What’s the best kinda’ date? The one you can eat!

This simple and delish recipe from my book always delivers just the right amount of sweetness and energy. By combining dates, which help to stabilize blood sugar with lots of fiber – the fresh apple, vanilla collagen protein, nuts and coconut, you get a little apple pie in every bite. And to make them a little more festive, I added some fuschia-colored Pitaya powder to the mix. Pure natural color.

Here are the ingredients – hope you’ll try!

• 1 cup dried dates, pitted and chopped
• ½ cup slivered raw almonds
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup ground flaxseed
• 1 scoop collagen protein powder
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 teaspoons dried Pitaya powder or natural sprinkles

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine the dates, almonds, walnuts, ground flaxseed, protein powder, ¼ cup of the coconut and 2 teaspoons water and pulse until a dough is formed. Add another teaspoon or two of water if needed for the mi
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Aging gracefully isn’t solely in the hands of fate; it's profoundly influenced by our daily choices. This essential truth is at the heart of understanding how dietary habits, fitness, and lifestyle decisions impact our journey into older age. Here are practical tips gleaned from deep dives into health and longevity topics, which can help you navigate aging with vitality and joy.

1. Focus on Natural and Functional Health Approaches

• Opt for natural remedies and nutrition over medication when possible.
• Incorporate functional foods that offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition.

2. Clean Eating for Longevity

• Use food washes like "Eat Cleaner" to ensure your produce is free from pesticides and contaminants.
• Prioritize organic and whole foods to minimize exposure to harmful chemicals.

3. Supplement Wisely

• Consider natural supplementation, especially for essential nutrients that support aging bodies, such as Omega-3s from algae.
• Engage in regular health checks to t...

EP 120 - The dangers of mercury: How to avoid it and protect your brain from it

As a chef, my kitchen is my sanctuary, and my dishes are my messages to the world. Imagine my shock when I delved into the shadowy facts about mercury, a pervasive threat that can subtly invade our bodies with each bite of seemingly wholesome food. This revelation was a wake-up call, prompting me to pivot towards advocating for cleaner eating and living.

Mercury is a naturally occurring element that exists in various forms, including elemental mercury, inorganic mercury compounds, and organic mercury compounds like methylmercury. While mercury has industrial applications and is used in products like thermometers and fluorescent lights, its presence in the environment poses significant health risks to humans and wildlife alike.

Mercury sneaks into our lives in ways we might not expect, from the fillings in our teeth to the fish on our plates. High-mercury fish like shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and ti...

Taco Tuesday Pozole (or any day of the week) ✨

EP 108 - From Clif Bars to wine + honey The future of sustainability in Napa Valley with Clif Family 

“A big part of what we do has to do with the engagement with our community and how that translates to people who live and work here.”

-Linzi Gay

Did you know that renowned Clif family also produces wine? Nested in Napa Valley, the Clif family is working to create a healthier, more sustainable world through the enjoyment of wine, food and connection. We get into how the Clif family is really changing the wine and food experience and how regenerative agriculture is the future of sustainability.

LISTEN AND WATCH THE FULL EPISODE 108 HERE:

01:28 Sustainable Food Summit – How Mareya and Linzi met

05:06 ‘’We're a business that thinks like a tree’’

10:21 Linzi explains the procedure from farm to product 

16:51 How Clif Farms overcome issue with water usage

20:39 How Clif Farms started producing honey

24:01 Is there an education that happens at the winery about how it's ha...

EP 107 - Lettuce Not Waste - Tips for Keeping Produce out of Landfills

 “Our waste is eating us Alive is the number one contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is the food that should be nourishing our bodies. It begs the obvious shouldn't we do something about it? Really do something about it.”

-Chef Mareya

“Now with Eat Cleaner, you have a way of enjoying that food and helping it last up to five times longer just by taking a few minutes to wash it – the impact on your wallet will be substantial.”

-Chef Mareya

The episode discusses the alarming amount of food waste in the US and the resulting environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions and methane emissions from landfills. It emphasizes the need to take action to reduce food waste and highlights the role of a company called Eat Cleaner in removing harmful residue and keeping produce out of landfills. The episode also mentions the movement towards rescuing imperfect or "ugly" produce and companies like Misfits Ma...

Industry Expert & Trend Watcher Chef Mareya

Shares Her ‘Cool 10 Trends’ in Sustainability for Earth Month

New products, services and habit shifts can help prevent the number one cause of methane emissions

According to the USDA, around 40% of all food produced in the US is thrown out, translating to over 133 billion pounds and over $161 billion worth of loss.  Food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the U.S.  and the largest contributor of methane emissions.  Food waste is burning up the planet.

Chef Mareya, Mareya Ibrahim, is a 28+ year veteran of the food industry and trend watcher shares her ‘Cool 10 Trends’ on what’s next in America’s sustainable food scene and how we can reverse climate change with every bite.

What’s COOL in Sustainable Food:

1. Cashew Nut Meat: The cashew meat from inside the cashew fruit, which is normally thrown out, is a single ingredient, organic product that tastes amazingly like meat, with the same consisten
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INGREDIENTS

• three whole bananas, peels on (See Note)
• three large eggs
• 3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
• one teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk
• One Cup all-purpose gluten free flour
• 4th a cup of chopped walnuts
• two heaping tablespoons bone broth collagen protein powder
• 2 teaspoons granulated stevia
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips (70% or more unsweetened cacao)

• NOTE: Leaving the peels on makes this banana bread extra moist ad jam-packed with essential nutrients! Trust me, you’ll want to double the batch and maybe add more chocolate. Learn more at SAVE THE PEELS.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Line a 4-cup load pan (8” x 4” x 2 ½”) with parchment paper.
2. In a blender, combine the bananas (still in their peels), eggs, ghee, vanilla, and almond milk and blend until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, walnuts, protein powder, stevia, baking so
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I scream, you scream, we all scream for nice cream! When you go "nice," you never go back. It doesn't matter if you're not a full-time vegan-this will become your go-to dessert for every day of the week. With just five ingredients, it couldn't be any easier. Scoop it, spoon it, and love it up.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 (14-ounce) cans unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
- 4 cups sliced fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out (see Note)
- 2 frozen bananas, peel left on (see page 99)
- 1 teaspoon granulated stevia

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
- Unsweetened shredded coconut
- Cacao nibs
- Crushed walnuts

DIRECTIONS
1) Refrigerate the cans of coconut milk overnight. Open each can and scoop only the thick, white coconut cream into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; discard the watery liquid left in the can or refrigerate it for another use (it's good for smoothies!). Whip the coconut cream using a handheld mixer or the stand mixer...