My super-filling smoothie that melts the pounds off

   I was very enthusiastic about eating a giant salad every day until I've been as short on time as I have been lately. Toddlers aren't very patient. Oh, and the sky is blue. :) 
A lot of people probably don't have the time it takes to make a salad as big as the one Dr. Fuhrman suggests you to eat, plus taking the time to eat the whole thing. 

He says that it's good to use a beach towel for the amount of greens you have to wash...

So this has caused me to find another way to get a lot of leafy greens in. 
My solution is what Dr. Fuhrman refers to as "blended salads". 

  I understand that it may not sound very appetizing to someone who has never tried it.

  But when you add as much fruit to it as I do, you don't even know you are drinking mostly greens. Nor is there anything else as filling to me. 

This smoothie for lunch will cause you to see the pounds just melt off you.

I come home from school and fill up the blender with all my usual fruits, nuts and veggie, blend it, drink it and I am beyond full. I could have a cheese burger placed in front of me after having this smoothie and I would not be tempted by it what so ever. That full.

It's not even like I am on some crazy crash diet that is depriving me of the nutrients my body requires. In this smoothie I am getting tons of Vitamin A, C, K, calcium, iron, protein, antioxidants, fiber and so many more. It's basically all the things your body and mind need the most of.

Ingredients to my super filling, nutritional power-house, yummy smoothie:

• 1 date
• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh strawberries
• handful of nut of choice (I usually use almonds, walnuts or pecans)
• 1/2 cup of frozen cherries or raspberries
• 1 orange (optional)
• Half a lemon
• 5 or 6 large kale leaves (sometimes I will even use about half a head)
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/4 cup lime juice (or half lime juice/half water, just to help liquify the smoothie)

    Honestly, feel free to play around with any of these ingredients. I switch them up really often to keep it from getting monotonous. I get bored of eating (or drinking) the same thing for lunch every day very quickly. Somedays I use frozen pineapple instead of the cherries or somedays I use more kale or use spinach instead of kale. Switching it up is also good for you in general, giving your body different nutrients every day.

Orange Sesame dressing and coconut bars

   So lately I've totally been enjoying the challenge of trying out new salad dressings. I've just been going on Dr. Fuhrman's website all the time, looking over recipes to see what ones seem like they'd come out good. Great thing about my blog for all its readers is that you guys get some previously reviewed, Ariel-approved recipes. :)

I tend to get sick of eating the same thing every day so it's so important for me to keep up a wide variety of healthy dressings so I can actually look forward to a giant salad. I recently came across a salad dressing recipe that came out amazing and you can find this one in Dr. Fuhrman's book 'Eat To Live'. It's called Orange Sesame Dressing. It took me about five minutes to make. 

I also love the fact that you don't have to measure out these salad dressings, you can use as much of them as you want, without worrying about too many calories! 

 It is slightly sweet, and the sesame seeds add a nice crunch too.

            Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. unhulled sesame seeds
• 6 raw cashew nuts
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar (I used garlic rice vinegar because that's all we had and it tasted great)
• 2 oranges, peeled and diced, or 1 jar unsweetened, mandarin orange slices. 

   Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet for 3 minutes, shaking the pan frequently. In a blender or Vita-Mix (as I used), combine 2 tbsp. sesame seeds, the cashews, orange juice, vinegar and the 2 oranges. Sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds on top of your salad. SO good!

Another one of my favorite websites for healthy-ish recipes is Chocolatecoveredkatie.com. I absolutely love her and all of her recipes. I feel like I've made about 100 of them and still haven't come across one that came out badly. 

My sister had some friends over this weekend so I decided to make them the No-Bake Coconut Crack Bars that I saw on Chocolate Covered Katie's blog. They were the most delicious things I have eaten in a long, long time. Almost reminded me of an Almond Joy, except better. Not to mention, they were probably one of the easiest desserts I've ever made. Perfect for summer since there is no hot oven or stove involved.

I doubled the recipe since her portions are usually SO tiny because we were having company over.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
• 4 tbsp virgin coconut oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp of salt

Combine all ingredients in food processor. I squished it into an 8x8 pan and put in the fridge for about 2 hours. The recipe says they will come out fine after an hour in the fridge or the freezer for 15 minutes. Can be stored in the fridge or freezer for a few weeks.

Blueberry pomegranate salad dressing and a berry smoothie

 According to Dr. Fuhrman, berries are among the best foods you can eat, they are some of the highest antioxidant foods you can eat. They have been linked to reduced risk of diabetes, cancers and high blood pressure. They are also great brain-food, they've been proven to improve motor coordination and memory. I honestly do feel since I've increased my berry consumption that it has helped me in school. The skill that I am working to perfect in Court Reporting School involves a high level of motor coordination, you wouldn't believe the things we have to do with our fingers. It reminds me of the game Twister but for your fingers. 
Every day at lunch I have my kale salad and smoothie which makes me incredibly full. After I finish the both, I don't need to eat anything else which is SO helpful because then I don't ever go after the junk food anymore. 

I rarely like to have store-bought salad dressings because they are usually loaded with sodium, chemicals and fat. I've given the low-fat, "healthy" ones a try and they just taste exactly what they are, store bought. It's also cheaper to make your own and you can load it with nutrient dense ingredients. 
I decided to give a sweet salad dressing a try this time for a change. I came across this one on Dr. Fuhrman's website. You have to join a membership in order to access all of his recipes but it is 100% worth it, and it's not expensive. 
This one is called Blueberry Pomegranate Dressing. 

      Ingredients:

•    2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries thawed 
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 4 tablespoons blueberry vinegar or any other type of fruit flavored vinegar (I used raspberry wine vinegar)

 Blend all together in a high powered blender until smooth. 

I poured mine over kale, as usual. I'm sure it would go great with any other type of leafy green, such as romaine lettuce. 

   As for my smoothie, it may sound a bit odd of a combination, but I assure you that it tastes amazing.

                                                                  

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup frozen dark red cherries
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup pineapple
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk (or any other kind of milk)
• 1 date
• handful of almonds

 Blend in high powered blender until smooth.

I know it may sound odd that it randomly has pineapple in it, but I love the tartness and flavor that it adds. I also love having smoothies because it's a great way to get a ton of fruit in quickly. The blender also breaks down the nutrients of the fruits even more so that you absorb more of them.

Enjoy! I would love any feedback if anyone decides to give them a try! :)

Healthy, low fat pizza is possible!

So obviously I try to fill up most of my diet with dark leafy greens and keep the carbs/fats at a minimum. But I will always absolutely love pizza. Fortunately me and my mother were able to find a way to enjoy pizza without the guilt of all the fat and carbs that your average slice of pizza has. Oh, and it still tastes really good.

                                    I think this is proof of how good it is.

                   So what we use can all be purchased at your local health food store.

        Middle East Bakery wheat flour pitas. We get them at Mrs. Green's in the bread isle, I'm sure they can be found in any other health food store as well. 

        One pita is only 70 calories!! When using them for a pizza, they're best when toasted.

         I know that almond cheese may sound a bit odd but it doesn't even taste like almonds, it tastes like a mild mozzarella cheese. This also can be found at Mrs. Green's or any other health food store. It can be bought in an 8 oz package and shred on a cheese grater.

       Other than the great taste, this is one of my favorite parts about this cheese:

        Cheese with only 50 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving is pretty miraculous in my opinion...

        Not only that but it also is a good source of protein and contains some fiber.

  

There isn't very specific instructions to making this, just toasting the pita, putting your favorite tomato sauce on, sprinkle the grated almond cheese on top, melt it and you have your own individual, healthy, low calorie, low fat pizza! 

                                          It does taste as good as it looks.

