Even though we’re no longer seven years-old and don’t hide under the bed when we hear a clap of thunder (okay, some of us do…whatever!), thunderstorms are still dangerous! While out at Long Beach not long ago, as thunder and lightning struck we ran for shelter and I realized I really didn't know what I was supposed to do if I was stuck outside.

Do you know that according to NYC Hazards website that lightning kills more people each year than tornadoes! So be smart during thunderstorms! Here are some tips to remember that I adapted from NYC.gov. (As always I'm no doctor but here are just some tips I am going to personally follow).

If You Are Inside (This does not include bus-stops or other small structures):

The safest place to be during a thunderstorm is indoors. Remember the 30/30 Rule. If you see lightning, count the seconds before you hear thunder. If it's less than 30 seconds, take cover. Once indoors, wait 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder before venturing back out.

Do not use the telephone or any electrical appliance connected to the building's electrical wiring.
 

Don’t use any of the building’s plumbing! (Showers, sinks, or anything connected to the building's plumbing. If lightning strikes the building, the current could flow through the wiring or pipes and electrocute you.
 

Cars can protect you from a storm but don’t touch metal inside the car.

If You Are Caught Outside

Stay away from tall, isolated objects (trees, poles, etc.) You want to avoid open flat areas like parking lots or fields. Basically, you don’t want to be the highest object.

Stay away from lakes, ponds, railroad tracks, and fences, which could carry current from a distant lightning strike.

***If you can’t find shelter, crouch down, grab your ankles and bend forward, so that your head is not the highest part of your body and your head does not touch the ground. I specifically remember thinking—oh I’ll just lie on the ground! But that’s the worst thing to do! NEVER lie flat on the ground.

If You Are Driving During a Thunderstorm

Turn on your lights, Pull over if you can (away from trees or anything that could fall on your vehicle). Stay in the car and turn on the hazard lights until the heavy rain subsides.

Avoid contact with metal or conducting surfaces outside the inside the vehicle. Lightning that strikes nearby can travel through wet ground to your car.

Avoid flooded roadways. The depth of water is not always obvious.

If You Find Someone Struck by Lightning

Call for help! Give First Aid. Call 911 or your local ambulance service. Get medical attention as quickly as possible. (Of course I’m no doctor so I have no idea what to tell you re: mouth to mouth, etc.)
 

Also, FYI people struck by lighting don’t have an electrical charge so you can examine them safely (so NYC.gov says).

Look at this fabulous new addition to my life! It is a must-have for vegans! You can have raw noodles from any vegetables in seconds!!

Look at these beautiful noodles!!

For dinner I made our favorite avocado pasta and we added in the zucchini noodles to add a few more vegetables into our lives!

Terrible flash but gorgeous noodles!!!!

All mixed up! Served with some Daiya vegan cheese pizza! 

I ordered this Spirooli on Amazon.com. It was only $35.49. 

Hollywood is buzzing about the exciting news of Hilary Duff’s pregnancy. Hilary Duff (the new mom-to-be) was spotted on her way to a pilates class with none other than celebrity nutritionist and author of The Beauty Detox Solution, Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie.

Made up of about 70% green vegetables, the Glowing Green Smoothie, packed with minerals and chlorophyll, will keep her body healthy and balanced throughout her pregnancy.

It is not just the quantity of greens that makes the smoothie so amazing—because the fruits and vegetables are blended (“pre-digestion”), your body is able to absorb more of the vitamins and minerals without working so hard.

The Glowing Green Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water

1 head organic romaine lettuce, chopped
3-4 stalks organic celery
1/2 head of a large bunch or 3/4 of a small bunch of spinach
1 organic apple, cored and chopped
1 organic pear, cored and chopped
1 organic banana
Juice of 1/2 fresh organic lemon

Optional:
1/3 bunch organic cilantro (stems okay)

1/3 bunch organic parsley (stems okay)

Directions: Add water and chopped head of romaine to blender. Blend at a low speed until smooth. Add celery, apple and pear and blend at high speed. Add cilantro and parsley (which help chelate heavy metals out of your body). Finish with banana and lemon.

For more recipes and beautifying tips visit Kimberly Snyder’s blog. Or pick up a copy of The Beauty Detox Solution.

The other day I read an article on thefruitpursuit.com about how wonderful wheatgrass is for you! 

Wheatgrass is the younger, immature version of wheat. Much like other grains, before it matures into a grown up grain,  wheat grows as a grass. Veggies are the powerhouses that we never knew! Many of our friends like the gorillas and cows subsist on only greenery! Cows have shown us that grass really does do a body good (unlike their milk!) For humans though it is nearly impossible to chew grass well enough to release the health benefits. So in order to release the vitamins we must juice it! And another benefit of juicing is that by removing the fiber vitamins are easier for us to digest!

