Goodie Goodie Gluten-Free®

I just added a new and amazing ingredient to my smoothie repertoire !  So excited that I must share the treasure with you guys! The mission behind this add?  To get my smoothies thicker without using bananas or avocado. The verdict?  Totally awesome! The add?  Pumpkin puree (from a can)!  No you don't have to buy the pumpkin, cut it open and puree it yourself.  That's just too much work, unless you of course want to… Make sure you read the pumpkin puree label for the gluten-free type!! WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1 cup melted blueberries plus syrup (about 1 1/2 cups non melted) 2 tsp. hemp seeds 2 T. pumpkin seeds 4 T. pumpkin puree  1 Medjool Date  1/2 scoop Sun Warrior Rice Protein Powder (non-flavored) (You can sub in vanilla flavored) 1/2 Tigernut milk (use any non-dairy milk you want) 1/2 cup water 7 ice cubes plus additional ice cubes for serving Optional Superfood add-1 tsp. Maca Root...

                                     **Butternut Squash picture is from Popsugar The whole point of a smoothie is the thickness.  Am I right? or Am I right? It's not a juice.  It's a smoothie. And further more…a Smoothie bowl is also meant to be thick so it has the consistency of ice cream or fro yo! But what happens when you don't feel like using a frozen bananas or a chunks of avocado to thicken it up? You are left with runny soup that tastes like fruit.  So.  Not.  Appealing. So I did some detective work.  I went through tons of recipes.  I asked around.  I experimented.  I shopped the market and came up with clever ideas.  I went to the experts. And then I came up with this list.  I can't take all the credit!  I had some help from my fellow health coach friends on their fav's too! A smoothie is a work of art...

Green juices light up my life.  No joke!  I cannot even tell you how refreshing they are, how much energy you get, and how much you will glow.  I glow.  I love it! Green juices make me feel so super present in my world.  I'm more alert.  I see more beauty.  I exude more beauty, confidence and I smile a lot.  Sometimes a green smile, but still a smile!  (Juice are great to drink with a straw for the very reason of a green smile).   I feel like I can conquer the world!  I'm dead serious!   You will too!   I used to think in order to really like a green juice it would have to be cut with tons of fruit.  But that actually defeats the purpose of a green juice.  And you don't need a lot of fruit, just a little will do to cut the bitterness of the greens and make it taste fantastic! Then something weird happened…after downing my usual green juices filled with Kale, Spinach, Mustard Greens, Celery and Chard, ...

A green juice can certainly be intimidating if you are not a "regular" in the juicing department.  So today's recipe is a beautiful refreshing Honeydew Carrot Plum juice.  Don't get scared it, it definitely looks like it's all carrot.  But the honeydew is watery and sweet and the plums are tart, so it cuts the carrots and tastes utterly refreshing! Carrots are LOADED with vitamin A , and Vitamin A is known for healthy skin, healthy eyesight and healthy hair!  Good stuff right?  Carrots are not just for bunnies! WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 11 mini carrots 1 cup honeydew melon + 4 additional chunks 2 large pieces of Plum (with skin) 1 cup water 4-5 ice cubes DIRECTIONS: Add everything (except the ice) into a high speed blender (omit water if using a juicer) and blend. Then transfer mixture into a nut bag over a large bowl and drain Serve in a mason jar over ice with a fun straw TIPS: -Add remaining leftover plum pieces into the drink like sangria. ...

So I love green juices!  But I didn't always love them.  In fact up until the almost end of Nutrition school I thought they were disgusting. Yeah, I heard about all the nutrients, and the energy and the good skin and how my insides would thrive , but I still thought drinking Kale or Mustard Green and Chard mixed together with the smallest hint of apple was utterly disgusting.  I even took an instagram pic of me holding my nose while drinking a very large green drink, all to throw it out midway through because I just "couldn't".  I know you are reading this and laughing.  Does this sound familiar? If you were to suggest a green smoothie?  Oh, I was there.  Stat!  But a green Juice?  No, I'll pass. But, like most things, Green Juices are also an acquired taste.  Like Caviar.  Like Foie Gras. Like Sashimi.  Like Expresso without sweetener.  It's a game changer.  But like most of these special foods a...

