Purchase here: http://nechama.mycoseva.com
Author: N_L_N
Smoothie Bowl
Smoothie Bowl: (makes 1 or 2 servings)
Add the following to your blender in the order listed:
- Just enough water/almond milk to cover the blades
- 2 TBSP of pure cranberry juice
- 1 TBSP chia seed or flaxseed meal
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- ½ C. frozen blueberries
- ½ C. frozen mango pieces
- 1 or 2 thin slices of an avocado
- 1 medjool date
Blend on very high speed until everything is completely blended. You may need to use a tamper or spatula to press the mixture onto the blade. Only add a bit more liquid if the mixture is not blending at all. The mixture should be smooth but very thick and have the consistency of melting sorbet. Pour out into a bowl and top with your favorite granola. Eat immediately before it melts.
*feel free to play around with this recipe and use different fruits or add in other ingredients. The main thing is not to put too much liquid in so that it doesn’t turn into a smoothie.
Smoothie
Smoothie: (makes 2 servings)
Add the following ingredients to your blender in the order listed
– ½ C blueberries (fresh or frozen)
– ½ C. mango chunks (fresh or frozen)
– 2-3 frozen strawberries
– 3-4 ice cubes
– Handful of raw nuts such as almonds or cashews
– 1 TBSP flaxseed meal
– 1 medjool date
– Milk or water
Pour enough milk/water to generously cover all the ingredients. Blend on high speed until mixture is smooth and flowing. Pour into cups and drink immediately.
Bean Chili
Bean Chili:
-1 onion
-2-3 cloves garlic
-1 can of garbanzo beans
-1 Can of navy beans or black beans
-1 8oz can of diced tomatoes
-1 8oz can of tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Chili powder to taste (and or Sriracha sauce to taste)
-Sauté onion and garlic for 5-6 min. Add the rest of ingredients and let cook on medium fire for about 45 min. Serve hot with avocado slices and tortilla chips
1 Week Healthy Meal Planner
When it comes to healthy eating, its important to plan ahead and make sure your pantry is stocked with all the ingredients you might need for the rest of the week. I created this 1 week healthy meal planner* to give you a head start. Its not intended for any specific healing diet so it includes eggs, gluten and dairy. Its designed for the busy mom so I tried to keep the menu easy.
*Shabbos not included.
| BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | SNACK | |
| SUNDAY |
Corn thins/rice cakes topped with soft or hard boiled eggs and sliced tomatoes |
Large salad including garbanzo beans, avocado and feta or cottage cheese | Basmati rice with chicken and steamed green beans | Green apple
Roasted or raw almonds |
| MONDAY |
Baked sweet potato and Greek yogurt (plain mixed with a flavored type) |
Steamed broccoli and cauliflower, quinoa and cottage cheese | Salmon patties with grilled peppers and squash
-split pea soup |
Homemade applesauce
|
| TUESDAY |
Banana and almond butter on whole grain bread or corn thins/rice cakes. Sprinkle a little flaxseed meal on top
|
Sardine or tuna sandwich with romaine lettuce and tomato | Bean chili with tortilla chips and mozzarella cheese (cottage) | Celery with peanut butter |
| WEDNESDAY | Eggs with chopped spinach and choice of whole grain bread or cracker | Baked eggplant or portabella mushroom pizza and baked butternut squash cubes | Meatballs or chicken burgers with tomato soup and coleslaw | Kiwi or citrus fruit |
| THURSDAY | lightly sweetened plain yogurt with homemade granola | Leftover butternut squash cubes and mushroom omelet | Dr. Pragers fish sticks with quinoa or rice and cut up fresh veggies
(left over split pea soup) |
Banana,
Granola |
| FRIDAY | Healthier cereal with milk/almond milk | Hard boiled eggs veggies and hummus | שבת | שבת |
| SATURDAY | שבת | שבת | שבת | שבת |
Delicious Apple Berry Crisp
Delicious Apple BerryCrisp
Yields: 1- 11x7 Pyrex glass dish
This crisp is my ALL TIME FAVORITE dessert! I probably make it at least once a month because it’s the type of food I’m always in the mood of. It’s funny because the other morning, I overheard my husband telling my daughter, while taking the crisp out of the fridge, “Rachelli, do you know what Mommy is going to eat for breakfast, lunch and supper? She’s gonna have CRISP!” I think that says it all… This crisp is a lighter version of many other crisp recipes I’ve’ seen (which call for more sugar and margarine in the topping) but its bursting with deliciously sweet flavor. After tasting this crisp, you have to wonder why anyone would add margarine or more sugar because it literally can’t get any better! Why add extra unhealthy ingredients for no reason?
