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 

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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." 

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I write this with love and in hope to support all humanity to understand that supplements are not the next “quick fix”.

If you are here, than you probably are steering clear of prescription drugs and looking for other ways to support your health, specifically your immune system, and I am here to tell you that supplements can support you but what you eat is the most important “supplement” you should be focusing on!

The number one question I have from clients is “What supplement will help _____ (symptom)?”. Unfortunately, regardless if we are more health-focused or not, many of us still believe in the pill for every ill… and now we are seeing it with supplements.

Now, don’t get me wrong I’d prefer supplements to prescriptions any day of the week, but they are not the answer. .

When we get to the root of symptoms we support the WHOLE body, rather than just a part.

Our body is literally a universe made of trillions of cells, more...

What I've learned about fueling the body with whole, real, clean food is that you can eat all the things you love, all you have to do is elevate and upgrade the ingredients! 

This is a dish the whole family loves! When I'm not on a cleanse, I'll put the beef into Siete brand tortillas or taco shells. On cleanse, I just put it all in a bowl and go to town! 

I was born in, and currently live in New Mexico where these dishes are staples in our weekly menu. The question is always, red or green chile? 

Whether you like spicy food or not, you can modify this dish the way you like it! I give you three beautiful parts to this dish and you can modify as you see fit! 

Let's do this... 

Divine & Delicious Burrito Bowls 

Serves 4 

Meat Base Ingredients: 

• 1 pound grass-fed beef
• 1/2 yellow, white or red onion, diced 
• 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced 
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 2 tbsp of high heat oil, I use avocado oil or...

I KNOW!  Another ritual to add to your daily routine!

But this routine not only feels AMAZING it has many benefits.

Dry brushing has been used for centuries by Scandinavians and Russians. More than 30 years ago, a Finnish doctor by the name of Paavo Airola prescribed this technique for his patients to detoxify, exfoliate and stimulate the skin. (Source)

The skin is…

• The largest organ in our body
• One of the most important elimination organs next to the kidneys and liver
• Plays a huge part in our daily detoxification
• Our skin receives a third of all blood circulated in the body
• Our skin communicates to us about our blood’s toxicity level
• A reflection of any imbalance and deficiency in our bodies.

So listen to what your skin is telling you!

5 benefits of Dry Brushing Your Skin:

1. Increases circulation possibly reducing cellulite. One of our nemesis, cellulite, is toxic accumulations of our body’s fat cells. Dry brushing helps break...

I LOVE this dish… It truly is healing.

I first tried this recipe on a yoga retreat. My beautiful step-mother-in-law created it for dinner one evening and I was hooked!

I LOVED how delicious and nurturing the dish felt. The smell, texture, and brightness of the spices lures any human, who is pulled to healing, right in.

Kitchari (kitch-a-ree) is a healing soup that is gently formulated with mung beans and rice along with other ingredients to restore proper nutrition back into the body. The soup itself is meant to calm the intestinal track and relight the ‘angi,’ or fire, in the belly.

In Eastern Ayurvedic teachings, proper health and nutrition begin in the digestive tract. Kitchari cleansing involves a mono-diet that is easy for the body to break down and process with each day targeting a specific organ.” (Source)

There are several variations to a basic kitcheri recipe and the one below is basic, easy to start with, and balancing to all three doshas (vata,...

I'm always looking for delicious and nourishing dishes that not only make me feel good, heal my gut, but taste freaking amazing! 

This miso bone broth is SO simple, requires only 5 ingredients! Well only 2 if you nix the gelatin and sea salt! Gelatin is totally optional, it just provides more support and healing for the gut! 

Miso does 5 things for our body: 

1. It contains probiotics that supports our gut's natural balance and helps promote healthy digestion
2. Supports our immune system. Up to 70% of our immune system is housed in our guts! So keeping our gut healthy supports our immune system! Boom! 
3. It's good for our brain! Miso contains choline & b-vitmains that support cognitive function and development. 
4. Good for our blood! Rich in vitamin K, miso can help our blood clot! 
5. Great source of electrolytes! Full of minerals it can help replebnish our electrolyte stores! Combined with hydrating broth, it's a win/win for our soul-home! 

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Once you make this, I guarantee it will become a staple in your home... cashews are full of healthy fats, rich in minerals, antioxidants, and taste delicious. 

It's so simple to make homemade nut butters and there are many ways to consume them! 

Here are some of my favorite ways I use cashew butter:

• Slathered on apples or celery
• Use in smoothies to make them more delicious than you can imagine.
• Subbed in any dish asking for nut butters like peanut, almond, etc.
• Use in Asian dishes & sauces
• Add to salad dressings! 
• Perfect in raw desserts!  
• Smothered on a toasted slice of sourdough bread, topped with honey, and hemp seeds. OMG, so good! 

Ingredients: 

• 5 cups organic raw unsalted cashews (4 cups to roast and 1 cup raw)
• 1 tsp Celtic salt or any sea salt will do.

Tools Needed:

• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper
• Food Processor 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment...

Learning how to make homemade salad dressings is such an important life skill...

...okay well maybe not a life skill but it sure does making eating and dipping veggies easier, more nutrient (yes eating veggies with ample fat is SO important), and SO much more delicious. 

The trick to making delicious salad dressing are these components: 

1.  Garlic & Onions 

   Garlic - 
   Fresh pressed, crushed, or diced garlic not only adds so much flavor and balance to dressings, it also is a gut superfood! Unless you are allergic, it's a food that is perfect to include daily. It's pretty much included in every savory meal I cook. 
   
   Onions -
   Diced red, yellow, white, green onions are all recommended to use. Take your pick. My favorite onion for dressings are shallots! They have a slight sweetness that really ups the flavor profile. Chives are also amazingly flavorful and delicious. 

2. The right kind of healthy fat - 

   Healthy fats should be included in EVERY...