Growing up I always loved a big glass of orange juice for breakfast alongside my favorite Captain Crunch or Cocoa Puffs bowl of cereal. 

It was the way I began almost every morning before school.

The weekends were made for chocolate chip pancakes in the form of animals and a side of bacon... also accompanied by my big glass of orange juice. 

I was always craving juice.

That quick sugar rush was what my body had learned to expect... but when juice wasn't around, soda was. 

I stopped drinking so much juice when I picked up the habit of drinking soda.

Soda delivered the sugar my body craved and became my drink of choice. 

When I was in high school the group I wanted so much to be apart of took soda drinking to a whole new level... they coupled it with camel wide cigarettes. 

I was so grown up.

Drinking my soda and puffing on my cigarettes.

I was so cool. 

Now, I'm not implying that orange juice is a gate-way drug... but for me it...

Once you taste homemade nut milk, you will NEVER buy synthetic vitamin, carrageen infused, and chemical-laden nut milk again.

There’s just no turning back.

It’s SO easy and absolutely delicious… It takes a little foresight since soaking the nuts/seeds with a little bit of sea salt is an important step in the creation of this nut/seed juice. So think ahead and make it happen.

I switch up the types of nuts (or seeds I use)… as using the same nut/seed milk over a long period of time can build an intolerance to it.

So I highly recommend mixing it up!

My favorite nuts/seeds are (all organic and raw):

• Brazil nuts
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Pistachios (kinds pricey)
• Tiger Nuts
• Hemp Seeds
• Flax Seeds 
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Hazelnuts

Quick note when using cashews: When cashews are soaked for over 8 hours they become very soft. When pulverized they leave very little (if any) nut “flour” behind. This makes it so that straining isn’t...

Waking up to water is one of the first piece of advice I give to anyone looking to move themselves towards optimal health!

It is estimated that over 75% of American adults suffer from chronic dehydration!

Don't be a part of that 75%! Dehydration causes a multitude of health issues and keeping hydrated is one of the most important things you can do every day of your life!

Rule of thumb drink 1/2 your weight in ounces of water every day! For example, a 120 pound woman would need to drink 60 ounces of water every day.

120/2 = 60 ounces. Simple as that!

Waking up to water can be an incredibly beneficial habit to create in your life!

This morning tonic combines anti-inflammatory spices and detoxifying lemon to help kick start your health! It's extremely cleansing and will get things moving, if you know what I mean!

What's also key is that the active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, is highly anti-inflammatory and has a myriad of health benefits. Pairing it with black pepper helps us...

Whoever thinks eating clean doesn't taste good? Well they are CRAZY people!

Now, this isn't a dish I encourage all my cleanse clients to eat.. however, this is a perfect side dish for weekends, grilled wild caught salmon, grass-fed steaks, grilled or roasted chicken, and/or any clean meats.

This is my comfort food.

I make a shit-ton as I always love to have leftovers with fried eggs in the morning. OMG! No words, just delicousness.

Savory and a crowd pleaser! What else do you need in a side dish?

Okay, enough chit chat, let's do this...

Smashed Garlic Cheesy Potatoes

 Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs of potatoes (I love tri-colored fingerling potatoes, but you can use red potatoes, or russet)
• 4 tbsp. butter, melted
• 4 garlic cloves diced or pressed.
• 1.5 cups of shredded raw organic cheddar cheese (or any cheese you love)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes until they are soft and easily smashed with a fork
2. When potatoes are close to being ready, preheat oven to 425...

Our Grandmother's knew what they were doing when they went straight to make  chicken soup when some someone was sick. 

Although, if you are like me, you probably didn't grow up eating homemade chicken soup but rather soup poured straight from cans. 

Well, let's just be happy how far we've come.

Broth is one of the best examples of wisdom in food. Broth is rich full of nutrients the body can use right away and contains gelatin which is highly healing to the gut and body. 

Humans have been making broths for thousands of years. It's also a way to use ALL the animal and extract beneficial nutrients from bones that we could not get to, without broth. Can you see why it's good for our bones? 

I make this SO much during fall and winter months where virus's spread and people's immune systems tend to decline. However, if you take care of your gut you will strengthen your immune system (which up to 70% is located in your... can you guess? GUT!) instead. 

This is...

 If you don't think chocolate and peppermint belong together, we can't be friends. 

 When I was little I'd always order chocolate mint ice cream. No matter what. 

This creation has taken years to come to perfect. I was always awarded with food or offered it when I wasn't happy. For so long I was an emotional eater and I had the extra 20 pounds to prove it. 

In the last 10 years, I have completely changed my relationship to food and my body. I've had a lot of healing (and still so much more to go). This is why I'm so passionate to share delicious, nutritious, and healing recipes and messages. When we become our own advocate for our health and reclaim our power, everything shifts. 

 Along the way, I've also learned that, smoothies can serve many needs. They can be a quick and nutrient-dense meal, snack, or dessert! 

This recipe is so yummy, even the kids love it! 

Let's do this...  

Gut Healthy Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie 

...

Do you love dips? 

I LOVE dips... I love using clean ingredient chips like Siete brand or sliced veggies as vehicles to get the dips into my mouth. 

Making dips like this one, classic homemade hummus, and cilantro-infused guacamole is a strategy so that when I am STARVING and HANGRY, I can find a satiating, delicious, and healthy snack. I swear by simple lifestyle hacks like just preparing for when you know you will be weak! 

Just keep it simple. Food is to be enjoyed AND nourishing. Yes it can be both! 

Let's do this... 

White Bean Hummus 

Ingredients: 

• 2 cans organic white beans (cannellini beans) 
• 2 small to medium garlic cloves, whole
• 1 tsp dried or fresh oregano 
• 1 tsp sea salt (My favorite it Celtic Sea Salt)
• 1/2 tsp cumin 
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil 
• Black pepper to taste 

Instructions: 

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor or high powered blender. 
2. Process...

There is this word. A word that represents a state of being that promises us that if we achieve it, then we will finally embody the essence of perfection in life. 

The state of existence where all is aligned and only in this place will evoke the feeling of centeredness and as if we have finally reached our destination. 

Everyday we strive for this state, and maybe some of us get a glimpse or moment of it, we pursue this never-ending cycle. Life happens and we are thus set back into striving for it all again. 

This state, this word... BALANCE. 

Motherhood is not about balance. So many of us mothers are striving for this eluding state of life! We may in one moment feel balance, like we have it all together, and all is in it's place, and then something, life,  happens and boom, just like that we are set back and striving again. 

I hear SO many women and mothers use this word. 

"I just need to create more balance." 

...