Rich Choconana Shake

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! yes, I am awake for sure:-) Today I had a rich choconana shake for breakfast. I was going to make some fresh almond mylk (stole this spelling from Alexa) and have it with my yummy G-raw-nola but then I decided to make this shake when I spied my fresh looking bananas. Thing is, I still have about 1 cup of almond mylk left...

This is so very delicious and rich, so rich that one of those glasses was enough. Nina came up with the idea of making these yummy Choconana squares with the remainder of the shake. We sprinkles it with some raw cacao nibs for visual and some crunchiness. If we choose we can always blend it again and make a shake, eat it as is, or simply let it thaw a bit to have it as ice cream, however we have it, it's going to be yummy-delicious.

So here's the recipe for my Cinnamon Almond Mylk:

2 cups of almonds, soaked overnight and rinsed

4 cups of water

1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean

6 mejool dates, pitted

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Blend till liquefied and put mixture through a nut milk bag or cheese cloth to separate mylk from almond pulp. Makes a creamy rich mylk.

...and for the Rich Choconana Shake:

2 cups almond mylk

4 ripe bananas, frozen or fresh if you don't have frozen
1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1 heaping Tbsp of raw cacao powder or carob powder

1 tsp coconut butter

Blend, pour into glasses and sprinkle with some raw unsweetened coconut shreds.

~B~

DAY 49 FYR TESTIMONIAL--Anne Shu

Hello My name is Anne. I have always been somebody who loves food but the problem was that I never ate the right foods and never in the right portions. I would go overboard a lot of times when I see so much food especially during the Holidays, when all I did was eat, sleep, browse the internet and watch TV. Well, I never had a problem with my self or thought to myself that I ever had to do something about my eating habits. But a wake up call came to me at the end of 2008/beginning of 2009.
Making some magic in the kitchen

Christmas 08/New year 09 was one of those Holidays where I over did it with food. Every where that I went there was food in abundance, all kinds of meats and greasy foods that make you gain all the pounds. When school resumed in '09 many of my friends were saying " My goodness Anne, you have put on some pounds" I looked at myself in the mirror and I almost did not recognize myself. There were rolls of fat around my belly( I don't know how much weight I gained because I hardly ever used to weigh myself but I could feel it) At that moment I said to myself, Anne you definitely got some work to do. So I started hitting the gym and trying to eat in smaller portions ( But not necessarily the right foods), I lost some weight guaranteed, I left from about 153 to 146 but when I went travelled for spring break and came back, I realised that I gained almost all the weight that I had lost. I then decided at that moment I had to try a different approach. I always had Bernice as one of my friends on Facebook, so one day when I was scrolling on her page, I saw all these workouts she was doing and all the recipes she had and how fit she looked and I thought to myself, I think this lady can help me.

I got great recipes from FYR and also became very creative on my own

So I joined the Forever Young Revolution program, and if I have to explain what FYR did for me, it will take another two pages. But to make it short and sweet ( Although I have already written so much, lol), FYR taught me how to eat healthy and live healthy without making it so hard. The first thing I did when I joined FYR was the 21 Day Detox program and boy did it do wonders for me! During that program I lost a good 12 lbs and it was so easy because all I had to do was eat healthy and day by day I was feeling lighter. Plus the motivation just kept me going. I can say Bernice is one of the best nutritionist and coaches you can have because she took me every single step of the way and always answered my questions when I needed help and what I have achieved today is unbelievable. I have lost 25 lbs being on FYR lifestyle and I have left from a size 9/10 to a size 4/5. I just feel lighter and better about myself.


I still love food but the difference is that I eat healthier than what I did before and I appreciate what it does for my body plus there is no fear of gaining any weight if you live the FYR lifestyle.

BEFORE AND AFTER

To anybody out there who thinks they cant do it, be inspired by this testimonial. It all starts with a positive mind. Once you do that, try this program and you will not regret it.

Just Enjoying My New Lifestyle

Everything is possible to those who believe and hardwork pays off in the end. Forever Young Revolution ROCKS!!!

