Chocolate Coconut Chia Shake

This is so good it has to be sinful!  Next time I make this (if there is any left over)  I think I'll see how well this freezes because it reminds me of the fudge sickles we used to have as  kids.  Today the temperature is 108 and I could really use anything cold. 

Ingredients:

• 2 T.  Chia seed
• 1 1/2 T. Raw Cacao
• 8-10 oz nut milk of your liking
• 1 t. coconut oil
• 1 T. organic coconut flakes
• 2 T. organic almond butter
• 1 frozen banana
  4 dates pitted
  

Mix the Chia seed with about 1 oz of water and let them "gel" for 10-15 minutes.  Blend them to get out any lumps. Once fully blended, add remaining ingredients and blend until everything is incorporated. If you don’t have any frozen bananas, go ahead and use fresh bananas but add in some ice.


*** Tip: Ripe Bananas – Buy bananas that are covered in brown spots, not bruises. Peel, place in zip-lock and freeze ahead of time for smoothies !

tiny helpers

Yesterday I had a client come in with a grasshopper in her hair!   Hee hee...  I just tossed him out the salon door.  Then today I had a client open her bag to pay me and out jumped a grasshopper.

It seems that everyone from Castle valley to Paradox is being over run by grasshoppers.   Jean said they had been actively fighting them and they still has stripped ALL of her trees.  Even the pine tree!  Did you know grasshoppers would eat pine needles?  I certainly didn't.

Everyone is talking about it and freaking out... everyone but me.

I am really grateful that the hoppers are not here because we just planted all those fruit trees.  Still, I wondered why the plaque passed us by.

As I was watering my flowers today I got my answer.

There she was in the flower pot.... eating a grasshopper for breakfast....  a beautiful Praying Mantis.  (yes I did take a photo, but it is really to gross to show)

  Upon closer inspection I could see that in every flower pot/bed that I have there is at least one Mantis.   Some of my pots have tons of babies in them and they are the cutest little things ever!

Can you see it?

This one gives you an idea of how tiny they really are.  See how it is already praying?

According to my animal totem book  mantises are all about stillness.

Praying Mantis Meanings in the Realms of Animal Symbolism
The mantis comes to us when we need peace, quiet and calm in our lives. Usually the mantis makes an appearance when we've flooded our lives with so much business, activity, or chaos that we can no longer hear the still small voice within us because of the external din we've created.
After observing this creature for any length of time you can see why the symbolism of the praying mantis deals with stillness and patience. The mantis takes her time, and lives her life at her own silent pace.

A quick-list of praying mantis symbolism:

• Stillness
• Awareness
• Creativity
• Patience
• Mindful
• Calm
• Balance
• Intuition

These traits have lead the mantis to be a symbol of meditation and contemplation. In fact, in China, the mantis has long been honored for her mindful movements.
The mantis never makes a move unless she is 100% positive it is the right thing for her to do. This is a message to us to contemplate and be sure our minds and souls all agree together about the choices we are making in our lives.
Overwhelmingly in most cultures the mantis is a symbol of stillness. As such, she is an ambassador from the animal kingdom giving testimony to the benefits of meditation, and calming our minds.
An appearance from the mantis is a message to be still, go within, meditate, get quite and reach a place of calm. It may also a sign for you to be more mindful of the choices you are making and confirm that these choices are congruent.

It is something to think about.  For now I am just happy not to have the hoppers.

chocolate crunch

wow! it seems like the PMS truck ran over me and then backed up and hit me again.

It is times like this that I find it the hardest to be good on my diet.  It is also the time that I need to be on point or my body is not going to heal.

I came up with this to satisfy my chocolate craving so I don't end up making brownies.  Ladies, this may just be the cure for PMS.

Chocolate Crunch

dark or semi-sweet chips
coconut
walnuts
sunflower seeds
almonds
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. chili powder

This is SOOO easy it is crazy!  Just melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Make sure to get the nuts lightly coated.  Spread them evenly on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and pop them in the freezer for a few minutes.  I like to store mine in a canning jar in the fridge.  These make cute gifts for the chocolate lovers in your life.

