Dragging is Better than Sitting

I got up in a funk today. 

I did not sleep well,

it's raining out and my body hurt.

It was the kind of morning you just want to pull

the covers back up and stay in bed.

Or at least just throw on a sweatshirt over your pajamas

and pretend that they are just 'comfy clothes' when 

the other parents at the bus stop look at you funny.

Yes, that is what I wanted to do this morning.

But instead I got up and showered and 

dragged my slow moving booty to the gym.

I did not hit it super hard. 

I did some elliptical and a workout my trainer designed for me.

My head was not in the game though and I could tell

by my lack of balance and energy 

but I did not give up.

I got through it.

I burned more calories than I would have sitting on my couch.

I got up, 

I did not let that voice

in my head telling me it was ok to do nothing win.

I'm not saying a rest day is not ok, 

but today was not supposed to be a rest day.

I know if I had skipped my workout, 

I would have felt down and depressed all day 

because that's how I woke up and 

I would have done nothing to change it.

Sometimes the mind helps us push through and attain things 

that our bodies don't think are possible but

sometimes (like today) our mind needs a push. 

Getting in a great workout routine helps your body get used it

and allows you to operate in autopilot on those days 

when your mind has not caught up yet. 

Usually about halfway through my sweat 

something clicks 

and I am able to focus and then

I spend the rest of the day 

Feeling good about myself for not giving up.

Proud of myself for not making the easier choice to to take the day off.

Motivated by my small victory to get out there and make another great choice. 

So don't let the little couch potato on your shoulder convince you that you and your goals are not worth the effort. 

They are.

You are.

So get out there and make it happen!

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”

-Mario Andretti

Chick Pea and Spinach Curry

 Sometimes the best dinners happen when I am forced to improvise. 

Last week I had a get away weekend with my girlfriends so I did not

do my usual weekend meal planning and shopping.

That left me Monday with no time to shop and forced to find something healthy to make with what was in the fridge.

I had spinach and chicken.

In the pantry I found some chick peas and decided to try a quick curry.

This would stand alone as a great vegetarian option but since my husband prefers dinner have some meat attached I made mine with chicken. Fell free to leave the chicken out though, it would still be pretty yummy.

I have abandoned cooking my meat with any sort of oil and found a great stoneware pan I can bake small quantities of meat in with no oil and it keeps them from getting soggy from cooking juices on the bottom (yuck...I can't imagine anyone likes a soggy white underbelly on their chicken...)

Anywhoooo--I just dust the chicken with a little of the same seasonings I use in the curry (chili powder, curry powder, marjoram, and ginger) 

 

and pop it in the oven (375 for about 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees) then pull it out, chop it up into small chunks and set aside.

see look...no soggy chicken!! Hurray!

While the chicken in baking you can start chopping up the onion

and get the curry started.

I melt about 1 TBS of coconut oil in my saute pan

and then add the chopped onion 

and all your seasonings:

1 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp chili powder 
1 TBS curry powder
1/2 tsp marjoram

I am a firm believer in adjusting seasonings to your own tastes.

Don't serve a dish you have not tasted and feel free to use less or more

of anything I list or experiment and swap some of these out for

something different.

For example I am positive garam masala would be perfect here but

I did not have any on hand so I came up with this combo.

Trying new things is half the fun of cooking so be brave and 

play with the recipe.

 

Once the onions are cooked through and translucent you can add

the diced tomatoes and rinsed and drained chick peas (garbanzo beans).

Stir that up and let them start melding together

while you coarsely chop your spinach. 

You can skip this step but I find that chopping it a bit keeps

the wilted pieces a bit smaller and more manageable for my kids

to eat once its fully cooked.

Add the spinach a hand full at a time and

mix it well and allow it to wilt

 

Keep adding the spinach little at a time until its all mixed in.

Allow the mixture to heat through until the spinach is completely wilted.

This is when I add back in my chopped cooked chicken and 

stir it through. 

 

Let the whole mixture cook together for 4 or 5 more minutes

to make sure all the flavors are blended nicely.

Once its all heated through and your kitchen smells delicious,

turn off the heat and add about a 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro to the top

and mix it through the dish.

 

Done.

Now you can serve it on a platter with Greek yogurt on the side for topping or 

serve on top of some rice or if no one is looking

eat that yumminess straight out of the pan-

OK OK I'm kidding here...that would be naughty,

we have to remember to watch our portions....

 

and speaking of portions,

make sure you separate the leftover into small individual portions

in order to make it super easy to grab

and heat it up for an easy lunch during the week 

with no measuring needed!

