Asian Style Pilaf - Mung Bean Sprouts With Mushroom Veggie Quinoa

Quinoa! Food of the Gods! Truly it is! We love quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah) because it accepts any flavor combination from sweet to savory, making it one of the most adaptable foods on the planet. This valuable gluten-free source of protein is a nutty delight and a popular wonder food for good reason. Indeed it's chock full of nutritious B vitamins such as folate, thiamin, riboflavin, and a B6 source of manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, iron, and zinc. It's goodness goes beyond flavor.

Quinoa is a seed and not a grain, and is prepared similar to rice. One cup of Quinoa to two cups of water, makes 3 cups of cooked fluffy Quinoa. Mix it with a sauce, and various veggies. So easy! Just check out my other quinoa posts: Quinoa cold veggie salad, Sweet Breakfast Quinoa, and Quinoa veggie bean burgers to view how versatile this food is to have in your pantry. Say it again...Keen-Wah...Keen-Wah...Keen-Wah! 

The seeds come in cream, black, and red colors, which you can mix together to make your own rainbow Quinoa. To get the most out of the more expensive colored quinoa, just place a variety of the quinoa colors into a mason jar, then add in more of the cheaper cream colored Quinoa. Ta-da! Rainbow quinoa! Using a mason jar funnel keeps those tiny seeds from running all over your kitchen counter hiding under things! Then I usually take 1/2 cup of rainbow quinoa from my mason jar mix, add that into a measuring cup of 1/2 cup cream colored quinoa... stretching out that rainbow mix even more! 

Be sure to place your quinoa seeds into a mesh strainer and rinse before cooking to remove the mildly bitter saponines. Sometimes I forget, although I can say that the quinoa never tasted bad to me either way. So don't feel bad if you forget too. Some brands of quinoa come pre-washed and may save you the step. Use organic and fair trade quinoa if possible. All of our ingredients are organic. Do the best that you can.

Every week we usually have some type of quinoa pilaf mixed with whatever veggies are in the kitchen. So this recipe is an example of one of those evening meals with an asian twist. You can add or subtract whatever items you have at your home because quinoa is so forgiving and adaptable to all flavor combinations. You can make extra quinoa just for the leftovers, and then use it in your next day's breakfast, or dinner salad. Here's what to mix together to re-live your old days of Chinese take-out food:

Asian Style Pilaf - Mung Bean Sprouts 
With Mushroom Veggie Quinoa

1 cup rainbow or plain Quinoa

spring water

box vegetable broth

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms of choice 

1/2 green pepper
1/2 purple pepper 

1/3 sliced onion 

1/2 cup chopped spinach

2-3 chopped leaves Swiss chard

2 tbs balsamic glaze

3 tbs coconut aminos

1 tbs coconut palm sugar

chopped tomato

1/2 chopped red sweet pepper

handful mung bean sprouts

pecans

sliced almonds

raisins

Optional: 
Mandarin orange slices
Pineapple chunks

Add 1 cup of rinsed quinoa to 2 cups boiling water or vegetable broth. I usually use water first and then add the broth to the mixture in the saute pan later, as you will see in directions below. Although if you prefer, you can use the vegetable broth in both instances for more intense flavor. Bring the quinoa to rapid boil, turn down, simmer covered for 10 minutes, or until water evaporates. Do not let burn.  

When cooked quinoa is fluffed with a fork it should look like the rainbow quinoa in the photo above. Notice the little white ringlets that have busted out of the seeds. Remove pan from burner. Set aside covered. 

While quinoa is cooking mix the coconut aminos, balsamic glaze, and coconut palm sugar into a small bowl. Then saute onions, sliced mushrooms, purple and green peppers, with a small bit of water in a saute pan for a few minutes. Add in Swiss chard leaves, plus fresh or frozen spinach. If you only have one or the other of the greens or the peppers that is fine. Stir a few times till the greens are wilted. 



Add in the cooked quinoa and stir together. Add enough vegetable broth into pan to soak into the quinoa. Then pour in the coconut aminos and the balsamic glaze mixture. Toss in a handful of almonds, pecans and organic raisins. Stir all lightly again. That's it folks!

Plate the cooked quinoa pilaf mixture. Top with fresh tomatoes, sweet red peppers, and then garnish generously with the fresh mung bean sprouts. If you have any mandarin orange slices or pineapple chunks they would go well with these flavors too. Try to avoid using old fashioned soy sauce on your Asian style pilaf as it is full of salt and MSG. Use instead the bottles of sweet balsamic glaze sauce and the coconut aminos, to flavor your individual pilaf serving according to your own taste preference. 

