hunger

fresh-pressed apple juice

once i was hungry.

often.

i was looking for something in my pantry to satisify.

something in my fridge.

something handed to me through a window.

this morning i felt that.

i opened some hidden valentine's treats.

i ate one.

and was still hungry.

i ate another.

and was still hungry.

and then i stopped.

i recognized what i could not see before.

craving.

with no satisfaction.

i stopped.

and created something i knew would satisfy me.

something to fill me.

i celebrated it.

initiated an over-sized goblet.

recorded it.

to remind me,

of cravings

and of satisfaction.

i drank.

holding with two hands.

i saw the mountains through the glass as i raised it up.

i washed my glass.

and then saw

what was left of the picture.

choice.

once i learned i had a choice.

to change.

to create.

to let go.

to raise my glass.

and be filled.

"I'm a Green Smoothie Girl"

. . .and so is my daughter.

and her friends.

and her grandma.

and her friends:).

2 favorite parts about the children's book reading:

1. Walking in and seeing our group's families there. It is awesome to be surrounded by enthusiastic friends.

2. Hearing little Avery chime in and finish off the parts of the story before Robyn could. I laughed so hard that Tim looked over at me slightly embarrassed (and that's hard to do:)).

See more pictures here on Robyn's blog.

raw almond joys

Cookie Balls
3 cups shredded coconut (not sweetened)
1 1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (grade b)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Mix together. Scoop into balls with a cookie scoop.

Chocolate Sauce
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used raw cacao)
1/2 cup agave
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Pinch salt

Whisk together.

recipe from unconventional kitchen (see her making the almond joys here).

check out desi's raw chia snowballs. my family loves them.

dipped

davis walked by while i was dipping strawberries after dinner and said, "you should take a picture of that. for your blog."

i died laughing.


i put out the platter of strawberries and bananas that had been dipped and handed each kid a bamboo skewer.

i think i blinked and it was gone.

actually i went downstairs to get tim and when we came up the plate was clean and the kids were lined up like three tribal warriors with their skewers covered in chocolate hunting for more.

they were in love.

so we dipped and sliced and rolled our creations in chopped nuts.

chocolate dripped from their mouths and covered their jammies.


i used leftover chocolate sauce from the raw almond joy recipe for the making of this production.

edible art

Unique Art

Most people don't realize
that they are expert artists.
We all are.

My palette and canvas start as a white plate
and I mix the garden's most vibrant colors on it.
An edible masterpiece.

What is your canvas, dear?
and how do you use your gift to heal the world?

--Cali Cutler, God's Love Poems

Cali,

Thank you.

Thank you for sharing your gifts.

Thank you for teaching me how to heal using foods.

With gratitude,


Brook

Spring rolls and thai nut sauce recipe here.

healing foods

I remember a thought that Cali shared that rocked my world.

Let everything we make for our families be healing.

Even our chocolates.

She mentioned how she had mixed reishi mushrooms in our chocolates.


I love the thought of healing my family as I prepare foods for them.

Luckily it tastes sooo good.


I am glad that Donna C. convinced me to buy some Coco Mojo (I bought it with the coconut milk powder and love it).

. . .I sent some home with Rachel and she agrees it is heaven.

Here is her review:

cocoa mojo.

"a healthy, vegan, raw, cheaper, DELICIOUS alternative to my hot chocolate habit. contains a blend of reishi mushrooms, which are wonderful for boosting your immune system, among other things. i would pay almost any price for this, but it ends up being about the same price—per cup— as steven's hot chocolate. (triple the price per ounce, but you use 1/3 the amount in a cup). and it's significantly less than a cup of hot chocolate at starbuck's. i have mine with steamed rice milk. it's so good it makes me want to weep. i recommend going for the 3-pack—at least until i convince my local health food store to carry it."


