Yummy Flax Seed Crackers

WOW!! What a delicious taste! These flax seed crackers were made with love by my friend Chris (one of my yogini friends). The flavours of garlic, onion, and savory herbs make this a scrumptious treat. Dehydrated at a very low temperature to preserve living enzymes and vital nutrition. Have these with guacamole, salsa, hummus or simply enjoy on their own.

Benefits of flax seeds:

• High fiber content.



• Rich in antioxidants.



• Rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.



• High in vitamins B and magnesium.



• Protects against heart disease,cancer and high blood pressure.

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I will add the recipe here as soon as I get it from Chris. What a lovely treat she made! Chris and I have known each other for half a year now, she is a wonderful, cheerful, kind and great to talk to. Only recently we have learned that we both eat raw and living food diet through my best friend Shanine. Chris's brother Jeff also eats high raw and we got to talk all about it after a yoga class. Today Chris brought these flax crackers and I exchanged it for a piece of date nut torte I made a day ago. She really loved it and so did Shanine and Tamsin. I will also get back to raw desserts another time. It makes it so much easier to eat this way knowing someone who is also choosing raw and living food lifestyle. It is easier when you fall off the raw food wagon as it sometimes happens. Then you can talk to each other and support each other to get back on track. Shanine is also looking more into eating raw and living foods and bless her, she also brought a raw hummus and raw crackers to the studio today. So we were all feasting after our yoga class!!!!!Yoga and raw foods go so well together!

As I am writing this the wonderful smell of kale chips is coming from my dehydrator as they are about to be done. I am looking into learning a lot of new raw food recipes because I am at the point of no return. I can't consciously choose a cooked dish over a raw dish because I KNOW it will make me feel like crap. So I am really not interested in anything cooked right now. I want to transition into 100% raw because it feels incredible. Yes it is hard for me to eat 100% raw all the time but I am determined to give it a go. Maybe I will start with 100% raw for two weeks and then take it from there. Baby steps. I sometimes make a mistake and have "just a little" of something cooked and it never fails-I end up feeling sick.

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Last night I went out to Thai restaurant with my yoga sisters. There were 10 of us all friends from our yoga teacher training. We had so much fun chatting, laughing and catching up. I was thinking going in that I would be pretty quiet due to just teaching Restorative yoga class. I get emotional easily and an hour and a half of listening to healing sounds, seeing others rest and heal deeply in the poses and feeling myself go deep within into my heart made me tear up. As soon as I joined my friends I picked up on their joyful and exciting energy. I got so happy that I got to sit close to Shanine. She had some beautiful stories to share from her class.

I ordered papaya salad, which was just the best ever, full of enzymes, really just smiling at me and sending me love. Yet I made a mistake eating a dessert which were lychees (that was the good part) with some sticky coconut rice (not the good part) I got bloated and kept waking up at night not feeling well as I had a feeling of a brick in my stomach. I know it was the rice because I hadn't had any rice for weeks now. So lesson learned. Even "just a little" of cooked food can overload the digestive system and make you feel yucky.

Pure, Natural & Organic Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is my new favourite thing to use. Cocoa Butter is derived from Cocoa beans and is a natural wonder that readily absorbs, quickly supplying moisture to dry skin. Cocoa butter also has antioxidant properties that suppress free radicals, soothe skin and help fade the appearance of scares and stretch marks. In addition it has a lovely chocolate mocha scent that gives 100% pure love and sensual joy. It comes in cremes, lotions, and bars for the every day use and enjoyment.

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I use my cocoa butter lotion after every bath and shower. Love the way it makes the skin feel and glow. I have also started to skin brush again, which helps to smooth the skin and helps to improve circulation and get rid of toxins.

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This is week 9 for me and the baby. It's been a pretty tough week since all I wanted to do is sleep. My DH has been saying "wow you are sleeping so much" and I am indeed. My eyes are just closing and all I want to do is jump in bed and nap. Ronin doesn't seem to mind. He snuggles right with me and we both go off to a dreamland. This week has been busy with teaching classes, taking classes, going to appointments and running errands. I have met my midwife Lucia for my initial visit. She was super nice and took exactly 45min to tell me about what I should expect from midwife care, what services they provide, how they work, etc. I asked some questions about water birth, home vs. hospital birth and she was very informative. I told her that it has always been my dream to have a natural home birth but I was still deciding as my entire family is encouraging me to go to the hospital. At the end it is entirely up to me but I want to inform and educate myself so that I can make the best possible choice. They have home birth night once a month where a couple comes in and shares their experience with home birth and we can ask questions and learn more about it. So I am going to book us in for that night either in Feb or March. How exciting! Lucia didn't check my health or even asked me about it but at the end I found out that this will all be part of my second visit in February. I will meet my second midwife Rea and have a blood test and listen to my baby heart beat. I can't wait!

