Ingredients:

• 3 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled and diced
• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon  ground cumin
• ¼  teaspoon  cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Remove flesh of avocados and add to a bowl. Mash coarsely with a fork.  Mix in all remaining ingredients.

This dish is a healthy take on Pad Thai, only it’s completely raw and loaded in ingredients to give your metabolism a kick start – including those low-cal, fat-burning Kelp Noodles!

For the Dressing

Ingredients:

¼ teaspoon  toasted sesame oil;

½ cup macadamia nuts;

½ cup coconut milk;

1 tablespoon coconut oil;

1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced;

1 garlic clove, minced;

½ teaspoon  ground cumin;

1 tablespoon tamari;

¼ teaspoon  paprika;

¼ teaspoon  cayenne pepper;

2 tablespoons lime juice;

Directions:

For the Dressing, pour coconut milk, sesame oil, macadamia nuts, coconut oil, ground cumin, tamari, paprika, cayenne pepper, lime juice and minced garlic into a blender and blend.

For the Salad

Ingredients:

1/3 cup goji berries;

1 (12-ounce) bag kelp noodles;

2 cups sunflower sprouts;

1 large carrot, julienned;

2 scallions, thinly sliced;

1 cup napa cabbage;

1 golden beet;

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves;

½ cup almonds, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Rehydrate goji berries in 1 cup water for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together along with enough dressing to lightly coat noodles. Add goji berries and sunflower sprouts. Chop scallions, napa cabbage, carrots and sunflowers. Peel beet and cut into sprials using your Spirooli.

This quinoa salad has amazing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  Pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain, which not only aids in digestive health, but has amazing anti-inflammatory properties putting the breaks on aches!

For the Quinoa Salad:

▪   3 cups cooked quinoa;

▪   2 medium carrots, shredded;

▪   2 cups shredded baby spinach;

▪   ½ cup chopped walnuts;

▪   2 scallions, sliced;

▪   1/3 cup goldenberries;

▪   1 pineapple, peel, cored and brushed with coconut oil, grilled and diced;

Put all salad ingredients in a large serving bowl.  Pour dressing and toss to mix.

For the Pineapple Miso Dressing:

▪   1 cup chopped fresh pineapple;

▪   4 teaspoons miso;

▪   4 tablespoons EVOO;

▪   ½ teaspoon ground black pepper;

▪   2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger;

▪   ½ teaspoon ground turmeric;

Put all the ingredients together in a blender and blend until the dressing is finished.  
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.

Muffins are a portable, easy snack — however, most are a nutritional nightmare! Forget about the coffee shop drive-thrus and dive into these whole food, gluten-free mini-muffins.

Watch the Segment from KTLA 5 Morning News

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp ground chia + 4 Tbsp water
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup hazelnut butter
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 2/3 cup cooked amaranth
• 1 scoop Vega One in French Vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp non-aluminum baking soda
• 3 Tbsp shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Place ground chia in a small bowl. Add warm water and mix with a fork. Set aside for gel to form. Mash bananas in large bowl, then add coconut oil, nut butter, vanilla and coconut milk and stir to mix. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Grease muffin tins with coconut oil. Drop in batter and bake 350o for 25 -30 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, then remove from muffin tin.

For an additional treat, try my chocolate avo pudding recipe as a yummy frosting!

The PB&J is SO 1990′s.  Here’s a modern, healthy take that tastes just as good, only it’s rich in brain-boosting omega 3 fatty acids, jam-packed with nutrient, and NUT-FREE! So it’s totally safe for you kid’s (or your) schools lunch box.

Ingredients:

• 1 + ¼ cup chopped fresh strawberries;
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract;
• 1 teaspoon  coconut sugar (optional);
• 1 heaping teaspoon  ground chia seeds;
• 2 slice sprouted grain bread;
• Sunflower seed butter
• Banana slices

Here’s the Video of Peggy making this recipe on Kitchen Cures

Make Jam: Mix 1 cup of strawberries (reserving 1/4 cup) in a food processor with vanilla, coconut sugar and chia seeds until chunky.  stir in remaining strawberries, pour into mason jar and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Make Sandwich: spread one slice of bread with sunflower seed butter and top with banana slices. Spread the other slice of bread with jam and close of the sandwich.

Enjoy!

A sexy dessert featuring chocolate and maca – the combination of these two aphrodisiacs are sure to get you in the mood!

Banana Pear Ice Kreme

• 4 very ripe frozen bananas
• 1 ripe Bartlett pear, peeled and cored
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• Seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod

Blend all ingredients in high-speed blended until smooth. Transfer to a container and keep in the freezer until needed.