. . .just another reason I love this group.

heal

this year i chose one little word.

a word to guide my thoughts and my desires.

heal

is the word i chose.


a couple of weeks ago, i was cleaning and found four prescriptions filled on the same day for the boys.

filled exactly the same week one year ago.

eight months, now.

still no doctor.


i sat down after finding those prescriptions. heavy with the weight of them in my hands.
heavy remembering the doctor's office, waiting at the drive-thru pharmacy, the little bottles lined up in my kitchen sink window.

and i remembered me.

sick.

tired.

sad.

i am still under immense stress and pressure (as i was at the time)--but my body and mind no longer feel the same as before. i am not foggy, lethargic, on the edge of coming down with something all the time.

i have energy. i feel vibrant. i feel capable.

that is what learning to heal my body has done for me.

given my life back.

the living part of life.

and it gave it back to my family as well.


i will be forever grateful to ellen.

to cali.

and to donna.

and to each and every one of you.

raw chocolate

dear ally,

i am so sorry.

i starting making chocolates for you last night.

but we had to sample a few--just to make sure they were alright.

then we had to have a contest: mom's raw chocolate natural peanut butter goodness vs. reese's peanut butter eggs.

mom won.

and then the morning came.

everyone wanted to try a chocolate sucker.

because it is so much better on a stick.

because these melt in your hands.

and my kids suddenly hated the thought of being messy.

i now only have a couple left.

and they may not make it through the afternoon.

i am sorry.

my family will be happy to have me make you some more.

much love,

brook

p.s. i took a picture of the chocolate sucker i have left--next to an alison jay book for you. i know, i know too much goodness in one place (sadly, not at your place).


recipe here (thanks to cali, lynett and donna for sharing and perfecting this recipe). note: i bought my candy molds at a candy making store years ago. they are fantastic.

cinnamon ice cream

We have a favorite children's book called little pea.

On one page little pea eats his spinach and says, "yum. yum. extra yum."

That is exactly what i think about this ice cream from gluten-free Desi (video here).


2 cups almond milk
2 cups coconut milk
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup agave

Mix in blender.

Put in freezer for about an hour and then pour into an ice cream maker.

I was so thrilled to get this ice cream maker for Christmas--because I wanted to make this ice cream.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, here is an idea from Desi.

peacan-cranberry quinoa

• 1 cup Organic Quinoa
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1 clove Garlic
• 1 cup Cilantro
  
• 3/4 cup Onions, Green
• 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
• 1/2 cup Pecans
• 1 cup Bell Pepper, Red
• 2 cups Water

• 4 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1/2 cup Orange Juice, Raw
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Agave Nector
• 1 1/2 tbsp Basil, Dried

Saute Garlic in the coconut oil. Then rinse quinoa well under water. Add quinoa to pan and toast with garlic until golden brown. Then add 2 cups water and bring to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes. After quinoa has absorbed all water, put in a bowl with other salad ingredients. Add all other ingredients well chopped and stir.

Put lemon juice, orange juice, agave nectar, olive oil, and dried basil in blender and mix well. Pour over salad and mix well.

*Our family omitted the cilantro and green onions. I will make this again, but serve the peppers separately for the kids.

*I served it with fresh orange juice. Yum. . . and the color is amazing.

green smoothie guy and green dye

I've been rolling around ideas of how to teach my children all the things I have been learning (inspired by Robyn Openshaw's upcoming kid's retreat).


While we drank our green smoothies this weekend I brought the laptop to the kitchen counter.

We watched the little movie on the Clean program.

We discussed that Toxic is like poison.

I happened to notice that the green M & Ms Tim had for scouts looks suspiciously like my green dish soap.

Perhaps a bit dramatic--but we all agreed we wouldn't want to eat dish soap (I think it would take a long time to convince them that M & Ms aren't really good--but you know. . .).

Robyn Openshaw, GreensmoothieGirl, is doing a kids' reading this week at several Good Earth stores.

We borrowed the book from Donna C. and my kids loved it.

Davis would re-read it to himself and said it was his favorite book.

