Review & giveaway : Hawaiian Spirulina

A couple of months ago I got my hands on some Hawaiian spirulina and I have been waiting to write this review until I started to see results.  I have read some amazing things about the power of spirulina and  here are a few of them:

Spirulina is 65% protein and amino acids including the essential fatty acid gamma linolenic acid, It has a wide variety of nutrients, it is incredibly high in antioxidants, high in calcium and iron, is good for your teeth and can cleanse your body of all the junk you absorb every day!   Fellow health junkie blogger ‘Wellness mama’  goes into great detail of all the great benefits of spirulina HERE.

When I first got my spirulina I admit I thought it smelled ( and let’s face it, tastes) like a fish tank but thankfully the taste and smell is easily masked by anything you add to it. I started off adding it to my smoothies and eggs and once I got used to it I began just mixing it in with my morning juice.

After the first couple weeks I already started to notice a difference. My dry irritated patch of skin that I had for months started to clear up,my nails started growing quicker and I wasn’t so hungry all the time. After a month I had more energy, my hormone swings from just having a baby seemed to be getting better and best of all I noticed I was starting to lose some weight.

I don’t know if I can attribute all  of these health improvements to spirulina alone but I didn’t change my diet, exercise routine nor did I add on any other vitamins or supplements. I for one am a fan of the green stuff and I even started adding it to my kids and dogs food.

Hawaiian spirulina is supposed to have the highest nutritional content of any other spirulina and it is harvested from a bio-secure zone free of herbicides and pesticides.  I have both the powder and pill form for days when I am on the go or not in the mood to eat or drink it.

Nutrex-Hawaii is giving one of you dear readers a chance to try this amazing spirulina.

Winning is easy, just  use this  Entry-Form and follow the easy steps to win!

ends may  8th

Coconut lavender cookies

I know , I know I have too many recipe with  coconut and lavender. I can’t help it, honestly I think I might have a problem but I don’t care because coconut and lavender is delicious! My family would beg ti differ however since my daughter absolutely hates coconut and my husband hates anything lavender.  I may or may not have made these cookies  all for myself anyway. These are just sweet enough to satisfy your craving but wont give you a sugar high, this can be dangerous since you will be more inclined to eat the entire batch in one sitting.  These are perfect for tea parties too, add a little icing for extra sweetness!

What you need

• 1 c White whole wheat flour
• 1 c shredded sweetened coconut, I recommend an all natural brand like THIS
• 1/4 c sugar
• 2 tbsp lavender
• 6 tbsp  coconut oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs

How to make it

• In a bowl mix together shredded coconut, baking powder, lavender and flour
• mix in the oil  and sugar until well blended
• mix in eggs
• grab  a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball, press down onto baking sheet
• bake at 275 for 15 minutes

Purple potatoes & beets with garlic yogurt sauce

I went to the grocery store for  eggs and when we arrived we found out it was customer appreciation day and prizes were being passed out around the store. Once my husband and daughter heard the word ‘prize’ they ditched me in the produce aisle and went off  to try to win something.

Leaving me unattended in a grocery store is a dangerous thing, some women love shoes and some love purses but I love groceries. What should have been a $10 MAX trip to the grocery store ended up making me $50 poorer but I did have really pretty beets and purple potatoes and toum from a local company and yummy yogurt and of course a bunch of random things.

Yesterday we went on a long hike and spent sometime at the climbing gym so I wasn’t in the mood to cook anything fancy but I knew I had to try the toum I bought. This is a super quick but oh so yummy recipe and can be made several ways. Try it with thin slices or thick slices, with cheese or without but you simply MUST try the sauce.

Enjoy!

Makes 2 servings

What you need 

• 1 large beet
• 2 purple potatoes
• 2 tbsp corn or tapioca starch
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• parsley

For sauce

• 1/4 c yogurt ( I used Nancy’s whole milk yogurt)
• 4 tbsp toum ( I used Laziz toum but you can make it using this recipe)
• 1tbsp water

How to make it

• slice beets and potatoes super thin, I used a vintage kitchen magician but any mandolin should work
• soak potatoes in a bowl of cool water for at least half hour
• drain and lay potatoes and beets on paper towels or kitchen towels to dry
• put into a bowl and toss with corn starch and  drizzle with olive oil
• lay onto a baking sheet (it’s ok if some overlap) and sprinkle with sea salt
• bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until edges are crisp
• in a bowl mix yogurt, toum and water
• drizzle over potatoes and beets and sprinkle  with parsley
  

Salmon & amaranth cakes

Today was an absolute beautiful day!  The sun was shining and we  rolled in the grass and went on long walks, we ate cold things and got tans and for the first time it felt like summer. Yes, I know summer isn’t here yet and knowing Utah weather any day it could randomly snow at any time but for now I want to pretend we will have endless days of heat and sun and best of all picnics outside.

I have been saving up my cans of salmon for a nice day like this to make salmon patties over salad and picnic on the front porch. Of course today happened to be a limbo day when we are almost out of groceries but it isn’t grocery day yet so I had to get creative with my recipe. Usually I use bread crumbs, eggs and seasonings like any other sea food patty but I was out of eggs…and bread crumbs.

Luckily I was feeling pretty crafty and the recipe came out better than my original one and adding amaranth made it extra crisp and perfect. Try it out and see for yourself!

What you need

• 1 cup amaranth
• 3 c water
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cans salmon
• 12 butter style crackers crushed into crumbs, I used THESE
• 2 tbsp flax soaked in 2 tbsp hot water
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• pinch of salt
• Organic salad mix of your choice, I used baby greens
• for dressing: 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp honey 4 tbsp water

How to make it

• Cook amaranth with 3 c water and butter on med heat until amaranth is done and all the water is cooked out.
• in a bowl mix salmon Dijon mustard, flax, crackers, salt and amaranth. mixture should be thick and able to be pressed into patties , if not add more crackers.
• Grab a little bigger than  golf ball size and  press it into a round patty
• In a pan heat up oil of choice ( I used grape seed oil)
• cook until brown and crispy (amaranth will pop, don’t worry this is what makes it awesome), I cooked it for almost 15 minutes on each side because I like mine crisp.
• Serve over salad greens and drizzle with the honey Dijon mixture.

Review & giveaway: Bob’s red mill natural foods

As a sometimes busy  health junkie mama I need quick and easy grains and baking mixes on hand to make healthy meals quickly and I also need food that I can  trust is non GMO and free of chemicals. Bob’s red mills is sold at most stores ( making it even easier for me) and they have a wide variety of great healthy products that are all pure and simple.

Bob’s red mill was founded by Bob Moore in 1978 and their grains are milled on several 120 year old mills in Milwaukie, Oregon. Bob’s is also an employee owned company so everyone who works for them is personally invested in their success and quality.  This health conscious company produces everything from dried fruit to hard to find diet specific grains and flours.

My favorite products to use are their ancient grains- quinoa and amaranth,. Quinoa and amaranth are amazing super foods packed full of nutrients and they are super versatile and can be made into sprouts, chili, breads, breakfast, raw foods and so much more. Their packages are large enough to try several recipes but small enough that you can try out several types of grains without being left with a ton of leftovers if you don’t enjoy it.

One of the great things about their products is their easy to follow directions and suggested recipe on the back of their packaging. I tried some of their quinoa flour without knowing exactly how to use it and found some great recipes on the package and their site that  were easy to use and turned out wonderfully.

Bob’s is a company that not only makes amazing food but makes food you can trust, that you know is not only good for you but is made in a sustainable way. When you look on their facebook page you will greeting with photos of  Bob with his ear to ear grin and all the happy employees, that is the kind of company I love to support.

If you have a food allergy, are on a  special diet or just want healthy, organic and real foods to eat then check out  Bob’s red mills at http://www.bobsredmill.com/!

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https://www.facebook.com/BobsRedMillNaturalFoods

Recipes using Bob’s red mills products:

Gluten free brownies

Southwestern quinoa & amaranth chili

Salmon and pearl couscous

Now for the giveaway!

You can win a gift pack of any 4 Bob’s red mills products of your choice!

All you have to do is ‘like’ Bob’s red mill on FB: https://www.facebook.com/BobsRedMillNaturalFoods

and comment  HERE with what product you’d like to try and what you’d make with it!

For a bonus entry share this post  on FB publicly! 

Root & prosciutto tart with goat cheese

I was in a little food competition recently and I made this yummy tart for it. I have been craving it lately so I dug up my recipe for round 2 of roasted root deliciousness.  This tart is pretty irresistible and contains all of my favorite things: goat cheese, meats that taste like bacon and …I think that’s all it takes to win me over.

This is a super quick and easy recipe that looks like a lot of work so impress your friends or you kids ( kids are very hard to impress these days) and pretend you are a top chef!  Take it on a picnic, eat it while watching project runway or serve it with soup and salad all fancy like.

So go, get in the kitchen, make something new, experiment, possibly burn something or make something beautiful but try and you might surprise yourself!

What you need

• 1.5 c whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cut real butter or vegan butter
• 1 tsp baking powder
• a few tbsp cold water
• pinch of salt
• 2 carrots
• 1 parsnip
• prosciutto
• Goat cheese, 6 oz
• shallots
• rosemary
• thyme
• peach preserves (optional but yummy!)
• salt to taste

How to made it

• brush the carrots and parsnip with the peach preserves (optional)  and a bit of oil and roasted them in the oven until  tender, about half hour
• To make dough mix flour, pinch of salt and baking powder, cut in butter dd water 1 tbsp at a time and knead together to form a ball
• roll out to a rectangle and place on a baking sheet, roll over edges to form a crust if you like
• brushed the crust with more peach preserves (optional)
• place half of the goat cheese on the crust
• assemble the carrots and parsnips on the crust and topped with hunks of goat cheese, shallots, prosciutto,  rosemary and thyme
• put the tart under the broiler until the cheese browned and bubbles a bit
• voila!

