Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Lorraine's Kitchen Corner

Nothing is better than a cold lemonade to quench your thirst during the hot summer months. Try this lavender-infused recipe for a great, seasonal refreshment.

Lavender Lemonade
makes 7 servings

  • 7 lemons, peeled and juiced
  • 2 limes, peeled and juiced
  • 12 cups water (pure)
  • 1 1/2 cups agave
  • 1 drop of Young Living lavender essential oil

Mix all ingredients together and chill. Add more water or agave depending on desired tartness. Add sprigs of lavender plant to place in glass.

                                                     

Thursday, May 5, 2011

A healthier alternative for sugar...STEVIA!

Today I made a Banana Cream Pie for my mother, to honor her for this upcoming Mother's Day.
She needs to watch her sugar intake, so.......instead of using sugar to sweeten my pie, I used Stevia.
Stevia is an herbal sweetener which, in its extracted form, is over 200 times sweeter than sugar! Non-glycemic, safe, and virtually calorie free, Stevia offers a healthy, natural alternative to cooking with refined sugar or artificial sweeteners. Learn how to incorporate this amazing herb into your own recipes and begin to sweeten your cookies, cakes, pies, puddings, jellies, jams and sauces the natural way....with Stevia!




Easy Oil Pastry
(Yields a 10 inch crust)            

Mix right in the pie dish.
May use all organic ingredients if you choose

* 1 1/2 cups whole spelt flour (or flour of your choice) sifted
* 1/8 tea. Stevia Extract Powder
* 1/4 tea. sea salt
* 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil or olive oil
* 1/4 cup applesauce
* 2 tablespoons milk or water (coconut milk, goat  milk or milk of your choice)
 In a 10 inch pie dish mix flour, stevia, and salt.  Add oil, applesauce and milk, then stir with a fork just until dough holds together.
Press evenly over sides and botton of pie dish. Flute edges and prick with a fork in serveral places.  Bake in a  preheated 360 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. The crust may also be baked after it is filled.

Banana Cream Pie
Yields a 9 or 10 inch pie
Topped with golden meringue
May use all organic ingredients

* 9 or 10 inch baked pastry shell
* 1 tea.Stevia Extract Powder
* 5 tablespoons cornstarch
* 2 cups milk ( may use fresh almond milk, goat, coconut, soy,etc.)
* 1 cup water
* 4 eggs separated
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 2 tea. vanilla extract
* few drops of lemon extract
* 1/4 tea. cream of tarter
* 1/2 vanilla extract
* 3 medium bananas
* 3 tablespoon unsweetened coconut meal
 Place cornstarch and Stevia in a double boiler pan. Gradually stir in milk and water.  Place over boiling water and stir while mixture thickens.
Separate eggs.  Reserve whites for meringue.  Lightly stir the yolks. Dip about 1/2 cup pie filling into yolks and stir thoroughly. Add back to cooling pie filling.  Reduce heat to low and continue cooking about 2 minutes. Remove form heat.  Stir in butter, 2 tea. vanilla extract, and lemon extract. Cool while preparing meringue.
In a bowl beat together egg whites, cream of tarter, and 1/2 tea. vanilla extract, until stiff peaks form.  Spread half the filling onto the crust.  Slice bananas into the filling and spoon on remaining filling.  Spread with meringue.  Sprinkle coconut meal over merinque.  Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.  Serve at room temperature and refrigerate leftovers
  
I served one of my favorite organic teas... (Kombucha tea) which is made weekly at, The Natural Way Health Center.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Detoxification

Detoxification is the natural process of filtering waste form the cells, organs and bloodstream, while cleansing refers to eliminating toxins form the body. The following is a brief explanation of how each of the body's seven channels of elimination helps remove harmful toxins and waste.

The Liver
The Kidneys
The Lungs, Skin, Lymph and Blood
The Bowel (Colon)

Each organ has a special function with a special roll in elimination of toxins.

The Liver:
*It filters waste and toxins from the bloodstream.
*It uses enzymes to neutralize or alter waste products and toxins so they can be eliminated easily from the body.

This secondary function (called conjugation) is necessary because the body has trouble eliminating fat-soluble waste products on its own.  The liver uses various enzymes to convert them into water-soluble waste products before sending them to the kidneys to be eliminated  through the bladder.  Waste products that cannot be converted are left in the fat-soluble state and deposited in fat cells located throughout the body.  If it becomes too overloaded, the liver will dump excess waste back into the bloodstream.  This waste ends up in the kidneys, lungs, skin and lymphatic system.