Ever.

Really?

I asked him why.

He pointed to the picture of Green Smoothie Guy and said, "He looks just like me."




Green Smoothie Guy (pre-order here). Robyn shared the book in draft form (for feedback) on her website here:

Cover

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V



Green Smoothie Guy Kids' Recipe Book (here are some photos).

valentine's

We skipped the green smoothie--and made a raspberry one for breakfast. I couldn't have the green clashing with my breakfast decor:).

We made french toast with buttermilk syrup for my Valentine's birthday. I used Robyn's tips (part one and two) for making your recipes healthier. There are some recipes that could never be discarded. Heavenly buttermilk syrup is mine.

I made a Valentine's dinner earlier that week that got a thumb's up from every family member.

Quinoa with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil

1 cup dry quinoa (rinsed)
2 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes (not packed)
1 tbsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh, minced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

To make this vegetarian, substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth. To make it vegan, leave out the Parmesan cheese.

Directions Finely dice onion and cook until translucent in bottom of 3 qt saucepan with 2 tsp olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic, either diced or crushed.

Add 2 cups of broth and bring to a boil.

Add well-rinsed quinoa, basil, sun-dried tomato, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and the water is nearly gone. In the last 5 minutes, carefully mix in the Parmesan.

Remove from heat, fluff, and serve.

Makes approximately 4 3/4 cup servings.

Number of Servings: 4

Guacamole Surprise

Guacamole Recipe

Seeds from 1 or 2 pomegranates (tip: immerse pomegranate in bowl with warm water and squeeze out while under water, then drain the water)
4 or 5 avocados
3 1/2 TBL red onion (finely chopped)
3 1/2 TBL fresh jalapeño (finely chopped, no seeds)
3 1/2 TBL tomatoes (finely chopped)
3 1/2 TBL fresh cilantro leaves (finely chopped)
juice from 2-3 lime wedges
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Mash all together, somewhat chunky, add pomegranate last.

My husband and 2 year old can eat this plain:)

Reasons.....

This is my four, almost five year old daughter, Shayla. She is one of the many reasons that I embarked on this journey of whole foods. Last year she needed an inhaler twice daily all winter long. We had a nebulizer, which is a special asthma machine, for when the inhalers would not do a good enough job treating the asthma. She took probably 8 - 10 rounds of oral steriods. She was on a sleeping medication so that she could sleep through the coughing. Her face and body bloated really bad. Her behavior had become very difficult. Which are all side effects of oral steriods. We were at the doctor's office probably about every other week. I remember always hating all the medication and feeling like there had to be a better solution. I also remember thinking that there is no way all this medication that her doctor was prescribing could not potentially have long term effects on her health.
Brook convinced me that I needed to come to this nutrition class. With her and Lynett tag teaming me, I came to my first class. Which was on nutrition for kids. Cali inspired me to want to learn more. Thanks for not giving up on me girls.
Now, after about 5 months. I have seen huge benefits in my family's health. This beautiful child has only had to use her inhaler once so for this winter. She is breathing and functioning so much more like the princess that she was meant to be.

Raw Melissa's Spring Rolls

Spring Rolls
by Raw Melissa

16 rice paper skins (I bought these at good earth.)
1/2 lb. of mixed lettuce greens
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 bunch cliantro, washed
1 bunch basil, washed (I left this out.)
2 avocados, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced

Fill a shallow pan with warm water. Put three rice paper sheets in water, as they soften and become pilable, pull out one sheet and lay it on a cutting board. On bottom 1/3 of the rice paper, place 4-5 leaves of cilantro and 2-3 leaves basil. On top of this, lay a couple slices of avocado, two slices of red pepper, and 4-6 carrot lengths. Add a handful of lettuce mix to the top of the pile and roll up your spring roll. Start by lifting the bottom edge up over the pile of veggies with one hand, while holding the veggies tightly in place with the other hand. Fold the left side over, then the right side. Tightly roll the rest of your spring roll until everything is enclosed. Continue until all the rice papers are filled.

