Mixing it up with Trail Mixin'

Good morning, my friends!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

One of the things Dave and I did was make a trip to Bob Ronker's Running Spot, because I have taken up the hobby of trail running.  I decided that, while I enjoy pavement running, I wanted to get more in to nature.  So, I signed up for a 4 mile trail run in two weeks!  And if I am to be running in the muck, that means it is time to get shoes just for that!

So we went to get some trail shoes for me!  Aaaand, well, while I had originally been planning on some basic trail shoes, I got giggly happy looking at some of the crazy "Vibram Five Fingers" shoes that are so popular with barefoot runners!  

Look at those crazy things!!  But, as I have read, a lot of people prefer running with this "minimalist" feel - you have the ability to flex individuals toes, you can feel the ground better, and you're forced into a gentler stride rather than pounding on your heels because the thick soles of other shoes keep you from feeling the pain of  bad form.  They ended up being the same price as the other trail shoes I had been looking at, so I just went with it!  They made me so happy because they were fun, and SO comfortable!  And since I usually hate wearing shoes to begin with, I thought my tootsies just may prefer these.  I have to plan a day to get out to a trail and try them out!

And with trail running comes trail mix snacks!  I usually like to make my own so that I know what's in them, and can make it however I want.  An easy mix can just include nuts, dried fruit, and dark chocolate bits.  Then you can season if you like with salt, cinnamon, cayenne, etc.  Whatever flavor floats your boat!

Here's my mix this week:

Simple Trail Mix:

Pecans

Almonds

Pumpkin Seeds

Dried fruit mix (raisins, papaya, pineapple, cranberries)

Dark Chocolate (88% cocoa)

Dash of sea salt

Toss in a jar or other container, shake, rattle, and run!

And this is such a healthy snack, too!  Nuts and seeds are good sources of proteins and healthy fats, great for exercise and healthy joints.  Pecans are rich in antioxidants (great help healing after a good workout), almonds are a good source of calcium to help with strong bones good for pounding the pavement (or trail now!), and pumpkin seeds have a collection of wonderful minerals.  Fruit and chocolate add a little carb kick for quick energy, and salt helps replenish what you may have lost sweating.  What a great treat after a long run!  

...Now I just need to go TAKE that run so I can enjoy the snack! ;-)

Happy week!  See you all back here later!

~Katie

Kitchen Fun and Crackers

Good afternoon lovely friends! I have been blessed with a relaxing 4 day weekend, because a workshop I was planning to go to was rescheduled. Okay, so in a way, that's not a blessing because I was really excited to go!! ...But on the plus side, that meant I got to stay home, relax, and have fun playing in the kitchen.

An online friend of mine posted a recipe for a healthy remake of a Southern Gumbo recipe, so I was all excited to try making that! So, before I did that, I wanted to prep a few things ahead of time, since there are soaking and dehydration times involved.

I mixed her Cajun seasoning:

I prepped the "rice" so it could marinate:

Processed Parsnips make for a good rice substitute!

I prepped tomato sauce:

And I prepped dehydrated "sausage" from nuts and sage base:

I just made flat "sausage" this time.
Next time, I think I'll actually roll it into balls first!

And I wanted to make some carrot-based crackers to go with it, so that required juicing carrots so I could work with the pulp:

Mmmm, nothing like sweet fresh carrot juice!!

Some extra to take to Dave!

So that's what I spent some time doing today!

The crackers were quite easy once I had pulp. And I had fun purchasing little food-grade stencils so I could decorate things like crackers and more!

Traditional gumbo normally has shrimp, but my friend's recipe instead called for sea vegetables. But I omitted the sea vegetables (I am working on sea foods... I still have an aversion to all things sea flavored) and so instead I used the raw kelp flakes to decorate some of the crackers, while adding a hint of sea salt flavor, and used paprika as a beautiful burnt red color for others!

Those will dehydrate over night, and tomorrow Dave and I can enjoy some gumbo!

This is a half batch.
A full batch would probably fill one full Dehydrator tray.

Carrot Sesame Crackers:

1 cup carrot pulp

1 cup hemp seeds

1/2 cup sesame seeds, rinsed

2/3 cup golden flax seeds, soaked 1 hour to make thickened liquid

1/4 cup onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs honey (or to taste)

1 Tbs cashew butter (as needed, to help all mix)

Optional: can add sea salt, but since I was decorating with salty flavored kelp, I skipped the salt

Mix all by hand, or process in food processor. Spread on Teflex sheet or parchment paper. Score into desired sizes, decorate if desired, and dehydrate at 105-110 until crispy.

