Vegetarian Lentil Soup *GF/DF*

In January, I had the pleasure of visiting a friend and her family who had recently moved to the San Bernardino National Forest. She and I were headed to a regional training the day after. The night I arrived, it was windy and cold. Thankfully no snow because I don't own any snow chains and the climb to the top of the mountain was steep and long! The weather held off until the day after our meeting... whew!

The night I arrived, she was making a lentil soup. It tasted great! It was a hearty soup for a cold night. YUM!

Recently, I thought about making some lentil soup. First, I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of lentils and many beans because of their texture, and because of this, I made sure to thoroughly rinse the lentils before and after cooking and before incorporating them into the final dish. 

Without further adieu, here is the recipe! The recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free but not grain free, due to the lentils (legumes / grains) and the optional rice.

31 Days of ABCs: F is for Fish

This week's post is focusing on the letter F and will not only include a nutrient dense recipe but also fun activities you can do with your small children before, during, and while you're waiting for your dinner to cook.  

I bet you've read over a dozen articles about eating more healthy fats and then wondering how you'll incorporate them along with more vegetables (balanced nutrition). Are you at a loss where to start? I once knew that feeling! It seems like a huge undertaking when you're wanting to start new in your wellness journey. You've heard it before: Take baby steps and my advice: Start where you are! 

Where do you fall short when making healthy meals for your family? Is it the confusing food labels? (I can help with that in one of my classes or consultations.) Uncertain about which fish is the healthiest? (Source and quality matter!) Green veggies aren't appealing? (They can become a norm in your home.) Unsure about which fats are the best? (I use two of the healthy fats in this recipe.) You like fish but aren't sure how to prepare it so that it will be appetizing? (This recipe is simple, flavorful, and nutritious!)


This post is part of an ABC Collection for the month of October. My friend, Jennifer, of The Good Long Road (here's her post from last year), asked me to do letter F and I kindly accepted! What an honor. So this post, will be to share all about the letter F which will include a recipe and activities for children / families. Let's start with the activities and then the recipe will follow. 

Community Garden and More from Summer 2014

Take the pledge here to do as the words encourage us to do (Sep 2014)

Summer! ... it is my favorite season. This post is a little late getting out there but I cannot miss the opportunity to share some of the highlights of our summer break with you! I know, I know... this should have gone out in August but better late than never. =)

Many of the images will be to share about a resource in my community that was created late Fall last year by a local doctor, Dr. Iresha Goonesinghe; she is compassionate, shares resources, and is always looking for ways to partner with the community. She is the visionary behind the "community garden!"

With a team of volunteers, the Ridgecrest community garden was formed and continues to flourish! The vegetables grown in the garden are organic and non-GMO and are given to single parent homes and low-income families; it is one way we are able to fight hunger. I helped a half dozen times throughout the summer with my son at my side. Now that school is back in session, I plan to help a little more consistently. I like to get my hands dirty plus it's a good work out. Since school began I have volunteered twice and am looking to go again this week (after this post publishes). 

In the image above, pictured is Angela Cooper of Angela Cooper Wellness who just happened to open her new Massage and Yoga Center in Ridgecrest on 9/8/14!! I'm pictured in the center and for those who don't know me, I'm a certified health coach (my services) and I focus on real food nutrition, label reading, and empowering the consumer and Anna Lynn (on the right) who you will learn more about as you continue reading. 

I do not own a garden (yet) but I'm starting to think about one more and more. I may consider doing some berries in raised beds or potatoes but I'd like to get a compost going. I've been talking about starting an aeroponic garden that requires no soil or kneeling that sounds really rewarding but due to the extreme climates in my area, I haven't started one. And, at this point in time, not sure when or if I will (yikes did I just admit that out loud?!). However, if a few friends and clients order a Tower Garden then we all can help each other out in the various seasons (dry, windy, cold) and in times of overgrowth. Win-win! =)

I did enjoy having my son at my side during our learning at the community garden. Anna, one of the volunteers, is a wealth of information and has the most patience you could ever imagine and is eager to learn and share what she's learned with others! There's plenty of room in the world for people like her!!

Raise a Healthy Grazer

Raise a [healthy] grazer!

