Superfood Shamrock Shake! (Dairy-free, vegan, raw)

I've been experimenting with spirulina because it's supposed to be so good for you.  To be honest, I think it tastes terrible.  However, I have come up with a great way to hide the taste in this WAY healthier-than-McDonalds Shamrock Shake!   It gets its green color from spirulina instead of green food coloring.

Superfood Shamrock Shake:
handful of nuts (I used pecans)
handful of pitted dates
1T spirulina powder
5-7 drops of peppermint extract
glass of water (about 2 cups)
2 cups of ice

Blend everything in a blender.  (I like to blend everything except the ice first, and then blend in the ice.)  Seriously, this tastes delicious!   Plus, it's SO much better for you than a Shamrock Shake from McD's.  It has about 350 calories per 16 oz serving and 20 grams of fat.  I know the fat is high (and about the same as the McD's), but it's good fat that comes from nuts, not saturated fat that comes from animals.

Just to compare, what's in a McDonald's Shamrock Shake?  For the 16 oz. size, it's 680 calories and 20 grams of fat.  By the way, the small (12 oz) it's 540 calories and 16 grams of fat; and for the large, it's 840 calories and 24 grams of fat.  Also, check out these ingredients.  (I got this info from McDonald's own site.)

What Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream

Allergens: MILK
Milk, sugar, cream, nonfat milk solids, corn syrup solids, mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, dextrose, sodium citrate, artificial vanilla flavor, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, disodium phosphate, cellulose gum, vitamin A palmitate.

Shamrock Shake Syrup

High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, sugar, natural flavor (plant source), xanthan gum, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), yellow 5, blue 1.

Whipped Cream

Allergens: MILK
Cream, nonfat milk, water, corn syrup, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, mono-and diglycerides, carrageenan, polysorbate 80, beta carotene (color), natural (dairy and vegetable source) and artificial flavor, mixed tocopherols (vitamin E) to protect flavor. Whipping Propellant (nitrous oxide).

Maraschino Cherry

Cherries, water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, malic acid, citric acid, natural (plant source) and artificial flavors, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), red 40, sulfur dioxide as preservative (contains sulfites).

Woa! How many chemicals are in there?   

2012 Resolutions

I have to say, I LOVE New Year's resolutions!  I know a lot of people who don't like them and never make them, but I really like the idea of starting fresh.  It gives me hope and energy to think that this year will be different.  Even if  I don't keep them, I think it's worth making them.

My New Year's Resolutions of 2012:

1.  I will walk for 30 minutes every morning.

2.  I will switch to a mainly plant-based diet, following this food pyramid.  (I saw 2 documentaries that have led to this one:  "Forks over Knives" and "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead".  Check them out.)

3.  I will have fresh juice or a green smoothie at least once a day.

4.  I will write to my Bosnian sister on the first of each month.  (I sponsor a Bosnian woman through Women for women.  I always send the money, but I'm ashamed to say I rarely write like I'm supposed to.)

5.  I will be the best mother I can possibly be.

6.  I will spend more time and energy on people, and less time and energy on things.

I also LOVE to read other people's resolutions (so I can steal the good ones).  What are yours?

Chicken meals in a hurry

Okay, so I found this great tip for preparing meals for days from a couple of roasted chickens.  This has made cooking decent meals during the week so much easier and I had to share! 

Step 1:  Get 2 (or more) roasted chickens.  Either roast them yourself or do what I do and get what I call "lazy chicken" already roasted from the supermarket. (Note:  If you do roast them yourself, use Julia Child's recipe.  You will not believe how good it is!  I call it "succulent chicken of awesomeness".)

Step 2:  Cut off the wings, legs, and thighs and freeze them in ziploc bags for future meals.  All you have to do is zap them in the microwave and add some frozen mixed vegetables (I like the California mix), and you'll have a meal.

Step 3:  Cut off the breasts and have some for dinner tonight.  What you don't eat, you can cut up for salads.

Step 4:  Cut up the remaining chicken breasts and get whatever random chicken meat you can get from the carcasses.  Store for future use in salads or soup or whatever.  You can add some chopped celery, grapes, pecans, and a dollop of mayonnaise for a delicious chicken salad!  Eat it with crackers, on salad greens, or in a sandwich.

Step 5:  Make stock with the chicken bones and carcasses.  (I used to think this was hard but it's super easy!)  Put the carcasses in a big pot.  Add the juice of one lemon, carrots, celery, parsley, onion, garlic, pepper corns, and a bay leaf.  Fill with water and boil for an hour.  (The acid in the lemon juice draws the good stuff out of the bones and into the water.)  You can either freeze this stock for future use or make soup the next day.  (Strain and skim first!)  I added some of the cut up chicken meat, zucchini, basil, and leeks for a delicious soup.  I love making soup because you can use whatever vegetables you have around that are about to go bad.

If you do this as soon as you get home from grocery shopping, you'll have several meals ready to go with little prep.  Yay!

Taco Soup!

A coworker of mine drew my attention to Taco Soup because she brought it for lunch once day, and it looked delicious!  Luckily, I found this recipe in my slow-cooker cook book.  (Note:  Don't have a slow-cooker?  You can make this in a regular pot.  I'd brown the meat first, then add the other ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes or so.)

