Don’t let the ‘cream’ in the name scare you away!  This smoothie doesn’t have cream or sugar added, but it’s creamy and sweet enough to be called strawberries n’ cream!  Earlier this week I posted the homemade healthy granola, and mentioned I use oats in my smoothies but realized I haven’t posted a smoothie that uses oats in a while.  I had to change that and no better smoothie to do so than this one!  The date, cinnamon, and pure vanilla extract add the extra sweetness, while the oats and frozen banana add the creaminess!  Naturally sweet, delicious, and the perfect smoothie to fix a sweet craving!

Happy Smoothie Saturday!

Today is the last day of school for many kids in the Atlanta area, so let’s start summer off with watermelon lemonade!  Since it has been warming up here I’ve been using my juicer more to make lots of yummy juices for us to enjoy in the morning or late afternoon.   This will also freeze well for popsicles or in ice cube trays to sweeten water.

Many researchers and dietitians believe when we keep our blood levels slightly alkaline, we can maintain a healthier life with more energy, and possibly less disease.   Fruits and vegetables being the alkaline foods, and refined sugars, meat, and breads being some of the acidic.  I can’t speak of the scientific studies, but I can say, since switching to a mostly plant based diet a few years ago, I feel better than ever!  Watermelon and lemons are two of the most alkaline foods we can eat, mix them together and you have a great summer time drink!  I did not add any sweetener to this because I like the slightly tart taste the lemons give this, but if you want it sweeter, just add one tbsp of honey, agave, or sweetener of your choice, maybe even a little mint or basil too!  I will definitely try adding basil to mine next time.

I used my juicer to make this, but if you do not have a juicer you could blend the watermelon and pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and then use a citrus press or reamer for the lemons.  You may not get as much juice as I do from the juicer but it will still work.

Have a wonderful day!

Victoria.

After reading Vicky’s post the other day about the Best Bread it got me thinking about other dishes that have bread as the main ingredient. What other than French Toast? Kids love to dip anything but what is commercially prepared is never a good option. Here is an easy recipe that you can make today or whip up a batch this weekend and have plenty for next week!

You can buy French Toast sticks in the freezer section – but do you really know what is in them? Most of them are deep fried leaving you with tons of grease and an upset stomach!  Kellogg’s Eggo French Toaster Sticks have 2 kinds of dye in them, a laundry list of ingredients, not to mention there is 25% of your sodium in a serving – really why on earth do they put that much salt in those things? To make them taste better I guess – load them with fat, salt and sugar and you can make the poorest quality food taste better but guess who ends up paying the price? Our waistlines and our hearts and that of our kids – is it really worth it?

It didn’t take me anytime at all to put this together and it was just as easy to make a double batch and freeze some for breakfast next week. You can spread peanut butter and jelly or cream cheese and berries or bananas in the middle for an easy school lunch. I used the Nature’s Pride Hearty Whole Wheat with Flax Bread and it worked beautifully. Each slice is full of 22 grams of whole grains, 3 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of protein. Once I had the liquid mixed up it didn’t take long to get this on the griddle and cooking away. I made a big Ziploc bag full and they kids have eaten off them all week, even had them for a snack after school with fresh fruit.

I hope your find them easy to make and enjoy them as much as my kids did. Who can resist yummy cinnamon French Toast fingers? Just remember to serve them with pure maple syrup or fruit juice sweetened jam. It really hits the spot!

Chef Amy

This is a favorite recipe of my family as well as my clients.  I had a requests this week to add this to the blog – so Melissa here you go!

Sweet potatoes and sweet onions help give this recipe it’s name as well as add amazing flavor.  Even if you never thought of combining these veggies I think you will be surprised as to how well they all complement each other.  I love recipes that are simple and straighforward and can quickly go from my cutting board to the dinner table.  I have used this not only as a side dish but I have mixed it in with a rice or quinoa and vegetables to change things up a bit.  This week I also tossed it into my salad along with some leftover quinoa and feta – the results were fantastic and the flavors were a party in my mouth!  I highly recommend it!

I know that the dinner hour can be hectic but it doesn’t have to be – enlist your kids to help peel the potatoes while you peel the beets (they can stain so be careful!)  Have the kids line the cookie sheet with foil or help toss the veggies and spread them out onto the pan.  I know it may take an extra minute or two but you would be surprised how fast they learn and the bonus is they are more likely to try new foods if they are involved in making it!

