Your inner kingdom, your microbiome, your gut symbiosis, these are all different words for the same thing. My favorite is of course Inner Kingdom, makes it sound so important, and it is! How healthy your inner world is depicts what shows up health wise in your outer world.  I know I have said this before but keeping your gut healthy and happy is one of the big secrets to good digestion, glowing skin and increased energy.  It also helps you clean some stuff out which in turn helps you lose weight that you have been unwillingly been hanging on to!  Can I get a Hallelujah!! (I am feeling a bit rammy today, you will have to excuse the silliness)
 
I am an absolute believer in the more  easy and simple ways you have to incorporate recipes that reestablish a healthy intestinal flora, the better. Having a smoothie loaded with beneficial microbes is a daily addition to your diet that will get you awesome results over time. I know personally I can’t go without having a gut boosting smoothie or some gut healthy meal everyday. I find the biggest thing that it can affect is my mood. Gut health is directly linked to mood and brain health.  So here are some things you can add to your smoothie to get your gut back on the right track!
 
My Favorite Gut Health Smoothie Ingredients

• Ground flax - high in fiber and has a mucosal effect in the gut
• Kefir or water kefir - contains diverse unique bacteria strains different from yogurt
• Coconut yogurt or regular plain organic yogurt - high in beneficial bacteria
• Berries - tasty, high in healthy fiber and antioxidants
• Flax seed oil - for its ability to help lubricate the intestinal tract
• Cod liver oil - for omega-3 and gut nourishing enzymes
• Cinnamon - for its blood sugar stabilizing effects
• Banana - for its prebiotic power

 
Put these together and you’ve got yourself a super powerful smoothie for helping your gut get strong and healthy. And in turn you help your whole body, and that’s what holistic health is all about!  Here is one of my personal favorites:
 
 Inner Kingdom Smoothie
 
Ingredients
 
1 ½ Cups dairy free milk
½ Cup kefir or yogurt
1 Cup frozen mixed berries
1 banana
1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds
½ tsp cinnamon
1 Tablespoon your preferred oil - flax, Udo’s oil or cod liver oil
Handful of your favorite greens- spinach, kale, mixed greens
 
 
Directions
 
Add all ingredients to your blender and process until super smooth.
 
If you’re seriously interested in getting healthy, restoring your digestion and boosting your energy all while losing some poundage, then keep a look out for my new comprehensive program Restore your Gut Health, coming out Friday January 20th. I will be doing another webinar on the 19th about Gut health to kick off the new program!  I hope you will join me! In the program you get a ton of delicious satisfying recipes as well as strategies that will help rebuild your intestinal flora.
 
Also if you want to get to know me a little better you can check out my About Me page and also join me on my Facebook page Here where I’ll be sharing more information, tips and recipes to help you live a happier, healthier life.
 
Thanks for reading :)
 
XOXO Jules

Okay!  So here we are in the New Year, whew!  We have made it through all of the parties and celebrations and hopefully have come out relatively unscathed ;)! I will say, I don't know what normal, regular human being didn't indulge in some sweet and sugary treats during the holidays.  Not to even mention the alcohol and eggnog, goodness gracious! I hope it was an awesome season for you!  It was a good one for me and mine though it was very busy.  I feel like finally now after the first week of the kids being back in school has happened I am starting to catch up with my life and hopefully will be able to be still and appreciate all that has happened over the past few weeks.

One of the things I have noticed without really having to think about it is that I am definitely out of sorts digestively speaking.  Lots of yummy food but being the only semi-vegetarian in the family my choices of sustenance have been ummmm, lets just say fairly unhealthy.  Lots of carbs, sugar and butter.  Seriously it was awesome and all the food was delicious but thank goodness this only happens a couple times a year!
 
So this is why, today, I'm giving you some delicious recipes and tips to get you back on track to a healthy New Year and New You.  I hope you enjoy them and they help you get back to feeling a bit less bloated!
 
CHOCOLATE AND KALE SMOOTHIE
1 cup coconut, hemp, or almond milk
1 frozen banana
1 cup of kale
3 tablespoons of cacao nibs
1 tablespoon of raw cacao
5 to 6 ice cubes
 
Blend all items in a blender and serve.
 
MISO SOUP WITH SEA VEGETABLES
5 cups water
1 strip kombu, hijiki or another sea vegetable (available at natural food
 stores and Japanese groceries)
1 cup Swiss chard, kale, or other greens, chopped
½ cup sliced carrots
5 teaspoons miso of your choice
 
Rinse the sea vegetables. Rinse the sea vegetables in cold water for 10 minutes (if using arame, do not soak). Wipe with a towel to remove excess sodium. Fill a pot with water. Cut the sea vegetable into small strips and add to the pot. Bring the water to a boil. Add the carrots, cover and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
 
Mix in the miso. Remove a few tablespoons of broth from the pot to mix with the miso in a separate container to form a puree. Place the miso puree in the soup pot and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes (miso
should not be boiled because it will kill the beneficial bacteria!). Add the greens and simmer for 2 more minutes.
 
Another thing that I guarantee helps to beat the holiday bloat is warm lemon water. I have shared this before and you can do this with different ingredients but to make it super simple i added this in. First thing in the morning, when you wake up, pour yourself a warm cup of water with fresh lemon juice squeezed in – a dash of cayenne is optional. This will warm up your body, aid your digestion, and boost your metabolism!
 
This year, I also made the commitment to journal daily. This daily reprieve helps me to reflect on my day and get clarity on what I need - both body and mind - to make 2017 my best year yet. This also helps me stay consistent with whatever goals I have set for myself. I hope you will join me in journaling this year! As an extra incentive I am giving you a journal that you can use and you don't even have to go buy!
 
Click on the Healthy Journey Journal above to get your FREE Journal!

Let's make this year your best year yet!

XOXO,

​Jules