Healthy Living

Chocolate Covered Blueberries

Blueberries are my favorite fruit to “dip” in chocolate – I love it even more than chocolate covered strawberries. Every summer my family and I go to pick gallons of blueberries at a local farm in Georgia, and our freezer is loaded with yummy BIG blueberries all summer. This year, we even have our own blueberry bush growing in our back yard :D . Last summer I had raw, vegan chocolate covered blueberries almost every day. It is SO easy, and takes about a minute to make.

Read Laurel's entire article Chocolate Covered Blueberries

Laurel Pehrson, our official Raw Food Recipes Expert

Spiritual Emergency Plan

I woke up before dawn this morning feeling very out of alignment with spirit. I said some forgivings, hoping to release some unwanted energy, and asked for help in prayer. But still needing more, I hopped up, threw on some clothes and shoes, and went for a walk in the cool early morning stillness.

With my first few steps, I thought that walking around my palm-tree-lined suburban neighborhood did not seem like the spiritual retreat I would have chosen. When I consider re-creating my alignment with spirit, I usually think of being on top of a mountain, by a stream, or in a sacred spot in the forest. But surprisingly today, in just about ten minutes of moving my body while listening to the chirping birds and simply breathing the fresh air, I began to awaken spiritual life in me again.

As I walked, I thought of friends whose problems were troubling me, and I sent them to Jesus Christ in a globe of light. Their energetic presence seemed to smile peaceful gratitude as they floated away in their safe bubbles towards heaven.

Read Judy's entire article Spiritual Emergency Plan

Judy Hansen, our official Guided Meditations Expert

Reduce Stress: Six Benefits of Taking Time for Yourself

 Do you ever feel pulled in many directions all at once? Do the needs of others - clients, staff, children, family, friends - often get put before your own needs? Is taking time for yourself at the bottom of your "to do" list? If so, you are not alone. Why is it so difficult for people, women in particular, to put their own self-care/self-nurturing needs as a top priority?

Perhaps it is the voice that says, "self-care is selfish or self-indulgent" that serves as a roadblock to taking time for yourself. Or maybe it is because most of us are multi-tasking and juggling to keep all the balls in the air - family, work/business, health, finances, and so on - that stopping to take time for your self is considered to be a luxury versus a necessity.

Read Lynda's entire article Reduce Stress: Six Benefits of Taking Time for Yourself

Lynda Monk, our official Self-Care Expert

Pomegranate Heaven – The Ultimate Raw Ice Cream Cake Challenge

I loved making the Grasshopper Ice Cream Cake featuring my mommie’s two favorite ice cream flavors so much that I decided to invent an ice cream cake with my OWN two favorite flavors!  Those two flavors are… pomegranate chip and cookie dough! I’ve never tried these two together, because they are just so different.  Plus, since I went raw I have not have not had cookie dough or pomegranate chip ice cream!  So, I was curious to see how this would turn out.  The tangy pomegranate with “vanilla-ie” cookie dough bites was a match made in heaven.  I call this decadent creation Pomegranate Heaven!  Watch the video below to see me and my sister, Jilly, try this heavenly ice cream cake!How did I make this fabulous Pomegranate Heaven Ice Cream Cake?

I used Heather Pace’s Ultimate Raw Ice Cream Cake recipe book to create Pomegranate Heaven. First, I altered Heather’s  brownie bite recipe to make cookie dough ice cream.  I took out some of the nuts, and replaced them with tahini to make a more smooth texture.  I also omitted the cacao powder, and added some vanilla powder to make it taste like cookies! Yum!  Then, I folded cacao nibs into the cookie dough batter.  I threw these cookie dough bites into Heather’s Vanilla Ice cream.

Read Laurel's entire article Pomegranate Heaven – The Ultimate Raw Ice Cream Cake Challenge

Laurel Pehrson, our official Raw Food Recipes Expert

Grasshopper Ice Cream Cake – The Raw Ice Cream Cake Challenge

When I saw that Heather Pace of SweetlyRaw.Com  was doing another dessert challenge I got SOO excited!  I had so much fun with her Moonie Pie Challenge and sharing my Moonie creations with my family members.  The challenge this time was to make a raw ice cream cake, with up to 10 changes from her original recipe.  Heather’s recipe book provided all kinds of raw vegan ice cream cake goodies – vanilla & chocolate buckwheat crunchies, brownie bites, sauces, and tons of yummy ice cream flavors.  If you are a lover of ice cream like me I definitely recommend buying Heather’s Ultimate Raw Ice Cream recipe book. You will not be disappointed!

Now for the challenge I decided to make a raw ice cream cake for Mother’s Day.  I asked my mom a week or so before what her favorite ice cream flavors were.  Her top two were mint chip and fudge ripple.

Read Laurel's entire article Grasshopper Ice Cream Cake – The Raw Ice Cream Cake Challenge

Laurel Pehrson, our official Raw Food Recipes Expert

Raw Cookie Dough Cookies

When I was kid my mother always made the most wonderful homemade cookies from scratch. My favorites were chocolate chip.  I’d have to admit they were my favorites because I loved eating the raw cookie dough more than the actual cooked cookies. Today, I’m sharing my recipe for Raw Cookie Dough Cookies with you. These cookies have the same doughy chew with the chocolate chip crunch that you remember, without the dairy, eggs, or gluten. If you are a cookie dough lover like me you will love these quick cookies!

Read Laurel's entire article Raw Cookie Dough Cookies

Laurel Pehrson, our official Raw Food Recipes Expert

The Four Stages of Stress

Whether it's the upcoming summer activities for your kids, tax season, or everyday work worries ailing you, springtime is stress season. And that can bring imbalance to our health if we are not careful!.

Stress can cause a host of immediate physical symptoms, from headaches and indigestion to fatigue and weight gain. Stress is also the number one enemy of your immune system. Learning to manage our stress load is critical to our mental and physical wellbeing.

Fortunately, you can track your stress levels by familiarizing yourself with the signs of stress cycles. Knowing when you are in a productive state and when you need to take a few minutes to relax is key to keeping your stress levels under control.

Read Rita's entire article The Four Stages of Stress

Rita Canada, our official Natural Health/Weight Management for Executives and Entrepreneur Expert