This Superfood From Under the Sea Has a Special Secret Nutrient!

You’ve probably had a seaweed salad from a Japanese restaurant, in a miso soup, or a sushi roll wrapped up in nori. But did you know that it has amazing amounts of calcium, antioxidants, and a super secret nutrient you can’t find anywhere else? Seaweed has a huge presence in Southeast Asia, and perhaps it’s time for westerners to take another glance at this nutrient-dense veggie (yes, it is a vegetable!)

Seaweed is also high in vitamins A and C, but that’s probably the least important reason why you should be adding it to your diet. Iodine is a nutrient that is missing from nearly every other food, and most people are iodine deficient and don’t even know it. Consuming iodine is critically important to maintaining a healthy thyroid, which controls hormone levels in the body.

In the 20’s iodine was first added to table salt, and manufactured for distribution into homes for public consumption. In recent times, there are various reasons why we have turned away from this type of salt. High cholesterol and blood pressure levels are two big reasons that folks began to cut salt out of their diet. More recently we’ve seen a shift in the population decreasing the amount of processed foods we consume, with the organic health movement. This is great, with a number of people turning to sea salt, and even better, pink Himalayan salt, which contains amazing amounts of minerals that are naturally occurring in the human body.

Seaweed Farm in Nusa Dua (Bali, Indonesia)

With these shifts in leaning towards less processed, whole, and natural foods, we’ve unfortunately seen a decrease in iodine levels as a result. Iodine is crucial to maintaining thyroid health. Unbalanced thyroid issues can come on subtly and slowly, resulting in depression, fatigue, difficulties with weight-loss, and increased susceptibility to disease. These seem like common small issues at first, which is a big reason why they normally go unnoticed.

If any of these sound like you, adding a little bit of seaweed to your diet may be a great solution. A healthy thyroid means balanced hormones. This translates to increased energy, endorphins, and estrogen levels. Ladies, this means an easier time with PMS!

So pick some seaweed up today! Try out a simple seaweed salad soaked in sesame oil, or wrapping up some of your favourite veggies with hummus or avocado in a nori roll.

xx
Ashley

Wheatgrass – The Forgotten Superfood (and what about Chlorophyll?)

Remember when wheatgrass was a cool new fad? Before juice cleanses, organic chocolates, and raw food restaurants began popping up all around us, wheatgrass shots were newly available in local cafes. We may have forgotten about these easy healthy shots, but it’s still here, and still good for you!

With a nutrient dense nutritional content, wheatgrass delivers the same goodness in a two ounce shot as about 5 pounds of fruits and veggies. It is higher in Vitamin C than oranges, and contains twice as much Vitamin A as carrots. Not only does it deliver amazing vitamins, including a full range of B complex, but it also boasts a wide range of essential minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and potassium.

It is a powerful detoxifier, purifying the blood, and cleansing the liver. With all these vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants, this simple plant neutralizes environmental pollutants and toxins in the body.

Yes, it tastes just like grass, it is after all a grass, so why should you eat it? I know you are not a rabbit, there is another very good reason. Wheatgrass is very high in chlorophyll. All green plants and veggies contain a very high chlorophyll content.

We have a saying that we tell all of our clients and friends: “If it’s green, it’s clean”

You probably learned at a young age in school that plants create oxygen using the sun’s energy through a process called photosynthesis. This is the base for all life on earth. Everything requires energy from the sun, and all living things require oxygen.

The beauty of green plants and their chlorophyll content, is that chlorophyll contains high amount of oxygen. By consuming these great green gifts from the earth, the chlorophyll delivers these high amounts of oxygen to your blood. This helps to regulate blood flow, increase red blood cell quantities which aid in combatting toxins, waste, and disease, and promotes healthy recovery and self-healing in the body. Oxygen is so important to our bodies. Did you know that the brain uses 25% of your body’s oxygen supply?

We tell our clients that they need three strong building blocks to maintain a healthy lifestyle:

• Oxygenation
• Hydration
• Detoxification

With these three guidelines, everything else is a wonderful extra addition, helping to aid in recovery and maintenance of a healthy body and mind.

So give wheatgrass another ‘shot’ today! Grab some at your local juice bar, or start making your own! It is very easy to do, grows very quickly, and is a sustainable way of getting your healthy juices flowing!

xx
Ashley

New Year’s Reflections

Sending vibrant New Year’s greetings your way!

It’s a new moment ripe with new possibilities and fresh perspectives. It’s a time when we often think back on the past year, and also on what lies ahead. It’s a chance to ruminate on what we’ve learned during the past 12 months. How we may have reacted to situations that arose, how we accomplished certain goals, and how we have grown in and of ourselves. With this reflection, we can ascertain our goals.

