to. die. for. artichoke lemon pesto chicken pasta

ingredients:

2lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed 
2 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise 
30 artichoke hearts, cut in half 

1 cup walnuts

6 tablespoons olive oil

¾ c vegetable broth

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup fresh parsley

1 cup fresh basil

juice of 2 lemons

s + p to taste

3-5 cups of spinach 

-preheat oven to 400F.

-cut the squash in half lengthwise, place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until squash gives when you poke the outside of it. use a spoon to remove the excess seeds then a fork to thread the strings from the squash to make "spaghetti"

-while the squash is baking, make the pesto and chicken: place a large pan over medium-high heat, add a splash of fat and 1 minced garlic clove. as soon as the garlic becomes fragrant, add the halved artichokes. sprinkle with salt and pepper and let cook until slightly browned and tender on all sides. once artichokes are browned, add them to a food processor along with the walnuts, olive oil, vegetable broth, and second garlic clove. puree until smooth, then add the parsley, basil, lemon, and salt and pepper. puree once more until smooth. taste and add more lemon and salt and pepper to your preference.
-once pesto is done pureeing, add the chicken to the same pan that you sautéed the artichokes in. cook chicken over medium-high heat until browned on all sides. sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. once chicken is cooked through, add in about ¼ of a cup of the pesto to the chicken along with the spinach, in the pan and mix well to coat. cover and let cook for 2-4 minutes or until spinach is wilted, then add the threads of spaghetti squash to the pan (or a large mixing bowl if you need more room). mix spaghetti squash, pesto, and chicken all together. serve warm!

ANTI PLAGUE FORMULA RECIPE

otherwise known as the super garlic immune formula, this stuff is like a magic potion. the recipe comes from the genius dr. christopher and is used to treat any sort of stomach bug, earaches, flu, cold, virus, bacteria, etc... even car or motion sickness! it not only kicks a cold for me in a matter of hours, but it successfully prevents me from getting sick all winter long. 
i usually make up a big batch of this every fall and use it myself daily for prevention, or intensively for treatment. i think that a 5 gallon batch will be plenty... but i can never make enough!! i love sharing it with others and making it to sell also. a 4oz bottle of this can be up to $30- it's like liquid gold!
use it to treat allergies and all sorts of bugs your kids bring home-it will make your life so much better in so many ways!
there are a few steps to the process and it does have to sit for two weeks-but it is worth your time and effort every bit. (ps...contact me if you don't have any time or effort in you and i may just have a bottle to sell ya).

i simply take 1-2 T every morning to prevent getting the flu or colds. if i feel a sore throat or something coming on, i will take 1-2 T 3-5 times a day to clear the condition.

lasts in a cool dark place for 2 or more years. there are many places online you can order these herbs, or get them at your local herb shop. i personally will order in bulk that way i always have them on hand. to make it, you will make 2 separate tinctures, one herbal, one garlic, they will sit like that for 2 weeks, then at the end you will mix them all together.

HERBAL TINCTURE:
2 oz comfrey leaves
1 oz each: lobelia, marshmallow root, mullein leaves, skullcap, uva ursi, white oak bark, wormwood
1/2 oz each: black walnut hull, black walnut leaves
2 1/2 quarts raw apple cider vinegar (with the mother)

-combine dry herbs in a large bowl and mix well. divide evenly between 2 extra large glass mason jars (the giant ones), then pour 11/4 quarts ACV in each, screw on a lid tightly and shake well. store in a dark place and shake once a day for 2 weeks.

GARLIC TINCTURE:
1 lb 4 oz raw, peeled garlic cloves (this is a ton, i usually buy the pre-peeled organic garlic cloves from whole foods and it speeds up this process quite a bit)
2 1/2 quarts raw apple cider vinegar (with the mother)

-blend these two ingredients together until very smooth and evenly distribute between 2 extra large glass mason jars. store in a dark place and shake every day for 2 weeks. 

-at the end of the 2 weeks, strain out herbs from herbal tincture and garlic pulp from the garlic tincture and save the liquids. combine them together in an extra large bowl along with 3 c vegetable glycerin and 2 c raw (local and organic if possible) honey (tip: i will blend honey and glycerin together to make it easier to mix into the combined tinctures). pour finished product into glass jars and store in refrigerator for up to two years. i will keep my big jars in my outside fridge and keep a smaller jar of it in my kitchen fridge at all times. take daily if desired, shake well before taking. 

fig & pumpkin spiced granola

still going strong with the pumpkin! can there really ever be too many pumpkin foods? they make me so happy. oh and obviously i am a granola addict-who isn't? so i combined them together with a little extra love and came out with this. it makes a perfect holiday gift tucked in a mason jar,  tied with a bow and i like to attach my favorite nut milk recipe (if you can bare to give it away!). the best gifts are always homemade!

ingredients:

