A Rainbow of Color: in your Smoothie!

Comunidades Saludables

Photo by Live Love Fruit

Smoothies are great snacks and can also make a delicious breakfast on the go! They are much healthier than juices, because they still have all the fiber and nutrients that keep you full and prevent your blood sugar from spiking and dropping.

Los licuados son muy buenos snacks (colaciones) y pueden servir como desayunos nutritivos y rápidos.  Son mucho mas saludable que tomar jugos porque contienen toda la fibra y nutrimentos de las frutas y verduras. Te dejan satisfecho durante más tiempo y previenen que el azúcar de tu sangre aumente y baje rápidamente.

How to Make Delicious and Nutritious Smoothies:

1. Choose your fruits (peaches, plums, berries, cherries, apple, mango, pineapple, papaya, etc).

2. Choose a green vegetable (kale, collard greens, spinach and swiss chard will add nutrients without affecting the flavor of your smoothie!). You can also add herbs like mint, basil, etc…

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Getting ready for Super Bowl! Healthy, savvy snacks..

Butter Beans Blog

It’s winter cold outside, and your sports fan friends and family are gathering and you are in charge of the snacks?

Here’s a few ideas:

trail mix – your favorite roasted tamari almonds and raisins, is perfect. You can add other goodies too: goji berries, chopped dried apricots, peanuts, walnuts, mulberries.

cheese plate and a mix of olives and crackers– super simple and always welcomed with crackers of fresh bread. Drunken goat, brie, and gouda cheese are delicious crowd pleasers.

hummus – buy it or make your own. Check out our recipe here.

guacamole and chips – roll 2 ripe avocados in your hand before slicing down the center. Remove the pit, and put in a bowl with chopped cilantro (2TB for 2-3 avocados), lemon (1-2TB), salt (1/3 tsp or to taste). Mash with a fork. If you like it spicy, top with a dash of cayenne pepper.

crudités

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DIY Vitamin Water! Hydration is key for a healthy body, and sharp mind..

Go nuts! Make your own blended nut milk for a creamy and healthy kick to your fave meals.

Butter Beans Blog

For those of us who are sensitive to regular milk or have an intolerance, we often use nut milks as substitutes.

While alternative milks like soy, almond, coconut are great options for those of us on a specific diet, additional ingredients are plugged into these otherwise simple and healthy beverages to help them stay shelf stable.

The next time you purchase a common substitute for milk, take a peak at the ingredient list. Most of these milks contain a few funny sounding ingredients such as: carrageenan, potassium citrate, vitamin A palmitate and natural flavor to name a few.

Let’s get back to the roots of simple and healthy milk alternatives, and make them at home where you are in control of your ingredients.

Check out this streamlined video, and learn how to make your own almond milk by following Body + Soul’s brilliant almond milk recipe below:

Step…

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Super creative and tasty looking creation, Flora!

Butter Beans Blog

I got a little experimental one day, as my fridge didn’t contain many obvious lunch options. Up for the challenge, I spotted some brie, a spelt english muffin, some brussels sprouts, an apple and mustard, and made a surprisingly delectable lunch!

Here’s how:

Ingredients:

• English muffin (or baguette, sliced bread, gluten free bread)
• 3-4 thin slices of brie
• 2-3 thin slices of apple
• small handful of brussels sprouts
• dollop of mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• pinch of salt

Directions:

Toast up an english muffin, or whichever bread you prefer and have on hand. Cut up the brie, and few thin slices of your apple. While your bread is toasting, thinly cut your brussels. In a small pan add olive oil, then in goes your brussels with a sprinkle of salt. Cook them over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until slightly caramelized and fragrant. Assemble brie on the bottom piece…

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Could this be ANY MORE delicious of a recipe? I’m going to recreate it right now as we speak!

Know what you’re eating!

Butter Beans Blog

As we embark on the weekend, try keeping Michael Pollan’s advice in mind as you shop for food and sit down to eat:

“Don’t eat anything your great-great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. There are a great many food-like items in the supermarket your ancestors wouldn’t recognize as food…stay away from these”  ~Michael Pollan

Happy healthy eating to all!

Photo courtesy of lamoix

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I absolutely LOVE lavender. Its wonderful healing properties make it a household staple. I like to buy mine from the local farmer’s market…

Butter Beans Blog

Some people love love love lavender, while others turn their noses the other way. For lavender lovers, this simple homemade bath salt recipe may just make your day (or evening).

Besides being beautiful to look at, lavender has magnificent health benefits that most of us could benefit from.

The word lavender is derived from the Latin root lavare, which means “to wash,” since it was historically used in baths to help purify the body. This potent herb contains various properties that help relieve insomnia, anxiety and fatigue due to its soothing and sedative effects when inhaled.

Here’s how to make your very own lavender bath salts:

Ingredients:

• Handful of fresh or dried lavender buds
• 1/2 cup coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, or sunflower oil

Directions:

Add lavender, salt, and oil into a jar with a lid. Shake it up! Prepare your bath, adding bath salts as the water…

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Thank you for the wonderful holiday season upon us!

Butter Beans Blog

We would like to share a wise piece of writing from Sylvie Barthelemy, certified ayuverdic lifestyle coach + yoga and meditation teacher. She calls on us to be present during the holiday season and focus on our company, “…it is easy to forget that what nourishes us the most is not food but rather true, authentic, heart-to-heart connection with our fellow human beings. So, on Thanksgiving and throughout the Holiday season, please join me in making a conscious effort to offer your full, undivided attention to everyone you spend time with. I would not be surprised you find this practice so satisfying that even the sweetest treats of the season begin to pale in comparison. Giving attention is giving love. And love heals all.”

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Photo courtesy of teachinginhighheals.blogspot.com

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Chewing is one of the most overlooked aspects of eating. We are so used to eating on the go or scarfing down our food. Making an effort to CHEW resets your system to rest and digest appropriately. ENJOY!

Butter Beans Blog

Chewing your food is more important that you think!  Did you know that chewing is the first step in the process of digestion?

When we chew our food, our bodies are better able to absorb the nutrients, and digest the food we eat, providing us with the energy we need to function well through out the day. Chewing your food thoroughly also leads to a healthier digestive system.

When we chew, our bodies release enzymes in our saliva that help break down food, and convert it into energy. Chewing helps prevent our stomachs from doing all of the work of digesting the food we are eating. So the next time you are eating, try to focus on each and every bite.

Here is a helpful suggestion “chew your food completely until it is small enough and dissolved enough to be swallowed with ease. A good rule of thumb is as follows:…

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