What's For Breakfast?

I've been having a green smoothie for breakfast for about seven months now and I love starting my day with it.

  First off let me say that I am not a nutritionist.  I took nutrition classes in college as part of my major, but I don't have any certification or "professional" nutritional degree.  If you are having health issues go see a professional.  With that being said I have read and studied a lot about healthy eating.  If you are a generally healthy person, most health professionals will tell you increasing your vegetable intake, especially dark green leafy vegetables, is a good thing.  There are some diseases in which people can not tolerate high levels of green vegetables, but I'm talking about generally healthy people. 

Do you ask your doctor before you eat a pizza or a cheese burger? 

Probably not, so if you are in generally good health you probably don't need to ask a professional if it's OK to eat more veggies, just saying. 

This is a simple, quick, delicious way to do just that.

  I read a book called the Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr and I stole some of the smoothie recipe ideas from the book.  It was recommended by my friend Heather Jones over at Mrs. Jones.  She is very talented and witty and I like her style.  Like most nutrition books I read, I use what is applicable for me.  I am not a vegetarian, but my diet has evolved to be mostly plant based.
 

I also really like these two books.

I changed my diet about four to five years ago?  I keep tweaking it as a read more, discover more, and find what works for me.  The way I eat now is not even recognizable compared to how I ate ten years ago.  The change was due to some nagging health issues that doctors couldn't explain?  I developed an auto immune disease while pregnant with my second daughter and have continued to be plagued with other symptoms that doctors could never diagnose.  I had to go on daily medication.  As a result I changed the way I ate.  It helped a lot , but I still had nagging symptoms that would creep up from time to time?  I could never pin point what was causing them?  I started drinking Mona Vie about three years ago, wow what a difference it made.  My joint paint completely disappeared, but I still had digestive problems that would come and go.  I recently was able to lower my dosage of the daily meds. I'm on for my auto immune disease (Do not adjust your medication unless your doctor prescribes the change.)  I attribute it to the dietary changes I've made.  That's a whole other blog that I won't go in to now.  This is just a short little breakfast post.

Simply put, I eat way more of this,

raw, raw, and more raw.

Not this.  This is poison for my body.

  I put the veggies and fruit in a blender in a 2-1 ratio and make this yummy concoction.

Today it's kale, cucumber, sprouts, broccoli stocks, zucchini, frozen berries, green apple, and pear.  Sometimes it's collard greens or spinach instead of kale.  If possible I try to use stuff we grow in our garden or what I can buy organic.  That's why I included the zucchini, we have a ton of it in our veggie garden.

Cut everything up to be about the same size and throw it in the blender.

I add some coconut water.  You can also use purified water.  Coconut water has as much potassium as a banana.  It's way better for electrolyte replacement than sugary sports drinks. I always lecture the athletes I train to not drink sports drinks.  Sports drinks are basically sugar water that high priced athletes have been paid mega money to get people to think they are good to drink.
That's a whole other post.   

 And I add a packet of Stevia.

This is what I drink for breakfast every day. 

 I know it looks similar to pond scum, but trust me, it's GOOD!

After you start drinking these you will think donuts look disgusting.

(OK maybe the donut part is an exaggeration?)

Ahhh, my body is happy, energized, and strong.

 I'm ready to give my best to my family and to the wonderful girls I have been entrusted to coach volleyball.

What's your favorite go to healthy breakfast?

Thanks for checking it out.

Lastly, my friend Meg over at Meg's Handmade Life is having her very first give away from her cute Etsy shop.  Don't be fooled by her profile picture on her blog, she's the adorable model in the hand knit beanies.  Go check it out! 

Veggies Your Kid's Will Eat.

We all want are kids (and husbands) to eat more veggies and less junk?  This is how I make brussels sprouts and cauliflower.  They gobble it up like it was chocolate chip cookies!  OK, I might be exaggerating a tad, but my family loves veggies this way. 

Our meals have evolved into the veggies as a main course and the protein as the side.  This has been a process that my kids probably aren't even aware of?  Sometimes we moms have to be sneaky and stealth like.

Raw or lightly steamed is nutritionally preferable,
but if my kids won't eat them that way what good is it? 

I'm not sure where I got this from?  Sorry I can't credit the source.  I think I saw it on a cooking show, not sure, but we've been cooking veggies this way for years.

I use my pre-cut frozen garlic to speed up the prep. for the veggies on week nights when we have soccer or volleyball practice.

I thinly slice a head of Cauliflower and spread it out on a cookie sheet. 

I toss is with the chopped garlic (the more the better, but we are garlic freaks), and a couple tablespoons of grape seed or olive oil.  We have a family of four.  This always looks like way too much, but the cooking shrinks it.  Sprinkle with some sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and some red pepper flakes if you like it hot.

 

Roast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Toss after ten minutes to roast evenly.  I have a convection oven, so if you don't you might have to cook these a little longer.

The edges should be lightly crisp and browned.

 The only bad thing about this is I love leftovers and we never have any! 

My family gobbles it up!

This works great for brussels sprouts too.
 I chop them in a food processor, cook them the same way as the cauliflower, and finish them off with some chopped pecans or walnuts.

How do you get your family to eat more veggies?

Thanks for checking it out.

