DANCING

What's in my blender today??
I think this is my new favorite Green Smoothie!
pineapple juice, handful green grapes, vanilla yogurt, handful spinach, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 apple, frozen pineapple chunks, alfalfa sprouts, spirulina. Really yummy, smoothie texture not juice. :)

Ok, I know, another weird post, not food or tea but dancing? Well, the reason I am writing about dancing is because it is another thing that EVERYONE needs to do, not much can make you feel as alive as dancing. I think everyone should dance, and dance like no one is watching! It is great exercise and really exhilarating! Sometimes I dance, all alone in my kitchen, sounds crazy, I know, but I usually choose to do this crazy practice when I am stressed out and it really helps. I put loud music on and dance with the seven little preschoolers in my kitchen too, they LOVE it, actually they ask for it often! I dance with my own children and just anytime the mood strikes.
Kindermusik is great for allowing the freedom of a child dancing to come out in adults, I love to watch parents dancing with their children, and of course, my favorite...there is nothing like dancing to live music!

Actually I think I will have an after school dance party TODAY!

Today's mission: Put on a song you really like, nice and loud, and DANCE!

Caffeine-free Teas

• What's in my blender today?

Ran out of pineapple juice so I used Welch's grape juice, frozen blueberries, frozen bananas, baby spinach, parsley, fresh alfalfa sprouts, spirulina.

Many people ask me for caffiene-free teas. Many people are looking for a healthy beverage they can enjoy without the caffeine. Well, lucky you! There are many incredible completely caffeine-free teas that can be enjoyed any time of the day or the evening, even just before bed.

Look for any herbal teas and all rooibos teas, they are all caffeine-free. White tea has the least amount of caffeine, followed by green tea, and pu-er, oolong and black tea having the most.

Remember that the small amounts of caffeine in white and green tea are less than half the amount in a cup of coffee and the L-theanine in teas has more a calming effect on the central nervous system which counters some of the stimulating effects that caffeine has on the central nervous system. Caffeine early in the day helps with mental clarity and offers us a small boost that for some is a nice kick-start to the day. It offers an increase in alertness and reduces fatigue which lifts the mood:)

Try to keep you most caffeinated drinks earlier in the day and the caffeine-free ones are best after supper and before bedtime. Even children can enjoy the benefits of a good cup of tea!

• Today's mission: Go have a cup of herbal tea!

Joy

Hmmm, I know this must seem like an odd post since all my others have been food or tea related but, well I have been thinking alot about joy lately and I need to write about it.

What is it in your life that brings you joy? How is real happiness achieved and why do some people experience it at a higher level than others? Well all through my life I have experienced extreme joy, yes, I am so lucky because I can honestly say that even through some of the most difficult times in my life, I have still felt joy. How is this possible? Well, I believe that joy is something that you can choose to experience, it is something that is deep within our soul and if only we allow it to flow freely will we ever know it fully. Sounds odd, I know, but lately I have been experiencing these "waves of joy", all of a sudden I get a feeling of overwhelming joy, and know that my life is good. I have started thinking about how this happens and why. I have experienced them while working with the afterschool children in the afternoon and feel overwhelmed by the happiness they bring me and how blessed I am to have them in my life, I have experienced them while playing with my own children and knowing that I am the luckiest girl on the planet to be blessed with the most amazing kids, I have experienced them while out with good friends and feeling a sense of friendship and closeness and excitement about having fun, I have experienced them in knowing I am looking forward to a visit from someone special. I wondered if it had something to do with all these "superfoods" that I am taking in, maybe I am experiencing a "rush", then I thought a little deeper and realized that it is about thankfulness. I believe that those who wake up in the morning and feel truly thankful that the day ahead will bring them an abundance of joy, actually go on through the day to experience that joy, it is true, I live that every day.

Now all that being said, what can you feel joyful about in an ordinary day? My answer to that is, there is no such thing as an ordinary day, every day brings wonder and surprises if you are open enough to recognize them, like when you see the way the that freshly fallen snow sits on the branches of the trees and looks just beautiful, the way my daughter signs I LOve You on her way to school out in front of my house, the satisfaction of hard work and a job well done, of doing something kind for someone and seeing how it has brought joy into their lives, of sharing a conversation with a friend or a good laugh, joy is all around us.

