Accountability - Being the change we wish to see in the World

I am here to remind you that your body needs your love and attention. We love pampering our outsides, but do we pamper our insides? Your body is made up a fascinating structure of nerves, hormones, cells, organs, blood, lymph. Every thought in our mind becomes a physical reaction in the body. Maybe I should repeat that - EVERY thought becomes a physical reaction in the body.

Thoughts become electrical signals, which become hormones, which send signals and directions to your organs. Remember though, As Above, So Below. The food you eat makes up the cells, tissues, and organs in the body. These organs initiate hormones, which initiate nervous signals, which go to the brain.

"You are what you eat" is more true than we tend to want to admit. Cells have their own vibration. Science Daily reports "vibrations help the cells maintain their characteristic flattened oval or disc shape, which is critical to their ability to deform as they traverse blood vessels in the body to deliver oxygen to tissues."

Now think about the vibration of the foods your putting in your body. And this is not to be done with judgement. Use playful curiosity.

Are you eating fried meats, artificial sugars, pesticides? Are you eating fresh fruit, colorful vegetables, tasty whole-grains? What are you thinking about when you are eating? Are you ashamed? Do you love what you're eating or are you always counting calories and judging your body? Do you eat with people you love?

These are all things to consider. We are beings of light. In their article, Science Daily confirms that light passes through the cell, and changes as the membrane vibrates. What does this mean? Well, even if you are bring in tons of light, the integrity of your cells determines how well you can transmit this energy into a vibration.


Here is a quick and easy recipe for getting in some awesome vibration-raising nutrition:

Laughing Buddha Smoothie

1 cup frozen berries
1 scoop whey protein powder (lots of amino acids for a healthy immune system and
balanced hormones)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 cup greens (romaine lettuce, spinach, chard, etc...)
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of fresh lemon
**Water and ice - to your preferred consistency

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix. If you need to mix the smoothie, I recommend using a piece of celery. If your wooden spoons hit the metal mixer by accident you could have smoothie on your ceiling and a broken wooden spoon :)

Enjoy!!



Love your body, love your brothers and sisters. Eat from the Earth, eat with Joy!
Namaste <3

Vanilla Chai - The Raw Food Way

So often I find that my clients speak to me about all the things that they are doing "wrong" in their diets...I ate a piece of chocolate, I had too big a portion, I ate carbs when I shouldn't have...etc. I keep my heart open and listen as they pour their hearts out about all their food 'failures'. And when they are done, I reach over and give them a big ole hug. This is not about perfection. I can promise you that where your focus is, is what you will manifest. What do I mean by that...if you are constantly tell yourself that you are emotional eater, and that you snack when you are in a bad mood (and associate guilt to that) you are allowing yourself the permission to do it.

Instead, try rewarding yourself. Fill your pantry with colourful fruits and vegetables and munch on them. Have sugar cravings?...eat dried fruit or frozen grapes. So you had chocolate cake after dinner...be proud of yourself for not having the second piece that you wanted. Be proud that you bought the brown rice over the white. Small accomplishments every day = big accomplishments over time.

But if I can give you one piece of advice it is NOT to have a goal of weight loss, or weight gain. Do NOT commit yourself to becoming a 'raw foodist' and forgo all cooked foods. Do NOT give up all sugar, or go on a cabbage cleanse. Instead I suggest that you commit to your health...commit to building a healthy body and MAKE YOUR HEALTH YOUR PRIORITY!! Once you begin to be selfish with your health, and become proud of your body, you will see incredible changes. This journey is not about being perfect, it is about living life to the fullest...with vigour, endless energy, and joy!! Start living baby. I suggest you start with this killer recipe below. Your taste buds will thank you.

Eat well, live well.
God bless you all xoxo

I have created a new a recipe that will keep the MMS crew busy...vanilla chai coconut macaroons! To all the volunteers at the April programs...you can thank me later ;)

Vanilla Chai Coconut Macaroons (A Dave Lanyon Special)

Servings: 12-14 small macaroons

Ingredients:
1 cup cashews
1 cup + 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
4 tbsp honey or maple syrup
2 tsp lucuma powder
3 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla chai spice sugar*
pinch of salt

(for the vanilla chai spice sugar, combine the following ingredients in a coffee grinder, then combine with your favorite dry sweetener (sucanat or raw cane sugar or a pinch of stevia. You can also omit the sweetener, and just use the spice directly in the recipe):

½ inch vanilla bean, pod and seeds or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 -8 cardamom pods, seeds only, hull removed
2 points of star anise, pod and seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves, or 2 whole
12 coriander seeds
few grinds of nutmeg

Preparation:
Process all ingredients except for the 1/4 shredded coconut together in a food processor. Chill mixture in fridge for at least an hour. Add in the 1/4 cup shredded coconut. Using an ice cream scoop, press mixture to make circular macaroon shape. Sprinkle extra vanilla chai spice sugar on top of each macaroon. Dehydrate for 4 - 5 hours or until macaroons are molded and 'dry' (check in on them periodically to make sure they haven't dried out 'too much'. Less dehydration time will yield a softer, moister 'cookie'). Amazing!

