Monthly Archives: September 2013

Sides

Vegan Mashed Broccoli

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Growing up I loved mashed potatoes. I’ve been known to eat a whole bowl of it from Thanksgiving leftovers. Now that I’m trying to follow a low glycemic diet, I’ve found a lot of other yummy vegetables to mash. One of my favorite go-to recipes, in addition to mashed garlic and rosemary cauliflower, is mashed broccoli. Surprisingly, all it needs is a little salt and pepper to taste. For a Paleo recipe, use bone broth instead of water.

Vegan Mashed Broccoli
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 heads of broccoli
  • ⅓ cup of water
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
  1. Boil/Steam broccoli in a pot with water, until soft.
  2. Use an immersion blender or Vitamix to blend broccoli, water, salt and pepper.
  3. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 2-4

Sides

Paleo and Gluten Free Coconut Date Mousse

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I’ve had an amazing coconut date mousse at Cafe Gratitude and attempted to recreate it at home. Their food is pretty expensive, so I was very pleased that this came out so well. I don’t recommend using a low fat coconut milk. The fat from the coconut milk and the fiber from the dates keeps this from turning into jello, unless that’s what you want.

Paleo and Gluten Free Coconut Date Mousse
 
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Ingredients
  • 7 dates (use more or less depending on sweet preferences and size of dates)
  • 1 tbsp of gelatin (Great Lakes Unflavored Gelatin )
  • 1 can of coconut milk (Native Forest unsweetened classic )
  • ½ cup of water
Instructions
  1. Dissolve 1 tbsp of gelatin in water. I like to slowly whisk the gelatin into water with a fork, until it becomes a gel.
  2. Add gelatin mixture to a pan with coconut milk
  3. Heat until you see steam start to rise, don't boil or you will ruin the gelatin. This will make sure the gelatin is dissolved.
  4. Add liquid and dates to blender, taste test and add extra dates if desired.
  5. Chill in the fridge for 4 to six hours or until firm.
Notes
A half hour in the freezer will work for impatient people like me.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 2
Health & Wellness

Top Five Ways to Increase Your Collagen Naturally

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I’ve recently found that many of the supplements recommended for acne help the formation of healthy collagen which is important for joint health and treating pain. Although I am still learning about the importance of healthy connective tissue when dealing with pain, I will share with you what I’ve discovered so far to increase collagen naturally. As an added benefit, consuming these nutrients will make your skin clearer and younger looking without all the expensive creams containing harmful ingredients.  

1. Make bone broth full of gelatin. You can also buy gelatin and collagen hydrolysate powder from Great Lakes.

2. Take Silica which is a mineral important for collagen production. I like Eideon Ionic Minerals.

3. A Chelated Zinc supplement will help in the formation of protein and collagen.

4. Vitamin C is more well know for promoting healthy collagen. Try a Buffered Vitamin C powder for added minerals which can be easier on the digestive system.

5. Vitamin A will help repair skin tissue by responding to environmental conditions within the body and signaling fibroblasts (the stem cells of connective tissue) to manufacture an appropriate collagen type.

Source:
Vitamins & Minerals That Aid in Collagen Formation
Liquid Silica Mineral Supplement
Top Ten Reasons to Drink Bone Broth
Nutrition for Healthy Skin Part 1 by Chris Kresser

Desserts

Mango Lime Pudding

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I’ve been trying to get more gelatin in my diet, so I decided to experiment with Great Lakes Unflavored Gelatin in addition to making bone broth. I’m currently reading The MELT Method by Sue Hitzmann which focuses on self massage techniques for connective tissue, and since gelatin is great for connective tissue it should help people who are in chronic pain. The Great Lakes brand is from a grass-fed beef source and is a kosher product. I am also putting their collagen hydrolysate into my morning green smoothie, for a tiny bit of added protein that is high in the amino acids glycine and proline. Since these amino acids are found more in organ meat and bone broth, than muscle meats, many people may benefit from supplementing if they don’t want to eat or can’t afford those foods. This supplement and protein powder are also very reasonably priced, especially in comparison to designer protein powders that have a long list of questionable ingredients.

I’ve also noticed that since I started making these puddings, I’ve had a decreased craving for processed healthy desserts from whole foods. Since these can be expensive, and it’s healthier to cook and use your own ingredients anyway, I’m very glad I decided to start adding puddings into my arsenal of healthy recipes.

Mango Lime Pudding
 
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Ingredients
  • 1.5 bag of frozen mango
  • 1 tbsp of gelatin
  • juice from 3 limes
  • 3 tbsp of grade b maple syrup or other sweetener (optional)
Instructions
  1. Slowly mix gelatin in a small amount of cold water.
  2. Add water to stove to slowly heat, and completely dissolved gelatin. Do not boil it will break down it's ability to gel. Just heat until you start to see steam.
  3. Blend mango, lime juice, maple syrup and add dissolved gelatin water.
  4. Pour into cups and refridgerate for a few hours, or if impatient a half hour in the freezer will be okay.

Health & Wellness

Top 5 Ways I Use My Vitamix

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1. My Morning Green Smoothie

The ingredients may change, but my routine for a healthy green smoothie will not. It’s easy to make and easy to clean.

2. Blended Soups and Mashed Vegetables

I love soup and mashed vegetables. For me, it’s comfort food. Plus, it’s an easy way to eat a ton of vegetables and add in different herbs. This is regularly my dinner even in the summer.

3. Salad Dressings and Condiments

Store bought salad dressings have tons of preservatives in them, so I like to make my own. I usually include citrus or apple cider vinegar with herbs. For my oil, I will either blend in nuts, avocado, or flax oil.

4. Fruit Sorbets and Ice Cream

A Vitamix can handle frozen fruit, so oftentimes I blend up a bunch of berries to make a sorbet, or I will combine berries and a banana to make ice cream. The banana will make it creamy.

5. Soaked Nut Milks

Store bought nut milks also have preservatives in them, so buy some cheesecloth instead. Simply blend nuts with water, add a sweetener such as maple syrup or honey if desired, then strain through a cheesecloth. 

Sides

Sauteed Beet Greens with Leeks and Thyme

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Sauteed Beet Greens with Leeks and Thyme
 
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Ingredients
  • Beet Greens (about half a batch)
  • ½ Leek
  • 1 tsp of fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp of coconut oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Add coconut oil to pan
  2. Add in beet greens and try to wilt them down to half their size.
  3. Then add the chopped leeks and continue to beet greens are completely wilted
  4. Add fresh thyme, and make sure beet stalks are softened.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste.