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10 Teen-Approved HEALTHY Summer Snacks

Posted on by diamondsonyourinside and currently has Comments Off on 10 Teen-Approved HEALTHY Summer Snacks

Those hungry teenagers eating you out of house and home? Don’t order Dominos just yet! We’ve got a few yummy, homemade ideas to keep them happy on snacks that are filling, fun and most importantly, HEALTHY.


NEED SNACKS NOW? ORDER GREEN BITES, JUICES & SMOOTHIES FOR PICKUP & DELIVERY!


The biggest key to eating healthy is to BE PREPARED! When you hit the grocery store or visit The GEM, pick up these staples to keep on hand for when hunger strikes this summer.

10 Summer Snacks For Hungry & Healthy Teens

  • CHIP DIP STATION! Siete Tortilla chips surrounded with a fun array of dips! Siete also makes an amazing, plant-based queso blanco that is really tasty! Add guacamole, GEM Pico, Rick’s Salsa, and GEM Jalapeno Pesto. Don’t forget our Badass 3 Bean Salad with corn chip dippers, too! 
  • VEGGIE PLATE with carrots, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes. Add a ramekin of our GEM Hummus, Ranch AND Jalapeño Pesto for the best dipping trio. The secret is to douse the carrot medallions and cucumbers with lots of fresh lime juice and sea salt. Don’t skip over this one! It’s magic.
  • SMOOTHIES. Pick up a few frozen smoothie kits from The GEM (our Maui GEM with pineapple, banana, orange and coconut is a crowd pleaser), or make your own at home with this perfectly simple, lightning-fast recipe:
    • Add 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice, 1 frozen banana, 1.5 cup of fruit to the blender and ENJOY! Frozen, organic strawberries and blueberries work best.
  • ITALIAN PLATTER with chunks of parmesan cheese, nitrate free salami (my kids like Naturalissimo Milano style), Milton GF crackers, gherkin pickles, grape tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt, hummus topped with basil pesto. BAM!
  • FROZEN PEANUT BUTTER BANANA SLICES. Sandwich your favorite brand of organic peanut butter in between sliced bananas, then freeze. Dip in melted chocolate for an added treat. 
  • FROZEN GRAPES (Warning: highly addicting snack!). Simply freeze and eat!
  • AVOCADO TOAST sprinkled with cayenne, sea salt, and a little lemon, served on grain bread (Killer Dave’s makes the best!). Cut into quarters. PRO TIP: Let your avocados ripen on the counter, then put in the fridge—they will keep for much longer!
  • GRANOLA PARFAITS. What’s cool about these is you can make a few in small, 6-oz. mason jars and your teens can pop them out whenever they are ready! Here’s how we assemble them: 
    • Begin with a little granola on bottom, layer with plain Greek yogurt—or try an amazing dairy-free, plant-based option like from Kite Hill or Siggi’s. Milk & Patience is local and  has the most amazing vegan yogurts, too!
    • Layer berries. Raspberries, sliced strawberries, blueberries…don’t be shy!
    • Add more granola. One of our favorite granola brands Park Lane Pantry, a local company with amazing flavors—including a new chocolate flavor, too!
    • Top with a drizzle of maple syrup, honey or agave, a little extra fruit, and enjoy! 
  • EDAMAME. Just pour the frozen bag into boiling water for a couple minutes, drain, and add coarse sea salt. Try sprinkling with Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Salt.
  • BONUS SNACK IDEAS! Always have these items on hand for when you find yourself in a pinch:
    • Hard boiled eggs.
    • Nut butter with apples.
    • Organic popcorn made with coconut oil and sea salt.

Give yourself a variety of choices and healthy snacking doesn’t have to be boring. Whether it’s one or two of these each week, make it a habit of stashing a few of these items at the house. The key is to choose healthy snacks that will fill them up and help nourish your teens without adding too many calories. Try and you’ll see—our top ten teen-approved list of healthy summer snacks is sure to make you the hit of the summer snacking frenzy!

Happy Summer Snacking!


It’s Majik, Blue Majik Superfood, You Know

Posted on by diamondsonyourinside and currently has Comments Off on It’s Majik, Blue Majik Superfood, You Know

Something new and something BLUE is shining inside The GEM! Blue Majik is the latest addition to our treasure chest of superfoods! This aptly named magical powder is a certified organic, proprietary extract of an “Aqua Botanical” cultivated from the pristine Klamath Lake in Oregon!

Blue Majik is a nutrient-dense powder made up primarily of Phycocyanin, a powerful antioxidant which quenches free radicals (think rust and ageing). As a result, it detoxes your body and has been shown to be a potent natural COX-2 inhibitor (think anti-inflammatory, even anti-cancer).

In simpler terms, Blue Majik is an elevated version of spirulina.

Much like green spirulina, Blue Majik is full of vitamins such as B12, enzymes, and minerals. It gets its gorgeous bright blue hue from C-phycocyanin, a type of storage protein rich in amino acids. Studies show C-phycocyanin to be rich in antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties.

Blue Majik works wonders in many way but most noteworthy by:

  • Detoxing heavy metals
  • Alleviating sinus issues
  • Boosting metabolic energy
  • Helping to reduce blood pressure
  • Boosting immunity
  • Improving memory

 

Given that it’s essentially an algae, you can imagine that consequently on its own, it’s not that tasty (a little fishy, if we’re being honest). But when mixed in a smoothie, the odd flavor is easily transformed into something AMAZING.

There are lots of ways to add Blue Majik to your daily routine. Try adding it into your Smoothie, CLARITY LEMONADE, Immunity Iced Green Tea, Cashew Milk or any of your own creations!

More Blue Majik

Still unsure how to use it? Don’t worry. We created an amazing new BLUE DIAMOND SMOOTHIE so all you have to do is order one!! It might be one of the tastiest and prettiest smoothies we’ve ever created. Banana, Blue Majik, dates, hemp, maca, almond extract. Mermaids and unicorns be jealous …

So, now you know the magic. Come in today and try it yourself! We are waiting!

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Back to School Part Three – Cleaner Junk Food and Quick Snack Food Ideas

Posted on by diamondsonyourinside and currently has Comments Off on Back to School Part Three – Cleaner Junk Food and Quick Snack Food Ideas

If we look at your pantry right now, would it be laden with the traditional snack items like Doritos, OREOS and General Mills Cereals that we all grew up with?

A toxic storm of chemicals and science lab ingredients. But let’s be realistic. You have to have some junk food in your house. We can’t be perfect all the time. And, quite frankly, do you really want to be??

You don’t, however, have to eat those processed, chemical-laden, GMO riddled snacks! There are so many new alternative brands and organic versions out there.

Fruit Loops, Lunchables, and Cheetos ARE NOT OPTIONS.

I don’t recommend packaged junk food all the time, but we live in the real world. It’s gonna happen. PLUS, if you want your teens to gather at your house, you gotta have some ready to grab snacks!

Give these organic and non-GMO snacks a try.

 

These snack brands do not contain MSG, an ingredient that keeps you going back for more and more. MSG is why many of the GMO snack brands like Doritos are so addictive!!

The key is to BE PREPARED. Make regular trips to the grocery store, with a list of things that will sustain your teens (and their friends) for the week. Or check out these AMAZING delivery apps:

INSTACART – Get deliveries within an hour from Whole Foods, Costco and Central Market.  Awesome!

THRIVE MARKET – Get organic pantry products at great prices!

Don’t wait for them to start rummaging through the kitchen. They will snack on what is in front of them. So have it out on the counter.

Other awesome snack ideas:

  1. Organic popcorn made on the stove top with coconut oil and sea salt. So easy. Tiny But Mighty brand non-GMO popcorn kernels are fantastic.
  2. Sliced cucumbers/carrot rounds marinated in lime juice and sea salt. Don’t underestimate this one!
  3. Tex-Mex rules! Keep grass-fed taco meat ready to go. Always have these in your fridge:
    • Fresh pico, salsa, guac or bean dip. Nachos with pinto beans and organic cheese knock Cheetos out of the park! Make sure your tortillas are without chemical ingredients (say goodbye to Mission brand).
  4. Amy’s Nacho Snacks, Pizza Rolls or Burritos
  5. The GEM hummus with jalapeno pesto. Grab one of our snack packs for on the go!
  6. Keep sunflower seed and pistachios in a bowl on the counter.
  7. Make watermelon slushes in the afternoon. They will love you! How? Tons of watermelon on the bottom of the blender, frozen strawberries, a cup of ice, a peeled lemon or lime. Shazam!!
  8. Mini pizzas made with whole grain English muffins, fresh marinara and organic mozzarella. Whole Foods has great pre-made ones.
  9. Sami’s Cinnamon Chips will disappear at carpool time. Everyone LOVES these high fiber, low sugar (but don’t tell them that) chips. Available at The GEM.
  10. Keep whole wheat pasta ready in the fridge with marinara.
  11. Steam frozen ORGANIC edamame and add sea salt. Costco sells this!!
  12. Popsicles? Try these Austin-based GoodPop® All-Natural Frozen Pops. I love the Watermelon Agave and Coconut Lime Bars!!

 

These are not all super-food healthy snacks – because we don’t always obey the rules. They are, however, CLEAN, free of harmful chemicals and dyes. This is really important to remember when feeding your families. Good luck and … Happy End of Summer!

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