FREE Happiness and Beauty

When it comes to taking care of your health and well-being, of course we know that exercise is important. We hear about all the latest and greatest in exercise equipment, videos, classes and contraptions to get us feeling and looking a certain way, but most of it can cost a lot of money and can be complicated or intimidating. Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best.

Daily brisk walking really does wonders, and it's FREE! Not only is it excellent cardiovascular exercise which builds and strengthens your muscles, but your heart, lungs and circulatory system LOVE IT. Wake up early in the morning and start your day with something better and more energizing than a cup of coffee.

Go outside in your sneakers and walk.

Spend an hour with yourself outside, breathing fresh air. Think and gain clarity or rest your mind and let it wander with the gentle breeze that flutters Autumn leaves around you. Observe how nature subtly changes day-to-day. Let your endorphins take over and make you feel happy, relaxed and energized. Let this time for yourself make you more balanced and beautiful.

Better yet, combine your walking routine with eating whole grains (like brown rice) and leafy green vegetables daily, for a natural face-lift. Your skin will be tighter and firmer from eating brown rice because of  it's contracting qualities, the leafy greens will help to nourish your skin with moisture, suppleness and give you look of freshness and the walking oxygenates your blood which energizes the skin and gives it a glow. Top off your regimen with a daily body scrub to smooth skin, and your health and natural beauty will radiate from your being.

Nurture yourself by spending time investing in your physical and emotional health so you can give a better quality YOU to the world. Experience happiness and beauty spill over into everything you do. It really is worth it.

Cozy Autumn Menu

Now that the Autumn season is quickly approaching, it's time to start thinking about switching from light crispy salads to warming and more nourishing dishes. Autumn is the time to slow down your pace by emulating the slower pace of nature, as trees begin to lose their leaves, we feel drawn to cuddle up with a good book and some hot tea. We start craving introspective soups, comforting chewy rice and sweet roasted root vegetables.

In honor of the upcoming changes, we decided to have a cooking class on how to cook for this beautiful season- to help us feel great from the inside out and synchronize our own rhythm with the changing energies around us.

The organs stimulated by Autumn are the lungs and large intestine, so it is often common for people to experience symptoms of detoxification associated with these organs, such as respiratory or digestive issues. Some great foods to eat to help give these organs some extra TLC are white foods, such as daikon radish, turnips, lotus root, cauliflower, white beans and sweet brown rice. Leafy green vegetables and root vegetables are also excellent for nourishing these organs.

Check out the menu from the class to get some helpful ideas for your own meals during this season:

• Sweet Potato Cauliflower Miso Soup
• Brown and Sweet Brown Rice with Tan Gomashio
• Navy Beans with Sauteed Leeks and Onions
• Toasted Sesame Oil & Soy Sauce Nishime with Carrot, Butternut Squash and Onion
• Steamed Cabbage
• Poached Apple Stuffed with Roasted Tahina, Walnuts, Raisins, and Cinnamon

Enjoy!

Vegan is Virtuous

We all know about the benefits of being vegan and eating all natural whole foods- increased vitality, better functioning of your internal organs, and feeling just plain AWESOME.

But did you think about how being vegan can support a virtuous lifestyle? According to Hideki Kawai, expert Natural Healing & Healthy Living Chef and Educator, being vegan can help you tame your sex drive. This makes it easier to be celibate- whether it's for spiritual or personal reasons, or if you are just waiting for the right person.

When we eat energetically strong foods like meat, eggs and fish, we intake not only the nutrients from those foods, but also the energy from those foods. Many fish, like salmon, have strong energy- salmon are powerful enough to swim upstream, against the current through rugged rivers to lay their eggs. If we do not have super active lifestyles to burn off this kind of energy (and increase in sexual desire), then we have excess that we need to get rid of. When these urges go unexpressed, they can lead to feelings of frustration and uncomfortably.

So, really, it's another reason to go vegan- at least until you decide to embark on a new career in manual labor or are in a healthy, committed relationship.

Co-opportunity in Santa Monica

If you are ever in need of a fun shopping experience and great quality food and health products in the Santa Monica area, check out the Santa Monica Co-op. They have a wonderful selection of organic and natural foods, eco-living products, as well as a well stocked and varied natural body care department.

Since they are a co-op, they are owned by their customer members, instead of a corporation. As it says on their website, "Every true co-op operates according to the Seven Cooperative Principles." These principles are: voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, members' economic participation, autonomy and independence, education, training and information and cooperation among cooperatives. Check out their website to learn more about co-ops in general or to find out about the Santa Monica Co-op.

