Really Good For You Soup

I christen thee "If this soup does not cure what ails ya, I don't know what will."
I made this soup chock full of good for you ingredients last night and everybody loved it. Plus I was feeling stuffy, groggy and like I might be getting the crud again last night and now I feel fine. Weather I feel better because of the soup, a good night's sleep or the decongestant is up for debate, but I think all 3 have a good effect on the stuffy olfactory area.

So here you go... Really Good For You Soup.

• 1/2 stalk of Burdock Root (get this at the Asian Market like Super H) 
• 1 package of Shiitake Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 head of Swiss Chard, rinsed and roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, sliced into 1/2 moons
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 tablespoon of white miso
• 1 sheet of dried seaweed (or any other sea veggie) 
• 1 box of veggie broth
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• Cilantro or Basil to garnish
• Dash of Siracha (rooster sauce) if you want a kick

Wash, scrub and peel the burdock root. This stuff is dirty - as it should be - it's a root, however it is worth it because this is the ingredient that makes this soup SUPER HEALTHY. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory, detoxifier and it boosts your immune system to new heights. I like cooking with Asian ingredients, it seems like they have a good handle on the good for you, don't get cancer, live a long and healthy life food choices. Regarding your taste buds, burdock root reminds me of jimica or a bland carrot as in it really does not have much flavor but a good bit of crunch.
Anyway... I digress...
So now chop your peeled burdock root into small pieces. Put about a teaspoon of olive or veg oil into a stock pot. Saute the onions, burdock and garlic. Cook until the onions are really tender and take care not to burn the garlic. Throw in the swiss chard and mushrooms. Let this mixture steam up for about 5 minutes. Stir it all around and let it get happy. Next pour in a box of ORGANIC veggie broth. Put the sheet of seaweed on top and let it get soggy.  Cover and cook this mixture for 30 - 45 minutes.  The seaweed will break up in the soup as it cooks. About 5 minutes before serving add a tablespoon of miso. Stir it in well.
Serve with your preferred garnish - either basil or cilantro and add a dash of Siracha if you want a little kick.
As I was eating this last night I thought that the soup could deal with a hot pepper - so I may try that next time. Otherwise - it was delicious and hearty.
Enjoy and eat well!
Namaste,
Heather

Soul Food

It has almost been one full month since my sister's cross over and I am feeling drained. There have been many changes in the last few months of my life and lots more in the last few weeks. I know I need more energy and I want my zip back. I know that depression, tears and bad days are normal and I welcome all of them. I want to move through this with dignity, strength and clarity.  Clarity of the mind, body and spirit. A clear head can not come with spirits, dairy, fat and sugar clogging my veins. I have enjoyed comfort food of mac and cheese, pasta and fried everything for long enough and I feel the need to gain clarity (not to mention energy).  My brain fog is thick and my sleep is sketchy at best. I do not want to continue like this.

Almost every morning I wake up and one of my first thoughts is "The Daniel Fast." I ignored it, and I don't know why the thought is there. I have only heard of this fast in passing and have never fasted before in my life. The closest I have come to fasting for spiritual reasons is giving up brownies for lent. Last week I brought up the Daniel fast on facebook and in yoga class. It just so happens, that most of my students have fasted for spiritual and mental clarity. Another happy "coincidence" was that one of my newest students had a book on the Daniel fast in her car.
OK God, I hear you. I submit.
Tomorrow, I am starting a modified version of The Daniel Fast which is based on the Biblical scripture Daniel 10:2-3: "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three while weeks were fulfilled."

I have not completely heard from God the exact details of my fast. I will spend time in prayer and meditation tonight and see if I can gain more clarity on this. This meditation will be post yoga and pre -sleep.

This much I know:
Vegan - no meat, no dairy, no animals
No alcohol
No sweets
No pre-packaged food

God has the vision for my life, I need to plug in and connect. This may mean that I unplug my toys too - TV, computer and iPhone for specific periods of time during the day. I am not sure how long this fast will last - I am still waiting to hear what God has planned for me.  It may be for the full 21 days, it may not.

Ahimsa in Sanskrit means non-violence, peace. I think factory farming is violent to animals and our planet. When I see "Mechanically Pulled Apart Chicken" on Colleen's chicken nuggets - I cringe. Yikes. What a way to die. If you don't think this is nasty, watch the documentary Food Inc. and tell me what you think after you watch it.  *By the way, that brand of chicken nuggets do not cross our threshold now.

