Superbowl clean foods

CHIPS AND SALSA

I'm really excited for the Superbowl tomorrow. I mean, I hate professional football, but I'm excited to see two brothers coach against each other, and I really like the 49ers. So I'll be glued to the tv one one condition: good clean food to inhale.

Today I'd like to share a recipe that I borrowed from Green Shakes and Giggles. It was very easy to make, and got a standing ovation from my husband, my children, and my brother in law. 

Jacobs Garden Salsa

Recipe HERE

BUT WAIT!!!!!

Before you go making this salsa and not reading the rest of my blog....cause I do it too...I scroll down to the recipe and not read the boring mumbo jumbo of a lot of blogs. (you do it too, don't lie to yourselves....haha) I did make two changes to the recipe. 

1: I added GROUND CUMIN SEED to this recipe. I just love cumin, and to me, salsa isn't salsa without cumin. 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp.

2: I added a touch more jalapeno. Not a whole lot, but the amount in the recipe didn't cut it for us...EVEN after it sat overnight. 

After these two minor changes, the salsa was CONSUMED. I was actually asked to bring this to family dinner tomorrow night. 

NOW.....

What would salsa be without chips?? Here is an easy recipe to make your own chips, and feel like a freakin rockstar! (I can't guarantee people will want you to sign their boobs or anything...but rockstar ENOUGH)

Take a package (or two) of corn tortillas. You can find them pretty much anywhere, but make sure you READ YOUR INGREDIENTS!!!! Find a good compromise, and don't buy them with lots of additives. My rule is LESS than 8 ingredients, and if you can't pronounce the ingredient, DONT FOR THE LOVE BUY IT!  (remember, baby steps....I still have to purchase things that aren't entirely clean...ITS OK! you're not a failure, you're already getting there just by having a DESIRE) 

But I digress....

Package of corn tortillas

cut into wedges

lay out on baking sheet 

Spray olive oil on them ( I had to purchase an oil pump, 20$ at the local spoons and spice and I'm having a hard time thinking of how I would have done the chips without them)

Sea salt-sprinkle over chips

350 degrees for about 10 min...just check them. if they are still soft, let them go a tad more. 

Enjoy your Superbowl!!!!

hummm...us??

I'm a lover of wraps. . . I just am. I love the idea of putting anything I want into a wrap and having every bite taste just how I want it to!! However, eating clean does put a restriction challange into the dressings. But perhaps you can have your wrap and eat it too? Since the demise of putting ranch dressing on just about everything I put into my mouth, I've found a new love and use for HUMMUS. Hummus is great, you can make it bland, spicy, colorful, or well, bland!  I also love hummus for my family and especially kids because it is inexpensive to make, its high in fiber, and has a lot of protein. My kids love dipping things in it, and I don't even care half the time if they just suck the hummus off, because its the hummus I want them to have! Here is my personal favorite hummus recipe.


HUMMUS
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
(I've used the concentrate in a pinch)
2 Tbsp Tahini (recipe to follow)
1 clove of garlic (more if you like the flavor of garlic)
1/2 tsp salt
15 oz can chickpeas, drained and 1/4 c liquid reserved

Add ingredients, incuding the 1/4 c reserved liquid to jar in order listed and blend.
This wont be completely smooth, so blend as you will....you won't get it totally creamy.
This makes about 2 cups

TAHINI
1/4 C Olive Oil
3 C hulled and toasted sesame seeds

Add oil and seeds to jar and blend. You may have to stop and push down the sides of the blender and re-blend.
TO TOAST:
preheat oven to 350 degrees. spread sesame seeds on  pan. Toast seeds for 10-12 min. Stir seeds half way through (so at 5-6 min).

This makes about 2 cups and I keep it in the fridge for 8 weeks. You'll find that you will use the Tahini up in other clean recipes as well...don't fret. I can see the look on your face right now.....

*Recipes were taken from BLENDTEC Fresh Blends cookbook.

