My kids love soda.  What's not to love, right? Sugary sweet and delightfully bubbly and fizzy - it's a treat for sure!  As it turns out, there's A LOT not to love about these drinks.  Mass production processes and the desire for increased profits has led to the use of increasingly cheaper ingredients, as well as unhealthy preservatives, stabilizers and colorants that make the product more appealing and stable for long-term storage on grocery store shelves.  Basically this all means these drinks are now full of GARBAGE - processed corn sugars, food dyes, artificial sweeteners, chemical preservatives and some even contain flame retardants (brominated vegetable oil)!!  There's not a single ingredient in the majority of these products that I feel is safe for my children to consume.  There are some companies out there that make sodas suitable for human consumption, but they tend to be pretty expensive and then many aren't much more than juice combined with cane sugar and carbonated water - which, honestly - you can just mix up pretty easily yourself at home.  We used to let the kids have ginger ale when we'd go out to restaurants, thinking that since it had ginger in it, which is a natural anti-inflammatory, it would at least help to redeem some of the 'ickiness' of the sugar.  But the popular 'ginger ales' of today are NOTHING like what they used to be.  In fact, I'm not even convinced there's any actual ginger in them at all!  And they're certainly not the tonic of health they used to be.

I know there are options for healthy 'fizzy' beverages, such as kombucha and water kefir, and I tried making water kefir a couple of years ago - it turned out ok - but it seemed to be a little bit cumbersome to me.  Kefir grains are not always readily available and they can be a little expensive depending on where you live.  I've done a bit of wine and beer brewing at home so I decided to look into methods for making natural sodas and learned that one common way of making homemade sodas is to use what's called a 'ginger bug'.  I'm not entirely sure why it's called this, because it doesn't look like a bug, nor does it have insects in it - it's basically a wad of shredded ginger that becomes fermented.  Maybe the 'bug' part refers to the wild yeast and bacteria that handle the fermentation? I don't know, but regardless of the strange name, this little wad of ginger makes a mean soda full of natural anti-inflammatory agents from the ginger, beneficial enzymes and probiotics to help restore gut flora and help keep your digestive system running like a charm!

There are many ways to make a ginger bug and although this process is based in science, there's a lot of room here for experimentation.  You do not need to adhere to these measurements precisely but try to keep similar ratios of ginger/sugar. When feeding my bug I typically approximate the amounts so as not to dirty a measuring spoon. :)

Here's how I chose to start my bug:

Ginger Bug:

My Ginger Bug!

• 1 Pint Filtered, un-chlorinated water
• 2 TB Grated Ginger (Skin and all, wash well, preferably organically grown)
• 2 TB Unprocessed 'raw' sugar (Any sugar will work, but I used both coconut sugar and raw turbinado in mine)
• 1 TB un-sulphured molasses (for extra vitamins)

I put this all into a large quart-sized mason jar and stirred well to dissolve the sugar, covered with a folded-over cheesecloth and secured with a rubber band and the metal lid.  

• Stir at least twice a day to agitate the mixture and keep it active.  
• Every day for about 5-8 days add in about 2 tsp grated ginger and 2 tsp sugar.  
• I would add in extra molasses and a tablespoon of water about every other day just to replenish what might have evaporated.
• Continue to stir every day, twice a day or more.
• Keep in a moderately warm place where it will not be disturbed (my kitchen is about 78F)
• The darker your sugar, the darker your bug - so if you're using a very light sugar and not adding molasses your bug might be much lighter in color than mine.

You'll know when your bug is ready when it's all bubbly on the top and you can hear it fizzing while stirring.  It should smell gingery and sweet, maybe even a little yeasty like a beer.

