The best gift ever!!!! on the road less travelled & Happy Valentines Day!

As a mother of 3, I sing my song and dance my dance, in hopes that my journey may inspire and have an effect on my children and the choices they will make in their lives.  But truth is we just don't know.  We, or should I say, I don't know what really trickles down.  I know some things do. I know it in how I  see them making their choices, and the questions they ask me, particularly with foods, health, honouring your truth, and walking lightly on this planet yet leaving an imprint of your soul along the way.  But with the world moving ever so fast, with the constant pull between community and friends, and home lifestyles, or just simple being 10, 8, and 4 and almost 40. There is a difference in how we see the world.  There is a difference in how we engage with the world.  Yet there can also be a lot of similarities, a lot of support and companionship along the road less travelled.


A few days ago I received the best gift ever!, I was joyfully asked for a favourite green juice! my specialty of course!

I must admit, I felt such honour, warmth in my heart and  joy when my middle son Theo, after finishing his homework, asked me: mom! can you make me my favourite juice? to what I replied, which one? my favourite GREEN juice, of course!  well well…. yaaaaaaa

Of course I can! and then more voices echoed in the back .. me toooo!….. me toooo!

I am often making them, often offering them…. sometimes my fresh juices are greeted with joy, sometimes with ahhh!, sometimes with not now.. sometimes with no way!… so it was such a gift to receive the asking of what I think is one of the most important tools for health and longevity in today's world….. green juice!

Sometimes the road less travelled is a lonely road, an awkward road, a different road.. but as the world becomes one, as we open our doors of perception, and the doors to our hearts, we see there are many walking beside us, quietly gathered, moving towards an awakening in consciousness.

Our generation is opening the door to higher levels of health and awareness of spirit.. frankly we got tired of feeling sick and reached out for other possibilities where life is radiant, where life bursts our hearts open into the magnitude and alchemy of this universe.  It is our job, more so our duty, to raise our kids with the empowered awareness that health is our innate state of being, that what we put in equals the state of our health - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, that we are here to grow, to nourish, to be of service, to be in alignment with our own dharma, and our own purpose.  It is our duty to kindle the light within and allow them to shine bright.

So as I give back gift to such honours… and because today is Valentines Day, along with a mighty green homemade juice… we are feeling the love of raw cacao in our hearts…. there are many good, and great ways to celebrate love, raw cacao chocolate is one of my favourites.

Raw Cacao comes from the Theobroma Cacao tree…. (something my Theo can't get over!)… It is referred to as 'food of the Gods'.  It is magic and alchemy.  It is a powerful way to get goodness into us.    It is healing medicine and can be used as a tool to get herbs, medicinal mushrooms, roots, & super foods into the best tasting way one can only offer the Gods that live within us!  So lets roll the drum and scroll down the benefits of this mighty nut:

• It is high in antioxidants, helping us deal with free-radicals and stress.
• It is high in magnesium, which supports the heart, increases brainpower, relaxes menstrual cramping and muscles, increases flexibility, helps build strong bones, and increases alkalinity. note- our bodies need magnesium in order to absorb calcium.
• Contains high levels of Iron, Chromium, Manganese, Zinc, copper, Vitamin C
• Raw Cacao contains essential Omega 6- Fatty Acids. (note- in cooked & processed Cacao these become rancid)
• And on and on…

So here is a easy basic recipe for Raw Cacao Theobroma Magic, I am giving you a basic recipe, where your inspiration can take into great goodness heights….

1 cup of Raw Cacao Butter,  cut into small chunks.
1 cup of Raw Cacao powder
1 tsp of Maca powder
2-4 TBPS of raw honey, maple syrup, or Xylotol
pinch of salt (what? - yes, salt makes sweet food taste sweeter.)


In a pot, on LOW heat, melt the Cacao Butter.  Once melted, take off the stove.  Add raw cacao powder, macs, sweetener of choice, salt.  Mix it up.

Have your chocolate moulds ready, pour chocolate into moulds, freeze for 30 min. and enjoy!

This chocolate is best kept in the freezer until serving, it literally melts in your mouth with goodness!

You can add any superfood to this recipe, substitute maca for spiruina, chlorella, etc.  Add bee pollen, add goji berries… your imagination is the limit.

Enjoy & Happy Valentines…
May you lead your life always in joy & love.

Naty
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"Where there is love there is life."- Mahatma Gandhi

Receiving the gifts of Alignment. What do Juice Fasting and Meditation have to do with each other?

