30 Day Fitness Challenge

Summer is here and it's time to glisten, sparkle, and sweat. I found this great workout which I've planned to do as a 30 Day Challenge in addition to running 25-30 miles a week. I am only on day 3 of this challenge and I am so sore. 

Currently, I only complete one set which takes about 15 minutes. However, as the weeks progress I plan to increase the sets. For example:

Week 1: 1 set
Week 2: 2 sets
Week 3: 3 sets
Week 4: 4 sets 
*I add 25 lunges to each set*

Depending on your fitness level it maybe ideal to do every other day while still completing 30 days of the challenge, as opposed to doing the challenge for 30 consecutive days. 

I'll keep you updated with my progress. Let me know how this works for you too!

Coco-Banana Delight Smoothie

When you're craving something sweet... but don't want to steer away from your clean eating diet. Try my Coco-Banana Delight Smoothie. It's healthy, simple, and vegan.

Ingredients:
1 can Coconut milk
5 Dates
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 Ripe Banana

Directions: Combine all ingredients in blender and liquify.

Yield: 2 Servings, 175 calories per serving

Back to Basics

Since I was a little girl if ever I or one of my sisters fell ill we ran to our nana for advice. Although, we were all insured my nana's  wisdom proved far more valuable. As the oldest, I was the voice for us all, I read off our symptoms to nana and patiently we awaited a response (my mom eager to know the verdict as well). 

I carefully wrote down everything she advised.  Her timeless home remedies dated back to her years as the oldest child caring for her siblings. She explained her grandmothers mother did this and it always worked. My nanas instructions were meant to be followed to a tee and looking back at them now I realize how practical and basic they were. With a warm intensity she would advise: 

• Upset stomach: drink a cap-ful of apple cider vinegar and chase it with a cup of water
• Sore throat: gargle with salt water and spread vapor rub on your chest with a warm compress
• Menstrual cramps: lay with a hot water bottle
• Tough splinter: wrap foot in plastic with baking soda
• Dry scalp treatment: coconut/olive oil mask and apple cider rinse

Remembering my nanas’ advice reminds me of the importance of going back to basics. Studies prove that the body can heal itself; free of prescriptions, elixirs, patches, syrups, and fad diets. With some TLC and a few household staples we can be as good as new. 

On the rare occasion I become sick I remind myself of my nana's remedies. I drink water, flush my system with veggies and fruits, and I get plenty of rest. Simple, basic yet effective. 

Product Review: Divine Raw Foods

 

Some think that becoming vegan means goodbye to all things sweet and tasty. Yet little do they know there is a new world of taste buds veganism will introduce you to. As I explored my way into the wonderful world of veganism I found myself driven to the familiar foods and tastes I had known as a vegetarian. You know those hard to forget foods like pizza, cookies, and pies. (If you couldn’t tell, I have a serious sweet tooth). I am an all or nothing kind of person. So, when I first decided to try veganism I didn’t take the slow, steady, and safe route. Instead, I went in head first. After completing a 10 day juice cleanse I decided I should go full on raw vegan. I ate all types of amazing, fresh, delicious, and creative foods. I watched videos, read books, took classes and found myself deeply immersed in this new lifestyle.

In addition, there was one man and his gourmet raw food company that made my transition from vegetarian to vegan a much smoother and easier process. His name is Chef Billy Page owner of Divine Raw Foods.

Page transitioned into a raw vegan lifestyle in 2004 after receiving numerous warning signs urging him to improve his health. He immediately recognized the benefit of a raw vegan lifestyle first hand and became compelled to share, teach, and inspire others about the benefits of raw veganism.

I first met Chef Billy at his humble table outside of my Spiritual/Healing Center, serving the most delicious pizza I’ve ever tasted in my life, and yes it was raw. This pizza was layered with raw pesto, fresh, and colorful vegetables all atop a thin chewy crust. It was so amazing. It also came with a fresh side salad with homemade dressing for only $5.  I was  instantly a believer. Raw inexpensive vegan food. I couldn’t ask for more. And what better way to teach and inspire folks, then through the stomach?

An aspect of Divine Raw Foods' mission is to “make healthy food available to the under-served community”.  The company adheres to this mission by making food economically accessible, volunteering at local community gardens, and hosting workshops. Chef Billy began experimenting with various raw vegan recipes and now has a variety of favorites that he sells at various locations throughout the East Bay.

Among my favorites are the fresh, colorful, and chewy pesto pizza.

 The delicately sweetened, melt in your mouth vanilla and/or raw cacao cookies.

 

The decadently rich and creamy Chocolate Coconut Pie

The well seasoned hunk of Neat-loaf.

I love me some raw food now. I cannot get enough. Although not 100% raw vegan, 80% of my diet is and having access to inexpensive, gourmet raw food is a treat. The flavors are so full and tantalizing I never even think about it being raw, instead I just think this is darn good. 

Even during the holidays, I celebrate healthy and raw. I order a Divine Raw holiday meal for two which includes two servings of an entree, a salad, another side and a dessert. Yum! 

Whether you are transitioning into raw veganism or just trying to incorporate more clean eating into your diet these divine meals will have you coming back for more. Check out Divine Raw Foods on facebook and wordpress at: Divinerawfoods.wordpress.com