Put in an awesome blender these lovely organic ingredients:

1 cup sliced strawberries

2 bananas

1/2 cup blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries,

whatever you have available in your bioregion, of course,

1 cup orange juice

1 cup keifer or yogurt

Add

1 T flax seed oil

1 T virgin coconut oil

1/4 t. spirulina

and any other nutritional supplement you may desire,

blend and

pour into your favorite glass,

sip luxuriously

and enjoy how

great you feel

knowing you

are putting fabulous ingredients

into your body!

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Sleep is vital.

Sleep is wonderful.

Sleep keeps us looking youthful.

Sleep is regenerative to our cells.

Sleep helps us think clearly.

Sleep helps us move through colds, flu and other ailments.

Sleep keeps us  full of energy.

It is much easier to be positive and upbeat when we’ve had enough sleep.

Sleep, we’re talking 8 or 9 hours a night,

assists

in helping us maintain our preferred weight.

Lack of sleep disrupts hormones that regulate appetite

and body weight and  can even keep us from having

enough energy

to exercise.

When we are irritable and low energy from lack of sleep,

our defenses are down and we’re more vulnerable…

we  might be more likely to self-medicate with food.

Too much alcohol can interfere with REM that is critical

to a good night’s sleep.

Too much caffeine can also interfere with sleep patterns…try

to limit caffeine intake.

Ways to naturally go to sleep and sleep through the night:

1) exercise during the day–walks, bike rides, work-outs, etc.

2)  drink a cup of chamomile tea in the early evening

3)  take a hot bath in the early evening

4)   listen to a relaxing music or positive affirmation CD  at bedtime

5)   make sure your bedroom is completely dark

6)  keep a fan going for the white noise effect

7)  Try a natural sleep aid like  Natrol’s “Sleep and Restore’

or  Schiff’s ‘Knock Out’

or Valerian root….all have been successful aids purchased by

my customers.

Relax.

Enjoy sleep and all the healing properties that go with it.

Sleep, yes, sleep is good.

Just when we thought all these wonderful organic shampoos

were safe for our hair and contained pure ingredients…

newsflash… not all shampoos and conditioners labelled organic

have pure ingredients in them.

Shucks!

I have been into organics for twenty-five years…before it had

hit the main stream.

I was so pleased with all the body cares products started

becoming organic.

Be aware folks,

that some products labeled “natural” or “organic”

may still contain the undisclosed carcinogenic contaminant 1.4 Diozane.

Some of the products found to contain this toxin are

JASON Pure Natural & Organic,

Giovanni Organic Cosmetics,

Kiss My Face,

Nature’s Gate Organics. — Source: Organic Consumers

••••• What you can do:

Avoid products with unpronounceable ingredients

to be sure to avoid synthetic toxins and carcinogens.

Look for personal care products like Avalon Organics

which are certified

under the USDA National Organic Program.

send emails to these companies complaining about

their use of carcinogenic ingredients.

Read your labels!

is fast becoming the phrase of the day,

just like

eat your vegetables! once was

and actually still rings true.

Ha!

HAPPY Spring Equinox!

Spring is a perfect time to detox and cleanse your body of built-up toxins.

We are, of course, responsible for our health.

Our bodies are our temples, yes?

Our livers, colons, kidneys, all need a good rest from the usual

food intake every now and then.

A detox is a method involving a change in

what you usually consume in an attempt to

“detoxify” the body, by  the removal of poisons or other contaminants

that get in there from processed foods, environmental toxins,

ingesting pharmaceuticals, etc..

After 5 days or more of detoxifying,

you will indeed feel lighter, experience increased energy,

mental clarity, improved digestion, as well as possible weight loss.

Increasing fruits and vegetables,

drinking lots of water,

eliminating caffeine, sugar,

processed foods and alcohol

are usually part of any good detox plan.

Colon-hydrotherapy,

an all natural way of cleansing the intestines

can be complimentary to a detox.

Therapuetic massage can also assist in moving the toxins through

elimination or deep tissue work.

Other possible methods of detoxing

• a raw foods diet
• herbal detox (taking herbal supplements for 7-14 days) available at health food stores
• juice fasting
• Master Cleanse known as the lemonade diet byStanley Burroughs. For a minimum of 10 days, you drink a lemonade mixture, made with organic grade B maple syrup, fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice, and cayenne pepper added to spring, distilled, or purified (NOT fluoridated) water.
• Spring baby nettles are a great body purifier and detoxifying herb that I actually eat every spring in May when they first pop out of the ground here in Minnesota. They taste much like spinach with a similar texture as well when slightly cooked to take the sting out. Fresh MN nettles

Cravings, irritability, tiredness, aches and pains are all potential symptoms

when starting the detox process.