Most people make lists of what they want to achieve in the next year, and most of these goals involve something outside of ourselves, usually with material rewards. It could be a new job, a promotion, raise in salary, new apartment, purchasing a house or car, etc… Some go down the path of physical self-improvement. A lot of people join a gym in the new year, which accounts for a 33-50% increase in gym memberships at most facilities in the first week of January. While the intentions of self-imporovement are positively pure, a staggering 80% of those new memberships only show up a few times before dropping off completely in February.

Something we could reflect on this year, is what our goals truly are. Are we searching for happiness outside of ourselves, in material things that we think will make us feel better, or help us to get ‘further’ in life? Are we being realistic in our goals?

Not to say that we shouldn’t have big dreams out on our ever-expanding horizons of consciousness, but sometimes people can feel a lot of pressure around this time of year to meet their own lofty expectations.

Monkey Smoothie Powered by Big Tree Farms™

I just love peanut butter… I mean, I really love it. So it only seems the obvious choice to flavour my smoothies with it as much as possible! I am always looking for new amazing flavour combinations, although this one is a bit more simple, allowing my precious peanut butter to shine. For those steering clear of peanut butter, almond butter makes a great substitute.

Today’s smoothie is powered by our friends at Big Tree Farms. They make fantastic fair trade products, including the Organic Coconut Nectar I used today. Coconut nectar is a delicious sweetener that has a very low glycemic index. It’s a great substitute for honey or maple syrup, with a very unique taste. It’s also a superfood of it’s own, high in nutrients and boasting 16 essential amino acids! Pick some up today and give this smoothie a whirl.

What you’ll need:

• 2 frozen bananas
• 3 Tablespoons of peanut butter
• 6 pitted dates
• 1/4 cup Big Tree Farms TRU RA™ Sweet Nibs
• 2 Tablespoons Big Tree Farms™ Organic Coconut Nectar
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut shreds
• 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk of your choice (more or less to desired consistency)
• Handful of ice

(makes two servings)

Enjoy this delicious organic and fair trade treat, inspired by the jungle, and suitable for you and all your little monkeys.

xx

Invigorating Coffee Sugar Scrub

This is a very simple and delicious way to refresh and invigorate your skin! Caffeine is often used in many beauty creams in stores, but no need to go deep into your pocketbook or look any further than your kitchen. This natural stimulant helps to increase circulation, which improves collagen production in the face, reducing wrinkles and age lines. It also reduces cellulite in those pesky problem areas on us ladies (and a few gents)… Using honey in your facial scrub is excellent, as honey is a natural astringent, pulling out toxins and oils, leaving your skin feeling firm and tight.

Here’s what you need:

• 1/2 cup brewed coffee grounds
• 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil or olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons of honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

You can also add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice. Lavender is always a great choice for relaxation for a nighttime scrub. Mixing ylang-ylang and orange is both sensual and uplifting. The choice is yours!

Stir ingredients together and work in small sections. Scrub using small circular motions in areas with cellulite around the thighs and buttocks for a couple minutes each. The caffeine and massage work together to increase blood flow to your cells. This breaks up the fats that are stored irregularly, which is what causes the dimples of cellulite.

On the face, allow the mixture to soak for about 3-5 minutes before scrubbing and rinsing off. This allows the honey time to draw out oils and impurities in the pores.

When you are done scrubbing your entire body, rinse and towel off gently, patting dry instead of rubbing. Use a dark coloured towel if you have one (to prevent staining anything white). You’ll notice a bit of a bronzed glow, like an all-natural self tanner (yay!)

Something to remember during your whole body scrub down; choose a location where you won’t leave a mess. Outside in the garden, or in the shower, where you can easily rinse away any drippings or splashes!

Enjoy your soft and silky skin today xx

 

Getting Back to Basics: Five Simple Ways to Create More Joy

Creating more joy in your life… Let’s get back to basics…

When we hear the term back to basics, we often think of starting at the beginning, starting over. If you live in the modern world, it’s clear to notice our lives having become increasingly more and more complex over recent years. The truth is, that every moment is a new moment, a new beginning, a chance to get back to the basics.

When we clutter our lives, that’s when life itself seems overwhelming. By clearing the clutter, we not only create space for fresh energy to flow into our lives, but space in our own minds, allowing us to be more present and mindful in any given moment.

Here are five easy ways to create more simplicity in your world, and make room for more JOY.

