Thrive Butternut Squash perogies & ravioli

Ingredients:
4 Cups Thrive FD Butternut Squash
1 Cup Boiling Water
1 large egg yolk
1 Cup Flour (maybe a bit more) plus extra for rolling
1 tsp Salt
 
We substituted the Wheat flour for a combination of Almond flour and Spelt flour, and I let my girls decide the shapes.
 
In a coffee grinder, grind the squash into a fine powder and pour into a bowl, and add boiling water; stir and let sit a couple of minutes.
 
Add to the egg yolk and salt, and mix well. Add in the flour and blend well. If your dough is still too sticky then you will need to add in more flour; try 2 tablespoons at a time. You want the dough to hold together without sticking to your fingers.
 
You should end up with dry dough that you can scoop out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead this a couple times just to make everything is well combined.
 

We decided that the FD Diced Roast Beef and FD Diced Onion would taste wonderful as a filling, so we just sprinkled it inside. Next time, however, I am going to grind up the filling in our trusty coffee grinder, add a bit of water to make a puree and scoop teaspoon fulls into the shapes. It still tasted fantastic loose, though.
 

This was a lot of fun to make with my girls, and they tasted wonderful! The Butternut squash gave a fantastic taste to our creations and, because the nutrient level of FD food is so high (at least 96%) and it is non GMO, you don't need as much food to fill your stomach.
 

We saved TONNES of preparation time over traditional methods as we didn't have to waste nutrients by boiling potatoes/squash and mash them with a masher - it was quick and easy to get down to the fun part: shaping and building the ravioli or perogies (or crazy log shaped thingies). We will be doing this again!

Macaroon Brownie Bites - just add water!

Ingredients:
Thrive Brownie Mix, Thrive Macaroon Cookie Mix, and water.  Easy.

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

In one bowl, heat 5 Tbsp. of water for 45-60 seconds in the microwave. Add 2 cups of Thrive Brownie Mix. Mix well and let sit for 5 minutes. 

In the other bowl, heat 3 Tbsp. of water for 30-45 seconds in the microwave. Stir in 1 1/2 cups Thrive Macaroon Cookie mix until moistened and creamy. Let sit for 5 minutes. 

Spray the cavities of a 24 cup mini muffin pan with cooking spray. With a small scoop or spoon, fill the cups 1/2 full with brownie batter. Next, scoop a dollop of macaroon mix in the center of the brownie batter about the size of half of a large gumball.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until macaroons turn a golden brown. Let cool and enjoy! Bite sized goodness ready in 20 minutes. 

Check out the brownies and macaroons here:
https://shanna.thrivelife.com/all-products/thrive-foods/desserts.html

Easy Nachos with FD mango salsa, FD sour cream, and FD taco TVP

This is the first attempt at sour cream. I used very hot water, stirring in a bit at a time, then let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours. It has a nice taste to it, but different from store bought sour cream. You can add lemon juice to suit your taste, but I loved it as it without the lemon.

Taco TVP (meatless, made from soy flour) was rehydrated with hot water just before serving. It tasted wonderful, zippy and zesty just like taco meat. TVP is currently unergoing certification to be labelled non GMO.

Mango salsa is another Thrive recipe that we have enjoyed before. FD mango, FD red pepper, FD chopped onion, FD green onion, FD green chili's, FD celery, and FD cilantro.
This was all so fantastic and so easy to make with Thrive!

Green Perogies made from Thrive Freeze Dried Food

I have participated in Perogy Bee's before and watched (while pinching perogies) as large groups of men spent literally *hours* peeling potatoes, boiling potatoes, mashing potatoes, then repeat for all the different fillings. In 50 minutes, from start to finish, my 5 year old and I made 3 dozen perogies plus a huge bowl of "pasta bits". 

Being the creative people we are, we made our perogies green for St. Patrick's day - the dough was made by grinding up freeze dried butternut squash, spinach, broccoli, and whole eggs....then added water, and spelt flour (we are a wheat free household).

The filling was made by grinding up freeze dried cooked roast beef, chopped onions, and cauliflower...then adding water. 
 

It was literally that easy. Once we ran out of filling, we made the executive decision to make "pasta bits" - we just rolled out the dough and cut it into any shape we wanted (I didn't take a picture of this). I realize these aren't the ingredients in traditional pasta, but this works too.

 
Life shouldn't be difficult.... we shouldn't have to peel, boil and mash. Thrive....it's easier and healthier for you

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes made from freeze dried food

Mashed potatoes. ...boost vegetable content by adding freeze dried cauliflower and diced onion to your freeze dried potatoes....the kids will never know
 

Use your clean coffee grinder to finely grind equal parts FD cauliflower and potatoes, then add in FD diced onion. Pour boiling water overtop and add milk, butter, and salt to taste. Garnish with Freeze Dried Chives. My 7 year old said that these were the *best* mashed potatoes!

