This featured article is sponsored by VSL#3. All opinions are my own.

It’s been a while since I’ve written about my health journey. And so, today I wanted to take some time to talk about where I’ve been, how I’ve been feeling and what’s next. I started this website back in the winter of 2009, just over a decade ago, and it’s incredible to see where I started with my health and where I am now as I begin to more fully emerge back into life and start to truly L-I-V-E. I’ve learned a lot throughout this journey of chronic illness from the age of 24-38, and it’s taught me more than I can put into words. However, I am going to do my best today to talk about a few of the experiences that really made a profound difference with my healing process—especially my experience with the high-potency probiotic medical food VSL#3 for the management of IBS. 

THE FIRST SHIFT INTO INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE 

The first shift I want to address is releasing the old paradigm of allopathic medicine and working with Integrative Medicine + Energy Medicine. This has been profound for me. If you’ve read my book, Eating Clean, you know all about the difference between the conventional medicine route and the alternative path (the road less traveled). If you’re new here or you’re just starting on your journey, I highly suggest reading the front of my book as well as the integrative medical testing in the back of the book so that you can understand how and why to find an integrative practitioner who can look closer at your condition and imbalances as well as the tests that gave me so many answers – that unfortunately allopathic medicine does not use.

This shift into Integrative Medicine is the first step. Here is where you’ll start to realize that many of your diagnoses are simply jumbled up toxicity: yeast, mold, fungus, non-beneficial bacteria, heavy metals and so forth. Shifting to Integrative Medicine changed my life because it allowed me to address all of these issues on a deeper level and it took me off of medication. It looked at my body as though everything was connected – something no one addressed with me for even a second before I discovered this new way to fully treat the body.

From Integrative Medicine, I still had healing to do that couldn’t be done by solely relying on medical treatments and supplements, so I went on to discover Energy Medicine and dove into years upon years of how to heal the nervous system and trauma, all of which is what shut me down in the first place, unbeknownst to me until my mid-30s. It’s taken me quite a while to understand this deep connection, which I couldn’t clearly see for many years because I was in such a state of survival, fear and pumping out cortisol and adrenaline every minute. I will be speaking much more deeply about how I connected all these pieces moving forward this year on Instagram, so stay tuned for more about this mind-body connection.

For now, you can read these mind-body articles to start to help you piece together what has slowly been shutting you down over the years because we all know illness does not happen overnight – it’s a long journey of toxicity accumulating, bacteria getting out of balance, stress compounding and so much more. It’s the result of years, often decades of imbalance in our bodies that conventional methods overlook. Now, it’s up to us to take our power back, to take full responsibility for our own wellbeing and help to address what has been out of balance within ourselves. 

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM + STRESS

In regard to stress, which is something I often ignored reading about throughout the first portion of my journey, I do want to mention how important it is to regulate your response to stress versus just trying to lower your stress, which often backfires. In my experience, so much of this comes down to regulating how we respond to stressors in our daily lives that toss us into survival mode and keep us locked in that mode for months, years, and even decades because getting out of the go-go-go to slow down is too scary for our nervous systems and this often becomes who we think we are – we think this is just “us” but it’s not. It’s actually learned behavior that has kept us in survival mode going 100mph unable to address what’s going on deep down inside.

What happens when we’re in survival mode is that our digestion slows down so we’re left with bloating and digestive issues while our food does not get digested properly and ferments in our gut, turning into everything from SIBO to candida and more serious issues. This is where probiotics come in, which I’m going to touch on in a moment because they’re a key piece to our health journeys and it’s important to know what brands to trust and use regularly.

Along with our digestion slowing down, our livers also stop detoxing toxins, which is what leads to all sorts of health issues because the toxins that we accumulate in our bodies everyday have nowhere to go and no way to leave the body, so they get recirculated throughout the body and wreak havoc on our organs, especially our digestion. PMS is one example of this because if our livers are not detoxing our hormones, those hormones get recirculated throughout the body and start to cause terrible symptoms from PMS to endometriosis to more serious hormonal conditions. The liver is also in control of so many internal operations and affects our moods, our breath, and our digestion and is often the culprit of brain fog and fatigue.

