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Ingredients and Directions:

The Peaches

• 8 Freshly sliced peaches
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2-3 Dashes of cinnamon

1. Blend all of these ingredients in a food processor or blender to your desired consistency, save for 2 of the peaches. (Some people like their cobbler pretty smooth, others like it chunky.)
2. Place the blended portion in your cobbler dish.
3. Add the remaining sliced peaches to the base of your plate and set aside.

The Topping

• 2 cups of your favorite raw nuts (I recommend walnuts, cashews, and/or pecans)
• 1 cup dates
• Dash of sea salt
• 3 Dashes of cinnamon
• Few drops of vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon raw coconut oil

1. Blend all of these ingredients in a food processor until it turns to a nice crumbly texture.
2. Deposit on top of your peach base.

You can either serve immediately, or place it the sun for 10-20 minutes to warm it up a bit. Or, leave your peaches out of the refrigerator for a bit before you begin and you’ll naturally prepare the dish at room temperature. Your peach cobbler will taste stronger on the second day as the flavors meld together, that is if there is any left by then!

Recipe source: eco-chick.com

Here is an AMAZINGLY SIMPLE recipe with healthy blueberries – full of wonderful antioxidants.

BLUEBERRY JELLO

Quick, easy, delicious, and refreshing 3-ingredient dessert
1 pt blueberries
2 bananas
juice of 1/2 lemon

In a blender, puree blueberries, bananas, and lemon juice.
Remove to a bowl and chill until jelled.

Recipe courtesy of: Pretty Smart Raw Food Ideas

Watermelon Seed Tea was recommended by Edgar Cayce, often referred to as the father of holistic medicine for kidney stones and to purify the kidneys and bladder.

Here is what Mr. Cayce suggested: at least once a day, three days a week, drink watermelon seed tea prepared by pouring a pint of boiling water over a tablespoonful of watermelon seed (ground or cut) and allowing it to steep. Let it cool, then strain and drink. If possible, the tea should be made fresh for each use.

Please share this recipe with friends or family members who may need it. And, of course, I encourage you to contact me if you have questions about your health and well-being.

I wanted to share this great summer recipe I found on elanaspantry.com, one of my favorite websites:

Yummy Strawberry Lime Shake

Strawberry Lime Shake
1 ½ cups coconut milk
1 10 ounce package frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional)

1. Place all ingredients in a Vita-Mix (or other high speed blender) and puree on high speed until smooth
2. Serve

Serves 2

All of my anxiety about being perfect and all of my fears about making mistakes seemed to flash before my eyes in a moment on June 2. The Detroit Tigers pitcher, Armando Galarraga, was one out away from pitching a perfect game and being a part of the record books. Galarraga pitches, batter hits, first baseman fields the ball and throws to Galarraga (now covering first base), who catches the ball with his foot on the base. OUT! Perfect game! NOT – Umpire Jim Joyce calls the runner safe.

The television replays clearly showed the runner was out, and, indeed, Galarraga had pitched a perfect game. But, television replays do not count in baseball (except for disputed home runs), so Galarraga went back to the mound and pitched to the next batter who grounded out, and the game was over. A perfect game that wasn’t.

My heart went out to Galarraga. So close, and yet so far. He did everything he could have possibly done to be perfect, but he will not officially be recognized as perfect. I also felt so badly for Jim Joyce. He admitted his mistake after the game, with dignity, but it was too late to take back his call at first base for the record books. Joyce made a mistake that millions of people around the world would see and criticize.

I started thinking, what does it mean to be perfect? How important is it to me to be considered perfect by others? How important is it to me to know I did the best I could have possibly done? The answers to these questions depend on at what point in my life I address the issues.

Throughout my childhood, I strove for perfection – straight As on my report card, 100% on a test, award recognition, etc. When I fell short, I would cry. I would tell myself I not only wasn’t perfect, but also that I wasn’t good enough. I believed that my friends and classmates were smarter than me, which, to me, meant they were better than me. I would tell myself I had to work harder and do more, which caused great anxiety.

I carried this need to be perfect into my adult life. When I started working, I wondered if my job was better than someone else’s. When things were going well, I’d tell friends about my “perfect” job. When I was upset with goings on at the office, I’d explain that it was “part of the job and it would get better,” because I didn’t want others to think I didn’t have a “perfect” job. 