As the door into new and magical sacred lands open up, I find myself spontaneously Juice Fasting to cleanse, to rebuild, to tap into my own sacredness, to stay deeply connected, to allow new insights into my consciousness and ground my feet deep beneath the Earth as I go along for the ride, to deeply nourish myself in times of transition and to tap into the essence of my nourishment. I am on day 6, but this time I am doing a Liquid fast, not just a Juice fast in that I am including smoothies, nut milks and raw soups into my fast. It just feels so right.  Fasting is a way to align ourselves with our true self.  It is a way to increase our Prana, our life-force.  It is a way to connect more deeply, to allow the silence within to become the humming vibration that guides my being.  I also mediate for longer when I fast.  They seem to go together, and they seem to enhance in synergy the positive effects they both have on the body, mind, emotions and spirit.  I am not sure how long this fast will last, I am deeply listening.

Fasting is considered a detoxification tool along our journey, but as we detoxify and let go of what we no longer need in many and all levels of our existence, we also create room for rebuilding our new selfs.  As we fast we allow our bodies to balance and realign themselves with our natural rhythms.  In the Science of Ayurveda these rhythms are of ultimate importance in our journey to balance and optimal health.  These rhythms govern every process in our bodies.  Think about it for a second, the beating of our hearts has its own rhythm, our breathing has its own rhythm.  From the rhythm of each and every cell process, to the patterns and rhythms of our days, rhythm is everywhere, inside and out!

In Ayurveda, the more we are in alignment with our own bodily rhythms and with the rhythms of the Macrocosm, the more we will experience radiant optimal health.  It reads so easy, doesn't it?, yet its a process to do, to stay in tune with your self and the rhythms that surround us as to stay open for the gifts of alignment to shine in.

As 2014 moves along, and we find ourselves, day in and day out, in our routines and daily habits, doing something like a Juice or Liquid Fast, breaks the rhythm of routines & habits, for better or for worse, it breaks down the wall of delusion, it allows our soul to shine a mirror to our ego, it allows us to think and question, allows us to quiet our self, our minds, our hearts, and our bodies so we can then establish new or re-establish old rhyhtms that serve us better.  Think of it as a breathing break in the midst of climbing to the summit.

The best time to start a Juice or Liquid Fast is when your body is asking you for it! Either we will be in alignment and know that it is right, or we will be spinning out of control, emotionally, physically, spiritually and suddenly something happens that points us in the direction of taking time to restore.  A good idea when fasting is to also align ourselves with the rhyhtms and cycles found in Nature.  Many civilizations prior to us, practiced fasting in alignment with the Full & New Moons, as well as, at the time of Seasonal Change.  The energy is different at these times, and the veils between the physical and the sacred become more palpable.  Aligning ourselves with these energies or change in the energies,with the intention of Alignment of Self has magical synergistic effects on every aspect of our being.

The meditation practice is a great support tool when Fasting because it allows us to be a 'witness' to ourselves and find more compassion and self-love in our process of letting go.  Meditation also restores our nervous system, something that the process of fasting and what we 'release' can sometimes challenge.  It provides the space for Sacredness and for the unseen to become seen.
 
As tomorrow's Full Moon approaches I invite you to dust-off your juicer and juice it up! I invite you to sit in meditation just for 5 minutes at the beginning or at the end of your day or both if you can!!! I invite you to participate in the 7th Annual "Winter Feast for the Soul", a free 40 day commitment to the personal practice of stillness.

It's been two years since I did my fist 40 day Juice Fast and the 'Winter Feast for the Soul'.  Since then I have found new depths in my meditation practice and the stillness within, in my awareness, in my understanding of energetics, in my relationship with food, with life, with love and with Spirit.

Juice it up and bring it on! Align yourself with the forces of the Universe and keep your heart open to receive the gifts!

n.
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Juice it up and bring it on - check this recipe!

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"The real skill is to raise the sails and to catch the power of the wind as it passes by."- Thomas Berry

The Power of the Human Heart....

I hope all is well, wherever you may be.  I recently had the opportunity to photograph my friend Maickel Melamed walk the Chicago Marathon 2013, he was the last man to cross the line with a time of 16hr46min. Yes, you read it right.  I wrote an article along with a photo essay of his journey that was published by Elephant Journal Magazine. So please have a read!

