How to Harvest Kale

• Kale has become a very popular and easy plant to grow and the dark green leaves are super healthy!
• It goes on and on in the garden with months of eating, but I thought you might like to know how to care for the plant when harvesting the leaves so it just keeps on producing. The white butterfly loves them so I have a  finely wired cage where I grow mine along with my cauliflowers and cabbages, so I don't require any sprays and the leaves don't get chewed by caterpillars ! It works perfectly.
• I love to put 3 or 4 leaves in my smoothie or juice but it also makes a great salad; finely chop or just tear into pieces the leaves, massage in some lemon juice, salt and olive oil & Voila..it's ready and a great accompaniment to any meal ! I sometimes add some nuts, cranberries or sultanas and pomegranate seeds ( they are delish!) but you can add anything really if you so desire, to make it more interesting.
• My real favourite are kale chips; I made a whole batch this week & are they yum oh! Just break or tear the leaves into fairly big pieces & coat with a sauce of your choice.The sauce I poured over was a blend of cashews, sundried tomatoes, lemon juice & zest, maple syrup and a red capsicum, onion & garlic powder, salt all mixed in the food processor to taste; I sometimes add some nutritional yeast which gives it a cheesy flavour. Dehydrate or put in a very very low heat in the oven for a couple of hours on a tray, turn til dry; they won't take long so don't leave them overnight as an example, or they will be ash in the morning !

 “MORE KALE PLEASE”

Here’s Dinosaur Kale – aka Lacinato Kale, and it’s ready for the first picking. It has around 12 mature leaves, and five immature leaves which we won’t pick until the next harvest.

Dino Kale - bend down

First, hold the plant steady and grab the bottom leaf and push down, like in the picture, until the joint between stalk and stem snaps a bit.

Dino Kale - bend right

Next, bend the stem to the right, until it snaps again. You’ll feel it, and probably hear it too. Just bend it, don’t tear – you’ll be able to take it off at this step when you get really good, but not yet – unless you want to hurt the plant.

Dino Kale - bend left

Now bend the leaf to the left, and it should snap again, this time maybe completely off.
You’re trying to separate the leaf from the stalk, right at the joint, without hurting the plant; so you can get around 100+ more leaves off  it.

Dino Kale - bend up

The last step, if the leaf is even still connected, is to bend up, which should break any remaining connection the stem has to the plant. You should see a nice clean break. If all else fails, just cut the stem close to the stalk with scissors.
Then you move on to the next lowest leaf, and then the next one up, and so on, all the way to the top…

Dino Kale - before

Don’t pick the topmost leaves, because they’re the little “solar panels” that are going to drive the plant to grow more leaves for you to harvest… and the cycle continues.

Dino Kale - after

This plant got picked a bit too far, but it’ll live. It still has leaves that’ll grow to maturity and the main bud is still there, so new leaves are being made every second, and you can keep picking for months.
Now you just need to do something with it all. Start with something like a simple kale salad.

IF IT'S WHITE........RARELY BITE!

Vegetables, fruits, legumes, beans, lentils,whole grains..all Healthy Carbs

There are many different types of vegetables and fruits offering a large variety of choice throughout the year. Vegetables come from many different parts of the plant, including the leaves, roots, tubers, flowers, stems, seeds and shoots.

Legumes are the seeds of the plant and are eaten in their immature form as green peas and beans, and the mature form as dried peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas.
Vegetables can be broken up into different groups, with each group providing their own unique nutrients. Fruits offer the same variety and choice, low sugar fruits being the healthiest, limes, lemons, apples, nectarines, peaches, grapefruit, oranges, mandarines etc.

Unhealthy Carbs are usually white- think about sugar, white flour, white bread, pizza, white potato, white root vegetables, cakes, biscuits, pastries etc. Avoiding or at least restricting  these will help with sugar cravings, and diseases like type 2 Diabetes and Obesity

Healthy Carbs are included in fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds; many of these foods of course also contain some protein and in the case of avocados, olives, nuts & seeds, healthy fats

Some examples of favorite high-fiber, lower-sugar carbs are:

Beans (i.e. kidney beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, pinto beans, lentils, etc.)

