Immune Boosting Smoothie

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If and/or when your body is sent to battle a virus or a disease - the best ammunition we can provide is a healthy immune system. Does it guarantee that our body will never be given the challenge to battle? No.  But, does it give you the best odds to come out winning the battle. Yes.  

This smoothie is full of so many powerful, immune boosting, gut-supporting nutrients and yes, it is delicious and a fabulous way to start your day - bonus note; this lands  low on the glycemic index scale which means your bod will continue producing white blood cells like a well-oiled machine, which boosts your immune system! WIN. WIN. WIN. WIN!

Ingredients; 

Frozen organic berries

1/2 frozen banana 

1 tbsp of sunbutter (no added sugar) 

1tbsp @drmercolaaseedblend

Cinnamon

liquid vitamin C, zinc, vitamin d/k2,  ashwagandha

Powder turmeric 

Collagen 

1/2 cups organic rolled oats 

Water/ice 

BLEND!

Homemade Fish Sticks

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1-2 pounds of fish of choice (cod, halibut, tilapia and other, just make sure its wild caught)

  • 2-3 organic eggs (depends on how much fish you use)

  • ¾ cup coconut flour seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper, basil and cayenne (optional)

  • 2 T Parmesan cheese (optional)

  • ¼ cup of your coconut oil

DIRECTIONS

While it is still partially frozen, cut the fish into strips or chunks. If using frozen fish, it is much easier to cut them with a knife while still partially frozen. If you use fresh fish, kitchen shears work great for cutting it.

Beat eggs and put in a bowl.

Combine coconut flour, spices and Parmesan in another bowl.

Dip the fish in the egg and then breading and place in skillet with the oil of your choice on medium to medium high heat. (Tip: have the pan hot enough that oil is already melted)

Move the fish sticks as little as possible while cooking, as coconut flour will fall off with too much movement. flip after about 3-4 minutes, or when they start to brown. Cook approximately 3-5 minutes per side.

Enjoy!

Power Quiche

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes

  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

  • 3 tablespoons olive or coconut oil, divided

For the filling:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 2/3 cup chopped onion

  • 2/3 cup diced red bell pepper

  • 5 asparagus spears, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces

  • 4 organic eggs

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder

  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

  • 2 handfuls fresh baby spinach

  • 4 ounces cooked, crumbled nitrate-free turkey bacon or sausage

DIRECTIONS

Make the crust:

Peel and coarsely shred the sweet potatoes.

Place them in a bowl, cover with water, stir, and then drain in a colander.

Press out as much water as you can. 

Transfer the sweet potatoes to a large bowl and toss with the sea salt and black pepper.

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat.

Spread the potatoes evenly in the skillet, pressing with the back of a spatula to form a cake.

Cook, without stirring, about 12 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown and crisp (reduce the heat if necessary to prevent burning, and check often by sliding a flexible spatula under the edge to take a peek).

Place a baking sheet or cutting board over the top of the skillet.

Carefully invert the skillet to transfer the potatoes to the baking sheet.

Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet.

Using the baking sheet, slide the potatoes back into the skillet, uncooked side down.

Cook about 8 minutes more or until the bottom is golden brown.

Use the baking sheet to transfer hash browns to a 9-inch pie dish, pressing the hash browns into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Make the filling:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large skillet (you can use the same one from the crust) and sauté the onion, bell pepper, and asparagus for 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the asparagus is cooked.

Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the next nine ingredients (eggs through black pepper).

Stir in the sautéed vegetables, fresh spinach, and cooked bacon or sausage.

Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the quiche from the oven, allow it to set for at least 5 minutes, and then slice and serve.

Fajita Rice Bowl

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INGREDIENTS

  • 2-1/2 lbs organic chicken breasts, cut into 2-in long strips

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 large sweet pepper, julienned

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1/4 cup lime juice, divided

  • 1 can (28 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

  • 1/2 cup organic corn

  • 1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, diced

  • 1 small red onion, diced

  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced

  • 3 cups cooked brown rice

  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

  • Sour cream and avocado for topping, optional

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute chicken, garlic, and pepper in oil until chicken is cooked and peppers are tender. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine, beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and remaining lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In serving bowls, layer chicken mixture, bean mixture, and cooked rice. Top rice bowls with sour cream and avocado if desired.

Avocado-Stuffed Turkey Burgers

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 avocado, pitted, cubed and smashed
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1lb ground turkey breast

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine avocado, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir to combine.

Separate the mashed avocado mixture into 4 equal portions.

Separate ground turkey breast into 4 equal portions.

