Zuddha

Zuddha Kids

admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:50:20 +0000

Now that I’m a mommy and wifey, I don’t just have to think of my own nutrition and health. I have to consider my child and husbands well-being as well.

eating a cucumber in Israel

My son, Kai, is 17 months old. His first solid food was butternut squash pureed, followed by a puree of green vegetables.He didn’t have any sugar until a few months ago when he went to a birthday party, and to be honest, he didn’t even care for it much. I was terrified once he had the processed kind of sugar he’d never want to go back to his clean ways of eating.

His palate is so sophisticated now. He can eat anything no matter where we go. He loves spice- he’s happy and at home in any Indian restaurant and equally safe at sushi or any other ethnic cuisine. We’ve traveled to Paris and Tel Aviv and South America and he’s happy no matter where we go and what we feed him. I can’t imagine having a picky eater, how difficult that must be for parents!

Phases and Bumps along the way

Sometimes he’s not in the mood for a certain type of food. He’ll push things he’s loved for months away or throw it on the floor for our dog to eat. My trick is to lay out ONLY fruits and vegetables– a huge variety– some cooked, some raw. Some warm, some cold. All different colors and flavors to entice his little appetite. He LOVES organic frozen veggies, which makes it super easy for me. He especially likes peas & lima beans, eating them one by one. I don’t usually add any butter or salt to the veggies because he eats them without. So what’s the point? He takes “butter” (Smart Balance) on his waffles in the morning as a treat and loves it, but doesn’t expect it yet.The best time to give him the foods he’s not in the mood for is when he’s super hungry after playing outside. Sometimes I just need to give him a “gateway” food to get him started. When he was super little just a few little Organic Puffs would do the trick. Now I’ll give him half a piece of an organic cookie or the green flavored Pirate’s Booty (our version of junk food) and after a few of these snack items he moves right into veggie land. Works pretty much every time.

in Paris eating at our favorite cafe

Other days he just doesn’t feel like sitting in his high chair and eating. On those days I let him run around and snack as he pleases. He’ll graze on the veggies and fruit I put on a plate on the coffee table and run around and grab what he wants when he chooses to. Many parents are really militant about kids sitting in their chairs and eating, and I understand their feelings. I get that sentiment, that it’s more “proper” to eat meals sitting in their high chair. With my lifestyle (always on the go) and my manner (I’m not a very “proper” person myself) I allow him to guide the way, as the most important thing to me is Kai getting the nutrients he needs to GROW “properly”, while being a formal “correct” child falls a bit lower on the priority list. Every child is different. Some kids really need that type of structure to stay well behaved. Kai is (luckily) really flexible and adaptable with my crazy “on the go” lifestyle. I’m pregnant again, who knows how this next baby will be

Green Dream and Zuddha superfood blends save the day

When all else fails, I can make a Green Dream smoothie and at least feel good about Kai getting all the nutrients and greens he needs for the day. In one smoothie I can be sure he’s getting good fats, vegan sources of protein, no weird fillers and nothing processed. This makes things a lot easier and makes me feel secure in what he eats for the rest of the day. Lately one of the only ways I can consistently get green veggies into his body is through smoothies. And that’s fine with me! Sometimes in the morning I’ll add Cacao Magic Mylkshake powder to his oatmeal or even a dash of Green Dream. Other times I’ll sneak it into an “ice cream” where I blend frozen bananas, spinach and green dream or cacao blend. These tricks ensure the love of my life is getting everything he needs nutritionally. Not to mention the hubby benefits from these tricks as well! If you’re interested in buying Green Dream, Cacao Magic Mylkshake or Berry Antioxidant blends, email me at: zuddhasophie@gmail.com and mention this post for a mommy discount!

I’m not sure where the “green” phobia in kids begins, but I can’t help but think it’s from parents trying to drive the foods down their kids throats. Kai loves Green foods and actually gravitates towards these foods vs running away from them. I think this practice starts early, but that you can retrain your kids brains by sneaking greens into a smoothie or into an ice cream… so they don’t feel they are missing anything. I mean let’s revisit Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess! In the end, he lovessss the Green Eggs… it just took TRYING them!

In Gratitude and Elmo obsessions,

Sophie

The Key to Eating Consciously

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:04:08 +0000

In a world in which we are bombarded and stimulated by fast food advertisements and unhealthy processed options for ‘food’ everywhere we turn, how do we stay inspired to eat well? The key is to get creative.

First, you must take your attention off of what you don’t or shouldn’t want and put it on what you do want. If you tell yourself that you miss doughnuts all the time, you will miss doughnuts all the time. If you go to a farmers market and check out all of the beautiful produce and research some tasty ways of preparing these foods, these new healthy items will no longer be foreign or boring to you.

