RAW Living and Learning

Unlike those who start "celebrating" Christmas on November 1st by stringing up all those lights around town, our Christmas begins on the Vigil of December 25th. And the party keeps on going. We get to celebrate into February if we wish with our trees, lights and nativity. I'm sure the neighbors wonder why but who cares, we wonder why they start so early so I guess it balances out.  Check out this wonderful explanation, I couldn't have said it any better myself so I am going to quote her . It is probably the least complicated explanation I have ever read and THAT is exactly why I love it!! Simple is best! She says its complicated but I dare to disagree and am grateful that I found her post. Read what Lacy has to say: "It’s a little complicated, but here we go: The Christmas Season begins on the first Christmas Vigil Mass, usually the evening of Christmas Eve. The Roman Catholic church returns to green vestments (Ordinary time) the day after the f...

Christmas is almost here and our children are getting very excited, as you can imagine. Today we finish our decorating by stringing the lights on our tree, arranging all of the ornaments, and decorating the outside of the house and the yard. We wait until Christmas Eve at our house to light everything up. It makes the anticipation of Christmas more exciting for the children and really makes THE day even more special. I have been playing around with my raw applesauce recipes and ended up making 3 versions of the one sauce. The first one couldn't be any easier; it is simply organic Gala apples that I blended up in the food processor. To that sauce I added some fresh cranberries and a few dates to add some extra sweetness. The third version was a combination of the first two that I smothered in cinnamon--yum--and added some fresh organic raspberries in the middle. Sooo good, and yes, I ate the entire bowl! +JMJ+ Today I am grateful for the fact that our shopping is all done...

Over loaded Blender!   I have a problem of over loading my blender when making green smoothies for the family. My Blendtec blender actually flashes a warning memo to me when I do this...you'd think I'd learn. I load it this full, pulse it a few times and then add in the rest of the greens. That usually works.   Our kiddos are quite accustomed to their green smoothies but if you are slowly easing into green smoothies there is a method that proves successful. Start out with your ratio of fruit to greens high. Use more fruit than greens and slowly creep the ratio of greens up. This way your tastes will change slowly and you will succeed at consuming larger quantities of greens. If you jump right in using too many greens you set yourself up for failure. A good example is this recipe I am going to share. It has 4 cups of fresh dandelion greens in it; that's a lot of greens. When I first started making the children green smoothies over 3 years ago I started with maybe...

Rip Esselstyn Rip, son of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, was a firefighter in the Austin fire department when he discovered dangerously high cholesterol levels of his firefighter comrades. He led a station revolution of dietary change and markedly better health, which he detailed in his bestselling book, The Engine 2 Diet . Visit Engine2Diet.com for updates from Rip. I know I have posted a few times my tips for traveling while eating a raw, living foods diet. Well, when we travel all 7 of us go and our daughter who is vegan, and two of the boys who eat loads of veggies, have used most of Rip's tips while traveling and eating out. Our daughter eats a vegan diet that combines raw and cooked foods and all of these tips have worked for her.With Christmas and New Years coming I am sure many people will be traveling.Read the article below and hopefully you can learn something new that will help your family on their next trip.  (Note: I personally do not ...

Here is a cute movie exposing the dangers of processed sugar in the form of soda. Take a look: http://www.therealbears.org/#video These facts are taken directly from TheRealBears.org site. It is amazing the dumb things people will say, but you have to remember it is all about the $$$ for these liars.   "The Truth Soda Facts 101" " Research has proven a direct relationship between consumption of sugary drinks and an increase in obesity, which promotes diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and many other health problems. Now you know the plight of The Real Bears. Real human families should also know about the risks of drinking too much soda. Here are the unhappy facts. Lie "There is no scientific evidence that connects sugary beverages to obesity." - Katie Bayne, Coca-Cola President of Sparkling Beverages, North America   Truth: Each additional sugary drink consumed per day increases the likelihood of a child becoming obese by about 60%. S...

