Don't feel good enough?

Be your own emotional clearing friend....

Well I have been and for probablly a bit most of my life. . .I started this incredible program from the Midwest Stress Center www.midwestcenter.com It has given me so much power and solace with the coping skills they teach you to deal with the "stressers" of life of which we all have or will at some point. I really feel it has shown me to appreciate and make the gospel and atonement even more tangible in my life. I also am now capable to process my own emotional clearing. . .I finally feel good enough! The education has been such a blessing. It is 15 weeks and I am on week four. I reccommend it to any one who feels overwhelmed, stressed, panicked, can't get motivated, doesn't feel good enough,"perfect" enough, pretty enough, strong enough, smart enough or places too many unrealistic "shoulds" on themselves.

The true definition of "Perfect" is Whole or Complete.

Luvs,Ash

Flafel Balls

Made a big batch today to freeze for future meals:)

Baked Falafel Balls

1 cup frozen lima beans (thawed in water, then drained)
1/4 cup fresh parsely
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 15 oz. can or 1 1/2 cups soaked* chickpeas
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. Real Salt
1/8-1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbs. fresh squeezed lime juice
3 Tbs. millet flour (I grind 3 Tbs. of millet to a flour using my blender)
1 head green cabbage, leaves separated to use as wraps
Garnishes: Tomatoes, Red Onion, Avocado, Raw Sesame Seeds


In a food processor, combine everything except millet flour until a thick paste. You might have to scrape down the sides of the processor intermittently. Add the flour and process to combine.


On a cookie sheet (non-stick works best, but if you prefer not to use non-stick, oil the cookie sheet a bit) drop falafel mixture 1 Tbs. at a time and bake at 350 degrees until browned (usually about 15 min). They will be slightly crunchy on the outside, and less crunchy in the middle.

Fearless

“Fear never wrote a symphony or poem, negotiated a peace treaty, or cured a disease. Fear never pulled a family out of poverty or a country out of bigotry. Fear never saved a marriage or a business. Courage did that. Faith did that. People who refused to consult or cower to their timidities did that. But fear itself? Fear herds us into a prison and slams the doors.”
- Fearless by Max Lucado

Thank you Mr. Lucado for opening my mind just a little more today.

Best Snack!

Seas Gift Seaweed snacks

Jayone Foods, Inc. recently launched a new brand of snacks under the "Sea's Gift" brand.

These are pieces of seaweed leaves, roasted in sesame oil, and flavored.

My kids and I loooooooooove them. We found them at Good Earth.

No pain No gain - False

So here is the excercise videos I love. They are Ana Bretts Kundalini Yoga series. We need to not stay in the old mentality of no pain no gain, instead respect and love for our body creation we've been given as a gift.

Look for her videos on Amazon for great prices.

Mana Bread

Date-Manna Bread

For this recipe, use organic wheat. Much of our wheat is now treated with the herbicide Roundup to “ripen it quickly.” This kills most of the seeds and they will not sprout. Put 4 cups of organic wheat in a plastic ice cream pail that has had holes punched in the lid. A large jar would work as well. Soak the wheat for a few minutes; then invert the container to drain most of the water. Repeat this several times as necessary. When the sprouts are ½ to ¾ the length of the grains of wheat, they are ready. In a warm house, it is possible to start the process before supper, repeat the soaking before going to bed and then again the next morning; the wheat will usually be ready that evening. If it is ready too soon, put it in the refrigerator until you can use it.

2 cups sprouted organic wheat
flour as needed(I use oat flour)
½ lb. dates
¼ tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 300°F.

Place the sprouted wheat in a food processor and whir it until it is ground up and pasty. Add flour until the mixture is doughy. Fold in the dates, raisins, and spices and process a little more to mix. Form into small loaves or one larger loaf. Bake for about 2½ hours.

Answer to prayer

So since my little Andi was born she has struggled with thrush(yeast in mouth) and an infected eye. My Doctor said it just needed to be wiped with a warm cloth and then given nystatin, and if it continued they would do a small surgery at 9 months. I did colloidal silver, baking soda, and the nystatin, nearly everything for a while then didn't feel good since she continued to throw up and the tongue and eye would not clear up. I prayed. I then visited the Utah Valley Health clinic and they said it was yeast that had traveled up her duct and that it was an issue with me, and as soon as I cleared up the yeast in me it would clear up. So we both went on a pro biotic and then I felt strongly to have some colonics to clear out the yeast...I know tons of fun:) So in a long story short, I had 3 colonics this week and her tongue and eye has cleared up. I am so thankful for answers to prayer.

Lunch for Littles

After we made our Green Avocado Berry Shakes this morn this is what we came up with lunch since the blender, vine ripe tomatoes and avocados were already conveniently out on the counter.

We made

Gazpacho!!!

4-6 vine ripe tomatoes
1 red bell pep
1 english cucumber
olive oil 1/2 C
Salt, garlic pwdr and cayenne and fresh lime to taste
Blend until smooth
Serve with avocados and mung bean sprouts

We like this cool soup with a sprouted tortilla or those amazing Spicy Brown rice crackers from Costco

what would you do?

I took my kids to Texas for a little R and R for the weekend. Amazingly enough I went alone and it was actually relaxing for me too! In Texas everything is meat and potato's, even the deli was void of any veggie option. I asked around for a natural food store, I got blank stares! I did eventually find one, but to my dismay it was too far away. So here is the question. What do you do in a situation like this? i thought i would have to be a little liberal, but I wasn't prepared to this extent. Ignorant me thought there would be a grocery store that carried at least some sort of option, but no. I found myself very hungry upon arriving home. I travel alone a lot, I am usually already packed to the brim without filling a suitcase full of food too. So does anyone have any traveling tips or experiences that doesn't eat the Standard American Diet?

On the bright side, the last night there I found the most delicious tacos I have ever eaten. If i would have found them sooner i would have eaten them for every meal, mushroom and squash tacos with sweet tomatoes, cabbage and a big thick slice of avocado on top, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

ashley...i love all these recipes. keep up the good work!

Fish Anyone?

So I loooooooooooooove fish. I am just one of those, it makes me feel so good.
Tonight for dinner we have on the menu:

Baked Orange Rufee lightly seasoned with garlic salt and mesquite herb(spice hunter)
Steamed artichokes (thank you Costco)
and cut up bell peps and pea pods
I also added some multi grain bread for fillers for the hubby and Beau:)

A Birthday Cake

A dear friend requested a birthday cake recipe and this was the one I was most fond of when we created and tested hundreds of recipes for the ph Miracle books. For more and more great recipes consider investing in the pHmiracle and cooking books www.phmiracleliving.com

Carrot Seed Cake with Whipped topping

1 C spelt flour
1/2 C ground amaranth flour
1/2 C seed flour (raw pumpkin,sunflower,sesame and flax)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp real salt
1/2 tsp green raw stevia powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 C soy or almond milk
1/3 C of coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
2 C organic grated carrots

Preheat oven 350.
Grind seed flour
Combine dry ingredients and mix well
Combine liquid ingredients
Mix together and then fold in carrots
Pour into oiled 8X8 pan.
Bake for 20 minutes and serve with Whipped topping

Whipped topping

1/2 Carton silken tofu
1/3 C coconut milk
2 tsp non alcohol vanilla (Fronteir brand)
1/4 tsp stevia
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Blend ingredients until smooth and creamy in food processor

What's for Dinner?

Good stuff as always...

Warm Quinoa Tabbouleh, Green Shake and Kale Salad

I won't post the Kale Salad or the Green shake since they are posted in previous posts. I did add mixed berries again for the kids though:)

Warm Tabbouleh

3 Cups cooked Quinoa
1-2 large bunches of Organic parsley finely chooped
4 vine ripe organic tomatoes finely chopped
juice of 1 lime or lemon
olive oil and garlic real salt to taste (at the end)

Combine all raw ingredients in with the cooked Quinoa and serve. I just drench it at the end with the oil and salt until I like the taste:)

Ashr Muesli

Ashr Muesli

4 C raw GF Oats, and or raw buckwheat
4-5 C organic coconut milk (or almond)
1/2 C sliced almonds
1/8 C raw pumpkin seeds, sunflower ,sesame and hemp seeds and chia
1/2 C raw shredded org coconut
Sweeten with agave ,honey or a bit of coconut sugar and cinnamon to taste:)

Combine all ingredients, let it sit overnight in a large bowl covered in the fridge for at least an hour or leave it overnight for a yummy morning meal. This makes quite a bit so you can feed your whole family. Top with fresh berries, walnuts or whatever your heart desires:)

Sat Nam, Ash

A Sweet Treat

These are a great sweet treat once in a while

Cocoa Coconut Macaroons


-6 cups dried unsweetened raw coconut flakes
-1.5 cups raw cacao powder
-1.5 cups agave nectar
-4 tbsp virgin coconut oil

In a bowl, whisk the coconut flakes with the cacao powder until all the coconut becomes brown. Mix the agave nectar with the coconut oil until well incorporated and pour into the bowl with the other ingredients. Stir with a spatula to blend everything and then mix some more with your hands to make sure everything is sticking together. Now take a measuring spoon of 1 tbsp and scoop out 1 tbsp of pressed and leveled cookie mixture. Place it on a non-stick sheet lined on a dehydrator tray. Continue until you use up all the dough. Once you have all your cookies shaped, dehydrate* them for about 20-24 hours at 41 C (105 F)

Breakfast Time Again

Beau and I made granola tonight while the boys were at the game. This is a gluten free recipe for my CharLee Bear who looooves granola in the morning.

Raw Gluten Free Granola

3 C organic rolled oats
1 C raw buckwheat groats
1 C org sesame seeds
1 C org sunflower seeds
1/2 C ground flax seeds
1/2 C hemp seeds
1/4 C pH Miracle biolive sprout powder
1/2 C org almond butter
Cinnamon and Agava nectar to desired taste

I store it in the fridge in a large ziplock or container. Good in the morn with coconut, almond, soy or raw milk.

Utah Valley Health Clinic

I have received some help from this great holistic clinic in Orem. It is a ND clinic. I highly recommend it to all who seek out answers for their own and their kids health.
Their phone number is #801-374-5677

Me and baby Andi met with Julie, she was great. The prices are also very reasonable considering they don't take insurance.

I also recommend Dr. Diana Farley Jones, our family doctor who is an MD and a ND. She is located in North Lehi, #801-407-3000.

Hope this helps:)

Greenshakesandgiggles.com

This is a fun web site with some more ideas, they have actually taken quite a few of their recipes from my parents books. I too love the kale tacos. Enjoy!!!
www.greenshakesandgiggles.com

Epsom or 4 salts

A round about way of detoxing through the skin without doing dry heat saunas is to take a bath with a big scoop (I use about a Cup) of Epsom salts(cheap at Walmart) or 4salts (phmiracle). Also makes your skin feel so soft.

so simple and so yummy

Our new favorite dessert!

Frozen bananas
chocolate hemp milk
and a magic bullet

I love vegan ice cream. It is really easy to make, but let's face it, right now in my life I need easier than easy. So I have come up with this, it whips up in two seconds and is equal to chocolate ice cream. It does have quite a bit of sugar so it's definitely a treat.

Healthy Food Storage Find Yeah!

So I am sooooooo excited. I found a Food Storage Place called Alpine Food Storage. They are in Highland and have alot of Natural food storage items I have been looking for like Brown Rice flour, other grains, bulk sprouts, seeds, Coconut oil etc...and she even said they would order in almond milk and bulk green leaf stevia. They also have an awesome gluten free sugar free pancake mix my kids loooooooove.

If you would like the info:

11800 No. 6000 W. Highland, Utah 84003. Contact us at: 801-319-9111

It is an answer to many prayers and not just for me but for my son who is sensitive to wheat, I feel so grateful.

Today Breakfast Green Almond juice

1 cucumber
handful Kale
4-5 handfuls spinach
1 stalk celery with leaves

Strain after you juice and then add 1/4 Almond milk to 3/4 juice.
So good soothing and sustaining:)It is a bit hard though to want the juice in the winter time I will admit.

Food for the Soul

Loved this talk and the requests from our Relief Society president last week


Talk: C. Max Caldwell, “Love of Christ,” Ensign, Nov 1992, 29, online link is: http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsplocale=0&sourceId=892a9209df38b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12: 1-13

(Try to read the talk before looking at the challenges) :)

Challenges:
Elder Calwell talked about there being three aspects to the love of Christ which are:

1. Love for Christ
2. Love from Christ
3. Love like Christ

There will be one challenge for each aspect. Pick one or more to focus on. They are:

1. Love for Christ: When you express love and gratitude to your Heavenly Father in your prayers, thank him for the challenges and difficult things going on in your life as well as the other blessings you have received.
2. Love from Christ: As you strive to repent and ask for the Lord's forgiveness, ask for help to forgive yourself of current and past wrongs as a way to more fully utilize the gift of the atonement.
3. Love like Christ: Think of a relationship you are struggling with right now. Pray for help to see that person as the Lord sees them then do one or more acts of kindness for that person that you wouldn't normally do.

Kids Shake and Prayer

So this morning I decided to make the kids shake a bit more enjoyable, added banana and Costco's berries

1 Avocado
handful spinach
1 eng cucumber
juice of 3 limes
green stevia to taste
1 banana
1 C berries
scoop of hemp and salba seed and super soy sprouts
tray of ice cubes

blend in Vitamix until consistency is like a smoothie:)

I am also so thankful for Prayer and the Priesthood
All to often I try to rely on my own mortal mind to receive my answers and I learn over and over again to rely and trust the Lord. This is my thing. . .I just need to Trust him completely like he has put His trust in me. I have received many answers to prayer this week because of this simple concept. . .I am learning to put complete trust in Him and not rely on my own mortal mind.

Prayer and Meditation Create Inner Fortitude.

I got to read today. There was enough time to sit down, open a book and read a few pages before getting disrupted. I loved it. Because my time to read is limited I try to make it good. Today's section was the importance of prayer and meditation. The author explained the importance of personal prayer every morning and every night. How this practice can bring wholeness and balance with your creator. She goes on to explain how she had gotten distracted with the many challenges that come with balancing children and life (she is a stay-at-home mom)and she had slipped out of practice of prayer and meditation. She went to a confessional and lamented to a Fransiscan friar her struggles. His response to her I thought was so profound and tender. It really resonated with me. He told her that her very life as a mother was a prayer. When you think of that doesn't that just have a tremendous impact? When busy in the job of mothering that single act is a prayer. I am not professing that only women that have kiddos running around are the only ones mothering. I am saying the act of mothering, those that nurture and care for not only their children, but also others are actually engaged in sacred prayer. Such a great thought. The very life as a mother is a prayer. Very good!

He Loves Us

Had a blessing today and this scripture I read this eve before bed, Heavenly Father really is concerned with what might seem my little insignificant life; he does care and love me.


And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter and that ye may know of a surety that I the Lord do visit my people in their afflictions.
Mosiah 24:14

Good Night Sweet Dreams.

The NON Mac & Cheese

So I have been trying to create a non cheesy non gluten Mac and Cheese. This is what I came up with:

1 bag of Brown Rice pasta shells, cooked drained and
drizzled with Olive oil.

For the Cheese type sauce:
puree together
1/8 water,
handful spinach
tablespoon Salba seed
2 spoonfuls avocado
1/4 C org coconut milk
and salt to taste

A "cheesy" sauce has an oily salty creamy texture, so I found this combo to not only be that, but also fortified with soooo much goodness.

However, I feel it might take a bit to ween the kids from the real "cheesy" Mac if they are used to it, I have read that Cheese has brain addictive properties, Good Luck:)

Good Snacks

Snacks we like after church

Green Apples/Celery with Almond butter on top
Mung Bean Sprouts
Mandarin oranges
Sprouted Wheat Tortillas
Flax seed snacks/crackers (Barbara's brand)

Salba Salad

1/16/10

Salba seeds are so nutritious, in fact, that Dr. Vuksan claims that just three ounces of Salba contains as much omega-3 as eating 28 ounces of salmon, as much calcium as drinking three glasses of milk, as much fibre as eating a cup of All-Bran, as much iron as 5 cups of raw spinach, as much vegetable protein as a cup of kidney beans, as much potassium as a banana and as much vitamin C as eating 7 oranges!

Combine

Steamed Quinoa
Salba seed
Mung bean sprouts
organic salsa
avocado
grape tomatoes

Mix and put Udo's oil on top.

Yummy Yummy lunch or breakfast

Try Sprouts

01/14/10

Try Sprouting. You can get great tray sprouters at Good Earth or any health food store. Today we put mung beans in our sprouter. You first soak your desired seeds overnight in water in the fridge and then rinse them morn and night for 2-3 days until they sprout. You can sprout all kinds of seeds and grains. We love to sprout our wheat for mana bread, sun seeds, quinoa, sunflower and there is also a good multi seed bean mix you can buy. Sprouting adds like 10 times the nutrient value. We love to snack on them and put them in our salads, soups and just as a side dish.


Another great grab snack we make sure to have is soaked almonds in the fridge. By soaking your almonds you increase the Oxygen content making them easier to digest. You can also make spreads, sauces and dressings with them. Many recipes in all the Ph Miracle books and the Back to the House of Health books.

Soup

1/13/10
Today we made

Coconut Creme Broccoli soup

1 onion diced
3 Cups org Broccoli
8-10 C Veggie Broth (I make my own with my dehydrated veggies in the vita mix)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tsp Herbs de Provence (Spice Hunter)
1/2 can organic coconut milk

Saute onion and chopped up broccoli stalks in 4 tbsp coconut oil for 5 minutes on low. Add Broth, broccoli florets and spices, simmer on low for 10- 15 minutes. Transfer half the soup to the vita mix, blend and then add back into the soup. Last add the cococut milk.
We like to serve this with diced avocados,and sprouted tortillas(Ezekiel) with coconut oil and salt.

Bon Apetit

A few ideas to start

1/12/10
Breakfast
Lime avocado shake:
Blend together
1 eng cucumber
juice of 3 limes
1 avocado
handful spinach
1 C almond milk
1/2 tsp green org stevia
lots of ice
We love this in the morn:)

Lunch

Kale Salad
bunch kale
olive oil
veggie dehydrate mix
1 red onion chopped
avocado

Dinner

Brown rice pasta or spaghetti squash
vegan pesto
steamed broccoli

1/11/10

Tha kids and I made green juice. We juiced 1 english cucumber, 1 stalk celery and several handfuls spinach. We then mix it with 1/4 almond milk to 3/4 juice. So so yummy.

1/10/10

Hearty breakfast idea
3 C sprouted buckwheat/wheat or other grain
1/2 cup minced raw org dates
1 tsp cinnamon
pour almond or coconut milk over it and serve