Archives for July 2015

The Best Breakfast When You’re Pinched for Time

July 15, 2015 by Sarah

We all have the mornings where we get up late or spend too much time getting ready. Breakfast is sometimes the last of our priorities when this happens, but it doesn’t have to be replaced by a Starbucks stop or a run to the drive-through. This idea is perfect for those days that you didn’t save enough time for breakfast but know that a good wholesome first meal is really going to give you the energy and nutrients you need to efficiently carry out your day.

What are they?

Trail mix bowls.

This is simply a mixture of chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and other superfoods that you combine ahead of time and keep in the cupboard in a sealed container. It’s best to make a pretty large bowl so it lasts awhile. This is what the dry mixture looks like:

When you’re in a rush, you can simply transfer some to a smaller bowl (with a lid) and pour your choice of milk over it. Grab a spoon and take it right with you! The longer you let the mixture soak, the juicier the dried fruits will become. If you’re in not as much of a rush, you can do what I did in the picture below. I soaked goji berries in warm water so they became nice and plump and then put those on top!

You can also slice a banana or add different powders like I did here:

The best part about these fruit/nut bowls is that they keep indefinitely in the cupboard just as any other dried fruit, nut or seed would. Keep the large bowl on hand and you’ll be happy you have it for those crunched mornings 🙂 My favorite bowls are the Pyrex glass storage set, which come with lids. If you get a set of them, you will have different sizes that are perfect for things like this breakfast. I use my pyrex bowls and lids so much!

What kinds of things to put in the trail mix??

Here are some ideas:

Nuts – almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews

Seeds – buckwheat groats (nice and crunchy!), hemp seeds, chia seeds, ground flax seeds

Dried Fruits – currants, blueberries, apricots, pineapple rings, dates, figs, cherries, cranberries, raisins, mango, apple, papaya, goji berries

Other – coconut, cacao powder or nibs, cinnamon, mesquite powder, lucuma powder, maca poweder, ashwagandha powder, spirulina or chlorella powder, you can also add oats if you want to make it more filling!

I would do 2-4 kinds of nuts and seeds, 4 kinds of dried fruits and small amounts of anything extra. Pour just enough milk to cover the mixture when you’re ready to eat it and then enjoy!

Alright now go make up a batch so you have it on hand when you need it! 🙂

What’s your favorite breakfast when you’re in a time crunch??

I’d love to hear from you!

Are You Missing Out on this FREE Summer Treat?

July 6, 2015 by Sarah

Do not miss out on this awesome little berry this summer! I can’t tell you how excited I get when I find some free organic fruit that I can pick. Check to see if there are Mulberry trees in your area because they are in full bloom!! 🙂 I went on a walk and saw two trees at the park and then found out my dad has a huge tree right in his backyard! I went to town. I even put some in the freezer to have for smoothies.

Mulberries provide a good amount of iron and vitamin C that may help with circulation and immune function. They also contain reservatrol, which is a flavonoid antioxidant that can positively affect blood pressure. You can read more about the benefits of mulberries here. Although it’s rare, some people may be allergic to the berries so it’s always smart to consume a few and see how your body reacts.

Why You Should Consider Investing in a Food Processor

July 3, 2015 by Sarah

I try to show love to all my handy helpers in the kitchen, but let’s just say my food processor gets a little extra attention. In my own personal humble opinion, I think investing in a food processor is a smart thing to do if you would like to eat healthier by cooking more from scratch or making homemade versions of store-bought favorites. You might be thinking:

I already have a blender, why would I want a food processor too?

Great question. Let’s talk about the different blades that can come with food processors to demonstrate this:

The ‘S’ Blade – this is used to chop, dice, crumble, and puree the contents you place in the prep bowl. Great for chopping nuts and dicing veggies.

The Dough Blade – kind of self-explanatory; used to make dough (homemade bread, pie, pasta or pizza what! what!) I love this because you can make these delicious foods using all whole ingredients!

The Shredder – easily shreds things like cheese, beets, cabbage, zucchini, carrots and other tough vegetables

The Slicer – Want to make homemade chips in a jiffy? You’re going to want to use this guy! This is used to make slices of foods like potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, beets, peppers, etc.

