CASHEW COCONUT COOKIE BALLS

Here is a quick and easy raw recipe for coconut lovers.

Put a cup of cashew nuts in a mini food processor, along with 2 tablespoons of room temperature (melted) virgin coconut oil, a good pinch of Himalayan or Utah Red high mineral salt, 1 teaspoon of pure real vanilla extract and 5 Medjool dates that have been cut into pieces.  I put the setting on chop and then grind to blend well.  You will end up with a thick gooey mixture. Take this mixture and transfer it into a bowl.  Add dried coconut and a tablespoon of honey until it forms a dough. Roll the dough into small balls and then roll them into dried coconut. I used leftover coconut from making coconut milk.  I dehydrate the leftover coconut by putting it on a cookie sheet and setting it in the oven with the light on but no heat on.  If you put it in the dehydrator, the fan will blow it all inside your dehydrator. That is why I use the oven with the oven light on. You can use lemon extract instead of the vanilla or chocolate extract or any other extract that you like.  Happy experimenting!

MAKE YOUR OWN VANILLA EXTRACT

It's super easy to make your own vanilla extract, but you have to be patient because really good vanilla extract takes two months to fully infuse. You will need a pint jar with a tight lid so that the alcohol will not evaporate. Make sure your jar is clean. With a sharp knife, cut 3 vanilla beans lengthwise leaving a little of the ends uncut. The beans will be cut down the center except for the very ends. Put the vanilla pods into the jar and push them down so the alcohol will cover them, then pour in 1 cup of bourbon or rum. I didn't have either bourbon or rum so I used vodka and it worked fine. Place in a cool, dark place like a closet or kitchen shelf and wait. Trust me it's worth the wait. The result will be the most wonderful, fragrant vanilla extract your senses have ever enjoyed. Strain and pour into a dark glass bottle. I transfer mine into a mini beer bottle with a tight lid.

You can make your own orange and lemon extracts by using vodka and citrus peels instead of vanilla. You can make your own coconut extract by adding fresh or dried grated coconut. You can make your own almond extract by adding 6 almonds. You can make mint extract using mint and vodka, ginger extract using ginger and vodka, chocolate extract using cacao beans or powder. You can even make a mixture of two or more to create your own special flavoring. I think I might try coconut and chocolate next time! Happy creating!

VITAMIN D IS FREE

Most Americans work indoors, drive to stores to shop indoors, study indoors and spend free time in front of their television or computers. We are spending less and less time outdoors unless we happen to be our own weekend gardeners. Even when we do get outside we coat ourselves with sunscreen fearing sun damage or worse skin cancer. It is no wonder that our unhealthy lifestyles have created an epidemic of deficiencies. Vitamin D deficiency is becoming more and more prevalent in America, even teenagers are afflicted with it today. The Health Research Forum insists that healthy sun bathing is good for people and that not getting enough sunshine is what is harmful. Without sunshine plants cannot grow and people cannot thrive.

If we really understood the importance of spending time out of doors, we would try to find opportunities to catch a few deep breaths and some of those healthy sun rays. Sciencebase.com states that there is a safe way to sunbathe. Start with only a few minutes per day and gradually increase your time to 15-20 minutes per day. Avoid using sunblock or sunscreen so that your skin can take in its daily dose of free D. It is important to keep hydrated and go out in the morning or some other time when the sun is not blazing hot.

Inadequate levels of Vitamin D can increase the risk of cancer and osteoporosis. Vitamin D is crucial for bone mineralization and a healthy immune system. Absorption of calcium depends on blood levels of D. According to PubMed.gov, a study conducted on March 17, 2010 by The Commonwealth Medical College in Pennsylvania, 74% of the 160 cancer patients were found to be low in Vitamin D. The Creighton University School of Medicine in Nebraska found that adequate levels of Vitamin D3 and calcium can cut the risk of cancer by 77%!

The amount of Vitamin D required depends on many factors. Your age, gender, health, skin color and location. An average, healthy person needs 15-30 minutes of sun per day. An elderly Caucasian woman, who lives in a northern latitude with health issues, would require more. If you think you might have a Vitamin D deficiency, ask your doctor to have your D levels checked. If you choose to supplement, you might want to consider the more natural and readily absorption D3 instead of  D2 which is a synthetic form.

Foods which offer Vitamin D include fish, fish oil, egg yolk, liver and mushrooms.

In my opinion, the most natural way is the best so I'm off to catch my 15 minutes in the sun!

NUTRIENT DENSE SMOOTHIES

 Smoothies are a fabulous way to bless your body with an abundance of vitamins and minerals. I have one or more every day. They make a perfect breakfast on the go and are great snacks. Green smoothies are a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. You can use any greens that you like or any combination of greens.You can use chard, kale, spinach, baby bok choy, sorrel, beet greens, collards or any other. All you do is rinse greens in cold water, tear the leaves off the stems, put a cup or so of raw nut or seed milk in your blender, add the amount of greens you desire and blend. If you are new to green smoothies, as with anything, it may be a good idea to start with a small amount of greens and work up to the desired amount. That way your body gets used to the flood of nutrition and you will find out which greens you want in your smoothies plus your taste buds will learn to enjoy the unique taste.  I put about 2 good-sized handfuls of greens in my smoothie. After you have blended the greens and nut or seed milk, add a sliced fresh or frozen banana. The banana will sweeten your green smoothie naturally and make it more palatable. Raw green leaves are extremely healing and nourish every cell of your body. If green smoothies are just not your thing, fruit smoothies would be next best. In the summer I often have delicious fruit “shake” smoothies made from raw vanilla almond  milk and frozen bananas and berries. You can freeze papaya, mango, berries of all kinds, peaches, nectarines almost any kind of fruit will do.  You can add a tablespoon of flax oil, peanut butter or coconut fat if you'd like.

THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING HYDRATED

Healthy bodies consist of approximately 60-75 % water. Maintaining hydration is essential to good health. There are many benefits to getting adequate amounts of water. You will have less sick days and in general feel better.  Keeping hydrated reduces the risk of cancer, helps combat fatigue and aids digestion.  In addition to that your joints will stay lubricated, it will keep your skin youthful, increase cognitive function and help regulate body weight.

Signs of dehydration are dry mouth, parched lips, dry skin, dark urine, lethargy and irritability.

Everyone should consume at least half their body weight in pure water per day. This is not tap water. Tap water is loaded with chlorine and a multitude of harmful chemicals including drug contaminants and pesticides. Chlorinated water consumption has been linked with a higher risk of bladder cancer.  The orthomolecular.org website page “The Negative Health Effects Of Chlorine” states that drinking chlorinated water and swimming in chlorinated pools may sharply increase the risk of developing deadly malignant melanoma. 

There are other ways to disinfect water that does not involve chlorine. For this reason, it is my opinion that chlorine be left for toilet bowl cleaning and not for drinking.

Your requirement for water depends on many factors including age, occupation, condition of health and age. For optimal health 2 liters is recommended. If you have a job where you sweat a great deal, you will require more.

If you want to start your day off better, start drinking a liter of pure water every morning before drinking or eating anything else. We will have more to say about the value of water in future posts.