Most events last around 90 minutes. See you soon!

Massachusetts:

Wednesday 3/21/12, 11:00 am: Debra’s Natural Gourmet

Wednesday 3/21/12, 6:00 pm: Whole Foods Wellesley

Thursday 3/22/12, 5:30 pm: Whole Foods River Street

Friday 3/23/12, 11:00 am: Whole Foods Charles River

Friday 3/23/12, 5:30 pm: Whole Foods Dedham

Rhode Island:

Saturday 3/24/12, 9:30 am: Whole Foods University

Saturday 3/24/12, 2:00 pm: Whole Foods Cranston

New York:

Monday 3/26/12, 11:00 am: Whole Foods Upper West Side

Monday 3/26/12, 5:00 pm: Health Nuts

Tuesday 3/27/12, 11:00 am: Whole Foods Tribeca

Tuesday 3/27/12, 5:00 pm:  Westerly’s

Wednesday 3/28/12, 11:00 am: Whole Foods Columbus Circle

Thursday, 3/29/12,  11:00 am: Integral  Yoga

Thursday 3/29/12, 5:00 pm: Whole Foods Union Square

Friday 3/30/12, 11:00: Whole Foods Chelsea

Sunday 4/15/12, 10:45-11:15 class: Natur-Tyme Health Fair

New Jersey

Saturday 3/31/12, 10:00 am: Whole Foods Princeton

Tuesday, 4/10/12, 10:00-11:00am: Whole Earth Center, Princeton

Tuesday, 4/10/12, 6:00-7:30pm: Whole Foods Marlton

Washington DC/Virginia

Tuesday 4/3/12, 5:00: Whole Foods Market Friendship Heights

Wednesday 4/4/12, 12:00 pm: Whole Foods Georgetown

Wednesday 4/4/12, 5:00 pm: Whole Foods P Street

Thursday 4/5/12, 12:00 pm: Whole Foods Alexandria

Thursday 4/5/12, 6:00 pm: Whole Foods Arlington (free class)

Friday 4/6/12, 12:00 pm: Whole Foods Market Rockville (free class)

Friday 4/6/12,  6:00 pm: My Organic Market – Rockville

Philidelphia

Monday, 4/9/12, 11:00am-1:00pm: Whole Foods Devon

Wednesday 4/11/12, 11:00am-1:00pm: Whole Foods Kimberton

Wednesday, 4/11/12, 4:00-6:00pm: Whole Foods Plymouth Meeting

Thursday, 4/12/12, 11:00am-1:00pm: Whole Foods Wynnewood

Thursday, 4/12/12, 3:00-5:00pm: Whole Foods Glen Mills

Friday, 4/13/12, 11:00am-1:00pm: Whole Foods North Wales (meet & greet only … no class)

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Boy. I sure do love this one…with its sweet cherry flavor and creamy texture. But all taste sensation aside, its purpose is very clear: longevity. Many superfoods have natural compounds which are renowned for promoting a long life, such as packing in vitamin C and E, healthy omega fats and monosaturated fats, and a wide variety of antioxidants…from chlorophyll (found in green produce) to polyphenols (found in purple berries and cacao). Some favorite longevity foods include goji berries, acai berries, flaxseed, and leafy greens like spinach. Lovers of life, this smoothie’s for you!

Cherry-Berry Vitality Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

2 cups ice
1 cup frozen cherries
1 banana
⅓ cup cashews
1 tablespoon goji berries
3 tablespoons Navitas Naturals Antioxidant Powder
2 cups fresh spinach
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups water

DIRECTIONS

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Makes 2 servings.

Of course,  not all chocolate is created equal. Many commercial brands strip chocolate of its benefits by overcooking it, adding dairy fats, excess sugar, and preservatives. But real, “raw” chocolate, known as cacao, has incredible benefits in small amounts. Sure it’ll please your taste buds, but check out some of the other ways cacao is good for your whole body:

Cardiovascular Protection: Numerous studies have shown that the antioxidants in chocolate — called flavonols — help lower blood pressure and relax blood vessels.

Relaxation: Magnesium is a mineral that helps relax muscles, and cacao is one of the highest sources of magnesium of all natural foods. Third party testing has shown some cacao powders to contain as much as 475 mg per 100 grams (the recommended daily intake for men is 400 mg and women 310mg).

Natural Sunscreen: The same favonols that enhance heart health also enhance skin health, by helping circulate blood to the surface of the body. Incredibly, researchers have found cacao may help protect against UV rays.

Mineral Rich: Cacao is high in many trace minerals, and is especially high in blood-building iron, and bone-strengthening calcium.

Mood Boost: Chocolate helps naturally increase seratonin production – the “good mood” chemical in the brain. It also contains other phytochemicals that have mood-elvating effects, like phenethylamine, which enhances the release of pleasurable endorphins.

Anti-Aging: Cacao offers cell protection like no other with its soaring levels of polyphenol antioxidants. Cacao powder has the most concentrated form of these antioxidants, which have tested up to a jaw-dropping 95,000 ORAC/100 grams. Compare that to antioxidant-rich blueberries, which average around 7,500 ORAC, and it’s easy to see why cacao is so impressive!

Remember, the higher the cacao content of your chocolate treats, the better. Get creative by making your own delectable concoctions, like my Mini Chocolate Cupcakes, or purchase high-quality ready-made chocolate with extra mindful ingredients.