Thai Nut Sauce
by Raw Melissa

1 cup almonds
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup tamari sauce
1/2 cup agave
4 cloves garlic

Put all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.

We went to a class up in Midway that was taught by Raw Melissa, Desiree Ward, and Robyn Openshaw. The class was in December I think. Ever since the class where we demoed this dish, I have been wanting to make these and was too scared. They also sell these and the sauce at Good Earth already all made for you. Although, they are quite pricey. Finally, last night I decided to just go for it. They turned out delicious and very easy. My husband loved them and wanted to just keep eating them. They are great for a night when you don't feel like a heavy meal. I served them with a salad. Very filling and the sauce is amazing.

a maker reborn

forgive me for getting personal [but brook said it was okay. right?]. i am sharing a post i wrote in the fall, shortly after i started attending the nutrition classes with cali:

this is not one of those cute, short posts. this is a post about how i became lost and then found. it is really two stories, but here they are, side by side, because you cannot understand one without understanding the other.

chapter one: getting lost

it happened so gradually that i almost didn't notice. if i had to pinpoint a starting time, i'd say it was right after lucas was born. i had a lot of stress at home, although i don't think i'll ever know what caused what, but these are the stresses i dealt with:

1) lucas cried all. the. time. not an exaggeration. he pooped blood and every time i'd change his diaper all the skin on his bottom would peel off. i finally got on a strict diet, avoiding certain problem foods. that helped a lot. only, when he started eating solid foods he got sick again. and then sicker. he started fainting. failure to thrive. trips to primary children's hospital. shingles. scopes. biopsies.

blood transfusions. in the room with mothers of bald-headed babies receiving chemotherapy.

only a mother of a sick child will understand what it means to bargain with the lord.

i bargained.

and he got better, mostly. i love that little destructive 4-year-old like nothing else.

2) my brother steven was living with us, failing at overcoming a drug addiction. i worried obsessively about him. i was a witness and an enabler in his slow suicide. he ripped the shower curtain down in my bathroom one night when he fell over in the shower. i had to pop the lock and help him stand up. then i watched his naked body twitching all the way down to his room.

i didn't sleep for two nights. my hair did not grow for 3 months.

3) mr. coleman. what more can i write without feeling like i am also betraying him in public? it was hard. it is hard. the hardest thing in my life. also, the most tender and rewarding. i have stayed because the lord keeps his promises and he promised me it would be worth it. period.

so. i started feeling tired a lot. i didn't want to start any more projects. my running pace slowed. i stopped volunteering at my kids' school. i did less with my church callings, even though this caused me a lot of guilt and shame. i would get sick and then stay sick for weeks.

through all this, life still had it's beautiful, magical moments and i did feel happy. content. but too tired to do anything about it.

and then.

i stopped going out. no amount of will power could force my body to run anymore. i felt like i had weights attached to all my limbs. i would look at projects i'd done in the past and think, "i will never have enough energy to do anything like that again." emma came home from school one day with a picture of me "doing my favorite thing"—laying on the couch. i got sick in september this year and stayed sick for 5 weeks.

then i lost my desire to read.

when that happened, i knew i did not want to live like this anymore. i went to the doctor for some tests. when i called and learned that the results were all "perfectly normal" i knew it would be up to me to heal myself.

chapter two: i am reborn

i changed my eating habits, which were already relatively healthy. i was already having a green smoothie every morning, and cooking most things from scratch, but my suffering had been intense enough that i was ready for a more radical approach. i attended a nutrition class. ate more raw foods. a lot more raw foods. my goal: 51% raw, living food. cleansed with the help of this incredible book. juice fasted. eliminated sugar.

no. sugar. i know. but i do have agave nectar, maple syrup, and raw honey, so life is just as sweet as before.

i already mentioned in a previous post that i am attending the temple once a week.

