Date-Manna Bread

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

2 cups sprouted organic eikhorn wheat
flour as needed for molding consistency
½ lb. dates
¼ tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. cinnamon
add Blendfresh veggie fruit fresh dried powders to increase nutritional value (Food Storage 3 year shelf life)

Preheat oven to 300°F.
Place the sprouted wheat in a food processor and whirl it until it is ground up and pasty. Add flour until the mixture is doughy. Fold in the dates, raisins, and spices and process a little more to mix. Form into small loaves or one larger loaf. Bake for about 2½ hours. This is a great recipe to use up food storage items.

The Wisdom of Order

I think its important to create order and creating an order in the morning has really helped me set the rest of the day on a good start to keep and stay focused. Here is an example of how my mornings go as far as having an order in taking care of my physical, spiritual and emotional health go something like:

1. Morning Prayer..connect with your Maker.

2. Look up passage of scripture,quote or ponder on some positive affirmations to keep my emotional body centered and my intention for my day set. Also a brief look at the order of my days events with my kidlets:) Three deep breathes,rinse face with cool water and neti pot salts sinus rinse...got to love my tiny sinuses.

3. quart of good water with a dash of tumeric and a lemon 

4. At this point I take any supplements I need that don't require food.

5. Drink 6-8 oz. of green juice

6. Yoga,walk or dance..you can take a Relyte to replenish salts lost in excercise

7. Breathe

8. Make a good clean breakfast based on what my body is asking for..I encourage you to start listening to your body. I usually want a shake or warm buckwheat cereal w some soaked nuts and seeds and berries. I take the rest of my supplements that are better with food ie. opti oils,krill oil,multi v etc.

9. Get cleaned up... use a loofah to increase circulation and polish skin. If I need more hydration...coconut oil,or Soph Skin is great after your shower or bath. If I take a bath, I love to use the clay and salts with an essential oils lavendar and frankincense. Dress my temple (body:) with respect and gratitude for the gift it is...and on with my kidlets and on with our Day!

Of course All our lives are busy and different, and ad midst this routine, I have to balance taking care of my kidlets...but on days I can, this is my morning routine. Good luck creating yours!

Healthy Snacks for the Whole Family

Body Clock --- Know the Time

This body rhythm clock is fun. Dealing with Adrenal fatigue after some life traumatic events, I learned some of these tips from doctors and some I was already instinctively doing from listening to my body. I use to push and ignore my body signals and now have humbly tried to folllow my body cues, it is hard at times when you just keep pushing to get things done as a mom.

Sat Nam,

Ashley

http://www.phmlife.com/supplements/activated-oxygen/#50859-0

http://www.phmlife.com/supplements/activated-oxygen/#*50859-0*

http://www.phmlife.com/?*1111-01*

Ashley's Veggie Nori Rolls

4-5 Nori sheets (your local health store should carry them)
5 long thinly sliced pieces of:
cucumbers
bell peppers
celery 
sprouts 
avocado 
liquid salt or real salt 
zip (spice hunter) 
Make 2 Cups of brown purple or wild rice ahead of time:) 
You can also spread hummus or any other things that sound tasty.

Lay out nori sheet on nori roller (if you have one, if not wax paper works), spread thin layer of rice over the whole sheet. Lay the veggies in a row about 1 inch from end and season. Roll up and 
Enjoy with favorite sauce or dip:)

Great Grains

In our home I like to use several different grains because they all have different nutrients and benefits we need. For example Quinoa is a very good low glycemic carbohydrate source, and rich with manganese, magnesium, calcium, copper, iron, phosphorus, vitamin E, and several B vitamins.is a seed and is a better protein source while Wild rice is high in dietary fiber, protein, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorous. Wild rice is an incomplete protein and should be used with complimentary foods to ensure that you have complete protein in your diet.


