What is EWG and why should you care?

I never even heard of EWG = The Environmental Working Group when I first started choosing organic, but when I learned of who they are, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment, and there commitment to helping people live healthier lives in healthier environments, I became very interested. For two decades, EWG has dedicated it’s efforts to supporting consumers like you and me with game-changing investigations and research on toxics and environmental health, food and agriculture, and water and energy to empower us as consumers to choose in ways that support us and our world.

I so get it though, many people can’t afford to buy all organic all the time. When I first started buying organic I can remember struggling with some of the prices of the produce I wanted to buy. And though my consciousness has evolved since those earlier days, I’ve learned that we don’t have to buy all organic produce all the time to reduce the risk of chemical contamination.  Though I now do buy all organic whenever possible simply because my consciousness about caring for our planet has evolved beyond just my initial impetus to care for me, my body and my health!

EWG offers us these two great lists, the Dirty Dozen Plus and Clean 15, which tell us which fruits and vegetables contain the most chemicals and which ones are the least contaminated. Use these lists when shopping to help make the best choices for you and your family – even if you can’t buy entirely organic foods. Cool offering? EWG offers an app you can download for FREE right onto your smart phone for easy access while at the market, so you never have to worry if you are buying something that is highly sprayed with higher risks. Check out EWG

Seriously, gotta’ love a company whose mission is to empower us to take better care of ourselves and our planet!

Want to know the foundational credo I teach my clients to produce results and create massive success in all areas of their lives?

Gratitude.

Yes, gratitude is the foundation upon which we build everything. It really is that simple.

Gratitude Rocks.

For me, Willie Nelson sums up the force of gratitude perfectly in just a few short words,

”When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”

Gratitude turns not enough into abundance.
Gratitude turns adversity into possibility.
Gratitude turns fear into courage.
Gratitude turns anger into powerful lessons.
Gratitude turns doubt into confidence.

Gratitude is power in motion. Gratitude shifts perspective. Gratitude creates powerful contexts for us to flex the muscles of courage and confidence that we might feel reluctant to flex. Gratitude creates the powerful context of surrender and openness when life circumstances want to “take us down.” Indeed, during my first year as solopreneur, I found myself many a morning with my head up against the wall of my shower crying, creating gratefulness for the challenges entrepreneurship offered me. Oh yes, life offered me many an opportunity to flex my muscles of courage, confidence and surrender. Ha! No doubt.

And as a result, gratitude offers the opportunity to grow. When we feel uncertain, when we feel doubtful, when we feel challenged, gratefulness asks us to count our blessings and to dig deep into what really matters most to us, and … to tap a level of strength we never even knew we possessed.

I always say to my clients, when we focus on our blessings, when we focus on what is good and right in our lives, the ‘stuff’ that used to bother us literally falls off our radar … and then the magic of life begins to unfold. When we live inside the context of gratitude, our focus shifts, our perspective changes. What really matters most to us moves to front and center stage.

How to rock gratitude?

When you first open your eyes in the morning, pause and reflect on 3 things you are grateful for, it can be simply for the birds chirping, or the rain falling, or your family, friends and job. But the areas that gratefulness works magical results is the areas that we most feel stopped around. Oh yes, exactly, create gratefulness for that “contrary” co-worker, or “nagging” family member and watch gratitude works it’s transformative magic! 

Don’t believe me? Try it. For 30 days. Everyday. Consecutive. 

Gratitude is a powerful, powerful transformative tool.

I offer you 15 gratitude quotes that I just love — you can even use these as affirmations, or simply powerful reminders of the force gratefulness offers.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues,
but the parent of all the others. ~ Cicero

Gratitude is an opener of locked-up blessings. ~Marianne Williamson

Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today. ~Abraham–Hicks

If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation,
you will discover that your life will
suddenly be filled with gratitude,
a feeling that nurtures the soul.
~ Rabbi Harold Kushner

Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.
~ Zig Ziglar

It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed
in the same moment. ~Naomi Williams

 Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.  ~ Marcel Proust

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
~ Oprah Winfrey

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. ~ Albert Schweitzer

Let us rise up and be thankful,
for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, 
and if we didn’t learn a little, 
at least we didn’t get sick,
and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; 
so, let us all be thankful. ~The Buddha

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. ~ Melody Beattie

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them. ~Chinese Proverb

The struggle ends when the gratitude begins. ~Neale Donald Walsch

How does gratitude work for you in your life? I’d love to hear in the comments section below.

