Happy New Year! Just in case you are still deciding on your New Year’s resolutions, I found a bunch of quick and easy ones in Esquire Magazine.

1. If you’re going to sit naked on a couch, put a towel down
2. In emails, use capital letters at the start of sentences, except when in a real hurry
3. Join a gym. (I’m not saying go. Just join.)
4. Chew your food two times more per mouthful
5. Forgive yourself sometimes

And a bonus resolution? Maybe drink a bit of green juice when you’re in the mood. Here’s a recipe to help you out.

I now use a Breville juicer which works well enough.

The reason I remove the yellow part of the lemon skin is that it can be very bitter when juiced. I leave the white part of the skin on as it full of healthy bioflavonoids. This tangy, refreshing juice is great with breakfast, as an afternoon pick-me-up, or any other time of day.

Here are some additional juice recipes to quench your thirst for good nutrition:

• Ginger Lime Mocktail
• Apple Cider Soda
• Green Lemonade

The post Simple Green Juice appeared first on Elana's Pantry.

The perfect drink for your neighborhood Christmas cookie exchange or New Year’s Eve party, I serve these healthy Hot Toddies to both adults and children, and sometimes I make ‘em as an after school treat for the boys and the gaggle of friends they bring home.

It is best to start making this spicy, warming drink several hours before you plan to serve it as most crockpots can take time to come to temperature.

When making Hot Toddies, I’ve found it’s best to add the lemon at the end of the cooking process, as the rind can become bitter and over shadow the other flavors in this drink if the lemon is added to early.

I lightly sweeten this healthy beverage so that those looking to limit their intake of honey and other sugars can partake in it. I set out additional honey and stevia for guests (such as my boys) who want a sweeter Toddy.

Here are some of my other favorite warming beverage recipes:

• Ginger Licorice Tea
• Homemade Hot Apple Cider
• Peppermint Hot Chocolate

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Now you can make your own dairy free Pumpkin Spice Latte with coconut milk instead of cow’s milk. Make this beverage low sugar as well by using honey and stevia in place of refined sugar. I based my recipe on the Pumpkin Spice Latte from recipegirl.com. Lori’s site, gorgeous and hip, is a wonderful source of inspiration.

Did you ever wonder what’s in Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte? My curiosity reappears every fall when the advertisements for this delectable looking drink are rolled out. Now you can drink up dairy free Pumpkin Spice Lattes by the dozen!

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of cutting and roasting a pumpkin to make this dairy free drink, then you can experiment with leaving it out. You’ll still have a good dandelion root coffee based beverage with an abundance of healing pumpkin pie spices to make it taste like fall.

Here are some of my other warm and healing beverage recipes:

• Homemade Hot Apple Cider
• Peppermint Hot Chocolate
• Soothing Chai

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I love a good protein shake. I don’t love eating a lot of protein sans vegetables or fruit. This shake solves that issue with a healthy handful of kale. Yes, you heard me, kale.

I’ve had this gluten free, dairy free protein shake for breakfast the last three days in a row. I used kale that I picked from my garden. Starting the day off with a heaping dose of protein keeps my energy level up and helps me get in a better morning workout.

The boys are back in school, if you can believe that. They started last week. We are getting into a good groove and I welcome the routine, though I miss the houseful of boys that we had here all summer. It’s so quiet until my two arrive home with a gaggle of friends looking for food, which of course I’m more than happy to provide.

I haven’t offered them this Mint Chip Protein Shake yet, however, I will this week. And take note, this shake is not about hiding foods from your children (or adults), it’s about being able to eat something rich and smooth for breakfast that has a nice dose of fiber in it. I don’t think this tastes super kale-ish, however, it does have a good earthy flavor to it. I’m curious to see if you like it too.

Here are some other protein shakes for you:

• Breakfast Power Smoothie
• Kale Creamsicle
• Greeña Colada

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Peppermint Hot Chocolate is easy to make, and far better than the instant hot chocolate that comes in a package, which is loaded with sugar and definitely not dairy free. Additionally, I find this soothing and healthy beverage to be a great substitute for all of the peppermint candy floating around this time of year.

I make this dairy free hot chocolate with coconut milk, and thankfully, it does not contain a coconut-ish flavor; it is a rich and chocolatey hot beverage. Use a high quality organic chocolate for a healthier and tastier result.

This Peppermint Hot Chocolate recipe is easy to make and full of nutritious ingredients –just don’t tell your children!

Dark chocolate is a great treat during the holidays when we are inundated with sugary, unhealthy desserts.

Chocolate is a functional food that is both low on the glycemic index and full of powerful antioxidants.  The heart healthy flavonoids in dark chocolate lower blood pressure and decrease blood clotting.  It is also thought that dark chocolate fights cardiovascular disease, as well as premature aging and cancer.

Go ahead and get yourself some chocolate, and let us know what your favorite dark chocolate recipe is.

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Tonight is the start of the season for sugar overload. What to do? Spicy apple cider soda! A perfectly healthy drink that will satisfy your sweet tooth with a variety of delicious and healthy super spices including cinnamon and ginger.

While I love homemade Hot Apple Cider, I find that this naturally sweet, cold cider drink is a festive alternative to the customary hot cider beverage. And since you’ll still be mulling your cider on the stove to make this soda, your house will reap the wonderfully smelling aroma.

We all need a good nutritional boost during the holiday season when we are inundated with junk food and an abundance of sweets. I find that if I have something sweet to sip on it is easier for me to avoid the dietary pitfalls that leave me lagging.

Spices can be superfoods and cinnamon is no exception. Cinnamon is a sweet and warming spice that is good for controlling blood sugar; it is also thought to boost brain function and improve colon health. Further, it has antimicrobial properties.

Ginger is spicy and pungent. I like to cook with fresh ginger and also use it in the homemade teas that I brew on the stove top (when the boys are coming down with a cold I make then Ginger Licorice Tea). Ginger has warming properties that make it an effective aid in digestion. It is also anti-inflammatory and immune boosting.

Cinnamon and ginger are two of my favorite spices –they are both healing, flavorful and delicious.

Here’s hoping that this sweet drink with warming herbal properties helps to satisfy our sweet cravings during this holiday season. What strategies will you use to stay in balance during the holidays?

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I love a good cool, yet spicy drink in the summer.  This Iced Ginger Chai recipe is based on one of my favorite products, Bhakti Chai.  It’s heavy on the ginger, cardamom and black pepper which I love.

While I love Bhakti Chai, it does not like me; there is way too much caffeine in this drink for my body type (vata). Even the decaffeinated product contains small amounts of caffeine, so in my version, I use roiboos tea as the base, to get that black tea flavor without the caffeine.

There are many ways that you could adapt this recipe, more spices, less spices, different spices, ground spices –feel free to experiment with it, and if you do, please be sure to stop back by, join the conversation, let us know what changes you made and how well they worked.

In my extensive cache of gluten free recipes, I do have a recipe for a hot chai which you may enjoy.  I haven’t yet tried to serve it over ice and am not sure how that would work.  I love serving either of my chai recipes with gluten free biscotti and have 4 recipes for healthy high protein biscotti below:

Here are some more cold chai recipes from other food bloggers:
-Sweet Hemp Milk Chai Latte from Kelly of The Spunky Coconut
-Masala Chai from Judith of Dance While You Cook
-Dairy Free Frozen Orange Ginger Tea Latte from Alea of My Real Food Life

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I don’t drink alcohol, however, I absolutely love fun, girly drinks in fancy glasses.  Hence, this deliciously refreshing, non-alcoholic beverage that I am calling a Ginger Lime Mocktail.  I think you could also call this sparkling zesty drink liquid superfood.  The ginger is full of anti-oxidants, good for digestion and is also anti-viral and anti-fungal.  The lime juice is packed with Vitamin C and bioflavanoids.

