We saw out Naturopath today and received a lot of enlightening info. and I want to share some of it because I know that there is a lot to know concerning nutrition and diet. It can seem overwhelming sometimes but it is important. I want to make an extra point to pay attention to the list of Toxic Ingredients...these are the "other ingedients" commonly added to vitamins & supplements. We took her the bottles of everything Paul takes...me too thinking we are doing a great job and found out that most of it was not clean. This is of special importance to Paul & anyone living with a serious illness but it is important for all of us to know. These fillers come as leftovers from the wood & petroleum industry and have to be broken down by our bodies and we weren't meant to have to process these things. And as we found out just because you get your supplements and vitamins at a health food store that doesn't mean they are clean of these things.

These are...
Steric Acid
Magnesium Sterate
Sodium Benzonate
Sodium Glycoate
Talc
Sucrose
Calcium Sterate
Potassium Sorbate
Flavors or Natural Flavors
Palmitate
Silicon Dioxide
Hydroxy Proply Methlcellouse
Titanium Dioxide
Ethylcellulose
Colors
Glace
Lactose
Shellac
Starcg
Gelatin
Cellulose(vegatable source is ok)
So look at you bottles and if you have any of these things in them you need to start looking for a new line to buy.

VitD & smoothie recipes

I am attaching a link for the Vitamin D Council website Vitamin D Council. Most of the population is deficient in this nutrient and it is an important one. It is particularly helpful during the Fall & winter months to help you stay healthy.
Our Naturopath sent home a bunch of "Green Smoothie Recipes" that I want to pass along.
If you are watching your glycemic level a lot of these aren't low glycemic. You will need to adjust the fruits or make sure to follow up with a protein for balance.

"Green Benevolance"
6 to 8 leaves of red leaf ( I assume she means lettuce)
1 cup of red grapes
1 med. orange
1 banana
2 cups water
Blend: makes 1 quart

"Blueberry Pudding"
1 stalk of celery
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 banana
2 cups water
Blend :makes 1 quart

"Raw Family Green Juice"
1 large bunch kale (chopped)
2 med. apples (chopped)
1 lemon with peel (chopped)
1 cup water
blend well and strain the liqid through a nut milk bag
Serves 3 to 4 people

"Minty Thrill"
4 ripe pears
4-5 kale leaves
1/2 bunch mint
2 cups water
blend well

It looks like most of these are from Green For Life or 12 steps to Raw Food. Enjoy!!

Paul's juice
3 to 5 kale leaves
3 celery stalks
1 med. apple
5 to 10 parsely sprigs
3 juicing carotts
1 beet
5 to 10 spinach leaves sometimes dandelion leaves
I cut off the tops of the carrots and thow it all in the juicer.
This fills a coffee mug.

I am off to the farmer's market soon and then work. Had a great motorcyle ride last night. It is perfect riding weather. We stopped at a friend's house to visit which was nice. We thrilled the kids pulling up on the bike. It is always nice to see a happy, excited little face!

:}

So it has been awhile since I posted anything. The new to me recipe I was hoping to post didn't turn out as well as I had hoped it would. I made it up. It wasn't bad but nothing to share. I am realizing that the farmer's market is only open for one more month. Sigh! It is one of my favorite things to do. I have been in a conundrum about the flu this year and if I should get the shot,etc. I have decided not to get the shot b/c there is just too much scarey info out there about it. I have decided not to worry about it or buy into the hype even though there are 32 confirmed swine flu cases at KU in Lawrence,Kansas right now. That is about 45 minutes away from where we live and we go there a lot to eat at a place called Local Burger. I will be boosting our immune system more with supplements this Fall & winter. Our 7 year wedding anniversaryis coming up. That doesn't seem like a long time but we have been together since1992. We have never been happier. Some days it feels like it did when we were first dating. Remember that feeling? That is one of the things in life that makes it so worth living.

I want a revolution

Hi,

I am reading a book by Rudolph Ballentine M.D. called Diet & Nutrition a holistic approach copywright 1978. that talks about the importance of clean air, soil & water for our food, the depletion of nutritious foods being consumed and the link between common health issues of the day like cancer & heart disease and diet. Ok, this book was published in 1978. I was 5 years old. Why then are there still ads for Taco Bell & McDonald's every few minutes on our tv and a new fast food place on every bust cornor? Why aren't doctors taught about nutrition and why don't they pass that knowledge on to patients for prevention or use it to help treat illness? And why when some of us do get the info and use it to treat illness are people skeptical and downright mean about us doing so? My only conclusion is twofold....greed & self imposed ignorance. It is frustrating but there are those of us out there promoting it and proving that good nutrition heals.

Link to http://www.walkforfarmanimals.org

Another Mindump

I read a new to me quote this morning that I like. "A ship is safest in the harbor but it was not built to be in just the harbor." So get your ship out of the harbor and explore those wide open seas. That is what we are meant to do. There is something good about having a safe place but we can't live there always or we won't grow and experience. Sometimes we wait till the storm hits the harbor to head out to sea and that is unfortunate b/c then we are heading out with uncertainty and possibly fear of the storm. Don't wait for a storm to hit to live life. While that can be a great thing don't wait...no excuses.

FYI organic and natural labels

Organic foods are produced by farmers who empasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance the environmental quality for future generations. Animals are raised without growth hormones or antibiotics and plants are grown without most conventional pesticides,fertilizers with synthetic ingredients,sewage sludge,bioengineering or ionizing radiation. Organic producers are certified by a government approved agency. In order for a procuct to be labeled organic 95 % of it must be organic ingredient. Products labeled natural are to be free of artificial colors and chemical preservatives but may still include GMO's,growth hormones & synthetic fertilizers & pesticides. Organic foods may cost more b/c an organic farm is more labor intensive and smaller than a conventionally run farm that uses chemicals to increase yields and lower costs. I got this info from a flyer at Whole Foods called Ask The Medicine Hunter. It is a series of info in conjunction w/ Ask The Doctor flyers and handouts available at healthfood stores,etc.

Minddump on visualization & imagination

So I have been discussing visualization as therapy lately with some people who do it, believe in it,etc. as I do and I came across an interesting way to think about it in a book we have called The Way of QiGong by Kenneth Cohen. He quotes "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." So this has had me thinking about our imaginations. As kids we are taught to use our imaginations in play but as adults we lose it and are taught not to use it. The phrase "my imagination is playing tricks on me" well is it? Maybe it is letting you in on something that is very relavant to what is going on with you. That creative thinking side of self is usually under seige from that critical thinking side of self as we get older and through out asdulthood. So in essence we are shutting down a critical part of ourselves. Imagination is important in making our world a beautiful place and in helping us to be healthy and happy. we need balance. That is why there are so many programs, philosophies,theries,etc. out there trying to lead us back to a balanced way of living. We can do it ourselves by imagining it and listening to what we are being told. The external can influence the internal but the internal has just as much influence on the external if we allow it.

Raw Zucihinni Marinara

Raw zucihinni pasta marinara

Hi,
There is nothing like walking to the local Farmer's Market picking up a couple of things and going home to eat them That is what we did tonight for dinner. I picked up a medium green zucihinni, some fresh basil,a red bell pepper,and 2 big tomatoes and I made raw zucihinni marinara. So good. It is pretty basic for raw foods. You need a food processor & a saladeco,spirializer which is what I use or a veggie peeler.

1 medium green zucihinni some people peel it I do not
4 small tomatoes or 2 large ones
1 medium red bell pepper
1 clove elephant garlic or about 4 regular garlic cloves.
1 tbs. oregano
1/2 tbs. chili powder
several fresh basil leaves.

Rinse everything. Put the tomatoes,garlic,1/2 the bell pepper,oregano & chili powder in the food processor & pulse. Prepare the zuchhnni with your spirializer,saladeco or use a veggie peeler to make long ribbons. Chop the basil leaves. Combine everything but the basil into a bowl mixing well & serve sprinkling basil on top. Add whatever you want to the marinara. So easy & good for you. And you feel great knowing that you bought those ingredients just a few minutes ago and they were picked within a day locally so they still have their nutrients. :}

sprouting

My brother-in-law taught me how to do this last year. It is fun. You do not need the fancy spouting machines. You simply need a Mason jar or two, some cheesecloth (I get mine from the hardware store),some spouting seeds and fresh water. Tale the lid off the mason jar and set aside the middle round part. You just need the rim. Cut a piece of cheesecloth to cover the top of the jar. Put about 1 tbs. of sprouting seeds in the jar and cover them with fresh water. Secure the cheesecloth over the opening of the jar by screwing on the metal rim. Soak the seeds overnight and in the morning dump that water. Put the jar on a windowsill to get some sun. Everyday you need to rinse the seeds by pouring fresh water through the cheesecloth and swirling it around in the jar and dumping it through the cheesecloth. It will take about 3 to 4 days to see the beginnings of the sprouts. In one week you should see green little sprouts in your jar. After 6 or 7 days they should be ready to eat. Take them out of the jar,set them on a paper towel and put them in an airtight container in the refridgerator. Will keep for 1 week in my experience. I do alfalfa,clover & brocoli sprouts. There are several kinds available either on line or in health food stores.

Vegitarian Grinders

Vegatarian grinders These can be easily made vegan by substituting a vegan mozerella for the dairy mozerella.I use Quorn crumbles instead of soy crumbles like booca brand although I have used those in the past. Quorn can be found in the frozen foods isle. It is a mycroprotien. We like it.
One bag of Quorn grounds
One jar of pasta sauce..I like tomato basil flavored
A couple of hard crusty rolls preferably not white flour
1/4 cup or so of Mozerella cheese per grinder
Heat the quorn grounds in a skillet with a little bit of filtered water to avoid sticking. When they start to turn brown add the entire jar of sauce and stir in. Heat this mixture for about 10 minutes. Cut one end of the roll or use a small baguette cut in half. Use a sharp knife to hollow out the middle and take out the soft middle bread. Put a small amount of cheese at the bottom of the hollowed out roll and spoon in the quorn & sauce mixture. Top it off with the remaining cheese shreds. If you used a baguette softly press the cheese shreds into the sauce mixture so they form a cover over the exposed end. If you used a roll put the cut off end back on the roll and secure with a toothpick. You can put a few cheese shreds on top of the bread or brush it with olive oil and garlic whatever you like. Place on a cookie sheet lined with natural parchment paper and bake at 400 for 8 minutes. Serve.
If you use the whole bag of quorn grounds & sauce you will have enough of this mixture for about 5 or so grinders or save any extra for another night or to serve with pasta,etc.

Yummy Pizza

I posted this in mid June on another site.
Hi,
Last night I tried a new yummy pizza recipe that I made up based on one I had early last week at a resturant here in Kansas City that serves only local, organic foods. It has asparagus which is so good but unfortunately Asparagus season ended 2 weeks ago. So if you see some grab it up.I don't make a crust I use whole grain organic pita rounds. If you do make a crust it should be thin.
2 wholegrain pita rounds drizzled wilth extra virgin olive oil. Spread the oil around the pita.
4 garlic cloves sliced. Spread the slices between the pitas.
8 little asparagus stalks choppeed small and spread between the pitas.
8 cherry or grape tomatoes sliced and spread between the pitas.
Oregeno to taste on each pita.
Sprinkle some Feta cheese on each pita.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
I think it would be great with olives,and freash basil too.
Happy eating,
Keri

honey

I bought the best honey I have ever tasted yesterday evening at a local community market in our neighborhood. The man who sells it has his own bee farm and was super friendly & informative. The honey I bought is a tree honey. He said tree honey usually has less dextrose in it than clover honey. 4% compared to 25%. Pretty interesting so it also doesn't break down into sugar grains as fast. Interesting website with info about honey www.honey.com. This honey is raw. I have read that people with cancer should avoid raw honey but I don't know why. Paul is thrilled with Agave so we stick to that for him. Also raw honey can contain some of the pollen proteins that might cause allergies so it is important to know the source of the honey and I have always heard that your honey should be local from the area closest to where you live for allergy reasons. Anyway, I hope you are checking out those local markets. Fabulous. We got some awesome blackberries too!

Great friends

Our BEST friends just left with their kids. They are in KC from Portland,Or. They spent the day with us Monday, stayed overnight & spent part of today with us. It was great! The kids are amazing & we thouroughly enjoyed having them in our house. We felt like we were on vacation. It is so important to have people like that in our lives. People whose presence makes us feel joy and whose energy charges our own in positive ways. We are fortunate to have them & we know it and appriciate them. Thier oldest son spent some time in Cape Cod recently and this morning he brought me a beautiful little shell and gave it to me and told me he found it floating in the water in Cape Cod and he wanted me to have it and maybe I could make it into a necklace. How sweet is that! The energy of that family has charged our own & our house and I am so grateful we got to spend time together.

"True friendship consists not in the multitude of friends but in thier worth and value." Ben Johnson

New idea

So I got this inspired idea this morning about visualization. I love to use it and several well known doctors tell their seriously ill patients to use it to help them in their healing process so why not have groups of people who get together to do visualization. That would mean instead of one person being focused and putting energy forth several people would be and that could help speed things up. So I will start us off using my new favorite quote..."It is not the mountain that tears us down. It is the grain of sand in our shoe." So lets imagine we are walking a trail that is leading us up into a mountain but there is pesky sand in our shoes causing pain and irritation with each step. So we stop, sit down, pull off those shoes and shake out the sand watching it tumble and roll away. That sand stands for whatever has you down,physical,mental,emotional whatever. Then we put those shoes back on, stand up and notice how much better our feet feel free of those sand grains. Then we start walking again ready to climb. I like to think of the mountain as complete health and the grains of sand as the cancer Paul is dealing with. When he shakes out that sand he is getting rid of cancer and we watch it roll of the side of the mountain so out of his body and our lives. Then we resume our climb to a healthy life free of sand in our shoes.

Tempeh TST (a healthy alternative to a BLT)

I have loved tempeh blt sandwhiches for years but have never attempted to make one myself until last night. It was real good . My husband told me 3 times "good job". So here goes the recipe I made up last night. note that Tempehh is a soy food so for those of you who need to avoid soy this recipe is not for you.

1 package of plain tempeh (I like Cental Soy brand because it is local from Lawrence,Ks.)
1 fresh tomato
2 malabar spinach leaves(or regular spinach)
4 slices sprouted bread (Ezekiel or Alvarado street)
Veganaise
Bragg's liquid amino acids
Grapeseed oil
Black pepper

Coat a skillet with some Grapeseed oil(I did not measure it I just used enough to coat the bottom of the skillet and leave a little to fry in so maybe 3Tbs.) Set burner to a medium heat. Cut tempeh into fairly even long strips, not too thick, I get 8 strips out of one block of tempeh.
Place strips in skillet and sprinkle with black pepper and a few sprays of Bragg's . Check tempeh strips in about 15 minutes. You want to see them browning on the downside. When this happens flip them over and brown the other side. Add more oil if needed. In the meantime slice your tomato and toast the bread slices. When bread is toasted spread a not to thin or thick layer of veganaise on 2 slices and top it off with a malabar spinach leaf and 2 tomato slices. Tempeh strips are placed on top of tomato slices. 3 per sandwhich is good. Enjoy.

Tempeh should have 2 fairly crispy sides when done.

Great trip to the Farmer's Market

I just got back from the Farmer's Market and I am thrilled with my purchases. I got 3 beautiful big sunflowers which I will use the heads (the middle part where the seeds grow) after they die like scrub brushes. I read about doing this in Mother Earth News. 3 stems were $5. One lady had 2 containers of blackberries so I scooped up one. Man are they tasty and so good for you,especially when you are fighting off cancer. I also found something new to me that I think is a score even though we have not tasted it yet. It is Malabar Spinach. It is a leafy green that is not actually a spinach it tastes like it. It is a vining plant that thrives in summer heat when most other greens are wilting and dying. It is high in vitamins A&C, iron, and calcium. It is also a good source of chlorophyll and thought to be useful in removing toxins from the body. It has several other names like Ceylon Spinach, Vietnamese Spinach, Lo Kwai,Paag-Prung,Gendola,to name a few. This info comes courtesy of Kansas City Urban agriculture kccua.org . One of the greatest urban farms around in my opinion. I love the produce they grow and they are always friendly.
Now I am off to work. Have a great day!