ANNE SHU

Day 35 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

My Rich Fudge Brownies with Hazelnut Sauce

Can you believe it's day -35? Well, there is something I must say, cooked food is very addictive. The other night I tried some of my husband's vegan baked-zitti and after two spoonfuls I found myself wanting more. I had to restrain myself, because I realized what was happening; cooked food is addictive! and I, Bernice, definitely don't want to go back to that. I also realized that the food tasted different on my tongue. It felt like, well, it didn't give me the great taste that raw foods, especially my greens, gives me. It is almost as if I could feel the lack of nutrient whereas with raw foods every time I eat I feel like I am adding oxygen to my body, there is a freshness in the chlorophyll that leaves you very satisfied and quenched, lol, ok I know that didn't help but that is as close as I can describe the feeling.
Yesterday I had a whole oatmeal for breakfast, the recipe for this delicious raw breakfast is on a previous day, feel free to cruise around. I made a big bowl of my kale salad for lunch, I think I am addicted to this salad, it is just that good and the pine nuts make it very tasty. Today am going to make my Asian cabbage salad or maybe a tasty raw coleslaw, yes, why nut? lol, did you see that? I wrote "why nut?". Nuts are wonderful and very versatile. I still have some cheesecake and that will be my desert for tonight. I am still waiting for the raw cacao butter I ordered so I can do a white chocolate cheesecake and invent some more recipes for you all to try.
I also wanted to point out that I have added some affiliate sites to my blog and if you need to order something you can do it from the link here, it will help me make some spare change, lol. I am hoping to add more as time goes on. Eventually there will be some FYR apparel for those who'll like to support the blog and all FYR efforts.

I am also happy to announce that I donated a a poem to the children's orphanage in Haiti. The kids made the banana leaf cards by hand and every card you buy (I wrote all the words to the card) will be a double gift as the profits will go back to support the children in the orphanage. If you feel inclined to give, please do so by clicking on this link :http://web2.accureg.com/PiggyInk/ProjCur.aspx

Here's the recipe for the famous Rich Chocolate Brownie I promised you:

Chocolate Fudge Brownie:
1 cup walnut
5 mejool dates, pitted
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Blend all ingredients in a food processor with an 'S' blade till it's fine and start to ball up. Press into a square pan and freeze for 1 hour. Cut into desired squares and enjoy with a fresh glass of raw almond milk. YYYYYYYUUUUUUUMMM. This is the easiest desert recipe. i added some chopped macadamias to half of mine to give it a white chocolate speckled illusion.

Have a blessed day.

~B.

Day 30 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

Photo by Nina Lakota

DAY 30! Why do I feel sad then? why? I think I know why. With every other diet I've tried before--even though I'd enjoy the journey--I welcomed the last day just so I could go back to eating some of the things I used to crave or eat. With every other diet I have done before, there was a starting and an ending date and I liked the ending part more because I had some addictions to cater to but with the raw food, I don't want it to end. There is nothing better to go back to, no cravings to satisfy, nothing at all. I am fully and completely satisfied and alive. So I am telling you now that this is not the end for I have found something that works perfectly for me.

I Love Me (Ode to eating RAW)

I don't want to go back to the days of eating so much and yet feeling empty,
days of eating non-foods that weigh me down and make me lose my shine,
days of eating foods and feeling them like dead-weight in my belly; just sitting there and waiting too long and finally putrefying and giving me horrible gas and bloating.
I don't want to go back to days of feeling drugged after eating and all I wanted to do was sleep.
I don't want to eat red meat or pork or chicken or fish; I want to live and let live.
I do not need any dairy, hydrogenated foods or high fructose corn syrup;
the only high I'm getting is that which I get from being healthy and alive
I want to fight to keep the PH of my body more alkaline and avoid dis-ease.
I love eating RAW.
I love feeling light and airy; I love soaring and gliding.
I love the glow on my face and the peace in my hips.
The laughter in my bones and the quietness of my gut.
I like the shine in my hair and the swagger in my steps,
the light that makes people smile back at me,
the friendliness and thoughtfulness of my mind.
The better person I am,
the cheerful wife and mother and sister and daughter and friend.
I love me
I love me enough to eat and live more green
because contrary to what they say, the grass on my side is greener and perfectly so!
(I'm sure I'll perfect this more and more as time goes on)

Copyright© 2009 by Bernice Angoh

Today is a wonderful day and since starting this lifestyle I have lost 18 pounds but gained something much more;
I have gained wings to fly as high as I want,
I have gained peace with humanity,
I have gained understanding of body and soul
I have gained more love than I can hold
I have gained a chance to live a far better life than I was taught
a life of abundance promised by a man called Jeshua
I have found the child I once was...
what a wonderful day it is.

