Berry Bliss

Oh, My! Pad Thai!

2012-02-09T14:11:00.001-07:00

Apparently I have not been posting everything I actually write.

So although I meant to publish this long ago, its still here deliciously waiting for me to post.

Well, here you go, this is one of my favorites because anyone who knows me knows that I love almond butter and I also like my veggies saucy.

This is so easy to make and crazy good!

For the Sauce:
3/4 cup Almond Butter
1/2 cup coconut water or if you like it really creamy use 1/2 cup Fresh Coconut Milk (do not use coconut milk from a can it does not taste good in this recipe!)
3 TBS Tamari Sauce or Coconut Aminos
3 TBS Honey or Coconut Syrup or 3 dates
Juice of one lime or grapefruit (depending on how much citrus you like)
Dash or two of cayenne

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend......
***If your sauce is too thick add more coconut water. If your sauce needs more salt add more tamari or coconut aminos. If you like it spicier add some fresh jalapeno (start with 1/4 teaspoon and add a little at a time so that you do not overdue it!) If you like it sweeter add more honey or dates..... delish!

Noodles:
Create noodles with spiralizer or by cutting them julienne. Carrots, zucchini, dikon radish, sprouts, and red pepper are all delicious in this dish. Place noodles on a bed of baby greens or torn up kale, cover in sauce and serve! For garnish you can use cherry or grape tomatoes, carrot slices, cilantro or even mint. Did I mention this dish is delicious?

We have to stop procrastinating, pretending that we have forever to do what we want to do and to be what we long to be. If we think that we want to become better and more loving human beings, we had better start moving in that direction right now.

~Lama Surya Das

You may follow me on twitter: BerryBlissful

You may also choose to join the Whole Health Warrior mailing list.

You are thoughtful, amazing, wonderful and beautiful!

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog!

Love,

Michelle Berry-Shaffer

Good Morning Chocolate Drink!

2012-02-01T10:32:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone! Hope you all have your new year off to a rocking good start! We just finished a week long juice fast and now feeling wonderful and fresh! In order to not fall back into the old habit of drinking coffee (yes, I admittedly get addicted o coffee very easily). I am having a Good Morning Cacao Drink! Its delicious, invigorating and it actually tasted Better than Coffee!

Good Morning Cacao Pick Me Up:
Brew 1 cup of Yerba Mate (I use chocolate flavor)
1 frozen banana
1 Tablespoon Raw Cacao
3 leaves Romaine Lettuce
6 drops of Waiora AgariGold with H1X1
1/2 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Blend together in blender and serve!
So simple, yet oh, so good!

How Chocolate Can Save The World!

February 12, 2012 we are having a Cacao Party!

email me for more info: sublimele@gmail.com

In other news, a dear friend of mine who is a Naturopath is conducting a study:

Do you or a loved one suffer from depression? Please Click Here for More Info.

You may qualify to participate in a four month master’s thesis study that will research the effects of a specific plant based diet on those who are depressed. This study will be conducted by LeAnn Fritz, ND, CNHP.

Depression is effecting more and more Americans and at a younger age than ever before. Depression effects ones health, relationships, career, family and every other area of life.

Why should you participate?

This findings of this study have the potential to help thousands of Americans (and eventually, those around the globe) who are currently suffering with depression. There are many causes of depression. This study will take a look at any type of depression and analyze the results of the program followed.

The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me the courage to face life cheerfully have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth.

~A.Einstein

Love, peace and cacao!

Michelle Berry-Shaffer

Smoothie Bliss

2012-01-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

Wonderfully Delicious Green Smoothies!

*Feel free to use fresh or frozen fruit, whatever you have on hand. Add pitted dates when you need a little extra sweetness. Or for an extra goodness, add spirulina! or another green powder! Have fun, experiment and enjoy!

Banana Kale Smoothie

1 frozen banana

2-3 kale leaves

1 Tbs green powder

almond milk

Almond Butter Kale

1 frozen banana

2-3 kale leaves

1/3 cup almond butter

2 pitted dates

almond milk

Walnut Kale Banana

2-3 Tbs walnuts

1 cup water

2 leaves kale

1 Tbs green powder

1 frozen banana

Mango Banana Parsley

1 cup mango

1 frozen banana

1/2 bunch parsley

water or almond milk

Green Pina-Colada

1 peeled orange

1/2 cup pineapple

1/2 frozen banana

1 cup spinach

almond milk

Pineapple Basil

1 cup pineapple

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup fresh basil

1Tbs green powder

almond milk

Pineapple Kale

1 cup pineapple

1 frozen banana

3 kale leaves

4-5 leaves of fresh mint

almond milk or water

Mango Orange Spinach

1 cup mango

1 peeled orange

1 cup spinach

water or almond milk

Candy Apple

1 apple

1 frozen banana

1 cup spinach

3 pitted dates

1 Tbs green powder

water or almond milk

Kiwi Apple Spinach

2 kiwis

1 chopped apple

1 cup spinach

sprinkle of cinnamon

3 pitted dates

almond milk or water

Berry Peach Spinach

1 cup berries

1 whole peach

1 cup spinach

almond milk or water

Pear Kale Mint

2 pears

1 frozen banana

3 kale leaves

5 leaves fresh mint

Strawberry Banana

1 cup strawberries

1 frozen banana

1 cup spinach

1 Tbs green powder

almond milk or water

Peach Spinach

1 peach

1 frozen banana

1 cup spinach

almond milk or water

Orange Blueberry

1 peeled orange

1 cup spinach

1 cup blueberries

1 frozen banana

Green Bliss

3 romaine leaves

1 banana

1 orange

1 mango

water

Mango Mint

1 mango

1/2 cup strawberries

1/2 bunch mint

1/2 cup apple juice

water

Berry Blue

1 cup blueberries

1 cup blackberries

1 pear

3 kale leaves

water or almond milk

Pear Parsley

1 pear

1 banana

1/2 bunch parsley

almond milk or water

This is a fast and easy way to incorporate more highly nutritious green foods into your diet every day!

Love you!

Michelle

Wonders of Water: Amazing Secrets for Health and Wellness

2011-12-27T20:10:00.005-07:00

Water is Amazing! It is truly natures ultimate healer!

Without the use of drugs, many people have reported healing themselves by simply drinking pure water.

Drinking water prevents premature labor!

Water prevents and helps to cure heartburn. Heartburn is a signal of water shortage in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract. It is a major thirst signal of the human body. The use of antacids or tablet medications in the treatment of this pain does not correct dehydration, and the body continues to suffer as a result of its water shortage.

Not recognizing heartburn as a sign of dehydration and treating it with antacids and pill medications will, in time, produce inflammation of the stomach and duodenum, hiatal hernia, ulceration, and eventually cancers in the gastrointestinal tract, including the liver and pancreas.

Water prevents and helps to cure arthritis. Rheumatoid joint pain - arthritis - is a signal of water shortage in the painful joint. It can affect the young as well as the old. The use of pain-killers does not cure the problem, but exposes the person to further damage from pain medications. Intake of water and small amounts of salt will cure this problem.

Water prevents and helps to cure back pain. Low back pain and ankylosing arthritis of the spine are signs of water shortage in the spinal column and discs - the water cushions that support the weight of the body. These conditions should be treated with increased water intake - not a commercial treatment, but a very effective one.

Not recognizing arthritis and low back pain as signs of dehydration in the joint cavities and treating them with pain-killers, manipulation, acupuncture, and eventually surgery will, in time, produce osteoarthritis when the cartilage cells in the joints have eventually all died. It will produce deformity of the spine. It will produce crippling deformities of the limbs. Pain medications have their own life-threatening complications.

Water prevents and helps to cure angina. Heart pain - angina - is a sign of water shortage in the heart/lung axis. It should be treated with increased water intake until the patient is free of pain and independent of medications. Medical supervision is prudent. However, increased water intake is angina's cure.

Water prevents and helps to cure migraines. Migraine headache is a sign of water need by the brain and the eyes. It will totally clear up if dehydration is prevented from establishing in the body. The type of dehydration that causes migraine might eventually cause inflammation of the back of the eye and possibly loss of eye sight.

Water prevents and helps to cure colitis. Colitis pain is a signal of water shortage in the large gut. It is associated with constipation because the large intestine constricts to squeeze the last drop of water from the excrements - thus the lack of water lubrication.

Not recognizing colitis pain as a sign of dehydration will cause persistent constipation. Later in life, it will cause fecal impacting: it can cause diverticulitis, hemorrhoids and polyps, and appreciably increases the possibility of developing cancer of the colon and rectum.

Water and salt prevent and helps to cure asthma. Asthma, which also affects 14 million children and kills several thousand of them every year, is a complication of dehydration in the body. It is caused by the drought management programs of the body. In asthma free passage of air is obstructed so that water does not leave the body in the form of vapor - the winter steam. Increased water intake will prevent asthma attacks. Asthmatics need also to take more salt to break the mucus plugs in the lungs that obstruct the free flow of air in and out of the air sacs.

Not recognizing asthma as the indicator of dehydration in the body of a growing child not only will sentence many thousands of children to die every year, but will permit irreversible genetic damage to establish in the remaining 14 million asthmatic children.

Water prevents and helps to cure high blood pressure. Hypertension is a state of adaptation of the body to a generalized drought, when there is not enough water to fill all the blood vessels that diffuse water into vital cells. As part of the mechanism of reverse osmosis, when water from the blood serum is filtered and injected into important cells through minute holes in their membranes, extra pressure is needed for the "injection process." Just as we inject I.V. "water" in hospitals, so the body injects water into tens of trillions of cells all at the same time. Water and some salt intake will bring blood pressure back to normal!

Not recognizing hypertension as one of the major indicators of dehydration in the human body, and treating it with diuretics that further dehydrate the body will, in time, cause blockage by cholesterol of the heart arteries and the arteries that go to the brain. It will cause heart attacks and small or massive strokes that paralyze. It will eventually cause kidney disease. It will cause brain damage and neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease.

Water prevents and helps to cure early adult-onset diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is another adaptive state to severe dehydration of the human body. To have adequate water in circulation and for the brain's priority water needs, the release of insulin is inhibited to prevent insulin from pushing water into all body cells. In diabetes, only some cells get survival rations of water. Water and some salt will reverse adult-onset diabetes in its early stages.

Not recognizing adult-onset diabetes as a complication of dehydration will, in time, cause massive damage to the blood vessels all over the body. It will cause eventual loss of the toes, feet and legs from gangrene. It will cause eye damage, even blindness.

Water lowers blood cholesterol.

High cholesterol levels are an indicator of early drought management by the body. Cholesterol is a clay-like material that is poured in the gaps of some cell membranes to safeguard them against losing their vital water content to the osmotically more powerful blood circulating in their vicinity. Cholesterol, apart from being used to manufacture nerve cell membranes and hormones, is also used as a "shield" against water taxation of other vital cells that would normally exchange water through their cell membranes.

Here is what Andreas Moritz says about water: Body Drought

Here is David Wolfe seeking out spring water: Avocado's Spring Water World

I love Nelson, British Columbia! Hope you all enjoyed this post!

Much Love,

Michelle

Please check out my previous post and sign up for a New Years Juice Fast today!

New Year Juice Fast!

2011-12-19T23:23:00.003-07:00

A new year is upon us, it is a time of change, to connect with ourself and cleanse. It is the perfect time of year to nourish yourself with a fast.

Juice fasting is a multidimensional experience in which total body transformation occurs. There are a wide range of metabolic changes and experiences. The blood and lymph are detoxified. When juice fasting, the release of toxins from the colon, kidneys, bladder, lungs, sinuses, and skin clears out complications that have arisen from a bad diet and unhealthy lifestyle. The benefits of following a juice fast include heightened spiritual awareness and relaxation of the body, mind, and emotions. Many people feel a sense of letting go of pain from the past and developing a positive attitude towards the present. During juice fasting, the body is able to clean out its system because it is not expending energy towards the digestive organs.

Raw juices contain certain natural medicines, vegetal hormones and antibiotics. Its time for a clearing, a New Year, a new you!

The Skinny

A juice feasting adventure will give your body a break from caffeine, sugar, wheat, dairy, and alcohol so that you may establish new, healthier habits, renew your energy and detox your body. A feast includes freshly prepared juices, coconut water and supplements. Also included is a sole bath mixture, supplies for a liver/gallbladder flush, enema bag, body brush, personal notebook with handouts, daily support class where we stretch, meditate, explore natural beauty, healthy eating, and balance harmony within ourselves.

New Years Cleanse January 21st-27th.

During this time we will have daily support classes everyday at noon to enhance your experience.

If you cannot make daily classes, you may choose to come and pick up your juices anytime after 12pm.

Participants, please let me know exactly what you do or do not want included in your package and if you have any food allergies or aversions to foods so that juices may be tailored to your individual needs. Please inform me of any particular issues you struggle with and I will add personal information to your notebook addressing any concerns (i.e. thyroid issues, cancer, metabolic imbalance, osteoporosis, arthritis, candida, ect...)

Price Break Down

For a first time faster, the total juice fast experience is $430

***You may choose strictly juices and a few supplements to fit your needs and budget. The cost of juices will be $180 for the first time Berry Bliss Fast and $150 for people who have fasted with Berry Bliss before. Juices are for the week of January 21st-27th. (This includes three fresh juices per day and one coconut water) It is not recommended for people who have metabolic imbalances to use coconut water. (If you do not need coconut water subtract $25).

You may choose to add an extra juice per day to your fast to make your experience a juice feast for $35.

