Pasta with Cilantro-Peanut Pesto

I got this recipe with my Harvest Bin two weeks ago and my family loved it so I thought I would share it.

Also, if you haven't heard of Dandelion Organic Delivery it's really awesome. Fresh, local, organic, produce at your door. Plus, they always include a recipe list of recipes that use the ingredients in your bin. It's brilliant. I like it. You can check it out here and... if you want to sign up tell them I referred you!

Pasta with Cilantro-Peanut Pesto
This recipe was originally from Everyday Food, June 2012
Total Time 20 minutes Yield 4

1 bunch cilantro, 1/4 cup leaves reserved for serving
1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
3/4 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest, plus 2 Tablespoons lime juice (I don't have a zester so I skipped the zest)
1 teaspoon light brown sugar (I used pure maple syrup)
1/3 cup roasted peanuts (I used 1/3 cup Adams chunky peanut butter)
2-3 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

Noodles of your choice (I used rice noodles)

In a food processor combine cilantro, garlic, ginger, olive and sesame oils, red-pepper flakes, lime juice, maple syrup and peanut butter. Pulse until a coarse paste forms. Add soy sauce and pulse until combined. In a large bowl toss pasta with pesto. Roughly chop remaining peanuts to garnish (I rarely garnish)

It was yummy. I ate it hot and then cold the next day with sauteed shrimp. The cilantro was so fresh tasting and I love a good peanut sauce!!

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Detox Broccoli Salad

Day 3 of the detox diet and going strong!!

Tonight for dinner I made this salad to go with our Salmon.

It was really yummy.

Here is my recipe

In a medium size bowl combine:

4 cups of broccoli florets and broccoli stalk chopped up

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

handful of roasted almonds

Dressing:

1/4 cup Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

juice from 1 lemon

1 clove of garlic, minced

mix that all together and pour into the bowl. Toss it all up and let it sit for a while before eating it.

So yummy!

Horray for green food!

sippin' stock

So homemade stock is something that my mom taught me how to make, by simply doing it. I don't remember ever having a lesson but I watched her do it growing up multiple times and eventually caught on.

I typically make my own stock with bones from chicken, roasts... because of how cheap and easy it is to make.

What I am just now learning is how incredibly healthy it is for you!!

As part of the yearly cleanse my husband and I are doing now, they recommend sipping stock. So that is what we are doing and although it's not cold out, the stock is so yummy and soothing going down the throat. I love it.

The health benefits I have learned about stock/broth include but are not limited too:

Stock is loaded with calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus  from the bones. Make sure and add some apple cider vinegar to your water when you boil the bones so that the minerals can leach out.

Bone broth contains glucosamine and chondroiton which are used to prevent joint pain. Pretty sure this should help my joints in preparing for the 5k run we are in this weekend.

Bone broth contains gelatin which aids in digestion, helps your nails and hair grow, also improves joint health, and helps our body use the protein we are eating.

The more I read the more intrigued I am by this simple food. I have read that it improves immunity and has many other beneficial health factors.

The recipe I am using is copywrited but google stock and try to make some. Then you can sip along with me.

crock pot goodness

So I took a package of this organic ground chicken and threw it in the crockpot with about an inch of water and a half an onion, chopped. I turned the crockpot on low and let it sit for about 5 hours. Then I added two sweet potatoes, skin on, chopped into cubes, one can of drained black beans, and 5 tomatoes that I blended in my ninja. I let that cook for about 2 more hours. I seasoned it with a little cumin and chili powder and garlic powder and wa-la.

We ate it over wild rice for dinner Monday. It was delicious and easy/cheap.

I get the organic chicken at Fred Meyer. It's frozen and in the healthy food section of the store.

Oatmeal Sundaes and Kale

Not together, silly!!

This morning was oatmeal Sundaes! My kids got excited when I told them what we were having. Anything with the word Sundae at the end just sounds exciting and delicious, right.

I soaked my Gluten Free Oats overnight. Just a pot full of the oats, covered in water, with a Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar. Overnight it sat. You can read more about soaking oats here if you want.

This morning I drained the water and put in fresh. Then I cooked the oatmeal as usual.

After the oatmeal was cooked I put a scoop in each of the kids bowls. 

Then they got to take it from there.

I had chopped up

almonds

walnuts

bananas

blueberries

and kefir if they wanted to mix some of that in as well, which of course they did!

They anxiously filled their bowls with whatever they wanted.

They totally loved it!!!

And yesterday I made these again for the first time this season. I had some extra Kale from my harvest bin and it needed to be used. The C cousin loved the kale chips as much as B-Rax.

Time to Spring Clean your Body!!

Remember when I talked about Candida and how I think everyone in our nation is suffering from it's ill effects? Remember how I promised I was going to go into more detail on it and teach you how to self diagnose it and how to treat it?  Remember that I never did that?

Well.....

Come on over and cleanse out your system with me!! My good friend, Brenda Wollenberg, is a licensed Holistic Nutritionist. She does this for her career and she is amazing. She is coming to my house to do a  5 hour group session/detox program and you really don't want to miss it. This woman changed my life. She is smart and healthy and she has a wealth of knowledge on women's bodies.

So join us!

Saturday, April 20th. 12-5:00pm

Email me or comment if you want more information or to reserve yourself a spot. The program is a 2 week cleanse and then adapting your lifestyle to healthier choices after that. The cost is $150 which is a killer savings compared to what she charges her clients. It includes a real food vitamin supplement and  If you chose to participate you will fill out paperwork before hand so that Brenda can adapt the plan to your personal body type/needs. This is a worthwhile opportunity for anyone seeking better health, increased energy, weight loss,...

Check out Brenda's website here!

Here is an expert from the website about the program you will be participating in:

For those looking for a short and sweet gentle dietary detoxification or weight loss kick start, In Balance also offers a four week 4Real program. With a base price of $325.00 (HST included) and the addition of our cost-effective all-in-one whole food multi vitamin/mineral, antioxidant and cellular communication supplement ($75.00 including HST), for a total of $100.00/wk, participants get four weeks of nutritionist support, 4 - 75 minute long weekly group sessions, a supervised and personalized food and lifestyle plan and an In Balance 4Real Guide to help keep you focused and on track. Because of the short duration of this program In Balance provides more time per session and supplies an additional amount of daily whole food nutritional supplementation to support you through cleanse and any needed weight loss kick start.