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“Coconut Kids” Smoothie & Keeping Cool

Monday, January 25th, 2010 by admin

by Joanne Newell

Delia & Lana Raizon

Hello everyone! A belated Happy New Year to you – has your 2010 started off well? Don’t you love the start of a fresh new year?

It’s been hot, hot, hot here in Melbourne. Well, some days it’s hot, some days it’s chilly – and it can be four season in one day in this lovely city!

To keep cool, we’ve been whipping up some ice-cold drinks, including a phenomenal smoothie created by an amazing Aussie mum called Delia Raizon. Delia writes recipe books with her sister, Lana (their latest book was published by The Five Mile Press, who also publishes my books in Australia), and Delia has posted a few high-raw recipe videos on the “Lana & Delia Raizon” website.

You’ve gotta check out the videos – SO cute, and inspiring. Delia’s at the start of a raw journey, and I just love that there’s another voice out there promoting the health benefits and taste of green smoothies and high-raw foods to Australian families.

You can see Delia’s “Coconut Kids” smoothie video here, but if you’d like to give it a go, here’s the recipe itself:

Coconut Kids Smoothie

Ingredients

1 young Thai drinking coconut
5 frozen bananas (if your blender isn’t powerful, you might need to chop the bananas before freezing)
3 or so pitted dates, soaked, with the soaking water
2 handfuls soaked almonds
extra water
ice cubes

Method

Tip the flesh and juice from the coconut into a blender.
Add the frozen bananas, pitted dates (and their soaking water) and almonds, and blend.
Add extra water and ice and blend to achieve your desired consistency.

This smoothie has become a favorite at our house!

In our continuing quest to keep cool on these dreamy, long summer holidays, the girls and I have also been whipping up a few treats from Ani’s Raw Food Desserts (by Ani Phyo), including “Chocolate-Covered Bananas” (choc-coated frozen bananas on skewers, found on page 77 of the book) and “Key Lime Kream Bars” (page 25).

Surprisingly, when making the banana ice lollies, the kitchen didn’t become covered in chocolate – most of it actually went on the bananas (or into little – and big – mouths). The girls weren’t quite so keen on the kream bars, but I adore them, and have been cutting off little wedges every now and then as a zesty, creamy snack.

I’ve yet to try out the enticing-sounding “Raspberry-Ganache Fudge Cake”, which Raw Mom Shannon tried when Ani’s book first came out. Can’t wait to sample that one. Thanks, Ani, for such a beautiful little book!

If you’re after some lively raw inspiration, I highly recommend Ani’s book, and popping over to Delia and Lana’s website.

Take care, everyone, and hug your babies!

Love Jo

Tags: children, children's recipe book, conscious parenting, Raw food, raw food recipe, raw food recipes for kids, raw foods, raw kids, raw mom, Shannon Leone
Posted in Family, Inspiring Families, Joanne's Thoughts, Raw Food Recipes, Raw food, Recipes, Recipes for Kids, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Like Mother, Like Daughter. . .

Friday, October 30th, 2009 by admin

by Karen Schachter

baking We moms have a tough path to walk as we help our daughters navigate the sometimes choppy waters of growing up girl. It’s our job to protect our children and do our best to keep them safe and healthy, yet we also have to allow them to grow, stretch and learn from their own mistakes. It’s a fine line between letting them be who they are and wanting to “tweak” them just a little bit so they don’t suffer from the same mistakes or struggles that we did.

When it comes to healthy eating and a positive body image, this fine line can feel fragile and confusing, particularly if you struggle with these issues yourself.

When I teach workshops or work individually with moms, I am always asked some of the same questions: Should I let my kids have desert every day? How do I deal with their love of sweets? How can I help her stop eating when she’s not hungry anymore? How can I help her lose weight without making her feel bad about her body? How can I help her feel good about her body, no matter what its size? How can I help her feel good about herself and treat herself with respect?

Although I can give concrete “answers” to many of these questions, the truth is, there is no one “right” answer that works for everyone, all the time. There is no “magic bullet” to self-esteem, to body confidence, to self-care, and to inspiring good health in our daughter.

However, there is one piece of the puzzle that is so important, one KEY asset that is SO valuable, and one action that IS within our control…that is more powerful than anything we can say or anything we can feed them.

YOU.

As her mom, the only thing you really have control over (especially as she gets older) is who YOU are BEING and how YOU are negotiating your own health, your own eating, your own body image and your own self –esteem. Are you embodying the actions and feelings that you want her to learn?