Chocolate for the Heart

In my opinion, one of the best ways to embark on healthier habits is to find joy in it...and for me, that's chocolate. When I started my journey into raw food I was eager to try out all the desert recipes. Since I was writing my thesis on raw food I was researching the health benefits of all types of food. When I found out how incredible chocolate was for your body & soul I had to tell everyone I knew!

At the same time, I learned about the differences between raw chocolate, dark chocolate and milk chocolate. Raw cacao/chocolate (which is actually the seed of a fruit) has never been heated or processed. Cornell University food scientists discovered that cocoa powder has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine, and up to three times the antioxidants found in green tea. Raw cocoa has the highest antioxidant value of all the natural foods in the world!

It is important to understand that most of the scientific research on the cacao bean refers to organic cacao in its raw, unprocessed, and unadulterated form. Note that when the cacao beans are processed by roasting or heating, there will be a loss of some of the nutrient value, and treating the cocao with alkaline salts in the Dutch process will reduce the concentration of flavanols and reduce its high antioxidant value. So the levels of active nutrients and the health benefits discussed below may be not be fully applicable to all of the many kinds of commercially processed dark chocolate products marketed today.

So don't expect that eating ANY type of chocolate bar or chocolate candy is going to be good for your health. You need to know WHICH KINDS of chocolate actually provide the health benefits - and that will usually be the kinds of COCOA POWDER and DARK CHOCOLATE which are closer to the raw cocoa bean, undergo the least amount of processing, and have the least unhealthy additives like saturated fats and refined sugar.

In general, the healthiest kinds of chocolate (in order) are:

1.raw, organic, unprocessed cacao beans (called "nibs") or cocoa mass;
2.organic and unroasted cocoa powder not treated with alkalis;
3.organic dark chocolate with the highest percentage of cocoa liquor or cocoa powder and the lowest percentage of refined sugar (bitter or semi-sweet dark chocolate).

Dark chocolate is ground, heated, and has sugar added to it. Milk chocolate is made typically of cocoa, cocoa butter, milk, milk fat & sugar. Aside from adding extra fat, the dairy products in milk chocolate inhibit the body's absorption of the powerful antioxidants naturally found in raw cocoa and dark chocolate - which reduces the ORAC value of milk chocolate to about half the ORAC value of dark chocolate or pure cocoa.


A List of Healthy Substances Found in Raw Chocolate (Theobroma Cacao)
Many of the natural chemical compounds in raw cocoa or cacao beans and in organic dark chocolate have been discussed in scientific literature as being pharmacologically significant to health. Here is a partial list of these active substances in natural organic chocolate (and more are discussed below).

•Anandamide (a neurotransmitter known as "the bliss chemical")
•Arginine (nature's aphrodisiac)
•Dopamine (a neurotransmitter)
•Epicatechins (antioxidants)
•Magnesium (for healthy heart function)
•Serotonin (anti-stress neurotransmitter)
•Tryptophan (anti-depressant amino acid)
•Phenylethylamine (PEA) (controls the ability to focus attention and stay alert)
•Polyphenols (antioxidants)

Magnesium - the Mineral Your Heart Needs
Is dark chocolate good for your heart? Research by Dr. Bernard Jensen indicates that the heart muscle requires these two minerals more than any other minerals: Magnesium and Potassium. In the heart muscle Magnesium is concentrated eighteen times greater than in the bloodstream. Magnesium helps regulate blood pressure and the heartbeat.

The overall strength and vigor of the heart muscle and its ability to pump effectively is enhanced by the presence of Magnesium, and this important mineral also decreases blood coagulation and thus can lower blood pressure.

Magnesium also balances brain chemistry, and helps build strong bones.

When heart problems occur, Magnesium is the most likely mineral to be missing in the person's diet.

Eighty percent of Americans are deficient in Magnesium. This deficiency is linked to hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, joint problems, and PMT.

Cocoa beans and organic dark chocolate are the #1 best food sources of this heart-supporting mineral, Magnesium. Finally, a guilt-free reason for a daily dose of Magnesium-rich healthy chocolate - lower your risk of heart disease?

Recipes
The following recipes come from David Wolfe's book Naked Chocolate. If you don't want to try out raw food after these recipes, I've got my work cut out for me ;)

Superchocolate goji lemon bar
2 cups of goji berries
2 cups of cacao nibs
1 teaspoon lemon peel
2 cups grated raw cacao butter
Add everything to a Vita-Mix and blend until smooth. Pour into any mould and put in the fridge to set.

