Why Attend IFBC?

As I am navigating the fields of writing my own blog (again) and for writing articles on other websites, I am challenged with keeping up on the latest blogging, online writing, SEO, photographing steps that the best writers are using.  Maybe you are too...... how can you set yourself apart from the sea of information on the web?  What are some writing or social media skills you would like to improve?

Online writing is an ebb and flow process for me.....it's constantly finding the balance of making money writing for other websites, and also balancing my own writing for my business and pursuits.  I hope to grow in consistency and balance with writing.  What better way to get re-inspired than go to a food blogging conference in Seattle?

IFBC, International Food Blogger Conference, is one of the most organized, beneficial, swag giving conferences I have been too.  I haven't been in a few years, but I am excited to be returning this month for some fun some, writing tips and to re-set my focus.

With award winning authors and photographers leading the information sessions and sponsors like Noosa Yogurt and a Taste of Seattle Gourmet Food Fair, you can imagine the quality of food and information you can take advantage of.

As with any conference, it's all about applying what you learn afterwards, and that's what I truly hope to do after IFBC.  Anyone else attending IFBC or on the fence about it?

 

Brown Rice Pudding and Brown Rice Energy Bars

Ever had a season where you feel unmotivated?  Well, it's been almost 2 months since I wrote a blog.  Oooppsss.......
Seems when a person has other writing obligations that they get paid for, their own blog gets left in the dust.  Feeling the wheels turning again though.  Maybe it's the holidays, extra time on my hands with finals done, early anticipation of New Years resolutions or maybe it was just the brown rice.  Yes, I think it was the rice.  How can that motivate a dietitian/writer/food lover?  Good question.  When you turn "plain" brown rice into something delicious and unique like protein pudding.  Or using them as energy bars.  I love bars.

Let's say you make something the night before, like a stir fry, and have extra leftover brown rice.  What can you do with besides use it for leftovers?  You can use it for these 2 recipes!  If you don't have pre-cooked brown rice on hand, Hinode Rice  has a brown rice microwavable pouch that is really convenient and super fast.  I however used their sprouted brown rice for these recipes.

OK to start with, rice pudding is not on my list of favorite foods.  It's often too sweet for my taste and can be heavy.  However, the recipe below adds protein powder, chia seeds, fruit and NO ADDED SUGAR.  It's also gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, good source of fiber and omega 3's, antioxidants and healthy balance of carbs and protein.  Rock on.  Great for the kids, mornings, hot, cold or post workout.

Brown Rice Protein Pudding

Ingredients

Using my Ninja cooker

1 cup cooked brown rice
2 cups unsweetened soy or almond milk
1/4 c dried or fresh fruit, more for garnish (I used fresh pomegranate)
1 tsp organic vanilla extract

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1-2 tbsp chia seeds
1 scoop protein powder

Zest of orange (optional)

DIrections

1.      Add cooked rice, almond milk, vanilla, chia seeds and cinnamon in a pan. Bring to a boil stiring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Mixture will begin to thicken.

2.      Turn heat down and add protein powder and dried fruit.  Pudding is done when rice is tender and the mixture is the consistency of custard.

3.      Add fruit into rice pudding until heated through.  Top with light dusting of orange zest if using.

4.      Enjoy hot or cold for breakfast or as a healthy snack.

Number of Servings: 2-3

*Variations:

-Use fresh cut apples, add nutmeg with cinnamon

-Use fresh berries and add some fresh mint leaves

-Use chocolate protein powder, add in fresh minced ginger

 Brown Rice Energy Bars

Bars can be a quick snack on the go.  However, packaged bars can be expensive and filled with extra sugar, preservatives and artificial ingredients.  This bar is high fiber, good source of healthy fats and complex carbohydrates.  These bars are also gluten free.

Ingredients
  

1 c cooked brown rice

2/3 c toasted coconut flakes*

½ c nut butter

½ c ground flaxseed

1/4 c chocolate chips

1/3 c honey

1/3 c chopped nuts

¼ c dried fruit (I used dried cherries)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

 

1.      Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed.

2.      Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3.      Wet your hands and form into small bars, a little smaller than your palm.  Bars will be sticky.

4.      Store in refrigerator or freezer for best consistency.  You can wrap them individually and grab one at a time for a snack on the go.

Number of servings: 10

* Toast coconut flakes easily in a pan.  Stir constantly until flakes are light brown. 

If you were like me and seemingly staring at brown rice with no inspiration, look at it from a different angle or perspective.  It just might help you get out of a rut.