How many of you have experienced a "wave of joy or happiness"? It is the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced, it reminds me of *butterflies*, I don't mean the beautiful insects that emerge from a cocoon, I mean the butterflies you feel in your stomach when something really exciting happens. Most of us experience *butterflies* when we are teenagers and get excited about a person of the oppostite sex. It lead me to believe that *butterflies* had something to do with hormones, well how many people get to experience *butterflies* all throughout their life even when the day to day is somewhat the same, when there are no really exciting surprises awaiting us? I think it works the same way as the joy. You have to open up and look for the things in the ordinary that can be exciting. I think that *butterflies* have something to do with the people in our lives that excite us, that stimulate us, that make us happy, it is about relationships, about people. I don't think that some "thing" can give you *butterflies*, only some"one". I can get butterflies while watching Kyle skateboard, I feel them when watching my children sleep safely in their beds (not so much when they are crowding my bed LOL), I feel them when I am anticipating a visit from someone special, watching and listening to live music, when I see my daughter dressed up for a dance with this amazing smile on her face, when my six year old tells me that he loves me to the moon and back, everyday..forever! I would not trade those moments for anything, it makes me feel ALIVE!

Todays mission: Figure out what brings you joy, what gives you *butterflies* and open up to that joy and never let it go!

very original smoothie

Just had to post this smoothie recipe. It is my lunch smoothie today and I must say very different, but I love it!!

1/2 cup pineapple juice, handful dandelion greens, 1/2 lemon, 1 small apple, 1/2 frozen banana,bee pollen & hemp hearts. It is my first time trying dandelion greens, I was told they are bitter so I thought maybe with lemon, great comination! Give it a try!

Rooibos Tea

What is in my blender today?
Pineapple juice, spinach, fresh parsley, frozen blueberries, frozen pineapple, banana and spirulina.

I can't talk about superfoods without mentioning Rooibos tea, it should be considered a superfood, the benefits are many!

Naturally caffiene free and full of antioxidants (some research says that it has up to 50 times more antioxidants than green tea), may help to decrease allergies and aid iron absorption and digestion. Helps to promote healthy skin, teeth and bones! This tea helps control appetite and aids in weight loss, and is good for people with high blood pressure and high blood cholestrol. Drinking 4-6 cups of this delicious tea will give you many health benefits.

All the great health benefits aside, rooibos tea tastes great! There are many flavoured rooibos teas like; raspberry, chocolate mint, belgian chocolate, cheery-rose and many more. It makes a FANTASTIC cranberry iced tea! It is easy to make and keep in the fridge and great as a mid afternoon beverage for adults & kids!

• Todays mission: Try some organic rooibos tea (if you don't have any, contact me @ 853-7518 to get a sample:)

Sunflower Sprouts

• What is in my blender today?

pineapple juice, low fat yogurt, spinach, frozen banana, apple, frozen pineapple, spirulina.

I LOVE sprouts! Want a way to have reallt good, organic, home-grown super-food all year? You need to try to grow your own sprouts! They are so easy, so nutritious and even the kids LOVE them!

• Today I will tell you how to grow sunflower sprouts.

Organic black oil sunflower seeds is what you need. I order mine from Mumm's online. You need 1 1/2 cups of seed for a tray. Soak them overnight, spread the seed on a thin layer of soil and water, cover and set in a dark place for 3-5 days. When you see little shoots everywhere, you can uncover and place in the light. They take another 3-5 days. These are so delicious! We eat them as a side dish, a snack (right out of the growing tray) or I put them in my green smoothies.

Do you or your kids not eat enough greens? This is one way to get them into your diet, most kids LOVE them!

• Todays mission: Look online @ Mumm's Canada and order what you need so you can start growing this amazing living food today!

Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass is a bit tricky at first. Where do you get it? How do you grow it? Well, a tray of wheatgrass to guy grown will cost you about $17-$18. You can easily grow this miracle food yourself and it makes a pretty cool-looking addition to your kitchen. (if you really want some and don't want all the bother, you can buy fresh shots @ Jugo Juice!)

• How do I grow my own wheatgrass?

Buy some organic soft wheat kernals at a health food store, they are not expensice. You are going to use about 1 1/2 cups to make a tray. Soak that 1 1/2 cups in water overnight. Spread a thin layer of soil on the bottom of the tray and then spread the soaked wheat kernals evenly over the soil. Cover with another tray and set on a shelf for a few days, until you see a nice short white looking grass about 2 inches tall. Remove the cover and set under grow lights or in a sunny window. Keep watered and spray mist the grass as it grows. Your grass will be ready in about 10-12 days from the start, when the grass is about 8 inches tall.

• What is the hype about wheatgrass?

The benefits of wheatgrass are far too many to write in this blog, for simplicity, lets say that this is ONE AMAZING SUPERFOOD! Check out the following site to see some specific benefits:http://www.hippocratesinst.org/ scroll down the left side to find wheatgrass and benefits of and take a look!

• Now what do you do with this grass?

Well, wheatgrass needs to be juiced. It requires a special press-style juicer (cost about $60) and it tastes yuk! But you can mix it in a smoothie and it is good. I put some of mine right in my Vitamix but if you have a regular blender it will not break through the cell wall of the grass so that it will be digestible, so you will need to juice it first and then mix it.
It sounds complex, but if you suffer from any health problems it is worth looking in to.

• Todays mission: Check out the benefits of wheatgrass online!