Link up to some "Healthy Holiday Gift Ideas"

Here's a great list of ideas for the Christmas season.  Chris Wark has posted a list on his website that you should check out!  You should even check it out for yourself.  There are some great products highlighted to offer health benefits to you and your family - like the Berkey water filtration system that provides purified water for people who have fluoride, chlorine or arsenic in their water.  Here is a great video from Chris that covers the Berkey and why you HAVE to get that fluoride out of your water! (Fluoride destroys the pineal gland and the thyroid!)

Here's the link!  2013 Healthy Holidays Gift Ideas from Chrisbeatcancer.com

Happy Shopping on black Friday!

A Very Different Thanksgiving - Eating Plant Based

Mashed Potatoes with Rich Brown Gravy

Maple roasted Brussels sprouts - recipe below

Oat Burgers tweaked with poultry seasonings

Salad: Romaine, spinach, avocado, tomato topped with Fustini's Black Currant Balsamic

Our pie was so delicious that we had seconds!

 Gluten free crust: ground flax seed, walnut meal, coconut oil and salt (unbaked, refrigerated)

Lemon pie filling: recipe from the back of Ener G Egg Replacer

Just like everyone else, we have leftovers - without the risk of food poisoning.

When my husband started shooting pictures of our Thanksgiving meal for two, I started to feel panicked and ashamed.  I knew that he would post the pictures of our meal online for friends to see.  I was embarrassed and didn't want to think that anyone would judge us for what was on our plate.  It didn't have all the traditional colors or traditional foods that I grew up with and raised my kids to eat for a Thanksgiving feast.  Once I confessed my embarrassment, Adam wanted to spare me of the negative feelings and didn't post the pictures.  It is difficult for him to understand why I feel so ashamed of our food.  After all, the food is absolutely delicious and completely filling.  If I had prepared anything more with this meal, we would not have been able to eat it.  I pondered the reason for my feelings and I can honestly say that I have no idea what is wrong with me.  The only conclusion that I can come up with at this point is that, because we now eat so differently than most people we know, I have a hard time breaking away from wanting to celebrate like everyone else.  It's not that I want to eat what everyone else is eating.  I just want to fit in.  I just want to include myself in the masses of people who celebrate the blessings that God has given us over the last year.

Truthfully, I'm glad that we had this holiday alone together when I could cook the way I always cook and enjoy a meal that did not bother my stomach, give me gas, result in heartburn, make me fatigued, and cause me to gain weight - which would have followed hours of labor in the kitchen.  I started our meal at 11:30am and we sat down to eat an hour later.  Kitchen is cleaned and I am about to brew a cup of decaf organic coffee creamed with home made almond milk. I still have plenty of energy to walk my pets, call a few family members and lots of cognitive power to enjoy the best part of our day - praying together.  Since we live in a world of uncertainty, centering life on God who never changes brings us great peace and fullness of joy.

Maple Roasted Brussels sprouts

1 pound sprouts

1 Tablespoon grape seed oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/8 tsp or less cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

salt

In a bowl, drizzle washed Brussels sprouts with maple syrup and oil.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, cayenne, and salt to taste.  Place on a baking sheet and roast in oven at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until fork tender.  If you watch them roast for an additional 5 minutes or so, they will begin to darken and get crisp edges because of the maple syrup.  Watch closely if you try this as they can quickly burn!  Delish!!!!   

Happy Thanksgiving!!

If you struggle with the same feelings about eating plant based, I would love to hear your story.  Please comment on this post if you are willing to share 

Gluten Free Apple Bake - Vegan

(Thank you, Marilyn, for the inspiration and creativity of this dish!)

Ingredients

About 3 lb cooking apples (ie. Spy, Ida Red, Cortland) - sliced, unpeeled
1 cup water
1/4 c sugar or dry sweetener (sucanat or other natural sugar)
Cinnamon (for liberal seasoning)
1 and 1/2 cup raisins
2 T lemon zest
salt
*walnuts or pecans optional

Topping

3/4 cup ground flax seed
2 cups oatmeal, ground into flour (to be gluten free, use GF oats)
1/2 cup unrefined, virgin coconut oil
2/3 cup walnut meal or desired chopped nuts
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/8 tsp salt

In a 9"x 13" glass baking pan, place enough sliced apples in bottom of pan to fill pan half full.  Add water.  Sprinkle with the raisins, sugar and add nuts if desired.  Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon, 2 T lemon zest and lightly salt the whole layer (less than a pinch of salt).  Fill the pan and slightly heap with more apple slices.  Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon, add nuts if desired and another light sprinkle of salt.

To make topping, place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  Crumble the topping over apples.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Watch the topping half way through baking time to be sure that it is not over cooking.  A piece of foil can be laid over the top to prevent burning if necessary.  Apples will puff up and be fork tender when fully baked. 

Prevent tooth decay with THIS

Oral use of Iodine can prevent cavities from early childhood.

Iodine kills germs.  It has been used as a preparation for skin before surgery since medical doctors understood germs and how to prevent infection.  What I had never thought or heard before was that iodine could be an effective way to kill tooth-decay causing germs.  

Dr. David Kennedy, DDS explains, in the following video, that fluoride is proven to be ineffective in preventing tooth decay.  Fluoride is toxic when ingested or when it comes in contact and absorbed by the skin.  However, iodine is non-toxic to humans.  In fact, iodine is an essential nutrient for the function of the thyroid.  The thyroid produces thyroid hormone upon which every cell of the body is dependent.  (The thyroid is incapable of producing hormone in the absence of iodine.  This will be another blog post.) Thus, iodine is an excellent, non-toxic, topical treatment for dental care.   Dr. Kennedy explains that the oral disease causing germs are "swimmers".  The germs are introduced to children by age 2 (generally through the mother who has dental decay).  As the child ages, the germs work on the gums and teeth until a cavity forms, gums recede, or teeth fall out.  You can't brush these germs away; but you can flush them away with an irrigation system for oral care.  Dr. Kennedy has a recipe for oral health video that I will post as a second video.

Fluoride Does Not Reduce Tooth Decay - But THIS Does

Dr. David Kennedy, DDS

Recipe for Oral Health by Dr. David Kennedy

Oral Health recipe

1 Quart glass jar

1 inch of salt in the bottom of jar

1 inch of baking soda (on top of salt)

hot water to fill jar

Shake jar until mixed.  Allow to sit under the counter until the salt and soda settles.  The liquid portion of this solution is saturated.  Do not shake before adding to the irrigation system.  Pour off some of the liquid portion and dilute one part solution with one part warm water for oral irrigation after usual brushing and flossing of the teeth.  A "splash" of iodine an also be added to the irrigation solution.  Set irrigation system on low setting, irrigate between and around every tooth.  When all of solution is used, rinse the system with clean water or it will not work the next time you use it!   

With a proper diet, drinking and bathing in clean (fluoride and chlorine free) water, and proper oral care, one should never need to have intervention for tooth decay!  I make my own toothpaste in order to eliminate exposure to the chemicals fluoride and aspartame which are so common in manufactured dental products.  For more information about the health hazards of commercially manufactured toothpaste, check out my blog: Why I don't use Toothpaste or Chew Gum

Dr. Kennedy's website also has a one hour documentary on fluoride in America. I haven't watched this film, yet - so I hesitate to share the link.  Once I watch it, I may have a comment or two.   Fluoridegate - the film