Strawberry Greek Popsicles

As a child, my mom would never buy popsicles. I have the found memory of making homemade popsicles from scratch. I still have the same molds from my childhood.

These Strawberry Greek Popsicles are a healthier version of the store bought brands. Have no fear, these do not contain fructose corn syrup or any other unnatural ingredient.

Ingredients:

• 24 oz of Greek NonFat FAGE yogurt
• 2 cups strawberries
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 1/2 cup Ideal Sugar (other substitute)
• 2 large bananas
• Strawberry KoolAID package no sugar added (optional)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 4-6 ice cubes

Directions: 
Blend all the ingredients together and pour the popsicles into the molds. Freeze overnight or  for the day. The popsicles will get firmer as days progress.

Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato Fries...the perfect side addition to any meal!

Ingredients:

• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoon extra vigin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon of garlic
• 1 tablespoon organic tapioca 
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in half. Now cut each sweet potato blocks in to 1/4 strips. Place the sweet potatoes in a gallon ziplock bag and add oil, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic, tapioca. Now shake the bag around until all the potatoes are seasoned.  Finally, place the sweet potatoes evenly on a baking sheet for about 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. 

Vegan Mac & Casheese

I love Mac & cheese: It reminds of my childhood. Unfortunately, it is full of unhealthy fats. This is a way healthier version of my favorite comfort food.

Ingredients:

• 12 or 16oz brown rice pasta
• 2 cups broccoli  florets
• 1 1/2  cup peas
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
• 1 1/2 tablespoon tahini
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 
  
• black pepper and salt to taste

Direction: Follow the directions on the box and cook the pasta. In a separate pan, cook the broccoli and  peas. While this is cooking, add the cashews, garlic, paprika, turmeric, lemon juice, tahini, water and blend in a food processor or blender. It should look like a paste. Drain the noodles, broccoli, and peas. Pour cold water over the pasta-veggie mixture, and return the mixture back into the large saucepan. Now fold the cashew sauce over the pasta and veggies. Finally, heat on the stove for another 10 minutes and add salt/pepper to taste. 

Makes 6 servings

* I soak the cashews for 30 minutes-1 hour ....That way it blends better.

I HATE DIETS!

This is why I HATE DIETS! When I see females having body complexes, my heart goes out to them. I think back to where my struggles started from as a 16 year old trying to obtain that so called “Perfect Body.”

Diets may work for a time. If we eat less and stop eating certain foods, we will lose weight. However, the weight we lose is mainly water or lean tissue, not just FAT! Research consistently shows that only about five percent of us will keep off the lost weight.

Our weight and our body shape and size depend on our genes, our body's metabolism, and the way we live. If we live a generally healthy lifestyle, our body stays within a stable weight range. This is called our "set point", and it is the weight range at which we are healthiest.

Our set point can be changed if we constantly lose and gain weight. If this happens, our bodies could raise their normal set point weights and slow our metabolism to keep it there. This is our body’s way of trying to protect itself. It doesn't know the difference between a famine and a diet.

Diets set us up to fail. This "failure" makes us feel guilty and adds to bad feelings we may already have, like low self-esteem, or dislike of our bodies. We are surrounded by messages that anyone can lose weight as long as we have the right attitude and will power.

This makes it hard to remember just how unhelpful diets really are. Diets are difficult to follow. They restrict what we need or enjoy. So, we start to crave or obsess about the foods we're trying to avoid.

At this point we tend to 'break' our diet. And then we feel we have failed rather than recognizing that it is the diet that has failed.

People diet for many different reasons. We may think that being thinner will make us happier. Diets or some other strict routine can also make us feel like we're accomplishing something. By sticking to the rules we are rewarded, at first, by losing weight and by people complimenting us. But, this won't last and nothing else really changes.

So ask, "Why do I want to lose weight?" Are your hopes for a smaller body realistic? How would your life change?

There are realistic ways to get to a healthy weight:

·       Learn about healthy eating and establish a pattern of normal eating NOT “DIET THINKING”.

·       Try not to label some foods as "Good" and some foods "Bad". All foods have a place in your life.

·       Learn about appropriate portion sizes. Serving Size, guys!

·       Be active in ways that you find to be fun. This will make it more likely that you exercise regularly. If you do these things you are likely to find that, after a while, your body will settle at its natural "set weight". Feelings of frustration, tiredness, mood swings and binge eating that you might have experienced while on a diet will lessen, and may go away completely. 

Chocolate Monkey Protein Shake

Sunwarrior Classic Protein has become my go-to protein brand. I found my body responded better without the whey. I started researching and found the reviews of Sunwarrior to be quite high. When a friend recommended this to me, I knew I had to make my purchase. Sunwarrior contains no whey or additives. It is a raw sprouted whole grain brown Rice protein, raw organic cocoa, vanilla extracts, chocolate extracts, rice oligodextrin, stevia, xanthan, gum, salt, and pectin. One serving contains 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 16 grams of protein. Surprisingly, it taste pretty good for being so natural.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 scoops of Sunwarrior chocolate protein
• 1 cup spinach
• 1/2 small banana
• 1 teaspoon smart balance chunky peanut butter
• 8 oz of unsweetened almond or coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon dark hershey cocoa
• 4 to 6 pieces of ice

About ME

My ultimate goal is to motivate and inform females on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle not only entails of growing physically, but spiritually as well. True beauty is found within oneself. It is revealed in the essence of a pure heart and a desire to become your ultimate best. It is not selfish or self-fulfilled but is about bestowing the knowledge that was graciously giving to you.  

I don’t have an amazing weight loss transformation story, but I have a story of a personal struggle. I overcame my six-year battle with an eating disorder. It has been 4 years of no relapses and 1 year of clean eating.

Reach out and Share your Wealth!