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Creamy Ginger Carrot Soup

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This soup is creamy and dreamy without the dairy. Creamy Ginger Carrot soup is a staple here in the cooler months. Easy to make and it tastes amazing. It’s full of nourishing goodness to sustain you and take the chill off.

Hope you like it! Be sure to let us know in the comments and while you’re at it, share your favorite simple soup recipe with us.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 small sweet onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1½ lbs. carrots, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
3 c. vegetable broth, preferably organic
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
2 t. fresh thyme leaves
1/3 c. full-fat coconut milk

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and bell pepper. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables become soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes.

  2. Add vegetable broth, minced ginger, and thyme leaves and stir to combine. Cover and cook until the carrots are fork tender, approximately 10-15 minutes. Stir once or twice while cooking.

  3. Remove from heat and puree mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. (A regular blender or food processor can also be used for this step). Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired.

  4. Return to medium heat and add coconut milk. Stir until barely combined and cook until heated through, approximately 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Tips for Sneaking in More Fruits and Veggies into Holiday Dishes

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When it comes to nutrition, how are you doing? Do you feel like you get enough fruits and vegetables into your diet? Some people who are trying to learn to become more health conscious find it very difficult to eat well during the holidays. If you have been looking for a way to get more of what you need from the food you eat, then you will be excited to see that this post will be sharing some ideas on how you can sneak more fruits and vegetables in your holiday dishes.

Special Salads

There are a number of salads that incorporate fruit into them such as the notorious Waldorf salad. This salad is made of mayonnaise, apples, raisins, berries and other fruits. These can be a great and even fun way to get your extra fruits in, but if the Waldorf doesn’t tickle your taste buds, you can also try something a little more relaxed like the Brussels sprouts slaw that uses thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, tossed in a light dressing with cranberries and Parmesan cheese. Mincing and dicing the vegetables into very small pieces can also go a long way for this purpose.

Rice Dishes

Rice dishes are great for dinners, and they accommodate the addition of vegetables very well. Few people have a serious issue with things like Spanish rice, and it usually will contain up to 3 different types of vegetables. Cutting your vegetables to sizes around a quarter of an inch can add rich flavor and a beautiful aesthetic appeal that has the potential to attract even the pickiest of eaters. This little trick works with quinoa as well. We do it here all the time!

Soups

This is one of the best ways to get your vegetables if you have trouble eating them. When a soup is made it simmers the contents until they are very soft. This could be very advantageous for people who don’t like to eat vegetables much because this gives them the benefit of the vegetables without having them have to sit and chew on them. The same goes for juicing your fruits and veggies. However, in a soup, the broth becomes the carrier of the nutrients.

Smoothies

Are you looking for a healthy way to start your day, while busy preparing a holiday meal? If so, you can get both fruits and veggies by making a smoothie. This is a lot healthier than making a batch of cinnamon rolls, and reduces the guilt later in the day when you indulge in all those taste holiday meals. We like to add a dash of cinnamon to our smoothies as another way to help balance blood sugar.

Mmmmmm….Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Pudding

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Yes, you probably want to start singing the jingle from the commercial:  Ch-ch-ch-chia (pet). And yes, you can eat this seed! Who would have thought it was so healthy back in the day? This chia pudding is so easy to make it’s almost too good to be true.

For 1-2 servings:

  • 1 cup coconut, almond, or hemp milk
  • 2-3 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1 banana
  • ½ cup blueberries (frozen are OK)
  • Handful of almonds or walnuts, if desired
  • Cinnamon, to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and let them sit in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Stir after a few minutes, as the chia is “gelling” into a pudding-like consistency. Let it sit in the refrigerator about 20 minutes or until ready to eat.

If you find the pudding too thick, you can add more milk or a little water. If you find the pudding too thin, add more chia or any of the other ingredients to make it thicker. You really can’t go wrong with chia pudding, which is why I love making it so much.

Now, let’s talk about the health benefits of chia. It is a superfood, for sure! According to Dr. Andrew Weil, chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids and provides fiber as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.

