Mashed Cauliflower is a great sub for Mashed Potatoes

I made cauliflower like this once and asked my family how they liked the new mashed potato recipe. They all agreed it was delicious and had seconds.  I didn't tell them it was really cauliflower until the dishes were done!

Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed cauliflower is a delicious, low-starch alternative to mashed potatoes. This cruciferous vegetable is an excellent source of vitamin C, containing almost as much as oranges.

Ingredients

1   lg head

cauliflower, chopped into florets and steamed

2   tbsp

low-fat milk

1⁄4   cup

low-fat sour cream

2   oz

reduced fat cheddar cheese

1⁄2   tsp

kosher salt

1⁄4   tsp

ground black pepper

If you have a pre-programmed Blendtec blender, just add the ingredients to the blender jar in the order listed and secure the lid. Press "Sauces" or blend on Medium Low (Speed 3 or 4) for 30 seconds and serve.

Some people feel that adding butter instead of sour cream gives it a more traditional mashed potato taste, and if you're not using dairy products, try substituting coconut milk or yogurt instead of milk and sour cream.

Chef Kristi leaves out the cheese and adds "nutmeg with a touch of roasted garlic and 1 tsp of balsamic glaze, which I make by reducing the balsamic vinegar by 3/4 of its starting volume, it adds the hmmm factor really nice" so there are a few variations and gourmet idea.

As originally posted here are the nutrition facts for the recipe:

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

• Servings 5.0
 
• Sodium 340 mg
• Serving Size 3/4 cup
 
• Carbohydrates 9 g
• Calories 90
 
• Fiber 4 g
• Fat 4 g
 
• Sugar 5 g
• Saturated Fat 2 g
 
• Protein 7 g
• Cholesterol 10 mg

This recipe is from the www.blendtec.com recipe section.  Make it with confidence!

*As a side note, if you store leftovers in the fridge, the high water/low starch content starts to show and the water begins to separate off.  Plan to make a cauliflower soup with it the next day!

Blendfresh Product Labels

People have asked me what exactly is inside the beautiful bottles, so here are the actual labels.
Click here to see my post about how to analyze the label and what to look for.

Ingredients: Organic beet juice, Purple Carrot Juice, Organic Concord Grape Juice, Organic Acai, Organic Blueberry, Blackberry, Purple Cabbage, Organic Acerola Juice, Plum, Eggplant, Black Raspberry, Black Currant Juice, Passion Fruit.

Ingredients: Organic Apple, Beet Juice, Red Pear, Strawberry, Organic Beet, Raspberry, Cranberry, Oraganic Acerola Fruit Juice, Pomegranate Juice, Red Pepper, Rhubarb, Prickly Pear, Tomato, Cherry Juice.

Ingredients: Peas, Organic Apples, Organic Apple Juice, Kiwi, Broccoli, Spinach Leaf and Stem Juice, Kale, Green Cabbage, Organic Acerola Juice, Asparagus, Brussel Sprouts, Lime Juice, Collard Greens, Romaine Lettuce, Chard.

Ingredients: Organic Carrot Juice, Organic Sweet Potato, Organic Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Banana, Organic Mango, Pineapple, Organic Acerola, Apricot, Peach, Yellow Bell Peppers, Organic Lemon Juice, Orange Juice.

 Ingredients: Protein Blend (Pea Protein, Rice Protein, Potato Protein, Quinoa, Black Bean, Flaxseed, Alfalfa Juice, Spinach), Honey, Oat Bran, Agave Inulin, Natural Flavors, Guar Gum (from Guar Beans), Stevia Leaf Extract, Citric Acid (from Beets), Xanthan Gum, Tara Gum(from Tara pods), Orange Fiber, Papain (from Papaya), Bromelain (from Pineapple).

Ingredients: Psyllium Husk Powder, Organic Acacia Gum, Organic Amaranth Sprout, Organic Garbanzo Bean, Organic Quinoa Sprout, Organic Lentil Sprout, Organic Buckwheat Sprout, Oat Bran Fiber, Organic Millet Sprout, Organic Adzuki Sprout, Organic Flax Seed, Organic Sunflower Sprout, Organic Pumpkin Sprout, Organic Chia Seed, Organic Sesame Sprout.

