c's secret bliss

This low cal dessert is so good, it should be illegal.

Who would’ve thought there could be such a thing as a vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, guilt-free ice cream that tastes as good, if not better, than the real thing?

My friend Emily who I met through Integrative Nutrition posted this AMAZING ice cream recipe on her website. It seriously rocks!

Ingredients:
2 frozen bananas*
1/4-1/2 cup frozen cherries
Less than a splash of almond milk to help blend (optional)

*Note: Before you freeze the bananas, peel them and cut into fourths. Freeze for at least a day (more days is better) before using in this recipe.

Directions:
Put frozen bananas into food processor and blend until it reaches the consistency of ice cream. You may need to stop occasionally to scrape down the sides. Add the frozen cherries and blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy!

Raw Food for 1 Day…

… because you’ve asked for it.

I received many questions from my newsletter readers after posting, A Raw Food Experiment, like this one:

i’m really interested in hearing more about your raw diet… like what’s an example of what you eat in 1 day?… fill me in!!!

To give you a brief background on this “experiment”… I recently saw the movie Raw for 30 Days and decided to use my body as an experiment to “cleanse”  through the amazingly-positive benefits of Raw Food (“if they can do it, I can do it” attitude). A cleanse is good to do a few times/year to “reset.” There are so many versions of the Raw Food Cleanse, each being super healthy, effective, safe and non-depriving - thats why I like it. For example, lets talk Master Cleanse…

Master Cleanse: For a minimum of 10 days, you drink only the lemonade mixture, made with organic grade B maple syrup, fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice, and cayenne pepper added to spring, distilled, or purified (NOT fluoridated) water.

Who can do that? 10 whole days? Riiiigggghhhht… Food is too good to waste away on water and cayenne pepper. Not for me. So, if you’re gonna cleanse, why not do a cleanse that actually allows you to eat?

But a cleanse through Raw Food? “What the hell am I going to eat?”!! Well that’s the fun of it!

Its actually very simple. This is what I eat for 1 day when eating RAW.  Hopefully this will give you a few ideas if you want to experiment too!

So to break it down, I have as many fruits and vegetables as I want in a day and I always prepare them in interesting ways. I also make everything from scratch- nothing is processed (it tastes so much better that way too!).

Breakfast: a green smoothie

Lunch: a large salad with EVERYTHING on it. 

Sprouts, Tomatoes, Onion, Mushrooms, Avocado, Peppers, etc.. with homemade dressing from my Raw Food Made Easy book (olive oil, lemon juice, fresh basil, parsley, pepper, salt, garlic & Dijon mustard is my fav combo.)

Snack: 1/2 Bananna and homemade peanut butter (from Whole Foods) or just a few nuts to keep me satisfied.

Dinner: homemade sushi 

Nori wrap, miso paste, carrot, red pepper, sprouts and cucumber rolled up and dipped in Tamari (the presentation is not the best, but I had to show you a picture ;) ).

Desert: Raw Chocolate Cake (Click for pic)

I hope this answered your questions!

XoXo

Ciara

A Raw Food Experiment

Inspired by Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days

So I have officially been 80% Raw for the past 22 days, and I am feeling better than ever (literally!). The positive changes that I have noticed are: I have more energy, I feel lighter, my skin has cleared up, my digestion problems went away,  and I am having more fun in the kitchen. I have also lost an unexpected 6 pounds and my stomach is flatter. No more muffin top!  (see pic)

The raw food diet is made up of fresh fruits, greens and vegetables, and natural fats like avocados, olive oil, and nuts and seeds. These foods deliver the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, essential fatty acids and fiber essential for good health.

Eating a diet consisting mostly of raw fruits, greens and natural fats is the best way to reach optimal health because you avoid the culprits that lead to degenerative diseases and weight gain such as white flour, sugar, trans fats and saturated fat. The high nutritional value of these fresh foods will slow the aging process and will provide you with increased energy and mental clarity.

I did not have any existing medical condition when I first decided to go raw. I simply wanted to experience all the wonderful things that I had heard about. So I ate an 80% raw diet and drank a green smoothies everyday. I started with an 80% Raw diet because I believe that no one diet works for everyone and that everything should be in moderation so I wanted to set myself up for success. Rapidly my body and mind started to change. I am now happier, healthier, full of energy and have complete mental clarity.  Almost immediately (and unintentionally) I started shedding unwanted fat from my belly without having to do any extra crunches! This is probably linked to me not craving dark chocolate or sugary sweets anymore!(Check out what Raw sweet I did eat…)

I am a health nut so the film was inspiring to me. It shows the remarkable journey of 6 individuals on a 100% Raw food diet for 30 days. Viewers will see the medical, emotional, and physical transformation of this diet and lifestyle change. All participants were able to go off of, or severely reduce, their insulin and other medications. Some were able to reverse Diabetes (type 1 and 2) all together in just 30 days. Remarkable!

Experiment, and give it a try. Try incorporating more raw foods into your diet. I suggest starting off with getting at least 5-9 serving of fruits and vegetables into your diet per day. The less you cook and process them the better they are for you. Think of all that you have to gain!

Please let me know if I can help you in your journey!

Have a Question? Ask me! Ciara.lydon@gmail.com