Veggie Udon

Veggie Udon

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1/2 ounce dried woodear mushrooms (Asian grocery store)

1/2 ounce dried morel mushrooms (asian grocery store)

4 ounces Shiitake Mushrooms 

8 scallions

2 Minced Garlic Cloves 

1 small white onion chopped 

1 (4-inch) piece of kombu dried sea kelp

2 tablespoons Liquid Aminos 

2 tablespoons Mirin Japanese Rice wine 

Dash of Himalayan Pink Salt 

1 Red Pepper cut into 3/4-inch strips

1 Orange Pepper cut

1 Green Pepper cut 

2 servings fresh or dried udon noodles

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1. Combine woodear and morels mushrooms in a medium saucepan and cover with 1 1/2 quarts water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes while mushrooms rehydrate. Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add fresh mushroom shiitake mushrooms, 1-inch of scallions, garlic cloves, onion, and kombu to pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. 

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2. When broth is simmered, strain through a fine mesh strainer and return to pot, discarding solids. Add soy sauce and mirin and season to taste with salt. You should have about 1 quart of broth. Keep warm.

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3. Heat 1 tablespoon Coconut oil or water in a wok or a 12-inch skillet over high heat until lightly smoking. Add peppers and stir-fry until lightly completely tender, about 2 minutes. 

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4.  Cook udon in boiling water according to package directions

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5. Put Udon noodles in a bowl and top with broth and veggies

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Savory and hearty this Veggie Udon is extremely flavorful and good for you! 

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Aloe Vera Cucumber Cooler

Aloe Vera Cucumber Cooler

3 tbsp Aloe Vera Gel or Juice  

Juice of one Lemon

Sliced Lemon

Sliced Cucumber 

32oz Filtered Water or Sparkling Water 

1 tbsp Maple Syrup (optional) 

Mix Aloe Vera and Maple Syrup (optional) with Water then add the Juice of one Lemon, Lemon Slices and Cucumber slices to the Water.  Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving! 

I keep this on hand in my fridge for a delicious flavored water when I don't want to drink just plain old water!  It's very refreshing and cooling on a hot day! 

Drinking aloe vera juice is a very healthy habit, as it can aid in weight loss, digestion, and immune function. Aloe vera gel is a superfood packed full of vitamins and minerals. It contains B complex vitamins B1, B2, B6 and B12 as well as vitamins A, C and E. It is a good plant source of folic acids too.  Aloe vera aids in digestive health by balancing stomach acids, thereby helping your body to absorb the nutrients you consume. It also has laxative qualities, so if you ever have trouble with constipation, drinking a little juice from the aloe plant will help to get things moving again. 

Body Image and Food

Oh how I use to HATE bathing suit shopping, even when I was 20lb lighter than I am today. Being an overweight elementary/middle school kid means you get a lot of negative comments about your appearance from others because it's the easiest and most obvious thing to make fun of you for. Those comments don't leave you very easily and it can really cause huge body image issues. 

Someone once said "she would be really hot if she could thin out her stomach and hips" No matter how thin I got I still had these hips and curves that were considered too big to be attractive. Well, at least I thought so because of the comments that stayed with me.  I over worked out and ate a very restricted diet that I thought was healthy that eventually got me to my goal weight! .

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Once my accident happened, I couldn't maintain my vigorous fitness routine and eat the low carb low calorie diet, that kept me tiny!  I had no choice but to fix my relationship with food and my body image in order to heal my body and overcome the challenges recovering from the accident would require. 

Through eliminating processed foods, chemicals and animal products my relationship with food changed and so did my outlook on my appearance. My only focus was feeding my body to heal and be able to regain my physical abilities and it didn't matter if my hips were too big, it mattered that they were able to support me to stand. It didn't matter if my stomach gained a little fluff, it mattered that the muscles underneath would fire up again and help me to stand up right. My food became my medicine and my workout became my physical therapy, to support me and help me heal not to make me hot enough for others to approve of me. 

