Sending Out Love Today!

 “Eat like you love yourself, Move like you love yourself, Speak like you love yourself, Act like you love yourself!”

Happy Sunday! XO-Jennifer

Parabens, Cancer and You…

Workout Motivation!

“Never Skip A Monday Workout!”

Consistency is the key to success for our health, happiness, and our relationships in life.

XO-Jennifer

Fresh Pina-Colada Smoothie!

 

As the summer winds down enjoy this perfect healthy dairy free and gluten free smoothie to cool off your days!

Ingredients:

-3 frozen bananas (med size)

-200 ml almond milk

-1 tsp of ginger

-2  Tbsp coconut yogurt

-1  Handful spinach (large)

-1   tsp of super greens (I use It Works)

-1/2 Cup fresh pineapple

Directions:

-Blend well ( I use my Ninja Mega Kitchen 1500)

-Top with fresh pineapple

 

What Is A Plant Based Diet?

 

I have been researching the Plant Based diet for the past six months. I have interviewed numerous doctors, nutritionist and friends along the way.  What I have learned is that a Plant Based diet is a total lifestyle change, it leans out the body, improves health, increases strength, and energy while also increasing total life expectancy!

Changing the way you eat can be difficult, but in this guide Leo Babauta share’s how to change, talks a bit about why, and what foods examples are good to eat.

What’s a Plant-Based Diet?

The simple answer, of course, is that you eat plants. You eliminate animals and (eventually) animal products like dairy and eggs.

Some of Leo’s favorite foods include: tempeh, seitan, tofu, kale, broccoli, quinoa, ground flaxseeds, ground chia seeds, raw almonds and walnuts, raw almond butter, olive oil, all kinds of berries, figs, avocados, tomatoes, lentils, black beans, spirulina, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, organic soymilk, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, apples, peaches, mangoes, pineapple, garlic, red wine, green tea, brown rice, sprouted (flourless) bread, brown rice, steel-cut oats.

Why Are People Adopting Plant Based Diets?

1. Health. The basis of this guide is health, and many people switch to eating plants because they want to lose weight, improve their heart health, stay healthy as they age, improve blood pressure or deal with diabetes. A plant-based diet has been shown to help with all of these things — if you also stay away from the processed foods. A diet of processed flour and sugar and fried foods isn’t healthy even if it’s all plants (more on this below).
2. The healthiest populations in the world are plant based: the Okinawans (traditionally at almost all plants such as sweet potatoes, soybeans, lots of veggies, with a little fish and occasional pork), the Sardinians (beans & veggies, red wine, some cheese, meat only once a week), and the vegan Seventh-Day Adventists in Loma Linda, California who are the longest-living Americans. Eating plants is the best thing you can do to reduce your risk of the leading causes of death.
3. Environment. Honestly, while this is very important to me, it’s probably the least important of the three reasons on this list (for me personally, that is). But it’s huge: the biggest way to reduce your carbon footprint is to stop eating animal products — better than giving up a car (next best) or using less energy in your home or traveling by plane less or recycling or using solar energy or driving an electric car or buying fewer things. The animals we raise for food production use a ton of resources, eat way more plants than we do (which in turn also require resources to be grown), give off huge amounts of planet-warming methane, breathe out a lot of carbon dioxide, and create a lot of pollution. This 2006 United Nations report concludes that “Livestock have a substantial impact on the world’s water, land and biodiversity resources and contribute significantly to climate change. Animal agriculture produces 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 equivalents), compared with 13.5 percent from all forms of transportation combined.” And it takes 4,000 to 18,000 gallons of water to make the beef for one hamburger, according to a recent report from the U.S. geological survey.
4. Compassion. For me, this is the most important reason to move away from eating animals. I’ve talked a lot about compassion on this site, but by far the most cruel thing any of us does each day is consume animals (and their products). The cruelty that is perpetuated on these living, feeling, suffering beings on our behalf is enormous and undeniable. If you don’t believe me, watch this video with Sir Paul McCartney or this video about pigs. While I became vegan for health reasons, I stick with it for reasons of compassion — wanting to reduce the suffering of other sentient beings.

