Need something to dip in your hummus? Guacamole? Salsa? Tapenada? Problem solved… these are perfect! 

Listen up hot mamas! Want inspiration from someone who knows how to juggle health, happiness, and of course kids? Perfect… then I recommend tuning into the wise words of super mom Taylor Wells.

So what’s she all about? Taylor Wells is a lifestyle entrepreneur and happy Supermom of five. She has co-founded numerous wellness ventures, including Prana Power Yoga (five locations), Prana Restaurant, Super-mom.com, Pranaraw.com, and Prana Super-mom Consulting. She is currently in the process of publishing her first book, Create The Best Life Ever.

Wise words from Taylor… “I believe that self-love is being confused with narcissism. Why is it that when a 3 year old says (as our son Phoenix did–now I’m quoting him), ‘Yeah, I love myself.  I so great!’ we laugh and feel happy and proud; yet, if an adult said that or just emitted that energy, some would call it narcissistic? (I wouldn’t. I’d say, ‘Rock on!’). That child knows he’s worthy!  That child knows he got it goin on!  That child still remembers that it’s his birthright to be joyful. That child still remembers that he’s perfect!  Just as he is.  Not if and when he does one more thing and ‘proves himself.’ I teach self-love. And as much as I possibly can, I live it. Words don’t teach.  Living it does.  I walk my talk.  And I teach by doin so. If you call self-love ‘narcissism,’ I gots a lot more to teach.”

“The sexiest thing about a woman is her health. When you feel good, everyone is attracted to you. But if you look sick, they’ll steer a wild path around you.” – Carol Alt

Try the supermodel’s line of beauty products…  Raw Essentials.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients: 

One head Cauliflower
One cup Cashews (soak if you want it smoother)
3 Tbl Lemon juice
2 Tbl Mellow white miso
1 Tbl Olive oil
1/4 to 1 tsp Salt (to taste)
1/8 tsp Black pepper
1/4 to 1/3 cup Water

Preparation:

Blend everything but the water in a food processor–use the grater or slicer attachment for the cauliflower, to help avoid big pieces that the S-blade misses. Then add the water in a thin stream.

Do you miss good old cereal for breakfast? Pour some almond milk on these, topped off with some strawberries and your good to go! I love them as straight up snacks too. You can order them from here!

Ingredients: buckwheat, agave, vanilla, and salt.

Start a new chapter in your life, a more vibrant, beautiful, healthy one, by purchasing vegan/raw food books that provide you inspiration for your next adventures/experiences. I found a few myself this week at the bookstore in Chelsea Market. Anyone in particular grab your attention above? Night everyone!

Everyone knows that getting a good night’s sleep is very important for your health… It’s your time to recharge… So why not invest in a comfy-want-to-stay-under-the-covers-forever-bed? If you’re thinking about it (or I just got you thinking about it…), I highly suggest you check out Sleepo.se! It’s a brand NEW Swedish online bedding store with super duper products (love when they make it easy for us… delivered right to your door). They have multiple brands including eco friendly afswedala, warm and cosy Canada Goose Home, Jersey Sheets from Beach House, classic swedish beds from Kinnabäden, and more.

So check it… 🙂

Why is this the best coconut water? Beacuse it’s frozen, and therefore perserves the nutrients. Once it begins to melt, drink within 3 days. The other kinds like Zico, Vita Coco, O.N.E, etc., have turned into sugar…. nasty! Keep it natural and organic. Purchase Here!

1. There are no issues with mold.
2. An almost unlimited shelf life if the products are kept frozen.
3. Recipe ready coconut water, all you have to do is thaw.
4. The coconut water has not been pasteurized therefore still containing all the valuable nutrients and enzymes.
5. Superior product and taste than other coconut products in the market. The closest it can get to a freshly harvested young coconut.
6. It is certified organic.
7. As nature intended. There are no artificial colors, sugars, fats, preservatives, and chemicals of any kind.
8. Coconut water is very high in electrolytes. It is a hydrating beverage.
9. Our coconut water comes from a variety of young coconut called the Fragrant Variety. This Fragrant Variety is grown only in Thailand; it is naturally sweeter than any other variety of the young coconut in the market.

Read this interesting article by Fredric Patenaude and just had to share! Read his thoughts below…

Skipping Breakfast – By: Fredric Patenaude

We are told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. “Eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch, and have dinner like a pauper” is an old saying. The truth is, for most of human history, people of all cultures have typically only eaten two meals a day: lunch and dinner, or sometimes breakfast and lunch, with a light dinner. The ancient Romans ate an early breakfast, a very light lunch, and a large dinner. In all examples you can find in history, people only had two large meals a day, and sometimes skipped the third one entirely.

The word “breakfast” in French (déjeuner) also means “breaking the fast,” but actually means the lunch meal, because that’s when people had their first meal of the day (breaking the fast). Eventually, as French people got wealthier, they started having something in the morning, and came up with the term “little breakfast” (petit déjeuner) to describe that morning meal.

Having regular meals is important, but skipping breakfast or any other meal occasionally does not have the terrible consequences that are expected. A healthy person, with a healthy blood sugar, can easily skip breakfast without the terrible “blood sugar crash” that people expect when they don’t eat anything in the morning. In fact, if you can’t skip breakfast without feeling bad, it typically reflects the poor state of your health and your reliance on stimulants like coffee and sugar.

A recent study published in the Journal of Physiology showed that working out on an empty stomach has tremendous health benefits

(http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/phys-ed-the-benefits-of-exercising-before-breakfast/)

Having a big breakfast before a workout, or in general, is especially bad for you. If you have a big breakfast, you should only do so after working out. Researchers found:

 ”The men who ate breakfast before exercising gained weight, too, although only about half as much as the control group. Like those sedentary big eaters, however, they had become more insulin-resistant and were storing a greater amount of fat in their muscles.

Only the group that exercised before breakfast gained almost no weight and showed no signs of insulin resistance. They also burned the fat they were taking in more efficiently. “Our current data,” the study’s authors wrote, “indicate that exercise training in the fasted state is more effective than exercise in the carbohydrate-fed state to stimulate glucose tolerance despite a hypercaloric high-fat diet.”

Another reason people may not eat breakfast, or have only a coffee in the morning, is because they eat late at night or snack after dinner. Skip this. It’s much better to eat during the day and burn off the energy, than to eat at night when you’re sedentary and then go to bed.

The Body Knows Diet – Cracking the Weight Loss Code
Despite what the American diet industry tells us, and what the millions of people who are overweight have experienced, weight loss is not a mystery. Have you ever wondered why your favorite celebrities gain weight? Do you know why popular diet books still do not reveal the truth? The Body Knows Diet – Cracking the Weight Loss Code will show you how easy it is to lose weight without dieting, calorie counting, measuring, starving or bending yourself into a pretzel at the gym! If you are frustrated with the weight loss game or have dieted and lost and dieted again, only to give up in despair, then this is the book for you. Caroline shares her pearls of wisdom and experience helping thousands of people to lose weight.