Thank you Oasis Advanced Wellness for this comprehensive image of the health benefits of beets!
Beets are by far my favorite vegetable to juice. They are sweet, delicious, and dripping with nutritious goodness. I often combine them with carrots, dandelion, parsley and mint (sometimes I add an apple or two) to make a tasty and healthy drink. Please share your favorite recipes whether juiced, blended, cooked, or chopped!
As these are the “dog days” of summer, I decided to try a new recipe from Nouveau Raw.
Ice cream! And not just regular ice cream, rawtastic vegan ice cream! The following recipe and photos are all courtesy of Nouveau Raw. I left out the fudge because I simply did not have enough time to make it. Enjoy!
Ingredients for the ice cream base:
Preparation:
These are made from Honey Ginger and Peach Chocolate Fudge Bars. I rolled the dough into little balls and froze them while the ice cream was in the machine doing its magic.
After the ice cream was done in the machine, I moved it to a bowl and stirred in the Honey Ginger and Peach Chocolate Fudge balls.
I then transferred it to a glass dish to prepare it to go into the freezer.
Pure chocolate, hazelnut and chai BLISS. I credit the recipe and photos (I devoured the results before thinking to take a picture) to Nouveau Raw, a great source for easy and delicious raw recipes including many sweets treats.
As a trial run, I cut the recipe into 1/4, making about 2-4 brownies. Where the ingredients call for chai tea bags, merely empty the contents of the packet into the mixture. I took a tablespoon of a loose leaf chai and ground it up into a fine powder with mortar and pestle before incorporating it into the batter.
Ingredients: Makes 12-24 brownies
Preparation:
Fresh, green, delicious, and above all, simple.
I bought Paul Risse’s first ebook this afternoon. Skimming through the recipes and his direct approach to living raw, I find myself reawakened by the ease in which he writes, lives and enjoys all pleasures of life.
I am a cynic from the northeast tramping around Manhattan for the better part of most of my days. While I love raw food, I am turned off by the spirituality of many raw food spokespeople and I know others feel the same. This has caused me to steer clear of many YouTube channels and blogs. I do not share in their divine, otherworldly tendencies. It seems every little snack or juice turns into a transcendental experience.
Paul is one of the few I can listen to without rolling my eyes and fast forwarding to the recipes. Even the spiritual nonsense. It may have to do with how devastatingly handsome he is and my kindergarten crush, especially with his new sexy clean cut hair. Regardless of his charm and good looks, he has sensibility. The man lives in Stephenville, Texas. Enough said.
I digress. The ebook is marvelous and more than worth the $14.99. Recipes are clear, concise and easy to follow. Most do not require exotic ingredients or complex preparation, but are designed after Paul’s simple day-to-day life. They also look incredibly delicious! My eyes feasted on full page photos of bright colored fruits and luscious entrees.
Paul has a knack for creating tasty meals from the simplest of ingredients. I highly recommend it for any new raw foodie or veteran looking for some fresh ideas.
The ebook may be ordered here.
Bright, clear eyes, vibrant flush of the cheeks, energetic spirit, and a natural, healthy, glow. The essence of radiance.
As my diet has begun to shift in the direction of purer and cleaner, I have also begun to incorporate techniques that promote a natural well-being on the outside focusing on the skin and hair. A clean diet is the first step, free of animal products and processed chemicals. Cleaning out the inside will naturally promote a fresh exterior, but this can be thwarted by layering harsh chemicals and questionable ingredients onto our skin which readily absorbs all we feed it.
In order to speed up the purification process (my New York minute attitude cannot handle much of a wait) the substitution with all-natural bath and beauty products as well as the addition of homeopathic techniques has transformed my daily rituals. Here I will focus on evenings.
As the evening winds down for sleep, I begin my ritual with a steaming mug of chamomile tea and a good book. Sipping for fifteen, twenty, thirty minutes, until I find sleepiness taking over and the urge to conclude my reading. I take my time. Linger and enjoy. Savor the relaxing moment of each evening, because with each rising sun comes another 8-12 hours of tedious work and complex dilemmas.
Next step: Dry brushing. This is something I recently picked up and initially hated. The brush felt course and almost painful against my skin and I did not notice any effects that made the process worthwhile. However, after about a week my skin grew to love the feel of the course bristles and it looked brighter and felt silky soft.
Beyond supple skin, dry brushing promotes circulation of the lymphatic and circulatory systems which work to remove toxins from the body. This can also diminish the appearance of cellulite. This is a wonderful addition to your morning routine as it stimulates the body and wakes you up. Be sure to brush towards the heart, movement can be seen below. I use a natural plant fiber brush I purchased at Whole Foods. Steer clear of synthetic fiber as irritation may ensue.
Next Step: Warm shower. After dry brushing, your pores are awake and alive. Keep the shower warm rather than hot. I step into the warm stream and allow the water to course down my back and relax my muscles, washing away the grime and environmental hazards of the day before massaging my body with Dr. Bronner’s Almond Castile Soap, my preferred scent as it is light and sweet. I also occasionally use this as a shampoo as it is wonderful for giving body and thickness though it can occasionally leave the hair feeling dry. I am currently using Nature’s Gate Tee Tree shampoo and conditioner. It is not ideal, but it leaves my hair shiny and feeling silky.
