Tag Archives: food

Creating Ease with the BlendTec Blender

With deep gratitude, I received a BlendTec WideJar and Twister blender to review. I am always looking for new ways to make healthy eating simple and I have loved all that I’ve created with my BlendTec.

It can feel overwhelming sometimes to walk into the kitchen and feel like you can come up with a healthy meal in a short and stress free time. My BlendTec has helped make that easier than ever, and I’m happy to share some of my favorite food creations with you!

I make smoothies almost every morning, and with the juice button, they have never been smoother before now. I’ve used other high power blenders before but they sometimes left chunks of fruit that would appear in my glass and that hasn’t happened with the BlendTec.

The buttons are so easy to navigate and my 4 year old often helps out with making smoothies. It’s great to get her involved and experimenting. I let her add what she wants to her smoothies because it gives her the chance to learn a lesson I certainly have – sometimes fewer ingredients work better than adding in everything you can think of!

The BlendTec Twister has been our favorite for making ice cream. I’ll put a couple of frozen bananas in there (cut into smaller pieces) along with chia seeds, almond butter, and some raw cacao powder and in under a minute we’ve got a creamy and delicious healthy ice cream. I grew up making banana ice cream in my mom’s Champion Juicer, so it’s wonderful to share this tradition with my daughter now.

I also use the Twister for dips.

I’ve been making a cashew yogurt (inspired by Persephone Brown), which is the perfect accompaniment to fresh fruit and granola. I take a cup of cashews, juice of a lemon, cinnamon and water to reach the right consistency and blend them together. This has been perfect to take along for camping trips as an easy breakfast.

Most recently I made an amazing avocado dip, it was so creamy and smooth and I ended up making tortilla chips to have with it but I honestly could have eaten it right off the spoon! I blended an avocado, lemon juice, paprika and sea salt. It didn’t need it, but a little bit of flax oil would be a great addition for some healthy omega-3s.

A BlendTec can feel like a big investment, and there’s no doubt that it is, but it’s one that you can see in action everyday.

If you want to learn more and start bringing ease to your kitchen follow one of the links in this blog to see what great options BlendTec has to offer!

If you have any questions about the BlendTec or the recipes I shared above, please leave a comment below!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Note: I received a BlendTec WideJar and Twister blender in exchange for writing a review and a few blog posts for their site and the links in this blog are affiliate links (that means if you’re as excited to try the BlendTec as I was, you’ll be helping support my business while getting to enjoy a BlendTec). All ideas and opinions in this blog are mine.

When emotional eating is a good thing (and a recipe for how to do it right!)

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Yesterday was a bit of a rough day for me. I had a quick bite of leftovers before a call with a prospective client (brown rice noodle stir fry, yum!), but since I’d eaten most of it for dinner the night before, there wasn’t much in the way of leftovers.

A couple of hours later I found myself craving something that I haven’t had since freshman year of college – Cinnabon. Before you run out and grab one, I want to share what I ate instead of a Cinnabon.

Here’s the thing about emotions – especially when we are dealing with difficult situations – it’s the perfect opportunity to fall back into our old habits and think it can be done in a guilt-free way.

The problem with that thinking is this:

– you end up feeling guilty anyway

– you feel physically unwell if what you ate does not serve your body

– you continue to spiral in a bad mood because you didn’t give yourself a way out

I want to share with you how I let my emotional eating guide me in a positive direction, and I’m going to share the recipe for what I ate too!

So I found myself in my kitchen, taking a bite of the fruit leather Chloe and I had made the night before, wondering what it was I really wanted. The fruit leather wasn’t bad, it was strawberries, pineapple, banana, and chia seeds, but I knew even before I started to eat it that it wasn’t what I wanted. “I have those salad greens,” I thought to myself, and I started to convince myself that I didn’t want a salad either.

Then I was struck by inspiration.

I tossed the baby salad greens into a big white bowl, added some sprouted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, sliced some avocado, forked on some sauerkraut, and then I created an awesome new dressing to pour on top:

Approximately 1 tbs each of sauerkraut brine, olive oil and hummus, mixed together with a fork until the hummus is all mixed in (admittedly, I used more brine and olive oil than that but had a lot of dressing at the bottom of the bowl).

