Our life group has been reading the book Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning.  The central theme of the book is understanding how loved we are by our heavenly Father and living in that love, as “The Beloved”.  “The Beloved” living in the light and understanding of being completely cherished by God.

Being loved to that degree, being delighted in by God or anyone, is something I did not understand or receive until I was 50 years old. The initial understanding came when I realized how I felt about my grandson, Josiah.  From the moment his little head crowned, I delighted in him fully.  If he was sleeping, talking, playing, even “being naughty” I loved to watch him be himself.  When he needed correction, I gave it because I love him, not because I am irritated.  When he needed tenderness, I gave it.  Wanting to have fun, I participated, why?  Because he made my heart sing!

I realized that was what delight looked like in real life.  Being totally consumed with and pleased by something or someone.

Then I read Song of Solomon, to try to understand God’s delight in me. Honestly, I could not “get” the man/woman example of God and myself in Song of Solomon. I kept reading and suddenly as I read the words of the loving husband towards his wife, I realized those were the words my husband often spoke over me, and I did not receive.

I am amazed at the love God has for me, that God would give me, a 15-year-old girl, a man who would love me like the Father himself loves me.  A man who would delight in me, relish our relationship and tell me over and over of his love for me and my beauty to him.

God’s word says before we call He will answer. He gave me something I didn’t even know I needed in my husband!  How sad that it took 34 years of relationship with that man to recognize the gift from God he was to me.  How sad for me that it took so long for me to receive it.  How happy I am that I finally beginning to understand it and receive it.  What else does God have for me that I am not “getting” or receiving?

Psalm 25 is the Psalm I have gone back to continually this year. I have a weird habit when I read a book, magazine, anything really, I start at the back and flip forward, I always want to get to the end and so I miss the beauty of the journey.  True to form, I focused on ALL THE OTHER VERSES in Psalm 25 for most of the year, finally, on August 18, more than half way through my year, I “got” the first verse.  I will start to share that today, and in future blogs.

Psalm 25:1 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

Now I am asking these questions…..What is my soul?

My Soul is the thing inside of me that I constantly want to be touched.

Who do I lift up my soul to?

• My husband?
• My clients?
• My friends?
• My children?
• My grandchildren?
• Oprah?
• A counselor?
• A doctor?
• The latest ideology?

Is lifting up my soul emotional intimacy?

Can I have emotional intimacy with people and not with God?  I think when you have emotional intimacy with people and not with God, the relationship becomes perverted in some way, not pure.

Father, I ask you to teach me how to lift up my soul to YOU, then teach me how to help others lift their soul to you.  In Jesus Name.

When you lift up your soul to God and have spiritual and emotional intimacy with Him, you begin to trust Him because you have bared your heart and in that intimacy you find kindness, love, favor, forgiveness and delight.

Jeremiah 31: 3-4 “The Lord has appeared to me of old saying:  Yes, I have loved YOU with an everlasting love; therefore, with loving kindness I have drawn you.  Again, I will build you and you SHALL BE rebuilt”.

What does it mean to lift up your soul?

I believe in the lifting up of your soul, there is the child who runs to the parent with a minor owie, for it to be kissed.  The major owie that only time will ease the pain and heal, but the arms of the parent bring comfort.  The nestling of the child’s head on the breast of the parent, the peace that comes as wailing turns to sobbing and then to the low occasional moan, hurting, yet wrapped in safety and comfort.

Psalm 147:3 “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”

I believe in the lifting up of your soul, there is the child whose bug in a jar; fish in a bowl or beloved pet has suddenly been taken in death.  Finding comfort and safety in the face who understands the pain, grieves with them and the arms who comfort and support until the pain of loss has ended.

I believe in the lifting up of your soul, there is the child filled with delight, running to share the treasure of a flower, a pebble, a picture drawn by stubby crayons with small and loving hands.  It is the child receiving the delight and wonder of the parent as they share the joyful moments of discovery and creativity.

I believe in the lifting up of your soul, there is the child experiencing the pain of rejection by people, the hurt of mean and careless words, the loss of a beloved playmate.  The child finding comfort and rest in the eyes, the touch of a parent who understands the pain and loves in a way that you know everything will be all right.

I believe in the lifting up of your soul, there is the child caught in the act of rebellion or disobedience, shamed and worthless in his own sight.  Hiding, lying, protecting herself from the look of disappointment, rejection, anger she knows is coming and yet, treasuring at the same time, her disobedience.  The child finally repents when lovingly forced to examine her harmful and rebellious actions; receiving both forgiveness and love in the discipline administered by the loving parent.  The rebellion at last replaced by submission to the love of the parent who wants only the best for their child.

I believe in the lifting up of your soul, there is the child busy at joyful play who blushes as she catches the parent watching, doting, and enjoying the child being herself.  The child pretending not to notice but checking to make sure she is being watched, filled with the pride and confidence that comes from being valued and delighted in.

I believe in the lifting up of your soul, there is the child whose eyes, filled with love and admiration, want to be just like the one they know loves them so much.  They imitate the walk, the talk, the mannerisms, the habits of the loving heart and hands.  The one who revels with them in accomplishment and discovery.  The one who mourns with them in loss, regardless of how insignificant that loss may be.

I only wish I had BEEN this parent, all the time.  Always engaged in the moments of life, rather than watching them pass, counting them as many interruptions in my “vital daily activities”.  If only I had KNOWN this parent who was so able to connect with me in my moments of joy, pain, confusion and grief.  If only my children had known a parent who disciplined in love and from a heart of instruction, rather than correction. Of course, there were moments of “perfect parental perfection” in my life and that of my parents.  Moments when I, and they, were engaged in the child, delighting, consumed in the world and heart of the child.

