Raw Vegan Chocolate Mint Milkshake

This is a recipe I made up so, as always, you will have to be patient with me as I'm not perfect at exact measurements. If you want this to be raw you will have to make your own almond milk. If you only care that it is vegan but not raw, you can start with a base of store bought almond or soy milk. First, the recipe for the almond milk.

For the almond milk you will need the following

1 C. Almonds (soaked 8+ hours) throw soak water away

4 C. Water             

4-5  Dates (if you don't have a vitamix you may want to soak the dates for 10-15 minutes to soften)

1 t. Vanilla    

Cheese cloth of some kind and pitcher

 

Start by adding all the ingredients except 2 C of the water. Blend until WELL blended then add the remaining 2 cups water and blend again.

 

Pour the mixture through the cheese cloth and squeeze as much liquid out as you can.

This is what the pulp will look like. Do NOT throw this out! I put it in my raw cookie recipe or raw crackers. Also, you can dehydrate it until dry, blend it well, and use the almond flour in recipes for baking.

  

You can enjoy your milk plain, but to make a Chocolate Mint Milkshake you will need to pour some milk into an ice cube tray to freeze.

This is what you will need for the Chocolate Mint Milkshake:
 

1-2 C. Milk

1 Frozen banana

2-4 T. Raw Cacao Powder (add 2 then taste to see if you want more)

6 Cubes frozen milk cubes or more if you want it to be thicker

3-6 drops of peppermint oil (you can omit this if you just want a chocolate milkshake)

Agave to taste (I use between 2-4 T. depending on how sweet I want it)

This pic shows a double recipe or more.

You can't tell by the picture, but these milkshakes are thick and frozen like a milkshake you would get from an ice cream shop. They are sweet, creamy, and delicious! Next time, I'm going to make a strawberry milkshake! :P

Have a happy healthy DAY!!

Strawberry Banana Ice Cream (Raw, Vegan Style)

This is a simple 1-2 ingredient recipe requiring only 2-3 steps! That being said, I will use very few words to explain this recipe. If you have more questions post them below and I will be happy to answer them. =) First, peel and freeze several bananas. Be sure they are very ripe, but not super brown and soft.

                              

Second, put them through a juicer (twin gear works best) or a blender.

  

Watch the FuN!! 

Dish out the YuMMineSS!

 Add a few frozen strawberries if you'd like a strawberry flavor. We also make a chocolate syrup made w/raw cacao powder if we are in the mood. You can add nuts for a variety if you'd like. There is all kind of things you can do. =)

Watch the children enjoy!! Sit back and wait. . .yep, they will ask you SOON to make that again! The frozen, creamy, sweet texture is addictive, yummy, and super good for you! Oh, and did I mention, it's even cheaper then ice cream!? And this is a treat mommy can eat w/out the guilt. ;) Enjoy my friends. :)

Have some quick, easy, inexpensive, and HEALTHY snack or meal ideas? Please, share them below.

Have a HEALTHY, happy day!!  =)

Dairy Free, Gluten Free, and Raw! Yummy Cookies.

These cookies were SUPER easy to make, very inexpensive, and very healthy. You can bake them if you'd like, but I just stuck them in a dehydrator for a few hours and they were SO yummy. They are vegan, raw, and gluten free. Here lies the challenge. . .when I make up recipes I don't measure! So I will do the best I can. 

 I do know that I added:

2 ripe bananas (soft, but not too brown)

about 1 cup of gluten free oatmeal

1 t. vanilla (i love vanilla so you can adjust to your taste)

about 1/2 t. cinnamon

honey to taste (about 1 tbs)

pecans, raisins, and coconut (w/no sugar) to taste

water (about 1/4-1/2 c.)

 I smash the the bananas and then pour in the water. Then I add the cinnamon and vanilla. Then I fold in the oats. When it's mixed well, I add the pecans (cut into small pieces), raisins, and coconuts. I then form then into cookie shapes, put them on a dehydrator sheet, and place them on about 105 degrees for a few hours until they are the consistency I like. If you prefer to bake them in an oven you can put them on 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. My kids love these!

If you'd prefer a fat free version you can omit the pecans. The ingredients are easy to find and pretty inexpensive. Most importantly, they are good for you and the kids will love them! Enjoy!

Have a Happy, Healthy, and Frugal day! Live Simple. =)

Green Smoothies~Yum!!

Yum! A bit on health tips here today. I LOVE my green smoothies! I like to keep mine basic and simple as usual! I try to feed my kids smoothies at least once a week (sometimes more) and I usually drink one 3-7 days a week. For those of you who know me, or have read previous posts, I am NOT good at doing exact recipes. I am not my mother's daughter when it comes to that. :(

I basically start with a blender full of greens (spinach, kale, or a dark lettuce), Then I add a cup full of chia seeds (2 tbs to 2 cups water, let set until "gooey"), 1 frozen banana, a handful of frozen berries (about 1/2 c.), 1-2 organic carrots, and an organic apple. I also had a teaspoon of Truly Vitamin C and a little bit of honey if I feel like it.

I blend it in my Vita-Mix and it usually makes about a quart. If you are new to drinking smoothies, you may want to start with less greens and more fruit. As you get used to drinking the smoothies gradually add more greens and less fruit. The greens that you put in the smoothie are the most nutritious part of the smoothies. Greens are a VERY important part of our diet. Greens are a healing food that help the body to be at the proper pH balance. Now as a person who believes in whole foods and really tries to avoid animal products, please don't put milk or yogurt in your smoothies! If you are a person who likes the creamier tastes then add some soy milk or almond milk. I'll do another blog post on how to make your own almond milk and even soy milk at home. I am all for homemade whenever possible!

