NaturalCounselor Health and Wellness Blog For Women

Did you know that a little chocolate mixed with love can help you beat the seasonal blues and help you feel fabulous. 

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ~Charles M. Schulz

As we know, all chocolate is made from Cacao Beans (also known as Cocoa Beans). So basically, Cacao is chocolate! All the antioxidant value, mineral benefits, neurotransmitter rejuvenating properties, and overall health-giving qualities of chocolate are found in Cacao (Chocolate) Powder made from cacao beans.

Studies show that Cacao (Chocolate) may lower blood pressure, increase circulation, increase blood flow to the brain, and decrease chronic inflammation in the body, heart and cardio-vascular system. Dark chocolate can also boost serotonin level to help fight moodiness.

I would like to share with you 2 tasty and healthy chocolate recipes you can make for Valentines or any other time of the year to to make you or special Valentine feel fabulous.

Tasty Instant Chocolate Pudding Recipe for your Valentine Sweetie

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup (about 12 ounces) firm silken tofu, crumbled
• ¼ to ½ cup dark brown sugar, or pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup Cacao (Chocolate) Powder or Carob Powder
  
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt (optional)

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in food processor and blend several minutes until smooth and creamy. Chill I the refrigerator until serving time. Adopted from Breaking the Food Seduction by Neal Bernard.

Chocolate Frosting Valentine Recipe for a Healthy Mind

Ingredients:

• 11/2 extra firm silken tofu
• 1 cup Cacao
• 1/3 cup agave nectar or  Yacon Syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Blend the tofu, Cacao , agave nectar and vanilla in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Set aside. Stir the chocolate chips in a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Carefully add the melted chocolate to the food processor, then blend until thoroughly combined. Transfer the frosting to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours or until just firm enough to spread. From The Real Food Daily Cookbook by Ann Gentry.

Bon Appetit!

”

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health  Counselor and Coach

Are you trying to beat your sugar cravings?  Why not try one of these recipes; they can help you balance your hormones, boost your energy, or with weight loss and detox.

Healthy Detox Ginger Carrot Breakfast Cookies

Ginger promotes circulation, stimulates lymphatic flow, and can help detox the body.

The taste of carrots help fight your sugar cravings as well as improve your eyesight, lower cholesterol and prevent heart attack and stroke.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup oat flour
• ¼ cup brown rice or barley flour
• 2 cups cooked millet
• 1 and ½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• ½ cup water

Directions:

Lightly roasted oats and flour by stirring over medium heat in skillet, until toasty smelling but not browned. Mix all ingredients and add just enough water for a moist, (not mushy). Shape into cookies on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.

adopted from the Self-healing Cookbook by Kristina Turner

Tasty Fennel and Orange Detox Salad

Fennel stimulates the liver, improves fat digestion, and contains essential oils that can help get rid of excess fluid and thus weight.

Orange is rich in vitamin C and can help boost your immune system.  You can also lift your mood by using the zest of the oranges.

Onions can cleanse and detox your liver and skin; they also have antiseptic properties.

Ingredients:

• 2 oranges, sliced
• 1 bulb fennel, sliced
• 1 red onion sliced into rings
• juice of 1 orange
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• zest of 1 orange
• mint or parsley to garnish

Directions:

Place a layer of oranges, then a layer of fennel and then a layer of onions. Mix orange juice with apple cider vinegar and drizzle over the salad. Add orange zest and mint or parsley to garnish.

Beet and Apple Juice Detox Recipe

Try this delicious detox juice recipe to feel and look fabulous.

Beets stimulate the liver and can help to detox and cleanse the digestive system and blood.

Apple adds sweetness and fiber which can helps to detox your body.

Spinach contains antioxidants that can fight free radicals to helps boost your immune system.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium beet
• 1 large apple
• 1 carrot
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in the juicer or blender and process. If you wish, you can dilute with filtered water to taste.

Bon Appetit!

Breathe, smile and be happy.

©Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach and Relationship Expert

If you are seeking to lose weight naturally, balance your hormones, avoid headaches and migraines, or prevent cancer and heart disease, you need to reduce your consumption of  high calorie, high fat and high sugar content foods.

But what shall we do if we like ice-cream and it is hot outside? This delicious and healthy dairy and guilt free ice cream recipe from www.americanyogini.com will help you cool off and feel fabulous in a hot weather. You can also have it as a healthy snack for more energy and better mood when you feel sleepy or tired.

Dairy Free Strawberry Watermelon Swirl to Lose Weight Naturally

Un-Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Watermelon, cubed
• 3 Cups fresh Strawberries, sliced
• 1 Cup Cashews, soaked 3 hours
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Cup filtered water ( in addition to soaking water) 1/4 – 1/2 cup agave nectar

Equipment and tools:

• blender
• mesh milk bag
• ice cream machine – center vessel in freezer for 6 hours. I store mine in the freezer at all times so its just ready to go: I just take it from the freezer instead of the cabinet.
• 2 ice cream parfait glasses
• 2 mixing bowls
• rubber spatula

Un-Cooking Instructions:

• Cut watermelon into rough cubes about 1-2 inches, and place in freezer on cookie sheet.
• Be sure the ice cream maker is frozen for several hours, placed in your freezer according to manufacturer instructions.
• Meanwhile:
  Blend soaked cashews with water and 3 Tablespoons Agave Nectar until very well liquefied.
• Squeeze through a mesh filter bag or force through a fine sieve, stir in vanilla, and set aside.
• Slice strawberries, and taste for natural sweetness. Add more agave if desired to taste.
• Blend into the cashew vanilla cream in your blender, allow some of the strawberries pieces to remain chunky.
• Assemble your frozen ice cream bowl into the base and turn on.
• With motor running, Slowly pour strawberry ice cream base into your ice cream maker.
• In only a few minutes you will see the ice cream forming in your ice cream maker.
• While the ice cream maker is doing its job, remove watermelon from freezer, and place in blender to quickly blend into a frozen slush.
• With spatula, place softly frozen strawberry ice cream into a mixing bowl and swirl in the watermelon slush.