Seven Cooperative Principles
Santa Monica Co-op

Great Selection at Erewhon

Erewhon Natural Foods Market has an great selection of all kinds of healthy food to stock your kitchen. It is also a "one-stop source for macrobiotic staples." They feature excellent brands of miso (over 30 varieties), seaweed, soy sauce, umeboshi plum products, teas and Japanese foods. They even have a macrobiotic consultant available to provide you with recipes and advice and on site cooking classes. You can even check out their website for more free recipes. 

 

 If you are already feeling hungry when you get there, you can check out their full service deli, salad and soup, sushi bar, and another prepared foods section.

Erewhon is located close to so many great things in LA, such as The Grove and Farmer's Market for outdoor strolling and shopping, and CBS Television City, where you could check out the live taping of shows like "So You Think You Can Dance."

Erewhon Market

Refreshing Cold Noodle Salad with Hideki Kawai

I caught up with Natural Healing & Healthy Living Chef, Consultant and Educator, Hideki Kawai in Los Angeles, California recently and he gave me this easy and delicious recipe for Refreshing Cold Noodle Salad- perfect for the hot summer weather! I wanted to share it with you, since his cooking inspires me to try new and different things. Hideki uses many cool cooking tricks that give his cooking an extra punch and added interest. The picture above is from when I tried out the recipe- it was awesome!

Also, if you are looking for excellent macrobiotic cooking services, health advice, or a little extra inspiration in the kitchen, then contact Hideki. He has 23 years of experiences and training from some of the foremost macrobiotic pioneers in the United States. He has cooked and taught all over the world, including Japan, Portugal and throughout the United States. He served as a Head Chef and Menu Planner at Kushi Institute in Becket, Massachusetts for 22 years and has worked in six macrobiotic or Japanese restaurants.

 To learn more about what Hideki does or to set up a cooking class, contact him at hijikihawaii@yahoo.com or call #310-692-5144. 

Cold Noodle Salad:
6 Medium sized red radish, sliced in wedges
1 Ear of fresh corn, taken off the cob OR 1/4 bag of organic frozen corn
1 Package of seitan (store bought), sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 Cup sauerkraut
1 Cup apple juice
2 Teaspoons of brown rice miso
1/2 Package organic angel hair pasta (whole wheat or artichoke)
2 Leaves of romaine lettuce, sliced in 1/2 inch strips
1/2 Cucumber, sliced in rounds
2 Teaspoon umeboshi vinegar
2 Teaspoons olive oil
2 Teaspoon soy sauce
Sea Salt

Noodles:

1. Boil 6 cups of water in a pot with 2 teaspoons of sea salt.
2. Put pasta into boiling water and let it boil until cooked, approximately 8-10 minutes.
3. Drain pasta in a strainer and put noodles in a bowl with cold water. Drain noodles and place in refrigerator.

Vegetables and Seitan:

1. Saute radish slices in a small fry pan on medium to medium low heat with 2 teaspoon umeboshi vinegar until the liquid has evaporated. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Saute corn- first heat the pan on medium heat, add the corn, add 2 teaspoon of water and put the lid on. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 1 additional minute with the lid. Set aside in a bowl in the refrigerator.
3. Saute seitan in 1 teaspoon in olive oil for 1 minute on a medium high flame, then add 2 teaspoon of soy sauce and saute for 30 seconds. 

Sauce:

1. To make the sauce: put the sauerkraut, apple juice, miso and 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Assemble:

1. Put noodles on a plate or in a bowl.
2. Drizzle the sauce onto the noodles.
3. Place the lettuce, cucumbers, radish, corn and seitan in sections on top of the noodles. Drizzle again with sauce.
4. Optional: Garnish with sliced fresh basil, scallions, parsley or chives.

Serves 3-4 people
Enjoy!

Mmmmmm cafe

Feeling hungry in LA? Then drop by M Cafe. This place is fun, fresh and a nice place to grab a delicious and healthy bite to eat. This place is actually a macrobiotic cafe and is always busy with people who love to eat good and healthy food.

My favorite things here are the The M Chopped, hearts of romaine & mixed greens, avocado, cucumber, chickpeas, herb-baked tofu, scallions, umeboshi pickled radishes, carrots, beets, tamari-roasted almonds, crumbled tempeh“bacon” & tofu-peppercorn ranch dressing. I also loved the Ginger Snap Cookie, which was a soft and chewy, and perfectly sweet and gingery.

