Treating Colds and Flus Naturally

As I was picking up my dearest Mom, who is 80 yrs young, from a visit with her friend last night, she told me that she is getting sick… VERY sick.

She had a headache, her nose was running, she was sneezing—the whole shebang. She the proceeded to say: “I thought ‘I am going to ask Elena about those dark drops to help me.’”

What did she exactly mean? I bet you want to know by now…

I have a very purposeful tactic to staying well, especially during the “flu and cold” season.

First and foremost—clean, vegan diet, high in greens and raw foods. Secondly, I stock upon certain items, such as: ginger, garlic, wheatgrass, oregano oil, olive leaf and oregano oils mixture, and such.

If anyone in our family gets even close to showing any signs of getting sick—Elena’s to the rescue!

In the beginning [we moved to WA only 2 years ago] my Mom was very skeptical about my techniques. However, I was able to get her feeling well in a day a couple of times, as long as she followed my protocol. The times when she was being cranky and did not listen to me were the times she stayed sick a bit longer. However, it sounds like my Mom is starting to trust me and my vegan way a little more ;).

So, what is my regiment and what are the secret “dark drops”?

The dark drops are the oils of Olive leaf and Oregano mixed together. The mixture is VERY potent. I buy the highest quality of these drops available though our local [one and only] nutrition store—Country Village. Quality costs money, but it is money well spent. The oils can be bought separately, or there are brands that come mixed together. I buy the latter, and also keep an extra bottle of oregano oil on hand.

Here are some of the properties of the two oils:

Oregano essential oil has antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiseptic properties. When I initially did my research on the oil a couple of years ago, one of my siblings had an infection and her doctor prescribed antibiotics to her. As we all well know that antibiotics, although sometimes helpful, can be very harmful in a long run as they damage friendly bacteria in our gut. Instead of going on an antibiotic my sister had requested my help. We did some looking around and found the oil of oregano as our solution. In the process, in addition to the qualities listed above, I also learned that it kills bacteria on contact! Woot! [If you ever had to take it you would know why :)].

Olive Leaf Oil is an antiseptic astringent that lowers fever and blood pressure, improves kidney function and has a calming effect. Olive leaf has antioxidant properties that help protect the body from the continuous activity of free radicals. Some recent research on the olive leaf has shown its antioxidants to be effective in treating some tumors and cancers such as liver, prostate, and breast cancer.

Quite powerful, aren’t they?! They are my two trustworthy helpers!

So, my standing protocol for treating colds and flus is as follows [by the way, I do not use these oils if someone has sore throat! EVER! If these oils get on an open wound you might get an idea of what flames of hell must feel like… literally!]:

• 10 drops of oregano OR oregano and olive leaf oil 3 times a day until condition improves, then reduce to 5 drops 3 times a day until well

        ~ you can use just the oregano oil

       ~ I take my oils in a spoonful of water/soup, trying to never lick the spoon or get oils directly on my tongue or my lips. Try NOT to breath/inhale when you are downing these drops—you would not want to get them in you wind-pipe [comes from experience!]

       ~ Follow up with some water or liquids to quickly wash the drops down

• No animal foods [for non-vegans] until your body heals

• Mostly raw food intake, nothing fried or with heavy oils

• No simple/processed sugars

• No processed foods

• Light, GREEN smoothies, with little fruit

• Wheatgrass drink with ginger root [I use http://www.bestorganicwheatgrass.com/ wheatgrass powder—2 pouches—mixed with 8 oz of water and about .5-1 inch of ginger root—blend in a high speed blender (I use Blendtec) to make a drink]

• Raw soups with garlic and onion

• Chamomile tea with fresh lemon juice and raw honey

• 1 tsp of high quality Vitamin C

It is quite expected that myself or my “patients” feel well either the same or the following day. Sometimes, if the virus is a bit stronger, or if the protocol is not followed closely, it might take an extra day to get to feeling better. The longest I had to fight a virus during the last season was 2.5-3 days, while most people around me struggled for weeks and days on end.

So, going back to last night. My Momma dearest actually asked me to doctor her! Yeah!!! I got her loaded up with the drops, ginger/wheatgrass drink, some boiled potatoes with garlic [she was hungry]. She, against my instructions, had some of her dairy treats and white bread. I also made her chamomile tea and sent her off to bed.

This morning she woke up—no sneezing or runny nose!!! I served her with another 10 drops of our miracle oils and a green smoothie [recipe below]. I insisted that she did not go to her usual water-exercise class. Her body needs to focus on healing—that is where the energy should be concentrated. I am expecting that she will be good as new by tonight.

