Women, Food and God Giveaway!

Just a reminder, the "Women, Food and God" giveaway is still on! I will be hosting a raffle for this awesome book once my Facebook page reaches 300 likes. It's only 6 likes away from the drawing... so be sure you get your name in there! Once this giveaway is complete, I will be posting information on the next one (which I'm very excited about!).

Thank you to all my current subscribers and friends, I am very grateful for your support! 


-Laurie

What's so great about Juicing?

Benefits of Juicing:

Juicing is a great way to make sure you are getting enough nutrients in your diet, without adding a lot of bulk. Because juicing removes all or most of the fibers from the fruits and veggies, it makes it easier to consume large amounts of the nutrients without feeling really full. For example, take 1 large carrot. You could eat it raw, steamed or how ever you'd like. Diced, it is about a cup of solid veg. But if you were to juice it, you may come out with about 1/4 cup of carrot juice. Making it easier to consume more, without feeling really full. Juicing also helps the body assimlate the nutrients better. Without having to break down the fibers from the fruit/veg, your body gets instant access to the nutrient filled juice. Some fasts, cleanses or detox diets recommend juicing as a way to give the digestive system a break. Your still ingesting nutrient dense calories but without all of the work.

It's also great for anyone who may not have time to properly eat nutrient rich meals, who might not have access to a fully functioning kitchen or someone who may not know how to cook (well). College students immediately come to mind. Just because you don't have access to a stove, have a decent sized fridge or know how to cook doesn't mean you are bound to eating take out every day. Juicing is the simple solution to maknig sure you are getting everything your body needs - no excuses.

Juices can be made and drank at anytime of the day. I like to have my juices early in the morning. It helps my body break from the overnight fasting without upsetting my stomach, since I'm one of those people who can't eat immediately after waking up. The fresh juices I make in the morning help me wake up, give me energy and also kick my day off right. I know if I begin the day eating well, the rest of the day will follow. Plus, if I decide to indulge in something else later, I feel less guilt knowing I've had 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies already. Sometimes I will make a juice during the afternoon to keep me going (mid-day itis). Juices are portable, so making a bit extra and keep it in your stainless steel water bottle, makes it easy to have an instant refreshing energizing drink on hand.

What to Juice:

Any fruit, veggie, root, herb, etc. What's great about juicing is that there is no right or wrong way. It is all about experimentation, creativity and enjoying whatever you make. You can use the whole fruit/veg too. No need to peel anything, just cut it into piece that will allow it to fit into the juicer and done. Easy prep! My favorite ingredients to use in my juices are ginger, kale, carrots, parsley, beets, watermelon and apple. I like to keep my juices on the low sugar side and veggie filled. 

I also want to stress using organic produce when juicing. Since you will be consuming large amount of fruit/veg, it is important to keep your pesticide exposure to a minimum. I tend to save pieces of my produce that I wouldn't use in my cooking (peels, ends, stems, etc.) and juice those. No need to waste the extra stuff - it's still nutrient packed! Those parlsey stems, carrot peels or celery leaves you always throw away are a small dose of extra goodness you could be adding to your next juice. It's a great way to maximize your dollar when you are spending a bit extra on organic produce. 

How to use Juices:

Juices are very versatile! You could be a purist and drink it as is or use those juices in baking, cooking, etc. I personally love to juice fresh pineapple and use it in marinades or cooking rice in. You could also make a nice sangria or use the juice to sweeten your iced tea. Substituting juice for water in certain recipes can really make the dish come to life. 

Juicing for Beginners - juice fruits and veggie you enjoy eating. I recommend starting out with more of a fruit based juice and gradually adding more vegetables over time. Since some vegetables can be bitter, adding a small bit at a time can let you know how much you can handle. Great starter fruits/veg are: spinach, apple, carrot, oranges, watermelon, cucumber, and pineapple. 

Extra tips:

• When you are cleaning out your juicer, use the pulp leftover for compost or adding to a stock pot when you are making veggie/chicken stock. And when you are rinsing the inside of the juice with fresh water - the excess water coming out is a watered down version on what you just juiced. Collect that water and use it to water your plants. It's so much better than those chemical plant foods you find at the store.

• I don't recommend juicing frozen fruits/veg. I find frozen produce doesn't juice efficiently - so stick with fresh.

I use a Hurom Juicer, which I HIGHLY recommend. I've had a few other juicers in the past but they were more of a pain or didn't juice very efficiently. This is gives out the max amount of juice in the produce - making it easier to use less.  

Cheers to Juicing!

- Laurie

Toasted Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

It's Friday - finally!! I'm so excited for the weekend... catching up on sleep, trashy tv, and some cooking. Good Times! I'm excited to announce that I am participating in my first Blog Hop sponsored by ABpetite. Blog hopping is basically a chance to check out other blogs and expose your blog to their readers as well. So check out her site if you are interested in participating the next go around. Some of the other bloggers in the blog hop are: Real Food Runner, Ape's Eats, Skinny & Delicious and Bargain Bites. Please check out their sites, show some love and subscribe if you'd like!

 Now about those brownies....

I have this one recipe for black bean brownies that always turns out great but I wanted something with a little less fat and sugar. My original recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter and 1 cup of pure maple syrup. So I went in search of a "better" recipe. I found this one on the Whole Foods website and it sounded like my kind brownie - fudgie. Another great thing is that these are gluten-free! Awesome! I adapted the recipe by reducing the sugar and add my own mix-ins. I love Nutella, but it is really sweet. The flavors of hazelnuts and chocolate together is on of my favorite combos. These are really something else... and I'm totally digging it! The texture is perfect and I'm so glad I made these.


I used a dark chocolate (70%) that I found at Whole Foods sold by the chunk. It's great, not too sweet and flavored with a little vanilla. Great find! I also purchased the hazelnuts from the bulk section, so no need to purchase large quantities of those ingredients. Just buy what you need. I ended up only needing to bake mine for 30 minutes, so check them to make sure you don't over cook! 

Toasted Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate 
Black Bean Brownies

Cook Time: <35 minutes
Prep Time: < 10 minutes
Serves: 16 small squares


Ingredients:

• 1/4 tsp coconut oil
• 2 cups cooked black beans (or 1- 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained well)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 2oz dark chocolate, cut in chunks/pieces
• 1.5oz hazelnuts, toasted and chopped finely
• powder sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish with a little coconut oil. Set aside. 


In a small pan, toast the hazelnuts over medium heat on a dry pan. This should take maybe 5 minutes, just keep swirling the pan to prevent burning. Remove from heat and chop finely. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, eggs, butter, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla and brown sugar. Using a food processor, puree the mixture until it is completely smooth (about 5 minutes). 

Then stir in the dark chocolate pieces and toasted hazelnuts. 

Pour the brownie batter into the grease baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center is set.

Allow the brownies to cool before cutting. 

Nutrition Info per Brownie Square:
Calories: 125 ; Fat: 8g ; Carbohydrate: 10g ; Fiber: 2.5g ; Sugar: 4g ; Protein: 4g 

Recipe adapted from Whole Foods