Chia Seeds

One of my favorite websites www.greenereating.com shared some great information on chia seeds http://www.greenereating.com/2010/05/chia-seeds.html and I've been adding them to my smoothie ever since. My current smoothie is soaked chia seeds (a Tbl or two in a few tablespoons of water,) spinach or kale, peaches, dark cherries, and soy milk.


This is some of the information they shared about chia seeds on their website: They are the number one source of Omega 3 fatty acids, even more than flax seeds. This Omega 3 helps circulation and the heart. The omega 3s break up the lipids which cause blood clots, varicose veins, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks, cardiac arrhythmias, and high triglycerides. Besides this aspect of them, they help diabetics by slowing blood sugar spikes. They have 3 times the antioxidants than blueberries. The fiber in chia seeds helps with digestion. In 2 ounces of milk there are 120 milligrams of calcium. In 2 ounces of chia, there are 600 milligrams of calcium. That means chia has 5 times the amount of calcium than milk! The other aspect of chia seeds, is their ability to fuel endurance activity such as running, which is why i love them so much. They have 2 times the potassium as a banana which means more electrolytes than in Gatorade. The seeds absorb up to 30 times their weight when put in water so they are great for keeping hydrated during athletic events and just throughout the day. The other reason why they are so good for endurance sports is because the chia gel (formed when you soak the seeds in water) causes a slow release of carbohydrates, which slowly convert to glucose that your body can use for energy.

Green Smoothie

Don't forget the easiest way to get your greens in with a yummy smoothie. Some good ones are here

http://www.greenereating.com/search/label/Smoothies

The smoothie pictured here is spinach, pineapple, peaches, banana, and strawberries.

Cinnamon Cherry Almond Granola

I base my recipe off the one found here.

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup almonds, sliced (I buy my raw and whole and chop them)
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup quality honey

1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Some salt
1 cup coconut
1 cup dried cherries, chopped (or any other dried fruit)

Stir oats, almonds, oil, honey, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl. Spread on a cookie sheet and cook at 300 degrees for 20 minutes total. Stir every 5 mins and add the coconut for only the last 5 minutes. Add cherries afterwards. The trick is to not overcook. If it looks done in the oven it will be overdone. Just cook it 20 minutes and it will harden up when it's cooling.

I've also made a super-coconut version by adding some coconut extract.

(My changes to the original recipe were to lower the amount of almonds and coconut to cut down cost-although it is still way cheaper than store bought any way you make it- and to lower the honey and add a little brown sugar so the taste is not overpowering with honey flavor. The sugars can be adjusted slightly by you and your tastes. And it needed some salt with the sweet.)

Breakfast Burritos by Me

1/2 container firm tofu, roughly chopped
any leftover veggies like:
mushrooms,
peppers,
onions,
eggplant,
potatoes, diced
(I use my veggies left over from my roasted vegetable bake)
any whole grain tortilla shells

Put a little oil in a skillet and lightly fry the tofu. Toss in veggies and sautee everything for a few minutes (until everything is starting to brown.) Wrap in a multi-grain tortilla, top with salsa and enjoy. Or do what I do and put them individually wrapped in the fridge and freezer for future quick breakfasts. (You really can't tell it's tofu and not scrambled eggs!)