For good measure, I added a dollop of hummus to the side of the bowl, and I sat down to an amazing, filling, and nourishing meal.

So how did I get my brain to go from Cinnabon to Salad?

– I didn’t have a Cinnabon in my kitchen (that’s important – stock your kitchen with what nourishes you)

– With my kitchen well-stocked, I was able to allow my body to have healthy choices to contemplate

– I didn’t over think it, I just let myself create, taste, and enjoy

When you can learn to trust yourself, you can start to differentiate between the cravings that don’t serve you (Cinnabon) and those that do (greens, kraut, healthy fats), and that can put you on the fast track to a better mood.

The salad broke me free from my bad mood just in time to go to the playground with my daughter. I couldn’t ask for more.

I’d love to hear what foods your body craves (both the good ones and the not so good ones). Share with us in the comments below!

Recap of the recipe:

For the salad:

Salad greens of your choice (baby greens are delicious and tender and recommended)

1 avocado

2 tbs sprouted sunflower seeds

2 tbs sprouted pumpkin seeds

1 tbc hummus

1 large forkful of raw sauerkraut

For the dressing:

1 – 2 tbs olive oil

1 – 2 tbs sauerkraut brine

1 tbs hummus

squeeze of lemon juice

Assembly:

Place greens in a bowl, add sliced avocado, seeds, kraut and hummus, top with dressing and enjoy.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Food, Flavor, and Your Future Baby

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As I sat down to write this post for you, I was really excited because I was going to write about something that fascinates me. It fascinates me so much that I wrote about it 2 years ago here!

Instead of rehashing what I already wrote, I hope you’ll read that old post to discover the incredible connection between your food choices and the food preferences of your future baby. Feel free to comment on that post and let me know what you think!

That also frees me up to write to you about another really interesting and important fact about the importance of food before you start trying to conceive. You can actually reduce a lot of potential stress and anxiety by making conscious and healthy choices, and I’m not even talking about fertility boosting foods specifically.

I’m talking about what nutrient rich foods can do for you when it comes to a topic that leads to so much stress in pregnant women – morning sickness. Next week, during the Creating Fertile Ground Virtual Conference, you’re going to learn about the connection between food and your hormones, gut health, and fertility, as well as how herbs can help you get the nutrients you need. Today, let’s talk about how right now is the perfect time to start caring for that future baby of yours.

Once your baby is growing inside you, you are relegated to the #2 spot when it comes to who gets nutrients first. Your baby is doing some intense growing, especially in those early weeks, but all throughout pregnancy, and baby needs those nutrients to grow and develop in a healthy way.

When faced with morning sickness, many women worry about whether their baby is getting enough nutrients. Unless you are told by your trusted health care provider that there is cause for concern (hyperemesis gravidarum for example), you can release that anxiety if you’ve been taking good care of yourself and getting the nutrients that you need to be healthy.

Why is this?

Well, your baby will actually pull from your nutrient stores, so even if you’re not taking in as many nutrients when you are experiencing morning sickness, if you’ve built a healthy foundation, baby can borrow from that for a while.

Next week you are going to learn some really important information that connects to this (including what you need to know to make sure you are absorbing the nutrients from the food you are eating and a great way to get powerful doses of nutrients without the need for a search through shelves and shelves of supplements).

You can register here and I hope that you join us!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Healthy Homemade Granola

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I got a craving for granola and yogurt. I had just gotten some organic, whole fat Greek style yogurt at MOM’S Market so I was halfway there already. I had made a huge batch of trail mix for a recent road trip, so I didn’t even need to gather the nuts and seeds. Within 20 minutes, my post-yoga snack for the next day was ready and waiting. And a bonus, I’ve got granola for a week! This is a great example how a little bit of prep can make healthy eating for the week happen with ease.

The July Class Series is Here and Registration is Open!

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Sometimes we need to gather in person, soak up each other’s energy, and move forward on this journey together.

