Fermented Beet Kvass

It's Fermented Friday and time for another recipe for a newfound health drink that I stumbled upon as I try to make all kinds of homemade, healthy foods and drinks.

I love beets! They are so yummy and earthy tasting, and they have tremendous health benefits, including purifying your blood. They are great in salads, juiced, sautéed with sweet potatoes, and roasted. Having explored through hoards of fermenting recipes the past few weeks I came across a recipe for homemade Beet Kvass. What a fancy name! What is this concoction? I had never even heard about it, yet my love of fermentation and my love of beets were telling my body that this was something I needed to try!

This post will share with you just how easy this is and drinking 4 ounces each morning and evening have shown to lower blood pressure, purify the blood, aid in digestion and detoxify the liver. It is rich in B vitamins and minerals such as copper, potassium and magnesium. It is a great health tonic to add to any diet.

Ingredients:

Beets (3-4) peeled and chopped (save the discarded greens for yummy salad or sauteed with garlic and onion)
3 tbs sea salt
Filtered water
Whey

Place the chopped beets, in a large glass jar (1/2-1 gallon) add salt and cover with water. Cover with either a paper towel or tea towel and secure with a rubber band. Let the mixture sit on your counter for 3 days then bottle the liquid saving the beets, and a few tablespoons of liquid to brew a second batch. Add about a tbs more of salt and add water to cover and repeat the fermentation process for 2 days and bottle. When the beet kvass has been bottled let it sit in a cool, dry place for another day or two to allow for them to ferment for a couple more days. Place the jars in the fridge where they can stay until you are ready to drink.

Basically the brew tastes like salted beet juice. It has a very earthy, salty taste. Mine did not have the same carbonation taste that I am used to in fermented drink, but it was yummy nonetheless and gave me tremendous energy! I feel so great after I have a glass and really enjoy it.

Have you tried Beet Kvass? Please share your thoughts and experience!

Disclaimer:  Please note: I am not a medical professional. Please use your careful discernment and double check with your naturopath or doctor before taking any vitamins or supplements

PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.

Tips to Save Money on Eating Healthy!

Anyone who does regular grocery shopping is sure to notice how much grocery prices have increased in the last few years. A family of 4 can spend more than $500 a month on grocery shopping, which I happen to think is a lot! With the cost of food going up I have been trying to do whatever I can to help lower our monthly grocery bill. This post will share with you some of the tips and tricks I have learned to help lower how much we spend on food every month while also creating healthy options to eating.

• Plan Ahead

Planning out meals helps to make sure you have everything on hand to cook and makes sure you don't go overboard at the store buying things you don't need. When I go shopping without a list I find myself making a lot more impulse buys, and then when its time to make meals I have crucial ingredients missing which means another trip to the store. By following a meal plan I feel much more organized, have everything on hand to make yummy healthy meals and save time and money! I also offer a weekly meal plan service for $5 a week (or $15 a month) which includes a weekly menu of easy, heathy recipes, grocery list and even a double meal recipe to freeze and leftover suggestions. For more information on participating in my weekly meal plan service you can email me at Victoria@yogimami.com

Homemade lasagna with leftover ground turkey meat

• Get Creative with Leftovers 

When I make my 2 week menu plan I try to think of what I can do with leftover food so that it don't get trashed. My husband is not a fan of leftovers so I have to try to make it into something different from what we had the day before. This includes leftover turkey meat made into a meat sauce for spaghetti, or leftover pork roast as pulled pork sandwiches. Its a great way to make a super easy meal because the meat is usually already cooked that you can throw something together in no time.

• Make Your Own

For those of you who have been following you know I have been making my own EVERYTHING lately. At least that is how it seems to me. Broths, butter, yogurt, mustard, mayonnaise, salsa, granola, salad dressings and pretty much all breakfasts, lunch and dinners. When you make it yourself you have the added benefit of controlling what you ingest and keeping yucky ingredients at bay. And honestly, it takes a little time, but it is all typically very easy! Also, the sooner you start the easier it gets. You can spend a few hours on a weekend preparing and putting together for foods and condiments that will last you several weeks.

• Use Your Freezer

When I make soups or stews I tend to make larger batches which I can then put in the freezer and save for another meal. This is awesome for those nights where we don't want to go out or order take out, but really really don't want to cook. I can defrost a batch of Chicken Tortialla Soup or Chili, warm it up on the stove and still have a home cooked meal with very little effort! Its a great way to store leftovers to have on hand when you get sick and want to still eat something healthy without having to cook or resorting to unhealthy canned soups. It's also perfect to pull out if you are going to be out for the night and need a meal for a babysitter to warm up.

