Un-Beetable Cupcakes & 4 Other Ways to Eat More Veggies

Are you sure you're eating enough veggies? According to MyPlate, adult women should eat 2.5 cups of veggies every day.  If that seems like a tall order, here are simple recipes and ideas that will help you cram more veggies into your snacks and meals.

Have veggies for dessert.
These fudgy vegan beet cupcakes from The Minimalist Baker are made with 1/2 cup pureed roasted beets. They were a hit with the kids at the Memorial Day yard party and with the adults at my Buddhist discussion meeting. Not too sweet, but no taste of beet. Need even more veggies? These kid-approved cucumber and hummus cupcakes from Food Heaven Made Easy are made entirely of veggies.

Eat veggies for breakfast.
Add veggies to your tofu scramble, omelet, or savory oatmeal. Have a side salad or vegetable soup with breakfast too.

Add veggies to your smoothies.
I am so inspired by Raw Family's 15 Green Smoothies recipes. They went beyond the usual suspects of kale and spinach to include other veggies: herbs (parsley, basil, and cilantro), leafy greens (chard, lettuce, and collards), celery, peppers, carrot tops, and even onion! They also made a kick a** video with funny costumes!

Infographic - Guide to DIY Green Cleaning Products

I'm smitten by this lovely visual guide to making DIY cleaning products.

The photo illustrated collection of simple recipes shows how to make eleven completely natural, non toxic solutions: toilet bowl cleaner, grout cleaner, laundry detergent, fabric softener, stove top cleaner, burnt pots and pans, carpet stain remover, wood polish, two all purpose cleaners, and air freshener.

Check it out and try a new recipe today.

What To Eat When You Have Diarrhea

Yup, I dropped The D Word.

Image via All Pet News

Recently, I had diarrhea for an entire week. I've only had a stomach virus once before so I had no clue what to eat. Many articles I discovered via Google recommended the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Ugh! It sounded so boring and unhealthy to me. I'd rather starve or poop my brains out, I declared. So I did both actually.

That was until the morning of Day 5 when I woke up completely pooped out. I committed to eating two big chunks of bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two days in a row. I felt like I was dining in prison catered by Whole Foods Market. Menu: Handmade, artisanal bread served with filtered water.

Fortunately, I discovered online that these two delightful foods are also soothing to an upset tummy. I highly recommend them for breaking up the monotony of the BRAT diet if you ever find yourself suffering from GI issues.

4 Ways to Shop Smarter & Eat Healthier Now

You don't need more time or money to eat healthier. Here are four adjustments you can make to the way you shop for food that will allow you to get a better bang for your buck or, rather, more nutrients for your nickle.

Almost every imaginable Bob's Red Mill product for $2.69 to $11.99 at Ocean State Job Lot in Pawtucket!

Don't discount discount stores.
I went to Ocean State Job Lot in Pawtucket and discovered an entire aisle filled with Bob's Red Mill natural food products, competitively priced, undamaged, and not at all near expiration date! Your local discount store might also have organic food. It is certainly worth looking in the food section next time you're there. If you find a good deal, stock up so you can postpone future trips and thereby save time and gas.

Buy organic when it counts most.
Check out EWGs 2014 Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Buy conventionally grown low pesticide fruits & veggies ("Clean 15") like avocados. Use the money you save to spring for organically grown apples and other variety of produce on the "Dirty Dozen plus".

Get Sugar Savvy with Me at Willy's Local Foods

 

What's your sugar personality?

• Are you sick and tired of craving sugar? 
• Do you struggle to understand food labels?
• Do you only eat "healthy" sugars?

Drop into Willy's Local Foods on Wednesday, May 21st between 12:30pm and 2pm for a fun free 10-minute evaluation of your sugar IQ. I'd love to meet you in person and share how you can change your relationship with sugar for the better!

If you haven't yet been to Willy's Local Foods this is a great excuse to go. Willy's is a small corner store with a big focus on local food and drink. I love to drop into Willy's to grab last minute fresh veggies or pantry items for dinner or to pick up a mason jar salad for lunch at the deli counter. They also have a bar with fair trade coffee and local herbal tea.