I conclude my shower with a burst of icy water before quickly retreating to the warmth of a fresh towel made from organic bamboo.
Next Step: Hydrate. While my skin is still damp, I apply a generous amount of cold-pressed organic coconut oil from head to toe, even lightly on my face, and allow it to soak in while I brush my teeth with Tom’s of Maine and floss. I even apply a little oil to my eyelashes. This helps to condition them for thicker and healthier lashes. I give my body another good rubdown for optimal absorption before easing between the sheets to escaping reality and slip gently into oblivion.
Images courtesy of Google.
Yesterday and today were about the same. Lots of water in the mornings and a delicious peach, banana and mango smoothie with coconut milk for lunch.
Yesterday I stuck with more water and tea for dinner. I simply was not feeling food. I had an incredible amount of energy and did a lot of at home exercises with dumbbells and my yoga mat.
I woke up today feel light and healthy and a little bit sore. I did go to the gym today for an hour-long yoga class, about 25 minutes of interval training on the treadmill, and a whole bunch of machines working every muscle till they fatigued. I came home to a small cup of butternut squash soup and some sliced tomato with balsamic vinegar. Yum!!
Also, I completely forgot the weigh-in I was supposed to do Monday! I ended up doing it Tuesday and hit 135lbs!! So a 5lbs loss so far despite my little misbehavior around Christmas. Final day of accountability is Saturday. Going to keep up my good habits and weigh in Saturday morning before I consume mass amount of alcohol.
Monday began with a bagel with Earth Balance spread. Not good. It continued with nothing but water till evening when I had a little bit of left over pasta my parents brought home and some tea. Also not good. Definite lack of anything with nutrients or color.
Today was much better. I began with a smoothie. A delicious combination of peaches, banana, spirulina and water. I ran out of my usual coconut milk and found a can of Goya coconut cream. I didn’t use it. NEVER buy this. It is not natural. It is the water from a coconut with enough sugar and crap added to create a sticky and disgustingly sweet syrup. Stay far, far away.
I drank my smoothie around lunch time so I skipped food until evening. My parents and I went out to a local Turkish restaurant. I had a piece of bread with baba ghanoush and a smoked eggplant dish with some spicy rice and roasted tomatoes and peppers.
Goals for tomorrow are to maintain mainly liquids except for a big salad at some point during the day. I feel the need to cleanse after so many grains.
School concluded for the semester on Wednesday and work gave employees an 11 day holiday starting today. First full day of freedom. It was beautiful. I slept till 10AM (unheard of!) and took my dog for a two-hour walk/run to the reservoir. Along the way we met two very angry geese, two deer, one of which was eating a huge hunk of pumpkin, and a whole bunch of dogs out for a midday stroll.
Breakfast: Before I left for my walk, I made a quick strawberry and banana smoothie with coconut milk. Delicious and refreshing. It is always great to start the day with fruit.
Lunch: A delicious salad of mixed baby greens and baby kale, chopped cucumber, golden beets and pear, raw pecans (“candied” with a little maple syrup and cinnamon). The dressing was made with a teaspoon of raw honey, about 3 tablespoons of apple sauce, dash of cinnamon, about two tablespoons apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. It came out a little thick so I added a splash of water to thin it out.
Dinner: I made the mistake of not preparing a dinner for myself. Instead I ended up munching a bit. I began with a kiwi before moving on to a few rye Triscuits, all the while making a coconut flan for my family. It can be difficult to make a delicious dessert that I know I should not be eating. I did manage to resist. All except for one little taste test at the end.
Long, long day, but my first day free of school! For four weeks anyway. Also learned today that the two more accounting courses I thought I needed for my CPA are covered by classes I took as part of my Bachelors. Great news as it saves me the time and effort as well as about $2500.
Breakfast: Mango smoothie with coconut milk and a banana. I also had a very large caffeinated tea this morning. It was required to make it through the work day after living on so little sleep this week due to finals.
Lunch: Usual salad at work with baby greens, cucumber, celery, asparagus, craisins and walnuts.
Dinner: 2 tangerines (delicious) and a kiwi. All perfectly ripe and tasty. As you can see I’m starting to run out of food and due for a Whole Foods trip this weekend.
Three tests then more Christmas shopping. Forgive me for being brief, but I am incredibly tired.
Breakfast: Mango smoothie. Simply mango and water.
Lunch: Big salad with baby lettuce, cucumber, these tiny little yellow tomatoes, raw pepitas, chopped raw pecans, 3 chopped dates, 1/2 of an avocado, fresh squeezed lemon juice for dressing.
Dinner: A meal my mother made for me of carrots, string beans and vegan zucchini pancakes. Enjoyed a glass of Soylicious Coconut Egg Nog for dessert.
Have a great night!
Avventura 