Being Canadian born and raised I have gotten use to our “two” seasons. Winter for 9 months and 3 months of NOT winter which are a combination of spring/summer/fall. LOL I get unusually excited when I start seeing iced drinks promoted at restaurants. I love a good iced drink as an afternoon pick me up. I created this iced matcha latte with a few extra surprises to make sure I am getting my daily nutrients in. I add of course Matcha, spirulina, and collagen powder.
This latte was vitamin packed and tastes delicious. It took less than 10 mins to prep and prepare. Here’s what you will need:
1 tsp Spirulina
3 tsp Matcha Powder
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup hot water
1/3 cup of ice cubes
Iced Coconut Matcha Latte Recipe Card
Organika Enhanced Collagen
Matcha powder , Spirulina Powder and Collagen Powder whisked together to create a foam.
Fill your favorite glass with ice cubes, add coconut milk and vanilla extract.
Top the drink off with matcha and watch the ombre as the combine.
Top your drink with a straw and lid if you like and Enjoy!
We often think about Vitamin C when we have cold and flu symptoms for the immune boosting properties. However Vitamin C has many other benefits our body requires to perform at optimal health.
Vitamin C is also commonly referred to as ascorbic acid, is a vitamin found in various foods and sold as a dietary supplement. Recently it has been recognized as a powerful antioxidant, vitamin C can protect the body from highly reactive molecules known as free radicals. Studies have shown that vitamin C supplementation has been promoted as a potent antioxidant for athletes. It helps to combat oxidative damage that occurs during intense exercise.
Collagen Formation is another function that requires suffienct Vitamin C. Vitamin C is necessary for our bodies to produce collagen. Vitamin C enhances collagen production and reduces damage including wrinkles and hyper-pigmentation. Maintaining high levels of vitamin C is crucial for healthy, and glowing skin.
Food Sources that are rich in Vitamin C are citrus fruits like lemons, kiwi and limes. Leafy greens like spinach and kale are also rich in Vitamin C. The recommended daily requirement for males is 90 mg per day, for females it is 75 mg.
lemon, kiwi and limes all rich in Vitamin C
A simple snack to get in your daily recommended Vitamin C intake is:
1 orange – 74.5 MG
1 kiwi – 92.7 MG
3/4 Cantaloupe – 23.6 MG
Total Vitamin C = 190.8 MG
Enjoy the Spring with these wonderful natural sources of Vitamin C. Have a little lemon with your limes. 🙂
A Lymphatic massage to stimulate Lymphatic drainage (removal of fluid build up). Our faces and neck have many lymph nodes and makes up majority of the lymphatic system. Lymphatic massage can improve circulation and reduce swelling in face and neck. The heart pumps blood through its vessels while the lymphatic system relies on transport of fluid through the lymph vessels. Often the normal flow can be disrupted and a build up of fluid can lead to congestion and swelling in the body. Jade is a naturally cool stone and when applied to the skin can help reduce inflammation and puffiness. *Tip* place jade roller in the fridge before using for added coolness. 🙂
Adding a Serum with Hyaluronic Acid to the face when using a Jade roller has become my favourite way to hydrate my skin. Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in our bodies. Majority of our HA (Hyaluronic Acid) is found in our skin, eyes and connective tissue. HA is best known for helping our skin retain water. It is found is many beauty products, and even used certain cosmetic injections. HA is great for fine lines and wrinkles because the HA will plump the skin up for a more supple and healthy appearance. There are a number of ways to take HA like supplementing. My favourite HA is by The Ordinary. This serum contains 2% Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin B5. The ordinary specializes in the ingredients quality, and focus of integrity of the brand. They are fantastic I love the whole line and appreciate the price points because everyones skin is different, and purchasing skin care can become costly. Especially if the product doesn’t work for your skin type. The ordinary is reasonable enough that you can try different products guilt free. 🙂
The Ordinary, Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Serum.
I hope you do try the Jade Roller and your favourite serum. 🙂 Let me know your favourite way to stay Hydrated, I love finding new skin care products.
