Are your New Year resolutions starting to fade?

What do you love so deeply that you would be willing to dedicate 1000 days toward its growth? 

About this time of the year our New Year's resolutions start losing their zest.  If we aren't careful by next December they will become a regret.

Life gets cluttered.  Before we know it, the quiet clarity we felt in January gets blurry from the bright lights and endless requests of life.

Take a minute to be quiet- very still.  Go back to the vision you had when you passionately wanted to create change in your life.  How did you feel?  Do you still want that change?  How will you feel next December if it doesn't happen?

Are you still hungry for that vision to become a reality? If the answer is yes....

1.  Look at your goal- break it into bite sized pieces, next steps to take.  Work in two week segments on your bite sized pieces.  Always be moving on the next step.

2.  Get an accountability buddy or hire a coach to support you and help keep you focused, excited and moving forward.

3.  Make sure your goals are clear. Work on one goal at a time.  It is better to master one life changing goal than to chase 100 chickens around the barnyard.

4.  Goals are like baby plants.  They need extra TLC until they have deep roots.

As always I wish you happy and joyful travels on your path.  If you find you need a walking friend to keep you moving forward... give me a call.  253-815-0446

Chocolate the wonder food...

Chocolate!  I love chocolate.  My family loves chocolate.  Chocolate is my go to food when I need a pick me up, nourishing, TLC, a satisfying treat, a warm cup of love.... plus chocolate is so good for you.  It has massive antioxidants and it is even skin nourishing.  It's a wonder food!

I eat or drink chocolate most everyday.  In the winter, holiday months nothing soothes the soul better than a big old mug of hot chocolate.... If you are reading this blog, we are probably kindred spirits

What I'm about to share with you may feel disturbing... but I must share.  The other day, my hubby returned from our naturopath with a suggested strategy for food intolerance. I read it and paused....

" Consider the foods you love or crave as well as those foods you frequently eat, especially foods that you eat as a pick-me up when you are low in energy or out of sorts..."   hummmmmm  heavy sigh 

 

It took me a couple days of pondering before I decided.  For the season between Thanksgiving and Epiphany day (January 6th), I'm giving up my beloved chocolate as an experiment.   How will I feel during the darkest months, the holidays, the season of desert abundance, of friends and family giving you baskets and trays of chocolate, the season of snuggling under a big blanket, drinking hot chocolate and reading a book???  WOW 

While emptying my big mugs from our dishwashing, this morning, I realized hot cocoa is chocolate!  Oh dear- did I really think this through??  Yes Denise, a deal is a deal!

 I quickly texted my sister- who totally gets the challenge of no chocolate- she immediately replied with three options to hot chocolate- bless you Tara!  My hubby offered two more- thank you Dallas. whew!

   
When you let go and try new paths your creativity flows, you get out of your habits and life becomes more interesting.  When your "go to plan" is not longer available, you pop out of your rut and create a new trails.  Chocolate is a little rut- Ok maybe a big rut. Shifting your life with simple changes can bring big beautiful blessings.  

If you have a go to food or drink, consider putting it on hold during the holiday season.  Experiment, see how you feel, travel new roads with food.  You don't have to do it forever- just play.

   Please share your discoveries with us in the comments below- thanks!

            Happy holidays, to you all.  May the season of gratitude blend beautifully throughout the season.

                 Denise

This is the link a great foodie site my sister sent as options to my hot cocoa drought .   Great foodie site!  Thanks Tara - my brain is feeling healthier by the minute...

    Warm Spiced Carob Milk

     

  

5 Tried, Tested and Wholeheartedly Approved Ways to Simplify Your Thanksgiving

A gift of celebrating Thanksgiving early is I get to share post Turkey day epiphanies before your Thanksgiving. I hold a local family party the 2nd Sat of November.  I’m not sure why I had so many epiphanies this thanksgiving, but they were popping up everywhere!

   Here are 5 tried, tested and wholeheartedly approved

 ways to simplify your thanksgiving...

1.  Pre Cook your Turkey the day before, debone and then put the meat in oven friendly containers  (debone the turkey while the bird is still warm.)  This step reduces three stressors:  Timing your turkey to be done perfectly and on time, the pressure of carving your turkey and then deboning your turkey when you are done eating. Another option would be to go vegetarian for a shift.

2.   Create a Thanksgiving potluck.  Everyone gets to be part of the celebration, sharing traditions and discoveries.  Plus, you get to try and eat new foods with no effort!

3.  Let go of time sensitive dishes, you know the ones: Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy.  This year I didn't make mashed potatoes or gravy and our turkey was already cooked and deboned!  I realized how much stress it was trying to be a hostess while  finishing up last minute dishes.  I was way more relaxed and got to visit more.

4.  Make dishes you will love as leftovers.  Food that will give you energy and not wear you down.  Food that you will actually eat.  I know this seems obvious but it will keep you healthier with no food waste!  I like simple, colorful, veggie strong dishes.