I stand here today proud of my beautiful body that's getting stronger every day!  I've been on multiple vacations in the last 4 years and had to use a scooter to get around, now I'm preparing for a major trip overseas and my plan is to walk it all but even if I need the cane here and there it's still a huge victory for me and this amazing body of mine! Change your relationship with food and you will love your body!

Tiki Masala Curry

Tiki Masala Curry

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1 c cubed organic non GMO tofu 

1 c diced Japanese Eggplant

1 c diced Potato

2 c Green Beans 

2 tbsp yellow curry 

2 tbsp tiki masala spice 

1 tbsp cumin

1 tspn black pepper

16 oz Vegetable Stock (add more if needed) 

4 oz Coconut Milk

1 tsp Chili Oil (to taste) or 1 minced Habanero Pepper

(Optional - dash sea salt)

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Add Chili Oil, Green Beans, Eggplant, Potato and All spices to the bottom of the pot.  Sauté until eggplant starts to sweat. If you do not want to use oil, put an inch of vegetable stock or water in the bottom of the pot, bring to a boil then add veggies and this will steam fry the veggies without oil.

Add Vegetable Stock and Coconut Milk and bring to boil, then lower to a simmer and add tofu. Cover for 2 minutes then stir and serve. 

Serve with brown rice! 

This recipe should take 20 minutes to make! It's nutritious and delicious!

Spring Smoothie

Spring Smoothie

1 plum

1 nectarine

1 white peach

1 cup Blackberries 

1 cup Frozen Strawberries

1 cup Fresh Orange Juice

1/2 cup Fresh Mint

Ice (optional) 

Blend and Enjoy! 

Spring has sprung, there's a lightness in the air with the smells of flowers in bloom!  This spring smoothie tastes like spring feels. Refreshing! With a high level of vitamin c, this smoothies helps protect your body from cancer while strengthening your immune system! 

The Benefits of Orange Juice

The Benefits of Orange Juice

1. Weight Loss: the antioxidants in citrus effectively aid in weight loss. 

2. Vitamin C- boosts the immune system and helps prevent and treat colds and the flu. In Europe, the standard cancer treatment is high doses of Vitamin C which kills free radicals and cancer. 

3. Contains D – limonene - an effective agent against skin cancer, breast cancer, 

mouth cancer, colon cancer and lung cancer. 

4. Maintains Blood Pressure levels: contains magnesium which brings blood pressure levels to normal range.

5. Prevents and treats Ulcer: Aids in digestive health 

6. Prevents and treats Kidney Stones: citrate in orange juice lowers urine acidity 

7.  Promotes healing: contains flavonoids that reduce inflammation and regenerate cells 

8. Reduces Risk of Heart Attack: Oranges contain hesperidin which protects the arteries from being clogged by improving the health of nearby cell.  Consumption of one glass freshly squeezed orange juice ensures lower risks of heart attacks 

9. Treats Anemia: vitamin C promotes the absorption of iron into blood stream

10. Skin Health: the antioxidants with the combination of vitamin C protect the skin cells from getting effected by free radicals. Giving your skin a fresh and glowing look!

Orange juice is the healthiest way to start your day! 

Very Green Smoothie

Very Green Smoothie

1 Green Apple

1 Kiwi

10 Green Seedless Grapes

1 Mango

2 cups Spinach

1/2 Cucumber 

1 tbsp Aloe Vera 

1 cup Pineapple Juice or Coconut Water or Water 

Ice (optional) 

Blend all ingredients and Enjoy!

Very Green and very nutritious! This smoothie has a lot of fiber and water content which helps to regulate and detox the digestive system. It's high in iron, protein and essential minerals that keep your blood healthy!

The Very Green Smoothie will help your body run like a well oiled machine and you will feel an increase in energy and libido! Incorporate this in to your nutrition and your body will thank you!