Quick Recovery Green Smoothie

Makes 60 oz

• 5 cups water

• 8 oz lambsquarters

• 2 bananas

• 2 cups raspberries

• 6 dates

• 3 tbs maca powder

• 1.5 tsp Spirulina

• 2 tbs wheatgrass powder

Tell me, what do you do to stay well [naturally] to keep colds and flus away? [No, vaccinations do not count--if you've read this blog long enough you know how I feel about vaccinations! Only NATURAL remedies. ;)]

Vegan Macaroni and Cheese {SOY FREE, GLUTEN-FREE OPTION}

I recently started a new category here: Veganize It.  I take someone's non-vegan favorite dish and try to veganize it, in hopes of recreating my challenger's favorite tastes and memories.

Betsy was my first challenger.  Since she and part of her family quit dairy they had missed Mac & Cheese.  I tinkered around in my kitchen a couple of nights ago and made two different vegan, soy-free, Mac & Cheese recipes.  This one came the closest to what I remember that dish to be.  It is by no means the "real" deal, but it does make me think of it.  In the future I might adjust the recipe a little bit more, but for now, since I am hearing that there are at least 3 great kiddos [and other people] salivating while waiting for this recipe, here it is.

Vegan Recipe: Macaroni and Cheese

Soy-Free! To make it Gluten Free use Gluten Free Noodles!!!

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond milk*
• 3/4 cup nutritional yeast [if you are new to nutritional yeas you might want to try 1/2 c less to start]
• 3 tablespoons corn or potato starch [I used corn starch]
• 3 tbs lemon juice, fresh
• 2 tsp sea or Himalayan salt [or to taste]
• 3-5 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 yellow onion
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tbs dry mustard
• 1 tsp turmeric
• pepper to taste
• 3 tbs tahini paste
• any other seasoning you might like
• 16 oz of your favorite vegan pasta [I prefer whole grain]

Preparation

• Prepare pasta according to instructions and set aside
• While pasta is cooking blend remaining ingredients in a blender [I used my trustworthy total-Blendtec!]
• Strain pasta and transfer back to the pot, pour sauce over it and keep cooking on medium-low-medium heat
• Stir constantly while sauce is thickening
• If you desire more flavor add more mustard and onion/garlic powder and/or turmeric
• Serve hot--I sauted 1 chopped onion in 2 tbs of olive oil and mixed into the pasta

*To make almond milk [yes, I do make my own], take

• 1 cup pre-soaked almonds [they can be dehydrated, if still wet, make sure to rinse off soaking water]
• 3 cups water
• Blend in a blender for 1-2 minutes until almonds are broken and milky consistency is achieved
• Strain milk through milk bag or wine bag [I got mine for $1 at Michael's craft store!]
• If you don't use all of the milk, flavor remaining milk with a pinch of salt and a tad of raw honey

The dish can be made creamier by adding Earth Balance butter. However, I do prefer to exclude concentrated fats as much as possible--we don't need them.
Serve with a huge GREEN salad!

You can use almond pulp to make various dishes, such as raw cookies, which I am not going to cover now.

PS: My hubby tried Mac and Cheese... and liked it! Even asked for seconds. So, it looks like you are safe to make and eat it :) [Mac and Cheese used to be one of his favorite dishes :)]

STAMP: Demetrye Approved :)

PS2: The dish actually tasted pretty good when I tried it the day after making it [I had to give my tastebuds a chance to rest overnight ;)].

Next Veganize-It recipe-Lemon Bars [Melanie's challenge].

Winner[s] of Best Organic Wheatgrass Powder Announced!

Good morning, luvs!

I hope your day is bright and shiny and filled with amazing healthful foods and loving people.

It is time to announce the winner of the Best Organic Wheatgrass drawing giveaway!

[Remember, I did tell you that there is a surprise and EVERYONE who entered this drawing will walk away having won something? To find out what I meant, stick through the whole post—the announcement will be toward the end of this post.]

I can tell you that the decision of who should get this amazing gift was not easy to make. There were many entries that touched my heart. So many that I did not want to make that decision myself. I had to recruit the help of my husband AND my sister to help me.

After reading EVERY single entry and deliberating we reached the decision that the recipient of the Best Organic Wheatgrass powder should be… Shannon M!

Shannon wrote:

“I would really like to win this product because I am a desperate woman!! I need to make major changes in my health, but feel overwhelmed and under motivated. Believe me, if this helped kick start my journey into health; I could be the poster child for turning your health around. Additionally, I would like to have my eldest son (9 years old) take this with me, as he needs some serious detox after having 3 open heart surgeries and more medications that I can list. When we came home from his last 2 open heart surgeries, for the following week when I would go into his room in the morning to get him up, I would panic because his room stunk so bad - I thought it was the smell of death. But God has other plans for him and he's pulled through, but the horrible smell, I believe, was his body sweating out toxins from the hospital. Who knows how many more nasties are still in there! He's so adventurous at trying his mommy's various concoctions :) Please, please, pick us!”

Shannon, e-mail me with your complete mailing address and kind folks at Best Organic Wheatgrass will send you your prize!

 

 

Now, don’t click off yet, my assistant judges and I also determined that to make sure wheatgrass is not the only thing you start doing to help yourself and your son, and to get you motivated toward better health, AND to make you the “poster child” for turning one’s health around [that’s what you wanted, right?] I am also giving you 1-month access to Back to Eden Vegan Forum!!!

Our community will help you get started and keep you motivated, as long as you are willing. Head on over to Back to Eden, click on Sign Up and complete your information. Once that is done you will be approved to become a member of our community [B2E]!

[Shannon, you have 2 days to respond. If I do not hear from you by tomorrow night the prize will be given to someone else.]

For the rest of you lovely people, who entered this drawing, you all also are winners! Head on over to this page http://www.bestorganicwheatgrass.com//, fill out your information and you will receive 7 day supply of Best Organic Wheatgrass Powder! Enjoy it and let me know how you liked it! [you can do that by coming back and leaving a comment under this post].

But… hold on also, I don’t want to leave the rest of you out either. EVERYONE who entered the drawing get 1-week free membership to Back to Eden! All you have to do is head on over to Back to Eden and sign up! You then will be approved for membership and will have one [1] week to enjoy information we have in the B2E community! 

[If you are not sure what Back to Eden is, read HERE.]

I hope you all will have an amazing green day! I hope that “your healing shall spring forth speedily” and “the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.” [Is. 58:8]

Green Smoothie Vegan Recipes: Swampa-Palooza

Good morning, loves!

 

I am currently working on a wonderful topic for you. I will be teaching you one more way to help your body detox nasties out and off you. I hope you are as excited as I am!

 

Meanwhile here are a couple of Green Smoothie recipes to help you detox from inside out and to nourish your body at the same time.

 

Basil Special

• 2 cups water
• 2 full stems of basil [leaves and stems included]
• 2 apples
• 3-5 dates for sweetness
• 4 oz spinach

Swampa-Palooza

[totally made up word, but it best describes this wondrous drink]

Makes 60+ oz

 

Base

• 4 cups water
• 2 bananas
• 2 cups raspberries
• 3 tbs raw honey for sweetness
• 4-6 oz lambsquarters
• 10 beet stems

Extra Oomph

• 3 tbs raw cacao
• 3 tbs dulse flakes

Extra-Extra Oomph

• 2 tbs maca powder
• 2 tbs wheatgrass powder
• 1.5 tbs Spirulina

Base+Extra Oomph+Extra-Extra Oomph went into my personal 25 oz of Swampa-Palooza, while BASE+ Extra-Oomph was served to my family. It has now been over 3 hours since my breakfast and I am still very satisfied and full of raw energy.

 

What did you have this morning to give your body a little Extra Oomph?!

 

PS: don’t forget to enter the amazing BESTORGANICWHEATGRASS wheatgrass giveaway!

 

I had also started a new category on my blog VEGANIZE-IT and have already been charged to Veganize a couple of not-so-vegan recipes. Watch me do it!

HEALTHY-FY and VEGANIZE MY FAVORITE DISH!

Good morning loves!

In the last couple of weeks I had barely any time to spend in the kitchen. My meals are now simple [that is how I really like them] and very nutritious. However, I think I should try to get back in the kitchen and get things a-cooking!

I thought it would be fun to do something different, though. Many times I have people telling me how much they miss/would miss their FAVORITE non-vegan dishes or desserts, sometimes I feel like they are mourning the loss altogether :). My husband, for example, has a thing for desserts. When we became vegan I looked for ways to satisfy his cravings without compromising his health. I have become quite skilled at it through the last few years.

This is one of the VEGANIZE IT examples

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

As for me—I like things simple… However, if you are like my husband, and struggle with even the thought of not having your favorite meal in the vegan repertoire, today is your chance to test me and see if we can migrate your favorite meal with you into your new and improved diet. So, I am introducing a new category on this blog: VEGANIZE IT!

Here is how it will work: if you have a favorite dish that is non-vegan, but you REALLY like it and will MISS it a lot and REALLY would like to bring it over with you to the HEALTHY side of things... go ahead, give me the recipe [leave it as a comment on this post] and I will do my best to HEALTHY-fy and VEGANIZE it for you! When leaving the recipe tell me what you enjoy about it the most: taste, texture, seasoning, etc. Be VERY specific!

How does that sound? It can be any dish [save meat, of course]. Now, there is a possibility I won’t be able to accomplish the task, and I will be honest with you about it. But there is also a possibility we can make something fun and delicious out of this experiment.

Go ahead, CHALLENGE me!

PS: don’t forget to enter the amazing BESTORGANICWHEATGRASS wheatgrass giveaway!

Wheatgrass-Benefits, Product Review and Giveaway-CLOSED

Good morning, loves!  I know I have been MIA for a few days.  After celebrating our 7th Wedding Anniversary I have been busy preparing not only a video for this post but also photographing and processing a couple of photo sessions [if you have been following my blog long enough you know that is my other passion in life].  After long weekend now I have stolen away a few moments to prepare this amazing post, to help make your Monday. 