 

In less than an hour you made a great, 

healthy meal for the whole family

that smells and tastes delicious AND you have

quick easy lunches for at least a few days!

Congratulations to you-

Here it is without my commentary:

Chick Pea and Spinach Curry

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  
• 1 Tbs Coconut oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp chili powder 
• 1 TBS curry powder
• 1/2 tsp marjoram
• 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 14-1/2-oz. can organic diced tomatoes
• 7 oz baby spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt for serving

Sprinkle chicken with small amounts of each seasoning and then bake at 375 for approx. 40 minutes or until cooked through (internal temp of 165). Once chicken is cooked chop into bite size pieces and set aside. Heat the oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and seasonings and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, and tomatoes. Coarsely chop the spinach and add it by the handful, stirring and allowing it to wilt as you go. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the spinach is completely wilted and then add in the baked chicken. Let it cook until the flavors have melded, 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
Spoon onto a platter, and serve by itself or over some rice with the Greek yogurt on top if desired.

Stay on Track even at a Party

Oh yes, it's Memorial Day weekend. 

The beginning of a summer of neighborhood gatherings, barbecues, parties and so many chances to get derailed from a healthy eating plan. But it doesn't have to be. Don't automatically assume you can't eat well at parties. If you decide its a cheat day that fine. We are all allowed to indulge but there is also no reason why you should avoid a social function just to stay on track.

So how do you do it? Here are several tips.

1: Host

The easiest way to make sure that the table is not full of tempting treat food is to host the party at your house. My husband and I are having a memorial day party and I have made a whole menu of clean yet delicious food so no matter what everyone else brings I know I can fill my plate with food that I think is yummy but I have not gone off the deep end. The best part? I don't think anyone is going to notice that its all clean!!

My menu? 

Organic Tortilla chips and pico de gallo 

Veggie tray

Clean pulled pork with homemade BBQ sauce

Cilantro rice

Balsamic Tomato Salad

Clean Roasted Potato Salad

Fruit salad

Now I am definitely going to be indulging in an adult cocktail or two but that is where I choose to splurge, for you it might be a brownie or something else. Don't be the food police on yourself, have a good time but seek out the best choices and make them. Nobody is twisting your arm to eat that ranch chicken wing dip or that piece of cake, your choices are YOURS. Make them because you want to and after a while you will make them because it is just second nature.

2. Offer to bring something

Even if you don't control the whole menu you can offer to bring a dish to share. Choose an item that you know can be tempting to you and make a healthier version. Replace mayo in a pasta salad with avocado or instead of cookies or brownies make a fruit salad or other healthy dessert. Replace sour cream with Greek yogurt in dips or instead of bringing a case of beer make a pitcher of fruit infused water to add to the bar. 

3. Hydrate!

Drink Drink Drink (and I don't mean upside down from the keg tap...)

Water is your friend. The more you drink the happier your body, especially if you are out in the sun.

It fills you up therefore decreasing the chances that you are going to destroy your friends famous 7 layer dip single handedly and it helps replace the totally empty calories of a beer, glass of wine or slushy summer cocktail. So drink up , and if you are having some cocktails, make sure you drink at least 1 glass of water in between them.

4. All things in Moderation.

If you are going to splurge do it in small doses. Being healthy is a lifetime process. It's made up of single decisions that are strung together to form a pattern of choices. If you choose to have that brownie with some ice cream today go for it. But do it smart. Have a small one and a little ice cream, bot a sundae the size of your head! And just because you ate one splurge item does not mean that you "ruined your day" so you might as well go ahead and make 10 more unhealthy choices. That is how you fail yourself on this path. Allow for treats but in moderation. One treat does not ruin anything as long as you don't let it. It's a mind game, that is "diet" mentality and it will not help you achieve long term goals.

So the moral of the story is party on people and enjoy your summer of social events but arm yourself with the mental strength to make good choices and do what you can to make those choices easy for yourself.

And also...As a veteran, daughter and granddaughter of veterans and wife to the most handsome and wonderful Naval officer in the world please take some time out of your long weekend and barbecue planning to remember those who have sacrificed everything they had to give so that we could enjoy the lifestyle we live. This is the land of the free because of the brave so take a minute and thank a Vet or a military member for all they do.

~eat healthy, be healthy, and have a great weekend!

Patty

Chicken White bean Chili

Wednesdays are super busy here in the afternoon and 

I don't get in the door until 6:00pm. 

