (like our muscles and brain.) We just have to make sure that we are getting sugar from the right sources! It's best to get it from whole foods...fruits, veggies, and grains. Our bodies know how to process these properly and retrieve and use the nutrients so that our bodies benefit from it. 

Continuously feeding your body processed refined sugar is very harmful to your body because essentially it is foreign to the body, there is no nutrients, it's toxic. Toxic because it can cause diseases e.g. heart disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity, etc. Sugar's in whole fruit form have all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and fiber to protect our bodies from immediately ingesting sugar. During digestion it all gets metabolized and broken down, separated, and absorbed into the body gradually, so that our cells and organs get the right amounts of everything. On the other hand when sugar has been processed and refined it gets directly absorbed into the bloodstream and with no protection from vital nutrients in digestion and once in the liver it is metabolized and becomes an extreme burden on your liver and eventually other organs. These organs become more fatty and slow and stop working at full capacity, eventually affecting the whole body. Not only this, but refined sugar in high amounts leads to gaining weight, could be a lot of weight! Your metabolism is tricked and tells your brain that it's not full, "it turns off your body's appetite-control system"...the unhealthy, high doses, toxic sugar turns right into fat. Not good!

All sweeteners/sugars found in unhealthy processed food are so bad for the body! In the end they will only make the body gain weight and cause the body to be much more susceptible to diseases.

All of this information is very general and may not be entirely accurate (I'm still learning), but all in all it's so important to get sugars from the right sources!!! 

  

Blueberry Oatmeal

Our favorite oatmeal mix for the week.

Coconut & Ginger Curry

I get this coconut curry at Costco and it was on sale, so I stocked up and put a few in the freezer.

We threw some Jasmine Rice in the rice cooker, boiled some potatoes, butternut squash, and onions. Then added some organic chicken from the whole chicken baked earlier. 

Super good!

Chicken Soup

 I like making my own bone broth or chicken stock from a whole organic chicken. I bake it, take the meat off, and then boil the carcass for the whole day with garlic, onions, and celery. Then I have lots of chicken meat for salad's, soups, sandwiches, and curries!

Check out Wellness Mama Bone Broth Benefits, "Homemade bone broth is an incredibly nutrient dense food and it is also very inexpensive to make. Broth is packed with minerals, gut-soothing gelatin and amino acids proline and glycine. Broth’s natural gelatin content helps sooth the digestive track and improve nutrient absorption." 

For more good info check out her "How to make bone broth" tutorial and explanation of why it's so good and healthy for us to consume.

After letting the broth boil for a day, the next day I pulled it out of the fridge and then added potatoes, carrots, onions, some of the chicken meat, and rice. It was really fast, simple, and good! Especially, with some toasted Rosemary Bread.

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

These Coconut Oatmeal Cookies were so yummy! I love following a health blog called Word of Wisdom Living. He posts some great healthy recipes. He calls these cookies...

Skip's Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 C butter (2 sticks), softened
• 1 C turbinado sugar (or any raw sugar)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 C whole wheat flour (fresh ground is best)
• ¼ C wheat bran (if you have it, otherwise use wheat germ, or just more flour)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 C rolled oats (Old Fashioned, not instant oats)
• 1 C chopped fresh walnuts, chopped
• 2/3 C semisweet chocolate chips (we prefer the mini size and I divide the 12-oz package to get 3 batches)

Directions:

1. Turn oven on to 350 F (after checking that your children haven’t left any toys inside).
2. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar; beat in two eggs and vanilla.
3. In a smaller bowl blend dry ingredients (flours, salt, and baking soda).
4. To the large bowl, stir in the dry ingredients, oats, walnuts, and chips.
5. Place rounded tablespoons of dough on a baking pan and flatten with a fork.  (If you do this a lot, get one of those scoops with the device that pops the dough out.)
6. Bake 12 minutes or so, cool, transfer from pan to wire grill for a few minutes to dry a bit.  We bag them into sandwich bags and freeze them for later, taking a bag out each day.  If there are kids around give them a cookie with an apple, orange or banana.

