Drink Your Lemon Water with a Pinch of Sea Salt Every Morning!

There are hundreds of blog posts, articles and studies that tell you how good lemon juice and sea salt are for you.
Challenge yourself: cut a lemon in half (or quarters)and squeeze into a mug of water, then drop the lemon piece in along with a pinch of sea salt and microwave for 1 minute. Let it steep for 3-4 minutes, then sip and enjoy.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/267770-benefits-of-sea-salt-lemon/
Vitamin C and electrolyte balance, especially in the winter when we tend to drink less and get dehydrated from heated air, are just two of the benefits of this little pick-me-up.
For a twist, try grating a little fresh ginger into the mug as well.

**I only add salt in the morning drink. If I have it in the afternoon, I do lemon and ginger with a little stevia for a refreshing, energizing drink instead of coffee or tea.

A Twist on Guacamole

We all know avocados are a healthy “superfood” and really tasty, too!
Here’s a little twist on guacamole to make it a more dip-able or sauce-able alternative, with the added benefit of heart healthy oil.

You will need an immersion blender and a 2 cup blending cup OR a blender OR food processor.

Twisted Guacamole
6oz avocado flesh (I had small avocados, so this was 3 of them. Generally 2 normal sized ones or 1 large avocado will yield this amount)
1/4 of a small onion, peeled and rough chopped
1/2-1 jalapeno or serrano pepper
juice of 1 lime or about 2T juice
3-4 sprigs of cilantro (stems are fine, too) about 4T
4T avocado oil, olive oil, macadamia oil, or your favorite oil (I have used avocado and light olive oil)
**4T buttermilk (optional to thin it into a sauce or thinner dip)

Place the avocado flesh, lime juice, onion, jalapeno and cilantro in blender container and blend until smooth.
Using an immersion blender, sink the blender to the bottom of the container and add the oil on top, then slowly raise the blender while running, to emulsify the oil into the avocado mixture. Blend a few more seconds then add salt and pepper to taste.

**If making it thinner, after this step add the buttermilk and blend in just as you did the oil. Taste for seasoning (I like more pepper in the buttermilk option).

This doesn’t need to really set up for long for the flavors to develop, so it can be used right away.
IF storing, place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the sauce, sealing out as much air as possible to avoid discoloring. Then seal container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate.

I Hope Everyone Has Had A Happy Holiday Season So Far :)

Just a quick drive-by post to wish every and all reading a very Happy and safe holiday season and the wish that you all have a healthy and prosperous New Year in 2015 🙂

“Crack”ers

Completely not healthy, not good for you, but addictive.
I only make these during Thanksgiving and Christmas because my son and husband can eat an entire batch over a long weekend.
Pleas read the notes at the bottom 🙂

“CRACK”ers
4 sleeves saltine crackers (1 box)
1 1/3 cup extra light olive oil
1 heaping teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 packet dry ranch dressing powder (Hidden valley)

In a very large container that has a tight sealing lid, place the crackers.
They should not fill the container more than half way.
In another bowl or cup, whisk the oil, dressing mix and pepper flakes.

Slowly pour the oil mixture over the crackers, stirring as needed to keep the mix blended.
Once you’ve poured it all in, seal the container and gently rotate it to coat the crackers.
Do the same rotating every 10-15 minutes for an hour, to distribute the oil.

IMPORTANT: after 1 hour, take the lid off the container and let it air dry for 1 hour, then re-cover it, then rotate it a few more times when you think about it!
After about 4-5 hours, the crackers will have absorbed all of the oil.

These are not soggy!

Store, covered but in a container with enough space for there to be air in it.

Notes:
Crackers: the brand doesn’t matter. Once you add the seasoning and oil, they have a flavor that is totally different anyway.
Crackers; Salted or usalted: I prefer salted.
Oil: Use any neutral oil you like. I prefer the extra light olive oil, but I’ve made them with canola, corn and vegetable oil as well.
Crushed pepper flakes: if you don’t like biting into pepper flakes, mix in 1/2tsp ground cayenne pepper instead (or more).
General hint: After the 2ns rotation, taste one. If it needs more heat, or salt, add it then by gently shaking it over the crackers and immediately rotating to spread it.
The Ranch Powder: Brand is up to you. I like Hidden Valley. Great Value (walmart) is also good. I did not care for the Kroger brand one, it was overly salty and had a metallic twang to it.

Easy Shrimp and “Rice” Soup

Super easy, huge pot of soup on the table in 15 minutes!

Easy Shrimp and “Rice” Soup
8oz raw shrimp, peeled and cut in half
12oz frozen cauliflower, ‘riced’ (see video below for easiest method, works in any blender, just do it in 1/2 batches)
4 cups chopped green cabbage
6 cups chicken broth (concentrate, bullion, canned, home made, whatever)
1 can Ro*tel diced tomatoes and green chilies
8oz can tomato sauce
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

Prep all the ingredients and add the broth, ro*tel, tomato sauce, cabbage and water to a boil. Cook 5 minutes, then add the shrimp and cauliflower. Simmer 5 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve!

This entire recipe is only: 583 calories; 77g carbs; 23g fiber; 63g protein and 4g fat.
Sodium will vary a lot depending on your broth and brands.

If you like, top with some diced avocado and onion, and a squeeze of lime juice.

Simplest ever way to rice cauliflower:

Enjoy!