Taco Soup

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
4-oz. can chopped green chilies, undrained
1/2 tsp. salt
1 envelope dry low-sodium taco seasoning mix
1 envelope dry low-sodium Ranch-style dressing mix (Note:  I didn't use this b/c I really don't like all the chemicals I saw listed in the ingredients.  Instead, I made my own Ranch mix by chopping 2 cloves of garlic, 3 green onions, a handful of parsley, and some fresh dill.)
3 (14 1/2 oz.) cans low-sodium stewed tomatoes, undrained
16-oz. can kidney beans, undrained (Note:  The recipe says "undrained", but I drain and rinse the beans.)
15-oz. can pinto beans, undrained
1 1/2 cups water
(I add a can of corn.  The recipe doesn't call for it, but I think it tastes nice.)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in large slow cooker.
Cover.  Cook on low 8-10 hours.
Optional:  To serve, you can top it with crushed corn chips, avocado, cheese, and/or greek yogurt (instead of sour cream)

Serves 8.  290 calories and 3.5 grams of fat per serving. (without the toppings)

What Can Michael Teach us About Performance?

So, I have the flu this week and to pass the time I'm watching "This is it".  (Michael Jackson's last documentary.)  I hadn't expected to want to show it to my music students, but now I think I will.  There are some things about him and his work ethic I want them to see.

Now, I know I'm not the only one who is super annoyed by the hypocrisy of people over the whole Michael Jackson death thing.  For years, the public perception was that he was a crazy pedophile.  Then, as soon as he died, boom!  Instant genuis/success/idol/etc overnight.  Okay so in his personal life, he was a mess, had too much plastic surgery, and you'd let NEVER let your kids around him.  But---in his professional life, he really was fantastic at what he did.  A true performer. 

What I want my students to learn from Michael Jackson:

• Work Hard - Most shows these days make it look like good performances just happen spontaneously, without rehearsal.  Most kids think that they can just "free-style" it on stage and something good will happen.  I have a hard time convincing them that a good performance take hours of rehearsal.  Well, this documentary shows just how hard and how many hours of work Michael put in behind the scenes.  Say whatever you want about him, but the man was NOT lazy!  He was committed to his work.
• Be Unique - Michael had his own style. In clothes, in dance moves, in music.  He did not look or sound like anyone else!  I don't want my students to imitate other, successful musicians.  I want them to develop their own style.
• Know Your Music - Michael knew his music inside and out.  Every key, tempo, pause, sound effect, etc.  He knew exactly what he wanted to hear and was not afraid to ask for it.
• No Diva Fits - You hear a lot about famous singers having diva fits, but did you ever hear about Michael having one?  This documentary showed him letting people know when things weren't right, but he did it respectfully.  No shouting or anger.  Just "hey, this isn't here and I need it to be.   Fix it."     
• Be Able to Bring It!  - In an age where so much reliance is given to digital editing and things like autotune, it's valuable for a performer to really be able to sing (or play) without electronic help.  Michael sang his shows live and was in tune.  You hear people like Tayler Swift and Justin Beiber sing live, and they're a quarter tone flat!  Also, I bet if Michael were to sing the National Anthem, he would've gotten the words right!
• Be the BEST at What You Do - 'Nuff said.

Again, I would never tell my students to emulate Michael Jackson's personal life, however as far as performance is concerned, they would do well to take note!
 

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries!

I love chocolate dipped strawberries!  They are super easy to do and they make an elegant Valentine's Day gift, that is impressive while being inexpensive at the same time.  What's not to like?  Make these for your sweetie on Valentine's Day (or just for yourself), and you will be loved!  :-)

Ingredients:
There are only 2 ingredients neccessary:  chocolate chips and strawberries. 
Directions:
Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler.  Dip the strawberries, then dry on wax paper.  Put them in the fridge for 30 minutes so to harden. 
Important:  make sure the strawberries are completely dry.  I usually wash them the night before so they can dry overnight.  I learned the hard way that if there is any water on the berries at all, it will turn your melted chocolate in to a gloppy mess and you will have ugly, bumpy strawberries. 

Get fancy!
Now, you can get eleborate by using a variety of chocolate chips (I used white and semi-sweet), then dip them into extra goodies (like chopped nuts or cookies) as well.  Here what I did:

White Chocolate Chip Variations:

•        Plain white chocolate
•        Dried coconut flakes
•        Chopped oreos for cookies and cream!  (I used gluten-free oreo-type cookies.  Paul  Newman makes a good one.) 

Dark Chocolate Chip Variations:

•      Plan Dark Chocolate
•      Chopped nuts
•      Chopped candied ginger

Mixed:

• Two-toned
• Marbelized

I bet you can come up with some even better combinations!  What would you dip your strawberry into?

Hot Chocolate for the Lactose Intolerant

The weather is SO cold lately that all I can think about is hot chocolate!  Luckily, I have discovered a totally delicious way to make it without any dairy. 

First of all, I like to use vanilla almond milk.  (I think it tastes better than plain almond, soy, or rice milk.)  Now, you can either buy it OR, you can make your own!  I don't ever buy it any more now that I've discovered how to make it in my Vitamix blender.  Here's how:

Vanilla Almond "Mylk"  (Recipe from Ani's Raw Kitchen)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/3 cup pitted dates
1 vanilla bean (Scrape the insides to loosen the seeds, then throw the bark in too.)
5 cups water
pinch of salt

Directions: 
Put all ingredients in a high-speed blender (I love my Vitamix!) and blend for 1-2 minutes until smooth. 


This almond "mylk" will last for a week.  I keep it in a ceramic pitcher in my fridge to use for cereal, tea, or  hot chocolate.  Also, you can use this instead of milk or cream in any recipe. 

Now for the hot chocolate part:
Heat up a mug-full of the almond milk (which ever kind you use) and add 4 spoonfulls of Godiva Dark Hot Chocolate mix.  (Make sure it's DARK.  The milk chocolate kind defeats the whole purpose.)  You will be amazed at how delicious it is!

Interesting fact:  One serving of Godiva Dark Hot Chocolate mix contains 15%  RDA of Iron.  (Says so right on the container.)  Don't you need more iron?  I think you owe it to yourself to make sure you get all the nutrients you need.  You NEED to have some hot chocolate now!  I know I do.  ;-)