I know it sounds weird to put salt and pepper on your chocolate.... Trust me, you don't want to skip that step.  It is what makes this Amazing.

You can substitute any nuts, seeds or dried fruit that you like.  Enjoy!

Breakfast Burgers

As promised here is my next go to breakfast idea.

My parents raised their own beef this year and ((lucky me)) they were willing to share with me.  It had been quite a while since I could eat beef.  I had been vegan for so long that even when I started to eat meat again beef always made me ill.   I am not sure if I am just over it or if it is the difference in grass fed beef.  I am very happy that I can keep it down with no problems now. 

 

I just wanted to show how very lean this meat is.  I even had to add some olive oil to the pan to get it to cook.  See how these patties didn't really shrink at all?  I guess that is how you can tell it is from a happy cow.

Breakfast Burgers

1 pound ground beef

1/2 onion chopped

1/4 t. sea salt

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 t. ground cloves

1/4 t. allspice

1T. finely chopped rosemary

This is super easy and quick.  Mix everything in a bowl.  Then with your hands form little patties about half the size you would want a hamburger. 

Warm the oil (if you need it) in a pan one medium heat.  Cook the patties for about 3 minutes on one side and about 5 on the other.  They should be nicely browned and slightly pink on the inside.

When I have a long work day I am always so happy that I have these made up.  It is so easy to grab them out of the fridge and go.

Natural Aftershave

Most of the body recipes that I share are for girls.  Lets face it... all of my guinea pigs product testers are girls.

With Fathers day right around the corner I am thinking about the guys.  Most of my products can be tweaked to be more guy friendly by changing the essential oils. 

Oils and Herbs that work well for men are:  allspice, basil, bay, cedar wood, coriander, fir, lime, pine, rosemary, and sandalwood.

If you stand close to my hubby you will notice that he is pretty spicy.... just like I like it.  I have no idea if he loves it or just me but he keeps using the creams I make.

Isn't this the cutest bottle?  For most of my life it was setting on the counter in my grandparents house.  It held my grandpa's Listerine.  I think it is lovely and it makes me smile every time is see it in my bathroom cupboard.

Bay rum aftershave

2 cups of rum

1/2 cup crushed bay leaves

1/4 cup ground cloves

1/4 cup ground allspice berries

1/4 chopped fresh ginger

Cover the herbs in the rum in a clean glass jar and allow to steep for two weeks.  Strain out the herbs and store the remaining liquid in a pretty glass bottle.  I LOVE this one!  ...and I love the guy who wares it.

Island man aftershave

Juice of 2 limes

1 cup witch hazel

15 drops lime essential oil

10 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops bay essential oil

1 cup rose water

1 t. tincture of benzion

Combine all ingredients and store in a glass jar.   This one is sweet and spicy.  It is also quick and you don't have to wait two weeks to use it.

Note:  tincture of benzion is in there to help heal damaged skin.  You can put it in any of these recipes and it will be fine.

Herbal aftershave

2 cups witch hazel

1 T. rosemary

1 T. spearmint

1 cinnamon stick

7 whole cloves

Peel from 1 orange

Peel from one lime

1 t. tincture of benzion

Place all the ingredients in a glass bottle and allow to steep for two weeks. Strain out the herbs and bottle the liquid.  Splash on face after shaving.  Hubby says this one is invigorating!  There is something about the Orange in this one that I love.

A dab of this a bit of that...

My aunt Billie is one of my very best friends.  We have so much in common that I sometimes think I was born in the wrong branch of the family tree.  We both love rocks, herbs, hiking (looking for rocks), and cooking.  Our sense of humor is the same and our taste in most things are the same.  She is so very kind to K and always brings her little trinkets and glass animals. 

One thing that we do quite often is share recipes and taste test new foods.  One day she said "Bobbi, you are just going to have to show me how big a Bit and a Dab are because I can't make your spice cake taste right".  It turns out, by the way, that a dab is a heaping teaspoon and a bit is about half that. 

