This is your beginning...

What do you buy?

      Look at your last few grocery receipts or save your next few receipts from the grocery store. Circle all of the fresh ingredients…Is it  5%, 10%, 25% or more

Comment below what percent of those items are real?….This is a great exercise in opening your mind or “Awakening” to how you really eat. I know you may be in denial, don’t want to think about it….You know it’s not good. But just do this exercise and share it with me I'll send you a free menu planner.

     This can be your realization period. You don’t have to change anything.   Just think about how you feel. 

Are you mentally foggy and tired and want more energy?      Do you need motivation to do anything? 

      Wouldn't you like to feel great when you get up in the morning?    Want to shed a few pounds but can't?

Acknowledging your connection to food is a great starting point. Get out a notebook and write about your feelings. I did this for many years and it really helped me. I even did a vision board (check out that post too!)

      I’d wait till everyone went to bed then I binged on food I had tucked away…I just wanted to cry all the time, sad, lonely and scared. I needed something and found it. An inner strength grew inside me by writing my feelings down. And answers came to me and guided me to healthier menus. I realize now that I ate very badly and had 2 of my 4 children while eating this way. They are now struggling with their diets and acne and sugar cravings & Candida. There is nothing I can tell them that will help. I feel like I have failed them, & they won’t listen, yet…someday….they will…

 On the other hand, with my 2 younger children, I ate a better diet while pregnant and they are so much more open to eating well and they are healthier. I see this now…hindsight…

I was so intrigued by nutrition between them, I sought out a health food store and purchased books and have not stopped. I even worked at one for a while.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.~ Anais Nin

The raw foods path is, of course, just one option for transforming our relationship to food. If you are considering a change that is so wonderful! I applaud you!!  Just reducing the quantities or adding more veggies or maybe a macrobiotic diet, or even a detox . I hope you will glean some incite to a better diet through my blog. I feel the most optimal way to eat for physical health in the human body in through raw foods. That is why I love it so much and why I will support others in choosing this path.

Please comment below on your receipts & I will send you a menu planner and just know this is your beginning...

KALE AND SALSA WRAPS

1/3 of a bunch kale

¼ bunch cilantro

2 tomato, quartered

1/8 th bunch green onion

dash cayenne pepper, (optional)

½ teaspoon olive oil

dash Celtic Sea Salt

¼ lemon, juiced

 Mix all ingredients except for kale for two to five seconds in blender.

 Wrap in kale leaves.

It’s about personally discovering what feeds you, what nourishes

It’s about personally discovering what feeds you, what nourishes

you and ultimately what makes your life extraordinary.

I saw this sentence in a book that I’m reading. It really is a very good question...Isn’t it? I find that I am feeding myself a lot of new things lately, not food though. I am really searching my soul for answers to education questions and career and family and joy and living life to its fullest. I feel like I have worried way too much this past year about things and there was no need to do that. It just deteriorated my health.

 It is…. what it is; just keep going and doing you’re very best. Not what if, but what NOW!

Starting with yourself, sit quietly for a few moments and listen to the stillness….don’t be afraid of the sound of nothing…let it nourish your soul. Listen to the sounds outside, take a walk, and see the sights of the autumn emerging around you. What is it that is occurring in your life …Notice any discomfort that arises when you are not free to speak… Delight in it. Breath through it, it is your sweet, safe genuine sanctuary in time.

Another Loss to Stop For

~ by Jill Bialosky

Against such cold and mercurial mornings,
watch the wind whirl one leaf
across the landscape,
then, in a breath, let it go.
The color in the opaque sky
seems almost not to exist.

Put on a wool sweater.
Wander in the leaves,
underneath healthy elms.
Hold your child in your arms.

After the dishes are washed,
a kiss still warm at your neck,
put down your pen. Turn out the light.

I know how difficult it is,
always balancing and weighing,
it takes years and many transformations;
and always another loss to stop for,
to send you backwards.

Why do you worry so,
when none of us is spared?

 

 

Here is a  new recipe to try...

