Girl Scouts & Chocolate Buckwheat Granola

You can eat it all and still look great! The big caveat...and, this is a big one- you have to make healthy food choices and eat real foods and a diet full of fresh fruits, vegetables and grains! I am preparing a talk for my daughter's girl scout troup about healthy eating. The focus is on hunger and how many children go hungry in America. While this is heartbreakingly sad and something should be done about it, almost as troubling is the record numbers of children that we have that are obese or have diabetes!

For me, it boils down to 3 Simple Steps:
- Eating foods in the rainbow (you want your plate to look colorful- the more colors the better!)
- The Rule of 5- avoid products containing more than 5 ingredients or ingredients you don't recognize!
- Eat  for nourishment and only when you are hungry (not because you are sad, angry or just plain bored)

If we grown-ups following these simple three rules and stop obsessing over calories and low-fat foods then we would be a much happier, skinnier nation.

So, onto my new favorite (and what I had for breakfast this morning), Kaia Foods Cacao Bliss Buckwheat Granola. Not only is this granola gluten-free, raw, but it does not contain sugar and is sweetened with agave nectar. The companies philosophy is "the belief that our health is best supported by eating an abundance of minimally processed whole foods. We sprout, mix and dehydrate our organic foods at low temperatures so that they remain 'raw.' No baking, frying, bleaching, or weird processing steps!" This granola was crunchy, rich and absolutely delicious!

Here is my cereal bowl this morning: Kaia Granola topped with sliced bananas and blueberries and topped with almond milk. Totally yum! Eating a diet full of whole foods leaves up feeling happy and satiated and certainly not reaching for that croissant in the morning meeting!

Who would feel deprived having a breakfast like this? 

What are your favorite breakfast cereals?

Creamy Chocolate Banana Green Smoothie and the Braces Come Off!

Today is a day to celebrate! My older son, Oliver, is getting his braces off today! Yipee!!! I was so excited I decided to take before and after shots.

Before

After

I also decided to make my creamy, dreamy Chocolate Banana Green Smoothie for us all this morning to celebrate. Nothing like starting your day with something healthy and dessert-worthy delicious!

Chocolate Banana Green Smoothie
3 cups almond milk
3 handfuls of raw spinach (I used a little over a 1/2 of the box)
2 frozen bananas (if you don't have them frozen then just used bananas and a few ice cubes!)
3 scoops Sun Warrior Chocolate Protein Powder

Blend in your blender until smooth and enjoy!

This smoothy has a whopping 17 grams of protein per serving, tons of iron, calcium, potassium, antioxidants and live-enzymes, and is an amazing way to start your day!

Sadly to say, and I am even embarrased to admit it but my daughter...gasp.... hates fruit. I means hates the smell, consistency, everything about it. So, for her, instead of bananas, I opted for ice cubes and a bit of coconut butter! My daughter calls this her "salad in a glass" and, no matter what they eat during their day, I know that they have left the house powered up for their day!

We were running a bit late this morning so placed them in these nifty to-go cups we got at Starbucks, and

we all left the house happy and fueled for our days!

What's for Breakfast?

My daughter had to get to school early today and, as you can see, it was early morning in the Pennington household.We are NOT, I repeat, we are NOT early risers and this pic encapsulates how we were all feeling!!!

Breakfast had to be easy this morning. Friends and clients are always asking me, "so, what do you all have for breakfast every morning?" Well, my son, Oliver is on a gluten-free diet so the kids had gluten-free bagels with almond butter and St. Dalfour's jelly and some sliced fruit. 

Udi's gluten-free bagel with almond butter and jelly

For those of you who are looking for more gluten-free options, these Udi's gluten-free bagels are the way to go! When my son had to go on a gluten-free diet, the thing he was most upset about missing were his bagels. Many gluten-free products taste like card board but these are delicious and even satisfy my bagel-loving boy!



Udi's bagels



You can find Udi's bagels in the freezer section at Whole Foods and many other health shops. Udi's makes delicious gluten-free muffins (the blueberry and lemon are favorites in our house,) breads (whole wheat and, even "white") and a wide variety of granolas! Whether you are eating a gluten-free diet or not, these are products to get to know!

So, what did I have for breakfast?



Laughing Giraffe's Cranberry Orange Granola


I go in waves but right now I am in my cereal kick so I had Laughing Giraffe's Cherry Ginger Granola with tons of blueberries and my homemade almond milk! Laughing Giraffe's granola are gluten-free, organic and raw. Laughing Giraffe also has a delicious Cherry Cacao Ginger cereal.

Did you know that blueberries contain the highest amount of antioxidants than any other fruit? I am writing an article for The Family Groove right now on the topic of Protecting Your Skin from Sun Damage through Your Fork and was pleasantly surprised when I came across this fact! Dr. Perricone has been advocating blueberries for antiaging for years. Luckily for me, I am almost certifiably addicted to blueberries and have them on my cereal every morning!

Another Laughing Giraffe Cereal with, of course, blueberries!

When I am not having Laughing Giraffe, another favorite is Rawnola by Earthling Organics.

Rawnola with, Of course, blueberries and homemade almond milk

Am I boring? Do you see a pattern??? Do you often have the same breakfast every morning?

When I am not having granola or another cereal, I am definately a smoothie girl. Here are some of my other favorites:

 My Chocolate Banana Smoothie is always a hit in my family and is great for breakfast or for an afternoon snack. I adore having one after a strenuous workout and it always perks the fam up to have something decadent (and still healthy!)


