The Lovely Tastes

Papaya Kale Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 21:04:00 +0000

Try this interesting smoothie recipe out! It has all the necessary food groups and it's a tasty treat for breakfast.

half a papaya
greek yogurt (or regular low fat yogurt)
1 cup kale
hemp seed
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup OJ (or milk)
ice

Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

Oatmeal Chocolate Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:09:00 +0000

It's as simple and sweet as it sounds!

Ingredients:
Also ice. Can't forget the ice!

Throw all the ingredients in a blender and...

Voila!

Delicious. Hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Hard-Boiled Egg Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Looking for a salad that is easy to make AND tastes great too? Try red leaf lettuce, a hard-boiled egg (cage-free and brown tastes the best), cucumber, feta cheese, a splash of balsamic vinegarette. That's it! Yum.

Tomato Toast

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:00:00 +0000

This is undoubtedly one of my favorite snacks. Multigrain toasted bread, cream cheese, sliced tomatoes, and chia seeds to top it all off. SO TASTY!

Enjoy friends!

Love Me Some Bellas

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:09:00 +0000

I love to cook with mushrooms, especially portabellas. They offer an interesting texture to any dish and are jam-packed with fiber and protein.

Here are pan-fried portabellas on a bed of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and shallots. Seasoned with oregano, parsley, salt and pepper. Fried in red wine vinegar and grapeseed oil. Yum!

What are some of your favorite mushroom recipes?

Beef Broth from Scratch

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:00:00 +0000

I'm ready to make some delicious, homemade beef broth using the bare essentials:

Not pictured: Beef bones, wine, lemon, garlic, fresh bunch of spices

Want to make your own broth? It's quite simple and truly rewarding. Roast the bones and vegetables for about 50 minutes at 450 degrees F. Fill a pot with ice and add the roasted bones and vegetables. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer.

Add wine and lemon and spices. Simmer covered for 6ish hours. Filter the broth, then put in freezer until fat coagulates and forms a layer on top of the broth. Remove and dispose of fat. You are left with a flavorful home-made and most definitely delicious beef broth!

Morning Treat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:00:00 +0000

It was a tasty breakfast this morning:

Mashed blackberries, greek yogurt, honey wheat toast

The greek yogurt is a delicious replacement for cream cheese, who'd have thought?

Natural Remedies for Insomnia

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 04:27:00 +0000

To my night owls:

Along with actually following some of these tips for natural insomnia remedies, I don't wake up during the wee hours of the morning (ahem, 6am) and instead devote enough time to getting enough sleep! Here are some of the things I do to help me get the sleep I need every night:

Drink Herbal Tea: Caffeine free teas heavy in either chamomile or lavender will help relax the body before bed. My chamomile and lavender tea collection is below.
Aromatherapy: Inhale lavender oil to further relax the muscles.
Yoga: Stretching and deep breathing will make the body feel good and relaxed anytime anywhere. Simply tightening all of the muscles and then entering shavasana can work wonders!
Imagine a serene scene. I imagine a white expanse with no sound, only the feeling of peace.

For herbal remedies, click here.

Happy sleeping everyone!

Eggplant Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 02:44:00 +0000

In my quest to eat vegetarian, I have aspired to cook excellent Indian style cuisine.

Eggplant curry

I like to make Eggplant Curry from scratch. This particular curry turned out a little sweet because the yogurt I used was flavored with banana.

Curry contents:

onions, garlic, ginger (staples of curry)
tomatoes
eggplant
cumin, coriander, black and red pepper, tumeric
green cardamom and mustard seeds (both optional)
olive oil, a cinnamon stick, dried coconut
plain yogurt

...and that's it! In my opinion, the contents decrease the curry recipe intimidation factor by a power of 10 (on a 10 point scale).

Instructions:
Bake eggplant in 425 degree oven for 20 minutes or until eggplant becomes squishy (but not TOO squishy). Take out and let cool. Meanwhile, put olive oil, garlic, ginger in pan and fry on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add spices. Cook until onions have cooked down and are transparent. Add one large or two medium chopped tomatoes. Add around 1/8 cup of water to help cook the tomatoes. Cover pan and cook for 5-7 minutes. Skin and chop cooled eggplant. Add to pan and mash with tomatoes and onions to help blend the dish together. Cook covered for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup yogurt (your choice of fat content). Cook uncovered on medium low for 5 minutes and, my friend, you have just made an excellent eggplant curry. Congrats! Discard cinnamon stick and cardamom (if used) and please enjoy!

There's nothing like a good tasting curry complete with some cucumber raita. I'll share that recipe in a later post. Stay tuned!

Unique Ingredients in my Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 02:43:00 +0000

I LOVE to cook with fresh ingredients. Some of the unique ingredients in my kitchen:

yucca root - a bit gritty in texture, cook like a baked potato
jicama - sweet and crispy, eat raw in salads
daikon - radish, eat raw in salads
mushrooms - great when marinated
eggplant - great with tomato(ish) sauces

Why eat out when you can eat at home? There are so many great recipes on the internet. All you need is to take a short drive to the grocery store and inspiration to make the tastiest of treats!

The following are ways I like to use the ingredients listed above.

Red leaf lettuce, spinach, jicama, tomatoes, avocado, balsamic vinegarette
Dill pickles
Lavender fennel herbal tea

Yucca root, chives, garlicsalt, splash of skim milk, butter, lemon
Pan-fried rainbow chard, tomatoes, onions, garlic, spiced with tumeric, cumin, coriander

Pan-fried marinated mushrooms, spinach, garlic

I'll post a picture and my recipe of Eggplant Curry in a later post focusing on some of my Indian style cooking.

Happy eating everyone!

My Health So Far

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 02:42:00 +0000

I am an advocate for healthy living and natural products. As I'm becoming more aware of my health, especially now as a thriving young citizen, I can tell the difference in the way I feel depending on what I eat and how I move. Here's what I've learned:

Good sleeping habits lead to happy Lisa.
Yoga helps loosen up my joints and decrease tension in my body. Sun salutations are a great way to start the day.
Massages. Massages for everyone!
Essential oils have medicinal properties. I like using these oils instead of over the counter (and even prescription) drugs.

Jojoba oil (moisturizer), tea tree oil (antibacterial), and lavender (antibacterial) to treat acne
Tea tree oil, lavender, witch hazel (astringent) to treat minor cuts and infections.
Flaxseed oil for my eyelashes. Sounds weird, I know, but I'm testing to see if the oil helps the hairs grow back stronger.
Coconut oil (moisturizer) for my skin and the ends of my hair.

Decrease dietary sodium intake. The majority of the the time, I avoid the middle aisles of grocery stores. Here lies evil processed foods that contain preservatives and a stupidly high amount of sodium. Just thinking of ingesting that seriously makes reconsider buying processed or frozen food.

For some great information on the benefits of natural foods, check out The Farmacy on Facebook.

My Health Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:18:00 +0000

Hi there! My craft blog is a wonderful place for me to passionately talk about my crafts, but I am also interested in a healthy style of living. Here I will talk about all things health: food choices, recipes and natural remedies. I am already excited to get started and watch myself progress through time learning to live my desired lifestyle.