Kale Chips

I’m back with another yummy and very simple recipe! Chips have always been a bit of a weakness for me and a great way to forget about your Doritos craving is to find a delicious and healthy substitute!!

I love kale!! It goes with pretty much anything and its a great super food!

Wondering what benefits come from eating kale?

• Good for your bones
• Eyes
• Skin
• Reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer
• Weight loss
• Lowers cholesterol
• Low in calories, fat, and carbs
• High in calcium, potassium, folic acid, antioxidants, and vitamins A, C, & K 🙂

So let’s jump right in!! 😉

Get your kale!!!!

Break the kale leaves off the stem and break the pieces off to your desired size. I like to half a medium sized leaf.

Ingredients:

• Garlic seasoning (or Himalayan sea salt)
• Extra virgin olive oil

Yep! That’s it!

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees
• Grab a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• In a bowl, add a tablespoon of olive oil and gently massage the oil into the kale with clean hands! 😉
• Get a helper! 🙂

• Add the garlic seasoning (or sea salt) to taste.
• Place each piece of kale on the sheet
• Take a bite before throwing them in the oven! So delicious!!
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes
• Enjoy!!

This a great snack and a great way to fuel your body with the goods!! I am still following the 21 Day Fix meal plan and guess what? This is approved!

Another plus? It’s baby approved!!!

🙂

Please let me know if you try this and how they turned out. There are many ways to season these so experiment! You can add a bit of paprika, or even vinegar and sea salt! 🙂

xo

© Stephanie Cardozo and Stephanie Cardozo, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stephanie Cardozo and Stephanie Cardozo with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Home Remedy For Allergies

 

I developed severe allergies when I first became pregnant. It’s just one of the many possible changes your body goes through. Sadly, they never went away, they only worsened. I have tried every over the counter and prescribed medication under the sun. I decided to start looking for a natural approach last year when I came across apple cider vinegar. I purchased the Bragg’s organic unrefined vinegar and began taking one to two tablespoons in eight ounces of water twice a day. About a month into drinking it, I had not experienced a sinus attack and it was without question that I would continue drinking it. Relieving sinus issues is just one of the many benefits apple cider brings to the table and I will go into all those details in another post.

Although I still drink apple cider, not only in my water, I also put it in my shakes and teas. I failed to drink it for the last few days. I walked outside and instantly started sneezing and the attack hit me with a vengeance. I sneezed all day long; itchy watery eyes, runny nose, swollen nasal passage, you name it and I was suffering from it yesterday.

And while apple cider helps, it’s gradual and you MUST drink it every day in order to prevent the attacks. I looked up a quicker remedy, all ingredients I already had right at home!

Honey and Turmeric!! Yep, that’s it!! Can you believe it?

Honey is great for allergies and you most likely have that on hand. Be sure that it is raw honey! Processed is just no good!

Turmeric is a great inflammatory antibacterial ingredient!! Put it together with raw honey and you have found the holy grail of quick allergy relief!

The best way to take this is to make a mixture or simply add a bit of both to your tea or warm water.

Should you want to make the mixture, all you have to do is take about six to seven tablespoons in a jar. Add six tablespoons of turmeric powder and mix until it is evenly distributed. This mixture will keep up to a year!

Now, I like to simply add a tablespoon of honey and a dash (or two) of turmeric to my tea and drink that down.

I like kombucha because of its many antioxidants, and of course, it just tastes divine! 🙂

 

Peppermint tea is great too! That minty aroma really helps with soothing your nasal passage!

Drink this two to three times and within twenty-four hours you’ll feel like your old self again! My attacks used to last up to three days!!

