Almost Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe *Best Vegan Soup Ever*

This recipe is both healthy & delicious. It is so well seasoned that you just may think there is chicken in this recipe but nope only chickpeas, and plenty of immune boosting veggies herbs & spices. This soup is perfect for a cold winter day or to remedy a winter cold. Any how you will love it even if your not a full time vegan 🙂

 

Ingredients

• 3 ½ tbsp Jamaican Curry Powder *check ingredients to make sure vegan and gluten free* 
• 2 tbsp Chilli Powder
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 2 bayleaves
• 3 tbsp of coconut oil
• 1 tbsp pink salt
• 1 tbsp Garlic Mrs. Dash
• 3 tbsp Italian Seasonings
• 1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
• 1 Large Purple Onion chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 medium red bell pepper julienned
• 3 Stalks of Celery chopped
• 4 Organic Medium Carrots chopped
• 8 oz of organic diced tomatoes
• 3 cups of brown rice spiral noodles
• ⅓  bushel Kale roughly chopped
• ½ bushel Dandelion Greens roughly chopped
• 8 oz of cooked chickpeas
• 64 oz of spring water or more to make broth
• ⅓ cup braggs amino acids

 

Step 1: Warm coconut oil over medium high heat for 30 secs
Step 2: Add in onions allow them to become translucent

Step 3: Add garlic, red bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and celery wait 30 secs

Step 4: Add Salt, Italian seasoning, Curry powder, chilli powder, mrs dash, bayleaves =, and thyme wait 30 secs

Step 5: Add water and bring to a boil, after boiling Add pasta and let cook according to the instructions on the package

Step 6: Once the noodles are al dente, add in chickpeas dandelion and kale greens to cook for 5 mins and reduce heat to a simmer

Step 7: Serve & Enjoy!

 

*No pictures available because I ate it all sorry 😦 *

I Sneak Popcorn into the Movies

I have a confession. When I go to the movies, I pop my own popcorn and sneak it in.  Not because I’m frugal or can’t afford movie theatre popcorn. Primarily because I refuse to allow anyone to sneak toxins into my diet. How did I start this smart behavior? Well, let me tell you. Several years ago, I decided to buy popcorn at the theatre. I kicked back and relaxed in the comfy theatre style seat. I took a sip of my iced tea which had just the right amount of lemon and stevia. Oh yeah! I hook it up. Then, I ate a handful of popcorn. It tasted like sugar and plastic. I immediately stopped chowing down and pulled out my phone, opened up the web browser and typed in “movie theatre popcorn ingredients.” The trailers were rolling and my phone light was dim so I wasn’t disturbing the peace.

You might be surprised to know that this so called tasty treat is full of crap. Let’s start with the popcorn itself. The movie theatre didn’t share the source of the yellow kernels so I was left to assume they either didn’t know or didn’t understand why someone would want to know. Even though most corn in the United States is genetically modified, the popcorn experts state that popcorn comes from a different seed that has not been compromised. That’s what they say. I’m not sure I believe it. Also, most movie theaters are buying popcorn from conventional sources which means, it’s grown using insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fumigants. Then other chemicals are used to treat the corn.

Back in the day, they used to pop popcorn with real coconut oil but when Americans bought into the low fat craze, they stopped and now they say they pop it with butter. Since I’m not vegan or vegetarian, I would be cool if they popped it with ghee or butter from grassfed cows who were raised eating organic grass and if they had to have supplemental feed, I’d want that to be organic, too. Now, you know the movie theatre charges high ass prices but they definitely aren’t popping the popcorn in real butter. It’s hydrogenated coconut oil which is a trans fat and highly toxic to our body. If the theatre claims they use canola oil, it’s probably partially hydrogenated canola oil, which is also a toxic trans fat. Canola oil AKA rapeseed oil consumption is rumored to be one of the leading causes of heart disease by the way. Just the fact that they had to change the name from rapeseed oil to canola oil to make it more marketable should be a warning sign.

Then there’s the flavoring agent in butter. It’s actually worse than MSG type natural flavors. This crap caused lung disease amongst a group of workers who worked in the factory where it was produced. And you know it also has salt on it. And not the good stuff. No pink Himalayan crystals or Celtic Sea Salt. Oh no, that would be too much like right. It’s that white, poisonous craps that’s on most American tables in salt shakers. Yet another bleached body toxin. And back to that sugar. I never saw the ingredient listed anywhere but it’s in there. Trust me. I’m a former sugar addict and I know sugar when I taste it. I’ve heard from others that they tasted it to so I’m definitely not crazy.

So what’s the solution? I’ve already shared it. Pop your own! You control the ingredients and I’ll let you figure out how to get it in but I’ll tell you this.

