A Great Reason To SHOP + SUPPORT LOCAL!

Source: http://frugaldad.com

Veganizing Thanksgiving + Transitioning Thoughts

My very first time ice skating!
Thanks, Idaho Ice World.

"Go with the flow" is very cliche, but great advice nonetheless.  Tough obstacles will come just as often as we experience "miracle" situations.  The way in which we handle these situations says a lot about us.  Everything happens for a reason, when and how it should.  Sometimes we may question why, asking outside sources and end up frustrated when we are left without a proper explanation.  The solution to this uncertainty in life is to look within, follow your gut and stay true to yourself.

I've found that when we are honest with ourselves and pursue what moves us, happiness is inevitable.  Letting go of what keeps us from our goals and learning how to delay gratification will make the rewards we seek much more obtainable and sweeter.  This may not be easy at first, but when you notice your productivity levels increasing and inspiration flourishing you'll start to feel a lot better about making bold choices in favor of future accomplishments.

As long as we are clear about our mission and believe in ourselves, taking action should come naturally.  It shouldn't feel like so much like work, but a "happy place!"  I've always wanted to be my own boss, work for myself and live out my dream.  The problem was, I couldn't pin point what that was.  I went through many moments of frustration trying to figure out what my niche was and why I wasn't there yet, staring it down.  For one reason or another it simply wasn't my time.  I trusted that in time, I would go through life, the good and the hard times to realize what matters to me.  In the meantime I stuck to my hobbies:  making art, watching hockey, running, journaling and of course, my main love cooking.

The change for me came after a very inspirational video I found, called, "Breakthrough - An Inspiring Raw Food Documentary."  I wasn't looking to go raw, I wasn't even thinking about going vegan at the time.  I just wanted to see food from a different perspective.   I decided to give this video a try and it was nothing short of inspiring.  I decided to become a vegan that evening.  I had been so moved by this sustainable family who grow their own organic vegetables, live off of the land and eat a raw vegan diet.  I knew this was going to be a radical change for my once cheese-and-other-dairy-loving body, but that my mind was made up, after being so inspired by this family there was no turning back.

       

       Watch "Breakthrough - An Inspiring Raw Food Documentary"

The movie that changed it all for me.

What I realized from this documentary was that I wasn't just not eating meat anymore.  I was adapting to the lifestyle.  Being a vegetarian for 10 years, I hardly looked at it beyond the absence of beef, poultry, fish or any other animal flesh.  Now, my world and diet has had a complete transformation.  Not only do I not consume any animal nor animal by-products but I have grown a major interest and following for organic farming, buying local goods, natural and unpackaged products, the green movement, holistic healing, raw foods and alternative cooking and baking.  

It doesn't have to be a drastic step.  In fact, I hardly recommend that anyone make major changes.  I find that I was able to become vegan without looking back because I moved slowly and did my research through books, articles, videos and more.  With each tiny transition I was making huge changes for the better.  Learning about the alternatives or substitutes for non-vegan items that I may every once in a while crave, keep me in check and on the vegan road to happy health.  

My Veganized Thanksgiving complete with an Adri-made Fauxfurkey
 and mushroom + herb stuffing,cranberries, sweet potato, veggies and
my guilty pleasure - Mom-made (but vegan) not so gluten free bread roll!

Veganizing has become my favorite thing to do and my Thanksgiving meal was no exception.  It sparks creativity and I turn into the Veganator (a specialty master veganizer)! I absolutely come alive!  Thanksgiving was a field day for me.  I took on one of the most honored items of Thanksgiving traditions.  The turkey!  I call mine the "Fauxfurkey!" Similar to the tofurkey but a homemade seitan version!  My Thanksgiving meal wasn't very gluten free friendly, but with every year I improve the quality of my meal.  Last year marked the first year with an alternative turkey.  I bought a frozen Tofurkey log from the Boise Co-op and this year I decided to go sans packaged food and make my own from scratch modified from this recipe.  Next year, I am looking into substituting the turkey, Tofurkey and fauxfurkey with my most beloved meat substitute:  the mushroom!  A savory stuffed portobello mushroom? Yes, please!

My very first Adri-made Vegan Fauxfurkey.  

