Winter Nourishment - Some Indian Tastes and Flavors

A South Indian Platter:

Rice & lentil crispy crepes (Dosa)

Spicy lentil curry (Sambhar)

Coconut & Coriander Chutney

 Brown rice steamed cakes (Idli)

Spicy Steamed Veggie & Chia Seed Soup:

Rice & Fish Curry Soup:

I began to write an e-book a few months ago, I wrote a few chapters
and even shared a couple of them, over at my other blog.....
And then I got blocked!
However much I tried, there was nothing doing - I simply could
not write anymore.....

I was not ready.....I still had so much to learn, discover and explore.....
There were still many levels within I had to climb and go beyond,
many new steps to take, different roads to walk on....

Now I feel ready to share once more, but not the same as before,
I no longer feel the need to preach or push or tell anyone how to eat.....
I am not interested in any theories - I simply want to put food
on the table and let my food talk!

So, I am working on a Cookbook :-)
And this cookbook will be about the food I love to make and eat myself,the food my husband and daughter love to eat as well....
Food that comes from my heart, food that comes from my home,
simple, wholesome, delicious, nutritious and healthy, food for the soul......


Gluten free, dairy free, sugar free Healthy Cookbook of Indian Tastes
and Flavors.....

No more words, pure joy and many smiles :-))))

Loving What Is........

something is moving within, once more
the waves are crashing against the shore,
of my body and mind, heart and soul.....
my thoughts gather around the force,
and follow the storm right to the source,
i feel wetness in every cell and pore......
one taste, one play, one song, one dance
unfolds so perfectly in the here and now,
what is, is a gift, whatever happens or not.....
love flows, gratitude rises in my heart
again and frees it of every ache and pain,
light sparkles in my flesh, blood and brain....
all is well, has always been, no lack at all
nothing missing, i hear the call and
i'm awake, the sun is shining, darkness fades........

Clean Day 35 - Detoxing, Falling, Flowering

 Quinoa Salad

with cucumber, spinach, coriander, walnuts,

smoked trout flakes, olive oil, sea salt,

lemon juice and black pepper

Day 35 today - Five weeks on Clean :-)))

I went through an intense Detox over the weekend,
while on a road trip to Wales.
I tried to find reasons for it but then let go.....
anything could have triggered it,
even being on the road in hilly and mountainous areas!
And after all I'm on a Cleanse, and detoxing, letting go of
all the toxins in the body is the goal of the process, right?
The body has it's own agenda which might not always
fall into line with my plan, my cells decide when to let go of
more toxins, when it is the right moment, they flush it all out.....
they don't hang around for my permission or the ideal
time and place! ;-)

While my body was detoxing, I ate very little.
I had made dehydrated crackers and bars for the trip,
and I had some for lunch the first day......but then all hunger
went away and Juice, coconut water and a couple of rice
crackers with avocado is all I could manage.

Dehydrated Crackers with Hummus and a Salad of cucumbers,
greens and fresh sprouts for a picnic lunch
The crackers are made with finely sliced red onions,
ground flax seeds and ground almonds in a ratio of 1:1
mixed with sea salt, herbs and spices - Yummy!

Dehydrated Bars / Slices

These contain:
walnuts/hemp seeds/coconut/pumpkin seeds
apple/zucchini/blueberries
sea salt/cinnamon/stevia
A very nutritious and tasty little snack, perfect for a trip :-)

I had a colonic on Tuesday evening, which really cleaned
me up and got rid of all the toxins floating around in one go!!
In the middle of the session, I felt a huge letting go
happening on all levels, I literally felt a veil being lifted
from my eyes and my brain - waves of love and joy spread
through me and I began to cry and feel deep gratitude.
I felt so happy, buzzing and Clean in both body and spirit.

I walked out of there feeling on the top of the world and
fell right down a flight of stone steps - I fell hard.....
I'm laughing while writing this right now
but that fall took me totally by surprise.
I had a couple of toe nails half torn with blood clotting,
the whole of right leg scraped and bruised, left hip muscle
pulled, right hand, elbow, arm, shoulder all pulled and strained,
whole body in shock and bruises in many other places.

And I can't even begin to express how amazed I am
with this body.....even Trevor can't get over how quickly
I have healed and recovered!!
Incredible is an understated and inadequate word here!!
I had pains and aches, I'm still sore in places - but I did
nothing, didn't apply anything, took no painkillers, just left
the body alone to heal.....and it did, with a speed
that I still can't get over!!
I'm sorry, probably repeating myself here or sounding
dramatic, but I feel so utterly absolutely amazed,
what to do? ;-)

Any other time, I would have been bed bound for days
just because of the shock!
It makes such a huge difference to be on Clean for so many
days - to nourish myself with food that is clean and
non-inflammatory, to have gone through layers of detox one
after another and be a lot less filled with toxins than ever before!
My body is healing, transforming, becoming centered and
finding its own balance, opening up softly, blooming and
unfolding and becoming the flower it is meant to be.....

