eco-lovely

Get those moon stones out....full moon is June 15th!

It is said if you give your lover a moonstone necklace when the moon is full you will always have passion with each other. Moonstone is a highly valued gemstone for these reasons:

• Brings good fortune
• Assists in foretelling the future
• Enhances intuition
• Promotes inspiration
• Brings success in love as well as business matters
• Offers protection on land and at sea

 

The moonstone is associated with the moon and was the stone of the goddess Diana. The most powerful time to use the moonstone is in a full moon.

It has been worn as an amulet to bring good emotions to the wearer, while protecting those of a sensitive nature. It can reunite lovers who have quarreled. Moonstone is also considered a good luck stone.

Moonstone is a very personal stone. It is a reflection of the person who owns it. It does not add or detract, only shows how it is. This is why the moonstone is said to perceive that which "is". Moonstone is an excellent stone to use in meditation to understand oneself. Placing it in the moonlight of a moon reaching its fullness, not a full or waning moon, can revitalize it. This is a particularly good gemstone for women. It is a good stone for young women or teenagers.

Healing properties of Moonstone

Moonstone is used by healers to stimulate the functioning of the pineal gland and balance internal hormone cycles with nature's rhythms. Moonstone is a stone of inner growth and strength. Though often considered to be a woman's stone, it can be beneficial to men in opening the emotional self. 

 

Mila- Chia Seeds!

The most amazing Raw whole food on the planet!

Raw until dinner with Natalia Rose

After a wild weekend in Austin Texas with my very best friend from Cali, I ventured into a new way of eating. My friend recommended a book called The Raw Food Detox by Natalia Rose. I went on Amazon and purchased that one as well as Detox 4 women. She talks about different levels of the raw diet, and how you should go slow at first. 

I implemented the "Green Lemonade" and fruit only all morning. Except I still had a cup of coffee.  I then had a BIG salad for lunch with either avocado or goat cheese. Then I would have a Lara Bar, because I was definitely feeling crazed without any protein.  Or I would have some celery with Raw Almond butter. Then for dinner another big raw veggie salad and fish with steamed veggies, a slice of sprouted bread with a little butter. For desert a few squares of Green & Blacks 70% cocoa/chocolate . Very satisfying....very filling.

The trick is to eat the raw salad for lunch and dinner before anything else. It fills you up and you do not need to over eat the things that proceed. That alone has helped immensely.I made pasta the other night and after my big salad I only needed a small helping of the pasta. I felt satisfied because I didn't want to eat more pasta. Before, I would have tried to eat a small helping and would most likely go in for seconds. But it's totally different when you feel satisfied and don't want it. Something about "dieting" and feeling deprived. It's so painful.

She also goes into food combining and digestive info on improperly combined foods. It's no wonder there are so many products for digestive health on the  market.

It is basically broken down into two groups: Fast exit foods and slow exit foods. Slow exit foods take a long time to digest. They sit in your intestines and body so long they begin to ferment. I think of the term "stick to your ribs" when I think of this type of meal. These foods are obvious. Meat, white flour anything, processed food...

Fast exit food is the quickest food to digest; veggies, fruit etc... This is the best way to eat for good health for so many reasons. Slow exit foods cause weight gain as well. Fast exit cleans all the gunk out. The quicker it exits the less accumulates as fat.

I also came across a very interesting movie called "Raw for thirty days".It is a documentary about a group of people with Diabetes who go on a retreat and go raw for thirty days. I have not seen it yet but the trailer is intriguing.

For me, it's not that I want to go totally raw. But I have really improved my diet by adding all these wonderful raw foods. I have always strived to incorporate "live foods" in our diet. Now it has increased immensely and I do not crave the bad foods I used to. I always considered myself an accidental vegetarian. So it seems this is the next obvious step on my path.

Bottom line, if you could add two raw salads as the first course of lunch and dinner, drank fresh green juice each morning, at the very least never eat fruit after any meal and always wait 30 minutes after eating fruit to eat anything else, omit pasteurized dairy products and all white flour & sugar, and all processed foods. We'll be good to go! Sounds easy right?

