Natural Skin and Beauty Care: Vitamin Cocktail for the Skin

Vitamin Cocktail for the Skin
Today I woke up feeling refreshed and wanted to do something extra special for my skin. I love the smell of apples as they simmer, they remind me of the holidays so I decided to create a skin refiner (exfoliant) that will leave your skin feeling simply marvelous.

Apple (Green)
Apple’s are a rich source of flavonoids and polyphenol, which are powerful antioxidants. Malic acid an alpha hydroxy acid derived from apples, provides antioxidant actions and assists in skin exfoliation, to gently exfoliate and brighten the skin. Green apple also contains Vitamins A, B and C to brighten and tone the skin as well as Quercetin to calm redness.

Lemon Zest
The zest of the lemon is the outer skin which contains volatile oils and when blended with honey makes an extremely powerful exfoliant for the skin.

Honey
Honey is a by-product of honey bees when they collect the flower nectar in their mouths and the nectar mixes with enzymes and then it is turned into honey. Raw honey is honey that has not been heated for pasteurization, filtered or strained to remove the wax, pollen or propolis. Honey is a natural humectant that attracts and binds water to the upper layers of the skin.

Yogurt (Whole Milk, Plain)
Yogurt is a cultured product made from the natural bacterial fermentation of milk. Fermentation of the milk sugar (lactose) produces lactic acid which is an alpha hydroxy acid. Used in skin care treatments, lactic acid has the ability to digest skin cells and improve the texture of skin making it one of the best alpha hydroxy acids for sensitive skin. Yogurt is an effective ingredient in skin care treatments and allows the outer layers of your skin to release and shed over a few days, stimulating new cell growth in the skin’s deepest layers. With its natural antibacterial and antifungal agents, it assists in getting rid of germs and bacteria that plague the skin.

Recipe
1 Green apple
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp yogurt

Core and slice green apple and place in a blender. Add the lemon zest, honey and yogurt and blend into a creamy smooth mixture. Apply entire mixture to a cleansed face and leave on for 20 minutes, if you have sensitive skin leave mixture on between 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse will cool water and apply your favorite moisturizer.

Enjoy!

by Tracy Neely

Juicy Treats: Angela’s Sexy Salsa

Angela’s Sexy Salsa!
by Angela Elliott, author of Alive in 5

1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
1/2-whole cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup SWEET onion
Jalapeno to taste
1/4-inch slice fresh ginger
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons fresh basil
1 garlic clove, pressed

Place everything in the food processor and pulse chop. Strain and serve!

This recipe was part of an entire teleseminar that Angela hosted with us as part of our Sisterhood Program!! It has a complete Mexican feisty menu with step-by-step instructions for how to put it all together!

If you sign up TODAY for the Sisterhood program for only $9 a month and we’ll give you access to that call, all the recipes and and you’ll continue to other “cooking calls” like this with her every month, plus other exclusive calls for members! SIGN UP HERE!

A Great Green Smoothie Blog Is Born

And whoa, Nellie! I’m so excited about the feedback that we’ve been getting.

Wanna see it? I know you do. Welcome to another pet project of the Diva Dream Team:

We sent out an invitation to participants of our 3 Day Green Smoothie Challenge to come onboard this green train and help us spread the word about Green Smoothies! We’ve been so impressed with the response, that our team is almost complete!

If you, too, are a Green Queen or lover of green smoothies and want to be a bigger part of what we do around here, then just send us an email and let us know. Or leave a comment on the Green Smoothie blog! After all the flood of responses that we got after our International Green Smoothie Day adventure, we knew that it was time to get the green smoothies a home of their own.

And so it is that we proudly present to you another Diva Dream Team production!

Let us know what you think!

Love and hugs,

Tera for us all.

A House Made of Celery

“Mom, do you wish your house was made of celery?”

“Uh… why, Sebastian?”

“Then you could eat your table for your whole, wide supper.”

“You’re cute, Seb. Sure, I’d like a house made of celery.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“Me, too, Seb.”

“You’re the best Mom in the whole, wide university.”

“Thanks, Seb.”

I love my life.

A House Made Of Celery

“Mom, do you wish your house was made of celery?”

“Uh… why, Sebastian?”

“Then you could eat your table for your whole, wide supper.”

“You’re cute, Seb. Sure, I’d like a house made of celery.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“Me, too, Seb.”

“You’re the best Mom in the whole, wide university.”

“Thanks, Seb.”