When I first started on the Vegan Path I can honestly tell you that I knew little to nothing about wheatgrass as food.  I was totally ignorant of the benefits this super plant has to offer too.  To me it was just that-grass!  

As the time passed I had learned that it was oh, so much more.  I had tested different ways to drink wheatgrass juice.  My favorite was by juicing it with Grannie Smith apple and adding Ginger to it.  Mmmm... mmmm... GOOD!  However, I personally did not and still do not have a proper wheatgrass juicer. 

Since I did not have a juicer and still wanted to partake of what this miracle plant had to offer I tried blending it in my Vita-Mix, straining it and drinking it that way.  For some reason, and it might be because I diluted it with water and did not add enough of other more pleasant tasting ingredients to it, I did not like the way I felt after drinking it.  I also found it problematic to keep my grass from developing mold, since I have about a million other things on my plate every day.  

So, what a girl to do?  I still wanted wheat grass in my diet!!!

Why?  Check out these facts about wheat grass.

Wheatgrass contains vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino-acids (used to build proteins) and large amounts of chlorophyll.

Wheat grass consists of 70% chlorophyll. Why is this fact so amazing?  Both chlorophyll (as in wheatgrass juice) and hemoglobin (red blood cells) are molecularly similar. The only actual difference is that the central element in chlorophyll is magnesium and in hemoglobin it is iron, so chlorophyll has been shown to build red blood cells quickly after ingestion.

The high chlorophyll content of wheatgrass also acts as a powerful detoxifier cleansing the liver, cells, tissues and blood.

Wheatgrass contains vitamin A, vitamin C, B complex vitamins, vitamins E and K. Wheatgrass also contains over 90 minerals found in soil including calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Potassium, Phosphorus and Cobalt.

Wheatgrass is a complete protein and provides the following AMINO ACIDS.
Abensic- anti cancer agent
Alanine- blood builder
Arginine- seminal fluid
Aspartic acid- energy
Glutamic acid- mental alertness
Glycine- energy
Histidine- hearing and nerve function
Isoleucine- growth in infants
Loucine- energy and nerve stimulation
Lysine- anti aging
Methionine- kidney and liver cleanser
Phenylaianine thyroid function
Proline- Glutamic acid absorption
Serine- brain stimulation
Threonine- digestion and assimilation
Tryptophane- skin and hair growth
Valine- brain/muscle coordination

Amino acids are the building blocks the body uses to make proteins. Protein found in meat, fish, eggs etc needs breaking down into amino acids before being built into protein [and by the way, animal protein cannot be fully digested by human bodies!]. Wheatgrass provides the body with the protein building blocks so there is no need to expend energy on breaking the proteins down into amino acids. 

Wheatgrass is great for balancing hormones! [Sign me up for that!!!] 

Farmers in the Midwest who have sterile cows & bulls put them on wheatgrass to restore fertility. (The high magnesium content in chlorophyll builds enzymes that restore the sex hormones.)  And, people, if wheatgrass is good for a cow and helps her, it is good for me too [no joking here!].

Want MORE facts about wheatgrass? OK.

• Wheatgrass juice keeps the hair from graying.
• By taking wheatgrass juice, one may feel a difference in strength, endurance and health.
• Wheatgrass juice improves digestion.
• Wheatgrass juice is high in enzymes.
• Wheatgrass juice is an excellent skin cleanser and can be absorbed through the skin for nutrition.
• Wheatgrass implants (enemas) are great for healing & detoxifying the colon walls.
• Wheatgrass juice is great for constipation and keeping bowels open. It is high in magnesium.
• Wheatgrass juice can dissolve the scars that are formed on the lungs from breathing gasses. The effect of carbon monoxide is minimized since chlorophyll increases hemoglobin production.
• Wheatgrass juice reduces high blood pressure and enhances the capillaries.
• Wheatgrass juice can remove heavy metals from the body.
• Wheatgrass is an amazing CANCER FIGHTER because of all of the above listed qualities. 

I hope that by now you are convinced that WHEATGRASS IS GOOD FOR US!

To solve my wheatgrass problems I went to the next best thing after being able to make fresh wheatgrass juice--buying and making a drink from raw organic wheatgrass powders.  I found a couple of different brands and settled on one that I found most affordable at http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/ [I get no kickbacks for mentioning them here-they are not even aware of my existence (sadly :( )].   The powder is fine, but a bit grainy for my taste to drink it by itself, so I add it to mys smoothies.  Yeah for ingenuity!

