Recipe ~ 5-Minute Cacao & Superfood Smoothie

CreamyCacaoCoconutSmoothie

(Serves 2)

 

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cup coconut water
  • 1/2 cup coconut flesh
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite berries (here I’ve used frozen raspberries)
  • 1 Tbsp. hemp powder
  • 1 Tbsp. cacao powder
  • 2 Tbsp. chia seeds
  • 1 Tbsp. maca

Toppings

  • Pistachios
  • Hemp seeds
  • Cacao nibs

Directions

Blend all ingredients into your high-speed blender until well combined and serve with your favorite toppings.

Here I’ve used pistachios, hemp seeds and cacao nibs for toppings.

 

Health & Wellness | Stay Hydrated This Summer With This Watermelon Green Juice

WatermelonSlicingOnCuttingBoard-850x400

This watermelon juice has loads of fresh, hydrating greens like cucumber, romaine lettuce, and celery, not to mention our superfood friend, kale! Plus, it’s got lime and watermelon to sweeten it up and hydrate the body. Next time you need something refreshing, give this a go.

Watermelon Green Juice
Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 small-medium head of organic romaine lettuce
  • 3 cups cubed watermelon
  • 1 cucumber (peeled if not organic)
  • 2 small limes (peeled)
  • 5 stalks of organic celery
  • 5 stalks of organic kale

Directions

Wash and prepare all of your produce, cutting to fit your juicer’s shute if necessary.

Start by juicing your romaine lettuce. If your juicer has settings, use the lowest one for the lettuce.

Then, juice the remaining ingredients.

Fresh juice is best immediately after you make it; however, it will pack a good nutrient punch for up to 24 hours after it’s made if stored in an airtight container, filled to the very top, and sealed with a lid. (Sometimes I’ll add a little water if I don’t have enough juice to fill it to the top.) Mason jars with resealable lids work great for this.

Store in your refrigerator.

 

Recipe ~ Delicious Detox Avocado Aloe Spinach Smoothie

avocado-aloe-smoothie

Notes

If you haven’t made the coconut water ice cubes ahead of time, use regular ice cubes.

 

Ingredients

1 cup chopped spinach
1 frozen banana
1/4 cup mashed avocado
1 cup coconut water
1 tablespoon aloe vera juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 to 3 dashes of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup coconut water ice cubes (make these ahead of time!)

 

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Makes one serving.

 

Recipe ~ Vegan Avocado Mousse

vegan-avocado-mousseThis vegan avocado mousse is super simple to make and totally delicious. Full of healthy fats to support the nervous system, it also gives you beautiful skin and hair. I love it as breakfast but it can also be a great healthy, sugar-free treat.

What you need

1/2 ripe avocado
1/2 cup young coconut flesh
Caco nibs for topping (optional)

What you do

– Blend all your ingredients in your hight speed blender.
–  Add a dash of filtered water or coconut water if needed.
–  Pour in a nice glass and garnish with some cacao nibs or and chocolate chunks.

Note: If you’d like a sweeter taste, you can add half a banana to the preparation or any sweetener of your choice.

 

 

RECIPE ~ Peanut Butter Berry Smoothie

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Prep time : 5 mins
Total time : 5 mins
Serves : 1

A delicious smoothie combing the protein of peanut butter to keep you fuller, longer and the sweet flavors of fruit.

Ingredients

½ ripe banana
1 tablespoon peanut butter, creamy
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
¼ cup skim milk (could use 1% as well)
1 teaspoon honey
½ cup crushed ice

Instructions

If you use frozen strawberries put them in the blender and blend until chopped.
Put all of the remaining ingredients in a blender for 1 minute, lift lid and stir and continue to blend until smooth.

Notes:  You can make this recipe Vegan by substituting the skim milk with your favorite nut milk and substituting agave syrup for the honey.

RECIPE ~ Double Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

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Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 cups unsweetened chocolate almond milk
  • heaping 3/4 cup frozen cherries
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

  1. Pour the milk into your blender. Add in the cherries and cocoa and turn on low. Let the smoothie run on low for a minute, then bump the speed up to medium for about a minute until the mixture is smooth and you don’t hear any more large chunks of cherries being hit by the blades.
  2. Pour the smoothie into a glass and serve immediately.

Read more at http://www.branappetit.com/2013/06/05/double-chocolate-cherry-smoothie/#fRGPYWF2mdB0tw4H.99

HEALTH ~ Papaya Decreases Prostate Cancer Risk by 63%

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That’s the benefit seen by men in this study when they ate 390 grams of papaya per week (that’s half a large papaya and carries just 200 calories).

How does papaya deliver such health benefits? It’s a rich source of the three anti-cancer super nutrients beta-carotene, lycopene and beta-cryptoxanthin—all known to reduce prostate cancer risk (and breast cancer!). But there’s something special about papaya, because researchers recently discovered that our bodies absorb those crucial nutrients far better from papaya than from other sources like carrots or tomatoes—in fact, up to 300% better.

How is that possible? The answer is fascinating: this super fruit stores these nutrients in unique micro-crystalline structures which greatly enhance their availability upon digestion. Papaya is also very rich in potassium, and is therefore one of the most alkalizing fruits available: in fact it has nearly double (175%) the alkalizing power of pure lemon juice! It’s great as a smoothie all on its own, added to smoothies with several other fruit or vegetables, or just with yogurt on top for breakfast.

This low-calorie super fruit deserves special consideration as part of any healthy, fruit and vegetable centered diet meant to improve health and reduce cancer risk.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21627352