Tag Archives: blender

Great Guac

By | |
Comments Off on Great Guac

guacamoleOur eldest son came home over lunch today, just as I was finishing making guac. I asked if he wanted any. “Uhhh. I’ll have a taste.” Which became another, and another, and … until he’d eaten about half the bowl. “It’s better than usual.” I’m not sure whether to take that as a compliment or a cut… or neither, since I’m usually not the one who has made it when he eats it.

Regardless, it was great. Our guac really is always pretty much the same, but has slight variations depending on what we have on hand. Here’s today’s version.

Great Guac

Blend all till well mixed. If you prefer chunkier guac, mince the veggies, dice the avocado and mix and mash together.

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator, (in a Mason Jar,) 🙂  with the pit of the avocado in the guac. That helps keep it from turning brown. (The lemon juice in it does too.)

Variations:

  • Sometimes we use a whole roma tomato, but aren’t huge fans of a lot of tomato in our guac.
  • If we don’t have jalapeño, we leave it out.
  • Sometimes we use lime juice, instead of lemon, if we have fresh limes on hand. And leave out the Lime EO.
  • If I have fresh cilantro, I use about 1/4 bunch cilantro leaves. Sometimes we leave it out completely. A “toothpick” of essential oil means put a toothpick into the oil in the bottle and stir that into the dish you’re making–for times when you need less than a drop.

Do you love guac?

 

[subscribe2]

 

It’s a Tropical Day in the Neighborhood

By | |
Comments Off on It’s a Tropical Day in the Neighborhood

Rural midwest never feels like the tropics. But how would I know? I’ve ever been to the tropics. I have been to California and Florida–once each, mostly inside at conferences. But I have seen real live palm trees!  But a girl can dream. And a girl can enjoy the tastes of the tropics without going there, in these times. Blessings indeed. And it is even a blessing to be able to get them frozen when fresh is not available.

pina colada green smoothie

Today’s Green Smoothie is straight from the tropics, with a flavor many love, even if they’ve never tasted the real, fresh fruits. Pina Colada–Pineapple and Coconut.

Pina Colada Green Smoothie

  • 1 cup pineapple chunks
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup fresh young coconut meat (no they don’t cost near this much locally or through Azure Standard)
  • 1/2 banana
  • 2 large handfuls baby spinach or other greens
  • water kefir (or fresh coconut water or purified water)
  • 1 Tbl. fresh ground flax seed (optional)

As always ingredients should all be organic, as much as you are able to find.

Blend till smooth, in a high performance blender. Enjoy!

What was in your Green Smoothie today? Comment below!

[subscribe2]

Can(‘t) be Beet Veggie Berry Green Smoothie

By | |
Comments Off on Can(‘t) be Beet Veggie Berry Green Smoothie

Beets are a great cleansing food. Fantastic to add to our fresh juices, green smoothies, and grated in our fresh salads. The rich red color indicates a high level of antioxidants. They are also anti-inflammatory and a great detoxifier.

beet-veggie-berry green smoothie

This delicious green smoothie, that doesn’t look very green despite the fact that it has twice as much greens as everything else put together, is higher on veggies, including beet, and lower on fruits than others. But beets and carrots are both naturally sweet, so this is not a bitter, or even savory smoothie. If you aren’t used to eating beets, you may want to start with 1/4 beet, and gradually work up in the amount you include here, due to the cleansing properties. I’ve given amounts to start with. You can certainly add more veggies than listed in the recipe.

Can(‘t) be Beet Veggie-Berry Green Smoothie

  • 1/4+ beet with greens (from whole beet)
  • 1+ carrot
  • 1+ celery stalk
  • handful strawberries
  • large handful (or 2) baby spinach
  • 1 Tbl. fresh ground flax seed
  • water kefir (or purified water)

As always ingredients should all be organic, as much as you are able to find. Strawberries are #1 on the Dirty Dozen list for pesticides. Celery and Spinach are also in the top 12.

Blend till smooth, in a high performance blender. Enjoy!

What was in your Green Smoothie today? Comment below!

[subscribe2]

1-2-3 Avocado Pudding

By | |
Comments Off on 1-2-3 Avocado Pudding

1-2-3! It’s time to revisit Avocado Pudding again. Even though I’ve never posted the recipe here before. Not sure why, since I’ve posted it in social media several times.

avocado pudding

This is a revisit because I’ve been working at converting some of my recipes from natural sweeteners to whole food sweeteners–experimenting with dates and other fruits. Since I use dates as my sweetener in a lot of recipes, I decided to try them in my Avocado Pudding. Success!

