Crockpot lentil soup (Easy) Vegetaria/Vegan

 

 

 

Crockpots are amazing and can make life a whole lot easier. I sort of made up this recipe so I’m not sure on exact measurements, I hate using  measurements anyways because I believe everyone’s pallet is different so you must adhere to your own tastebuds- not someone elses!

 

Indredients:

 

• Lentils (I Use Red lentils)
• yellow onion
• Carrots
• Celery
• garlic
• chicken broth
• cilantro

 

Break out your crockpot and if your gone all day then put it on low but for a 2-3 cooking time put on high

 

For every cup of water match with a cup of chicken broth until crockpot is about halfway full

• put in lentils
• whole onion
• about 5 cloves of garlic
• 3-5 stalks of celery
• 6-9 carrots
• salt and pepper
• cilantro
• Let cook!

Lentils are amazing- they are extremely high in fiber and protein!

 

 

Hair

 

 

I love having healthy hair. Here are some natural things to help the look and feel of your hair:

• Olive oil mask- I do this about once a week- It conditions, strengthens, and improves the elasticity of your hair
• Coconut oil- has the same effects of olive oil but has even been shown to reduce the effects of aging on you hair
• Mayo- although I’ve only tried this ONCE due to my digust with mayonaise my hair turned out really shiny and health
• Pour over almond milk
• beer for shine
• Vitamin E oil
• Jojoba oil

• I take prenatal vitamins even though I’m NOT pregnant- it helps with hair, skin and nails- it provides the vitamins/minerals your body is not getting enough of from food. The food based kind is the best!
• For length: Biotin and horsetail

Try to let your hair air dry as much as possible- hair dryers are so bad on your hair!

For a natural detangler- get a comb and while rinsing your conditioner comb your hair- this allows the conditioner to reach every strand on your head!

Playtime

I take playtime very seriously with my daughter Ella. That means no distractions like television, which I can’t stand anyway. I don’t really believe in toys that do everything for you when you push a button. I love to buy wooden toys and blocks that she can build with. A lot of children today are missing those hand eye coordination skills that are vital to development- they are placed in front of a TV and expected to learn. I believe the exact opposite is true.

Ella absolutely adores books, and I love reading to her. She will even sit down and pull out all her books and go through them looking at the picture for an hour. I love this and I hope she will continue to read as she gets older. It’s like my favorite Dr. Seus quote says “The more you read, the more you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go!” So true! So encourage you children to read now that way school won’t be so difficult for them when they get older.

My favorite toys for Ella to play with (18 months)

• Bead maze
• wooden blocks
• wooden train
• legos
• piano
• books
• wooden shape puzzles
• easel
• crayons and paper

Oatmeal

 

Oatmeal is quite possibly one of the best breakfast’s to eat. Oatmeal reduces the risk of heart disease, and the soluble fiber in oats help to lower bad cholesterol while maintaining good cholesterol. It also helps you to feel full longer.

Here are some great ways to eat it:

• w/ yogurt and granola  (I use vanilla chobani)
•  yogurt and your favorite berry (sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
• yogurt and sliced bananas
• w/ almond milk and granola
•  almond milk and berries
• almond milk and sliced bananas
• almond milk, cinnamon and honey
• Oatmeal w/ your favorite smoothie poured over! a great way to get fruits

Oatmeal is just another canvas for you to be creative with!

This is a good dish to include your kids in- put a bunch of different toppings in little bowls and let your children make their own! ( one bowl of berries, one bowl of granola, one bowl of yogurt). They’ll get the same feeling as decorating ice cream

Breakfast quiches – The Crust

These are awesome, quick and so delicious.

A perfect source of protein and veggies!

Ingredients:

• Eggs (about 4-5) I use brown cage free eggs
• Spinach
• onion
• cheese (mild cheddar)
• Milk

The process:

• In a large mixing bowl add eggs and beat
• add 1/4 cup milk
• add 1/4 cup chopped onions
• add 1 cup of spinach (chopped and stem removed)
• add 1 cup cheese
• sea salt ( I have one with a built in grinder so I give it about 3-4 turns)
• Stir mixture and add to muffin pans ( about 3/4′s full)
• Bake on 350 ( it cooks on from the bottom up so keep checking until the the top turns golden)

 

 

Now Enjoy

Quick, easy pasta (Vegan/Vegetarian)

 

Looking to make something fast that can satisfy everyone? Try this!

Ingredients:

• Brown rice pasta
• Your favorite pasta sauce
• Spinach
• (Any other vegetable you want to throw in: Mushrooms, asparagus, eggplant Etc)

The Process:

• Cook pasta as directed
• Add Pasta sauce to saucepan w/ spinach (stem removed)
• (if adding other vegetables that are harder than spinach you may want to cook them first before adding)

THAT’S IT!!

Now enjoy

The Canvas

• Rice
• Pasta
• Quinoa
• Flatbread
• Lettuce
• Rice cakes ETC.

You be the artist! You can turn any one of these and more into something awesome just get your canvas down then add your veggies!

Sometimes I’ll cook a big batch of rice and store it in a glass Pyrex in the fridge as my go to canvas for the week.

One night I’ll sautee kale with some garlic and sea salt- add it to the rice then put it into some pita breads with mozzarella cheese- so simple yet delicious

Another night I might use kale sautéed with garlic, sea salt, carrots, onions, broccoli, add some rice a little ginger and soy sauce and VOILA instant asian!

So be creative

 

An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail – Edwind Land