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/10/the-power-of-the-human-heart-natalie-schonfeld-howard/

Maickel is an incredible person, with an even more incredible soul. He has made it his mission to inspire people worldwide to follow their dreams!, to reach out! and make them happen despite challenges, circumstances and obstacles that appear along the way.  As Maickel says, "Your life is the most beautiful gift you have."  And with that comes the power of Choice.  I am not sure where in the world you are reading this from, but here in Canada, we have the freedom of speech, most of us have the power to choose our lives and make our dreams happen.  But through conditioning, or limited beliefs we close ourselves to the world, we close ourselves to ourselves.  We stop believing.  We stop believing in our selves and in our potential for change, for peace, for a better world.  It is when we encounter inspirational people like Maickel that have made it happen for themselves that a spark gets lit within and we find ourselves making different choices, or perhaps making the same choice with a different awareness.

A deeper question comes up for me, how can I be of service to the world, became a charged inspirational seed for others and how do I extend a hand to those who do not experiences the same personal liberties that I do?  I don't know what the answer is, but I know that it is within my heart.  Perhaps it is within yours too.

So for now, I offer you a read, sit with it... and allow it to touch your heart and let it blossom.

I previously wrote about Maickel on Day5 of my juice fast... long long ago!

May your days be filled of conscious choices,
In peace,
Naty Howard.

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No No No... Of course I have not forgotten about you!... and Yes! It's Official!

The days seem to roll on and goodness, gracious we are in June already!

I hope you have been well... I have been a busy bee... and thus my lack of communication.. but it's all all right .. I am still here...

Last Sunday night, I had the privilege of hosting the first ever Rawllygood Potluck at our place. With family and friends we gathered and lead the way to one of many Potlucks to be had.  So ITS OFFICIAL! The Rawllygood Potluck is here to stay... on the first Sunday of the month between 5 -7pm.  So gather yourselves and come on by for a Rawllygood time full of inspiration, community and great people who strive to build a wholesome community.  No worries, you don't have to be Raw Vegan to come on by.. just have an open heart and a willing to try new things, that is all.  Actually, I was the only Raw vegan at this pot!, but I am full of luck in that as friends and family we respect each other's choices recognizing that we have a common desire to reconnect with the power of clean real fresh food and the power that as our community grows so does our awareness of our current environment and our awareness to be of support to one another.

Our next Rawllygood Potluck will be on Sunday July 7th, 5 - 7pm.  The potluck will be at our place (8641 concession 2, Mt. Albert/ Uxbridge, ON-- beware of GPS they will take you to the moon before they find our place!) but we have an opportunity to gather earlier at my friend's Anne and her husband Mike Lanigan Organic Farm for their Annual Farm tour.  It's bound to be a great day, can't get any fresher than that! From the farm to the table!

The Organic Farmhouse Garden Tour starts at 2.30pm and it is a Rain or Shine event.  Dress for the weather.  No pets please.  They do a great tour of their organic farm, it is an eye opener!.  Their address is 30 Scugog Line 12, Uxbridge, On.

So if you are interested in coming out, you can meet us there or meet us here for 5pm. If you are interested in coming only to the Potluck, let me know, and I will let you know where we are.  Either way please RSVP so that we have an idea of the numbers we are expecting.

Details of the Rawllygood Potluck:

Please bring a Raw Beegan dish of your own creation (I am ok with using raw honey as a sweetener, more on that follows, but keeping it Vegan otherwise) . Enough for the confirmed number of people to sample. Organic, dairy/egg free, plant based, meat free, not heated over 41C or 105F, along with a list of ingredients or recipe!! I will try my best to post some of the AWESOME recipes on the Blog.

Please AVOID the use of Agave syrup. IF your recipe calls for it you can use RAW cane sugar, dates or raw honey. Agave syrup is basically Fructose! and it will mess around with your blood sugars. More on that at http://rawllygood.blogspot.ca/2013/01/farewell-agave-farewell-hello-queen-bee.html

I know some of you are completely Vegan. We will do our best to respect that.

  

There are many websites to find inspiration such as:

www.rawllygood.blogspot.ca

www.goneraw.com

www.giveittomeraw.com

www.runningraw.com

www.hippocratesinst.org

I will be sending reminders of it on a monthly basis.

Please RVSP back to me so that I can have an idea of the numbers and we can all plan our dishes accordingly.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY 

“True wisdom lies in gathering the precious things out of each day as it goes by.”- Anonymous

Now that I have ripped my heart open, let's RE MINERALIZE IT!

