Kitchen Wellness

While I love sharing my recipes with you all, I am also committed to sharing websites I find that I think will be interesting and useful. I came across this site recently Eat Relate Love and a blog post that specifically addresses experiencing better health right now. Yes, right now! The blogger Shelley Chapman talks about Kitchen Wellness, which I wholeheartedly agree with because if you have a toxic kitchen, how in the world can you be healthy? So here is a link the post that I think you should check out: Better Health Right NOW. There is a FREE recipe book on the page as well!

That's all from me! I hope you all had a SAFE and WONDERFUL Memorial Day weekend. What did I do you ask? Well, I got some MUCH NEEDED R&R.

Salud!

Meatless Mon....., Umm, Tuesday!

Just a quick recipe that I will be trying very soon! Crispy Quinoa Sliders

Some health facts about quinoa according to a Forbes article on quinoa:

1. Very protein rich food.
2. Contains almost twice as much fiber as other grains.
3. Contains iron.
4. Rich in magnesium.
5. Contains lysine, which is needed for tissue growth and repair.
6. High in B2, which improved energy metabolism.
7. High content of manganese, which is an antioxidant.

Try it out! Salud!

Single Sista Shout Outs!!

I am taking a minute to shout out two local companies that I am very impressed with based in the DC/MD area.

1. Gone Greens, LLC

I went to the National Harbor Food and Wine Festival this past weekend. On my way there, my friend and I stopped at the farmer's market that was immediately outside of the festival. One table in particular caught our attention because the vendor said try our sauces/dips that are made out of collard greens. She had a pesto, pico de gallo, chutney and a few other VERY tasty sauces/dips. I love collard greens so this made my day. She also has cookbook that I will definitely be checking out soon! But I just wanted to shout out this company because I enjoyed the sauces/dips and definitely think you should support them. Gone Greens on Facebook and The Gone Greens Website

2. Capital Teas

Belle and I attended the Teas Around the World event on Sunday. It was held at the Living Social building in  DC and conducted by Capital Teas. Our instructor, Mr. Nkaiso Akpabio, gave us a serious lesson about green and black tea. We learned how long you should steep teas, this history behind the different teas, and that Lipton is basically the scrapple of tea. Yes, you read that right. Scrapple. There was no sugar or honey on the table so we truly got to taste and experience the flavors of each tea. The folks at Capital Teas know A LOT about tea and they have spent a lot time finding high quality tea. Did you know that you should be able to steep a real bag tea two to three times? Did you know you can infuse tea with alcohol? I highly recommend stopping by their National Harbor location. They have a wall of little jars and each jar has a sample of the teas so you can smell them. They also have some pretty exciting events coming up, including a poetry event. Capital Teas on Facebook and The Capital Teas Website

Check them out and let me know what you think! 

Salud! 

A Salad A Day!

 I am DEFINITELY going to show off just a little. As you may know by now, I am ALL about preparing meals for the week over the weekend so you can spend more time reading, exercise, shopping, catching up on all the shows you DVRed, and doing whatever make you happy!

I came across this website from a facebook post and I IMMEDIATELY bought some Mason jars on Amazon. Get ready because you are going to LOVE this!!

Basically you prepare the salad by layering the ingredients, with the lettuce/spinach at the top. I cut up some chicken, red peppers, some cooked asparagus, and corn. The wet ingredients should go in the jar first. 

And voila! My salad in a jar! I am also showing off my fruit salad. So you see two lunches and two snacks that I just grab in the mornings, put in my lunch tote, and off I go! 

Yes, it's THAT easy! No more excuses!!

Salud!

My Breakfast Cookie

I just wanted to share the breakfast cookie I made last night while watching Law & Order SUV. I can officially say that you DO NOT need to make the breakfast cookie with a banana. I personally do not care for bananas and mine turned out yummy without it. But if you like bananas, go for it.

So here are the ingredients I used:

Rolled oats

Almond butter

Cacao powder

Flaxseed

Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Vanilla protein drink

Coconut palm sugar

I just used what I already had in the house. The vanilla protein drink was a nice touch since I do not have any protein mix and I used it instead of milk. I also thought the flaxseed was a nice touch to get some added omega 3 fatty acids (more information on flaxseeds: Health Properties of Flaxseeds). I added some cacao powder for some added antioxidants and iron (more information on cacao: About Cacao). And just a little coconut palm sugar (Coconut Palm Sugar, the LOW Glycemic Index Sweeteners). Side note: I will do a post on sweeteners VERY soon because I think it's important to address them. 

So I mixed everything in a bowl and placed it on a saucer to sit overnight uncovered in the fridge. This morning, this wonderful delight was waiting on me :)

It is definitely soft and you should be prepared to eat it off of whatever dish you use. I threw some saran wrap over it so I could take it to work and I enjoyed it at my desk. And I also wanted to show off in front of my co-workers. I will be making this again tonight for breakfast tomorrow!

Salud!

Breakfast Cookie!!! C is for Cookie!!!

A friend and I just had a gchat about waking up and feeling refreshed. She attributes this feeling to hitting the treadmill, which is one of the many positive effects of exercise. As I have mentioned previously, I have streamlined my diet so I have been eating a lot more fruit and veggies which will automatically enhance your energy levels. In any case, she mentioned having something to look forward to for breakfast. We often look forward to dinner because we put something in the crock pot the night before or made dinner for the week on Sunday (well, that's how I roll), but we do not think about prepping breakfast.

Here's a fantastic idea! The Breakfast Cookie!!

Simple ingredients, based on your own taste preferences, HEALTHY, and you make it the night before, this is definitely a win-win!! So turn the TV towards the kitchen, while you are watching Scandal and trying to figure out why Huck is rocking and holding himself in a corner, and prepare your breakfast. Your body will thank you in the morning!

Try it out and let me know how it goes!!

Salud!