Nut Smoothies & Goji Chia Jam

One of my favourite things to drink besides a fresh green juice is a nut based smoothies. I haven't had one for a while and after I made one this week, I could not figure out why I haven't been making this.

I think this is also a great drink to share with your friends who have never tried raw food or drinks. If you have someone who is skeptical that raw food tastes good then this is one to share. I love nut "mylk" because they are so nutritious and filled with trace minerals. They taste amazing and they don't have any negative anti-nutrients in them. They are not filled with sugars, chemicals or other additives.



This week I have made an Almond & Brazil Nut Smoothie and Protein Smoothie.

For almond milk, you will need to soak the almonds overnight. Put them in water before you go to bed and drain them and rinse them in the morning. Then you are ready to start. I use a Vitamix so I have some pretty powerful blending happening. However, you could use whatever blender you have on hand.

Almond & Brazil Nut Goodness:

1 cup almonds soaked and drained
5-6 Brazil nuts
Frozen banana
1 date (pitted)
Vanilla- I use powdered organic vanilla that is lovely.
Water

First add water to your blender with the nuts. Blend until the nuts are liquefied. You will need to strain the mixture with a nut bag. You will need to strain the mixture with a nut bag. Once you have strained you nut milk put the pulp aside for another dish. DON'T THROW THIS OUT. If you don't know what you are going to use it for you can freeze it. Add the milk back into the blender and add the rest of the ingredients.

I didn't put the exact measurements, because you can play around with the amount of dates and banana to get the sweetness you would like. As well if you are on a budget add a little more water to make the nut milk or "mylk" stretch.

Bring on the protein:

Later in the week I was feeling a little tired and this was in part due to the fact that I was rushing around doing to many things. Now who can relate to that? So I choose an nice protein packed smoothie to give me a lift. I am so loving Sunwarrior protein. I will give you my honest opinion, that I think it is the best out there. In this drink, you can not taste anything but pure goodness.

Vanilla Protein Punch:

1 scoop Vanilla Sunwarrior Raw Protein
Frozen Banana
Hemp Seeds
Vanilla (powdered vanilla)
2 spoons or almond butter
Water




This had the same amazing profile of the almond & brazil nut smoothie, however it was packed with a protein punch. Enjoy and take a moment to relax while sipping on this.


Now on to Goji Jam:

I have been eating a lot of goji jam this week. One raspberry and goji jam, one orange and goji jam and one ginger jam. However I think the best profile is with orange. If you don't like the goji flavour, then the raspberry mixture is a good one to choose. I originally got this idea from David Wolfe's recipe. However, I felt like trying something a little different.



Blyssful Health Goji Chia Jam:

1/4 cup goji berries
1/2 to 1 whole date (I don't have a huge sweet tooth, so you can up the dates to your liking)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup of chopped orange segments
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp of fruit zest (I used lemon and orange)
1 tbs of chia seeds soaked for a minute in 1 tbs water
pinch of salt (optional)
1/2 tsp coconut oil( optional)

Soak the goji berries in the freshly squeezed orange juice. Let the date sit in the water as well. I let it sit for about an hour or more. Place the goji berries and the liquid in your food processor. Add in the fresh orange segments and blend until smooth.Then stir in the lemon juice, fruit zest and chia seed mixture. You can add a pinch of salt. If you find the jam is to thick add a little more orange juice to the mixture. I also added about half a spoon of coconut oil to my mixture at the end.

If you want to hide the goji flavour, add some frozen raspberries to the mixture. You may need to add another date.

You can eat this on it's own, put it on some raw crackers or even use it in a salad.



Enjoy.

Please let me know what you think of the new layout? I would love the feedback.

Superfood Series: Goji Berries Jam

I am happy to announce that in the next couple of weeks I will be doing a weekly post on superfoods. I love adding superfoods to my diet to help boost my immune system, increase my nutritional intake and to maximize my health.

Today I will be sharing about this wonderful little gem called Goji Berries. I often use goji berries in my diet, however to be honest I did not love them at the start. Since I have learned more about them and how to use them, they have become a favourite.



