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I am now blogging on my new website ,http://thrivemassageandhealing.com/blog/

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Kale and avocado salad

This is my all time favorite salad. It’s so easy and healthy, the avocado is rich in protein and healthy fats, which makes this a satisfying meal by itself. I like to prepare this with some lean protein to balance out my meal. This is a great way to bring kale into your diet on a regular basis. I can’t stress enough how good kale is for you!

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

I made this vegan alfredo last night for dinner and it was so amazing I had to share. It’s been awhile since I’ve had any inspiration to write about my healing adventures. Sometimes we go through periods in life that I like to call “The Void”. The void may enter our lives in many different degrees. We may feel generally down about life,  feel depressed, and tell your friends things like “I feel so blah”, “Nothing is happening”. I think to myself a lot, “God I wish this waiting was over”. But what are we waiting for really? Isn’t it about what is unfolding for us in the moment? That’s where the real joy is. Being present in my life in ways I never was before.That’s what meditation does for me.

The void gives us an opportunity to end some part of our development, and to prepare the ground for some new growth. It is a period of death and regeneration.

In the meantime, enjoy some Vegan Alfredo!

Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons raw pine nuts
1 1/2 cups water
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
4 cups cooked fettuccine (or other pasta of your choice)
3 tablespoons freshly minced parsley

1. In a blender, grind cashews and pine nuts into a fine powder. Add water, lemon juice, garlic, nutmeg, and salt. Blend until completely smooth.
2. Transfer sauce to a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk as you bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes, whisking regularly. Stir in black pepper.
3. Serve over hot pasta and garnish with parsley and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Recipe created by Allison Rivers Samson, Maven of Mmmm… at www.AllisonsGourmet.com.  Originally printed in her award-winning column, ‘Veganize It!’ in VegNews Magazine. Reprinted with permission.

I found the recipe from my favorite blog http://www.thekindlife.com

Note: the sauce seems a little thin at first, but it thickens as you whisk it and heat for 7 minutes. I think you can add a little less water and it would be thicker. It’s delicious the way it is though!

Creamy ginger tahini dressing

This is my absolute favorite dressing. I found the recipe from Brendan Braziers book Thrive. I use it on all my salads, kale, spinach, and grain bowls. It’s packed with nutrition and flavor. Ginger is amazing for us. One of ginger’s most known health benefits is its effects on digestive ailments. It can help digest fatty foods and break down proteins. It is excellent for reducing gas. Many people report that it will also relieve nausea, and can be effective in treating morning sickness as well as motion sickness.Ginger can also help reduce inflammation. So it can be used to treat any disease that is caused by inflammations such as arthritis or ulcerative colitis. Some studies show that it can even help inhibit the replication of the herpes simplex virus.

Creamy ginger tahini dressing

1/2 cup hemp oil or olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (excellent B vitamin source)
sea salt to taste

I made a salad with kale and spinach, pumpkin seeds, and sprinkled with dulse flakes which is a seaweed rich in minerals, especially iodine.

Happy New Year!

Well it’s another new year. I’m feeling very good about this year:)  I was trying to think about all the things I want to do better, all the new classes I want to take ( more yoga please), all the healthy dishes I’m going to prepare for myself, the bodywork I want and need so badly, and most of all make more money and create the business I desire.  In all of my racing thoughts about all of this I realized that all I want is to slow down. I realized that I’m never alone, I’m never really alone. I felt deep down inside myself that I don’t need anyone to come and fix everything for me anymore, I feel so good in my own skin right now that the desperation I felt before seems so far away, like it has transcended. I realized that all I ever need is right inside myself, and for once I don’t need anything from anyone else and I don’t need anything at all really except more spiritual progress. What I truly crave is my spiritual life and more reflection from others on the same path. I don’t need a plan for my life, I don’t need new years resolutions, my life will just unfold as it should. I don’t need to keep adding things to my schedule. Slowing down and really feeling joy in the moment is not what I strive for, it’s what I’m experiencing.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Thanks to everyone who has helped support my blog this year. I hope to have more valuable information for you in 2013 that’s not only healthy, but fun too! Please pass it on to others that could benefit:)

