If you have a friend or family member who is fighting illness (like Covid that seems to be going around again), this is a wonderful little care package to bring them to share some love and healthy good wishes!

 

❤️ Get Well Medicine Ball Tea 🍋

• Juice of half a lemon

• 8 ounces boiling water

• 1 mint tea bag

• 1 peach tea bag

• 1 tablespoon honey 

Instructions

Add both mint and peach tea bags to boiling water. 

Steep 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and honey. 

Enjoy and feel better!

Really Green Soup

This really green soup made from the viral tik tok swamp soup recipe is not only delicious but the vibrant green goodness is very healthy! Enjoy!

Really Green Soup

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 heaping cup cooked rice
• 1 cup cooked and pulled chicken (I used rotisserie)
• 4 medium cloves of garlic
• 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled
• 2 whole stalks scallions 
• 1 jalapeño, stems and seeds removed (I didn't want it too spicy)
• 1 cup parsley, packed plus more for garnish
• 4 cups baby spinach, packed
• Salt to taste

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil and add in the spinach and garlic. Cook the spinach until wilted and shrunken in size and garlic is softened. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the spinach and garlic out of the broth and into your blender. Set aside to cool.
2. Add the rice into the broth, bring back to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let the rice simmer in the broth until liquid has thickened and rice begins to break apart, about 10-15 minutes
3. Add ginger, scallion, jalapeño and parsley into the blender with the spinach. Add about 1/4 cup of water and 1 tsp salt. Blend until smooth, about 60 seconds. If the blender gets stuck, add more water. If your blender is too small, you can do this in batches or use a food processor. DO NOT PUT HOT SOUP IN YOUR BLENDER, IT WILL EXPLODE.
4. When broth is thickened, add chicken and green mixture from blender.  Mix to combine, and taste for salt. Adjust as needed.

Wild Rice & Mushroom Pilaf + Sauteed Spinach & Baby Kale

This is a vegetarian meal that is very satisfying and flavorful. The rice "sticks to your ribs" giving you a feeling of fullness (that we all loved from carbs) and the greens are a great side-kick.  Easy and yummy!

Wild Rice and Mushroom Pilaf 

RICE
1 cup wild rice mix ( I used a blend of brown basmati and wild rice I found at Whole Foods)
2 shallots
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 1/4 cups chicken broth

Saute shallots in olive oil and butter in saucepan until soft. Add wild rice mix and stir for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add chicken broth and bring to boil. Cover and lower heat to simmer- cook until all stock is absorbed~ 35 minnutes.

MUSHROOMS
1 1/2 pounds sliced cremini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced

Melt butter and olive oil in saute pan. Add onion and saute until soft. Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add mushrooms to pan and stir over medium heat until mushrooms have given off their liquid and it has all evaporated.

Stir the mushrooms into the rice gently and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve with sauteed greens or your favorite vegetable. Enjoy!






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Green Monster Smoothie

I have always wanted to try making (and drinking!) a green smoothie, so this was my first. It actually tasted good- the almond butter and yogurt mask any taste of the greens.  The only thing is, I love eating spinach and kale when I can taste them, so I think I might just stick to eating my vegetables as they are :)  But if you like green smoothies, I think this is a yummy recipe.

Green Monster Smoothie

1 cup nonfat milk or vanilla unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup nonfat greek vanilla yogurt or plain yogurt
1 frozen banana, cut up
1 tablespoon peanut butter or almond butter
4 cups fresh spinach and baby kale
1 cup ice cubes

Put all ingredients in blender and blend away!

Recipe adapted from here

Refreshing Mint Water

 We all know how good it is for our bodies to drink lots of water every day. But sometimes I get tired of plain old water and don't want to drink juice or sodas...here's a great trick I learned from my mother-in-law. Take a couple of springs of mint, wash them and put them into a tall glass. Add water and ice and with a straw, "muddle" the mint a bit and enjoy refreshing, flavorful mint water. You'll finish your glass in no time~just add more water to the mint in your glass and keep refilling all day. Enjoy!

Loving Summer Fruit!

Isn't summertime the best?!