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On-the-Go Energy Oatmeal

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Looking for a grab and go snack?

Packed with nutrients and super simple to take with you on trips. All you need is hot water and you are all set!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup 100% rolled oats oatmeal
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp ground flax seeds
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup sliced almonds or pecans
Dash of sea salt

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a resealable storage bag along with adisposable spoon. It’s perfect for on-the-go — just add hot water and stir. This easy, nutrient-dense snack is full of disease-fighting nutrients and health benefits that will keep you full and help curb your cravings!

Protein Bars with Pumpkin Spice

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Protein Bars with Pumpkin Spice

I love the flavors of Fall like pumpkin spice and always try to think of new and fun ways of incorporating them into our daily meals. This little gem of a protein bar fits the bill and gives us a boost of protein in our snack.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (for garnish)
  • ½ cup sesame seeds
  • 1 TBSP raw honey
  • ¼ cup raw cashews
  • 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
  • 2 TBSP unsweetened coconut
  • 1 tsp plain almond milk
  • ½ cup plain or vanilla plant-based protein powder (i.e. Vega, Garden of Life or Sun Warrior brands)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon each ground nutmeg, clove, ginger, allspice
  • ¼ to ½ cup pumpkin puree, canned (no sugar added) or fresh
  • 2 TBSP raw pumpkin seeds

Directions:

To make the garnish, lay the pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet in single layer; bake at 350o F for 5 minutes or until toasted light brown. Remove from oven and scoop into a bowl; set aside.

To make the bars, begin by blending just the sesame seeds and raw honey in a food processor until smooth; set aside in small bowl.

Next, put all remaining ingredients in the food processor and combine until chunky-smooth. Place in medium bowl and mix in the sesame-honey mixture; combine until well-blended.

Line an 8×8 glass baking dish with parchment paper OR coat lightly with coconut oil. Spoon the batter into the baking dish. If too sticky, add a small amount of water, less than a teaspoon at a time. Keep the batter thick, not runny!

Press the top of the batter with the roasted pumpkin seed garnish. Freeze for 2-3 hours or until solid. Remove and cut into 16 mini bars and serve cold.

For the leftover pumpkin puree try this Pumpkin Pie Smoothie recipe!

 

Is Trendy Necessarily True?

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We’ve all been guilty of jumping on the latest trendy fashion, right? When it comes to our health we need to err on the side of caution. Flashy headlines with the sweet promise of the perfect figure are suspect at best. At their worst they are dangerous to our health. Sustainable health is found in common sense. We all have it, we just need to flex its muscle. The first step is to trust your inner voice. You know the voice that whispers softly, “This is bunk!”, when you read the latest and greatest diet or exercise trend. But do you listen?

We are conditioned to not listen to that powerful voice, but I propose it is the most important voice we hear. You know what feels right. Trust yourself. Tell trendy to take a hike! When you tune into your intuition, and trust it, a  powerful shift takes place. Balance becomes your new mantra and life simplifies.

Glazed Walnut Snack

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BRAIN FOOD!

Living a sustainable life means more than recycling, gardening and car pooling. When Jerry and I started on this journey we sat down and talked about what ‘living a sustainable life’ meant to us. After careful thought, and really great discussion, we came to the conclusion that if we wanted to be successful – as in any venture – we would require a firm foundation. Hence, the idea of building blocks was born. We defined our building blocks for a truly sustainable life as; Food, Shelter, Transportation, Energy and Health. Of course there is much more involved, but these building blocks, we decided, are our foundation.

Sustaining your health to be able bodied and ready to do things for yourself is a key component. We are not the poster children for healthy lifestyle…yes, we have a few vices or bad habits…BUT…we do strive to live a healthy lifestyle. One of the challenges I faced (I’m the head cook here!) was finding healthy alternatives for snacking. You can become overwhelmed when you start to research nutrition and begin to sift for truth from fiction. I’ve made up my mind that is all about balance.

When looking for a snack to replace the candy coated chocolates that find their way into the pantry, I had a goal. I wanted to find something Jerry would really like and it would provide a benefit – besides caloric intake. I found it! Walnuts. Studies have shown Walnuts to be heart healthy because of the omega-3 fatty acids they provide. To the extent that the FDA “said walnuts would be considered “new drugs” and as such would require a new drug application to become FDA-approved.”1

I was on a mission. I played around with the recipe until I came up with this yummy treat. I use my dehydrator and keep them on a low temperature so they are technically still ‘raw’, but some people find raw nuts harder to digest and a nice toasting in the oven will work well too. Give these a try and let us know what you think!

Glazed Walnuts

Ingredients:

1/3 C. Organic Raw Agave

1 Tbl Organic Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Ginger

½ Tbl Carob Powder

1 tsp Vanilla (homemade – extra yummy)

5-6 C Organic Raw Walnuts

Directions:

Mix the agave, cinnamon, ginger, carob and vanilla in a decent sized bowl. Once blended well, add the walnuts and toss. You want a nice coating on all the nuts – not swimming in it!

This is where you decide…

Dehydrator Method:

Spread mixture evenly on a Paraflexx® sheet (parchment paper will work as well) – makes about two trays. Dehydrate them at 105⁰ for approximately 5-6 hours. The timing depends on several factors (humidity, personal preference). We like our Glazed Walnuts to not feel tacky and have a bit of a crunch, but you do whatever suits your tastes.

Ready for the dehydrator!

Oven Method:

Spread mixture evenly on a silpat baking mat (parchment paper will work as well) – makes about 1 large cookie sheet. Toast them at 200⁰ for 20-30 minutes. Again, this is a personal preference. Just keep a close eye on them if you use the oven.

Enjoy!

Resources:

1. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/07/fda-says-walnuts-are-drugs.aspx