FAVORITE JUICE RECIPES- CLEAN EATING

I am a huge fan of juicing; it is part of my regular diet. I also use it for a complete body cleanse/detox and I rely on it for when I am feeling run down with a cold creeping in on me. There is nothing like loading your body with micronutirients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants to make you feel healthy and full of energy.

Here is a link to some juicing documentaries from my Documentary List that I really enjoyed...(Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, The Beautiful Truth and The Gerson Miracle).

I use the Omega VRT350HD Low Speed Juicing System and I really like it.

When I am doing a detox, I will buy big bags of organic produce, especially apples and carrots. Talk to your local market, they should be able to special order large bags of produce for you and give you a nice discount on price.

If you don't have a garden or cannot afford to purchase everything organic, make sure you are at least purchasing organic items off the Dirty Dozen List .

This weekend we made a rainbow of juices which they thought was great. We had fun sampling and trying to guess what all the fruits and vegetables were in each juice.


FAVORITE JUICE RECIPES
Adapted loosely from rebootwithjoe, choosingraw, fitday, juicemaster

The Pink Lady - the most beautiful rich burgundy hue, sweet and delicious. My daughter loves this but you have to be careful because this juice stains!
1 apple
1 beet- including stems and leaves
1/2 inch knob of ginger
1 cup pineapple, chunks


Mean Green Juice- The classic green juice recipe from Joe Cross from Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.
1 cucumber
4 celery stalks
2 apples
6-8 leaves kale
1/2 lemon
1/2 inch knob of ginger


The Veggie Ginger- A classic veggie mix spiced up with the ginger.
3 large carrots
1 beet- including stems and leaves
1 green apple
4 large stalks celery
1 large handful of spinach, parsley, or other dark green
1 small cucumber
1/2 inch knob ginger


Baby’s First Green - The perfect elixir for kids or anyone who is new to green juice!
1 apple
2 carrots
1 cup pineapple, cubed
3-4 large stalks kale
1 cucumber


Sherbet Lemonade- Kid's favorite, simply  juice apples and lemon and pour over ice.
2 Golden Delicious apples
1/3 of a lemon - wax free and with the rind
2 ice cubes


Apple Carrot- Kid's favorite
2 apples
5 carrots


Strawberry Orange-Kid's favorite
3 oranges, peeled but white pith can be left on
6 strawberries

The pulp looks as beautiful as the juice...

Let the guessing begin...

We also made puffy paint...

PUFFY PAINT
1 c. salt

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 c. water, plus more as needed

Food coloring

Glitter (optional)

Stir until combined with NO clumps. Add more water until you have desired consistency. You need it runny enough to squeeze out of bottle but not too thin otherwise it will not be puffy on the paper. Pour equally into squeezy bottles (available at beauty supply stores or craft stores) and add a couple drops of food coloring and mix. If you don't have bottles, small plastic sandwich bags with the corner ends snipped would also work.

Note: Paint will dry on the paper raised, hard, and gritty. The glitter will show once it is dried.

 

If you have leftovers it can be stored int he refrigerator until you are ready to use again.

 

PRINTABLE FAVORITE JUICE RECIPES

PRINTABLE PUFFY PAINT RECIPE

SLOW COOKER SESAME CHICKEN- CLEAN EATING

Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken- Clean Eating
Adapted loosely from Emilylovesfood
Serves 4

2 organic, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon onion flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
3 tablespoons tomato puree/sauce
1/2 cup water
2 cups broccoli florets, to serve
2 cups quinoa, to serve
Toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Place the chicken in the slow cooker.

In a small bowl, combine the onion flakes, garlic, honey, coconut aminos, tomato puree and water. Mix and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. My slow cooker runs hot so 4 hours is enough time for me. You do not want dried out meat so make sure you adjust time as needed.

