Taisman for Fertility

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Talisman for Fertility
March 15th, 2008
Color of the day: Blue
Incense of the day: Patchouli
This day is famous as the Ides of March; however, it’s also the date of an important Japanese fertility festival. Tap in to the energy of the day by casting a spell for fertility or abundance. This could be used to increase fertility, a personal goal, career advancement, or garden bounty. Place a smooth oval rock upon your altar. With paint or permanent marker, draw the shape of an egg. Around the egg shape draw flames to represent the Sun. Breathe onto the rock and say, “With stone, egg and Sun this spell for abundance has begun.” You’ve just made what is known as a talisman. Hold the rock and imbue it with your personal power. Keep it hidden until you need to invoke its power again. For a future spell, use your talisman as the centerpiece for a fertility or prosperity charm.By: James Kambos

Sensational Cinnamon

By Leo Galland M.D. and Jonathan Galland
You loved cinnamon as a kid, and you were right. Naturally sweet and delightfully aromatic, cinnamon is a wonderful power food just waiting for you in the spice rack. Mulled apple cider simmering on your stove with a stick of cinnamon is the ultimate aromatherapy for your home. And as we will show, cinnamon is tough enough to go it alone, without added sugar, calories or fat.
Yes, this amazing spice can add delicious flavor and amazing health benefits when sprinkled on your favorite dishes, or on new creations. Turn an ordinary dish or drink into the ultimate healthy comfort food. Soon you will be falling in love with cinnamon all over again.
Health Benefits~Powdered cinnamon, about a half teaspoon a day, may help prevent diabetes or reduce blood sugar in adults who have diabetes. One study found that cinnamon helped reduce levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes. With these potential benefits, its no wonder cinnamon is a hot topic in health news.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: Do something good for yourself and enjoy cinnamon sprinkled on healthy dishes any time of day.
Breakfast~Have a little cinnamon with your oatmeal, granola or cereal in the morning.
Snacktime~Try this apples and cinnamon snack—it tastes like apple pie without the crust! Place some apple slices into a small bowl, and shower them with cinnamon. Add a few walnuts, and you've got a delicious treat with pectin fiber and healthy omega-3 fats.
Dinner and Dessert~For the adventurous cook, a dash of cinnamon works beautifully with vegetarian spiced dishes such as curries or masalas. For dessert, how about a baked apple with cinnamon? The amazing aroma of cinnamon baking in the oven fills the whole house with an incredible aroma. Simply remove the core from the apples, shower with cinnamon and a little fruit juice concentrate and place in the oven. For a dessert without added sugar or fat, this is a delicious solution!
Coffee or Tea Time~You might sprinkle cinnamon on that latte or cappuccino when you are out, so why not do the same when you have coffee with milk at home? You can even use cinnamon to create your own homemade chai tea, which has gotten so trendy. To help you get started with chai, we are happy to share with you a favorite recipe from our book The Fat Resistance Diet.
Our recipe for Slim Chai Tea combines green tea with cinnamon and two other aromatic spices: Cardamom and cloves. In experimental studies, cinnamon and cardamom were found to enhance detoxification by the liver. Cloves have potent anti-inflammatory effects. Together they make this a natural health-enhancing drink with no calories. Enjoy!
SLIM CHAI TEA
2 green tea bags
10 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
3 cups water
Place tea bags and cloves into hot water and let steep for 3 minutes. Remove the tea bags and cloves. Add cinnamon and cardamom and mix well.
Makes 3 servings.
To receive a free one-day meal plan with recipes and special offer, Fatresistancediet.com.
Director of The Foundation For Integrated Medicine, Leo Galland M.D. is an award-winning lecturer and author of more than 30 scientific articles and three popular books, The Fat Resistance Diet, Power Healing, and Superimmunity for Kids. Jonathan Galland is a health writer who is frequently interviewed as a weight loss and health expert on the radio. Their book, The Fat Resistance Diet has been featured on the cover of Fitness, Glamour, and in The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, and has been translated into Italian as La Dieta Galland and into Japanese as Dr. Galland's Metabolic Diet.
This article is provided for general educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice or counseling, the practice of medicine or the provision of health care diagnosis or treatment, the creation of a physician-patient relationship, or an endorsement, recommendation, or sponsorship of any third party product or service. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your doctor promptly.

