Summer is a Season of Fresh Motivation! Plus: Green Smoothie Challenge Prize Info...

Apple Basil Lime Margarita

If you're like me, maybe you find that your creative energy reaches its highest highs when the days are long, bright, and sunny.  And as such, you might find that when the days are short, dark, and cold, your inspiration and sticktoitiveness runs dry.  Maybe it's all that natural vitamin D, that potent pre-hormone mood-boosting not-really-a-vitamin powerhouse that's formed in our skin under the right kind of sunlight.  I love that stuff.

Back to summer.

I've had a swell of the aforementioned creative energy of late (thus ending the months-long silence on this blog) and while the focus is still a work in progress (my inner ADHD-kid is practically screaming "can we play outside today?!" and I've literally lost my train of thought several times just writing this sentence), those times I've been focused have been used to spark new ideas, put a new spin on some old ones, and importantly, hone in on what I really want to do and who I really want to help.

Changes to what I call my mission statement will be rolling out on my website and socials as I get the wording down in the next weeks.  I will say that I've spent a lot of time thinking about what gets me going the most when I'm talking to clients and customers, what kinds of things I've had experience with personally, and what areas are fascinating to me, that I'm most interested in when it comes to learning more.  These include but are in no way limited to plant-based nutritional support for fitness and athletics, cognitive function, and reproductive and sexual health.  It may not seem like there's much interrelation between these subjects, broad topics of study that they are, but having experience with all of these, and from what I've learned and observed, everything the body does and is capable of doing is connected to everything else.  Again, fascinating.

Blushing Pear Hydrator

Similarly, I've always been committed to making my workshops, recipes, e-books, and online challenges vegan- and allergy-friendly.  I chose the banner Love Plants for Life to reflect my love of plant-based food, and the belief that sourcing the majority of one's diet from these foods, whether you're vegan, vegetarian, omni, flexi, Paleo, or what-have-you, promotes lifelong vibrant health.  Plant foods are a common denominator in any healthful whole-foods diet - so why not learn to Love Plants for Life?  (See what I did there?  Heh.)

In my ongoing quest for knowledge, I'm taking steps to learn more about healthy food preparation as it relates to plant-based foods, with the aim to expand my current skills and apply them in my practice.  I've always had a knack for cooking without a recipe (thanks, Dad), and use that to create the recipes I post online, jot down for clients' menus, and demonstrate in my workshops; now I want to see what I can do with further instruction, to take my Love Plants for Life offerings in new directions.

And speaking of Love Plants for Life, my 10-day Green Smoothie Challenge is back with new recipes for 2015, and a new prize package: a Smoothie Sampler Kit, filled up with a pile of my favourite vegan- and allergy-friendly smoothie ingredients (approximate prize value $60)!  I've really enjoyed putting together the recipes for this Challenge.  It's free, and you get a new summery smoothie recipe daily from July 7-16 just for signing up!  Registration closes and shopping lists get sent out July 3, so if you want to get in on the new recipes and the prize draw, get to it!  Group start July 7.  Prize draw July 20.  Register here: http://saragalipeau.ca/news.html

Prize Pack with all the stuff! (Updated July 14)

Notice: Prize draw eligibility open to registered Challengers only - must sign up via the link above.  The email address you provide will only be used to send you LPFL 10-day Green Smoothie Challenge emails, including notice of prize draw winner.  Registration automatically enters the subscriber in the prize draw.  Further opportunities for extra entries include sharing Challenge posts on Facebook or Twitter (up to 3 extra entries) and posting smoothie photos in the private Facebook group or on Twitter @SaraGalipeauRHN and/or with the hashtag #LPFLsmoothies (up to 5 extra entries).

Now... let's play outside!

Superfood Spotlight: Raw Cacao

It's no secret that I love chocolate.  Ask me what my favourite food is, and pretty much without missing a beat, I'll say "chocolate" with a big smile on my face.  Sure, there have been other contenders for the top spot on my ever-evolving list of favourite foods, but my heart unwavering belongs to chocolate.  And the (chocolate) icing on the (also chocolate) cake?  Chocolate - real chocolate, raw cacao, not the processed, cheap crap that commercial chocolate-flavoured candy bars are made of - is loaded with health benefits.

First, raw cacao scores high on ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) lists for antioxidant activity.  Antioxidants fight free radical damage that can play a role in the development of health issues such as atherosclerosis, inflammation, premature aging, and even cancer.  Raw cacao is high in antioxidant polyphenols, particularly flavonoids.

