Category Archives: wellness

Raw Chocolate Extraordinaire!

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piecechocolates

I’ve been promising a lot of people to share my favorite raw chocolate recipe in a blog. I thought this might make a great Christmas gift for everyone who reads – especially those too far away to receive a warm hug.  One of my challenges in writing this blog and sharing this recipe, is that I don’t always measure precisely and I don’t always make the chocolate the same way every time!  So, to insure that I give you a good rendition, I made the best chocolate ever – then I wrote down what I did (more or less), then I made it again, following the recipe I had written down.  There really is no need to measure, you can just eyeball the quantities.  I hate to waste any ingredients in a measuring cup, and you can’t really go wrong with these ingredients!  This truly is the best chocolate ever!

There are two options:  make the chocolate base and put it into molds (pictured on left) or a dish and eat it just like that.  For an amazing addition, add a layer of  raw chocolate icing courtesy of rawtarian.com to the bottom layer in the glass dish (pictured on right).  I’ve included a simple version of the raw chocolate icing below.

I’ve made chocolate in my Vitamix and I’ve made it by combining the ingredients in a bowl.  Use whatever you have.  You can’t really go wrong when you mix this combination of ingredients! For truly raw chocolate, the ingredients should only be heated enough to melt in order to best preserver the antioxidant benefits.

Best Ever Raw Chocolate

  • 2/3 C melted coconut oil
  • 1/3 C melted cocoa butter
  • 1/3 C melted honey (can use a bit less)
  • 1/2 C raw cacao powder (adding slightly more will make it darker)
  • 1/2 C or so whole dates (finely chopped if not using a blender)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • Dash salt

Blend in Vitamix or bowl until very smooth. Once blended, add nuts.  If added to blender, just blend to desired consistency.  If mixing in a bowl, chop them first.

  • 1 cup pecans

Pour some into chocolate molds if you have them and pour the rest into the bottom of glass dish(es) about 1/2 inch thick. Put into the freezer to harden. After hard, the chocolate molds can be popped out and kept in a container in the refrigerator.

For the mixture in the glass dish, to make it even more incredibly delicious, top it with raw chocolate icing made by combining in a blender or food processor:

  • 1 C dates
  • 1/4 C raw cacao powder
  • 1/4 C coconut oil
  • 3/4 C water

Let the contents sit for 10+ minutes or so to soften the dates. Blend on high. Stop and scrape down the sides and blend on high again.

This is now awesome deliciousness. Pour or spread on top of the chocolate base. Put in the refrigerator, or freezer if you need it to harden faster.  Store raw chocolate in the refrigerator.  You can cut it into any size pieces you desire!

Share with those you love A LOT!

Please let me know how this recipe works for you!

ingredients

 

Quick Easy Chicken Butternut Curry

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IMG_0488For those of you who don’t always plan in advance as well as you would like (my hand is up), I thought I might share a very easy last-minute recipe you can make which will surprise you by how fast it is ready and how good it tastes.

It does depend on having a few things in your refrigerator on stand-by, which is a good habit to get into, especially if you try to figure out last-minute healthy meals like I do.  These quantities serve about 4, but you can add a bit of everything to serve more. Preciseness is not that important in most of my cooking, much to the dismay of some of my family members!  Prep time is about 10-15 minutes, depending on your chopping speed.  Cooking time is about 10-15 minutes too!  You can hardly go out and get fast food for under 30 minutes!  And this is WAY more delicious and healthy!

Ingredients & Method all mixed together:

  • 2 Chicken breasts (organic, if possible.  They can be frozen, so don’t worry if you didn’t thaw it out!).  If you are able and want to cut them into pieces, you can, but for a faster result, just use them whole.  If they are still frozen solid, then use them whole, and you can break them into smaller pieces somewhere along the cooking process!
  • Coconut Oil, 1-2 Tablespoons (depending on your budget and how much you have on hand, more is always good!)
  • Onions, chopped.  Either ½ onion leftover in the fridge, or a whole one, your choice.
  • Garlic, couple of cloves, chopped or pressed (I’m still chopping, though I am hoping for a Pampered Chef garlic press for Christmas!).

Throw all of that into a largish pan on a medium low heat (it can go in stages, whatever works!).  Cover and simmer on a low heat, turning the chicken occasionally to brown.  If frozen, this stage will take a little bit longer.  You can also use a firm wooden spoon to break the chicken breast into pieces whenever you are able to do so.  Wait until it’s cooked a bit, so that it is not a difficult thing to do). I never use metal on metal when cooking, just saying.