The kids are hungry, 

I'm hungry and my husband is

either just home or on his way home and 

he will be hungry too.

They are the kind of nights that

you think it would just be so much easier to pick dinner up

on the way home. 

But I do not want to do that.

So my trusty slow cooker and I have a date 

every Wednesday morning.

I spend 20 minutes or so filling her up and 

she slaves the day away and has dinner waiting for me

when I get home. 

She is like my 1950's wife...hahahaha

One of the family favorites is

white bean chicken chili.

So easy and very tasty!

Plus you can tweak all the seasonings to your

personal tastes, just make sure you don't sample it

unless you know your chicken is fully cooked first.

(One of the main reasons I brown mine before

putting it in the pot)

Here is what you need:

1 lb ground chicken

1 green pepper (chopped)

1 medium yellow onion (chopped)

2 can great northern beans or navy beans

1 can corn (if canned make sure it has no sugar added...)

1 can diced green chili's or 3 fresh chopped chili's (no seeds)

 1Tbs Cumin

1 Tbs Onion powder

1 Tbs garlic powder

1 cup organic or homemade chicken stock

 

I started with only 1 can of beans but since I put in so much onion and pepper I decided to add a second can of beans and it came out yummy. Feel free to use dried beans but make sure they have been soaked over night or soaked and cooked to soften them up. I would love to do this every time but quite frankly the idea of this meal is to be done quick so I don't usually take the time to do that.

   

Turn on the burner under your sautee pan

so its warming up while you chop up the pepper and onion.

 

Brown the ground chicken 

 adding the pepper and onion when its about halfway done.

I do not use oil in this step because I have this crazy pan that

works so awesome I don't need it but if you do

need some oil use extra virgin olive oil and only a tablespoon. 

This chicken cooks quick and you should really not need more than.

 

Once the chicken is browned and the onion is translucent

transfer this whole yummy concoction into your slow cooker.

sprinkle with the cumin, onion powder and garlic

and again feel free to modify these amounts to your taste. 

I also like to add chili powder or

use fresh garlic just to spice it up a bit once in awhile. 

Play with it and make it your own!

Once the spices are on the meat pour in the

rinsed and dried beans, drained corn and green chili's

then pour the chicken stock over the whole thing.

(I usually start with only 1/2 cup and then after a few hours I check it and if it looks too thick I will add up to another 1/2 cup. This is also a great time to taste it and adjust seasonings.)

 

Now plug that slow cooker in 

(yes I have forgotten this step...

yes, it's happened more than once)

Turn it on low for 6-8 hours.

Come home from gymnastics or soccer

or a long day of work, grab a bowl and a spoon and 

ENJOY!!!

(oh yes, feel free to grate some good cheese on top or 

add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt in lieu of sour cream. delicious)

 Let me know if you make this what you think!

~eat well, live well

Patty

1 lb ground chicken

1 green pepper (chopped)

1 medium yellow onion (chopped)

2 can great northern beans or navy beans

1 can corn (if canned make sure it has no sugar added...)

1 can diced green chili's or 3 fresh chopped chili's (no seeds)

1Tbs Cumin

1 Tbs Onion powder

1 Tbs garlic powder

1 cup organic or homemade chicken stock

heat the chicken with the chopped onion and pepper until the chicken is browned.

Place all ingredients into your slow cooker.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours

Turkey Meatballs

 

 

These easy turkey meatballs are a perfect choice 

when time is short and you need a healthy but fast dinner option.

With only 4 ingredients the prep work is super fast.

All you need is:

1 1/2 pounds of lean ground turkey (you can use less, I just like to make enough to have lots of leftovers because these little babies make a great addition to a salad, great protein to have with some cauliflower soup or other great veggie soup or just warm up and pop in your mouth for a little mid day protein boost)

Fresh Basil ( Yes, you can use dried but I have tried it both ways and my whole family agrees that using the fresh basil helps the flavor pop and also helps keep the meatballs moist in the center. And really, does anybody like a dry chewy turkey ball?!?)

Garlic powder

Mediterranean seasoning blend 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Chop a big old handful or Basil and 

gently mix it into the ground turkey along with about 

1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of Mediterranean seasonings. 

The amount of seasonings you use is totally up to you and your taste buds, 

we like a lot of flavor here so I actually used a touch more than a teaspoon each,

but experiment- that's half the fun in the kitchen anyway!

Do not over mix or it will make your meatballs very tough,

just fork them enough to evenly spread out your seasonings.

Form little balls out of the meat. 

