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Elixirs

A love Letter to Dairy from a Sometimes Vegan Girl

I've been in an on-again-off-again relationship with dairy since 1992. The big break up first happened in high school. There was a kindred soul boyfriend in the picture then, and together we worried about the planet and our affect on it. We read Diet for a New America by John Robbins, and from there Vegan Nutrition: Pure and Simple by Michael Klaper, M.D. We were not into factory farming — who is? — and soon we dumped dairy, and delved deeply into nuts and seeds.

It's been an awesome journey. I've grown, morphed, and pulsed through various diets and lifestyles, and I'm still learning everyday. Success, I feel, is when I listen to my body's fluctuations and respond accordingly — putting dogma and philosophy aside and consuming high quality foods that are produced with integrity.

Re-enter milk....

Elixirs

Buzz Your Way to Health & Energy

Has the buzz on bee pollen and raw honey got you wondering if you too should be trying these sweet, energizing goodies? Or maybe adding them to just about everything like I do? The benefits of bee pollen and raw honey date way back. I've even heard from various sources that bee pollen is a 'perfect food' and contains all the nutrients you need to live. This may not work for all of us, yet it's made up of 40% protein and has a high concentration of the B vitamin complex, making it a powerful food. It's also great for the immune system with vitamins C, D, E, beta-carotene, magnesium, selenium, and lecithin all at play.

Elixirs

Juicy Green Pear Zinger for Yogis (And Wannabe Yogis Too!)

Hey all! I just got back from Wanderlust — yoga all day with stellar teachers, then live music, dance and tea lounge by night. It was epic to say the least. I'm filled with inspiration as a yoga teacher and plan on rocking out my classes hard this week! In the meantime, I want to share my favorite Wanderlust juice with you. I had this pear-ginger-blueberry-celery-lettuce elixir every morning it the Wanderlust "Food Coop," and it put my mind and body in just the right place. Everything in this drink is great for you and combined will help with digestion, lower blood pressure, calm the nerves while giving you energy, and flushing your system out like a liquid brush. Yes please. Plus it's easy to make at home! 

Elixirs

Watermelon Schizandra Power Tonic

I think we're all aware that it's summer. The sweltering heat invites goodies that cool our insides and refresh our parched mouths. But feeling overly full in this heat is not so cool, pun intended. I've been starting off most of my mornings lately with some kind of light, blended, cooling elixir, and I've been taking full advantage of the goods that are in peak season.  Since my previous post for Watermelon Limeade got such a great response I decided to share one more watermelon favorite! I've been rocking this juicy fruit in several different types of elixirs and am happy to share the one I just polished off, which includes a special ingredient — a beautiful red superfruit — the schizandra berry.

Elixirs

Get Your Gazpacho On!

With all the farmer's markets booming, it's the perfect time to get fresh, delicious, locally-grown produce. Salad is always a good beat-the-heat option. But if you're looking for a way to really let those veggies shine, this refreshing, mouth-watering soup delivers. When all's said and done, your gazpacho is only as good as your tomatoes, so be sure to pick the best. I love vine-ripened tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, but find out from your farmer which ones are at their peak right now and go for those! Also worth noting, tomatoes are loaded with vitamin A, C, B, and potassium, and they have high amounts of lycopene which is really great for skin care (you can even slice them up and put them right on your face for 10 minutes!) Here's what to do to serve 2.

Elixirs

Heal Yourself With Negative Ions

I'm still working on grounding and balancing my energy. To my barefoot walking, my rooting meditation, and my grounding sheets, I've added The Zapper. I first began to use this per my friend David Wolfe's recommendation when I was having some immunity imbalances. I was getting colds frequently, and he said my "viral load" was probably pretty high. Makes sense since I live in a bustling city. He also suggested I use the zapper on my low back which has pain off and on due to my earlier yoga days of absurd circus-style backbending. And it's worked wonders. I'm honestly just starting to understand the science behind it myself, but here's the gist...

Elixirs

Alleviate the Bags Under Your Eyes

I've been having a few late nights lately and waking up with eyes that say it all. Of course healthy foods and elixirs are on the top of my list for self-care (puffy-eye-related and otherwise), but for a quick fix, twenty minutes worth of tea bags on your eyes works wonders. Here's the low down.

Feel Good Fixes

Have You Brushed Your Skin Today?

I've known about skin brushing for years. I used to do it religiously, but fell off the wagon. But now I'm back on it! It's become a part of my morning ritual. Not only does skin brushing feel awesome and invigorating, it also helps detoxify our largest organ — our skin! It helps to reduce cellulite and removes dead skin layers, cleanses the lymphatic system, tightens and tones the skin and muscles, helps digestion, stimulates circulation and internal organs, improves the function of the nervous system, and stimulates the hormone and oil-producing glands. Here's my recommendation for a great skin brushing routine:

Elixirs

Divine Watermelon Limeade

This one's a winner for sure. It turns out that beautiful watermelon and lime are also great immunity boosters. Watermelon helps to slow down the aging process with all its Vitamin C and A and is also high in the antioxidant Lycopene and B6 which helps us to feel balanced mentally and eases anxiety. Lime is also a winner in terms of Vitamin C, and it rejuvenates the skin, keeping it shiny, stimulates the digestive tract, plus the citric acid in lime is an excellent fat burner. Pretty great, huh? Here's the yummy recipe:

Elixirs

Drooling Over Medjools

A recent sweet tooth fix proved so ridiculously yummy it's become a staple indulgence — at least when I have the right ingredients on hand. It all started when my friend Julia visited from out of town, and got really excited about my Medjool dates. From her bag she pulled a jar of fresh organic almond butter, grabbed a date, split and pitted it, slathered a glob of almond butter on both halves, and handed me one. Naturally, I dove right in, and it was divine.

The sweet chewiness of the date, mixed with the salty almond butter goo was frighteningly good.  It so happens, all this is reasonably good for you too. Dates are high in potassium, and a completely natural source of sugar, which offers a nice kick to your energy levels. The almond butter is a healthy and easy to digest protein and fat. Since it's pretty rich, you won't need more than two. Maybe three if you can't stop yourself.

Since that first time, I've also tried the Medjools with raw organic tahini in the place of  almond butter, which was also totally yummy. So, I guess you could slather any of your favorite nut or seed butters into the belly of a date and be really satisfied. It's also a super easy and practical snack to take on the road when you're in need of an energy boost. Try it, and let me know what you think! Detailed instructions below....