An Inspiring Book

I have read this book recently and it has made me really think.  Bob Goff has a way of making you laugh one minute and then profoundly reflect on your own life the next.  It is one of those books I lean over and nudge my hubby and tell him, "You gotta read this..."  It is a book that screams "love in action, not just words!"  He is a lawyer who has a sense of humor that is contagious and a depth of insight.  His book has inspired some new thoughts and renewed some dusty ones for myself and my family.  My library had it, but the cool part is if you purchase it, all the proceeds go to Restore International.  This is Bob Goff's amazing organization that is actively pursuing justice for the underdogs in Uganda and India, and really around the world.   This is a great read!

Buckwheat Crunchies

I would smile at you but I think I might have a buckwheat groat between my teeth.  Why?  you ask.  Because I made THE MOST DIVINE BUCKWHEAT CRUNCHIES EVER!  Then I whipped up a quick batch of homemade awesomeness (yes, its a word, I have a 6 year old), otherwise known as granola goodness.  I think I have downed about a cup of this raw mixture before it was ever put into the oven.  Here is the recipe for the crunchies (one of these days I will share the granola goodness recipe with you, but a lady must keep a few things mysterious...)

Dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of raw buckwheat groats
1/4 cup date sugar (or coconut sugar)
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Wet ingredients:
2 TBSP applesauce
1/4 cup coconut nectar syrup (or brown rice syrup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 TBSP Peanut butter (or almond, cashew, etc.)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Mix wet ingredients on a large bowl.  Mix wet ingredients in smaller bowl.  Add wet ingredients to the dry ones, combine.  Spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes.  Flip the granola as best as you can (there must be an art to this that I haven't quite figured out).  Bake another 15 minutes.  Make sure not to burn your crunchies, among other things...it is never good to burn.  When you pull them out, place them out to harden up and cool completely.  Then enjoy.  Just make sure you don't have a buckwheat groat between your teeth when you go run your errands.  Smiles!  By the way, I obviously love these to snack on, I top my salads with them and when I do have yogurt these are usually on top.  Also, it will make your house smell all full of baking goodness only without the sugar crashes.

date truffles

let's talk about dates!  "ewwwww, let's not!" is what i would have said a year ago!  i didn't even USE the first bag of dates i bought, i couldn't imagine i would like them!  but, as has been the case with all these "new" foods i savor every bite of date now!  traditionally dates have been used as the optimal food to eat after a fast, breaking a fast with dates helps to avoid overeating...when the body absorbs the nutritional value of the dates, the feeling of hunger gets pacified!  COOL!  here is a long list of their health benefits!  ;)

• dates are termed the crown of sweets and it has been said one a day will maintain healthy eyes for a lifetime!  (i have NOT confirmed this!)
• dates contain calcium (just like in milk, and milk is NOT good or necessary for you!)  and iron (which carries oxygen to various parts of the body and is essential in the production of blood) dates are an excellent choice of sweets for women, especially!
• potassium (builds a healthy nervous system, heart, muscle and kidneys) 
• copper (needed for healing wounds, it also plays a role in the formation of blood cells)
• manganese (required for the production of the skeletal system and the production of the sex hormones, woot! woot!)
• magnesium (helps the body utilize carbs, fats and proteins)
• sulphur (i hope you'll look this one up, it is too involved to detail here!)
• phosphorus (strong, healthy bones and teeth, helps take in your vitamin B's and helps the body use them properly for things like energy, mental capacity and emotional stability!  YAY for emotional stability in a stressful, chaotic world!  and YAY for DATES!)
• dates help with constipation, weight gain, intestinal disorders, intoxication, sexual weakness, diarrhea, a healthy heart and abdominal cancer

i found the following recipe online when i couldn't rid myself of the intense, burning desire for CHOCOLATE!  problem was, i had cleaned out my cupboards and refrigerator of all things non-essential for my body's optimal health!  i was sad and scared and getting irritable...until...

"DATE TRUFFLES"

• 8 dates
• 2 tablespoons coconut 
• 3 tablespoons VEGAN chocolate chips (trust me, you can't tell the difference!)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla powder (i found this easily at every health food store but you can also use 1 tsp of liquid vanilla)
• pinch of salt, i use pink himalayan sea salt

you need a food processor for this recipe, it can be a cheap one you get at target or walmart or kmart!

put all the ingredients in the processor and turn it on, it takes about 2 minutes or more for these ingredients to incorporate and form a soft ball, much like the texture of a warm candy tootsie roll!  BE PATIENT!  just when you think it's not going to mix properly, it does and your food processor starts to hip hop it's way around the countertop, watch it so it doesn't bounce off!  pull off pieces and roll into balls, roll in coconut or cocoa or crushed vegan chocolate chips or toasted almonds...cool in fridge for about 20 minutes so they are firm!  make a lot, they go fast!  one recipe makes about 8-10 balls

thai lettuce wraps

these lettuce wraps are comparable to those you would order in a restaurant!  

this is the "meat" of the lettuce wrap

1  1/2 cups walnuts 

(chop in a food processor or put in a baggie and mash 'em a bit with an ice cream scoop or the like!)

2 celery stalks, diced

2 carrots, grated 

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (optional)

1/2 cup minced scallions, green part only

you can also add cubed tofu 

this is the sauce, blend in blender or by hand

1/4 cup honey

1/8 cup nama shoyu OR soy sauce

1/2 tsp fresh garlic (best to use a garlic press or grater)

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 Tbs sesame oil 

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (this amount is a mild spice, add more if you like HEAT!)

mix well the carrot/celery/red pepper mixture with the sauce

scoop into romaine leaves or bib lettuce leaves or simply eat as a side dish

garnish with sesame seeds, mung bean sprouts, and/or grated carrot

i tied mine with a scallion for the photo, but usually make them without that "pretty" addition

I Could Never...

This morning found this post to be interesting!  I thought I would just share the link.  So many times people think it is close to impossible to eat to fuel our bodies.  What is the alternative?  We are the ones that choose for ourselves!

Enjoy!

I could never do that!

POSTED ON MARCH 13, 2013 BY EMILY BOLLER

The following post was originally published on Disease Proof about two years ago. I thought it’d be helpful to dig it out of the archives for some inspiration again this time of year. Even now, I still hear, “Oh, I could never do that!” in response to the way I eat, and I’m sure that many of you do too. It’s good to be reminded on a regular basis of the many medical problems that we nutritarians get to bypass, and the many wonderful pleasures that we get to enjoy as a result! Some of the comments at the end are funny, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking all rolled into one. May they encourage and uplift heavy hearts, and cheer everyone on in the pursuit of excellent health. Cheers to all!

In the Fall of 2008, after I had dropped 40 lbs in three months, my peers started commenting and asking questions about the noticeable changes. By the next Spring, when 100 pounds were off, complete strangers such as clerks in stores would comment and ask questions as well.

Everyone’s question was, “How did you lose weight?” 

Of which my reply would always be, “By following Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book, Eat to Live;. . . . basically eating lots of high nutrient, plant-based foods.” 

“You mean no meat? No cheese? No pizza? No McDonald’s? . . . . Oh, I could never do that!” 

Now, over 2 ½ years later, the majority still say to me, “Oh I could never do that!” in response to anything remotely related to the idea of eating meals primarily composed of plant based nutrition. 

Well, the following is what I think in response to, “I could never do that”:

• I could never blow the family budget on unnecessary test strips, insulin, medications, doctor and hospital bills, or bypass surgery.
• I could never carry around expensive medical supplies and meds while traveling.
• I could never ask a loved one to mow the lawn for me due to fatigue and ill health.
• I could never turn a child away from playing a game due to a migraine headache.
• I could never miss out on the joy of a wedding celebration due to obesity and depression.
• I could never ask someone to drive me to kidney dialysis three times a week.
  
  

 

Dr. Fuhrman added:

• I could never have heartburn and burping half the night.

• I could never sit in the bathroom for 15 minutes trying to painfully squeeze out a hard log.

• I could never watch a volleyball game at the beach instead of playing in it.

• I could never have rubber bands put on painful hemorrhoids by a rectal specialist.

• I could never worry about running to catch a bus, for fear of having a heart attack. 

• I could never have such severe stomach cramps that emergency room personnel would assume it was a heart attack. 

• I could never fall down and fracture a hip because my blood pressure medications dropped my blood pressure too low.

• I could never be intubated in the ER with a tube put down my throat and hooked up to a breathing machine after suffering a heart attack.

• I could never be in a nursing home unable to talk after a stroke or move the left side of my body. 

 http://www.diseaseproof.com/ = link

Homemade Black Bean Burgers

Here is a snack or meal that will give you 9 whopping grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein per burger.  Even my youngest gobbled her burger up with a side of organic ketchup!  This recipe made 10 patties and we cleaned the plate.  I made these with my homemade black beans made in my crock pot...easy peasy!  Here it is:

Black Bean Burgers

3 cups black beans or black refried beans (2 cans - if whole beans then rinse and drain)
2/3 cup onion
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup oats
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cumin
2 TBSP worcheshire sauce
3 tsp. garlic, minced

Combine ingredients in food processor. Add more oats if needed. Form Patties
Saute the patties in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, over medium high heat for 7 minutes per side approx.

Serve with romaine lettuce to wrap them up in and top with mango salsa.

Notes :

Super Yummy! Family favorite!

 

do it

"whatever there be
of progress in life
comes not through adaptation
but through daring,
through obeying the blind urge."
----------------henry miller

"trust your gut
and jump."
----------------gail shingler

the light of the world

if i am tempted 
to hold anything 
against anyone 
today, 
i will remind myself 
that my grievances 
hide the light of the world that is in me, 
from myself and from others.

fundamentals !

Brilliant Asian Kale Slaw

Brilliant Asian Kale Slaw

Salads

 

The Greens:
2 bunches kale 
1 pkg. shredded cabbage mix

The Dressing:
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have)
2 Tablespoons Sesame oil  (I used roasted because that is what I had)
1/4 cup brown sugar (I know, you can brush your teeth later)
1 Tablespoon (heaping) minced garlic
2 Tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
1 Tablespoon of water (if desired)

Instructions: 

The Greens:

Wash, dry and chop the kale into bite-size pieces and place in a large salad bowl.  Add cabbage mix and incorporate with kale.  Set aside.

The Dressing: Combine vinegar, oil, brown sugar, garlic, Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce and Housin Sauce in a sauté pan.  Simmer the mixture over moderate heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour the warm mixture over the kale slaw; mix well to thoroughly coat all of the leaves with the dressing. Allow the kale slaw to sit for 10 minutes or more before serving.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Survey Says:  My family licked the bowl clean. There isn't many kale dishes that my family has this reaction to.  This is definitely a family favorite.  It is great to pack for lunches the next day...IF there are any leftovers.

up for a challenge ?

"The search for love 
is but the honest searching out 
of everything that interferes with love."

when we pray for-
or ask for-
love, 
patience, 
courage, 
forgiveness, 
strength, 
humility, 
peace, 
cheerfulness, 
gentleness,
mindfulness, 
self control, 
or any other thing...

we do not get it!

what we DO get 
is the opportunity 
to call up that which is already resting in us,
that which was gifted to us at birth,
that which we have access to any time we really want it!

so if we ask for help in any form,
we do not get tapped with a magic wand 
or touched on the shoulder with a sword by a queen
and honored with-
or bequeathed 
that for which we ask...
God does not say, "NO PROBLEM, HERE YOU GO!"

we get an opportunity in the form of "a situation"...

a situation that seems to challenge 
what we asked for!

and we get that "situation" in order that we may step up to the plate,
call on that character trait we most desire to exhibit,
and be an active participant in experiencing our request.

those more bold, 
do not just ask and wait for the opportunity.

those more bold seek out those situations, people, and opportunities
that challenge us!  
those situations, people and opportunities that challenge our capacity for love,
for patience,
for strength, 
for forgiveness, 
for cheerfulness, 
for mindfulness,
for peace.
they actually seek out that which would interfere with all these things!
they are not content to keep company only with those who make it all easy.
they are not content to only "stay put" in situations that are comfortable.
they are not content to miss opportunities to grow and to change,

they are willing to accept all the unknowns, and freefall into all those unknowns in an effort to tap into all that they are and all that is already in them!

are you up for a challenge?