I like mine about 1" diameter because it makes portions 

for my kids easy and I get to eat a few more

so I don't feel cheated. 

I mean who wants 3 meatballs for your whole meal???

But if that's you than go ahead and make them a little bigger! 

Just make sure they are a consistent size so that they cook evenly.

You can save a step and pop these right into the oven if you want,

but I prefer to brown them really quick first.

Browning them gives a nice color and crunch to the outside that 

baking alone won't do and I find it 

helps to lock in some of the moisture. 

So I just warm up a pan and throw them in 

for a minute or two (no oil necessary if you have a good non stick pan)

and then flip them over for another minute

so both sides gets that gorgeous crust.

Once all the meatballs are browned 

place them on a cookie sheet 

and pop in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes 

or until done all the way through.

And the VOILA! yummy, healthy easy meatballs in about 30 minutes.

You can serve these tons of different ways,

I tend to eat them with a salad

or some sauteed broccoli,

but they are great on top of zucchini noodles,

enjoyed with a nice marinara sauce.

Or try them with cauliflower rice or as a side to a great bowl of soup.

Versatile, easy, yummy AND healthy.

That's the way to do it!

Oh, and if you are on the 21 day fix like I am 

I make mine small enough that 1 red = 6 little meatballs!!

Serve it with a great green salad and this meal counts as 

1 red, 1 green and 1 orange if you use dressing.

Enjoy!! 

~Patty

Prioritize your life and Reduce Stress

I recently (and by recently I mean this morning) read this blog post about becoming minimalist. I had planned to write today's post on taking things little by little but this really resonated with me it's short I promise so if you have a second check it out.

We are so busy being busy that it's hard to find time for the important things. 

Those are different for everybody but for me they really just boil down to family and self. I want to take care of my family, nurture our relationships, make memories together and I am better at doing that when I take care of my self. And by that I mean stay healthy, stay relaxed, allow myself to be focused and centered and feel fulfilled. Sounds simple but that is all harder to achieve in the busy noisy world that distracts you with chores and errands and play groups and pinterest level mommy expectations!

In order to find space in your life for your priorities you first have to decide what they are. 

Then, you cut out the stuff that doesn't matter to make time for them.
Instead of spending an hour putting together that super amazing teacher appreciation gift to send in to school give your kid a crayon and some paper and have them write a thank you note and then use the other 55 minutes to take a family walk, go on a bike ride, do a workout, meditate, cook a healthy meal from scratch, you fill in the blank here with something you constantly scratch off your list because "who has time for that".
I say the time is there.
You just have to use it. 

Easier said than done. 

I know. 

I'm 'busy" too and there are tons of days that I don't get everything done but 

I choose which things gets left for tomorrow and so can you! 

So decide whats important to you and make room for it!

Whatever your priorities and however busy your life is though,
find time to relax. Stress is a huge risk factor for many health conditions.
It messes with your sleep,
your energy level and your bodies ability to function.
So whether stress relief is a quite walk in the woods, an afternoon by the water,
a glass of wine on the front porch or
a super awesome sweaty workout make sure you
add it to your week.

You control your schedule and your choices!

They don't have to be the same as mine 

but make sure you really think about it 

and put yourself and your needs and desires on top of the list.

Have a happy healthy day! 

~Patty

Cauliflower Mushroom Soup

One of the easiest ways for me to stay on track with my food throughout the day is to eat a good lunch.

I eat a very small breakfast most days so by the time lunch comes around I am starving but I don't have a ton of time to put anything together because lunchtime can be chaos around here. 

So what used to happen is that I either don't have time to eat anything myself so I find myself doing the dreaded pantry graze from 1-3stuffing my face with tiny bits of lots of different things and telling myself it's OK since I did not eat lunch that day so surely I have room in my calories for a few crackers, and some nuts, and the leftover corner of that peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some cottage cheese....you get the picture here. Please tell me I am nit the only one that does this! 

(and yes-before I cleaned out the pantry from sugar and processed foods, chips and chocolate were also standard on this list of-stuff them in my face without even thinking about it snacks!)

My best solution is to be prepared. If I am prepping salad for my husband to take to work, I measure out one for myself and put in right where I will see it and can grab it quickly out of the fridge for myself. If dinner was delicious and nutritious I portion out my serving size and keep them in see through containers right in the front of the fridge so they don't get pushed back into no man's land where no one will see them until you go in search of the mysterious smelly item once a month and then realize you wasted all that good food for no reason. 

Also, I have discovered that making soup is so much easier than I thought. 