Kale salad with orange peanut dressing & some food facts

 Many Americans aren't aware of how significant leafy greens are in our diets. They are rich in micronutrients that are proven to prevent cancer. Diets that are high in vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts and low in animal products have been demonstrated in 15,000 studies to dramatically lower cancer rates. Not only are they amazing for your long-term health but they are great for weight loss. Since you can eat large amounts of it without gaining weight and if you are over weight it will help you lose excess pounds. A cup of kale is only 34 calories! Most Americans are also misled to believe that dairy is your only source of calcium when one 4 oz serving of steamed collards or kale has about the same amount of calcium as one cup of milk. Green vegetables also have calcium absorption rates of over 50% compared with about 32% for milk. 

 One problem I often see is people ordering a Caesar Salad thinking that they are going for the healthier option when you are probably eating just as much fat and saturated fat as you would if you ordered a cheese burger. One tbsp of Caesar Salad dressing has 8 grams of fat and has just about no nutritional value. 


My mother discovered an amazing Orange Peanut dressing that is one of the best salad dressings I have ever had and it is healthy. Dr. Fuhrman states that having nuts with your leafy greens enhances the absorption of the cancer fighting nutrients in the leafy greens which is why the peanuts in this dressing are an important ingredient. The Vitamin C in the orange helps to absorb the iron from the leafy greens as well. I was NOT a fan of salads or vegetables at all when first starting out this way of eating and this was the salad dressing that got me to actually enjoy my veggies. 

     I love to have the orange peanut dressing on raw kale and dried cranberries, it is absolutely delicious and so filling! 

        Not to mention that kale is the most nutrient dense food that you can eat.


Ingredients for Orange peanut dressing:

• 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter, unsalted
• 2 tablespoons raw cashew butter
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1/4 medium clove garlic, chopped

  Blend all dressing ingredients in high powered blender or food processor.

Healthy chocolate chip cookies!

I have always had a weakness for chocolate chip cookies, so it was so exciting to find a healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe that wasn't loaded with white flour, white sugar, eggs or butter. I kid you not, they were the best tasting chocolate chip cookies I have ever had.

The ingredients were really quite simple as well as making them.

Those are just about all the ingredients I used, only one missing is the low-fat vanilla soy milk.


Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup oat flour (140g) 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbsp coconut sugar (or Sucanat)
• 4 tbsp more coconut sugar is what I did instead of xylitol 
• 3 tbsp to 1/2 cup chocolate chips 
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
• 3-5 tbsp milk of choice, as needed. (I used low-fat vanilla soy milk)

Preheat oven to 380 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients and then add in the wet ingredients. Mix very well. Then put into tiny balls on a cookie sheet and bake for 7 minutes. I was able to make about 15 good sized cookies with this recipe, I probably would have been able to make more if I didn't eat so much of the batter. :D

You will not regret making these at all!

Gushing over Grace

Since I've been on an awesome 2 week break from school, I've been kind of lazy with the recipe making, but I promise that my next blog entry will be of one or more great, worth-while recipes that I have recently made. That's one of my biggest goals on here. 

I know that every first-time parent thinks that every new thing their child does is the most amazing thing they've ever witnessed and they think their child is the smartest. Well, in their eyes that really is true to them. I know I'm biased because Grace is my daughter but, I am continuously impressed with how quickly she grasps onto the concept of things, her problem solving skills and how many words she has been attempting to say already. At 11 months she was trying to put her shoes on that she wore all day the previous day and I was just amazed. Also before she turned a year she had been watching me brush my hair and picked up her brush and tried doing the same. 

I took out her Fisher Price gum ball machine when she was about 9 months old, which is basically where they take a ball, put it in the top and then press a lever to release it out the bottom. She watched me do that only a handful of times and started doing it herself and it was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. I must sound crazy. I know that every parent can relate to this moment though, so that makes me feel less preposterous. 

  It's definitely a type of love I've never experienced before. The kind where you would literally do anything for that person. Kind of a juvenile example, but, I'm scared to death of bees, but when there's one slightly near Grace, I don't even hesitate to get that bee away from her. 

She's made me a better person in every possible way. No one in this world has been able to motivate me in the way that she has or give me the level of faith that I now have. Her name has such an intense amount of irony to it.  "It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favor, love and clemency." -The definition of Grace.