Hey Everyone! I am finding so many good, new recipes lately that I decided to send some out to all of you who are looking for some summer recipes to stay cool! I’m also including a few tidbits from other dimensions of health just to keep you on your toes and send some good health info your way!

Before we get started, just wanted to give a shout out to my friend Emily for making these amazing mugs for me!! First company mugs! Check it out —->

Now onto the recipes…

Physical Health- Recipes

Do you love your coffee, but find yourself sweating as you reach for it?! Cold brew is my favorite alternative in summer (even if it has to be decaf this summer)! Just make sure to savor it because it’s so easy to drink fast!

Cold Brew Coffee:

Combine 100g of coarse ground coffee and ½ gallon of water in a pitcher or container for 18-24 hours. Filter grounds and enjoy for up 3 days. (Add more or less water depending on desired taste- it may take some experimenting) 

This was a picture from my Sunday night meal prep a few days ago. If you don’t plan your meals and do most of your grocery shopping at once and/or don’t meal prep yet, I highly recommend it! It leaves you with so much less stress throughout the week, so much more time, and sets you up to eat healthy all week!

Banana Raspberry Bran Muffins:

The only modification I made was to add raspberries because I love them in muffins! It makes them a little more moist as well. Add a nut butter or jam for added flavor!

Original Source: https://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/easyrecipe-print/9990-0/ 

Serves: 12 Muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cups wheat bran
• ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice)
• 2 medium bananas, mashed
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1½ tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup honey
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 3 Tbsp chopped walnuts (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine wheat bran and milk and let sit for about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, egg, coconut oil, vanilla, and honey and set aside.
4. In another bowl combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
5. When the bran mixture is ready, stir it into the banana mixture then add in the flour mixture until just combined. Next fold in the chopped walnuts, if desired.
6. Divide batter into 12 prepared muffin cups and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool for about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Paleo Banana Bread Muffins: (Not Pictured)

I added raspberries to this recipe, and it served as an excellent desert- almost cupcake-like!

Original Recipe Source: https://www.theroastedroot.net/paleo-double-chocolate-banana-bread-muffins/

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup ripe banana mashed (2 large bananas)
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups finely ground almond flour
• 1/2 cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 small package of raspberries (about 1 cup)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tray with muffin cups (or grease).
2. Add all ingredients except chocolate chips to a blender and blend until smooth (or just use a mixer). Stir in the chocolate chips and raspberries if desired.
3. Transfer batter to muffin pan, filling the holes 3/4 of the way up.
4. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven 18 to 22 minutes, or until muffins are puffy and cooked through. Allow muffins to cool at least 40 minutes before serving.

Coconut Energy Balls ( I call them Monster Balls because they remind me of Monster Cookies!):

Original Source: https://www.clarebills.com/2018/09/13/coconut-energy-balls/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_smartloop&utm_content=smartloop&utm_term=13512340 

Other delicious possibilities include: raisins, butterscotch chips, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit

Ingredients

• 1 cup quick oats
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup coconut
• ½ cup flax seed meal
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Mix in a bowl.
2. Cover, and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Roll or scoop into balls.
4. Keeps one week in a covered container in the fridge.

Egg Bake: 

This recipe was originally taken from a crustless quiche recipe, but I made so many modifications, I now claim this bad boy as my own!

Ingredients:

• 6-10 slices bacon chopped
• Fresh or thawed frozen spinach- about 10 oz
• 1 onion- diced
• 1 bunch asparagus stalks cut into 1-2-inch pieces
• ½ red bell pepper
• ½ yellow bell pepper
• ½ orange bell pepper
• 1 package fresh mushrooms
• 1-2 small sweet potatoes
• 4 cloves garlic crushed/diced
• 10 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1-2 cups (depending on desired amount) cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a 9 x 13 casserole pan.
2. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add chopped bacon (or cook in the oven at 375 on a cookie sheet for about 40 minutes while prepping other veggies). Cook until crisp, then remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
3. Reserve the grease in the pan and add sweet potatoes, diced onion, and asparagus. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Then add mushrooms and diced peppers and sauté another 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes until it releases an aroma.
5. Break eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk together with milk- use mixer for extra fluff.
6. Add spinach, bacon, sautéed veggies, salt, pepper, and cheese to the 9 x 13 pan. Stir to evenly distribute all ingredients.
7. Pour egg mixture evenly over ingredients in pan. 
8. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until center is set. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Chop Salads:

Thai Peanut and Quinoa Salad:

Original Recipe Source: https://cookieandkate.com/thai-peanut-quinoa-salad-recipe/

I add about 1 pound of baked chicken thighs- bake at 425 for 18-20 minutes with salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and ginger powder, then chop and add to salad as prepared below:

Salad

• ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 ½ cups water
• 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 cup thinly sliced snow peas or sugar snap peas
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
• ¼ cup chopped roasted and salted peanuts, for garnish

Peanut sauce

• ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I love ginger so I used 2 teaspoons)
• ½ lime, juiced (about 1 ½ tablespoons)
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer the quinoa until it has absorbed all of the water. Remove the quinoa from heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce: Whisk together the peanut butter and tamari until smooth (if this is difficult, microwave the mixture for up to 30 seconds to loosen it up). Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. If the mixture seems too thick to toss into the salad, whisk in a bit of water to loosen it up (I didn’t need to do this).
3. In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, shredded cabbage, carrot, snow peas, cilantro and green onion. Toss to combine, then pour in the peanut sauce. Toss again until everything it lightly coated in sauce. Taste, and if it doesn’t taste quite amazing yet, add a pinch of salt and toss again. Divide into individual bowls and garnish with peanuts.
4. This salad keeps well, covered and refrigerated, for about 4 days. If you don’t want your chopped peanuts to get soggy, store them separately from the rest and garnish just before serving.

NOTES

Recipe minimally adapted from Frugal Vegan by Katie Koteen and Kate Kasbee. 

 

Sesame Chicken Chopped Salad:

I substituted almonds for salted cashews and enjoyed this taste as well.

Original Recipe Source: https://www.wholekitchensink.com/sesame-chicken-chopped-salad

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• 1/3 cup coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the Salad:

• 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 4 diced green onions (can sub for 1/2 red onion finely diced)
• 1/2 large green cabbage, thinly sliced, or one whole green cabbage if it’s small
• 1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 cups shredded or matchstick carrots
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 can Mandarin oranges (no sugar/syrup – check labels!)
• 1/2 cup chopped and loosely packed cilantro
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl or blend together
2. In a plastic baggie, add about 3-4 tablespoons of dressing with the chicken. Allow to marinate for at least a half hour (I skipped this step)
3. Add chicken with the dressing into a large skillet and cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until cooked thoroughly or grill
4. Allow to cool to room temperature before chopping and adding to the salad
5. Combine all other salad ingredients besides dressing and chicken in a large bowl
6. When chicken is cool, add to the salad
7. Stir in dressing well and enjoy!

BBQ Ranch Chopped Salad:

Original Recipe Source: https://therealfoodrds.com/bbq-ranch-chopped-salad/

INGREDIENTS

• 4–5 cups chopped kale (about 1 bunch)
• 2 cups shredded brussels sprouts
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup diced red onion (I used sweet to cut the onion breath effect)
• 3–4 strips no-sugar bacon
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 3/4 cup Tessemae’s Ranch dressing
• 3 Tbsp. Tessemae’s BBQ sauce 
• Optional – 2 green onions (whites and green parts), chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine ranch and BBQ sauce in blender or bowl.
2. To toast the almonds if desired (or leave raw). 
3. Trim ends of brussels sprouts and slice thinly with a sharp knife (or chop in food processor/blender). 
4. In a large serving bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients (except for the optional green onions and if you wish 2 Tbsp. of sliced almonds for adding to top).
5. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss until evenly coated. ( leave unused dressing and salad separate if you want salad to keep for longer)
6. Garnish with green onions and sliced almonds if you wish.

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Environmental Health- Going Green with Metal Water Bottles

I’ve recently gotten on board with the “go green movement”, not only eliminating disposable water bottles, but also going with the stainless steel bottle (vs hard plastic) that I know is the best option health. The only kicker is that they aren’t dishwasher safe. The solution?: OxyClean. In my large water bottle (64 oz) that I use, I add 1 TBSP of the detergent and then fill the bottle with water, shake it briefly, and let it sit for about 30 minutes (or until I remember it’s in the sink). Then, I rinse it and wash it as normal in the sink and it leaves no aftertaste or extra suds! You can even use the water bottle for drinks other than water and it takes the taste right out! 

Environmental Health- Photo Organization (FreePrints and Photobooks (same company))

Looking to organize your photos? The FreePrints app allows you to get up to 80 free prints a month and only pay shipping. The Photobooks app allows you to make your own photo books for free each month as well and only pay shipping. I’ve been doing it every other month because I don’t have enough photos to redeem it every month, but it works really well and you can even write captions and choose different themes for the background!

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Mental/Emotional Health- Gratitude Journal

I have recently begun to be more purposeful about gratitude because it helps you feel good and there are so many new studies out there about the power of being thankful! It is one of the best emotions we can experience and helps us to focus on the positive in life. An app I found is 365 Gratitude. There are several others that can be used, but this one allows you to add photos to a “Memory Jar” and list things that you really enjoyed about the day. Even on the days I don’t formally enter in the app, it still sends me a reminder, which helps me to mentally note things I was thankful for throughout the day!

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Spiritual Health- Bible in One Year

If you’re looking to read the Bible in a Year and would like an app, I highly recommend the Bible in One Year app. It includes devotions along with readings from multiple books of the Bible each day. I’ve been doing it for about a month now, and it’s one of my favorite ways I’ve read the Bible yet!

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Intellectual Health- Repeat Habit Tracker App

Looking to accomplish some goals in your personal or professional life? This app helps you to create new habits by giving you daily reminders of tasks you should be carrying out and discontinues reminders once your new habit is a part of your routine. You can customize reminders or completely turn them off. I simply liked the checklist aspect of it because it was a great way to keep a to-do list of my daily tasks.

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Social Health- The Seven Principles for Making a Marriage Work by John Gottman

We haven’t gotten very far in this book yet, but my husband and I are reading this together for ideas on how to keep our marriage strong. It is a highly rated book and definitely worth a look!

Social Health- Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline by Becky Bailey

This book is written by the same author that created a discipline system my school district was adopting the year I left. It’s all about conscious discipline and mastering yourself and being the role model your children need. It also outlines how we can’t parent in anger and need self-control and understanding of developmental ability in order to parent to each child’s capabilities and needs. I would highly recommend it if you are looking to improve your parenting and understand the psychology behind a child’s development instead of just flying by the seat of your pants (which is kinda just parenting, right?) ;).

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Alright, that is all for this time, but I’ll keep accumulating health info and keep you in the loop! Until next time, stay healthy!

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Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character.

Ghandi