Ok; dressings--such an important topic! The dressing can absolutely MAKE or BREAK a salad. Am I right? 

And as much as I wish this wasn't true, it's truly so difficult to find good, clean, oil free bottled dressings. I've looked far and wide, they hardly exist. I have recently found some good dressings at Trader Joe's (their brand), so that's encouraging to see! But if you don't have a Trader Joe's near you, and you're not wanting to spend quite a bit of money on pre-made bottled dressings let me help you out. 

Here are my top 3 favorite raw vegan dressings I've been making nearly every night of the week for years. I never get tired of them! *Note: of course you do not need to be raw or even vegan to enjoy these dressings. Pour them over whatever salad, noodle dish, wrap, sandwich, etc and it will totally elevate your dish!

Ok, the dressings: 

All 3 of these dressings require nothing more than a bowl and fork to whisk them up. In fact, if I'm really in a rush...

I often get asked where I shop and how I find good deals on quality fruits and vegetables. Where I shop and what I buy depends on where I’m living or visiting at any given time. Availability, variety and cost varies depending on location. But here are a few of the methods and tips I use:

1) Discount grocery stores. These don’t exist everywhere, but here in central PA there’s a whole bunch of them—basically stores that sell the overflow or abundance they receive from chain grocers. Think a second hand clothing store--but for food. 

2) If you don't have a discount grocery store near you, the next best option is somewhere like Aldi, or a Grocery outlet--even somewhere like Walmart--these are places where you can get cheaper-than-Whole Foods-options. If I'm on a budget (which I always am to one degree or another) I never buy all my produce at Whole Foods. I use Whole Foods to supplement--to get those items I can't get at other, more affordable stores. If I...

Transitioning.

Let’s talk about it. How do you move from eating one diet—any diet—to eating a raw vegan diet? The answer?

There is no singular answer for everyone.

You see, transitioning to our natural human diet isn’t like going on any other diet—because it isn’t just a diet. When we start eating our proper diet we don’t just lose weight, clear up our skin, or improve our blood pressure.

Everything changes. Emotions come to the surface. Our minds open up. Our hearts expand.

It’s so. much. more. than a diet.

And it can be heavy. And scary. Most of us have no idea how much we use food to cope and suppress our emotions. We all do it. Every one of us at one point or another have used food to numb ourselves.

And let me tell you—it’s a lot harder to numb out or to escape eating watermelon than it is when eating burgers and fries.

Many people aren’t ready for the MASSIVE change that occurs when you start eating an abundance...

SOL-TI

I love, love, love making my own juice! But sometimes life gets busy, sometimes I'm traveling without my juicer, or sometimes I'm really just not in the mood to make my own juice. I love Sol-ti because they are a company of the highest integrity and standards. They use glass, not plastic, to bottle their juices. They are organic. Their juices are cold pressed, raw, and unpasteurized--and delicious! I love supporting this company and I'm excited to talk about them and promote them myself! 

Order yours here!: Solti

Get 15% off your order with coupon code: OLIVIA  

DAILY GREEN BOOST

Let's be real--Daily green Boost is the BEST green powder on the market. I really don't have more to say than that. I've been using this green powder for years and I haven't found one yet that I like nearly so much. It's the best quality raw, organic, vegan barley grass juice powder available. Check it out! 

Order yours here!: Daily Green Boost

Get 10% off your...

Hey all!

I've been asked many times what my favorite raw vegan kitchen equipment is so I'm going to list it all out for you here:

1) Kitchen Shears! My favorite must-have kitchen item is a good pair of kitchen shears! I use these every single day to cut and prepare my salads. They're so handy! I have the KitchenAid brand which is about $8 on Amazon. Such a cheap and highly useful item in my kitchen! 

2) Veggie Spiralizer! There are a lot of good veggie noodle makers out there but my personal favorite and the one I use nearly every day is a the brand: Zoodle Slicer. It's currently $9.99 on Amazon and well worth the price! This little hand spiralizer is so simple to use and easy to clean up if I'm just noodling up a couple zucchinis or cucumbers. I have a few larger spiralizers but I find this little one the most convenient and practical for small, daily prep for myself. 

 3) A Food Processor! Another kitchen item that is a bit underrated is a food...

In January of 2017 I was studying abroad in Israel. I was told NOT to drink the tap water OR brush my teeth with it, and to carefully wash all the fruits and vegetables I ate.

Well—I did none of those things. And within several days of being there my neck started getting all blotchy and I was developing a severe rash.

Within a matter of just a couple more days I knew something was seriously wrong. My digestion was terrible. I was bloated to the max and my whole body had such an unbearable rash. I was so itchy and uncomfortable any place other than soaking in the bathtub. It was also so bad I was embarrassed to wear anything other than a sweatshirt so no one could see my skin.

Things continued to get worse for many months, and by April of that year I noticed a large bulge in the bottom right side of my abdomen—which I eventually realized was the home of my parasite.

I was miserable, tired, and unhappy—to say the least. And desperate to get the parasite out. I had very...