3/4 c melted coconut oil
2 T blackstrap molasses
1 T liquid stevia1 c pumpkin purée
4 c sprouted oats or buckwheat
4 c coconut flakes
1/4 c chia seeds
1 T pumpkin pie spice
4 c chopped raw & activated nuts/seeds of choice (i used a combo of pecans, hemp and pumpkin seeds)
1/2 c chopped dried figs

-preheat oven to 257F. mix in a large bowl the pumpkin, molasses, stevia, oil and spice until well combined. add all other ingredients and mix well.
-line two baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly spread out the mixture. bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through until golden. remove from oven and let cool completely. store in airtight glass jars & enjoy with freshly cut bananas, persimmons and pomegranate seeds, swimming in some delicious homemade nut milk or yogurt. yum.

blender bread (grain free)

today i have a little something for you that may just blow your mind with the ease and simplicity of it. i call it blender bread.
if you know me you know how much i love my blender, and how often i use it. so naturally i have a tendency to make anything and everything in it!
this bread is grain free, gluten free, and paleo- if you're into that sort of a thing, you will love it. no, i am not against grains at all. but sometimes it is good to switch things up with a grain free option, especially when you don't have the time to properly prepare your grains and make a fancy bread. i am the worst bread maker ever-i fail every time. so this recipe is literally fail-proof because it works for me every time! 
other huge pluses are the extremely high protein to carbs ratio, the literally perfect texture, cuts like buttah and the taste is creamy and lovely. i think you will enjoy it!

ingredients:

ghee or coconut oil for greasing pan
8 large organic eggs
½ cup nut milk
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 cups whole raw cashews
7 tablespoons coconut flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt

-place a dish filled with 2 inches of water on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 ° F. lightly grease the inside of a large loaf pan with ghee or oil and press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom with flaps that hang over the sides of the pan. place all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender and process until very smooth. if batter is too thick to blend, add up to 2 tablespoons of water until it is moving easily through the blender. transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center returns clean. allow the bread to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then gently remove the loaf using the parchment overhangs and allow to cool on a wire rack before serving or storing. store the loaf tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
-i enjoyed mine toasted with a little ghee & cinnamon/lakanto sugar sprinkle. i have also made numerous delicious sandwiches and am thinking i'll try either stuffing, bread pudding or french toast next!

grainless healthy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

'cause everyone needs to enjoy these at this time of year...
they are grain free, sugar free, paleo and high in protein. oh, and they are freaking delicious. plan a healthy thanksgiving party and share these as a treat!

makes 1 dozen:

2/3 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c activated raw almond butter or cashew butter
1 scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder
1/4 c coconut or lakanto sugar
1 organic egg
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 t vanilla
1/2 t baking soda
pinch of sea salt
-preheat oven to 350F. blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until very smooth. stir in 1/2 c chopped cacao paste or high quality chocolate chips. scoop out cookie batter in 2 T heaps onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. cool and share!

90 cal per cookie
carb: 3g
fat: 6g
sugar: 2g
protein: 5g
fiber: 2g

OH! i enjoyed these cookies with the yummiest COOKIES N CREAM nut milk which was simply: 
1/4 c raw cashew milk
1/4 c black sesame tahini
pinch of sea salt
2 droppers full of my favorite stevia (pictured below)
and 4-5 c spring water
-blend. chill. yummmmm.

massaged kale, beet, & blueberry salad with sheeps feta & date chunks

one of my favorite salads to make and eat. it is so simple and i especially love the combination of flavors with hearty kale leaves at this time of year!

you'll need:

your favorite kale variety, de-stemmed, torn into pieces and massaged with a little sea salt + evoo (if you've never done this before, you literally just get in there with your hands and massage the crap out of the kale leaves to break them down and soften them a bit-makes the kale a lot easier to eat and tastier in my opinion!)

sliced cooked beets (i love the "love beets" brand. nothing but perfectly cooked organic beets! saves a lot of time if you don't want to roast them yourself. almost all grocery stores carry them now-even costco!)

fresh organic blueberries

medjool dates cut into chunks

red onion, sliced

sheets feta (organic and raw is best-but almost impossible to find. I've used an organic goats brand that i like too!)

drizzle of balsamic whisked with a pinch of dijon

-toss that baby up and eat!

fall cacao decadence

a creamy, 2 minute decadent chocolate pudding for you all to enjoy on this chilly fall day:

ingredients: 
1 ripe avo
1 ripe persimmon (stem removed)
4 T raw cacao powder
2 roasted chestnuts
4 drops vanilla stevia
pinch of Icelandic sea salt
1/2-1 t mushroom blend (I added cortysepts, reishi, pearl, ashwaganda, & shatavahari powders)

-blend until smooth and top with more persimmon, pomegranate seeds, chestnuts and cacao nibs. savor!