My cousin recently asked me a great question regarding cleansing (and doing the whole food cleanse specifically) with Cleanse With Friends. Thought the question, and answer, were worthy of a post here. Thanks, Jenny!

Q: Hey Tammy, how are you? I love getting your posts on all your cleansing events. I wish I lived closer so I could check them out. I am really curious about trying it [the whole food cleanse] but can't picture jumping in with both feet. Is there a way to do it in smaller steps? Do you have any book recommendations or websites that I might want to check out?

A: A cleanse can be daunting, and yes there are definitely ways to ease into it. I recommend that you simply begin to notice the percentage of whole foods to processed/packaged foods that you eat at each meal or snack. These can be tracked on a pad of paper or in a journal--just noticing brings awareness to what your habits really are. No judgments--it's about building awareness. Or, you could notice the number of servings of veggies and fruit you eat each day, and make a "tic" mark in your journal. Then, simply set a goal to increase the percentage of whole foods or increase the number of fruits and/or veggies that you eat each day. Set a doable goal--even if it's just adding one more per day, or increasing the percentage by 10 or 20%.

One of my favorite websites for recipes and nutritional info is www.whfoods.org. Most of the recipes are simple AND delicious, and contain the nutritional info for that recipe. It isn't about counting calories as much as it is about increasing the micronutrients in the diet--vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, enzymes, etc.

He also has a top 100 food list--this is a great list to print out and keep handy when you're looking for ideas on what you might add to the diet. And, I believe if you click on an individual food like 'Avocados" there's a ton of nutritional info as well as links to all the recipes he has that include this food.

Hope that helps! Would love to have you join a cleanse with us sometime--I'm offering them "online" via webinar so you can connect with us from right where you are. :-)

Best,

Tamara

Raindrop Therapy

One of the therapies that I have been offering clients with much success is Raindrop therapy. So what is it?

Raindrop therapy combines the powerful energetic, immune-supportive, and detoxifying properties of essentials oils to affect positive changes in the body--essentially helping the body to rebalance and return to a normal, vital state. Most people think of essential oils as aromatherapy--the stuff that smells good--but aren't as aware that essential oils are literally the unique "medicine" of particular plants, trees, flowers, roots and fruits in their most concentrated form. In the course of a Raindrop session, we apply about 150 drops of 10 different essential oils that work together to balance all systems of the body energetically. I've found Raindrop to be especially helpful for those that have chronic conditions like recurring headaches, pain, infections, stress (including emotional and traumatic) and forms of inflammation.

Each session lasts about an hour--the oils are applied to the feet with reflexology and to the spine where they can directly enter the energetic pathways of the body. We apply heat (via warm stones) at the end to further encourage circulation and absorption of the oils. It feels wonderful!

Clients typically feel a greater sense of wellbeing after a session, feel rebalanced and rejuvenated, experience a reduction of pain, are able to rest better, and find their immune systems are able to get on top of chronic infections. Most feel the benefits immediately and find they last a week or longer, and will repeat as necessary until the body settles into a new place of balance.

If this resonates with you, please feel free to schedule a Raindrop with me at Your Wellness Connection in Shawnee (913-962-7408) or at Lotus Blossom Day Spa in Bonner Springs (913-441-0841)! And please let me know if you have any questions--I'm happy to answer them.

Slow-Roast Method of Roasting Turkey

This recipe came from a church cookbook that my aunt gave me when I got married—not only have I found it a wonderful way to create a deliciously moist turkey, I’ve found it’s got the spirit of the holiday in it. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Here’s the recipe verbatim:

This isn’t something that originated with us; it’s as old as the hills and your (great?) grandmother probably used it in her coal stove. Here it is:

Remove packaged insides from turkey. (Turkey should be thawed.) Salt the turkey generously inside, then stuff. Fasten with skewers or twine or sew (this is what my gram did.) Smear about ½ stick butter all over the outside of the bird. Salt it thoroughly all over. Stand it on a trivet or rack in the bottom of a deep baking pan. Cover the bird with a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil and tuck it down around the side of the bird, not over the edges of the pan. Refrigerate him.

(Optional--stew the neck and giblets for about two hours in water to cover and a little salt. Add two stalks celery, minced, one large onion, chopped, and a teaspoon of poultry seasoning to the broth as it cooks. Strain and cool.)