The truth is that there are so many delicious varieties of plant-based foods out there, that all you have to do is use your imagination so you don’t get bored. We definitely don’t just eat steamed spinach and brown rice everyday; we are both foodies and would never be able to sustain it that way. Even if you eat tons of meat, you will still benefit by adding more vegetables to your diet, and in order to maintain interest, you must find variety and creativity.

Go to Whole Foods, Trader Joes, farmers’ markets and your local coops for some inspiration! Peruse the aisles, read labels, ask store clerks and vendors for some creative ideas on preparing a vegetable or grain you know nothing about. Life only gets boring the minute you stop exploring it. Food only gets boring the minute you stop exploring it too. And a good life begins with good food… Real food.

Valentine’s Cleanse Menu + Discount

admin — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:48:34 +0000

Hello, Lovely Readers!

Happy, beautiful New Year! We hope it is off to a successful start! We just wrapped up our New Years Cleanse last week and led some cleansers closer to attaining their new years resolutions. It was such a success! Lots of Angelenos are on their way to taking control of their health and living up to their new ideals. We wish you guys continued luck in your endeavors and we are here if you ever have any questions!

But the goals don’t end after January, do they? No. A lot of people get off to a great start in the new year. But often life starts to throw us curve balls until it’s only one month later and yet our resolutions seem to be cast aside, like yesterday’s Hollywood It-Girl. Well you’re in luck, because if you’ve started to fall off track already, we’re here to guide you back towards your goals.

Enter the Valentine’s Cleanse… a 3 to 5 day meal delivery program that will get you on your happy way to healthy again. Sign up with one other person and you each get 15% off, in honor of Valentine’s Day and sharing the love.

Sample Menu:

Day 1:

Upon rising: Water with lemon (this flushes the liver of toxins.)

Breakfast: Green Dream Smoothie (our most popular smoothie, it tastes of banana and cinnamon- you wouldn’t even know it was green!)

AM Snack: KeVita (a fizzy refreshing coconut beverage that helps digestion and skin.)

Lunch: Sweetheart Salad (mixed baby greens, sweet berries, dried cranberries, almonds, honey lemon dijon vinaigrette)

PM Snack: Bunny Love Juice (orange, ginger, lemon, carrot fresh pressed juice)

Dinner: Veggie Stir Fry (mixed veggies in a garlic sesame soy sauce)

Day 2:

Upon rising: Water with lemon

Breakfast: Cacao Magic Mylkshake (our healthy version of a chocolate shake, this is raw, vegan and very high in antioxidants and protein)

AM Snack: Heartbeet Juice

Lunch: Miso Garlic Soup (Anti-cancer minerals, seaweed)

PM Snack: Al Green Juice (fresh pressed spinach, kale, apple, parsley, lemon, ginger, celery)

Dinner: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Day 3:

Upon rising: Water with lemon

Breakfast: Pumpkin Pie Shake (a healthy vegan protein shake made with pumpkin, cinnamon, almond mylk, banana and healthy superfoods)

AM Snack: Weight-less Green Lemon-Aid (with vitamins that promote weight-loss and chlorophyll that purifies the blood)

Lunch: Buddha Salad (mixed greens with carrots, broccoli, sprouts, almonds, dried cranberries and a sesame ginger vinaigrette)

PM Snack: Protein Mylk (almond-coconut mylk with superfoods and protein)

Dinner: Kelp Marinara (kelp noodles that don’t taste like the sea- with a delicious marinara sauce- great for digestion, cleansing, minerals and low calorie)

Gentle cleansing supplements (fiber for helping to remove waste and milk thistle to help cleanse the liver) are optional with breakfast and detox herbal tea is to be taken before bedtime in the evening.

Enjoy your resolution journey and let us know if you want to sign up, as bookings are open but limited– and fill fast!

All the best,

Dani and Sophie

New Year + New Love!

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:59:12 +0000

Our New Year cleansers are having a ball enjoying their cleanse! Since we’ve been feeling giddy with all of the nice things the cleansers {plus other Zuddha fans} are saying, we thought we would share some of them with you!

“My taste buds are freaking out right now, vegetable curry is amazing!!”

“drink my zuddha girls green smoothie everyday-it has changed my life”

“Omg..broccoli soup was soooo good!!;)”

“Started my 14 day cleanse today! It’s going very well & I have inspired my grandkids to ask for healthier snack alternatives. Been making fruit smoothies for them.”

“Day 2 of New Year’s Cleanse Zuddha Girls, feeling great after day and night 1….”

