Easy Healthier "Cookie Dough" Bites | Recipe

My boys love to make cookies with me. Actually, they love to just eat the cookie dough! Who doesn't, right??
While I love to eat scoops of cookie dough, I know that it's really loaded with...well nothing healthy! And quite frankly, I get a stomachache if I eat too much! 
So here's a super easy, quick, healthier version of cookie dough bites that's loaded with protein and other natural ingredients.
I whipped them up after quiet time yesterday since the boys wanted a snack. Ya'll it took me less than five minutes to mix it all together and scoop the dough out on to a plate! I like mine cold, so I put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Recipe below...let me know if you make them and how you like them!

"Cookie Dough" Bites

• 1 cup of NonGMO protein powder- I mixed half of with chocolate and half with instant protein powder
• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 1/3 cup of honey

Mix these ingredients together, scoop it onto a plate, chill for a little bit, then enjoy! THAT'S IT!!!
What I really love about this recipe, is that we can add extras to it! This time around, I just mixed it up 'plain,' so they tasted like peanut butter cookies. But you can add chocolate chips, coconut, maybe some flax seed, chia seeds...really the possibilities are endless!
You can use any protein powder, but the Instant Protein and the Chocolate Protein are the only ones we trust for our family!
Have fun with it and mix it up!

Join me on Facebook!

 

Drink to Your Health | Green Smoothie Recipe

Did you get off your normal healthy eating track over the Christmas holiday?  We sure did, but we've found it easy to jump back on the clean eating wagon. Yay!
We love to drink green juices in the mornings. Even our boys love it which is great, because they're not the best at eating green veggies. Sometimes we can get them to eat broccoli or asparagus, but mostly it's a no go. So at this stage in our lives, we're focusing on giving them their greens via a healthy juice!
Today, we tried something different and made it into a smoothie, and boy...it was so good! It's loaded with all the healthy fruits and veggies, plus we topped it off with some protein powder to give us an extra boost! (This is the best NonGMO protein powder on the market)
Here's our recipe below. Note: we just add fruits and veggies to taste, based on four people. You'll need to adjust the amounts for your taste preferences!

Healthy, Happy Life Green Smoothie

• 1 grapefruit (peeled)
• 1 lemon
• 1 large apple
• 2-3 Clementine's (peeled)
• about 1-2 inches of fresh ginger (depends on how spicy you like it)
• 1 cucumber
• big handful of kale
• big handful of spinach

We put all this in our Breville juicer to squeeze out the juice. Next, we poured the juice into our Nutribullet, scooped out a big bunch of the pulp that was left over in the juicer and put that in, added 2 scoops of the protein powder, AND a frozen banana. Turn that Nutribullet on for about 10 seconds, serve, and enjoy!
What we love about doing it this way, is that it has the thicker consistency of a smoothie, it's not thin like juice.  Now, you could totally do it in just your Nutribullet, but we're still getting used to having 'pulpier' smoothies...we're slowing adding more in every time!

Let me know if you try it and how you like it. And please share some of your favorite smoothie recipes...we're always on the hunt for new ones!

Friday Favorites!

I haven't done a Friday Favorites post in a long time, so I'm way overdue! Check out some of my latest favorite things! Note: I've not been compensated in any way for this post. I paid for these items myself. All opinions are my own. 

Up first, our new Klean Kanteen water bottles! I've been wanting to start getting rid of our plastic kids cups. I don't like them one bit. They are super hard to clean, have too many parts, and start to stink after awhile. I love the idea of stainless steel, but let's face it, it's expensive! I've had my eye on these Klean Kanteen water bottles for awhile and finally just ordered some for the boys preschool days. We love them! They're easy to clean, they keep water colder longer than plastic, and the company GIVES BACK, which is huge to me! 

Next, is Shaklee's Instant Soy Protein mix. We started using this a few weeks ago and really like it. Shaklee's soy proteins are all Non-GMO, so there's no need to worry about it being 'bad' for you. What I'm loving about this ISP is that it's so diverse! We've been adding some to our juices, to pancake mix, yogurt...really you can add it to anything and it doesn't alter the taste! Just two tablespoons give you 16g of soy protein!

Do you love skin care products? I do, too! Of course, I adore Shaklee's Enfuselle line, but they don't offer a few specifics that I've been on the lookout for. One of my wonderful clients sent me some samples of L'Bri skin care products. Let me tell you, I fell in LOVE with their Rejuvenating Facial Peel! Love, love, love it! The peel left my face feeling so soft and I had an extra glow! A huge plus for me is L'Bri only uses nontoxic, natural ingredients. Check out Shelley's site to learn more.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to Robin with MeY Decals. I needed some cute, but affordable labels for the boys lunch boxes, clothes, backpacks, etc for preschool. I found MeY Decals on etsy and gave them a try. Not only are they affordable, but they're super cute and they really are water resistant and stay on after a washing! Woot!

What are some of YOUR favorite products? I'm always looking for new ways to help support small or local businesses!

Juicing Recipes! | Drink to Your Health!