My Favorite Seared Ahi Creation

This has become a family favorite and a hit with dinner guests.
 I have served it as an appetizer or as a light main dinner course. 
Perfect for summer entertaining.
Here it is in my new starfish platter that my friend Kristy gave me. 

I made this recipe up. 

Start with some Sashimi Grade Ahi.

This is from Trader Joe's

2-3 Avocados.

Sesame Seeds

Sesame Oil

 Peel some Edaname. About a cup?

I serve this with two different sauces.   
The first sauce is made with Wasabi Powder or Wasabi Paste (I prefer paste), Colman's Mustard (dried powdered mustard found in the spices section of the grocery store), and Gluten Free Soy Sauce (I don't eat gluten so that's what I use.  Regular soy sauce works just as well for this recipe if it's not an issue for you.)

Make a paste with the wasabi, mustard, and soy.  About a teaspoon of each?  I don't really measure when I cook, these are estimates. 

Once you have mixed the paste, add about 1/3 of cup of soy sauce and mix well. Adjust the heat by adding more wasabi to make it hotter or more soy sauce to cool it down.

Mix well.

The second sauce is a Chipotle Mayonnaise that I also use on my Shrimp Tacos.  In a food processor or blender mix 1 to 2, 3 if you like it HOT (not the whole can, these babies pack some heat!) Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (freeze the rest for later use), a cup of mayo. and approximately a tablespoon of water. 

If it turns out too hot for you, add more mayo. to cool it down.

Time to sear your Ahi.  Searing just locks in the flavor.  Think sushi, the middle is raw. 
Coat the Ahi with sesame oil and dip into the sesame seeds.

(The extra little piece is for my lunch tomorrow)

In a non-stick skillet heat about a tablespoon of sesame oil on high till it's just about to smoke.

Sear the sesame coated fish in the hot sesame oil.  Sear a minute or two on both sides and all the ends.  The middle should be completely raw and the cooking should only reach the outer 1/8"- 1/4" edge of the fish.

With a sharp knife, slice the fish into 1/4"-1/2" slices.  Peel and slice the avocado and alternate the Ahi and the avocado slices.  Drizzle the Chipolte Mayonaise along the top, down the middle.  Sprinkle with the Edaname and serve with the soy dipping sauce and Chipolte Mayo. on the side. 

Here it is served with brown rice and steamed broccoli for dinner.

Enjoy!

Perfect after a hot day at the beach. 

 What's your favorite summer recipe?

Thanks for checking it out.

What's For Lunch?

Things are a little crazy in my house these days. 

Volleyball Middle School Championships.

We won!  Go Rancho!

Cami's bedroom is scattered all over the house.

(Things HGTV never shows during the makeover)

Roscoe walked through the concrete floor paint.

I see you Roscoe.

A landscape plan for a client near completion.

Chalk festival at Cami's school, soccer starting up again, dentist appointment......

You know, you live it too, 

daily family chaos.

A perfect excuse to do drive through and eat whatever I can cram down my pie hole.   

(With paint brush in hand of course)

But wait, stop!  It only takes about five minutes to whip up a healthy lunch. 

Really, this one is that quick.

Cut some cucumbers and some tomatoes.

 Warm up a corn tortilla or two. 

(I was out of my Trader Joe's Brown Rice Tortillas.)

 Mash some avocado on them.

 Add the cucumbers, tomatoes, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of garlic powder.

 Eat, yum, clean up dog paint prints before they dry.

Five minutes, I swear.

To see some really yummy lunch check out my friend Heather's groumet lunch here.

What did you have for lunch today?

 

Thanks for checking it out.

What's For Lunch?

Today it's tuna salad on a bed of arugula.  I added cannelloni beans, pecans, green apple, red onion, celery, and a little mayo to tuna.  I sliced some cucumbers, an avocado, and some heirloom tomatoes.  Add a little sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and it's ready. 

Quick, easy, and yummy! 

My husband joined me for lunch so that's why I made it pretty. 

If it's just me I don't arrange the plate like this. 

Yes my husband actually eats this and doesn't wonder where the main course is?  When I met him he drank a liter of soda a day and lived on beer and carne asada burritos.  He has totally bought in to eating healthy with me.  It's much harder to eat healthy if your spouse isn't on board.  I'm lucky mine welcomes meals like this.

What did you have for lunch? 

In the Gym

Hope you had a great weekend.  I spent it in Anaheim in the Convention Center coaching volleyball at the Junior Olympic Qualifier.
Here is my team. They're an under 12 year old team and this is their first year together.  The man on the left taking a picture of the parents is my friend and head coach Nick Fotias.  Our team finished second in San Diego County and sixteenth over all in Southern California.  Being a new team, this is an amazing accomplishment.  All of the higher ranking teams come from established veteran programs.  I am very proud of them! 

 Casey's team went too, so I got to see her briefly throughout the weekend.

It's so rewarding to work with these wonderful girls and watch them grow and develop into exceptional young ladies on and off the court. 

They aren't just learning the game of volleyball, they're learning life lessons.  Their character is being challenged in only ways that playing on a team can do.  They are learning patience, how to win with grace, how to loss with grace, how to achieve goals, how to handle failure, how to work as a team, and how to have fun!

The pay is little, but the rewards are priceless.

Hope you spent the weekend doing something you love!

Thanks for checking it out.