I love my life.

How to be a Clutter-Free Diva in 30 Days!

This morning, I listened to a speaker at my son’s school who talked about the difference between a house and a home, how to make a house a home, and the importance of cleaning out all of the “rooms” of our heart-home. During this talk, the Raw Divas Clutter-Free Diva program came to mind and the fabulously necessary related special they are offering until Saturday, September 27. A comment about our physical environment often being a reflection of our inner environment that I’ve heard from Karen Knowler also came to mind this morning. That’s why I really like the Divas’ world-wide invitation to be clutter-free by the New Year. Who doesn’t want to be cleaned out — inwardly and outwardly — before the start of a new year?

Just imagine kicking off 2009 with no “stuff”/no “gook” (whatever your definition of stuff and gook may be!)!!! Oh how I love the sound of that. But, you know, my goal is to be done with all things “unwanted” by Christmas. Hmmh, maybe I’ll even push that up to early December — the start of my 43rd year! Yes, that’s my new goal: A New Clutter-Free Me at 43.

On one of the audio clips that Jinjee Talifero has made available on TheGardenDiet.com, she talked about this shift that is taking place in the world — people moving further away from stuff/material things in an attempt to get closer to their real ‘stuff’ — their purpose, creative talents, service to others, and so on. Basically, as the Divas say: “Making Space for Something Better!”

Jinjee’s chat about this subject really hit home for me, because I am very much on a page of life attempting to not have my God-given energy and purpose zapped by the energy it takes to maintain many things in a house that have to be stored, re-organized, dusted, washed, etc. And, just think about how the removal of unnecessary items aligns with transforming a house into a home!

Maybe like me, you are feeling that the upkeep of too many things (especially what we rarely use) is entirely a waste of time, energy and space — physically and mentally. That time could be better spent exploring the outdoors with your family. There’s just so much more to life than material things! I think that scaling down significantly really can increase one’s desire to LIVE and not merely exist. Let’s choose to LIVE.

So, if you didn’t get a chance to read the Clutter Free e-mail that The Raw Divas, Tera and Amy, sent out on September 23, here it is again. About busting clutter in 30 days, they wrote:

“Well, it’s hard to believe but the end of another glorious year of love, life and adventure is just around the corner. Goes fast, doesn’t it?

As of today (9/23), we counted and there are 99 days until 2009. We like celebrating things like this, just for the fun of playing with numbers, so here’s our spontaneous, lucky number 9 sale. We’re taking $99 off the cost of our 30 Day Clutter Busting program for the next 99 hours. At 3:00pm EST on Saturday,this program will be back up to it’s regular price of
$198!BUT WAIT!There’s a catch.

When you go to the page:

ClutterFreeDiva.com

you’ll see that the price listed IS STILL $198. It’s only when you click and go to the shoppingcart that you’ll realize, it’s actually $99.Sneaky, huh?We don’t want just anybody to take advantage of these little diva treats, you know.So, make the most of those 99 days until 2009, and if you’ve got clutter to bust, Darlin’, now’s your chance!Mmmmmuah! You’re gorgeous!”

Yes, I agree, you are gorgeous — and just imagine how much more gorgeous your “home” (inner and outer) will be once you’ve busted that clutter away. So, have fun clutter busting! I know I will.

Loving the thought of a completely Clutter-Free Life and World and Hugs…….

Penny

Sittin’ Around In Cow Town Wondering About A Few Things

Well, my lovelies!

Here I am at a sunny kitchen table in Calgary at my Dad’s house. If I had patience and time for digital pictures, I’d send you one. I came out to Calgary to visit my family for the weekend because my brother is getting married.

The kids and I just buzzed out here for a few days and then we head back to Montreal on Sunday evening.

I admit. I’m in culture shock.

When I think of my life, and then I see how life is here, I forget sometimes what goes on in the world. Well, I don’t really forget, but I just don’t see it all the time and so I don’t feel as bothered by it.

I don’t cook food anymore for my kids. There’s an occasional rice noodle that they will get away with, but now that Tim shipped me my dehydrator, we’re going to be packing some tasty lunch snacks to school and there’s just no reason in the world why I should prepare them cooked food any more.

They’ve even stopped asking for it. Of course, it helps that they know they can get it when they’re with their dad. But at my house, I don’t cook anymore.

My stove is covered in fruit bowls. I took the elements out and now I have some nice fruit bowls that sit in them, billowing with assorted fruits and counter-top foods.

