Smoothies, Breakfasts, Dressings and Sauces
Before we dive into the “nitty-gritty” of the delicious Better Body Life Plan recipes, here are a few hot tips and good general advice regarding five critical components of the lifestyle changing eating style, advocated on this website:
Soups and Stews
Soups and stews play a major part in the Life Plan and can greatly assist with hunger management while maintaining high overall levels of nutrient density. When vegetables are simmered in a soup, all the nutrients are retained in the liquid. Many of the suggested recipes (below) use fresh vegetable juices, esp carrot juice. These juices provide a very tasty antioxidant rich base. If you don’t have a juicer … purchase one, as you will need it. If you are short on time, bottled carrot juice and other vegetable juices can be purchased in most health-food stores. To create “cream” soups without using real (high calorie) cream, blend in raw cashews or cashew butter. This provides a creamy texture and a rich flavour.
The great thing about homemade soups is that they make wonderful leftovers, and can generally be kept well for up to four days in the refrigerator, but for longer periods they should be frozen. If you can’t be bothered to make home-made soup, and decide instead to use quick and easy canned soups, please be aware most commercial varieties of soup are full of salt. Your overall daily sodium intake ideally should remain under 1000 mg. Natural whole foods provide about 400 to 700mg of sodium per day, which allows for a leeway of around 300mg … which isn’t a lot!
Salad Dressings and Dips
The problem with most commercially produced salad dressings is that they contain high levels of fat, vinegar and oil … just the kind of thing you need to use very sparingly in this diet plan. The recipes outlined below feature homemade salad dressings which use whole foods such as raw almonds, cashews, raw nuts and seeds. Use a food processor or high-powered blender to blend nuts and seeds with other healthy ingredients to create smooth, creamy dressings.
Smoothies
The “secret weapon” of the Better Body Life Plan, delicious smoothies are made by blending a mixture of fruits and raw leafy greens. Blending raw vegetables with fruits is an excellent way to increase your nutrient absorption. The cell walls of the foods are efficiently crushed, making it easier for your body to absorb the beneficial phytochemicals contained within. A powerful blender is a key tool in your armoury, and are also very helpful for making fruit sorbets.
Cooking Beans
A good tip is always to soak most dried beans or legumes overnight before cooking. Replace the soaking water with two or three cups of fresh water for each cup of beans when cooking them. Most beans require about one and a half to two hours of cooking to become soft. Lentils and split peas require only one hour and need not be soaked prior to cooking. Make sure beans are thoroughly cooked as they are more difficult to digest when undercooked. As you get in the habit of eating beans regularly, you will digest them better.
Water Sauteing
A key cooking technique used in many of the recipes featured below. This is used instead of cooking with oil. Water sautéing is simple and good for stir fries, sauces and many other dishes. To water sauté, heat a skillet on high heat until water sputters when dropped in the pan, Use small amounts, (two or three tablespoons) of water in the hot skillet, wok or pan, covering the pan occasionally, and adding more water as necessary until the vegetables are tender. If stir-frying a vegetable dish, other alternatives to oil include no salt vegetable broth, coconut water, wine of fruit juice.
The Better Body Life Plan Recipes
Smoothies and Blended Salads
Blended Mango Salad
Serves 2
1 ripe mango, chilled
1 cup chopped spinach
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup of unsweetened soy, hemp or almond milk
Peel and chop the mango and place in a food processor or high powered blender.
Add the spinach and half of the lettuce. Blend well until well combined. Add the
milk and remaining lettuce. Blend until creamy.
Chocolate Smoothie
Serves 2
2 ounces of baby spinach
2 cups of frozen blueberries
1/2 cup of unsweetened soy,hemp or almond milk
1 banana
2 – 4 dates, pitted
2 teaspoons natural cocoa powder
1 tablespoon, ground flaxseed’s
Blends all the ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth and creamy.
Creamy Fruit and Berry Smoothie
Serves 2
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup unsweetened soy, hemp or almond milk
1/2 cup of frozen strawberries
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
1/2 cup of frozen peaches
1 banana
2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed’s
Blend all the ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth and creamy.
Eat your Greens Fruit Smoothie
Serves 2
5 ounces of baby spinach
1 banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup unsweetened soy, hemp or almond milk
1/2 cup of pomegranate juice or any other unsweetened fruit juice
1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed’s
Blend all the ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth and creamy.
Breakfast
Banana Cashew Lettuce Wrap
Serves 2
1/4 cup of raw cashew butter
12 romaine lettuce leaves
2 bananas, thinly sliced
Spread about 1 teaspoon of cashew butter on each lettuce leaf. Lay a few banana slices on the butter and roll up like a burrito.
Blue Apple Nut Oatmeal
Serves 2
1 1/2 cups of water
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons of dried currents
1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
1 banana (sliced)
1 apple – chopped or grated
2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts
In a saucepan, combine the water, cinnamon, oats and currants. Simmer until the oatmeal is creamy. Add the blueberries and banana. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
Mix in the apples and the nuts.
Delicious!
Quick Banana Breakfast to Go
Serves 2
2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries
2 bananas – sliced
1/2 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup of pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon of raw sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons of dried currants
Combine all the ingredients in a small microwave proof bowl. Cook in microwave for 3 minutes.
For on the go, combine all the ingredients in a resealable container and eat later, either hot or cold.
Dips, Dressings and Sauces
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Serves 5
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of roasted garlic rice vinegar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup grape fruit spread or raisins
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or high powered blender until smooth and creamy.
Caesar Salad Dressing / Dip
Serves 4
4 cloves of garlic
2/3 cup unsweetened soy. hemp or almond milk
1/3 cup raw cashew butter or 2/3 cup of raw cashews
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Dash of black pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Break the garlic cloves apart, leaving the papery skins. Roast for about 25 minutes, or until mushy. When cool, remove skins and blend with the remaining ingredients in a food processor or a high powered blender until creamy and smooth.
Dijon Date Dressing & Dip
Serves 4
1 cup of water
1/3 cup of raw cashew butter or 2/3 cup of raw cashews
4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of no salt seasoning
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
4 – 6 dates, pitted
1 – 2 cloves garlic, minced.
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or high powered blender
until smooth and creamy.
Healthy Thousand Island Dressing
Serves 4
1/2 cup of raw cashew butter or 1 cup of raw cashews
1/2 cup of unsweetened soy, almond or hemp milk
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of dried dill weed
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 rounded tablespoon date sugar or 1 – 2 dates, pitted
1/4 cucumber, peeled
1/4 cup of finely chopped onion
In a food processor or high-powered blender, blend all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Transfer to a small bowl and fold in the finely chopped cucumber and onion.
