Posts

Raw Mexican Nut Free “TACOS”!

Mexican style raw tacos are a favourite in our home for our special treat meal . . .you will love them too…great messy finger food for the kids and packed full of flavour while being healthy and low in fat and the option to make them starch free too. Dress them up with toppings or just eat them simply . . .

IMG_9994.JPG

 

What you will need:

Makes for 4-6 serves.

The “Taco” mixture:

  • 2 corn on the cobs kernels removed (optional if you are no starches at present)
  • 6 semi dried tomatoes soaked
  • 2 dates soaked and pitted
  • 4 fresh large tomatoes halved
  • 1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 2 sticks celery one for the blender and 1 finally diced
  • 1/2 tsp smoky paprika
  • 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 8 brown mushrooms and a pinch of dried mushroom if you have it
  • 1 finally diced zucchini
  • 1/2 red capsicum diced
  • juice of 1 lime and zest
  • 1 loose cup coriander chopped
  • 1/2 loose cup mint chopped
  • 1/4 loose cup parsley chopped
  • soaking water (about 2-3 tbs)

To serve:

  • Iceberg lettuce or coz lettuce to serve as tacos
  • 1 cup finally shredded red cabbage
  • Sprouts or micro herbs
  • Sliced avocado
  • Pesto or dip (optional)

 

How to make these:

  1. Soak the dates and tomatoes in very little water till soft (you use the water in the mixture so only use a little, so you keep all the flavour.
  2. In a blender add the 4 large tomatoes, 1/2 the mushrooms, celery, dates, semi dried tomatoes, cumin, paprika’s and soaking water and blend till smooth but still with texture. Then add the remaining mushrooms and pulse till textured.
  3. In a medium bowl add the corn kernels, 1 stick of diced celery, diced capsicum, diced zucchini, lime zest and juice, chopped herbs, quartered cherry tomatoes and stir together.
  4. Add the tomato sauce from step 2. and stir again.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the lettuce cups which I would suggest lining with shredded red cabbage…and top with your favourite toppings!

This mixture gets more flavoursome with time, so I suggest making it in the morning. This will also allow the mixture to set and the liquid to drain off allowing the “tacos” or lettuce cups not to get wet…

Finish with micro herbs or sprouts and slices of avocado or vegan chipotle mayonnaise or vegan sour cream….I used coriander pesto! Dairy and soy free sour cream.

IMG_9991.JPG

/2 Comments/by

Getting your child to drink green juices!

reenjuice3.preview

This may seem very far off for you to imagine, or you might be ready to add more greens in to their current juices that they drink now. Either way be mindful that green juice is something that takes more caution when giving it to children. Because greens are very nutrient rich and a potent detoxifier, our bodies naturally begin detoxifying a bit quicker with greens then other juices. Not that this is bad and when you are trying to heal Autism this is essential, but it can make you/them feel ill if you do it too fast. If you feel that your child needs to detoxify, their bodies will naturally do it through a good diet full of fruit, herbs and vegetables combined with fresh green juices and or green smoothies over time and a chemical free happy environment. But start slowly and build up so they are used to the taste and their bodies get used to detoxify anything that needs to come out. With my boys we started with carrot, cucumber and celery juice and built up to removing all root vegetables and now they have a few different greens like spinach kale, celery, lettuce and cucumber with lemon, and sometimes ginger and turmeric . they have this most mornings before their breakfast. In the afternoon they might have a beetroot or carrot juice but we personally don’t add fruit as they find it sweet enough and I like them to eat their fruit on its own with out mixing with vegetables, this helps their bodies digest it better. As with my smoothie post go slowly and build them up.

The truth about fruit . . .

The difference between a smoothie and a juice, is when you make smoothies they contain fiber which means you can only eat a certain amount at each meal before feeling full (we need the fiber so keep making them!) That is the reason I do not suggest fruit juice  as it doesn’t have any finer in it. Even cold pressed organic fruit juice.

How to get your child drinking and loving ‘green smoothies’ . . .

3Z2A53381IngridPullenPhotography

But with juicing you can include a large amount of greens that you normally would not be able to fit in to your body in one go. A juice is a large amount of vegetables and it’s a nutrient dense shoot of goodness for the gut and each and every cell! Would your child sit down to a large green salad? Maybe not but a green juice sweetened with some apple might go down well.

Here are a few suggestions that taste yummy and mask the bitter flavour some greens can have.

  • I recommend starting with fruit and wining them off fruit till it is just vegetables as fruit spikes the blood sugar level and causes hormonal crashes. Coconut water is a better option to add with greens.

These recipes are for 1-2 glasses of juice

Carrot Celery:

  • 2 carrots
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 1 cucumber (with skin)

Beetroot Apple:

  • 1 small beetroot
  • 1 celery stick
  • 1 cup spinach
  • Cucumber Apple:

 

Cucumber Pear:

  • 1 cucumber (with skin)
  • 2 pears
  • Small handful of kale

Cucumber Orange Grapefruit:

  • 1 cucumber (with skin)
  • 1 small handful of spinach greens
  • 1 orange peeled
  • 1 grapefruit peeled

Broccoli Pineapple:

  • 4 broccoli florets and stalks
  • ½ pineapple
  • 1 small bunch of parsley

Broccoli Apple:

  • 8 broccoli florets and stalks
  • 1 small bunch of parsley
  • 3 apples

Green Citrus:

  • 1 small handful of spinach
  • 2 sticks of celery
  • 1 handful kale
  • 3 oranges or 1 lemons peeled

Cucumber Watermelon:

  • 1 cucumber (with skin)
  • 1 thick slice watermelon
  • 2 sticks of celery
  • 1 lemon peeled
  • 1 handful mint
  • 1 handful of parsley

Green Bullet!

  • 1 cucumber
  • 2 sticks celery
  • 1/4 lemon
  • hand full of coriander
  • hand full of parsley
  • 1 cup coconut water

Simple Green:

  • 4 sticks celery
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 1/4 lemon

Melon fantastic:

  • 1/4 water melon
  • 1/4 cantaloup
  • 1/4 rock melen
  • 1 hand full of fresh mint

Why Leafy Greens are so good for you and the Nutritional breakdown.

Enjoy trying them all and play with what your child likes!

Tips: I suggest finding glasses and cups that are fun and even using flowers on top to diguse the colour so they try without making assumptions. Also get the kids involved in chopping and making them it will encourage them to want to try it more.

Good luck and remember they sense your fear and emotions – if you are hesitant and scared they will not go for it. Be confident and set an example by eating well yourself. Monkey see monkey do. Kids can not buy their own food, so only stock the best at home and choose only the best when you are out. If you are suffering with self sabotage and food binging and cravings. Contact me to coach you to break free of these . . . like I did.

Much love and Thanks Hannah xx

/1 Comment/by