Mint Chocolate Chip Shake ~Shamrock Shake~

Mint Chocolate Chip Shake -- Makes about 4 servings

3/4 cup canned coconut milk -- FS (Food Storage Item)
3/4 cup milk (dairy, almond or more coconut) --FS
2 frozen bananas, cut into a few pieces
LARGE handful of raw spinach
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract -- FS
Ice, to desired consistency
Pure maple syrup, for added sweetness, to taste (1-2 Tbsp.) -- FS
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips -- FS

Blend on high until green in color and thick! Serve with unsweetened real whipped cream, if desired.

Almond Banana Bread

I have been experimenting with beans for two reasons, to find ways to get my kids to eat them and to cycle through food storage. It has been fun! Replace a quarter to half of the fat in your recipe with pureed white beans or ground white bean flour for some of the wheat flour. They taste great! You will be surprised how much you can increase the nutrition in your regular baked goods.

Almond Banana Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour (ground steel cut oats)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup prureed white beans (great northern or navy)
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. almond extract (vanilla would work, too)
3 Tbsp. ground flaxseed meal (opt.)

Heat oven to 350°. Grease (I used coconut oil) and lightly flour a loaf pan. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix brown sugar, bananas, beans, almond butter, and extract in a separate bowl. Mix into dry ingredients. Pour into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Do not overcook or it will be too dry.

Seed Granola Bars

These are so good! I cannot take credit for them. I got the recipe from my sister in law and made a couple of small changes. I love having these ready to grab in the fridge when I am running out the door hungry.


Seed Granola Bars

1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds-raw)
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup puffed millet
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup raw almond butter, creamy and unsalted
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey/agave
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine dry ingredients. Gently melt/soften coconut oil and almond butter in a measuring cup in microwave, about 15 seconds, stir. Add remaining wet ingredients, coconut oil and almond butter to dry ingredients and mix well. Press into an 8x8 pan that has been lined with plastic wrap. Freeze for a couple of hours. Remove from pan and cut into 9 bars. Wrap individually and store in refridgerator.

Zucchini Lasagna

A combo of marinara sauce, zucchini and quinoa, this is a great light alternative for the traditional lasagna. Have a salad on the side and you have a great meal!



Zucchini Lasagna



2 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 12 thin

1 cup quinoa, uncooked (FS)

2 cups chicken broth/stock (FS)

1/2 cup tomato sauce (FS)

1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

1 tsp. dried italian seasoning (FS)

1 Tbsp. dried basil (FS)

2 Tbsp. cream cheese

Salt and Pepper, to taste (FS)

1 24 oz. jar marinara (FS)

1/2 cup cheese, shredded



Cut zucchini. In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa, stock, tomato sauce, onion and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. When quinoa is cooked, add cream cheese and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently.

In an 8x8 glass dish, spread about 3/4 cup sauce. Layer four zucchini and spread half of quinoa on top. Repeat once. Finish with layer of zucchini, remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered for about 30 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before cutting.



Makes 4-5 servings.



I am off to make my meal plan for the week. What are you having for dinner this week?

Zucchini and Lentil Soup

Lentils....I know, they don't sound good. I never had any desire to try them myself and didn't know how to make them. I didn't want to eat just plain boiled lentils. This soup is so good and warming. Lentils taste great! They are a great addition to your diet! With just 70 calories in a 1/4 cup dry (3/4 cup cooked) serving, you get 9 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein plus a ton of other nutrients like iron and folate! Mix that with broth and veggies and you have a great clean meal!

Zucchini and Lentil Soup

1/4 cup oil, coconut or olive
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. italian herbs seasoning
2 large carrots, chopped
8-10 cups water
1 lb. lentils, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
2 medium zucchini, chopped (opt.)
1-2 cups cooked brown rice, quinoa or millet (opt.)
1 TBSP. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion, garlic, carrots and seasonings. Saute 4 minutes. Add water and lentils. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add brown rice, zucchini, salt and pepper. Cover and cook and additional 5-10 minutes or until veggies are soft. Serve.

*This soup gets thicker as it sits. I like to wait a little bit and then eat it. Also, unless you are like me and my husband and can eat leftovers for breakfast, lunch and dinner until it is gone, cut this recipe in half. It make a lot!

Perfect Scramble

This is a great meal that is balanced and easy! I try to always have cooked brown rice in the fridge by making more than we need each time. Another staple I think everyone has is eggs! Such a perfect protein! I always keep a lot of eggs around.

Brown Rice and Egg Scramble

3 eggs
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
Large handful of spinach (or whatever greens you have)
1/4 avocado, chopped
Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste
Green Tabasco, to taste

Scrable the eggs together in a skillet with a touch of olive oil. When they are almost cooked through add brown rice and spinach. Scramble until spinach wilts and rice is warm. Top with avocado.

Pumpkin Pie Shake

I had an open can of pumpkin that needed to be used up this afternoon. After the kids got home from school I whipped up this shake and the gobbled it up! They even dipped graham crackers in it for a real treat!

3/4 cup 100% pumpkin puree

1 cup canned coconut milk
1 cup water

1/2 cup plain yogurt

4 Tbsp. honey, more to taste

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Ice, to desired consistency

Dollop of whipped cream, opt.

Add first six ingredients in blender and mix. Add ice to desired thickness. Pour into cups and top with a little whipped cream.

Makes about 4 servings.