My Happy V-Day to you ~ Very Potent Love Raw Chocolate Potion Mayan Style.

(Psst... Recipe is at the end ;-)

Enjoy!

If you didn't get a chance to read Tip #1 and Tip #2, click here.
And Oooohhh lalala, this article also contains a BONUS tip for how you can enjoy your favourite decadent flavours and bring out the natural GLOW of your skin ;-)

Chocolate: One of the Secrets of the French Paradox?

A perfect treat for the holidays that is quick, easy and affordable to make for holiday parties and family events. This is the type of recipe you can enjoy that will help to keep you feeling fabulous, stay fit and GLOWing this holiday season.

Rich sugar laden food like pastries and chocolates are everywhere in France. Yet you rarely see overweight people and they have some of the lowest rates of heart disease. I had the privilege of living in the land of everyday best food and wine you'll ever taste, for a whole 9 months (where my culinary passion  began :-) While in living in France, I noticed that a big part of French food culture is including small amounts of very delicious rich foods, like chocolate after meals to satiate appetite. 

Whereas in North America, most people have a habit of eating large amounts of tasteless fast food junk food like frozen pizzas, cookies, chips that leave you mentally hungry for more. So in my books, including rich tasting healthy treats that satiates, in moderation and consumed with mindfulness are a very very important of my whole foods lifestyle.

Above: One of my favourite raw chocolate recipes yum!

3 Ways for Women to Enjoy Chocolate and Sinfully Delicious Treats  Over the Holidays and Stay Fit, Feel Fabulous and GLOW. 

It's not as hard as you might think to replace sugar, chocolate, cookies, and other addictive foods that can make you feel fat, bloated, depressed and low energy. Here are three easy and delicious solutions to satisfy your chocolate and sugar cravings while staying healthy.

 Are you Ready to Satisfy your Cravings & Get Your GLOW on? ;-)


Left: Mint Coconut Chocolate Chip GLOWnola Parfait with Cashew Creme. 

Summer is here, and for many that means BBQ season. Often when it comes to grilling on the barbeque, veggies - despite the versatility and their GLOWing benefits - they don't always end up being the main focus. Here are some ideas from, For the Love of Food guest blogger, Andrea Potter of Rooted Nutrition. I am a big fan of Andrea's food and am excited to have her share one of her recipes on my blog!
 

This blog was inspired by a question from a lovely Vancouver goddess who writes….

“Hello Julie!
I wonder if you have any suggestions for what to put into a green smoothie? I have been making heavier, rich smoothies with protein powder, and fruit, but would like something GREEN! Any suggestions?”

Yaari Dyer – Goddess from Vancouver, BC

Thank you for your question Yaari!  I loooove…. green cuisine. If I had to choose one panacea to give you GLOW with energy, clarity of mind, balanced emotions and beautiful skin – my first choice would be self-love, and my second choice would be delicious green drinks.


I believe that adding more greens, especially in an easy to absorb form like a smoothie or a juice everyday – can change your life. Light green smoothies are the perfect breakfast for the summer time or a light and energizing afternoon snack. 

 Yaari, To help you and others deliciously integrate green smoothies into your everyday to give you GLOW, in this article I’ve included :

·         5 Secrets for Superkalafragalistic-oh-so-delicious Green Smoothie

·         10 Steps to Create the Perfect Green Smoothie

·         One of my Superkalafragalistic-oh-so-delicious AND Affordable Green Goddess Smoothie Recipes

Enjoy! 

After experimenting with integrating whole plant-based foods into my everyday this past spring, here is my **Tip #1** for making a seasonal spring into summer whole foods lifestyle practical and delicious. Drum roll please.... :-)


Left: Produce that I always like to have on hand for everyday cuisine like carrots, celery, apples, beets, lettuce, lemons, garlic and onion to name a few!

After experimenting with integrating whole plant-based foods into my everyday this past spring, here is my tip #2 for making a seasonal spring whole foods lifestyle practical and delicious.




Left: Basic White Bean Dip with Dehydrated Yam Chips and Purple Sauerkraut.

This past spring I have been exploring how to incorporate whole plant based spring liver loving foods like bitter dark greens into the everyday. Spring is the time for liver cleansing. A healthy liver means we can GLOW on the inside out with healthy looking skin and by feeling good through our ability to detoxify. Click here for more info about all the benefits from loving your liver!

Many of us may know about all the amazing benefits to eating a whole foods diet and lots of greens. Sounds great in theory, but how can we actually we make a seasonal whole foods lifestyle practical and delicious?

So I set out to see if the "impossible" could be possible :-) This is the kind of challenge that I LOVE! Using the 5 Secrets to Everyday Health, I explored ways to make whole plant-based spring cuisine convenient, easy, quick, affordable and delicious.

Above: Produce Items from the Spring Produce Shopping List. Photo compliments of Richard Giordano Photography