Ahimsa toward myself is not allowed. No violence in my body. To torture my liver, gall bladder and intestines with toxins is a form of self deprecation.  I will not belittle my body with toxins. I will not be foggy because my veins are clogged with unnatural food. I have said for years that "this is not what God intended us to eat" now its time to walk the walk with a spiritual cleanse. I have cleansed before, but never for spiritual reasons. All my other cleanses have been for me, my flesh, my ideas. This is God's plan for me. I am listening.

My intention is clear, I need more clarity, peace and sleep.  I need to be closer to God and my family needs me to be at my best. I want to feel better. God wants me to feel good, He loves me, and He is showing me the way.

You can't LIVE without your LIVEr!

On Friday night Soul Shine Yoga & Wellness had our first nutrition workshop with Donna Terrazas. Let me just say she is AMAZING - a true wealth of information. She has been doing the whole natural healing, great diet, and energy healing before it was cool. She used to give her kids "ninja juice" green chlorophyl and juice mixed, named after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the 80s version youngins). One of her children was doing his first anatomy project and he was diagraming our insides and she was telling him how important our livers are to the body. He perked up and said "Mommy! Liver, Live! See LIVE. You can't live without your LIVER!" He was right on.
In the West we do not give our liver its due. In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) the liver is the most important organ in the body. We tend to focus on our hearts in the USA. The liver is the "general" he tells us what to do. Right now its time to create, live, plow the fields and eat greeeeeen.  We also need to eat tart, sour foods like lemons, limes and grapefruit. Herbs that support the liver are milk thistle and dandelion.

Here is a simple recipe for a gentle liver cleanse:
2 beets (raw)
1 - 2 lemons, juiced
1/4 - 1/2 cup of flax oil

Mix this all together and eat 2 teaspoons a day. If you eat more, the cleansing will be more intense. Trust me, beets are very cleansing! I juiced an entire beet one time, added some other stuff like apple and a cucumber. I drank about 5 sips before I had a headache, and then it was off to the bathroom I went!

Take care of your liver - just don't over do a cleanse.
Love & Light
H

The next day...so far so good

Pau d'Arco Bark

Hola amigos...
The first day of the cleanse went well. The only thing I think I could have eaten better was dinner. When I get home at 9:00 PM after a long day, I am starving. I ate 2 frozen veggie burgers and 2 slices of Ezekiel bread. I added lettuce and a tad of ranch dressing. The ranch has dairy in it, but it was only a bit and I have not had time to make my own mayo yet. I drank a glass of unsweetened almond milk and then pau d'arco tea.

Pau d'arco tea is great when you are cleansing. Shams introduced me to it a long time ago and I plan on drinking it daily during the cleanse. Here is some info on Pau d'Arco...

"Pau d'Arco tea or tincture concoctions have had beneficial effects for cancer victims, anywhere from alleviation of chemotherapy symptoms to complete remission of tumors. An article published by Dr. Daniel B. Mowrey on Pau d'Arco stated that "who Lapacho has produced clinical anti-cancer effects without side effects." This taheebo tea has been helpful to many.


Candida Albicans, a fungus which causes yeast infections, has also been treated by the Pau d'Arco herb. Clinical studies also showed strong in vitro activity against various other bacteria, fungi and yeast, including: Aspergillus, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Helicobacter pylori (common cause of stomach ulcers), Bucella, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and dysentery. ""
Basically its great for getting bad bacteria out of your gut. You can get it in bulk or capsules. Click Here for my favorite online herb shop Mountain Rose Herbs. They have great medicinal herbs and yummy oils etc...

I also need to up my water intake. Some days I am great about it and drink about 100 oz of water a day, but some days I don't get nearly enough. I can really tell a difference when I drink lots of water.
Today's menu:
Oatmeal with stevia and cinnamon
Chai tea with stevia and unsweetened almond milk
Hummus & rice crakcers
Tomato & Cuke salad
Apple and almond butter
Dinner???
I really need to get to the grocery store!

Day One...

Day one of the yeast free diet & Heather's life makeover!
I really am looking forward to it instead of dreading it. I am excited about losing weight, feeling 100% better and cleansing out toxins in my gut & blood. This is the first of many steps I am taking to live a more authentic life that honors the way I want to live. I am not selfish, but I give a lot and I also tend to morph myself to adapt to situations that I may or may not want to be a part of. That stops now.
Whew. Powerful.
I just felt a bolt of positive strong energy jump into my heart.
I do not think this is going to be easy. Tears will flow, but so will joy, smiles and freedom.

First things first, clean the shell. My body needs a good cleaning, scrubbing down with greens, water and herbs. Great food, acupuncture, massage and yoga are my new drugs of choice. Alcohol and anxiety meds - be gone! I am finished with you! I did the right thing and tapered off of the meds that I have been on for 2 years. Since Hailey was diagnosed with the big C word medication was not an option, I needed it. I think I would be in a padded room if it were not for those pills. However - its time for me to let them go. This is a personal decision for me. Some people are much better off on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications. Its medically necessary. So, if you are not ready for this - DO NOT DO IT. Always talk to a professional before you start on this journey.

Cleaning my shell will include a "yeast free" diet. Its really the best diet for me. I have done it before and felt like a million bucks. But, I like beer, and pizza, and cheese...so its not a lifetime diet for me. However, I will only use the aforementioned foods in moderation since they do not jive with my organic constitution.

What is a yeast free diet? The "no list" is pretty long, but here it goes:
No cheese/dairy (except eggs)
No vinegar, with the exception of Apple Cider vinegar with the "mother"; this one is difficult because all condiments have vinegar, so you have to make your own dressings and such - I need to find mayo with no vinegar...is that even possible?
No SUGAR. At all.
No white food - like white bread, white potatoes, pasta etc...
No fermented foods, so no soy sauce, pickles or alcohol (how will I make it through the nights when I just want a cocktail?!)
No artificial sweeteners like aspartame and look out for sugar alcohols in "sugar free" foods

YES FOODS:
Veggies - the greener the better
Eggs
Lean, organic meats (yea...I am going to have to work on that one since I am a vegetarian, ugh.)
Protein shakes
Certain fruits like dark berries and avocados (can not have anything too sweet like pineapple)
Lemons, limes
Seafood
All spices and herbs
Whole grains like brown rice, rice pasta and quinoa (I will explain quinoa in another post)
Beans
Oatmeal
Tofu and tempeh in small amounts
Braggs liquid aminos
Ezekiel bread - but only on occasion
Lots, and lots of water

That is the gist of it. Eating out is the biggest challenge - and family gatherings. Why does everything at a family dinner have to include mayo and cheese?
Today's menu
Unsalted rice cake with almond butter and organic blueberries (breakfast)
Egg cups (mid morning and afternoon snack)
Hummus with rice crackers (lunch)
Tomato & Cucumber salad with olive oil, dill and apple cider vinegar (lunch)
Apple with almond butter (pre-yoga snack/dinner)
Brown rice and beans if I am hungry after yoga tonight - if not, I am really going to try to stick to tea because eating at 9:00PM every night is not good for the digestive system

Till tomorrow....
Love and Light

Wellness Challenge

I have decided to start a wellness challenge at Soul Shine. It will be good for me and you. We can all participate even if you do not attend classes at Soul Shine. If you do attend Soul Shine, the grand prize is a free unlimited month pass! Whoo Hoo!

This is not going to be your typical weight loss challenge. I hope we can all shed a few pounds if we need to, but I want to focus on WELLNESS.

The categories will go somethin' like this...
Yoga classes
Yoga at home
Cardio exercise
Going vegetarian for a day
Going without dairy for a day
Getting outside
Reading a book that has nothing to do with self improvement
Reading a book that does involve self improvement
Quiet Time & Meditation
Trying something new
Spending 10 minutes alone in the morning, just breathing and getting ready for the day (no tv, Internet...)
Going without TV for a day
Playing a game (cards, tag, golf...let your inner child out!)
Random acts of kindness

You will get a point for everything you do and the person with the most points will win. I am thinking it will last a month - starting August 1st!

Ideas...comments...participants....

Love & Light
Namaste,
Heather

Ahhh...Sweet Relief

Hello energy
Hello sun
Hello light

Hello friends

Honestly, lately I have been down and out - way too busy for one human being to be and I ran myself into the ground. My head felt like pancake batter. My body feels heavy and cumbersome - unless I am practicing yoga asanas, then I feel good. I also found out that I have a B vitamin deficiency - what a relief! I thought I was just tired, dizzy and more tired just because I was so busy. Now I am getting B vitamin shots and I feel so much better. Its only a temporary fix though, I still need to supplement with oral vitamins and such. I am also adding more B to my diet with fortified foods. Since most of the foods that have these energy boosters in it are yucky - like liver, gag, even when I ate meat, I did not eat organs...gag again...so that is out of the question. Eggs and cheese have lots of Beeees in them, so that is handy for me since I love both.

I have missed blogging. I am committing to blogging 2 - 3 times a week now. I am seriously also working on yoga videos. I know, I know - you have heard this before, but I am serious! I just need to figure out the sound situation...the studio is like a very deep cave with a very bad echo - so I am going to have to do something about that. If you have any ideas let me know.

I am also on a journey of cleansing and hopefully in the process losing 20 - 30 LBS. I will be the first to admit that when my schedule got crazy, my diet got sloppy. Eating out a LOT, BK veggie burgers and fries, beer, frosty Pina Coladas at the beach, fried crab claws...goodness, I am getting hungry. Let me wipe the drool off my chin

Anyway...the above mentioned nasty, yet delicious, food is the reason I am cleansing. So, no beer. Sigh. Only goooood food, fresh veggies, brown rice, eggs, almond butter, berries etc...that I am not so sad about. But honestly - beer is the devil on one's waist line. Plus I am sure my liver will appreciate a break.

So, here I am, being totally open and honest with you about my weight. I will get into more details later about emotional eating, diet pills, food, recipes and such. I hope you will hang out with me on this journey.

Namaste, Love & Light,

Heather

Brrrrrrr....

So, my cleanse has taken a turn from internal to external. Since moving into the tiny "grandma" house I have to make the most of my space. In that spirit, this weekend I pulled out all of my tank tops and shorts and boxed them up as we wait for the warmer days of spring. I started to gather all of my cozy sweaters and cords to add to my tiny closet. And guess what, I am still purging clothes! I can not believe that after I have purged my closet 2 times, I am still at it. I am really letting go of things I do not need. Why do I need to hang on to that purple sweater my mom gave me 5 years ago? I keep it because my mom gave it to me and for some reason I actually feel guilty for donating it to someone who might like it! There is something fundamentally wrong with that, do you agree??? So - be gone guilt! be gone purple sweater! You are going to a home where someone will love you and you will keep somebodies arms warm and cozy.

Physically speaking the cleanse was much harder over the weekend. I ate OK, but I did indulge in some organic wine and I forgot to take my vitamins. I did dance around my living room doing NIA and some free style belly dancing and that was so much FUN. I sweated a lot, so I felt cleansed and happy. I will give myself a 5 out of 10 for the weekend. I am making up for it today! I had a wonderful juice of carrot, cucumber, spinach and a small apple for breakfast. Tonight I am making brown rice with peas and a spinach salad. The brown rice will give us the cozy warmth we are craving plus lots of fiber, the peas will give us more fiber and some protein and the spinach salad will give us iron, vitamins, minerals and energy! Mike and I are practicing yoga in my cool yoga room and then we plan on watching Dexter :) Part of the cleanse is to take fun time for you!

On a more serious note regarding Hailey - she is going to see her Oncologist this morning. She will get the low down on her prognosis. I hope we can get her to MD Anderson soon. I have great hope with that hospital. So please pray for peace, healing and wisdom for us during this time if you want. Thank you so much.

Love and Light,

H

Cleanse Challenge Day 2

Well, day one went well and now I am on day two of trading my beer for a glass of green juice. I already have more energy and I have not even had any caffeine today! That is HUGE for me!

This morning's juice consisted of 3 big hand fulls of spinach, a small red apple and a carrot. It was gooooood. Carrots tend to overpower any juice, so if you do not like carrots, skip it. Just make sure you have tons of greens in there! That is where the goodness is! I also had a handful of almonds for some protein and fiber to start my day. For lunch I had organic butternut squash soup, a spinach salad with cranberries and oil & vinegar, and some more almonds.

Dinner tonight may be more vegan chili - Mike made it the other night and its so good. Yea, Mike made vegan chili. You did read that right. He made it darn good too.

Tonight's exercise (after I teach yoga) will be NIA - a free dance style of exercise. I lovingly call it hippie aerobics. Its SO much fun. Lots of drums and free movement is encouraged. I need to work out some negative energy that is creeping in with the stress of Hailey's pending move to Texas. Its all so up in the air, we have no idea when, or how long she will be gone, or who is going with her for that matter. Please pray for us! We need all the strength from the Good Lord we can get.

Its getting chilly out there and its time to bust out the socks and sweats. Keep warm out there my fuzzy-wuzzy darlings!

Anyone up for a challenge?

Anyone up for a challenge? I am.

As a yoga teacher I get asked all kinds of questions about health, well being, diet, and as a vegetarian people get annoyed with me at the dinner table. But believe me, I am not sitting up on my shiny, eco-friendly, green, vegetarian, yoga throne looking down on everyone who eats meat, drinks milk or does not know what down dog is. Seriously, we live in the real world here!