It was quite fun to prepare my first fauxfurkey.  It was recommended that I prepare my fauxfurkey a day in advance as the texture and flavor improves over time.  After mixing, blending, kneading, setting, kneading, setting, kneading, setting once more, baking, refrigerating and baking again this bad boy was ready to be enjoyed!  The flavor was great, though different from that of a real turkey.  I wrapped the fauxfurkey with bean curd, otherwise known as yuba prior to baking for the second time.  However, in the end, I found that without the bean curd (most of it fell off while carving) the outside of the fauxfurkey was crispy and delicious on its own, very similar to what I can remember from my non-vegan turkey eating days.  I was able to cook, carve and sit down to eat my own culinary creation with my family without any sense of deprivation.  Let me tell you, this son of a gun fauxfurkey made great leftovers as well, from sandwiches to fauxfurkey tacos, salads to the reheated thanksgiving day meal...I enjoyed every last piece!  A few years ago, I wouldn't even know that there was such a substitution out there.  With the beginning of a thought, the interest, research and passion to drive me forward I didn't see roadblocks in my diet, rather cones to swerve around (weee!).

Proudly presenting my first made Vegan Fauxfurkey!

Self discovery is one of the most powerful happenings in one's life.  The unveiling of our true selves, just like anything else starts with a thought.  I've been so inspired with what is important to me.  I encourage you to think about what moves you!  You'll find out that you won't need a lot of outside influence as it is a gift you have from within.  Celebrate what moves you.  Be fearless and take action.  You never know who you will meet, reach or have the biggest impact on.  Answer that with open-mindedness.  Broaden your influence horizons by seeing things from another's view, thinking beyond your own thoughts, and accepting that there will be the familiar and unfamiliar, it is up to you how you approach it!  I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving with much to be thankful for.  This holiday season, love those around you, give gifts of compassion, thought and understanding, including yourself! 

Limitations become less possible if you can learn to ask how, this is true for food as well as life.

Warm dishes + many thanks until next time!

Besos, Besos  ♡ Adriana

Vegan Junkie | Tricks for Treats

Veganized Eggplant Benny + Spaghetti Squash Hashbrowns

SALAD.  When I go out to eat without researching my options through online menus and ask if they have any vegan options, nine out of ten times I will be suggested a plain, house salad ... hold the ______ fill in the blank.  Even my own family calls me a "leaf eater."  Usually in the context of, "...Well, we don't eat leaves like you."  MY OWN FAMILY! No matter how many times I share my great recipes and dishes with them they'll still, and always will claim (half joking, half not) that I'm a strict, militant leaf eater.  

Of course, I eat more vegetables than the average american, putting them into dishes you wouldn't think to put them in from breakfast to desserts.  I've found that vegan cooking is much more fun in comparison to cooking vegetarian dishes with eggs, cheese, meat + other dairy fats.  It has allowed me to become creative and a bit daring in the kitchen.  Still new to veganism this year (since March) I'm constantly problem solving and discovering new tricks and trying new ingredients.  For instance, when I need an egg sometimes I use ground flax seed and water (flax eggs) or I'll use a grain free substitute for cornstarch, arrowroot and mix with water in place of eggs for pancakes.  Veganism isn't limiting in the slightest, I've been introduced to so many different methods of preparation and healthier ways of eating through plant based subs. 

Vegans get cravings too and staying true to your healthy, vegan ways you too can enjoy comfort foods.  With a sense of adventure and an open mind, you can veganize pretty much anything!  In this post I will show + share veganized snacks + sweet treats.  So this is my TAKE THAT! post.  You can be a vegan and still have comfort foods!  At the very least, indulge with your eyes. :)

Read This Book!

I am a HUGE fan of Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules:  An Eater's Manual.  In this book he gives simple "rules" to follow to maintain and guide you through and to a healthy diet.  He's been on any given food documentary I've watched promoting organic and plant based diets and is a huge advocate for local farming and informing the public about the unfair subsidization of farms from the government.  Even though he is firm on his food morals + views, he is still a legit guy.  He was even on Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report, bringing Stephen Colbert home brewed beers.  Colbert calls him a food nazi and opens and offers Pollan a bag of BUGLES! HA!  Pollan, like the cool guy he is politely declines and laughs it off having a good time knowing it's all in fun and continues explaining his book and a few of his rules to a rowdy, joke filled Colbert.