I find drinking a cup of yerba mate or green tea assists in

energizing me throughout the day as I go through a detox.

Adding a probiotic (like keifer or one in pill form) to the mix at the end of

the cleanse is a good way to add appropriate and

good bacteria back into your digestive tract.

To end the detox process,

I start by adding juices,

and vegetable soups with brown rice.

I avoid meats and cheeses right away

since they can be tough on the digestive system

and mucus forming.

I like to go the gentler way, easing back into

a good whole foods plan.

One of the greatest results of the detox is how

much more aware I am about how my body works,

how much more energy I have,

how much lighter I feel,

and how it is easier to stay clear and focused as

I go through the day.

Give it a go, do research on cleanses,

love your body temple and

watch yourself really feel good now.

Here’s an interesting story

a customer shared with me today.

Her husband bought a bag of Dole potatoes from Walmart.

When she popped one in the microwave to cook it,

it reacted in the microwave as

a metal object would.

All sorts of sparks went flying…

large ones all over the place.

She pulled out the potato

and washed it off

and put it back in the microwave oven

a second time.

Again,

sparks started flying everywhere.

She was astonished.

She proceeded to eat the potato

and felt her head

fill up with pressure.

She then had to do tai chi

to clear all the stuck energy in her head.

Ok,

so

was the Dole potato grown in soil filled with

heavy metals?

I wonder why she went ahead and ate it.

What do you think?

Carrots and avocados when combined, according to Dr. Ben Kim

provide an excellent source for immune system boosting and

eye health.

Wow.

The carrots are loaded with caratenoids

that make Vitamin A which provide

antioxidants, when converted through the liver,

maintain night vision

and assist in preventing cataracts and macular degeneration.

The avocados are full of lutein which contain antioxidants that

keep free radicals away from the eyes.

Together, they work synergystically.

Here’s a fantastic raw soup recipe from Dr. Kim

that when consumed a few times a week,

insures healthy vision support.

Why raw?

Raw foods are all about live enzymes and

mega amounts of fresh nutrients.

Raw foods keep us vibrant and feeling healthy.

Raw foods are healing and alive.

Raw foods slow down the aging process.

Raw foods increase energy.

Raw foods add appropriate bacteria to the intestinal tract.

Thanks, Dr. Kim.

Carrot and Avocado Soup Recipe

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh carrot juice
1 avocado, pit removed, and cut into large chunks
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
3/4 cup fresh loose cilantro or parsley
2 green onions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon naturally brewed soy sauce or nama shoyu
Sea salt, to taste

Directions:
1. Blend carrot juice, avocado, and ginger at a medium speed until smooth.

2. Add cilantro or parsley leaves (not stems), extra-virgin olive oil, and soy sauce, and pulse at medium speed until well blended but with bits of cilantro and parsley still visible.

3. Season with sea salt, to taste.

4. Serve chilled, and sprinkle green onion slices on top just before serving.

Great natural sweeteners exist!

Natural sweeteners that don’t raise blood glucose levels and are

suitable for diabetics and any of us who want a little sweetness

without the sugar rush.

All right!

Agave (uh-gah-vay) nectar is one.

Agave nectar comes from the cactus-like plant in Mexico.

A sweet sticky juice which is nearly 90% fructose,

is sweeter

(1.4 times sweeter)

than table sugar so less is needed,

and because it is a natural form of fructose,

doesn’t raise

blood glucose levels.

In historic Mexico, agave was considered a sacred plant.

The Indians believed the liquid from this plant purified

the body and soul.

When the Spaniards arrived,

they took the juices from the agave and fermented them,

leading to the drink we now call tequila which is

popular in Mexico.

Agave is awesome,

the lighter agave nectar is more mild.

It doesn’t alter the flavor of smoothies,

tea or coffee.

It looks like honey,

but without as much viscosity

thereby retaining moisture

which makes it great for baking also.

Stevia, comes from a leaf in Paraguay

and is 30 times sweeter than sugar.

I’ve grown stevia here in Minnesota

with great luck; tropical

heat is not necessary to grow

a successful looking stevia plant.

Native Indians of the Guarani Tribe in

Paraguay have used Stevia leaves as a sweetener

for over 500 years since pre-Columbian times.

The leaves of the stevia plant

are amazingly sweet

and, like

agave nectar, keep blood glucose

levels stable instead of spiking to oblivion.

Stevia has many excellent properties.

The body does not metabolize the sweet glycosides

from the stevia leaf or any of its processed forms so there

is no caloric intake.

Wow!

Stevia can be found in health food stores in bulk

as crushed green leaf,

in tincture form as a liquid,

or processed as a white

powder resembling powdered sugar.

Stevia can be used in baking,

to sweeten

tea, coffee or smoothies,

and is an excellent

all around alternative to sugar.

