BERRY BERRY CLEAN JAM

BERRY BERRY CLEAN JAM 

 I (raw vegan) haven't had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a long while... and for that matter neither has my honey Ryan (not a raw vegan but he eats what I make, which is; raw, high raw, vegan. So... this week I decided whip up something yummy. I wanted to test out a "clean" (NO artificial sweeteners, flavors, preservatives, chemicals, or gmo's) strawberry jam recipe. Oh man! This is a hit! Home run,  in fact... I used Strawberries here but I have since also tried it using a combo of strawberries and blackberries. So use what you like...

Ingredients

6 cups organic berries
3oz. fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup raw organic honey

Instructions

Hull strawberries and cut in each strawberry in half (or quarters if large), place in a large pot. Juice a lemon until you get 3oz. of juice and poor into the pot. Pour the honey into the pot and stir. Heat mixture on high until boiling stirring occasionally.  As soon as the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to medium low to simmer. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes until the strawberries become soft. Using a potato masher, mash the strawberries so there are no recognizable sections.  If you have an immersion blender, you can use that instead.

 Simmer for another 15-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The longer the mixture simmers, the thicker the consistency. Remember, the consistency will not be as thick as jams made with sugar and/or pectin but a super close contender and without the nasty ingredients.

Berry Berry Clean Jam can either be placed in freezer safe jars, or canned using a water bath for 10 minutes.

This was one of the easiest recipes I have ever done, not to mention the yummiest... and can easily be cut in half or less for smaller portions.

Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE CHIA PUDDING

CHOCOLATE CHIA PUDDING

Yum.
But Chocolate Pudding that is good for you?
Hard to find.  But this chia pudding really fits the bill. I have fond memories of warm pudding (made from a mix – Ugh!) from when I was growing up.  So it’s a comfort food that I love, but I needed to find a recipe that brought comfort to my whole self – not just my taste buds! I am always looking recipes that meet these criteria:

• fast
• budget-friendly
• nutritious
• delicious

Well, here is one that is sure to please on all counts. Partially because you can make it without sugar and partially because it’s main ingredient is – Chia! Chia is an amazing nutritional powerhouse.

What’s so great about chia?

• 4 grams of complete protein
• 4.5 grams of omega 3 oils
• 5.5 grams fiber
• 9% RDA calcium
• 7% RDA iron

Wondering where to buy chia?

Try your local health food store, or online.  Amazon has a nice price and  Nutiva is quite good.
So here is another great way to get good nutrition into you and your family, without taking a lot of work.


Makes 3-4 servings
Ingredients

2 1/2 cups almond milk (or dairy-free alternative. 
1/2 cup chia (white or black)
6 Tbsp cacao powder (or carob) powder
2 scoops (1/16 tsp) stevia powder (or approx. 1/4 cup acceptable sweetener, to taste)
1/8 cup sweetener (agave)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch Himalayan sea salt

Directions

1.  Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor (UPDATE:  if you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, you can just process the whole thing in there.  If not, I have a tip.  Grind the chia seeds first and then blend everything together.)

2.  Mix thoroughly until ultra smooth.

3.  Pour mixture into a storage container, preferably glass.

4.  Store in the fridge (if you have any left).

5.  Top with coconut, chopped nuts (preferably soaked and dehydrated), Cacao nibs — you name it!

I am sure you are going to love this.  My family wolfed down all of my kitchen tested versions in a flash this morning.  So I would recommend making a double or triple batch!

THE FLU BUSTER JUICE

THE FLU BUSTER JUICE

I will always remember January as the month when I couldn't get out of bed for over a week straight. That dang flu bug took me down that year and I fell hard. I honestly haven't been that sick in over two years! 

Since I try to rely on natural remedies as opposed to drug store versions, I tried practically every home remedy I could get my hands on. The winners included gargling with salt water (to ease a sore throat), a hot bath with eucalyptus oil (to clear out the sinuses) and this Flu Buster Juice (to ease general symptoms/immune support). 

I won’t lie: this juice is intense. This juice is a powerful punch of lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper to top it off. It’s powerful enough that just two ounces will do the trick.  Bottoms up!

