Recipes

Recipe by Margaret of PaleoGirl99

This traditionally Japanese condiment is delicious sprinkled on vegetables, rice or cauliflower rice, or on top of salads. Once you try it you will find lots of other uses for this simple but delicious and nutritious sprinkle. 

Traditional gomasio is made with sesame seeds, but I make mine with hemp hearts to boost the nutritional punch. Cup for cup, hemp hearts have more than twice the protein and less than a 1/3 the carbs of sesame seeds and are packed with healthy omega fatty acids. Win win win! This simple but delicious condiment can fit in to so many dietary templates...vegetarian, vegan, paleo, primal, low carb, and keto to name a few. Give it a try!

By Lindsey of Little Pine Low Carb 

Looking for the most decadently delicious, keto friendly smoothie that tastes more like a milkshake than the nutrient dense drink that it is?

NOTES

If you're trying to live a healthy lifestyle and drink green smoothies, it's always best to make your own at home. Smoothies at cafes or smoothie shops tend to be loaded with sugar and other unnatural ingredients.

To ensure that your smoothie is truly green, we've created this simple recipe that can be prepared in seconds to give you a healthy start to any day. The key is to purchase all organic ingredients. 

Why Choose Organic Smoothie Ingredients

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), organic produce must be grown without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms. This designation means organic food is generally better for the planet and healthier for humans to ingest. 

Exposure to the pesticides commonly found on non-organic produce has been linked to several health issues, including cancer and Parkinson's. 

Pesticides are used to keep harmful insects away from produce as it grows. There is wide debate over whether agricultural workers use enough pesticides on fruits and vegetables to cause harm to the consumers who eat them. It's more clear that pesticides harm to the environment by damaging soil health. 

Guide to Buying Organic Smoothie Ingredients

Unfortunately, buying organic is generally more expensive. You may notice a big difference in your grocery bill if you abruptly switch all of your items to organic. But there are ways to cut costs, starting with knowing which produce items have been found to contain the highest amounts of pesticides. 

The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit that puts together a list of fruits and vegetables with the most pesticides using data from the Department of Agriculture. 

EWG's Dirty Dozen for 2019: 

1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Kale
4. Nectarines
5. Apples
6. Grapes
7. Peaches
8. Cherries
9. Pears
10. Tomatoes
11. Celery
12. Potatoes

If you are trying to buy organic smoothie ingredients on a budget, start by purchasing these produce items with organic labels first. 

Another tip to save is to buy organic produce that is in-season. Items will be priced higher when they aren't currently growing naturally. 

Finally, look for sales and coupons on the organic smoothie ingredients that you need. It may take some extra time, but the health benefits and reduced environmental impact will be worth it. 

Blendtec's Organic Green Smoothie Recipe

You'll notice that three of the ingredients in our organic smoothie recipe are on the EWG's "Dirty Dozen" list. You can always choose the conventional version of those ingredients if your budget requires, but be sure to at least thoroughly rinse and clean your non-organic produce. 

Once you've gathered all of your ingredients, this unique organic smoothie recipe takes less than one minute to make, and keeps you going with three grams of protein and 48 grams of carbs. And don't let those 33 grams of sugar scare you — that's all natural sugar! 

Let us know how you like this organic green smoothie in the comments below! 

Green beans can be a great first-stage solid food for babies. The tasty green vegetable is packed full of vitamins A and C, folate, potassium, iron, and calcium. Green beans also rarely cause allergic reactions, making them a great food to introduce to babies as young as six months old. 

Selecting Green Beans for Baby

Before we get into how to make green beans baby food, let's start with how to pick out green beans at the grocery store. If you can, choose organic green beans. They will have fewer chemicals and toxic pesticides that don't always come off with rinsing. 

To make sure they are fresh, look for green beans that are bright green. They shouldn't have any brown discoloration or bruising that causes squishy spots. Finally, be sure to conduct the snap test. A delicious, fresh green bean will be so crisp that it easily snaps in half. 

Outside of summer it may be difficult to find fresh green beans. Don't be afraid to buy them frozen — we won't judge. 

