So any food that starts with sweet, I am interested in trying haha. I often times have the biggest sweet tooth on earth, and instead of buying tons of bad filled sweets, why not find good sweet's that are actually nutritious for your body. I absolutely love sweet potatoes not only are they delicious they are packed with vitamins C which will boost your immune system, vitamin D which helps build healthy bones, iron which helps provide energy, magnesium which helps with artery health and the list goes on Read More Here. I wanted to include more sweet potatoes in my diet of course for the health benefits, and to take care of my sometimes over happy sweet tooth LOL. Here are two recipes to make amazing tasting sweet potatoes.
**SWEET POTATOES FRIES**
1. Bake sweet potatoes for 30-45 mins or until soft. I usually heat oven at 400-450 degrees ( Helps cook them quicker) You can also boil as well for 30 mins or so which ever works best for you
2. Once they are soft but not mushy ( you want to be able to cut them up) take out of oven and slice into pieces.
3.You will want to add vegan butter, or grass fed butter to pan and let pre heat Purchase Vegan Butter here
4. Add cinnamon and nutmeg a teaspoon mixed half & half ( or to taste of course)
5. Drizzle with actual maple syrup and enjoy -You can sprinkle maple syrup sugar on top as well as they cook (YUMMY).
6.Top with Maple Glazed pecans to top this dish off. (Will post soon on how to make your own maple pecans)
**SWEET POTATOE APPLE FILLED PANCAKES**
Ingredients:
1 Sweet Potatoe's (Makes about 6 small pancakes)
2 table spoons of Maple Syrup (To taste add more to sweeten)
2 table spoons off Almond Milk
1 teaspoon of Cinnamon & Nutmeg
1 tablespoon of Coconut flour of unbleached organic flour
1 apples
2 pinches of baking soda (Dont add to much LITERALLY a pinch)
Directions:
1. Heat sweet potatoe in oven at 400-450 degrees and allow the potatoe to cook until mushy
2. Remove the skin and mash the potatoe then add all ingredients
3. Slice apple and add roll mixture or scoop into tiny pancake balls
4. You can either cook on stove for a more crisp pancake or bake for an additional 15-20 mins. Try both and see which one you like better. I usually cook on stove for 3 mins each side and I let them bake, it will make the pancakes burst with flavor. (dont forget to cook in vegan butter, or grassfed butter)Buy here
5. Last Top Pancakes with apples and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Feel free to top with maple syrup and a half teaspoon of "Maca powder" which is packed with nutrients Read Here
Hope this helps with your sweet tooth cravings as much as it did mine. LOL
Happy Health
Shana Nicole,
The reason why I decided to stop using regular toothpaste:
DANGERS OF FLUORIDE TOOTHPASTE READ HERE
Fluoride
is highly toxic and has been linked to many diseases. It has been
banned in several countries,and has been linked to damaging fertility.
Fluoride is found in many product's as well as toothpaste,stay away
from this stuff Click Here . There are so many other harmful ingredients in regular toothpaste more info here.
I use all natural toothpaste & mouthwash Order Here. I care about hygiene in every area, so I want the best of the best when it comes to oral care. When I first started using dentarome plus toothpaste I thought it was disgusting and I couldn't handle the taste. It took me a while to get use to it. Now I absolutely love brushing my teeth with this product,and my mouth feels super clean after each use.
I had to train my mouth to prefer the taste of the good stuff over the fluoride filled terrible toothpaste. Bad breath is a pet peeve of mine ewwwww so I make sure I am on top of my "fresh breath game" haha. For great mouthwash Buy here
I love to feel products working, this mouth wash will wipe all that nasty stuff right out of your mouth. Every day we eat bacteria, plaque, and toxins build up on our mouth,teeth & gums. Its best to use pure bacteria fighting oral care products when dealing with this area. "Ya" chewing gum is great, but it wont help prevent halitosis Read here, cavities Click here, gingivitis Learn more here, or plaque build up. Fight back and start using proper products to cleanse your mouth and have that extra clean feeling.
This is not to scare you, but to inform you and help you decide what may
be best for you, and areas you may look into changing. I am just providing my opinion, the research I have found, along with my personal use of all natural products. Do your own research and start making better decisions toward the healthy journey in every area of your life. Eating healthy is awesome, but incorporating other health practice's in my opinion is very helpful as well. Remember Brush your Teeth, Floss, and Gargle with Mouth Wash two time's a day.
Happy Mouth, Happy Health, Happy Life
Find me via Facebook,Instagram,Twitter @
Loveshananicole :-)
I have been working on ways to include more and more greens into my diet. I am not a big fan of the taste of spinach, so I had to be creative and find ways to make spinach taste good to me. Lol "Hey" You have to do what you have to do to get the good stuff in your body. Spinach is very healthy for you READ HERE.
I know people who just love spinach, wish I could say the same. So as I have said it takes discipline. You have to tell your body what it is going to eat and stick with your healthy lifestyle change. Now I eat spinach because my taste buds have adapted to the taste. Listed below are a few ways and recipes to make Spinach taste better in my opinion :-) Enjoy!!
**Sauteed Spinach
1. Buy organic Spinach and rinse it just in case it has dirt, & debris, etc. I actually clean all my fruits and veggies with "fruit&veggie" cleaner Click Here to purchase
No that's not extreme some produce have been sprayed with nasty pesticides that you DON'T want in your body.Dont believe me READ FOR YOURSELF CLICK HERE
2. Pure olive oil (or oil of your choice in pan) 3/4 cup and let simmer for about 2 minutes
3. Add 1 tsp of Garlic Power, half a tsp of sea salt or himalayan salt, 1tsp black pepper, some chopped onions, and 1 or 2 raw garlic bulbs and let them sauteed for about 2/3 mins (or until semi brown)
Find Salts/Garlic Powder here
4. Add your spinach 2 handful for 1 person (or as much as you like) also add diced tomatoes. (I cherry/grape tomatoes and sliced.
5. Let it cook until the spinach turns dark and texture changes to a moist look.
6. After its finish top with red pepper flakes, fresh squeezed lemon(optional) and vegan cheese( I use daiya cheese substitute)Buy Here
***Spinach Salad Options*** (These are just a few you can play around with tons of fruit, nuts etc)
Spinach sweet walnut Salad:
Includes:
Fresh Rinsed Spinach,
Candied Walnuts (from trader joe's)
and fresh chopped apples Yummy!
You can buy a organic dressing or make your own
QUICK DRESSINGS Tips:
Olive oil, AppleCider Vineger, Lemon or lime, with pepper and a lil salt (make to taste)
Olive oil, Tahini dressing, Sesame Seeds, Fresh Lime, apple cider vineger
Happy Spinach Eating haha!
Shana Nicole :-)
This *blueberry mango chia seeds smoothie* is packed with antioxidants and nutrients for your body. Find BLUEBERRY HEALTH BENEFITS CLICK HERE.Great dose of energy to start your day, or help get you through the day. I love making smoothies for breakfast, they are easy to make and so convenient. If you need to take on the road no problem takes less than 5 minutes to make and out the door you go. Chia seeds benefits Read Here
Purchase Chia Seeds Here
Not only are Mangos delicious but they are healing to your body. They help fight disease, clear's skin, as well as helps boost your immune system Read Here
Making the Smoothie:
1. You will need blueberries, 1 or 2 mangos, chia seeds (optional), mix with almond milk, coconut milk, or coconut water, Ice if you don't have pre-frozen fruit.
(completely up to you I personally freeze fresh fruit then blend the following morning).
2. Take 3/4 cups of blueberries, 1 mango, add 2 tablespoons of 100% maple syrup (or your favorite sweetener) pour in 1/3 cup of which ever liquid you prefer. (The more thick you want your smoothie the less liquid you want to add, play around to see what works for you)
3. Blend and ENJOY :-)
Happy Health Yall :-)
Shana Nicole,
Stay Connected via
instagram, twitter, & youtube
find me @ loveshananicole
This dessert is one of those almost to good to be true. YOU can make simple delicious ice cream with just a few items. I made this a few days in a row because its so good. I have had quite the sweet tooth lately lol. Lets get you started :-)
WHAT YOU NEED:
1. Frozen bananas (one banana per person> so for 1 person 1 banana peel and cut up and freeze over night) Bananas are loaded with nutrients that will fuel your body READ HERE
2. Organic or regular peanut butter. If you want a crunchy texture than buy the peanut butter with nuts included. (You can also use your favorite nut butter I prefer the taste of peanut butter with this mixture)
3. Cinnamon- Which is loaded with health benefits READ HERE
4. Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract- BUY HERE
5. I added Chia seeds to the top of mine Read Here For Healthy Benefits, this is just a personal choice. They are so healthy for you and when you hide them in yummy treats like this you wont notice that they are there. BUY HERE
Yes that's it. Four simple ingredients blend them all into a food processor or blender and you have yourself a nice delicious treat. :-)
(Feel free to add almonds on top as well this was a nice little addition)
Hope you all enjoy as much as I did. Take Care of your body YOU ONLY HAVE ONE.
Happy Health People :-)
Shana Nicole,
*ARE YOU DEHYDRATED?
*IS YOUR BODY SCREAMING FOR YOU TO DRINK WATER?