Sunny Apple Trail Mix Cereal

Happy Wednesday, friends! You're halfway through your week! I know I’m excited about that :) And I have an evening planned of yoga, apple fun in the kitchen, and relaxing!This morning I tried another apple recipe – basically a hodge-podge of stuff tossed together to make a cereal. It reminded me of trail mix, with so much variety and simplicity! But healthy and so filling! A great combination. And I love when recipes are flexible – who wants to strictly follow a recipe, then find out their missing an ingredient? Or take the time to measure everything out? Not with this! Simple guesstimations, my friend – and it all worked out!

Sunny Apple Trail Mix Cereal:

½ apple, diced

¼ cup oatmeal (I prefer using soaked steel-cut oat groats, but I was out :( I’ll post on that later – why I think they are healthier for you!)

Small handful of sunflower seeds - 2 Tbs? (These are amazing sources of the anti-inflammatory antioxidant vitamin E as well as Magnesium for nerves and muscles, Selenium for healthy cell integrity and cancer prevention, and the B vitamin Thiamin for heart function and efficiency of energy supplies. Of commonly eaten nuts and seeds, sunflower seeds have the highest concentration of phytosterols, which may help lower cholesterol.)

Small handful of almonds - 2 Tbs? (Almonds help control the rate the sugars enter your blood stream – nice and easy, baby! Like sunflower seeds, they are a good source of Vitamin E and magnesium; but these guys also contain a good dose of manganese, tryptophan, copper, B2 riboflavin, and phosphorus – all important to balance health.)

Small handful of organic raisins -1/4 cup? (A sugary food, so use in moderation. But they have their place. Raisins contain some of the trace mineral, Boron, which is needed for healthy bone formation. Some studies are finding boron to protect postmenopausal woman from osteoporosis.)

A drizzle of agave - 2 tsp?

A dusting of Cinnamon -1 tbs? (You may know by now that I love this spice! A good blood sugar regulator; and oh so yummy in my book!)

Toss it all together, and top with your choice of milk! Remember – if you pick to drink dairy or soy, PLEASE go organic! I used coconut milk today.

I got about halfway through my bowl (enjoying every bite) when I realized that trail mix usually has chocolate chips in it. Well, I didn’t want to go tainting my organic and natural breakfast with chemicals and sugar, so I instead grabbed my bag of organic cacao powder, and sprinkled some of that on top! Yum! Just a slight hint of chocolate to balance the nuts and fruit, and another little ninja kick of antioxidant power! Hiya!

Another addition I threw in as I went: chopped up a banana. Hooray for extra potassium!

So enjoy mixing and matching fruits and nuts; try different spices or milk types. Loads of simple breakfasts here!

So see what you can do – try to break away from all that processed, sugary stuff that's harsh on your body and health: pop tarts, sugary cereals, pastries… get yourself some good, natural energy to start off your day!! (The green smoothies are great, too! But… without my blender, I’m looking to other power-packed foods to get me going.)

Have fun!
~Katie

Apple Week!

I am a woman of themes. I don't know why - but I always have theme parties in the back of my head. Sadly, most of these theme dreams are never realized (though I did get to do a little Harry Potter themed party once!) but it has still stuck with me.

So I thought - why not have a theme for new recipes? What's on sale at the store - and what can I make from that?

This week: the simple apple!

I already discussed many of the benefits of this little guy in an earlier post with the Winter Salad; but it's been a while, so I thought I'd refresh a few points and share a few ideas!

The apple - a good source of vitamin C, antioxidants, insoluble and soluble fiber, and flavonoids - if you eat that skin!

The University of Illinois has a page on some fun facts about apple. My favorites:

*The crabapple is the only apple native to North America (yay crabapple! These grow near my apartment, and every spring, people make sure to avoid the one parking spot under that tree as those mushy apples topple down, leaving your car looking like a poor, helpless victim!)

*2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States (And yet, I feel like I only see 4 or 5 different types in my store...)

*The pilgrims planted the first United States apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony

*In colonial time, apples were called winter banana or melt-in-the-mouth

Hmmm... I saw no mention of Johnny Appleseed....

Ah well - on to the recipes!

The first recipe I found was for an apple-carrot "cake" (though I would describe it more as a dough; I should try dehydrating it!) It called for carrot and apple pulp which meant it was time to pull out the juicer!!

