healthy snacks – MY CLEAN FOOD LIFE

Recap of the Nourished Festival

Published on February 19, 2019February 22, 2019 by wellnessadvocateLeave a comment

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to be a blogger at the Nourished Festival last weekend, February 9 and 10th at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The Nourished Festival, formerly known as the Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly Expo, also covers specialty diets such as paleo, keto, and plant-based products.

I love the opportunity I had as a blogger to interact with the the exhibitors, sample and learn about their products. The speakers’ lectures were very informative.

Speakers

Dr. Peter Kan of Integrated Wellness Center, is a Functional Medicine practitioner. Dr. Kan spoke about the Ultimate Autoimmune Road Map. He mentioned that there are three foundations: 1) Fuel delivery, 2) Immune System, and 3) Detoxification.

Fuel delivery system consists of oxygen, glucose, and digestion. Fuel delivery is the most important foundation. Some symptoms include low blood pressure, circulation problems, and low blood sugar.

Immune system – Dr. Kan mentioned that leaky gut, due to inflammation, is an example of an immune system problem and indicates an underlying digestive problem such as candida, bacteria, or parasite.

Detoxification – Dr. Kan mentioned that detoxification includes detoxing the liver and gall bladder. Toxins are eliminated through the kidney and skin.

Note: Inflammation is the root cause of disease. You want to ask yourself: what is causing my inflammation?

If you’re interested in information on your thyroid, pick up the book, “Why do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?”

Desiree Nielsen is a Registered Dietician from Vancouver, BC, Canada. Desiree’s lecture was about Your Gut and You. She spoke about the gut-brain connection, supplements – omega 3, vitamin D, and a few others; fermented foods, and probiotics. She suggested eating anti-inflammatory foods i.e. using Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid.

Desiree recommended taking an integrated holistic approach: 1) Eat plant-based foods, 2) Take a quality probiotic, 3) Don’t just manage stress, take steps to neutralize it.

Elizabeth Gronert – Your Comfort for Life

Elizabeth lectures on bone broth meals, toxic-free chemicals for your home, and Survival for Sensitive and Autoimmune Skin.

Karen Masterson Koch, CN, Founder of Aloe Life

Aloe Life’s aloe vera juice is very good for digestive health. A must read is Beyond Gluten! Karen’s Face & Body Lotion is a must-have for your skin!

Exhibitors

Rise Buddy

Rise Buddy are healthy snacks for kids. They are available on Amazon. Rise Buddy will be at Natural Expo West.

Soozy’s

Soozy’s muffins are soy free, grain free, dairy free, gluten free, peanut free, has no hydrogenated oil, no fillers, and no sugar. The muffins have coconut sugar or maple syrup in their muffins. The muffins are already baked and very moist. The muffins are also paleo friendly. Some flavors are wild blueberry, double chocolate, and sweet potato. Soozys is available at Ralphs in the frozen section or buy online on their website.

The Real Coconut

The Real Coconut by Daniella Hunter are grain, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and corn free. Their products are vegan and paleo.

Superfood Bowls

Their products are perfect for your smoothies and smoothie bowls.

Jovial

You have to check out Jovial’s pastas! They are gluten free and made with brown rice.

Mikey’s Healthy Hot Pockets

If you are a hot pocket lover, you will love Mikey’s hot pockets! They are available in three flavors: plant-based cheese alternative, uncured pepperoni, and cauliflower. Their cheese alternative is their most popular flavor. They are paleo friendly and gluten-free. Mikey’s is available at Target, Ralphs, Whole Foods, and Sprouts.

Aleias

Aleias’ products are gluten-free, dairy-free, and non-gmo.

Urban Remedy

Urban Remedy has bars, snacks, cold pressed juices, meal plans, cleanses, and more. Their Cacao Chip bars are very good and vegan! Their cold pressed juices are amazing!

Brazi Bites

If you love cheese, you will love Brazi Bites! Their little cheese balls are delicious and make the perfect snack! You can find them at your local grocer.

Briannas

Brianna’s has tasty, healthy salad dressings!

Hearthy Foods

Hearthy Foods is known for the collagen and gelatin.

Explore Cuisine

Kobayashi

If you are a ramen lover, you will love this healthy alternative! This ramen or instant rice noodle by Kobayashi (Gluten Free Meister Kobayashi Noodle) is the perfect healthy substitute. Their ramen is available in three flavors: Tonkotsu, Shoyu, and Miso. The ramen has no msg and is vegetarian. It is available on Amazon and sells out fast!

On the Go

On the Go is just like it’s name implies: You can take their products on the go i.e. smoothies and snacks.

Simply Delish

Simply Delish has sugar free, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and GMO free desserts.

Here is the complete festival exhibitor list.

The Blogger Zone

Bloggers getting the red carpet treatment!

Thank you #NourishedFestival! It was awesome being able to meet other bloggers and networking with the exhibitors and speakers! And thank you sponsors for the blogger goodies and breakfast! Looking forward to seeing you at next year’s festival!

6 Tips to Healthier Snacking

Published on March 21, 2018March 21, 2018 by wellnessadvocateLeave a comment

Ever find yourself a few hours after lunch wishing you had something to snack on? You look over and see a vending machine behind your desk. Perfect, you think. You’ve just consumed a small back of chips containing nearly 300 calories, yet you still feel hungry. If this has been you, read on! Here are 6 tips to healthier snacking!

1. Stock up at your whole food store on organic produce! Never leave the grocery store without a plentiful amount of fruits and vegetables. The most important key to healthier snacking is completely eliminating junk food snacking. Make a list of snacks for the weeks that follow your clean-eating plan and be sure to grab these items during your grocery trip! If you have a readily available selection of fresh produce, you are less likely to indulge in something you know is detrimental to your health and metabolism.

2. Bring your produce home and wash all of it. Preparing your snacks ahead of time will ensure time is not an issue when needing a quick fix food! Slice your veggies into sticks to eat with a side of hummus or guacamole.

Whip up some raw vegan chocolate covered banana bites! These are a special treat that will leave you feeling satisfied. Chop the banana into bite size chunks and freeze flat on a piece of parchment paper. Mix together 3 tablespoons of cacao powder and 4 tablespoons of melted unrefined coconut oil. Once that is thoroughly mixed, add 3 tablespoons of agave and stir. Remove the banana chunks from the freezer and dip in the chocolate mixture. Refreeze for 10 minutes and voila! They are ready to eat. They can be stored in the freezer for a treat later in the week!

Wake up 15 minutes earlier than your usual time to prepare your snacks for the day. Ensuring you have enough time to get your snacks into a lunch box will eliminate the time factor. Time is everything!5. Feeling a little adventurous? Purchase a dehydrator! You can dehydrate almost anything! Chop up some kale and throw it in the dehydrator for kale chips. Dried strawberries and mango slices are also a delicious treat between meals.

Nuts such as almonds and cashews are fantastic snacks that can be found at any store! Health food stores sell organic nuts that you can pre-bag and take with you for snacks during the day! Just remember to eat no more than the serving size!Healthy snacking doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive! With a little drive and dedication, healthy snacking will be your norm and you will never look back at vending machine foods. Why have processed and heavily salted foods with unhealthy amounts of calories when you can have delicious and healthy foods at your fingertips!

Valentine’s Healthy Chocolate with Essential Oils

Published on February 10, 2017February 10, 2017 by wellnessadvocateLeave a comment

Most people would agree that chocolate is an essential for Valentine’s Day. Creating your own chocolates for yourself, your sweetheart, and children is fun and easy:

Melt organic chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl in the microwave.
Add a drop of peppermint, orange, or your favorite essential oil
Spoon over your favorite nuts on wax paper, or pour into fun candy molds.
Let cool until hardened.
Enjoy!

Chocolates make a great gift any time of year. And chocolates made with essential oil have a special gourmet flavor with added health benefits!

Shopping at the LA Green Festival over the weekend

Published on September 16, 2014September 16, 2014 by wellnessadvocateLeave a comment

My Favorite Raw Organic Snacks and Organic Gluten-Free, Vegan Pasta

Alive & Radian Organic Kale Chips available in these flavors: Kale Krunch Spicy Superfood, Kale Krunch Superfood, Veggie Krunch, Teriyaki Green, and Chocolate – raw and gluten-free. Visit http://eataliveandradiant.com/

Wonderfully Raw Coco-Roons avaiable in Brownie, Cacaco Nibs, and other flavors Visit their website at mycocoroon.com.

Living IntentionGone Nuts! – I love their products! They offer a variety of flavors! Visit http://www.shop.livingintentions.com/main.sc

And last but not least Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts – perfect to add to yogurt, smoothies, etc. Visit http://manitobaharvest.com/index.php

I just discovered this company at the Green Festival. Explore Asian offers organic Asian pasta – Organic Soybean Spaghetti, Organic Black Bean, and Organic Mung Bean Fettuccini. And it’s vegan and gluten-free! Visit http://www.explore-asian.com/

If you live in the Orange County area, these products are available at Mother’s Market and Whole Foods Market.

Made more raw cacao balls

Published on September 5, 2014September 11, 2014 by wellnessadvocateLeave a comment

I’ve been tossing the idea of adding more superfoods to my raw cacao balls. This time I added spirulina, chia powder, maca powder, goji berry powder, raw cacao nibs, and organic shredded coconut to my recipe. This is a good healthy day or evening snack. And tasty too! I brought them to work and my coworkers loved them!

The ingredients are:

10 medjool dates
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp NutriBullet superfood powder (maca, chia, goji, and raw cacao)
1 tsp raw cacao powder
1/4 cup raw cacao nibs
1 tsp spirulina powder
1/4 cup shredded coconut – optional

Blend everything together in a NutriBullet until well blended. Shape in the form of balls or brownie. Roll balls in coconut or top brownie with coconut.