Green House Smoothie

After years of trying to cover up the green-ness of spinach in smoothies, I have finally decided to embrace the color that epitomizes nutrition. Smoothies are great for packing a big nutrition 1-2 punch. There are TONS of supplemental items that can hide in a nice, smooth, refreshing beverage. This is a sample recipe that even my husband enjoys. If I am making one for just me and the kids I will add a few more goodies, or add them after I have poured him a glass. Smoothies are a chance to get creative, use up what you have. Always remember to freeze produce that is about to go bad and just throw them into the next smoothie.

2 cups kefir
¼ cup flax oil
dash of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 whole kiwis
2 bananas-frozen
core of 1 pineapple-frozen
3 cups baby spinach
2 cups ice

Place all ingredients in blender for 45 seconds. Turn into “ugly smoothie” by adding frozen berries.

Other goodies:
Seaweed
Nutritional yeast
Hydrated chia seeds
Hemp seeds
Soaked nuts
Coconut oil
Essential oil
Kale
Carrots
Avacado
Beans
Sprouts

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

When I think Greek, I think lentils, pita bread, hummus, falafel and cucumber yogurt sauce--a variation of tzatziki. It is important to know all yogurts are not created equal. It is the tendency of many to go for the low or non fat varieties which are inferior in quality, flavor and nutrition. Also look out for the thickeners and additives that create a fake look-a-like. Some brands only have one kind of culture in them, while others have four to six. Some even are cultured during production then processed with heat in the packaging process, which kills the health benefits. Most yogurts in the dairy case are chock full of sugar, which counter acts any beneficial bacteria, therefore no longer fits the status of "healthy." There are usually one or two acceptable specimens hidden in there. To find the real deal find a label that only includes milk and at least 4 cultures. My favorite is Trader Joe's Organic European Style whole milk plain yogurt, the one in the red container. Do check the expiration when buying yogurt, because as it ages the cultures diminish.

Ideally you make your own raw milk yogurt. Cultures for Health have a number of options for making homemade cultured products and more. I use the viili starter which is cultured at room temperature, how easy is that!? Yogurt cultures are most active in the first week after culturing, it is virtually impossible to get a yogurt from the store in that time frame.

You can leave the cucumbers out of this recipe to give a smoother sauce. Thicken it up a bit with mayonnaise or Veganaise. I only add garlic when I need the extra flavor like in chicken gyros. Use as a salad dressing, a vegetable dip, or a sauce in any pita sandwich.

16 oz. plain yogurt
2 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons brown rice syrup
1 clove minced garlic (optional)
1 medium cucumber, finely chopped

Combine well.

Store to Store

When Fresh and Easy Market's popped up all over the place I was very excited. I heard it was like Trader Joe's so my expectations were high. My first experience was a huge letdown. I left without buying a thing, I was revolted by their packaging and the "cafeteria food" look everything had. Their produce was expensive and the grocery section was VERY limited, I've seen gas stations with better selections. It was all very ordinary from Heinz Ketchup to Honeycombs Cereal.

I thought I would never be back, but then I started hearing things like $2.99 for a case of 24 water bottles - that's cheap! And cans of beans for a great price with nothing added- not even salt! I heard about their discounted produce and was a little skeptical because I am a freshness freak and didn't want wilted lettuce and brown bananas. But I found things like pears and avocados that were perfectly ripe. Why not let them ripen on the store shelf instead of my counter?

The best part are the coupons that are EVERYWHERE. Most of them end up being twenty percent off if you spend the right amount. This makes each water bottle only ten cents a piece and perfect for food storage. Now that I go back fairly regularly I have learned to accept the store's quirks and embrace the good deals. My latest find is their organic heavy cream. I love to whip fresh cream for waffles and the only kind I liked was at Trader Joe's- a ways away for me to skip on by. The Shamrock Farms and store brands all have a nasty plastic taste to me. Fresh and Easy has pint sized carton of cream that tastes great and is comparable in price to the plastic kind.

Please leave a comment if there is anything else I should be checking out at this green market chain. If there is a place where you have come across some great finds, shoot me and email, I will check them out and report back.

Got Kefir?

Becoming more common in health food stores are various kefir drinks. Pronounced ke- (like in kettle with a short "e") fear, but I have never heard anyone say it like this. "Key-fur"drinks from the dairy cases get pricey and are made with a powdered starter culture, which is inferior to the hard to find "grains." My kids call these starter grains "plumps,"which I find more fitting.

I used to make homemade yogurt twice a week, it was delicious, thick and creamy. The recipe I was using included heating the milk up to 180 degrees. When I made the decision to switch our family to raw milk, I didn't want to pasteurize it to make yogurt. I found that yogurt made without heating to high temperatures separated into curds and whey so the taste and texture was not as appealing. In my research for a better recipe I came across kefir and set out to look for the grains to make my own at home with raw milk. I had talked to so many people trying to track some down and finally a fablous woman in my ward was so gracious to introduce me to her friend that used them. She shared with me and now we enjoy the benefits of this super food. Kefir is slightly creamy with sour flavor similar to buttermilk (in fact I use it as buttermilk in my baking.) My kids drink it straight, I prefer it in a smoothie or at least with a few drops of flavored stevia, like English Toffee.

Health Benefits

• Easily digested


• Cleanses the intestines


• Provides beneficial bacteria and yeast


• High in vitamins and minerals


• Contains complete proteins

Procedure
Milk is put in a glass jar and plastic lid with a 7 to 1 ratio of kefir grains, then left at room temperature for about 24 hours. The cultured milk is strained in order to separate, and retrieve the kefir grains from the liquid-kefir. The grains are added to more fresh milk to repeat the simple process for the next batch. This procedure can be performed on an indefinite basis... for kefir grains last forever!

For more information Dom is the kefir master. Cultures for Health is a good company that sells kefir grains online.

Vita Mix Banana Ice Cream

I have an extreme obsession with Real vanilla. Well, it is from Mexico, so who knows how real it really is. You know it's an obsession when you rub it under your nose just so that you can smell it all day (not that I have done that...much). There is the super cheap kind of Mexican vanilla that Americana's buy for all their neighbors and friends back at home. It says real on the bottle, but it tastes fake to me. I like the expensive stuff, 69.00 Pesos which is twice as much for about 1/4 of the amount! I know all this because of my long time obsession. I first discovered it at my mom's house and begged her to take it home (I really only asked, but would have begged if she resisted). I savored it, it was a small bottle. Once it was bone dry I saved the bottle in hopes of finding it again one day. So, when Mom was planning a trip to Mexico again I went over all the details with her; red lid, glass bottle, little picture of a man wearing a sombrero, dark brown, not clear (I did not know about the price difference at this time. Well that amazing mother of mine came across no such bottle, but in all her wisdom found the most expensive bottle that the country sold and brought it back for me. Hallelujah! My stock has been replenished and is only used in dire circumstances like ice cream. I believe the vanilla makes this ice cream special (and the vanilla creme wafer stick, thanks Becky).

2 bananas
1 egg
½ cup agave
¼ tsp salt
1 cup whole milk, frozen into cubes
1 cup cream, frozen into cubes
½ teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in Vita Mix. Blend on HIGH use tamper to push cubes into blades.