Dragon Fruit is also known as “Pitaya”. Dragon fruit usually bears it fruit for 5 month of the year in warmer climates. The peak season for Dragon Fruit is the beginning of Summer, May & June. So I was delighted when I found one at my grocery store this week. 🙂
Dragon Fruit is delicious! It is so unique looking with its hard exterior. It was a challenge to figure out how to cut it right, but well worth it once you see the beautiful white fruit and pretty black dots. Its almost to pretty to eat, just how I like my fruit. To me it looked like a designer bag ” Fruit Couture “.
I love to find healthy sources of vitamins and nutrients. Remember Food is Medicine. I heard Doctor Oz say this in a recent interview ” when you walk into your grocery store, you are walking into your pharmacy”. That rang true for me. I constantly research great food sources for vitamins, and minerals. I was surprised to find out how rich in Magnesium and B vitamins Dragon Fruit was. The Daily recommended Value for Magnesium is 420mg (males) & 320mg (females) according to https://www.webmd.com/diet/supplement-guide-magnesium#1. A Dragon Fruit contains 18% magnesium.
Daily Recommended Dietary Allowance. WebMd.com
Magnesium is important for the body and skin. The antioxidants found in dragon fruit can be anti aging by dramatically reducing effects of free radicals in the skin and body. Magnesium may improve your skin’s overall appearance, reducing acne and other skin disorders by lowering cortisol levels, stabilizing hormonal imbalances, and improving cellular processes of red blood cells. Magnesium also aids in treating acne, and dry skin. Try adding dried dragon fruit powder to your daily juices and watch your skin become radiant. You can find magnesium in your favourite beauty products to help brighten your skin complication.
There are so many functions are bodies use Magnesium for like It helping you to digest food, eases migraines, and promote healthy heart and bone health. Taking your vitamins is super important but to supplement with real food is life changing. You can feel assured your body is getting the nutrients it needs. One of my favourite applications to take my food and supplement intake is Cronometer.com. This makes is so easy to track what I need for the day in terms of Nutrient Targets.
I love Strawberries and I can never use all my bananas before they become too ripe. I freeze the bananas for smoothies and make banana bread too. I wanted to make a cute pretty cupcake and I saw the prettiest strawberries they were so vibrant. I remembered its my favourite time of year.
STRAWBERRY SEASON !!!
Here are some reasons to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables,
It is fresh tasting and freshly picked. These foods grown locally so you support your own community, and you can be assured the food is safe and healthy for you and your family. Very cost effective, when fruit is in season it significantly less expensive. It encourages you to try new options and create new recipes. You step outside of your comfort-zone.
My favourite reason is the Nutritional value year around, we are always encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables. Foods that are imported from different places are older and over time loose more of their nutrients. Local produce is harvested at its peak freshness and does travel as far of a distance to get to you. When we see the vibrant colours we have to have them and its good to know they are packed with nutrients too.
Reducing the carbon footprint, helps alleviate our dependence on fossil fuels, reduce air pollution and cut back on greenhouse gas emissions. Helping to restore our environment, for the next generation. 🙂
Now onto the star of the show the cupcakes! These cupcakes were easy to prepare and bake. Total time 45mins.
Enjoyment time : Priceless 🙂
Strawberry Puree Topping.
Step 1: In a medium saucepan, add one cup of sliced Strawberries, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of coconut sugar.
Step 2: Bring Strawberries to a boil for 3 minutes, constantly stirring. Reduce the strawberries to low temperature and keep stirring.
Step 3: Use a hand blender to puree the strawberries until smooth consistency.
Celery Juice is one of the trendiest juices this year. If you scroll your timeline you will see your favourite celebrity drinking celery juice. I was intrigued after reading about the benefits of this interesting Green juice!! Celery is full of Vitamin K which is great for our gut and bone and heart health. Celery also has a lot of anti-inflammatory properties. Celery Juice is immune boosting as well because celeries are high in Vitamin C.
