Easy chocolate brownies: healthy and vegan

Hello everyone, I would like to thank you for reading my posts and following my blog. Please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family.

I have not written since December 10,2014 ! I won't give the regular excuses: holidays, sick kids, busy etc... LOL They are true but they are only excuses. I have not written because I did not make my blog a priority. I didn't make time for me to sit down and write. I have been posting on my facebook page : www.facebook.com/healthymamashealthybabies and my instagram account : www.instagram.com/bzhealthymama

I promised several people that I will catch up on my recipes so here is the first one.
I baked these brownies few times and each time I altered something ; however, the recipe I am listing now is the one the kids liked the most. I liked ALL LOL
So let's get started !!

In the making 

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp coconut milk ( or any other milk of choice)
1 cup mashed black beans
2 cups of coconut sugar
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup or less of dark unsweetened or semi sweetened chocolate chips

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Add the mashed beans ( I had soaked the beans overnight, then mashed them in the vitamix blender), coconut milk and water.
• Mix all ingredients together. 
• Before you pour the mixture in a baking dish, make sure you spread a little bit of coconut oil in the bottom of the dish or any oil of choice. I like using coconut oil.
• Pour mixture and spread evenly in the baking dish.
• Pour some chocolate chips on top.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes ( until the toothpick you stick comes out clean/dry)
• Remove from oven and enjoy ! 

Final product

Thank you so much for reading my post, please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family.

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All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.

The owner of bzhealthymama.blogspot.com will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

Easy dinner idea: Vegan Kale Pasta

Hello everyone, I would like to thank you for reading my posts and following my blog. Please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family.

Few weeks ago , we were invited to my cousin's house for an adult dinner. Well her little one did wake up but we still considered it adult dinner LOL since we were drinking red wine ;)

Before going to dinner ;)



Since my cousin knows I eat plantbased, she made a dish for moi ;) Well everyone ate from it too, so I guess it was for everyone too :) It was DELICIOUS so I asked her for the recipe and I made it for us, I tweaked a little bit ofcourse.
I would like to add, I recently started enjoying cooking. I am not the type of person who just creates recipes from scracth ! I always look up recipes, add something, omit or replace etc... So I make the recipe which is widely used, let's say, my own. I have made several Lebanese dishes I grew up eating without meat, or added something different.
Busy moms don't have time to re-create the wheel! The recipes are out there, remake them using the healthiest, cleanest ingredients.
Enough talking !! Let's get to business ;)




Ingredients:


2 bunches kale (washed and chopped)
1 tbsp. Olive oil
1-basket cherry tomatoes or regular tomatoes chopped ( which I used)
1 1/2 head garlic minced
Vegetable broth or water
Pasta of choice

Method:

Cook pasta according to package and set aside,

1. Sauté garlic in olive oil
2: Add tomatoes( sauté until tender)
3: Season with salt/pepper. I also used thyme, oregano and sage.
4: Add kale then  about a cup of vegetable broth or water
5: Lower heat and let simmer until  kale is tender and broth/water reduces
6: Toss pasta with kale or just serve over it like I did !

In the making ! 

I would like to thank my cousin Aimee for this recipe :) I am not sure if she created it or followed. She used cherry tomatoes and as you can see I used regular tomatoes. She added salt and pepper and I used more spices.   I love using spices...Spices and dried herbs are great for digestion and make the food taste EPIC ;)
Enjoy !!

Final product! 

Easy dinner/lunch idea: Homemade vegetable soup ( vegan and healthy)

Hello everyone, I would like to thank you for reading my posts and following my blog. Please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family.

As it is starting to get colder, warming foods such as soups are important. Our ancestors ate with the seasons. They made soups and stews when it was cold and more cooling foods when it was warm. So why did we change? Why did we become a society that eats ice creams in the middle of winter. I do live in Southern California and our weather is mainly hot year round but I was born and raised in Lebanon where we did have all 4 seasons.  So having soups during this time of the year is very comforting for me.
Try to find out what your ancestors ate and experiment with it. Maybe you will find it more soothing , maybe not. Nothing to lose ;)
Let's get to the recipe!

Ingredients:
1/2 -1 onion chopped ( if you love onions add more)
celery (2-3 depending on what you like)
carrots (2-3)
small potatoes (6-7) I used the really tiny potatoes but if you are using Russet or red, you can use 3-4 medium ones
mushrooms
olive oil
salt, peppers and spices to taste( I used thyme, oregano, cumin, cardamom)
bay leaf
Water ( or veggie brother if you like) 2-3 cups.

Heat olive oil a little, add the onions , sautee for few minutes. Then add veggies, season and sautee all for 4-5 minutes to bring out the flavor ( it's like you are making your own veggie broth before you add the water).
Add water, bay leaf, bring to a boil, then lower heat and let it simmer covered until all veggies are cooked.



