Nourishing Elements

Drum Roll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-03-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

O.K. The Recipe you have all been waiting for!

First I want to thank Gabrielle and Thomas Chavez for hosting me at their Sunday Supper event that happens through the Living Raw in Portland Meetup group organised by Brion. Here is the link: http://www.meetup.com/LivingRawPDX/

Essayem, one of the assistant organizers of Living Raw in Portland volunteered me to make a raw Eastern Indian meal for the Sunday Supper and was supper helpful in the preparation that took 2 full days. Andy another assistant organizer was also very supportive and helpful!

So many of you asked for this recipe and I was not going to give it out because I was saving it for my book! Some people were pleading with me and I so much appreciated the compliments that I am giving it to you now. I am also going to email it to everyone who has joined my meetup group Nourishing Elements, the link is provided above.

So now another drum roll...............................................................................................!

Almond Sunny Dal!

1 cup almonds + 3 cups water for making the milk soaked 8 hours

1/2 cups sunflower seeds (soaked overnight)

1 big chopped tomato

1 medium chopped zucchini

1/2 bunch spinach finely chopped.

5 T coconut butter

1/2 T minced ginger

1 1/2 T cumin seeds

1 T black mustard seeds (ground in a coffee grinder)

1 red hot chili optional or to taste (be careful these can be very hot)

1/4 t hing

1 1/2 t turmeric

1 /t salt or to taste

Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Melt coconut oil slowly on low heat till soft with the turmeric, cumin seeds, hing, ground black mustard seeds, salt, fresh chili, and diced ginger. Put veggies in a glass jar then pour the oil on top . Let sit while you make the almond milk and process the sunflower seeds. Make the almond milk (soak1 1/2 cups almond overnight, rinse and blend in vita mix with 3 cups water, strain through nut milk bag. Soak sunflower seeds overnight, and then process in a food processor till smooth.

Put all ingredients in the jar and warm it in the dehydrator at 105 degrees for about an hour so you can serve it warm.

Oh and I am on day 10 of my juice fast or feast! I feel great!

Love to you All!

Shanti Moon~!~

Juice Fast Day 3!

2010-03-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

I am on the 3rd day of my juice fast and aside form feeling a little spacey I feel good. With about 3 quarts of juice a day my body feels energetic and strong. Strong enough to walk to the top of Powell Butte today, a nature park in Portland. At the top of the hill little young stinging nettles are popping up all over the place. This past week they have been calling to me. They are my favorite green plant. Find out why at these sites:

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Nettle.html

http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/04/08/weekend-adventure-forage-for-stinging-nettles/

I will be juicing mine right after I type this blog. I have enough for a few days! Then I'll go back out and pick some more this week end.

I'll let you know how it feels to drink the juice. In the past I have mostly just blended them in my green soups and dried them for sun tea.

Love,

Shanti~!~

100 Day Juice Fast~!~

2010-03-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

My new friend Andy has set the bar! I'm going for a 100 day Juice Fast. I have been wanting to do a fast for a few years and was able to finish 19 days last fall. I believe that giving my digestive system a rest will allow for some very deep cellular healing. I'll keep you posted every day about how I am doing. Also, be watching for some videos I'll be creating soon!

Love You All!

Shanti~!~

Here are the Indian Recipes! Finally!

2010-03-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

Hi!

I'm finally posting my Indian Recipes that I make for the Sunday Supper a few weekends ago.

Thank you to everyone who came! I hope you enjoyed yourselves. I did!

Andy, Sam, and Dave helped prep this meal, and Sam was by my side for two days! Thanks Sam!

So, here are some of the recipes:

Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes) and Cabbage Vegetable

1 Cabbage (sliced very thin)

4 Jerusalem artichokes (cut in ½-inch cubes)

4 tablespoons coconut oil

1 small chili pepper (diced finely)

1 tablespoon black mustard seeds (ground)

¼ teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 small slice of lemon

1 avocado cut into cubes and added last

Melt coconut oil on very low heat with, mustard seeds, chili, salt, coriander powder, and turmeric. Warm veggies in steamer or double boiler on very low till the veggies are warm enough to keep the coconut oil soft. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Add the cubed avocado!

Samosas

1 c almonds (soaked overnight)

2 c cauliflower

1 c peas

Coconut oil

1 chili

1 ½ t salt

1 t cumin seeds

¼ t hing

1 T garam masala

1 t coriander powder

1 cup ground flax (soaked over night)

Melt coconut oil with all the spices and keep warm while you prepare the rest. Pulse almonds and cauliflower in food processor till course. In Vita Mix only, blend about 1/2 cup of the soaked flax meal at a time add a little water if needed. Blend till it looks like bread dough. Mix all ingrediance in a bowl. Shape into little 3 inch triangles and coat in flax meal, (ground flax seeds) dehydrate for about 8 hours. Remember to take them off the T-flex sheet half way through.

Tomato Chutney

6 ripe tomatoes (cut in small pieces)

6 thinly sliced and dehydrated tomatos

1 T coconut oil

1 small pepper (minced)

½ t black mustard seeds (ground)

1 t fresh ginger (grated)

½ t celtic sea salt

4 dates

1 T coriander powder

Blend tomatoes, fresh and dryed, with coconut oil, mustard seeds, sea salt, dates, coriander. Add minced chilies and ginger. Warm in skillet with hand till it is warm, but not too hot for you to keep your hand in the pot.

Puris

2 cups golden flax (soaked overnight)

1/3 c coconut oil

Salt

Dates

Blend about 1/2 cup at a time, only in a Vita Mix till it looks like bread dough. Add a little water each time if needed. Shape into round flat bread on T-Flex sheets about 1/4 to 1/3 inch deep. Dehydrate till firm but still soft enough to bend for about 6 to 8 hours. Remember to flip them half way.

Enjoy!

Love, Shanti

Some Yummy Recipes to Keep You Going!

2010-02-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

Garlic Soup

½ lemon
1 green apple
1 cup water
1 t salt
¼ bunch parsley
1 green onion
3 cloves garlic
1 bunch broccoli
¼ cup hemp seeds

Blend in Vita mix!

