Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dressing

April Favorites

Hello friends! It’s been a hot minute since I shared a Favorites post! I just looked back, and it was actually September. What happened?!

So much. I feel like my life has been a bit of a whirlwind, and fall and winter passed in a blink of an eye.

Back in September I joined ZYIA Active as a rep and it’s become a big part of my life that I LOVE. It’s created an additional income stream, but it’s so much more than that. ZYIA’s mission includes promoting activity, community, and empowering women, and it’s an incredible company culture to be a part of.  And my new activewear wardrobe is on point!

After the holidays (which always creates its own kind of crazy) my first book came out! Anti-Inflammatory Drinks for Health is your go-to cookbook for all anti-inflammatory drinks. From smoothies to juices to lattes and sodas, every recipe is made with anti-inflammatory recipes designed to promote healthy inflammatory responses in your body.

THANK YOU to everyone who has already purchased a copy. Your support means the world to me!

In the meantime, I was writing my second cookbook. Yep! I Love My Instant Pot Anti-Inflammatory Recipes comes out this October. If you love your Instant Pot and also love healthy, anti-inflammatory recipes, you’ll love this cookbook. It’s got 175 recipes that I put my heart and soul into creating for you.

Creating that many anti-inflammatory recipes (which means a number of restrictions like no dairy, no gluten, no added sugars…) became quite life consuming. You may have noticed me posting less here than my normal. (To say the least!)

I’m finally getting my groove back and have more time to commit to doing what I love best–publishing FREE content for YOU to help and inspire you on your healthy living journey. I finally feel like I have the time to commit to bringing my ideas for this space to life. Can I just say thank you for your patience? THANK YOU.

Now that you’re up to speed on the last 7 months, let me share my April Favorites! I’ll be back to publishing these at the end of every month from here on out. Happy to be back!

Favorites in the Kitchen

Pique Tea Crystals

I recently discovered Pique Tea Crystals. There’s new research that tea polyphenols can improve your gut microbiome by supporting the growth of probiotic strains, such as Lactobacillus, while suppressing the growth of pathogenic bacteria like C. difficile. I am allll about promoting a healthy gut microbiome, and if I can do it via delicious tea, sign me up!

Keep in mind, however, not all teas are created equal and you won’t get the same polyphenols from just any tea you pick up at the supermarket. Pique Tea delivers up to 12X the antioxidants of regular teas. They are also triple screened for toxins, so you know you’re getting the strong polyphenols without the added toxins many teas are riddled with.

This tea is designed to: improve your gut health, suppress cravings, sustain energy, and reduce stress. All things we all need, right?

I can vouch for the excellent quality and taste of Pique Tea Crystals. They come in convenient portable packages that you can take with you traveling or to work. I haven’t found a flavor I didn’t like yet. You should absolutely try them. 

Click here to check out Pique Tea Crystals and get up to 20% off plus free shipping!

Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener

I’m always on the lookout for healthy sugar alternatives…because living without any sweets ain’t no way to live.My criteria is strict:

-Must be natural (no artificial sweeteners allowed)

-Must not have a weird after taste…or any weird taste

-Must not cost more than my car payment

-Must be an easy substitute for sugar (no crazy math required)

-Must not upset my stomach

-Must not send my blood sugar skyrocketing or have a zillion calories

-Can’t be way sweeter than sugar

-Must be able to bake with it

Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener has passed the test with flying colors! It’s a 1:1 sugar replacement and tastes sweet but not sickly sweet. It’s made from *you guessed it* the monkfruit, which gets its sweetness from antioxidants known as mogrosides.

Alone, monkfruit extract is 150 times sweeter than sugar. For this reason it is blended with erythritol to balance the sweetness and give us a perfect 1:1 sugar substitute.

I have been using this Lankanto Monkfruit Sweetener for about 5 months now and highly recommend it!

Favorites from ZYIA Active

Floral Light N Tight Zippered Pocket Capris

I had to show you may favorite from ZYIA lately. How GORGEOUS are these leggings? I’m in love!! The Light N Tight line from ZYIA are their signature legging and what made me fall in love with ZYIA in the first place. If you’re looking for a high-waisted (instant tummy tuck!!), compressive legging that WILL NOT SLIP DOWN during your workout, these are it. You’ll never have to adjust your leggings, which is life changing. One hundred percent. Click here to get the—> Floral Leggings!

Favorite Family Moments

We had friends getting married in Mexico over our spring break, so we decided to take advantage and make it a family vacation. It was an amazing trip from start to finish. This vacation really deserves its own post, so look for that later this week. For now, I’ll leave you with this one picture from the last day when we were checking out of our resort. More details later.

That’s all for now, but you can look forward to more regular posting from here on out. Thank you again for being patient with me and I so appreciate you stopping by Happy Healthy Mama!

 

 

The post April Favorites appeared first on Happy Healthy Mama.

source https://happyhealthymama.com/april-favorites.html

Cacao Coconut Energy Balls

Healthy No Bake Carrot Cake Bars

Homemade Pesto with Spinach (New Video!)

