This recipe comes from my latest book Vegan Cooking For Dummies – order it here!

You can mix up the other ingredients to your liking:

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Chilling In The Fridge Time: Overnight

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup soy, hemp, rice, or almond milk

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup chopped dried apples or fruit juice-sweetened cranberries

1/4 cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped

2 tablespoons chopped almonds

1 tablespoons brown rice syrup or maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients except for the flaxseeds in a medium mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate.

2. Remove the cover in the morning and sprinkle with flaxseeds and serve cold or at room temperature.

Per serving:

415 calories, 10 grams fat, 0 cholesterol, 170 sodium, 75 carbohydrates, 11 dietary fiber, 12 grams protein

It usually comes over me when I pass by some fast food outlet and smell the fried food aromas drifting through the air. It’s amazing how long that food-programming lasts, considering the last time I really ate fast food was in high school. Sometimes when we’re having pizza and movie night on Friday’s at home (yes, I eat pizza and I love it! Pizza Plus in my Brooklyn neighborhood delivers the best whole wheat pie with Diaya cheese and zucchini slices you can imagine!) I’ll indulge in a frosty beverage, but it’s not the iconic red cans of dark cola I used to enjoy.

Coke, Pepsi, and other major colas aren’t part of my diet anymore. I learned that most sodas contain phosphoric acid, which can cause your bones to lose calcium due to the high acidity. Back in high school and college I would drink a Super Big Gulp from 7-11 several days a week, and most Americans can relate. Sodas sweetened with high fructose corn syrup make up the majority of American’s calorie intake.

I get a lot of questions from friends about whether they should avoid certain foods, and soda tops the list. Diet sodas seem to elicit the biggest worries, because they might have heard about studies linking artificial sweeteners to cancer, Alzheimer’s, or other health concerns.

I never liked the taste of diet sodas, and still find artificial sweeteners like Splenda and Equal to leave a funny after taste. My friend Val, belly dancer extraordinaire, described it perfectly: “This tastes like toothpaste!”

So I’ve decided to do a little experimentation and test out the new range of naturally sweetened sodas that are lining the shelves of health food store aisles these days.

My first taste test brings us to the world of diet sodas: ZEVIA.

http://www.zevia.com/products_natural.html

Including stevia, erythritol (a natural sugar alcohol that, like xylitol, doesn’t contribute to dental decay), natural caramel, natural tartaric acid, citric acid, kola nut extract, natural caffeine, annatto, and ginger root, Zevia offers several flavors including ginger ale, orange, cherry lime, and cola.

ZEVIA is sweetened with non-caloric stevia extract, which is derived from a South American herb also known as sweet leaf. Although it appears to be a new trend, use of stevia is not new. South American tribes have sweetened their diets with with leaves from the sweet leaf plant and attribute medicinal properties to the herb. Stevia has been used in Japan since the 1970′s when sugar-free sweeteners began to grow in popularity.

Stevia has been banned in Europe, and has been labeled as a dietary supplement, but not as a sweetener, here in the US for decades. It is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and truly has virtually no calories.

MY TASTE TEST: I tried the cola, ginger ale and orange flavors from Zevia. The cola tasted exactly like my memory of Diet Coke! I have to say I haven’t had a Diet Coke in at least 12 years, so my tongue might have a different opinion from a regular drinker. The ginger ale flavor tasted more like tooth paste (thanks Val), and wasn’t very gingery. In fact, we realized that Tom’s of Maine ginger toothpaste has more ginger flavor than this soda! Finally, the orange soda was my favorite, which was a total surprise. I grew up playing soccer and our coach always had orange soda for our half-time beverage. Even as a sugar-a-holic young kid, I didn’t like orange soda because it tasted so thick and unnatural. But Zevia’s orange soda was lighter and clean tasting without being overly sweet.

So, if you like diet soda but want to move away from the artificial colors and artificial sweeteners, try ZEVIA. You can also try these packets of Stevia to take in your bag, car, or to your office – they’re just like sugar packets, without the sugar!

Next time I’ll talk about another brand of soda and how to make your own at home!

8 Week Tele-Series

Starting February 15th at 2pm EST

**How to get a Detox Box worth over $100 for free just by signing up early

How will the program work and what will I get?

Every Tuesday for 8 weeks, the 20 members will call in to a special conference call line. I’ll introduce a few topics about food and healthy living each week, and we’ll discuss the best, easiest ways that the members can experiment and explore the new information.

Every member will have a chance to ask questions and share ideas and concerns.

