Cinnamon-Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

If you’ve never heard of chia seeds, fear not: I shall fill you in. Chia seeds are the star of chia pets. You know: Ch-ch-ch-chia! Basically, the seeds sprout and give pottery a bit of hair. It’s really weird and a definite waste…unless you’re eating the sprouts.

Chia Seed Pudding

You know what, now I gotta try that. It may not be the most appetizing, but I can only imagine how healthy that would be. Back to the point, chia seeds are very healthy for you. Disclaimer: If after a few days of eating this you experience some extreme bowel movements, don’t worry: that’s normal. Odds are you have a lot of things in your system that shouldn’t be there such as swallowed gum, teeth you accidently swallowed in your sleep, foods that don’t decompose (McDonalds), and tons of green plastic.

Don’t ask…

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Spiced Carrot Muffins

Ahhh.

There’s nothing better than biting into a delicious, healthy muffin that tastes like fall. Nothing better. The sweetness of the carrot put together with the bold spices of autumn are something that will satisfy any sweet tooth, health nut, or hungry teen.

I think fall is my favorite season. The cool breeze that blows by, tossing around orange, red, and yellow leaves, creating a scene that is, in a way, magical. Almost every recipe including carrot, sweet potato, pumpkin, or apple. The pears on the pear tree clunking their way down to the ground without any beckoning, other than the duties given to it by mother nature. The sweet spices such as nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger, and cinnamon give taste buds something to look forward to. Not to mention the blissful carrot muffins you can enjoy all season long.

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20 Delicious Ways to Prepare Lentils

lentil postLentils may not seem like the most appetizing thing to eat, but let’s face it: sometimes we don’t have the means to make a super expensive meal for our glorious families. Sometimes we don’t have the time to make something fancy. But I can guarantee that you can afford to buy lentils and still prepare a delicious and intriguing dinner for your family. Not only are lentils one of the cheapest things to get in the grocery store their also pretty healthy. Lentils have the following health benefits:

1) Lower Cholesterol: Lentils help to reduce blood cholesterol since it contains high levels of soluble fiber. Lowering your cholesterol levels reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke by keeping your arteries clean.

2) Heart Health: Several studies have shown that eating high fiber foods like lentils reduces your risk of heart disease. Lentils are also a great source of folate and magnesium, which are big contributors to heart health. Folate lowers your homocysteine levels, a serious risk factor for heart disease. Magnesium improves blood flow, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Low levels of magnesium have been directly associated with heart disease, so eating lentils will keep your heart happy!

3) Stabilized Blood SugarAdding to the many benefits of fiber, soluble fiber traps carbohydrates, slowing down digestion and stabilizing blood sugar levels. This can be especially helpful for those with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.

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Jam Labelizer

 

frozen berriesI won’t waste your time because this is a totally awesome post. Last week we went to Dollar Tree, and, as most people do, spent like $35 dollars. But one of the major things we got was frozen fruit. For only a dollar, 10 to 14 ounces of fruit is a steal, not to mention the prices will sky rocket when autumn and winter hits. But the best thing about the fruit is that we’ve started to can, and you know what that means… JAM! With the frozen goodies, we can make strawberry, blueberry and mixed berry jam. [Read more…]

How to Make Your Own Brown Sugar

Making your own brown sugar does not only save you money, but it can also save you trip to the store.

How to Make Your Own Brown Sugar | Natural Chow

 

The tradition of making of my own brown sugar happened a while ago when, funny enough, I ran out of brown sugar. I know. Who’da thunk? Anyways, I had to have brown sugar for something and so I had to search the internet for a recipe for brown sugar. I knew I wasn’t the only one who had ever thought about making brown sugar at home, so clearly there was going to be something on the internet about it. Luckily, about.com provided and I found the recipe that saved my life. Okay, so maybe not my life, but the certainly the life of a very certain batch cookies.

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