New year eve meal feature: Cauliflower crust and Kesto Pizza

Hello my darlings! Its new year eve with lots and lots of celebration! Meal plans for tonight and tomorrow just lying on the kitchen table waiting to be flipped through for wonderful meals. So I was going through instagram (follow me me on instagram: @ivannanature) for meal inspirations and couldn't help myself when I came across this beauty above. It was posted by @edgarraw in instagram.  

This meal is for vegans and everyone who basically wants a delicious healthy meal anytime, anyday. The cauliflower crust and kesto pizza is prepared with lots of love and mother nature ingredients your body cannot resist. Check out recipe below!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe:

2 cups of shredded cauliflower

4 tbsp of chia seeds

8 tbsp of water

1/2 a cup of almond meal

2 tbsp of nutritional yeast

3 tbsp of garlic powder of 4-5 cloves of minced garlic

1 tbsp of pink salt to taste

1 tbsp of black pepper

Kale Pesto recipe:

2 cups of kale (no stems)

1/2 a cup of basil

1/2 of olive oil

1 tbsp pink salt (more to taste)

6 small garlic cloves (or more)

juice of one lemon

2 tbsp of maple syrup (optional)

1 cup sprouted pumpkin and sunflower seeds

1/4 of a cup of nutritional yeast

2 tbsp of water

Bacon Mushrooms

1/2 tbsp of coconut oil

1 tbsp of tamari soy sauce

1 tbsp of liquid smoked

2 tbsp of maple syrup

A dash of chipotle powder

A dash of black pepper

Toppings:

Cherry tomatoes, avocado, bacons, mushrooms and pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees

2. Take your 4 tbsp of chia seeds and add 8 tbsp of water to a bowl, mix well and let it sit for 5-7 minutes

3. Take a large bowl and add all your crust ingredients and knead with your hands.

4. Take your pesto ingredients and process using a high speed-blender or a food processor.

5. Take your chopped mushrooms and marinate them with your "bacon" ingredients, lay them on a cooking sheet with parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. 

6. Take your cauliflower dough and form into pizza crust, depending how thin or thick you want it will determine the amount of time baked. If you decide to make the crust about 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch thick then bake for 30-35 mins but keep an eye out for it after 25 mins (lay parchment paper on a cooking sheet).

7. Once fully baked, lay the crust on a cooling rack and cool for 30 minutes.

8. Then add your pesto and your toppings and enjoy.

Have a happy new year everyone!!!!

 Remember to follow me on instagram: @ivannanature twitter: @ivanna_nature 

How to make the best tastiest strawberry cupcake blast blend ever!

Strawberry cupcake blast is extremely packed with flavors and nutrients to satisfy your hunger and taste bud for a well long time into the day. For those who love desserts and have sweet tooth, this is a good treat for you! This blend is packed in protein and fiber, made with oats, chia seeds and banana. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ CupsSpinach
• 1 CupStrawberries, frozen
• 2 TablespoonsRolled Oats
• ½  Banana
• 2 TablespoonsSuperFood Protein Blend+
• 1 ½ CupsUnsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

FOODS IN THIS RECIPE

Almond Milk

 Bananas

Chia Seed

Oats

Spinach

Strawberry

Protein blend : Purchase here

Direction

• 1. Add all ingredients to your Tall Cup and extract for 30 seconds, or until smooth.
• 2. Enjoy!
• This recipe can be made with: 

                                           

Stop cancer before it starts, curb childhood obesity right now!

 

Did you know obesity is becoming really harder to manage daily, especially for children and young adults? Did you know 1 in every 3 children is diagnosed as overweight or obese? Most times, once kids are diagnosed as obese, this tends to follow them into adulthood. Today, being obese doesn't just mean you are over-eating alone but its basically a result of your eating habit. A video by NutriBullet shows that children tend to miss their breakfasts or just munch the closest junk food they could find. This is reduces energy level, increases diseases, fluctuates your hormones and just makes you sluggish and inactive. Parents, you need to make conscious efforts to help your kid grow healthy. There is a need to advocate healthy living. Its important to ensure you help your kid eat healthy. I really like what NutriBullet is currently doing with their NutriBullet UNI project.  This will surely go a long way. Your kids tend to be weak when it comes to their health and their meal and without you instilling the right attitude in them, they will continue to struggle.

