Surviving the Holidays vegan and raw

Surviving the Holidays Vegan and Raw
As seen in Natural Awakenings Magazine

The holidays are a time of family and food. Eating goes hand and hand with every holiday, making it especially hard if you are a vegan, vegetarian, a raw foodist, or simply trying to lose weight. If you find yourself in one of these categories, you will undoubtedly find this time of year challenging, as it is a time when traditional and comfort foods take precedence in most households, and eating healthy is put off for the New Year. There are many ways to avoid all of the problems that arise for those who are food conscious. Invite your family over for their first raw food feast or bring your favorite raw food dish to your holiday event to share! Bringing a non-traditional dish to a holiday event may feel like a risk, but by doing so you can introduce your loved ones to some very wholesome and tasty holidays meals.

Some people think Raw food consists of only salads or plain granola with no taste. To the contrary, chefs have developed wonderful raw gourmet recipes, such as Marinated Exotic Mushrooms with arugula or Bleeding Heart Radish Ravioli. Introduce your friends and family to this wonderful form of eating that is delicious and beautiful. I highly recommend the book “Raw” by Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein. This book presents numerous wonderful recipes that could make your raw food dish a hit at any holiday party. You can find this book at BODY, as well as a five other raw food books that carry some great recipes for all year round. For a wonderful vegetarian book try One Taste by Sharon Louise Crayton.

Introducing family and friends to vegan, vegetarian, and raw food, may be the beginning for them to become healthier in their lives. One taste of delicious raw, vegan cheesecake or chocolate ganache could be the first step. It may be their turning point to make a decision to be healthier, lose weight, lower cholesterol, and feel fantastic. Creating healthy desserts is a great way to introduce people to raw or vegan food. Even chocolate can be healthy! It is only a matter of how it is produced and what is mixed into it that causes it to become high in fat and calories. Surprise your family by not telling them how healthy your dessert is until after they ate it and have been full of praises.

If you do not have time to spend preparing food yourself, BODY café can offer some very special treats for your holiday. You can order delectable cakes, exquisite pies, and many unique raw treats to go. BODY café has raw, vegan, and vegetarian food, as well as selections for those with other special diets. BODY café is currently working on developing their to-go selections, is beginning catering, and will be serving BODY chocolate all made in house. Their goal is to make eating healthy, easier and more accessible for everyone.

Lorin Parrish, Chef and owner of BODY, has shared a few of her favorite recipes for the Holidays. She believes that eating raw means feeling good without sacrificing great taste. There is no reason to give up flavor for health! The recipes are raw and are best when prepared with organic ingredients. Try the local farmers market to get the freshest organic ingredients.
The holidays are a time when it can be hard to eat healthy, but it is possible with a little determination, creativity, and help from BODY café.

Mock Meat Loaf
*1-2 sweet potatoes, grated
1-2 red potatoes, grated
1 turnip, grated
1 onion, cut-up
1 cup cauliflower
1 medium beet, grated
3 celery stalks, with leaves
1/2 lb brazil nuts
3/4 lb pound raw pecans
1 TB nutritional yeast
1 tsp Celtic salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper1 TB pressed garlic

Put each item in a food processor individually. When each item is processed, place in a large bowl. Mix together and refrigerate overnight. Next day, shape into a loaf. Dehydrate 6 hours at 105. Slice and serve.


*Mashed "Potatoes"*
6 C chopped cauliflower
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1/4 c flax oil
Celtic Salt to taste
In a food processor chop the cauliflower with an "S" blade. In a large bowl fold in the remaining ingredients and put in dehydrator for 1 hour. Serve warm.


Butternut Squash Cookies
4 C butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 C raisins
1 orange, juiced
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
3 T raw honey
Mash squash in food processor until smooth. Put in a separate bowl. Process raisins and orange juice until smooth. Add raisin/orange mixture, nutmeg, cinnamon, and honey to the squash, and mix thoroughly. Spoon 2 TB size cookie mixture onto a dehydrator tray. Press each cookie to a 1/2 in. thickness. Dehydrate cookies at 115 degrees for 4 hours. Flip cookies and dehydrate for another 10 hours.


