Week of Love: Golden Smoothie

Turmeric is a powerhouse of antioxidants and anti- inflammatory properties. It has been scientifically proven to help prevent and/or treat alzheimers, arthritis, and cancer. It's a powerful anti-inflammatory thanks mainly to curcumin, turmeric's active constituent. This bright orange root helps protect the liver and detoxify the body by binding heavy metals and neutralizing free radicals.

According to Rosemary Gladstar, turmeric "is one of the best herbs for immune health and is often overlooked because of the huge popularity of Echinacea" (Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, page 110). She continues to say that turmeric is antitumor and antibiotic as well as a metabolic tonic and blood purifier. Michael Castleman, author of The New Healing Herbs, states that consuming antioxidant herbs such as turmeric helps prevent oxidative damage - the underlying cause of heart disease, cancer and stroke (the top three killers in the United States).

Safety concern for Turmeric: If you take blood thinners, consult with your physician before consuming medicinal doses/supplements of Turmeric. Culinary use is considered safe.

God gave us these wonderful herbs that are already so powerful in their healing capabilities. It is best to introduce each herb to the body and increase the amount taken over a period of time. With turmeric, low amounts taken over a long period of time are proven to be more effective than high doses over short period. Once introduced and by including this herb in your diet regularly, you can reap its many benefits.

I had this smoothie for a week straight and I could definitely tell my energy was more boisterious!

Enjoy this for Valentine's Day with the one you want to grow old and gray with!

 

Golden Smoothie
1/3 cup soaked cashews
1 cup water
1/2 cup coconut cream
1/2 tsp to 2 tsp turmeric powder
1 orange
1 frozen banana
1 TB raw local  honey * optional
Ice *optional

Variations:
1. Substitute coconut or almond milk for cashews, water, and coconut cream.
2. Add chia seeds for omega and protein boost.
3. Use a scoop of tahini for calcium.
4. Substitute orange for a small organic apple (cored) and 2 tsp cinnamon
5. Add a handful of greens

Turmeric is available at your local grocery store or Mountain Rose Herbs. I buy my herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs.

  Another on-the-go way to incorporate turmeric is the yummy vegan and savory Indian Spice Sipping Broth. I love this green tea-infused drink. It's so delicious on a cold, winter morning!
 

This post contains affiliate links. Buying through these links may help to support Sweet Roots! I thank all my sweet readers for your support!

 

And last but not least, I'm not a doctor. I'm not licensed to diagnose or prescribe. This is for educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Use information at your discretion, taking into account medical history. Always research! 

Week of Love: Sticker Resist Heart Bookmarks

Today's week of love post is a craft perfect for children: Sticker Resist Heart Bookmarks.

 

This idea came to me while my daughter and I were making Jean Van'T Hul's Sticker Resist Starry Night Cards from the Artful Parent blog. Jean is the author of The Artful Parent: Simple Ways to Fill Your Family's Life with Art and Creativity and The Artful Year: Celebrating the Seasons and Holidays with Crafts and Recipes, which actually looks like it was released today! How exciting! I own The Artful Parent which I've found to be a great resource. I read the book initially and return to it again and again. It's my main kid creativity cookbook. Geared towards ages one through eight, it has a lot of fun activities but part one is worth the price of the book alone. So go give Jean some love on this momentous day of her second book release!

My daughter really enjoyed making the sticker resist starry night cards. When we were making them before Christmas, I thought how easy and fun it would be to do these for Valentine's Day but with heart stickers and pink/purple/orange colors. And instead of handing out cards, why not bookmarks? Big Blue Eyes was tickled!

To preserve the bookmarks and keep them from leaking on to books when in use, we laminated them with Scotch Thermal Laminator 2 Roller System (TL901) and trimmed the sharp edges. I think they look just beautiful and very professional.

This is a great opportunity for learning as well. Some ideas that can be discussed (depending on age and skill):
1. Different Colors
2. Shapes
    * Hearts, Stars and Circles (think polka dots) are all great options here.
3. Color Mixing (read below for suggestions):
    * white + red = pink
    * red + blue =  dark purple
    * red + blue + white = light purple
4. Patterns
    * Big Hearts, Small Hearts, Little Hearts, Tall Hearts
    * Also works for paints - paint pink then red then purple
5. Talk about Love
    * This is why we celebrate Valentine's Day
    * Different kinds of love - unconditional love, friendship love, and mommy & daddy love
    * Read verses about love - 1 Corinthians 13, 1 Corinthians 16:14, 1 Peter 4:8, Ephesians 4:2
    * Read about the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37. We are currently doing the God's Little Explorers Week 19 from Motherhood on a Dime, which I highly recommend!

