Happy New Year!

 

 

 Happy New Year!  I hope you are all able to celebrate with your loved ones and that 2014 brings you health and happiness!  I will not be posting on the blog for the rest of this week as we will be getting away to Lake Placid.  I will be back on next week with new recipes and ideas to share with you!

Grapefruit Carrot juice

I have recently started juicing after debating for a while about the pros and cons.  There are no studies that prove huge health benefits, but that didn't bother me much because if I had listened to the medical community before switching to a plant-based, gluten-free diet, I would have undergone brain surgery and would still eat the standard American diet.  Having lived through this transformation and seeing the positive effect it has had on my health became reason enough to convince me that juicing could also have its benefits.  I read quite a lot about other people's experience with juicing and decided to give it a try.  I have not bought a juicer, I use my vitamix and a fine mesh strainer in order to separate the fibers from the juice.  I have been drinking a juice every day for a few weeks and can say the effects on my energy level are tremendous.  I feel normal again. 

 

 

 

Did you know that the grapefruit is a vitamin C super fruit that is great for fighting the common cold and is so powerful at fighting free radicals that consuming it can benefit you from a reduction in cancer risks, cardiovascular diseases and strokes.

 

 

 

Grapefruit Carrot Juice

 

Ingredients

 

3 cups filtered water

2 cups organic kale

4 organic carrots

1 organic grapefruit

1/2 inch fresh organic ginger

 

Place all ingredients in juicer or vitamix.  If using a blender, mix until you get a thick watery paste.  Place fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and empty juice over it.  It may take up to five minutes in order to separate the juice from the fiber  (fiber may be kept and used in muffins).  Serve and enjoy!

 

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

Amelie 

 

 

Healthy Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas

I have a sweet tooth.  I need chocolate everyday and eat dessert after dinner every night - that's non negotiable in my book.  That is what I found the hardest at first when I switched to a plant-based diet a little over a year ago.  I thought I could never have dessert again since I had also sworn off most sugar.  Then I found out about all these raw desserts that required no sugar or were sweetened with only a little honey or dates.  And although my husband, my daughter and I are all converts, my son has yet to jump on the bandwagon - he has a developed quite a fear of my healthy recipes...  So last week I decided to give frozen chocolate covered bananas a try hoping he would at least give them a chance.  I have seen images of them go by on my instagram feed quite often, but not every recipe seemed healthy enough for me to give it a try.   So I came up with my own and I can say that all 4 of us were instantly in love.  It had the perfect balance of chocolaty goodness yet the texture of the frozen banana made it fee quite light.  Let me just say that it will be on high rotation in our house once summer comes around.  I'd say the kids won't miss ice cream sandwiches that much!

 

 

Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas

Ingredients

2 bananas peeled and cut in half
Raw Organic Shredded Coconut
Coffee sticks
1 tbsp. Raw honey or agave nectar
2 tbsp. raw cacao powder
3 tbsp. water

Method

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

In a saucepan mix honey, cacao and water over low heat until it forms a chocolaty liquid. 

Roll banana halves in chocolate mixture and place on the cookie sheet.  Sprinkle coconut shreds on desired bananas. 

Insert coffee stick in bananas and place cookie sheet in the freezer for 2-3 hours. 

Remove from freezer and place in refrigerator until you are ready to serve (I like my bananas softer so I place them in for at least 30 minutes prior to serving them).

 

Thanks for reading,

Amelie

Pomegranate Chard Salad - Perfect for those holiday dinners!

 

So I haven't updated this blog in a long time, because life with 2 kids and homework and activities just got the best of me.  If you follow me along on Instagram or Facebook you still have been updated with recipes, but I simply decided to take a break from the blog and focus on getting by.  I have been wanting to post for a few weeks and decided today was the day.  I will try and update as much as possible.

 

The recipe I am sharing with you today is a very simple salad recipe that is quite festive looking and tasting.  You can easily bring it to a pot-luck holiday dinner and have only 5 min. prep beforehand, which gives you more time to pamper yourself...always makes me happy!



Pomegranate Chard Salad
(Yields 2 servings)

6 cups Swiss Chard
2-3 cups fresh pomegranate arils
2 tbsps. balsamic vinegar

Serve and enjoy!

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Amelie