Light Bulb Moments

I was having one of those over-the-fence visits this past week with a friend. I was rambling on about something someone did towards me over five years ago. Usually I am quite careful about keeping a tight lip when someone upsets me because, of course, I am bigger than that. As the words of resentment and anger rolled off my tongue I began to really hear myself talking. Apparently I had really not forgiven this person nor had I moved on from there. Granted, there are "toxic" people in our lives - we all have them - perhaps you can "unfriend" some but oftentimes its family and you're in it for life.
A couple of weeks ago I heard myself talking at that particular time about myself and I had another light bulb moment. Whether it has been an offense by someone else or how I felt toward myself - both were obviously still robbing my energy - stealing my vitality - whatever you want to call it - my negative thoughts and feelings have been like a subtle- yet strong- poison.
The problem with not processing life experiences and how they affect our thoughts and feelings can be blamed for many physical ailments and diseases. As humans we are conditioned by our learned behaviors which essentially become our reality. Yes we are really not any different than Nobel Prize winner, Ivan Pavlov's dogs. The good news is we can also benefit from a little Pavlovian training ourselves by reframing our experiences and changing our outlook towards ourselves, others or even the stimulus in our lives that's acting like that subtle -yet strong- poison.
When someone hurts us or we have a traumatic experience our brains mark it. Consciously it might make no sense at all when we feel that fight or flight response when all is logically fine and dandy. But our brains and our bodies can lock it in whether we want to or are aware of it or not. Sometimes our "on button" gets stuck in and we remain on high alert - even with a thought of the experience or a simple phone call from the "perpetrator".
May is Lupus Awareness month. It is a horrible auto-immune disease. I have done much study on the subject of auto-immune disease. I see a consistent underlying issue - and it lies in the basis of unforgiveness, resentment and self hate. I have watched someone I am very close to and love go into "flare ups" whenever her emotions are upset. Being offended, a sick pet, loss of a friend, an unexpected bill in the mail - it's similar to the flight or flight response - yet it is turned inward. It wreaks havoc in the body on a cellular level. This can last for a long time - incessant torturous pain.
My youngest son was out playing basketball with the neighborhood boys this past weekend. One of the boys is considerably bigger than him - and the only one who happened to be wearing shoes. Sure enough he stepped hard on my son's foot causing him considerable pain and anguish. After a while crying and resting his iced foot on the couch he went back out to play. This time they were playing football and the same boy kicked him in the leg and the pain and anguish started all over again. Now -yes -boys are competitive - even my little 6 year old. But I know the "perpetrator of pain" and I think he's just more clumsy than he is mean. After we spent a little time talking it out between the two of them and apologies being made -the realization sank in for my son that the other boy does not have it in his heart to hurt him - my son began to feel better. Yes- you got it -the pain dramatically left and harmony with the world returned. Off to play again.
There are always 2 sides to every story. So often we get stuck in our messy perceptions. Has this ever happened to you where another person from year's past stomped on your foot and kicked you in the knee? Over the years have you been doing it to yourself? If you've ever had someone you should be able to trust offend or hurt you or didn't protect you- sometimes we wind up believing the lie that something must be wrong with me and I deserved it.
We need to get a new light bulb moment - one that detoxifies our perceptions. To know that each of us are deeply loved and accepted - by others, ourselves and by the one who created us. Here's to your light bulb moment(s) this week! I'm rooting for you.

raw vegan cheesecake recipe

Oh my goodness I have found a new love. I have always loved cheesecake. Today I tried a new recipe - Raw Vegan Cheesecake. I must refrain from eating it all up b/c with all those nuts - it is high in fat - good fats ... but still -fat. I also love key lime pie - so this is a perfect dessert for me !

Ingredients: Crust

2 cups of macadamia nuts
Half a cup of fresh, pitted dates

Method:

Put the dates and macadamia nuts in the food processor and process until it has formed a thick mixture that easily binds together. Remove from the processor and pat down into a pie dish. Place in the freezer to set.

Ingredients: Cheese

3 cups of cashews (soaked in water for an hour)
3 peeled lemons
1 cup date honey (or agave nectar)
1x tsp vanilla essence

Method:

Place all the ingredients into your blender and blend. Spoon this mixture on top of the macadamia and date crust. Place this into the freezer to set.

Ingredients: Topping:

500g Frozen Mango

Method:

Blend the mango (without adding any water), until a thick ice cream consistency is formed. Using a spatula carefully add a thin layer to the top of the cheesecake (only add the topping when the crust and cheese are properly set). Return to the freezer for roughly an hour and then serve.

Be careful not to leave the cheesecake in the freezer too long. The pie must be nicely set, but NOT frozen.

Detox your Emotions !

Detox is a buzz word right now. It's also the story of my life. I talk a lot about detoxing your body - naturally right diet, juicing, colonics, cleansing with supplements as well as your environment - water purification, air purification, going green with all your household cleaners, etc.
But what about detoxing on an emotional level?
I love this quote this morning from Rev. Richard Exley, "If you cannot talk about past hurts and betrayals without experiencing strong emotions, then you are probably still dealing with unforgiveness. When we have truly forgiven those who have sinned against us, we can remember the betrayal without reliving the pain."
I cannot tell you how deeply important forgiveness is in living a free and cleansed life. There are many other emotions that we might need to detoxify from - anger, anxiety, sadness and countless others. But the bottom line or root to all these negative emotions - is needing to forgive and letting go. You might need to forgive another person (this could be an ex-spouse or former abuser...or even a teacher who made you feel silly back in elementary school). Or maybe it's an experience we need to let go of and have grace within ourselves to move on. Do you need to forgive yourself? What are you holding against yourself today or have been beating yourself up over for many years?
When we forgive we don't necessarily (and most often do not) forget. But when we can release the pain from the offense - we take the emotional sting out of it. We might recall what happened but we are no longer bound or troubled by it. I encourage you today to naturally allow your emotions to detox - even if it's just one small step in letting go - go ahead and forgive.

Juicing for Health ! Part 3

Guidelines for JUICING:

• Fresh is best – oxidation occurs immediately causing nutritional value to be lost.

• Freeze if needed.

• Drink it slowly - sip then swirl around in your mouth to activate digestive juices. Treat it like a meal.

• Drink no more than 8 to 10 ounces per hour so your digestive system is not overworked.

• Consider a large glass of juice to be a meal. Don’t drink the juice with a meal it’s too hard on your tummy.

• Mix apple with vegetable juice to sweeten.

• Adding celery and lettuce (no iceburg) to fruit juice adds calcium, iron and B complex.

• Don’t mix tomato juice with carrot or potato – this is poor food combining (the acid in tomato makes starches difficult to digest)

In making vegetable juice, use carrot or tomato as the base and add others in lesser amounts to make juice more palatable. (i.e. a kale, cabbage, broccoli combination is not so yummy – try that and you’ll never want to juice again).

Juicing for Health ! Part 2

Benefits of consuming fresh JUICE:

• A juice diet or modified juice diet is an excellent way to kick off any healthy eating plan. In fact, one month on a juice diet is equal to 6 months on a strict raw foods diet consisting of fruits and vegetables.
• A short-term juice diet (maybe one weekend a month – that’s not hard) strengthens your immune system and helps you live longer and healthier – your skin will become clearer, whites of your eyes will become whiter, mental function will improve and so will your emotional health.
• Adding juicing to your daily routine motivates you even more as you begin to feel better PLUS your body becomes much more accustomed to desiring and even craving healthy life-giving foods.
• It is simple and inexpensive. Keep an eye out for juicers at garage sales or get a budget model. Once you make juicing a part of your healthy lifestyle – invest in a Champion Juicer – the best juicer on the market for the price, quality and ease of use. I exclusively sell Champion Juicers so if you would like one for your home - message me! Or go to marlyjones.com. They come in silver, almond, white and black. I have a black one in my kitchen and because I use it so often I upgraded to a commercial unit.
  
• Juicing is a major time saver from meal preparation. You can juice 1 to 2 times daily. Juice a large amount the night before and freeze it for the following day.

Juicing for Health!

Why JUICE raw fruits and vegetables?

• Fresh juice is full of live enzymes and is nutrient rich food – a meal in itself. How can food that is void of live nutrition provide life and health to the body?

• Fresh juice is quickly and easily assimilated by the body. Your body will digest and absorb nutrients that it needs very efficiently as much of the digestion is already done – the juicer will break down and remove much of the bulk (cellulose) that the body must apply its energy resources to.
  

• A great amount of energy used in digesting normal dietary intake is therefore conserved – the liver and digestive tract will be given a much needed rest. This will free up a lot of energy for the body to focus on healing processes – cleansing, breakdown and removal of toxins, improving cellular structure, tissue repair, etc. Do you ever feel sleepy after a big meal? The body used a lot of energy to digest and be able to use the food that you just ate.

• Fresh juice has a tremendous concentration of nutrients – vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, amino acids, glucose, water, etc.

• Fresh juice is a perfect “vitamin” or “mineral” supplement – add 4 ounces of veggie juice to your diet per day… 2 pm is a great time for an afternoon pick-me-up.

70/30 - the healthy new year's resolution for everyone!

The CDC found that the average US resident eats only half the recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake of five or more servings per day. Only 26 percent of US adults eat three or more servings a day. These figures are almost identical to data collected in 2000.

I was a little surprised that in the last decade more people have not stepped up their intake of veggies - I mean with the McDonald's and Wendy's salads and all. To be honest, the only thing that sounds good to me after all the Christmas starches, cooked, prepared and re-nuked foods I had over the last few weeks - is raw fruits and veggies. I am just recovering from a stomach virus - which I have affectionately named, "a forced fast". But what a way to kick off the new year!
I am a big advocate of raw foods (no I don't mean just sushi). Am I a good cook? Not really...and I'm great with that. It is best to eat as much raw and enzyme-alive/active food as possible. A good rule of thumb is to do 70/30. The 70 is for raw fruits, veggies, seeds and nuts. The other 30 -go with lean grilled meats (preferably fish or foul), legumes, steamed veggies etc.
So if you're looking for a positive lifestyle change for today or are one to make those decisions at the top of a year - go 70/30.