This is my absolute favorite Autumn treat! Rich and creamy yet nut free which makes it a lower fat splurge. It is so easy with no ice cream maker required.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Recipe

2 cups     Butternut Squash (cooked or raw)
1/4 cup   Coconut Butter
1/4 cup   Maple Syrup
1/2 tbsp  Pumpkin Pie Spice
or
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice
2 tsp       Vanilla Extract
Pinch      Sea Salt
Water (to get blender moving if needed)

Blend all the ingredients in a Vitamix or high speed blender.
Pour mixture into a freezer friendly airtight container and freeze till firm.
Scoop out and garnish with pecans and enjoy!

My very good friend and right hand woman Kim absolutely loves this recipe so I thought I’d share.
I also made this for a Vitamix event this week and we had great reviews!

Apple Crumble Crust

4½ c. pecan (do not soak)
3 T. well-packed, finely chopped dates
2 T. cinnamon
1 T. vanilla
1/8 t. sea salt

In a food processor, for 1 minute blend 3 cups of pecans, cinnamon, vanilla, and
salt. Continue to process while adding small amounts of dates. Place in a bowl
with remaining pecans. Press into a 12×10 inch pan, setting aside 1 ½ cups for
topping.

Filling
13 c. apples, sliced
¼ c. lemon juice
1 T. vanilla
Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Evenly distribute the filling on top of
the crust. Add the remaining crust on top of the filling. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Whipped Cream

1 c. coconut milk
1 c.  cashews
¼ c.  agave, raw
honey, or maple syrup
2 T.  lecithin
1t.  pure vanilla
1 t. lemon juice
½ c.  melted coconut oil

Note: To make coconut milk, blend 1/4 cup dried,
shredded coconut with 1 cup water, until completely smooth and creamy.

I have been going crazy over dill this summer and I want to share this amazing dip/dressing that I have been making. Forgive me but I usually just whip it together so measurements may vary.

Check out the amazing health benefits of dill…here

Dillmazing Dip
1 cup veganaise
1/2 cup or more of fresh dill, chopped fine
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp. garlic infused sea salt

Mix well and serve with your favorite veggies or flax crackers
or add it to your next mixed greens salad.

If you missed last weeks blog, just scroll down and check out Barbie’s health checkup…
Here are more measurements for Barbie, so proud…

Neck  14.5 inches to 14.25 inches
-.25

Shoulder 48.75 inches  to 46 inches
-2.25

Arm  17.5 inches  to 16.25 inches
-1.25

Chest  54.5 inches  to 50.75
-3.75

Rib Cage  52.5 inches  to 48.5 inches
-4

Waist 53 inches  to 46 inches
-7

Midsection 70.5 inches  to 61.75
-8.75

Hips  70 inches to 65.5
-4.5

Thigh 30.5 inches  to 28.75 inches
-1.75

Knee  22.5 inches to 18.5 inches
-4

Calf  18.75 inches  to 18 inches
-.75

Ankle  10.5 inches  to same

Total:
38.25 inches lost

This is a message we received from one of our very special and very hard working clients Barbie. She has been such a pleasure to work with and we are so proud of her. Her journey started with us after she did our Fat Flush in late February and she has been rocking it out ever since. In less than 5 months she has really done a great job!
Below I have posted her results and I have also added one of her favorite recipes…

Hi Pieter and Marisa,

Below are the results of my testing this morning- Huge difference compared to testing in November 2011.  My weight this morning was 292 on their scale. (Previous weight was 328)

Fasting Blood Sugar  89  to 80  -  down 9
Total Cholesterol  196  to 146 – down 50
LDL Cholesterol (bad) 97  to 73 – down 24
HDL Cholesterol (good)  81  to 56 – down 25
Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio  2.42  to 2.6
Triglycerides  89  to 86 – down 3
BMI 57.32 to 53.2 – down 4.12

Looks like all of our hard work is paying off! Thank you for your dedication and encouragement in this journey. I’m so blessed to have both of you in my life. Barbie

Cheezy Rawvioli
2 turnips, tomatoes or beets
1 cup pine nuts or soaked cashews
2 tsp lemon Juice
1 ½ tbsp   tamari or Bragg Liquid Amino
1-2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp  nutritional yeast
1 tsp thyme or rosemary (dried, optional)
2-4 tbsp Water (if needed)

1. Slice the turnips/tomato/beet into very thin rounds ideally with a mandolin or spiral slicer, but if you don’t have one you can use a knife. Set aside.
2. Add remaining ingredients to food processor or blender and process until smooth. Taste for seasonings.
3. Spoon fillings into turnips… either fold or place another round on top to make raviolis. Serve with or without tomato marinara.

Marinara Sauce:
2 ½  cups tomatoes
10 sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
3 dates (pitted, soaked in warm water at least 10 minutes)
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp basil
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 tsp sea Salt

For thinner sauce: Place all ingredients into food processor or blender, and blend untilsmooth.
For thicker sauce: Use hand style chopper or mix by hand ensuring to break up dates andsundried tomatoes.

My new favorite thing to do is to make smoothies that are pretty colors so that kids can’t say ewww its green! I decided to take that idea and make Popsicles the same way. I found that it is easy to add carrots to recipes without changes the color a whole lot. So here it goes and I encourage you to try some fun combinations yourself.

Ruby Red Fruit Popsicles
1lb of red berries (I like to use raspberry/strawberry)
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup-1 cup carrot

Puree the ingredients in a Vitamix and pour into Popsicles molds and freeze. If you do not have Popsicle molds just use Dixie cups and Popsicle sticks.

Ideas:

• replace berries with kiwis and replace carrots with spinach if your kids think green is cool
• replace berries with pineapple or freshly squeezed orange juice for a golden delight

Outdoor Boot Camp is Back!

Here’s what you need to know:

• Bootcamp will be held at Strongsville Metroparks every Tuesday/Thursday 6:45-7:45pm & Saturdays 8-9am from June 12th-June 30th
  (We ask that you commit to at least three days a week for best results)
• We’re cutting the cost from our regular class price of $120 down to only $79 for this special 21 day bootcamp.
• We’re also including a free life style specific meal plan to help you get even faster results.

Throw some watermelon (no added water necessary) in your Vitamix with some kale or spinach and enjoy a refreshing summer smoothie!

Living a healthy and weight conscious life doesn’t mean that you have to give up your favorite chocolate cake for good! Allow yourself to splurge on special occasions—guilt free! Remember that moderation is key.

For this holiday weekend try this Gluten-free Veggie Filled Pasta Salad so that you can save calories for your sweet treat!

This recipe was inspired by a delicious recipe my Sister brings to parties, but this is my twist.

4 cups spiral multi-color rice noodles (I use Tinkyada Pasta Joy)
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
4 carrots, shredded
(you can also use any veggies you like)
1/4 cup Italian Dressing or more if you like

Italian Dressing

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup  raw apple cider vinegar
1 clove of organic garlic
2/3 cup pure water
2/3 cup olive oil
1-1/2 tsp Sea salt
3 tsp Italian seasoning

In honor of Cinco de mayo this past weekend…

Marisa’s Spicy Salsa

5-6 tomatoes, medium
1 green pepper
1 sweet pepper
1 hot pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
½ red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemons, juiced
½ C cilantro, chopped
1 t sea salt or more to taste

In a food processor, pulse chop all ingredients to desired consistency.