Sometimes we need to experience seeing how simple, easy, and fun healthy eating can be so we can push ourselves into action.

Sometimes it’s just fun to get out of the house for a night and meet some new people!

Registration is NOW OPEN!!

I’m really excited to meet some of you in person and share some awesome information!

Here’s the deal – the first class is July 9, which is less than a week away. I know, last minute, but have you even noticed that a lot of people wait until the last minute to sign up for things anyway? It’s kind of perfect if that’s how you typically do things.

I am thrilled to be teaching these classes at the Creutzburg Center in Radnor, PA, but the room is small so space is limited, so go ahead and register right now while you’re thinking of it.

I’ve also got a special treat for the first 5 people who sign up for each class (and the first 5 people who sign up for all 3 at the discounted rate!), so if you like getting special bonuses, now’s your chance!

You can click here to learn more and register, but this is what I’ll be teaching you about this month:

July 9 – Planting the Seeds of Superfoods: Boosting Energy, Mood, and Sex Drive

July 16 – Making Healthy Eating Fast and Easy: Why DIY in the Kitchen Doesn’t Need to Be Overwhelming

July 30 – Finding Balance with Food: Figuring Out What You Need and How to Get It

Find a friend who you think would be interested, sign up together, and make it a girl’s night out!

I’d also really appreciate help spreading the word, so if you know of anyone who might be interested, please share the link with them.

If you have any questions, please feel free to hit reply and ask.

I hope I get to see you soon!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

What To Drink When You’re Preparing for Pregnancy

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Smoothies are a simple and easy way to pack yourself full of fresh and healthy foods as you prepare your body for a healthy conception and pregnancy.

Here’s how I started my morning (it was just too good not to share with you!).

How do you nourish yourself to get your day off to the right start? Share with us in the comments below.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Quick and Easy Green Smoothie

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Sometimes you need a reminder that healthy habits can begin quite simply.

It doesn’t need to be about spending confusing hours in the kitchen, experimenting with ingredients you’ve never heard of.

To make it really work for you and start you on the journey to learning what works best for your body, you start with the healthy foods that you know you love.

Here’s one of my favorite ways to boost my energy mid-afternoon, when we tend to get tired and reach for those vending machine sugary snacks.

While the last smoothie recipe I shared with you is awesome in it’s own ways, you can see the difference between the green powder and the fresh greens, and believe me, you can taste it too!

Have you tried green smoothies before? If you have, tell me what you love about them. If you haven’t, are you ready to do something easy and nourishing for yourself today?

Smoothie made in a Vitamix. Learn more and order yours today.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Top 3 Reasons You Should Be Thinking about Your Pre Pregnancy Diet

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Once you get pregnant, you often start paying more attention to food, but what should you be doing while you are preparing for pregnancy?

I’m not a strong believer in getting caught up in all the little details of how many grams of this and that you need. I did that for a while and it was a huge pain and took the fun out of eating for me. Eating needs to be fun!

Of course, if you have reason to believe that you have specific deficiencies or needs, you increase those nutrients and I can help you figure out how.

As a general rule, it is important to start shifting your foods to whole and fresh as much as possible.

Here are a few reasons why, and below I’ll share my #1 favorite way to make it happen!

Reason #1: Did you know that your baby pulls from your nutrient stores? This means that even if you get hit by morning sickness once you’re pregnant, your baby will get nutrients based on what you were eating prior to conception.

Bonus: Getting these habits in place now eases so much stress because you won’t have to think so hard about food once you’re pregnant. That’s a good thing because you’ll have plenty on your mind already.

Reason #2: There are a lot of chemicals and additives in processed foods, and the best way to avoid them is by shifting towards fresh fruits and veggies, grains, hormone free dairy and meat and healthy fat (yes, I said healthy fat!). MSG, which hides in just about everything, and aspartame are two additives that have been linked to infertility, among many other things. Let’s get those out and get you healthy!

