French Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk & Scallions

Ingredients:

1 cup rinsed french lentils
2 bunches of scallions
3/4 cup light coconut milk plus 3 tbsp for garnish
5 1/2 cups of water
salt
1 inch piece of kombu

Directions:

1. Place lentils and kombu in medium pot with 5 1/2 cups of boiling water. Skim foam for first 10 minutes.

2. Trim roots from scallions, slice white and pale green parts to yield one cup

3. Add sliced scallions to lentils with 2 tbsp of salt.

4. Bring to a boil. Cover pot and cook for 15 minutes at a simmer.

5. Use hand mixer or food processor and blend soup until smooth.

6. Whisk in 3/4 cup of coconut milk, add salt and pepper to taste.

7. Finely chop dark green scallion tops and scatter over soup with a drizzle of coconut milk for a lovely garnish.

Enjoy!

List of 9 Tiring & Energizing Foods

Understanding how food nourishes the physical body, as well as the emotional body can change an entire life. What we eat alters everything. A function of the digestive process is to convert food into blood. The blood produces cells, sustains tissues and organs and unavoidably creates our thoughts. We think differently according to what we’ve eaten. Once this is realized it’s a much simpler task to look at food as a healing tool in stabilizing the body, mind, and spirit.

Below are 9 of the Most Tiring and Energizing Foods. Have fun with this and see if it holds true for you.

The Nine Most Tiring Foods

1. EGGS
2. DAIRY PRODUCTS
3. REFINED SUGARS
4. POOR QUALITY AND EXCESSIVE SALT
5. MEAT
6. SHELLFISH
7. CAFFEINE
8. HIGHLY PROCESSED FOODS
9. ALCOHOL

The Nine Most Energizing Foods

1. LEAFY GREENS (SPINACH, KALE, ESCAROLE ETC.)
2. NUTS
3. ROOTS VEGETABLES AND WINTER SQUASH
4. TOFU
5. BEANS
6. FRUIT
7. SEA VEGETABLES
8. WHOLE GRAINS
9. FISH (BASS, TILAPIA, ORANGE ROUGHY ETC.

Four Greens and Walnut Sauté

Here's an easy, nutritious and delicious recipe for you to try this week.

Ingredients:

* 1 bunch beet greens or kale
* 1 bunch collards
* 1 bunch dandelion greens
* 1 bunch mustard greens
* 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 4 cloves garlic
* sea salt to taste
* 1/2 cup walnut pieces

Directions:

1. Wash all greens and remove coarse stems.
2. Toast walnuts in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes until fragrant.
3. Boil the washed greens in 6 to 8 cups of water for 10 minutes, uncovered.
4. Drain.
5. When greens are cool enough to handle, chop coarsely.
6. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and Sauté briefly. Add the greens and continue to Sauté for 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to taste.
7. Add the toasted walnut pieces.
8. Serve immediately

Start Your Day Right!

Ever heard the saying, "don't skip breakfast...it's the most important meal of the day"? Well guess what, it's so true. In fact, eating in the morning will give your body the energy it needs to get started and, along with other balanced meals throughout the day, will keep your blood sugar stable, which will keep you energized.

Simply put, if you want more energy (and who doesn’t) don’t grab the traditional bagel and coffee, or sugary Danish. This is the first fuel you are giving your body and you are going to want a stable source of energy. Coffee and simple carbohydrates (think white flour and baked goods) will only give you a quick burst, and inevitably a quick drop in energy. Go for complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, and other whole grains. You may also need some protein such as eggs, yogurt, or organic soymilk.

Here are some ideas:

• Oatmeal with organic soymilk (add dried fruits and nuts)
• Poached egg on whole grain toast
• To-Go Shake – almond milk and fresh/frozen fruit
• Nature's Path brand frozen waffles with almond butter
• Kashi dried cereals are very filling and lightly sweetened
• Dinner or Lunch leftovers, with lots of veggies
• Soup, yes lots of people prefer “non breakfast” foods for breakfast.

Quinoa Loaf

Ever have leftover quinoa in the fridge? Get creative and try this recipe. Delish!

1-2 cups of leftover quinoa
2 organic eggs, beaten
butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, all spice or nutmeg
agave nectar, brown rice or maple syrup
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Place leftover quinoa in a mixing bowl. Add 2 beaten eggs, cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt and mix.

2. Pour mixture into a non-stick loaf pan and top with butter (It's okay to grease loaf pan for easier removal)

3. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool.

4. Slice loaf of cooked quinoa into sections and top with agave nectar or syrup.

NOTE: For a great lunch loaf, follow directions above but add your favorite veggies like zucchini, onions, steamed broccoli, spinach or shredded carrots.

iPhone Users, Check This "App" Out!

The Live Happy iPhone App is a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind mobile happiness-boosting program that is based on Dr. Lyubomirsky’s happiness research and key elements of her book, The How of Happiness.

If you have an iPhone, it's totally worth the download. Check it out!

http://www.signalpatterns.com/iphone/livehappy_std.html

Peanut Soba Noodles

Ingredients:

* 1/2 pound rice noodles
* 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, roasted, skinned
* 1 cup shredded red cabbage
* 1 bunch scallions, chopped

Peanut Sauce

* 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/8 cup orange juice
* 2 teaspoons tamari

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then turn off the heat and soak the rice noodles for 10 minutes.
2. While soaking noodles, mix all the peanut sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk with a fork until all ingredients are well blended, adding a bit of water until it is to the thickness you desire.
3. Drain and rinse the noodles to cool them.

Toss the rice noodles with the peanut sauce, transfer them to a serving bowl, then sprinkle the veggies and peanuts on top.