Think before you eat.

Cucumber tomato salad

Easy and it speaks for itself.  Add your favorite herbs...basil is a fabulous addition.

Eat as is or add it to a salad.

Enjoy!
MLC

Paleo Date Balls

This little treat is a great alternative for a protein  bar (or a brownie). Simply toss 1 cup of pitted dates, 1/2 cup nuts of your choice, and 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder into your food processor. Roll the mixture into balls and refrigerate. Oila! A sweet treat you won't feel guilty about. 

BHW

Get your kiddos to eat veggies!

Homemade protein bars

Easy to make and you can eat well knowing you know what’s in them! 

All you need: 

• Pan
• Food processor
• Ingredients:  1.5 cups of oats, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup protein powder, splash of vanilla extract.
• Pop it all in the blender until incorporated. 
• Put in a dish or pan lined up the sides with wax paper and put it in the fridge or freezer. 
• Melt some dark chocolate and drizzle on the top! Store in the fridge and cut when cold. 

Enjoy and be well!

MLC

Slow cooker rice dish

Healthy and simple with room to be creative!

Follow your liquid-to-rice ratios on your bag of rice.  But instead of water use organic chicken stock/broth and a can of organic tomato sauce.

For seasonings: paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper.  If you have your favorite taco seasoning...throw that in!

You can also add chopped onions and peppers.

When ready to serve, get creative! 

Below:

• Lettuce, rice, cilantro, avocado, jalapeno, squirt of lime.

Delicious!

Be well & Eat well!
MLC

Clean and mostly plant-based

I do it because it makes me feel good.  Plain and simple.  I do eat seafood but no animal products except the occasional egg from happy cage free chickens. 

Give it a try...21 days.  Go plant-based.  I realize it isn’t for everyone.  And if after 21 days you feel no different.  Bag it.  Try another way of eating clean.  

Since I am training for an ultra-marathon, I tend to eat a lot.  But I keep it simple.  Below is what I had for lunch today. 

Be well.  Eat well.  Be simple. 

MLC

The Best Pumpkin Spice Muffins Ever

I love Autumn. I love the leaves that change from green to orange, red, and gold in color. I love the crisp, cool air. I love Fall festivals,   apples, hot spiced cider, hayrides, cinnamon, sitting by the fire, and Halloween. And I LOVE pumpkin spice muffins. These are the best I've ever tasted. I give full credit to the detoxinista, talented culinary artist and blogger. They are so moist and flavorful. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

BHW  

PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS 

1 cup almond butter

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 eggs

1/2 tsp baking soda  

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice  

1/4 tsp salt

***Chocolate chips are optional. My kids love when I add them. I love adding Trader Joe's spiced pumpkin seeds for an extra crunch.

Mix all ingredients together. Fill muffin cups 1/2 full. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes. Let them cool. (I think they taste best the next day). Enjoy!

Another Brownie Recipe

I know I've posted brownie recipes before, but can you really ever have too many???  Exactly! It's raining and the weather is cooling. My husband scavenges the house every night in search of chocolate. Here is a chocolate recipe he can feel good about eating (maybe just not at midnight)! This is a gluten free,  dairy free recipe, but does contain nuts and an egg.

BROWNIES 

1 EGG

1 CUP ALMOND BUTTER

1 TSP VANILLA

3 TBSP   COCONUT SUGAR

2 TBSP MAPLE BUTTER (maple syrup works just as well, but if you haven't tried maple butter, you're in for a treat)

5 TBSP UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER  

1/2 TSP BAKING SODA  

1/4 TSP SALT

3/4 CUP DAIRY FREE CHOCOLATE CHIPS 

Combine all ingredients then fold in the chocolate chips. Squish the mixture into a baking dish. These are not brownies you can pour. The consistency is thick and you will need to push it into the pan with your hands. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes. 

Enjoy with a glass of almond milk! 

BHW

Try it Tuesday.

Instead of posting a recipe I thought I'd bring up an idea of trying something new when it came to meal planning and family nutrition.

Try creating a list of the positive health choices you feel will work for you and your family.  Then implement them.  Some folks stick by "Meatless Mondays" or "Fish Fridays". 

What do you feel improves your health and well-being?  Prayer before dinner, a day of only whole foods like fruits and veggies and water?  Pick what works for you and start there. 

