What Does the Fall Inspire You to Make in Your Kitchen?

Beef Barley Soup

 

 

When I think about the fall and winter my body automatically does the shift into seasonal eating.  The fresh salads, cucumber, tomatoes, and fruit my body was craving in the summer, is now craving warming foods like soups, squash, casseroles etc. 

 

As the weather changes and it starts to get cooler in the days and colder at night there is one thing you can count on if you are coming to my house.  There is always a pot of soup brewing waiting for a ladle to scoop out a big delicious bowl of hearty love and goodness.  This tradition started with my Mom and probably her Mom.  Little did I know back then that all these bone broth soups my Mom would make every couple of days were so healing.  There are so many minerals and nutrients that seep from the bone contributing to good adrenal and thyroid health. 

 

Hubby said to me yesterday, " My favourite part of fall is your Beef Barley Soup".  So out I went and gathered up all of the  ingredients for my "brew". 

 

 

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1 large onion

2 large cloves garlic

3 - 5 large carrots

Beef Bone

12 cups water

salt & pepper

1/3 cup barley

 

Put coconut oil in the pot and melt.  Add the beef bone and braise the outside.  The more you sear it the more flavour comes out.  Add the onion and garlic and carrots and 2 cups of water.  Leave on high with the lid on and boil for 20 minutes.  Add the rest of the water, salt and pepper to your liking and turn the heat to medium low.  Simmer on the stove for 6 - 8 hours, the meat should fall off the stewing bone.  Turn the heat up to high and add barley.  Boil for 15 minutes and turn to low and simmer until the barley is soft.  This soup is better as it congeals and sits mixing the flavours together. 

 

My soups are always made with love, each chop with the knife and stir with the spoon!!

 

May you be safe, May you be happy, May you be free

 

Paula #bechange



5 Helpful Tips for a Healthier You!

5 Helpful Tips for a Healthier You

 

We are all looking for ways to get healthier.  Is there a magic answer?  In my opinion NO there isn't.  Becoming Healthy takes time and commitment, you have to want it, you have to go for it!  Here are some tidbits that have helped me.

 

1.  Plan your meals for the week

-  planning what you are going to eat for the week will help keep you on track and eating in your kitchen not the drive through window. 

 

2.  Wash and Cut up your produce when you get home from the grocery store

-  having all of your vegetables washed and cut in the fridge will reduce the preparation time of meals.  The vegetables and fruit are also an easy go to snack that are already prepared in case you get hungry

 

3.  Purchase and eat whole foods

-  processed foods cause havoc with your digestion and can cause headaches.  Choose whole foods that are packed with nutrients, vitamins and minerals.  Shop around the perimeter of the store.

 

4.  Practice Self Love

- Take a few minutes out of your day to love yourself.  Sit quietly in meditation and really get to know the real you.

 

5.  Exercise

-  Get out doors and take a walk in nature.  Listen to the birds singing, watch the deer eating, just be in and on this magnificent planet. 

Seven Mantras for healing the Chakras

 

Chakras are disc shaped energy centers located up the center of our body.

They are the openings for the life force or energy to move in and out of our aura.  Their function is to vitalize the physical body and to bring about the development of self consciousness.  They are associated with our physcial, mental and emotional interactions.  There are seven major chakras. 

The first chakra is located in the perineum and is called the root chakra, its colour is red.  It is our direct connection to the earth. 

Postive Mantra "I give gratitude to the animals and plants that support me."  "I honour my family and the blessing/lessons I learned from them"

The second chakra is located in the lower abdomen under your belly button, its colour is orange.  This chakra relates to our need for relationships, community bonding outside of our immediate family.  Personal ethics and morals reside here.

Postive Mantra "I am creative and flowing"  "I allow myself to feel and heal."

 

The third chakra is located in the stomach and solar pelux area and its colour is yellow.  This chakra relates to self-perception, self-worth, trusting yourself, self esteem, self confidence, caring for yourself, and fear of failure.

Postive Mantra "I am balanced and centered"  "The sweetness of life fills me."

 

The fourth chakra is located in the heart area and its colour is green.  This chakra is responsible for belief in a divine plan.  This chakra rebalances itself through acts of forgiveness.

Postive Mantra "I am completely open to life, love and joy."  "I choose to see with love."

 

The fifth chakra is located in the throat and its colour is blue.  This chakra allows us to let go of attachement to outcome and live life as it unfolds. 

Postive Mantra "I fully express myself for the highest good of all"  "I am truthful and honor my word."

