Kombucha...What's That?

Like most healthy things, my kids introduced me to Kombucha, which is a naturally carbonated, fermented blackened tea that has had many beneficial health claims. Among these claims includes improved digestive function, increased energy, boosted immune function, and weight loss and management.

Read these articles on Kombucha's benefits here and here, and if you're adventurous, here's a how-to recipe here! Speak to your doctor first, but it probably is a healthy replacement for a soda habit, giving you a joy-filled substitute!

Easy Fall Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower!

I am all about Fall! I believe that roasted vegetables are the best, especially since they are so easy to make and are so healthy for you! Make this simple recipe here anytime you want something easy, but good for you, and you'll have joy in your tummy!

Paleo Peach Crisp

With summer coming to an end, I thought that I'd share a recipe here for one of my favorite summer fruits...the peach! I have tried Elana's Pantry recipes before, and they're good.

Haven't had a chance to try this one, so hope to make it for Labor Day! Try this summer dessert and you may find more joy in your day!

Reset with Real Food Ice Cream

Here is a real food ice cream dessert I found here, that uses lemons, blueberries, coconut milk, and an avocado. With my anniversary last week, along with our weekend getaway and anniversary party, I ate well...I mean really well!

This recipe is a great way to get back on track, while satisfying a sweet tooth! Tell me what you think of this refreshing treat, and as always, find what gives you joy in your life!

My Awesome Not-Meatloaf Recipe

You've got to try my awesome not-meatloaf recipe! Our book club helped my girlfriend make 30 casseroles of her 'Special K Loaf' recipe for our church's Easter potluck this year. It is my favorite and so delicious, but I wanted to try a gluten-free option...so this is what I came up with. 

Cheryl Joy's Awesome Not-Meatloaf Recipe

(Makes one 9x13-inch dish)

*Two-10.5 ounce logs or 21 ounces of Fresh Goat Cheese or Kefir/Yogurt Cheese.
7 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup pecan nuts, chopped
4 cups Luke's Organic Brown Rice Chips, coarsely broken into smaller pieces
3 teaspoons or cubes of Chicken or Vegetable Bouillon, organic ideal
1 small to medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, grass-fed ideal

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix ingredients together (Tip: I just use my hands to mix the ingredients, since the cheese combines better this way!).  Pour into a buttered 9x13-inch casserole dish.  Bake for 40 - 45 minutes.  *I buy my goat cheese at Costco, making it a cost-effective purchase.

Adapted from my BFFFs (Best Fun Friend Forever) Special K Loaf recipe.


My family loves my Awesome Not-Meatloaf Recipe! Serve it with a side of salad, and there's dinner! My favorite salad is arugula and plum-variety tomatoes mixed with a 2:1 ratio of extra-virgin olive oil and fresh-squeezed lemon, seasoned with sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste.  Enjoy, and as always, find what gives you joy in life!

<3 Cheryl Joy

An Absolutely Authentic No Sugar-Added, Gluten-Free Recipe (It's Dessert!)

During the 30-Day Joylife Training Journey, you may have been missing one of the joys of life, which is dessert!  I don't want to deprive you, so here's a simple, delicious recipe for, wait for it...brownies! I have adapted the recipe originally posted by Elana's Pantry.

Absolutely Authentic No Sugar-added, Gluten-free Brownies

(Serves 16)

1 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (72 - 86% cacao)
7 - 9 Medjool dates, pits removed
3 large eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for more authenticity, see this link on how to convert vanilla beans into extract)
 

Pulse together almond flour, salt, and baking soda in a food processor or VitaMix.

Pulse in squares of dark chocolate until the texture of coarse sand (but be careful not to eat all of your chocolate!)

Pulse in dates until the texture of coarse sand, then pulse in eggs.

 

 

Pulse in coconut oil and vanilla until mixture is smooth.

Transfer mixture to a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Mixture is very thick, so smooth with a spatula.

Bake at 350F for 18 - 22 minutes.  Cool, cut, then serve and enjoy!

These brownies are so delicious that even my youngest asks me to make them because she's craving them!  Don't they look moist and delicious?!

