Thursday, January 26, 2012

Liquidized nutrition



Hi You! 

The tooth fairy came and took my wisdom tooth today (with a little help from a surgeon dentist), so I'm only allowed to eat liquid food for a couple of days now. I'm usually a great nibbler and love all things crunchy, so having liquid food is only exiting for a short period. Already my breakfasts and evening snack are smoothies, so having it for lunch and dinner too only makes me anxious to start eating solids again (I can't wait to have a big bite of my favorite apple). They say that the third day is the worst, pain wise, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed it won't be worse than what it's been so far. 

Yet these are the kind of situations when you have the chance to see things in a new perspective. If there is something you can't have or if your health is not granted, you suddenly find yourself over the moon grateful for what you do have. A lesson of gratitude is always good! And I figured it only fair to share my wisdom with the tooth fairy, she can have the tooth, I don't need it. 




Whipping up any kind of smoothie is fast and easy. If you stick to your favorite flavors, it will taste like dessert. A banana-strawberry smoothie with passion fruit is a winner. Also the pineapple-avocado-banana is one of my favorites. Or maybe a mango-chashew-lime smoothie? 

Lately I've been adding a lot of barely grass powder to my smoothies. My skin is ever so glowing and soft (I have about 2 teaspoons a day). It's great because it blends well with other flavors and besides of giving a glowing skin, it gives an extra energy boost that last a long time and has many health benefits. Now that I've found it, I don't want to be without it. Benefits of barely grass: 

• Gives the skin a clearer complexion, 
• Helps in weight loss,
• Neutralizes body odor and bad breath,
• Heals wounds,
• Cleanses the intestines,
• Fights free radicals,
• Boost the immune system.

  



The Chlorophyll Bomb

• 1 Banana
• 1 Anjo Pear 
• 1 tablespoon Mesquite
• 1 teaspoon Barely grass or wheat grass.
• 0.5 teaspoon light Agave
• zest from half of an organic Lemon 
• a dash of Lemon juice or a little piece of Lemon with peel.
• 1 cup of Water
• 0.5 cup tightly packed Spinach


Blend the ingredients until smooth, drink immediately.









Saturday, January 14, 2012

Your Strategy for 2012

Hi members of the Galactic ground Crew, the Keepers and Care takers of Gaia ;) I hope all is well and that you are walking down a life path that is in alignment with your own truth. 

I'm re-posting the two latest eLetters I've been sending out to all of you who are subscribed again. Both as a reminder, and for you who are not subscribed and have missed out on the last mini-series where I went through how to get rid of the things that holds you back, and guidance to set new targets and grow new dreams.

The statistics says that a good 86% of people make New Year resolutions, and only 14 days later, 30% of them have already scaled back on the promises. After a few months, only 12% are still striving toward the goals they set in January. This is why you need a strategy. The ones giving up, probably didn't have one. 

Your Strategy for The New Year: This is all very basic, and for a lot of you, this is not any news, you've already done the work. But you can attend to these exercises on your own level really. Or simply skip parts that you feel you have found an understanding in already (good for you!!). I have found that the journey is never ending, that you can adjust and re-shape yourself as a tool to the Divine all the time, to constantly strive to become a little more loving, a little more connected, a little more free, a little more aware.. But don't worry, I will post something way more advanced later! 



Are you on board or not?

A new year is coming up. Are you taking on the challenge of renewing yourself? Of course you are! The best thing with a new year, is that it automaticaly is a chance to start all over again and renewing the things in your life that need your love and perhaps also a makeover. For that you need a Strategy. A strategy is your lifeline to save you from faliure, to keep you on track with your goals and most important of all; keep you motivated.

- Whatever your problem or challenge may be, laugh at it. Laugh long and hard. Because you are forever and it is temporary. - Mike Dooley


Step #1 

Define the critical areas of your life that need your attention. It can be anything really. A health exam, your relationships, your working situation / career, school, family life, love life, identity, sexuality, spirituality, creativity, your social life or your home..

