Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

Those cookies are healthy enough to be breakfast. They include all the ingredients used for sweet oatmeal, just in a different way. I must add that I don’t like sweet oats – I always have my oatmeal with butter or extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with salt. Even adding berries or milk makes the oatmeal too sweet for my liking. However, take all the same ingredients and bake cookies out of them – a very different story, and I have made already three batches this week. Luckily, most of them I have given away as a present for my yoga students. I say luckily, because even if they are healthy – eating a full tray of these babies as an evening snack is probably not the best idea. The cookies are not super sweet, so if you prefer sweeter treats, feel free to add more sugar. All the ingredients are edible raw, so feel free to taste the dough before baking it and add sugar if you feel like it. My partner thought they were not sweet enough, I find the sweetness to be just enough, so I kept the recipe as I prefer it.

Scalloped potatoes are a classic Thanksgiving dish, but are traditionally loaded with heavy cream, cheese, and flour. Our recipe is an up-leveled version that tastes just as good as you remember grandma making. This recipe falls under our 80:20 eating, as we keep potatoes, yeast, and goat cheese off our plates while cleansing. However, this recipe could be easily modified to be more cleanse-friendly by leaving out the yeast, substituting our Vegan Cashew Cheese for the goat cheese, and swapping out the potatoes for another tender root veggie, like rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, or even golden beets – or mix it up with a combo of your favorites! Do you have a favorite holiday recipe you’d like us to give a Conscious Cleanse makeover? Let us know in the comments below. We love hearing from our community!

I love mushrooms. LOVE! All kinds of mushrooms, but especially those I can pick myself from woods. In Estonia, we have a lot of forests, and unless the area is marked as private property, we are allowed to forage for whatever you like, as long as you act responsibly and do not leave any rubbish behind. I know that this is not the case all over the world, so I consider myself extremely lucky. For this year, the season of fresh mushrooms is, unfortunately, over, but simple button mushrooms work just perfectly for this recipe.

Eggplant is one of my all-time favorite vegetables. Added to curries, baked to moussaka, in baba ganoush or filled with all kinds of things from goats cheese to vegetables. Bring it on! I love it in any shape or form! Today I am sharing one of my favorite eggplant recipes with you. The recipe is vegan, but it is loaded with protein – both chickpeas and peanut butter help out here, and the spices add a nice kick too. Not all people love eggplant.

I have had a problem for a few months already, but it is one of those good problems – how to eat all the beautiful produce I get?! In Estonia summers are rather short, which means that most of the crop is at its best at the same time – zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber, kale, you name it! And, even if I have my rooftop garden, my mother’s garden and my grandmother's garden, I still also like to go to the farmers market too, because, well, I love going to the market to look at the abundance of produce. I do need to hold myself back with shopping, though. I really really hate throwing away food and always try to eat everything from root to leaf, so I always try to make the most of everything I have. Oh, I wish I could somehow spread the harvest over the whole year! But I can’t, so this time of year my 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day is easily 15 or 20 portions of fruit and veggies, and everything else has to wait until I run out (although I do miss lentils and pasta already).

The autumn is slowly sneaking in here in Estonia, and for me, it always means some changes on my menu. I still love salads, but instead of leafy greens that are main heroes in my summer salads, they are now a little heartier. Hence barley in today’s delicious bowlful. Barley is somewhat a national food for us Estonians, or at least it used to be. It is traditionally cooked with potatoes and pork, and then lightly mashed to something called ‘Mulgipuder.’ Mulgipuder is often served with crispy fried pork fat (greaves in English, I think) and sour cream. I don’t even remember when was the last time I had it, but now thinking about it I just started graving it… Especially the leftovers heated up on a frying pan, so it turns nice and crispy… mmm! Talking about Estonian kitchens, it is traditionally a cross between German (sausages and sauerkraut) and Russian (potatoes, a lot of meat, soups) but today leaning more towards the clean Scandinavian kitchens. So here was a sneak peek to Estonian cuisine.

Today’s recipe is entirely free from refined sugar, but I promise than nobody will miss anything. The banana adds just enough sweetness, and the darker your bananas are, the sweeter they will be. Since I really hate food waste, I sometimes deliberately pick out the darkest bananas from the market, bring them home, slice and store them in the freezer to be used in smoothies, banana bread and in these little muffins. Sometimes I come home with a full box of bananas because they look so sad on the counter and otherwise they would be just thrown out in the evening. So I sometimes think about myself as a banana savior. Since I love overripe bananas it is a very simple saving job for me, so win-win. In addition to being sugar-free these little nuggets here are also wheat-free and if you choose gluten free oats even gluten-free. Preparing these muffins could not be any easier, and the most time-consuming part is swirling in the peanut butter on top of the muffins. For me, these extra swirls are 100% worth the effort, but you can skip this to save an extra 5 minutes of your time.

