My son wanted to make sugar cookies for the Super Bowl. I’m not sure why, but he chose this particular cookie to represent his celebration. His usual favorite is chocolate chip. I haven’t made sugar cookies in years. Many years. I’m in love with the Minimalist Baker, so it was my go-to for a recipe. 

I used Bob Red Mill egg replacer, which becomes close to the consistency of applesauce. I wouldn’t have thought to use pumpkin puree as the binder, and I will one day. And you should, too! I usually use half a mashed banana for each egg, and less frequently applesauce. But I recently started using this powder. It is so much better than the boxed variety I was using in the 1990s!

My son wanted to be able to decorate the cookies for the team he was rooting for. The Philadelphia Eagles. He also asked to put up green and white streamers all around the living room. That wasn’t quite enough, though, he asked if he could use the confetti he received as a reward from his piano teacher during the game. He meticulously picked out the silver and green colored pieces which he then, hours later, threw out every time the Eagles inched closer to winning.

I didn’t anticipate how light the green color of the frosting would be. We could have added more dye to make it darker, but he was satisfied with this color, and quickly licked the beaters and ate a test cookie.

The best tip that Dana at Minimalist Baker shares in this recipe is to dip a glass in sugar before  pressing it down on the formed “heaping 1 tablespoon chilled dough” balls. Not only does this reduce a big chunk of mess, it leaves a tiny bit of extra sugar on top of the cookie. I would have pressed these a little harder, or next time, I may opt to roll the dough out and cut some shapes.

Again, I feel grateful that my son embraces a vegetarian lifestyle, and was happy to cook these cookies together with me, egg replacer and all.

This amazingly creamy sauce can be flavored as you wish. I’ve made it Italian, Greek, Indian, and Thai. Spices are seriously everything.

Even though this calls for an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender as well, just more loss of that amazing sauce. (wink) I read somewhere that cutting the spinach before sauteing it allows it to soak in more flavors, so I usually do that.

1. In a deep pan, sauté a diced onion with some garlic.
2. Add a little more olive oil and a quarter cup of heavy cream then stir in a couple teaspoons of flour. Mix until smooth, add your desired seasoning, and bring to a simmer.
3. Add mounds of spinach and allow to simmer for several minutes.
4. Use immersion blender and mix well.
5. Allow to simmer another minute or two and time to settle.

This sauce can be used on pizza, quesadillas, pasta, on rice, with chips, in a 7 layer dish, and beyond. The fat from the cream and the loaded spinach punch is a great way to get super valuable nutrition.

My guess is that you know some of the amazing benefits that spinach provides. We know it has a high content of iron and vitamins A and C. Rich in protein, it helps us increase metabolism and heal wounds. Have you also heard that by eating spinach, our skin is healthier, our eyesight is improved, and are muscles are stronger?

This amazing article explains in great detail the many health benefits of spinach.

I am aiming as much as I can towards a 100% whole food diet. The ease and convenience of middle-aisle supermarket packages means I don’t have to start from raw almonds to get cheese or chop up 5 quarts of vegetables to get a good base. But the more I am at least aware of what I am eating, and what it takes to preserve what I buy, I see myself easily making easier choices at the grocery store and making more time in the kitchen.

And did you know? Spinach originated in Persia (Iran today) and was grown in other central and Southwestern Asian countries. It made its way to India and then it went on to China through Nepal around 647, where it was called “Persian vegetable.” It was then taken to Sicily in 827. Its history is as rich as its nutrients! Footnote

Let’s keep up a bountiful crop of spinach in our diets.

I’m happy to share this easy recipe for natural stuffing with you!

Dice 1 onion and 3 stalks of celery, cook until soft in plenty of olive oil.

Dice up mushrooms, parsley, green onions while brewing 2 cups of green tea. Add the vegetables to the onions and celery, and add spices as you like – today I used sage, ground pepper, salt, oregano, and garlic.

After the mushrooms are soft, add the two cups of green tea (no need to squeeze the bag). Bring this to a simmer, then turn off burner. Add the soupy mixture to a pan of cubed and dried bread. Mix carefully to make sure every piece of bread finds moisture.

Put covered in the oven at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and let brown for another 15 minutes.

That’s it. So easy, so healthy!