Are you tired of me yet?lol I hope not. I hope this inspires you to incorporate more greens and raw foods into your lifestyle. Even if you have to start with dedicating 2-3 days of the week to eating raw/vegan, that will make a tremendous difference in your health. Whatever you do, add more greens, they are good for you. Green is the color of life. Don't you want life?

I am celebrating my Day 30 with an original recipe, a kale salad, I will put that up tomorrow for you to enjoy. Maybe later I will make some chocolate mousse desert, we'll see. Just know that the journey hasn't ended...I will put up more and more recipes as I learn more and more.
I have some very interesting things to share with you tomorrow about animal protein, ah, the things we don't know...I will leave you with something I wrote a few days ago.

The Story of the Seed

Out of the goodness of His hands
You were created from the Light
There in the warm soil you dwell
Bearing storms, weeds and bugs
Till you find a way to breathe and form
Sprouting forward, you shoot like a comet
Tenderly and lovingly I gaze at you “Hey there you! took you long enough.”
Like a parent, protective and nurturing, I become.
And then comes your first kiss and it’s nothing like mine
Kissed by the sun—golden!
Ripened with talents and fruits, you’ve finally come into your own
Swaying your green fringes in the wind
You are the lovely ballerina of the valley.
I am beautifully and fearfully made. You say to me
Eat of me and be merry. I come with abundance, I come to
Give you life.

And to this I reply:

“Out of the Light you’ve come to bring me comfort and joy. At this meal in which I partake with body, mind and soul, I take thee to heart and with all the gratitude I have in me, I give you thanks. You will bless my soul with the wholeness of you, ease my pain with the fullness of you, heal my body with the goodness of you and purify my spirit till I become the light—the Light of the world, a perfect reflection of my Creator. Amen.”

Copyright© 2009 by Bernice Angoh

Day 27 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS: WALDROF SALAD WITH ALMOND MAYONNAISE

"Nothing will benefit health and increase chances of survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetable based diet."--Albert Einstein

Waldrof Salad with Almond Mayonnaise

Salad:

2.5 crisp organic apples, seeded and nicely diced
2 cups of red seedless grapes (you can use green if you like)
1 cup of nicely diced celery
1 cup chopped walnut, soaked and rinsed and re-dried
1-2 pears, nicely diced
1 cup of thinly sliced green cabbage
put all in a bowl and set aside

Almond Mayonnaise:
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of soaked almonds, rinsed
1/2 tsp yellow mustard powder
2-3 tsps of agave nectar or honey
1/2 tsp of salt to taste juice of 2 lemons

Blend all until smooth and add just a little bit of water to facilitate blending process. Pour over bowl of prepared salad, mix evenly and ENJOY! YOU CANNOT RESIST THIS ONE. AND IT WON"T LAST MORE THEN TWO DAYS...

Day 18 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS: My Finger-Licking Lasagna

Apart from the first two to three days that seem to go one forever, the rest of the days on the raw food lifestyle has a been a total breeze and an amazing high. My husband told me something I hadn't thought about today, he said "Baby, raw food preparation comes more easily to you than doing cooked food." He is absolutely right. I love preparing raw foods; playing with recipes and ingredients is such a great hobby of mine now.

I started my day with 20 minutes of circuit training with Jillian Michaels. She makes me sweat and I like that. I have been in the Kitchen all day today playing with recipes and I made a raw/vegan burger with french fries which Nina completely devoured, lol. Rick loved it as well and the plate of my finger-licking lasagna was gone in a flash! My, my,my, do we have some tasty eaters in this house. It feels great to make food that people love to eat, especially children.

