Friday Fitspiration

There is no substitute.

Log off. Shut down. Go workout!

Review: EOS Organic Lip Balm in Strawberry Sorbet

I recently purchased EOS lip balm in strawberry sorbet at Walgreens as an impulse buy. The USDA organic sticker on the packaging caught my eye and I thought it wold be the perfect replacement for my Cherry ChapStick habit.

All EOS lip balms are 95% organic, 100% natural, and paraben and petrolatum free. Some of the ingredients include vitamin E, shea butter and jojoba oil, beeswax (not vegan friendly), coconut oil, sunflower seed oil and fruit extract.

Let me just say that the packaging is adorable and the smell of the strawberry sorbet is amazing. It has a subtle, sweet, fruity scent and glides on smooth. I’ve been using it for about 3 weeks and I don’t need to reapply the lip balm as often as my Cherry ChapStick which is great and has kept my lips soft, smooth and moisturized.

It’s on the pricier end for lip balm ($4.99) but totally worth it for the organic, all natural ingredients. I’ve done a bit of research and some of the ingredients in ChapStick, Blistex, and other typical lip balms can be harmful to your health (as with everything else these days).

They come in a variety of different flavors such as Summer Fruit, Lemon Drop, Sweet Mint, Honeysuckle Honeydew, Tangerine, Pomegranate Raspberry, Vanilla Bean and Strawberry Sorbet and you can find them at your local pharmacy, Target, GNC, and online retailers.

🙂

Fountain of Youth

Juicing raw (not frozen) fruits and vegetables everyday has had a huge impact on my skin. The tiny wrinkles that were starting to appear around my eyes are now gone and it’s brought back a youthful glow.

I drink a green smoothie every morning with lots of organic green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach) and fruit to help detox my body. I also like to include other detox foods such as ginger, chia seeds and parsley, which helps to cleanse the entire blood supply.

Here is a link to my Glowing Green Detox Smoothie recipe: https://raworganicvegetarian.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/glowing-green-detox-smoothie/

I should also add that I exercise regularly and have made considerable changes to my overall diet. I’ve become mostly raw vegan/vegetarian. Although I eat animal products from time to time (cheese, seafood, etc – also known as “Flexitarian”), I’ve made the effort to improve my eating habits and am now reaping the benefits of making these changes.

I’ve also given up coffee, soda, processed juice, processed food, and foods that contain gluten (white flour, wheat bran, pasta, bread, cakes, etc) and try to sub in gluten free vegan versions.

All these changes not only improved my skin but also my waist line and overall health.

List of top anti-aging foods: https://raworganicvegetarian.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/top-anti-aging-foods/

🙂

Wednesday Motivation – aka Get Off Your Butt & Move!

You’ve had a long day at work. Your legs are sore from yesterday’s workout. It’s raining outside. It’s cold outside. It’s hot outside. The drive is too far. You don’t have time. Your alarm didn’t go off.

These are excuses made by ordinary people. You are not ordinary. You are not a quitter. You are not the person you may have been in the past. You are an unyielding competitor. You will succeed. You will undeniably rise above it.

No excuses.

(Shared from I Love to Run Facebook page)

Recipe: Pickled Organic Jalapeno Peppers

I love all things spicy and have been known to eat slices of pickled jalapenos straight out of the jar as a snack, or added onto pizza, chopped into salads, etc. Since becoming more aware of the benefits of buying and eating organic products, I wanted an organic version of the pickled jalapenos but was unable to find it in any of the local stores.

Which forced me to make my own. I had no idea it would be so easy to make and more flavorful than the store bought version.

Below is the recipe I adapted from http://leitesculinaria.com (please note that these peppers are very spicy).

Ingredients:

• 8 organic jalapeno peppers
• 1/2 cup organic soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves- sliced very thin
• 3/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• Fresh squeezed juice from 1 lemon

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a jar (one preferably with a lid) except for the jalapenos
2. Wash and slice the jalapenos and place into the jar – If you want it to be less spicy, scrape off the seeds
3. Stir a few times so that all the slices get coated with the mixture
4. Tightly seal the jar and set aside for 5 days
5. It can be refrigerated or left on the counter
6. Mix the contents of the jar every other day
7. After 5 days, it’s ready to eat!

This would make a perfect topping for the Mushroom Pizza Bites. Here is the link to the original recipe.

https://raworganicvegetarian.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/recipe-mushroom-pizza-bites/

Enjoy!

🙂

Friday Fitspiration

Sweat like a pig to look like a fox. Amen to that!

Have to put in the hard work in order to see the results. Keep pushing yourself each day!

Thursday Motivation

The only way to see results is to stay consistent.

I try not to go longer than two days without a run or a workout.

Recipe: Raw Vegan Nori Rolls with Kimchi

During my recent shopping trip to Whole Foods, I discovered the refrigerated Asian food section tucked in the back corner of the store. I wish I had found it earlier. There were 10 different kinds of kimchi, varieties of tempeh, vegan hot dogs, vegan cheese and other vegan pickled products. Jackpot!

I purchased a jar of spicy cabbage kimchi, which I was told by the checkout guy that it’s locally made (a few blocks away from Whole Foods) in a Korean lady’s kitchen! Talk about local…can’t beat that! And decided to incorporate it into the nori rolls that I was going to make for dinner.

Kimchi has always been a staple of the Korean diet and lately getting a lot of buzz for being a superfood. It’s high in fiber, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and an excellent antioxidant and probiotic. It’s also delicious!

Below is my recipe for raw vegan nori rolls with kimchi.

