Green Protein Smoothie

Need some protein and wanna get some greens in too?

Here's one recipe for a smoothie full of protein and good greens.





Serves: 1-2


Ingredients w/ Protein Content:
1-1/2 to 2 cups - Milk  (9-16g of protein; depending on whether it's goat or cow)
4 - raw eggs or favorite protein powder (24g)
1 - Banana (ripe)   (1g)
1 - half Avocado   (1g)
1 cup - Spinach   (6g)
1 teaspoon - Honey (or 1/2 t of Stevia)   (0)

1-2 dashes - Cayenne Pepper   (0)

Directions:
Pour the Milk in blender and add other contents.  Blend.  Drink!

A few notes:
It should go without saying but always try and use Organic ingredients.

Milk:
I use raw goat milk rather than cow's milk because:
   A) Goat milk is healthier and more bioavailable to the body.
   B) Goat milk is higher in protein than cow's milk.   Approx. 9grams of protein in Goat milk as
        compared to 5-6grams of protein in cow's milk per 1 cup. 

Eggs or Powder:
You'll also notice I listed RAW eggs.  This is ONLY because I raise my own chickens!  If I didn't have my own fresh, healthy source of eggs I wouldn't be using raw.  If you have your own, or you know of a trusted source for them, there's nothing better for protein (and a host of nutrients and vitamins), as well as omega 3 fatty acids, than a raw chicken egg!  6 grams of protein in 1 egg.
But if you don't (or just can't bear the thought of downing raw eggs) then your favorite protein powder will do just fine.   Here's a couple of recommendations I have:

Jay Robb Egg White Protein powder.  24grams per serving!

 The Jay Robb Egg White Protein powder is a great choice because it has NO junk in it.  They use only all natural and/or organic ingredients and give you a good amount of protein in the process.  Not to mention it tastes AMAZING!

Nutiva Hemp Protein powder.  15 grams per serving.

 If you want to make your "green" smoothie more GREEN then try Nutiva's Hemp Protein powder.  It supplies you with 15 grams of protein per serving (less than the 4 raw eggs or the Egg White powder though) and also gives the added benefit that comes with hemp, including an ample amount of Omega 3 fatty acids.  The taste isn't quite as delicious as the Jay Robb protein powder but you can always add a little more honey or stevia.  :)

Spinach:
Not only do you get the benefits of added iron, vitamins K, A, C, and E and fiber BUT you get 6 grams of protein in a cup of spinach!  Yes, it would seem Popeye knew what he was talking about.

Avocado:
While the Avocado doesn't have all that much protein, it DOES have some amazing benefits.  One of them is the fact that it supplies some really good fats to your system.  Our bodies need protein, carbs, and fats so survive.  Healthy fats are needed for brain and nerve function, as well as much needed energy.  Plus the avocado adds a nice creamy texture to the smoothie!

Cayenne Pepper:
In a smoothie???  While there's no protein benefit in adding some cayenne pepper to your green smoothie (it's even the wrong color!) it adds a nice little "kick", but it's certainly not necessary.  :)
Cayenne does help support blood flow and pressure.  It also boosts the metabolism, thereby helping to burn excess fat!

Spaghetti...Squash!

In the mood for some spaghetti tonight, but want a little something different?
How 'bout Spaghetti Squash?

Here's a super easy recipe for a new twist
on an old favorite.


Serves: 2-4
Prep Time: 10 mins.
Cook Time: 25-30 mins.
Total Time: 35-40 mins.

Ingredients:
1 - Spaghetti Squash
1 - Red Pepper
1/2 - Red Onion
1/2 cup - Sliced Almonds
1/3 cup - Pepitas or Pumpkin Seeds
3/4 - 1 cup - Sun Dried Tomatoes (chopped)
Feta Cheese...and lots of it!  :)
1/2 teaspoon - Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon - course ground Garlic Powder
Marinara sauce of choice

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut your Spaghetti Squash length wise down the middle and scoop out seeds.  You will be left with a long crater in the center of each squash half.
Lay each half face down on a baking sheet.  If you need to wipe a little oil on the sheet first then do so.

Next, slice up your Red Pepper, removing as many seeds as you can (unless you like some extra heat in your spaghetti).
Slice and chop the Red Onion half into small chunks.

By this time, or maybe a little sooner, your oven should be preheated so go ahead a place your squash halves inside and bake for 25-30 minutes.  30 is probably best unless the squash is very ripe and your oven runs real hot.

Chop up the Sun Dried Tomatoes.

Now place a skillet on your oven and warm it up on Med/Hot.
Coat the skillet with Olive Oil and let it warm up for a few minutes.

When your squash is done baking, pull them out and let them cool for a 5 minutes or so.  Caution, they will be hot to the touch for a few minutes.  Duh, right?  Well I didn't think they'd be THAT hot, but I twas wrong.

Okay, so now place your slices of Red Pepper, Almonds, and Pepitas in your skillet and saute for 3-5 minutes.  Watch out for that hot oil.  Then add in your Onion for just a couple more minutes.
You can also throw in the Sun Dried Tomato if you want to warm them up a bit, but I don't.

Once everything in the skillet has only a minute or so left grab one half of the spaghetti squash and scrape out the "noodles" into your bowl or plate.  Trust me, if you've never had spaghetti squash before, it's too much fun to see the squash come out as noodles.  :) 

To add your salt you want to divide it evenly among the bowls or plates of  spaghetti squash.  So if you're serving 4 divide your salt into 4 portions.  Otherwise if you're only doing 2 then dividing the amount of salt in half is whatchya want to do.
Mix up the "noodles" and salt.

Pour some Marinara sauce of your choice onto the squash and add the skillet contents.
Sprinkle...oh, who am I kidding?...DUMP a bunch of Feta Cheese on top!  There's nothin' betta' than Feta!
Sprinkle a little Garlic Powder to finish it off and you have Spaghetti Squash for dinner!

Tropical WATER Smoothie!

It's STILL hot out there so here's another refreshing smoothie recipe!  This one uses water instead of milk so it's a tad bit lighter, but still creamy.  : )

1 - Banana
1/2 - large Papaya
1 - Mango
Handful of ice
and just enough cold water to get everything mixed up well.  About 1 cup or a little less.

The more ripe the fruit the sweeter it'll be.

Blueberry Mint Smoothie

On a hot day there's nothing like drinking something refreshing and that's actually good for you!

Here's my recipe for a Blueberry Mint Smoothie.

Aww yeah.


1-1/2 cups - Milk.
Small Handful - Organic Blueberries.
5 to 7 - Frozen Whole Strawberries.
1 - Banana
2 - Mint leaves
1 tsp - Raw Agave Nectar

Pour Milk into Blender and add all ingredients.  Blend until...well, smoothie-like!  Drink.  Enjoy.

You can add 2 extra Mint leaves on top for a garnish to look fancy.  =P

It's simple and you can find most of these items already in your kitchen.  I have Moroccan Mint growing around my back porch so it's really fresh!  Mint is also super easy to grow, but don't plant it near anything else.  Mint tends to flourish and overtake everything.

Notes:
I use Raw Goat milk, but any will do.
I also put in 1 raw egg for a little extra creaminess as well as protein and vitamin D, but this is recommended ONLY if you have your own hens to get fresh eggs from!
I used 1 tsp of Agave, but some like their smoothies really sweet, so add whatever floats your boat.  I think the teaspoon makes it just sweet enough but keeps it refreshing.  Honey works great too.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is chock full of vital good bacteria which is essential for our overall health. Below is an article from Natural News that gives some pertinent information concerning sauerkraut (minus the superstitious "good fortune" part).

There's also a good recipe for a fermented veggie dish that I've posted below!


NaturalNews.com/sauerkraut


1 head of cabbage (use red cabbage for extra phytonutrients)
4 large carrots
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of sea salt
purified water


I tried this recipe, though I multiplied it times 5 and it tasted great!