Fresh and Fancy Fruit Birthday Cake

Recipe by Lois Breneman Birthdays don't always need to be celebrated with a sugary cake and frosting.  
Here's a version of a fresh fruit cake - all good for you!  

Ingredients:
watermelon
blueberries
fresh pineapple (although canned pineapple chunks in its own juice would do in a pinch)
kiwi
strawberries
tangerine sections (mandarin orange sections from a can would also work)

Your fresh fruit cake doesn't need to be exactly like mine. Use what you can find in season and go for lots of color!

Avocado Chocolate Pudding

Recipe by Lois Breneman
Only 4 or 5 ingredients

Yields 3 servings of light, fluffy and creamy deliciousness!
Suitable for breakfast, dessert or a snack!

Put all these ingredients into a Nutra Bullet or blender (milk first and blend until mixed thoroughly):

                                     

                                                


1 1/2 cups SO Delicious coconut milk
2 avocados (minus the peel and seed)
2 heaping Tbsp. Healthworks Organic Cacao Powder
Stevia to taste
5 drops wild orange doTERRA essential oil, optional

This can be made just before serving or put in a serving dish or individual dishes, and refrigerated.  When ready to serve, top with a strawberry, slivers of almonds, or toasted unsweetened coconut, and enjoy!

Spinach Spring Smoothie

from Michelle Gill - Used by permission

1 frozen banana

1 Stonyfield Baby Whole Milk Organic Vanilla Yogurt

2 hands full of organic fresh spinach

1 Tbsp. unrefined organic coconut oil

1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed

2 Tbsp. unsweetened almond butter

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
 

My Favorite Breakfast

by Lisa Farmer)

I take 2 containers of Stonyfield Organic plain whole milk yogurt and strain it to create my own organic Greek yogurt (and it tastes so much better than the others on the market), add stevia to taste, as well as vanilla extract, and mix it up in a large container for the week.  You can use any fruit, but I buy frozen fruit when it's not in season and spoon yogurt over it, sprinkle lots of cinnamon (this is very good for blood sugar regulation), and a handful of chopped walnuts (huge health benefits in these if you google).  This breakfast has lots of protein, fiber, healthy carbs plus all the benefits of cinnamon and walnuts.

And don't throw out the whey - you can use it in smoothies or baking, as well as using it on your dog's food as it's very good for their digestion!

Roasted Rosemary Red Potatoes

by Michelle Gill - Used by permission

4 nice size red potatoes, cut in an inch thick pieces with skins

In small bowl mix:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 drops doTERRA Rosemary essential oil (1 is enough for me)
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Himalayan salt and black pepper to taste
2 tsp minced garlic

Pour mix on potatoes on nonstick baking pan and mix up with your hand.

Bake for 25 minutes at 400.

Juice for Energy

by Michelle Gill

This is my recipe for my afternoon pick me up.  I can definitely tell the difference in my energy level when I juice and when I don't.  I use an auger type juicer because I juice greens.  6-8 ounces a day is enough for me.

This recipe makes two servings.  I keep one in a Mason jar in the fridge for the next day.  It not only has energizing properties but also anti-inflammatory properties.

6 leaves of kale
1 cucumber
2 carrots
1 beet
hand full of cilantro
1 inch of ginger root

Black Bean Soup

by Michelle Gill  http://www.michellegill.us/healthy-living

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 level Tbsp. minced garlic
2 heaping Tbsp. white onion, diced
1 Tbsp. cumin
2 (15 oz) cans reduced sodium black beans and their liquid
2 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. lemon juice or 1 drop of doTERRA lemon essential oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Add first three ingredients to pan and saute'.  Add cumin, then beans, stock, and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add lemon juice.  If you are using essential oil, remember to drop 1 drop only your spoon not directly in the soup.  This guarantees 1 drop only.  Should you accidentally drop 2, that would be too much.  Next add cilantro.  Simmer one more minute and your black bean soup is ready to serve. 