HORMONE BALANCING

Lastly, when we are in survival mode, our reproductive organs start to stall because our bodies do not think it’s safe enough to carry a child. When even one tiny hormone stalls and falls out of balance, the other hormones follow because hormonal balance is a dance and when one is high, the others are low or when some are low, there are others that are high and so forth. This also pertains to our digestion because we have so many hormones in our gut, which I learned after I gained tons of water weight after having C. diff colitis ten years ago. When your hormones are off, you’ll experience everything from weight gain to hair loss, brittle nails, mood swings, sweats and so much more. With hormonal imbalances, you’re also likely to experience candida since our hormones play a role in the levels of yeast we have in our bodies, which is another reason your digestion may be off and you can experience bloating and gas as well as other digestive symptoms. 

Just from this brief overview, I hope you can start to see how our minds impact our bodies, especially our digestion, and how we have to look at our bodies as a whole to start feeling better instead of covering every symptom up with a band-aid approach, which ends up not working in the long run and often causing more harm than good. Our gut makes up over 60% of our immune cells so it’s the headquarters for your immune system and the hub for so many of our day-to-day ailments, not to mention it contains trillions of bacteria, which you’ve heard me address over and over again throughout the years. Most of this bacteria is beneficial bacteria keeping us healthy (because we are more bacteria than we are cells, folks), yet there is also non-beneficial bacteria and if you’re someone with IBS or other digestive issues, you know what I mean. 

SOOTHING RITUALS

What you’ll notice from all of the above is a common thread: digestion, which is what takes such a huge hit when we are stressed or living in survival mode, which we all are living in these days! Because of this, I want to talk for a minute about a probiotic that helps me tremendously in my gut health journey and has continued to benefit me in incredible ways. It has been a staple in my refrigerator, and it is my go-to recommendation for my clients as well as my family for quite a long time.

Along with taking VSL#3 probiotic daily as a supplement with my vitamins and minerals, I also add it in recipes as another way to get my daily dose of high-potency probiotic into my routine. Most people ask me how I’ve been able to stay so positive throughout all of these ups and downs and it’s because I literally made everything I had to do for my health into a ritual.

I bought beautiful tiny handmade wooden bowls to hold my daily supplements, so I wasn’t reminded every day that I was sick with tons of bottles of nutrients around me; I added this VSL#3 probiotic to my smoothies and chilled summer soups to allow me to be a bit more creative in my kitchen versus taking it as a capsule all the time; I bought beautiful plates on sale at Marshall’s and made myself beautiful meals (when I had the energy to do so); I bought a few electric candles and dimmed the lighting in my home with dimmers so my adrenal fatigue didn’t suffer from bright lights; I bought a small speaker for my kitchen and listen to beautiful music (like this playlist I created for you) to soothe me and relax my nervous system while cooking; and so much more. These are a few ways I started creating soothing and nourishing rituals for myself. I have many more that I will share as time goes on and now that I’m really starting to get my energy back, you’ll see more of me, especially on Instagram stories. 

Speaking of Instagram stories, I’ve created a delicious organic soup recipe (as seen in the photos in this article) using VSL#3 probiotics and you can watch me make it step-by-step.

VSL#3 PROBIOTICS

So, now that you have a slight peek into how I’ve been able to manage my health journey, I want to give you some more information on VSL#3. Whether you’re living with digestive issues, or you experience gut health imbalances from time to time, I’ve found that it’s key to really keep your microbial balance in check with a quality probiotic and it’s taken me many years to find one that my body does not reject and that actually works for me. 

If you’re like me and you’ve dealt with IBS or other digestive issues, you know that it just so happens that we end up with more non-beneficial bacteria than beneficial bacteria in our gut, which can lead to anxiety, bloating and overwhelm in trying to manage and determine what is actually going on inside of us. I use VSL#3 for the main reason that it provides multiple strains of bacteria needed to restore the necessary amount of good bacteria in our gut. I nearly fell on the floor in amazement when I realized this probiotic carried billions of CFUs (colony forming units) because up until that point, I personally had never seen a probiotic that powerful.

Now, patience is key here. Just because there is a lot of power in this probiotic, it can take up to one month for the colonization of the gut to become optimally stable, so be patient with yourself. Patience is key because stressing out over not feeling better “soon enough” does more harm than good, putting you even deeper into survival mode and making the situation much worse. 

What I love about this probiotic is that it provides a higher CFU count and diversity of strains than other leading over-the-counter brands* to help protect the GI tract and help manage your gut health – I like to think of it as helping to restore the necessary amount of beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract. Please note that, VSL#3 must be used under medical supervision.

I prefer to use the powder form of this supplement as shown in this article but you can certainly use the capsule form if you’d like. Remember these probiotics must be refrigerated to keep the bacteria alive. And for those of you who need to read ingredient lists, this probiotic is free of lactose and gluten and non-GMO verified. More information on VSL#3 and its use for serious digestive issues can be found at www.vsl3.com.

TRUSTING YOUR BODY + MOVING FORWARD

As you continue to work towards building back your health, I implore you to also keep in mind the connection between what’s going on in your mind and your body. This was a huge piece of the puzzle for me. When you’re anxious, what is going on in your body? Does your stomach hurt? Do you feel pressure in your head? Do your shoulders get tense? Start to look at what your nervous system is telling you – your body is a feedback mechanism so in conjunction with taking supplements and probiotics, it is key to look at your own level of consciousness (self-awareness) and see what feedback your body is giving you based on what is going on in your mind. I suggest digging deeper to understand what causes fear in your nervous system as that will directly impact your digestion and your overall wellbeing. Start with this two-part series on How to Trust Your Body Again, which is a powerful place to begin. 

I’m sending you all a lot of love and remember that life is a journey and chronic health issues are a wakeup call to help us restore and reclaim who we are, take full responsibility for our past and move forward into a more conscious way of living so our bodies can return to balance. My book, Eating Clean, is a wonderful resource to help you get started and to point out the deeper medical testing that took me years to discover. My hope is that this article provided you with some support and guidance on your own journey. 

Believe in yourself and keep going. If I can do this, so can you. 

*Compared to Culturelle and Align.

VSL#3® is a probiotic medical food intended for the dietary management of ulcerative colitis (UC), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or an ileal pouch. Use under medical supervision.

0 comment(s)

The post My 14-Year Health Journey + The Power of Probiotics appeared first on Amie Valpone.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

WHY WE LOVE THEM

Well, first of all…

Who DOESN’T love muffins? Especially healthy muffins made with anti-inflammatory ingredients and loaded with protein that can be served for breakfast, an afternoon snack or a dessert without getting a sugar rush because there is no added sugar in this recipe.

HOW WE MAKE THEM

PREP TIPS // We love using Bob’s Red Mill almond flour because it’s super fine and tastes delicious. That’s what we used to make this recipe. We like to keep it stored at room temperature so that it’s not too hot or cold when we’re making the recipe. This recipe can’t be prepped in advance but you can certainly use the Chia Jam recipe from Amie’s cookbook if you’d like to make a homemade jam instead, and that can be made a week in advance. 

OVEN TIP // To know when these muffins are done, stick a toothpick in the center of them hot out of the oven. If the toothpick comes out dry, your muffins are done. If not, give them another 2 minutes in the oven.

When you’re food shopping, try to buy organic ingredients. Here are the benefits of eating organic.

INGREDIENT SWAPS // We love using raspberry preserves but you can certainly use blueberry or strawberry or apricot if desired. We love the 365 Whole Foods Market brand and the Crofter’s Organic brand. Have fun and try a few different varieties of preserves each time you make this recipe and let us know what you like best.

THREE easy STEPS

Here’s how we made these easy lemon raspberry muffins in three simple steps.

STEP 1 // Preheat the oven and make your flax egg substitute. Set aside.

STEP 2 // Combine the remaining ingredients and add in the flax egg substitute and mix well. Transfer the batter to muffin cups and fill about 1/3 way, then add raspberry preserves (we love Crofter’s Organic brand) and finally layer the rest of the batter on top.

STEP 3 // Bake until golden brown and enjoy.

SHOP the RECIPE

HOW WE EAT THEM

SERVING SUGGESTIONS // We love serving these muffins with a smoothie for breakfast. You can also pair these muffins with creamy almond butter (we love the organic almond butter from 365 Whole Foods Market) for an afternoon pick-me-up since these muffins are full of protein from the almond flour. They’re equally as delicious served as dessert with the coconut milk ice cream recipes in my cookbook. 

