Barcelona Burger

By:  Maria

My three favorite foods on one plate. 

This one is easy to make and gives you a dense serving of quality protein.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. grass-fed beef (you can also use buffalo or even lamb!)

1/2 tsp each of:

garlic powder

onion powder

smoked paprika

black pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt

    eggs (one for each patty)

olive or coconut oil

bacon slices (no nitrate/nitrite) - I have also used prosciutto (sautee on skillet until crispy - deeelicious!)

Mix beef and seasoning in bowl and form into desired size patties.  Grill to desired doneness.  While burgers are on the grill, cook bacon (or prosciutto) and set aside.  In skillet, cook eggs (over easy). Top each burger patty with one egg and bacon/prosciutto slices

Hot Coco(nut) Milk

By:  Maria

Who doesn't enjoy a good cup of hot cocoa??  I'm not talking about the little packets that include ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, sugars and hydrogenated oils!  I am talking about a good-for-your-body-and-soul hot cocoa that you can not only savor, but enjoy knowing you are drinking some essential nutrients not found in sugar and oil-ladened convenience packets (get rid of those!!).

This recipe includes coconut milk instead of regular dairy milk (awesome for those that are lactose intolerant or are wanting to lean out body composition!) and no need for sugar!  Coconut milk contains anti-microbial, anti-bacterial properties known to boost immune function.  Although coconut milk contains a dense caloric value, the caloric properties contain short and medium-chain fatty acids that the body uses readily, easily and efficiently for energy instead of storing as fat!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Coconut Milk
 1 tbsp  Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
 1 cup Tap Water
 1 tsp Cinnamon, Ground

                                                                          Directions:

       Combine coconut milk, cinnamon and cocoa powder. Microwave for 1.5 minutes. Add vanilla. Stir.



Deciphering Food Industry Quote

By:  Maria

"Doritos is not bad for you...  Doritos is nothing but corn mashed up, fried a little bit with just very little oil, and then flavored in the most delectable way."                                                            -PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi

Really?? 

 Let's take a closer look at the two-inch long list of ingredients above and the ingredients in another flavor of Doritos brand below:

Whole corn, vegetable oil (Contains one or more of the following: corn, soybean, and/or sunflower oil), corn maltodextrin, salt, tomato powder, corn starch, lactose, whey, nonfat milk, corn syrup solids, onion powder, sugar, garlic powder, monosodium glutamate (MSG), cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil, disodium phosphate, dextrose, malic acid, buttermilk, natural and artificial flavors, sodium acetate, artificial color (Including: Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 5), sodium caseinate, spice, citric acid, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate.

Yep, that long list is what I picture "corn mashed up...fried..very little oil" to be.  The MSG and partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil must be the "delectable" flavor they speak of, eh?

Reading food labels can be very informative and I suggest you read them frequently in order to know exactly what you are putting into your body!  If it were me, I would be putting anything with that ingredient list back on the shelf - asap!

More on MSG here

Chocolate Decadence

By:  Maria

These easy-to-make cocoa nuggets are a sweet, chocolately treat for your taste buds without any added sugars or, even worse, artificial sweeteners!  These are truly a guilt-free treat!

With just 3 simple ingredients (or 4, if you decide to use a small slice of a banana to increase sweetness), you can mix up these little nuggets in no time.

Ingredients:

1 C walnuts or pecans

1 C dates

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

**optional - one 2" slice of banana**

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until thoroughly blended (about a good 20-30 seconds).  With your hands, form into 1-2" sized balls, place in a container and cover.

Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Done!

I enjoy these without the banana, but my kids love these with a bit of banana added. You could add any other fruit/berry as long as it's a small piece - you don't need much!

Enjoy!

Community Supported Agriculture

By:  Maria

What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

It is a way for consumers to purchase local, seasonal food directly from the farmer.  Depending on which CSA you sign up with, you are able to speak directly to the farmer regarding their produce and how it is grown.  The farmer sells certain amount of "shares" to the public and in each share (you are given a box or basket), you have foods that will include anything from vegetables, fruit to eggs and even bread!  Every CSA offers different types of baskets. 

So how does it work?

It's easy!  Once you find a CSA that will fit your schedule, location and budget, you will contact them to get details regarding location of pick-up and fees.  You will typically pre-pay for your shares each week (some will do bi-weekly, monthly and even the entire growing season) and you will go to the specified location at the specified time and pick up your basket!  It's that simple.

Some CSA's will allow you to "pre-order" certain types of foods to customize your basket which would mean utilizing every little bit of food.  If you're not sure about purchasing a share for yourself, do what I did the first year, grab a friend and share a basket!  However, once you realize the incredibly fresh produce and the even more amazing flavors compared to store-bought produce, you will want the basket all to yourself (it only took a few times for me to realize I could use the entire basket myself)!

How much do these shares cost?

It all depends on which CSA you choose, but I've seen as low as $16 for a basket full of produce every other week up to $400+ for the entire growing season (approx. 22 weeks).

Where can I find more information?

Go to this website to find a CSA near you!
http://www.csautah.org/find-a-csa

We enjoy the freshest produce possible by being a part of a CSA!

Cauliflower Rice

                                                                    By:  Maria

I have been making this dish for a couple of years and absolutely LOVE it!

There are so many different combinations of spices and ingredients to appeal to all taste buds. My favorite is using the spice Cumin, but I also love Smoked Paprika. Get creative!

The nutritional benefits from cauliflower compared to rice is incredible. You can use this dish to replace all your dishes that use rice.

video compliments of youtube

Warm-Your-Soul Cereal

By:  Maria

Four basic ingredients - that's all!  And EASY to make! 

Sure, you could just reach for some oatmeal and make it without a fuss, but this recipe contains super-hero nuts chock-full of antioxidants and healthy fats and a touch of cinnamon that leaves oatmeal in the nutritional dust!

1 c choice of nuts (I used a combination of almonds and pecans)

1 apple cut into large chunks

1 tblsp cinnamon

1 c water

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend.

The consistency should be the same as cooked oatmeal.  Place mixture into a saucepan and heat to boiling.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Done!

Pair this with some protein (hard boiled or scrambled egg) and you will be satisfied for hours

Enjoy!

Sesame & Flax Seed Crackers

                                                                  By:  Maria

After a week of tough workouts that leave me feeling awesome, I do not want to sabotage my efforts by indulging in overly processed, caloric dense, and nutrient vacant snacks like crackers or chips.  I do, however, want to satisfy my snack cravings with wonderful flavors and crunchy textures that are similar to crackers.

These crackers -although good by themselves - are amazing with a side of freshly made guacamole and a cinch to make!

1/4 C. Blanched Almond Flour

1/4 C. Ground Flax Seeds

1/4 C. Sesame Seeds

1/4 C. Pumpkin Seeds

1/4 C. Sunflower Seeds

1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin

1/4 tsp. Ground Coriander

1/4 tsp. Ancho Chile Powder (omit if desired)

1/4 C. Water

1 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place all seed ingredients in food processor and process.

Pour seed content into mixing bowl, add seasonings and mix.

Add water and oil and mix to combine. The mixture should be slightly wet and sticky.

On parchment paper-lined baking sheet, drop mixture by the tablespoon spaced about 2" apart. (parchment paper is important so they don't stick!)

Cover dropped mixture with parchment paper and flatten with rolling pin as thin as possible. The bottom of a measuring cup works well also! Remove paper and make sure all pieces are evenly flattened.

Bake for 15 minutes, until crisp.  Place pan on wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.  Remove crackers from pan and place on wire rack to cool completely.

We love to serve these with fresh guacamole, but the younger family members like them dipped in almond butter.

Enjoy!