Almond Milk

1 cup almonds (soaked over night)
2 to 3 cups water, depending on how think and creamy you want it
Pinch of Celtic sea salt

Blend almonds in water and strain through nut milk bag strainer. Put

back in blender and add garlic, salt and basil to taste. Garlic and Basil optional.

Kale Salad

1 bunch kale chopped and massage 1 tsp Celtic sea salt into it till it’s wilted like lightly steamed kale
2 stalks celery
1 daikon radish shredded
1 or 2 avocados massaged into mixture with cayenne and salt to taste.

Love~!~

I Danced Today!

2010-02-10T01:18:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends,

I was finally able to dance today. Part of taking care of myself in 2010 was to go back to 100% raw and exercise more. I have been 100% raw with mostly no sweets. The two times I made the intention to dance in my living room I injured myself. I'm thinking, what's that all about? The first time I was dancing I tweaked my neck a little and it hurt for about 5 days. Then when I was contemplating a regular dance regime the muscles between my right scapula and spine seized up. That is why I have not blogged for a while. It hurt to type and use the mouse.

That was 2 weeks ago and I'm just feeling enough relief to move again.

So.............today I put on Michael Jackson! My old time favorite and danced for an hour. I moved slowly and carefully at first, stretching and warming up my body. Then I just went for it, still being careful not to over do it. I felt so good afterwards that I'm planning on dancing again tomorrow.

After a few weeks of this and I will be ready to enroll in a class somewhere. I want to do Hip Hop!

All the neck and back pains are a reminder that I need to keep up the exercise! I know this will help prevent more pain in the future.

I'm feeling excited to commit to dance and the next step is getting on my bike!

Love,

Shanti

Some food for thought!

2010-01-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

I read an article in the "This Week" paper called "The Conscious Carnivore". What I'm about to say will bring up different feelings for everyone. So please if you eat animals try to understand what I'm saying. Before reading any further please try to let go (if only for a moment) of your desire to eat meat and open your heart to another possibility. The article says that in the good old days it was easy to spot the person who brought her ethics to the dinner table; she didn't eat meat. It goes on to say that as long as the meat was raised locally on sustainable ranches and honored and respected from birth till the day they are slaughter, killed, butchered, murdered, (well....I added a few words so you could understand what's going on), they had a cruelty free life till the bitter end. It also says that conscious carnivores are getting closer to their kill, even if it means getting their hands bloody.

I do give them credit for becoming aware of what they are doing by getting their hands bloody. This way they know blood had to be spilled to get the protein they think they need. I stopped eating meat when I was 17 simply because I realized I was eating flesh very similar to mine. That felt weird and scary. I started eating fish again in my early thirties for about a year when I was very ill at the request of my partner who was a naturopath and acupuncturist. One day I realized I wanted to stop because I felt yucky about taking the life of another creature to benefit my health. It's not that I think we need to suffer over another. I just realized I did not need it to become healthy and I was right. I have healed on a vegan raw food life style. I don't believe in the B12 scare. It seems to be the only argument out there right now. I have read that when we have a healthy digestive system our body makes it's own B12. Also while looking up information about B12 I found that not only some vegans were deficient but so are meat eaters. I am low in B 12 but not deficient. I did take a B12 supplement because my digestive track is still healing from the systemic candida I had for so long. I believe we get all we need from organic plants, cultivated and wild and that killing is really not necessary. I must speak for the animals. I can't just say that you can do what ever you think is best for you. I really want to say that their is no conscious way to kill another living creature except for being aware that you are actually killing. That is the first step in non violence. If we want a peaceful planet we must stop killing. I imagine that if we don't want to be killed and eaten then we should not kill others either.

Please understand, I am not judging you personally. I have eaten plenty of meat in this life time. I just wanted to say something because I have been reading and hearing so many arguments and reasons that support the innocent slaughter of our fellow earthlings. I felt it was time to speak up for them.

Here are some verses form the Mahabharata that talk about how we should not kill to sustain our life. I'm using the should word in defense of all the beautiful animal creatures on this planet.

He who desires to augment his own flesh by eating the flesh of other creatures lives in misery in whatever species he may take his birth. Mahabharata, Anu. 115.47. FS, pg. 90

One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma. Yielding to desire and acting differently, one becomes guilty of adharma. Mahabharata 18.113.8.

Those high-souled persons who desire beauty, faultlessness of limbs, long life, understanding, mental and physical strength and memory should abstain from acts of injury. Mahabharata 18.115.8.

Most of us grew up eating animals and it seemed perfectly fine. It is all we knew. Many of us were even taught that a creator gave us dominion over the animals and that they were put here solely for our food consumption. They even go so far as to say animals don't have a soul. These are people who believe that only humans have a soul. I say then, what gives that spark of life we see in all creatures with eyes, and why do we accept only some into our family life and not others. For instance, why would you eat a cow and not your beloved dog?

Please, I welcome all your responses and questions. I will do my best to answer them.

Freedom of Choice!

2010-01-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about choice! Sometimes we feel helpless to what is going on around us! I use to take everything personally! From the slightest frown to the biggest "I hate you" remark. I thought every thing was directed at me! I must be so awful, and so I felt yucky inside! I also could not receive love. Many people in my life gave me so much of it and I could not let it in. It's mind blowing to think about that!

Trying to convince people why they should love me while believing that no one did was exhausting. Wow! What a load to carry! I believed that I could not love them if they did not love me first, and I still fall into that pattern sometimes now, but I'm recognizing it sooner.

Making conscious choices to love myself and others unconditionally simply feels good, although not always easy. Well, it is actually easy once you make the choice, and the feeling of freedom is so awakening. I'm learning to observe and listen to my feelings, physically and emotionally. It's important for me to just watch for awhile and not do anything, this helps me to make wiser and healthier decisions.

Whether it's a choice to eat something that is good for my body or to respond to a situation in a way that generates love and trust I have it within myself to slow down a little and listen. Then after hearing that clear voice inside I can make a choice that is the most beneficial.

We all can listen and make choices that create love and connection!

Love,
Shanti

Listening Makes Raw Food Easy!