• Get it from a clean source. I live in Ohio and we have some nice Amish people here who love to do things the old fashioned way and they just happen to sell popcorn.
• Use extra virgin coconut oil instead of butter, canola oil, or whatever oil you use. Coconut oil can withstand high temperatures so it doesn’t become poisonous to your body when you eat it. Plus, it tastes like butter. In fact, better than butter. Using this oil makes it so my vegan and vegetarian homies can indulge, too.
• Use pink Himalayan salt or Celtic Sea Salt instead of white table salt. Need I say more about that?
• If you like cheese or that fake cheese flavoring, try nutritional yeast. People debate the benefits or lack thereof of nutritional yeast. I love it and so do my husband and children. It’s a staple in our home.

So there you have it. Now you know my movie theatre secret. Thanks for reading my true confession and I encourage you to enjoy this tasty snack.

Cumin Vinaigrette

Yo! I’ve been telling everyone about my new favorite salad dressing recipe. I call it Cumin Vinaigrette. Technically, vinaigrette dressings are made with wine vinegar but we all know I don’t follow the rules so I’m keeping that name. Why cumin, you might ask? Other than the fact that I just love the taste, there are other benefits. Cumin seeds are the most amazing and healing creations on this earth. We’re mostly familiar with the amber colored seeds that are ground into a powder and used in to make spice blends like chili powder or Mexican seasoning for tacos and fajitas. We all know how I feel about black cumin seed oil when it comes to healing and Natural Birth Control Options. Unfortunately, it doesn’t taste as good as it’s amber sista when it comes to salad dressing, though.

What else do I love about cumin? It promotes weight loss, enhances digestion, prevents cancer, reduces cholesterol, increases bone density because of the amount of bio-available calcium it contains, reduces blood sugar, and is a good bio-available source of iron and magnesium. It’s iron content is helpful to those who are living with anemia. It’s also helpful for those who are experiencing hemorrhoids, insomnia, respiratory disorders, and rhinovirus (AKA the common cold retrovirus). Mothers who are breastfeeding will probably notice an increase in their milk supply if they consume this herb regularly. In fact, people with boils will want to add this herb to their diet as it helps to fight the infection.

I discovered cumin when I was living a vegan lifestyle and wanted some more flavor in my black bean dishes. Even though I no longer eat a fully plant based diet, I still maintain most of the practices I adopted and eating cumin is #1 on the list. So how do you make this delicacy? It’s simple. Now just like I don’t follow the rules, I rarely measure so I had to make a batch just to write this blog and actually keep track of what I put in it. You’ll want to start with my base recipe and adjust it according to your taste.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed (or more if you’d like)
• 1-2 pinches of fresh cilantro leaves
• A dash of pink salt
• A few dashes of black pepper
• A few dashes of garlic powder, optional – garlic is not recommended for electric food lifestyles
• A dash of cayenne pepper (or more if you like it hot)
• Juice from 1/4 of a lime, optional

Directions 

1. Pour the oil, vinegar, and lime juice into a glass bowl and mix with a whisk to create an emulsion.
2. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
3. Adjust the recipe according to your taste, yet remember it will taste different once it sits overnight and the spices are released to unite with the oil, vinegar, and lime.
4. Place the dressing in a container and sit it in the refrigerator overnight in a glass container (I have to admit, I rarely do this. I make it fresh and eat it fresh).
5. Enjoy with any salad of your choice – leafy greens OR black beans and quinoa OR pasta salad just to name a few options.

Pink Aloe Lemonade Recipe! How to Make Aloe Taste Amazing!!!

Pink Aloe Lemonade

Aloe juice is one of the healthiest things you can put into your body. This healing plant is known for healing all types of inflammation and does wonders for your digestive and over all health. There is only one problem, it tastes like licking the bottom of a toad’s belly (I don’t really know what that tastes like) and is just as slimy. But one day while experimenting with different health juice recipes I unlocked the secret of yuminess, the Lemon! I love this recipe for 3 reasons, 1 its delicious, 2 its ridiculously healthy, & 3 I control the ingredients meaning that there are no hidden sugars and artificial additives in this amazing drink!

Ingredients
⦁ 1-2 juicy lemons
⦁ fresh spring water aprox 32 oz
⦁ 1/4 cup or enough to turn mixture the shade of pink you like of REAL organic cranberry juice (NOT from concentrate)
⦁ 1 Inch Piece of Ginger ( for kick and spice optional)
⦁ 3-4 inches of inch wide aloe leaf or 1-3 inches of 2-3 inch wide aloe leaf
⦁ Lemon or plain flavored Liquid Stevia
You will need…
~ A Blender/nutribullet
~A Strainer
~ A knife
~ A Cutting Board
~ A Citrus Squeezer (optional)
~ How to cut aloe leaf

Instructions
Step 1: Pick and Peel aloe leaf. Place the gel into blender.

