Nourishing Zen

Nourishing YOU. Adventures to Healthy, Happy, and a Fulfilling Life! Food is our medicine.


Leave a comment

Save Some $$$ – Make Your Own Pouches for Your Baby/Toddler!


The food pouches you buy at the store can be  so expensive especially when you have a very hungry toddler like we do! These pouches can be anywhere from 1 to 3 dollars each! So, it really helps to be able to make our own! We often buy organic fruits or veggies that are frozen to help cut down on costs as well. We also have reusable (BPA Etc. free) pouches that you can put in the dishwasher to clean! 

For the pouches above I used two medium sized sweet potatoes, one large pear and one large apple. Steamed them, blended, then used the Infantino Squeeze Station to make the pouches! Easy!

And of course our little guy loved them!

Advertisement


Leave a comment

Starting Mother’s Day Off Healthily! 


With… My favorite morning shake!


1 cup Organic Vanilla Greek Yogurt 

1 cup ice cubes

1/2 cup sliced organic strawberries

1/2 cup raspberries 

1 tablespoon chia seeds 

Additions: 1/4 cup blueberries, 1 scoop protein powder of choice, 1 cup spinach or kale, or more ice to make it more of an iced shake/sorbet! 

Blend and enjoy! 

Happy Mother’s Day to ALL past, present and future mamas! ❤️❤️❤️


Leave a comment

Kind Bars 


  
Have you tried these? If you haven’t, you probably should. The dark chocolate and sea salt are my favorite! Sweet and salty and only 16 grams of carbohydrates! What’s not to love?

This pack is found at Costco – thank goodness for Costco!


Leave a comment

Protein-packed Lunch at Tenkyu Restaurant!


  
Hamachi, Sake and Maguro Sashimi at Tenkyu in San Rafael. This little spot is yummy with quick service and decent food! Definitely a place to go if you need a quick sushi/Japanese food fix!


Leave a comment

My NEW Weakness 


Macaroons. 

Dear goodness they are scrumptious!

A little soft, a little chewy… Little sweet round pastries of heaven. 

I’m in trouble. Big trouble. 

These macaroons are from the Lafayette Bakery & Cafe in Carmel, CA. 

*Vanilla and pistachio macaroons not pictured. They didn’t survive long enough for a photo.*

  


Leave a comment

I Heart Friday’s 


Happy Friday!

Sometimes, simple breakfasts are the best. Organic, vanilla bean Greek yogurt with some berries!  Berries have a lower amount of sugar than many other fruits which makes them perfect to pair with a dollop of yogurt! 
  


Leave a comment

New Favorite Protein Shake


A protein shake that ACTUALLY tastes good??  Yes please. 

I drink a shake every morning and afternoon and I’m really starting to like this new routine. Try it out!  You can get them on Amazon and also at the Vitamin Shoppe. They also have a larger sized shake that has 40g protein!  I will be getting those too 🙂

   

 


Leave a comment

Organic, Homemade Baby Food!


  

Yes, you heard me… Baby food. No, we do not have a baby. 

I’ve been looking after the cutest little guy that loves his food. LOVES. And during this time I have started to learn the ropes of making all types of baby food!  It’s easy. Wash your  fruits and veggies well, steam/roast/boil and then blend!  If you can, buy organic 🙂 

Starting off with single ingredient foods, it is so easy to make and store!

Graduating to multiple ingredient baby food…

Favorite combinations are:

Sweet Potatoes with any of the following:  kale, spinach, carrots, apple, butternut squash, banana

Carrots and Peas

Apple and Squash

Pear and Spinach, Kale or Banana. 

Mango with pear, apple, banana, or melon

Cauliflower with spinach, kale, Apple, carrots, graded cheese, peas, broccoli, squash… (You get the idea)

Store leftovers in mason jars or vacuum seal! Freeze in ice trays and defrost when you need it. 

🙂 


Leave a comment

Homemade Chinese dumplings, Bao, and “fried” not so fried rice!


 

It’s a cooking day with my mom! We are making dumplings, Bao, and “fried” not so fried rice 🙂

Recipes to come! 


Leave a comment

Do You Know… The Muffin (Wo)man?


Recently, muffin making has been a ‘thing’ in our household. I usually make a ton so my husband can take them to work during the week. I put whatever I can find in them from zucchini to carrots to apple to banana… With chia seeds and oatmeal too! 

I’ve never been a huge baker but I figured I should have some go-to recipes like these.  Ready for the fail-safe recipe?

Ingredients (these are the ones I use):

3 cups of organic flour

1 cup of organic sugar 

1 tablespoon of baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

1.5 cups of yogurt

3 eggs (2 whole, 1 egg white)

1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons)

Additional items based on preference: 

2 tablespoons of chia seeds, 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped or grated veggies or fruit of choice, 3 tablespoons of peanut/almond/cashew butter and the list goes on!

Feel free to substitute coconut oil instead of butter as well 🙂

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2.  Mix all dry ingredients together. 

3.  Slightly melt butter. 

4.  In a separate bowl, whisk all wet ingredients together. 

5.  Fold in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients gently. Be sure to not over mix!

6.  Add additional ingredients of choice. 

7. Spray the heck out of your muffin tin! No lining needed. 

8.  Fill your muffin tin with scoops of the mixture until it is filled to the top. 

9.  Bake for 25-27 minutes. Use a toothpick to see if it’s done!  Cooking time may vary depending on the type of ingredients you choose. 

10.  Take out of the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. 

11.  Enjoy!


Leave a comment

Beer of Choice




It was such an incredible weekend with beautiful weather and amazing company. Tom’s beer of choice is Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp Hoppy Lager. It is a seasonal beer so grab some while you can!  We strongly suggest you try it if you’re a beer lover like Tom!