I love smoothies and parties. You can often see me dancing and singing in my kitchen with an avocado in hand. Sometimes I have an audience, other times, it’s just me in my smoothie lab. I love playing around with different ingredients from frozen veggies to colorful superfoods. Want to create your own party with some plants? (You can thank Talia for the play on words or listen to her awesome podcast – Party in my Plants.) All you need are a few ingredients, an awesome high speed blender and family that’s open to trying new flavors. Here are a few of our recent favorites: Catch Me Mint and Mango Infusion Smoothies. Check out the recipes below and our healthy living page for more.
Two Simple Smoothie Recipes for Mint and Mango Lovers
Clean Eating for Easter and Passover
I’m a retired marshmallow peep and chocolate caramel covered candy junkie. Formerly, the spring holidays meant adding a few pounds and a sugar rush hangover. I now think about how far I’ve come and what I can do to successfully navigate these challenging situations.
Easy Recipe: Healthy Blueberry Muffins
I don’t enjoy cooking. Following recipes takes too many steps and bores me. When I do prepare meals, I often experiment with ingredients and use only a few. Sometimes they work, other times they don’t. My goal is to satisfy my child with hidden nutritious ingredients. In addition, the preparation must around 5-minutes. When it comes to snacks, I try to serve clean and healthy ones. While I don’t love to cook, my mother still enjoys her kitchen. My childhood memories include the sweet scent of blueberry and zucchini muffins baking in her oven. To make her proud, below is a quick recipe for healthy banana blueberry muffins that even my husband ate.
Dining Out Healthy
I’ve always loved eating out. I have such fond memories devouring meatballs and spaghetti off the children’s menu at east coast diners. As I grew older, my family celebrated honorable report cards, choir concerts, dance recitals and mini-milestones at what I thought were fine-dining establishments: Mandarin Yen or Shakey’s Pizza. Even in high school, after football games, we congregated at Davanni’s, Carbonni’s, Perkins or my all-time favorite, Taco Bell. Whatever happy (often made up) non-traditional holiday we celebrated was at a restaurant. Truth be told, my mom was a fine cook, we just enjoyed the hassle free, family or friend focused meal. My mother also cooked healthy dinners, so dining out included gorging on cheesy pizzas, fried rice dishes and creamy pastas. I know better now that eating out doesn’t mean I have to let go of all inhibitions and start “my diet tomorrow.” While it’s tempting to overdo it, I’ve learned a few tips to keep my diet clean while enjoying a night out for travel, on business or just for fun.
In the Juice Lab – Pineapple Green & Purple BG Recipes
I’m a juice junkie and obsessed with green smoothies, but I wasn’t always this way. As a former work-aholic, I spent years consuming energy drinks, cups of caffeine and carb-loaded meals. I thought these would bring me energy. I was right, just the wrong kind. You can feel a BIG difference between an immediate energy spike from a sugar-laden coffee vs. the mind-clearing, sustainable energy that wholesome foods provide. One of the BEST choices I made when I changed my lifestyle was to eat and drink more plants. And when I speak or write about taking small steps toward better health, my recommendation for everyone is to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet, which is easy when you start incorporating homemade juices and smoothies.
Healthy Cacao Fudge Recipe
When people say that chocolate is healthy, they unfortunately don’t mean the sugar-filled Belgium truffle or bakery fudge bite. The true gold mine of health in regards to chocolate is cacao. Cacao nibs are raw dark chocolate cocoa beans that were dehydrated and crushed without further processing. Filled with tons of antioxidants and magnesium, unsweetened cacao nibs are perfect to add to shakes, smoothie bowls and yogurt parfait. Even though my sweet tooth has lessened now that I eat clean, I still enjoy the sweet taste of cacao. In my quest to find healthy treats, this healthy fudge recipe has easily fooled my dessert-loving friends, and kids think it’s a decadent and sugary snack.