The Goji berries are small but they pack a nutritional punch that you will not want to miss out on. There are over 40 species of the goji berry. The Chinese culture view the goji berry highly and rightfully so:

Protein
They are a good source of protein!!! A lot questions always arise on where do I get my protein from? Goji berries can help you out in this area. They are a complete source of protein and they contain all eight of the essential amino acids that our body needs, but can not synthesize on it's own. Meaning we need to get these essential amino acids from our food and therefore goji berries are a great addition to your diet.

Fiber
A 1/4 cup or 30 grams per serving can offer you 10 grams of fiber to your day (organic traditions)

Antioxidants
They are a rich source of antioxidants. Luetin, zeaxanthin, beta-caroten are some of the antioxidants found in goji berries. The "goji berries contain more beta-caroten than carrots" (David Wolfe, Superfoods)

Trace Minerals and Vitamins
Goji berries are a good source of trace minerals and vitamins. They contain zinc, iron, copper, calcium, germanium, selenium, phosphorus, B6, and vitamin E. They are a source of Vitamin C and high on the ORAC Scale. However the amount of vitamin C in them seems to be a debatable point.

Immunity
Goji berries have been use to help deal with stress and build the immune system. Often suggested for people who need to rebuild their energy and strength.

How to Use Goji Berries:

1. Can be used as a fun easy snack and eaten on it's own.

2. You can soak and rehydrate them. Use the soak water in your smoothies. Or alternatively add the dry berries to your smoothie to add some bulk to your smoothies.

3. Make your own homemade trail mix or cereal. Mix some into a bag of nuts, buckwheat grouts, coconut and cacao nibs or dried organic fruits.

4. Add them to steep in your favourite herbal teas. Yummy. This is one of my favourite ways to have them.

Or use them in elaborate desserts, sauces and condiments. Put them in your homemade chocolate creations. The options are endless.

This is a my Goji Berry Chia Seed Jam. This jam is packed full of goji berries, fruit zest, chia seeds and lemon juice. Then blended in the food processor. I got this idea from one of David Wolfe's books and decided to make a few changes. Mainly adding chia to the mixture and a few other ingredients.

I have to tweak it a bit before I share the recipe. However it will be a keeper on my list. The really interesting thing about this jam is that it could be sweet or savoury depending on your choice of ingredients.


Goji Berries Jam on sprouted hemp bread.


I am excited to say that I will be growing my own goji berries this year. They will be the North American species, so we will see what happens.

Do you use goji berries in your superfood arsenal? What is your favourite way to use them?


Stay tuned for more on Superfoods.....

Time For Tea: But not your regular tea.

Lot's of exciting things are happening here at Blyssful Health. I am having a contest here this week for a great book, and I started a local Raw Meet up Group. As well there will be some great product reviews, some new information on fermenting coming your way and a new website. So it is pretty busy and exciting.

However as promised I mentioned that I would share about how I make my new tea. As some of you know I am taking David Wolfe's Ultimate Nutrition Course. I am learning so many things. One of the things that I am learning about is tea. I am not talking about a simple tea bag. I am talking about a multi functional tea. I no longer look at teas in the same way. My new saying is "What can my tea do for me?" The answer is a lot. It can nourish me, calm me, feed my body nutrients and help my immune system.

Here are some pictures of my tea experiment.

So below are some herbs that I bought at the health food store.


In a large pot on the stove I added some water(not tap water) and them some Nettle, Horsetail and Oat straw. I also added a handful of Goji Berries and some Vanilla Powder. The Vanilla gives it a nice flavor and the Goji berries are so good for you and help round out the flavour. I let it simmer but never boil.

Next strain the mixture and use right away our put some in jars for later use as a tea or as a base for my smoothies.

After all of the liquid is drained off the remains look like this. Don't throw this out. You can make a couple more batches of tea with the same herbs and Goji Berries. I took my large batch and put some in the fridge as I could not drink the huge amount I made all at once.

The first batch of tea I made was strong. The first batch is always the strongest. So for me I had to dilute it with some water. The next batch was milder and milder with the third batch.

For me these herbs are important because of their silica content which is good for hair, nail and skin. Many herbs these days have several different functions so it is good to do some research on what herbs you are using. Lastly I added some Reishi mushroom powder to my tea as that was the only mushroom that I had on hand.

A few days late I went out and bought these. No that is not BACON, it's Reishi mushroom slices that I will steep with my next batch of tea. I am learning about mushrooms and their medicinal qualities, I definitely want these in my tea.