Here, the convection oven is flashing 350 while a GIGANTIC Butterball turkey is being roasted for tomorrow’s dinner. (Yes, it’s actually a “Butterball”.)

I have been known to walk many kilometers just to avoid throwing away my compostable materials in the garbage.

*sigh*

I looked in the garbage here and saw plastic containers that absolutely could have been rinsed and recycled.

I watched my step-mom grab paper towel to wipe her counter as though she didn’t even realize it was a TREE she was using to wipe her counter!! Isn’t paper towel illegal, yet? Shouldn’t people pay an extra tax for using non renewable resources, or for now renewing the resources they us?

I understand that change takes place on a gradient. I don’t expect everyone to be where I am or live how I live. But I hold my breath and ask myself sometimes, how NOT to say something. And if I am going to say something, how can I say it so it comes out in a loving way?

What does it take to teach a nation the consequences of their choices? I love the Eastern religions and other philosophies that suggest we don’t only live once. Whether it’s “past lives” or “reincarnation” I think the idea that you’d have to come back and live out the consequences of your choices might be enough to cause people to think twice before they stick their margarine container in the trash. Maybe they’d think twice before they bought it in the first place?

If you have ideas, Sunshine, of how we can touch the world with a message of health and environmental responsibility, without putting people off, without causing them to feel like they are “wrong”, then please let me know.

There’s nothing that makes my heart ache more than asking myself those kinds of questions.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve looked out at the faces of people on the streets and asked myself, “What will it take to touch that person’s life? What about that person? In what way can I deliver my message so she hears it?”

I can’t stop the yearning sort of desperation that I have to make the world a better place. I can’t turn a cheek to the creased brows, crippled bodies and overweight children in the world. I can’t pretend I don’t see how wrong things are and when I feel like we’re sitting on the solution, then it’s only natural to want to know, what will it take to get the message out to the world in a way that they can hear it?

I’d love to know what you think about that. Maybe post your suggestions. What’s worked for you? What have you done or seen that’s enabled people to make different choices?

The Truth About Your Food project is a good place to start. We’re just going to be presenting the facts about food and letting people see for themselves, and decide for themselves what’s best. Obviously, we’ll do our best to propose solutions.

Okay, well, I gotta get back to the family.

Hope you’re having a spectacular day and that the sun is shining in through your windows. Let me know what you think, okay. Thanks.

Love and hugs,

Tera

Angela Stokes on Raw Food Weight Loss – as seen on CNN

Our very own Cravings Diva, Angela Stokes has been featured on CNN! If you haven’t seen it already, check out the segment here:

3 Steps to Better Parenting

1 CREATE SANCTUARY IN THE HOME

“When our home is built and kept with care and attention, the Angels cannot stay away-
For food is to us what love is to angels” Shea Darian

Sometimes it really feels like it is a ‘big, bad world out there’. I don’t know if I subscribe to that world-view, but what I do know is I want my home to be a refuge, a beautiful place to go to, and just BE. We all have such busy lives these days. And not everyone is on the same path trying to make the world a better place… As my son Landon said when he was 6, “People aren’t really bad, they are just lost”. WOW! That is profound. So it is and we may have experiences that are very challenging and unpleasant along the way. No matter where my family goes to visit or holiday or whatever, we always collectively sigh a relief of ‘IT’S SO GOOD TO BE HOME’ whenever we step across the threshold of our front door. It is important to think about what kind of ATMOSPHERE you wish to have and therefore must generate, inspire and protect in your home. Is the freedom to be oneself, in an atmosphere of love and acceptance important to you? Do you want your home to be a place of peace and calm and relaxation and serenity? Do you want your home to be a place of fun and excitement and adventure? Whatever flavour or color do you want the tone of the home to be, remember this- the woman sets that tone. Sorry, this is not sexist, it just happens to be something women do better than guys who are amazing at following the tone we set. In the home, we are the Coach, and the rest of the ‘team’ will get on board if you clearly hold that space. How is this done? Set up certain routines or rituals around main daily happenings-

For example:

Mealtimes – do you all say grace? Who lights the dinner candle? Does everyone help prepare or set up for the meal?

Family time – does everyone partake together in a after-dinner walk around the neighbourhood, hike on weekends, enjoy ‘game night’ perhaps with invited company, etc,

Welcomings and departures – are there kisses and hugs at departures and greetings?

Bedtime – Do you all enjoy a cuddle time, story, songs, prayers?

