Today “TGIF” hardly has it’s “Oh-My-Gosh, it’s the weekend” feel, but I will be happy to at least set my alarm to a time after 5:00 am… or is that wishful thinking? I think it may be.

Despite this weekend’s whirlwind of activities and work schedules, the summer heat of Texas is upon us, and when it gets hot, I think: Frozen Dessert! More specifically, I think: Ice Cream!

Back in the day, I was quite a “low-calorie”, frozen yogurt fanatic. That stuff was like my drug, transmitting little delightful signals of bliss from tongue to brain, igniting my pleasure centers, and then… alas… the buzz would be gone, and the low would set in. Bummer.

Those days are over, however- thanks to a wonderful thing that occurs when a ripened frozen banana meets a high speed blender.

Sure, we all know about frozen banana smoothies, but how about one reminiscent of a ginger snap cookie,  and easier and healthier to make than a fresh batch of cookies to boot!

Ginger Snap Frozen Yogurt 

• 2-3 (pre-peeled) frozen ripe bananas
• 1 piece of peeled fresh ginger, about 1 tsp
• 6 drops of Vanilla NuStevia*
• Generous sprinkling of organic ground cinnamon
• a pinch of nutmeg, optional
• 1/2-1 cup cool water (amount will vary depending on your blender’s capabilities).

Blend it up and serve. Yields 2-3 cups of frozen deliciousness.

Even better, this is a fantastic dessert idea for kids, and is not acid-forming, or difficult to digest like those frozen yogurts, and ice creams.

And while your enjoying that icy cool treat, check out this article for a chance to win *NuNatural’s new lemon and orange liquid stevia flavors. It’s so easy to win this giveaway. Just comment here, on the NuNatural’s Facebook page, and my GLOW page, if you would be so kind.

Happy Friday. Winners announced on Monday.

I opted out of anything crustacean related, and instead brought along a fresh green salad, with a summer edge and hearty twist.

I wanted something light, but also something satiating enough to stand “alone”.

To create a backyard, barbecue feel, I used juicy portabello mushrooms for meatiness, if you will, and freshly “roasted” red peppers. These are my “go-to” dense salad “dressers.”

Weight:

To get started, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. On a cooking pan, place 2 large portabello mushrooms, (caps only), and 1-2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into halves. Let bake in the oven until mushroom is juicy (about 10 minutes), and the red pepper’s skin is wrinkling (12-15 minutes). Remove and towel dry the mushroom. Allow to cool. Remove the red peppers, allowing time to cool, and then carefully peel off it’s wrinkly skin. Towel dry. Set aside.

Base:

• 8 ounces of organic arugula
• 8 ounces of organic fresh spinach leaves
• 1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 cup golden cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 garlic choves, chopped (optional)
• Fresh basil and parsley optional, know your audience on this one… I opted out. 

Dress:

• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tbsp
• 1 tsp fresh minced garlic
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley leaves and stems, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 6 drops Orange NuNaturals NuStevia
• Blend in high speed blender (like Magic Bullet) until smooth

Realign, and Combine

• Toss the Base with the Dressing
• Thinly slice and then halve the mushrooms and red peppers
• Add on the weight
• Sprinkle on a quality sea salt, like a sweet Pink Himalayan

Give it a final toss, and then go.

The salad will wilt significantly with the weight of the dressing and toppings. I love this because it gives the salad a massaged and denser feel.

The Result.

The mushroom and peppers are mild in flavor but “heavy”, and completely balance out the spicier arugula, creamy spinach, and fresh tasting herb dressing that is also surprisingly and just perfectly sweet! 

Had their been more grilled veggies, I would have been adding this to the salad also.

Those that tried it, loved it! And I am sure the crustaceans would have preferred it also. 

Want to make this salad? The orange NuStevia I added to the dressing was what really gave this dressing a unique gourmet and summer flavor. (And it was oh-so-simple).

GIVEAWAY. 

I have a little Giveaway to announce. NuNaturals is generously awarding (4) Four readers the opportunity to win their new Orange and Lemon flavors! The orange is what I tried out for this salad. I can’t say that these new flavors will replace my attachment to the Vanilla and Original Alcohol-Free NuStevia’s I use regularly, but I invite you to give it a try!

