The Raw Mint Chocolate Vanilla Mylkshake

Everyone loves a good milkshake, right? Like the ones we drank as a little kid? Yet as a raw foodie, conventional milk is thankfully not consumed and is in fact the very first thing I recommend people get off of (when ready to eliminate foods) because it's by far the worst offender to the body. If you've been on other raw food blogs, you'll see that many refer to their homemade nut drinks as mylks, and I do as well. You can make any nut mylk (using hemp seeds, almonds, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds - individually or some combination of them) and use it as the base for an entirely guilt-free, yet totally indulgent mylkshake.

The Raw Mint Chocolate Vanilla Mylkshake

* 2-3 cups homemade hemp mylk (or any raw nut mylk) - I dilute w/ some spring water (just a personal preference)
* 1 small to medium frozen banana
* 1 tbsp HealthForce's Vanilla Enhanced Warrior Food (hemp protein powder)
* 1 tsp - 1 tbsp HealthForce's Vanilla Spice MacaForce or plain raw maca powder
* 1 tsp HealthForce's ZeoForce - the zeolite powder (no taste/flavor)
*1 tsp raw cacao powder
* swirl of vanilla infused agave (either pre-bought, or just drop vanilla beans once scraped, into your agave & leave them to infuse)
* small handful raw cacao nibs
* 1/2 vanilla bean (scrape out the insides into your drink)
* couple organic pinches vanilla powder (Mountain Rose Herbs)
* 1/2 cap of organic peppermint extract
* pinch organic stevia extract powder
* pinch Himalayan salt
* ice to chill

Blend on high in the Vita-Mix until thoroughly mixed. Drink chilled and soak in the gorgeous aroma of vanilla! As with all my recipes, if you don't have some of the ingredients, make this anyway! Just work with what you do have and come up with your own creation. If you don't have zeolites or fresh vanilla beans, or you have no worries - it won't make or break this shake (if no vanilla beans, try out vanilla extract). If you don't have all of HealthForce's products, YET, then talk with me about where you can get them in your area and I will find you a local store (or you can shop online; just click on the links I provided).

If you're on Facebook and happen to be friends with Jay Kordich (the Juice Daddy), he recently wrote an excellent article (found in his 'Notes') on making your own hemp mylk. Check it out if you get a chance! He has so much goodness in his Notes section that you could read for hours regarding juicing. He is a man of experience and someone I certainly listen to!

And if for any reason you have not watched this hysterical skit poking fun at Jay and his enthusiasm, watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lVH9vzffgw. Balance your mylkshakes with fresh vegetable juice and you'll feel stellar all the time!

Juicing: Benefits Outweigh the Clean-up

It seems everywhere I turn lately, I'm coming across more and more reasons to embark on another juice fast. I haven't done one in several months and seeing as though Spring is peaking its way through the Seattle clouds, it may just be the perfect time. I've been trapped in the thinking that it just hasn't been the right time due to life circumstances, but really, isn't that precisely the best time ever to push the limits and treat yourself to this kind of feasting?

Let's clarify the difference between juice extracting and whole food juicing (as with the Vita-Mix). With a juice extractor, you are removing the pulp and fiber from the fruit and/or veggie and just drinking the juice. Ideally, you will find a way to use the pulp to eliminate excess waste. When I make a fresh juice in my Breville juicer, my sweet dog, Java, benefits too - he gets the pulp mixed right into his free range raw meat and vegetables, and absolutely loves it. If you don't have a ravenous dog like I do, then keep the pulp anyway (store in fridge for a few days) and add to other raw food recipes. I'd love to hear the ways you've found to use the pulp - please post your recipes in the comments section and share with the rest of us! If you have an abundance of pulp (and no furry friend or raw recipe ideas), you can add it to your food waste container and use it as compost (or dispose of it) - yet another awesome way to reuse and recycle, and reduce waste.

Whole food juicing is what you do in your high speed blender / Vita-Mix. When you juice in this way, technically it's not really a juice, more like a thin smoothie, but nevertheless, it's a super healthy way to begin your day and feel and look your best. You can add the entire fruit or vegetable into the VM and not have to worry about messy clean-up or wasting at all. Because the VM totally liquefies the food making it entirely bio-available, you absorb all those life-giving nutrients (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytonutrients, and anti-oxidants) since it's in a form your body recognizes. Blended food is the easiest food for your body to digest without question. With a blended juice, you get to keep the fiber, something we all know is necessary for digestive health. The processing and clean-up time is minimal in the Vita-Mix according to both me, and the Encyclopedia of Healing Juices :o) - so no matter what way you choose to juice (I suggest both), you're in for a level of health that is just far beyond your wildest expectations.

Check out Jason Vale, aka The Juice Master (www.juicemaster.com) and Jay Kordich, the father of juicing (www.juicedaddy.com) if you want to learn from the best. Jay is responsible for bringing Juice to the world as we know it - his story is incredible (view it here). Maybe I'll dedicate the remainder of April to blogging about juicing - my experiences and the upcoming juice cleanse, specific juice blends for beauty, recipes (juices & smoothies - with freshly made juice as the base), and resources to get some Spring in your step!