Second, it's high in minerals iron, calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc.  Iron forms the backbone of hemoglobin in red blood cells.  Calcium regulates muscle contraction, buffers acidity in the body, and makes up bone and tooth tissues.  Magnesium tends to be an underrated mineral, even though it performs over 300 functions in the human body, including regulating muscle contraction in conjunction with calcium, alkalizing tissues, balancing absorption of calcium, cleansing the blood, and fighting migraine and muscle pain by causing blood vessels to dilate.  Copper and zinc need to be in balance in the body, affecting mental and reproductive health - possibly why it's considered an aphrodisiac, and a symbol of fertility in ancient cultures!

Third, it's a good source of the amino acid tryptophan, which aids in muscle repair, as well as converting to the neurotransmitter serotonin.  Serotonin is one of your feel-good, happy, calming neurotransmitters, and acts as a natural antidepressant.  Further, serotonin converts into melatonin, which is needed to help regulate your circadian rhythms and tell you when to sleep.  The catch: cacao is also high in stimulant caffeine, which can help improve focus and mental clarity during the day, but inhibits sleep, so it's best to indulge earlier in the day.  The good news: if you do have trouble falling asleep when you need to, indulging in tryptophan-rich foods like raw cacao earlier in the day (i.e. morning and early afternoon) can help your body produce enough serotonin to convert to melatonin when it's supposed to, meaning sleep should come easier when you do try.

So, other than a high-quality organic dark chocolate, let's look at some great ways to include raw cacao in the diet.

Raw cacao nibs (Camino, organic)

1) Smoothies.  Add 1 tsp. to 1 Tbsp. raw cacao powder to your morning green smoothie for chocolaty flavour, as well as energy and antioxidants.  If your blender can handle it, try cacao nibs instead.  One of my favourite combinations:
PB Cup Smoothie
- 1 organic banana (fresh or frozen)
- handful organic leafy greens (e.g. baby spinach, spring mix, kale...)
- 1 to 2 Tbsp. peanut, sunflower seed, or almond butter
- 1 tsp. to 1 Tbsp. organic raw cacao powder or nibs
- ½ tsp. organic cinnamon
- 1 to 1½ cups unsweetened almond or coconut milk
- 2 to 3 ice cubes (optional if using frozen banana)

2) Baking.  Replace regular cocoa powder with raw cacao to give your baked treats an extra health boost.  Brownies, zucchini bread, muffins, cookies... yummy!  Add raw cacao nibs instead of nuts or chocolate chips for crunchy chocolate flavour combo.

3) Cooking.  One of my favourite chili recipes calls for a tablespoon of cocoa powder!  Cocoa adds an earthy depth to cooked dishes.  Why not use raw cacao for an extra dose of minerals?  Other ways to use cacao in your cooking include stews, mole sauces (these are very complex traditional Mexican sauces), and marinades or rubs for protein entrees.

Banana Nut Bread Oatmeal

4) Oatmeal.  If you haven't checked it out yet, my recipe for Banana Nut Bread Oatmeal uses cacao powder and optional nibs for a chocolaty craving-satisfying breakfast or snack.

5) Chia pudding.  Chia pudding is made by adding chia seeds to a liquid or plant milk and allowing it to set in the fridge.  Add a spoonful of cacao nibs to the initial mixture.  If you want to add cacao powder to your chia pudding, do so after it has set, and add the powder with a little bit of extra liquid to help it mix in smoothly.

6) Trail mix and energy balls.  Add a handful of raw cacao nibs to your bag of raw nuts, seeds, and organic sulphite-free cranberries to make a delicious energy-packed trail mix.  Add a spoonful or two of raw cacao powder and/or nibs to a batch of Coco-Cranberry Energy Balls or Raw Brownies for a tasty pre- or post-workout snack.  Now hit the trails!

7) Hot beverages.  The next time you stop in at your favourite cafe, top your plain latte with a sprinkling of cacao powder for a mocha flavour without adding sugary flavoured syrup.  A little goes a long way!  And did you know that "chocolate" as we know it was once an unsweetened beverage, spiced with chilis and enjoyed either hot or cold, as a health elixir for stamina and energy?  I love to make my own version of spiced hot cocoa in the colder months - so much so that my recipe for Spiced Hot Cocoa is the November Recipe of the Month on my website!

What are your favourite ways to enjoy cacao?