What's in Christy's Kitchen giveaway/Anniversary/3000 Fans!

Well, well, well!  Here we are!  I've been talking about this giveaway for a few months now, and it's finally here! I am super excited about this one, too.  Not only is it called "What's in Christy's Kitchen" and represents typical foods found in my kitchen, but it has some of my very, very favorite companies in it.

To start with, I will be drawing not one, but TWO lucky winners!  What do you win?  Well let me tell ya!

Grand prize winner will receive:
1 Omega Juicer (Model number BMJ390B)
1 sample size bag Simply Hemp Milk
1 bag Rockin' Wellness
3 sample packs of Foods Alive raw flax crackers
Sample packs of new Super Food butters from Artisana foods
8 oz bag of Hemp seeds from Nutiva
1 package Sea Tangle kelp noodles
A few recipes from me!

Runner up winner will recieve:
1 bag Rockin' Wellness
3 sample packs of Foods Alive raw flax crackers
Sample packs of new Super Food butters from Artisana foods
8 oz bag of Hemp seeds from Nutiva
A few recipes from me!


This is so great!  I feel just like OPRAH!  Well, maybe not quite, but VERY CLOSE!!  :)

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Heart health juices for LOVE week: Raspberry Surprise

Well, sadly, it's the 5th and final day of our celebration of love and heart healthy juices. It's been lovely working with the fabulous Omega Juicers on this little project. I adore my juicer and all the healthy, tasty juices that have come out of it. Some of the fun of owning a juicer is just throwing things in to see what they taste like combined!  For example, this crazy concoction!  Who knew you could get such a decadent treat out of a juice?!  I admit, the dark chocolate is taking the juicing thing to a different, slightly unorthodox level, but it's good for cardiovascular health!  Who am I to argue!  : D

Knowing that raspberries and dark chocolate are both heart healthy, of COURSE I had to combine the two in a juice. But, the raspberries by themselves don't add a ton of juice.  What little juice they do add though, is full of flavor, so you really don't need much anyway.  By adding the greens (spinach and romaine), not only did it increase the heart healthy factor of this juice, but it increased the volume without adding much flavor. So, you'll be surprised at how much this drink tastes like raspberry, even though it's green!  And the chocolate adds just a touch of sweetness and compliments the other flavors nicely.

Raspberry Surprise

6 ounce container of red raspberries

2 cups spinach

1 head romaine lettuce

Good quality, dark chocolate with a high cocoa percentage

Juice the berries, spinach and romaine, then shave a little of the dark chocolate on top. Enjoy!

Makes 10 ounces

Recipe is my original creation.  Feel free to share, but please link back to this original post.  Thank you! 

Heart healthy juices for LOVE week: Sweet & Spicy

Day 4 of the heart healthy juice party with Omega Juicers is here!

With this juice I wanted to capture the essence of carrot cake in a juice. Since cinnamon is so good for cardiovascular health, I knew I wanted to include it. And, since sweet potatoes have been named one of the 40 most powerful foods for heart health, I had to get them in there too. And of course the beets, lemon and carrots are amazing for heart health.  And y'all already know that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so this juice is CLEARLY a super duper healthy one.

While this juice may not have ended up tasting *exactly* like carrot cake, you won't mind, because it's still so refreshingly yummy, and the cinnamon really does give it a nice kick. If you don't like how sweet it is, you can always either add more lemon, or leave out a carrot or the apple.  Play around with the combo until it's just right for your tastebuds! 

Sweet & Spicy

4 large carrots, washed, but it's not necessary to peel

1 gala apple, quartered and cored

½ red beet

½ inch slice of sweet potato

1 head romaine lettuce

1 lemon, peeled

Dash cinnamon, to taste

Use organic produce, if possible. Juice all but the cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and stir well.  

Makes 16 ounces

Tomorrow's juice: Raspberry Surprise!

Recipe is my original creation.  Feel free to share, but please link back to this original post.  Thank you! 

Heart healthy juices for LOVE week: Veggie Lovers

It's day three of our celebration of LOVE and heart-healthy juices with OMEGA Juicers!

I did a juice "feast" in the fall and intended to last at least 7 days. I only lasted 2 days. While I certainly didn't break any fasting records, I did create a lovely juice that I still enjoy from time to time. It's almost all vegetables and is very similar in taste to a V-8, but much healthier for you!

The ingredients are so good for your heart, which of course is the whole point of this 5 day juice party!  

Most people know that tomatoes are good for you, but peppers, especially hot, capsaicin filled ones like jalapeno, are very good for cardiovascular health too!  Besides that, the cilantro and parsley are full of heart healthy compounds and prevent inflammation!

Don't have these exact ingredients?  That's ok!  Just throw ANY veggie into your juicer and it will be great.  Celery adds a bit of a salty taste, carrots sweeten juices up, and lemon brings a nice, fresh tangyness. Other than that, most veggies don't change the flavor all that much. Experiment and see what you can create!

Veggie Lovers

2 cups of grape tomatoes (or 2 large tomatoes, chopped)

5 large carrots

½ red pepper

3 stalks of celery

½ cup cilantro, loosely packed

½ cup parsley, loosely packed

1 lemon, peeled

Jalapeno, to taste (about 1 tablespoon or just about ½ inch slice)

This juice is so full of veggie goodness!  You can really tweak it to your own preference.  Add fresh garlic, onions or kale.  Leave out the jalapeno if you don’t want it spicy.  A very versatile and tasty way to start the day!