Products and price breakdown

Vitamineral Green™ $20

Vitamineral Earth™ $20

Enzyme Powder $20

Thyroid Nascent Iodine $35

Natural Cellular Defense - Liquid Zeolite $40

Organic Psyllium Fiber $15

Body Brush $9

Beautifying Facial Brush $5

Tongue Scraper $10

Sole Bath (adds 3 days of detoxification) $10

Enema Kit $10

Triphala for after the fast $16

Probiotics (dairy-free) for after the fast $40

" The Doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame. In diet and in the prevention of disease." -Thomas Edison

When we fast, we practice faith in the body's wisdom. We receive an opportunity to release our compulsions and attachments to controlling and a door is opened for us to examine all the ways in which the illusion of control and the existence of one who is controlling play into our lives.

Recommended Products

Vitamineral Green-- Nutritionally supports Blood Sugar, Detoxification, The Immune System, Liver, Kidneys, Blood, Bones, Colon, Regularity, Circulation, and Longevity. This is you protein for the fast.

Vitamineral Earth-- (Optional) Nutritionally supports blood sugar, colon, detoxification, the immune system, and Longevity. Balances the Yin and Yang with the Vitamineral Green.

E3 Enzymes Supreme™-- Enzymes are the 'spark of life'. This powder formula is a digestive and cleansing blend of plant-based enzymes and other plant-derived digestive aids. This formula consists of premium, full-spectrum, digestive enzymes with added nutritional co-factors optimized to work in wide pH variations throughout the entire digestive tract. Without enzymes, our bodies do not properly break down food; therefore we do not absorb vitamins, minerals and amino acids which are the basis of health. Our immune system, bloodstream, liver, kidneys, spleen and pancreas especially depend upon enzymes for proper digestive function. Without proper enzymes, our white blood cells try to perform the purpose of the enzymes, usually leaving one feeling tired after eating, and compromising the immune system. Enzymes are responsible for every biochemical reaction that occurs in living matter. All life depends on enzymes.

Nascent Iodine- This is the least toxic and least irritating of all iodine formulas available. Iodine is crucial for every hormone to function properly and for normal metabolism. Iodine deficiency is relatively common. Severe iodine deficiency often occurs in individuals who have thyroid disease and are hyperthyroid (an over active thyroid), or those who have a goiter from thyroid malfunction. Symptoms of iodine deficiency may include extreme fatigue, slowing of both physical and mental processes, weight gain, facial puffiness, constipation and lethargy. Iodine, because of it’s role in the metabolism helps burn off excess fat, it is a germicidal and antiseptic for internal use, iodine aids in, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, helps heal gastro-intestinal and urinary disorders, malaria fever, various infectious diseases internal and external, arthritis and joint diseases, skin diseases, burns, abrasions, cuts and mouth diseases. Wow!

Natural Cellular Defense™-- Every cell in your body is under constant attack from toxins. Heavy metals like mercury, lead, aluminum and countless other toxins attack our body’s defenses, depleting our reserves and causing us to age, get headaches, feel tired, get sick, etc. Natural Cellular Defense has been clinically formulated to help support a healthy immune system, remove heavy metals and toxins, and balance your body's pH levels.

Dry Skin Brush(s)-- It is well known that the skin is the largest organ in the body, and is responsible for one-fourth of the body's detoxification each day, also making it, one of the most important elimination organs! When you dry skin brush, you help your lymph system to clean itself of the toxins, that collect in the lymph glands. You use a simple technique to improve the surface circulation on the skin and keep the pores of the skin open, encouraging your body's discharge of metabolic wastes, and resulting in an improved ability to combat bacteria, plus helping your skin to look and feel healthier and more resilient! Skin brushing is a perfect treatment for taking charge of your body and health.

Tongue Scraper-- The ancient Ayurvedic healing philosophy of India has recommended tongue scraping for centuries as an aid to digestion and for the health of the teeth and the sinuses. When the salivary glands are cleaned, it activates them and enhances digestion (yes, digestion begins in the mouth as saliva mixes with food and begins to break it down). Tongue cleaning revitalizes the throat and keeps the sinuses cleaner by reducing bacteria that can travel into the respiratory system. Many people who have struggled with sinus infections, sore throats, throat infections*, and chronic bad breath, may find added relief through regular tongue scraping. Dentists are now recommending tongue cleaning to keep the mouth clean and reduce odor. They have learned that bad breath most often comes from bacteria on the tongue rather than from gum disease.

Sole Bath- In contrast to a normal bath, in which moisture is extracted from the skin, a sole bath allows salt to be stored in the upper callous layer of the skin and binds water. This maintains the natural, protective film of the skin, protecting it from drying out. This is the reason why sole baths are good for dry skin as well. The cleansing effects of a 30-minute sole bath equal those of three days of fasting. The toxins are released into the bath water through osmosis, while the minerals from the sole are absorbed through the skin. Studies have shown that you can achieve the best results taking a sole bath during the change of the moon cycle. The minerals and energies stored in the sole can optimally be absorbed during a full moon. The body’s healing potential is at its peak, bioenergetically weak points are harmonized, and the body’s own energy flow is activated. During a new moon, the cleansing effects are optimized because the body’s capacity for detoxifying is at an optimum. The bath will have a detoxifying effect similar to a three day fast.

Triphala-- A must for easing back into food as it is used to rejuvenate the digestive system, support healthy liver function, support the immune system, support healthy inflammatory response and as a tonic for overall health. Nutrient-rich Triphala (or three fruits) regulates, strengthens, tones, and cleanses your digestive system without stripping or depleting your body of vital nutrients. One of the oldest and most renowned herbal formulas from the Vedic tradition, Triphala is a gentle, nourishing blend of three certified organic fruits: amalaki, bibhitaki, and haritaki. High in linoleic oil and vitamin C, non habit-forming and safe for people of all ages, our Ayurvedic Triphala formula's colon cleansing action supports healthy digestive and gastro intestinal function while strengthening nutritional assimilation.

Premier Probiotic-- Full Spectrum, Beneficial Flora for Healthy Intestines Non-Dairy Base (milk-free), Probiotic Supplement. Premier's broad-spectrum, quantum-state, probiotic culture formula (“good bacteria”) promotes healthy intestinal ecology with 12 different viable strains of beneficial flora to support all major groups of health-promoting intestinal bacteria.* The unique Japanese process uses 92 different natural herbs and barks, cultured for 5 years to produce healthy, mature flora and highly bioavailable nutrients. Quantum-Rx Probiotic Complex is certified as 6.5 times stronger than any other lactic acid bacteria.

Cheers to your health!

Love,

Michelle Berry

Sublime Living Essentials

sublimele@gmail.com

www.sublimelivingessentials.net

Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Butter Bars

2011-12-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year, cookie exchanges, sweets, parties, love.

Here is a Gluten Free, Vegan recipe for Chocolate Almond Butter Bars.

They are called bars because they are somewhere in the middle of a brownie and a cookie and they are very tasty.

I made these for Alex's dance class in less than 1/2 hour and for those of you who know me know that I don't bake!

They turned out great with no explosions in my oven! Wahooo!

2 1/4 cup Gluten Free Mama's All Purpose Baking Mix (Or any other gluten free baking flour mix)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread (melted)
1/2 cup Almond or Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Organic Sugar
1/2 cup Organic Brown Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla
2 Tbs Ground Flax Seed
6 Tbs. Blessed Water

1 cup Vegan Carob Chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and slightly grease a 15 1/2 X 10 1/2 inch cookie sheet with sides. (I used a torte pan).

In a small bowl, combine flours, soda, salt.
In a large bowl combine buttery spread, almond butter, and sugars, beat with mixer until creamy.

Add vanilla, ground flax and blessed water, gradually add flour mixture and stop when barely blended and spin beaters to remove dough. Stir in the carob ships in with a sturdy wooden spoon.

Press dough into pan, pushing the dough to the edges so that it is even. Place the pan in pre-heated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then cut into squares or wedges.

Variation:
If you don't have vegan carob chips available, use 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder and a couple of tablespoons of blessed water, mix and follow directions as stated above.

I use Gluten Free Mama products because they are wonderful (you can substitute their flours in any regular recipe and it will come out fabulous) and because they are local (Polson, MT). Here is a link to the Gluten Free Mama's website: http://www.glutenfreemama.com/

Perseverance is a great element of success.
If you only knock long enough at the gate,
you are sure to wake up somebody.
~Henri Wadsworth Longfellow

From our house to yours,

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Love,

Michelle

Announcing Sublime Living Essentials!

2011-12-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It is our pleasure to announce our New Website, Sublime Living Essentials! Over the last 6 months we have been working on creating a business that truly supports a holistic lifestyle. We have now launched the website live this week, and we are so excited to share it with you! It would mean the world to us if you'd stop by the site at some point: Sublime Living Essentials as well as pass this email onto your friends and family.

You may note that we have some valuable features on this site:

1. Site features an online store that is designed to support a healthy body, mind and spirit with the highest quality supplements and superfoods, herbs, body care, books, and a whole lot more!

2. You may subscribe at any time as a member to be kept up to date on new products and services being offered.

3. There is a link to Michelle's recipe blog, Berry Bliss.

4. There is also a link to the product review blog, Sublime Elements.

5. And a page with valuable articles written by people who are on the cutting edge of holistic health and living a holistic lifestyle.

6. We will keep refreshing the news on the Sublime site, so please come back often for all of the current happenings, news, information, recipes and sales!

7. If you have time, visit our facebook page too and hit the "like" button!

Dreams really do come true!

Thank you for your support! Many Blessings!

In love and light,

Michelle & Noah Shaffer

sublimele@gmail.com

http://www.sublimelivingessentials.net/

Goddess Dressing

2011-09-26T17:40:00.000-06:00

The great thing about making your own salad dressing is that it turns out they way you want it to taste! Now, I am a picky salad dressing eater, it has to taste just right.

My family loves this Goddess Dressing!

1/3 cup hemp or flax oil
1 cup water
2 TBS tahini
2 TBS chickpea miso
2 TBS parsley flakes
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
1/2 lime juiced
1 clove garlic

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend!
If you need it a little thicker, add sesame seeds.

I used garlic red pepper miso from south river. Fresh garlic and Turkish red pepper paste are combined with Chick Pea Miso for this warming, mildly spicy variety. Festive orange color. A touch of nettle greens and sea vegetables adds to its immune strengthening, healing properties.

Ingredients: Deep well water, lightly polished organic rice, organic chickpeas, organic fresh garlic, sun-dried sea salt, roasted red pepper paste, organic nettle greens, organic sea vegetables, and koji culture.

- No gluten or soy ingredients.

This miso is absolutely magical.

We plant seeds that will flower as results in our lives, so best to remove the weeds of anger, avarice, envy and doubt... ~Dorothy Day

Lots of love!

Michelle

Yoga of Regeneration, sacred song and touch immersion!

2011-09-15T12:44:00.001-06:00

The ancient wisdom of yoga teaches that Life is already given to you, you are completely loved, you are here now. It teaches that we are not separate, cannot be separate from nature, which sustains us in a vast interdependence with everything. The universe comes perfectly, and is awesome in its integration and infinite existence. This union is our natural state, this union is Yoga.

When you experience this connection to the fullness of creation, of nurturing source, you are doing your Yoga. Yoga is your direct participation in nurturing source.
All of us at Heart of Yoga are committed to broadening this message: You are fully loved, you are fully able, you are perfectly capable the way you are. We strive to teach the healing power of intimate connection, in the traditions of 10,000 years, recaptured for our era. We hope to transform individual awareness of this interconnection, and thus human consciousness and the societies we have created.
This website is our virtual home, we will offer you things we believe can help you do your yoga. It is not a one way dialogue though, so please join our community, join the conversation, contribute and help out with local events. The Heart of Yoga is in all of us.
Om Shanti
Mark Whitwell
Founder, Heart of Yoga

I am thrilled and honored to be a part of an extraordinary weekend event!

SEPT 30 - OCT 2YOGA

WITH MASTER TEACHER

MARK WHITWELL

IMMERSE INTO THE HEART OF YOGA IN BIG SKY COUNTRY

AT HAYMOON RESORT IN WHITEFISH, MONTANA

Hosted by Arlisa & Kelly of MeWe Collective

Experience:
• Advanced Yoga for every One: “If you can breathe, You can doYoga.”

• Yoga of Intimacy: The Secrets of Yoga that turn your Life into Love

•Freeing your Voice w/chanting & Sacred songs

• Rejuvenating your Spirit with Restorative touch

• Vibrant Vegan meals catered by Michelle Berry of Berry Bliss (for full immersion registrants)

Guest Musician: Daphne Tse

DETAILS:

Fri, Sept 30: 7p - 9p ($20)

Sat, Oct 1: 9a - 5p ($95)

Sun, Oct 2: 9a - 5p ($95)

*Special concert: Sat, Oct 2: 7p - 9p ($20)

FULL IMMERSION EARLY BIRD PRICE by SEPT 18th!! $180.00

To Register:

406-261-2924

“Yoga is every person’s direct intimacy with reality, which is an entirely abundant, regenerating, and nurturing power. This is yoga from the heart for the heart.” - Mark Whitwell

IMMERSION DETAILS: All levels welcome!

Friday, September 30th 7 - 9 PM Opening ceremony with Mark Whitwell, Daphne Tse, Arlisa Houston & Kelly Ordway: Introduction to the Heart of Yoga Immersion! Come join us for an evening of meditation, pranayama, movement, and chanting!