Yes, you can just buy soup. 

But when you make it yourself you control the quality of ingredients, freshness and cut out all that unnecessary salt and preservatives that is found in many canned soup products.  You can make soup out of just about anything and I promise to share lots of my favorites here with you but this week I had some straggler veggies left in the crisper drawer at the end of the week so I pulled them out and made this soup on the fly and it was sooooooo good!

(Not the prettiest mind you, but very yummy!)

Cauliflower Mushroom Soup:

(if you are allergic to mushrooms you can leave them out of course or replace them with leeks, or a small chopped potato but I think they add a meaty depth to the soup so if you are not allergic and you think you just don't like them try it, they might surprise you!)

1 Cup coarse chopped cauliflower

1 Cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 red onion (chopped)

1/2 cup Cashews

1 Cup water (or organic chicken stock) divided

ground black pepper

 

Place the cauliflower, onion and mushrooms in a saute pan

(I use a coated pan to avoid needing any oil 

but you can use a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil 

if you need to just to get them heated through and soft.)

I  cook them uncovered for a few minutes and 

then covered for about 5 more 

just to make sure they are soft enough to blend easily.

 

While the veggies are cooking place your cashews in the blender

with 1/2 Cup of water or organic chicken stock

start the vitamix on level 1 and slowly increase the level to 10

until you have a gorgeous smooth cashew cream.

(again this recipe was made in a vitamix- 

if you have used a different blender to make cashew cream 

please feel free to share your method in the comments)

If you do not have a high powered blender I have heard that it may help to soak your nuts 

(haha, I said soak your nuts)

for half an hour in water to help them get nice and soft and then drain of the excess water before adding to the 1/2 cup of water or stack and attempting to blend. 

The softer your nuts are prior to blending,

 the smoother the consistency of your soup base will be.

After your nuts have been blended add in about 1/2 to 3/4 of the heated vegetables

into the blender and blend until at a smooth thick consistency. 

My blender has a setting for soup that I use

but of you are doing this with a hand blender or a different type

 just blend until it looks smooth and creamy. 

Now add the remaining vegetables, 

sprinkle the top with some fresh ground black pepper 

and pulse or lightly blend just to break them up a bit.

The amount of blending you do at this stage 

depends on the  amount of chunks you like in your soup.

 

Once you are are happy with the consistency.

pour about 1 cup of the soup into a bowl and enjoy!

in less than 15 minutes you have a healthy, delicious and filling lunch

(and it's even vegan!!)

Now pour the rest of the soup into small single serving containers 

and pop them in the fridge so you have some for tomorrows lunch too!

 

I'm telling you, this may not look that yummy but it really is good.

I had it for three lunches. 

Once by itself, 

once with a salad and 

once with some leftover turkey meatballs (recipe to come later this week).

Does this not sound like something you would like? 

Try it. 

We have a lot of preconceived notions about food. 

What we think we like or don't like.

Healthy food is yucky food. 

Something your mom made you eat when you were little so now you refuse.

Don't let those silly reasons get in the way.

Try new foods.

Try old foods you have not had in a decade.

Try to cook things in different ways.

Experiment.

Have fun with your food

and it won't feel like a chore to eat healthy

it will make it a fun adventure!

Eat well, be well and have a happy day~

Patty

Cauliflower Mushroom Soup

1 Cup coarse chopped cauliflower

1 Cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 red onion (chopped)

1/2 cup Cashews

1 Cup water (or organic chicken stock) divided

ground black pepper

•  Place the cauliflower, onion and mushrooms in a saute pan and cook them uncovered for a few minutes and then covered for about 5 more just to make sure they are soft enough to blend easily.
•  place your cashews in the blender with 1/2 Cup of water or organic chicken stock
• start the vitamix on level 1 and slowly increase the level to 10until you have a gorgeous smooth cashew cream. (if you do not have a vitamix you may want to soak your cashews for about 1/2 hour in 1/2 water and then drain prior to this step)
• After your nuts have been blended add in about 1/2 to 3/4 of the heated vegetables into the blender and blend until at a smooth thick consistency (or use the soup setting if available).
• add the remaining vegetables, sprinkle the top with some fresh ground black pepper and pulse or lightly blend until desired consistency is reached.
• ENJOY!!

*if you are eating this as part of the beachbody 21 day fix 1 cup counts as 1 green and ~1/2 blue

Step One to a Healthier Kitchen

Step 1 to a healthier you: 

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE EATING.