We’ll share more as they come in, but sure is nice to feel the love and to make people feel + look their best! To all of the New Year cleansers, keep it up!

p.s. We’re still looking for Zuddha pictures from our fans! Post them on Facebook or send them to us. You could be our winner! More details here.

Check out this cutie sippin’ a Cacao Magic Mylkshake!

Let Go-ga!

admin — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:40:27 +0000

We recently read a post on Fit Sugar about mistakes you’re making on your yoga mat. The article was entitled “6 Mistakes You’re Making on Your Yoga Mat” and can be read in its entirety here.

The article was interesting and brought up some really good points that we can easily bypass if we’re unaware. Our favorite was “tensing when unnecessary” and ensuring that you try your best to make a conscious effort to stay relaxed even when you’re holding a difficult pose. Another point to add is to LET GO of all stress when you practice. Focusing on work, an issue at home, a fight with a friend – all of these thoughts need to be forgotten as you practice yoga! Besides, when you walk out of your class and walk to your car, you are immediately brought back to reality by a buzzing cell phone, so let go when you can! If I have something bother me at the beginning of my practice that I can’t shake out of my mind, I try counting back from 20 to 1 slowly in my head. I soon find myself focusing on more simple things like stretching and breathing verses my to-do-list!

With New Year’s around the corner, and resolutions being drafted, we highly suggest adding yoga to your list of ways to stay in shape and to stay sane! If you don’t have the time or money to buy a membership to a local studio, try our at-home work out, seen here.

Namaste!

Zuddha Contest Fun!

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:54:52 +0000

We’re getting involved with more Zuddha-related fun and we need help from our fans! Check out our newest opportunity to earn some Zuddha! Good luck, all.

Costa Rica and Zuddha Retreat Magic!

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:03:33 +0000

We’re back!

Our Costa Rican retreat was an amazing journey of heart, body, and mind–one that challenged us, changed us, and gave us exciting new tools for an electric future. We stayed in a sprawling cliffside compound surrounded by ancient stone figures, lush jungle, and a view of the vast and endless ocean below. We were nourished each day with Zuddha’s exquisite superfood smoothies, snacks, and pure and satisfying meals. We learned meditation techniques, new yoga sequences, and transformative processes that will enrich our practices and our lives far beyond the bounds of the sanctuary.

Rose of Sharon led us in a series of revelatory yoga sessions. Our Natural Therapeutic Specialist, Kathryn, gave each participant a transformative bodywork treatment to support the changes blooming inside us. We hiked along the beach and through the tropical forest to a waterfall with swimming hole. We swam and practiced aquatic yoga in the infinite pool outside, sunned ourselves on any of half a dozen decks and gazebos at Casa Zuddha, and sometimes did nothing at all–just soaked in the peace and beauty around us.

We thank everyone who joined us for their exquisite energy, willingness, enthusiasm, and equanimity. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to share this experience with such beautiful people, and we can’t wait to do it again. This was just the sort of “time apart” we needed–that everyone needs in order to recharge, reconnect with deep self, and return to everyday living with a sense of bounty and gratitude. Viva la Pura Vida!!

How to Sprout Seeds and Nuts: Sprouting Made Easy

Sophie — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:00:44 +0000

soak and sprout 'em!

Sprouting Seeds and Nuts, Boost the Protein, Drop the Carbs!

You probably already know that nuts are good for you. If you don’t, let me tell you why they are! They are an excellent protein alternative for those who are trying to eat less meat and they are packed full of nutrients and heart healthy monounsaturated fats that our bodies need. One of nature’s power foods, certain varieties of raw nuts are high in vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc, to name just a few.

Nuts are also packed with protein and easy to carry around. They are a staple energy food that humans have relied on for thousands of years. So the next time you are looking to increase the nutrient content of your breakfast, snack food, salad, health drink or even dinner, raw nuts should be one of the first things you think of. But how can you know if you are getting all of the incredible benefits of raw seeds and nuts? Did you know that it’s possible to make this natural super food even better?

Sadly most of the “raw” nuts sold in North American stores are far from fresh, and far from raw. A standard practice in the shelling of Brazil nuts for example is to soak them in water for 1-2 days and then boil them for 5 minutes to soften the shell which makes machine or hand cracking easier. The heat from the boiling kills the nut and by the time it has reached grocery store shelves it is not only no longer alive and no longer raw, it can be full of rancid oils as well, which are toxic for your body.

Raw nuts are as much a living food as salad greens or sprouts. Nuts are seeds. The whole food goodness that makes them such a wonderful addition to your diet is because of their properties as viable seeds. For a seed, or nut, to be viable it must, given the proper conditions, be able to sprout and grow into another plant. To find nuts that are fresh and alive, search for nuts that are advertised for sprouting, or purchase local varieties, the kind sold in small batches at farmer’s markets. That way you can ask how the nuts are processed.