Recently, however, my view on wheatgrass powder has been altered... in a positive way.  A couple of nice people left a comment on my blog.  Before approving the comment, to make sure it was not spam I headed over to their site [Best Organic Wheatgrass], to make sure it was legit, and to see what they are talking about.  After reading up on the information I wrote them to ask a few questions.  As you know, I would never put a stamp of approval on a product without knowing first hand that it is indeed good for my readers.  So, after a couple of e-mails Ken sent me a sample of their wheatgrass powder.  I was determined to go through the whole container and see how I feel consuming it before considering doing a review.  The product is called Easy Pha-Max Wheatgrass.

I finally finished my sample last week and... well, I LOVED IT!  I am sad, however, that  ran out of it :(

It comes in a box in small packets that can be easily taken ANYWHERE with you.  All you have to have is a glass of water to dissolve it in and you have your wheatgrass for the day!  They offer two different flavors/combos: plain, with just wheatgrass and wheatgrass with honey. 

I also watched a video that was sent to me and checked out their fact.  I saw their organic certification {I am a stickler for ORGANIC!}

Here is the cool part about their wheatgrass: they use not only the green part of the plant but also the ROOT that has many additional vitamins and nutrients.  That's a bonus in my book!

The grass, after being grown for just the right number of days is harvested and freeze dried, which helps it keep more nutrients and insures that it stays RAW.  It is then ground to fine consistency... so fine, in fact, that when you dissolve it in water, you barely taste any grains at all [if any].  I found it easy, once again, not having to add my wheatgrass powder to smoothies, if I did not want to but simply dissolve it in a glass of water and drink it in the morning and before going to bed. 

But, you don't have to take my word for it... I recruited the finest tester of any product I know--my husband--to taste this wheatgrass powder.  Watch to see what he thought of it.

[If you are subscribing to this blog via e-mail and are not able to view the video, please click on this link.]

I personally enjoyed how I felt during the days I was drinking extra pleasant wheatgrass drinks.   Extra energy!

So, you are thinking: "Wonderful to know that you enjoyed it, but so what?!"  Am I right?  Don't despair--I have a treat for you!  Ken and Barb offered to give the two wheatgrass boxes [one is plain wheatgrass and the other one made with honey] to one lucky winner!  The two boxes combined are worth $60!!!

So, I am sure that now you want to know what you must do to be entered into the drawing.  It very simple, actually.

[You have to reside in the US to qualify!]

Please be kind and use at least your first name, so when I announce the winner I can sound nice too :)

1. Leave a comment under this post and tell me why you should win this product and how it would make a difference for you [if you think it will].  Be as creative as you want to be with your story--I read all of them.   This time around I WILL NOT be using a random number picker, so take your time and write something meaningful.  I and my hubby will pick a winner!  [It is much harder than trusting mr. random, but I think it is a great way to do it!]

2. To increase your chances of winning [and yes, it impresses me!] sign up for my Newsletter and leave an additional comment.  You can subscribe by visiting this page, or, if you are on my blog, you can do it by filling out the form at the top of the blog, on the right hand side.

However, and I am kindly requesting this, please do not sign up only to unsubscribe a day or two after the drawing.  When I send out Newsletters and spend extra time on researching and writing about any specific topic and I do it only for the benefit of my readers.  It makes me VERY happy to know that the Newsletters actually get read :)

It is that simple!

If you would like to spread the love and make this post viral, feel free to post about it on Twitter, Facebook, or blog about it, or link to it from your blog.  You will get a huge THANK YOU from me. 

The drawing will be open all this week and will close on Sunday, April 25th, at 10 pm PST.  The winner will be announced on Monday, April 26th.

See you at the winning line.

PS: Almost forgot to tell you, and this is a BIG surprise, don't lose heart if you don't win this amazing package... Ken and Barb have come up with a way to let EVERYONE who enters this giveaway feel like a winner.  That's all I am going to tell you.  You will have to come back NEXT MONDAY to find out what exactly I mean by that and how it is going to happen. :)

BestWheatGrass is also on Facebook, so if you are there, friend them up!

Green Smoothies Challenge: Green for Life Book Giveaway Winner

Good morning, loves!

Our 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge AND the 3-Day Green Smoothie Challenge are now over.

The results were amazing: weight loss, clarity of mind, better sleep, healing of eczema, improvement of arrhythmia, more energy, healing of anemia... the list can go on.  Those who put 100% into this challenge got 100+% out of it!

Now, on to this week’s GREEN giveaway WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!

I was giving away a copy of Green For Life, by Victoria Boutenko—a book that gave me a jump start on my way to healthier and slimmer body a couple of years ago. [Please visit Green for Life Review and Giveaway post to read all details about the book and how I conducted my own 30-day Green Smoothie Challenge.]

This winner, this time around, was not picked by a random number picker.  I requested that those who enter the challenge would write me a paragraph or two about HOW they will use the book to benefit from it most. 

Everyone did a great job responding, but there were two stories that touched me the most: Carol's and Diana's.

Here is what they said.

