Frosty Pina Colada

I love this after a workout!!! All the electrolytes are replaced with the coconut and pineapple in this drink helping you recover right away. You have to read below the recipe on the health benefits of bromelaine found in the CORE of the pineapple.

**Please NOTE 3 things that make this so delicious:
1. cut up a pineapple and freeze overnight so your smoothie is nice and frosty when you make it (do not throw the core away, cut that right up with the rest)
2. have some soaked dates ready, that means soak dates in a bowl of water, enough water to cover them and in the fridge overnight to soften them for the smoothie.
3. Put a tall glass in the freezer overnight so it is nice and frosted for the smoothie

Recipe:

1. Pour 8 oz of coconut milk into the blender
2. one half of a teaspoon of coconut oil
3. 2 cups of pineaple including the core
4. two drops of vanilla extract
5. 2 dates (make sure you take the pit out of the middle before blending)
6. squeeze one lime
7. BLEND
8. Pour into a frosted glass, and top with a drop of vanilla extract and a sprinkle or half a teaspoon of shredded coconut
9. One teaspoon of raw honey

Now just close your eyes and pretend you are in the tropics!!!

**Bromelain 

*an enzyme that is obtained from pineapple. It has admirable qualities including improving protein digestion, reducing inflammation and treating indigestion.

*it is commonly administered to patients after surgery. It can help reduce pain and swelling in the body especially post-surgery.

*It particularly helps enhance the T-cells which is essential in immune defense

*patients who are suffering from higher pain levels from osteoarthritis have found great relief from taking Bromelain extract.

Homemade coconut milk

Homemade coconut milk is much less expensive and better for you than the store bought.  You can use coconut flesh organic unsweetened shredded coconut and water! It is delicious in smoothies which I will share one of my tropical favorites later on, so get your milk ready!

**tips on coconut uses besides the kitchen:

1. This milk is amazing for topical use as well, so the remaining particles can be used for a mask.
2. The milk just like the oil is great to pour on your hair and put a cap on overnight.
3. For chapped dry feet, lather your feet with coconut oil and put socks on overnight, they end up super soft. 4. Use it as a moisturizer all over your skin, it's amazing! As they say don't put on your skin what you can't put in your body!

RECIPE:

1. Heat up 4 cups of water until HOT not boiling.
2. Add 2 cups of organic unsweetened shredded coconut and add the water (you can find the shreded coconut in a bag in the baking isle)
3. Blend very well for several minutes until you see it get creamy.
4. I use a mesh colander to strain my milk, do this first but have a cheesecloth handy if you want to strain it again to make sure there are not pieces left in the milk.
5. You can store in the fridge for about 4 days.  Since there are no preservatives, you will see the cream of the coconut separating at the top.  Just shake it or stir before using.
Keep in mind that the coconut cream that accumulates on top is used in some of my favorite desserts which I will share with you in the future.

HEALTH BENEFITS

The coconut palm is known as the 'tree which gives all that is necessary for living' because nearly all parts can be used, the water, milk, flesh, sugar and oil.
~Coconut milk is highly nutritious when ingested, and these nutrients may help fortify and condition skin and hair as well. The fatty acids in coconut milk are a natural antiseptic and may help treat dandruff, skin infections, wounds and dry, itchy skin. Furthermore, the high fatty acid content in coconut milk serves as a natural moisturizer for healthy skin and may help repair wrinkles and sagging in aging skin.

~Coconut milk contains lauric acid, antimicrobial lipids and capric acid, which have antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. The body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which may fight the viruses and bacteria that cause herpes, influenza and even HIV

~The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut milk may also kill the three major types of atherogenic organisms -- bacteria that cause plaque formation in the arteries 

Cacao dream shake

This Cacao shake is my absolute favorite! I have about 3 of these a day when I'm cleansing and 2 on a regular day. I am obsessed with chocolate and this totally does it for me, it's my healthiest guilty pleasure! Just be sure NOT to have these close to bedtime, the cacao is a stimulant. In the picture above is the cacao pod with the pod open.  The pods are harvested when they get a rich orange color. Cut open, the beans and white pulp are set aside to ferment, this helps the bitterness subside and bring out it's rich chocolate flavor.  These grow in only hot, humid climates and there are 16,000 tons of it consumed a year, I can believe that! Just make sure you get CACAO powder, not COCOA, as cocoa usually has milk solids and sugars added to take the bitterness away which dilutes the health benefits.  