I think you will love the combination of warm broth flavored quinoa and greens, the cold crispness of the sprouts and sweet red peppers, the savory fresh tomatoes, the sweet chewy raisins, and the crunchy nuts. If you have orange slices or pineapple chunks they would add extra sweetness too. Go ahead and add that glorious generous drizzle of coconut aminos and balsamic glaze to your bowl. Oh My! A very healthy substitute for "Chinese take-out" cravings. Yes you can feel great about eating this Asian quinoa pilaf! 

Warning: You will want seconds... And that is okay!!!! Keen-Wah! Yeah baby!

I hope those of you new to cooking quinoa will try this simple Asian style pilaf, so that you can at a moment's notice quickly make a delicious quinoa dish for your family! Be sure to serve with a fresh side salad too. 

Be Happy. Be Healthy. Be Peace. Much love!

Fresh Flax Powder: Only 2 Tablespoons A Day Will Cut Cardio Risk In Half!

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, and Dr. Michael Greger, flax powder adds the needed DHA EPA Omega 3's your body needs to reduce your cardio risk by half! Heart disease is one of those ailments that is mostly preventative. So if you do only one thing to improve your healthy lifestyle this year, adding 2 TBS. of fresh ground flax seeds is just the thing to do! My doctor Joel Fuhrman MD made sure to emphasize the importance of taking two tablespoons a day for my breast cancer health issues when we spoke last year because flax powder is a huge source of lignans. Essential Omega 3 fatty acids are something our bodies cannot make, and must come from food or supplements. 

Flax powder is fast to create and can be easily added to smoothies, salads, cereals, and baking. One to two tablespoons a day does the trick, and equals one to two fatty fish meals a week without the toxic mercury or chemical dangers. One tablespoon of ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons of water equals an egg substitute in baking. Flax powder can be substituted for 1/4 of the flour used in recipes, and it works as a great thickener too. Good news is that you can bake with powdered flax and not lose the nutritional value. (Although you should never cook with flax oil.)

Seriously these tiny seeds are the best form of EPA DHA and lignans that you can get on the planet. Even better than salmon. Plus you do not get the mercury risk of eating fish which sadly is a concern in our modern polluted industrial world. Flax seeds come in golden and dark brown colors and the nutrition is said to be the same. At some point I heard the golden was slightly better, but let's not split hairs. We need the flax powder mojo in either color. The shell is unable to be broken down by your body, so the flax seed must be fresh ground to release those powerful Omega 3's and lignans locked inside! If you eat whole flax seed crackers, just know they go through you without adding any nutrition. These seeds are tough and you need to grind into powder to get the benefits.

Ground flax seeds must be kept in the refrigerator once you grind them open, because the oils released will go rancid. Which is why I grind mine in small batches once or twice a week. Ground in the fridge it will last 3 months. Although you should be using it much faster than that my friends. You could grind the hard little seeds the old fashioned way shown above, and that looks like it could take forever. Yeesh! So I recommend you get a spice grinder, coffee grinder, food processor, or a high speed blender to do the task. Then in a flash you will have fresh powerful Omega 3 flax powder to add to your food. 

If you use a small coffee bean/spice grinder as I do it only takes a few pulses, and you're finished. A fluffy lightly nutty powder is the result. Easy. I fill the grinder three times per batch. You are now ready to sprinkle on foods and be healthier.

I use a small glass mason jar to store my flax powder. I love using this funnel made for the wide mouth opening of the jars, since you can pour items cleanly be they nuts or seeds without side spillage.

Once your seeds are ground just pour the fresh flax powder through your funnel and into the mason jar. Tighten down the lid, and keep the fresh flax powder in the refrigerator or freezer. 

Make a fresh batch of flax powder once or twice a week. 

For super organization keep your jar of flax powder in the fridge storage container I talked about in this blog post here seen above. I pull that baby out everyday and it makes my smoothie life so much easier. Oh look at those yummy green smoothies below!

Add the flax powder powerhouse of good health to your morning smoothie, cereals, and salads everyday. Vegetarians, vegans, and meat eaters need the prevention qualities of flax daily to prevent heart attacks. Yes, flax powder is one of those must have super food supplements that everybody needs no matter where you are in reclaiming your health or maintaining an already healthy situation. The heart problem comes from ingestion of too many saturated fats and poly unsaturated Omega 6 items in a modern person's diet. These are from animal fats, coconut oils, palm kernel oils, cottonseed oil, corn oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil. We need the help of DHA EPA Omega fatty acid foods to decrease the inflammation on our heart. This is the same reason doctors prescribe aspirin for people with heart problems. It is a way to reduce inflammation. Lucky for us flax powder is a natural, healthy, cheap, and easy to make solution without the risk of using pharmaceuticals. Lives could be saved if everyone adopted this habit of adding one to two tablespoons of fresh flax powder daily to their foods. Many other degenerative diseases begin with inflammation besides heart disease, such as diabetic issues, some cancers, arthritis, depression, and Crohn disease to name a few that can be improved as well. Other good forms of Omega 3's to have everyday are hemp seeds, dark leafy greens, walnuts, and flax seed oil. Flax powder reigns supreme, and should be part of your daily healthy protocol for the rest of your life.