How to Make Hemp Milk

I just spied the yummiest new recipes on The Seasonal Diet blog: Strawberry Hemp Milk and Blackberry Hemp Milk made with fresh berries.

image via The Seasonal Diet

Feeling more vanilla? There's a recipe for that in the blog post too!

Learn how to make your own berry flavored hemp milk now.

I also totally want to plug The Seasonal Diet membership. Members get The Seasonal Diet ebook, a complete resource to being creative in the kitchen and staying inspired throughout the seasons. It's over 150 pages of resources including a 30 day meal plan and 180+ recipes- all plant-based, gluten free and allergy friendly!

Read about all the other membership perks of The Seasonal Diet here.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning.   

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Overcoming Fear of Flying

A few months ago, I dreamed I could fly. It wasn't one of those typical dreams where one weaves between trees and soars over mountains. I didn't see or feel myself flying. Still, I knew I could fly. It was an intellectual understanding of the fact that I was physically capable of flying.

Here's the kicker: I never actually flew in the dream. There were moments where it would've been really cool to fly. I forget the exact details now, but I remember feeling like a sad sack of potatoes for not taking those opportunities to do it.

I didn't fly because I was afraid. Even though I knew I could fly, I was afraid to do it because I'd never done it before. Also, no one else around me could fly. I worried they would think I was weird. That was also scary.

This dream came when I was experiencing more firsts than I'd experienced in a long time and there were even more in the horizon. So many possibilities have been presented to me this year. I've taken some chances that felt precisely like jumping off a cliff. Truth be told, I've also had moments where I did the equivalent of hiding in a cave.

Where to Buy Essential Oils

Here's where you can find essential oils to use for aromatherapy, cleaning, DIY skin and hair care products, and craft projects.

Mountain Rose Herbs is where I shop for the best quality essential oils at the best price online. MRH sells certified organic and fair trade essential oils. All their oils are therapeutic grade, meaning they are safe to use on your skin and hair (when diluted). This is true of all essential oils. It's what makes them different from fragrance oils, which are made with synthetic ingredients.

Your local herb store may sell essential oils too. This is a great place to buy essential oils because you can support a local business. I've purchased essential oils at Flower Power in the East Village. That store is magical!

5 Things to Drink on Cinco de Mayo That Aren't Tequilla

If you aren't into wasting away in Margaritaville but still wanna bust out your blender for Cinco de Mayo, check out these healthier vegan Mexican drink and smoothie recipes.

This puppy will give you the side eye if you get too wasted today.

Make some creamy Mexican horchata with almonds and brown rice. Then take it to the next level with a decadent vegan horchata smoothie. Veganize this horchata smoothie recipe by topping the smoothie with easy vegan coconut whipped cream. Use the coconut water reserved from making the whipped cream, more horchata, or your favorite nut milk in place of dairy milk.

I love the simplicity of this spicy vegan Mexican chocolate and banana smoothie.

How to Blanch Almonds - VIDEO

I accidentally blanched some almonds last night. Apparently, it's really easy to do!

I shot this quick video to share with you how to remove skin from almonds quickly for those times when you actually want blanched almonds.

Check out Super Juice Me! the Movie

Yesterday I watched Super Juice Me! an awesome documentary about eight beautiful chronically ill people who transformed their health in 28 days by drinking juice. It was amazing to see how radiant they became throughout the process.

I dusted off my juicer and made this after viewing the film. Crisper delight: Romaine, kale, celery, apple, pear, broccoli stem, lemon, and ginger.

Super Juice Me! proposes the idea that there is just one disease: inflammation. The chronic illnesses that most Western people suffer from (high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, etc) are just different manifestations of it. The disease is caused by eating man-made processed foods, toxins (including pharmaceutical medicines), and stress. The journey of these eight people illustrated that the solution to healing this disease is simple: change diet and lifestyle. 

Cozy up with a kitty (or beloved human), a juice made with one of the recipes you get when you sign up (or whatever you've got in your fridge), and get ready to be inspired by this feature length film!