The lowest price from Blendtec!

Blendtec is the maker of the most advanced blenders in the world.  This includes the blenders that power businesses like Starbucks, Roxberry, Jamba Juice, Baskin Robbins and many more. And now for a limited time they are making refurbished models of the Total Blender available for only $99 through my link to Blendfresh Club members (more info below)!  This is the same blender you've seen at Costco for over $300!!

This is very exciting for everyone that has wanted a good blender, but hasn't had the budget to spend $300-500!  $99 is the price you would pay for a lower quality blender like Ninja, or Magic Bullet, but now for that same price you can get Blendtec quality and warranty!  To be clear, THIS IS A FACTORY REFURBISHED BLENDER.  So technically it's not brand new, but it has been repaired, inspected and endorsed by the manufacturer Blendtec, and still will carry it's own seven year warranty when you purchase it.  Often times someone has merely changed their mind, or hasn't used their blender so will return it, a perfectly good machine that the company will not sell as new.

Here's the other good part.  The way they are able to make such an amazing deal available is through their new sister company Blendfresh.  You can find more details about how amazing this is, but all you need to know is that a company like Blendtec with a multi-million dollar reputation saw that their customers needed a way to save money on clean, pesticide free and non-GMO produce and keep it from wasting and spoiling.  

So they patented a process called "Fresh Drying" where they take only the best, clean fruits and veggies and dry them at low temperatures so they are still raw and keep all their nutrients and enzymes preserved.  Then they powder them and make them available to easily add to smoothies, oatmeal, sauces, drinks, dips, anything you can think of to boost the health value and add to the taste. Click here to see my favorite ways to use Blendfresh.

Now, when you subscribe for 12 months to $29.99 a month of Blendfresh products (just one bottle per month) you can get the refurbished Total Blender for $99!  Crazy good deal!  I post tons of recipes and ways to use Blendfresh, and even if you aren't getting a blender I recommend adding Blendfresh to your shopping list for convenience, better health, savings and added flavor in your recipes.  

If healthy eating is easy, you'll do it!  So why not save money at the same time?  This way you save on your produce bill and get a great deal on an awesome blender at the same time!  Or some people like to switch the math around and feel they are paying a fair price for a great blender and getting a year of high quality produce for free.  Either way you look at it, YOU WIN!

This $99 promo is available only for Blendfresh Club members (just a $10 fee for a lifetime membership that will get you discount on Blendtec blenders and accessories, and savings on all Blendfresh products).When you're ready to get your new blender on the way (good choice!) just click this link, Join the Club and choose your order.  Remember you commit to one bottle of Blendfresh at $29.99 per month (choose any variety you like) for 12 months to gt this deal.  If you have any questions send an email to jenn@coachjenngibbs.com with your phone number and I am happy to answer questions and even enter your order for you.

That's everything you need to know.  I can't wait for you to fall in love with all the new cool things you'll be able to do with your new Blendtec blender and before long you will be positively addicted to using the Blendfresh foods like I am!  If you'd like to see a video to learn more about them click here to be taken to YouTube where I explain the program in detail.  Thanks!  I can't wait to help you get healthy!

Crustless Veggie Quiche or 29 veggies in 7 minutes

This can be breakfast or dinner!  My family likes to have breakfast for dinner anyway, so here's a healthy solution.  I like to make creative combinations that save me time, so this one uses the steamed potatoes and veggies from dinner the night before, but they won't be recognized as recycled!

Here's the text just in case you can't see the graphic.

10 eggs, or egg whites

2 Cups leftover dinner veggies

1 Cup leftover steamed potatoes

6 Slices crumbled Cheddar cheese

1/2 Cup milk

1 Scoop Blendfresh Green (optional)

1 Scoop Blendfresh Orange (optional)

Bake about 50 mins at 350 in an oiled 8x11 glass pan.

Serves 12 breakfast or dinner.

  For more recipes feel free to like my page www.facebook.com/jenngibbswellness.

Take time for R & R

In today's quest to live at your full potential, accomplish all that is expected of you and even just get by day to day, it is easy to let the slower paced and non-urgent things sink to the bottom of your to-do list.  Rest and relaxation don't even make it to the list most days.  But if we never take that time, what's it all for?  Don't get caught up in a frenzy of busy activities and let them run your life.  Give yourself a "time-out" once in a while.