When I make recipes like this, seriously, all I do is laugh and think I’ve so got to share this healthy ‘stuff’ with everyone who will listen! Recipes like this are the foundational steps to taking our lives to the whole next level because they are so nutrient-dense and healing! Easy to make. Easy to clean up. And best part … very easy to eat, because they are so darn healthy, deeeelcious  and personalizable! Yup, you can add anything and everything you want, once you get the basic recipe down, and you can even modify that too, but of course I offer you a few suggestions. Think old skool hoagie meets new world wrap and you’ve got the gist of this healthy recipe down pat!

The Recipe:

Mediterranean Sesame Seed Pate Wraps

• 1 cup of sunflower seeds, sprouted
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary
• Kalamata olives, or high quality olives of choice
• 1 Tablespoon Zatar
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Himalayan Sea Salt to taste
• Ground Black Pepper to taste
• Large Collard Greens – deveined (cut in half)

Additional Suggestions: 

• Carrot, shredded
• Cucumber, sliced lengthwise
• Red, orange or yellow bell peppers, sliced thinly
• Italian Long Hot Peppers, sliced or diced
• Sprouts of choice
• Avocado

Prepare the sunflower seed pate. Drain the sunflower seeds of excess water. Add the sunflower seeds, celery, garlic, rosemary, Zatar, sea salt, black pepper, lemon juice with the zest, and extra virgin olive oil to your food processor. Blend until well incorporated. The pate should be smooth but still have some texture to it.

Assemble the wrap. Wash your collard leaf and pat dry. Lay the leaf flat on a cutting board. Take a small knife and remove the thick rib of the stem (devein) so you have two halves that lie flat. Scoop the pate on your collard leaf. Add any of the suggested toppings. Roll the collard leaf like a burrito.

Buono Appetito!

Beets are a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals, fiber and photonutrients. But the phytonutrients in beets give us blast of what is called betalains, which is in the rich gorgeous colors they offer. What does this really mean for us?  Beets give us a huge blast of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and cleansing, detoxification benefits.

Beet and Apple Salad

The Recipe:

• 2 cups of baby arugula
• 2 medium apples, peeled and sliced
• 2 medium chiogga beets
• ¹/₄ teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste
• Himalayan Sea Salt to taste
• Ground Black Oepper to taste

Slice apples and toss with fresh lemon juice in a large bowl. Add beets, arugula, fresh rosemary, pumpkin seeds, EVOO, salt and pepper. Toss to blend all ingredients thoroughly. You want to makes sure to coat the arugula and serve.

Buono Appetito! 

Do you know that leafy greens are the most nutritious food pound for pound? Yup, leafy greens offer a limitless pool of nutrition and healing benefits because they alkalize the body, which is why you’ll always catch me in the kitchen every morning making green smoothies and green juices. Here are 10 important reasons why it is so good for you to include greens in your diet everyday:

1. Purify the blood
2. Assist in improving circulation
3. Improve immune system and function
4. Natural energy
5. High in B-vitamins = promote intestinal health
6. Anti-aging
7. Lower cholesterol and inflammation
8. Boosts bone health
9. Improves elimination
10. Supports healthy vision

I recommend alternating the leafy greens you eat. Leafy greens contain a small minute amount of nitrogenous organic compounds called alkaloids, which in the plant world is a really good thing because they act as a protective mechanism against the the animal kingdom wiping them completely out. But in humans, too much of one leafy green on a regular basis can have a poisonous physiological effect. Plus, by alternating our leafy greens, we increase the range of vitamin and mineral benefits each offer us. You can have spinach for a few days, then switch to kale for a few days and onward with any from the range available.

Here is an awesome alkaline green drink (think healing) from Dr. Robert O. Young, author of “The pH Miracle”

• 2 cucumbers
• 8 kale leaves
• 10 Swiss chard leaves
• 5 celery stalks
• 3 large handfuls of spinach
• 4 Roma tomatoes
• 2 green zucchini
• 2 avocados

Juice all the veggies and add to your blender, add 2 whole avocados (meat only) 1 oz liquid chlorophyll, 1-2 oz. EFA oil blend, and a high-grade, very clean greens powder. I sell the one I believe to be the best on the planet. Why? It is sourced from very pristine, remote areas in South American, where the soils and air are clean and unscathed, unlike highly-industrialized countries. Check it out here >>

As everything I do, I made this recipe with big love for you, but this one I added a special twist of Jersey-girl “flava” for Marie Forleo, to celebrate her new season of B-School coming up in March! My first year with her in this program was second to nothing I’ve ever done – extraordinary! Oh yes, if it is true that we are the sum part of the 5 people we spend the most time with, I can assure you, you will join a tribe of 1000s of entrepreneurs that are up to “making money and changing the world” outstanding-style with Marie Forleo at the helm!  This recipe — a Chocolate Cashew Milkshake, is loaded with healing ingredients, love and wishes for your great success, to heal your body, so your Spirit can soar wildly, beyond the parameters you ever thought possible! Heck, maybe even with me and Marie Forleo in B-School this year!

I know, I know, with every recipe I say that this is the best recipe I’ve ever made, but this one, welp, it may be true with this one!

You want your healthy swagger back so bad, but you just can’t imagine giving up chocolate! This recipe is the perfect recipe. Thick. Creamy. And … with a very careful eye on the sugar content. Too much sugar is not good for us, right? Plus, I added all sorts of nutritional powerhouses! This ‘milkshake,’ rather ‘mylkshake,’ since it is a nut-based milk, is indescribably delicious. Creamy and just as thick as you remember your favorite milkshake, but healthy all day long, especially since I’ve added the special ‘shot’ of ginger! Sweet and spicy. Rich and creamy. Healthy and healing. C’mon, how could indulgence get any better? Just like one of the fine chocolates you specialty order, but this one won’t inflame your body!

Your welcome! You will love me forever for this one!

Here you go:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw Cashews
• 2 cups filtered water
• 1 cup ice
• 2  frozen bananas
• 3 Tbsp raw cacao
• 1 scoop vanilla plant-based protein powder
• 1 – 2 Tbsp flax
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp of EFA oil
• pinch Celtic sea salt
• 1 – 2 shots of fresh pressed ginger juice (optional, but oh so freaking good!)

Add all ingredients into your high-speed blender and whirl-away to a decadent mildly sweet and healthy, thick, creamy treat!

PS-that ginger juice? Oh, EM, GEE … think luscious specialty chocolate with little nibs of goodness, minus the nibs of course, but with the essence of sweet cacao and spicy ginger that blend together into an indescribable glass of goodness!

PSS- Do you know that you must “chew” your smoothies? Yes, please chew each mouthful to activate the first gastric juices of our digestive process, amylase, to make sure your body gets all the healthy goodness you take in when you drink your smoothies!

PSS- Join me in B-School and grab this amazing bonus!

Cheers!

The delight of any meal is to enjoy every bite, and feel light, energized and nourished when done. My Mediterranean Radicchio Salad satiates and satisfies because of all the plant-protein and plant-fat it provides in the quinoa and kale, olive and avocado. As a delightful alternative, grill your radicchio, kale and scallion lightly for a fiery flavor.

 Recipe: 

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium head radicchio, chopped
• 1/2 bunch kale
• 5 scallions, sliced
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 1/2 cup garbanzos
• 2 tablespoons ACV
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil – EVOO
• Fresh coarsely black ground pepper
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 avocado, diced

Cook the quinoa with the water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over med-low heat until all the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let set covered for another 10 minutes to set. Uncover, fluff and serve.

Chop radicchio and kale coarsely to create a chopped salad texture. Slice scallion. Slice olives. Prep garbanzos.

Toss radicchio and kale with ACV, lemon, EVOO and black pepper. Massage “greens” and then add scallion, olives and beans. When combined, add quinoa and toss through.

Garnish with tomato and avocado.

Serve and Enjoy!

Sea Salt Body Scrub with Essential Oils

For centuries, and still today, many use sea salts and epsom salts for healing, wellness and detoxification. Sea salt body scrubs literally nourish, balance, soothe and heal our skin, while our body absorbs all the healing benefits of wide-spectrum of minerals in salt to promote deeper healing, balance and detoxification. Sea salt scrubs are long known to revive and moisturize dry, devitalized skin and considered a beautiful “spa” treatment any time of the year.