Print

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

This classic combo is bursting with a bright lemon flavor and the sweetness of raspberries. Did I mention that they are super moist too? These muffins are ideal for a quick easy weekday breakfast or a lazy Sunday brunch.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 9 muffins

Calories 288kcal

Author Amie Valpone

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil for lining the pan or use paper muffin cups shown above in Shop the Story
• 6 Tbsp. filtered water
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon zest
• 3 Tbsp. raspberry preserves (not jelly)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin pan with the 1 Tbsp of coconut oil (or paper muffin cups) and set aside.
• In small cup or bowl combine the filtered water and flax seeds and set aside for about 10 minutes, until the mixture forms a gel-like consistency. This will act like your 'egg binder' since we are not using eggs in this recipe.
  
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, baking powder, and sea salt. In a separate small bowl, mix the honey, freshly squeezed lemon juice, melted coconut oil, and flax seed mixture. Add honey mixture and lemon zest to almond flour mixture and combine well.
• Fill each muffin well 1/3 of the way with batter, then add 1 tsp. of raspberry jam on top of the batter, then evenly fill wells with the remaining batter.
• Bake for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for at least 15 minutes so they can set up. Store leftovers muffins in a sealed container, in the refrigerator, for up to a week.

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin C: 9.3mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 1.5mg

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

If you make this recipe, rate it below + post a picture of it on social media + tag @AmieValpone. We love connecting with all of you on facebook // pinterest // instagram // twitter or book a private session with Amie.

RECIPE COPYRIGHT // Recipe by Amie Valpone of AmieValpone.com. Please do not reprint this recipe without our permission. If you’d like to feature this recipe on your website, please rewrite the directions and link to this recipe as the original source. Thank you.

3 comment(s)

The post Gluten-Free Lemon Raspberry Muffins appeared first on Amie Valpone.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. TheHealthyApple.com also participates in other affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions when you purchase products through our links to those retailers’ sites.

Kitchen Storage

• Large Ball Jars (use for preserving jams and storing dressings, dips and sauces)
• Large Weck Jars (use for storing leftover food and dressings)
• Small Weck Jars (use for storing nuts and seeds)
• Brown Paper Bags (use for roasting bell peppers or to store snacks when traveling)
• Glass Storage Containers (use to store your leftovers)
• Parchment Paper Bags (use for packing lunches instead of plastic baggies)
• Unbleached Parchment Paper (use for lining your baking sheet to roast veggies on) I highly suggest you do not use tin foil because aluminum will leach into your food and enter your body, accumulating in your liver. Aluminum is not easy to remove from the body. I know this from personal experience and it can wreak serious havoc on your mind and body, especially neurologically. You can read more about how to reduce your exposure to heavy metals and toxins in your food, home and personal care products in my best-selling book, Eating Clean.
• Non-Toxic Thermos (use for storing homemade broth and soups that you can take with you to work)
• Le Parfait Jars (use to store your leftovers)
• Glass Bowl Set (great for serving and mixing ingredients)
• Weck Juice Jars (use to store any juices or liquids)

Baking + Cooking

• Rimmed Baking Sheets (use for roasting veggies on)
• Stainless Steel Pots and Pans (use for cooking gluten-free whole grains)
• Non-Toxic Ceramic Cookware (use for cooking soups and stews)
• Stainless Steel Colander (use for rinsing veggies and gluten-free whole grains)
• Wooden Cutting Board (use for cutting fruit and chopping veggies)
• My Favorite Non-Toxic Skillet (use for caramelizing onions, stir-fries and anything else you’re making on your stovetop)
• My Favorite Cast Iron Skillet (use for caramelizing onions, stir-fries and anything else you’re making on your stovetop including organic chicken, if you eat animal protein)
• My Favorite Stainless Steel Roasting Pan (use for roasting veggies and organic animal protein, if desired)
• My Favorite Ceramic Baking Dish (use for slow roasting very tender vegetables)
• My Favorite Dutch Oven
• 8 x 8 inch Pyrex Baking Dish (use for slow roasting very tender vegetables)
• Stainless Steel Steamer Basket (use for steaming vegetables)
• Spiralizer (use if desired to spiralize veggies for “pasta” substitute)

Other Kitchen Tools

• 4-Inch Santoku Knife
• Paring Knife
• Serrated Knife
• Veggie Peeler (use for peeling veggies like carrots and zucchini into beautiful ribbon shapes that are lightweight and easy to digest)
• Herb Chopper (an easy way to chop your herbs if you’re not handy with a sharp knife)
• Lemon Juicer (use for making hot water with lemon or healthy lemonade, and to add fresh lemon juice to any of my recipes without having to worry about the seeds of the lemon)
• Citrus Zester (use for adding fresh zest flavor to meals)
• Linen Bread Bags (great for storing gluten-free whole grain bread)
• Brown Paper (use for easy kitchen surface cooking)
• Marble Mortar and Pestle (great for crushing and grinding ingredients into a fine paste or powder for an extra touch of freshness and flavor)
• Bamboo Skewers (great for BBQ’s and grilling vegetables)
• Corn Grilling Basket (ideal for grilling corn on the cob-be sure to always purchase organic corn because corn is high in GMO’s)

