Broccoli Fennel Soup Recipe

This soup is made with broccoli, fennel, and a final touch of sunflower seeds. It’s vegan but creamy as can be, with the addition of cashews and the vitamin-filled superfood kale. This is one of the best winter soup recipes, that is filling and healthier than a salad.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

The official season for squash is fall and winter, and butternut is the creamiest, most decadent variety you can try. The texture in this low-calorie recipe is so velvety, it’s hard to tell that it’s completely vegan. Most importantly, it protects your immune system with high antioxidant, mineral, and vitamin content.

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Soup

Some people don’t like cauliflower when it’s cooked in solid form, but when pureed in a soup, it can actually improve a watery texture. This veggie-packed recipe doesn’t slack on the flavors, or ingredients – with vegetable broth, yams, and cauliflower as the main components, garlic (an immune powerhouse), and green onion add some personality to this soup, which simmers for up to 5 hours.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

One thing we know: pho is a necessity of winter, especially when one is sick. But why waste money on takeout when the homemade version is so much better for you, and just as satisfying? This soup is as medicinal as it is mouth-watering thanks to chicken broth, garlic, ginger, and bok choy,  a less bitter alternative to kale that’s packed with selenium and folate.

Vegan Lentil Soup

Lentils are always a solid way to add fiber and heartiness to your soup recipes. Carrots add a touch of sweetness that also happen to be high in Vitamin C and help fight free radicals. This anti-inflammatory soup recipe also has our favorite immune-boosting ingredient: turmeric. Known for giving food and beverages a golden tint, turmeric is ideal for keeping you protected when you’re stressed out, or flu season hits.

Chicken Marsala and Mushroom Stew

This is more of a stew than a soup, but it will definitely warm you up when the outside air is chilly.  Marsala chicken is combined with portobello mushrooms to make for a juicy and earthy side or main dish. Rosemary and parsley are flavorful garnishes with anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting properties.

Creamy Roasted Asparagus Soup

The key to making asparagus soup recipes so creamy is roasting the veggie beforehand. By pureeing half the roasted asparagus and letting the other pieces float in the pot, it adds depth to the flavor. Just remember that this vegetable is seasonal, so you may have to opt for the supermarket instead of your local farmer’s market. However, high zinc and vitamin C content make it perfect for winter.

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Healthy Mango Smoothie

This probiotic mango smoothie reminds us of a Lassi – this fruit is infused with yogurt and sweet creaminess. Even better, it’s filled with fiber and natural probiotics, making it a must for your intestines. Mango is also a powerhouse for your brain. Top it with granola for a crunchy treat before sipping.

Green Goddess Kombucha

A green drink merges with kombucha for sparkling deliciousness, packed with nutrients and probiotics. Fortified with moringa, this tasty juice is jam-packed with ginger, kiwi, and spinach. There are two stages of fermentation, so it’s not as fast to whip up as some of the other options on this list, but a homemade kombucha is worth the wait.

Probiotic-Rich Cherry Smoothie

Cherry, limes, bananas, and yogurt merge here – the perfect marriage of tangy, sweet, tart, and velvety flavors are sitting on your tastebuds. For this Probiotic-rich cherry smoothie, you only need frozen cherries for this recipe, but we suggest using fresh ones. The color itself is mesmerizing, and once you nail the proportions, you won’t be able to stop making this.

Mango Berry Smoothie

This smoothie is pretty in pink – perfect for making a large batch for the girls. Not only is it perfectly Insta-worthy, but the coconut yogurt probiotics will make your body feel as light as air. If you can’t find a probiotic yogurt, the author suggests pouring the inside of a probiotic capsule in.

Apple Ginger Kombucha

This detoxifying kombucha will wake you up in the best way possible. It blends the right level of carbonation with apple and ginger, and finishes things off with an unusual but genius topping: dried apple rings! When it’s time to drink, strain this out if you want, but we’re eating ours!

 Mojito Smoothie

Mojitos are, without a doubt, a luxurious embodiment of summer, but it’s often filled with sugar, and cocktails don’t stabilize your tummy troubles the way a healthy probiotic can. Instead, get the taste of all that minty lime goodness, swapping out rum for some greek yogurt.

Probiotic Sparkling Apple Juice

Sparkling probiotics apple juice is the ultimate way to feel fancy if you don’t want to indulge in champagne. This version is made using a unique water kefir recipe, which is then mixed with apple juice and left out in direct sunlight. Twenty-four hours later, enjoy that bubbly!

Turmeric Soda

Turmeric is often added into food for some coloring and extra health benefits, but this is an interpretation we haven’t seen before. DIY Turmeric soda is made with just turmeric, sugar, and water. You can e experiment with different flavors as the creator recommends.

Creamy Carrot Smoothie

If you want a happy tummy and frequently deal with constipation or skin problems, this naturally sweet carrot smoothie is filled with cinnamon, prunes, banana, and walnut, with just a hint of vanilla. The low calories concoction has already snagged a few five-star reviews, so we can’t wait to try it.

Including probiotics into your foods will help accomplish balance in your digestive system by promoting a healthy gut. 

Read more:

• The Importance of Gut Health
• What to Eat for a Healthy Gut 
• 5 Ashwagandha Recipes for a Healthy Life

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To feel the Ashwagandha Wirkung (effect=eng.), you should find the right type of product for you. Apart from eating it fresh by drying and grinding its root and using its leaves to make tea, you can buy ashwagandha powder or capsules. Although capsules are easy to take, just like regular pills, using ashwagandha powder is probably the best option because you can use it many recipes. Here are 5 recipes you should try.

Moon Milk

This is a traditional recipe that relieves your stress and improves your sleep. You should consume only one tablespoon per day. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 tsp. ground ashwagandha powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• A pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. maple syrup or honey
• 1 tsp. coconut oil

Instructions:

• Heat the milk over a low heat but don’t boil it.
• When it becomes hot, add the ashwagandha powder, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir.
• Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
• Add the coconut oil and stir.
• Pour the drink into a cup and sweeten it with maple syrup (or honey).

Want to learn more? Here is everything you need to know about Moon Milk.

Adaptogenic Protein Smoothie

Here’s a recipe for a great start of the day. It will give you energy and help kick off the morning blue. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 handful baby spinach
• 2 tbsp unsweetened almond butter
• 1/3 cup unsweetened plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 tsp. ashwagandha powder
• 1/2 tsp. maca powder
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. collagen peptides (optional)

Instructions:

• Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until well-combined.

Hazelnut Latte

Shout out to all coffee addicts! You can use ashwagandha in your favorite coffee, so there’s no need to think about how to incorporate this plant into your daily routine. Here’s how you can make this super-delicious latte.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegan milk
• 1/3 cup brewed or herbal coffee
• 1 tbsp. hazelnut butter
• 1 tsp. pure maple syrup or another sweetener of your choice
• 1 tsp. ashwagandha powder
• 1 tsp. maca powder
• 1 tsp. pine pollen powder

Instructions:

• Warm the milk over low heat.
• Once warm, pour it into a blender and add the coffee, hazelnut butter, sweetener, and adaptogens.
• Blend until well-combined.

Raw Adaptogen Fudge

If you can’t resist sweets, here’s a great fudge recipe. So, you can experience the benefits of ashwagandha while enjoying the mouth-filling taste of fudge. Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pitted Medjool dates
• 1/2 cup nut butter
• 3 tbsp. cocoa or cacao
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tbsp. ashwagandha powder
• 1 tbs. maca powder
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of sea salt
• Garnish coconut, goji, cacao, or hemp hearts.

Instructions:

• Blend the dates until they look like a paste.
• Add the nut butter and coconut oil, and blend again until well-combined.
• Add the cocoa/cacao, ashwagandha and maca powders, vanilla, and salt and blend until all well-combined.
• Put the mixture on the parchment and form of a bar.
• Wrap the bars and freeze them until they become firm.
• Cut the bar into small pieces.
• Garnish it.
• Store it in a fridge or freezer.

