Interview With Jordan From TheBlondeVegan, All About Her 5 Day Cleanse And A Recipe!

Hello everyone! Today I want to share one of my favourite health inspirations with you all! The gorgeous Jordan aka. theblondevegan (picture of her above). She will also be sharing everything about her amazing 5 day cleanse and an amazing recipe from her cleanse with us all! So get cozy, get yourself a yummy cup of tea and get ready to be inspired!  🙂

Name: Jordan Younger
Age: 23
Current location: New York City

Contact:

Website: http://www.theblondevegan.com/

What’s your journey been so far? How did you become “theblondevegan” and what made you want to write an ebook on a cleanse?

– I found veganism last January because of severe stomach problems that had been plaguing me my entire life. I had spent years trying to figure out the eating style that worked best for my body. I knew that dairy and red meat did not work well with my system, so I was already predominantly pescetarian but I still ate eggs, fish, some poultry and wasn’t very careful about oils. I went through a rough break up at the end of 2012 and decided to make some changes in my life. One of the first things I did was try a 5-day “plant-based” cleanse, and immediately it was SHOCKING how amazing I felt physically, mentally and emotionally. My stomach problems were gone, I felt clearer, lighter, more energized and I was proud of my choices for myself and for the environment. I knew I had to continue eating an entirely clean and plant-based lifestyle in order to continue feeling amazing, so I fell in love with veganism and never looked back. I started playing around in the kitchen and making all sorts of yummy green smoothies, juices, roasted veggie dishes, salads and raw desserts. I took photos every day and sent them to my mom. I followed a lot of vegan bloggers on Instagram and online already (including you, missy!!) and last June I realized that I had enough photos and recipe ideas to create my own healthy food Instagram. I also love to write, so I decided to expand the Instagram into a blog so that I could share stories and more in-depth information with my followers. I decided to write the eBook because a 5-day plant-based cleanse changed my life, so I wanted to create the same type of experience for my followers and for anyone who was interested in doing the same thing. I wanted to create a cleanse that promoted a sustainable healthy lifestyle change and not a “quick fix” or any type of starvation cleanse.

What’s your food philosophy?

– My food philosophy is simple: find what works best for YOUR body, and then fall in love with that lifestyle. What works best for my body is a whole food, plant-based diet. I have the most energy, I feel the lightest and healthiest when I eat that way. I believe in everything in moderation – eat what you love, don’t deprive yourself! I get my greens in all day long so I deserve some dessert at the end of the day, whether that be raw chocolate or fruit with some raw honey and almond butter. I am also very active, which I think is a key component to leading a healthy lifestyle.

5 tips for health, fitness and just living a great life?

1.    1. Drink lots and lots of water! It keeps your skin hydrated and flushes everything out of your system to keep from bloating.

2.    2. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Yoga, running, swimming, biking, walking, taking the stairs whenever possible, etc. Just move J

3.    3. Green juices!!! The power of the greens will keep you healthy, glowing and radiant.

4.  4.   Don’t sweat the small stuff. FORGIVE, be happy, and know that you deserve peace above all else.

5.   5.  Smile. If you have a genuine smile on your face, you are flawlessly beautiful.

What exactly is a cleanse? Is it the same thing as a detox? And why does one need it?

– A cleanse is essentially the same thing as a detox. Cleanses are good for us because our body and our digestive systems need a rest once in a while. Our systems work hard to process and digest the food we eat each day. Imagine giving it a break for 5 days straight and letting it reboot and heal from the inside. Cleanses aid in avoiding disease, firing up our metabolism and eliminating body stress. Because we are ridding our bodies of built up toxins, we are able to relax and relieve ourselves of all sorts of things that make us feel nasty. Unless you eliminate certain foods from your diet, you’ll never know what works for you and what does not work for you.

What can people expect (as in results like less bloating for example etc.) from your cleanse? 