Ingredients:

• Alfalfa sprouts
• Sushi nori
• Kimchi
• Organic cucumber
• Half block of organic tofu
• Avocado
• Jalapeno slices (which I forgot to include in the above photo)

Instructions:

1. Prep the ingredients by slicing the avocado, jalapeno – slice very thin, tofu – thin strips, and julienne a 6 inch piece of the cucumber. 
2. No need to chop the kimchi since it’s already sliced and in bite sized pieces.
   
3. Place a sheet of the sushi nori on a flat surface like a cutting board with the shiny side up.
4. Start layering the ingredients onto the nori – almost in the middle of the sheet but not quite.
   
5. I layered 2 strips of tofu, then 2 slices of avocado, cucumbers, kimchi, 6 slices of jalapeno, then the sprouts to the side of the layered ingredients.
6. Next you’ll want to gently tuck and roll. Since the nori is dry be gentle or it can tear.
7. Once you’ve rolled almost to the end, you’ll want to seal the ends by dabbing a bit of water along the edge.
8. Put the finished roll to the side and start a new roll.
9. Once you’re done making the rolls, you’ll want to slice them into bite sized pieces
10. I prefer to cut them into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
11. Gently cut the rolls and serve with a side of soy sauce. Enjoy!

🙂

Review: Go Raw Organic Lemon and Organic Masala Chai Super Cookies

Since the Go Raw Spirulina Super Chips were so delicious, I picked up a couple of the other flavors from the Go Raw brand, Lemon and Masala Chai Super Cookies.

The Lemon Super Cookies are made with organic coconut (unsulphured), sprouted organic sesame seeds, organic dates and organic lemon oil. The super cookies taste of coconut with a hint of lemon and neither flavor is overpowering as some lemon and coconut products can be. For about 18 cookies, there are only 160 calories, 25mg of Omega 3, 120mg of Omega 6, 200mg of potassium, 4g of dietary fiber and 2g of protein.

The Masala Chai Super Cookies are made with also organic coconut (unsulphured), sprouted organic sesame seeds, organic dates, organic spices, and organic orange peel. These super cookies have a very mild chai flavor and can’t really taste the other ingredients in the cookies but still very delicious! For 18 cookies, there are 160 calories, 25mg of Omega 3, 120mg of Omega 6, 10% calcium, 4g of dietary fiber and 2g of protein.

These super cookies are the same shape, size and texture as the Spirulina Super Chips (they are crunchy and not soft like regular cookies) as well as being gluten, wheat and nut free. There are also no GMOs in their products and all hand made in an all raw kitchen.

For a 3oz bag, it was $4.69 each from Whole Foods. They also make other flavors of the super cookies such as pumpkin and carrot and I’m sure they are just as delicious as the other flavors that I’ve tried (spirulina, masala chai and lemon). Here is a link to my review of the Go Raw Spirulina Super Chips https://raworganicvegetarian.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/review-go-raw-spirulina-super-chips/

These are perfect to have around the house for those times you’re craving a sweet snack!

🙂

Recipe: (Mostly Raw) Vegan Fresh Spring Rolls

I’ve recently become slightly addicted to the Vietnamese spring rolls from Freshroll. They’re so tasty (and healthy)! Instead of my daily visits to the restaurant I decided to try and make them at home. So I spent the afternoon running all over town looking for ingredients and come to find out, all the stuff I needed was at the Asian market next door to my apartment. Doh.

I recommend buying as many organic ingredients as possible but I think the spring roll wrapper and vermicelli noodles might be difficult to find in the organic version. I made a couple of rolls without the vermicelli noodles (by accident, I forgot to add them) and preferred the rolls without them.

Making the spring rolls were really easy and took less than 15 minutes. All the ingredients were raw except for the noodles and wrappers.

Below is the recipe that I used but you can make many variations using different ingredients such as carrots, lettuce, Thai basil, bean sprouts, mint, lime juice, chopped peanuts, scallions, etc.

Ingredients:

• Spring roll wrapper/rice paper – can be found at your local Asian market, sometimes Whole Foods and Safeway carries them
• Vermicelli noodles
• Cucumber
• Small block of organic firm tofu
• Pineapple chunks
• Jalapeno slices
• Cilantro
• Alfalfa sprouts

Instructions:

1. Boil vermicelli noodles in a pot of water for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
2. While the noodles are cooking, place the tofu block in a small pot of water (enough water to cover the tofu) and place on medium heat
3. Start prepping the other ingredients
4. Slice cucumbers into thin strips
5. Slice jalapenos into very thin pieces
6. Cut pineapple chunks into smaller more manageable pieces
7. Separate a small handful of alfalfa sprouts from the container and place on a plate or cutting board. Also do this with the cilantro.

Once the prep is done, remove the tofu from heat and drain the liquid and slice into thin strips and set aside.

Once the vermicelli is done cooking, drain the water and rinse under cold water. Set a side in a colander so that the water can continue to drain.

You’ll also need a plate or a cutting board to assemble the spring roll and a large bowl of warm water to dip the spring roll wrapper into to soften it.

Assemble:

1. Dip the wrapper into the warm water until it is completely submerged for a few seconds – the wrapper will be a bit stiff  but will soften quickly
2. Remove and place on the cutting board
3. Start layering the ingredients on the wrapper – place the ingredients on the side closest to you. Don’t overfill or it’ll be difficult to roll.
   
4. Next you’ll want to tuck and roll for a firm roll. Roll about one rotation then fold in the sides then continue to roll until the end. (Below images from http://www.whiteonricecouple.com)
   
   
5. And voila! There you have it. Enjoy with a side of Sriracha (hot chili sauce).

🙂