Life right now

R.I.P

I haven't been around in several months. I wasn't baking and I wasn't cooking and I wasn't much inspired. I took a few continuing education classes abroad and locally. All of which were amazing. I moved across town. I trained for my MS bike ride. I rode my MS bike ride on June 21 and 22 atop my new 2007 Trek 1600. I had quite the time adjusting to a road bike ... I didn't figure out the gears until minutes before I took off from the starting line! Hey, it's Chicago, there are no hills and no need to shift!

The ride took place in DeKalb, IL. I did some acupuncture and Elemental Oil fundraisers and along with outright contributions I raised about $1200 and our team raised at last count $13,600! We're still working on raising our contribution.

Two days or so BEFORE the ride, I broke my toe. MmHmm. I moved to a new apartment and early one morning, before my Alterra or Metropolis coffee and before putting on my glasses, dragged a wood hutch from the bedroom to the kitchen. The beast got stuck on a bump in the wood flooring, I lost my grip and heard a crunch...it was my toe. I hopped around my kitchen, found I had no ice or ice packs in my freezer, laughed. I just moved in, of course, there was nothing in the fridge! I laid on my couch, held my toe, my cat mustered her healing abilities and laid across my foot, I got up, went outside, walked around thinking I could "walk it off". I found a pair of old mary jane Keens that had a wide enough toe to accomodate my throbbing foot for the ride. Needless to say it really didn't "make" my biking ensemble.

But I rode 120 of the 175 miles! Headwinds in the rolling countryside are something to contend with. When the traffic directors and police are having difficulty standing, imagine us on super lightweight road bikes!

The saddest thing is

my bike is gone.

Yes, today I rode over to the Metra station, attached 3, yes THREE, locks in, around, and through the tires, frame and bike rack. I returned 2.5 hours later and she was gone. The other 80 bikes were still there, but my baby is right now being stripped, painted, torn apart for the amazing Shimano components, or sold to someone who has no idea of the GOOD that bike did in 2 days on the MS ride through DeKalb.

In addition to that, I am in the throes of making the difficult decision to ease off from life as an acupuncturist. It has been a rewarding, educational and relationship-building experience but a slim financial existence for three years. I am beginning the new experience of reworking my dusty resume, networking and looking for a rewarding and sustainable position to supplement a part time pursuit in healing with Chinese medicine.

Wish me luck.

Raw Food and Me Update

The process of detoxification is more than a physical cleanse. There may be substantial physical debris collected in the liver, colon, or any other organ, but we all have emotional debris. I may not have noticed much in the way of physical changes with my cleanse in January and currently with raw food meals, but I will confess decades of memories, people, and conflicts surfaced. It took a few days of insistent floods of memories and sensations before I welcomed them in. Once I did, ironic events allowed me to revisit similar situations or the exact physical locale of my memories. I finally worked (hopefully completely) through a couple patterns. I am making a concerted effort to incorporate some authentic traits and qualities that got waylaid over the years. It is possible that the whole process could be a little overwhelming; you may only know this because you just won’t be able to handle the same amount of stress or requests from others. These situations could also be opportunities for learning improved boundaries. At certain points within the cleanse I just needed to step back from assisting friends and clients in their process.

I also learned that a raw diet hasn’t worked at a total foodstyle for me. One, I can’t eat that many nuts. Every entrée consist of and some sides contain cashews, pistachios and walnuts. The food also tends to have an odor that permeates the refrigerator that no amount of baking soda can absorb. I am able to obtain my daily need of oils from sautéing veggies or from adding flax or hemp oil to smoothies or breakfast cereals and getting protein from legumes instead of nuts. Two, my body shut down the first two weeks fearing starvation; maybe if I was persistent my body would learn otherwise but raw food is an adjunct to my regular foodstyle. Think before you decide to consume surf and turf. I found out and so did my companion that I can not tolerate an animal product-based meal in the midst of three months of raw food.

I have noticed energetic shifts with the diet change. I have to say that when I didn’t eat raw food for a week, my energy level was slightly lower but still adequate but literally the moment raw kale and sun dried tomatoes hit my tongue, every cell realigned and I zinged back to life. I was a little shocked. The week away from raw food, I ate veggies, beans and a little wheat. Apparently, there is a major difference with raw food veggies than the lightly sautéed veggies I would normally consume. I mentioned previously I wanted to incorporate raw food to raise my vibration – increasing my sensitivity to energy. Fruits and vegetables are higher vibration foods because they are “alive”. Animal products and grains are lower vibration foods. I can say I do have a greater sensitivity within the work that I do.

I haven’t delved into researching raw recipe and I didn’t try to make any at home but my favorite side from Cousins has been lacinto kale (surprise, surprise always my favorite) with goji berries or sun dried tomatoes. Since all is raw they “massage” their greens. Nope, haven’t tried massaging my vegetables. But you should try some lightly steamed kale with the berries and a light sweet vinegar oil dressing. The other item I call eggplant jerky and they call bacon – dehydrated eggplant slices coated with raw cayenne-laden tomato paste is very tasty and a little chewy. Also, the ravioli with the nut crème filling is decadent.

Since we are part of the macrocosm and influenced by anything happening out there in the universe, you might want to plan a cleanse around the planetary activity. I’m serious! I was told Mars was in retrograde this January and that time period would bring up anger and conflict. I was irritated and annoyed with imagined violence to anyone I called “idiot” under my breath. It wasn’t very nice of me but I really didn’t need the planetary alignment to influence my liver as I was attempting to be kind to it. There were other shifts in the macrocosm during these few months; so many people were in a state of emergency in their lives.

So in concluding your inclusion in my raw food experience:
Decide which approach is most manageable for your lifestyle
Plan it out – consider upcoming life events, planetary changes and seasonal changes
Be aware of the process
Be flexible and accommodating to what you and your body need
Don’t be attached to expectations or outcome

I came across short interview in February’s Natural Health magazine with Carol Alt, model and raw foodist. Here is a raw recipe from her new raw “cook” book.

If you have any nut sensitivities this isn’t for you. The raw tomato sauce even at Cousins is so good!

Broccoli Cannelloni
Thinly sliced zucchini and a creamy cashew filling replace traditional pasta and cheese in this hearty meal. To sprout sunflower seeds, rinse and set in a sprouting container for 2-3 days.

½ c sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours
¼ c water
½ tsp fresh lemon juice, plus a ¼ cup
1 T cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
1 T fresh thyme
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
½ c chopped fresh basil
½ c fresh oregano leaves
1 tsp Himalayan salt
2 broccoli stalks (with crowns) cut into chunks
1 T nutmeg
1 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 T chopped fresh sage
½ c raw cashews, soaked 2 hours
½ c sunflower seeds, sprouted
1 lg zucchini
¼ c raw pine nuts, optional

In a blender, combine sun-dried tomatoes, water, ½ tsp lemon juice, olive oil and thyme. Blend until smooth.

In a food processor, combine sun-dried tomato mixture with fresh tomatoes, basil, oregano and ½ tsp salt. Pulse until combined; do not puree. Pour into bowl and set aside.

Wash food processor, towel dry, add broccoli and finely chop. Add nutmeg and rosemary, process until incorporated.

Transfer broccoli to mixing bowl and without washing food processor, combine sage, cashews, sprouts, ¼ c lemon juice, and remaining salt. Process until smooth.

Stir cashew mixture with broccoli until well blended. Set aside.

With mandolin or vegetable peeler, shave long wide strips from the zucchini. Place 4 strips side by side, overlapping slightly.

Place a few tablespoons of broccoli cashew mixture along zucchini ends. Roll the zucchini slices over the mixture to make a long filled tube. Repeat with remaining zucchini strips and filling.

Serve in pool of tomato sauce. Top with more sauce and add pine nuts if desired.

Foiled by Chemistry and Yeast, but I got Pancakes!

I was going to write about my successful attempt at yeasted gluten-free bread but I was not successful. I hadn’t been making anything in my kitchen for weeks since I have been eating raw. I had spent a good portion of a frigidly cold day out and about, and a slice of warm buttered bread sounded like the perfect antidote even if I had to wait 4 hours to bite into it. The yeast didn’t rise, an addition of baking powder didn’t coax the dough to rise, and an oversized, undercooked dumpling emerged from the oven. And, that didn’t prevent me from taking a bite. I could only stomach one. So when the outside temperature rises above freezing and I have a little more time, and the apartment temperature rises above 58 degrees, I will try again.

The next morning I wanted pancakes. I wasn’t interested in leaving the house to enjoy Saturday breakfast alone or to walk to the grocery store to purchase berries and syrup. I whipped up a few gluten-free pancakes at home. I didn’t have any milk so I heated up water with a few cardamom pods, a cinnamon stick and a slice of dried orange. I could enjoy a flavorful pancake without soymilk!

Saturday Morning Pancakes
makes 5 or 6

1 egg
1 Tbs oil
1 cup liquid

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder

For flour, I used 1/3 cup each sorghum, oats, and hazelnut. You can use any that you want rice, quinoa and almond; millet, coconut and tapioca – you choose.
Combine wet and dry separately, then incorporate. Spoon ¼ to 1/3 cup of batter into greased and heated pan. Let first side bubble, then flip.
I’ve added homemade granola to the pancakes just before the flip. It’s good stuff.

I bake up large batches of granola, so feel free to cut this recipe down. This is sort of my tried and true, oldest recipe. More recently I have added chunky almond butter and ground flax meal. Most of the goodies for this one you add after the oats have cooled.

Granola
2 cups mixed dried berries and fruit
1 cup raw or toasted chopped almonds
1 cup pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds)
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 T each cinnamon and nutmeg
1 cup agave
½ cup oil
5 cups oats

Measure oats into large mixing bowl. Combine oil and agave and spices and mix thoroughly with oats. If oats don’t seem completely coated, you can add more agave and oil or sometimes I add a little apple cider.
Spoon and evenly spread coated oats into baking sheets with edged sides. Don’t overload each sheet. You will be mixing oats on the sheets during baking; the sides/lip prevents spillage. A moderate amount on each sheet will allow for even heating. Bake at 350 for 30 to 50 min. Every 5 minutes or so, mix to prevent burning. Remove from oven. Let cool, add all other ingredients and store in sealed container.

Biking

If you didn't get the email or the newsletter with the update, I am riding this June to support MS research. I'm riding a bike, a hopefully new bike, with the Moon and Stars team 175 miles in 2 days. I'm absolutely excited. It is the first event that has resonated with me in years.

A dear friend was diagnosed over 10 years ago and it is for her that I am riding. I also have clients who live with MS who, along with my friend, have strength, endurance, tenacity and humor that I can only hope to have. They are my inspiration for this ride.

Here's my webpage for the ride if you would like to support my efforts.

Detoxification

Entering the New Year or a new season inspires some to clean up not just their closets, but their bodies as well. Detox isn’t a set protocol. What one visualizes as a cleanse is very different than what someone else is doing. There are simple ways that aren’t time-intensive or life-changing.
You can add packaged detox teas consisting of a few mild herbs to support and move the liver and colon.
Nutritional supplements involving lots of greens or sea vegetables can be a cleanse.
Removing sugars, animal products or yeasted carbs can be another approach.
Increasing intake of fruits and vegetables,
or just drinking lemon water,
or doing a master cleanse,
or drinking the smoothie approach
are all possibilities.

The more involved approach could be a whole lifestyle shift of diet, exercise, supplements, and body therapies and manual cleanses. One can detox by colon cleanse, liver cleanse, gallbladder cleanse, or probably cleanse whatever one wants.

What would I recommend?
Well, if you are prone to seasonal allergies I would get started now supporting your Liver energy. Spring relates to the Liver or Wood energy and once we move into that season, the familiar allergy and cold symptoms arise. The liver processes everything that we put into our bodies – physical and environmental, mental and emotional - food, chemicals in food and medication, stress and emotions. It loves a good fight and will take what you give it and ask for more.

Give it a little love by drinking dandelion tea, or adding dandelion leaves to a salad or sauté, or drinking red clover or nettles tea, or taking a milk thistle supplement. Many of these you can find in the bulk herb/spice section at natural food stores or you can order them online or some tea companies make it easy and package them now. I have in the past used the mild approach of adding Traditional Medicinals Everyday Detox tea two daily and one bag of dandelion tea through another company. To save time, I brew a gallon of tea so I can drink it on the go. You can eat a couple granny smith apples daily for a couple weeks – it helps cleanse the gallbladder. An old standby is castor oil packs! I love them. Just apply a warm towel of castor oil over the area of your liver (half under and half below your right ribcage). You can seal it in with a cover of plastic wrap. Well, I have put a modern twist on mine. I apply warm packs with Wood Elemental Oil or a custom blend of herbs and essential oils over the Liver area during an acupuncture treatment or at home.

Awareness during a cleanse is a good idea. I have spent much time contemplating emotional shifts and underlying issues when I choose to cleanse. I could write another entry just on the ideas of you are what you eat and you feel what you eat and the end product of all food is a feeling. So I will just say here that there will be emotional shifts that arise and they are related to the release of toxins from the energy related to food and all else stored in the body or liver. Journaling, prayer, meditation is ideal. At least physically, not mentally, jot down something you can ponder later. So make certain you have or are able to make some time to address feelings or situations which arise.

As the liver begins to slough off excess it enters the lymphatic system; you will need to keep lymph flowing with a lot of water, some exercise, maybe dry sauna. Sweating it out is key. I noticed lots of muscular aches and pains if I slacked on drinking water (drink half your weight in ounces), or didn’t get a good daily brisk walk in. Skin, our largest organ, is part of the detox as well. You should dry brush, which activates the circulation, your skin to slough off dead skin and anything else that surfaces during the process.

You may hit a healing crisis which could result in a cold, respiratory infection, allergies, alteration in bowel movements, sweating, possible skin eruptions or emotional shifts. I can attest to the emotional shifts. Others I know can attest to the skin eruptions or respiratory infections. Take a break, ease up, and gently resume the process if you are fully recovered. If skin eruptions are severe or you feel tenderness in the lymph glands, consult with a doctor or practitioner who can assist you in the process or direct you to someone who can. The gentler you are in your approach, the more likely you will fortify your body and less likely you will shock your system.

I am offering detoxification workshops Tuesday, February 12 and Sunday, February 24 at Allyu Spa. I have packaged spa services of acupuncture, nutritional consultation, infrared sauna, reflexology, massage, and supplements to assist with a seasonal detoxification. I will also co-participate in a meditation series which is also offered at Allyu Spa during the Sundays of February 17 thru March 9.