I highly recommend her books! Very informative and great for the beginner raw foodist!

 

Raw honey is like manna from heaven...

Well, it's that time of year. Time to brew some tea. I drink so much tea when the chill sets in. Specially Chai- it's my numero uno. I am on the hunt for the perfect Chai Tea. So far, the Black Chai from Yogi teas is my favorite. I did smell some at the Green festival that seemed to be right up my taste bud's alley. I need to find out that company's name and order some. Any Chai faves out there? Let me know!

When I think of the perfect cup of Chai, I think of the sweetness of honey. Some people say raw honey is more potent than processed. In my experience, I find raw to be less sweet. And I find that the processed is sweeter, but not in a good way. It has added sugar.

My only gripe is that raw honey is so pricey. I am on a quest to find a local bee keeper. The prices are more reasonable. I will keep you posted. Until then I will continue to pay the premium for my golden manna.

There are so many health benefits to honey; it truly is nature’s super food. You might be surprised to learn that it is a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant. In terms of antioxidants, darker is better when it comes to honey. Processed honey is heated and filtered, robbing it of natural nutrients and enzymes. I wonder if your body even knows the difference between that and corn syrup? Yes, these are the things that keep me awake at night.

Honey is a powerful booster to the immune system. Raw honey contains 27 minerals, 22 amino acids and 5,000 live enzymes. It keeps you healthy by fighting disease and boosting the digestive system. One daily spoonful in your tea or spread on your toast is all that is needed to reap these benefits. I am always happy to add another weapon in my arsenal during flu season. Especially this year!

There are very few foods in the world that can rival honey as an all natural health aid. It is antibacterial, antiviral and will keep your immune system strong. Used on cuts and burns it will promote healing and deter scarring. Honey is also an age old beauty product that will keep you looking young and beautiful. It never expires and can be found in every grocery store.

Here are a few home remedies with honey:

2 tsp. honey with carrot juice regularly to improve eyesight and helpful for people working on computers for long hours

for colds, coughs & congestion mix 2 tsp. honey with equal ginger juice.

a mix of black pepper powder, honey, ginger equal parts, when consumed thrice daily helps relieve asthma.

regular use of one tsp. garlic juice w/ 2 tsp. honey to control blood pressure.

warm water with lemon & honey in the A.M. reduces fat and purifies blood

consume one spoon of honey daily to lead a long, healthy life!

The best Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread recipe EVER!

  I searched far & wide for a healthy version of Raisin Cinnamon Bread. I love it! We can't stop eating it. First warm from the oven all by itself, the next day as french toast, and today as toast w/butter. YUM! I am carbo-charged! But it is getting chilly here in the metropolitan DC area. Brrr...time to fatten up and hibernate. Just makes me wanna bake!   

As I rummaged through the world-wide web I came across this very special recipe from Peanut Butter & Julie. Check it out! But it's not for the faint at heart! It takes a good two days, but it is worth it.  And baking has the ability to slow you down and force you to relax. Which is good... Slowing down is a good thing, a very good thing! Rushing through our food preparation has really done a number on us health wise. It is time to slow it down and think about how they got that food product into that neat little package. With it's list of 200 ingredients and it's speedy prep time? Our ultra busy lives and incessant need to do too much-in no time flat, just may be shortening our lives. Then how will you enjoy the fruits of your labor? Let's all just slow down and make quality not quantity the focal point. 

Gluten-free experiment

 

I have had digestive issues for a while now. It's hard to say what tips it off. I have been curious about wheat. All the hoopla about "Gluten-free".  And Wholefoods charging astronomical prices for gluten free products. I guess the worst case scenario is Celiac disease. This is when any amount of wheat in any form can make you very sick, and your body is not able to absorb the nutrients of the food you eat. You then become malnourished etc.... I know I do not have anything serious like that. But I do suspect I have a mild problem with wheat. Ever since white bread became the devil... As long as it's wheat or whole grain it's okay. It's good for you even. Do you remember Wonder bread toasted. So good...like manna from heaven.  But anyway, we have replaced all of our baked goods with Wheat. Wheat also hides in alot of processed foods with inconspicuous names. Check out this link. So, it figures wheat would be a culprit. Too much of anything is just no good.

So, I went to the library and checked out The Wheat-Free Cook, Gluten-Free recipes for everyone. It is pretty straight forward. Replace your pasta with Rice pasta or one of the many wheat-free pasta's on the market. This is easier said then done. Being an Italian from New Jersey, it was like a dagger to my heart when I made the switch to wheat. But here I go again in the name of healthy digestion. Thank god I love Quinoa. But cous cous, no go.

Then flours. We make waffles and pancakes on occasion. Healthy bars of muffins for on the go. The kids accept this as a snack for now! I use alot of buckwheat and despite the name it is gluten-free. I have dabbled in coconut flour. I just added Brown rice flour to my repertoire.

Thankfully we don't really eat processed foods. Except for Annies mac & cheese. It is my husbands meal of choice for my late night at work. Choose your battles I suppose! I spend a lot of time in the kitchen slaving away. Seriously! Everything fresh and from scratch. There's always something soaking over here, fermenting over there... My kitchen would seem like a science experiment to the common person.  But, it's exhausting, expensive and very time consuming. And wildly exciting! I must have missed my calling somewhere down the line.  But once your aware...you can't go backwards!  I do truly love to create in the kitchen, but throw two kids in the mix and it can be a challenge. But I have to say,  it makes my heart sing when my kid is sitting in a sea of juice box junkies and she is drinking Kombucha! My kids are great eaters and will someday appreciate all the slavin' I do. It is truly a labor of love.

So, about my recipe. Today I baked a Walnut-Olive Oil sponge cake with brown rice flour & corn starch. believe me, it tasted a lot better then it sounds. It was delicious! But remember...wheat- free does not mean fat-free.  So, we promptly delivered the remaining half of the cake to my husband's Aunt & Uncle next door. Uncle Jon has a wheat allergy. Hope they enjoyed eating it as much as I enjoyed baking it.

Soup on the fly...Miso genius!

 OMG...I love to take left over ingredients and make a culinary masterpiece. I also like to get more bang for my buck in today's economy. I had some shredded zucchini left from a zucchini bread I baked yesterday, some  homemade cream of Asparagus soup, fresh organic red miso, and some chicken broth with fresh herbs from the garden still simmering on low since last night with the remains of our whole roasted chicken from last nights feast.

It was lunch time and the baby was still napping. I just did a yoga session and was starving! I opened the fridge and my creative juices were flowing thanks to Ana Brett and another one of her fabulous Kundalini DVD's.

I strained 3/4 of a cup of the chicken broth, added 1 Tlbs. of Miso. The kind you have to refrigerate, not the powdered stuff. You can find it in most health conscious grocery stores. 3/4 cup of Asparagus soup. Voila!

It was so tasty! And oh so healthy!

Here are the health benifits. I found this great website. Check it out for more info on Miso.

Miso Benefits from www.bodyecology.com

Many studies have been done on miso, some on humans and some on animals. These studies are showing the following benefits of miso:

• Reduces risks of cancer including breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer.
  
• Protection from radiation
  
• Immune strengthening
  
• Antiviral -- miso is very alkalizing and strengthening to the immune system helping to combat a viral infection.
  
• Prevents aging - high in antioxidants, miso protects from free radicals that cause signs of aging.
  
• Helps maintain nutritional balance - full of nutrients, beneficial bacteria and enzymes, miso provides: protein, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, vitamin E, vitamin K, tryptophan, choline, dietary fiber, linoleic acid and lecithin.
  
• Helps preserve beautiful skin - miso contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that helps your skin stay soft and free of pigments.
  
• Helps reduce menopausal complaints - the isoflavones in miso have been shown to reduce hot flashes.

Have a beautiful day!