Exceedingly, abounding, and abundantly are New Testament words used to describe the joy and grace we recieve when the Holy Spirit abides within.   John 10:10

Today I  made a 'super duper" nutritious smoothie for breakfast because I had some dental work done and cannot chew yet!

1 banana
1 avocado (peeled and seed removed)
1 apple
1 orange (peeled)
1 handful of  fresh spinach
1/2 cup of pineapple or more depending on how sweet you would like it.

Blend until smooth and you can add water to thin it down some and for added nutrition you could add a couple tablespoon of ground flax seed. This drink is a powerhouse full of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and micronutrients.

The added bonus is it is a beautiful green drink:) Yes, it is GREEN! Yummy!
Because it will be  several weeks before I can chew I will post some of the concoctions I come up with. Stay tuned!

Remember to use organic whenever possible to lessen the chemical load  placed on your body. Whatever systemic herbicides or pesticides used in the growing process of standard farming practices place a heavy burden on the body.

Diet and Health

"Our bodies are built up from the food we eat. There is a constant breaking down of the tissues of the body; every movement of every organ involves waste, and this waste is repaired from our food. Each organ of the body requires its share of nutrition. The brain must be supplied with its portion; the bones, muscles, and nerves demand theirs. It is a wonderful process that transforms the food into blood and uses this blood to build up the varied parts of the body; but this process is going on continually, supplying with life and strength each nerve, muscle, and tissue."

Selection of Food

"Those foods should be chosen that best supply the elements needed for building up the body. In this choice, appetite is not a safe guide. Through wrong habits of eating, the appetite has become perverted. Often it demands food that impairs health and causes weakness instead of strength. We cannot safely be guided by the customs of society. The disease and suffering that everywhere prevail are largely due to popular errors in regard to diet."

Taken from the writings of E. G. White, Ministry of Healing, p.122-123

 In the past few years I have become familiar with some of  the writings of E.G. White,  I have thoroughly enjoyed her writings on health, healing and ministry. I will from time to time quote some of her writings and one note of interest is the timeline of her writings, which is around the turn of the century. I find that her writings are very timely and are just as important today as they were well over  a hundred years ago.

Whole Wheat  Buns

2 cups. warm water

1/4 cup oil (I use olive oil)

2 tsps salt (I reduce this to 1 tsp.)

1/2 cup cooked oatmeal

1/4 cup flaxseed, ground

1/2 cup honey (if you want a less sweet bun reduce this to 1/4 cup)

6 cups of whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp. active dry yeast

1. In a large mixing bowl, place all ingredients except the flour and yeast. Mix together and add four cups whole wheat flour and the 2 Tablespoons yeast. Whip together with a sturdy spoon for about five minutes. Slowly add the  rest of the flour. Knead until smooth.
2. Oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl and cover loosely with a piece of saran wrap or a cloth and place in  a warm place to rise. When the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll the dough pieces into smooth balls. Flatten with palm of hand and place on a baking sheet that has been oiled or lined with parchment paper.
3. Set aside and let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve with your favorite veggie burger.

 This makes 12 buns or if you want to pat the dough out you can cut it into different sizes with a biscuit cutter and it makes a larger amount of buns. This recipe freezes well!

Also note:  You can place all the ingredients as listed in a bread machine and let the bread machine do the work for you and then after it has risen you can form the buns and let it rise once again then  bake.

A bread machine is one of my favorite tools in the kitchen and I use it often for mixing the dough for our breads for the week.

Today I had the privilege of doing a cooking demo at Alternative Remedies Plus (a local health food store) and it was well attended and I was thrilled to see the interest in eating healthy. I pray each person who attended was encouraged to continue on their own road to health and wellness. It has been an incredible journey for Eric and I since we began eating whole-foods, plant-based  over two years now and we have meet some beautiful, gentle people who care deeply for the earth and the well being of others. There is great joy in this lifestyle, I just wish I had begun it sooner!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/26/fresh-video-documentary.aspx

Please, please  take the time to view this video....it is available for only a short period of time and it is the complete documentary. We need to educate ourselves and make informed decisions about what we feed ourselves and our families.

