Hello, hello my beautiful loves! I can’t tell you how good it feels to sit down & write a post this morning. It is now Thursday morning annddd I haven’t even been on my computer since Monday! For someone who normally spends a heck of a lot of time on the computer writing, emailing, social media-ing and editing writing/photos… that is one long ass time.

BUT the computer break hasn’t been for nothin’ — I have been doing some super fun stuff around here! On Tuesday morning I was on Larry King Now where I sat on a panel on orthorexia with two esteemed doctors & Larry himself. When I say that Larry is a MASTER at what he does… that is a huge, huge understatement. He has been in this business for well over 60 years (he’s 81!) and his familiarity with being on camera, reading the teleprompter, intrinsically knowing what questions to ask and how to engage his guests BLEW. MY. MIND. As an aspiring TV host of some sort, he seriously is a new idol of mine.

So that was freaking awesome & I will put the link to the show up the moment I have it! It will air in a couple of weeks.

Yesterday was extremely fun as well. I spent the day filming YouTube videos with BeGlammed – an on-demand beauty service where you can request hairstylists and makeup artists through an app on your iPhone! I adore working with the BeGlammed gals, and I even have a go-to makeup artist named Brittany who is also a Sactown girl in LA like me. We had a blast filming & can’t wait to share the beauty tutorials on our YouTube channels! And I spent the NIGHT having dinner with my BFFs and capturing it for the book.

I also still need to write & tell you all about my amazing experience at The Natural Products EXPO WEST a.k.a my version of Disneyland a.k.a Coachella Weekend Zero (right Brandin & Hayden?)

But first… What you’re here for:

Cashew Butter Green Dream Magic.

Also known as the most delicious, decadent, vanilla, CAKE-FLAVORED dreamy green superfood nut butter.

I’m serious about this. (If you want to skip right to the video, you officially have my permission to do so HERE.)

Sophie & I wanted to bring you guys something extra delicious & healthy for St. Paddy’s Day, since we know the holiday itself can be a bit of a beer & fried food fest. This is something yummy AND nutrient dense you can bring to a St. Paddy’s party, to work so you don’t get pinched, or to feed your kiddo’s while celebrating.

Also, filming this video with Sophie made me think of two things:

A) I want to film all videos with Sophie because I think we make a power team and she brings out the best in me and our love shines through on camera. And it’s fun to watch two people at once I think!

B) Filming makes me extremely happy & I want to do it as much as possible.

C) Making magic with your best friends can’t exactly be topped by ANYTHING.

^ See how much fun we were having?!?!?! Or at least me… LOL.

And without further ado, HERE is the video:

+ we are doing a fun GREEN DREAM super food powder giveaway for those who subscribe to the channel & comment telling us why they like the video!

Also, use the discount code “GreenHoliday” for 10% off Green Dream this weekend.

Last but not least, the recipe written out since I know that’s easier sometimes:

2 cups soaked cashews (soak for 1+ hour)

2 big pinches coconut flakes

1 heaped tablespoon coconut oil

2 tablespoons honey

few pinches Himalayan sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

BLEND & enjoy!

Happy St. Paddy’s Day my lova loves!! What’s everyone doing this weekend? I am running a Shamrock’n Half Marathon! Eeek!

I can roll with the first three, but beer is not my favorite thing. If I’m going to drink alcohol, I prefer a nice minty cocktail. Mojitos, anyone? Is that Irish enough to partake in the festivities?

Alas, alcohol is not my forte. You know what my real forte is – festive holiday treats. St. Patricks Day is one of my favorite holidays to create delicious vegan recipes for, because it’s all centered around a flavor I adore – peppermint! Now, the real question was, how one earth was I going to choose just one recipe to feature?

I could have made peppermint patty dark chocolate cups, reminiscent of the York peppermint patties that used to melt all over my hands when I was a kid because I ate them so slowly so as to savor every bite, but I decided to do something else. Instead I made this minty delish smoothie because I didn’t want to stray too far from my meal plan – which I inevitably would have done if I had those treats in the house, even if I planned on giving most of them away!

I’m not saying you shouldn’t indulge. You can and you SHOULD. It’s more that you should know when to indulge and what to indulge on. I am just getting going on my meal plan and have been extremely devoted to it for the last week. In one sense it feels like a lot of time and in another sense I know it’s truly the very beginning. It’s not a good time for me to be messing around and trying to indulge on something I know I will eat too much of if it’s there.

Secondly, I’m going on vacation next week and I know some indulgence will go down. I’m going to LA, and as desperately as I want to plan out all of my meals ahead of time, go directly from LAX to Whole Foods and meal prep for the entire weekend, all of my best friends live in LA and they keep my food obsessiveness in check. Of course they’re supportive of my meal plan, my veganism, my striving for balance and trying healthy restaurants with me (just check out my last LA post!), but they also saw me at the beginning of my journey (yeah, when I smuggled veggie burgers and fresh produce into Mexico…) and they know I can go a little overboard on the clean eating train.

Plus, it’s one of my very best friend’s birthdays when I’m in town. And I am not going to be a meal plan diva on his big day. I’m going to go with the flow… Even if that means eating (or drinking) a thing or two that’s out of my comfort zone. Say hi to the bday boy, also named Jordan

Then from LA I head to Mexico!!! I am SO excited. It should be easy to keep up with my meal plan there – we have a chef at the house, and I’ve emailed her my entire detailed meal plan. I will probably be a little psycho and make my smoothies myself… Particular Patty over here… But I can’t wait to see what she comes up with in terms of lentil soups, bean dishes, fresh fruits and garden salads. We’ve stayed at this house before and she (believe it or not) does not eat white flour, oil, or cheese herself. So she gets it and I trust her.

But my point is, with all of these exciting trips coming up, no need to fall off the wagon now! And a Shamrock Shake is indulgence enough for me. This bad boy was heaven in a jar.

Somehow I had the willpower to only drink half of the shake after this photo shoot and save the other half in my fridge. I had the rest this morning, and oh man was it good. The flavors combined overnight and it was the perfect amount of creamy, minty, decadent and refreshing. Will definitely be making this recipe St. Paddy’s Day and beyond!

Healthy Vegan Shamrock Shake

Ingredients:

½ cup almond milk

½ cup water

1 handful fresh spinach

1 handful fresh mint leaves

1 avocado (mine was on the smaller side – if large use ¾)

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

2 Medjool dates

½ tablespoon sweetener of choice (agave, raw honey, maple syrup or liquid stevia. I used raw local honey)

4 large pieces ice

Optional Topping Ideas:

Mint leaves, coconut shreds, walnuts, goji berries, blueberries, dark chocolate peppermint patties, cacao nibs.

Directions:

1. Pour all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Taste, and if you feel like it needs more mintiness, add more mint leaves and/or more peppermint extract to taste.

Nutrition Info: