6 WEEK RAW FOOD COACHING GROUP

I have been coaching 8 wonderful women for the last 5 weeks and have really enjoyed it!!

It is a 6 week coaching program - A Pathway to Wellness - or a journey to eating healthy. Whatever we call it, I have learned so much from them and am so happy to hear about their successes.

I will have some comments from them on my blog next week, once the program is finished. I also hope to put up video real soon - but I will be changing and moving my blog.

The 8 women are all different and all starting from a different stage of healthy eating. That is what makes it so interesting and I am sure they have enjoyed learning and sharing with each other.

We just had our 5th week meeting last night (we meet 1 x a week for 2 hours on a Thursday night), and I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. I will miss them when the 6 weeks are over but hopefully we can continue on in some way.

It is so exciting for me to hear how they have changed their eating and lifestyle for the better and how much have learned about themselves and their body in such a short period of time.

5 weeks may sound like a long time but with regards to our eating habits and patterns that took us years and years to develop - 5 weeks is a very short time.

Awareness, knowledge and understanding in why it is important to eat healthy and when you do how you become more aware of how your body feels when you don't. That is huge and I remember when I began to notice the subtle changes in my body and when my body awareness changed. What a difference that makes!

We talked about how with other diets you end up taking a lot away - things you used to eat and enjoy. The "good-tasting foods" but didn't have anything "good" to replace them with.

With what we have done during this journey - is to learn what great tasting and healthy foods you put into your diet. You are adding very nutrient dense foods that taste as good as they are for you. This helps tremendously! If we just focus on what we "cannot have" then we will always feel there is a lack of something. That we are "missing" something. When we focus on what we "can" have and enjoy the process of learning to prepare the good, wholesome and great tasting live foods then there is no feeling of lack.

I am very grateful to have the opportunity to have worked with them and assisted them on this journey into wellness and I look forward to a new group of people anxious and willing to learn about the health benefits of incorporating whole, live foods into their diet.

I love showing them how and what they can prepare and providing recipes that they take on and make their own.

I hope to start a new 6 week coaching program in June. If anyonen is interested my contact information is on the side of this blog or send a comment and I will get that.

I am doing a FREE Introduction to Raw Food session tonight in Parksville at the Hot N Cool Yoga Club (a beautiful yoga studio). I love what I do because I get to share health with people and it is my passion.

It is not about "eating ALL raw" it is about finding what works for you and learning why it is so important to eat healthy because how you eat now and how you treat yourself and your body will directly affect what your future looks like.

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR FUTURE TO LOOK LIKE?

I would love to hear your comments!

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!

McHappy Day - Not a Happy Day

It is McHappy Day here (maybe other places in North Americal also, I am not sure).

I think this is really crazy! I mean selling "junk" and as I believe "poisonous food" to raise money for children's hospital and or Ronald McDonald House!! Absolutely crazy! I strongly support and believe in the children's hospital and the fantastic facility of Ronald McDonald House but bringing kids to McDonalds and having them eat that junky, fatty, unhealthy food is really the wrong way to do it.

I don't know if that bothers anyone else but it really bothers me. Getting more people to eat Big Macs will only contribute to the disease and obesity that is already growing in North America.

I agree with raising money for charity, well actually I believe more in raising awareness as to what people can and need to do to prevent disesase, illness and obsesity.

It is like fighting and protesting against war but not promoting peace.

Promoting the very high fat and unhealthy food, chemicals, preservatives just so $1.00 of each sale can go to cancer research or Ronald McDonald house, etc is so wrong to me.

We need a place where people can go, buy healthy, nutritious food and then $1.00 of that be donated. At least we would be spreading health! What example is being shown by encouraging kids, teenagers, parents to come in and buy food that lead to disease.

I JUST DON'T GET IT!!!

I know there are fantastic movements out there promoting healthy, nutritious foods - real foods - and that is great. We need to step it up! We need to reach the masses and let them know that the way to STOP illness, obesity, and all forms of cancer is to PREVENT it it!!!

Obviously all the money that has poured into cancer research in the last 10-20 years has not stopped it - it is bigger than ever! There are more people than EVER being diagnosed with some form of cancer and what will our future hold!!

People MUST realize that WHAT YOU EAT DOES determine your health.

Sorry for this post that seems a little angry but I just came back from lunch and the radio station I love was promoting McHappy Day (and has been big time all day) and encouraging people to go to McDonalds and "buy a Big Mac" - I say buy one then throw it out!!!

Better yet - DONATE MONEY TO THE CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE - whatever it is!

Now I take a deep slow breath and relax myself. I do feel good that I am holding classes and coaching sessions promoting healthy eating because I believe in my heart that nutrition is the answer.

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!!

LEARNING DEHYDRATING BASICS

On April 25th I held a raw food dehydrating session in Nanaimo.

I had 6 fabulous people attend and I had a great afternoon with them. Here is the group:

I spent a few days preparing for this - especially when it comes to dehydrating food - it is a lot of preparation and then a lot of time to dehydrate the various dishes that I prepared.

I have a few pictures below of some of the things we enjoyed on this day.

Here is a picture of some raw granola that I made. It was sooo good!! I loved granola (cooked) when I used to eat cooked. Food. I made my own back then also but it was a lot different!!

I love crunchy food and I used to LOVE my granola. I have included the recipe for you to try:

RAW GRANOLA
Ingredients:
Ground soaked almonds, Raisins, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Walnuts, cashews, pecans (cut into pieces – all optional), Coconut, Soaked buckwheat (optional), Honey or agave, 4-5 Dates (soaked), Water, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Nutmeg

(amount of each that you use depends on how much you want to make. Delete some ingredients or add others - whatever you like. It really doesn't matter.

Directions:
Soak almonds in a bowl for about 8-10 hours
In another bowl combine all ingredients except dates and spices
Add filtered water just enough to cover the ingredients

You can soak these ingredients overnight or soak them for about 1 hour.
Put the soaked mixture in a strainer and drain the excess water.
Place the soaked almonds in a food processor and process – keep them chunky
Add the chopped almonds to the big bowl containing the other ingredients – add the spices

Put dates in food processor with some water and honey – process until creamy
Add the date paste to the bowl of ingredients and combine. Use your hands or spoon and mix well. The amount of dates you use depends on how much granola you are making. If the date paste does not cover all the mixture - make more date paste and add it.

Transfer that mixture on to dehydrator sheet(s) and dehydrate to desired crunchiness.

Below are some other delicious things that I made for the group to try:

-

KALE CHIPS - is there anything better!

& BRAZIL ENERGY BARS - full of goodness!

RAW ALMOND BISCOTTI

LEMON HEMP SESAME CHIA TRIANGLES

These are just some of the things that we had at the session. I also showed them how to improvise a cracker and bread recipe with ingredients you may have left over and in the fridge. That part of love - I hardly ever follow a recipe. I look at a recipe and see what ingredients are used, I may use those and add more or use the recipe, delete some ingredients and ad some others I know would taste better.

It is all about personal taste. With practice and trial and error you learn what combinations work best and what you like best. I do the same with the energy bars, granola and biscotti. Dehydrated cookies are the same.

Have fun! Be creative!

Start with a base - for crackers it can be ground flax or buckwheat. For cookies and energy bars it is usually ground nuts. Seeds, spices, dried fruit and herbs are what you add and play with.

You need an ingredients that binds them together. For crackers and bread it is the soaked flax meal or soaked chia seeds or whole flax seeds. For energy bars or cookies it is the dates or dried fruit or even honey or agave.

Taste as you add ingredients. One thing that is great about raw food is that you can taste it as you make it and get a pretty good idea what it will taste like when done.

Make a smaller batch if you have not made something before. Or divide batter up and put in different bowls and then in each bowl add something different for a different taste and see which one you like.

You can add soaked sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes and italian seasonings to a cracker or bread batter.

You can add curry, cumin, corriander, salt, cilantro to another.

Etc, Etc. There are just so many things you can do. Be inventive!! and BE FEARLESS!

LIVE HEALTHY & HAPPY!

OPEN YOURSELF UP AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS

It is wonderful when you open yourself up and see what unfolds.

So often I am closed and stressed and busy in my everyday life. I become very focused on ‘Me” what do I have to do, what am I worried about? What is next for me?

Things that keep me in myself – and not in a good way – disconnected with the world.

Even though I am a yoga teacher and raw food chef – both that are supposed to bring you closer to the universal consciousness and the connection between everything and everyone, I see myself controlled by my ego for much of the time.



Because I have my own business and am trying work at a “job” and do my own business on the side, I tend to always have something to do and think about. It gets pretty overwhelming. Many people have been where I am so that gives me comfort.

I now have 2 days off a week (from my regular job) to go to coffee shops, work on my business and just be. I am becoming clearer on what I really want in life and what is important.

I have been on raw food for almost a year now and I have to say that it has been the last month of so that I am feeling – an extra something – CLARITY! I have been waiting for this!!!

Funny, I thought it would have to come at a time when I was alone, in a retreat, relaxed, with nothing on my mind or nothing else to do. Here is comes at an extremely busy time of my life. But hey – I welcome it.

I have met some great people in the last 2 weeks. Just being open and noticing and making eye contact and not being afraid to strike up a conversation. It is great!!

I have put out to the universe the type of people I want to meet and what I need help with.

I have met some of those people so far and it is so cool when this happens.

I know we are always manifesting – good and bad. That is how our universe works. Look around you – you have manifested everything in your life, whether you want to believe that or not and whether or not you want to accept the responsibility.

I have had my first colonics session today and wow!! This has added to the clarity I have to say. Getting cleaned out! I have two more sessions to go.

I have also done recent juice fasts (just short ones). I have been trying to heal my body more and I feel the layers are being peeled away; the layers that needed healing.

What I hope to attract now is someone who can help me with fixing up this blog and setting up a nice looking web site. I have also wanted to connect with like minded people so that a community can be formed of people wanting to work together support each other, do some joint ventures and sessions together. I feel that is really important.

Connections and more connections. I believe we attract the right people into our lives at the right time and when we are ready. Everyone is a gift and has something to teach us about ourselves.

I was given some excellent advice from a woman - she simply said “Do more of what you love.”

So simple yet so true. I was always waiting until I could do it, waiting until I had time, waiting until I had a web site, waiting, waiting …….. and not doing.

After she told me this, I took action and simply began doing what I love. It was the best thing I could do! When I get frustrated and discouraged I think about her simple, yet powerful words.

“Do more of what you love.”

It grounds me and brings me back to my purpose, my mission, etc.

It is very exciting to see things unfold and to accept them, let them happen and stay in the flow. I also notice that when I am feeling good – keeping positive then life flows and people come to me and things happen.

When I am down and being negative, frustrated, angry and sad, then I feel stuck and things around me are stuck. It is all about energy so I move the energy – get out of the rut and into thinking about what I want, doing more of what I love and believing that I can have the life I really dream about having.

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY