Ginger Blackberry Green Smoothie

Did you know that out of any widely-available berry, blackberries have the most antioxidants! They have more superpowers than blueberries, raspberries and even cranberries! It's always nice to get the most nutritional bang for your buck and I am always on the lookout for the most scientific and up to date information about the food I consume. For example, I love kombucha. I started making my own and while researching (surprise! I love to research) this fermented tea, I found out some not so good stuff. If you want to know more, here is what science says about kombucha. My love for researching might be a wee bit obsessive....anyways, back to topic, take a look at this video to learn more about the wonderful blackberry.

Ginger Blackberry Green Smoothie 

Adapted from Eating Curiously

Serves 2

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 really big handful of spinach or a little over 2 cups
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen blackberries
• 1 small avocado
• 1 small knob of ginger (about the size of a very small thumb)
• 2 celery stalks (no leaves though!)
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. whole flax seeds
• 1 tsp.loose leaf black tea leaves
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. erythritol or sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6 drops of liquid stevia (optional)
• small sprinkle of pink Himalayan salt

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Start by adding the almond milk to the blender first, followed by the spinach and then the remaining ingredients. Next, blend it up! I let it do it's thing a little bit longer than usual, maybe 1 1/2 minutes, to really grind up those blackberry seeds. They are super hardcore and can be a bit obnoxious. I don't like seeds in my smoothies, at least whole seeds. Do you?

What unique, interesting or super healthy goodies do you put in your smoothies?

Green Chocolate Berry Smoothie

I pretty much always have a green smoothie for breakfast.

Do I also make Todd have one? Yes. But he doesn't mind how bossy I am, because my green smoothies are delicious. And they are good for you. And they are delicious (the part Todd cares about).

These green smoothies are especially dear to my heart because they can  be packed full o' spinach and no one would ever know...besides the colour...kind of a giveaway. I always add flax because it's a great way to get some omega-3's in, I also usually try to add spices for some antioxidant power, a little splash of vanilla, and a small sprinkle of pink Himalayan sea salt. A breakfast including a couple servings of fruits and leafy greens is always a good way to start the day.

I also use homemade almond milk. How snotty can you get, am I right? This milk is so not at all like store-bought almond milk. It is delicious, and creamy, and fresh (unlike cartoned almond milk). And I swear it's not hard at all, though it does take a minimal amount of planning. Later this week I promise to show how to make your own almond milk and why you should, and my lessons learned along the way. Here it is in all it's milky, mason jar glory. Bob stares at me like this when I make it.

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So here it is. You can modify this smoothie to what you have on hand, of course.

Green Chocolate Berry Smoothie

Adapted from Detoxinista

Serves 2

• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/4 cup dried blueberries
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 ripe avocado (I froze mine)
• 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp. whole flax seeds
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• splash of vanilla
• sprinkle of pink Himalayan sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. of loose-leaf green/black/white tea (yes, I put tea in my smoothies)
• about 6 drops of liquid stevia or 1 tsp. of erythritol

Start by adding the milk first and then throw everyone else into the pot blender and get to blendin'! Pour into adorable mason jar travel cups with steel straws that your husband made and sip away in delight (okay, the former isn't really required but definitely the latter).

Why don't I add other little goodies like spirulina or maca powder? Well for one, spirulina isn't actually good for you. *gasp* I know, I had just bought a little baggie of it! You too can learn about spirulina, and why it's maybe not the best. And as far as exotic ingredients go...Alaska doesn't offer much in terms of that stuff. Sometimes I am able to get some fun things from Amazon.com, however...but you won't find super hard to find ingredients in my recipes mainly for this reason.

And for those that are wondering why on Earth I put loose leaf tea in my smoothies...well, you can't taste it for one and tea does all sorts of wonders for your health. Do you know why matcha ( the finely-ground green tea leaves) are so good for one's health? Because the entire leaf is consumed! Any science anyone could ever want to know about tea can be found here. And in case you wanted to know why an artificial sweetener junkie like myself pretty much only uses erythritol now, follow the links.

Chai Spiced Waffles

Walks like these, are good for the heart and soul. Alaska is good for the heart and soul.

We've had a pretty craptastic week. No running water for several days (though now it's fixed) and Todd's car isn't working which means extra long days at home for Bobbledore (Bailey), because I am spending an extra hour or two at work to accommodate the car situation. Todd hasn't been feeling very well so I thought I should make him one of his favorite foods...waffles! Healthy, vegan waffles of course...err...probably not what he  is used to.

Let me first say that while I am terrified of creating a new recipe completely lone wolf, I do always have to put my own spin on existing recipes. To make them healthier, tastier, because I ran out of some ingredient, or because it's Alaska and we just don' t have goji berries or maca powder or God knows what else (it's usually the latter). I pretty much have to have everything planned out (when it comes to food) and yes, I do go to the store about three times per week. Is this normal? I am not completely sure, but probably not...

Dairy makes my body very upset and Todd can't have nightshades, dairy or meat. This leaves a very small percent of recipes that are, as I have dubbed, "turnkey". Meaning, I don't have to remove, add or substitute anything by necessity...but I usually do because that's half the fun!  Make it your own. You're the boss, not the recipe. Vegans, of course don't eat meat or dairy but we also avoid nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, red peppers and eggplants). So I try not to use them as often as possible.

Okay, without further adieu, life-brightening waffles. We had them for dinner. Have them whenever you want. These didn't hold up too well in my original adaption, so modified the recipe for you. The taste, however was wonderful. I drizzled molasses (the most nutritious natural sweetener) on my waffle, Todd opted for his maple syrup. He's from Ohio, I won't push it.

Adapted from Sprouted Kitchen.

Serves 4

• 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp. ground flax seeds & 3 Tbsp. water)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 Tbsp. orange juice (or lemon if you don't have orange)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
• 1/2 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
• 1/4 cup gluten free flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour (ground oats)
• 2 Tbsp. erythritol (or sugar)
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. cardamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• dash of cloves
• dash of black pepper
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. pink Himalayan salt

Make your flax egg first. If you have never made one before, check out The Bonzai Aphrodite. This is a page with great information on how to make a flax egg, it is so super easy too! In a small bowl, add 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed and 3 Tbsp. water. Add the water slowly while whisking. The flax egg should sit for at least 15 minutes in the fridge.

While your egg is gellin', grab your sous chef (such as Chef Bob, above) and get to  mixin' those wet ingredients in bowl (I used the same one as I used to melt the oil. Less dishes = Happiness). Mix all dry ingredients together in a separate large bowl.

Add wet mix to dry mix and stir to combine. Let sit for a few minutes to gel. Wash up some dishes or whatev. After the mix has sat, add about 3/4 cup to your heated waffle iron, mine took about 3 minutes to cook.

You could use the mix for pancakes too of course, but we used our waffle maker.

If you want to educate yourself about eggs, flax, spices and molasses please check out these amazingly informative, evidence based videos.