Fennel, Basil and Lime Tea

This is a cooling tea that contains three simple ingredients. Perfect tea for soothing your body on a warm day, reducing inflammation, balancing your digestive system and alkalizing the body. 

Ingredients:
1/4 c. fresh fennel, coarsely chopped (this is a great way to make use of the fronds)
8 fresh basil leaves
1/2 lime juice, fresh squeezed 

Directions:
1. Boil 1 quart of water.
2. Pour into a tea decanter filled with fennel, basil and lime juice. Steep 6 minutes. Strain and serve. 

Recipe and photos by: Keri Marino

Keri Marino is an internationally Registered Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist. She's owns and operates Yoga Unique offering therapy, classes, workshops and yoga products. Keri teachers both privately and publicly around the Greenville area. Check out more here: YogaUnique

My Guilt-Free Beverage

Infused Waters are a great way to mix your beverage up without drinking something loaded with sugar. As little as 2-3 teaspoons of sugar impacts the blood sugar level and elevates triglycerides. There are 4 grams = 1 teaspoon. Most teas and even all natural sodas have 22-44 grams of sugar per serving. That's the equivalent of 5.5-11 teaspoons of sugar per serving. Diets excessive in sugar and carbohydrate can affect the biochemistry of the brain. They impact the hormone levels and are linked with weight gain, depression and increased fatigue. There are healthier options out there like creating an infused water, teas, flavored soda waters (fizzy!), vegetable and fruit smoothies/juices.

Add a little bit of sea salt if you are overly hydrated and need electrolytes. If you're feeling saucy you can add a dash of cayenne for extra nutritional benefits. The fruits used in this infusion are sources of Vitamin C which can help ward off colds and sickness. Aloe juice is good for the digestive system and anti-inflammatory. I use George's brand aloe vera juice as part of a candida elimination diet - it has no preservatives and tastes like water. Some brands of aloe juice are not filtered or juiced properly and can be harsh on the body and bitter. 

Cucumber, Green Apple, Lemon and Aloe Infused Water

Ingredients:
1/4 of a medium cucumber, very thinly sliced
1/4 of a small granny smith apple, quartered and thinly sliced
1/3 of a small lemon, very thinly sliced into rounds
1 tbl. George's Aloe Vera Juice 
1 quart filtered water
*Add even more of these delicious plant foods to amp up the flavor.
Optional: Dash Pink Himalayan Sea Salt or Cayenne Pepper

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a one-quart mason jar. Sit out or place in the fridge until you would like to drink. Refrigerate or drink within 2 hour of making to preserve fruit.
Recipe and photo by Keri Marino.

Keri Marino is an internationally Registered Yoga Teacher, Propmaker, and Yoga Therapist.  She owns and operates Yoga Unique LLC offering mobile Private classes, Yoga Therapy and Yoga props. Keri teachers both privately and publicly around the Greenville area. Check out more here: YogaUnique

Keri's Daily Green Juice

For those of you are
aren't in love with dark leafy
greens. Spinach has one of
the mildest flavor of all
greens, and still very
nutrient dense! 

For christmas this year, my fiance set me up with an amazing juicer. The first few weeks I was experimenting with making a low-carb version of my classic green juice and it's just wasn't coming together for me. The ginger and lemon made me cringe no matter how small of an amount of it I put into the juice. Which is weird, because I LOVE lemon and ginger. 

Anyways, most of the fresh juice recipes out there contain a fairly large amount of carbohydrates due to the use of apples, carrots, and many other fruits. When you're on a weight-loss diet or anti-candida diet those carbs are just not worth the health benefits they could provide. I love, love, love this green juice because it is really mild, simple, slightly sweet, low-carb and oh-so-refreshing! Let this recipe remind you don't need all the sugary fruit to make a delicious, nutritious, fresh juice. :-) 


Candida Diet, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Low-Carb, Nut-Free, Paleo, Primal, Raw

Ingredients:
3-5 handfuls baby spinach
3-5 sprigs fresh parsley, ends trimmed and coarsely chopped

Parsley can help to freshen
your breath naturally and is
a good source of vitamin C.

1 medium cucumber, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 stalks celery hearts, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
optional add-ins: dash sea salt or cayenne, lemon wedge

Directions:
1. Juice all ingredients except optional add-ins. Sprinkle add-ins on top and serve immediately or refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to 24 hours.
2. Save the pulp from your juice and mix with tomato sauce, mashed avocado, into your protein smoothie, etc. 
*Recipe and juice photo by Keri Marino.

Keri Marino is an internationally Registered Yoga Teacher, Propmaker, and Yoga Therapist.  She owns and operates Yoga Unique LLC offering mobile Private classes, Yoga Therapy and Yoga products. Keri teachers both privately and publicly around the Greenville area. Check out more here: YogaUnique

Classic Green Juice

This is my current favorite green juice recipe... it's loaded with fresh vegetables, fruits, and ginger!    Juicing is a great way to supplement a healthy diet and boost your antioxidant and micronutrient load!  This recipe is derived from the "Original Mean Green Juice" as seen on the documentary, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead.  By using spinach and two types of apples you reduce the bitterness and tartness of the original recipe.   



Drink the green juice in small servings throughout the day if possible to keep a steady flow of antioxidants and healthy micronutrients flowing into your body!  I especially like to enjoy it between meals and during late afternoon sluggishness! :-)  






Ingredients:
6 kale leaves (lucinato is my fav.)
2.5 oz. baby spinach leaves 
8 celery sticks
2 green apples, cored
2 cameo, jonagold, or golden delicious apples , cored 
1 lemon, peeled
1.5-2 inch piece fresh ginger


Directions:
1.  Juice all ingredients and pour into two clean glass bottles with lids.  Keep chilled.  


This recipe makes enough for two servings.  I juice enough for two days and store it in air-tight clean recycled glass bottles.  I don't recommend keeping the green juice for more than 3 days as the antioxidant and micronutrient levels may decrease.  Separation is natural so shake before drinking and keep in the refrigerator. 

Keri is an internationally Registered Yoga Teacher, Culinary Nutritionist, and Wellness Coach.  She owns and operates BAYA Wellness, LLC offering Yoga and Nutrition Services.  Keri teachers both privately and publicly around the Greenville area offering on-going classes and special events.  Her path as a nutritionist is all about making healthy living approachable... she teaches the components of healthy cooking, eating, and thinking while also offering specialized services like menu planning.  Healthy living is about the whole pictures of wellness... find your path to living well.

BAYA... Be As You Are!


Contact me for details: www.BAYAWellness.com 

BAYAWellness@gmail.com or 864-430-1275

Blackberry Tea Infusion

Lightly sweetened tea blend with the hint of blackberry and the astringent qualities of green tea with the balancing smoothness of white tea.

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon water, plus more

1 blackberry tea bag

1 white tea bag

3 green tea bags

1/4 c. organic cane sugar

Cooking Instructions:

1. Fill 1/2 gallon pitcher with water and pour water into a large sauce pan. Boil water to full open boil. Turn off heat and stir in tea bags and sugar. Cover and set aside to steep and cool. Pour into pitcher and fill with extra water.

From a simple sugar perspective: all sugars are created equal whether they come from honey, agave, molasses, brown sugar, or white sugar. However, some of the sugars do undergo less processing yielding a more natural product. For example, some types of honey like raw, and local honey are believed to help reduce allergy issues. You can substitute you favorite sweetener!