Big Blue Eyes and I discussed color mixing, patterns, and love during this activity. She had a lot of fun and was very excited that she gets to hand them out to family and friends. She is four but can sit down and dedicate time to a craft for a while. Some kids might need breaks or a chance to return to the craft the following day. I suggest having it all set up with bookmarks cut, heart stickers out, and watercolors ready to go so that you can enjoy the craft with them.

A note about color mixing. We used Reeves Watercolor Paint Tubes. From what I understand, these are not washable and we did keep the window open. If I had done this activity when my daughter was three, I would have stuck with just plain old Crayola watercolors and skipped the color mixing talk and instead spear-headed it with identifying colors. Again, this will look a little different for each kid. Be flexible and breath!

On to the directions:

Sticker Resist Heart Bookmarks
1. Cut 9x12" Watercolor or heavier weight art paper into 2.25" by 6". I recommend using a paper trimmer like this one. A 9x12" will yield 8 bookmarks.
2. Place heart stickers (we used some from the Target dollar section and some from a mega sticker book) on the bookmarks. Other shapes are fine too! Circles are great for a polka dot effect and stars are just fun.
3. Use watercolor paints and paint over the bookmarks. A great tip from Jean is to use a different paintbrush per color - this way you don't have to keep rinsing.
4. Let dry overnight.
5. Gently peel off heart stickers (younger children will probably not have patience for this activity). This is a great time to write the child's name and year on the back. Older children can write their own names. We even chose a verse to write as well.
6. And laminate (we used this laminator. Trim the edges to allow for at least 1/8" and then snip off sharp ends. Again you'll need a paper trimmer for even lines.

Hand out and enjoy!

And sorry for the delay on this post! Took our little girl to the doctor because of a rash and discovered she had dermatitis so we've been washing all of her clothes among other things!

Come back tomorrow for a smoothie recipe that is good for your heart!

 

Week of Love: Chocolate Granola Cookies and Dandy Blend Espresso Frappe

Valentine's Day is coming! And what does that mean, Sweet Readers? It's time for the Week of Love, a week full of recipes dedicated to Valentine's Day. And today we are starting off with a tasty pairing...

These cookies and herbal coffee frappe make for a healthy snack or yummy breakfast.

I just so enjoy Dandy Blend. It's an herbal coffee made from extracts of barley, rye, chicory, dandelion, and beet root. It contains no gluten - all gluten is eliminated in extract process. It's also caffeine free! So I feel confident drinking it while nursing or letting my four-year-old have some "tea that has the flavor of coffee," as she calls it. Also its instant, which is super convenient!

A little glimpse of our little boy as I wear him around while drinking my snack. I am so thankful for Moby Wraps and Ergobaby carriers! Who else is a baby-wearer?

 

I buy my Dandy Blend from Amazon in two pound bag because it is the best cost. I put it in two jars, freezing half for later and leaving the other half on the counter to enjoy now.

Here's to Love and Chocolate!!!

Chocolate Granola Cookies
1 cup heaping walnuts
2 cup oats
3/4 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
1/4 cup flaxseeds, ground

1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup applesauce

1 TB vanilla
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup chocolate chips

 

1. In a mini food processor (or regular), grind oats and walnuts until like fine sand.

2. In a large bowl, mix first six ingredients. Add in oil, applesauce, and vanilla then fold in chocolate chips.

3. Drop large tablespoonfuls on cookies sheet or stoneware and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes (I use stoneware but if using baking sheet might want to check at 12-15 minutes).

Dandy Blend "Espresso" Frappe

1 cup coconut water

1 large scoop coconut cream

1 banana, frozen or add ice if not frozen

1/2-1 tsp spices (cinnamon and allspice or cardamom for Turkish flavor), optional
Seeds from 1/3 vanilla bean

1 heaping TB Dandy Blend herbal coffee

1. Blend in a blender.

Enjoy!

And a Happy Valentine's Day!

Come back tomorrow for a craft!