But … if you don’t do it to avoid pollution, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, increased death rates, animal cruelty, global warming, deforestation, and higher costs … maybe weight loss would do it.

Vegetarians and vegans weigh less on average than meat eaters. That’s even after adjusting for things like fibre, alcohol, smoking … and calorie intake! Half of Americans are obese, but vegans tend to be much less obese (with exceptions of course).

That said, just going vegan will not necessarily cause you to lose weight. You could easily eat a lot of sugar, white flour, fake meats and fried foods and gain weight.

If you eat whole plant foods, you’re likely to lose weight. Plant foods, for starters, have pretty much no saturated fat, low calories and tons of fiber, while animal foods all have saturated fat, lots of calories and zero fiber.

Beating Death: I highly recommend watching this video on uprooting the causes of death using a plant-based diet. It’s a bit long, but well worth the time.

How to Change Your Eating Lifestyle:

It will be no surprise that I recommend people start small and change slowly. A good plan is to make the change in stages:

1. Slowly cut out meat. This stage is actually several smaller stages. You might try starting with Meatless Mondays and then, over time, expanding to other days of the week. Another common idea is to start by cutting out red meat, and then poultry, then seafood, in gradual stages of a month or even six months. There is no rush — do it at the pace that feels good to you. Another important point is that, as you eliminate meat, don’t just fill it with starches (which don’t have that much nutrition). Try new foods, experiment with ethic recipes, and explore different nutrients as you make these changes.
2. Eliminate eggs. After you cut out red meat and poultry, you’ll be pescatarian (seafood). When you eliminate seafood, you’re vegetarian! If you’re eating eggs and dairy, that’s called a “lacto-ovo” vegetarian. You can then eliminate eggs — and no, they’re not cruelty-free. This is one of the easier stages, in my experience.
3. Cut out dairy. This tends to be harder for most people. Not because of milk (soymilk and almond milk are good alternatives that just take a few days to adjust to) … but because of cheese. I hear a lot of people say, “I can’t give up my cheese!” — and I empathize, as this was a sticking point for me too. It helps that there are better and better cheese alternatives these days (Daiya being a favorite of many). But for me, what made all the difference is not focusing on what I was giving up, but on the good things I could eat!
4. Eat whole, unprocessed foods. This is the phase that I’m in, and I wholly recommend it. You can go straight here if you have no problems changing your diet, but people eating the Standard American Diet will find it difficult, because the foods are very different than what most people eat. For example, most people in the U.S. don’t eat many vegetables, and find them distasteful, especially dark green leafy veggies, which are the best. I now love vegetables, and kale is my best friend. Most people dislike protein-rich plant foods like tempeh, tofu, seitan, and beans. Most people don’t eat raw nuts — they eat roasted and salted nuts. However, all of this can change over time, which is why I recommend that you move into this slowly. What exactly is this phase?

What to Eat?

So what do you eat when you’re on a plant-based diet that focuses on whole foods? Lots!

A few categories of foods to include regularly:

1. Beans and other protein. This means the regular kinds of beans, like lentils, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, etc. But it can also mean soybeans (edamame), tofu, tempeh, and seitan (protein from wheat, not good for gluten-intolerant people). It can also mean soymilk, soy yogurt, and the like, which are often fortified. Get organic, non-GMO soy.
2. Nuts and seeds. My favorites include raw almonds and walnuts, along with ground flaxseeds and chia seeds, and hemp seed protein powder. Almond milk is also good. And quinoa — it’s like a grain, but really a seed, and full of nutrition.
3. Good fats. Fats aren’t bad for you — you should just look to avoid saturated fats. Luckily, not many plant foods have saturated fats. Plants with good fats include avocados, nuts and seeds mentioned above, olive oil and canola oil.
4. Greens. This is one of the most important and nutritious group of all. Dark, leafy green veggies are awesome, and full of calcium, iron and a ton of vitamins. My favorites: kale, spinach, broccoli, collards. Eat lots of them daily! They also have very few calories, meaning they pack a ton of nutrition in a small caloric package.
5. Other fruits and veggies. Get a variety — I love berries of all kinds, figs, apples, citrus fruits, peaches, mangoes, bananas, pears, bell peppers, garlic, beets, celery, cauliflower … I could go on all day! Get lots of different colors.
6. Good starches. Starches are not bad for you — but ones that have little calories aren’t great. So find starches that give you lots of nutrition. Sweet potatoes, red potatoes, squash, brown rice, sprouted whole wheat, steel-cut oats, among others.
7. Some other healthy stuff. I love red wine, green tea, cinnamon, turmeric, spirulina and nutritional yeast.