Saturday, October 1st
9 - 11 AM w/Daphne Tse, Arlisa Houston & Kelly Ordway
Sacred Sound & Touch: Free your Voice & Fluid Vinyasa (pt 1) Dive into the healing power of sound as we open our voices & bodies through chanting & embodied flow. You will learn tools to connect to your authentic voice through chakra chanting, mantra & sounding. Relax deeper into your own being as we explore the Essence of Yoga & Sacred Touch. 1 - 5 PM w/Mark Whitwell Advanced Yoga for everyOne: The Principles of Yoga applied exactly to your individual needs The five principles of practice to make Yoga entirely your own, efficient, powerful and safe. Breath, asana and bandha integrate as a seamless design. Apply breath and bandha efficiently to produce a powerful practice that is right for you. Adding these five principles to the Yoga you already know and Love. No Yoga Experience Needed.
7 - 9 PM SPECIAL Music Event!
Sacred Song & Kirtan Concert with Daphne Tse & friends! Join us for heart opening community gathering of chanting and singing. We'll offer sacred songs from many traditions honoring the Shakti that is within each of us... No singing or musical experience needed! If you can talk, you can sing... so come and join us and enjoy diving into musical inspirations from around the world!
Sunday, October 2nd
9 - 11 AM w/Daphne Tse, Arlisa Houston & Kelly Ordway
Sacred Sound & Touch: Free your Voice & Fluid Vinyasa (pt 2) 1 - 5 PM w/Mark Whitwell The Yoga of Intimacy: The Secrets of Yoga that turn your Life into Love This workshop will include theYoga of Patanjali, an in-depth study of the first four sutras of Patanjali's Yogasutra and the first sutra of book two; on the the three qualities or actions of personal Yoga practice. Getting it right for yourself and others. Awaken your Yoga practice to the peace and power of your natural state. Weaving the tools of Yoga into personal and powerful systems.The beauty of non-obsessive, yet actual daily practice.We will define daily practice and discuss the purpose of yantra and mantra in asana and pranayama. No Yoga Experience Needed.
LUNCH BREAK: 11AM - 1PM
SPECIAL for FULL IMMERSION registrants: Vibrant Vegan Lunch Included
OPTIONAL: Lunch for non-immersion (please inquire for rate)
LODGING AVAILABLE AT HAYMOON RESORT CONTACT ARLISA: mewecollective@gmail.com
Bios:
Mark Whitwell has enjoyed a life-long relationship with the teachings of Krishnamacharya,“the teacher of the teachers,” notably of B. K. S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois, and T. K.V. Desikachar. Having studied since 1973 in the home of Krishnamacharya, Mark is committed to communicating timeless yoga principals with compassion and clarity. He contributed to and edited Desikachar's book,The Heart ofYoga: Developing a Personal Practice. Mark is the author ofYoga of Heart:The Healing Power of Intimate Connection. www.HeartofYoga.com
Daphne Tse is a spirited, soulful artist originally from Texas & currently based in Bali, Indonesia. Since her initial yoga class in 1994, she has explored merging her spiritual practice with her contemporary folk singer/songwriter style. She studied music at the University of Texas at Austin, the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and with Jai Uttal in Guatemala. She has travelled extensively sharing her music around the globe. Her music has been featured on yoga music compilations with Shiva Rea and her current album, Mata, features songs dedicated to Mother Spirit. www.daphnetse.com
Arlisa Houston & Kelly Ordway of Me We Collective... Me We Collective - Evolution of Self cofounders Arlisa Houston & Kelly Ordway are both Massage Therapists/ Energyworkers and Vinyasa Flow/
Kundalini Yoga Teachers. Based in Whitefish, Montana, known as "The Last Best Place.” It is their vision to share the Essence ofYoga & Sacred Touch in Potent Places around the World!
Register NOW! 406-261-2924 or email: mewecollective@gmail.com
Early Bird Price $180 by September 18th!

Act through love and harmony Everything is God. The trees, the light of the sun, the animals, the buildings, the roads. We are all that. ~Sri Mahayogi

I hope that you may be able to be a part of the weekend as well! We are so blessed to be a part of a wonderful community.

Love & Bliss,
Michelle

Get Well Retreat on Flathead Lake

2011-09-15T12:27:00.002-06:00

Get Well Montana brings health to our community by promoting exercise, fun, food growth, wellness coaching, healthy eating, and sustainable living practices. Fasting provides rest and rejuvenation for every level of the body, mind, and spirit. It builds the body’s vital force, our curative power, which releases accumulated toxins, clears dead cells, stimulates building of new cells and re-balances and rejuvenates the body. As toxins are flushed from the brain cells, concentration improves, creative thinking expands, depressions lifts, insomnia stops, anxieties fade, and peace and tranquility abound. Fasting has been known to alleviate many diseases.

The Get Well Retreat program will provide you with the support needed in renewing your body and mind while releasing stored toxins. We use 100% organic, live-food juices and a series of facilitated therapeutic treatments along with lifestyle training including exercise, raw food preparation instruction, and other wellness workshops that will help you maintain your renewed system and reduce the future effects of environmental stress after you return home.

I realize this is sort of last minute, but if you would like to come, this promises to create a beautiful space for healing, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Juice Fasting Retreat September 19-25.

Fasting and Detoxification Program Week-Long Cleansing Retreat: September 19-25 Presenters & Trainers Include: -Michael Chaet & Michelle Berry: Presenting on whole person health (trained and certified by Bernard Jensen and Gabriel Cousins - Tree of Life).

-Sherri Gerek: Lets Strut Your Stuff, LLC

3 Wellness Coaching Workshops:

1) Being Present - Sept. 22nd @ 6:30pm 2) Powerful Communicaton – Sept. 23rd @ 3:30pm 3) Mindset on Success - Sept. 24th @ 10:00am

-Laine Cohen (Facials; Crystal Healing & Toning Layout) -Michelle Wiggins (Pilates), Karen Dion (Massage) -Karina Ek (Yoga)

Health Investment (click here to pay on-line)

$360-$560 sliding scale (includes all juices, vitamins, and

6 night’s accommodation).

The actual cost of the week-long cleansing retreat is $435. It is our mission to provide these health retreats to anyone drawn to them. We offer this sliding scale as a way to help those that need assistance. Work exchange available. If you‘re having time constraints, please consider other options: Daily Participation at Deep Bay (includes juices and presentations): $35/day Cleanse at Home – please inquire about details and prices. Overnight OPTION–accommodation – Monday – Saturday Night:$40/night

You Tube Video: Get Well Retreat

For more details, please contact:

Get Well Retreat

469-628-1396
jason@getwellretreat.com

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. ~ Lao Tzu

I hope to see you there!

Many Blessings,

Michelle

Eggplant Bacon

2011-08-25T08:36:00.001-06:00

For the last three weeks we have received eggplant in our CSA box.

What to do with all of this eggplant?

Well, Alexandra made ratatouille.

Then we made Eggplant bacon.

Eggplant Bacon:
6 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1/2 teaspoons chili powder
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon Tamari
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 clove garlic (optional)
salt to taste
2 Eggplant
extra pepper to season top of eggplant

Blend first 10 ingredients in blender.
Slice eggplant and place in large bowl.
Pour blended mixture over eggplant land let marinate for a couple of hours.
Place eggplant on dehydrator trays, pepper the top of eggplant if you with and dehydrate for 24 hours, flip halfway through.
Voila! Eggplant bacon!

Raw eggplant is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin K, Thiamin, Niacin Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber, folate, potassium and manganese.

Cooked eggplant is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. It is also a good source of vitamin K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, potassium and manganese and a very good source of dietary fiber. This food is very high in sodium and a large portion of the calories come from sugars. Cooked eggplant will cause more inflammation then raw eggplant.

It is interesting to note that the raw eggplant contains magnesium, phosphorus and copper. Many Americans are low in magnesium and do not get enough in their diets. Phosphorus is also an important brain food. Every time we have a thought, reading, meditating or using our brain we burn phosphorus.

Freezing is another great way to preserve your eggplant if you cannot eat what you have fast enough.

1. Wash, peel if desired, and slice 1/3-inch thick. Prepare quickly.

2. Blanch, have water ready and boiling with 1/2 cup lemon juice. Place eggplant in water and boil for four minutes.

3. Drain, cool and package in freezer bag. Seal and freeze. If you would like to keep your eggplant ready to use as "steaks" place freezer paper between each eggplant to keep them separated.

Risk more than others think is safe.
Care more than others think is wise.
Dream more than others think is practical.
Expect more than others think is possible.
~Claude Bissell

Have a beautiful end of August!

Love,

Michelle

A Little Slice of Vegan Cheese

2011-08-12T19:05:00.001-06:00

So this was really my first go at making a vegan cheese that you could slice.

To my delight my daughters loved it and its so easy to make!

Pass the cheese please!

Raw Vegan Cheese
1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 Tablespoons agar powder or 5 Tablespoons Agar Flakes
1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons Tahini
2 teaspoons dijon or stone ground mustard
1 garlic clove (optional)
Dash of Salt

In blender add cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, mustard, garlic and salt.
In a pan, on the stove, bring water to a boil and slowly add agar stirring with a whisk. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to whisk while mixture thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes. If using flakes, make sure they are completely dissolved.
Slowly pour into blender, and blend for several minutes, make sure you scrape the sides every once in a while until mixture is completely smooth.
Pour into a plastic container and cool in fridge, uncovered for several hours.
After completely cool, pop cheese out of container and serve.
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Oh, so easy!

Agar is low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Pantothenic Acid, Zinc and Copper, and a very good source of Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese.

Enjoy the beauty of summer!

Imagine all the people living life in peace.
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one. ~John Lennon

Love,

Michelle

Strawberry Key Lime Pie

2011-05-27T09:10:00.001-06:00

As I am about to head out on my adventure to the Tree of Life, I wanted to post a super delicious recipe that was inspired by my beautiful daughter, Morgan.

The fillings for this recipe will need to be divided between two pie crusts, so make two crusts.

You can always freeze one pie to use for a summer party at a later date.

This pie will be the hit of your party.

Super fast and easy crust (make two):

7 pitted dates (soaked)

2 cups of almonds

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

To make crust:

In bowl of your food processor fitted with the "s" blade, process nuts, vanilla and salt until crumbly.

Add dates and continue to process until crust sticks together.

Press crust into greased (with raw unscented coconut oil/butter) 9 inch pan. If crust is too wet, place in food dehydrator for an hour.

Or place in a low heated oven for 20 minutes.

Strawberry cheesecake filling:

3 cups cashews (soaked)

3 cups strawberries (organic)

1 1/2 cups almond milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup raw local honey or agave

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 pinches salt

3 Tablespoons lecithin

3/4 cup coconut butter/oil (melted in dehydrator on on stove at low temperature)

Blend all ingredients except lecithin and coconut butter/oil until smooth.

Add lecithin and coconut butter, blending until well incorporated.

Pour into prepared crust and set in fridge/freezer (for about an hour) until firm.

Key Lime Pie Filling:

3/4 cup lime juice

2 avocados

3/4 cup raw local honey or agave

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons coconut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lecithin

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut butter/oil (melted in dehydrator or at low temp on stovetop)

1 teaspoon Vitamineralgreen or spirulina (optional for a deeper green color)

To make filling:

Blend all ingredients except lecithin and coconut butter/oil until smooth.

Add lecithin and coconut butter, blending until well incorporated.

Pour into prepared crust and set in fridge/freezer (for about an hour) until firm.

Once set, spread a thin layer of meringue on to and decorate with lime slices.

Live Meringue filling:

3/4 ounce Irish moss (a sea vegetable you can order online at www.rawguru.com)

1/2 cup water or coconut water

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup coconut meat (from a fresh baby thai coconut -- you can get them at Super 1 in Whitefish)

1/2 cup cashews (soaked and rinsed)

1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon local raw honey or agave

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons lecithin

1/2 cup coconut butter/oil (melted in dehydrator or on stove at low temperature)

Blend irish moss and water in blender until smooth and thick. Add coconut milk, meat, cashews, agave, lemon juice, vanilla and salt.

Blend until smooth.

Add lecithin and coconut butter/oil until well incorporated. Pour into a wide, shallow pan and set in fridge for up to 3 hours. When set, top pie; and if you like, peak with the back of a spoon.

This pie may take a while and a little practice, but its well worth it!

Irish Moss or carrageen moss, is a sea vegetable that should be soaked overnight and rinsed well. It is about 10 percent protein and contains lots of minerals, it is especially rich in iodine and sulfer. Its also high in calcium and good for the libido. Yay!

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins;

not through strength, but through persistence.

~Buddha

I love you!

Michelle

Sweet Italian Bread

2011-05-21T12:35:00.001-06:00

A Farmer's Market best seller,

people from out of state call me to send this bread/cracker to them!

3 large sweet onions (about 3 pounds) sliced thin

3 large apples (about 3 pounds) shredded

3 cups spinach, chopped

1 cup buckwheat (soaked overnight)
1 cup sunflower seeds, ground

1 cup ground flax

3/4 cup gluten free tamari

1/2 cup cold pressed olive oil

1/2 cup mesquite pod meal

1/3 cup Italian seasoning

1/3 cup chia (makes my body so happy!)

1/3 cup sesame seeds

1/3 cup raw local honey

Process half of mixture in food processor, mix both parts of mixture together in large bowl. Make sure it is wet enough by making sure its not crumbly, it needs to be thick and wet to spread of dehydrator sheets. Spread on dehydrator sheets with teflex. Score with pizza slicer into desired shapes. Place in dehydrator at 115 for about 12 hours. Flip sheets over and take off teflex sheets. Dehydrate for another 12 hours or until you reach the desired crispiness. Enjoy with yummy pesto, tomatoes, avocados and/or cashew nut cheese!

This is a staple at our house for sure!