To find out your critical areas ask yourself these questions:

• What is troubling me? / What is holding me back?
• What or who sucks out my energy?
• What are the thing(s) I have been avoiding to tackle?
• What are the thing(s) that have been bothering me for years without a solution?
• What are the thing(s) that constantly calls for my attention?
• What are the ting(s) that is in the way for my progress?


Step #2

Make a plan. This is your map. Make a list of the critical areas you have, and break them down into the actual problem, what actions you need to take and when you should take action. Write it down in a notepad to keep you organized. 

[Example of how it could look]

My critical areas: 

- Me and my sister have had a grunge for years. I am no longer sticking my head in the sand.
- I'm drained and need to give my body loving attention.
- I'm such a victim, and blame everyone but myself. 
- I don't feel I get the appreciation I need from my boss. If I think a bout it, I was never satisfied with the job in the first place. 
- I want to break free and live a different life!
- Stop seeing my old friends that are negative and don't support my transformation ----> Finding new people to hang out with who are relaxed, positive and adventurous!

My Important Dates:

15th of January.......Write a letter to my sister to clear things up.
23d of January........Sign up for a yoga class
14th of February.....Start by seeking out every trigger point that makes me a victim.
27th of February.....Look for a new job.
2d of Mars...............I'm going to stop compromising my needs, say Yes and No.
10th of Mars............Attend to that party to find new friends.



Step #3

Evaluate! After you have taken action, how did it go? Did you succeed? If not, write down the same problem in your notepad again, but this time with a new action. You know... that if you try to solve a problem with the same tactic over and over again, not succeeding, it's because you need to change your tactic.


Step #4

One of the most important steps: Give yourself rewards when you succeed! People are driven by two basic emotions - either they are trying to avoid pain, or gain pleasure. You are wanting to change one or more critical areas of your life, and in this you are driven by BOTH of these two emotions; you want to end the problem (get rid of the pain) and gain pleasure from the changes you have made. So, how can you enhance the rewards when you succeed with solving a problem? Decide beforehand what rewards you are going to give yourself when you succeed to solve a problem


Troubles on the way?

Not getting it done
What are your priorities? Even though you know exactly what to do, are you willing to set off time to do it? To avoid the trap of not-getting-it-done, book yourself in for a number of hours everyday, to do what you need to do. Set a timer, and during the time, give your 110% of effort.

Not motivated enough? 
Dig deeper in how this critical area is keeping you from feeling 150% happy, gorgeous, content, healthy, liberated, ecstatic.. Picture yourself 5-10 years from now, living with this problem. Can you really live with it? [Of course not!].

Fears?
Is it fears that is holding you back? Then try EFT (emotional freedom technique), a well worked out system to tap on your meridians and re-program your brain. [it REALLY works!]



1) What Are Your Desires?

First of all, having desires is good! Some people associate desires with un-spiritual and a superficial materialistic behaviour, but that could not be more wrong. Did you know how many Rolls Royces the great Guru Osho had? Begrudging yourself things that you want, is not going to give you any spiritual points. Realize that you are worth the best of the best. This is actually the hardest step for people. ln the world we are living in today, we struggle so hard for our achievements. Telling people to start dreaming and visualizing can almost seem cynical. But having desires is the actual force behind every dream come true. The stronger the desire, the better! 

Excercise: If you had all the money in the world, all the health, energy, courage, all the social back up - what would you do? If you didn't need to care for anyone else but you and all doors were open, what decisions would you make to enroll the beauty from within, the gifts from God, your talents?


2) Knowing What You Want

The second step is also a tricky one. Knowing what you want, is undoubtedly the core of a dream, and this is the step worth putting some extra time on to constantly adjust and reshape your dreams. If you don't know what you want, you might need to go back to the dreams you had when you were younger.

