Hot Chocolate- The Superfood way!

Fall is here, and Winter is coming! It's getting cold out, and we all have comfort, food and drinks we like to keep us warm. One of my favorites is hot chocolate. I love hot chocolate, but I'm lactose intolerant and can't drink cow's milk so I make mine with a dairy alternative. I also use cacao instead of a cocoa powder. When people talk about Chocolate being a "Superfood", Cacao is it. This is even better than dark chocolate, because it basically pure chocolate. Cacao is mixed with milk, sugar and other things to make the regular chocolate that we eat. Cacao has none of the additives, and is full of nutrients such as fiber, iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, calcium and sulfur, and has a very high level of antioxidants. So here's my recipe for a delicious and healthy, dairy-free hot chocolate perfect for the cold winter months ahead.

• 16 ounces of hot almond milk- plain and unsweetened
• 1 tablespoon of raw cacao
• cinnamon
• vanilla extract
• honey

Add the raw cacao to the hot almond milk, and mix thoroughly.
Add a dash or 2 of cinnamon, one tiny drop of vanilla extract, and honey to taste.
*Try adding nutmeg or cayenne pepper for a different taste.
Mix again, and ENJOY!

We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For

Friends, I first heard this when it was read to my by my Reiki teacher, Susan Coffey. It gave me shivers; I hope it does the same for you.

"We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For"

You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour. 

Now you must go back and tell the people that this is The Hour. 

And there are things to be considered: 

Where are you living? 

What are you doing? 

What are your relationships? 

Are you in right relation? 

Where is your water? 

Know your garden. 

It is time to speak your Truth. 

Create your community.

Be good to each other.

And do not look outside yourself for the leader. 

This could be a good time! 

There is a river flowing now very fast. 

It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. 

They will try to hold on to the shore. 

They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly. 

Know the river has its destination. 

The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. 

See who is in there with you and celebrate. 

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally. 

Least of all, ourselves. 

For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt. 

The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! 

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. 

We are the ones we've been waiting for. 

-The Elders Oraibi Arizona Hopi Nation

My Favorite Smoothie Recipe

I don't use measuring cups or anything, so bear with me! This is a sweet smoothie, and an easy choice for newbies to start because you can make the smoothie without the kale or spinach then slowly start adding it in, and increasing, as you acclimate to the taste. Because I like my smoothies to be cold, and because they're less expensive, I buy frozen strawberries and blueberries. Sometimes I pre-make little baggies with all of the fruits and freeze them, so when I'm in a rush in the morning, I can just throw the contents of the bag in the blender and quickly add the other ingredients. You can obviously change the amount of any ingredient to suite your taste. Sometimes I use more kale then other times; sometimes I use 1.5 bananas; and sometimes I don't use a date at all.

• 5 strawberries
• 2 handfuls of blueberries
• 1 banana
• I medjool date (with pit removed)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• A handful or 2 of kale or spinach
• Almond milk- plain and unsweetened (You must obviously add enough so that the smoothie can blend, but the amount depends on how you prefer the texture of the smoothie) 

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend! Add in more almond milk to create the desired consistency.
Depending on how much kale/spinach, strawberries or blueberries you use, your smoothie may look green/grey, pink or purple. Try trading some of the ingredients for other things like raspberries, Greek yogurt, kefir, hemp hearts, collard greens and coconut water.

Eat More Greens and Drink More Water!

Two of the BEST things you can do for your health today are:

1. Eat more greens.
2. Drink more water.

Eat more greens. 

Most of us are not eating enough green vegetables. It is easy to go an entire day without getting even one quality serving of greens! Green vegetables provide many important nutrients to keep our bodies working at full capacity, including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium and vitamins K, C, E and many of the B vitamins. Try to eat some greens with every meal!

Some green vegetables that can easily be included in your diet are kale, collard greens, broccoli  spinach, cabbage, dandelion greens, and lettuce. All of these (except lettuce, which is good for salads) can be sauteed in coconut oil, or steamed, and seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper and any other spices you like. They can be made separately or you can mix some together; kale and collards are delicious together! You should note that dandelion greens are pretty bitter, and are probably best mixed with something else.

An easy way to incorporate greens in every meal is to cook in bulk. You can prepare 1 or 2 large batches of green vegetables for the week, reheating a portion for each meal throughout the week. Or you can saute some up in the morning, and eat a portion with each meal throughout the day. Definitely consider eating greens with your breakfast, they go great with eggs. You can also make an easy salad with lettuce, baby spinach and dandelion greens. And you can quickly throw any greens into your blender with your other smoothie ingredients for a Green smoothie.

Eating greens at every meal doesn't have to be a daunting or difficult task, with a little forethought and effort it can be easy!

Drink more water.

Most of us are also not getting enough water into our systems daily. Very often we drink lots of coffee, juice, soda, and other beverages and may not even have a single cup of water! Drinking water is one of the best ways we can nourish our bodies, and it also happens to be one of the easiest, simplest and cheapest ways to do it. I recommend everyone drink some water before ANYTHING else goes into your mouth, at the very least 16 ounces; this cleanses the colon. Drinking water also improves the skin, can help with weight-loss, can help reduce headaches, can boost energy and so much more! 

I recommend people start off with the goal of drinking 64 ounces of water daily and possibly move up (or down) from there. This may seem like a lot of water, but one way to make it more feasible is to drink 32 ounces of water before you leave the house, or by 9am. Then drink the remaining 32 ounces throughout the day. Adding lemon (and even other fruits) to your water is a great way to improve the health benefits and make it taste better.