| Wild Edibles and Natural Homemade Deodorant |
| Thursday, 09 July 2009 10:47 |
Vol. 3, Issue 57, July 13, 2009From the Desk of the Diva
I went on a mini vacation this week and it was fantastic to get out from behind my computer and spend time with real live people. There were 8 of us and we prepared all kinds of raw foods, chatted about our secret gardens and shared some wonderful times together. It inspired me to host more live events, workshops and potluck dinners. All this online community stuff is amazing, but sometimes I need real hugs and eye contact. If you've living in the Montreal area and would like to be notified about our upcoming events and potlucks, please visit our www.RawInMontreal.com site for more information! You can also add me as your friend on Facebook if you want to see a few of the pictures we took at the potluck we did at my house this weekend! Another person you'll see on my Facebook account is "MAC" (my new beau). He and I bought our first piece of property together this summer--a $10 community garden plot. This week we've been planting tomatoes, echinacea, raspberry bushes, chard, kale, cauliflower and herbs of all kinds! I love my little piece of country living in the city! This week's articles are brilliant!! Michelle and Jimmy did a smashing job on their contributions and it's a priviledge for me to share them with you. I feel seriously high class with contributions like these to our Health in High Heels newsletter. I know you're busy, but do yourself a favor. Take the time to read them. It's 10 times more gratifying than the evening news and calorie free. Enjoy this week's issue of Health In High Heels! It's a doozie!!
Love and cauliflower hugs, Tera In This Issue:Recipe of the Week: Simple Luncheon Salad by Doll Creelman Feature Article #1: Wild Summer Edibles: The Healthiest Foods are Free by Jimmy Gilker Feature Article #2: How to Make Your Own Natural Deodorant by Michelle Rankin Celebrating Success: A Few Inspiring Letters In Honor of Our Birthday Celebrations
It's Summer! Make a Splash!!
With fresh recipes for Juices and Cocktails!
Recipe of the Week: Simply SaladWho said meal time had to be complicated? Sometimes bringing it back to simplicity is just what the body needed. Here's a lunchtime favorite contributed by Doll Creelman.
Simple Luncheon Salad 4 cups romaine
K.I.S.S.Keep It Simple, Sunshine!
Get Gourmet Food using Fast Food Effort!
Stories That Inspire: If They Can Do It, You Can Too!!
By Divas With Courage to Change
I just got your email about the two year anniversary of The Raw Divas and wanted to wish you and everyone at the Raw Divas a very Happy Birthday! I also wanted to give you an update on how I was doing because I have you and Dr. Ritamarie to thank... Well, when I was part of the cozy coaching group, I couldn't figure out why I felt so cloudy and unmotivated all the time even when I was eating raw. I felt better but my thoughts were coudy and I just didn't feel "right". I couldn't understand why since I would read so many testimonials about people who felt so wonderful on the raw foods diet. One night, I went to a raw food demonstration and ate WAY too much, so the next day I decided to fast. During that time, I read what you and Dr. Ritamarie mentioned about staying away from gluten and thought I would give it a try. My body was also in agreement because it naturally didn't want the oats, manna bread, or other gluten foods I was eating anymore. Well... the result... a much more energetic and lighter feeling me!!! I never really believed that gluten could be what was making me feel so sluggish and unmotivated but ever since I stopped eating it, I can't believe what a difference it makes! I have so much more energy and I get so much accomplished in a day. I even started up some online nutrition courses that I had signed up for a couple of years ago. It truly is amazing and I just wanted to thank you for putting the message out there and bringing so many wonderful programs to everyone. :) Much love, Marisa Silverstein
Need a Bit More Support? |
For most of us, there is a little time lapse between discovering raw foods and quitting our job and moving to Costa Rica or California. In that gap, we become extremely aware of the impact of everything we either put in or on our body, and we do our best to make it all natural. Most people do indeed find balance between their new life and their old so hang tight if you aren't there yet, maybe this recipe will help. It was easy for me to switch to all natural makeup and I easily found alternatives for all my cosmetics, lotions and potions except one... my deodorant. It wasn't for lack of trying either. I tried nearly every natural line available and I resolved myself to some stink and using two products, perfectly timed in their application, to keep it a bay on good days. If I had to give a speech or put on an event, I pulled out my old standby because my old life wasn't yet in tune with my new life where a little stinking is allowed. That all changed when I did indeed quit my job but thankfully, it wasn't before discovering an alternative to body odor, right in my own kitchen.