If you want to make the big changes to protect your heart health, and affect other diseases including various cancers, add the most powerful EPA DHA Omega 3 and lignan producer... Flax powder! Find the best sources of flax seeds in your local health food store refrigerator section, or in the flour aisle. Keep the seeds in a dark place until you grind them into the flax powder, then refrigerate or keep in the freezer. I hope you get your daily two tablespoons of flax powder for life and thrive! Be happy, be healthy, be peace.

Links:
University of Maryland on Flax Benefits
Web MD Flax Benefits
Flax Seed Meal Benefits Livestrong
Multiple Videos about flax seeds and disease improvement
Video: 40 Year Vegan Dies Of Heart Attack

Eat To Live Cookbook Is Now Available from Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Our Food Hero!

Oh yes super friends, Joel Fuhrman M.D. is our hero! So you can be sure that we are ordering his new Eat to Live Cookbook: 200 Delicious Nutrient-Rich Recipes for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Reversing Disease, and Lifelong Health! This is from the man who has changed the way we eat, helped us to reverse disease, and lose 76 pounds! We are very excited to try out these recipes based on the Nutritarian 'Eat To Live' lifestyle that gets you healthier from eating nutrient dense foods! These meals are doctor approved!
Saving the recipes I like from Dr. Fuhrman's email newsletter on my computer for the past two years this will certainly be far more convenient having them here in one easy volume! If you educate yourself with good food documentaries Joel Fuhrman M.D. is always in them. He is the man! This is going to be a great cookbook for those at the beginning of transition wondering which foods to eat now.



Check out the video above which contains Dr. Joel Fuhrman talking about the new 'Eat To Live Cookbook' and making one of the recipes for eggplant. Looks delicious! What a great substitute for that old unhealthy cheesy white flour filled unhealthy lasagna of our food past. Dig in, and get your copy today! Remember you can always check out the food, supplements  and superfood sections within his website. All books about nutrition from Dr. Joel Fuhrman should be on your health bookshelf!

It's CSA Season! What Exactly Is A CSA Anyway? Inquiring Bellies Want To Know!

It's food...Glorious food! 

This post is for those who have been asking,"What exactly is a CSA?" Perhaps you wonder what the heck people are talking about when they refer those three letters. CSA means 'Community Supported Agriculture.' This is a way for you to work directly with the farmer who grows your food. I think that is awesome! 

Other than growing your own food this is the best way to know and control the quality of the food you consume every day! You pay a fee up front in order to get a weekly supply of fresh produce called a "share." It is just that simple, and the benefits to your health are tremendous. Get directly involved with your food, don't let it be just a commodity in a box, or a can, any longer. You will love your new earthy relationship and you may make a few friends along the way! 

On this post I will share photos of our various weekly CSA hauls living on the east coast, and also those of a relative in another nearby state. Foods will vary over the season, this is what has been growing around the mid-Atlantic region each week during this month.

Fresh Picked Greens rest in the water bins waiting for pick up at the farm.

Each week's produce that you will receive will depend on what is in season, or what your farmer chooses to grow. Some CSA farmers are completely organic, and others call themselves sustainable. It is up to you to research the farming methods of the farm you employ for your food. We found our local farm through the 'Local Harvest' website where you put in your zip code and they will let you know what farms and farmers markets are available in your area. They have charts of information about each farm including growing information. Then you research each one from that point and contact them directly. The sign-up to become a CSA member usually happens at the beginning or end of the year. Some farmers offer partial shares, half-shares, or full shares of their weekly offerings. If you still want to participate and join after the season has started just call around to your local farms and see if that is still possible.

Various shades of lettuce await their turn to go home with someone.

You will also find that some CSA farms may have longer growing seasons, some may cost more than others, some may give you bigger shares, some may include egg, pork, chicken, beef, dairy products, homemade items as well along with the weekly produce. There are a variety of options to consider in making your final choice. Each situation is different, and you need to decide what options are right for your family, and choose a farm that meets your needs in any of these areas. In our specific area, our CSA farmer had the longest growing season, the most variety, and was certified organic, all for a reasonable price. We emailed him, met him in person at a local farmers market, and in addition I had read some articles he had written. I loved the way he thought about food and farming issues. All of those qualities came together to make him our personal farmer. We are very happy with Farmer Tom and his dedication, plus he is a very cool dude! Rock on Farmer Tom!

