By: GrowingHealthyHomes.com
4-5 ripe avocadoes
2 TBSP fresh cilantro finely chopped
2 TBSP onion finely chopped
Juice of one small lemon
1 clove garlic or 1/2 tsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel and scoop out the flesh of the avocado into a bowl and mash with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Serve with fresh veggies and/or baked whole grain pita chips. Makes 8 servings.
By: Shannon Beeghley, LPN, NS, CHHC
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 TBSP maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup Simply Nature Vanilla Bean Oats and Grain cereal
1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1 TBSP black chia seeds
2 TBSP mini chocolate chips
Line a 4.5″ x 8.5″ loaf pan with wax paper. Mix the PB, maple syrup, vanilla and honey together in a bowl, then add the cereal, coconut chia seeds and chocolate chips. Mix well and press evenly into the lined loaf pan. Chill in the refrigerator a couple hours. Remove from pan, cut across into bars and store in the refrigerator.
Yield: 5 bars or 10 squares 🙂
Note: This could be made with sunflower seed butter or another nut butter. If using almond butter, decrease to 1/2 cup since it is thinner than PB. Or just add more cereal.
By: Shannon Beeghley, LPN, NS, CHHC
(This is my favorite crust recipe!)
2 1/4 tsp yeast (or one package)
3/4 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
Mix together and set aside. In another bowl, place the following ingredients:
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Stir together and then pour in the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon til mixed together. Knead it on a floured surface a couple times. Let raise till double. Flatten or roll out onto a pizza pan (or on a cookie sheet) and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add any pizza sauce and toppings you desire. Finish baking 10-15 minutes more. Enjoy! 🙂
Yield: One 12.5 inch by 9 inch rectangle pan (I don’t have a circle pizza pan) 🙂
Note: You can just use all white flour if desired. Or use your favorite kind of flour, if gluten intolerant. The dough can be made & baked, then stuck into the freezer in a well sealed bag for a quick just-add-toppings pizza later!
(The above pizza has sauce, chicken, onions, orange bell pepper, olives, fresh parsley, Monterrey jack & cheddar cheese.)
By: Shannon Beeghley, LPN, NS, CHHC
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar (or sweetener of choice)
1/4 cup Lucuma Powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries
In a medium size bowl, beat the egg, then stir in the milk and oil. Add dry ingredients and stir just til moistened. Stir in blueberries; batter should be slightly lumpy. Fill greased muffin cups, sprinkle the tops with a little sugar (or your sweetener of choice) before baking and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min. Serve with honey butter.
Yield: one dozen
Note: These are also good without the blueberries. Add 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to batter, then bake as directed. Or add dried cranberries instead of blueberries!
By: Shannon Beeghley, LPN, NS, CHHC
4 medium ripe tomatoes, diced (or you can use 2 (16oz) cans of diced tomatoes, drained)
1 pint black beans, rinsed & drained (or one (16 oz) store bought can)
1 cup of fresh cut sweet corn (or use 1 (16oz) can of cut sweet corn, drained)
1 small onion, chopped
Fresh cilantro to taste, chopped as fine as you desire
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1 cup yellow squash, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic salt (or garlic powder)
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
4 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons lime juice
4 Tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
Any other variety of beans added are optional (kidney, garbanzo, great northern, etc)
Mix all together. Let it sit and marinate in the refrigerator a couple hours to blend the flavors. If you like spicy heat, add your own amount of chopped jalepenos. Serve with tortilla chips, as an addition to your lettuce salad, on tacos or burritos, or on a “straw hat” meal. The possibilities are endless! 😀
By: Shannon Beeghley, LPN, NS, CHHC
*These are No-Bake bars!*
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 chopped almonds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup raisins
3 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup Quick Oats
1 cup coconut
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa Special Dark 100% Cocao
Mix flaxseed meal, wheat germ, almonds, chia seeds, raisins, Rice Krispies, oats, coconut, sunflower seeds in a large bowl . In a small saucepan on the stove, warm the honey & peanut butter till melted. Stir in the cocao till well mixed. Take off the stove and pour onto the dry ingredients. Mix all together well. Press down into a 9×13 inch pan and chill. Cut into bars and eat! This makes a delicious, healthy snack!
*I created this for a friend who is diabetic and needed a diabetic friendly recipe*
By: Shannon Beeghley, LPN, NS, CHHC
1 pint jar home-canned garbanzo beans (or use 1 store bought 16oz can)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup tahini
1/2 teaspooon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
Drain the beans; setting aside the juice for later (it is about 1/2 cup). Pull all other ingredients in a blender and process on HIGH. Slowly add in the preserved juice and scrape the sides to blend it all together. Blend until smooth or desired consistency. Refrigerate. Eat with salty chips, as a dip with cut up vegetables, on pita bread (Israeli style!) or as a mayonnaise in chicken salad etc. Many different uses!!
Refrigerate any leftovers.
Yield: about 3 cups
Note: Tahini is ground sesame seeds. It can be found at Kroger in the organic section.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yields: 10 people
Ingredients:
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine sunflower, sesame and poppy seeds in a blender. Blend until combined.
3. Add oil and maple syrup, blend again until mixture resembles dough.
4. Roll dough into several long pieces and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yields: 10 people
Ingredients:
2 cups almonds, raw
1 cup pecans
2 cups walnuts, raw
2 cups pumpkin or squash seed, raw
2 cups dried cranberries
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
Directions:
1. In a bowl mix together almonds, pecans, walnuts and seeds. Cover with water and soak overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
3. Rinse and discard soaking water.
4. Add cranberries and add olive oil. Mix until everything is coated well.
5. Spread the mixture out evenly on baking sheet and place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until you can smell the roasting nuts and they start to turn a lot.
6. Cool and store in air tight glass container.
Notes:
• Try any nuts and dried fruit you like.
• The nuts and seed do not have to be soaked or can be soaked for a few hours, but doing so helps their digestibility.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Soaking Time: a few hours
Cooking time: 0 minutes
Yields: 10 people
Ingredients:
6 dates
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
3/4 cup poppy seeds
Directions:
1. Soak dates with oats in water for a few hours, then drain excess water.
2. Add dates, oats, almonds, sesame seeds, juice and syrup to a blender. Blend until chunks become very small, but are still visible.
3. Form little balls with mixture.
4. Roll in poppy seeds.
Notes:
• Try squeezing lemon or ginger juice for added zing!