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Tropical Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

It’s Mother’s Day weekend! If my Mama lived closer, I would make her this delicious Tropical Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream for dessert, because it is absolutely delicious, and also because it has nutrient rich ingredients that will make her skin glow and benefit her body!

Tropical Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

I have to admit, I am passionate about Matcha. I started drinking it years ago because of the rich green tea flavor! I love the taste, and the health benefits were an added bonus! Matcha is packed full of antioxidants, and even though it contains caffeine, it calms and relaxes the body while it energizes. It contains high levels of chlorophyll, vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium. If that wasn’t enough, there are EGCG’s in Matcha that lower blood sugar and cholesterol. Matcha detoxifies, increases metabolism, boosts memory and concentration, and is disease and cancer preventative. Wow! Who doesn’t want all that?

Okay, so that is one of the ingredients in this creamy, tropical ice cream. I also added pineapple, mango, lemon juice (Vitamins A and C), and avocado which all beautify your skin! There is coconut milk and coconut oil for healthy fat (along with the avocado). The avocado adds extra creaminess with a neutral flavor, and finally natural honey. So, let’s eat ice cream in a very healthy way!

Tropical Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Fresh Cubed Pineapple

1 Ripe Mango

1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk (No additives for SCD Diet)

1/2 Cup Good Honey (clear if eating SCD Low FodMap)

1/2 Ripe Avocado

2 Tablespoons of Matcha Green Tea Powder

1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Melted Coconut Oil

Directions:

1. In a blender, blend all the ingredients.

2. Refrigerate Ice Cream Mix for at least 4 hours or overnight.

3. Churn in an ice cream maker. I love this one.

Serve!

Tropical Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

Eat Your Nutrients!

Are You Authentic?…plus a Honeyed Latte Recipe

Are you your most authentic self? If not what is a step you could take to change that? Has there been a time when you recognized you weren’t being your authentic self and wished to be someone else? What did you do? How did it make you feel? What about times when you were completely authentic?

Honeyed Latte with Cinnamon

This is a really important subject for your health and happiness! If you feel like you can’t be yourself except when you are alone, you are not being true to yourself. Everyone on the planet has special gifts and a cellular makeup that makes you like no other person! When you are comfortable, confident and happy with yourself, it shines through you, and draws others to you. You are able to fulfill your purpose so much better! You are a gift to the world, so live your life being you!

Here is a special latte recipe just for you to enjoy!

Honeyed Latte with Cinnamon

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Espresso (or strong coffee if you don’t have an espresso machine)

1/2 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk (or try Toasted Hazelnut Vanilla Nut Milk here)

1 Tablespoon of Honey (clear if eating SCD/Low FodMap)

1/4 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1/8 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Directions:

Pour your Milk, Honey, Vanilla and Cinnamon in a frothing pitcher. Steam until hot and frothy. Then, prepare your espresso (or strong coffee). If you are using coffee you can heat your milk to desired temperature and whisk vigorously to create a creamy froth.

Honeyed Latte with Cinnamon

Pour the coffee and sweetened, flavored milk together into your very favorite mug. Sit and enjoy and savor the moment and your uniqueness!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Want more tips or need a Health Coach? Check out my new Health Coaching Website here!

Avocado Fries with Dairy Free Ranch Dip

Am I the only one who could eat a whole avocado at once? They are so creamy and delicious! Did you know that the fat in Avocados helps you absorb nutrients in carotenoid containing raw vegetables like carrots and leafy greens (and other red, green & orange vegetables) and converts it into Vitamin A? This is true of other fats as well and is just one of the reasons a low fat salad dressing is such a bad idea. Fat helps you access the nutrients in vegetables!

Avocado also contains fiber and other vitamins and minerals, and the fat keeps you full. I like the glow factor of eating avocados. They are good for your skin! You don’t have to eat a whole avocado at once to get the benefits. These avocado fries are a delicious side at a cookout, and also a very fun appetizer!

Serve them with carrots and my Won’t Miss a Think Dairy Free Ranch Recipe!