2010-01-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

It really is easy to eat only raw foods. The hard part is realizing that. The only way to realize that is to actually do it! Eat only raw foods and just keep doing it. It is in the choices you make. Listen to what your body is telling you. Not what your craving or desiring but what does your body really need. Here are some things you can become aware of that will help you decide what your body is telling you.

1. Are you really hungry?
2. Are you thirsty?
3. When it is "time" to eat do you listen to your body or do you follow what everyone else is doing?
4. What do you tell yourself when passing by your favorite restaurant?
5. When your out with friends and they offer you something you know will affect you in a less that excellent way, what do you feel, and how would you like to respond?
6. Same thing at a family gathering. Do you really want to eat all of that? How will you feel afterwords?
7. What is in your kitchen? Know what is food and what is not. Educate yourself
8. When feeling emotional do you reach for food? If so what would be the best choice?
9. When you are craving something, ask yourself why, go deep. Then decide and love it.
10. Know that you are free to make choices and that what you chose affects what comes next.

Planing ahead can make all the difference in your success.

One simple fast and easy meal:

2 big green leafs (collard, kale, cabbage, romaine lettuce)
2 tsp raw pumpkin seed butter
1 avocado
3 chopped raw olives
some chopped tomato
some dulse seaweed

Spread the pumpkin butter on the leafs, then the avocado, top it off with the rest of the ingredients and eat!

Be gentle with yourself!
Shanti

Lime Ginger Cilantro Sauce with Noodles?

2010-01-21T17:49:00.000-08:00

Life gets busy and by the time 3pm rolled around I still had not eaten. Realizing that I was hungry I went to my kitchen and opened the fridge. I pulled out:

2 zucchini
1 bunch cilantro
2 to 3 inches of ginger
3 inches burdock root
1 lime
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup water
1 T honey
1/2 t Celtic sea salt

Of course not all of it came out of the fridge and ideally it would have been nice if it came straight form the garden but hey we live in a corporate society.

Spiralize the zucchini and blend the rest. Pour the Lime Ginger Cilantro Sauce on the noodles and give thanks and eat! I loved it and feel good!

Made with Love,
Shanti

More Taste of India!

2010-01-19T21:55:00.000-08:00

I felt so excited to create this meal! I love Indian food! When I was in my twenties I was involved in a Hare Krsna temple and learned how to make yummy Indian food from the best cook ever, Maha Bhagavata Devi Dasi. It is a dream of mine to offer a healthier raw versions of this tasty Prasadam.

Indian Flax Flat Bread:

3 cups carrots pulsed in food processor

2 cups soaked Golden Flax

1 Young Thai Coconut

1 cup soaked sunflower seeds pulsed

1 1/2 tbls curry

2 tsp Celtic sea salt

½ tsp cayenne or to taste

Blend the soaked flax seeds in the Vita-Mix till it’s dough like consistency, put in a bowl. Add pulsed carrots, sunflower seeds, curry, salt, cayenne, and young coconut. Mix together and make 2 round flat bread shapes on a dehydrator tray about ¼ inch thick. Dehydrate for 2 hours, turn over for about 4 more hours or until firm and soft.

Samosa:

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 medium cauliflower

½ cup soaked flax

5 tbls fresh, peeled, chopped mature coconut

1 1/4 tsp cumin seeds ground

2 tsp minced ginger

½ hot pepper minced

½ cup green peas (I used frozen)

1 tsp Celtic sea salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp turmeric

3 tbls raisins

¼ bunch cilantro

1/3 cups ground flax seeds

Pulse sweet potatoes, and mature coconut in food processor to a cornmeal consistency. Chop cauliflower into small florets. Mix all ingredients except ground flax. Form into triangles about 1 inch thick and coat in ground dry flax seeds. Put in dehydrator for 6 to 8 hours or to desired consistency.

Apple Currant Chutney

3 tbls lemon juice

2 tbls honey

½ cup currants

1 drop Mint Young Living Essential

A pinch of ground cloves

3 tablespoon coconut oil

2 apples

Put in food processor and blend till smooth but still a little chunky. Transfer to a small pot and heat on stove on low heat while stirring with your hand so you can feel the temperature. When it is warm and the coconut oil has melted into the mix it is done.

A Raw Taste of India!

2010-01-19T10:44:00.000-08:00

Here's a taste of India in the raw!

I spent 1/2 the day Saturday and all morning Sunday preparing 5 Indian dishes that I translated form cooked into raw. My son Alleh came over Sunday morning and took some pictures, and my sweetheart Dave video taped the preparation and the photographing. I have not seen any of the finished film products but I do have some recipes for you.

This is my favorite one called:

Kobbari Annam, a classic south Indian dish.
Coconut Rainbow Rice:

1 1/2 cups jicama
1 cup fresh mature coconut (don't substitute dry)
1/3 cup cashews soaked and dehydrated
1 red hot chili or just enough for you taste buds
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt or to taste
1 tbsp coconut butter
1/2 tsp mustard seeds ground
1/4 bunch cilantro
1/4 each red, yellow, orange bell pepper
1/4 cup purple cabbage

Put jicama and coconut into food processor and pulse till it's a little like rice consistency.
Melt the coconut butter on very low just so it is very soft and mix in mustard seeds, chillies and salt. Chop up the rest of the veggies and mix all ingredient together! Give thanks and serve.

Widibooks: Jicama (pronounced hickama) is a legume, a relative of the beam family. It is a popular dietary staple in Latin America and widely grown in Mexico and Central America. There are many names for Jicama including: the Mexican potato, Mexican yam bean, ahipa, saa got, Chinese turnip, lo bok, and the Chinese potato.

More on the next post!
Enjoy,
Shanti

Carrot-Lime Tang Raw Food Soup Recipe – The Renegade Health Show Episode #482 | The Renegade Health Show – Raw Food and Vegan Diet Friendly TV for Health Nuts

2010-01-14T20:59:00.001-08:00

Carrot-Lime Tang Raw Food Soup Recipe – The Renegade Health Show Episode #482 | The Renegade Health Show – Raw Food and Vegan Diet Friendly TV for Health Nuts

Posted using ShareThis

HIGH RAW! Kevin Gianni's new e-book

2010-01-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

Grab A Free Digital Copy Today!

HIGH RAW!

Kevin's new book clears the confusion about nutrition science and gently encourages you to create a lifestyle of sustainable health. Download your FREE digital copy now and discover the simple health and diet secrets that give you amazing longevity.

I just have to say that I feel so inspired when I watch the RENEGADE HEALTH SHOW starring Keven and Annmarie Gianni! It feels like home~!~

He has the most answers to most of your health question! I have learned a lot for him!
They are both awesome!

With Love,
Shanti

Check out this show!

http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2010/01/13/carrot-lime-tang-raw-food-soup-recipe/

Put Vegetables First!

2010-01-14T00:24:00.001-08:00

Eat your greens! Easier said than done for most. I have found through working with people, and in my own experience too that when we're eating a lot of sweets, even beautiful organic fruits we loose our appetite for greens. It takes me about 3 days of green salads, blended green soups, or juices to get it back. Why is that?

I did some research on line and could not find exactly why we have a harder time wanting to eat our veggies, but I did read a lot about addiction to sugar, fat and salt. I had to come to my own conclusion since all the studies were done on people who ate processed sugar, fat, and salt. We all hopefully know that white flower, sugar, and processed salts are addictive.

I believe we have conditioned our taste buds to want sweets to fill ourselves up when we feel sad, lonely, depressed etc.... and we go for sweets when we want to entertain ourselves. Eating fruits and raw food desserts are better than processed sweets of course, but I do experience an uncontrollable feeling even when eating organic dates. When I make my yummy date, almond, coconut, chai balls I always put a pinch of salt in them. Hmmmmmm. Once I start eating them it is hard to stop.

We love to eat things that taste good, so how do we bring back our desire for greens, and why is it important?

Greens are high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals and fiber. Experts suggest that you eat them along with your fruits many times a day. Antioxidants are phytochemicals, vitamins and other nutrients that protect our cells from damage caused by free radicals, and free radicals are environmental toxins like cigarette smoke, pesticides, pollution and radiation.

This is what you can do to start eating more veggies:

1. Drink them in a smoothie of 6o% fruit and 40% veggies.

2. Make my green soup recipe on this blog!

3. Eat what is seasonal that way you will always be trying something new.

4. Make veggie sauces and creamy salad dressing to go with your big daily salad.

5. Eat a big salad making the other portion of your meal real small.

6. Munch on raw vegetables that you have dipped into a veggie pate'.

7. Wrap them up in raw nori sheets with avocado and tomatoes.

8. Make veggies noodles with a mandolin or spiralizer.

9. Marinate your veggies! Check in tomorrow for some recipes.

10. Make a raw food sandWITCH form this blog!

Hope this helps you!

Come back tomorrow for more green yum!

Shanti

Sunflower in Winter!

2010-01-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

Last night before I went to bed I soaked some sunflower seeds. So later today I can make a sunny pate'. They are light and easy to digest for me. I eat it with cabbage which I cut into strips and put in a big bowl, then massage celtic sea salt into it and let it sit for at least an hour. You can use kale instead if you want.

You know this raw life food life style is really sublime. When I am listening to my body and feeding what it really needs, not what my emotions tell me it wants, I feel soft and peaceful inside. Sometimes my energy gets so high I feel like I just might float. Usually I dance around the house for a while. The feeling of clarity and stability surrounds me and I can focus on......well on consciousness and love. My thoughts and decisions seem to be what is really best for me at that moment. It feels like magic because most of my life I have felt the gloomy foggy thickness of fungus producing foods that make a body compost itself. Dead food = death, even to a soul. Life food of course brings light into our hearts and opens it up to endless possibilities. This year is my year to find the strength in what nature has offered me for my highest potential and greatest love. She offers her nourishment with so much beauty I am always filled up. She even shows up in the most toxic places to remind us of her beauty.

Sunflowery Winter Pate'

2 cups raw sunflower seeds
4 cups filtered water for soaking
Soak overnight
4 celery stalks
1 lemon
1 tsp celtic sea salt or to taste
1/2 cup tahini optional

This is a basic recipe, you could add carrot, garlic, dulse, cayenne, or even some chopped up veggies like celery, tomatoes, and red, orange or yellow bell peppers. Get creative try something different.

Love to you ALL!
Shanti

Life Food and Heart Healing with Dr. David Jubb!

2010-01-11T08:43:00.000-08:00

Dr. David Jubb was my first raw food teacher 10 years ago. He blew my mind! I asked him for a consultation and told him that I did not have money to pay. I was soooo ill I thought I was going to die! He smiled and said that he would help me. He gave me over an hour of his time. First thing he did is put his hand on my heart and said the first thing I need to do is heal this. I felt a connection right then because I had a big broken heart at the time. He told me to put my relationship with the father of my 3 year old on hold, and focus on healing. He knew what he was talking about and so did I, unfortunately I did not listen to that part. I only listened to the physical and life food part. Which helped a lot, but my healing took so much longer because I held onto my toxic relationship like my life depended on it. Not realizing that my life depended on letting it go.

Well, it took me years to let go. I was afraid to open up to the feelings inside because I thought they were too painful to look at or take responsibility for, now I know it is one of the most important aspects to LIFE healing there is. Letting go of toxic emotions and realizing the strength inside to take responsibility for our life.

Which brings me to Life Food healing. Dr Jubb teaches that we need to eat the foods that are grown close to nature. Food that can grow outside a farmers fence without our help. They have the strongest life force and can give that to our bodies. Hear is a list of some of those foods.

Life Food:
Kale and other Leafy Greens
Burdock Root
Heirloom tomatoes
Dandelions
Weeds
Seeds and Nuts that have been germinated, (soaked in water)
Sprouts
Parsley
Cilantro
Mustard Greens
Chickweed
Celery
Cucumbers
All Berries
Most Fruits
Honey
Bee Pollen

I will be posting some yummy recipes containing these nutritious nature foods!