I count myself lucky to have never been seriously sick. I know enough people who have a hard time moving from stiff joints, pained backs, or the immobility that being overweight brings. Not being able to move as you want is exhausting and often leaves one less productive than desired. This can lead to feeling down and certainly unmotivated.

Since I’ve been taking EvolvHealth products, I feel much calmer, am clearly driven to do more than ever, and best of all I’m clear thinking–a sweet relief for me with so much on my mind these days!

I was first interested in Evolv because of Limitless. I believed the anti-inflammatory benefits would be good for my athletic partner. Little did I know that it would be such an integral part of my daily life. Limitless has zero sugar; it fights fatigue, supports mental alertness, promotes joint comfort and flexibility, and fights free radicals.

Evolv Limitless contains a targeted concentration of beet root extract—with “nature’s anti-inflammatory,” betalains—found to reduce inflammatory markers by up to 47% in a clinical study (click here to read a copy of the study). Extracted using a patented process that leaves out all the nutrient-damaging, high-calorie sugar, the active ingredient in Evolv Limitless gives you a zero calorie, high-powered way to help you live life limitless!

I’ve heard some amazing testimonials about how Limitless provides a better quality of life that are way more sensational than mine. I can’t tell you that I no longer have knee pain while walking, or that I can hold a non-dementia restricted conversation, but I know that I am hands down more alert and upbeat from this little twice daily pill.

With all the toxic pesticides in use these days, it is surprising that we even keep eating fruits and vegetables, never mind being nudged to increase our daily intake! Organic produce is definitely always the way to go if you can find and afford it. Organic or not, it is important to clean produce well, and even when you are buying from the farmer’s market. I’d like to share some tips on washing fruits and vegetables and in another post we’ll look at best ways to store your food at home.

First off, only use cold water to wash the food, and don’t use detergents. Use your fingers under the running water to clean off the surface of your produce, and be sure to really tackle crevices where pesticides, herbicides, and bacteria like to settle — like the top of the apple, or under the strawberry green. For thicker skinned items, such as potatoes, it is helpful to use a vegetable brush to banish hard-to-remove microbes. After you wash the food, using a clean cloth or paper towel will help remove even more bacteria.

For leafy greens, if they are not sold as pre-washed, then the best way to get them clean is to soak them in cool water for a few minutes. If you don’t have a salad spinner to whisk them dry after draining, you can lay them on a clean towel to dry. Be sure to clean your salad spinner after every use with warm soapy water.

You can usually wait to clean your produce until you are ready to eat it to avoid damage. And be sure to store your veggies properly: tomatoes should be kept outside the fridge, as well as onions, potatoes, garlic, unless already cut. 

Include a large percentage of produce in your diet, and be sure to properly clean it so you can feel the benefits of a healthy body gained through good nutrition.

One of my go-to freezer items is Morning Star Farm’s meatless crumbles. It is so quick and easy to heat up and adds well to almost any meal. Besides the taste, I love that I can have the family eating a nutritious meal in under 15 minutes. The crumbles are of course high in sodium, but soak up any spice I give it, which allows it to pair well with rice, pasta, veggies, salad, and is especially delicious in a quesadilla!

These meatless crumbles contain 75% less fat than regular ground beef, and have 9 grams of protein, making them a welcome veggie addition to almost any dish. This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Iron, and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12.

Tonight when my son told me he was hungry for a pasta dish, and asked if we’d be eating soon, without missing a beat, I grabbed a pan and started boiling water. While the pasta was cooking, I put a bag of crumbles in another pan, added only extra virgin olive oil, ground pepper, oregano, and a little garlic powder (no salt), and while that sautéed over low-to-medium heat, I cut up a bunch of fresh broccoli and a few mushrooms, and added them to the crumbles with a little bit of water and covered. In those next couple minutes, I cleaned up my little mess on the counter, and stirred the fusilli until it was al dente. After draining the pasta, I added it to the pan with the crumbles and veggies, added a little more oil, stirred just enough to coat all the pasta with the flavorful topping and served our vegan meal.

I feel fortunate that my family enjoys a vegetarian diet, and that they prefer homemade meals filled with fresh and nutritious ingredients over dining out. If your family is the same, I hope you will try Morning Star Farms’ crumbles for your next recipe.