Iced Green Tea with Raw Honey

I love Starbucks iced green tea (sweetened). If I'm there it's been my regular order. But I'm sure the sweetener in them is junk and the cost to make it is practically pennies! So...I just started making it myself. I cut the refined sugar and added raw honey. I think this one beats the flavor of the Starbucks version too! It's also a yummy drink to brew for a summer party or shower. It's light, sweet and refreshing. Here's the easy recipe.

12 cups water

12 green tea bags (I use jasmine green)

1/2-2/3 cup raw honey (add more if you're from the south,  :)

Place tea bags in water and bring to a medium boil. Once water boils let tea bags sit 1 minute with heat turned off. Take bags out and add honey, stir until melted and mixed in. Let cool on stove 15+ minutes. Store in pitcher and serve 8.oz of tea to 8.oz of ice. 

 Enjoy!

Cj

Brannon Fam Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies

Ok, yummy gluten free cookies are hard to come by for me. These my friends, are delish! You won't miss the flour and neither will your stomach :) Super easy and super yummy!

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/2 T. cinnamon

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla 

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda.

1 cup peanut butter

3 cups GF oats (trader joes :)

8.oz chocolate chips

4.oz raisins

1/3 cup sunflower seeds or other nuts

Preheat oven to 350. Combine honey, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. Beat until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and baking soda and mix well. Add peanut butter and mix. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, raisins and nuts.  Place a teaspoon full of dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet (2 inches apart). Bake 10-12 minutes until golden around edges.

(inspired from a Trader Joe's recipe)

 Makes about 4 dozen.

Enjoy! 

Cj

sneaky sauce

My boys are great eaters, and I normally just make them eat whatever I've served them...but recently they've not been digging steamed or cooked green veggies. Any spinach, kale or zucchini with that stemmed mushy texture is now a battle for them to eat. So I decided to save the mushy green veggie battle and have been sneaking the veggie into the sauce! No one knows it's there and they gobble it up! 

Just add raw veggies to your pasta sauce, blend in vita mix or food processor, heat until it comes to a boil and serve! 

I added 3 zucchini and 3 cups raw Kale! 

Enjoy!

Cj

Spinach and Egg Tacos

Leanna, These are for you :)

Yum Yum Yum... and ridiculously easy. We eat these for breakfast lunch and dinner :) My boys love them and I love that they're healthy and not a big mess to make...key for me these days. It's another not really a recipe recipes . 

Spinach and Egg Taco's

6-8 eggs

1 cup spinach

pinch of salt and paper

1 tsp. taco seasoning

1.5-2 cups cheddar cheese (i love trader joe's raw milk mild cheddar)

12 small corn taco size tortillas

salsa (optional)

Scramble and cook eggs, adding spinach in when eggs are halfway cooked, season with sea salt and pepper. While eggs cook, sprinkle tortillas with cheese and pinch of taco seasoning and toast in toaster oven/reg.oven until cheese is melted and bubbly. Layer about 2 spoons worth of eggs on to the tortillas, fold in half like tacos and Enjoy! 

You can add a scoop of salsa for some extra flavor, but they're good with out it!

Enjoy!
cj

perfect rainy day dinner :)

Here's what I'm making for dinner tonight! It's the perfect one pot meal for a rainy day like today :) Packed with good healthy things and so tasty! This is a total repeat recipe in my kitchen. Kids love it too!

Giada's Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
• 11 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Enjoy! 

Cj

no-bake protein packed chewy granola cups :)

Ya, still working on the name...it is a bit long?

I'm munch'n on one right now, just to make sure they're blog worthy :)...I think they are!

1 c. coconut flakes (i use unsweetened/ unsulfered)

1 1/2 c.oatmeal (can use GF oats)

1 c.peanut butter

2/3 c. honey

1/4 c. flax seeds

1/4 c. sliced almonds

1/4 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c.chopped walnuts

1/4 c. pepitas or pumpkin seeds

1/4 c. dried pineapple, chopped

mix dry ingredients well in a large bowl, then add in peanut butter and honey, mix until a dough is formed, scoop 2 generous tablespoons into paper linked muffin tins, pack down firmly, cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours to allow them to set (you can eat them before, but they crumble:) 

Any of the nuts or dried fruit can be subbed! Cherries or blueberries would be yum! 

And of course chocolate chips won't hurt anything :)

I have posted a few granola bar recipes before, but I think this one is the new winner. I love easy things like these to make and keep in the fridge for good healthy "real/clean food"snacks! I don't know where the muffin cup idea came from? But it's the perfect snack size and is less messy than regular bars. It's kind of like homemade Cliff bars! But way tastier!

 I hope you enjoy too!

Cj 

ghetto fab popsicles w/ green smoothies

Ok, random timing for popsicles :/ but I had to share. 

I live in Los Angeles. And since sometimes in the middle of winter we have lovely 75 degree days...like today.  It's the perfect day to make popsicles :) I often keep these in our freezer for way easy healthy snacks!

It's another not really a recipe recipes. I've got 3 little munchkins these days...as you can tell my recipes on the blog are getting quite ghetto! 

Just freeze green smoothies into small dixie cups with large tooth picks inserted in the middle the sticks! Pop in the freezer for a few hours and ta da! Peel the cup off and you've got healthy "green popsicles".

The ones in the pic above are made with Greens berry mix, bananas, orange juice and ice.... 

but you can do them the Sneaky Spinach way too!

Enjoy!

Cj

Sneaky Spinach Smoothies

 If you're feeling blah from too many holiday treats, whip one of these up, do 100 jumping jacks and you'll be feeling great in no time :)

1 frozen banana

1 1/2 cup of frozen fruit

3-4 cups fresh organic spinach

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

orange juice (fill blender 1/2-3/4 way full)

Blend in blender until smooth, Enjoy!

Have a wonderful week,

Cj

(photo cred. 52kitchenadventures.com)

change your life chicken

Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit?!

But this chicken recipe really has made my life much easier!

It's probably the easiest chicken recipe in the world! 

Throw it in the crock pot and go! Great for busy days!

• 2-3 teaspoons salt 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large roasting chicken 
• 1 cup chopped onions (optional)*For extra flavor you can stuff with a cut lemon, handful of fresh herbs, and head of garlic cut in half.And add any additional seasonings or spices! 

Remove any giblets from chicken and clean chicken. Rub spice mixture onto the chicken. Put chopped onion in bottom of crock pot. Add chicken. No liquid is needed, the chicken will make it's own juices. Cook on low 4-6 hours. 

Last week I made this and got 3 meals out of it!! How's that for convenient?!

1.The first night we ate it as is, just roasted chicken with some steamed veggies and a spinach salad.

2.The second night I used the broth that was left over and 1/2 the left over meat to make a yum homemade chicken noodle soup (recipe coming :).

3.The third night I used the other half of the chicken to make chicken enchiladas!

Enjoying dinner being made while I'm away or doing something else!

CJ

No-Bake Energy Bites

These are delicious.

You should make them .

I made them today and they were pretty rocking.

No-Bake Energy Bites
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

P.S.  I didn't have coconut flakes in my pantry so I subbed it for 1/2 cup raisins, 1/4 coconut oil and 1/4 cup Trader Joes Pumpkin Butter, it was delish!

They reminded me a lot of these...
brannonpeople...the blog: Granola Bars :)

The recipe is from this cute blog...

Smashed Peas and Carrots


Thanks Maggie for the yummy recipe!
My boys and I are enjoying them right now.
Cj

protein pancakes

Ok, I don't know if I am going to be able to communicate how excited I am about these things?!

Protein pancakes are our new favorite thing!! They are SO YUMMY and can be done a million different ways. My friend Melinda gave me this recipe after I told her my boys were bottomless pits and were always hungry?! It is a great way to "sneakily" get protein in and avoid them snacking on unsatisfying carbs. You can make them sweet or savory and they are not only for kids :) They taste like a crepe and a pancake hybrid and you would never guess they are mainly made of eggs and cottage cheese?! You just combine these ingredients in a blender and blend til smooth,

2 eggs

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup flour (you can sub whole wheat or almond flour )

(you could also easily add  a 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, or any fruit or veggie puree, or go sweet with coco powder, peanut butter, or chocolate chips :)

Pour into a well greased pan, and cook just like you would cook pancakes! 

