THIS BLOG HAS MOVED

TO REALFOODOLOGY.COM

Happy Cinco de Margarito!

It may seem crazy to be promoting drinking margaritas on a health food blog, but I believe that mental health is just as important and sometimes I just need a dang margarita for my sanity.

The problem is, store bought margarita mixes are loaded with sugar (or artificial sugar if you are buying the sugar free ones), artificial colors (that are known carcinogens!) and other nasty, chemical preservatives. This is why I just opt to make my own. These are SO easy to make and are beyond this world delicious. They took me all of about 2 minutes to whip up and serve.

I haven't even told you the best part yet! They don't contain ANY added sugar! Only the sugar naturally occuring in fruit. AND! The electrolytes in the coconut water will help prevent a hangover the next day. I'm always looking out for you guys. Unless of course if you drink 5768 of these, in which case I can't help you there. No one can...

Courtney's Pineapple Margaritas

• 1/2 liter Coconut Water (I prefer Harmless Harvest Raw Coconut Water)
• 1/2 bag Organic Frozen Pineapple (you can use regular but I like it frozen to make the drinks extra cold)
• 3-4 Limes
• Tequila (duh)

Throw all the ingredients in the blender with ice and blend until smooth. I have a Vitamix and just peel my limes and throw the whole lime in there. You can do this if you have a Vitamix or a high powered blender, otherwise I would recommend juicing the limes first. Feel free to mess around with the measurements as they are not exact. I always just eyeball my measurements and then add more if I need to.

Enjoy!!

Do You Suffer From Chronic Disease? YOU Can Change That

You certainly aren't alone. More people die from chronic dieases than all other causes put together. More than 59% of the population suffers from chronic disease. And here's the kicker...it's PREVENTABLE.

The problem is that as a society we have stopped eating real food. Everything is processed. Instead of eating an apple we eat applesauce that's loaded with sugar and chemical preservatives and pizza and french fries are both individually considered as a vegetable for our children in the school system....WHAT?

According to Jason Vale (The Juice Master) "Remove the toxcities and replenish the defficiencies and the body just heals itself" It’s extraordinary what the body can do if we only give it the right nutrients and allow it to heal itself. We really don’t give our bodies enough credit. They are incredible.

Now let me get to what inspired me to write this post. Jason Vale came out with a new documentary called Super Juice Me and it is free online until tomorrow morning (Monday May 5) so get over there and watch it to see how you can change your health and your life! SUPERJUICEME.COM

RECIPE: Chia Seed Pudding

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia! Remember those commercials? Yep! These are the seeds from those infamous chia pets, but before you go back to planting them on Homer Simpson's head (oh yes, that exists) hear me out. When I'm through with you, you will want to eat them all day, everyday!


Chia Seeds:

• Are high in fiber! Meaning this cereal will keep you full for hours. No more mid morning snacking! (this is a huge one for me)
• Contain more antioxidants than blueberries. Antioxidants fight off free radicals (atoms with unpaired electrons) in the body. When electrons are unpaired they are unstable and wreak havoc in the body causing DNA damage and can lead to cell death and cancer. This is why you need antioxidants to protect from these radical cells!  
• Are a great source of omega 3s. Omega 3s are essential for good health and since your body is unable to make them on it's own you have to get them through diet. Omegas control blood clotting, build cell membranes in the brain, and they help protect against heart disease, cancer and autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. 
• Are often called "runners food" because they are incredibly hydrating, making them great for before or after a workout. (which is why I always have chia seeds in my breakfast before my run!)
• Can be eaten so many different ways!! Chia pudding, thrown in smoothies & oatmeal, sprinkled on top of toast, ice cream, cereal, whatever your little heart desires. You can even throw them in juice and wait for them to gel up!

I am going to give you my recipe for my personal favorite way to eat them- PUDDING! Cause it tastes like dessert, but it's healthy!! Did I mention how easy it is to make?! It takes all of less than 5 minutes! Also, my way doesn't contain any refined sugars, only natural sugars from fruit so you can totally eat it for breakfast and not feel an ounce of guilt about it. DESSERT FOR BREAKFAST! Yes please.

CHIA SEED PUDDING

• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 2 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 4 dates
• 1 ripe banana (the riper the better)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• a few grinds of himalayan pink salt

1. Blend the almond milk, dates, banana, cinnamon, vanilla and pink salt very well. 

2. Throw the chia seeds in a bowl and pour the blended mixture over them and stir until they are fully immersed in the liquid. 

3. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but feel free to leave it overnight in the fridge. Chia seeds, when immersed in liquid, form a little gel over their seed that has a tapioca like texture to it. Voila, PUDDING! 

4. Top with anything you'd like: dark chocolate chips, cacao nibs, shredded coconut, berries, or just enjoy it plain!

(You can make this same recipe a thousand different ways with different ingredients. Feel to experiment around with them! Chocolate and Peanut Butter are personal favs of mine to throw in there).

WHAT'S IN MY MAKEUP BAG?!

I talk a lot about ingredients and how important it is that you are aware of what you put in your body. But did you know that you also need to be careful about what you put ON your body as well?

Our skin is like a sponge, absorbing anything that we put on our skin- YES LADIES that means all your makeup, skincare/beauty products and sunscreen! These chemicals get into our bloodstream and build up in our tissues over time. (You can read more about toxins in my blog post here)

There was a study done in the UK and published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Applied Toxicology that stated "chemical found in deodorants, face cream and food products is discovered in tumours of ALL breast cancer patients." This study investigated five different types of Paraben concentrations in breast tissue samples from 40 different women who had undergone a mastectomy due to breast cancer.

Parabens are chemical preservatives that are found in most beauty and makeup products and they are just one of MANY chemicals found in your beauty products that you should be avoiding. Check the list of the Dirty Dozen and if your beauty product contains one of these throw it out!!

This is why it is so important to buy good, quality, natural beauty products, including makeup! Drop that drug store makeup and step up your makeup game. Lets be honest, it looks better and you will feel better (by avoiding all those toxic chemicals!)

THANKFULLY this is where Tarte Cosmetics comes to the rescue and why I am in love with this makeup brand! All of their products are free of parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan, synthetic fragrances and gluten! and have you ever used any of their makeup? It's AMAZING! I can't praise it enough. 

My Non-Toxic Makeup Essentials as pictured above:

Tarte maracuja C-brighter eye cream

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil (this stuff is INCREDIBLE for dry skin)

Tarte CC in light 

Tarte BB tinted primer in Light

Tarte Amazonian Clay full coverage airbrush foundation powder in fair light neutral

Amazonian Clay full coverage foundation in light sand

Tarte Maracuja creaseless concelear in light

Tarte smooth operator amazonian clay finishing powder

Tarte lights, camera, flashes mascara

Tarte Power Couple Amazonian Clay Blush & Bronzer Duo

Anastasia perfect brow pencil

The finished product! 

(in this picture for my complexion I only used the CC, BB, concelear & foundation powder)

GMO OMG

I saw this film last night and I can't recommend it enough. (Gmofilm.com)

I feel so passionately about this subject because a lot of the general public has no idea they are even a part of this science experiment and so many of the people who are aware are totally misinformed on it.

The majority of the food we eat in this country contains GMOs & the argument is that we are going to "feed the world" with all the crops we are able to grow. However, there was a 30 year study done by Rodale Institute showing that not only does organic farming yield the same amount of crops as conventional (/GMO) farming but that it's actually the only sustainable way to farm. Because with conventional/GMO farming it kills all the soil and the entire Eco system around it. You also can't re-plant the seeds. So how are we going to continue to grow food if we kill off all the soil? We have been lied to by greedy corporations like Monsanto. They can't "feed the world" with their crops. They just care about making money.

We have scientific evidence that GMOs cause massive tumor growths as well. Considering that one of the GMO crops they make literally causes bugs stomachs to explode when they eat it, it's not that surprising. Think of what that's doing to our bodies? How do you avoid consuming GMOs? Eat Organic. The more we spend on organic the higher the demand will be and the lower the cost of organic will become.

Healthy Eggnog

Never thought you would see healthy and eggnog in the same sentence did you? It's dairy and refined sugar free so you don't have to feel guilty drinking....lets be honest...chugging, a few of these. I have to admit I even surprised myself with this eggnog. It's almost too good! It is so creamy and delicious, your dairy loving friends will never notice the difference. I promise! Okay lets get to it.

What You Need:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 30 minutes 
• 2 cups filtered water
• 1 15 oz. can of full-fat coconut milk
• 6 medjool dates, pitted & soaked
• 1 tsp. real vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• Rum (optional- but it's Christmas. Treat yoself!)

METHOD:

After you have soaked your cashews and dates in hot water for 30 mins, drain the water and throw the cashews in the blender with 2 cups of water. After about a minute or two the cashews should be completely blended. Then add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until the dates are completely blended. Enjoy with friends and family and embrace that eggnog 'stache.