  • Curry Powder, 1-2 Tablespoons.  Add curry powder to the pan after the chicken has mostly changed color on all sides and stir everything around so it gets impacted by the curry powder.  The chicken does not have to be cooked through the middle. The curry powder likes to sauté with the other ingredients to share its flavor. I have been enjoying Simply Organic Curry Powder, which I think I buy from Kroger.  It is a staple in my cupboard. I will also experiment with different curry powders.  It’s great to get one with Turmeric, since it has so many beneficial qualities.
  • Butternut, chopped.  I chopped about ¾ of a butternut into small pieces (while the chicken mixture was browning).  I actually left most of the skin on, but it was cut small.  It was fine with the skin on, and it is a lot faster than having to peel it!  (I took the seeds out and put them in a glass dish (see picture) with coconut oil and salt to roast in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes – makes a wonderful snack for later! Once I figured this out, I was amazed about how I had been wasting butternut seeds for years!  Don’t worry about cleaning them, just dump all the insides in!)  If you don’t have any butternut, you could use carrots or any combination of vegetables that you have on hand, and change the name!IMG_0487
  • 1-2 Cups Chicken Stock.  This is a great thing to find in your fridge or freezer!  If I didn’t have any homemade chicken stock, I would have just added one cup of water
  • Ground Salt, Himalayan Crystal.  A few turns.
  • Ground Pepper, a few turns.

Allow to simmer on low for about 15 minutes.  Put some Quinoa or rice on to cook and it will be ready at the same time.

Optional:  cashews.  If you are a bit short on the meat, add cashews, or if you have an abundance of cashews, just add them for the taste!

While simmering, make a quick salad and Voila, a wonderful dish to delight the family – and they didn’t even guess I wasn’t prepared!  I promise I didn’t use any recipe for this, except what was stored in my head.  That doesn’t mean no one else gets any credit, I just can’t remember who I need to acknowledge for how I’ve learned to make curry.  I used to have no idea how to make a nice curry and asked a lot of people along the way.  It turns out, it isn’t really all that hard!  And it gets easier and better with a bit of practice!

I don’t think this curry was spicy at all.  If you want it a bit more spicy, add a chili pepper with the onions during the sautéing process.

 

I can…

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I Can...

 

There are many things in my life that I have no control over.

For instance, I can’t change other people.  But I decided to make a list of things I can do; things God can help me do.

  • I can walk with integrity;
  • I can be an example of health, vitality and enthusiasm;
  • I can share winsomely with whoever God brings across my path; whomever God gives ears to hear;
  • I can have compassion – especially for those suffering damage from iatrogenic  causes;
  • I can help train others with similar passions to be sensitive spokespeople for health;
  • I can campaign;
  • I can educate myself;
  • I can make information clear and available;
  • I can share truth about God with fellow travelers – gradually with sensitivity;
  • I can write to impact;
  • I can seek to be a difference maker, continuously exploring ways of effectively making a difference with others.

Those are some of the things I can do.  I am sure I can think of some more.   Even if your current situation is not optimal, what are the things you can do?

Thanksgiving 2015Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a breastfeeding counsellor for over 23 years Becky is devoted to helping parents make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies. As a member of a Vaccine Safety Education Coalition, Becky writes and speaks on the topic of vaccine safety.

16 Vaccine Objections

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needleHere are some of the basic reasons I have chosen to reject the popularly recommended concept of injecting myself and my loved ones with vaccines. This is not full of scientific links and support.  It is just my reasons and my conclusions.  Each parent and each medical professional has to make their own conclusions and live with their own conscience.

1.  No liability.  No doctor, no drug company, no government agency is liable for any damages incurred if the injection causes any damage.

2.  Vaccine Damage is a reality. The fact that compensation of nearly $4B has been paid out for victims in the USA alone, proves that damage is a reality, but is a hard and long battle to receive anything back.  Only 25% of claims filed have been paid.  Many more claims have not even been filed.

Media response3.  Combined Impact.  No studies have ever been done on the impact of combined vaccines EVER.  So young babies are routinely scheduled to get multiple injections at one visit and all the professionals assume it is safe.  That is not science. http://www.jpands.org/vol21no2/miller.pdf

4.  Given too young.  The blood brain barrier is not fully developed until around the age of 2, yet we are told we need to inject highly toxic substances into babies in the first days and months of life.  It just doesn’t sit right with me.  The toxic ingredients impact the brain. Not all kids get autism, but what are we doing to our children? When vaccines were first introduced they would never give them to babies or pregnant women.  Now they are recommended.  Did anyone ever do some studies to support such a drastic policy change?

