Awesome Dinner

I had a few of my nephews over for dinner Sunday night and we had an awesome dinner.

I made:

zucchini soup

roasted vegetables

green salad with strawberries and pomegranate dressing

vegan peach cobbler with raw coconut butter lime sauce

Here are the recipes:

Roasted Vegetables:

Cut up the veggies of your choice in good sized chunks. We used red potatoes, onion from our garden, carrots, sweet potatoes and yams. Once everything is cut, just toss the veggies in a few tablespoons of coconut oil, a few cloves or garlic,

sea salt and fresh cracked pepper...that's it! I thoug

ht I was eating candy...the coconut oil was amazing. I WILL NOT roast any veggies in any other oil except coconut. It really brings out the flavors. I glared at David as he doused his in BBQ sauce...oh well...some people never learn ;).

Green Salad with Pomegranate Dressing:

This salad was romaine, spinach, and mixed greens. I added sliced strawberries, sliced naval oranges, 1/2 bunch green onions, pecans, and a little feta cheese. The dressing is from my friend Cody... we all LOVED it. Thanks girl!

Cody's Pomegranate Dressing:

In a small jar, add:

1 C. POM juice

3 T. balsamic vinegar

3 T. honey

3 T. oli

ve oil

zest of one orange

sea salt and pepper to taste

Shake up and refrig

erate until ready t

o use! YUMMY!

Vegan Peach Cobbler with Coconut Butter Lime Sauce:

In the bottom of a 13x9 pan, or equivalent (mine was a big oval dish), layer fresh (or frozen) peeled, sliced peaches. I use

d white peaches...such a great, unique flavor.

Then, in a separate bowl add:

1/2 C. co

conut oil

1/2 C. agave

3/4 C to 1 C. raw cane juice crystals (or sugar if you don't have raw sugar)

1 C. white wheat whole-wheat flour

1 C. oats

2 t. bakin

g powder

1 C. almond milk

1 T. vanilla

2 T. cinnamon

Ok..so I lost the recipe I wrote down the other night, so I am hoping these are the right amounts. The topping, once mixed together ta

stes soo good raw with a spoon. Once I was finally able to stop eating the batter, I spooned it over the peaches.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until bubbly on the edges and only slightly doughy in the middle.

Serve with this awesome sauce on top:

Raw Coconut Butter Sauce:

In your blender, add:

4 oz. coconut butter

juice

of two small limes

2 small peaches,

peeled and pitted

2-4 T. agave.

Blend until smooth and refrigerate until ready to eat. Next time, I will try this with strawberries instead of peaches. I think I will go eat some right now with a banana, since the cobbler is long gone :(.

You can find the recipe HERE on the Artisana Foods website. This is the brand of coconut butter I buy and the other recipes on their web page

look yummy too!

Amazing Summer Quinoa Salad

Picture is from HERE (but this is what my salad looked like!)

I wanted to make a new quinoa salad...and found this amazing recipe HERE! I doubled the ingredients for the salad and tripled the dressing recipe. Again, no picture..so I found one that looked just like it. I love it, because it is sweet and savory at the same time. We accompanied this with grilled veggies and shrimp and a big green salad. I like this recipe because you toast the quinoa first before cooking it...adds more depth to the seed.. Enjoy!
(Tastes even better the next day):


Ingredients:

1/2 C. quinoa
1 C. water
1/4 C. orange juice
1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. rice vinegar
2 t. toasted sesame oil
1 t. minced fresh ginger
1/4 t. salt
dash of Cayenne pepper
1 small mango, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 C. black beans
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Toast quinoa in a small dry saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it crackles and becomes fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a fine strainer and rinse well. Put quinoa in pot with water and bring to a boil then simmer with lid until quinoa is tender and water is gone.
2. In the mean time, whisk orange juice (i made fresh o.j.), cilantro, vinegar, oil, ginger, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add mango, pepper, beans and green onions; toss to coat.
3. When the quinoa is finished cooking, add to the mango mixture and toss to combine!

Amazing Quinoa Salad

David and I were invited to his nephew's BYU graduation party yesterday. I was asked to bring a green salad..which I took...but I also took this yummy quinoa salad. MY NEW FAVORITE!!!! You can see pictures of this beautiful looking dish HERE, from ohsheglows.com...one of my top favs!

Ingredients:
1 C. uncooked red quinoa
1 (14oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used 2 C. sprouted black beans I had in my freezer)
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 C. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 C. frozen corn
1 small avocado, chopped into 1 inch pieces (I added another one)

Dressing:
4-5 T. fresh lime juice (I did half lime and half lemon)
1/2 t. salt (1 did 1 t. sea salt)
1/2 t. black pepper (1 did 1 t.)
1 garlic clove, minced (I was out of time and just did garlic powder...worked fine)
1/4 C. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 C. olive oil
1/2 t. ground cumin (1 doubled this..cause I like cumin)

Directions:
1. Cook quinoa according to directions...usually 2 C. water to 1 C. quinoa. (Mine had been soaking in filtered water, so it didn't need as much cooking liquid)
2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare the chopped vegetables and whisk together the dressing
3. Allow quinoa to cool after cooking for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the beans and vegetables and toss well
4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

Here is a picture of the salad from www.ohsheglows.com:

What's in a salad?

I have been trying to eat more vegetables. period.
Many of you know that I LOVE the book, Original Fast Foods. You can buy it HERE!