It took me a couple of cups to get into it. Now I am more used to it and I actually love the Goji berries in the tea. Especially since I now know how good there are for you.

Hope you enjoyed this and now look at your tea differently. While you are sipping your tea...here are a few quotes for you to think about.

Whatever your mind can conceive and can believe, it can achieve.
Napoleon hill

The power of intention is the power to manifest, to create, to live a life of unlimited abundance, and to attract into your life the right people at the right moments.
Wayne Dyer Quote


All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
Buddha

Yummy Homemade Cereal

Since the mornings are a challenge. I have to find ways to get the most out of my food. Usually I make a smoothie or even a juice. Sometimes I make my own cereal, which is really easy. You can take your ingredients that you want to use and put them in a mixing bowl. Add your choice of sweetener and then a little oil. Mix and put in your dehydrator for the raw version. If you don't have a dehydrator stick the mixture in your oven on the lowest heat for about an hour. If you do the oven route it will not be raw, however it will still healthier for you and better than the majority of the grocery store cereals.

My favorites ingredients are sesame seeds(black), almonds(crush them), sunflower seeds, chia and hemp seeds. Oats are another option. You can use oats too. Raw oats and oat groats are also another option



Get a large bowl and mix it together.



Then pick a sweetener, a flavor and an oil from below and mix it up and that's it.

Either dehydrate or put in your oven depending on if you want it raw or not.


Here are some options below.
Sweetener:
Agave nectar, Stevia, raw honey, molasses and maple syrup depending on your preference.

Flavor:
Cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, pinch of sea salt, cacao powder, carob powder

Fun stuff:
Goji berries, cacao nibs, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, chopped apple or pear, whole flax seeds.

Oil
Coconut oil is my suggestion.

Note: If you need to have more moisture you can use a blended up apple or pear. Also non sweetened applesauce can work.

When it is done you can serve with almond or any other nut milk. I like mine in chunks but you can break it up if it is stuck together. Keeps in fridge for a while...but will be gone in no time. Enjoy and have a great breakfast.



Mine is dehydrating right now so I will show the final pictures later.

Get Me Going Smoothie

This morning I had a glass of warm water with a few squeezes of lemon juice. Then I snuck in a few grapes. Truly I would like to eat a bit more but these last few days have been killer on the "Things To Do List". Anyways not really complaining just moving right along.

I was able do a smoothie. I have made this one once before and it seems to go down pretty well. It is not overly sweet. I am not a sweet smoothie person. I like mine less sweet than the general population. I tried to pack as much into it as I could do. I have a feeling that I will be experimenting with it until I get it just right. For now this is what was in it.

Amazing Grass Chocolate Powder ( 2 scoops)
Goji berries (for some body or thickness and nutritional value)
KLamath Lake Blue Green Algae (opened 2 caps)
1 Frozen banana
Camu Camu Berry Powder (small tsp for Vitamin C)
Powdered Vanilla (1-2 small tsp)
Coconut Oil

I put it all in my Vitamix and blended away. I must say this is turning out to be a keeper for me. There is still some tweaking, however it is a start. Last time I did add some Reishi mushroom powder to it as well.



I really love to try new things in my smoothies and food. I also know that it is great to make your smoothies more balanced with some protein and fiber. I could have added more protein but I am just in the midst of ordering some new ones that I want to try.

I think the key is to have fun with your smoothies. What are some of your favorites? If you don't have all the ingredients listed above. Fear not!! You can really put almost anything into your smoothies. If you are making your first smoothie you can just add in some fruits and almond milk until you get used to it and then explore!!

Simple Raw Breakfast

This morning I was in a bit of a rush. As a family we had to head out the door for an appointment. So this was my quick fix. Some dark red/purple grapes, a cut up apple, some goji berries, hemp seeds and a few cacao nibs. It was pretty simple and really fast. I actually ate part of it in the car. (You will be happy to know that I was not driving and that I try not to practice this routine often).

However this little bowl was full of nutrients. Antioxidants, fiber, protein and lots of nutrients. As you can see I even had a second to take a quick photo. Definitely, not photo worthy...but you get the idea.



What's your favorite emergency breakfast?