Many CSA farms have a newsletter, or a website that will inform you about the produce you will be getting that week. They may also speak about how the produce was grown, give you some recipes, and tell stories about what's happening at the farm. It's a new sense of belonging to a food community. You must also keep in mind that the farm and produce are tied to the weather, and things may happen both good or bad during the growing season. You learn compassion for your farmer spending long days bent over in the fields or wrestling with pests. You understand the work it takes to grow your food, and get it to you fresh picked and vibrating with life. I am including a video at the end of this post that does a great job explaining the CSA experience, so please take a look if you are considering this way of adding to your food paradigm.

Farm fresh eggs from actual free range chickens.

Last year we shared the experience with my daughter's family to get to know how a CSA worked and share the expense. Going to the farm makes for a great family outing, I always enjoy the drive and can't wait to see what goodies are waiting each week. Some of the veggies are in bins, some in the refrigerator, and others in a cooler. We take along a large bag and in the heat of summer we bring a cooler bag too. 

Some farms have pick up points in a few different towns, some are just at the farm itself, some may have pick up at the local farmers market, and others may have a home delivery service. So "pick-up" will depend on the farm's method.

If you are assigned a 'pick up day' by your CSA you can pick-up your food during most of that day, which covers stopping by after work to get your share. Our farm has a choice of one of two pick up days available. We found the pick-up day at the beginning of the week worked best for us, because of my husband's gig schedule on the weekends. That way we have time to use the produce immediately, instead of getting the food share later in the week where it might get wasted, because of a crazy weekend schedule where we were constantly on the road. 

Our granddaughter last year marveling at the greenhouse.

This year it is just the two of us getting the weekly share, and we find the amount of produce we get now works out nicely. Although I do miss going to the farm with my grandchildren and sharing the farm experience together. Our girl could not wait to get out of the car and check it all out!

Going into our second year of the CSA I can tell you that we really value our farmer, as he does everything organic, and has total commitment to that goal. We feel fortunate to have someone who really cares about the quality of the food we eat. He has a number of greenhouses on his property which allow for a longer growing season than some other CSA's in our area, and he also teams up with another nearby organic farm that produces chicken, egg, turkey and pork shares if that is desired. Most of the time when we pick up our share at the farm we can see Farmer Tom out in the fields working. On occasion we get to speak with him, and we enjoy these times to chat and hear how he is doing. 

Your fresh produce is going to be so full of flavor! Those little local strawberries are one hundred times tastier than those crazy nuclear sized pieces of cardboard that are sold at the supermarket! Lots of variety is coming your way from the CSA too! In fact a cool thing about being part of a CSA is you may receive veggies n' herbs you have never even seen before! Wow! This is a wondrous part of the local farm fresh food adventure! It is so fun to try new foods and learn how to prepare the new dishes. Most of the time you will love these new produce items, so don't be afraid... be brave and go beyond the sweet corn.

Remember that you want your produce to come from nearby to where you live. Industrial food products travel 1500 miles to get to your local store. That is why it is important to buy and eat local...freshness! Be a locavore, support small business, and farmers! Always make sure the farms are organic, or at the least follow sustainable farming practices, because pesticides, fungicides, antibiotics, and hormones are the same toxins, even if they are in local produce, meat or dairy. You can also look for various places to get local grass-fed meats and dairy at the website Eat Wild.

If you cannot afford to join a CSA, perhaps you can go in on a share with someone else to split the cost, or grow your own food, (see my page called "Grow Food" above this post), or join a community garden, or you can certainly frequent local farmers markets. Some farmers markets will accept the SNAP program. 

We know in order to get the most nutrients it is important to eat your greens like broccoli and other veggies within a day or two of being picked. That cannot happen at the supermarket. So getting your food from a CSA, a farmers market, a community garden, or in your own backyard garden, is the way to get the most healing goodness out of your food. That is what we are always aiming for when filling our belly...the power of "Nutrient Density!" The food is delicious, you will be assured it is grown locally and in our case fully organic with well thought out sustainable practices. Plus you will feel great knowing you are supporting a local farmer who really cares.  With all the latest scientific evidence pointing to the major pesticides and GMO's being the reason behind so many of our modern illnesses you simply must begin to accept organic as the first pillar to healing your body. There's probably a CSA in your area, check it out!