Most Fruit (apples, oranges, apricots, peaches, pears, kiwi, mango, melon, plums, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries) - While these are a bit higher in sugar, they're very slow absorbing and super high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and other important nutrients...so still a top carb choice.

 All green vegetables

 Oatmeal

 Sprouted grain bread (such as Ezekial Bread)

 Sweet potatoes

 Wild rice, brown rice

Remember, low-sugar and high fiber is the way to go!

Keep it simple so you don't have to think.....is this healthy for me?

The next time you are making carb choices......think....IF IT'S WHITE, RARELY BITE !

Once you go through the withdrawal symptoms, you will discover something amazing...
You will find your body craves the foods containing some healthy carb, your excess body fat will probably reduce and your energy levels will improve.

Emotional Component

Keep in mind that extra weight in all areas of our bodies also carry an emotional component; it's not just about our diet and the foods we choose to eat.

I have been exploring this for myself in recent times and am finding the correlation very insightful, especially around issues of protection and safety and a lack of self love. I have also looked at the locked up Fear and Stress/ Worry component and the role it has played in shaping my body!

Excess weight all over carries an anger and even rage element, suppressed or otherwise, and when it is around the mid section it often involves low self worth as well!

In the chest area it applies more to over nurturing for approval and the suppression of grief.

The thigh area suggests anger in feeling we have to take action

The hips are to do with sexuality issues

Whow, this information is a little gift for you, given by Jesus himself !

And......Yes.... Emotions and the food we eat really do have an impact on our life and health; you may like to explore this for yourself.

Quinoa

                                                                         Description

Because quinoa is typically consumed in the same way as the cereal grasses (wheat, oats, barley, and rye), we group it together with those foods. However, quinoa is not a cereal grass at all, but rather a member of the same food family that contains spinach, Swiss chard, and beets. Many researchers refer to quinoa as a "pseudocereal." This term is typically used to describe foods that are not grasses but can still be easily ground into flour. The scientific name for quinoa is Chenopodium quinoa.
Researchers date the popularity of quinoa to approximately 3000 BC, when its consumption became widespread in the Andes mountains regions of South America. About 250 different varieties of quinoa were already present at that time, giving quinoa a remarkable tolerance for different growing conditions. Quinoa is able to survive high altitudes, thin and cold air, hot sun, salty or sandy soil, little rainfall, and sub-freezing temperatures. In addition, all parts of the plant can be eaten, including not only the seeds that we buy in the Supermarket and that may also have been dried and ground into flour, but also the leaves and stems. Betacyanin pigments presemt in some quinoa leaves give them their bright reddish color, but it's also possible to find orange, pink, purple, tan, and black quinoa as well. Quinoa leaves taste similar in flavor to the leaves of their fellow chenopods, namely, spinach, chard, and beets. Cooked quinoa seeds are fluffy and creamy, yet also slightly crunchy. They may also sometimes have an amazing translucent appearance. The flavor of the cooked seeds is delicate and somewhat nutty.
The word "quinoa" is pronounced "KEEN-wah." It comes from the Spanish word, quinua, which itself comes from the word "kinwa" or "kinua" in the Quechua dialect.

 Peru remains the largest commercial producer of quinoa, harvesting 41,079 metric tons in 2010. Bolivia was the second largest producer with 29,500 metric tons. Together, these two South American countries produced nearly 99% of all commercially grown quinoa in 2010. In terms of export sales, quinoa has risen to the level of an $87 million dollar business in these two countries.

Some commercial quinoa production takes place in the United States, as well as Australia, although total cultivation remains relatively small. The Colorado Rockies have been a place of special interest for quinoa production, and Tasmania in Australia, where climates are of a similiar nature.
Interest in quinoa has recently spread to India (including the North-India Plains and high-altitude areas of the Himalayas), other parts of Asia (including Japan), as well as to Africa and part of Europe. Designation of the year 2013 as "The International Year of the Quinoa" by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) may also trigger greater attention to this food worldwide.

How to Select and Store

Quinoa is generally available  prepackaged  as well as bulk bins in larger health food outlets. Just as with any other food that you may purchase in the bulk section, make sure that the bins containing the quinoa are covered and that the store has a good product turnover so as to ensure its maximal freshness. Whether purchasing quinoa in bulk or in a packet , make sure that there is no evidence of moisture. When deciding upon the amount to purchase, remember that quinoa expands during the cooking process to several times its original size. If you cannot find it in your local supermarket, look for it at natural foods stores, which usually carry it.
The most common type of quinoa you will find in the store has an off-white color but red and black quinoa are becoming more available. You may even be able to find a tri-color mixture sold in packages or bulk bins.
Store quinoa in an airtight container. It will keep for a longer period of time, approximately three to six months, if stored in the refrigerator.

Tips for Preparing Quinoa

Processing methods used in the commercial milling of quinoa usually remove most of the saponins found in the outer coat of the quinoa seeds. Because the quinoa saponins are largely responsible for its bitter taste, many people chose to rinse and rub the seeds after purchase to remove any bitter taste that may remain in the seeds. An effective method to do so is to place the quinoa seeds in a fine-meshed strainer and run cold water over the quinoa while gently rubbing the seeds together in your hands. After completing this process, you can taste a few seeds to determine if a bitter taste remains. If it does, simply continue this rinsing and
rubbing process until you no longer taste a bitter residue.

The Healthiest Way of Cooking Quinoa

To cook the quinoa, add one part of the grain to two parts liquid in a saucepan. After the mixture is brought to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and cover. One cup of quinoa cooked in this method usually takes 15 minutes to prepare. When cooking is complete, you will notice that the grains have become translucent, and the white germ has partially detached itself, appearing like a white-spiraled tail. If you desire the quinoa to have a nuttier flavor, you can dry roast it before cooking; to dry roast, place it in a skillet over medium-low heat and stir constantly for five minutes.
Quinoa is a perfect food to include on a gluten-free diet, since it not only lacks gluten but doesn't even belong to the same plant family as wheat, oats, barley, or rye. Some studies also show quinoa flour to have higher-than-expected digestibility. Both of these factors would be expected to decrease the risk of an adverse reaction to quinoa—especially in comparison to a cereal grass like wheat. While it is possible to make baked goods and pastas out of 100% quinoa flour, most companies combine quinoa flour with other flours (like tapioca flour or rice flour) or with oatmeal to produce a lighter texture. (Products made with 100% quinoa flour typically have a heavy and dense texture, sometimes referred to as "truffle-like.") When combined with rice flour or tapioca flour, however, quinoa-based products definitely qualify as gluten-free and should help reduce risk of adverse reactions.

HOW TO ENJOY

• Quinoa can be sprouted instead of cooked for all Raw Foodies & used in similiar ways to cooking, as follows.
• Combine cooked & chilled or sprouted quinoa with pinto beans, pumpkin seeds, scallions and coriander. Season to taste and enjoy this inspired salad.
• Add nuts and fruit to cooked or sprouted quinoa and serve as breakfast porridge with almond milk .
• For a twist on your favorite pasta recipe, use noodles made from quinoa.
• Sprouted quinoa can be used in salads and sandwiches just like alfalfa sprouts.
• Add quinoa to your favorite vegetable soups.
• Ground quinoa flour can be added to cookie or muffin recipes.
• Quinoa is great to use in tabouli, serving as a delicious (and wheat-free) substitute for the bulgar wheat with which this Middle Eastern dish is usually made

SPROUTING QUINOA

I fell in love with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) the first time I ever tried it in Ecuador. It's a staple food of the Quechua, the indigenous people of the South American Andes. The ancient Incas called quinoa the "mother grain" and revered it as sacred

The first step in preparing raw quinoa sprouts is to rinse the seeds and soak them for at least eight hours. Quinoa's individual seeds are coated with saponin, a natural insect repellent that can give quinoa a bitter taste if it isn't removed by soaking. The seeds should then be drained, rinsed and placed in a jar that is kept in a warm location away from direct sunlight. You will need to drain and re-rinse the quinoa three times daily for three days before the first edible shoots emerge. Use the raw quinoa sprouts on sandwiches or in stir fries and salads. Keep the sprouts in the refrigerator and dispose of them promptly if you notice mold.

