Last Week's Pins- Food

Although making food is fun, I am not necessarily the chef in our home. The hubs is the one who enjoys finding new recipes, making reductions, and testing crazy things that take hours of kitchen time to make. Me, I like baking and a long time in the kitchen cooking is anything over 30-minutes. 

But, there is something about the summer in Michigan that makes me want to spend all day in my kitchen back home making super healthy snacks. This usually leads me to binge cook when we get back home or make super healthy noms for the family while vacationing on the lake (after camp, of course). 

Well, my need to cook/bake/be in a kitchen and make some super healthy meals took over this past week and almost every pin was something to do with food. Here are a few that I am absolutely counting down to August till I can make! 

Fig, Honey, and Ricotta Tartines

Pina Banana Colada Smoothie

Cheesy Broccoli Muffins

Stuffed Caprese Bites

Blueberry Coconut Pecan Breakfast Cookies

Cheesy Spaghetti Pie

Poached Egg and Avocado Toast

Raw Vegan Cheesecake Recipe

3 GREAT SMOOTHIES WITH CHIA

Chia seeds are a pretty incredible and tiny food. Not only do you get to sing the ch-ch-ch-chia song while making/buying/looking at them, they are also a great source of protein, omega-3, and omega-6 fatty acids. Chia seeds have 4.4 grams of complete protein per ounce and over 6,000 milligrams omega-3! Overnight oats are a great way to add chia into breakfast, but do take some pre-planning. As much as I try to pre-plan meals, I am more of a "what's left-over in the fridge" kind of girl. 

Since I also work from home, breakfast and lunches are usually eaten in. This was not always the case, but when the hubs and I stopped getting to-go lunches, we both started feeling healthier and that feeling is way better than Moe's nachos. These smoothies are things that can be made pretty quick and have chia added to them for a yummy, easy, and ridiculously healthy meal on the go. Of course, you can always add some chia to your favorite smoothie, but these are pretty great as well! 

Spinach, Kiwi, and Chia Smoothie

New Zealand is trying to get kiwi's back on the map- and by kiwis, I mean the fruit. I am all too happy to help with this fruitful endeavor (haha, get it, get it), especially when it can be mixed with spinach and chia for a nice green morning smoothie! Yes, you had me at spinach. And yes, I am having a punny kind of day. There are a couple of other great ingredients listed in the "added" section that I would completely recommend adding to this powerhouse smoothie as well! 

Green Power Smoothie

There is something to love about a green smoothie; they are just so pretty! This green smoothie has all the health power that you would expect to find in a smoothie the color of fresh cut grass. But that is where the similarities to fresh cut grass end. The Green Power Smoothie has yummy things like cucumber (skinned), spinach, non-dairy milk, and orange juice. Yum!  

Blueberry Chia Anti-Aging Smoothie

Here is a non-green smoothie in case you do not like the green ones quite as much as me. This smoothie is also great for those who would prefer to cut as little as possible and exchange cutting for scooping. The anti-aging smoothie comes with lots of extras like olive oil, protein powder, and coconut water. It is, for sure, the easiest smoothie to make. Ever. 

Matcha, The Benefits, and How to Use It

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Matcha green tee powder is getting a lot of buzz in the health and fitness world right now. This powder, as it's name implies, is a ground green tea powder from a special green tea growth and harvest process. Because of this special process both before and after the tea is harvested, matcha has extremely high levels of chlorophyll and amino acids. In fact, matcha green tea has over 20 times more amino acids than it's super food counterparts such as blueberries, pomegranates, spinach, dark chocolate or orange juice. And, as much as 127 times the antioxidants of green tea. This greater antioxidant level is mainly because you are ingesting the entire green tea leaf rather than the steeped form found in green tea.

5 Benefits of Matcha

• Reduces the Risks of Cancer: This high concentration of antioxidants, specifically the antioxidant EGCG, has health benefits that go beyond your usual pot of green tea. EGCG is considered an anti-carcinogen that may help reduce our risks of cancer.
• Anti-Anxiety: Matcha is also high in the amino acid L-theanine that is required for healthy brain function. L-theanine is known to help reduce anxiety in the brain by increasing alpha wave activity. Researchers have found this to help calm the mind and bring mental clarity.
• Detoxifies the Body: Matcha is high in chlorophyll. Chlorophyll increases oxygen levels and binds with toxins to help remove them from the body. It has also been found to reduce the risk of cancer and the effects of radiation.
• Anti-Aging: Like anything with extremely high levels of antioxidants, matcha helps reduce aging by fighting free radicals. Free radicals are one of the main causes of aging and high levels of antioxidants reduce them in our body.
• Helps with Weight Loss: Green tea helps increase thermogenesis, thus helping us burn more calories. A recent study has also shown that drinking matcha before a workout could burn up to 25% more fat while exercising.

How to Use It

Matcha powder can be purchased at almost any health food store, or ordered through Amazon Prime. Since I am on the steady road to becoming a hermit, Amazon Prime is my prefered method. Once you get your matcha, you can use it in quite a few ways and may be eating it already without knowing it. Although matcha was created in China, it is now commonly used in Japanese cuisine for soba noodles, green tea ice cream, and mochi. Here are a few other ways I will be using it this month.

Teas

Of course, you can make matcha into a green tea. For this, just boil some water and add it to a cup with one tablespoon of matcha green tea. Wisk, and add any other flavorings you wish. Here is a great matcha and ginger tea recipe!

Smoothies

Matcha can be added to any smoothie for an extra bit of antioxidants, amino acids, and protein. Here are five great smoothie recipes that uses matcha, along with some of delicious things!

Baked Goods

Matcha can be added to, what seems like, any baked good there is. Pancakes, yes. tiramisu, you got it. But what is really interesting me is this rice krispie matcha recipe. Yes, please!

Why Eat Kale

1. Flat Belly Kale Smoothie from Fitsugar 2. Lemony Kale Salad from Marthe Stewart 3. Spicy Tahini Baked Kale Chips from Pumps and Iron 4. Best Fish and Kale Recipe from P+K

Kale is a great way to get plenty of vitamins and nutrients along with fiber. Most of us know this already, and most of us eat is already. Here are just a few more reasons why we should all have some kale in our diets. Raw kale is 72% carbs, 12% fats, and 16% proteins. One cup of uncooked kale has:

• 33 calories
• 6.7 grams carbs
• 1.3 grams dietary fiber
• More omega-3 fatty acids than omega-6
• 206% the daily recommended vitamin A
• 134% the daily recommended vitamin C
• 684% the daily recommended vitamin K
• 26% the daily recommended manganese

We try to add kale to as many things as possible. Baby kale is great in smoothies with strawberries, bananas, and spinach. Cooked kale is incredible with fish, salt, and garlic, and kale chips are one of the yummiest splurge treats ever!