I love my smoothie for the fiber and I love my juices for getting the most nutrients out of my vegetables. I can admit to adding a lot fruit to my smoothies but with my juices I enjoy the simplicity of just vegetables. Celeries contains vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, electrolytes, and water.
Folate ( Folic Acid) is important for women to have in their daily diets because it can help with fertility. Folic acid protects unborn children against serious birth defects called neural tube defects. It is important to get enough Folic acid To keep the blood healthy by helping red blood cells form and grow. Not getting enough folic acid can lead to a type of anemia called folate-deficiency anemia. All women need 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. Women who can get pregnant should get 400 to 800 micrograms of folic acid from a vitamin or from food like Celery.
You can also add cucumbers for added nutrients. beun provecho! xo
I have never been much of a breakfast person, and I am not a fan of eggs. So I usually opt for a smoothie or just coffee. I have been doing intermintent fasting for the past two months. ( I will post about my IF journey) After 18 hours of fasting I need something that will fuel me for the day. This super bowl of healthy fats, vitamins and nutrients is amazingly satisfying. It has quickly become my favourite breakfast!
I love Avocados and for good reasons. Avocados are loaded with Potassium, Healthy fats and full of Fibre. Avocados are IRRESISTIBLE, they are loaded with nutrients, weight loss friendly, heart healthy and, taste incredible. Who can resist avocados?
Spirulina is another amazing “superfood” with a number of health benefits. You can add a scoop to any liquid, however the taste isn’t favorable on its own. I love adding a scoop to my smoothies in the morning. Spirulina helps Introducing spirulina to the diet may help people lose weight without losing nutrition. Helps with insulin sensitivity, and lowers cholesterol. But for me one of the most important benefit is the antitoxic properties that help counteract pollutants in our body like arsenic, fluoride, iron,lead, and mercury.
This Smoothie bowl is super quick to prepare, it takes less than 10 mins to assemble. * Tip freeze your ripe bananas peeled and chopped, it makes them very convient for smoothies!! It also reduced wasted food by letting them go bad and tossing them out.
Topping for my Super Bowl include: Sliced Strawberries, Blueberries, blackberries , rolled oats ,almonds and shredded coconut! YUM!
This bowl was SOOO Good! I hope you try this and let me know how you like to top your smoothie bowls! Enjoy! Buen Provecho!!
I love infusing my water for many reasons, it helps me get my water intake in for the day! The water is packed with nutrients, and I love the taste along with the appearance. The fruit looks like precious jewels in a sea of water. This certainly makes the plain glass of water more appealing and of course you have to drink it in your favourite wine glass. 🙂
Some benefits of infused water: Improve skins appearance, metabolism, aids in weight-loss, and promotes blood circulation.
Strawberries are easily one of the most beautiful “super foods” loaded with many nutrients. I have always thought of fruit as the Nature Jewels from the earth. These ruby coloured fruits are absolutely stunning. I would love to add them to anything I eat! Especially water which sometimes can get awfully boring. I love to look at the beauty in everything so plain H20 is beautiful however I think we can kick it up a notch!
Adding Strawberries and Cucumbers served in a wine glass defiantly to my water to the next level. Here is the good part I didn’t have to add any artificially flavours or colour. It is natural and its tastes great! It will help you to boost your immunity and make your skin look flawless. I even think they can make you more beautiful. Strawberries have it has been called one of the major beauty fruits. IM SOLD!
The delicious fruit consist of health-promoting compounds like folic acid, vitamin C, and fibre. Vitamin C is known to be Immunity Boosting, which is great for your skin as it fights off free radicals. Fibre is essential in our diets to help eliminate harmful toxins in our bodies. Removal of these toxins is vital in having healthy skin. Folic acid aids in cell regeneration and the production of new cells in our bodies, which is important in the rejuvenation stage to produce glowing skin.
Cucumbers are low in calories and contain a good amount of water and soluble fiber, making them ideal for promoting hydration and aiding in weight loss.
