colorful cilantro lime nacho's (gluten free!)

Some nights it's hit and miss around here with healthy eating. As much as I obsess over this lifestyle, I sure haven't mastered it yet.... Yet. :)
However, when your husband yells: "nailed it, Ky!" as he's finishing his dinner, it makes this wannabe foodie proud.
This recipe was inspiration from one of my FAVORITE cafe fresh delicacies; the cilantro lime quesadilla. Nothing is better than that dish.
I got home around 9:30 last night and had half a mind to simply order out.. BUT...I don't know what I'd be eating and we all know how much I love that. So I started making dinner. And I don't regret it for half a second! It was so tasty!

Cilantro Lime Nacho's

• 1 bag all natural gluten-free corn chips
• 2 free range, boneless skinless chicken breasts; chopped
• 1 TBSP coconut oil
• 1 tsp all natural sea salt
• 1/2 bag organic white sweet corn
• 2 dollops all natural grass fed gluten free sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used part Tillamook, part raw. Tillamook doesn't have artificial growth hormones. It's the only regular store brand I'd buy!)
• 1/2 TBS Bobs red mill corn starch (gluten free)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or coconut milk)
• One jar sugar free salsa (if you have a local sports, opt for the Chia, flax and quinoa salsa to add a little super to your food!)
• Cilantro
• Lime

To start, heat your coconut oil over medium heat. sautee some cilantro and salt until the cilantro looks crispy and brown. At that point, remove most of it from the oil, return to heat and add your chicken. Once your chicken is in, take half your lime and squeeze the juices from it onto your cooking chicken. 

In a separate pot, boil your corn. 

In another pot (sorry, I'm not the one pot chef) add your almond milk and corn starch (mixed in) and begin to let it simmer. Once it's simmered, slowly stir in your cheese a little at a time until cheese melts. Your sauce should begin to thicken and look like a light colored cheese sauce.

Once everything is cooked through, it is time to layer those nacho's!! Chips, chicken, corn, cilantro, cheese, salsa, sour cream, juice of lime and DEVOUR! 

Nutella: Store Bought Junk Food to Beneficial Snack

A few weeks ago I got experimental and made PALEO NUTELLA. That’s big, guys. Nutella is man’s way of saying "there is good in the world" and I was missing out on that revelation. Without Nutella, I thought the world was pure BAD! ;)

The blog I based my recipe from (remember I made a few changes) mentioned in bold all cap letters: THIS IS NOT A HEALTH FOOD. Something in our brains automatically tells us: "this is an orgasm to the mouth, it must not be good for me!" because in all reality, there isn't anything harmful in this recipe. As a matter of fact, there are several things in it that are amazingly GOOD for us. 

until that husband of mine gets the camera he's been promising, you'll just have to understand that this was the best thing ever in real life! the blurryness of this photo does it no justice!

If you're still having doubts, that is why I am here...to erase those doubts and explain why this whole food treat is actually beneficial to the body. I would like to note that I am NOT saying you should go out and eat a whole tub of store bought Nutella. I am not vouching for that AT ALL. There are ingredients in that stuff that I don't know what they are and can't advocate. I am saying that the homemade version made with organic whole foods is going to be a healthy treat that tastes good and is good for you! 

Here we go!

Hazelnuts: I was actually really impressed by the health benefits of hazelnuts. Not only do they have so many good aspects and nutrients to them, but they also are high in the benefits they render...it is not a weak nut. 

• Heart Healthy: because they are high in unsaturated fats, they have been known to help lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol. 1 cup of hazelnuts (what our delicious recipe calls for) contains almost half of the daily recommendations of magnesium. Magnesium is essential to our bodies because it filters through the heart, helping it beat regularly. 
• Skin Care: vitamin E has been proven to protect our skin from ultraviolet radiation caused by the sun. One cup of hazelnuts has 86% of the vitamin E our bodies need. This will also help with skin cancer risk and premature aging. 
• Digestive Health: there are so many things that are good about hazelnuts for the digestive tract, it’s unreal. However, the most important is their high fiber content. It is essential that we keep the digestive tract moving. When you are constipated or just haven't gone in a while, there is a chance things aren't regular enough and you are reabsorbing toxins and hormones that your body has already eliminated and doesn't need. Not only is it bad for the bowels, but it can wreak havoc on many other of your body’s crucial organs. Unless you are me and my best friend, Elise, (or our husbands who have no filters) people are often embarrassed by pooping. But it’s naturally and healthy and you should really pay attention to how regular you are. If you aren't regular, it may cause more problems down the road. A happy digestive tract is essential for happy overall health! Enough fiber, like the fiber in hazelnuts, can help aid to that.
• and much more: I try and keep my blog posts short so I don't bore my readers, so I won't post every healthy aspect of hazelnuts, I just posted the biggest ones. Do your own research, be informed. 

