Help from Friends

I am so grateful to all my Facebook friends for graphics such as the image above.  Perusing through, I usually find just the incentive or inspiration I need to stay on track. 

This one comes from my friend Sheila Smith.  Thanks Sheila.

My detox of nasal uncomfortability continues.  I started this morning with 32 ounces of water and look forward to continued cleansing and a continued journey to health. 

I'm not Sick; Just Detoxing

I remember the first naturopath I met years ago saying:  "In natural healing, things often get worse before better."  Starting yesterday, I have had this sinus discomfort that is driving me crazy, a little achy, cold feeling.  How could it be that I am feeling worse?  As I understand it, detoxification goes that way.  So glad that I understand that I am getting better and will feel so much better on the other side.  Realized this when fasting in the past too and leaned on the old adage:  We must first give to the fast (our energy and focus) and then the fast will give to us with renewed energy down the road.  I am content to stay on track and look forward to feeling better. 

This article was very helpful:  http://www.raw-food-for-the-beginner.com/RawFoodDetox.html

Feeding our Children more than Food

Wekesa was right about me.  One of my challenges to staying on the food plan right for me, has to do with my girls.  Like my mama, Thelma, one way that I express love is through food -- that is my preparing it and serving it up.  So, for a few years now, upon Ife's return home for a break, I have jumped back into (especially breakfast foods) pancakes and eggs with cheese when I have been able to stay away from them for months and months at at time when she is away.

Why?  I think it's all the associations of love and good times that nudge me to go back and experience all that goodness one more time. 

This time was different.  On yesterday Ife was doing her best to get everything packed and loaded -- trying to beat the incoming cold weather and arrive in Greensboro before nightfall.  My motherly instincts said:  "Don't pester her with: 'how close are you, etc.; help her.'" So, I first packed up all her food from the frig.  I then had the idea of preparing her some breakfast, and the thought came:  I will not be eating the foods that she still enjoys.  I felt this lack of connection for a little while and then got busy.  I quickly spotted some potatoes that were left over from some potatoe soup I made for the UHURU Esusu Kwanzaa celebration -- "need to cook these anyway." I chopped these up; chopped up some onion and a little garlic.  Ran to the yard (garden) for some rosemary.  Sea-salted all of this with a nice massage.  Squirted the olive oil into the pan and placed the potatoes and fixins in.  I then rounded up some guests for Ife, as I was not even hungry.  Her sister, Sarafina, was happy to join in.  Her Dad, Wekesa, could join her, as Sunday is a cooked meal day for him.  They loved the potatoes and salsa.  I sat down and enjoyed a quick banana, thanking God for them -- as they are the quickest raw / live food I know.  

We held hands and thanked our Creator and ancestors for Ife's visit and her sweet company during the winter holiday break and asked for blessings as she completes her college journey. 

Feeling so good about this milestone and feeling boundless energy, I ran outside to aid her in one more way:  washed her car and cleaned the inside from top to bottom -- even found $5.00 that she was happy to see. 

I then resonated and proudly realized that I was able to give Ife the following:
1.) support as she left as opposed to nagging
2.) a sight of a family eating different types of foods and still sitting down and loving each other
3.) different options for eating:  vegetarian, vegan, raw / live
4.) a picture of her 56-year-old mother feeling happy, whole and fit

Faster than a cup of Coffee -- The Elixir of Life

Spinach / Banana Green Smoothie

OK, it was just this quick.  Take spinach out of fridge.  This time I had the kind you pick up at Sam's, Costco, even Walmart.  Get the organic kind.  Throw into blender.  Put in frozen bananas (makes it really sweet); water (I use distilled) -- just pour from bottle or however you get water.  (Avoid tap if at all possible).  Blend in your blender (high speed if possible, and actually there are no cores or stems to break up, so any blender will do).  Drink immediately.  This one tastes really good.  Nice and creamy; sweet.  As we give up processed sugar, we taste the sweetness of the spinach too.  

Do you need to acquire a taste for it?  If you haven't gotten hooked on coffee yet, you'll have to acquire a taste for it too, especially if you leave the white girls out (sugar and cream).

Turn up for calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C and magnesium, Vitamin B6, and potassium. 

Kale, Not Collard: A sistah aint worth her ____ unless she can make a jam-up kale salad.

All praises to kale greens.  In the ATL, I see kale salads more and more.  Used to be, most sistahs could cook some collards; maybe not turnips or mustards, but definitely collards.  Collards were queen.  On most tables you could find them.

At recent Black gatherings in the last few years, I have alarmingly found collards left off the table.  No collards?  What?  Can it be?  In addition to the loss of fiber, seems like we are losing heritage.  We could get collards anytime of the year; we could grow them ourselves, even in our front yards, amongst our flowers.

Thank God that we sistahs are working the kale:  cookin' it, juicing it, tossing it, and in my case mashing it.  Okay, the recipe.

AFIYA'S SMASHING KALE

Take the freshest kale you can find (grow your own if possible) and place it in a bowl.  Cut up some onion, garlic and ginger (as small as you like it).  Put in a squirt or two of olive oil.  Chop up some olives and sundried tomatoes.  Add anything else that appeals to you like chopped celery, shredded carrots.  Oh, and a little curry goes a long way (forgot this in mine, and it is still delicious).  Chop an avocado.  Put in some salt:  sea salt, braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce.  Lastly, some nutritional yeast:  throw some in.  Now, take both hands and smash to your delight like you are kneading dough.  Now, sit back and enjoy.  Oh, last:  lick the bowl.

Turn Up in 2014

TURN UP

"What is it? " asked Ife.  "It's sooooo good for you," I, Mom replied. OK, the beginning of the green smoothie occurred two days ago:  spinach, banana, water, psyllium and flax seed.  That was pretty good.  Today, I added more water and frozen raspberries.  I realized that we hold ourselves to some pretty rigid standards sometimes with the goal of:  everything we eat or drink has to taste so delicious.  I'm leaving that one behind.  "It doesn't taste bad," I said. I then said, think  of it as medicine if necessary and TURN UP.  She said mom, you are too funny.  She did as instructed and finished it all.

The best Salad of 2014

The best salad so far this year has just been created and enjoyed immensely.  If the rest of my raw journey goes like today, this year, I will be more than fine.

Afiya's Garden Salad

In a bowl, place your salad mix (lettuces).  I get the organic spring mix from Sam's or Costco (for the best price) when I don't have enough in my garden to pick.  Yes, plant your own organic mix and just snip as desired.  

I added onion, garlic, olives, fresh tomatoe, sun-dried tomatoes.  Now, my special trick is to squirt a little olive oil (use the squirters for ketchup and mustard) and dash a little sea salt and toss.  This makes the salad already good before the dressing (sauce).  Oh, dice some avocado.  Yum.

Now, take your blender (heavy duty if possible) and add some tahini (sesame seed butter), braggs aminos or soy salt, water, and some fresh herbs.  For this, I did run to the garden and grab a handful of oregano (I have tons of this.  Stop by and take) and thyme.  Throw in and blend up.  Get the salt content right by adding more water if needed, or add more braggs or a dash of sea salt.

Now, toss with this salad sauce (as I call it).  The result -- see above.  LICKING THE BOWL.  

Happy New Year!