My recipe: 

{NOTE: 3 important things here: make sure you soak the dates overnight in a bowl with water in the fridge.  Another note is I buy my cacao mixed with maca but you can buy these separately and very important, peel your bananas and cut them up into one inch rounds and freeze in a baggie overnight}

In the blender add:

1.  6 oz of almond milk {homemade almond milk recipe is in one of my previous posts}
2.  2 oz of coconut water or milk
3.  half a teaspoon of coconut oil
4.  one tablespoon tahini
5.  half a teaspoon flax seed powder
6.  1 and a half tablespoons of cacao mixed with maca
7.  12 small ice cubes or 6 big ones
8.  4 pieces of frozen banana rounds
9.  add 2 soaked dates (don't forget to take that pit out of the date, yes it's happened to me!)

"food of the gods." benefits of cacao
**The perfect food; cacao has more than 300 phytochemicals, including vitamins, minerals, and dietary nutrients 
**Results found that cacoa and chocolate lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, improve platelet function, raise HDL, and decrease LDL oxidation
**beneficial for people with metabolic syndrome, including health challenges such as diabetes and obesity
**Cacoa polyphenols' effects on plasma metabolites, hormones, and oxidative stress after exercise were studied and found to increase mobilization of free fatty acids and reduce oxidative stress markers.
**Traditional uses include antidepressant, mood leveler, and improvement of cognitive function
**Cacoa contains more phenolic antioxidants and flavonoids than most other foods. 
**provides protection to the nerves, skin, and brain, and boost energy

Superman smoothies

2 #powersmoothies made with#superfoods I call them my superman drinks, that's how I feel from all the #plantenergy! Those are the thermoses we use, they work amazing!

The red one has: 

16 OZ of the 3 juices combined:

*tart cherry juice 

*coconut water 

*grapefruit juice

*half of a beet

*5 dates 

*a cup of parsley 

*a cup of kale

*half a teaspoon of turmeric

*teaspoon coconut oil

*half a pear

*one carrot

*2 cups of blueberries.

*12 small ice cubes 

The green one has:

16 OZ of the 2 juices combined

*coconut water

*fresh squeezed oj

*one cup pineapple including the middle hard core which is full of bromelain

*half mango

*2 celery stalks

*one cup collards

*one teaspoon coconut oil

*a quarter avocado

*one half apple

*half cup of fennel 

*a quarter cucumber

*12 small ice cubes

*health benefits of turmeric (it compares favorably to a few conventional medicines)such as:

*Lipitor/Atorvastatin (cholesterol medicine)

*Corticosteroids (steroid medications)

*Prozac/Fluoxetine &Imipramine (antidepressants)

*Aspirin (blood thinner)

*Anti-Inflammatory drugs 

*Oxaliplatin (chemotherapy drug)

*Metformin (diabetes drug)

Summer Salad Smoothie

In starting your cleanse, your shopping list is the first step.  It is important to do this, or you can get overwhelmed walking in the market with so many fruits and vegetables to choose from.  To make it easy for you, We will post the smoothies we make and you can jot down the ingredients.  If there is something you absolutely will not eat, just replace it with something else or remove it from the recipe.  This one recipe above is: 

Our summer salad smoothie, these rich hydrating super foods will give you wings!! recipe: 

16 Oz of mixed almond milk, tart cherry juice and grapefruit juice

1 cup of mustard greens 

2 radishes

1 quarter of a cucumber

1 half of a pear 

1 teaspoon of fresh ginger

1 quarter cup of parsley

1 dash of turmeric spice 

1 celery stalk

1 carrot

1 half of a lime and lemon

1 cup of strawberries or raspberries

1 quarter avocado

12 small ice cubes

You will grow wings after this drink! 

My tip is to make the 16 oz so you have plenty for a few glasses, and then make a different one so you have a variety and never get bored.  In the morning put it in your thermos and stick in the freezer while you get ready for work so it's nice and cold, not too long so it doesn't freeze.

**benefits of parsley are a mile long.  This little herb is best when blended or juiced to get the benefits.  It is helpful for: 

1. anemia, with its high chlorophyll content, being an excellent blood purifier and builder.  

2. bad bread 

3. arthritis

4. bladder, kidney, and urinary tract problems  

5. Regulating menstruation and bloating

6. Building up your immune system and helps detoxify

and many many others... 

Almond and Cashew Milk

I can't even count how many times I have seen someone taking a sip of a healthy smoothie and make a face, a "disgusted" face!  Smoothies like any other food should be enjoyable and delicious.  I love experimenting with different mixtures and I am here to make sure you not only get some delicious recipes but also have a great variety.  When it comes to picking out your ingredients, the very first important step is your SMOOTHIE BASE! I love using nut milks for the creaminess, flavor, and health benefits.  Be careful for the ones you buy at the market.  If it sits on a shelf, you have to think how a milk is able to survive there, and some ingredients just do not need to be there.  Making your own is your best bet.  It is simple to make.  My favorites are almond and cashew milk.  Macadamia milk is yummy too.  Here are the steps to make it:

1.  1 cup raw (not roasted or salted) organic almonds or cashews in a bowl, add just enough water to cover the nuts.

2.  Soak for 24 hours in the fridge.

3.  Add the 1 cup of nuts with 3 cups of water in a blender, and blend well until you see it like the picture above, white like milk.

4.  Pour the milk in a strainer to get any nut particles out and it's done! 

5.  It is good for about 5 days in the fridge.  

6.  The nut particles you see in the strainer above are from almonds, I use as a face scrub and works great.  You put it on your face and leave for 15 minutes or more, it should feel tight like a mask, then rub it lightly in circular motion with a bit of warm water, then rinse off.

Some people like the milk sweetened so I tell them to soak some dates overnight to soften and blend in with the nuts.

Besides nut milks, we use some juices I buy organic with no added sugars or unnecessary ingredients, just pure juice!  My local health food store makes their own fresh squeezed orange, mango, papaya, grapefruit and other juices but of course you can make your own!

*Cashew milk is rich in Vitamin K which helps build strong bones. You will also get your iron and magnesium from it.

*Almond milk is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, rich in Vitamin A which helps eyesight, and also rich in Vitamin E which improves skin health.

DO YOU NEED TO CLEANSE? We are doing a cleanse starting Monday, August 4th, WE ARE GETTING OUR SHOPPING LIST READY, JOIN US!! 

Here is a good 10 reasons why you might want to consider a cleanse?

1. Feeling tired, lethargic, and in need of some natural energy that doesn't come from a can or pill.

2. That bloat, or heavy feeling, even when you are hungry.

3. You are not happy with the way your clothes fit and feel like you could drop a few pounds.

4. Your skin is not looking healthy whether you might have acne, discoloration, redness, not enough color, deep wrinkles, dark circles, or just tired, saggy looking skin.

5. Your hair and nails look unhealthy, brittle, dry, cracked.

6. You feel very foggy all of the time, your concentration is not on point.

7. You are so moody, get snappy often, and very annoyed by the smallest things.

8. Even when you sleep, you feel like you didn't get enough.

9. You have no motivation for physical activity.

or even if it's something as simple as:
10. You eat not so healthy.

Even if it's just one of the above you suffer from, you should cleanse, why not, it is worth it! It does the body good!

*We will be doing a smoothie cleanse for 3 days, and the following 4 days we will add fruits and vegetables to eat along with the smoothies.  Purchase organic because of the toxins of non-organic which is the point of detoxing, to get rid of them!