Make Your Own Vaccine

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Updates: Change

"Change always comes bearing gifts" -Price Pritchett

(Gorgeous, right? It's a fall- almost winter sky. I love it!)

Change is all around us... expect the unexpected, right? Speaking of changes, I thought it would be good to give some updates on some past posts...

I've had my Clarisonic now for well over month and I use it twice daily. In the morning and at night. I can see a BIG difference in my skin. I also stopped taking High Lignan Flaxseed Complex. For a while I was taking 6/ day and then it went to 0/ day- my body didn't want them any more (we know this via kinesiology/muscle testing). Now my body says I could take 3/ day and still I am not taking them. The Clarisonic definitely keeps the chin area acne free, as well as the rest of my face. I can't say I don't get any zits, but I can say if I do they are smaller and they go away almost overnight. My skin feels fresher, cleaner and healthier. I HIGHLY recommend.

(Fall Folliage here in Brooklyn at the Botanical Garden)

In regards to LIVCO and LIVTON- the supplements (herbal) by Standard Process I have been taking for quite some time (approximately over 2 years) for my liver and gallbladder... I am now only taking one of each per day. This was a long time and coming and I was jumping for joy. My doctor believes in slower detoxes (not harsh on the body + alleviates shocking the organs) and he told me one day I wouldn't need them. I only take what the body wants and over time it has bounced between 3- 8/ day- so you can imagine my joy when I received this news.

(More lovely colors at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden)

I finally purchased some Liquid Stevia and made some chocolate "mylk". It was good. Less sweet, but quite satisfying. Recipe: spring water, cashews, cacao, liquid stevia. When I received the stevia my first thought was- "shoot I should have bought another bottle", but it's strong and you don't need much at all. Stevia, definitely is an acquired taste- however in the chocolate mylk I found it not to be as noticeable. For important reasons why stevia vs agave- click HERE.

Lastly, I have been eating more organic grass fed dairy of late... mainly butter and some cheese. I feel fine so far. I think eating a diet with more animal fats is quite helpful. I don't crave sweets so much.

And remember to roll with the punches. Life can be full or empty. It's your choice how you look at it.

Freshly Juiced Apple Cider

We just took apples we picked from the apple farm and juiced them. Put the juice in a pot and warmed up slightly with a bit of cinnamon to taste on the stove. We are now enjoying on this rainy day. Easy apple cider.

"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have." - unknown

Fontina Cheese + Mushroom Sandwiches

For the first time in my life, I had Fontina Cheese the other day. I was AMAZED at it's taste, creaminess and texture. It's... how do I explain? Perfection perhaps? :)

Ingredients:
Fontina Cheese - Italian version
Sliced Mushrooms
Diced Onion
Sourdough bread- toasted
Butter for cooking

Take the sliced mushrooms and diced onions and saute' in warm pan with butter for a few minutes. Add Fontina cheese to sourdough bread and lightly toast. Add mushroom + onion mix to the top. You can put back in the pan if you need it more toasty. Devour. Amazing or what???

Composting: San Francisco Leads The Way

Instead of trying to make the ridiculous swine flu shot mandatory- what everyone should focus their attention on is composting.

San Francisco is leading the way. Mayor Newsom signed the nation's first mandatory composting law back in June of this year and the residents and businesses of San Francisco now have 6 weeks (which began on October 21stst) to start composting. San Francisco already diverts more than 70% of it's waste from landfills and it hopes to eliminate all landfill waste by 2020. This is a law all states need to adopt.

In the meantime, start composting. In NYC, at the green market you can drop off your scraps at the Lower East Side Ecology stand- they will happily take them and turn them into plant food.

We recently, started our own compost at home and cannot believe how many precious scraps (egg shells, veggie + fruit scraps, juice pulp, etc) we were throwing away. It's really easy. The worms love it and we will have great plant food for all of our plants.

Check out these cool videos about San Francisco's program. Let's follow the leader.

