Swiss Chard Smoothie!

We visited two new Farmer's Markets in our area today and were stoked that we finally found local AND natural/organic produce! We came home with bags and bags of greens (spinach, swiss chard, beet greens, bok choy, lettuce, arugula), tomatoes, strawberries, green and sweet peppers, fresh baked bread, free range eggs, and even strawberry creamed honey! Yum!

When we got home, I proceeded to make our first Swiss Chard smoothie ever. I wasn't so sure after the first sip, but it quickly grew on me and by the end I would say I was maybe not loving it, but definitely heavily liking. DH went so far as to say it was delicious and that I needed to write down the "recipe."

So, here is what I put in my Blendtec blender, per DH's request:
*1-1/2 frozen bananas (you could use fresh)
*2 cored apples (peeled b/c they weren't organic)
*10-15 frozen blackberries (it was the amount we had left in a bag in the freezer)
*healthy dose of chia seeds
*Swiss Chard (probably 8-10 large leaves with stems)
*about 1/2 of an 11oz. tetrapack of coconut water (I used Zico brand)
*about 1 cup of water

I packed it all in and blended on the Whole Juice setting for one round. It made two full tall glasses with enough leftover for me to fill up my 2-year-old DS's Safe Sippy 2 straw cup. DS drank it all and asked for more! I've found he drinks "green" smoothies better when he can't see what color they are! I learned this after I discovered he was drinking the smoothies that came out a pretty pink or purplish color, but wouldn't touch the ones that were green or brownish, even if they weren't all that different in taste. In his Safe Sippy 2 straw cup, he drinks whatever smoothie I put in there because he can't see what it looks like! lol)

Coconut Kale Smoothie!

Okay, so finally I have come up with another yummy smoothie recipe.

Coconut Kale Smoothie
*2 large ripe bananas
*roughly 1 head of kale (I used stalks and all...just not the MAIN stalk of the plant)
*hefty dose of raw hempseeds
*hefty dose of raw cacao nibs
*jar of failed coconut milk yogurt

Add all ingredients to blender (Blendtec) jar, and add cold water until total liquid reaches 4 cups. Blend on "whole juice" setting or until smooth.

Ok, now what you might ask, is "jar of failed coconut milk yogurt"? Well, this is what you get when you try to make coconut yogurt from dried coconut. I used my Wilderness Family Naturals coconut chips to make coconut milk. You basically the coconut chips with water to your blender, blend, then strain...repeat once. I found a video on U-tube and rolled with it. Then I followed the steps to make yogurt and used a Yogourmet packet as a starter. I put the jars into my dehydrator and waited 24 hours.

But instead of thick, creamy, So Delicious style coconut milk yogurt, I got funky separated coconut milk liquid. There was the teeniest bit of stuff that resembled yogurt, but for the most part the recipe was a failure. I've never had kefir, but I'm guessing from what I've read, it must be similiar. So, I gave the thickest parts of the "yogurt" to my son mixed in with his grain cereals, but I didn't know what to do with the liquidy parts...until I was making my smoothie.

I just went for it and dumped it in. And it really MADE the smoothie. The smoothie didn't really taste like coconut OR like yogurt, but it definitely didn't taste like a KALE smoothie, if you know what I mean. It was quite delicious! In fact, I've made the same smoothie for the last two days!

Now, how can you recreate my failed yogurt? Well, I'd say don't try to. You could use real coconut milk yogurt, coconut kefir, or just experiment with other types of yogurts or kefirs. Let me know what you find out!

Recipes from Raw on $10 a Day (or Less!)

For dinner one night this past week, I made three all-RAW recipes from Lisa's Raw on $10 a Day (or Less!) blog. I stumbled upon this site a few weeks ago and have really been enjoying trying out her recipes. She is so creative and her photography makes everything look SO good! (My photos pale in comparison to her works of arts, so be sure to follow the links and check out her site!)

From Lisa's website, we tried the Banana Salad, Creamy Cucumber Soup, and Apple Cinnamon Cookies.

For once, I followed the recipes to a "T"...with the only exception being that for the Creamy Cucumber Soup, I used a red onion instead of a "regular" onion (although she didn't specify a type) and I also added some of the diced red onion on top of the soup as well.

Here were our thoughts on each dish, along with some photos:

*Banana Salad -- We loved the presentation of this salad (especially the coconut flakes!), but didn't think the dressing really melded well with the ingredients. We would definitely try it again, but would go with a different type of dressing...not sure what though...hmmm....





*Creamy Cucumber Soup -- We both LOVED this! It tasted incredibly fresh and light. It would make a great summer soup on a hot day because it tastes so cool and refreshing. DH liked the chopped cucumber and onion on top and actually wished there were more of it; he prefers chunky soups, and I have to say I agreed. We were pleasantly surprised by how much we liked this recipe! It turned out a beautiful light green color, and looked quite fancy, even though it took less than 5 minutes to whip together!





*Apple Cinnamon Cookies -- I had a little bit of difficulty making these in my Blendtec. I think it was just because the amount I was making was pretty small and I was using the big 3qt jar, so most of what needed to be blended kept getting stuck under the blade. A food processor probably would have done a better job, but with continued scraping down of the sides, and some patience, I was able to get a sticky dough which rolled nicely into cookies. These were absolutely delicious, but a bit thick (think peanut butter), so I'd recommend a nice glass of your favorite milk (cow's, coconut, almond, etc.) to wash these down with! The spices in these cookies are absolutely perfect; you won't believe they're raw! Yum! (Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo taken of these before we devoured them! Oops!)

Collard Smoothies!

On Saturday, I scored a HUGE bag of locally grown collards at the Carrboro Farmer's Market for $2! Woo hoo! On Monday, I decided to have a collard green smoothie for breakfast.

