Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Lemon Ginger Blast


Today I woke up feeling a little sick with a headache and general sick feeling.  My body felt like it wanted to start fasting, so I decided to go super clean today with fresh fruits and herbs.  I plan to stick with this until I get my weight down some.

First order of the day was to go to Walmart for groceries.  I spent $52.00 for two watermelons, cantaloupe, honeydew, organic broccoli, 2 bunches cilantro, kale, organic romaine, six avocados, two packages organic celery, a bag of organic lemons, a bag of organic limes, two organic cucumbers, two organic bell peppers, and some ginger root.

There is a new business near Hot Springs Village called Country Market.  This business is so good for our community.  I hope they will garner lots of support.  They sell fresh produce, much of it organic.  There is a garden next to the store where they grow some of the produce they sell.  I bought some peaches that had been picked this morning, and I bought two organic heirloom tomatoes.  Total...$9.04. As soon as I got home, Travis and I each ate one of the peaches and they were so good.
The Country Market

The garden beside The Country Market.

Lunch today was watermelon and a green smoothie made with kale, mint, bananas, grapes, strawberries, and apples.

We are working on getting everything ready for the garage sale on Friday and Saturday. 

Dinner was Heirloom Tomato; Avocado; and Lemon Ginger Blast.  The Lemon Ginger Blast was so clean tasting and good.  I found the recipe from Dan McDonald and Lou Corona.  Here is the recipe for the version I made today.

Lemon Ginger Blast
Process all ingredients through the juicer....1/3 bag of kale, 1 bunch of cilantro, parsley, chives, and mint from the garden, 1/2 large bell pepper, 1 large banana pepper, several stalks of celery, 1 whole organic lemon, a piece of ginger, a zucchini, a cucumber, broccoli,  two apples.


Tonight I had a cup of Organo Gold coffee and celery and carrot sticks at the house of a friend.

When I began working with Dr. John Fielder to turn my health problems around, one of the principles he gave me was, "If need be, come to the farm."  He was referring to his Clohesy River Health Farm at Kuranda, Queensland, Australia.  Clohesy River Health Farm.  I was committed to following all the principles, so I prepared myself to go to the farm if necessary.  My boss was put on notice that I might have to take off from work for a few weeks.  But I was lucky.  My family was supportive to all the natural things I began to do.  They put no pressure on me to follow the medical route; therefore, I was able to get healthy at home.

Often, our friends and relatives are our worst enemies when it comes to following the way of Natural Hygiene.  They are full of fear, and so inspire fear in us.  In cases like that, going to the farm would be advantageous.  It is a way to get away from the doubters and experience the natural lifestyle without distraction.  It is also an ideal place to fast and to rest.

To health and happiness.


Monday, June 25, 2012

Squeaky Clean

I started the day with a walk around the neighborhood and the garden.

There is a honey bee on the moon flower!  The moon flowers were showing out this morning.

There is a butterfly on the sunflower.
 Travis and I are purging the house and getting ready for a garage sale on Friday and Saturday.  Today was another day of selecting things for the sale, getting them priced, and setting up the garage for the sale.

Breakfast:   Watermelon
Lunch:  Green Smoothies, Watermelon, Cherries, Goody Balls
Dinner:  Salad (romaine, sprouts, onion, tomatoes); Dressing (olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic, Braggs seasoning, Himalayan sea salt); Sauerkraut; Zucchini Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomato Sauce.

After dinner we drove in to Hot Springs to go to the concert performed by the Hot Springs Community Band.  The community band does a series of free concerts through the summer at Whittington Park.  Since the temperature this afternoon was between 104-107 degrees, the concert was moved to the National Park Community College gymnasium.  Everyone took their lawn chairs and set them up on the gymnasium floor.  It was a good concert.  The theme was Movie Night so the music was all from the movies we know and love.

The Hot Springs Community Band

Here I am at the Hot Springs Community Band Concert.
Travis at the Hot Springs Community Band Concert.
A principle of Natural Hygiene:  We need to be squeaky clean if we are to succeed.  Our bodies are resilient, and we have plenty of leeway for making mistakes and correcting them, but if we want to reach the potential for what Natural Hygiene has to offer then we must be squeaky clean.

In cases of severe illness there may not be much leeway.  And the older we get, the less room we have to play around.  The body always tries to do the best it can with the materials it is given to work with, but if it is already bogged down with morbid matter it's important to stop adding to it's work load.  The older we get, the less efficient this cleansing process becomes.  Besides all that, living a squeaky clean life is not really a burden.  It's a joy!  So let's do it!

Adapted from The Quintessence of Natural Living:  We need self-discipline in order to succeed.  All of us need conditioning.  Fresh air, hard exercise and a diet free of stimulates relieves tension better than adult beverages.  These is less anxiety, we are able to relax better, there is a better self-image and confidence.  We become more extroverted.

To health and happiness.



Saturday, June 23, 2012

Habits and Environment are Important

We are getting ready for a garage sale this coming Friday and Saturday.  We are in the process of turning the house upside down finding things that we can sell.  The rule is, "If it doesn't serve, let it go."

I met my friend, Connie, for dinner at Ruby Tuesday.  We had such a good time catching up on everything.  We meet every three months, and it is always a joy.  She has a way of making people feel good.  I was on my 9th day of all raw until I helped myself to some of the potato salad and broccoli salad on the salad bar.
Connie and me.

     
My sister, Sheila, told a funny story about our Mom.  She told Mom she had lightened her hair so that her hair could grow in and be it's natural color.  Sheila- "I probably have as much gray as you do".  Mom- "My hair is not gray."  Sheila - "You do have some gray."  Mom - "No, I don't.  I know my hair is not as black as it used to be, but it's not gray."   This illustrates that perception is key.  Albert Einstein said, "Reality is merely an illusion, although a very persistent one".
Mom and her "not gray" hair.  
It's important to develop good, healthy habits.  Good habits are just as hard to break as bad ones.  It's actually easier to break a perversion than a healthy, natural instinct.  It's our birthright to feel healthy, alive and vigorous.  When we live in a good environment, the life force motivates us to maintain that good environment.  We don't want to give it up.  And we all have a sense of self-preservation that won't let us quit until the game is over. - Adapted from The Quintessence of Natural Living

Environment is important.  Put forth the effort to make a healthy, loving, beautiful environment for yourself and your family.  Beauty feeds the soul.

It takes time for your bodies to heal.  It sometimes takes weeks or months.  It requires faith and perseverance to succeed. That is a principle of Natural Hygiene.  Instead of looking for a quick fix by using drugs or surgeries, Natural Hygiene asks you to address the cause of your problem by changing your lifestyle.  Once an acute illness develops, the body requires time for the illness to run it's course.  

Following the principles of Natural Hygiene changes lives.  I do these things because I want to be healthy.  Life is precious.  Eat every day in a way that is going to best feed every part of your being...body, mind, and spirit.  Processed foods bring you down.  Living foods lift you up.  So wake up!

To health and happiness.


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Raw Foods Group Meeting

Today was the raw food group meeting at my house. What an awesome group of people!  The food was great, and the conversation was better.  There was much discussion about health and creativity.  It was a great time.
Erika, Janis, Michael, Pamela, Linda and Jackie

 I demonstrated how to make pasta from zucchini.  I made the Italian Tomato Basil Zucchini Pasta recipe that was posted on 5/30/12.  Italian Tomato Basil Zucchini Pasta.   I also made spaghetti from zucchini using the spiral vegetable slicer which is available on Amazon for about $35.00.  I made a sun-dried tomato sauce to serve over the spaghetti.  This recipe made a blender full.

Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
2 - 3  cups of sun dried tomatoes (save soak water)  
4 - 6  dates
1 clove garlic
little bit of olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
water 
few leaves of basil, chopped
1 tsp of Bragg's seasoning
   - Blend all in the Vitamix.    Serve with the zucchini spaghetti, chopped celery, chopped onion, and sliced olives.

Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
We had quite a feast.  Linda brought cheese and yogurt she made from raw milk, sauerkraut and some wonderful plums.  Pamela brought a beautiful salad and salad dressing.  Erika brought a wild rice salad which was fabulous.  
Wild Rice Salad

2 cups raw wild rice (1 cup dry, it doubles in size)
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic, minced
small can of black olives, sliced (optional)
1-2 Tbsp Shoyu or Tamari Sauce
2 avocados, cubed
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
Soak the wild rice for three nights, draining and rinsing after the first and second day and again before use.  Into the rice, stir the sea salt, cumin, nutritional yeast and garlic.  Fold into the rice mixture the avocados, tomatoes, cilantro and olives.  

Erika served this as a side dish, but it could also be served on a bed of lettuce or wrapped in lettuce leaves as a burrito.


Lunch
A principle of natural healing is to trust the process.  Trust is required when you are hurting in order to go against the flow.  Well-meaning friends and relatives often insist upon medical intervention because they do not understand that the symptoms of acute illness are healing and not hurting us.  If you stop the symptom, you stop the healing.  What we need to stop, is not the symptom, but the harmful behaviors and lifestyles we have adopted.

Heart disease is directly related to status needs.  It is a disease of civilized man.  We are in a mess.  What can we do to make things right?  The best way to combat heart disease is to have hygienically prepared meals of 80-90% raw fruit and salad meals with small amounts of protein.  The protein does not have to be animal foods.  It can be nuts, avocados, dried fruits, etc.).  Hard, physical exercise is also recommended.  Live carefully, live hygienically, and live from day to day without anger, jealousy, fear and other negative emotions in order to avoid heart attacks. - Adapted from Quintessence of Natural Living

To health and happiness.



Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Detox is Good

I listened to a Matt Monarch video this morning on YouTube.  He and his wife, Angela, pointed out that the more foods you eliminate from your diet, the faster you will detox.  Water fasting is the fastest way to detox, followed by juice fasting, mono-dieting, raw foods only, and cooked whole foods.  Dr. Fielder teaches and demonstrates that a 100% raw food is sufficient for healing and maintaining good health for the long term.  Much healing can be done outside of a fast...just be eating a raw food diet.  Fasting will be more effective if it is done only when you develop an acute illness.  Here is a link to Matt Monarch's video about slow vs fast detox:
Slow Vs. Fast Detox

Travis and I spent a little time in the garden this morning.  I planted a six pack of cherry tomatoes and some zinnias.  Travis planted some marigold's.  Maybe the deer will eat the flowers and leave our veggies alone.
The moon flowers are looking pretty.

Tomatoes are starting to get ripe.  We harvested three today.

Only one zucchini, but it was a nice one.

The zucchini are trying to make it after the deer ate them.

These are the cucumbers I planted yesterday to replace the ones the deer ate.

The deer ate most of the sunflower plant, but they left the top.  


I had lunch with my Mom today.  I joined her at her table in the dining room, but I brought my lunch from home.  I had watermelon, avocado and goody balls.  Mom ate a piece of watermelon and half of the avocado while waiting for her lunch to be served.  We shared our melon with Mom's tablemates and those at the next table.  They were loving the melon!  I had some green smoothie when I got home.
Mom enjoying her watermelon.

At Walmart in Benton today I bought zucchini, tomatoes, coconut, watermelon, a banana pepper, cucumbers, red cherries, and avocados.  Sadly the coconut was awful....rotten.  It was a total loss.  After dinner I went to our local Walmart and bought organic red grapes, celery, lemons, romaine, a sweet onion, butternut squash, olives, olive oil, and dates.  At Village Nutrition, I bought raw milk sharp cheddar cheese.

Dinner was salad (romaine, celery, cucumber, tomato, sweet onion, corainder, Bragg's Seasoning, and Himalayan sea salt); dressing (lemon juice, olive oil, and honey);  avocado; raw milk cheddar cheese;  goody balls; brazil nuts.

