Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins

Road Trippin' with the mini muffins


The family's been mostly grain-free for the past 3 months and we're feeling good!

Why eggs and why so many? Eggs are a natural source of choline - a nutrient that is essential for healthy brain function and for all the cells in the body to function normally. They're high in assimilable protein, folic acid, vitamins B6, B12, iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. The egg is one of the few foods to naturally contain Vitamin D. I'm going to try these muffins without eggs too and if results are good, I'll post the recipe.

Coconut flour is naturally sweet, so less sweetener is needed. It can be found in any health food store. Its more expensive than other flours, but remember you need MUCH LESS, so it lasts much longer.

This Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffin recipe is to LIVE for! Its gluten-free, high in protein and has no refined anything (sweetened with raw honey). If you make them, please post below and tell me what you think!

1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt or himalayan salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
grated zest of 1 lemon
6 eggs, organic and pastured if possible
1/3 cup raw honey (so the enzymes are intact to help break it down)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted but barely warm
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (Wyman's wild blueberries are my choice when our summer supply has run out)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut flour, salt, baking soda and lemon zest. In a large bowl, mix eggs, honey, melted coconut oil and vanilla until well combined. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until smooth, then add blueberries. Pour into greased muffin tins (I grease mine with coconut oil). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tested done. Or use mini-muffins tins and cook for 15 minutes or until tested done. Kid approved!

Finding The Balance of Work and Mothering

After spending the past 3 weeks working diligently on my business, staying up until 1:00am and then waking at 6am, the imbalance is quickly setting in.

Always being an adventurous soul, I decided to jump in with both feet to really get my business Vitality Ventures up and running in full form. Its a business that's been almost dead for over 5 years.

Although I'm so happy to be doing what I love, I admit that I'm exhausted. This rolls over into my boys' lives as well, meaning that I'm trying to get work done while they eat lunch or while they're playing in the backyard. I miss playing with my children.

Therefore, I enter the ring, fighting with balance once again.

What Holimamas out there have found the balance between work and family without putting their children into childcare a few days per week? Is it possible?

Babysitters are great, but what about changing the paradigm a bit so that we work as community? What if every community created their own babysitting cooperative?

Parents could take turns watching each others' children while work was being done by moms and dads, appointments were attended to and shopping and tasks were easily taken care of.

Its time we Holimamas and parents created solid community again. Communities of trust, understanding and companionship.

Here goes! My local community childplay co-op is beginning!

Stay tuned for updates to this exciting project to bring community back!

Good Mood Food Part Deux

Buddha Bowl

Raw Cacao Torte

Raw Fruit Breakfast "Pizza"

Arame-Hijiki-Kelp Noodle Salad

Summertime Burrito

Kale Chips

Strawberry Soup w/ Macadamia Creme

Coconut Rice with Edamame

Coconut Buckwheat Lime Animal Cookies

The 3 Year Old Special

Blackberry Swirl Raw Vegan Cheezcake

Goji Thumbprint Cookie

Quinoa Pie with Butternut Squash

Hearty Miso Soup

Almond & Coconut Flours Banana Muffins

Good For You - Good Mood Food

raw vegan thai wrap


basic lentils


sprouted garbanzo bean burger


coconut covered raw vegan chocolate truffles

Favorite Seasonal Salad

This salad is a daily staple for us during the holiday season. Even my 5 year old gobbled it! Pardon the Thanksgiving pun.

Pardon the photo. I wanted to get something up here before it was gobbled away. My one year old already ate the pears! Hemp seeds added for lunch today...just because.

Make this as a dinner salad, bring it to a potluck or as a great dinner party salad. Its even great for breakfast!


Holiday Season Salad

Salad mix of spinach and arugula
1 Bosc pear or pear of choice, sliced thinly
seeds of 1 pomegranate
1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped or crumbled
1/4 cup hemp seeds (optional)

Dressing changes, but here are our favorites: my husband loves a japanese ginger vinaigrette on it. I like an orange ginger dressing.

Orange Ginger Dressing

2 oranges, juiced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 inch piece ginger, grated
1/2 tsp. salt

Whisk together or shake in a closed container.

Super simple.

Super delicious!

in JOY!

food photos galore!

After receiving so many requests to post my food photos from Facebook onto my blog, I'm finally taking the plunge. I've been holding out to be more organized, have more time...I could find a million excuses. Its now just time to do it.

So, over the next few days/weeks, I'll be posting pics with snippets of info and recipes.

I hope you enjoy them! All my recipe creations are health-oriented and contain the best foods ever!

Please feel free to comment on the blog or send me a note!

living off local foods

This peach tomato salad was inspired by a photo my friend Maura took of a salad she's been nibbling on every single day this summer. Thanks em!

This summer I've been trying to live off of local foods as much as possible for myself and my family. Our local farmer's market has been a Saturday morning staple. We also are members of an organic food co-op which gets a majority of our summertime produce from local Hudson Valley farmers.

When children know where their food comes from and see how the food is grown, I find they are more willing to try it.

Changing our world starts in our own communities.

Teach our children the lesson of getting involved in their community. Teach them to know their farmers, introduce them, make it a weekly trip so that they get familiar and look forward to the event. It can be much more than a lesson of where their food comes from, it can be a lesson in getting involved and knowing their community. Make it a social outing! Meet friends and have a picnic under a tree! Its a great way to spend a day!

Local Farmers Market Summer Peachy Salad

2 peaches
1 large red tomato
1 ear corn cut from cob
1 cucumber (I chose a lemon cucumber)
handful basil leaves, chiffonade
salt & pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil, a few squirts (optional)

large lettuce or collard leaves (optional) to use as a shell for the salad. just roll it up and you have a salad burrito!

Chop all ingredients. For chiffonade, lay basil leaves on top of one another to form a pile. Roll the leaves up into themselves, then cut thinly. When unrolled, the basil will be long, thin strips. Blend all ingredients together and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to mix flavors. Its a super easy and delicious salad.