My friend Thom

My friend Thom passed away on Sunday from pancreatic cancer. He was diagnosed in June with the cancer when he went in for what he thought was a minor pain in his side and back. He thought he had just pulled a muscle. His life was turned upside-down in an instant. At 47 years old,he had a successful business in town called Bella Boutique (which I had the pleasure of working in for 3 years), a new love in his life and the financial security he had worked so hard for, all gone in an instant. It’s crazy isn’t it, one day your trying to manage your life, make money, have a relationship, be important, all just so we can feel good. Feeling good is the point isn’t it? I know I just want to feel good for gods sake, life is hard and I just want to feel good. I’ve tried for years to fit in, get approval, make more money, be loved, fill in the empty space that takes over me. Always rushing from one task to the next, filling my day with stuff that I’m not sure even matters. I was filled with anxiety and worry almost all the time.

Ultra Green Soup Recipe

I saw this recipe on myvega.com and I can’t wait to make this. It looks so delicious. I love blending my veggies!. Vega was created by Brendan Brazier. Brendan has a best-selling book call The Thrive Diet, great name huh? He has a wellness program called Thrive, and helps people transform their lives through plant-based nutrition. He is also a vegan endurance athlete and created the Vega line of whole food nutritional products. I personally love the protein powder!

Raw Banana Almond Shake

This is my favorite shake ever, and it’s so easy. I love homemade almond milk and I always try to have it fresh in my fridge every day. See my post on how to make it, I promise you will not be satisfied with store-bought almond milk anymore. I love adding 1 tablespoon of raw coconut butter and one packet of stevia to the milk. It make it creamier and sweeter. Raw coconut butter is so good for you too. Research indicates, animal fats have long chain saturated fat, while coconut oil contains healthy, healing, medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). This saturated fat is considered a rare and important building block of every cell in the human body, and can actually reduce cholesterol and heart disease. Coconut oil/butter also boost immunity and aids in weight loss by helping speed metabolism.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/023563.html#ixzz2DUDX5uJL

 

Recipe

One frozen banana
One cup almond milk
One teaspoon of cinnamon
Blend and enjoy!

 

Gluten free apple crisp

I’ve recently just discovered almond flour for baking and making delicious treats. I’m a huge fan of Elana Amsterdam and her book, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. She has many dairy and sugar-free recipes also. I buy my almond flour from the bulk section of Whole Foods or order it online because it is very expensive. Almond flour is very nutritious. It is high in protein, low in carbohydrates and low in sugars. Below is some great info I copied from Elana’s blog called Elana’s Pantry.

Roasted local squash soup

Last night I created this soup with patty pan squash with a butternut squash that I got from the farmers market Saturday morning. It was the easiest and most delicious soup I ever made. It was so rich and creamy and without all the nastiness of dairy. Here’s how…

Ingredients:

2 patty pan squashes sliced
1 butternut squash peeled, cored and chopped
3 large cloves of garlic chopped
1 tablespoon organic butter or earth balance spread
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon thyme
salt/pepper
1/2 cup almond milk(or more if needed to thin)
2 cups free-range organic chicken broth or vegetable broth

Pre-heat over to 325 degrees

Roast the squash and garlic in a roasting pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Mix it all together with your hands to get it marinated. About 20 minutes or until soft

Let squash cool and then place in a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend.

Garnish with chives,scallions and sour cream ( I use Tofutti brand non-dairy sour cream)

Butternut squash’s tangerine hue signals a powerhouse of nutrients called carotenoids known to protect against heart disease. The squash also has high levels of beta-carotene which converts into vitamin a, identified as a deterrent against breast cancer. You also get nearly half your daily dose of antioxidant rich vitamin C. It has anti-inflammatory effects because of its high anti-oxidant content.