Clean - Day 25 and rocking!!!

Mango, avocado, coconut, cardamon Raw IceCream

I feel good. I feel fabulous.
Stable, centered, grounded, calm.
As though nothing can shake this inner core anymore.

Even my dreams are crystal clarity right now.....
vivid intense colorful and so exciting.....

There is nothing really tangible to be excited about,

in fact the very opposite.
Things are shaky for us at the moment, some instability,
insecurity, the ground is shifting.....

and yet, instead of feeling frightened of the unknown,
of what the future holds.....
I feel calm and strong and excited. 

Open to Life, open to whatever life brings.....
I love it all, just this, the way it is.....
Am I crazy?
I'm not the only one. Ripples spread and my partner and 

daughter are catching my excitement too.
Old doors are closing and we are curious about the
possibilities ahead, who knows which new doors will open,
we sure don't know the how or the when either,
but we are learning to trust and accept....

Clean.
Nourishing my body and soul with clean food. 

True food that is aligned with who I am.
I am what I eat. I eat what I am.
This is a profound practice.
One that affects on all levels, every aspect, 

in so many soft and subtle ways......

Maybe on another post I might have something more precise, 

more concrete to say, but I can only let the words flow today.......

Clean - Day 18

 

Today is Day 18 of my 21 day Clean detox program.
I am feeling so wonderful on it that I plan to continue
for another 3 weeks :-)
I find no reason to stop eating and nourishing myself
in a way that is doing me so much good!!

I sleep better, I have more energy, I feel stable and calm,
no highs or lows and my body is healing, slowly but more
and more.....with each passing day that brings me something
new to rejoice about.....

Liquid breakfast and dinner - green juices, green smoothies
or green soups - and a healthy balanced lunch which totally
satisfies me.....
I exepriment every day, making Clean meals and I'm enjoying
the whole process of discovering how to make Clean foods
with Clean ingredients tasty and delicious.
I am deeply satisfied and have intense pleasure with the foods
I am eating for lunch and the liquids I am having for breakfast
and dinner - If this is detox, well, I could continue forever!!! :-)
Not only is Clean food yummy but it is totally healthy and
brings goodness to your body and soul......

And the best part is that I can continue eating Indian meals,
adapted of course to Clean ingredients.
I need something Indian every other day, and I love being on
a detox that allows me to eat the food I've grown up with :-)

Here are some pictures of what I've been eating
for lunch these last few days - Enjoy :-)

Gluten free Vegan Soda bread, with avocado and salmon spread,

and cucumbers from our garden - a delicious open sandwich

for my lunch yesterday, with a side of mixed greens salad :-)

A slice of Socca - a traditional South East French street food,

also called Farinata in Italy.

Made from chickpea flour, oilive oil, herbs and spices, 

red onions and garnished with zucchini from our garden,

served with a mixed greens salad.
There is another version that we eat in India called
Besan ka cheela or puda and it is delicious too!!!

Salmon in green coconut masala, with brown rice, broccoli

and steamed green beans.

Green lentil Falafel made nutrient dense with flax seeds and 

sesame seeds, served on a Romaine lettuce wrap,

with avocado and sprouts, topped with a yummy sauce.

Fish curry with tamarind and coconut milk,
served with brown rice and garlic cumin spinach

Clean - Day 5

If I could express the experience of being on Clean program
up until now in just one word - it would be Stable.

In the last few days, I have been feeling - calm, stable and centered.

No highs or lows, no intense detox to struggle with, 

no bumpy waves to ride!

It is a very different ball game from Juice Feasting.
One that I'm beginning to really like and enjoy very much.
Early days yet, for sure......but there is a quiet confidence and
a subtle certitude filling me every day.....I am healing.
Aand slow and steady wins the race.

There is a kind of liberation, a feeling of freedom - in following a
plan that is not my own, sticking to a protocol and structure build
by someone else, someone who knows.....

