as this was my very first raw recipe experience and it was successful on the first time!! I know I know how hard can it be with only really two ingredients, right?! Hmm I’ve said those words before!

You are going to love these little balls of delight and your friends and family will be so impressed at how yummy, simple and healthy they are for you. They resemble a treat my mum used to make when we were children we called them chocolate truffle balls. Create them today and enjoy this healthier alternative instead of a processed chocolate bar or high sugar dessert when you are craving something sweet. You will be pleasantly surprised!

Ingredients:

1 cup of raw cashews

½ cup of mandejool dates (pips removed)

Method:

1. Blend the dates and cashew nuts in your bullet or just a regular food processor should be powerful enough, until themix becomes moist. This may take a few minutes as the natural oils from the cashews will start to make the blend moister. It is ready when it starts to form a big roll of dough in the processor or if you can take some of the mixture and roll it in your palms to form a bit sized ball it will hold together very easy.
2. I then coat my bliss balls in a date sugar, cinnamon & organic cacao powder blend, let that absorb and then coat in coconut. Alternatively you can coat them in just raw cacao powder, cacao nibs, crushed almonds or any other nut you fancy. De’lish! Place in fridge to set for an hour. You can continue to keep them in the fridge if you are eating them within the next week or can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. I personally store them in the freezer and take 1-2 out when I’m ready to eat them.”

Makes around 12-18 depending on how big you roll the truffles

Recipe by Brenda Chapman, Creator and CEO of Be Motion Health & Fitness Coaching

You can connect with her on www.facebook.com/BeMotionCoach

email enquiries@bemotioncoach.com.au

An ignored epidemic-

Do you have Aspartame Poisoning? Aspartame is to blame for close to 100 health symptoms and complaints. If you have chronic health problems and drink or eat products containing aspartame you may be suffering from Aspartame Poisoning.Says Dr. Janet Starr of www.sweetpoison.com, “Aspartame is to blame for the over 92 different side effects associated with this chemical. Aspartame is a dangerous food additive, and its use during pregnancy and by children is one of the greatest modern tragedies of all.”

Aspartame changes brain chemistry

Aspartame is a brain neurotoxin and exito-toxin made up of synthetic chemicals consisting of two amino acids; phenylalanine and aspartic acid. These isolated amino acids, never found alone in nature, over excite neurons in the brain causing cell death.  Aspartame is particularly damaging to children, the elderly, pregnant women and their fetus, and people diagnosed with autoimmune diseases especially Rheumatoid Arthritis, fibromyalgia, Graves disease, diabetes hormone problems, AIDS, epilepsy, and a host of other neuro-endocrine conditions and diseases because it destroys the nervous system.  Drinking and eating this poison clearly promotes or exacerbates serious health conditions but of course can be avoided! Perhaps it is best to rule out aspartame as a culprit behind people suffering from neurological problems before taking unnecessary pills or going under the knife.

For more information, refer to Dr. Russell Blaylock’s (a practicing, board-certified neurosurgeon) book entitled EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS.

Symptoms and complaints of aspartame poisoning include-  muscle spasms, shooting pains, numbness in legs, cramps, insomnia, vertigo, dizziness, nausea, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, gastrointestinal issues, hallucinations, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, confusion, rage, violence, seizures, memory loss, and birth defects. If these sound familiar you may have ASPARTAME DISEASE!

Chronic illnesses can also be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame according to researchers and physicians who study the adverse effects. Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson’s disease, alzheimer’s, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes are conditions that have been linked to aspartame use. And because of it’s wide range of health complaints, Doctors often misdiagnose aspartame toxicity for the below:

Multiple sclerosis, alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrom, panic diorder, lupus, birth defects, lyme disease, Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity, attention deficit disorder, depression, diabetes, lymphoma, and hypothyroidism.

Aspartame breaks down into Formaldehyde

Methyl ester is the third element in aspartame that breaks down into methanol, or wood alcohol. If, or when the temperature of aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, wood alcohol degrades into toxic formaldehyde. Because of the severity of methanol toxicity it mimics very serious diseases like multiple sclerosis and those listed above.