Ingredients:
-7-8 small to medium sized sweet apples (Gala works great) thinly sliced
-2 TBSP flour
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 C. frozen mixed cranberry and blueberry
FOR THE TOPPING:
-1 ½ C. rolled old fashion oats
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/3 C flour
-1/3 C brown sugar
-1/4 C. oil
-pinch of salt
Directions:
-Line a 11x7 glass or ceramic baking pan with parchment paper and preheat oven to 375 F. Note* this recipe comes out best when baked in a real baking dish as opposed to a disposable aluminum pan.
-Place thinly sliced apples, flour, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and frozen berries into a large bowl and mix well.
-Pour the mixture into the baking pan and distribute evenly. Place the TOPPING ingredients into the bowl in the order listed and mix very well. Using your hand (easier and less messy) or a large spoon, carefully place topping mixture over the apples. Make sure it is evenly distributed.
-Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes and then reduce temperature to 350 F and bake for an additional 25 min. If topping is beginning to burn, place pan on a lower rack and reduce the temperature even more. The apple mixture should be bubbling.
-Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.
Tastes delicious served hot, warm, cool and cold. Whatever you prefer. But, I highly doubt you will be able to wait till it gets cold before having your first bite! Enjoy and be sure to save some for others 😉
How to get the most Folate out of your food
Let’s talk a little about FOLATE, the natural form of Folic acid found in REAL FOOD. It’s well known that folate is very important for the developing fetus as it may reduce the risk of birth defects. But really folate does So much more. It acts as a coenzyme and is involved in amino acid metabolism, DNA synthesis and cell division….. Our bodies cannot synthesize folate so we need to make sure we are getting adequate intake from our diets. It’s always better to get nutrients from food, as opposed to supplements, because there are risks involved when we start taking in high doses of synthetic or even natural vitamins. For example, taking excessive amounts of supplementary folate may fuel tumor development. Another concern with folic acid supplements is that it may mask symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.
So, here is a list of some good folate sources: Liver, beans, mushrooms, spinach, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, turnip and collard greens, peanuts, lentils, strawberries and oranges.
BEANS are a really good source of folate. Here’s the catch though. 50-70% of folate is destroyed in the processing/canning of beans. This means that when you cook your own dried garbanzo (chickpea) beans, you will get 282mcg folate/Cup and 1 C of canned garbanzo beans will give only 161mcg. Now that’s a BIG difference. 282mcg of folate is more than half the RDA for non-pregnant women which is 400mcg/day. How about learning to cook your beans so you can gain the most nutritional value from each bite??
Cooking beans from scratch isn’t difficult. It just takes a little planning ahead of time because beans require soaking. The soaking makes them easier to digest and will help decrease intestinal discomfort sometimes associated with eating beans.
Here are some good websites which can teach you, step by step, how to cook beans.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=58
http://food.unl.edu/cooking-dry-beans-scratch-can-be-quick
Easy Sesame Bread
Easy Wholesome Sesame Bread
Here's the scoop on this simple but delicious and nutritious bread. It has no yeast, eggs or dairy. It requires 1 bowl and no mixer. AND, most importantly, its SO HEALTHY and YUMMY! See why I love it?? Sesame seeds are a great source of vitamins and minerals including B vitamins, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese.
This recipe is kind of small, maybe enough for a crowd of three or four. It is high in quality protein (tryptophan and methionine) and has a nice mixture of omega 6 and omega 3 EFAs. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Ingredients:
-1/2 C. Oats (any type works)
-1/2 C. Sesame seeds
-1 & 3/4 C. White whole wheat flour
-1/3 C. Flaxseed meal
-2 & 1/4 tsp. Baking powder
-1/2 tsp. Salt
-2 TBSP Olive oil
-2 TBSP Honey
-1 C. Dairy free milk (almond or soy) + 1 TBSP vinegar -combine and let sit for a few minutes.
