If you want more energy, stronger and more efficient elimination/digestion, reduced cravings for bad foods, a stronger immune system (’tis the season for colds and flu), healthy skin and hair and a bunch of other goodness, it’s time to bring the power of the green smoothie into your life with this simple recipe. A green smoothie would do you right after all the holiday feasting this past weekend. Read more…
Tracy Russell, from Incredible Self, not only sent in an easy, summery, party-appropriate Raw Rice Pilaf recipe for the YumUniverse 1st Birthday Recipe Contest, but she sent us this Tropical Layered Strawberry Mango Fusion Smoothie, too. I thought I should share this one with YU—it’s pretty tasty.
This recipe will be a perfect sweet treat to enjoy and share over the holiday weekend. Usually granita is prepared with juice and refined sugar, but I wanted to create a version of granita that keeps all ingredients in their whole food state—complete with fiber for a slow and natural release of the fruit sugar into the bloodstream. This is a frozen treat you can really feel good about. It’s not just full of fiber, but it’s also rich in antioxidants. Give it a try this weekend and wow your fam and friends. Read more…
When people find out that I eat a plant-based diet, I am often asked in a sympathetic tone “what DO you eat?” I love this question, because my answer is a confident one—“the possibilities are infinite.” Folks who aren’t acquainted with eating a clean, whole food diet default to thinking that I must lead such a flavorless life of restriction and going without, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Let’s take breakfast for example. Here are 10 of my favorite ways to start the day—better than a nutritionally-void, processed bowl of cereal every time. Read more…
On Monday, I made a smoothie out of the greens in my crisper, a red apple on the counter and some dates I had in the pantry. It was so delicious that I have been drinking this green goodness every day this week.
Try this smoothie out this weekend. It’s fresh, creamy, naturally sweet and full of phytonutrients and fiber.
Makes: 2-3 large glasses
Time: 5-10 minutes
Tools:
Blender
Ingredients:
3-4 leaves of organic chard
3-4 medjool dates
1 organic, red apple
1/2 bunch, organic parsley
1-2 cups pure water (you can use coconut water for extra sweetness and electrolytes)
Let’s get started.
Remove the main stem from the chard if you like, you can leave it on. Core the apple. Remove the pits from the medjool dates. Place the parsley, with stems in the blender. Add water. Place the cored apple, chard and pitted dates into the blender. Mix until creamy. Enjoy!
This recipe is a delicious variation of the Pear Cilantro Smoothie recipe found in the YU Test Drive (do you have your copy yet?). Cilantro is one of my favorite detoxifying herbs since it removes heavy metals from the system. This makes a city dweller like me feel a tad better about that unsettling view of the factory I have from my balcony.
This simple smoothie combination is a winner on so many levels. I have had a couple of YU Test Drivers (who were not fans of cilantro) tell me that they love the refreshing Pear Cilantro smoothie, so give this combo a try for taste and for the powerful antioxidant, phytonutrient and anti-inflammatory properties. Read more…
I met the lovely Anusara instructor, Sara Strother, thanks to my good friend, and YU contributor, Maya Henderson. She wanted to share one of her breakfast secrets with YU and I thought that was a super idea, so take it away Sara!
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Hello YumUniverse!
As you may know, the life of a yogi is a pretty active one. When it comes to breakfast we yogis need something that is really gonna rev engines and jet set our day. Personally, breakfast has always been the most challenging meal of the day for me—I’m either left feeling heavy, or teased and wanting more.
To be honest, I am also a picky eater. There isn’t some neat category you can shove me into. Vegetarian doesn’t work because I don’t eat dairy. Vegan doesn’t work because I love raw fish. Then with allergies to soy, cane and beet sugar…you can see that the first meal of the day for me could be a nightmare. Luckily, a fellow yogi from Boulder came and stayed with me for a few days and wanted to use my blender—a cheap purchase from Target, and at this point it was quite dusty. But after busting it out and going along with the smoothie routine with my friend during her stay I have not been the same since. Read more…
Brendan Brazier’s Lemon Lime Recovery Drink has changed my workout recovery so much that I actually start craving this drink when I’m still at the gym. I can feel my muscles looking forward it’s healing powers. After a big workout, as soon as I get home I drink this magic, and wake up the next morning with only the slightest, almost non-existent soreness. It has become an integral part of my routine, and if you are an active person, or wanting to be an active person, I highly recommend following up your workouts with this creamy, citrus-flavored beverage. It’s filling and satisfying enough that it sometimes (most times) becomes my dinner.
I purchased Brendan’s book Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life