Avocado Fries with Dairy Free Ranch Dip

Preheat your oven broiler and place the rack on the second level from the top. Lay out a parchment lined baking sheet.

Ingredients:

2 Avocados that are ripe but not mushy

1/2 Cup Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

Directions:

Wash your avocados and cut them in half removing the pit and then slicing them into six slices each, so three slices per half. You will have a total of 12 wedges.

In a shallow bowl, add your Apple Cider Vinegar and coat your Avocado Fries with the vinegar.

In a separate bowl whisk together the almond flour and salt. Dip each avocado slice in the crumb mixture, coating all sides, and place on the baking sheet.

Broil the avocado fries approximately 3 minutes on one side, then remove from the oven and turn, return to the broiler for an additional 3 minutes until golden. Sprinkle with a little additional salt if desired. I like a coarse finishing salt.

Serve with my SCD Low FodMap Ranch here.

Check out more free Health & Wellness Tips on my Facebook page here!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

It’s Asparagus season, and one of the best times to eat it is early Spring when it is local and the stalks are thick and juicy!

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Asparagus is a perennial. It takes three years after planting asparagus to strengthen the roots and start harvesting it. After that it just gives and gives every Spring. I find that as the weather warms the stalks get thinner, so I like to make this side when they are fat and abundant.

Asparagus is packed with nutrients like folate, vitamins E, C, A and K, as well as a trace mineral, chromium, that heightens the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells. Asparagus also contains soluble and insoluble fiber. It is also is a good source of the antioxidant glutathione which is said to slow the aging process and benefit your skin.

Did you know Asparagus can grow as much as ten inches in 24 hours? Amazing! It is also a natural diuretic and can help the body get rid of excess salt and fluid. One caveat – If you have had calcium kidney stones or gout, asparagus is one of the foods to avoid (see here).

The recipe is simple and delicious!

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Ingredients:

16 Fat Stalks of Asparagus or more if stalks are thinner

8 Pieces of Good Quality Bacon

1Tablespoon Coconut Oil or Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Coarse Salt (I used Fleur De Sel)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450º degrees.

Lay out a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet. Wrap a piece of bacon around two fat stalks of asparagus (or three to four thinner stalks) and secure with a toothpick. Set the eight bundles on your prepared baking sheet and brush with Coconut Oil or Olive Oil. Sprinkle the asparagus with the coarse salt. Place in your oven 10 to 12 minutes until the bacon has crisped and the asparagus is nicely roasted.

Serve!

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Ready for the Oven

Eat Your Nutrients!

Cherry Raspberry Popsicles

Guess What??? Yep, that’s right! It’s popsicle season! How did you guess?

It is probably because you are an amazing human being! AND you want to fuel your body with clean food to stay super amazing or become even more super amazing! Am I right?

This month marks the one year anniversary of my blog. I am so excited!!! I have shared over 100 recipes with you all in the past year to help you reach your goals, as well as stories of Ming, Ming! Whether it is improving your health overall, better digestion, wanting more energy, cleaning up your diet, eating Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Real Food, or healing from SIBO and other digestive difficulties, I am so glad you are here!

I have been honored to be a part of your journey, and also my journey through blogging to reach my health goals. I have to say, I have been feeling really great, and I hope you are too! I have met some amazing, super awesome, kind and generous people, and each and every one of your comments has touched me.

Today I am sharing a delicious, easy popsicle recipe that I know you are going to absolutely love! There is no garbage or artificial anything in them, just four ingredients and they are pretty too! I used popsicle molds to make these, but I have also made them in little paper cups with popsicle sticks inserted into them from the local craft store!

Cherry Raspberry Popsicles

Ingredients:

10 oz. Frozen Organic Raspberries

1 Cup Frozen Organic Tart Cherries

1/4 Cup Clear Honey

2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Add the ingredients to your blender. Mix on high until smooth. Pour into molds. Freeze until solid (about 6 hours). To un-mold, run under hot tap water a few seconds. If they are in a paper cup, simply peel the paper off. Enjoy!!!!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Orange Boost Smoothie

Orange Boost Smoothie is a creamy addition to a smoothie rotation! It provides Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Potassium, Protein from gut healing grass fed gelatin which also will help joints, skin and connective tissues regenerate, antioxidant rich Matcha Green Tea, Cinnamon (antioxidant, fights inflammation), and is easily digestible..