Here is a list of foods that are high in starch and less than excellent for our bodies:

Bananas
Carrots
Corn
Potatoes
Parsnips
Dates
Grains

A quote by Dr. Jubb;

"Lifeforce allows a lifeform to be able to reproduce itself. If it can reproduce itself and is plant based it is a lifefood. If not it is not lifefood. If lifefood or herb is put with what came from nature it compounds synergistically to harmonize and maintain a confluence of vibration. This is not so for what can not exist for itself in nature."

Tune in tomorrow!

Shanti, (Susan)

Juice Fasting?

2010-01-10T22:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I stopped at day 19, then I did 2 liver gallbladder flushes. My health jumped up another notch! That was in September, and now in January I just finished another gallbladder flush. I did it with a friend and we both had great results. Although I did this last flush while having a sore throat and a cough. The first cold I have had in 10 years. I think it is because I have been eating some cooked foods this year and I have been eating more sweet things than I usually do. Well, so far this year I'm back on track with 100% raw food and no sweets. I feel great after getting over the cold and feeling a little low energy after the flush. I feel best on an all raw mostly life foods! Foods that give life!!!! More on that tomorrow! I'm thinking about a 90 day juice fast in the spring. I will be listening to my body before I get to idealistic.

Love You,

Publish Post

Shanti

Juice Fast?

2009-09-28T01:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

My computer broke so I have not been on line for over 3 weeks. I have been too busy catching up on other things to go to the library and use the computers there.
I also was exposed to mold last Monday and got so ill from it that I decided to stop the fast till I felt better. It has been a week and today I am feeling almost completely better.

I think I'll start the fast again on Thursday. Until then I'll keep blending. It is late, I'm wired and need to go to bed.

Sweet Dreams!

Susan (Shanti)

3 Month Juice Fast!

2009-08-31T22:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. I start tomorrow September 1st with a group of 7. We will meet once a week and make juice together. Tonight was our start up meeting and we made celery, granny smith apple, and ginger juice together. The group is very fun and supportive. We will be calling each other for support throughout the week.

I joined a meet-up group called, "The Raw Treasure," organized by, Jimmy Be Free. He posted the 3 month juice fast a while ago and I RSVP'ed maybe. Then last night, the night before we start I just decided, YES! I want to do this. I am ready. I know my life will be transformed. This feels so scary and exciting to me. Of the 10 years I have been eating raw foods and of the 16 gallbladder flushes, I have only done 2 three day juice fasts. I'm not sure what is going to happen.

I don't know exactly how I will be feeling form day to day. I'm sure I'll have good days and bad days. The part that feels good to me is that I'm not alone. I have the support that I need to get through this.

I hope to share with you everyday a little about how I'm doing with this fast. I will do my best.

Be Well!

Susan

Green Thing 1 and Green Thing 2

2009-08-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,

I have been making green soups for the past 3 days now and I feel so much more energy! The kind of energy that keeps me aware and centered. Not like when I feel hyper form to much fruit. Here are the recipes:

Green Thing Soup 1

1/2 lemon

1/2 cucumber

1 small tomato

1 apple, I prefer granny smith

1/2 red pepper

2 stalks of celery

6 kale leaves (That is one of the few things I grew successfully)

2 collard leaves

1/2 cups already soaked overnight walnuts

1 inch ginger or to taste

1/2 tsp celtic sea salt

Soak about 1/4 cup walnuts overnight.

Put all ingredients in the Vita Mix, blend, put in a bowl, top with chopped up tomatoes, avocados, and so dulse seaweed. You can sprinkle a little sea salt and cayenne pepper on time if you like.

Green Thing Soup 2

1/2 lemon

1/2 cucumber

1 small tomato

1 apple

1 red pepper

1/2 bunch parsley

6 or 8 kale or collards leaves or any yummy dark green leafy thing

3 celery

1 small kohlrabi or 1/2 big one

1/4 cup soaked then dehydrated almonds

1 inch ginger or more if you are a ginger lover

Put everything in the Vita Mix, blend, add toppings like in green thing 1 or whatever you fancy at the time, and have fun feeling good!

Check out Kevin Gianni's Renegade Health Show!

Always fun and interesting! renegadehealth.com

MMMMMMMM........Yummy Soft Basil Garlic Almond Bread!

2009-08-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Well I said that I would give you the recipe the next day but I didn't. Sorry, I was distracted by other things. Well here it is now. It turned out so yummy. My friend Lori loved it. We had such a nice time together it felt like just yesterday that we had been best friends in high school.

Here is what she said about our visit and the sandwitch I made her on my face book wall:

"Thanks so much for having me over and preparing that wonderful meal. Olivia (her 15 year old daughter) and I have already made the almond mayonnaise and I had one of your sandwiches yesterday and today.....Chris loved it."

"Yes, it was great to see you, too, you are such a cutie! I felt like like it was just like yesterday in a lot of ways, too. It's nice to have you back in my life and I would love to come over for a smoothie! Olivia is eager to meet you, as well. She liked your raw veggie bread and was very impressed."

Love you always, Lori

Basil Garlic Flax Almonds Bread!

3 C unsoaked flax seeds
cover with water to soak over night
3 C unsoaked almonds
cover with water to soak over night
3 sweet onions
3 big cloves of garlic
1 big bunch of basil
1 or 2 tablespoons of celtic sea salt or to your taste
Cayenne to taste, I like a lot!

In vita mix blend the soaked flax 1/2 cup at a time. Add water if needed.

Put all the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and mix all together is a big bowl with the blended flax. Put on t-flex sheets in dehydrator about 1/4 inch thick. Dehydrate for 2 hours then turn and take off sheets and dehydrate for 4 more hours or just enough so they are soft and bendy but not to mushy or hard. Makes about 5 trays. Cut into 4 pieces a tray.

Look for the almond recipe on this blog!

Put almond mayonnaise on the bread and fill with you favorite greens, tomatoes, avocados, olives, pesto, what every your heart desires! yummmmmmmmmmmm!

Your Friend the Sandwitch Witch!

The Raw Food Sandwitch Witch!