Depending on what blender you have, you may or may not see the perks of a food processor being all that special. If you have a very expensive blender like a Vitamix, you can do many of the things a food processor can do as far as blending foods into a smooth mixture and other things done using the ‘S’ blade. However, you can’t really do much besides a consistently smooth mixture with most blenders. I’ll say that blenders are better for smoothies and you should leave liquid stuff for the blenders, but because of the other blades, food processors can be used for so many more things. Additionally, the cheaper your blender is, the wider the gap gets between things you can do with your blender and the things you can do with a food processor.

Because of the way food processors are designed as opposed to blenders, they can take on many different kinds of jobs because of a bigger blade and wider container, which also happens to make it easier to scrape stuff down the bowl if you need to help it along. You also don’t need to add as much liquid like you do with blenders so foods you make in a blender can have a thicker consistency when made in a food processor.

Which one I recommend:

The only one I’ve really had experience using a lot and appreciate more than ever is my Cuisinart Prep 9-cup processor. My mom has an 11-cup one, which is really nice for a family. It’s not only affordable, but the quality for the price is not something to be overlooked. I have three words for this processor: durable, reliable, and efficient! Durable in the sense that it isn’t prone to breaking, reliable because it takes on every job without hesitating and efficient because you don’t have to spend time monkeying with something that does half the job. Think of a junky blender. You sit there starting and stopping the thing about 12 times to get it to blend something. NOT efficient, am I right?

You skip any sort of hassle like that with this processor because of its design; sharp blades and a great powerful motor. You will not be frustrated with the performance of this blender for all your food needs! If you don’t have a lot of extra money, I highly recommend waiting until you can save up and get a food processor like this or better because cheaper ones can sometimes be a hit or miss. My boyfriend got a Cuisinart Blender and Food processor all-in-one, and the food processor is pretty awful and so loud! You can also get little ones for only like $50, but in my opinion, I would just wait and get the larger one so it can be used for so much more.

What are some of the delicious things I can make with a food processor?

Homemade Banana Ice Cream – This is one of my favorite things to make! In a nutshell, straight frozen bananas are processed into an ice cream, and this takes a hefty processor to take on that job! Mine hasn’t failed me yet, and that’s why I love it so much!

Avocado Pudding

Applesauce – You can make this raw. The nice thing about using a processor over a blender for this is that you don’t have to add as much water or lemon juice to get it to blend

Flour – You can process oats or almonds into a finer meal/flour

Homemade Nut/Seed Butters – t ahini, peanut butter, almond butter (just process almonds!), cashew butter, sunflower seed butter

Shredding and Slicing – add veggies to any meal quickly by shredding or slicing them in the food processor! Great for salads, homemade pizza, pasta with veggies, sautéed vegetables, veggies to scramble with eggs, homemade chips, homemade coleslaw, sliced vegetables for snacking and dipping

Nut/Date Crusts and Crumbles – these are perfect for making raw treats and crumbles to put on things like cobblers and pies

Whipped Cream – You can either use organic heavy whipping cream or full fat coconut milk – I’ve used both and they’re so easy and tasty with a little vanilla extract and maple syrup added

Fruit, Nut and Seed Bites/Bars – like these sesame bars, PB & J bars, apricot cashew, chocolate berry superfood, goji energy, blueberry nut & seed and salted almond chocolate are a few good ones! You can also make a nut/fruit/seed mixture and stuff it in some pitted dates (as shown in the picture at the beginning of this post!)

Sauces, Dips, Spreads, Dressings – like pesto, miso tahini, avocado green sauce (something like avocado, mixed greens, herbs and spices, lemon juice, olive oil)

Salsa – There are so many recipes out there; anything from black bean and corn to original to mango – you name it

Hummus – Check out an entire beginner’s guide here

‘It seems great to have, but I still can’t afford it right now’

I get it. I get it. Trust me. I wanted one of these babies for quite a while before I actually got it. And guess how I got it? For Christmas! It was perfect. I was so thrilled that the present fit me so well and that I fell in love with it so much.

Soooo ask for it as a gift! Holidays, birthdays, showers, whenever it’s your time to be blessed, don’t be afraid to ask for something that would help you immensely on your journey to healthier living. Using a food processor helps facilitate the use of fresh, whole foods into your diet – and what a great little gift that is! 🙂

Now over to you – have you ever thought about getting a food processor? What would be your favorite thing to make?

Happy Fourth to you all!