Chlorella Tablets

Today was the pre-detox workshop for the next round of detoxers!! welcome all detoxers.
These chlorella tablets from www.naturalzing.com are my favorite right now!! For all my detoxers out there this a great food that allows you to chew something while you are doing a juice/green smoothie detox program. I often chew on these while i drink my green juice. my kids also love them- the downfall is that there little green hands get all over the house!! but- its more important for me to have healthy kids compared to a perfectly clean house. below are a few of the benefits of both chlorella and spirulina. (all this info is from www.chlorellafactor.com)

The astounding health benefits of chlorella and spirulina

What can these two superfoods really do for your health? They offer a stunning array of health benefits. Chlorella and spirulina have been shown to be effective in treating and even reversing the following conditions:

* Cancers (all types)
* Obesity
* Diabetes
* Hypoglycemia
* Arthritis
* Depression
* Severe liver damage and liver disorders
* Intestinal ulcers
* Hemorrhoids
* Asthma
* High blood pressure
* Constipation
* Bleeding gums
* Infections
* Inflammation of joints and tissues
* Body odor / breath odor
* Various degenerative diseases
* Essential fatty acid deficiencies
* Mineral deficiencies (magnesium is a common deficiency)

Both chlorella and spirulina are particularly useful for:

* People with poor digestion and assimilation (these micro-algae are easy to digest and absorb)
* People with poor vitality and anemia
* Individuals who consumer large quantities of animal protein (the micro-algae protein, in contrast, is easier to digest and offers a far healthier balance of minerals)
* People who eat refined or processed foods
* People who take prescription drugs (spirulina protects the kidneys and liver)
* People who are overweight or obese
* People who engage in physical exercise and / or strength training
* People with low energy levels (feeling depleted, exhausted, etc.)

In fact, both chlorella and spirulina have been described as "the perfect food:"

Chlorella:

Chlorella has been touted as the perfect whole food. Aside from being a complete protein and containing all the B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and the major minerals (with zinc and iron in amounts large enough to be considered supplementary), it has been found to improve the immune system, improve digestion, detoxify the body, accelerate healing, protect against radiation, aid in the prevention of degenerative diseases, help in treatment of Candida albicans, relieve arthritis pain and, because of its nutritional content, aid in the success of numerous weight loss programs.

- Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible

Spirulina:

Spirulina's predigested protein provides building material soon after ingestion, without the energy-draining side effects of meat protein; its mucopolysaccharides relax and strengthen connective tissue while reducing the possibility of inflammation; its simple carbohydrates yield immediate yet sustained energy; its GLA fatty acids improve hormonal balance; and its protein-bonded vitamins and minerals, as found in all whole foods, assimilate better than the synthetic variety. Spirulina can generally be considered an appropriate food for those who exercise vigorously, as evidenced by the many world-class athletes who use it

- Healing With Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford

Chlorella and spirulina have such strong health benefits that even well-known doctors and authors use these products and note their benefits:

It is possible that the GLA found in spirulina and possibly these other products accounts for some of the positive effects that people experience when using them, including decreased appetite, weight loss, and improved energy levels, especially mental energy. I personally have used all of these products and must say I have experienced a subtle increase in mental clarity and alertness (not like a nervous, caffeine-type stimulation). These algae must subtly stimulate our nervous systems or release certain internal neurochemicals that create this "up" feeling.

- Staying Healthy With Nutrition by Elson Haas, M.D.

In all, these two superfoods are effective in not just reversing a long list of serious diseases (discuss in far more detail below), they are powerful health enhancers that demonstrate phenomenal benefits even to people who are in "good" health!

Owen's Green Smoothie

Here is what i threw together for owen's (my 2 year-old)green smoothie today- every day its a little different:

1 cup almond milk- homemade
1 cup hemp milk- homemade
1 handful sunflower sprouts
1 handful kale
1 banana
1 handful goji berries
1 scoop sun warrior brown rice vanilla protein
1 serving probiotic powder
1 dropper vanilla stevia

honestly, i don't taste the smoothies i make for the kids i just know they eat them up and therefore, they must be delicious!! they will tell me if they are not. this one was a big hit!!