i started taking an herbal supplement called maca root. studies have shown that it can help normalize hormones, help with fatigue and increase libido.

things changed pretty much overnight. i can't say what one thing helped, but i like to think it's a combination of everything i'm doing. my skin cleared. all traces of adult acne were gone until last week when i ate some of my kids' halloween candy. woops. back on the wagon.

for the first time in years (years!) i feel energized—like i've emerged from a deep, dark fog, a dormant seed finally sprouting after a long, cold winter. sometimes i can feel myself vibrating inside. almost to the point of being crazed, but a happy, creative, crazy place. i like it.

i am a maker again. i have rediscovered the JOY of creation. in the past 5 weeks i have:

sewn a quilt top (for you, anna!)

finished outlining the new ending of my novel and written 20,000 words

designed notes for the kids' lunches

harvested all the tomatoes and herbs from my garden

sewn a halloween costume

designed a new drop cap and layout for the poem "forgiveness flour"

sewn an apron

created some art for my bedroom out of japanese masking tape

learned how to sprout

designed 2 blog banners

designed about 8 projects for colemanxcavation (but who's counting?)

sewn a skirt

taught a class about sewing skirts

repainted and redesigned emma's room (just waiting on mr. coleman to do a few things and then i can't wait to

post the details here! so fun. and lots of original artwork by both me and emma, plus a magical butterfly

installation)

i am alive. i am growing and creating. i have reunited with myself.

hello, self! remember me? i am a maker reborn.

Bread of Life

Whole Grain Bread

About a month and a half ago I was in Good Earth. I have been dying to make my own homemade bread. I was asking one of the girls in there about making bread from all wheat or other whole grains. I had recently tried using a recipe I already had and just substitued whole grains and it had turned out pretty gross. This girl helped me and got to talking with me and said that she thought that I really should overhaul my entire bread recipe. She said that she would write down some information for me. I went and checked out while she was writing down some information for me. I went to get the information from her and she had written down a bread recipe for me. She said that she is a professional bread maker and has even won competitons for her bread. Her name is Tatia Nelson. I tried the bread and it turned out delicious. That was before we did our cleanse and this is the one thing that I could not stop craving the whole time while on my cleanse. I made some today. My first bread in one month. It turned out so yummy.

Tatia Nelson's Bread Recipe

Yeast Starter
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp honey
2 Tbsp red star yeast

Mix it, cover with a towel and set aside. It will be ready in about 15 min.

Bread Recipe
5 cups warm water
1/2 cup flax oil
1 Tbsp lecithin
7 cups flour to start (I used soft white wheat.)
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp salt

Mix the above ingredients really well.

Then add:
yeast starter from above
1/2 - 1 cup gluten flour
7 - 8 more cups of flour until desired texture

Mix well and knead. Roll into loaves and let raise. I usually cook mine at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Just watch closely. This recipe makes about 4.5 full size loaves.

My next goal is to find a really great gluten free bread, but for now this one will have to do.

Green Smoothies

We have a step in our living room that we often use as an exercise step. We turn on "Girls just want to have fun" (Mylie Cyrus) and go as fast as we can on and off the step. We try it backwards and forwards and sideways.

Every morning we have a mustache contest. Boston Won!

Tasty?? Sooooooo tasty!! I actually crave it each day and Evan makes one each night to take to work with him the next day. This one has water (12 oz.) 1banana 1apple 5 frozen strawberries and a bunch (2 big hand fulls)of spinach. I also add flax seed and probiotics. YUMMY!! You can also add berries (Frozen Costco $12 big bag) to make it a nice dark purple color. To sweeten you can use dates or agave nectar but after awhile your taste buds will change and the more veggies you'll want.

This is a yummy lentil taco salad. Lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, limes, cilantro, yellow and red peppers, red onions, tortilla chips, and lentils.

My family LOVED it!! And so did my company! We added a little home made ranch. Lentil recipe in November 2010.