One of those rules from said book, which I've read and loved, is rule #45 | Eat All the Junk Food You Want, as Long as You Cook It Yourself.  Watch (above) for Michael's take on this rule of thumb to junk food. I completely agree, because when I try to make things I know aren't my healthiest options, it is usually quite the lengthy, process.  One that I may refrain from attempting again for a while after I get to enjoy the "fruits" of my very hard kitchen labor.  This is the point, exactly.  

MAJOR labor of love for my stomach.

One great example would be making real, hearty mashed potatoes.  Potatoes are linked to  high rates of obesity considering that potatoes are starch packed, which breaks down in your body into sugar.  Add the deep fat frying, and other food preparation methods which depletes nutrients and makes it even less healthy for you.  But forget that most americans think potatoes are an adequate source of their daily vegetables...I too, a native Idahoan have the craving for homemade mashed potatoes.  So, one night, I reunited with the potato peeler, an old friend from many, many years ago and began the simple task, what I forgot was a not so fun task, of peeling potatoes.  At least an hour later and a severely sore set of wrists I knew if I wanted the delicious bowl of goodness, every minute of wrist-breaking, potato-skinning peel would be worth it.  Kind of like a pain is beauty motto, but more like pain is gluttony! 

Needless to say, the organic potatoes, vegan margarine, hemp milk, garlic + nutritional yeast mashed potatoes was both satisfying to my craving and remained a vegan dish and greatly beneficial to my body even if it was a ...(gasp) comfort food!

I can't remember the last time I've wanted nacho cheese Doritos.  I've definitely eyed friends eating my ever-so-missed white cheddar heaven that is Smart Pop, but never longed for a bag of Cooler Ranch, Late Night Taco or whatever flavor Doritos is available in these days. However, the other day when I was searching for pumpkin recipes I stumbled upon a veganized Doritos recipe and thought, "I'll just go ahead and bookmark that!" You know...for that one day I decide I need Doritos...HA. That one day was yesterday.  I decided to give it a go.  It was surprisingly easy, but again much more time consuming than opening a plastic bag - unless you're all leg strength and not so much arm strength like myself.

  

Either way, the mixing up of spices and nutritional yeast, cutting up tortillas, lightly marinating them in olive oil, shaking it all up and baking in the oven isn't that difficult.  There is trying a bite or two or 6 while the second batch is baking away, but in the end it is still low yield.  8 tortillas isn't exactly the bulk bag you might buy for a family.  However, for a single person, maybe two, having a few here and a few there, this makes a sensible, smarter snack.  

Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes | vegan gluten + grain free
Most importantly, flippin' out-of-this-earth delicious.

I have a recipe for a great savory snack, but isn't it always fun to have your dessert first?  It absolutely is!  I wanted to do at least one savory snack + one sweet treat for this post.  Facing the awful problem of having a bit more extra vegan grain free pumpkin pie with homemade gingersnap crust from my last post than I'd thought I'd have left, I knew what needed to be done: Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes!  

I first made a fresh batch of almond milk this morning.  

Almond Milk = 1 cup of soaked almonds (soaked for 12 hours)

Drain, rinse, drain.  Blend in a high powered food processor with 4 cups of purified water for about 5-10 minutes.  Pour into cheesecloth over a bottle and then squeeze the milk through cheesecloth to keep almond meal out.  Easy does it!

Make Veganized Ice Cream 

Freeze two bananas.  Mix frozen banana pieces in a food processor with a tablespoon of honey, fresh almond milk and silken tofu (about a 1/4 cup of each) 'til you have a thick, ice creamy consistency without banana chunks.  

Add a generous slice of pumpkin or any other pie of your choice and blend. The banana ice cream will make a great base that will compliment any kind of dessert pie nicely.  I garnished my milkshake with leftover gingersnap crumbs. This batch makes two small, but filling and satisfying shakes.  Bottoms up!