Making Açaí Bowls at Home

Açaí has been renowned for it’s super antioxidant properties, rich in vitamins, good fats, and high protein content. Not only that, it’s also extremely delicious… We’ve all heard about the Amazonian superfruit berry, in smoothies, chocolates, and other super delicious healthy treats.

Yet, at the heart of it all, what brought this wonderful flavour out into the rest of the world, was the Açaí Bowl. These original bowls were discovered in the heart of the Amazon and have since spread like wildfire throughout the world. Lots of different places, locations, and cafes wind up putting their own spin on it, but today we’re going to go over the real raw way of creating an Açaí bowl at home, with a flavour just like you would find in the Amazon.

Here are some tips and tricks to creating the perfect bowl at home!

Two Packs per Serve

When preparing a proper Açaí bowl, using two frozen smoothie packs per serve will yield a hearty and satisfying meal or snack. You can purchase sweetened or unsweetened packs depending on your preference or sugar sensitivity. Both taste great, and you can sweeten the pure packs yourself by using honey or stevia.

Don’t Go Bananas

I’ve noticed a lot of independent cafes using up to three bananas per bowl! (whoa) This is something that takes away from the taste of the Açaí berry. Then it turns into a smoothie bowl, which is still very delicious, but completely different from the original. Using a little bit of water and purely smoothie packs allows the flavour profile to really shine. If you really like the creaminess of the banana, use only half for blending. The best way to enjoy banana with your bowl is sliced up as a topping.

No Nut Mylk

Another common mistake that I see a lot is adding nut mylk or rice mylk to help the blending process… Resist the urge to do this! Your bowl will come out creamy and soupy, which is what we want to avoid (unless you are making a smoothie). The consistency should be like soft serve sorbet, and the vibrant colour of the Açaí should shine, deep and purple. If your blender doesn’t pulverise as well as some others out there on the market, you can add a little bit of grape juice or water (or better yet, Açaí juice!) This is what the official Sambazon Cafes in the US and Asia do, and it keeps your bowl vibrant and pure.

Invest in a Great Blender

If your blender just isn’t cutting it (no pun intended!), then it may be time to get yourself a new one. With raw foods and healthy self-preparation at home getting more and more popular, now is the time to treat yourself and invest in a great blender! The Vitamix is an all-time fav for us, and for those who are okay with spending the extra cash and going the extra mile, there is also the Thermomix, which cooks as well!

Creating Your Masterpiece

With all of these great ideas in mind, start with your base of thick frozen goodness, and get creative with your toppings! Classic Açaí bowls are served with granola and sliced banana. Here are some ideas for other great toppings:

• shredded coconut
• raw cacao nibs
• chia seeds
• chopped nuts
• fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc)
• sliced tropical fruits (kiwi, mango, papaya, pineapple, etc)
• dried goji berries, dried cranberries
• sliced fresh figs
• pomegranate seeds
• sunflower seeds
• anything else that is a healthy whole food topping, here is where you can get creative!

Send us photos of your beautiful creations! Email om@feelingjoy.org

Or find us on Instagram @feelingjoy and use these hashtags with your upload! #feelingjoy #acaibowls #sambazon

xx

-Ashley

 

Skin Care That Cares Back

We all know about organic food and healthy eating, but what about your beauty routine? When it comes to skin care, what kinds of products do you use?

When we think of health and nutrition, we oftentimes think solely of our food and what we are putting into our bodies. What about what we are putting ON our bodies? Our skin is our largest organ, our face is the window to our soul, and we all want to glow and radiate out our inner light, so why not do it naturally?

I’ve seen a lot of blogs and articles on skin care, revealing the newest greatest products. Something I’ve noticed is the amount of chemicals that a lot of these products contain… If we can’t pronounce it, if we wouldn’t eat it, if we don’t know what it is, why would we put it on our skin? (yikes!)

Another thing to pay attention to when choosing skin care that is right for you, is the company’s ethical standards. Are the products vegan (no animal testing)? Are the ingredients sustainably sourced and organic? Does the company give back to the community? These are all great questions to be asking yourself and of the company you are supporting by purchasing their product.

There are a great number of companies out there boasting ‘organic botanicals’ and ‘all-natural’ ingredients. By now, we should know better than to judge a book by its cover, or a product by it’s front-side advertisement, meant to catch your eye (and your dollar). Read the ingredients on the back carefully, and do your own research. One company in particular that I’ve been absolutely obsessing over lately is the Simply Fair brand. All of their ingredients are derived from organic, whole, natural foods and plant extracts.

Aside from the wonderful ingredients themselves, the company also has a program in which 10% of all sales are allocated to Simply Fair projects. They boast on their bottles:

Each time you use Simply Fair products you are helping communities in West Africa and spreading Yoga across the world.

Companies like this are our future. Each time you purchase a product you are voting with your dollar. By voting for companies using clean and fair standards, others have no choice but to follow suit and do the same. Let’s vote together and give to companies that give back!

You can check out the entire Simply Fair line on their website, and find a retailer near you! Learn more and get involved at: besimplyfair.com

-Ashley

Being ‘Flex-itarian’ – Sweet & Spicy Orange Salmon Recipe

My regular and subscribed readers know that I’m usually posting superfood raw vegan recipes, which I personally love, and believe should be a great base for a healthy lifestyle; consuming a mostly plant-based diet.

When people ask me what I would call myself, my husband and I both respond in saying that we are ‘Flex-itarian’. Our belief system is that everyone’s body is different, people respond differently to different foods. There are many different reasons for choosing a particular diet, religious and moral reasons, eating for your blood type, etc. The truth of the matter is, we should always listen to our bodies… just do what feels good, and feels right.

I myself eat mostly superfoods, with a strong basis in plant-based vegan-ism. It simply feels good to me, I always have more energy when I’m juicing and eating smoothies and nutrient-packed salads. Lately I’ve noticed that when I am eating 100% raw vegan, that I can become a bit anaemic, lacking B-vitamins and Iron necessary for building strong muscles and healthy blood. These can come from a number of different sources, but sometimes I just need a little bit of meat. Even if it is a splurge once per month, or a bite of my husband’s steak out at dinner with friends, my body lets me know when it needs a little extra, and most importantly, I listen to it.

This recipe is one of my mother’s favourites to make. She passed it along to me to share with my husband’s family this week, and now I’m sharing it with you… It’s a truly delicious take on baked fish!

What you’ll need for the marinade:

• Two whole oranges
• 3 cloves of garlic
• One small handful of fresh rosemary
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (more or less to taste)
• Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

Zest the rind of one orange, and mix together with finely minced garlic, chopped rosemary, honey, and other spices. Juice the zested orange and add juice into the mixture. To create a really beautiful presentation, take the second orange, slice it in half. Juice one half and add it to the marinade. Stir together and pour over the fish in a deep baking dish.

Take the remaining half of the orange and slice it very thin. After pouring the marinade over your fish, add the slices to your baking dish. It will not only add a bit of colour and flare to your dish, but will also act as a protective basting layer to keep your fish succulent and juicy.

Bake at 350°F / 180°C until just about done. For the last few minutes, you can turn on the broiler to give it a nice crisp browning on the edges.

I made this dish with garlic sautéed kale and quinoa for a truly delicious, nutrient-packed meal!

Enjoy! xx

Raw Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe

Coming into fall in the northern hemisphere, feeling that crisp morning air and the winds of change… Doesn’t it make you wanna bake? Maybe it’s the woman/virgo in me…

When these times hit, I find myself getting caught up in these delicious new treats, then easily in one week, can undo a whole summer’s worth of hikes and beach yoga…! Not to fret, this is where I turn to raw vegan desserts such as this one. The gentle warmth of traditional carrot cake spices makes you forget you’re eating an unbaked good!

This delicious recipe is both satisfying and packed with nutrients.

What you’ll need:
2 lb. bag of organic whole carrots
2 cups of shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup organic pure maple syrup
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup almond meal
1 cup ground golden flaxseed
1/4 cup rasins (optional)

For the icing:
2 cups organic raw cashews
1 oz. organic liquid stevia extract
1/4 cup coconut milk or coconut cream
Two lemons

(pre-prep) To prepare the icing, soak the cashews in filtered or spring water for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.

• Run the carrots through your juicer, and put the pulp in a mixing bowl.

• In a separate bowl, combine the shredded coconut, maple syrup, and carrot juice. Stir until mixed completely. Set aside.

• Mix together the pulp, sunflower seeds, almond meal, flaxseed and rasins if desired. Add the coconut mixture and stir thoroughly.

• Spread in a glass dish, or if you are feeling extra artistic, you can shape it on a plate, like the one pictured here!

Icing:

• Remove cashews from the refrigerator, rinse, and drain water completely.

• Combine cashews, hemp seeds, stevia, coconut milk and lemon juice in food processor and blend for 2-3 minutes or until whipped completely and beautifully smooth. Adding more or less milk for desired consistency.

• Spread icing over carrot cake and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to set completely

Enjoy this delicious way of eating your veggies in a truly satisfying way!