Guest Blogger - Jen's Date Balls

Hey everyone, My name is Jen from JenBeansBlog.  This is my very first guest post and I wanted to create something nutritious and simple and doesn't require cooking or baking or actually turning on any large appliances for long periods of time and something sweet to satisfy that sweet tooth for the new moms out there. 


Here's a recipe for something nutritious, and super easy, and super yummy:

Date Balls 

(I'm sorry but that's the best name I can come up with at 11:30 pm!)

Ingredients:

• About 200g (7oz) Medjool dates, pitted
• About 1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
• About 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts/filberts
• Other coating options: shredded coconut, ground walnuts, chocolate sprinkles, cookie crumbs

In a food processor, process dates with a teaspoon of cocoa powder and 2 teaspoon of ground hazelnuts until smooth. It should be sticky but not overly sticky. Dust your fingers and palms with cocoa powder and roll into balls. Roll them over more cocoa powder and ground hazelnuts and they are ready to eat! (or refrigerate for later)
If the dates alone are not sweet enough, add a bit of honey or syrup during the processing step. If they are too sweet, add a bit more ground nuts to dilute the sugars in the dates.


Enjoy with a hot cup of herbal tea. Happy eating!

Keep your eyes peeled for another delicious date recipe this upcoming weekend! 

Tropical Green Smoothie

Simple green smoothie that isn't bitter and has a nice tropical twist! It can be a difficult to fit enough fruits and veggies into your diet on a daily basis. Drinking a smoothie can be a great way to make sure you are getting enough nutrients in your diet. My biggest complaint about smoothies are that they are usually all fruit or heavily fruit based. Now there isn't anything wrong with fruit, but too much sugar can be a problem for some. Adding a bit of veg to this smoothie helps balance the fruit/veg ratio and still tastes awesome! 


The reason I juiced the kale, spinach and pineapple is I wanted to remove some of the tough fibers that they have. I wanted to go straight to the source of the vitamins and minerals - the juice. By pureeing the the other ingredients with the juice, it helps give it body, bulk and some fiber. The coconut oil helps the absorption process and, for me, makes me more satisfied. If you find you would like this to be more sweeter, add a bit more fruit. 

Tropical Green Smoothie

Cook Time: 0
Prep Time: < 5 minutes
Serves: 1 


Ingredients:
Juice:

• 4 organic kales leaves & stems
• 1 cup organic spinach, packed
• 1/2 cup fresh pineapple

• 1/2 ripe medium mango, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/2 ripe medium peach, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 tsp extra virgin organic coconut oil
• 3-4 ice cubes

Using a Juicer - juice the kale, spinach and pineapple. Pour the juice into a blender. 


In the blender add the mango, peach and ice cubes to the green juice. Puree well to remove all of the chunks


Serve the smoothie in a nice glass and enjoy paradise. 


Nutritional Info for the entire recipe:
Calories: 220 ; Fat: 5g ; Carbohydrate: 45g ; Fiber: 5g ; Sugar: 24g ; Protein: 3.5g

Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

Eating plant seed pudding? Trust me on this. Chia seeds are not just for growing a plant that looks like a dog or Bart Simpson. They are actually very healthy and easy to incorporate into your diet. They are an excellent vegetarian source of Omega-3's, Protein and calcium. You can eat them raw or add them to cooked dishes (oatmeal) if you'd like. I usually add chia seeds to my green juice or smoothies to give it a thicker consistency and bump up the nutrition.


I've seen this recipe a few different times and had to try it out for myself. I am definitely going to experiment more with this, it was SOOO easy! I really want to try a chocolate version of this next. This version is a very basic approach. Making it easy to put whatever kind of toppings you'd like on top. Chia seeds when mixed with a liquid make a gel like substance, thickening this pudding. It resembles a tapioca pudding consistency. Since this requires no cooking - anyone can make it. 

Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 2 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp of organic green stevia (or a little more if your prefer)

Mix all of the ingredients into a medium sized glass bowl or into a mason jar and shake, if you prefer. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. After it has had time to thicken, stir well. Serve chilled and enjoy.


Recipe adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

Guacamole

I've been looking forward to having guacamole for 3 days now! I've just been waiting for my avocados to ripen. Luckily I had them in a brown paper bag to make sure they ripened quick. I was turned on to guacamole when I used to live in San Diego. I had seen it before, but never really understood what the big fuss was about. That was until I tried freshly made guacamole. Not that pre-made gooey stuff you find in the deli section at the grocery store. Nice and chunky with a little spice. Since then, I make guacamole whenever the craving hits or I've got a couple extra avocados on hand. 

Super easy recipe, requires no cooking and can last 3 days in the fridge (if it lasts that long). Can be served with practically anything. Chips, cut up veggies, or as a topping on most dishes. I'm going to be eating mine with some flax crackers. Enjoy!

Guacamole

Cook Time: 0 mins
Prep Time: < 10 mins
Serves: Makes about 2 cups


Ingredients:

• 2 large ripe avocados 
• 1/3 cup minced red onion (about 1/2 an onion)
• 3 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, minced (with or without seeds)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp of cumin
• juice of 1 small lime
• salt and pepper to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Mash the avocado to desired consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients, combine well. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. 


Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator, covered (to prevent browning). 


Nutritional Info per 2 Tbsp of Guacamole (if it makes 2 cups):
Calories: 80 ; Fat: 7g ; Carbohydrate: 6g ; Fiber: 3.5g ; Sugar: 1g : Protein: 1g

Colorful Raw Kale Salad

This is my go-to salad to bring to a picnic or as a side dish to any meal.  It keeps for days in the refrigerator and actually improves in flavor over time. It can be assembled in less than 10 minutes and even the clean up is easy. Since there is no cooking involved, anyone can make it. Kids can help by tearing the kale into small pieces, making the dressing and tossing the whole thing together. Also this salad can be  halved or doubled easily.

Refreshing, crunchy and tangy, it's perfect for a warm summer day.

Crazy Colorful Raw Kale Salad

Cook Time: 0

Prep Time: < 10 mins

Serves: 6-8, as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of  organic dinosaur kale (tear kale leaves into bite-size pieces, no stems)
• 1 large organic red bell pepper (cored, seeded and diced)  
• 1 small head of  organic cabbage (chopped, removed core)
• 1  large organic orange (peeled, segmented, cut into bite-size pieces)
• 1 cup of organic pineapple (diced)
• 1 small organic red onion (diced)
• 1/4 cup pepitas (optional) 

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp of  Dijon mustard 
• Juice of 1 small organic orange (or about 1/3 cup juice) 
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• Bragg's Liquid Amino or Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine kale, bell pepper, cabbage, orange,  pineapple, onion and pepitas in a large bowl.

In a side bowl make the dressing. Whisk together mustard, orange juice, vinegar, pepper and salt. Pour over the veggie mixture and toss to coat.  Let it marinate for about an hour before serving. It can be kept, refrigerated, for 3 days. Serves 6-8 people as a side dish. 

Nutritional Info per Serving (assuming you make 6 servings):
Calories: 150 ; Fat: 4g ; Carbohydrate: 28g ; Fiber: 6g ; Sugar: 10g ; Protein: 5g