I would suggest drinking a smoothie to start your day each day. What a healthy way to start your day. For more smoothie recipe ideas and info go see the green smoothie girl! This is an excellent website to get more ideas on smoothies, the benefits of them, and some great success stories. Also, I sometimes add a few kefir crystals to mine!

Have a Healthy, Happy, and Frugal day!

Stay Tuned. . .I am working on a post to give you my menu for all of my vegetarian dinners that I prepare for my family. I'll show you that it doesn't have to be expensive to eat healthy! 

By sowing frugality we reap liberty, a golden harvest.  ~Agesilaus

Kefir Water ~ Please HELP!!

I have a 3 fold purpose for this post:

1. Teach you the benefits of Kefir water

2. Teach you how to keep it alive and grow more!

3. To BEG you to take some off of my hands! Mine is growing out of control!

As usual, I want to start by sharing with you the many benefits of drinking Kefir water. I'll start with a short, simple list:

• Contributes to a healthy immune system
• Promotes a relaxing affect on the nervous system
• Helps relieve insomnia
• Helps support your normal intestinal tract function, promote bowel movements and a healthy digestive system
• Restores balance to the digestive tract, so VERY useful during and after a course of antibiotics and after food poisoning
• Has been used to treat metabolic disorders, atherosclerosis, allergic disease, tuberculosis, cancer and other gastrointestinal disorders
• They have been shown to control facial acne in 80% of adolescents 
• Rich in vitamin B-12, vitamin K and biotin

Get a lot more information on Kefir water HERE

Now, how to make it! This is what the water kefir crystals look like.

 The recipes and ratios are not an exact science. Kefir water crystals require sugar to eat. For those who are brand new to kefir or who have never heard of it, kefir is a live bacteria and requires certain things to stay alive. You can research this out on your own. I have done lots of research and have learned more by trial and error.

I start with 8 Tbs. of RAW sugar. There are lots of different forms of sugar you can use, but I would stay away from the white processed sugar. You can also use pure maple syrup. Do NOT use honey, as it has wonderful anti-bacterial properties and can actually kill the kefir crystals.

I then poor in a little bit of water to let the sugar dissolve a little. This isn't absolutely necessary, but I prefer to do it this way. 

I then add approximately 3/4-1 c. of kefir crystals, one date or other dried fruit that does not have sulfate on it. Citrus fruits do not work as well for the first fermentation.  Then I fill the quart jar with SPRING water. Do NOT use purified water or RO water. I learned this the hard way and could not get my kefir to grow. The kefir NEEDS the extra minerals in the water.

I then add a milk nut bag on top with a ring or rubber band to hold it on. Kefir also needs air to live and breath, so do not put a solid lid on it unless you put it in a larger jar and leave lots of "air" space. You could also use cheese cloth. Depending on where you live the ring/rubber band is important as fruit flies LOVE kefir water! 

I then let the kefir mixture ferment for 24-48 hours. It can sit longer  then that (up to 3-4 days), but that time frame is optimal. If you can see it, I put a little black mark on the jar below to show you where the kefir started out. Below that picture is where the kefir is after only 27 hours! Keep in mind, that is only ONE jar and I'm doing THREE! See why I need people to come take some off my hands?!

When it is time to strain and rinse the kefir crystals, I just dump it through one of the nut milk bags, rinse it well, and pick out in debris the dates may have left. Be sure your hands and any utensils you are working with are CLEAN!

The picture below is the same measuring cup from above only 27 hours later. If you notice, the Kefir has doubled in size!

Once you have a full fermentation, you have a few choices. You can simply drink it plane or add a small amount of juice (Welch's 100% grape juice is our family favorite). It only takes a small amount of juice to flavor the water. I've never measured exactly, but I would guess about 2 cups kefir water to 1/4 c. juice.

You can also do a 2nd fermentation with fruit. Be sure to drain the kefir crystals before doing a 2nd fermentation.  My favorite with that one is to smash some fresh or thawed frozen strawberries and add a few slices of lemon. If they are not organic lemons be sure not to put the peel in there. I learned the hard way to still allow AIR in this 2nd fermentation. LOL! I woke up one morning to water ALL over my counter top and dripping on the floor! This 2nd fermentation should only ferment for 24-36 hours. Be sure to strain the fruit. It tastes like strawberry lemonade. YUM!!

Just to recap a little: water kefir needs water, air, and sugar to survive and grow. If your kefir is growing out of control and you can't drink as much as it is producing, or you will be gone and can't take care of it, there is a few options. First, SHARE it with others! Second, it's ok to eat the kefir crystals, or Third, if you want it to be dormant for a while, put it in a jar w/some sugar water and put it in the fridge for a few weeks.

Ok, now for the fun part! I get to share!! If you live close by, please just call or stop by and grab some! Please!! I can't keep up with this much! If you are long distance, I am figuring out now how to send it in the mail. I will only charge you the cost of shipping! I'm not set up to receive payments online, so you will have to send me a check. 

So readers, please help me help yourself! You will be so pleased with the benefits on your health! You will also be pleased with how EASY it is and soon you'll be begging to share!

Have a Happy, Healthy Day!!