1/6/2017 0 Comments Welcome to 2017!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
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12/28/2016 0 Comments Another yummy treat for your insides!Parsnip Cream Soup
Parsnips are a food that many people shy away from because they don’t know what the heck to do with them. I can tell you that parsnips are a staple for many fine-dining chefs because they’re naturally creamy and luxurious. As humble of a vegetable as they might appear, parsnips are quite versatile and dynamic. And bonus! Parsnips are a good source of vitamin C, folate and manganese. My favorite way to enjoy parsnips is in this super simple creamy parsnip soup. I love, love , love soups this time of year! They really hit the spot on a chilly Fall or Winter day and (if you love it) it can be enjoyed cold in the summer. Give parsnips a chance and you might just end up with a new favorite root vegetable like me! As I have said before if you’re looking to lose weight and improve your gut health it’s all about making small changes. Swapping out starchy grains and potatoes for low glycemic parsnips is just one of the things that can get you closer to your goal. Always remember simple steps and small changes is the way to go so that you do not get overwhelmed! Ingredients Serves 4 1 tablespoon coconut oil 2 large celery ribs, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 4 large parsnips, peeled and chopped 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning 2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable) or water sea salt and black pepper to taste ½ cup dairy-free milk of your choice Directions Place a large pot on a medium flame and add coconut oil. When the oil is hot, add the celery and onion. Sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add parsnips, poultry seasoning, and broth (or water) along with sea salt and black pepper. Allow the mixture to come to a boil. Then lower the flame and simmer for 20 minutes. When the parsnips are tender, remove from heat. You can use an immersion blender to make the soup smooth or blend it in batches using a high speed blender. When the soup is blended, add it back to the pot and add the dairy-free milk. Reheat the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Want even more nourishing healthy recipes to help you lose weight, improve your digestion and increase your energy? Keep your eyes open for my new program Restore your Gut Health coming this January! Also I will be doing a free webinar on Simple Steps to Restore Your Gut Health and Lose Weight on January 5th. Click Here to register. Thanks for reading, XOXO Jules 12/21/2016 0 Comments Yummy Massaged Kale with FennelHey there beautiful!
I just wanted to give you this simple recipe to possibly add to your favorites. This salad is delightfully nourishing and gives you all the benefits of kale, without the digestive distress. When you massage kale you break down some of the tough fibers in the cell wall that make raw kale hard to digest. When I started eating healthy I couldn’t digest kale very well. It upset my digestion and I didn’t get what all the fuss was about. If this happens to you the solution is to either blanch, steam or massage your kale. This recipe is one of my favorites because you still get all the amazing benefits of raw kale: the enzymes, magnesium, vitamin C and more. (If however you have any thyroid or adrenal issues you will still need to atleast blanch your Kale as that is the only way to rid it of goitrogens.) Massaging nourishing oil and lemon juice into the kale also help make the nutrients more bioavailable and easier to assimilate. Plus, it tastes delicious and can be paired with grilled chicken or fish for a classic healthy meal. Ingredients 1 bunch kale, chopped 1 large lemon, juiced 1 large garlic clove, minced ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil Sea salt and black pepper to taste 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup chopped celery ½ cup thinly sliced fennel ¼ cup pine nuts Directions: Add kale to a large mixing bowl along with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Using clean, bare hands, massage the kale until it is wilted (about 2 to 3 minutes). Once the kale is ready, top your salad with carrots, celery, fennel, and pine nuts. No extra dressing is needed. If kale is something that’s hard to digest for you, there might be a deeper issue that needs to be addressed ). If you want to be able to eat whatever you want and have no digestive issues, you need to check out my upcoming gut health program. These principles have truly transformed my life as well as countless others and I am so excited to share them with you! Keep your eyes open for my new Restore Your Gut Health Program and join me on my Facebook page http://bit.ly/Julesbiz I’ll be sharing more information, tips and recipes to help you live a happier, healthier life. To your wellness, XOXO Jules 12/14/2016 0 Comments This is what's for dinner!!Did you know cultured foods are all the rage? And rightly so.