  WEGO Health Network did  their own Health Blogger version all month long and I was happy be part it. "As part of our ongoing mission to empower Health Activists, educate, and raise awareness, WEGO Health will be recognizing health bloggers during the month of November. You may have heard about National Blog Posting Month or NaBloPoMo, a month dedicated to the art of blogging, taking it to a new level by pushing all participants to blog every single day of the month."  I must admit I was a little bit concerned about posting every single day for 30 days straight..too much pressure..but it turned out to be fine. My saving grace was the two break days we were given. I am happy to return to my schedule of posting--whenever I want to. Unfortunately I wasn't able to share a recipe every single day because I ran out of storage space for photos and need to figure that one out. Arrrghhh. +JMJ+ Today I am grateful for a perfect 811 day :) plus a great wor...

My mind is already racing just thinking about what I will prepare this year. Having to prepare food  for vegan, gluten free, carnivores and a raw foodie (me) can be quite the task. I have to find the perfect marriage of combinations to please everyone and it can be tough! But, to prepare myself mentally I need to think clearly and that means simplicity. For me simplicity will take the form of a "vacation" from preparing my foods as I visit Banana Island for a few days. Here is what the menu for me on Banana Island looks like: Eat Them When They Look Like This! Breakfast 10 banana smoothie Lunch 8 bananas cut up, smothered in banana milk (2 bananas blended) Dinner 5 bananas eaten the old fashion way--peel, bite, chew! See the pattern here? It is simply mono meals all day long of JUST bananas. Simplicity, clarity, healing. Now its time to focus on the meal plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas. That involves searching all of my GF, DF, v...

I consider eating the Standard American Diet a "condition". Why? Because so many illnesses stem from it. I am talking about those who consume the SAD diet 100% of the time. Rarely eating any fresh, raw, fruits or vegetables, but consuming only cooked, toxic foods like animal products , white sugar, and processed packaged foods. Not to mention frequenting fast food restaurants several times a week. You know who I'm talking about. Well take a look at this list of the top food additives to avoid and it will pretty much eliminate this "condition" because their won't be anything left for you to eat except for whole, fresh, unprocessed foods--the way we were created to eat. How can it even be legal for these things to be added to our food???? And if you have the time look into the film FOODMATTERS , it will change your perspective on what you choose to put into your body. They have slashed their products by 50% for a limited time...check it out your health depen...

Honeybees are the latest weapon in the War on Cancer. By Dr. Mercola Propolis, the "caulk" honeybees use to patch holes in their hives, has been used as a natural remedy since ancient times, treating ills ranging from sore throats and burns to allergies. New research has revealed another exciting use for this seemingly miraculous substance, this time in the fight against cancer. Propolis Slows Tumor Growth Propolis has a number of well-known therapeutic properties, including potent antioxidant and anti-microbial action, and healing, analgesic, anesthetic, and anti-inflammatory properties. In the hive, bees use it as a disinfectant against bacteria and viruses, helping to seal cracks and "embalm" invaders that are too large to carry out. It's been used for thousands of years in folk medicine, but despite its plethora of active components, research on this compound, and therefore its modern medical uses, is limited. Researchers from the University of ...

I am going to share Sayer Ji's "poster" today.... Do some research on vaccines before you consent to them for yourself or your precious children. Wish I would of known then what I know now! That sounds like a song lyric. Click on the link below to begin your own research through the medical studies. Food For Thought Greenmedinfo.com provides the public with an alternative medical and toxicological resource for ascertaining the true risks and/or unintended consequences of conventional medical interventions such as vaccinations. The research below represents under-reported, minimized and otherwise overlooked peer-reviewed data on adverse effects associated with vaccination. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/guide/health-guide-vaccine-research +JMJ+ Today I am grateful that I stopped vaccinating.

Because of having to travel for 12 hours straight, I will take today as my second break day from  blogging. +JMJ+Today I am grateful for the glorious 5 days with my family enjoying our favorite mountain hideaway spot.

"If I had more than 24 hours in a day…" Very simple, I would sleep more. I feel like I never have enough time in the day to do things, at a leisurely rate, this extra time would allow that and then I would still have time to get my 8 hours of sleep at night! +JMJ+Today I am thankful for the sun peeking up above the Blue Ridge Mountains each morning--my peaceful wake up call.

My doctor taught me just how ignorant he was when it comes to health and its relationship to nutrition and lifestyle choices. I have heard that MD's only have about 2 weeks worth of nutrition classes/instruction and it was proven to me by his ignorance/denial of the facts. "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food", as Hippocrates so wisely said many moons ago. Chemicals with every bite...unless you choose organic! Think I'm wrong, guess again. Educate yourself and KNOW where your food is coming from, that is if you care about your health. +JMJ+ Today I am grateful for eyes wide open. Fresh The Movie "This film is a must-watch! It will help you understand where your food comes from, the dangers of conventional agriculture and shows you how to choose local, healthy and sustainable options." - James Colquhoun. Producer, 'Food Matters' and 'Hungry For Change' In Fresh You'll Discover How to eat healthy on a budg...

Happy Thanksgiving! Giving thanks today and everyday, for ....... my loving Father in Heaven my precious husband our wonderful children my loving & understanding parents my father-in-law all of my family members through blood and marriage good food our home on the water kind neighbors the pleasure that nature brings my silent struggles and crosses grace forgiveness our home school freedom the ability to workout peaceful nights around the fire under a blanket of stars and the list goes on...  

I am trying to relax for 5 days and enjoy some laid back, slow paced, mountain life. Traveling while eating raw has become second hand to me now. I just pack up the home grown wheat grass, my manual juicer, some broccoli sprouts, fresh fruit, travel blender, and buy the rest when we arrive at our destination. Easy!   This year will be quite the vacation, as I do not have to cook up the Thanksgiving meal. We are going to a great restaurant here in the mountains and will be treated to a home cooked meal. This restaurant treats everyone like family and makes most everything from scratch. They even are going to provide a vegan option for our daughter and salads for me. All I had to do was call ahead and speak to the person in charge and it was done. Don't be afraid to ask for special favors when dining out. You will be pleasantly surprised just how accommodating some establishments will be. +JMJ+ Today I am grateful for crisp, mountain air and fall foliage littering the...

  Write about alternative treatments / regimens / medicine. What do you support? What is crazy?   Here is the crazy!!   taken from greenmedinfo.com This is what I support! As I've written before I think that approaching health care should include a balance between traditional medicine and alternative. I believe we can benefit from both but the key is educating ourselves so that we, as the patient, can determine what the proper balance is. One of the authors of the book below lives right here in our town and we are so blessed to have such a wise man right within our reach. I would like to support his new book because I know that almost all of us have been touched by cancer. Perhaps a family member, friend or you personally. Here is a powerful example of alternative regimes that truly balanced the scale for this cancer patient. Hope this information can help at least one person. The truth about cancer must be told!     +JMJ+ To...

  I wanted to share with you my favorite blogs. I have oh so many but will try to limit the list to a handful. Note that I am not putting them in any particular order. Also some of these sites are not raw or vegan. But there are things about each one that I enjoy and therefore felt worth sharing. They are fun to read and I enjoy discovering how others are living their lives. vegsource.com animal friendly eating raw on $10 a day or less blossoming joy Subsistence Pattern The Sunny Raw Kitchen green med info The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen Homestead Revival Fully Raw A few posts ago I shared some info on eating mono meals. Well Monday has turned out to be my mono meal day for some unknown reason. It has just developed into a pattern. So here is an example of an entire days worth of mono meals. Keep in mind, if one is trying to do a major detox or give their digestive system a rest you would want to pick ONE fruit and eat that at every meal. I am not doing that...