From the category archives:

greens

The Most Powerful Spring Foods… are on the way

EARLY SPRING is an opportune time to take advantage of some of the most cleansing, beautifying and healing foods around. Here’s a detailed list from my Spring Cleanse that you can review now so you a can be on the lookout in your local farmer’s market and health food stores. Consider how you might make use of their unique cleansing and healing properties. (Pay special attention to Stinging Nettles!) 

Note: Some of my workshop and VIP clients might find this list familiar… use it as a review and a reminder of the powerful beautifying properties of these special foods.

Asparagus

  • High in Folic acid
  • Diuretic cleanser = flushes out the kidneys
  • Reduces blood pressure 
  • Reduces Water retention

Dark Leafy Greens

Green is associated with spring, the time of renewal, refreshment and vital energy. In Asian medicine, green is related to the liver, emotional stability and creativity. 

  • Very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamins A, C, E and K. 
  • High in fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phyto-chemicals.
  • Blood purification
  • Cancer prevention
  • Improved circulation
  • Strengthened immune system
  • Promotion of healthy intestinal flora
  • Promotion of subtle, light and flexible energy
  • Lifted spirit and elimination of depression
  • Improved liver, gall bladder and kidney function
  • Cleared congestion, especially in lungs, by reducing mucus

Broccoli, bok choy, Napa cabbage, kale, collards, watercress, mustard greens, broccoli rabe, dandelion, green cabbage, arugula, endive, chicory, lettuce, mesclun, wild greens.

Stinging Nettles

Nettles are one of the most nutritious greens on the planet. Cooked, blanched or dried they lose their sting.

The entire plant can be used. 

  • Highest levels of beauty producing silicon in any food.
  • Vitamins A, C, beta-carotene
  • Chlorophyll
  • Immune system builder.
  • High Iron content 
  • They’re unusually high in protein (40%) for a plant
  • Nutrient-dense, they make a good overall tonic for strengthening the body. 
  • Useful in treating anemia, high vitamin C content ensures that the iron is properly absorbed by the body.

Uses:

The juice of roots and leaves, mixed with honey or sugar, relieves both bronchitis and asthma. 

Weight Loss:

  • Increase the function of the thyroid gland: 
  • Increase metabolism—helps burn away fat while increasing energy.
  • Relieves mucus in the colon allowing for the release of excess waste. 
  • Mineral rich, which helps satisfy hunger. Overeating often is a search for minerals.

 Blood Purification:

  • High caliber blood purifier.
  • Diuretic properties help flush the blood and cleanse thru the action of the kidneys. 

 Other known uses:

  • Combat and relieve allergy symptoms (especially hay fever)
  • Anti-arthritis or anti-rheumatic agent,
  • Used as a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory,
  • Used as a lung tonic for ex-smokers
  • Helps skin heal from eczema, or hives
  • Bursitis,
  • Tendonitis,
  • Laryngitis,
  • Kidney stones,
  • Lowers blood sugar naturally
  • Relieves the symptoms of sciatica and PMS

EXCELLENT FOR:  toxicity, poor skin quality, weak nails loss of overall luster. 

Use Nettles Greens, as a juice, tea, or in powder forms

I love to make Nettles into a pesto, which I freeze for use the whole year. Here’s my recipe (scroll down you’ll see I post about Nettles every year – yes, I’m a nettles super-fan).

Beets and Beet Greens

(while detoxifying limit beets but use the greens- as they have a high sugar content)

  • Loaded with nutrients 
  • Blood purifier
  • Used for centuries as folk remedies for Anemia, Menstrual problems/imbalances, Kidney disorders
  • Antioxidant
  • Detoxify the liver
  • Protect against cancers of  skin, lung, colon
  • Evens the ratio of HDL: LDL (bad) cholesterol levels
  • Beet greens are loaded with iron and beta-carotene

Fennel

Fennel is great all year round and full of beneficial nutrients including

  • Vitamin C – helps protect your body from free radical damage
  • Fiber – helps to reduce cholesterol levels and remove cancer-causing toxins from your colon
  • Antimicrobial and helps immune system function
  • Potassium
  • Folate
  • Niacin
  • Calcium, magnesium, iron, and copper.