Preparing Green Beans for Baby Food

• Once you have your green beans home, start by thoroughly rinsing them in a strainer with cold water. 
• Break or cut off the pointy ends of each green bean. 
• Steam green beans in a microwave, steamer, or on a stovetop. 

How to Store Green Bean Baby Food

After you have blended your green beans into a tasty, nutritious baby food, you can save even more time by separating it out into small containers and storing it in the fridge or freezer. Your green bean baby food will still be good to eat after 3 days in the fridge, and 3 months in the freezer. 

This refreshing caramel frappe recipe is a popular dessert and afternoon pick-me-up. It's a sweet treat that can be a nice change from your usual smoothie or boring black coffee. 

What Is a Frappe? 

Frappes originated in Greece as an iced coffee drink made from coffee, water, and sugar. They are often blended, making the consistency similar to a milkshake. In fact in Italian, "frappe" means milkshake. 

You'll now find variations of frappes that don't even contain coffee, but know you are likely ordering some kind of sweet blended beverage. 

Make It Your Own

Making our caramel frappe recipe instead of getting one from the coffee shop is going to save you a lot of money, and possibly even calories. When you have control over the ingredients, you can choose healthier substitutions that can cost extra at coffee shops. 

• Milk substitutions: almond or coconut milk
• Sugar substitutions: honey
• Topping options: instead of whipped cream or caramel syrup, you could opt for a fruit such as blueberries or strawberries. 

If calories aren't a concern and you're making a celebratory frappe, they make great cocktails as well. Try adding some Kahlua or Amaretto to this caramel frappe recipe for the perfect adult beverage. 

Contrary to popular belief, guacamole isn't the only way to eat avocados. Avocado soup makes a delicious, healthy appetizer, side, or light meal. Our recipe is meant to be served cold, making it perfect to serve anytime of the year. And of course, it wouldn't be a Blendtec recipe without being "soup-er" quick and easy!

Health Benefits of Avocados

If you're thinking you should avoid this avocado soup recipe because of the fat, read on.

Avocados are an impressive source of nutrients and healthy fat. The nearly 20 vitamins and minerals in one avocado can help control your blood pressure, fight off disease and infection, and even repair cells during pregnancy. 

The fat in avocados is called monounsaturated fat. Eating it in moderation helps lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. 

Even the carbohydrates in avocados are good for you. They're mostly comprised of fiber which helps with digestion and can make you feel full for longer. 

Make It Your Own

The best part about this refreshing avocado soup is that you can add or subtract many of your favorite ingredients and still create a tasty, nutritious snack. It is wonderful topped with ceviche or other seafood, croutons, or slices of your favorite vegetable. 

Adjusting the amount of lime juice can also make a big difference in taste. There's just something about the combination of lime and avocado that we can't get enough of! 

Let us know what you think of this avocado soup recipe in the comments below! 

This is a low-sodium, fresh tomato and vegetable juice you can enjoy every day — morning, noon, and night. We know that many people are looking for the health benefits of a vegetable juice, but don't necessarily want it to taste like the typical green, leafy vegetable smoothie. 

With that in mind, we have created a healthy, tasty alternative. From pulling the ingredients together to throwing them in the blender, this tomato vegetable juice recipe can be prepared in about two minutes total. There are just eight ingredients, and it's an easy way to load up on important vitamins at any point in your day. 

Mix It Up

In addition to enjoying this tomato and vegetable juice to improve your health, it can also serve as a great bloody mary recipe. Simply add some vodka and enjoy!

Who says you can't have chocolate for breakfast? A good chocolate peanut butter smoothie is packed with the protein and deliciousness you need to start your day right. We'd like to thank whoever was the first person to realize that chocolate and peanut butter go together even better than bacon and eggs. 