Whole wheat parmesan & rosemary dinner rolls

These rolls are pretty easy  to make and are super light and fluffy. These would make great bread for breakfast sandwiches or mini tea sandwiches or just slathered in butter mmmm butter

This past week or so has been a mess. I have been wanting to cook so badly but I got food poisoning and then my daughter got the stomach flu…twice. We were living off chicken broth and oats and now that everyone is better I never want to see another bowl of oatmeal ever again!

Today I woke up excited to get back in the kitchen so I chugged my coffee and made big breakfast,  some baked goods and  then a salmon dinner with these yummy rolls. I almost started making dessert but I was missing  a key ingredient and by the time I came up with an alternative it was midnight and everyone was heading to bed, party poopers.

What you need

• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/4 c melted butter + 1 tbsp to brush on top
• 2 tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh or dried rosemary
• 1/2 c shredded parmesan

How to make it

• in a bowl whist together yeast and milk
• whisk in  1/2 c flour  and butter and let sit for 10 minutes
• when cool  add 3 eggs and whisk
• slowly add the rest of flour until dough stops sticking to the bowl
• gently mix in add parmesan,rosemary , and salt
• dough will be soft but wont stick to your hands when you pick it up
• put in a greased bowl and cover for 1 hour to rise and double in size
• for rolls, roll  balls of dough a bit bigger than a golf ball for more biscuit type bread roll out and use a cookie cutter to cut circles
• put on baking pan and let ride again until doubled
• brush with butter
• cook at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden on top

Curry, ginger & coconut carrot soup

My sister recently went to Bahrain to visit her husband who is stationed there and as soon as I heard where she was heading I begged her to bring me back some spices. When my package arrived I knew right away that there was curry inside,it was so strong I could spell it before I opened the box!

It snowed today (really spring??!) and my daughter was sick and wanted soup. This coconut, ginger & curry carrot soup is the perfect gloomy day meal and it warms you up with a little bit of spice.  The best part is that it is super easy and quick to make, just throw it all together, cook, purree! I topped mine with some Greek yogurt, try it!

Want to know a little trick when buying your coconut milk? Shake the can! Good coconut milk with a lot of the cream and  goodness will be heavy and not make any noise when you shake the can and coconut milk that is mostly coconut water will slosh around.

I also made some roasted honey & curry chick peas to snack on, another quick and easy treat- yum!

*makes 6 servings, yay for leftovers!

What you need

• 8 carrots
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 yellow onion
• fresh ginger,  a chunk the size of your thumb
• 3/4 c red lentils
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 2 c water
• 4 tbsp curry
• 2 tbsp honey
• salt to taste
• 4 tbsp coconut oil

How to make it

• in a pot put coconut oil, onions and garlic- cook for a couple of minutes
• add lentils, carrots, and spices and cook until onions are translucent
• add coconut milk and water and boil until lentils are done and carrots are tender
• put in a blender and puree with honey adding a bit of water or salt as needed
• enjoy!

** to make the chickpeas just dry canned chick peas with a paper towel, toss with curry and honey and  cook at 240 for about 45 minutes or until they are crisp!

Carrot & beet layer cake with goat cheese frosting

I admit  I am not the best baker, usually I leave all sweet baking to my husband who eyes the oven like a hawk and always turns out perfect cookies and brownies. Today however I had carrots and beets that needed to be used and a craving for creamy frosting that needed to be satisfied.

Carrot cake is one of my favorite treats but people usually pump it full of sugars and crap and take away from the natural sweetness of the carrots, the very reason I love carrot cake to begin with. I decided to make a simple, honey sweetened cake and for some reason thought it would be a good idea to get all fancy and make it a layered cake. Thankfully I did not butcher it ( this time) and the cake came out quite pretty.

This cake is super moist and sweet without the junk and a good way to trick your kids into eating veggies. You can substitute cream cheese for the frosting but I assure you goat cheese frosting is the bees knees and you wont be sorry if you try it!

 

What you need

Carrot layer:

•  5 shredded carrots
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/2 c yogurt, I used honey Greek from Nancy’s
• 2.5 c white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 c oil of choice, I used melted coconut but any veggie oil worls
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Beet layer

•  2 shredded medium sized beets or 3 small
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/2 c yogurt, I used honey Greek from Nancy’s
• 2.5 c white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 c oil of choice, I used melted coconut but any veggie oil worls
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Frosting

• 8 oz goat cheese ( or cream cheese if you prefer)
• 1/4 c Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c honey

How to make it

Cakes

• oil and flour your baking pan
• preheat oven to 350
• In a food processor or by hand whisk together yogurt, eggs, honey, oil
• In   a bowl mix flour, baking soda and powder ,salt and cinnamon
• add shredded veggie to flour and toss until coated
• fold in wet ingredients
• bake at 350 for 20 minutes until fork comes out clean from the middle

Frosting

• Whip together goat cheese ( or cream cheese) , honey and yogurt until light and fluffy

Mama Mouse on Train City Eats!

I recently had a chance to be on an episode of a local foodie show , Train city eats! It was  a super fun and nerve-wracking experience, as if I am not awkward enough in person I decided it would be a hood idea to film it and  capture it for eternity.  I made my achiote tamales and thankfully the crew loved them.

I hope you all enjoy this episode and be sure to check out all their other episodes on their YouTube channel HERE!