Seriously. They are freakin’ phenomenal. They whip your digestive system into shape by packing it full of the good bacteria your gut is probably starving for. I try and eat something cultured everyday and it seriously makes such a difference! That’s why I had to share this phenomenal cultured recipe from my upcoming (top-secret) 8-Week Restore Your Gut program. (shhhhh! Wink) How to Make Sauerkraut(from CulturesForHealth.com) Basic sauerkraut may be one of the most popular ferments, and it is such an easy recipe that it works great for beginners. Give it a try, you won’t be sorry! INGREDIENTS: 1 medium head of cabbage 1-3 tablespoons sea salt INSTRUCTIONS: Chop or shred cabbage. Sprinkle with salt. Knead the cabbage with clean hands, or pound with a potato masher or a Cabbage Crusher for about 10 minutes, until there is enough liquid to cover. Stuff the cabbage into a quart jar, pressing the cabbage underneath the liquid. If necessary, add a bit of water to completely cover cabbage. Cover the jar with a tight lid, airlock lid, or coffee filter secured with a rubber band (I like this last idea because sometimes I forget to burp the jar). Culture at room temperature (60-70°F is preferred) until desired flavor and texture are achieved. If using a tight lid, burp daily to release excess pressure. Once the sauerkraut is finished, put a tight lid on the jar and move to cold storage. The sauerkraut's flavor will continue to develop as it ages. Makes approximately 1 quart. OPTIONAL: Prior to culturing, mix 1 part shredded carrots, apple, or other vegetable to 5 parts cabbage, for a more complex flavor. You can also add caraway seeds, if desired. If you try this let me know what you think! Xoxo, Jules P.S. That recipe is a must-have staple in your winter meal plan. It’s one of over 59 recipes in my new program that’s sure to be a game-changer for YOU. So keep your eyes peeled for more info over the next few weeks because you DO NOT want to miss this… 10/16/2016 0 Comments I am feeling a bit crazy....I know this is kind of crazy but I have a program available for 10 dollars! Okay maybe really crazy!
So let me explain the loss of my senses ;) I wanted to have a program for those who were afraid of the word "detox" (hence why it is called the clean eating challenge). I wanted it to be short enough to feel manageable but long enough to make an actual difference. I wanted it to be very simple and super easy to follow but with all the good stuff from my regular programs. Kind of a beginners program but I am offering it to all my people because it is that good! The extra crazy in all this is that I want you to have the extra support of having a friend do it with you. So this is a BOGO deal. All that is required after you sign up is that you send me your friends e-mail so I can send them the challenge too. I am running this challenge for two different weeks. The first week is a pre-Halloween strike in preparation for the sugar holiday! I will have a forum open from the 21st till the end of both challenges which will be the 12th. The first week is October 24th-October 28th, the second week is after Halloween as a recovery for the sugar addicted (hehe), November 7th- November 11th. The challenge will be yours forever of course, so you can do it whenever you would like as many times as you like. That is just when I will have the forum open and be supporting you. I love this challenge and I hope you will too! I also wanted to let you know I am going to start a weekly food post on my Facebook business page. I will pick a food, be it vegetable or fruit and tell you why it's awesome and how and why it will serve you in your journey to health. My FB business page is @juliesweberbiz if you want to check that out. Have a great week and please if there is anything you want to know more about, ask me in the comments or e-mail me at julie@ juliesweber.com and I will probably blog about it ;) XO Jules PS. Oh and click here to check out the Challenge. 10/10/2016 0 Comments 5 Surprising Beauty FoodsAll fresh fruits and vegetables contain magical powers when it comes to shiny hair, clear skin, and strong nails. I mean come on, we all know Mother Nature is amazing!! However, the ones I’ve chosen below are perhaps not as well known for their powerful beauty benefits. They may not all be for you but why not try and include one or more of these foods into your diet? A good choice if you want to look your best plus and it's a bit cheaper than botox or other unnatural remedies. Bonus... the only side side affect is to make you feel great!
The best thing is that all these foods are so easy to incorporate into your diet!! Add turmeric to juice, or make a yummy tea. If you haven't tried it as a tea it is so simple! Just warm up two cups of oat milk (or whatever milk you like) about a teaspoon of turmeric, a few dashes of cinnamon and your choice of sweetener (I use stevia)...pure deliciousness!! Then combine the other foods with some other fixings to make a great, beautifying salad. Who said that beauty was hard to keep? Thanks for reading! XO Jules 9/19/2016 1 Comment 10 Steps to Better DigestionDo you feel like your food is just sitting in your stomach for hours after you eat? Or is the opposite happening, and you are running to the bathroom before you have even finished your meal? You are not alone, and there are things you can do to improve the situation.
Here are ten steps to take now to get things moving properly through your gut:
If you incorporate some or all of the tips, you will ease into better digestion and the tummy troubles will disappear. I would suggest also if you try any or all of these, keep a food journal to help you truly pay attention to how you feel after anything you add in or leave out. One last thought, when you give your body what it needs to function at it's very best you are loving yourself not denying yourself! Thanks for reading and have a great day! Jules 9/15/2016 1 Comment Summer is over...... Although it doesn’t feel like it! Man it’s been hot!! This last month of summer has been crazy but now both of my kids are in school and I am getting back into the swing of things!
I have been having fun planning my fall for my business and I am really excited about the things coming up! (Not to mention the cooler weather) I will keep you informed about all the fun things going on but I will try and keep the blog to once a week so I don’t fill up your in box. Today I just wanted to share my new favorite fast smoothie. If you are like me and running around like a crazy person, sometimes it feels like you just don’t have time to make something. So this has been my quickie go to these last few weeks. All I do is get one of my shaker bottles, fill it halfway with water and half with coconut water (my favorite at the moment is mango). Then I put a scoop of vanilla vegan protein (I use Sun Warrior), add my greens powder and shake shake shake! So easy and so fast! Because of the protein and the healthy fat it keeps me feeling full for awhile. Of course you can always use a nut milk or my new favorite oat milk to make it creamier. This keeps me from going until I can stop and have a healthy snack plus it keeps me from a drive thru! Thanks for taking the time to read and if you have a second I would love to hear your favorite quick smoothie ideas! Have a great day! Jules 7/25/2016 0 Comments SKIN HEALTHWe’ve all heard the expression “you are what you eat”, and your skin is no exception.
Simple Fact: Your skin is your largest organ. It is our protective covering and our first line of defense to fight illness and disease. It is also a passageway to our bloodstream. That being said, what you apply topically on your skin, as well as what you eat, will affect the overall health & appearance of your skin. Let’s get started from the inside out. A quote from one of my favorite skin docs: “Certain foods have powerhouse ingredients that keep skin supple and smooth and help fight age-related damage”, says Nicholas Perricone, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and author of “Ageless Face, Ageless Mind”. First off, we need to HYDRATE the skin. That means drinking plenty of water. As we age, skin tends to become dehydrated a lot more quickly, causing it to wrinkle, so ample hydration is key. You need at least the recommended 6-8 glasses/day or another good rule of thumb that I go by is to drink half your body weight in ounces . If you are physically active, live in a warm climate, or feel thirsty, you may need to up your daily intake. Second tip, eat your superfoods! If it’s good for your health, it’s good for your skin too! Some examples: Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish, such as herring, sardines, and salmon. Some of the highest sources of omega-3's are fish oil (krill is a clean source), microalgea, flax seed, hemp and walnuts. Omega-3s are known to decrease inflammation and may reduce the risk of acne and other skin problems. Vitamin C helps produce collagen & prevents cells from damage caused by free radicals. Great sources are oranges, pineapples, tomato, strawberries, & bell peppers. Vitamin E helps limit sun damage & signs of aging. Almonds are a terrific source of Vitamin E. Vitamin A revitalizes skin by increasing cell production and rebuilds tissue. Eggs and dark leafy greens are good choices. Beta-Carotene is needed for growth & repair of tissue. It is found in abundance in orange foods like carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, and cantaloupe. Other fabulous foods to include to boost your skin health: dark leafy vegetables, avocados, mushrooms, berries, and, surprise, dark chocolate. Did you know that your skin is a “breathable” organ? Up to 60% of what you apply topically on your skin will be absorbed into your bloodstream, and children absorb even more than that!!!! Understanding that products you've been using for years actually contain harmful ingredients and could damage your health is the first step! If this is true for you your first instinct probably would be to find a healthier alternative, pronto! Right?! This is what is happening all over today! Heightened awareness and potential dangers have caused consumers to take a closer look at what they put on their skin and demand safer alternatives. I am writing this in the hope of helping you have a better understanding of what could be in your products. Many cosmetic companies do NOT even list their ingredients, aka toxic chemicals, because they are not required to do so. The truth is several of these toxic chemicals are linked to a host of problems including: allergies, skin rashes, cancer, headaches, fertility & reproductive issues, birth defects, hormone inhibitors, and more. Some toxic chemicals that should be avoided:
*****Of course, there are more, but you get the point. If you wouldn’t EAT it, it probably doesn’t belong on your SKIN.***** I don't mean to stress you out about this at all. I just want you to start checking out labels, much like for the food you eat! There are so many more options of natural companies out there these days, so have a little fun, try different things and see how they work for you. If you love, love, love the company you use I would still suggest being aware of what is in them. You can look up what’s in your skin care by visiting one of my favorite sites: http://www.ewg.org Have a great day and thanks for reading! Well, I am sure at one time or another we have all found ourselves on the drive thru line, starving, and craving some food that will provide a solution to that crazy grumbling sound in our bellies. So, we go for something quick and fast. It also doesn't help that each town has at least one to two or even more fast food joints to offer some quick yet unhealthy options for us. Seriously I am a pescetarian and have very few options and still sometimes end up with a small (or large, depending on the day) fry in my lap just so I don't feel like I am going to pass out! How do we avoid this? How can we avoid being that hungry, craving, cranky, and in a need of a fast fix person who has lost all control for healthy determination? Well, it is much simpler than you'd think.
The real fast food, before corporations built these multi-million dollar unhealthy options for us, was good old-fashioned fruits and veggies. Imagine that! Fruits and veggies should always be the number one option, and they are sold everywhere we turn as well, although they don't usually have a drive thru. So, if it is about convenience then we need to prepare ahead of time. If we pack snacks and quick foods to go in our purse or brief case then we will always have a fast food option that aligns with having a healthy determination. I suggest packing apples, bananas, oranges, and even some healthy homemade trail mix! Trail mix is my favorite go-to snack when I'm on the go. I put some nuts, raisins, and dried fruit like cranberries in a little Ziploc back or plastic Tupperware container. It is always there and it doesn't fail me. It also quick to prepare and if I make a bunch of it I can take little servings for a couple days so it lasts. I also really like Mary's Gone Crackers, crackers if you are one who craves a little crunch. The best way to avoid fast food joints while on the go is to always make sure you have a fast food option in your purse. Just put it in your preparing for the next day plan before bed or make it a weekend habit to make little baggies that you can grab as you are running out the door. Hope you find this helpful!! xo jules PS. Almost forgot a have a new Free guide for you! It's 10 Ways To Live Dynamic Life! Click Here to get it! |
MeI am a wife and a mother of two, one boy one girl . They are the loves of my life! And also the reason I do what I do. I have to be able to keep up! Archives
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