Sea Salt Body Scrub

1/2 cup Coarse Sea Salt

1/2 cup Coconut, Extra Virgin Olive, Almond or Sesame Oil

Essential Oil — preference

• Eucalyptus, energizing
• Lavendar, calming
• Rose – heart opener, with anti-depressive qualities

Mix all ingredients together and gently rub the skin with the sea salt scrub, to exfoliate and invigorate your skin. The abrasive action of exfoliation removes dead skin cells, improves circulation and leaves the skin healthy and glowing.

Tabula Rasa. Clean Slate. Hello 2015!

Tabula Rasa: ˈtäbyo͝olə ˈräsə, ˈräzə| noun (pl. tabulae rasae |ˈtäbyo͝olē ˈräsē, ˈräzē| ) an absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals; a clean slate: the team did not have complete freedom and a tabula rasa from which to work.
ORIGIN Latin, literally ‘scraped tablet,’ denoting a tablet with the writing erased.

What do you do at the dawn of a New Year?

Do you set new goals?

Create new resolutions?

When I crewed Anthony Robbins Unleash the Power Within one year, I became known as the “burn your fears girl.” My task of that day was to make sure all attendees had filled out a “burn your fears sheet” to toss into a fire before the nights event of walking on fire. Robbins believes “we” can’t face the fear of walking on fire, if we still hold so many fears within. He believes the act of writing them down, crumbling them up and burning them metaphorically represents a letting go, a releasing, an opening, a space, for the new.

I love that analogy. I loved my designation of the day as attendees would approach me and ask, “are you the burn your fears girls?” “Oh, yes, I AM the burn your fears girl,” I would think as I giggled!

But mostly, I love the larger metaphor this program-ritual offers, we’ve got to let go, to embrace the new.

Clean out to bring in.

Open, to let go.

Tabula Rasa. Clean Slate

I love this quote from the “father of the hero’s journey,” Joseph Campbell, “We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

At this time of year, at the dawn of a whole bright, new, shiny year, as you create your goals and resolutions, or whatever name or form that takes for you, I offer you a series of thoughts, ideas and questions to create completion with 2014, to create a whole new, open space for you, for your greatness, for your success and your greatest joys to emerge in 2015.

Tabula Rasa. Clean Slate. Fresh new adventures laden with endless possibilities, unburdened by dashed hopes and dreams of yesteryear. You want it all and you know that letting go to open to the new is essential. You know this on both an intellectual and intuitive level.

Questions to reflect on, as you bid adieu to 2014:

If you were to summarize 2014 into one word, what word would you choose and why?

What and who are you most grateful for this year?

What was your most powerful lesson of the year?

Your greatest success?

Your greatest risk?

What worked?

What didn’t work?

Who made the greatest impact on your life this year?

What did you accomplish in 2014 that you are most proud of?

What worked for you this year? What didn’t work for you this year?

What are you most happy about completing this year?
Like when the ball drops at midnight, this exercise is an emotional one — sort of bittersweet, but ah, oh-so-powerful nonetheless. You just gleaned powerful insights into what you want, and what you don’t want for the new year that rises. But oh, so exciting, you’ve cleaned the slate, you’ve celebrated, acknowledged and completed 2014 to open the space of tabula rasa for 2015! And with this whole new open space …

I offer you a few questions and thoughts to consider, as you plan for your BIGLIFE Project 2015.

If you were to choose one word to describe what you want to create in 2015, what would it be?

Where and who do you want to be at the end of 2015?

In what area(s) of your life do you want to create lasting success?

What top 3 actions can you take right now to ensure your success? Write these out and create timelines to complete these actions, “by when.”

What top 3 actions can you take every day to ensure your success? Write these out every week, and review them every night, so you know what to do the next day.

Who can help you advance your intentions and success?

What books can you read to ensure your success?

What groups can you join to ensure your success?

Who can you work with to ensure your success?

What will be the benefits if you stick to your goals?

What will be the losses?

You cannot change your past, but you can choose your future.

Happy 2015! Let go of whatever didn’t happen in 2014 — listen to the “burn your fears girl,” and create peace with what didn’t happen and gratefulness for all that did! This IS your year, IF you create it that way!

May vibrant health, soaring energy and unstoppable success be yours in this new year and every year hereafter!!