Simple Summer Lemonade!

Greetings wellness lovers!

Today I wanted to share a refreshing summer recipe for a sweet + simple summer lemonade! And... it's sugar-free!

Thanks to stevia as a sweetener, you can enjoy this version of lemonade while keeping your blood sugar steady! I would even call this a detox drink! It's nice to make a batch ahead of time and then have them ready-to-go in mason jars when you open the fridge!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup lemon juice (5-6 lemons)
• 5 cups water
• 30 drops liquid stevia (I used NuNaturals' lemon flavored liquid stevia...  I love that there is no bitter aftertaste!)
• optional: 1 lemon, sliced, for garnish

Directions:

Juice the lemons. In a large pitcher, mix water with the stevia drops and lemon juice. Simple! Garnish with lemon slices. Enjoy! 


(makes 3 generous servings)

What are the Health Benefits of Lemons?

The health benefits of lemons that have been known for centuries! They are antibacterial, antiviral, and have immune-boosting properties. Lemon juice is considered a weight-loss aid, as it's a digestive aid and liver cleanser. Lemons contain many substances--notably citric acid, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, pectin, and limonene-- all of which promote immunity and fight infection.

Have an excellent day!

xoxo,

Ashley

Memorial Day Ice Cream Treat!

Greetings wellness lovers!

Today I was hoping to inspire you with a refreshing Memorial Day treat! It's sweet, creamy, cooling... and of course healthy! It boasts 14+ grams of fiber per serving, is high in potassium, very high in omega-3 fatty acids as well as protein, and is completely free of added sugar!

Memorial Day Banana Soft Serve

Ingredients:

• 1 large banana, frozen in halves
• 3 tablespoons milk of your choice (I used coconut.)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• dash of stevia, powdered or liquid (I used NuNaturals vanilla.)
• strawberries + blueberries, for patriotic color!

Directions:
Blend frozen banana halves and milk in a food processor. Add in chia seeds and stevia, Transfer to a bowl, and garnish with fruit! Simple. (Makes 1 large serving or 2 smaller.)

In terms of Ayurveda...
According to the 5,000+ year old ancient natural healing system of Ayurveda, this is an excellent balancing food for individuals of the 'Pitta' body type... or, in modern terms: people who tend to be competitive, driven, sometimes hot + fiery, type A people.

I hope you are having an amazing week!
xoxo,
Ashley

Integrative Nutrition's Spring Cleaning Guide!

Happy April wellness lovers!

I hope this spring has been treating you well so far! Have you made any health and or life/career goals for the season?

Today I wanted to share with you an excellent resource to complete a successful spring detox, since spring is the perfect time to lighten up your diet and improve your environment!

If you haven't seen this yet, I highly recommend downloading Integrative Nutrition's* Spring Cleanse Guide. It's an excellent and comprehensive guide packed with tools, resources, and refreshing recipes to cleanse your body, mind, and space!

Lighten up this season!

a sneak peak...

*note: when you download it, you will also likely start receiving additional nutrition, health, and wellness news + tips from the largest nutrition school in the world.

P.S.

If you have been thinking about studying at IIN to take your passion of all things holistic health + wellness related to the next level, and maybe even start a new career, I highly recommend reading "Integrative Nutrition: Feed Your Hunger for Health and Happiness" by Integrative Nutrition's founder/director Joshua Rosenthal. 


It can be purchased on Amazon.com for about $25... and can also be downloaded (complimentary) via the image below.

5/5 stars on Amazon.com 

About
Integrative Nutrition is the world's largest nutrition school, and is the only school that teaches over 100 different dietary theories, food energetics, and the concept of 'bio-individuality,' which is that there is not one diet that works for everyone. And, they recently upgraded their learning platform to an iPad!

If you have any questions about the program or my experience as a student... I am always happy to share my insight! My e-mail is TasteforHealthy@gmail.com


Enjoy the rest of your weekend! And, I invite you to stay tuned... later this week I will be posting an excellent music video, created by a fellow IIN graduate!

xoxo,

Ashley

*Integrative Nutrition® and Institute for Integrative Nutrition® are registered trademarks of Integrative Nutrition Inc.

Basil Pine Nut Pesto!

Summer= gardening, and gardening= fresh basil!

Today the basil plant was practically begging to be turned into pesto! I decided to get creative and start tossing ingredients into the food processor. It turned out delicious! (and it's dairy-free!)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cups basil, packed
• salt (to taste)

Directions:

Combine nutritional yeast and pine nut in a food processor, until mixture becomes a powdered consistency. Add olive oil, basil... blend again. Lastly, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, blend. Taste pesto, add a pinch more salt, if desired.

(makes about 1 1/3 cups)

*Life Update*

Lately I've been beyond crazy busy... it's been exciting, yet challenging... working 10-hour days at my 'day job', squeezing in time to dedicate to my business at 5 am and 8 pm, seeing clients on the weekends, trying to spend quality time with Jon, family, and friends, and still trying to get 8 hours of sleep! But... I am so excited because I feel like my health coaching career is taking off! Next month, I am excited to be presenting my first seminar, "Sugar Blues," at the local Y. Also, I will be attending my first Integrative Nutrition conference in New York City! 

Back in May, I met the director of the school, Joshua Rosenthal for the first time, as well as fellow students... and it was an amazing experience! I had finally met 'my peeps!' (like-minded in the area of nutrition) Naturally, I can't wait to meet up with everyone (and meet many new students/graduates!) again! New York City... here I come!!! If you are a fellow IN student, and planning on attending "Fall INNto Action"... let me know! I would love to connect! :)

Since I've been getting so many questions about my experience, I recently created an Integrative Nutrition 'FAQ' page. If anyone has any other questions that haven't been asked, send me an e-mail! I am always ecstatic to share my life-changing experience!

Mint Chocolate Chip 'Ice Cream' & Exciting News!

Greetings! And happy Friday! I hope you have all had a wonderful week!

In celebration of 'National Ice Cream Month,' banana soft serve 'ice cream' has been enjoyed on an almost daily basis. ♥

My favorite combination at the moment...

Mint & Chip 'Ice Cream'!

 
Ingredients:

• 1 banana (frozen, in halves)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tbls. almond milk
• 1/4 tsp. mint extract
• cacao nibs (or chocolate chips)

Directions:
Combine banana, vanilla, almond milk, & mint extract in a food processor. Garnish with cacao nibs or chocolate chips! So delicious... ♥

Exciting News!

As many of you know, I am a student at Integrative Nutrition, and recently started my health coaching practice! I already have 4 clients that I meet with every other week! ♥

And... yesterday I received some exciting news! As an ambassador of the school, Integrative Nutrition has given me the ability to select individuals to receive $1,000 scholarships! (I wish I could have been a recipient of one of these when I enrolled last December!) 

If you adore health & wellness, are passionate about inspiring individuals to enjoy healthy lifestyles, are interested in being an entrepreneur... Integrative Nutrition might be a perfect fit for you! I am always excited to share my experiences! My e-mail is TasteforHealthy@gmail.com.

I've only been a student for 7 months, but Integrative Nutrition has already changed my life in so many ways. Getting my 4-year degree at a university was a great experience, but Integrative Nutrition has already proven to be wayyyyy more practical when it comes to actually creating a meaningful career that makes a positive difference in peoples' lives. ♥

If you are interesting in learning more, check out this page!

Have an amazing weekend!!!