Melissa's Morning Smoothie

Hey guys! Melissa here and I am sharing my morning smoothie recipe + my love for Moon Juice- a shop dedicated to a holistic approach to healthy living, including the most amazing medicinal ingredients to add to your morning smoothies.

What I personally love about smoothies is the variety of smoothies that you can make. I go through phases of what I put in mine and switch up what ingredients I use, depending on the day and my mood. The recipe I have going now is super good, so I just had to share. This smoothie includes three Moon Juice products- their Beauty Dust,  Ashwagandha, and H0 Shou Wu. Below are the ingredients + explanation of benefits for each Moon Juice product.

SMOOTHIE:

1 cup almond milk or water (or sometimes I do 1/2 and 1/2!)

1/2 frozen banana

A handful of organic frozen blueberries

Teaspoon of Ashwagandha from Moon Juice

Teaspoon of Ho Shou Wu from Moon Juice

Teaspoon (+ a little more) of Beauty Dust from Moon Juice (c/o)

Tablespoon of Spirulina (from Whole Foods)

--blend all together in a blender until smooth--

Benefits are below as described on Moon Juice's site- head there to read more! They do a great job at explaining each product.

Ashwagandha: calms the nervous system + soothes anxiety and improves sleep

Ho Shou Wu: encourages youthfulness, sex drive, + helps to balance hormones and give you a healthy glow

Beauty Dust: think glowing skin, shiny hair, and bright eyes

Moon Juice's collection of moon dusts is so amazing. You can add them to smoothies, water, or even your morning coffee. They have quite a few versions including spirit dust, brain dust, and more, but I have only tried the beauty dust so far and love it.

*feature image via moon juice

Homemade Egg McMuffin.

My husband and I had an early trip back from Atlanta this past week, and his temptation for the random fast food splurge looked extra good even though we live on kale from our garden, cauliflower rice, and turkey burgers. One of my favorite things to do is figure out a way to make an unhealthy food option homemade and even more delicious than a breakfast goodie stuffed in a McDonald's bag. This is Jason's new favorite breakfast -- keep scrolling for the recipe!Ingredients (all purchased at Whole Foods)*Rudi's Organic Whole Wheat English Muffins*Applegate Naturals Cheddar Cheese Strips*Uncured Turkey Bacon*Brown Eggs*Coconut Oil*Salt and PepperDirections (makes one):1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees.2. Get out a small pan (I used a circular cake pan). Line the pan with foil.3. Cut an english muffin in half and place both open ends of the english muffin on foil.4. Spread coconut oil on each side of the english muffin like you would with butter.5. Place a sheet of cheddar cheese on one open side of english muffin to prepare for the final bake.6. Now put two strips of turkey bacon on a skillet. Put temperature on medium. I like to pepper the bacon. Cook desired amount (I like it extra crispy).7. Place the cooked turkey bacon on top of the cheddar cheese side of the english muffin.8. In the same skillet, spray coconut spray to prepare surface.9. Scramble two eggs. Add salt and pepper to add flavor.10. Place the finished eggs on top of the bacon.11. Put the pan with all prepared items into the oven for about 7-10 minutes.12. Serve and enjoy!

A Newly Opened Local Treasure: Coffee House Cafe

If you live in the suburbs, you understand the difficulty in finding a cool-atmosphere coffee house that doesn't require driving thirty minutes to the heart of the Big D. All we seem to have is a Starbucks on every corner. Well, suburbanites and city-dwellers (it's worth driving North), I am excited to introduce you to the Coffee House Cafe. It quaintly sits on the corner of Frankford and Preston, and it's starting to gain some notice. This little nook is my new "home" to work from, the perfect place to have a business meeting, and an excellent choice for a brunch date.

Why I love it so much:

1. On a beautiful day, you can sit on the big patio next to the gigantic fire place and sip on some coffee or work on a new business idea.2. You quickly become a regular. The servers learn your name and order. Who doesn't love this?3. They have the best cinnamon tea in the world. The best part: they bring it out to you in the cutest mini teapot.4. The espresso and house blend is 100% certified organic, fair trade, and shade grown, and the coffee flavors are all house made with no preservatives, additives, high fructose corn syrup or other crazy scientific words that are too hard to pronounce. Cool beans!Did I mention their breakfast is sublime? Sitting at the espresso bar, reading the paper, and eating a scrumptious Saturday morning meal has become my family's favorite weekend ritual. What we order: their signature lemon pancakes, eggs and the best gluten free pancakes on the planet. No wonder the hype is high. Check out their extraordinary lunch and dinner menu too. I hope to see you there!

