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I have talked about nutrition and diet and food a lot. I do intend to start vlogging and sharing my daily eats and thoughts more often.

The foods that I recommend are raw, fresh, local (not necessarily all 3 all the time) plant based foods. I generally go to the farmers market and the store every few days and I make sure to stock up my fridge with fresh fruits and veggies.  If my fridge and counters are empty then I am for sure going to be eating junk food. That’s my main strategy for success-  having enough fruits and veggies that I love available at all times. For example if I have ripe bananas, apples, sapotes, peaches, jackfruit, watermelons, BROCCOLI, cucumbers and such I will gravitate towards those and not snack on granola, cereal, chips and such. If I let myself run out of fresh, frozen or dried fruits and veggies then I will eat whatever I can get my hands once I am hungry.

All that being said I will now share the add-ons to my diet. The below items are more fun items, things that make food and food prep and life yummier and more interesting. I wouldn’t consider them essentials. You can definitely live your life without them but they will make your plant based meals that much better and more exciting and something to look forward to as well s they are ultra healthy so they will contribute to your energy, vitality and health.

PB Powder

Choco PB

I LOVE Peanut Butter! I love peanuts – by themselves, sprinkled on deserts, banana ice cream, thai salads, etc. I can definitely go overboard with Peanut Butter. I definitely allow myself to have peanut butter when I crave it but also I recently discovered this Organic Peanut Butter Powder which is low fat and can be added to banana ice cream, smoothies and such when you want to add the flavor of peanuts but you don’t want to overindulge with the fats. Generally if you are eating a lot of carbs from fruit it is best to keep the fast a bit lower  so that you don’t have bloating and gut issues from combining fats with sugars. I also find that I feel super energetic and light when I focus on my fruits and veggies which are naturally low in fat and I keep my fats at a reasonable 10-15% of my caloric intake. (I do break these rules whenever I wish to but during my healing phase I did follow a more strict diet).
Here is the  yummy Chocolate Peanut Butter  

Also I need to add that there are cheaper brands on the market. However they are not organic and whenever you can you should try getting organic peanuts as they can be heavily sprayed. That being said I do get the non organic brands as well –

I don’t get these powders often but I figured I should share this with you as it can really help you love your banana ice cream that much more!

Next is a dried fruit used for beautiful skin, general beauty,  memory, strength and vitality- Longan Fruit. I have to be honest- I eat it because it tastes weird and amazing- like smokey, bacon-ie (I have never had bacon but thats what I imagine the aroma reminds of) and caramel-like chewy goodness. The properties and benefits of it in Traditional Chinese Medicine are also amazing. It is very High in iron for those of you dealing with anaemia. Here are the properties shared by Dragon Herbs “Longan, translated literally as “Dragon Eye” fruit is a wonderfully delicious, fleshy fruit that is extremely popular in China as a snack and as an ingredient in tonic teas and beverages. There is a saying in Chinese herbalism that “women are governed by blood.” as a result, women often benefit significantly from blood tonics. Longan is a great blood tonic, often combined with other blood tonics such as Dang Gui and Peony root to make blood-building teas and formulations Longan fruit is high in iron. It is a great Qi tonic for building up your everyday energy. Consumed regularly, Longan boosts temporary energy as well as long term vitality, yet it is not a stimulant like caffeine. it gives you energy while simultaneously relaxing you. Longan promotes tranquility. Longan has been found to promote deep, refreshing sleep. It can be used to enhance memory and steady the nerves by fortifying Blood and Qi. Longan is a famous beauty herb. Longan adds luster and beauty to the skin. Longan has a 2000-year reputation as a fantastic sex tonic for women. For that reason, Longan is considered a MUST for women who with to be both beautiful and sensual. Longan’s effects are not hormonally driven. Longan is equally beneficial to men and women. Longan is believed to directly promote heart health by nourishing the heart tissues.”

Next is Sun-dried Mulberries. These babies taste like CARAMEL. One AMAZING way to use them is to sprinkle them over ice cream. The chill from the ice cream makes them become crunchy like cereal within seconds. The best way I can describe this is eating caramel crunchy gooey goodness with your ice-cream. Life does NOT get any better than that. Actually I would take mulberries over the best cereal any day. I am lucky enough to have a vegan ice cream shop by my house and they offer mulberries as one of their vegan toppings … let’s just say that I have an addiction 😛 … I clearly love my foods and I do not feel that I am depriving myself in any way, shape or form because I happen to eat a vegan and a high raw diet. My dog Sofie loves them as little snacks as well. If you happen to live somewhere in the mediterranean then you are lucky because you can get them raw.
Mulberries
Speaking of the mediterranean please LOOK AT THIS COLOR:
 ALEPPO PEPPER

A few years ago I discovered this type of pepper by a chance. I was shopping at an armenizn-iranian store and I saw a package that looked like pepper that has been colored with fluorescent dye for sure. I took a chance and I bought it. After reading about it it turned out it is the natural color of this pepper. It is my most favorite spice EVER. The taste is -sweet (raisin-like), mildly hot, salty and oily. At first I thought the pepper is not just dyed but also dried with salt and oil added to it. Turns out – nope. Most of it is just naturally dried and the fresh aleppo peppers themselves have the oils and sodium naturally occurring. I use it in stead of salt and it makes all my dips and veggies taste like heaven. You can search my dip recipes on my website in order to get some ideas of how to use it. I love peanut butter, coconut dip with a base of raw zucchini and broccoli stems and carrots. Of course something with such an intense and beautiful color has to be high in antioxidants and super healthy. Here is an excerpt of an article about it’s health properties:

“Health benefits of Aleppo pepper includes its rich source of vitamin A, fibers, antioxidants with potential savior against cardio vascular diseases, increasing immunity, helping digestion and increasing metabolic rate.”

OK onto the next favorite thing. You probably know by now that I love unusual, unorthodox items. I am sure this next one is something most of you haven’t heard of yet it is something so good and delicious that it should be a common household item. Ready? … It is green coffee bean with the nectar cherry fruit still left on it. Yep, you heard me right!

I discovered this the usual way- being curious, exploring new things and being willing to experiment with unusual foods and drinks and herbs. Here’s a link to one type of HONEY GREEN COFFEE. I have tried different regions and they all taste different. I pan roast it in the morning in small batches that last me 2-3 days. So imagine I have freshly roasted coffee that is a coffee bean with the coffee fruit dried on the seed. Some varieties of honey processed coffee (that the process of drying the bean) taste as if honey was added to the cup of coffee. Some taste just smooth and mellow.

I also make it into a green bean brew which can help you lose weight. I experimented with it while trying to quit coffee and it does help with weight loss for sure. Oh and as I mentioned green coffee can help you wean ourself off of black coffee and coffee all together. I have written an article on it before. You can find it on my old blogger – HERE. If you want me to do a video tutorial on coffee roasting, green coffee “tea” or anything related to this coffee let me know and I will shoot one in the future.

I will keep adding things I love as soon as I discover new things or whenever I have time to sit down and share old favorites.

Let me know if you have your own favorite things you would love to share with me and my readers.

Love