YEAH! My favorite time of year before it gets ridiculously hot here in Houston. Oh wait, it's already in the 90's. Flowers and trees are blooming, birds are singing! Yippee! Time for a macro recipe that we really enjoy:
Spring Lady Peach Cobbler with Coconut Sorbet (from Love, Eric by Eric Lechausser, commentary by me)
For the filling:
8 organic peaches (make sure they are good and ripe for extreme tastiness)
1 cup organic apple juice
3 T kuzu (*see below for a description)
1 t vanilla extract
For the cobbler topping:
2 cups of rolled oats
1/4 cup of organic oat flour
1/2 cup of maple sugar (also at Whole Foods)
1/3 cup of safflower oil
For the sorbet:
1 can organic coconut milk
1/2 cup of organic apple juice
4 T rice syrup (Whole Foods)
1 pinch sea salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
TO make filling:
Preheat oven to 375. Cut peaches in half and remove pits, then slice each into 8 sections. Combine peaches and apple juice in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 min. In a small bowl, dissolve kuzu in 2T of water. Add the vanilla and kuzu to the simmering peaches, and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and pour into a 9x12 baking pan and set aside.
To make the topping:
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and pour over the filling. Bake until turns a golden color, about 20 minutes.
To make the sorbet:
Combine the vanilla bean and apple juice in a saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon remove the bean, scrape the seeds from the bean and pour the seeds back into the apple juice. Add all the other ingredients to the apple juice and whisk well, then transfer to an ice cream maker. Follow the manufacturers instructions for making ice cream (chilling times may vary usually 20-30 minutes). Add a scoop of sorbet onto each individual serving of hot cobbler.
*Kuzu is a white starch from the root of the wild kudzu plant, it is used as a thickener in soups, desserts, and sauces. It is very alkalizing and strengthening to the intestinal tract. It promotes healing throughout the entire body. Available near the seaweeds at Whole Foods
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
He is Faithful!
I was looking back through the post list and stumbled upon this post that I wrote a little over a year ago.
http://jandcmartin.blogspot.com/2008/04/oh-come-let-us-worship.html
Wow, what a year! WOW, wow, wow! What a place we were in just one year ago. I flipped back in my journal to those months of suffering, refining, trusting, and waiting. The subject lines were all the same, so much pain and times of pleading with Him, begging. Here we sit a year later, different growing pains, but the SAME faithful Savior! Words can't do justice to what God has done in my life, my heart, and my body. Jacob and I are changed people, and I say hallelujah for it!
I was asking then for a miracle that was 15 years in the making, I was Jacob wrestling with God for as blessing, and boy did i get what I asked for! Isn't that incredible?! Our Savior blesses His children and more importantly, He LOVES to bless them. I am utterly humbled, totally and completely enthralled with my Jehovah Rapha, my Healer! My friends, as you can see from that post, I changed my prayers and in turn He changed my heart. I didn't look at a divine healing as impossible, just not something God wanted for me. I had accepted my thorn long ago. I believed that like Paul He could take it away, but deep down I believed He wasn't going to. Oh ME of little faith!!! Oh God over impossibilities, grace overflowing, and miracles in 2008.
We don't SEE friends, BUT we believe....isn't that the real beauty of this life? I would not have needed to trust like I had to, hand held to the fire, unrelenting in my pursuit of needing and desiring Him more than I needed food to eat! Faith looks deeper. We see the darkness of the outside, but God is looking on the inside. Lord, thank you! Thank you for teaching me about faith and for the story of the hemorrhaging woman. Thank you for her faith, many, many years ago to be an example for this woman now whose soul was hemorrhaging.
This verse has been one of my favorites, I even double underlined it in my Bible.
"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." 1 Peter 5:10-11 (emphasis mine)
Notice the word himself, He's the one who will turn the tables, He's the one who makes "all things new." He's the one who allows the sufferings, gives us the strength to endure, and the grace to wobble on through it, making a few messes, and coming out just a little closer to looking more like His Son!
My friends, when God doesn't answer you or send His blessing, but instead pours the rain, keep on believing. Believe in His Word. Trust in His promises. Keep looking up. Have faith!
"Often God delays purposely, and the delay is just as much an answer to your prayer as is the fulfillment when is comes."
http://jandcmartin.blogspot.com/2008/04/oh-come-let-us-worship.html
Wow, what a year! WOW, wow, wow! What a place we were in just one year ago. I flipped back in my journal to those months of suffering, refining, trusting, and waiting. The subject lines were all the same, so much pain and times of pleading with Him, begging. Here we sit a year later, different growing pains, but the SAME faithful Savior! Words can't do justice to what God has done in my life, my heart, and my body. Jacob and I are changed people, and I say hallelujah for it!
I was asking then for a miracle that was 15 years in the making, I was Jacob wrestling with God for as blessing, and boy did i get what I asked for! Isn't that incredible?! Our Savior blesses His children and more importantly, He LOVES to bless them. I am utterly humbled, totally and completely enthralled with my Jehovah Rapha, my Healer! My friends, as you can see from that post, I changed my prayers and in turn He changed my heart. I didn't look at a divine healing as impossible, just not something God wanted for me. I had accepted my thorn long ago. I believed that like Paul He could take it away, but deep down I believed He wasn't going to. Oh ME of little faith!!! Oh God over impossibilities, grace overflowing, and miracles in 2008.
We don't SEE friends, BUT we believe....isn't that the real beauty of this life? I would not have needed to trust like I had to, hand held to the fire, unrelenting in my pursuit of needing and desiring Him more than I needed food to eat! Faith looks deeper. We see the darkness of the outside, but God is looking on the inside. Lord, thank you! Thank you for teaching me about faith and for the story of the hemorrhaging woman. Thank you for her faith, many, many years ago to be an example for this woman now whose soul was hemorrhaging.
This verse has been one of my favorites, I even double underlined it in my Bible.
"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." 1 Peter 5:10-11 (emphasis mine)
Notice the word himself, He's the one who will turn the tables, He's the one who makes "all things new." He's the one who allows the sufferings, gives us the strength to endure, and the grace to wobble on through it, making a few messes, and coming out just a little closer to looking more like His Son!
My friends, when God doesn't answer you or send His blessing, but instead pours the rain, keep on believing. Believe in His Word. Trust in His promises. Keep looking up. Have faith!
"Often God delays purposely, and the delay is just as much an answer to your prayer as is the fulfillment when is comes."
Monday, May 4, 2009
Swine What? How You and Yours Can Stay Healthy
I know everyone is freaking out about this virus. Can I just say that the media is too much for me? It seems as if the Whole Health Organization is about to declare this thing a level 6, pandemic. Super! I changed my diet and lifestyle almost a year ago and God has used it to change my life! Jacob and I haven't been on a prescription drug since then, we haven't had to go to the doctor for any illness, we feel amazing and are healthy and SO grateful!
If you knew how many foreign viruses entered your body every day, you'd be shocked. However, our immune systems have been built to fight these pathogens off. So, beyond the obvious washing of hands and sanitizers, here's some things you can do to build up your immunity and create a healthy lifestyle:
First and foremost, avoid all typical immuno-suppressing habits. You can start with your diet. Acid-forming foods create an environment in the body where pathogens thrive. Sugar (including high-fructose corn syrup) is the top acid-forming food. Behind sugar would be processed foods (white flour, white rice...Taco Bell), coffee, alcohol, cheese and red meat. Better to limit these foods and focus on adding to your diet alkaline-forming foods such as raw seasonal fruits and raw or lightly steamed vegetables. One of my favorites for Spring and Summer is carrot, apple, and kale juice. I use a juicer for this and it's so good! The digestive enzymes help your body to function and the natural forms of sugar regulate blood sugar and metabolism. You'll feel great and be healthy!
Above and beyond food, stress produces the most acid in the body. I can give real account to this in my own life, as I will often rely on myself and not God, creating unnecessary worry and fear. Be cautious and reasonable and safe, but don't let the media-driven fears pervade your world. The best it may do, in my opinion, is to weaken your immunity and make you more vulnerable to any illness.
Sleep is so important, too. Eight hours, beginning between 10 and 11pm is what you should strive for. A tired body is a weakened body. Give your body the chance to recuperate and rebuild itself. If you have trouble getting to sleep, herbal chamomile tea is fantastic after a warm bath. Also, remember to eat at least three hours before bed, as a full stomach is not good for digestion once your body moves into REM sleep.
Moderate exercise is also key. It is a great stress-reducer and helps oxygenate the body. Yoga is great for relaxation, balance, and helping the body to detoxify. If you are able (and I have to remind you to ask your doctor if you are), an exercise that bounces up and down is excellent. Examples of these are rebounding (mini-tramps), jumping rope, or fast walking/jogging. The more oxygen you have flowing through your body, the better you feel. Just 20 minutes of exercise everyday will boost your immune system and greatly enhances brain function and helps with sleep.