Now that we've pleased our sweet tooth a bit early, let's move onto a slightly more nutritious snack.  I just used up some of my pumpkin pie, but I still have pumpkin puree that I can do a number of things with.  I have made a completely raw zucchini hummus before, but never thought to put it into hummus.  I found an excellent recipe online and tweaked it to my liking and came up with a garlic pumpkin hummus. Warm up your pitas, this recipe is dynamite!

This one goes out to all my ladies in the 208 + the Sunshine State!

  

Pumpkin Hummus  

• 2 c cooked organic chickpeas
• 1/4 c pureed pumpkin (mine was homemade)
• 1/4 c vegetable broth (mixed purified water with Better Than Buillon - Vegetable)
• 1 Tbsp tahini
• 2 lg. garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

1. Put chickpeas into food processor, blend until smooth
2. Add pumpkin, vegetable broth and tahini - blend until creamy and smooth
3. Add garlic and sea salt to taste, blend
4. Garnish with paprika, parsley flakes and a light drizzle of olive oil
5. Other optional toppings:  pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, roasted red bell peppers or whatever floats your boat
6. Enjoy with warm fluffy pita or cold, crisp veggies 

Now that your munchies are in check, I bid you farewell to digest!

And if you didn't get enough of the number 11 this week...

11 more days until Thanksgiving!!

Kisses + Side Dishes!

Besos, Besos ♡ Adriana

Fall for Pumpkin Cuisine

Fall for fall in my neck of the North End woods.

I'll be honest, I was never much of the fall type.  I loathed fall.  It was the end of my sunny, warm season of relaxation and of course, my birthday!  July 25th, LEO if you were wondering, fun fact if you weren't! I never found it beautiful, refreshing nor influential in any way.  All of that has changed and now I count down the dog days of summer, anticipating the arrival of the crisp breeze to flow through the air and bring with it all of the things I love most.

FALL USED TO MEAN

(1) Back To School. Back to waking up at 5am, sports, practices + games, academics, studying + tests, scholastic clubs, volunteering on weekends...AKA no sleep.  I was an overachiever.

(2) Carefree days of sleeping in, unlimited swimming, Hey Dude watching and my birthday were all over ...and worst of all...

(3) Preparing for the cold. Swimsuits couldn't pass as my daily wear, pants replace shorts, and then thinking about how snow is just around the corner...no thanks.

THAT WAS THEN, NOW FALL MEANS

(1) FASHION! New trends, styles, colors, looks. Boots, scarves, jackets, hats, gloves + layering, OH MY! 

(2) Inspiration. 
Here in the City of Trees, the North End (as pictured above) reigns supreme for gorgeous views.  The North End is sheltered by giant trees, bouquets of greens giving way golds, bold maroons, bright yellows and copper tones.  

The hippie fest that is Hyde Park Street Fair at the end of September just fills me with joy! Hot toddies, spiked ciders

+ coffee! Warming up has never been so YUMMY! 

(3) HOCKEY SEASON!! As I mentioned in a previous blog, I am a Washington Capitals fan when it comes to NHL + we're SO lucky to have a team here in Boise for me to enjoy as well!  The Idaho Steelheads are in the ECHL and let me tell you, live games are a BLAST! I've sat everywhere in that arena including the Gold Club and the sweet suite seats! 


The chants are both fun and a bit silly at the same time, we have a mega awesome announcer that gets you pumped up and the music is an unheard of mix of M.I.A. to things that make you go hmmm, Nickelback. HA!! Either way, the game is always in motion, there are BRAWLS, blood, broken sticks, penalties, power plays, OTs and shootouts! 


...It also doesn't hurt if our team scores during the Bud Light Quench Time giving you $2 Bud Lights for the rest of the night. Nor does it hurt when your team wins + takes you all the way to the Kelly Cup Playoffs! Hint Hint, Wink Wink Steelies! :)

An exciting evening at the CentuyLink Arena with the Idaho Steelheads playing the Las Vegas Wranglers. The Steelies sent the Wranglers home after defeating them 6-2! Way to go, Idaho! 