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I also had an acupuncture session, which was very soothing as that day I had a nasty migraine. I hate migraines as I am sure everyone who gets them does. I used to get them all the time and now they only come every couple of months. When I got off the pill (grrr still angry about how it made me feel to detox from that garbage) I had a migrane for 2 weeks that wouldn't go away. I was at my wits end. Nothing seemed to help until finally I started to take Sepia remedy. Anyway, this time I got so sad and hopeless as I felt the pain. Every move hurt my head and I got so dizzy that everything around me was spinning. I ended up taking homeopathics Nat Mur and Sepia and it made it a lot better.

I also saw Carissa my naturopath for B12 shot that I have been getting once a month for a couple of years now. It helps me maintain proper levels of B12 in my body. I feel huge difference when I don't get this shot, mainly being tired, irritated and low on energy. So I am happy that I can continue with it throughout the pregnancy. Carissa also put me on this prenatal plan:

• Pregnancy Prental Multi vitamin Progressive or Genestra 4 capsules a day.
• Omega 3 oil, preferable 2 tsp of fish oil or Udo's Oil 3 and 6 which is vegetarian source.
• 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed.
• Folic acid: make sure you are getting 3-5mg a day in the prenatal vitamins.
• Vitamin B12 injection once a month for infant development and hormone control.
• HMF forte 2 a day to reset an infants digestive system and immune system.
  This prevents allergies in children.

All I need now is to see Jenny my Massage Therapist for some healing body work! I will book one for next week.

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My weekly weight in:

Week 1-8: 124

Week 9: 124

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My menu today:

Green smoothie (kale as my main leafy vegetable)

Green salad (mixed greens, tomatoes and green peppers, cayenne)

Apple

Nuts

Herbal tea

Papaya salad at Thai restaurant

Tom Yum Vegetarian Soup

Lychees

Ginger tea

Lots of water

Green Smoothies

Green smoothies are simple and delicious. They are the most nutritious meal on earth. A green smoothie is 60% fresh fruit mixed with 40% green leafy vegetables. You can also add your favourite supplements such as bee pollen, green powder, hemp oil, etc.

Today's Green Smoothie

1 cup water

1 handful of spinach

1 handful of romaine lettuce

1 apple

banana

strawberries

raspberries

ginger

super greens powder ( I use Innerlight super greens powder)

History and Benefits of Green Smoothies

Ann Wigmore (1909-1994) was a holistic health practitioner, nutritionist and whole food advocate who co-founded the Hippocrates Health Institute. She invented Green Smoothies in 1988 when traveling in Europe. She called them Energy Soup, and added bean sprouts and avocado too. When consuming blended whole foods in the form of smoothies or soups, the food is broken down making the nutrients more available for the body to digest. Green Smoothies are rich in alkaline minerals like calcium. The high-calcium greens are the fibrous ones such as dandelion, kale and collard. Green Smoothies contain all essential amino acids. If you're moving toward a heart-friendly, earth-friendly vegan diet then it's a good idea to drink Green Smoothie daily to meet all your nutrient needs.

Green love in my diet

I have only recently added green smoothies into my diet. I have always loved fruit and nut smoothies but reading about all the wonderful benefits of adding leafy green vegetables made me run into a supermarket and get some fresh green produce to add to my smoothie. I wasn't sure how good or bad it would taste but I soon found out that it tastes delicious and fresh. I like adding apples, maybe some honey to make it a bit sweeter. Green smoothies are filling and nutritious. They make me feel wonderful, full of energy and make me connect with mother nature in a lovely way. Most of all I feel they are a great gift for my baby and I visualize nourishing him/her in every way.

