Lean and Green Cafe

Try Kale Chips

2013-06-19T03:48:00Z

You may have noticed bags of dried greens in your health foods store and cafe, labeled as cheesy, ranch or even nacho and spicy. Seriously? Are these substitutes for chips?? Hmmm, potato chips are so tasty, why would I want to eat old leaves? Well, because surprisingly, they taste pretty dang good. And when they say cheesy, they actually mean it. But wait it’s vegan, how can it be cheesy? They use a magical powdery substance called nutritional yeast along with some seasonings and viola you have cheesy flavor without the dairy.

So what are kale chips exactly?
Starting with the main ingredient… Kale is a leafy green species of cabbage with curly leaves. When baked or dehydrated, kale becomes a crispy snack. The nutritional value of baked kale, however, is far superior to the average potato chip.

Kale chips are made from the leaves of the kale plant that have been stripped from their hard stems and torn to bite-sized pieces. With low amounts of calories, fat and sodium and high amounts of vitamins and minerals, kale chips are the perfect snack to reach for next time you crave a crunchy treat.

You can make your own kale chips using a dehydrator. NEAT!!
Cheesy kale Chips

  1 large bunch of kale
 1/2 cup cashews, (soaked 2 hours)
 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Rinse the kale and spin dry. Remove the stems and tear into bite size pieces. Let the kale air out as much as possible before coating. Blend the ingredients for the cheesy seasoning in a blender until smooth. Transfer kale and seasoning to a large bowl and mix well using your hands to ensure the leaves are well coated. Place the kale on the dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 118 degrees overnight or until coating is dry. Slide onto mesh screens and dehydrate until totally crispy.

Don’t have a dehydrator?
If you are not ready to invest in a dehydrator, stop by Lean and Green Cafe and pick up a bag of delicious fresh kale chips today! We have lots of flavors to try.

Let us know what your favorite flavor is!

The post Try Kale Chips appeared first on Lean and Green Cafe.

To juice or to blend? That is the question.

2013-05-12T05:31:08Z

Each morning I have a tough decision to make… To juice or to blend? If I’m really feeling tired I know that juice is going to give me a faster kick, but I know I’ll feel full longer if I blend. Lately I’ve been staying up late listening to audio books so juice seems to win out. But juicing all the time isn’t going to give my body everything I need, so I’ve made a conscious decision to alternate.

Though what I choose in the morning usually depends on my mood, let’s talk about the pros and cons of both.

Juicing

Pros:
Pack a ton of nutrients into a small glass or delicious goodness!

Juicing can be good for people who have damaged digestive systems. This is due to the fact that removing the fibre releases all of the nutrients from those plants, without your body having to do any work.

Juices are great cleansing your body. This is because your body will not be putting any effort towards digestion, so all that energy can be directed to ridding the body of built up waste and toxins. Juicing allows the body to focus on healing while still providing nutrients to your body that would not be present during a water fast. Juices are also awesome for supporting the healing of a damaged gut, and a plethora of other health issues depending on the ingredients present.

Tips to getting the most out of juicing. Chew your juice. Literally chew while you drink to stimulate saliva and digestion. Slow the nutrient blast but adding some form of fat to your meal. I like some form of healthy toast with almond butter to go along with my juice.

Cons: If made only with fruit, juices can be loaded with sugars.
Add a little bit of fat (like almond butter) to your meal to better digest the juice.

Blending (I’m talking about vegetable soothies – not bananas and ice cream)

Pros:

You get all the benefits of the vegetables in their raw complete form but easier to digest. Fiber is great for your body!

Smoothies make a complete full meal. They are light enough that they won’t weigh you down but they are substantial enough that you won’t feel hungry again in 15 minutes. You can also pack them full of ingredients that will help with your recovery after a work out.

Smoothies are also great for those who are coming off of a fast of any kind, as it will help to re-introduce your body to solid foods again in a more gradual way than jumping straight into eating would. Smoothies will help to cleanse out your colon, because they contains the fibre that will help to “sweep” out your intestinal tract. These fibres will bind to toxins and usher them out of your system. Smoothies are also amazing for those who want to start introducing more raw foods into their diets, but don’t know how. You can hide a number of less palatable ingredients like dark greens and superfoods under the sweet taste of fruit in a smoothie.

Cons: If made with fruit, juices can be loaded with sugars.

Wonderful green smoothie (2 servings)

1 cup Organic Spinach
3/4 – 1/2 Organic avocado
1 half Organic peeled cucumber
1 teaspoon Organic spirulina
1/4 cup loose Organic cilantro
1 cup crushed ice
2 cups water
Optional: juice 1/2 Organic lime
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon skinned and chopped fresh Organic ginger

Experiment with adding your favorite veggies, ground flax hemp or chia seeds. If the smoothie is “too green” tasting for you right away try adding half an apple sans seeds.

What is your favorite veggie smoothie or juice blend recipe?

The post To juice or to blend? That is the question. appeared first on Lean and Green Cafe.

What’s in your energy drink?