The truth is, it doesn’t matter if I was perfectly engaged and connected with my children or if my parents were with me. We are human and so child-like ourselves.  Part of lifting up my soul is forgiving myself for my failure and forgiving others where they have failed me.  We cannot give what we do not have and our heavenly Father does not expect us to.

Psalm 103:13-14 “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.  For he knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. v17 but the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him.”

The answer to our dilemma

Psalm 25:1 “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul”.

We are The Beloved and Treasured Child of our heavenly Father. We feel His delight when we accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sin and stop trying to make up for our sin on our own.  Our heavenly Father is Always engaged, always ready to enjoy the delight of His creation.  He is available when we are filled with grief.  He is touched by the feelings of our physical and emotional pain.  He understands how easily we fall into temptation and even “gets” our need to protect ourselves and walk in rebellion.

Heb 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted, as we are, yet without sin.”

He loves to watch us as we joyfully engage in the gifts He has given us to use and to be.  He lovingly corrects us when we want to become someone else or engage in the activities or attitudes that bring us harm.

He walks with us daily, works with us, counsels us, corrects us and gives us good things, He makes sure we have everything we need for life and for godliness.  2 Peter 1:3

To Him, To YOU O Lord, I can and I will and I do lift up my soul.  O My God, I trust in You.

As we begin to be the child, to lift up our soul to Him, we will be better able to have spiritual and emotional intimacy with others.  To have the sense of safety and confidence to engage on a heart level with husband, children, parents, friends, a lost and lonely world who also need a loving Father.

I am sorry to say that for the first time in four years I came down with “the junk that is going around”.  I set myself up for it!

1.  I got upset about a chain of events that happened.  Rather than speaking up and stating my case, thus getting oral satisfaction, I ATE!  I ATE JUNK FOOD!  Yes, I gave in and went to Cheeseburger Charlies with my good friend.  I had a Bison Burger, fries and ketchup with high fructose corn syrup.  Water, not soda…and a big prayer, “Lord help me not to get sick” which obviously did not work.

2.  Rather than picking myself up off the fast food floor and speaking my mind, I continued to medicate with food and enjoyed all the sweet stuff at our life group.  Phil just ate salad and did raise his eyebrows as I went for the “healthier” looking dishes, you know the ones that have “pumpkin” in front of them (pumpkin cake, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies) they all sound healthy right (lying to myself, I was).  I did ask one person what was in the delicious pumpkin dish I was stuffing in my mouth and of course it was cake mix, pudding mix and more sugar…..again, a half-hearted prayer of protection.  Sorry Lord.

3.  I exposed myself to all kinds of sickies at life group that night, there was sneezing and hacking all night around the room.  Normally this would not make me have so much as a sniffle, however, with all the sugar in my system (24 hours worth by now), my immune system was effectively shut down and so the nasty little bugs took residence in my body and began to build a home.  By Wednesday I had a sore throat and by Thursday night I sounded just like the sickies at life group. I place no blame on anyone but myself.  I turned off my immunity by eating refined sugar.  Now, over 2 weeks later I am finally starting to be able to talk without coughing my head off!

What Did I Do To Get Better?

1.  I reminded myself daily why I stay away from refined sugars.

2.  Carrot Juice, and lots of it!

3.  Homemade chicken vegetable soup.

4.  More carrot juice (with apple, lemon, cucumber, celery).

5.  More Homemade chicken vegetable soup.

6.  Herbal tea with Echinacea and golden seal to clear my head and lungs.

7.  Lots of rest and kleenex.

8.  Nettie pot two times a day.

9.  More carrot juice.

10. More homemade chicken vegetable soup.

Thankfully I did not have a fever at all and really the worst of it was just blowing and blowing my nose and coughing when I talked (I think the Lord wanted me to be quiet for a while!).

Chicken Vegetable Soup – I did use chicken broth but didn’t use chicken, however, this is a great recipe from the book “Restoring Your Digestive Health” by Jordan Rubin, ND and Joseph Brasco, MD

Healing Broth

Adapted from Restoring Your Digestive Health by Rubin Jordan, NMD and Joseph Brasco, MD

1 free range or pastured chicken or chicken pieces or 1-2 lbs grass-fed beef

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

4-6 Tbs coconut oil

2-4 chicken feet (organic if possible)

8 organic carrots, chop

6 stalks organic celery, chop

2-4 organic zucchini, chop

3 organic sweet yellow onions, dice

4 inches fresh ginger, peel and grate

5 cloves fresh garlic, peel & dice (omit if you don’t like or it causes heartburn)

2-4 Tbs Celtic Sea Salt – must be this kind of salt

3 Qts water

1 large bunch parsley

How to make the soup

1. Use the S blade in your food processor and chop all veggies to a coarse chop, you can put them all in together to chop.  Layer in FP bowl start with celery, then add in order:

celery, carrots, ginger, garlic, onion, zucchini pulse 5-10 times, do not just turn it on and let it run, PULSE until chopped for soup.

1. Make a bundle for the chicken feet out of cheese cloth and string.  Wrap chicken feet well.  You can even do that for the chicken if you like to make it easier to get it out of the pot.
2. Put everything but parsley in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, cover,  and reduce heat and cook for 12 to 24 hours.  You can also put it in your crockpot and slow cook, or covered in the oven.

When cooked, remove chicken and take off the bones, remove chicken feet and discard feet and bones.

Put chicken back into soup, making sure there are no bones.