Ever wonder how to add magic into your smoothie?   Ever wonder why your smoothie just doesn't come out the way they make them at the store? It's easy to fall into the same ole recipe every day. Why not spice it up? Here are some of my favorite add-in's that enhance my smoothies to ultimate delicious status! Try adding 1 or two new things to your smoothies each time.  Don't add in the whole lot!  HERBS: (small and large handfuls) Fresh Basil Fresh Mint Fresh Chocolate Mint Fresh Rosemary Fresh Parsley Fresh Dill Fresh Cilantro SPICES: (a dash or two) Dried Nutmeg Dried Cinnamon Dried Cloves Dried Cardamom Dried Vanilla Powder Dried Tumeric NON DAIRY MILKS and BASE LIQUIDS: (1/2 cup - 1 cup) **Unsweetened for less sugar **Regular for extra flavor Almond Milk Cashew Nut Milk Quinoa Milk Hemp Milk Coconut Milk Coconut Water Decaf or Regular Green Tea (from a Teabag) Camomile Tea English Breakfast Tea TigerNut Horchata (all fla...

Hey guys! Some super exciting news!  I entered another food contest! Shape Magazine, Silk Soy Milk & Go Sweet and Skinny partnered together and offered a contest on Instagram!   The idea was to use Soy Milk in a recipe or picture and post it on Instagram.  Since I am a creative chef over here, I decided to enter.  Naturally. These days I am feeling so positive about my path that I figure why the heck not, right?  Why not try.  Why not create?  Why not!  What have I got to loose?   This positive attitude of mine is spreading amongst my friends, so I'm hoping maybe I will inspire you! I enjoy being out there, trying new things and sharing my light.   Even if I don't win, at least I created something new!  And guess what?!  You guys get my recipe!! Since I consider myself the Smoothie Queen and I also love to make pancakes, I figured I would either create the ultimate soy pancake or the ultimate soy smoothie. ...

All I can say is- This is the easiest recipe I have ever made! I think this is the easiest recipe that anyone will ever make besides making eggs and toast. It's effortless, nutritious, healthy and creamy. Why Hemp Milk?  Well… It's a great alternative to dairy milk.  It's tree nut and nut free and it's delicious! There are no additives or thickeners in the homemade version. It is lactose free and Casein free!  It is low glycemic!  Only 1 gram of natural sugar. This is a great alternative for those that are Lactose Intolerant. It's cheaper then buying the store bought! Did you know that this tiny seed is a Superfood?   Did you know it's packed with crazy nutrients and vitamins like Iron, Vitamin A, Potassium, Magnesium? There is 86mg of Magnesium!  That is amazing.  Magnesium helps with muscle spasms, regulates sleep and well…keeps you "regular". Did you know that Hemp Seeds are a huge source of Omega-3's?  And Omega-6...

This recipe makes much more then pictured "Six o'clock already? I was just in the middle of a dream.  I was kissing Valentino by a crystal blue Italian stream.  Well, I can't be late because I guess I just won't get paid…these are the days when you wish your bed was already made…It's just another manic Monday…Oh oh oh…Wish it were Sunday…oh ohh oh, That's my funday…oh ohh oh…My I don't have to run day...Just another manic Monday." ( The Bangles, Manic Monday 1980's) Actually it's Tuesday-9am, 2014 not 1980 something and I have overslept all to wake up to Time Warner leaving me a message on my home answering machine advising me that my Internet and television will be turned off in 24 hours if I don't pay my two months worth of overdue bills!  Eek!  That got me outta bed real fast!  With one eye still closed, I managed to call Time Warner and pay up! I think I'd go postal if my television and Internet were sacrificed because o...

Is it a smoothie or a juice? The consistency is more juice like.  But it was not made in a juicer.  You decide.  The consistency is a cool one, and is almost in layers.  The denser part of the juice settles to the bottom while the fluffy cloud like foam remains at the top.  It tastes delicious!! Why Aloe? Ah the benefits.   Aids in Acid Reflux and Indigestion, calms the Esophagus from irritation, great for digestion, a sour tummy, and amazing for skin and hair.  Often the holistic and natural remedy for Acid Reflux or Indigestion is Aloe. WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1 large handful of spinach 1 cup skinless cucumber a squeeze or two lemon juice from a half of a lemon 3-4 slices of Granny Smith apple (less then half of an apple) 1 Tbsp. Aloe Vera Juice 1 serving of your powder Probiotic 1/2 cup water 3-4 ice cubes TIPS: -The more Green apple you put in the more tart it will be.  Start off with 2-3 slices, and then add in as you g...

Sometimes a smoothie looks like vomit but tastes so good! I remember when I visited my parents over the Summer I was making a smoothie in their blender.  I wanted everyone to try just how amazing these green smoothies were, just how good they tasted and just how wonderful they would feel with these nutrient-dense, protein-dense, healthy fat drinks with no sugar added with the exception of natural sugars I was concocting.  Sadly, my Dad, my Step-Mom, my Step-Sister and even my Brother took one look and said "I'm not drinking that, it looks like vomit".   Looks can be deceiving my friends!  I am not sure what you expect from a green smoothie filled with sunflower seed butter.  Without the Raw Cacao or a secondary fruit, vomit color is what you are going to get.  But to no avail they would not try, and they missed out.  Don't judge a book by it's cover, you may be pleasantly surprised.   Haven't you heard?  Vomit color is all the ...