Promotes weight gain

Even if you don’t have a serious or recurring health situation, please don’t be fooled into believing that these poison laced products are good for weight loss or weight control because in fact the opposite is true.

How many of you are not convinced yet that ASPARTAME isn’t all that bad? Ok, if you raised your hand put the diet coke down and step away from the table. We are going to have an online intervention right here right now so you are never again tricked.  The corporate elite duped you into thinking that this can of diet coke is your friend and there to help you keep slender- but it is not- they are lying to you while you are being poisoned.

Metabolically, the sweet taste of aspartame hits your tongue sending messages to start digesting the incoming food but… wait for it… wait for it, the stomach receives no such food, just the artificial chemicals posing as food however your body non the less kicks into digestion mode causing insulin sensitivity, stress in the system, spiked cortisol, blood sugar imbalance and whoosh you begin the sugar craving stress eating cycle again. With regular intake of aspartame, this pattern keeps blood sugar levels perpetually out of control often doubling your risk of obesity.

Causes tumors

“Nutrasweet (Aspartame) has been scientifically linked to brain tumors, brain cell damage and neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.” According to Dr. Blaylock. “We are witnessing enormous damage to the brain and nervous system due to the ever-increasing amount of Nutrasweet and other excitotoxic subtances added to our foods.”

A study in the European Journal of Oncology, (vol.10, n. 2, pp. 00-00, 2005) found “Aspartame induces lymphomas and leukaemias in rats”. Scientists are quick to sound the alarm on reducing permissible exposure due to potential health risk, especially to protect children. That’s great but things really haven’t changed much in our world in the last 5 years regarding regulations on this toxin.

Are you concerned you may have Aspartame Poisoning or want to make sure you are clearing it out of your system? Try an Online Hair Analysis at http://www.hairanalysisprogram.com/.

Finally, who introduced this devilish concoction? Take a guess… the worlds most evil of all corporations, Monsanto. This beast released aspartame for public use in 1981 to treat peptic ulcers and thereafter the FDA deemed it as generally safe for consumption. Always follow the money and do the research.

But the choice is yours! For a great sweet alternative try the healthy herb, Stevia.

Botanical name

Health Benefits Ahhchooo! Don’t let the last few weeks of chilly weather get you down. Boost your system with the medicinal herb, Stinging Nettles. Nettles are wonderful detoxifying tonic herb to use as a spring cleanser to assist the body in clearing out waste accumulated over winter.

Colds and flu’s are still bugging many people out and with allergy season upon us, stinging nettles magic boosts the body because of it’s ability to strengthen the digestive and respiratory systems.

Nettles:

• Strengthen adrenal, urinary, lung and kidney function
• Purify, build and nourish blood
• Removes phlegm, alleviates dry cough
• Reduces symptoms of PMS
• Alleviates gout, asthma, rheumatic/arthritic conditions, and anemia
• and can benefit those who suffer from seasonal allergies

Nutrients:

High in vitamins A and C, iron, potassium and protein.

Preparations:

Parts used –Leaves

Stinging nettles can be used fresh or dried

**Use caution when handling or harvesting fresh nettle plants as they are covered with stinging hairs that promote itching, stinging and blistering. Wear gloves to harvest.

The plant looses its sting and itch a few minutes after picking as well as after it is cooked.

To cure the sting- Rub yellow dock, plantain, rosemary, mint or sage on affected area.

Tea- steep fresh or dried leaves in just boiled water for 3-5 minutes, drink 3 cups daily

Tincture- 10-30 drops standard infusion, 1-3 times daily

Cook- steam this fresh potherb like you would spinach *do not cook or consume older stems. Nettles can also be used in soups, salads, and sauces.

Homeopathic remedy as tablet or pellet

Harvest before it flowers, in May or June. Gather mid morning after the dew has dried.

To dry, hang nettles in a bundle indoors in a well-ventilated room.