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins; not through strength, but through persistence. ~Buddha

May Juice Cleanse

2011-04-29T10:22:00.000-06:00

Spring has sprung again its starting to get warmer as the days are getting longer. Its a perfect time for a juice cleanse. Its time to nourish yourself!
Juice fasting is a multidimensional experience in which total body transformation occurs. There are a wide range of metabolic changes and experiences. The blood and lymph are detoxified. When juice fasting, the release of toxins from the colon, kidneys, bladder, lungs, sinuses, and skin clears out complications that have arisen from a bad diet and unhealthy lifestyle. The benefits of following a juice fast include heightened spiritual awareness and relaxation of the body, mind, and emotions. Many people feel a sense of letting go of pain from the past and developing a positive attitude towards the present. During juice fasting, the body is able to clean out its system because it is not expending energy towards the digestive organs.
Raw juices contain certain natural medicines, vegetal hormones and antibiotics. Spring has arrived, its time for a clearing.

Berry Bliss Spring Juice Cleanse May 20th-26th

A juice feasting adventure will give your body a break from caffeine, sugar, wheat, dairy, and alcohol so that you may establish new, healthier habits, renew your energy and detox your body. A feast includes freshly prepared juices, coconut water and supplements. Also included is a sole bath mixture, supplies for a liver/gallbladder flush, enema bag, body brush, personal notebook with handouts, daily support class where we stretch, meditate, explore natural beauty, healthy eating, and balance harmony within ourselves.

Berry Bliss Spring Juice Cleanse May 20th-26th.
During this time we will have daily support classes everyday at noon to enhance your experience. If you cannot make daily classes, you may choose to come and pick up your juices anytime after 12pm.

Participants, please let me know exactly what you do or do not want included in your package and if you have any food allergies or aversions to foods so that juices may be tailored to your individual needs. Please inform me of any particular issues you struggle with and I will add personal information to your notebook addressing any concerns (i.e. thyroid issues, cancer, metabolic imbalance, osteoporosis, arthritis, candida, ect...)
Price Breakdown
For a first time faster, the total juice feasting experience is $395.

**You may choose to opt out of certain products to reduce the cost of the fast.

**You may choose strictly juices. The cost of juices will be $175 for first time Berry Bliss fasters and $150 for people who have fasted with Berry Bliss before. Juices are for the week of - May 20th-26th. (This is three juices a day and one coconut water per day).

***You may choose to add an extra juice per day to your fast to make your experience a juice feast for $35.

Products & Price Breakdown

Vitamineral Green $25
Vitamineral Earth $25
Probiotics for the week $15
Proteolytic Enzymes for the week $20
Liver Care Formula $13
Fiber formula for the Week $7
Thyroid Nascent Iodine $35
Liquid Vitamins a month supply $25
Body Brush $10
Tongue Scraper $10
Sole Bath, adds 3 days of detoxification $10
Enema Kit $30
Recommended Products
Vitamineral Green-- Nutritionally supports Blood Sugar, Detoxification, The Immune System, Liver, Kidneys, Blood, Bones, Colon, Regularity, Circulation, and Longevity. This is you protein for the fast.

Vitamineral Earth-- (Optional) Nutritionally supports blood sugar, colon, detoxification, the immune system, and Longevity. Balances the Yin and Yang with the Vitamineral Green.

Fiber Formula-A high-potency colon cleanse formula of soluble and insoluble fibers and probiotic flora to cleanse your body of harmful toxins.

Dr. Ohhira's Probiotic's 12 Plus- Pro meaning "for"....Biotic meaning "life"....there we have it-"for life". The scope of potential benefits delves into a broad range of conditions including lactose intolerance, colon cancer prevention, regulating cholesterol, regulating blood pressure, boosting immune function, h pylori infections, Crohn's diseas, eczema, allergies, dermatitis, IBS, colitis, peptic ulcers, constipation, diarrhea, candida, systemic yeast infections, MRSA and other infectious diseases.

Proteolytic Enzymes- High intensity enzymes thoroughly cleanse the body. This is the next generation in inflammatory defense. Supports fibrinolytic activity as well as other blood cleansing activities. It also helps modulate immune function and circulatory health. This potent mix of systemic enzymes, protease, and cofactors with MSM helps to support the reduction of inflammation and pain.

Liver Care- The liver is the largest internal organ, so it is important that we take care of it because it performing more than 500 different functions for our body! This product was introduced in 1955 as a specially formulated liver support formula by Himalaya Healthcare. Since then it has become one of the most effective liver support formulas proven with 182 clinical studies. Key ingredients: Caper Bush is a hepatic stimulant and protector used for improving the functional efficiency of the liver; Chicory is a powerful hepatic stimulant which increases bile secretion, acts on liver glycogen and promotes digestion; Black Nightshade is a plant and its berries contain various alkaloids that have been shown to support a healthy liver, skin, kidneys and bladder as well as has shown hepatoprotective activity in cases of toxicity induced by drugs and chemicals; Arjuna has been the herb of choice in Ayurveda for cardiovascular health as it is a tonic for the heart and liver, by regulating hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis; Yarrow is a stimulative tonic for the liver; and Tamarisk has been traditionally used as a hepatic tonic that also provides digestive support.

Nascent Iodine- This is the least toxic and least irritating of all iodine formulas available. Iodine is crucial for every hormone to function properly and for normal metabolism. Iodine deficiency is relatively common. Severe iodine deficiency often occurs in individuals who have thyroid disease and are hyperthyroid (an over active thyroid), or those who have a goiter from thyroid malfunction. Symptoms of iodine deficiency may include extreme fatigue, slowing of both physical and mental processes, weight gain, facial puffiness, constipation and lethargy. Iodine, because of it's role in the metabolism helps burn off excess fat, it is a germicidal and antiseptic for internal use, iodine aids in, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, helps heal gastro-intestinal and urinary disorders, malaria fever, various infectious diseases internal and external, arthritis and joint diseases, skin diseases, burns, abrasions, cuts and mouth diseases. Wow!

Liquid Vitamins- Superfood based multi-vitamin! This formula is great-tasting and an economical way to get premium nutrition your body so that you can absorb and assimilate nutrients without having to break down a pill or capsule!

Body Brush- The skin is the largest elimination organ, it is known to be responsible for 10 to 15% of total body elimination, and is sometimes referred to as the third kidney.Dry skin brushing is a swift and powerful way to enhance the detoxification process . It's easy, pleasant and yields tremendous benefits! Not only does it improve the appearance of your skin by eliminating dead cells and helping new skin to regenerate, it also stimulates blood circulation, the lymphatic system, and greatly enhances toxin elimination. In addition, the massaging effect of the bristles is known to be highly beneficial for eliminating cellulite.

Tongue Scraper-- While you sleep at night your body is busy clearing out toxins. Some of those toxins are deposited on your tongue as a coating. During your detox, your tongue might develop a thicker coating or taste strange when you wake up. By gently scraping this coating off first thing in the morning you avoid reabsorbing these toxins and help your breath smell better.

Enema Kit-- Enemas speed the cleansing of toxins that have been stored in the liver, gallbladder and fat tissue. Colon cleansing with an enema removes these toxins in a hurry, thus having an amazing effect on energy, health and well being.

Sole Bath- In contrast to a normal bath, in which moisture is extracted from the skin, a sole bath allows salt to be stored in the upper callous layer of the skin and binds water. This maintains the natural, protective film of the skin, protecting it from drying out. This is the reason why sole baths are good for dry skin as well. The cleansing effects of a 30-minute sole bath equal those of three days of fasting. The toxins are released into the bath water through osmosis, while the minerals from the sole are absorbed through the skin. Studies have shown that you can achieve the best results taking a sole bath during the change of the moon cycle. The minerals and energies stored in the sole can optimally be absorbed during a full moon. The body's healing potential is at its peak, bioenergetically weak points are harmonized, and the body's own energy flow is activated. During a new moon, the cleansing effects are optimized because the body's capacity for detoxifying is at an optimum. The bath will have a detoxifying effect similar to a three day fast.

Zeo Force by Healthforce Nutritionals is also recommended for heavy metal detoxification. Please inquire with Michelle

Contact Information & Location

Michelle Berry

Phone: 249-4370

www.berryblissful.blogspot.com
www.goingtothesunfood.com

Location: 2060 East Edgewood Drive, Whitefish

Almond Yumm Yumm

2011-03-26T15:37:00.003-06:00

Today I am preparing a menu for an upcoming yoga teacher training I am making food for and in the process, as usual, I got hungry and came up with a little snack to give me an energy boost! Its called Almond Yumm Yumm because its really the only thing I was thinking about as I was making it.

Almond Yumm Yumm

1/2 cup almond butter

3 Tablespoons raw, local honey

2 Tablespoons alcohol-free vanilla

1/4 teaspoon himalayan salt or celtic salt

1 1/2 cups almond meal (I use the pulp leftover from when I make almond milk)

1/4 cup rasins or goji berries, blueberries, cherries, currants, ect...

Stir together the almond butter, honey, vanilla and salt. Add the almond meal, raisins, and mix well.

Drop the dough by the 1 1/2 tablespoons onto a plate. Press into desired shapes or make balls. Place in fridge to firm up. Yumm Yumm!

These will keep for many weeks in the fridge or freezer. Thaw for 5 minutes before eating!

Makes about 14 cookies (but I ate some dough before I started making them into cookies)

I apologize for not having a picture, Noah took the camera with him skiing.

Just after I got done making my almond yumm yumm's, I stumbles across this You Tube video of Ellen Page. She is such a wonderful advocate for permaculture and the ethical treatment of animals. I hope you have time to take 10 minutes and watch what she has to say about bees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IET1vaMRpLg&feature=player_embedded#at=524

There you have it! What do you think about bees? What are some ways that we may be able to stop them from dying off?

Forget finding your place in the world. Decide what kind of place you want your world to be.

Love,

Michelle

Local Business Receives Good Food Award!

2011-02-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

Come One, Come All!

MONTANA COFFEE TRADERS HONORED

AS GOOD FOOD AWARDS WINNER AT INAUGURAL CEREMONY

Saturday, February 19th from 10:00-2:00

Berry Bliss will be there to celebrate along with Pam from purple Frog is doing a sauerkraut tasting, Justin is

premiering his new Beet relish, other local fodies will be there too! Please come and support our wonderful community!

Press Release:

San Francisco, CA (January 25, 2011) – Montana Coffee Traders today announced that its Organic Ethiopian Yrgacheffe Peaberry coffee has been selected as one of the Good Food Awards 71 winning products from across the nation—representing American craft food producers who excel in superior taste and sustainability. Over 160 coffee roasters submitted their best coffees that were cupped and judged by a panel of tasters from throughout the United States. Montana Coffee Traders was one of nine coffee roasters awarded a Good Food Awards Seal in front of a crowded house of over 450 attendees on January 14, 2011 at the historic San Francisco Ferry Building. Of the winning producers, 47 flew in from out of state, many with their farmers and partners, representing every major region of the United States—a true testament to a not-so-quiet artisan foods renaissance happening nationwide. The Good Food Awards Seal recognizes their contributions toward creating a more tasty, authentic, and responsible food system in urban and rural communities throughout the nation.

“By publicly celebrating the achievements of artisans across the country we are sharing the good news about food,” said Alice Waters. “The Good Food Awards are the County Fair of our times and, like those fairs that brought our communities together in a positive way, these new awards have the potential to strengthen our communities and rebuild our food culture.”

Honors were presented in seven food categories--coffee, chocolate, beer, charcuterie (meats), relishes, pickles, and cheese--by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, a world-renowned restaurant in the Bay Area that has championed the awareness and development of the local food movement for 40 years.

On Saturday the winners had the opportunity to sell their products at the San Francisco Farmers Market at the Ferry Building. The market was packed with thousands of enthusiastic foodies. Coffee Traders served our sweet floral, chocolatey Eithiopian coffee brewed in Hario drip brewers to an appreciative audience.

Scott Brant, coffee buyer for Montana Coffee Traders, said the Good Food Award and the Marketplace was an “exhilarating opportunity to connect people with the wonderful coffee being produced by hard working farmers from around the world. The sense of community, that we are familiar with in Montana, was in full force at the Marketplace. We are grateful to showcase our commitment to offering quality, sustainable coffee and Montana-sourced food products.”

The Good Food Awards go beyond tasty food by asking the winners to nominate three partners who contribute to their local food systems’ success stories. Montana Coffee Traders is supported by a large community of committed local businesses and farmers. Our awards are given to Farm Hands, AERO, and the downtown Whitefish Farmers Market. Please stop by our downtown Whitefish store on February 19 for our Celebrating Community event and meet all of our partners and supporters and share in the bounty.

ABOUT MONTANA COFFEE TRADERS

Montana Coffee Traders has been roasting fine coffees in Whitefish, Montana for 30 years. As the premier coffee roaster in Montana, they have played a pivotal role in bringing excellent sustainably grown coffees to every community in Montana. Montana Coffee Traders strives to be part of your everyday life offering coffee enthusiasts the opportunity to connect to coffee farmers and their communities from around the world.

ABOUT GOOD FOOD AWARDS

The Good Food Awards celebrate the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic, and responsible. In its inaugural year, awards were given to winners in seven categories: beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, pickles, and preserves. The Good Food Awards Seal, found on winning products, assures consumers they have found something exceptionally delicious that also supports sustainability and social good. Find more information at:

www.goodfoodawards.org

www.coffeetraders.com

www.aeromt.org

www.whitefishfarmersmarket.org

www.nourishtheflathead.org

White Balsamic Pear Dressing

2011-02-16T12:36:00.001-07:00

In ancient Greece, pears were used to treat nausea.

Today, pears can be useful in treating inflammation and lowering high blood pressure.

Pears are a good source of fiber and a good source of vitamin C.

White Balsamic-Pear Dressing

1/2 Pear -- seeds removed -- skin left on

1/2 cup white balsamic dressing

1/3 cup Hemp oil or Flax oil (or any oil that can go into the fridge without hardening)

1/4 cup organic apple juice

2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1 tsp sole or a dash himalayan or celtic salt to taste

Blend together and enjoy on to of your favorite bed of greens! I like to add a dash of cayenne for some extra warmth.

Remember, there are no mistakes, only lessons. Love yourself, trust your choices, and everything is possible.

~Cherie-Carter Scotts

Have a beautiful day!

Love,

Michelle

Spirulina Lime Ice Cream

2011-02-10T23:27:00.000-07:00

Its so good for you!

Spirulina is an amazing superfood and a complete protein containing, that's between 55% and 70% protein! Wow! It is rich in all essential amino acids like gamma-liolenic acid (GLA) which is known to help treat inflammation and auto-immune diseases, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) a polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid that partially converts to DHA and EPA, linoleic acid (LA) is an unsaturated omega 6 fatty acid. The word "linoleic" comes from the Greek word linon (flax). Oleic means "of, relating to, or derived from oil or olive." Stearidonic acid (SDA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is involved in lowering inflammation and may help mental conditions and help depression and more importantly suicidal behavior, helps chemotherapy patients and reduces risk of developing certain types of cancer. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) helps with brian function and depression as well as inhibiting certain cancers, it has also been found to help brain function, learning, and memory in adults. Arachidonic acid (AA) helps muscle growth, brain function and is often used as a body building supplement.

They are called essential amino acids because these acids cannot be produced in our body and must be acquired through diet. These acids are needed for good health because the body requires them for various biological processes.

Its so good for you!

Spirulina Lime Ice Cream

Thai coconut (meat and water)

Irish Moss (soaked overnight)

Honey (local)

Lime

Spirulina

Dash of Vanilla

Freeze for a couple of hours and voila! Delicious ice cream!

Top with raspberries, huckleberries or even some cacao nibs! Woot Woot!

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Love you!

Michelle

Gout

2011-01-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of foods that may trigger gout:

Animal Flesh and Organs (gross): beef, pork, bacon, lamb, fish, shellfish, liver, brain, chicken, turkey, eel, venison, ect.
Animal Fluids: cow milk, butter, cheese, cottage cheese, ice cream, meat extracts, goat milk, ect.
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Legumes: kidney beans, navy and lima beans, lentils, peas.
Mushrooms
Oatmeal
Spinach
Tomato
Whole Grain Bread or Breads
Whole Grain Wheat Germ and Bran
Yeast

If you have gout, try eliminating these products from your diet and see how you feel!

Just Sprout It!

2011-01-24T13:34:00.001-07:00

Sprouts are so wonderful, and available any time of the year, right from your own kitchen!

Sprouts are baby plants in their prime!

They have a greater concentration of proteins (yay!), higher amounts of vitamins and minerals, enzymes, RNA, DNA, bio-flavinoids, T-cells, and many other benefits, the height of the plants nutrition is all in the sprout stage! Baby plants are also easier to digest!

When you sprout at home, there is no use for chemicals or nasty fertilizers and it doesn't take up that much space, not to mention zero food miles.

Just fresh deliciousness right here, right now!

Beans are marvelous regulators of insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that lowers the level of glucose (a type of sugar) in the blood. It's made by the beta cells of the pancreas and released into the blood when the glucose level goes up, such as after eating. Insulin helps glucose enter the body's cells, where it can be used for energy or stored for future use.

Beans and lentils, make very gradual changes in blood sugar and do not draw on the body's natural insulin to keep blood sugar under control.

In fact, they provide more receptors for insulin to land, controlling the loss of insulin back into the bloodstream.

Beans contain at least two powerful cancer blocking substances, lignans and protease inhibitors. Lignans fight breast cancer and colon cancer after being turned into hormone-like substances by bacteria in the colon. Protease inhibitors prevent normal cells from going cancerous. Sprouting dramatically increases this awesome enzyme activity.

Personally, I have a SproutMaster, and its so easy to use!

My mix of sprouts contains beans, lentils, peas, and some other yummy stuff.

1. First, soak overnight (about 10-12 hours)

(Sometimes I add a little food grade hydrogen peroxide to soaking sprouts for 15 minutes to kill any bacteria that might be present).

2. Rinse soaked seeds, peas, lentils or grains like quinoa or millet.

3. Place in sprouter and rinse 2-3 times a day, depending on how warm the environment is.

4. Drain sprouter thoroughly after each rinsing.

5. Taste your sprouts as they grow to determine when they are the tastiest!

When seeds are at their desired taste, place in the refrigerator for longer life.

Do Not Place Sprouts In Direct Sunlight!

Top on salads, or lightly steam with rice. Yum!

My lentil/pea mix took 1 1/2 days to sprout (after soaking).

They are sweet and oh, so good and filling!

Sprout On!

xoxo

Michelle

Community Yoga and Dinner at Walking Lightly Ranch

2011-01-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

Stuffed Mushrooms

2010-11-02T21:45:00.004-06:00

It's been way too long since my last post!

I have been so busy with this and that, school, running kids around, practicing staying peaceful in the midst of chaos!

Here is a quick recipe that is super filling.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Crimini or botton mushrooms, cleaned with caps removed

olives sundried tomatoes

delicious olives

walnuts or pine nuts (soaked)

dired herbs from your garden, thyme, oregano.....yumm!

wheat-free tamari

Balsamic Vinegar

Dash of olive oil (optional)

Soak cleaned mushrooms with stems removed in tamari/balsamic/olive oil for 1 hour.

Chop sundried tomatoes, olives, and walnuts finely chopped, herbs, and mix together If you would like add the tamari/vinegar/olive oil soak mix to the tomatoes, olive and walnuts.

Stuff mushrooms with mixture and place in dehydrator for 4 hours to get the cooked feeling.

Enjoy!

Berry bliss will be holding a juice fast from Monday, November 15th, Though Sunday, November 21st.

Please call Michelle for more details; 249-4370

Hope you can join us!

The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.

~M. Scott Peck

I hope you all are having a truly lovely fall.

Love,

Michelle

Huckleberry Bliss!

2010-08-04T11:25:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we went camping on the South Fork River, it was beautiful! Morgan, Alex and I were able to go huckleberry picking!

Huckleberries are relatives of the blueberry and the cranberry they are high in antioxidants, vitamin C, manganese, iron and a good source of vitamin A. They are a good source of vitamin B and helps speed up metabolism and potassium keeps skin, nerves and muscles happy and healthy by regulating water balances and eliminating wastes.

Huckleberries are medicinal for the blood and liver, they help manage serious illnesses such as heart disease, eczema, lowering cholesterol, muscular degeneration and diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels, they also have bacteria fighting capabilities that are particularly useful in countering urinary-tract infections.

Wow.

There have been many clinical studies done to show that the huckleberry promotes eye health, especially against diabetic retinopathy and cataracts. However, back during World War I, the pilots in the Royal Air Force in Great Britain swore that eating huckleberry jam or drinking huckleberry cordials prior to flying night missions over Germany significantly improved their visual acuity in the darkness.

These sweet berries are a cooling food and perfect for summer!

Huckleberry Cheesecake:

Crust:

1 1/2 cup pecans or almonds

1/2 cup shredded coconut, dried

7 dates (soaked)

Process crust ingredients in a food processor and press into bottom of a springform pan. If it feels too wet, place in dehydrator while you are preparing your filling to remove excess moisture.

If you were blessed with an abundance of huckleberries, place some fresh ones on the crust so you may have bursts of fresh huckleberries in your pie!

Filling:

3 cups cashews (soaked)

1 1/4 cup almond milk

1-1 1/2 cup huckleberries

1 cup huckleberry honey

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 Tablespoons vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup coconut oil (melted at low temperature in dehydrator)

2 Tablespoons lecithin

Blend first seven ingredients in vitamix or blender until smooth. Add coconut oil and lecithin last. Pour mixture on top of pie crust. If you desire, you may choose to reserve two cups of the huckleberry mixture and add two tablespoons of chocolate and two tablespoons on vanilla, mix in blender and pour on top of huckleberry mixture in pan. Swirl it and twirl it to make it beautiful! Place in freezer for two hours or overnight before serving or in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight so that it may set. Serve and enjoy!

Tip: If your mixture is too thick add some date soak water. If your mixture is too thin add some coconut oil or more cashews.

I hope you are enjoying your summer and spending as much time as you can outdoors with your families!

All of life is a journey; which paths we take, what we look back on, and what we look forward to is up to us. We determine our destination, what kind of road we will take to get there, and how happy we are when we get there. ~From A Little Book of Happiness

Love,

Michelle

Wasabi Soy Almonds

2010-06-07T08:15:00.002-06:00

Wasabi soy Almonds are a wonderful snack! Everyone in my family absolutely loves them!

Wasabi is Japanese horseradish and is actually the gnarled root of a plant that is a member of the cabbage family.

Wasabi is great for digestion because it contains enzymes that digest proteins. Besides the fact that it wasabi cleanses the palate, it is also used as an antidote for fish poisoning and maybe why it is an important part of Japanese cuisine.

Wasabi is a heating food and is kapha balancing.

Wasabi Soy Almonds

4 cups almonds (soaked overnight)

1 cup Bragg's Liquid Amino's or Nama Shoyu

1/4 cup powdered wasabi

Soak almonds overnight. The next morning mix Bragg's and powdered wasabi. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add wasabi soy mixture to almonds and let soak for 1 hour. Drain off excess liquid and place almonds on a dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for 24-28 hours at 115 degrees. Make sure you save some for yourself because if your family knows they are around, they are gone immediately.

What's your favorite snack?

The Whitefish Farmers Market is tomorrow and Kate and I will be serving up some Garden burgers on onion bread or a bed of greens, with mango sauce or italian sauce. We will also have a Triple Berry Chocolate Pie, Kale Chips, and the ever so famous,Chocolate Macaroons!

See you at the Market!

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world." ~Patanjali

I hope you are enjoying this wet spring! I am looking forward to a long, hot summer with lots of rafting! In the mean time, have some wasabi soy almonds to warm up!

xoxo

Michelle

Mint-Chip Cheesecake

2010-06-03T22:03:00.004-06:00

For my sisters 27th birthday I made her a mint-chocolate (non-dairy) cheesecake.

Kate and her boyfriend, Eric had to jump on a train to Portland around 9pm. We had a wonderful dinner with family, great conversations, and the girls made Kate some artwork. Soon, the evening slipped away and Kate and Eric had to slip away without getting a piece of her birthday cheesecake. We had some in her honor and sang Happy Birthday and lit a candle for her and then had every intention of saving her a piece, but apparently everyone thought it was the BEST CHEESECAKE EVER! And not one piece lasted for the birthday girl to taste. Moral of this story is, NEVER, leave without grabbing a piece of cake! :)

Mint Chip Cheesecake

Almond Crust:
2 cups almonds
10-14 pitted dates
1/4 cup cacao nibs
2 teaspoons vanilla
Process all ingredients in a food processor until flaky but yet, can hold together when you press it between your fingers. Press crust into the bottom of a springform pan.

Mint Filling:
It would be okay to substitute honey for agave in this recipe it makes it for a little thicker pie and you do not need to use as much lecithin.
Put all ingredients except for the lecithin and the melted coconut oil into the VitaMix (or other powerful blender) and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the melted coconut oil and the lecithin and blend thoroughly. Pour all but 2 cups of filling on top of the almond crust.

Chocolate-Mint Filling
2 cups reserved mint filling
4 tablespoons cacao powder
2 tablespoons vanilla
Plop chocolate-mint mixture into pan and swirl around to create a marbled effect.

Place pie in freezer for 1-2 hours to set up before serving. Sprinkle cacao nibs around outer edges and enjoy chocolate mint bliss!
My daughter Alex claims this is the BEST PIE EVER!

Mint is so wonderful, not only can you use it for culinary adventures, it is also wonderful for your medicine cabinet as well!

Mint is fabulous to use in a tea, as well as desserts with chocolate, tebbouleh, and garnishes.

There are over 500 varieties of known mint varieties! Wow!

Peppermint is cooling and stimulating, it helps relieve spasms, increases perspiration, and tones the digestive system, especially the colon. It is not recommended to use peppermint on infants.

While spearmint is slightly warming, it is excellent to use on young children and is an excellent remedy for feverish childhood illnesses as well as hiccups, indigestion, and flatulence

Both peppermint and spearmint are tridoshic and are especially calming for pitta.

Hop you are enjoying this beautiful spring!

Namaste,

Michelle

PS. Don't forget to check out the website: www.goingtothesunfood.com

Adapted from Sweet Gratitude, and

Mint info from The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia

Chipotle Kale Chips

2010-05-25T12:25:00.004-06:00

Kale is one of the mightiest members of the brassica family of cruciferous veggies, a kin to cabbage, broccoli, and bok choy. All of the siblings are rich in sulfur-containing phytonutrients, which promote health and fight diseases. Standing out as a powerful anticancer food, kale like all cruciferous veggies, triggers out livers to produce enzymes that detoxify cancer-causing chemicals in the body. Kale is one of the best sources of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E, as well as the precious B-complex posse, including B1, B3, and B6. Chock-full of minerals such as calcium, iron, manganese, and copper, this superstar even contains the essential fatty acid omega-3. Kale reduces pitta and kapha.
Woot Woot!

Kale Chips

2 bunches kale, de-stemmed

1 tablespoon himalayan salt

1/2 recipe black pepper cheese

1-2 teaspoons chipotle (to taste) (this may imbalance pitta constitution types)

you may want to try other herbs or spices

Cashew Cheese:

2 cups cashews (soaked for two hours)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh pressed is the best)

3 cloves of garlic or 1 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or white pepper if you prefer)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1/4 cup blessed water

De-stem kale and tear into chip sized pieces (keep in mind that kale shrinks a lot). Massage salt and positive thoughts into kale so that it starts to release moisture, this also makes the kale easier to digest. Then let the kale relax while you make your cashew cheese.

For the cashew cheese, place all ingredients in a Vita-Mix or high speed blender and process until you have a smooth, creamy texture. Add more blessed water as needed.

Add cashew cheese to wilted kale and massage! Now, your chips are ready to go into the dehydrator! Dehydrate at 105 degrees overnight. This creates a scrumptious, buttery kale chip!

Experiment with different spices, try a BBQ rub instead of chipotle. Have fun!

Warning: Kale chips are highly addictive, you may want to double or triple your batch!

Nest Tuesday is the first Whitefish Farmers Market of the season!

Berry Bliss will be there serving up some delicious living pizzas, as well as, raw desserts and snacks!

Kale chips, onion breads and chocolate macaroons will be for sale!

We have finally launched our website!

Check it out:

www.goingtothesunfood.com

In art and dream, may you proceed with abandon. In life, may you proceed with balance and stealth. ~Patti Smith

See you at the market!

Love and Bliss,

Michelle Berry

Coconut = Bliss

2010-04-19T18:40:00.005-06:00

Coconuts are one of the greatest gifts on the planet! They can save your life! In Sanskrit, the coconut palm is known as kalpa vriksha, meaning "tree which gives all this is necessary for living," since nearly all parts of the tree can be used in some way or another. The coconut itself has many uses, including milk, meat, sugar and oil as well as functioning as its own dish and cup. The husk was also burned for fuel, and can be used to make brushes, mats, fishnets, and rope. A very potent fermented toddy or drink is also make from the coconut palm's sap. Coconut oil, a saturated fat made from dried coconut meat, is used for commercial frying and in candies, as well as in cosmetic products and soap. How versatile!

Mango Creme Pie:

CRUST:

2 cups almonds, soaked overnight, then dehydrated for 18-24 hours at 105 degrees

2 cups dried coconut, shredded

1/4 cup dates, pitted

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

FILLING:

1 1/2 cups fresh mango, chopped

1 cup dried mango, soaked 1 hour

1 cup fresh young thai coconut flesh (reserve water for recipe below)

1 Tablespoon psyllium powder or Lecithin powder

1 cup strawberries, sliced or 1 banana sliced

Mint for garnish

CRUST:

Place almonds in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process into a fine meal. Gradually add the coconut, dates, and coconut oil and process until well blended. Press into a 9-inch glass pie plate.

FILLING:

Combine fresh mango, dried mango, and coconut pulp in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until smooth and creamy. Add psyllium powder or lecithin and mix well.

Place sliced strawberries in the bottom of the pie crust and pour mango filling on top. If you have some strawberries left over, use as a garnish with the mint! Mango creme goodness!

Coconut water health benefits

Young tender coconut water has the following benefits and medicinal values:

Low in Carbohydrates
Low in Fat 99% Fat Free
Low in natural occurring sugar
Keeps the body cool and at the proper temperature.
Promotes weight loss.
Re-hydrates your body, as it is an all natural isotonic beverage. It carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, so that it naturally replenishes your body's fluids after exercising.
Effective in the treatment of kidney and urethral stones.
Natural drink for feeding infants because its more nutritional than whole milk! Less fat and NO cholesterol. It contains lauric acid, which is present in human mothers milk. It also aids from the suffering from intestinal disturbances.
Excellent oral re-hydration medium, an all natural isotonic for all ages.
Presence of saline and albumen makes it an excellent drink in cholera cases.
Aids in the quick absorption of drugs and makes their peak concentration into the blood stream easier because of its electrolytic effect.
Found as a blood plasma substitute because it is sterile, does not produce heat, and does not destroy red blood cells and is readily accepted by the body. Used during WWII for blood transfusions, because it is identical to human blood plasma. In fact, adding coconut water to your green drink or smoothie is like getting an instant blood transfusion because plasma makes up 55% of your blood and hemoglobin makes up 45%, which is essentially transformed plant blood (chlorophyll). Yay!
Detoxes and fights viruses.
Boosts immune system.
Balances Ph and reduces risk of cancer
Kills intestinal worms. Helps Eliminate pinworms. Helps kill the parasite Giardia Lamblia.
Aid the body in fighting viruses that cause the flu, herpes, and AIDS
Helps prevent osteoporosis
Helps control diabetes
Promotes bowel movements
Promotes healthy thyroid function.
Used to treat kidney and urethral stones.
Boosts poor circulation.
Improves digestion
Provides quick energy
Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body
Helps in gallbladder disease
Helps eliminate Candida yeast infections
Inhibits the growth of mycoplasma
Helps eradicate eczema
Helps keep skin soft and smooth

As you can see, Coconut water has amazing health benefits. It should be an integral part of any healthy diet. Coconut water is a natural energy drink. No need for drinks like Gatorade or Powerade. Replace them with the healthy alternative that is coconut water. I could probably go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

The coconut is botanically classified as a drupe and not a nut. It is the largest seed known.

Pictured left is a Sweet Kale Smoothie:

1 banana

1 large handful of kale

Water from 1 Thai coconut

1 teaspoon maca

1 teaspoon bee pollen

Using a blender, process until smooth. Serve!

Simply, Wow!

Love and Bliss,

Michelle

If you are interested in joining my May juice feast, please email me at berryblissful@gmail.com

*Guided Juice Fast -- May 17-24th

Pre-Fast Raw Food Class May 12th from 9-12

Live Food Dinner May 17th at 6 pm

Juice Feast May 18-24th -- Daily Support Classes at 10 am

Live Food Dinner May 24th at 6 pm

Post-Fast Raw Food Class May 25th 9-12

Wellness Fair, May 4, 2010

2010-04-14T12:18:00.002-06:00

Come one, come all to be motivated by Dr. Brian Clement, author, international lecturer and director of the renowned Hippocrates Health Institute, will explore the institute’s fifty years of helping people to heal themselves. He will also discuss dealing with disease, cancer, serious illness and the possibility of miracles. An extensive question and answer period will be offered so that participants will leave with viable, personal roadmaps back to completely healthy lives.

Berry Bliss will be there with some scrumptious munchies and a delectable dessert for the potluck!

Wow!

There will be fabulous information and wonderful food!

Please come and join the fun!

TUESDAY, MAY 4^TH

KALISPELL, MONTANA

THE WELLNESS EDUCATION CENTER PRESENTS:

“Change Your Lifestyle, Save Your life”

National Guard Armory

2989 Hwy. 93 * Kalispell, MT

Admission $5 (advance) $7 (at door)

4:00-6:00 pm Wellness Fair (local resources)

5:00-6:00 pm Book signing by Dr. Clement

6:00-7:00 pm Raw Food Potluck Supper

7:00-9:00 pm Dr. Brian Clement -Lecture + Questions & Answers

“HOW TO PREVENT AGING AND HEAL DISEASE"

In this lecture, Dr. Clement will address the half century of work on disease and longevity conducted at the renowned Hippocrates Institute. Cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, MS, ALS, Parkinsons, fibromyalgia and more can be altered, prevented, and at times conquered with phyto-chemicals, antioxidants and other nutrients consumed on a diet of organic vegan living food. Dr. Clement will explain the basic science and extraordinary mechanisms that bring about a heightened and balanced immunity. Hundreds of thousands worldwide share enthusiasm in their greatly improved health by utilizing unprocessed green foods. One of the exceptional benefits acquired from this powerful cuisine is longevity.

Hope to see you there!

Blissfully,

Michelle

Perfect Chocolate Mousse

2010-04-05T12:30:00.000-06:00

The avocado is a versatile food that is used in a variety of raw dishes-- like gazpacho and other cold soups, fruit salads, dips, desserts, and even ice cream! Avocados are a healthful substitute for sour cream or cream cheese in dressings, dips and spreads. But today we are going to explore chocolate mousse!

Many varieties of this native American plant are grown, but there are basically two different skin types: a smooth, green-skinned variety that remains green when ripe--this is known as the Fuerte and it is available in the fall and winter; and Hass, a dark, rough-skinned variety that blackens as it ripens is available in the summer.

Select avocados that are fairly heavy for their size and free of irregularities. When the fruit yields to gentle finger pressure, it is ripe. Store at room temperature until ripened, then refrigerate.

The Perfect Chocolate Mousse

½ cup dates, pitted, soft

3-4 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon coconut butter, (optional)

1 ½ tablespoons non-alcohol vanilla extract

2 ½ cups avocado, mashed (about 3 medium)

¾ cup raw carob powder

4-6 tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions:

Soak the dates in 1/2 cup fresh water for 5-10 minutes to soften. Drain soak water and set aside. In a food processor, blend dates, maple syrup, coconut butter (if desired), and vanilla until smooth. Spoon in avocado and blend until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of date soak water if necessary to aid in blending. Spoon in carob and cocoa powder and blend until smooth.
Spoon mousse into parfait or wineglasses. Keeps fresh for several days.
You may also choose to freeze for a decadent ice cream! Yumm!

Eighty-eight percent of an avocado's calories come from fat--primarily monosaturated fat--which makes avocados an excellent food for people wishing for the nourishment and the building of blood and yin. Because they are an excellent source of fat for people who have difficulty assimilating other fatty foods they are also a good source of protein, potassium, and vitamin E. They also reduce vata.

And there you have it!

Have a wonderfully chocolaty spring!

xoxox,

Michelle

Save the Salmon Patty!

2010-03-20T17:33:00.003-06:00

Today I want to share an amazing dinner that I prepared for some wonderful people right before a juice fast! It was so fun to get together with everyone and share a delicious meal!

Menu:

Cherry Orange Soup

Save the Salmon Patty Served on a bed of Fresh Greens and topped with a Spicy Mango Sauce

Root Salad Served on a bed of Spicy Sprouts

Buckwheat Onion Bread Served with Detox Pesto

Tomato Wedges

Dessert:

Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Pie

The cherry soup really gets peoples bowls moving right along, and everything else was so light and green, it was a really great last meal right before a juice fast!

Yumm!

Save the Salmon Patty!

Blend Until Creamy:
2 cups sunflower seeds, soaked 1-2 hours
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves galic
1 bunch dill
1 teaspoon sea salt
carrot juice , as needed
Blend In:
5 whole carrot pulp, (run through juicer)
½ cup red onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery, minced
½ cup parsley, chopped
⅛ cup chives, or green onion
¼ cup lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons kelp powder
2-3 tablespoons dulse
2-3 tablespoons nama shoyu
Directions:
*Juice 5 carrots.
*Blend first 6 ingredients until creamy and blend i the rest of the ingredients! Form into loaves or patties and serve! Or you may dehydrate at 115 degrees for 4-6 hours. (I like to dehydrate for that warm feeling)
*Top with mango sauce.

Mango Sauce:

2 inch ginger
1 clove garlic
1 small serrano pepper
1 whole mango
½ cup coconut milk
¼ cup cilantro
white pepper, to taste
Directions:
*Blend ginger, garlic and pepper. Add mango, coconut milk and pulse, add cilantro ad white pepper and pulse.
*Serve on top of "salmon" patties

A bit about sunflower seeds...
More than any other flower, the sunflower suggests the glory of the summer sun itself. Wild, it lines roadways and gilds whole fields with its stunning, sun-colored mandalas. Cultivated in home gardens, it towers to impressive heights of fifteen feet in or more and boasts a flower up to two feet in diameter. A showy plant indeed.
This daisy relative, which originated in western North America, is more than just show. Both sunflower seeds and sunflower tubers (jerusalem artichoke) were important Native American foods. Sunflowers were introduced in Europe in the 1500's and have become a staple in Russia. Until the popularization of health foods in the United States in the 1960's, its domestic use was primarily for bird feed; hence its one common name "polly seed." Sunflower seeds are also nicknamed "sunnies."
The shells may be white, brown, black, or black with stripes. The US commercial supply primarily comes from the Red River valley of Minnesota.
Health Benefits Sunflower seeds are an energy tonic and nurturing food used to treat constipation. Sunflower seeds contain more protein than beef and 20 percent fat, most of which is unsaturated. A good source of calcium, phosphorus, and iron, as well as vitamins A, D, E, and several of the B-complex, they also contain a trace of flourine, which may explain the Russians' claim that they are good for the teeth. Sunflower seeds are tridoshic used in moderation; in larger quantities, they primarily reduce vata.

Superbly Delicious!
Here are a few pictures of everyone enjoying the evening!
Jean & Dicky

Beautiful Linda

My mom and me
I love you mom!
xoxoxo

Sweet Skip

It was a lovely evening. Thank you to all who attended! I love you!
Have a wonderful day!
Blissfully,
Michelle

Cherry Orange Soup

2010-02-23T08:30:00.004-07:00

Flathead Cherries are sweet and heavenly!

A dear friend gave some cherries to me last summer already pitted and ready for the freezer!

So I decided to make Cherry Orange Soup!

This soup is like having dessert, its so delicious and the kids love it too!

Cherry Orange Soup
1 pound sweet cherries, pitted (Flathead cherry's are the best!)
½ cup black cherry juice
½ cup almond mylk
½ cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon grated orange peel, top with orange slice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch cinnamon
Directions: Blend and Chill. Top with orange slice. It doesn't get more simple than that!

Cherries are relatives of the plum, and sweet cherries are much more difficult to produce than sour cherries because, not uncommonly, a late spring frost can devastate a crop. Most cherries are produced in Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. But here in the Northwest Montana we are blessed with the Flathead Cherry!

Woo Woo!

Sweet cherries are a warming food that increases vital energy and tone the spleen-pancreas, liver, and kidneys. Also astringent, they remove excess body acids and blood stagnation when eaten regularly, and are therefor therapeutic for gout, paralysis, numbness in the extremities, and rheumatic pain in the lower half of the body.

Sweet cherries reduce vata and kapha and can be used in moderation by pitta.

Cherries are an excellent source of iron and contain some phosphorus, potassium and calcium, as well as vitamin A.

Nutrition info was obtained from The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, by Rebecca Wood.

To be healthy: eat right, walk right and talk to yourself right!

Cheers to a beautiful day!

Blissfully,

Michelle

January Juice Feast

2010-02-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

A week long juice fast was a great way to start off the New Year!

A juice feast was a way for me to renew my energy for 2010 by detoxing my body, eliminating poisons, and balancing body chemistry.

I LOVE the light feeling I have after a fast, my senses are sharper, food tastes better, energy increases, it is easier to focus and the little things that clutter the mind and heart are cleared away.

Juice fasting when done right, nourishes your body with high quality nutrients from organically grown sources, can be a wonderful benefit to a persons health.

Living-food juices are loaded with minerals, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, chlorophyll, flavonoids, phytochemicals, purified water, antioxidants, and live enzymes that are assimilated directly into the body, neutralize acidic conditions in the body, re-establish alkaline reserves, release toxins, remove dead and dying cells so they better absorb nutrients, regulate blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol levels, cleanse and heal, boost the immune system, balance metabolism, prevent degenerative diseases, and rebuild health.

During the fast I had two wonderful ladies join me!

On our journey we followed a daily schedule and tried to take time to love ourselves.

Some of my favorite juice combinations were:

Green Lemonade:

1 head romaine lettuce or celery

5 to 6 stalks kale (any type)

1 to 2 apples for sweetness

1 lemon

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (optional)

Michelle's Morning Sunshine:

1 orange

1 grapefruit

1 lime

1 beet

1 apple

Enzyme Boost (optional): 1 cup pineapple

Green Goddess:

1 bunch kale

1 bunch cilantro

1 to 2 apples

1 lemon

1 to 2 teaspoons ginger (optional)

The Great Eliminator

1 beet

1 cucumber

1/2 to 1 head romaine lettuce

10 medium carrots

1 inch fresh ginger

A Week long juice fasting or feasting journey includes 3 stages:

1) body reorientation -- changes pH towards alkaline, stomach and digestive tracts are cleansed, weight loss, hunger, headaches, light headedness and frequent urination.

2) Liver purges itself of poisons -- elimination of chemical and toxic overloads, nausea, exhaustion, muscle aches, nervousness, flu-like symptoms, coated tongue, bad breath, skin eruptions and trembling.

3) Deep tissue cleansing -- blood toxins are removed, cellular ash and debris are flushed from kidneys, bursts of energy, a gradual increase in feelings of well-being, organ detoxification and regeneration, swings from euphoria to stress and irritability and improved self-esteem.

Honestly, I didn't occur to me to weigh myself before or after the fast because I was fasting for mental clarity and balance.

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. ~John Quincy Adams

I will be leading another juice feast March. If you are interested and live in the Flathead Valley, please email me at berryblissful@gmail.com by February 25th. Thank you!

Everything is material for the seed of happiness, if you look into it with inquisitiveness and curiosity. The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment. There always is the potential to create an environment of blame -- or one that is conductive to loving kindness. ~Pema Chodron

I love you!

xoxoxo

Michelle

Pecan Turtle Cheesecake

2010-01-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

Its frosty outside and I am toasty warm on the inside.

I am on day 6 of a weeklong juice feast and I have been menu planning for my February live food classes, so I have been going through recipes.

The Pecan Turtle Cheesecake is one I made for Thanksgiving.

Okay I actually didn't make one, I made two and they were delicious!

Our most important native American nut crop, the pecan, was an important staple for Native Americans, known to the Algonquian, Cree, Ojibwa, and Abenaki peoples. Pecans are a relative of walnuts and a member of the hickory genus.
The state tree of Texas, the pecan is indigenous to the Mississippi River Basin; pecans are an essential ingredient in southern cookery. A mature tree produces about five hundred pounds of nuts a year!

Pecan Turtle Cheesecake

CHOCOLATE-PECAN CRUST
1 ½ cups pecans
2 ounces cacao powder
⅓ cup cacao nibs
4 ounces date paste
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon liquid vanilla
CARAMEL FILLING
3 cups cashews, soaked
¾ cups agave
2 cups almond mylk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup liquid vanilla
⅓ cup yacon syrup
3 tablespoons lecithin
1 ¼ cups coconut oil
CARAMEL-CHOCOLATE FILLING
2 cups caramel filling
1 ½ ounces cacao powder
1 tablespoon liquid vanilla
CARAMEL TOPPING
¾ cup macadamias
3 tablespoons agave
1 ½ tablespoons liquid vanilla
2 tablespoons almond mylk
2 tablespoons yacon syrup
3 tablespoons cacao butter
⅛ teaspoon salt
GARNISH
1 cup pecans, processed so they are mostly chunky
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
1 tablespoon yacon syrup
Put it all together:
CHOCOLATE PECAN CRUST: Process all ingredients and press into bottom of pan.
CARAMEL FILLING: Add all ingredients to blender except for coconut oil and lecithin. Blend well until smooth and creamy. Next add lecithin and melted coconut oil. Resume blending until lecithin and oil are well incorporated. Reserve 2 cups of caramel filling to make caramel chocolate filling. Pour remaining caramel filling into spring-form pan.
CARAMEL-CHOCOLATE FILLING: Take 2 cups of caramel filling and add cacao powder and vanilla. Pour caramel-chocolate filling onto caramel filling and swirl together for a marbled effect.
Allow pie to set in fridge while you make caramel topping.
CARAMEL TOPPING: Blend all caramel topping ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy. Take pie out of fridge, and pour caramel topping on top. Set in fridge for 15-20 minutes, stirring often for a marbled effect. Once caramel is thick but not hard, proceed to garnish the cheesecake.
GARNISH: Process pecans and salt lightly so they are still mostly chunky. To finish, start by taking 3/4 cup of the processed pecans and applying them to the sides of the cheesecake. Do this by carefully holding the cheesecake from the bottom, over a counter. Take small handfuls of the pecans and pat them into the sides, letting the excess fall to the counter. The pecans will stick to the sides of the cheesecake. When finished going around, lightly pat the sides with your hand to embed the pecans even more.
Now sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cacao nibs and 1/4 cup of the pecans over the top. Gently spread the caramel on top of the cheesecake (over the nibs and pecans). Slowly and evenly drizzle the 1 tablespoon yacon syrup over the caramel, and lightly swirl with a chopstick. Finally, sprinkle the remaining pecans and cacao nibs over the top of the whole thing.

This recipe is from the Cafe Gratitude! WOW! What a cheesecake!

Second only to macadamia nuts in fat, pecans are an exceptionally warming food.
High in iron, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium, pecans contain vitamins A, C, E, and B-Complex.
Pecans decrease Vata.

Hope you are all having a wonderful new year!

Loves & Happiness,
Michelle

Very Pretty Smoothie

2010-01-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!

Its already January fourth and we are now easing back into routine. The girls are in school, Noah is at work, and me? I'm writing, practicing yoga, making lists and preparing for the upcoming juice feast I am hosting. I am so excited to start off the new year with a weeklong cleanse that will start on January 15th.

Today it's sort of snowing and raining at the same time, Noah and I started our morning by having a wonderful smoothie and finishing our scrabble game we started the night before.

Very Pretty Red Smoothie

2 bananas

1 cup strawberries

1 thai coconut

1 cup beet juice

2 Tablespoons Pure Synergy

1 teaspoon bee pollen

Put all ingredients in a blender and voila! Superb!

The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent, not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious.

~Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume

Wild beets grow along the mediterranean coasts where they seem happiest just above the high tide mark--a land-bound, but sea loving, vegetable. Beets are a member of the ubiquitous goosefoot family.

As their color suggests, beets are a blood tonic and are good for anemia, the heart and circulation. They purify the blood, alleviate constipation, aid the liver, and promote menstruation. Beets reduce vata and kapha.

A starchy vegetable, beet roots are high in natural sugar. The greens have notable amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus; they also contain vitamins A, B-complex, and C.

Why is it that one day eating a beet turns your urine pink, whereas another day and another beet produce magenta stool? According to nutritionist Jeffrey Bland, PhD., pink urine may indicate an iron deficiency while magenta stool indicates adequate iron.

Info about beets is from the New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, by Rebecca Wood.

Then for lunch I had my usual salad. I know it sounds weird but I love salad and I love to eat it everyday!

Simple Salad:

Green lettuce, chopped

1 avocado, diced

2 Tablespoons dried cranberries

dash of cayenne

dash of kelp powder

favorite dressing!

Sometimes I also add red onion. I like to slice it super thin!

Toss in a bowl and enjoy!

YUM!

I hope you have the best year ever!

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. ~Walter Elliott

Love and Laughter,

Michelle

Delicious Broccoli Salad

2009-12-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

The last week has been magical and fun. Spending time with friends and family, reliving memories and seeing the girls with sparkles in their eyes.

The recipe in this post is one from Beatrice Arroe. Noah and I served this salad at our wedding, everyone loves it!

Delicious Broccoli Salad:

1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite sized chuncks
1 handful almonds
1 cup scallions, or green onions
¾ cup raisins, currants or olives
DRESSING BLEND:
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup tahini
½ cup red onion
1 whole lemon, juiced
½ whole jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons oil, to taste
2 tablespoons vinegar, to taste
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
1 teaspoon ginger, (optional)
1 Tablespoon agave, to taste

Cut and toss body ingredients into a bowl.

Blend dressing ingredients in a blender, add to body ingredients, massage together and enjoy!

Broccoli is cooling in nature, and helps reduce eye inflammation. It is slightly diuretic in action. Broccoli reduces pitta and kapha. Broccoli contains twice the vitamin C as an orange, and almost as much calcium as whole milk-and its calcium is better absorbed by our bodies. Broccoli contains selenium, is a modest source of vitamin A and alpha-tocopherol vitamin E, and has value as an antioxidant.

(The leafy greens--not the blossoms--offer the most nutrients)

Yumm.

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season!

Pray for snow!

xoxoxox

Michelle

Vegetable Medley Soup

2009-12-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

Merry Holidays!

Its the day after Christmas, my family is going skiing and I am thinking of something that will satisfy them after a day of fun in the snow! Soup! Yumm! Delicious warm soup!

This soup recipe is one I picked up from the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona! It has quickly become one of my family's favorites as well as a favorite of the Live Food class that I teach on Wednesdays! It is delicious and sooooo good for you!

Thanks Tim and Michela for all your wonderful teachings and recipes!

Vegetable Medley Soup:

3-6 whole bell peppers, s-bladed
1 bunch spinach, s-bladed
1 bunch celery, 2mm-disk
1-4 bunches cilantro , or basil s-bladed
2-3 cups sundried tomatoes, soaked, s-bladed
4 whole avocados, diced
1 ½ cups pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds, whole
½ cup cumin
½ cup olive oil, or sesame oil
½ cup lemon juice, or 2 Tablespoons apple vinegar
¼ cup kalamata black olive brine
½ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon hing, or garlic
1 cup miso
4 cups nettle, dandelion, or rooibos tea

To make tea:
1/2 cup nettle, or dandelion or rooibos dry tea.
3 cups tea kettle water
steep for 20 minutes.

Add all ingredients to a bowl and serve. You may choose to warm on stove till soup is warm to the touch or you may use a candy thermometer and heat to 120 degrees.

Note: When I say s-bladed it means to use the "S" shaped blade in your food processor to chop ingredients. Be careful not to process to much and puree it. Just chop.

Nettles are used throughout the world to build vitality, nettles are delicious and if your in a moist area, free for the taking! But do take carefully! (Preferably with gloves) To harvest the leaf, you come at the leaf from the bottom, folding it along its central crease, yanking it gently from the mother plant, and then rolling it up so as to enclose the top of the leaf (where the stingers are most commonly found).

Nettles are persistent perennials that can grow taller than 2 meters (6 feet). Nettles grow in multiple thin stalks arising from the ground. Nettle leaves are typically collected, eaten and or dried in May and June, just before coming into flower. The stems and leaf tops of the stinging nettle plant are covered with thin, hair like protrusions. These protrusions, if touched, release a stinging fluid containing histamine and formic acid, which causes temporary burning and irritation. This injection, which is like and ant's bite, increases circulation, and provides external treatment for arthritic pain, gout, sciatica, neuralgia, hemorrhoids, and scalp and heir problems. Nettle juice can be used as a hair rinse to restore natural color. Nettle extracts are used in many shampoos.

Internally, nettles are a kidney tonic with diuretic properties that help flush the blood and cleanse blood through the kidneys. Nettles afford allergy relief, enrich the blood, and thicken the hair. Due to their iron rich content and ease of absorption, nettle juice is more effective than spinach juice in building blood. Nettle leaves are highly alkaline. They neutralize and dissolve acidic wastes in the blood. Its power to purify the blood will do wonders for chronic skin ailments. Its effective against eczema on the upper body, especially on the face and neck, and ears. This benefit is likely due to its high silicon, chlorophyll, and vitamin C content.

Nettle juice is perfect for weight reduction. Nettles are also good for hypoglycemia, as they help reduce blood sugar levels, and they also ameliorate high blood pressure. Used for anemia and excessive menstruation, nettles also build overall energy and chi. Nettles reduce pitta and kapha and can be used, in moderation by vata.

Wow!

Stinging nettles probably originated in Eurasia, although there is some evidence that they were growing in the Americas when the Europeans arrived. Some of the strongest varieties grow in the United Kingdom and Germany.

Mythologically, the Nordics associated nettles with the thunder god Thor. Nettles were perceived to protect one from lightning. The incredible strengthening properties of the nettle plant really do make one more resistant to the elements.

When nettles are eaten, the saliva neutralizes the sting, so that one cannot be stung in the mouth or throat.

