Let them eat cake!

We admit, sometimes there is nothing more delicious than having a little piece of cake. Ah… but it isn’t as naughty as it sounds, because the cakes we are talking about this week are healthy raw cheesecakes!

The art of creating the perfect raw cheesecake starts with building a solid foundation.

Ingredients

• ½ cup cashews
• ½ cup almonds
• ½ cup pecans
• 10-12 pitted dates (soak to make soft)
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup raw cacao powder
• ½ tsp rock salt

Preparation

1. Blend cashews, almonds, pecans and salt until finely chopped
2. Add dates and cacao powder and blend well
3. Add remaining ingredients: shredded coconut and vanilla extract
4. Press into bottom of pan

Our 5 favourite raw cheesecake fillings

1. ‘Pomegranate Cheesecake with Clementine Gelato’ from The Raw Chef
2. 'Raw Orange Chocolate "Cheese" Cake Revisited' from Rawmazin
3. ‘Pear-Ginger Cheesecake’ from Both Halves
4. ‘Raw PB & J Swirl Cheesecake’ & ‘Raw Blackberry Lemon Lavender Cheesecake’ from Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tips

• Feel the mixture, it should stick together when you pinch it. If it doesn’t, add more dates
• Test taste the mixture for sweetness, add a dash of vanilla extract if needed
• If your blender blade isn't very sharp, blend the nuts and salt first before adding the other ingredients
• Now that you have the foundation for your raw cheesecake, play around with the endless opportunities for raw fillings

How does detoxing help your skin?

You've undoubtedly heard that detoxing is good for your skin. In fact, healthy and radiant skin is the top detox benefit reported by our cleansers. Cleansing helps give your skin that sparkly, dewy, fresh look, and it also helps ease common skin conditions such as acne, dermatitis, psoriasis and eczema. But why and how?

The role and functions of your skin

The skin is the largest organ in your body. It protects you from external pathogens, regulates temperature, facilitates vitamin D absorption, enables tactile sensation, and importantly plays an active role in detoxification.

Its detoxification function has the biggest connection with skin appearance. If you’re overloaded with toxins – playing too hard, eating too much (or too much of the wrong things) and sleeping too little – it all takes its toll on your skin. Dehydration lines, breakouts, rashes and skin irritations are all signs your skin needs some serious TLC, and your body could do with a cleanse.

Detoxing and its impact on your skin

When you detox, provided you are avoiding all the right foods (our cleanse does just that), you are naturally eliminating skin aggravators and inflammatory agents such as dairy, yeast, sugar and gluten.

Juice cleansing gives your digestive system a rest, stimulates detoxification (gently clearing out all those skin-clogging nasties), and floods your body with delicious nutrients all at the same time. It's a recipe for skin success!

If you think a juice cleanse might be for you, check out our spring/summer menu. Our Fruit & Greens and Zingy Uplifter six packs are also a perfect skin-friendly supplement to a healthy diet. More info here.

6 recipes to make your heart sing

We're sure you've realised by now that we like to share the love and keep you updated on the latest and greatest health news.

Well, to celebrate Valentine's Day this year, we thought we'd share a lovely recipe collection we stumbled upon today.

6 smoothies and juices to make your heart sing and dance:
1. Frank Lipman's 'Blueberry Avocado' Smoothie
2. Kim Snyder's 'Rainforest Chia Seed Heart-Healthy' Smoothie
3. Cynthia Pasquella's 'Berry Healthy for Your Heart' Smoothie
4. Cherie Calbom's 'Green Lemonade'
5. Bonnie Taub Dix's 'HeartSmart' Smoothie
6. Lisa DeFazio's 'Heart Healthy' Smoothie

These 6 recipes will make your heart skip a beat for all the right reasons! Check them out here.

And while you're at it, check out our very own spring/summer recipes.

the Foodie's Guide to a Healthy New Year

If you're like us and you LOVE food, here's a nifty little guide to shaping up this New Year, minus the dieting. Yep, you can actually celebrate food and get healthy, all at the same time.

News Flash

For those of you who are not aware of it already, we launched some delicious <edible> cleansing extras in 2012. The concept was simple. As seasoned cleansers, we are all too familiar with the desire to munch on something between juices, so we came up with a guilt-free way of giving you exactly that.

Every ounce of these tasty little morsels is good for you. There's not a gram of sugar, yeast, dairy, wheat or gluten in sight. Nothing but beautifying good fats, muscle-toning protein, and revitalising vitamins and minerals in these bad boys. We're talking about our Activated Almonds and AMAZEballs (choc, green and almond-flavoured).

If you haven't already, check them out here. For the foodies out there who love to cleanse but need to chew, our cleansing extras are the perfect solution.

Foodie Guide

1. Make friends with food
Food is NOT the enemy; banish the word 'diet' from your vocab and think healthy, moderate eating instead!

2. Make your own food 
Get to know your ingredients and influence what ends up on your plate; you'll save money too! Win win.

3. Focus on the 'experience'
If you enjoy what you eat, you're less likely to fall victim to the 'restrict and binge' cycle. The key is moderation.

4. Reinvent your favourite 'naughty' dishes
Put a healthy spin on them. For example, if you like ice cream, try making it with coconut milk and stevia instead.

5. Keep it social
You don't have to go cold turkey (forgive the pun) and eat alone post-festivities. Get your friends involved in a healthy feast with a 'bring a dish' date. Who said eating had to be a solo activity?

And there you have it, a lovely little guide to getting healthy minus the diet factor...

Food is here to be enjoyed after all!

Urban Remedy's 'Healthy Holiday Guide'

10 tips to keep you healthy over the festive season...

1. Start your day with a glass of warm water and lemon

2. Get some exercise first thing, before the festivities begin

3. Stock your pantry and fridge with yummy, healthy snacks – think brown rice cakes, kale and veggie chips, olives, raw nuts, veggie sticks, healthy dips, avocado...

4. Find healthy versions of your favourite treats. For example, dark chocolate sweetened with stevia instead of sugary milk chocolate...

5. Stay hydrated, particularly when you are drinking alcohol!

6. Avoid sugary alcoholic mixers – skip the soft drinks and opt for soda or mineral water with fresh lemon or lime instead

7. Give your body a rest between big meals. For once, skipping a meal is actually OK. Don't be tempted to pile food on top of food on top of food.

8. Make time for yourself in the busy Christmas schedule. Take 10 minutes to go for a walk, listen to some music, read your book...

9. Practice giving the best gift of all – love. Take the time and energy to be there for your loved ones!

10. Write a list of 3 goals for 2013. Not 30, just 3.

For those of you wanting to book in a January cleanse, we sell out up to 10 days ahead of schedule in peak season so get in fast!

Our January 2013 dates are live on the ordering page here.

Happy holidays!

Urban Remedy takes the guilt out of Christmas

Our Christmas Gift Bags are the perfect way to introduce friends and family to delicious AND healthy food over the festive season...

Ready for order this December, Urban Remedy is excited to announce our BRAND NEW Christmas Gift Bags, the perfect way to share and enjoy guilt-free goodies over the Christmas break.

Our gift bags include products from some of our favourite brands: T2, Loving Earth, IKU and Supercharged Food. Choose between our tastebud teasing 'Temptation' gift bag and the decadent 'Indulgence' gift bag.

Both are a perfect gift for the foodie, the chocolate enthusiast, the health junkie, or just for that person who already has everything. They even make a lovely addition to your own pantry if you're looking to treat yourself.

WHAT'S IN THEM?

'Temptation' gift bag – $40

• 1 x 50g All Sorts One Tea Cube
        A beautifully boxed collection of T2's most popular teas.
• 1 x 100g Activated Walnuts
        Supercharged Food's fancy twist on the humble nut
• 2 x 100g Raw Organic Chocolate Bars
        Coconut Mylk and Goji Camu Camu
        Loving Earth's healthy solution to indulging your sweet tooth!
• 1 x 175g Raw Organic Coco Choc Butter
        Loving Earth double drop the chocolate. Heaven.
• 1 x $15 Urban Remedy Cleanse Voucher
        The perfect way to get back on track, from yours truly

'Indulgence' gift bag – $80

• 1 x 50g All Sorts Two Tea Cube
        A beautifully boxed collection of T2's most popular teas.
• 2 x 100g Activated
        Supercharged Nuts Almonds and Walnuts
        Supercharged Food's fancy twist on the humble nut
• 2 x 100g Raw Organic Chocolate Bars 
        Coconut Mylk and Sour Cherry & Acai
        Loving Earth's healthy solution to indulging your sweet tooth!
• 1 x 175g Raw Organic Coco Choc Butter
        Loving Earth double drop the chocolate. Heaven.
• 1 x 400g Biodynamic Christmas Cake
        IKU's guilt-free take on Christmas tradition...
• 1 x $25 Urban Remedy Cleanse Voucher 
        The perfect way to get back on track, from yours truly

HOW DO YOU ORDER?

Simply order online via the Urban Remedy website by 5pm Monday 10th December 2012 for delivery by Friday 21st December 2012. Get in quick as stock is limited!

DON’T FORGET… 

If you prefer, Urban Remedy Gift Vouchers are also available over the festive season. They make a lovely Christmas or New Year present! Choose the amount and we deliver your voucher straight to the lucky recipient.

Acai. A smooth operator with serious beauty benefits.

Acai, we love it. For starters, there's a reason why this superfood has been coined the ‘Beauty Berry’. Containing more grams of regenerating protein than an egg, and packed full of anti-ageing and metabolism-boosting phyto-nutrients, this lovely berry improves your health and promotes real beauty from the inside out. 

Why Acai?

This little wonder:

• Combats premature ageing with the help of powerful antioxidants (namely anthocyanin)
• Boosts immunity and metabolic function
• Aids in muscle regeneration, promoting increased energy and stamina
• Improves blood circulation, assisting in a healthier heart
• Assists in removing toxins from your body

Beautifying Berry Smoothie

Ingredients

• Raw acai powder – 1 tsp
• Raw cacao powder – 1 tsp
• Mixed berries – a large handful (fresh or frozen)
• Medium ripe banana  – 1 whole
• Almond milk – 200 ml
• Water – 100ml

We like Loving Earth for our acai and cacao powders – they use only sustainable , fairly traded and high-quality organic ingredients. When choosing an almond milk, always go for unsweetened. Or if you have the time, make your own!

Preparation

1. Pop all ingredients in blender
2. Blend
3. Serve
4. Drink
5. Yum

If you fancy making our Beautifying Berry Smoothie but don't have all of the ingredients at your disposal, we have a lovely superfood hamper up for grabs from Loving Earth. Just head over to our Facebook page, like our post, and you could be in with a chance of winning some raw acai, goji, vanilla and cacao...