Some philosophie superfood toddler/baby ideas!

I’ve had several requests to share what I feed my sweet boy(s). Leo is now 6 months old and I’ve started to slowly experiment with food for him. So far he’s had raw zucchini and cucumber, banana (he loves!) and oatmeal with a little breastmilk and GREEN DREAM! I’m so excited to continue to explore and experiment for new Philosophie products with my sweet boys.

Here are some foods that Kai (2 1/2 years old) LOVES.

1. Green Dream Smoothie– depends on the day but usually I do the classic recipe with almond butter, cinnamon, spinach/kale and banana. Lately I’ve been doing a fun tropical one with mango, pineapple, kale, coconut oil and Berry Bliss.
2. Cacao Magic Smoothie– (just not too close to bedtime!) i always add leafy greens to this smoothie… so easy to sneak a lot in because it tastes soooo good!
3. Goji Berries, Pumpkin seeds and Sunflower seeds as a trail mix. Great for a snack on the go. If your child is younger and doesn’t have a lot of teeth, you could process in a food processor until powdery and mix with coconut oil, Berry Bliss and dates to make into a bar by pressing it into a pan and freezing.
4. Coconut Butter, Cashew Butter and almond butter- straight from the jar! We both love sharing it that way and it makes it more fun! My favorite brand is Artisana for the butters or Garden of Life for coconut oil. These are “good fats” so don’t be afraid of them! SO IMPORTANT for your growing child!
5. Frozen lima beans, corn, peas and/or edamame- SO EASY. I just heat up on the stove top and add a little coconut oil or earth balance “butter” with a pinch of sea salt. Frozen veggies get a bad rap but according to the research I’ve done, most of the time organic veggies are flash frozen at their most ripe stage, preserving most nutrients. “fresh” produce, may have spend days in transit or at the store, so it isn’t necessarily better for you.
6. Fresh berries-Especially strawberries and blueberries. I just take the entire box of blueberries with us on a walk and let him hold it in the stroller… he LOVES IT. SO much fun to have it all to himself!
7. Raw “ice cream”- I blend frozen banana with green dream powder and whatever fruit I’m in the mood for. Sometimes we do a strawberry banana with Berry Bliss powder which is great because it adds protein, most times I do a chocolate one with Cacao Magic. DEEEE-LISH!
8. Fresh Coconut Water- he could drink 10 of these if we had them. I am going to start getting them by the case from the Thai Market in Thai Town because it’s just ridiculous how many we buy one by one throughout the week.
9. Seaweed Nori strips- sometimes we buy the unsalted large sheets, other times we do the small sheets roasted and lightly salted that come in a container. He’s happy with either!
10. Superfood Protein Truffles– recipe here! So easy, raw, vegan, gluten-free and simple to take in the car and on the go. We all gobble them up so quickly! Next time I’m going to make triple the amount and freeze them so they last longer!
11. GREEN DREAM POPSICLES! this was a guest post/recipe from a wonderful, inspiring friend. My soul sister on the other coast! Here’s the post if you want the recipe!

I’m SO excited because I finally got the courage to ask the principal to Kai’s preschool if I could bring in fresh fruit and veggies and Green Dream and give them a smoothie recipe for all the kids. He eats so beautifully at home and at school it’s not “bad” but definitely not superfood rich! So I’ll bring some Green Dream in Monday morning and they will blend it up! I’m thrilled.

For more specific tips on sneaking healthy foods into your kids meals, see this post.

What do your kids love that you love?  What’s super healthy but they beg for it and it makes you secretly smile? Please share below in the comments!

Love,

Sophie, Kai and Leo! ❤

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding- Gluten-free, raw, vegan

Ingredients:

• 1/3 C chia seeds*
• 
1 C unsweetened vanilla almond/coconut milk
• 
2 T Cacao Magic powder*
• 1 T Coconut oil
• 2 pitted dates
• 1/2 Avocado
• 1 t Green Dream powder*
• 1 T Agave, Honey or a few drops of stevia
• 1/2 t vanilla extract or fresh vanilla

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the food processor or high speed blender. Let sit for 30 minutes in fridge or overnight until mixture has thickened. Stir and enjoy!

*if you don’t use Cacao Magic and Green Dream and are using plain Cacao Powder, add an extra 1/4 C chia seeds since there are chia seeds in both the Philosophie superfood blends.

Autumn Soup- Raw, Vegan & Gluten-Free

This is a beautiful creamy carrot-ginger soup with a nice lime flavor. Green Dream is (of course!) added for extra superfoods and protein. Gently warm it up as the cold months approach us. Don’t heat too much or too long so the enzymes stay alive and well!