Watch the video above, grab your bags, and get that healthy fresh produce from your local farm and farmer into your bellies! You will really love farm life... Yes......"Green acres is the place to be....."

(If you know that song I just gave you a wicked ear worm! haha!)

Turkey Tail Mushroom: Immunity And Breast Cancer

Shortly after watching a Ted Talk video a few months ago, I decided to start taking Host Defense TURKEY TAIL MUSHROOM capsules. The Turkey Tail is a predominant mushroom found in woodlands around the world, and it seems some of the best help for medical problems could be right under our feet, or growing on a nearby log! In a breast cancer clinical study by NIH (National Institutes Of Health), they found that organic Turkey Tail mushrooms provided by Paul Stamets, helped base immunity function. You can read an article by Paul Stamets about the clinical study and the benefits of organic Turkey Tail mushrooms here. Since I had a diagnosis of breast cancer earlier this year. I want to follow what are safe methods of treating, and preventing any dis-ease within the body, and that is by using natural methods. Especially good when these natural methods and substances are proven in scientific studies. Hello mushrooms, my new best friend.

My doctor Joel Fuhrman M. D. has also recommended eating a lot of mushrooms, greens, seeds, onions, beans, cruciferous vegetables, and berries, as part as his G-BOMB nutrition advice to prevent cancer. You can read about the G_BOMB list here on his website, filled as always with a great deal of good sound nutrition information for everyone, even if you don't have cancer. If you change your diet now, maybe you will not be the one out of every three people, who do get cancer these days.  In addition, here is an article by Andrew Weil MD also talking about mushrooms, cancer, and immunity. Yes, it seems mushrooms are all the rage in the medical community! It's a good thing I like mushrooms! I feel with their texture, they can be a good substitute for a meaty feel in some recipes. I used to have a problem digesting mushrooms, but now with my digestive system being changed by my clean eating this past year, I have no problem eating mushrooms at all.

 Below is the Ted Talk video, it's short, sweet and to the point. Give it a listen!



Now I buy fresh shitake, cremini, or portobello, mushrooms every week to eat along with my onions. Of course I have greens in my juices and salads, beans in my soups and hummus, and I have berries every morning in my smoothies. From what I have read, it seems the more unusual mushrooms have the more powerful medicinal effects, but everyday mushrooms like white, cremini and portobello mushrooms have wonderful healing qualities too. Please note that the mushrooms should be cooked, and not eaten raw. (Since the findings are not complete on the eating raw mushrooms issue, Dr. Fuhrman says to always error on the side of caution until there is enough scientific evidence to do otherwise. So he recommends eating them cooked at this time.) 

I read on the Fungi Perfecti website that you can even place sliced mushrooms out in the sun during the months of June to September for two days to increase the viability of Vitamin D delivery to your body. I am going to start doing that this summer! Guess I will have to put some netting over them.

On the days I do not have fresh mushrooms to eat, I take two organic HD TURKEY TAIL MUSHROOM (vegetarian) capsules.  I plan on also trying the Fungi Perfecti Host Defense My Community  and Fungi Perfecti Host Defense Stamets 7, Mushroom Blends as well, since these other mushroom species may contain beneficial properties that may be helpful to my body as well. I sent away for the Paul Stamets Fungi Perfecti catalog, and really enjoyed looking through all the ways to grow your own mushrooms at home. I think I will probably also try do that, as it looks like a fun activity! By the way, that catalog is overflowing with all things mushroom! Love the name Fungi Perfecti!

It would be wonderful if you would check out the video below, which is an important talk by Paul Stamets about the world of mycellium. You will find that mushrooms have some amazing qualities, which could actually benefit humanity with some of the major problems we have in the world... and... even with the ants around our house! Here is a link to when Paul Stamets talked to NPR about Small Pox defense and mushrooms. This world of mushrooms is crazy cool! Paul's latest book is called Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World and goes into a greater depth of information about the information in the video below. I hope some of the people who control the world are paying attention. This is information we can use!



Wow! All in all, there is so much to learn about the magical worlds of mushrooms! I suggest you start doing some research into medicinal mushrooms, and see if they might be helpful to you too. There are mushroom products that will help improve the soil you use in your own home garden to grow your own veggies as well. If you are thinking about getting started in growing your own supply of Medicinal Mushrooms here is the book Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms by Paul Stamets to get you started. Really, don't you think Paul must be a true wizard of the Earth?!!!

One Year Later: Finding The Secret To Good Health! It's My 60 Pounds Lost And Other Great Numbers Report!

One Year Later: A happy healthy me!