Once again, this need to be perfect made me feel anxious inside, which then caused me to worry about how I looked on the outside. Was my skin clear? Did I look fat? Was my hair OK? Did my make-up look good? Essentially, I was so concerned with how others saw me [translation: feeling judged by others], I wasn’t even aware of whom I was anymore.

Fortunately for me, I embarked on a wellness journey with amazing, nurturing coaches who helped me to find “me.” Think Glinda, the good witch, telling Dorothy she had had the power to go home all the while as she traveled through Oz.

Now, when I wonder about being perfect, or think about how important is it to me to be considered perfect by others, my answer is very different from “before” my wellness journey. As I travel the path of self-care and well-being, I do set an intention to do my best and be my best at every turn. The difference is now I don’t rely on others to determine if I’m perfect or if I did my best, I review my actions and my results and ascertain if I could have done anything differently.

And when I think about the baseball game on June 2, I wonder about what was going through the minds of Galarraga and Joyce in the same moment that affected me so deeply. I admire them both. Galarraga, for seemingly not being focused on being perfect in the minds of others, and Joyce, for not being afraid to admit a mistake.

Next Steps:

1. Allow yourself some quiet time to think about how you act every day – with family, on the job, with friends, etc.
2. Carry a small notebook, or a stack of index cards, with you and jot down moments when you find yourself feeling judged by others, when you feel “less than” because you’ve made a mistake, etc.
3. Also in this notebook or on the cards, celebrate your achievements. Right down the moments when you feel empowered to make decisions based on your true beliefs.
4. Once a week, review the notes to yourself and begin to see if/how perfectionism is present in your life.
5. Visit my blog where I have posted resources and books to read if you believe “being perfect” is taking over your life.

These steps will empower you to take action to live a healthy, fulfilled life. If you are concerned about your nutrition and lifestyle routines and know you want to do things differently so you can be your best every day without worry about the judgment of others, contact me, or call 917-603-2318. At Bravo! Wellness, I work with my clients to create manageable lifestyle changes so they are able to achieve their greatest potential in their professional and personal lives. Start living your best life today! I’m here to support you.

I wanted to share this great summer recipe I found on elanaspantry.com, one of my favorite websites:

Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho
1 small avocado
1 cucumber, peeled and de-seeded, plus additional cuke for garnish
1 tablespoon onion, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 cup water
smoked paprika, to garnish

1. Throw avocado, cucumber, onion, oil, lemon juice, vinegar and water in Vita-Mix (or other high speed blender)
2. Puree on high speed until smooth
3. Blend in salt and chili powder
4. Serve, garnishing with extra cucumber cubes and smoked paprika if desired

As the temperature rises, try this Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho and let me know if you like it.

Bravo! to the Cleveland Clinic for its commitment to true, natural health and well-being and for supporting its community.

Elizabeth Fiordalis, the Cleveland Clinic’s director of community benefit, made a heartfelt statement, “Patient care extends beyond our doors.”

I believe it is important to recognize Cleveland Clinic for educating its employees, patients, visitors and residents of its surrounding communities about natural, fresh food. Last time I walked into a hospital on the Upper West Side, donuts and cookies were being sold in the lobby.

What is your experience with hospital food? If you’ve been hospitalized, what were you served? If you’ve visited a patient, what were they being served?

I applaud the Cleveland Clinic and hope more hospitals adopt this trend.   Click here to read the entire article and please come back and post comments.

Teapots are my favorite thing in the whole world. For me, they represent peace and tranquility and remind me of the amazing experiences I enjoyed while studying in London during my senior year in college. So, I was very excited to meet a friend and colleague at Radiance Tea  on West 55th Street in midtown Manhattan.

The minute you step foot in Radiance Tea, you leave behind the madness on the busy streets. I took a deep breath and smiled as I walked in the door, knowing I was in for a special treat. My friend, Helene, is a regular, and the staff used her first name in conversation. I immediately felt like I was among many friends, not just one.

I was overwhelmed at first by the many tea offerings on the menu.  In addition to the “standard” teas – varieties of black, green and oolong – Radiance Tea offers a complete menu of wellness teas. The description of each one made me want to try all, but Helene and I finally chose Ancient Path and shared the large pot. Ancient Path was described as good for warming the body, uplifting energy and spirit, and the immune system. It is a blend of goji berries, ginseng root, cinnamon bark, astragalus, licorice root, chrysanthemum and black tea (we asked them to leave out the unrefined raw sugar which they were happy to do for us).

If you are in NYC, I highly recommend a visit to Radiance Tea. Maybe you’ll see me there – I’m a regular now.

Radiance Tea – 158 West 55th Street (between 6/7 Aves.)
212-217-0442

Here are some websites that discuss the benefits of drinking tea:
http://www.teabenefits.com/
http://www.learn-about-tea.com/ 
http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/health-benefits-of-tea

Are you concerned that you drink too much coffee? Have you said you were going to start drinking tea instead but haven’t changed your routine yet? Do you want to make lifestyle changes but not sure how to begin? Contact me  for a complimentary wellness profile.

My husband, Keith, and I enjoyed a great Memorial Day Weekend. We went up to the Berkshires for a couple of days. We relaxed and spent quality time together. We were in the car a lot, with a three hour drive to the Berkshires on Friday and home on Sunday evening, and on Saturday we drove to Northampton and walked around a great craft show (and we shared a gluten-free lunch!).

We sat on the couch with his arm around me and watched television (when we’re at home we’re usually doing other things while watching tv, so I really don’t consider it quality time together). We ate our meals sitting at the kitchen table and ran errands together. On Sunday, we met up with my cousins for another relaxing meal.

Yesterday, we read in the paper in bed and then walked around a quiet New York City. We visited the street fair on Madison Avenue, sat down for a snack and talked about the week ahead. It was a great way to end a wonderful holiday weekend.

It started getting late so I asked Keith what he wanted to do for dinner. We both thought about it and he suggested going to Candle Cafe, because he knows I loooooove it there. Often times we pick up a dish for me and Keith either orders in from another restaurant or makes a meal for himself at home, so I offered that if he wanted to pick up something for me and he could get something else, he replied, “No, let’s just go sit and eat there.”

We enjoyed a nice early dinner, which made me happy because it meant we could go home, straighten up a bit and watch the hockey game together. As we prepared to leave Candle Cafe, I smiled and told Keith how happy I was that we had eaten early, enjoyed delicious food and that we could go home and relax. And he replied, “That’s why I wanted to stay here and eat. If we brought it home, you would have sat down for two bites, then gone on the computer, then sent some text messages, then made a “quick” phone call, and before we knew it, it would have been ten o’clock.”

OMG! I got a knot in the pit of my stomach. Keith’s loving remarks about sitting down at a restaurant to eat dinner together made me realize how “unpresent” I can be at home, how I let the myriad of distractions get to me. How interesting that over the weekend I bought a postcard to frame that reads: make the present moment into the most wonderful moment of your life.

I love that today is the first day of a new month. My intention for this month is to establish the habit of “being present.” I don’t want life to pass me by; I want to enjoy all the great gifts it has to offer. I thank my husband for being the special man that he is and teaching me such an important lesson.

Is there a habit you want to create this month? Have you been saying you are going to eat healthily but then think, “I’ll start tomorrow”?  Contact me and we can discuss how you can transform your life and begin living the healthy lifestyle you desire.

Sometimes the choice to buy organic or conventional produce is not an easy one. It could be that certain items are not available as organic or that the organic variety is too expensive.

The small oval stickers on fruits and vegetables indicate whether or not the item is organic. Conventional produce is labeled with a 4-digit number usually beginning with the number “4”. Organic produce is marked with a 5-digit number starting with “9”. Genetically modified (GMO) produce has a 5-digit code that starts with “8”.

The Environmental  Working Group has created a chart suggesting which produce is better to buy organic based on the amount of pesticides known to be used on the farms. Download a copy of the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides  you can carry with you to the supermarket.  And if you’re an iphone user, you can download an app. 

If you are interested in other recommendations regarding organic versus non-organic food varieties, or have questions about foods you are consuming on a regular basis, contact me for a complimentary wellness profile.