Concur the World Breakfast!

The name says it all but that is exactly how we feel after this awesome breakfast smoothie! For smoothie-virgins you might be turned off by the color but please put that aside and allow your body to feel the goodness. I do believe in eating with your eyes first and once you feel this your eyes will see the beauty! My husband and I have been indulging in this breakfast for the past month or so and I just can't say enough about how we feel.

I make this in a Vita-Mix and have not tried this with a regular blender but I'm sure it could be done. If you are not using a Vita-Mix you may need to add more water and do it in two batches.

Makes 2 large servings

1 bag Spinach (baby or regular)
2 tbls ground Flax seed
3-4 cups Water or Almond milk
2 cups frozen Blueberries
1 cup Strawberries
1 small handful dried Goji berries
2-3 tbls Raw Cacao powder
1 Banana
2 scoops Green Vibrance (or any Green drink powder)
1 cup silken Tofu

Blend all ingredients together in a Vita-Mix or other high powered blender until very smooth and enjoy.

Millet two ways:

As I mentioned in my last post, another healthy cost savings is buying Millet from the Bulk Food section in your grocery store. Last night I was rummaging through my cupboards and came across a large bag of Millet, frozen spinach and a few other goodies. I decided to try making a Spinach Cake and it turned out to be wonderful! When you cook Millet it more than doubles in size so I ended up having a good amount of unused, cooked Millet so of course I kept myself up for a good part of the night thinking about what I could do with the leftover. After a pretty decent nights sleep I came up with a Breakfast Millet Cake - also a winner!

Millet is best know for being added to bird seed but it has more recently found it's way back into many healthy dishes. If you have not tried this chewy whole grain I urge you to give this a try. Millet is a great protein source as well as being full of Magnesium and Phosphorus. It is easily digestible and a great option for those at risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

We ate the Spinach Cakes with a Sundried Tomato Tapanade and wonderful bean soup that I made the night before. They would also be a great accompaniment to a fresh poached egg for a Sunday morning brunch! They can be made a day ahead and reheat nicely in the oven on a baking sheet.

The Breakfast Millet Cakes only needed a light drizzle of Maple syrup. When ever possible buy Grade B pure Maple syrup - it tastes the same but has a higher mineral content so why not! It can be pricey but I usually find it at Trader Joes and they have it priced quite reasonably.

So easy even a Chihuahua can do it!

Nuts and nut butters are a staple in our kitchen but if you have ever bought nut butters you have probably experienced the sticker-shock when you saw the price. Personally I have Almond butter range in price anywhere from $6.99-$15.00! Most Health Food Stores and "Whole Foods" Grocery stores have a bulk-foods section. Bulk foods is a hidden gem for healthy-food-savings. I buy everything from Goji berries, Brown rice, Millet, Quinoa, Coconut, Gluten Free Flour, Raw Cashews & Almonds and much more and save a ton of money this way. Next time you are shopping, spend a little quality time really noticing what kinds of foods are available in the bulk bins

As part of my series that I am doing at Whole Foods on "Eating healthy on any budget" this is just a no-brainer that I wanted to share with you. I chose the title because seriously if Gunnar could reach the food processor he could do this - I really don't think that there is anything that is easier.

Start by adding 2 cups of raw (or roasted) almonds to your Food processor. Here comes the technical part - turn the food processor "On".

After 1 min:


After about 4 min:


Around 8 min. later...DONE!