1-2-3 Avocado Pudding

  • 1 Avocado
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 Tbl raw cacao powder
  • 3 juicy medjool dates, optional to soak first (originally, 1/4 cup maple syrup)
  • 1/3+ cup water (May need up to 1/2 cup depending on size of avocado and whether you soaked dates)

Blend until smooth.

Yum!

[subscribe2]

Green Smoothies

By | |
Comments Off on Green Smoothies

What else for today but Green Smoothies? No Luck o’ the Irish needed, just the proven science of biology. These are good stuff for your body.

green smoothie duo

Green Goodness ~ Freedom & Simplicity™ Guide to Green Smoothies ~ http://gfy.frommeandmyhouse.comIt’s no secret that a primary secret to health is dark green leafy vegetables, the most nutrient dense foods available, and low in calories too. In addition to all the known and explored vitamins and minerals in them, they are also packed with hundreds of phytonutrients and antioxidants that promote healthy bodies and minds.

It’s also no secret that most people don’t get enough of these powerhouse foods. Very few eat these dark leafy greens daily, and many that do eat only small amounts, not big bowls full.

What also is not a secret, but may not be well known is that it is easy to get what you need in a way that won’t have you chewing on them all day long. Green Smoothies!

green smoothie2Green Smoothies are a combination of dark leafy greens and fruits and/or other vegetables, and water, blended into a delicious “shake”. Although you can find plenty of Green Smoothie recipes out there, no recipe is needed. Just use what you have on hand and like.
You want to shoot for at least 60% or more dark leafy greens to 40% or less fresh or frozen fruit (no additives). To start you may need to reverse those percentages and gradually increase your greens and reduce your fruits. This isn’t just a few leaves of spinach and a couple of strawberries. We’re talking 3 cups greens to 2 cups fresh fruit.

Savory Green Smoothies can be made with vegetables. Tomatoes (really a fruit), carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes, avocados (another fruit) are all good to start with. Then branch out to whatever you’d like. Get adventurous and try new veggies.

green smoothie1For fruits, include berries (another health super food). A banana is a great addition especially in the beginning to make it nice and creamy and help cover the “green” taste. Add common apples, oranges, and lemons; tropical pineapple, young coconut, mango, kiwi, and limes; and all the other varieties of fruit available.

Baby spinach is very mild and a great place to start with your greens. Move on to baby kale and chard, then get adventurous with other dark leafy greens. Rotate your greens, using different ones either daily or weekly.

Blend it smooth with purified water, or fresh coconut water, fresh coconut water kefir, or homemade Raw Almond (or other) Milk. Use enough to get it to the consistency you like. You can add a dash of vanilla too, if you’d like.

Other health boosters you can add in are (organic, raw): fresh ground flax seed, hemp seed, chia seed. For an occasional treat, add a bit of raw carob or cacao powder.

Throw this all in your blender. Blend till smooth. And drink up!

BlendTec Total Blender - http://gfy.frommeandmyhouse.comA high performance blender will do 2 things for your Green Smoothies. 1) blend them smoother. 2) break open the cell structure of your greens to get more of their nutrients available to you. But if you don’t have a high performance blender yet, use the blender you have. (Pick one up at your local thrift store if you don’t have one.) In a less powerful blender, blend your greens and water first, then add your fruit (especially frozen) and blend, then blend again with any softer ingredients and add ins. These little rests for your blender will blend it smoother and keep it from heating up destroying nutrients and burning out your blender.

Green Smoothies are a great way to start every day. They pack a powerful nutrition punch for energy, weight loss, and good overall health. Get more info in Green Goodness, a beginners guide to Green Smoothies.

green smoothie3

One of my favorite combos is a Tropical Green Smoothie with fresh young Coconut Meat and Water, Pineapple, Mango, Pomegranate seeds, and Spinach. Sometimes I add some Banana, and a bit of ground Flax seed to0.

My other go-to is Berry Good; Baby Kale, Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Banana, Coconut Water Kefir,  and Hemp Seeds.

Do you drink fresh Green Smoothies daily? What is your favorite combo? Comment below!

 

[subscribe2]

 

 

Instant Almond Milk

By | |
Comments Off on Instant Almond Milk

Homemade Almond Milk has become our usual choice here. It is so easy and quick, and tastes delicious and can be used in all recipes.

However, occasionally someone needs it NOW, and almonds haven’t been soaked and they don’t want to take the minute to strain, yada yada.