Storage- when completely dry, keep in airtight jars or tins

2 parts yerba santa leaves

2 parts sage leaves

1 part ginger root, freshly grated

1 part nettle leaves

1 part peppermint leaves

1/8 part licorice root

• Combine all of the herbs together in a pot and cover with boiling water.
• Stir and let steep for 15-20 minutes
• Sip throughout the day

We just got back from the Eco Farm Conference last weekend which was held just outside of Monterey where we basked in the glory of many a wonderful farmers, educators and organic seed growers. Check some very fine seed companies we got to visit with- Seeds Of Change, Vitalis, and Baker Creek Heirloom as they sure got us motivated.  Hope you are excited for the upcoming growing season, too!! Happy gardening!!

DIRECT SOW SEEDS IN GARDEN

V: beets broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collards, cucumber, eggplant, endive, garlic, greens, kale, leek, lettuce (mesculins), mustard, onion, peas, pepper, potato, radishes, shallot, sorrel, spinach, summer squash, sweet corn, sweet peas, Swiss chard, tomato, turnip. Plant a late cover crop of vetch, bell bean, fava bean-wait until cold mountain soil warms up before direct sowing.

START IN FLATS

V: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, kale, lettuce, onion, pepper, radicchio, tomato, (use bottom heat to speed germination) P: rose campion, salvias, yarrow

PLANT STARTS

V: beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, garlic, green onions, kohlrabi, onions, peas, spinach, Swiss chard

A: calendula, candytuft, cineraria, primroses, Iceland poppy

P: alstromeria, artichokes, asparagus, bergenia, boysenberry, campanula, columbine, coralbells, foxglove, honeysuckle, jasmine, loganberry, olallieberry, passionflower, rhubarb, roses, strawberries B: tuberous begonias, cannas, dahlias, gladiolus and tuberoses

T: apple, cherry, nectarine, plum, flowering cherries

HARVEST

Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celeriac, chard, fennel, leek, lemon, parsnips, turnips

FERTILIZE  N-P-K and Beyond

Feed fall planted annuals and perennials. Fertilize lawn late in the month with compost or organic based nutrients.

PRUNE

Prune fuchsia and cut back woody stems to main branch, hibiscus, lantana, roses, wisteria, tender perennials and hardier shrubs. Cut artemisia, butterfly bush and Mexican bush sage and most salvias to the ground if you haven’t yet. Prune grapevines, deciduous fruit trees and ornamental trees.

PESTS

Trap snails and slugs. Apply organic natural dormant oil spray on deciduous fruit trees to control aphids, caterpillars, mite eggs, and some scale.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Repot houseplants and cymbidiums. Most citrus is at its peak, enjoy! Make wreaths out of pruned grapevines.  Avoid compacting water saturated soil by staying off of it.

To Make:

Fill 2 oz bottle with jojoba oil

Add ¼ tsp essential oils of rosemary, cap tightly and shake.

To Use:

Massage a few drops into scalp in circular motions and work your way down to the ends. For a deeper conditioning, apply oil to wet hair and wrap in a hot dampened towel. Leave on for 30 minutes or longer if desired then wash.

For dry and damaged hair apply twice weekly.

Miso Soup

We often enjoy a bowl of miso soup when we go out for sushi but how about offering this warming wonder food to your kids for breakfast before they head out to school?

Miso soup is a popular Japanese food made from fermented soybeans and is hailed for its health benefits.

Miso helps keep the intestinal track in tip-top shape. The gut is home to the immune system. In fact 90% of a persons immune complexes are found in the intestinal lining. Keeping the digestive tract populated with beneficial bacteria, like those found in miso soup will strengthen immune fighting capabilities, so your kids will be ready to fend off any pesky bug.

Making miso soup is quick and easy. Just make sure not to boil the soup after you add the miso paste, because the heat will destroy the beneficial cultures. Add diced tofu, scallion, and carrot and warm gently. When the carrots are soft add cooked brown rice, rice noodles or egg.

Avocado

Whether smashed into guacamole, sliced on top of a salad or tucked away into a sandwich, kids who enjoy eating avocado will feel satiated throughout the school day. This healthy fat is filled with beneficial nutrients that are essential for maintaining optimal health.

Avocado is really a fruit originally named the alligator pear by the Spanish in the 1600’s and is best known as a rich source of monounsaturated fats. Avocado is also abundant in essential immune boosting, infection fighting B vitamins, as well as the antioxidants vitamin E, and our most abundant universal antioxidant, glutathione. Encouraging your kids to eat this yummy food will have them thanking you for it later.