BUT my most favorite fall thing of all is COOKING + EATING! I skipped the Halloween candy + went straight for what's in season, the mother of all squashes and the icon of fall eating, the Pumpkin!
Last year, I didn't carve a pumpkin let alone think about the dishes I could create with this nutrient-packed squash. Pumpkins are a good plant source for lutein and both alpha and beta carotene which helps keep your immune system healthy and is great for vision.  Beyond a store bought can of pumpkin, or worse, store bought pumpkin pie, the interaction with most people and a pumpkin is gutting it and carving it for Halloween and maybe eating oven roasted pumpkin seeds.  I decided to go further and create as many dishes as I could with a single pumpkin. So, I did some research and found out prepping and cooking a pumpkin is amazingly simple.

• Take one organic pumpkin (the beauty seen on your left was grown by my mother. Thanks, MOM!). 
• Rinse gently 
• Poke holes with a knife all around the pumpkin. 
•  Pop it in the oven at 375 degrees and cook until you can pierce through the pumpkin with a fork with ease.
• Cut in half and let cool 

This makes gutting the pulp and seeds a BREEZE!  Plus the skin should easily peel right off!

After the cleaning part was over I separated pulp + seeds.  Pulp went along with the skin into my lovely neighbors compost pile (they encourage it) and the seeds went went into the oven in two batches:  savory + sweet!

The savory batch was lightly dusted with sea salt and the sweet batch had a light coating of maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice.  Next up you take the flesh of the pumpkin (the good stuff!) and dice it into chunks and puree those bad boys.  Easy does it with a food processor or high speed blender and keep in mind you may need to add water to the mixture.  With a medium sized pumpkin you can get in between 3-4 cups of pumpkin puree.  

You can do SO much with pumpkin puree.  I wanted to do the standard, festive pumpkin pie, but I decided to do something a little bit more daring.  After finding a pumpkin pasta sauce recipe I knew I wanted to do a pasta dish.  Upon further diving into the internet sea of vegan recipes I found the dish.  PUMPKIN GNOCCHI!  The dish of my not-so-healthy childhood dreams, just turned into a healthier version.  The last time I had gnocchi was right before my 12k Race in the Foothills this past summer.  Even then, it was a vegan mushroom gnocchi i picked up at the Boise Co-op - healthy and packed with carbs, the perfect pre-race dinner!

Pumpkin Pie? Think outside of the box:  Pumpkin Gnocchi!

Pumpkin Gnocchi with an Olive Oil + Garlic Sage Sauce 

Since I wasn't preparing to run a 12k and tend to cook gluten and grain free these days (I'll get to that in another, later post) I had to alter the original recipe a bit.  I also played around with the spices + switched it up to be more savory, letting the pumpkin be the main sweet source of this dish.  I used two alternative flours for this dish:  mainly quinoa flour and for additional flour needed, tapioca.  
I went with a basic olive oil and sage sauce to toss the gnocchi in so that I wasn't overpowering it with a heavy alfredo or a dominating tomato sauce.  I wanted to keep it as unveiled as possible.  


The olive oil + sage combination was a perfect touch to the hint of sweetness the pumpkin gnocchi provided.  The other nice thing about this dish is that both the gnocchi and sauce was done in minutes.  No waiting for this to thicken and that to simmer. Once your water is boiling, which I started while shaping the gnocchi out, you can throw the pasta in and within minutes they will start to float which indicates they are done.  Same with the olive oil sauce.  Adding spices, chopped garlic and heating up takes only a few minutes.  Simply toss the gnocchi with the sauce and voila, ready to serve!    

3 delicious, Vegan Molasses Gingersnaps went missing from a batch of 15. Can you blame us?!

Gingersnap cookie crust

After that tasty entrée, I was most certainly ready to make the next course:  dessert!  Making a pumpkin pie was a definite no-brainer, but this one would be tricky!  This was both my first vegan and gluten + grain free pumpkin pie! This was made completely from scratch as well.  First was the Gingersnap cookie crust.  I followed a vegan recipe and had to make certain substitutions to keep this a grain and gluten free dessert.  When I made the cookies, I baked them a bit on the thicker side so that they were chewy.  I figured letting them sit out overnight in an open bag would dry them out a bit. I was wrong. I compensated by putting them back in the oven to bake them a bit more, except they baked a little longer than I wanted and the bottoms were well, on the darker side but alas, they were crispy! I rolling pinned those suckers down in a bag until they were little cookie crumbs (take out any aggression at that point!), mixed with vegan butter in the processor, press into pie pan + bake for 8 minutes...simple!  For the filling I used my pumpkin puree, spices, sugar etc. Of course there was one substitution! There's almost always at least one in every recipe.  The recipe called for store bought vegan cream cheese.  I opted to try making my own vegan cream cheese.  I usually stay away from soy along with anything highly processed, but this was one of the times that I made an exception.  I made my silken tofu based vegan cream cheese + it turned out to taste not too far from the real deal! 

