“What’s so Great About Raw, and Other Insights on Food…& a recipe for ‘Bruschetta Pasta’.”

♥Hi Friends!

A few months ago our church hosted a women’s conference in our area.  As a committee planning this conference, our goal was to provide HEALTHY living ideas for SPIRIT, BODY and MIND.  One of the wonderful women on our committee, along with her husband, owns a HEALTH food store in our area.  During one of our planning meetings he came along to add his insights.  And he brought up a really good point that when you think about, seems quite ridiculous but absolutely true!  It’s this:  Most people take better care of their cars than they do their HEALTH.  I know that in our family we make sure we lube and oil and rotate our tires.  And we’ve learned through experience that it doesn’t pay (in fact we paid) to neglect car maintenance.  Early on in our marriage when we were poor college kids, our engine block froze one winter because we had never taken it in for a lube and oil.  (I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did!)  And think about it, none of us would ever fill our tanks with cheap gas, or water, or mud or something else that was never meant to go in it in the first place.  It’s obvious that doing that would impair or completely halt the performance of our vehicle.  Also, you probably know someone that takes extra care to wash, shine and vacuum their car on a regular basis.  (That part of car maintenance was lost on me long ago when I started having babies!)  So tell me, why in the world would we think that taking care of our cars is more important than taking care of bodies!!?  We think nothing of putting toxins in to our SPIRITS, BODIES and MINDS through the things we watch and listen to, the foods we eat, and the lies that Satan would have us believe about ourselves.  All those toxins and more are in great abundance in our world.

Now, as far as the fuel you put in to your body, to me, keeping your body running efficiently has two parts (and even better than efficiently most of the time).  1. What you eliminate from your diet.  And 2. What you put in your body.  And what you put in your body is probably more important than the UNHEALTHY foods you should leave out.  But both are really important!

1♥  OUT– Processed sugars, processed foods, dairy, UNHEALTHY fats, and other ‘dead foods’ cause inflammation in our bodies.  And inflammation causes disease!  I know it’s hard to let these foods go.  I absolutely, completely and totally empathize!  But instead of having a an attitude of depravation (by the way feeling deprived is actually addictive dependence talking, not you), say this to yourself:  “I’m adding in HEALING foods and slowly crowding out dead foods!”  Shout it out every time you go to the kitchen and open the cupboard! 

2♥  IN– I like to ask my self this question:  Am I HEALING or dying?  That’s a great thing to think about.  Here’s a list of the following foods that we should be consuming every day that will aid us in HEALING.  If you have any room left in your tummy, then add in some UNHEALTHY choices (although you will go to those less and less over time) and slowly watch yourself HEAL!!!!

  • GREENS:  High nutrient-dense raw, life giving, green foods like kale, spinach, chard, dandelion greens,  fill our bodies with living (sounds HEALING huh?) calories that detox and repair.  They give us energy and are critical (and completely necessary) to the SPIRIT/BODY/MIND HEALING process. 
  • BERRIES & OTHER FRUITS:  It’s God’s dessert!  Berries are especially high in antioxidants which help prevent cell damage.  And at my age, at any age really, you gotta love that!  I always have a handful of berries of some kind in my ‘SMOOTHIE’ every day.  (Don’t you just love how nutritionally efficient smoothies are!?)  The Good Lord has also provided us with a wide variety of fruit.  And when you aren’t addicted to sugar, fruit tastes absolutely amazing and will satisfy any sweet tooth!  
  • GOOD FATS:  Our bodies need good fats.  Don’t be afraid of fat.  It will not make you heavier as long as you are eating the right kinds.  Good fats help with blood sugar, energy, hormone balance, skin HEALTH, brain HEALTH and weight loss, just to name a few.  Examples are raw nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, pecans, pumpkin, sunflower, flax, chia and hemp), avocadoes, olives, raw coconut, and HEALTHY oils (avocado, extra-virgin olive  and coconut).   
  • BEANS & LEGUMES:  These inexpensive protein and fiber-packed sweeties are full of magnesium, iron and potassium.  They are good for your heart and help lower cholesterol and blood sugar.  And that’s just a few of their benefits.
  • WATER:  An adult woman is made up of about 55% water.  Filtered, pure, clean water hydrates, lubricates, and helps clean toxins out of our bodies (when we pee).  A good rule is to drink one ounce for every two pounds of body weight.  More when you exercise, work your body hard, or are out in the sun.  I drink reverse-osmosis because it alkalizes as well as hydrates. 

I firmly believe that if you are trying to live a righteous life that you will return to our Heavenly home when you have finished the work the Lord has for you to do here on this earth.  (He also needs lots of good helpers on the other side too!)  But, our time here doesn’t need to be distracted with a lot of SPIRITUAL, PHYSICAL and EMOTIONAL disease.  Yes, there will be times of illness, along with trials, failures and heartaches.  But we can also live a life full of abundant HEALTHY living, along with good works and service, as we strive to understand our Father in Heaven’s purpose and plan for us.  Pure joy my Friends!

♥Love you!

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I have 4 basil plants in my front yard.  Hip, hip hooray for my slowly developing gardening skills!  (And although I recognize just how beneficial having a garden is, since I could only handle so much while raising 5 kids, I’ve always said “I’m raising children, not plants!”)  I love basil.  It’s quite easy to grow and soon the tomatoes all around me (in other people’s gardens) will be coming on.  Last year, I put together this easy, yummy pasta recipe that is so good we got sick of it because we ate it so much!  It’s a great way to use up those delicious, flavorful garden treasures that are full of lycopene.  Cooking tomatoes substantially raises the levels of all it’s “cancer-and-disease-fighting” antioxidants, including the lycopene.

BRUSCHETTA PASTA

  • 1 lb whole grain pasta, cooked or whole grain baggette or French bread, sliced
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 garden tomatoes, chopped
  • handful of basil or to taste
  • Real Salt to taste
  • avocado or olive oil
  • goat cheese cheddar or a little grated parmesan

Cook onion and garlic in a little oil until soft and translucent.  Add tomatoes and basil and Real Salt to taste.  Warm through.  Toss with pasta or serve with bread slices.  Sprinkle with a little grated cheese.  Yum!

 

 

 

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