Green smoothies are perfect for breakfast, in between meals or they can even replace a meal. Green smoothies are the perfect addition to your healthy eating regimen. Everybody wants to know whats the secret to creating the best green smoothies ever. Well I’ve found to create the best green smoothies ever you should stick to the following formula which consists of 3 primary components:

1. A Liquid Base
2. Fresh or Frozen Fruit
3. Dark Leafy Green Vegetables

Here’s the formula:

2-3 cups of your favorite liquid base
1/2 cup each of your favorite fresh or frozen fruit
1 cup of dark leafy green veggies (see my recommendations below)

Using these 3 primary components you can create the most amazing green smoothies made from ingredients that you LOVE and that you and your whole family will LOVE. If you are new to green smoothies you will be surprised, you will not taste the greens but will still reap all the amazing benefits. Share it with children and they will LOVE it too!!!!

The liquid base can be any of the following:

Fresh or distilled water
Coconut water (see my last blog post on coconut water, my favorite brands and where to purchase it)
Fresh pressed juice
Fresh organic juice (apple, pineapple, grape, orange, etc)
Non dairy milk (almond, hemp, brazil nut, cashew, coconut milk, etc)

Fresh or Frozen Fruit

Add your favorite fresh or frozen fruit to create the best green smoothie ever. Frozen fruit will give you a more chilled smoothie with a thick and creamy consistency. While fresh fruit will give you a smoothie with a more thinner consistency. You can also use half frozen and half fresh fruit for a great consistency. My basic rule of thumb is to choose up to two or three of your favorite fruits. Here are some of the fruits that I like to use to make a delicious smoothie. If I’ve left one of your favorite fruit choices out, add it to the list and add it to your smoothie:

Pineapple
Mango
Strawberries
Raspberries
Banana
Apple
Peaches
Kiwi
Cherries

Dark Leafy Greens

Finally don’t forget your dark leafy green vegetables. If you are new to consuming green smoothies, I recommend incorporating a banana as one of your fruit choice to cut the taste of the greens or you can add a fresh organic fruit juice to keep it sweet and enjoyable. These are some of the dark leafy greens that I recommend for your green smoothies, they have a smooth taste and are not so bitter while still loaded with tons of nutritional benefit:

Spinach
Green Swiss Chard
Kale
Bok Choy

The kitchen equipment needed to make your green smoothie is a high speed blender. Add all of your ingredients to the blender. Blend until smooth and enjoy!!! It really cannot get any more quick and easier than this. A healthy time saving tip is to double the recipe and prepare a little extra and store it in a glass mason jar so that you can have enough for a few days. Green smoothies stay fresh for up to 3 days.

Here are some of my favorite green smoothie recipes:

Greens In A Bottle

Fresh pressed apple juice or an organic apple juice from your local health food store
Banana
Mango
Spinach or Kale

Blend and Enjoy!!!

Island Green Smoothie

Coconut Milk
Strawberry
Banana
Pineapple
Spinach or Swiss Chard

Blend and Enjoy!!!

My husband and I recently visited Hawaii and while I was very excited to have some time to relax and decompress, I was also excited to see what healthy hot spots Hawaii had to offer. The beautiful island of Kaui was our second stop on our trip and while we were there we found a small treasure called RAINBOW LIVING FOODS restaurant.

Rainbow Living Foods is one of the only raw vegan restaurants on the island of Kaui. Its a small restaurant that is able to accommodate those wishing to dine in or carry out.  The restaurant has limited seating  and it is located right off of one of the main streets on the island and pretty easy to find. We were very happy and excited to find this healthy hot spot to be able to get some fresh living food and drinks while on vacay.

As soon as our plane touched down we jumped in our car and headed over there to see what this treasure had to offer and we were very pleased to find that they had an extensive menu of entrees, salads, drinks and desserts. As a raw vegan chef, I’m always a little nervous when trying out new spots. However, because we were doing a quick drive  by before heading to the beach we just grabbed a couple of drinks and checked out the menu to see if this was somewhere that we would like to return. I had the raw Pina Colada and my husband had the Chocolate Cacao shake. Both of the drinks were quite AMAZING and we knew that we would be back for more.

The next day we went back to Rainbow Living Foods and decided to give the entrees a try. We both had the burgers. My husband thought the burger was pretty tasty. My favorite menu items were the drinks and the desserts. I would definitely recommend this restaurant and would definitely support it again when visiting the island of  Kaui. The owners are a married couple and were just lovely and very kind. During your visit to Rainbow Living Living Foods you definitely can expect to wait a little for your food and drinks to be prepared. However, if you regularly consume raw vegan food you know that the wait is equivalent to the amount of love and positive energy that goes into preparing this kind of food.  The wait gave us time to chat it up with the owners who are very passionate about spreading the message of healthy eating and healing through the consumption of a plant based diet. Definitely check out this restaurant when visiting Kaui, you won’t be disappointed. Looking forward to going back!!!!

Water and oxygen are essential to our existence . Water is LIFE and our bodies are made up of over 70% water. Water is also essential in aiding the body in carrying out all of its necessary bodily functions. Drinking an adequate amount of water keeps things moving and it helps in moving waste and toxins out of the body. A few years ago I learned about the benefits of coconut water and my life hasn’t been the same. I drink coconut water a few times a week as well as distilled water and it is one of my primary beverages during my seasonal fast. I also provide it to clients who participate in my detox program and share detailed instructions on how to open up coconuts in my hands on classes for those who are intimidated by the process of doing so.

WHY COCONUT WATER?

Coconut water is living water and it contains vitamins, minerals and is the ultimate source of electrolytes. It also helps to cleanse the blood and stands above the rest with regard to its nutritional value. Coconut water also helps with intestinal worms and in extreme cases of dehydration. Due to the cooling effect that coconut water has on the body it is the perfect drink to enjoy after a strenuous workout to help restore internal balance.

WHERE TO FIND COCONUT WATER?

Coconut water can be found at your local health food store or your local international market. You can also find it online and I’ve personally purchased it from a vendor in Florida (www.florida-coconuts.com). The vendor in Florida will even provide you with a tool to open the coconuts if this is something that intimidates you. You can also find delicious coconut water in your travels to warm tropical clients. Don’t miss out on the opportunity of trying it when you do so.

MY FAVORITE BRANDS

I like the young green coconut for fasting, it’s just PERFECT.  I like the young Thai coconuts for desserts, dessert drinks and mylks and they can be easily found at your local health food store or international market or online. The brown coconuts are the mature coconut and contain very little water and the flesh is usually hard. However, the meat within these coconuts can sometimes be used for raw vegan desserts. I also recently found a bottled brand of coconut water that is fresh and not pasteurized that I love that is made by HARMLESS HARVEST (http://www.harmlessharvest.com/WORLD-S-BEST-COCONUT-WATER). HARMLESS HARVEST is the real deal and can also be found at your local health food store or ordered on line and is very similar in taste to the wild green coconuts. It’s not as sweet and can be used during a cleanse. Lastly I use ZICO brand or ONE brand as an alternative and they are in a box container and have been lightly pasteurized but can be used to make your nut mylks or as an alternative when the others are not available.

HOW TO OPEN A COCONUT

The young green coconut will require the use of a special tool or a machete to open. The young Thai coconut will require the use of a cleaver to open. The bottled version is readily available in the refrigerated section of your local health food store for you can grab and go. However, nothing beats the real deal and it is definitely worth the extra effort. When opening a coconut you can expect to get anywhere from 8oz – 16oz of fresh living water. It’s the best thing ever!!!!

MY TOP 3 WAYS TO ENJOY COCONUT WATER

1. Drink it alone, it is DELICIOUS
2. Drink it with lemon or lime juice and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Spirulina (quick and easy green juice)
3. Use it as a base for nut mylks and smoothies for extra nutritional value

COCONUT FACT OF THE DAY

Coconut water is very similar in make up to human blood and it was used intravenous in World War II to treat patients in need of blood transfusion.

Check out my earlier blog post on dairy alternatives for a nut mylk recipe that uses coconut water. Please leave me a comment on how you currently use coconut water or how you will use it. If you have any questions be sure to leave them below and please feel free to share this post with those who can benefit

This is one of the questions that I’m asked most frequently so I decided to share with you in Part 1 of  this blog post my top tips on how to successfully transition to a plant based diet. I offer these tips to you from a health coach perspective and also from my own personal journey as someone who has and continues to implement natural living principles. My transition to a plant based diet was very gradual and definitely a learning process. I grew up on the standard American diet and consumed lots of fast food and lots of processed foods. However,  making the transition is definitely a process and everybody is different and on their own personal wellness journey. Be sure to be kind to yourself and surround yourself with like minded people, but in the meantime try adding in these tips for continued success in eating more plants:

Tip#1 – VEGANIZE YOUR KITCHEN - It is so important to have all of the gadgets that you need to prepare healthy plant based dishes. A lot of people will say that eating vegan is difficult. I like to say that it is not DIFFICULT just DIFFERENT but you definitely have to get into the kitchen and get your hands dirty. Check out my last blog post to get more detail on how to VEGANIZE your kitchen.

Tip #2- EAT ONE LARGE SALAD A DAY – Eating one large salad a day will change your life. Greens are the #1 food that is missing most from the standard American diet but they offer tons of nutritional benefits. Be sure to eat your greens and remember that you are not limited to the lame ice berg lettuce that most establishments try to push. There is a huge variety to choose from (arugula, kale, cabbage, romaine, mixed greens, collards, spinach, wild greens). Mix it up and make it fun and then just add in any additional vegetables that you like. If you are just starting out you can purchase an organic dressing from your local health food store or if you are feeling creative you can make your own. A simple dressing can be made quick and easy witholive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and minced garlic and a little coconut nectar. I always recommend for people to have your large salad at lunch but whatever you decide be sure to get it in make it colorful.

Tip #3 – CHOOSE ONE DAY OUT OF THE WEEK TO GO MEATLESS - Meatless Mondays is the latest thing that is being promoted in our culture and maybe that day works for you but if not choose a day that works and go meatless, you will definitely see and feel the results.

Tip #4 – DRINK YOUR MEALS- Substituting one of your meals for a fresh juice or fresh smoothie will change your life. I usually recommend that people do this for breakfast. However, it can be done anytime during the day. Drinking your meals is a quick and easy way to get in more fresh fruits and veggies, give your body a break from digesting large complex meals and infuse your body with a ton of vitamins and minerals. Green juices help to gently rejuvenate and restore your body at the cellular level while fruit juices help to cleanse and purge your body of unwanted toxins.

Tip #5 – EXPERIMENT, EXPERIMENT, EXPERIMENT – Experimenting is key!!! Application is the highest form of learning. Therefore it is important to apply your new found knowledge by getting into the kitchen and experimenting with new and exciting plant based meals.Be sure to frequently check back as I will be posting more updated recipes.

Check out my basic salad recipe below, this is my quick and easy recipe when I’m on the go. Keep it simple and enjoy!!! I’d love to hear from you. Please leave me a comment and let me know what tip you will implement this week.

Basic Salad Recipe

Mixed Greens (Spring Mix) or Baby Spinach

Shredded Carrots

Dried Cranberries

Chopped Pecans

Fuji Apple (sliced)

Combine and enjoy w/ Balsamic Vinagarette Dressing or Organic Shitake Sesame Vinagarette Dressing (Annies Organics Is My Favorite)

Many people are interested in beginning a vegan diet but don’t know where to start or how to begin. I’d like to suggest that the first step in being successful on a vegan diet is equipping your kitchen with the necessary gadgets that will assist you in quick and easy food preparation and that will allow you to have everything that you need in order to follow most basic and complex recipe books. When I first started out on a vegan diet I started off experimenting and I purchased inexpensive gadgets as I was not sure of what my commitment level would be to this lifestyle  and way of eating. However, after burning out a few blenders and juicers (they were literally smoking) I knew that it was time to invest in the real deal.

One of the things that people find most challenging when transitioning to a plant based diet is giving up dairy products (milk, cheese, ice cream, milkshakes, butter, etc). Well thank God for dairy alternatives that can serve as a bridge to a healthier mucus free lifestyle. When I first started transitioning to a plant based diet and decided to eliminate dairy products one of the things that I noticed immediately was that my allergies and sinus problems were pretty much eliminated and I also had fewer colds. I also shed an excess of