Unsweetened Cocoa: first of all, I find it ESSENTIAL to mention that cocoa and CHOCOLATE are two different things. Chocolate constitutes oils and sugars and preservatives, etc. pure, unsweetened cocoa powder is a derivative of the coco bean and has May beneficial health benefits:

• Minerals: 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder contains almost 10 percent of our essential daily intake of iron, magnesium, manganese, and zinc. Each of which have their own individual health benefits. 
• Flavonoids: although there are many different types of flavonoids, the flavonoids specific to cocoa release antioxidants and lower blood pressure. 

Evaporated Cane Sugar: many may argue that sugar is sugar. Where that may be true, those few many also not know that simple table sugar that has become the staple in American households is what is dangerous. Cane juice or cane sugar straight from sugar cane still holds all its vitamins and minerals and digests better in the body because it hasn't been refined or chemically altered. I found an excellent source stating all the health benefits of the cane plant and its sugar derivative at processedfreeamerica.org. Their benefits included: 

• It cures a sore throat, cold and flu.

• Unlike table sugar, it has no simple sugars. Diabetics can therefore enjoy it without worrying about soaring blood sugar levels (those with type 2 diabetes should still have limited sugarcane juice).

• It provides glucose to the body, burned by the muscles to provide the body natural energy. It re-hydrates the human body fatigued from heat and physical activity. It's known to boost performance in athletes and manual laborers.

• It's recommended for fevers which cause great protein loss from the body. Liberal consumption of sugarcane juice provides the body with protein during febrile disorders. It also brings down high body temperatures during fevers.

• The easily digestible sugar in sugarcane juice helps in speedy recovery from jaundice. The steep fall in glucose levels during jaundice; may be replenished by having 3 to 4 glasses of sugarcane juice daily.

• It's good for the digestive system and also helps with constipation because of its high potassium content.

• It has a wide range of compounds in addition to sucrose which bestows it with wound healing properties and strengthens the immune system.

• Regular intake of sugarcane juice strengthens the stomach, kidneys, heart, eyes, brain and sex organs.

• It lowers body cholesterol- both LDL and triglycerides.

White refined sugar not only CAN’T do any of that, but it is also a hazard to the body. Remember label readers...not all sugar is created equal. 

COCONUT OIL: if you haven't read The Coconut Oil Miracle, I suggest you snag a copy! I was an avid olive oil user but it just wasn't what I liked to bake with (I have a sensitive pallet and could taste the EVOO way too strongly in everything). I am a HUGE health literature whore and like to buy books whenever I feel like I want to spend some extra bucks. I have so many books I love to look through but The Coconut Oil Miracle has been my favorite. Organic, unrefined coconut oil is:

• heart healthy
• good for skin
• good for hair
• good for the digestive tract 
• beneficial in patients with arthritis
• And good for weight loss. 

 It is catching on as well. There is definitely a coconut frenzy going on in the beauty world. But the actual health benefits are far reaching as well. 

as you can see, there are SO many good benefits to this homemade version of the popular store bought Nutella is actually very beneficial to your body. "not a health food" lady can just do a little more research next time because if I am eating something that is going to provide as many benefits as this creamy dessert, I will classify it as a health food! 

Happy, healthy healing!!! 

<3 KBS 

Tasty Detoxing

"Leeks" and "rutabagas" almost stopped me from making this recipe. I knew what a leek was...but the name was kind of a turn off for some reason (wonder why?) and a rutabaga was a foreign word to me. I decided that I would go to the store and if I could find all the ingredients, I would get it.

I decided to make a detox soup because it's been a while since I tried my tea detox...if you follow me on Facebook, you know all about how well the tea detox went...or didn't. I was mean and starving the whole entire time. A soup sounded a little bit safer to my marriage, happiness and overall health. I still regret the things i said and did to my husband out of "hanger" (hunger-anger) on that blasted tea diet. So, after I dismally found what is known as a rutabaga, I decided to make the detox. 

If you know me personally, or have read this blog, you know I am not an unhealthy eater. But when I made my gluten free, sugar free, health cake this week, I indulged a little much. :) As NOT bad as that cake was, I still needed this detox. Recipe here.

Now, I am here to report that leeks, despite the turn off of a name, are my new love affair and rutabaga's are my male mistress. YUM!! This was so much better, and filling, then the tea detox. :) EVERYONE needs to try it! And the best part is, is that this recipe is good for so many different dietary restrictions: Paleo (almost), gluten free, vegetarian, raw, vegan, etc. And it doesn't even taste bad. :) 

I will say, even though pinto beans are healthy, I used black beans. All of my research has simply deemed them to be the healthier of the two. Black beans contain flavonoids that help fight colon cancer...and let me tell you, as a crohnsen kid who is at high risk for colon cancer, I am willing to put anything in my body that will fight that SOB off. :)

I hope you're as excited about this detox as I was. This awesome lady even listed why everything in it was so good for you!! If I can get the husband to agree, this may be a weekly staple around here. :) You know me and my unadulterated love for anything with good health benefits! :)

Happy detoxing! 