Truffles are usually heavy on cream, butter and maybe even some extra sugar in addition to chocolate that is already sweet on its own. But not these truffles! My truffles are as delicious and creamy as their unhealthy brothers are, but at the same time, completely vegan and I would even go as far as calling them healthy! Of course, they are only healthy if consumed in reasonable amounts and not all 20 of them in one sitting ☺. For me, they are just rich enough that 1 or 2 after a meal with a nice cup of tea are just sufficient to satisfy my sweet cravings. A bonus is that they only require two ingredients + whatever you choose to coat them with. Can you guess what the components are? The first one is a no-brainer – dark chocolate just has to be involved when talking about truffles. The darker, the better, I always prefer 80%, but you can test with different ones to find your favorite. The other ingredient is my old favorite – avocado! Avocado is just such a versatile fruit – it is good both in savory and sweet dishes and gives everything a luscious creaminess. Just try to find the one that is just ripe – soft enough, but not overly ripe yet. A small trick on how to find the best avocado – choose the one that is soft to the touch, but if you remove the stem, you can still see the bright green color. Chocolate Avocado Truffles

Ah, summertime here in Colorado – the weather is beautiful, the kids are out of school, and fun in the sun is the name of the game. But with all the fun, free time, summer can also be hard for us moms trying to keep our kids eating healthy. Sometimes the break from school just turns into one long holiday of eating less healthy options – hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, soda – until your kiddos are left jacked up on sugar, experiencing frequent bellyaches, having meltdowns from sugar crashes, and more. What’s a healthy mom to do? As working moms in the wellness industry, we know how important it is to keep your kids eating healthy without depriving them of all the fun they see their friends having. So we go for a happy medium: healthy sweet treats! And this recipe is one of our all-time favorites. Our Chewy Dark Chocolate Cookie Bites are the perfect balance between sweet treat and healthy snack.

Here in Colorado we’re rapidly entering the dog days of summer – and it’s hot, hot, HOT outside. And when the weather gets this warm, we love to cool off with a refreshing chilled beverage. That’s where this recipe comes in! Our Vegan Mango Lassi is a dairy-free spin on the traditional drink you know from your local Indian restaurant. This recipe is a great alternative for those who are sensitive to dairy or vegan, since yogurt is the main ingredient in a traditional mango lassi. We like to use homemade coconut or cashew milk in ours, but you can use any non-dairy milk (think hemp, almond, or even macadamia nut).

It is so simple to pick up a jar of hummus from a store. But it is almost as simple to prepare hummus yourself and know exactly what has been added. You can do everything from scratch, including soaking and boiling the chickpeas, but I usually don’t feel this is necessary. The chickpeas from a jar, especially if I choose an organic brand, do it for me, but in case you do have extra time you can soak the chickpeas overnight and then boil until tender. It makes sense for me to cook your own chickpeas if you need a lot of them, so I sometimes do this for bigger parties, but if I am just hungry for a quick beet hummus I prefer having it in 5 minutes instead of the next day! However, I do prefer to roast the beetroots at home. I do this quite often anyway, so I usually have leftovers for hummus too.

Have you ever met somebody who does not like chocolate? I remember meeting one girl who was not fond of it years ago, but this is also the only time I have seen anybody who does not like it. As a general rule, every dessert that has chocolate in it vanishes from the table within minutes. Chocolate in itself is not unhealthy at all. Having a little square of dark chocolate a day even has proven health benefits. However, the chocolate really needs to be dark to be healthy. Most of the chocolate bars, loaded with sugar and different additives, do not qualify as healthy. I usually choose the chocolate that contains at least 75%, sometimes even more than 90% of cocoa! The chocolate mousse, usually, is full of everything unhealthy – heavy cream and white sugar. But here is good news – the recipe I share with you today only contains ingredients good for you and I let you be the judge of the taste, but in my humble opinion, it is just perfect.

Sometimes the simplest meals are the best, and this bowl full of goodness is a perfect example. The recipe is even simpler to prepare when you have cooked your soba noodles in advance. I often cook a larger batch of chickpeas, lentils, or rice over the weekend and then use throughout the week for my meals. I would never consider cooking pasta in advance, because pasta cooked yesterday…. well, it is just not very nice. Soba noodles, on the other hand, work very well cooled down and in fact, I sometimes deliberately cook soba in advance for chilled salads on hot summer days. It is important not to overcook the soba and mix it with a drop of oil, so the noodles would not stick together. For this recipe, however, you do not need to chill the noodles – they are just as good warm.

Happy (almost) summer for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere! We’re so excited for the sunny weather and all the fresh veggies coming into season this time of year. One of our favorite warm-weather treats is sushi, so we’ve made a cleanse-friendly version to share with you all! People ask us all the time what kinds of foods they’ll be able to eat on the Conscious Cleanse. The answer is lots and lots! We have a wide variety of recipes you can enjoy while cleansing, from bison burgers to vegan curry, and even dairy-free, egg-free gelato if you want dessert. The possibilities are endless! This vegan sushi hand roll is the perfect recipe to switch up your menu this week.

Spring has sprung here in Colorado, and we are thrilled at the start of the growing season! Yay local veggies! This week, we’re sharing a recipe that features one of our favorite spring veggies: Asparagus! This quick and easy curry takes less than 20 minutes to whip up and is the perfect way to use that beautiful asparagus that’s popping up in your grocery stores or local farmers markets. Plus, it’s cleanse-friendly and packed with a bunch of bonus health benefits! In addition to being a delicious spring veggie, asparagus is also a nutritional powerhouse. It’s rich in vitamin A, folate, which supports healthy prenatal development during pregnancy, and vitamin K, which supports bone health and strength. It’s a great source of antioxidants to help defend the body from free radicals, and is high in fiber to help aid digestion and gut health.

We’re just wrapping up our Group Cleanse and as we transition into our 80:20 eating, we know we’re not the only ones looking forward to reintroducing a warming caffeinated beverage into our morning routines. Our morning cup of coffee is one of the hardest things for many of us to give up during the 14-day cleanse, so we wanted to create a healthy take on this beloved energizing drink. We’ve come up with the perfect way to up-level your morning cup of joe – Adaptogenic Coffee Creamer! This creamer is packed with superfood properties and adds the perfect amount of creamy goodness to your favorite coffee. The real star of this recipe is Lion’s Mane – an adaptogenic mushroom that can help support memory and brain function, helps mental sharpness and clarity, and according to some studies, it might help prevent dementia or alzheimers. We recommend the organic Om Mushrooms brand. MCT oil provides extra energy and helps stabilize blood sugar.

Nut milks are a healthy alternative to soy and cow milk products! However, processed almond and coconut milks in the grocery stores still have some strange and scary ingredients! Making your own nut milks with natural and healthy ingredients gives you full awareness of what you are putting into your body. Making your own nut milks is also so much fun and much easier than you may think! With all the environmental toxins we are now faced with, eating and preparing raw and vegan foods is a way we can support our bodies in detoxing toxins and sustaining peace with our environment and other beings we share this planet with. There are also health benefits in replacing dairy products with non-dairy alternatives. Plus, nut milks are delicious and offer a variety of unique flavors and textures! Almond Milk Recipe: You can use this same recipe and ratio for any nut milk or hemp milk.

The combined effects of the biochemical process that occur in your body on a cellular level are called metabolism. They make it possible for you to digest food, think, move and perform all the functions of a living being. Your metabolism is the powerhouse that keeps your body going. Genetics have a large role to play in determining your metabolic rate. But eating right can also speed up your metabolism naturally. The metabolism boosting foods I’m sharing in this article will not only help you burn fat, but they can also keep you healthy in the long run. So, be sure to regularly include them in your diet! Chili peppers Chili peppers are abundant in capsaicin, a chemical compound that has several beneficial properties. Studies have found that this compound gives chili peppers the ability to boost thermogenesis, which is the process by which calories are turned into heat to use as energy. Chilies have the potential to boost your metabolism rapidly and also have high doses of vitamin C, so it is a good idea to add these to your meals.

With the World Cup approaching, some healthy party snack recipes will come in handy! In the U.S., nothing says sports, like chicken wings and cheese dip. But if you want to beat the bloat and the hangover morning the next day, stick with us. When it comes to healthy sporting event snacks, we’ve got you covered! Our new Cauliflower “Buffalo” Hummus below is perfect for any big game! Serve it with veggies like sliced cucumbers, carrot and celery sticks. If you want to go all out, try our Green Pea or our Beet Hummus. All three together would make a beautiful spread. No game would be complete without our all-time favorite Spinach Artichoke Dip. This one is now a regular at most of our potlucks and parties. Pair any of these healthy alternatives with one of our Conscious Cocktails and make your 80:20 splurge like a rockstar would. Moscow Mule anyone? Move over Ruffles and sour cream dip! For more healthy alternatives on gameday that will keep you feeling on top of your game, be sure to check our our 80:20 Plan. What’s on your game day menu? Be sure to leave us a comment below.