Cancer has been around for a long time and God knows when a cure will be found for this. My heart breaks everytime I see photos of young people battling cancer, its not fun. Lots and lots of heartache for families. But why don't we all join hands to fight and prevent cancer before it even starts? We have the power, we have a choice to make the best decisions for our lives. Its in our hands. As a parent, you have been given the mantle of power and protection over your kids. We can keep depending on medications to help us get through life. So you ask what do we do?

There is a lot that can be done to change lives. You have the solutions within you kids, parents. Start eating healthy today. If you have been skipping breakfast, pick it up again. Now wait right there, I am not saying eat heavy breakfast to get through the day, I am saying eat healthy breakfast and make sure you get through the other meals the right way as well. Make sure you are really eating your meals. Parents and kids, you really have to start eating your food and getting every nutrient from eat, its really important you do this. The best way to do this is to use the best blender by NutriBullet. This blender is great for food extraction, without having to lose any nutrient. You have to do away with junk food completely. They are only for temporary excitement  but cause long term damage. Lets prevent cancer.

Lastly, parents have the job of also embracing their kids and loving them just the way they are but you must help them get up to work out. 60 minutes daily isn't too much deal with, it will go a long way.  So get moving children. LETS PREVENT CANCER BEFORE IT STARTS!!!

How to grow 4C hair without protective styles

 

So you're probably always grumbling over your hair  because it isn't anything like the other hair textures? You think you always have to wear protective hairstyles to cover it up or retain length like you've heard most natural hair enthusiasts say and shown you? Well maybe a bit of that is true. As a female or man who keeps their hair, to probably get the most out of your hair you need to really know your hair texture. Is it 3A, 3B,3C, 4A, 4B or 4C?. Its important to grow your hair longer and faster without using the wrong hair products!

 

HAIR TYPES

TYPE 1: Straight
1a	Straight (Fine/Thin)	Hair tends to be very soft, shiny, oily, poor at holding curls but difficult to damage.
1b	Straight (Medium)	Hair characterized by volume and body.
1c	Straight (Coarse)	Hair tends to be bone-straight and difficult to curl. Common in Asian women.
TYPE 2: Wavy
2a	Wavy (Fine/Thin)	Hair has definite "S" pattern and is usually receptive to a variety of styles.
2b	Wavy (Medium)	Can tend to be frizzy and a little resistant to styling.
2c	Wavy (Coarse)	Frizzy or very frizzy with thicker waves; often more resistant to styling.
TYPE 3: Curly
3a	Curly (Loose)	Curly hair that usually presents a definite "S" pattern and tends to combine thickness, fullness, body and/or frizziness.
3b	Curly (Tight)	As 3a but with tighter curling like a spiral.
TYPE 4: Kinky
4a	Kinky (Soft)	Hair tends to be very fragile, tightly coiled and can feature curly patterning.
4b	Kinky (Wiry)	As 4a but with less visible (or no) curly patterning.
4c	Kinky (Wiry)	As 4a and 4b but with almost no defined curl pattern.

 

From this table and image above, you never can tell which texture you have until you do a test. So I challenge you today to test your hair to find out the texture but don't feel bad about it, its not your fault if you don't have 3A, 3B or 3C. The test can be done by wetting your hair, take few strands out and check. 

In this post, the attention is for 4C because this hair texture tends to cause a lot of aches for women and stress when it comes to hair care and maintenance. Like I said, you really don't have to always use protective hairstyles to cover up. Your 4C hair is beautiful just the way it is because it is unique in its own way and can be very versatile too depending on how fun you are too with it. 

Eat healthy: First, I will say to grow your 4C hair long and fast without protective hairstyles, you need to change your lifestyle habit. Whatever hair product you apply, it all comes from within. If you are not eating healthy, you can never really achieve real result. So I will say start working on your eating habit and drink lots of water. Your hair needs to be hydrated. You need variety of fruits and vegetables packed with vitamins to grow your hair. These are some of favorites below. Normally these goes in my blender and they make a heavenly juicy and tasty mix! I'd advise you run away from hair vitamins....there's nothing better than doing it the organic way. 

Water you hair: Like I said earlier, your body needs to be properly hydrated. So is your hair. You have to make conscious effort to water your hair daily and massage your scalp to increase blood circulation. Regularly wetting your hair keeps it from drying up. You could get a spray bottle just for this daily routine. 

