Organic Split Pea Soup

Quick & Tasty!

My daughter and I love to have Split Pea Soup on brisk fall days. This is so easy and quick to mix up. It's also good for you and keeps you warm when it's cool outside. 

Note: You'll need to soak the peas in water overnight, or at least for a few hours before you want to cook them. I forgot to soak mine last night, so I did it for about 4 hours this morning so that I could start cooking this afternoon, and they plumped up just fine. 

Ingredients:

Organic Dry Split Peas (as much as you want)

Organic Chicken Broth (enough to cover to about an inch above peas)

Organic Carrots

Optional Seasoning (I used a little pepper & Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash)

Getting Ready:

1. Soak peas in just enough water to cover them for 4 hours or more, or overnight

Directions:

1. Pour in chicken broth
2. Turn on heat to about 6 (medium)
3. Chop up carrots and toss in
4. Add optional seasoning if desired
5. Stir, and let get to a low boil
6. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cover with lid slightly left open
7. Cook for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until desired consistency

Eat with organic crackers or pita bread. I recently tried the Ezekiel 4:9 pocket bread. We love it. I cut it into quarters and use them for dipping. So good!

Wheat Grass Mocha

Luscious Flavor for Wheat Grass- Who Knew?!

So I have friends who drink Wheat Grass and have been reading articles about its awesomeness, and I finally had to try it for myself. Thanks to the very nice man in my local HEB, I found a way to try it without going full out straight wheat grass flavor. He showed me the Amazing Grass Green Superfood Chocolate flavor and said that he put it in his coffee. 

This is what I came up with, and I really like it. It took me a few tries to get it just right, and as everyone tastes are a little different, you might have to play around with this recipe some too. But I wanted to share because I wasn't sure where to start on my journey to discovering wheat grass and I thought maybe this would be helpful for those of you who are also contemplating it. 

I store my Superfood in the freezer to keep it fresh, so with that being cold and pouring in half a cup of cold almond milk in it, I don't have to wait for it to cool down. I can drink it immediately. If you like your drinks really hot, you might want to microwave it once you have it all mixed together. 

Ok, so I am probably the last person on earth to own a 4 cup Mr. Coffee. Do they even sell those anymore? You can use whatever coffee, and coffee maker, you like. ;)

Ingredients:
1 Scoop Chocolate Green Superfood
1/2 Cup (of Whatever Size Coffee Cup You Use) Coffee (I make about 2 cups in my 4 cup maker)
1 Spoonful Organic Sugar
1/2 Cup (of Whatever Size Coffee Cup You Use) Vanilla Almond Milk

Directions:

1. Brew coffee
2. Put scoop of Green Superfood in cup
3. Put spoonful of sugar in cup and mix up with Superfood (it helps to stir it up so that the wheat grass dissolves)
4. Pour coffee over mixture of sugar and Superfood til it's about half full
5. Pour almond milk into coffee mixture til the cup is about full
6. Stir
7. Enjoy!

Organic Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Healthy Holiday Yumminess!

I got this recipe from Natural Grocers and I was so happy to have a healthy alternative to all of the not so healthy holiday pumpkin flavored goodies. I have only made them once and already have some variations that I want to try with them. 

This recipe calls for egg whites, which I haven't done in quite a while and am always slightly hesitant about, but they really weren't hard at all. So, if you're a little uncertain of the egg whites, know that you're not alone. And if you have an egg separator, it's really a breeze. Then, I scrambled the yolks and cooked them for my little girl so they weren't wasted.

                              

Ingredients:

1 3/4 Cups Whole Wheat Organic Pastry Flour
1 Tsp Aluminum Free Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
1 Tsp Organic Ground Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Organic Pumpkin Puree
2/3 Cup Organic Buttermilk
2 Tbsp Organic Coconut Oil Melted
1/2 Cup Honey
2 Egg Whites

Getting Ready

1. Put 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil in a small saucepan and simmer over a low heat. As soon as it is melted, turn off and let sit until you are ready to use. 
2. Preheat oven to 400 F. 
3. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups (or grease with coconut oil).
4. Separate egg whites and beat lightly.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In another bowl, stir together the pumpkin, buttermilk, coconut oil, honey, and egg whites. 
3. Combine all together in the large bowl.
4. Divide batter equally among the 12 baking cups. 
5. Bake for 20 minutes.  

Optional Glaze:

1 Cup Organic Powdered Sugar

2 Tbsp Orange Juice

1 Tsp Organic Pumpkin Puree 

1/2 Tsp Organic Cinnamon

Mix glaze ingredients together and smear onto tops of muffins with a spatula. 

Variations: 

I really think they could use 1 full cup of pumpkin and 3/4 cup honey, but I haven't made them like that yet and wanted to post it as is until I try it out. I also want to put in some dried cranberries and/or pecans or walnuts. And I wasn't sure til I made them if they could handle adding shredded zucchini to them, but I think they would be perfect with about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup zucchini. 

Update: I made them with a whole zucchini (about 1 cup), one full cup of pumpkin, and 3/4 cup honey and everyone liked them. I also made the glaze to top them with. It's yummy. It is best to allow the muffins to cool before putting the glaze on them. 

Hydrating Lemon Cucumber Mint Detox Water

Such a Yummy Way to Stay Healthy

So this is almost self explanatory by the name and picture, but I wanted to share this simple and tasty way to hydrate and naturally detoxify your system. I for one do not drink enough water, and this water concoction makes me want to drink more and has a few more added benefits than plain water. The cucumber is known for its hydrating qualities (although to add a disclaimer, I am not a doctor) and lemon is naturally cleansing. I also add mint leaves when I have them, which is a natural tummy soother and aids in digestion. 

Directions:

1. Slice Organic Lemon & Cucumber 
2. Place in Container of Choice (along with Mint)
3. Pour Bottled/Filtered Water Over Slices
4. Refrigerate Overnight

I only use half of a cucumber if it is good sized, and one lemon with the ends cut off. If I drink all of it the next day, I will pour water over the same lemons and cucumber slices one more time and refrigerate again. They tend to get bitter after the second batch and look like they need to be thrown out. Then I use the other half of the cucumber and another lemon and do it all again. So, you should be able to get about 4 days worth out of 1 large cucumber and 2 lemons. 

It also makes a great drink for when you have company. I even squeezed some lemon into ice cube trays and put little mint leaves in them to freeze in the ice, which was a huge hit. My brother had some the last time he came over and nearly drank the whole thing. Then, today when he came over, he said "So, you got any of that cucumber water??"

Update...I got this 2.15 Gallon container with a spout. Now, I don't have to fill it as often and the cucumber and lemon doesn't seem to sour as quickly. :)