Energy buzzer – Banana cinnamon nut milk with chia seeds & vanilla

Awwww don’t we all know that huuuuuuge low, coming up at the end of your working day?! Well, instead of just slouching on the sofa and getting stuck there for the rest of the night, how about a super yummy, and mind you – also healthy! – energy buzzer which came up my mind this afternoon.

What you need & what to do…

As usual – easy is right for me. And I promise you – it didn’t take me more than 5min to reach an immediate state of pure bliss. The cherry on the cake: it contains no sugar or sweetener, no dairy, only simple and good things for you like banana (a natural powerhouse of essential nutrients like potassium, magnesium, dietary fibre and B vitamins), almond milk (alkalizing and containing lots of calcium, magnesium, zinc, folic acid and vitamins C & E), 2 of my dear super foods chia seeds and maca powder, organic vanilla,  and cinnamon which is has so many benefits that you should read them here. Just throw everything in your blender and – oh yay! – ready we are…..

Green morning juices

One of the nicest things of a wild weekend is always the good resolutions at the end of the Sunday. Hey, we are all human, right? So even if we over indulge every now and then, it doesn’t mean you can’t go back on the right track. That’s the sunny side of life! It wouldn’t be fun without those moments. So to get a fresh, energetic and alkalizing start into your new week why don’t you join me with daily green juices? Have them for breakfast and start the day in a healthy way! They are super easy to make and as long as you add at least 1 piece of fruit like apple or banana they are also very tasty. As I wrote last week, the easiest way is to keep your fridge stocked up with green goods like fresh herbs (basil, coriander, parsley, dill etc.), as well as cucumbers, spinach, rocket etc. I mostly like to add 1 apple, sometimes a banana or an orange and some fresh lemon or lime juice. Again I take the chance to add my superfoods like maka or baobab powder (if you wonder what’s that go back to my last blog post for some helping links), don’t forget the tiny splash of oil as some vitamins and minerals get only out if mixed with fat. Throw everything in your blender, mix with water – that’s it, easy as that!

If you would like to try this specific one in the photo, this is the recipe:

What you need..

• A hand full of fresh mint
• A bit less of fresh parsley (quite strong taste)
• Half of a cucumber
• 1 Apple
• Some lemon juice
• Water
• Maca & Baobab powder
• Tiny dash of flax seed oil

As I said above, there’s no limit to your phantasy with mixing those green morning juices. See what you like best  and don’t get upset if sometimes it tastes not so nice. That’s the process of learning 🙂

Any special ingredients which I haven’t mentioned and you love to bits in your green smoothies? Let me know!

So long… have a good, healthy week & I’ll soon be back with more healthy recipes!

Love, N xx

Yummy yummy yummy I’ve got love in my tummy! Beet, carrot & ginger

Ok, good intentions are here to stay, so I’ll take my feedback seriously and try to post as much as I can. Today was a good day. Cause I stayed on track and it started really well. How? Easy! Start your day with an alkalizing, detoxifying juice!

This juice only needs some basic ingredients. Beets, carrots and ginger are peeled quickly, grab some of your greens in the fridge and off you go. Hint: I always wash all my greens and herbs immediately after I bought them and store them in airtight containers. That keeps them fresh longer and it’s super convenient just to take what you want out of your box ready to use it.

Btw: beets, carrots and ginger are all alkalizing, cleansing and encourage detoxing. Ginger is also used often to improve circulation (Hello fellow office workers!), antispasmodic (Don’t we need it all sometimes?) and anti-nauses which is great if you  are sensitive and go on a trip on a sailing boat (get yourself a flask of home-made ginger tea next time).

What you need…
(2 large glasses or 3 small ones)
Some beets (depending on size, I took 3), carrots (I took 2), half a thumb sized piece of ginger root, 2 handfulls of fresh coriander and mint (each) and NEVER forget a tiny splash of oil to get the vitamins and minerals out of the veg (I always take a bit of flax seed oil which is naturally rich in omega 3)

Optional: add your super foods of choice! I took maca powder & baobab powder (contains tons of antioxidants, including vitamin C)

What to do…
Juice the beets and carrots in your juicer. I’m quite okay with my cheap one but in the long run I’m sure it would be better to invest in a good one as you get more juice and less pulp. Then I add the juice to the greens, bit of oil and the super foods in my blender, add some water and mix it thoroughly.

By the way, I’m still looking for a nice way how to re-use the pulp, – ideas anyone???

Ready to start into an alkalizing spring?!

As I told you a bit earlier this week on my blog’s Facebook page I have some new ideas and resolutions coming up for this spring. We all know spring time is cleansing time and the meteorological date of spring reminds me painfully that bikini season is just around the corner. I am not a fan of diets though, nor of starving – not, at all! But since I experimented with an alkalizing, anti-inflammatory detox last year and just felt great, different things made me come up with a plan:

1) An awesome book which I got for my bday from a lovely friend (who also does amazing vegan catering btw, check out Billie D. if you live in Malta): Crazy Sexy Diet (by Kriss Carr) which explains all advantages of switching to an anti-anti-inflammatory, alkalizing lifestyle in a great way of storytelling. (Some of her principles can be found in this article)

2) Another amazing book, which came some weeks later – also a belated bday pressie from my dear friend C <3. Aren’t my friends just awesome?! It’s called Honestly Healthy (by Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson) – similar principle, easy explanations and mouthwatering recipes and photography (more info on their website)

3) As mentioned above: holy moly – summer is coming in big steps!! And at least for me it’s high time to red rid of some extra warming winter kilos!

Therefore, you’re cordially invited to join me on some weeks of good intentions for great health 😀 The principle is easy: eat as much alkalizing foods as somehow possible (at least 60, ideally 80%) and try to skip or at least minimize (let’s stay realistic 😉 the bad stuff such as refinded sugar, wheat, alcohol, coffee and ready prepared, processed food which often contain unhealthy fats, artificial flavors and taste enhancers. Instead of that there will be green smoothies, juices, yummy soups and salads and even deserts – but made in a healthy guilt free way! Combined with gentle exercise (I love my yoga for instance) this will be a great experience for your body, your mind and your health in the long run.

But what does this mean and what is it for?? By changing your normal eating habits and including more raw foods you will automatically focus on foods that decrease inflammation in your body. As some of you might know most nowadays diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart problems etc. come from inflammation. So it’s a long term investment in your health, in yourself, in your future! For more details on the alkalizing & anti-inflammatory principle do your research via the web or get one of the books mentioned above which I like even better as you can always reread and refer to it. Anyhow for some basic explanations and web tips check out my first detox article of last year, for a review of my last detox read the last one with all conclusions)

Today we start with a lovely light and healthy dinner. After a beautiful class of yoga (thanks MichelleBartoloYoga!) there’s nothing better than a yummy healthy meal, already prepared and waiting for you. To make my life easier we stocked up the fridge with tons of greens & veg like spinach, coriander, mint, rucola, broccoli, cucumbers, leeks, carrots and so on. With a full fridge like this, tonight’s soup is not only extremely easy to make, but also super delicious.

All you need…

Some broccholi stalks (never throw them away!), carrots, leek, turnip cabbage, yeast free vegetable stock, himalayan salt, some turmeric, curry powder, Asafoetida (?), cumin, some coconut oil

Optional: add some precooked quionoa or millet, fresh herbs like parsley or coriander, a squeeze of lemon or lime in the end.

What to do….

Chop up all veg and roast it a bit on low temperature in coconut oil, fill up with a bit of water so it’s only covered. Let it simmer for a bit so the veg gets some bite. Add the spices, stock cube and himalayan salt. Then top up with a bit more water and let it simmer gently for another 10-15 min. Season to taste.
If you like more substance add some healthy grains like quinoa or millet.
Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!

Talk to you soon – and whoever is up for joining me on some healthy weeks, let’s connect and motivate eachother!