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

Chocolate…. Mmmmm. Are you smiling already? Chocolate…

We, women, like chocolate so much because like light, exercise, laughter and sex, chocolate triggers the release of endorphins, which leave us with an instant feel good mood. In general women are more sensitive to chocolate than men, and that is why we can use chocolate can boost our serotonin level to fight our moodiness and seasonal depression.

Did you know that chocolate is better and I mean healthier than kissing? When we kiss or eat chocolate our heart rate and brain activity both increase, but with chocolate it lasts longer. We burn 34 calories in 30 min during light kissing.  I am wondering how many calories we burn while eating chocolate. 

Studies show that chocolate  the main ingredient cocoa- contains health beneficial antioxidants flavonoids. They, like in fruits and vegetables, help prevent cancer and heart disease and stroke by protecting our immune system from radical damage and fighting inflammation.

When we talk about healthy benefits of chocolate we mean healthy  dark chocolate, and the more cocoa in chocolate, the darker and healthier it is. 

Dark chocolate is very good for us, but we have to eat it in moderation because of its sugar and fat content. Even if it is made with cocoa butter and has less blood cholesterol, it still has a lot of calories, fat and refined sugar, all which can make us fat.

Good healthy quality chocolate should contain  70-75% cocoa and have cocoa butter as an ingredient. Avoid chocolate with milk solids or with any mention of alkali or Dutching / Dutching cocoa which is known to have no nutrition value.

So instantly feel in a good mood with healthy dark chocolate and a glass of red wine full of antioxidants and toast to us, ladies, while breathing, smiling and being happy!!!

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach and Counselor

NaturalCounselorBlog.com 

Halloweeen and the holidays are a good time to remember that we should try to do our best to protect our children from diabetes, obesity and heart disease when we can.

So, I would like to share with you a healthy Spiced Pumpkin Cookie Recipe.

Why is it healthy?

Just in case you don’t know, spices, like cinnamon and ginger can be used as an immune booster to help fight colds and flu.

Dark molasses is a great substitute for sugar, as well as a good source of iron and B vitamins.

As for raisins, they can be beneficial if you have constipation or anemia.

Imunity Boositing Spiced Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

• 2/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 3 baking sheets with cooking spray.

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg in a large bowl.

Whisk pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and molasses in a second bowl until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients and raisins into the dry ingredients until no traces of dry ingredients remain. Drop the batter by level tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies until firm to the touch and lightly golden on top, 10 to 12 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Bon Appetit!

Don’t forget to breathe, smile and be happy.

Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health Counselor HHC

To feel and look fabulous, you may want to incorporate more green smoothies into your diet.  But before doing so, remember the fruits and vegetables you use should be bought and used only as organic. So if you want to be healthier, check on which fruits and vegetables make the “dirty dozen” and why strawberries,celery, peaches and apples can damage your health.

The three nutritious Green Smoothies recipes below are full of:

-vitamins A and carotenoids, C, E to boost our immune system, prevent heart attacks and cancers, keep our skin and body looking and feeling young

- lycopene to protect our skin from sun damage, prevent certain cancers, lower blood pressure

- fiber to detox our system, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, get rid of constipation, lose weight, and help with headaches and migraines;

- B-vitamins to deal with  moodiness

- Omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation and keep our skin looking young.

- Potassium –to keep our nervous system healthy as well as to boost our metabolism.

I. Natural Green Smoothie Recipe with Berries

• 1/2 cup raspberries (frozen or fresh)
• ½ cup blueberries
• 1 cup of apple juice
• 4 dates (pit removed) Handful of spinach
• 2-3 leaves of kale
• Handful of parsley
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• Slice of fresh ginger
• ¼ tbsp Spirulina powder

Blend everything until smooth in a blender or food processor and enjoy

II. Healthy Green Smoothie Recipe with Apricots and Papaya

• 1 cup carrot juice
• 1 cup apricots pitted
• 1 cup papaya sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• ½ avocado
• 1 tbsp Spirulina powder or Blue Algae Powder
• 2 cups fresh herbs mix
• handful of parsley
• handful of dill
• 1 tsp dry nettle
• 1 banana

Blend everything until smooth in a blender or food processor and enjoy. Always try to adjust to your taste.

III. Homemade Green Smoothie Recipe with Pear and Pineapple

• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 pear sliced
• 1 cup mango
• 1 cup pineapple
• 2 tbsp flax seeds
• handful of parsley
• 3 cup collards or beet greens
• 1 kiwi

Blend everything until smooth in a blender or food processor and enjoy.

Bon Appetit 

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health Counselor, Nutrition Coach and Relationship Expert