MONKEY MIKE's Raw Food Kitchen

The Raw Moms have done it again! They have come out with a fantastic Un-Cookbook for kids. The amazing Tera Warner graciously sent me a copy and my children and I have been pouring over it all weekend.

If you have kids (I have 5!), you need this book! I'm telling you, your kids will absolutely love it. It's full of colorful pictures and step by step directions that are easy for just about any kid to follow. If you've been having a hard time getting your children to eat a lot of raw foods, this is perfect. Or if you need something to make raw food more exciting, this is the answer. I mean, I'm not even a kid and it got me excited!

The recipes are simple and they don't require 20 ingredients each(my pet peeve). They're nutritious (of course!) and fun!

You can get it here. What are you waiting for? Get to Un-Cooking with those Kids!


Smiles and Hugs!

Christy

Contaminated Drinking Water in Schools- My Rant...

I just finished reading a shocking article about the state of the water in our public schools. You can read it here. There are many schools here in our country that are violating EPA standards. The most being in California, followed by Ohio, Indiana, Connecticut, and others. Apparently, there are high levels of lead, copper, pesticides, and other ugly toxins. Our children are drinking this stuff. And it's okay? Really? That's the message the government sends when it says that to fix the problem, it would be too expensive.

Tell me, how does the government have cash for clunkers and billions for bank bailouts but it's too expensive to ensure that our children have safe drinking water?

I'm lucky to live in area where the water is safe and I homeschool but it infuriates me that others don't have the same. If your children are in public school then please check with the state and find out about the safety of the water. High levels of lead and other toxins can lead to learning disabilities, illness, fatigue, and who knows what else.

This is even more shocking to me since I've been listening to Daniel Vitalis and his information on water. Look for him on YOUTUBE.He has some great information about the benefits of spring water and the downfalls of tap and bottled water. After learning this information, I went on http://www.findaspring.com/ and found that there is a spring only 1 hour from my home. You can go on there too and see if you can find a spring close to you. It is continually updated. My family and I are going to venture out to the spring this weekend to bottle our own spring water. I'm pretty excited about that. I'm going to video our adventure, so stay tuned.

I'm doing Daniel's ElixirCraft Mastery Course which I will tell you all about as soon as I complete it. I've done the first part which is about.....you guessed it, WATER!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Christy

I just received an email regarding a new film coming t0 DVD soon. It's called Numen, The Nature of Plants. I have been interested in herbal healing for almost ten years now. But, my interest completely intensified after to listening to the Raw Mom Summit. I listened to Susun Weed and was just taken in by her. There was something in her voice when she spoke of herbs that really got to me and I have been obssessed ever since. I'm reading and studying everything I can get my hands on about herbal healing and aromatherapy. I'm even making my own natural healing products now. Seriously, did I mention that I am obssessed?

Well, receiving this email yesterday with a link to see a 15 minute preview was exciting. I hope you'll watch it. I will be getting this as soon as it comes out! I really want that insight into the nature of plants. It's fascinating. I always have used herbal remedies with my family when they get sick and I have to say it has worked 99.9% of the time. Plants really do heal. They are part of the Grand Design. They care for us and we should care for them too.

As you know, the name of my blog is Liquid Sunshine. I named it that because, well, what is liquid sunshine? It chlorophyl, right? And chlorophyl is made during photosynthesis when the plants draw in the sun's energy. I drink green smoothies everyday and I know that I am drinking that green energy from the sun. Liquid Sunshine.

I hope you will check out the preview for Numen.

Have a Sunshiney Day!

Christy

On Board With The Raw Divas!

It's official! I am excited to announce that I will be on the one and only Raw Diva team. I will be contributing to their blog on a weekly basis. My focus will be on living green and herbal education.

I really appreciate Tera Warner and the amazing work she does for women. She has built a fantastic community through rawmom.com, therawdivas.com, and greensmoothiequeen.com. If you are just getting started on the raw food diet, or need support, you'll find everything you need to keep you on the right track. Tera is taking it to the next level by adding even more information on a daily basis to keep you inspired. Being a Raw Diva or a Raw Mom is more than just your diet, it's how you live every aspect of your life. It's about living holistically and with balance.

I hope you will check in daily for a little pick-me-up. If there is any herb you want to learn about, any green ideas that interest you, or any natural recipe you're wanting to get your hands on, just drop me a comment and I'll try my best to get that on the Raw Diva blog. I will continue to blog regularly at Liquid Sunshine, too.Unless it changes, my day will be Wednesday over at the Divas. So, I hope to see you there!

Ode to Clove(eugenia caryophyllata)

Oh Clove, I owe many thanks to you.
You've been around since the Han Dynasty.
You've been used to treat numerous ailments.
Respiratory, digestion and skin problems you've healed.
But for me, my sweet, warm Clove, you have given me respite from tooth and gum pain.
One q-tip and 1 drop of 100% your oil (pure clove essential oil)
Applied ever so gently to the gum area.
Ahhhh, what relief.
Anesthetic and antiseptic properties come from the eugenol which you contain.
It's no surprise you come from the same family as tea tree, myrtle, and eucalyptus.
Even dentist recognize your effectiveness.
I would never give you to anyone under two or over 65
And I would never ingest you.
But I will keep you close little Clove. So close.
My gums and teeth love you.
I love you.

Stepping out.....

Today was a wonderful day! I attended an amazing health and wellness meetup in my area for the first time. I was asked to bring some raw food and tell a little bit about it. I have to admit I was a little nervous but after I arrived and met the group I was so grateful that I was there. What a great bunch of people. Everyone was so nice and really wanted to better their health. I loved their openess to raw foods. The food was a hit (thank-goodness)! I was just really happy how it all turned out and all of my hard work was truly worth it.

I am already planning another little talk and demo with a really cool guy named Elsy. He is an acupuncturist and yoga teacher at a local Dr. office. I met him today at the meetup. I have to say that the lady who plans these meetups, Terry Breadon, is just a fantastic person. She is so knowledgeable and passionate about yoga and living a healthy lifestyle. I know that I will learn so much from her. Oh, and she brought me the biggest zucchinis I have ever seen in my life. I'll be eating those tomorrow!

I can't wait to see where my journey takes me. Life is good. :)

Recharged by Mother Nature

I just returned from vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with the family. It was so nice to be at the beach and relax. Just putting your feet in the sand and hearing and smelling the ocean was amazing. It's important to take a break, forget our worries and get back to nature. Spending time with our loved ones with no expectations really helps deepen our realtionships. I'm grateful that we had the opportunity to go away together this summer. I feel renewed and eager to move forward and try new things. I hope everyone, if possible, takes some time this year to just be with family and enjoy and love each other. Connect with nature and family, it's a powerful stress reliever.

Namaste,

Christy