Grains we have on hand are:

• Organic Spelt(We grind this up to make seed pancakes..I have goals to make bread someday:)
• Organic Wild Rice or (Purple Rice complete protein:)
• Organic Millet (seed/most alkalizing grain)
• Organic Quinoa
• Organic Brown Rice
• Organic Amaranth and or Teff (makes good warm cereal/also high in protein)
• Organic Raw Buckwheat groats (yes its gluten free)

We serve grains along side warm veggies or soup, beans, lentils or salad...You don't want to serve grain with fruit or starch if you can avoid it...however a warm bowl of creme of Buckwheat cereal with mixed berries, nuts and a little palm coconut sugar is so good once in a while:)

As for preparation....if I can properly plan ahead I like to rinse my grain, soak overnight, rinse and sprout for 2 days(rinse morn and night). Doing this ensures better enzymatic breakdown and assimilation and nutrient value of the grain. However each grain does have a recommended soaking time...here are quick tips on a few of our favs...

Buckwheat: Soak 20 min. Drain and rinse 2X daily for 24hours warm and serve.
Quinoa and Millet: Rinse several times thoroughly to remove saphonins(gunk in the water:). Soak for 12 hours(overnight:). You can then warm gently on low heat the next day or rinse and sprout for 24hours for a more sprouted grain.
Org Rice: I like to rinse the grain a few times and soak overnight with a bit of lime to start the breakdown process then just gently warm cook it the next day.

There are so many different ways to use grains, be creative. Enjoy!

The Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen

So here is a list of the produce you want to try to keep Organic and the produce it might not matter as much...so you can keep the extra in your pocket:) Just wash them well :)
Luvs,
Ash

The fruits and vegetables on “The Dirty Dozen” list, when conventionally grown, tested positive for at least 47 different chemicals, with some testing positive for as many as 67. For produce on the “dirty” list, you should definitely go organic — unless you relish the idea of consuming a chemical cocktail. 

“The Dirty Dozen” list includes:

• celery
• peaches
• strawberries
• apples
• domestic blueberries
• nectarines
• sweet bell peppers
• spinach, kale and collard greens
• cherries
• potatoes
• imported grapes
• lettuce

All the produce on “The Clean 15” bore little to no traces of pesticides, and is safe to consume in non-organic form. This list includes:

• onions
• avocados
• sweet corn
• pineapples
• mango
• sweet peas
• asparagus
• kiwi fruit
• cabbage
• eggplant
• cantaloupe
• watermelon
• grapefruit
• sweet potatoes
• sweet onions

Practical Application of the Five Love Languages

Fresh Start Morning Juice

1 Cucumber

handful Kale
4-5 handfuls Spinach
1 stalk Celery with leaves

sprig fresh Parsley

Strain after you juice. Then add 1/4 Almond milk to 3/4 juice.
My favorite way to start the day:)

The Effects Of Negative Emotions On Our Health

Here's another article I found very interesting and wanted to share with you:

Humans experience an array of emotions, anything from happiness, to sadness to extreme joy and depression. Each one of these emotions creates a different feeling within the body. After all, our body releases different chemicals when we experience various things that make us happy and each chemical works to create a different environment within the body. For example if your brain releases serotonin, dopamine or oxytocin, you will feel good and happy. Conversely, if your body releases cortisol while you are stressed, you will have an entirely different feeling associated more with the body kicking into survival mode.

What about when we are thinking negative thoughts all the time? Or how about when we are thinking positive thoughts? What about when we are not emotionally charged to neither positive nor negative? Let’s explore how these affect our body and life.

Positive vs. Negative

Is there duality in our world? Sure, you could say there is to a degree, but mostly we spend a lot of time defining and judging what is to be considered as positive and what we consider to be as negative. The brain is a very powerful tool and as we define what something is or should be, we begin to have that result play out in our world. Have you ever noticed, for example that someone driving can get cut off and lose their lid, get angry and suddenly they are feeling negative, down and in  bad mood? Whereas someone else can get cut off while driving and simply apply the brake slightly and move on with their day as if nothing happened. In this case, the same experience yet one sees it as negative while the other doesn’t. So are things innately positive and negative? Or do we define things as positive and negative?

Cut The Perceptions As Much As Possible

After thinking about it for a moment you might realize that there are in fact no positive or negative experiences other than what we define as such. Therefore our very perception of an experience or situation has the ultimate power as to how we will feel when it’s happening and how our bodies will be affected. While we can always work to move beyond our definitions of each experience and move into a state of mind/awareness/consciousness where we simply accept each experience for what it is and use it as a learning grounds for us, we may not be there yet and so it’s important to understand how certain emotions can affect our health.

“If someone wishes for good health, one must first ask oneself if he is ready to do away with the reasons for his illness. Only then is it possible to help him.” ~ Hippocrates

Mind Body Connection

The connection between your mind and body is very powerful and although it cannot be visually seen, the effects your mind can have on your physical body are profound. We can have an overall positive mental attitude and deal directly with our internal challenges and in turn create a healthy lifestyle or we can be in negative, have self destructive thoughts and not deal with our internal issues, possibly even cloak those issues with affirmations and positivity without finding the route and in turn we can create an unhealthy lifestyle. Why is this?

Our emotions and experiences are essentially energy and they can be stored in the cellular memory of our bodies. Have you ever experienced something in your life that left an emotional mark or pain in a certain area of your body? Almost as if you can still feel something that may have happened to you? It is likely because in that area of your body you still hold energy released from that experience that is remaining in that area. I came across an interesting chart that explores some possible areas that various emotions might affect the body.

Source :http://www.cforcestudio.com/resources/emotional-pain-chart

When you have a pain, tightness or injuries in certain areas, it’s often related to something emotionally you are feeling within yourself. At first glance it may not seem this way because we are usually very out of touch with ourselves and our emotions in this fast paced world, but it’s often the truth. When I’ve had chronic pains in my back, knees, neck or shoulders, it wasn’t exercise, physio or anything in a physical sense that healed it, it was when I dealt with the emotions behind it. I know this because I spent the time and money going to physio and even though I wanted and believed I would get better, something wasn’t being addressed still. The more I addressed the unconscious thought pattern and emotions throughout my body, the more things loosened up and pain went away.

When you get sick or are feeling a lot of tightness and pain, often times our body is asking us to observe yourself and find peace once again within yourself and your environment. It’s all a learning and growing process we don’t have to judge nor fear.

You Have The Power

Davis Suzuki wrote in ‘The Sacred Balance’, ‘condensed molecules from breath exhaled from verbal expressions of anger, hatred, and jealousy, contain toxins. Accumulated over 1 hr, these toxins are enough to kill 80 guinea pigs!’ Can you now imagine the harm you are doing to your body when you stay within negative emotions or unprocessed emotional experience throughout the body?

Remember, you have all the power in you to get through anything life throws at you. Instead of labeling with perception the concepts of negative and positive as it relates to each experience you have in your life, try to see things from a  big picture standpoint. Ask yourself, how can this help me to see or learn something? Can I use this to shift my perception? Clear some emotion within myself? Realize something within another and accept it? Whatever it may be, instead of simply reacting, slow things down and observe. You will find you have the tools to process emotions and illness quickly when you see them for what they are and explore why they came up. If you believe you will get sick all the time, and believe you have pain because it’s all out of your control, you will continue to have it all in an uncontrollable manner until you realize the control you have over much of what we attract within the body.

Sources:

http://www.cforcestudio.com/resources/emotional-pain-chart

Here's the original article link: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/04/11/the-effects-of-negative-emotions-on-our-health/

Chocolate A Day Raw Bars

1 1/2 c coconut oil
1/4 c almond milk
1 c organic medjool dates
1 tsp non alcohol vanilla extract or coconut(Frontier brand)
1 Tbsp chia/flax seeds
2 Tbsp sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds
1 1/2 c gluten free rolled oats
1/4 c eikhorn wheat flour or sprouted spelt
1/4 c coconut flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp real salt
1/3 c hemp seeds
8-10 Chocolate A Day, cut into chip size bits

Preheat oven 350.

Blend in Blendtec twister jar, coconut oil, dates, milk, vanilla and chia/ flax seeds set aside.

In bowl mix remaining ingredients. Then add wet ingredients to the dry mix. Spread with wooden spatula in glass pan to about 1/2 inch thick. Bake 12 minutes. Enjoy!

Loves,
Ashley

Prayer and Meditation and Mothering

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

Try Sprouts

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


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

Coconut Creme Broccoli Soup

1 onion diced

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

Saute onion and chopped up broccoli stalks in 4 tbsp coconut oil for 5 minutes on low. Add Broth, broccoli florets and spices, simmer on low for 10- 15 minutes. Transfer half the soup to the vita mix, blend and then add back into the soup. Last add the coconut milk. 

