Antioxidant Rich Fudge

My friend Judy taught me how to make this the other day and I was blown away... it is a perfect snack to keep in the fridge for when you need a little "pick me up". And she swears that it is "good for you"!

Antioxidant Rich "Fudge"

1 c. coconut oil

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. cocoa
1/3 c. almond butter (give or take a little depending on your taste)

4 tsp vanilla

Splash coconut milk (that is what the recipe says, i used about 2 tbsp.)

 Melt the coconut oil, then add the other ingredients, stir... it is that easy - pour it into a waxed/or parchment paper lined pan, then refrigerate until it sets. You need to keep it refrigerated because as you might already know coconut oil is not very stable, (it melts at a pretty low temperature). 
     I used one bowl, one spoon and one measuring cup. it is pretty simple and easy to make. 

     I made this with my friend and enjoyed it, but My imagination went wild as I thought about all the "healthy additions" that I could add.  The first thing I added was chopped almonds and dried blueberries,  that was so tasty...

However, the options are limitless! Here are some of the things that i came up with that you could stir in:

dried blueberries

dried cherries

chopped dates 
shredded coconut

pumpkin seeds

chopped almonds

chopped pistachios

cocoa nibs

You can buy Crio nibs from the "Criobru" website here http://www.criobru.com/crio-nibs/. They are a great addition to baked goods or even smoothies.  I bought the pistachios and almonds from Costco, and the other items from your local store (Whole-foods, Trader Joe's, Sprouts etc)! I would love to hear other ideas of things you decide to throw in your batch of all-natural antioxidant "fudge". 

                  Very natural, Very delicious, Very easy -  
                  I need to quit looking at this picture ... :) 

Hu Kitchen

Spring Break 2014- New York City

While in New York over spring break, my sweet husband was in charge of picking an evening restaurant for each night we were there. He took the assignment very seriously!  He googled the "Top 10" healthiest restaurants in New York and Hu Kitchen is one that came up.  He forwarded me the menu and I got VERY excited.  I then forwarded it to my girls and we all started to anticipate the trip! Although Hu sounds like some sort of asian restaurant, it is not.

Their slogan is: "Hu Kitchen: Get Back to Human" meaning get back to feeding our bodies things that it can actually use to help our bodies function, not just to make us feel full.

And this is a little about their story: (this is taken from their website)

"We were frustrated with the food options available today. We were even more frustrated with the half-truths that many in the food industry were peddling. It’s one thing to sell adulterated, highly-processed foods; it’s another thing entirely to hijack words like “healthy” and “natural” in order to sell them. These words used to mean something. It’s time to take them back.

So we created Hu Kitchen. We’re new to this. Our backgrounds are diverse, but we all share the same goal: to change the way modern human beings eat; to create a food brand that doesn't compromise quality and that never, ever lies to people."  

So back to me talking, go to their website hukitchen.com and read more - read about their seven "pillars" to help explain what they are doing and why.  We absolutely fell in love with the food and environment and went back there SEVERAL times while in New York! It was so delicious!   It has such amazing options for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Just to give you an idea of how great it was, here are a few pictures!

This picture is of the breakfast "sundaes" with berries/gluten free granola/seeds and nuts butters. Not to mention any and all smoothies - lots of greens and natural fresh ingredients. You could pick these out at the "mashbar." Here are a few examples from the menu:  Orchard Apple-org apple, housemade almond butter, org toasted coconut, cinnamon.  The Bonito- housemade almond butter , org raw grain-free granola, vanilla cashew cream, kiwi...or the  Pina Lada- pineapple, org coconut cream, maple walnut, org puffed quinoua.

Here is the chicken soup. It was just like we would have made at home.  The weather was cold while we were there and the soup tasted fantastic.

We didn't get too many pictures of the food because we ate it instead of photographing it.  You might notice that all of the plates are "licked clean".

This was their version of french toast with cashew creme and blueberries.  

This is my daughter Jennifer - she looks really happy.  She is a busy mother of four little ones (they were not with us, she was loving the vacation).  Jennifer wanted to eat there all day every day, wanted to move in next door.  The best line of the day was when my friend Patty said, "Jennifer is not going home, she is going to move in next door and just blog about HU kitchen for the rest of her life".  LOL!!!  We were happy with the restaurant and the idea of this was super funny!

This picture shows some more of the packaged items that you can purchase at Hu.  One of our favorite things was the Almond Granola (pictured above on the right.) 

My daughters recreated the recipe and we have made it several times since! Enjoy! 

Almond Nut Granola

1/2 cup Coconut Oil melted

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup coconut sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup almond butter or 1 cup

1/2 ground flax

5 cups gluten free oats

1/2 cup chopped almonds

Mix all wet ingredients plus almond butter until smooth. Mix dry ingredients together and then add to wet ingredients. Stir well. Cook at 275 for 35 minutes. We like to under-cook it!

There are a few ways to compliment a restaurant.  one is to return, which we did, two is to want to move next door and eat there every day, three is to want to write a blog about it.  But the best compliment of all was to serve up healthy delicious food and have a big family group laughing and joking and being really happy with their food and enjoying the time spent together.

