Happy New Year’s Eve 2013!
Add this tasty shrimp cocktail to your menu!
Mix 1, 6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Dash hot sauce
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs. Prepared Horseradish
Mix well, refrigerate to blend flavors.
Serve with shrimp.
We all know that black beans are healthy, they offer fiber for our digestive tract health and plant protein for healthy muscles, blood sugar regulation, heart health and they are virtually fat-free like all other beans. Beans of all kinds are extremely versatile.
Slghtly chunky version
This black bean salsa dip is easy, fast and tasty!
1, 15 oz. can low or no sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. lime juice
small handful parsley or cilantro or both
1/2 -1 jalapeno pepper seeded if less heat is preferred
1 cup freshly prepared salsa (or 1 small can petite diced tomatoes)
*add extra hot sauce of desired
Add beans, oil, parsley/cilantro, lime juice and 1/2 (or full cup if you want a completely smooth dip) of salsa or tomatoes to a food processor bowl and process until smooth and creamy.
Serve as is or mix remaining half cup into the mixture by hand for a chunky black bean dip. Serve with tortilla chips.
Smooth version
The most common difficulty I hear from people is their ability to follow through with a new good habit or diet plan. There’s no magic pill and no secret method to setting and keeping your intentions; there are however a few helpful tips to keep in mind that will lead you to following through .
The first and most important step in following through to reach any set goal is being ready. Being ready means that your heart and head are in agreement. I find that the majority of the time people want to be healthier, they want to lose weight, work out, eat less, eliminate sweets or junk foods, cook more, stop thinking about food…etc. but in their heart, they’re not ready-not 100% committed to making the changes that are necessary. They find excuses why they should wait another month, why they ‘cheated’ [I hate that word], why they can’t do it, how and why everyone around them habits’ interfere with their intentions; the list goes on.
It’s important to sit quietly alone and decide what you want to do and how you think you can go about actually doing it. Make lists, pros & cons, do’s and don’ts, can’s and cannot(’s) and decide your personal route. It has to come from you, from your heart, then your head has to understand and agree. Once you’ve become dedicated to yourself you can do it!
Other important tips are:
If you begin a particular practice and realize that it isn’t working for you or you it’s ok to change your plan of attack. You will find that you can reach goals when you tailor a plan around your lifestyle, schedule, abilities and personality. A health coach is a useful mentor to help guide you through your journey.
We all have heard it hundreds maybe even thousands of times, eating healthy equals a healthy body. We also know that healthy eating means more vegetables and fruits, more leafy greens, more whole grains (that doesn’t mean just whole grain bread), more lean proteins, more wild caught fish, more water, green and black tea, less animal fats, less unhealthy oils and deep-fried foods, less sugars and simple carbohydrates, and less junk. Actually adopting a healthier lifestyle and diet is what stumps people, loses people and scares people away. It’s not as hard as it might seem, you can do it!
While I follow a 90% healthy dietary routine, there’s always room for improvement. For the whole year of 2014 I’m going to choose one thing to every day every two weeks, this way I will be able to try new things with intention, deeply influence good habits, make new goals and share ideas with you for you to follow too!
Check in at my blog regularly for updates!
My first new habit of the year 2014 actually sounds quite simple but it isn’t always as easy as it seems. My habit will be to drink more water! Yup, that simple. While I typically drink plenty of water, I find myself drinking less when it’s cold outside. I opt for hot things like coffee & tea more often only drinking small sips of water here and there throughout the day.
If you’d like to join me, here are a few tips:
Cheers! Bottoms up!
Ryan chose to cook tonight, kind of a last-minute decision because he wanted to make cabbage soup that he saw on the internet.
The weather today has been very cold, low 20’s, with a few hours of light snow flurries so of course a warming homemade soup was welcomed!
This is how his version of the recipe came out – and it was delicious and warming!
Here’s the recipe website he followed 101 Cookbooks: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/rustic-cabbage-soup-recipe.html
He made a few changes/additions….I love it when people are encouraged to use their creative freedoms when cooking! His additions were a dash of oregano, parsley and a small handful of dried porcini, woodear, shiitake, and oyster mushroom medley.
Cabbage is an extremely healthy food so if you’re looking for something healthy, hearty and warming, try this one out but be sure to use your creative freedoms as well….just please, don’t add chocolate! ;) (save that for dessert and make sure it’s dark chocolate)
This hummus like many is earthy tasting. It’s all natural and healthy of course and goes well with a variety of vegetables or crackers.
1 – 15 oz. can chickpeas rinsed and drained
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (it can be found in the peanut butter aisle)
4-5 Tbs. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic
small handful of fresh parsley
2-3 Tbs. lemon juice
Paprika
Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy adding more olive oil if needed. Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle paprika over top, cover and chill several hours or overnight to let flavors blend.
Enjoy!
Sometimes I want to splurge a little because it brings back happier times and so I allow myself a little freedom. Allowing yourself freedoms every so often is healthy as long as you stay within reason and when you stay focused and pull yourself back into your healthy lifestyle.
One of my favorite dips is sour cream & vegetable dip, the kind that was around when I was younger and made with Knorr Vegetable soup dry mix. Since I’m no longer a fan of processed foods and chemicals in my food I needed to come up with one that is as good or better without the chemicals.
The following recipe was made with sour cream and a spoonful of mayo but for an even healthier dip you can use organic plain Greek yogurt or even a soft white bean instead of sour cream. (Sour cream was my real freedom and I’m proud to say, I only had a little bit and was fully satisfied)
1- 16 oz container sour cream
1 Tbs. mayonnaise
1 large peeled carrot, grated
1/2 small onion or 3 scallions chopped fine
8 cherry tomatoes, chopped fine (or for a tangy flavor, 8 sundried tomatoes)
1/4 cup frozen peas (optional)
1/8 tsp salt, paprika, chili powder, onion powder & garlic powder
small handful chopped parsley and cilantro
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl – chill overnight to let flavors blend.
Serve with chips or assorted vegetables.
If you get a craving for something sweet during the day at work or at night but want to stick with your intentions of cutting out junk foods and sugar, this is the dip for you! It’s simple to make and as with most of my healthy dips promoted here, it’s easy to pack in your lunch and go.
The recipe:
4 large carrots, peeled & cut into halves or thirds
salt
Olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Parsley
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Basil
Wrap carrots in foil, sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil and bake until soft-about 40 minutes
Remove from oven and cool. Mash by hand or in a blender with a bit more olive oil, black pepper & thyme. Pour into bowl, add basil and parsley, mix well. Divide among several small mason jars with cut veggies or add entire dip to a serving bowl and serve with a variety of veggies for guests.
This is simple to make ahead of time and refrigerate for a week of healthy snacking!
Every New Dawn 