(Doll’s weekly thoughts on goals, starting over and success!)

This week, for many of us, will be a week filled with holiday moments, family time, travel and for others sharing our homes and tables. Making a plan this week is even more important because of the added activities.

Do you have your menu plan in place?
Are you preparing raw foods to share with your guests or have you made the conscious decision to enjoy more traditional foods?  Which ever you choose, be confident in your decision.  Honor the place where you are and give yourself love.  If you have chosen to remain raw have you purchased all the goodies to make the wonderful desserts and appetizers to make your table sparkle?

You know there’s still time………

To purchase “Holiday Fare“!

This is Angela Elliot’s Holiday recipe collection.  I had the honor last week to chat with Angela about the holidays, raw food and traditions.  You can listen to the recording of our great call.

Angela and Doll’s Call

Angela has a contagious joy for life that shines through everything she does! She answered questions about eating raw food during the cold winter months and some of her favorite recipes. Sharing her “magical” holiday moments brought the holidays to life for all us.
Angela also talks about nuts, seeds and to crust or not to crust your raw pies and offered suggestions if you need to use something other than nuts.

This was  truly an action packed call filled with great information.

Thanks Angela for sharing of yourself and your time with all of us!!

For this week:

Make your plan
Follow through with your plan
And…

Love yourself through it all!!

With love and warm hugs,

Doll
(your Cozy Coaching Hostess)

*Angela Elliot’s  recipes can be purchase from she-zencuisine.com

by Doll Creelman

I’ve dug myself into a deep hole here.  Not a good thing.

My energy level is zapped and I feel like weeping much of the time.  Again, not good!
I need a plan and I need it NOW!

This is my plan:

• When you are in a hole…stop digging! This is so true.  The more I dwell on what’s pulling me down the further I get sucked into the mire.  I need to stop!
• Time to assess the situation. Is this something I can handle on my own?  Do I need assistance? Life and death? Logically I can rationalize the life out of the problem.
• Take steps to move forward. For me this means not just putting a plan together but following through.  (I’m working on this now)
• Take a break! Time for me to get outside.  Fresh air and light exercise does me the world of good.  The pool awaits!
• Be kind to yourself. The is possibly the most difficult thing for me to do.  I have many wonderful people around to support me but I suck at supporting myself.  I need to find effective ways to comfort myself without food or any other self-destructive behaviors.

To make this work I need to follow all five steps!  So, I’m going to put these on 3 x 5 cards and place them in key areas of my home.

I need to be reminded, constantly!

Do you have ideas that would help me along??

Please add your comments.

I have a long-term goal ahead of me and getting there is going to take some creative planning.

Do you have a plan today??

Doll

by Jenn Givler

One of the problem areas I hear most about is arms. We hate it when the back of our arm jiggles when we wave. We can’t stand the fact that we don’t have toned shoulders for those sexy sleeveless fashions. And, I always hear women saying that they “have no upper body strength.

No more ladies! Time to get those arms toned, lovely and strong.

Here are two routines you can alternate throughout your week to help give your arms definition:

Routine 1

• Bicep Curls

  – Hold light weights in your hands. Arms in front of you, palms face out. Bend your elbow and lift the weights up to your shoulder (don’t touch your shoulder though). Lift for a slow count of 4, and then lower for a slow count of 4. Do 12 reps – if you can easily get through 12 reps, try increasing the weight.

• Hammer Curls

  – Hold your weights in your hands, arms in front of you, palms face in toward each other. Again, bend your elbow and lift your weights to your shoulders without touching your shoulders. Lift for a slow count of 4 and release for a slow count of 4. Do 12 repetitions of these also.

• Hammer Curl Combo

  – Hold your weights, arms straight palms face out. Bend your elbow and curl up for a count of 2. At the top of the movement, flip the weights so your palms face toward each other and hammer on the way down. Do 10 reps, and then switch so you’re doing a hammer curl on the way up and a bicep curl on the way down.

• Push-Press

  – Hold your weights at your sides, palms face out. Lift your arms straight up until they are even with your shoulders. At the top, flip your palms so they face down, and press your arms back to your sides. Do 12 slow repetitions. Count 4 on the way up and 4 on the way down.

• Slow Jab

  – Hold your weights in front of you, arms bent so your elbows are close to your rib cage, and your hands are in front of your shoulders (in kickboxing, this is known as the fighter stance). Slowly punch your right hand out, twisting your arm on the way out so that your palm ends up facing down. Twist and pull your hand back into fighter stance. Repeat on the left. Do 20 of these nice and slow – don’t lock your elbow. Always keep a slight bend in that elbow.

Routine 2

• Push-ups

  – You can do push-ups on your knees or with straight legs. You will be absolutely amazed at how quickly you will build upper body strength if you stay with push-ups for a few weeks. Do 2 sets of 10 reps. Make sure you stretch in between sets.

• Tricep Dips

  – Sitting on a chair, put your hands behind you on the edge of the chair and lift yourself off in a seated position just beyond the front of the chair. Lower down, and press up to straight arms. Do 2 sets of 10 reps.

• Bent Row

  – Stand feet shoulder width apart. Hold weights in front of you, hands in front of your quads, palms face the back. Bend your knees to about 45 degrees and stay in this semi-squat position for the entire set. Reach hands out to your knees. Keeping your shoulders down, bend your elbows so your hands come back toward your waist. Do 10 repetitions, stand up and rest for 30 seconds, and then do 10 more repetitions.

Alternating these two routines throughout your week will give you a great upper body strength training workout. These exercises not only work your arms, but they work your back and shoulders as well. If you don’t have weights, grab soup cans or water bottles for added resistance.

**Jenn Givler is a fitness and wellness coach. She helps busy women break their fitness hiatus, and shows them how to fit fitness into a busy schedule. You don’t have to be a fitness buff, or live at the gym to feel healthy, fit and strong. Check out Jenn’s web site for exercise ideas, recipes, and insight: JGivlerFitness.com

By Joyce Wiatroski

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”   — Maya Angelou

The Sierra Club’s Daily Ray of Hope sends wonderful uplifting images with thought provoking quotations.  Many speak directly to my heart.  Maya Angelou’s quote above is one of them.

It’s reminiscent of the sentiment evoked in: “It’s not the years in your life; but the life in your years.”
We remember and bask in the memories of the high points in life.  Our goal should be to fill our lives with high points!
Doll’s recent blog post about her successful 7 Day Detox arrived about the same time as the Maya Angelou quotation.  The dynamite combination resonated deeply with me as I reflected on how my level of happiness and contentment has reached new levels since I too, took part in The Raw Divas 7 Day Detox Program in July of 2007.

The journey has been a learning experience with constant adjustments.  But the taste of high energy and clear headedness that I experienced in those first seven days of the program was the pivotal impetus I needed to begin the exciting journey of making major changes in my diet and subsequently my lifestyle.

I don’t have a dramatic, personal testimony.
Losing weight wasn’t a particularly high priority.
But believe me, going from a chunky size 14 to a svelte size 10 is pretty exciting when you’re 70 years old!  I had no major health issues to overcome.
Yet, how surprised I was to see my blood pressure drop to even better levels, my sugar readings are low for my age, and my cholesterol and triglycerides are impressive enough to make my primary care physician ask me, “what are you doing?”

The big payoff for me has been the high energy level, the clear headedness and most importantly, the deep happiness and contentment I experience.  A calm, serene aura envelops me and I enjoy all the hours of everyday.

I live alone on a tight budget, yet I have a full, fun-filled life.

Having vibrant abundant health, filled with energy, looking forward to each new day, far surpasses anything money can buy.

For those of us who now live in an empty nest, or are just facing ‘singlehood’ again, or are perhaps newly retired, I encourage you to fill your days with uplifting thoughts, engage in activities that will get you out with new people, explore some new eating habits, dip your toes into a short detox program to get a taste of how great it is be filled with energy and an unimaginable lightness of spirit.

Above all else, count your blessings, reflect in the times “that took your breath away”, develop habits and relationships that will add to those precious experiences.

And let’s continue to manifest. . .

Like fine wine, women grow better with thyme.

(Doll’s weekly thoughts on goals, starting over and success!)

How do you climb the mountain? ….  One step at a time!!

You know that’s the best way to manage most of our goals and commitments: One step at a time.

On my journey towards 100% raw I jumped in with both feet and said yes I can do this only to find on day 3 or 4 that that was a bigger commitment than I could realistically manage.  This is what I’ve done and could work for you too!

• Plan your menus ahead of time (The Raw Divas have wonderful Monthly Menu Planners complete with shopping lists)
• Take it one meal at a time (if breakfast is raw, see how lunch feels then dinner etc)
• One full day raw?  Try 2 and so on….Soon you’ll have more meals totally raw than not!

No matter what task you have in front of you, by breaking it down it soon becomes manageable. Do you have a huge job facing you that is overwhelming?  Is there something you’ve been putting off?  Take today to plan for your success and you will soon enjoy the view from the top of your mountain.

Next week:  Thinking in the present tense

With love and hugs,

Doll
Cozy Coaching Hostess

PS: Don’t miss Tonight’s Call with Angela Elliott at 9pm EST when we’ll be discussing Angela’s Holiday Menu Planner

This week’s recipe is from Angela Elliott who is just in time for the holiday season with a ‘not’ Mashed Potato and a Rockin’ Gravy! Free the turkeys and make this your healthiest Holiday season ever. Check out Angela Elliott’s Holiday recipe guide and enjoy your holiday favorites with a healthy new twist.

Mashed Potato

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Parsnips, peeled
• ½ cup Cashews, soaked
• 1½ cup filtered water
• 1 Tbs fresh lemon
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 tsp Himalayan Salt
• 1 tsp cold pressed, unflitered Olive Oil

Directions:
Place everything in a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Serve potatoes with gravy. Sprinkle potatoes with paprika for beauty and presentation.

Rockin’ Gravy

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup Nut butter
• ½ cup filtered water
• 1 tbs onion, minced
• 6 stalks Celery, minced
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs Namu Shoyu
• 4 Tbs finely chopped Crimini mushrooms
• powdered Flax (grind Flax in coffee grinder) to thicken gravy
• fresh black pepper

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender except for the 4 Tbs. of crimini mushrooms and powdered flax, and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and add chopped mushrooms and powdered flax until thick and gravy like. You can warm this in a dehydrator, if you have one, or in an oven on the lowest setting with the door open.

You can find more delicious recipes like this in Angela Elliott’s Alive in Five and The Simple Gourmet.

by Tracy Neely

Not all oils and fats are created equal.
Heavily processed, hydrogenated, “trans” fats and oils that are used in prepared, packaged foods can be extremely damaging to the body.

However, fats and oils from whole foods and other high-quality sources can steady our metabolism, keep hormone levels even, nourish our skin, hair and nails and provide lubrication to keep the body functioning fluidly. Our bodies also need fat for insulation and to protect and hold our organs in place.

One of the best ways to achieve healthy glowing skin is by using virgin coconut oil.  Virgin coconut oil is coconut oil that has not been refined or produced with high temperatures and chemical solvents.

Un-refined or virgin coconut oil applied topically is probably the best treat you can give to your body’s largest organ.  The fatty acids present in virgin coconut oil like medium chain fatty acids (mcfa), lauric, capric, and caprylic are normal components of the skin and serve as a replacement for lost lipids in the skin barrier. Medium chain fatty acids are easily digested, absorbed, and put to use nourishing the body.

Unlike other fats, they put little strain on the digestive system and provide a quick source of energy necessary to promote healing. A healthy percentage of high-quality fat in a meal satisfies and leaves feelings of energy, fulfillment and warmth.

When there are excess fats and oils in the diet, especially heavily processed fats, symptoms can include weight gain, skin breakouts, high blood pressure, liver strain and an overall feeling of mental, physical and emotional heaviness. Signs of insufficient high-quality fats are brittle hair and nails, dry skin, hunger after meals and feeling cold.

Oils like flaxseed, sesame,walnut and pumpkin seed are best used unheated in sauces or dressings on top of salads and veggies. Other healthy fats are found in whole nuts and seeds and in their butters like almond butter or tahini.

Whole foods such as avocados, olives and coconuts are great sources of healthy fat. Experiment with these healthy fat sources and see which work best for you and leave you satisfied.

*** Tracy Neely is the founder and owner of  Nourish & Flourish Healthy Living, a holistic nutrition and wellness consulting business located in Orlando Florida. Tracy’s love for raw foods led her to implement raw food cooking demonstrations within her consulting business.Tracy is a mother of a wonderful little boy and a wife to an amazing man and enjoys doing yoga, juicing and creating green smoothie recipes, reading books and going for walks with her family.

by Christina Menefee

An Apple A Day Keeps the Doctor Away…

With all the talk of Superfoods and exotic fruits, we sometimes forget the healing powers of simple, easily accessible foods. Take for instance, the apple. We’ve all heard the saying, “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away”. You know that apples are good for you, but do you know just how good?

• The healing value from the apple comes from its pulp, which contains pectin, a soluble form of fiber.
• Studies have shown pectin to be effective in treating diarrhea because intestinal bacteria transforms it into a soothing, protective coating for the intestinal lining.
• Pectin also adds bulk to the stool which helps to relieve diarrhea.
• Apple pectin has also been shown to be effective against several bacteria known to cause diarrhea such as salmonella, staphylococcus, and e. coli.
• If you have problems with constipation, apple pectin can add bulk to your stool and stimulate bowel contractions.
• A high fiber diet is effective in reducing blood cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease and some type of stroke. Fiber from pectin helps keep the cholesterol we eat in the intestine until it is eliminated.
• Apples also contain compounds called flavonoids. Flavonoids are antioxidants that help prevent cell damage that causes arterial narrowing that leads to heart disease.
• The American Cancer Society recommends a high fiber diet to prevent several types of cancer, including colon cancer. Pectin bind cancer causing compounds in the colon and speed their elimination from the body. Flavonoids prevent cell damage that causes many cancers.
• In the Annals of Internal Medicine, a study showed that apple pectin reduces blood sugar level in people with diabetes.
• Some European studies show that apple pectin is effective in eliminating lead, mercury, and other toxic heavy metals from the body. This is especially good for people living in polluted cities.
• The apples leaves contain an antibiotic called phloretin which is effective in treating wounds.
• Some studies have shown that pectin may be effective in keeping cancer from spreading throughout the body.

One note about safety: Apple seeds contain high levels of cyanide, a powerful poison. Stay away from the apple seeds and teach children to do the same.

I always knew that apples were good for me, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn of all the medicinal uses for apples.

It is truly a powerhouse of health and healing.

Now,  go have an apple today and keep that old doctor away!

Fall Blessings to All,

Christina Menefee

www.livingonliquidsunshine.blogspot.com

Reference: The New Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman

By Joyce Wiatroski

Many of us single seniors are apt to find ourselves eating the same old salad day after day.  I often hear, “I don’t like to fuss.”  “I can’t be bothered.”  “I don’t know what to have.”

Sadly, many of us starting out on a raw food- vegan lifestyle, eat the same thing day in and day out and quickly find it boring or not quite satisfying.  It becomes a great excuse to cheat a bit.  Then it becomes easier to cheat a bit more and a little bit more, until we’re back to our old ways of eating cooked, dead foods, despite our best intentions.

Everyone new to the lifestyle needs direction along with a workable plan.  And we don’t have to be new to the lifestyle to benefit from having a surefire, yet simple meal plan that offers interesting variety to please the palate while giving our body the nutrition it needs.

Here are six tips that I’ve found really help to make the transition to a raw foods lifestyle fun, easy and fulfilling.

• Plan a weekly menuI start on the day when the grocery store flyers come out in the newspaper.
  I plan meals based on which produce items are on sale and find that buying from the rotating sales items ensures variety while eliminating a strain on my budget.

  I plan my morning green smoothies around the fruit that’s on sale, and make a list
  of  3 or 4 different leafy greens to rotate during the week— both in smoothies and for salads. Then based on the veggies that are on sale, I plan how they will be used and check to see what else I’ll need to go with them.

• Keep basic produce on hand This helps to make meal preparation simple yet satisfying.
  A variety of leafy greens, cucumbers, garlic, celery, carrots, apples,
  bananas, parsley, cilantro and tomatoes are basics for me.  I replenish weekly as
  each gets low. Choose your favorites and keep well stocked
• Set aside a block of timeWhether it’s an hour or two or a whole morning, take the time to wash and prep the produce and to make dressings and sauces to have on hand when meal time rolls around. This is time well spent.
• Enlarge your repertoireTry a new dish with a familiar fruit or vegetable.  At a minimum, try your hand at two new recipes a month using fruits or vegetables you often use, but use them in different ways. Check out raw food recipes in books from the library, from raw food websites or watch some accomplished chefs prepare simple veggie dishes on YouTube.  I’ve found that simply “googling” an item gives me more choices than I can use!  There’s a raft of raw food instruction on the internet. Don’t forget to share and learn with other raw foodies in the Powder Room or other forums.
• Vary those veggiesTry an unusual fruit or an unfamiliar vegetable.  Learn about its nutrient content and check out different ways to use it. Talk with the produce manager or the grower at the farmer’s market.  I’ve also been inspired by browsing through un-cook books by gourmet chefs and watching how-to videos on YouTube.
• Keep a food diary or how-to folderWhen you find a dish that you really like, be sure to document how
  you made it, or print out the instructions and add to a folder of favorites.
  It won’t take long to build a short list of special treats — one of mine is Angela Elliot’s Satay Sauce. I think Angela’s great book, Alive in Five is a kitchen must.

Here’s an example of prep time based on recent produce purchases:

Besides berries, fruit and leafy greens, I bought corn on the cob, zucchini, green beans, cabbage, broccoli and plump beefsteak tomatoes with the intention to use them to provide some tasty main courses and side dishes.

I spent a little over two hours in the kitchen prepping the veggies and making two sauces and a salsa.  Now, along with green juices, green smoothies, fruit salads and big bowl savory salads, these extras are ready and waiting to give variety and interest to the week’s meals.

Here’s what I did:

• Husk and decob 2 ears of corn.
  The corn will be used in salads.
• Head, tail, wash and blanch green beans. Ready to make:
  Cabbage/onion/green bean salad with satay sauce.
• Peel and spiral cut 3 zucchini into angel hair pasta.
  Tossed with a little olive oil and stored covered, these keep well in the
  fridge for a couple days. The spiral cut zucchini can be served as pasta
  with marinara sauce and fresh basil and at another meal, as a Thai dish, with minced cilantro and Satay sauce.
• Wash and cut broccoli into florets.  Peel, then slice the stems.
  Make broccoli salad with red onion, raisins, pine nuts and
  Satay sauce.
• Make Salsa Fresca (diced tomatoes, onion, jalepeño, cilantro and lime juice.)
  Great snack with flax crackers or add to a green leafy salad.
• Make a simple raw Marina Sauce* in blender.
• Make Satay Sauce*.

*See Alive in Five for directions for both sauces.

Two hours of simple prep work provides a fridge filled with interesting food.

Eating a variety of living foods provides more than super nutrition.  It’s fun, easy and very satisfying.  Living food is more than a bowl of Romaine.  Though I have to admit, a big crisp juicy green leaf wrapped around a ripe banana sure makes a wonderful snack!

Eating living foods, enjoying each meal, preparing it with love, sharing it with family and friends contributes to the enjoyment we experience in life while adding to our overall well-being. Don’t miss out!  Make a plan!

As you continue to manifest . . .

Like fine wine, women grow better with thyme. 

Joyce Wiatroski is the wit and wisdom found on the foodiefumblings blog.  You can watch for her contributions on the Diva blog on Tuesdays.

(Doll’s weekly thoughts on goals, starting over and success!)

To continue from last weeks blog post on “Keeping on track” I’m going to take a few moments here to talk about ways that we motivate or reward ourselves.
I had a great chat last night with some ladies during our Cozy Coaching Call .

Here are their ideas for great rewards:

Help with the household chores!

• Have someone do your laundry
• Have someone do the grocery shopping

Personal pampering!

• New hair style
• Manicure/pedicure
• Facial
• Massage

Personal time!

• Horseback riding
• Special time with family
• Relax with a favorite book
• Bubble bath

These are all terrific ideas!

Nick, my dear husband, is going to shop at the discount store and buy 20-30 dollar items of things that I’d like; bring them home and wrap them as special gifts. When I reach a daily goal, I open a present. I love opening presents so this is exciting for me and definitely motivating! If I left it to myself to purchase something it would never happen.

On a simpler level, for each day that I’m RAW I’m putting a star on the calendar. The star is a small thing but allows me to look and see my progress.

How do you reward yourself? Do you have nifty tricks to keep you going whatever the task is? Are there little games you play with yourself to help you cross the finish line?

I’d love to hear what you do to stay motivated!

Next week we’ll look at setting attainable goals.

Make this week special. You deserve a reward!

With love and warm hugs,
Doll (Cozy Coaching Hostess)