Feed your kids well!!

namaste, kelly

Today's Nutrition

another busy but fabulous day. as many of you know i always make time to nourish myself. here was my day:
5ish woke
warm water with lemon and cayenne, probiotic
made green juice while drinking my water
client at studio
8:15 green juice, supplements and chlorella tablets (i'm loving my chlorella tablets lately)!!
these are my two jars of green juice plus green smoothie for the kids:

8:45 nutrition client at home office
10:00 finished green juice (40ounces total)
10:30-1:30- clients at studio
1:45-2:45- my yoga practice!! fabulous midday flow! it totally reenergized me!!
took digestive enzymes
Lunch:
this was a fabulous meal!!
big bowl of sunflower and alfalfa sprouts, fermented veggies, 1/2 mashed avocado, kelp, dulse and nori. i mashed up all the above ingredients, placed it on my homemade green crackers (which i make from the pulp of my juice daily) with a drizzle of my pinenut basil pesto i made on monday. This was soooo delicious and nourishing. It gave me the fuel to continue my day.
These are my crackers:

and my basil pesto:

here are the approximate ingredients:
2 cups basil
1/2 cup soaked raw organic pinenuts
1/2 cup hemp oil
1/2 clove garlic
dash of sea salt
add all to vitamix blender and blend till smooth. simple and amazing!!

3:30-6:30 Back to studio for clients
kissed mason and owen good night!! love night time kisses!!!
worked with my fabulous intern on many fun projects!!
now i'm working in the office drinking my kombucha tea

namaste, kelly

Easter / Daily Nutrition

what a beautiful Easter. the boys had lots of fun finding their Easter Buckets which were filled with fruit, a raw cacao almond butter treat and some "organic" jelly beans- they loved it.



today was market day so mason and i did the family market shopping for all our produce and food for the week. i love when my kitchen is stocked- loads of greens, sprouts, fermented veggies, sea veggies, fruits, avocados, sprouted nuts/seeds, lemons and sooooo much more. Here are just 3 of my stocked bags.

after the market we were off to an Easter Egg Hunt with some friends.

i'm always sprouting something at my house. today i started some new wheatgrass and sunflower, alfalfa and broccoli sprouts.

i'll take some pics as the sprouts grow this week.

my daily nutrition:

wake
warm water, lemon, cayenne & probiotic
YOGA- with a focus on letting go of the psoas. i'm updating my, "Yoga as Therapy: The Infamous Psoas" so my mind is on the psoas even more than usual lately.
9:00am
2 2 ounce shots of e-3 live
50 ounces of green juice over 1 hour plus supplements (women's multi, Ca, Vit D, Omega zen, vit c, B-12, B-complex)
I'm out of my chlorella tablets and i can't wait for them to come!!! Hurry Hurry Natural Zing!!
green juice today: celery, cucumber, sunflower sprouts, broccoli sprouts, broccoli stems, spinach, kale, alfalfa sprouts, ginger, lemon

12:30
raw fermented kim chi
big bowl of sprouts with lemon juice and sprinkled dulse and kelp
3:30
large serving of Green Garden Soup and Brad's Raw Chips. i made a double serving of the recipe below and crumbled Brad's Raw Kale, Red Pepper and Sweet Potato Chips into the soup. This was another Yummy creation. Very nourishing. The pic below is just one little bowl i had- i probably had about 4 of these.


Here is the recipe for the garden blend soup:
Garden blend soup
¾ cup purified water
¼ cup orange juice or ½ orange, peeled, coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups kale, stemmed and chopped
½ apple, cored and chopped or ½ small cucumber, peeled and chopped
¼ cup cilantro, parsley, basil leaves or fresh dill weed, packed
1 tablesppon light, mellow miso
½ tablesppon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon crushed garlic
¼ red jalapeno pepper, with seeds or a pinch of cayenne
½ green onion, optional
½ avocado, peeled and seeded

1. Combine the water, orange juice, kale, apple, cliantro or other fresh herbs, miso, jalapeno, lemon juice, garlic, and the optinal green onion, and blend until smooth
2. Add the avocado and blend again until smooth.
3. serve immediately
note: the orange juice gives sweetness to the soup. For a less sweet soup, reduce or eliminate the orange juice, and replace it with additional water.
Variation: you can use a variety of vegetables in garden soups, such as cucumber, zucchini, tomato, bell pepper, celery, romaine, and spinach.

Mason and joe are off at t-ball practice and owen and I are writing this blog and relaxing. he loves sitting on my lap while i work- and i love having him with me.
Here is a pic i took of mason at t-ball practice last week.

This evening i will have a glass of kombucha (it is my wine!!)

Happy Spring!!
namaste, kelly

Natural Egg Dyeing

Happy Holiday!!

if you are getting ready to dye eggs in celebration of Easter, i suggest you use natural ingredients instead of the chemicals used in most dye kits. Herbs and spices are great for dying eggs and they come in a variety of colors- from soft purple shades of hibiscus to the rich gold tones of turmeric. When you are dying with nature it is a little more unpredictable because you don't know exactly what nature is going to produce at that moment. But this is part of the fun.