2013-04-22T20:04:12Z

So I’m a little tired after lunch and need a pick-me-up. Something refreshing I think. The vending machine and local mart has a lot of options. I see entire cases dedicated to energy drinks. Perfect!Oh, but wait… I’m trying to be conscious of what I eat and drink. So, what to do? There’s Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar, Amp, NOS and more. I can even buy a “shot” of many of these popular brands. Overwhelming? Yes.As a health conscious shopper I go to the back of the can and find the ingredients…

So let’s focus on the three leaders in the industry:

Red Bull – Contains 80mgs of Caffeine per 8.46 ounce can which is considered moderate in the energy drink industry.
Ingredients: Water, sucrose, glucose, acidifier sodium citrates, carbon dioxide, taurine (0.4%), glucuronolactone (0.24%), caffeine (0.03%), inositol, vitamins (niacin, pantothenic acid, B6, B12), flavourings, and colours (caramel, riboflavin).
Sugar content: 27 grams (per 8.46 ounces).

Monster – A whopping 160mg per 16 ounce can can.
Ingredients: (Monster Energy) Carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, citric acid, taurine, natural flavors, sodium citrate, l-carnitine, panax ginseng root extract, ascorbic acid, caffeine, sodium chloride, niacinamide, riboflavin, guarana seed extract, inositol, glucuronalactone, pyridoxine hydrochloride, cyanobalamin.
Sugar content: 54 grams (per 16 ounces).

Rockstar – Ties Monster at 160mg per 16 ounce can.
Ingredients: (Rockstar Energy Drink) Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, citric acid, taurine, natural and artificial flavors, guarana seed extract, ascorbic acid, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), potassium sorbate (preservative), caffeine, niacinamide, inositol, l-carnitine, milk thistle extract, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, calcium pantothenate, siberian ginseng root extract, cyanocobalamin, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride.
Sugar content: 60 grams (per 16 ounces).

With many ingredients that are hard to pronounce I have to wonder what these mixtures are really doing for me. And is this the best I can do for my body?

So my search continues as I make my way out of the mart and into the healthy cafe down the street.

I land on Sambazon’s Amazon Energy. I don’t have to turn the can over to see the caffeine. It says 80mg per can in large print right on the front. And, the organic label on the can is a bonus.

So let’s take a look inside…

Ingredients – Sparkling Filtered Water, Organic Cane Syrup, Organic Acai Juice, Organic Acerola Juice (Water, Organic Acerola Concentrate), Organic Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Organic Guarana Extract, Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate Extract, Steaz Organic Green Tea Extract, Fruit and Vegetable Juice (For Color).Wow I actually know what these things are. That helps. Sugar content: 30 grams (per 12 ounce can). I had to look closely at the servings per can, not to be fooled, and came up with this number. So when my fresh green smoothie isn’t cutting it or I’m just feeling like a fizzy energy drink, I think I found one that won’t lay on my conscience (well not too much).

What are your favorite energy drinks? Are the ingredients and caffeine level important to you?

The post What’s in your energy drink? appeared first on Lean and Green Cafe.

There’s more to organic then just better food

2013-03-28T05:04:49Z

We know that eating organic foods means safer food that hasn’t been treated with pesticides or dipped in hot wax to preserve it. But it is not often that we consider the larger benefits of organic food production.First, a refresher, let’s understand what organic really is.

The word “organic” refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat. Farmers who grow organic produce and meat don’t use conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent livestock disease. For example, rather than using chemical weedkillers, organic farmers are supposed to conduct more sophisticated crop rotations and spread mulch or manure to keep weeds at bay.

Many times we forget that there are more benefits to organic farming then improving what we put in our bodies. I personally believe that organic food is more nutritious. Have you eaten a non organic apple or orange from the large chain grocery stores lately? The taste or lack of taste should be a clear indicator that something is off. Recently I ate an orange that comes from a local organic CSA and with a sigh of relief I now have regained hope that the amazing tang of a good orange hasn’t been lost.

So health and flavor is a great bonus, but the next reason is also greatly important…

Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. That’s a pretty big statement. So it looks like eating organic may be another way you can make a difference in the world. To insure that you are getting the healthiest organic food possible always do your best to purchase your produce from local organic farms or businesses that source local organic foods.

If cost causes you to hesitate when buying organic food, here is a list for the most essential organic foods that you should allows spend the extra money on:

Apples (more pesticides are found on apples then any other fruit or veggie)
Cucumbers (They are the 12th most contaminated food!!)
Strawberries (Also on the top of the list for being highly contaminated)
Grapes (Did you know that non organic farmers can spray up to 17 different types of chemicals to keep them from decease and bugs?)
Butter and Milk (The toxic chemicals in the grain the cows eat, transfers to the milk along with the growth hormones and antibiotics they are given)
Spinach (Chemicals farmers use to treat spinach can cause cancer and interfere with your body’s hormone production)

Rest assured that you’ll be eating healthy local organic foods at Lean and Green Cafe. Not only are you doing something good for your body, but you can feel good about improving the world we live in by making smart decisions like supporting organic!

The post There’s more to organic then just better food appeared first on Lean and Green Cafe.