What Will Matter?

We all know we can't live forever, but my guess is that you'd like to live to a ripe old age, with all your faculties still intact? ... Me too. So on that basis wouldn't it be great to feel that our lives have mattered, and that what we're creating will live on in others when we're no longer on the planet.

Today I was inspired to write this blog post partly by my final assignment for my Energy 4 Life Wellness Coaching course, in which I talked about living on purpose. We're all here for a reason, all part of the great jigsaw of life, and when you find your purpose it's an amazing feeling. I've only found mine within the last few years; all I've done so far has lead me to where I am now and I'm a true believer in everything happens for a reason. 

The other inspiration came from a film I stumbled upon by Steve Kroschel, a very talented film director, who made Dying To Have Known in just 52 days. He travelled around the world talking to patients, nutritionists, scientists and surgeons all who testified to the Gerson Therapy's efficacy in treating and curing people of cancer, and other degenerative diseases. They have scientific proof, and Steve Kroschels reason for making the film was to find out why this information has been suppressed by main stream medics. 

We're left to decide this for ourselves....but it makes for a fascinating film.

What struck a chord with me was a poem that Steve narrates towards the end of the film, it brought tears to my eyes, and I'd like to share some of it here. The power of words is an amazing thing. Words can create all kinds of emotion within us, and this poem did just that for me. It inspired me to take a look at my life, to make sure that I'm living on purpose, and that everything I do does matter. I looked for the author, Michael Josephson , and it/he is  obviously very famous from the Google/Youtube coverage. 

Here's just a part of it.... the bit that mattered most to me. To listen to the whole of it, read by Steve Kroschel you can find the film link here (it's towards the end but he narrates it so well it's worth watching just for this part). 

► 79:01► 79:01

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVeyHsC4P20

27 May 2011 - Uploaded by aliHAMOU

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built,

not what you got but what you gave,

What will matter is not your success but your significance,

What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught,

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched,

empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competmece but your character,

What will matter is not how many you knew,

but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories but the memories of those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.

It's not a matter of circumstances but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

Are you living your life on purpose? Are you living a life that matters? 

Food for thought.

Rx

A Natural Cleaner

A couple of weeks ago I got a letter from the environmental health people at Leeds City Council to say they were coming to inspect my kitchen! I had registered that I was making food for public consumption a few years ago, so was expecting them at some stage. The letter however threw me into a little panic. 

Not because my kitchen is anything other than immaculate most of the time, but the word 'inspection' is just so ... formal and intrusive sounding. 

I booked my lovely cleaner Marianne to come the day before just to make sure everything was as clean as a whistle, and waited impatiently the following morning, wanting to get it over. The fridge was in perfect order, the cooker was clean inside and out, pots and pans were where they should be, the sink was gleaming... You get the picture. 

The lady arrived, we sat and chatted over a herbal tea, and I relaxed. She wasn't here to catch me out, she was genuinely interested in what I was doing with my refined sugar free business, and during the conversation I almost forgot why she'd come. 

She didn't look in my fridge, or my cooker, or my cupboards for that matter. She was , however, keen to know what I cleaned my kitchen with. Ok, so I don't use chemicals if at all possible in my house, in bathrooms, kitchen, or on my skin, or in my body. When she asked to look in the cupboards under the sink I thought she might not approve of my all natural Lemon Myrtle antibacterial cleaner, bought from my local health food shop The Good Life. Although it claims to kill 99% of all germs it's quite clearly NOT Dettox! 

It is however antibacterial and anti fungal, eco responsible and bio degradeable. I was prepared for a long discussion on this product, given that it's far from mainstream, and I wasn't sure she would approve. 

How very wrong I was.. this fabulous product passed the test. The lady from the council she say "yeah" !! It has all the correct classifications on the packaging, that I wasn't aware of, and ultimately does what it says on the tin - WITHOUT using any nasty, synthetic chemicals that you may inhale, or may get through your porous skin into your precious body. 

So no need to worry, Lemon Mrytle will do the job, just as well as your supermarket chemical , mass produced cleaners. It may be slightly more expensive but isn't your health worth it?! 

Oh I forgot to say : it smells delicious! 

Have a great , healthy,day.

Rx

An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure...

I love this statement. 

Today's blog is short, with no pretty pictures but a profound and deliberate message to all of us. I'm in the bath typing after a busy day at the Tadcaster Christmas Fair, where I've been selling my Sweet Enough Food - no refined sugars/carbs in sight. I love this market, have done it for three years now and get the same people coming back plus new faces each year. 