Feng Shui of Abundance: Feed the Birds, Feed the Earth

By Betsy Stang, Healing By Design.
In the roots of feng shui, there is a teaching: "If you want abundance feed the Earth, feed the birds." Birds are a symbol of wealth, strong chi, harmony and joy. They only come where there is food, life, and where there is enough to share.
Outside my late-winter window, the turkeys parade. The males are territorial, trying to impress a mate. The jays, cardinals, crows, squirrels and snowbirds feast on the grains by the rock. Near a statue of St. Francis and by a carved mantra of compassion, they all mingle with little fear.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: The sky signals spring yet in many places the Earth is gripped by winter, water and wind. The currents stir calling for awakening and movement. The chi moves as the suns changing electromagnetic currents pass over the Earth.
Spring relates to the direction of the East, new beginnings, new life. It relates to sunrise, rebirth. As we approach spring, we must encounter the birth canal, shed what is old.
To the two-legged, four-legged and winged ones it is a signal to prepare to move forward. The hummingbirds start their startling navigation from South America to their North American nesting grounds. Around the world, the herds and flocks feel the changes and prepare to move, coming together in massive numbers. As spring approaches, we prepare to step out, move forward.
Is there space for the winds of change to blow gently? Look at your homes, your communities. Are there areas of stagnation that need to be moved?
Have you nurtured your environment, fed the Earth, fed the birds? Have you given back as much as you have taken? We are part of the cycle of life and if we want our prosperity nurtured, we must feed and honor what sustains us.
We have learned that a disturbance in the honey bee population can affect our entire food supply. In Norway, a doomsday seed bank has been set up in the permafrost. In Feng Shui, we want to repel "Sha," or evil influences. So we replace them with good aspects. If we give out kindness, most likely we will live in a kinder environment. It is no secret that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet expressed enormous joy at the gift of being able to give away vast fortunes to help heal the world. Ask them what true wealth is.
They know what they had to give. As we turn towards the East, we find in ourselves that which is new. In truth we all have riches to share to bring in positive, abundant chi, sometimes though very small acts.
Can we take our small corners of the world and make them refuges for life? As we come to the equinoxes we come to a place of possible balance. Change brings the opportunity of the new.
It is the time to apply our values, to plant them in our homes and our communities. Is your home a place that feeds the Earth, feeds the birds? Look around you, see if you are nurturing the environment. Are you adding toxins to the waters or air?
If you live in a city, what is your community doing to reduce pollution, add green spaces and renewal resources? What are other ways we can bring nurturing? Can you help with your time, your voice, your resources? If yes, that will come back to you a thousand fold.
With each step, you become your own feng shui master, by noticing what needs to be moved to allow the wind and water to flow and nourish all.

Homemade Natural Easter Egg Dyes

By Melissa Breyer, Senior Producer, Care2 Green Living
The year the Easter Bunny brought my kids only organic yogurt-covered raisins didn't go over so well, but at least my daughters are gung-ho for dying Easter eggs with homemade, plant-based dyes. We rummage and smoosh and boil, and they are amazed and delighted by the colors we can come up with. They have fun, and I am relieved to be free of synthetic food dyes.
Certified food dyes approved by the FDA include colors synthesized from petroleum derivatives and even coal tar. While other food dyes based on natural ingredients come from things you may not care to ingest: Have you heard about carminic acid? It is a commonly used red food coloring, which comes from the dried, crushed bodies of pregnant female scale insects called cochineal. Yum.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: By using plant-based dyes for coloring Easter eggs, not only do you know exactly what you're getting (hold the insects, thanks) but the colors are far lovelier than their synthetic counterparts. They are muted yet vibrant, and knowing their source is gratifying on a deeper aesthetic level. Children seem to find that mashing food is also much more fun that simply dropping a tablet in a cup. As well, it is a great lesson in exploration—kids get to experiment with which plant materials work in which way, and can get creative with items in the refrigerator or pantry.
Some of these materials work best when they are boiled with the eggs (they will be noted below), and some work well made ahead and used by dipping or soaking the eggs. If you are using juice, just use it straight. Bulky materials will be boiled with the eggs or boiled and allowed to cool for dipping. The longer you let the eggs soak, the more intense the color will be (for the boiled versions, you can remove them from the heat and allow to cool in the dye bath).
You can use your favorite egg-dying tricks here as well: Like crayons for a batik effect or rubber bands for a tie-dye effect. If you like a glossy egg, you can rub the dyed eggs with vegetable oil when they are dry.
RedRed onion skins, use a lot (boil with eggs)Pomegranate juice
OrangeYellow onion skins (boil with eggs)
YellowLemon or orange peel (boil with eggs)Carrot tops (boil with eggs)Celery seed (boil with eggs)Ground cumin (boil with eggs)Ground turmeric (boil with eggs)
Yellow BrownDill seeds (boil with eggs)
BrownStrong coffeeInstant coffeeBlack walnut shells (boil with eggs)
Yellow GreenBright green apple peels (boil with eggs)
GreenSpinach leaves (boil with eggs)
BlueCanned blueberries and their juiceRed cabbage leaves (boil with eggs)Purple grape juice
Violet BlueViolet blossomsRed onion skins, less amount than you need to make red (boil with eggs)
LavenderDiluted purple grape juiceViolet blossoms plus squeeze of lemon (boil with eggs)
PinkBeets, fresh or cannedCranberries or cranberry juiceRaspberriesRed grape juice

Clementine Cake

Inspired by How to Eat by Nigella Lawson (Wiley, 2002).
This may be the world's easiest cake to make—and one that never fails to elicit oohs, ahs, and recipe requests. It's a moist and luscious dessert, bursting with bright citrus. This darling Clementine cake uses a mere five ingredients, and its lack of flour makes it a perfect treat for the gluten-wary.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: Not only is this cake supreme in its simplicity, it keeps well and in fact tastes even better the next day. Serve it alone, or top it with crème fraiche or whipped cream.
1 pound clementines (about 4 or 5)
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Sucanat (read more about natural sweeteners)
2 1/3 cups ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
Use organic clementines if they are available to you. Scrub the clementines well and place in a pot with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for two hours.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Drain water off and when clementines are cool enough to handle, cut each one in half and remove the seeds.
Put the Clementine halves (skin and all!) in a food processor and briefly pulse, then add remaining ingredients and pulse to a pulp.
Butter an 8-inch springform pan and pour mixture in. It is a very wet batter.
After 40 minutes, cover with foil to prevent top from burning. Cake is done after about an hour total, or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Once cool, remove from pan. It can be served immediately, but improves after one day.

Yuletide Jewel Cake & Other Holiday Classics

Inspired by Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison (Broadway Books, 1997).
Just place some colorful dried fruit in a skillet with butter and sugar, spread a tender buttermilk-cake batter over the top, pop it all in the oven and voila! Garnished with orange-flavored whipped cream and garnet-like pomegranate seeds, this fragrant, beautiful Jewel Cake inspired by our Chef of the Month could become a Yuletide favorite at your house.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: Or if you're looking for a classic holiday dessert, we have the recipes right here, including a melt-in-your-mouth Plum Pudding, a luscious Mince Pie, a Candied Tuscan Fruitcake that will change the way you feel about that much-maligned dessert forever, and a lighter—but no less flavorful—version of Apple Tart made with honey. This way to both the Jewel Cake and the classic recipes:
JEWEL CAKE
The Fruit
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup dried apricots
1/3 cup dried prunes
2 tablespoons dark raisins
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
The Batter
1 cup cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
The Garnish
One pomegranate
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoons orange flower water
Whipped cream flavored with 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1. For the fruit: Use a 10-inch cast-iron pan. Heat it over medium heat, melt the butter in it, and then stir in the sugar, cooking until it is dissolved. Remove pan from heat.
2. Cut a few of the dried apricots in quarters and leave the rest whole. Place all dried fruits in a saucepan, add water to cover, and simmer about 15 minutes, or until softened. Drain, and gently squeeze out the moisture. Arrange fruits evenly over the bottom of the pan.
3. For the batter: Preheat oven to 375F. Mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Add flavorings, then beat in eggs one at a time until mixture is smooth. Scrape down the bowl, stirring again to incorporate any butter bits. Stir in buttermilk. Add dry ingredients, one third at a time, to the butter mixture, scraping up the batter from the bottom of the bowl to mix well. Spread batter smoothly over fruit in pan.
4. Bake about 35 minutes in center of oven, until cake is springy to the touch and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then invert onto a cake plate.
5. For the garnish: Cut pomegranate in quarters and remove seeds, placing them in a bowl. Sprinkle seeds with sugar and orange flower water. Refrigerate. Whip the cream, sweeten to taste, and add the orange zest. Serve the cake warm with the chilled pomegranate seed and whipped cream.
And here are the recipes for these classic holiday favorites:
Yuletide Plum Pudding
Holiday Mince Pie
Tuscan Candied Fruitcake
Honey and Apple Tart

Cheese Balls - 3 Ways

Yes, we said cheese balls. But wait! We're not talking about those bright orange, cheesy processed cheese balls of the past. These simple recipes turn out elegant globes of cheese that redo retro with a modern spin. Read on for how to make three types of cheese balls using the same easy base recipe: Blue cheese and walnut with sliced pears, white cheddar and horseradish with sliced cucumbers, and feta with fig and honey.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: These are perfect for entertaining because they are quick and can be made three days ahead and refrigerated, or they can keep for a month in the freezer. One base recipe will make three balls—you can make all three of the same variation or make one of each.
Base Recipe1/2 stick unsalted organic butter, softened

3 packages organic cream cheese (8 ounces each)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Hot sauce to taste

Salt to taste
Combine all ingredients with a mixer and divide into three balls.
Blue Cheese and Walnut with Sliced Pears

To one third of the base recipe, stir in 5 ounces blue cheese and form into a ball. Roll in 3/4 cup toasted walnuts before serving. Serve with sliced pears, or this is also delicious with beet or apple chips if you can get them.
White Cheddar and Horseradish with Sliced Cucumbers

To one third of the base recipe, stir in 8 ounces grated white cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoons horseradish. Roll in grated white cheddar cheese and chopped scallions before serving. Serve with sliced cucumber.
Feta, Fig and Honey

To one third of the base recipe, stir in 6 ounces feta cheese and 4 coursely chopped dried figs. Before serving, drizzle with honey and garnish with chopped fresh mint. Serve with sliced whole wheat baguette or crackers.