Sweet tooth fix (update 5/13/13)

No matter how much I am educated in the health world, I will always be a fat kid at heart. I will always like dessert and have cravings. I've noticed lately, since I haven't been eating sugar, that regularly sweet things are too sweet for my liking. I ate two peachy-o's the other day and wanted to vomit. However, it's the cakes, brownies and cookies I still crave.
For about three minutes this month, I worked for salad master. It was an amazing product and I loved every thing I presented, but I just don't have a knack for sales. I didn't love being in people's homes trying to sell them something...however, they had a cake they made where they frosted it with a hersheys chocolate bar instead of frosting. I kept thinking: yeah, that's better...and not nearly as bad as frosting...but I still wasn't content to call it health cake... I was determined to make it better.
I set out to the health food store tonight to tame my craving. I don't care what anyone says, eating fruit doesn't nix a craving. Not for this fat kid anyway. So, I found a gluten free chocolate cake mix. Be careful when you're buying gluten free baking products... Most of them are loaded with sugar. READ LABELS. The particular mix I found was sweetened with evaporated cane juice. It's not refined or harmful to your body. I choose gluten free mixes because 1. I am intolerant, and 2. Because you can actually find gluten free cake mixes with healthy, natural sweeteners. Next, I went to the chocolate bar section... This is where it gets tricky...most chocolate bars have sugar. However, I found a brand that was sweetened with beet sugar and didn't have any oils in it. And, it was even mint flavored (Also certified gluten free and they donate partial profits to habitat for humanity) Again, this form of sugar was not processed and completely natural; the body digests things better when they haven't been chemically altered.
All you need to do is bake the cake according to the package directions.
I use olive oil for my baking oil.
Once the cake comes out of the oven, plop the entire chocolate bar on the hot cake and cover it with a clean kitchen towel to trap the heat in.
About five minutes later, the chocolate will be glossy and ready to spread around the cake.
I just cut that bad boy up and served it hot.
I loved this cake not only for its decently healthy, but also because its not sweet. The dark mint chocolate gives it a bitter taste that satisfies a fat kids craving while not making the sugar hater in me sick!
I'm never sure how my experiments are going to turn out, so I made the mistake of throwing away all my wrappers and boxes. :( but I promise, you'll be able to find similar items if you just read the labels. :)

Happy healthy fat kid eating!!

UPDATE:
For those of you who wanted the EXACT brands I used, you're in luck. I went to the store today and picked up more supplies. And fancy that, I even took pictures before I threw the trash away. Here they are:

Life fight oatmeal

It's a High fiber, high antioxidant, cholesterol lowering, cancer fighting, inflammation reducing, heart healthy, vitamin packed, pain killing meal. Sound too good to be true? No. Good health starts with food. You know that old saying: you are what you eat? I like to say your body quality is just about as good as your food quality. I get a little bit rampant when I see people I love feeding themselves with the wrong kinda fuel! (Ask my husband...I'm a little nazi!) all of the benefits I listed previously came from one meal...took me two minutes and six ingredients...ready?

Gluten free oatmeal (I use gluten free because I am gluten intolerant... Regular oatmeal is fine.)
Mixed berries---fresh or frozen
Poppy seeds
Flax seeds
Almond milk
Agave

I don't add measurements to a lot of my recipes because 1) i never measure. and 2.) because that's up to you. But add as much flax and poppyseed as you want. That's where the Nutrients are packed!

Did you know poppy seeds have trace amounts of opium? You'd have to eat a caseload to feel a medical status buzz but they are a natural painkiller! That's why I added them to my oatmeal this morning...bye bye tension headache!!

I also love this particular recipe because the oatmeal, flax and poppy seeds all help lower bad cholesterol. I've been blessed (not) through genetics to have high cholesterol so anything that can fight it, I'm in!

I used to hate oatmeal as a kid. The flavors seemed all off. The texture was weird and I was content with my little packets of it that we're packed with sugar and additives. I feel like there's probably a good reason I was diagnosed with crohns so young. My foods were triggers. We ate relatively healthy as kids. But no one in my family was educated about our food industry back then.

I've been blessed with my diseases so that I'm motivated to learn what I need to learn to change the course of my little family's lives. And essentially, I feel I HAD to have crohns so that I would want to learn these things. I don't want to know where i'd be if I didn't have crohns. We're buddies, it and I. It's been and invaluable experience. :)

Educate yourselves. Know what you're putting in your body. I had a conversation with my brother In law the other day and he said: it's been interesting to see you changing and caring more about what you're eating. I couldn't agree with him more...I'm a self proclaimed crazy lady in a little over a year...I am so okay with that. Like I said: INVALUABLE!!

As a ps: my little poppy plant is growing and I'm ever so in love. She's adorable.