Oats

Oats may be perceived as a more folksy food than the exotic miso or the glamorous avocado, but this hearty fiber rich grain is a sure flu fighter and a kid pleaser.

Skip buying the “just add hot water, sweetened, overly processed, packaged variety” and spend the extra few minutes to make oatmeal from “scratch”.  Use rolled oats that cook up in 15 minutes or for the more adventurous morning cook use the least unprocessed oat variety, the steel cut oat, which takes about 40 minutes to cook. Toss in a banana while cooking to add a natural sweetness. With either variety, the taste will please the whole family and nutritionally it is worth the effort to use an unprocessed whole grain.

Create an oatmeal bar by offering a colorful mixture of toppings including butter, milk, yogurt, nuts, seeds, berries, bananas, raisins and other fruit.  Whatever lovely creation you child takes for himself, oatmeal and the fixings will provide stable energy and immune boosting nutrients.

Oats are loaded with B-vitamins, folate, vitamin E, and flavonoids that are beneficial for the digestive tract. Oats are also rich in the minerals, iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc. Selenium in particular is known for its ability to resist disease, aid in detoxification, and fight cancer

Blueberries

We have heard berries are great for the immune system and I am hear to say it is no urban myth, blueberries really are an amazing food to help fight illness. The deep blue colored berry might be small in stature yet it is a top rated food on the ORAC scale (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), a tool for measuring antioxidant capacity. Blueberries even out-rank broccoli, apples and carrots in antioxidants per serving.

The deep blue purple color provides the phyto-nutrient anthocyanins that improve circulation, reduce inflammation and do a great job destroying bacterial infections. This berry is also loaded in vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B-2, beta-carotene, fiber, and ellagic acid.

Kids enjoy blueberries raw right off the bush, but they will love them topped upon a steamy bowl of oatmeal, in smoothies, in pancakes, mixed with yogurt and nuts, or eaten frozen like mini popsicles.

Kale

Kale is a flu fighting all-star absolutely bursting with immune boosting vitamins and phytonutrients. It is a member of the cruciferous family (broccoli, collards, and cabbage are too) known for their liver detoxifying capacities. Kale is rich in the plant chemical, glucosinolate that does the job of disabling cancer cell division. This delicious vegetable is also brimming with other immune enhancing elements like flavonoids, plant sterols, vitamin C, energy boosting B vitamins , and the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

Kale is quick and easy to steam up and is sure to become a staple in your home. You can stir fry/steam the leaves until bright green. Just add bit of water in a pan and toss until done. Sprinkle with sea salt and lightly fried garlic bits. Love to eat kale and your kids will grow up loving it too.

These are my Five Flu Fighting Foods that are staples in our family and I believe eating them often helps keep my kids flu free throughout the winter season, leaving fever and chills in the snow tracks.

This is just a handful of foods that can be built into an even more delicious nutrient dense immune boosting diet your whole family will love. And remember, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”  I would love to hear your comments or tips so please share for our readers!! Love @ JT

• This Fall, Learn What To:  • PLANT, DIRECT SOW, and HARVEST from your garden!

• PLUS many other gardeny things to do….

*This calendar is based on Northern California gardening so keep in mind that planting times vary depending on location. V= Vegetable, H= Herbs, A= Annuals, P= Perennials, B= Bulbs, T= Trees

DIRECT SOW SEEDS INTO THE GARDEN

V: Beets, cabbage, carrot, chard, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive, garlic, kale, leek, lettuce, mustard, onion,peas, sorrel, spinach, turnip A: Bluebells, California poppies, clarkia, flax, larkspur, lupines, nigella, Shirley poppies, spring wildflower seeds and mixes H: Chervil, chives, parsley  Cover Crops: clover, fava beans, vetch Perennial Grasses: blue grass, wild rye

START IN FLATS- Nothing doing this time of year for most of us in temperate climates

PLANT STARTS DIRECTLY INTO THE GARDEN

V: Garlic, onions A: Calendula, Iceland poppies, pansies, primroses, snapdragons, stock, violas P: Alstromeria, artemisia, campanula, catmint, columbine, coral bells, dead nettle, delphinium, dianthus, diascia, foxglove, geraniums, oriental poppy, penstemon, phlox, salvias B: Amaryllis, hyacinth, tulip T: Crape myrtle, ginkgo, liquid amber. It’s a nice time to plant trees with colorful fall foliage.

