Do you Chia?

 

 

Have you ever used chia? I have used it in a few recipes, as well as an egg substitute. Chia contains ALA, alpha-linolenic acid, which is an Omega-3 essential fatty acid that supports heart health and fiber which supports normal functioning of the digestive tract. Chia seeds are easily digestible and don’t have to be ground.

 

A suggested serving is 1 tablespoon a day. One way to make sure you get this is to add Chia to iced tea or any other drink. Place 1 tablespoon chia seeds in 1/3 cup water and let sit for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. That’s it! Just add it to juice or tea and enjoy. It took me a while to get used to it, they kind of taste like tiny boba. I have learned to just swallow instead of chew on the seeds.

 

 

 

Do you chia?

Mexican Quinoa Salad {Recipe}

 

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups water (or chicken or vegetable broth)

Dash of garlic powder

Dash of ground cumin

Dash of salt

Dash of freshly ground black pepper

1 cup frozen sweet white corn

1 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

Handful of chopped cilantro

Handful of grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Green Salsa (optional)

Avocado (optional)

 

Add the quinoa to a pot and cover with water/broth. Stir in spices. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes (or until all the liquid is absorbed). When the quinoa is done, throw in the frozen corn and black beans and cover for about 5 minutes. After, add in remainder of the ingredients (into pot or transfer to a bowl), mix well, then serve and top with additional cilantro if desired. You can also eat it with tortilla chips or add them on top!

 

If you would like it a little spicier, you can add a dash cayenne pepper when making the quinoa. I also like to add some fresh lemon juice right before I eat the salad!

 

Enjoy!

 

If you are looking for more salad recipes check out the Summer Salad Linky on my blog. I am also linking up to  Coping with Frugality and Delicious Dish Tuesday, check out all the recipes linked up there as well!

Kale Summer Salad Recipe

 

kale salad 571
 

I am on a salad kick right now! When it is too hot to cook or bake, creative salads can be the main course! I currently eat a salad everyday for lunch and sometimes for dinner too! I get on a certain salad kick and eat the same salad everyday for a week or two, but then I want something different!

 

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Revenge of the Vegetarian Book {Review}


I am mostly a vegetarian! I don’t cook any meat in my house…ever! I do eat meat though, especially if someone else makes it for me. I choose to not consume a lot of meat, as does my husband, for many reasons. One of those reasons is that we eat mostly organic food and organic, ethically raised meat is very expensive and hard to find! I am currently trying to do a vegan diet in order to lose weight. And when I say vegan, I mean a mostly vegetable, lentil, nut, fruit diet. In general, I don’t eat a lot of dairy, besides cheese and if it is in some breads or baked goods. We drink Almond Milk in my house. I plan on starting a Vegan/Vegetarian Recipe page on my blog dedicated to HEALTHY recipes. (Sidenote: You can be vegan or vegetarian and still eat a ton of unhealthy food! My goal is to post healthy vegan/vegetarian recipes!)

 

When I saw this book up for review, I jumped on it! I have actually never read a book about being a vegetarian and I thought this looked amusing! Revenge of the Vegetarian is truly a humorous spin on being a vegetarian and how you fit into the world of meat eaters!

 

Revenge of the Vegetarian: A Humorous Spin on the World of Vegetarianism is written by Jim Tilberry who has been a vegetarian since 1998.  The book covers vegetarian topics, such as 10 reasons to become a vegetarian, including the reason that you can show off your vocabulary with words like “vegan”, “tempeh”, and “seitan”.  Another part includes types of vegetarians, and gives them all official names. And if you need advice about “coming out” to mom and dad, don’t worry because there is a whole section dedicated to that as well! Also, if you need advice on how to deal with meat eaters, this book is chalk full of helpful tips! There is also a physic section with interviews with famous vegetarians of the past including Gandhi, Socrates, and Ben Franklin! If you are wondering what the world would look like if vegetarians were in charge than this is the book for you. Did I tell you there were drawings and pictures throughout the book to illustrate all these ideas? :)

 

I thought this book was humorous and should be read by vegetarians and vegans who have a sense of humor. This book makes fun of everyone, especially meat eaters. This paperback book is a real easy read, only 70 pages, and very enjoyable.

 

You can buy this book on for $11.95!

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

 

Organic Kale Chip Recipe

 

I am going through a phase right now: Kale Chips!!!

 

I want to eat them everyday! They are so easy to make and take only 20 minutes including prep.

 

Here is everything that you will need!

Baking Sheet

Sea Salt

Garlic Olive Oil (or any other infused or plain olive oil)

Oil Spray

Organic Kale

Nutritional Yeast

 

Preheat oven to 350

Wash kale and pat dry

 

Tear or cut up into pieces, removing the thick core if desired.

Spray baking sheet then place pieces of kale on it.

 

Drizzle olive oil over kale then sprinkle with sea salt and nutritional yeast

(less salt is better)

 

Bake for about 10-12 minutes and check on them.

Don’t let them brown too much or they will taste bitter.

I like them a little more chewy than too dry.

 

Depending on your oven it may take up to 15 minutes to bake.

I encourage you to experiment with them trying different seasonings and different infused oils if you have them!

 

I used Bari Garlic Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the flavor is amazing!

 

ENJOY!!!!

 

Organic Green Juice {Recipe}

 

All you need is a juicer and your favorite veggies and apples!

 

For this juice, I used some kale and chard, cucumbers, zucchini, bell peppers, apples and a lemon! Chop everything up to fit in the juicer. I start with the chard and kale and push it through with the more solid piece so it doesn’t get jammed. I also save the lemon for last because it is juicier and will push the remainder of the veggies through. I also strain out the pulp…I like my juice smooth, not chunky! And my little helpers like to juice as well!

 

 

Do you juice? I would love to know what veggies you use!

 

I LOVE Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil {+Recipes}

Product was given to me in order to post my honest opinion.

 

I love finding companies that support an eco-friendly lifestyle! I stumbled upon Tropical Traditions a couple of years ago through a blog review! I was in awe of the variety of products they carried as well as their idea surrounding organic and natural living. The couple behind Tropical Traditions is Brian and Marianita Shilhavy, who while living in the Phillipines, rediscovered the original method to create coconut oil by hand: Expeller Pressed! This Coconut Oil Revolution caught on with consumers and soon became the most demanded product!

 

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