Love Potion Parfait

We all know that it’s important to have a healthy relationship with food. It’s something that we must engage with multiple times throughout our day simply to survive. While it works for some, and for a good while it was something I tried too, I just can’t fathom the idea now of being in a burdensome and restrictive relationship where a meal comes down to counting calories, often overeating, and then feeling guilty. To put it bluntly, that’s just being a slave to food, something I would imagine no one wants to be. This is just one of the many reasons I choose to eat a 100 percent raw, low fat, plant-based diet. I never count a single calorie, I eat as much as I care for, and I love the fresh taste of just about every whole food that nature has to offer.

I didn’t plan to post this parfait today but I had a pretty cool moment in the kitchen this afternoon. I’v always believed the saying “love your food and it will love you back,” but today this beautiful jar of living foods actually showed me some love. You will see that the middle layer consists of some whole fresh berries, and when I poured the top mixture over the berries, a large heart shape naturally formed over one of the strawberries without the use of any kitchen utensils.  Sure this is all symbolic, but today I believed and embraced that aforementioned saying more than ever. When you eat foods that you love and ones that nature has designed for the body, those foods return the love by nourishing not only your physical self, but also your mind and spirt. So if you’re in need of a little love and happiness, skip the chemicals and the drugs, and “let food be thy medicine” with this Love Potion Parfait:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 1 parfait

• Ingredients:
• 4 Peeled bananas
• 10 Whole strawberries
• 1.5 cups blackberries
• 1.5 cup blueberries
• 1 cup frozen cherries
• Handful of raspberries (optional)

Directions:

1. Bottom layer: Using a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, blend 2 bananas, 1 cup blackberries, and blueberries until completely smooth. Pour into a large glass or jar.

2. Middle layer:  Pour 1/2 cup blackberries, 1/2 cup blueberries, and 2 sliced strawberries into the jar over the top of the first smoothie layer.

2. For the top layer, blend the remaining 8 whole strawberries, cherries, and other 2 bananas on high until smooth. Fill the remainder of the glass with this mixture. Sprinkle raspberries and some extra chopped banana on top to finish.