CAROL [she participated in our 3-Day Green Smoothie Challenge]: (first entry done before the challenge) I am all stocked up on greens and organic fruits and flax seeds and am getting started in the morning. I would use this book to learn more about eating for optimal health. Here's to our health!

(second comment entered AFTER the challenge): I took part in the green smoothie challenge and I am VERY surprised at how good I feel. I am going to continue to have the green smoothies and just add a few other things like today I am making the split pea soup recipe that is on your blog. This morning when I got up what sounded good was not my normal begal and cream cheese but I really wanted a green smoothie. I feel great and I look forward to learning more about healthy eating and cooking.  Thanks, Carol

What Carol did not say, and she is such a trooper, is that she has been fighting a serious health condition for many years.  I am not at liberty to disclose what that is, unless I get her permission, but it will suffice to say that her tenacity has struck me so deeply that there is not a day that goes by now that I don't think about her resolve to succeed in getting well, and how much whole, unprocessed foods, especially greens, could help her get her health back and help her live a better, more joyful life. 

Second entry that really gripped my heart was by Diana. 

DIANA said: My husband and I have been talking about changing our eating lifestyle and are serious about it. I have a significant amount of weight to lose and my mom, dad, brother, grandparents are morbidly obese as well. I don't have any serious complications yet but I know they are just around the corner if I don't do something now. I have gone shopping and will be starting the green smoothie challenge tomorrow!

I friended Diana up on Facebook and have seen pictures of her and her precious family.  Now I feel like I want to go out of my way to make sure that Diana and her family achieve their health goal. 

Can you imagine how torn I am?  I have only ONE book to giveaway!!!  I could not entrust Mr. Random number picker with such a task, but I wish I could--it would be so much easier!  However, I already made a commitment that I will choose a winner based on his/her entry. 

So, here it goes: THE WINNER OF THIS COPY OF GREEN FOR LIFE IS.... Carol!  Carol, please e-mail me your address and I will get the book mailed to you.

Diana, and the rest of you, don't get discouraged--I have a couple of other awesome giveaways lined up that you can enter.  Diana, I hope that you will start and finish the 3-Day green smoothie challenge, and then report on your results.

For the rest of you, please enjoy this simple and delicious green smoothie recipe... on me ;)

Simply Delightful
(makes 2 large servings)

• 2 cups water
• 1 ripe fuji apple
• 1 head of dark leaf lettuce
• 1/3 cup goji berries

Have a great day!

Married to My Best Friend

My sweetie and I are celebrating our 7 years together today. It has been a wonderful journey and I can barely wait to see what the future has for us.

Love you, babe! You are the love of my life!

Greens Pesto Pasta and Green Smoothie Challenge Day 3

I can find about any way possible to sneak greens into any meal. Last night, after finishing our 3-day green smoothie challenge, along with me, my husband had to work late and was coming home hungry. Good wife to the rescue!

He was a bit tired of smoothies only, but I still wanted for him to get his greens in the evening. So, what did I do? I made pesto with greens! Yes, you heard me right!

Greens Pesto Pasta

Ingredients
• 3-4 oz cooked whole wheat pasta

Pesto
• 1/3-1/2 cup water
• 1 large ripe avocado
• 1 cups spinach
• 2 large leaves of lettuce
• 1 clove garlic
• Himalayan salt to taste
• Kirkland organic mix to taste [about 1 tsp]
• 1 tbs Toffiti sour cream [warning: it is soy based, but you can skip it]
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice [optional if you don’t like your pesto sour]
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil [optional]

Preparation
1. Whip ingredients in a blender [pulse] until pesto consistency is achieved [see picture]
2. Mix with pasta
3. Pile on a plate
4. Garnish with diced tomatoes
5. Serve with homemade wheat bread [I know… pasta and bread… but it did taste sooooo good—I took a bite to make sure it was good!]

Enjoy!

Those of you who are still working on your Day 3 of the 3-Day Green Smoothie Challenge [and I am so happy that you are], here is a recipe that you can add to your arsenal:

Apple and Banana Green Smoothie
[serves 2]
• 3 cups water
• 1 fuji apple, cored
• 2 bananas
• Dark lettuce greens [1 head]
Optional
• 2 tbs barley grass powder
• 2 tbs maca powder
• 3 tbs hemp seeds

Don’t forget that the drawing for one awesome winner of one of my favorite GREEN FOR LIFE books is still open for you to enter. The last person that won a copy of it cannot say enough of how it changed her and she already has a line of relatives of friends in cue to borrow it from her!

Mango Green Smoothie Recipe, Kombucha and Raw Chocolate

Good morning, world!

Today we kicked off our 3-Day Green Smoothie challenge! I will keep you all posted on how we are doing.