It also provides these other good-for-you benefits:

  • Reduces inflammation
  • Helps prevent cancer
  • Protects liver from damage caused by chemicals
  • Folate: Fennel is also a good source of folate, a B vitamin that helps convert the dangerous homocysteine molecule (which can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke) into a harmless compound.

Ramps

Ramps are an early spring wild onion/wild leek. They possess a powerfully pungent, spicy aroma and flavor very similar to that of garlic or shallots. Many chefs consider ramps to be the best-tasting member of the entire onion family

  • The foliage, stems, and bulbs can be used raw or cooked 
  • Member of leeks, garlic and chive family:
  • High in Vitamin C, helpful for Hypertension, and high cholesterol

Radishes

  • One of the highest veggie sources of Vitamin C 
  • Play a role in connective tissue formation. 
  • The mineral silicon and sulfur work with vitamin C to create glowing skin 
  • Also High in Folic Acid.
  • They cut and dissolve mucus in the digestive tract formed from eating starchy carbs.
  • Stimulate the liver
  • Expel and prevent gallstones
  • Increase digestive fires. 
  • Used in Russia for both hyper and hypothyroidism. 
  • Great kidney cleansers
  • Decrease water retention

Beans

A very nourishing vegetable food. 

  • High fiber= blood sugar levels don’t rise rapidly – keeps insulin from shooting up.
  • Low-fat, low-cal, dense source of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals
  • They resonate with the paired organs of the body: brain and heart, lungs, kidneys, ovaries and testicles.

 Reduce wind by soaking them overnight before cooking.

Strawberries

(usually late spring/early summer)

  • Just 5 Strawberries can give you half the RDA of Vitamin C
  • Vitamin K rich – for healthy bones and blood clotting
  • Antioxidant
  • Curbs inflammation in eczema-asthma-arthritis
  • Helps protect the brain form age-related decline

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Warming Autumn Broccoli Soup

Fresh, organic broccoli soup.

Here’s a simple recipe to warm you up. It’s packed with protein and calcium. 

Ingredients

  • 1 head of Broccoli -chopped
  • 2-3 cloves of Garlic – diced loosely
  • 2 TBS Ghee
  • 1 Onion
  • 1-3 cups of vegetable stock (make it at home ahead of time by sautéing onions, celery, carrots and turnips, add water (3-6 cups) bringing water to a boil, and simmering for an hour. Refrigerate and/or freeze. Use as a base for soups like this)
  • 1 cup beans (choose, black-eyed peas, white navy beans, butter beans, etc.)
Directions
  1. In a corning ware dish, add chopped and rinsed broccoli, garlic, 1 – 1/2 TBS ghee, and a tsp or two of filtered water.
  2. Put in oven or toaster oven (my preferred method) on 350˚ until roasted to desired brightness
  3. Meanwhile, sauté or sweat onion in 1/2-1 TBS of ghee until medium soft (smelling great) 
  4. Add in beans and cook through till hot
  5. Heat up stock on stove top
  6. Add all ingredients to high speed blender (broccoli + garlic, Onions and beans, and stock) and blend until smooth and creamy
  7. While blending squeeze in 1/3 of lemon, add salt to taste.
Serve with fresh lemon and a sprinkle of Celtic sea salt. 

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Rawkos! A travel food.

Happy Labor Day weekend! It’s time to celebrate all the toil and sweat you’ve put into you’re year. 

Here’s a fantastic recipe that will keep you in the summer mode. This is a popular favorite from my Seasonal Cleanses (Join me in September for a healthy kick-start)–It’s great food to travel with and requires NO COOKING. Rejoice the Rawko!  It’s like a taco but it’s raw – not raw meat – raw foods (means no cooking, more enzymes, more energy). 