According to the Mayo Clinic;

"Practicing relaxation techniques can reduce stress symptoms by:

• Slowing your heart rate
• Lowering blood pressure
• Slowing your breathing rate
• Reducing activity of stress hormones (that can result in weight gain)
• Increasing blood flow to major muscles
• Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain
• Improving concentration and mood
• Lowering fatigue
• Reducing anger and frustration
• Boosting confidence to handle problems

To get the most benefit, use relaxation techniques along with other positive coping methods, such as thinking positively, finding humor, problem-solving, managing time, exercising, getting enough sleep, and reaching out to supportive family and friends."

This isn't just a good idea, it's proven by doctors!  Consider this article a prescription to go for a walk in nature or bath a bubble bath.  Slow down and enjoy life and you'll have a longer, healthier, more enjoyable one.  Check out a 30 second video of my red rock Utah relaxation moment.  And have a peaceful day!

Mayo Clinic article  http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/relaxation-technique/art-20045368 (Italics added)

What to look for in your "greens" supplement

It's becoming trendy to supplement you diet with "greens".  Most people are aware that they aren't getting their 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies that the FDA suggests.  Over the last several years several companies have begun to make powdered "greens" available, but like anything some are better than others.  How can you tell if you're getting a good one?

1.  Read the label.  If it has ANY ingredient that you don't understand or can't pronounce, leave it alone.  If prepared properly, greens do not require and fillers, binders, or preservatives to extend their shelf life.

2.  Added sugars or flavors.  I recently read the label of a company that claimed to have an all natural product, but the first ingredient was "apple flavor powder" and then later it listed "apple powder".  No one could answer my question as to what the flavor powder actually was.  Read carefully.

3.  Pesticide free.  Being pesticide free is expensive to growers, so it becomes a big deal from a marketing perspective.  If your greens have no pesticides on them, they will be shouting about it on the label!  Remember, the more produce you intake, the more you will be adding pesticides to your diet unless you actively decide to choose something else.

4.  Non-GMO.  GMO is short for "genetically modified organism" which means that someone in a lab has messed with the plant.  It is not the same thing that originally grew in nature.  This is how you can get strawberries the size of your fist in Costco sometimes.  The book "Wheat Belly" talks about how the wheat plant has been changed from 9 to 42 chromosomes through this process, and is responsible for a large portion of food allergies being seen now.  This genetic modification is not even approved officially for human consumption!  Be careful what Franken-fruit you allow into your body.

5.  Raw.  To make this claim the manufacturers must be sure that during processing the plant has not been subjected to temperatures that will kill the enzymes or denature nutrients that are naturally occurring.  During a freeze-drying process, produce is frozen, processed at temperatures over 100 degrees at least, then subjected to -40 degrees typically as water is removed.  This is not gentle on the plant.  Freezing water in plants causes damage (just look at any garden after the first frost).  To get the benefits of a raw plant the water must be removed at low temperatures and carefully monitored.

6.  Refrigerate after opening.  If a product has no preservatives, it's best to keep it in the refrigerator to preserve fragile nutrients.  A manufacturer should suggest that on the label if it would be important for their product.

7.  Any FDA claims.  It is a rigorous process to get approved to print an FDA claim on a label.  If you see any health claims like "may reduce the risk of cancer" on a label, you can be sure that the maker of that product has been through many hoops so as not to be shut down for making false claims.

8.  Is there variety?  Ideally the human diet should be diverse.  Animals most like us will use 200 and more different types of plants in their diet.  The body requires so many different minerals for all its different processes.  So instead of getting only the same 5-12 plant sources that most people do week after week, seek to expand the number of different kinds of plants you take in.  Your supplement should include several different kinds, some leafy, some non-leafy.  Spinach and kale alone do not meet all of your needs.

9.  Do you eat grass?  I don't, but I know that many greens companies focus all or in part on grasses or dried grass juices as a basis for their green powders.  While there may be value there, I try to step back and use my common sense to decide "would I really eat that?".  I can't see myself looking at a meadow and saying "yummy!".  I'm naturally more drawn to colorful fruit, or zucchini or cabbage or special shapes and colors from plants that seem to say they are there to be eaten.  And if I wouldn't eat it in real life, why would I constantly put it into my body as part of my health regimen?  You make the call on this one.

