Natural Always

Goodbye rainy days, hello summer!

In celebration of this wonderful sunny day I share with you my absolute favourite juice at the moment. This Clean Green Glow Juice is the perfect cleanse to say goodbye to the grey and rainy days. Refresh your body with this elixir to kick off the summer to shine and glow everyday.

While the juice bursts of goodness, at the same time it refreshes your body and opens your mind for everything new to come. This Clean Green Glow Juice washes out all the toxins stored in your body and restores your cells to be all fresh and prepared for great summer adventures.

To get the best results for your juices I recommend investing in a "slow juicer" because the advantages are just outstanding and more than worth this once-a-lifetime-investment. As the word says, it juices your fruits and vegetables slowly, which means all the nutrients won't get damaged and remain in its original shape. Additionally, the final juice will contain its nutrients up to 48 hours after juicing. This is especially great when you want to prepare some juice for the following day. But don't worry if you don't have a slow juicer, juicing with an ordinary juicer is absolutely fine as well. As with a lot of things, there is always space for improvements as time goes by and your expectations might grow.

Apples: Apples are high in fiver and vitamin C. Apples are high in polyphenols, which function as antioxidants, which are found in both the skin of the apples as well as in the meat. So be aware to always eat the skin of your organic apples. Apples may mitigate the effects of asthma, Alzheimer's disease, assisting with weight management, bone health and much more. Often called a "miracle food" or a "nutritional powerhouse" an apple a day really may keep the doctor away.

Lemons: Although lemons have a very acidic taste, they are the most alkaline-forming foods, which makes them great for balancing a highly acidic condition in the body. Lemons are also rich in vitamin C which helps you fight a flu or cold. Additionally your liver loves lemons because it's a wonderful stimulant and a dissolvent of toxins in your body. A great way to keep your liver at its best is besides adding lemons to your juices, adding fresh lemon juice to a glass of warm water in the morning as a liver detoxifier.

Fennel: Fennel contains vitamins A and C, which protect your body from free radicals damaging your cells. This pale green bulb works as a great digestive relief, maintains proper body functions and prevents inflammation and cancer.

Ginger: Traditionally used in Chinese medicine to treat colds and digestive problems, today this spice is commonly used for its healing powers in a wide range. Researchers have found that daily ginger consumption reduces muscle pain caused by exercise. Moreover, it helps reduce the risk of certain cancers, heart attacks and thrombotic strokes.

Turmeric: This small little root is one of the planets most powerful healers. Long known for its anti-inflammatory properties, recent research has revealed that turmeric is a natural wonder, proving beneficial in the treatment of many different health conditions such as heart disease and obesity. The medical properties of this spice are due to the presence of the antioxidant curcumin. Curcumin may also help preserve memory and the risk of Alzheimer's disease. It's no wonder, that India has the lowest incidence of Alzheimer's in the world. To get the most out of turmeric I recommend you buy the whole root and freshly grate them into your juice. Last but not least, it's very important that you add a small amount of freshly ground pepper into your juice. Otherwise, your liver won't be able to absorb any nutrients from the turmeric, which would be a pity. And trust me, you won't taste the pepper.

Wheatgrass Powder: This trendy green grass called wheatgrass is another powerful ingredient. It has twice the amount of Vitamin A as carrots and is higher in Vitamin C than oranges. It contains the full spectrum of B vitamins, as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and potassium in a balanced ratio. Furthermore, wheatgrass is a complete source of protein, supplying all of the essential amino acids, which is especially good for active people who train a lot. The protein found in wheatgrass is in the form of poly peptides, simpler and shorter chains of amino acids that the body uses more efficiently in the blood stream and tissues. Additionally, wheatgrass is also a powerful detoxifier, especially of the liver and blood. It helps neutralize toxins and environmental pollutants and cleanses the whole body of any toxins that may be stored in the body.

Clean Green Glow Juice

Ingredients
4 apples
2 lemon
1 fennel
2 cm cube of fresh ginger
2 tsp wheatgrass powder (or: fresh if available)
freshly grated turmeric
little bit of freshly ground pepper

Simply cut the apples, lemons, fennel, ginger and wheatgrass (if fresh) and put them in your blender. Blend.
Add wheatgrass powder if you don't have the fresh wheatgrass, great the turmeric, ground pepper and mix everything. Enjoy!

(Makes: 2; Preparation time: 10min)

Enjoy this energising juice and while cleaning your body embrace the sun and cheer with me to this wonderful beginning of warm and sunny days!