-1 TBSP additional olive oil for brushing
-Sesame seeds for the topping
Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 375° and line a cookie tray with foil. Grease the foil and set aside.
-Grind the oats and sesame seeds in blender (I used my Vitamix) just until they become flour like. Pour mixture into a large bowl.
-Add the white whole wheat flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder and salt to the bowl. Mix well and make a well in the center. Add the oil, honey and dairy free buttermilk.
-Mix well. A soft dough should form. Flour hands and form into either small rolls or 2-3 small loaves. Its better to shape them small for even baking and more yummy crust 🙂
-Brush the bread with olive oil and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
-Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. If small loaves were made, its best to cut it into individual slices when bread is totally cool.
ENJOY!
ps. This bread goes great with Tehini and tomatoes or nut butter and honey.
Kiwis for constipation
By: Nechama Newman, MS
KIWIS FOR CONSTIPATION
Not necessarily known for any particular health benefit, kiwifruit are commonly eaten for their delicious taste and high nutrient content. Recently, though, studies have investigated kiwi’s effect on gut health, specifically as an aid for constipation.1, 2, 3 Sound interesting? Read on.
All of the studies investigating kiwi’s effect on relieving constipation have found it to be very effective. This unanimous finding creates a very compelling case for the humble kiwifruit, giving it newfound status. In fact, the results of one 4 week study3 suggests that only 2 kiwifruits daily can significantly increase bowel movement frequency when compared with baseline in adults with constipation. In another study, the number of bowel movements doubled per week by eating 2 fresh kiwifruits.2
In New Zealand, a major producer of kiwifruit, it is a common practice to give kiwifruit juice to patients in hospitals and elder care homes as a means to relieve and prevent constipation. Providing this nutrient dense fruit to those who are prone to constipation is really the ideal form of intervention. Not only do you avoid the side effects and risk of dependency of some constipation medications, kiwifruit are loaded with vitamins, minerals and unique phytonutrients.
But, there’s more to it. Clinical evidence has found that consumption of kiwifruit ALSO relieves symptoms of indigestion and bloating.4 An unusual feature for a fruit, kiwis contain an enzyme called actinidin, which is a protease (hydrolyzes proteins). An in vitro study4 found that protein digestion efficiency can be increased by consuming a kiwifruit with a protein meal. However, this effect was only significant when gastric pH was elevated, i.e. not enough stomach acid. The addition of kiwifruit to the meal, when gastric pH was elevated, doubled the rate of meat protein hydrolysis! This explains why kiwifruit is so helpful in relieving two common symptoms of incomplete protein digestion, indigestion and bloating.
And, to end off, I’ll just briefly mention one last benefit of kiwifruit on gut health. Ingestion of kiwifruit has been found to have a positive effect on intestinal microbiota populations. Although kind of short in duration, one study5 found that consumption of kiwifruit for four days increased growths of beneficial lactobacilli and bifidobacteria populations.
What a great food to add to the diet to improve digestive efficiency! Who’s putting kiwis on their shopping list? Or, better yet, who’s going to the supermarket RIGHT NOW??
Sources:
- Udani JK, Bloom DW. Effects of kivia powder on Gut health in patients with occasional constipation: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Nutrition Journal. 2013;12:78. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-12-78.
- Chan AOO, Leung G, Tong T, Wong NY. Increasing dietary fiber intake in terms of kiwifruit improves constipation in Chinese patients. World Journal of Gastroenterology : WJG. 2007;13(35):4771-4775. doi:10.3748/wjg.v13.i35.4771.
- Chang CC, Lin YT, Lu YT, Liu YS, Liu JF. Kiwifruit improves bowel function in patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2010;19(4):451-7. http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/19/4/451.pdf. Accessed September 28, 2016
- Donaldson B, Rush E, Young O, Winger R. Variation in Gastric pH May Determine Kiwifruit’s Effect on Functional GI Disorder: An in Vitro Study. Nutrients. 2014;6(4):1488-1500. doi:10.3390/nu6041488.
- Lee YK, Low KY, Siah K, Drummond LM, Gwee K-A. Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) changes intestinal microbial profile. Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease. 2012;23:10.3402/mehd.v23i0.18572. doi:10.3402/mehd.v23i0.18572.