I hope I've given you food for thought here that will cause you to stop and evaluate your choice of greens supplement.  If you aren't currently adding greens to your diet, I highly suggest you do daily.  Minerals from plants, particulary calcium, are absorbed differently and very bio-available, as compared to animal sources such as dairy.  Keep your bones strong and dense, keep iron, magnesium and all the other precious minerals your body needs easily accessible so when you need it for better aging, more energy and optimal health, you have it.

Here is an example of a clean label, my favorite brand.

Click here to learn more

Meet the Mormons movie review

Click here to see the film trailer

(all proceeds benefit the Red Cross)

There are a lot of misconceptions about the Mormon faith, most people don't know much about it except for what they've heard or seen in movies.  So it makes sense that they would make a movie to get the word out.  Yes, they are Christian, no they don't drink coffee or alcohol.  This is a documentary, but a lot more fun than I had planned to have!

I don't know what I was expecting, maybe a dry, educational 90 minutes.  But it starts out with a trendy, bleach-blond cute girl in Times Square doing quick on-street questions about Mormons, then several short movie clips (I wasn't planning to be laughing at this movie!) followed by a series of short personal interests stories.  What wonderful people they showcase.  It really makes me want to be a better person.

I was surprised and delighted with the fun people they chose.  First was a young, black bishop (a service leadership position in the church) from Atlanta.  Trendy, fun to know, beautiful wife, doing a pretty crazy cool African rooted dance with the youth of his area.  By day he is a college counselor.  I love his perspective he shared about Christ and how his faith shapes his decisions daily.  It ended with a BBQ rivalry at a backyard cookoff.

There's a cute mom of two in Costa Rica with her hubby and their cute life, a more traditional view you assume.  They talk about supporting each other and loving family life, and next thing you know she is taping her hands and jumping in the ring to fight another chic!  Wow!  They own a boxing gym and do tons of charity work.  I love her big smile, she just radiates happiness.  I like how they showed her connection with her Catholic parents, and that becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) doesn't mean leaving behind nourishing relationships.

How about the coach of the United States Navy football team?  A Polynesian husband and father continues to lead his team to excellence, being called by name by President Obama in the film as he is recognized as a champion.  He has taken a stand to have no Sunday team meetings, getting to work at 4:00am on Mondays instead to honor the Sabbath.  I love seeing a big, tough football coach sit down with his family and read the Bible!

The Candy Bomber - now 92 years old and still going strong, this man shares his story of being a pilot in World War II and seeing the needs of sad and starving children in the east block of Berlin.  He tells how he was inspired to begin dropping candy with tiny parachutes to bring happiness to the people there, and started a huge movement that may have shaped the course of the war.  

The beautiful mountains and colors of Nepal are showcased as a western educated man comes back to his home country to do humanitarian projects like bring running water and schools to remote villages.  I love seeing good people in action and it makes me realize I don't have to be wealthy or special to contribute.  Just do what you can where you are.  What a humble man with a good heart.  "I am perfect at one thing.  I am perfect in trying" he says.

And a Cinderella story to end it.  Teen mom has a daughter who becomes a teen mom.  The downward cycle of poverty, this time though with a beautiful ending.  A woman who at 16 decides to keep and care for her baby, finds hope through missionaries, and though she has many heartbreaks on her path, is able through her faith to find happiness and ultimately marry a good man and have a happy family of her own.  An uplifting story of personal growth that ends in her sending that son she had cared for out as a missionary himself.  The faith that he talks about is so impressive too.  "Now I have a better understanding of how to find peace" she says.

These are stories of some amazing individuals, no matter what faith they happened to be a part of.  I like how they subtly answered many questions people might have about the church.  As a Mormon myself, I wanted to support an objective film, especially one promoted by the church itself, as a way of educating people on our beliefs.  If you'd like to know more you can visit www.mormon.org.   

No one is perfect, and many Mormons have a long way to go, but as a whole we are trying to be loving, giving, tolerant, give service, and help people have a better relationship with Jesus Christ, the giver of all good things.