Ingredients:
4 cups of water
dyestuff (2-4 tbsps ground herbs and spices or 1 cup of whole or cut or sifted)
1 tbsp mordant (white vinegar or cream of tartar- helps colors penetrate the shell)
4-6 eggs, washed to remove any coating.

hot bath directions:
bring water, dyestuff, and mordant to a boil. Add eggs and reduce heat to a simmer. cook for about 15 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let sit another 15 minutes or more, until desired color. (the longer you leave the eggs in the dye, the deeper the color.) Remove eggs, gently rinse in lukewarm water, and let air dry.

Here are some ideas for colors:

reddish blue/ lavender: hibiscus flowers
deep gold: tumeric root powder
pale yellow: safflower petals
Pale orange: curry powder
reddish brown: chili powder
orange: paprika
soft brown: dill seed
tannish yellow: yarrow

You can also use: beet juice or beet powder, berries, coffee, juice, lemon and orange peels, red cabbage leaves, tea and onion

Recipe for dying eggs using natural ingredients from Frontier.

Have fun!!
kelly

Therapeutic Uses for Juice

As you all know i'm a HUGE fan of daily juicing. Juicing is an amazingly effective tool for maintaining your health. the enzymes, vitamins and minerals in raw juices help satisfy your appetite while at the same time reduce the resources of energy needed by the body in the normal digestion and assimilation of our food intake throughout the day. the reserves of energy can then be utilized for the ongoing repairs and healing work needed internally. This is a huge benefit of juicing and worth every extra second it takes!!

Raw juices are filled with high amounts of vitamins and minerals and contain medicinal properties such as antioxidants, antimicrobials, diuretics, chlorophyll and many others. all of these substances work synergistically in the body to heal the body and create optimal wellness.

here are some examples of therapeutic uses of juices:

kale and greens- loaded iwth chlorophyll, cleansing to the kidneys, high in calcium and protein

celery- thirst quencher, good for the nerves, high in organic sodium

apples- digestive aid, acts as laxative, helps to detoxify the blood

beets- cleansing to the liver, stimulates bowel movements, high in iron

carrots- good source of vitamins A,B, C, D, E and K, body alkalinizer

cucumber juice is one of the best juices to hydrate the body with in the morning.

Raw cucumber juice has a variety of health benefits. It is traditionally used for:

* Acne
* Arthritis
* Eczema
* Fluid Retention
* Hair Loss
* High Blood Pressure
* Kidneys
* Psoriasis
* Stomach Disorders, such as hyperacidity, gastric and duodenal ulcers.
* Weight Loss.

Raw cucumber juice is a good source of

* Copper
* Chlorine
* Folate
* Magnesium
* Vitamin B6
* Vitamin C
* Vitamin K
* Potassium
* Panthothemic acid
* Phosphorus
* Thiamin
* Sulphur.

Juice it up everyday!! - ideally on an empty stomach for quick absorption.

Sign-up now for my 7-Day Detox program where daily juicing is an option and highly recommended (but not required).

Thank You / Upcoming Events / Today's Nutrition

Thank you to all my wonderful clients. i truly love the work i do- helping people live better through nutrition and movement. tuesday through thursday i have my nanny and i work literally all day- from 6am-7pm often. my days are filled with a mixture of nutrition consultations, raw food coaching, movement sessions including yoga, gyrotonic exercise and pilates, phone consults and then there is the business side to organize, schedule and plan. i love it!!


check out my website for upcoming events:
Yoga For a Healthy Spine: The Infamous Psoas, Vita-mix Blender Food Prep Class and Eating Well for Kids and Families.

here is what i nourished myself with today:

woke
yoga
water, lemon, cayenne, probiotic
kombucha
wheatgrass
e-3 live
green juice plus supplements
green juice all afternoon
4:30pm- salads filled with arame, hijiki, sunflower sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, lemon juice, sea salt and mashed avocado. i place a spoon full of this salad on lydia's organic green crackers for each bite. this combo is yummy. i also sprinkled some kelp and dulse on top of each bite.


now its time to rest and rejuvenate for another day of clients tomorrow.

be grateful, kelly

Detox Day 7 / Energy Soup / Zucchini Hummus

Congratulations to all 7Day-Detox members at Yoga Fusion!!!

