Instant strawberry-banana vegan ice cream!

This ice cream is so easy to make, it will take you less than 5 minutes.  It's so creamy, fluffy and sweet and made entirely from fruit!  An amazing alternative when you want something sweet.

Serves 1 large portion or 2 small

1 1/2 frozen bananas, cubed

2 large strawberries, cut into four pieces each, fresh or frozen

Add everything to a food processor* and blend until smooth and creamy!  Serve immediately (who could wait anyways?)

*to speed up the process, you can add a small amount of water-small, like a soda-pops CAP full with water

**If you are using fresh fruit, add that first and place frozen on top.  You can make this with all frozen ingredients or the majority frozen and some fresh fruits.

Some other options;
Banana ice cream- blend 2 frozen bananas
Mixed berry- add 1/4 cup frozen berries in place of strawberries
Almond butter & chocolate- add 3 tbsp almond butter and 3 tbsp cocoa powder to 2 frozen bananas

Add dried cherries, chocolate chips, dates, nuts, coconut, cookie dough....the list is literally endless.  I think this will be my breakfast from now on :)

 I'm seriously amazed at how good this is.  Enjoy :)

It comes naturally

I've been waking up at 5:30am for the past week and a half to start my day with yoga and it's been surprisingly easy to get used to this routine.  Before changing my diet and mindset, I was trying everyday to do the same thing but only made it up before 7 a couple times.  It was so hard to get out of bed and I would hit the alarm and think, "What's the point of getting up when I can go back to sleep and be comfortable."  Before, I was eating big bowls of rice or pasta for dinner and would go into a "food coma" and go to sleep that way.  It's no wonder why I couldn't get out of bed in the morning.  Eating the way I do now, fruits and veggies, I rarely feel "FULL" but satisfied, which is a 100 times better.  You are not immovable or lazy after a meal, you have energy and motivation to get things done.

A couple things that have changed about me since starting the Whole30 on the 22nd:

-decreased computer time (mindlessly staring at blogs)

-decreased movie time (I don't have a tv but would watch at least one movie a night, now it's maybe a 30 min tv show if any)

-increased memory (remembering people names easily)

-more energy, motivation, more creative

-able to awake easily in the mornings (even with little sleep)

-happier, more appreciative

-am not starving all the time, less cravings

-more focus!

I feel so grateful to be 23 years YOUNG and have all the knowledge I do now and all the opportunities that have came to me the past couple weeks.  Some people don't start even considering some of the changes I've made until they are much older, and some people never start at all.  There will be more changes to come, I'm sure of it, and I can't wait to see how I'm feeling at the end of the 30 days!

This morning I practiced Yoga through Yogis Anonymous Live Videos and was grateful to hear this message by Kate Cariati;

"I’m just in a great mood today..  You know when you feel like things are just flowing, you're in your element and you're like oh thats how its supposed to be..  feels good, really natural, natural state of being.   Sometimes it's such a struggle to get there, and when you have to fight that hard were maybe not doing what were supposed to be doing.  If its that big of a fight every day to get out of bed to go do something its not right....  We want ease, we want flow.  Sometimes we just have to sort of surrender into it and open up to the mystery, have a little faith in the universe.  We just accept that we are little sparks of the divine instead of trying to prove it all the time, we just are."

Ready for a serious change

I feel completely brand new, like my mind has been washed of all negativity, self doubt & laziness.  Just last week, it was as if my soul was screaming at me to make a change but I didn't know how or what was wrong.

I've been vegan for 8 or 9 years now and my diet consists mostly of soy, vegetables, and grains.  Most of my creative effort in the kitchen goes into baking, so I was eating big bowls of rice and fried veggies with 3 or 4 chocolate chip cookies (okay, maybe more..) every night.  Mixed in was lots of soymilk and banana smoothies, oatmeal and french fries.  Not exactly healthy..  I was so young when I made the switch to a vegan diet and noone around me really supported my decision.  I was searching the internet for comfort food recipes and bad habits developed fast; lots of frying and sugary sweets.  I always considered myself healthy based on the fact that I was vegan and it never occurred to me that I needed a serious change until I researched the Whole30 diet, thanks to Mary Beth. 

Since cutting grains, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and legumes (especially soy) from my diet, I have more energy, motivation and a healthy glow.  I have become so much more creative with my meals; roasted broccoli, tomato and garlic with nut hummus in boiled cabbage leaves, cauliflower rice with broiled mushrooms, carrots, broccoli ad tomatoes.  A feeling of balance has returned to me and my life is more stable and in line with who I really am, which brings me so much joy and appreciation for everything around me.  Conscious changes have spiraled into my everyday activities from waking up early to start my day with yoga, to how I react to a negative comment, to what I brush my teeth with (now baking soda).  I'm sticking with these changes after the 30 days is over, maybe adding some raw cheesecake here and there :)  It's amazing how one decision can affect your entire life.  

Whole30

Today is day 7 of the Whole30 lifestyle/diet.  One successful week with no grains, legumes, alcohol, caffeine, potatoes anddddd sugar.  I am already vegan and have eliminated processed foods from my diet a long time ago, but sugar... ah sugar.  That's what I crave the most.  I'm a huge baker and always make sure to have some cookie/cupcake on hand.  You can have sweets on this diet if you use the right ingredients, but realizing I'm pretty addicted, I decided to go the whole month without to give my body a break.

This is not a diet for me, it's a lifestyle shift.  Feeling totally out of balance lately, this change couldn't have come at a more perfect time.  It's opened my eyes to a whole new world.  I've learned to be more creative, more positive, to try new things and to create discipline in my life.  I feel absolutely amazing, strong, and like my mind has been washed of negativity and fear.  

Thanks to Mary Beth for introducing me to such a positive change.

xoxo