In my last spring inspired dessert blog post we learned that avocados love limes. We also discovered that you can have your cake and eat it too since you can enjoy a delicious dessert that is very healthy :-)

Here is a recipe for another spring time inspired dessert that can be made in minutes with avocados and a few of your everyday ingredients from your pantry.

In case you have just joined me, I am exploring different ways to incorporate Swiss chard into my every day. Learning more than one use for an ingredient is the secret for easy everyday healthy meals. :-) Feel free to check out Swiss Chard Adventure #1 and Swiss Chard Adventure #2 for other ideas of how to use this seasonal green in your everyday cuisine.

Today’s recipe was inspired by at The Vegan Project. When I asked for Swiss chard inspiration on Facebook, she was the first one to respond with an idea. She suggested using dark leafy greens to wrap a quinoa dish topped with a peanut butter sauce. Continue reading to see where I took her inspiration.

One of the secrets to making everyday health easy, is to be able to look at one ingredient and have several ideas come to mind for how to use it. Right now, as part of my exploration to incorporate spring liver loving foods into my every day, I am experimenting with Swiss chard. I have included chard on my Produce Shopping List for Everyday Spring West coast Cuisine. Psst, I like to re-use the same shopping lists to make everyday health more convenient. 

 To learn the art of making everyday health easy, it is helpful to be able to look at an ingredient and have several ideas come to mind for how to use it. Right now as part of my exploration to incorporate spring liver loving foods into my everyday, I am experimenting with Swiss chard. I have included chard on my Produce Shopping List for Everyday Spring West Coast Cuisine as I try to use the same shopping lists to make everyday healthy and  convenient. Despite the fact that as much as I like greens, I have never really liked Swiss chard; I think it tastes like soap. I’m much more of a kale type woman, but when I saw Swiss chard on sale at Whole Foods for $0.99/bunch, I was inspired to learn to LOVE this veggie. 
 

How do you know when it is time to cleanse?

Do you notice that your tongue has a white coating in the morning when you wake up? Or maybe you yawn after a main meal and just want to curl up and snooze. Perhaps you experience abdominal bloating and gas, especially after a main meal, or you feel "spaced out" and your mind is cloudy.

Though most people experience this at some point in their life, these are all common symptoms of what is known as ama in Ayurveda, and it's simply a sign that our bodies needs balancing.

Eating Seasonally for Wellness

By consuming food that’s in season, it becomes healing for Mother Earth and for our bodies. In-season produce can often be sourced locally, thus helping to reduce our carbon footprint. Since it is available in abundance during its peak season, it is rich in nutrients and natural occurring flavours. Another advantage is, that it’s often less expensive or on sale :-)

Seasonal foods also help provide the right type of fuel for our bodies to maintain balance, like grounding warming foods in the winter and lighter cooling foods in the summer. So what do our bodies need in the spring during the in-between time from the transition of cold to warm?

In the spirit of giving during the holiday season and winter soltice, I am sharing one of my favourite holiday recipes with you. This article is a follow-up to my previous blog post ~ Three Reasons to Deliciously Replace Sugar This Holiday Season & Ideas for Healthy Sweetener Alternatives, to offer you some ideas for how to use healthy sweeteners during the holidays.

Sugars are essential to life. We need glucose from whole food sources like fruit, whole grains, and starchy vegetables for vital body functions like  fueling our brain cells. However, sugar in its refined and processed form, can cause us to feel down, gain weight and is harmful to the planet. During the holiday season, when we celebrate peace and joy - there is no better time than now to enjoy delicious alternatives to sugar that are good for you and the planet.


Above: Julie's Healthy Raw Vegan Cheezecake with Chocolate Hemp Sauce

Here is my last version of my corn and bean salad base recipe which I have been experimenting with this month. This recipe was delicious and is my favourites discovery! It was also one of the easiest to make.

The flavour highlights of this salad are the love chemistry of Corn LOVING Carrots, Celery and Pumpkin Seeds. And youpiee!.... these ingredients tend to also be more affordable. To learn Secret #4 for Delicious of Everyday Healthy note this flavour pairing :-)

Below is version 3 of my corn and bean salad base. Learning how to make something once and use it 2+ times, (with variety of course!) is Secret #3 for the Quick of Everyday Healthy. While this recipe was not my fav per say, it was still good and could be improved with a few alterations (noted below). I am sharing this in the spirit of appreciating that any learning journey comprises of both successes and opportunities for learning ;-)