Excercise: One of the best things I know that in a playful way gets you in contact with what you want, is to make a visionboard or dreamboard! It simply works like this: you take a big bunch of magazines, and cut out the images that represent the things you want the most. Then you glue them to a piece of cardboard and hang it on your wall were you can see it often. You can also print images from the Internet to find exactly what you are looking for. This might seem like a bit of a school project, though making a dream board is both fun, motivating, clarifying but most of all - it works! Images activates more emotion than simply writing down or speaking your desires aloud. Images also have a powerful effect of our subconscious mind, and can be used to reprogram your mind into a desired foccus. 

• Only pick images that feel right. Use your intuition.
• Also cut out or write words that suit you.
• Don't use negatives for example "no dept" or "I want to quit smoking". Instead write "I am economically wealthy"", or "I am greateful for feeling healthier and healthier every day!"
• Always make the dream bord when you are in your best mood possible.
• Concentrate on the big areas of your life: love, relationships, health, wealth, career, spirituality / personal development. You can also make a dream board only concentrated to a specific dream that you have.
• Go crazy and add anything you fancy; glitter, lace, fabrics, feathers, ribbons, stones, photos.. The more you are into it, the better!
• Don't be afraid that it is not "perfect". The more dream boards you will make, the clearer your desires will be!
• Photos of yourself with your name need to be on the board. In that way you will enhance your wishes even further.

A few notes on affirmations: You might want to put your favourite affirmations on the board. When it comes to the Law of Attraction there is one rule, always think, act, write and talk as if you already have what you desire. The Universe is like a huge copy machine, and if you are sending out feelings, thoughts ect of loss... then that's what you will receive. Don't say "please give me more money", because the energy that you have when saying those words, are of alack mentality. Instead, say "thank you for the abundance of money I am receiving now!". Expressing grattitude is powerful, because it has the energy of that you already succeeded with what you wanted. To get more inspired, visit qualified-lifecoach.com


3) Take Action!

Now you have a better understanding of what it is that you want. This leads to the point when it is time to take some action to physically manifest your wishes! By now you are hopefully all fired up to make some tough decisions. In what areas of your life, can you make decisions to further carry out your dreams?

• What decisions can you do economically?
• In your relationships?
• In your daily routines?
• For your career?
• Love life?
• Spirituality and health?

These decisions should be made with your head held high, for the respect for you and your goals, but also serve as a practical reminder of what to focus on. 

Help..

Empty Your Cup

The Japanese master Nan-in gave audience to a professor of philosophy. Serving tea, Nan-in filled his visitor's cup, and kept pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he could restrain himself no longer: "Stop! The cup is over full, no more will go in." Nan-in said:"Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup."

To grow old or new dreams, you have to create space. Do this by getting rid of the old stuff in your life, that holds you in the past (unless it's not something that really adds to your process of making a dream come true). It can be clothes, letters, furnatures, contacts in your cellphone, old music, random stuff and even people. Especially go through your photo albums, computer, wardrobe, the attic and cellar. Find out more about space clearing via spaceclearing.com, I also recommend Karen Kingstons books!

Finding your Higher Self
Everybody has a Higher Self. This is the wisest, purest, most loving essense of you that has all the answers, always acts in love - your inner God / Goddess. He/She is always connected to you and knows you intimetly. 

Meditation excercise: Take 10 deep breaths to connect with your body. Imagine that you walk down a staircase with seven steps. For every step you take, you become more relaxed, and more in contact with your subconscious. At the end of the staircase there's a door. Behind it is a room in which you will meet your Higher Self. Open the door and enter the room. What does it look like? Somewhere in the room there are two seats for you and your Higher Self. Go there to find Her / Him and open up to recieve the messages from Her/Him. You can ask questions, ask for healing, have a good cry, tell something, ask for advice or just be together in silence.

I don't have any dreams!