This is what I've had the last 5 days:


Day 1:

Green Smoothie - mango, avocado, blueberries, coconut water, ginger, hemp protein, ground flax seeds, fresh kale and spinach from my garden, stevia and ice
Salmon with steamed Broccoli and Asparagus - sprinkled with hemp seeds, Udo's oil and Himalayan pink salt
Coconut water and handful of Cherries - for a snack
Green Juice - cucumber, celery, carrot, romaine lettuce


Day 2:

Green Juice - Cucumber, celery, pear, mint, lemon

Green Salad - Avocado, cucumber, broccoli sprouts, mixed salad greens from the garden, walnuts

2 Rice crackers + Hummus - as a snack

Green Smoothie - Pineapple, blueberries, kale, spinach, ground flax seeds, ginger

Day 3:

Green Juice - cucumber, celery, carrots, romaine lettuce, lemon

Indian vegetable/chickpea Curry + 3 tbs Brown Rice - zucchini, mint, 

coriander, green beans chickpeas, tamarind, spices and coconut milk

Blueberries - as a snack

Green Smoothie - Avocado, cucumber, spinach, stevia, ginger, lemon, 

hemp protein

Day 4:

Green Juice - cucumber, celery, apple, kale, ginger, lemon

handful of Cherries - as a snack

Salad - avocado, cucumber, swiss chard, spinach, walnuts, smoked trout

2 Rice crackers + Hummus - as a snack

Coconut Water + Blueberries - as a snack

Almond Milk and Mango Smoothie - with two dates and ginger

  
Day 5:

Green Juice - cucumber, celery, spinach, apple, ginger, lemon
Salmon in Green masala + Zucchini- Indian style salmon, with mint
/coriander/coconut/spices + zucchini.
Blueberries + Coconut water - as a snack
1 glass Watermelon shake - with basil, sea salt, ginger and ice
Raw soup - zucchini, avocado, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, coriander,
garam masala, olive oil


The protocol is liquid breakfast and dinner, one solid meal at lunch
and snacks in between if you are really hungry.
There has to be a 12 hour window between the liquid dinner and the
liquid breakfast the next day. This allows the body to rest and then
detox, cleanse and heal. I usually leave 15 hours between dinner and
breakfast, after all I do have a lot to heal from :-)

There is a list of what you can eat and what you can't. What is called
the "Elimination Diet" as there is a long list of foods you are leaving
out of your plate.
I did 5 days on Elimination Diet, eating one liquid breakfast and two
solid meals before going on the Clean program. This prepared me
very well and there are hardly any cravings, nor hunger pangs now....

You have to read the book "Clean" to understand and follow the plan,
there are supplements to take every day too.


Clean has been created by Dr Alejandro Junger - an amazing person.
I loved his book and everything he explained made absolute sense
and it felt like everything I have learnt and know has been put
together in the right place leading to right action for me :-)
The best place to learn more about this is Clean community site
with a wonderful group of members, who encourage, inspire,
support and share graciously.....

I feel good. I feel in the right place for me right now.
I feel grateful and happy :-)

Love to you all xoxox

Clean

Time to begin healing this new complex sounding neurological
immune dysfunction disease I have been diagnosed with.....

As I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts -I do not believe
in labels for chronic diseases as all diseases have one source -
Toxicity/Acidity.

I have wondered, questioned, and on occasion even lamented,
that despite eating fairly healthy, doing regular cleanses etc,
I still suffer from health challenges and issues!!

"All suffering stems from a resistance to What is."

I sincerely believe this and try to practice Active Acceptance
in my life. The last few weeks have been a revelation and I have
finally come to an Acceptance of my health challenges and the
fact that they are still with me. It holds meaning for me now.

And I have come back to a place where I am feeling at peace
with my body and its need again for healing and recovery.

It is not possible for me to do an intense Cleanse anymore,
those days  of long Juice Fasts are over! And as I wrote in my earlier
post, I like to eat a 70/30 to 80/20 raw alkaline diet as this is what
suits me. I do like my cooked food and I enjoy fish at times too......
No labels of any kind here either :-)

I bought a book called Clean by Dr Alexander Junger and it really 

resonated for me on all levels. 

I will be starting the Clean program from tomorrow. I will be
doing the program from the book and I'll write more about this
in the following posts.
I have joined their support community and to my happy surprise
I found an old blogging friend from my Juice feasting days, Jenny
who is now working as a Wellness coach with the Clean team!!!
How wonderful is that?? :-)))))

4 days on the elimination diet and then 21 days on the Clean plan.

I'll be blogging about it here, maybe not everyday,
but as often as I can.....

It makes a change to follow a program from someone else,
instead of doing my own thing! 

It will help me be consistent with the food, supplements and
activities.....

I am quite excited and look forward to being CLEAN and
healthy soon.....

And I feel grateful for these health challenges, with all the pain
and suffering they have entailed, all the difficulties and tough nights
they have put me through - I am deeply grateful for it all.......

To continue learning, discovering, healing, transforming.....
being more and more integral, authentic and bliss-filled......this is
what my health challenges have brought for me in their arms.....
a gift of grace......

I thank you my friends with all my being, for all the support and
love you continue to shower on me.....all along this healing
transforming journey......

Namaskar with a deep bow, and onwards to Clean from tomorrow :-)