The Balanced Chef

I switched up my regular green smoothie this morning and was pleased with the results, so I thought I would spread the love! Hope you enjoy! Here’s to being a healthy health nut! :P

Blackberry Green Smoothie Recipe:

In the blender:

2 C water (more for thinning, if needed)

1 handful of fresh or frozen blackberrys

1 large handful of greens (I used mixed greens and spinach leaves)

1 T Camu Camu powder (Raintree Nutrition) Great product, BTW!

1 T greens powder (Vitamineral Green)

1 T chia seeds

1 scoop Vanilla MRM whey protein powder 

1 egg

Ice 

Homemade Organic Peanut Butter Recipe:

I don’t know about you, but I’m a big peanut butter fan. As a kid, I practically lived off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and as a grown-up I love it so many different ways and use it a lot in my cooking. I’ve become a bit of a connoisseur, if you will, always searching farmers markets and specialty shops for different variations.

 I recently decided to make a batch of my own and was surprised how easy, and how delicious it was!

Recipe:

 16 ounces of dry roasted organic peanuts

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 ½ tsp raw organic honey or agave (optional)

2 T peanut or canola oil (optional, not always necessary)

Place all the peanuts in your food processor and blend for 8-10 minutes. Every 2-3 minutes you may need to stop the processor and use a spoon to break up the peanuts and scrape down the sides. At first the mixture will get crumbly, but it will soon turn creamy. Just stick with it! Depending on the freshness of your peanuts you may need to add a bit of oil. If you are adding honey, do it in the last few moments of mixing.

Store the peanut butter in an air tight container in your refrigerator. (It will last up to a month). If you’ve ever bought natural peanut butter before you’ve probably noticed that sometimes a little oil separation occurs—which is normal— just stir your peanut butter before use if this happens.

I made this quick, tasty and relatively healthy desert last night to curb a fierce cherry pie craving. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Cherry Crumble:

6 Tablespoon butter or Earth Balance, melted

1 Cup almond meal

1 Cup rolled oats (partially blended in the blender)

1/4 Cup xylitol 

1 pinch of sea salt

2 bags of frozen cherries

2 Tablespoons coconut nectar or honey

1 Teaspoon coconut oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a small saucepan over low heat melt nectar/honey over frozen cherries. Stir until cherries are coated.

2. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Slowly add melted butter/Earth Balance and combine until you have a crumbly mixture. (if necessary, use a bit more melted butter, or a splash of almond milk to help it crumble)

3. Grease a square baking dish with coconut oil and firmly press in about half of the crumble mixture. Pour in cherry mixture. Top with the remaining crumble mixture and bake for about 15 minutes, or until warmed thru. 

I’ve been looking for more ways to incorporate turmeric into my diet because of all the reported health benefits I’ve been hearing about the last several months.

Turmeric, as you may have already heard, has powerful natural anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial properties. It comes from the same family as ginger—one of my fav’s! 

It is apparently really effective in treating acne and may help prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. It is also known for supporting joint and bone health.

I just started making this Turmeric Tea. It is really simple to make and I actually really like the taste. It has a mild, earthy, pungent flavor that reminds me of Tulsi Tea (Holy Basil). 

It is advisable to drink this tea when you feel yourself coming down with the cold or flu, to help your body fight off bacterial infections, and to reduce chronic inflammation in the body.

Here is the basic recipe I’ve been using. You can also add lemon, honey and/or ginger to give it a different flavor. 

Ingredients
4 cups purified water
1 tablespoon ground turmeric

Directions

Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and add ground turmeric. (optional: add freshly grated ginger) Simmer for 10 minutes.

Strain into a mug using a mesh strainer or cheesecloth.

Optional: Add honey and/or lemon to taste.