Chia Seed Pudding

I know, I know....two post in one day. Needless to say, after I took my online test this morning I decided not to do anymore school work!
So, lucky you! :)

Jonathan and I are fascinated by chia seeds. (Not to be confused with chai...like the tea)
Chia seeds are amazing little things!

ABOUT CHIA SEEDS:
Here are just some of the awesome things they do: They are a gelatinous plant food that helps to draw out toxins from the liver and pass them into the colon for excretion. Chia seeds are also high in omega-3 as well as tons of other nutrients and make you feel full and satiated!

Chia seeds become very soft and squishy when put in liquid. Perfect for pudding!
You can flavor it however you like by adding extracts or dry spices!

Just give it a try.....it is amazing and some even consider it a Superfood!

Why have an unhealthy snack that will harm your body when you could be loading your body up with the nutrients it needs to survive and thrive (and still have a delicious snack)?!?

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups almond milk (I was going to make my own, but forgot to get almonds!)

3 tablespoons agave nectar or honey

1/2 cup chia seeds

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For topping: toasted sliced almonds, shredded unsweetened coconut


Instructions

1. In a container or jar with a lid, combine the almond milk, the cinnamon, and the agave nectar/honey, mixing well.

2. Add the chia seeds, close container tightly with a lid, and shake well to combine.

3. Refrigerate overnight (the original recipe says at least 4 hours, but I thought mine definitely needed more time, so check yours if you are on a time crunch.)

4. Top with toasted almond slices or shredded coconut. Enjoy.

Below is a picture of the finished product with some yummy toppings!
Original photo and an alternate recipe found HERE!

Cannellini Cilantro Hummus

With Jonathan and I eating a clean plant based diet I am always looking for good snacks! And boy did I find one!!!
(Clarification time: by diet, I mean the ACTUAL meaning of the word. Which is defined as: The sum of the food consumed by an organism or group)

Anyway... I was elated when I found THIS Hummus recipe! It combines 2 of our favorite things, hummus and cilantro! (No worries, if you are not a fan of cilantro it taste amazing without it, I promise!) and the best part is, it's a raw food!

If you try this recipe, I am sure you will never buy hummus at a restaurant again after you know how EASY, CHEAP & YUMMY it is to make it at home! So try it out!

Everyone knows that beans are a great source of protein, which is great! But not many people know the benefits of cilantro, so let me share something I thought was cool! Once cilantro is in your body it grabs onto any metals in your body and flushes them out! This is GREAT for a) people who consume a lot of fish, therefore have a lot of metals in their body and b) for people who have had a lot of dental work (me) and constantly get metals in your system. Pretty cool huh?

Now on to the actual recipe!
Jonathan and I have already gone through one batch of this! I just finished making a double batch that I am hoping will last through the weekend! It is just so yummy!!

Ingredients:

- 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I added a little more)

-In a food processor (or blender), combine garlic and cannellini beans with lemon juice and process until smooth.
-Mix in oil, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and process until blended.
-Add 3 tablespoons cilantro and pulse until mixed.

This is wonderful to dip veggies or pita bread in, or makes for a wonderful sandwich spread!

Now for my cost.
All I had to purchase for this was the cilantro and beans so my total cost for 1 batch was......$1.50!!
And I had enough cilantro left to make the 2 batches I made today!

PS: mine looked quite different from the picture at the top of the page, but it is fantastic!

Dwight Schrute Would Be So Proud: Today's Trip to the Hollygrove Market!

Before I begin....
I want to semi-apologize (I say semi-apologize since the title of this blog leads one to believe it is about couponing) for turning my blog from a couponing blog to a healthy lifestyle blog. I haven't been couponing as much since we have MORE than enough household and beauty items to last us about a year, and the coupons for food items are for items that are FULL of preservatives and are highly processed. Because of this, I have not felt the need to spend time or energy to coupon (even though it is super fun). Since I am not couponing, obviously I am not blogging about couponing, but since we have had this lifestyle change I thought I would share about that instead! :)

Now for the real reason for this post:

We made our weekly trip to the Hollygrove Market today and I am just as excited as I was last week about trying new veggies!

I am so loving this place! The staff are super friendly and I just love the idea of buying fresh local produce!