*DO YOU PREFER THE TASTE OF JUICE, SODA OR ANYTHING OVER WATER? Yup that was me all day haha, I use to love me some juice. I would drink a cup of water here and there, but it wasn't a part of my daily routine.
Many health problems could be eliminated if we were flushing our system's and drinking more water. OUR BODIES NEED WATER, they are made up of 60-70% water. You can't go months even weeks without consuming water, you would literally die. Yes there are many foods which contain water (watermelon, and many fruits and veggies) which is why if you are not drinking water daily you are still able to survive. The rule of thumb is you should drink half your body weight per day in ounce's of water. So if you weigh 120lbs then its recommended that you drink 60 oz of water, or if you are 200lbs then the recommended amount would be 100oz. You may say OMG that's a lot of water lol, yes it is but it can be done. Start your day with water, and carry water with you to work, the gym, on a outing etc(what ever you have to do drink water like it is going of out style)LOL.
There are many great benefits to drinking water. Water can help clear your skin,regulate your bowels, help you maintain a healthy weight, help rid your body of nasty bacteria, boost your immune system which can help with fighting off disease and so much more. READ HERE for more benefits of drinking water. CLICK HERE
Here is a great book that will explain how many people believe they are sick, when they are really dehydrated and just need more water. This book tells you in detail the ins and outs of how water can purify the system, and help rid your bodies of many illnesses. MUST READ "YOUR BODY MANY CRIES FOR WATER" CLICK HERE TO ORDER
OK so I had to do something, I had to make a decision to STOP drinking (soda & juice), both are loaded with tons of sugar (high fructose corn syrup) and unnatural flavors which are bad for you, and will help with the bodies storing of fat/weight gain. ANY THING THAT YOU READ THAT SAYS CONTAINS *HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP* RUN THE OTHER WAY) that stuff is soo bad for you. CLICK HERE to read more on how dangerous and terrible high fructose is for you. READ INGREDIENTS before you buy stuff. So important to know what you are putting in your body. (Even when it says its all natural that doesn't mean its truly all natural & pure so READ YOUR LABELS). I came across fruit infused waters a while back, but of course I still wanted my juice, lol so I completely ignored anything trying to force me to drink water. When I made the decision to change up my diet I obviously was going to have to drink more water. SO I SAID *Bye* to all of my unnatural/unhealthy sweet juices. I ordered some mason jars (which are super helpful to store and keep food fresh they are pictured below) CLICK HERE TO ORDER MASON JARS and I went to the store and picked up some fruit to place in my water.
After making the fruit infused water for the first time they didn't taste bad, the water was actually good, had flavor and was super healthy for me. SCORE, haha I was definitely missing out.I decided to start incorporating fruit infused waters into my weekly routine. I also drink plain water as well but when I feel like having flavored water this is my go to secret. Learn more here
*HOW TO MAKE FRUIT INFUSED WATER*
What you need:
*Fruit of many flavors (strawberries, grapes, oranges, plums, grapefruits, cherries etc), you can mix veggies in there as well its truly up to you.
*Knife
*Mason Jars
*Water (I suggest filtered alkaline water)read here
*Last you will need 2or3 table spoons of 100% Maple syrup or a sweetener for those who prefer a sweeter taste.
1. 1st recipe* I used a mixture of Lemon, Lime, and Grapefruit in my first mix (I cut them up and I like to squeeze the juice from the fruit inside the mason jar before adding the water. This adds extra flavor.
2. 2nd recipe* I used a mixture of Pineapples, strawberries, and lemons. (Again squeeze the fruit to extract more flavor)
3. 3rd recipe I used was strawberries, grapefruit, limes. (Remember its flavored water so don't expect it to be super sweet. To add sweetness feel free to add your favorite sweetener 100% maple syrup, 100% organic cane sugar, 100% raw honey, or 100% raw agave nectar) You can find all items via a health food store's or online (wholefoods, trader-joes, sprouts, amazon, vitacost etc)
4. 4th recipe oranges, limes, lemons,kiwi, blueberries, cucumbers. This one had a great tangy kick you could really taste the oranges and cucumbers which I really enjoyed.
5. 5th recipe Kiwi+Raspberries+Lemons
6. Strawberries+Lemons+Raspberries
7. Cucumbers+Oranges+Raspberries
There are a ton of fruit you can use. You can also add herbs such as fresh mint leaves, basil, parley etc. Have some fun and see what makes your taste buds jump for joy.
***After you make, let the water sit for at least 4 hours or even over night in refrigerator to really get intense flavor inside, you can also add ice when you are ready to consume. I would recommend drinking the infused fruit water withing 48 hours. Its also ok to refill when you finish just replace with fresh fruit after the 48 hour period.
ENJOY YOUR NEW PRETTY HEALTH WATER;-)
Heart you all,
Shana Nicole