Agave nectar

and

stevia–

two ways to

find the sweet spot

in food and beverage

without the sugar high

and the sugar crash.

Yum!

 

 

 

Netti pots and ear candles are some of the most

popular products I am selling these days at Hope’s Harvest.

Winter in Minnesota continues to drag on

much longer than other winters in recent past

which we all thought were getting shorter because

of global warming–ha–this years prove to be the

coldest, snowiest winter we have had in a long time!).

The air is cold and dry,

in the single digits Farenheit for most of this week,

today it was 5 below zero when I took my

morning walk, now it is 18 degrees F.

Cold and dry weather is very conducive

to  dry nasal passages and plugged up ears.

Netti Pots are great for dry nasal passages

and ear candles are fantastic for plugged up ears.

What is a Netti Pot?

Ever since Oprah had a Netti pot demonstration

on her show a few weeks back,

I can’t keep these cute little ceramic

jobbies in stock.

Netti Pots are fabulous little pots with

a slender spout filled with a water/salt

solution  and then you tip your head

to the side and pour the water/salt solution

in one nostril and it circulates through

your nasal passages until it passes through

the other side.

Wow.

Intense.

Weird.

Effective?

Oh yes,

Some of the benefits of using a netti pot  can include the following:
* Removes mucus and pollution of the nasal passages and sinuses
* Helps to prevent respiratory tract diseases
* Daily use relieves allergies, colds and sinusitis
* Beneficial in the treatment of headaches and migraines
* Removes drowsiness, making the head and sense organs feel light.

Wax build-up and head colds can cause people’s ears

to plug up and this seems to be more so in the wintertime.

Ear candling

is a popular way to draw out the accumulated ear wax

and unplug ears.

A home remedy for sure,

ear candling is a method for two people

to do, because you do in fact

need to light the top of the ear

candle to create the tunnel

or funnel that draws the wax up,

and you have to be lying down

with the candle in a poking through

a pie tin and towel around your hair.

The other person can help watch

the candle burn down and pull it out

when it gets close to the bottom

of the cone…though the person

receiving the treatment can usually feel

when the candle is close to the end because

it starts to get hot.

Still, it is recommended as a two person process.

I love ear candling and did it alot when the candles

were first popular in the ’90’s.

So, there you have it,

two unique home remedies for curing

common winter ailments here in the northlands.

Do your own research on these items,

check out the links

and based on the information you gather,

decide if Netti Pots and/ or ear candles are

good for you.

The main thing is that we continue to educate ourselves

on preventative and alternative health care practices.

We can listen to our bodies and tune in to what we need to

do to stay in balance.

I choose to take my health into my own hands.

How about you?

1) Support small farmers who love what they do

and have just as much a right to make a living off a piece of land that the big

corporate farms do.

2) Support the local economy; keep the money circulating in the community.

3) Save fuel costs that are huge when food is shipped 3000 miles.

4) Reduce global warming through saving fuel costs and eating food

grown in a sustainable manner.

5) Enjoy potent nutrients in locally produced, FRESH produce.

6) Savor ALIVE flavors from freshly picked produce or eggs or meats.

7) Put a face and a name on the farmer that grows your food,

build a relationship, learn their farming practices, appreciate them

and all of their hard work. Have endless opportunities to educate family and friends

about why to eat locally grown foods and support the farmers

that raise the food and teach about their sustainable farming techniques.

9) Discover what grows when in your region and what the cycles of

the growing season are.

10) Develop a relationship with your bioregion and an appreciation

of the land where you come from as you eat the food that is grown there .

Raw milk is wonderful.

Raw milk is so good and healthy for us.

Raw milk is loaded with live enzymes.

Raw is easy to digest even

for most of the lactose intolerant.

Raw milk is a great source of protein and calcium.

Raw milk is filling.

Raw milk is fresh right from the cow at our nearby local farm.

Raw milk is $4.00 a gallon here in Minnesota.

Raw milk is plentiful here,

we have a bastion of local organic dairy farmers

in the vicinity that

sell their milk to Organic Valley in SW Wisconsin.

We can go directly to the farmer and pick up milk

right out of their bulk milk tank.

Raw milk is flavorful and high in butterfat,

scraping off the cream is great fun and tastes incredible!

We love making tasty keifer with raw milk.

We are all healthy with great bones and teeth

from drinking raw milk.

Our kids are healthy, too, from drinking raw milk.

We make great things with raw milk,

like tapioca pudding, eggnog, smoothies,

and keifer and yogurt and cheese!

Some of us even take baths in raw milk.

We love raw milk.

Why would anyone want to kill all the wondrous enzymes

through pasteurization?

For more raw milk resources, check out the Weston Price Foundation

or The Untold Story of Milk by Rob Schmid