You can add less water if you don't want it too liquidy ( is that a word ?? LOL).  You can add any spices you like or omit any I mentioned.
Spices are good for digestion, they make food more digestible.  They also bring out the flavor of the vegetables and make your food taste better.
When I used to cook before, I didn't use spices so my cooking tasted bland and always needed something ;)
"Spice it up!"
This is the secret to great homemade cooking :)

Enjoy !!

Raw vegan chocolate mylk

Hello everyone, I would like to thank you for reading my posts and following my blog. Please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family.

Ingredients:

3-4 bananas

5 pitted medjool dates 

1 liter of water ( I wanted it more watery, less water if you want it thick )

1-2 tbsp of raw cacao powder 

1-2 tsp maca powder 

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender and enjoy!

Thank you so much for reading my post, please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family.

Follow me on Instagram , tmblr, and twitter: @bzhealthymama;http://www.instagram.com/bzhealthymama
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All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.

The owner of bzhealthymama.blogspot.com will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

Raw Chocolate Maca Ice Cream

Hello everyone, I would like to thank you for reading my posts and following my blog. Please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family.

Ingredients: 

2 frozen bananas 

5 medjool dates( pit removed)

1/2 tsp maca powder 

A little coconut milk( add more if you want to make it softer )

1 tbsp raw cacao

Method :

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender such as a vitamix . I usually start blending at 7, then higher ;) 

Sprinkle dates and mulberries on top ! 

Enjoy ❤️

Maca powder : 

"Lepidium meyenii, known commonly as maca, is an herbaceous biennial plant of the crucifer family native to the high Andes of Peru around Lake Junin."*

Maca is known to:

1- boost energy

2- balance hormones 

3- may have benefits for brain and mental health 

4- lower blood pressure 

*Information gathered from Wikipedia and livestrong.com

 

Thank you so much for reading my post, please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family.

Follow me on Instagram , tmblr, and twitter: @bzhealthymama;http://www.instagram.com/bzhealthymama
Facebook: Healthy Mamas, Healthy Babieshttps://www.facebook.com/HealthyMamasHealthyBabies?ref=hl




All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.

The owner of bzhealthymama.blogspot.com will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

Easy and healthy lunch/dinner idea: Cauliflower brown rice

Hello everyone, I would like to thank you for reading my posts and following my blog. Please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family.

                                                              Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

1/2 onion

1-2 tsp of olive oil

Frozen peas, carrots ( assorted veggies)

1/2 head of cauliflower ( cut into florets)

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1/2 tsp of cumin

salt, pepper to taste

2 and 3/4 cups of water

one cup of brown rice

Method:

Heat oil for a minute, then add onions.  Sautee the onions for few minutes. Then add the cauliflowers, veggies, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin ( or any other spice you like). Sautee for 3-4 minutes.

Then add the water, bring to a boil uncovered.

Next, add the rice, turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer until rice is cooked. 

It will take about 30-45 minutes.  Enjoy !

Brown rice contains the highest amount of B vitamins out of all grains. Additionally, it contains iron, vitamin E, amino acids, and linoleic acid. Brown rice is high in fiber, extremely low in sodium, and is composed of 80% complex carbohydrates.  Brown rice promotes good digestion, quenches thirst, balances blood sugar and regulates mood swings*

* Brow rice: whfoods.com

Thank you so much for reading my post, please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family.

Follow me on Instagram , tmblr, and twitter: @bzhealthymama; http://www.instagram.com/bzhealthymama
Facebook: Healthy Mamas, Healthy Babies https://www.facebook.com/HealthyMamasHealthyBabies?ref=hl



All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.

The owner of bzhealthymama.blogspot.com will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.



Green smoothie

Hello everyone, I would like to thank you for reading my posts and following my blog. Please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family. 

Green smoothie recipe :

1/2 cup of fresh pineapples

2-3 strips of celery

3-4 leaves of romaine 

1 cup of Spinach 

A little lemon juice 

1-2 cups of water 

Blend and enjoy the yumminess

The original recipe was created or made by Rawvana and I added my twist :) You can add any greens you like such as cucumbers, parsley, cilantro, kale etc... If you don't like pineapples, you can replace it with an apple. You can also add fresh ginger. Change it to whatever suits you. 

Dark leafy greens are alkaline, carry many minerals and vitamins, blood purifiers, oxygen filled, and detoxifiers.  Try to drink one green smoothie or juice a day and see if you notice a difference.

On the weekend, I learned a lesson about resisting going with the flow.

Resistance . It keeps us from going with the flow, it makes us more irritated , and prone to anger. It disables our natural state of being which is joy.
Resistance . It disrupts our well being and peace of mind , it cripples us. We can't let go and move on.
Going with the flow and being flexible with any situation that comes our way is hard work but is gives up peace of mind , joy and ease.