Luv-Drunk Pears

• 4 MacaSure Chocolat bars
• 2 Bartlett pears
• Pinch Himalayan coarse sea salt

Melt MacaSure Chocolat in a double broiler. Cut pears into wedges. Dip pears half way into melted chocolate. Arrange on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt crystals. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens.

Cocoa-Kissed Drizzle

• 2 tbsp yacon syrup
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp ginger powder

Scoop Banana Pear Ice Kreme into bowls, drizzle with Cocoa-Kissed Sauce and top with Luv-Drunk Pears.

Love is in the air. Amongst romance, chocolate, and being struck by cupid, there is one thing to be mindful of during this month of love (and always): Your most important Valentine is, well, yourself! After all, you want to make sure your heart is in tip-top shape before you go giving it to someone else. Here are four healthful tips to keep you—and your ticker—ticking. And lovin’!

1) Add heart-healthy Fats

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Omega 3 fatty acids are one of the most important nutrients when it comes to improving overall heart health. Omega 3s lower the risk of coronary artery disease, reduces blood clotting and lowers blood pressure. In addition, not only do they powerfully lower blood triglyceride levels, they raise “good” cholesterol (HDL), helping to eliminate “bad” cholesterol (LDL). And at roughly 48%, Savi Seeds contain the highest plant-based source of Omega-3 fatty acids… in the world! Other good Omega 3 sources include: chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds and walnuts.

Monounsaturated Fats

Monounsaturated Fats are heart-healthy fats that help lower ‘bad’ cholesterol, normalize blood clotting and protect against heart disease. Olives, extra virgin olive oil, nuts and avocados are excellent sources. Avocados also contain 10 grams of fiber helping to improve heart health and packs in more than 3x the amount of potassium than bananas helping to regulate blood pressure. Sources of monounsaturated fats include: Nuts (almonds, walnuts) avocado, olives, seeds (sesame seeds)

2) Increase Fiber

A diet high in dietary fiber—in particular, soluble fiber—has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol levels. Fiber binds onto cholesterol, absorbs it and helps your body eliminate it. You should be aiming to get 25 grams of fiber per day.  Plant-based foods are the only sources of fibre.  Amongst the highest are: black beans, lentils, chia seeds, avocado, raspberries, blueberries

3) Reduce stress

Chronic stress is linked to high blood pressure, irregular heart beats, chest pain and increased risk of heart attack. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, European researches concluded that those with the highest levels of stress hormone cortisol, had an increased risk of death from heart disease. Is all this stressing you out? Try incorporating more stress-reduction practices into you lifestyle (such as yoga, meditation, or simply, taking time to breathe), as well as incorporating more nutrient-dense, stress-busting foods. Some stress busting foods and supplements include: Maca, Relora, B-vitamins, Holy Basil (Tulsi) Tea, almonds, bananas, sweet potatoes and whole grains.

4) Exercise!

Exercise is a sure way to quickly drop cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of heart disease by raising HDL. Physical activity can also help to reduce excess weight, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Go on, shake that booty, snack on some delicious Omega 3s, seek out soluble fiber and give yourself—and your heart—some love!

Sugars are stored in your body as stubborn fat! No more than 10 per cent of your daily caloric intake should come from sugars. For the average person, this can translate to around 40 to 50 grams. To put things into context, some fat-free, fruit-flavored yogurts can have up to 21 grams of sugar. One cup of 100 per cent fruit juice has 25 grams of sugar – half of our recommended daily intake!

As sugars are absorbed into your bloodstream, your blood sugar level rises. In order to lower blood sugar levels, the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin, which moves sugar from the blood into your cells, where the sugar can be used as a source of energy. The more refined the sugar, the greater stress on your pancreas, which can eventually lead to weight gain and illnesses such as diabetes. Your body needs sugar for brain function, muscle and liver glycogen. However, excess sugar is stored in your cells as fat. Glucagon is a hormone that takes the fat out of storage and releases it so your body can burn it off. When your body is producing insulin to bring your sugar high down, it cannot produce glucagon. The result: not only are you storing extra fat, but your body has the inability to burn fat that is already stored – double fat whammy!

What’s worse is that most fat-free foods contain poor quality, highly refined sugars such as high-fructose corn syrup. Even extremely small dosages cause tremendous negative impact to blood sugar levels – causing you to crave even more sugar.

Many high-sugar, fat-storing foods masquerade as “health foods” and should be avoided, including fruit juice, non-fat fruit-flavored yogurts, breakfast cereals, high/refined-sugar granolas and sauces such as BBQ sauce, ketchup and teriyaki sauce. Here’s a look at the amount of sugar in some everyday foods. I bet some will surprise you!