Pumpkin nutrition information-University of Illinois
Recipe adapted from Briana Thomas' Pumpkin Chip Baked Oatmeal.

 Ingredients

1 nine and a half ounce package of organic soba noodles

3 Tablespoons of rice vinegar
3 Tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce of coconut aminos
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1.5 Tablespoon sesame oil
1.5 Tablespoon real maple syrup

1/2 small red cabbage finely chopped (about 1 to 1.5 cups)
2 medium carrots shredded
1 bunch of chives chopped
1 cucumber or 1/2 of an English cucumber cut in half and sliced
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1 bunch of fresh cilantro

Method

1. Boil soba noodles according to package. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Prepare all vegetables as described in the ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, whisk rice vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, and maple syrup together.
3. In a large bowl, combine the noodles and chopped vegetables and herbs.
4. Pour the dressing over the mixture of noodles and vegetables and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
5. Enjoy!







Recipe modified from Parents Magazine June 2016.

References
Dr. Mercola-http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/08/eating-sprouts.aspx#!
Dr. Craig-https://vegetarian-nutrition.info/green-leafy-vegetables/

~Island Hippie Smoothie~

It's snowing ...again. I love the snow, but we are creeping into Spring and I am ready to see nature awaken again. It's hard to believe that things will be coming back to life when all you see is a thick blanket of snow.  Today, my time in the kitchen has been spent dreaming of Spring. This smoothie is a great transition smoothie. It's a bit more heavy than traditional morning smoothies and tastes more like a shake.

As we move into Spring, our foods should become lighter, but it's still very Winter-like here in New Hampshire, so this is perfect. This smoothie will have you channeling the islands and is really quite satisfying. I love smoothies, but find myself hungry an hour later no matter what I put in it. This one keeps me going for hours. 

Hemp hearts typically contain 33 percent protein, 9 percent omega-3 essential fatty acids, and are an excellent source of iron, vitamin E and GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), an Omega-6 fatty acid. They are gaining a lot of popularity as a super food because of the nutritional benefits, but also because they really do satisfy your appetite.

Ingredients

1 can of full fat coconut milk
1 cup almond milk
1 large very ripe organic banana
1/2 cup hemp hearts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon alcohol free vanilla
6 or 7 fresh or frozen organic strawberries
Optional-1 scoop of vegan vanilla protein powder
Optional topping- Bee Pollen

Instructions

Scoop 1/2 of the coconut cream (the hard white stuff) from the can and put into a blender. Pour half of the coconut water (the liquid in the can) into the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.
Enjoy!

http://nutiva.com/hemp/organic-hemp-hearts-health-benefits/

~Easy Weeknight Shrimp~
By Janine Bibeau
This is one of our "go to" recipes during the week. It is delicious, quick, and healthy.  We always make enough to have for lunch the next day.

Ingredients
1 box of fresh organic baby spinach
1 bag of raw shrimp (we like the larger shrimp, but then you will have less of them)
1 small box of organic sliced baby portobella or white mushrooms chopped
1 organic white onion chopped
2-3 cloves of organic garlic minced
3/4 of a bag of organic spaghetti or linguini
3oz of organic sun dried tomatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Remove the shells from your shrimp.

Boil a large pan of water and begin cooking your pasta.

In a large saute pan, heat 3 TBS olive oil on medium.

Add chopped onions and mushrooms.  Cook until soft.

Add shrimp and minced garlic.

Season with 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne.

When the shrimp become almost entirely pink, add 2 ladles full of pasta water to the saute pan.

Add the sun dried tomatoes (chop them up if they are large).

Add the spinach and cover. Simmer on low while the pasta finishes up and until the spinach begins to wilt.

When your pasta is finished, strain and combine with the rest of the ingredients in the saute pan.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I am dairy free, but my husband does like to add feta cheese to his!
Makes 4 -5 servings.

Enjoy!

~Janine's Chocolate Avocado Pudding~
By Janine Bibeau
This pudding tastes like a true indulgence, but without the guilt! Four ingredients and a food processor and you have yourself a super easy and really healthy dessert. I have been making this treat at least once a week. I just can't get enough!
Let's talk about avocado for a minute here. Avocados actually contain more potassium than bananas! Potassium is important to help maintain a healthy blood pressure and by doing that, they decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure.
They also contain healthy fats. The majority of fat in an avocado is oleic acid. Oleic acid has been linked to reduced inflammation and also to reducing the risk of cancer!
In addition to that, they are loaded with fiber which helps to maintain digestive health. They are anti inflammatory and contain a ton of antioxidants. Go Avocado!
Why not try this pudding for Valentine's Day and show your body some LOVE! 

Ingredients

2 Ripe Avocados
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
4 to 5 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
4 to 5 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup

Instructions

Put all ingredients into the food processor.

Blend well. You may have to stop the food processor and scrape the inside with a rubber spatula, sending all of the pudding back down to the bottom. Then give it another whirl in the food processor until you cannot see any bits of green avocado.

Scoop into fancy cups or just place the whole food processor in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. This is very important! If you do not do this, the cocoa flavor does not come out fully and your pudding will taste like avocado.

Garnish with a strawberry if you want to get fancy.

Enjoy!

Makes 2-3 servings.

Muffins adapted from Daily Om-21 Day Yoga Shred . Frosting is purely my own perfected experiment!