Coconut Cashew Cream

Funny enough, as the universe would have it, I ended up actually having strawberries and cream last night (check out my Strawberries-and-Greens Smoothie from yesterday). Cashew cream, that is. Eff Cool Whip, this cream is worlds better. The healthy fats from cashews and coconut milk will fill you right up, and perfectly compliments fresh fruit. We drizzled ours with melted chocolate too.

Coconut Cashew Cream

1 cup cashews, soaked in water for at least two hours

1/4 cup full fat coconut milk

2 tbsp water

1/2 tsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp maple syrup, honey, brown rice syrup, or clear raw agave

Pinch of sea salt

Directions

1. Place soaked cashews in food processor or high-powered blender with coconut milk. Blend until smooth, adding water as needed.
2. Add in vanilla, sweetener, and salt to taste.

Use as a topping on fruit, pancakes, waffles, or to thicken smoothies and pudding… or be creative and use it anywhere you want

Strawberry Shortkale Smoothie

Okay, so get ready for puns. I was craving a strawberries and cream type flavour this morning, but wanted to throw some greens in there too. The result? A strawberries and greens flavour! I was going to take a picture, but if I’m being honest the colour was not so appetizing. Green and red equals a muddy brownish colour, but tastes delicious and refreshing!

Strawberry Shortkale Smoothie 

(See what I did there? Like strawberry shortcake? But with kale?)

2 handfuls of frozen strawberries

1/2 frozen banana

1 large handful of spinach

2 stalks kale

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup coconut water

1 tbsp hemp seeds

1 scoop vanilla Sunwarrior protein powder

 

Blend up all that sheeeit and driiiiiiink it!

Sweet Potato Workout Cake

I think sweet potato has got to be one of my all-time favourite slow burning carbohydrates. Not only because it’s delicious and can be used in both sweet and savoury recipes, it also has a minimal impact on your blood sugar levels (depending on how you prepare it, that is. A baked sweet potato has a higher glycemic index than a boiled or steamed sweet potato). What better way to spend a rainy long weekend than playing in the kitchen? This single-serve cake is a perfect pre-workout or afternoon snack, breakfast, or dessert. It provides hours of fuel and loads of deliciousness!

Ingredients

2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and steamed

1/4 cup brown rice or quinoa flour (or even protein powder could work)

1 tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for greasing

1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp baking soda

Pinch sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a ramekin or small dish with coconut oil.
2. Steam sweet potatoes and mash by hand or toss ‘em in the food processor.
3. Add flour and mix or process with the sweet potato. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix.
4. Scoop mixture into your ramekin and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy. Bonus: stick a square of dark chocolate into the middle of the cake when you pull it out and let it melt. Yummm. 

Max Out Your Workouts with Affirmations

One of my favourites from HeyManifesto

What do you think about when you’re working out? Lunch? Chore list? Chances are, your mind wanders when you’re training. I find I can zone out when I’m doing cardio (especially when it’s not super-high intensity intervals, or when I’m outside). Considering how much time I spend getting jacked, I thought I’d take advantage of this time to increase my levels of awesomeness.

I found this great app called HeyManifesto. It’s got a ton of positive affirmations on brightly coloured pictures for all areas of your life. If my cardio takes place on a machine, I like to have something to focus on aside from the timer counting down the minutes.

The increased levels of feel-good chemicals and more blood pumping through your veins while you’re working out puts your brain in place for super-optimal information absorption. The neuro-linking that happens when you’re in a good mood is amazing! It’s one of the reasons Kelsey and I host The Awesomeness Advantage: whether people watch it for our giddiness and hilarity, or just to look at our pretty faces, it puts people in a good mood and sends home a great message. It associates positivity and feeling good with the ideas or messages you’re absorbing.

Positive mood + positive messages = increased absorption rate of said messages

You don’t need the app to try this technique out. Send yourself some positive affirmation pictures to your email (assuming you get email on your phone, of course) and flip through them while you’re on the bike/elliptical/stair machine/tread mill. If you’re looking for some good ones, check out my page on Facebook (there’s a link on the right side of this page).

Let me know if you try this! I love doing it, and I’d love to hear your experiences with it.

The Chocolatiest Breakfast Bowl That Ever Was

I have always been a chocoholic. Nine times out of ten, I will choose chocolate over any other flavour. While some people crave savoury flavours for breakfast, I use it as another opportunity to eat chocolate. And you know what? I don’t see anything wrong with it. It makes me really happy. A few weeks ago I found I had an abundance of chocolate-flavoured items in my house and decided to make the chocolatiest breakfast bowl that ever was.

The Chocolatiest Breakfast Bowl Ever

1/2 cup chocolate almond milk

1/2 cup chocolate (or regular) coconut water

1 serving chocolate Sunwarrior Warrior Blend protein powder

1 serving chocolate Amazing Grass greens powder or 1 large handful of spinach

1/2 frozen banana

Optional optimizers: 1 tsp maca powder, 1 tbsp coconut oil

Optional toppings: 1 handful chocolate Kaia raw granola (or regular granola), goji berries, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds

Directions

Blend all ingredients (except toppings) and pour into a bowl. Top with your, erm, toppings, and enjoy! Smoothies in a bowl taste better. Especially ones of the chocolate variety. Happy weekend! XO

 

No leaves in my salad please!

No leaves in my salad please!

You know those days when you look in your fridge and see so many great ingredients, but no clue what to do with them? I realized that all you have to do is toss them in a bowl together and drizzle them with dressing. Cool, eh? Lately I’ve been into super simple “chunky salads”. These salads are fully forkable, with no leaves in sight (I’ve preferred to drink my spinach and kale leaves these days).

Creamy Citrus Chunky Summer Salad

Serves one, multiply to your hearts content!

Ingredients

½ avocado

½ cucumber

½-1 orange

Small handful of parsley

¼ lemon

1 tbsp oil

pinch sea salt

¼ tsp dill

Directions

1. Chop up the ‘cado, cuc, orange and parsley into chunks.
2. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Toss and serve.

Cool Black Bean Cucumber Chunk Salad

Serves one, multiply to your hearts content!

Ingredients

½ cup black beans (Eden Organic canned and washed, or homemade)

1/3 cucumber

½ pear

1 tsp honey

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Pinch sea salt

Directions

1. Chop up cucumber and pear and toss in a bowl with black beans
2. Whisk together ingredients and pour over the salad. Toss and serve.

Living, and Eating, In the Moment

I was happy to discover that the Maple Leaf Lounge has some healthy options

Traveling does a funny thing to me: I tend to “allow” myself to eat foods I don’t normally consume (keep in mind, I am an avid flexitarian, and I set flexible guidelines for my dietary choices based on how my body feels). During my trip to Toronto, I woke up one morning to some freshly, made-with-love whole wheat bread. Normally I forgo wheat, since it doesn’t get along with my body all that well.  But hey, it was still warm from the oven, what was I gonna say? No, I don’t want your beautiful bread topped with local Ontario honey, almond butter and banana? Sorry, I’d rather stare at it longingly wishing that “I ate wheat”?

I could also make the argument that the dialogue would be more like “Sorry, I don’t want to cripple my guts by eating gluten”.  I get that.

Instead I decided to live in the moment.  In that moment, my eyes widened and my stomach growled and my legs lurched me forward towards the kitchen where I carefully sliced two pieces of bread for Kelsey and I.

And you know what? I felt great.  The mindset you have while eating impacts your body that much. It’s not something I eat all the time, and the circumstance – made with love, fresh, and my body literally pulling me towards it – called for it. I didn’t think “Damn I’m going to have the worst stomach cramps after this,” I thought “Oh my gosh, this is freaking delicious” and savored every crumb.

So what’s the difference between eating and living in the moment, and letting your food “exceptions” get out of control? Well the first way to tell the difference is by checking in.  You already know which foods you usually avoid and why.  If you find yourself craving them or being drawn to them, stop and ask yourself why that is. Is it because you don’t have any other choice, or is it because you had a crappy day and it’s your comfort food? Change your mindset: If you’re travelling and really don’t have any other food choice, reframe your thinking. Try, “Wow, I’m so grateful to have this food! My body loves and can handle eating this right now because it’s nourishing me.” If you simply crave the food, not because you’re hungry (and are probably quite emotional at the same time), try thinking “I am safe to be in control of my emotions.  I fill myself only with the clean food that my body enjoys and absorbs. I eat only foods that make my mind, body and spirit feel good.” Breathe. Pause. Repeat.

I love traveling. I love the excitement of the plane taking off, and exploring new cities.  The places I will travel to might not always be able to accommodate my food choices. The friends I have don’t all subscribe to the same dietary guidelines as me. Living in the moment keeps me grounded, and eating in the moment keeps my body and mind happy. Don’t take life so seriously, you’ll miss out on Kodak moments and freshly baked bread.

Sometimes it helps to have someone hear you out on your food cravings, and help you sort out why you’re drawn to certain foods. Sometimes, that someone is me abigail@abigailchristens.com.

7 Things You Can Do to Feel Better Instantly

Everybody’s looking for a quick fix.  Whether it’s to lose weight or achieve their dreams, people are searching for the magic pill or perfect practice to make their lives “better”. There’s a tendency to believe that what we want is outside of who are already are.  You want world peace? Ask how at peace are you with yourself, your body, and your life. You want to lose 30 pounds? Ask how much extra “baggage” are you carrying emotionally. It’s not that we’re hypocrites, most of the time we’re just not aware of the inner turmoil we have going on.  You have to dive deep to find the answers you’re looking for.

All that being said, there are things you can do right NOW that will help you feel better instantly.  Keep in mind that you have to do these things consistently to see and feel real change in your life.

1. Breathe more deeply. I find this is especially useful when I’m eating, since it allows me to feel how full I’m getting and actually enjoy my meal. Breathe deep into your belly, feeling your diaphragm expand.  Breathing lowers your stress levels, rids your body of up to 70% of toxins, increases your energy, improves your digestive, immune, nervous and cardiovascular systems, relieves pain and helps you let go of tension.  Here is one simple deep breathing technique you can try: breathe in through your nose for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, and slowly exhale for 5 seconds through your nose. Repeat 5 times.
2. Drink water as soon as you wake up (well, drink more water in general).  It helps you wake up and gets your digestive system
   

   Average work day: green tea tumbler, Santevia water bottle, Klean Kanteen bottle to refill the Santevia!

   moving (nothing starts the day off right quite like a great bowel movement).  I drink around 3 to 4 cups first thing. I find that keeping water right next to my bed helps me to keep this habit up.  Your body needs water, especially after seven to nine hours of not drinking any.

3. Add spinach to your smoothies.  Spinach, kale, chard, chlorella tablets… whatever.  Just add something green.  Greens help to increase your energy, alkalize your body, provide a dose of antioxidants and phytonutrients, and generally just make you feel amazeballs. Plus, you can hardly taste them in a smoothie.  If you’re really worried about your smoothie tasting too green (as if there was such a thing), start with spinach and work your way up.
4. Go outside.  Coming from a mainly self-employed bloggerista, trust me when I say going outside for some fresh air makes a huge difference in your overall state.  I work from home (or next door to home in a coffee shop) and I know how easy it is to forget there even is an “outside”.  I’m sure everyone working in an office can relate. We can live without water for weeks and without food for months – oxygen is the most important nutrient we need. In efforts to save on fuel costs, we insulate offices and buildings that cut off our fresh oxygen supply. Even if it’s just for 5 minutes, go outside and get some fresh air.  Practice deep breathing (see point #1) and notice how much more calm and happy you feel.
5. Throw on your favourite song. I told you guys about how music keeps me in flow.  Listening to music releases endorphins and makes you happy.  Seriously it’s that simple.  An epic track can change everything.
6. Put your fork down between bites.  It can be tempting to shovel food into your mouth sometimes, such as when you’re eating a delicious meal or eating at your desk.  Enjoying food is one of the simple pleasures us humans take for granted.  Unlike the little lovepuff wonderdog I live with, I get to actually enjoy each morsel I put in my mouth instead of inhaling it. You also give your body time to recognize when it’s getting full.  As you eat, your stomach expands.  This expansion helps to tell the brain when it’s getting full and to stop eating.  This technique also helps to balance your weight and allows you to get to know your body.
7. Smile more!! The simple act of smiling, even if you’re not in a particularly good mood, makes your brain THINK you’re in a good mood, and releases happy endorphins.  Let’s say that smiling just because is like eating more vegetables.  It’s good for you, so you should probably do more of it.  Step up your happiness-intake by smiling at strangers, laughing more, or performing random acts of awesomeness   There’s no losing in this situation.

There you have it folks.  Change your life in seven simple steps.  Instantly.

I think I have some hippie blood in me

And here’s why:

1. I’ve decided for tonight that I’m not going to listen to music, but to the sound of the rain outside.  Don’t have windows or rain near you? Go to http://www.rainymood.com/

Goats!

2. I’ve decided to start volunteering in a vegetable garden.  I did it for my co-op during school and I loved it.  I spend 5 hours pulling weeds, watering plants and watching dogs chase the goats.  I leave feeling exhausted and happy and usually with some kind of basket of organic vegetables. Gardening is seriously therapeutic.

3. I voted Green Party.

4. I on occasion smoke herbaceuticals.

5. It’s not uncommon for me to talk about connecting to the earths energy, etc, etc.  I have a crystal salt lamp next to my bed.

6. I save a lot of snails on the sidewalk.

Okay so 3 and 4 are somewhat common/irrelevant, but seriously.  I spent so long thinking I wanted to live in a high-rise condo near the water, and now I’m thinking more north so I can have a garden in my backyard and be surrounded by nature.  Granted, I’d still love to live in a high-rise condo near the water.  I love being near any kind of water (hence my love for Vancouver), and there are certainly ways to have balcony gardens, but long term I’m not sure it’s what I want.

Also, it’s Wednesday! Which means WIAW (does anyone else read “WEEWA” and immediately think of Borat?) #2:

Breakfast Homemade granola with goat yogurt, 1/2 banana and powdered stevia

Snack Two quinoa-almond-chickpea cookies with honey drizzled on top

Lunch Bean-kamut salad with cucumber, red pepper, carrots and homemade dressing

Snack Blueberry muffin, homemade by my boss (the day gets 100x better when I get surprise treats at work)

Preworkout A spoonful of Artisana raw cacao coconut bliss – this stuff is seriously addictive, and I say it’s preworkout because the coconut butter gave me some sustainable energy and the agave gave me some unrefined simple carbs to run off of.  I also had a Vega Sport preworkout mix.

Dinner Baked asparagus with olive oil, lemon and sea salt, side salad, the rest of my bean-kamut salad from lunch

Evening Creme caramel rooibos tea with a few drops of vanilla stevia

I’ve been keep a food journal recently (aside from my WIAW’s).  A study was done involving a group post-menopausal women, and the goal was to find out what was more effective for weight loss: diet or exercise.  They found that the women who exercised 5 days per week and kept a food journal (noting everything they ate and drank aside from water and calorie-free items) lost approximately 11% of their weight in a year, while those that just focused on diet lost about 8%, and the exercise-only group lost about 5%.  Not that weight loss is a goal, but I definitely had a few moments when I was about to have a third quinoa-almond-chickpea cookie and thought “Hmm, maybe not, I’d have to write it down”.  It forces you to face your diet and be responsible for your actions.  Try it out, let me know how it goes for you!

I’m embracing my part-hippie status.  I’m not sure I’m ready to give up everything about city living, e.g. the cute sandal wedges I ordered came in today, and I definitely tried them on with a few possible summer-evening bar night outfits.  And I’m not sure I could let my hair go free, sans-styling for longer than a few days or give up mascara.  However, I do think it’s important to not get too caught up in ego-focused things such as appearance, social status, reputation, and so on.  We all think about them sometimes, and we all act on ego-based impulses, just don’t let that rule your life.  There, that’s the end of my hippie-quote for the day.

I’m working on another cravings post that goes into some further detail about craving different textures, I’m getting lots of hits for that post!  Also stay tuned for a Mythbusting: Fats edition.  Any other requests? Email abigail@myinnerglow.com