Your privacy is a top priority for me, and our community will create a shared, safe space to grow as a group.

Worried you might miss a class?

Each call will be recorded! That way you can download and listen to the calls later if you need to miss a call, come late, or leave early. You can download each call to keep forever on your computer if you so wish. The information we’ll share will serve you well for years to come!

YOU’LL ALSO RECEIVE TONS OF EASY, HEART HEALTHY RECIPES THAT WILL HELP YOU DEVELOP DELICIOUS VITALITY EVERY DAY, WITHOUT SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN THE KITCHEN –

HERE’S ONE OF MY FAVORITES!

Ready to reserve your spot? Go here for more on the 8 Week Red Hot Hearts Tele-Course with Alex: http://www.nutritionforempoweredwomen.com/blog/red-hot-hearts/

Members will also have access to a private online-classroom and e-group for support and resources between calls.

And this tele-series doesn’t just take on the dietary and nutritional aspects of improving cardiovascular health while enabling  gentle detoxification. We’ll also practice delicious, simple, yet profoundly effective ways to create a loving sense of acceptance for your body exactly as it is now – which is as important as choosing the “right” foods to healing your body.

“Love is the greatest touch-up artist of all.”

~Robert Brault

**Did you know you could also get a bonus box of goodies and resources if you sign up by 2/3? I’ll send a box filled with valuable materials to every member who signs up by 2/3 at 2pm EST. The box will include a signed copy of my book The Great American Detox as well as other valuable goodies, for a total worth of over $100! Cool!

Ready to sign up? http://www.nutritionforempoweredwomen.com/blog/red-hot-hearts/

Not sure if this program is right for you? Write to me at alex@nutritionforempoweredwomen.com and I’ll be in touch when I return from my Costa Rica retreat with Ariel & Shya Kane on 1/31! (INCLUDE LINK TO TRANSFORMATIONMADEEASY.COM)

8 Week Tele-Series

Starting February 15th at 2pm EST

**How to get a Detox Box worth over $100 for free just by signing up early

How will the program work and what will I get?

Every Tuesday for 8 weeks, the 20 members will call in to a special conference call line. I’ll introduce a few topics about food and healthy living each week, and we’ll discuss the best, easiest ways that the members can experiment and explore the new information.

Every member will have a chance to ask questions and share ideas and concerns.

Your privacy is a top priority for me, and our community will create a shared, safe space to grow as a group.

Worried you might miss a class?

Each call will be recorded! That way you can download and listen to the calls later if you need to miss a call, come late, or leave early. You can download each call to keep forever on your computer if you so wish. The information we’ll share will serve you well for years to come!

YOU’LL ALSO RECEIVE TONS OF EASY, HEART HEALTHY RECIPES THAT WILL HELP YOU DEVELOP DELICIOUS VITALITY EVERY DAY, WITHOUT SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN THE KITCHEN –

HERE’S ONE OF MY FAVORITES!

Ready to reserve your spot? Go here for more on the 8 Week Red Hot Hearts Tele-Course with Alex: http://www.nutritionforempoweredwomen.com/blog/red-hot-hearts/

Members will also have access to a private online-classroom and e-group for support and resources between calls.

And this tele-series doesn’t just take on the dietary and nutritional aspects of improving cardiovascular health while enabling  gentle detoxification. We’ll also practice delicious, simple, yet profoundly effective ways to create a loving sense of acceptance for your body exactly as it is now – which is as important as choosing the “right” foods to healing your body.

“Love is the greatest touch-up artist of all.”

~Robert Brault

**Did you know you could also get a bonus box of goodies and resources if you sign up by 2/3? I’ll send a box filled with valuable materials to every member who signs up by 2/3 at 2pm EST. The box will include a signed copy of my book The Great American Detox as well as other valuable goodies, for a total worth of over $100! Cool!

Ready to sign up? http://www.nutritionforempoweredwomen.com/blog/red-hot-hearts/

Not sure if this program is right for you? Write to me at alex@nutritionforempoweredwomen.com and I’ll be in touch when I return from my Costa Rica retreat with Ariel & Shya Kane on 1/31! (INCLUDE LINK TO TRANSFORMATIONMADEEASY.COM)

Order your copy of the Great American Detox Diet Here:

Great American Detox Diet

Order your copy of the Great American Detox Diet Here:

Great American Detox Diet

Here’s the real scoop: trying to lose weight in winter is the hardest, and most unnatural, time of year to reduce your calorie intake. This whole New Year’s Resolution for weight loss is arbitrary, media-hyped, and a losing-bet. The human body naturally tries to keep weight on in the winter as a survival technique. Confused? Keep reading and I’ll tell you more.

