Nourishing Zen

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


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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!

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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!


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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!


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Simple & Refreshing Lunch!


Sometimes, life just doesn’t warrant preparing meals. Many times, I will go into a grocery store thinking with my stomach and then paying for it afterwards! I’ve personally come to the conclusion that it is just not worth it.

I have noticed recently that my stomach is SO much more sensitive to various foods – specifically anything fried, with dairy or too much sodium. Unfortunately I am not one of those people anymore with a stomach of steel. I guess this is what getting older partially means! In any event, I’m usually starving by the time it is 11:30am and that feeling of “I will eat anything” kicks in. There is a grocery store right down the street from my work and I have found that my “go-to” lunch is really quite simple yet fulfilling, delicious, inexpensive, protein-packed and healthy (for the most part). I can easily make this at home also and here is what it is…

Ingredients:
One cucumber – sliced thinly (this is in place of a slice of bread)
Chicken salad (store bought)

Or if you choose to make it yourself:
Shredded chicken breast
1T vegan mayo, or olive oil mayo
1/2t yellow curry spice
1T raisins
5-6 pieces of diced pineapple
1/4 stalk of celery diced
Dash of turmeric
Dash of cumin
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients together (except for cucumber) in a bowl and mix until the right consistency. If you want more moisture, add a teaspoon of chicken broth. If you’re a mayo person, add more to your liking.

Apply a spoonful of the chicken curry mixture into a slice of cucumber!

Yum!

Keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days and it is one of those recipes that is even better the day after!

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Broccoli, Cheddar, Turkey Grab-n-Go Egg Muffins!

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Broccoli, Cheddar, & Turkey Grab-n-Go Egg Muffins!

Simplify this in any way. I will put in leftover chicken breast, spinach, a tiny pinch of cheese per muffin and a dash of pepper with egg whites only – most often. It’s great to throw in the microwave or even eat cold. If you like English muffins, toast them and throw the egg between!

Courtesy of The Wheatbelly Cookbook by William Davis

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