A Simple Guide to Menu Planning

April 30, 2015 by Barbara Dolan Leave a Comment

I feel that it goes without saying that organization is the key to successful menu planning. Having a clean and well-organized kitchen will encourage you to spend time there and create beautiful dishes for yourself and for your family.

Balance is also important to planning a weekly menu.

Balance

the season
the weather
your health
your individual tastes
what is available to purchase
your cooking and working schedule
the dietary needs of your family.

I feel that this can be applied to any type of diet. I choose a Plant-based, Whole Foods diet that is gluten-free and vegan with mostly raw foods. That is what works best for us.Continue Reading

How to Detox The Easy Way

March 26, 2015 by Barbara Dolan 3 Comments

The calendar says that Spring is here.

Spring is a good time to do some detoxing to improve your health, boost your metabolism and help renew your energy.

“Why?” you ask.

Gently cleansing your body has the following benefits:

boost your metabolism
give your body a rest to allow it to repair itself
remove toxins and wastes from your body
improve your blood sugar levels

I know that there is a negative stigma attached to doing a cleanse or detoxing so I thought that I would make a few simple suggestions.Continue Reading

A High Vibrational Salad

March 6, 2015 by Barbara Dolan 2 Comments

Food has energy. Some food more than others. The more energy or Life Force that a food has, the more our body will absorb this energy and help us feel more vitality than before.

Read more about the concept of food and energy at The Tapping Choice where I wrote a guest post.

Foods that have a high vibration are:

Organic foods-develop very high vibrations. Pesticides have a very low life force energy.
Freshly picked ripe fruits and vegetables-learn to grow your own food
Sprouts-learn to make simple sprouts here-mung bean, alfalfa, radish, broccoli, clover
Edible flowers and weeds
Sea vegetables and algae
Plant sprouts-buckwheat, sunflower, pea shoots, wheatgrass

So I decided to prepare a salad that could help raise your vibration and leave you feeling energized. Ready?Continue Reading

My Relationship with Candida

September 25, 2014 by Barbara Dolan 4 Comments

My relationship with Candida began in University, many years ago. I felt tired all of the time, especially after eating. I found myself craving breads, sweets and fruits and having very little self-control when I tried not to eat those foods. Overall I felt foggy (I had difficulty concentrating), weak and sad; almost depressed. I decided that I needed to do something about it.

I had the good fortune that my parents had been to see a medical doctor who was open to healing through diet and other natural means and so they suggested that I see him.

Upon meeting him, he was very frank with me. He told me that from my symptoms and from a few other things that were visible to him (white spots on my fingernails, fungus on my toenails), that I had an overproduction of Candida. I had never heard of this before.Continue Reading

How to Food Combine for Optimum Digestion

September 11, 2014 by Barbara Dolan 2 Comments

Briefly, optimum digestion occurs when our body is able to easily break down the food we eat, extract the nutrients we need to live with vitality and eliminate the wastes efficiently.

For optimum digestion there are 2 very important rules.

1. Eat protein and starchy foods at separate meals.

Each combines best with green and non-starchy vegetables.
Best to eat only 1 protein or 1 starch per meal.

2. Eat fruits alone.

Fruits digest faster than other foods. If fruit is eaten with other foods, the fruit is held up in the stomach and then bacterial digestion starts to happen. Fermentation starts to happen and you will experience gas, bloating, indigestion, etc.

Asparagus Guacamole

July 1, 2014 by Barbara Dolan Leave a Comment

This dip is very simple to prepare and tastes delicious with crudités, flax crackers or corn chips.

An unexpected adventure for you to enjoy.

Ingredients:
Remember to choose organic ingredients as much as you can.

1 bunch asparagus (approx. 1lb), washed and chopped
3 cloves garlic (or to taste…more or less)
1 avocado
1 lemon or lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Procedure:

In a food processor, process the asparagus and avocado until the mixture is fairly smooth.
Add remaining ingredients and process to a smooth consistency or keep it chunky, whichever you prefer.
Refrigerate for about 15 minutes or so, before serving.

Adventurous Variations:
-Add 1/2 cup, minced, fresh basil
-Add 1/2 cup, minced, fresh dill
-Add 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe and join me on Facebook and Twitter.

Asparagus Guacamole

Author: Barbara Dolan

Recipe type: Dip

Cuisine: Vegan

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 1½ cups

Remember to choose organic ingredients as much as you can.

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus (approx. 1lb), washed and chopped
3 cloves garlic (or to taste...more or less)
1 avocado
1 lemon or lime, juiced
½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

In a food processor, process the asparagus and avocado until the mixture is fairly smooth.
Add remaining ingredients and process to a smooth consistency or keep the dip chunky whichever you prefer
Refrigerate for about 15 minutes or so, before serving.

5 Ways to Improve Your Brain Power

May 21, 2014 by Barbara Dolan Leave a Comment

After my recent concussion, I am now especially interested in my brain and giving it extra special care to bring it back to its normal, healthy state. Perhaps you have suffered a brain injury, or Alzheimers is a reality in your world or you feel your memory playing tricks on you or you just want to get through your exams with ease. I know that you will take something away from this information that will help you.

There are many ways to improve your brain power. You can do a lot of research and find a lot of information. I know. I have done a lot of research. For now, I will focus on your diet and things that you can easily add to take care of your noggin’.