Brussels Sprouts are in Season!

Good Day Everyone! 

It's fall and so many wonderful things are in season. Boots, Faux fur, Pumpkin everything and Brussels Sprouts (yum!)

These little balls of tastiness are almost perfect! Except for one thing. The way they're spelled/pronounced. I literally do not say Brusselsssssss , <--- Focus on the "S" at the end of brussels. I pronounce them as Brussel, no "s" at the end. Whatever I don't care. I don't like the "s" at the end of Brussels so I just leave him out. 

So besides the way they are pronounced, they are perfect. They're easy to cook, yummy to taste and filled with nutrition. 

10      N U T R I T I O N A L    F A C T S :  

1. Vitamin C (way more than most fruits)

2. Beta Carotene - Great for your eye health 

3. Vitamin K- keeps your blood running smoothly in your system, 

no blood clots, 

yay!

4. Folic Acid- helps body produce new healthy cells 

5. rich in fiber- oh yah. 

6. Iron- for cellular oxidation ( great for anemic patients) 

7. Manganese- controls blood sugar 

8. Sulforaphane- Cancer Fighting Properties

9. Low in calories 

10.  Low grams in fat. 

P R E P E R A T I O N: 

There are so many different ways to prepare Brussels Sprouts, and to be perfectly honest, I like my oven. I like to keep the heat as low as possible and I don't like to burn them. Still a little hard is all right with me. 

There are 5 steps and that is it

Step 1- WASH! SO IMPORTANT! 

Step 2- Add oil and seasoning 

(I add coconut oil, pepper,garlic powder)

Step 3- Cut stems off, cut in half and add to a

baking tray

Step 4- Put in oven at 300 degree for 20 minutes 

Step 5-  I'll add raw olive oil, a side of organic ketchup and EAT away. 

Hope you enjoy!

- The Wellness Enthusiast 

  

I love Mondays and Cruelty Free Makeup.

In may, PETA held a contest on their Instagram page for a chance to win 3 lovely lip glosses, aka Lip Tar, made by a company called Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. I thought, I'd give it a go plus would make for an opportunity to share this company with all of my instagram followers. Well, guess what? I WON! I genuinely was not expecting to win and would have been thrilled for whoever won, but when Peta tagged me that I had won, I think I jumped up and down for about an hour! 

I was so excited the day I had a little package at my door from PETA. I ripped open the package and there was this sweet card written from Peta and the 3 Lip Tars. I was even more thrilled when I saw how rad the colors were.

What I love about OCC Make Up Line is the fact that they are 100% Vegan and cruelty Free. Their make up is bright and bold. Their make up really does help their cruelty-free customers stand out more and look even more beautiful than they already are. Don't believe me? Go search the Hash Tag "OCC" or "LIPTAR" holy moly those people look incredible! If only I had such beauty! wow! 

They have so many colors and I can't wait to get my hands on a ton more.

I go through Lip Gloss, Lip Sticks and Chapstick pretty fast because I have big, natural, lips that eat it all up. What I love about OCC Lip Tar is that a little drop of it, goes a long way and it LASTS. These small Lip tars will last you a LONG time. I should know, I have huge lips! Lip anything doesn't last very long. 

A lot of make up companies still, unfortunately, test on animals which honestly makes NO sense. Like Ricky Gervais once said: 

 "Don't get shampoo in your eyes. It stings. There. Done. Now you can stop torturing animals. Ban testing cosmetics on the innocent."

Same goes for Make up, get an allergic reaction? Stop using it. Simple.

I'm no angel, I'm sure I use things tested on animals or something that may have harmed an animal, but what I do know is that I'm trying. AS long as we all try and do our part, the world would be a better place. 

It isn't easy living a vegan life style in a non-vegan world, but we have to try to do what we can.

So check out Peta's website for cruelty-free make up and skin care. Remember that MOST organic companies don't and won't test on animals. Don't beat yourself up if you're not looking out for these things, but maybe now you can think a little bit about it on your next shopping list!

Ill have to take another pic with the 3rd Lip tar and update soon!

- The Wellness Enthusiast

Just a normal Fri(day) with Vegan Doughnuts

Yesterday was such a lovely day here in Las Vegas. It was sunny, it rained a bit, and got windy towards the end of the night. I absolutely love days like these. You know, Bi-Polar days. You get a little bit of everything. As Forrest Gump once said "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get" I'm pretty sure by "life" he meant weather in Las vegas. 