These Recipes add great nutrition to any meal, you may like to try one, cooked and raw versions are equally delicious

Toasted Quinoa Salad
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced parsley or coriander
2 sliced green onions
juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime (or 1 - 2 tablespoons of each)
1-1/2 tablespoons tamari
2 cloves minced or pressed garlic
1 teaspoon chili sauce (tobasco) (or use a pinch of cayenne, a few red pepper flakes, etc.)
Rinse quinoa and drain. Put in a pot and dry toast until a few grains begin to pop. Add 1-1/2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool.
(Otherwise you can just sprout the grain which I believe is even more nutritious)
Mix carrot, red pepper, parsley and green onion in large bowl. Add cold quinoa and toss to combine, Whisk together lemon and lime juices, tamari, garlic and chili sauce. Pour over salad and combine well. Chill until serving time.
This recipe can be fun. Try throwing in a few fresh raw peas, some fresh raw corn, fresh sliced raw green beans, etc.


Walnut Rosemary Quinoa
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 small onion
1-1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed in boiling water and drained
1 small red bell pepper, diced
3 cups water
1 tablespoon Tamari  (or to taste)
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 cup fresh or frozen peas, thawed if frozen
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a medium saucepan; add onion and quinoa. Sauté over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Add red bell pepper and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Add water, soy sauce, rosemary and peas (if using fresh peas).
Bring to a boil and cover; simmer 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Meanwhile, roast walnuts in 350 oven for 5 to 10 minutes. When quinoa is cooked, turn off heat and mix in walnuts and frozen peas (if using frozen peas). Let sit an additional 10 minutes and serve.
( this recipe can equally be adapted to be totally Raw by sprouting the quinoa)

The Goodness of Hemp Seed

I recently bought some hemp seed & to my delight find it a most delicious accompaniment to many dishes; I try to incorporate these little gems into various recipes, substituting for other nuts and seeds. Hemp is high in nutrients such as complete protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, is high in omega 3 and 6 in the right ratio, with small amount of GLA the anti- inflammatory omega 6. It is creamy and delicious and provides complete protein. The cost is about the same as almonds and less expensive than truly raw cashews and macadamia nuts.I find that hemp can replace cashews or macadamias in some recipes and sometimes I add half and half nuts and hemp which seems to make the recipe a little lighter. Many find when becoming a vegetarian or vegan, it is very easy to include too many nuts in their diet. I know myself that nuts replaced meat & dairy to a great extent, & from my experience, this can contribute to weight gain when out of balance with fruit & veggies.

Hemp is a beneficial addition in a high raw vegan diet for many reasons.

Hemp protein

Hemp seeds contain the most complete edible and usable protein of any plant or vegetable. Unlike soybeans which contain more protein than hemp, the protein from hemp seeds is much more usable than that found in soybeans.

Hemp hearts – shelled hemp seeds- are an excellent source of complete protein. It supplies enough of each of the 9 essential amino acids to contribute to the human body’s requirements. All its 20 amino acids come in an easily digestible form.

In addition, another one-third of hemp’s protein is albumin, another high quality globulin protein also found in egg whites. Both of these high-quality storage proteins are easily digested.

Hemp is 30% protein. One ounce of hemp hearts provides 10.3 grams of protein while 1 ounce of flax seeds provides 5 grams and 1 ounce pumpkin seeds, 9 grams.

Hemp Fats

Hemp seed oil has on average the highest mono and polyunsaturated fat content of all oils, taken collectively, of 89%. Hemp is one of the rare plant-food containing a balance of alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) omega 3 to alpha-linoleic acid (LA) omega 6.

Minerals

Hemp seeds are a good source of the minerals phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, sodium, manganese, zinc and copper.

In short, hemp has exceptional nutrients found all in one place and can constitute an important element in nutrition. Hemp hearts are a beneficial addition to a plant-strong and high raw diet for a good balance of essential fatty acids, an excellent source of protein and fiber, precious minerals and vitamins.

Eat hemp seeds raw as heat will destroy their delicate oils. They are very versatile and you can use them in a variety of recipes: add them to smoothies, make a hemp milk or hemp cream, sprinkle them over salads, make dressings and sauces and add them to pates.

Strawberries are in Season here in Australia & I made a delicious smoothie for my husband & I for breakfast to-day.
I used 2 cups of almond milk, a handful of strawberries, 1/2 a banana, 1 tablespoon of hemp seed & a handful of spinach all blended with some ice.......Yum, & Oh so Good !

Let's Heal any Emotional Eating Disorders

Emotional Eating is an interesting Topic & one I have looked into in more recent times....this has been a relatively new area of my life worthy of exploration, as I have never really considered, that sometimes, I am an emotional eater........ during  many years of my life I have stuffed down my emotions as a habitual way of coping!  I actually have any number of tools in my coping kit, unhealthy eating or over eating being just two of them. I still experience old habits resurfacing when I am unwilling to "feel my emotions", & in my resistance to "feel" what's going on, can choose food or a hot drink instead! This has become a journey towards, not necessarily a destination, at this point....

This picture doesn't look too apertising but gives us an image we may relate to!

Have you ever felt compelled to keep stuffing yourself to the point of discomfort? Maybe you’ve found yourself reaching for a bag, packet or box of anything sweet when you’re home alone, tired and lonely? Perhaps it’s even healthy foods you’ve overeaten, such as a whole packet  of cashews in one sitting!  If so, you are one of many who have eaten for emotional reasons. I believe it to be the number one sabotaging factor & certainly doesn't support "love of self"! It's one of the habits that prevents our body from achieving its perfect weight.

Emotional eating patterns can wreak havoc on our mental, emotional and physical health if left 
un-addressed;  the massive amount of time and energy it takes up, leaving us much less able to focus on what really matters in our life – our dreams, our passions, our desires, our relationships, our contribution.

Despite what our logic and intelligence tells us to do (i.e. give up the emotional eating), we are unable to stop ourselves from doing it yet again.

Emotional eating can be a very challenging habit to release. In fact, it is typically the single biggest reason that people fail to lose the weight they’d like to. 95-98% of diets fail, and emotional eating is a key contributor to this discouraging statistic.

HERE'S WHY :

* It can be a deeply ingrained behavior in many of us.

* Perhaps we have been doing it for a very long time both consciously and unconsciously, starting in    childhood. Eating patterns are established at such an early age & it is frightening to believe that in many cases, these patterns are still continuing unabated 50+ years later! In my experience, I was rewarded with food for being a "good" little girl & it was used to comfort me in times of distress. My mother had a belief that a "tubby" baby was a healthy one, & that it also reflected "a good mother" at the helm!

* It can suddenly be frightening to consider our life when we don’t numb ourselves with food, even if it is a conscious choice we are making.

* Processed foods and junk foods are highly addictive so even without the emotional component, they can be extremely hard to give up. Look at all the adds on our Television & the Supermarket, the trans fats, salt & sugar components to make processed foods addictive & even the peer pressure ( particularly at school) to eat these foods....did any of you ever swap your apple or healthy lunch for a jam white bread sandwich or a packet of chips? !  My emotional eating habits kicked in when I felt the odd one out, different from,  and the tendency to avoid these feelings became embedded in my DNA, (as I like to think now!)  I knew nothing of what was really happening at this age, the decision to just eat the food that I could swap, was a very attractive alternative to my apple! 

* We are initially floundering at how to start identifying and serving our emotional needs; excessive
     food  intake to satisfy the longing within us to just "feel good" has become a means of coping with life.

* Up to this point we haven’t cemented effective ways of addressing our emotions.

What is needed to break the cycle of emotional eating and its consequences for health & happiness is  a safe space of no judgment, where we can identify our emotions, release our fears and what our real needs are, and then put in place, a toolbox of strategies and methods to satisfy our emotional needs in a way that does not require reaching for a chocolate bar. I have found that it's really just as simple as "Feeling the Feelings" & asking "where do  these unresolved emotions come from, every single time? If we are having difficulty in understanding where these patterns originate from, I personally find praying & asking with a strong desire to know, most helpful. I believe we can all find out, one way or another, if we really want to know.

With consistent application of these tools we can all move from a damaged, painful relationship with food and our body, to a joyful & liberated one.
When any of us have been living in a heavy, toxic body with un-addressed, toxic emotions, achieving freedom and lightness in mind and body, is truly priceless.

1. IDENTIFY WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON

If we eat without being truly hungry, we are emotionally eating. Depression, boredom, loneliness, anger, anxiety, stress, poor self esteem, fear & grief can be just some of the emotions lingering in the background waiting to pop up at any given moment! Over eating to feed a feeling results in eating a large quantity of food in one sitting, usually choosing "comfort" or junk foods. This must be terrible for our body & only temporarily numbs the feeling until the next crisis or trigger hits.

I apologize for the meat component in this Internet Picture, as I know many of you are at least vegetarian if not vegan, but it reminds me of how we can stuff down our emotions in one sitting! Pretty gross to contemplate, but a tool some of us have used for a lifetime in an effort to feel better. Not something to recommend when all we need to do is "feel" the feeling!

Yet most people with this issue don’t stop for long enough to really see what emotion they are actually feeling before they stuff it down with food. I gently suggest we consider training ourselves to stop when we have the urge to overeat and ask...... “am I really hungry?” If the answer is no, ask......“what emotion am I really feeling here?” This alone can bring so much awareness that it can start to make small shifts as we recognize that there is much more going on than just an uncontrollable urge to eat, and that we can not actually meet that emotional need, with food. I found this was not easy to do initially but it becomes much easier with practice & I can only recommend the importance of having a desire to know where these feelings & fears originate from.

2. FIND A SAFE PLACE
To heal our relationship with food it greatly assists us when we safely express ourselves and release the emotion we feel. A safe place will allow us to do this. There can be a lot of shame and embarrassment around overeating & carrying too much weight so a safe space to release these feelings becomes very important, along with a knowledge that there will be no interruptions.

Journaling can work for many where you can write about whatever you are feeling with no talk back, criticism or judgment. This clears confusion, before releasing the feelings for some people . 

Create or find a space where you can go to be quiet, think, rage, shake, cry, laugh, journal, pray, hug yourself or whatever feels helpful to you. Having a space for yourself that you can always go to will give you a sense of comfort, nourishment, and familiarity; a haven as you heal.

3. UNDERSTAND & APPRECIATE WHAT FOOD GIVES US

For many people who suffer from disordered eating patterns, food is the enemy. It is the thing we stuff ourselves with, or even starve ourselves from, and can consequently  make us sick by living these patterns. It is the thing that traps us into eating copious quantities until we feel heavy, tired, & unwell  & our uncomfortable emotions are killed off & replaced with an uncomfortable body! Others may want to punish themselves by starving the body of food, this is the other extreme. It is these habits that add undesirable weight one way or take it off,the other, causing an unhealthy body image; this contributes to us despising, even hating our bodies, further adding to the emotional components. Food is what some of us decide to avoid at all costs to stay painfully thin because that’s what we see as beautiful & worthy of admiration or our way of maintaining a sense of control in our life.......others just give up, feeling helpless, powerless , angry & judgmental of our weakness around choosing unhealthy foods, but never truly addressing the reasons why our bodies are carrying excess weight.

Nourishing ourselves with high quality whole foods that are not filled with chemicals, refined sugar, salts and unhealthy fats, and learning how they act in our body to produce health and energy, can change our view of food as the enemy. Respect builds for the role whole living foods play in us living a healthy life and in turn  respect for what these foods do for our body, grows. Health is definitely...Wealth. We are the Greatest of God's Creation but are we treating ourselves as such........Sadly, I certainly haven't, for most of my life but I have also now recognized that it is never too late to start!

4. UNLEASH OUR CREATIVITY & DO SOMETHING WE LOVE EVERY DAY

We have endless creativity and passion within us, although it may be suppressed right now. When we don’t allow ourselves to authentically express, create and be, we end up suppressing our Soul. Suppression leads to out of control binges on food or avoidance of eating a sustained diet, as a temporary way to numb those unhealed emotions. Finding a way to build in some time every day to do something we love, gives us a creative outlet for self expression, and that allows us to be exactly who we are, without the facade of wanting others to believe we have everything in our life, under control!  When I am honoring my needs and desires by actually acting on them every day, when I am humble & am willing to feel every emotion, I know for sure that I am far less likely to look for the answer in a piece of cake. I am beginning to understand that self-satisfaction and happiness comes with nourishing & loving our whole being – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually  – consistently. 

It’s not just recipes and menu plans we need to succeed, but a total change of mindset, strategies to overcome emotional eating, consistent and long term accountability of our choices & a willingness to ask "why", when our choices are out of harmony with God's Laws for a healthy body.

Without the drain of emotional eating, think about how much time will be freed up to focus on what is really important in life! It's an exciting prospect & I believe from my own ongoing experience, completely achievable.

Natural Food Colorings

Birthday Parties are such fun for children but I have rarely met a Mum who isn't concerned about all the

Chemical Food Colourings, Sugar & Junk Food that their "Little One" may consume in one or two hours 

of  partying with friends!
 Here is a recipe for Mums & Grannies out there; it's a simple vegan sponge cake (without dairy, wheat or eggs) that can
 be cut into shapes to make your child's Birthday Cake design. It is obviously not Raw,
but some of you may prefer to go for a cooked version sometimes.The frosting can be naturally coloured,
I have given you some ideas under the picture. Raw chocolates,Chocolate Nibs & raw cookies add
to any design, I also think fresh raspberries, strawberries, blueberries etc could fill the carriages below!      

• 500ml almond milk (unsweetened)
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• 360g buckwheat flour
• 50g cornflour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 450g caster sugar or sweetener of choice
• 160ml olive oil
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• Mix as any other cake & cook until firm to touch

 Internet picture depicts the usual type of coloured Birthday Cake decorated with sweets & biscuits                                                                                                                                              biscuits!

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
•  

• Raspberries for pale pink - gently cook fresh or frozen raspberries for a few minutes, juice through a sieve. Add 1/2 tsp at a time to icing and mix well.          
• Dark Pink/ Red from beetroot - add juice from cooked beetroots to icing 1/2 tsp at a time and mix well. 
• Purple from beetroot and bicarb soda - add juice from cooked beetroots to icing 1/2 tsp at a time and mix well. Add a small pinch of bicarb soda at a time to make more purple. The bicarb tends to keep reacting over time so leave for a few minutes before adding more.
• Dark Pink again, this time from blackberries - gently cook fresh or frozen blackberries for a few minutes then juice through a sieve. Add 1/2 tsp at a time to any frosting 
• Orange from carrots – add juice from cooked carrots to icing 1/2 tsp at a time and mix well 
• Green from spirulina – add spirulina powder to icing 1/2 tsp at a time and mix well (Spirulina is a green, leafy superfood. Spirulina powder available from health food stores)
• Green  Spinach, is possibly easier than using spirulina.. It’s super saturated and totally flavorless, making it the perfect addition to any green frosting or even green cake! If you have a high-speed blender, you can whip whole spinach leaves right into your frosting. If you’re coloring a cake, & you don’t have a high-speed blender, you’ll want to use juice.  Another grassy-hued option is liquid chlorophyl, which aside from being a healthy supplement, will impart an awesome emerald tint to your food. You can grab it at any health food store.
• Blue from blueberries – gently cook fresh or frozen blueberries for a few minutes then juice through a sieve. Add 1/2 tsp at a time to icing and mix well. Add a small pinch of bicarb soda at a time to change the purple colour to blue. The bicarb tends to keep reacting over time so leave for a few minutes before adding more
• Yellow  Look no further than your spice rack for all your golden, citrine, and sunshine-y needs. Saffron or turmeric powder have both got you covered, but be careful! These spices are extra strong. A little goes a long way, so start veeeerry small and test as you go. A great technique is to replace liquid in the recipe (either baking or frosting) with spice-infused water. Add tumeric powder to icing 1/4 tsp at a time and mix well
• Another way to achieve Red or Pink   For a treat, try an orange flavoured cake with a pomegranate glaze. Use the berries from the pomegranate, just mash them or blend them, then strain the liquid through mesh to remove the seeds. Yum!
• Purple  Instead of using beets here is an alternative method of creating Purple Try boiling red cabbage until you get a dark, concentrated broth. Lots of pretty purple color can be achieved without much change in flavour using the broth to replace other fluid.

Are you being Tested ?

I love this picture, found on the Internet, this beautiful produce looks good enough to eat, doesn't it!

Since I have started addressing my food choices I have met with a lot of resistance, confusion & even criticism,  in restaurants, with friends who knew the old me & especially when socializing or sharing a meal with some family members! Becoming a vegetarian was "big" for them to relate to as they are all avid meat eaters, but moving on to a Vegan lifestyle, has thrown them a "spinner" from left field..."what on earth can I feed you" is the common cry! Funny how it affects others but also my own behavior; when we have different view points or choose to be different, it can really set a cat among the pigeons. I have found the temptation to step into line & not cause waves, can be overwhelming, I even find my addiction to please others so great that I sometimes find myself taking my own meal or taking a plate of something I can share & at least eat, if there is nothing vegan prepared by the hostess!....how ridiculous is that? Emotions bubble to the surface like an effervescent mirage of  " I don't want to cause anyone extra trouble in making something special, feelings of embarrassment or feelings of being so different from the rest of the gathering...an alien in the midst of so called friends or aquaintances"...the list of emotions that come up is actually longer, but I won't bore you with them all!
 We’re tested everyday, no matter who we are and what we do. This applies to our values, our philosophy on life, what we believe is ethical & moral, what we stand up for, our Spiritual beliefs....it doesn't mean we have to preach to others or try & convince them of our ways, but we can be the example & be willing to share our beliefs with others, if we are asked.  We’re tested by the Universe, our Law of Attraction, to see if we’re ready for the next phase, we’re tested by potential and current friends & acquaintances, even our partners, to see if we are living what we speak about!  And Yes..., we even test others in this way too —  I know I have been known to do so!

When you make the change to a different lifestyle, you are setting an example, so you will be tested to see if you walk your talk. Yes, we may know that everyone would benefit from knowing some "Truth".....perhaps including at least a little more raw food in our diet in this case, or on a spiritual note, knowing about " Divine Truth" (www.divinetruth.com ) & receiving more of God's Divine Love which supports us in really knowing ourselves & assists towards improving our Soul Condition".  Many people who might hear you talk about these things become interested on some level. That’s why it may cause initial interest, but people want to see that you believe in it first;  they may observe you from afar to see if it is working for you, often before they check it out through researching it for themselves, or before they take it on board properly.

They want to see it’s not a fad, that it’s not just another phase you’re going through! Certainly in my life I have gone through many of these phases so I can't really blame those who know me, of being a little skeptical!  I would like to think that healthy eating & desiring to receive more & more of God's Divine Love isn’t a phase for me personally, ( even though I still fall over at times) & that it has become part of who I am & who I desire to be. It’s not something you can unlearn when you know about it, even more so, when you have actually experienced it — you can’t forget the energy, how much better you feel, how much more inspired, passionate about life & how more connected to God and more loving you feel. This becomes part of who you are, it can be with you for life.

So when you walk your talk, when you’re non judgmental of other's choices (or of yourself if you eat that processed sugary snack in a weak moment!) , and when you follow a path that people may not see the truth in (yet), you give them a gift. You give them the gift of example, and you make it easier for them to see the doorway, ultimately leaving it for them to decide whether they want to go through it or not; if someones not yet ready to change or include something new in their life, then it is unloving to be pestering them or seeing them as "your project" to change them, placing them on your "hit" list!! Only joking, but I'm sure you know what I mean; we have all probably been a little over zealous when we discover something amazing on more than one occasion, & been inclined to drive those around us mad wanting them to look at the information or even change their current beliefs! 

You’re a pioneer, you are maybe in the top 10% of the population  because you dare to be different. (just an estimate!) You have dared to ask questions of your own, you have experimented for yourself and you have decided what is best for you. How awesome is that?