It has been over a year since I started my transition to a plant based lifestyle. Looking back I can say making these changes in my food choices was very easy, rather fun, and life saving! Yes it's life changing stuff! Before this my life had become miserable, because most of my body systems were shutting down. I am too young for that stuff baby! So with the support of my hubby, we did a complete food change to organic, non-GMO, fresh whole plant foods. You can read more about that beginner path on my Get Started page above in the green bar. The initial kick 'in the mind' was watching these documentaries: "Fat Sick & Nearly Dead" and, the movie "Simply Raw" a powerful film about Diabetics, also known as 'Raw For Thirty.' At that point I was feeling helpless, and beginning to believe I was a victim of my body. After watching the movie 'Fat Sick & Nearly Dead' I cried, because I suddenly had an "aha moment," and saw my way through the disease, and found something I could do for my self. I love my life, and I really wanted to enjoy it with vitality! I knew I had found the answer. Time to stop being a victim, and do all that I had power to do about my own situation. For it was made perfectly clear to me what I had to do. This really was something in life that I really did have the power to change and improve, all it took was the knowledge about what is really in the food. I highly recommend you watch these documentaries! You need to break open your mind.

Ultimately this journey to health has been a food adventure for both my husband and myself, full of delish new dishes to try and love! A whirlwind of learning, igniting a passion for healthy good food, and sharing the good news with others ready to hear! After a year I have grown naturally into a vegan, with leanings towards raw foods. That was not a goal, but the body tells you what is best when you listen. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago, I learned from my new doctor that meat, dairy, and oils would have to be removed completely from my diet anyway. It was no biggie for me to do that and I have no regrets. I was already on my way to the next food level of health. When you experience the positive results of your work, it is a joy to continue on that path. I am grateful for the knowledge I have found.

Thanks and giving 2012

Having a cancer thing to deal with was very frustrating in the face of so much success with reversing diabetes, lowering blood pressure, lowering cholesterol levels, and losing the excess weight. Thankfully it was that health and strength that I received from my body improving with my new organic plant lifestyle this year, that was key in getting me through the surgery and overall experience so well. I healed very quickly. I have plant power to alkalize my tissues, and I had already given up the acidosis and inflammation causing processed foods, sugar products, meats, and dairy. Although really I simply over time just lost my taste for meats and dairy. Still I recognize everyone will go at their own pace and realizations as they gain more food and nutrition knowledge. If everyone could just add more and more uncooked organic fruits and vegetables into their life they would see remarkable improvements.

Now I get to feel a bounce in my step as my lighter body moves through the world. As one of my Doctor friends said to me "It will only get better and better!" That is news I can use! Even right after my cancer surgery I had the energy to start Yoga and Rebounding too! I am totally back to working outside and around the house with no problems these days! A far cry from my life a year ago of shuffling across the room, and needing Ben to hold me as I walked across the parking lot to the doctor appointments three times a week. Then there is the new bonus factor to be wearing some of my old favorite clothes, and buying smaller jeans too! Sometimes I pass a mirror and I am amazed at the changes I see looking back at me! I feel and look like me again! There is 20 more pounds to lose in the weight department to get down to 150 pounds. I am confident it will continue to come off slow and steady, just as it has this past year. My initial goal was to lose 1 pound a week this year, and I have done that without thinking on it too much. It was just a natural result of my body getting itself healthy. The magic came from putting the high nutrient whole foods in, and not ingesting the white flour, sugars, and toxins from processed foods and drinks. Simple. 

Christmas 2010 two years ago. I see soda on the kitchen counter!

I tried to find a few photos of me back then. Kinda hard, because I did not want my photo taken, and I am the photo taker anyway. I have posted a few here, and there are also a few Before/After photos on my About page because people can relate to the outward change that has happened. As you view these photos also remember that the real change has happened inside my body. This continues to happen as I regenerate my body to become the healer it really is. Given the opportunity the body reversed diabetes. Some people say to me that I now look like a different person. I say... I now look like me. I think when we become so obese from processed foods and illnesses, we lose our self inside the haze of just trying to get through each day. Breathing became my focus, and now, living and enjoying my life work is my focus. The past three years delayed any life plans I thought I had in my head. Now I can revisit those things or something different since I have life energy. Although I have to admit, I am at the "What am I going to be when I grow up?" stage again!

Photo taken around the beginning of trying to make new food choices.