Makes 16 ounces

Tomorrow's juice: Sweet & Spicy

Recipe is my original creation.  Feel free to share, but please link back to this original post.  Thank you! 

Heart healthy juices for LOVE week: Heart Beets

This is day two of my Omega Juicer heart-healthy celebration of Valentine's Day! What a lovely holiday this is, don't you agree?  Any day that celebrates love is the best day ever! Which is exactly why this is my favorite holiday.  Without love, life means nothing. And you don't need a "special person" in your life to celebrate love!  Love can mean anything you want it to.  I love my dog and cat. I love the smell of fresh air and the sound of birds! I love my friends and family. I love my passion for nutrition!  You have to feel LOVE about the things in your life, or what's it all for?  Love is all you need, or so a wise man once said.


So this juice is amazing, if I do say so myself. Beets, oranges, ginger, turmeric....so many heart-healthy ingredients it's hard to keep track!

Beets are known to reduce blood pressure, and prevent heart disease, and turmeric has properties that can even prevent heart attacks!  Citrus fruits like oranges and limes can reduce cholesterol, keep arteries healthy and prevent heart attacks, while the mint reduces the bad cholesterol and improves the good cholesterol.  And ginger is amazing!  Ginger has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol, reduce platelet activity and improve circulation, reducing your risk for heart disease and stroke!  Take care of your heart and juice away!

So, without further ado, this particular juice is just the thing you need to celebrate this HEARTy day.

Heart Beets

½ inch slice of red beet

3-4 navel oranges, peeled

1 lime, peeled

Fresh ginger, to taste

20-30 fresh mint leaves

½ t. ground turmeric

Juice all ingredients except the turmeric.  Add turmeric and stir well.

This juice is very refreshing and invigorating!  

Makes 16 ounces

Tomorrow's Juice: Veggie Lovers


Recipe is my original creation.  Feel free to share, but please link back to this original post.  Thank you! 

Heart healthy juices for LOVE week: Lemonberry

In celebration of my very favorite holiday, VALENTINE'S DAY, Omega Juicers has asked me to develop five new heart-healthy juice recipes over the next five days.  Every single one of these recipes is SO FULL of heart healthy ingredients that you just may add 25 years to your life after drinking these!  Or, maybe, you'll just have a bigger smile on your face.  Either way, these are delicious and chock full of unbelievable nutrients and energy-producing goodness!  Let me know what you think! 

This particular recipe was my favorite.  It is not a cheap recipe, especially this time of year, but when berries are in season I plan to drink this every single day!  My husband did not like this one.  But he's a big wimp!  It's a little on the tart side of things, but you can most definitely add less lemon if you're also a wimp.  :)

The berries in this are loaded with heart-healthy antioxidants, and of course apples are known to keep the doctor away, and no wonder! They're brimming with antioxidants, phytochemicals and pectin!  Ginger is also an amazing spice for the heart!  It's full of anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol!  WIN-WIN!

This juice was also a little bit thicker than most juices.  Berries are tricky to juice, and I had to "help" it go through my Omega strainer a bit, which is why it ended up a tad thick. But honestly, I really liked this texture. I swear it was like drinking a blackberry pie!  Deeeelish!  

Lemonberry

6 oz blackberries

2 cups blueberries

1 lemon, some peel left on

1 gala apple, quartered and cored

Fresh ginger, to taste

Use organic produce.

Makes 16 ounces

Tomorrow's Juice: Heart Beets! <3


Recipe is my original creation.  Feel free to share, but please link back to this original post.  Thank you! 

Sweet Potato Hashbrowns

I love hashbrowns. I love sweet potatoes. So, why not combine the two into one big happy recipe.

It's a pretty simple recipe, but there are a few key steps that I think help make them nice and crispy.

Ingredients:
Sweet potato (a little goes a long way, I usually only do about half for myself)
Butter
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Peel the sweet potato and shred the amount you plan to use.  A half of a nice sized sweet potato seems plenty for one person, so just adjust if you're making for more than yourself.

After the potato is shredded, I rinse it in cold water to remove the starch. Rinse in a mesh strainer until water runs clear. Then, dry the potato either on a paper towel or other clean towel, being sure to remove as much moisture as you can.  Then, sprinkle generously with pepper.

I like to use both butter and olive oil for these, but you can certainly just use olive oil, or any other oil of your preference. For me, I like the taste of the butter, but butter alone can burn easily, so by adding the olive oil it seems to eliminate the burning, and also adds another layer of flavor.

I melt these until bubbly and then put the shredded potato in the pan, being sure to get just a thin layer. You don't want too much potato in the pan, or you will end up with mushy hashbrowns.  Use the biggest pan you have, or do smaller batches.  Once the bottom is starting to get brown and crispy, I flip them over, adding a bit more oil or butter as you go to ensure even browning.  After these are nice and crispy, sprinkle with salt and place on paper towel again to remove excess oils.  Serve with a side of sauteed veggies and eggs, or for a sweet treat, sprinkle with cinnamon and a few chopped nuts.  Enjoy!