This one does not take much effort and does not cost a thing, but

you can't take control of your body unless you realize what's going into it.

you must READ LABELS!

I challenge you to open up your pantry and every time you pull something out, turn it around and read the ingredient list. 

Some of them may be a pleasant surprise but some of them might shock you. 

My quick rule is that I try and limit the food we buy to 5 or less ingredients and 

that I should be able to pronounce them all. 

You can't always keep it under 5 ingredients but just by reading labels and 

making better choices you can significantly improve the quality of things going into your body 

and that can really ONLY be a good thing!

If you pick up to products on the same shelf in the store and compare them it is not hard to see which choice is better. For example here is the ingredient list on a popular bag of chips: 

 That's a whole lot of ingredients in that bag. Right next door though I found these:

 

Which list of things would you rather eat? 

For me that's an easy choice but I know sometimes it's hard to let go of something you are used to eating. I really truly believe that taste buds can change though. Once you start eating things with real ingredients it won't take long before that is what you want and crave and all that manufactured stuff just tastes yucky!

Sometimes it might mean taking an extra step to make a better choice. 

For example you could buy this pre-shredded cheese:

 

with it's added starch and cellulose and preservatives....

OR

you could buy this chunk cheese right underneath it and grate it yourself:

It doesn't cost you any more money, just a few minutes of your time to pull out the grater and a little elbow grease. For me the difference is totally worth the effort plus I can buy the chunk cheese in bulk from a warehouse store and grate half of it and then chunk or slice the rest to use as quick snacks, on sandwiches or throw in my daughters lunch's. 

So start looking at labels and trade off at least 2 items for better choices on your next trip to the store. 

(and of course please feel free to leave me a comment here or on our facebook page if you find an awesome replacement for an old standby!) I think it adds a super fun element to shopping now and I even let the kids help! Have fun and go out the and take the first step!! 

 

REMEMBER- you can't make big changes without taking small ones!

 

 

Homemade Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter...yum.

(sorry if you have nut allergies I am going to spew wonderful nut fantasies here for a minute)

Whether you like it on apples or celery, sandwiches, with bananas or crackers, mixed in baked goods or even blended into a protein shake or some Greek yogurt (or straight off the spoon shhhhh, don't tell) peanut butter is just one of nature's yummy inventions.

But I am not talking about the stuff off the shelf I am talking about real, homemade, 1 ingredient peanut butter. SERIOUSLY!

 Here is what you need:

That's right. Just peanuts. Unsalted roasted peanuts (or you can use raw and roast them yourself but I don't always have time for that and my kids seem to like the store bought ones a bit better) and a really really good blender or food processor.

Now I happen to have a vitamix (which I love) and it is able to process this peanut butter without any additional ingredients. I am sure there are other amazing blenders and food processors that can do the same thing but I have only been successful using the vitamix. I have made peanut butter with a food processor but ended up adding a touch of peanut oil just to get the consistency I was looking for but if you don't have a vitamix experiment with what you've got- I will attach a few links to the bottom of the post for some other good recipes.

I put 3 cups of peanuts in the vitamix

Turn it onto setting 1 and then slowly increase the power to 10 while using the tamper to get all the nuts moving.

It sounds pretty loud and like its working hard (which I assure you it is) but just keep smushing the nuts down until the magic happens and they transform into liquid gold. 

Ok seriously though, once the peanut butter starts flowing freely the motor sound will change into a high pitched sound and this is when your peanut butter is done so turn of the blender.

For real now, turn it off!
(I have heard that if you run it much longer it can overheat the motor and thank GOODNESS that has never happened to me but I usually turn it off before I hear the high pitched noise just to be on the safe side!)

And that's it! 

No salt, no additional oil, definitely no sugar. 

Just delicious, velvety peanut butter!

I pour mine into a few little ball jars and seal them up and pop them in the fridge. 

3 cups of nuts usually gives me about 2 8oz jars full.

If that's too much trouble for you at least read the labels on the store bought stuff.

I mean wouldn't you rather eat this:

 

Than this:

 That is a whole lot of extra ingredients don't you think?

So go try it, I promise it's easy and the taste is so different!

As promised if you don't have a vitamix here are a few other recipes that might work better for you:

Peanut butter in food processor

(don't judge me here this ladies pictures are WAY better than mine-they even made me hungry)

Don't like it plain or the kids aren't buying it? Try this food network recipe, its got a few more ingredients but it's still better than the stuff on the shelf and you control everything that goes in so you know exactly whats in there!

Alton Brown's homemade Peanut Butter