I came up with this interesting cheese recipe, all by taste, and it blended great with the other ingredients in the lasagna. If you go down to Day 13, you will find the recipe of the Marinara sauce I used today. I have also discovered the great taste of pesto. It is incredibly easy to make as well. I like to use it for appetizers and as a dipping sauce. You can also eat it with julienned veggies, and as a stuffing for many side dishes. Whew! I am loving my life big time.

Here is my recipe:

Marinara Sauce:
Scroll down to Day 13 for recipe. Set aside.

Pesto:
2 cups of fresh basil
1 cup pine nuts
4 garlic cloves
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 -1 tsp salt (as desired)

Blend in food processor until smooth and set aside.

Cheese:
1 cup raw cashew
1/3 cup of pine nuts
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp lemon juice, fleshly squeezed
1/4 cup water
1Tbsp olive oil

Blend all together until smooth and set aside.

Using the flat blade of a mandolin or a vegetable slicer, cut peeled zucchini into flat strips. I used 1 zucchini.

Wash and strip leaves of two stalks of rainbow chard and set aside. You may also use spinach leaves but I had none today.

First, place the leaves of rainbow chard on plate. Then start layering the zucchini into a matted pattern. When that is done alternate between spread of cheese sauce first, pesto sauce and then marinara. Add some spinach leaves or chopped up chard leaves on the marinara and then place zucchini strips again. Then add cheese sauce, pesto and marinara. Continue process over and over till you obtain 3-4 layers. Garnish with some sprouts and serve as is. By far my favorite lunch or dinner recipe. Very delicious and filling. Enjoy!

~B

Day 14 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE READS...WITH A GLASS OF CANTALOUPE SMOOTHIE

Whew! Sorry for posting this late today. I have been very, very busy. Just came back from the whole foods market with lots of stuff for the coming week's menu. I can hardly wait to make some raw/vegan sushi. I think my mom will be pleased that I no longer eat raw fish, lol. I also bought some raw cashews for next week's Alfredo sauce. The fresh basil I got will be used for some pesto I will be adding to my lasagna, YUM! I never liked lasagna (except for my mother in-law's which is TASTY) but now I get to make my own raw lasagna. That will be an experience. For smoothie veggies I got, parsley (I love parsley), arugula, rainbow chard, kale(yes), spinach (a must) and some endive (this is packed with B vitamins). As usual I bought lots and lots of bananas, I can't live without it.

For the first time I bought some jicama (pronounced 'hee-ca-ma'). I plan to use them to make some raw french fries and some raw/vegan burger patty which I will make with the some of the baby bella mushrooms, hmm, I can't wait for that. Anyway, it is always fun going shopping and trying new recipes. I hope you try some for yourself and if you do I hope you like it.

I gotta run though, Rick and I are making some seaweed salad. I am hungry and have to go eat. Tomorrow I will introduce you to another new recipe. Don't forget to make your green smoothie and stay healthy. I am going to leave you with something delicious:

Banana Shake:

2 frozen bananas (or 1 cup of ripe frozen strawberries)

1/2 cup almond milk

2 tsp agave nectar or organic grade B maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Blend all until creamy smooth. YUMMY!!!

Day 9 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS: Fresh Garden Salad with raw apple cider vinegar/xtra virgin olive oil for dressing.

I think the world just gained another rawfoodist! I can not believe what is going on in my mind and in my body. How is it possible that I have lost all cravings for cooked food? I feel full and completely satiated on this diet. I figured there is only one reason for that: I am giving my body just what it needs and hence I don't feel the need to want to eat every minute of the day. That is the only logical explanation of my obvious conversion. Everything I put into my mouth completely satisfies me. I feel light and full of energy. This morning I did 46 minutes of Taebo : www.billyblanks.com . My shake for the day was the shake I made on day 1. Please scroll down to see recipe.

I have a whole new perspective about life and eating. I am definitely eating to live and my stomach is no longer the boss of me. Who would have thought this could turn out to be so much fun? not even I. but it is and I hope you can learn to introduce more raw foods into their diets, it makes a whole lot of sense.

Anyway today has been a very busy day. I had to catch up with a lot of work, editing and replying to emails. I found another great site that I'd like to share with you: http://www.therawtable.com/ there is so much to learn and many options and I am dying to try them all. Have a blessed day everyone...

~B.