Add parsley and cook for 30 minutes longer.

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

Cold & Flu Juice

These cold & flu  recipes are from Raw Juices Can Save Your Life by Sandra Cabot, MD.

Cold & Flu Juice # 1

2 lemons

1 clove garlic

1 small slice ginger root (0.2 inch)

1 apple

1 pear

1 cup hot water

1 Tbs RAW honey (do not give honey to children under 2 yrs of age)

Options: If juice is not to your liking divide the recipe into 2 separate combinations:

Lemon, garlic, ginger, water, honey

Lemon, apple, pear, water, honey

Instructions: Dissolve honey in hot water, juice all other ingredients, add juice to water and

honey. This is excellent for children and adults (note honey warning for children under age 2)

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

Cold & Flu Juice #2

¼ tsp ground aniseed (bulk section at whole foods or spice section at grocery)

2 lemons

2 slices pineapple

1 Tbs RAW honey

sprinkle cinnamon or cayenne pepper

1 cup hot water

** All children should be seen by a health care professional to exclude serious causes of fever such as meningitis.

Ginger is great for nausea. Herbal ginger tea is comforting and calms the stomach. You can get natural ginger ale from the natural health section at your grocery store; the commercial products at your regular grocery are going to have artificial ginger and high fructose corn syrup.

Question:

I do have a question, which you touched on (at the Whole Foods class) last evening, but we as a family forgot the specifics. I have been lactose intolerant for quite a number of years now. Last evening I ‘took a chance’ (a risk!) and ate the different varieties of cheese you offered. Lots of it. It tasted so good I went back twice! I knew I shouldn’t, especially since I knew I’d be suffering until late in the night. I WAS WRONG. The cheese did not affect me at all. It had to be due to the fact it was made from raw milk. Can you explain again why it digested so well? I will be very grateful for your explanation!

Buy Raw Cheese (made from unpasteurized milk)  it has fantastic flavor, no dyes and preservatives, you will never go back to the commercial cheeses.

Answer:

With regard to your lactose intolerance, this is a very simplistic explanation. After the age of 2, all of us are lactose intolerant! We don’t produce the enzymes to digest milk after that age.  Therefore, we need to drink RAW milk if we choose to use dairy products, because RAW milk (and raw cheese, yogurt made from raw milk, etc) has the natural food enzymes intact.

Raw foods have food enzymes that actually cause the food to digest itself. You can see that in an apple that gets bruised.  Once the protection of the skin is broken, the food enzymes go to work to digest or consume the apple, if left out, it would eventually be nothing but a bit of color and some skin.

So raw cheese has the enzymes intact and it digests itself in your tummy.

There are some dangers to milk in general, however, and that is due to the protein, caesien.  The 40 years of study done by Dr. T. Colin Campbell (The China Study) revealed that cultures consuming caesien have high incidences of all types of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and autoimmune diseases.  Those that consumed no milk or very little milk had little to no incidences of these diseases.  There is also a big connection to milk and breast cancer.  Breast cancer used to only occur in women over 60.  Now it is epidemic in women between 29 and 40.  They believe this is due to over exposure of rbgh the hormone given to cows to make them over produce milk.

That said, they did drink milk, cheese, etc, in the Bible days and God gave the children of Israel a “land flowing with milk and honey” so it can’t be all bad!  Of course, in the middle east they drank goat’s milk, not cow’s milk.  Goat’s milk is the closest in molecular structure to human milk and is easier to digest, again, it should be raw.

The answer to everything thing is always moderation! Remember, ancient cultures did not have access to food that we do.  They ate very little animal products because they had to raise it themselves.

Here’s what the average American consumes today:

• 273 lbs of animal meat (all types)
• 42 gallons of milk
• 28 lbs of cheese
• 243 eggs
• 16 lbs of ice cream

Ancient cultures did not have access to that much food from animals or for that matter probably from any source!

We use about 8 oz of raw cheese per month (that is a combined total for the two of us), as a treat.  We used to eat about 2 lbs a week!  On the rare occasion I drink coffee, I add cream, which is less offensive to the body than milk as far as digestion goes.  For pizza I use Organic Valley raw monterey jack, a raw cheddar and raw parmesean (parmesean reggiano).

For other milk needs, soups, gravies, pies, or sour milk for pancakes, biscuits, muffins, I use either coconut milk or almond milk. When I have almonds I make my own, which is quite delicious.  1 cup of raw almonds (not roasted) and 2-3 dates with 4 cups of water, blend in your blender or magic bullet until well blended and strain through a cheese cloth and fine mesh strainer.  You can keep it for 3-5 days.  It takes minutes to make.  If I need a buttermilk, I use the coconut or almond milk and 1 Tblsp per cup of liquid of either lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar.

You can use any nut to make milk, the same way you do almond milk.  I have done it with flax seeds, almonds, cashews and hemp seeds.  You can also use sesame seeds (high in calcium).  Cashew milk (make it like almond milk) makes a really good cream gravy, use lots of carmelized onions and garlic to flavor the gravy (I put mine in the magic bullet).

Another great substitute for 1 cup sour or butter milk is to use 1/4 cup grapeseed veganaise plus 1 Tblsp of lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar and 3/4 cup water.  Mix well.  I do this for muffins, pancakes, waffles, biscuits.

Check out the Weston A Price website for more info on raw milk.  http://www.realmilk.com/

If you have acreage and want to earn some money and help people, check out this website that will tell you how to sell shares of a cow and give people raw milk!  http://www.tennesseansforrawmilk.com/legaldocuments.html

Buy Raw Cheese on line

Organic Valley Medium and Sharp Cheddar (you can also get this at Kroeger and Publix)

Buy Raw Cheese at Whole Foods Market – ask for help at the Cheese Counter!

• Tillamook Sharp Cheddar (unpasteurized) OUR FAVORITE!
• Parmesean Reggiano
• Kenny’s Raw Cheddar
• Raw Gouda and Raw Sundried Tomato Gouda

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

Homemade Yogurt from Tami:

I pour a half-gallon of milk into a large glass jar (preferably a wide-mouth); stir in ¼ c plain yogurt – the best you can find in the grocery; place it in the oven.  Turn the oven on set at 200 degrees.  When it reaches 200, I turn the oven off and leave the door closed for 24 hours.  Voila”, beautiful yogurt.  From then on you use ¼ c from your own yogurt to make the next batch.  I took one out of the oven yesterday morning and showed the 2 sons who are home – they were impressed at the ease of making it.

Hope this helps!

You can enjoy holiday treats without burdening your body with harmful ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, MSG and trans Fats.  These recipes are from our Healthy Holiday Entertaining class at Whole Foods Market in Cool Springs, Franklin, TN.

Make these quick and easy treats, add some non-gmo corn chips, we like Xocheel from Whole Foods, some Mary’s Gone Crackers, and some Kettle Brand Chips for dipping, you can find those at Whole Foods, Kroegers and Publix.  Even the most anti-health-food person on your list won’t know you are serving them something healthy!  Always be sure to include a nice fresh veggie and fruit tray for the smart eaters!

These are not weight loss recipes, they have lots of calories but they are healthier versions of your favorite treats.  They should be considered celebration food, something you have on holidays and special occasions.  For regular daily treats use fresh fruits and smoothies!

Why are these better than the traditional foods?

• No MSG – MSG causes brain cells to die, it is responsible for many chronic conditions like migraines.

• Low Sodium – prepard foods are loaded with salt which is responsible for inflammation, aches and pains, high blood pressure to name a few.

• Low Saturated Fat (good fats) – the fats in these recipes are not from an animal source, no cholesterol or toxins related to fat that comes from animals.  Monounsaturated fats from nuts and seeds are good for you, you should have 4 servings per day.

• Made fresh by You! No risk of picking up disease or bacteria from unclean food prep workers.

• No refined sugars. The sugars in these recipes will not shut your immune system down as white, brown and raw sugar does for up to 8 hours each time you consume it.

• No harmful trans Fats or chemicals.  Trans Fats fill up cells so they can’t receive the important neurotransmitters that allow your brain to function.

• Non-GMO ingredients.  No round-up in your food.  Most repared foods like fudge, popcorn, carmel corn, even hot cocoa contain Soy, Cotton seed, Canola or Corn oils or products.  These are all genetically modified (unless stated on the package non-GMO) with the weed killer round up, need I say more?

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

Friends & Food!

Christmas Carols, New Years Celebrations or Game Day

Menu

• Veggie Tray with Real Ranch Dressing or Green Goddess Dressing

• Fruit Tray with Aunt Celeste’s Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

• Non-Gmo Corn chips, Kettle Chips and Mary’s Gone Crackers with

• Aunt Celeste’s Party Dips

• Uncle Phil’s Organic Popcorn or Sticky Popcorn

• Easy Fudge

• To Drink:  Hot Cocoa or Holiday Cocktail (in the Holiday Recipes Blog)

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

Easy Fudge

Celeste Davis

This fudge is delicious.  Why?  It is Dairy free, gluten free and has very little refined sugar (chocolate chips have sugar).  My personal experience with this recipe:  Make it a day or so ahead of time.  Let it firm up in the refrigerator, not the freezer.  If you want thick fudge, line your pan with saran wrap and then put some parchment paper on the bottom, cut to fit the pan.  That way, when you turn your pan over, it will pop right out.  Remove the paper and  cut.  This would also work well in silicone molds.  You can also add nuts, dried fruit or flavors like mint, cherry, almond.  Have fun!

Ingredients
10 oz bag of non-dairy semi-sweet chocolate chips (Enjoy Life! Mini chips are my favorite)
3 Tbs Raw Agave nectar (must say RAW)
2 Tbs Tahini (sesame butter) this has a peanut butter flavor.  Don’t like that flavor?  Substitute it exactly with almond butter or more Earth Balance or real butter.
1 tsp Earth Balance margarine or real organic butter
½ cup chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds, macadamia nuts or cashews, soak or roast first (nuts are optional)
Add any other natural ingredients you may like such as dried cherries or cranberries, coconut, etc.

Instructions

Grease an 8×8 glass dish for thin fudge or a 5×9 loaf dish for thicker fudge with earth balance or real organic butter.  It also works well to line pan with wax paper to remove from pan more easily.

Over a double boiler or on a very low heat:

Melt Chocolate Chips (be careful not to splash water in chocolate)

Add Tahini, Agave Nectar and Earth Balance (or butter)

Add other ingredients:  Nuts, fruit, etc.

Blend Well

Pour into your pan
Chill, uncovered for 30 min in freezer
Remove from freezer
Tip pan upside down on cutting board (do not run water on bottom of pan)
Cut into bite sized pieces with a large knife
Store in air-tight container for up to 1 month, if using butter, keep for 1 week.

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

Aunt Celeste’s Party Dips

Celeste Davis

Commercially prepared dips are full of harmful preservatives and dyes.  You can use this base for any of your favorite dips, spinach, onion, etc.

Basic Dip

1 ½ cups grapeseed veganaise

1 6 oz carton plain greek,  goat yogurt or acidophilus yogurt

Mix together, see below for variations.

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

“Better-Than” Onion Dip

1 recipe basic dip

Add:

¾ tsp garlic powder (not salt)

1 Tblsp Better Than Boullion

1 Tblsp onion powder

1 Tblsp parsley

6 Tblsp dried onion flakes (also called minced onion)

Mix basic dip recipe, add all ingredients except onion flakes.

Mix well.

Stir in onion flakes.

Refrigerate, best if it sits for 24 hours for flavors to blend and onion to soften.

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

Spicy Hot Dip

1 recipe basic dip

Add:

1 Tblsp Better than Boullion

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

¼ to ½ tsp white pepper or cayenne (use sparingly)

Mix well, refrigerate until serving.

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

Creamy Salsa

1 recipe basic dip

¼ to ½ cup Jack’s Salsa (a pico de gallo type Salsa from Costco or Kroeger in the deli area)

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

Lemon Poppy Seed Dip

Use this sweet dip for fruits and veggies, even chips.  It would be an excellent dressing for an ambrosia or fruit salad.

1 recipe basic dip

Add:

2-6 Tblsp raw agave nectar or raw honey

3 Tblsp lemon juice

zest of one lemon

2 Tblsp poppyseeds

Mix well, refrigerate until serving

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

Real Ranch Dressing

Better than any bottle you will ever open!  Your family will love it.

By Celeste Davis

Make ahead, flavor is better the next day, can be kept for 3-5 days

Ingredients

1 cup goat or greek yogurt

1 cup veganaise (made with grapeseed oil)

1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

1 tsp garlic granules

1 tsp onion granules

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1 tsp dried thyme

Instructions

Blend all well.  Refrigerate.  Use as dip, dressing or sandwich spread.

Variations:

• Blue Cheese – crumble blue cheese or feta into dressing
• Dill – add 1 tsp dry dill or 1 Tbs fresh dill
• Basil Dill – add 1 Tbs fresh dill and 1 Tbs fresh basil
• Green Goddess – add 3 green onions tops and all, 1- 3 garlic cloves, 1-2 Tbs fresh dill and 3-4 fresh basil leaves and 1 tsp organic Dijon mustard.  Blend in food processor or magic bullet.  This is always a crowd pleaser.

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

Green Goddess Dressing & Sandwich Spread

Celeste Davis, makes 1 ½ cups

This is my signature dressing, very popular for vegetarian sandwiches and relish trays.

1 cup grape seed veganaise

3 green onions, cut off root

3 large cloves garlic

5 leaves fresh basil or 1 tsp dried (fresh is best)

2 inches fresh dill, stem removed or 1 tsp dried (again, fresh is best)

2 Tblsp lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar

Put all in a magic bullet or food processor in the above order and blend until pureed.  May need to open jar and move food around or add a little more lemon juice or vinegar to get it moving.

Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

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

Uncle Phil’s Organic Homemade Popcorn

Phil Davis

This was a real hit at our class.  Microwave popcorn is extremely harmful to your health, the fumes alone are known to cause lung cancer! Make your own in minutes.  One question came up at our class:  “Is Organic Popcorn genetically modified?”  According to the popcorn board, no popcorn is genetically modified at this time.

Equipment:

Heavy Pan with a handle and a  lid

Whirly Pop Popcorn Popper

1 cup organic popcorn (never use non-organic popcorn)

1/3 cup grape seed oil or coconut oil

¼ cup earth balance or organic real butter

½ to ¾ tsp fine grind celtic sea salt

Put oil in pan, turn on heat, put in earth balance or butter.

When butter is melted add popcorn and salt.

Shake pan or stir whirly pop continuously until it stops popping.

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

Sweet & Sticky Popcorn

1 kettle of popped corn

1/2 c brown rice syrup
1/4 c nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 cup Enjoy Life! Chocolate Chips

¼ cup toasted almonds or pecans

Make a batch of Uncle Phil’s Organic Popcorn.

Put the brown rice syrup in a pan, as it warms it will become thinner.

Stir in nut butter and bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.

Remove from heat, stir in salt.

Pour the mixture over the popcorn, and stir to coat popcorn.

Let cool slightly, and add chocolate chips, nuts whatever you like, leave in the air to dry then store in a sealed container.

Also use for popcorn balls.

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

Healthier Hot Cocoa

Celeste Davis

6 Servings

¼ cup Raw Agave Nectar

¼ cup organic Cocoa

Dash celtic sea salt

1/3 cup hot water

4 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk or other alternative milk (best if you use half coconut milk and half coconut creamer)

¾ tsp organic vanilla extract

Mix agave, cocoa and salt, stir in water, warm.  Stir in milk and heat, do not boil.  Remove from heat, add vanilla.

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

1 serving Hot Cocoa

1 Tblsp Raw Agave Nectar

2 Tblsp organic cocoa

Dash salt

1 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk or other alternative milk

¼ tsp organic vanilla extract

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday!

If you make a great healthy holiday recipe you’d like to share with us for the Christmas holiday season, please email us and we’ll post it!

Enjoy Real Food, Real Relationships and be Real Thankful!

Celeste & Phil

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

Cranberry Vinaigrette

Adapted from the Vegetarian Times website, www.vegetariantimes.com

Ingredients

1-½ cup fresh cranberries (can also use dried, but will need to soak first in boiling water for 15 minutes)

1-cup fresh apple juice from your champion juicer

¼ – 1/3 cup raw agave nectar

1/3 cup grape seed or olive oil

1 Tblsp Dijon mustard

1 ½ tsp raw apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Celtic sea salt

1/8 tsp dried red pepper

Instructions

Combine in blender or magic bullet until smooth, keep 5-7 days in refrigerator.

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

Thanksgiving Cocktail

Phil Davis

This is an amazing juice!  Makes about 1 ½ quarts.  Make it in place of soda pop or alcohol.

8 new crop apples like Honey Crisp or Gala

2 bags fresh cranberries, raw

4 lbs purple grapes

1 cup fresh pineapple

¼ to 1 lemon (to taste)

Wash all, peel lemon, put through juicer, stir and serve over ice.

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

Sweet Potato Waldorf

Celeste Davis

Adapted from The Gumbo Pot, Los Angeles, CA

Serves 6-8

Mix in a bowl

4 cups peeled and shredded  & rinsed sweet potatoes

2 tart green apples, cored & chopped

½ cup organic raisins or cranberries, sugar free

½ cup toasted pecan pieces

Mix together dressing

1 orange, juiced

1 lime, juiced

2 Tblsp raw apple cider vinegar

1 Tblsp organic Dijon mustard

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

celtic sea salt & white pepper to taste

Whisk into dressing 1/3 cup grape seed or olive oil

Combine dressing and other ingredients and serve.

Best if let to sit overnight in refrigerator for flavors to meld and sweet potatoes to soften.

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

Harvest Loaf

Nancy Priszner

Contributed by my good friend and fellow detoxer, this has good ingredients and tastes fantastic! Makes 1 bread loaf size or 3 mini loafs or about 6 muffins.  Make several batches and keep in freezer or share!

Yummy fall treat for the whole family!.  Little to no refined sugar, depending on if you use chocolate chips or dried fruit.

Combine all and set aside

1 ½ cups white spelt flour

¼ cup whole grain spelt

1 tsp organic aluminum free baking soda (Bob’s Red Mill)

1 tsp organic cinammon

½ tsp celtic sea salt

½ tsp organic nutmeg

¼ tsp organic ginger

¼ tsp cloves

Cream together

½ cup Earth Balance or organic butter (could also use unrefined coconut oil)

½ cup raw local honey

2 eggs, blended

¾ cup organic canned or cooked pumpkin

Add

¾ cup Enjoy Life!  Chocolate Chips

or

¾ cup organic raisins or dried cranberries or cherries

¾ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

Mixing it up

In a bowl, alternate dry ingredients and pumpkin mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips  and/or dried fruit and chopped nuts

Turn into foil lined loaf pan.

Sprinkle chopped nuts on top

Bake

325 degrees F

Large Loaf: 55-60 minutes, (convection 50 minutes)

Small Loaves 35 minutes

We had a great time at our Raw Holiday Foods class on Thursday night. Phil’s Thanksgiving Cocktail was the bomb!  He also reminded us that giving thanks and looking for things we can be thankful for are really good for our health.

Bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness are the worst toxin we can encounter.  We can eat right, exercise and take great care of our bodies but if we are continually full of bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, desiring revenge all the good things we do are in effect, canceled out.  Letting go of those things is a big part of our detox program, Give Your Body A Break 4 Life.

We made a total of 5 things that fed more than 27 people, in just about an hour!  This is one of the reasons I love raw foods, “uncooking” is a breeze, especially if you have a great food processor.  We love our kitchen aide.

Three of our dishes were from Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet.  She is giving away a free raw recipe book full of great holiday recipes like the ones we made at our class:

• Faux Mashed Potatoes – suprisingly many people loved the mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy.  I used 6 small turnips and about 3/4 of a head of cauliflower, next time I will use less turnips, it seemed a little “turnipy” to me.  Also I will first grind up some garlic and onion, then add the other ingredients.  The recipe doesn’t call for garlic and onion but we all agreed it would be good.  I also put about 1 tsp of celtic sea salt, more than the recipe called for.
• Mushroom Gravy-we heated this just slightly on the stove, just so it was warm to my finger.  Great on the “mashed potatoes”
• Raw Apple Cranberry Pie-definitely my favorite.  We used macadamia nuts instead of almonds for the crust and raw agave nectar instead of dates in both the crust and the pie.
• Macadamia Nut Creme – this was very “whip creamish” and tasty.  They Raw Apple Cranbery Pie was beautiful, kind of pink and I sprinkled some of the crust on top like an “apple crunch”.  Then put the macadamia nut creme in the middle and some fresh raspberries and mint leaves.  It brought ooohs and aaaahs as well as yums!

I won’t be publishing her recipes here but you can email her and request her free ebook!

Here is her email:

nomi@rawgourmet.com

Have a great holiday, eat real food, enjoy real relationships and be real thankful!

Celeste & Phil

Cranberry Vinaigrette – didn’t have time to make this but it is very good!

Adapted from Vegetarian Times, November 1, 2006, pg 66

Ingredients

1-½ cup fresh cranberries (can also use dried, but will need to soak first in boiling water for 15 minutes)

1-cup fresh apple juice from your champion juicer

¼ – 1/3 cup raw agave nectar

1/3 cup grape seed or olive oil

1 Tblsp Dijon mustard

1 ½ tsp raw apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Celtic sea salt

1/8 tsp dried red pepper

Combine in blender or magic bullet until smooth, keep 5-7 days in refrigerator.

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

Sweet Potato Waldorf – this was definitely a hit, second after the pie of course.  You really don’t know you are eating sweet potatoes, it looks and tastes very much like a carrot salad but without the carrot crunch.

Celeste Davis

Adapted from The Gumbo Pot, Los Angeles, CA

Serves 6-8

Mix in a bowl

4 cups peeled and shredded  & rinsed sweet potatoes – about 3 medium sized

2 tart green apples, cored & chopped – again, more apples would be good

1 cup raw cranberries – you could use more and it would be even better

1 cup toasted pecan pieces

Mix together dressing

1 orange, juiced

1 lime, juiced

2 Tblsp raw apple cider vinegar

1 Tblsp organic Dijon mustard

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

celtic sea salt & white pepper to taste

Whisk into dressing

1/3 cup grape seed or olive oil

Combine all and serve.  Best if let to sit overnight in refrigerator for flavors to meld and sweet potatoes to soften.  Of course we served it within about 20 minutes of making it and it was fabulous.

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

Thanksgiving Cocktail

Phil Davis

This is an amazing juice!  Good for your colon and your kidneys as well as just a tasty “special” drink. Makes more than half a gallon.  You could add some Gerolstiener sparkling water to it and make it fizzy, like a Sparkling Cider.

8 new crop apples like Honey Crisp or Gala

2 bags fresh cranberries, raw

4 lbs purple grapes

1 cup fresh pineapple

1 lemon (to taste)

Wash all, peel lemon, put through juicer, stir and serve over ice.

These are the recipes from our latest Whole Foods Class.  The Quinoa Stuffing and Green Bean dish are adaptations of recipes in November 2009 edition of Natural Health Magazine, chosen as favorites of Dr. Oz.  The Chocolate Pie is my own creation.  The crust did not turn out as a crust but rather a disk, so we just crumbled it into the pie filling and made a crunchy pudding that was fabulous.

Why are these better than the traditional foods?

• No MSG
• Low Sodium
• Low Saturated Fat (good fats)
• Made fresh by You!
• No refined sugars
• Gluten Free and Dairy Free (the cream gravy is made with spelt flour so there is gluten there)

Crunchy Creamy Green Bean Casserole

Celeste Davis (Dairy Free & Delicious)

Serves 6

Spray a glass 9 x 13 baking dish with Grapeseed oil.

Beans

1 lb frozen green beans

8 oz. Baby bella mushrooms, clean & broken into pieces

2-3 Tblsp Grapeseed Oil

1 Tblsp minced garlic

White Pepper to taste

2 Tblsp White Spelt Flour

½ cup unsweetened So Delicious Coconut milk (refrigerated section, not canned)

Topping

1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds

½ cup cooked quinoa

½ tsp Onion powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1. In a skillet put 1 Tblsp Grapeseed oil & sauté garlic for 1 minute, add mushroom pieces and sauté for 5 minutes, salt and pepper with white pepper to taste.
2. Add green beans to skillet (if the skillet is dry add a splash of Grapeseed oil, stir beans into mushroom and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Put mushroom/bean mixture in the glass baking dish.  Do not rinse the skillet or scrape out the  pan, you are going to use the pan drippings.
4. In the skillet add 1 Tblsp Grapeseed Oil and 2 Tblsp of spelt flour, whisk together over medium high heat until well blended.
5. Slowly add coconut milk, stirring constantly until all the milk is used and the mixture is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes, it will make a creamy gravy like consistency.
6. Pour coconut milk sauce over the bean/mushroom mixture and stir gently to coat.
7. FOOD PROCESSOR:  Put S blade in, add pumpkin seeds, onion and garlic powder and 1-2 tsp Grapeseed oil, pulse quickly about 10 times, Add ½ cup cooked quinoa and pulse 1-2 times until well blended.
8. Sprinkle pumpkin seed/quinoa on top of green bean mixture.
9. Bake at 450 for about 10-15 minutes until quinoa is crunchy and sauce is bubbly.

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

Kale, Quinoa & Pomegranate Stuffing

Celeste Davis, serves 12

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, Spray 9×13 glass dish with Grapeseed oil.

½ lb Kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped in FP with S blade

6 cloves (2-3 Tblsp) minced garlic

½ cup water

1 tsp better than boullion vegetable base

Celtic sea salt & white pepper to taste

1 ½ cups pecans

1 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1 Tblsp fresh sage (1 tsp dry)

1 Tblsp fresh thyme (1 tsp dry)

2 cups cooked Quinoa

1 Tblsp earth balance, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

2/4 cup apple or grape juice

½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds

1. Cook Quinoa according to package directions and put in glass bowl.
2. Chop onion in FP w/ S blade, pulse for fine but coarse chop.
3. Saute onion and 1 Tblsp garlic, add sage & thyme and sauté until onion is golden and caramelized, 3-4 minutes, put in bowl w/ Quinoa, stir.
4. In same pan, Saute kale & 1 Tblsp garlic in 2 Tblsp Grapeseed oil 1-2 min.
5. Add water & better than boullion
6. Cover and cook on medium high for 3 minutes.
7. Uncover and cook until liquid is evaporated, watch and stir.  Season w/ salt & pepper, set aside.
8. Put cooled Kale in FP w/ S blade.  Add pecans and pulse until pecans are coarse chop but still chunky.
9. Add Kale/pecan to Quinoa/onion
10. Mix earth balance, egg & apple juice, pour over Quinoa mixture and stir well.
11. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

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

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Choconut Pie

(10 min prep, 5 min cooking, 2 hours in refrigerator)
Celeste Davis

1. Make pie crust
2. Make filling
3. Refrigerate

Filling
In a medium glass dish mix with a whisk until smooth and well blended:
6 Tbs organic Corn Starch
½ cup organic unsweetened powdered Dutch Cocoa
Whisk until it makes a smooth paste:
4 Tbs filtered water
Whisk in until smooth:
½ cup Raw  Agave Nectar
2-4 Tbs Raw organic Tahini (to taste)
2 Tsp organic real Vanilla
1/8 – ¼ tsp Celtic Sea Salt
In a medium sauce pan heat until warm:
2 cups of SO Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk

1 cup of So Delicious Coconut Cream
· Slowly stir Chocolate mixture into milk with a whisk
· Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture bubbles and thickens
· Pour into finished pie shell
· Cover top with waxed paper, refrigerate

To Serve:
Remove waxed paper, Cover top of pie with Real or Soy Whip Cream, chocolate shavings and some flaked coconut
Enjoy!