– People who participate in the cleanse can expect detoxification, shedding unwanted pounds, feeling light and awesome, becoming more aware of the foods they are putting into their body and how food makes them feel, and the reward of challenging themselves in a healthy way.

 

What’s your number one advice for someone following your cleanse?

– Pay attention to your body! If you are hungry, grab a piece of fruit to snack on. This cleanse is not about starving. It’s about making sustainable lifestyle changes and forming a positive relationship to food.

What’s your favourite recipe in your cleanse?

– I have two. The Naked Smoothie and the Butternut Squash Apple Soup (Jordan was kind enough to share the recipe forthe Butternut Squash Apple Soup, with us so make sure you keep on scrolling)! I also love the Strawberry Fields smoothie. I’m such a smoothie addict. 

How is your cleanse set up? (As in 3 meals a day or no food?) 

– 1 smoothie for breakfast, 2 juices throughout the day as snacks, a solid food meal for lunch that is either a salad or a soup with nuts/seeds, and a solid food meal for dinner that is either roasted veggies or a soup with nuts/seeds. You can also eat as many fruits, veggies and nuts as you’d like whenever you get hungry, so you do not have to stick strictly to the meals provided.

Where can one buy it? 

– You can purchase the cleanse here: gum.co/theblondevegancleanse

BUTTERNUT SQUASH APPLE SOUP

This might actually be my favorite recipe in the whole cleanse (minus some of the smoothies, of course). This soup is special to me because it was the first veggie soup I learned how to make in my blender. Learning how to make soups in my blender made my life as a vegan so much easier and a whole lot more exciting.
The flavors in this soup are reminiscent of fall but can be enjoyed at any time of year. The squash makes it thick and creamy while the apple adds a sweetness that pairs well with the subtlety of the squash. The pecans and raisins are a super delicious touch that give this soup an extra oomph. Oh, and the nutmeg brings out all the flavors while adding an oomph of its own. Delicious!

Ingredients:
½ butternut squash
½ apple
1 T nutmeg
½ cup water
salt and pepper to taste
OPTIONAL: ½ T olive oil
Toppings:
1 small handful pecans
1 small handful raisins

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop the butternut squash into cubes, and lightly drizzle in olive oil if you so desire.
2. Place the butternut squash into the oven and bake until golden brown. This should take about 30 minutes, depending on your oven.
3. Slice the ½ apple into small cubes. Once the squash is baked, remove from the oven and place all ingredients into a blender or food processor.
4. Blend until smooth. Add more water if necessary
5. Top with pecans and raisins.

Thank you so much for reading and a huge thanks to Jordan for sharing all her amazing wisdom with us! Don’t forget to check her out over at http://www.theblondevegan.com (what a cute name, huh?)

Have a lovely and healthy day, xxx

Yasmin

Raw Raspberry Chocolate Cheescake (Paleo, Vegan)

Happy New Year everyone!

Hope you had a beautiful holiday season and a happy new years eve. These past few weeks have been crazy, hence the lack of posts, but I had a lovely time with my family and friends and hope you did too. Today I wanted to share the recipe for this delicious chocolate raspberry cheesecake recipe with you all.

Chocolate Crust:

• 1 cups of pecans
• 1 cups of macadamia nuts
• 1 and 1/2 cups of pitted dates
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 3 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon ground vanilla
• 1/2 tablespoon of himalayan sea salt

Cheesecake Layer:

• 3 cups of raw cashews
• 1 and 1/2 cups of pitted dates
• 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 5 tbsp coconut oil

Raspberry Layer:

• 2 cups of raspberries
• 2 bananas
• 5 dates
• 5 tablespoons of coconut oil

Optional: Raw cacao nibs as a topping

Throw the ingridients of the individual layers into the food processor and blend. Then layer everything and store in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Serve and enjoy!

Have a lovely and healthy day guys ❤

Let’s talk Protein Powders!

I get so many questions everyday asking about the protein powders I use and decided it would be easiest to just film a video on this answering all your questions!

Unfortunately I’m out of focus during the entire video, wich I only noticed when I finished recording. Really sorry about that 😦 However I hope this answers your questions 🙂

The Protein Powders I use:

Sunwarrior Protein Blend

• Click here for the link to the official website
• Link to iherb.com (international online store, where I buy mine.) You can use the discount code WPL642 for 10% off your first order if you’d like 🙂 Vanilla or Chocolate

About time whey

• Official website
• Click here for the link to iherb.com (international online store, where I buy mine.) You can use the discount code WPL642 for 10% off your first order if you’d like 🙂

There’s definitely other good ones out there, these are just the ones I have personally tried and continue to use 🙂 You might also be able to find them at local health food stores or other websites online.

Have a lovely and healthy day guys, xxx

Yasmin

Raw Chocolate

I love raw chocolate, and it’s definitely a staple in my life! Read more about the benefits of raw cacao here!: http://healthyyfood.com/2013/04/28/cacao-the-amazing-super-food/

Here’s a super easy and quick recipe on how you can make your own. You will need:

• 250gr. raw cacao butter
• 12 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 3 tbsp raw coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 tbsp himalayan sea salt
• Add ins of your choice

Please keep in mind that this is a DARK chocolate. So if you would like it less bitter add more coconut palm sugar and less cacao powder. 🙂

Not sure where to buy the ingredients? Check local health food stores or you can order it off www.iherb.com where you can use the discount code WPL642 for 10% off your first order. Thank you so much for watching!

Have a lovely and healthy day guys! xxx Yasmin

Interview with The Raw Food Sisters!

Hi everyone,

When the two lovely girls from therawfoodsisters contacted me for an interview, I knew I just had to interview them aswell and share these two amazing and passionate women with you all!

They have such an interesting and inspiring outlook on life, that I deeply admire!

Name:

Julie and Katrin Selmer

Age:

28 and 23

Contact:

Website: www.therawfoodsisters.com

E-mail: contact@therawfoodsisters.com

Instagram: @therawfoodsisters

Facebook: The Raw Food Sisters

Twitter: @rawfoodsisters

Can you tell us a little more about yourself, your journey and how you became the raw food sisters?

We are two sisters born and raised in Sweden. We are passionate about traveling, have made that our lifestyle and more or less live in our suitcases these days. The last years we have been living in Rome, Florence, Amsterdam and Berlin. We started our health journey in January 2013, a real turning point in our lives. After some intense weeks of travelling and Christmas we had over indulged in good foods and felt completely out of balance and desperately felt a drastic need for change. We are all or nothing when we do things. After making up our minds we decided literally to become raw vegans over a night. Now we are living a highly raw vegan lifestyle – and love it!

This is also how The Raw Food Sisters were born. We did a lot of research when we first started and realized there were not many sharing their whole journey to become raw vegans (as we first started off). So we created our blog to have people follow our raw vegan journey and to give an honest picture because changing your lifestyle is not always a dance on roses. In the end it has been the best decision ever to start live healthy and more conscious lives. We have never felt better and for the first time in our lives we really understand how it is to feel good. This is also the message we want to share with others and to inspire. If we can do it, so can you.

Could you share your lifestyle and food philosophy?

We are all or nothing when we do things and this was also the result when we decided to go for a healthy way of living. We started off as raw food vegans but came to realize that we have to adjust ourselves a bit depending on where in the world we are, especially since we travel a lot. We don´t like to have any restrictions at all and instead satisfy our bodies’ needs but for the moment we would never eat any animals. Most important is to have fun. Little did we know but healthy living is loads of fun!

How has eating this way influenced and changed you and your health?

Our raw vegan lifestyle change has totally changed our lives in all aspects. Being healthy has got a complete new meaning for us. It is to develop a good and balanced relationship with your body and mind. To be in tune with yourself and to be able to listen to what your body needs. We have managed to develop a beautiful relationship with food and our bodies. We have also become more conscious and feel a whole new connectedness with everything around. We have got a completely new clarity and can see so much clearer. This has enabled us to find our life purpose and one thing after another has unfolded in the right direction for us.

Julie

You are doing incredible things in Ghana at the moment, would you mind telling us a little more about this incredible project of yours? And how the idea for this project came about?

We actually have several projects going on in Ghana. It all actually started earlier this year when we started to look for healthy food choices. At the farmer´s market in Amsterdam we found dried mango which we both fell in love with (mango being our favorite fruit). We got this crazy idea to start produce our own sundried tropical fruit snacks and got so excited about it, especially what benefits it could bring to locals in the countries of origin of the tropical fruits. We started to talk with people about this and it was like it was meant to be. One thing led to another and we were able to set up a sundried mango project in Ghana this summer. Unfortunately it didn´t work out exactly as planned but in the end for the better. Now we are working with different health food commodities where we have the possibility to create job opportunities for locals and support in their community development. We also work as consultants helping companies, organizations and private people to set up projects and business down in Ghana. This in turn is a dream come true, to be able to help others implement successful projects that will bring advantages for vulnerable people.

If you could meet anyone dead or alive, who would it be?

Eckhart Tolle would be wonderful to meet. He has taught us a lot to stay in the present moment and has changed our lives. It be great honor to be in is present and hear him speak.

If you could tell your 14 year old self one thing, what would it be?

Julie: “You are good exactly the way you are. Girl, speak up because your words count and have a meaning. Stop being so hard on yourself.”

Katrin: “Listen to your inner voice, it knows its way and be careful when listening to other people´s opinion.”

Katrin

What are your go to quick and easy snacks?

Dates with any nut butter!

You have a really interesting view on the universe, would you mind sharing?

We believe we are all born with infinitive power and deserve fulfilling lives. We are able to do this by tuning in to our inner voice that each one of us are born with and have access to. Many of us are raised to only listen and take guidance in the outside world of what one should and should not do. Instead we are completely sure every single one of us has the answers within oneself. We have to trust our ability to let our intuition/inner voice guide us. The more we practice the easier it becomes. Great tools to tune into ourselves are for example meditation, writing journal, being in the nature, simply cut off the outer world for a little while. In this way we start to feel what our hearts are aching for and what we desire. That makes it easier to make conscious decisions and create our dream lives. We share more about how to live your heart desires and create your dream lives in easy ways on our website.  

What does a typical day in your life look like?

We wake up and always start off the day with lemon and warm water. While sipping on the warm lemon water we write in our gratitude journals, to let go of all resistance and set a perfect tune for the day. Thereafter, we enjoy a big green and vibrant smoothie (seriously the best way to start the day!). After breakfast we start working. We are self-employed and don´t have to walk very far to our office since we have it at home. 😉 We work for some hours until we feel the need for a little break and go outside for a walk to get some fresh air. When we come back it’s usually lunch time and we start preparing it. After lunch we continue to work with a little tea break in the afternoon. We don´t like to eat too late so we usually go for a light dinner quite early. We exercise daily and like to go for a run in the forest and love to finish the day with a good sweaty run. We also meditate at least once a day and usually do it before we are going to bed.

Top 5 tips for health, happiness and creating an amazing life?

Meditate and exercise daily, eat highly raw vegan food and as much organic as possible. Smile and laugh a lot and co-create with others

.

Goals and Aspirations?

Currently we are developing a coaching program regarding personal development and how to create a heart based and successful business by following your intuition. Our goal is to have it up and running in the coming months. We want to inspire others to also follow their dreams and make them come true. We want to create awareness of everybody´s great potential, it is all within you. We want to spread and share our stories. Another future plan is also to write books about this.

What is your number one tip for someone wanting to start on this journey of health?

Don´t be too hard on yourself, it will have its up’s and down’s. Get excited about it, find yourself a community. If you feel alone on this journey, you can easily find like minded people online. There are plenty that are looking for support just like you so don´t be afraid to take the step. Create yourself an Instagram account, a great way to connect with others and to find inspiration and motivation.

If you could only eat 3 things for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Berries, bananas and life would be very boring without some raw chocolate 😉

If you would have to show someone, that’s very septic about healthy food, that healthy eating can in fact be delicious, what would you prepare for them?

Raw Vegan Pasta with a Basil and Sundried Tomato Pesto

INGREDIENTS (1 bigger portion or 2 smaller)

 Raw pasta

– 1-2 zucchini

Basil & Sundried tomato pesto

– 25 g pine nuts

 – 2 big handfuls of fresh basil

 – 1 clove garlic

 – 8 sundried tomatoes (in oil or without)

 – Oil (optional – we used the one from our sundried tomatoes)

 – Salt

METHOD

Put all the ingredients for the Basil & Sundried tomato pesto in your food processor. Taste your way to the perfect pesto that suits your taste buds. Remember that all fresh and living food varies in both taste and size – and it simply can´t go wrong with good ingredients! Put aside in a bowl.

Now it´s time for the raw pasta. If you have a spiralizer use that one to make your noodles. If not, it works perfectly with a cheese slicer or a potato peeler.

Massage the pesto into your noodles.

This Raw Vegan Pasta with Basil and Sundried Tomato Pesto is best enjoyed together with a big vibrant salad. Such a perfect meal! Buon appetito!

Rich and Creamy Raw Brownie

INGREDIENTS

– 1 cup dates

– 1 cup pecan nuts (soaked)

– 1 tbsp buckwheat flakes

– 2-3 tbsp raw cacao

– 1 tsp vanilla

– 1-2 tbsp coconut oil

– berries for serving

METHOD

Put your dates in a glass of water. Let it sit for at least 3-5 minutes. This helps the dates to soften up a bit. Put them in your mixer/food processor. Add 1 tbsp or 2 of the date water. Mix well until you get a sweet date paste.

Depending on your equipment you can either add your nuts in your food processor or you can chop them before in the size you prefer. Add buckwheat flakes, vanilla and raw cacao. Mix well. Once again depending on what kind of mixer/food processor you have – it can be easiest simply to mix with your hand.

Melt coconut oil. Add it to the mix. Blend well. Now place the batter in a form or oven paper. Put it in the freezer until it is set or place it in the fridge until it is time to enjoy.

It will be creamy and perfectly rich and satisfying – and not to forget good for you! We recommend to enjoy it together with berries for a fulfilling experience when the sweet meets the dark and rich.

I was interviewed! Top 3 beauty and health tips, my jouney to wellness and more!

I was interviewed by the lovely raw food sisters! If you want to know my top three beauty and health tips, my advice for a newbie, a fun recipe, a little bit about my own journey and so much more! Just click here: http://therawfoodsisters.com/2013/11/21/thursday-get-together-with-yasmin-from-healthyyfood/

A few little snippets from the interview:

• I believe there is a lesson to be learnt from all of our experiences in life, the good and the bad
• Up until that point I had spent my life trying to please others and based my worth on their opinion. For me this lifestyle change was about so much more than just weight loss or getting healthy. Through this process I have gotten to know myself and really tune in with my body. I have found something that I love and am passionate about. Up until that point anything I did was always to please other people or with the aim to have other people “like” me more. But not this time; it was something I truly started doing for myself. Just me. And I honestly, haven’t looked back since.
• I also can’t go a day without some raw chocolate or nut butter. Definitely my two guilty pleasures
• Sleep helps increase your memory, performance and obviously energy. In addition to that lack, of sleep can result in unwanted fat gain, by increasing ghrelin, a hunger hormone, and decreasing growth hormones.

….this is only a small part of what we covered in the interview! So head over to http://therawfoodsisters.com/2013/11/21/thursday-get-together-with-yasmin-from-healthyyfood/ to read the rest! And while you’re at it, don’t forget to subscribe and follow these two amazing girls on all their social media sites!

I’m still blown away by the fact that someone was actually interested in interviewing me! This has been one crazy journey, and I couldn’t be more blessed to be able to share it with all of you! Thank you for all your non stop support and encouragement! I can’t wait to see what the future will bring!

I’d also like to say a massive thank you to Katrin and Julie for all their support and this amazing opportunity! Keep on shining girls, I know you will do amazing things!

Lots of love, Have a lovely and healthy day guys, xxx

Yasmin

Listen to your body!

Hi everyone,

I have to warn you: mini rant coming your way. But this is just something I feel so strongly about I decided it deserved a blogpost of its own to increase awareness of this subject! This is something I had to learn the hard way, and that’s listening to your body!

We are constantly bombarded with different diets (many of them completely opposite) and weight loss programs. And it can be really confusing to people. I personally believe that every human out there should be eating a wholesome and real food based diet; but what foods to include or avoid within that concept is completely up to you! And yes, I do think there are certain diets that will probably fit a lager scale of people , just because of the way our human body is designed and evolution ( not going to be making any further comments on this just because I don’t want to argue about such minor things) but that doesn’t not mean it will work for everyone!

We tend to see someone, following a certain diet and hear them talking about how this is the right diet for everyone and we should all be eating this way. They seem healthy, so we automatically assume it’s gonna work for us and drastically change everything we’re doing, trying to get this certain way of eating to work for us? Just because it works for someone else? If a certain diet, lifestyle or way of eating is making you feel good and increasing your health than do it, embrace it and follow it! But if not, than don’t!! I spent years trying to force a certain way of eating on my body and justified it with: “well it works for x, y and z, and the reasearch supports it blablabla”.It doesn’t matter whether science supports this theory or that; if it makes you and your body feel good, that’s all that matters. We are all biochemically individual and completely different. To most of us it’s obvious that we all have different looks and genetic makeup, yet we expect one diet to work for all of us!? We are all just as different and unique in the inside as on the outside and no one diet fits all.

The traditional diet of the people in the rainforest was mostly plant-based with lots of fruit and natural sugars and only small additions of healthy fats and protein here and there. The natural diet of inuit or eskimo people however was mostly fats and proteins from fish and meat, with little to no carbohydrates. These two cultures couldn’t have had a more different diet, yet they we’re both thriving and had reached a level of ultimate health….on completely different diets!

What I’m trying to say is that just because one way of eating works for someone doesn’t mean it will work for you. One thing I think we can all agree on though is that all of these diets are based on real, wholesome food. I don’t think anyone should be eating things like high fructose corn syrup and refined flour. It makes me sad to se how many conflicts and arguments there is in the real food industry. Paleo vs. Vegans vs. Weston A Price vs. Atkins bablbabla…Why can’t we just all get together and combine forces to spread the word on real, wholesome food instead of arguing about such minor things and what you think is best for someone else. Imagine how many people’s live and health we could help drastically improve if we all worked together? Spreading the word of wholesome food and helping people find the right diet for them and their body based on their personal needs.

Credit for JERF goes to the amazing Sean Croxton from Undergroundwellness

Anywho I personally definitely think that EVERYONE can benefit from a real-, whole food diet. What foods to include and in which amounts however is completely unqiue to you and your body. Try different things, experiment and don’t forget to enjoy this amazing journey! Let your body, your feelings and your mental health be your guide to finding what works for you. I don’t know what’s best for you and neither does x, y and z. Only you can know that. Yesm it’s good to see what works for a lot of people out there and looking at research but trusting that blindly? And listening to what someone else sais instead of your body? No! It’s good to find out what works for others, to see if you can implement the same things and rep the same benefits. But in the end effect all that matters is if it works for YOU, and nothing else. And the best way to find out if it does? Experiment!