I also enjoyed the Strawberry Kanten, which was a mild and light dessert that was creamy, sweet and left me feeling satisfied but not heavy.  

Check their website for more locations, hours and menus.

 M Cafe de Chaya

What is Sustainability?

Georgia Malki, CEO and President of Seven Star Events, the nations premier green events expert, speaks about what sustainability REALLY is and how your actions relate to your community in this short video clip.

I had the honor of working with Georgia in 2007 for greening a natural health conference, to move the natural health community towards not only taking care of their health, but also taking care of the health of our planet. She inspired me through her giving and generous nature, and her passion for sustainability and social responsibility, to continue to make conscious choices about how I live my life and how I can share the information I have learned with others, to contribute to a cleaner greener home for everyone.

Watch this short clip of Georgia Malki:
What is Sustainability? Interview with Georgia Malki

For more information on green event planning and to learn more about Seven Star Events, check out their website: http://sevenstarevents.com/

Sweet Treats at Babycakes

Babycakes is an all-natural and organic vegan kosher bakery with kitch appeal and delectable adorable baked goods. That's a mouthful- and so are their creamy frosted cupcakes... A friend of mine turned me on to this place when I lived in New York 2 years ago. They now have a location in Los Angeles- so you can get Babycakes on either coast!

They make sinful (but not too sinful, because they are naturally sweetened) sweet bread loaves, cookies and cookie sandwiches, brownies, buns and pies, many of which contained unrefined sugar, and are gluten and soy-free. They use mostly agave syrup for sweetener, which is a healthier alternative to refined white sugar.

So, next time you are craving homemade goodies and want to go healthier, check them out! They also have a great cookbook for sale so you can make your own Babycakes at home.

Babycakes website

Fresh Food at Fresh Mint

I met up with a couple of friends a few weeks ago as I was leaving Arizona, for dinner and some nice conversation. They recommended Fresh Mint, a vegetarian Hawaiian/Asian-influenced restaurant in Scottsdale. This restaurant had lots of interesting and flavorful dishes full of fresh, brightly colored vegetables and fake meat/soy protien. Each dish we ordered was exciting and delicious, how fun!

 

 

The first thing we shared was spring rolls (pictured above). Next we had a vegetable, tofu and noodle stir fry, a tofu curry and a soy chicken dish. We tried 2 desserts- pudding and banana spring rolls. Everything was delicious! the great thing about this restaurant was the vegetarian menu and the abundance of fresh vegetables. Make note: if you are eating simply and want to avoid sugar and spices I would avoid the sauces that come on most dishes and of course, avoid dessert.

 

Fresh Mint

13802 N. Scottsdale Rd.

Scottsdale, AZ 85254

(480) 443-2556

Real Food? Daily!

I just got back from my first visit to LA's famed vegan organic restaurant, Real Food Daily. My friend and I went to grab a bite to eat and possibly sight some celebrities- Ellen DeGeneres mentioned she likes to eat there a lot. (I love Ellen!) The hype and celebrity status of this place did not disappoint- we had a great time eating delicious Mexican food and dessert, talking to the friendly wait staff and people watching the interesting variety of clientele. This place also happens to be kosher, which makes it convenient for all types of people to eat healthier.

I ordered the Supreme Burrito, which was a huge burrito filled with Spanish rice, black beans, tempeh bacon, cashew cheese, vegetables, avocado, tofu sour cream and ranchero sauce and served with salad. I could only eat half of it- it was so filling! I also ordered the Dream Chocolate Pudding, a thick, rich, creamy and smooth cold pudding that was heavenly.

My friend ordered the El Bandito Rojo, which was pretty much like vegan enchiladas full of richness and flavor, without the cheesy, over-oily heaviness of real enchiladas. It was delicious!

 

I definitely recommend this place if you are looking for fun and delicious healthy food and desserts. They also have a nice cookbook.

Real Food Daily website

Great Eats: Vegan Glory

Hungry for some super-fun delicious vegan food that feels like a party in your mouth? Vegan Glory gives you just that. Located in Los Angeles, California, Vegan Glory is a great casual place to go get a meal. They have a huge menu and lots of variety, so you can get Japanese, Mexican, Thai, OR Chinese food- all from the same restaurant! I went with some friends recently and we all ordered different things to share. Everything we ordered was awesome. I definitely recommend this place!