Chocolate Macaroon Pie Crust (5 minutes prep, 20 min. baking)
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
This is a pre-baked crust, can be made up to 2 days in advance, refrigerate and cover w/ plastic wrap
Ingredients:
2 oz organic semi-sweet chocolate, melted in oven, stove top or over water (not microwave)
2 Tbs Earth Balance
2 Tblsp Raw Agave Nectar
1 ½ cups unsweetened organic shredded coconut
pinch of salt
· Melt chocolate, combine all, mixing with hands, pat into greased pie plate
· Bake at 350, about 20 minutes, until firm but not dark. Cool and fill w/ chocolate pie filling.

I flunked muffins in 7th grade home ec.  They were always flat or lop-sided.  If I had this recipe I would have gotten an A+, the longer they sit in the fridge the better the “muffin dome”.  If you add flax seed, they will be very moist and very good for you.  You could just sprinkle some ground flax on top each morning when you make them.

These muffins are awesome for several reasons:

1.  The batter will keep several weeks in the fridge so you can make them fresh every day.

2.  They are a great way to use your carrot or apple pulp from juicing (remove apple seeds before juicing if you are going to use the pulp).

3.  They have absolutely NO refined sugar.  The sweetness comes from frozen apple juice concentrate.

4.  They are high in fiber, moist and low in fat.

Your family will LOVE these!  I made them for an event this week and they were more popular than the chocolate chip ones.

NOTE:  It is hard to find packaged spelt bran.  You can separate the bran from the flour by sifting whole grain spelt through a fine mesh colander or you can use wheat bran.  Use the flour you have sifted out in your muffin recipe.

If you are sensitive to wheat, use the spelt or oat bran.

Spelt Bran Muffins

Makes about 20 regular sized muffins or about 60 minis.  Can be made ahead and refrigerated, covered, for 2-3 weeks.  If you keep it in the fridge and make fresh each morning, do not stir it once it is mixed up, just take out what you need and put the lid back on.

• 1 c. boiling water
• 3 c. Spelt, Oat or Wheat bran (divide into two containers, 1 cup and 2 cups)
• 18 oz. (3 six oz cans) frozen 100% apple juice concentrate, thawed (organic if possible)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin unrefined coconut oil or grapeseed oil
• 2 eggs (can use En-RG egg replacer for vegan)
• 1 cup white spelt flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole grain spelt flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. aluminum free baking soda
• 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or to taste)
• Add carrot pulp, apple pulp or shredded carrots or apples or raisins, dried cranberries or blueberries or chopped nuts, 2-4 Tbsp ground flax, whatever you like in your muffins.  Can also use shredded apples, carrots, zucchini if you don’t have a juicer.
• **Mix your additions (pulp, raisins, etc) in well because you should not stir the muffins again, before baking, ever, you will flunk the “muffin dome” which, according to my 7th grade Home Ec teacher is “why” we make muffins in the first place!

1. Pour boiling water on 1 cup of the bran, let it stand and cool.
2. Beat eggs, oil, apple juice, add to cooled bran.
3. Whisk together dry ingredients, except for the dry bran.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients, fold gently.
5. Fold in remaining 2 cups of dry bran and any pulp or raisins or whatever you like to add in.
6. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to rise.
7. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
8. Without stirring batter, fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full (or use muffin papers).
9. As soon as you put them in the oven, turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.
10. Bake a total of 15-20 minutes.  They will be done when they are springy on top, but not dry looking.
11. You can freeze them in zip loc brand baggies for about 2 weeks if you just want to make them all up at once, just don’t use the microwave to reheat!

Tell me how you like them or if you make them even better!

Plateaus: 5 reasons I can think of:
1. Not enough water. Many times when people hit a plateau they have slacked off on their water. Half your body weight in ounces of water each day.

2. Not enough food. If you don’t eat enough veggies your metabolism will slow down. It is good to change it up every other day or every two days, eat less on one day and then way more on another day (veggies that is). Then your body doesn’t think you are in a famine.

3. Exercise. When your body has eliminated all the inflammation and fat that are related to toxicity your weight loss will slow way down. You are at the perfect time to exercise. Choose something that will make you sweat for an hour or so after you are finished. Intervals work great because they help to stimulate your metabolism. Check out this website, www.thetruthaboutabs.com Don’t buy their stuff, you get lots of free info that is really good. We agree with most of what he teaches although he does encourage people to use dairy products and eat peanut butter and we are very much against both of those items as food.

4. Grains and caffeine. Adding those two back in can really mess up your pancreas, cause you to excrete too much insulin which causes your body to create belly fat.

5. Stress. Stress is the biggest cause of weight gain, due to cortisol excretion and the fact that your body thinks you are going to die and holds on to fat to see you through.

Getting adjusted and taking those supplements will also help to get your body in a place where it can heal and release the fat you don’t want.