Note from Lois:
For more easily digested beans you may want to start with dried beans, and soak them in this way.  It makes a big difference!
http://heartfilledhomerecipes.blogspot.com/2012/03/cooking-dried-beans-for-easy-digestion.html

Cinnamon Crumb Banana Muffins (Gluten-free)

from Michelle Gill - www.rebornjoy.com

Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 bananas
2 Tbsp. raw honey
2 eggs, beaten
5 Tbsp. butter, melted

Crumbs:
3 Tbsp. almond flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup of walnut pieces

Instructions:
Preheat the oven at 350 degree.
Mix dry then add wet ingredients.
Spoon into a dozen muffin pan (spray or use muffin cups).
Add crumb mix on top of each.
Bake for 18 minutes or until tops turn golden brown.

Makes 12 muffins.

Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry

from Daniel Plan (download all recipes free)

The Daniel Plan Cookbook includes more than 100 delicious, healthy recipes from breakfast to dessert. Go to www.danielplan.com to order.
Ingredients:
½ cup water
⅓ cup low-sodium soy or tamari sauce
2 Tbsp. raw honey
¼ cup fresh orange juice (or pineapple)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, cut into long thin strips
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 pound flank steak, cut against the grain into thin strips
2 tsp. coconut oil
4 cups broccoli florets
1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½ tsp. cornstarch
2 cups brown rice

Preparation:
In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Pour 1/2 cup of this mixture into a plastic bag; add beef. Seal bag, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

Remove steak from bag, and discard marinade. In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in oil for 2−3 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

Add broccoli and onion to pan; stir-fry for 4 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Return beef to the pan. Whisk cornstarch and reserved marinade until smooth; stir into beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve over brown rice if desired.

* Tip from Michelle:  One of my best purchases was a rice cooker.  I add a little more water to brown rice so it will be as fluffy as white rice.  This way my daughter, who is seven, will eat brown rice instead of white and enjoy it.  A rice cooker also saves me time.  I bought mine at Big Lots for less than $15.

On Guard Pumpkin Seeds from doTERRA International

Horrifyingly Healthy Raw Pumpkin Patch

(from Reboot with Joe - site encourages sharing of recipes)

http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/smart-sweet-healthy-pumpkin-patch/

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups/360 g. cashews

1/2 cup/110 g. goji berries
1/4 cup/75 g. rolled oats
2 Tbsp./30 ml. pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp./30 ml. coconut oil
Pinch of Himalayan salt
1 large carrot
1 celery stalk
2 parsley stems with leaves

Directions:
1.) Combine cashews, goji berries and rolled oats in food processor and process on high until a fine crumble forms.

2.) Add cashew, goji, oat mixture into large bowl and then add maple syrup, coconut oil and salt.

3.) Mix all ingredients together well until a dough forms.

4.) For half of the mixture, roll small spoonfuls into little balls, then shape them into pumpkins (that resemble candy pumpkins) by adding in little crevices with a sharp knife.

5.) Then cut celery into skinny stems, about 1/4 cm. wide and 1 in. tall. Place the celery into the top of the pumpkin with a small leaf off of the parsley stem. TIP: This was easiest when I kept a little stem on the leaf. Then I placed the stem on the middle of the pumpkin and used the celery to stick it in.

6.) For the other half of the mixture, make these into the "carved" pumpkins. First, roll a small spoonful of dough into a ball, similar to the above, then flatten the sides and bottoms of the balls and shape into pumpkins, as you see in the picture.

7.) For the face, slice a thin disc-shape from a large carrot, then use a sharp knife to carve a mini pumpkin face. These do not have to be perfect. As you can see from my picture below, they definitely look homemade but that gives them character!

8.) Stick the carrot face onto one of the flat sides of the pumpkin then add a skinny celery stalk to the top.

9.) Place all pumpkins in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes before serving.