We like to serve this with diced avocados,and sprouted tortillas with coconut oil and salt.

Bon Apetit

Warm Cool Breakfast

Spring is crazy! Hot one day then cold the next.

At breakfast time, especially living in Utah on cold mornings, a nice cold shake or juice doesn't feel complete. Here is a yummy cold shake made along with a warm broccoli dish I felt like on the side. I think its good to pay attention to what your body is asking for. 

Sat Nam,
Ashley

Health is More Than Just What You Eat

I think it's very important to approach health holistically, not just focusing on what we eat. I really liked this article that makes that point clearly:

The 4 Factors that are More Important to Your Health than What you Eat | Institute for Integrative Nutrition

Many years ago I worked in a small natural food store. All day I watched health-conscious customers read labels and ask questions about the products in the aisles. They gave great care and attention to the foods they chose to eat.

Then after work, sometimes I would go to the movie theater next door. There I saw people munching on buttery popcorn, eating candy, and gulping down soda, all the while laughing and having fun with their friends or partner. It struck me that the moviegoers often looked so much healthier, happier, and more alive than the people shopping in my store.

This got me thinking – it wasn’t just about the food. The idea of holistic health is to look at the integrated system, which includes the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional parts of life.

Here are four factors that are just as important, if not more important, to your health as the food you eat. Here at Integrative Nutrition, we call them primary food, and they are the forms of nourishment that truly feed your hunger for life.

Relationships: The quality of your relationships with your parents, children, spouses, partners, friends, and coworkers explains a lot about your quality of life and your health. Love, friendships, intimacy, and effective communication are all essential forms of food for the soul.

When examining relationships, try to understand your personal preferences in regard to how much intimacy you want in your life. Some people love being alone, while on the other end of the spectrum, some people love being around other people. Most people fall somewhere in the middle. Where do you fall on this scale? No rules, no judgment – just find and honor what is true for you at this point in your life.

Physical Activity: Our bodies thrive on movement and quickly degenerate without it. When it comes to working out, the challenge is to find the types of exercise you enjoy most and build them into your life.

Something interesting I’ve noticed is people’s inclination to choose exercise that further imbalances them. After living at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, practicing a very relaxing style of yoga every day, I realized I needed to get more grounded. So I switched to weightlifting and running, which provided great balance and stability in my life. In a way, movement is a lot like food. Once you understand how different types of movement nourish you, you can put together a menu of activities to keep you in balance.

Career: Most of us spend more than half of our waking hours at work. Yet how many of us really enjoy it? We don’t realize the extent to which our lives would improve if we were doing work we loved.

I’m a big fan of the saying “find the work you love and love the work you find.” For the first part, take a sheet of paper and list all the things you love to do, including your hobbies and what you enjoy in your leisure time. Somewhere in this list lies the key to your new career. But sometimes it’s simply not optimal to go out and create a new career. In that case, think about your job and evaluate – what is working and what is not working? By making adjustments in just a few key areas, you could make your job much more rewarding. Ask for a raise, request to join a new project, redecorate your office – it’s up to you to ask for what you need.

There is no one right answer about how to find happiness in your career. Maybe you love working hard in a corporate environment, or maybe you need a more flexible, less conventional position. Be honest about what works for you and remember, we all need to nourish ourselves by finding work we love and being paid fairly for it.

Spirituality: Spiritual nutrition can feed us on a very deep level and dramatically diminish cravings for the superficial rewards of life. I encourage clients and students to develop and deepen their spiritual practice.

I was raised in an orthodox Jewish family. It felt good to be one of the “chosen” people. But it all kind of fell apart when I went to a Catholic college and found out they thought they were the chosen people. So I decided to let it all go and find a path for myself that made sense to me, which took many, many years to evolve.

Daily meditation, attending religious services, reading inspirational texts, or walking in the woods – whatever it is, I encourage you to commit to your practice. As you deepen your connection to the greater processes of life, you may find yourself coping with stress and emotions more easily, relating more lovingly with others, and finding more joy in life.

I’d love to hear – what about primary food most resonates with you? Have you ever improved your health and your life by addressing one of these factors? Is there a form of primary food you’d currently like to focus on? Please share in the comments below!

 Original