Mother nature provides her unique balance by providing a remedy for the nettle sting by allowing burdock to grow in the same locales as nettles. Mashed-up burdock leaves applied to the skin relieve nettle stings. Also the juice from the stinging nettle leaves acts as an antidote to the sting as well, when applied topically.

Simply and amazing plant!

Hope you all are having a wonderful end of the year!

Lots of hugs and blessings!

Michelle

PS. The information contained in this post came from the books, Eating for Beauty, by David Wolfe, and The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, by Rebecca Wood.

Walking Lightly Soup

2009-12-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year, when I love to eat tons of soup! There is absolutely nothing like soup! By nature its eccentric, in the fact that no two are ever alike!

This is the soup I make most often out at the ranch. It is derived from the basic soup recipe in the book Sunfood Cuisine by Frederic Patenaude. I have posted the basic recipe below, so check it out; try it and create something new every time!

Walking Lightly Soup:

1 whole apple

1 whole avocado

1 bunch greens (mustard, arugula, collards, broccoli, spinach, baby lettuces, or other favorite greens)

1 bunch herbs, (basil, parsley, cilantro, or other favorite herb)

1 whole zucchini

2 tablespoons miso

dash nama shoyu

2 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger

dash cayenne pepper

2 to 3 cups blessed water or more if needed

Place all ingredients in a blender, blend and serve!

Basic Soup Recipe:

*2 cups non-sweet fruit

Choose between cucumber, tomato, zucchini, pepper, or tomatillo. You may choose to use one or more of these.

*1 to 2 cups liquid

Use one cup first. Then if needed, add more liquid at the end. Choose between blessed water, coconut water, or vegetable juice.

*1 to 2 cups greens

Vegetables or herbs. Choose between kale, parsley, spinach, arugula (also a spice), celery, and your favorite herbs and veggies!

*1/2 to 1 whole avocado, meat of one young coconut, or 2-4 Tablespoons of tahini.

*4 Tablespoons olive oil, or other cold pressed oil like flax or hemp.

*2 Tablespoons Miso

*1/2 to 1 whole apple

*1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or 2 tablespoons nama shoyu (or Bragg's for gluten sensitive)

*1 inch ginger (optional)

*1 clove of garlic

*1 pinch cayenne pepper

Blend all ingredients. You may choose to create a chunky soup by dicing some of the vegetables, or adding some. Warm it up till it feels warm to the touch! But not over 120 degrees so that you may preserve the enzymes and keep the soup ALIVE!

Some other great additions are kelp noodles or zucchini noodles, marinated or grated vegetables, chopped avocado, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, olives, or sprouts.

Be creative, have fun and enjoy!

"Good Soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living. For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite then any other one dish."

~Louis P. De Gouy, The Soup Book (1949)

Many Blessings! ~ Michelle

PomTini

2009-11-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

The word pomegranate means "many-grained apple".
Eat the pomegranate, for it purges the system of hatred and envy. --Muhammad

This drink is a real crowd pleaser!

PomTini

Makes 2-3 servings
1 cup fresh pomegranate , or cranberry juice, strained (fresh juice will produce a cloudier drink than bottled)
1 ½ tablespoons agave nectar
1 cup dry organic white wine, or sparkling wine
½ cup dry sake
3 teaspoons lime juice, freshly squeezed is the best!

Combine ingredients and shake with ice in a martini shaker, strain and serve in martini glasses. Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig (remove lower needles and skewer fruit of choice).
This recipe comes to you from Rebecca Carlson in the current issue of Purely Delicious magazine.

Pomegranates promote the production of red blood cells; expel tapeworms; strengthen the bladder (especially for the elderly) and the gums; and soothe ulcers in the mouth and throat. The peel is used as a home remedy for treating chronic dysentery. A kitchen remedy for burning eyes is to place a drop of pomegranate juice in each eye before sleeping.
Pomegranates reduce pitta and kapha.

We have so much to be thankful for!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love you all!
Michelle

Pineapple Bleach

2009-10-28T09:07:00.000-06:00

Wowza!

It's been over a month since my last post! So many things have been happening in my life. Spending time with my family and enjoying our day to day rituals.

I was also able to take a trip by myself down to the Tree of Life in Patagonia, Arizona.

What a wonderful experience!

I am still digesting everything and I am really looking forward to sharing wonderful information with you in the future!

Today, I am at home, cleaning house and taking care of loose ends. It's snowing outside, and beautiful. Between the cleaning and longing for the warm sun I must be in a tropical mood because today's post is about the wonderful pineapple! I have been meaning to make this post since June! I think that pineaple just might be my favorite fruit! I love to eat it fresh, make ice cream in my VitaMix, and dehydrate it for a scrumptious snack. The girls love dehydrated pineapple in their school lunches!

Fresh pineapples are wonderful, but what do we do with the rind?!?!?

Well, you could compost it but before you do that you could...

Make bleach, the best all natural kind!

Take pineapple rind and put it in a jar.

Fill jar with water.

Leave jar out on counter for 24 hours to ferment (don't tighten lid too tight, you don't want it to explode).

After 24 hours, use fermented pineapple juice to whiten whites or even clean your bathroom!

To whiten whites just soak in fermented pineapple water for a couple of hours and voila!

What's better than a gentle bleach that is safe for us and the environment?

After your done making your bleach, don't forget to compost!

The delicious pineapple originated in Brazil, it takes 18 months to grow, and contains a proteolytic enzyme bromelain, which breaks down protein. Pineapples are a cooling food, wonderful for people with intestinal disorders, as it aids in digestion of starches and protein; as well as destroying intestinal parasites. Pineapple juice relieves chronic bronchitis and has a soothing effect on a sore throat, possibly because it contains the anti-inflammatory enzyme bromelain which literally digests foreign microbes or diseased cells in the bronchial tissues.

A person with hemophilia or those with kidney or liver disease may choose to avoid raw pineapple as it may reduce the time taken to coagulate a persons blood.

Pineapples are a symbol of hospitality and often appear in household art motifs. Have you ever noticed pineapples on brass door knockers or light fixtures?

That's all for now!

Think warm thoughts!

Love,

Michelle

Stuffed Avocados

2009-09-16T09:14:00.001-06:00

In the couple of weeks before the wedding, I nourished myself quite often with this quick meal, that was very satisfying.

All you have to do is, have on hand, avocados, "refried beans," cashew sour cream and salsa.

Gratifying and addicting!

Historically avocados had a long-standing stigma as a sexual stimulant, and were known by the Aztecs as "the fertility fruit". (And no, Noah and I are not planning on having any more kids as of yet, we just got married!)

Avocados are also known as palta or aguacate in Spanish, the butter pear or alligator pear, is a tree native to the Caribbean, Mexico, South America and Central America, it is classified in the flowering plant family along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel. The name "avocado" also refers to the fruit, which is technically a very large berry! (I love berries!)

About 75% of the avocado's calories comes from fat, most of which is monounsaturated fat.

Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas. They are rich in B vitamins, as well as vitamin E and vitamin K. They have the highest fiber content of any fruit. Wow!

The avocado is very popular in vegetarian cuisine, making it an excellent substitute for meats in sandwiches and salads because of its high fat content.

Nutritious and delicious!

This is a HUGE plate! There is no way I could eat all of this it was too filling!

Kind Refried "Beans" (without the musical side effects):

1 whole dried chile (soak for 4 hours and reserve water)

12 whole sun-dried tomatoes, (soak and reserve water)

2 cups sunflower seeds, soaked and drained

1/2 jalapeno

2 whole green onions, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped and packed

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, chopped

In the bowl of the food processor fitted with the "S" blade, puree the drained seeds, tomatoes, and chipotle to a chunky "bean like" texture. (If you choose, save 1/4 cup of the sunflower seeds to mix at the end for an even chunkier texture.) Now place the rest of the ingredients in the bowl of the food processor, and continue to pulse until you reach your desired texture. It will be necessary to add a little of the reserved tomato water, and if you like it spicy use the chipotle water. Be careful not to use too much water, as you are looking for a consistency like refried beans or even ground hamburger.

Finally, taste your "beans" and adjust the flavor if necessary. When you are satisfied with the flavor, fold in the remaining sunflower seeds!

I personally omit the chili, add more chili powder and sun-dried tomatoes.

Just thinking about it makes me hungry!

Cashew Sour Cream:

1 cup cashews, (soaked a couple of hours and drained)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup water

if desired: 2 tablespoons chives

Blend cashews, lemon juice, salt, and just enough water to blend into a smooth kream.

Put sour kream in a bowl and stir in chopped chives.

Will keep in fridge for 4 days.

Use salsa recipe of your choice, have at least three avocados on hand.

Cut avocados in half, remove seed, you may choose to score the avocados for easier scooping. Then stuff with "beans", add sour kream and salsa. I also like to add cilantro. Yummm!

Enjoy!

xoxoxo

Michelle

Rawsta (aka Raw Pasta)!

2009-08-28T08:43:00.001-06:00

Last week at the farmers market Kate and I served Raw Pasta or Rawsta with Ramesan (non-dairy parmesan), with a side salad made with beautiful local green from Ten Lakes Farm!

We also had raw non-dairy cashew cheeze cake as well as coconut-carob haystacks, which is just a different spin on the ever-so-famous macaroons!

To make Rawsta:

Spiralize or julienne 3 or 4 medium zucchini.

If you would like you could make it the consistency of cooked pasta by adding a touch of olive oil and salt.

Marinara:

1/2 cup strawberries

2 cups tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp. ginger

2 Tbsp. garlic

1 tsp. jalapeno pepper

1/3 cup basil

1/3 cup red bell pepper

1/4 cup oregano, fresh chopped

1/4 cup nama shoyu

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped

2 green olives

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup shallots

2-4 dates, soaked

Place in food processor, blend until you reach desired consistency.

Rawmesan: Nutritional yeast, ground up sunflower seeds, and herbs and salt to taste.

Enjoy this day!

Love,

Michelle

Chocolate Macaroons

2009-08-17T10:40:00.000-06:00

I am constantly amazed about how much people love these decadent treats! They are simply gluten free bliss!

Ingredients for Chocolate Macaroons:

3 cups dried, unsweetened coconut flakes

1 1/2 cups cocoa powder

1 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup coconut butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

extract

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

To make Chocolate Macaroons:

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir well to combine.

Using a small ice cream scoop, your hands, or a big tablespoon, spoon rounds of the dough onto dehydrator screens. If using your hands, it helps to refrigerate the mix a bit prior to forming the macaroons, or have a bowl of water to wet your hands so macaroon mix does not stick. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 12 to 24 hours, or until crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. you may also choose to put them in the freezer for a frozen treat or simply dehydrate in oven by turning it off and on till desired consistency is reached.

*You may also substitute carob for the cocoa powder.

Benefits of Raw Cacao:

Magnesium: This is one of the most essential minerals, yet studies say that more than 80% of the United States' population is deficient in magnesium. In nature, the most concentrated source of magnesium is raw cacao! Other good sources of the mineral include certain nuts and any chlorophyll molecule. Magnesium supports the heart, increases brain power, relaxes muscles, increases flexibility, causes healthy bowl movements, and helps build string bones. As one of the body's primary alkaline minerals, magnesium assists the normal functioning of several chemical enzymatic processes -- facilitating more then three hundred different detoxification and elimination functions.

Chromium: This mineral helps balance blood sugar levels, and cacao has ten times the amount of chromium as whole wheat, a chromium-rich food, making it the highest food source of this mineral.

Antioxidant Power: Raw cacao beans are super-rich in antioxidant flavonols. They contain 10,000 mg (10 grams) of flavonol antioxidants (that's a 10% concentration level!). This makes cacao possibly the best source of antioxidants, with twenty to thirty times more than red wine or green tea.

Vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, C, and E are all present in significant quantities.

Other nutrients: Fiber, iron, niacin, phosphorus, as well as hundreds of other chemicals and phytonutrients (special plant nutrients) are found in cacao.

In pure chocolate bliss,

Michelle

xoxo

Berry Bliss

Oh, My! Pad Thai!

Good Morning Chocolate Drink!

Smoothie Bliss

Wonders of Water: Amazing Secrets for Health and Wellness

Drinking water prevents premature labor!

New Year Juice Fast!

Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Butter Bars

Announcing Sublime Living Essentials!

Goddess Dressing

Yoga of Regeneration, sacred song and touch immersion!

Get Well Retreat on Flathead Lake

Eggplant Bacon

Risk more than others think is safe.Care more than others think is wise.Dream more than others think is practical.Expect more than others think is possible.~Claude Bissell

A Little Slice of Vegan Cheese

Strawberry Key Lime Pie

Sweet Italian Bread

May Juice Cleanse

Almond Yumm Yumm

Local Business Receives Good Food Award!

White Balsamic Pear Dressing

Spirulina Lime Ice Cream

Gout

Just Sprout It!

Community Yoga and Dinner at Walking Lightly Ranch

Stuffed Mushrooms

The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.

~M. Scott Peck

Huckleberry Bliss!

Wasabi Soy Almonds

Mint-Chip Cheesecake

Chipotle Kale Chips

Coconut = Bliss

Young tender coconut water has the following benefits and medicinal values:

Wellness Fair, May 4, 2010

Perfect Chocolate Mousse

Save the Salmon Patty!

Cherry Orange Soup

January Juice Feast

Pecan Turtle Cheesecake

Very Pretty Smoothie

Delicious Broccoli Salad

Vegetable Medley Soup

Walking Lightly Soup

PomTini

Pineapple Bleach

Stuffed Avocados

Rawsta (aka Raw Pasta)!

Chocolate Macaroons

Risk more than others think is safe.
Care more than others think is wise.
Dream more than others think is practical.
Expect more than others think is possible.
~Claude Bissell