Mandarin Spring Salad + Gamut Life Review

4/11/2014 0 Comments

Spring is such a beautiful time of year. The flowers are in bloom, the birds and baby birds are chirping happily, the sun is shining and the sky is blue. It enlivens the senses! To celebrate this special time of year join me in making a delectable treat for the palette that will leave you with a sweet taste in your mouth and a refreshing burst of energy.

Start with fresh baby greens, spread chopped red onion and green bell pepper around the outskirts of the bowl. Add your favorite crunchy toppings, I used sunflower seeds and roasted cashew pieces. Add raisins for a hint of sweetness, 3 heirloom baby tomatoes, and a mandarin orange to make each bight burst with flavor! Add a jalapeno slice or two for an added kick and a sun dried tomato if you have one handy. Drizzle with your favorite dressing we chose Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing mixed with Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette. What are you left with?

No cholesterol
High in vitamin A
Very high in vitamin B6
Very high in vitamin C

I've been working on adding more colors to the salad for a rainbow of health! Enjoy the beautiful energy the plants bring to your body!

Servings: 2 Calories per serving: 220 (includes 2 tbsp dressing)

Ingredients:

2 Big Handfuls of Baby Greens
1/4 chunk red onion - chopped small
1/4 chunk green bell pepper - chopped small
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup roasted (or raw) cashew pieces
1/4 cup raisins
2 mandarin oranges - peeled
2 slices sun dried tomatoes
4 slices jalapeno
6 heirloom tomatoes
2 tbsp Goddess Dressing
2 tbsp Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette

Directions:

Place greens in your bowl
Place onion and green bell pepper in a food processor to chop up finely. (Time saver!)
Sprinkle with seeds, nuts, and raisins.
Spread the mandarin slices on the outer edge.
Place 3 heirloom tomatoes in each salad, with one sun dried tomato and two jalapeno slices. Top with dressing and dig in!!

Gamut Life recently reached out and blessed me with an incredible tank-top and sweatshirt for the spring season. I am so grateful as they instantly became my new favorites!!! It feels great to spread a positive message while living life. I can tell their apparel is designed with care. The cuts are made just right causing an ideal fit for woman. The material chosen is high quality and feels great on your skin. If you want to support the cause get your very own by clicking the picture.

I think it's absolutely worth it. While you are at it check out their YOLO edition! What a beautiful flattering fit. A million thanks for sharing the love. I HIGHLY recommend Gamut Life!!!

What is Gamut? - http://gamutlife.com/http://gamutlife.com/apparel/go-vegan

"GAMUT IS AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE BRAND.Gamut is dedicated to and inspired by art, music, fitness, skateboarding, sports, community involvement, nutrition, and philosophy/spirituality. We endorse taking an active role in your physical, mental, and spiritual health rather than looking for the "magic pill" or quick fix. When you wear our custom clothing or headwear, buy art from the shop or support in any way, you are representing a passion for life and culture, commitment to your own health and well-being through positive avenues, with style.

RUN THE GAMUT. We encourage you to go out and do everything you can with a healthy mindset. Fake it till you become it if you have to. Learn constantly and stay fresh. Be a kid again. Support local. Workout daily. Meditate if u want. Question the media and the corrupt mainstream. Notice nature. Try a random class or activity. Pick up a paintbrush or dust off your old instrument. Get out of your comfort zones. Get your bodies and brains firing again. Create your own version of The Gamut Life. You already know what you need to do.

HAVE THE COURAGE TO LIVE. ANYONE CAN DIE."

WOW - What a message for humanity Gamut Life is sharing. We must all rise up (including ME!) and have the courage to LIVE our dreams, to LIVE this life honorably. Each day is a precious gift. As Gerald would say "May you find your passion and share it." Spring forward with a gust of fresh energy!

With love,
Christa

0 Comments

Dehydrated Fruit

4/3/2014 1 Comment

One of our most favorite snacks would have to be dried fruit. It accompanies mixed nuts like no other and tastes so good! I've yearned to dehydrate my own fruit for a few years and now thanks to my wondrous husband I can use my Excaliber and dehydrate until my heart is content. A gift that keeps on giving!