Recipe of the day is:

Panana  Cakes

1 cup whole wheat flour 

1 cup oat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 banana, mashed (I use a whole banana)

1 cup water

1 cup nondairy milk (almond, rice or soy milk)

2 egg replacers (4 teaspoons powdered Ener-G Egg Replacer and 6 tablespoons water)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1. Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix mashed banana, water , milk, egg replacers, and maple syrup.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and stir just enough to remove any lumps. The batter should be pourable; if it seems to thick, add more milk.
4. Preheat a nonstick skillet or griddle. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour small amounts of batter onto the heated surface, and cook until the top bubbles. Turn with a spatula and cook the second side until golden brown. Serve immediately.                                                           

• Keep the cakes small. They are easier to turn.
• This is a delicious way to use up any bananas that are too ripe to eat on their own.
• Preheat the pan so that sprinkles of water dance on it, but not so hot that it smokes.
• Pancakes are best when served fresh and hot. Serve with fresh fruit, fruit preserves, applesauce, or syrup.
• Ener-G Egg Replacer can be found in Hyvee HealthMart or any Health food store or you can order it on-line.
• Eric says to double the recipe because they are so tasty!

  Disla Campbell, LeAnne. PhD "WHOLE PLANTS COOKBOOK", Craxy Frog Publishers, 2011

 "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Genesis 1:29 (KJV)

This is the diet that was intended for mankind. We have in our lifetime managed to prevert our food to the point that it no longer gives us health, but in fact brings on disease. We have replaced life giving nutritious food with denatured foods (processed) with little or no nutritional value. We now are one of the poorest nations as far as the state of our health goes in the world and yet we consider ourselves prosperous. I believe that we are in a state of crisis with our health-care and it is only going to get worse unless we empower one another to make the needed changes in our lives to nuture our bodies back to health and give God the glory for giving us the perfect example of what a healthy lifestyle should be. Diets are not the answer, we need a lifestyle change.
 Eric uses the four legged stool analogy for wellness, it goes something like this:

1. Physical
2. Mental
3. Spiritual
4. Relational

If any of these 4 are missing then a person is out of balance and needs to make the needed adjustments to maintain wellness. 

" Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator. These  foods, prepared in as simple and natural a manner as possible, are the most healthful and nourishing. They impart a strength, a power of endurance, and a vigor of intellect that are not afforded by a more complex and stimulating diet.

E. G. White, The Ministry of Healting, p.296

"Vegetarian diets offer disease protection benefits because of their lower saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein content and often higher concentration of folate (which reduces serum homocysteine levels), antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals.

 Journal of the American Dietetic Association 95 (1995): 180-189

Recipe for the day:

Hummus

1 16oz. can organic garbanzo beans

1/4 cup olive oil (you can omit this or reduce the amount)

2-3 cloves garlic, minced in food processor

2-3 Tlb. lemon juice (fresh)

2 Tlb. tahini (raw or roasted) I use 2 Tlb. ground sesame seeds instead of the tahini

1/2 tsp. sea salt (you can omit this if the beans are already salted)

Drain garbanzo beans and rinse with cold water. Drain well. In a food processor with the blade attachment, mince the garlic. Add the drained and rinsed garbanzos beans and puree for a couple minutes until beans are ground up.

With food processor running, add remaining ingredients. Add salt to your taste . Refrigerate. Excellent as a dip (you can thin it out with water if need be or olive oil), good sandwich on wheat bread with cucumber, spinach, tomato or in a pita with cucumber, red onion, tomato, lettuce and pickle.

We use this as dip with celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber slices and red pepper strips.

  We are "fearfully and wonderfully made" and there is a wonderful miraculous process that takes place when the body is given proper nutrients.

 We can in fact live a much healthier life, free from the common diseases that plague our society simply by eating a plant-based diet as opposed to the SAD (Standard American Diet).

Eating a diet that is devoid of dietary fiber that's only found in plants could increase your likelihood of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

 Complex -carbohydrates are extremely beneficial  and they are found naturally in  plants that have not been stripped of their vital nutrients such as: Whole Wheat,  rice, quinoa,, oats,etc.