I can remember thinking over a year ago that if I could lose fifty pounds in a year my life would change. I was willing to wait out the year for the results, because my body was in such pain, and anything would be better than what was happening. Fortunately I did not have to wait long to start to feel better! In a few months there was a shift in my body. People without hypothyroidism will lose weight probably easier than me. My husband has lost 15 pounds. My daughter has lost 80 pounds in less than a year, after she saw what positive results her momma was having with healthier high quality foods. She has become a foodie as well, researching nutrition on her own these days. I am very proud of her, and after all, it is she who is feeding my grandchildren! I wish I could have known about this important life saving food information when my children were young, so they did not have to deal with health issues as adults. Hopefully now my son will join us on our journey to health, so he can be sure not to reap the sick results of the SAD (standard American diet) lifestyle. We may have some genetic weakness, but we can avoid having those things turn on, by eating a plant based whole foods diet.

Before realization: Taken during the one moment I got off the chair on that day.

Over this past year it has been very exciting to hear from 'The Queen's Table' blog and facebook followers, as I have gone on this new adventure. Their desire to also choose healthier whole foods, and to add juicing to their lives has been full of wonderful results. When I attend my husband's concerts and shows, I am always approached by those who are reading my blog posts and making changes. To meet them, and know they are now working on their good health is the best feeling! Plus I can see the actual results of their efforts, and their enthusiasm in person. Well that is totally awesome! Everyone is thrilled to be feeling so good! Juicing and morning green smoothies rock!

So after much delay, due to recently moving and that cancer thing, I finally am able to post the results from my latest labs. I feel this is the solid proof that juicing and eating your fresh local veggies works! All the doctors I speak with are excited about the changes I have made to my health. The only ones who do not "get it" are the ones from the cancer industry. That is just sad. The possible causes of my breast cancer will be discussed in another post in the near future, but I definitely knew I had to step up my research in the cancer area of nutrition and health too. I hope I can help others to realize the options that they do have beyond the limited world and viewpoint of the cancer industry. So if you know anyone facing a cancer diagnosis be sure to read my Cancer Prevention page above filled with links to help you or a loved one get through the system with their personal power intact. There are times we need doctors, no doubt. It is my opinion that they need to be doctors who fully understand the best of all worlds, the scientific and the nutritional. 

Three months after starting to eat real whole organic foods. 
Already feeling better! I am out and doing things again!

Giving yourself the opportunity to create a healthier body is done by your everyday choices. We have to be the ones to learn how to alkalize and detoxify the body, so it can do its job of healing. In all things we must always be our own advocates for health, and participate in our medical choices. This is especially true with the cancer business, which comes down on you hard. If you do not have cancer now, you should still read over my prevention page. In a world where there is a cancer epidemic, you want to make sure that you do not have a body environment that is a home for cancer cells to thrive. If you are eating the standard American diet, I am telling you that the probability is very high that you may have already given cancer a happy home. Believe me, you do not want to hear that diagnosis.

In conclusion, if you start eating whole fresh foods when you are young, you will live a healthy vibrant life. So kids get in on it while you have time, instead of having to fix things later in life like me. Don't risk the agony of disease. I was ignorant to the truth of what has been going on with the food "industry," and what I was really ingesting on a daily basis. The effects of fake foods, chemicals, GMO's, msg, toxins, hormones, antibiotics, fats, sugars, gluten filled modern wheat products, salts, and low nutrients from these so called food stuffs and drinks, is a disaster waiting to happen to you! The body can only handle so much, and eventually will reach its tipping point. If you fill it with this junk, your body will have to spend all its time working on these toxins and have no time to heal and protect you. It is only a matter of time until you will wonder, "Why is this happening to me?"

One year after: I am taking photos at a recent Hectic Red concert. Back to my Rock N' Roll hours!

As a bonus from eating real whole foods like fruits and veggies, I have not gotten sick during this past year with any colds or flu symptoms. Wow! That is very remarkable for me, as in recent years I was always sick with some evil germ. I got the nasty stuff from everybody. Then there was the bad antibiotics I would have to take to fight the various illnesses. Being a person who does not like to take medicine I disliked that this was becoming a common part of my life. So yes, this ingesting of healthier organic whole foods and juicing, creates a strong immunity system too! You gotta love it!

Folks, now that you know... what you eat many times a day.... everyday.....for weeks months, and years...of your life... does matter and adds up, really consider what your eat. Yes...food matters. What direction do you want to go? Check out what changing the 'quality' of the food I ate had on my body this past year below.  Is it worth spending your money on better food choices? Hell yeah! In the long run it is cheaper too!

My Recent Lab Tests Tell The Tale Of Success!!!

