I’m dedicating this to all the vegan foodies out there who are determined to make the most delicious vegan desserts and pastries imaginable. I will be trying some of these options out myself and I will report back. If you have had any success in making delicious vegan cakes, cookies or pies please let us know.

The graphic you see here is courtesy of PETA.

Click on the infographic below to view a larger image:

Before pic of Kale chips

Who would have ever thought that Kale Chips would be the business? Certainly not I…

But after a quick shout out to my Facebook family asking for some suggestions of what I should make in my new dehydrator, my girlfriend Jodi suggested that I make Kale Chips.

Long story short… once they were done they never made it off the trays. We ate them ALL right out of the dehydrator…Maybe next time I’ll be able to bring some to work.

What’s so amazing about kale is the abundance of beauty vitamins and nutrients, which as you know, I AM ALL ABOUT THAT!

Here is a quick run down of the benefits of kale:

• rich source of beta-carotene – the amount is 7 times more than that present in broccoli
  

  After pic of Kale after 4 hours

• extremely rich source of these 3 essential vitamins– vitamin A, C, and K – helping to fight against free radicals – which as we know affects the skin.
• Vitamin K is important in maintaining heart and bone health, and helps in the clotting of the blood
• contains 3 vital minerals - calcium, potassium, magnesium, which are particularly required for controlling blood pressure

The RECIPE goes something like this:

Step 1: Tear kale into pieces
Step 2: Toss kale in a bowl with olive oil and salt
Step 3: Spread seasoned kale onto dehydrator trays
Step 4: Set dehydrator temperature to 115 degrees
Step 5: Set timer to 5 hours
Step 6: Eat and enjoy!

So there you have it! Dang… I’m starting to crave more Kale Chips…

If you have any yummy kale recipes that you would love to share. We would love to hear from you.

Lovely berries that I picked up from Farmer's Market

I love eating it – fruits and veggies: berries, kiwi fruit, nectarines, peaches, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts (the best when roasted), broccoli.

It continues to amaze me how powerful a single vitamin can be. When taken both internally as well as applied externally, Vitamin C does not disappoint!

I believe that the beauty benefits are so great that most of the serums that I develop for Lotus Moon contain some percentage of vitamin C (l-ascorbic acid).

When I am consistent with my Vitamin C intake, both internally and externally, I notice the difference in my skin and how my body responds.

The benefits of applying vitamin C topically are numerous. And even better is that there is science to back it up. Here are a few:

• Increases skin’s ability to protect itself from damage (toxins, environmental, sun)
• Neutralizes damaging free radicals – which can lead to deep wrinkles, hyper-pigmentation and chronic inflammation
• Stimulate collagen (the skin’s firmness) and elastin (its ability to retain its original shape)
• Topical application delivers 20 times more vitamin C to the skin then when taken internally.

PLEASE whatever you do DO NOT use a vitamin C powder supplement that is intended for ingestion and apply to your skin topically. A customer called and shared with us that she had done just that and now she needed a product that would help the rash go away. And thank goodness we had just the thing for her (Cherry Blossom Healing Soothe).

Now that summer is in full swing we have no excuse to not go out and stock up on all the vitamin C rich fruits that Mother Nature has so generously created. To help you out a little I will post vitamin C recipes too.

I have a sweet tooth like nobody’s business. So I decided to start experimenting with some raw desserts on my own.

When I have a sugar craving of some sort I now have learned that it is due to lack of protein intake. So I pay attention to that. But there are other days when I just want something sweet but not anything that will send me over the edge and make me break out in the shakes…

When I saw the book: Raw Food Made Easy… I thought, now that’s a raw cookbook I can get in to.

This dessert was my first creation. And by the way don’t let the avocado in the recipe scare you. You don’t even know it’s there. You know how I know? Because my husband-to-be HATES avocados, so I didn’t tell him that I put one in there and he gobbled it up and said “Can I have another one?”

The health and beauty benefits of this delicacy are endless (also another reason to justify eating this dessert).

All things ANTIOXIDANT have beauty and health benefits.

Cashews:

• packed with soluble dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals and numerous health promoting phyto-chemicals; that help to protect against diseases and cancers.
• rich in “heart friendly” monounsaturated fatty acids like oleic and palmitoleic acids that help to lower LDL or bad cholesterol and increase HDL or good cholesterol.
• rich in many essential vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that our body requires them from external sources to replenish and essential for metabolism of protein, fat and carbohydrates in the body
• rich source of minerals like manganese, potassium, copper, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium.
• Eating just a handful of cashew nuts every day can help you to avoid minerals deficiencies
• That reminds me, I need to keep a bag of cashews here at my office

Chocolate (unsweetened cocoa powder):

• Cocoa powder is chocolate that’s had much of its fat removed. When it is processed into chocolate it loses most of its nutritional value. Enjoying this in its raw form satisfies the best of both worlds.
• Has High Antioxidant Content:  14 times more antioxidants than red wine and 21 times more antioxidants than green tea

Raw Chocolate Mousse Recipe:

1/4 cup pitted medjool dates, soaked
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup mashed avocados (1 1/2 avocados)
1/4 cup plus 2 TB unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup water

Place the dates, maple syrup and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth. Add avocado and cocoa powder and process until creamy. Add water and process briefly.

Vanilla Creme

1 cup soaked raw cashews
1/4 cup plus 2 TB water
2 TB maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender and process on high speed until smooth. Chill for at least 30 minutes before scooping and alternately layering into glass with your chocolate mousse.

Both of these will keep for 5 days.

If you ever get around to making this dessert let me know how it turns out.

This delicious tropical fruit has amazing nutritional value that I bet YOU NEVER KNEW.

Papaya is richer in nutrients than just about any other fruit. It’s abundant in vitamins A, C, D, E and K as well as minerals calcium, phosphorus and iron.

What’s also wonderful about papaya is that it hardly contains any starch; it is made up of simple, natural sugars that are readily absorbed into the bloodstream. Mother nature has already broken down its sugars and the papaya enzyme papain helps in the digestion of other foods.

Here are a few of its Super Hero powers:

• it cuts excessive mucoid that collects in the digestive tract
• aids in the break down of proteins and other hard to digest foods
• helps to cleanse the intestinal tract of decayed matter
• promotes regular elimination
• even protects against bad breath

So there you have it. Now go out and stock up on Papaya!!

All you have to do to enjoy this amazing gift is select a large ripe papaya, cut it in half, and scoop out the seeds. Then you may either scoop out the flesh with a spoon or peel it and eat in slices. Eat as much as you want, up to one whole papaya.

Here is a recipe that I came up with as I was thinking of other ways to use papaya.

Papaya Beauty Shake:

1 cup diced papaya
1 banana
2 cups almond milk (add more for a thinner shake)
1 TB flax seed oil
1 TB lecithin

Blend in a Vitamix or blender. You may need to adjust amounts to your liking, but this gives you a general guideline.

Oh and by the way, you can use the papaya skin as a facial mask. You can save them in a ziplock baggie and when you’re ready for a facial just smear the peel on your face (after you have cleansed and toned you face of course) and leave it there for 15-20 minutes. Relax and imagine you are lying on a tropical island somewhere…Enjoy!!

Let me know if you have any great recipes using papaya! If you give our papaya beauty shake a try I would love to hear from you!!

With my busy schedule it’s very hard for me to find time to exercise. So I have been in search of an easy way to keep my body in good shape.

When I discovered rebounding, I thought I had died and gone to HEAVEN!!

It is so convenient, safe and easy. It doesn’t matter what the weather is – so I couldn’t use that excuse anymore. The more I started learning about the benefits of rebounding, I couldn’t believe that everyone is not doing it. It’s so easy and the return on investment is crazy!!

How does it work?

• Like ALL exercise it works through gravitational pull
• With rebounding the gravitational pull works on ALL parts of the body.
• As the body bounces the force of gravity oscillates as you bounce up and come down
• At the top of your bounce your body is momentarily weightless
• At the bottom it could be as much as 4 times your body weight
• The cells respond to the increase in pressure by becoming stronger

What are the benefits? (they are too numerous to include them all, but here are a few)

• WEIGHT LOSS & DETOXIFICATION (that’s enough reason for me)
• It works the entire body, not just the arms or leg muscles, but your heart, intestines, liver, kidneys and so on
• Not only strengthens the muscles, but it strengthens every single cell of the body
• It strengthens the bones, cartilage, joints, and every organ of the body.
• All the systems and organs of the body function more efficiently
• When the organs work better they can remove the toxins better
• Helps the body build up an increased resistance to disease
• Cheapest form of health insurance on the market today!!

Keeping the blood flowing and the lymphatic system running smoothly at all times is much easier said than done. Nevertheless, it is essential to living a long and healthy life.

I found that rebounding as little as 10 minutes per day helped me kick-start a routine of mindful exercise that is leading me into taking better care of my health. Once I began researching the role that the lymphatic systems plays in our overall health and well being I wanted to understand what I needed to do to keep it healthy and running smooth. Daily REBOUNDING is a key part of that solution.

My little video here, shows you how easy rebounding is (even if it makes you a little dizzy). I’m going to get one for my office too so when I need to clear my head I can get in a quick rebounding session to get the juices flowing again.

I hope this was helpful to you and I hope you get started on rebounding TODAY!!

Have you ever rebounded before?

If you start rebounding I want to hear from you.

Feeling the joy in everything I do.

For my birthday every year my mother, a photographer (you can see her work here: www.borrelliportraits.com) takes my portrait.

This year I turned 46. Now that my two children are grown, one is off to college and the other is working full time, this is exciting to me. It’s a new JOY! and I wanted to have my annual photo reflect how I was feeling about my life – past, present and future.

So as I was jumping for joy she just keep the camera clicking. She had to stop sometimes because she was laughing so hard.

I have this picture in large format and framed in my office. It serves as my reminder to see JOY in everything that I do. From the most mundane of activities to the most intense. It’s sometimes challenging to find the JOY in situations that are irritating or hurtful or even embarrassing, but I will continue to do my best in remaining present in the JOY state of mind.

Times are changing and expressing appreciation and showing gratitude for our life’s experiences is important to our own BEAUTY and well being – emotional, spiritual and physical.

Find the JOY. Be the JOY. Experience the JOY!!

What did you REALLY think this blog post was going to be about? Tsk, tsk tsk… Shame on you people…

But how else am I suppose to make you read about something that is so wonderfully healthy for you?

I have NEVER been a huge watermelon fan until I started Body Rejuvenation Cleanses on a regular basis. That’s when I learned how amazing watermelon is for cleansing the digestive system.

Summertime is especially perfect for taking advantage of the abundance of this sweet and juicy fruit.

I’ve always associated watermelons with picnics and family BBQ’s. Those of you who understand the importance of food combining know that watermelon is the last thing that you want to eat after a heavy dose of BBQ, potato salad and all the fixings.

Now that I have started incorporating watermelon into my morning routine as the first thing that I eat, my relationship with this sweet and juicy delight has changed.

It seems that the simplest things are those that can do the greatest healing and improve our health in so many ways. Here are more reasons to make our mornings Sweet and Juicy:

• The high water content in watermelon is beneficial for any weight loss program because it gives the body the impression that it is full.
• Great for all types of body detoxification programs, because it purifies the body of waste which is then eliminated through urine, making it a delicious way to clean our kidneys.
• Rich in vitamin A and C, beta-carotene, lycopene, iron, zinc, potassium and other important minerals
• It is as rich in iron as spinach – bet you didn’t know that… Iron boosts energy in our bodies, makes us active and provides us with stamina.
• Aside from tomatoes, watermelons are one of the richest sources of lycopene – a naturally occurring red pigment in plants that is a very potent antioxidant which means its helpful in fighting against free radicals

Besides its antioxidant properties, lycopene also helps to improve short and long term memory, which I need help with because I can’t remember 5 minutes ago. Lycopene is also a detoxifier of the waste in the body and inhibits cholesterol formation.

To get the most nutritive benefit from watermelons, they should be eaten alone on an empty stomach, which makes it ideal as the first meal of the day. Eating watermelon for breakfast helps to flush the entire digestive system. Because of its high water content it travels through the body quickly. The great thing is that you can eat as much as you want!

Watermelon is best eaten at room temperature. If you don’t have anyone to share this morning treat with then refrigerate the leftovers in a container and bring to room temperature before eating.

This beautiful gift completes the body’s natural nocturnal cleansing process…. So what are you waiting for people?!! Go out and stock up on watermelon – MAKE SURE IT’S ORGANIC!

To your health and beauty!

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating slightly when I say that this is the BEST balsamic salad dressing in the world but it is so easy and quick and TASTY that I couldn’t help but to put a little extra emphasis on it to make my point.

All I know is, I no longer buy salad dressing from the store.

This dressing helps to flush fat from the system because of the omega-6 in safflower and flax seed oils.

Using oils high in omega-6 fatty acids is even more important than the omega-3 fatty acids when it comes to protecting the heart, the immune system and the skin. Using this salad dressing, or a variation of it, on your salads regularly will help promote healthy hair, skin, and nails and provide the anti-aging benefits of a clean and clear circulatory and cardiovascular system.

Ingredients:

1/3 c safflower oil
1 TB flax oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh tarragon
2 TB balsamic vinegar
Herbamare to taste

Directions:

I double this batch and and blend it up in my VitaMix. This way I have a delicious dressing for the next several days. Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite and simple dressing you want to share?

The Before Picture of the Raw Veggie Delight

I love mother earth and all the beauty nutrients she provides. Here is a recipe that I tried when I first bought my VitaMix a few weeks ago.

Even my hard-core meat eating fiance loved this…only thing is that he needed it heated up. He’s not a “room temperature” kinda guy…

This soup is a potent source for all the vitamins and minerals available in the raw vegetables themselves. Their fiber content helps to sweep the intestines of waste. Hooray!! Hooray!!

This recipe serves 4. If you are making it for just yourself then cut the recipe in half. Also, please note that this soup is best eaten fresh. It doesn’t taste the same the next day. So if you thinking of making a batch and saving it, be warned that it’s not as good. And I found that out by experience.

After it is all said and done

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 c onion
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini, chopped
2 c celery
4 c red bell pepper, diced
1 ear of corn
4 tsp sea salt
1 TB umeboshi vinegar
1 TB dried dill or 2 TB fresh dill

Directions: Cut the corn off the cob and combine it with all the other ingredients in a blender. This works amazingly well in the VitaMix. I would have never made this soup otherwise.

• Puree the mixture and pour it into a serving bowl.
• Garnish the soup with thin slices of cucumber and a sprinkle of fresh dill

Do you have a favorite Raw Soup recipe that you want to share with us?

Please share. The more the merrier!!