Lying here reflecting on the day and suddenly the title of this blog sprang into my mind... the culmination of my reflecting. 

I'd say 90% of the people who bought from me today have a health issue that means they can't eat sugar/gluten/dairy/meat/eggs.. All or any of the above. A lot of them shared their stories and the years of frustration, pain, research and challenges they've endured to get to this day. Health issues that may have been with them for decades, symptoms they've ignored in the hope that they'd go away, rather than look to the source of their 'problems' (don't like this word usually). 

Some of them have been hospitalised, spent thousands on tests, had a lot of time off work until they became aware that perhaps lifestyle changes were needed drastically. 

I've been here too so I can empathise fully. Adrenal Fatigue made me stop, take stock and make Massive Change. In any situation we have two choices, accept things as they are or make changes. Thankfully I chose the latter and it guided me to where I am today.. Emma Lane, digestive health guru, My Sweet Enough business, my Energy 4 Life Wellness Coaching Course, my daily spiritual practice and my mindful and fully conscious 'behaviour'. I'm grateful, and I give thanks every single day for my change of path . 

Baby steps are the way to make change initially. And when stuck to lead to a greater all round wellness, rather than the chance of succumbing to dis-ease if no change is made,  despite the body shouting loudly that's it's unhappy. Dis-ease can take years to manifest and that's when the pound of cure is needed, and unless Massive Change is made here drastic consequences may result. 

So, to all you people at Tadcaster Christmas Market who dismissed my stall in favour of the sugary, carby,  cake stall two doors down... think and reflect. Is your body trying to tell you something?

An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. 

Have a great day, 

Rx

Pretty Pink Cheesecake (Strawberry and Beetroot)

I've been asked to make a pink cake for a local charity event next week, so had a little experiment in the kitchen yesterday with some natural foods to give me the desired colour. Beetroot, cherries, raspberries and strawberries are the obvious choices for lots of colour... Ended up with a mix of strawberries and beetroot. Beetroot offers such a very strong colour, but used on it's own I figured it would completely overpower the taste of the whole cake, as it gives a powerful hit of 'earthiness'! 

I bought some gorgeous little heart cake pans the other days, so decided on a cheescake mix rather than a baked cake. Ideally going for lots of raw desserts, treats and snacks now his month particularly as I'm doing 30 days (90%) raw.

Really happy with the way it turned out, and it's pretty easy to make, that's the way I like recipes! 

Ingredients :

Base :

1 cup dessicated coconut

4-5 dates

1 tbsp raw, organic, fair trade coconut oil

1 tbsp raw cacao powder

Topping: 

9tbsp almond flour/ground almonds

1 tsp vanilla extract (or one scraped vanilla bean pod)

1tsp cinnamon (optional)

1 beetroot chopped and peeled

A handful of fresh strawberries 

Raw honey - to taste (depends on the amount of beetroot) 

1 tbsp coconut oil (as above)

Sprinkle of Xanthan gum (you can add more and whizz up again if it's too runny)

Coconut cream - add gradually to achieve the desired consistency 

Decorate:

Dessicated coconut

Freeze dried strawberries 

Method :

Whizz up all the base ingredients in a Nutribullet or food processor

Press mixture into a greased cake pan or muffin cases or similar- I used heart shaped mini pans and it made three.

Put in the fridge to set

Topping : add all the ingredients to a food processor and whizz up until smooth. If very very thick add some more coconut cream, if too thin and runny add another sprinkle of Xanthan gum.

Spread over the base and smooth down.

Decoration : whizz up the coconut and freeze dried strawberries , so the strawberries 'stain' the coconut.

Sprinkle over the top.

Cool in the fridge, and eat and enjoy! 

Stay healthy! 

Rx

Raw For 30 Days Days 1 and 2

I've been experimenting with raw food over the last six months, and the main reason for this is because I've been listening to my body. I've been lucky enough to travel to NYC, Greece and Poland in the last six weeks and whilst it's been Amazing the food hasn't always been what I would normally eat. 

So I feel a little out of kilter, a little sluggish, a little full of 'stuff'... and that doesn't sit well with me. Hence the 30 days Raw experiment. I'm not saying I'm going raw full time, in fact I pretty much know I won't ; there are some foods at the moment I don't think I can live without forever... But I'm always up for a challenge. I know if nothing else, at the end of 30 days I'm going to be so full of CLEAN food, and that has to be a good thing! 

