SUPERCHARGE YOUR MEALS!

Nutrition Class taught by Sara Heggie, West Linn Ward

#1 GREENS!

·         Start the day with a green juice &/or a green smoothie
·         Make salad the star of your main meal
·         Think about what you already eat & how you can add more veggies & nutrition to it.  Like salad on nachos or in burritos, using zucchini instead of or along with pasta, blending veggies into sauces, etc.
·         For convenience, add in a green grass or superfood powder like Sunwarrior’s Ormus Greens (sunwarrior.com) or Healthforce’s Vitamineral Green (market of choice or whole foods)

#2 RAW CACAO & SUPERFOODS

·         Have fun making fudge babies or other raw candy balls adding in superfoods like goji berries, spirulina, hemp seeds, cacao nibs.  DoTerra essential oils can also be used to boost flavor & vibration.
·         Learn to make raw chocolate adding in the superfoods & oils.

#3 SPROUTING

·         Sprouts are king in terms of food storage, nutritional impact & affordability

·         Chia seeds are amazing!

GOMBS

■Greens – Green vegetables have lots of different nutrients and systems that put a silicone like slippery coating on the inside of your blood vessels. They activate something inside the blood vessel called the Nrf2 mechanism that prevents plaque from binding to blood vessels and accelerates the rate at which fat melts away from the inside of the blood vessel.

 ■Onions – In The Medical Journal of Clinical Nutrition a large study in Europe showed people who ate onions regularly showed a 60 to 70% reduction in all major cancers. That would be a reduction in prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer just from the higher consumption of onions. When you cut an onion, the gas that is given off creates disulfides and anti-cancer nutrients that are formed.

 ■Mushrooms - A Recent study published in the international Journal of Cancer showed women who regularly consumed mushrooms are 64% less likely to develop breast cancer. That was about 10 g of mushrooms daily. That same study showed that the women who ate 10 g of mushrooms and simultaneously consumed green tea had 89% less likely to develop breast cancer.

 ■Beans and Berries - Beans and berries have high cancer preventive antioxidants levels and promotes healthy brain function.

 ■Seeds - Raw seeds and nuts contain phytochemicals and fats that help reduce inflammation, help reduce cholesterol, and helps the absorption of other important micronutrients. Dr. Fuhrman suggests having nuts as part of your salad or even making a salad dressing from them.

WEBSITES

Superfoods:

http://www.bewellbuzz.com/superfoods/16-superfoods-you-should-know-about-part-1/

http://www.bewellbuzz.com/superfoods/16-superfoods-you-should-know-about-part-2/

http://www.bewellbuzz.com/superfoods/16-superfoods-you-should-know-about-part-3/

Green smoothies:

Glowing Green Smoothie (GGS) recipe:  http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/ggs/

http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/recipes/creamy-coconut-chocolate-green-smoothie-recipe/ (I always use more greens, whichever I have on hand, & usually more liquid)

Raw Chocolate:
http://www.philipmccluskey.com/raw-chocolate/

Sprouts:

http://www.herbco.com/p-928-chia-seed-whole.aspx#

http://www.naturalnews.com/037916_chia_seeds_storable_food_preparedness.html

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/chia-pudding (chia pudding recipe)

Wheat:

http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/why-modern-wheat-considered-frankenwheat

Sara:

http://pinterest.com/bevibrant7/

http://www.facebook.com/sara.heggie

RECIPES

Basic Green Smoothie

1 part liquid (water, coconut water, coconut kefir, etc.)

1 part greens (leafy greens incl. celery, fennel, herbs)
1 part fruit

Blend liquid with greens & citrus for 30 seconds on high in BlendTec.  Add remaining fruit.  If using frozen fruit, blend on #4, then on high for 30 more seconds.

Tips:  bananas add creaminess, lemons & limes cut bitterness of darker greens, berries can hide the green color somewhat, spinach has almost no flavor in a green smoothie, use a little more liquid if this is too thick for you.

 

Alkalizing Green Drink (no fruit)
Put in commercial blender:
½ avocado
1/3 English cucumber
Big handful spinach or other dark greens
Juice of ½ lime
Add purified water to 2c mark

Blend very well.

 

Green Yum (stuff you probably have in the fridge now)
2 ½ c pure water
2 ½ c romaine lettuce
2 limes, peel sliced off
2-3 bananas, frozen is nice if you like it cold

Blend water, limes & romaine 30 seconds on high in BlendTec.  Add bananas to make 1 quart & blend on high another 30 seconds.  If using frozen bananas blend on “whole food juice” then another 30 seconds on high.

