VITAMIN-PACKED POWER SMOOTHIE


Another day where it was challenging to get out of bed. I got more tattoos last night and it was much more painful than I was prepared for. Jack has been on my mind a lot, I miss him terribly and I know he doesn't miss me at all. And my depression and anxiety are rearing their un-sexy heads more than usual this month. It's tough, I'm not going to lie. But I continue to get through each day. And that's enough for now. I'm gonna talk a little more about mental health and self care in this post, and shout out a product that helps my mood, plus that's also simply part of a more general food philosophy that benefits my mental state. 

I devote a lot of time each day and night to managing a positive space for my brain. Yes, it requires privilege. I'm fortunate to have a lot of privilege. I take anti-depressants, meditate, exercise, get outside, listen to music, dance, spend time with friends and meet new people when it doesn't cause too much anxiety, write in my journal, talk to my mom, get regular sleep, sunshine and consume a TON of nutrient dense foods. All these factors help keep my mental health in a fairly good place. Having said that, I still have my bay days; weeks; months. But if I weren't focusing on keeping my body - and by proxy, my brain - nourished consistently, I don't even wanna know where I'd be right now. Ever since Jack dumped me - yep, still upset about it - I've been more seriously putting my energy into fuelling my body with the most nutritious and energy-giving foods I can get my hands on.

I feel empowered and energized when I regularly consume superfoods like ashwaganda, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, leafy greens, veggies, fruits, beets, beans, whole grains, chia seeds, walnuts, coconut and other whole foods and whole food-derived powders. My skin gets this incredible clarity and kinda glows, I smell great (in my opinion...), I sleep more soundly, I perform better in the gym, and most importantly: it's easier for me to maintain a positive mental attitude and outlook. One company that is doing an amazing job of curating excellent whole food-derived nutritional boosters is Pranin Organic. They are actually local for me (I'm in Vancouver, Canada, they're in Richmond!) which is rad, and I'm very impressed with the quality and ingredients of their products. They sell Smoothie Boosters that are essentially nutritional supplements - because they give you so much of your RDI for a long list of vitamins, minerals and nutrients - but they're made from simply fruits, veg, seeds and other plants. They also offer actual supplements for Iron and vitamin B, which are both very important for EVERY BODY (and that includes vegans). Their method is to take the powerful nutrition in whole plant foods that evolution - and agriculture, let's be real - have produced and gently refine them further, boosting their impact and efficiency. 

Their products are all in powder form so they're effortless to add to smoothies and raw desserts. I'll be making another recipe featuring Pranin Organic again soon. If you are intrigued I highly recommend you check them out on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and their website. For a limited time, if you use the code "RAWSOME" at checkout, you will get %15 off your order. Mwah. AND fellow Canadians: they do free shipping on orders over $120, whaddup. 

Below is an example of a recipe I've been making daily, it's packed with fresh whole food goodness but also gets an extra nutritional hit from Pranin Organic's berry-centric Smoothie Booster. Filling my body with high quality, plant-based foods goes such a long way in keeping me mentally motivated and positive. Mental health matters.

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VITAMIN-PACKED POWER SMOOTHIE
[ serves one ]

1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon maple syrup 
1/2 cup young coconut meat
1 peach
1/2 red beet
1-2 cups non-dairy milk, water or tea
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 pouch Pranin Organic Super Berry Smoothie Booster

Blend it all up and drink it all down! Yesssss. Consider yourself boosted. P.S. I sprinkled mine with chia seeds because they're cute.

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