Have a lovely and healthy day guys, xxx

Yasmin

DTHM#1-Saturated Fat

DTHM #1:

I have decided to start this new series called Debunking the health myth; DTHM where I bust some common healthy myths and explain what’s actually going on.

Saturated fat:

And the first one is all about saturated fat. I’m sure you have all had someone tell you before that saturated fat is bad for you and causes heart disease. Well truth is, it’s actually extremely important for our health and wellbeing and necessary for humans to thrive!

Saturated fats are essential for proper energy function, cellular membranes, organ padding and hormone function. They give our cells the necessary stiffness, are essential for calcium absorption, have antimicrobial function, are needed for the proper utilization of the essential fatty acids and so much more!

When you actually take a look at the scientific evidence it does not support the claim that saturated fat causes heart disease in the slightest.

If saturated fat caused heat disease none of us would be here right now. Our ancestors relied on saturated fats to survive and evolve and had a huge amount of saturated fats in their diet.

It’s important to make the distinction between saturated fats and polyunsaturated fats! The majority of the polyunsaturated fats come from pressing nuts and seeds, such as corn, sunflower and soy, under thousands and thousand of pounds. From an evolution standpoint this is a predominantly new invention. We couldn’t do this 10’000 or even a 1000 years ago. The huge escalation of heart disease, cancer and diabetes all started after we stopped eating so many of the normal fats, the way nature provides them for us and started eating more of these polyunsaturated fats in form of hydrogenated vegetable oils and margarine. So no, margarine is not a better choice for you than butter.

I personally love to use saturated fats especially when baking and cooking and prefer using my extra-virgin olive oil (wich is a monounsaturated fat btw, not a polyunsaturated fat!)  in raw recipes or as a salad dressing. The reason why being: that when you heat oils, it causes the oil to go rancid wich creates free radicals. Free radicals are linked to a bunch of things like inflammation, premature aging and even cancer!

Take away:

Incorporate healthy sources of saturated fats like coconut and coconut oil, grass-fed (preferably raw and organic) butter and healthy sources of red meat coming from grass-fed, organic animals.

When cooking always make sure to use a saturated fat such as coconut oil and only use the monounsaturated fats such as olive oil in raw recipes.

Stay away from hydrogenated vegetable oils such as soybean, corn and sunflower oil.

PS: Also just found this short funny video whilst searching online, that I wanted to share with you, explaining how this whole myth started. It’s from the movie fat head. Really like this guys humor 🙂

Have a lovely and healthy day guys ♥

Updated Workout Routine

So ever since I wrote my last workout routine post, it’s changed quite a bit so I decided it was time for me to do an updated one. I have started training for my first ever half marathon so am running a little more than I used to. I just really enjoy it and it’s fun and relaxing to me.

As mentioned in my last workout routine post: I don’t have a gym membership and do all my workouts at home or outside. I’m fortunate enough to have different sets of weights, an elliptical, spin bike and (my recent addition) a trx at home so I really don’t see feel the need to have to go to a gym. There is no gym close to me so being able to workout at home or outside really saves me a lot of time. I’m also lucky enough to live right by a forest with loads of fields and farms and just absolutely love going for a run or a walk in the fresh air surrounded by some beautiful scenery and nature.

When it comes to working out it really depends on how busy I am that day and how I’m feeling. I generally try to workout anywhere between 30-90min, 5-6 times a week. But if I’m having a busy day sometimes I’ll only have the time to squeeze in a 15min workout and that’s it. Then I’ll just make sure to go all out in those 15min to get the most out of my time. If I’m ever having a day where I’m just not in the mood to excercise I will usually just go for a long relaxing walk and that’s it. Listen to your body!

I also try to stay active on an everyday basis as much as possible. Things like: tacking the stairs, parking further away or walking instead of taking the bus. Small thing can make a big change! 🙂

Here is an example of what my week might look like. This is just an example as again as mentioned above it all depends on the time I have and how I’m feeling. I never stick to a strict schedule and no two weeks are the same. But without further ado here we go:

• Monday: Rest day! 🙂 I might go on a long walk with my dog followed by some stretching and a little yoga practise if I feel like it.

• Tuesday: Leg and glute strenght excercise. Usually around 40min, lifting as heavy as I can(I like to go all out when it comes to my legs and glutes 😉 ) followed by a run (usually around 45min)

• Wednesday: 3omin core exercises followed by a 15min HIIT

• Thursday: Upper body strength exercises and a run (again around 45min)

• Friday: 30min core exercises followed by 15min HIIT (or I might take a rest day; all depends on how I’m feeling)

• Saturday: Leg and glute strength exercises

• Sunday: Upper body strength exercise followed by a long distance run for the half marathon training. (Upping my distance every week but currently around 17km).

If you would like me to post specific examples of the exercises I do on specific days, just let me know and I’d be more than happy to share that with you all.

Have a lovely and healthy day guys ♥

Homemade powerbowl

My newest breakfast obsession! I have been making these pretty much every day for the last couple of weeks now and absolutely love them! Super delicious and nutritious! I have gotten several requests for the recipe, but to be honest with you all no two powerbowls I’ve made so fare have been the same. And that’s the beauty of it..you can easily change it up every single day to fit your needs and likings. You can make a chocolate powerbowl, a berry powerbowl, a banana powerbowl, a tropical powerbowl,…the options are endless! Depending on what you use you can easily get a different outcome every single time. I have posted a video on my instagram account before on how I make these but after getting multiple requests to do a blog post finally have decided to write a blog post on these powerbowls aswell.

The video on my instagram account: http://instagram.com/p/dQ4UBnlAjP/#

Step 1: basically you want to start of with some kind of fruit.

You could use anything, a banana, berries, apple, nectarine, pineapple….anything! The choices are endless! Keep the final product you want to create in the back of your head. So for instance if you want to make a chocolate powerbowl your best options are probably a banana or dates. However if you’re opting for a tropical powerbowl, you might want to stick to more of the tropical fruits like pineapple or mango.

Step 2: Add the liquid

You could use anything ranging from raw cows milk, to coconut milk, coconut water or even just plain water. Whatever you have around that day, are in the mood for and floats your boat.

Step 3: Add the protein powder

I personally like using the protein blend form sunwarrior, a clean, healthy, raw and vegan protein powder. But you could use whatever protein powder you have/like. Depending on the powerbowl I’m making I’ll either use vanilla, chocolate or neutral. (If you’d like you could also go ahead and add some oats at this point).

Step 4 (Optional): Add that nutritional punch

Now this is where the fun part begins. I personally like to throw a bunch of superfoods and/or greens into my powerbowls for that added nutritional punch and benefits. if you don’t add too much you usually can’t taste it and still get all the benefits. Win win situation. You definitely don’t need any of these items to make a powerbowl thought and can very well also make it without.

Examples of superfoods I like to throw into my bowl:

• Handful of spinach
• Avocado
• Raw cacao powder (if making a chocolate powerbowl)
• Spirulina
• Aloe Vera
• Mesquite
• Lucuma
• Maca
• Physillium husk
• Cinammon
• Barleygrass
• Wheatgrass
• Reishi mushroom powder

Step 5: Blend

Now just blend everything together until you’re left with a thick smoothie like consistency.

Step 6: Add topping

You could use anything you like. Here are a few examples and the items I personally love topping my powerbowls with. This gives it that nice crunch and makes the whole thing interesting.

• Raw Cacao Nibs
• Shredded Coconut
• Bee Pollen
• Fruit
• Cruhsed nuts
• Nut Butter
• Buckwheat
• Oats

And you’re done 🙂 Enjoy! If you end up making one and would like to share, I would love to see all the wonderful creation you all come up with! So feel free to tag me in your pictures or send me your wonderful creations.

Have a lovely and healthy day guys, xxx

Yasmin