Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day, and in honor of Earth Day I wanted to talk about something very special to me, and to our earth and food resources. Honey Bees.

Now I know a lot of people dislike Bees because of fear or misunderstanding, but let me tell you some facts about Honey Bees you might not know.



* Bees collect 66 lbs of pollen per year, per hive. Pollen is one of the richest and purest natural foods, consisting of up to 35% protein, 10% sugars, carbohydrates, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins.

* Bees make honey from the nectar they collect from flowering trees and plants. Honey is an easily digestible, pure food. Eating local honey can fend off allergies.

* Honeybees are not aggressive by nature, and will not sting unless protecting their hive from an intruder or are unduly provoked.

* Honeybees are responsible for pollinating 33% of all the foods we eat, including Strawberries, Pears, and Almonds, among others.

* Since late 2006, bees have been disappearing at an alarming rate, due to Colony Collapse Disorder.

Fortunately, we know there is a problem and we're doing something to stop it. Haagen-Daz has an adorable website to help educate you on CCD and the honey bees plight at http://www.helpthehoneybees.com/

Burt's Bees is helping. Anthropologie is helping too.


If you've got the space, plant some bee friendly flowers in your garden like UC Davis.

You can find out how here, and here.

Take some time today to read up on CCD or watch some videos and see how you can help.

Happy Earth Day everyone!

Acai Smoothie!

This is the recipe for my daily Acai smoothie recipe. Feel free to change things in order to make it suit your needs best.


1 awesome blender (I use a Vita-Mix and I have never been let down EVER)
Frozen fruit of your choice (I use a frozen berry blend and mangoes)
1/2 a banana
1/2 cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt (not frozen)
1/2 cup acai juice (I use Sambazon)
2 tbsp flax seed
1 tbsp honey (Hollis Natural Honey)


My cousin Holli gave us some honey awhile back which I use and it's the best honey ever. I guess she had a bee problem in her BBQ, so she turned that problem into honey. You can use any kind of honey you want, but the fresh stuff is the best.


Blend til smooth, and enjoy. :)

Homemade Granola!

One of my AB FAB Favorite clients and I were exchanging recipes (as we often do) and she told me about her new favorite snack. GRANOLA!! Well I am all for new recipes and I am all for granola, it just gets SO DARN expensive. So thanks to Jennifer for this yummy recipe, cuz it literally costs PENNIES to make!!

This is the recipe Jen gave me; but me being me I tweaked it a bit.

1.5 cups oats
1/4 cup unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup unsalted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup pecans,  coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. honey
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 300 and spray a large baking sheet with cooking oil.
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, mixing well to  be sure everything is coated with the syrup and honey. Spread the mixture onto the prepared sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden  brown. Let cool completely before storing.

Berta's Tweaked version;



I started off with 1 cup oats, and 1/2 a cup steel cut oats, maple syrup, clover honey, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and a nut mix I picked up in the bulk section of the market (it includes peanuts, pecans, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews ect ect...) I also added a handful of sunflower seeds, and a handful of pumpkin seeds.

It's my MEGA MUFA MIX!



Then basically, throw everything in a bowl and stir it until its well mixed.



Spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 for about 25-30 mins, stirring it around to make sure it doesn't burn every 5-10 minutes.



The great thing about granola is that as long as you add Dry (oats), and Wet (honey), you can mix ANYTHING into it and make lots of different flavors.

I even made a batch with brown sugar and maple syrup only for cereal in the morning.



As the granola cools it will harden. Store it in an airtight container for up to 10 days, if it lasts that long.

For a great to go snack, add some chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries, whatever and put it in a sandwich bag and throw it in your purse/bag/backpack if you get hungry in the middle of the day!