Day 5 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS: My Honeydew Heaven

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS: Bernice's Creamy coconut butter with tempeh

I am constantly amazing myself, yes I am. Last night I created this wonderful recipe for Rick and Nina. I am not doing cooked food but I do cook for them. In Rick's own words "This is by far one of the best tasting foods I've ever eaten." and my husband is a phenomenal cook. So I am going to start by sharing my beautiful recipe with you.

p/s I did save some in a container for the freezer, that way I can try some when my 30-day challenge is over :-)

Bernice's Creamy Coconut butter with Tempeh

Ingredients:

1 can 13.5 oz organic coconut milk
2 Tbsp almond butter
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp sweet basil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 pack 8oz organice garden tempeh
1/4 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup of water
1 cup of quinoa

Method:

In saucepan on medium heat, add olive oil and coconut milk. Stir in almond butter, sweet basil and black pepper. Add garlic powder and curry. Then add 1/2 cup of water and then add peanut butter and mix evenly. Add agave nectar, cover pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Add tempeh and the rest of the water and let cook for another 15 minutes. Add thinly sliced green pepper towards the end for a more crunchy taste. This make s a very think and creamy sauce. Add on a bed on cooked quinoa and serve, listen for the "umph" and "ah". DELICIOUS!

I started my day with 46 minutes of Taebo; cardio and strength training(resistant bands). After that I made this delicious smoothie:

Honeydew Heaven:

2 bananas

1/2 bunch of parley (or if any greens of your choice)

1 celery stalk

1/4 frozen honeydew melon

2 cups of water

I love parsley because it does wonders for my skin and it 'wakes' me up. You can substitute it with lettuce, spinach or kale. Yummy!

I am having a blast with this raw challenge, I swear I never thought I would. I have joined a meetup here in Atlanta and can hardly wait for their next potluck and ofcourse i will contribute--been studying my raw cook books. There are so many raw deserts I can make to satisfy my sweet tooth. This is just too good.

Arrivederci!

Day 4 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS: Bernice's Orange Gravy

I woke up feeling great this morning. Last night I was a little cranky, I think if I'd gone to bed early I wouldn't have felt that way, either way I had good night's rest. I went out for a 20 minute jog this morning and then was off to the kitchen to make my Spring Baby green smoothie.

Spring Baby Smoothie:

2 golden ripe pears
1 delicious apple
3 handfuls of baby spring mix (red lettuce, arugula and green lettuce)
2 tsp of flax seeds
2 cups of water

This has a delicious gritty feel in your mouth, so you can chew on it some or if you have a super blender, puree it to a smoother consistency. I usually blend, then puree. Yummy!

The picture above is a raw soup I made yesterday, surprisingly tasty. Rick had two bowls of it, he added some Bragg's aminos in his and ate it with almond butter sandwiches. Here is the recipe:

Bernice's Orange Gravy

1 celery stalk
2 medium carrots

5 ripe tomatoes
1 Tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
1 tsp of sweet basil, thyme and oregano
1 tsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of water
salt to taste

Blend to desired consistency and enjoy. You can also add some cayenne pepper later on if you choose.

A short note before I say "Arrivederci":
Health is your birthright and there's no one out there who will help you preserve that right but you. Take your health into your hands like you take your bills seriously. If you don't pay your bills you get in trouble; maybe the lights will get turned off, the car repossessed or you get foreclosed. The same is true if you don't feed your body right, sickness and disease will prevail and organs start to shut down because you've not been 'paying' your 'bills' to your body.

Day 2 (30-Day green smoothie challenge)

HOW DELICIOUS DOES THIS RAW FOOD LOOK?
(photo from www.rawpower.com)

This is day two and everything has been going great so far. I woke up bright and fresh, went for a 20 minute walk. The sun was warm and inviting. My green smoothie today was so tasty

Spinach Delight (Nina's favorite)

2 bananas
1 cup of red grapes
2 cups of spinach
1.5 cups of water

This is one of the best tasting smoothies, no child can resist this one. That's going to be my smoothie for the day. I've been drinking my water constantly and don't feel hungry. Well, I made a peanut butter sandwich for my hubby this morning and couldn't help enjoying the scent of that peanut butter but I am strong and dedicated to this, I didn't even have a lick!