Anyways, I knew it was going to rain and get a bit gloomy towards the end of the day so I decided to get some errands out of the way. I decided to take my little fur ball with me. He isn't small enough to be in a purse, and I would literally slap myself if I ever put him in one, So I have to carry him. I don't mind it though. It feels like a bit of an extra workout, walking around with an extra 12 LBS in my arms. 

Well, we stopped by the mattress store and jumped laid on some mattresses. Im in serious need of a new one. Ive been looking for quite some time I mean how do I know if I like firm? plush? Pillow top? Euro top? Soft? Cushion soft? extra firm? You lay on the mattress for 2 minutes and its supposed to tell you if you want to lay on that mattress for the rest of your life next 10 years? Just not my style. I like to test drive and then make a decision. Buying a bed and returning it to me, sounds pretty lame so I want to be absolute sure before I make any quick decisions. I guess I'm like that with everything in my life. I want it, but then I think it can wait. 

Anyways Romeo and I laid on some. Some were nice and some were NOT nice. I think I found one, but then again I'm not sure. 

Anyone have suggestions on picking a mattress? 

After Mattress window shopping,

I ran over over to a little store you might know as take every last penny you have plus your first unborn child Whole Foods to buy some groceries aka food for my dog. I was walking around the bakery area when all of a sudden the heavens opened, light was shining and I stood there in absolute amazement.  V E G A N    D O U G H N T S. I'm literally a sugar feen. My heart was pounding, and I got butterflies. Yep, I was that excited. 

I used to have this weird thing where I wouldn't touch doughnuts, they were just sickening. Out of no where about a year ago, I made my own (vegan and gluten free) and now I just love them. So anyways after my heart slowed down, the heavens shut and the light went away, I walked up to the area where you can grab your own and I picked out 4 mouth watering, delicious, cruelty-free treats. 

I got home, made some herbal mint tea and started blogging away. As much as I wanted to eat all four of them, I gave in to just one. I kind of felt sick after because it was a holy sugar over load, but it was all worth it. I'm pretty excited that whole foods has vegan doughnuts and they make them in their in house bakery. A W E S O M E E E E.

 I know doughnuts aren't healthy but you have to treat yourself sometimes, or in my case, every time. I'm also not saying that anything that says "vegan" is going to be healthy, but one thing for sure, if it says "vegan" it's CRUELTY FREE.

Now, Im not asking you to become vegan or even go on PETA and watch the behind the scenes of what they do to animals, but I will say this , if you're not willing to watch PETA undercover videos then you are already imagining the horrific conditions these animals endure during their short life.

BUT I am asking you to try and live a somewhat cruelty free life.

 How about trying being Vegan one day a week or buying vegan doughnuts or buying foods that are vegan here and there? or buying make up that hasn't been tested on animals? Anything and everything counts. 

I know if you're reading this, its because you're a good person and I believe you will do what is right and best for you and your family.

Just remember, Just because I eat a vegan diet doesn't mean I ONLY eat grass and lettuce all day. You can eat ANYTHING that you eat now just without the animal products. Let me tell you a little secret, if you make it at home, it tastes 100 x better. 

Any Followers vegan? What was your experience? Was it hard to change? Comment below and let me know.  

-The Wellness Enthusiast 

Vegan Chocolate Hemp Smoothie

I am not exaggerating when I say, this smoothie is amazing. If you like chocolate, then this is a smoothie you MUST try. It's very simple, its filling, and it's heaven in your mouth. 

INGREDIENTS: 

-2 Bananas (preferably frozen)

-3-5 dates (depending how sweet you want it)

4 TBS of Raw Cacao 

-2 cups of Almond milk (or milk alternative of choice) 

-a dash of Cinnamon 

-2 TBS of Hemp Seeds 

-A bunch of Ice 

DIRECTIONS:

It's simple, add ingredients to a blender and blend. I use my BLENDTEC and hit "smoothie" 

Pour in glass and ENJOY. YUM. 

