Hey guys!

Follow me on blog lovin’ : )

xo       ——>

(btw the fashion blogs are taking over the top 20 blogs on this site!! We need to get some Nutrition blogs up there!! So add me! ) haha

Vitalicious Sweepstakes

Hey Guys!  Shelley From Vitalicious emailed me about this great Sweepstakes-

“While Vitalicious’ nutrient-packed, 100-calorie VitaTops and VitaMuffins are the perfect gift all on their own, they are sweetening the deal with a Diamonds are Forever, Vitalicious is For Lifegenuine, diamond-studded Tiffany Pendant valued at  $800!

Click Here to Enter!

Even if you don’t win the Grand Prize, you will be automatically entered to win one of 150 one-month supplies of VitaTops! They’ll notify winners in March.”

Lemon Water

**Drink a cup of lukewarm water with 1/2 an organic lemon squeezed in every morning before breakfast**

Lemon water helps flush out toxins and with the digestive system.  This is extremely beneficial and makes the process of  (*ahem*) eliminating waste products easier.  Lemons are also alkalizing (even though they seem acidic) in the body which will help with your pH balance.

Here’s an interesting article that talks about more of the benefits

::Lemon Water::

xo

Health & Happiness

Quick & Easy Baked Pear Recipe

I have quite the sweet tooth lately so I’ve been looking into healthy and easy dessert recipes.  Here’s an amazing and simple delicious Pear Dessert you can make with less than 4 ingredients!  Tastes sweet like candy but more nutritious for you!

Ingredients

2 Organic Pears

2 cups of Organic Apple juice

1 shake Cinnamon

6 Cloves

Directions

1)Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F

2) Slice bottom of Pears so they can sit right and place in small oven safe dish

3) Sprinkle Cinnamon in Apple Juice & pour over Pears

4) Add Cloves & Place in oven

5) Cook for 1 hour ((basting every 15 minutes in their juice ))

& Enjoy!  Easiest & Most Delicious Dessert ever!

xo

Health & Happiness

New Addition to my family .::. A juicer!!

Hey guys!  I’ve wanted a Juicer for a while now but they are so damn expensive.  Lately I’ve been going to a Local juicing place in Soho to get my Fresh Veggie Juice fix but I realized the drinks were so cheap ($3 when I usually pay $6) because they weren’t using organic vegetables.  (Ugh! Knew it was too good to be true)  I had mentioned this to a friend and he offered to give me a juicer he owned for FREE since he never uses it!!!! I nearly collapsed.  My life is ALMOST complete now (Still want a food processor and dehydrator though!) haha

I’m so excited to start coming up with new juices!  I will keep you guys posted with some new recipes : )

Here’s the new beauty..

Question:: Does anyone know a good brand of Chai tea?? I’m semi addicted to Chai with steamed vanilla almond milk right now!

xo

Health & Happiness

I’m turning into a Yogi

Thought this picture of me leaving my apt this morning was funny! All bundled up with my Yoga Mat- Carrot/Beet/Celery/Ginger juice & banana!

Have a wonderful day! : )

Product Review-Granola Gourmet

I’m a HUGE fan of Nutrition Bars.  Although I try to base my diet around clean and raw whole foods I’m often on the go and need something quick and convent to bring with me.

Nutrition Bar = Perfect for ‘On the Go’!

I’m always on the look out for innovative and healthy nutrition products and I came across Granola Gourmet. Jeff Cohen, the creator, is a diabetic and made the bars with ingredients that are good for diabetics.  But you don’t have to be diabetic to enjoy there bars–and that’s where I come in : )  I was offered to sample some of their Brownie and Chocolate Espresso flavors. (( They also make a Spiced Orange Cranberry and Very Berry flavor. ))

The bars are all made from 100% natural ingredients, 60% organic, and contain no sodium, wheat, or diary.

Brownie

On their website they advise to ‘warm in the microwave for a few seconds’ and boy was this delicious!  It tasted like a dessert rather than an energy bar. (( They are also great without being heated though))  The bar is fairly small (about 4 inches) perfect for a snack!  It also contains 150 calories with 4 g of protein, 3 g fiber & 10 g of sugar! Pretty darn good.  And the ingredient list is short and simple- Loaded with lots of nutritious ingredients! Whew- I hate when I find products that are delicious only to look at the ingredient list and not be able to pronounce a single one!  This one was by far my favorite flavor! I definitely advise trying it!

Chocolate Expresso

Oh Chocolate Expresso- you tried- but it’s very hard to compete with a  Brownie! haha This bar (same size/nutritional value as Brownie bar)  It was still really good.  They have a very strong espresso taste.  Warning: The bars are very fresh so they are a little bit crumbly!  Bring a napkin with you.

