Why You Should Be Meditating

If you're like me before I started meditating, you're probably thinking "Who has time to sit down for 10-60 minutes a day just breathing when there are so many things to get done and so many other more important things to do?" or "Meditating looks so strange...I don't get it".

Well, you're right. Meditating does look pretty strange at first and probably makes no sense to someone who's never done it before. It is the most simple thing in the world, yet everyone who does it says it's the greatest thing in the world; how is that possible?

Well, it IS the most simple thing in the world, yet it is one of the greatest things in the world for your health, which is why, in my opinion, it is simply magical.

I'm not going to bore you with all the facts or research done to prove how beneficial meditating is to your mental and physical well-being (you can look that up for yourself if interested), but I will share with you a personal experience instead.

I mentioned previously that I've dealt with anxiety and OCD, and still currently deal with a more mild form of both, and I can honestly say that meditation (along with healthy eating, a regular workout routine, yoga, and a loving family and friends) has saved my life. When my OCD was at it's worst a few years ago, and my brain was constantly replaying terrible, terrifying thoughts, my therapist recommended that I start meditating for just 15 minutes a day. At that point, I was willing to try anything, but I never thought that just taking the time to focus on my breathing could help me at all, let alone as much as it did.

I've come a LONG way since then, but I can say that meditating has contributed tremendously to my recovery. Anyone who struggles with anxiety and OCD knows that at times it seems impossible to quiet your mind or slow your heart rate, to the point where you almost feel paralyzed, but meditation has helped me do just that. Meditating helps you calm down, focus, quiet your mind, slow down your heart rate, learn how to breathe properly, and learn how to live in the present. Most importantly though, it helps you quiet all the nonsense thoughts traveling in and out of your brain daily (mostly everyone experiences this, not just someone with OCD), and helps you realize your true thoughts, potential, feelings, and self. If meditating helped someone like me quiet my mind and let go of all my fearful thoughts, imagine what it can do for someone who's never dealt with a mental illness but is simply stressed out and always on the run-amazing right?!

Meditating is now a part of my daily routine; I meditate for about ten minutes when I wake up and ten minutes before I go to bed- no matter how tired I am or how many things I have to do. All I do is sit cross legged with my back straight, and focus on breathing in deeply and slowly and out deeply and slowly. I also repeat different mantras in my head to stay focused. This helps me stay positive, grateful, focused, and excited about this beautiful life I am able to live. Many times while meditating, I picture my dream life and tell myself that I am able to create it; this helps me stay focused on my goals every day and stay motivated to take daily steps to achieve my dream life. And when life gets too crazy, (between trying to balance school, work, homework, spending time with family and friends, preparing healthy meals, working on my blog and Instagram, and making time to train and reach my fitness goals) meditating reminds me to enjoy it all and gives me the calm I need, even if it's just for twenty minutes a day. Most importantly, it helps me control my anxiety to the point where I barely even experience anxiety anymore!

Even though meditating does take a lot of practice, and it takes a while before you see the results, it is definitely worth it in the long run. Everyone these days is so distracted by social media, television, school, work, and the stress of their daily lives that they forget to just live in the present moment and enjoy it. Whether you suffer from some sort of mental illness or not, meditation can be incredibly beneficial for you. In our world today, it is almost impossible to find someone who doesn't experience stress, fear, or terrible thoughts-and meditation can help you control all three. I recommend meditation to EVERYONE- because who doesn't want to create their dream life and be more successful, fearless, positive, focused, calm, and excited about this beautiful life we are lucky to live? The benefits of meditation are truly endless, but no matter how much I try to describe it, you won't understand it until you experience it for yourself. So go ahead and try it; tell me how you feel after a few weeks- I promise you won't regret it!

xxx
Rachel

Raw Vegan & Gluten Free Espresso Brownies

As a young girl, my all time favorite desert was always warm chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream. I used to get so excited when my mom would let me make brownies (out of a box of course) and would invite all of my friends over to have some.

Now that I'm older, I know better than to eat brownies (or anything for that matter) out of a box, but I admit I am usually too lazy to make brownies from scratch, so I usually just don't eat them. Last week, however, my sweet tooth was kicking in and I wanted to make something special for Valentines Day; that's when my Raw Espresso Brownies were born!

These brownies are chewy, rich and chocolaty with a special kick to them. They are also so versatile- you can eat them right out of the fridge, warm them up for a few seconds in the microwave and top with some ice cream, or you can crumble them on top of some banana nice cream for the perfect breakfast or snack (my absolute favorite way to eat them!) They are vegan, gluten free, raw, light, and 100% guilt free. The best part about these brownies, however, are how EASY they are to make- I can never use the excuse of being too lazy to enjoy brownies again! I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do :)

Raw Espresso Brownies

• 15 medjool dates with 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• 3/4 cup almonds
• 2 tsps cacao powder
• 2 tsps maple syrup
• 2 tsps cacao nibs
• 1 tsp melted coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of Himalayan salt
• pinch of espresso powder (can put more depending on personal preference)

Chocolate Sauce

• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 2 tbsps cacao powder
• 1 tbsp agave
• touch of water

Instructions

First, blend medjool dates with water (I use a food processor). Then, add in pistachios and almonds and blend everything together. Pour into a large bowl and add in the rest of the ingredients- mix thoroughly ( I like to use my hands). Pour ingredients into a baking dish and pat down with hands. For the chocolate sauce, mix all ingredients together in a pan and warm up for about a minute or two. You can add more/less of the ingredients based on personal preference. Pour chocolate sauce over brownies (I only poured it over half because I also enjoy them without it!) Freeze for about thirty minutes and cut into squares, then completely devour! :)

xxx

Rachel

Chocolate Covered Strawberries & Peanut Butter Bananas

Let's be real; there isn't anyone in the world that doesn't like chocolate covered strawberries or fruit dipped in chocolate sauce. There also isn't anyone in the world that loves all the calories and junk that comes along with it; that's why I decided to make a healthier version of this yummy treat that you can share with your significant other, best friend, family members, or yourself this valentines day!