When it comes to following the Paleo Diet (aka Primal, Primal Blueprint Diet, Caveman Diet) the "no added sugar" part can get tricky.  I learned this even before Paleo, when I enrolled at my awesome Nutrition School The Institute for Integrative Nutrition .   Did you know that even nut and seed butters have added cane sugar?  Why do you think it tastes so good? And even though it's not a lot-1-3 percent of added cane sugar-it's still added sugar and would be considered not Whole 30 or Paleo friendly. Therefore I only buy organic nut and seed butters that are unsweetened-sugar and sodium free.  That means the only sugars in these nut butters are the natural ones that come with the seed or the nut.  Now the butters I buy definitely taste different then what you would be used to-no doubt-the ingredient list on the back you can actually read, and understand what's in your seed or nut butter.  And there are only like 4 ingredients, sometimes 2.  I...

Lately I have been in a candy mood.  I swear I have dreams that I eat candy!  I wake thinking just how good that sugar was.  But since my body doesn't process sugar so well, I am glad I only ate it in my dreams!  My dreams are often really vivid.  I remember scents, dress code, people, weather, taste-and I actually feel like the dream is reality.  So when I ate those sour patch kids and chocolate in my dream, I woke up thinking I actually had.  I woke up as if I had just finished chewing it.  It was wild! So I opted for my Tootsie Roll smoothie day 2.  But this time, I needed it a tad sweeter, so I added in some extra raw Cacao powder, a few drops of liquid Stevia, a tad more avocado, some more Maca Root powder and a small handful of organic frozen blueberries.  I used some Goji Berries (superfood) as a garnish.  It was so delicious to eat those last!  It was perfect! WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1 tsp. Hemp Seeds (no you won'...

There seems to be a lot of confusion as to whether the coconut is a nut or a fruit.  Until this year, it was always a fruit.  Now there are debates on this fact.  I am allergic to tree nuts, and I don't have any issues with coconuts.  Since the debate is up for grabs, I am going with the notion that they are in fact a fruit rather then a nut, hence the reason I consider this a nut free smoothie. Hemp seeds, often called Hemp nuts, are in fact a seed, so this seed is safe for those with nut allergies.  Hemp seeds and Hemp milk I adore!  I used to ignore these nut free milks when I was a dairy drinker, but when I quit dairy milk, I needed a substitute.  I went for coconut milk and hemp milk.  Since I can't have almond milk (which is so delightful), I sub in unsweetened Hemp milk or Hemp seeds and it gives my smoothie that nutty texture and taste almonds would have. Stay tuned for my recipe of Hemp milk!  I'm going to make that a little...

By now perhaps you have noticed that I am totally obsessed with Smoothies!!   If you follow me on Instagram , Facebook or Twitter you would definitely know that I love them!   If you don't follow me, then what are you waiting for?!  Get on the goodie wagon with me and let's go for a ride! Smoothies make me feel ALIVE!  And it is the BEST feeling ever!!  Step aside coffee, you won't dehydrate me this time! (at least not in the a.m.) : ) I never realized how different my mornings could be until I started making smoothies.  A few years back I was basically a zombie dragging myself each morning to my job as a Fashion Designer and starting off with a caffeinated cappuccino followed by random carb snacks to stay awake, followed by another cappuccino at lunch, when really all I needed (clearly) were some low sugar fruits, veggies blended into a gorgeous smoothie! I don't think I ever realized what energetic (naturally) really felt like.  It was...

Sometimes I feel like there are days only chocolate would understand.  And following a strict Paleo diet does not allot for chocolate eating.  Especially chocolate with added dried cane sugar.  And especially in abundance.  Of course special occasions allot for this type of activity, but today is not that day. So how do you put a sock in your chocolate craving?  Well, simply remove your sock from your foot and put it in your chocolate.  I'm kidding!  Please use a clean sock! Kidding again!!… Often, chocolate cravings can get the best of us, so I created a delicious recipe to kick my craving and your craving.  It's delicious.  And it's perfect for the lover of coffee and chocolate.  Taking a sip of this sent signals of pure decadence to my brain. A lot of my readers often describe how tough it is to drink black coffee without sweetener, so this one is for you guys!!   This recipe is a total Brain Trick.  It tastes ...