Place avocado in the middle of each turkey breast portion to cover avocado completely by turkey breast and work into burger patties.

Grill or pan cook each burger patty until turkey meat is thoroughly cooked.

Zesty Chicken Bites

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb. organic boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp water
  • 1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour (flax meal makes a great substitution)
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • Optional: 1 tbsp fresh parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil- spray the foil

In a bowl, combine almond meal and all spices

In a separate bowl crack 1 egg and add 1/4 tsp water- whisk together well

Cut chicken into bite size pieces

Drop the chicken pieces into the egg and mix until fully covered

Transfer chicken pieces to the spice mixture, coat evenly and place on baking sheet; repeat until all are coated

Bake for 12-15 minutes then flip chicken bites over and cook for another 10-12 minutes until golden and crispy

Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce 

Notes

Depending on how many chicken pieces you use, you may need to double the spice mixture.

Sweet Potatoes w/ Black Beans

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INGREDIENTS

6 medium sweet potatoes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons vegetable broth or water
1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans organic black beans, drained and rinsed
Green onion or chives, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Bake potatoes for 1 hour. 

Meanwhile, make the black beans:

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the onion, garlic, oregano, fennel seed, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, pepper, and salt in vegetable broth until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes with their juice and the beans, turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the tomatoes and beans have broken down slightly, about 15 minutes.

Uncover the pot and turn off the heat (the bean mixture will thicken as it cools slightly).

Cut a lengthwise slit on one side of each sweet potato.

Scoop out flesh into a bowl and mash well.

Refill each skin with the mashed sweet potato.

Top with 2/3 cup of the bean mixture and a sprinkling of snipped chives or green onion.

 

Black Bean & Quinoa Salad

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INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry quinoa yields about 2 cups cooked)

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 clove garlic, pressed, grated or finely chopped

  • Juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons)

  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for heat)

  • 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained well

  • 1 red bell pepper, quarter inch chopped (about 1 cup)

  • 6 green onions, root removed, white and part of the greens chopped (about 1 cup)

  • 1 handful of cilantro, rough chopped (about 1/3 cup)

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the quinoa (see below). While the quinoa is cooking, whisk the olive oil, cumin, garlic, lime, salt and cayenne (if using) together in the bottom of a large bowl to let the flavors marry while you chop the veggies. Rinse and drain the black beans, then chop the veggies; the key is to make the peppers and onions about the same size as the beans. Add the cooked quinoa, beans and veggies to the bowl and gently fold it all together with the dressing. The quinoa can be warm, room temp, or cold when you make the dish. Regardless, I suggest letting it chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together. It tastes best served room temperature or chilled.

Preparation Tips:

  • To prepare the quinoa, rinse it well with in a fine mesh colander and let all of the water drain. Add the rinsed quinoa to a pot and add double the amount of purified water or veggie stock (e.g. 1 cup dry quinoa needs 2 cups of liquid). Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed and the little “tail” of the quinoa has sprouted out. Fluff with a fork and reserve for your recipe. I always set a kitchen timer for 15 minutes to simmer because if left too long it can burn. Also, I always make at least double the quinoa I need–it keeps well in the refrigerator up to 5 days for another recipe.

  • There’s a silly myth out there that only the white part of a green onion is good. Not true! When using green onions, remove the root end and peel off the outermost layer if it looks tough. Use both the white part and most of the greens, the last few inches of the greens might be tough so you can discard them, but most of the greens are tender and taste great.

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Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 12-14oz can chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400º. Rinse and drain the chickpeas well so excess water is not added to the bowl. Toss all ingredients in a bowl, then bake on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and crunchy, turning them halfway through (spread them out on a large baking sheet so they have room to cook and are not crowded). Let cool and serve warm or room temperature.

 

Power Protein Balls

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INGREDIENTS 

  • 1 cup organic Brown Rice Krispies or Old Fashioned Oatmeal (not quick cooking)

  • 1/4 cup flax, hemp, chia seed (one or all)

  • 1/4 cup raw honey

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

  • 1 cup Peanut, almond and/or sun butter

  • 1 cup Juice Plus+ Dutch Complete Complete Protein Shake Mix

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients.  Make into small golf ball size balls.  If the balls are not sticking together, add a little more honey or nut butter. I have also found it helps to form the protein balls with wet hands, so typically I stand by the sink and wet my hands occasionally. Place on a cookie sheet or plate and put in freezer for at least one hour.  Take out and put in ziplock freezer bag for storage. My want to thaw for a couple of minutes, but not necessary.