Path to Wellness

Happy Monday and welcome to this week’s episode of Health To Glow.

I am so overly excited (you may need to turn down your volume) in this video because I just LOVE smoothies, I could live of them!

Join Holly and I as we pour our hearts into creating the BEST and EASIEST breakfast superfood smoothie for YOU + have a little giggle as I make Holly drink it even though she doesn’t like banana….I LOVE IT!

Also find out which packaged coconut water has the LOWEST SUGAR ever and discover delicious ways of incorporating this beauty food elixir into your morning routine!

Yum!

Have you tried superfood smoothies before? If so share your best recipe below?

For those of you who wont be drinking over this festive season a warm spiced Christmas tea is a great alternative.

You can also make this an iced tea but seems though it’s actually cold in Sydney keeping it warm is perfect.

What you need:

• 500 ml filtered water
• 5 cm fresh ginger
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 6 cardamom pods
• 6 cloves
• 4 cups fruit juice (unsweetened) – I used Organic Anti-Oxidant Force
• 1⁄2 cup Red Wine or Liquor (optional)
• 50g walnuts (and/or almonds, pecans, etc)
• 100g raisins
• 1 orange (thinly sliced)!

What you do:

1. Boil water, ginger, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods and cloves for 15 minutes to make a spiced water infusion. Store in the fridge over night.

2. Add the fruit juice (and alcohol if using), boil for 5 minute then simmer for 30 minutes, remove the spices.

3. Add chopped nuts, raisins and orange pieces and serve with or without straining the solid ingredients.

4. The proportion of fruit juice to alcohol can also be altered according to your preference.

5. Tea can be served warm or chilled with ice.

(Makes 1 bottle)

Nutritional notes:

Ginger not only has a beautiful aroma but also helps with nausea, digestive problems (great for the over eaters) circulation and arthritis.

Organic Anti-Oxidant Force Juice is a highly nutritional juice, made from goji berries, acai, blackberries &

more.

Cinnamon is packed with anti-oxidants, it also balances blood sugar levels, perfect in dishes such as this one that contain high levels of sugars (even if they are natural!)

Cloves are known to have one of the highest anti-oxidant level ratings on the ORAC scale.

Enjoy x

Introducing the Superman Smoothie!

This smoothie got it’s name because it is packed with superfoods (like chia seeds, goji berries and kale) + is a great way to start your day so you have a SUPER day. Every morning I have this I feel like I can conquer the world like a super hero.

What you need:

• 1 fresh coconut
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (either raw or soaked in water over night)
• 1 tablespoon goji berries
• 2 tablespoons organic blueberries
• 1 handful of organic spinach
• 2 medium leaves of organic kale
• 1 teaspoon of spirulina
• ½ handful of almonds

Optional:

• 1 teaspoon of maca powder

What you do:

1. Cut open the coconut and scoop out the flesh. Add water and flesh to blender.
2. Add chia seeds, goji berries, blueberries, spinach, kale, spirulina and almonds to blender and blend away.

Are you the person reaching for the cookie at 3pm, or salivate at the sight of ice cream? If this is you don’t worry, you are not alone. Many people come to me to beat their sugar addiction and want to finally kick the habit in the but. When first coming off sugar you will be tempted by the white devil and may get cravings. Cravings for sweet things may be caused by a deficiency of the mineral chromium. You can try upping the anti on chromium rich foods, such as oysters, green peppers, chicken, apples, meats, spices such as black pepper and thyme, eggs, nuts, mushrooms, garlic, grape juices, fruit and vegetables such as broccoli, corn, and sweet potatoes. And in the meantime here are two great juice recipes that will help fight the cravings whilst you kick the habit.

This first juice is high in chromium and super yummy!

Kicking Sugar Juice #1

• 1 green pepper
• 1 apple
• ½ bunch of spinach
• 2 carrots

Evening primrose oil and vitamin E may also help you through this process. So this next juice is a great source of vitamin E.

Kicking Sugar Juice #2

• ½ bunch of spinach
• 2 stalks of asparagus
• 2 carrots

How to prepare:

1. Wash all the ingredient thoroughly.
2. Add everything into the juicer and away we go.

Easy as that!

I love angels milk (aka almond milk) it’s a perfect dairy alternative. However, many supermarket bought almond milks are loaded with agave and other artificial sweeteners. For the dangers of agave click here. So the best way to insure you get the highest quality is to make it yourself.

It’s really easy and super yummy.

What you need:

• 2 cups of almonds;
• 1 coconut; and
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder.

What you do:

1. Soak the almonds in filtered water over night.
2. Drain the almonds and pop them in the blender.
3. Crack open your coconut and scoop out the flesh, add the water and flesh to the blender.
4. Add the cinnamon and some filtered water and blend till your desired consistency.

As I don’t drink alcohol I don’t put a lot of stress on my liver and don’t need to detox as much as the average Joe. However this doesn’t mean I stop strengthen my little liver. Grapefruit is one of the best liver building foods!

Try my yummy green smoothie recipe I have each morning.

What you need:

• 4 cups of fresh grapefruit juice;
• 1 bunch of coriander;
• ½ bunch of mint; and
• 1 or 2 avocados

What you do:

1. Throw everything in the blender and blend on high.

Easy as that!

To be honest I was a bit hesitant and whilst making it screwed up my face. But oh boy, was it delish!  So yum and super good for you.

Let me know what you think.

Happy blending