Morning Muffins:

Ingredients: 1 cup sour milk (Sour milk is easy to make -- add a tablespoon of vinegar to a one cup measure and fill to the top with milk. Let stand for 5 minutes) 1/2 cup applesauce 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 egg 1/3 cup raw sugar 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup oat flour (Oat flour doesn't need to be bought -- make your own by pureeing instant oatmeal in the blender until a fine dry powder is formed) 1 cup instant oats 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped (opt.) 1/4 cup almonds, chopped (opt.) Directions: --Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 12 muffin cups. --Combine sour milk, applesauce, butter, vanilla extract, egg and brown sugar and blend well. --Stir together oat flour, wheat flour, baking soda and cinnamon. --Add flour mixture to wet mixture and blend well. --Fold in oats, almonds and apricots. --Fill muffin tins. These do not rise very high, so a full muffin cup is fine. --Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. I left out the dried apricots when I made them.

Orange juice and Pineapple Salad Dressing:

To make this delicious, healthy salad dressing you'll need an orange, a pineapple, a citrus juicer, and a blender (can be a small personal one). Juice the orange using the citrus juicer. Next cut up a fresh pineapple and add a few pieces to a blender with the fresh squeeze orange juice. You can keep this dressing in a sealed container up to several days in the refrigerator. I love this salad dressing on a bed of spinach leaves and if I have any some kale also. Chop up an apple and add some raisins then drizzle on the O.J./Pineapple dressing. Mmmm....delicious!

Simple Summer Spaghetti:

Ingredients: 12 oz. packaged dry spaghetti Yt cup extra-virgin olive oil 5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped Pinch crushed red pepper, or more to taste 2 cups cut-up grilled zucchini and/or summer squash 2 cups red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes, quartered 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or Italian parsley Directions: 1. Bring large pot of salted water to boiling. Stir in spaghetti. Cook 9 to 10 minutes, just until tender. Strain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. 2. Meanwhile, in extra-large skillet combine olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Cook over medium heat about 3 minutes, until garlic begins to soften. Do not let garlic brown. Stir in zucchini, tomatoes, and torn basil. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Reduce heat to low; stir pasta liquid and spaghetti into vegetables in skillet. (If skillet is too small, mix all ingredients in large pot.) Heat thoroughly. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Transfer to large serving bowl. Sprinkle with chopped fresh basil.

Italian Spice Dressing:

Ingredients: 3 Tbsp. olive oil ------ ½ tsp. sea salt ------ 3 Tbsp. flax oil (or use more olive oil) ------- ¼ tsp. black pepper ------- ¼ cup water ------- 1 whole garlic clove ------ 3 Tbsp. lemon juice ----- 1 tsp. hot mustard (can use plain mustard) ----- 2 tsp. agave nectar ------ 1 tsp. Italian seasoning ------ 1 tsp. onion powder ------- --Place in blender --Lasts up to a week in a refrigerator (Creamier version add ¼ cup soaked pine nuts. Opt. replace Italian seasoning with fresh basil and oregano) [Flax oil: omega 3 which helps in development of brain, focus, & learning]

Carrot-Beet Salad

For this salad I used carrots and beets and shredded them using the food processor. Then I peeled and cored and apple and chopped it up. You can either put the apple through the food processor or leave it as small chunks. I left them as small chunks to add some crunch to my salad. Using a citrus juicer, I juiced a fresh lime and mixed in the lime juice. I didn't use all of the lime juice, just added some till I enjoyed the taste. If you have any juice left you can either use it in your carrot juice or add it to a glass of water. If you do not have a citrus juicer you can always use the store bought pre-made lime juice.


Once made - enjoy! This salad you can keep in the refrigerator, but it is best eaten within the first few days. This is a great salad as a snack or before your main meal in replace of a green salad or as a side dish with your meal.

French Breakfast Muffins:

Ingredients MUFFINS: 2 cups flour ---- 2/3 cup sugar ---- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder ---- 1/2 teaspoon salt ---- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ---- 1 large egg ---- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk ---- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled ---- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ---- CINNAMON-SUGAR TOPPING: 1/2 cup sugar ---- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon ----- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled ---- Instructions: 1. Heat the oven to 375°. Butter the bottoms (only) of 12 standard-size muffin cups and set the pan aside. 2. Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl and combine them with a whisk. 3. In a medium-size bowl, whisk the egg until it's frothy. Blend in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture. 4. Using a wooden spoon, mix the batter just until it's evenly blended, then spoon it into the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. 5. Bake the muffins on the center rack for 15 minutes. Then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack until the muffins are cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes, then remove them from the cups. 6. Before the muffins lose their warmth, prepare the topping. Mix the sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter and transfer it to a separate small bowl. Set both bowls next to the muffins. 7. Working one muffin at a time, quickly dip the tops in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, rolling each muffin in all directions to cover the entire top. If you'd like more topping, roll them in the cinnamon sugar for a second time while they're still warm. Serve immediately.

Carrot/Apple/Beet Greens Juice:

Juicing is very healthy for you. For this juice today I used carrots, one apple, and beet greens to juice in my juicer. If you aren't used to juicing vegetables it is a good idea to add some sweetness such as an apple (green apples work wonderful) or some fresh squeeze lemon, lime, or grapefruit.
I made enough to have a drink now and one for a little later in the early afternoon. This was really delicious :)

Nut Cookies

This recipe uses a dehydrator. I haven't tried it yet with using the oven, but I am sure you can. A dehydrator keeps the enzymes, but the next time I make these I'll try using the oven.
Recipe:
1/2 cup to 1 cup of Almonds
1/2 cup or so of Walnuts
1/3 cup or so of Pecans
1/2 cup or less of maple syrup
1/4 cup water (more or less as needed) When I made this I don't think I needed much water at all.



Grind the nuts first in the food processor until fine. With the food processor still running, pour in the maple syrup. If the mixture is too thick or crumbly slowly pour in water until the mixture is smooth. You don't want to add too much water.


Make balls and push them flat. If using a dehydrator can either place directly onto the dehydrator or use parchment paper or teflex sheets. If using an oven place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
Dehydrator: dehydrate at 105 degrees for 24 hours (or overnight). In morning or after 8-10 hours flip them over. Dpending on how firm you want them will determine how long to keep them in the dehyrator, but you do not want to dry them out too much.
Oven: Place on the lowest setting and flip over after 30 min. and keep doing that until you feel like it is done.



You can eat them once they are finished. Personally I didn't like them to well from the dehydrator. Instead of wasting them I placed them in the freezer and ate them once frozen. They were alot better and tasted pretty good. But this is a recipe that I may not really try again for a good while. It was okay, but it could have been better.




Recipe: "Hallelujah Kids by Julie Wandling"

Bean/Rice Salad

Bean/Rice Salad: Ingredients: 1 Tbsp olive or grapeseed oil 1 onion, chopped 1/2 red pepper, diced 1 can black beans (or 2 cups cooked) 1 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa 2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt 3 cloves garlic, crushed Directions: 1. Sauté onion, garlic and pepper in oil. 2. Add beans, rice and spices. 3. Simmer together as you prepare rest of toppings. After making this recipe you can place the beans and rice in a taco shell, a tortilla shell, or do what I did top it on top of salad. I than used salsa as my dressing. This makes a yummy Mexican salad.





(Recipe from: "Everyday Wholesome Eating" by Kim Wilson)

Pear/Apple/Banana Porridge

This is a very healthy and delicious dish that would be perfect for breakfast or just anytime.
Peel and core the pear and put it into the blender and blend.
Next add the banana.
Lastly add a peeled and chopped apple.
Blending the fruit in this order will preven the mixture from getting too sticky.



You can sprinkle your dish with cinnamon and some flaxseed and mix.



Recipe: "Raw Food - A complete guide for every meal of the day by Erica Palmcrantz and Irmela Lilja"

Kale/Avocado/Banana Smoothie

As I have said before you can use variety to your smoothies.
For an idea for one you can use water as your base of liquid, an avocado, frozen bananas, pineapple, bluberries, and kale.

Kale is a leafy green that an abudance of iron. I would just use a handful or less of kale (depending on your taste).



If you wanted you can add in some hemp protein powder for some extra protein or ground flaxseeds for omega 3.

Banana/Date/Flaxseed Smoothie

This is another good and healthy smoothie.
Recipe:
Ice-cubes, that is optional.
Frozen bananas
Dates (use 1-2 and pre-soak them before using)
Almond Milk
--Blend altogether and enjoy a wonderful treat. Frozen vs. non-frozen bananas will determine if you want it thinner or thicker. I like to make mine thick so Logan and I can eat it out of a bowl. Mmmm....Scrumptious!

Banana/Pineapple Ice-Cream

This is a very yummy recipe. All you need is almond milk (or you could use water). I like almond milk because it makes it a little sweeter. You also need frozen bananas and frozen pineapple. The reason you use frozen is because it will make it thicker like ice-cream. You can either use store bought fruit or freeze your own.
To freeze bananas - it's best to wait until there are some brown spots or it's very ripe (so they will be sweeter). Peel the banana, break in halfs or thirds, put in freezer bags and place in the freezer. Now you'll have a stock of frozen bananas to use whenever needed.
To freeze fresh pineapple - Cut up a pineapple, place pieces on a cookie sheet, and once frozen you then can place the frozen chunks in a freezer bag to have on hand for smoothies and such.


Mmmmm....very delcious. Logan loves eating this banana/pineapple ice-cream. To change up the flavor you can also do banana/strawberry or banana/blueberry or even another fruit. I like to use bananas as my base and add another fruit.

Homemade Potato Chips:

You can make potato chips using the oven or a dehydrator. I decided to try both ways. Right now I am borrowing a dehydrator from a friend to see if I want to get one myself.
First I got some potatoes - I used red potatoes and a sweet potato. Then I peeled them and cut them using a knife. Cut potatoes in paper-thin slices (a mandolin works best if you have one, I do not)




For the oven potato chips this is how to do it:
You can either use olive oil or coconut oil. I decided to use coconut oil so I heated a little up on the stove for just a moment or two, till it melted.


Lay slices on a cookie sheet. Spray or brush with oil. Dust with salt, garlic powder or any other dried herbs/seasonings you choose.


Cook in oven on lowest temperature setting until crispy. I had my oven set about 200 degrees and every 15 minutes I turned them over until I thought they were done.
For quicker chips, cook at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until crispy
(the potatoes will not retain their living enzymes if cooked at this temperature, however)



--These were actually not bad, pretty good. I will definetly make these again. I didn't eat them all in one sitting so I stored them in a sealed tight container in the refrigerator. Next time I want to eat them, I'll just warm them up in the oven slightly.

For the dehydrated Potato Chips:
Slice potatoes very thin. Soak in distilled water for 3-4 hours and drain.


Once drained add some oil (olive or coconut) other seasonings - your choice and toss well to make sure all ingredients are well mixed.
Spread on trays of dehydrator. These do not have to be separated; some can be on top of others.
Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 12 -16 hours.



--These were okay. I wasn't a fan of them. To store them, I just used a tight sealed container and set them on the counter.


(Recipe: from The Hallelujah Food Show Recipes for Life)