During Christmas I prepared this and my dad turned his nose up at it as he “thought” he didn’t like beets.  I insisted he at least try as we hold to the three bite rule in our house.   My kids were all giving him a hard time for not wanting to try and he eventually gave in.  Well turns out he asked for seconds!  Guess who changed his mind!!  It’s possible no matter how old you are to try new things and love them!

I love making this during the holidays as the colors look like jewels all ruby and golden as they come out of the oven!  I eat this dish year round because I love it so much and I hope that you find it become a regular in your home as well!

Chef Amy

I always have an abundance of oats in our house.  I use oats for oatmeal, baking, and smoothies, but I have never tried making our own granola.  Last week we were at Whole Foods and they were sampling Ruby’s Gold Golden Granola.  I wasn’t sure what the girl’s would think of it since we don’t normally buy granola, but when they liked it I knew we should try and make our own.  It took just a few steps, a couple ingredients (all of which I already had on hand!), and the girl’s could get their hands dirty helping.  It was worth it for delicious, homemade, vegan, gluten-free granola!

Most recipes I pulled up had canola oil or butter as a base but I wanted to avoid adding those, and also avoid adding brown sugar.  Don’t worry, this granola is not lacking any flavor!  I used coconut oil in place of canola oil.  Coconut oil is a great alternative to other oils when baking, not only does it add flavor but lots of health benefits too!  Coconut oil has antibacterial, and antioxidant properties in large part due to high amounts of lauric acid.

This granola would be a sweet, tasty, and filling snack alone or added to yogurt!  Now that school is ending, this would be a great homemade gift for the teachers!  Package it together in a mason jar, or the 34 oz. Hermetic Glass Jar from Container Store, and give it as a gift!

Also, please go vote for Green Plate Rule on Circle of Mom’s.  We’ve been nominated for Top Foodie Mom Blog.  It only takes two clicks – this link, then the thumbs up.  We appreciate your vote!!  Have a great day!

Victoria.

Our skin takes a beating every day, from the sun, sweating, or kids putting their hands all over it.  This smoothie is full of vitamin A, C, E, and Omega-3′s, all of which are perfect to help heal, and protect your skin.  Time to get glowing, radiant skin!

• Vitamin E plays an important role in maintaining healthy skin.  Almond milk is a great source of vitamin E, as is avocado.
• Vitamin C helps your skin repair itself.  Strawberries have the highest concentration of vitamin C, one cup has 150% of your daily amount!  Mangoes, and avocados are also very high in vitamin C.
• Vitamin A may prevent sun damage.  One cup of spinach gives us 55% of our daily amount.
• Omega-3 helps the skin by reducing inflammation.  Omega-3′s are especially good for dry skin, and in some studies show wrinkle reduction, and improvement in skin firmness after using fish oil supplements for a period of time.  Barlean’s Omega Swirl, Chia seeds, and avocados are all great sources of omega-3′s!

The other day I posted about how great blueberries are and how much I LOVE them!  Well, here is a recipe highlighting these little beauties and it is Gluten and Dairy free to boot!

I am using my Gluten Free flour blend and the results are just as good as with regular flour.  My kids and husband didn’t even know the difference and scarfed them up!  I hope you will agree when you bite into one of these yummy muffins that are bursting with flavor and blue gems!

I am enjoying baking with chia seeds which of course add tons of good nutrition.  It is like magic to watch the liquid get absorbed by the chia and create a gel.  The possibilities of chia are endless!  The topping is my favorite with the toasted oats – I eat the bottom half first and then the top, saving the best for last!

