green superfood and why I take it

It has been several months since I started back on the blue-green algae that I love. I take it every morning. And I feel great. Why?

Click Here

From all the self educating over the past 30+ years, one of the most important things I learned was that the lack of trace minerals definitely plays a role in the quality of our health. NO minerals = poor health. And the commercial foods grown by large agribusinesses today do NOT contain the trace minerals our bodies so desperately need to rebuild on a cellular level. That is why when I first experienced the algae, I could feel it in my body. And because it is so easily assimilated by the body, it gets in there and goes to work, repairing and rebuilding every single cell of our being.

It is time to reorder my blue-green algae again. This is where I get it.Click Here

Try it, you’ll like it. Especially if you’re in need of trace minerals!

Oh, did I tell you, my grandson loves the stuff. It seems to help him in school too, since he’s one of those kids that has a hard time sitting still, staying focused.

harvesting sunflower greens today…

It has been 10 days since my move. One of the first things I did while unpacking was to soak some sunflower seeds to plant for greens. I usually soak my seeds overnight to stay with a routine, then drain in the morning and let the seeds sprout for a day. Then they get planted in a tray of soil & watered. I then place a very wet couple of paper towels on top, then an empty tray for some weight, then I place them in a black plastic bag for at least 3 to 4 days while they grow and stretch for the light.

I peek in and if they are tall enough, I remove the empty tray that was on top, and keep them uncovered. I give them a new drink of pure water and give them a day to green. The next day I start picking the hulls. And the next day, I cut them.

I took two photos today, the first is of them ready to be cut.rca_0002.JPG

 rca_0003.JPG    The next one is of them draining in the colander.

One tray usually yields a bit over one pound, just enough to get me through the week. Sunflower greens are my favorite, I love them on salads or wraps, or right out of the bag!

a new recipe for raw crackers…

finally settling into my new apartment.

and I am out of crackers.

so, I soaked some sunflower seeds and looked in the frig to see what I could add.

this is what I came up with…

Sunny Red Bell Pepper Corn Chips

2 cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked 4 hr
2 ears raw sweet corn off the cob
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 slices raw sweet onion, chopped
1/2 cup flax seed, ground
1/2 cup hulled hemp seed
1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

Drain sunflower seeds and place all ingredients into food processor using the S blade.

Pulse chop then puree to desired consistency. Place on teflex sheet by the spoonful and press into shape of cracker. Continue to fill teflex sheets until all batter is used. Place in dehydrator, beginning at high temp until a skin is formed on crackers. Lower temperature to 115 and continue dehydrating until it is easy to peel cracker from teflex. Flip trays, removing teflex sheets. Continue dehydrating until desired crispness is reached. Store in airtight container.

Enjoy with your favorite spread along with a lovely green salad.

it’s all about trace minerals…

Often times, I find myself remembering what it was like for me before I conscientiously decided to add dark green foods into my diet. I have been sprouting since the late ’70’s. Sprouted alfalfa, red clover & radish along with sunflower greens & buckwheat lettuce supplied me with plenty of minerals, or so I thought. I consumed fresh kale, chard & spinach, trusting that my nutritional needs were being met. Then, a friend introduced me to blue-green algae in 1995. I could feel it in my body. I swore that I had better clarity in my thinking, better focus. And I admit, my thinking can be all over the place. But, there is something different when I have the algae as part of my daily routine.         Found growing wild in only one lake in Klamath Falls, Oregon, that beautiful, blue green substance seems to possess everything that we are made of, but, in the trace amounts in which we need it. And it is very easily assimilated into our body. The original owner of the first company that supplied me algae, told us that the algae contained a molecule of “hope”. I really loved the idea. And actually isn’t hope what we have right before we take action?

My love affair with the algae has been on again, off again. I don’t know why I run out sometimes and forget to reorder. Eventually, the thought leads me to the computer to replenish. A couple of days later, it’s here and I feel energized, and more alive all over again. Then I wonder, is it that I get used to feeling good and actually forget that the algae was what filled in all the nooks & crannies of nutrition in the first place? So I slack off, and then at some point remember, ahhhhh yes, it was the algae…

life is water…

While making friends at the Boundless Living Challenge I learned about ionized water.

What I learned fascinated me so much, and resonated true, that I spent the next several days researching the machine I had heard of and the one I decided to purchase.

I learned that patients in hospitals are experiencing healing from drinking the alkaline water. The surgeons sterilize their instuments using the acidic water. We can sterilize and sanitize our home counters with the acidic water. If ionized alkaline water is what our bodies need to rebalance themselves, I, for one, will be carrying this stuff around with me wherever I go, offering folks a drink!

I am so looking forward to the arrival of my machine next week. and experiencing my own healings from using alkaline water on the inside and acidic water on the outside.

Yes, then I will tell you all about the machine and how you can experience your own new level of health!
 

Choosing your Battles…

It has been many days since my last post. I have been in  strange places in my head, having made a committment to myself to go ALL RAW with my diet. It was challenging enough to eliminate coffee from my daily routine, then I added the removal of television viewing! It was too much. I did not stick to my RAW program. So, I avoided posting anything as I rambled around deciding just what is important to me!

My health is very important. I have rarely ever had any kind of health coverage except when I was married. I always felt that I was gambling with insurance, and betting that I would lose, and need it. I would rather take care of myself; eating healthy, organic food that is whole, not processed, taking supplements to fill in the nutritional gaps, and doing something for exercise. These I have been committed to for many years. I strongly believe that I would not be as healthy as I am if I had not become a vegan, eliminating all animal products from my lifestyle. And I have mentioned in previous posts that I currently do not possess a vehicle. I bicycle or walk everywhere I need to go and am grateful that I live in a small town where I can get most everything I need within bicycling distance. It appears that I am living the simple life, my footprint is light.

So, I had to ask myself why I felt possessed to be even more strict with my food choices. And the only answer I came up with was “I must have some kind of belief that only 100% raw folks qualify to speak about it.” Part of me does believe that I would be healthier if I was able to go 100%.   Eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds gives one a multitude of choices as to what to eat. I eat the majority of my food RAW, and feel good about the foods I prepare. I love making Green Smoothies every morning.

Was I setting myself up for failure? Yes, I am good at that. Do I feel perhaps, that I do not have the experience or credentials to be able to suggest others go RAW? Yes, and no. Yes, I have had NO formal training in Raw Food preparation, no certificates to hang on the wall. My experience comes from doing. I was the proud owner of 2 sprout growing businesses, the last also selling organic produce. I had a raw food kitchen where we offered a diverse lunch menu and taught classes in Raw Food prep. My experience came by reading and following directions, and led to creating some of my own recipes for cookies, pies, smoothies, etc. I’ve been growing sprouts for almost 30 years, and have some growing in my kitchen every week.

No, I am not 100% RAW. But, I know that the more raw I eat, the better I feel. Perhaps, someday, I will be 100%. When I am living in a tropical region of the planet, with access to fresh tropical fruits. For now, I am accepting that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Doing the best I can. Sharing my experience, my beliefs.

I believe we should keep it simple. Eat close to the earth, and  strive to cause no harm.

Be gentle, especially with yourself.  For the time being, I am not going to set any unrealistic goals for myself. Baby steps…

Laugh more. Raise your vibration with good thoughts, clean food and warm friendships.

No more Cable…

I have known of the addictive qualities of television since the 70’s. When my first daughter was born, I kept the tv in the closet. It came out occasionally only to find that it often had a challanging time finding it’s way back into the closet. When I moved with her to the ocean, we had no tv for quite a while, there was none when her sister arrived in 1981. And I do not believe that we missed it. We had other things to do to keep us busy, and entertained. The ocean and nature’s sandbox were 3 blocks away. Even the backyard was full of life because of my sprouting business. There were always earthworms moving in and out of the soil, enriching as they went. Tray upon tray of buckwheat lettuce and sunflower greens lined the side of the fence along with wheatgrass. The composting trench along the back fence rewarded us with rich dark soil to grow the trays of greens. Life was simple. We lived close to the earth. Enjoying the sunshine and the rain.

I will no doubt miss the television. Having them pick up the box and the simple gesture of unplugging the thing brought peace. I know that if I absolutely need to find out what happens on the next season of Lost, I can go to abc.com and watch the episode right after it views on tv.

 I remember reading a book by Jerry Mander in 1978, Four Arguments for the Elimination of TV. It was printed in Mother Earth News magazine in a series.  His arguments are valid today & exhibited throughout this man made world we exist in.

I understand how life is different today compared to my youth. We lived in one of the first suburbs of our small hometown. Our days were spent outdoors as much as possible, having our own experiences, creating our own memories.  Today’s youth have been brought up with the same imaginary friends, all growing up living vicariously thru the television. They do things and they have no idea why, they hold beliefs that they never made a choice in. Living en masse doing the same things as their friends.

 I loved Mother Earth News magazine. It helped me stay connected to the earth when I was living in the apt. on Main St. It gave me a clue to my future business ventures as Living Greens.

Since returning to my hometown, I have been riding a bicycle for transportation. I have gotten to know the neighborhoods by riding through them, seeing all the flowers and the vegetable gardens. This is very much small town. You have to look for the pretty stuff because there is alot of decay. But, people still sit on their porch and have a conversation. They say hello as you ride by. I like the feel of that.

This is the best I have felt living in my hometown. Maybe it has to do with accepting. I am choosing to look for the good in everything and accepting those things I can not change.  The courage to change the things I can… goodbye cable. hello freedom.

Being a Vegan…

I stopped eating cows in 1972. It was a money thing that turned into a health awakening thing that now is a harm nothing thing.  It was a slow progression which eventually lead to my becoming a vegan in 2000. I like being a vegan. It agrees with me. I never liked milk, thought it strange that we drank it. I did like ice cream, but, that is another story. Eggs were in and out of my food choices over the past 30 years. They have been out for many years now. Eating baby embryo seems barbaric. Why not stick to the fruits, leafy greens and veggies that we are designed to eat? Add in some nuts and seeds and you have a healthy, balanced intake of carbs, protein and fats. Also, you are doing the least amount of harm to all of life. And from my own personal observation, fruits & veggies are a higher vibration than dead flesh.

Think about it and act accordingly…

Here I Go Again…

 Change… the one reliable constant in our lives. The Universe reminds us of change with the seasons and the weather. If everything is energy, is it our negative thoughts that bring about natural disasters? And does the bombardment of “bad news” lower our vibration to attract more of the same. As I accepted that as a truth, I understood why I had so many dramatic life experiences growing up. Without the space to process the energy of the experience, I hung on to the pain and attracted more. When I began to learn about focusing on my passion and giving my attention to what I truly wanted, it began to arrive.

I seem to be a slow learner. It is in hindsight that I began to piece together, “When I was doing this, I felt like that. Happy thoughts, happy experiences. letting go of the fear or doubt and taking the leap of faith. Moving into action and paying attention to what shows up.

My sister and I had a conversation today about energy. I have been able to join her in the neighbors’ pool for some casual water aerobics this summer. It had been very rainy all week here, one of the reasons I have not thought about this blog.  I am one of those folks that really need to have contact with the sun. Thus, when it is overcast and rainy, I tend to feel more sadness it seems. So, today I took a half hour and stretched out beside the water to absorb some energy direct from the source. It felt wonderful!

How could anyone possibly ever believe that the Sun is bad for us? There would be no life without it. And having our fuel come from that which is closest to the Sun makes the most sense. It is the easier for us humans to digest, and it has that exchange thing going on with us: they breathe out what we breathe in, we breathe out what they breathe in. No harm done.

I decided to gift myself a “detox” for my bellybutton birthday. I am committing to all Raw and Living foods, one day at a time. No more Soy Delicious. I know how to make it all from raw, but, my self-sabotaging behaviours can keep me from allowing. I want to experience the energy of all raw, explore the emotions that will rise up as I stop altering my reality with  cooked food and stimulants. My first goal is to make it 30 days., one day at a time. 

 My morning coffee will be gone. I probably drink the equivelent of 3 cups every morning, with Soy Hazelnut creamer & honey. I may get a headache. That means I am physically addicted. I will have to try some different herbal teas to take its place because I enjoy the ritual of holding the cup, feeling the warmth, drinking in the aroma and flavor. 

I am off to my second solo shift. When I return, it will be my first day on my detox.   

Honoring Self…

I have my first day of training for my new job with the ARC tomorrow. But, first I will work at the chiropractor’s office giving 2 half hour massages. I will be giving notice to the owner that I will be ending my employment as a therapist by the months end. It is because I love myself enough to know that I am not valued there. The pay is low. I knew that when I started, but, there is also not enough work for me to make a living. And we are very different in how we help clients. I find myself compelled to speak with them about their eating habits and lifestyle. Getting adjusted and having a massage is not the only thing that people need guidance with. My hands feel the toxicity and I know that they have to change their lifestyle if they are to regain health.

I am writing a proposal to present to the YMCA or the YWCA. I will be teaching a series of classes on how to transition to healthier eating; introducing them to living and raw foods with a series of food preparation classes, recommending they eliminate all sugar and artificial sweeteners, reducing and eventually eliminating all meat and especially dairy products. People need to know the truth about our food supply and the lies that have been told to them about what they should eat for optimal health.

I know that this is my life’s purpose! Why else would I have been given a name whose initials spell D I E T ?