Your Ingredient Options

Some chocolate peanut butter smoothie recipes include all sorts of expensive ingredients and flavored protein powders. If you're more of a "less is more" person, here are a few ingredients we recommend switching around to meet your personal taste buds and health goals: 

• Liquid. Don't get stuck thinking that 2% milk is your only option for making a delicious chocolate peanut butter smoothie. There are plenty of fat-free, non-dairy milk options, and many people even love adding coffee as the main liquid ingredient for their morning caffeine boost. Try mixing it up with sweetened or unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk until you find your favorite.
• Powder. If you simply must have a protein powder in your smoothie, it doesn't have to be chocolate flavored. You could experiment with a vanilla protein powder and cocoa powder for a similar chocolate peanut butter flavor. Also check out our Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake recipe.
• Fruit. While we think a banana is the best fruit to round out a perfect chocolate peanut butter smoothie, we won't be offended if you swap it out for something crazy like pineapple chunks or blueberries. It's your life. You do you. 

That said, here is our favorite version of the ever-popular chocolate peanut butter smoothie, ideal for your breakfast fuel or satisfying that afternoon chocolate craving. Let us know how yours turns out! 

If you are living an active lifestyle, it can be hard to keep the refrigerator stocked with enough healthy ingredients that keep you full. Protein shakes are a quick and tasty way to fill up on nutrients that will keep you going for hours. While some protein powders result in an unpleasant, chalky flavor, there are a few simple tricks to making your protein shake taste so good, you'll look forward to it every day. 

There are tons of protein shake recipes out there, but if you love chocolate, a chocolate peanut butter protein shake is a great way to curb the craving without reaching for the cookies or peanut butter cups. 

Ingredient Options

• Customize your base. The milk you choose for your protein shake can make a big difference in the flavor and nutritional value. Have fun with all of those milk options at the grocery story. You don't have to be dairy-free to enjoy a smooth soy or almond milk.
• Craft Your Powder. If you already have some vanilla protein powder in the cupboard instead of chocolate, you can still make a delicious chocolate peanut butter protein shake. Try adding some cocoa powder along with your vanilla protein powder for the same effect.
• Choose Your Peanut Butter. Just like milk, not all peanut butter is created equally. You have many options to experiment with such as PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter and unsweetened peanut butters, not to mention deciding between smooth and crunchy. Of course, you could also opt to switch up the flavor entirely with almond butter. Imagine the possibilities. 

It may not have the most appetizing name, but don’t worry, we aren’t actually recommending that you pour a tiger’s blood into your blender. The flavor known as “Tiger’s Blood” is a delightful combination of watermelon, strawberry, and coconut. It has a bright red color, but its similarities to blood end there. Often described as "exotically fruity," it is one of the most popular syrup flavors for snow cones, and can also be found in ice creams and cocktails.  

What is the Whole30 Tiger Blood? 

As more and more people hop on the Whole30 diet bandwagon, you may hear the tigers blood term used in an entirely new context. Before you start thinking that you'll get to drink Tiger's Blood slushies as part of your new healthy meal plan, we feel the need to explain the difference between Whole30 Tiger Blood, and the Tiger's Blood flavor. 

The idea behind the Whole30 program is to eat "real," unprocessed foods with very few ingredients. A few weeks in, those who are new to clean eating often experience some pretty awesome results such as increased energy, decreased cravings, better moods, and sharper focus. This, they say, is the Tiger Blood stage of the Whole30 program. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with enjoying the sweet, fruit-punchy Tiger's Blood flavor. 

Tiger's Blood Drinks

If you're looking for a unique party drink with a fun name, Tiger's Blood will do the trick. Both kids and adults will be intrigued by the mysterious dark red color and alarming name. You could purchase Tiger's Blood syrup and make some Italian sodas, or pour it over ice and mix it with rum. 

For the more health conscious ones out there, we created this homemade version of the popular snow cone flavor with real fruit! You can even make your own shaved ice within seconds using your Blendtec blender. 

We'd love to hear how you like our Tiger's Blood recipe. Let us know in the comments below!

Homemade, fresh pineapple juice is a great way to add tons of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants into your diet. Pineapples are loaded with vitamin C that can help boost the immune system, and just one cup of pineapple juice provides 63 percent of an adult's daily needs for manganese. 

When making this delicious drink, be sure to include the pineapple core, which contains bromelain. This enzyme is known for its therapeutic benefits as a natural anti-inflammatory and digestive aid.