Smoothie Snapshot

Simple Green Smoothies
This is a rough recipe but healthy as can be. Blend to please your palate.

1-2 bananas
2 handfuls of fresh greens
Squeeze of lemon
2 oranges or juice
Water

Instapost: Serious Citrus

Time Magazine & The Great Butter Debate

Time Magazine boasts butter is better. I love butter so I'm stoked. Check out the article from their June archives.

Sweet Stevia: Coke & Pepsi Go Green

The plant Stevia is the latest healthy trend taking over the food world. It is an all-natural source of sweetness that replaces sugar at a fraction of the calories. Coke Life is already being tested in several markets and Pepsi True will hit Amazon mid-October. Read more here.

5 Minute Breakfasts From Women's Health

In need of a breakfast kickstart? Women's Health magazine has some delicious ideas on just what is needed to begin your day and lead an active lifestyle. From morning smoothies to loaded toasties, you are sure to find some inspiration here!

Succumbed to Soup

It's getting cold. I tried to ignore this and wear jean cut-offs the other day to lunch but to no avail. Mother Nature won that seasonal style battle and I was freezing while shopping by 4pm. So today I succumbed to soup and was it worth it! A hearty house-made vegetarian minestrone. We ordered two large bowls and they were passed round the tiny table giving everyone a sample. It was delicious. It warmed us. Bellies were filled. It was the perfect day for minestrone. Leaves are falling as I write this and I am absolutely looking forward to soup season.

What are your favorite soup recipes?

Healthy Snack Stack

It's the middle of the day. That time between "lunch is over" and "dinner's coming" when you need to nosh. Our team created this delicious mini masterpiece in our continuing effort to make smarter food choices. For a quick snack we would have normally grabbed a bag o' crisp chips with accompanying dip and had at it. Not today folks. So here's to your health & creating the body you want with easy and guilt-free snacks like this.

Healthy Snack Stack
Start with a brown rice cracker (or 2)
Slather some good hummus on. We chose carrot and kumara.
Slice one small tomato very thin and layer them on top of the hummus.
Put a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Sprinkle with parsley and salt if you desire.

No ingredients list here because it's just a snack to inspire and you stack on what you like. Use fresh spinach, grated carrot, sliced cucumber, diced capsicum, or grated cheese. Options are endless so get stackin' and start snackin'!

Go Bananas!

It was this gorgeous smoothie that inspired us to share our big fruit secret. It's banana "ice cream" which we now add to all our fruity treats. See our photos below on how we prep and freeze fresh bananas to easily craft our creamy creation.

Tip: peeled bananas freeze within the hour and will last for up to 2 weeks or longer in the freezer.

After freezing then all we do is blend it up with with our favorite fruits as the 1% of milk that's inherent in all bananas comes forth and the consistency of the prefect smoothie is achieved.

Best recipe here

We Are Plum Crazy

We are lucky enough to have a gorgeous plum tree that dips it's luscious branches onto our property. It is literally dripping with these purple and red natural little treats to eat. We have taken our fair share of the entire crop and cannot even eat them fast enough. The ground is laden with them and thus created another small chore for the children and they are eager to earn money for plum clean-up. I find them gently pulling beautiful balls of plums off of the low lying branches while they are raking the dropped ones in the yard. They are just that kind of ripe that makes every bite awaken the palette. They were dessert last night and we took them for morning tea today.

Plum benefits are endless but our top finds are as follows:

• Lowers blood pressure
• Keeps your tummy in good shape
• Lowers blood sugar
• Strengthens bone density
• Improved memory

Farrah Wraps: Join The Revolution

After breakfast I was compelled to do a quick post on Farrah Wraps. We have become bonafide devotees to the brand and the Garden Spinach variety in particular. We had the pleasure of meeting Jovan and Farrah, the charismatic tan behind the growing brand, at The Food Show this year. Their booth was a large and brightly lit full on cooking display. We sampled chicken quesadillas which were a familiar hit for the entire family. The wraps, or tortillas as we call them, are a bit larger than we are used to but cutting them in half for bite sized tacos is how we enjoy them. Farrah Wraps offer a much healthier option for those still wanting authentic Mexican foods. There usalso a whole wheat option that is just as delicious . We make all kinds of taco varieties using delicious fillings like potatoes, refried beans, or chorizo but this morning it was bacon and egg with lots of hot sauce. Absolutamente delicioso!

Geniuses Pick Green... Salads

Must do a quick share as we are just back from a night at the theater and our pre party event included this green salad. It featured locally sourced greens, pickled radishes, a heaping portion of pumpkin seeds, a montage of sprouts, and sweet red onion. The dressing was a light and lemony vinaigrette. Ingredients that are so fresh and clean are much needed to really keep us going. Food in its most natural state is how you obtain the most health benefits from it. Vegetables are our top choice to be served this way. They are mostly perfect straight from the earth and are a very sustainable crop.  Salads are just a smart and conscious choice for all of us to make.

We all met up after a long day of work and running around for an early dinner. We immediately found ourselves ensconced in conversation until the salads were served. It became that silent meal where no one speaks until after all dishes were emptied. Conversation immediately commenced but it was strictly green talk. The salad was divine all agreed.

Fun FoodFact: Adding a large green salad to your meal when dining out could provide half of the vegetables you need for the day.

In season ingredients simply make the best meals as exemplified here and three geniuses chose wisely.

(The show was good, too and though we are not really geniuses, we are counting our evening of Mozart as another smart choice.)

Follow all of our savory food indulgences on Twitter @svrysalvations.

Quintessentially Quinoa (keen-wa)

I just attended a lunch hosted by a fellow vegetable lover. Well, I'm a lover and she is more of a full ondevotee as they make up about 99% of her diet. As a vegetarian for over a decade, she masterfully created this vegetarian dish chocked full of freshness. It's a bold move serving up completely vegetarian dishes but this veggie veteran enlightened my taste buds. Cauliflower, sundried tomatoes, onions, broccoli, fresh tomato and roasted pumpkin seeds to finish it off. What is most amazing is that all of these ingredients were found in her pantry and cupboards at home. How many of you can say that? The key ingredient is Quinoa. It's a pseudocereal, a seed really, that is gluten free, cholesterol free, Kosher and almost always grown organically. In fact on my recent shopping adventures, I've yet to find a quinoa brand that's not. My hostess made it the base for this gourmet casserole and sent me home with leftovers which I must confess were my lunch and dinner the next day.

Food Fact:
Quinoa was a staple food in South America for thousands of years. It's a sustainable crop and even the Inca cultivated it at record high altitudes.

Quinoa is extremely healthy & perfect for vegetarians as it boasts the highest protein content of all the whole grains.

Be sure to stock up and find some amazing quinoa recipes online. You will be shocked as to view versatile a healthy food this is. It's so easy to prepare and try a pilaf or serve it with stir fry instead of rice. Try this quick recipe for a simple quinoa dish

Quick recipe!
It only takes15-20 to cook Quinoa
Cover it with water or fresh stock & boil until soft.
Add: Lemon juice, olive oil, & sprinkle of salt
Stir together and enjoy!

Below...
The delicious quinoa baked casserole dish that inspired this post.

Photo courtesy of The Salvation Series.