 

 

Ch,ch,chia Berry Breakfast

2 tbsp white chia seeds

1 cup almond or other nut milk

1/4 cup raspberries, or any berry

1 whole strawberry

1 tbsp sliced almonds

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Sweetener of choice

In a bowl combine chia seeds with almond milk stir and let sit for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid clumping.

Once chia seeds have thickened add remaining ingredients.

You may want to add sweetener or spices, cacao powder, dried fruits, seeds, or nuts. Get creative with your CHI-a!

Divinely yours,

Laura

Free Gifts for Christmas

Here are some gorgeous gifts leading up to Christmas for you courtesy of Karen Knowler.

Karen has organized downloadable gifts from 11  raw food experts
which will delivered right to your inbox starting from Wednesday 14th December.

Which is pretty much right now!

To make sure you're on the list for the first gift, best head over to...All you need to do is enter your name, email and country and you'll start getting the
downloadable gifts for each of the 12 days leading up to Christmas, which includes
some great Christmas recipe!
http://www.12daysofrawchristmas.com/

Which place on Earth do you find most beautiful?

Chances are you almost definitely named a place in nature right? A lake, a waterfall perhaps, beach, forest, mountaintop or fields of flowers. Few people name buildings, highways, construction sites etc...Enjoying time in nature is a fundamental way for us to reconnect and feel at peace, away from the distractions of city life's hustle & bustle. I encourage you to spend more time outside, turn off the TV, computer and phones and go outside, enjoy the day and grow your own food. This is a wonderful rewarding ay to connect more to nature and also your own food source.There are few things in life so delightful as biting into produce you have raised yourself.Get your hands and feet into the dirt and get connected!

"Nature" is what we see 

by Emily Dickinson

"Nature" is what we see --
The Hill -- the Afternoon --
Squirrel -- Eclipse -- the Bumble bee --
Nay -- Nature is Heaven --
Nature is what we hear --
The Bobolink -- the Sea --
Thunder -- the Cricket --
Nay -- Nature is Harmony --
Nature is what we know --
Yet have no art to say --
So impotent Our Wisdom is
To her Simplicity.

 Growing my own strawberries and finding ways to preserve them for the year....

 

 All ready to jar up & mint tea too...

 Mission accomplished...and all by 9 am

 Going camping this weekend and will be making this granola to make strawberry parfaits with too. Check out this wonderful video on how.

http://rawbeets.tumblr.com/post/905318127/raw-no-sugar-added-strawberry-jam-recipe

 Granola with Buckwheat, Orange and Goji Berries

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Dehydrate Time: 24 hours

Total Time: 24 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: 6 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw buckwheat groats, soaked at least 1 hour
• 1 cup medjool dates, pitted
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup goji berries

Preparation:

1. While the buckwheat groats are soaking, soak the dates in the orange juice as well. This will soften them up a bit. Drain the buckwheat groats, rinse them well and allow them to drain again. Transfer them to a bowl.
2. In a food processor, blend the dates, orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon, and vanilla on high speed until a soupy paste forms, about 20 seconds. Pour this mixture over the buckwheat and mix well.
3. Spread the batter evenly between two Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 115°F for about 12 hours (or until they are dry enough to flip over), flip them over and remove the Teflex sheet. Continue dehydrating another 12 to 15 hours, or until the granola is dry and crunchy. Remove from the dehydrator and use your hands to crumble the sheets into a mixing bowl.
4. Add the goji berries and mix well. Store in an airtight glass container either at a cool room temperature, or in the refrigerator.

Few web links ...

Why we've been Emothional eating...


How to stop Emotional eating.

Managing emotions

Summer Orangey Tahini Dressing

This delightful light dressing only takes a few minutes to make. Its simplicity invites variation. Try adding 1-2 teaspoons tamari (a soy sauce made without wheat), or 2 teaspoons poppy seeds and 1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder.

2 tablespoons raw tahini
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon dulse flakes
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon curry powder
Pinch sea salt

In a small bowl, place the tahini
Add the orange juice gradually, blending it with the tahini
Add the dulse, ginger, cinnamon, curry, and salt

Yields approximately 1/2 cup

Serve over asparagus, or any fresh veggie salad of choice

Raw Retreat and Local Meet up Group

 Local Philadelphia Meet up for Raw foodists
Check it out
http://www.meetup.com/rawfood-374/
Come out to Raw on the Mountain, a gathering in East Tennessee of folks who love raw vegan food! It'll be at Roan Mountain, about an hour north of Asheville, NC. We'll have raw food speakers and educators like Jackie and Gideon Graff, as well as Ken Rohla from FreshAndAlive.com! The event is October 14-16, 2011. Hope to see you there!
http://www.rawonthemountain2011.com/

Sun-dried Tomato Squares (raw)

Ingredients

    1 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked and squeezed
    2 cups sprouted buckwheat (I sometimes sub part oat groats)
    1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked and drained
    1-2 cloves garlic
    3-4 tablespoons flax seeds, soaked to make a gel
    1 tomato or 3/4 cup grape tomatoes
    1-2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 teaspoon salt, optional
    1 teaspoon Herbs De provence

Directions:

1. Blend it all in a blender or food processor until a thick paste.

2. Spread evenly onto dehydrator trays.

3. Dehydrate at 105-110 degrees F for 3 hours or so, then flip carefully, and leave them in another 5 hours (or lower temperature to 100 degrees F and finish overnight).
They make fabulous slices of bread for open or closed faced sandwiches, or raw bruschetta or cut into small squares and pop them in the dehydrator for another couple hours and use as crackers.
Enjoy!

Store in airtight container.

For those looking for something interesting to show to their meat-eating

friends, try this little video. 

It's about 6 minutes long and covers the

topic of meat glue. If you've never heard of such a thing, well, few have.
Yuck!

Meat Glue..What are we eating!!!!

http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/8989315

Nourish Your Children with Real foods ....Another wonderful blog to follow:

Nourish Your Children With Real Foods

Good nutrition is essential for children to have proper brain development and growth.  It also promotes good sleeping and good behavior.  The best way to make sure your kids are getting good nutrition is to feed them real foods, not processed foods. Goldfish crackers, Cheerios, soy milk: these are not real foods!

Let's Take a Look at Some Processed Foods
Grocery stores are filled with processed foods. For example, let's look at Goldfish crackers and Cheerios.  These are very popular foods that seem relatively benign as they're not very sweet.

Chech out the whole article ....here
http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/



I happen to have a lot of red peppers so I am roasting them and found a wonderful recipe I will make with them:

White Bean, Roasted Red Pepper, and Arugula Salad

————————————————–
3 red bell peppers
1 clove garlic, crushed
zest of 1 lemon
4 tbsp coarsley chopped flat-leaf parsley
14 oz can white beans
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small bunch arugula

Roast the red bell peppers by broiling or grilling until the skins are blackened, then place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. When cool, peel the skin off, remove the seeds and membrane, and cut into strips.
Combine the garlic, lemon zest, and parsley, and set aside.
Add half the garlic/parsley mix to the white beans, and add half the lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the arugula on a large plate and toss with the remaining lemon juice and olive oil.
Scatter the beans over the leaves, then lay the pepper strips on top, along with the remaining garlic/parsley mix. Season with salt and pepper.

4 side servings, or 2 as a light main course

A Frugal Living Idea

Home-made all natural Deodorant

Did you know you can make your own wonderful effective deodorant with just a few completely natural ingredients? This recipe is awesome! It’s even edible! It is frugal

and very effective! It smells wonderful, but very faint. Coconut oil is an all natural oil 

that has wonderful anti-bacterial and immune boosting qualities. It can effectively nourish and moisturize the skin. This recipe is also very frugal, costing less than a dollar per batch.

Ingredients:

6-8 Tbsp Coconut oil (solid state)

1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch (arrowroot is preferred)

Directions:

1. Combine equal portions of baking soda & arrowroot powder.
2. Slowly add coconut oil and work it in with a spoon or hand blender until it maintains a firm but pliable texture. It should be about the same texture as commercial deodorant, solid but able to be applied easily. If it is too wet, add further arrowroot powder/cornstarch to thicken.
3. You can either scoop this recipe into your old deodorant dispensers or place in a small container with lid and apply with fingers with each use. Makes about 1 cup. This recipe lasts about 3 months for two people with regular daily use.