OK, by now you might be overwhelmed by all of this. How do you put it together? It’s not that hard once you get used to it. Start learning some recipes that combine some of these foods into meals, and over time, you’ll have a few go-to meals that you love that are full of nutrition.

Some examples that I like (but don’t limit yourself to these!):

• Tofu scramble w/ veggies: some organic high-protein tofu crumbled and stir-fried with olive oil, garlic, diced carrots and tomatoes, spinach and mushrooms, and spiced with tamari, turmeric, sea salt and coarse black pepper.
• Steel-cut oats: cook some steel-cut oats, then add ground flaxseeds, raw nuts, berries, cinnamon.
• Stir-fry: Here’s my secret … you can make an endless combo of meals by cooking some garlic in olive oil, then cooking some veggies (carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc.) and some protein (tofu, tempeh, seitan, etc.) and some greens (kale, broccoli, spinach, etc.) and some spices (turmeric or coconut milk or tamari & sesame oil, black pepper, salt).
• Veggie chili over quinoa: Black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans with olive oil, garlic, onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, diced kale, diced carrots, tomato sauce, chili powder, salt, pepper. Maybe some beer for flavor. Serve over quinoa or brown rice.
• One-pot meal: Quinoa, lentils, greens, olive oil, tempeh (or a bunch of other variations). Read Tynan’s post on cooking this all in one pot.
• Whole-wheat pasta: Serve with a sauce — some tomato sauce with olive oil, garlic, onions, bell peppers, diced kale and carrots, diced tomatoes, fresh basil, oregano.
• Big-ass Salad: Start with a bed of kale & spinach, throw on other veggies such as carrots, mushrooms, cauliflower, snow peas, green beans, tomatoes … then some beans, nuts and/or seeds … top with avocado. Mix balsamic vinegar and olive oil, or red wine vinegar and olive oil, sprinkle on the salad. Yum.
• Smoothies: Blend some almond or soy milk with frozen berries, greens, ground chia or flaxseeds, hemp or spirulina protein powder. Lots of nutrition in one drink!
• Snacks: I often snack on fruits and berries, raw almonds or walnuts, carrots with hummus.
• Drinks: I tend to drink water all day, some coffee (without sugar) in the morning, tea in the afternoon, and red wine in the evening.

Post By: Leo Babauta, simplicity blogger & author. He created Zen Habits, a Top 25 blog with a million readers. He’s also a best-selling author, a husband, father of six children, and a vegan. In 2010 moved from Guam to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he leads a simple life.

 

The Weekly Astrology Forecast Is Out~ Get Ready For The Full Moon!

I am a HUGE fan of the Astro-Twins and their weekly astrology forecasts. They have a fabulous way of mixing in humor with real-life, while explaining what the planets are up too.  I hope you enjoy this weeks astrology forecast!

Double rainbow! This Friday, July 31 brings the full moon in magical, metaphysical Aquarius. Do you believe in unicorns? Well, by the time the workweek wraps, you might also believe in mermaids. This full moon marks the manifestation of TWO Aquarius new moons from early 2015—the January 20 supermoon and the second new moon on February 18, which heralded the Chinese Year of the Sheep http://astrostyle.com/year-of-the-sheep/.

Seeds we planted early in the year could start to bear fruit—especially our idealistic, out-of-the box dreams. When in doubt, take the unconventional route! Aquarius is the sign that governs teamwork and technology. There will be group victories to celebrate this week or a deep desire to find our soul tribes. Turn on the searchlight. Those kindred spirits could be revealed within two weeks of Friday.