Style your hair with love: Styling your 4C hair is another way to protect it from the weather and show your stylish hair off. When you manipulate your hair, it helps define the curls, keeps it in place while it grows till you take it out. Now, you have to be creative here becuase if you are not hidding under protective styles, you need to be creative with your hair. Buns, twists, corn rows, etc, you have to do all you can to bring out the best in your hair. You spritz in water and oil or moisturizers daily to give it the shine, bounce and pampering it needs. Treat it like a plant in your garden. Design your own hair regime for a daily, weekly or monthly routine. This goes a long way. 

Patience: Okay, so you think but I've been doing this for a while now? Yes dearie, your hair is growing, you just aren't paying attention! Take photos like every 2 weeks to a month to see your progress. Trim those ends like every 6 months, don't hold on to them!  

Get organic hair products specifically for 4C hair or basically natural organic hair products. Run away from chemicals, they are bad for your hair. Allow your hair to breathe once in a while and just enjoy life to the fullest!!!

Best mud mask to cure pores, blackheads, and breakouts

Pores, blackheads, and breakouts don't stand a chance against DEAD SEA MUD MASK! As the mask dries, it helps pull out the toxins and excess oils present in your skin from poor diet and atmospheric pollution. Your skin will feel clean and refreshed!. Get ready to turn back the hands of time! Packed with beneficial vitamins and minerals, mud from the Dead Sea has been referred to as the Fountain of Youth. This mask may help improve your skin's elasticity and may help minimize the appearance of pores for a youthful and flawless glow. Also includes nourishing oils like Sunflower and Jojoba, hydrates the skin, helping to give you a healthy and glowing appearance.

Dead Sea mud is is very different from other mud mask that have clay as their base ingredients in that it is loaded with circulation-boosting minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium, those unsightly dimples will become a worry of the past! By stimulating blood flow, our mask removes toxins and may help smoothes away those blemishes.

It has spa quality luxury: Why spend a fortune on expensive spa treatments when you can get similar results right at home? This incredible mask includes awesome ingredients like Dead Sea Mud, Shea Butter, Sunflower Oil, Aloe Vera Juice, and Jojoba Oil. The result is a soft and creamy mask to use on either the face or body. You deserve a little pampering from the Dead Sea natural minerals.

Dead Sea Mud Mask products as part of your anti aging cleanser regime may help deal with acne blackheads. Great for helping with wrinkle, scars, teens blackhead remover, men or women scar removal. Can be used before facial scrub or exfoliator as a face cleanser, can be used as a dry peel remover system also. Use organic moisturizer afterwards. 

Can you eat your way to longer healthier life with spicy foods?

 

Do you love spicy food as much as I do? Well if you do and have been criticized for it, pay no heed to them because this post might just be a great news for you. I have seen several studies suggesting spicy foods may increase lifespan. Some studies even show that adding spice to your meals come with added health benefits. 

Nutriliving reports that regular consumption of spicy food, especially those fresh and dried chili peppers help reduce the risk of death from cancer, ischemic heart disease and respiratory diseases. A study by British Medical Journal shows that the bioactive ingredient (Capsaicin) in the spice might be responsible for this magical benefit. Capsaicin in past studies have been proven to help lower cholesterol,  alleviate inflammatory pain and boost metabolism, manage weight and gut bacteria.

Although you might be a sucker for spicy food like me, remember to always consume the organic and healthy ones filled with many nutrient-rich ingredients. You can start adding spice to your meals right away and start living the healthier longer life. Check out this simple meal I just had for lunch below.

Spicy noodles

Recipe:

Noodles - 1 small pack

yellow bell pepper - 1/2 (remove the seeds if you like to avoid being too hot)

green bell pepper - 1/2 (remove the seeds if you like to avoid being too hot)

onions - 1

garlic - 3

Chili pepper - 2

Skinless Chicken 

Olive Oil

Direction:

Stir fry the chicken, bell peppers, onions, garlic, chili pepper for 10 mins

Boil the noodles for 3 mins

Serve hot! 

Work your way to a success and diabetes friendly holiday

 

By now we are fully settled into the holiday mode! Yes it is a wonderful season to rejoice and celebrate with everyone but unfortunately holiday tasks aren't easy to deal with too quickly, especially when you have the extended family members flocking around your home. You find your work piling up including all the last minute shopping you need to do, and then wrap up gifts, pay bills, make arrangement for your travel, school activities for the kids against next year and other side projects you also want to do. I t can really be daunting. So what do you do when you get really busy and really important things begin to slip your mind, like you forgetting to check your blood sugar level or take your medication. You also have to deal with the traffic and the really cold weather, its no wonder you struggle to remember to do all the things lined up in your schedule.

