Peach Banana Chia Smoothie

Smoothies are staple breakfasts and snacks in our home!  Most experts agree, that the human diet should consist of at least 50% raw foods.  A smoothie chock full of raw fruit, is an easy delicious way to get your raw foods.  Raw foods are full of enzymes, micro and macro nutrients such as phyto- nutrients, and vitamins in tact.  Cooking foods removes some of those benefits, especially the enzymes.

Enzymes are critical to health!  They are what allow nutrient uptake, and are responsible for a whole host of chemical, immunological, and metabolic processes.  If you don't eat enough enzymes via raw foods, your body needs to work extra hard to make more of them!  When enzymes are present in the food, you readily digest, and easily utilize the nutrients in that food.  Makes sense, right??

So, this is one of the main reasons we make lots of smoothies at our house.  In addition, smoothies taste like a TREAT, but are a nutritional POWERHOUSE.

Smoothies are nothing more than throwing raw fruits or raw fruits and veggies, with a liquid, into a blender and VOILA- health shake!!




Peach Banana Chia Smoothie

2 C frozen peaches
2 ripe bananas
3 C coconut milk (or any milk alternative)
2 TBL chia seeds
1 TBL probiotics

1 TBL flax oil (or flax seeds)

Everybody goes in the blender bowl!  Start at a pulse, and pulse until incorporated, then blend on high!  This will make 2 large smoothies or 3 regular smoothies.

For a thinner smoothie, you can add liquid to above the fruit in the blender.  If you like a thicker smoothie,  you should fill the liquid just to the top of the fruit in the blender.  You could also add ice cubes if desired.

I used only the peaches from this bag!

Chia seeds seeds are a super power seed, rich in Omega 3's.  You do not need to preblend, or grind the chia seeds before putting into your smoothie.

I used Barlean's Omega Swirl in banana strawberry flavor , which is delicious right out of the bottle.  You could use flax seeds, but you need to grind them in the dry blender first, then add your ingredients.

Omega 3 fatty acids are ESSENTIAL fats, and are not only good for you, but essential for good health.  The benefits are too many to mention here.

I used Garden of Life Primal Defense for kids, a powerful probiotic made especially for kids. 

A breakfast, a snack, a super healthy treat!

Yours in health,

Natalie

Pumpkin Banana Pecan Oat Bread (gluten free)

This is a dense and very rich, pound cake-like, easy bread!

We've all had delicious banana bread... Perfect time, to use over ripe bananas!  Well, this is one of those times.  However, I decided to give it a whirl with pumpkin in the mix!  My thought was you can have the best of both worlds in one loaf.  Pumpkin flavored things top my list of favs.  So, I do use pumpkin all year long, unlike most, who use pumpkin during the fall season.


I am nearly gluten free, and have a wheat allergy.  I have been alternating grains for my daughters all of their lives, to hopefully prevent food allergies.  But, food allergies can pop up anytime in a person's life.  I do have the feeling both of my girls have wheat allergies, which I believe most people do.


There is much research to show that wheat isn't compatible for the human body, and is linked to many diseases.  I believe that the prevalence of wheat allergies, and the growing numbers, also have something to do Genetically Modified, or GMO wheat.  But, having said that, even ancient cultures that had wheat, like ancient Egypt, had diseases that were not found in other cultures, that didn't have wheat as a staple in their diets.


Which, brings me to the point, I wanted not only to make this a gluten free bread, but one made with oats.  Oats are seemingly the better choice of grain to consume, is readily available, and very reasonable.  Even though I use organic oats, it is far more cost effective than using commercial gluten free flours sold at the market, or those gluten free blends made at home.   You can find organic oats in bulk at your local health food store.   I usually buy mine from Outpost Foods!

See that big mother of organic oats? How 'bout them BROWN nanners?

Pumpkin Banana Pecan Oat Bread

2 C oat flour

1/2 C brown sugar

2 med banana

1 C pumpkin

1/2 C cold pressed canola oil

1/2 C coconut milk (or any milk alternative)

2 tsp pumpkin spice

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 C pecans chopped

Maddy helping! Yes, that's my NEW Kitchen Aid mixer!! It is AMAZING!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a loaf pan.
Put dry ingredients, except sugar and nuts, into a bowl, and whisk together.  Put bananas and milk into a blender, and blend well. (Or you could simply mash together well.)  In another bowl, or bowl of your mixer, add the pumpkin, banana/milk mixture and canola oil, brown sugar and blend well.

I simply grind the oats in a blender to make the flour!

Slowly add small amounts of the dry ingredients, into the wet ingredients, just until just incorporated.  Fold in the pecans.  Do not over mix. Allow batter to rest about 10 minutes.  Pour into prepared loaf/bread pan, and bake for one hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Mine took 1 hour and 10 mins.)

This is gluten free, egg free, dairy free, very little sugar, and VEGAN!  Served warm with organic Smart Balance spread,  or Earth Balance spread, is magical!  You can slice it and toast it if you want to warm it up later! 

I sliced into thick slices, and wrapped in wax paper sandwich bags for my girls to take as a snack to school!  It is so delicious, with all the the nutrition from the pumpkin, bananas, coconut milk, and oats!  A treat for your kids you can feel good about!

Your house will smell like heaven... share this recipe with all of your vegan and allergy friends y'all!

Yours in health,

Natalie

Darker the berry the sweeter the juice- same with nanners, darker the banana the sweeter the flesh! Won't need much sugar when you use these sad nanners:)