Recomended Vaccines 83-20155.  Too many vaccines.  The recommended schedule has ballooned over the years – especially since liability was removed.  Isn’t that interesting?  Many parents today received vaccines so they think it is safe to give vaccines, but babies today will receive nearly three times as many injections as their parents!

6.  Safety studies often do not compare new vaccine products to placebo but against old vaccines or aluminum adjuncts. As a minimal there should be placebo controlled safety trials!

7.  Conflicts of interest among those who set the schedules, make recommendations and gain financially.

8.  Control of medical education and media by major pharmaceutical interests results in Intense Propaganda.

9.  If vaccines were good and beneficial there would be no need to force, pressure or coerce parents.

10.  Effectiveness. Vaccines have not been proven to be effective in providing protection.

11.  Use of aborted fetal cells as a foundation for some vaccines.

12.  Use of monkey kidneys cells and other foreign proteins as a foundation for some vaccines and the lack of study on the impact such foreign proteins can have on the undeveloped immune system.

13.  Use of GMO ingredients in the manufacture of vaccines – with completely unknown results on the body.

14.  New understanding of the immune system, molecular biology and the human genome which should cause every scientist to re-think the foundation of vaccine science.

15.  Chronic illness and general health of our population.  Vaccines are not the only reason, but since our health care costs are among the highest in the world and since our vaccination rate is among the highest in the world, wouldn’t you expect that health rates for both children and adults should be among the highest in the world?

16.  Health does not come through a needle, but through adequate diet and a strong immune system.

I think I could go on an on. About known toxic chemicals added to vaccines such as aluminum which have a detrimental impact on the developing brain and Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) states it is not safe in any MINIMUM amount; formaldehyde that is added to most vaccines is also used for preserving tissue samples and embalming dead bodies, yet it has never been tested for injection into a live human, causes deranged DNA and  cancers; MSG, a flavor enhancer, is a known neurological excitotoxin which causes brain cells to continuously fire until cell death; Polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) which is known to cause sterility, open the blood brain barrier, and prevents the body from detoxing.

Vaccines seem like a great idea.  Just have this little prick and you will avoid being sick! That is the hope they offer to fearful parents.  But I don’t think they deliver on their promises.  You might have formed different opinions.  These are sixteen of the reasons that forced me to spend hours exploring the topic and looking for answers.  The answers I found did not satisfy me that vaccines were a safe or effective option.

I’m not a doctor, I’m just a mom and a grandmother dedicated to the health of my family. My heart aches for those who have suffered vaccine damage and I want to help others find true health. I’ve spent over thirty years researching this topic and these big points just keep standing out for me.

If you tell me it’s not fair if my unvaccinated child gets a disease that harms someone else, I’ll tell you that it is not my responsibility to do anything other than keep my children healthy. If they get sick, I’ll keep them home and they’ll be better in no time because we are building a strong innate immune system. If vaccines worked you’d have no reason to fear.  In my opinion, herd immunity is a myth.  I have no obligation to expose my child to harm for a supposed (but unproven) slight benefit to others.

Have you got any additional reasons to add to this list?
Thanksgiving 2015Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a breastfeeding counsellor for over 23 years Becky is devoted to helping parents make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies. As a member of a Vaccine Safety Education Coalition, Becky writes and speaks on the topic of vaccine safety.

Deviant Chocolate Mousse Cake

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Minolta DSC

Raw cacao powder – packed full of nutrition

deviant |ˈdēvēənt|, adjective, departing from usual or accepted standards, esp. in social or sexual behavior: deviant behavior | a deviant ideology.

Ingredients:

  • ½ Cup cacao butter
  • 1/3 Cup cacao powder
  • 4 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 2 eggs (organic)
  • zest and juice from one lime (organic)
  • pinch salt
  • almonds (raw, organic)

Method:

Add desired amount of almonds to a food processor, process until they are the consistency you desire. Dump all the rest of the ingredients except the cacao butter and process to blend.

Melt the cacao butter over low heat, or in a double boiler. Remove from the heat and add to the food processor and blend with the rest of the ingredients.