Breakfast Just Got Yummier: Gluten Free Cinnamon-Bun Muffins

I am on a huge cinnamon kick for a reason known: it is so soothing to eat, the smell is delicious, and the health benefits are glorious. Plus, it is one of those spices that welcomes fall with open arms. But, you know what's even better than cinnamon? Cinnamon buns. They bring me back to my childhood, but clearly they are not the most healthy of choices. Or are they? Thanks to Shop.Cook.Make, Cinnamon-buns are now a super nutritious, gluten free option. The coolest part: they come in the form of muffins! (Celebrating encouraged.)For the Muffins:1/2 cup of Coconut Flour1/4 teaspoon of Baking Soda1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder1/4 teaspoon of coarse Salt (I used Fleur de Sel)4 eggs1/3 cup of Yogurt (I used Greek)1/2 cup of Honey (or Agave) For the Cinnamon Topping:3 teaspoons of ground Cinnamon4 tablespoons of honey (or Agave)2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted (ghee or coconut butter will work too)1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (optional) Directions1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.2. For the muffins, combine all the dry in ingredients and blend well.3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a mixer to blend (get rid of any clumps of flour), or blend well by hand.4. Fill muffin or cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way with batter.5. Drip the cinnamon topping over the top of each muffin. Some of it will sink into the muffin batter. You can use a toothpick to poke the topping into the batter, to get more of the topping to spread into the batter.6. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.7. Cool and enjoy! Store for a few days at room temperature (covered) or keep in the refrigerator for a week or so.

Avocado: The Green Fruit that Keeps on Giving

Avocado is equivalent to a summertime dream. Why? It makes your hair shine, your skin glow, and your body burn fat while simultaneously fighting disease. In first thought, it is often known as the culprit in Mi Cocina’s addicting guacamole or otherwise referred to as the substance that sticks to your thighs. Take note: yes, avocado is high in calories, but when consumed in moderation, it is a powerful fat-burning agent.Is it just me, or does this fruit have an element of refreshment? Maybe it's just the lime green color, or the fact that it aids in forming a heightened internal metabolism to keep your body in bikini shape. For all it's worth (AKA a source of GOOD fat), this superfood deserves some attention. Here are fun new recipes to sneak into your diet that ignite the health benefits of this yummy treat. It's time to take use of this dynamic source of omega-3. Are you on board?

To jump start the morning:

Avocado Breakfast Pudding (Serves 2)

1 ripe avocado1/2 c. 1% milk1 Tbsp. honey3 Tbsp. slivered almondsBlend first three ingredients until smooth. Garnish with granola or almonds.

Source & nutritional ingredients: Vital Juice______

For a mid-day meal:

Simple SaladHere we have (with absolutely no measurements, as usual):

Roasted Brussels Sprout and Avocado SaladMixed garden greensRed onionAvocadoRoasted brussels sprouts: cut in half. toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. roast until toasty brown.

For extra pizzaz and protein, throw in an egg fried in a bit of olive oil.Honey mustard dressing:

One part white wine vinegar to two parts olive oilA dollop of dijon mustardA large drizzle of honeySalt and pepper

Add dressing ingredients to a small jar and give it a good shake.  Toss with salad and enjoy!Source_____

For dinner-time:

Try this dip with grilled skewers. Choose your favorite meat and veggies!Avocado Cilantro Dip (Makes about 1 cup of dip)

1/2 cup thick greek yogurtJuice from 1 lemon1 avocado (average Haas size is good – about 6-8 ounces)1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed1 tablespoon capersPinch of black pepperPinch of garlic saltPinch of smoked paprikaOptional: If you love garlic you can add a clove, extra cilantro leaves

Source_____

To top off the day with a sweet treat:

Avocado Chocolate Pudding

2 ripe avocados½ cup of unsweeted cocoa powder½ cup maple syrup or agave nectar2 teaspoons vanilla

Cut open 2 large avocados and spoon them out into a bowl. Beat well until the avocado is a creamy mouse-like consistency. Add cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla. Beat until all ingredients are mixed evenly. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve later.