Your body goes through seasonal changes just like trees, plants, and hibernating animals. The human body uses calories to keep us warm and naturally holds onto fat to help us weather the freezing weather. Since calories = heat = winter survival, eating gives your body the fuel it needs to protect itself from cold winds, frigid temperatures, and walking your kid to and from school 20 minutes in sub-freezing temperatures twice a day.

Limiting your calorie intake in the winter flips an invisible switch that triggers your body’s natural survival mechanisms to store fuel like a squirrel hiding nuts.  The crazy part is, restricting your food intake starting January 1^st can actually cause your body to create more fat storage.

So wait until springtime for a real cleansing and calorie restriction program. Honor your human nature and give your body the calories it needs to get through winter successfully – but this doesn’t mean you can throw all caution to the wind!

January is a great time to create a Resolution about food and health: Decide to transform your menus into natural, real meals filled with whole foods and seasonal ingredients. Get acquainted with whole grains, beans, seasonal veggies from your area, nuts, seeds, and sea vegetables. Create a new habit of including whole grains, beans, and steamed leafy greens at least twice a day. Use the seasonal produce available in your area to bring balance and energy to your body while you remove the junky, processed, and packaged foods this winter.

By changing the quality of your meals, rather than focusing on the quantity of calories and restricting yourself during this season, you can create a total body transformation that will give you the energy you need to make big changes to your weight in the spring when cleansing and reducing is more appropriate. The cool thing is this: when you start shifting your foods to be natural and high-quality, your weight will slowly start reducing on its own! But not in a forced, deprivation style. You’ll get balanced. Your energy will be better. You’ll sleep better and have an easier time kicking caffeine and sugar cravings.

If you want to make this shift with expert guidance, camaraderie, and support, you can sign up for 1 of 20 spots available in my upcoming Red Hot Hearts Tele-Series, which begins 2/15/11. The program provides recipes, meal planning, support, emotional guidance and fun!

I’d be glad to have you!

I hope you have a blessed year full of fun, adventure, healthy vibes, and laughs!

Be well,

Alex

Here’s the real scoop: trying to lose weight in winter is the hardest, and most unnatural, time of year to reduce your calorie intake. This whole New Year’s Resolution for weight loss is arbitrary, media-hyped, and a losing-bet. The human body naturally tries to keep weight on in the winter as a survival technique. Confused? Keep reading and I’ll tell you more.

Your body goes through seasonal changes just like trees, plants, and hibernating animals. The human body uses calories to keep us warm and naturally holds onto fat to help us weather the freezing weather. Since calories = heat = winter survival, eating gives your body the fuel it needs to protect itself from cold winds, frigid temperatures, and walking your kid to and from school 20 minutes in sub-freezing temperatures twice a day.

Limiting your calorie intake in the winter flips an invisible switch that triggers your body’s natural survival mechanisms to store fuel like a squirrel hiding nuts.  The crazy part is, restricting your food intake starting January 1^st can actually cause your body to create more fat storage.

So wait until springtime for a real cleansing and calorie restriction program. Honor your human nature and give your body the calories it needs to get through winter successfully – but this doesn’t mean you can throw all caution to the wind!

January is a great time to create a Resolution about food and health: Decide to transform your menus into natural, real meals filled with whole foods and seasonal ingredients. Get acquainted with whole grains, beans, seasonal veggies from your area, nuts, seeds, and sea vegetables. Create a new habit of including whole grains, beans, and steamed leafy greens at least twice a day. Use the seasonal produce available in your area to bring balance and energy to your body while you remove the junky, processed, and packaged foods this winter.

By changing the quality of your meals, rather than focusing on the quantity of calories and restricting yourself during this season, you can create a total body transformation that will give you the energy you need to make big changes to your weight in the spring when cleansing and reducing is more appropriate. The cool thing is this: when you start shifting your foods to be natural and high-quality, your weight will slowly start reducing on its own! But not in a forced, deprivation style. You’ll get balanced. Your energy will be better. You’ll sleep better and have an easier time kicking caffeine and sugar cravings.

If you want to make this shift with expert guidance, camaraderie, and support, you can sign up for 1 of 20 spots available in my upcoming Red Hot Hearts Tele-Series, which begins 2/15/11. The program provides recipes, meal planning, support, emotional guidance and fun!

I’d be glad to have you!

I hope you have a blessed year full of fun, adventure, healthy vibes, and laughs!

Be well,

Alex