Depending on the desired intensity, you can adjust the ratio of garlic and ginger. And if you can't handle the thought of downing this without a little sweetness, an orange will lighten this combo up and add a Vitamin C boost!

The Flu Buster Juice

Makes about 2 ounces

1 lemon, peeled

1 - 4 garlic cloves

1-inch piece fresh ginger

cayenne pepper

Juice lemon, garlic, and ginger and pour into shot glass (or regular glass). Top with a dash of cayenne pepper and drink.

SPICY GRANOLA LOVE NUGGS ❤

SPICY GRANOLA LOVE NUGGS 

We celebrated this Valentines Day early so I could get this romantic treat out to you in time to share them with your love.I call them Love Nuggs because I cut them down into little bite size nuggets.

Ingredients

Granola

1 1/2 cups organic rolled oats
1 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds & Brazil nuts, they're Ryan's favorite)
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup raw cacao nibs
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut flake (reserve some to sprinkle on top)
1/2 cup organic peanut butter
3/4 cup raw organic honey (reserve 2 Tbsp to drizzle on top)

Cacao frosting (for drizzle)

1/4 cup cacao powder
1/8 or less (dash) cayenne pepper
2-3 Tbsp raw organic agave
1 Tbsp coconut oil
optional - Himalayan sea salt (pinch)


Instructions

Preheat oven to 350•

Place all granola ingredients in a large bowl and mix until all ingredients are incorporated evenly.

Line a 8"x8" or 9"x9"baking pan with parchment paper. Press granola mixture into the lined pan and press it all in place evenly.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Now, at this point the granola will still be a little warm, this is when I like to cut them so they don't just crumble apart.

Carefully remove the parchment paper from the baking pan and set aside. Cut into bite size or granola bar size but do not separate.

Cacao Frosting

In a small glass bowl mix cacao powder, agave, and coconut oil until you get a frosting like texture.

Melt the cacao frosting and drizzle over granola. I do not use a microwave so I did this by putting the frosting into small glass measuring bowl then adding that bowl to a small pot filled with shallow water on on med/high heat and stirring constantly until I got the drizzle consistency that I wanted. 

Melt and drizzle the reserve honey over the granola. I used the same melting method as I did with the frosting.

Sprinkle coconut flakes over the granola, chill or freeze for 30 min and enjoy

Ryan kinda made me jump the gun a little bit on this batch, he watched me the entire time and couldn't resist the moment that I took them out of the pan. He kept asking, are they done yet, are they done yet?? I felt bad for him... So, I gave in and cut him a couple of big bars but they kinda fell apart on me.  That's OK though... He asked foe a spoon a happily dug in. A moan after the first bite and I knew that my Live Nuggs where a hit!

NATURAL PINK LEMONADE

NATURAL PINK LEMONADE

This recipe makes 2 12oz drinks and can easily be doubled and tripled for larger amounts.
 
Directions

1 bag of cranberries, 1, 6 ounce container pomegranate seeds, 1 orange peeled, 2 granny smith apples, 1 whole lemon with peel on. 


Instructions

Put all ingredients in the juicer, in the order I listed, when finished pour in 1/2 cup filtered water and 1 scoop of pure stevia sweetener, mix well, pour into glass over ice and ENJOY!

BASIL / GREEN APPLE SMOOTHIE

BASIL / GREEN APPLE SMOOTHIE 

This yummy smoothie is iron rich, packed with vitamin A and K, high in fiber, heart healthy, contains minerals, lowers cholesterol, and supports weight-loss.
Ingredients
 
2 Green apples (peeled, cored)
3 Limes (peeled)
6-8 Basil leaves (fresh)
1 Banana (frozen) 
Sea salt (pinch)
1/2 Liquid (almond milk, coconut water, water)
Handful of ice
Sweetener optional (agave, stevia, raw honey)

Directions

Blend all ingredients together until smooth 

LEAN GREEN JUICE

LEAN GREEN JUICE

6 kale leaves
2 cups spinach
1 cucumber w/ peel
4 celery stalks
4 apples
1 (1-inch) piece of ginger

Please ONLY use organic ingredients