Back from the Santa Barbara Wineries

Went to Santa Barbara last weekend with some girlfriends. It was great fun. I had never been on Highway 154 before. What beautiful vistas. First stop Kalyra winery. It was an Australian winery with no memorable wines but I was introuced to the wine tasting ritual which I thouroughly enjoyed. Next stop Sunstone Vineyards - DELICIOUS - ORGANIC WINES.

Love This Vegan Blog

This blog has great recipes. In particular, one that I cannot wait to try - a Mushroom Stroganoff with Seitan

http://www.theppk.com/recipes/

Thanksgiving

Every Thanksgiving, I struggle with what to prepare. In the past I have accommodated meat eating relatives with a seafood dish or something or other that would make them feel comfortable and that I could tolerate. If it didn’t have feet, I would often allow it on the dinner table. But this year I decided to honor my veggie position and have a meal with no animal products and it was the BEST holiday meal that I have ever prepared in my home.

The menu was as follows:

Peppered Seitan with mushroom shallot gravy
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Winter Squash with carmelized red onions
Whole Wheat Biscuits
Vegan Pumkin pie with soy ice cream

On Shelves Now!

You can now buy Momma Organic Raw Key Lime Cheesecake and Raw Macaroons at One Life on Main Street in Santa Monica and beginning June 4 at the Co-Op on Broadway in Santa Monica. I'll be doing a demo there from 11 - 3 on teh 4th so please come by for a taste. The desserts are delicious, healthy and consist of the highest quality ingredients. ALL RAW, ALL ORGANIC http://www.mommaorganic.com/

Spring Cleaning

Now that spring is on its way, this is a perfect time to gear up to detoxify your body and get your brain and body in optimal condition.

Taking time to detox can help remove not only old blood sludge, toxins, intestinal mucoid plaque, but buried emotions and anger as well. Whether you are eating a very clean, nutritious diet or you wish you were eating better, here are some tips that will help you get cleaner.

1. Start by choosing 3 days in your schedule and plan to:
Eat a simple raw food diet with smoothies, green juices, light salads, nut free dressings, spiralized salads, blended soups and fruit sorbets.

2. Eliminate all animal products including dairy and eggs, all grains, nuts and seeds (or use very little seeds) and any sugar including sweet foods such as dates, maple syrup and go easy on the agave nectar. Use stevia to sweeten beverages.

3. Drink 16 oz. of lemon water every morning (warm or room temperature) and drink at least 5 more 16 oz. bottles of water or liquid each day. The water will help to flush toxins and excess salt from your body.

4. Dry Skin Brush Daily http://www.womenfitness.net/beauty/skin/skin_brushing_for_detox.htm

After 3 days, you may notice you have more energy, feel happier and more grounded, and maybe you've even dropped 5 lbs. If you like the way you feel, stay on the detox diet for 14 - 21 days altogether and do as many blended meals as possible.

Even if you decide or just happen to go back to your normal way of eating, you can stay feeling good by eating a raw breakfast and lunch and having your cooked foods for dinner. If you refrain from eating anything after 7pm you will wake up with more energy and a clearer head. Abate hunger in the evening by drinking herbal teas sweetened with stevia or mineral water with lemon and stevia.

For those who already eat a high raw diet, eliminate all salt, sweets and nuts for 14 days and begin dry skin brushing every morning. As a result, you will experience a higher level of health and vitality.

Smoothies: A Great Way to Begin the Day!

This is a wonderful way to begin the day without the heaviness of breads or cereals. There are so many variations that you can easily make a different smoothie each day. This is a favorite with my children and it's so... good for them.

Mango Pineapple Smoothie

3 Cups Nut Milk (*homemade or store bought) or Rice Milk
2 Cups Frozen Pineapple
1 Cup Frozen Mango
1 Banana
2 Tsp Vanilla
3 Tbs Agave or other Natural Sweetner

Variations -
Add different fruit or a sprinkle of Hemp Seeds or Flax Seeds (high in Omega 3's) and/ or 1 Tbs of Coconut Butter, Green Powder/Spirulina to get the most out this breakfast drink.

To make fresh nut milk. Soak 1 cup almonds overnight in filtered water. Drain the water from the nuts the following morning. Place nuts in a blender with 3 cups filtered water and blend. Strain the milk through a collander or nut milk bag.

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?

It is admitedly challenging to know what to do when it comes to our children and vaccinations, but isn't it equally difficult to know what NOT to do? Currently it seems that more people than ever are open to having a conversation about immunization rather than simply accepting what the medical industry recommends as true.

Below is information from Dr. Mercola's newsletter/website about the subject. I absloutely love his newsletter. It is definately worth subscribing to even if you are not in agreement with all that he advocates. He is a great resource for healthy living.

He has this to say about the subject :

I realize that the issue of vaccination is quite controversial and is one of the bedrocks of "prevention" in conventional medicine. Anyone who opposes them is viewed as a dangerous lunatic. This is exactly the view I had when I graduated medical school. However, after 20 years of practice and encountering hundreds of vaccine casualties in my practice, and carefully reviewing the evidence, I came to a different conclusion. I strongly encourage you to review the evidence before you expose your own children to these potentially dangerous injections. I am convinced that their questionable benefits are far outweighed by their side effects.

Avoiding vaccinations for your children tends to look like the better choice the more you know about the subject. Vaccines given to newborns contain an array of potentially toxic chemicals including formaldehyde, the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal, aluminum phosphate (toxic and carcinogenic), antibiotics, phenols (corrosive to skin and toxic), live viruses and various other components.

Before you decide to vaccinate your children, do them a favor and look into the many risks and side effects associated with common childhood vaccines. Doing so could literally mean the difference between life and death. There are alternate and vastly safer methods of protecting yourself against disease that all begin with a truly healthy diet, as outlined in my eating plan; of course, drug manufacturers and the government they have purchased don't want you to believe that the foods you consume and the habits you adopt are the primary solution to establishing immunity to diseases and living longer. They want you to believe that their pharmaceuticals, including vaccines, are essential to your existence, and your children's.

Please educate yourself about the subject. Your child is worth it!