As a diabetes patient, you might even get more overwhelmed with all of these and it could really affect your health life. Therefore, you have to make really focus on yourself. Your mind and your eyes need to be glued to your blood sugar level so doesn't go way higher than normal that it begin to affect your work day or holiday activities. Now what do I mean by high blood sugar? It is simply a high amount of carbohydrate or sugar in the blood. This is a result of the fact that the carbohydrate you have consumed has not gotten to the brain and muscle where it needs to be. To maintain a healthy life for diabetics, your blood sugar level must be maintained within 70 and 130. Maintaining a normal sugar level helps the carbohydrate find its way to the brain and muscle which in turn increases your efficiency and adequacy. Thus, giving you a wonderful healthy holiday.

Now in this holiday season, as your task increases, you need to constantly check your sugar level and it has become uncontrollable, just drop everything. Attend to your health need immediately so you could continue your work. Rest as well. Failure to attend to the uncontrollable blood sugar might lead you to the emergency room, and trust me none of your family members want that this season.

Putting a check on your blood sugar to know how far you need to go with your holiday activites and the celebration. I will advise you always have low glycemic snack, glutometer (active1st Bayer Contour Next Diabetes Testing Kit with 100 Test Strips, 100 Lancets, Lancing Device, Control Solution, Owners Logbook, Reference Guide and Manual) and a bottle of water with you. To be extra ready and secures, take your prescriptions with you. 

Remember to be proactive always and do not allow your diabetes control you. Make your health a priority and always keep an eye on your blood sugar. 

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AFTER A C-SECTION

Hello beautiful moms! I'm so happy to male this post after doing so much research on pregnancy and trying to understand what mothers go through after delivery of their baby, especially when it was a C-section. It can really be daunting for a mother who after going through a 9-month pregnancy period and you still can not bounce back almost immediately. Trust me moms, you need to take your eyes off the T.V so you don't get distracted by what you see the celebrities do and pose. It's not magic but a gradual process that you must take one step at a time so you don't hurt yourself or cause permanent damage. So what do you do then to bounce back fast? read further below.....

1. Work-out but do very simple ones

For a woman who just had a c-section, you might want to take it easy with the exercise. Yes! you should. You could engage your body by taking morning walks because walks have been proven to reduce blood clot which is really great for you but you might want to consult your doctor first. Consulting your doctor will really help you know when you hit the road or just sit home and take care of yourself a bit. Aside walking, you could also have a bit of bonding time with your baby by doing Pilates. This is really good fro your muscles and back but its nothing serious. 

2. Eat healthy...as in really eat healthy

Okay...you might say yes yes yes you heard a million and one times but trust me, you never can hear a enough of this. You really have to eat healthy!. Let me ask you this...did you really eat your food during your pregnancy or you were really craving junk foods? Its been reported many times that as much as pregnant women crave junk food during pregnancy, they really need to avoid it because it becomes really difficult to shed the weight after the delivery of the baby. Now for a woman who had c-section, what do you expect? So I ask again, were you really eating your food when you were pregnant?  When I said you should really eat your food, I meant you need to consume every nutrient. Now for someone in your condition, the best way to lose weight without anymore damage to your body is to start juicing your meals. Juicing helps you get every nutrient out of your food. 

To start juicing, i suggest you start using greens with a mild taste like spinach or spring greens. The fruits you use will easily mask their flavor, making for a tasty, refreshing drink. Experiment with water quantities to find your consistency. The more water you use, the thinner your juice, and vice versa. For this juice, use whole unprocessed foods to get the best results.  Let me share you some recipes I've tried myself that are very delicious and effective (PS. I'm not a mom but I love healthy life). Try this cleansing recipes that are tried and tested. 

Toxin cleansing blast:

1-2 handfuls of rinsed spinach

1 cored pear

1 banana

1 cored apple

1 cup of pineapple

Water

Direction: Dice all ingredients into a blender and blend for 30 seconds, voila! your juice is ready.  I highly recommend the NutriBullet Blender for this purpose. This blender really blends your food completely and your body get to absorb it completely in the best way possible without stressing your digestive system. 

3. Breastfeed your baby regularly

 Another best way to lose weight just after your c-section is by regularly breastfeeding your baby. By doing this, you won't only be bonding with your child but you will definitely shed the weight in the process. Breastfeeding has been proven to help women burn calories. So while you're thinking of bouncing to the gym almost immediately after delivery, you might to just take it so slow and do it the natural but fast way as well. Mothers, please completely avoid pills. They have bad effects on you. 

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