Giveaway Rules? 

Pretty simple:

1. “Like” the NuNaturals Facebook page,
2. “Like” my Facebook GLOW page,
3. Then let me know you did so by commenting below with what you want to make with your goodies (it could be as simple as adding it to your tea).

*NuNaturals asks that you are in the U.S. and have an address that they can ship to (that is not a P.O. Box).

Contest Starts Today, and I’ll announce the 4 winners a week from now.

Glad I did. Here are some notes I jotted down. Nothing new or crazy, but statistics are always fun.

• There is over a billion dollars is spent on marketing junk food each year
• Over half of the U.S. is overweight, or obese
• We eat 25% fewer salads
• 1 in 4 meals contains an unprocessed vegetable
• This would be 1 in 5 meals but what counts as an unprocessed vegetable are the tomatoes and lettuce on that burger
• 80% of all antibiotics are used on industrial produced livestock
• We kill 10 billion animals a year
• That amount could get us to the Moon and back 5x

We have forgotten what FOOD is. 

• Food is a substance that nourishes the body. It contains nutrients for growth, and to sustain life.
• When we isolate nutrients we do nothing but complicate things. 
• Micromanaging nutrients drags us farther away from the foods that naturally contain nourishment (in their whole, unprocessed form). When we isolate a nutrient we make it easier for corporations to fortify their junk foods with whatever nutrient is currently being touted as healthy. 
• For instance, you can take any processed cracker, cereal, muffin, etc… add fiber to it, and then market it as a health food. Eating “enough” fiber is not a big deal, try eating some steamed broccoli.
• American’s drink a quart of soda a day.
• We went from having ZERO, to 60 lbs of High Fructose Corn Syrup a day.

A Corporation’s job is to maximize profit NOW, regardless of what happens to us down the road.

The USDA has two jobs.

1. Encourage people to eat well.
2. Support PROFIT– Which happens to also mean supporting processed food companies that roll in the dough.

• The USDA seems to do one better than the other.
• We make water more expensive than soda (and other juicy, sweet beverages).
• Soda is the tobacco of the 21st Century.
• Soda is anti-nourishment
• Soda is included in Food Stamps– which are now assisting 50 MILLION Americans.

We spend our increasingly sick lives spending money on… (fill in the blank here)… 

To sum it up, we should make labeling honest. A food is not something that has been fortified with a nutrient to seem healthy and nourishing.

If you know what FOOD is, you are set.

Food is what nourishes the body.

Food SUSTAINS us.

Food does not make us ill. 

Digestion in the stomach is one of the beginning stages of the digestive process. Food must make it through this stage prior to nutrient absorption. For this reason quality digestion in the stomach is of the utmost importance to our health.

As a foodie, it helps to remember that nutrient absorption is why we eat in the first place. Sure, there is taste, and pleasure, etc. but the main purpose of consumption is for energy. Energy comes from  nutrients.

A car can only run on empty for so long.

• The body, and all of its brilliant organs and systems, needs energy to function.

Calories, fat grams, proteins, sugars, etc.– whether a little, or a lot, do not translate into “easily digested and assimilated” nutrients. 

• Calories and “grams” are an “easy” way to quantify the “energy” we consume and burn.
• Because it is “easy” to understand energy in the form of “calories” and so on, we tend to focus too much attention on micromanaging nutrients, and our caloric intake, instead of on the source of nutrients and optimal digestion.

The body needs energy to run, yes… but the body needs quality energy to run optimally.

Nutrition Fact labels do not equate to quality nutrition. When the calories we consume do not equal quality energy, we not only offset the body’s pH, we become malnourished. As a result, we suffer from premature aging, weight gain, skin disorders, disease, low energy, mood swings, slow metabolism, behavioral problems, etc.

An egg-white omelet, or your typical “well-rounded breakfast,” can take hours, upon hours, to make it out of the stomach and into the small intestine.

Out of sight, out of mind, right?

While we may be looking for our next snack an hour or two later, the body is still hard at work. During digestion, energy is diverted from other such beneficial processes that keep us young, active and healthy and instead focused on moving the meal onward for absorption and assimilation of nutrients (in the small intestine–S.I.). As this is occurring, we feel drained and start looking for that next source of “energy” or “protein” (which is something we seem to have grilled into our heads– energy = big ol’ bowl of protein).

Food for Thought: After 5-8 plus hours in the stomach, what nutrients are available, valuable, and viable?

Outside of Dallas, where athletics and sports are at the height of every conversation, but quality food– rarely, I am often asked about protein bars, shakes, and the like.

What does this have to do with our previous conversation?

There are plenty of ways to get protein, but the amount of protein on the “label” does not equate to the amount of proteins our body can digest, absorb and use. In other words, quality and quantity are not equal.

Believe it or not, PLANTS are an exceptional source of amino acids (protein). Not only are greens rich in essential minerals, vitamins, water, fiber, natural sugars, and enzymes– but greens, and veggies are among the quickest digesting foods we can eat. Ideally, this would mean that the transit time from stomach to S.I. is shorter (they are not held up in the stomach for a long time), nutrients are authentic and naturally occurring (not created in a factory), and nutrient absorption optimal.

Good-bye malnourished body, hello authentic energy and healthy strong kiddos!

But if a nutrient packed Green Smoothie is not on today’s agenda, I would invite you to try this father-tested, and child approved chocolate protein shake. Not only is it tasty, but unlike other protein powders, which are highly processed, highly acid-forming, and slow digesting, (examples: whey, soy protein isolate, egg white protein, and casein), Vega is 100% plant-based and alkaline forming.

I love this quote from their site:

Ease of nutrient assimilation is a key benefit of wholesome, natural food. The less energy the body must spend on digestion and assimilation, the more energy it will retain.

Enzyme-rich to help with efficient digestion, Vega products offer superior net energy gain.

Jack’s Extra Chocolatey Protein Shake

• 1.5 cups pure water
• 1.5 cups ice cubes
• 3/4 cup Chocolate protein powder
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 6 drops Unsweetened Vanilla NuStevia
• Splash of coconut milk- optional
• 1  tbsp of Grade B Maple Syrup (optional, but added for fun “breakfast” flavor)

Blended all up into a dessert-like concoction, and served in a muscle man cup with cocoa nibs for extra effect– get the protein your seeking without the drama.

What is your favorite “high protein drink”?

Sautéing up some shrimp for himself and the kids, I did not argue when he offered to make the dressing also. In fact, I could not have been more excited to have someone not only cooking for me, but I was eager to see what fun and creative recipe my culinary expert would whip up.

The result of fresh herbs and flavor, plus the advantage of knowing the audience better than themselves?

Deliciously satisfying. 

I was wowed with the simplicity and dimension of this cilantro dressing. It was the absolute perfect compliment to the crisp and sweet corn, crunchy romaine, pungent red onion, and creamy roasted red pepper.

The dressing itself was refreshingly light and cool with a mild tension derived from the jalapeño and shallot’s spiciness. The finished product was perfectly balanced with a new dimension of enticing sweetness that left me licking the plate (politely).

I loved this dressing and salad combo so much, I just had to share it asap.

Dressing:

The first 4 ingredients were prepared by finely chopping ingredients separately in the Magic Bullet. Extra ingredients were put to the side to season steamed veggies.

• 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp raw garlic
• 1 tbsp jalapeño (seeds removed-but a few can be added back for more heat)
• 1 tbsp raw shallot
• juice of 1 giant lime (aprx 4 tbsp)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp raw honey

For the salad:

• 1 large head of romaine, finely chopped, 8+ cups
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• Raw corn, cut directly from 2 cobs (organic)
• 1 roasted red pepper, sliced into long pieces

To roast pepper: slice in half and deseed. In a 400 degree preheated oven, place halves onto cookie pan, or cooking foil. Cook until pepper is hot and outer skin is wrinkly (about 10-12 minutes). My culinary expert husband informed me that one must peel the skin. Set aside to cool, and then cut remaining halves into horizontal pieces.

Toss all ingredients with dressing and season with a sweet pink himalayan sea salt– to taste. Add black pepper and red chili flakes for extra heat.

The family enjoyed this salad with cajun shrimp, me a giant steamed artichoke and broccoli.

Add-ons? This salad would be fantastic mixed with artichoke hearts, barely steamed asparagus, hearts of palm, and avocado. It was fantastically refreshing, and oh-so-simple to make. In fact, I made it last night also.

Enjoy!

I would love to hear your variations for this salad. 

Back in my college days, when my focus on weight loss was at an all time high, I can remember obsessing over fiber consumption. In fact, I treated high fiber cereals like little miniature weight loss supplements– the key to what I deemed healthy.

There is no doubt that an increase in fiber is linked to a decrease in disease– Fiber is what essentially keeps things moving along, and helps the body to get rid of toxic waste. Surely, it is not too complicated to understand: less toxic waste = less disease. 

Fiber is the indigestible component of a plant that cannot be broken down– and remains virtually unchanged during the process of digestion– hence indigestible.

Fiber is actually what provides structure and support to the plant, and also protects it from stressors which would otherwise damage, oxidize, or steal nutrients. It is mainly found in the outer layers of a plant, and contains no useable nutrients. Although it is not a source of nutrients for the body, fiber helps to build bulk in the stool, and literally helps to sweep out old waste. “Lady like”, I know… but hey– this is life.

All wholesome plants (in their original form- prior to refining, processing, etc.) contain fiber. They also contain a chockfull of vitamins, minerals, water, etc. When we eat steamed vegetables for instance, we are consuming the Ultimate Package Deal.

The UPD, or the Ultimate Package Deal is the brilliant way Mother Nature intended for us to nourish the body. Plant foods (like vegetables, greens, and fruits), all contain an assortment of nutrients: vitamins, minerals, food enzymes, amino acids (a.k.a. proteins), H2O, energy from the sun, etc. They also contain fiber– A natural, whole fiber.

When we eat these delicious foods, we not only get the more readily digestible nutrients, but also the fiber that has the ability to pull out trapped wastes from within. Plants thus give us the UPD– they nourish and they help to remove wastes.

All fiber is NOT created equally. As stated above, an organic piece of fruit (veggies, etc.), ripe and ready to be consumed, is the perfect source of nutrients and fiber, yet we get so consumed in the high fiber content of foods, we often forget to see what it is we are eating with the all of the fiber. (Read more about fruit here– Nature’s Perfect Offering).

The point of eating fiber is to keep things moving, but what good is a high fiber food if it does not provide us with legitimate (living and fresh) nutrients in the process, that can be readily and easily digested and broken down.

For instance: Check the back of that Nutrition Label on your whole grain pasta, flour, muffin, or cereal. How much fiber? 4 g? 6g? 8g? Wow. Sounds impressive. Now ask yourself how easily digested is that going to be? What nutrients will you be receiving? How was it made? How will it affect the whole body. On top of that…. Aside from being more beneficial than your typical zero fiber donut (and other refined flours), the fiber in many of these products is the scrappy part of the whole grain.

The scrappy part of the Whole Grain I am referring to is the bran. Often touted as friendly folk, bran is the outer layer of a grain. All of the layers are in place to protect the most important part of the grain– the germ. The germ is the future of the plant. It contains the nutrients. When we refine, process, or break open the grain (which is what we do), we expose this little guy (the germ). Because the bran is high in fiber, and more stable (does not become easily rancid like the beneficial parts), it is what is most commonly used to add fiber to foods! But that does not make it good!!

Touting all fiber as a super hero is the result of a lot of good awesome marketing, and miscommunicated studies. Fiber is most certainly beneficial, but it would be like popping a pill for high cholesterol when the sides effects are increased risk of heart attack… oh wait! We do this. whoops. I digress. The bran, high in phytic acid, actually grabs onto minerals like: magnesium, calcium, zinc, and iron, in the gut, and steals them away in a bowel movement. Ironically, although the average person consumes a high fiber food to stay regular, full, and “healthy”, without these essential minerals, we become constipated. On top of that, most of these foods are very difficult to digest. Grains are notorious for being sprayed with all sorts of toxic chemicals, and Whole Grain is hardly the nutrient dense grain of our ancestors.

How does that help with regularity? How does that improve health?

Confused?

Let’s keep it simple.

We want Mother Nature’s UPD. We want the nourishment– a.k.a. the nutrients, that, because they are more quickly digested, have the potential to be more readily absorbed in a healthy body. We also want the fiber, water, etc. that keeps things a’ moving, and helps us to naturally get rid of the toxic waste that slows down our productivity. (Fiber is useful for other important functions also).

Is Whole Grain going to be better than the refined stuff? Yes. But, refined flour should be removed from everyone’s diet, and the easy answer to “not enough” fiber, in everyone’s diet, is to concentrate on the foods that have the UPD– the Ultimate Package Deal (plants!). So, before you get excited about that high fiber bran muffin, or the “high fiber Stamp of Approval” on your pasta, flour, or (fill in the blank), ask yourself what that food item is going to do inside the body? Even if it is not bran that is adding in the fiber– Whole Grains are sprayed with a slew of pesticides, fungicides, and toxic chemicals, and harvested in nutrient depleted soil. Bleh.

If it not a source of useful vitamins and minerals (or they were added back in in the factory), it is not going to be easy for the body to break down, and utilize. If it is high in bran, it might steal the nutrients you need for health, and regularity.

Avoid the Marketing hoopla, and go for the gold– the foods that are naturally the Ultimate Package Deal of nutrients and fiber. Try a sweet potato with coconut butter, or butter and a side of steamed veggies. You’ll pack on the fiber without blinking, and digestion– a no brainer for more.

Want to eat pasta with a lot of fiber? Don’t look at the box. Look at the ingredients! Go for something like a quinoa pasta (something that is more readily digestible by the body than whole grain, spelt, or rice, gluten-free, and less acid forming) and then add in steamed broccoli, or other veggies– which are natural sources of fiber, and high in food digesting enzymes.

Wahla! Fiber! Cover with your favorite marinara– all parties are happy.

Do you think about your fiber consumption? Were you/are you ever like me, judging the health of something based on it’s fiber content and packaged nutrients? What are your favorite high-fiber foods– how do you add fiber to foods? What do you have to say about this topic?

Another topic you may be interested in:

Juicing and Fiber

Oh! And before I forget, please join my Facebook page for GLOW. Thanks a bunch for your support in advance. Hope to see you there.

digested and natural sugars for enhanced energy.

A naturally detoxifying food, fruit is truly Mother Nature’s most perfect offering, and also one of the most overlooked secrets to longevity, beauty, and health.

Consider the brilliant design of the human body: With our long and winding digestive tract (25-30 ft), the body absorbs nutrients beginning in the small intestine, but only after the first stage of digestion in the stomach. Large and sluggish meals therefore provide no useable nutrients until it can make its way from the stomach to the first part of the small intestine, or duodenum (and then, who knows what the body will be able to use after that tiresome and lengthy wait).

On an Empty Stomach, Fruit takes roughly around 20-40 minutes in the stomach to digest. Melons take the least, and bananas take the longest. 

Secret #1: It is a trick to think that a sandwich, or protein bar, will give you any quick and sustainable energy. In fact, these foods can take anywhere between 4-8+ hours (depending) in the stomach alone. They only provide stimulation. Not energy. If Mother Nature intended for us to seek lasting nourishment outside of her garden, she would not have made fruit to obviously accessible. When a fruit is ready to be eaten, it will actually drop right from the plant. At this moment, the fruit has the most viable nutrients. 

How brilliant!

But we’ve gone and done it again. In order to make fruit accessible throughout all areas of the land, and at every season, we pluck, pull, and ship fruits and vegetables from one end of the world, to the next. Not only is this a lot of travel time, but we don’t wait for them to jump from their branches. We pluck them early!

Oh how I wish I had a papaya tree in my backyard.

Secret #2: The best time to eat fruits (and vegetables) is when they are in season, and local. The fresher they are, and the less time the spend backpacking across the country, the more nutrients they will contain.

Secret #3: We often hear about eating seasonally, and locally, but in addition to this little secret, the best time to enjoy a fruit is when it is ripe.

Let’s face it: Fruit goes bad. This is by no means a bad thing however, nor does it mean that we should spray foods to keep them from going “bad.”

“Bad” is part of a natural organism’s life cycle. 

