Fall into Health Event

by Arielle J on October 2, 2015

Last week, I hosted a Fall wellness event, called
“Fall into Health” – part of my seasonal “Be Well Event Series”.

The guests had a blast drinking Spiked Apple Cider Martinis
and chowing down on Seasonal Kale and Squash Salads, Grass-Fed Beef Veggie Burgers and Baked Apples.

For those of you who were able to make it, thank you for coming! And for those of you who weren’t able to join, you can live vicariously through us via photos below.

First, the guests gathered and sipped on delicious healthy organic juices. Sydney, the owner of Clarity Juice, brought along some of her delicious juices to taste test.

One of the things that makes Clarity Juice so special (other than the fact that the ingredients are top notch, and the mixtures taste out-of-this-world DELICIOUS), Sydney, the owner is a Life Coach, as well as a Certified Juicer. So, when she gives tastes of her drinks, she inspires the tasters to find a moment of clarity in their day.

At every event we have a signature cocktail, so for Fall, it was beyond perfect to serve something apple-related. Sydney makes a “Boost” juice, and the second I tasted it, I knew I had to create a cocktail with it. So, introducing my Spicy Spiked Apple Cider Martinis!

Clarity Juice’s “Boost” is literally the perfect drink for Fall (aka “The Flu Shot”)
because of it’s strong immune boosting properties and naturally spicy ingredients.

Boost is made with apples, lemon, apple cider vinegar, ginger, jalapeno, cayenne and cinnamon.
It’s sweet, but not too sweet, and extra spicy so it literally warms up your body from the inside-out. I added a shot of gluten-free vodka, a little ice and voila: Spicy Apple Martinis! Get the recipe here.

The guests were obessessed and so were we!

Once the guests gathered, I gave tips on how we can take care of ourselves in the Fall.

The temperature is dropping, days are getting shorter and more and more people are experiencing cough and colds.

For Fall, I spoke about the importance of incorporating
warm spices and rich and moisturizing fats and oils to
to keep your body feeling healthy, lubricated and insulated before the cold days of Winter set in.

While guests waited for the lecture to begin, they sipped on white wine and the healthy cocktails and munched on tigernuts from Organic Gemini, which are little crunchy and nutty root vegetables.
I mixed the whole tigernut and sliced tigernuts and placed them in cute bowls with
little mini wooden scoopers.

Tigernuts are a great alternative to nuts and especially perfect to snack on during the day and to serve at an event. They’re nut-free, high in fiber, protein and good-for-you fat to keep you satiated and insulated for Fall. I like snacking on them plain, but I love them on top of yogurt or cereal too.

Then, I made a colorful Fall salad using seasonal kale, grounding acorn squash, and topped I
with protein-packed quinoa and maple-glazed pecans mixed in a sweet maple vinaigrette. Check out the recipe here.

Then, I showed the guests how to make Mini Grass-Fed Beef Veggie Burgers. Just roll up some ground beef into little mini burger patties and add some seasonal veggies for a Fall-inspired, hearty dinner!

Grounding foods, like good quality meat, squashes and potatoes are especially helpful to eat in the Fall. Eating vegetables that grow close to the ground (aka root vegetables), help us feel more rooted, grounded and focused after a high energy season like Summer.

Whenever I cook meat, I always look for local, pasture-raised and grass-fed meat, when possible. Meat that is grass-fed and pasture-raised, like Arcadian Pastures, cares about the health of the animals. They feed the cows grass and let them graze in the sunlight – how mother nature intends them to eat and live. Ever since incorporating more grass-fed meat into my life, my energy levels have increased and I feel stronger mentally, emotionally and physically.

I made little mini burgers and passed them out on little skewers with kale, ketchup, a cherry tomato and a slice of pickle — just like a veggie burger, but using grass-fed beef and no bun. The guests loved them! Super easy to make and delicious, too. Get the recipe here.

After dinner, guests enjoyed this delicious dessert – Sliced Baked Apples with Sweet Cashew-Cinnamon “Ricotta”. It’s the perfect dessert to warm you up on a chilly Fall night. And best of all, no refined sugar or dairy is used and it takes less than 5 minutes to make!

I used some local US apples from my nearby farmers market, sliced them up and broiled them until soft. Then, I whipped up cashews and maple syrup in a blender for a creamy cinnamon dip. Get the recipe here.

As an added bonus, guests who took selfies with the apples, participated in a fun campaign to raise money for education projects around the US – urban gardens in schools, physical education equipment, college scholarships and more!

You can join in on the fun too – use hashtag (#apples4ed) and post a pict of yourself with an apple, buying an apple, cooking with an apple or eating an apple to support healthy bodies and minds. Snack, snap, tag and share through mid-November!

Be Well Tip: When eating an apple or baking them, leave the skin on for the best nutrient punch! Two-thirds of the fiber and many of the beneficial antioxidants are in the skin.

After guests ate dessert, we mingled, taste tested the rest of the food, sipped on some more wine and apple martinis and enjoyed the night!

Oh – and at the end of the event, we surprised the guests with the most incredible healthy gift bags!

Most of the items were ingredients that I mentioned throughout my lecture and in the recipes, so the guests were so excited to bring them home to start using right away. Gifts included: Crown Maple Maple Syrup, Redmond Real Salt, Matt’s Munchies, Simply Organic Cinnamon, Organic Gemini Tigernuts, a US apple and Comfy Coobie bras.