• Cut Meat Portions in Half

After watching documentaries like Forks over Knives and reading books such as the China Study I learned the benefits of eating more plant protein over animal protein. I am a typical meat and potatoes girl so I could never become vegetarian or vegan, I just know that about myself. But I am able to recognize that too much meat is not a good thing so I cut our meat portions in half and just added extra sides. I will usually have 2-3 different sides with a meal, with the majority of them being some sort of healthy grain or veggies.

• Add More Veggies

Because we were eating less meat we were doubling up on the veggies. I would make something like chicken stuffed with kale, red peppers and some cheese served over garlic quinoa and have a kale salad with  cranberries, almonds and lemon tahini dressing. Boosting your intake of fruits and veggies helps to fulfill your nutrition intake while leaving your body satisfied. Fruits and veggies cost less than

• Buy What's in Season and Local

When I make my list I usually just put Fruit or Veggies, meaning that I will buy whatever is in season and on special. From there I am able to get great produce for a good price and then decide the rest of my meals from there. I love shopping at my local Coop or Farmer's Market because you can get beautiful produce that didn't sit in a truck for days or weeks to get delivered which means its a lot fresher and contains more nutrients. Compare a $1.99 bag of lettuce at the commercial grocery store that has been sprayed with chemicals to make it appear fresher for longer to a self selected mix of lettuces (the same amount) for $1.

• Grow Your Own! 
  

I am so envious of people who have these beautiful, bountiful gardens. We do not have much space but I have been growing some things on our patio and making use of some window ledges. I grow most of my own herbs, some greens and have even grown some things out of kitchen scraps. I try to grow what we use a lot of like Kale, chives, garlic, beets, carrots, cilantro, chard and potatoes. Our bounties are small, but I like to try to make the most out of what I can such as making a pesto with carrot greens. I use my garlic scapes chopped to season butter and other dishes practically for free and even beet greens and kale as a sauteed side or a salad. Sprouting is another option to incorporate live food into your diet and its so easy to do yourself for just pennies compared to $5 at the the stores. 

By incorporating these habits into our lifestyle I have cut our grocery bills almost in half! I am loving the changes that I made both in our wallet and our families health. It's fun and fulfilling and brings me a sense of joy knowing that I am doing what I can for us to live the healthiest life we can while saving money.

I would love to hear about any ideas or suggestions you have to live healthy on a budget?

Disclaimer:  Please note: I am not a medical professional. Please use your careful discernment and double check with your naturopath or doctor before taking any vitamins or supplements

PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.

Breakfast of Champions!

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so make sure you are starting your day off on the right foot with these easy, healthy recipes. Both are kid tested and Yogi Mami approved and are perfect for anyone who is on a gluten free diet or looking for some wheat free recipes. These are chock full of nutrients without having to give up taste and are a great alternative to other commercial breakfasts that typically contain yucky ingredients. And the best news is that these recipes are quick and easy and can even be made the night before if time is a major issue.

Coconut Banana Pancakes    

• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup mashed banana 
• 1/4 cup almond milk or coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• pinch of sea salt
• pinch of ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Heat up a pan on medium heat and add coconut oil or butter. Make smaller silver dollar sized pancakes and cook on both sides until cooked. These were delicious topped with some homemade butter and fresh blueberries from the Farmer's Market! Everyone loved them! You could even add some chopped apples or berries directly in the batter while cooking. So many options! *If you are pressed for time you can make the pancakes the night before and refrigerate and warm up in a toaster oven the next morning!

                                                                                                            Quinoa Parfait

• Quinoa
• Almond Milk
• Butter
• vanilla extract
• cinnamon
• salt
• yogurt
• berries
• nuts

Let quinoa soak overnight and then cook up like normal adding a little almond milk and butter. Add a dash of salt, cinnamon and 1tsp of vanilla extract when cooked and mix. Add to some yogurt (CLICK HERE for my easy homemade recipe) add some nuts like sunflower seeds, almonds and some fresh berries. Drizzle with honey and enjoy! *To save time you can cook the quinoa the night before (just soak for a couple hours before cooking) refrigerate and warm up the next morning adding the almond and butter and other ingredients when re-warming. Add extras (nuts, berries, etc.) after re-warmed.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and would love to hear if you tried them or would like to share your own easy, yummy breakfast recipes!

Disclaimer:  Please note: I am not a medical professional. Please use your careful discernment and double check with your naturopath or doctor before taking any vitamins or supplements

PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.