She gave me these the other day and I LOVE them!

They are cute right!  I have no idea if they are the correct measurements or just a joke...  I am totally going to use them though.  I can't wait to write my first recipe that calls for 2 smidgens of nutmeg. 

If you are wondering, she did get her a set too.  

I am so lucky to have a friend like Billie.  It feels so wonderful to be understood like that.

Turnip hash browns

Lets talk about breakfast for a moment.  Do you eat in the morning?

About half of the time I do not have breakfast.  This year I have developed some really serious health problems.... caused by my breakfast.  The combo of black tea/mate'/chai, 25 grams of whey protein, and coconut milk every other morning caused my body to become a fibroid making machine. 

I found a diet that is really helping and it was the biggest blessing when I saw that it is just like a more strict version of Primal blueprint with some girl friendly herbs and a cleanse tossed in.  If anyone out there needs the info let me know and I will send it to you.

The problem for me has not been changing the food really.  The problem has been changing my ritual in the morning.  I had no idea how important setting outside on the porch with my glass of tea was for my mental health.

It took at least a month to figure out what to do with all the new restrictions... so I fasted a lot.  The last 6 months I have gotten into a groove and I am thrilled to share with you that this change has made it possible for me to get down to my goal weight at last.   I haven't been this size since the year I did volley ball and track in high school.   ***happy dance***

So this month I want to share breakfast ideas that I love. 

Turnip Hash browns

1 medium turnip
1/2 onion
salt
pepper
oil

I love this one!  They are not going to get crunchy like a potato hash brown, but they won't be starchy and cause a sugar spike either.

I take 2 pieces of bacon and cut them in half so they will fit in my little frying pan.  As they are cooking I shred the turnip and dice the onion.  Mix together with the salt and pepper.  When the bacon is done take it out of the pan.  Do not drain off the oil.  Add the turnip mixture to the pan and mix in the oil.  Turn them a few times because they tend to burn easier than potatoes will.

I thought that the turnip would have a bite to it like when it is raw, but it doesn't.  It is actually very mild when cooked.

I top mine with salsa because I think most things taste better with salsa.

Old Fashioned Pot Roast

I remember when I was a kid we would have roast on Sundays quite often.  That was the day that we sat at the table and ate as a family.  I remember coming home from church and how the house would smell so good.  How comforting...

Can you believe that I never learned how to make it though? 

This last year has been an adventure in learning to cook for me.  Some things have worked and some not so much.  I was super happy when I found out how Easy roast is.  Easy in the kitchen and Easy on the wallet.

Ingredients

1 t. thyme
1 t. crushed rosemary
1 t. paprika
1 T. sea salt
1 t. pepper

Beef roast
2 T. olive oil

3 onions
6 garlic cloves
5 carrots
3 sweet potatoes
1 pack of mushrooms

Mix all the spices together and then rub on all sides of the roast.  Cover loosely and let sit on the counter  for an hour or so.  bringing the meat to room temp really helps it stay tender.

Preheat your oven to 350.

In a pan heat up your oil and then brown the roast.  It will take about 2 minutes a side.  Add a splash of water or stock to the pan and deglaze if needed.  Slice the garlic and onions and place on to p of the roast and cook covered for one hour.

Slice your carrots and sweet potato.  Add to the roast and cook for one more hour or till the veggies are tender.  When it is done place the roast and veggies on a plate to rest.  Take the liquid in the bottom of the pan and use it to cook the mushrooms in.  Cook them down quite a bit and use as a primal gravy to pour over the top.

Try this! It will make your life so much easier.

Natural hair gel

All you girls with the beautiful curls...  This one is for you.

I had strait hair for most of my life and then, when I was expecting my daughter, My hair went curly.   The doctor said it was from a change in my hormones and not to worry because it would go back to normal.

Well, he lied.

I have spent the last 12 years figuring out how to deal with these waves.  I am lucky enough to be able to try lots of good products.  There are a few I love, but they all either smell bad or dry my hair out.  As my hair is turning white (I am loving it by the way)  it is getting even more curly.