I personally thought starting and keeping the bug going was a breeze, but there are a few things to keep in mind to help avoid issues:

• Make sure if you are fermenting other foods (sourdough starter, sauerkraut, etc.) you want to keep SEVERAL FEET in between your concoctions to avoid cross-culturing.
• A lot of ginger in the US comes from foreign countries and is irradiated before it hits the stores - organic foods are not irradiated.  The irradiation process can destroy the natural bacteria and yeast present on the skin and prevent a bug from fermenting properly so try to choose organic ginger if possible or find some that's not irradiated. 
• Be consistent in feeding and stirring your bug to keep it active.
• Make sure you're keeping a cheesecloth or other breathable cover over the top to keep out bugs and debris but allow excess CO2 to escape. 

Once you've got an active bug, you can strain off the liquid (saving the solid part of your 'bug' to use again by replenishing with fresh water, ginger and sugar) and mix it into any number of recipes for natural sodas as the agent of fermentation (which is what makes the bubbles - the carbon dioxide is a byproduct of the fermentation process).  I will post the recipe for the Ginger Beer I made with my bug as well as a Ginger-Pineapple Soda soon.  Go get your bug started and stay tuned!...


Inspiration for this recipe came from: The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from around the World by Sandor Katz

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Fiesta Quinoa Salad

• 1.5 Cups Quinoa (Uncooked - will yield about 4-5 cups cooked)
• 1 14 Oz Can Organic Black Beans
• 3 Ears White Corn, raw, cut the kernels off the cob
• 2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes Quartered
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper, Chopped
• 2 Avocados, firm, chopped

Dressing:

In a blender combine:

• 2 Chipotle peppers (canned in adobe sauce - I used Goya brand) - I also grabbed about 1 TB of the onions and sauce
• 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp Himalayan Salt
• 1/4 Tsp Cumin
• 1/8 Tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 Large Clove of Garlic
• 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
• 1/4 C Agave Nectar 

Cook the quinoa according to the package directions and then allow to cool. Add in the beans and veggies, pour the dressing in and combine until mixture is evenly coated with dressing.


Note: The dressing has a bit of heat to it- add in an extra chili pepper for more heat or use just one for less.

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Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am a chocoholic....  The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right? lol... I love chocolate in pretty much any form but there is nothing more heavenly to me than a crunchy, salty, chewy and slightly sweet treat - especially one that is dipped in dark chocolate.  I found this perfect combination in the Sea Salt & Chocolate 'Kind' bars  - they are amazing! But they are also so expensive!  And TINY! The cheapest I can find them online is $16.50 for a box of 12 and then I have to order $50 worth in order to get free shipping.  Besides, while I really have no problem with most of their ingredients, I'm not thrilled with the sound of 'glucose syrup' - technically 'glucose syrup' could be any syrup made from a starch, but I'm pretty sure to keep costs down it's probably corn syrup, which is probably also why they are relatively elusive as to what kind of 'glucose' they're using - or it's a mix.  Either way, I don't like not knowing for sure, so I figured I would try to make my own...

These bars are honestly the best I've ever had and they are pretty easy to make for the most part.

Salted Chocolate, Nut and Rice Crisp Bars

Salted Chocolate, Nut and Rice Crisp BarsIngredients:

Ingredients:

3.5 Cups 'Large' Nuts - I used a mixture of Raw Almonds and Hazelnuts
3 Cups 'Little Nuts & Seeds' - I used a mixture of chopped walnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds - all raw
2 Cups Brown Rice Crisps - I used Whole Foods 365 brand unsweetened Brown Rice Crisp Cereal
4 Scoops of Shakeology Fiber Boost (or finely ground flax seed meal)
3 Teaspoons Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste
3/4 Cup Honey
3/4 Cup Brown Rice Syrup
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
GOOD salt for sprinkling - Sea Salt, Himalayan Salt or something equivalent, preferably a medium to course grind.
1/2-3/4 Bag of Dark Chocolate Chips (60% cacao or greater)
1-2 Tblspoons Coconut oil

Method:

You will need two baking pans for this - I used two 9x13 inch baking sheets with a lip and they were the perfect size for this amount of ingredients.