Flipping them over once one side is golden. 

(Serves 2-3, or a mom and 2 kids ;) I doubled the recipe this morning to feed our whole fam)

This morning I added 3/4 of a banana to the mix and blended well, then used the remaining 1/4 to slice and serve on top with a drizzle of maple syrup :)

Delish! 

Tomorrow we are going savory! I'm going to add spinach, mushrooms and feta to the mix! I'll let ya, know how it goes:)

Try these! I promise you'll enjoy

Cj

(image credit: epicurian.com)

roasted asparagus soup

A friend and I were trading ideas of real food/ clean food recipes and she told me about a recipe similar to this. She recommended this one because it doesn't cost much to make and its super nutritious! I found this  Roasted Asparagus Soup @ the FatFree Vegan Kitchen and it is delish! Asparagus is on the  Clean Fifteen list and it was on sale at Pavillions, $1.69  a pound, so I had to make it! The soup cost about $5 to make :) and made a huge amount! I served it with Ina's Roasted Chicken sliced over a bed of organic baby greens.

Recipe: Roasted Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

• 2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 small onion, sliced
• 2 cups warm vegetable broth or “no-chicken” broth
• 1/2 ounce raw cashews (1 heaping tablespoon) or 1 tablespoon cashew butter
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• salt to taste
• grated peel of 1/2 lemon or orange

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Place the asparagus spears on a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Roast for 10 minutes. Turn asparagus and sprinkle the onion and garlic over it. Roast for about 10 more minutes, until asparagus is very tender. If anything looks like it’s browning too much, take it out. (Important Note: These directions are for thicker asparagus. Thin asparagus may take much less time so start with 6 minutes, turn and add onions and garlic, and check again in 5.)
2. While the asparagus is roasting, blend 1/2 cup of the broth with the cashews and pepper until smooth. Leave it in the blender.
3. When the asparagus is done, select several of the best-looking spears, remove the tops, and set aside to use as garnish. Cut the remaining asparagus into pieces and put it and the onion and garlic into the blender, along with the remaining broth. Cover the blender and blend on high until perfectly smooth.
4. If you’re using a Vita-Mix, you can blend it on high for a few more minutes until piping hot (remove the center cup and cover with a kitchen towel to allow steam to escape). Otherwise, pour the soup into a saucepan and heat until hot, stirring frequently. Add salt, if needed, to taste.
5. Pour into bowls and sprinkle with grated lemon or orange peel. Garnish each bowl with the reserved asparagus spears and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Preparation time: 5 minute(s) | Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

 Cj

Granola Bars :)

A friend was looking for this recipe and couldn't find it on the blog! I posted these a while back but they got very lost on the blog roll and weren't easy to find! 

They're so yummy that I thought I'd just post them again! 

brannonpeople...the blog: our new favorite snack!

I need to go make another batch of these because they do not stick around this house for more than 24 hours!  I've made 2 batches already this past week!

I am always looking for healthy, "real food" snacks for Hudson ( ok... and me :)  So I asked my "gluten free/ wheat free" friend Lindsey if she had an new fun recipes. She recommended this is one.  It is SO quick and easy to make and is a great alternative to store bought, junk bars!

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

1/2 cup of honey

2/3 cup of peanut butter

1 cup of oats (I used Bob's Red Mill GF rolled oats)

2 cups of rice krispy cereal (gluten free and low sugar)

raisins (however many you desire)

( I finely chopped a 1/2 cup of trail mix... yum! the nuts and hint of chocolate you can't go wrong with!)