I also have a confession to make, I am not all that healthy. I really do make an effort to eat healthy, practice yoga daily; but beer, fried shrimp, sugar and chocolate all have a foothold in my life. So in an effort to practice what I preach - I wonder what it would really feel like to be as healthy as I can be for the next 21 days? It takes 21 days to integrate a new habit in your life, so this will be the 21 day healthy as I can be challenge!

I am always on Hailey's case regarding her diet, but who am I to talk the talk if I do not walk the walk? And I mean, really walk it - get down and dirty with it. Granted, I do not have cancer, but we all have the potential to get it and I DON'T want it. I started this journey yesterday by taking a "mental health" day off. I did not go to work, I read a Twilight book and sat on the couch for most of the day. Sounds very couch potato-e, but it was much needed! I also ate very healthy and took all my vitamins. I did a great yoga practice even though it was hard to peel myself off the couch and I went to bed at 10:00.

I am going to do my best to do this even with Hailey in the hospital, and me possibly going to Texas in the near future. What is the point of being healthy and good to your God Pod if you do not do it when you need it most - when you are under tremendous amounts of stress?

Here is my plan for the next 21 days and feel free to jump on board if you want.

1. Juice a very very very green juice every day

2. Add lots of fiber

3. Cut sugar out completely

4. Gradually go dairy free - ugh, we are the only species on the planet that eats another species milk, that should be enough to get you thinking about that one. I will even try vegan cheese and let you know if I die from gagging or if its as tasty as the reviews make it out to be.

5. MOVE every day! Yoga at least 4 times a week and incorporate dance, walking and hooping etc... Yoga is the best all around exercise - but I love to boooogie so I want to nurture that side of my spirit as well. What do you like to do? Bike, hike, dance? DO IT!

6. Prayer and meditation daily - reading the Bible and finding what God wants me to know right now in my life. If the Bible is not your thing, then please find something that inspires you and brings you closer to God. This will make the biggest difference in your life!

7. Less time on the computer and in front of the boob tube (I really feel my brain turning to cottage cheese some nights)

8. Eat TONS more veggies - eat the rainbow every day! Fiber, vitamins, delicious food...enjoy God's bounty!

9. Take more QUALITY time for ME

10. Use the support from friends, family, church family, my hubby and online community

11. NO more beer, its just not good for you on any level. If I do have an adult beverage, it will only be organic wine.

12. Drink 64+ oz of pure water a day

13. Phase out processed foods as much as possible, if processed food makes it into my body its going to have a very short list of ingredients

14. Take all of my vitamins and supplements

15. Alkalize my diet as much as possible (cancer loves an acidic body!)

16. Don't give up but do pamper myself when things get tough

17. Daily affirmations

I hope that this will cleanse my body of toxins that are hiding out in my system, give me more energy and balance my mood during this stressful time.

I will blog as much as I can and give you encouragement, feedback on food, recipes, yoga info, new ways to shake your groove thang and much more.

Any ideas, recipes etc...are welcome!

Love & light

Crazy, Sexy goddess..

I love this woman. She has been an insperation to my sister through cancer, and I have learned so much from her its amazing.

Time to clean out the pipes...and the blood, and the liver...

I have cleaned out my house and my closet...its time to clean my temple.

After a summer of stress, about 100 Fat Tires (and bud lights), more fast food than I'd like to admit, lack of sleep and lack of a standard yoga routine, its time to cleanse! I am starting a month long cleanse on Sunday. Giddyup!

I have stolen my sister's juicer (insert evil laugh - muahhhaaa) and I will using this sucker every day. I will juice greens, veggies, some fruit, grasses, ginger etc...I will also be eating more "whole" foods and much less processed food.

Juicing has amazing benefits according to those who do it regularly. The enzymes from the raw veggies make your skin glow, remove toxins from your body, give you a "boost" with out caffeine, and totally do a body goooood. The over processed veggie juices in the grocery store are nowhere near the same, they are loaded with sugar, additives etc...to make them taste good. I will hopefully find some combos that do taste good so I can stick to this plan. I will be sure to share recipes and blunders along the way.



On this cleanse I am also giving my poor worn out liver a break, so no alcohol for 30 days, at least. I am also (since I am finally settled in the new casa) going to start practicing yoga asana at least 6 times a week if not every day. Yoga is a lifestyle for me, so I do practice some form of yoga (part of the 8 limbs...another blog for another time) every day - but asana is the fire that gets the toxins OUT of your precious, beautiful body.

Wish me luck, and have you ever cleansed? Tell me about how you cleanse. How do you feel different? What has worked for you? Anything really nasty and stupid that you have tried?



PS. My sister NEVER uses her juicer, if she did I would have never taken it. Maybe if I find some good juicing recipies she will start...