Praise God.  It rained some this evening.  We needed it.  Right now, here in Hot Springs Village, we are limited to watering on even days only.

Another principle of natural healing is that we always feel worse before we feel better.  Healing is painful.  If you stop the pain, you stop the healing.  When the body becomes cleaner due to a better lifestyle, it will have the vitality it needs to begin to detox.  You may feel really bad after going on a raw foods diet for a few days....just like you get a terrific headache when you stop ingesting caffeine.  The raw foods and the elimination of harmful foods clear the way for accumulated morbid matter to begin to release.  So in my house when someone says, "I feel bad", or "My head hurts", I say, "That's good!"

To health and happiness.




Monday, June 18, 2012

A Handbook for the New Agriculture

The Farm Recipe Books by Dr. John Fielder arrived in the mail today.  Several people ordered copies when they attended his lectures in Hot Springs and Little Rock.  I'll try to get them delivered soon.

John Fielder sent me an email this morning with a suggestion to help us with our garden.  He recommends that we buy and read A Handbook for the New Agriculture by Michael Astera.  I hope to order one very soon.  The book is available from Soil Minerals.Com  Here is the link:  A Handbook for the New Agriculture by Michael Astera.

Travis and I worked in the garden today.  I planted the cucumber plants from the Walmart clearance rack to replace the ones the deer ate.  In six packs I planted Bibb lettuce and Margold tomatoes.  In the garden I planted zucchini squash and garlic chives.  Since the deer ate all the tops, Travis harvested the potatoes.  He cleared out some of the kale that the cabbage worms had destroyed and planted pumkins and watermelons.


New basil plants from the Walmart clearance rack...$1.00 each.

Cucumber plants from the Walmart clearance rack.

The deer ate part of the pepper plants and nibbled on the peppers.

The deer ate most of the sunflower.  This plant still has a top that is about to bloom.

Deer must not like arugula.  That's good, because we like it a lot.

The potato harvest.
We have not had a lot of success with strawberries.  We have tried them in three different places.  Right now we have them in the bed that was an herb bed last year.  I think this bed wants to be an herb bed because the herbs have come back and are taking over the strawberries.  I am going to let this bed go back to herbs, and maybe give up on strawberries.  

We went to the lake before lunch for a nice swim.  One of the teachings of Natural Hygiene is to bathe or swim in  a natural body of water.  Dr. Fielder bathes every day in the Clohesy River.  We don't have a river handy, but we have a party barge on Lake Desota that is about 5 minutes from our house.  The water was very nice today.
Lake Desota as seen from the party barge.

Getting ready to take the plunge.
Lunch:  Green Smoothie (kale, grapes, honeydew, banana, and water); avocado; cherries; watermelon.  Travis found a good watermelon today at Cranfords.

I went to Kroger today before my flute lesson and got a butternut squash, two tomatoes, and a watermelon.

Dinner:  Salad (romaine, celery, cucumber, tomato, cilantro, chives); Dressing (lemon juice, olive oil, and honey); sauerkraut; avocado; watermelon.

The HSV Raw Food and Natural Living Group is meeting at my house on Wednesday, June 20, at 11:00 a.m.   Everyone is invited to bring a raw food dish and join us.  I will be demonstrating making pasta from butternut squash and zucchini.

To health and happiness.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Summer Vacation

We have been traveling for over two weeks with the family.  We went to Perdido Key, FL for a few days at the beach with daughter Molly, son-in-law Ken, and grandchildren Zac, Braeden and Ashlyn.  Our diet was not as healthy as it is when we are at home, but the sunshine and walking on the beach were nice.

Travis and me at the beach.

Braeden, Ken, Molly, Ashlyn and Zac at the beach.
The reason I didn't eat as much raw when I was traveling was in order to make it easier on everyone else.  It seems that the others are not as interested in going to markets and eating whole, natural foods as I am.  Dr. Fielder teaches that we should always take care of ourselves first so maybe next time I will need to think of myself first, especially when it comes to what I eat.   I did choose mostly healthy foods, though.

One day Travis and I drove in to Pensacola and visited a vegan restaurant called End of the Line Cafe.  We had the reuben sandwich, squash soup, and organic coffee.  Although it was not raw, it was an enjoyable meal.  Here is a link to their web-site.   End of the Line Cafe

Squash Soup, Reuben Sandwich, and Organic Coffee.
Molly and the kids left the beach with Travis and me to go to Philadelphia to visit my son, Crockett, DIL Amy, Caleb, Phoebe and Conner.  We visited Amish country, historical Philly, and Arnold's Family Fun and King of Prussia Mall.  We ate in a lot of restaurants.  I ate vegetarian, but ate some grains and cheeses that I don't normally eat.

Tired grandchildren after a day at Arnolds Family Fun and King of Prussia Mall.
Phoebe, Ashlyn, Conner, Caleb, Braeden and Zac
Conner and Crockett
Amy, Phoebe and Conner headed to the park.
Molly, Ashlyn and I spent a couple of days in New York City.  We caught the Megabus from Philadelphia on Sunday and returned on Monday evening.  Ashlyn loves NYC.  We shopped until we dropped.
Ashlyn on the observation deck of the Empire State Building.

I went on all raw foods on Thursday as we began our drive home from Philadelphia.  We got home yesterday after two days traveling.  Today is my third day to be all raw.  I like the way I feel when I am eating only raw foods.  

Lunch today was watermelon, avocado, and goody balls.  I ate watermelon throughout the day because I felt thirsty and hungry.  

Dinner tonight was salad made with romaine, celery, arugula, cucumber, and tomato.  I made a dressing with lemon juice, honey and a little olive oil.  This was served with avocado, sauerkraut, almonds and goody balls.
Tonight's dinner.  I couldn't eat the radishes.  They were too hot.

There is not much left in the garden.  The deer ate just about everything while we were gone.  I bought some cucumber plants to replace the ones the deer ate and three basil plants at Walmart today.  The deer ate every cucumber plant and melon plant and all the zucchini. 

I am ready to stay home for a while. 

To health and happiness.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Simplifying


It's time to once again focus on simplifying my life and living freer.  There are more things on my daily schedule than I can possibly do.  A good indicator of what you truly want to do is what you actually do.  The things that tend not to get done just need to be eliminated.  Gone.  So good-bye for now to trying to learn French.

Maybe I'll spend my mornings doing outdoor things, but in an unstructured way.  Maybe I'll want to walk. or work in the garden, or go for a boat ride, or sit on the deck.  The afternoons would be a good time for working on my Natural Hygiene lessons or projects, practicing the flute, and doing computer work.  The  evening will be perfect for blogging and Ebay.

Life is not about achieving goals and getting things done. - Jim Rosen

Lunch:  Watermelon, Avocado, Banana
Dinner:  Zucchini Tomato Basil Pasta; Green Salad (romaine, mushrooms, olives, radish, chives); Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressing; Chocolate Granola Bars; Watermelon; Cashews

Karl came over to visit with Travis today.  He ended up joining us for dinner.  The conversation was good as always.  He always pushes us to think in a larger way.    The most important thing we can do to support positive change is to stop playing the game and live in harmony with natural (universal) law.

Travis and I went to look at a couple of pieces of property for sale near us.  One has 18 acres and a shack for $1.25 million.  It makes me appreciate my beautiful little property.
The garden.

View from the back deck.

The back of the house as seen from the garden.



When I began to work with Dr. Fielder back in 2008, I was very sick and frightened.  I made the decision at that time to take the drastic action of following Natural Hygiene and avoiding medical intervention.  It was a good decision.

One of the principles of Natural Hygiene is that Nature doesn't make mistakes, only we make mistakes.  Look at the lifestyle first to see if improvements can be made that will take some of the overload off the body so that it can work more efficiently.

To health and happiness.