I have been tinkering with making my own hair products and I think I have come up with a gel that makes my hair feel the way I want it to,  keeps it healthy, AND makes my hair curly not frizzy.  Yay!

Flax Spray Gel

1 T. flaxseeds
1 C. water
1 T. rose or orange water
1/2 t. vegetable glycerin

Soak the flaxseeds in the water for 15 to 20 minutes.  Strain the seeds out.  Add the remaining ingredients to the liquid and pour into a spray bottle.  Apply a small amount to clean damp hair and style.  Store in the fridge.

*Last time I did this I used the orange hydrosol and added few drops of vanilla extract.  It smelled like heaven and made me really happy all day long.

I always take my seeds and scatter them out in the orchard.  They make the most delicate blue flowers.

Hubbard pie

Kathy was right!  This ugly thing was a hubbard squash.   I do think it looks like it has a bird head though.

I had no idea what it was or what to do with it when Glen gave it to me.  I was taught to always accept a gift with a smile and a thank you so I took it.   Thank goodness Aunt Billy was here and had a lot of good ideas.  This thing was HUGE so I was also glad to send half of it home with her.

Remember that Hopi squash and how it was so easy to cut???  Well the hubbard squash is nothing like that.  I swear the thing was armor plated.  I tried every knife I had and nothing would cut it... even if I put all my weight on it.  I was just about to rent a jackhammer to cut it when I came up with the idea that actually worked.

I stole Jim's rubber hammer out of the tool box.  I could hit the squash with the knife and it would go in a tiny bit.  Then I took the hammer and hit the knife with it a few times.  When the knife was in a bit I could twist it and pop the rind a little.  It took a while to work my way around, but it worked!

I cleaned out the seeds.  It had a really distinct sweet smell.   Then I wrapped the pieces in foil and baked on 350 till they were tender.   You know that outer rind didn't soften a bit.  If anything it got harder!

I scooped out most of it and mixed it with butter and herbs and served it as a side dish for dinner.

I saved about 2 cups to make a pie.  This was aunt Billie's idea and her recipe.   (with a few tweaks to make it GF)

Dough mix

1 3/4 gluten free flour mix   (this  is what I use, but just use what you like)
1/2 t. salt
9 T. coconut oil (cold)
1 egg + 1 yolk, lightly beaten
1 1/2 T. sour cream or cider vinegar

Mix the flour and salt.  With a fork mix in the coconut oil unlit small bits the size of a pea are distributed through out the flour.  Make a nest in the middle of the flour and add the egg and sour cream, mixing thoroughly with a fork. If it is crumbly knead very lightly just so it holds together.  Divide it into half and wrap the halves in plastic wrap.  Place them in the fridge for 30 minutes.


Pie Filling

2 C. cooked squash 
4 eggs slightly beaten
2 T. tapioca flour
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. allspice
1 t. ginger
1 C. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
2 1/2 C. evaporated milk

Take your dough and place it between two sheets of wax paper.  Roll it out and remove one piece of wax paper.  Flip the dough into the pie pan using the other paper and then remove the paper.  Make your edges and them cover with foil and put aback in the fridge.  preheat the oven to 400.  Bake the crush for 20 minutes or till the edges are golden. allow to cool and remove the foil.

Reduce the oven temp to 325.

Blend the squash and eggs together in a large bowl.  Mix together flour, salt, and spices in a bowl. Slowly add the spice mixture to the squash.  Add the sugar and the vanilla, mixing well.  Add the evaporated milk in a slow stream mixing thoroughly.  Pour mixture into pie crust and bake for one hour.  A knife inserted into the center should come out clean.  If not bake a while longer.

Hubby thought it was pumpkin pie (his favorite) and he said it was the best I had made.  I do think the Hubbard is a little sweeter than pumpkin.   I think I will do this one again.

what is it?

Can you guess what this is???   Ugly right?

I'll give you a hint...  I fed it to my unsuspecting family.   (they liked it)

When I have a bit more time to myself tomorrow I'll show you how to cook this baby pterodactyl.