Green Smoothie Recipe

If you did not get in on the 3-day or 30-day challenge but are still looking for good green smoothie recipes, try this delicious smoothie—I made it this morning for myself and the family

Mango Banana

Makes ~50 oz. [serves 3+ people if served at ones]

• 3 cups water

• 1 large mango [it is organic, you can eat the skin too, or peel it]

• 1-2 ripe bananas

• 4-6 oz beet greens

• 4-6 oz dark leaf lettuce

• 3 tbs chia seeds*

• 3 tbs dulse [if making for one person, reduce to 1-1.5 tbs]*

*optional

Blend until smooth and enjoy. I did not need any sweetener, but if you must, you can add dates or raw honey, or whatever else you might fancy.

Tip: Did you know that you can add a clove of garlic to your smoothie? Sounds weird but adds a whole new tasty dimension to smoothies!!!

Kombucha Adventures

I have also been fermenting kombucha and recently bottled some for extra fizz. Today, I ground up 1 whole mango [minus the seed and the skin] and then mixed it with ~50 oz. of kombucha. It made the most delicious mango kombucha! A bit tangy, fizzy and just right on sweetness. There is nothing tastier than being healthy!!!

12 oz of Mango Kombucha was my breakfast, and interestingly, I am not even hungry yet! [By now I sometimes would have had breakfast and a snack. However each day is different.]

[Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that is extremely beneficial used as probiotics to us.]

Delicious Product Review

Recently I received a little box of super deliciousness from the folks at Fine and Raw—makers of raw vegan chocolate.

Please watch this 2 minute video to see what my family thought about it.

[If you get my posts through e-mail/RSS feed, you can click on this link to watch it.]

The chocolate was heavenly, especially to perfectly soft and creamy bonbons… I did not want to stop eating mine, before I had to share with my hubby. The mesquite and blueberry bars were tasty also, but not as smooth and creamy. So, my vote goes to the glorious bonbons.

These chocolates would make perfect party or wedding favors for vegans and non-vegans alike. After all, most of us like chocolate in one form or another. Just imagine laying a box of perfection next to your guests’ plates!!!

If you have a little money to splurge, head on over to Fine and Raw and order yourself a box of raw chocolate! You will love it.

Enjoy your lovely day!

Question: How much are you willing to pay for GOOD chocolate?

[Don’t forget to enter the Green for Life book giveaway!!!]

Green for Life Book Giveaway, Green Smoothie Challenge [CLOSED]

Good morning, loves! Have you heard that we are conducting a 3-Day Green Smoothie Challenge? If you have not, hop on over HERE and read all about it. Join us and you will be amazed with the results.

All of the material for the challenge will be sent to you for FREE!!! Yep, absolutely FREE! Why? Because I want you to feel better quickly! It is a limited time FREE offer, so jump on it before the Green Smoothie Train takes off!

[If you would like to join us, go to the above linked post and leave a comment there (make sure I have your e-mail address).]

I started off a bit early with my 3-Day challenge [yesterday], and let me tell you—I feel amazing! I feel like I had lost 5 lbs, I slept more and feel more rested and rejuvenated than before, and my skin is glowing!!!

Now, on to this week’s GREEN giveaway to celebrate both of our challenges!

A few weeks ago, I hosted a similar giveaway for Back to Eden Vegan Forum members only. Today it is open to everyone!

I am giving away a copy of Green For Life, by Victoria Boutenko—a book that gave me a jump start on my way to healthier and slimmer body a couple of years ago. [Please visit Green for Life Review and Giveaway post to read all details about the book and how I conducted my own 30-day Green Smoothie Challenge.]

The Giveaway is open to US residents only [sorry, the shipping cost can get a bit expensive on the out of country mailings].

Remember to leave include your e-mail address when you are entering yourself as a commenter!

TO ENTER [REQUIRED]:

1. Leave a comment under this post telling me how you would use this book and if you have or will be adding green smoothies to your daily diet. If you are now eating green smoothies, tell me if you feel any definite benefits from doing so.

Bonus Entries

[do as many of the following as you want. However, you will need to come back and leave an entry telling me that you did it for every single one of them!]

2. Participants of 3-day Green Smoothie Challenge and Back to Eden Vegan Forum get a bonus entry—make sure to leave a separate comment if you take part in either or both [if you are doing both, make two separate entries].

3. Sign up for my Newsletter [on the right hand side of the blog, or through Subscribe Page] and leave a comment that you did it.

4. Twitt about this giveaway using the following line:

Green For Life book #giveaway by @elenawilkins of #Vegan Recipes blog http://bit.ly/bVcBWv.

Come back and tell me that you did it with a link to your twit.

[For extra entries, Twitt about it once a day [max], and leave a comment every time you do it.]

5. If you have a blog, blog about this giveaway and come back to tell me, leaving a link to the post.

When mentioning the giveaway, please use the following line:

Elena of Eat Healthy! Be Happy! Vegan Recipes and Living Blog is giving away Green for Life by V. Boutenko. Enter to win HERE. [If the link does not work, add this http://bit.ly/bVcBWv]

That’s it!