A1C (Reading of the sugar in your blood cells that stays there for 3 months) 

(Reference for Normal 4.4 - 6.4)

May 2011 - 6.7
Nov 2011 - 6.4

April 2012 - 6.1
July 2012 - 5.9
Nov. 2012 -  5.3

Daily Blood Sugar:

(Reference for Normal - 70 - 99)

June - Aug  2011 -  Daily Readings ranged from 102 - 176 (average was 130)
Sept - Dec 2011 - Daily Readings ranged from  91 - 125 (average was 110)

April 2012 - Daily Readings Ranged from 74 - 96 (my average now is 86)
Nov 2012 - Daily Readings Ranged from 66 -112 (my average now is 78)

Cholesterol Changes:
(Reference for Normal with no chance of heart attack is 150)
April 2009 - 197
May 2011 - 170 
April 2012- 165
July 2012 - 149
Nov 2012 - Everything looks good so they did not test this time.

Weight loss Changes:
Sept 2011 - 15 pounds gone
December 2011 - 25 pounds gone
April 2012 - 40 pounds gone
July 2012 - 50 pounds gone
Nov 2012 - 60 pounds gone 
Jan 2013 - 65 pounds gone

Blood Pressure Readings:
2009 - 150/100
2010 - 176/100
2011 March -160/110
2011 November - 130/85
2012 April - 120/85
2012 November - 122/70

Medicine Changes:
June 2011 - Immediately dropped the diabetes medicine Metformin after two weeks, and said, "no way!" to taking pills to control something I knew I could change with better quality food. My doctor had given me 3 months to prove I could do it, and I did! I reversed my diabetes!
December 2011 - Dropped one of my two blood pressure medications. 
December 2012 - Dropped my blood pressure medicine altogether.


Everyone is different and each person will approach their changes in lifestyle in a way that is comfortable to them. What is your mindset when faced with the reality of declining health, or even to keep a vibrant healthy body? Do you have an excuse why you don't follow through, even now that you know what to do? I say just start now and reverse it! Keep trying and restarting over and over till you have a pattern of change. The good news is organic whole food works! Sometimes when we immediately say that "we can't because of this or that" we need to ask ourselves, "Is that really true?" What if we asked ourselves, "What could I do differently to make this happen?" Perhaps it's time to change your own "story" about food, and love yourself, more than the excuses. Are having the "excuses be true," really more valuable than you? Have compassion for yourself and keep trying, and move forward with a vision of success. The goal is to feel better, and be as healthy as you can be! You deserve to live your life to its fullest! Just so you know, I did not even do any exercise until I lost 60 pounds! How easy was that?!! It only took changing up the food to change my life. Of course exercise is important, and now that I am lighter, I am adding that element into the new mix because I can!

Hey! Here is an exciting new announcement: Below is my new doctor! When it came time to get a second opinion on my cancer protocol, I went to Dr.Joel Fuhrman Associates. That is the place where science meets nutrition. So I got that going for me! If you would like to learn from a professional doctor how to reverse disease through nutritional excellence visit Dr.Joel Fuhrman's website, which is filled with valuable information and recipes. He is a true light in the medical field and loves what he does in life. Dr. Fuhrman has been featured in just about every documentary on food and health. Along with having specials on PBS recently, Dr. Fuhrman has also recorded a radio show called "Nutritional Wisdom," with episodes that you can download. I like listening to them while I am working on the computer. The two books of his that I highly recommend you purchase are Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Revised Edition ' and Super Immunity: The Essential Nutrition Guide for Boosting Your Body's Defenses to Live Longer, Stronger, and Disease Free. He has also written an important book for parents to help transform their family's eating habits, and get their children started on the road to life long good health called Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right. His latest book about reversing Diabetes is a far better method than relying on the usual medications which eventually shorten your life, that book is called The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes. For me, I choose life! So I highly encourage you to watch the video clip below, where Dr. Fuhrman talks about overall good nutrition, the fallacies of modern medical care, and the importance of having micro-nutrients in your diet for a long life. Dr. Fuhrman has a DVD set that helps you learn to eat like a Nutritarian, which is what you will be if you choose highly nutrient foods over dead processed foods, that set is simply called Eating Like A Nutritarian.




Having gratitude in advance for feeling better, and thanking the Universe for good health at the start of your new journey is a powerful place to begin. Go visit my 'Get Started' and 'Inspiration' pages to get ideas on how to embark on your own exciting journey in health. I am continually adding new information to the pages at the top of my blog, as I tweak what I am eating and doing, while I continue to learn and grow on this food adventure! So be sure to revisit those pages every now and then for tips and information you can use! If you are feeling badly, are overweight, suffering from diabetes and/or other diseases...can you give yourself the present of a year of change?  Visualize yourself taking steps in that direction. I know you can make these improvements too, so that you can live a happy vibrant life and have fun! Every day is a new opportunity to do it better! Juice on to your own happy, healthy life, with amazing results! You are the key to that door!

Be healthy. Be happy. Be peace.