Carrot Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs Will Change Your Life

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins with Vegetables (New Video!)

Simple Baked Apples Recipe (New Video!)

Non-dairy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Quick and Easy Vegan Mushroom Soup

Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (New Video!)

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Chicken

Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe (New Video!)

The Best Apple Panini Recipe

The BEST Oatmeal Recipes on the Internet

Pear Ginger Smoothie Recipe (from Anti-Inflammatory Drinks for Health)

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Lemon Poppyseed Baked Oatmeal

Healthy Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

Quinoa Salad Recipe

Anti-Inflammatory Drinks for Health is HERE!

This is a BIG day in the world of Happy Healthy Mama. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of writing a book.

I didn’t know what kind of book I’d write, but I knew in my heart I’d be a published author someday.

Today, when I walked into Barnes and Noble and saw Anti-Inflammatory Drinks for Health on the shelf, I was overwhelmed with emotions.

Not only did I fulfill my dream of writing and having a book published, but it’s a book that can help people live their healthiest life.

Anti-inflammatory Drinks for Health is full of over 100 recipes that are designed to help your body have a healthy inflammatory response.

There are smoothies, juices, teas, lattes, tonics, and health shots. Some recipes will become everyday favorites, while others are seasonal or symptom-specific.

You’ll love how delicious incorporating these anti-inflammatory foods in your diet can be! I just know you’re going to have so much fun exploring the recipes inside Anti-Inflammatory Drinks for Health.

Every drink in this book features at least one anti-inflammatory ingredient.

I had so much fun developing these recipes and I’m excited to hear what YOU think of them!

Will you let me know which is your favorite?

Thank you for supporting me over the years, whether you check back every week or only once in a while, I so appreciate that you are here. Cheers to good health and abundance!

 

 

The post Anti-Inflammatory Drinks for Health is HERE! appeared first on Happy Healthy Mama.

source https://happyhealthymama.com/anti-inflammatory-drinks-for-health-is-here.html

Keto Brownies (Vegan and Gluten Free!)

Instant Pot Coconut Lime Chicken Bowls

Fluffy Banana Pancakes

Golden Milk Turmeric Tea Recipe

Vegan Egg Substitutes from your Pantry

If you’re dealing with an egg allergy or are trying to avoid animal products, you need a good egg substitute! Let’s take a look at some easy, vegan egg substitutes you probably already have in your pantry. 

If I had to guess, I’d say the #1 question I get on my recipes is “what’s a good egg substitute?” There are A LOT of you who need and want to know what you can use instead of eggs.

That’s why I put together this guide for you. Whether you’re out of eggs or can’t/won’t use them in your baking, here are my best suggestions on what to use for an egg substitute. Before I get to the substitutions, it helps to understand WHY eggs are used in baking in the first place.

The Role of Eggs in Baking

Eggs play a number of different roles in baked goods, which is why it’s difficult to replicate them exactly. Here are the main reasons why we use eggs in baking.

1. STRUCTURE. Eggs provide structure to our baked goods, and act as a binder, holding the ingredients together.
2. LIFT. Eggs act as a leavening agent, helping our baked goods rise.
3. MOISTURE. Eggs are a liquid, and they help add adequate moisture to your baked goods.
4. RICHNESS. Eggs have fat, which can add richness to baked goods.

Now that we have a better idea of why eggs are used in baked goods, let’s talk about exactly how to use some of your staple pantry ingredients as vegan egg substitutes!

The Best Vegan Egg Substitutes

In general, it’s best to limit your egg substitutions to replacing 1-2 eggs. You can try 3 eggs at the maximum. If a recipe calls for 4 or more eggs, it becomes very difficult to substitute and get satisfactory results.

Flaxseed as an Egg Substitute 

RECIPE: 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water = 1 egg (let sit for a few minutes to gel)

PROS: Ground flaxseed meal is a great vegan egg substitute when you need a binder. When you mix ground flaxseed meal with water, it creates a gel that binds ingredients together in a way similar to eggs.

Using a flax egg won’t alter the taste of your recipe.

CONS: Recipes made with flax eggs will not rise the same as those made with eggs. The results are usually flatter baked goos with less lift.

Chia Seeds as an Egg Substitute 

RECIPE: 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds + 3 Tablespoons water = 1 Egg (let sit for a few minutes to gel)

PROS: Chia seeds act very similarly to flaxseeds as an egg substitute. They work well as a binder because of the gelatinous consistency when mixed with water.

Chia seeds also won’t alter the taste of your recipe.

CONS: Chia seeds are not an leavening agent, and therefore don’t provide the same life and rise as eggs, resulting in flatter baked goods.

Chia seeds will also make your baked goods a darker color.

Applesauce as an Egg Substitute

RECIPE: 1/4 cup Applesauce = 1 egg

PROS: Applesauce is great for adding moisture in a recipe and has a high pectin content that helps with binding.

CONS: Applesauce adds sweetness to a recipe, even if you use unsweetened applesauce. You may need to adjust the recipe accordingly. Also, applesauce will not give recipes the same lightness as an egg provides. The results when using applesauce will be more dense and less fluffy.