Make sure to leave your name and e-mail. [When you are entering e-mail address in the comment form, not the comment section itself, it is NOT visible to anyone but me!]

Deadline: April 13th [the last day of our 30-day Green Smoothie Challenge!], 11:59 PM, Pacific Time.

3-Day Green Smoothie Challenge! Benefits are Amazing!

Good morning, loves!!!

It has been one exciting weekend for me. Family, friends, wonderful reasons to celebrate life [the Lord’s resurrection, good health, and many other things] were filling up my every day to the brim. Thankfully I had lots of energy to keep up with it!!!

As you might already know, we, at Back to Eden vegan forum, are in our 4th week of the 30-Day Green Smoothie challenge. Amazing things have been happening and I am actually ready to kick off another 30-day challenge the moment we get done with this one… and we will do that in style too.

Today I had an amazing smoothie and thought to myself: I know that 30-days might sound daunting to some readers who otherwise would want to participate. Although there is nothing scary about it at all I know it might appear to be so.

So, I thought that you might be more open to try green smoothies if you tried them for only a few days. 3 sounds like a perfect number!

In the 30-day challenge participants do eat other foods other than green smoothies, but since we will be doing it for only 3 days, I want to take it to another level— 3-days of NOTHING BUT GREEN SMOOTHIES! It is much easier than you think. Don’t let your fears [if you have any] scare you away from doing this mini-challenge.

AND I will run a very special GREEN giveaway [really worth the time to enter it] and everyone who is participating in the 30-day or the 3-day Green Smoothie Challenges will get an extra entry for it!!!

So, are you interested?

I will provide several different recipes and make it easy for you. All you will have to do is 1. Have a blender; 2. Buy the ingredients. Everything else will be FUN!

If you are interested, drop me a note*—I will then [tomorrow] e-mail you a guide of how to get started and a whole lot of awesome tasting green smoothie recipes.

We will start on Wednesday, April 7th, 2010!!!

Let the games begin!

[The only Catch for the Challenge will be that you REPORT BACK at the END OF 3 DAYS! ;)]

*you can e-mail me, or leave a comment on my blog!

Today’s Green Smoothie that got me thinking about this mini-challenge:

Spirulina Green

Makes 44+ oz

• 3 cups water

• 1 large head dark lettuce

• 2 bananas

• 5dates [optional]

• 2 tbs dulse

• 3 tbs hemp seed

• 1 tbs spirulina

• 2 tbs barley powder


PS: If you like that great looking glass straw you see in my smoothie, Gluten-Free Family Blog is running a giveaway for these puppies. You can drop by there to enter.

Benefits of Green Smoothies {30-Day Challenge Week 4}

I can barely believe we are getting ready to embark on week #4 of the 30-Day Green Smoothie challenge. 

In the last three weeks I have heard many wonderful results achieved through this little experiment, and those who decided to participate are really happy they did as they are reaping the benefits of green smoothies already.  Here are my thoughts on the upcoming week. 

[If you are getting this post through RSS feed or e-mail, please click on this link Benefits of Green Smoothies, Week 4 to view the video.]

Today's Green Smoothie was delicious and I would love to share it with you!

Energizing Greens

makes about 40 oz

* 2 cups water

* 2 bananas

* 1 tbs honey [optional]

* 2 large bunches dark lettuce

* 2 heaping tbs wheatgrass powder

* 3 tbs hemp seeds

* 3 tbs raw cacao

Mama Mia! The energy is going through the roof! I cannot even contain myself after this one and another green drink:

Straight Wheat Grass

* 2 cups water

* 2 tbs wheatgrass powder

* honey for sweetness to taste

Enjoy these drinks and have a wonderful Resurrection Weekend. 

Artisana Coconut Butter Winner and Green Smoothie Recipe

Good morning, beauties!

Is there a better way to start a morning than making someone happy? Nay! So, let’s make someone happy… after I give you another smashing green smoothie recipe ;).

Apple and Radish Greens Smoothie

~3 cups water

~1 orange
~1 large fuji apple
~2-3 tbs wheatgrass powder [optional]
~6 dates, for sweetness
~4-6 oz radish greens
~3 tbs hemp seeds
~3 tbs maca powder [optional]
~3 tbs dulse [optional]

Now, for the winner of the amazing Artisana Coconut Butter… Mr. Random Number Generator picked… TanyaTheViolist.

Tanya is professional violist (orchestral, chamber music,solo), who also loves photography [yeah! a woman after my heart!] and follows a vegetarian/nearly vegan diet. Three Hoorays for Tanya [or should I say BRAVO?!]!

Tanya, please e-mail me with your address and I will get this delicious chocolate raw vegan butter out to you this weekend!

Everyone else, thank you for participating! Come back for more great vegan and green smoothie recipes, nutrition advice, health tips, reviews and giveaways! You have been a fun crowd.