MINDFULNESS TIP:

Tune in to the “cleansed” you and be “sattvic” (truthful and present) when tasting for sweetness: So many times when it comes to desserts we revert to old information and programing that will tell us “add more sweetness” rather than slow down and be present with each ingredient acknowledging the ‘Sattvic” or “true” level of sweetness nature is presenting at this moment.

Strawberry may be more or less sweet according to region, season, weather conditions. All these natural factors become a part of us, and allow us to be fully in control. This does not mean that if you have sour berries you should not add sweet agave, that too would be untruthful. The blessing of this cleansing practice is our growing ability to truthfully give ourselves what delights and nourishes us and our friends and families.

Bon Appetit!

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach and Relationship Expert

Even if the weather doesn’t feel  like it, we are still in the middle of winter.  If you have the winter blues, some mood and energy boosters you can try are fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, and whole grains.  They are rich in fiber, which can help detox your body from fatigue causing toxins, leading to a better mood and higher level of energy.

So let us have more energy and get in a better mood with these healthy vegetable soups with recipes I adopted from www. womansday.com

Energy Boosting Curried Cauliflower Vegetable Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, sliced 1⁄4 in. thick
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth, or 31⁄2 cups broth or bouillon
• 21⁄2 cups water
• 2 medium potatoes (8 oz), cut in 1⁄2-in. pieces
• 3 cups frozen cauliflower florets
• 1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, rinsed
• 1⁄2 cup frozen cut-leaf spinach
• Serve with: plain yogurt or sour cream

Directions:

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots; cook 4 minutes or until onions are golden and just tender.

Stir in curry powder and garlic; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in remaining ingredients; cook, covered, 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Mood Boosting Split Pea Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb dried green split peas
• 2 cups diced onions
• 1 1⁄2 cups diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1⁄2 tsp pepper
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 11⁄4 lb ham hock(s)

Directions:

Put all ingredients and 7 cups water in a 51⁄2-qt or larger slow-cooker. Cover and cook on high 6 hours or low 12 hours until peas are very soft and fall apart. Remove ham. When cool enough to handle, cut meat off the bone, dice and return to soups. Serve with cornbread, or cut cornbread in cubes, toast in oven and serve as croutons.

Bon Appetit!

P.S.  for more mood boosting tips and ideas you may like to listen to:

• How to Attract Health and Happiness with Maria Lesetz. listen
• Practicing Gratitude to Deal with Stress and Seasonal Depression with Sue Urda.listen
• Healthy and Clean Meal Planning with Wendy Battles. listen

Breathe, smile and be happy

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health Coach, Counselor and Realtionship Coach

Naturalcounselorblog.com

How are you feeling right now? Feel overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, emotional?  You might suffer from seasonal depression – sometimes called the winter blues.

To boost the levels of serotonin necessary for dealing with seasonal depression you may need more tryptophan. The legumes: peas, beans, and lentils are some foods rich in tryptophan.

So, to feel better and overcome depression and the winter blues, you may want to try one of these three lentil recipes.

French Lentil Soup for Fighting the Winter Blues

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 cups green lentils
• 8 cups bouillon
• 1 potato, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne, to taste
• 1 pound swiss chard, chopped
• Juice of one lemon
• pepper and salt to taste

Directions:

Bring the onion, garlic, celery, lentils and bouillon to a boil in a large pot. Add the potato and spices, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the swiss chard and cook 15 minutes more, or until the lentils are just tender, not mushy. Stir in the lemon juice and Immunity Boosting Spices. Serve with ground pepper to taste.

Healthy Lentil Pate Recipe for Seasonal Depression

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry green or red lentils,
• 2 medium carrots chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced finely
• 2 tbsp/olive oil
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• 1 tbsp tomato pasta
• black pepper and salt to taste

Directions:

To cook lentils, cover them with water and boil for 1-2 min. and then simmer for 15-20 min. (until tender). While cooking lentils, saute onion and carrots in olive oil for 7-10 min., add garlic, tomato pasta, lentils and ghee. Mix thoroughly, season with black pepper and salt. Don’t forget to add Immunity Boosting Spices. Serve warm. You can also use food processor if you want it smooth.

Tasty Pomegranate Lentil Soup to Help Overcome Depression

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup lentils, picked over
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups (2 quarts) water
• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• ½ cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup pomegranate juice or 1/4 cup grenadine syrup
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint or 2 teaspoons crushed dried leaf mint
• 2 Tablespoons raisins

Directions:

Add water, drained lentils, rice, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer on low about 45 minutes, until lentils and rice are tender. Add basil, green onions and pomegranate juice to the soup. Simmer an additional 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a small skillet, add mint and saute until butter turns golden. Divide soup into serving bowls. Drizzle each with the mint brown butter and sprinkle with a few raisins to serve.

Bon Appetit!

Breathe, smile and be happy.

Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health and Nutrition Coach and Counselor

NaturalCounselorBlog.com