Banana as an Egg Substitute

RECIPE: 1/4 cup Banana = 1 egg

PROS: Banana is similar to applesauce in that it adds moisture in a recipe and has a high pectin content that helps with binding.

CONS: Banana lends a strong flavor, so whatever you are using it in will become banana-flavored. Bananas will also not give recipes the same lightness as an egg provides. The results when using banana as an egg substitute will be more dense and less fluffy.

Pumpkin as an Egg Substitute

RECIPE: 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree= 1 egg

PROS: Pumpkin is another fruit purée that adds moisture in a recipe and has a high pectin content that helps with binding.

CONS: Using pumpkin as an egg substitute can alter the color and flavor of the recipe. I’ve also found that pumpkin yields the most dense results of all the fruit purées I’ve used as an egg substitute. The results when using pumpkin are considerably more dense and less fluffy than when using eggs.

I know there are other egg substitutes out there, but these are the ones I’ve tried over and over and am confident of the results. If you have some you’ve tried and love, please leave them in the comments!

Recipes using Vegan Egg Substitutes

Here are some recipes for you to try out that use some of these suggestions!

Vegan Banana Bread

Banana Chocolate Chip Blondie

Healthy Pumpkin Cookies

The BEST Vegan Chocolate Cake

Blueberry Banana Oat Bars

Applesauce Breakfast Cookies

*Links to products are affiliate links.

The post Vegan Egg Substitutes from your Pantry appeared first on Happy Healthy Mama.

source https://happyhealthymama.com/vegan-egg-substitutes-from-your-pantry.html

Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe

Instant Pot Asian Noodle Bowls

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash 4 Ways

5 Tips to Promote Healthy Inflammation

This post is sponsored by MegaFood®. All opinions, as always, are my own.

There is so much talk about inflammation these days. What is it? Inflammation is the body’s natural response to outside stress like infection, illness, or injury. In this sense, it’s a healthy and necessary immune response. In fact, it’s inflammation that helps your body heal when it’s down.

When your body is healed, the inflammation should stop. This is a healthy inflammation response and what we all should strive for.

Is there anything we can do to help maintain this healthy inflammation response? Of course! It’s all through diet and smart lifestyle choices. These five tips can help you support a healthy inflammation response.*

5 Tips for Promoting Healthy Inflammation

1. Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods

The number one thing I recommend is to eat foods that naturally fight inflammation! Try to include as many anti-inflammatory foods in your diet as you can on a daily basis.

Foods that make the anti-inflammatory food list are: broccoli, leafy greens, bok choy, berries, pineapple, beets, turmeric, ginger, walnuts, celery, flax seeds, chia seeds and garlic. An efficient way to get your fix of these foods is by serving them up via smoothies, juices, shots, teas, broths, seltzers and more.

2. Take a Supplement to Promote a Positive Inflammatory Response*

Turmeric is a popular spice that can help support a healthy inflammatory response,* but it’s not as easy to work into your regular diet. For the last two years, I’ve been taking a turmeric supplement from MegaFood to help me get an appropriate amount of turmeric in my system every single day.

MegaFood recently came out with Turmeric Inflammation Response* Gummies! A delicious gummy that helps support a healthy inflammatory response in the body?* YES, please!! These have come in handy when I’m on the go. I just pop two in my mouth and I’m all set for the day.In addition to organic turmeric, the gummies also include organic black pepper extract to support the absorption of curcuminoids*, as well as organic carrot and organic ginger, both a natural source of phytonutrients.*

These are a perfect choice for anyone who doesn’t like swallowing pills as they are TASTY and chewable!!

3. Avoid Inflammatory Foods

Besides fitting anti-inflammatory foods into your diet, it’s important to avoid those that can trigger inflammation in the body. You’ll want to dodge foods with casein (a protein found in dairy), limit sugar, avoid trans fats and stay away from refined carbohydrates. Check out this comprehensive list of list of foods to avoid to help your body have less inflammation.

4. Exercise Regularly

Exercise has been found to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Even small, 20-minute bursts of physical activity can help. Do your best to make exercise, even if you don’t have time for hours at the gym, a part of your regular routine. (source)

5. Manage Your Stress

Stress has also been found to trigger an inflammatory response in the body. Yikes. Find ways to manage your stress so that it doesn’t get the best of you. My best suggestions are to schedule down time, meditate and keep a journal. ALL of these have helped me when I’m feeling especially stressed.

Remember that controlling inflammation in our body is a long-term process. By incorporating these tips on the daily, a healthy lifestyle will become more natural.

P.S. – My cookbook, Anti-Inflammatory Drinks for Health, is coming out in February and will help you get even more of these anti-inflammatory foods into your diet! (You can preorder it right here!) 

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

The post 5 Tips to Promote Healthy Inflammation appeared first on Happy Healthy Mama.

source https://happyhealthymama.com/5-tips-to-promote-healthy-inflammation.html

Vitamin C Juice Recipe

Kale Smoothie Recipe

Simply Roasted Cauliflower