Here’s a little food for thought to get you going:

Next time you notice yourself betwixt and between about an eating habit of your daughter’s, go ahead and check in with yourself: Is there something about that behavior that reminds you of one of your own struggles? (Go ahead and address it in YOURSELF first).
Imagine that your daughter develops a delicious, nourishing and healthy relationship to food, eating and her body – what will that look like? Go ahead and try out some of those self-nourishing actions for YOURSELF.
What if food, eating and body image weren’t a concern, for you or for your daughter? What if you had true freedom and peace with these things? What would your energy and attention be focused on instead? (Go ahead and give it a try).

Here’s the thing: Our daughters learn how to live in their bodies and care for themselves with food and in their lives from MANY sources, including the media, their peers, their families, and from all the women in their lives.

I am on a mission – and I invite you to join me – to help change the “face” of what the next generation of girls are learning – and I believe we must first BE THE CHANGE we wish to see in them. (When moms set their minds to something, there is no telling what could happen…)

*** Karen Schachter is a licensed clinical social worker, certified health counselor, and founder of “Dishing With Your Daughter ,” which offers a variety of programs for girls and women. As a psychology of eating expert, Karen is especially passionate about helping the next generation of girls experience nourishment, peace and deliciousness in food, eating and their bodies so they can live a healthy, authentic life. Enough of the angst and struggle! Karen believes in the value of the mom-daughter relationship as a powerful vehicle for creating this change.

Tags: children, conscious parenting, Family, Food for Thought, Homeschooling, Life, love, nature, parenthood, raw kids, raw mom
Posted in Communication in the Family, Family, Food for Thought, Tips for Moms | No Comments »

Ask Raw Mom. . . Your questions.

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 by admin

Each Wednesday we will be answering questions from our readers. If you have a question for *Raw Mom* send it to Ask *Raw Mom*

Q: Hi ladies,

I have been interested in your new dessert book and the lunchbox book, but because I am overseas things like coconut meat and the variety of fresh berries and interesting fruits is limited. Not to mention cacao butter costs the bomb - are many of your recipes dependent on exotic foods? ( I would have a minimal to moderate amount of superfoodage going on )

In Gratitude,
Julia

A: Hi Julia,

cacao The HEALTHY LUNCHBOX recipe book contains no hard to find or exotic ingredients; even the cacao recipes call for the substitution of carob if cacao isn’t an option. Where coconut water is used, the recipe mentions and does just as well with plain water or nut mylk, so its really interchangeable, as all good, user-friendly recipes are.
Chia seeds and goji berries show up a couple times, but they are not difficult to find anymore, and of all the superfoods, I feel they are mostly economical because a little goes a long way. Goji berries are costly, however, so raisins, currants or other dried fruits acan be substituted if need be.

I appreciate the whole Superfood movement and recognize its value, yet as a mom I mostly relate to the struggle moms have just getting real food into their children… so I have kept it all pretty real. The 2 recipes that have jicima, which is a root vegetable that tastes between a potato and an apple, and the few that contain coconut buttter (olive oil would work too) are kind of nice and refreshing because I feel and made the statement in the opening of the book that it is good to try new things, and be open. Good nutrition almost depends on it.

So its mostly common ingredients with a few surprises thrown in to keep it interesting.
I very much hope you will enjoy it!

Blissings,
~Shakaya
Shannon Shakaya Breeze Leone

Q: Dear Raw Mom,

1. How do you transition your child(ren) from SAD to raw?

2. How long did it take to get them to eat healthy?

3. How do you prepare your child(ren) to deal with social situations, such
as birthday parties, where there will be lots of unhealthy SAD food there?

A: It’s all in the DOING!

It starts with the AWARENESS of what is possible…of the importance of proper nutrition on our children’s young bodies, minds and spirit.
I personally recommend ppl start by

REMOVE ALL JUNKFOOD from the diet i.e. refined sugar and flour use fruit, honey and other natural sweeteners and create or buy natural and less processed treats.
ADD IN GREEN SMOOTHIES daily- read GREEN FOR LIFE.
GO RAW ALL DAY UNTIL DINNER.

angelapasta Fill up in the day with fresh fruit, veggies and dips, raw soups and flax crackers, raw trail mixes, raw puddings and cereals, salads and garden burgers and zucchini pasta and cabbage burritos and manna bread avocado, tomato, lettuce, cucumber sandwiches or peanut butter/almond/cashew butter with banana.