Wraps

  • Bunch of collard greens*, rinsed and de-stemmed – leaving 2 halves (depends on how many people are eating– figure 2-3 wraps per person)
  • Pat those dry
Sweet Cucumber Salsa
  • 1 apple – peeled, cored, diced
  • 1 cucumber – peeled, seeded, diced
  • 1 medium sweet yellow onion – diced
  • parsley and/or cilantro – washed and diced
  • a few pinches of Celtic sea salt (this is a high mineral salt- very good for you)
  • Fresh squeezed lemon
  • Add all ingredients together, then add in salt and lemon – make sure it really gets on that onion! Toss, let sit. 
Rawko “meat”
First, let me say, I am not anti-meat, I am pro sustainably-raised, grass-pastured meat*. I am pro health for our bodies, and health for the planet. So why the non-meat tacos – er- rawkos? Because they are delicious. Because raw foods pack an amazing amount of energy and vitality, and because everyone loves new and exciting foods that make them feel good with no negative repercussions.  So here you go:
  • 1 -2 cups of raw organic walnuts (again, depending on how many people you are feeding)
  • 2-6 TBS of gluten free tamari (go easy on this — it can get real salty quick)
  • Add to a high speed blender or food processor and blend it up
Making Rawkos
  • Lay  your collard wrap on a flat surface
  • Spread 1-2 tsp of the rawko “meat” onto the wrap length-wise
  • Add some salsa (this offsets the heavy flavor of the walnuts nicely)
  • Here, I added some sunflower sprouts for some more green and texture
  • Roll up and enjoy. 
You can pre-roll these and eat them on a car ride — or pack the ingredients separately and take to work, beach, or party. 
*When I travel I also make  an organic turkey and goat cheese wrap that you can eat in the car. Just add shaved onions and apple. Divine. 
Let me know what you think. Happy Labor Day Weekend. 

 

 

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Almost Spring-time Easy Broccoli Soup

On the east coast we’ve had a little winter Revisit. However, Spring is just around the corner! Try this super easy Broccoli soup to get your green on and warm up at the same time. As we go into Spring, we can follow mother nature and eat lots of greens. Greens have low caloric density and tons of nutrients and fiber.

Here’s a recipe form my 4 week cleanse. This is a soup you can indulge in and still shed your winter weight.

Almost Spring-time Easy Broccoli Soup

All measurements are estimates, play around and use your instincts.

You’ll need:

baking dish

high speed blender or food processor

toaster oven or oven

Ingredients:

  • 2 broccoli heads and most of the stem – washed and roughly chopped
  • 4-6 cloves of garlic – whole
  • 3 TBS olive oil
  • 1 cup of vegetable stock (or water)
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • Eden Shake to taste and for garnish

Directions:

  1. Wash and roughly chop broccoli. Trim the woody part of the stem, use the rest
  2. Add broccoli florets, stems, and peeled garlic to a baking dish with water still on them
  3. Coat with olive oil
  4. Add some salt
  5. Roast in toaster oven (or oven if you prefer) on 250º for about 30 minutes– we do this on low because of the olive oil. Olive oil can become damaged in high heat and create free radicals in our bodies, so when heating be gentle and use low heat
  6. Remove from oven and transfer to blender or food processor
  7. Add in vegetable stock or water, salt to taste, and onion powder
  8. Blend until smooth.
  9. Garnish with Eden shake or parsley — or just eat as is. As much as you like.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

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The Top 15 Benefits of Cleansing!

One of the biggest surprises I’ve had in my practice is the resoundingly huge interest in cleanses. I field lots of questions on this subject and thought a quick little post on the Top 15 Benefits of Cleansing would give you a clear idea of  what you can expect from a healthy and safe approach to cleansing and detoxifying naturally.

The Top 15 Benefits of Cleansing

  1. Improve and even out energy levels
  2. Reset the body’s metabolism
  3. Get rid of toxins
  4. Reduce inflammation
  5. Lose excess weight and toxic fat
  6. Release cellulite
  7. Feel lighter & reduce bloating
  8. Improve digestion and Clear up the skin
  9. Eliminate cravings
  10. Give your body a chance to heal
  11. Alleviate food sensitivities and allergies
  12. Get the detox ‘glow’
  13. Break out of negative thinking and unhealthy patterns
  14. Reduce anxiety and “monkey brain”
  15. Reset your health and have a fresh start and healthier, happier, sassier lifestyle

Get ready for The Early Spring Cleanse!

In a few weeks I will be kicking of a BRAND NEW Early Spring Cleanse. This is a perfect cleanse for everyone because it goes for 4 weeks and it gets you totally primed and ready for Spring. It is whole foods based, it’s incredible and invigorating, and most importantly it GETS RESULTS.

I’ve been working on it for the last 6 weeks (following it myself) and the results are nothing short of spectacular. I feel lighter, trimmer, (and I look lighter and trimmer) my head is clear, my mood upbeat, and well… you just read the list, you get the idea.

Leave a comment below, post to FB and Tweet to get on the earlier bird discount list and qualify for an extra special bonus!

To your health!

~Nicole

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5 Simple Tools to Beat the Winter Blues

Many people are feeling the winter blues. We’ve had a cold and precipitous winter, but take heart! In 2 months it will be April. The flowers will be blooming, the spring shoots will be coming up.

NOW is the perfect time to start readying yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually for spring. The days are getting longer, it’s all very exciting. So let’s get our bodies into shape for the burst of energy and joy that happens when spring finally breaks!

Here are 5 tools you can use to beat the Winter Blues, enjoy the last of winter, and prepare your body for spring.

1. Eat dark, leafy greens.

And if you’re doing that already? Eat more. Dark leafy greens promote light, flexible energy. They are nutritionally dense powerhouses and packed with chlorophyll.  Chlorophyll is created by soaking up the sun’s bright energy.

Chlorophyll is to a plant as  blood is to a human. When you eat greens in abundance during the cold, bleak winter months, you are summoning the essence of spring and summer.

Just look at all the pictures in this post. Which does the Bok Choy Recipe picture (below) remind you more of?

Flushing your body with greens is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

2. Make at least 51% of your food raw.

Many of us gravitate to cooked foods during the winter months, but if you eat a little over half of your diet in raw veggies, you can start to release weight, reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol (to a name a few things). Raw foods contain incredible enzymes and nutrients that get lost once we cook our food past 108º. The way I like to eat raw veggies in the winter is to take them out of the fridge well before I consume them – this way they are room temp, and not cold! Use raw foods to start the slimdown down, reduce inflammation, and get ready for spring.

3. Capture more time.

Consider winter a retreat. Winter is the perfect time to go inward and s l o w down. It’s a good time to do a gentle food cleanse (winter cleanse coming soon).  Use this time to connect with your spiritual side, start new habits, reflect, stretch, create new projects. If you’ve got kids that are going bonkers – start a project like building a birdhouse and readying it for spring.

4. Take a liquid Vitamin D supplement.

I’m not too big on supplements but there a few I reccomend. Vitamin D3 is one of them. Almost everybody is low in this hormone (it is not a vitamin) and recent studies suggest that Vitamin D deficiency can contribute to infertility, cancer and other diseases. Simply put, I find when I up my Vit D, I’m just happier.

5. Eat seasonally.

As you match nature’s rhythms, you sync up with them. Winter doesn’t feel so miserable and spring feels much closer.  Focus on soups, beans, winter greens, squashes, sweet potatoes, and warming teas. And don’t forget to eat 51% raw.

Here’s a surprisingly delicious recipe for baby bok choy and mushrooms. It tastes like it’s cooked, but it is raw, fresh and full of enzymes and nutrients that will give you a lift.

Bok Choy and Mushroom Salad

Serves 1

This is easy and quick — experiment with other vegetables

Ingredients:

1 head of baby bok choy – keep leaves intact, chop stems

1 handful of shitake, cremini, or oyster mushrooms – clean and slice to desired thickness

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup wheat free tamari

2 cloves of garlic

Directions:

1. Wash, drain and prep bok choy and mushrooms

2. Add oil, tamari and garlic  to food processor or high speed blender and blend until smooth

3. marinate salad with half of the dressing (save the other half) and let sit for 15 minutes to a few hours. The longer the salad sits, the more wilted and cooked tasting it will become.

Let me know what you think!

How do you beat the winter blues?

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Stinging Nettles: High in Protien, Great for Weight-loss, Anemia, Good Vibes

Nettles are an edible wild spring green that pack an unbelievable amount of nutrition (see below) and help with all kinds of conditions including weight-loss, anemia, mucus, allergies, etc. The season for Nettles happens over a few weeks, so NOW is the time to look for them and get ‘em while they’re here.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THEM?