Today I’m enjoying the mixture with iced kombucha tea 🙂 I always add lemon to my tea. So good!!

xo

© Stephanie Cardozo and Stephanie Cardozo, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stephanie Cardozo and Stephanie Cardozo with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Apple Crescents

I always wanted to try these and decided to make a small batch. These are not meant to be eaten in large batches! Remember, moderation is important! One crescent is less than 200 calories so for me this was a perfect little treat to have with some tea 🙂

Let’s jump right into it, shall we?! 😉

Ingredients:

• Two red apples (or whichever you prefer)
• 1 eight ounce tin of Pillsbury Crescents
• Non Stick Spray (I like Coconut oil 🙂 )
• Cinnamon
• Organic coconut Sugar
• All natural almond butter

 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Slice your apples into half moons, I did not remove the skin but you can do so if you prefer it that way :). Set them aside and move on to the crescents.Carefully open the crescent container, (I always have trouble with it hehe) and gently pull them apart. It makes it simple as they have the markings on it. Take your baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Open the rolls and lightly spray the coconut oil on each one, add just a bit of almond butter, and a pinch of coconut sugar. Then grab your apple slice, placing it at the widest end of your roll and rolling it until you’ve reached the end. Lightly spray the top of the crescents and add a dash off cinnamon.

Bake these babies for ten to twelve minutes. Ten minutes were not enough for me as I like them a bit more golden brown so i left them in for twelve. They are so soft and oh so good filled with the amazing apple and almond butter goodness! These are so delicious and although you might want to have more than one, enjoy this treat with a cup of your favorite tea and share the joy with friends! 🙂

This is a fun and very simple recipe anyone can take on! I think we might be ready to conquer an apple pie next! What do you think? 🙂

xo

© Stephanie Cardozo and Stephanie Cardozo, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stephanie Cardozo and Stephanie Cardozo with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Homemade Hummus

I’ve been procrastinating on this recipe for a while now but I finally got around to making some hummus!

It’s super easy, healthy, and delicious!! This is a large batch because I made some for my brother to enjoy as well but just modify the amount to best suit your preference 🙂

Let’s get to it!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Garbanzo beans
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Two lemons
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 tablespoons of cumin
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 minced red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/4 purified water

Directions:

Rinse the garbanzo beans and add them to the blender, or food processor, along with the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to squeeze the lemon juice in a separate bowl if you don’t have a lemon squeezer, then add the lemon juice to the rest of the ingredients, you don’t want seeds in your hummus! 🙂

Blend until you reach the consistency you like. ***If it’s still too thick you can add one to two table spoons of water at a time.

Once you’re done blending add it to a bowl and sprinkle a bit of paprika on top. Garbanzo beans are a great source of protein! This is great with pita, as a sandwich spread, and a dip with raw veggies! I like mine with carrots and broccoli.

I hope you all enjoyed this delicious recipe! Enjoy!

xo

© Stephanie Cardozo and Stephanie Cardozo, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stephanie Cardozo and Stephanie Cardozo with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Sweet Potato Protein Pancakes

I absolutely love pancakes! It was imperative that I find a healthy recipe so I can feed my pancake addiction 🙂

Let’s jump right into the ingredients!

You will need:

• Two medium sized sweet potatoes
• Cinnamon
• Two eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Whole wheat flour
• Your choice of protein (I kick ass with a group in Team beachbody which gives me access to the awesome Shakeology! It’s the healthiest meal of the day! 🙂 )
• Non stick spray

Directions:

Bring water to a boil and cut small pieces of sweet potato, if you are making these the same morning it will cook them faster. To save time you can always cook the potatoes the night before and store them in the fridge.

Boil the potatoes at medium heat for about fifteen minutes. Use a fork to test if they’re ready, you’ll know when they either break apart or the fork slides right out.

Get your pan ready by putting it on medium heat, oil it up with non stick spray, my preference is coconut oil 😉

 

While your pan heats up, get to mixing!

Drain the water, add two egg whites, a dash of cinnamon,one tablespoon of whole wheat flour, half a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and one scoop of protein. Mix that magic up with an electric mixer. If you don’t have one handy, a potato masher will do.

With a large spoon, scoop (should measure up to about half a cup) mixture onto pan and cook for about three minutes on each side.

This recipe makes about six or seven pancakes.

 

I like to use maple syrup but honey or agave will do just fine as well. 😉 A little goes a long way! These pancakes are moist and don’t soak up the syrup like other recipes do.

Here is the finished product. Delicious healthy pancakes!

Don’t forget to share!

xo

© Stephanie Cardozo and Stephanie Cardozo, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stephanie Cardozo and Stephanie Cardozo with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.