Twenty minutes before you want to serve-

Cook the quinoa:
Prepare the quinoa according to your package instructions.
This is how I make quinoa: I clean it under cool water and rub the seeds together for about 30 seconds, then rinse and repeat. Quinoa has a protective coating called saponin that will taste bitter if you don't rinse it off. Then I add 2 cups of the rinsed and drained quinoa and 3 cups water to a pot, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork. All of the water should dissolved.

Shred the chicken:
Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir with the remaining liquid.

Cook the broccoli:
Fill a steamer pot with 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a rapid boil then steam broccoli for 5 minutes.

Toast the sesame seeds:
In a dry frying pan toast the sesame seeds over medium heat for a bout 3 minutes. Shake the pan to make seeds do not burn. Immediately remove from heat once they are golden-brown and toasted.

Place the broccoli over the quinoa on plate and top with the chicken/sauce mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

 

Hike by the river...

The kids thought it would be more fun if we took the muddiest path possible. We made it a ways and then we all started sinking and sliding so we had to turn back...

Cleaning his boots in the cold river...

Waiting patiently for me to get home and put out the bird seed. They come every afternoon at about 4pm.





PRINTABLE RECIPE

FROSTY PAWS DOG TREATS

My dog goes CRAZY for these treats. I made two flavors: peanut butter and pumpkin. From all the sources I checked, yogurt seems to be perfectly safe for dogs and and good for their digestive system but ask your vet first if you are concerned. I made small bite-sized star shaped treats out of silicone ice cube molds for a quick treat and I made larger treats by partially filling ramekins for when he needs a little busy time.

FROSTY PAWS DOG TREATS

3 cups (24 oz) plain all-natural Greek yogurt (perfect for when you are pushing the expiration date)

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter or 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Glass ramekins, freezer safe containers or ice cube trays

Mix the ingredients together and fill ice cube molds...

 or glass ramekins. And freeze.

My dog is about 100 pounds and it takes him a good 15 minutes to lick this ramekin clean.

This is a perfect snack for dogs who are nervous and need a little busy time or for dogs who get distressed when you leave the house. I use this for my dog when people stop over and he is WAY too happy to greet them.

Good Boy... 

 



We took a road trip...

to my father's land...

The birds were in perfect spring chorus; robins chirping, geese honking, crows cawing and eagles screeching.

The eagles were also soaring...amazing!

These are two juvenile eagles, under the age of four, their tail and head feathers have not changed to white yet. They were gliding, swooping and chasing each other in a beautiful flight display. Eagles pick their partners for life.

This one is mature...

Complete serenity... 

Keep your eyes up to the sky, they are making a come back!

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.
~George Gordon Byron

PRINTABLE RECIPE



SALMON SALAD WITH AVOCADO AND EGG- CLEAN EATING

 

I love salmon, probably my favorite source of protein. Many nights my husband comes home from the restaurant and brings me wild caught salmon. I can usually eat half the fillet so often there are leftovers in the refrigerator. 

SALMON SALAD WITH AVOCADO AND EGG- CLEAN EATING

3-4 ounces of wild caught salmon, (leftovers)
1 hard boiled egg (recipe here)
1/2 avocado
salt
pepper

Mash everything together, taste and season. Eat as is...I prefer on toast.

 Perfect dinner with the Roasted Red Pepper Dip and carrot sticks.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

ROASTED RED PEPPER DIP- CLEAN EATING

I love this dip, it is so easy and it tastes good with everything! I especially love it with carrot sticks; however, veggies like celery, radishes, cucumbers and peppers would all be great. And don't forget pita, pita chips or crackers...you get the idea.

ROASTED RED PEPPER DIP- CLEAN EATING
Makes about 3/4 cup of dip

1 red pepper, roasted or a 7-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, roasted
1 garlic clove, minced (I use roasted garlic but raw is fine)
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of onion powder
salt

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the clean pepper on baking sheet. Roast, turning occasionally until the skins are charred and the pepper collapses. (Skip this step if you are using the jar of roasted red peppers).