Green Smoothies and/or Green Juices and/or Nut milks and/or Herbal Teas, with superfoods and supplements such as SPIRULINA/HEMP SEEDS/CHIA SEEDS/BEE POLLEN~ all great protein sources.

Then serve whatever is comforting and wholesome for dinner: soups, stews, steamed veggies, non-gluten grains such as MILLET, QUINOA, AMARANTH, BUCKWHEAT, RICE

Here is where you would have your meat or fish or other cooked foods.

The key here is HEALTH.

HOWEVER long it takes to do this, which could be as fast and quick as you like, its up to each family to go at their own pace.

At social events, bring fruit platters and raw desserts, and big salads and fill-up ahead of time with green smoothies and bring trail mix for the car; and then let go a bit and enjoy the festivities. My rule is no meat, no junk food. If they want to try something, I let my kids now, (when they were younger than 9 I just created their plates with the best choices I could find - now that they are 10 and 11, they do this themselves)
And the next day, we are raw and simple and ‘detoxing’ so its all good!

I hope this helps!
Just follow your heart and for some inspiration check out my HEALTHY LUNCHBOX e-book and/or my DVD RAISING CHILDREN RAISES US at the rawmom.com site

Blissings,
xoxoxShakaya

Tags: children, conscious parenting, Family, health, Homeschooling, Life, Living Food, love, nature, organic, parenthood, Raw food, raw food recipe, raw kids, raw mom
Posted in Ask Raw Mom, Communication in the Family, Family, Homeschooling, Inspiring Families, Minerals and Vitamins, Organics, Raw Food Recipes, Raw food, Recipes, Transitioning from Cooked to Raw! | No Comments »

Handy Tips when using Plastic…

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 by admin

By Jodie Power

It’s back to school time which is a great time ensure your kids lunch containers are safe. At home we try to use glass whenever possible, but that’s not going to work for school. My kids are tough enough on plastic never mind trusting glass in their clutches at school. Stainless steel containers are another option. I don’t have any experience with stainless steel containers so I cannot comment on how practical or how well they hold up.

A good article to check out if you do need to go the plastic route was put out by the Environmental Working Group, a non profit organization, .

If you have time I would suggest spending a little time poking around on this site – you are bound to find other useful information on a number of other subjects ranging from the dirty dozen fruits and vegetables, to the best (and worst) cell phones.

Basically some of the key points from this article, as well as from a couple of other articles:

Stay away from anything marked 7 or PC, 3 or PVC and 6 or Styrofoam.

Plastics marked with 1, 2, 4 or 5 do not contain BPA, and are considered better choices. But beware, some say 1 is okay for single use only. You’ll find a lot of the bottles you get your water in marked 1. Other sites also note that plastics marked 5 are okay but can be hazardous in production.

On most plastics you can find the number in the recycle sign that is usually on the bottom of the container.

A couple of other points, which will not be an issue for those of you whose kids are all raw: It is best not to put hot items in plastic, let them cool first.

Never microwave plastic. I’m definitely anti-microwave - ours got the boot a couple of years ago.

I’m not telling you to throw out all your plastic containers, as I know replacing things can be expensive, just be aware of what you have and which ones are preferable, especially as you buy new ones.

Remember, in the world we live in what’s safe today may not be tomorrow, especially when it comes to anything man made. So whenever you want to take another inventory of what containers are the best, make sure you have the latest research.

Try it!

celery-root If you read my last article I mentioned a game of “Try It”.
We’ve started this up again and this week we tried Celery Root (aka Celeriac). Celery Root is high in dietary fiber, manganese, magnesium, potassium, thiamin, vitamin B6 and vitamin C. These are all good things, but you also need to keep in mind that it’s high in sodium and sugar.

I’m not sure if the Celery Root I purchased was bad, as we’ve never had this before, but it got 4 thumbs down. Maybe it’s meant more as an addition to a dish than as the main star?
If you’ve had success with celery root let me know.

Take care,
Jody

** Jody is a Mom transitioning from Cooked to Raw and sharing her joys and tribulations with us. Keep watching for further stories from the Transitioning Mom….

Tags: children, conscious parenting, Family, Food for Thought, health, Homeschooling, Life, organic, organization, parenthood, Raw food, raw kids, raw mom, Tips for Moms
Posted in Communication in the Family, Family, Food for Thought, Inspiring Families, Jody's Thoughts, Tips for Moms, Transitioning from Cooked to Raw! | 2 Comments »

‘Green’ Camping! (No plastic allowed!)

Saturday, September 12th, 2009 by Jamie Abrams

Recently I went on a five day camping adventure in North Yorkshire with my boy of sweetness and my best friend. We were camping-out with other families and writers from Veronika Robinson’s hugely inspiring magazine The Mother. It was a very ‘green’ camp with composting toilets, a vegan ethos and lots of families parenting with the Continuum Concept paradigm. jami-camping2

One of the golden rules of camp was to NOT bring any plastic toys. At first glance I thought no problem. My babe is totally enraptured with cars, so most of his toys are metal. But as I began packing his small toy rucksack, I couldn’t believe how many of his vehicles have plasticy bits on them. Actually, I was a bit mortified by all of the plastic that had crept into his tiny three years of existence! However, I did manage to pull together some items for him, but I did feel a little nervous at the prospect of not taking some of his preferred favourites.

Obviously upon reflection it was a ridiculous worry. Our camping area was a lush haven of unexplored possibilities. Even though the weather was far from brilliant (as any of you that live or have visited the north of England can tell you) Zenchai was completely absorbed by the nature that surrounded us. There were way too many sticks, forest trails, streams, mud, hills, sunflower valleys and fires to build to even think about his toys. He even lucked out by finding some rusty buckets (rotting cars / tractors etc.), which he quickly adopted as his own. In the end he never opened his rucksack. jami-camping1

Although we live a fairly simple life for a family residing in London our rural outing really showed me how far from nature we really are. All of the countryside recreation was so pure and magical. I can’t wait for the time when fresh air and nature are our daily staples!

Tags: children, conscious parenting, exercise, Family, flowers, health, holidays, Homeschooling, Jamie's Musings, love, nature, organic, parenthood, raw kids, raw mom, Tips for Moms, trees
Posted in Communication in the Family, Excercise, Family, Food for Thought, Foraging, Homeschooling, Inspiring Families, Jamie's Musings | 2 Comments »

Summer Camp Souvenirs–Natural Solutions for Head Lice

Sunday, August 30th, 2009 by Tera

nitcomb Last week the kids finished summer day camp, and along with some memories and new friends, they picked up head lice. I’ve spent the last several days passing hours and hours preening and plucking and nit-picking. Tea tree oil and persistence got us through this round! Here in Montreal, if you do not treat with the toxic chemicals, you can’t send your children to school. Frightening to think of it, but I thought I would include a couple of the recommendations we were given, and post this with the hope that a few of you might have other ideas and suggestions to contribute.

Conditioner: The idea is to comb conditioner into dry or slightly damp hair, use lots of conditioner. Comb it in well so that the whole head is covered and the hair right down to the roots. Then you use a nit comb to get them all out. The conditioner helps to slow down the lice so that you are able to catch them all and it also helps to loosen the nits. Do this every day for a week and you should have got them all out.

Brush like crazy: This breaks the little pests legs so they can’t run away from you…. it also means they won’t survive because they won’t be able to feed.

Vinegar: Works in the same way as a toxic chemical or the tea tree oil. The vinegar stuns them and helps to kill the eggs. Always use a nit comb.

Tea Tree Oil: Has a strong acidic odour like vinegar and works in the same way to stun the lice and kill the eggs. Don’t use every day.

Remember: If you do have unexpected visitors like these you must wash all the families clothing and bedding, if you can’t use a hot water wash then add vinegar to the washing water it will help to kill any survivors. Don’t forget to vacuum the beds, and furniture too.

With a keen eye and persistence, I think we’ve managed to finally rid ourselves of these little devils. In the name of preventative measures, we’ll be adding a few drops of tea tree oil to all the shampoo bottles and doing a lot of creative hair braiding this year. When I was homeschooling this was something easily avoided. Now that the kids are in school, these are part of the joys of parenthood.

Hope these natural remedies for head lice come in handy!

If you would like more information and ideas on how to combat this problem there is a great site http://www.headlice.org which has information, suggestions and reasons why you shouldn’t use chemicals.

Here’s to squeaky clean scalps,

Tera

Tags: children, conscious parenting, Family, Food for Thought, health, holidays, Homeschooling, Life, nature, organic, organization, parenthood, raw kids, raw mom, Tera Warner, Tips for Moms, women
Posted in Family, Food for Thought, Tera's Thoughts, Tips for Moms | 4 Comments »

Are You Getting Enough Iron on Raw Food?

Friday, July 17th, 2009 by admin

This article was contributed by Joanna Steven

When I first told my doctor that I planned on getting pregnant some time this year, she immediately prescribed a multivitamin. Since I am aware of the fact that many raw women cannot stomach leafy greens and other super nutritious foods in the early months of their pregnancy, I decided to go ahead and take them. But when I noticed that each pill contained twice the daily requirement of iron, I was a little concerned.

According to the MedlinePlus Encyclopedia, iron overdoses can cause anything from dehydration to liver damage. When I told her that my hemoglobin level was already 44 (with 37 being the limit between normal levels and anemia, and 47 the limit between normal and excessive levels) without even taking a supplement, she stated that as a vegetarian, taking iron supplements wouldn’t hurt, and that pregnant women need more iron anyway.

In an article on the www.drspock.com website, Dr Elisa Ross, MD, mentioned the fact that women are often anemic in the last months of pregnancy, and this could possibly cause “low birth-weight and preterm babies”. As a result, while the recommended daily intake of iron is about 18 mg for an adult, it increases to about 30 mg if you are pregnant to build hemoglobin and a healthy placenta.

Still, I wasn’t convinced that I needed the synthetic prenatal. If my iron level is so good without me even paying attention to it, I should be able to eat enough iron rich food to get me through my pregnancy without difficulty. I was also able to find plenty of studies showing the adverse effect of iron supplementation during pregnancy. For example, a study conducted at the University of Turin, Italy, showed that “Iron supplementation is associated with glucose impairment and hypertension in midpregnancy”. Basically, women who take iron supplements have a significantly higher risk of developing hypertension and gestational diabetes; they also had lower levels of high density (good) cholesterol.

I started incorporating various iron rich ingredients into my daily recipes, and realized that really, when we eat healthy, nutritious raw foods, we should get all the iron we need without taking supplements.

Few SA dieters are aware of the fact that raw vegan ingredients contain more than enough iron for good health, more so than red meat and other supposedly iron rich foods.
For example, let’s look at hemp’s nutritional profile. A quarter of a cup of hemp contains 40% of our daily iron requirement. By contrast, a serving of red meat contains only about 10 to 15%. We would need to eat 10 steaks a day to get enough iron, while a little more than ½ a cup of hemp is more than enough!

L Avi

Another super iron rich food is parsley. Some people like to juice it, or add it to green smoothies. I personally find it a bit strong in smoothies, and there is evidence that parsley juice isn’t recommended during pregnancies (while eating parsley as a whole food is healthful, massive quantities such as in parsley oil can be detrimental). My favorite way of eating it is simply in tabbouleh. And since I substitute the traditional bulgur wheat with hemp, my tabbouleh really becomes an iron powerhouse!

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In the nuts and seed department, pumpkin seed and unhulled sesame seeds really shine. Just an ounce of either seed provide nearly ¼ of our daily iron requirement. I love sprinkling pumpkin seeds on salad, or adding them to flax crackers. And sesame seeds can be slipped into nearly anything as they are so small, or they can be a dish’s main attraction if you use tahini (sesame butter) as part of a salad or kale chips dressing. In general, other nuts and seeds such as sunflower, cashew or flax will provide around 10% of our iron needs per ounce. If using tahini, either make your own using unhulled sesame, or buy ready made tahini made with whole seeds. Hulled seeds contain significantly less iron and calcium.

Eating an iron rich raw vegan diet is really easy, and here are a few recipes to get you started!

Protein & Iron Strawberry Banana Shake (serves 2)

This recipe provides 30% of the FDA’s protein and iron requirement, as well as more than 300% of our daily vitamin C requirement, thus enhancing our body’s ability to absorb iron. It also provides 25% of our folate requirement, an important nutrient during pregnancy.

4 cup sliced, strawberries
2 large bananas, frozen*
¼ cup hemp seeds
½ to 1 cup water

Agave or honey to taste, depending on the fruits’ sweetness

Directions:

Blend all the ingredients until smooth.

* If using fresh bananas, add a few ice cubes for a cool, refreshing smoothie.

Parsley & Hemp Tabbouleh

I often look at ethnic recipes for nutrition. Often, the ingredients within them have been combined, consciously or not, to ensure maximum nutrition absorption while tasting wonderful. This salad supplies more than 50% of our iron requirement for the day, as well as a generous 20 grams of protein.

It is believed that parsley is an herb that facilitates abortions. However, pregnant women in many cultures have eaten generous amounts of parsley and carried their pregnancy to term. The problem seems to be with parsley oil, which amounts to massive quantities of parsley, but the herb itself is actually healthful and rich in vitamins and minerals that are very pregnancy friendly, such as folate and vitamin K.

Ingredients:

2 ounces parsley, chopped
1 Roma tomato, diced finely
1 T fresh mint, chopped
3 T hemp seeds
1 green onion, diced
1 T olive oil
1 T fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together except for the tomatoes. Refrigerate until ready to use, and add the tomatoes just before serving. If the tabbouleh stays in the fridge for too long, it might start to dry out. Simply add a little more olive oil and toss one more time.

Quick & Easy Morning Cereal

This cereal is so quick and easy, and my husband likes it more than all the really complicated ones that need lots of dehydrating and prep time. Adding nut milk make the mix even more nutritious.

Ingredients:

1 T pumpkin seeds, soaked
1 T sunflower seeds, soaked
1 T raisins
1 T dry apricots, finely diced
1 T prepared raw chocolate chips, chopped (or a few cacao nibs)

Anything you want to add! Berries, fresh fruits cut into small cubes etc. are especially good

Directions:

Toss all the ingredients together into a bowl, add some nut milk, and enjoy!

Tags: children, Food, Living Food, parenting, Raw food, raw kids
Posted in Family, Food for Thought, Inspiring Families, Pregnancy, Tips for Moms, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Back to reality…

Sunday, April 5th, 2009 by Jamie Abrams

p1010144 p1010186

My skin is missing the sun-kissed feel of the Costa Rican rays, while my body is wishing it had the bath-warm waters of the salty ocean caressing it and my appetite is longing for the gorgeous tree-ripened tropical fruits. But really I can’t whinge can I? After all I did have a slice of paradise for 10 days.

However, since coming back I have felt myself slipping into a slump regarding food. While in Costa Rica it was so easy to eat fresh, raw, organic foods. The variety was abundant, costs were minimal and tastes were out of this world. It has been totally uninspiring walking through my local grocery store looking at all the over-priced sad produce, unripened fruits and lack of selection.

Tropical Breakfast p1010184

Another huge discovery that made its way into my consciousness was how simple it was to feed Zenchai all-raw foods. In our little sultry heaven there were so many things to choose from and they were either just off the tree or out of the ground. He was absolutely over the moon eating the luscious fare there. Not only that but he was quite adventurous and willing to try all sorts of exotic fruits and vegetables. Something I would say he is less keen to do here in London.

Claude and I were both so thrilled to see Zenchai thriving. We also noticed he had a big growth spurt while we were away, which could of course be coincidence, but the raw vegan mama in me wants to think it was all the sunshine and raw cuisine.

Interestingly, a lot of people have asked me was it hard eating raw while we were away. They are very surprised to hear my answer “No!” On this occasion I have found it much harder feeding the family all raw at home than away. The clear-cut reasons as mentioned above. Of course here it is much easier procuring all the raw trimmings like goji berries, nuts, lucuma powder etc. Then again these things become a bit redundant in the face of the real stuff: pure raw fruits and veggies. You can’t get any better than that!

Tags: Family, Food for Thought, Jamie's Musings, organic, Raw food, raw kids, raw mom
Posted in Family, Food for Thought, Jamie's Musings, Organics | 6 Comments »

CREATING HARMONY AROUND YOUR DINNER TABLE

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 by Lisa

I love being a Mom and truly believe for some of us it is a Spiritual Calling. For as long as I can remember, all I have ever wanted was to have a family. I always knew with certainty that I would have children, nurse them, and devote myself to consciously raising them. When you live in that clear an intention, the Universe conspires to support you no matter what…A la THE SECRET. Becoming a mother is a Course in Miracles, and feeding my family is a sacred task. This is why I have embraced the Living Foods lifestyle. Everything about it is in harmony with the pure vibration of a child’s potential. I seek only to develop and harness that potential and do nothing to diminish it. And so, I have converted my family over to Raw. It has been so exciting, yet not without its challenges

My husband comes from a strong, well-meaning Italian family; meat, pasta, bread and cheese dominate every family celebration. Being RAW is tricky- you learn to plan ahead. I fill us up with Green Smoothies; bring the salads, fruit platters and raw desserts. Then I let go and enjoy the celebration! Tomorrow is another day- we all cleanse. Being flexible and adaptable is a sign of good mental health. For me, family is paramount, and true, overall health is about more than our diet. Especially in social situations with family I have learned that being rigid is more stressful than allowing occasional compromises, especially when it comes to the kids! However, I draw the line at junk food, pop, candy, anything fried or packaged.

HARMONY IS HEALTHY AND PLEASURABLE

I have learned the hard way that an over emphasis on food can mar the entire experience and though I am Raw and convinced it is the best way to go, I am more apt to attract people to the benefits if I walk my own path in harmony with others. I feel that this food and lifestyle is a very gentle and loving experience for ALL! But I don’t push it.

Having travelled the world, I was always touched by the loving (not stressful) relationship other cultures had to their food. Be it Asia, South America, Australia or Europe, the focus was never on calories or health per se. The central theme seemed to be about PLEASURE. Everything about food brought enjoyment; from the beautiful way food is displayed in local markets, artfully prepared and gracefully served and shared- everywhere there was beauty and delight.

This is vastly in contrast to our typical Western model of diets, deprivation, binging and guilt. We have lost our natural, wholesome relationship to food every bit as much as we have lost these same qualities in our food. HOW we eat, our state of being, is as important as WHAT we eat, raw or otherwise.When we eat on the run, while driving, watching TV or reading the news, microwave our meals, eat out of plastic containers, while standing up…Where is the sanctity, or nourishment in that?

WHAT’S EATING YOU?

Sadder still is how everyone here is on a diet- even pre-teens! All the dieting in the world won’t guarantee physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. And no matter how much we binge we still remain hungry and empty on some level.

Even raw foodists experience this initially until the internal shift catches up to the external one. So it is not only about what you are eating, but ‘what is eating you’.

Like passionate lovers sensually experiencing each other, is how we may re-learn to engage with our food. Eating our food this way with our senses fully open and awake will we be truly nurtured and fed. Beautiful, Raw food liberates such subtle but powerful distinctions and revelations. When I fully understood the damage of ‘shoulding’ on my family over food I determined that I needed to find ways of bringing harmony. I have been creating rituals to re-establish a more balanced, peaceful and ‘irresistible’ connection with our food. I share some of them with you:

RITUALS THAT BRING SANCTUARY IN THE HOME

I start off by just slowing down, my movements, my thoughts, and my pace, centering myself and gaining emotional poise
I take the time to think about ways I might create or add to the atmosphere a feeling of excitement, or calm, or fun.

When preparing a meal for myself or the family I light a little candle just for ME.

I put on some classical music to enjoy, or I sing, chant or pray. I believe this puts my love into the food which is the most important ingredient (remember ‘BABETTES’S FEAST’ and ‘LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE’)

Then I do what my husband’s mother does- I “set a beautiful table!” with fresh or wild flowers, or create a centerpiece of gold and crimson leaves, or pine cones, berries and acorns, or sea shells and crystals- something lovely to reflect the season, usually gathered by my children on a Nature’s walk.

I use the ‘good dishes’ and beautiful, simple but cared-for linens.

Clearing away remnants of work, mail, etc. I am now ready to ring the dinner bell.

After hands are washed and everyone is assembled, Luke lights the dinner candle

We all hold hands and sing the blessing. (I love to take this moment to see the light in my family’s eyes) Then the feast begins.

I encourage my little tigers to take their time and really savour every bite, and to be thankful. I really do believe the woman sets the tone in the home, and my husband holds the space for us all. He models good habits by putting his fork down between bites, chewing thoroughly, even closing his eyes and letting out little “Ahhhhh”s and “Mmmmm”s. He even declares enthusiastically “Mama sure is the best chef in town!” To which my sons usually chime in “She sure is!” Having support makes mealtimes an experience of bonding, laughter, storytelling and true sustenance.

I keep it really simple throughout the day by serving light fare:
Green smoothies and juices, fresh fruit, crudités with raw dips or pate, guacamole with olives and dehydrated flax crackers, seaweed and veggie salads, or raw soup.

Dinner is a little more elaborate- maybe a main meal salad made from kale, dandelion, parsley and arugala with okra, tomatoes, onion, olives, avocado and hempseeds topped off with a miso- ginger dressing; Or perhaps a raw gourmet dish of zucchini pasta with stuffed pesto mushrooms and lemon-raspberry ‘un’cheescake; or wild rice ‘un’stir-fry with garlic-ginger marinade. If it is Friday, it could be a homemade lentil stew, or curried cauliflower quinoa, or millet-veggie patties with tahini, or a brown rice gluten-free pasta with steamed rapini and garlic…

Whatever I serve it will be of the freshest, organic (when possible) ingredients prepared and served with love, and eaten with gratitude! Having a loving and healthy family is the pinnacle of success for me! BLISSINGS!