Valentines Day is no longer known as just the day of love, but the day of gorging in loads of chocolate, Since I don't want anyone of you to miss out on all the fun, but don't want you to go too crazy and fall off the healthy wagon, I thought this recipe would be absolutely perfect to share with you all! And I promise you, it takes even less time to make these than it does to stand in line at a chocolate store  right before valentines day.

Chocolate Dipping Sauce

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsps cacao powder
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or more, depending on how "milky" you like it)
• 1 tbsp agave (more or less depending on personal preferance)

First, warm up the coconut oil in a pan. Then, add in the cacao powder and slowly add in the rest of the ingredients. 

I kind of just play around with this recipe- I keep adding more ingredients as I go until I receive the amount of chocolate I want and until the taste is exactly to my liking. When it comes to chocolate, everyone has a personal preference, and that's why I recommend starting with this recipe and adding/subtracting as you go. If you want a chocolate sauce that is completely dark, you can commit the almond milk and use water instead. 

When you finally get the exact amount of chocolate sauce and the perfect taste, you can either use it as a dipping sauce with fresh fruit and eat it on the spot or dip it in strawberries and freeze them. I like to use half to dip in strawberries, and the other half to mix with peanut butter and dip in bananas and freeze. You can also top the strawberries, peanut butter bananas, or any fruit you choose to use with shredded coconut, nuts, cacao nibs, or sprinkles- be creative! 

Enjoy and let me know how you like them! Happy day of love and chocolate <3

xxx

Rachel

Creamy Low-Fat Vegan Honey Mustard

Sometimes, eating the same old salad with a light lemon and apple cider vinegar dressing can get boring, and it can be hard to find an exciting dressing that is dairy free and low in fat. For this reason, I came up with this delicious vegan and low-fat creamy honey mustard dressing that I hope you all enjoy!

Creamy Low-Fat Vegan Honey Mustard

• 2 tbsps dijon mustard
• 1 tsp organic raw honey
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 minced garlic clove
• lemon, salt, and pepper to taste (optional)

I love this dressing on a massaged kale salad with sliced avo, garbanzo beans, heirloom tomatoes, sliced red bell peppers, and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, but it goes great on practically any salad so feel free to get creative!

xxx

Rachel

What is This Thing you Call Tahini?

People always ask me what Tahini is, since I use it in pretty much 50% of my meals/recipes, and I eat it almost every day,  so I thought I'd give you a little background info on this magical spread that I am so obsessed with and absolutely couldn't live without!

So what exactly is tahini? Simply put, all it is is sesame seed butter- but it isn't simple or boring at all! In my opinion, tahini should definitely be considered a super food. Not only is it filled with calcium, healthy fats, protein, copper, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, iron, zinc, selenium, and vitamin B1, but it can be made either savory or sweet. Tahini is especially great for vegans, since it is a great plant source of protein, calcium, and iron!

Tahini is pretty much a staple in the Mediterranean diet, which is one of the healthiest diets in the world. Since my family is from Israel, I was fortunate enough to grow up eating tahini and have been eating it pretty much my whole life.


The simplest and most popular way to eat tahini is as a tangy, savory, creamy spread which can be eaten with pita bread, on toast, with chips/crackers, or as a dip for raw veggies. It can also be poured over salads, baked sweet potatoes/potatoes, fish, poultry, red meat, veggie burgers, brown rice, quinoa, grilled veggies- pretty much anything you can think of! All
you do is mix the tahini with some water until it turns from brown to white, add some salt, lemon, and minced garlic, and you have yourself the perfect dip, sauce, or dressing!

Another popular way to eat tahini is to blend it with some garbanzo beans, salt, lemon, and minced garlic to make hummus. Hummus is a dip that is a bit heartier than the traditional tahini dip and includes the amazing health benefits of both garbanzo beans AND tahini. It is filled with even MORE protein and fiber than a traditional tahini dip, and along with some salad and good whole grain or gluten free bread, is the perfect post-workout meal.

Tahini is also a great alternative to dairy and can be used to make thick, creamy salad dressings without the heavy cream, mayonnaise, or other dairy-filled ingredients normally used in creamy salad dressings. I love using tahini to make homemade vegan ceaser dressing, tahini and maple dressing, or creamy garlic and cilantro dressing.

Since tahini has a pretty neutral flavor, it can also be used as a sweet spread in lieu of nut butters. For anyone who is sadly allergic to nuts, this is the perfect alternative to nut butters- you will never feel deprived or left out from eating peanut butter again! I love spreading some tahini on toast and topping it with pumpkin seeds, sliced banana, and some honey- delicious! I often pour some on top of my morning oats or blend some in a smoothie to add some protein and healthy fats. It can also be used in deserts, as a topping on frozen yogurt, or can be drizzled on top of some freshly sliced apples and bananas- honestly, the possibilities really are endless!

Since I've now teased you with all of the amazingly delicious ways to enjoy tahini, I will be posting some recipes very soon which will include this magical "super" food,

What are your favorite ways to eat tahini? Comment below!