Toby roamed
1/2 cup of raw cacao nibs
2 cups of raw cacao butter
1/4 cup of raw carob powder
1/4 cup of raw agave nectar
1 teaspoon of maca
2 dessertspoons of coconut oil
1/2 cup of cashew nuts
This is so much like that triangular chocolate that we all love. Er, except this one's got masses of brain food in it.

Grind the cacao nibs into a fine powder. Grind the cashew nuts into a fine powder. Grate the white cacao butter and add to a bowl. Pour some warm water into another bowl and sit the bowl with the butter in into this bowl. Don't get water into your cacao butter. Wait until the butter has melted, and then add the other ingredients. Stir very well and then pour it into any pretty moulds.

Bonkers rawdechox bar
1 cup of cacao nibs
1 cup of raw carob powder
1/4 cup of raw agave nectar
1 cup of grated raw cacao butter
1 teaspoon purple corn extract
1/2 teaspoon natural vitamin C powder
Add everything to a Vita-Mix and blend until smooth. Pour into any mould and put in the fridge to set. You only need a small amount of this chocolate daily to get mega antioxidants into you for the detox magic to work!

Hansel and Gretel mix
1 cup of goji berries
1 cup of cacao nibs
1 cup of sunflower seeds
1 cup of pumpkin seeds
Mix everything together in a bowl, then place in little containers dotted around your house ready for people to discover with delight.

This recipe has infinite variations. Add hemp seeds, sesame seeds, crushed nuts, dried currants, raisins, sultanas apricot chunks, pineapple, mango etc. For extra enzyme action, soak the nuts overnight, rinse, and dehydrate until dried out. For mega nutrients, sprout the seeds before deyhdrating.

Red squares
2 cups of cacao butter, grated
1 cup of goji berries
1/2 cup of agave nectar
Blend everything together in a Vita-Mix until smooth, then place in cube moulds. Turn out when set.

Evie's delicious chocolate orange cake
Add a touch of ginger to get the best ever chocolate ginger cake.

1 cup of grated raw cacao butter
1 cup of raw cashew nuts
1/2 cup of hemp seed butter
1/2 cup of carob powder
1 tablespoon of crushed cacao nibs
1/4 of an orange, including skin
2 scoops of hemp protein powder
1 dessertspoon of maca powder
1 tbsp of raw honey
2 cup of raisins, not soaked


Put all the ingredients into a bowl and place that bowl into another one that has warm water in it. Let the ingredients sit for five minutes, this will melt the cacao butter and soften the hemp seed butter. Mix all the ingredients together with a fork, and then put it into a Vita-Mix. Blend all the ingredients until smooth, which will only take about 90 seconds on high. The mixture should just plop out of the Vita-Mix into a mould. If it doesn't, then add other wet or dry ingredients as necessary and blend again. Spread the mixture evenly in your mould (I add cling film (saran wrap) to mine to enable it to turn out easier), and then place it in the fridge for at least two hours to set. Prepare to be amazed.

unity trevor hall with matisyahu

Does being 'healthy' mean giving up taste?

Hello hello all you health nuts out there. Thank you for coming. My goal for this site is to create a community for like-minded (and odd-minded) folks like yourself to come together and build their body as a temple. We are all looking for answers...how do I become healthy? What fruits are best for colds? How do you transition in more raw foods? No question is a bad question...only one not asked. We'll discuss everything from recipes, to healthy fats, to workout nutrition, to chakra nutrition and back again. With knowledge comes understand and then wisdom and then emptying our cup again. No one is right, no one is wrong. This is your journey. Share it with us.


In answering the question, 'does being heathly mean giving up taste', I say
heck NO!!!! To start us on our journey of making our body a temple through food I have provided a recipe from 2 wonderful raw foodies...Kevin and Ann Marie.

Check out this recipe for Apple Crumble. Your treat to yourself for Valentine's Day :)

To view the video on how to do this recipe see:
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2011/02/09/annmaries-amazing-apple-crumble/

Annmarie’s Apple Crumbly Crumble

4 Apples – sliced really thin
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp coconut sugar

Dry Ingredients for the Topping:

1/8 cup almonds
1/8 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tsp cinnamon

For the Wet Yummy Crumble:

1/2 cup raw almonds – soaked 20 mins
1/2 rolled oats -soaked 2 hours
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raisins (more if you like it really sweet)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp vanilla powder
1/2 tbsp nutmeg

Slice the apples really thin and place in big bowl. Squeeze your half lemon over top and sprinkle on coconut sugar. Mix together, then set a side.

In food processor combine the dry topping ingredients and process until crumbly. Set a side.

Then again in the food processor combine the wet yummy crumble ingredients. Process until crumbly and set a side.

Now layer the apples and wet crumble in a 8X8 square pan. Top off with the dry crumble and enjoy!!