The Liver

(Image from: www.hepfoundation.org)

Do you know what your liver looks like? Or what it does for you? A friend shared this the other day and thought I would re-share. We forget how much our organs do for us- we take them for granted. The liver is the most important (I know they all are important, but if I was forced to pick one) and the most abused. Take heed and remember you have to take care of it for it to take care of you.

THE LIVER... has well over 500 functions and is known as the laboratory of the human body. The liver is tied to all bodily processes because it is responsible for filtration of all incoming foods and fluids. The body relies upon the liver to remove toxins so that nutrients supplied to the body are pure and capable of providing nourishment. Many scientist believe the liver is connected to, or at least aware, of every disease or dysfunction that is happening inside the body.

• Metabolizes proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, thus providing energy and nutrients
• Stores vitamins, minerals, and sugars
• Filters the blood and helps remove harmful chemicals and bacteria
• Creates bile which breaks down fats
• Helps to assimilate and store fat soluble vitamins (A, E, D, K)
• Stores extra blood that can be quickly released when needed
• Creates serum proteins that maintain fluid balance and act as carriers
• Helps maintain electrolyte and water balance
• Creates immune substances such as gamma globulin
• Breaks down and eliminates excess hormones
• Vascular (blood management)
• Provides blood clotting factors
• Breaks down ammonia (and other toxins) created in the colon by bacteria; thus preventing death
• Helps to maintain blood pressure
• Constructs cholesterol and estrogen, reconstructs hormones
• Humanizes nutrients, metabolizes protein, carbohydrates, fat for energy
• Synthesizes urea, constructs blood protein, interconverts amino acids
• Constructs 50,000 systems of enzymes to govern metabolic activity throughout the body
• Removes damaged red blood cells
• Converts the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) into it more active form triiodothyronine (T3). Inadequate conversion may lead to hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue, weight gain, poor memory and other debilitating conditions.
• Creates GTF (Glucose Tolerance Factor) from chromium, niacin and possibly glutathione. GTF is needed for the hormone insulin to properly regulate blood-sugar levels. Manufactures bile salts which emulsify fats and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K for proper absorption. The liver also removes some fat-soluble toxins from the body.
• Activates B vitamins into their biologically active coenzyme forms. Virtually every nutrient must be biotransformed by the liver into its proper biochemical form before the nutrient can be stored, transported or used in cellular metabolism.
• Stores various nutrients, especially A, D, B-12 and iron for release as needed.
• Manufactures carnitine from lysine and other nutrients. Carnitine is the only known bionutrient which can escort fats into the mitochondria where they are used to generate ATP energy. The mitochondria generate 90% of the ATP energy at the cellular level.
• Converts lactic acid from a toxic waste to an important storage fuel. Lactic acid is produced when glucose is metabolized through the energy production cycle. When excessive levels accumulate, you experience sore muscles. A healthy liver will extract lactic acid from the bloodstream and convert it into the reserve endurance fuel, glycogen.
• Serves as the main glucose buffer, preventing high or low extremes of blood sugar. The liver is the key regulator of blood sugar between meals due to its manufacture, storage, and release of glycogen, the starch form of glucose. When blood sugar is low, a healthy liver converts stored glycogen into glucose, releasing it into the bloodstream to raise blood sugar levels. When blood sugar is high, a healthy liver will convert the excess into stored glycogen or fat.
• Chief regulator of protein metabolism. The liver converts different amino acids into each other as needed.
• Produces cholesterol and converts it into the various forms needed for blood transport.
• Converts essential fatty acids such as GLA, EPA, and DHA into the lipoprotein forms necessary to allow transport via the bloodstream to the 50 trillion cells requiring fatty acids.
• Main poison-detoxifying organ in the body. The liver must break down every substance toxic to the body including metabolic wastes, insecticide and pesticide residues, drugs, alcohol, etc. Failure of this function will usually cause death in 12 to 24 hours.
• Removes ammonia, a toxic by-product of animal protein metabolism, from the body.
• Breaks down hormones after they have served their function. i.e., if the liver does not break down insulin fast enough, hypoglycemia results because the circulating insulin continues to lower blood sugar.
• The liver is vital to a host of other metabolic functions, but this brief overview should serve to illustrate the central role the liver plays in maintaining good health and the importance of implementing life-style change if necessary.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tis the season for carving pumpkins and ghoolish delight. I happen to also really enjoy fresh pumpkins. Anthony brought one back from his garden and we decided it was ready to cut into.

Here it is sliced in two.

We de-seeded it and will roast the pumpkin seeds, but we put the chopped up into smaller pieces and baked in the oven (with water and covered) for about an hour for 350 degrees. This makes the pumpkin softer and ready for your many pumpkin recipes.

It should be noted that you can also steam them on the stove which takes allot less time, but we do not have a colander right now.

So we decided we would make some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and also try a pumpkin soup (will be on another post).

Ingredients (of course- use organic/ au natural for the best results, taste, benefits):
3 cups Spelt Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Sugar (Date Sugar- you can also use diced apples or apple sauce as a substitute)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup Butter (softened)
1 cup Pumpkin
1 Egg
1-2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Mix all ingredients well together except for the chocolate chips which you should add once the other ingredients are mixed well. Bake for 18 minutes at 350 degrees on a greased (buttered) baking sheet.

The batter is quite sticky and thick, but do not be dismayed as they baked into wonderful cookies. They are moist and sort of cake like.
We enjoyed with some delicious apple cider we made (also another post). Enjoy!

Gotham Girls Roller Derby

(courtesy: Gotham Girls Roller Derby Site)

Seattle vs Brooklyn + Queens

This was such fun to see! Live and in person. I can't remember the last time I went to a sporting event. I never knew this (Gotham Girls Roller Derby) actually existed, but some friends invited us and I was game because I was pretty excited after seeing "Whip It". If you haven't yet... it's a feel good, must see and the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore (who I think has some pretty awesome energy, which translates quite nicely in her film). Trailer below.



And here is a video I found about the Gotham Girls.


It looks rough and tough- and it is... but it is also about a bunch of girls getting together and having good fun. All shapes and sizes, and they whip around on their skates. So much fun! Yah for fun Roller Derby!

No Explaination Needed

(Courtesy of this link)

p.s. we should make a discernment between drugs vs supplements. :)

New Daniel Vitalis Interview with Patrick Timpone

There is a new Daniel Vitalis interview on OneRadioNetwork.com with Patrick Timpone.
Click HERE for the link. If you are not signed up yet or signed in the link will not work... but you should sign up. It's free and Patrick does great interviews- from health and fitness to money and finance. Definitely worth checking out!

Stogo Gourment Organic Ice Cream

A good friend of mine has been raving about Stogo's for quite some time and we recently went to check it out. Stogo's is great because it is organic and the have a couple of flavors that are coconut and hemp based. They also carry a bit of dairy-free flavors... but they are soy based. Personally, I would take organic dairy over organic soy any day, but if that's your thing you have some more choices.

Stogo's uses agave and brown rice syrup to sweeten, which understandably is still the big craze, but everytime I have agave my teeth get really sensitive, so it is definitely a sweetener I try to stay away from. I've found I actually fair better with evaporated cane juice (sugar) than agave. Check HERE for my agave post, and HERE for some alternatives.

I had the coconut based chocolate and the hemp based chocolate flavor and Anthony opted for the coconut based vanilla and the coconut based almond joy.

Stōgo Ingredients: organic soy milk (filtered water, whole organic soybeans), organic mango, organic brown rice syrup, organic agave, organic safflower oil, organic tapioca, organic vanilla, organic guar gum, organic carob bean gum. More about their nutritional information HERE.

From the chart on their site, Stogo's compares itself to Haagen Dazs in such categories as... calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugars. I am not trying to pick on Stogo's, I just want to point out that counting calories and fat, etc- if you are eating a good well-balance whole foods diet (soy is not a whole food) is completely unnecessary.

As I have changed my diet and continue to learn (more about ancestral diets and how good natural fat really is for us), I have stopped thinking about calories, fat content, etc (though I must admit I've never counted calories). Why? Because I am eating whole foods... for example: butter, cream, eggs, leafy greens, fresh fruit, veggies, etc.

