Seems like I just can’t get enough kale!  Not only is this salad super yummy, but it is incredibly healthy and easy to make. This is a great raw choice for the warm months and a nice dish to bring for a potluck.

Ingredients:
-  1 bunch of kale
-  1 avocado
-  1 lemon, squeezed
-  1 teaspoon Sea Salt

Rinse the kale, remove the stems and chop. Combine the kale, lemon and sea salt in a bowl. Massage the kale with your hands for a few minutes - until the kale becomes tender. Chop up the avocado into small pieces and massage it into the greens.

Optional Add-ins:
− Grated root vegetables such as beet, carrot and daikon radish.
− Toasted sesame or sunflower seeds.
− Crumbled goat or feta cheese.
− Extra Virgin Olive Oil
− Quinoa

Spring is the perfect time to up your intake of greens. The grass is turning green, the trees are blossoming and green shoots are coming up all over. Nature is reminding us to eat our greens! Greens help cleanse and detoxify our bodies, increase our energy and make us feel more in tune with the season. Greens also have a high fiber and nutrient content - calcium, magnesium, iron, folic acid, as well as antioxidant vitamins A, B, C and E. (more…)

Here’s a super easy way to get more greens into your life!Great for breakfast or a super healthy snack. 5 minutes to make and will fill you up for 4-5 hours thanks to the addition of protein (protein powder, flax seed, and almonds). (more…)

I used to suffer from year-round allergies that were at their worst in the springtime. I was on a corticosteroid inhaler and took antihistamines for six months out of the year. I had frequent colds, sinus infections and headaches. I decided to get off the medications and fight the allergies the natural way. This is the protocol that I have followed for the last six years. I can’t promise that it will work for everyone, but I can say that I am now medication and allergy free. (more…)

Most of us have dutifully made a list of resolutions and found to our dismay that 2 months later our habits haven’t changed at all. What can you do to really own your New Year’s Resolutions and make permanent changes?

Write down your resolutions - Write them down and take a good look at them. If you have a long list, pick just one. Pick the one that will make the biggest difference in your life and is the most do-able.

Make a plan - If your resolution is a bit general, break it down into easy-to-do action steps. Decide when you are going to start the first step. Today? Tomorrow? Monday? Put it into your schedule right now.

Tell someone else - No secrets! Tell at least one person who will hold you accountable. Tell them what you’re going to do and when. Have them ask you whether you’ve done it.

Visualization - Sit in a comfortable quiet place for at least 5 minutes. Imagine yourself doing the first action step of your resolution. How does it feel? Imagine that you continue doing this for the next month, six months, year from now… how will you feel then? How will your life be different?

Write down 5 positive outcomes that will come from successfully implementing your resolution. Post these somewhere visible such as on your refrigerator or by your desk as a Reminder.

This is the time of year for colds and flu… and amidst all the dire warnings out there this year I thought some basic tips for staying healthy would be helpful.

• Wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer if you are unable to get to the sink.
• Avoid touching your face with your hands. One of the biggest ways that we infect ourselves is by transferring germs from our hands to our mouth, nose or eyes.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow instead of your hands to avoid spreading your germs to others.
• Use a neti pot or sinus irrigation tool to rinse your sinuses with warm salt water every day. Gargling with salt water is a good idea as well. Don’t give the germs a chance to stick!
• Get enough sleep! This varies by person, but generally 7-8 hours is recommended.
• Stay off the sugar! Sugar depresses your immune system.
• Supplements: Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, echinacea and zinc are all helpful for your immune system. Experiment to see what supplements work best for you to keep your immune system functioning optimally.

It’s easy when you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed to forget the importance of taking care of yourself. When you take care of yourself first, you have more to give to others in your life - family, friends and co-workers. When you treat yourself well, you are naturally more productive, motivated and energetic and have more to give to the world. What are some easy ways to nurture yourself?

• Eat Breakfast and Lunch - Skipping breakfast and working through lunch is a recipe for afternoon slumps and late night binges.
• Get your Beauty Sleep - Whoa, dark circles! Sleep 7-8 hours a night to look and feel your best.
• Active Relaxation - Take 5-10 minutes every day to meditate, do yoga, stretch or just breathe.

(more…)

Feeling unbalanced, run down, stressed out, or anxious about life in general? Meditation is a wonderful way to recharge and rejuvenate. Meditation has been shown to offer many health benefits* as well. (more…)

Spring is the perfect time to up your intake of greens. The grass is turning green, the trees are blossoming and green shoots are coming up all over. Nature is reminding us to eat our greens! Greens help cleanse and detoxify our bodies, increase our energy and make us feel more in tune with the season. Greens also have a high fiber and nutrient content - calcium, magnesium, iron, folic acid, as well as antioxidant vitamins A, B, C and E. (more…)

I used to suffer from year-round allergies that were at their worst in the springtime. I was on a corticosteroid inhaler and took antihistamines for six months out of the year. I had frequent colds, sinus infections and headaches. I decided to get off the medications and fight the allergies the natural way. This is the protocol that I have followed for the last six years. I can’t promise that it will work for everyone, but I can say that I am now medication and allergy free. (more…)