Instead, we should focus on the beauty that exists within living foods. The best time to eat a fruit is when it is ripe. A ripe fruit will have a more alkaline pH, and leave a more alkaline residue in the body, whereas an unripe fruit can be irritating and leave an acid residue in the body.

Additionally, a “ready to eat” ripe fruit is easier to digest, and requires less energy for digestion. The point of nourishing the body with living foods is that they are more readily digested, and that their nutrients more abundant and easily assimilated and absorbed.

What good is a raw food if the body cannot break it down?

A green banana would not fall from a tree, and it is constipating when eaten before spotted. A green banana will hang on for dear life until it has received all of the divine power and nutrients that it is going to receive from its life-sustaining branches. When it falls, or in our case, is easily plucked, it is a sign that it’s ready to give back to the earth–It is ready to provide.

A fruit is thus part of a plant’s healthy growing cycle. It contains seeds so that it can bare the next generation of fruit. How cool, eh?

When talking about a fruit’s lifecyle, I cannot help but get giggly and think of a particular dinner scene in the movie, Notting Hill. Brokenhearted by the wonderful Anna Scott (played by Julia Roberts), William, (played by Hugh Grant), has been set up on a random date by his dear pals. The “date”, unbeknownst to anyone prior to dinner, is a “fruitarian.” Here is their dialogue:

Keziah: No thanks, I’m a fruitarian.
Max: I didn’t realize that.
William: And, ahm: what exactly is a fruitarian? 
Keziah: We believe that fruits and vegetables have feeling so we think cooking is cruel. We only eat things that have actually fallen off a tree or bush – that are, in fact, dead already.
William: Right. Right. Interesting stuff. So, these carrots…
Keziah: Have been murdered, yes.
William: Murdered? Poor carrots. How beastly!

Charming movie. I laugh every time. 

Keziah, however she might pronounce her name, is fortunately wrong… these fruits are not dead, but ready to be consumed. A banana, for instance, should not be consumed until it is ripe with a splattering of tiny brown spots. You will find that the peel easily releases the edible fruit for eating without a fight, and that the fruit is not only sweeter, but also much easier to digest!

So, enjoy your fruits, and do so without the consumption of other foods at the same time.

Secret #4: Eat foods alone, and on an empty stomach. With the exception of leafy greens, fruits should not be combined with other foods. Fresh fruit should not be eaten as a snack, dessert, or close to other meals (3-4 hours).

Remember, we want to get the nutrients from our meals to our small intestine quickly. Fruits will take the least amount of time in the stomach. When consumed with other, slower digesting foods, it slows down that beautiful process. The only time we should consume Mother Nature’s perfect food is on an empty stomach (so, for breakfast, for instance), and preferably when Mother Nature has given her O.K. to consume (when ripe). When we combine fruits with other foods, especially more concentrated food (animal protein, almond butter, dairy, bread), we create fermentation in the stomach (gassiness). This is an unpleasant feeling, and a common cause of headaches, lack of energy, and constipation, etc. 

Secret #5: How do you tell when a fruit is ripe? Generally, the fruit will smell sweet, and give a little to the touch. A pineapple, that does not yet smell like a pineapple, is not ready to be sliced open and eat.

Do you have any tips on enjoying fruit? What is your favorite fruit?

I love papayas, ripe bananas, crisp pink lady apples! 

In fact, you can enjoy this creamy delight with no added sugar, or a single animal product.

Who needs milk?

This milk-less milkshake is a creamy, and decadent frozen treat with a mild chocolate and coconut flavor. Serve as is, or amp it up with more cocoa and fresh mint leaves. Regardless, it is sure to please, and even surer to wipe away any doubt one may have about reducing and/or eliminating dairy from the diet. You can do it. I promise.

Makes about 6 servings

In your Highspeed blender add the following:

• 2 cans of coconut milk
• 2-3 heaping cups of ice (Start with 2 cups, and go from there.)
• 3 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 36 drops of Alcohol Free Vanilla NuStevia

Blend until creamy and smooth and serve the frozen treat in chilled glasses. I sprinkled a generous amount of cocoa on top for garnish, and completed the dessert with a few dark and crunchy cocoa nibs (by sunfood).

Easy peasy.

