Super Easy Super Green Sauce Recipe

I love this green sauce so much I want to put it on everything! During shelter in place I have been feeling a bit lazy about getting my leafy greens in. And some times I am just really not in a salad or sauté mood. This green sauce is excellent "vegetable insurance" to make sure I get a dose of nutrient density with my meal. All it takes is a little bit of effort up front for a big payoff later.

Ingredients: ​1 bunch cilantro ½ bunch parsley 1 bunch basil 1 cup arugula ⅓ cup hemp seeds ¼ cup nutritional yeast ½ tsp salt + more to taste ​¼ tsp granulated garlic ​¼ cup olive oil 3 tsp vinegar 2 tsp lemon/lime

Instructions: Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor until well combined. About 4 minutes. Enjoy as a dip, spread, pesto or sauce! Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Ways I like to enjoy the super easy super green sauce: -Green sauce chicken salad by mixing chopped chicken in this sauce and having it on crackers or on top of a salad. -Spread on a sandwich. -Pesto on pizza. -Dip for crackers or vegetables. -Spread in a wrap. This recipe is also very flexible! Sometimes I will add avocado for a more creamy texture. If you are not a cilantro fan, you can also swap it out for extra basil or arugula.

Siete tortilla with the green sauce, chicken, radishes, and homemade sauerkraut

Gluten-free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Super delicious, satisfying and healthy gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan cookies.

Recipe makes about 14 cookies Dry Ingredients 1  cup oat flour 1/3 cup arrowroot flour** 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt Wet Ingredients 1/3 cup coconut oil* 1/3 cup coconut sugar Flax egg (4 teaspoons ground flax + 4 tablespoons water, whisked together, set for 15 mins) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Add-In Ingredients  1/3 cup chocolate chips or carob chips (I like Missy J's) Optional Topping Sprinkle of vanilla sea salt or regular sea salt. (Oaktown Spice Shop's Vanilla Sea Salt is so good!) * Your coconut oil should be soft enough to scoop, but not rock solid. I recommend 10 seconds in the microwave. If it starts to get liquid-like then you will have to refrigerate until solid again.  ** You can also use 100% oat flour for this recipe. Tip: You can freeze balls of cookie dough in the freezer and bake from frozen.

INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make the flax egg in a small bowl. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Add coconut oil, coconut sugar, flax egg and vanilla extract. Whisk until incorporated.  Using a hand mixer gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well-incorporated and a dough forms. Fold in chocolate or carob chips. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop and drop balls of cookie dough onto the baking sheet.  Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on the top if you want! Bake 8-12 minutes. After removing from the oven, give the baking sheet a few light taps to flatten the cookies. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before enjoying.

My Top 3 Caffeine- Free Coffee Alternatives 

Rasa Adaptogenic Coffee Alternative  ​I love the sustainable energy that this beverage gives me. Filled with adaptogenic herbs that help your body deal with stress, this makes the perfect way to start the day. I add 1 tbsp to my french press and steep it for at least 15 minutes.  This is the only coffee alternative that actually gives me energy rather than just enjoying it for the flavor. Flavor: earthy and slightly roasted. I think it states more like a strong roasted tea (which it is) over having a coffee flavor.

Café Capomo Capomo Maya Nut "Coffee" has the closest taste to coffee that I have every found. If you are looking a zero caffeine sip that tastes like coffee this is your best bet. Made from roasted maya nuts or breadfruit this beverage is rich in antioxidants and has a delicious roasted taste! I add 1 tbsp to my french press and steep it for at least 15 minutes.  You can also simmer it for 10-40 minutes and then strain out the grounds. I love adding coconut milk to this to make a maya nut latt​é. Flavor: roasted, very similar to coffee.

Dandy Blend Dandy Blend is a delicious instant herbal coffee alternative made from dandelion root and chicory root.  It has a naturally sweetness from the beet powder that is in the herbal blend. It is super easy to make, just mix with hot water and stir. Start with 2 tsp in 8oz hot water and adjust depending how dark you like your "coffee". I really like adding coconut milk to my cup of Dandy Blend for a creamy treat. Dandy Blend also makes a delicious iced beverage! Just add the powder to jar with ice, coconut milk, cinnamon and a squirt of date syrup. Yum! Dandelion root has many healthful qualities including supporting liver function. I also like to add Dandy Blend into my banana ice cream to make it "coffee flavor" Flavor: roasted, creamy and sweet.

Healthy Chocolate (or Carob!) Banana Cake

Ingredients  1.5 cups mashed banana (3 ripe bananas)* ¼ cup coconut oil, melted ⅛ cup maple syrup ​2 tbsp coconut sugar ¼ cup brown rice flour ¼ cup cacao or carob powder ¼ cup arrowroot powder 1.5 teaspoons baking soda ½ teaspoon cream of tartar ¼ teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water) 2 scoops collagen powder (optional + omit if vegan)

Easy Chocolate (or Carob) Sauce

This recipe is incredibly simple and delicious! I used carob chips because I love chocolate, but chocolate doesn't love me and gives me skin rashes :( This sauce comes out great with either kind chips, so chocolate fans not to worry. Ingredients: -2 tbsp chocolate chips or carob chips ( like Missy J's) or chocolate chips.   -1 tbsp coconut oil  -1 tbsp nut or seed butter (I like cashew) Instructions -Melt the chocolate or carob chips with coconut oil with a double boiler method on the stove top or in microwave (about 30 seconds). -Stir in the nut butter after chips and coconut oil have been melted  together.