This process is EMPOWERING, economical and healthy! One can preserve food, have ready to eat snacks on hand for those "on the go" moments or when you just want something easy and yummy to snack on. I love that I get to choose what is going into our bodies. We are eating less sulfates and added sugar. The next best thing will be picking it from the garden and then dehydrating it....ooh I can't wait!

Step One: Start with some fresh fruit!

Step Two: Slice and lay on the trays! Easy as pie!

Step 3: Turn it on to 135 degrees or 105 to opt for raw and go about your day as you normally would. If you are up for it take a moment to dance to Omar's Chocco for all the fine work you did!!!

After hours of dehydration the end results are SURE to please! The hardest part.....not eating it all!

Enjoy banana chips....

Pineapple Rings...

Apple & Pear Chips...

Prunes...

Fresh Raisins...

And even....a homemade fruit roll up or fruit leather!

and don't forget to share the love...!

SHINE BRIGHTLY!

Love,
Christa

1 Comment

Vegan diet for a healthy gut!

4/1/2014 0 Comments

Eat more fruits ‘n vegetables and wallah things start flowing better! Seriously. The easier we make it on our digestion system the smoother things work. So many kids and adults suffer from irregular movements or constipation, when so often foods are overlooked as a potential solution to the blockage.

The article Foods To Eat For A Healthy Gut states "What we put into our stomachs is so important that it affects whether we feel well, how flat our bellies are and even our chances of avoiding certain cancers."

The first piece of advice is:
"Eat to beat disease: citrus fruit, fiber-rich foods, leafy greens and yellow vegetables. Whole grains, spinach, cauliflower, carrots, wheat bran, apples, broccoli, beans, figs and pears are all great fiber sources. “Start slowly, adding more fibre every few days, and drink lots of water.

..eating light green, dark green and yellow-coloured vegetables help add up to a healthy stomach, too."

Yet instead of a diet change to relieve constipation some doctor's are pushing Miralax and giving it multiple times a day to children no less...!!!
NY Times reports:
"The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug for use only by adults, and for only seven days at a time. Despite the drug’s popularity, it has never been approved by the F.D.A. for pediatric use. In 1999, when the F.D.A. first approved Miralax, the patient materials included the warning: “Miralax should not be used by children.” In 2009, an F.D.A. drug safety oversight board raised a number of concerns about PEG’s use in children, including the uncertainty of the long-term effects of large doses, but concluded that current evidence does not suggest that PEG causes severe side effects.

Even so, some doctors said they are concerned about the lack of information about its long-term effects. “We don’t know 30 years from now what will happen,” said, Dr. Carlo Di Lorenzo, the chief of the gastroenterology department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

In a statement, Merck said it recommends the use of MiraLAX only for patients 17 and older and only for a week.

Often a contributing factor is diet, like too much dairy and too few vegetables and fruits. Other factors include not sitting on the toilet routinely, stress, lack of hydration, being sedentary and school rules that discourage children from using the bathroom as needed.

Rather than tackling those factors, Miralax “can be a Band-Aid,” said Dr. Tricia Jean Gold, a pediatrician at TriBeCa Pediatrics in Park Slope, Brooklyn. When parents try to wean their children off Miralax, “the underlying work isn’t done, so they become constipated again,” she added.

“I did read the label,” which says for adults and children 17 and over, said Ms. Tesfa, who is a contracts administrator for a government contractor in Arlington, Va. “When I brought this up with her, she said, ‘Oh no, don’t worry about it. It’s completely safe. I’ve had patients on it for years.”
______________________________________________________________________________
A complete disgrace. How can doctor's over-prescribe this to children under the age of 17 when the manufacturer states on the label only to give it to adults and children 17 and over for no more than 1 week?!

Why not try nutrient rich whole food ingredients that aid in proper digestion? Treating our bodies like a temple is our responsibility. Eating fresh organic whole-foods that are free of animal products is great for your temple and for Mother Earth! The foods we eat, the energy we put into the food, the process of making a meal and sharing it with your loved ones is all a gift. It is our responsibility to choose healthy foods! The alchemical process of watching food transform and heal our bodies is miraculous! Join me in transforming your temple with a vegan meal today!

With love,
Christa

0 Comments

Mandarin Spring Salad + Gamut Life Review

Dehydrated Fruit

Vegan diet for a healthy gut!

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