Step 2: Add the fresh lemon juice into the blender. (Add finely diced ginger optional)

Step 3: Add Cranberry Juice

Step 4: 1/2 dropper of liquid stevia

Step 5: Add 16 oz of fresh spring water

Step 6: Blend mixture until any hard pieces are emulsified

Step 7: Strain mixture through thin mesh strainer into a mason jar or pitcher

Step 8: Add last of the fresh spring water and mix well

You can drink this healthy juice everyday it will taste so good and look so pretty you will definitely want to!

How to Have a Succulent & Fruitful Fall

And just like THAT *snaps fingers* we have already entered into the Fall season. It seems like just yesterday that I was getting ready for my day and being greeted with the sun and a warmth that wrapped around me with the best “Hello” ever. Now I walk out with the tease of the sun and the quite crisp reminder that its now time to throw on a little sweater and start rearranging my closet. Yup, it was definitely just yesterday. 

Honestly, I’m really not a big fan of cold weather at all. In the spring and summer, my mind body AND spirit thrive and I definitely feel more energetic, vivacious and pleasantly fiesty. During those seasons I am always quite busy dancing, creating and traveling. Astrologically, my Rising sign in Sagittarius takes over and I let that part of me run with the wind.

But over time, I’ve learned to embrace the other seasons as well because each season has its own message. When the cool breezes start coming in and the days start getting a little shorter day by day, its a reminder to me that its time to slow down, pay more attention to the details, and nourishing myself with alot more self-love. To me, the fall season is all about creating the warmth from within.

If you have been following my last two-part posts, you’ll already know that this particular spring and summer season that has passed has been full of shifts and transformations for me. I have evolved to the point that I’m definitely not that same woman that I was before April, or the beginning of this year for that matter.

Along with those shifts came new cravings for certain fruits in particular that I didn’t really eat on the regular like that. Recently I’ve had a very strong affinity to blueberries. Rich..juicy..sweet ORGANIC blueberries. Yes, there is a taste difference between organic blueberries and conventional ones. At first I didn’t pay this sudden craving any mind but then I started realizing that I was demolishing an entire container without even blinking. And they ABSOLUTELY had to be organic. I started just going with the flow and allowing my body to tell me what nutrients it needed by indulging whenever I got that twinge. Soon, I started eating them for a light breakfast and adding them to a breakfast with more substance like my “Day Oats” (don’t worry, I got ya covered on the recipe). 

Blueberries are super high in antioxidants, help boost digestion and urinary tract health, aid in improving vision, heals the brain, and also helps to improve your mood. Well what you look at that..helps to improve your mood. Ah. During my warm season of constant movement and shifting, my emotions were, at times, all over the place. My body knew this so it naturally craved something that would help keep my immune system strong and help keep my mood grounded while I was going through. You see how much your body really loves you? You should definitely stand naked in the mirror the next chance you get and thank it. 

Blueberries are also a great end-of-summer fruit, which is great news because I’m still eating them and don’t plan on stopping. Ha! Seriously though, when you align your physical body, you’ll also discover that your body will crave certain foods according to the seasons. I’ll leave that cliff-hanger for a future post. Pretty soon, I’ll be craving and demolishing pears.

Another thing that I discovered about blueberries was that its very color was beneficial and needed as well. If you follow the chakra system, the deep rich blue hue is associated with the throat chakra. One of the things that I had confront during my transformational period was to not only know my truth better but to SPEAK it with no apologies and zero hesitations. Confidence in myself got an upgrade. There’s no surprise that during this time I had weird jaw pain, my last two wisdom teeth started growing in more out of nowhere, and my gums started acting funny. Those damn wisdoms.  The energy body is real yall!

So how do you have a succulent and fruitful fall? It’s simple. Allow yourself to enjoy a handful of blueberries (with some pears on the side) as you start to think of all that the new season is about to bring you. I’ve already gotten a headstart. Have you?

Oops! Before I go, here’s a quick but nutritional breakfast to throw together for those days you’re running late:

“Day Oats”

Ingredients: 

Raw Oats 

Chia Seeds 

Cinnamon 

Vanilla Extract 

Unsweetened Vanilla Hemp Milk 

Blueberries 

Colorful Mason Jar (optional if you like to have fun)

Directions: 

1.) Add oats, chia seeds and cinnamon together then mix. 

2.) Next, add Hemp Milk and vanilla extract and mix. 

Pause. Please be advised that Chia Seeds thicken the minute liquid hits them, don’t add too much! Also you just need a little dash of vanilla extract. 

3.) Add blueberries and mix again. 

4.) Let the concoction sit for 15-30 minutes so that everything can soak and soften (great when you’re on your way to work).  

5.) Nom Nom! 

For more of my favorite recipes, click here.

You’re welcome.

*smooches!* 

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Instagram: @nativewindsong / @earthwindandfinds

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