Glad you asked. I make them into a pesto and use it everything (not just pasta)! I stir it into grits, have it with eggs and asparagus, stir it into quinoa, etc. You can combine with basil if you like or just use the Nettles. There are lots of possibilities,pine nuts, walnuts, almonds… Below is a recipe for the Nettles pesto I’ve been making and how you might add to your everyday diet. After I post this I’m going into my kitchen to make a half year’s worth to freeze. You can also read about how good it is for you below.

ADVICE: Use tongs! They sting until you blanch them.

HOW THEY’RE SO GOOD FOR YA!

Nettles are one of the most nutritious greens on the planet. Cooked or dried they lose their sting.
The entire plant can be used.

-Highest levels of beauty producing silicon in any food.
-Vitamins A, C, beta-carotene
-Chlorophyll
-Immune system builder
-High Iron content
-They’re unusually high in protein (40%) for a plant
-Nutrient-dense, they make a good overall tonic for strengthening the body
-Useful in treating anemia, high vitamin C content ensures that the iron is properly absorbed by the body.

Uses:
The juice of roots and leaves, mixed with honey or sugar, relieves both bronchitis and asthma. Greens, juice, tea, powder forms.

Weight Loss:
-Increase the function of the thyroid gland:
-Increase metabolism—helps burn away fat while increasing energy.
-Relieves mucus in the colon allowing for the release of excess waste.
-Mineral rich, which helps satisfy hunger. Overeating often is a search for minerals.

Blood Purification:
-High caliber blood purifier.
-Diuretic properties help flush the blood and cleanse thru the action of the kidneys.

Other known uses:
-Combat and relieve allergy symptoms (especially hay fever)
-Anti-arthritis or anti-rheumatic agent,
-Used as a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory,
-Used as a lung tonic for ex-smokers
-Helps skin heal from eczema, or hives
-Bursitis,
-Tendinitis,
-Laryngitis,
-Kidney stones,
-Lowers blood sugar naturally
-Relieves the symptoms of sciatica and PMS

EXCELLENT FOR:  toxicity, poor skin quality, weak nails loss of overall luster.

RECIPES

Nettles Pesto (and nettles tea!)
By now you know how incredibly healthy and nourishing nettles are . This is my favorite way (so far) to get my nettles on.

1 bunch of Nettles
½ C pine nuts
2-3 cloves garlic (chopped)
Olive oil (best to do this by sight, but start with 1/8-1/4 C)
Optional: Basil and/or mint (you don’t need these to taste great)
Salt to taste.
1.    Use tongs to handle Nettles, they will sting you until blanched!
2.    Bring a pot of filtered water to boil enough to submerge the bunch of nettles you have.
3.    Rinse the Nettles- using tongs- in a bowl with cold water and gently agitate to clean off dirt, drain, repeat 2 more times.
4.    When water is hot or boiling places nettles – using tongs- into the water and push around until the color changes – and they begin to brighten and plump – just a few seconds.
5.    Remove by pouring water into a mesh strainer or colander sitting over a bowl – so you can capture the water. Set aside this Nettles water and drink as a hot tea. Drink it plain or add some mint to it.
6.    Place nettles, garlic, pine nuts, (basil and/or mint if desired) and some oil into a food processor (or Vita mix)
7.    Add more oil for desired consistency, add salt to taste
Serve with zucchini or spaghetti squash pasta. Dip veggies into it; serve over roasted cauliflower, or with anything, really.

Zucchini “Pasta” - if you’re not into traditional pasta, try this with your pesto…

1 medium large zucchini per person.

If you have a mandolin or Benriner this will be perfect for the job, and you can hook up the julienne attachment for perfectly formed noodles.
If don’t have a mandolin, and you can either use a vegetable peeler or a knife. The peeler method will give you long flat noodles, and if using a knife, just cut the zucchini into thin slices, stack up, and cut again lengthwise into thin strips.
If eating raw, dress them with a little olive oil, or some nettles pesto.
Add fresh chopped olives or tomatoes.
You can also boil water, and add the noodles to the water to cook for about 1 minute for a slightly different texture.
Take out and immediately blanch in cold water, or cold running water, to prevent over cooking.

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