Ingredients:

• 3 C carrot juice (fun tip: did you know carrots are in the parsley family!?)
• 1 small, ripe avocado
• 1/4 C Coconut meat (or use Coconut Butter if you don’t have coconuts on hand)
• 1/4 C lime Juice
• 1 T Green Dream powder
• 2 T agave
• 1 T minced ginger
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1/4 t sea salt
• 1 T optional Olive Oil for garnish

Easy Directions:

1. In a vita-mix or high-speed blender, puree all the ingredients until completely smooth. Tate for extra seasoning.
2. Divide among bowls and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a few cilantro leaves in the middle.
3. If you want it heated: Gently warm the soup over very low heat in the saucepan, stirring continuously for a few minutes until it’s warmed through.

here’s a post explaining the health benefits to carrots!!

California Chef Services Review!

I got a 1 day “trial” day from California Chef (a Food Delivery program).

I really felt like the entire process- from the prep-work, drop off, food presentation, menu, etc- were all done extremely well.
Because I’ve been doing this myself professionally for years (making & dropping off cleanses/ food delivery for clients) I know what kind of work goes into making sure every single step is seamless for the client.
Now on to the fun part: the FOOD!

Breakfast: was a gorgeous egg white Greek scramble with SO many veggies, just the way I make it! Green veggies, asparagus, bell peppers, oh my! It had a side of baked sweet potatoes that were out of this world. I LOVE sweet potatoes and never thought about having them with breakfast! I added a touch of cinnamon and they were amazing!*

Lunch: a BEAUTIFUL salad with more veggies than I’ve ever gotten from any restaurant or food delivery… the way I MAKE my salads! There was about 4 oz of grilled Wild Alaskan Salmon that really hit the spot. When I’m breastfeeding I eat more fish/eggs and “animal” protein than I do normally and this felt great going down. Clean and healthy.

Snack: afternoon snack was a Quinoa and Kale salad. It was scrumptious!

Because I’m breastfeeding and was running around all day I had an additional snack–my Green Dream Smoothie.

Dinner: the dinner was really unique and gave me some ideas for my family! It was black bean and “cheese” taquitos with brown rice and grilled veggies. The “cheese” was made of almond and I didn’t feel like I was compromising flavor at all. I try and stay away from any sort of dairy, other than a little Greek yogurt here and there. I can’t really digest it and I don’t believe adult humans should drink momma cow milk… just my personal opinion.

DESSERT! Was a gluten-free brownie. It was DEEELISHHHH and inspired me to make my own Cacao Magic and Green Dream (the superfoods I created and sell here) version! Not gonna lie, I couldn’t wait to have the brownie at night so I had it mid day, in between breakfast and lunch. Since I’m breastfeeding right now I feel super hungry most of the time and I felt satisfied with this menu. I did have my green dream smoothie (as mentioned above) plus a few handfuls of trail mix in addition to all this beautiful food. But other than that, I was happy as a clam!

*actually taking the time to warm all of these dishes up in the OVEN and not the microwave (we don’t have one, but if we did) made SUCH a difference! Also, eating it on a beautiful plate instead of the container they provide.

As a gift from my parents, they bought me a food delivery for the 2 weeks after having our new son, Leo. It was a great gift because I didn’t have to worry about cooking for myself and I could share with my husband and Kai when I was too lazy to prepare something for them. I won’t mention which company it was, but I wasn’t happy with it. I felt like they gave me nothing but chicken and quinoa (I love quinoa but I get bored having it 3 times a day) and I don’t even like chicken unless it’s once in a blue moon and really done in a unique (but clean) way.

Bottom line? If you’re going to get a food delivery program, California Chef is the way to go. If you’re totally vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free or somewhere in between, they will personalize your food and make it taste excellent while doing so. Whether your goal is to lose weight, convenience, eat cleaner/not processed foods or anything else–I highly recommend these guys!  If I can afford to do a service in the future, they will be the first on my list!

 

Cacao Magic Fiber Breakfast Cookies! Gluten-free & vegan

Fiber breakfast cookies with Cacao Magic

You know how you’ve heard people say “eat dark chocolate” for antioxidants and abundant health? Yeah, that’s because of UNPROCESSED, RAW, VEGAN Chocolate… CACAO! Cacao powder is chocolate in it’s most raw and nutritious form. The Philosophie Cacao Magic has Cacao nibs, Cacao powder, Tocos (Vitamin E- good for skin and nails), Mesquite (high in iron & protein), Maca (good for energy & balancing mood) and 3 medicinal mushrooms that are excellent for anti-aging, preventing cancer* and healing the body.