P.S. If you have been trying to reach me via email and receiving a bounce back message, I apologize. Please try resending your message to glowdetox@gmail.com. My new email will be up and running shortly.

The kids have off today for Good Friday, so I will be brief in my announcement:

I have greatly enjoyed reading everyone’s comments on “A Fresh Beginning: The Glow Detox Diet.”  I am excited to announce that Sara (randomly chosen) is the winner of the Initial Consult package plus, 6-months of free consultations at GLOW.

Sara, I am greatly looking forward to working with you. Please send me an email at lauren@theglowdetoxdiet.com, so we can get you scheduled for an initial consult.

It is my passion to guide, educate, and inspire my clients and readers to be able to make educated decisions that

enhance and transform their lives. That being said, I must reiterate that I am not a Health Care Provider, or a Medical Doctor. My clients take full responsibility for their own healing.

I appreciate everyone’s entries, and I hope to have the opportunity to work with many of you in the near future. Do not hesitate to contact me.

In celebration of Spring, and for doing what I love, I am offering special packages for my online blog audience. If you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity, please utilize the New Client Contact Form on Glow to schedule an appointment. My schedule fills up quickly, so if your looking to get started this Spring– for a little, or a lot of Spring cleaning, please email me today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Happy Friday.

Always,

Lauren

That being said, pasta and marinara, or pasta and butter variations get old. To compensate for a lack of creativity, I like to switch it up a bit for the family.

After playing around with several pesto variations, I managed to create a creamy sauce that was substantially lower in oil and fat, and the perfect compliment to any raw, vegan, or vegetarian pasta dish– and because it does not contain avocado, it is therefore considered “neutral” which means will digest nicely with a piece of baked white fish.

In order to cut down on the amount of oil I used the first time around (1/4 cup), I subbed in 1/8 cup of olive oil, for one peeled zucchini.

The result was a mild, but flavorful pesto, that was both creamy, refreshing, and light. (Other highlights: it is considerably nutrient dense, contains no heated oils, or fats, and due to the fresh basil leaves, and raw zucchini, it is a great source of enzymes).

Low Fat, Pesto– Vegan

• 1/8 cup olive oil + 1 tbsp
• 1.5 cups basil, packed
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 small zucchini, skin peeled
• 1/4 cup water (this will vary depending on blender and ingredients)
• 1 large handful organic spinach
• 1/8 cup yellow onion (optional)

When the ingredients are blended to a smooth consistency, taste the pesto. Important: Don’t pass any judgements yet. Pesto is generally very salty, as it contains cheese (salty, fatty, dense), pine nuts (salty, fatty, dense) and yes… salt. So what your tastebuds are probably looking for is some sweet Celtic Sea Salt. If your a true pesto lover, you may also wish to add a tbsp more of olive oil, and a touch more garlic. Play around with it until you find it acceptable (remember, you and your guests can add more salt after it is on the pasta).

The color should be a vibrant green!

The perfect Spring Pesto Recipe.

Upon completion, I tossed two boxes of our freshly made, and still hot quinoa pasta into our pesto, and topped it with some freshly grated Zamarano cheese (unpasteurized sheep cheese)– which, as I recall from my cheese eating days, is quite sharp, and largely reminiscent of parmesan (the kids love it). Why this may not have been the perfect combination, quinoa is one of the most readily digested grains on the market (aside from millet, and buckwheat), and extraordinarily more friendly than its other starchy competition (rice, white, and wheat pasta).  It is also gluten-free, and high in protein. The optional Zamarano is a delicious addition, and really puts the finishing touch on the dish.

I personally found the pesto to be a nice marinade for my freshly steamed vegetables– topped with red chili pepper flakes and sea salt. Artichoke hearts, baked eggplant, basil leaves, arugula, onion, and other Italian vegetables would indeed be a wonderful addition.

~ – ~

Do you love pesto? Italian? What are your favorite pasta sauces, and marinades?

Change the way you look and feel about yourself.

On another note: The 6-months of Free Nutritional Consultations ends this Friday, April 6th. I am looking forward to working with you. If you are interested in beautifying your diet, and feeling confident about your skin, and body, please enter here today!

Always,

Lauren