7 Health Benefits of Going Barefoot

No better feeling than bare feet dipped in the ocean!

CLICK

My Sister's White Bean and Veggie Soup Puree

Making this as I type and the house smells sooo good!

Here is the recipe - doesn't get much easier or more healthy:

Sautee a large onion (yellow or white) and a few garlic cloves in olive oil

Roughly chop a couple of carrots and celery stalks and throw into pot

Saute this much for about 5 minutes

Add chopped zuchhini, yellow squash and mushrooms

*I used an entire zucchini and 2 smaller yellow squash and baby portabellos

Add enough broth (veggie or chicken) to cover all veggies -- about 4 cups

Add white beans (I used an entire can of organic, sodium-free white beans)

Simmer for 5 minutes

Add salt and pepper and simmer for another 10-15 minutes

Pour into Blender/VitaMix and puree

Eat

The End

This girl is a genius!

Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets (CLICK) -- this is the 2nd time roasting cauliflower has come to my attention in the last week or so. I think its a sign that I need to try it!

Genius Blondies -- YUM!!!!

Thank you to my sister for passing this site to me. These recipes are awesome and are a healthy-twist on not-so-healthy favorites.

I am going to make this one this week -- looks so, so good!

Genius Blondies (CLICK)

Inner Drive

"Getting ahead in a difficult position requires avid faith in yourself. ‎

That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive,

go much further than people with vastly superior talent."

Sophia Loren

Patio by Clara Dragon

Gluten-Free and Vegan Caesar Salad

Ingredients

1 cup Brussels sprouts

4 cups mixed greens (spinach, radicchio, etc)

1/2 cup arugula

3/4 cup almond milk

1/2 cup pumpkin

1 tsp. white balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup cashews, ground

1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled

2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp. agave nectar

1/6 tsp. curry powder

1/6 tsp. fresh ginger root

1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped

Pinch of sea salt

Directions

Steam Brussels sprouts on the stove top over medium heat for 10 minutes or until tender and bright green. Remove from heat; transfer to a large salad bowl. Add mixed greens and arugula.

In a blender, add remaining ingredients; pulse until smooth. Pour dressing onto salad; gently toss to combine.

Serve chilled.

Enjoy.

Top 10 Worst Sources of Aspartame

On my Soda "Soapbox" again!

Just read in 'Experience Life' magazine.... "Drinking 1 to 2 sodas per day increases your chances of being overweight or obese by nearly 33%". Source: University of Texas Health Science Study

My favorite new Quinoa - sprouted trio of grains

The Positive Pledge

I pledge to be a positive person and positive influence on my family, friends, co-workers and community.

I promise to be positively contagious and share more smiles, laughter, encouragement and joy with those around me.

I vow to stay positive in the face of negativity.

When I am surrounded by pessimism I will choose optimism.

When I feel fear I will choose faith.

When I want to hate I will choose love.

When I want to be bitter I will choose to get better.

When I experience a challenge I will look for opportunity to learn and grow.

When faced with adversity I will find strength.

When I experience a set-back I will be resilient.

When I meet failure I will fail forward towards future success.

With vision, hope, and faith, I will never give up and will always move forward towards my destiny.

I believe my best days are ahead of me, not behind me.

I believe I'm here for a reason and my purpose is greater than my challenges.

I believe that being positive not only makes me better, it makes everyone around me better.

So today and every day I will be positive and strive to make a positive impact on the world.

Arbonne in Marie Claire

CLICK to read the article

SeaSource Detox Spa Mud Mask Featured On MarieClaire.com
What are your beauty essentials that you can't leave home without? According to a Marie Claire blogger, one of those essentials should be Arbonne's SeaSource Detox Spa Sea Mud Mask! Check out why Elizabeth Dehn - lifestyle writer, TV personality and editor in chief of the award-winning blog, BeautyBets.com - likes to have the Arbonne Mask on hand for jetsetting around the world!

Cocoa Coconut Bits..... drooling!!

Click for Recipe

Coconut and Quinoa: Very Cool!

CLICK to visit!

Think BIG

"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven't."

-Thomas Edison

(who, by the way, tried over 9,000 times to successfully create the light bulb -- imagine if he gave up after 8,000 tries)

Granola Muffins

I found this recipe while searching online for new things to try. The only problem was that the original recipe called for some ingredients I try to avoid (dairy, gluten, wheat, etc.)

Thank goodness for my 'foodie' friend, Andrea, who gave me some great substitutes to use for this recipe. I think they turned out great!

RECIPE (click)

Substitute:

1. Granola - use UDI's Gluten Free granola

2. Flour - use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

3. Buttermilk - use coconut milk yogurt

4. Canola Oil - use organic apple sauce

5. Milk - use any non-dairy of your choice (I used Rice Milk)

So proud of my climber!

Roasted Lemon-Parmesan Cauliflower with Capers

Roasted Lemon-Parmesan Cauliflower with Capers

Good Answer

" A friend asked me, 'What does it really cost to eat well?'

My response? Think about the real cost of not eating well."

- Lisa Gosselin, Editorial Director at EatingWell (magazine)

Veggie Rolls

These look scrumptious. My mouth is watering just looking at the photo. You can opt to use hummus instead of the tofu and I bet it would still taste great. CLICK for recipe.

The Big Secret

"The big secret in life is that there is no secret. Whatever your
goal, you can get there if you are willing to work. It is called
massive action. Action is the gas in the tank. Without it, the car
will not run."

--Marcy Blochowiak
Author of No Glass Ceiling

Soda is so bad. Pass it on!

Diet: Soft Drinks, Smoking and Asthma.
A high level of soft drink consumption is associated with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 13.3% of participants with asthma and 15.6% of those with COPD reported consuming more than half a liter of soda per day.
Respirology, Feb 2012

A Great Reason to Use Arbonne (wink, wink)

Wellness/Prevention: Constantly Changing.
Your body is constantly sloughing off old cells and growing new ones. For example, you shed 600,000 particles of skin every hour, about 1.5 lbs a year. By 70 years of age, you will have lost 105 lbs of skin.
Gray's Anatomy

New Quinoa Find! Yummy Stew

Click HERE for recipe. Looks so good (and easy!).

Arugula Pina Colada Smoothie

Crazy but true! CLICK