Gearing Up for RENEWAL in 2015 with Homemade SHRUBS & SCRUBS!!!
To Make: Combine all ingredients except apple cider vinegar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once a simmer is reached, lower heat and continue to simmer for an additional 10 mins. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour mixture into a quart-sized glass jar and add 1 C of cider vinegar. Shake and let sit at room temperature for 2 days. To use, simply strain the mixture and enjoy!
Coffee addiction?
Is anybody else addicted to coffee right now? I'm not saying that coffee is bad by any means, for some people it is medicinal. For me, I tend to go overboard and ignore the signs from my body to stop drinking it. I have pretty big mood swings, strong cravings for sugar and don't seem to cope with stress as well. So I've decided to take a break from drinking it and see what happens. In case any of you are in the same boat, I wanted to share my coffee alternative with you, my Energizing Morning Smoothie. I put some of the most energizing foods around in this smoothie and it gives me a nice clean, long lasting energy buzz. Here's the recipe and let me know what you think and how you feel!
Energizing Morning Smoothie:
1 cup milk of your choice ( I like to make my own almond milk but not required)
1/2 frozen banana
1 T hemp seeds (GREAT source of Omega 3's, brain function)
1 T chia seeds (optional)
1 T Be Cozy or plain Raw Cacao
1 T Maca (GREAT for energy and hormone balancing)
1 T cacao nibs (ENERGY + Antioxidants)
1/2 t cinnamon (Balance blood sugar, fight depression)
Handful of ice for thickness
Blend and drink up!
New chocolate bar in the works!
There has been a lot of creative action in the kitchen this
week. So many new developments. Julianna is working on some new delicious raw
treats for the store, check out her bark pictured on the left. It is SO
amazing. I have been playing with new chocolate bar flavors as well, I have a
ginger pomegranate bar sweetened with maple syrup that a lot of people have
said is their favorite bar so far! Stay tuned for that one. Yesterday I played
around with a coconut almond flavor sweetened with coconut nectar. I am playing
with new sweeteners in an attempt to move away from agave because of all the
controversy. Although we trust our source and of course only use raw agave, we
want to provide more options for you all in case you’ve made the choice to shy
away from agave. I’m loving the maple syrup and coconut nectar, they are super
sweet and delicious. Today I’m going to play with a SPICY flavor so I’m really
excited to see how that turns out. But if you guys have any suggestions on what
you’d like to see in a new flavor please let us know and share below!! And of
course, come by the factory to taste test :)
Have you found the "perfect" diet for yourself? Does it even exist?
Is this true for you? Have you figured it all out? I dare you to question your beliefs around food. In the food world, it seems that we believe everything we hear before actually testing it out ourselves. We hear “eat more protein” and we adopt this new eating behavior without even realizing the affect it has on us or thinking twice about it. Nothing ever stays the same, our bodies are constantly changing. A certain way of eating might have worked for you for a period of time in your life, and then as your body changed and/or your environment changed you may have found that your old ways of eating no longer sustained you. This is the key to finding what works best for you…to be in tune and aware of your body’s calls for something different (especially if you live in a place with seasons). It doesn’t mean we have to get frustrated or beat ourselves up, it just is the way it is, and if we can learn to go with the flow we will find less resistance and dis-ease…in all areas of our lives. Every single person or body on this earth is different, so one person might need to eat more meat than another person, some people don’t need to eat any meat, some people need more fat, some people need less fat, some people like to be marathon runners and some people like to walk and do yoga. It’s truly about finding what works best for you and realizing that the more rigid we become around food, the more disconnected we become from what our body really desires. Play around with different foods, experiment, HAVE FUN with it! Use your energy levels, your digestion and your moods to help guide you to the perfect diet for your body, at this point in time. Have you found that your diet has changed over time? How does it make you feel? Are you resistant to the changes? (I know I can be.) Please share your thoughts below!
Bennett
Are you "shoulding" yourself?
Some time ago I decided to remove the word “should” from my vocabulary. “What should I do?” “what should I eat” “I should do this, I should do that”…these phrases were making me feel crappy. I was not eating or doing things that I really wanted to do. I feel that when we “should” ourselves we are becoming more and more disconnected from what really makes us happy. What if we could rephrase the questions to “what do I want to eat?” “I want to do this”. Particularly when it comes to food, when we are “shoulding” ourselves we are disconnecting from what it is that our body really wants. This is what listening to our body is all about. We think we should eat the lower fat, “healthier” option but sometimes that is just not what suits us. For instance, if you are a woman and it’s that time of the month, most of us need more protein and more fat at that time. So maybe that big juicy steak is exactly what your body needs. Maybe an extra handful or two of nuts is what you need depending on your body type. Our body is very intelligent and knows what it wants but it’s our minds that talk us out of it. “No, no stay away from the steak, eat the green salad instead, it’s better for you”. If we are listening to that voice all the time we are not giving ourselves what we really need. Even when it comes to exercise, if you’ve had a long day and are feeling truly exhausted but you feel like you “should” work out, you could be doing more damage to yourself than you think. Maybe what your body really needs at that time is rest, time to restore and reboot to keep your immune system strong and healthy and not wear yourself out. Giving yourself permission to do what it is that you want to do provides so much more freedom and room to explore. Maybe for some of us, we haven’t yet fully developed the trust that our body is really going to lead us in the right direction if we get off the “should” train. And maybe we won’t get it 100% right to begin with, especially if doing what we want is a new concept. It takes some time to develop that intuitive muscle so being patient with the process is key. But over time we will develop a stronger and stronger intuitive muscle and gain so much more freedom and trust within ourselves. When it comes to food, what would it feel like to eat what you want and not what you think you should eat? Is this concept scary or liberating? Tell us what you think below..
by, Bennett Coffey
Change your relationship with dessert
by Bennett Coffey, Holistic Nutritionist
So often people say to me, “Oh my god I love your chocolate, it’s so bad of me! Do you promise that it’s good for me?” This statement evokes all kinds of feelings for me. First, it makes me feel like I’m not doing a good enough job communicating the amazing health benefits that raw chocolate has to offer and second it brings me back to the point of the intention we bring to our eating experiences. When we eat with guilt or shame we are internalizing that emotion and digging it deeper into our cells, creating more problems for ourselves. Imagine if you could eat a meal (or dessert in this case) with NO guilt, fear or shame. What would that feel like? At NYSM we are giving you the permission to do just that. You can revel in the amazing health benefits that raw chocolate has to offer. I wouldn’t tell you to eat desserts all day everyday, I would absolutely tell you to counter your indulgences with lots of GREEN juices or smoothies and plant based meals. But when you are enjoying a NYSM treat, you can feel great about it. Personally, I eat raw chocolate everyday. I throw some raw cacao powder into my green smoothie every morning for the amazing energy and feelings of happiness that it brings me (I’m not just imagining this, cacao actually contains a bliss chemical called anandamide which makes us feel happy). The beauty of our products is that some are designed for your everyday pleasure and some are designed for those days when you really crave something sweet. I’ve been loving the “be local” bar lately, the local honey and mv sea salt is a powerfully delicious combo. I would generally recommend not making a habit out of eating sweeteners everyday, even if they are natural sweeteners but on the days that you do, let yourself fully enjoy the experience and know that with our treats you are doing something really great for your soul and your body. Think about all of the amazing things that your body does for you day in and day out, every second of every day. Your heart never misses a beat, your stomach digests EVERYTHING that you put into it, our system is working for us 24/7 so let’s gift our bodies with the high quality foods and eating experiences that they deserve. Check out the wide array of products that we have to offer, from your everyday smoothie mix to our naturally sweet chocolate chip cookies.
What feelings do you experience with dessert? Tell us here in your comments below or send us a message. I'd love to hear from you.
Where Do Cravings Come From?
Where do cravings come from?
The important thing is to understand why you crave what you crave. Perhaps your diet is too restrictive or devoid of essential nutrients. Perhaps you are living a lifestyle that is too boring or stressful. Your body tries to correct the imbalance by sending you a message: a craving. A craving for something sweet could mean you need more protein, more exercise, more water or more love in your life. The key to stopping the sugar craving is to understand and deliver what your body really needs.
No book or theory can tell you what to eat. Only awareness of your body and its needs can tell you. Of all the relationships in our lives, the one with our body is the most essential. It takes communication, love and time to cultivate a relationship with your body. As you learn to decipher and respond to your body’s cravings, you will create a deep and lasting level of health and balance.
The next time you have a craving, treat it as a loving message from your body instead of a weakness. Try these tips to respond to your body:
• Have a glass of water and wait 10 minutes.
• Eat a healthier version of what you crave. For example, if you crave sweets, try eating more fruit and sweet or root vegetables.
• What is out of balance in your life? Is there something you need to express, or is something being repressed? What happened in your life just before you had this craving?
• When you eat the food you are craving, enjoy it, taste it, savor it; notice its effect. Then you will become more aware and free to decide if you really want it next time.
By Bennett Coffey
Holistic Nutrition Counselor