Any small change creates a ripple effect. 

Commit.  Be well.  And Try it!

Get Real

Paleo Diet, Whole 30 Diet, Vegan, Atkins, & eat-whatever-the-heck-I-want-diet.  Whatever you feel you need and want to put in your body is your prerogative.  But being a health and wellness advocate and educator, I am incapable of not sharing advice regarding healthy lifestyle practices.  Sorry, Y'all! 

I watched a documentary today on Netflix called What The Health.  A definite shocker.  I recommend watching it with an open mind and taking it seriously.

Regardless of what "diet" you subscribe to or have been prescribed, eating real food...food that doesn't have an extended shelf life will most likely change your life for the better.  Don't know where to start?   Start here, with this book.  100 Days of Real Food. 

And come visit this site!  We are back at it and committed to putting out info with the hopes of inspiring you to your best health!

Be Well,

MLC

In a pinch...

This tasty doozie will sure to satisfy!  Grab your favorite organic brown rice, broth, and veggies!  

Here is what I had in the kitchen and used this evening: 

2 cups organic brown jasmine rice

4.5 cups low sodium free range organic chicken broth

A generous sprinkling of our favorite seasonings. (Paul Prudhomme's vegetable seasoning and Jane's seasoning).

Organic corn

Organic broccoli

*Oven at 375 degrees, baking covered for an hour in a large casserole dish.

You know what's healthy and what you like...get creative! 

Be well and Eat well, 

MLC

Lemon Poppyseed Coconut Muffins

I absolutely love this recipe from "Detoxinista.com". The author of this blog is creative with all of her recipes. I especially love this gluten free and dairy free recipe. I didn't make the lemon icing; the muffins were great without it. I highly recommend her blog.

BHW

Coconut Flour Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Creamy Lemon Icing

Author: Detoxinista.com

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins:

• ¾ cup coconut flour (level measurement, not heaping)
• ¾ cup maple syrup, at room temperature
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Zest of a whole lemon (about a teaspoon)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Creamy Lemon Glaze:

• ¼ cup raw cashew butter
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 3 teaspoons water, as needed to thin

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a standard muffin tin with 12 baking cups. (I use these silicone liners for best stick prevention.)
2. Make sure your maple syrup and eggs are at room temperature. You can place the eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for a few minutes to help warm them up quickly. This will ensure that your muffin batter will be runny, like traditional muffin batter, and will easily mix and pour into the muffin cups. (Otherwise the coconut oil may harden and won't mix evenly into the batter.) In a large bowl, combine the coconut flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, lemon juice and zest, salt, baking soda, eggs, and vanilla, and use a whisk to stir the batter until smooth. The whisk should help break up any clumps, making the batter very smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds, then divide the batter evenly among the 12 baking cups.
3. Bake at 350ºF until the centers are firm to the touch and the edges are lightly golden, about 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely before topping with the icing below.
4. To prepare the Creamy Lemon Icing, stir together the cashew butter, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Add water 1 teaspoon at a time, as needed to thin the icing to your liking. Drizzle it over the top of each muffin just before serving.
5. Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

To Eat Or Not To Eat; That Is The Question

Today I decided not to post a recipe, but to discuss a hot topic; "What should I eat"? I have read and seen so many people attempt to answer this question. There are hundreds of different studies and books written on the subject. Who is right? In my opinion, they all are. And they all aren't. Can I confuse you any more? The reality is that different ways of eating affect all people differently. I have friends who are vegetarians and they look and feel great. When I tried vegetarianism I felt horrible and gained weight. I know others who can tolerate dairy and gluten just fine, while other people don't.  I, personally, do well on a higher protein, low sugar type diet. I like to eat heart healthy fats and my body is happy when I do. It's not as simple as following a specific diet. Find what works for you. What foods give you energy and mental clarity? Is there something you eat that causes boating and pain? Once again, I urge you to be your own detective and pay close attention to what you eat and how it makes you feel. You can have a blood test that will tell you specifically which foods you are sensitive to. There are also apps that will measure your heart rate in attempt to discover which foods YOU do not tolerate well based on an increased heart rate. These tests can be expensive, and you really can learn a lot by eliminating suspect foods for a period of time, then adding them back in your diet. Don't just take their word for it. Try to find a way of eating and living that suits you. 