Wednesday (or the night before) at bedtime, set the oven at 275F, no higher. Figure about 30 minutes time for each pound of turkey (before stuffing), up to 6 hours, which is about right for birds up to twelve or thirteen pounds. If he weighs more than this, figure 7 or 8 hours. Put the turkey in the oven, set your alarm clock and go to bed. When the alarm clock goes off, stumble into the kitchen, turn off the oven but leave the door shut, then go back to sleep. Just let him rest where he is.

Next morning, remove him from the oven and do whatever baking you want to do on this day—making pies, etc. Then about an hour before dinner, turn your attention to Mr. Turk. You’ll find that he tests done, but looks anemic. There will be some brown juice in the bottom of the pan and a lot of melted fat. Use a pastry brush to smear these drippings all over the bird. Heat the oven to 325F. Put him back in the oven and look every 10-15 minutes. In about 30 minutes, he will start to get brown. Repeat basting with the drippings. All of a sudden he will be very brown—watch him carefully. It will all take about an hour, which is the time it will take to heat him through once more.

You will find the white meat is as juicy as the dark, and the drumsticks as tender as butter.

Wonderfully Fabulous Beans

Beans are simply wonderful—full of flavor and texture. Great sources of fiber, complex carbohydrates, and protein, too. An oh-so satisfying addition to a whole-foods based way of eating!

There are many varied opinions on how best to cook beans for digestibility—no one wants to eat beans that taste wonderfully, and then moments or hours later, result in tummy upset, gas or bloating. After personally trying many ways of preparing beans—soaking/not soaking, salt/no salt while cooking, adding vinegar, baking soda, doing a magic dance, etc.—I have landed on this, my favorite, way of cooking beans. To me, the Parsons method is the answer—resulting in delicious and digestible beans that are as no-fuss as they can be. Now, I really can make home-made beans that taste better than canned, and that are so, so easy.

Los Angeles Times Food editor Russ Parsons had this to say regarding the varied opinions on how best to prepare beans:

1. Unless they are very old, beans need not be presoaked. Presoaking only saves about 30 minutes or so of cooking time, and often at the cost of texture and flavor. So, no soaking, except for garbanzo beans, which will cook much faster if soaked overnight.

2. Reducing flatulence from eating beans is more a function of eating more beans (the more you eat, the better your digestive flora is able to handle them) than it is of a particular method of cooking them. That is, there is no magic formula for reducing gas from beans. Rather, a healthy digestive system will handle them just fine.

3. Salting beans at the beginning of cooking doesn’t affect the beans texture. It does, however, allow the salt to become well absorbed as the beans cook, adding dimension and flavor.

4. Cooking beans in an earthen ware pot adds nothing to their flavor. Use any pot you like.

5. Areas with hard water (high levels of calcium and magnesium) will mean longer cooking time because starches soften much more slowly in the presence of these mineral salts.

6. Always cook beans beginning with cold water, so the starches will swell more gradually and thoroughly.

7. Oven cooking is best, since the heat is more easily controlled and even.

8. If you want beans to be separated and light, cook them in lots of water.

9. Beans are done when they are tender through to the center. Another test—blow on the bean. If it wrinkles, it’s usually done (but taste to be sure.)

 
The Parsons Method of Cooking Beans

Heat oven to 300F.

Rinse and drain one pound of beans, and add to an oven-proof pot (cast iron, clay Dutch oven, etc are good choices.)

Cover beans with 3 inches of cool water; add 1 tsp sea salt, and any other seasoning you wish—onion, garlic, basil, bay leaf, cumin, curry, etc. Bring to a boil on the stove top. (Since I don't know if my ceramic pot is stovetop-safe, I bring all to a boil in a large saucepan or stock pot and then transfer to baking dish.)

Cover, transfer beans to the oven and bake, stirring occasionally, until done—usually 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on the type of bean.

Halve or double this recipe, adjusting salt and seasonings accordingly.

Want to know my favorite combination so far? Black beans seasoned with sea salt, bay leaf, cumin, and baked with chopped onion and garlic. Remove bay leaves once beans are done. Fabulous!

Inspired and adapted from How to Read a French Fry by Russ Parsons.

The Bounty of Squash

As we transition to Fall, there is no food as fabulous to me as squash. To me, squash roasted with some onion and garlic with some rosemary is the perfect comfort food. And, squash is loaded with vitamin C, phytonutrients, and good fiber--boosting our immune systems and helping our bodies transition into the colder months with ease.