Frankly, if you have a BlendTec or Vitamix you can blend unsoaked almonds if needed, AND you can use fresh Almond Milk without straining (or use off the top and strain the rest later). But …

For those that want Instant Almond Milk NOW, here’s your hack.

Almond Butter Milk

  • 1 cup purified water
  • 1 Tbl. (raw, organic) almond butter (should be able to finder cheaper local source)
  • Blend till mixed thoroughly.

That’s it!

Disclaimer: I don’t believe this is as good as fresh almond milk. IMO, it is for quick use, when you need it now. If you don’t use it right away, you will need to shake or stir, as it will separate.

 

[subscribe2]

Almond Milk

By | |
Comments Off on Almond Milk

On my other blog, over the years, I’ve posted our experiences in making many different milk alternatives. We have been dairy-free for close to 20 years. Over those years we have tried soy milks, rice milks, raw goat’s milk and many others. For the last at least couple of years we have landed at homemade Almond Milk, the easiest and highly healthful alternative milk to make at home. 2 Ingredients and a handful of minutes and you’ve got it.

Homemade Raw & Fresh Almond Milk

Soak Almonds in 2 cups Water several hours (overnight).

Drain and rinse well.

Put soaked Almonds and 4 cups Water in high performance blender, and blend 45-60 seconds.

Pour through a Nut Milk Bag (or Unbleached Cheesecloth) into large bowl (I use an 8 cup Pyrex / Anchor Hocking measuring pitcher). Squeeze all the Milk out and pour into a 1 qt. covered pitcher or jar and Refrigerate.

Almond Pulp (remaining in bag/cloth) can be sealed in a container and refrigerated or frozen to be used in desserts, or dehydrated and ground into Almond Meal/Flour.

Options:

Tip! If you desire a “whiter” milk you can peel the almonds after draining and rinsing. Rub each almond between your fingers to remove the peel.

Tip! You can flavor the milk with Real Vanilla (bean, extract, flavor) if you desire.

You can also sweeten it with Raw Honey, Real Maple Syrup, or Dates. Just stir in the Honey or Maple Syrup after blending–about 2 tsp. – 2 Tbl. depending on how sweet you want it. Some also like to add just a dash of unrefined salt.

To sweeten with Dates, add 3-4 pitted dates, cut up, to the blender and blend with the almonds. If adding the dates, you will get more of a cream color, even if you peel the Almonds.

Do you make Almond Milk? Comment below!

 

[subscribe2]

Modern Maidservant #5 – High Performance Blender

By | |
Comments Off on Modern Maidservant #5 – High Performance Blender

BlendTec Total Blender - http://gfy.frommeandmyhouse.comOur Top Recommendation–BlendTec

You may already have a stand-alone blender or an all-in-one kitchen center, so why a high performance blender? Smoother smoothies!

Well, that’s a good place to start anyhow. We do not recommend blending “whole food juices” instead of extracted juices, such as from the Champion Juicer. No matter what their slick sounding commercials say, we do not believe these blended foods are better than or a replacement for fresh extracted juice.

But, they do have a place in the Good for You-Naturally!™ lifestyle of eating. We do know that many who are juicing aren’t juicing large quantities of greens, and even those eating a diet high in living raw foods may not be eating enough of those dark leafy green vegetables. Blending, in particular Green Smoothies, are the best and easiest way to make sure you get your greens—and make them taste great too! So there is a place for both blending and juicing in the Good for You-Naturally!™ lifestyle.

These living green foods are great for your health, and blending them makes them not only go down easier, but also, by blending them in a high performance Blendtec® blender, their cellular walls are broke open making greater quantities of nutrients more bio-available to you. They are easier to digest, thus more of the nutrients in the food get into your cells.

But Green Smoothies are only 1 reason and usage of the Blendtec®. You’ll find it helpful for so many other food prep uses in the Good for You-Naturally!™ kitchen, especially as you increase your intake of living foods. Almond (and other nut) milks and butters, ice dreams, purees, sauces, dips, soups, and the list goes on.

Yes, you can keep using your current blender, but it won’t blend as smooth, it won’t break down the cellular walls, and it may not last long if you’re giving it the work-out that a Good for You-Naturally!™ for Life lifestyle of eating brings.

If you are on the road and don’t want to haul your Blendtec® with you everywhere, I recommend the NutriBullet Pro 900 as a good secondary blender.

Learn more about the Blendtec® and Order Here