Today we had our post-detox workshop plus i consulted with many of you on the phone and i know how many amazing changes you all made!! congrats! now its time to incorporate them into daily life. Here are 3 important tips:
1- continue to keep your daily food / wellness journal. this will help you be accountable to yourself for your daily food/wellness choices.
2- always have a plan. in your journal write down exactly what you plan on eating the next day. if you can prepare some foods in advance- do it.
3- allow yourself to splurge. never do negative self-talk or put yourself down for eating a "wrong" food. if there is something that you enjoy but it is not a "perfect" food, write it into your plan, eat it and enjoy every bite. maybe you can plan on eating less or detoxing the next day.

Today at the Post-7-Day Detox Workshop I brought zucchini hummus, my crackers that i highlighted on yesterday's blog post and kale chips. here is the zucchini hummus recipe:


Zucchini Hummus
1 c peeled and chopped zucchini, firmly packed
3 ½ tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp flaxseed oil
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp cumin
Pinch of cayenne
½ c raw tahini
1/3 cup sesame seeds, soaked for 4 hours, rinsed and drained.

-combine everything but the tahini and sesame seeds and process
-add tahini and sesame seeds and process again
-keeps in refrigerator for 4 days
use this to spread on my green crackers or on lydia's organic crackers. use as spread on sandwiches and wraps. use as thick dressing on salads too.

here is a fabulous soup i made this afternoon. today i added avocado (no nuts/seeds).


GARDEN BLEND SOUP
¾ cup purified water
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, or ½ orange, coarsely chopped
3-4 cups chopped kale leaves, packed (or any dark leafy greens)
½ apple, chopped, or ½ small cucumber, peeled and chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro or basil leaves. Or fresh dill weed, packed
1 ½ tbsp light miso
1 ½ tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ clove garlic
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ green onion (optional)
¼ cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 1 hour, rinsed, and drained or ½ ripe avocado, coarsely chopped
¼ cup mung bean sprouts or sprouts of choice
Sprinkle of pumpkin seeds

Preparation:
Combine water, orange juice, kale, apple, cilantro, miso, lemon juice, garlic, cayenne, green onion (in this order) in a blender and process until smooth.
Add the sunflower seeds or avocado and process until smooth.
Garnish each serving with some sprouts and pumpkin seeds.

Variations:
Use a variety of vegetables: bell peppers, celery, cucumber, tomato, romaine lettuce, spinach, zucchini.

In cool weather to warm the soup you can use hot water, blend the soup longer or place in dehydrator.

here's a pic of my little helper in the kitchen today. he's chowing on some fresh cantaloupe!!


ENJOY!!

Green Cracker / Bread & Kombucha

another fabulous raw yoga mommy day!!
as always i woke to my morning yoga practice and then it was off to be mommy for the day- living my yoga every step of the way (or at least most steps).

i'm often asked what do i do with the pounds of leftover pulp from my green juice every day. well here is one thing i do with it. i put the pulp in the food processor, add some sprouted ground flax seeds (or sprouted ground nut/seed of choice), add seasoning of choice- today i did garlic and dash of sea salt (you can use anything such as any organic frontier spice/herb mix- italian or mexican or curry, add sea veggies of choice- today i did dulse and kelp and add water to thin the mixture.

next, you can do a few things with this mixture in the dehydrator. all of the below pics are before the creations went into the dehydrator. i love making thin crispy crackers. i use these to dip zucchini hummus or any other spread, dip or veggie marinade.

sometimes i make what i call "Greenies". they are the thickness of brownies but filled with nutrients and are green of course. i make these so they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. today i did an in between version and it was more like a thick wrap or piece of bread. today i ate it with kim chi on top- this was yummy!! then i had two more pieces and dipped them in hemp oil with a dash of sea salt. this made me feel like i was eating bread dipped in an amazing olive oil.


Went to my friend's house today to make a batch of kombucha and to have a playdate. below are some pics. now i will just wait 21 days till this batch is ready.
the baby:

the tea:


my daily nutrition :
woke
morning yoga
water, lemon, cayenne
9:00 kombucha tea
10:30 wheatgrass, e-3 live, green juice with supplements
12:00 green juice with pure synergy and wheatgrass powder
drank over 2 hours - 50 ounces
3:00 kim chi, my greenie bread slice with kim chi, lydias organic green crackers with kim chi
4:30 warm slice of greenie bread dipped in hemp oil with dash of sea salt
8:00 sipping on kombucha tea

namaste, kelly

Chlorella Tablets

Chlorella is an algae that has many benefits including:
helps raise pH levels
build your immune system
normalize bowel function
bind heavy metals and radiation (for example high levels of mercury from fillings or fish consumption)

an easy way to consume chlorella is by eating these fabulous chlorella tablets. they actually taste good and make me feel like i'm popping candy.