The sixth chakra is located above the bridge of your nose.  This is also know as the third eye and its colour is indigo.  This is our direct connnection to wisdom and truth.

Postive Mantra "I have all the answers I need."  "I see life and all experiences clearly, and with wisdom."

 

The seventh chakra is located at the crown of the head, its colour is violet.  It is our connection to our spiritual nature and directly aligned with divinity. The scared truth of the crown chakra is to live fully in the present moment and release all physical, psychological and emotional illusions from our lives. 

Postive Mantra "love and light fill me."  "I am one with all life."

 

I encourage you to sit everyday in a quiet place and visualize each chakra and the colour of it.  Hold your visualization for 2 mins on each chakra saying the postive mantras.  Daily chakra cleanse has become part of my routine and I really look forward to it.  When I am done I feel lighter more bubbly and energetic. 

 

May you be safe, May you be happy, May you be free

Paula

 

The Wellness Journey

The meaning of Health and Wellness is very individual.  We are all bio-diverse beings that bring with us influence from our past.  To me Wellness is having the energy and vitality to do the things that I love, having a purpose in my life and being able to connect emotionally with those around me and giving gratitude daily.  The meaning of Wellness can change over time. 

 

Before my health crisis I thought I was very healthy "the picture of health" in fact.  I was physically very active participating in marathons and triathlons all over the country,  practised yoga, ate a vegetarian/vegan diet and had an all around great life.  Health and Wellness meant something different to me pre diagnosis. If we want to move through life with ease and have good health we have to let go of old thought patterns to prevent stagnation and sometimes dis-ease. 

 

I started on  my wellness journey asking the questions why did I get this dis-ease, what am I doing wrong and what are you trying to tell me I have to change.  I asked myself What are the Essentials for a balanced healthy life and I came up with 10. 

 

                Physical                              Emotional                           Spiritual

• Drink filtered water            Give Gratitude                   Develop a relationship
• Get enough sleep                Give Forgiveness               with God               
• Eat nutritious food              Be Accepting
• Enjoy your activity             Give and Receive Love
• Breathe Deeply

Some of these Essentials I had mastered but it became clear to me that I really needed to work on my emotional and spiritual ones. 

 

What does Health and Wellness mean to you?  How are you doing with the 10 Essentials of Health and Wellness?  I would love to hear from you

 

May you be safe, May you be happy, May you be free

Paula

A little bit about Healing with Gerson

The Gerson therapy is not for the weak at heart. It is a vigorous, very scheduled therapy for healing chronic dis-ease such as cancer. This therapy has been in effect for over 100 years, with a clinic in Tijuana Mexico. This therapy requires you to drink 13 freshly pressed juices every hour each day, fresh whole foods for your meals and coffee enemas every 4 hours for a total of 5 a day. When I started on this therapy March 19, 2013 I found it very taxing and did not know how I was going to survive and commit to this for a two year period. I decided that if I was going to do this I needed help!  My sister-in law was between jobs so I hired her 5 days a week for 4 hours in the morning. This took a huge load off of me. She washes the 100 pounds ( not a typo) of organic produce each week, prepares the coffee for the coffee breaks (aka enemas), makes my soup, salads and juices for me. This has freed me up to do the healing I need to do. It seems that every minute is accounted for when you are getting real about healing. This is a typical day for me on Gerson

5:30 - wake up, kettle on, oatmeal on, squeeze a grapefruit and orange into a glass
6:00 - coffee break
6:45 - 1st juice, oatmeal, reflexology machine for 30 minutes ( HTE ERE)
7:15 - dry brush, shower, essential oils application
7:30 - e-power machine (HTE electrical impulse machine)
8:00 - green juice, jump on rebounder
8:30 - carrot/apple juice, emails, work on course
9:00 - carrot/apple juice, HTE SOQI bed ( infrared and chi machine), meditation
10:00 - carrot juice, yoga, coffee break
11:00 - green juice
12:00 - carrot/apple juice
1300 -  green juice, lunch, ERE machine
1400 - carrot juice, run errands, appointments, coffee break
1500 - carrot juice, SOQI bed
1600 - carrot/apple juice
1700 - green juice
1800 - carrot/apple juice, supper ERE machine, coffee break
1900 - E power machine, SOQI bed
2000 - rest
2100 - coffee break

I will blog about how this therapy is helping me and some of the intense healing reactions I have had.   Until then, 
May you be safe, May you be happy, May you be free
Paula