Kitchen Essentials

• High-Speed Blender (use for smoothies or dressings)
• Food Processor (use for soups, condiments and sauces) This is my favorite food processor because it’s easy to clean and store in a small kitchen. It’s quite possibly the best food processor I’ve ever used because it’s lightweight and it purees food so well.
• Non-Toxic Teapot (use for making organic, herbal tea) Note: Make sure to air out your teapot after using so mildew does not form inside.
• Therasage H20 filter (use to filter water from chemicals, heavy metals, mold and other toxins in tap water including fluoride and pharma pills)
• Stainless Steel Straws (use in place of plastic straws)
• Slow Cooker (a great option for cooking easy meals with no fuss and little prep time)
• Mini Food Processor (my favorite mini food processor that I use in all my cooking videos to make small batch recipes such as pesto and salad dressings or sauces)
• Ice Cube Tray

Kitchen Towels + Aprons + Oven Mitts

• Kitchen Towels
• Reusable Paper Towels
• Striped Apron
• Classic Apron
• Silicone Oven Mitts
• Cotton Oven Mitts

Serving Options

• Serving Platters
• Wooden Salad Bowl
• Porcelain Serving Bowl Set
• Ramekins
• Small Glass Bowls
• Paper Straws
• Entertaining Napkins
• Handwoven Napkins
• Linen Cocktail Napkins

Non-Toxic Nail Polish + Hand Salve for Chapped Cooking Hands

• My Favorite Red Nail Polish
• My Favorite Top Coat & Base Coat
• Badger Balm Unscented Hand Balm

0 comment(s)

The post Kitchen Tools appeared first on Amie Valpone.

TheHealthyApple.com participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

What many people don’t realize is that you cannot fix hormones with synthetic hormones. It will not work. It will be a band-aid and will at some point cause your other hormones to be out of balance. I know this because this happened to me and because everyone that walks into my office is experiencing awful hormonal issues and someone tried to ‘help’ by giving them birth control or a synthetic hormone cream and down the road, it turned into a nightmare.

That said, today we’re discussing the best ways to support your hormones because let’s face it, almost every woman out there is dealing with PMS or some sort of hormonal imbalance that is manifesting as weight gain, acne, yeast infections, body odor, oily hair, anxiety, depression and more.

SO, HOW do WE do THIS?

Easy.

Amie is going to show you how you can start incorporating these foods into your lifestyle today.

Our favorite foods for hormone balancing:

Broccoli

Well, let’s face it. As kids, none of us liked broccoli. It made me want to cry and I avoided it at all costs. I’m sure you can relate. Broccoli is quite a powerhouse when it comes to hormones because it helps support the liver with natural detoxification. When I learned this in my early 20’s, I decided I was going to have broccoli a few times a week because I was going through so much liver toxicity from my body burden of toxins and so many hormonal imbalances.

WHY WE LOVE IT // Broccoli is quite easy to cook. It may seem complicated but it’s simple when you know how to do it (see below for How To Make It)! It’s also incredibly versatile, meaning that it can be tossed with anything from olive oil to balsamic vinegar to lemon juice and beyond and you can call it a meal. You can do anything with broccoli! Remember that and don’t let it intimidate you.

HOW TO MAKE IT // The easiest way to prep broccoli is to cut off the florets and discard the hard stalk. The florets can be tossed with olive oil, sea salt and pepper and roasted in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees F or until they’re golden brown and crispy. I like crispy! I like them very very crispy in fact, so I leave them in until they’re nice and crispy. Your roasting time will depend on how large your florets are; the larger the florets, the more time it will take to roast.

HOW TO SERVE IT // Have FUN with broccoli….meaning you can jazz it up with whatever you have in your fridge. My favorite combo when it comes out of the oven as noted above is to drizzle it with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Then I crush a handful of walnuts and sprinkle them on top with a pinch more sea salt and pepper, if desired. That is IT, folks! Easy peasy.