Restorative Yoga

There are many reasons to practice restorative yoga. Restorative Yoga can help you release stress, renew and heal. It can help balance emotions and increase self awareness and intuition. It provides a way for you to process mental thoughts and regulate energy flow. Restorative practice has a particular ability to leave you feeling nourished and well rested. It can help you live your life much smoother and help you connect to your soul. Restorative Yoga for me is the same as meditation only in a delicious comfortable and supported poses. It helps me to connect with my deepest self and is an act of self awareness and consciousness. It is similar to meditation in a way that it stills the mind and helps to go beyond the mind, beyond the emotions and right into the core of my being.

I love to go to Shanine's restorative yoga class. It is a lovely treat on my day off each Sunday. Yesterday we were listening to a most beautiful relaxation/meditation music. The light in the studio was gentle and the ambiance was that of healing and peace. Shanine has an amazing gift of creating a safe, loving and nurturing environment. I not only connect with my thoughts and feelings but also I really connect with my baby, meaning I can feel where it is in my belly and sense its presence. Its very beautiful. As we were in a supported child's pose Shanine came around and just walked her hands up and down our backs. When she did it for me it was so gentle. She placed both hands on my sacrum and held the energy there and I felt all this love just flow into me and to the baby. It was so strong and so amazing that my eyes filled up with tears. I was so happy and grateful. I wanted to stay in the pose and not move to wipe the tears so I just let two of them roll down my cheeks. Later on when I told Shanine how it made me feel she said that it was her intention to just send love through Reiki. She is a powerful Reiki master. I noticed that I am more emotional than ever, feeling all this love from and to my baby so that whenever I feel more love like from Shanine my heart is overjoyed and I cry the tears of happiness. I wasn't able to cry from happiness before.

The banquet night aftermath

I woke up today full of energy even though my DH and I went out last night and came back pretty late. We went to the banquet hall for his work's annual staff appreciation party. Before we left I had a huge smoothie and some nuts because I knew that the food at these events is not going to be fresh. Its funny how since I have been eating raw and live foods anything else just doesn't cut it in terms of freshness, nutrition and energy. With cooked foods you need to eat more since you don't get as much nutrition as in raw, and still end up feel full and sluggish. There were about 3 antipasto tables when we came in so I looked for anything raw and found salsa and bread. I skipped the bread (I'm also a celiac so the only bread I can have is corn bread if anything) and I decided to try some antipasto eggplant and peppers. They both ended up having no taste at all. The salsa was pretty good so I went to get more. Drink wise I asked if I could get some herbal tea but they told me they serve it with dessert and to get juice from the bar. I also had a choice of water that was sitting in big jugs on our table but it tasted funny like it wasn't a very good quality water. The orange juice I got from the bar tasted nothing like pure orange juice would-it was full of sugar and artificial flavour. Shortly after they started to serve dinner starting with pasta. I had none but by the looks of it it was drenched with something that resembled melted cheese paste. Once everyone ate this they served the main course-for me and DH vegetarian dish of Eggplant Parmesan and for others some type of meat with vegetables. We had the veggies too, tasteless cooked baby carrots and the same lacking in taste baby potatoes. I tried one carrot and a piece of potato and couldn't bring myself to eat any more than that. The eggplant permesan was baked in flower so automatically I couldn't eat it and even if I could I would be very weary of the freshness of this dish. Banquet Hall food is obviously frozen entries unfrozen and heated. Very poor quality, and very low on the food chain. Just being in the presence of this dull and lifeless food made me sad. I knew if I would eat any of the cooked dishes I would end up feeling miserable, low on energy, even depressed.

The best part of this meal was the bowl of salad each table got. We all took a portion (really this entire bowl would serve maybe two raw foodies and it was hardly enough for 10 people) Anyway, I took a little more than everyone because it was the only thing I could eat that was acceptable. Nobody seemed to care anyway as they were munching on their meat. By the way the meat smelled terrible and I wouldn't have even dreamed of feeding it to a dog let alone a person. The salad was nice, lots of fresh iceberg lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and drizzled with olive oil. I finally got my tea (regular tea) in a tiny, tiny cup after my meal. It was so good.

We stayed for another hour after the meal and I watched most people looking drained and lifeless afterwards. Most of them had to unzip their pants and rubbed their bellies looking bloated and not well. I love people watching, observing their postures, how the energy flows in their body, the shine or lack of shine in their eyes, the tone of their skin, the facial expression, it all gives so much info on how and what they eat and how they live their lives. I love observing raw and living food eaters and seeing how their eyes always sparkle, their skin is smooth and young, they emanate energy from every cell and they just look happy and alive.

