Spring Strawberry Salad

Spring is in the air! Our kids loved helping make this. Only took a few minutes to throw together. Enjoy!!

Spring Strawberry Salad
Spinach-our big family uses about 1/2 pound at least!
1/2 small container organic strawberries, sliced
1/4 c raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 c raw unsweetened shredded coconut
1/8 c raw sunflower seeds
opt-1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Combine and drizzle with some Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing.

Acupuncture

Back pain runs in my family. For me to go a few months without pain is pretty miraculous, but I went 3 years after my first encounter with a Chinese doctor of acupuncture. Check her out here!

 What is acupuncture? Taken from her website:
Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine needles into specific points of the body. The insertion and placement of these needles change the energy currents and patterns (Qi) in the body in beneficial ways. This ancient art of healing, along with herbal treatments, nutrition, and exercise, works with the natural vital energies of the body to promote its self-healing ability.  The proper use of acupuncture and herbs will bring the body’s Qi into proper balance.

I went back 2 weeks ago because I was feelin some not so fun things in my back again, and she has once again done amazing things! She can take my pulse and look at my tongue and tell me what my needs are, how cool is that! I love going to someone and have them tell me how to heal and prevent future problems instead of being slapped with a scrip to treat the symptoms.

For back pain we have also done massage therapy and chiropractic work with success. But did you know Acupuncture can also help with infertility, PMS, depression, anxiety, stress, allergies (seasonal AND food), high blood pressure, lupus, ulcers, asthma, colds/flu, diabetes, and so much more! See here for a list.

Have you ever been to an acupuncturist? What did you think?

Red Velvet Pancakes

This would be really fun for Valentine's Day, cooked in a heart shape. We decided we could have eaten it plain or for dessert, but we served with the choice of Grade B Maple Syrup or homemade mixed berry syrup. Heavenly!

1½ c buttermilk or almond milk
2 eggs
2 T coconut oil
½ beet, roasted and peeled
⅓ c sucanut
1 t vanilla 
¼ c raw cacao powder
1½ c Kamut flour (or whole wheat flour)
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
½ t  sea salt 

Add first 6 ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and 4-6 times until dry ingredients are incorporated; do not over blend. Allow batter to rest 5 minutes.  Heat griddle or other pan over medium-low heat; use coconut oil to grease surface.  Cook pancakes as usual, making sure it is cooked all the way before flipping over. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven at 200°F loosely wrapped in foil.

Note: To roast a beet, remove beet greens, set greens aside for use in green smoothies and wash beet thoroughly.  Wrap beet in foil and place in 400°F oven and roast for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.  After the roasted beet has cooled, peel and cut in half.


--To make Mixed Berry syrup, add 6 cups of frozen mixed berries to large blender with 1 1/2 c hot water and 1/2 c maple syrup. Pulse until chunky. Mmmmm!!!

Immunity Booster

I thought I had already written about this, but here are a few more ideas for natural remedies that we have used successfully:
-Garlic-still my fav for nipping it quick! The earlier in your sickness you take it (the first hint of a sore throat, etc.) the better! We have put it in mashed potatoes, but you can also crush and diced it fine, mix with butter and spread on a piece of bread. Mmmmm! The longer you wait, the more you'll have to take, as I've learned the hard way.
-mix grapefruit seed extract and elderberry powder into flavored kefir for immunity boost
-the immunity tea that I talked about in an earlier post is absolutely wonderful on a sore throat. Both my hubby and I loved it!
-water water water!! The kids have come home from school a few times with headaches, etc. It was because of dehydration. After drinking 2 cups of water they felt much better. Water will really help spread the good stuff around your body and clean the bad stuff out. Isn't it cool how efficient our bodies are???

Couscous with Vegetables & Green PolkaDot Box

We got our first Green PolkaDot Box the week before last! We are huge fans of this new company. Service was prompt, and they took such good care of us! They are like a small Whole Foods online, and will be expanding as they grow by offering more variety of products. What we have used so far, we really really like! The prices aren't all great, but most of them are just WOW! Click here to learn more about them!

This is a new favorite! Sooo colorful and soooo yummy! I love couscous, always have.

2 C whole wheat couscous
2 1⁄2 C filtered water
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained well, or 1 1/2 c of cooked black beans
1 c carrots, diced very small
3/4 c diced celery
2 bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow), diced very small 
1 onion, diced very small
2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
1⁄2 C each fresh parsley and cilantro, chopped (you can use dried if you don't have any fresh)
1 Tbsp. cumin
2 tsp. sea salt, or more
freshly ground pepper to taste
optional: 1⁄4 c fresh mint, chopped-we tried this and didn't care for the mint
optional: 2 c mushrooms, sauteed for 2 min. in 2 tsp. olive oil (our kiddos don't like mushrooms. Sad!)


Bring the water to a boil in a large pan, add the couscous, then turn off the heat. Cover the pan and let it sit for 20 minutes. 


Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl, then add the mixture to the couscous. Toss with dressing (below) and serve warm.
Dressing:
1⁄4 c extra virgin olive oil 
2 T flaxseed oil
1⁄2 c fresh lemon juice
2 t ground turmeric
Shake all ingredients in a pint jar and stir into warm couscous mixture.

Baked Oatmeal

I made some healthy adjustments to this recipe, and we love it!

The night before…
• 3 c rolled oats -not quick cook
• 3/4 c sucanut or agave (we prefer sucanut to the agave. Firmer texture)
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/3 c liquified coconut oil
• 1 1/2 c plain yogurt or kefir (we make our own, and sometimes I use some of each)
In the morning...
• 1 c almond milk
• 2 eggs (or 2 T chia seeds plus 4 T water; let sit for 15+ minutes to gel-we have used both and they both work great!)
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t sea salt
• opt: add 1 apple chopped and 1/3 c raisin. We have also tried it with 1 sliced banana, diced peaches, diced strawberries, frozen mixed berries... Be creative!

Instructions

The night before…
1. Combine the night before ingredients and mix well.
2. Cover with plastic wrap or towel.
3. Leave on the counter overnight.
In the morning…
4. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
5. Pour into greased glass baking dish-we do one that is between square and 9x13.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until it looks a little browned around the edges.

Lentil Burgers

I never believed I would prefer another burger to a hamburger, but these have definitely snagged my preference! I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, but made a few modifications:

3 c dried lentils

8 c water

4 t vegetable broth powder
1 c uncooked brown rice

4 c seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c minced dried onion (or a little bit of fresh if you prefer fresh)

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced-if you love garlic like me
1/2 t pepper

1 c fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
olive oil

Rinse the lentils & brown rice. Combine the lentils, water, and vegetable broth powder. Bring to a boil and then add the rice; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45-55 minutes. Mash a little for consistency, then pour into a bowl and stir in breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, pepper, and Parmesan, mixing well. Form the mix into patties, about 14-15.

Line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle with olive oil. Place the patties on the foil; drizzle more oil on top of patties. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes, turning once to brown each side.

We serve these alone (no bun) along with a large salad. My 3 older kids all said, "Wow, these are REALLY filling!" Yep, they sure are! This made enough for our family plus leftovers for the hubby the next day. These also store nicely in the fridge and are good several days later.