OUR FAVORITE RECIPE USING THIS INGREDIENT // Winter White Detox Soup

Cabbage

I’m a red cabbage kinda gal. I prefer red cabbage to green cabbage any day. There is SO MUCH more flavor in red cabbage in my opinion…it’s naturally sweet and hits the spot on top of a salad or tacos unlike green cabbage, which doesn’t have the natural sweetness found in its red cousin! Also, I like to call red cabbage “purple” cabbage because it really IS purple. Am I the only one thinking this way?

WHY WE LOVE IT // It’s crunchy, it’s flavorful, it’s full of fiber and it’s ideal on top of everything from soups to tacos to your favorite sandwich recipes. It’s quite versatile…all you need is a bit of creativity to play with it in the kitchen and don’t be afraid to try it in recipes.

HOW TO MAKE IT // I love to eat it raw because it’s crunchy so there’s nothing you need to do but finely chop it. And I mean very finely chop it so that it’s easy for you to digest. You can thinly slice it or finely chop it, however, you want to do it. It’s up to you but the smaller the dice or slice, the better and the easier to digest! Find yourself a nice sharp knife and a wooden cutting board and slice or dice away!

HOW TO SERVE IT // As I mentioned above, I love using cabbage as a topping for tacos to add a nice crunch and bite to the recipe. I also love adding thinly sliced cabbage to salads to brighten up the colors and add a crunch factor in there, as well. Lastly, cabbage is delicious served as whole leafs (remove the stem at the bottom, which is tough to chew) and use it like you would a lettuce wrap by putting your ingredients inside, wrapping it up like a burrito and eating it!

OUR FAVORITE RECIPE USING THIS INGREDIENT // Simple Green Apple & Cabbage Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Walnuts

I fell in love with walnuts a few years ago when I learned about their anti-inflammatory properties thanks to their Omega 3 fatty acids. I love adding walnuts to my meals and I eat about 1/2 cup of walnuts a day sprinkled throughout my meals and snacks. They keep me satisfied and add a great dose of protein to keep me full and happy!

WHY WE LOVE THEM // Their Omega 3 properties as mentioned above are the main reason I love walnuts above all other nuts. It’s the deciding factor when I’m shopping in the nut section because walnuts are loaded with anti-inflammatory benefits that no other nut or seed has. That alone is a reason to reach for walnuts! Because they’re high in protein and a good source of healthy fats, walnuts will keep you full and satisfied, which always makes us happy campers.

HOW TO MAKE THEM // You can toast walnuts or roast them in the oven. Toasting them on the stovetop in a large skillet over medium heat is a great idea. You can add a handful of walnuts to the dry skillet and toss them for about 3 minutes (be careful not to let them burn) or until golden brown and fragrant. The stovetop method is much easier and quicker than roasting them in the oven!

HOW TO SERVE THEM // Walnuts are ideal on parfaits, salads, chopped up and tossed on top of tacos, and even enjoyed right out of the bag, which is what I do a few times a day when I need a snack and I don’t have time to make a full meal in my kitchen. 

OUR FAVORITE RECIPE USING THIS INGREDIENT //  5-Minute Arugula Pesto

Avocado

Avocado is quite possibly one of the greatest foods because it’s so incredibly versatile and can be diced, sliced, pureed, mashed and more. It’s ideal for everything from guacamole to adding creaminess to a dressing like from our Fajita Lettuce Wraps with Hazelnut Avocado Crema recipe.

WHY WE LOVE IT // Avocado has a nice mild taste, which makes it ideal for adding creaminess to smoothies, soups, ice cream recipes, dips and spreads. It’s a great way to reap the benefits of healthy fats and you can enjoy it any time of the day because it pairs well with everything from breakfast toast to evening fajitas. 

HOW TO MAKE IT // Well, that depends on what you want to ‘make’…you don’t need to really make anything at all as you’ll see below in the serving suggestion but you can easily turn a very ripe avocado into a delicious pureed soup or smoothie. Those are two of the easiest ways to use it. I highly suggest purchasing a ripe avocado so that it’s flavorful. If you purchase a hard avocado and try to use it right away in a recipe, it will taste awful and will be too difficult to slice. In that case, store the un-ripe avocado in a brown paper bag overnight or until the avocado ripens up.