Ok, the super simple recipe: Get out a little container. Mix in equal parts (I use about 1/3 cup each) cornstarch, baking soda, and coconut oil. Drop in two drops essential oil. Let it sit outside in the sun, on your heater, or melt it on the stove (gasp) by placing the container in a little hot water.
I've used this for many months and it really, really works. It seems to take a couple weeks for your body to adjust to using it, but I highly recommend you give it a try. Plus, if you didn't feel a bit anarchist with your diet already, making your own edible deodorant should put you right over the top with both your mother-in-law and your friends.
Lamb's Quarters is an incredible green leaf vegetable that Loves to grow from the base of fences in little laneways, usually more prolifically so on the Sunny side. It has a wonderfully salty taste that is NOT bitter. Fresh in a salad it's dynamite. By mid-June it's in full swing and lasts that way until well into September when the plants begin to seed. The seeds can be eaten raw and have a great spicy flavour, or they can be boiled for making a breakfast gruel or ground into flour. This plant just Loves to give. Given the right conditions this generous bush can grow up to two meters tall – spilling out into all directions. (Someday it will be illegal to cut this plant down). Lamb's-quarters is very high in vitamin A, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus and is also a good source of protein, trace minerals, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, iron, and fiber. (And it tastes great, too!).
A great salad companion to the above mentioned is Wood Sorrel. What's so amazing is that this little Gem can often be found sprawling about on the ground right around the base of Lamb's Quarters. Isn't that convenient? She's so wonderful! Wood Sorrel boasts a delicate lemony flavour, capable of giving any salad an original twist. As an added bonus, this plant can more than likely be found right in your own flower bed, box or outdoor potted plants. (Its seeds usually come downloaded for free in most bags of potting soil. Lamb's Quarters, too! So you don't have to go far. But 
Let's move on to one of the most power-packed foods Mother Nature has to offer. Dandelion! Yes, the scourge of many a Lawn Lover, is actually a True Gift. Often thought of as a bitter horror, dandelion can be quite palatable when the leaves are picked young. I'm told the flower buds pickled are great, too. Baked and ground, the roots will deliver an interesting coffee. And if you're into juicing, even more mature leaves can be used. Combining four to six dandelion leaves with celery, cucumber and an apple makes a splendid juice, chalk-full of nutrients. Dandelion is a proven diuretic and revered liver cleanser.
The great thing about these wild foods is that you know how fresh they are because you picked them. No more wondering about how long they've been sitting in cold-storage or on the side of the highway. You can even stand there and eat them straight away. It's a total blast. I literally do this regularly throughout the Summer in Montreal.
Plantain, is about as common as grass and clover, and can be used in salads, too. But just make sure to use the young tender leaves, as the older ones can be quite stringy. Much has been written of the healing virtues of Plantain and a wealth of information can be found at 
In only slightly more wild areas and later in the Summer, the velvety red fruit clusters of the Red Sumac shrubs can be used to make the most fantastic 'pink lemonade'. Gather entire fruit clusters then rub gently to bruise the berries. Soak them in cold water for 15 minutes then strain the water through cheese cloth and chill. Sweeten with Agave nectar or maple syrup and voila, you have a perfect summer drink. It really is good and it's that easy!
City green spaces are amongst the many great places for finding all the different varieties of clover. They are rich sources of protein and can quickly turn any salad into a visual splendour. The fun just never ends! (Just get there before the lawn mowers do!) Red clover also contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, chromium, potassium, and vitamins such as niacin, thiamine and vitamin C.
I really believe that foraging for wild food, even if we are walking along a concrete sidewalk to get there, truly connects us to the energy of the planet or at the very least, heightens our awareness of our home, The Earth. The Earth is warm, giving and vibrantly alive and these qualities are passed unto us to a greater and greater extent the more we engage in a close and caring relationship with Her. The environmental impact of eating wild foods can be profound. Every little bit counts. I'd just like to write that again – every little bit counts. Consider how much of the fresh produce that we in Canada purchase daily, is actually coming all the way from California in a truck and is packaged in plastic. We can collect wild food on foot and it requires no packaging. When you're finished there's nothing left. That's it, that's all! If those who feel the slightest want decide to take a stroll next Saturday morning down the back lanes behind their homes, they will definitely come home with some interesting goodies for lunch. You might even come back with a whole salad and some herbs for a soup. (Just the other day I came across a substantial amount of Wild Garlic Mustard in the forest on Mont Royal in Montreal. I didn't even know that garlic mustard existed until I bit into it. And I've since been back for more). Now that's seriously delicious stuff. You can go a long way with that!!