Was Kermit the Frog talking about a healthy diet when he said ‘It’s not easy being green’?  Perhaps.  For many people, a major challenge in healthy eating is making dark leafy greens palatable and digestible.  You see, greens have tough cellulose fibers that need to be chewed very thoroughly. Unfortunately, chewing huge salads can be time-consuming and unpleasant for the beginner, and not always easy to digest. 

The answer:  a Green Smoothie.

Grapefruits are in-season right now in the sunny Southeast and prices are excellent.  You can find ripe, juicy grapefruits in supermarkets all over the country or if you’re lucky enough to live in Texas, Florida, California, or Arizona, you can buy them fresh from the tree at your local farmer’s market...or pick one off the tree in your own backyard.  (I’m envious!)

When you think of a papaya, do you think of an exotic faraway island like Tahiti?  Well, in truth, papaya is a native of Hawaii where rich volcanic soil, sun-kissed days, and cool nights provide the perfect growing conditions for this beautifully colorful fruit.  

Papayas aren’t just pretty, they’re pretty good for you, too.  Papayas deliver six key nutrients:  vitamin C, folate, potassium, iron, calcium, and fiber, plus carotenoids.  And you can use Hawaiian papayas to make a distinctively all-American breakfast pudding that is fat-free, yet creamy and nutritionally satisfying.

It seems that whatever else may separate us, food is a common language we all speak.  And one of the most interesting things I’ve discovered traveling around the world is how many similarities there are in the foods enjoyed by different cultures. 

Whether you like to ski, toboggan, snowboard, or sit by the fire and show off your après-ski wardrobe, the whole point of a winter vacation is to relax and have fun.  But one thing that can take the fun out of being away from home is not getting the right nutrition from the foods you like and need to feel your best.  That’s why it’s good to tuck a simple, raw food blended soup recipe into your suitcase...along with an indispensible take-along appliance, the Tribest Personal Blender. 

One of the biggest misconceptions about raw food is that it is light or ‘bunny food.’  But what many people don’t realize is that bunnies live active lives and need lots of nutrition to do all that hopping and multiplying.  Fortunately the raw fruits and vegetables that bunnies prefer are filled with protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and everything else a bunny’s body...and the human body...needs to function at optimum levels.

One of my favorite hearty raw food menus to serve on a cold winter’s night in my hometown of Chicago is fit for a king (or queen) as long as the monarch has a hearty appetite.  This royal meal starts with a Shaved Beet Salad, followed by a Stuffed Portobello Mushroom with Sun-Dried Tomato Pâté and Swiss Chard with Pine Nuts and Raisins.

When the sun comes up on 2012, many people will begin making good on their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and/or eat healthier.  Why not host a raw food brunch to celebrate all those good intentions?

What to serve? I’m glad you asked!

New Year’s Eve is a wonderful night of nostalgia, hope and celebration.  And while many people attend parties to ring out the old year and ring in the new, others (like me) enjoy spending a quiet New Year’s Eve at home.  

The biggest challenge of being a homebody on New Year’s Eve is figuring out what to eat.  I don’t want to get weighted down by a heavy meal or snacks; my goal is to keep my appetite satisfied so I can be wide awake to watch the ball drop.  (I’m normally an early riser, so counting down to midnight can be tough.)

That’s why I like to spend New Year’s Eve feasting on raw food appetizers.  I can prepare a variety of recipes early in the evening and nibble on them throughout the night.  And since the food is natural and unprocessed, I don’t have to worry about it making me feel sluggish and sleepy.