Sprouting is practically magic when it comes to boosting the health benefits of seeds, nuts and grain. When a seed is soaked and begins to sprout, it releases the nutrients that are locked inside. Dormant seeds have in them something called enzyme inhibitors, which stop enzyme reactions. This keeps them from going bad longer, or sprouting in unfavorable conditions, but it also makes them difficult to digest. Once a seed is sprouted the enzyme inhibitors are gone and the nutrients are readily available as well as the beneficial enzymes. Sprouted seeds also increase in protein while decreasing in carbohydrates as the seed uses the carbohydrate energy stored inside to grow. Soaking also breaks down the glutens and hard to digest proteins into smaller and easier to digest components. Sprouted nuts become even more delicious and good for you than raw nuts.

Sprouting is a very simple process and has such great health benefits that it is worth trying! (and it’s fun! You might feel young again, like when you did experiments in 7th grade science class!!)

Here is a simple sprouting method that can be done with readily available items from your own kitchen:

Equipment: Begin with a glass jar and a clean tea towel or cheesecloth. It’s a good idea to sterilize these first in boiling water with a bit of food safe hydrogen peroxide, or grape fruit seed extract.

Step 1: Rinse and Soak. Place nuts in the jar and fill it with water. Only use enough nuts to fill about 1/3 of the jar. Sprouts need room to grow. Rinse the nuts two or three times and drain with a colander. Once the nuts are rinsed fill the remainder of the jar with cool clean water. Tie the tea towel or cheesecloth over the top of the jar with an elastic band, or piece of string, or a canning jar ring. Keep the jar out of direct sunlight and allow the nuts to soak. Most nuts should soak for 4-12 hours before draining. Do not soak them for too long or they will rot instead of sprout

Step 2: Drain. After 12 hours drain the water. You can prop the jar at an angle upside down to allow all of the water to drain completely. The towel or cheesecloth will hold your sprouts inside. Once the nuts have soaked they are already awake and free of enzyme inhibitors. You can eat them now, or you can allow them to sprout longer. You should taste your sprouts every time you rinse them so you know what way you like them.

Step 3: Rinse. If you choose to let them sprout longer, rinse and drain every 8 hours or so. Unlike some types of seeds, sprouted nuts will not develop a long shoot. They swell rather than sprout and only produce a little bulge at one end rather than a root.

Sprouted nuts can be eaten all by themselves as a snack food, or they can be added to stir fry, salads, and included in many other recipes. The nutrients and convenience are perfect for an active lifestyle…yogis and athletes alike!

Hopefully this helped you learn about sprouting seeds and nuts. If you have any further questions, please ask!!

Specific information on sprouting nuts from Sprout People

Information on Brazil nut processing is from Thomas E. Billings’ excellent article entitled WHAT A RAW-FOODER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT NUTS

P.S. You can now follow Zuddha Girls on Bloglovin!!

Egg (less) nog

Sophie — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 07:00:24 +0000

Dairy-free, gluten-free eggnog!!!!

are you having or going to a holiday party and want to make something festive?

Healthy vegan eggnog it is!

start with 2 Cups of a non-dairy milk such as almond/rice/hazelnut (recipe here)
add 2 tablespoons agave
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
fresh vanilla bean (1 tablespoon vanilla extract is fine)
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons nutmeg
rum or brandy if you want alcohol
add 2 drops of vanilla stevia if you want it sweeter

Blend on a low speed for 45 seconds, sprinkle nutmeg on top before serving!

Enjoy!! Happy holidays from the Zuddha Girls and Zuddha Team!!

P.S. You can now follow Zuddha Girls on Bloglovin!!

Holiday Specials

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:04:46 +0000

A Taste of Zuddha Gift Basket:

A half pound of each of Zuddha’s most popular Superfood Smoothie & Protein Blends: Green Dream, Cacao Magic and Berry Antioxidant. Each of these powders comes complete with a variety of smoothie recipes to keep you on your twinkle toes! This holiday gift bag comes in Zuddha’s beautiful black cooler tote with a gold Zuddha logo, and is reusable and great for grocery shopping, carrying your lunch to work and for picnics. This package comes with Zuddha’s Famous Raw Chocolate Truffles (a holiday treat that is not only delicious but also completely sin-less. Leave these out for Santa and he’ll be leaving you a Bentley in the driveway…) As if this wasn’t enough to get your mouth watering, we’ve got an extra special gift. Purchase this for someone and you BOTH get 10% off any of one our products or services (including a cleanse.) Happy Holidays!

$150 from now until Christmas Eve.