It is easy to eat whole grains daily with little effort (very appealing to many) and it is easy to increase your fiber by 10% by simply eating 1 cup of raspberries or 1 pear for example and reduce your risk of colon cancer up to 30%.

Antioxidants  work  at cleaning up toxins in the system and  they are only found in plants!
I challenge anyone to try a plant-based diet for a minimum of 2 weeks to see and feel the benefits of doing so.

"To cook well, to present healthful food upon the table in an inviting manner, requires intelligence and experience. The one who prepares the food that is to be placed in our stomachs, to be converted into blood to nourish the system, occupies a most important and elevated position."

E.G.White, Counsels on Diet and Foods,p.252

http://www.nutritionfacts.org/ Here is a site full of nutritional information that may be of interest. It is endorsed by Dr. John McDougall who is a pioneer in nutrition as medicine.

Walnut Maple Cookies

2 1/2 cup walnuts, ground in food processor

2/3 cup whole wheat pastry four (I use regular whole wheat flour)

1/3 cup flaxseed meal (fresh ground)

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup carob chips (I omit this ingredient)

1/2 cup maple syrup (add another 2 tbsp. if needed)

1. In a small bowl add all the ingredients in the given order. Mix well.

2. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees

3. Drop dough on cookie sheet with a spoon and flatten lightly with a fork.

4. Bake for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown, checking often.

5. Let cool before removing from the cookie sheet.

Makes one dozen or more depending the size you choose to make the cookies.

  

(Depression-The Way Out, pg 260 by Dr. Neal Nedley)

The ingredients in these cookies--flax and walnuts nourish the nervous system affecting the mood positively!

They are delicious and my husband, Eric, said be careful to not over eat them because it will surely raise your cholesterol and triglycerides because of the "fat" content. 

"Diet has the power to prevent and reverse disease, according to pioneering physicians and researchers. They have documented patients who have regained their health, thanks in large part to diet. Their work has paved the path for future treatment protocols for chronic diseases"

  Hever, Julieanna "The complete idiot's guide to Plant-Based Nutrition".

 I highly recommend this book for those who are just learning about the benefits of a Whole-food, Plant-based diet.

"Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it." Proverbs 15:17

The Recipe for the day is :          

Granola

7 c. oats (you can use quick oats)
2 c. coconut unsweetened
1 c. nuts of your choice (I use pecans and walnuts)
1/2 c. flaxseed meal (you can buy whole flax and ground it yourself for the most nutrients) or buy it ground and upon opening be sure to refrigerate or freeze)
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. raw sunflower seeds
1/2 c. nut meal (ground nuts of your choice)
11/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
11/2 c. Florida Crystal (raw sugar) I cut the sugar in half or you can use other sweeteners.
1/2 c. oil (I use walnut or olive oil)
1 c. water
11/2 tsp. salt
1 c. raisins
1 c. cranberries
1 c. dried pineapple pieces(I usually omit this, but it would be good for digestion)

1. Mix oats, coconut, nuts, flaxseed meal, flour sunflower seeds and nut meal together in a large bowl.
2.In a blender, blend the vanilla, almond extract, Florida Crystals, canola oil, water and salt. Pour into oat mixture and mix well with hands.
3. Spread onto baking sheets and bake at 150 degrees for 6 to 7 hours. When cooled, add dried fruit.
My oven lowest temperature is 175 degrees so the length of time is less.

Marlene McKinney

"Truth is not what I believe. Truth is fact. I may not believe it, I may not know it. That does not change it. It is there nevertheless, waiting to be discovered and believed. Truth does not depend on the unsettled and changing opinions of men. It was truth before it was believed. It will remain truth whether it is believed or not."   Carly B. Haynes  
This saying has put many things in perspective for me in regards to Bibilical truths and even though there are many hidden treasures yet to be discovered in Holy Scripture I am at peace knowing that in the proper time they will be revealed and such truths will be not only for myself but others as well. 

This blog is for the purpose sharing wonderful truths about our Creator, healthy recipes and health information and from time to time sewing tips, crafting and musings of living a simple life.