Gluten Free Flour Blend:

1 1/2 c. sorghum flour

1 1/2 c. potato starch

1 c. quinoa flour or (1/2 quinoa flour and 1/2 c. quinoa flakes – for a different texture)

I have added into this recipe a little bit of Amaranth flour (source: Bob’s Red Mill).  It is also a Gluten Free ingredient that actually is a seed like quinoa and not a grain.  Here are some fun facts:

• Often referred to as a grain, it is actually the seed of a plant that was originally cultivated by the ancient Aztec people of Central America.
• It is high in protein, vitamin B5 iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and magnesium.
• It is a great source of protein, minerals, and vitamins which contribute to high energy levels, healthy cell growth, strong bones, an improved immune system, and proper muscle and nerve function.
• It is also 90% digestible which makes it a good food for those recovering from illness because the body will absorb most of its nutrients.
• It has a mild, sweet, and nutty flavor.  Amaranth flour is also high in the essential amino acid lysine. Lysine is necessary for proper growth and development, and also helps form the amino acid carnitine, which helps convert fatty acids into energy.
• A 1/4-cup serving provides 2 percent of your daily needs for vitamin C, 4 percent of your daily needs for calcium and 12 percent of your daily needs for iron.

Enjoy these Gluten Free muffins and your weekend!

I’ve come a long way in photography in the last six months!  From this…

What was I thinking?   I can’t stop shaking my head at this…time for a redo.  :)

To this…(gluten-free protein pancakes)

Now, that’s more like it!  :)

It’s fun to see what is viewed the most.   Smoothies are a big hit here!  Several of the top ten are smoothies, and several others just missed the top ten.  Smoothie Saturday is my favorite day on the blog.  I use my Vitamix every day, and love to challenge to come up with new flavors to share!

2. Peppermint Patty Green Smoothie – this was a huge hit St. Patrick’s Day weekend.  It is so tasty, and sweetened  with real mint and some chocolate chips!

3.  Beginner Green Smoothie – definitely the perfect green smoothie for anyone who’s just getting started!  It’s sweet, easy to make, requires no fancy ingredients, and your kids will love it!

4.  Letter on Artificial Food Dyes – In six months of blogging, this post means the most to me.  I wrote this letter to share with the director at my daughter’s school.  After reading it, she asked me to help the school make changes!  I’ll continue sharing the progress as I meet with them this summer, and would love to hear if you shared the letter and any feedback you received!  This letter inspired me to start looking for the best store bought brands in the store to help lead parents, teachers, and children down the right path.

5.  Best Breads – in just two days this has jumped to being the fifth most viewed post on the site!  There is lots of great information about the breads you will find at the store, and some options that are without all the artificial ingredients!  I am continuing the “best” post, with Best Snack Bars.  It should be up within a couple weeks.

6.  Banana Cinnamon Green Smoothie – three smoothies already and we’re only to number six!!  This smoothie was featured on City of Hope in their super foods section.  After doing research they found five foods that could potentially help fight cancer.  Cinnamon was one; also on the list were pomegranates, blueberries, mushrooms, and grapes.

7.   Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead – I spoke a little about the movie, and my juicer in this post.  The recipe in this post is absolutely hands down my favorite green juice to make at home!  I make a double portion of it at least once a week, and even my girl’s love it!

8.  Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding – I love this recipe!  You can throw it all together in 5 minutes, the night before, and it’s ready for you in the morning!  The chia seeds provide tons of great nutrition, and they will keep you feeling full longer than most other breakfast foods.  This is one of my go-to’s before a long Saturday morning run.

9.  Lunchable Makeover – this was a fun post to put together, and hopefully many of you have said good-bye to store bought Lunchables, after I proved you could make them without all the additives for less money!!  The pizza lunchable is the 11^th most viewed post!

10.  Tex Mex Pasta – a great meal to make in large quantity and freeze for a night when you don’t want to cook.  It’s easily adaptable to meet your needs and taste!

So, what has been your favorite post?

A huge thank you to all of you for all your support!  I look forward to watching Green Plate Rule continue to grow.  You’ll see some site changes in the next month.  I can’t wait to roll out new features, and a new summer design!

Have a great day!

Victoria

I love eating seasonal – that means you get fruits and veggies at the peak of their flavor and nutrition.  If you have a farmers market near you, you understand the notion of eating seasonal as that is how the farmers sell their goods.  If it isn’t growing they can’t sell it.  Once the fruit and vegetables are harvested it is off to the market to be sold.  I LOVE FARMERS MARKETS!  It is great to support not only local but often the small business vs. large chain grocery store.  It also forces you to cook with what you find at the market.  It is also a great place to get organic gardening advice, one that I have used many times!