Eat these brownies in moderation and enjoy this authentic, real food dessert! It's true that dessert just makes life better. So start baking, and as always, find what gives you joy in your life!

                                                                <3 Cheryl Joy

 

Press Reset...The Liver Cleanse Smoothie

Sometimes in life you just want to press the 'reset' button. That is how I felt last week after all the graduation celebrations for my kids!

Here's the red velvet cake that I made with my own hands! Hey, I made it healthier this time by using coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. I'm going to try replacing the red dye for beet juice the next go around. In regards to gluten-free, I don't know, but don't think it'd be the same, but I'm going to try and post the recipe if I get it just right!

Anyway...I ate the red velvet cake, along with rice paper-wrapped, deep fried plantains my mom made. This is all AFTER I had a plate-full of delicious homemade Filipino food, made by my mother (the Pancit, rice noodles), my mother-in-law (the Lumpia, egg rolls), and my husband (the Best Chicken Adobo Ever---recipe here), over white jasmine rice! I also contributed to the meal by purchasing the Kale Salad from Costco! Honestly, all this is Authentic REAL FOOD (except for red dye...), so I really didn't do that bad...it was my portion control that wasn't the best ;)  And my sleep was not the best since I stayed up and woke up early making that cake!

I drank more wine than usual, as you can see with the 3 glasses I had...they were only filled 1/4 full, I promise :D  So as you can see, I needed a major reset from all the good food & wine, and lack of sleep!

My Go-to Remedy now is The Liver Cleanse Smoothie!

The Liver Cleanse Smoothie
(Makes about 6 - 8 ounces)

Juice of 1 Grapefruit

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 Garlic Clove

2-5 Slices of Ginger Root, peeled

1/2 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Place in a blender to liquefy, pour in a cup, and enjoy this cleansing smoothie!

Try it for 2 - 3 mornings, with or without a light breakfast, and make sure you know where the bathrooms are, because the cleanse can work really well for some!

So you see...sometimes life just happens...don't beat yourself up! Go back to the 30-Day Joylife Training , even back to the basics with the Keep It Simple 30-DJT, and get back on your journey to your optimal self! Remember that the goal is to enjoy yourself while on the journey and not stress about the challenges along the way. Because once you change your lifestyle for the best, you'll realize that sometimes you can't take things so seriously. It'll be easier for you to just brush yourself off, get up, and start on your path again!

Have you ever needed to press reset after a much needed vacation, celebration, or just because you had to have that dessert? Let me know, then reset, get back on track, and as always, find what gives you joy in your life!

                                                                      <3 Cheryl Joy

Easy Real Food Smoothie Recipe Base

Here's an easy smoothie recipe base I learned from one of my best friends, the owner of The Living Root Cellar in Redlands, California, while she was here for my daughter's high school graduation this weekend. I love her...we had so much fun, even though it was a crazy, busy weekend! Hey, that's what true friends are. Sharing in the mist of chaos ;-)

Easy Real Food Smoothie Recipe Base (Serves 1)

1 - 2 cups of your favorite milk (we used Silk Coconut Milk, unsweetened)
2 - 4 scoops of a Hemp protein powder (we used Nutiva Organic Hemp Protein)
1/2 - 1 frozen banana, for natural sweetening, if desired

Place ingredients in a high-speed blender, Vitamix preferred. Blend, Pour, Drink, Enjoy!
NOTE: You can drink as listed or add more ingredients such as kale, berries, or other fruit or veggies...really, just about anything you want! Be creative, cause you can't really mess up a smoothie, as long as you use fresh, real ingredients.

If you live in the area or visit Southern California, make sure you stop by The Living Root Cellar. Since they make their own coconut milk, it's obviously difficult to exactly emulate this smoothie! Plus they make the best quality, fresh, and local juice, smoothies, and raw food wraps, with a raw food cafe downstairs.

Do you have a favorite spot you can go to that serves healthy smoothies? Let me know and as always, find what gives you joy in your life.

                                                                   <3 Cheryl Joy

P.S. For more recipes and tips on finding your optimal self to start living a joy-filled life, join me on the 30-Day Joylife Training Journey here!