Dreams are about the desire to experience something. For example someone wants to experience Paris, experience what it feels like being 100% confident, or having a family, experiencing true love, experiencing what it feels like looking like a bombshell, own a horse or a killer car, their own house, having the courage to perform on stage, having a certain profession, master something, experiencing true love or an adventure! Surely you can come up with something to wish for? Something that would make you happier, more fulfilled, more eager, more glowing. Do you have any role models in your life? People that fascinate you? Then, there is something that they stand for or symbolize that you could create for yourself too!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Intuitive eating and swirled Blackberry Ice cream

Hi sweethearts,  I've missed you! How's life?? 

I'm enjoying the first month of the new year. New beginnings, action, planning, change.. Things I love, and ever since I can recall, I've always loved the energy of January. As me and Jakob is definitely found in the file "workoholics", as we have two small business to nurture. Some readjustments in our lifestyle would be welcome. Working til 4 in the morning, getting up at noon, for a couple of months now (though always with a smile, we love our lazy mornings), we could definitely benefit from more balance in our life. Earlier I was a little bit of a "health and order" natzi. I didn't ate a nano particle that weren't "right", and I had excellent routines. I didn't realize then, that I had prisoned myself with my high health ambitions, and that it was liming me and also boring me to death. Then Jakob came into my life with different routines and it gave me the blessing of seeing myself from a distance. 



Balance... Is my new mantram for 2012. For you who also have your own small business in the startup, or if you have a family with kids, (which is basically the same thing) you know how hard it can be to achieve balance, to meet every need, go to bed fully satisfied, and wake up with a burning desire to get on with the day. 

Have you read my latest article over at The Living Kitchen Wellness? I'm writing about intuitive eating. You see.. I don't believe in a mentally ambitious approach to eating healthy. If your approach to eating is up in your head, it can't be intuitive. Intuition is found in the body. That means, forget about everything you have read, reset your brain, empty your cup, and start to feel, listen to the signals from your body instead. I too believe that the body is as strong and flexible as you imagine it to be. And this is NOT what I have been thought while being 100% vegan, raw. Rather the opposite actually. That the body is going to react badly if you expose it to "bad food". 

I believe that mind rules over matter, and that your cells can be programmed by your thoughts. The body will still need nutrients, but eating 100% correct is no guarantee for happiness and health. Balance is the key here aswell. Find a way to eat that you are satisfied with, with the essential nutrients, and as long as you feel healthy all is Ok. Tell your body that all is Ok, it will hold your thoughts as truth. This is why I'm skeptical to all the raw people out there who are so "clean and pure" that they can't eat even a small bite of meat, cooked food or a piece of candy before they need to be hospitalized more or less.. Is that to have a strong and flexible body? It's more like a weak body to me. A over protected body that can't walk without crouches. Don't get me wrong, the body has different periods of needs. Some periods I eat mostly fruits, some I want liquid plant food, and some periods I want warm, cooked food. I also eat quality meat and eggs, as some animal products is one of the foods that my body best can digest (I've seen it in my frequency healing sessions, QXCI system). If you know that your body can't handle animal products very well - don't eat it. Never force your body, be gentle and receptive. 

Have you seen this TED talker-genious woman, Dr. Lissa Rankin? She's all about mind over matter, and talks about that if you are not living Your Truth.. It doesn't matter how well you eat, you will have ailments piling up like the bills in January. It seems that some people just draws pains, aches and illness to them. They have a full packed bio of every problem (that they LOVE to tell to each and every one). A sickness story. And nobody wants to hear about it, as is oozes bad vibes, and holds that person in the past, in the state of sickness, instead of health.   