So, I guess, technically, the first recipe we made from the apple was fresh apple juice (yum, yum, yum, and YUM! SO much better than store-bough processed stuff!!) And then we had to juice the carrot to get the pulp, so that added an interesting tang of apple-carrot juice. Still delicious! Dave has asked to make fresh juice a bigger part of our diet. Sure thing! So I just need to find some more recipes that use the pulp - I hate the idea of just throwing that away! (...unless I started composting at some point.)

So, the next recipe was apple and carrot pulp mixed with blended raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon. The recipe also called for shredded coconut, but the store was out :( I think it could add a good texture to the "cake." Instead, I topped it with more raisins and walnuts. Some oats may have been good too!

It will need some tweaking, but all in all, not bad! The taste is good - just want to work on the texture to make it a little drier, and hold together better.

Veggies, fruit, and nuts; dairy free, gluten free... All natural, all health! So I ate some for breakfast this morning :) Cake for breakfast - what a good life!

~Katie

Other recipes planned this week: Sauteed apples; apple cabbage slaw, and baked apples!

Make a date with a date!

Has ADDN gone into matchmaking? (“Mawwiage, is whot bwings us, togevvah, today…”) Naw, just wanted to talk about one of my favorite little snacks – the date! :)

After the Christmas holidays, Kroger had a big clearance on organic Medjool dates, and I swiped up their entire collection!

Now, unlike an apple or banana, I don’t often just “dive in” to eating a plain date. (Well…ok, now and then I do!) But a date is essentially just natural sugar with a little punch of fiber (2 grams per date.) Yum! Ok, so, admittedly, you don’t want to devour a tub of dates just like you should avoid an entire tub of cookies… but when you need sweet, it’s a natural, unprocessed alternative. Yum yum! There are various types of dates, each with their own hints of flavor – the Medjool actually has almost a caramel-maple flavor to it. Yum yum yum!

And it goes great with nuts! YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM! :)

Dave and I have tried almonds, walnuts, and pecans, but so far, almonds are my favorite flavor combo. And, of course, while each nut has its own unique benefits, I do love the almond for its powerhouse of protein, massive manganese, and vast vitamin E! (And, that lovely tryptophan) And don’t forget its heart-healthy fats. In moderation, enjoy! I usually enjoy 2-4 of these at a time. Be careful! They're addicting!

Dates do have a pit, so I like to cut a slit to the pit, pull it out, and replace it with an almond or two! Crunch with gooey; nutty with sweet; fruit with protein… okay, maybe we ARE going into matchmaking! ;-) But at least it’s a healthy match!

Have a happy, sappy Valentine's weekend!

xoxox

~Katie

Heart Healthy Treat

Happy Friday!

Here's a quick little recipe that's heart healthy and yummy as you may be looking forward to a lovey-dovey Valentine's Day soon ;-)

Spiced Walnut Truffles

2 c walnuts
1 c raisins (or chopped dates)
1/4 c agave (or honey or maple syrup)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of sea salt
cacao powder for dusting

The happy truffle couple!

In a food processor, process walnuts into a flour-like powder. Then add the remaining items. Blend it all up until you have a crumbly dough that will stick together when smooshed. I like to leave it unprocessed enough that there are little raisin bits in it. If you over process it, you may need to chill or lightly freeze the dough to make it more workable.

Form into little balls (makes about 30) and then roll in the cacao powder. - though Dave enjoyed popping them plain! Or you can roll in other items you may prefer - hemp seeds, shredded coconut, dust of spices, cacao nibs... Or for a bigger splurge, melt some organic chocolate bars (70% of higher cacao, please!) and dip them for the chocolate indulgence. Ahhhh, heaven!

These will freeze well for several months, or even keep in the fridge for a while. Pull 3-4 out of the freezer and let them thaw a little in the fridge (frozen raisin bits are not pleasant on the teeth!) Don't thaw too many, or you just may eat them all at once! ;-)

In addition to their fiber, protein, B vitamins, magnesium, and vitamin E, walnuts have more omega-3 fatty acids than other nuts, and a good source of monounsaturated fats (MUFAs)! Omegas and MUFAs are heart healthy, providing protective benefits against cardiovascular problems, help with blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. They are also an anti-inflammatory that may help asthma, arthritis, eczema, and psoriasis. These little guys also contain ellagic acid which may help the immune system and be a cancer fighter.

And what do walnuts look like? Little brains! And guess what? Walnuts are good for brain functioning! Your brain has a high amount of structural fats in it, and omega-3 fats are very important in helping keep neurons firing efficiently.

Another cool perk of walnuts is they’re a natural source of melatonin. This hormone may help with a better night’s rest. Ahhh, sleep.