HOW TO SERVE IT // No need to ‘serve’ anything with avocado when you can simply peel it, pit it and sprinkle sea salt on top, then eat it with a spoon. That’s really all you need. But, if you want to get creative you can check out my best-selling cookbook for a bunch of ways to use avocado to add creaminess to recipes.

OUR FAVORITE RECIPE USING THIS INGREDIENT // Kale Avocado Salad with Creamy Almond Dressing

SHOP the STORY

My upcoming Whole Body Transformation Retreat in Santa Cruz, California in August is a great place for you to start to dive into understanding these deeper layers of healing and to understand for yourself first-hand that healing is a journey. This retreat is my lowest price point yet, which is a great opportunity for anyone looking to meet me in person and understand the missing pieces keeping you unwell. This retreat is based on the groundbreaking new method I created and called The Valpone Method, which I developed to help you understand and discover the emotional, energetic and physical aspects of healing. And that’s exactly what I’m here to help you with because somewhere deep inside you know that there is more than just eating clean to really bring yourself back to life. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix or magic pill for health issues.

If you have further hormonal needs, you can schedule a private session with me to go into detail about how to help yourself balance your hormones. STILL HUNGRY? For more of our anti-inflammatory recipes, check out our 3 Month Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan, which is only available for a limited time through April.

1 comment(s)

The post Elevate Your Plate // The Best Foods For Hormone Balancing appeared first on Amie Valpone.

Smoothies are my go-to breakfast when the weather starts to heat up. Manhattan is already getting hot so I’ve been busy tossing a bunch of healthy ingredients into my blender to cool myself off before I head out into the heat.

This Coconut Almond Joy Smoothie is packed with healthy fats, protein, and fiber (the building blocks for an anti-inflammatory meal) to keep you happy and full until lunchtime rolls around. It’s naturally sweet without any refined sugar so you can feel good about serving it to yourself and your family first thing in the morning.

Let’s talk about how to make this creamy and refreshing smoothie, shall we?

How to Make:Coconut Almond Joy Smoothie (AUDIO) 

Click the PLAY button below to hear me walk you through the steps of how to make this smoothie.

How to Make:Coconut Almond Joy Smoothie

You can make this smoothie in less than 5 minutes. As always, I like my recipes to be 3 simple steps or less. Here’s how to make your smoothie:

1. Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender.
2. Blend until creamy or desired consistency is reached. Add more ice as needed.
3. Serve.

Note: I suggest you do not drink your smoothie ice cold because it will be easier on your organs and your body. No need to drink it hot, however, let it sit for a few minutes in your blender with the top off before you serve it. I guarantee your digestion will feel a heck of a lot better drinking it this way rather than freezing cold.

Tips for Making: Coconut Almond Joy Smoothie

You can use any nut butter you’d like (such as cashew butter, pecan butter or walnut butter) with this recipe but creamy almond butter from Whole Foods Market 365 Brand is the most flavorful in my opinion.

Make sure you purchase unsweetened coconut flakes because regular coconut flakes are high in sugar and way too sweet for breakfast.

If you prefer a thicker smoothie consistency, use less ice and almond milk.

SHOP the STORY

Craving more healthy recipes? Subscribe to our FREE newsletter to receive new recipes and health tips straight to your inbox.

When you’re food shopping, try to buy organic ingredients. Here’s why I eat organic: The Benefits of Eating Organic

If you make this recipe, rate it below and post a picture of it on social media (tag @TheHealthyApple). I’d love to hear from you; you can follow me and chat with me directly on facebook // pinterest // instagram // twitter or book a private session with Amie.

Print

Coconut Almond Joy Smoothie

This Coconut Almond Smoothie is creamy, refreshing, and simply satisfying. It's dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and could even be mistaken for a milkshake! Whip this up in the morning for a quick on the go breakfast or for a tasty afternoon snack on a summer afternoon.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword breakfast, coconut, smoothie, almond

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 300kcal

Author Amie Valpone

Ingredients

• 2 large ripe bananas
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 4 Tbsp. whole almonds
• 3 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut flakes plus more for garnish
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. well-stirred creamy almond butter
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ice as needed

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and puree until creamy. Add ice as needed and transfer to glasses. Serve immediately.

Notes

Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 895mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 11.8mg | Calcium: 428mg | Iron: 2.4mg

16 comment(s)

The post Coconut Almond Joy Smoothie appeared first on Amie Valpone.