Here are some various grazing trays I've made for my son. I'm sharing this post as the letter G in the blog post, "Meatless Monday: Eating the Alphabet from A-Z," owned and written by Jennifer Fischer. 

Image 1

1. Pictured are my son's daily 'supplements' - the gummies being 100% plant based fruits and vegetables (not a vitamin or supplement, but whole food), graham crackers from Trader Joe's (no HFCS), 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter, grapes, 1/2 KIND bar, and organic apples with cinnamon. 

Image 2

2. Cantaloupe slices, Trader Joe's cookies (less than 40% sugar), organic apples with cinnamon, nectarine, organic cheese crackers, and organic strawberries. 

Image 3

3. Trader Joe's O's, grapes, 1/2 KIND bar, organic yogurt, daily 'supplements,' sliced pineapple, organic cheese crackers, 1/2 Cliff fruit snack, organic apples, 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter, graham crackers from Trader Joe's, and more organic apples. 

Image 4

4. Pear with cinnamon and drizzled raw honey, Chobani greek yogurt, organic nectarine, organic white peach, and organic apricot. 

Image 5

5. Grapes, 1/2 cliff Z bar for kids, organic white nectarine, hummus with sliced carrots, organic apples, and graham crackers with natural peanut butter. 

Image 6

6. Organic strawberries, organic apples, organic nectarines, organic rainier cherries, and graham crackers. Not pictured: natural peanut butter. 

Image 7

7. Rice crackers, organic apples with cinnamon, daily 'supplements,' veggie straws, Trader Joe's O's, grapes, pineapples, apple straws, 1/2 Cliff fruit snack, 1/2 KIND bar, and more grapes. 

Image 8

8. White nectarine, plum, apricot, red and green grapes, and cantaloupe. 

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Stuffed Flounder and Rice

Using: fish and prepared veggies of your choice

Ingredients:

1/4 cup EVOO

2 Garlic cloves, minced (or finely chopped)

1/4 cup diced Onions

1/2 cup shredded Carrots

1 shredded Zucchini

1/2 cup chopped Mushrooms

1/4 cup slivered Almonds 

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

Cooked rice of your choice (Jasmine, Basmati, Long Grain or Brown)

Wild-Caught Flounder (or wild-caught fish of your choice)

2 tbsp Butter or 2 tbsp EVOO

1 tbsp Lemon juice

1/4 tsp Salt & pepper
1/2 tsp dried parsley

Directions:

1. Sauté onions and garlic in EVOO ‘til translucent, add carrots then zucchini. Add mushrooms; slivered almonds. 

2. While all is cooking, prepare your rice separately. 

3. Add bread crumbs to veggie mix and season to your taste. Remove ‘stuffing’ from pan. 

4. Season flounder with salt, pepper and lemon and gently roll the stuffing inside the fish (have toothpicks ready) and brown on medium-low heat on the stove top. 

5. If any stuffing remains, toss with rice adding a splash of lemon juice. After fish is cooked through, remove and keep warm while preparing a sauce in the hot pan with evoo or butter and seasoning of your choice. You can use white wine and lemon juice as well. Get creative – it’s fun and rewarding! Buon appetite!!

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Chicken, Tomato, Mushroom Pasta #Recipe

A quick dinner recipe using tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and chicken. I think you'll enjoy it! 

Ingredients: 
Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Pasta Blend, Rotini

Grass-fed, Hormone and Antibiotic Free Chicken Tenders

Organic Diced Tomatoes (Canned or make your own) 
Panko plain bread crumbs seasoned with various Italian spices

Parmesan Cheese

Mushrooms

Medium Yellow Onion

Rosemary

EVOO

Egg

Directions: 
Combine bread crumbs, your choice of seasonings and parmesan cheese. Dip chicken in egg lightly beaten and then into heated frying pan with EVOO. Cook 5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Boil water for pasta (or use rice, quinoa, etc in place of pasta). In separate frying pan, add EVOO, onion, mushrooms and tomatoes. Sprinkle dried rosemary and heat until thickened.

Drain pasta, add chicken and cover with sauce.

Buon Appetito!!

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Choose, eat, and live well! =)