Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowl

Happy Mooonday dolls! Hope your weekend was awesome. I attended an amazing seminar this weekend.. all day Saturday and Sunday. My weekend flew by!

Well... anyway...Who says you can't DIY a Chipotle style burritos bowl at home? It's a great quick lunch or dinner... here is what you need and what you need to do!

Vegetable Burrito Bowl:

What you need:
Organic, local Romaine lettuce, cleaned and washed
1 can of organic, low/no sodium black beans
Fresh pico de gallo (store bought from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or homemade)
Organic cheese
Homemade taco seasoning blend or store bought blend that is low sodium
Fresh guacamole (Whole Foods or Trader Joe's have a great one)

What to do:
In a saucepan, heat black beans on medium heat and add taco seasoning to your desired taste. Thoroughly clean Romaine lettuce (I do an Apple cider vinegar rinse), pat dry, roll and slice for shredded lettuce style. Then place lettuce in bowl, top with black beans, then pico de gallo, scoop of guacamole, and finally cheese... and your done!

BONUS: Add one tablespoon of flax seed oil to black beans.

*If preparing for on the go for the office, bag each ingredients separately, repeat beans when ready to eat then stack all ingredients we referenced above!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheescake Recipe: raw/vegan dessert

Hola and happy Friday! Here is a great recipe for a Raw/Vegan cheesecake that I found (courtesy of . I altered it just a tad! Hope you enjoy!!!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tofu Cheesecake

Ingredients
FILLING
12 ounces organic dark chocolate/vegan chips
2 12-ounce packages of firm silken tofu
2 tablespoons agave nectar or 1/3 cup of homemade fruit sweetener
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons soy milk or coconut milk
1 1/4 cup organic peanut butter

CRUST
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup soy margarine
1/2 cup organic sugar or raw sugar

Optional:
chocolate syrup for garnish
Soy whip cream

Preparation: Melt chocolate over double boiler. Blend melted chocolate with 12 ounces of tofu, 1 tablespoon agave nectar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of soy milk. In separate bowl, blend 12 ounces tofu, 1 cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons soy milk and 1 tablespoon agave nectar.
Crust: blend oats, sugar and margarine and press into a spring form pan. Cover bottom of crust with remaining peanut butter. Pour chocolate/tofu mixture in pie crust, then peanut butter/tofu mixture on top.

Viola!!!

5 things every Naturalista MUST HAVE....

1. Spiritual connection to Higher Power.  I personally am a proud Christian, non-denominational, who seeks my own truth based on my guidance and personal connection with God. It's so important to have your own truth.  This keeps you soul centered.

2. Favorite super fruit, veggie. Its always good to have a super fruit or veggie that you love that you can find almost anywhere!  My super fruit is a banana.  I can find bananas almost everywhere!  They even sell them at 7Eleven.   Whenever I'm on a road trip, I can always count on finding a banana for purchase.

3. Staple Cardiovascular exercise.  Having a cardiovascular activity that you love, that doesn't require equipment is great.  If you are on vacation, you can always take a run on the beach or a brisk walk.  I enjoy running so when on vacation, away from the gym, or a place I can't take my bike, I can always count on a good run, which I love!

4. Regiment to care for yourself!  With all the stresses of the world, its important to take out some time for YOU.  I've heard some natural hair girls say that they take a time every week to focus on styling their hair, which can be a task!  During this time, they really get into taking "me" time. Others may take out some time to get a massage or relax in the sauna, steam room or whirlpool.   Its important that we take time to center and maintain balance.

5. Staple Book or Meditation routine!  A good book can take your mind to a space of creativeness or may focus on a specific thought that may bring enlightenment.  Meditation allows you to quiet your mind so you can listen to your spirit.   Both are great ways to allow your mind to work optimally.

Bobbi Brown lip gloss.....

Ok ok, so I know I ranted and raved about MAC Lip Glass recently, but... in my recent travels, I visited Nordstroms to purchase some Bobbi Brown makeup (one of my favorites, but a current backup to my Temptu Airbrush foundation make-up) and was helped by the most amazing make-up artist. There was a special beauty event at Nordstroms with tons of the best artist in the area. Anyway, the artist was able to not only help me with my Bobbi Brown purchase, but with all the make-up products in the cosmetic department. Well, I told him how much I adore the MAC Lip Glass and he told me an amazing personal story of how Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss worked for him at a photo shoot. He applied the gloss to my lips, and let me tell you, I was sold. Flawless shine that works great by itself or overtop of lipgloss or lipstick if you are in the mode for some shine. I love trying and finding new products.. it really brings me a certain joy... :) Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss also has spf15 built-in! Great right? The BB Crystal gloss he applied on my lips remained for hours, providing a flawless shine.... a new love? Hummm... Really?... but MAC just took me back? What's a girl to do??? ;) ahhh.....love affairs! A love affair or emotional addiction.... u decide... have you tried it? What do you think?

