MY SECRET RECIPE

The secret recipe is this:

• Start with the best ingredients that you can find.  Local organic produce from the farmer's market, whole grains and well thought herbs and seasoning.  
• Think about the bodies and souls you will be nourishing with the food you prepare.
• As you prepare the food, use you thoughts to appreciate the earth, the farmers, your friends and family, and yourself. 
• Be grateful for your ability to prepare food and your abundant blessings.
• Use your heart.

That is how you cook with love.  

And you know what?  It tastes different.   

~Lisa

KARIN'S CREATION

No exact measurement and it's good every time.

• Garlic grilled shrimp or chicken breast
• Corn
• Black beans
• Quinoa
• Spinach
• Cherry tomatoes
• Jalapeno
• EVOO
• Garlic to taste

Dressing:

• Lime juice
• Cilantro
• Honey
• EVOO
• Dijon mustard
• Half avocado
• Garlic

1. Prepare quinoa per package instructions.  When done add corn and black beans and half of jalapeno finely diced.  Set aside.
2. Cook shrimp or chicken to you liking. (I used garlic grilled shrimp for the photo)
3. To make dressing: In blender combine juice from 2 limes, half avocado, approx 1 TBSP of Dijon mustard, 1.5 TBSP of honey, drizzle extra virgin olive oil, cilantro and blend until thin consistency.
4. On a plate lay down a bed of spinach or greens of your choice (kale would probably taste good because it would compliment the sweetness of the dressing), half a hand full of cherry tomatoes then top with quinoa mixture and cooked shrimp, then drizzle dressing over top.

For a different flavor, we also like it with sour cream and sriracha sauce instead of the dressing.  

Enjoy!

FUCK YOU. I'M REAL TOO.

    I feel like I am being bombarded with messages about healthy body image lately.  I 100% agree that healthy body image is critical to overall health and well-being.  I also 100% agree that the media should be burned at the stake for what they have done to contribute to how women and men see the “ideal” human form.  I know that as a growing young woman I was severely impacted by too much attention focused on my body, and the bodies of those around me.  I agree with all of that. Somehow though, I am starting to feel attacked.  

    It is important to me to be in shape.  Does this mean that I am somehow a bad person, who is acting against the efforts of the people working to bring awareness to body image issues?   The idea that because I have a body close to the “ideal” portrayed by magazines, that I am somehow not portraying “realness” and cannot relate a “real” message is not fair.

     The message I send to every client, friend, family member or co-worker, is that it feels great to feel your best.  I don’t give a shit what your best looks like, but I do know that when you find it – YOU will know it.  I believe that choices contribute to where you end up.  Millions and millions of tiny little choices, that you make day-after-day, shape every aspect of your life.  

     I share my real journey with those I cross paths with.  I am not ashamed of what brought me here, and I would not change any of it.  I really like me, and all my crazy flaws.  I love chocolate.  I’ll eat every last brownie in the pan if someone does not intervene.  I love to work out because it contributes to my health and makes me strong.   I had to get rid of many pairs of jeans because my butt and my thighs got bigger and stronger.   I have a huge ribcage.  I have small boobs.  I am a bitch when I am hungry.  I get severe PMS, that is lessened when I am exercising and eating well.   I’ve had multiple eating disorders throughout my life.  I work to overcome my own vanity daily.  I get scared when I feel the world pulling me toward my destiny – scared I will mess it up.  I’ve dealt with severe acne as an adult and I still struggle with it daily. I keep my hair long because it helps hide my face on days I am not feeling my best.  I have no idea what it actually feels like to be overweight, but I do know exactly what it feels like to hate my body, in little parts, or as a whole.  I know exactly what it feels like to be stared at, made fun of, or judged because my outward appearance is not “ideal” in one way or another.  I have two amazing boys.  I was pregnant and unmarried twice by two different men.  I am divorced.   I’ve been fired.  I am a nicer adult than I was a child.  I fuck up all the time.  I am wrong all the time.  I know how to say I am sorry and I know how to forgive.  I evolve and learn every day.  

     I am real, and I take much offense at the idea that the way I look, the size I am, and the muscles I’ve worked for, make me less real than anyone else. 

AVOCADO AND CUCUMBER SOUP - CHILLED

 Ingredients:

• 1 Cucumber
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Lime
• 1 Red onion
• Cilantro
• Sea salt

Put cucumber and avocado in blender or food processor

Blend until smooth and add water until desired consistency

Add in lime juice and salt to flavor (go slow - the first time I added too much lime)

Chill in fridge for about an hour

Serve with chopped red onion and cilantro

*With the leftovers, I added cold chicken and black beans to the soup and it was delicious. 

Thank you for sharing this recipe with me, Karin.

