Cleansing Salad Recipe by Frank Giglio

Wow, I am super excited about summer and all it has to offer with some wonderful salad possibilities. Cleansing the body is super popular these days, and with good reason. We have so many toxins entering our systems through the things we ingest in various ways that after a while if you aren't caring for your body on a regular basis your filters (your liver and colon) can get clogged.

Even if you do make consistent efforts to exercise and eat healthy, cleansing is always welcomed by our bodies. Keeping the canvas as fresh and clean as possible allows the real beauty to shine through so to speak. There are a ton of cleansing products out there on the market. Some are much better than others. I think a great way to keep the body flushing out toxins on a regular basis is to make drinking filtered or spring water your regular beverage, eating organic raw foods (especially leafy greens), and including a high quality pro-biotic.

Down below I've shared a recipe from Frank Giglio. Frank Giglio is a classically trained chef from the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, VT and a graduate of The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC. The recipe is courtesy of Annmarie and Kevin Gianni at Renegade Health .

Yummy Cleansing Salad

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced on the bias
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced (roughly 1 cup)
1 navel orange, segmented (save excess juice)
1/2 to 1 ripe avocado, cut into wedges
8 mint leaves, torn
2-3 dandelion leaves, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lemon (just a few drops of lemon juice)
1/4 tsp freshly ground coriander seed
Fresh black pepper

Optional:
Tiny pinch of sea salt
Crushed red pepper

Once all your vegetables and fruits are prepared, combine them all in a large mixing bowl. Add in the torn mint leaves and seasonings and toss gently. Take the fibers left from the segmented orange and squeeze out the juices onto the salad. Just to brighten up the flavors, add a few drops of lemon juice. The celery has plenty of natural sodium, but if you wish, sprinkle in just a tiny little pinch of sea salt. Stir in the coriander seed and fresh black pepper and allow the avocado to gently mash into the other ingredients. Let the salad stand for a few minutes before serving to allow the dandelion leaves soften and flavors to meld into one another.

Individual Obedience

"Don't you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"
1 Corinthians 3:18

Isn't it awesome that we have a Savior that wants to know each and everyone of us on an individual, close, and intimate level? Isn't it amazing that He chose you, on this very day, to go out and be a light for Him? If you are a believer, and you are reading this, do you understand the privilege it is to have His world view?

The closer each one us walks with and toward Christ poses the opportunity for us to hone in on our Shepard's lovely voice. Do you know what he is calling you to today? Don't ignore, investigate the call.

Here are my thoughts, take them or leave them...whatever. The deeper our walk gets with Christ the more He will call us to do. It might be a calling to be more quiet, and follow James 1: 19 "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."

The last time I checked God was the same yesterday, today, and forever. Since Jesus is the Word according to John 1:1, and Jesus is God, then that would say to me that everything that God has ever said never changes. If I am not making sense or speaking truth please let me know. The last time I checked God didn't change His mind.

Therefore, doesn't this go for the Old Testament or Old Covenant? I ask because there are so many of us that like to choose verses in the Bible to adhere to, ones that seems better than others to us, or ones that may be easier for us. We are also so quick to judge others by what we deem worthy in our own eyes to be obedient to in the Word.

I bring this up because so often I'll get into discussions with dear brothers and sisters of mine, and they don't seem to understand why I do what I do, or more specifically why I eat how I eat. Not that I really need them to understand because quite frankly, I know why, Jesus knows why, and that's really all that matters.

I have decided to blog about this simply because I feel led, and maybe I'll help somebody else. Christians love to ditch the Old Testament. It saddens me because Christ is all woven through it, it is about Him. The commands in the Old are just are viable as the ones in the New.

Allow me to share what God has called me to and that is the diet spoken about in Leviticus. I love it when people say oh, you're just being legalistic...you're holding yourself under the law. It makes me want to giggle. I certainly do not eat this way to earn grace or attain my salvation. Wow, wouldn't I be in trouble?!!! That my friend is being legalistic, trying to be good enough to get to heaven and earn that crown.

Paul discusses this and he basically tells the disciples not to worry the Gentiles and new believers with any rituals or rules other than not eating food sacrificed to idols, or anything with the blood left in it. He has them focus on the greatest commandment. I wholeheartedly agree. Why should a new believer worry about what he or she puts in his or her mouth? There are too many other changes taking place, and what we consume in our mouths doesn't have bearing on our spirituality.

In the same token Paul never broke the law, He just like Christ himself, followed the law. Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law, not to change it or break it. Jesus was always obedient to the Father in every way. That included what He ate.

This is how I figure it, if God said do this, then we should try to do it if we can and are willing. If it is not "doctrinal" then really it's all personal, and what your Jesus calls you to individually. For instance it may not be a sin for Joe to take a drink at dinner. Joe has never exploited alcohol, he just likes a cold one every now and again. No harm, no foul. On the other hand if Jim, who has shown himself to have a problem, takes a drink at dinner, and God has shown him that this is a stumbling block for him, then for Jim it is a sin.

Our Father always gives us what is best. He knows how we operate, He built us from scratch. Science supports this with digestion, and the way other cultures eat. That makes sense since God made Science :) The Jews for so long were one of the healthiest cultures around due to their diets and hygienic practices.

I realize that modernized people have since caught on that yes, washing your hands is an awesome practice. In fact, our country in particular has actually taken it way too far on the side of the spectrum with cleanliness to our detriment, but that's another post.

The Lord has most definitely taken me on a journey, and continues to do so with food, health, and nutrition. If you want to read my "story" you can look it up here on the blog. It's June 2010 series of 8 posts entitled, "Why I Care So Much About What I Eat." The underlying message though is obedience. The Lord said if you love me, obey my commands. That should be the only reason why we obey, our love for Him. All this to say, eat what works for you, don't mock those that don't eat what you do, love one another as you love yourself, and if you're eating something yummy, tell me about it here :)

Raw Foods

"Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live" (Isaiah 55:2-3)

I cannot say enough good things about raw foods. They saved my life, amongst proper supplementation. I'm still a work in progress with finding out what effects me and what not, but I can 100% say that when my diet is a high percentage of raw foods that I do so much better. Summer is the time to start as well. Visit your local farmers market!

Eating raw foods, in the state that God gave them to us, is a huge benefit to your body. Not altering them by heat allows their nutritional value to stay in tact. My digestion is always better with raw vegetables and raw milk. I will not get on the raw milk bandwagon now, I gave that rant in another post a while back...I'm sure I will another day, but not today.

There are most definitely some foods that you want to eat cooked, like healthy grains such as quinoa, brown rice, steel cut oats, and amaranth. There are also some root vegetables like sweet potatoes, red potatoes, winter squash, and pumpkin that easier to consume cooked. I do know of some raw food recipes with sweet potatoes and pumpkins, though I haven't attempted them yet...but will.

When we eat a diet composed of many raw foods we encourage healthy digestion, cleanse our blood, and take in the most vitamins and minerals. as stated earlier summer time is an excellent opportunity to try out a raw food diet. Now you don't have to go 100% raw, and I don't recommend that for most people. It's a stricter format, and takes discipline to make sure that you do it right. If you are ill, especially with a serious malady like cancer, then I highly recommend it until recovery.

Most veggies and fruits grow in the warmer months, which is why I state summer is a great time to try, or at least implement more raw foods into your diet, and be daring, experiment. You might just find a new love on your dinner plate. I know that I did, kale. Earlier this week I posted a kale salad recipe, check it out.

Smoothies and salads are awesome ways to get those raw foods into your system. Kids, except for my CRAZY children, love smoothies. Maybe I'm just not giving them the right combos, I don't know. I absolutely love green smoothies! Yes, I said green smoothies. They are rather popular now. Baby spinach is at the top of my list for green smoothies. Dark leafy greens have 60-70% more calcium than milk by the way. I'll also use kale, or swiss chard. I think I used mustard greens once. That is better for strictly vegetable smoothies...more V8 tasting. I recommend spinach because the flavor is so mild, and once you stick some fruit in there you can't tell.

Here is my typical smoothie recipe for my breakfast,I've shared this before:

3-4 handfuls of raw baby spinach
1 banana
1/4 cup of fresh, raw almond milk (you have to make this, ask me how if you don't know)
Cup of ice
3 tbsp of hemp seed

I threw in some coconut oil, frozen strawberries, and blueberries the other day...wow, it was yum!

How Do Vegetarians Get Protein?

A friend recently asked how do I get my protein. It is a question that I receive often. It's a great question, and deserves a great answer. Protein first of all is essential to the body composition running and operating in a healthy way.

Protein is made up of a group of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. There are over 20 of them, and each is important. Think of it like amino acids are the bricks that make up a building. We need protein because it supports our muscular structure. The better sources of proteins we consume, the stronger and healthier our muscles will be.

I've been a vegetarian for about two years now. I went from just no dairy to vegan to raw vegan back to vegan to lacto-ovo vegetarian, which I am am now. I've gone through some trial and error to take in the proper amount of protein. I did keep count for a while, but now I just make sure I take some in each day.

For those uninformed about the jargon that I just used, vegetarian is kind of a blanket term. A vegan is someone who doesn't eat any animal products whatsoever, a raw vegan steps it up a notch and doesn't eat anything cooked about 115 degrees(best diet if you are ill with something like cancer, or even consider this while you have a cold or something), a lacto vegetarian does consume milk products, and ovo vegetarian does consume eggs, and maybe you can guess a lacto-ovo vegetarian consumes both milk products and eggs.

When you are just starting out it can be a challenge getting the hang of everything, but really it's not that difficult. Now that I include goat's milk products and eggs into my diet it makes attaining that daily intake of protein much easier.

That isn't to say that you can't be vegan and get the adequate amount of protein. Yes, you can be vegan or raw vegan and consume your daily protein requirements. Much to the myths that are circulated. It just takes a little leg work :) You just have to be a bit more creative. I do not depend completely on the goats milk products and eggs though. I also use plant products. This is what vegans do.

The key here is knowing your food combos. No, I do not mean Number 1 on the drive through board at Chick-Fil-A either. You can actually combine certain plants foods to make a complete protein. One common dish is rice and beans. This is a staple in my house, brown basmati rice and either pintos or black beans. I add fresh diced tomatoes, diced red onion, fresh parsley, and some diced avocado...yum!

There are also some plants foods that are actually complete proteins all on their own. One of these is quinoa. I can't say enough good things about quinoa. Quinoa is a grain from South America, specifically it is popular in Chilean cooking. Quinoa is gluten free, low glycemic, and a great source of calcium as well as protein. You can use it just like rice or couscous.You can even make a dairy free milk with it much like nut or rice milks. It can even be an oatmeal replacement if you so choose for another warm morning grain. For recipe examples just ask :)

Another way that I like to implement plant protein into my diet, which is another complete protein, are hemp seeds. Yes, people, I said, hemp. Yes, it is the marijuana plant. In Canada you can buy the whole seed and grow the plant. In the USA it is illegal. We can however purchase shelled hemp seeds, which are raw. You can also buy hemp oil or powder. Hemp powder is great for protein shakes, it is MUCH healthier than a soy protein powder, stay away from that stuff. I like to add 3 tbsp of the hemp seeds to my green smoothies.

Here is a video from Paul Nison about hemp seeds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1la9_AQFMo&feature=player_embedded#at=314

For some more information on protein and food combining here is a neat website:

How To Get Enough Protein In Your Vegetarian or Vegan Diet

If you have any great vegetarian recipes for protein consumption add them below in a post:)

Exercise

I am all about exercise. I believe it honors the Lord to use our bodies, keep them moving, and be used for His glory! In Mark 3:13-15 it says, "And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons."

When Christ calls us to "go out" wouldn't be wonderful to be as physically healthy as possible so that we are not limited to go where He needs us to go and to do what he needs us to do. Of course our almighty God is not limited by our limitation, but if we are good stewards how much more does that honor Him?

I love exercise because of how it makes me feel afterward and overall. My sleep is improved, my clothes fit better, and I have more energy go through my day. It's amazing how burning a little energy with exercise can actually rev you up to keep going. There's so much truth to that because I find that the more sedentary that I am the more tired I feel by the time the afternoon rolls around.

So I've been trying to learn more about exercise, what is effective, what isn't, what is harmful, what are some myths, that type of thing then I can share it all with you. I will post later this week somethings that I have learned.

Win a Copy of The Maker's Diet and More....

So I am gearing up to start school. I am plugging into some of the pre-classes,and getting used to the format. The cool thing about my classes is that the course work is loaded onto an IPOD Touch! I can literally take school wherever I go. I actually get my own health coach to lead and guide me, which I think is awesome! I'm looking forward to the business aspect as well because that will assist me in building a client base.

So here it is your chance to win your very own copy of The Maker's Diet by Jordin Rubin. I highly recommend reading this book, if you aren't one of the winners check it out at the library, or go buy one at the bookstore. The Christian stores carry it, and I'm sure Barnes and Noble does as well. It may be cheaper to order it from amazon though. At any rate, get a copy!

It's amazing as I read through the book a lot of my "feelings" or thoughts about different subjects are mentioned, and supported...makes me feel kind of good, ya know. The Maker's Diet is all about being a good steward with what the Lord Yeshua has given us. What it is not about is legalism, or being under the law.

Jordin discusses food, the mainstream medical community, and what we can do to preserve what the Lord has given us so to be able to go out and do a good work for Him. (Just in case you're wondering, no I don't get any kind of a kick back for promoting this book. It's been out for years, I just really love what he says in it, and I think it's worth reading. Take what you want from it, implement what you can, and keep serving the Lord!)

So for anyone interested in winning their very own copy, I have three extras here just dying to be read, so what you need to do is make a post under this entry on the blog, and tell me two things: how the Lord blessed you today and what your comfort food is...mine currently is apples and peanut butter. The first three people to do this will win. Oh feel free please to share my blog on Facebook ;)

Are You Beyond Organic?

Hi! I wanted to tell everyone about the awesome new company, Beyond Organic, that has been pioneered by Jordin Rubin one of my health and nutrition gurus.

Here is their mission statement: Beyond Organic is a food and beverage company with products of unequaled quality and efficacy. Our mission is to transform the health of this nation and world one life at a time. We are vertically integrated farming 9,000 acres, thousands of cattle and produce millions of gallons of water per day from our pristine springs.

Beyond Organic is now allowing people to join and become what is called an Insider. The company is officially due to launch in October of this year. It is a marketing company that allows you to share organically grown, safe, natural, hormone free products with others.

To find out more about Beyond Organic and to become an insider for free go here:

www.beyondorganicinsider.com/becomeaninsider.aspx?enroller=4738


For more info here's a word from Paul Nison, raw food chef and nutrition expert:

http://youtu.be/96xvrHH6Ejw

Simple Kale Salad, but Sooooo Yummy!

So my boys and I enjoyed wonderful fellowship last night with some great church family. In the midst of conversation one friend asked about the kale salad that I had made awhile back for a potluck. This is a pretty standard recipe in the raw food world, but it's one of my favorite things to eat. I eat this several times per week. I figured I'd pop it up here for the world to see as well as my friend who made the request :)

For the salad you just take a bunch of raw kale, it can be red/purple, green, or dino kale (which is green and looks like the skin on a dinosaur) it doesn't matter. Kale is an excellent source of calcium, so way better than homogenized and pasteurized milk from the store. No, milk does not always do a body good. It is a cruciferous vegetable, like broccoli, which means it cleanses the blood well.

Slice the leaves down each side as not to include the stem. Then tear the leaves into pieces. You can leave the stems if you like, but I prefer just the leaves. You can always compost those stems. Place into large bowl. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the kale. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the kale as well. Massage the kale with the lemon juice and olive oil in the bowl with the hands. Trust me this makes a big difference in texture and flavor.

Dice some red onion, ripe but a bit firm avocado,and tomato. Place these in the bowl with the kale. Drizzle a touch more olive oil, and lemon juice. Toss altogether with sea salt to taste.

I dare you to tell me that you don't like this...I just dare you!

Attending Nutrition School, a Contest, and more...

Wow there has been so much going on around here lately that I can hardly keep up with everything. I am very excited to announce that I am now enrolled at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I will be attaining a certification to be a Health and Nutrition Coach.

I have been praying about attending this school for several months. I really wanted to seek the Lord on that decision. I had attended school before, and come to find out, that just because you have a good idea, if it isn't the Lord's good idea, then it isn't really a good idea. I believe that the Lord has given me this passion for health and nutrition, and not becoming further educated in the field seemed like hiding light under a basket.

I pray that this decision glorifies the Lord,and that I will remain available to be used by Him in this capacity, and any other he sees fit. Please pray for me if you are reading this blog entry! I start online classes in July.

I stopped my reading for a while, but I am back to it for now. I am in the middle of The Makers Diet by Jordin Rubin. I was actually able to ascertain a few extra copies. So soon I'll be holding a contest. Anyone who makes a post on my blog during that week could win their very own copy! I'll give more details to follow. A post will go up on Facebook as well.

My health goal for this summer is to come up with some new yummy recipes, or at least find some new recipes to share. Anything that I can do to encourage a healthier way of life for my brothers and sisters is worthwhile to me.