Once the skins are charred, place the pepper in a Ziploc bag to allow to sweat, for 10 minutes minimum. You can let it sit much longer if you want and then you probably won't burn your fingers like I do. Peel the charred skins from the pepper and then remove seeds and set aside.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Roast nuts on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Put everything in food processor and puree, scrape sides occasionally to make sure everything is blended. Add more olive oil if it is too thick. Taste and add more salt or onion powder if needed.

Now throw some dip in a little mason jar, along with some carrot sticks...

store in the refrigerator and you have a quick grab-and-go snack for tomorrow...

 

This evening I had two deer come investigate my birdseed wreath...they like it :)

PRINTABLE RECIPE

 

BIRDSEED WREATH

The sun is shining and the birds are singing today...

BIRDSEED WREATH
adapted from martha stewart and the mother huddle

8 cups of birdseed
1 cup water
2 packets of Knox unflavored gelatin
cooking spray
Bunt pan or other mold with a hole in the center
Hemp or ribbon

Note: adjust recipe for the size of your mold...

In a large bowl mix 1 cup water and gelatin together, until the gelatin dissolves.
Add 8 cups of the bird seed and stir. Let the geletin sit for a few minutes and stir again, you want all the seeds to be wet.

Spray the bunt pan well, then scoop the seed into the pan. Press the seed down with a spoon or spatula.

Chill for at least two hours in the fridge or let dry out on the counter for 24-48 hours. I made this wreath when it was 10 degrees F; I refrigerated it for 2 hours then hung out on the tree and it was fine however, if you are in warmer weather you may want to try drying it out for 24-48 hours to make certain the seeds are stuck together.

Get a long piece of ribbon wide enough to hold the weight of the wreath or use a few hemp stings and tie to a branch outside your window.

Waiting his turn...

 

 

PRINTABLE RECIPE

KIWIFRUIT POPSICLES (KIWI POPS)

These are delicious, not necessarily healthy but wonderful for a once in a while treat. Who would have known that frozen kiwifruit (kiwi) was so good?! I tried this with frozen banana pieces and pineapple chunks as well but they didn't even come close to the kiwi pops!

For maximum health benefits use a good dark chocolate with cocoa content of 65 percent or higher. "Flavanoids in cocoa beans have antioxidant effects that reduce cell damage implicated in heart disease. Flavanoids — which are more prevalent in dark chocolate than in milk chocolate or white chocolate — also help lower blood pressure and improve vascular function. In addition, some research has linked chocolate consumption to reduced risks of diabetes, stroke and heart attack." (mayoclinic.com)

Kiwifruit is a rich source of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E, fiber and once again flavonoids. (Fruitsandveggiesmorematters.com)

 

KIWIFRUIT POPSICLES (KIWI POPS)
adapted from show food chef
Makes 12

3 kiwi, peeled
6 ounces dark chocolate (6 squares), 65% or higher cocoa content
1/2 cup coconut oil

Cut each peeled kiwifruit into 4 round disk shapes, so you have a total of 12 disks from the three kiwifruit. Insert a popsicle stick into the kiwi disks.

Place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper and freeze for a few hours or until frozen.

Now melt the chocolate and the coconut oil in a double boiler. If you don't have one just fill a pan with about 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer, set a metal bowl or another pan over the pan simmering with water and melt the chocolate and oil in the bowl/pan making sure not to let water or steam touch the chocolate. Stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted. Turn off heat.


Take the frozen kiwi popsicles out of the freezer and dip each one in the chocolate.

 It will harden almost immediately so you can hold in in your hand, rotating until the chocolate is set and dried.

 

 Set on a serving plate and continue for all popsicles.

 

You can eat immediately or refreeze.

A bitter cold day today; stuck inside...so we made a maze with masking tape for the cars and monster trucks...

 

PRINTABLE RECIPE