A little slice of alternative pie heaven! MMM!

After adding a decorative heart-shaped sprinkle of extra Gingersnap cookie crumbs (which slightly over cooked had a mocha-like flavor) and a quick bake session, the easy part was done! The hard part is waiting for it to cool down in order to have a slice!  Eventually, I was able to sit down and enjoy a slice (best when chilled) with a cup of Almond Breeze milk!


A well deserved treat for working my vegan buns off in the kitchen this weekend!


This is exactly what I mean by gaining inspiration from fall.  It's the only season to truly jumpstart my creativity!  I am very excited for many other recipes, especially 
Thanksgiving Day dishes I have yet to take on, veganize and make gluten and grain free.


Sweet 16 days 'til Thanksgiving + counting down!
Besos, Besos ♡ Adriana

Deconstructing Supper + GMOs

After a fun Halloween Saturday night out as my favorite hockey player, Washington Capitals Captain Alexander Ovechkin, watching hockey, dancing + cheersing the night away, I was definitely in watch-a-documentary-on-the-couch mode!   If I'm going to be lazy, I am going to multitask and learn a thing or two.  Cooking is only half of being a vegan foodie.  The other half is educating and information gathering.  I geek out on documentaries and read up internet articles but I also listen and learn through other's stories and experiences about the way things used to be with food and farming.

Food is now made to be convenient. Processed and packaged, this convenience certainly comes with a hefty price:  health issues of all sorts.  I was very, very lucky to be raised in a home where dinner was made fresh, at home, every night.  We only went out to eat for special occasions and very rarely bought fast food (lucky me!).  The downside to this convenience is that you really don't know what you are eating and just how nutritious it is unless you prepare it yourself.  You have no idea what makes up the ingredients in a meal you are trusting to be complete. All I have to say is: Taco Bell Chemical Meat.  Processed and genetically modified "food" makes up a huge part of the American diet.  Food should not be grown in laboratories with "this and that" genes.  Urban sprawl and technology are taking away from the once opportune method that is farming and forcing consumers to believe that genetically modified food is safe and has higher yield.  This couldn't be further from the truth.

In "Deconstructing Supper" the questions are posed as to what are Genetically Modified Organisms, known as GMOs, and are they helpful or harmful.  When Chef John Bishop is asked about the food at his restaurant, Bishop's, particularly if it is genetically modified or not, he is unable to answer the question and finds himself curious where his food is coming from and diving into what GMOs are through biotech companies and then visits India to see how a village is living organically.  One question starts a quest.  He sees both sides from their point of view and in the end he decides to turn his restaurant to an all-organic establishment.

The film is one of many I've watched concentrating on the importance of eating an organic diet.  "Food Beware:  The French Organic Revolution" was another great doc showing how everyone works together to make the change to organic farming and eating.  The entire city goes organic and there are changes within the schools to serve only organic food.  They begin teaching them about the health benefits, the way food should taste and even have them working on their own organic garden.  This is all done in efforts to reduce the cancer statistics in their region and promote a more sustainable, local way of eating to children.  Educating the young on a healthy organic diet and eating locally is something I feel needs to be done here in the United States as children have alarming rates of cancer, obesity and diabetes.

It is so important to know where your food came from and whether it is organic or not.  One of the top five companies involved in GMOs is Monsanto.  In a nutshell, they patent seeds with their Round-Up Ready formula and whenever it is discovered that a seed has made it's way to a farm where they do not use the Monsanto patented seeds, they are able to sue the farmers, putting them out of business.  So local farmers are getting screwed and the food that is made from their seeds are often described as "franken foods"...yum.


More on Monsanto and how horrible they are, the lies they tell, and the facts can be read here.
Choose to be educated and informed.
What you don't know could kill you.