It was probably the best 20 $ I ever spent and has really helped me have the courage to eat a plant-based diet. The author, Jim Simmons has a fascinating story about how he recovered from 11 years of sickness by eating this way. There is soo much truth to what he says in his book and the information on his website (click "HERE" above to be taken there).

Anyway, I wanted to post some info on why eating more veggies is important and crucial for healthy living:

"The facts are in and there is no argument by leading authorities that the dietary key to achieving ideal body weight and to living long is to eat your vegetables! Per calorie, no other foods deliver quite the nutritional bang for the buck. And at about only 60 calories per pound, you can fill up your plate several times a day without ever eating too many vegetables. Enjoy them freely and abundantly for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even between meals!

Use fresh whole seasonal fruits to satisfy your sweet tooth, as needed to avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners! As you center eating around whole vegetables and fruits, other food choices, such as grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and animal -based foods (not more than 10% a day) become healthful complimentary additions to meals, rather than becoming unhealthful through over-consumption.

Adequate vegetable intake is one of the primary factors for overcoming insulin resistance. Problems associated with insulin resistance: Heart Disease, Obesity, Poor eyesight, neuropath, organ damage, amputations, degenerative diseases and accelerated aging.

By consuming adequate intake of vegetables during each meal, you slow down the absorption of the meal into your bloodstream, and by doing this....you create a much more even and steady flow of required and healthful carbohydrates into the bloodstream. By consuming sufficient vegetable, you help to satisfy your appetite naturally without feeling the need for overt fats. Your body can convert the plant-based omega-3s to meet your needs for essential fats properly.....Your body can maintain adequate levels of essential fats, without adding extra fats."

So, a plant based diet that is supplemented with fruit, legumes and some quality grains is really the way to go. Use seeds, nuts and even avocados sparingly.

There is much more information on the Simmon's website and I hope you will take some time to check it out.

Here is my salad from lunch:

1 head of romaine

a few handfuls of mixed greens

chopped carrots and cucumbers

lightly steamed organic green beans

a small portion of sprouted brown rice

1/2 c. sprouted black beans

1/8 C. avocado

balsamic vinaigrette.

(this salad looks smaller than it actually is..it takes a long time to eat and then you won't be hungy for ever! Try mixing in different beans, different greens and veggies too keep it interesting!)

Share What You Learn With Others

I have found that ever since I have started learning more about "whole food" eating, at times I have been overwhelmed with the amount of information I have. Part of the reason why I started this blog, is not only to journal my thoughts, recipes and write down info I learn, but to share with others the knowledge I am gaining every day. I have learned that it is important to share your information with others...whether it is a blog, sending an email to your loved ones with a great recipe you like, trying to convince your significant other to read a great part of your book (not very likely with a busy hubby like me) or getting together with other people that are on the same journey you are. I have found a few other women who are also on their own quest and we have decided to get together a few times each month to share what we are learning, to talk about the things that work and the things that don't, to laugh, to eat beautiful whole foods, and to give each other encouragement along the way..

Last week, Cody and Marie (both girls that are doing the half-ironman with me in June) came over to talk about our little adventure, to talk about our week, and to of course, eat yummy food.

Cody, finishing our fabulous meal...thanks for the menu ideas!

Here is what we made:

Spinach Soup
(from Cooking Light..fresh, fast food: weeknight meals)

2 t. olive oil

1 1/2 C. chopped onion

2 C. organic veggie broth

1 C. diced Yukon Gold potato

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. black pepper

1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach

1/2 C. real sour cream

1 t. grated lemon rind

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in pan and saute onion. Add broth and next three ingredients.

2. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach; cover and cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts

3. Place soup in high powered blender (if not high powered, divide it up). Add sour cream and blend.

4. Pour soup into four bowls. Top with grated lemon rind and a sprinkle of some raw cheese!

5. Smile and savor every delicious bite

(119 Calories per bowl, 4.7 grams fat)

Orange and Bulgar Salad (Didn't have beets so we used a different root vegetable)

1 3/4 C. water
1 C. uncooked Bulgar
1 Medium beet, peeled
2 navel oranges
parsley vinaigrette:

2 T. chopped parsley, 2 T. red wine vinegar, 2 T. olive oil, 1/2 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper

Top with crumbled feta or goat cheese

Instructions:

1. Bring water to a boil; stir in Bulgar. Cover, remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes.

2. Roast beet in over (or microwave if you are short on time. You can do this by covering beet with three damp paper towels and put in on a plate. Microwave for 6 minutes or until tender)

3. While beet cooks, peel oranges, cutting crosswise to make wagon wheel slices. Cut beet into moon shaped sliced.

4. Place Bulgar on four plates, top with oranges, beets, crumbled cheese and parsley vinaigrette

(301 Calories, 13.6 g. fat for salad. 63 Calories for salad, 7 g. healthy fat!)

Marie, Me and Cody

To keep on your "healthy" path:

1. share something you learned with someone else

2. tell youself it is worth the journey, even when it is hard

3. write down your impressions about what you read and learn from others

4. share something yummy you make with a friend and laugh throughout your meal

5. realize you are doing something amazing for yourself and your family

6. become an expert about one thing at a time...take it slow

7. if you get frustrated, don't go buy a costco pizza, take a break, pick yourself up and try again

8. remember you aren't alone....EVER!

9. smile everytime you try something new that works

10. accept the statement "I AM WORTH IT!" and more importantly live like you are!