Digestive Care, Issue 6, Volume1

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Internal Cleansing:

Today more than ever, the human body is inundated with harmful toxins from countless sources.  External toxins such as pesticides, industrial pollutants, and the harsh chemicals used in many household cleaning agents and personal care products have been steadily making their way into our air, water and food.  These toxic substances can enter the body,  eventually taking up residence in its organs and tissues.  Over time this buildup of toxins can lead to significant and lasting health problems.

In addition to external toxins, there are internal toxins that originate inside the body.  While some are the byproducts of everyday cell function, many are the result of unhealthy eating habits.  Processed foods laden with preservatives lack the natural enzymes and nutrients that aid digestion. This in turn can inhibit the digestive process, allowing undigested food to ferment in the intestines and colon and become toxic.

To rid itself of its toxic burden, the body uses a combination of organs and organ systems collectively dubbed the seven channels of elimination: the liver, lungs, lymphatic system, kidneys, skin blood and bowel {or colon}. Each works together to filter and eliminate toxic substances and waste, but because of the increasing number of toxins to which our bodies are exposed daily, those channels are often overwhelmed.  We will examine the role of each organ or organ system and its task{s} in the overall cleansing and detoxification process in the days ahead.1
digestive care, advanced natural,issue 6,volume1

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Nature's Tapestry!

Tapestry is richness of design. When I look out in the woods of my backyard, I see such a richness of design. The colors of all different flowers, herbs, trees and animals. Nature has a character all of it's own. The vast array of a multiple of beauty. There is nothing more calming and soothing than putting your feet on the earths ground and walking among the nature's tapestry.

I remember in years past going through some heavy trials. I would take long walks with my devoted Golden Retriever, Brittney. The two of us would walk a couple of miles in the morning, and a couple of miles in the evening. Those long, faithful walks with my four legged companion saved my life. It gave me a chance to escape the daily bustle of home life. It gave me some peace from the "mommy give me this" or "mommy help me with that".

Think about the wisdom of God. Green is a calming color. The grass and green's in nature have a quieting effect on you body and mind. Blue is a calming color. The sky is broad and long.  In the past when my thoughts would be racing and the busyness of life would overwhelm me, I would lay on the grass and just look into the sky. I would stay there until my heart and mind slowed down. It was wonderful therapy and it doesn't cost anything, except a little bit of your time. I even taught my children that tool when they were younger. Your can reach for a another unhealthy substitute, or you can use Nature's Tapestry to bring nourishment to entire body, soul and spirit. I challenge you to give it a try, it's free for the taking. 

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Understanding Enzymes!

Does anyone here know anyone with indigestion, gas, bloating, heartburn, rapid heartbeat after eating, diarrhea or constipation?

Do you know anyone having trouble tolerating stress?

Do you know anyone with irritability, insomnia, stiffness of soreness in their joints?

Do you know anyone who has been on a medication for the same problem for more than 6 months?

If anyone answered  " Yes " to any of these questions, you are about to find out how to help them, as these may be symptoms of an enzyme deficiency or a digestive disorder.

If you could learn about a natural way to heal these problems without drugs, would I have your attention?

Simply eating a food does not guarantee that you are getting the nutrition from that food.

The medical world is traditionally untrained in areas of nutrition and digestion.  The  "cure " for digestive disorders by the pharmaceutically propelled medical world is to give you a pill to relieve your symptom.

America has embrace the idea of one pill per day, covered by the insurance, that tastes good and fixes all of their problems. Healing is getting to the "root" of the problem. Changes sometimes must take place. Negative thoughts must be replaced. And just knowing that you are deeply loved can transform your passion for life.

Where are you today? What changes do you need to make today?

Monday, October 4, 2010

The study of the eyes, Iridology

The eyes speak so loudly and so softly. When you look in the eyes of a person you can see so many emotions. You can see pain, love, hurt, joy, fear and courage. When I was in school and doing an assessment on a 67 year old black man I learned so much. As I put my round lenses over his eye and began looking with my pen light, I felt like I was in another world. In the small round mass was a beautiful array of colors, and a depth of many thin, stretched fibers. Iridology is a great tool to assess the health of the inner organs. You can find weak and strong organs by looking into the eyes. I saw in my friend an over-acid eye. An over-acid eye has arthritic tendencies, which result in joint stiffness, pain, and inflammation. Foods such as red meat, pork, dairy products, sugar, coffee, alcohol, white flour, and citrus should be avoided.  Eat foods rich in natural sodium such as celery, strawberries, and lentils. Drink distilled water (alkalized). People become fearful, when they hear they have an organ which has weak tendencies. I feel we need to change our perspective and look at it with an opportunity for change. A change to strengthen the weak areas and renew out balance in life.

As you talk with people this week, slow down and take a deep long look into their eyes. The eyes reflect the candle of the heart.