It went something like this:
*2-3 bananas
*raw cacao nibs
*raw chia seeds
*4-5 collard green leaves (washed and de-stemed)
*1 cup frozen blueberries
*organic raw hempseeds
*water and ice

I was unsure how it would turn out, but it ended up being quite delicious! DH and I both enjoyed it!

Today, I made another one that was okay. I have to admit that Monday's recipe was better though.

Today I did:
*1 banana
*5-6 collard green leaves (washed and de-stemed)
*1/2-1 cup frozen blueberries
*whole organic quartered apple
*chia seeds
*raw cacao nibs
*water and ice

It wasn't bad. It just wasn't as palatable as Monday's.

Now I'm just wondering what to do with all those other collards! :)

Trail Mix

I am a snacker. Always have been. Probably always will be. One thing that has changed recently though is my choice of snacks. Instead of a whole sleeve (or two!) of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies, I'll have something a lot more health conscious. This doesn't mean I have to sacrifice my chocolate or that it can't be delicious!

One snack I have come to really love (read: CRAVE!) is trail mix. I've had various trail mixes throughout my life, but really started to get into them when I found a couple of varieties I liked at the health food store Trader Joe's. Problem is, they're fairly expensive, and unless you buy different varieties, they're always the same. Since I have started buying in bulk and have begun to learn to use a dehydrator, I really enjoy creating my own trail mixes.

Here are some of the "pros" of creating my own mixes:
*I can whip up a snack in minutes
*I can have as many or as few ingredients as I want
*It can be a different mix every time or I can repeat my favorites
*I can include more variety than store bought mixes
*I control the ingredients, so I can be sure there are no unnatural additives or preservatives
*I can ensure my dehydrated fruits and my nuts/seeds are really raw for added nutrients
*Since I buy all my ingredients in bulk, creating the mix is much cheaper than buying a small bag of pre-made trail mix
*Because I buy in bulk, I always have ingredients on hand that make nice trail mixes
*I can make as much or as little as I want

When I buy foods in bulk, I take out a portion for daily use to keep in an airtight jar or canister. The rest of the food is stored away in an appropriate place (i.e. pantry, freezer). As my daily portion runs low, I simply refill from the larger portion that has been stored.

To make my trail mix, I simply pull out the containers with the ingredients I want to use and scoop the desired amount into a bowl. I mix the ingredients up with my fingers, and TA-DA! There you have it: instant (healthy) snack!



Today's trail mix consisted of:
*Raw Coconut chips (Wilderness Family Naturals -- I blogged about these yesterday!)
*Organic Raw Pepitas/Pumpkin Seeds
*Raw Sunflower Seeds
*Dehydrated Apples (Just Tomatoes, purchased through a coop)
*Dehydrated Bananas (homemade)
*Dehydrated Cherries (Just Tomatoes, purchased through a coop)
*Dehydrated Blackberries (Just Tomatoes, purchased through a coop)
*Organic Rolled Oats
*Raw Almonds
*Raw Cashews
*Organic Goji Berries (Navitas Naturals, purchased through Amazon subscribe & save)
*Organic Raw Cacao Nibs (Navitas Naturals, purchased through Amazon subscribe & save)

It only took a minute or two to throw together, but WOW was it yummy! And filling! I didn't produce any plastic waste that needs to be thrown away, and I ate a wide variety of fruits, nuts, and seeds. I even snuck in a few grains!

Now, this trail mix wasn't perfect. Ideally, I'd have liked for it to have been all raw, but I am just getting into this and learning more and more. To be as "green" and thrifty as possible, I feel I need to use up my on-hand ingredients first. I have purchased a lot from Just Tomatoes through coops in the past and actually have a large order on the way now. I am pretty sure these dried fruits (while super delicious) aren't dehydrated at temperatures that are considered raw. My goal now that I have a dehydrator of my own is to begin dehydrating my own fruits more and more; and actually the banana chips were dehydrated by me, but I'd better stop there because that's a WHOLE other post! :)

So, what do you like in YOUR trail mix??

My New Favorite Dessert

Mexican Chocolate Shakes...completely RAW and ultra-delicious! You won't believe there's no dairy in this because it is SO creamy!

I put these into my 3 quart Blendtec (the best blender in the whole world!) jar:

3 frozen bananas
a hefty pinch of cinnamon
a scoop of raw cacao powder (Navitas Naturals brand purchased from Amazon)
handful of organic, raw walnuts (from bulk bins at Whole Foods)
a big scoop of homemade almond butter (probably 2-3 tablespoons)
water (probably around 2+ cups)

I also added these mix-ins for extra nutrition and thickness:
chia seeds
flax seed meal (freshly ground is best)

Just a note in case you couldn't tell...I am a bit of an "un-chef" in the kitchen. I don't usually measure things. I just throw things in and taste, taste, taste, so be sure you do the same to get it to your liking!

I blended everything up on the "Whole Juice" setting on the Blendtec. I usually run it twice just to get it as fine as possible.

This made two servings. DH and I drank it in tall clear glasses (3/4 full) with our new Glass Dharma straws which are my favorite thing ever! Seriously...every drink in our house now has to have one of these straws. They are just so pretty and they're fun! Not to mention, they are very sturdy and they're NOT made of plastic! Yay!

Ok, but back to the shake. The cinnamon is what makes this so special to me. I first fell in love with cinnamon mixed with chocolate at Locopops in Durham. So, I figured why not in shakes, too! I love it. Now if you like things really sweet, you may need to add your choice of sweetener to this recipe: agave, honey, pitted dates, etc. but both DH and I liked this just like it was, so we didn't mess with it.

Hope you enjoy as much as we did. YUM!