So how in the world is it that I wrote this blog post, published it, went to look for it, and it just wasn't there? Ok, so, let's try again.

Anyway, as you have probably noticed, my posts haven't been as consistent lately.  It all began on Monday May 11 when I picked up my daughter from college in Brooklyn.  Strange how adding an extra child into your household can just make things a little crazier.......even when she's not actually a child.  Anyway, finally, I think I have it all back together again......hopefully!

Yes, you probably want to start singing the jingle from the commercial:

Ch-ch-ch-chia (pet). And yes, you can eat this seed
! Who would have thought it was so healthy back in the day? This recipe is so 
easy to make it’s almost too good to be true.  For 1-2 servings:

1 cup coconut, almond, or hemp milk
2-3 tablespoons chia seeds
1 banana
½ cup blueberries (frozen are OK)
Handful of almonds or walnuts, if desired
Cinnamon, to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and let them sit in
the refrigerator for a few minutes. Stir after a few minutes, as the chia is “
gelling” into a pudding-like consistency. Let it sit in the refrigerator about 
20 minutes or until ready to eat.

If you find the pudding too thick, you can add more milk or a little water. If
you find the pudding too thin, add more chia or any of the other
ingredients to make it thicker. You really can’t go wrong with chia
pudding, which is why I love making it so much.  

Now, let’s talk about the health benefits of chia.

It is a superfood, for sure!

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids and
provides fiber as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese,
copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.  

Another great benefit of chia seeds is that they are good for travel. Pack
them in your suitcase and have them readily available to make chia
pudding for breakfast or a snack in your hotel room. 


You can also pack travel size containers of almond milk (if checking
luggage), as well as nuts and just pick up fresh fruit in your destination city.

Soon you will be singing ch-ch-ch-chia right along
with me! 

Enjoy!

1. I love that your decadence tastes sinfully delicious, yet it’s the “healthiest” of fats.

2. I love that you make my skin beautiful. 

The antioxidants in avocados help to get rid of 
toxins that promote premature aging and  wrinkling of the skin.  A lot of the 
toxins on your facial skin are the residue of makeup. Applying 1 mashed avocado
 as a facial mask and leaving it on for about 20 minutes before rinsing will help to 
remove these toxins and soften the skin. I promise, in the end, you will not look 
like the Wicked Witch of the West.

3. I love to use you as a spread on my Ezekiel bread toast with a sprinkle of
pink Himalayan sea salt, and red pepper flakes.

4. I love that you make my hair shiny. 

 One avocado mashed and mixed
together with 1 egg and your favorite essential oil is great for conditioning
your hair. The healthy oils in the avocado help to moisturize and soften dry
and brittle hair, and the vitamin E helps to restore a natural shine to your
hair. To obtain these benefits simply massage the avocado and egg
mixture into your hair and scalp and leave in for about 20 minutes. Then
wash and condition with your favorite shampoo and conditioner.

5. I love to use you in my salads. Any kind of salad.

6. I love to use you on my sandwiches in place of mayonnaise.

7. I love that you complete me. 

 Avocados provide all 18 essential amino acids necessary for the body to 
form a complete protein.  Unlike the protein in steak, which is difficult for most 
people to digest, avocado protein is readily absorbed by the body, because avocados
 also contain fiber.  If you are trying to cut down on animal sources of protein in your
diet, or if you are a vegetarian or vegan seeking more protein, avocados
are a great nutritional ally to include not merely as an occasional treat,
but as a regular part of your diet. Highest protein
content of any fruit (yes, it’s a fruit).

8. I love to use you in my smoothies to add some creamy richness.

9.  I love to scramble you in my omelet.

10. I love that you help me with my ABCs.

 While avocados have a high caloric count (one avocado is 320 calories), the
 various nutrients and “healthy” fats make it a must-eat. They are an alphabet
 of vitamins. One avocado provides your body with vitamins A, C, E, K and B6, along
 with an enormous amount of potassium and “healthy” fat.

Perhaps the biggest health benefit of avocados is that by adding avocado to certain 
foods, you can improve your absorption of nutrients. This means that when you
combine other fat burning foods with avocado, you can improve your nutrient 
absorption up to 400%!

Oh, yes, I truly do love you.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years, you would
have no doubt heard about the amazingness of juicing. But did you also
know that a juice elixir can also be a healthy and safe way to lose
weight? When drunk in complement to an existing weight-loss plan, juicing
provides a high level of quality nutrition, which will assist in weight-loss.
Read on to find out how.

1. Easy Digestion

One of the best benefits of juicing fresh fruit and
vegetables is that drinking them (as opposed to eating them) makes the
m really easy for your body to digest. If you are to juice say a couple of tomatoes, celery,
cucumber, spinach, and carrot, you will make a delicious and easy to
drink fresh vegetable cocktail that will provide a huge amount of
nutritional benefits to your body. If you were to actually consume those
same vegetables raw, from a plate, in one sitting, you would find the process to 
be quite difficult. It would take a lot of effort to eat and digest the same quantity of food. 
But by juicing those vegetables, you get to drink in one glass a dense quantity of
 vitamins, minerals, and nutrients really easily.

2.  Reduction in Cravings

When you drink a glass of freshly made vegetable or green juice, you are
loading every cell of your body with detoxifying minerals. By drinking your
veggies and fruit, you are giving your body all the amazing nutrients that it
needs to heal, stay healthy, and reduce the risk of illness. In turn, you will
also find that you experience a reduction in cravings, particularly for
sweets or processed foods. This is because you are feeding your body all
that it needs. Your body won’t be sending messages to your brain that make
 you crave particular foods that contain certain  minerals or vitamins
that you might otherwise lacking. It is in this way that you will start to lose
weight, often quite quickly. You simply won’t be eating the bad foods that
make you gain weight, and you won’t feel like you are even depriving
yourself of these foods like you might if dieting.

3. Tasty Fuel

It is also handy to know that green juices taste great! You can make your
juice really flavorful by adding in lemon, mint or ginger to really add a
tasty punch to your juice. You will enjoy the flavors of the juice so much
that you will choose to make a juice rather than eat another less healthy
snack food. It is also worth noting that juice you make at home on your
own is a much better option than that which is store bought. Fresh juice
made with a base of vegetables is going to contain much more nutrition
than the kind that comes from a carton. Even fresh, store-bought juices
will often have sugars and other additives as well as preservatives added
to the juice. This kind of juice means you are drinking a lot of unnecessary
calories. On the other hand, a homemade vegetable and fruit juice
delivers nothing but goodness that is healthy fuel for your body.

4.  Filling Snack or Dessert

Another amazing thing about juicing is that by drinking a freshly made
juice, your appetite shuts off. This is because your body (which is amazing
at knowing just what it needs!) is getting all that it is looking for. You will
feel satisfied and satiated, much more than you would by eating empty
calories in junk food. Your body will feel revitalized, not sluggish or heavy,
and instead of searching for more food even after you have just eaten
something, you will find that you don’t really want or need anything more.

5.  It is not a fad diet

Once you start making juicing a regular part of your lifestyle, and start to
experience all the health benefits and begin losing weight without a
struggle, you will realize that incorporating fresh juicing into your life is
definitely not a diet fad. Unlike regimented diets that are difficult to follow
and which can often make you gain weight, juicing works in such a
remarkable way that you will want to include juicing in your life forever.
Unlike fad diets, you will never feel deprived or hungry. Not only that, but
other aspects of your health will also improve. You might notice your skin is
clearer, your eyes are brighter, and your nails and hair grow more quickly.
You will also have more energy and you will start to feel amazing. Juicing
will seriously become a way of life you will want to follow forever!

6. You invest in your health

In order to start juicing regularly, you will need to invest in a juicer, which
initially will mean setting aside a bit of money. You might feel like this is an
expense you don’t want to have, but by making that purchase, you are
committing to your health and weight loss. It gives you a reason to stick to
the concept of juicing for long enough that you will start to notice the
difference in how you feel. It is also an investment in your health and well-
being, so not only does juicing help you to lose weight, but it will save you
money in medical fees in the future.

7. Fun and Vartiety

In order to lose weight and to stay motivated, life needs to be fun, right?
Juicing is the ideal way to bring this into your life. As you start to get into
juicing, you will find it great fun making new combinations of fruit and
vegetables cocktails. You will make all kinds of unique and interesting
drinks, and you will find that you never get bored from the endless variety
of beverages that you can make for yourself and others. You will also
want to share these drinks with others, which will also mean getting
encouragement and support from those around you as you continue your
weight-loss goals. Support is super important when it comes to making,
and sticking to, healthy changes in your life.

Really, juicing is a fabulously fun, easy, and healthy way to shed those
unwanted pounds without any struggle or deprivation. You have got
nothing to lose by starting to make green juicing a regular part of your
lifestyle. To get you started, here is a delicious and easy juice to kick-start
your weight-loss:

Trim and Delicious Green Juice

4 carrots
2 apples
1 cucumber
½ beetroot (peeled)
1 rib celery
1 lemon
1-inch piece of ginger
Run the vegetables through your juicer and enjoy!

Speaking of Juicing, I just received this in my email inbox today, after I drafted this blog entry.  Check this out...Green Juice Challenge
_

It’s coming. You can feel it. You’re trying desperately to will it away, but,
inevitably the clock strikes 3:00pm. Suddenly, you are exhausted. The
thought of striking the letters on the computer key board seems like a
daunting task, not to mention you can barely keep your eyes open.

‘Argh!’ you think to yourself. When this happened yesterday, you swore it
wouldn’t happen again. As you walk to the café to get a cup of coffee,
you wonder how to avoid this midday slump tomorrow.  Here’s the good
news: there are steps you can take to energize your body throughout the
day and avoid this desperate feeling.

The best place to start is with breakfast. Before we even talk about what
to eat, let’s recognize that it’s important TO EAT breakfast. Your body has
been in a state of rest, relaxation, and recharging for several hours. It
needs fuel in the form of carbohydrates and protein to get going in the
morning. Instead of processed cereal and milk, why not go for oatmeal
with almonds and blueberries? Or prepare a couple of hardboiled eggs
that you can grab-n-go in a hurry. Pair them with a brown rice cake with
almond butter and you’re starting your day off on the right foot.

It’s also important to remember to drink water throughout the day.
Dehydration is certain to cause sleepiness and fatigue. Imagine that a few
glasses of water could be the difference between your 3pm exhaustion
and vitality.  

Don’t forget to put some thought into your snacks.  You want to be sure to
stay away from excess fats and sugars, which are in candy bars and most
packaged food. The fatty foods will make you feel lethargic and the
sugars will provide an initial spike, but then you’ll feel the afternoon slump
as you come down from the sugar high. Take a few minutes at home to
prepare trail mix with almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, Goji berries, and
Incan berries. For sweetness, you can add some cacao nibs or mini
chocolate chips (I prefer Enjoy Life brand because their products are free
of common allergens).

The midday madness doesn’t have to continue. You can control how your
body feels by nourishing it with healthy food (and water) throughout the
day.