I love to take my kids one on one to the farmer’s market and give them $20 and see what they come up with and how well they use the money.  Not only do they learn about Math(price per pound), but also looking for the best price not just buying the first thing you see, letting them pick a new fruit or veggie to try, seeing small businesses at work (local soap makers, local beekeepers with thier honey, homemade baked goods and fresh flowers – as well as all the farmers) and some good Mommy time!  It is a Saturday morning treat!

Blueberries are a love of mine and for good reason!  Not only are they delicious, but they are fun to eat, they are a gorgeous color and that dark blue color is what contributes to the superstars of nutrition that they are.

• Blueberries have one of the highest antioxidant capacities among all fruits, vegetables, spices and seasonings.
• Blueberry antioxidants benefits the nervous system and brain health, and now there is exciting new evidence that blueberries can improve memory, so EAT up!
• New studies make it clear that we can freeze blueberries without doing damage to their delicate anthocyanin antioxidants, so buy them on sale and bag them for the freezer to use all year round!  A great tip for anyone that doesn’t have access to fresh blueberries!
• They are a low-GI fruit and have been found to clearly have a favorable impact on blood sugar regulation in persons already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
• If you want to maximize your antioxidant benefits from blueberries, go organic!  They have been shown to have significantly higher concentrations of total phenol antioxidants.
• They are full of Vitamin C, K, fiber, manganese, and only 84 calories in a cup!
• Helps reduce blood pressure – In individuals with high blood pressure, blueberry intake has significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressures.
• Blueberries help us maintain smoothly working nerve cells and healthy cognitive function – Brain food!

How to select and store:

Choose blueberries that are firm and have a lively, uniform hue colored with a whitish bloom. Shake the container, noticing whether the berries have the tendency to move freely; if they do not, this may indicate that they are soft and damaged or moldy. Avoid berries that appear dull in color or are soft and watery in texture. They should be free from moisture since the presence of water will cause the berries to decay. When purchasing frozen berries, shake the bag gently to ensure that the berries move freely and are not clumped together, which may suggest that they have been thawed and re-frozen.

Don’t wash berries until right before eating as washing will remove the bloom that protects the berries’ skins from degradation. Store ripe blueberries in a covered container in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 3 days.

Before freezing, wash, drain and remove any damaged berries. To better ensure uniform texture upon thawing, spread the berries out on a cookie sheet or baking pan, place in the freezer until frozen, then put the berries in a plastic bag for storage in the freezer.

Ways to use blueberries:

• add them to your juice recipe or smoothie - it gives it a beautiful color and adds sweetness without adding sugar.  Try Vicki’s juice here, or her blueberry lemon smoothie here.
• mix frozen blueberries into oatmeal and BAM you have purple oatmeal – kids love it and they get their antioxidants all at the same time!  Check out Vicki’s recipe for Blueberry Overnight Oats
• toss a handful into your banana bread for moisture and a fun pop of color – check out my Banana Bread recipe
• stir into yogurt, top with granola and you have a parfait!
• top your pancakes or waffles with these fresh berries or thaw some frozen ones to make a blueberry sauce – Yum!
• add into your batter for pancakes and watch them pop as you cook away – this is my favorite kind of pancakes!
• eat them straight up – one of my kids favs!
• make blueberry jam and store for the rest of the year – you will be glad you did!  There is nothing like homemade jam!
• add them to a strawberry spinach salad with toasted pistachios and serve with an orange vinaigrette – recipe to come!
• serve blueberry Panna Cotta as your dessert to your supper club – recipe to come!
• whip up a Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette – recipe to come!
• bake into French Toast or add to Bread Pudding and serve with Vanilla Anglaise
• add dried blueberries to Chicken Salad to add a fun and delicious twist
• toss into dry cereal to change-up the mundane
• instead of the typical Apple Crisp use blueberries instead, SO GOOD! – recipe to come!

I hope this gives you some ideas to try as you start to see blueberries pop up in the stores and markets.  I will be posting several Blueberry recipes in the weeks to come so stay tuned for some great additions to your backyard parties, picnics at the park, or dinner parties.  You won’t be disappointed!

Remember blueberries are in season May-September so head out to your market and pick up a basket or two!