JUICE IT UP! JUICE IT UP! JUICE IT UP!!

So, now that I have given you my open heart... let's juice it up!

One of the most important things we can do for ourselves is to RE MINERALIZE as we heal... and simply just to RE MINERALIZE every day through juicing and eating foods that contain high amount of minerals..

Most of us today are mineral deficient. Even when we eat organic foods, they don't always have the minerals that we need for vibrant health. So where do we find these precious friends, you say?

Juicing is a must.. juicing concentrates the amounts of the minerals present in foods and because it is a liquid, they are easily absorbed by our systems without much loss. Most minerals are lost in the process of cooking our food, so adding fresh raw foods daily to our diet, will also increase the RE MINERALIZATION process. And last but not least, eating fresh sprouts, both with green leafs and with the tails (just at the beginning of the process).

And when you combine them all... well think of giving your body some much needed SUPER POWERS!

Fresh pressed raw vegetable green juices that include sprouts... is like having a green blood transfusion first thing in the morning that will have your cells tickle and dance for the rest of the day!

A very easy green juice that I like to start my days with is what I call the

GREEN MORNING SPARKLE

1 whole cucumber, washed and cut
6 celery ribs
1 or 2 green apples
handful of sunflower sprouts
1 inch piece of ginger

Juice it all up by alternating the ingredients so that your juicer runs smoothly..

Juice it up and consciously and slowly drink it up!

If you don't  have access to sprouts, keep things simple and juice the rest of the veggies.. it's still all superpower goodness!





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"Many people put more time into the maintenance of their cars than into their own body! Buy yourself organic vegetables and eat them. Invest in yourself. ... You can ask yourself , “What have I consumed today that will build high integrity blood , bone, brain and body tissue? What have I done today that will add another day to my life?” Annie Padden and David Jubb

LifeFood Recipe Book North Atlantic Books

Day 32: being proactive and a post Valentine's Day cocktail for you!

I have been thinking today about my post yesterday, and there is one thing I would like to clarify. My personal lesson about 'getting out of the way the healing magic to happen' still means being proactive about your life and your health!.

It is still important to try, with our best intentions and efforts forth, to help our bodies heal. To do all the hard and dirty work. To have patience with it, and to really pursue your journey as the front seat driver of your life, not just sitting in the back seat letting your life pass you by.

'Getting out of the way' is listening to your body and your soul. Knowing the difference between laying down because you are exhausted vs. laying down avoiding what's going on for you. The later one is more like 'getting in the way' of your own path, growth, life!!!

So please know, it is important to be proactive about your life! It's yours and it's the only one you got!. Change is sometimes hard, I understand that. But once we start reaping the benefits of our small changes the magic happens and we are ready to soar through the skies!!!!

I had wanted to share a recipe or two for Valentine's but got caught in deep healing, so here is a post- Valentine Vegetable spicy Cocktail and a delicious sweet brain popping juice with a kick for you!!!

Cajun Vegetable Cocktail

3 tomatoes
parsley (how much is up to you! I put half a pack of it or more!)
3 celery stalks, with leaves if it has them
1 clove garlic
1/2 cucumber (if you want to make more juice, put a full one)
1/2 lime
small piece horseradish
1/2 fresh chile pepper

Juice all ingredients together!


Happy Brain with a kick!


1 cup of cranberries (fresh or frozen. If frozen allow to thaw out a bit so you get more juice out of them)
1 cup of strawberries
2 oranges
3 carrots
1 inch ginger (the optional kick!)

Juice all ingredients. It's gonna make you sing and dance and warn you, you may want to do it all over again! so have the ingredients at hand for the encore!

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 “Some people want it to happen, some people wish it could happen, others make it happen.” Michael Jordan.
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Morning: Purple Kale, cucumber, celery, cilantro, green grapes, kiwi, prickly pear, 5.5 oz of wheatgrass, 2 droppers of Marine Phytoplancton. 50 oz.
Mid morning: a cup of hot water with Unpasteurized Miso.
Lunch: Tomatoes, parsley, green beans, celery, garlic, cucumber, lime, horseradish, chile pepper. 25 oz.
Mid afternoon: Carrot, orange, celery, pak choi, buckwheat sprouts, ginger. 40 oz.
Early eve: Cranberries, strawberries, orange, carrot, ginger. 20 oz.
Dinner: cup of hot water with Unpasteurized Miso.