So, in honor of Fall and squash--here is one of my favorite recipes:

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

1 butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 yam or sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
2 pears (bosc works well), cored and roughly chopped (not overly ripe)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup coconut milk (or other creamy milk, preferably non-dairy)
6.5 cups vegetable broth
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 to 1 inch ginger root, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine squash, sweet potato, cinnamon stick, and ginger in a soup pot. Add 6 cups vegetable broth (save 1/2 cup for later), bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

2. While vegetables are simmering in soup pot, cook onions in olive oil in a pan over medium heat - about 5 minutes or until caramelized.

3. Add chopped pears and 1/2 cup vegetable broth to onions. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until broth is reduced; then add pears and onions to soup pot.

4. When squash and sweet potatoes are tender (takes about 25 - 30 minutes), add coconut milk. Remove from heat and take out cinnamon stick.

5. Use a food processor, strong blender, or a hand-held blender to blend all ingredients together until smooth. (If you use a food processor or blender, you may have to do this in batches.) Can leave a portion of the soup unblended for a hearty, chunkier texture.

6. Add sea salt and pepper, to taste.

Excerpted from one of my favorite references: www.drbenkim.com

ENJOY!

Clearing and being present

I attended a workshop called Sacred Commerce a couple of weeks ago, and since have been practicing daily to "get present." That is, to be in the present moment--focused on being here, now. The workshop leaders, Mathew and Terces Engelhart who founded Cafe Gratitude, talked about how when our minds are focused in the past we feel regret and guilt, and when we're focused in the future, we can feel fear and anxiety. So hey! I like the feeling of being present far better than feeling regret, guilt, anxiety and fear. I'm finding that getting "clear" and focusing on the present is quite freeing, and is bringing me a sense of peace and purposefulness to each day.

Want to try it yourself? This clearing process requires a buddy, and can be done in person or on the phone. Takes about 30 minutes to clear both of you.

Start with a "shadow" question--shadows are the thoughts that keep us from being in the present moment.

Some example shadow questions:

What is a thought or belief that is limiting you?
What version of something's wrong are you telling yourself right now?
Who are you feeling disconnected from?

Take turns asking the shadow question of each other. Then, fully listening to your partner, reflect back what he/she said. It goes something like this:

Person A: What is a thought or belief that is limiting you?
Person B: What's coming up is that I think there's not enough time in the day. My to-do list always feels like it's more than I can do.
Person A: So, what I hear you saying is is that you think there's not enough time in the day. And your to-do list feels like more than you can do.

Then, ask your partner how this "shadow" makes them feel.

Person A: So when you're present with this thought that there's not enough time in the day, what does that feel like?
Person B: I feel overwhelmed. Defeated before I even begin. Like, why try? It feels heavy.

Reflect back:

Person A: So I hear you saying that this makes you feel overwhelmed, heavy and defeated.
Person B: Yes, that's how it feels.

Notice there's no fixing. Person A offers no ideas, solutions or offers to assist. The power is in Person B bringing forward what thoughts/beliefs are in limiting him/her. Throwing in your own ideas of how to solve this only anchors a person in their circumstances. Instead in this process, there's an inherent acknowledgement that we each are already whole, complete, and perfect. We're just "in our story." And by "clearing" the shadows we open fully to being whole, complete and perfect in this moment, on our own. We focus on our consciousness, where we have ultimate control. Powerful!

Next, you ask/answer a question to shift out of the shadow. This is the opportunity to create someting new, to become present, to love your life.

Examples:

What new possibility are you present to?
What are you grateful for?
What do you love about the world?
Where are you feeling fulfilled?

Take turns reflecting back. Thank your partner for sharing and getting present with you!

I encourage you to try this practice of clearing, and see what unfolds for you!

If you'd like a steady stream of daily questions for clearing, Cafe Gratitude has a Google group that you can join to get the questions of the day. They're awesome! Here's a link: Cafe Gratitude Question of the Day.

Best to you today!

Tamara

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Would you call this a salsa? It's a scoopable "dip," a topping for fresh veggies or a salad, and great on its own--eaten with a fork or spoon. I made this for a pool party this summer and my son's friends ate it ALL. And it makes a lot!

Here's the recipe:

2 cans shoepeg corn (organic preferably)

2 cans black beans (organic, or 4 cups homemade black beans)

1 medium onion, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

juice of 2 limes

bunch of cilantro, chopped

This is so easy--get a big bowl and add drained corn, rinsed beans, chopped onion, and tomato. Juice limes over the bowl, and toss. Chop cilantro, and toss. Taste and adjust to your liking. Serve with organic corn tortilla chips, or sliced veggies. Recipe can be halved or doubled. Even better the second day!