Easy quinoa salad

Hey everyone :)

I did not even hear about quinoa until recently maybe about a year or a little bit more ago. 

I tried it for the first time and LOVED it. It is filling and light and it does not bloat you . 

Sometimes when you eat too much rice or pasta it feels heavy not with quinoa. 

Later I found out that quinoa is an ancient grain that existed long long long ago , I just did not know about it but now everyone knows about it lol I am serious!! Lebanese people dont cook quinoa and I havent heard of it before. When my mother in law was visiting in 2013 , she knew about it. So I guess it is "healthy" and "trendy" to eat quinoa now ;) That is awesome though coz it is super awesomely delicious , yum yum :)

So here are the ingredients:

1/2 cup of quinoa- Cook it according to the package and set on the side to cool.

1 large cucumber cut up in small pieces 

green onions cut up small

fresh mint ( 2-3 leaves)/cut up pretty small 

Not pictured and not addded could have been cilantro and parsley , next time. 

For the dressing:

Juice of one lemon

oilive oil or avocado oil ( to taste, I think mine was about 1tbsp)

sea salt to taste 

Toss all together ....can't get any easier than this ! Decorate with thyme and olives 

Enjoy :)

Please try the recipe and comment below how you liked it.

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

Please share with me what works for you and your family.  

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Easy simple plant based meal: Collard greens tofu pasta

My motivation

I always say in most of my posts, if I can do it ANYONE can. I did not like cooking ! I used to follow a recipe and more than 100% of the time I would mess it up. My husband would have to come add some of his magic and fix it or I would simply discard it and go somewhere to eat.

Not anymore, ummmm ok fine sometimes my husband still adds his magic touch;)

Anywho, my kids motivated me to cook for them. I wanted them to be healthy and eat homemade so if I don't make it how will it be homemade? I can't keep buy organic and not cook. 

The more I cooked, the more I liked it and I started experimenting !

So this recipe below is an experiment and guess what ???!!!! My husband LOVED it and he did not have to add anything. He did not even add salt BOOYA

I did not know what to name it so if you have a better name for it, please comment below ;)

Ingredients:

1 bunch of collard greens

1 bunch of cilantro

1 leeks 

1 block of tofu 

1 tbsp liquid aminos

salt and pepper to taste

grapeseed oil

pasta of choice

Method:

Cook pasta according to the package and set aside.

Chop collard greens , cilantro and leeks. Drain the tofu block, dry it with paper towels then cut in cubes.

In a large skillet, heat up a little of grapeseed oil ( 2 tbsp approx). You can use any oil you prefer I just like to use grapeseed oil.  

Then add the collard greens, cilantro and leeks. Saute for few minutes, then add salt, pepper and liquid aminos. Continue sauteing for about 3-5 minutes. Then add the  tofu and saute all together. 

Then add 1/2 cup of warm water, mix everything, cover and simmer. Simmer until the greens are wilted. Occasionally check and mix the mixture.  

It's ready ;) Pour over pasta or rice, whatever you wish. 

As will all my recipes, please feel free to substitute or add. You can add mushrooms, other spices, etc...

Please try the recipe and comment below how you liked it.

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

Please share with me what works for you and your family.  

Follow me on Instagram , tmblr, and twitter: @bzhealthymama;http://www.instagram.com/bzhealthymama

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How to make ice cream with only one ingredient

How to make healthy no bake energy granola bars

Hey everyone :)

I would like to thank you for reading my posts. I appreciate all the feedback you have for me.

Please feel free to share my posts with your friends and family.  

Granola bars found in the stores are filled with sugar, checmicals and many ingredients that our bodies do not really need. 

Let's take "Nature Valley Oats and Honey Crunchy Granola Bars"

The ingredients are: Whole gain oats, Suagr, Canola Oil, Yellow Corn Flour ( there is your Genetically Modified Organism- GMO), Honey ( you just had sugar so why do we need more ?), Soy flour ( another GMO ingredient), Brown Sugar Syrup ( what's up with all the sweetness?) , Salt, Soy Lecithin( yipee GMO party over here), Baking Soda, and Natural Flavor ( umm I am confused now, what the heck is that?)

The nutritionl information was obtained from their website www. naturevalley.com 

Many people eat these bars with empty calories and no nutrition first thing in the morning! Of course they will get hungry few minutes later and eat something else and here we go with the non-stop snacking.  

However, if you make the granola bars yourself and pack them with nutrition , you won't encounter this problem. 

So  let's get to the easy no bake recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup of dried fruits of your choice: I used prunes, raisins and mulberries ( without added sugar, they are naturally sweet)

1 tbsp unsweetened cacao nibs

dash of cinnamon

1/4 cup of sweetener ( you can use honey, or brown rice syrup, or coconut nectar...whatever liquid sweetener you like) You can also skip the sweetener and add oil ( grapeseed or avocado oil)

You can aslo add nuts , I did not because my daughter and I are allergic to many :(

Place all dry ingredients in the food processor, pulse until you have somewhat smooth consistency ( unless you like it crunchy)

Transfer to a bowl and the sweetener or the oil , mix it all up and form bars. You can place them in the refrigerator or the freezer to harden up a little.

Enjoy ! 

Try this recipe and let me know how you liked it and what you did differently if you did! 