I like to have this smoothie in the mornings on my tough workout days when I have depleted glycogen.

Orange Boost Smoothie

1 Ripe Banana

1 Organic Medium Orange

1/4 Cup Sliced or Baby Organic Carrots

2 Tablespoons of Grass Fed Gelatin

1 Tablespoon Matcha Green Tea Powder

1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Cup Crushed Ice

Directions: Blend together the Orange, Carrots and Banana. Add in the gelatin, Matcha Green Tea Powder, lemon juice, cinnamon and crushed ice. Blend on high until smooth.

Try this smoothie on the days you need an extra boost! Enjoy!

serves 1-2

Eat Your Nutrients!

Blueberry Crumb Loaf

It’s a great day to make a blueberry crumb loaf! The birds are screaming here this morning. They are so happy about the Spring weather! Everything is so green, and the buds on my Thundercloud Plum trees are swelling and turning pink. We have several of the trees lining the driveway. The smell of the blooms is heavenly! It reminds me of sweet tarts.

Thundercloud Plum Tree Blossoms

Thundercloud Plum Tree Close to Blooming

I planted blueberry bushes three years ago, and this year I think I will get a good crop of them. Blueberry bushes are ornamental also, so I incorporated them in my front garden.

I grew up with my father always having a large garden, and my mother would can and preserve the summer’s bounty, which we would enjoy year round. So, this year I have decided to get back to my roots and grow more of my own food. I started a raised bed garden and so far have planted baby lettuces, which are sprouting already.

Hopefully by summer, I will be making this loaf using my own organic blueberries. But today after being outdoors working in the garden, I can’t think of a better afternoon snack than a cup of tea and a slice of warm blueberry crumb loaf!

Here is the recipe!

Blueberry Crumb Loaf

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees and grease an 8″ inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.

Ingredients for Streusel Topping:

1/4 Cup Toasted Walnuts (Toast them for five minutes in your 350º degree preheated oven)

2 Tablespoons Pecans

2 Tablespoons Finely Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil

2 Tablespoons Honey

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

Ingredients For Bread Batter:

2 Cups of Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Flour

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil

2 Tablespoons of Dried Currants

3/4 Cup Organic or Wild Blueberries

2 Tablespoons Honey

2 Teaspoons of Pure Vanilla Extract (like this)

1 Teaspoon Gluten Free Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cardamom

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

Directions:

For the Streusel Topping:

Pulse all the streusel ingredients in a food processor until it forms medium crumbs and is even in texture. I use my mini processor for this, but you can use whatever one you choose.

Set aside while you make your bread batter.

To make the bread batter:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted coconut oil, honey and vanilla extract. Set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the remaining dry ingredients except the currants and blueberries.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and thoroughly incorporate. With a rubber spatula, fold in the currants and blueberries. Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly. It is thick. Then, sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the loaf.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. You can tent the loaf with foil the last 15 minutes if you notice the crumb is getting too dark.

Remove from the oven, and cool in the pan for five minutes. Then using the parchment to help you, remove the loaf from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm or cooled. Store any leftover bread after the first day in the refrigerator.

Eat Your Nutrients!

Blueberry Blast Smoothie

blueberry blast smoothie

Are you a fan of healthy smoothies like me? I love all the blended nutrition you can get in a smoothie, and how they are so easy to digest. I am especially a fan of really cold ones. The coolness of the smoothie gives me a sense of well being. A warm beverage can do the same thing depending on the season, time of day, if I just worked out or was romping around the yard with Ming and the girls. My favorite smoothies are ones that get their sweetness from whole fruit and no added sugar like this Blueberry Blast Nut Smoothie. It is simple to make and can be enjoyed any time you get a craving. This delicious smoothie takes only minutes to whip together, and contains good fat from Coconut Milk and a Nut Butter of your choice, as well as Blueberries and Melon for Vitamin C, Antioxidants and Phytonutrients. There is the option for add ins for more health benefits!

For more health and wellness tips, you can go to my new Sandra Shields, Certified Health Coach Facebook page here and like it to follow me. I post new content there throughout the week! Thank you to all my followers for your support! I love you guys!

Blueberry Blast Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 Banana

1 Cup Wild Blueberries

1 Cup Honeydew Melon, Chopped

1/2 Cup Coconut or Almond Milk

1 Tablespoon of Nut Butter (Almond, Walnut, Cashew)

1 Cup Crushed Ice

Blend in a blender on high until smooth.

Serves 1 – 2

Optional add ins: Bee Pollen, 2 Tablespoons of Grass Fed Gelatin, 1 Tablespoon Ground Flax

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Spiralized Golden Beet Salad

I am in love with spiralized vegetables! It changes the texture and whole experience of eating them. The noodles or spirals coming out of the spiralizer as you turn the handle are gorgeous and abundant! Recently, I spiralized golden beets and then wondered, what should I do different with these gorgeous spun gold noodles? I decided to lightly steam them and serve them as a chilled beet salad. I wanted crunch, flavor and eye appeal. I also wanted to keep the ingredients simple. The results were a salad with almonds for crunch, scallions and avocado oil.

I tend to spiralize several things at once and then store them in the refrigerator until I want to use them, so I only have to clean up the spiralizer once. These beets were ready a day in advance, and the actual preparation time the day of was about 20 minutes.

Spiralized Golden Beet Salad

Ingredients:

2 Medium Golden Beets, washed, peeled and spiralized

1/2 Cup Scallions, sliced, green parts only for Low FodMap

1/3 Cup Slivered Almonds

3 Tablespoons Avocado Oil

2 Teaspoons White Wine Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt (to Taste)

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper or to Taste

Directions: Place a few inches of water in the bottom of a pan with a steamer insert and bring to a boil. Add the beets and steam five minutes, just till tender…think al dente. Remove from the steamer and run under very cold water to cool quickly and prevent further cooking. Drain the beets well. Add to a bowl and toss with the remaining salad ingredients. Serve, or refrigerate to chill more and let the flavors meld.

Everything contained in this salad is not only delicious, but offers health benefits. Beets are rich in nutrients, fiber, detoxify and contain phytonutrients. Scallions are great for immune system health and contain Vitamin K for bones and Vitamin A for the eyes. Almonds contain fiber, protein and good fat as well as the good fat in the avocado oil, which is delicious!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream

I have a Spring “ice cream” recipe for you today that is tart, creamy and dairy free! It uses a pound of fresh strawberries, lemon juice, lemon zest (for the zing), coconut milk, honey and a pinch of salt. It is beneficial to use whole fruit in treats whenever possible to get in the fiber and nutrients the way they were meant to be consumed. It also slows down the absorption of sugars, as opposed to just using a juice with the fiber and fruit extracted. This Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream is a Low FodMap recipe as well with just a quarter cup of honey in the batch, and it serves six! This would be delicious as an Easter treat or served at a Spring cookout. I really love the color of this ice cream, it is a beautiful shade of pink, all natural, and just a few ingredients. All you need is a blender…..no cooking…..and an ice cream maker. The one I use is the Cuisinart here. I have had it for years and it keeps going strong!

Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 Pound Fresh Strawberries

1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk, No Additives

6 Tablespoons of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Zest of Two Organic Lemons

1/4 Cup Clear Honey

Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

Directions:

Clean and hull the fresh strawberries and place in the blender with the can of coconut milk. Zest the lemons and put the zest in the blender. Then, squeeze the juice of the lemons and add to the blender. Add the honey and salt. Blend on high for one minute, or until smooth.

Place in a sealed container in the refrigerator and chill for four hours and up to 24 hours. When chilled, churn your ice cream and serve. If you have any leftover, you can freeze it in a air tight container. When eating any leftover ice cream, make sure it sits at room temperature about 10 minutes to allow the ice cream to soften again.

Serves 6

Eat Your Nutrients!