 

Walnut Spice Balls
2 c walnuts or sunflower seeds
1 ½ c dates
1 c raisins
2 t vanilla
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg or ginger or cardamom

Grind seeds in food processor with spices.  Add remaining ingredients & process until thoroughly mixed & sticking together.  Roll into 1½ inch balls & refrigerate.

 Fudge Babies from Elana’s Pantry

½ cup Medjool dates, pits removed
1 cup walnuts
3 tablespoons cacao powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt (omit if you do not like salt as much as I do!)

1.Place dates, walnuts, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt in a food processor

2.Pulse on high speed until smooth
3.Remove mixture from food processor and roll into little balls
4.Serve

Sara’s note:  this is a great base to add in goji berries, cacao nibs, hemp seeds, small amounts of superfood powders like spirulina or maca.

SOUP RECIPES

from our Delicous Lunch Selections

Pumpkin Coconut Soup

Jenna Vela, Wilsonville Ward
Ingredients:

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium sized yellow onion

3 cloves minced garlic

1 inch grated fresh ginger (seriously, it's worth buying it fresh)

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. chicken base or 2 bouillon cubes

3 cups chicken broth

1 can cooked chicken (or you can use 2 chicken breasts... but canned chicken is easier and i think tastes better in this recipe)

1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

1 14 oz. can coconut milk

2 tsp. salt (more to taste if you'd like)

1-2 tsp. pepper

1/4 bunch fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. chop the onion into small, even pieces and grate the ginger with a fine grater. in a large stock pot, add 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. once the oil has heated, add the chopped onion, ginger, and minced garlic to the oil and stir. cook for about 5-7 minutes until the onion is mostly cooked through (it will be translucent).
3. while that's cooking, peel your butternut squash and take 1/2 of it and cut into about 1/2 inch cubes. in a small glass pyrex dish, add the cubed squash and pour 3 tbsp. olive oil over top. add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. mix together so that all the cubes are coated in the olive oil. make sure the pieces of squash are in one layer (no overlapping) so that they can cook evenly. bake in your oven for 25 minutes.
4. By this point, your onions, ginger, and garlic should be ready. add 1 tsp. ground cumin and stir, allowing the cumin to get all toasty and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
5. add pumpkin puree, coconut milk, chicken base, chicken stock, and drained canned chicken (or chicken breast). if you're using chicken breast, cook over medium heat in a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. cut into small pieces. add to the soup once cooked through) stir together and mix completely. up the heat JUST A TAD so that you can bring the soup to a simmer. add 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper (again, you can add more after this if you'd like. depends on your taste buds. mine ask for salt). allow to simmer for 25 minutes so that everything heats through and the chicken becomes very tender.
6. when you squash is done, remove from the glass dish, making sure to drain away any access oil, and add to the soup. allow to simmer and cook for about 10 more minutes.
7. take a bunch of cilantro and rinse it, shaking it well afterwards in the sink. remove the leaves from the stem and give it a rough chop. when the soup is finished, dish into a bowl and add the cilantro leaves. a squeeze of lime wouldn't hurt.


Chicken Tortilla Soup
Arianne Smith

 

1 can (28oz) green enchilada sauce

2 cans black beans drained and rinsed

2 cans petite diced tomatoes

1 yellow onion chopped

1 can (4oz) green chilies

1 TBS chopped garlic

1 bag (16oz) frozen white corn

2 whole chicken breasts

 Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.

2. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

3. At the end of cooking pull out the whole chicken breasts and shred them and return shredded chicken to the soup.

4. serve with sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips

 Potato Cheese Soup

Christy Corbin, West Linn Ward

 

3 cups diced potatoes
½ cup diced onion
5-6 bouillon cubes
1 ½ cup water

1 cup sour cream

1 can corn (drained)

1-2 tsp. dried chives
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups grated cheese
Bacon bits
Pepper to taste
2 cups milk separated

 

In medium saucepan, combine water, potato, onion and bouillon cubes. Cover and boil 20 min. Add 1-cup milk. Meanwhile combine sour cream flour and chives in bowl. Add 1-cup milk to flour mixture, and then add sour cream mix to soup. When heated through, add corn, and grated cheese. Serve with extra cheese and bacon bits.