My poor DH who ate the pasta, the eggplant, the lifeless veggies and ice cream for dessert couldn't sleep half the night. He felt sick, bloated, heavy to his stomach, and nauseous. He is not used to eating this type of foods. He is good with eating high raw, makes smoothies for breakfast and if he eats cooked food he chooses light and fresh vegetarian dishes that he makes from scratch. I never made any comments on how and what he should have been eating last night not wanting to be a food police. I knew that he was just caught in a moment and not thinking ahead. It amazes me how the cooked food robs the body of vitality, nutrients, and energy. On the other hand its lovely how raw and live food heals adding the strength and vigour. I had no problems with sleeping and woke up energized. I took Ronin for a walk and then cleaned the house, did the laundry, and made a super yummy smoothie.

My foods today:

Smoothie: cranberry juice, almonds, flax meal, mango, raspberries, honey, super greens, ginger
Orange
Apple
Lots of water
Peppermint tea
Mango salad
Ceasar salad (minus croutons, bacon and cheese)
Broccoli salad
Strawberries
Pineapple
Jasmin tea

Let Asanas lead the way

I taught a hot yoga class this morning at 8:30am. It was a flow class and very peaceful. I started with a meditation journey, which took everyone through the forest. I like using a meditation or visualization in class I think it makes the class more interesting. I know I love to listen to a guided meditation and just work with the mind's eye awakening my inner vision. Right after my class my best friend Shanine teaches her class. Today I felt I had a lot of energy and wanted to stay for her class. She is one of my favourite teachers and not just because she is my best friend but because she is creative, compassionate, skilled, intuitive and loving. I feel recharged and cleansed after taking her class. As a yoga teacher I find its a must to cultivate my own practice whether it is doing yoga on my own or taking a class with another teacher. Because I don't have the self discipline like I'd like to -I choose to take classes with teachers that help me grow in my own practice. Shanine and I have a similar sense of humour so I try very hard not to laugh so hard when she says something funny in class. Today she told us to bend our hands and I couldn't help but chuckle. She's so cute. To her defense I always tell students to bend their feet LOL The funny thing is that nobody really notices it until you point it out or laugh at yourself.

I have noticed how yoga makes me so much more confident with my body. When I first found out I was pregnant I felt excited but shocked in a good way. It was like I had to get to know my body all over again as I had sensations inside my belly I haven't felt before. The first month I had mild cramping in the abdomen due to my uterus growing. That felt strange and made me back away from my practice feeling concerned not to strain anything. I was doing my practice but only going 70% of my capacity. The second month the cramping went away and I feel myself again. Even though I am very aware of how I feel at all times I feel confident that I can continue with my practice with the same passion, love and determination as before.

Oh almost forgot...I wanted to track my weight for future references throughout my pregnancy. So here it is:

Week 1-8: 124 pounds (haven't gained anything yet)

I am curious to see how I progress and change. I almost can't wait until my belly grows to "see" my pregnancy. Right now I have almost no change in my belly.

Foods I had today:

Green smoothie (greens, almond milk, banana, raspberries, almonds)
Green salad (mixed greens, tomatoes)
Baked potato with garlic, sea salt, paprika, chilies
Smoothie (orange juice, banana, mango)
Pistachios

Raw Birthday

So I just turned 30 two days ago. My DH asked me if he could make me anything special for dinner so I requested a nice raw food dish. I got home from teaching yoga and I found a Delicious mango salad with cucumbers, carrots, radishes, fresh mint leaves, red onion and topped with peanuts. It was drizzled with lime juice and chilies. So yummy! He ended up getting it from one of our favourite Thai restaurant as he was working late and had not time to make anything. It was perfect. I also got a beautiful card and a gift card for Thyme maternity store! It was so nice of him to do this especially that we went out for my b-day last week and I was expecting nothing more. I ate the mango salad and it was heaven. I love mango and papaya salad from Thai cuisine. I often make one at home. I got some fresh mangoes today so I am planning on making more in the next few days. My fridge is full from today's grocery trip and I have organic carrots, lots of tomatoes, cilantro, oranges, apples, bananas, nuts and raisins. Maybe I will make a date nut torte. Both me and DH love it.