WET INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup chopped prunes or prune puree*
• 1/4 cup sweetener (such as maple, brown rice or agave syrups)
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup nut butter (such as almond, pumpkin seed or tahini)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg or 1/2 ripe banana
• 1 tsp vanilla

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole grain flour (or gluten-free flour)
• 1/2 cup psyllium
• 1/2 cup ground flax
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup or more of nuts, seeds, trail mix, or chopped dried fruit
• 2 TBL or more of Philosophie Cacao Magic

 

*to give them a sweeter taste, you could add chocolate chips!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place chopped prunes in a blender and just cover with boiling water. Let soak while you prepare the dry ingredients. Also, lightly oil a large baking sheet and preheat oven to 350.
2. Measure all dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Measure all wet ingredients into the blender with the soaked prunes (do not drain), then liquify and stir into dry ingredients, combining well. Drop batter by the heaping tablespoon onto the greased cookie sheet and flatten just a bit with wet fingers or the back of a wet spoon. Bake for 15 minutes. Make sure you have a glass of water or cup of tea with each cookie. Makes about 20 cookies.

This recipe makes the cookies slightly crunchy on the outside. For a softer cookie double the amount of prune puree and apple sauce. This will make them almost muffin-like.

Enjoy!

This amazing recipe was contributed and created by Julie Collier–THANK YOU, JULIE! Please keep sharing your delicious, creative recipes, Philosophie lovahs! I’ll keep posting them as you send them in!

Mindful Eating: Bringing Yogic Philosophy to Your Food

As a yoga teacher and lover of all things yogi, I attempt to bring this mentality to everything. I’m also a certified raw food chef and create amazing cleanse experiences for my clients and host raw uncooking classes, continuing this mindful practice in all areas of my life.

Mindfulness

• *Eat your main meal before 2p and don’t eat anything after 7p. this will allow your body to digest the food more fully. Try to eat at the same time every day.

• *Chew your food slowly and with reverence.

• *Eat organic, fresh foods as often as possible.

• *Prepare your own food, using your hands as much as possible instead of spoons, mixers, or processors. Think of cooking as a meditation practice. then eat with your hands as well, making the connection between your hands and you belly. (Ethiopian Cuisine is a great idea for group get together’s!)

• *Don’t cook or eat when you feel agitated or distracted. You infuse the foods you prepare with your energy and emotions. Cooking with loving attention brings joy to those who eat your food.

• *Always say a prayer of gratitude before you eat. (or just acknowledge the foods beauty and how luck you are to eat it!)

• *Stop eating before you’re full. Yogis fill their bellies only two-thirds full: one-third with food and one-third with liquid. The remaining third should stay empty to help the stomach digest properly.

• *Take a walk after eating; don’t go to bed right after a meal.

A sadhana is a type of mindfulness practice, a way of fully participating in something. Yogis believe everything has its own sadhana, including eating and cooking (or ‘uncooking’!). Here are some suggestions to get the most out of the food you eat and to promote optimal digestion.

“there are some people who eat an orage but don’t really eat it. They eat their sorrow, fear, anger, past, and future. They are not really present, with body and mind united.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

Cacao Magic Fiber Breakfast Cookies! Gluten-free & vegan

Fiber breakfast cookies with Cacao Magic

You know how you’ve heard people say “eat dark chocolate” for antioxidants and abundant health? Yeah, that’s because of UNPROCESSED, RAW, VEGAN Chocolate… CACAO! Cacao powder is chocolate in it’s most raw and nutritious form. The Philosophie Cacao Magic has Cacao nibs, Cacao powder, Tocos (Vitamin E- good for skin and nails), Mesquite (high in iron & protein), Maca (good for energy & balancing mood) and 3 medicinal mushrooms that are excellent for anti-aging, preventing cancer* and healing the body.

WET INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup chopped prunes or prune puree*
• 1/4 cup sweetener (such as maple, brown rice or agave syrups)
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup nut butter (such as almond, pumpkin seed or tahini)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg or 1/2 ripe banana
• 1 tsp vanilla

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole grain flour (or gluten-free flour)
• 1/2 cup psyllium
• 1/2 cup ground flax
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup or more of nuts, seeds, trail mix, or chopped dried fruit
• 2 TBL or more of Philosophie Cacao Magic

 

*to give them a sweeter taste, you could add chocolate chips!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place chopped prunes in a blender and just cover with boiling water. Let soak while you prepare the dry ingredients. Also, lightly oil a large baking sheet and preheat oven to 350.
2. Measure all dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Measure all wet ingredients into the blender with the soaked prunes (do not drain), then liquify and stir into dry ingredients, combining well. Drop batter by the heaping tablespoon onto the greased cookie sheet and flatten just a bit with wet fingers or the back of a wet spoon. Bake for 15 minutes. Make sure you have a glass of water or cup of tea with each cookie. Makes about 20 cookies.

This recipe makes the cookies slightly crunchy on the outside. For a softer cookie double the amount of prune puree and apple sauce. This will make them almost muffin-like.

Enjoy!

This amazing recipe was contributed and created by Julie Collier–THANK YOU, JULIE! Please keep sharing your delicious, creative recipes, Philosophie lovahs! I’ll keep posting them as you send them in!