Regarding supplements, they are many things you can take for strengthening the immune system. The most important is a daily multivitamin. I highly recommend Intramax. http://store.druckerlabs.com/Default.asp?Redirected=Y We have had great success with this product, it's some powerful stuff and it tastes awesome! It contains over 415 essential nutrients and is completely organic. They have an Intrakid formula too. Let me know if you'd like me to get you a bottle, I have a supplier here who sells it cheaper than what I have seen online. From there, I would add medicinal mushrooms which have been proven to greatly increase immune function, specifically the activity of natural killer cells. Stamet's 7 Mushroom Blend is my favorite. Anytime I get a tickle in the throat, I add this in some juice with breakfast and feel better immediately. Other great supplements to consider are zinc, essential fatty acids, vitamins C, E and A, Selenium (all of which you should be getting in your multi, but could take additional amounts), as well as astragalus, suma, maca and ashwaganda. All of these support the immune system. Lastly, be sure to take a probiotic. The majority of our immune system is found within the digestive tract. Eating yogurt is not going to do the trick and most yogurts have loads of added sugar.
Blessings and great health,
Cristina
If you knew how many foreign viruses entered your body every day, you'd be shocked. However, our immune systems have been built to fight these pathogens off. So, beyond the obvious washing of hands and sanitizers, here's some things you can do to build up your immunity and create a healthy lifestyle:
First and foremost, avoid all typical immuno-suppressing habits. You can start with your diet. Acid-forming foods create an environment in the body where pathogens thrive. Sugar (including high-fructose corn syrup) is the top acid-forming food. Behind sugar would be processed foods (white flour, white rice...Taco Bell), coffee, alcohol, cheese and red meat. Better to limit these foods and focus on adding to your diet alkaline-forming foods such as raw seasonal fruits and raw or lightly steamed vegetables. One of my favorites for Spring and Summer is carrot, apple, and kale juice. I use a juicer for this and it's so good! The digestive enzymes help your body to function and the natural forms of sugar regulate blood sugar and metabolism. You'll feel great and be healthy!
Above and beyond food, stress produces the most acid in the body. I can give real account to this in my own life, as I will often rely on myself and not God, creating unnecessary worry and fear. Be cautious and reasonable and safe, but don't let the media-driven fears pervade your world. The best it may do, in my opinion, is to weaken your immunity and make you more vulnerable to any illness.
Sleep is so important, too. Eight hours, beginning between 10 and 11pm is what you should strive for. A tired body is a weakened body. Give your body the chance to recuperate and rebuild itself. If you have trouble getting to sleep, herbal chamomile tea is fantastic after a warm bath. Also, remember to eat at least three hours before bed, as a full stomach is not good for digestion once your body moves into REM sleep.
Moderate exercise is also key. It is a great stress-reducer and helps oxygenate the body. Yoga is great for relaxation, balance, and helping the body to detoxify. If you are able (and I have to remind you to ask your doctor if you are), an exercise that bounces up and down is excellent. Examples of these are rebounding (mini-tramps), jumping rope, or fast walking/jogging. The more oxygen you have flowing through your body, the better you feel. Just 20 minutes of exercise everyday will boost your immune system and greatly enhances brain function and helps with sleep.
Regarding supplements, they are many things you can take for strengthening the immune system. The most important is a daily multivitamin. I highly recommend Intramax. http://store.druckerlabs.com/Default.asp?Redirected=Y We have had great success with this product, it's some powerful stuff and it tastes awesome! It contains over 415 essential nutrients and is completely organic. They have an Intrakid formula too. Let me know if you'd like me to get you a bottle, I have a supplier here who sells it cheaper than what I have seen online. From there, I would add medicinal mushrooms which have been proven to greatly increase immune function, specifically the activity of natural killer cells. Stamet's 7 Mushroom Blend is my favorite. Anytime I get a tickle in the throat, I add this in some juice with breakfast and feel better immediately. Other great supplements to consider are zinc, essential fatty acids, vitamins C, E and A, Selenium (all of which you should be getting in your multi, but could take additional amounts), as well as astragalus, suma, maca and ashwaganda. All of these support the immune system. Lastly, be sure to take a probiotic. The majority of our immune system is found within the digestive tract. Eating yogurt is not going to do the trick and most yogurts have loads of added sugar.
Blessings and great health,
Cristina
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)