Prepare Your Garden for Spring

Even though the days are still damp and cold - now is the time to be getting your garden in order. If your's is anything like mine, you may find yourself standing around scratching your head wondering where all the weeds have come from in such a short space of time.

Then again, you might also find yourself marveling at how some plants have hung on to life - even through some of the most violent rain, wind and winter storms over these past few weeks. Herbs are like that - give them something to struggle for and they will choose life.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind at this early part of spring is to not underestimate how very much is taking place below the surface or behind the scenes, so to speak. Our gardens are accumulating great energy - ready to spring forward into rapid growth.

I hope this sounds a lot like your own life right now. The preparation has been done, the work has been put in and now with the ground ready, your dreams will simply grow up from the roots they have formed. 

We are all very much like our gardens (or our gardens are mirror images of us) going though phases, changes and energy shifts throughout the year as the seasons roll on. But, each year expanding in scope, size and dimension as the garden matures.

This maturation process is a vital aspect of a gardens growth in the exact same way we, as energetic humans develop and maintain our energetic selves. Each year of a clean diet, walking a spiritual path and seeking deeper connections to our selves through our food - we also undergo a transformation.

There is nothing quite as beautiful as a garden in full bloom.

April

Something to look forward to....

A Lot Has Changed...

After this last Master Cleanse, I am still taking stock of how I feel physically while I examine each of the differences in my body, mind and life. Some changes are easily noticeable, while others are less obvious, and have sort of snuck up on me during the time I have been clearing out my diet even further.

One of the most interesting things to mention at the beginning is my diet is organic, clean, with many years as either vegan or vegetarian and even now - the majority of the foods I do eat are plant based.

So, this is what I came up with....

As I was pondering the changes that are taking place for us because we have decided to further remove any and all remaining processed items from our diets, I found they could be divided into two distinct categories. 

One main area of change was primarily physical with several places I have noticed over these past few weeks where I actually 'feel' different

• more energy - overall I feel brighter and have more energy to get through each day, I am not any busier either, even with some extra cooking, it has been quite enjoyable to be honest

• eating less - perhaps this is a result of better food, or because homemade food is richer, but I find myself full sooner, needing less to eat and generally not overeating 

• clearer, smoother, softer skin - my skin has changed quite a bit over the years, deep detoxing has also improved it considerably, but now, it is also softer as well as smooth, as if it is well hydrated

• better digestion - my digestion should be pretty good after all these years of eating well, however I do notice an improvement and my intuition tells me that my absorption is better

• senses - I have mentioned this a few times these past few days, and I can't say it enough, each of my senses (including my eyes) are stronger, sharper, better 

The other areas of significant change have been found on a day to day basis, sometimes I hardly notice it, I just seem to have broadened my interests and 'feel' differently about the same situations which would have bothered me even a few weeks ago. 

• creativity increased - in general I am finding ways to be more creative, with my children, in my writing, around the house and in the garden

• saving money - I definitely have noticed a reduction in the overall spending on food since we started making all of our own items, we are shopping far less

• food security - as a Clinical Nutritionist, I have a need to know exactly what is in the food and what my children are eating, and now I know, because I make it ALL myself 

• more organized - with the use of additional glass jars, using up storage space and generally moving things around, this has prompted me to be far more organized in the kitchen as well as to know exactly what is on hand when it comes to food

• energy is clearer in mind and body - looking back over these past 2 months or so, even though I only removed a few items from our diets, I am getting the desired results within my energy field, it looks and feels brighter

These are only some of the places and ways I have found to have changed during these last few weeks since embarking on really making every possible effort to remove the remaining processed or factory made foods from our immediate food chain.

I think it is quite impressive! All along I would have felt I was doing a superior job feeding myself and my family - yet, there are always ways to improve and of course the benefits have been tremendous. 

These are early days yet, so who knows how I will feel in the coming months as time moves on...it will only get better!

Have a healthy day,

April

One of my favourite meals - turmeric rice with vegetables

Dangers of Processed Foods

Not many people make the effort anymore to ensure that they have wholesome foods to eat - from my own experience this is not something that originated with our generation (although we are the ones paying the price) but appears to have come about after the last great war as a modern solution to slavery.

Perhaps in an effort to make things easier for more people to be out working for little wages, following someone else's blueprint of reality, an overall vision of creating a new world paradigm could be easily inserted over the old one. With everyone consumed with obtaining all the things that they did not need and that were placed just out of reach, there was little time left over to cook.

With no thought, planning and preparation going into making wholesome meals for the entire family - it is relatively easy to convince people of something so counterintuitive that it is mind boggling. A dry powered, dehydrated, factory made, highly altered substance contains all the vitamins and minerals that you could possibly need. 

And for the most part, we believed it!

Balanced meals in a box. How on earth have we come to think we could eat this stuff (all the time) and maintain any form of gut integrity? However, the most important point to be made here is that a non functioning gut means a non functioning body.

All systems go down when food does not contain the required vitamins and nutrients to sustain body processes.

This is pretty serious stuff - yet, when we go into any supermarket, the shelves are lined off with 'food' prepared and ready to eat or cook (just add some toxic tap water) and stir. During the last few years even more prepared foods are hitting the market, with the certain aim to replace any time that you might need to spend in your kitchen.

When you do a little research - it doesn't take much - links can be found between processed food items and a host of modern dysfunctions from diabetes and cancer to depression and hormone imbalance. What is worse is many of these 'diseases' are being treated with some of the most toxic chemicals on the planet.

Distinctions are also made between; 

processed foods (put through chemical processes with added stabilizers and preservatives e.g. low fat yogurt, sugary cereals) 

junk foods (contain little real food usually made from white flour, sugar and corn syrup e.g. drive through foods and fizzy drinks)  

fake foods (contain no real food, primarily made of fillers, gums, sugars e.g. salad dressings, dehydrated soups).

All of this can be reversed in a short period of time when a little energy and effort is put into using real ingredients such as vegetables and fruit, whole unprocessed beans, lentils, grains, locally sourced fish or meat and clean water. 

Feeding yourself well is worth the effort - for your mind, body and spirit. 

Have a lovely day,

April

Cover - Closing The Energy Leaks©

Well, this will be a challenge!

I love a challenge and I also love to cook, eat, create new recipes, shop for food, grow vegetables in my garden and even the washing up after a meal. Anything to do with food and eating is a passion for me - however, I have come to appreciate good food, real meals made with fresh, whole, organic ingredients.

My goal here is simple - I want to find a way to replace the remaining foods that creep into our diets with homemade versions. This means that I have to source the raw ingredients, find or create recipes and then experiment with making these foods as well as storing them.

There are a few things that I have in mind and will write about them in the coming days and weeks. However, if you follow my other blogs or know me - (please check out The Pagan Diet© blog) - then you also know that I fast and do Master Cleanses regularly.

I have hesitated because I was thinking this is going to be a challenge - can I cook and create these foods when I cannot taste test them? Or do I only experiment with some new recipes on my food days? LOL Believe it or not, this was my biggest obstacle to starting another blog. 

Of course now I realize that I will carry on as I usually do - during my cleanses and fasting days I do the research and planning for my recipe experiments. Then on my food and feasting days - I get to play around in the kitchen and enjoy my creations. 

Hang around and visit often -- this is going to get interesting!

April