I hope that if it is important to you to feel week that you make the effort to be well.  

BHW

Garlic

It seems like there is only about 2 degrees of separation between someone suffering from a cold, fever, norovirus, or the flu these days.  

An old friend of mine would swallow 3-4 whole gloves of garlic with a glass of water anytime he felt like he was coming down with some sort of illness.  And ya know, it worked.  I truly do not like garlic and get a megadose of indigestion if I eat it.  So, unfortunately, I can't offer a personal opinion. 

However, research has been conducted and garlic certainly has healing "powers".   

According to webmd.com: 

  "One clove contains 5 mg of calcium, 12 mg of potassium, and more than 100 sulfuric compounds -- powerful enough to wipe out bacteria and infection (it was used to prevent gangrene in both world wars). Raw garlic, not cooked or dried, is most beneficial for health, since heat and water inactivate sulfur enzymes, which can diminish garlic's antibiotic effects. In clinical trials, the toxin-fighting staple seems to lower blood pressure and cholesterol and kill parasites in the body."

Mic drop.

Be well and rejoice in your garlic-breath, 

MLC

Avocado as a Superfood

Avocados certainly fit the definition of a superfood.  They are a nutrient dense food and benefit our bodies in multiple ways.  And yes, they are a fruit. 

• They are high in fiber, folate, vitamin E, potassium, and magnesium. 
• "The avocado oil consists of 71% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 13% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and 16% saturated fatty acids (SFA), which helps to promote healthy blood lipid profiles and enhance the bioavailability of fat soluble vitamins and phytochemicals from the avocado or other fruits and vegetables, naturally low in fat, which are consumed with avocados. There are eight preliminary clinical studies showing that avocado consumption helps support cardiovascular health. Exploratory studies suggest that avocados may support weight management and healthy aging."    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3664913/

Give them a try!  Salads, dips, tacos, or plain with a little salt.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Over the holidays, we had a couple of get togethers where there was a wide variety of different eaters to take into consideration while menu planning. We had carnivores, vegetarians and whole 30-ians. Planning the spread was a bit tricky, making sure everyone had something to eat. We had salads, fruit, ham, and other treats. Surprisingly, the roasted root vegetables were always a hit. Choose your favorite riot veggies. I like beets, golden beets,v sweet potatoes, and potatoes. Peel them, slice them, lay them in a casserole dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and add whatever herbs you like. Bake at 350° for 45-60 min. Delicious!

BHW

Roasted Root vegetables with olive oil and fresh rosemary

Butternut Kale Deliciousness

I love the Whole 30 lifestyle of eliminating/reducing grains and filling up on vegetables. I've never felt better. This dish is one of my favorite ways to get the veggies in. Enjoy! 

**Saute onions and mushrooms in coconut or olive oil. Add fresh kale; I like to fill up my pan with it since it cooks down. I add spiralized butternut squash and stir occasionally until it's all cooked down. I sprinkle with a few pine nuts and sometimes pieces of cooked bacon.

BHW

Winter Sangria

If you do drink alcoholic beverages, here is a fun, off-beat, winter sipper ;-)  Wanting something different, fresh, yet true to the season, I read up on how to make a winter sangria and came up with my own calorie-worthy recipe.

Sangria is best when left to infuse in a pitcher for a few hours.  However, I have eyed a few bartenders that mix them up on demand.  What the heck.  I'll try too. 

• Grab yourself a shaker and fill it halfway with ice.
• Pour in about 6 oz. of your favorite Pinot Noir.  (I used my new go-to: Cotillion.)
• Pour in about an ounce of Grand Marnier.
• Drop in a cinnamon stick and shake.
• Wet the rim of your glass and swirl it in organic cane sugar.
• In your glass, toss in several cranberries and apple chunks.
• Pour the contents of your shaker, ice too, in your glass, top with a slice of orange and enjoy!

Never known as a fan of fruity drinks, this was lovely and I enjoyed it while wrangling three children and unloading our freshly shopped Target bags.

Happy Holidays, Y'all!
MLC

A round of health.

We've all been there...kids are hungry...can't wait for a hot meal...and just want granola bars.   

Instead, go for a round of healthy but quick snacks that when put together create a meal! 

Avocado, almonds, fruit, and gluten free crackers made for a healthy and tasty lunch today!