Celebrate ThanksLIVING with some yummy raw Hemp Nog

Hemp seeds are becoming more readily available in natural markets and online, now that more people are aware of the numerous health benefits. One of the most important health benefits is the rich source of Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids in hemp seeds. They are also a good source of protein and magnesium. Hemp seeds are great on salads, cereal, in granola bars and smoothies. If you can't find hemp seeds in your local market or it's inconvenient for you to go out looking for them, you can buy them here:





Here is a basic recipe for fresh hemp milk

Basically, you use a water to seeds ratio of 4:1, adjusting for your preferred thickness. For hemp nog, I use the following recipe:

1/2 cup hemp seeds
2 cups water
(for extra-rich, tasty nog, reduce the amount of hemp seeds and add a small handful of cashews)
1 banana, fresh or frozen
3 large or 4 small dates
1/2 inch piece of whole vanilla bean
freshly grated nutmeg
agave nectar to taste, if desired (the dates and banana make this pretty sweet already)

blend in standard blender or VitaMix until creamy. I like to use frozen banana so i can blend for a long time without the milk becoming warm. The VitaMix has such a strong motor that it can add heat to the food, so adding ice or using frozen ingredients can offset this. Of course, you may choose to drink your hemp nog warm, in which case the VitaMix should be allowed to run for five minutes on high. This recipe makes 2 servings. The nog should be good for 2-3 days, but shake it before serving.

Here is a great article about the hemp plant:History and benefits of hemp

Go make yourself a tall glass of hemp nog and then come back to watch this video about a woman in France who builds houses out of hemp concrete:

Green Smoothie Revolution

All hail the green smoothie.
It is the staple of my diet and has done more for my health and well-being than any other dietary change i've made. I will be offering a workshop on making green smoothies sometime in the next month at Flower of Life. I have a lot to share in regard to the lifestyle aspects of changing the way we eat, so this workshop will be not just a demonstration of what goes into green smoothies, but some good information on the how and why of this lifestyle change.

In the meantime, for those of you who just want to know right now why green smoothies will save your life and bring joy and abundant happiness to your world, please visit and bookmark Victoria Boutenko's green smoothie blog and then go out and get yourself some greens. Many greens will grow year-round in the Pacific Northwest, so i encourage you to grow your own. I have found that it eliminates any potential excuse for not eating greens daily, having them right in the backyard all the time.

I have been drinking green smoothies almost every single day since i went raw in June of 2007. One of the effects of this is noticeable in my fingernails. All my life, i had thin, bendable nails that i could never grow for long without them splitting or peeling off. My nails are now harder than ever and i am experimenting with keeping them a bit longer which helps me with my classical guitar practice. Because i maintain a bodywork practice in addition to my raw lifestyle coaching, it isn't really practical for me to have long fingernails. But i'm so thrilled that i could if i wanted to, and even more that i have made a profound change in my nutritional health that is visible in a very tangible way. Green leafy vegetables contain more calcium per serving than the recommended daily allowance of dairy products, AND it is much more bio-available which means our bodies can actually USE that calcium instead of excreting it or having it form deposits in places like our feet. Check out this woman's blog about Kale and other leafy green vegetables to see the comparison of calcium intake versus dairy. She has really done her homework and you can learn a lot about all the vegetables in the Brassica family which are all great sources of calcium and magnesium, which are dependent upon each other in the proper quantities. Here is an article that details even more health benefits of green leafy vegetables: Importance of Green Leafy Vegetables in diet.


I suspect that the high magnesium content in greens could be responsible for my having overcome depression, anxiety and fatigue. Studies have shown that the majority of people suffering from psychological disorders such as schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder as well as auto-immune disorders like Fibromyalgia are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium is an essential mineral which is no longer being supplied in sufficient quantity in our food supply due to inadequate soil remineralization. Dr. Linus Pauling, the two-time Nobel Prize winner states that: "You can trace every sickness, every disease, and every ailment to a mineral deficiency." Read more about agricultural soil depletion here . This is something few people even think about and yet most of them are suffering in one way or another from the lack of sufficient minerals in their diet. Green leafy vegetables are one of the very best ways to address this. Liquid mineral supplements do help, however, there is no substitute for fresh, live, enzyme-rich food from the earth. The sun gives life to the plants and the plants bring that life into our bodies. It just makes sense to take advantage of what is given to us so freely on this planet.

So there, now you have some reading to keep you busy, and when you're done with that, you are welcome to contact me to learn more about what i offer in the Seattle area for raw lifestyle coaching and classes. I am also a sales affiliate for Vitamix blenders, which are the very best for blending up greens completely. I do not have a website at this time, but you can email me at madame7@gmail.com to request addition to my mailing list.

happy blending!