Today’s recipe is cleanse-friendly and can be easily modified to stay within the guidelines of purification if you're currently cleansing. Simply omit the olives if you want to be a purist–or keep them in and consider them part of what’s easing you off of your purification. Enjoy this simple, healthy, and delicious vegetarian recipe!

Summertime is right around the corner, and we are looking forward to a season full of cookouts, outdoor gatherings, and family trips. Coming up with treats that are healthy but also easy to eat on the go can be hard, so we’ve come up with a recipe that hits the spot! Our Chewy Cacao Bars are a great treat for picnics, outdoor parties, road trips – you name it! And they totally blow away those overly-processed and sugar-filled snack bars. This is one of many recipes that are included in our 80:20 Lifestyle Program. We’ve developed this program to help you maintain your post-Cleanse vibrancy, but still have room to indulge every once in a while, so you can live life to the fullest (and healthiest)!

‘Tis the season…for brunch! Chances are, you may be planning a Mother’s Day brunch gathering this weekend or next, and we have the perfect healthy entree that will look amazing on any brunch spread. The best part? It’s super easy to make! Presenting…Sweet Potato Toast (3 Ways)! Everyone is going nuts for avocado toast these days, so we’ve given it a healthy makeover by serving it on toasted slices of sweet potato! For those who are sensitive to avocado or aren’t as fond of it as we are, we’ve also topped our sweet potato slices with our fan-favorite Beet Hummus. And for those who are craving a sweeter snack, we’ve made a version topped with almond butter, banana, and cinnamon. Is your mouth watering yet?

Spring is here for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, and that means the start of fresh veggie season! Yay! We love going to our local farmer’s market and seeing all the delicious fresh produce available. And what better way to use that fresh bounty of seasonal vegetables than to make a big, beautiful, meal-sized salad? Here at the Conscious Cleanse, meal-sized salads are not your average skimpy side salad, but a salad big and bountiful enough to leave you feeling full and satisfied. This salad is filled with fresh greens, colorful veggies, sprouts, a creamy salad dressing, and your favorite plant or animal protein. It truly looks and tastes like the definition of abundance! What’s your favorite spring salad ingredient? If you try this recipe, tag us on Facebook or Instagram, we LOVE seeing how our readers make our recipes their own.

Three. Bean. Salad. These three words can evoke childhood memories of a sweet and sour side salad often served at family cookouts. It seems as though you were either a big fan or completely disgusted by it. (Note: we were both the latter, but today’s recipes has changed everything!) ​Today we’ve taken a traditional recipe and turn it on its head, modernizing it with fresh flavors that will have you scratching your head saying, “I can’t believe this is a Three Bean Salad!” Welcome to the new millennium Three Bean Salad! Although we may not describe ourselves as regular bean eaters, they no doubt are a staple in many vegetarian and vegan diets. Filled with protein, fiber, and B vitamins, beans can be an important part of a healthy diet. Not Your Grandma’s Three Bean Salad makes a colorful, tasty, and healthy choice to bring to your next BBQ, summer potluck, or even camping! Plus, this recipe will take you less than 30 minutes to toss together. Bonus!

In a recent recipe and blog post, I dropped the “caffeine bomb”. Many of you reading are saying, “Ugh, I’d rather not talk about that anymore.” But just in case you missed it, here are some reasons to consider giving up your beloved coffee drink! This week we’re here to offer an alternative, to soften the blow of going sans coffee with a “too good to be true” coffee alternative. Enter, Dandelion Root Coffee. Dandelion root, often associated with the pesky dandelion weed, has been used for centuries to treat depression, scurvy and even diabetes. It’s difficult to find dandelion root in most health food stores, so you’re best bet is to buy it online. We bought our dandelion root and chicory from Frontier Natural Products and Starwest Botanicals. A great liver detoxifier, dandelion root, it is also known for aiding in digestion and weight loss. The other magic ingredient in this nutty warm elixir is chicory, which gives this drink its rich coffee flavor. Chicory is full of antioxidants and helps to reduce inflammation in the body to boot.