The $25 box this week included:

1 pint strawberries
1/2 dozen free range eggs (or you could have chosen 1 lb raw sugar)
Beets (makes me think of Dwight Schrute)
Radishes (we weren't too sure about the radishes so we got 2 bunches of beets instead)
2 Leeks (or 1 bunch carrots)
Brussel Sprouts (or Swiss chard)
Kale
5 sweet potatoes (pretty much my new favorite food)
1 ruby red grapefruit
1 Bunch Creole Red Onions

We also bought a bunch of collards for $2 to make sure that we have enough greens for our green smoothies! So now we have kale, collards, and beet greens for our smoothies, we should definitely have plenty!

I have never had beets before but are looking forward to trying them.
Any suggestions on recipes would be appreciated! :)

Our Trip to Hollygrove Market

Jonathan and I are really enjoying "eating clean" but all the fresh produce (preferably without pesticides) can get quite pricy.
Last week I checked out the Farmers market in Destrehan, which wasn't too bad, but I still paid more than I thought I should for produce.

In comes Hollygrove Market to the rescue! Check out their website HERE!
I am in love with this place already!
Every week they have a produce "box" available for $25!!!
The box usually includes about a dozen different produce items for you to get!
It's a great way to try different veggies, and if you aren't sure how to cook something they post recipes online that coincide with that weeks "box"!

(I am using quotations around the word box because you don't actually get a box, but use bags you bring from home to put the produce in.)

Every week they post online what is included in the "box" so if you know what you will be getting before you go!

Another thing I love about Hollygrove is that it is inside so no matter what the weather is like, you can always get your "box"!
When you walk in they have all the produce for the "box" in bins against the wall and they tell you how many of each item you get. So you are able to pick out the produce you bring home. It's so cool and wonderful!

They also have other items there such as local meat and other produce that yu can buy a la carte.

Now to what we came home with:

5 sweet potatoes
1 bag Kumquats
1 bag mushrooms
1 Ruby red grapefruit
2 LA Sweets
3 blood oranges
1 bunch turnips
1 bunch kale
4 yellow tomatoes
1 bunch mizuna (Japanese mustard greens)
1 bunch savory cabbage
1 pint strawberries

That's a lot of produce for only $25!!!
And the best part is that it's ALL LOCAL! I love supporting local farmers!

Several of the items were "U-Pick" meaning you could get LA sweets OR Tangelos. So that's neat too that you have some options.

The only thing that I was I little disappointed about was that online they listed beets or rutabagas as an item, but they didn't receive any so I wasn't able to get any. That isn't their fault, but I was excited about trying beets for the first time.

We will definitely be going back, and I recommend it to EVERYONE who eats fruits and veggies!
I like it better than a traditional farmers market and feel that I got a better value! :)

Hello Homemade.

By now I am sure you are well aware that Jonathan and I got a new blender yesterday.
I was a bit apprehensive about it because of the outrageous cost, but I am in love!
But our old blender was beginning to leave our daily green smoothies a little leafy. YUCK! So it was definitely time for a new blender!

Yesterday we made some fresh carrot juice with 3 carrots, some fresh ginger, and lemon juice. That's it. This blender turned those ingredients into whole juice! It was amazing. There was VERY LITTLE pulp that could be strained out, but we left it in for the fiber!
We also made some peach sorbet last night that was also super easy, and super good.
I am LOVING making so many things at home instead of buying them!

Now for the main reason for this post Homemade Tomato Sauce!
The Blendtec blender came with a cookbook that is really good.
As I was looking through it last night I saw a recipe for tomato sauce that I decided I just had to try! We are making stuffed peppers this week and it calls for can tomato sauce, so I decided to make it instead!

While I was at the farmers market this morning I picked up the tomatoes and onions I needed for the sauce.
It was super easy to make and it made our apartment smell fabulous! (Taste yummy too)

Ingredients:
2 lbs tomatoes (quartered)
1 medium onion roughly chopped
8 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp Oregano
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp olive oil

Toss all ingredients in a 9x13 baking dish and roast at 375 for 1 hour
Let cool slightly
Place all roasted ingredients in blender and blend until you are satisfied with consistency. Or if you have a Blendtec hit the "sauce" button.

It isn't as dark or red as the sauce you buy in the store but it taste so yummy and the best part it....NO PRESERVATIVES! ;)

I made 2 batches but only had 2 jars, so the rest is in a Tupperware. :)

Getting the expensive blender may have been Jonathan's idea, but I think I may be more in love with it! I am super excited about being able to make all these homemade things and whole juices!