Put the honey in a medium size pot and put it on low heat. Stir constantly. You want it to thin out and be melty but not to boil. When it gets to that point you can add in the peanut butter. Stir this until it gets really smooth. At that point turn of the heat and stir in your oats and rice cereal. Add the raisins or whatever dried fruit you would like. After everything is stirred together, lay out some parchment paper, dump everything out and form into a square. Let them harden up a little bit, cut them, put them in a storage container and put them in the refrigerator. 

Enjoy!

Cj

chocolate greens shake?

Here's our new favorite healthy treat! A yummy way to get some green superfood in.

Chocolate Greens Superfood? That sounds disgusting, you may think?

But it's delish! It really is tasty just mixed into cup of milk, but we like to do chocolate peanut butter banana shakes with it!

8 oz. milk or almond milk

1 cup of ice

1 small banana (works even better if its frozen :)

1 scoop chocolate greens powder

1 tablespoon of peanut butter

Just mix these ingredients into a blender until smooth!

We also love the Amazing Greens Kidz Super Food Wild Berry flavor mix too, just mixed with water! The kids drink this instead of juice once a day! I prefer this over most regular greens powders...I drink this too :)

Enjoy!

Cj

Spring Salads!

So my friend Michelle who is a wonderful chef, like real chef... like pre-momma days worked in restraunt chef, posted this delish springy chickpea salad on her blog a day or two ago. 

I had half the ingredients but still wanted to make something like it, so I did a little spin off on her recipe and made an impromptu salad. Here is Michelle's yummy recipe and my impromptu recipe!

I love the raw and fresh taste of these springy salads!

Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe Michelle!

Michelle's Springy Chick Pea Salad

Get out a big bowl, cutting board and knife and a can opener...

chop and combine the list of ingredients and you are done!

2 cans garbonzo beans or chickpeas- drained and rinsed

1/2 cucumber

handful of baby carrots

handful of grape tomatoes

handful fresh basil

7 oz. feta cheese

juice from 1 lemon

drizzle of olive oil

dash of salt and pepper

(and here's the in-my-fridge recipe)

CJ's dill chick pea salad

2 cans garbonzo beans or chickpeas- drained and rinsed

3 large carrots finely chopped

3 stalks of celery finely chopped

handful fresh dill finely chopped (or generous season of dried dill)

a few large dashes of Cavendars or Greek Seasoning

juice from 1 lemon

drizzle of olive oil

dash of salt and pepper

Combine and Enjoy!

Cj

Wild Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

Ok, so you know something is really good, when you've had it for lunch and dinner, 2 days in a row and are sad that it's all gone! I'm not a fan or leftovers for days, but Chad and I were quite sad to see this gone! 

I watched Amelia Durand and Ina Garten, make this on Barefoot Contessa one night, and of course had to go to the store the next morning to get the goods to make it! This recipe does entail quite a lot of chopping and a bit of prep time, but it is worth the work! It is a great dish for a large group, too. It's an entire dinner all in one pot! It is so fresh and flavorful, it will be a new staple in our house :)

 I also love the way the shrimp go in at the very last step, they just steam in the rice, cooked to perfection! Chad and I both said the shrimp tasted like lobster, it was perfectly moist and not over cooked!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound sausage, such as kielbasa or andouille, sliced
• 1 pound smoked ham, cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 cup seeded and diced tomato
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced OR 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons diced fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon diced fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 3 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 to 8 dashes hot sauce, optional (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pound medium wild caught shrimp, deveined (20 to 24 count)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or black iron pot over medium heat, add the kielbasa and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl, and set aside. Add the ham to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to the bowl with the kielbasa, and set aside. Add the butter, onion, celery and peppers to the same pot and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno or cayenne, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well. Add the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausage, ham, bay leaves, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the scallions, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the lemon juice and the shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.

Garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup scallions and 1/2 cup parsley, and a dash of hot sauce, if desired.

(Amelia Durand, 2010)( photo:www.AllYou.com)

enjoy!

Cj

Indonessian Ginger Chicken

Way easy and super yummy! Make it, It will be a hit :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
• 1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
• 2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed

Directions

Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown. (Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

Enjoy!

Cj