Another great benefit of chia seeds is that they are good for travel. Pack them in your suitcase and have them readily available to make chia pudding for breakfast or a snack in your hotel room. You can also pack travel size containers of almond milk (if checking luggage), as well as nuts and just pick up fresh fruit in your destination city.

Soon you will be singing ch-ch-ch-chia right along with me! Enjoy.

DIY Elderberry Syrup

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Elderberry syrup is all the rage for good reason. So, what’s all the chatter about with this tiny deep purple berry, Elderberry?

The glorious aubergine liquid has been a staple in our house for a few years due to its powerful ability to support our immune systems especially during cold and flu season. Neither one of us will even slightly entertain the idea of taking a flu shot. I wanted something that we could trust and that we were very sure of what was in it.

We all know there are two types of evidence. Empirical and anecdotal. I’m happy to report there are several studies showing the efficacy of elderberry to help boost the immune system and ease the symptoms of cold and flu. Anecdotally, I can tell you we’ve had great success avoiding the creeping crud and if it does start to take a hold of us, we stop it in its tracks!

black elderberry

What is Elderberry?

Elderberries are the fruit of the Sambucus tree. The most common type is the Sambucus nigra. The tree has clusters of small white or cream elderflowers and bunches of small blue or black elderberries.

The berries and the flowers each hold their own when it comes to supporting our immune systems.

Elderberry: Flavonoids (rutin, quercetin), terpenes, sambunigrin, sambucine, chlorgenic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium.

Elderflower: Flavonols; quercetin, anthocyanins, and isoquercitrin. Chlorogenic acid, erythrodiol and oleanolic acids.

Health Benefits

This natural remedy is packed with antiviral properties, especially against different strains of influenza virus. As a matter of fact, research has shown a standardized black elderberry extract to be effective in vitro against 10 strains of influenza.

But the benefits don’t stop there. If you are unfortunate enough to contract the “creeping crud” as I call it, researchers also show that black elderberry extract reduced the duration of flu symptoms by 3-4 days.

And it gets better!

For a healthy immune system black elderberry extract still shows benefits. Elderberry stimulates cytokine production in a healthy immune system to help ward off viral infections.

You can find commercial Elderberry products everywhere these days. Your options run the gamut from lozenges to gummies to syrups. Just be sure to opt for organic if possible!

The best way is to make your own! It is super simple and not too time consuming.

Elderberry Syrup

Try this simple elderberry syrup recipe as a daily immune booster or a delicious syrup on pancakes, crepes, or waffles.

Prep Time 5 min / Cook Time 1 hour / Inactive Time 15 min / Total Time 1 hour, 20 min

Yield 4 Cups

Ingredients

1 Cup dried elderberry – TIP: I use Frontier organic bulk elderberries because they are non-irradiated.

3 ½ cups of filtered water

2 tablespoons of fresh ginger root – TIP: I’ve used powder in a pinch, but the flavor is best with fresh!

1 teaspoon ground Ceylon cinnamon

½ teaspoon of ground clove or 1 tsp whole clove – TIP: I’ve used both the ground and whole clove in batches. We like the flavor profile when using the whole clove best!

1 cup raw honey – Tip: I use a local raw honey that is cultivated for allergy support!

Directions

  1. Pour water into medium sauce pan and add elderberries, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
  2. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. You want the liquid to be reduced by about half.
  3. Remove from the heat and let cool until it is cool enough to be handled.
  4. Mash the berries carefully using the back of a spoon or a potato masher.
  5. Pour through a strainer into a glass bowl or jar.
  6. After the liquid is no longer hot, add your honey and stir well. Adding the honey to hot liquid diminishes its power. Be sure it is cooled to just above room temp!
  7. Pour your syrup into glass jars to store. TIP: I use dark colored jars to store my syrup!

And that…is that! You just made nourishing elderberry syrup. Since your immune boosting elderberry syrup doesn’t have any preservatives it’s important to store in the fridge. You may store and use for up to 3 months if kept refrigerated.

Standard dose is ½ – 1 teaspoon for children and ½ – 1 tablespoon for adults. If the flu does make an appearance, take the normal does every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until symptoms disappear.