Chocolate Banana Smoothie

My Power Me Up Green Smoothie is always a go-to breakfast for me!

Power Me Up Green Smoothie

 Sometimes the kids get turned off by the green color, so add some frozen berries...and, viola!

Green Smoothie with Frozen Berries

Really, you can throw anything into your blender. I made this smoothie from pineapple, mango and almond milk when my son was feeling under the weather!

Pineapple and Mango Smoothie

And, finally one of my very favorite breakfasts Raw Mixed Berry Pancakes.

Raw Pancakes with Mixed Berries

I adore having these on the weekend when my husband makes the kids homemade pancakes! This way, I feel like I am participating and having something delicious and healthy!

What do you do for healthy breakfasts?

Blueberry Pancakes Without the Guilt!

So, this is what I had for breakfast today before going to the gym: Raw Blueberry Pancakes with organic maple syrup and fresh blueberries!



Hope you will excuse my long absence but I have been taking time to do the really important things this summer like spending time with family and just recharging my own batteries. Now that I feel fully charged and up and running, I hope you will tune into my posts again!



So, I now that I have my two children settled into school, I have been cooiing (or non-cooking) up a storm. Yesterday I made almond milk and had so much almond pulp (and leftover blueberries) and, you know how much I dislike wasting food, so I decided to make my raw blueberry pancake. They are so easy to make, delicious, and a great way to power up your day!


Raw Blueberry Pancakes
1 cups almond pulp (or ground up almonds, walnuts or any nut really)
1/2 cup ground flax
1/2 cup ground chia seeds
2 tbsp hemp powder
1 tbsp maca
1/2 avocado
1 tbsp coconut butter (optional)
Dash or organic, alcohol-free vanilla extract (optional)
Dash of cinnamon
2 tbsp agave nectar
Almond milk (just enough to get mixture a good consistency)
Blueberries, strawberries or bananas (to put on top)

Mix all of the ingredients into a cuisinart or blender. Mix in the berries or other fruit by hand. Shape into pancakes and place into the dehydrator for 6-8 hours and turn them over and dehyrate for an additional 4-6 hours. If you do not have a dehydrator then you can cook the pancakes on low heat in an omlet pan on the stove (technically they would not be raw, though.)

Here are the pancakes in the dehydrator:

When you have finished you will have a decadent, delicious breakfast and feel great and powered up for your day!

My New Favorite Morning Smoothie!

My new favorite is my Celery Banana Smoothie! Not only is it packed with selenium, electrolytes such as potassium and sodium, fiber and iron, but I feel light and energized after drinking it! A perfect way to start an action-packed day!

Celery Banana Smoothie

4-6 stalks celery

1 medium frozen banana

1-2 cups vanilla almond milk

Handful of parsley (or spinach)

Optional: maca, chia seeds, gogi berries or hemp seeds/powder

Blend in your blender and enjoy! This smoothie is so clean and refreshing!

Something More than a Smoothie!

I love the quiet of the morning after the children have been dropped off at school and the house is absolutely quiet! This is the time I usually chose to have my breakfast when I can actually concentrate and enjoy what I am eating without getting up from the table a million times to clean a spill or for more orange juice or almond butter or whatever!

Most mornings I have my favorite green smoothie to start the day but this morning I woke up starving! Last night I had a larger than usual dinner delivered courtesy of Candle Cafe
so was a bit surprised I was so hungry. Sometimes, though, I find that we eat more or later than usual, we actually wake up hungrier!

Anyway, I am going on a 7 mile run today so decided to fuel up with my absolute favorite Macadamia Nut cereal from Laughing Giraffe topped with a handful of organic blueberries and my homemade almond milk. Laughing Giraffe only sources the highest quality ingredients and uses clear, real raw agave nectar for sweetness.

Here is a picture of my breakfast! Delicious and I feel clean and powered up to run! Will do the smoothie for lunch!

Delicious, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free and Nut-Free Muffins in Under 15 Minutes!

We have recently taken my son off gluten (more in a later post about celiac and gluten sensitivities and our personal journey) but my son was having a huge craving for blueberry muffins this morning. And, since he was having a special field trip today I wanted to make them for him!!!

Instead of just caving and going across the street to H&H, I just pulled out a bag of Namaste Foods Gluten-free Muffin Mix, which makes muffins are gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, soy-free and sugar-free and taste delicious! And, in 15 minutes Voila!

There is no need to laborously start from scratch when there are such good products on the market and you can personalize them by adding berries for a mixed berry muffin, chocolate chips for chocolate chip muffins or even carrots, zucchini or bananas for a yummy healthy morning muffin! The possibilities are endless.

Following is the recipe:

Mixed Berry Muffins
Namaste Foods Gluten-free Muffin Mix
2 eggs (I used E-nerg egg replacement powder)
1/4 cup oil (I used a combo of coconut butter, hemp and Earth Balance but you can also use olive or sesame oil)
1/2 small bag of mixed berries
Add: ground flax seeds, ground chia, ground hemp seeds (I used them all!)
1 cup water
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a cuisinart or mixing bowl, mix everything but the berries until very smooth. Hand mix in the frozen berries. Grease muffin tins and fill with mixture. Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!!! I serve these with a side of almond butter. Healthy, guilt-free and so, so delicious!