Heat the oven to 350 F, place the large nut mixture on one pan and the little nut mixture on another pan. Dry roast the nuts for about 10 -15 minutes, stirring frequently, until they're lightly browned and looking a bit 'oily' - the large nuts will take longer than the smaller nuts so that's why I recommend splitting the two across different pans.






Let the nuts/seeds cool and then combine in a large heat-safe bowl (glass, stainless, ceramic) and then toss to coat with the Shakeology fiber/flax meal until it's evenly combined and coated. Spray the pans with some cooking spray to coat and set aside.










In a pot on the stove heat the honey, Vanilla, brown rice syrup and maple syrup - you're going to need a thermometer - preferable a candy thermometer to get this to the right consistency. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, until the mix becomes viscous and the temperature reaches 'soft ball' stage on the thermometer - this is approximately 235-245 F (A manual test if you don't have a good thermometer is to drip some syrup into cold water - the syrup should easily form a ball in the water but will flatten out when removed).

NOTE: I recommend using a pot that is at least 3-4 times larger than is necessary to contain the volume of your liquid mixture - once it starts to boil it will expand a great deal and you will want the extra space to prevent a boil over.

Once the syrup has reached the proper consistency, immediately pour it out over the nut mixture and quickly and thoroughly stir to ensure everything is evenly coated with syrup. Pour the mixture into the two greased pans and using the back of a spatula or greased hands, press the mixture firmly and evenly into the pans. Allow this to cool for about 15-20 minutes. You want it to be cool enough to stay together but still warm enough to slice easily with a knife.

When cooled, flip each pan over onto a cutting board and cut into bars - using the recipe above and the 9x13 pans, I got exactly 32 bars out of this recipe - so 16 per pan. If you're not a chocoholic like myself, you can simply sprinkle these with a bit of salt and call it a day - if you want some chocolate on yours, continue on...




Line a large baking sheet with wax paper. In 4-cup pyrex bowl (or any heat-safe bowl that has a wide enough bottom to dip the bars), melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil over low heat, stirring frequently. There are a few different ways to do this - you can put the bowl in the microwave for 20-30 second intervals use a double-boiler method or use Jennifer's lazy method, which is just place the pyrex on my cooktop over the lowest heat setting and whisk frequently until it's all melted and smooth. :)

Pop bars into the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set quickly

Once you've got the chocolate to a smooth fluid consistency, dip the bottom of each bar to coat with chocolate and then place onto the wax paper. Any chocolate left over can be drizzled with a spoon over the tops of the bars. Sprinkle with your salt and then allow to cool. If you pop them into the fridge they will be ready in about 10-15 minutes. Store in an airtight container.  Makes approximately 32 servings.

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There's nothing more comforting than a big pile of mac & cheese when you're needing comfort food,  but the boxed stuff just really doesn't do it for me and while a giant pan of homemade, 'old-fashioned' mac & cheese makes me drool at the mere thought, dairy is on my 'eat very scarcely' list for a number of reasons I won't get into here.   In an attempt to appease my son, who is always begging for mac & cheese, I've happened upon several vegan versions - some are good, some are great, but this one that I found is AMAZING!!  I've modified it a bit (I have a bit of a problem with following directions) - here is my version adapted from The Detoxinista:

Baked Vegan and Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

1.5-2 Boxes Gluten-Free Pasta (12 oz boxes)
2 Cups Raw Cashews (soaked for at least an hour)
1.5 Cups Water
2 teaspoons Himalayan Salt
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes
2 Teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/8th Teaspoon Cayenne Powder (Optional - or use just a dash or two if you think it might be too spicy)
3 Teaspoons Turmeric Powder (I like to use a lot of this because it makes it really yellow, which tricks my kids into thinking that it's 'Kraft' PLUS Turmeric is an amazing spice that has all sorts of health benefits so pile it on!