Xoxo.....

Sorry I cheated on you Mac Clear Lipglass... will you take me back?

Picture courtesy of Maccosmetics.com

Well I must say that I have been a huge fan of Mac Cosmetics Clear Lipglass, since its first inception!  It has an amazing finish and clear shiny close is timeless.  It can add full seamless shine to any dull lipstick or can be worn alone.  Many have tried to match it, but the finish is the best!  Yes, I know it can be a tad sticky, but it gets 2 thumbs up for shine.  I think they have improved the product since its original release becuase it is not as sticky as it used to be.  Anyway, for me, its a winner-- and trust me, I have tried several clear glosses.  This one is perfect in pictures, showing a flawless lip and last a really long time.   Do you like? 

Ninja Blender Review

WELL Dolls and Gents...

My blender passed away over the weekend.. I guess I exhausted it with too many Green Smoothies over time!  Well, I believe that things don't happen to you, they happen for you!  So.. in keeping with that, I guess it was time to immediately replace my blender.  My sister and her husband told me about the Ninja Food and Drink Maker.  While at the store, it was the first blender I saw.. i figured it was destiny... so and I decided to purchase it!  I am so happy with my purchase.  The blender is amazing and perfect for my Green Smoothies and So Delicious milkshakes :).  So far so good with it!  I will post another video soon of some great new foods I've made with the Ninja!  I've made an amazing soup as well as my owm fruit sweeteners to use in my Vegan/ Naturally sweetened desserts.   

Desert Essence: Re-launch... Best natural face wash

Desert Essence has been a leader in the natural beauty industry for 38 years. With such amazing products its no wonder they have stayed afloat, and continue so  strong. My favorite Desert Essence product is the Thoroughly Clean Face Wash- Original. It cleans my face wonderfully, without over drying. My skin has the perfect balance after use. The face wash is all natural, and some of the ingredients include tea tree oil, awapuhi plant and soothing chamomile.  I;ve been using tis for about 10 months... Prior to this I spent TONS of $$$ on expensive face washes and in my opinion, none of them compare to Desert Essence.  Let me know if you try it or if you use it and your reviews/thoughts on this product. I'm sure others must love it, if they are the #1 selling face wash... xoxo

If you have dry and/or sensitive skin, you should probably try Gentle Nourishing Organic Cleanser.

Designer watch: Korto Momolu

For all my naturally beautiful fashionistas out there, I hope you got a chance to either attend or keep up with some of the fashion from fall fashion week 2010 in NYC... there were some really interesting and aspiring designs this year. Korto Momolu especially stood out for me as I loved her designs while she was on project runway and was really interested to see what she air do with an entire line. She definitely did not let me down! Check out some of her things from the runway and her site at.

So Delicious coconut milk icecream

Interested in a tasty alternative to regular icecream? Try So Delicious by Turtle Mountain. It's very tasty! Although its sweetened with Agave Nectar (I'm not a big fan of agave) its a good occasional treat and is better for you and less sweet than sugar. The other ingredients are pretty good though!

BONUS: If I'm in the mode for something extra, a take a scoop So Delicious vanilla bean coconut milk icecream, a cup of So Delicious coconut milk for drinking, a dark chocolate and oatmeal raisins cookie by Kashi, blend all ingredients together in the blender for a cozy milkshake with 1/3 of the fat and calories with no processed sugar!

Raw/Vegan Mint Chocolate Cheesecake

Move over Cheesecake Factory, there is a new VEGAN Cheesecake on the block! For all of my vegans/raw food dessert lovers, I had the most amazing raw/vegan cheesecake ever!

I purchased this locally (for me), but the site is WWW.ziascafe.com. The ingredients included cashews, almonds, coconut oil, dates, raw cacao beans, vanilla extract, mint and sea salt. I have to figure out how to make this and blend all the amazingly good ingredients together, but until then....I'll continue to be a regular at Zia's! If I figure out how to make it, ill ne sure to post my recipe. Any suggestions?