Turmeric Latte aka Golden Milk

by meaghan // April 7, 2016 // 2 Comments

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Psychedelic milk!

Turmeric root seems to be making a splash in the superfood world. Most everyone is familiar with turmeric thanks to its use in the common spice blend, curry. This bright yellow spice has tons of health benefits, such as anti-inflammatory properties which can reduce joint pain from osteoarthritis and Crohn’s Disease. It is also said to help reduce the risk of cancer- but really, most all superfoods these days live up to that challenge. Turmeric contains a naturally occurring chemical compound called curcumin. Curcumin regulates messengers that cause inflammation in the body… wowza! It also contains small amounts of iron, protein, and fiber. Turmeric root can also be used to treat wounds, cuts, rashes, bruises, insect bites, and swelling

This Auryvedic recipe for Golden Milk traditionally incorporates black pepper to help absorption. Drinking this before bed can aid relaxation and help to boost your immune system while sleeping. For extra crunchy DIY points, use your own homemade almond milk!

Turmeric Latte aka Golden Milk

Ingredients

1 cup almond milk
1 Teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of extract)
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions

Over low heat, add all ingredients, except coconut oil, and whisk till combined.
Bring to steaming, just below a simmer. Stir occasionally, for 10 minutes. DO NOT let it come to a boil!
Remove from heat. Stir in coconut oil. Taste and add additional maple syrup if desired.

http://vegpod.com/turmeric-latte-aka-golden-milk/

Shot out to my hubbies pottery skills. I am loving these tumblers.

This recipe can be customized however you’d like! Options are endless, but you get the idea.

Enjoy!

DIY Laundry Detergent

by meaghan // November 12, 2013 // No Comments

I never in a million years would have thought l’d like to be the stay at home kind of girl. But with the little vegan bun so close to arriving (!), I find myself ‘nesting’, with so many DIY projects on my list!

Becoming domestic is always something I’ve wanted to explore more. Though its hard with the everyday work schedule. Now with just one week of work left, I have time to dive in. First on my list was making my own laundry detergent. Wait, let me be honest; first on my list, for years, has been to make my own dog food. And that will come in time, as my excuse of now is needing more storage space. So laundry detergent…. a totally simple-money saving task that would prove to be easy as pie to work into anyone’s lifestyle. I have had a couple friends that have been doing this for so long, with far busier schedules than me, so I knew I had no excuse. And along with the cloth diapers about to start rolling in daily, I knew this was the time. Method adapted from Wellness Mama!

Materials / Ingredients

Borax – A natural laundry booster that lifts stains and odors from your clothes. You can find this at just about any grocery store.
Washing Soda – A natural water softener and stain remover. Also found in the detergent aisle at many grocery stores.
Bar Soap – I prefer to use an all natural, less perfume-y style soap. Dr. Bronners makes bar soaps, and if whole foods happens to have a sale going on- even better.
Container – You will need something to store the detergent in, preferably something that has a large opening, so you can easily use your scoop.
Cheese Grater – Your standard, handheld grater.
1/4 cup scoop – Any measuring cup will do!

Now to start:

In a large bowl, using cheese grater, shred the bar soap. I use the medium sized teeth. Once you have finished, mix in 2 cups borax, and 2 cups washing soda. The proportions should be 1 cup bar soap, 2 cups borax, and 2 cups washing soda. Gently stir together till fully incorporated. Make sure you get to see little specs of your bar soap squiggles throughout the batch! Transfer to your storing container.

And Voila! You just made Laundry Detergent!
To use: 1/8 of a cup for smaller loads, and 1/4 cup for large loads.

Our first trial run just happened to be the day Erik brought all of his soccer clothes home. And boy were they stinky! The detergent proved to work! I am still accessing my math on how mush this will save us, but I think it cuts the price in half (possibly more) of what we’d spend on liquid detergent. Not to mention we cut back on contributing more to the plastic take over of the world. This article was posted last week about plastic in our oceans, and the effects it has on whales, and various animals around the globe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulkY7mOkdqs

Mindy’s Mint Julep Smoothie

by meaghan // October 17, 2013 // 2 Comments

Please ignore the avocado and bagel seeds…. they do not find their way into this smoothie!

Mindy, Mindy. If you only knew how much I missed your vegan sausage patty breakfast sandwiches, your tofu cutlets, the fresh squeezed grapefruit juice you bring me while I’m still in bed, and alas, your mint julep smoothies.

My friend Malinda, aka Mindy, is one of my favorite people in the world. I could list all the amazing things about her, but we all have best friends we feel this way about. She is such a caring person, and has all those motherly dispositions that I love in all my girl friends. We have been sharing recipes for years, and no matter how many times I try to replicate some of hers, they never, and I mean never, turn out as well. Suffice to say, had she made this recipe, it would be ten times better than mine.

I’m not entirely sure why she calls it a mint julep smoothie, as there is no rum, or sugar. I have also altered this a tad, adding some chia seeds for a morning boost. We all know how food fads come and go (kale, flax, quinoa, kombucha), and how each year a different ‘super-food’ so to speak plays a larger role. This year I think it would have to be Chia seeds. Chia seeds, much like flax seeds are high in omega 3’s and 6’s, something we all need more of. They are also high in fiber. When using them in recipes, chia seeds get gelatinous like ground flax, only you don’t need to take that extra step and ground chia seeds.

Tiny, tiny Chia seeds

My two favorite things about this smoothie are the fresh, cooling flavors the mint brings, and creaminess you get from the tahini. Tahini being another one of my favorite versatile ingredients, loaded with protein and dietary fiber.

Mint Julep Smoothie

Ingredients

1.5 cups frozen Peaches
1/2 cup Mangos
2 Tbl. Chia seeds
2 Tbl. Tahini
1.5 Tbl. Agave
1 cup Almond milk
Handful of fresh Mint Leaves

Instructions

Place all ingredients in blender.
Run on high till smooth.
If its too thick to your liking add a tad more almond milk to thin it out.

http://vegpod.com/mindys-mint-julep-smoothie/

This summer I fell addict to Health Warrior’s Chia coconut bars. They are so dreamy, and the perfect pick me up snack! Health Warrior also has an amazing list of athletes that consider themselves in the chia tribe. Each serving (approx. 2 Tbl.) of chia seed contains five times the omega-3 content of a 1/4-cup serving of walnuts, twice the iron and magnesium of a cup of spinach and more than twice the fiber of a cup of oatmeal. Now that is a superfood! Chia seeds are also great sprinkled over oatmeal, cereals, in granola bars, and I love em in raw crackers. Enjoy!

Summer herbal remedies

by meaghan // August 25, 2013 // No Comments

I’ve recently become obsessed with a lovely woman named Aviva Romm. She is a specialized herbalist, certified midwife, family physician, and what I imagine to be a wonderful mom. Her blog has all sorts of interesting information on nutrition, natural birth, raising healthy families, and benefits foe individuals. Oh, and some great recipes!

Since Erik and I are now official Marylanders, we’ve had to adjust to a more humid summer. And with humidity, comes mesquitos! They have been chomping away at me every chance they get here! No fun. I have been trying to dose myself in tea tree oil, as well as the pups, in hopes they will leave me alone! This chart comes in handy, for anyone wanting an herbal remedy to helping strains on summertime fun! Especially the wee ones.

Thanks Aviva!