Good little walnut soldiers, all in rows! :)

Ok, I digress – I wanted to focus on hearth health benefits of walnuts for the holiday; but walnuts just have so much goodness! So, keep enjoying those omega-rich nuts in moderation! Roll out some truffles, toss a batch in the freezer to keep on hand for later, and enjoy a cozy weekend!

~Katie

Monday Smoozie

And the morning is off to a great start, kicking butt of lethargy and disease! Since it’s my late day at work, I got up, did a rather intense 45 minutes on the elliptical machine, and Dave and I shared a giant green smoothie for breakfast!

2 apples, 1 pear, 1 lemon, 1 cup mixed berries
1-2 cup spinach, 3 leaves dinosaur kale
Water to thin and smooth

Even Dave said he didn’t find it to be too “green” a green smoothie (and really, all those berries made it look more like a purple smoothie! Kind of reminiscent of the Smooze from my childhood…. Ahhh, My Little Ponies!)

And, with that wonderful arsenal of antioxidants, fiber, and health, I head to work where (akk! Oh no!) my wonderful co-worker hands me a bag of home made chocolate chip cookies!!

Nooooo!!!

Oddly enough, I didn’t really want them! I was able to tuck them away (definitely an “out of sight, out of mind” thing) and hope to save them for the weekend :)

Work was so busy I ended up missing lunch (*sigh!*) but I’ll munch on my snack veggies as I head home. Broccoli and celery – nothing exciting, but when you’re hungry, it’s mmm, mmm, good! (And as always, mmm, mmm, healthy!)

Got home and dove head first into Fire Ants! And, ok, honestly, sometimes I'm too lazy to make them this pretty every time. Some days, I just dump goji's and raisins in a pile, scoop the almond butter with the celery piece, and just roll that in the berry pile. Either way, yum-tastic health!

Have a great evening!

Hugs and all that good stuff :)

~Katie

Fire Ants on a Log

Here's a little recipe modification that I like... (and no, it's not actually flambéed, heated, or spicy. Bait and switch! Ha ha! Oh, and no real ants or logs either, just in case you were wondering about that, too...)

Many of us are familiar with the "ants on a log" snack: celery stick with peanut butter and raisins.

I prefer to use other nuts (See Not So Nuts About Peanuts post): almond and cashew are my favorites. If you don't make your own, try to find brands that are organic and definitely make sure they don't have added salts, sugars, or other additives! The ingredient list should just consist of the nut used. And instead of just raisins, I like to use soaked goji berries! (They're red, hence "fire ants.")

I take a little container and fill it with goji berries and water, let it sit for a while - it'd probably be okay with only about 10 minutes, but I just stick them in the fridge the night before so they're all pretty and plump in the morning when I pack my lunch! Spread a thin layer of nut butter on the celery, and top with goji (and maybe some organic raisins.) The raisins can add some sweetness, as I don't think the goji has a whole lot of strong flavors; or, cashew butter has some natural sweetness to it, so sometimes that's enough and I don't need the raisins at all!

This snack is great:

The water-rich celery is packed with Vitamins C and K, as well as phthalides (no, I did not misspell that!), which may help lower cholesterol, and coumarins, that may be useful in cancer prevention!

Goji berries (also called wolfberries), like most other berries, are rich in antioxidants to help prevent diseases and cell damage; and the polysaccharides in gojis may help with prevention and treatment of cancer. They are usually sold in health food stores dried. If you are interested in trying these, you may want to experiment with various brands, as companies often have varying dehydration times leading to differing hardness levels.

Almonds are full of Vitamin E, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium, and even tryptophan - a compound that helps make the happy-chemical serotonin! Good moods, here we come! ;-) They're also a good source of monounsaturated fats (healthy!) And if that wasn't enough - almonds are also good for helping decrease your blood-sugar after eating to help prevent that pesky spike-and-crash.

Or if you went with the cashew butter, then you're getting a great dose of copper (yep, your body needs that! It's not just for pennies!) Copper helps with elimination of free radicals (damaging to your cells and skin – which shows as signs of aging), development of bone and connective tissue, and the production of the skin and hair pigment, melanin. Cashews are also rich in monounsaturated fats - specifically oleic acid, which is good for your cardiovascular health.

And, as always – have fun experimenting in the kitchen! Perhaps you like to drizzle some honey over it; or sprinkle on some cloves; or use dehydrated cherries or apricots… play! And enjoy your wholesome treat!

Have a great evening!

~Katie