5.  Make time for your TLC in the am.  Before my house filled up, I went for a run/walk.  Even with all my simplification I was still feeling a bit anxious.  Let's be real, I don't usually have 20 people for lunch.  As I ran, my stress lightened and lessened.  When I got lighter, I remembered gratitude.  I then spent the rest of my run being thankful for my family, for their willingness to give up a Saturday and travel to celebrate with us all.  I returned home grateful, refreshed and ready for the day.

And there you have it... 5 tried, tested and wholeheartedly approved ways to simplify your Thanksgiving.

     May you and yours travel lightly, be lovingly received and well nourished.

                              Denise

The grain of the month is Quinoa

Tonight somewhere after putting the groceries away and making dinner, I made a fabulous little discovery. There is a grain of the month calendar!!! I ask you, how incredibly cool is that?

The whole grains council has created a calendar celebrating one or two grains per month. From my blog title, you probably figured out Quinoa is March's grain of the month.

Here is a teaser about this super little pseudo grain:

"It's not surprising that quinoa supports good health, as it's one of the only plant foods that is a complete protein, offering all the essential amino acids in a healthy balance. Not only is the protein complete, but quinoa grains have an unusually high ratio of protein to carbohydrate, since the germ makes up about 60% of the grain. ( For comparison, wheat germ comprises less than 3% of a wheat kernel.) Quinoa is also highest of all the whole grains in potassium, which helps control blood pressure."

The site is a gold mine of grain info.
http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/

Each month the council lists a new grain. Since we are already into March I will catch you up.
January is Oats
February is Barley
March is Quinoa

Tonight we had sprouted brown rice for dinner...apparently, I was out of season:)

As always, wishing you a healthy and happy home,
Denise Frakes

Cocunut Sugar - keeps the sugar blues away

Coconut Sugar, it looks like dull brown sugar sugar. I first heard about it last year at a sprouting class. Shortly after that my sister told me about coconut sugar. She had heard about it from one of her student's moms.

I tried it, my sister tried it. We liked it. This week I dug a bit deeper into this new ingredient. It turns out, coconut sugar has some powerful friends. Here is a video by Dr. Oz. He likes it. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/coconut-palm-sugar-best-new-sugar-alternative

Specifically this is what I like about coconut sugar:
It is natural
It has a glycemic index of 35
It doesn't make my blood sugar jump and dive after eating
It tastes good
It can be substituted for regular sugar 1:1 ratio

Have I ever mentioned diabetes runs in my family? Did you know I have troubles with hypoglycemia ( low blood sugar)? And although this is rare.... sometimes I get blood sugar spikes and drops causing me to be less than charming.

To find an ingredient where I can enjoy foods that are not only yummy but safe is a good find.

Last night I made homemade whipped cream:
Whipping cream
Coconut sugar
Real Vanilla extract

This morning I mixed plain yogurt, frozen blueberries, a bit of coconut sugar and a splash of lemon extract for my breakfast- way good.

My sister and I have been playing around with coconut sugar for about 6 months. So far we give it a thumbs up. Anything that keeps me healthy and smiling is a good thing!

As always, wishing you a healthy and happy home,
Denise Frakes
Co-Owner of Blue Sky Services
Certified Healthy Home Specialist

Parsnip Cake with Goat Cheese Frosting

Why not parsnips? This little known vegetable has been around since time began... well, maybe not that long but it was one of the first cultivated veggies. There is nothing wrong with this new-old discovery so much as it has been sandwiched in the wrong category. I say it is not a savory veggie!! All the recipes I have found for parsnips are savory- that is so wrong!!

The other day, I was experimenting with this little wonder, roasting it along with carrots and broccoli. When I pulled my dish from the oven, all I smelled was a delicious sweet baked good. Where did that come from? The parsnip! The parsnip was created to be a desert!

I knew parsnip's glory was a parsnip cake. Last weekend I tried my theory. I tested it on friends... we had a get together and I made two cakes. Below are the recipe's used including the original from my sister in law- KIM's Jumping Bean Carrot Cake recipe.
(Thank you Kim! Kim! Kim!)

The original Carrot Cake Recipe: Kim's Jumping Bean Carrot Cake
2 eggs
3/4 cups oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 lb shredded carrots
Beat wet ingredients, slowly add dry
Fold in carrots and walnuts
bake 350- 1 hour ( this is a high altitude recipe)

The Parsnip Cake Experiments: ( add or substituted in the 2nd cake)
2 eggs
1/4 cup chia gel
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup turbinado sugar or (1 cup coconut sugar)
1 1/4 spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (plus 1/2 cup raisins)
1/2 lb shredded parsnips (about 2.5 cups) (shredded and then food processed for smaller size)
follow above cooking directions- At low altitude the cake was done way before 1 hour was up


Goat cheese frosting
5 oz soft goat cheese
3 oz whipped cream cheese
2 tbl soft butter
1 tsp vanilla
For sweetness you can either add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 3 tbl honey
or for a naturally sweet frosting on my second cake. I added a combo of honey, maple syrup, and rice syrup.
Whip with a mixer until nice a fluffy!!
Top cake with frosting when cake is nice a cool.