Beet Salad
2 beets, peeled and grated
1/2 lg head of cabbage, shredded very fine
3 carrots, peeled and grated
1 C of raisins
1 apple, diced
4 TB lemon juice
4 TB orange juice
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C water
Mix all ingredients thoroughly


For more information about raw or vegan food contact BODY at info@bodyofsantafe.com.
BOOKS ABOUT RAW
• Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life by Juliano Brotman and Erika Lenkert
• Raw by Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein
• RAWSOME by Brigitte Mars
• The Raw Gourmet by Nomi Shannon

Kendra

Love your Faucet!

We all need water on a regular basis. The more you drink, the better for your health. So while it may be easy to buy bottled water, the ecological impact of plastic bottles is an ugly trade off for convenience. Not only are plastic bottles forming an island of waste in the Pacific ocean, but the carbon footprint that they create simply from transporting the product to your local market is wasteful and unnecessary.

All of us that live in the United States have the luxury of clean water flowing right into our own homes through the faucet! While many people dislike the taste of tap, and question its purity, I suggest you reconsider. Water Departments across the country have strict standards on public water, and test it frequently for contaminants such as e. coli, pathogens, Giardia and chemicals. The regulations on public water are higher than most bottled water standards, making tap the healthier choice! Plus, by drinking tap you avoid nasty problem of plastic leaching into your water.

So, use your faucet! And if you need a re-usable eco-friendly to-go container, check out our line in BODY’s eco-boutique. Our re-usable mugs and water bottles are made from bio-degradable materials and will not leach into your water.

-Keryn

Give yourself a little gratitude

As Published in the Sun Monthly November 2008
Give a little gratitude to yourself
By Kendra Arnold


The holidays are coming, and so begins the dizzying hustle and bustle of searching for that perfect gift for the ones that we love. Holiday rituals, like shopping, decorating, and attending parties, certainly puts us in the spirit; however these festivities can also create pressure, stress, and frustration. I want to give you all a little reminder that during this time it is important not to forget about yourself. Remember to take a break, relax, and appreciate yourself for all the hard work you have done this year. It is important to reconnect with yourself so that you can be fully present to enjoy this beautiful time of year. Here in Santa Fe, there is a spa or massage therapist right around every corner. Book an appointment for a massage or facial. Take an hour for yourself, to find a little bit of personal peace.

This goes for everyone, no matter male or female, young or old. What good can you be to your family and friends if you are stressed from dealing with too many people, too much traffic, and too much to do in too little time? Taking care of yourself is good for you as well as your family. It takes a lot of energy to balance everyday work and family and then add in the work of shopping, cooking, and traveling for the holidays.

Stress leads to headaches, jaw clenching, body pain and tension, headaches, heartburn, stomach pain, anxiety, depression, and a list that continues for miles. The Mayo clinic offers some suggestions to cope with the holidays, “Take a breather. Make some time for yourself. Steal away to a quiet place. Listen to soothing music. Find something that reduces stress by clearing your mind, slowing your breathing and restoring inner calm.”

Many men I know cut themselves short; by thinking that spa treatments are for women. I recently got my husband to a massage after some prodding. When he walked out of his appointment, his first words were, “ that was amazing, I want those all the time.” He went on to explain all the ways he felt better. I was thrilled that he now understood the wonders of massage. The benefits of massage, facials, and body treatments are not just about the pampering, although it is a perk. These treatments, when done by a good therapist or esthetician, bring about relaxation and healing in the body.

The medical benefits of massage are enormous. Massage can help alleviate stress, fatigue, muscle pain, and tension headaches. It can also strengthen your immune system and increase your ability to concentrate. Many do not realize how much impact one tight muscle can have on the entire body. A tight muscle can change your posture and balance. This can cause a chain reaction within the body leading to more and more issues.

You might even get yourself a facial. The benefits to your skin are numerous and you get the time to lay back and relax. Facials relax the muscles of the face and jaw, increase circulation, and help lymphatic drainage, which helps drain toxins from our bodies. Don’t forget you will also look great for all of the holiday photos that are coming.

Massage and facials are not the cure all to holiday stress, but they will leave you with less tension. Time constraints are often an excuse to put off taking care of ourselves until later, but it is important to stop and give yourself a break now. Give yourself a little thank you for all your hard work.

Living in the present

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

-Buddha

Why is it so difficult to always live in the present moment? Even with the best intentions, we all experience mind wandering, with our heads racing to tomorrow’s problems or dwelling on our past failures. Take a breath, and re-center, even if just for a moment. Enjoy the perfection of this exact moment. In today’s world of hyper-stimulation and media bombardment, it is virtually impossible to be fully present all of the time. So start small. Be like water and flow with the present 3 times a day. Make yourself available to anything. You might be surprised what you experience!

-Keryn

Hinoki

The light snow fall this morning was an exquisite sign of the winter weather that has only just begun. This kind of weather means more time spent inside getting warm and nesting.

This weekend I prepared my home for the cold by creating a cozy winter oasis (i.e. - I completed a major house cleaning session). Once I finished my cleaning frenzy, I burned hinoki (Japanese cypress) incense in each room. Then I had a truly aroma-therapeutic moment. I had been cleaning with such gusto that my heart rate was up, but within moments the hinoki incense quickly relaxed me. The woody-scented smoke brought me back to the present moment and created a sense of peace in each room.

Hinoki is a special type of cypress that is used in Japanese bath houses for tub construction. It is prized for its antibacterial properties and its intoxicating woody yet fresh fragrance. If you'd like your very own cold weather oasis to smell like a Japanese mountain bath retreat, you can find hinoki incense (made by Nippon Kodo) in BODY's eco-boutique.

-Keryn

Venerable Robina Courtin

We are so pleased to have Venerable Robina Courtin returning this upcoming January. When she came in 2007 the room was packed. If you have never heard her speak she has a thick Aussie accent, but is clear and concise about what she says. She is full of life and spunk. I highly suggest coming to hear her, even if you know nothing of Buddhism. This series of teachings will be called the Secret of Happiness.Ven. Robina Courtin has been a Tibetan Buddhist nun for more than 25 years. Based in San Francisco, California since 1997, she has run the Liberation Prison Project for Buddhist practitioners, working with people in prisons throughout the US. The project helps them with their practice and studies by correspondence and by sending books, tapes, and other materials. She visits prisons in California, Massachusetts, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia, giving teachings to groups and meeting them one-to-one. Several of these men are on death row or have life sentences, and some have been involved in gangs, both on the streets and in prison.
Ven. Robina was born in Melbourne, Australia and brought up as a Catholic. She studied classical singing until her early twenties then, went to London in 1967, where she lived for four years. She became actively involved in the radical left, working mainly with a London-based support group for black and Chicano prisoners. In the early 70s she became a feminist and returned to Melbourne in 1972 to work with other radical feminists. In her quest for a spiritual path, Ven. Robina began studying martial arts in 1974, and moved to New York, where she studied karate. She continued her studies in Melbourne until 1976, when she attended a Tibetan Buddhist course in Queensland given by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
In November 1977, Ven. Robina went to Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, where she was ordained. Since then, she has lived as a Buddhist nun in the Tibetan tradition, traveling, teaching, and bringing the Dharma to people both in and out of prison.

Do not miss the opportunity to hear this amazing women.

Kendra

Renown Tuvan Shaman & Throat Singer

If you have never experienced Throat Singing from Tuva before, you are in for quite a treat! BODY is delighted to present the UnHun Master Throat Singers with Nikolay Oorzhak and Dr. Vladislav Matrenitsky on November 12. Though the music of Tuva is special for many reasons, the main point of interest is how the singers are able to create 2 or 3 sounds simultaneously to create a truly original sound. At first impression, this gutteral yet melodic music may seem perplexing to the Western ear, but its inspiration from nature allows for universal appreciation. Oorzhak was raised in a small village in western Tuva, between Mongolia and Russia where “his only audience were the horses, sheep, and cows.” Oorzhak, who is also a shaman, healer, and teacher, explains that there is a clear connection between Throat Singing and nature. “Throat singing imitates the voices of animals, and sounds created are consonant to sounds of Universe. For me all these sounds are the rhythms of the whole one”.

We hope to see you at this amazing heart opening and healing musical event.

If you are inspired to learn Throat singing yourself, there will also be a Throat Singing workshop on November 19 & 20 at College of Santa Fe.

UnHun Website

-Keryn