You can purchase these bars online (((10 Bar Package–$13.95 )) & Free Shipping over $50.

Or Check out this link for stores near you

Pretty great price for something so fresh/healthy!

Enjoy : )

xo

Health & Happiness

Soaking & Sprouting

Hey guys!

So we’ve all heard about the many nutrient rich benefits of eating seeds, nuts, grains, and legumes.  But did you know that you can increase these benefits by up to 300 percent??  Well you can by sprouting! Sprouting is the process of soaking and germinating which will increase the nutrient value and digestibility of  the food. It basically takes the seed/nut in the dormant stage and  brings it back to life.   According to Dr. Gabriel Cousens in “Spiritual Nutrition” it increases enzyme levels by 10-20 percent!  Wow- no wonder– the germination is breaking it down for us so our body doesn’t have to do all the work!  Also, according to Dr. Barry Mack at U Penn there is a vitamin increase of more that 500 percent when seeds are sprouted.  If all that doesn’t sell you I can keep going!  When sprouted the protein content also  increases by 15-30 percent!

After reading all of this I had to try it…

Directions for Soaking:

1) Put  seeds, nuts, grains, and legumes (only 1 of course) in a glass bowl (they will expand so be sure the bowl is big enough for this!)

2) Fill with water (so top is covered) & Cover (another plate will work!)

2) Soaking times (approximated):

Almonds:        14 hours

Cashews:          2-3 hours

Pine nuts:            6 hours

Walnuts:            4  hours

Oats:                  8-10 hours

Pumpkin Seeds:   6-8 hours

Sunflower Seeds:     4-6 hours

Lentils:                      6-8 hours

4.    After they are done soaking empty the nuts into a colander and rinse well several times!

5.     Sprouted nuts should be eaten within 2 days.

Enjoy!

((For more info ))

Raw and Sprouted

xo

Health & Happiness

Product Review-Perfect Foods Bar

I was offered to sample some

(website)

If you are a Peanut Butter fan you will absolutely LOVE these bars!  They are made from All Natural Ingredients, are Gluten & Soy FREE, & have no refined sugar.  They taste delicious & are packed with 18g of protein and 3g fiber. ( aka will help keep you full!)

Perfect Foods Bars come in 4 flavors:

Peanut Butter: Creamy, delicious, & filling!  I loved the peanut butter/honey taste I’m usually one to eat a bar and still be hungry but with these bars I was very full and satisfied

Fruit & Nut: Helped break the peanut butter/honey taste/texture with a sweet fruit/nut addition— (sometimes the plain pb flavor was a little overwhelming esp for the large bar–but I still loved it!)

Carob Chip: Carob is similar to chocolate chip and is a perfect addition to the peanut butter/honey–also very high in protein!

My only issue with these 3 bars are they are 282 calories!  Eeek–good meal replacement but too much for a dessert or snack.  That’s where their 4th bars comes in…

Cranberry Crunch (LITE): This flavor is their ‘lite’ (lower fat/calories)  version with crisps and cranberries mixed in the peanut butter.  Not my favorite- I mean…come on…once you’ve tried 3 bars that taste like peanut butter fudge it’s hard to go to a lite version.  If I this one first my opinion might be different but I say go all out with the Peanut Butter or Carob Chip flavors!

Also-  if you look at the back of these bars they are packed with good for you ingredients including:  rose-hip, orange, lemon, grapefruit, tomato, apple, bell pepper, papaya, mango, black cherry, cranberry, alfalfa, celery, spinach, parsley, mint, kelp, dulse… all organic! And you can’t taste any of it–just pure honey and peanut butter.

.:Delicious & Nutritious:.

Note: If you buy them make sure you refrigerate ‘in order to minimize natural oil separation and maintain the consistency.’  ((That’s when you know a bar is fresh/healthy!))

You can buy them at Whole Foods (or a bunch of other stores–check out here)) Or on the web! They are roughly $3 each or  $28.99 for a box!

xo

Health & Happiness

Quick & Easy Recipe

Rosemary Sweet Potato Crisps

This is the perfect snack for those moments when your craving something with a crunch (and celery just won’t cut it!)  Sweet Potatoes are loaded with vitamin A &  C, calcium, fiber, and potassium.  And they are often listed as a”top 10 superfood.”

Check out this quick and simple recipe:

Ingredients

sweet potato (thinly sliced-round–may peel if you like but I enjoy the skin on!)

black pepper
Sea salt
Olive oil for misting

Directions

1)Preheat Oven to 320 degrees F

2) Slice sweet potatoes  into 1/8 inch rounds.  Rinse

3) Put slices on baking tray sprayed with olive oil

4) Bake for 20 minutes

5) Remove tray & flip the potatoes over and lightly mist with oil once again.

6) Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and rosemary and bake for another 15 minutes

& Enjoy!

xo

Health & Happiness

Sole Roll

Hey guys!

Ever tried cooking Sole? Sole is a firm thin white fish with a very  mild flavor (not too fishy!- perfect for kids).  Here’s a delicious and easy recipe (that looks like you spent hours in the kitchen!) passed on from my friend Megan.

((Serves 2–Prep time: 30 minutes))

Ingredients

Prep- (For Overnight Sole Marination)

2 lemons squeezed

4 leaves basil (chopped)

salt & pepper (dash)

Stuffing-(for inside Sole) ((all ingredients minced))

4 sun dried tomatoes

4 mushrooms (including stems)

2 cloves of Garlic

1 shallot

1 tsp Oregano

1 cup spinach (chopped)

1 Tbsp  Feta Crumbles (added after)

Side Veggies

Olive oil (spray)

Balsamic Vinegar

1 med Eggplant (cut in circle shape)

4 heart of palm (cut in coin shape)

2  Tomatoes (sliced)

5 basil leaves

Directions

1) Marinate Sole over night with lemon juice, basil, salt & pepper in plastic bag

2) Pre-heat oven 375 degrees F

4) Slice all Side Vegetables (Eggplant, heart of palm, tomatoes) Put veggies on a baking tray sprayed with olive oil & add balsamic vinegar on top ((Bake for aprox 30 minutes))– season tomatoes with Basil after 15 minutes

3) In bowl mix all stuffing ingredients (minced–4 sun dried tomatoes, 4 mushrooms (including stems),  2 cloves of Garlic, 1 shallot,1 tsp Oregano, chopped– 1 cup Spinach)

5) Heat olive oil  in a skillet add mixture and sauté on medium heat

6) Remove Sole from Marinate and stuff it with sautéd mixture ((like you were rolling a sushi roll)) and add 1 Tbsp of Feta Crumbles to the inside.  (( keep it closed with a toothpick))

7)Remove Veggies from Oven & cover & set aside

8 ) Bake Sole in oven (same temp) for 8-10 minutes

And Serve : )

xo

Health & Happiness

Product Review- On Nuts!

You guys need to check out (( Oh Nuts! )) They sell bulk nuts, chocolate, dried fruit, and candy!

Bulk = discounted price= savings=happiness (or money for that food processor I’ve been eyeing!)

I was offered to select 3 items to sample (boy was this hard since they have quite the selection!) I decided to go with some of the healthier products: Organic Raw Cashews, Organic Dried Mango, and Non-Dairy Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds.

The Non-Dairy Dark Chocolate Almonds were dangerous.  Very delicious (I’m addicted) And they were HUGE!

**Note to self** Put the bag down!

Organic Dried Mango

The pieces were once again huge! They tasted VERY fresh and sweet. My only concern is the Sugar- 48 g per serving. Eeek- that’s a lot– it’s pretty standard for dried fruit which is why I tend to shy away from it and eat fresh fruit instead

Organic Raw Cashews

I’m a big fan of raw nuts and these Cashews were delicious! Nice and hard/fresh

Overall I was very pleased with Oh Nuts! I recieved my order about 24 hours after I placed it (very impressive!) and the quality of the food was unbeatable.  Everything was fresh and delicious! Just be careful-the food is so good it’s hard not to eat the entire bag in one sitting!

xo

Health & Happiness

Quote

At Yoga this morning my teacher reminded us…

“Life’s about the journey not just the destination.”

I’ve heard this quote many times before but it really resonated with me this time and I’m thankful I heard it again.  I’m always looking to ‘what it is I want to do with my life’  But I’m realizing this IS my life! Live it : )

Ballet Art-Etsy

Ballet has had such a profound and prolific effect on my life. Dancing gave me my highest highs and my lowest lows but will forever be etched in my heart and soul.

xo

Health & Happiness

Breakfast

Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt with 1 Organic Banana, 8 almonds, & almond butter

Snack

Apple & 8 almonds (not pictured)

Lunch

Veggie Burger with Romaine Lettuce, tomato, beets, on wheat bread with Mango salsa (from Whole Foods–my fav!!)

Dinner

Mixed Greens with Apple Chicken Sausage (From Whole Foods– AMAZING!!), yellow peppers, cucumber, corn, avocado, beets, salsa, & oil & vinigar

Dessert

I’m on a dessert kick lately…I blame it on the Holidays..mint dark chocolate is my best friend : )

xo

Health & Happiness