Tags: raw foods, raw kids, raw mom, Shannon Leone
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Alleviate Pain Naturally: Tricks To Soothe Your Little Ones When They're Hurting

Friday, September 5th, 2008 by Lisa

The past couple years we have left our ‘HOME’SCHOOL!’ roots for a regular little neighbourhood school which has been really good for my family. This year we decided to once again do the public school thang- we take it year by year and will continue as long as it is working out, knowing we can always return to un-schooling anytime… So yesterday was ‘first day back’. We had some drama- but not what you’d expect…

Just fresh off our little tree-trekking, berry-picking, swimming adventure, one of my son’s got a ltitle too much sun. It wasn’t a bad burn at all- but the after-math was- you know, the ITCH that bites and smarts started with a vengeance at 11pm night before first day. My son woke up itching and unfortunately I had no APPLE CIDER VINEGAR or PLAIN YOGURT or ALOE VERA (in order of effectiveness) on hand so I did the next best thing which was to put him in the shower and dowse him with very cold water. Poor little tyke- not fun! Worse yet, the itching would come back within minutes and it was off to the shower again. This went on until 4:45 am. If you have never had the misfortune to experience this dastardly side-effect of a sunburn, they say this itch is WORSE THAN POISON IVY. I HAVE had it before and truly wanted to jump out the window it was so distressing, especially when it attacks all night and you become exhausted. He was such a little trouper but around 4am just broke down into tears and worried how he would make it to school in just a few hours- his BIG concern.

It was really amazing what happened. Not with the itch, but with him. He would go through periods of such frustration and discomfort that he would become so angry and undone. Now I’ll be perfectly honest, had I not gone through this terrible sanity-diminishing itch myself, I just know after an hour or so, I may have lost patience and wondered how anyone could become so enraged and upset over an ‘itch’! And I doubt I would have handled it with the respect and care this situation desperately needed. That is interesting and an incredible wake-up for me…just because I don’t ‘get it’ doesn’t diminish its importance. I love that.

Anyway, what was amazing, was how with the support of my understanding and allowing presence, my son was able to cope with an almost unbearable situation. When he would ask “WHEN IS IT GOING TO STOP?!” I would say, “We don’t exactly know- but we do know this- it is temporary and has to run its course. It WILL pass, but in the meantime this is what we have to deal with the best we can. It will be rough. But you are safe, you are loved, and you will get through it. I am here beside you and I know how bad it feels, but we will get through it together.” He could relax into it. He knew I wan’t going to make ‘light of it’ and he knew I knew it was a rotten deal for him to have to endure AND as bad as it got he would be OK.

He would say “I HATE this stupid itch!” I would say “Me too- let’s stick out our tongue at it and tell it to Go get a life!” and he would laugh and say “It’s OLD MAN TROUBLE” (If you haven’t YOU MUST read the book AUNT NANCY AND OLD MAN TROUBLE- a fave of our whole family!). “Ya, let’s tell the itch if it doesn’t back down we will hang it up by it’s thumbs…” “boil it in oil” “run it out of town” “throw eggs in its face” The more ridiculous we got, the more we’d laugh and it became a game. The key is to ALLOW the pain an expression- even if it seems ‘mean’ it is actually healthy to LET IT OUT and not judge.

I noticed it was actually a relief for me when he finally burst into weary tears. Normally, I tense up when my children cry- like all good moms I FEEL it so much and just badly want to FIX the problem. But this time I did what I attempt but so often fail- I relaxed into his pain; It was HIS experience, and I surely didn’t want to burden him with my emotions ON TOP OF what he was already going through. Just being PRESENT was a huge comfort to him despite not being able to adequately ‘fix’ the problem. Normally I would have been feeling so sad and sorry for him- but despite empathizing and wanting to help, I actually felt incredibly proud of his struggle, and proud of my loving support. We were both empowered in the process. I strongly believe we CAN’T always help our kids with their problems, we can’t even always UNDERSTAND what they are going through, but we can offer support and the knowlege that we beleive in their ability to overcome anything they may face in life.

So we did not pretend everything was fine when it clearly wasn’t, and it was impossible for us to meditate. But we did pray together and asked our Angels for their comfort, and we did practice deep breathing together. And eventually sleep came around 5am. My husband came in at 7 to say he was going to go to go to work later so he could join us for the walk to school, and I wondered if my son could make it, but right then he woke up sooooo excited about school! It was if the night had never happened! He didn’t even complain about his green juice, packed his knapsack with a pencil and eraser, some fresh berries as part of his lunch, and was the first one out the door!

WHEW!

Tags: conscious parenting, raising children raises us, raw foods, raw kids, Shannon Leone
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