Fat is not going to kill you.... in fact we NEED fat and the demonized cholesterol to protect our nerves, brain cells, and also for proper hormone production. Do some research. A good place to start would be HERE. Also check out this book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.

All in all, it is nice to see there are other options like Stogo's out there and I like that they are organic and have no preservatives. Great for vegans. If you happen to be in the East Village, it is worth checking out.

Fall Foliage... There's still time!

We've been keeping tabs on the Fall Foliage via Yankee Magazine's Interactive Map and were able to check it out. It was GORGEOUS and it was really lovely to get out of the city. You can tell from my previous post how much the leaves have changed.

This is what that translated into. This picture (and I imagine any picture for that matter) doesn't quite capture it's entire beauty. It looks a bit dark far off- but that was due to the shadows of the sun, etc. You'll just have to take my word for it... it was really beautiful and luscious.

This is an organic farm and store we stopped in at- McEnroe Farm and Market. Great apples and we got some treats. They have a cute little sitting area, but it was quite cold so we didn't hang out there.

Another highlight on our trip was stopping at Windy Hill Farm, where we picked and purchased 1/2 bushel of apples and took in more sights.

(Much Abundance)

(Many colors everywhere!)

They have a lovely garden and orchard as well. Really colorful, quaint and pretty. It seemed the place to be- it was packed and we lost track of time while there.

There is some time left this year to check out the fall foliage. There are so many colors to stare at and fresh air to breathe. Plus, it's really peaceful, serene and rejuvenating! If you can... GO GO GO!

Old-Style Life Skills by Motherhouse

I love what this organization is all about!

If you can... you really should check this out. I've long thought it was such a shame that "craft-ey" or "old-style life" skills such as knitting, sewing and the like are only a novelty these days by a very few people. And the same goes for making sourdough bread from scratch, canning foods, cheese making... the list goes on. So you can imagine how much I jumped for joy when I came across this brochure.

(They just carved these spoons!
Image: MotherHouseNews blog)

Unfortunately, (and only from my distance perspective) the classes are held in Cornwall, Connecticut, which is a wee bit far from NYC (about 2.5 hours). If you are close or you can- I highly suggest you check it out.

(Making Jam
Image: MotherHouseNews Blog)

For more information please check out their site HERE and their blog HERE. How cool is this??? And if you know about classes such as these in your neck of the woods, please share with all of us here in comment form. Yah for old-style life skills!!! :)

NYT Article: 100 Hotels Under $150

(The Market Hotel in Barcelona/ Photo: Stephano Buonamici for the New York Times)

"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." -Henry Miller

Always helpful... check out the article HERE.

Get Fresh!

Looks good. Check this site for screenings near you...

Love this Tea!

Since I've picked up this tea (which I had been staring at forever), Trader Joe's Relax, and I have enjoyed it daily. It is really good. Full of flavor and I love the little sachets. Plus, it's organic and inexpensive. I generally always like a little honey in my tea as well, but this one does not need any. Dare I say it is reminiscent of the tea I picked up in Bali? Hmmm.... Try it!

105 Degrees Live + Live Lasagna

I wasn't able to make it to the grand opening of 105 Degrees, in Oklahoma City, but my honey did bring me back a truly delicious raw lasagna.

It might look like a mish mosh, but please note it did travel on a plane and in a bag that got tossed around a bit... and that did not change how good it was.

For more about the grand opening click HERE. The other dishes + desserts look divine too... courtesy of the very talented, Mathew Kenney. Put it on your list of places to go the next time you are in Oklahoma.

SEE IT: Bella... Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Gorgeous!

(pppssst: actor Eduardo Verastegui- also gorgeous + pictured here...
note: this picture doesn't do him justice)

One Moment Can Change Your Life Forever...

This movie slipped by my radar... it came out in 2006 and I just saw it. Gorgeous x 3, touching, and quietly beautiful. I had that float-ey experience while watching... just like I do when floating in water and relaxing.

I didn't have any expectations going into it aside from knowing it won awards. They have a trailer, but I think it gives too much away and opted not to post it. RENT it!