Pomegranate Smoothie

This came out rich, sweet, satisfying and simply delicious. The kids couldn’t drink it fast enough. I had to make sure to put myself a glass aside so I could have some! And this is a great preventative beverage. Preventative of the flu and colds that is. Although “flu“is not a season and just an illness people get from not having proper nutrition, not protecting themselves enough from the environment, or simply being unfortunate to have had a dip in their immunity to catch the dang bug, it is good to be ready and step up our immunity boosting game at this time of year, which is called fall season, not flu season 😉

Pomegranates are packed with antioxidants, which is extremely important for cellular health in order to prevent free radical damage. Free radical damage will cause us to get sick much more rapidly.  They are also loaded with vitamin C (protects from immune system deficiencies). And they are also sweet and delicious.

I added some fresh ginger which is a potent anti-inflammatory, and has incredible germ fighting and immune boosting abilities.

If all these natural cold fighting capabilities aren’t enough for you, just drink it because it is delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pomegranate juice ( I juiced 2 large fresh pomegranates, but if you have some store bought juice that will work too).
• 1 large chunk of ginger (I juiced that along with the pomegranate, but if you aren’t pulling out the juicer today, you can just blend it)
• 1 large handful of fresh spinach (Because I just can’t help add green things to foods, especially smoothies)
• 1/2 banana

Steps:

• Juice pomegranate and ginger
• put in blender with spinach and banana
• blend on high
• serve and enjoy!
• Make sure to sip slowly in order to let digestion kick in and to fully appreciate the goodness that is feeding your body.

For a cold fighting elixir recipe, click here.

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Raw Oatmeal

I ran out of my favorite breakfast foods this morning and had no milk on hand for my raw granola, so I improvised quick before I  got too hungry and reached for something that would not nourish me as positively as this did. I call this Raw Oatmeal because it had the look and consistency of oatmeal and left me feeling full for hours the way oatmeal would. But it was way faster to make than boiled oats and in my opinion, much more nutritious.

Although I could just have eaten fruit and nuts or nut butter, which I believe can be a satisfying breakfast, some days I feel the need to sit down and eat something out of a bowl, with a spoon, to make me appreciate what I am eating. And today is one of those days. As usual, sorry for the photograph, this tasted much better than the photo looks, I promise 🙂

As it so often happens, I made this on the fly without writing down or taking specific measurements, so below is an estimation of what I put in this tasty bowl. I am already seeing all the substitutions and possibilities with this that having just one recipe would be so limiting 😉

Ingredients:

• 1 large apple
• 1 banana
• 1 chunk of ginger
• 1 TBS sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1 TBS almond butter
• 1 TBS  shredded coconut (for topping)

Steps:

• Put everything in the food processor and combine until desired consistency
• Top with coconut and enjoy!

Carrot Coconut Soup

This recipe was inspired by my really good friend Sam. She made it for me this weekend and I loved it so much I had to come home and make my version of it for my family and now share it with you.

Ingredients:

• 1 TBS coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 medium to large carrots, chopped
• 3 medium to large potatoes, chopped (if using russet, peel them)
• 1/4 cup fresh ginger, chopped
• 6 cups water
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 small can coconut milk (5.6oz or 165 ml)
• 1 TBS fresh ginger (optional)
• cayenne pepper (optional)

Steps:

• Melt the coconut oil in a large pot
• add onions and cook 2 to 4 minutes
• add carrots and potatoes and mix well to coat with the oil, cook another 3 minutes
• add water, ginger and salt, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook another 15 minutes or so, until the veggies are soft but not falling apart
• turn off heat, add the coconut milk and blend!
• I added 1 TBS of fresh ginger at the end to add a little extra kick and to boost our immune systems during this cold weather. Make sure to test this if you have children sensitive to too much spice. We love ginger at our house 🙂
• sprinkle a dash of cayenne pepper for extra heat