HOW I USE HUMMUS:

LUNCH:
I use it in wraps for the dressing. I spread it on the tortilla and then add red or yellow bell peppers, mozz cheese if I wish, spinach, tomatoes, salt and pepper.

My kids will eat the wraps too, but I put deli meat in theirs to keep them going (they love meat)

MID MORNING OR MID AFTERNOON SNACK
I also use it for just dipping vegetables. Its a great snack...you know, since we clean eaters are supposed to eat 6 times a day!

Don't love me for my skills to with lighting....

I think I wrapped this before I had more than spinach in it...not sure why.....yikes.

Eat and be well!!

XOXO

Inagural Post and can I get a shout for smoothies??

Welcome to healthyhearthappysoul!! I've been thinking about doing a blog like this for a little while now, but we all know how it goes....if not, let me help you out:

7:30 wake up to crying baby
7:40 feed crying baby
7:50 attempt in vain to put baby back down to sleep so you can squeeze 20 more min of sleep
8:00 pick baby back up due to nonstop screaming
8:15 2nd baby awakes
8:30 sit down to breakfast
8:45 kids still are waiting on breakfast while watching you run around your kitchen frantically looking for something "healthy to eat"
9:00 still waiting on breakfast all the while asking yourself, can kids eat this for breakfast??

Sound familiar? perhaps you are a little more on top of things than I? Well, if this sounds like something  you would do, or have ever done, this blog is for you!

I've recently begun the conversion to Clean Eating. You can find information on clean eating here. I stumbled upon this way of eating after trying for 4 years to have children and finally being told by an OBGYN that children just weren't in the cards for us. I refused to believe this! we exercised, ate "healthy" (I used to use this term in place of not being overweight....I wasnt very smart) and there was no family history of infertility. A neighbor gave me a book called pH Balance (purchase herethat she loved...thus my eyes were opened to a whole new world! After jumping on board with this way of eating, we were pregnant within 2 months. NOW, not everyone's experience will be the same. After further research, it was my hormones that were stopping me from conceivng. Once I cleaned the crap  processed foods out of my body, my hormones were able to get back in line and boom! two babies in a year!

As I don't like the idea (yet at least) of cutting out dairy and wheat and fruit from my diet, I love the idea of eating a more "from the ground" type of diet and my love of clean eating was born. So I guess you could say 3 BABIES in one year...or not. haha

I want everyone who comes across this blog to feel comfortable. Some blogs are so hard core and gungho, that I feel like I'll never be that good, or I'm not good enough to comment, or if I do comment, I think I'll look like a doof. NEVER ON THIS BLOG WILL YOU FEEL THAT WAY! I'm just starting my conversion so guess what, there are still processed foods in my pantry!!! WHAT, WHATS THAT YOU SAY?? yes, I have a hard time wasting food, so I've thrown out anything with high fructose corn syrup, and many things like that, but I will use what I have and continue to replace all my pantry items as I go. I wish I had a million dollars to just go out and buy EVERYTHING I need, but you know what? Im learning a LOT, like A LOT A LOT about the foods in my pantry as I read labels and throw away. Its good motivation on a daily basis. So hang in there, you don't need a pantry full of nuts and seeds and wheat to be good at this. I PROMISE. Step by step, day by day.....we'll get there!

Here are a couple of Green smoothies to kick things off for you.

How I use green smoothies in my life:
Breakfast
For me AND the kids
They are fast and easy to mix up and PACKED with nutrients. You can also pre-package your green smoothies and freeze them (only suggested if you own a Blendtec or vitamix that can handle lots of frozen foods) or just buy large quantities of Spinach and bananas and freeze those two things.
Mid morning or Mid afternoon snack
After dinner as a treat (make a sweeter version if you are used to dessert every night. There are lots of fruit smoothies you can make or some with greek yogurt that are yum.

Peach green Smoothie HERE
Non green peach Smoothie HERE

Also, I've since stopped using yoplait yogurt and I'm all greek now...if you need vanilla flavoring in yogurt, just use greek yogurt, and a small amount of vanilla extract. about 1tsp to 1 cup yogurt.

ENJOY!