Almond-Cashew-Chia Balance Balls

The last recipe is not less delicious. These balance balls will make you want more. Here’s how to make them.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1 1/2 tsp. chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp. ashwagandha powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. maca powder
• 1/2 tsp. reishi powder (optional)
• 4 pitted dates
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• A pinch of cacao powder
• Garnish: crushed dried flowers

For the chocolate shell:

• 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp maple syrup or coconut nectar

Instructions:

• Put the almonds, cashews, chia seeds, ashwagandha, maca, and reishi powders, and salt into a blender and blend until well-incorporated.
• Add the coconut oil and vanilla extract and blend again.
• Put the mixture in a plate or shallow bowl, cover it and put it in the fridge for around 20-30 minutes.
• Take half tablespoon of the mixture and form a ball. Then, place the ball on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat this 15 times, so you have 16 balls.
• Freeze the balls for 15 minutes.
• Make the chocolate shell by adding all the ingredients and stirring until smooth.
• Dip the top of each ball into the chocolate shell and put them back onto the sheet.
• Freeze the balls for 30 minutes.

Read More: 

• Matzo Meal Peach Berry Crisp: A Must-Try Passover Recipe

• Cannabis Gummies With Coconut Oil

• Vegan Peanut Butter Pancakes

The post 5 Ashwagandha Recipes for a Healthy Life appeared first on Food Health & Parenting Tips.

Simply put, the central tenet of the ketogenic diet is to effectively cut out all sources of carbohydrates. In the keto diet, carbohydrate intake is replaced by fat, theoretically in order for the body to enter a state of ketosis. In this state, the body will convert fat into energy in the place of carbohydrates.

The keto diet is used primarily by people who aim to drop some weight as well as blood sugar levels and is thought to promote better health in general.

The diet itself is highly restrictive – par for the course – but there is a body of evidence that supports the claims its proponents make. This is what makes it a popular dieting choice for weight watchers.

But it’s not as simple…

It is not just about replacing each and every carbohydrate source with wanton consumption of full-cream dairy and fatty cuts of pork and processed meats.

Keto diets require a lot of discipline, dedication, and planning if they are to be done the proper way. While the thought of being able to snack on as much fat and dairy as you want is a tantalizing prospect for most, failure to plan can mean you’re not doing it right.

Fortunately, there is a kitchen appliance that makes keto dieting an easier proposition for most of us who don’t have the time to prepare meals in advance. It’s a multi-use appliance that can play the role of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, and steamer (among others), all in a convenient, easy-to-use device. Just check this guide to see how they compare to other machines – pretty darn good!

Now, it must be noted that cutting carbs entirely out of your diet isn’t always the best approach to losing weight for just anyone and everyone. However, if you’ve consulted with a nutritionist, or have found a taste of keto diet success on your own, you can ramp up your keto strategy with the ever so useful Instant Pot. 

Here are some tips you can employ to make meal prep a breeze.

1. Do Your Meal Prep with the Instant Pot

One of the most important things you can do to stick to your keto commitment is to prep your meals. And it’s also one of the hardest and time-consuming things you can do, especially if you prepare your meals alone.

The Instant Pot is a time-saving godsend allowing you to cook meals faster than conventional cookers (slow ones, to boot), and help you get great cooking results without having to wait hours and hours on end as you would with a slow cooker. Plus, cooking meats with one produces the same delicious results. What’s not to love?

2. Keep a Close Eye on Dairy Products

Keto dieters rejoice – many Instant Pots throw in a fantastic yogurt-making attachment as part of the device. That’s always a great deal, right? However, a word of caution: Instant Pots don’t always get cream- and cheese-based sauces right the first time, every time.

That’s no fault on the Instant Pot, however. It’s simply the nature of dairy products to curdle or boil when heated, making cheeses ooze liquid and solidify.

Here’s the key: anytime you use dairy products for a cheese-based or cream-based recipe, make sure to add it only after pressure cooking is finished (instead of throwing it in before or during it). This will ensure that you’ll get an evenly creamy meal that isn’t all saturated with liquid from the dairy.

3. Don’t Go Too Heavy On the Oil

One thing keto dieters take solace in their quest for ketosis is being able to enjoy delicious food without having to worry too much about fat. But be careful not to overdo it. Adding too much oil or fat in the Keto Instant Pot without the right amount of water will not have it come to pressure the right way. Don’t use over 1/4 cup of fat or oil in your recipes to make sure that you get the pressure cooking done right.

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