Looking for more information on boosting immunity? Check out the power of essential oils! They are a great tool in your wellness toolbox. 

1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11399518

What does a candy-free February look like?

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It looks better than you may have imagined!

Try some of these non-food nourishing gift ideas and I’ve added a yummy Homemade Chocolate Truffle recipe to satisfy the sweet tooth naturally:

♥ The American Heart Association suggests a gift from the heart, such as a poem or love letter. Choose a favorite poem or write what you feel. Write or type it on beautiful paper (check out some options on Etsy.) In between relationships? Write yourself a loving, “non-negotiable” list – all the things you will never put up with in a relationship ever again. Or write a friend or loved one who has been an inspiration or support in your life.

♥ Savor the moments in pictures. Do you have a ton of pictures on your phone but rarely print them out? Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to remember your loved ones with the thoughtful gift of photos. I love the app Groovebook – for $2.99 a month you can upload up to 100 pictures and Groovebook automatically sends you a photo album each month! Or go for a year of love with a photo calendar – apps like Shutterfly make it easy!

♥Get really decadent and draw yourself a relaxing bubble bath with candles, rose petals, and a bubbly beverage. Yes! You are worth it.

 ♥ Spend a night with no electronics or digital distractions! Make a fire, bundle up and go for a walk, or have a few friends over and serve the heart-healthy treats below with sparkling water and raspberries.

Instead of reaching for something sweet, chocolaty or gooey this Valentine’s Day, try some of these ideas for indulging the ones you love. (And that includes YOU!)

Taking time to draw a hot relaxing bath is a wonderful way to treat yourself!

Crowd out the candy with Homemade Chocolate Truffles

truffles

Ingredients:

2 cups organic pitted Medjool dates – soaked in warm water for 2- 3 hours

2- 3 TBSP raw cacao powder, extra for coating

¼ cup cacao nibs

¼ cups goji berries

1 TBSP coconut oil

2 TBSP chopped raw almonds, walnuts or cashews (soaked 1-3 hrs.)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

  1. Soak pitted dates in warm water for 2 – 3 hours, until soft.
  2. Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor until you have a very smooth, uniform consistency. Use your spatula to scrape the dough down until it’s well combined as you blend.
  3. Scoop out mixture one teaspoon at a time, roll into small balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Mixture will be very sticky; wet or lightly coat hands with coconut oil to make it easier to manage.
  4. Roll balls into additional cacao powder.
  5. Place truffles in the refrigerator for at least one hour to firm.

Chocolate Mint Fudge

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Chocolate Mint! Oh, my!

I grew up looking forward to all my Mom’s holiday candy making and fudge was always my favorite.

But here’s the deal… Since I’ve gotten the sugar monkey off my back the thought of Mom’s fudge just doesn’t do it for me anymore. No worries. I just came up with a healthier solution. A solution that makes me feel good when I indulge!

This yummy cacao (healthier than processed chocolate!) dessert recipe helps you get through the holidays without packing on the pounds or feeling deprived.

These are great for a pre-workout energy bite, to bring to a holiday party and to crowd-out holiday candy.

Chocolate-Mint Fudge

ChocolateMintFudgeBites
You will need a mini muffin tin and mini muffin papers.

Ingredients:
* 1 ½ cups walnuts
* 1 cup pitted dates
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1/3 cup cacao powder
* ½ cup fresh mint (or a drop of peppermint essential oil)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in food processor, pulse and then blend well. The mixture should have the consistency of peanut butter.

Use a melon baller to scoop out mixture and form into one-inch balls; place in mini muffin paper cups. (I place the paper cups in a mini muffin tray so they don’t slide around.)

Leave as a round ball or simply press mixture into muffin cup (not as pretty but less fuss).

Remove muffin cups from tray and place in a re-sealable storage container using wax paper in between layers; store in freezer for at least one hour.

Remove and serve cold or at room temperature.

*Note: if you are reducing caffeine for a better night’s sleep, remember that cacao has caffeine. If you do eat a piece of the fudge, do so earlier in the day!