Healthy Cafe Mocha Drink

Love those frothy iced coffee drinks?

Coffee has it's pluses, new studies report that drinking 3-5 cups per day can deter Alzheimers,  and help with colon, breast and liver cancer as well as other diseases...the consensus is that coffee's pro's now outweigh the cons.  http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/coffee-new-health-food      

 

Still it would be unwise to completely ignore the cons...so instead of spending $3-5 for a coffee drink that will ultimately dehydrate your internal organs, age your skin and leave your teeth discolored, why not whip up a healthier solution that will boost your energy naturally from whole foods, improve your immune system and help rejuvenate your skin?

This delicious, healthy, affordable alternative is easily whipped up at home.  It's great as a summer cooler, to take the edge off hunger, late night snack, or as an 'on the go' breakfast or pre/post fitness drink.

Cafe Mocha Shake
Ingredients:

8 oz. Vanilla or Regular Almond Milk
1/4 c. crushed ice
1 tsp. Tecchino (natural coffee substitute) or 1 tsp. instant decaf coffee
1 scoop Chocolate Juice Plus Complete*

Put in blender and voila! Delicioso!

If coffee or chocolate is not your thing, Juice Plus Complete comes in Vanilla as well and can be mixed with your favorite fruits to create a healthy shake.

*Juice Plus Complete is a whole food based beverage mix that provides balanced nutrition in every scoop. Juice Plus+ Complete can be used in any number of ways: as a healthful "on-the-go" breakfast, pre-exercise energy drink, post-workout recovery drink, or a late night snack. It comes in your choice of two delicious flavors: French Vanilla and Dutch Chocolate.

To purchase Juice Plus Complete and learn more about Juice Plus visit... 

http://getwholejuiceplus.com

EGGS, BEANS & CHlLES IN TORTILLAS ala Diana

Sometimes the best recipes come about when throwing whatever is on hand together.  The other night I was too tired to put much effort into making dinner, the cupboards were near bare, so I worked with what I had.  This recipe can be varied by changing the cheese, adding tomatoes, or other available ingredients to your taste.

Ingredients I had on hand:

Eggs (brown free range organic)
Green chilies (chopped/canned)
Provolone cheese slices
Corn tortillas
Red chili powder
Garlic salt
Sweet chili sauce
Black beans (organic canned)
Dried chopped onions
Olive Oil
Amounts are per your taste.  This is how I made it, yielded enough for 4 tortillas full.

Drizzle frying pan with olive oil, heat, add 1/2 of the organic black beans, sprinkle in chili powder to taste, salt, dried chopped onions, garlic salt, a teaspoon of sweet chili sauce, a couple tablespoons of green chopped chilies (drained) and saute.  After it is heated drizzle a bit more olive oil and heat more.  Add 4 eggs scrambled and cook to done. Turn off heat.  Sprinkle parmesano-reggiano cheese over top, place provolone slices on top of the egg mixture and cover with a lid to melt cheese.  In the meantime, heat corn tortillas in toaster oven until soft. 

Scoop the egg mix with cheese into the softened corn tortilla. 

I added lettuce and shredded carrots on top and whipped up a quick thousand island dressing (1Tablespoon mayo, a few drops of red wine vinegar and a squirt of catsup...whip it up).

I had leftovers the next day so to break things up, instead of the salad topping, I served the cold egg mix on the warmed soft tortilla spread with apricot jam. The sweetness offset the chilies nicely.

It is quick, easy and also very high in protein.  You can experiment and come up with your own variations.  

Use your imagination with whatever you have on hand, and enjoy!

Presto Pesto - Fast and Easy Pesto - Use What's On Hand

Photo courtesy of www.dreamstime.com

Fresh pesto rich with the flavors of pine nuts, Parmesiagno Reggiano cheese, olive oil and basil is one of my favorites whether blended with cream served over pasta, dropped by the tablespoon into a bowl of garden fresh vegetable soup or spread on a slice of toasted rosemary bread, it never fails to satisfy.  Some pesto recipes are made without the cheese and I have also seen it made with peas instead of basil.

I had a craving for pesto but did not have all the ingredients on hand.  A little experimenting lead to a wonderful outcome!  This is a quick fix pesto and the amounts are estimates.

Pesto Presto

Photo courtesy of  www.dreamstime.com

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen spinach
a handful of shelled walnuts
olive oil
Parmesan cheese (shaker style)
2-3 cloves garlic

Cook up frozen spinach per package directions, drain well through tight mesh sieve or squeeze out water in your hand by balling up small amounts of the spinach. Drop into food processor with walnuts, and 2-3 cloves of garlic (per your taste). I added cheese as I went approx. 1/3 cup as you don't want it over power the freshness of the spinach (and by the way you could also use fresh spinach).  Blend.  Drizzle in olive oil from above until you have achieved a nice smooth paste.  Not too oily and not to dry.

Variation: Add well-drained sun-dried tomatoes and blend well into the mix.

Can freeze in small amounts in small baggies for future use to have on hand.

Voila...Pesto Presto!

Quick Pesto Over Pasta

Boil pasta of choice. Drain pasta and return it to the pan.  I used bow tie pasta enough for two servings and added 1 healthy tablespoon of the Presto Pesto along with Trader Joe's Soy Creamer (for a healthier light version) and a splash of chicken broth I had on hand for added flavor.  Heated the pasta with the sauce enough to cook the flavor into the pasta (just a few minutes).  Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan over the top. 

Variation: steam chopped carrots and broccoli and add in veggies to your pasta dish.

Other ways to use pesto:  As a condiment instead of mayo, mix in with steamed veggies, mix with Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese for a healthy dip, mix with vinegar & oil for a great vinaigrette dressing, rub chicken breasts with olive oil and pesto mix then wrap in foil individually and bake.  Pesto is very versatile...have fun with it.

 Quick, affordable, delicious!