Best Ways to Serve: -Drizzle over ice cream. The sauce will harden up once a few moments after it hits the ice cream to make a slightly crunchy shell. -Dip strawberries. The refrigerated fruit will harden the sauce, just like the ice cream.  -The MVP of this recipe is the coconut oil that makes these chocolate covered strawberries the perfect texture to bite into.

Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients (Makes 7 serving) 1 tbsp ghee 3 carrots diced 2 stalks celery diced 1 onion minced  1 tsp minced garlic 3 small bok choy heads, chopped 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp sage 1 tsp dulse flakes or kelps granules  2 tsp coconut aminos 1 tsp lemon zest 1 tsp lemon juice 1tsp grated ginger 1 tsp salt 5 cups organic chicken broth*  1 cup rice ** 2 organic chicken breasts Notes: -Sometimes I use a combo of chicken bone broth and water.* -Jasmine rice is my favorite** ​-If soup is too thick, you can always add more broth. - I am a major vegetable fan, so sometimes when I reheat and  serve the soup I often add more leafy green vegetables like kale, chard, or spinach.

*Holistic Immune Boosting Tips for the Coronavirus 

Nervous about the coronavirus? When it comes down to any virus, vulnerability is more about the host’s ecosystem and less about the infecting pathogen. The best preventative measures we can do is support our immune system with whole foods, stay calm and practice personal hygiene after being in public places. Below you will find some of my tips and tips from other folks I found particularly helpful.

What to Eat:

General:  Eat whole foods that are nutrient-dense, skip the sugar, make sure to get your rainbow foods in (colorful fruit and veggies!) and add natural anti-viral foods. Gut Health: The majority of our immune system is in our GUT. So that means fermented foods and bone broth! Also cutting back on the alcohol since it is a gut irritant and can drag down the immune system. Supplements: l-glutamine and probiotics.  Antiviral Food These include coconut oil, raw garlic, oregano, ginger, kimchi and other fermented foods, walnut, pomegranate, green tea, apple cider vinegar, and medicinal mushrooms (shiitake, maitake, reishi, cordyceps, turkeytail).  (source) ​Recipe for elderberry syrup

Vitamin C rich foods. Vitamin C is probably the most well-known immune boosting vitamin. We can’t make this vitamin ourselves, so it's important we get enough through our food and supplementation! Vitamin C has antioxidant qualities and is proven to prevent and treat respiratory and systemic infections by enhancing various immune cell functions. What to eat: The foods richest in Vitamin C are citrus fruits, bell peppers, acerola cherries, and rose hips. If you choose to supplement with Vitamin C, I recommend liposomal forms because they are the most effective for our body to absorb. Check out this scientific study for more info about the benefits of Vitamin C Ginger Fresh ginger is a powerful antiviral food that prevents the adhesion of viruses to the upper respiratory mucosa. This root has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and can be sipped as a tea, taken as a “shot”, blended into smoothies or cooked with food.  Recipe for ginger turmeric shot Check out this scientific study for more info about the benefits of ginger

Broth Both bone broth and vegetable broth contain a plethora of minerals that are vital “co-pilots” for many of your body’s processes, including our immune system. There is definitely validity to slurping our grandmother's chicken soup when we are sick.  Studies have confirmed that glycine receptors, an amino acid found in bone broth, have been identified on the outer surface of several different types of immune cells. The hydration of sipping broth or soup also helps to care for your mucous membranes and lessen the impact of viruses.  Here is my recipe for bone broth. Study on glycine. Stay hydrated! Water, coconut water, herbal teas, and bone broth. Estimate for how much water you need at a minimum: divide your body weight (in pounds) in half and drink that number in ounces. If you weigh 150 pounds / 2 = 75 ounces of  water per day ​

What to Do:

Wash your hands This simple habit may seem obvious, but studies have shown that frequent hand-washing is one of the most important things we can do to protect ourselves during cold & flu season. While the coronavirus is no regular flu, washing your hands every time you arrive at a destination while out and about, and first thing when you get home can’t hurt. Another important tip is to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth without clean hands. These mucous membranes are entry points for viruses and to lessen your exposure, washing your hands is a good idea. Sleep! An increase in sleep actually increases the number of your white blood cells. Loss of sleep even for a few hours at night, increases inflammation in our body which makes us more susceptible to catching the flu and having more severe symptoms. (source) Daily movement, but don’t overdo it. Moderate exercise can boost the production of macrophages, the kind of white blood cells that “eat” bacteria and viruses. However, intense exercise can actually temporarily decrease immune function – so don’t go too hard. (source)

Prepare:

Prepare that you may have to stay home from work or school. If you are sick, plan to stay home to prevent transmission Don’t freak out and buy up Costco, but DO stock your pantry and freezer in case there is a shut down: ​ Frozen: meat, berries, veggies, bone broth⁣⁣ Pantry: grains, beans, nuts, seeds & root veggies Canned: salmon, sardines, dolmas, apple sauce, beans and shelf table broth

Supplements

These are my collection of supplements.

​Resources: