Let’s talk about food combining today. It isn’t something you need to pay too much attention to at first…your main focus is to eat raw and STAY raw. Once you have been eating raw for awhile and are ready to take this to the next level, proper food combining is the next step.

Basically, different foods digest at different rates of speed. If we eat a food that digests quickly with a food that digests more slowly it can result in gas or bloating and maybe heartburn. To avoid these problems, use proper food combining…

• Fruit digests most quickly…takes an hour or two….it’s best to eat alone because it doesn’t combine well with other foods (different digestion rates) and it’s best to eat it on an empty stomach.
• Melons should always be eaten alone. They digest very quickly.
• Fresh juices and smoothies should be taken on an empty stomach and at least 30 min before any other food. They also digest very quickly.
• It’s best not to eat fruit and veggies together…fruit digests fast and veggies much more slowly.
• Any greens and veggies go well together.
• Avocados combine well with fruit and veggies.

These are basic guidelines. Use it as a basic rule, but you don’t have to go boogie over it :)

I have been asked on a few occasions for some kind of an outline on what to eat on a daily basis. I came across this in one of my cookbooks and wanted to share it with you. I was planning to log what I have been doing on a daily basis, but I believe God is calling me to fast and pray concerning what He is doing in my own heart. The things that I share with you in the teaching section are new to me as well. I am learning and healing right along with you. So, I’ll write what I found in my book to hopefully help you to eat raw and stay raw :)

The first thing she talks about is eating MORE…not less to reduce weight. A lot of us want to lose weight to be fit, some of us need to gain…remember the section on what to add to your diet to gain necessary weight…So, today we will concentrate on losing. So far I have lost about 20 pounds…I have about 20 to go I think.

Side note for a second…youngest son just popped his head in the office where I am typing and said… “Hey Mom…you know what?” I stopped typing and asked him “What”…he went on… “80% of boys have girl friends, the other 20% have brains!” I love that kid!

So…eating more to lose weight…a new concept for me…She says to add a piece of fruit or a serving of vegetables rather than a full entrée.

Second tip is to start exercising. Walk, get on that treadmill you begged your husband for and never use anymore, if your husband has weights, start lifting a little bit. Don’t go and work out for an hour the first day! Just a few min a few times a day…till you reach muscle exhaustion….means your legs are so tired you can’t take another step… For me that’s all of 2 min as fast as I can on my stair stepper. It says I burned 20 calories…not a whole lot, but if I manage to do it 5 times in a day it adds up. I also put it right in the middle of my foyer so I have to walk by it all day…I am more apt to actually USE it! I have to admit that I do hang my coat on it sometimes…it’s handy :)

This is a basic outline. If you don’t have oranges, but you do have bananas (which I have a ton of :) ) eat bananas! Or whatever else you like. This is to give you an idea of what to do. I personally don’t want to eat too many nuts or use too much oil in my salad dressing because I still want to reduce. Nuts are what comes to mind when I’m hungry…it helps to have something like this handy so you can remember the bananas in those times instead of another handful of nuts.

Breakfast…some kind of smoothie…remember to put the handful of greens in it!
Snack…3 or 4 pieces of any fruit
Lunch…large salad…mix it up each day…different dressing, different ingredients, add some avocado one day and a handful of nuts the next then skip the fat all together the third day…make it interesting.
Snack…2 or 3 pieces of fruit
Dinner…make a raw entrée if you’d like or have a different kind of salad like a Kale Salad.
Snack…have fun with this one and have a raw dessert, but only 1 or 2 pieces so as not to overload your system in the evening. Just enough to satisfy that sweet tooth.

There you have what would be a typical day of food…it’s a lot to be sure and some days you’ll probably want all of it, some days you won’t want so much. Learn to listen to your body. Once all the junk is purged out you’ll be able to “hear” what your body needs…not what your cravings want. Your body will “tell” you what nutrients it needs.

For those chocolate cravings?? (you are more than likely needing potassium, magnesium and zinc…supplements are ok, but chocolate is way better!!!) If you don’t want to make the coconut macaroon cookies (my favorite) then I made a really good hot chocolate, by accident really. Take about 2 heaping tbs of regular cocoa powder (raw cocoa powder tastes more like coffee…cool…I REALLY miss my café lattes!!!) So, back to the hot cocoa…2 heaping tbs of cocoa, about 4 tbs of agave syrup, a tsp of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. You should have enough agave in the mix to make a syrup…add warm water and enjoy…this will make one of my huge coffee cups…most of you have seen them…they are the biggest coffee cups they sell I think :)

I hope this helps….

Part of coming to a place where you can have a positive impact on those around you involves forgiveness…receiving and giving forgiveness. The only way you are going to be truly free is when you forgive those who have hurt you. The only way you will be forgiven is when you forgive those who have hurt you…

The Word of God is VERY clear on this subject. Mat 6:15, Mk 11:26, Luke 6:37. Most of you know what these Scriptures say. Take the time to read them again and then start thinking…ask God to help you, to bring to light those you need to forgive. By forgiving them you will not only bring a release in your own life, but also theirs!! What a powerful thing to be able to do! You hold in your hand the ability to lighten someone else’s load! Read John 20:23….

Cheesecake…this is really good!

Crust:
2 c pecans
½ c raisins
2 tbs cocoa butter…this needs to be ordered by mail..it is a bit pricey, but the flavor is unsurpassable!

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend till crumbly…press into the bottom of a springform pan

Filling:
3 c cashews
1 tsp vanilla
½ c raw cocoa butter
¾ c freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ c agave syrup
¼ c coconut oil
½ tsp sea salt

Soak cashews for 3 hours or so, drain and rinse. Process all ingredients until completely smooth.

Topping:
½ c cocoa powder
¼ c cocoa butter
2 tsp agave syrup

Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix well (till it’s a sauce) then drizzle over your cake.

You can make this days in advance if you’d like, simply store in the freezer. Take it out and let it thaw for a few hours before serving.

These really don’t taste like the real thing, especially when you have been spoiled by Caruso’s, but they aren’t bad :)

Wrappers
4 c soaked or sprouted wheat
2 c pitted dates
¾ or so c of water

Blend till smooth and spread on a dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate till pliable but holds together. Cut into 2x4 inch rectangles.

Filling
2 c cashews
1 large lemon juiced (use fresh)
4 tsp agave syrup
2 tsp braggs aminos
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp water

Blend until very smooth and spoon onto the wrapper. Roll the wrapper like a cannoli.

Have you ever wished that someone would have come along and taken you under her wing? Have you read in the Scripture where the Bible tells older women to teach the younger women and longed for some one to teach you…you know…things like HOW to actually care for this baby?? HOW are you supposed to love this man you have pledged your life to when he is driving you NUTS?? HOW to be a Godly woman??

If you are like me you have longed for, cried for a woman to be a true mother to you. One who will love you without criticism and see past the outside into your heart and take the time to listen to you and teach you, one you can truly call a friend. Well, ladies, if you are like me, that never came. I was ridiculed and criticized for what I did not know. They would say things like “That’s common sense” when I would ask a question. Well, it wasn’t common to me! I needed help and acceptance, not what they were handing me. I have learned that there is no such thing as common sense…sense is only common to the one who has had the experience and has learned the lesson. So, what is the answer to the cry of our heart?

The answer is this…You need to BE the woman you always needed! You need to be the mother to love, explain to and accept the hurting woman beside you. You need to remember from whence you came, remember the hurt you felt when no one was there for you…remember what it felt like to be rejected and criticized when what you really needed was for somebody to just tell you what you were supposed to do! You be the one to show that lady how much God loves her. Show her how to wrap her baby, show her how to change that diaper so the baby doesn’t get a rash and how to rock the baby so she stops crying…take the baby for a few minutes and give her a break! Take the two year old for a walk in the yard so she can use the bathroom! Do the things for her that you wished someone would do for you. The possibilities are endless for how you can show her the love of her Father, show her she is not alone and that she is WORTH something! YOU can be the hand of God, reaching out. It can and it will change people’s lives and it takes so little effort. Be kind, be gentle and remember that whatever you give shall be given unto you.

Have you ever wondered…even asked yourself the question…what am I worth? You may have asked it differently…like, what am I good for?? What is my purpose?? Sound familiar? Well, I think it’s about time we took a look at that very important question and answered it. If we are ever going to become women of God, we must be able to answer that question. (tune in men…you’ll learn some things about yourself too :) ) I am going to ask you to look up the Scriptures that I list, to actually study for yourself because that’s the way you will learn the best…the word of God is life to us and it is health to all of our flesh. It isn’t good enough to just hear what someone else has to say. You have to read it yourself…YOU have to apply it to YOURSELF.

The question is what are we worth…what am I worth. I want you to ask yourself that question and try to answer it…jot what you think down in a notebook. It’ll only be for you to see, but you need to start to ask yourself some hard questions, questions that need answers. I am going to answer the questions as I have asked myself. They are my opinion of myself, the result of my life. Yours may be the same, they may be different, you may be able to relate or you may have no idea where I got such ideas! I will be totally open and honest with you, bearing my soul. We will look into the Word of God and see what He has to say. It is my hope and prayer that we will begin to see ourselves as God sees us, not as we have been molded by our environment to see ourselves. As we begin to see ourselves as He sees us we will begin to change into that image, changing the lives of our children, of our husbands and of the people around us. It’s time we understood who we are so we can have the impact God intends us to have in these last days….so… let our journey begin!

When I ask myself the question…what am I worth or what is my purpose, I have to stop and really think because my first thought is I’m worth nothing…that my existence was a mistake. Well, that isn’t true, not because I feel it isn’t true, not because I look like it isn’t true. It is not the truth because GOD said it isn’t true! Pause for a minute and read what He has to say…PS 139:13,14, PS 22:9, 10, PS 71:6 and Gal 1:15.

After having read these Scriptures, I cannot say that I was a mistake. So, back to the question, what am I worth? What does the Scripture say? Well, He says that He loved me so much that He gave His only Son to die in my place, so I could be clean, so I could walk with Him, blameless. Jesus bore all my pain and suffering, my disease, my guilt, my poverty on His own body. Isa 53:5, 1Pet 2:24. What kind of a picture does that paint? I guess I must mean a lot to my Father, my worth is that of His daughter. The thing is every single human being can say the same thing through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He no longer sees us…He sees Jesus. We are washed and covered in the precious blood of Jesus. So…what happens when we allow our thoughts and our words to speak things contrary to what He has said? If we are covered by His blood, if we are renewed, restored and healed by His word, what happens when we speak and think outside of that Word? The simple answer is death and destruction.

God has called us, He has told us it’s time to “Step Up”! He has asked us to become what He wants us to be by being renewed in His Word, not to stay as we are…what we perceive ourselves to be by our own thoughts or the opinions of others. In order to change we must examine ourselves in the light of the New Testament, identify the areas that are lacking and change our thinking to live up to that picture painted in the Scripture. Ask questions, answer honestly, keep in mind that it’s the truth as we LIVE it that brings change, not the truth as we KNOW it. We, as a church, have heard the Word of God preached for 25 years. If the truth as we know it changed us we would be giants. We need to LIVE what we have been taught. We need to change and make that determination TODAY. Ladies, we are the answer, we are the ones that can make the difference. We have been told all our lives that we are the problem, but that is NOT true…WE ARE THE ANSWER!!! God’s truth must be established in our lives TODAY…the truth according to the Scripture, not according to our own perceptions or our own thoughts. We MUST study to show ourselves approved so that we will not be ashamed. We MUST get on our faces before God to hear from heaven…not to hear how much He loves us, but to hear what we need to do to show THEM…out there…how much He loves them! We have been bought with a price, a costly price. We need to be transformed starting today. Rom 12:2, 1 Cor 6:20, 1 Cor 7:23