Activities – How are television and computer time limited?

Circle time – does your family enjoy a time of sharing our talents, concerns, etc.

Is your environment nourishing and purposeful, or cluttered and draining? Our dwelling place is a sacred place and how we care for it will be reflected back to us. What are special memories you are building into the fabric of your life? How do you and your family celebrate LIVING TOGETHER?

2 SEWING THE SEEDS OF DISCIPLINE- TRUE FREEDOM WILL BE THE FRUIT
“Having rules and structure makes a child feel safe and secure and teaches self-control
 and self-reliance,” ~Dr. Laurence Steinberg

Steiner said the whole point of education and parenting is to raise ‘free individuals’. What he meant is people who are conscious, and therefore able to make choices dictated by their own hearts and souls, infused with purpose for the greater good, and not enmeshed in self-loathing and doubt, tying to be significant in outrageous and ridiculous ways, struggling without any sense of inherent value and purpose. Some people mistakenly believe ‘having to do whatever one wants whenever one wants’ is freedom. But they are short-sighted, for how can one achieve something like win a medal, or buy a sports car, or live in a beautiful mansion, or raise a loving family, or have glowing health, etc if they have never learned how to do what it takes to accomplish those achievements? One of the easiest ways we can instil in our children the freedom to be themselves, with all their potential, is to help them remain unencumbered by destructive habits. A parent handicaps a child’s freedom if they fail to provide certain disciplines and structures into daily life. For example, if a child were allowed to eat whatever she wanted, where would the ultimate freedom be when eventually she is sick, overweight, pimply, lazy and full of disgust?

Here are some vital seeds of true freedom that you may want to ensure your family has dialed in:

-Food – I have noticed that to the degree one can manage their diet is to the degree they can mange anything! If we are reckless with our diet, we are handicapping our abilities elsewhere.

-Recreation – Plan and enjoy lots of family fun and recreation together- exercise, explore, laugh and just get outside and get moving! TV and computer time are not included here. Being out in Nature is especially renewing…go climb a tree!

-Sleep – How a child is ushered into the land of dreams is really vital to how they experience their healing, sacred sleep- which of course affects their waking life. So have a regular bedtime routine which includes soothing rituals like unwinding time with story or prayers or songs, perhaps a little candlelight, and at least 1/2hour of quality time spent with you.

Btw, Exercise your authority. Parents magazine says: “Children brought up by loving but authoritative parents—those who are supportive of their children yet maintain firm limits—excel academically, develop better social skills, feel good about themselves, and are happier overall than kids whose parents are either too lenient or excessively harsh.” Perhaps as a backlash to the strict upbringing of past generations, too many parents have taken to allowing children decision making freedoms which actually do more harm than good. Giving young children under the age of 7 the choice of what to have for breakfast, what school to attend, what time to go to bed at night, etc, BURDENS a child and causes stress. The boundaries we set for our young children build into them templates of strong foundations for when they are older. ‘Clear-thinking teenagers must first experience the guidance of clear-thinking care-givers. “The fact is kids fare better with clear rules and firm consequences. Without structure, children become self-absorbed, selfish, and unhappy—and they make everyone around them miserable too.” ~Ronald Simons, Sociologist .

3 ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FEELINGS.
Of course you probably expected me to say acknowledge your ‘child’s’ feelings…But I want to be really clear here because everything hinges on this- If we don’t do this for ourselves, it is nearly impossible know how to do this for our children. And it is absolutely vital that we do it for them because as moms we are the most important person in their whole world and they naturally want and need to share their thoughts and feelings with us. Even though children often express themselves in ways other than appropriately, it is the fact that they are letting it out that matters most. That is the one good thing that sometimes is all we have in the heat of the moment to focus on, and even direct them to focus on- thereby cleverly shifting their initial focus. We need to ‘feel it to heal it’ and the only way to ‘get passed it is to go through it’. Please if you haven’t already done so, do yourself the biggest favor ever, and get and read a copy of ‘HOW TO TALK SO KIDS WILL LISTEN AND LISTEN SO KIDS WILL TALK’ and/or ‘NON-VIOLENT COMMUNICATION’ and learn the language of compassion that you probably were never taught. I actually use moments of stress and dis-harmony as practice sessions!

Those Children in Africa

Like many parents, I think a lot about what I feed to my children. I don’t have all the answers; in fact, I find myself pretty confused by all the nutritional information with which we’re constantly bombarded. Having said that, I’m really looking forward to hearing from Dr T in his The Truth About Your Food series, and to reading Monique and Stephani’s upcoming book about feeding children raw. Hopefully they’ll be able to give us some nutritional direction when it comes to starting off the lives of our little ones in the best way possible.

My basic philosophy is to fill ’em up with as many varied raw fruits and raw/cooked vegies as I can, and to give them a broad intake of other healthy foods. They rarely eat processed sugars or white flour (treats are occasional), and I try not to get into calling foods “good” or “bad”. I just matter-of-factly explain what eating healthy foods can do for them, and what the effects are of eating less-than-healthy food (while acknowledging that they may taste good!).

But, like many in our culture, I find it difficult not to be swept up in the concept of food as celebration. Perhaps even setting up the notion of “treat” or “special” food is problematic? I believe that the food-related rituals and attitudes we acquire as youngsters are carried with us throughout life – I bet we all have a few fond, comforting food memories from our childhood. But is that so wrong? Food IS pleasurable, so why quash it into a purely functional role? It’s one of life’s many pleasures, and it shouldn’t, I believe, be demonised or made.

However, I do sometimes wonder whether I’m sending my girls the healthiest messages about food, even if I am feeding them what I feel is a healthy diet.

Interestingly, my lovely sister-in-law, Angela, recently sent me a link to a thought-provoking article on this very subject. You can check it out here. It describes how, last year, a nutrition researcher called Professor Lynne Daniels from QUT (Queensland University of Technology) undertook a survey asking 361 mothers how they feed their one- to three-year-old children. She wanted to find out more about the feeding practices of mothers.

She believes that the first five years of a child’s life are crucial for laying down food preferences (just to give new mums something else to worry about!), but she found that many mothers surveyed are setting up less-than-ideal habits. For example, many feed their children after the kids have indicated they’re full – I find this interesting, because I bet quite a few mums are carrying on this habit from when they were children. I still find it difficult not to eat everything on my plate, as that’s what was expected of me when I was a child – but, knowing how much discomfort this has caused me as an adult, I don’t put this expectation on my own children. I’m sure my mum doesn’t approve – think of those starving children in Africa! Though, in defense of my dear mum, she did set us up with some pretty good eating preferences, for their time – wholemeal bread, no plastic cheese, soft drinks only occasionally…

Also, only one-third of mums surveyed offer new foods at least 10 times (this repetition helps young children become more familiar with different foods, and therefore makes them more likely to eventually accept them). It is a struggle to keep offering the oft-rejected foods, but sometimes, just sometimes, it does work! I guess there’s a fine line, though, between offering – which could be interpreted by children as “forcing” – foods many times and respecting the preferences of our children…

About half of the mums surveyed sometimes offer food as a reward for good behavior, and many feed children to keep them occupied or to soothe them. Professor Daniels is concerned that mums are tying emotions to food, meaning that children grow up eating when they’re not actually hungry (and vice versa). Yep, I think that’s a biggie – I’d see it as acknowledging the pleasure of food but not using that pleasure for comfort. Not easy.

Professor Daniels also believes that we shouldn’t regularly feed under-fives sweet, salty or fatty non-nutritious foods, because they’ll eventually prefer these foods. I can see the reasoning behind that, and I think the key word here is “regularly”. The odd cookie or cake certainly isn’t going to kill your child (unless they happen to have an allergy or other food-related problem – a whole other ballgame). While upholding my ideals most of the time, I think it’s far healthier that I make allowances for occasional “little treats”, and set a good example by having a positive, relaxed attitude towards food. Easier said than done, though, right? I’m also coming at this from the perspective of being a parent of children who are now five (nearly six) years of age – I think was a tad more food-vigilant when the girls were babes and tots. Hopefully I’ve set them up with good habits!

Professor Daniels is undertaking further research this year, to observe the effects of nutritional education and “peer support” on the feeding habits of new mothers. I think the results will be very interesting.

I wrote this blog this afternoon, and we’ve since had dinner. We usually each discuss at least one thing that we’re grateful for just before we eat our meal, and tonight Evie said, “I’m grateful that we have yummy food to eat that also makes our bodies healthy”. I’ll take that as a sign that I’m heading in the right direction!

PS An update on my swimming progress – I’m now up to taking FIVE breaths before stopping, and I’m about 5m away from making a full length of the pool. I’ve even signed up for the intermediate (not beginners’) class for next term! More to come…