Chia seed gel: in case you missed my earlier blog

Mix 6 tbl spoons chia seed with a quart of water. Make sure you shake and stir while it is setting up. After the mixture turns to a gel- about 30 minutes, you can use this chia seed get to substitute for 1/2 your oils in baking. In the parsnip cake experiments I only used 1/3 oil substitution but I think I could have easily used 1/2 substitution.

Hope you enjoy!!!! It was good desert for a party and we also enjoyed our cake for breakfast the next morning:) If you try it, let me know what you think... unless you didn't like it in which case try another veggie:)

As always, wishing you a healthy and happy home,
Denise

Fresh out of the garden

Is there any better way to start the day than breakfast straight out of the garden? Last night I noticed my Korean cucumbers are ready to eat!! My blueberries are ripening and my fresh herbs and flowers are growing into bushes on the front deck.

For breakfast I made a delicious, nutritious and yummy treat

Violet and cucumber yogurt

1/2 cup plain goat yogurt
1 fresh cucumber- skin on
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 T chopped stevia leaves
1 T chopped peppermint leaves
3 viola flowers

On the side, I'm having a nice hot cup of Green tea. Even though it is technically summer, the mornings still need something hot to warm me up!

Talk about a residue free start to the day. Most my breakfast only traveled 50 feet!!! The goat yogurt came from CA, but next time I go to Marlene's market I'll make sure I get WA goat yogurt:)

Wishing you abundance and sunshine on this summer day,
denise

Running with Scissors and eating Chia Seeds

Dallas wants to name our next dog "Scissors". He will then be able to say " Denise is out running with scissors"! Running with scissors is kind of how I feel about my running. Over the past 20 plus years, my running has been a bit irksome. I have a calf muscle that has given me fits, it randomly cuts my runs short. Still, I never give up because not running would be an unknown thought in my head- it doesn't exist.

The sun is out and I'm running again. Last year when I walked 60 miles for the Susan G Komen 3 day, I learned the better my posture the healthier my body was. I even ran/walked the Seattle 1/2 marathon last fall -with no calf trouble at all! The lessons I learned while walking, I'm taking to running: good posture, effortless movement and body awareness. (I find if I keep my legs under my hips it takes the pressure off my calf!!)

Besides my form, I'm building strength and eating some new foods. Still, just like running with scissors-paying close attention when moving and eating is essential for good health.

This morning, we ate Chia Fresca. I first learned about this recipe from the book: Born to Run. It is made from Chia Seeds. Apparently, Chia seeds was a food used for endurance and health by the Tarahumara - the running people of Mexico. Some of it's many health benefits are: endurance and healthy energy, balance blood sugar, add fiber and nutrients!

The actual recipe I used was:

Chia Fresca
1 cup spring or filtered water
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2 teaspoons fresh lemon or lime juice
2 teaspoons agave nectar or honey

Whisk the chia seeds into the water and allow them to soak for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the lemon or lime juice and agave and whisk well. Drink Immediately. Makes 1 serving
This recipe comes from The Huffinton Post. Christina Pirello's wrote a blog called Change your life with Chia.

Will my healthy running posture and new food make my running as good as ice cream? Only time will tell, but the chia seeds were yummy and I love to run. It is so worth the risk of running with scissors!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy summer!
Denise

Good intentions and a little bit of garlic

While contemplating my zillion miles of training for the 60 mile walk, I created a most yummy lunch. Here is my recipe.

7 second garlic and fresh kale

Kale

Edamame

Garlic

Walnuts

Raisins

Olive oil

salt

The ingredient amounts depend on how many are eating. I cooked enough for one, but should have made enough for 3.

Cut up some fresh, out of the garden, kale. Put it in a medium hot pan with a bit of water to steam. Add frozen or fresh edamame and a dash of salt, cook until tender.

While the kale and edamame are on one steaming, start another little pan and add a glop of olive oil. Put 2 cloves of garlic in the microwave for 7 seconds. Take out smash, peel and mince. (the 7 second cooking of garlic is a tip my mom gave me in AZ this summer. Takes the bite out of garlic- tip of the year) Toss in the pan with olive oil the: garlic, raisins and walnuts. Add a dash of salt. Saute until tender. Add the garlic, walnuts and raisins to the kale and edamame and serve.

A girl can not walk only on good intentions, sometimes you need good fuel and a little garlic.

Hope you enjoy.

Denise

Thanks for your support

Raw Chocolate Mousse

I don't think I have ever met a girl who didn't like chocolate. I know of a couple guys but no girls. Before doing my talk at Marlene's Market a couple of weeks ago, one of the employees gave me a recipe for a raw chocolate mousse. It is made with avacados- of all things.

Yesterday, I was visiting with one of our customers and described this recipe. She is having a dinner party and thought it sounded fun. I probably should try it first but since it is chocolate, can you really go wrong? Have fun!!

Raw Chocolate Mousse

1/4 cup agave nectar

4-8 dates

Combine in a food processor

Add:

1 1/2 avocado's

1/4 cup plus 2T Chocolate.

If you haven't ever tried agave, it is kind of like honey but has more of a carmel taste. At Marlene's Market, in the bakery section, they have raw chocolate- it is in a gold bag. This is what was used by my friend at Marlene's. She said the avocado gives it a rich creamy texture. Yum.