Reason #3: Ditch the added sugar. If you have a package of food sitting around (hey, if you’ve got a loaf of bread from the store, check that too!), take a look at the label – I’ll bet that sugar is one of the ingredients (high fructose corn syrup, cane juice, anything ending is -ose). Sugar can wreck havoc on your hormones and as may be quite obvious, hormones play a pretty important role in getting pregnant and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.

Okay, so maybe you’re thinking that you’d love to eat mostly whole, fresh foods but you’re stumped as to how. There are only so many hours in a day. I totally get it. In fact, this feeling of overwhelm kept me from eating the way I wanted to be for years!

So what was one of my first steps? SMOOTHIES!

I love smoothies for a few reasons, but mainly because you can pack a lot of awesomeness into one meal and it just takes a few minutes.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more smoothie recipes for you because you’ve asked for them and because it’s the perfect season for them.

Here’s the one I made this morning. Clocking in at about 500 calories, it’s a full meal in and of itself and a perfect way to get a good chunk of calories for the mamas-to-be and nursing mamas.

You may be wondering why I used green powder instead of fresh greens, and I’ll tell you – simplicity. Sometimes it’s just easier to throw a scoop of powder into my blender and I know I want to be getting my greens!

What are your favorite ways to incorporate whole, fresh foods into your daily routine? Tweet this! Where do you feel most stuck? Let me know in the comments below!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Purple Power Smoothie

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Sometimes taking serious care of yourself means stepping outside of your comfort zone and getting the support you need. You don’t let yourself worry about the cost because the truth is, you’re making an investment in yourself, your health, and your future.

I did just that when I signed up for the Gut Rebuilding Program that I’m participating in right now. (And I’m learning so much that I’m excited to share with you!)

My health journey has led me to much healthier habits over the last five years or so, but I needed a strong push to really reach my full potential and feel like I was doing everything I could for myself, and as a result, for my family.

Through the program, I have been aiming to eat as close to a 100% alkaline diet as possible, and I’ve been treating myself to some really delicious food.

I just made an amazing smoothie, and I wanted to share it with you because I haven’t shared a recipe for a while, and because smoothies are a great way to get a nutrient dense meal or snack while you are preparing your body for pregnancy, or are already pregnant. They are great at home or on the go, and they are so versatile.

Green smoothies are all the rage (and yummy and good for you, no doubt), but today’s is a gorgeous purple and it’s boosting my energy, giving me clarity and focus, and nourishing my body.

Xandra’s Purple Power Smoothie:

1 cup pineapple coconut water

3 large organic strawberries

1 banana

1 cup organic frozen blueberries

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

1 tablespoon maca powder

1 teaspoon spirulina

Put ingredients into blender in order listed above and blend until smooth

Makes about 2.5 cups

I’d love to hear what your favorite smoothie recipe is, so please share below!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Got Babies on the Brain? Me Too!

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I believe passionately in the power of our bodies and in the importance of what we do before we even get pregnant.

When you take a pregnancy test and confirm that you are in fact pregnant, you’ve been pregnant for about 2 weeks already.

That means everything you’ve done in those last two weeks has impacted your baby.

Beyond that, the environment that you set up for your baby by your choices and habits in the months leading up to pregnancy helps set the stage for your pregnancy and the health of your baby as well.

What do you often hear from your health care providers (assuming you have talked to them about your desire to start a family)?

Stop taking birth control for at least a few months before you start trying to conceive, take a prenatal vitamin so you get enough folic acid, and quit smoking, doing drugs, and cut down on alcohol and caffeine.

This tells you that what you do before you start trying to conceive matters. It matters for your fertility and for the health of you and your baby, during pregnancy and beyond.

This is why I put together Got Babies on the Brain? 30 Tips to Boost Your Fertility.

This is a new approach that goes beyond getting off one pill (birth control) and starting another (prenatal vitamins).

These 30 tips teach you how to take better care of yourself when it comes to nourishing your body with healthy food, reducing toxins, and learning to make time to take care of yourself.

As my birthday present to you (today’s my 30th!), I am offering this E-Book and bonus printable to you for FREE this weekend (through 2/24 at midnight).

Click here to get instant access to it!

I hope you enjoy it and share it with the women in your world.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,