By the way, did you know that sunlight is the easiest and healthiest way to get sufficient vitamin D?

Happy juicing my friends!
With lots of love, Fabienne.

Cheer with me to my new blog Natural Always with this Straight-to-Heaven Blueberry and Raspberry Smoothie which can be enjoyed either for breakfast as a protein kick into the day or also as a light dessert on a late summer night. That's the secret drink I sipped on which kept me going while working days and nights on the production of this blog. This wonderful creamy smoothies not only delivered me with a lot of creativity, they literally taste like heaven.

At the time my taste buds were spoiled, they provided me with lots of valuable superfoods. This smoothies burst full of antioxidants provided through the chia seeds and either the raspberries or the blueberries. Superfoods have lots of health benefits and one of my absolute favourite are chia seeds. Hands down this powerful seeds are amazing due to its great range of use in the kitchen and their ability to transform your daily breakfast into a great health booster. How my mom used to say with apples, I say: "1 tbsp chia seeds a day keeps the doctor away!". Seriously, 1 tbsp chia seeds treats your body with more calcium than a cup of milk, more omega-3-fats than a piece of salmon, and more antioxidants than a handful of blueberries. In fact, chia is the richest plant source of omega-3 fats containing around 32% omega-3-fats, which are essential for cardiovascular health, needed for healthy brain and nervous system function, and for soft, supple and youthful looking skin. With chia seeds you will glow from the inside out!
Chia seeds are also a good source of dietary fibre, which is needed for bowel health and protein providing the body with essential amino acids for growth and repair. Chia seeds contain calcium – beneficial for bone health, and provide other minerals such as iron. magnesium, zinc and B vitamins, which will naturally boost energy levels and health. Also known as a cancer prevention chia seeds are real superfoods. Start today, the best way to add chia seeds to your diet is to sprinkle a tablespoon over muesli and porridge, or as I did here add this goodness to your smoothies or salads. You can even bake and do other wonderful things with them as I will show you in future posts. I simply love chia seeds.

Beautiful berries such as blueberries and raspberries bursting with colour and flavour, not only taste delicious they're also considered as superfoods. Of all fruit and vegetables they contain the highest levels of antioxidants. Blueberries and raspberries are also an excellent source of vitamin C, which is needed for healthy immune function, collagen production, and to promote healing.

Coconut milk as an amazingly nutritious dairy alternative contains lots of vitamins such as B, C and E, whereas it is rich in iron, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium.

Moreover I always try to use local and organic ingredients in order to eat the best quality, nutrient dense food for optimum health without any chemicals, preservatives and additives. The best way to remove toxins from your diet is to eat organic foods whenever possible. If you only buy some organic products, in this recipe you should buy organic (frozen) blueberries. In this recipe I prefer frozen berries to enjoy it cold, which is extra refreshing.

This recipe needs some preparation in advance, though doesn't require any effort at all. Just mix the chia seeds with the coconut milk, stir and put it in the fridge overnight. Next morning you'll be so cheered to wake up to this nearly prepared deliciousness, nevertheless how late you went to bed the other night. It doesn't only cheer you up, it will definitely help you to perfectly start your day with lots of nutrients, proteins, fibre and omega-3-fats. Just grab your blender and be happy!

Straight-to-Heaven Blueberry (and Raspberry* ) Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 tbsp chia seeds
3 tbsp coconut milk
40-50g frozen blueberries (raspberries*)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp raw date syrup (or: agave nectar, maple syrup)
pinch of ground cardamom (natural grounded bourbon vanilla*)
for decoration: mint leaves, blueberries, (raspberries*)

(Serves 1; Preparation time: 1h/overnight, making: 10 min)

*The Raspberry Straight-to-Heaven Smoothie follows the same recipe as the version with blueberries, and is only substituted by raspberries and natural grounded bourbon vanilla.

In advance: mix chia seeds with coconut milk, stir well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (better: overnight) until mixture is gooey.

In a food processor combine the chia-cocconut mixture together with the frozen blueberries (*raspberries), lemon juice, agave nectar and cardamom (*natural grounded vanilla). Blast on high until everything is smooth. Decorate and serve immediately.

Note: the consistency of the smoothie should be more like a pudding, so usually I spoon out everything and use a beautiful straw for decoration.

I hope you enjoy your trip to heaven and of course my new blog!

Cheers to you with lots of love, Fabienne.