Here's my last little tid bit from a site I found after searching for "Deconstructing Supper."  A review was posted by the lovely Sabrina Desjardins, the woman behind Becomethevoice.com and she left the review ending on this very inspirational note that I wanted to share as well! We have the power!  Happy Halloween!

"I leave you with this: keep in mind that we have the power to make change as consumers. Businesses operate by our demand. Big and small companies need our business. It is time to stop following the dictates of these companies and tell them what we want and what we will buy. Watch the film, keep learning, ask questions and let’s keep working together to achieve what we all deserve: optimum health, healthy food, healthy land and a long happy life." - Sabrina Desjardins, Becomethevoice.com 

To your health!
Besos, Besos <3 Adri Ovechkin :)

What's up, DOC

After cracking out on Breaking Bad for the past few weeks and trying really hard not to fall into a similar pattern with Walking Dead, I declared it a documentary night. I've been finding myself unintentionally watching (but definitely happy that I found them) docs that surround the subject of the Gerson Therapy.  The first documentary I watched was "The Gerson Miracle"which was the main, introductory documentary of the Gerson Therapy for curing cancer.

The Gerson Therapy can be summed up as a vegan, organic, raw fruits and vegetables (mainly juices and fresh salads) diet with no salt nor animal fat and then there's the organic coffee enemas.  You can decide how you feel about the enemas - which aids the eliminations of toxins in the liver and kidneys, but this way of holistic healing through the diet has been curing cancer since the late 1920's after Dr. Max Gerson tried this diet out in order to rid himself of his chronic migraines.  He succeeded and even cured his daughter, Charlotte Gerson of skin tuberculosis when she was a child and at 89, she is now the oldest living person who has survived skin tuberculosis.

Charlotte Gerson has carried on her father's work and continues to be a very inspirational woman to many people including myself and those who were told that they were terminally ill and that they should go home and be prepared for their life to end shortly.  When they've been left with no hope, people often turn to the Gerson Clinic and give it a try and many cases of cancer, with males and females, adults and children and at different stages have been cured through their simple for some (more dramatic for others) change in diet.

Charlotte Gerson, with her clear, radiant skin 

who's nearly 90 years-old and does not need reading glasses 

is mind blowing proof that the Gerson Therapy works. 

The story is amazing and extremely inspiring to me and to my luck I've found related documentaries where other people curiously look into the Gerson Therapy to see if this is proven to be successful or not.  One of them, in which I watched this evening and by far is the best, is called The Beautiful Truth.  It touches on GMOs, the horrible companies that are running the GMO show including Monsanto (the enemy), how people who work for said companies end up in political office where they are supposed to be regulating these companies and then end up returning to these companies...yeah, bad news...and the relation of processed, toxic, lethal foods to cancer.  Which all leads back to the curiosity of the Gerson Therapy as the best treatment for cancer.

In a documentary I watched not to long ago I was struck by a particular cartoon type sketch they showed briefly.  It read "CUT! BURN! POISON!" which cut translates to people turning to surgery, burn being radiation from chemotherapy and poison from the pharmaceutical drugs we as a society rely heavily on just to get by day to day.  These are all the extreme and dramatic options we are often given as a solution and treatment when we go to a doctor.  But what does all of that lead to? Money.  Money in the pockets of the doctors for putting money in the hands of these pharmaceutical drug companies because people believe that they have to do these extremely dangerous and potentially if not definitely harmful to your health "treatments"...ie side effects with pills, the dangers of surgery and going under, the outrageousness that is chemotherapy.  Healing should be healing, not having adverse side effects.

I've found major inspiration from the tremendously successful and healthy holistic healing that is the Gerson Therapy and have huge admiration for Charlotte Gerson and all of the work she's done in her lifetime.  I can't help but be excited to share this with everyone I know.  My intent is to inspire others and show them the way to a healthier life devoid of cancers and obesity and diabetes and other debilitating illnesses caused from what can be put very lightly as "a poor diet"and hope that at the least, one person will get inspired the way I have and use this information to help change and/or save their life.  Healthier is happier.

I leave you with these links:
Watch The Gerson Miracle
Watch The Beautiful Truth

Knowledge is power, EAT IT UP!
Besos, Besos <3 Adriana