If your kids don't like basil, omit it or decrease the amount and chop it up very small just to give the salad some color. You can talk with your kids about the colors of the rainbow and see what colors are in this salad. There should be red, orange, yellow, and green. You could add some blueberries for a cool taste too. That may be delicious! (we eat all colors of the rainbow every day! I think I just stumbled across my next topic!)

Hemp milk for the masses

Hemp with a capital H. Nope, there's no THC in this high protein superfood. Save that for the ganja plants. Hemp, or Cannabis Sativa, seeds contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life. (http://www.ratical.org/renewables/hempseed1.html)

About 30–35% of the weight of hempseed is hempseed oil, an edible oil that contains about 80% EFAs; i.e., linolenic acid, omega-6, omega-3, in addition to gamma-linolenic acid, gamma 6 and stearidonic acid, omega-3. Whole hempseed also contains about 25% of a highly-digestible protein, where 1/3 is edestin and 2/3 are albumins. Its amino acid profile is close to "complete" when compared to more common sources of proteins such as meat, milk, eggs and soy. The proportions of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid in one tablespoon (15 ml) per day of hemp oil easily provides human daily requirements for EFAs. Unlike flaxseed oil, hemp oil can be used continuously without developing a deficiency or other imbalance of EFAs. This has been demonstrated in a clinical study, where the daily ingestion of flaxseed oil decreased the endogenous production of GLA (Schwab U, Callaway J, Erkkilä A, Gynther J, Uusitupa M, Järvinen T (2006). Effects of hempseed and flaxseed oils on the profile of serum lipids, serum total and lipoprotein lipid concentrations and haemostatic. European Journal of Nutrition 45(8):470-7.).

Hempseed is an adequate source of calcium and iron. Whole hempseeds are also a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese.

From what I've read, there are no known allergies to hemp seeds. Great news! I've begun making and drinking hemp milk for the past couple of months. My kids have joined in. My 10 month old even eats hemp goodness. His fave is peach- blueberry-hemp pudding.

If you've never had a hemp seed, they are tiny like the size of a sesame seed. Hemp seeds are soft and have a unique yet mild taste. You can find them in the health food store. Lucian, my 4 year old son snacks on them. We sprinkle them on salads and make this awesome hemp milk.

At the raw foods restaurant I worked at in NYC, they made an electrolyte lemonade using hemp oil to give it mega nutrition. I also include it in salad dressings and desserts. The oil has a strong taste, so must be used sparingly so as not to overtake the taste of the creation.

Best of all, its a totally renewable resource that is easy to grow and harvest. Although hemp is not legal to grow in the U.S. under federal law due to its relationship to marijuana, some states have defied federal law and made the cultivation of industrial hemp legal. They are still fighting the Federal Drug Administration to grow. The hemp seeds I buy from our local stores are grown and harvested in Canada.

Hemp Milk

1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup honey or agave
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. sea salt (or himalayan pink salt)
1 Tbsp. lecithin (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups filtered/purified water

Blend all ingredients and 1/2 the water (2 cups) together for 1 minute in a high powered blender or until smooth. This may be filtered through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to make it extra smooth (although it quite smooth as is). Add the other 2 cups of water and blend thoroughly. Add love and your personal sunshine and enJOY!!!

finding simplicity

Many parents tend to keep themselves and their children busy stating that if they don't have things to do, they will go bonkers. They plan playdates, summer camp, special trips and such on a daily basis. By the end of a day, their children and they are falling apart at the seams.

My goal for the past few months has been to keep life simple. I took my 4 year old out of preschool since he has another year before entering kindergarten. This was the last chance we had at spending days together. It was tough at first, especially with an infant, but as time went on, we got into a rhythm of enjoying the day. yes, cartoons definitely became an everyday occurrance, but is that so so bad? I mean, really??? Keeping it fun and educational is key. I put an end to the mindless superhero cartoons mighty quickly.

We began meal planning and making meals together. Constructing fortresses and turning our sleeping porch into a "pirate ship" has been an ongoing adventure. Planting a garden from seed and checking daily (or 7 times per day) to see what pops up has been a great experience. Making minimal plans each week and simply waking up, playing in bed for a bit, making breakfast and then deciding, "what do we want to do today" has become a daily way of life. Sometimes its a simple hike, or constructing a helicopter-motorcycle out of legos or we can go on a totally spur of the moment trip somewhere we've never been.

The lessons learned are these: Slow down. Remember to breathe. Have fun - even if you're not in the mood to.

Children grow up so quickly, why are we in such a rush to get them out of the house, having someone else to teach them, feed them and babysit them all day long? I had children to create quality sentient beings who can make a difference in the world. Yes, I've lost a bit of my freedom, but I know it will return soon enough. Others seem to be more concerned about it than I am!

Although some moments are difficult, all in all, I smile and laugh with them, my heart gushes with pure love when I open my eyes in the morning and see their faces looking at me. Remembering that these moments pass quickly helps me be 'in the moment' more often.

Here are some tips for enjoying the summer with children:

~Make a list of places you'd like to go and things you'd like to do. Some will be actual events on specific days. Set those days in your calendar. Save the list for spontaneous outings.

~If you have a yard, plant a garden. Get your children involved. Who cares if the watermelon grows where the broccoli is (which is what's happening in our garden right now). This is how children learn.

~In moments when you are feeling frustrated or overwhelmed, be honest with your children in how you're feeling and ask them to give you a minute. Just 1 minute. Go to another room, sit down, close your eyes and breathe deeply through your nose (inhalations and exhalations) 30 times which will take about 30 seconds. Then sit with your eyes closed for another 30 seconds. The oxygen you just sent to your brain will immediately calm you down and get you relaxed. guaranteed. Its an old Ayurvedic practice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmAZb_ShnQk

~Take a hike! Whether you live in the country or the city, just put on your shoes (or go shoeless if you love to feel connected to Mama Earth) and go for a walk. Just be outside with no destination. Its amazing how fun it is and what amazing things you can discover together. Remember to stop and smell the roses!

~Remember its okay to just be. The more we allow our children to just "be", the more they get used to it and their creative minds take over. It is a beautiful process to witness. Trust in the process. It may be bumpy at first and that is okay. Trust.

My wee one is waking from his afternoon nap now while the older one is at the playground with Dad. Time to just hang out in the sunshine and just be.

xoxo

Spring Cleaning!

okay Holimamas and papas too! cleaning our bodies is up on the list starting this weekend. take some time this week to think about and write down what you'd like to accomplish in the next couple of weeks personally.

i'd like to
1. be more physically active
2. cut out the sugar from my diet (yes, including fruit!) and
3. be more laid back

cleansing will officially start on Sunday!

sign up on the discussion boards NOW: http://vitalityventures.proboards.com

so, what does this cleanse entail?

since this is not one of my structured cleanses for clients, you can do whatever you'd like. i will be writing about green smoothies, cultured foods/drinks and getting my veggies on!

what are green smoothies you ask? green smoothies are any regular fruit smoothie (sans the milk or yogurt) with a green veggie thrown into the mix. many first starting on this like the sweet smoothies that include bananas, mangoes, pineapples, etc. simply make a smoothie of your favorite fruits, add around 1-2 cups of water and a green of choice. the green can be anything from celery to collards! favorites of mine include kale, spinach, romaine and sunflower sprouts.

bananas are a great base if you're going for the fruit smoothies. they thicken up the smoothie like a yogurt would. if you like it cold, peel the bananas, then freeze them! berries are perfect as well.

some foods to extract from your diet while on the cleanse:

-dairy
-animal products
-bread or any flour product
-sugar, including honey, maple syrup and agave nectar (besides fruit)
-any processed foods

remove these sooner rather than later! DO NOT binge the night before the cleanse. you will be very very sad the first day of the cleanse if you do so! by removing these foods now, you'll have a smooth transition and be a much happier person!

although you love these foods, they slow down a cleanse and are counter-productive to what you will be doing. they slow down digestion, add extra hormones and chemicals to the body and create more work for the body to do. the point of a cleanse is to give the body a break from digesting big foods so that it can focus on healing. include high fiber foods to brush out the intestines and colon naturally.

buy a large amount of foods before the cleanse starts. also, take an afternoon or evening to meal plan your family's meals throughout the cleanse so you don't have to worry about it while cleansing. been there, done that. trust me, it helps!

you may decide to replace 1 meal with a green smoothie and eat 2 regular meals, or replace all 3 meals and just go liquid for the cleanse. its all up to you! if you decide to eat 1 meal per day, i suggest making it lunch as digestive fires are most productive between the hours of 10am and 2pm. so, have a green smoothie for breakfast, a regular lunch like a big ol' salad and a green smoothie for dinner. oh, and when you drink your green smoothies, you should drink them until you're full. not just 1 skimpy glass. go for it! put your green monsters in a huge jar and carry them around with you all day!

here's my personal option:

since i'm nursing a 7 month old, i will be including some fat for extra calories in my diet from avocados and some nuts and seeds like soaked almonds, sunflower seeds and such.

i'll have a big ol' green smoothie for breakfast made out of things like granny smith apple, celery, romaine lettuce, avocado and cilantro (i'm personally staying away from fruit besides the occasional berry). i also will be drinking coconut water kefir every morning to replenish my digestive flora that seems to be a bit off kilter. (see the Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates for more info on this).

lunch will be food. i eat very well and cleanly as it is, so will have salads, nuts, seeds and maybe seed-grains like quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth and millet depending on my milk supply as i go through this. (i've never cleansed while breastfeeding such a young babe, so this will be a first - just have to make sure i get enough calories).

dinner will be another green smoothie. i adore blended salads, so this will probably be my choice. i consume them like a soup. the more sunflower sprouts, the better! i adore them!

snacks will most likely be needed in between meals for myself, so i'll keep them handy. for those of you who are consuming fruit, just keep tons of it handy: bananas, apples, grapes, citrus...

if you're looking to go hog wild on this cleanse, stay away from all fats. you'll get some big results most likely!

with cleansing, there are often detoxification symptoms one may expect. symptoms can include one or more of the following:

-moodiness, mood swings
-feeling tired and lethargic
-halitosis (bad breath)
-skin eruptions (acne, eczema, ...)
-sluggish bowels or overactive bowels
-difficulty focusing/brain fog
-bloating/water retention

there are great symptoms that may occur as well:

-need less sleep
-extra energy
-feelings of strength and vitality
-feeling focused
-bowel regularity
-better skin (smoother, smaller pores, more hydrated)

i've created an online board for us to support one another and share experiences and recipes. please go to http://vitalityventures.proboards.com. take a moment to register (kept completely confidential - for our privacy's sake) and you'll be all set. that's the only sign up you have to do!

feel free to leave me a message or email me if you'd like to share anything, let me know you're joining or have any questions.

i will get into depth about my experiences with cleanses, why i've chosen the no-fruit way and how we can all achieve optimal results on this cleanse no matter the phase that you are doing.

so, join me! support is wanted and needed by YOU!

http://vitalityventures.proboards.com

post questions on the discussion boards please!

in health and happiness,
Stanzi
Holimama

Holimama spring cleanse - join me!

hello you beautiful Holimamas out there!

we're in the thick of winter now and all I can think about is Spring! its been a long few months with lots of twists and turns. I feel like I need a cleanse on all levels. since I'm a full-time breastfeeding mama, the cleanse must be safe at meeting my caloric and nutritional needs. this only means one thing...

GREEN SMOOTHIES!!!


will you join me?



when: at the start of Spring; sunday, march 21st through sunday, march 28th

where: wherever you are

who: for all the Holimamas out there. I created an online board so we can all stay connected. we can post support, green smoothie recipes, concerns, and inspiration.

why: for all of us Holimamas out in the world (breastfeeding or not) to feel our best so that we may have our families feeling their best. mothers are sacred. we must treat ourselves like the goddesses we are so that we may treat our families like they deserve to be treated: like the radiant beings of light they are born to be.

cost: FREE! I'm needing as much support as anyone else right now. after giving birth 5 1/2 months ago, just moving, it being freezing out, and having a few winter colds, its time to embrace the arrival of Spring and to a renewal of our bodies!

I will create a online discussion board so we can all support each other. I will post everything right on the board including, tips, recipes, inspiration and such. I urge you to share as well.

registration is required to post to the board (this is to keep pests away). its free too! i've been using these boards for a few years and they are totally safe!

let's be ultimate Holimamas and get happy, healthy and inspired together!

xoxo
Stanzi

3 months!

Wow - its been too long! Birth was 3 months ago and I'm only now getting back to this blog. There is so much to share and catch up on.

Quickly, I had a beautiful homebirth on August 26th (one day past my due date). My son, Cale Sebastian entered the world with ease. My birth story will be posted in the upcoming days. The 3 month "fourth trimester" was great. I healed with ease (there was a minimal tear that needed no stitching), and entered the world of multiple children nicely. My sprout, Lucian, adjusted nicely and loves his little brother (although I do find him, lets just call it, "teasing" his brother now and then).

I haven't had time to eat quite as well as I had hoped (I miss my daily green juices - I have them only a couple times per week now), but am doing the absolute best I can. With the changing seasons, my foods change as well. I add more cooked soups and stews to my dining wardrobe, following many Ayurvedic principles. Cooked grains like quinoa and brown rice become staples as do winter vegetables like sweet potatoes and butternut squash.

Its getting to be Winter and it gets very dry in our house when the heat is on, so we use warm-mist humidifiers in our bedrooms, we moisturize with coconut or sesame oil daily, take Vitamin D3 (sunshine in a bottle), and will begin using neti pot and nasal oil to keep moist. Doing a quick morning massage with oil gets the circulation pumping as well (especially when exercise is not an option for us moms who have too much to do in the a.m.). Deep breathing is always a must to clean out the system and keep stress levels down. Fresh air, even at its coldest does wonders for the body, so we try to get outside every day. A favorite Ayurvedic doctor of mine is Dr. John Douillard of LifeSpa.com. Here is his Winter Survival Tips with a Winter Grocery List: http://www.lifespa.com/article.aspx?art_id=57.

I've been doing a lot of research on immunity building, so I will be giving that topic a visit as well.

Have the happiest of Thanksgivings!

xoxo

Superfood Chocolate Smoothie!!

37 weeks tomorrow. Baby Marshmallow began to drop on Saturday. That means that its head has fully dropped into my pelvis and is engaged (can't float back out). I was completely exhausted Saturday afternoon - to the point where I could barely keep my eyes open during dinner which is super-unusual for my super-energetic self. Today, I woke up exhausted again. We ended up going out to play and I made a superfood smoothie to try to redeem myself without much luck. We ended up coming back home and had to slip in a video for Lucian while I took a snooze on the sofa. Mmmmm, that felt goooooood! We spent this afternoon with friends at their community lake (thanks Donna and Yahli!) and I got home realizing that my feet were killing me. I took a look at my belly in the mirror and WOW! It looks like it sank a good 5 inches south!

So, as far as timeline goes, what does this mean? Well, I haven't looked at my pregnancy calendar from my first birth, so I don't know how much time lapsed between dropping and birth. It can be anywhere from a day to 2 weeks. Nonetheless, at 37 weeks, I'm pretty sure I'm going to push this babe out with some days to spare to the due date.

Still feeling great though! My pelvis is really separating now which I can feel when I get up in the morning. Its much wider than it was for my first pregnancy which is great since my son got stuck on my pubic bone when I was pushing him out. Feet are still in great condition with no swelling. Last pregnancy I had severe carpal tunnel syndrome in my hands to the point where I couldn't hold a pencil. This pregnancy I've had none. I even raced Lovesprout down the driveway yesterday! He won of course. I feel very strong - strong legs from doing so many squats on a daily basis, strong knees, arms are still strong probably from picking up 35 pound Lucian daily, and even my abdominal muscles feel strong! I can still tighten them!

I ate a couple of sprouted lentil burgers for dinner. We made the cooked version since we were running short on time. The raw version takes time to dehydrate and I didn't plan the day out that well today. Also had some ginger beets, so I feel good with the protein (from the legumes) and iron (from lentils and beets) that was consumed today! Had my daily green juice, watermelon, smoothie and veggies too. Even had a trail mix with cashews, pumpkin seeds, goji berries and a sprinkling of cacao nibs.

So, I posted on my Facebook page some piccies of my superfood smoothie that we gulp down each morning. Allow me to share the recipe with you!

Stanzi's Simple Superfood Smoothie

2 cups almond mylk (see directions below)
2-3 Tbsp. hemp seeds
1 Tbsp. bee pollen
1 1/2 Tbsp. raw honey
2 Tbsp. raw cacao powder
1 tsp. maca powder
1 Tbsp. goji berries
1 Tbsp coconut oil (optional)
1 tsp. Vitamineral Green, or powdered greens of choice (optional)
4-6 ice cubes

Blend all together until smooth. Pour into a beautiful glass with a superfun straw and drink with the morning sunlight streaming on your face. Adjust amounts to your taste. Makes 2 servings.

You can also freeze this in popsicle molds for an awesome anytime snack!

The kids L-O-V-E this deliciousness.

Here's my simple recipe for Almond Mylk:

1 cup almonds, soaked overnight
6 cups water

Blanch soaked almonds in hot water for a few minutes, then remove skins (they should pop right off - takes about 5 minutes to do this). Put naked almonds and water in a blender and blend on high for 1 minute (if you have a Vita-Mix, you can blend for 30 seconds). Using a nutmilk bag or cheesecloth, strain the liquid into a large bowl. The "pulp" will be left in the bag/cheesecloth which you can use in another raw recipe or discard in your compost. Keep mylk in a closed container in the refrigerator. Keeps for about 5 days.


xoxo

July 27, 2009

One more month to go. That's REALLY hard to believe! The baby is quickly gaining weight and wiggling around to get comfortable and find more room. I'm still happy to report that I've had no swelling of the feet or hands, no incredible weight gains, elimination is still regular, blood pressure is fantastic (last checked was 105 over 58), and I'm sleeping pretty well other than more wake-ups to pee during the night due to baby getting bigger and putting more pressure on my bladder.

The waddle is definitely happening. Lucian and I went on a short hike to gobble wild raspberries and I felt a lot of pressure in my lower abdominal area. It definitely makes me slow down. We came home, I sat down and had some Braxton Hicks. The kundalini yoga I've been doing kept me focused and I smoothly breathed through them and stayed centered.

Backtracking...the weekend was spent at an Ayurvedic workshop at Ananda Ashram with Dr. Vasant Lad of the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico. My last weekend to myself before this little sprout comes out. It was really nice just to be out in nature with good energy peeps and learn some really ancient cool stuff. Ayurveda is the system of traditional medicine in India and literally translated as "the science of life". Dr. Lad could tell what ailments a person had just by taking their pulse on both wrists, looking into their eyes (a kind of iridology) and looking at the coating on their tongue. He checked me out, said I was very healthy and balanced and told me the sex of the baby (hehe). We'll see if he's right! I'm a novice at Ayurveda and am hooked on learning more about the three doshas, pranayama (breathing techniques to cure ailments), and all that Ayurveda has to offer which includes foods to eat to balance one out, working through and clearing past emotional and physical traumas to bring about physical and psychological balance. It may sound very "alternative" to a western medicine-minded person, but its an ancient science that has been proven, for thousands of years, to be beneficial.

So, onto diet. Still enjoying and benefitting from the green juices every morning (juice 1 cucumber, 5 stalks celery, 1/2 bunch kale, 1 apple, and sometimes an inch of ginger). Also having the superfood smoothies most mornings. I'll feature that tomorrow and take a pic to post. I'm also being sure to consume plenty of protein, calcium, B vitamins and iron. I do this through greens, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes.

Today's food:

WATERMELON: I can't get enough cooling foods right now - especially since it just about hit 90 degrees fahrenheit today. Lucian Lovesprout and I shared 1/2 an organic watermelon first thing this morning.

While Lucian was munching on soaked almonds with the skins removed (he calls them "naked almonds"), I made a green juice.

Superfood smoothie - recipe to come tomorrow.

I had all this between 7:30am and 10am. I have found personally and in my research that consuming lots of food with high water (i.e. melon and fruit) content and blended food is highly beneficial in the third trimester. Digestion can be compromised as baby is taking up most room in the belly and putting pressure on the stomach, intestines and colon making it difficult for things to pass. Pre-digesting one's food (by blending and juicing) helps things move easily, allowing the body to assimilate as much of the nutrients as possible and passing the rest through.

Lunch was a big salad and a piece of quinoa pie (high in protein, iron and B vitamins).

Snacked in the afternoon on grapes, soaked almonds and popsicles. We make our own popsicles out of smoothies we blend. Its so super easy. Ooooooo, I'll do a popsicle post later this week!

Dinner was raw sugar snap peas, baked tofu, basmati rice and lightly steamed broccoli. Simple and delicious. I'm not a huge tofu fan, but have really been surprised that I've liked it the past few months. Its been digesting really well too. I take that as a sign that my body is wanting it. Although any other soy product has been revolting and indigestible for me. Go figure.

We got our birth kit delivered today. That is the kit that the midwife puts together (surgical gloves, gauze, syringe, etc.) for the birth. oooo, also a big bag of herbs for the sitz bath. If you're unfamiliar with a sitz bath, research it if you're pregnant. Its so fantastic for soothing your poor little bottom after birth when the vaginal tissues can be sore, swollen, torn and hemorrhoids have developed. To help reduce these symptoms, massaging the perineum during labor and birth has been shown to be quite beneficial.

Sleep has been coming earlier and earlier these days, so its time to dim the lights, bless the day and sleep away.

xoxo

quick update

The chocolate love is crazy during this pregnancy! I can't get enough of it right now. I'm sorry, Marshmallow (that's what my son named the baby in my belly). I don't blame you if you grow up revolted by chocolate. And I just ache for the taste of the darkest, most luscious stuff I can get my hands on. I've been making it myself. A simple raw fudge of dates, vanilla, almond butter, coconut oil and cacao powder (that's the pure form of chocolate for the novices). Frozen fudge. Only 1 or 2 pieces and I'm satisfied to blissful ecstacy. My son has been sneaking some too - caught him in the act this afternoon swiping a fingerfull.

Frozen Fudge

1 1/2 cups dates, soaked in fresh water for 1 hour
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp vanilla powder, or 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 1/2 cups raw almond butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
1 1/2 cups cacao powder (or you can use 3/4 cup carob powder, 3/4 cup cacao powder)

Blend soaked dates with vanilla and coconut oil until it reaches a smooth paste consistency. Transfer to a large bowl and add almond butter. Mix together until well-combined. Slowly add in the cacao powder until well mixed and integrated. Mixture will be quite thick. Pour mixture into a 9x13 in. brownie tray (like a glass Pyrex one) and set in freezer for 2-3 hours until hard. Cut into small squares, keep stored in a container and in the freezer. Keeps for up to 1 week in an airtight container (must remain cold or will start to melt into gooey lusciousness all over your hands which can be sort of sexy).

*************************************

Had a visit with Martha the midwife on Saturday and all is well. Baby is growing beautifully, great heartbeat at 142 bpm, head is down and is engaged finally! My uterus is measuring small lengthwise, but I know that its deep, so there's no concern. Baby is measuring perfect, so all is well! Next visit with her is the homevisit. She comes to me to see the house and get familiar with my space since this is where I'll be giving birth.

I'm still continuing with the morning ritual of green juice and superfood smoothies. We've been feasting on wild berries lately, so I'm feeling extra energy from nature's bounty as well as a big immunity boost. Summer pregnancy is great! I live in the Northeast and its been a really mild summer so far. Thanks Mother Nature! You're oh so kind!

Daily exercise of hiking is being incorporated whenever possible. Also prenatal kundalini yoga with Siri Chand Kaur of Many Moons Yoga has been awsome. Before pregnancy, I was a bit weirded out by Kundalini (mostly because I never studied it and didn't understand it). But I've embraced it, I take her weekly class and then practice the exercises throughout the week. Daily squats, kegels and strengthening exercises have really helped not only my body get stronger, but rid my brain of fears. I feel prepared and strong as a woman and mother. I've learned to focus on my breath to get through the hard parts (i.e. agonizing pain!) and its really working. Thanks to Yogi Bhajan!

My pelvis is beginning to widen and separate a bit. I've been waking up the past few nights with pain and pressure even though I'm sleeping with a body pillow. So I've been using Arnica Oil by Weleda when my muscles get super tight in my lower back and around my ribs. It works like a dream! The hubby just gently rubs it in and its almost instant relief. Speaking of Weleda, I also highly recommend their Pregnancy Oil. I had the start of stretch marks last week around my belly button, rubbed the oil all over and went to bed. Woke up the next morning and the marks were gone - I mean GONE! Now, I rub it on every night in the fashion of making my wishes to the magic genie. I guess its like paying homage to the buddha belly. It feels great, smells great and is deeply relaxing before bed.

Okay, must try to get some zzzzz's.

Take one more look at that fudge...you know you can't resist! Scrumptious, huh? ;)

xoxo

kale chips

My son Lucian is insanely addicted to kale chips. You ask, "How do you get a child to eat kale?". Well, tear up a lacinato (or "dinosaur") kale into pieces, sprinkle with olive oil, either celtic sea salt or himalayan rock salt and we like to add some nutritional yeast. Mix it all together with your hands and spread them out on your dehydrator racks overnight. He can't keep his hands off of them in the morning. Follow below for the official recipe. He made the last batch all by himself (yes, the food prodigy is 3 1/2!) and ate them all up in 1 day. My photog friend Caroline Sorgen Kaye took a beautiful artistic shot of his creation which will be included in my book!

LoveSprout's Kale Chips

1 bunch Lacinata or "Dinosaur" kale
1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil
1 Tbsp. celtic sea salt or himalayan rock salt
2 or 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

Tear the kale up into pieces. Drizzle the olive oil, salt and yeast onto the kale and mix well with your hands. Get down and dirty. If you have a dehydrator, spread kale on trays and dehydrate overnight (or 8-10 hours) at 115 degrees fahrenheit. If you don't have a dehydrator, spread kale onto cookie sheets and place in oven at lowest setting (150 to 200 degrees?) with the oven door slightly ajar. Heat until kale gets crisp like chips and voila!

The chips come out very light and very crisp. I've even gotten the most finicky of eaters to down handfuls of them! One can easily chomp an entire bunch of kale in one day!


I'll update my pregnancy tomorrow. Let's just say that baby is still flipping around and I need a chiropractic adjustment from all the movement! Yikes! I did make it to the lake to swim today though and that was pure heaven.

xoxo

34 weeks and still flippin' out

34 weeks now. As the baby grows, I'm slowing down. For the past 3 weeks, baby (or "Marshmallow" as we affectionately have been calling it) has been flipping usually 180 degrees just about every day from one transverse position to the other. Its been head down since Saturday morning and I thought, "whew, its finally settled into position." But OH NO! Yesterday, I was completely off balance, my belly feeling like it was going to burst due to baby turning again and feeling like it was wound up like a ball in my belly. I woke up this morning to the realization that its head was right by my ribs on my right side. Ugh.

I've been doing inversions all day today trying to get this baby head down. My first pregnancy was exactly the same timeline. I therefore know that it will happen soon, but its soooo uncomfortable to deal with - especially when trying to keep up with my 3 1/2 year old active son.

Other than that, I feel great! No swollen feet this go round like last pregnancy, no charlie horses, no tendonitis like last time in my hands, and no super energy losses. Not even sore feet! I truly think staying active daily, taking walks/hikes, and practicing kundalini prenatal yoga (which I'll write about soon) has truly assisted me with this pregnancy.

As for food, my food intake has been phenomenal and I give a lot of credit to that. I missed my green juices for 2 mornings in a row and really noticed a difference this week (I felt lethargic and digestion/elimination was very sluggish). I finally made 1 liter of green juice this morning of cucumber, celery, kale, granny smith apple and ginger and felt phenomenal all day. Its amazing what that does! So here's my daily food log:

Daily Food Today - Thursday July 9, 2009

Upon rising: 1.5 liters water

8:30am 1 liter green juice of 1 cucumber, 5 ribs celery, 8 kale leaves, 1 green apple and 1 inch nub
of ginger

9:00am glass of super raw almond-hemp mylk made with almonds, hemp seeds, cacao
(chocolate), maca, vanilla powder, and raw honey; then 2 or 3 (can't remember!) soft
boiled eggs about 20 minutes later (I really felt like I needed major protein this
morning and the eggs satiated that)

11:30am Raw macadamia nut dip (macadamia nuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper) with
carrots, cucumber and celery crudite.

2:00pm Super-large salad of local organic field greens, 1 avocado, 1/2 cucumber, 1 large carrot
and dressing of raw apple cider vinegar, raw honey and olive oil. I would've added
hemp seeds to that if I thought of it at the time.

4:30pm A couple of raw chocolate truffles (cashews, cacao powder, cacao butter, vanilla powder,
goji berries, cinnamon). I keep these in my freezer and have a couple every few days.
Super yum. I also had a liter of green drink made with water and Vitamineral Green.

7:00pm Quinoa pie (2 big servings!) with fresh raw english peas- my secret recipe dinner pie of
quinoa and season vegetables and herbs. Recipe for this is being held for the
cookbook! My son even gobbles this one up (and its got a plethora of veggies in it!)

9:30pm red grapes - a bowl of 'em!

Having fruit for late snack before bed feels really good. If I have crackers or something cooked, I always wake up at night thirsty. By having a water-rich fruit, I feel satiated in both hunger and thirst.

I average 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night, getting up usually only once to urinate.

Tomorrow morning I'll make a big green juice and superfood smoothie for a day of hiking around the local farm and picking blubs (blueberries).

Next post I will write about superfoods, the nutrients they contain and what good they do for the body, especially while pregnant. If you have any specific questions, feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer them.

xoxo

Pregnancy, Diet and Holistic Living

I'm 34 weeks pregnant, in case you didn't know. This is my second pregnancy and I've been blessed both times with an easy go at it. No nausea, no crazy mood swings, no cravings (besides the best food on Earth: CHOCOLATE, but I always crave that!). But I did a few things differently this go-round. Although I had a very good diet for my first pregnancy, it was not optimal and I ended up gaining 45 pounds (I'm 5'2" and started at 105 pounds, ended up around 150!). I ended up having terrible joint pains in my knees and hips due to putting on so much weight so quickly. AND it took almost 3 years to get it off! This pregnancy, I've gained about 25 pounds thus far.

I'm going to keep a daily journal here of my last few weeks of pregnancy, my birth and 4th trimester (the 3 months after birth). I've done many searches on the internet for holistic pregnancy, raw pregnancy, home births and am surprised at the small amount of information there is. Most of the people I know are quite apprehensive of home births, vegan/raw eating while pregnant and a basic holistic way of approaching pregnancy.

Let this be inspiration for you to feel empowered and confident in your womanhood, trust your body and trust nature. Our bodies have been giving birth for millions of years - why have we lost the confidence in them?

I'm having a home birth with a magnificent midwife (which is covered 100% by insurance, by the way, so even the insurance company feels confident that its safe). I had a checkup this past weekend. Here's how it went:

On the drive there, I guzzled a huge bottle of water or green drink. By the time I got to her office, I had to pee, of course. She gave me a stick and a cup. I peed in the cup and put the stick in the urine for 2 minutes. This stick gauges my protein, glucose, leukocyte levels which all came up normal.

She then checked my blood pressure which was 98 over 50. That's normal for me.

I then lay back and she checked the baby. No electronics or fancy equipment - just hands. She pokes around, pushing her hands into my belly searching for the position of the baby. The baby is finally head down (after 2 solid weeks of turning around in circles every day). She takes her stethoscope and checks the baby's heartbeat. Its 142 bpm (a normal fetal heartbeat at this stage is anywhere between 125 and 160 bpm). We called my husband and son in from playing to listen to the heartbeat.

I then weigh myself and my weight hasn't fluctuated in over a month. The baby is growing beautifully though, so there are no worries.

This entire process took about 15 minutes.

There is nor has been any kind of ultrasound or sonogram. I just haven't felt the need or want for one. I told myself that if the feeling of wanting an ultrasound came up, I would do it.

My midwife, Martha asked if I wanted to reserve a birthing pool. I decided yes, in case I want to birth this child outside (we have a beautiful large clawfoot tub if I decide to do it inside). I also will have a mattress protector if I want to give birth on the bed or on the floor. I'm basically ready to give birth wherever I feel most comfortable. I wouldn't have that option in a hospital.

That's it! I go back in two weeks for another checkup.

As for today...

So, today I am 34 weeks. My belly is quite large (pictures are to come this weekend) due to my small frame. Don't know if its a boy or a girl. I have had only dreams of girls this pregnancy. Last pregnancy, I had dreams of only boys. I've also had dreams recently that the baby just slips out, so only time will tell.

Good energy today. I didn't get tired midday like I have been lately. That could also be because we didn't do anything this afternoon except sit around, so my body got to rest. Baby is really active right now (its about 9pm). This usually goes on until 11pm. I'm pretty hungry though, so I'm going to put some sort of snack together which is something I don't usually do this late.

I'll always write a log of my daily food as well:

Daily Food

Upon waking I always drink a copious amount of water. It ends up being about 2-3 liters.

I didn't make green juice this morning like I usually do, but had a green drink made with Vitamineral Green by Healthforce Nutritionals and water. Lucian had a glass too as he does every morning.

We then made some "vanilla milk" which is raw almond-hemp milk with ground vanilla and raw honey blended all up. Its full of protein and omegas. (recipe and photo will come at a later date)

Lucian ate some cherries while I made some toast for us. We had Ezekiel bread, which is sprouted grain bread and spread raw almond butter on it. I usually have fresh fruit for breakfast, but felt like having something heavier this morning.

Morning snack was at a playgroup, so I had some kiwi and cherries that we brought to share.

Lunch was kelp noodles (which are these raw awesome seaweed thingies that are like noodles and marinated in sauce of choice). We had kelp noodles with chopped tomatoes, avocado, sprouted garbanzo beans and a sauce of shoyu soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar and water. I topped mine off with 2 huge handfuls of raw sesame seeds (calcium slam!).

Snack was banana ice cream! Simply put: frozen peeled bananas processed through a homogenizing juicer (or you can process them in a food processor). It comes out just like soft serve ice cream. I even make a chocolate sauce to put on them made from cocoa powder, maple syrup or dates and a little olive oil. A guiltless dessert!

Dinner tonight was strange. My son suddenly felt ill, got a fever, headache and became exhausted, so I had a huge salad with no dressing and some bread. I'll have a snack now as I'm pretty hungry.

This pregnancy is quite healthful: no processed foods, no dairy, an abundance of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, minimal grain products like bread and pasta (although quinoa has been great!) and sometimes I'll have an egg or some salmon if it strikes my fancy. So, I guess I would consider myself eating predominantly raw foods throughout this pregnancy. There's not much info on raw food pregnancies, so I'm happy to be doing this and documenting how great I feel and how ACTIVE baby is!

as for supplements, I couldn't swallow the prenatals in my first trimester, so I haven't been taking them. I eat so well and make sure I get all the balanced nutrients I need, that I don't think I need them. I certainly feel great. I've taken a little bit of fish oil here and there, but other than that, I'm keeping all natural from foods - the most assimilable nutrients on Earth.

I'll include some videos as we go along as well.

I'd love to hear your feedback and comments. If there's anything you'd like me to include, please comment below.

I'll continue to update with recipes and photos as that's a passion I cannot live without.

xoxo

Stuffed Peppers & A Chat About Spices

This one is easy easy easy, really tasty and filling!

It takes a little bit of thinking ahead due to soaking the walnuts for a couple of hours. Here's a little tip: before going to bed, choose one or two nuts/seeds to soak overnight in fresh water. Last night, I chose almonds and sunflower seeds (1 cup of each) and I'll make a sunny-almond pate to reflect the beautiful sun outside today.

So, for the recipe:

Walnut-Sundried Tomato Pate
serves 2-4

2 c walnuts, soaked for at least 2 hours and up to overnight (to release enzyme inhibitors and make for a smoother pate)
3/4 c sundried tomatoes, soaked 30 minutes (or tomatoes packed in olive oil from store)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (first cold pressed is mighty tasty)
1 tsp. celtic sea salt or himalayan rock salt
1 or 2 celery ribs, chopped finely
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley

Optional: pinch cayenne

In a food processor, blend walnuts, sundried tomatoes, olive oil and salt until as smooth as possible. If you have a homogenizing juicer (like Champion), process walnuts and sundried tomatoes through with the blank screen. Put blended concoction in a bowl and hand mix the chopped celery, onion and parsley in. If making for just yourself, 1/2 this recipe.

This is full of those amazing Omegas from the walnuts!

Fill a hollowed red or yellow pepper with the pate and surround with field greens. Add a simple dressing of olive oil and salt on the greens as the pate is full of flavor!

A little note about spices

I know many people who think these recipes are too simple and feel like they need to compensate by adding more spices. I like to let the food speak for itself instead of covering the delicate flavors up with so many spices and herbs. You should be able to taste the walnuts, sundried tomatoes and delicate celery. Try the simple approach before adding all the spices. You'll be pleasantly surprised!

Anyway, if you want your children to try the foods that you're eating - I have found that the chef needs to simplify the recipes. Even get your children involved in making it and they are much more likely to eat it (or at least try it instead of automatically saying no). Allow them to taste the individual ingredients, give them some of their own ingredients and allow them to experiment with their own concoction. Yes, its a bit messy, but that's how they learn (and its a lot of fun to watch)!

NEXT POST: Digestive health and attaining optimal digestion (without all those colon cleanses!)

TLT Sandwich For a Cool, Rainy Day Lunch

TLT stands for Tofu, Lettuce and Tomato. This sandwich is extra special because of two factors: 1. it is made with mostly local ingredients; 2. its extra small on baguette bread to make it fun to eat for everyone. I buy locally made tofu at my farmer's market thanks to Cara and Corn at Wintergreens - a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). No, this is not raw, but it is vegetarian/vegan (no animal products used). If you don't eat bread, you can sandwich this between two pieces of romaine lettuce for a nice fresh taste. The hardest part of this sandwich is baking the tofu which I usually do once per week and keep it for the week. Here's my marinade and how to bake the tofu:

Marinade

1/4 c shoyu soy sauce or wheat free tamari (for all you gluten-free folks)
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup or agave nectar
3 or 4 dashes of toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup water
Mix all together and pour onto 1/2 inch thick slabs of tofu in a baking dish with tofu laid out in one layer. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes (or up to an hour for a deeper flavor). Drain off the excess marinade and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Then turn tofu over, coat the tops with more marinade (don't allow extra marinade to lay on the bottom of the dish or it will burn giving the tofu a burnt flavor), and place back in the oven for 20 minutes. Done!

For the TLT:

Thinly slice a baguette and gently toast the slices. While the bread is toasting, slice a tomato and set out the lettuce and avocado. When toast is ready (usually in about 4 minutes), spread avocado on both pieces of toast like mayonnaise. Then layer on the baked tofu, tomato and lettuce. Top it off with the other piece of avocado-laiden toast and enjoy. Even little hands enjoy this sandwich.

(Tip: instead of lettuce, you can use sprouts in the sandwich, especially sunflower sprouts for some extra nutrients and sproutier flavor. Kids really like sunflower sprouts!)

(Tip 2: if avocado is not a favorite, try hummus! It'll give it a different taste, but still delicious with extra protein.)

We served this with raw, fresh shelled english peas grown by Hepworth Farms (a local Hudson Valley organic veg farm by cult hero Amy Hepworth). Little hands love to shell their own peas.

Now to come up with a raw version of this to keep us humming...hmmmmmm

Keep your day bright and beautiful