Mexican Hot Chocolate

One reason we love the holidays is the nostalgia, which harks back to those years we were little kids. Snow pants and sledding, fireplaces and family. Unfortunately, we’re adults now and have to beg our bosses for days off between Christmas and New Year's. As a make-good on growing older, we’ve got an iconic childhood treat—a mug of hot-chocolate—and made it adults-only with the help of George Clooney and his small-batch, ultra-premium Casamigos Tequila. Use premium, organic dark chocolate and reap the benefits of antioxidants and a little fiber, plus the compound capsaicin in cayenne acts as a pain reliever, which will be helpful after you wipe out snowboarding. This cocktail version is care of Pamela Wiznitzer , president of the New York chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild. Ellouise’s Note: Of course, I would never use tequila since I don’t drink but I like the idea of the pain relievers in cayenne because I’m in constant pain! Mexican Hot Chocolate INGREDIENTS High quality dark chocolate hot cocoa 1½ ounces Casamigos Reposado tequila ¼ ounces agave nectar © Romulo A Yanes 1 pinch cayenne powder 1 pinch salt 1 homemade marshmallow (optional) DIRECTIONS Prepare hot chocolate according to package directions. In a mug, stir together 4½ ounces hot chocolate, tequila, agave, cayenne and salt and top with marshmallow, if using. 193 calories per serving. Pro-tip: If you’re feeling a little pyro, take a kitchen torch—like the one you’d use for crème brûlée—to the top of the marshmallow after you’ve placed it in the mug.

Apple Juice Oatmeal

I have oatmeal nearly every day in one form or another. This is a simple version that requires no sugar to taste sweet! 1/2 cup apple juice (no sugar added) 1 cup oatmeal 1/4 cup raw hemp hearts Sugar free syrup, if desired Soak oatmeal and hemp hearts in apple juice overnight. Add more apple juice if needed. Cook very slowly until the oatmeal is very smooth, stirring occasionally. Add a bit of syrup of desired.

Acorn Squash, Roasted Carrots, Grilled Onions

Root vegetables on a cold day with a good book! Acorn squash Sweet Potatoes Onions Wash veggies with Fruit and Vegetable Rinse. Cut acorn squash in half (lengthwise or crosswise) and scoop out the seeds. Place upside down in about 1" of water in a baking pan. Bake at 400 for about 45 minutes (check by putting a fork into it. When it's soft, it's done. Cut sweet potatoes about 2" long and into slices. Place in a different roasting pan with a little olive oil, salt and rosemary leaves. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes or, if you like them caramelized, you can bake longer. Chop onions and place into a skillet with a little olive oil. Fry the onions until the are caramelized.

Non-gluten Buckwheat Pancakes with Blueberries

Buckwheat isn't really wheat and so my gluten sensitive friends can eat it without reacting. Yea! Blueberries feed the brain, so this is an excellent breakfast. Bob's Red Mill buckwheat pancake mix Frozen blueberries Sugar free pancake syrup Mix up the buckwheat pancake mix as directed (I like it a little thinner than the recipe so I put a bit more liquid in) Heat a griddle fairly hot (like you would for crepes) Add a little olive oil Pour in the pancake mix (I like large ones) and let cook for a minute or so Add blueberries on top flip the pancake when there are bubbles all over the top Put Earth Balance on the pancake and some sugar free syrup.

Yummy Sort of Raw Lunch!

My favorite snack is quacamole and cauliflower (I don't like chips). To make that snack into a lunch, just add a few more veggies and some hummus. Cauliflower Baby Carrots Celery Hummus Guacamole Wash veggies with Fruit and Vegetable rinse. Cut cauliflower into medium florets. Cut celery into small pieces. Dip veggies into hummus and/or guacamole. My Chipotle hummus recipe works really well for this. It's on a previous post.

Kitchen Sink Blender Drink

For lunch, I love a blender drink. This one is quick, healthy, filling, and tasty! 2 cups cranberry juice (sugar free) 1 cup frozen blueberries 1/4 cup raw hemp hearts 1/4 cup cranberries 1 handful raw spinach 1 slice raw pineapple 2-3 bananas Put ingredients into VitaMix in order listed and blend until well blended. Drink and be healthy!

Cranberry Oatmeal with Blueberries and Hemp Hearts (can be a raw breakfast)

When I was a child, I ate Wheat Hearts every morning because I had to make my own breakfast and that's all I knew how to make. I piled on tons of sugar and butter to make it palatable. This is WAY healthier and much tastier and there's no sugar! Cranberries are very good for the bladder, hemp has a lot of protein and other nutrients, and oatmeal is a heart healthy choice. 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal 1/2 cup sugar free cranberry juice (add more as needed) 1/4 cup raw hemp hearts 1 cup frozen organic blueberries 1/4 cup cranberries (optional) 1/4 cup raw walnuts (optional) 2 bananas, sliced Sugar free syrup

Put the oatmeal in a pan with the cranberry juice and the raw hemp hearts. Soak overnight. If you are going to eat it raw, put the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend them up. It's delicious that way! To cook, turn on low heat and cook slowly until the oatmeal is very smooth. Add the blueberries, cranberries, raw walnuts and banana slices. Stir and let sit for about 5 minutes. Add a bit of sugar free syrup for decoration.

Latte with Heart!

I made up this recipe this morning & it is very yummy! 3 cups distilled water 2 packages of instant coffee (regular or decaf) 1/4 cup hemp hearts 1 teaspoon pure Vanilla 2or 3 frozen bananas Put distiller water, coffee, hemp, & vanilla into blender & blend until smooth. Add

Pink Applesauce

One of my friends gave me some yellow delicious apples, another gave me some Asian pears and I had some cranberry juice on hand. Put them all together and voila! A yummy hot applesauce! Yellow delicious apples (however many you have) Asian pears (however many you want) Cranberry juice - small amount First, wash the fruit with Fruit and Vegetable Rinse. Cut up the apples into small chunks. You can leave in the seeds if you have a VitaMix, it will be extra fiber for your body and you can't taste it. Fill up the Vita Mix about 3/4 of the way with the apple chunks. Fill the rest of the way with cut up Asian pears. Put in about 1/2 cup cranberry juice (I use the unsweetened kind). Blend until well blended. It can be eaten raw or heated in a crockpot. Sprinkle cinnamon on it. if you like. It can be reheated or frozen and reheated.

Anti-inflammation Drink

I have been drinking this drink for about a week and it really helps inflammation! If you like chai tea, you will like it! U got this recipe from my physical therapist, Zachariah. Thanks, Zachariah! 18-20 oz Silk Almond/Coconut milk 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground turmeric pinch black pepper 20 oz shaker bottle Put the milk into the shaker bottle. Add the ginger, turmeric and black pepper. Shake well. Enjoy!