 

This post contains affiliate links. Buying through these links may help to support Sweet Roots! I thank all my sweet readers for your support!

 

Homemade Almond Milk

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Homemade Almond Milk is amazing. I can't get over how the taste is so fresh! I would skip snacking for a cup of this creamy liquid.

All you need are raw almonds, a nut milk bag and a blender.

There is something so seriously satisfying about making your own nut milk! Not everyone can go out and milk a cow but you can milk a nut! Below I've included three tips for your best homemade nut milk, recipe for plain homemade almond milk, and three variations (two of which include seeds!)

I'm nuts for nut milk!

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Three Tips for the best Homemade Nut Milk
 

1. Soak your Nuts

This is best for your digestion and your blender.

The skin of raw almonds contain an enzyme inhibitor that prevents nutrient absorption. Soaking releases this enzyme, making for a more nourishing nut! The almonds need to soak at least 8 hours, preferably 12, and some raw foodists claim 24 hours for optimum results.

2. Use a Nut Milk Bag
 

Yes, it's true you can triple up layers of cheesecloth and try it that way. But trust me, use a nut milk bag. They are reusable and so much easier.
 

I have this Fine Mesh Reusable Large Nut Milk Bag from natural zing available on amazon. It's commercial sized. I like the shape but it is honestly a little big for my liking unless you're doubling recipes. I would recommend this size from Natural Zing . There are plenty nut milk bags out there. Just check them out here.
 

3.Sweet and Salt

Adding a little bit of both brings the flavor a long way. I like to add Pink Himalayan sea salt from Mountain Rose Herbs and some soaked dates. Soaking dates in hot water helps to soften them. Added bonus is using that water as the water to blend up the milk. Waste not!

Agave nectar or vanilla stevia extract can also be substituted for the dates.

So, remember: SBSS. Soak it! Bag it! Sweeten and Salt it!

I even came up with a jig to go along with that acronym which none of you will be privileged enough to see. Cheeky much? That's how I get when I talk about nuts. I mean almonds...

Which brings us to...

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Homemade Almond Milk

1 cup raw almonds, soaked at least 8 hours
3 cups filtered water (+ additional 1/2 cup *optional)
4 dates *optional
Pinch of Salt

 

1. Blend in blender.

2. Over a large bowl, squeeze the milk out of the nut milk bag. Put your hand muscles into it!

3. *Optional: Add the additional 1/2 cup to blender. Blend to get remnants and pass through nut milk bag once more. This helps to get a little more.

4. Serve over a little ice or refridgerate in jars. Shake before pouring. 

Mix it up with different variations:
 

Hemp and Almond Milk Variation
3 cups raw almonds, soaked
1/3 cup raw hemp seeds
6-10 dates
4 cups water
Pinch of Salt

 

Almond and Pumpkin Seed Milk Variation
3 cups raw almonds, soaked
1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked
6-10 dates
4 cups water
Pinch of Salt

Vanilla Bean Almond Milk
3 cups raw almonds, soaked
6-10 dates
4 cups water
Pinch of Salt
Scrapings of one vanilla bean*

*I buy these Premium Bourbon-Madagascar Vanilla Beans - 16 beans (so juicy and plump).

Enjoy!

 

 

Also saw these Natural Air Purifying Himalayan Natural Crystal Salt 1 Tealight Candle Holder, 2-Pack were on sale on Amazon! They were mentioned in my post 12 Gifts for Crunchy Mommas. Two for the price of one? BOOYAH!

 

This post contains affiliate links. Buying through these links may help to support Sweet Roots! I thank all my sweet readers for your support!

 

DIY: Inspirational Journal

Raise your hand if you have a pinterest folder dedicated to only Quotes (or wisdom or verses)!!! I know I do. I’ve collected quotes since I was in middle school. There is something so wonderful when someone else has captured perfectly what you needed to hear (or wanted to say). It’s this sense of resonance. This profound sigh of “Yes. That’s exactly it.”

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This is a great idea to showcase all those inspirational quotes so you can see them every day (and not just when you peek in your pinterest folder).

 

And all you need is a journal and some sharpies!
 

Just figure out what quotes you would like, draw it on draft paper (or freestyle if you’re feeling wild), and then draw it on your journal.

I used these Sharpie Metallic Fine Point Markers for that extra shine.

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And if you need some journal prompts, check out all if these great ideas from Creative with Kids!

 

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