I made the mistake of thinking it would be easy just to switch to a fully raw diet, but here we are in the middle of day 2, and I'm feeling a bit stuck. Yesterday for day one, I literally ate juices and smoothies all day to kick start my system. I can make all sorts of variations of these in my sleep so no problem there. I was hungry last night but I'd cut my calorie intake dramatically and did weights and cycled. Bed by 9pm, and not a minute too soon. 

Today I've been to the supermarket, and started automatically reaching for the things I'd normally buy... lentils, mung beans - can't eat because they need cooking (unless they're sprouted apparently) , pro biotic organic yoghurt , I usually get sheeps yoghurt, but supermarket yoghurt is definitely not raw! Butter... Noooo I can't eat butter! I'm definitely sourcing raw butter. 

Bought some nuts, and a bit of fruit and veg .. Feeling a little despondent. In the end I went to M & S and bought a ready made salad; cucumber, carrot, and  lots of different lettuce leaves just because it felt like a 'treat'! I did make home made pesto to liven it up a bit. No pine nuts in Wetherby so I bought cashews, and whizzed them up in my Nutribullet with oil, garlic and basil. Very nice!!! 

I felt great after lunch, but craved something sweet. Thankfully I had a few small squares of my home made, home devised, blackberry coconut fudge. ALL RAW! Yeah! With a nettle tea that hit the spot. But I have no idea at this moment what I'm going to have to eat later. Yep I'm already thinking about tea ! 

To help me out I've downloaded an ebook by the smoothie Goddess  (no, not me although I'd like that title!) on how to transition to Raw in 21 days. That's my bedtime reading for the next week.

I'll crack it; I know I will. My mind is made up- 30 days 100% Raw.

Rx

Liquid Breakfast!

I'm in Whitby this week, chilling with my family... Easy to let things go and think oh well I'm on holiday so I can relax my eating and drinking. I've made the decision that that's NOT happening, and once my mind set is right that's it for me. Partly because we're going to Greece next week and I'll be in a bikini, so there's some vanity attached to my decision. 

Anyway just made a fab smoothie and juice for breakfast ; drank them in the sunshine listening to the sounds of the seaside, and soaked up some Vitamin D - it's All Good, as Gwyneth Paltrow would say... 

Smoothie : Superfood Special

Bee pollen, Maca powder, coconut oil, cinnamon, spirulina powder, almond milk, RAW honey, local blackberries (picked by me) , green cabbage. Whizzed up in my Nutribullet. 

Juice : Lauren's Love

Cucumber, carrot, green cabbage, lemon juice, coconut oil, and apple. Whizzed up in my Nutribullet .

That's it, all done and dusted in a few minutes. And drink at your leisure!!! 

Oh and I had a nettle tea with them as it's a great detoxifier for the liver.

And I'd already had two mugs of warm water with lemon, and done some yoga. My tummy is smiling... Now to go to the beach.. 

Have a great day whatever you're doing.

Rx

Raw key lime cheesecake

I've been asked by so many people to come up with this recipe, and after reviewing my blogposts I did in fact make one a couple of years ago! Here's an updated, even yummier version! And so easy to make!  

I made mine in a pie/flan dish and covered the base with cling film to make it easy to remove.

Ingredients :

Base :

400g mixed nuts (you can use them raw, you can activate them, roast them, whatever you like) 

6-8 medjool dates

4 tbsp raw cacao powder

2-4 tbsp coconut oil - I use LucyBees

Pinch sea salt

4oz dessicated coconut (you can toast this too first if you like)

Topping :

3 ripe avocados

1 pack of coconut cream

3 limes - zest and juice

1 tbsp raw honey

1 tsp vanilla extract (the proper stuff not vanilla flavouring)

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp Xanthan gum (to help it set) optional - you may not need this

Method : 

Whizz all the base ingredients up in a food processor- I use a Vitamix or my Nutribullet .

When it's formed a paste, not too wet, not too dry,  tip out into the lined pie dish. If it's too dry add more oil/dates, if it's too wet add more dessicated coconut.

Press down into the sides and base with the flat of your hands so that it's even.

Place in the fridge to firm up.

Topping Method :

Whizz all the ingredients in a food processor (as above) - it's that simple! 

Remove the base from the fridge, and pour the greeny topping over the base and spread with a knife.

Return to the fridge until set, or freezer if you're in a rush.

Decorate with lime slices if you like, it looks pretty, or you could dust with raw cacao powder.

Slice up and eat.

Enjoy. 

Rx