You may have to "wean" your family onto adding this much cauliflower by just adding an extra 1/4 cup cauliflower each time you make these...my family is used to it at this point.

A lot of people recommend the dehydrated potato beads for making the ultimate mashed potatoes, as shown in Chef Todd's recipe at http://www.thrivelife.com/c/kitchen/recipe/loaded-mashed-potatoes .....but I like to cook simply and efficiently....and not dirty that many dishes
One day I will try the beads!!

For now, the freeze dried potatoes are easier.... check them out here:
https://shanna.thrivelife.com/potato-dices-freeze-dried.html

Mayonnaise recipe using freeze dried eggs

I made MAYONNAISE! Yes, I did. It was way easier and quicker than I thought it would be....and really yummy! Here's how:

1 Tbs plus 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Thrive Whole Powdered Eggs (reconstituted)
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Mustard
3 drops Stevia
3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Use a hand blender to blend the apple cider vinegar with eggs, salt, mustard and stevia. Pulse several times until everything looks well blended.

With the blender running add the oil in a THIN stream. It is important to add the oil very slowly so that it will properly emulsify and stay that way. If the mayonnaise becomes too thick it can be thinned out by adding small amounts of water, a little at a time. 

Since this mayonnaise does not contain any preservatives it will keep in the refrigerator for only about five days.

More information on the freeze dried Whole Eggs here:
https://shanna.thrivelife.com/whole-eggs-1.html

Mango Strawberry Fruit Roll-ups made from Freeze Dried nonGMO food

All natural, non-GMO candy for your kids - takes about 3 minutes to prepare and 3 hours to bake. So easy, and you can easily hide similarly-colored vegetables in there.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 175ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2. Puree the mango and strawberry by grinding the freeze dried fruit in a coffee grinder, and adding water.
 

3. Spread the purée as flat and as evenly as possible until it's about 1/8-inch thick.
 

4. Bake the purée for 3 to 4 hours. The fruit roll-ups are done when the purée is dry to the touch and pliable. If the bottom side of the roll-ups is still wet after a couple of hours, flip the roll-ups over and continue baking them until they are fully dried.
 

5. Remove the roll-ups from the oven. Place a piece of wax paper on top of the roll-ups and then peel off the wax paper and the roll-ups together. Cut the sheet into long strips and then roll up the strips.
 
Since there are no preservatives in these roll-ups, they would be best eaten within a few days (with the most nutrients), and last up to 5 days in the fridge.

 

Check out all the Thrive fruits that are available:

https://shanna.thrivelife.com/all-products/thrive-foods/fruits.html

Freeze Dried Chicken Salad with Grapes

Sometimes I forget that I have fresh chicken in my pantry - and the chicken still fresh for 1 year after the can is opened! Awesome. That's perfect for a forgetful mama like me.
Tonight, I whipped up my super-easy 2 minute Thrive mayonnaise to make my totally awesome chicken salad for my girl's school lunches.

Freeze dried chicken, FD onions, FD celery, and crumbled up FD red seedless grapes with a little bit of salt and my preservative-free mayonnaise makes for a fantastic lunch! 

I never thought I would be making this kind of food from scratch because it always looked like so much work! But it is *so* easy with Thrive... even for this lazy cooking mama.

 
No more labor intensive perogy bees or making dozens of freezer meals (where you lose 40%+ nutrients in the freezing process) - pure nutrition will be served here! I can easily show you how to incorporate Thrive into your daily regime. If I can do it, you can do it. 

More information on the chopped chicken here:
https://shanna.thrivelife.com/freeze-dried-chopped-chicken.html

Beef, vegetables and cheddar cheese instant dinner

Instant dinner...prep time = 1-2 minutes.

One of the many reasons why I love Thrive is the quick preparation time for a meal that tastes like it was in the slow cooker for hours.

Just add boiling water to FD cheddar cheese, FD diced beef, FD peas, FD cauliflower, and FD chives....and you have a healthy dinner. The beef is just like steak...it is all so tasty! This IS our fast food!
  
ANY freeze dried food can be instantly warmed up with boiling water for immediate consumption (any meat based dinner meal), or instantly chilled with chilled water (for salsas, spinach dips, etc.).  Check out all the Thrive foods available at https://shanna.thrivelife.com/home

Veggie Snacks with Coconut Oil and Sea Salt

This was the most incredible crunchy snack recipe that I have made so far....hubby was grabbing handfuls of it (and he doesn't even like vegetables)!

Combine freeze dried vegetables onto a cookie sheet. Melt 1/4 - 1/2 cup coconut oil, and drizzle overtop of unrehydrated veggies, trying to get oil over all veggies. Sprinkle a bit of Himalayan Sea Salt or other favorite seasonings (garlic, onion, etc). Bake at 225 for 15 minutes while stirring every 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them so they don't burn. Let cool and enjoy!

More information on all freeze dried vegetables here:  
https://shanna.thrivelife.com/all-products/thrive-foods/vegetables.html 
I recommend only using freeze dried vegetables for this recipe, not the dehydrated.  Dehydrated vegetables require 10-15 minutes of boiling time to regain their shape  before eating.

Pomegranate Yogurt Salad Dressing recipe

Mix equal parts (1-2 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar (you could use balsamic, if you want), and pour over 1/4 cup freeze dried pomegranate yogurt bites. Let the bites dissolve into the liquid, stirring as necessary.....or, put the entire mix in a sealable container, put the lid on, and shake until the yogurt bites are dissolved.  Dressing is ready!

I used the dressing as a mayo substitute in my chicken salad mix (FD chopped chicken, FD celery, FD onion, and a dash of salt).  Most of the yogurt bites would make a wonderful chicken salad dressing: strawberry, blueberry, passionfruit would all taste wonderful with chicken.

Yogurt bite dressing would also make a wonderful pasta salad mix, and a fantastic addition to a traditional leafy green salad.  Check out all the freeze dried yogurt bites here:
https://shanna.thrivelife.com/catalogsearch/result/?order=relevance&dir=desc&q=yogurt

Parmesan Vegetable Bread - grain free recipe

Parmesan Vegetable Bread
Prep time: 4 mins
Bake time: 40 mins

After my successful venture into cauliflower pizza crust, I wondered if broccoli and zucchini would have the same fantastic taste....they do!!
Following the same basic process as the pizza crust (posted 2 days ago), I ground up about 1 cup each of FD broccoli, FD zucchini, and FD butternut squash.....if desired, add FD onion to the mix. 

Rehydrate the powders and add 2 tbsp FD whole eggs (equivalent to 2 eggs), FD chives and sea salt. Mix in a generous amount of Parmesan cheese (if desired).
  

"Grease" a cookie sheet with coconut oil, and spread the mixture until it was about 1/4inch thick.
Bake for 20 mins at 350, flip the bread, and bake for an additional 20 mins. Use as pizza crust, spread pesto or hummus, or enjoy as is.
  

My kids loved this bread....even the zucchini-hating child loved it. I wonder what other vegetables I can sneak into this bread.... 

Check out all the vegetable options here:

https://shanna.thrivelife.com/all-products/thrive-foods/vegetables.html

Thrive Freeze Dried Cauliflower Pizza recipe

Thrive Cauliflower Pizza! This was so yummy, and perfect for those looking to add more vegetables to your menu.
Prep time: 5 mins
Baking time: 50-55 mins

Vegan Pizza Crust Ingredients
1.5 cups Thrive FD cauliflower
1 cup Thrive FD butternut squash
3 tablespoons flax seeds
6 tablespoons water
½ cup almond meal
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Thrive FD oregano

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a coffee grinder, grind FD cauliflower and butternut squash, then rehydrate in a bowl so that it makes a dense paste texture (too much water will result in a crumbly crust).

Mix together 2 tablespoons of flax seeds with 6 tablespoons of water, to create a vegan “egg.” Set aside and allow the mixture to thicken.

In the butternut squash/cauliflower bowl, add in the vegan egg mixture, almond meal, additional tablespoon a ground flax, salt, garlic and FD oregano. Stir well to mix, then press the mixture into the parchment-lined baking sheet, keeping the crust about ¼-inch thick. For best results, press the crust together firmly, making sure that there are no “thin spots” where it might crack.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and dry to the touch.

You could use this pizza crust as is, but it won’t be firm enough to lift with your hands. For best texture, I recommend using an additional piece of parchment paper to flip the entire pizza crust, then returning it to the pan to bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Once the crust is firm and dry, add your favorite sauce and pizza toppings and return to the oven briefly to let everything heat up, about 5-10 additional minutes. At my girl's request, I added Thrive tomato powder as a sauce and Thrive FD cooked roast beef, FD diced onion, FD mozzarella cheese, and FD cheddar cheese.
 

Enjoy!!

What vegetables are you going to use to make your pizza crust?
https://shanna.thrivelife.com/all-products/thrive-foods/vegetables.html

Thrive Strawberry Summer Salsa recipe

Ingredients
1 cup Thrive freeze dried Strawberries
1 cup Thrive freeze dried Mango
1/4 cup Thrive freeze dried Onion
1/2 tablespoon Thrive cilantro

1 tablespoon of honey

(to taste) Thrive freeze dried Green Chili Peppers
(optional) the juice of 1 lime

Directions
Add all ingredients in a bowl, rehydrate with a bit of cold water and stir until flavors are blended. serve with tortilla chips or on baguettes, best served fresh. Enjoy!

More information on the strawberries here:
https://shanna.thrivelife.com/freeze-dried-strawberries.html

(picture courtesy Six Sisters)