Up next on my list of homemade things to try in the blender is: almond milk, butter, and almond butter! ;)

Our Clean Eating Journey

If you follow me on Instagram or are friends with me on Facebook I am sure you are well aware that Jonathan and I have begun to "eat clean"

In America, we are over-eating, but are nutritionally STARVING! So if we eat more healthy foods our bodies will actually register that we are full because it is getting what it needs to be healthy.

What does that even mean!?!?!?

Well I'm so glad you asked, let me tell ya! ;)
In a nutshell clean eating is eating only what God has made. So if it grew on a tree (or bush, or in the ground), walked on land, or swam in the sea we eat it!
A clean eating diet is made up of fruits, veggies, lean meat, and whole grains, eating only MINIMALLY processed foods, if you allow yourself to eat processed foods at all.

Another key to clean eating is to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals. An ideal day for a clean eater would be:
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack (if you absolutely need it)
As long as you make sure everything you eat is clean, you really stay full all day!

Why in the world would you do that!?!?

Ah, I'll share that with you too!
Many people start to eat clean for weight loss purposes, but Jonathan and I are eating clean to get healthy.

After watching the documentary Hungry for Change on Netflix processed foods completely gross me out now that I know what they actually do to my body and how they negatively impact my health. I HIGHLY suggest you check it out, it's an awesome documentary!

So after researching different healthy eating lifestyles Jonathan and I felt that clean eating was the best for us. (The weight loss that inevitably comes with the elimination of crappy food is a plus too!)

Now the hard part...what to eat!?!?

There are actually TONS of clean eating recipes, and it is super easy to "clean up" recipes you love and use regularly! Just swap out the unclean items for clean ones. You will really be surprised at how many clean items you can find in your grocery store, I know I was. (Just stay FAR away from the candy isle!)

The hardest part is eating clean when you go out, but with the rise in "healthy" options at restaurants once you know what to look for it is quite easy to find clean entrees while eating out. ;)

Now for my game plan!

Sundays will be my weekly lunch prep day where I will prepare whatever we will be taking for lunch throughout the week. This way we can have yummy lunches that are clean, and easy to fix during a busy week.

This week we will have Mexican chicken pitas. Super easy, and super yummy.
I'm cooking a chicken in the crockpot that was seasoned with homemade clean taco seasoning. Once that is cooked I will shred it and store it in the fridge. I will also cook the corn and rinse the black beans to store in the fridge.
This way each night we can prepare our lunch Tupperwares with chicken, corn, and beans and pack a whole grain pita. How easy is that!?!? (Easier than fixing a sandwich!!!)
And an added plus, for Jonathan and I to have these super yummy lunches only cost $8.50!!!
FOR A WHOLE WEEK OF GOOD LUNCHES! Whoa!

What about sweets!?!?!

Since added sugars are NOT clean, it can be difficult to find snacks to curb those sweet cravings.
This is why I am SO GLAD I found THIS RECIPE for homemade chocolate Larabar bites.
Larabars are clean, but are so expensive. But this recipe is so easy to make and they are really yummy, and clean!

I will definitely be keeping you guys posted on how our clean eating journey is going, I really think this will last with us. We are feeling better and better each day as all those gross toxins are leaving our bodies. We have more energy too! :)

If you have any questions let me know! Ill do my best to answer them, but keep in mind that I'm just a beginner! :)

Stay healthy! :)

Below is a picture of the Larabar bites as well as the chicken and ingredients thatbwill be used for the Mexican chicken pitas!

My First Kroger Trip!!

Made my first ever couponing trip to Kroger today! I LOVE it.
I wasn't able to double a coupon, but they had a great deal going on so I was still able to score!

Right now when you buy certain items you get $5 back when you buy 5.

Here is what I got:

2 Secret: $4.37 each: $8.74
Sale: $3.49 each
Mega Sale: -$2
Minus $2/2 Q
Total: $1.49 each: $2.98

2 Gillette Fusion Shave Cream: $4.34 each: $8.68
Sale: $2.99 each
Mega Sale: -$2
Minus $1/1 Q
Minus BOGO FREE Q (-$2.99)
Total: FREE!!!

Herbal Essences: $3.16
Sale: $2.79
Mega Sale: -$1
Minus $1/1 Q
Total: $.79

Total worth: $20.76
Total Spent: $3.76

Not too shabby if I say so myself! :)