Oil a glass dish or pie pan with coconut oil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  When it is done the top should be slightly cracked but the middle will still be soft and wiggly.   Allow to cool and then refrigerate overnight.  If you are very aware of presentation, you can decorate with sliced or chopped almonds and cacao powder on top before serving.

Commentary:

I doubled the recipe when I made this for Thanksgiving Eve 2013.  The cacao butter was REALLY REALLY hard, so I didn’t manage to use the full amount required. I added some coconut oil to make up for the lack of cacao butter. Of course, I didn’t measure anything (except the can of coconut milk, because that was really easy), so the results are only approximate! I doubled the recipe and processed it in a food processor half at a time.  I cooked it for longer at a lower temperature. After cooking, I put it outside to cool because it was about at freezing temperature where we were.  It didn’t have time to set overnight in the fridge, so when it was time for serving, it wasn’t at its peak.  The overall response was tolerable, but I enjoyed it.  It looked more promising than it tasted. A bit more honey (not sure I used the full amount) would have made it better for some of the less whole, natural food enthusiasts amongst us.  After tasting the batter, I must confess that I added some cream cheese, about 5 Tablespoons, to the double batch, because it seemed as if that might give the taste an umpph. Since there was some leftover, I enjoyed eating it the next day after it had set in the fridge. There weren’t too many takers for my Deviant Mousse Cake the following day, but it was also Thanksgiving with a lot of sweet treats around to choose from!

I would definitely make this again and may experiment with quantities.  I might also try to make a nut/date crust for the bottom.

I named this cake because I loosely based it on a recipe I found at http://spirithealers.blogspot.com/2013/11/gluten-free-chocolate-mousse-cake-with.html

but I deviated significantly from it.  It was also a big deviation from the rather mainstream types of mousse or cheese cakes which my audience was more familiar with.  The benefits of raw cacao, cacao butter and coconut are certainly deviant thinking for many of us!

What is your favorite healthy treat?

 

Doctors I admire

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I’m sure this is only a partial list.  What medical professionals do you admire for their unrelenting presentation of truth? Please add your comment below.

 

Vaccine Safety

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syringeAll vaccines have the legal classification of being unavoidably unsafe.  Dr Tony Bark

Trust parental instinct.  If something goes wrong, you are going to have to live with it for a long time.  We have had Public Health for about 50 years, but maternal instinct has been around for thousands of years.  Dr Andrew Wakefield

[A video with more quotes]

There are many thoughtful, highly trained medical professionals who are actively involved in caring for vaccine injured children  These professional have spent hours researching the history and science of vaccination and concluded that vaccines are to be approached with extreme caution.

This community consists of MDs, PhDs, DOs, Chiropractors, Naturopaths, parents and grandparents.  They have have learned from listening to parents and being wiling to release a mindset stuck in a paradigm that they were trained in.  Listening to parents and being willing to challenge the dogma they have been entrenched in, enables them to understand the science and history behind vaccines and understand what mechanisms are happening in the body when there are vaccine injuries.

Theses medical professionals supporting families with vaccine injury, like you and me, need to eat and enjoy living indoors, but they are not earning multimillions through connections with corporations.  These corporations are not liable for any damage, death or injury caused by vaccines.  If someone is supporting and promoting vaccines it is imperative that you explore any possible conflicts of interests.  Before you believe someone who claims to be a specialist, check out how their income is impacted through their connection with vaccine acceptance.

Vaccine damage is a reality – yet those who manufacture them are not held responsible, only given profits.  If your child is injured or dies as a result of vaccines you cannot seek any recourse from the manufacturers.  You can file a claim through the special vaccine court set up by the government, which has paid out over $2.5 B, but they only have settled 25% of the claims made to them.

Think about it.  You have to choose who to trust.  Take some time.  You can never unvaccinate.

What matters most to you when you consider vaccinating?

Snack Attack

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HoneyOk, I admit I sometimes get those cravings for something rich, sweet and gooey.  We have a family recipe for chocolate chip cookies with oats that are legendary. Breaking that habit is hard.

Trying to go gluten zero is not easy.  Gluten free and sugar-free is taking it to another level.  I haven’t even begun to go dairy free, although I do choose raw organic milk in small quantities!

Making wise food choices sometimes seems like a battle.  So, here is something I tried that I think might become a new go-to food!

  • ½ Tablespoon peanut butter
  • ½ Tablespoon coconut oil
  • ¼ Tablespoon local organic honey
  • A sprinkle of cacao nibs

Mix together and savor!  Enjoy it with a cup of your best hot healthy beverage, or just a cup of tea!

