Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.— The Buddha
Thought for Today
Healthy Living A to Z: Q is for Quinoa
Qui what? It is pronounced keen-wa. Don’t worry we all have trouble with that one.
Quinoa is the seed of a plant related to beets, spinach and tumbleweed. It was known to the Incas as “mother of all grains” and is gluten free. For questions about cross contamination contact the manufacturer or distributor.
Quinoa is high in protein and is a “complete” protein. Other benefits include being a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus as well as high in magnesium and iron and a good source of healthy fat.
Rinse until water runs clear to remove the naturally bitter coating. Quinoa can replace rice in dishes and as a base for pasta sauce or stir fry. It also works as thickener in soups, stews and casseroles as well as a meat extender in meatloaf, meatballs, etc. Seed or flakes make a nutritious hot cereal. Quinoa is also found in some gluten free pastas and cereals.
Quinoa flakes may be used as oatmeal. Quinoa flour is ground Quinoa seeds which maybe combined with other flours for baking, but does not work well on its own.
If you are worried about getting enough fiber or protein try quinoa. These tiny seeds are a nutritional powerhouse. It also doesn’t hurt that they taste good.
My recipe for Pumpkin Quinoa Pilaf with Bacon in available in Have Yourself a Healthy Little Holiday. The recipe for Cranberry Quinoa Pilaf may be found in The Gluten Free Good Life. Both e-books are available at Espirational Books.
Thought for Today
“Joy melts away the frown from our faces, it takes away anxiety, worries and fears.” ― Euginia Herlihy
Thought for Today
“Hospitality is the act of the recklessly generous heart.”— [Source: http://www.benetvision.org/]
OOOOPs!
It appears that e-mail notifications did not go out for yesterdays blog post. Things seem back to normal today, but if you missed yesterdays post Creating Peace please take a minute to check it you.
Thought for Today
“If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place. As soon as you honor the present moment, unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love – even the most simple action.”— Eckhart Tolle [Source: Weekly Present Moment Reminders]
Creating Peace
My blog posts are usually scheduled ahead, but today I feel the need to step in and comment on world events. My heart is heavy with all the major outbreaks of violence and war in the world right now.
So what can we do? How should we react?
First we must remember that war does not create peace.
To have peace we must be peace.
To put a stop to the war and violence in the world we must put a stop to the war and violence in our own countries, cities, towns, neighborhoods and families, but first and foremost in our own hearts.
Violence and war in our world comes from fear so we must work to keep fear in check.
In a world that seems so dark we are desperately needed to shine the light of God. As small as your light may seem, let it shine. When we all shine the light together the world will be flooded with light.
Finally please join me in saying the prayer for protection over all (including innocent civilians and children) who are currently in harms way due to war and other forms of violence.
The light of God surrounds us;
The love of God enfolds us;
The power of God protects us;
The presence of God watches over us;
Wherever we are, God is!
Prayer For Protection by James Dillet Freeman
Thought for Today
“Every time you don’t follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness. ” — Shakti Gawain [Source: quotationspage.com]
Thought for Today
“Pretending is not just play. Pretending is imagined possibility. Pretending, or acting is a very valuable like skill and we do it all the time.”— Meryl Streep, Barnard Commencement Speech 2010 [Source: Quotationspage.com]
Cool Smoothies for a Hot Summer: The Chocolate Monkey
Copyright 2013 by R.A. Robbins
This makes a thick, creamy chocolate smoothie that tastes like a milk shake. I add flax seed meal for a nutritional boost. We think this is plenty sweet, but you may add a little Stevia if you think you need it.
But how healthy are these ingredients?
Almond milk is low in calories but high in vitamins and calcium. [Source: Nutritional Benefits of Almond Milk http://www.livestrong.com]
Cocoa powder contains flavonoids linked to decreased blood pressure, improved blood vessel health, and improvement in cholesterol levels. Dark cocoa is best.
Bananas are high in potassium and fat and cholesterol free and a good source of energy due to being high in carbohydrates.
Flaxseed meal is a good source of Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids, Lignans and Fiber. [Source: Web MD http://www.webmd.com]
Natural peanut butter is a very good source of monounsaturated fats, the type of fat emphasized for heart health and is a good source of vitamin E, niacin, folate, protein and manganese. In addition, peanuts provide resveratrol, I am talking about peanut butter made from only ground peanuts with no added oils and sugars. [Source: The World’s Healthiest Foods www.whfoods.com]
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 banana
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons flax seed meal
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 packet Stevia sweetener (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons peanut butter (optional)
- Ice cubes as needed
Instructions
- 1. Combine milk and banana in blender container. Blend until smooth.
- 2. Add remaining ingredients and continue blending until smooth.
- 3. Add ice cubes one at a time until the smoothie reaches your desired thickness.
If you use frozen bananas you will need less ice. We like ours really thick (like ice cream) so I use frozen bananas and lots of ice. Makes two large servings.
This recipe is part of a summer series on smoothies. Enter “smoothies” in the search box at the top of the right column to find the others.
Rogene Robbins is the author of Frozen Fun: 25 Dairy and Dairy Free Ice Cream Recipes available in the Amazon.com Kindle Store
This post is shared with:
Naturally Sweet Recipe Roundup
espirational.com 