Been reading a most fascinating book (tops my list of health books to read and believe me when I say I have a library of health related books.) I will leave you with a passage from the author:

"A fundamental error of all schools of so-called medicine has been the assumption that disease is something at war with life and that it must be met, subdued, counteracted, cast out, killed or cured with substances that are antagonistic to the body itself. They have never adequately recognized the antagonism that exists between living organism and the chemical substances with which they seek to cure the disease. This is the reason they continue to fill the bodies of the sick with poisons (foreign or non-usable chemicals) which the body must resist and expel. Not only have such causes of disease been mistaken as remedies for disease, but in some cases they have been mistaken for food."

He goes on to state how all drugs impair the body's function. You might want to pick up a copy for yourself, 'Self Healing Colitis & Crohn's' by David Klein, Ph.D. Here is his site:http://www.colitis-crohns.com/ I don't have colitis or crohn's but this book is for everyone who seeks optimum health, it is simply amazing and I'm not even half way through it. The testimonies and reviews alone sparked my curiosity.

Later on tonight (before 8pm, my kitchen closes at 8pm sharp) I will have some raw veggie medley with my dressing being freshly squeezed oranges and olive oil.

Come back for more tomorrow. We shall discuss blood PH and what you must know about how it affects your body. Ta ta!

Day 1 (30-day green smoothie challenge)

PICTURE OF RAW DESERT FROM COURANT.COM

...Of course today was a breeze, it's only day one! I did do my 20 minutes of brisk walking and basking in the beautiful sunlight. This is my green smoothie for the day. Somdays I make more than one kind of green smoothie, this usually depends on how many servings I get out of a batch. Rick and Nina also do the green smoothies with me everyday (they still eat their regular vegan diet with cooked food included). We all have at least 3 glasses of green smoothie everyday.

Honeydew Melon Dream:

1/2 medium honeydew melon
1 small banana
1/2 cup of red seedless grapes
3 hand fulls of baby spinach or arugula (I used spinach today)
2 cups of water. For more thickness use just one cup of water. You can also add a few pieces of ice or just use slightly cold water. Blend all together and enjoy! I will drink this throughout the day and eat a banana or two for snacks and later a big green salad for dinner.

As I mentioned the last time there are some great benefits to doing a raw detox. Here are a few:

1) Energy: since your body has less to digest and a very small amount of energy is used for digestion of these simple sugars and enzymes, your energy bank is not depleted.

2)Digestion: Since your food already contains living enzymes it takes less time for you food to digest and so it passes through the body quickly and doesn't stay for days in your intestines where they can rot and putrefy.

3)Detox: It is easier for your body to detox on raw uncooked food. The raw food has tons of fiber which acts like a sponge and carries away mucus, toxins and waste materials from your body thereby helping you to lose weight faster.

4)Weight loss: It's very normal to lose weight on a raw food diet because your body is not accumulating junk and empty calories.

5)Nutritional Content: Raw, organic food retains all its nutritional value whereas cooked food loses most of its nutritional value. Enzymes and amino acids are denatured under high temperatures of more than 118 degrees Fahrenheit.

6)Anti-aging foods: If you want to turn back the hands of time and prevent premature aging, raw foods (you can still eat some cooked but let most of your foods be raw food) is rich in anti-oxidants and live enzymes which keep cells looking young and healthy by eliminating damages done free radicals in your body.

FYR's Raw Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup carob powder or unsweetened cocoa (for a caffeine-free recipe use carob powder)

1/4 cup organic maple syrup (I use organic grade-B maple syrup) or agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 marshed avocados

1/4 water

1/2 cup freshly made almond milk (optional)

Directions:

Blend maple syrup (or gave nectar), dates and vanilla in a food processor. Then add the avocados and carob powder (or unsweetened cocoa). Add water. Add almond milk (optional) and blend for about a minute. YUMMY DELICIOUSNESS for your taste buds!!!!! Enjoy. Refrigerate and serve chilled or eat as is...It also makes a great chocolate spread for your bread.

Refreshing Monday

How about you start your week with this refreshing smoothness?