Its been getting warmer outside for the past two days. Its actually +3C today so I took Ronin to a doggy park so he could play for a bit longer. When its really cold its hard to walk him even when you really bundle up you get so cold. His paws were getting sore from the ice and salt so he would not even want to go outside. My friend told me about this ointment called Invisible Boot and I got it for Ronin. Its all natural bees wax, sunflower oil and tee tree oil, you just smear some on his pads and he is good to go. I have been missing going out for long walks, just being in the nature, breathing in fresh air and soaking up the sun. I can't wait until it gets warmer so I can venture out there for 20 min walks each day. I am lucky to be pregnant now and then throughout spring and summer. I can't wait for Farmer's Market so I can eat fresh local fruits and veggies. It will all come I just have to be patient.

Foods I had today:

• Smoothie (guava juice, orange juice, banana, almonds, flax meal, mango, cinnamon)
• Fresh spring rolls (shredded carrots, avocado, lettuce, mint leaves, cucumbers)
• Green smoothie (super greens, almond milk, banana, raspberries, almonds)
• Orange
• Pistachios
• Veggies with chipotle spinach dip and hummus
• Mint tea, lots of water

I also thought an Iyengar Level 2 yoga class and we did backbends. I ended up having two ladies in my class only which was wonderful. Semi private or private classes are great because I can do exactly what the student needs and get a lot of feedback from them in terms of how they feel in the pose and what they need to work on. I love teaching Iyengar yoga because it is so intelligent and we move from that intelligence as we focus on alignment. Backbends are wonderful as they open the heart and the shoulders. We are all tight in the chest and in our lower backs as a society. So backbends give us the freedom to open up, reverse the effects of daily life such as sitting in front of the computer or driving. They allow us to get in touch with our emotions and connect with the vibration of the heart: joy, compassion, kindness and love. We did locust pose, bow pose, cobra on the mat and cobra on the ropes. I wanted to also incorporate inversions at the end of the class as both ladies asked me to do shoulder stand to help them out in feeling more comfortable in the pose. In the Iyengar yoga we use props such as blankets, bolsters and blocks so we used 4 blankets underneath the shoulders and a strap to bring the elbows closer together. They both did great and I helped one to lift the breastbone as she was sinking back into her lumbar. I returned home feeling uplifted yet calm. I love backbends and I am allowed to do them myself for another month.

A New Beginning

Today I am 8 weeks pregnant and it is a nice milestone. I also celebrated my 30th b-day yesterday. I am 80% raw since November 24th and on and off raw since 2006. When I first went on a raw food diet I was ecstatic. It felt very natural to me to eat fresh, uncooked fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. I fell in love with the raw food lifestyle but having said that I have gone back to cooked foods on more than one occasion. What is interesting though is that it always makes me want to go back to raw because of the way it makes me feel. I have amazing energy, clear thoughts, clear emotions, physical, mental and emotional strength on raw food diet. I also look years younger which is really just a nice bonus! It is easier for me to stay raw in winter despite the struggle of other raw foodies who find it easier to eat raw in summer. I crave hot and spicy foods in summer so I tend to eat more cooked in the warmer months. I eat some cooked vegan dishes mostly roasted veggies, tofu, miso soup, etc. about 3-4x a month. I don't beat up myself for it but I rather enjoy it and have no problem going back to raw next meal. I think having cooked food is pretty major for most raw foodies because it makes them crave more cooked food and binge on cooked food. I really never have any desire to either have more cooked or binge so it works pretty good for me.

Back in November I decided to go on a one week 100% raw food cleanse that means no cooked food whatsoever and no chocolate. It went so well that I decided to extend it for another week, then another and it ended up being a nice 100% raw food month. After 2 weeks on my cleanse I conceived! I was thrilled as my DH and I were TTC for 5 months. So far I have the most amazing pregnancy with no negative symptoms at all. I have tons of energy, clear dreams and feel great. Most of all I feel very connected to my baby. I practice yoga every day (I am a full time yoga teacher) so I definitely credit how I feel to raw food diet, yoga and natural medicine.
I will blog throughout my pregnancy in hopes that I can learn for my future pregnancies and share with others who are interested in natural raw food pregnancy.