Chef Amy

Finding the “best breads” was not an easy task.  We do not buy sandwich bread so I had no idea what I was getting into when I stepped into the aisles at my local supermarkets.  There is so much junk filling the shelves, it’s disgusting.  Breads full of high fructose corn syrup, enriched flours, chemicals such as azodicarbonamide, caramel color, and the list goes on…and on.  You would never know it from the fronts of these breads where the marketing teams behind these companies find any buzz word possible to stamp on there to sell the product.

How about we compare buying bread to buying a house.  Let’s say you are browsing homes online, and you find a beautiful picture and it describes what you want perfectly.   Then when you go to see it, the inside is full of cobwebs and mice, wallpaper on every wall that hasn’t been changed since the 70′s, and it has no plumbing.  That’s not exactly the perfect picture you were reading about.  Thankfully before you buy a house, you and a professional do an inspection.  So please start doing the same with your food!  We can’t leave it up to ‘professional inspectors’, aka the FDA, to do it for us!

I want to help you understand what you are paying for, and help you pick the right one.  There are a couple things to point out about conventional breads at the supermarket:

• Almost, if not, all breads have corn or soy in them.  Therefore, conventional breads likely contain GMO’s since up to 90% of soy and 80% of corn is genetically engineered.
• Most breads, other than 100% whole wheat, use enriched flour.  When the flour is processed, they remove the bran and the germ, which is where all the nutrients are located.  The manufacturers then attempt to add back the nutrients or “enrich” the flour, but your body does not process the flour the same.

A few things to look for, and avoid, when reading the labels of breads:

• High Fructose Corn Syrup – all sugars should be limited in our diets, and high fructose corn syrup is no exception.  There is an on-going debate whether high fructose corn syrup is causing the obesity epidemic.  Princeton proved it may be the cause during a recent study.  Read more about the findings here.
• Caramel Color – There are four types of caramel coloring that can be added to food.  Two of the four are made with ammonia, and The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has asked the FDA to ban them.  The term ‘caramel color’ is very misleading when it’s actually ammonia, not caramel at all!  I avoid caramel coloring whenever I see it.
• Calcium Propionate – good luck finding many breads without this!  It is a preservative used in many breads but has been associated with stomach ulcers, behavioral changes, and headaches.  Here is what I read on Livestrong about calcium propionate:  ”A study in the “Journal of Paediatric Child Health” in 2002 reported that although calcium propionate may have little to no side effects on the average person, chronic exposure, especially in children, might induce a myriad of behavioral changes. A controlled group of children fed a strict diet without any food additives was compared to a group that was given traditional bread each day. The clinical trial revealed that “irritability, restlessness, inattention and sleep disturbance in some children may be caused by a preservative in healthy foods consumed daily.” These behavioral changes appear to be reversible when the preservative is removed from the child’s diet.”
• Azodicarbonamide – a bleaching agent that has been banned in Europe and Australia because of a possible link to asthma and allergic reactions.  Subway, Dunkin’ Donuts, and I’m sure many other chains use this in their dough.  And just like calcium propionate, this was in a large majority of breads I looked at in the store.
• Sodium - there is a lot of sodium in bread.  Some breads have 10% of the recommended daily amount per slice!

• Ezekiel Bread – this bread is organic, so free from GMO’s and additives, and the best option at the supermarket.  You can find this in most supermarkets in the freezer section.   You can also find Ezekiel bread online but it’s only available in bulk, so make sure you like it before you order it!
• Alvarado Street Bakery breads – an organic company you can find in several supermarkets and even costco.  You can also buy their breads online if they are not available in your area, but you have to order 6 items.
• Udi’s bread and bagels - you can find Udi’s in some supermarkets and it’s available online.  They carry a large line of gluten-free products.
• Nature’s Pride 100% Whole Wheat bread - is available nationwide and none of their breads contain high fructose corn syrup or preservatives!!
• EarthGrains 12 Grain bread – this bread does not have any preservatives, or chemicals listed above and is available nationwide.
• Sara Lee Hearty & Delicious 12 Grain bread – this bread is basically identical to the Earth Grains bread.  Almost all Sara Lee breads contain high fructose corn syrup, and other additives, so do not assume all Sara Lee breads are good!
• Nature’s Own 100% Whole Wheat Bagels –  this was a good option for bagels.  It’s high in fiber, and protein, but also high in sodium.