I try to use mostly natural organic ingredients.  I like my peanut butter freshly ground from organic peanuts. If you can’t eat peanuts, other nut butters would work.

Double the batch if you want to share.  Or encourage your kids to make their own delicious, healthy, natural treat.  A little goes a long way to fight those cravings!

What are your favorite ways to fight the sugar cravings?

Coaching for Health

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Fruit FaceIn the area of health we are bombarded with information, often competing and contradictory.  There are powerful forces at work to keep us confused, sick and dependent.

Most of us don’t have time to delve into the latest research and make sense of it.  Only when we, or someone we love is faced with a huge health challenge, do we get the motivation necessary to delve into the details and research what is truly healthy.  We also get the motivation needed to follow our new knowledge with action.

I have spent hours researching various aspects of health.  My body is my personal science experiment.  I put what I learn into practice as a part of my research.  I love sharing what I learn with others.

Children’s Health

I am particular passionate about raising healthy children.  I began my healthy parenting journey 31 years ago with reading Adele Davis’ book, Let’s Have Healthy Children and continue to endorse her approach to helping our children reach their unique potential through breastfeeding and providing whole foods in as close to their natural state as possible, while avoiding processed foods.  In our present day, I think Mrs Davis would be shocked by the state of children’s health in our country where childhood cancer, auto-immune diseases, diabetes, behavior disorders, etc are all reaching epidemic proportions.

I raised five children who are making wise nutritional choices as adults and parents themselves.  Feeding a family is a very difficult job in today’s world with so many quick, easy, tasty options tempting us.  Parents today face an enormously difficult task in raising healthy children.  Join me in a Journey of discovering optimal health for every member of the family.

A coach is someone trained and devoted to guiding others into increased competence, commitment, and confidence.  I’d love to help you reach your personal health goals.

How do you implement and encourage healthy nutrition in your family? Please let me know your ideas in the comments section below.

It Starts with the Shopping

Eating Healthy – It Starts With the Shopping

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738926_27892725Imagine if you could hire someone to do all your shopping and healthy food preparation for you!  What a luxury!  What a thrill.

This is the reason we often find ourselves going out for a meal, whether in a restaurant or fast food, because we want someone else to do the work for us.

So, if you could get a real live person to take over this part of your life, what instructions would you give them?

“Just make me healthy food.”

This instruction might not be enough.  We all have different definitions of health. Many distinctively unhealthy fast food outlets promote the health of their products!

Most of us at some point have assumed that the food products available in the grocery store are safe – we do have an organization called the Food and Drug Association, which is there (paid by our tax dollars) to make sure the options are safe and healthy – right?

Every family has their own interpretation of ‘healthy food.’  Every mother teaches her children food preferences.

So, how do we navigate the maze and figure out what healthy food means in 2013? If someone was shopping and preparing food for me, this is what I would instruct them to buy and prepare:

My short list of ‘NO’:

  • GMO products (corn, sugar beets, soy components, unless specified non-GMO);
  • HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) containing products (HFCS is GMO, so it would be excluded anyway);
  • Partially hydrogenated fats;
  • Pork;
  • Most processed foods (or >5 ingredients).

YES:

  • Lots of healthy fats: coconut oil, olive oil (EVOO), avocado, wild fish, clean meat, raw clean nuts and seeds;
  • Organic vegetables (celery, sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, leafy greens, cucumbers, broccoli, green beans, peas, summer squash, zucchini, etc.);
  • Organic fruit (apples, bananas, limes, anything seasonal);
  • Ginger, garlic, turmeric, cilantro, Himalayan salt, other herbs;
  • Superfoods:  cacao powder, maca powder, spirulina, cacao nibs, goji berries, aloe, bee products, hemp seeds, chia seeds, etc.;
  • Limited grains:  oats, rice, quinoa, wheat or wheat flour (all organic if possible);
  • For a treat:  organic corn chips, organic salsa, fresh vegetable juices

Once you get all the good ingredients home, then the fun part of figuring out how you are going to prepare it begins!

Some people say, eating healthy is so expensive, but I remind them that cancer is being expensive; being sick and disabled is VERY expensive.

What principles help you with your grocery shopping?  I’d love to hear from anyone who has transitioned even further on the road to health and is growing some of their own organic foods!

Coaching for a Healthier Family