Homemade Apple Chips

What do you do with a bunch of potatoes, carrots, Swiss chard, beets and apples?  I received all of these with my bi-weekly delivery of organic fruits and veggies through Mile High Organics this week.  I contemplated how I wanted to use up the apples.......apple crisp, apple pie, bread?  I love eating apples, but I didn't want them to go bad before I could go through them all.  Then I came across an article from Huffington Post- fruit and vegetable chip recipes and saw a recipe for homemade apple chips.  Super easy and healthy.  My mind was made up!

The recipe I used was from Leanne Bakes Blog Spiced Apple Chips.  All you need is apples and ground cinnamon/nutmeg.  No added sugar or oils!  Here's the recipe from Leanne.

Ingredients:

• Any kind of apple, up to you how much (I used about 8 Jonathan apples) 
• Cinnamon to sprinkle
• Nutmeg to sprinkle (I didn't use any just because I didn't have any)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 220F, and line two large baking pans with parchment paper.
2. Using a knife or a mandolin, slice apples as thin as possible. Lay them side by side on a baking sheet, being careful not to overlap.
3. Gently and carefully sprinkle a thin coating of cinnamon on the chips, and follow with a light dusting of nutmeg.  (Some of mine got a lot of cinnamon......and some not so much.  It's ok if they're not equal!)
4. Bake for one hour, flip the slices, and bake for one hour more. Place on a wire cooling rack. Chips will crisp up as they cool.

 I also made chips out of the potatoes, carrots and beets.  I am on a roll.  Up next is Swiss chard!
You can make "chips" out of just about any starchy veggie or fruit.  I added some spices to the potatoes and carrots to add some flavor.  I never thought about making apple or beet chips......try something you have not thought of before.  I already used the potato, beet and carrot chips with a butternut squash hummus; it was a delicious combination!




 

Three cups of Tipu chai tea

There are lots of things I LOVE about fall, and one of them is drinking delicious hot drinks while the air has a slight chill.  I drink plain tea all the time, and I am even starting to (gasp) drink more coffee too.
One of my favorite specialty drinks is chai tea.  Spicy, sweet and delicious.  There are many variations of chai, some more sweet, some more spicy.  Some taste authentic, some taste fake or too sweet.  There's a relatively new company, Tipu's chai, that makes some AMAZING chai blends.  Bipin Patel, the founder of Tipu's, knows chai.  He grew up in Uganda with his Indian family, and his grandmother from Gujarat, India made traditional Indian food and masala chai for his family.  He now lives with his own family in Montana and makes chai products based on his grandmother's recipe.

Tipu's chai offers many different kinds of chai that you can order on their website or find a store/coffee shop that sells it.  I tried 3 varieties of Tipu's: Chai now- all you need is water, Chai now-the simple life and Chai now- sweet and spicy.  All 3 were in a powder form that needed just water and/or milk.  One thing that I like about Tipu's is they use organic, quality ingredients.  There are no artificial ingredients, and you can taste the quality.  You can find Tipu's all over the country.  Denver/Boulder peeps- it is sold at Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage!  Check it out.

Chai Now: All you need is water
This flavor was most like a latte, and very good.  It is made with Indian tea, spices, organic evaporated cane juice and non-GMO soy milk powder.  Since it has soy milk powder, you can still get a latte like consistency even though you only add water.  I thought it was a great blend of sweet and spice!  I think this one was my favorite.

Chai Now: The simple Life
This chai has just Indian microground tea and spices.  There is no sweeteners added.  It is recommended to add to a mix of water and milk with your own sweetener.  I used honey for a sweetener, and I used mostly water with about 2 oz of soy milk for this blend.  For me, this was the least sweet of the 3 flavors.  I personally liked the control of adding my own amount of sweetness and being able to choose what sweetener I wanted.  I want to experiment with stevia or truvia next time to see how sugar free sweeteners work with this blend.

Chai Now: Sweet and Spicy
This is similar to all you need is water flavor, but it doesn't have soy milk powder.  If you are a chai connoisseur and like to blend your own amount of water and milk, this would be a great mix to do this with.  If you want to keep it simple and just use water, chai now all you need is water is the better option.

Health benefits of chai
Chai offers more than just a delicious taste and has awesome some nutrition highlights.  The tea leaves are packed with antioxidants, and may help lower cancer risk.  Spices added like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg have been used for centuries for their health proponents.  They are thought to be beneficial for boosting the immune system and helping with some digestion problems.

Bottoms up to the chai!  Sweet, spicy and healthy.  Note some chai drinks can be high in sugar.  Choosing mixes or drinks that you can add your own sweetener, like Chai Now: the simple life, can cut down on sugar amount.  You can also use less amount of the chai mix and combine with more water/milk than recommended, depending on taste preferences.