3 Celery stalks

3 Bananas

handfull of grapes

...and while you're at it, have everyone

around you try some, that is, if you really want to share this. Because you just might not, it is that good!

Want More Energy?

Do you feel tired all the time? Feel like taking a nap in the middle of the day? Do you feel tired everyday and can't seem to roll off the bed easily in the morning? There is a reason why we feel tired. Think about this, will a car drive good on an empty tank? well, the answer is no. Just like cars our bodies need fuel. But it has to be the right kind of fuel.

Just as a car will not run on water or veggetable juice, the body cannot run well on gasoline or soil. It has to be the right kind of food. Have you noticed that when you combine a starch and protein you get bloating, indigestion and you always feel lethargic? Food was meant to provide us with energy and not make us feel tired and weary. When you load the body with food that it does not need and cannot use, you are wasting the body's energy source. The energy that was meant for you is now diverted to trying really hard-- and most of the times without success--to break down the 8oz of steak you just ingested.

By the way, did you know that it takes about three days for a meat to be broken down in your system. By that time, you've obviously eaten other things and your dead meat is putrifying in your stomach and bad bacteria is growing around it. I don't mean to gross you out but the truth sometimes is a bitter pill to swallow. For the body to have more energy, we have to feed it with live fooods that require little or no energy for the body to break them down. By incorporating more fruits and vegetables and properly combining our foods, we help the body conserve more energy it may need for things such as repairs and maintenance.

The easiest way to make sure you get the right servings of fruits and veggies everyday is to add green smoothies to your diet. Don't be suprise if you stop craving those sweets and actually start eating less. When your body has the nutrients it needs, you start to crave more of the good stuff and less of the bad. Green smoothies are complete foods, very easy to digest and they leave you feeling very energized. Here is a thought: Make a mental list of all the animals who live on greens alone and then ask yourself this, these animals hardly get sick living in the wild on roots, fruits and veggies why then don't we humans--who are 99.4% genetically identical to them--eat like that?

Here are a few recipes:

1 cup of spinach, 2 pears and 1 cup of water (how easy is that? you can be creative.)

1 cup of spinach, 10 finger bananas, 2 cups of water (Nina's Favorite. Kids love this)

2 mangos, 1 bunch of parsely, 2 cups of water

4 apples, 1/2 lemon, 5 leaves of kale, 2 cups of water

Have fun!!!

Train Your Body to Talk Back to You

Learning how to listen to your body is wonderful. Your body can talk back to you when and if you treat it with respect, it's no different than human relationships. If you treat someone wrong long enough there is enough resentment for that person to start ignoring you. The thing about the body is that it is much more forgiving than humans in their relationships. How do you listen to your body? You first have to mend the broken relationship of years aof abuse and the best way to do that is to do a detox. Go to archives in the month of July and you will find the 21-day FYR program.

SUPER FOODS

My five favorite superfoods are:

1) Vegetables: They are high in fiber and low in calorie. They can be eaten lightly cooked or raw and they are packed with vitamins and phytonutrients. My favorite are kale, spinach, broccoli and carrots.

2) Fruits and Nuts: I always mix these two for breakfast in the morning. The nuts add some protein to the mixture and it is oh so delish!!! I love berries because they are full of antioxidants, sometimes I make a smoothie with just blackberries, strawberries and rapsberries. Fruits will provide you with vitamins, folate and they are very essential in cleansing the body that's why FYR recommends fruits for breakfast. Nuts are a good source of proteins and good fats. I especially love walnuts and almonds.

3) Whole Grains: Brown rice, whole wheat bread, barley, quinoa etc. they are ladden with tons of fiber, magnesium and vitamins.

4) Cayenne Pepper: Cayenne pepper has come to be one of the best herbs for me in the recent months. Organic cayenne has huge medicinal benefits. It has been used over the years for its healing properties. To read more about cayenne please visit this link: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/cayenne.htm

5) Beans and Lentils: Beans are low in fat, calorie, sodium and are very high in fiber and complex carbohydrates.They are an excellent source of protein and can be combined with veggies and carbohydrates (such as brown rice). When combined with barley or oats they provide all the amino acids. Examples are chickpeas(which I use to make hummus), kidney beans, black, pinto and navy beans and soy beans.