As some of you may know that I am a student at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, studying to be a health coach . I'm learning about how food, diet, and lifestyle have a tremendous impact on our overall health, happiness, and well being . Not only am I learning how to improve my life , I'm also learning how to help clients look better, feel better , manage stress, and reach their health goals. I'm able to start seeing clients. If you would be interested in sitting down with me or skyping for about an hour to discuss your health , message me (@bzhealthymama@gmail.com)so we can schedule your free health history consultation appointment :)

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What is your favorite snack in the summer?

We live in Southern California . At this moment , the temperature outside is in the high 90s.

Recently I started noticing that the ice cream truck has been passing by more often than I would want him to !! 

My kids are 9&3 and they play with the neighbors . They do feel left out when they see others get ice cream :( 

However , I did explain to them and my husband ( I had to deal with his "u r stressing over it way too much" speech), my kids are my bunnies ❤️❤️❤️

This analogy is not mine, it's from a lecturer at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). I will look up his name later I promise ;) 

If we have a bunny and we know that if we feed it skittles , m&ms, ice cream, etc... It will get sick and die but if we feed it what it's supposed to eat from Mother Nature it will be healthy and happy little bunny. I asked my son and my daughter what would you feed your bunny ? They replied "carrots, celery, lettuce ..."

Then I moved on and said to them you are my bunnies 💗 how can I feed you junk if I know it will make you unhealthy and sick ! ?

Will this analogy stay with them forever ?probably not ! They do understand but they are still kids and they will get tempted by peer pressure but meanwhile I'm keeping the ice cream truck away by making them their own ice cream ❤️❤️❤️

This is raw vegan ice cream sandwich 

Let's get  to it :)

Ingredients for crust : 

10 medjool dates

1/2 cup of mulberries 

Ingredients for the nice cream:

6-8 frozen ripe bananas 

Pinch of cinnamon 

3 medjool dates 

Method : 

To make the nice cream layer , blend the bananas, medjool dates and a pinch of cinnamon in a high speed blender like a vitamix. Pour the mixture into a glass Pyrex and place in freezer for couple of hours. 

To make the crust, in a  food processor , mix the medjool dates and mulberries until you have a sticky consistency ;) 

Take out the nice cream from the freezer , spread the crust on top using your fingers ( may wet your fingers with a little bit of water if it's too sticky-to help with the sreading) and place in the freezer for an hour or so. 

Take out and cut in squares ! You can enjoy them in a single or double layer , however you wish 💗💞

I must add an alert lol it's pretty sweeeet. 

Try it and let me know in the comments how you like it :) share it on social media and use #bzhealthymama 💗💞

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

Please share with me what works for you and your family.  

Follow me on Instagram , tmblr, and twitter: @bzhealthymama;http://www.instagram.com/bzhealthymama

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Why don't I have what they have?

I have been wanting to write about this topic for a while now and I have been afraid but today I am facing my fears and writing what is on my mind. Writing is therapy for me. I have always loved writing. 

Everytime I am on the phone and if I happen to be sitting, I fill up a whole page with words . 

So here it is.

At some point, conscciously or unconsciously, whether we like to admit or not, we have asked this question.

Why dont't I have what they have?

This question comes after looking at someone's facebook profile or instagram.  

The answer is : How do you know what they have? how do you know what they don't have?

No one wants to post a picture with their eyes closed, their lipstick smudged, fighting with their significant other or yelling at their kids? 

Remember before digital photography, only nice pictures went into the photo album. Look at your mom's or your grandma's.

If people display happiness that doesn't mean they are problem free. 

If people smile , that does't mean they don't cry.

If people go on vacation, that does not mean they don't ever struggle financially.

If my son gets an award , that does not mean he is a perfect child because he is NOT. 

If someone is skinny , that does not mean they are healthy!
If someone is chubby, that does not mean they are sick!
If someone is successful that does not mean they don't work day and night!
If someone has a housekeeper , that does not mean they sit on their butts all day doing nothing!
If a mom is a stay at home mom, that does not mean she has nothing to do all day!
If kids are being homeschooled , that does not mean they will not make a difference in the world!
Get it???

We are all human beings. We get sad, upset, happy, angry, irritable, we go through highs and lows.

However, we don't showcase the negative emotions. We like to show people our good side, our good pose, our proud moments.

What do others do when they see positivity? They start envying? With envy comes negative energy that is directed to the person trying to portray their good side to their friends and family.

Whether you mean it or not, with the negative comments you make about your friend's picture, you are envying him/her and sending them negative vibes. 
Enough with the envy! and greed!
You have exactly what they have!
You have a brain, head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, heart, lungs etc... Did I make my point?

You have something they don't have and that's YOU, your uniqueness , your voice and your mind/soul. 

So the next time you are looking at someone's picture , instead of envying them , genuinely compliment them. Send them good energy . Really pray for them if you tell them " prayers ". 

Comparing yourself to others is useless because you literally can't compete with every single person in the world !! So let it go, and be you !!! Coz only you can change you ! Only you can accomplish and achieve your dream by being unique not by envying and whining. 

There , I said it all because I'm guilty of it too . 

I want to thank Mastin Kipp of thedailylove.com . As I was drafting this blog, I woke up the next day with a video about not comparing yourself to others which motivated me to continue writing about this topic. 

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

Please share with me what works for you and your family.  

Follow me on Instagram , tmblr, and twitter: @bzhealthymama;http://www.instagram.com/bzhealthymama

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Chocolate Banana Smoothie

http://youtu.be/5iV1PtWMbr4