However, I changed it up a bit. Here is what I did...

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 C Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil, softened
• 1 C Organic Coconut Palm Sugar
• 2 Organic Eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 C Organic Whole Wheat Flour (stone ground)
• 1/4 C Wheat Germ
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 3 C Organic Old Fashioned Oats
• 1 C Sliced Almonds
• 1/4 C Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
• 2/3 Cacao Chocolate Chips

 Cream softened coconut oil and sugar together. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

 Dry ingredients.

 I also added unsweetened coconut flakes.

 Mixing it all up!

 Mash rolled cookie dough with a fork before putting in the oven.

All done and oh so good, especially with some fruit!

Lean Greens

Very simple salad...organic lettuce, parsley, and avocados! I also baked a whole organic chicken, took the meat off, and then boiled the chicken carcass to make a bone broth. Yum!

Can't forget the red onions. Hopefully, the parsley will out do the onion breath... Parsley cleanses your mouth and breath. It can take some time getting used to fresh parsley, but I love it now in my salads and juices. 

Kiwi's :)

My kids love fresh ripe kiwi's! 

We especially loved being in Taiwan and China and getting fresh Zespri Kiwi's from New Zeland!

Did you know Kiwi's have more vitamin c than oranges???

Health Benefits listed below all from WHFoods:Kiwifruit website...

• Kiwi's Phytonutrients Protect DNA-kiwifruit has fascinated researchers for its ability to protect DNA in the nucleus of human cells from oxygen-related damage. The protective properties of kiwi have been demonstrated in a study with 6- and 7-year-old children in northern and central Italy. The more kiwi or citrus fruit these children consumed, the less likely they were to have respiratory-related health problems including wheezing, shortness of breath, or night coughing. 

• Premier Antioxidant Protection- excellent source of vitamin C. This nutrient is the primary water-soluble antioxidant in the body, neutralizing free radicals that can cause damage to cells and lead to problems such as inflammation and cancer. In fact, adequate intake of vitamin C has been shown to be helpful in reducing the severity of conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma, and for preventing conditions such as colon cancer, atherosclerosis, and diabetic heart disease. And since vitamin C is necessary for the healthy function of the immune system, it may be useful for preventing recurrent ear infections in people who suffer from them.

• Fiber for Blood Sugar Control Plus Cardiovascular and Colon Health- kiwifruit as a very good source of dietary fiber. Fiber is also good for binding and removing toxins from the colon, which is helpful for preventing colon cancer. In addition, fiber-rich foods, like kiwifruit, are good for keeping the blood sugar levels of diabetic patients under control. Kiwifruit also passed our food ranking test as a good source of the mineral potassium. 

• Protection against Asthma- Eating vitamin C-rich fruit such as kiwi may confer a significant protective effect against respiratory symptoms associated with asthma such as wheezing.

• Protection against Macular Degeneration- Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Opthamology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily. 

• A Delicious Way to Enjoy Cardiovascular Health-Enjoying just a couple of kiwifruit each day may significantly lower your risk for blood clots and reduce the amount of fats (triglycerides) in your blood, therefore helping to protect cardiovascular health. Kiwifruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, and polyphenols, and a good source of potassium, all of which may function individually or in concert to protect the blood vessels and heart. In one study, human volunteers who ate 2 to 3 kiwifruit per day for 28 days reduced their platelet aggregation response (potential for blood clot formation) by 18% compared to controls eating no kiwi. In addition, kiwi eaters' triglycerides (blood fats) dropped by 15% compared to controls.

Avocado Veggie Pizza

This is Papa Murphy's Take 'n Bake, Gourmet Veggie...no cheese, red sauce (not creamy white sauce), and all the veggie toppings...I love to add fresh avocados!