So I say - Who is for Hu?  Look up the menu and read it -  hukitchen.com  - then when you go to New York go there, eat there...  After that... figure out how to get one of these in your town!

-Shannon

Healthy Not Hungry- Cooking Class

In the cooking class held last week, we demonstrated some great "JJ" approved recipes that are delicious and filling. We talked about the 7 foods that commonly cause inflammation in the body; corn, gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts, sugar, and eggs. To make the transition away from these foods easier, we've pooled our favorite recipes that are on the plan. 

Susie’s Chili-

As with any recipe, you can look at the ingredients and then adapt to what you have on hand or what you like.  I made this yesterday and didn't have her exact ingredients. I browned the hamburger with garlic then added onions and cabbage - I had mushrooms and celery - after I added the tomatoes and some water i added a sweet potato and a can of pinto bins and a can of black beans.  This recipe is a guideline- you can work your own magic.

2 cans tri-bean blend (or any cans of beans that you might have in your pantry- black, kidney or pinto)
2 cans organic tomato’s

1 can of salsa (mild) (i forgot to use salsa - you can do it with or without - it is a good way to season is and "heat" it up if you want)
1 mirepoix  chopped celery/carrot/onion mixture (this is a blend of chopped vegetables that is sold at   Trader Joe's- or you can chopped any variation of celery, carrots and onions)

1 bag of grass fed angus beef - (this is a hamburger package that susie bought at Trader Joe's- look for a good high quality protein)

1 bag of tri color frozen peppers- (this is available at TJ's or you can chop any variation of peppers)

1 bag of kale/Brussel sprout/broccoli/cabbage mix- (again available in the produce section of TJ's- or you can chop any mixture of these items yourself - put in the things you like - leave out the things you don't like - the bags make it very convenient).

spices:

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp everyday seasoning

fresh minced garlic as needed

Simmer ingredients in pot for 30 minutes.

Here is a another tip - Penzy's spices - Turkish Blend - it is a good all purpose soup/chilli blend.

Shannon's "Mushu"

1 head of green cabbage (small) chopped - (you can buy pre-chopped cabbage at TJ's)
¼ head of purple cabbage chopped
1 cup shredded carrots - (you can buy pre-shredded or shred yourself)
1 onion cut in long thin slices (like a japanese stir-fry- to match the shape of your cabbage)
2 peppers sliced length wise (optional)
celery sliced in long thin slices (optional)
          YOU CAN CHOOSE TO USE WHAT YOU HAVE ON HAND AND WHAT YOU LIKE

2/3 chicken breasts (shredded after cooked) I like to buy chicken with the bone and bake it for 45 minutes with a few herbs and/or spices then take the skin off and take it off the bone and slice it or shred it and then add it to the dish (or any dish or salad for that matter).  or you can cook the chicken any way that you like...

1-Sautee veggies in coconut oil

2-Add chicken, serve  over brown rice or wrap in a paleo wrap

(JUSTINS") order online AMAZON!  these are so delicious. This is an add on item so you can get it free shipping if you are ordering stuff anyways!

Drizzle coconut aminos (see picture above, you can order this on amazon or buy it at whole foods.)

Serve warm- my family loved this.  I am going to make it once a week...

Grilled Ginger-Sesame Chicken Salad-

Marinade/dressing

¼ cup coconut aminos 

3 tbs fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup sesame oil

1 tsp kosher salt

2 large chicken breasts boneless and skinless (can use equivalent in tenderloins)

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Salad-

1lb Napa cabbage very thinly sliced

2 Carrots, grated

3 green onions, thinly sliced

2/3 cup freshly cut cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

1 ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted

1 tsp black sesame seeds, toasted

Whisk together the coconut aminos, ginger, olive oil, sesame oil,  and salt to make the marinade. Peel and finely chop or grate the ginger.

Add 3-4 TBSP of the marinade to the chicken in a gallon freezer bag and let

marinade at least 30 minutes

Dressing: To the reserved marinade, add in the ¼ cup red wine vinegar, now we have the dressing.

Combine salad ingredients (veggies) in a large bowl

When ready, pour the chicken and it’s juices into a large frying pan and cook for about 4 minutes on each side on medium- high heat (covered)

Add chicken to the salad, dress and toss.

Delish!

         Health Benefits of CABBAGE

        I wanted to point out that all three of these recipes include cabbage in some way, which PHD and author of 150 Healthiest foods on Earth Jonny Bowden states is: "The most important vegetable in the world from the point of view of nutritional benefits and cancer-fighting abilities."  He goes on to explain that it not only prevents breast and prostate cancer, but cabbage also provides calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin c, vitamin k, fiber, beta carotene, and eye-healthy carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin which are all essential for the body. Not to mention, cabbage is full of antioxidants that will get rid of free-radicals throughout the body.   This is making me want to go eat cabbage...

This is a fun picture my daughter Annabelle took yesterday of our garden picking!
Can't wait to use these veggies for dinner!

xoxo- Shannon