3-4 C Chopped Broccoli Heads
3-4 C Chopped Kale Leaves

2 Cups Brown Rice Cracker Crumbs - I used the Salt & Pepper Brown Rice Triscuits - NOTE THAT THIS PARTICULAR BRAND IS NOT 100% GLUTEN-FREE.  (Crumb crust is Optional)

Directions:

1. Soak your cashews for at least an hour.  I usually pop mine into some water in the morning and then they're good to go by the time dinner rolls around.
2. Prep your veggies - try to get the broccoli heads uniform in size and chop the kale leaves into tiny pieces.
3. When your cashews are done soaking, boil your water and start cooking your pasta.  You want to undercook the pasta by several minutes - about 4-5 minutes LESS than recommended.  During the last minute or so of cooking, toss in the broccoli to parboil.  
4. Drain the pasta and broccoli and empty into an oven-safe dish, preferably one with a cover.   Add the kale and toss.
5. Drain the cashews and pop them into a high-powered blender or a food processor.  Add in the water, salt, lemon juice, yeast, mustard, garlic and spices and blend the living daylights out of the mixture, adding a little extra water if necessary to facilitate the blending process.  You want a nice, thick, smooth sauce.
6. Pour the sauce over the pasta mix and toss to coat evenly.  Cover and bake for about 10-15 minutes until the pasta is tender and evenly heated.  
7. For a nice crispy crust, sprinkle the cracker crumbs over the top and pop under the broiler on high for a few minutes to brown. 

IMPORTANT Note:  While this is a much healthier and cleaner version of old school baked mac & cheese, it is still NOT a low calorie dish and trust me when I say, you are going to want to eat the whole pan of this....  Cashews have fat - they're a much healthier fat than dairy fat - but it's still fat.  So make sure you're being reasonable with your portions and serve with a nice big pile of veggies or a salad.

Serves about 10-12 generously if you use both boxes of pasta.  If you like a saucier pasta, use only 1.5 boxes.

Approximate values per serving (at 10 servings per recipe using BOTH boxes WITH the cracker crust):  413 cal, 9.7 g Fat, 10.7 g Protein, 74 carbs, 1 g Sugar.  If you leave the crumbs off, it's only got 335 cal, 7 g Fat, 9 g Protein, 62 carbs, 1 g sugar.

View original recipe here:  http://detoxinista.com/2011/01/move-over-kraft/

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Is there anyone out there that doesn't love a good brownie? I personally could eat an entire pan in one sitting - all that chocolately goodness, slightly crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside...  My mouth is watering as I type this...  Traditional brownies are loaded with all sorts of garbage that just aren't good for us.  Here's a recipe for a healthier version that's vegan, gluten-free and packed with healthy fiber, plant-based fat and protein.  Great fuel to keep you going and tastes amazing!

Teenie Beanie Proteinie Brownies:

Approximately 12 Servings

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) Can Black Beans - Rinsed well and drained

1 Medium Ripe Banana

2 TB Chia Seed

1/2 Cup Plain, Unsweetened Almond Milk

2 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract

1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/4 Tsp Himalayan Salt

1/4 Cup Coconut Sugar

1 Scoop Sunwarrior Protein Powder (Either Vanilla or Chocolate will work)

1/4 Cup Unsweetened Natural 100% Cocoa Powder

1 Cup Almond Meal

3 T Coconut Oil (melted)

Mini Choc Chips and/or Walnut pieces to garnish (Optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Mix the chia into the almond milk and let sit for a few minutes until it starts to gel.  Combine all the  ingredients (and the chia mixture) into a food processor or mixer and mix until well combined.  Spoon the mixture into greased or papered muffin tins - fill the tins slightly less than half full.  Sprinkle with nuts & mini chips if desired and bake for 30-35 minutes or until slightly browned at the edges and firmed in the middle.  Let them sit for a couples of minutes after removing them from the oven and then move them to a wired rack to cool.  

You won't even taste the beans, I promise!!

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