Drink Your Greens

1 banana

2 dates

2 cups kale 

2 Tbl almond butter

3/4 cup water

Blend.

No kitty, it's my smoothie!

Almond Biscuits

open faced and closed faced biscuit

Grain/Gluten-Free and Sugar-Free. And due to the season- Kosher for Passover!

2&3/4 cups almond meal*

3 Tbs flax meal

1/2 cup warm water

1 Tbs ghee (you could use butter, coconut oil or any other unrefined oil... I almost never choose a refined vegetable oil over a non-refined one) 

1 Tbs honey

1/2 tsp baking soda  

Preheat oven to 375.

Stir the flax meal in with the boiling water and set aside for 5 minutes. 

Mix all ingredients together.

Roll dough into a tube that is 7-8 inches long. Cut 8 wedges and place on a baking sheet (if you find this instruction confusing check out this posting on how to make scones.)

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. 

* You can find almond meal at Trader Joe's.

The Excitement of Being Toxic

Excitotoxins have an exciting effect on brain cells (sounds exciting!) … while causing a pathological process by which nerve cells are damaged and killed (not so fun.)

In today’s food industry, harmful amounts of excitotoxins are found in up to 80% of all processed food. MSG (one of many glutamates found in foods,) hydrolyzed proteins, and other similar substances are all too common ingredients.

When scientists want to make mice fat ASAP (for the purpose studying obesity,) they feed them MSG. Regardless, the food industry has engineered chemically created flavors such as this one that keep us coming back for more. Are we addicted? Just as tobacco companies knowingly added more nicotine to cigarettes to make them addictive, we’re now in an invisible food trap that has also imprisoned us.

With a chemical formula that makes us feel instantly fulfilled, we are actually  providing ourselves with little to no nutrients. Most of us, who may have been encouraged by our doctors to lose weight, are in truth starving to death on a cellular level.

We struggle with hunger and blame our bodies and ourselves for being weak. Meanwhile our body is doing its best to keep us healthy! It calls in search of the nutrients it needs to function correctly.
Advertisements tell us that if we eat these chemically altered foods; we will be slim and happy. However most of these foods cause weight gain and disease. Many of these chemicals both inhibit our metabolism as well as increase the production of fat (as part of the defense mechanism to isolate the chemicals).

Diet soda alone is suspected of  being a major contributor to the impairment of brain function, neurological function, vision, and increased chances of seizures (especially when regularly consumed instead of a meal.) While it advertises freedom, most independent studies show that it hooks us on even stronger sugar cravings (due to our taste buds’ reaction to the extreme sweetness.)

The FDA does not carry out independent studies to test a food before it is marketed. Instead it relies on studies funded by the same company producing the product. The heart association puts its stamp of approval on foods loaded with trans fats because the product meets the sodium requirements. Classy.

In our industrialized version of better living, we have created over 75,000 synthetic chemicals since 1940. These days over 200 chemicals can been found in some newborn’s umbilical cords. Most are either food-born, environmental, or beauty product derived (“your makeup looks killer!”)

It is time to relearn better living that is in harmony with the organic compounds of our bodies and our planet.  We need to recover. It’s no joke when our neurological system has been affected.

Spring is an excellent time for a reboot as the body is naturally designed to excel in its detoxification process. Eat dark leafy greens every day (kale, parsley and cilantro are highly recommended!) as well as gelatinous fibers (chia seeds rock!) Water and vegetables are your BFFs (consume more vegetables than fruits.)

In general, think more about what healthy stuff you can  add  to your diet rather than freaking out about what you need to eliminate. The more nutrients your body receives and assimilates, the more you’ll naturally begin to eliminate what no longer serves you.  Exercising and a clean diet need each other. Tomorrow is never better than today to do something proactive.

Chia Seed Pudding

The gelatinous quality of chia seeds aids in drawing toxins out of your system. Chia seeds are also a good source of protein and omega 3. Amongst the many vitamins and minerals they contain, they have large amounts of potassium, iron, and calcium.

Ingredients
1/3 cup chia seeds 

1 cups unsweetened almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Tbs maple syrup

Optional Variation: for chocolate pudding, add 1 Tbs cocoa powder

Optional topping:  golden raisins, figs, apricots, dates, unsweetened coconut flakes, goji berries, chopped nuts, or fresh fruit.

Method
Mix chia seeds, almond milk and vanilla. Stir well. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to eat, garnish with preferred toppings.

Click here for your Home Made Almond Milk Recipe