Salt Free

The blender. Doesn’t it blow your mind?

With just a few ingredients, you’re on your way to taste bud heaven.

This time, think milkshake… but good for you. REAL good for you.

If you can get the actual turmeric and ginger root from your local grocery store, DO IT.

You could use the powdered, but this recipe is so much better with the real, fresh ingredients. If you have a hard time finding them, Spud carries turmeric and ginger root! Just order online from their website and it will get delivered to your door (use the code CRVAN-MURJUB for 20$ off your first order). While you’re at it, add a box of smoothie ready bananas for just 7 bucks and freeze them so they’re ready for your next smoothie session!

Then this creamy, spicy super smoothie so fast and easy to put together.

If you have a high-speed blender, this bevy is amazing blended until warm.

It’s the best thing to come back to after playing all day in the fresh powder.

By the way HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I’m going to share what I am chatting away about in this week’s email to subscribers (subscribe on the homepage).
Here’s s few things I can leave you with while we’re shooting into 2017:

Try not to get overwhelmed about the things that didn’t happen in 2016, or the things you hope to achieve in 2017. This life of ours is all about the adventure. The best gift we can give to ourselves is to be grateful for each present moment and appreciate the relationships, achievements and things that we have now.
Don’t be like T HIS GUY, trying to get it all over-with and done at once.
Just ENJOY the process! We’ve all got mundane things to do in this life (think chores, some work, etc), but what if we switched our mind-set into being excited to do those things, and ignore the part of our brain that dreads what’s to come?

I can’t waaaait to answer emails!
I’m SO stoked to do the recycling!
Cleaning the house? YES!!!

Imagine how fun life would be if we truly believed everything was amazingly fun? Something to think about…

OK, now back to winter in a cup.

The benefits of this drink are endless. But, here’s just a few to be excited about…

Benefits:

–Turmeric is one of nature’s best anti-inflammatory. Eating it with black pepper drastically improves it’s absorption into your hot bod, magnifying the benefits. It’s also great for bloating, digestion, blood purification, skin conditions, cancer-fighting, plus it aids in fat metabolism.

–Ginger is well-known for it’s anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. This makes it a great answer for combatting seasonal flus and making your immune system super-human. Ginger is also a star when it comes to nausea and muscle pain.

–Bananas are packed full of beneficial carbohydrates, with fibre and a bit of protein! They really are an all round healthy food that if I lived on a deserted island, all I would need is bananas. There’s a reason monkeys go bananas over bananas, and it makes up most of their diet. Smart monkeys. They also decrease bloating (especially for that time of the month ladies!), build lean muscle mass, help your muscles recover faster and give you a boost of clean, whole food energy.

Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Ginger Banana Mylkshake

Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:

2 bananas, peeled
2-3 centimetres turmeric root, chopped (start with less, and add more if you can handle the spice!)
2-3 tsp ginger root, chopped
3-5 dates (depending on size, but I used 5 small bahri dates. 3 medjool would do the trick)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup almond milk (or less if you want it thicker)
little pinch of pepper
cinnamon to top

Steps:

Throw all of the ingredients into a high speed blender. Blend for 1 minute (or until warm).
Pour into your favourite mug and sprinkle with cinnamon

Note: This goes well with last week’s Raw Vegan Chocolate Orange Christmas Bites

Bring this to a Christmas party and your brownie points will shoot through the chimney.

These little morsels will bring melty, sweet, whole-food goodness to your Christmas Holidays.

Pour yourself a cup of tea, and dip away.

Right now, I’m going through the Raw Gastronomy chapter in my Plant-Based Rouxbe Culinary course. The challenge was to create a raw dessert, and I thought, why should I be the only one to appreciate the taste of my creation? It’s too good not to share with all of you.

Eating whole foods in their raw form does wonders for your body.

Raw, or ‘living foods’ still have the vitality and energy in the food itself. If they aren’t heated over 118 degrees farenheit, their naturally occurring enzymes stay active. Heating foods can deactivate some of the beneficial, vital enzymes, plus destroy other nutrients like minerals, essential fatty acids, and vitamins. So, why not eat as much food in their natural raw form as possible?

Plus, this chocolate sauce is just 3 ingredients! So simple and it works soooo well. The coconut oil is just slightly heated enough to melt into a saucy texture.

Even after freezing for a while, the bottom layer of these bites still stays deliciously gooey.

It’s pretty much cookie dough, that’s packed with nutrients, with hard chocolate on top. YUM.

Benefits:

–Cacao powder is the raw form of dark chocolate. It’s the part with the highest amount of antioxidants (40 times the amount of blueberries). It’s a natural energy booster, mood elevator and is packed with magnesium for your brain and heart health.

–Dates are packed with minerals and fibre. They’re super sweet, but are actually good for you! Pure magic. Your brain, heart and digestive system will thank you. They’re actually a great source of protein, plus they’re packed with vitamin C and D to help your beautiful skin and promote elasticity for the anti-aging effects.

–Coconut has iron, healthy fats and fibre. A bit of coconut will help ward off disease and keep your tissues healthy too.

Ingredients:

Base layer:

1 1/2 cups dates, pitted (meaning without pits), soaked in hot water for 5 minutes then strained (if super dry)
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp orange juice, freshly squeezed

Chocolate sauce:

1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup cacao powder
2 tbsp maple syrup

Steps:

Pulse walnuts, coconut and orange zest in food processor until a meal forms
Add dates and orange juice. Blend until all is combined
Use two small spoons to press mixture into balls then into a mini muffin tin. OR you could also press the mixture into a loaf pan as one large layer
Make chocolate sauce: Melt coconut oil in small sauce pan, add maple syrup and cacao powder. Use whisk to mix until smooth and creamy.
Spoon chocolate layer over each base layer
Sprinkle with shredded coconut
Chill in freezer for 30 minutes or as long as you like. They don’t become rock solid!

Turmeric Ginger Banana ‘Mylkshake’

Raw Vegan Chocolate-Orange Christmas Bites

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