HARVEST: Apples, late tomatoes, squash, avocado

FERTILIZE N-P-K

Fertilize fall planted winter annuals and vegetables with fish emulsion or organic fertilizer.

PRUNE

Cut mums to 3″ off ground and chrysanthemums to within 6″ off ground. Cut Matilija poppies to the ground. Divide perennials and separate clumps of acanthus, agapanthus, and fortnight lily. Remove dead tree branches. Dig out dahlia tubers and tuberous begonias.

MULCH WATER SOIL

Use compost as mulch. Cover compost pile. Water wildflower seedbed. Turn off automatic sprinkler system when the rains come. Plant onions with compost.

PESTS Hand-pick snails and slugs or try using copper bands around beds

GENERAL INFO

Clean up garden beds. Harvest any remaining tomatoes. Buy and plant deciduous trees with showy fall foliage. Clean, sharpen, and oil tools. Purchase bare-root trees and roses. Build a compost pile. Watch for erosion. Keep turning compost. Buy and sow spring wildflower seeds and mixes to attract butterflies and beneficial insects.

I will be out there playing in the dirt and hope you’ll be get dirty too!!

However, I too, like all creatures, will will embrace the cooler days, the earlier darkness, and the gentle reminder to get ready for winter. These are signals that it is time to harvest the last of your squashes and tomatoes, start making scarecrows and gather seeds of dried up plants.

It is a sweet time of year, a time of slowing down the actions of outdoors while inviting yourself to a time of introspection. So as you enjoy the garden this fall season, remember to reflect and ponder the magic and mystery life offers.

DIRECT SOW SEEDS INTO THE GARDEN

V: Beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, chard, Chinese cabbage, collard greens, endive, garlic, kale, leek, lettuce, mustard, onion, peas (in mountains), radish, sorrel, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip H: parsley, shallot A: calendula, clarkia, forget-me-nots, Iceland poppy, linaria, pansy, primrose, stock, sweet alyssum, sweet peas, sweet William, viola, wallflower, wildflowers Cover Crop: clover, fava beans, vetch

START IN FLATS

A: Cleome, coreopsis, dahlia

PLANT STARTS DIRECTLY INTO THE GARDEN

V: Beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, garlic, greens, lettuce, mesclun- salad mix, onion sets (until April), spinach P: artichoke, cineraria, nemesia B: allium, anemone, crocus, daffodil, Dutch iris, ixia, freesia, grape hyacinths (muscari), ranunculus, scilla, tratonia, tulip, watsonia

Harvest

Apples, pears, broccoli, basil, carrots, green beans, kale, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, spinach, strawberries

FERTILIZE  N-P-K

Re-seed, top-dress and aerate lawn.  Feed over-wintering plants with low-nitrogen organic non chemical fertilizer.  Spread compost and composted manure over all planted areas.

PRUNE

Head back leggy perennials to the ground and divide crowded perennials. Pull up spent garden plants from summer garden.

MULCH   WATER  SOIL

Keep azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons watered. Work in compost and manure to strawberries and perennials. Apply mulch, 2-3 inches deep after first frost.  Watch for erosion problems. Keep watering in dry weather.

PESTS

For snails, bait with a shallow dish of beer or use a barrier like diatomaceous earth. Look for caterpillars on cole crops (cabbage, cauliflower) and all types of trees. Pick off and destroy.

GENERAL INFO

Order bare root asparagus. Order specialty variety fruits. Dig up and store bulbs of dahlia, gladiolas, tuberous begonias.  To prepare and store tubers—let foliage die down, cut off stems to 4″ from ground, pry up clump, shake off and dry in sun to prevent rot. Store in cool dry place or in bags with peat moss or vermiculite. Clean up weeds, spent annuals, dropped fruit, and leaves. Set out plants that bear winterberries to welcome birds to your garden. Save seeds.