Anyhow. Here's the latest dessert from the kitchen. A Lucuma ice cream swirled with a blackberry sauce. Fun, easy and delicious. Remember the post of a Banana split recipe I did last summer? You make one batch of the lucuma ice cream (but with some small adjustments) and make a blackberry sause and swirl it! Easy peasy :)


Swirled January Bliss Blackberry Ice Cream
Makes two servings, very filling. Nut free. (in Swedish further down)

The Lucuma Ice Cream
Grind into a fine flour: 
• 0.5 cup Pumkin seeds
(use an electric coffee grinder, a high powered blender or your food processor)

To the food processor add: 
• the Pumkin seed flour
• 3 bananas (about 100 g each)
• 5 tablespoons Lucuma
• 3 tablespoons Mesquite
• 0.5 teaspoon real Vanilla
• 2 pinches of Himalayan salt
• 1 cup Water
• 1 tablespoon of light Agave

Process until creamy. 
• Add 0.5 cup of melted VIRGIN Coconut oil (otherwise you loose so much of the great taste, as non-raw coconut oil doesn't taste of anything). 

Process until smooth. If you want, you can place the Fudge Ice cream batch from the food processor in a bowl, and just add to the empty food processor the soaked Figs to make a fig-paste, before you add the rest of the ingredients. In that way you ensure that there will be no bits of the figs in your ice cream.




The Blackberry Sauce

• 1 cup frozen or fresh Blackberries. 

Process into liquid in a food processor or blender. If frozen, thaw them until they reach room temperature. If they are cold, you risk getting lumps when you swirl. 


The Swirling Process

Don't be scared, this is so much fun! You will feel like a proper artist when you see the final result. Pour almost all of the Lucuma ice cream into a rectangular container. With a spoon, add some of the Blackberry sauce on top. A bit like adding jam to a bowl of yoghurt. Then draw large circles with a fork or knife. You can now add a tablespoon of the Lucuma ice cream where there's larger parts of Blackberry sauce and swirl some more, and the other way around. Don't overdo it, keep it simple, otherwise the colors will mix into a light purple color, you want a clear swirl. 

Love and Raw Ice cream!
/Karolina Eleonóra



__________________ ~ o ~ ___________________

Marmorerad Januari Bliss Björnbärsglass

Lucuma-glassen

Mal till fint mjöl: 

• 1 dl Pumpafrön 
Använd en elektrisk kaffekvarn, en kraftfull mixer eller din matberedare. 


Tillsätt till matberedaren:

• Pumpafrö-mjölet
• 3 bananer (ca 300 g totalt)
• 4-5 msk Lucuma
• 3 msk Mesquite
• 0.5 tsk äkta Vanilj
• 2 nypor Himalayasalt
• 2 dl Vatten
• 1 msk ljus Agave

Mixa tills slät. Tillsätt då:

• 1 dl smält VIRGIN Cocosolja

Raffinerad Cocosolja (varmpressad) smakar ingenting, så använd hellre raw/virgin Cocosolja i recepten för att få fram de utsökta smaker som kommer av cocosen. Mixa ihop smeten, max 30 sek mixande. Häll hälften av Kolaglassen i en skål och ställ i frysen.

Björnbärssåsen

• 2 dl frysta eller färska Björnbär

Om bären är frysta behöver de tinas till rumtemperatur eftersom kalla bär riskerar att göra swirlingen klumpig då cocosoljan blir kall. Mixa bären i en matberedare eller blender tills slät. 

Marmoreringen

Var inte rädd. Detta är kul och enkelt! När du är färdig kommer du känna dig som en riktig konstnär. 
Häll först i nästan allt av Lucumaglassen i en avlång form. Ta sen några matskedar av Björnbärssåsen och häll en i varje hörn och nån i mitten. Sen drar du stora cirklar med en gaffel eller kniv. Där det blivit större partier av Björnbärssås kan du tillsätta en tsk / msk Lucuma glass och marmorera, eller tvärt om, där det blivit ett större parti Lucumaglass kan du tillsätta Björnbärssås. Marmorera inte för mycket, då får du ett suddigt mönster när färgerna blandas. Håll det enkelt så får du starkast färgkontrast. 


Do you see the face in the swirl? It's the Blackberry spirit saying 'enjoy me'!