STUFFED PEPPERS - ON THE GRILL

It's like summer on a plate

Ingredients:

If you prefer vegetarian, these are also delicious without the sausage

• 2 C cooked long grain brown rice
• 1 diced red onion
• 1 diced clove garlic
• 3-4 chopped medium mushrooms
• 1 chopped red pepper
• 1 diced jalepeno (or other spicy pepper)
• 1 small cucumber
• 1 avocado
• 1 tomato
• Chicken sausage (I used Open Nature brand from Von's)- they are good without sausage too
• 4-6 peppers for stuffing 
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Balsamic vinegar
• Aluminum Foil 

1. Saute 3/4 of the red onion, garlic, mushroom, red pepper, sausage and jalapeno in a little olive oil.  
2. Once ingredients soften, add in rice and stir together
3. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and pepper (optional)
4. Turn off burner and set aside
5. Prepare your peppers for stuffing (remove tops and try to remove seeds)
6. Use a small teaspoon to scoop rice mixture into peppers (stuff it down to tip if possible)
7. Rub olive oil on outside of peppers, lightly
8. Wrap peppers in aluminum foil (I did each individually)
9. Place on pre-heated grill set at medium and cook 10 minutes.
10. Prepare side salad with tomato, remaining onion, and cucumber
11. Turn off grill and let them sit for another 5 (not sure this is necessary, but it's what I did :)
12. Place peppers on plate with salad and sprinkle everything lightly with *balsamic vinegar

*I am a huge fan of quality balsamic vinegar.  I buy mine at the farmers market and it is $18 for a smallish bottle.  I never use my big Costco jug anymore.  My favorite is the Classic Balsamic from San Felipe Olive Company.  It makes a simple plate of tomatoes and avocados taste like a gourmet meal.


The little green thing on the plate is okra.  I'd never tried it before.  I cooked it the same way as the peppers (no stuffing though) and it was yummy - reminded me of tater-tots :)

STOP BUYING IMITATION FOOD

I have to be inspired to write.  Most of the things that inspire me are a little too hot for your average blog post.  For the most part I try to limit my rants - this is an exception.  You've been warned.

What the fuck is wrong with us?  American's get mad about tax increases, budget cuts, pro-choice, right to bear arms, freedom of speech, and every other blessed thing under the sun except the FACT that the government and big food companies are experimenting on  poisoning us daily with "food" packaged in cute little boxes, sold in every grocery store in America.

This is no secret.  It is well researched, well documented, and well published by every school from Stanford to Harvard and every organization in between. So, what’s the deal people?  I am more than a little dumbfounded that no one seems to care.  I want picketers outside of Von’s and people burning their kid’s breakfast cereal in town centers.  I want public outcry at the “high-fructose corn syrup is good for you commercials.” 

Look around.  We are a nation of sick people.  Obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, allergies, ADHD, and autism have all dramatically increased in the last 30 years.  You should be wondering, “Hmmm…that’s weird.  Why is that happening?”  Why are you not wondering that?  Why the hell are you not wondering that? 

The explanation is both incredibly complicated and shockingly simple. 

Pay attention. 

It is happening because people are eating a lot of something we are told is food, but it’s not actually food.  Our bodies don’t know what to do with the shit that is being ingested.  When a body does not know what to do with what’s coming in, things go wrong.  Lots of things go wrong.  Our bodies have evolved on food that comes out of the ground and from nature (plants, animals, fish, dairy, eggs, and so on). Our bodies recognize these things as food and know what to do with them.  Your body has no idea WTF to do with a cheese puff, people. 

Sadly, it is all profit driven.  There is a lot of money in fake food.  Big food companies fund “research” to dissect an orange and determine why it is healthy for our bodies.  “Research” concludes that vitamin C is what is healthy in an orange (completely ignoring the hundred other parts of the orange and how they may contribute to why the fruit is healthy).  “Research” is published by “highly reliable” sources on the internet.  Everything from Tampons to Cheerios is labeled with “contains 100% of your daily vitamin C” and the companies make back their investment in 37 minutes after the product hits the shelves. 

We are being screwed with folks. 

The good news is that because it's all profit driven, we actually do have all the control over it.  We just need to claim it.  Stop buying it.  It’s making you sick.  Do not show up at the doctor and complain of indigestion, heartburn, constipation, exhaustion, screwed up thyroid, weight that won’t come off, feeling exhausted, headaches and a million other things until you take the shit imitation food you’ve been eating out of your diet.   Your body is mad at you and it is going to do everything it can to make you stop.  You are making yourself sick.  Yes, that sounds harsh.  How dare I try to diagnose you when I don’t even know you?  The truth can be a tough pill to swallow. I am right.  If you are eating a healthy diet of whole foods, living an active life and listening to your body, then absolutely go to the doctor if you don’t feel well.  Otherwise, it’s your own fault and the pill the doctor will prescribe is only going to lead to 60 other side effects that you are not going to like either. 

Here’s the solution.  Stop buying imitation food.  Buy food your great-grandparents ate.  Eat whole food, from the earth, preferably locally grown and you cannot go wrong.  I promise that it is not as hard as it sounds.  It is a lifestyle change.  The kids will complain for a few weeks, but you will see a plethora of positive changes that will reinforce your decision, and you will never go back. 

You have my word. 

If you want help, I’ll even find someone in your area that can help you. 

Yes, seriously. 

NAKED ENCHILADAS

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 red peppers
• 5 mushrooms
• 1 jalapeno
• 2 -3 chicken breast 
• Sea salt (optional)
• 1 can black beans
• 2-3 large kale leaves
• sour cream (optional)
• cooked brown rice (optional)
• avocado (optional)

Saute in olive oil over medium heat:

1 onion
2 red peppers
5 mushrooms
1 diced jalapeno pepper


Once ingredients are soft (about 10 minutes) add in:

2 cubed chicken breasts and sprinkle lightly with sea salt (optional)
Stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through

Once chicken is cooked (about 10 minutes) add in:

2-3 chopped large kale leaves
1 can of black beans - drained
1 packet of enchilada sauce (our favorite Fronterra Red Chile Enchilada Sauce)
Stir gently and let simmer for a couple minutes to heat up final ingredients

Top with a scoop of sour cream

Serve with brown rice and avocado