today's nutrition:
water, probiotic, lemon
wheatgrass
e-3 live
green juice and supplements
green juice, pure synergy, wheatgrass powder, spirulina
drank green juice all afternoon
enjoying my raw vegan ice cream creation now!! yummy

Enjoy!! kelly

Alkalize Your Diet

I attended the "healthy water" workshop today and it reminded me about why i eat a high raw diet. there are sooo many toxins around us and we can not avoid all of them. we need to be pro-active and do what we can with the factors that we do have control over- such as what we eat/drink. we need to eat/drink an alkalizing diet filled with enzymes, probiotics, anti-oxidants and more good stuff.

Eat/drink the following alkalizing foods every day!!




alkalizing water
almonds, brazil nuts, sesame seeds, flaxseeds
avocados
coldpressed oils such as hemp, flax, borage seed
grains- quinoa, buckwheat
wheatgrass!!!!
green drinks!!!!!
green veggies- kale, collards etc.
lemons, limes, grapefruit
lentils and other beans
miso
oil-cured olives
raw tomatoes, (cooked are acidic)
root veggies- sweet potatoes
seaweed
sprouts
stevia

namaste, kelly

Water Workshop & Daily Nutrition

This Thursday, April 7th @ 2p, Balance Studio @ 8305 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda i'm attending a free workshop on Water:

Drinking enough water is key to good health, but what about the quality of your tap/bottled water? How is it affecting your family's health and what can you do about it? Come find out at this very important event: Bring your water to be tested and learn how to keep your water and yourself healthy!
come and join me!!

Today's Nutrition:
This is a pic from another day but its still the same fabulous greens!!

woke
tongue scrape
water with lemon, probiotic
more water with lemon while working with clients at studio
9:00 yoga / gyrotonic exercise
11:00 massage
12:00 3 ounces wheatgrass
2 ounce e-3 live
16 ounces green juice with supplements: multi women, b-12, b-complex, d3, omega 3, vit c, calcium
Worked with clients all afternoon while sipping on green juice
1:00-5:00ish 50 ounces of green juice mixed with pure synergy greens
5:30ish brad's kale chips with raw fermented carrots and sauerkraut
body brushed and showered
drinking my kombucha tea while writing this

fabulous simple day. i had loads of energy all day!!

be well, kelly

Raw Chip Product Review, 7-Day Detox & Bird Watching

what an amazing day!! now it just has to stay this way.
i make a variety of raw vegan crackers/chips but occasionally i like to just buy some. i finally tried "Brad's Raw Chips" and i like them. i placed fermented veggies on top and they added a great crunch and texture. the spices in them are light so they will go with most dips. i plan on making my zucchini hummus this week (see later in the week for recipe) and i know they will go great with that. today i tried the kale and red pepper. i highly recommend both. i purchased them at my organic market in rockville.
my 7-day detox group is on either day 1 or 2 dependent upon when they started. one thing to remember about detoxing is to truly listen to your body. some people tend to feel more energy the first few days and then get a detox response. others get a detox response more immediately. others never get a detox response. others just feel more energy the whole week. no matter what category you fall in just listen to your body and try to determine what it is asking for or what it is telling you. this can be challenging but a skill i would love for everyone to develop.

for those of you who just love the coffee taste here is a great natural product (it is not raw vegan) that you can use to make tea, shakes, ice creams and more. thank you to my friend staci who told me about it. i also purchased this at my organic market.

i enjoyed more of my raw vegan ice cream today!! for those of you doing a strict detox this would not be appropriate because of the large amount of fat and the different fats. tomorrow, i plan on doing a total juice day: green juices all day long!! i love these days. its simple and i always have loads of energy. when you eat simple you have more energy to put towards living because you are using less energy to digest food.


i spent as much time as possible outside today. one of today's activities with the boys was bird watching. mason's friend at school brought binoculars for show and tell and ever since he has been wanting to bird watch. so luckily one of my amazing clients is a bird watcher and we ventured out to find the birds today.


bird watching ended when owen fell in a mini-lake on the field. he was not very happy!! yes- i took a picture before helping him out. i had to- he was sooo cute.

Thank you roxy for an amazing afternoon. Mason could not put down the bird-watching book you let him borrow!!

namaste,kelly