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Ridiculously Easy Homemade Strawberry Cashew Milk

7/11/2016

Strawberry Cashew Milk, non-dairy milk, mylk, cashew, milk alternative

I've had a long love affair with non-dairy milks - I use almond, cashew, and coconut milk on the reg. And when it comes to nut milks, I reeeeaaaaally try to make my own, since homemade is free of weird preservatives, unnecessary additives, and synthetic vitamins. Plus, unless you buy the unsweetened version, it's FULL of refined sugars. Gross.

You're probably wondering who the eff has time to make their own nut milk. Well, with cashew milk, YOU DO. Yep. YOU. I swear this ish is so easy you could do it while Netflix auto-switches between episodes of Orange Is the New Black. It literally has two steps. 1: Soak nuts. 2: Blend. No straining required! Amaze.

Speaking of Orange Is the New Black, I just finished watching the new season, and WTF, Netflix??? How you going to leave us with a cliff hanger like that??? All mayhem is about to break loose and I'M SUPPOSED TO WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS??? Also, (*spoiler alert*) I can't beliiiieeeeeve they killed Poussey. So tragic. She was one of my fave characters over the years. (Sad cry face) (My computer needs emojis.) (I need a new tv show to watch now, who has suggestions???)

Okay back to ridiculously easy homemade strawberry cashew milk. I swear, I have a "how-to" and a recipe to share below, but first let's talk about the health benefits of this super creamy amazingness.

Since our homemade cashew milk is unstrained, it retains all the nutrients and health benefits of the whole cashew. This is a MAJOR reason to make your own - the store bought version is basically thickened (and most of the time sweetened) water with a few cashews, and loses almost all of its nutritional value.
Homemade cashew milk is high in protein - with my recipe you will get approximately NINE grams of plant based protein in a 1 cup serving. Compare this to store bought, which is <1 gram per 1 cup serving!
Cashews are rich in some very important minerals. Specifically copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, and iron. If you want to know more, goooooogle it. Or you can just take my word that they are stellar minerals and you need them in your life.
Cashews have a lower fat content and higher protein content than other nuts. The fat they do contain is about 65% derived from oleic acid, a monounsaturated oil with known benefits in protecting against heart disease and cancer.

Fun facts: Cashews are in the same family as mangoes and pistachios, and are actually the seeds that stick to the bottom of the cashew apple (the fruit of the cashew tree). Cashew apples are delicacies in Brazil and the Caribbean!

Recipe (FINALLY, I know.):
Ridiculously Easy Strawberry Cashew Milk

Ingredients:

2.5 cups organic unroasted cashews
5 cups filtered water
1 1/4 cups organic strawberries, hulled
1.5 tsp vanilla

Optional (pick one):

If you like it sweet: 4 medjool dates
If you like it salty: 1 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt

The ridiculously easy part:

Soak your cashews in filtered water overnight (or for at least 6 hours)
Put everything in your Vitamix (or other high powered blender) and blend until creamy and amazing, which takes between 1 and 2 minutes depending on the blender.
I store mine in mason jars, but you can use any airtight container you have on hand. In the fridge, the cashew milk will stay good for up to 5 days. Just make sure to shake it before you enjoy it!

I've been using mine in chia seed pudding and smoothies, and let's be honest - there's been lots of drinking straight from the jar. Lots.

X's and O's,
Nikole

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What is Holistic Nutrition, Anyway? Plus Some Ish About Whole Nikole.

7/2/2016

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Hello Lovelies!!

I've been doing the Insta/Facebook thing for a couple months now, and I wanted to take a moment to write a about what the heck holistic nutrition is, why I'm so jazzed about it, and how my life led me to create Whole Nikole Nutrition.

When I was in my early twenties, I began having health issues. After several years (yes - years) of feeling TERRIBLE, countless doctors appointments, and not much relief (let's be honest, really no relief at all), I was a mess. I couldn't digest food, my hormones were crazy imbalanced, I couldn't sleep, and I was tired. ALL. THE. TIME. It was a struggle to get through each and every day without a debilitating stomach issue or literally falling asleep at my desk in the middle of the day. My periods were a joke, either completely absent or coming every 21 days. My health was pretty close to rock bottom. Then one day, after yet another disappointing visit to the doc, I hit my tipping point. I was ready to take matters into my own hands. I began learning about a whole foods approach to health, and simple ways to support digestion and hormone balance through food and herbs. Little by little, I made changes to my lifestyle and my eating habits, and found that every small change led to an improvement in my health. This was the beginning of my love affair with nutrition and what led to my education as a holistic nutrition consultant. I wanted to learn the SCIENCE behind how food affects the body, and share that knowledge with as many people as possible! A few years ago I went back to school. I became a certified holistic nutrition consultant. And now I'm here, at your disposal. Helping people transform their health with holistic nutrition is my absolute passion in life.

Sooooo what does "holistic" mean, really? And how does it apply to health and nutrition? Let's break it down.

A holistic approach to health emphasizes the importance of the WHOLE person. Want to kick ass in life? Nutrition, environment, emotions, and lifestyle ALL play a part in our kicking ass capabilities. Bringing me to No. 2:
Everything is connected! Did you know that your digestion shuts down when you are stressed??? Or that an overworked liver can cause things like acne, fatigue, and foggy brain???
We want to find the root cause of a health issue, rather than only masking the related symptoms. If you want to read more about why treating only symptoms is such an issue in our health care industry, read this awesome blog post by Dr. Mark Hyman.
EVERY, PERSON. IS. DIFFERENT. We are not clones! One person's liquid gold can be another person's kryptonite. Every person processes food and utilizes nutrients in a unique way based on genetics, biochemical makeup, and environment. So WHY would we treat each person the same? A holistic approach places importance on finding what works best for each individual. We're working for BOSS status here, not just basic survival.
Bringing it back to the nutrition aspect, holistic nutrition utilizes a whole foods based approach to health, with targeted herbs and/or supplements to provide optimum support and help you be the most bomb version of yourself possible. Also an important note: my recommendations are SCIENCE based and backed by reputable independent studies.
Aaaaaaand last but not least - NO DIETS. These are lifestyle changes, people! We focus on seasonal, organic, and unprocessed food in its natural state to support the body in the most nutritious way possible. And we learn together WHY these types of food benefit you the most. If you want to learn more about how I work with clients to address health issues, check out my Services page.

Due to my own struggles with digestion and hormone balance, I'm particularly specialized in these two areas, but a more comprehensive list of the conditions I can support (and there are many) is located HERE.

If you have ANY questions about any of this, or just want to reach out and say what's up, please do! I'd love to connect. And if we're not linked via social media yet, come find me! I'm on Instagram and Facebook, sharing some fab recipes and tips for healthy living (and also many, many food pics lol). Until next time, cheers to striving for boss status and generally kicking ass at life. Holistically, of course. X's and O's.

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Ridiculously Easy Homemade Strawberry Cashew Milk

What is Holistic Nutrition, Anyway? Plus Some Ish About Whole Nikole.

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