Vegan Glory's website

True Food Kitchen

Dr. Andrew Weil's Food Pyramid

True Food Kitchen is a lively restaurant located in Phoenix, Arizona and is jointly created by Fox Restaurant Concepts and Dr. Andrew Weil. They offer a variety of healthy vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options and they are also flexible with substituting ingredients for people with other food sensitivities. They offer organic, local and seasonal produce and wild and hormone-free animal foods.

Much of their menu items have meat, dairy or spices and I have been eating mostly vegan lately, so I got creative. I prefer simple and lightly seasoned dishes, so I ordered my own version of the Teriyaki Brown Rice Bowl: Brown rice, tofu and vegetables with fresh avocado slices on top and no Teriyaki sauce. Their prices are a bit on the higher side, so this outing might be a once in a while splurge.

Check them out:
True Food Kitchen

Healthy Eats at Pita Jungle

Looking for a healthy and veg friendly restaurant in Arizona? Well, look no further, because Pita Jungle is all over this state! With 12 locations in Arizona, they make healthy eating convenient, fun and affordable.

I went with my family to grab a bite to eat and ordered the falafel and a large hummus plate to share. Of course, nothing compares to living in Israel and getting the real deal from the where it all originated, but the food was quite good and my family enjoyed the food and ambiance.

One of my favorite things about this restaurant is the Happy Hour and Reverse Happy Hour during the weekdays. Everything on their special menus during these times is REALLY affordable, as in $2 - $3 per plate. I can fill up and schmooze with friends and only spend $6!

Pita Jungle Website

So Fresh & So Clean Hair

For minty fresh tingly scalp and clean soft hair try Organic Excellence Wild Mint Shampoo. This shampoo smells deliciously minty, lathers well and is all natural, so I feel good about using it- for my health and for the environment! It also helps to cool you off in the shower while we are heading into the hot summer months. It is definitely my new favorite.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Olive Oil (and) Coconut Oil (and) Potassium Lactate, Vegetable Glycerin, Peppermint Oil*, Fennel Extract*, Hops Extract, Balm Mint Extract, Olive Leaf Extract*, Ginger Extract*, Mistletoe Extract*, Allantonin (Comfrey Root), Citric Acid, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Lemon Grass Oil*, Burdock Root Extract*, Sage Extract*, Rosemary Extract*, Grape Seed Extract*. *Certified Organic Herb

Organic Excellence Shampoo

Healing with Food: Sweet Vegetable Drink

Sweet vegetable drink is a warm, relaxing and mildly sweet drink that is used as a food remedy to offset the negative effects of foods like chicken, eggs and cheese. According to macrobiotics, consuming these foods over the long term can negatively effect the body and cause disease such as hypoglycemia (chronic low blood sugar), which is a condition that affects about 75% of modern society.

This drink has been known to help conditions such as AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, various cancers, diabetes, hypoglycemia, rheumatoid arthritis, mental disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and many other conditions.

Sweet vegetable drink is very good for softening and relaxing tightness in the body and muscles from heavy animal food consumption. It also helps to relax the pancreas and stabilize blood sugar levels, as well as satisfy sweet cravings.

I just made this drink for myself and when I drank it I felt immediately relaxed and good. It definitely made my pancreas happy AND satisfied my sweet cravings :)

A small cup of sweet vegetable drink can be taken everyday, especially in mid to late afternoon.

* Finely chop equal parts of onions, carrots, cabbage and sweet winter squash.

* Boil 3-4 times the amount of water as all of the vegetables combined.
* Add the chopped vegetables to the water and boil uncovered for 3 minutes.
* Turn down flame to low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
* Strain the vegetables from the broth (you can re-use them in soup if you want).
* Drink the broth while hot or at room temperature.


This drink can last for two days in you refrigerator. Daikon radish and lotus root can be substituted for carrots and squash.

For more information about food remedies and healing with natural foods, check out the book "The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health" by Michio Kushi and Alex Jack. You can find this book in the "Books I Love" section on my blog.

New Tokyo Food Market for Japanese Foods

If you are looking for some great Japanese foods for making sushi, udon noodles and seaweed salads AND you live in Arizona, then look no further. New Tokyo Food Market is a cute little Japanese food store with a nice variety of traditional Japanese foods, as well as non food items like beautiful Japanese dishes, kitchen supplies, magazines and even Japanese movies to rent. They also have a very friendly staff to answer questions you might have about a product or preparing Japanese foods. I have been shopping at this store since I was a kid and love going in to see the new products they have.

 

Some things I buy from New Tokyo are:

* organic frozen natto
* organic tofu
* organic udon noodles
* Non-GMO miso
* good quality teas
* dried donko shiitake mushrooms
* good quality seaweeds like wakame, hijiki and kombu
* fresh Japanese vegetables like burdock root and lotus root
* specialty items for making traditional Japanese foods

New Tokyo Food Market
3435 W Northern Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85051
#602-841-0255

Call for store hours.

Let's Sport & Play in Comfort

This cute and super comfortable sports bra wicks away moisture and provides support, all while supporting awesome values like helping the environment and promoting fair trade. This sports bra also lasts for a very long time, so you will get good use out of it. I have two of these, and wear them all the time for hiking, jogging and being active.

Patagonia clothing company is dedicated to promoting fair labor and environmental protection, is a member of 1% For the Planet and uses organic, natural and recycled fabrics. Check them out to find out more and to see more of their clothing and sports gear collection:

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/home

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/product/patagonia-womens-active-mesh-bra?slc=en_US&sct=US&p=32103-0-867-155

Lotus Moon for Lovely Locks

This hair pomade is awesome and I use it every day to give my hair texture and light hold. It works especially great with short hair to give it a piecey look and to smooth flyaways. You only have to use a little bit, so it lasts forever. I also love the all natural ingredients. I bought mine from AllNaturalCosmetics.com

Ingredients:
Ricinus communis (Palm Christi) Oil, Apis mellifera (Beeswax), Copernicia prunifera (Carnauba) Wax, Palm Stearic Acid, Euphorbia anisyphilitica (Candelilla) Wax, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Limnanthes alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Oleoresin, Azadirachta indica (Neem) Oil.

Savory Hummus Hors D'oeuvres

This is a nice recipe my cooking classmate Nicole and I created with the help of Chef Hideki Kawai for our graduation from healing cooking school. It was a big hit and everyone loved the simple but flavorful hummus. Enjoy!

Hummus with Tiny Toast and Endives Hors D'oeuvres

2 cups chickpeas
1 stamp sized pieces of kombu
Fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
Tablespoon ume vinegar
1 finely grated raw yellow onion
Garlic powder or fresh garlic

15 leaves endives
15 triangle sliced pieces of whole wheat sourdough bread
Olive oil
Ume vinegar
Salt
2 red peppers
1/2 bunch parley, finely chopped

Hummus:
1. Pressure cook the chickpeas with the kombu for about an hour (fill water to 1/2 inch above beans in the pressure cooker).
2. Let pressure come down and put in the olive oil and ume vinegar. Simmer beans for 10 minutes and then let them sit to cool off.
3. Grate raw onion and juice the lemon.
4. When chickpeas have cooled, put them into a food processor with a small amount of the cooking liquid and add the onion and some lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
5. Taste the mixture and add more lemon juice or ume vinegar if needed and sprinkle in garlic powder or chopped raw garlic.
6. Blend again thoroughly. Taste again and adjust flavor to your taste.
7. Chill in refrigerator.

Toast:
1. Slice each slice of bread diagonally across twice, creating 4 triangle pieces.
2. Heat up a cast iron skillet.
3. Dip each slice of bread lightly on both sides in a plate of olive oil.
4. Place in skillet.
5. Once one side gets browned and a bit crunchy, flip and brown other side.

Endives:
1. Wash each endive leaf and dry.

Red Peppers:
1. Wash and thinly slice red pepper into pieces about 1 inch long.
2. Put some olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.
3. Sautee peppers with some salt.
4. Turn to medium low heat.
5. After they have cooked for a while (about 10-15 minutes), add ume vinegar to give a nice flavor.
6. Taste to make sure you like it.

Assemble:
1. Put endives or toasts on a plate.
2. Put chilled hummus in a pastry bag and squeeze hummus on toast or endive.
3. Top with red peppers.
4. Sprinkle chopped parsley on top.

The Cove

Academy Award winner for Best Feature Documentary in 2009, The Cove is a movie that involves activists, filmmakers and divers as they work to uncover hidden eco-crimes involving dolphins off of the coast of Japan. These dolphins are captured and held in captivity or killed and served to people, although their meat contains toxic levels of heavy metals.

Watch the Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KRD8e20fBo

Cove PSA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62kc07m1Dc

Learn more and take action:
http://www.thecovemovie.com/home.htm

Positively Praiseworthy: Pangea Organics

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Pangea Organics bar and hand soaps, which I happen to have in my bathroom right now. They smell amazing, produce a generous lather, and leave my skin feeling soft and clean.