Today was our first beautiful summer day, and the boys are out of school for summer vacation already; so to celebrate I’ve been drinking this yummy mocktail all day.

Here are some of my favorite mocktail recipes on Elana’s Pantry:

• Watermelon Aguas Frescas
• Orange Fizzie Cocktail
• DIY Sparkling Beverage
• Lemon Cooler

The winners of last weeks giveaway for the Cook It Allergy Free iPad/iPhone app are Donna C and Jessica Lopez!

Here are a few more refreshing cool drinks you might enjoy from some of my blogging friends:
-Sparkling Watermelonade from Silvana of Silvana’s Kitchen
-Homemade Tonic Water from Georgia of Georgia Pellegrini
-Apricot Spritzer from Lexie of Lexie’s Kitchen

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With March approaching, I’m starting to think about the possibility of a spring detox and one of my favorite healing roots –dandelion. Dandelion is a fantastic liver cleanser and spring is the perfect season for liver support.

According to Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, dandelion root has bitter, sweet and cooling properties, making it optimal for the pitta dosha.

Although I use various parts of the dandelion for healing, here, I’m focusing on the root which is a good blood purifying herb. The root is also a useful remedy for stomachaches, and in herbal medicine is said to be beneficial for hypoglycemia and high blood pressure.

How can you get these benefits? According to The Way of Herbs, “roasted dandelion root makes a pleasant beverage that can be consumed daily.  It combines well with “kukicha” tea, or chicory root.” I take my dandelion root with chicory which gives the beverage a deliciously bitter, coffee-like flavor. I also add cinnamon sticks to my Dandelion Root Coffee, because I love cinnamon and also consider it a “super” spice with extremely healing properties –though that’s a post for another time. Here’s a most delicious way to take healing dandelion root.

Dandelion Root CoffeeNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
4 cups water
2 tablespoons roasted dandelion root
2 tablespoons roasted chicory root
1 cinnamon stick

1. Place water, dandelion root, chicory root and cinnamon stick in a pot
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes
3. Pour coffee through a small mesh strainer into cups and serve

Serves 2-4

I was taught 20 years ago during my Ayurvedic training that it is important when making tea with roots to boil for 2-3 minutes to release their healing properties.

And I cannot forget to mention the synchronistic dandelion incident that took place with my friend Kelly from celiacchicks.com.  When I was in New York City in fall 2009 to promote The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, I was feeling a little sloggy and craving my dandelion coffee.  At one of the signings (which Kelly so graciously arranged!) I grabbed myself a hot water; Kelly whipped out a bag of dandelion tea (from her purse, no less!) and proffered it upon me.  Hence began our discussion of our mutual love affair with the dandelion root.

My fascination with this amazing herb is also chronicled on my other website My Dandelion is a Flower.

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We had a huge snowstorm here last night and I made my family a batch of this warming Mexican Hot Chocolate.  A hot drink is perfect for a cold day, and it’s even better when warming spices such as cinnamon, chili and cayenne are added.

There is a ton of cinnamon in this recipe, so if you’re not a cinnamon fan, you might want to reduce the amount from 1 tablespoon to 1 teaspoon.  Why do I use so much cinnamon?  Well, first, I just love the taste of the stuff.  Second, many studies have been done of late pointing to cinnamon as a spice that may help to control blood sugar levels.  Pretty neat stuff, huh?

Here are some other hot chocolate recipes you may enjoy:
-Delicious Hot Chocolate from Joy The Baker
-Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate by Savory Sweet Life
-Spanish-Style Hot Chocolate from Gluten-Free Gobsmacked

I want to thank Shirley of Gluten Free Easily and Kim from Cook It Allergy Free for their lovely reviews of my Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.  I really appreciate the kind words in each of these reviews and the astute observations that Shirley and Kim provide about using almond flour and my recipes.

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