2009-08-09T01:36:00.000-07:00

I just finished putting some yummy basil, garlic, flax bread in the dehydrator! Tomorrow a friend of mine (Lori), from high school is coming to visit so I wanted to make something yummy! I have not seen her in years. I can't wait to hear about how her life has been. We have a lot of catching up to do.

I hope the bread turns out. It usually does. I'm going to make an almond mayonnaise and roll it all up with lettuce, tomatoes and avocado. I wish I had some OceanGrown Sunflower Sprouts! I will start a tray tomorrow, and let you know how it's done. I'll also let you know how Lori liked her sandwitch!

Last time I made them they were magical. Everyone who had one said if they could have this instead of bread the giving up bread would be easy.

I'll post the recipe tomorrow. I want to make sure it turns out before I give it to you.

Namaste, Susan

What's Hot?

2009-08-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

In the raw food world GREEN SMOOTHIES are, well I can't really say hot. They're cool! Let's just say many are talking about and drinking them. From what I have read and heard people are feeling great and happy!

Chocolate is also a very popular item, RAW chocolate that is. I have not heard as many people talk about how great they feel after eating this. I myself have felt pretty less than great and happy. Well I was happy while I was putting it in my mouth and tasting its yummy flavor, but within an hour or so of having it my heart feels like it's going to jump out of my chest, and I can't sleep, and I feel yucky. So now I do not eat it accept to taste a very little bit once in a great while.

Of the two I vote for the green smoothies! I have been blending greens for 9 years now. For the first 6 months on raw foods that is all I ate. My smoothies were a lot different than most of the recipes I see out there now. Mine had no sweet fruits in them. At the time, very long ago I could not tolerate the sugars in these yummy fruits. It was because of candida and leaky gut. Still to this day I feel better if I only eat a little bit of fruit. My smoothies consisted of mostly greens and non sweet fruits. It's really a green soup. I'll give you a basic recipe at the end of the post.

It is not always easy to come up with different flavors and always have them taste good, but I do not make them for the taste. I make them because they are healing! I can mostly drink any combination of greens that I put together. Although sometimes I just need something sweet and I go ahead and make myself a durian coconut smoothie! My favorite! I feel good after I drink one of these, but if I did it everyday after a while some of those yucky candida symptoms creep back. I try not do that too much accept this last 5 months I have felt some stress due to the move and have been wanting to feed my emotional body, and have felt the consequences. Time to get on the green thing again and feel better.

I will be sharing with you next time some strategies for staying on an all sweet free diet if your are dealing with candida or any illness that creates a yeast or fungus like condition. For now I'll give you one tip to help you stop craving sweets and other less than excellent foods.
EAT MORE GREENS!

Basic Green Soup! First I put in a half of lemon, half cucumber, celery, small tomato, and maybe a little green apple, and blend them some. Then I put some leafy greens in like kale, collards, bok choy, cilantro, parsley, basil, or maybe even some dandelion. I flavor it with cletic sea salt, garlic, ginger, or cayenne pepper. At this point you can drink it or if your wanting or needing some fats you can add a hand full soaked seed or nuts. This makes it rich and creamy. Use different green each time and get creative with flavoring. Good Luck! If it does not turn out, think of it a medicine and down it! You will get use to it.
I do have some yummy recipes that I will be sharing with you. For now get creative! Explore!

Decide to feel Great!

The Heat Is On

2009-07-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday and it was 95 degrees! I had watermelon juice with lime to keep me cool. The weather here in Portland Oregon is Hot Hot Hot, so I did not light any candles! Yesterday it was 107. Just drinking juices and eating a little fruit is all I felt like having. I seem to be tolerating the heat, and feel somewhat energized, a little like a slow flowing river.

Today I'm making a promise to myself to blog at least 3 times a week. I want to get used to this whole computer thing. Sounds funny like someone making a resolution to exercise. Of the two I believe exercise is the most important. Truthfully, since I have moved to Portland I have not found my rhythm. I'm looking for a place to take dance classes. My favorite forms of dance are hip hop, jazz, lyrical, with some African mixed in. At the moment my ribs are a little sore from a boogie boarding accident that happened at the Oregon Coast about 2 weeks ago. I hope the green juices, and my Bio Mat help heal it up soon so I can start dance when my daughter goes back to school.

Back to why I want to Blog. I want to keep giving you insight into what a raw food life style is like on a daily basis. Even someone who has been living this way for 10 years has her ups and downs, and sometimes the downs are winning. I will be honestly and openly sharing with you what triggers the downs and how I manage to pull myself up again. I am developing a practice that opens my eyes to the strength and creativity I have inside. I know that with a little love and support we can all create a healthy and vibrant life style for ourselves.

Well I thought the sun had not gotten to me, but here I am with my brain in slow motion.

Before I sign off I want to tell you about my new Meetup Group. It's called....Nourishing Elements! Here is the link so you can check out what I'm up to with my new friend Pandora!

www.meetup.com/Nourishing-Elements/

Funny, My body is not tired but my brain is ready for bed.

Sweet Summertime Dreams!

Sea Ocean Agriculture!

2009-05-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hi!

I'm so excited to share with you some very important information. It's about a solution that covers most of the globe. YES! You guessed it. Ocean Water! I have been buying it from my friend Gino in Canada and using it in my back yard and kitchen gardens.

Do you think I'm crazy for buying ocean water? Especially when I lived in Port Townsend WA, I could just go to the beach with some buckets and take it home, right?

Well you could I suppose, but once I saw a sign that warned people not to fish because of contaminates in the water. We all have heard that the ocean is polluted, and for more information go to; Water Encyclopedia at www.waterencyclopedia.com.

So, Why do I feel comfortable buying OceanGrown? Here is a quote from their web site; OceanGrownCanada.com

"OceanGrown, Inc. takes great efforts to extract elements from pristine ocean water far offshore and away from possible sources of contamination. Our lab test for 70 violate chemicals. The report comes back non-detectable to 0.5 parts per billion on all 70. It would be difficult today to find drinking water this pure."

The ocean holds all nutrient essentials in perfect balance. When analyzing the elements in our blood and those in pure sea water it reveals a similar elemental profile of nutrients? Including the presence of sodium chloride that is very beneficial to plant growth.

In 1936 Dr. Murray began his life long research in sea energy agriculture. He took pure ocean water and put it into the soil after the minerals had been washed away and literally mined out because of less than excellent modern agricultural farming practices. He found that putting small amounts of seawater on our fruits and vegetables when watering them was the key to proper nutrition, a stronger immune system, and a longer healthier life. For more information go to OceanGrownCanada.com

Most people out there do not care about the condition of our soil. We need to wake up to what is going on in the would. We need minerals to fully support and heal our bodies.

I grow mostly wheat grass and sunflower sprouts with OceanGrown. I just started again after the move from Port Townsend a few months ago and I'm drinking about 3 to 4 ounces a day. It's amazing the amount of energy I have, and I don't get hungry all day. One more salad is all I really want, but I feel really full. Today I had 3 ounces of wheat grass juice, an 8 ounce fruit smoothie, and an avocado, all before 4 o'clock. I don't feel the need for anything else.

To Energy!

Inspiration!

2009-05-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I felt so inspired today! My son Alleh and his girlfriend Kristina came over with 3 bags of all organic groceries. I hope they don't mind me saying this, but they were eating a very S.A.D. diet before this week. I feel so happy for both of them. Kristina is now vegetarian and I'm not sure what Alleh is doing. Anyway, they brought a bunch of fruits and vegetables over and made a gallon of juice to take home. As a mother I feel so grateful knowing that my children are making positive changes in their lives. Change is one of the hardest things to do. Many people would rather die than change their life style. Especially their beloved foods they have so cherished their whole lives. Hats off to you both!

Before going home they each had a shot of Ocean Grown Wheat Grass Juice! Alleh said he felt the buzz right away. They both liked the taste more than I do. I am growing wheat grass and sunflower sprouts with an ocean solution, (Ocean Water) that gives the plants all the minerals they need. More on that coming soon!

Hey, check out my new pictures, and check out my son's photography web site. The link is to the right.

We have moved in!

2009-03-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

My daughter Inian and I are completely moved into our new home and happy with how cozy it feels, especially my little 70's style kitchen. I've been making a lot of cooked food for my daughter, and green smoothies for me. Inian has been complaining of feeling a bit dizzy in the mornings. I'm requesting that she start having a green smoothie every morning with me. She is open to it. I'll let you know how it goes.

What a whirlwind it has been. I would make Inian's food first and then was too tired and hungry to wait so I would taste her food while preparing it. Well, that was a disaster. Even if it was only a few bites, I would still get a tummy ache and bloated. I felt frustrated and had low energy. Finally now that I am settled I am putting more attention on taking care of myself and eating salads and smoothies. I feel energized again and I cut out the nuts. All kinds of nuts.

I find that I feel the best when only eating blended green soups and smoothies. I have developed many good recipes and will be sharing many of them with you soon. For now just go to your health food store buy your favorite organic fruits and vegetables, put them in your blender with a little water and or ice, then blend and drink! Yum! Use 60% to 70% fruits, and the rest greens. This is very easy, not rocked science.

I use mostly greens, about 60%, for me that feels the best. Start slow and work your way to more greens!

Inian starts tomorrow morning with green smoothies. She is a little worried. I hope she like them.

Log on tomorrow for our first recipe.

Take Green Care of Yourself,
Susan

Staying on the path while moving!

2009-02-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

O.K. I have been very busy because I'm moving from my beautiful home in Port Townsend WA. to Portland Oregon where I grew up. My daughter Inian is going to attend a wonderful new School. Many changes for us both.

I want to tell you that it has been difficult to eat all the foods that are best for my body while creating this new life. I even went to a cooked vegan Thai food restaurant with my daughter and ate some yummy coconut soup. My body did o.k. but I felt a little sick. I am figuring out how to best support my live food life style while things are in a whirlwind.

I'm spending my days driving my daughter 45 minutes to school, looking for a place to live, taking care of life's necessities, and getting our needs met. I'm slowly figuring out what works best. An emotional response I'm having to being uprooted and whirling around this big city is eating too many nuts.

I am starting to realize what I need to do to feel my best. The first thing is to plan my day the night before so I know if I need to prepare food to bring with me. When I go to my son's house I will bring a bag of veggies and make a salad when I get there. If I will be driving around all day I will make a green smoothie and bring it with me, or I will just stop at Peoples Co-op and get a snack.

The easiest way to always have filtered water on hand is to have a water bottle with a filter built in.

I think I have found the right house for us. It has many fruit trees, berry bushes, a garden patch and is near a big beautiful park. I will let you know how I succeed in taking care of myself while on this journey, for it will be a few weeks before we move into our new home.

Love to you all,
Susan~!~

CANDIDA!

2008-12-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness! Having candida is a very painful experience, especially if it has gone systemic. The symptoms are too numerous to list, and they show up differently in each person. If you are suffering from candida right now, I know how you feel, and I can help you become successful on your healing journey.

I suffered for many years and sought out the help of many natural healers and alternative doctors. They didn't know exactly what was going on in my body. They could identify some symptoms but not the root cause. Tests revealed that I had systemic candida. Still the treatments were not helping much. I did many cooked "Candida Diets" on my own, and they helped a little. The doctors told me that I would never heal form this and would have to maintain it for the rest of my life. Wow, for me that meant a diet mostly of steamed veggies and millet.

Nine years ago I started my green soup journey and in a week I felt much better, so I continued the soups for six months. Then I introduced the raw and living versions of crackers, pate's, lasagna, burgers, pizza etc. Even though I loved the variety of foods I could eat on a living foods diet, I still felt better on the green soups, and still do.

Healing happens on many levels, and takes time and dedication. I experienced many ups and downs along the way. Fortunately, over the years I figured out a way to make it easier, so you will experience more of the ups.

My coaching programs are designed to make it easy for you to free yourself form the pain of experiencing too many downs, and create a lifestyle that supports abundant health.

Pleas visit www.nourishingelements.com and check out my services~!~

Almond Mayonnaise

2008-12-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

Makes 2 cups

1 cup almonds, soaked and peeled
1/2 cup water
1 clove crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
dash cayenne pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Put all ingredients in the vita mix except olive oil and blend until smooth. Then drizzle the oil very slowly into the vita mix until mixture is creamy.

Celery Papaya Smoothie

2008-12-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

1/2 bunch celery
1/4 head cabbage
1 cup sunflower sprouts
1 lemon peeled
1 green apple
1 papaya
1/2 inch peeled fresh ginger root
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt

Blend and drink~!~

A yummy green soup recipe

2008-12-19T21:08:00.001-08:00

Blend ingredients together
1-2 servings

1/4 lemon or to taste
1/2 green apple
1 small red sweet pepper
1/2 bunch parsley
4 kale leaves
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 clove garlic
1 to 2 inches of ginger

The Experts Say Eat Raw #2

2008-12-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

Here's something to think about. In 1930, American doctor Paul Kouchakoff tested and documented the effects of cooked and processed food versus raw and natural food on the immune system. He found that after eating cooked food, a subject's blood showed an increase in the leukocytes (white blood cell) count. We now call this, "digestive leukocytosis". It is a stress response, and from the standpoint of blood chemistry, it is the same type of reaction as occurs when the body is threatened by an infection or exposure to toxic chemicals.

At the same time that Dr. Kouchakoff was conducting his studies, Swiss researchers at the Institute of Chemical Chemistry discovered that eating raw, uncooked food creates no discernable change in a subject's blood chemistry. However, if food has been heated beyond a certain temperature, or if it was processed, refined, or chemicals were added, a rise in the number of white blood cells occurs immediately. The Swiss resesarchers named this phenomenon "pathological leukocytosis".

In the book "Enzyme Nutrition" (highly recommended), Dr. Edward Howell talks about the 3 types of enzymes: metabolic enzymes, which run our bodies; digestive enzymes, which digest our food; and food enzymes, which come from raw foods and start digestion. According to Dr. Howell, all good health depends on these metabolic enzymes functioning optimally in the body. When food is heated above 118 degrees, it's enzymes are destroyed. In order to compensate for this, the body uses it's own limited supply of metabolic and digestive enzymes. Subsequently, metabolic systems get taxed, and an environment is created in the body which actually supports dis-ease.

The good news is that we can sustain and manage our body's limited supply of enzymes just by eating raw and living foods each day (which is a fun and delicious!) When we sensibly transition to more and more raw and living foods, we begin to feel lighter, stronger, clearer and more capable of adapting to every day stress.

The Experts Say Eat Raw

2008-12-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

What do the Experts say about why a raw and living foods life style is important for health?

Over the years I have read many books about the Raw Food Diet. It is overwhelming. I look at the recipes and many of them have dates, bananas, sprouted wheat, corn, agave nectar, raw cacao, heavy on the nuts, poor on the food combining all made into raw versions of pizza, tacos, cheese, pies, cookies, smoothies etc. For someone like me who needed to heal form chronic digestive problems it felt frustrating. I wanted support in healing not indulging. I'm sure that for a lot of people those foods are far better than the cooked versions. Yes, I wanted all those yummy looking gourmet raw food dishes, (and still do sometimes), but when ever I ate them I felt less than well. So I needed to simplify right off the bat. I still eat simply.

David Jubb was one of my first influences on a true healing path. Blended green soups, salads, and some nut and seed pates. Even the dehydrated foods are far from digestible for me. Dr. Gabriel Cousens is another of my favorite teachers. In his books (Conscious Eating and Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine), I found the support I needed to eat the foods that truly supported my healing. The low glycemic recipes I found in his books and the information on how to heal was so helpful. I felt relieved and pleased to have such strait, and clear information.

To be continued on what the experts have to say. I didn't cover much this time. I need a good nights sleep.

The "why" behind life giving foods

2008-12-12T23:41:00.000-08:00

Why eat foods uncooked and more importantly foods that are life giving?

For me, it's because I tried many other "DIEts" that did not offer me the life support I needed for healing, so I kept slipping away. My first six months on a LIVEit I made only green soups. Soups that are made with non sweet fruits and green veggies. I loved them, they tasted so smooth and fresh. I felt better in one week then I had in years. Slowly I was able to eat salads and some of the gourmet live foods. I felt so happy because the other "healing DIEts" were time consuming or bland.

After seeing many alternative health practitioners that had no clue how to help me, I felt frustrated and scared because they sent me away saying I was really not that sick, and to eat what ever I want, except raw food. They said "you will not be able to digest it." Well, I did anyway and was able to digest it.

I learned that there is no quick fix when it comes to my healing. It came with many ups and downs over the years, and I'm still healing. When ever I had a healing crises I always came out of it feeling better than I did before. That is how I know this works. Today I feel so much better, and I am going to keep getting better and better everyday. This is how I want you to feel too. Without the trials that I went through.

Now you know a little about my experience. On my next post I'll explain what the experts tells us about raw and living foods, and give you some green soup recipes to try.

I explain more about my experience on my web site.

What is a "Raw Food" diet?

2008-12-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

What is a "Raw Food," diet, or to please your mind and senses, Living or Life foods? For me it is a life style that supports life.
Raw foods; are foods that have not been cooked or heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit, or simply have not been cooked, or sprouted so do not have life force. For example meat and fish that has not been cooked, or seeds and nuts that have not been soaked in water, or sprouted. Living or life foods; still have life force. For example, all fresh fruits, and vegetables, seeds, and nuts that have been soaked or sprouted. There is still a difference between living and life foods. Living foods are fresh fruits and vegetable that have been picked and sent to your local store, this diminishes some of the life force and this happens even more when foods have been dehydrated into yummy treats. Life foods are foods that are still living and are full of life force, like all food that have just been picked off a tree, vine, or plant, and sprouts and or grasses like alfalfa, or wheat grass. Life foods are the most beneficial because they are still living, growing, and ripening, they are the most life supporting or life giving for us to eat. A "Raw Foodist" or a person who eats life giving foods has a variety of ways to prepare these foods, and many paths to chose form. I can support you in understanding and choosing the path that will be the most beneficial, easy, and fun.