To date, I’ve made more recipes using mochi than I can count … best-ever garlic “breadsticks,” pizzas with a mochi “crust” (like the Watercress Mochi Pizza in Superfood Cuisine), mochi waffles, and sometimes just mochi straight-up. But I’ve never made a dessert mochi recipe… until today. I found myself the subject of a time warp moment on the internet – the kind where you start off looking for directions to a restaurant, and suddenly an hour has gone by and you’re reading about the Top 10 Most Haunted Places in Denmark. In my case, food-focused lady I am, I randomly found myself reading about churros. A Mexican treat, most people are familiar with churros from fairs and events of sorts. They’re essentially a doughy rope made from white flour, oil, and sugar, that’s deep fried until golden, and covered in sugar and cinnamon. Think of a churro like a kind of less-doughy cinnamon doughnut … although as you can likely see, churros have a reputation of leaving a doughy effect on their victim.

Truthfully, churros are good – if you’ve had them before, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be in agreement. But frying dough in a vat of oil? Not in my kitchen. Which is exactly where Mochi becomes even more magical: the delicious, inherent texture of Mochi acts a very similarly to a deep fried object once it’s been cooked – enough to fool most people. So using mochi as a churro base is not only easier to execute (deep frying at home is not the neatest cooking method ever), but this rice-based version is a billion times healthier.

As I expected, when testing out the mochi churro method, the Japanese ingredient takes the Mexican recipe to a whole new level of dessert-oriented yum. To make the churro taste authentic, I do use a teeny bit of coconut oil – which is applied both before and after cooking for a stronger buttery flavor, but is needed in just a minute amount. I also was excited to finally put to use a little food combo that I stumbled upon a while back: cinnamon and palm sugar. Regular cinnamon sugar is already delicious, but cinnamon palm sugar (sometimes called coconut sugar as well – same thing) is out-of-hand fantastic. I’ve been dying to use it more frequently in dessert recipes, and the churro results are so good, I’m ready to make the claim that ALL churros should be made with cinnamon palm sugar – mochi or not. Best of all,  you won’t even use all the sugar required for the recipe below, meaning you’ll have a bit extra for your next slice of sprouted toast or oatmeal. Major yum.

Taking just 15 minutes to make, using only 5 ingredients, and resulting in a convincing gluten-free dessert that stomps all over its deep-fried rival, I’m pleased to share with you the Mochi Churro: aka the Mochurro.

Mochurros (aka Mochi Churros)

While Churros are traditionally dunked in an oil bath before being dried off with white sugar, here they’re baked instead… using just enough oil for flavor, and taking advantage of delectable mochi to make a truly wholesome treat. Mochi can be found in most natural food stores, in the refrigerated or frozen section. Click here for a mochi retailer near you.

INGREDIENTS

1 package (12.5oz) Mochi*
1 tablespoon coconut oil
¼ cup  palm sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Carefully slice the mochi lengthwise into ¼-inch strips, and set aside for a moment. In the smallest saucepan you have, melt the coconut oil over medium heat just until it turns liquid, and remove from heat. With a pastry brush (or a finger), lightly brush both flat sides of each mochi strip with a little of the melted oil, and place each strip on a baking sheet two inches apart (make sure none of the edges are touching one another, else they will become conjoined when baked). Reserve the remaining melted oil in the warm pan for later.

Place the baking sheet with the mochi in the oven, and bake for 10-12 minutes.

While the mochi is baking, take a pie tin and pour in the sugar, cinnamon and sea salt inside. Mix together to combine.

After the mochi is finished cooking (it will have puffed up and just begun to lightly toast on the bottom), remove from the oven and immediately pour the remaining small amount of melted coconut oil on top of the mochi pieces. Slide the pieces around, tossing the hot mochi in the oil on the pan, lightly coating as much of the mochi as possible.

One at a time, take a piece of mochi and roll it in the sugar-filled pie tin to shake on a light dusting. Repeat with the remaining mochi. Mochurros are best served warm, but can be enjoyed cool as well, and will retain their optimal texture for about a day. Serves 4-6.

*For best results use a plain variety/flavor. Superfood varieties, or cinnamon-raisin may also be used if available.

Resolve to evolve.

When it comes to food, it’s with this mindset that I dodge the idea of “diet” or limitation. Bleh, boring. Instead, I like to look at health and all of its edible backdrop as an exciting collection of ways to make my body feel, perform, and look its best … and like most people, I’m constantly adding to my healthy “collection.”

So to start things right off this year — and add to YOUR healthy collection — I’d like to announce and invite you to participate in a fun new project with me: the Smoothment. Head up by the superfood masterminds at Navitas Naturals, the Smoothment is a healthy movement that aims at improving personal well-being through the simple step of including one healthy smoothie a day. As I’ve mentioned on more than a few occasions, I think smoothies are a tremendously remedial answer for those who wish to make their health a priority, but also lead a busy (aka modern!) life. Now, with the Smoothment, you can join a growing army of like-minded people who are making the pledge to make 2012 a vibrant year, with a smoothie-a-day commitment. By joining the Smoothment (as mentioned, it’s totally free), for the first week you and I will meet in the kitchen via a series of quick recipe videos. In each video I’ll show you a new “60 Second Smoothie” recipe, so by the end of the week you’ll have a whole new library of frothy magic at your fingertips. You’ll also have access to all the written recipes, smoothie building tips, daily superfood prizes, and even a special coupon code for 30% off all smoothie ingredients at Navitas.

Personally, I can’t wait to make 2012 absolutely deliciously awesome. Will you join me?