Marin Mama Faves

Roasted Matchstick Beets with Coconut Oil

If you’re looking for a nutrient dense, vitamin packed, vegan, naturally gluten-free topping to replace the standard old croutons for your next salad or soup, then you have to try these roasted matchstick beets. Yes, I said roasted matchstick beets (because they truly look like matchsticks)! They’re the cutest and simplest things to make, and add a pop of flavor and texture to any soup or salad. I’m all about adding in extra nutrition where I can, as well as showing you all simple recipes that incorporate seasonal produce. Hey, if we could all learn to eat seasonaly and locally, then we will not only be helping our bodies and our wallets, but our local farmers as well!

January 16, 2016 7 Comments

Beet, Ginger and Coconut Soup

This is a BIG year for Marin mama! I’m going to be finishing up Natural Chef school in March, and I therefore need to figure out my next career move before I finish school, YIKES! It’s super scary, but exciting at the same time, but a little more on the scary side, as I’m not sure what’s out there for little old me. I’m going to be spending the next few months researching, networking and getting a feel for what’s out there career-wise for me. I have some ideas brewing, but I’m not entirely sure yet what’s the best path, so I’m just going to keep following my heart, intuition and gut and see where it leads me. I will be sure to keep you all updated on where I’m heading.

January 1, 2016 19 Comments

Quick and Tasty Weeknight Beans

We’re BIG fans of Taco Tuesday in my house, but Taco Tuesday doesn’t have to be on Tuesday, we like burritos, tacos and burrito bowls any night of the week. Since I discovered the best, tastiest and easiest way to cook up brown rice, I find that we’re eating a lot of burrito bowls and burritos, as they’re the perfect thing to whip up on those busy weeknights, and they also make great lunches to pack up for the kiddos.

December 5, 2015 1 Comment

Fall Roasted Vegetables

It finally feels like fall around here and I have to tell you that I’m happy about that. Fall is my favorite time of the year. It’s a cozy time filled with soups, stews, savory chicken dishes, big bowls of steel cut oats, and of course fall roasted veggies! Yes, I’m someone who gets excited by butternut squash, acorn squash, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and sweet potatoes! I simply adore roasted vegetables. They get all caramelized and crispy on the outside, and stay soft and tender on the inside. Roasting vegetables brings out the natural sweetness in vegetables. The sweet potatoes and squash get a bit sweeter, and the red onion sweetens considerably (especially when you use coconut oil to roast it up) and it’s bitter and pungent flavor dissipates. If you have picky eaters who are not fans of vegetables, try roasting some up and I bet they’ll be fans!

November 17, 2015 No Comments

Easy Oven Baked Brown Rice

First off I want you to know that my kids are totally obsessed with this rice, like licking their plates clean obsessed. It’s 6:00 am on Friday and I’m baking them a fresh batch for their lunches and pairing it with some leftover chicken thighs and mushrooms.

November 13, 2015 24 Comments

Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

Almond milk is one of the easiest raw food products to make at home. I know most of you are scratching your head thinking, who wants to go though the process and hassle of making homemade almond milk when I can just buy a carton inexpensively it at the store. I totally get it, but I’ve listed a few benefits of making your own almond milk below, just incase you’re interested.

October 18, 2015 4 Comments

One-Pan Mexican Quinoa Wraps

I’m SO crazy for these wraps, like totally insanely crazy for these, and I’ve been making them non-stop for the past 3 weeks. Marin mama might need to be committed! They’re honestly my new favorite lunch and/or dinner, and the bonus is that Zoe loves them as much as I do. Yay Zoe! I’m working on Eli, as he likes these wraps, and will totally eat them, but he doesn’t crave them the way Zoe and I do. I do have to remember that he’s only 10, and his palate hasn’t totally evolved the way Zoe’s and mine has. So Eli, I’ll give you a few more years to be lukewarm to my healthy recipes! Just kidding cutie!

September 2, 2015 28 Comments

Gluten-Free Healthy Cookie Bites

School is just around the corner and I’m all about having healthy snacks in the house for the kids and their friends to chow down on after school. I don’t know about you, but my kids come home from school ravenous and immediately ask me, “Mom, what can I have for snack?” I often just tell them to open the fridge or pantry and have a go at it. If I’m home I may make them up a smoothie, or some popcorn (well, now thankfully they’re old enough make up their own smoothies and popcorn). Most afternoons though we’re running from one activity to another, so I like to have an easy and healthy grab-and-go snack, like these gluten-free cookie bites, instead of stuffing their hands with something like goldfish.

August 13, 2015 15 Comments

How to Make Homemade Croutons

For me it’s the little things that stand out and make a recipe pop, like these homemade croutons. Every time I toss these bad boys into a salad or soup, I always get compliments on how amazing the croutons are. Yes, something so simple as homemade croutons can make a recipe go from great to outstanding! They truly beat out any store-bought variety, and are a great way to use up any leftover bread you have lying around.

August 4, 2015 4 Comments

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

It’s summer, and what soup says summer better than gazpacho, right? Gazpacho is seriously the perfect summer soup for many reasons. First off, it’s a cold soup, so it’s the perfect soup to sip on a hot summer day or night. Secondly, it doesn’t require you to heat up a stove or oven, which is bonus when it’s 90 plus degrees out. I call it the lazy mans soup because when your tired and famished all you have to do is pull out a batch from the fridge, pour it in a bowl and eat away. It’s also a great weekday soup because it takes under 30 minutes to make, just chop up the fresh ingredients and toss them in a blender! Make a batch in the morning while the kids are eating breakfast, or before you rush off to work, and when you come home all tired from a long day, you dinner will be ready! How nice does that sound?

July 30, 2015 2 Comments

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Dairy free green goddess dressing. This is my dairy free, vegan take on a green goddess dressing. I wanted to create a tasty dairy free version, while focusing on keeping the ingredients ultra clean, so I used a coconut based yogurt @cocojune_organic that doesn’t contain gums, or other ingredients you can’t pronounce.

Comment “green” and I’ll DM you the recipe link.

The result, we love this dressing and have been making it on repeat. I love how creamy and vibrant this dressing is and how it coats each piece of lettuce. I also love how interchangeable the herbs are. You can truly use what you have on hand.

This dressing isn’t just for salads, you can use as a dip for veggies, sweet potato fries, or drizzle over grilled or roasted chicken. The possibilities are endless. 💕

#greengoddessdressing #greengoddesssalad #greengoddess #healthyfood #saladdressing #dairyfreesalad #dairyfreerecipes #vegandressing #vegansalad

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I want to share with you guys a simple lesson about reading ingredients. Here’s my favorite brand of coconut milk, Native Forest. As you can see, they have 2 kinds of the full fat unsweetened coconut milk, one is called simple, and one is classic. The difference here is in the ingredients, one contains guar gum and one doesn’t.

You really want to look at the labels and the ingredients, and not just trust the brand is the same across all products.

I love this Native Forest, Simple, because again it clearly states no quars, and if you look in the ingredients, you’ll see organic coconut milk, organic coconut, filtered water. Simple whole food ingredients, no added fillers, gums, or flavors. You always want to look for a BPA free cans and the USDA organic stamp, which means its certified organic, so there’s no GMO’s, pesticides etc.

What is guar gum, and why is it bad?

Guar gum, which is derived from the guar bean is a thickening agent that can wreak havoc on your digestive system by causing bloating, gas, and discomfort. It can disrupt the delicate balance of your gut microbiome, leading to inflammation and impaired nutrient absorption. It’s also seen a lot in non-dairy creamers or milks.

Was this helpful? If so, let me know in the comments below, 👇 as well as what else you would like to see, or know more about?

#readlabels #readfoodlabels #guargum #guthealth #guthealing #inflammationrelief #antiimflammatory

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Easy buckwheat porridge. If you’re looking to switch up your morning bowl of oats, then give buckwheat a try. It has a chewy texture and mild flavor, that pairs with just about anything.

Comment ‘easy buckwheat’ and I’ll send you the recipe.

This buckwheat porridge is SO EASY to make, and is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan to boot, and the bonus is it takes under 15 minutes to whip up in the morning.

This breakfast is hubby approved. Steve tried this the other day and kept saying, “this is the best breakfast,” “man, this is SO good.” So if I can get my mountain biking, carb loving hubby to happily eat of bowl of this, then I think your family might love this too.

I love topping mine with blueberries, @socotahini and bee pollen!

#buckwheat #buckwheatporridge #buckwheatrecipes #porridgebowl #porridge #porridgelover #breakfastideas #breakfast #healthybreakfast #healthybreakfastclub #healthybreakfastideas

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Rosemary & thyme turkey burgers. These are not your typical dry turkey burgers. The rosemary and thyme paired with the sautéed red onion give these burgers a pop of flavor, and the Dijon and avocado oil pump up the moisture. These burgers are also gluten-free and dairy-free.

Comment ‘turkey burger’ and I’ll DM you the recipe link.

I love topping these burgers on a big green salad and pairing them with my oven roasted sweet potato fries. Delish! #turkeyburger #turkeyburgers #burger #dairyfreeglutenfree #burgers #healthyfood

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These vegan Mexican quinoa bowls have become a weekly staple in our house. They’re naturally vegan, but are full of flavor from the avocado tahini, and spicy chipotle tahini sauce.

Comment ‘vegan bowl’ and I’ll DM you the recipe.

These bowls are also great for those that are on the candida diet.

I ❤️ these bowls because they’re jam packed with plant protein, as quinoa is a complete protein, and beans when paired with the quinoa, make a complete protein too. This bowl is balanced and satisfying from the slow burning carbs, healthy fats, plant protein, and will honestly sustain you for hours.

These bowls are a great weeknight meatless dinner option, as I typically make the sauces ahead of time, (they literally take 5 minutes) so when it comes to dinner time, all I have to do is make the quinoa (takes under 20 minutes) and roast the sweet potatoes. I hope you give these a try, and that they become a go-to meatless dinner.

#candidadiet #candidacleanse #veganbowls #veganbowls #veganrecipes #veganrecipe #vegandinner #vegandinnerideas #healthyfood

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Here’s the perfect snack for those of you trying to cut back on refined sugar. These healthy no bake cacao oat bars are super addicting, once you have a bite, you just can’t stop.

Comment ‘oat bars’ and I’ll DM you the recipe.

The great thing is you don’t have to feel guilty, as these are made with pretty healthy ingredients and are GF, DF and refined sugar free. I love having these on hand for that afternoon, or post lunch craving. They hit the spot perfectly. #healthy #healthysnacks #healthysnackideas #healthysnack #refinedsugarfree #norefinedsugar #healthydesserts #healthydessert #healthydessertrecipes #healthysnackrecipes

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