Feel like making the world a better place? (Hands raised.) Power-to-the-people Aquarius energy helps guide us to humanitarian missions. Whether they involve global activism or a little community cleanup, there is strength in numbers. No good deed is too small…but why not go a little bigger, inviting the social network to get in on the goodwill game?

Venus remains in retrograde this week (read our Venus retrograde survival tips here!), hovering in fussy Virgo until Friday. Pick, pick, pick…peck, peck, peck: We could snuff out the loving vibes by being too “helpful” or involved in our lovers’ affairs. Keep expectations reasonable, please. We may demand perfection of our partners during the workweek. Comparing means despairing, so who gives a f*** what The Joneses think about our love lives? Close the opinion polls and screen out the gossips!

On Saturday, Venus floats back into Leo, rounding out the retrograde here until September 6. Passion or high drama? This five-week phase will be quite the storied one. We’ll all need a lot more attention, but who is going to play the role of the cheering supporter? After Friday, we’ll have to work harder at listening as well as stepping back and letting others shine, too. Old flames have a funny way of showing up while Venus is in reverse. There could be some rather emotional reunions in August—welcome or not. Keep lines as clear as possible and just remember that it will all shake out by September.

Got wedding plans during Venus retrograde? No need to call off the caterers and elope to Vegas. But it wouldn’t hurt to squeeze in one extra counseling session before the nuptials JUST to be sure you’ve worked out all those final knots and fears. We recommend a vow renewal on your first anniversary—thankfully, Venus will NOT be retrograde next summer!

On Saturday, the summer’s storm clouds begin to clear as dour Saturn wakes up from a long retrograde that began on March 14. Since June 14, Saturn slipped back from Sagittarius into Scorpio for a final encore of a tour that began in October 2012.  Talk about intense! Saturn’s three-year reign through Scorpio has forced us all to deal with our shadows. Power struggles, vengeance, emotional manipulation—it’s brought enough material to script at least three seasons of Game Of Thrones.

On September 17, Saturn will officially move on to Sagittarius—and won’t return to Scorpio again until 2041! But Scorpio is also the sign of transformation. The phoenix is rising from the ashes for the next six weeks. Now is the time to really tackle an area of life that needs to be whipped into shape. No excuses! This is extreme makeover territory we’re talking about here. While we’ll need to be very black and white about our limits, we can still tap the mystical realm for support. Saturn in Scorpio loves a dash of magic along with those practical plans.

Break out the angel cards, set up a manifestation altar, cobble together a vision board. Relationships could hit their stride or break up for good since Saturn in Scorpio affects our intimate lives. Listening to our intuition is as important in the boardroom as it is in the bedroom. Like we said: No excuses! If words and actions don’t match up, something (or someone) has got to go. But for those who have a soulmate to appreciate (not a perfect one, but a qualified candidate), bring on those loving feelings!

 

 

Photo By: Photograph by Jessica Nash for Calypso St. Barth

Post by: Ophira and Tali Edut, known as The AstroTwins, are identical twin sisters and professional astrologers. Their spot-on predictions reach millions of people through their website, Astrostyle.com, their web series “Astrologica” on Refinery29.com, guest appearances on SIRIUS/XM Radio, and their columns, which include ELLE.com, ELLE Australia, TV Guide and Interview Germany. They “bring the stars down to earth” with their unique, practical approach to astrology, and their readings, events, retreats and appearances are in high demand. Ophira and Tali are the authors of four astrology books: AstroStyle, Love Zodiac (a guide to the men of the zodiac), Shoestrology (discover your “birthday shoe”) and Momstrology (their #1 Amazon best-selling astrological parenting guide).

Is Your Waste Size Decreasing Your Life Span?

Measure your waist size. Women should not have a waist larger than 32.5 inches, men no more than 37 inches. If larger, risks go up dramatically for diabetes and heart disease. If you are shorter, your waist should be not more than half your height in inches. Stick to these rules and you’ll have a happier, longer life! Cheers to good health!

“To-Do” List for Successful Weight-Loss!

The Weekly Astrology Forecast is Out ~ Emotions Run Wild!