Cucumbers are composed of about 96% water, which may increase hydration and help you meet your daily fluid need. The average person is recommended to drink 8 glass of water a day, which for some isn’t easy to do. Adding cucumbers to your water can absolutely help. Cucumber water can help improve you skin from the inside out. Staying hydrated helps your body to flush out toxins and maintain a healthy complexion. Cucumbers are also high in B5. vitamin B-5 has been used to improve acne and other skin conditions.
One of my all time favourite super foods is Matcha! Matcha is filled with antioxidants, packed with Vitamin C, Zinc and Magnesium. It is also a powerful dextoxifier that boosts your metabolism and burns tons of calories. Going along with my theme the “Green Cupcake” it was only right that my first recipe be a GREEN cupcake. This was easier said than done! I did a number of trial runs to get this recipe perfect. I finally got the approval of my testing panel- My niece Gabrielle 5 year old princess who dreams of unicorns, and her little brother Nathaniel who to him everything is gross and disgusting. Tough crowd! I figured I had to make a Green cupcake look as good as it tastes. Mission accomplished, they enjoyed them and even wanted seconds.
The cupcakes are Green fluffy, moist and naturally sweet! The topping of shredded coconut is just as good as sprinkles. I am so excited about these Green Cupcakes and could not wait to share the recipe. The preparation time for the these amazing cupcakes is 20 mins. I could easily be prepped ahead of time to cut the time in half.
*TIPS* pre-shred coconut and store ahead of time & leave butter out at room temperature to soften.
Here’s what you will need. You can use a stand-mixer, or hand mixer.
Prep | 20 mins
Cook | 35 mins
Ready in | 55 mins
Duration | 4 days
Recipe makes 12 medium cupcakes.
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
In a mixer soften butter and sugar.
Step 2:
Let mix on medium speed for 5 mins. Add eggs, Slowy add banana, coconut and Vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients. Mix on medium until everything is well combined.
Step 3:
Add matcha powder and food coloring to get desired color. Pour into Cupcake molds. Bake for 30 mins.
Step 4:
Insert a toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Use shredded Coconut to decorate cupcake.
I made a recipe card for these amazing cupcakes see below. I am working on a Dairy-free frosting that I will add to this cupcake. I think with or without the frosting these cupcakes meet anyones sweet tooth cravings.
The appearance of food has a major emotional effect on the way we eat for most of us. We eat with our eyes. It is no surprise that the most un-healthy foods for us are the most desired solely because of it’s “appearance”. I like to call this the Vanity of Food.
Giving the choice between a Juicy Apple or a Fluffy Cupcake with icing for dessert, majority of us our choosing the cupcake. The apple we know is healthy far less calories and will likely meet our desired sweet craving. However we opt for the Overly sugary cupcake will the same amount of calories as our meal. It looked way too good to miss out on, and we decided to indulge. A average Apple has only 52 Calories and 10grams of Sugar compared to the decadent cupcake which can have 440 Calories and 52grams of Sugar. The downward spiral continues.
This spiral is not limited to just desserts. I believe we indulge in this manner with almost everything we consume. All food gives us an emotional reaction. Wether you dance when you eat or salivate just looking at it. We connect with our food in an ethereal way. It is largely represented across all Social platforms. Food photography has a large presence in the way food is consume largely due to its captivating glory.
My latest obsession is what if I could make everything look like a beautiful cupcake, and still be relatively healthy. I love to try the latest food trends and diets, however I do not think the food looks appetizing. That is my mission was birthed, I need to find a way to make everything look visually desirable. I dance when I eat and that’s my guide for if its meeting the requirements amongst other measurements.
I am a Charmene a Aspiring Holistic Nutritionist, Part time Vegetarian and Beauty lover. I am sure I am not the only person who would prefer their meals to look as good as they taste. Welcome to the Vanity of food The Green Cupcake.
“ Be a beautiful Cupcake in a world full of muffins “
Green Cupcake 