We've totally gotten addicted to this juicing phenomenon! It's a great way to get the boys to have their daily greens that they're not so good at eating. We still give them actual veggies at mealtimes but juicing is just an extra way to keep them healthy!

While juicing is healthy, it's really just fiber. So we give each juice concoction an extra healthy punch by adding instant soy protein mix to the juice. It adds 16g of non GMO soy protein! It's flavorless and can be used for so many other things that need that extra bit of protein. We love it and you can get it here!

We are still experimenting with our juice recipes, but here are two of our favorites! Let me know if you try them!

Let's Talk About Soy | It IS Good for You!

Soy gets a lot of bad press. There are tons of media sources pushing people away from soy. I have some different information for you: soy IS healthy. What is not healthy is the way it has been processed. Soy in it's right form will actually heal your body of ailments. 

We give our oldest son the Energizing Soy Protein (in chocolate, of course!) almost daily. In addition to other all natural remedies, Shaklee's Soy Protein has  really helped with his season allergies! Read this helpful checklist about choosing quality soy protein: 

7 Essentials Checklist for a Quality Soy Product

(Dr. Brouse, DC)

Are the soybeans ORGANICALLY GROWN?

Studies have shown decreased levels of food nutrients and increased levels of nitrates in chemically fertilized crops, when compared with their organic counterparts. There is a connection between the ingestion of nitrates & CANCER! Therefore, it is important to know that pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides have not been used during the growing process. In particular, with soybeans, since they are such a hardy plant, a powerful and DEADLY weed spray called Round Up is usually used. For your safety, you must know that your soy products are organically grown. [Shaklee soy is organically grown.]

Are the soybeans GENETICALLY ENGINEERED?

Genetically engineered soybeans are much cheaper to purchase, and most companies producing soy products look for ways to save money. [Shaklee soy is certified non-GMO (i.e., it is guaranteed to contain no genetically-modified organism.)]

Does your soybean powder contain ALL of the 9 essential amino acids?

One of the most valuable features of the soybean is that it is a complete protein and provides ALL nine of the essential amino acids. The body requires these daily to produce hormones, digestive juices, antibodies, and enzymes. HOWEVER, not all soybeans are created equal. Quality and amino acid content will vary based on soil conditions, and variable growing and harvest conditions. If one essential amino acid is missing, the immune system can be depressed 30%, and many important body functions are delayed or stopped. Therefore, it is essential that each batch of soybeans be checked for amino acid content if we want to depend on the soy isolate to provide a GUARANTEED supply of the nine essential amino acids. [Shaklee soy contains all nine essential amino acids.]

Were the crushed soy flakes washed in alcohol or water?

Alcohol washing destroys isoflavones content up to 88%! It is the isoflavones that reduce the risk of breast, prostate, lung and bowel cancer! As well, it is the isoflavones that are so beneficial in hormone balancing and increasing bone mass. [Shaklee soy is washed only in water.]

Was the anti-thyroid or anti-growth substance in the raw soy removed?

Asians, who have consumed large amounts of soy for years, have known that RAW soy contains an “anti-growth”, “anti-tyrosine” substance. Tyrosine deficiency will cause low blood pressure, low body temperature, and restless leg syndrome. Therefore, Asians always lightly cook their soy foods to deactivate the “anti-tyrosine/anti-growth” substance. Shaklee has designed an extracting process that removes this substance, yet keeps the soy in a raw form in order to maintain the HIGHEST LEVEL OF AMINO ACIDS and ISOFLAVONES, which are very sensitive to heat. [Shaklee removes all pro-goitrogens from its soy.]

Is your soybean food raw or heated?

Amino acids are very sensitive to heat. In some studies, cooking protein has been shown to destroy up to 50% of some ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS. If an individual consistently consumes a diet that is lacking in all of the essential amino acids, inadequate brain development and hormones, or other body tissue development can be the result. [Shaklee soy is raw.]

Has calcium been added to your soybean powder?

Some negative reports about soy say that soy powders are VERY ACIDIC and cause bone loss because it causes calcium to be drawn from the bones!!!! The raw soy bean is a NEUTRAL food–neither acidic or alkaline. However, the removal of the soybean oil (which is essential so the soy powder will not go rancid very quickly), makes the powder very acidic. Therefore, adequate calcium (which is very alkaline) must be added to cause the powder to be neutral again, or it can cause the above stated problem. Many protein powder manufacturers do not add any or enough calcium. [Shaklee soy has added calcium for proper pH balance.]

About Dr. Brouse

Dr. Brouse is a widely recognized authority in the fields of nutrition and prevention of chronic degenerative diseases. Dr. Brouse has a Master’s in Biochemistry and is a Doctor of Chiropractic. He was an Associate Professor of Clinical Nutrition for 14 years and found the renowned Sunnyside Health Center in Clackamas, Oregon in 1977. Since that time many people throughout the world have regained a greater measure of health while following the recommendations of the clinic’s health professionals.

What other questions do you have about soy? Post them below and I'll be happy to help!

Make sure to join my Facebook community page!