Easy Summer Berry Popsicles

The one thing that annoys me about summer is the peculiar ice cream truck, driven by an old man wearing a white tank top, playing Christmas music in July. Paints a pretty picture doesn’t it? Gone are the innocent days of the 25 cent push-up and sharing a drumstick with your sister. Plus, those icy treats are laden with chemicals, artificial colors, dyes, high fructose corn syrup and who knows what else! Enter the homemade popsicle. I just received my new Tovolo Popsicle Molds and can’t wait to get started! http://astore.amazon.com/processedlivi-20/detail/B00395HIOO

I figured if my girls like the smoothies I make them, they will love these popsicles. Today I used organic strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries from the farmer’s market. But you can use any fresh or frozen fruit you have on hand. Then, I topped it off with a handful of organic baby spinach, about ¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk and 1 tbsp. raw honey. Yes, you read that right – SPINACH – in our popsicles! The tiny leaves get blasted in the blender and they never know it’s there! Talk about one super-powered popsicle! Take that plain ole pushup!

Just blend and pour into the molds. It takes about 1-2 hours for them to freeze.

                                                                

Celebrity Sighting!!

I met a real live superstar this weekend! Ok, it wasn't Brad Pitt or Beyonce, but to me, he is just as big as any Hollywood star. I traveled to Baltimore to hear David Wolfe speak. Who, you ask? David is the rock star of the raw food, superfoods, health and nutrition world. He has written many books on the subject and has almost 20 years experience in the fields of nutrition, superherbs - bizarre ones that you'll never hear of unless you meet him - and chocolate! To hear him speak is sort of an evangelical experience. You got "hopped up" on his vibe and don't come down for hours. When I got home, I shared with my husband all of the info I learned and I think I rambled on for two hours. He was ready to get on the superfood bus with me by the time I was done.

I learned some amazing things yesterday. I learned that eating raw chocolate can cut your heart disease risk in half and that it breaks down calcification in arteries and prevents plaque formation. It's the #1 longevity food. Who doesn't love chocolate??!! Of course, he's not talking about the Hershey bar in your kitchen. We're talking real, 69% or more dark organic chocolate. I sampled some and it was the smoothest, yummiest stuff I've ever eaten. He has his own brand called Sacred Chocolate and grows his own cacao trees.
I also learned about seaweeds, durian, mangosteen, medicinal mushrooms, protocols that can help women get pregnant, protocols to help children with autism or ADHD, how to get things "going" in the bedroom, how to reduce EMF's around you and basically just about how to cure anything that ails you with proper, enhanced nutrition.

And do I believe everything I heard? Abso-freaking-lutely! Why? Because I just went through this transformation myself. Since I have been eating clean, whole foods (which began in September 2010), I have lost 45 pounds, don't suffer from headaches, migraines, allergies, hip pain, high cholesterol, or any of the other crap that used to bog me down. I was a whopping size 16 and now my new size 8 clothes are falling off my hips! I used to take 4 prescriptions and now I take NONE! I had hypothyroidism and now I barely need to take any medicine. I feel AMAZING and have abundant energy. I wake up every day looking forward to my morning workout and can't wait to attack the weights and dance away my troubles. I look forward to this September when I can start working with clients and help them achieve the same success. I am enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition - the world's largest nutrition school - and it's really an amazing experience to learn the things that are being presented to me. I can't wait to be a Health Coach!

If you ever get the opportunity to hear David Wolfe speak, I would definitely go with an open mind and a notebook - because you will want to write down what he says!