Here are some of the benefits of Wheatgrass:

• Supposedly one shot of wheatgrass (1 oz) has the nutritional equivalency of 1 kilo of fresh veggies.
• Rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, amino acids (building blocks for protein) and enzymes and chlorophyll (70%).
• Stimulates metabolism & reduces cravings (by stabilizing blood sugar)
• Helps lower blood pressure
• Neutralizes toxins
• Clears skin up 
• Boosts the immune system
• Recolors Gray Hair
• Boosts Energy
• Soothes cuts, burns, scratches, rashes, etc. 
• Restores fertility and promotes youthfulness

What does it taste like? Okay well the good news is that it's a small shot and it goes down smooth. I'm not the biggest fan but I do make myself take it as often as I can. It tastes like exactly like what you'd expect it to–grass! I can smell it across the room as soon as I enter a health food store. But it's worth it, right? If someone told you that you could take a shot of something to make you much healthier for the rest of your life you'd take it right? Well I would–and I do! Just think of it as medicine! Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go downnnnnnnnnn…

*Tip-to make it go down smoother, try finishing your wheatgrass shot with a lemon chaser and suck on a lemon wedge after you down it! It really takes the edge off!

Summer is my only favorite season for salads as a main course so I've been experimenting this sweltering fabulous summer! One of my favorites to serve with a pasta dish to ensure that I get my leafy greens is a Kale, Lemon, Parmesan salad. Yes, I know I typically stick to vegan lately but this sprinkle of parm makes this salad really pop. I adapted it from the Forge restaurant in Miami. The recipe is simple and it'll get almost anyone to eat raw kale. Swear!

1/2 head of kale
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Clove Fresh minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese (Fresh–for the love of g-d please don't eat Kraft's parm that can sit on the shelf for a year!)

Take half a head of kale (curly or dinosaur) and wash thoroughly and remove middle stems. Then put it in your salad spinner and dry it off. If you don't dry it off somehow the Kale gets a strange "cooked-like" (yes that's my word) texture once it goes through the food processor. Next,  throw it in the food processor on the shred function. Mix the dressing separately and add as much as you want. Sprinkle on a small handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese. With Kale, you want to be sure to let it marinate in the fridge for at least 10 minutes otherwise the dressing won't fully absorb. 

Try to stop your boyfriend, fiance, husband from eating this!! Also feel free to add any other veggies your heart desires!

Have you met my good friend, Daiya? Daiya cheese that is! At the start of my advetnures in veganism I thought there was no way I could live my life without cheese. Even salads? How could they taste okay without cheese? After ordering a cheeseless pizza one night, my husband and I were absolutely horrified. We were just about ready to give up our veganism until we met, as I mentioned, my good friend, Daiya.

Being a vegetarian is hard, being a vegan is difficult, but being a soy-free vegan can present quite a challenge at times! Daiya cheese is tapioca based and it stretches like real cheese! Don't get me wrong, it takes some getting used to. The first time I had it I was like, hmm this is weird. Deep, I know. But now it's become a junkfood staple in my life. It allows me to have somewhat pizza-ey, pizza! Without eating any animal products.

You can make nachos with it, throw it on top of your burger or make a pizza with it! I know it's still not really "healthy" but I think it's okay to have once in a while!

Check out Daiya Cheese! Have you tried it yet? What are your thoughts?!

Ever had the thought, “Can I wear Spanx to the gym under my clothes?” I mean you’re wearing spandex at the gym, your tightest clothing and your flab is left unconstrained! Doesn’t seem right, huh? Well, the heavenly ladies over at Spanx have solved your problems—They did the unthinkable and came out with workout gear! Just when you thought they couldn’t help you anymore, they’ve done it with a fantastic line of power pants that flatten your tummy, pants that firm your figure, the ultimate workout top that makes you appear slim, and even workout socks (no they don’t make your feet look skinny!)

Spanx sent me a top to try out and I was so impressed. First of all don't be wary that you won't be able to breathe, because the tops are just made to make you appear slim, it doesn't actually suck you in like typical Spanx products. While I did look quite slim (if I do say so myself), the feeling is one of lightness, airiness and breathability rather than a feeling of tightness, which is perfect because who wants to feel smothered while your sweating your butt off! 

Check out the new collection on Spanx.com and enjoy free shipping until the end of September—no BUTTs about it!

Stay tuned, we should have a giveaway in the near future for one lucky reader!