Pangea Organics believes in "integrity – of product, performance, practices, people, planet and purpose." They source their ingredients through organic and fair trade practices and ensure their products are cruelty-free and hand crafted in small batches. They have also won many awards for being a socially and environmentally responsible business and awards for various skin care products.

For 25% off of body lotion and body wash until June 30th, 2010: http://www.pangeaorganics.com/browse/Body_Lotion

Check out the Pangea Organics website:
www.pangeaorganics.com

Soy? Delicious!

For a frozen treat that's delicious and healthy, try the nondairy "ice cream" Soy Delicious. They have a variety of awesome fruit sweetened flavors that are sure to satisfy your craving for trendy summer fro-yo, but without the guilt (from corn syrup, artificial sweeteners or dairy).

Check out their website for more info and an ingredients list:
http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/its_soy_delicious.html

Organic Hemp for Beautiful Lips

Colorganics makes what I think is by far the best lip liner of all time. This organic lip liner gives natural looking color, stays on for a long time, and moisturizes my lips with organic hemp seed oil. My favorite color is Spice. I also enjoy the lipsticks which provide stronger color and lip tints, for a sheer lighter color.

Along with great products, I feel good buying from Colorganics because they support social responsibility and environmental sustainability. The are also a member of the Green Business Network by Green America.

Check out their website for more information:
www.colorganics.net/lipliners.html

Reading Faces

Do you want to look in the mirror and be able to read what your face is REALLY telling you? Well, you can if you study Oriental Facial Diagnosis.

This kind of diagnosis allows you to observe and examine people's faces, or your own, to help you understand more about someone's personality, upbringing, ancestors, current state of health and functioning of their internal organs.

One interesting example of a person's appearnace and reading their internal state is sanpaku. Sanpaku is the abnormal expansion and contraction of the eyeballs. This word is Japanese and means "three whites," which illustrates that the eyeball is in an abnormally high or low position. Here is an example of lower sanpaku.


Lower sanpaku usually means that there is an abnormal expansion of the eyeballs, which shows that the whole physical and mental metabolism is becoming slower and weaker. This is usually because of the overconsumption of yin foods (such as milk and cream, nightshade vegetables, fruits, nuts, oils, spices, sugar, aromatic and stimulant beverages, alcohol, chemicals, and drugs/medications). There have been some instances of lower sanpaku being caused by overconsumption of extreme yang foods, such as salt.

For more information about Oriental Facial Diagnosis, check out the books Your Body Never Lies or How to See Your Health: Book of Oriental Diagnosis, both by Michio Kushi. You can easily find these books in the "Books I Love" sidebar section of my blog. Enjoy!

Superfood Trend: Quinoa

Quinoa is the latest and greatest food trend sweeping the nation! With it's whole grain status and reputation for being full of phytonutrients, antioxidants and high in complete protien (including all nine essential amino acids), what more could you want?

Quinoa is a great source of vitamins and minerals, and because of its whole grainy-ness, keeps you feeling fuller for longer, which can help with weight-loss.

Quinoa is also very easy to prepare and cooks in anywhere from 15-20 minutes. Try sauteing some vegetables, seasoning with anything like sea salt, soy sauce, lemon juice or garlic, and tossing the vegetables and quinoa together for a light and healthy salad.

Get Healthy in Arizona

Want to feel better and look great naturally?
Well, now you can with private cooking services that are easy and affordable!

Private Cooking Instruction
Enjoy learning how to make delicious, healing meals in the comfort of your own home. Choose to learn about food energetics, healing specific ailments, menu planning and shopping for excellent quality foods.

Private Cooking Services
Relax while someone else does the cooking! Have a healthy and delicious meal prepared in your home.


Ellie Kumayama has 9 years of cooking experience and is a graduate of the Kushi Institute Macrobiotic Leadership Program. She was also Director of the Kushi Institute Summer Conference for 2 years and has studied with some of the leading natural foods cooking instructors in the world.

For more information and to negotiate prices email
Ekumayama@yahoo.com

Feel-Good Fashion: Paper to Pearls

Want to accessorize fabulously and do good at the same time? Paper to Pearls makes beautifully handmade, fair trade necklaces crafted from recycled paper by poverty stricken women in refugee camps in northern Uganda.

The income these women earn helps them to buy more nutritious food for their families, have access to better health care, send their children to school and have income to spend in their communities. It also helps them to gain pride, dignity and hope for the future.

In addition, net revenue from the necklace sales is given back to beaders in the form of education, training and entrepreneurship development.

Check out Paper to Pearls