- The Wellness Enthusiast 

Why a SALE does matter

I GOT THESE FOR $25 ^^^

I get made fun of all of the time because I am a Sale Freak, yes, I am. I have an E-mail account dedicated to those pesky little subscriptions to web sites, If there is a huge sale somewhere I'm usually the first in line or sitting on my comp ready to click "add to cart." No, I don't spend money for NO reason, it's usually because I've been on the hunt for something specific, but am NOT willing to pay full price. Anyways, I've seen a lot of sales in my day and I can be first to attest, not every sale is a good sale. Retailers LOVE to up the original price, mark it down (so you think it's discounted) and after the sale is over they use the "sale price" as the original one. 

It's important that you know what things are worth, and what they sell for when there isn't a sale. 

I love sales thats have their items discounted and then have an additional percentage off. 

My rule of thumb when buying something on sale:  If I had the extra money and wouldn't buy it at the original price, I probably shouldn't be purchasing it at the sale price. 

I got these super cute Nikes during Dillards' extra 40% off Sale.They were Originally $100. My mom is a credit card holder, so we get "first look." If you're not a credit card holder I wouldn't necessarily open up a credit card. Just find someone who already has one and have them give you a heads up on the upcoming sale. Maybe you can go together and grab some Fabulous stuff! 

I had a gift card, so I actually ended up getting these babies for free. I love their color and their comfort. Literally on Cloud 9 with these babes. 

Happy Sale Hunting! 

-The Wellness Enthusiast 

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE! 

So today was the official first day of fall. Though, I do think tomorrow (tuesday) is the official, official first day of Autumn or something like that. Anyways, I decided to start decorating my home in fall decorations. What better way to get in the mood of Coziness, than by going into the garage and pulling out all of my fantastic Fall decor. Embarrassing note: I literally shed a tear putting it away in December. So happy Its only september, It's time to smile! Oh yes! 

ANYWAYS (again), I started pulling out all of these fun decorations. Orange Leaves, orange and brown pillows, small pumpkins, Fall towels, Wait let's go back to the small pumpkins. So I pull out these small pumpkins and I immediately start thinking of food. If you know me, you know I think about food a lot. I'm singing to myself "Pumpkin Pie I love you, I want you in my bell, oh yes I do!" I then move on to "Pumpkin Muffin, Give me some Luvin!" and last but not least "Pumpkin Bread, Ill eat you in my bed!" So you can imagine, my tummy started rumbling and I had to have PUMPKIN, NOW! 

So what did I do? I made the easiest, tastiest Pumpkin Smoothie. 

Seriously easy as eating cake, Check it out.

Ingredients:

1 Can of Organic Pumpkin Puree

1 Can of Organic Coconut Milk ( left over night in fridge, seperate the top cream from the milk)

^ Or any type of Milk alternative (about 1 cup) 

2 Frozen Bananas

1 tsp of pumpkin Spice

1 tsp of Cinnamon

1 tsp of pure Vanilla 

A bunch of Ice

1 Blender ( I use the blendtec and hit 'smoothie') 

(Please feel free to adjust ingredients to your liking) 

Mix all in a blender, Blend, if you used coconut canned milk then this is when you will add the cream to the top of your smoothie and Drink 

It's delicious. 

-The Wellness Enthusiast 

Smoothie bowls are to Live for

Smoothie bowl…

Seriously guys, Smoothie bowls are to Live for. You get the best of both worlds. It's easy to make, like a smoothie, but fun to eat like a Cereal. 

Basically you add your ingredients of a smoothie that you love, but add a ton of extra ice and some raw granola or something with a harder texture. 

Scroll down to see what I added in my smoothie bowl today:

INGREDIENTS: 

1 cup of Organic fresh pressed Orange Juice

1 cup of Spinach

1 package of frozen organic dragon fruit

a spoonful of Chia Seeds

2 frozen bananas 

1 spoonful of Moringa Powder 

a bunch of Organic Raw Granola 

a ton of ICE

Used a Blendtec (or any blender) - press "smoothie"- pour in a bowl and add your toppings! I added Chia seed, banana, and granola- Grab a spoon and eat! YUMM 

- The Wellness Enthusiast 

Taco Tuesday, Vegan style

Who says Vegan tacos have to be boring?

Alright guys, if you're anything like me then you LOVE food. People like me are the reason that we have days such as "Taco Tuesday" or "Sweet sunday," You know, making it necessary to eat as much as you can just because it's a certain day of the week. 

Since "meatless monday" was yesterday, how about a "Vegan Taco Tuesday?" I think so. 

It's tuesday and who in the world wants to spend all night in the kitchen preparing tacos for your family? NOT ME (raises both hands)! Besides we have more important things to spend our time on like watching our favorite show, taking an extra long bath, getting kids to sleep, getting our pets to sleep or maybe some teen mom re-runs (guilty).

Moving forward… These tacos are to LIVE for. They can be made with ALL organic ingredients for very cheap. They're quick, vegan, healthy and most important... TASTY! 

Obviously, you can mix, match, and/or replace ingredients. These tacos are in the palm of your hand and soon in the pit of your belly so do what makes you Happy. These specific-ingredient tacos, however, are one of my favorite "recipes." Worth a try! 

Ingredients: 

How I warm my tortillas so I don't have to use a microwave: 

Add ingredients and Voilà…

- The Wellness Enthusiast 

Dreaming Big

I wanted to take a quick moment to remind you all to keep dreaming, keep believing, and keep trying. 

We all have dreams and goals in this life. Some of us may have already given up on a dream, maybe some of us are on the verge of giving up, and maybe some of us are still striving to make that dream come true. I'm here to remind you, whether you have lost hope or not, to KEEP GOING. I firmly believe that our creator of this world would NOT have put that dream in your mind for absolutely no reason. If you have a dream, then you should have a goal to accomplish it. 

Sometimes accomplishing a goal isn't as easy as said or thought, doesn't matter, if you want it to come true then it will. Most people hardly ever continue pursuing their dream because they stick to one path and if that certain path doesn't work they stop. NO! NO! NO! if there is a will, then I promise you, there is a way. Try different paths, keep trying until you reach it. 

Let me just say something, ONE person or ONE opportunity or ONE right place at the right time can change your life for the positive in a matter of seconds. All it takes is that ONE second where everything changes for the better. Continue to wait for that ONE. Continue to pray, say out loud what it is that you want and keep striving for your dream to come true. 

Whether your dream is to be healthy, more positive, lose weight, climb a mountain, pay off debt, be promoted, become an actor, help others or whatever it is then I ask you to please keep going. The world needs people just like YOU, someone who doesn't give up and continues striving. 

 keep praying, keep trying, keep working, keep striving, keep hoping, keep talking about it, keep being grateful, keep being kind to others, keep encouraging others, and keep dreaming.

The bigger the dream, the better. 

-The Wellness Enthusiast 

VEGAN FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE . . . 

Y U M , Y U M, CHOCOLATE IN MY TUM!

   Hey everyone,

     So I live in Nevada and if your state is anything like mine, your weather is up and down and all around. One minute we can be 115 Degrees, make up running and hair soaked in sweat kind of weather and the next running into our grocery store with an over sized sweater, rain boots and hands covering our head because it's pouring rain. Yep, it's a little Bi-polar but at the end of the day who and what isn't? Anyways, Fall is right around the corner and I L O V E me some hot chocolate. Unfortunately, it's still September and It's pretty warm outside. So in order to make the BEST of the both worlds I made a "Healthier" version of Frozen Hot Chocolate. Yum, it's so tasty. Chocolate lovers this is a must try! 

I found the inspiration from another food blogger, so if anyone finds mine very similar to some one els's please E-mail me her link, i'd like to give her credit and I can't find her site again.

Anyways try this and let me know what you think. . . 

I N G R E D I E N T S :

1- One can of Organic Coconut Milk ( Do not shake, leave in the fridge over night and do not pass Go) 

2- One cup of Organic Almond milk

3. 2 table spoons of Raw Cacao powder

4. 1 table spoon of Organic Pure Maple Syrup Or some Organic Dates to sweeten 

5. Organic Vegan Chocolate Chips 

6.  1 tablespoon of Maca Powder or some sort of Super Food Powder ( I use Maca or Moringa) 

7. And some Ice (i used a lot of ice so its super icy MMMMM) !

D I R E C T I O N S :

1. Remove canned Coconut milk lid ( do not shake, creamy part will be on top)

2. Separate cream into a bowl

3. Add coconut milk to blender and blend with Cacao, your sweetener of choice,  cup of Almond milk, Super food and Ice

4. Serve in glass, add coconut cream to the top and chocolate chips! Drink up! 

P O W E R   G R E E N S ...

I wanted to talk to you all a little about one of my favorite brands of already made, cold-pressed juice… Suja!  I've been a fan of Suja juice since the very first day it hit shelves in my local health foods store. Suja means "Long beautiful Life" and that is exactly what putting the right foods in your mouth will give you. Suja is Organic, Non GMO, Gluten Free, and filled with love. The creators are all about having a healthy mind, body and soul and that's why they made Suja Juice in the first place. Let me just tell you, Suja juices really are heaven. 

I didn't have a juicer for the longest time and I was juicing blending everything (a big NO-NO). Don't get me wrong smoothies are great, but the point of juicing is to give your body a break from so much darn fiber. Look, your digestion system is working even when you don't think it is. Imagine working all day, every day and never getting a break or hardly ever getting a break. This is why a juice fast every so often is an important part of life. Juicing is comparable to your 30min-hour lunch break that you get at work. The mores breaks that you receive at work the happier you would be and the more energy you would have right? Same as the body, give it a fiber break here and there and it'll be so much happier and you'll feel better also.

Happy Belly, Happy life

Juicing is also great because vitamins in liquid form are the BEST. The body is going to absorb anything in liquid form way quicker. The quicker we can get our vitamins and minerals in, the better! 

Okay so not all of us have a juicer and the majority that have a juicer don't juice because it's too time consuming. I get it, you buy all these fruits and vegetables with the greatest intention of juicing and then end up throwing away a ton of them because you don't end up juicing and they expire. Maybe you're not as energized or enthusiastic one day or didn't have enough time the other , either way you didn't do it. Well this is why I am writing this post today, to tell you that you still can juice. No excuse. You can PURCHASE already made cold-pressed juice in your local Organic health grocery store. Suja is the twinkle in my eye, the skip in my step, the cloud under my feet, Okay that's a little too far but you get what I mean. I COULD JUST LIVE FOR JUICING. They have a great variety of flavors, price is reasonable, and it's just an all around outstanding product. 

Look, juicing at home is always going to be the BEST because it's fresh and there is absolutely no kind of pasteurization, but there are days that you just aren't in the mood or constantly on the go... so how about try one already made? 

I love that suja made gigantic ones. One of these lasts me a good week. I drink some every morning and voilà, I've had my morning juice! 

Oh, oh! One more thing, for those that may be worried about types of Pasteurization, Suja uses something called HPP (high pressure Processing) aka Cold pressed. Though the juices aren't technically raw, this process helps to retain as many nutrients as possible while killing any bacteria in the raw fruits and veggies that they use. So yes,  It's still a bottle filled with nutritious juice. 

On that note my friends…

H A P P Y      J U I C I N G  

-THE WELLNESS ENTHUSIAST 

Dragon Fruit Smoothie…

  - Dragon Fruit Smoothie -

Have you ever seen Dragon Fruit in real life? It's literally one of the most beautiful fruits on this planet. I'm not sure if it's the pretty pinkish color or the cute speckles all on the inside. Either way it is a beautiful fruit. It's naturally sweet and naturally beautiful. I L O V E IT. 

I love to buy the ready to use, organic Frozen Pitaya. Frozen Pitaya packets are sold in almost all stores that sell whole organic foods.

I throw a packet in a blender and add all fun stuff such as bananas, raw granola, blueberries, a super food powder, a milk alternative and/or water.  

I'm telling you, it's so incredibly delicious. Not too sweet, but sweet enough to fill a sweet tooth craving. Not only does it taste amazing, it has wonderful health benefits as well. Keep reading to find out what those benefits are.

Benefits of Pitaya aka Dragon Fruit:

1. Lots of Vitamin C ( great for keeping your immune system up and collagen building)

2. A great amount of antioxidants.

3. Fiber ( great for digestion)

4. helps improve memory and eye sight

5. Healing properties

6. Helps control your appetite

7. Aids in weight loss

8. An anti-inflammatory great for arthritis

9. Helps in weight loss and management

10. LOW IN CALORIES!!! YES! (ha-ha)