One of the beauties of the gospel is found in its simplicity. I tend to be a very complicated and convoluted person. But I am easily frustrated when things are not simple. If I cannot understand it; if there are too many definitions; if it must be twisted and turned in order to fit, I deem it to complicated and either challenge it or leave it alone. But the gospel - God's good news, His true message - is true round about. Among the various writers of the Bible; among the different readers of the Bible; all those who are searching for truth and sharing the truth will have the same truth. "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation . For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy ...

Usually I share smoothies because they are simple, creative, and they can standalone as a meal. Today, however, I would like to share another power punch habit: nut and seed milk. We have a three-course breakfast every morning at our house. First we have fruit; next, hot or cold cereal, or chia pudding; and lastly we have some variation of a "bread" and "stew". Typically, we will have a "milk" on our cereal. My mom and I get pretty fancy when it comes to these milks. We just throw together some combination of nuts, seeds, and sometimes grains; blend them together; and serve. We sometimes add cardamon, ginger, anise, or vanilla, lemon zest / extract, and almond essence. Nut milks provide protein, iron, and calcium (though in minimal amounts). And it is much easier for your to digest and assimilate these goods because the nuts and seeds are ground and, in essence, taken with water. The following recipe is made completely from seeds, which means tha...

Every now and again, it is good to post some vivid colors and remind the world that veggies smoothies really are great. There is a critic for every cure, as I like to say. (Disclaimer: Absolutely no guarantee is provided, by this blog or anywhere else, that supports veggie smoothies as a cure or remedy for any disease.) In any case, I just thought that I would share some of the delightful smoothies that we have made over the past few months...    

Long time no see. =) Because I have neglected this blog for so long, I decided I should treat you with something special. Green smoothie, anyone? I would argue that this smoothie is more of an introductory one: -- the flavor is pleasant and sweet, which is perfect for a child being introduced to this for the first time. The baby spinach does not assert its own flavor, so the banana is dominant. Diabetics will probably want to cut back on the amount of fruit that is in here.  The Verdict: Delightfully mild and gently sweet. Easily assimilated and digested. (To assimilate  is "to take in; to absorb and integrate".) Spinach Banana Cradle  (Makes 5 twelve-ounce glasses) 1 cup of baby spinach 1 large carrot ( at least half of a cup when chopped) 1.5 bananas (they were frozen -- they could be fresh or both) 1 small apple (about half of a cup when chopped) 1 six-ounce container of soy yogurt (we used WholeSoy's Mixed Berry Yogurt) 1/4 pumpkin ...

This is a smoothie from a few days ago, featuring prized ingredients: I do not know very much about the health benefits of figs; but I love them! I enjoy black mission figs fresh, while I prefer Turkish figs dried. Either way, they are spectacular. I am aware that they contain substantial amounts of calcium (considering that they are fruits). Three dried mission figs provides approximately eighty milligrams (80 mg) of calcium. That's pretty good! Recipe 6 - makes 5.5 cups 2 cups of beet greens, stems, and beets 2 cups of carrots 1/2 of a lemon with some skin and all seeds 1 cup of figs Personal Take:  Pretty good smoothie. It definitely tasted like vegetables, though the figs gave a slight sweetness. The carrots impacted the color again, but it did not bother anyone. I left more of the zest this time, and you could taste it. Again, not bothersome to me or anyone else (I think). My mom did mention the thickness; I am going to have to use more water. =)

Each day brings more and more benefits. Do it for yourself, and you will see. ;) Here is the smoothie we had today: Recipe 5 - makes 7.5 cups  (why I made so much, I am not certain...) 2.5 cups of spinach with stems 1/2 lemon with some skin 2 large  carrots (about two cups worth) 1 apple 1 cup of mango Lots of water Personal Take:  This smoothie tasted more like fruits -- it would be a great introduction to the realm of vegetable smoothies. However, I've already been introduced. Also, we have been on a nearly-no-sugar diet, so this tasted rather sweet to us (it is amazing how one's taste buds adjust). Other than that, it was a great smoothie. The color was different because there were more carrots in this batch (it is usually only one cup). I still thought that it looked pretty though. This required more blending (hence the suggestion for "lots of water"). I was able to manage though, because  I used part frozen mango; and that kept the smoo...

These smoothies are amazing! They really rejuvenate you and give you a good clean out. Just make sure to drink lots  of water throughout the day -- at least five cup for children, and at least eight to nine for adults. Recipe 4 - makes 6 cups 1 1/2 cups of turnip greens / stems 1 1/2 cups of spinach  / stems 1 cup of purple carrots 1 avocado 1 banana 1/2 lemon, with some skin 1/4 cup of leftover cereal about 4-5 cups of water (whatever it takes to blend it smoothly) Personal Take: Pretty good. Turnip greens are pretty strong, but their taste was in the background. I think that it is the avocado that neutralizes it. The taste was mild -- it did not pull in any particular direction. It was thick, but not of a consistency that would choke you. =) I should have blended it a little  longer, but it was relatively smooth. My favorite part was the green color! It is just a beautiful shade of green. It definitely looks appetizing.

About one month ago, I endeavored to make granola on my own. My family loves granola so much that sometimes I wonder how many boxes we go through in a week... The two basic ingredients of this cereal -- oats and honey -- have medicinal properties. Because oats are high in fiber, you do not need a large serving to feel satisfied and stay full. Also, the fiber keeps the walls of your intestine squeaky clean, allowing your body to absorb the antioxidants (oat-unique avenanthramides ) contained in this awesome grain. In order to receive these benefits in their fullness, the grain should be cooked thoroughly for prime digestion. Accompanying this immune-booster is honey. A natural sweetener, honey is also anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and moisturizing. It generally has a glycemic index of fifty-five (55), and is even better when raw and largely unprocessed.  My son, eat honey because it is good, An...

With the heat wave passing through the Eastern United States, everyone is looking for ways to cool off. So  I came up with this homemade popsicle that is great for anytime of the day! My family is working on being careful with food combinations so that we can have prime digestion after each meal. One of the things we look out for is combining fruits with vegetables. It is alright to have citrus fruits with veggie meals (oranges, grapefruits, lemons, kumquats, etc.); but eating other fruits with vegetables can cause fermentation and prolonged digestion. This is because fruits digest rather quickly, compared to vegetables; and the broken down sugars will begin to ferment if it sits in the stomach acid for too long. Enough with the yucky A&P stuff (anatomy and physiology).  For the stated reasons, this recipe uses... BEETS! Hint to the chef: don't tell anyone until after they are done and they ...

My family has been eating a lot of hot cereals lately. Barley, oats, kamut, rye, millet, amaranth -- you name it, we had it. When you top a bowl with molasses and homemade hazelnut-maple cream, hot cereals make a delicious and nutritious breakfast! The trouble comes when there are leftovers. It is never enough for the whole family again; and no one person remembers (or wants) to eat it.  Sometimes, we use  leftovers  to make creamy grain milk for smoothies; one time, I  even  put the  leftovers  in the blender with some milk, and made pancakes! Today, I tried a new thing: cake . It actually came out really well. I took the leftover nut cream from breakfast (this time, it was almond sweetened with agave), and I added to it a dash of cardamon, a dash or so of pumpkin spice, and a few anise seeds. I also added some more  agave  for sweetness.  We no longer use a lot of cinnamon ...