Mainly Greens

Recipes

Kid Approved Chia Pudding…Delicious and easy to make!

by 4 Comments

I have tried several chia pudding recipes over the last few years and believe me when I say it….this one takes the top prize. You know it’s good when the kids are actually fighting over the last little bit in the bowl. Up until this recipe, I had been struggling to get our kids to eat chia pudding. I absolutely love it and even love the texture, but the girls were always less than thrilled when it was in the morning line up of breakfast options.

Not only is it super delicious, its easy to make! My kinda recipe.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 8 pitted Dates
  • 2 cups of water
  • 2 cups of non-salted raw cashews
  • 1/2 cup of ice
  • 1 cup of chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla
  • 2 oz of agave

Instructions:

Blend the water, cashews, ice, dates, vanilla and agave. Then pour into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of water and then slowly add in chia seeds. Make sure to stir chia seeds as pour them in. Let it set for 5 minutes and stir again. Store in a glass container overnight.

We usually top the chia pudding when served with whatever fresh berries we have in the fridge (blueberries, strawberries or raspberries are our typical goto’s). We also like to sprinkle coconut flakes, cacao nibs, or pumpkin seeds to top it off and add a little crunch. Feel free to add whatever you please to customize to your liking.

The chia seeds will expand leaving it like the consistency of pudding. They have amazing health and healing benefits and we try to incorporate them daily. I recently wrote about chia and my other favorite seeds. You can click here to read more if you missed it.

If you like this article and would like to be on my mailing list to get future posts direct to your in box, you can click here to join!

I would love to hear what your thought of this recipe. Please share so others can enjoy it as well.

A healthy treat your family will love…delicious and loaded with super foods!

by 1 Comment

Who says that eating healthy has to be a drag? Over the years I have gotten comments when I pass on the cookies and cake that I need to live a little. While passing up sweet treats every now and again can be difficult at times I make up for it by making something using REAL food and REAL ingredients. In my quest to eat better I discovered food I never knew existed. To my delight, one of those foods I discovered was Acai bowls. Pronounced ah-sigh-EE.

Acai is a berry that comes from a palm tree in South America. It is found in the Amazon forest. The acai berry is rich in antioxidants and is full of health benefits. Some of the more notable health benefits are as follows:

Anti-aging Effects

Improves Digestion

Improves Mental Function

Promotes Heart Health

Aides in Weight Loss

Fights Cancer

Boosts Energy

If you have been following my blog you know that my goal is to eat only real ingredients that can improve my health and not hurt it. Not only does acai have impressive stats…..so do the rest of the ingredients that are in the acai bowls. This is a sweet treat that our family absolutely loves, and while the list of ingredients is long….it is relatively simple to make at home.

Like anything you are trying to make for the first time it might take a little bit, but stick with it cause its so worth it once you bite into this sweet treat. It will leave you feeling satisfied and energized. While we typically have this for lunch, our kids have been requesting it for morning too. Since our mornings tend to be a tighter schedule I will have to make sure the granola is cooked and ready to go and berries washed and ready.

One last thing before I give you the recipe. The acai powder is the only thing I had a harder time finding locally. You can either pick up a bag of acai powder at a local health food store or buy it from amazon.

Acai Bowl Recipe

Serves 2

Acai bowl Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 Banana
  • 1 1/3 cups Frozen Berries
  • 2/3 cup Baby Spinach (always hiding the greens every place I can)
  • 2/3 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (any nut milk would do)
  • 1 1/3 tbsps Ground Flax Seed
  • 1 1/3 tbsps Chia Seeds
  • 1 1/3 tbsps Acai Powder
  • 1 1/3 tsps Cinnamon

Directions: Put all the above ingredients in a blender. It should be the constancy of ice cream. Place the granola at the bottom of the bowl and then top with granola as well. Follow recipe for topping your bowl with whatever fruits and seeds you like. See directions below.

Making the granola for the acai bowl.

Granola Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup of Rolled Old Fashion Oats
  • 1/4 Cup Coconut Flakes
  • 1/4 Pure Maple Syrup
  • 1 tbsp of Raw Honey
  • 1 tbsp of Maple Sugar (or you could use Coconut Sugar)
  • 1 tbsp of Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp of Vanilla extract (add Vanilla after you remove from heat)

Stir all together and heat on stove top to melt all the ingredients. Add the vanilla after you remove from heat. Bake at 275 for 30-40 minutes. I bake the granola on a cookie sheet using parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper you can grease the pan with coconut oil. Once the granola cools it will harden and be ready for your acai bowl. I always have this granola on hand so I can have it ready to go for the next time I make an acai bowl.

Top your acai bowl with:

  • 1/3 cup Strawberries (sliced)
  • 1/3 cup Blueberries
  • 2/3 Kiwi (sliced)
  • 2 tsps Hemp Seeds
  • 1/3 cup Sliced Bananas
  • 1/3 cup Almond slices
  • Drizzle raw honey

Directions: You can use whatever berries or fruit you want, but load it up and have fun with it. You can’t mess it up. I recently made it for my mother-in-law and she said she loved how she had a different taste with every bite.

I would love to hear if you and your family loved it as much as we do. Leave a comment below. I always love hearing from you.

Also, If you like this recipe and would like to join my mailing list to get future posts direct to your inbox you can link here.

Want to stay healthy during cold and flu season?

by 4 Comments

Want to stay healthy during cold and flu season?  Look no further than your own body.  By now, I think most of us know that the key to staying healthy is our immune system.  Our immune system is on the front lines for us every single day being constantly bombarded with infectious organisms and other invaders who’s goal is to infiltrate and wreak havoc on our health. [Read more…] about Want to stay healthy during cold and flu season?

The benefits of Juicing vs. Blending

by 5 Comments

The number one question I get asked from people when they find out that I juice, is what’s the difference between juicing and blending and which one is better for you?  My simple answer is, they are very different from each other, but both extremely healthy.  When I started juicing I was 2 rounds into my chemo treatment and was feeling pretty crummy.  I went to a juicing class, bought a juicer, and began juicing.  It was just what my body needed.   I started to feel better after about 2 weeks straight of juicing twice daily. [Read more…] about The benefits of Juicing vs. Blending

Want an easy breakfast….try my overnight oats!

by 6 Comments

I don’t know about you, but mornings for us with our 3 girls can be pretty hectic.  Every minute counts.  Up until a few years ago our biggest decision in the morning was what kind of cereal did they want to eat.  I think we always had 3 different brands and flavors on hand.  Mornings were pretty simple, until we decided to kick that sugar bomb of a breakfast to the curb. Even the brands that market themselves as healthy choices are usually full of sugar and suspect ingredients.

[Read more…] about Want an easy breakfast….try my overnight oats!