The stars are serving it up, family style this week! On Wednesday, July 15 the annual new moon in Cancer brings its warm-fuzzy beams to the world. Cozy, intimate Cancer energy reminds us to appreciate the people in our inner circles—the ones we often take for granted. As the zodiac’s most feminine sign, the ladies in our lives will play starring roles under the Cancer new moon. Consider this a cosmic Mother’s Day, Sadie Hawkins Dance and Ladies Night rolled into one. Call your mama and make a point of connecting to the intriguing women hovering about. With our nesting instincts activated by la luna, spending time at home base helps us feel more centered. In the market for a Home-Sweet-Home? This domestic new moon could reveal a dream listing or inspire a remodel or decorating spree.

Head’s up! The emotion ocean will run deep as this new moon washes up alongside FIVE other planets in water signs: The expressive Sun and Mercury will be in Cancer, as well as motivator Mars. Dreamy Neptune is drifting through Pisces, while stable Saturn is anchored in Scorpio. There’s no time like the present for a family reunion or to get the #girlgang together for some quality bonding time. Just keep the drunken uncle and crazymaking cousins off the guest list. On Friday, tempestuous Pluto will directly oppose combative Mars and quicksilver Mercury. And both planets will form a combustible square to Uranus on Saturday, setting the stage for explosive emotions. These troubling transits could make us all a little too quick to fire off a round of defensive jabs or critical commentary. Power struggles may erupt in our closest relationships, too. It’s going to take some serious self-control to make it through the weekend without any drama. May we suggest venting to a levelheaded friend and cooling down before getting in anyone’s face? Emotions are best expressed when we’ve had a chance to step back and view them objectively, NOT in the heat of the moment.

Venus switches signs on Saturday the 18^th, heading into Virgo for a brief, two-week staycation. Acts Of Service is officially the love language of this Venus phase (a nod to Dr. Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages. Ask not what your partner can do for you. Instead, find ways to be helpful, encouraging and supportive of the one you love. Not that we should mistake this phase for martyrdom. Keep the balance of giving and receiving balanced to avoid resentment or burnout. (Or worse, going from Hot Mama to Mother Hen with one too many a favor.) Venus in Virgo likes things spelled out in plain text. Simply asking for what we need—without all the backstory and apologies—is the quickest way to get it. Another mantra to adopt for the remainder of July? When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Open up that shared calendar, lovebirds, and set some dates in stone. Those festival tickets aren’t going to reserve themselves—hello!

Head’s up: From July 25 to September 6, Venus will be retrograde—in Virgo until July 31, then inching back into Leo for the remainder of its backspin. Old quarrels could crop up, especially when it comes to those nitpicky quirks you continually clash over. Old flames could start flash fires again but Venus’ backspin can also send us on a sentimental voyage. More on that in next week’s horoscope, but if you need to buttress your emotional fort against an ex’s charms, do the necessary un-friending and damage control this weekend!   The fabulous Ophira and Tali Edut, known as The AstroTwins, are identical twin sisters and professional astrologers a big thank you to them for bringing this weeks astrology forecast to us!

The Weekend Love Forecast ~ Emotions Run Wild!

The Moon will be in sensual Taurus all day Friday and into Saturday night. While this might set up a perfect date night for Friday evening, you’ll want to keep things as light as possible by Saturday night. This is because the Taurus Moon will be in opposition to restrictive Saturn. You’ll go from emotionally open to shut in the blink of an eye. Or, it’s possible that you’ll get your hopes high romantically, only to be disappointed by circumstances beyond your control.

Then, the Moon will enter Gemini on Saturday night turning emotional matters into “food for thought” for the rest of the weekend. Still, don’t expect to want to spend all of your time thinking about love. On Sunday, the Sun will square off with Uranus making everyone yearn to break free from anything stale or boring. Including an outworn relationship.  A big thank you to World Famous Astrologer, Maria DeSimone for bringing us this weekends Love Forecast.

 

 

This Weekend’s Romantic Rating*

* Heart ratings are based on the lunar cycle. They range from low to full, with low indicating a rocky weekend for romance and full indicating plenty of passionate potential.