Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crisped Turkey Bacon

Ingredients:

• 2-4 big handfuls of Brussels sprouts.
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 package of nitrite-free turkey bacon
• Himalayan Pink Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Slice each sprout in half.
3. Spread all the sprouts out on a baking pan
4. Toss with olive oil
5. Shower with coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper
6. Bake for 30 + minutes until fully roasted and soft in the middle. 
7. While the sprouts are roasting, crisp your turkey bacon in the microwave between two paper towels, high heat for about 4 minutes.
8. When the sprouts are done, toss with the bacon and serve.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley
• fresh chives, minced
• Himalayan Pink Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Steam you cauliflower for about 6 minutes, until fork tender. Drain, and add them to your food processor.
2. ...

Hello friend! What better time to learn about the importance of gratitude than the month of Thanksgiving! In our coaching community, we are learning that having an attitude of gratitude is key to better health. In fact, research shows that gratitude helps create better relationships, improves physical health, increases joy, helps us sleep better, boosts self-esteem and builds mental resilience. Dr. Caroline Leaf tells us more about how to have an attitude of gratitude.

“We all know it is good to stop and smell the roses every once in a while—to pause and realize how much we have to be grateful for. But did you know that gratitude is essential to success? If you can’t appreciate what you have to be thankful for right now, it is harder to achieve what you desire in the future.

In fact, gratitude changes the brain and body for the better! Research on the effects gratitude has on our biology shows how being thankful increases our longevity, our ability to use our...

Many of our chronic conditions such as atherosclerosis or arthritis are caused by inflammation. Fortunately, there are ways to help prevent our bodies from going into inflamed overdrive. It starts with food. What we eat either tells our body to step on the gas and create more toxins that cause inflammation OR it puts the brakes on the inflammatory process and rejuvenates our immune system. The right food is the armor we need to fight the process and take back our health. Get started with these tips from Experience Life and begin to see your body heal!

1. Get Friendly With Fish
Fish overflows with two key omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA and DHA for short). Both are potent anti-inflammatories. Studies show that people who eat fish regularly are less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke, or develop Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, studies have shown that eating omega-3-rich fish just once a week may lower a person’s risk of...

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable broth or 2 tablespoons coconut oil we prefer broth
• 1 onion coarsely chopped
• 2 celery stalks chopped
• 1 carrot chopped
• 1 zucchini sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 15-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 cups kidney beans soaked, rinsed, and cooked (only use canned beans in a pinch)
• Shirataki orzo-style noodles (optional)
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat 1/4 cup vegetable broth for sautéing, or coconut oil if desired. Stir in onion, celery, and carrot. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes.
2. Add zucchini, thyme, and bay leaf, and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in beans and pasta (if desired), and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add...

When it comes to losing weight and creating better health, what you eat matters. So, too, does when you eat.

We’ve talked about how meal timing can impact weight loss. But another critical piece of weight loss that sometimes gets overlooked is mindset.

By mindset, we’re focusing on your mental attitude about health, being aware of your eating habits, and paying attention to bad habits that can sabotage your health goals.

With these 7 simple and effective strategies from Nutrition and Fitness Expert JJ Virgin, you can retrain your brain to develop a healthy mental mindset and find your healthy weight.

Even if you currently go on autopilot when you’re eating, you can retrain your brain to cultivate healthy habits and be present during meals and other activities throughout your day.

As a nice “bonus,” being mindful can help you lose weight. In one review, researchers discovered significant weight loss in 13 of 19 studies among participants who practiced...

At RISE we focus on keeping wellness simple, and when it comes to food we know it’s essential to have a few strategies that work for your tastebuds and your budget.

So imagine this scenario: you open a fully stocked fridge brimming with delicious and fresh, high-quality foods that are chocked-full of the nutrients you need. And the best part is that it was super affordable and you have cash to spare.

While organic superfoods may cost more than your weekly food budget allows, you can still load up on the good stuff at an affordable price having a few tips in mind. Eating healthy doesn’t necessarily require expensive ingredients and your recipes don’t need to be overly complex. 

If you’re ready to add high-quality ingredients to your diet without breaking the bank, follow these four easy tips... 

#1 Keep Your Kitchen Stocked
It makes cooking so much easier if you stock up on canned and dry goods, like tomato puree, tuna, chickpeas, kidney beans, rice,...

Ingredients:

Zucchini

• 5 medium zucchini (6 cups), peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
• 1 lemon zested (about 1 tablespoon)
• 2 lemons, juiced (about cup juice)
• cup pure maple syrup
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup blanched almond flour
• 1 ½ tablespoons ground flaxseeds

Crisp Topping

• ½ cup raw sliced almonds
• 1 cup raw pecans, chopped
• ½ cup raw walnuts, chopped
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Optional garnish

• ¾ cup canned coconut cream, chilled (solids only)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. In a medium saucepan, add the diced zucchini, lemon juice, zest, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring every 5 minutes until the zucchini has softened.

3. While the zucchini is cooking, make the crisp topping. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove...

If you want to get healthy, you may not need to go to a doctor. You might instead, dive into a community of like-minded individuals and watch your health soar! The power of community to create health is far greater than any physician, clinic or hospital.

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, “You are more likely to be overweight if your friend’s, friend’s friend is overweight than if your parents are overweight. Your social networks may matter more than your genetic networks. If your friends have healthy habits you are more likely to as well.  So, get healthy friends!”

Community: The Best Medicine for Change

Group models of intensive lifestyle change like the one modeled by Dr. Dean Ornish for heart disease and prostate cancer, are more effective and will save more lives and more money than using medication and surgery for diseases caused by lifestyle and environmental factors.

In my personal experience directing The Daniel Plan, a roadmap for physical and...

Treating other people well is a great rule to live by. But did you know it’s also good for your health, vitality and growing resilience?

Psychology researcher Barbara Fredrickson, PhD, author of Love 2.0: Creating Happiness and Health in Moments of Connection, studies how “micro-moments” of connection with others, like sharing a smile or expressing concern, improve emotional resilience, boost the immune system, and reduce susceptibility to depression and anxiety.

In Fredrickson’s view, we need affirmative human connection in much the same way that our bodies need wholesome food. “Moments of uplifting positive emotions function like nutrients for creativity, growth, and health,” she says.

Interested in encouraging that positive shift within yourself? Here are a few simple tips on growing compassionate connections and fostering kindness from the authors at Experience Life…

Adjust your automatic responses.
Stress triggers us to act...

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breasts, poached and cubed
• ½ cup diced celery
• ½ cup diced cored Fuji, Gala, or Pink Lady apple
• ¼ cup cashew pieces, toasted
• ¼ cup currants

Dressing

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon each sea salt and ground white pepper, plus more as needed
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 12 whole butter lettuce leaves, for serving
• 1 tablespoon raw hemp hearts (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl toss together the chicken, celery, apple, cashews, and currants.
2. MAKE THE DRESSING: In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients until smooth.
3. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss until well coated. Adjust the seasoning as needed.
4. Serve scoops of the chicken salad in the butter lettuce leaves and top with a sprinkle of hemp hearts, if desired, for an added omega-3 boost and a nice little pop of texture. 

For more...