The Organic Climber – Vegetarian running, cycling, swimming, rock climbing and raw foods.

Before I get started with the recipe, I have a plea. Visit my Kickstarter page and make a $5 donation. As you probably know by now, I am starting up a raw food snack company – Adventure Naturals. But in order to make it happen we need startup capital to pay our first months rent and buy our first batch of product. A simple $5 donation gets you a tasty energy bar. Just think, that $5 earns you a bar that will retail for $3, AND it helps bring nutritious goodies to the weary traveler, backpacker, rock climber, runner, swimmer, and you!

Anyway, here we go. I thought it would be fitting with the Christmas season upon us to create a Christmas themed smoothie. When I think of Christmas, the flavor that instantly came to mind was peppermint. So, I made a trip to Whole Foods earlier last week and picked up some peppermint extract to create this delicious smoothie. I also had a sweet tooth earlier in the week and created a raw ice cream that I will likely post the recipe to later this week.

The Recipe

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1/2 teaspoons of peppermint extract or flavoring
• 1 giant hand full of spinach
• 8oz of almond milk
• 8oz of water
• 2 TBSP of cashew butter
• 1-2 TBSP of agave nectar (optional)

Directions: Throw all the ingredients into your Vitamix (or high-speed blender) and process until smooth. This should produce two servings. If you happen to be considering the purchase of a Vitamix for a Christmas present, you can order through the link on my Vitamix page (use coupon code: 06-004609) and receive free shipping. Sure, those coupon codes are ALL OVER the internet, but if you order it through me I get a nice commission!

Anyway, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays. I hope you enjoy the smoothie. It is certainly one of my new favorites that I will likely make year round. How else am I going to use up a bottle of peppermint extract?

Smoothie Tuesday by OrganicClimber
adventure naturals, christmas, kickstarter, mint, organic, peppermint, RAW, smoothie
No comments

---

1. Proper portions are key. Continue maintaining a healthy portion of food at every meal; even at the big extravagant meals with family. The rule, “eat until content” still remains the same. If you eat until you are full, you have already overeaten.

2. Bring a healthy dish. Make sure to bring a healthy dish to your next Thanksgiving or Christmas feast to share with everybody. This will ensure you have something healthy to eat and are able to share the love with others at the same time. This might especially be important if you are vegetarian like myself.

3. Avoid the grazing tables. Fortunately, I no longer work in an office so I won’t be faced with the constant barrage of Holiday treats in the break room. You are best off avoiding them all together. Once you indulge it’s hard to not keep going back, unless you have a lot of self-control. Rather than grazing at the table, bring your own healthy snacks to curb your hunger, and as always – drink lots of water.

4. In addition to the grazing tables at work, avoid lingering around food when at parties. The temptation to constantly consume food is far less when it’s not right in front of you.

5. Make healthy holiday snacks. One of my favorite raw deserts to make around the Holiday’s is my raw oatmeal cookies. They are not only delicious, but healthy too! But remember, just because it’s raw food doesn’t mean you can’t overdo it.

6. Continue exercising. It can be easy to slip out of your regular exercise routine with all the extra time off work and time spent with family. Make sure you still maintain your normal level of exercise, if not more, because lets face it – you are still going to consume more calories, even if you manage to follow most of these tips.

7. Self-control is key. Just say no! When you are tempted to over indulge, just refuse to give into the temptation.

The Holiday’s can be a difficult time for even the healthiest of eaters to maintain a healthy diet. The tips above are just a few suggestions that have helped me at times. There is no magic formula for success, but I will say don’t forget to enjoy yourself. The Holiday’s are meant to share food with family and friends, so be careful that you don’t grow too pretentious about your “diet” that you alienate yourself from loved ones. Living life with loved ones is more important than food.

I would also like to share with you one of my favorite recipes that I like to bring to Holiday gatherings. This desert is one of my all-time favorite raw deserts.

Cinnamon Girls, from Matt Amsden’s Rawvolution

The Recipe
2 cups of raw almonds, finely ground in food processor
1/3 cups of cinnamon
1 cup of raisins
¾ cup of agave nectar
2 tbsp of olive oil

Directions: in a medium mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir until mixed well. Next, add the agave and olive oil and mix until a dough like consistency is reached. Using your hands, form ping-pong-sized balls and place into a container or large serving platter. Serve as is, or freeze overnight for a more solid consistency.

Health & Fitness, RAW Food, Recipes by OrganicClimber
christmas, fit, health, holiday, RAW Food, thanksgiving
No comments

---