One of the things that I absolutely love about being a living superfoodist, is that I have access to all sorts of amazing healing mylks. I know, I know, I think the spelling is a tad annoying. Why couldn’t they have said something like, silk milk? Sounds so much more extravagant.

Anyways…

I remember when, back in the olden days, (ok well, a year ago), I used to drink factory farmed milk, and quite honestly, it was starting to gross me out, never tasted fresh. When I was a kid, sign me up, I loved milk. Mom used to buy a gallon a day for us munchkins, it was pretty amazing looking back. But as an adult the taste was just off. Does anyone remember getting those plastic jugs and just wanting to gag because it tasted sour? Good times. So I started buying milk that was organic, and there was an improvement, but not much. It was really hit and miss.

Fast forward to a year ago. Starting raw, I didn’t miss milk per se, and was actually glad to be off of the stuff, but still, you know a guy’s gotta drink something! I started going to Whole Foods and buying those little square boxes of almond mylk. Pretty tasty. Then I tried the boxes of hemp mylk. Kind of tasted like regular milk does, after cheerios have been sitting in it.

Well in my desire to be 100 percent raw, I started watching youtube. I found recipes for making almond milk. I can’t tell you how amazed I was at this process!

Soon, I had some almonds soaking and put them in the blender with a pinch of salt, a vanilla bean and some dates. Not bad. Not great, but not bad either.

I now am happy to report that I skip the dates all together. My taste buds are very sensitive to sweet now, so I require less. As a result my recipe for almond milk is quite simple. I take one cup of almonds, soak overnight and drain. I put the soaked almonds in my Vitamix blender with one cup of water, 1 vanilla bean and the salt and a squirt of agave syrup. Blend for 30 seconds. Then I add 3 more cups of water. The reason I do it this way is to compltely pulverize the almonds. Then I just strain it to keep the pulp out. I then take it and put it in the freezer to get it ice cold or I store it in the fridge.

Last night I ventured into unknown territory. I made hemp mylk. Same recipe, but you don’t have to soak the seeds because the shells have been removed. It was pretty good. Then today I was even more daring and made pumpkin seed mylk! OH MY! I love this! Move over almond mylk! So that’s it in a nutshell. Badoombah. Nut mylk….it does a body great. Actually now that I think about it, it’s actually seed mylk! OH BTW make sure this concoction is ice cold! Tastes even better!

Here is some nutritional info on pumpkin seeds, quoted from naturalchoiceforwomen.com

Fair Use Applies:

“Q: I hear you’ve been extolling the health benefits of eating pumpkin seeds. What can they do for me?

A: Pumpkin seeds pack a lot of punch when it comes to nutrition. Those small flat green seeds offer you a wide range of potential health benefits that include improved immunity, reduced cholesterol, and a lot more.

Pumpkin seeds are convenient to add to your salads or trail mix, and they’re usually available at your grocery or health food store. One cup gives you 747 calories and 33.87 grams of protein. Believe it or not, pumpkin seeds also provide you with a wonderful alternative to milk. Who would think that such green-colored seeds, when blended with only water, would produce a drink almost as white as any milk? But before I tell you my secret recipe for delicious pumpkin seed milk, let me give you a rundown on a few of the potential benefits of adding pumpkin seeds to your diet:

- A study published in the British Journal of Urology in 1990 found that curbicin, a chemical substance found in pumpkin seeds, can significantly improve the symptoms associated with prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH).

- Pumpkin seeds contain magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, iron, copper, and zinc. Zinc is important in preventing BPH, bolstering immunity, and keeping bones strong.

- A study published in the British Journal of Cancer in 1994 concluded that supplementation with alpha-linolenic acid - an essential fat, abundant in pumpkin seeds, with potential beneficial effects on breast tissue - may delay or prevent the development of metastasis in breast cancer patients.

- Pumpkin seeds contain phytosterols, which can enhance immunity and decrease cholesterol.

- Pumpkin seeds have potential anti-inflammatory effects that may ease symptoms of arthritis, according to an animal study published in Pharmacological Research in 1995. The researchers found that pumpkin seed oil was as effective as the anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin.
- According to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1987, the profusion of phosphorous in pumpkin seeds may help prevent kidney stones.

- Pumpkin seeds contain the amino acid L-tryptophan - the precursor to serotonin, an important neurotransmitter.

Okay, here’s what you’ve been waiting for - my secret pumpkin seed milk recipe: put one cup of pumpkin seeds into a blender, add five cups of water, blend on high for one minute, strain, and add one-quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract and a few drops of Stevia or (optional) one tablespoon of agave syrup, honey or maple syrup. Enjoy!”

Kindof a more introspective, mellow video. Keeping it real. I made a vid last night, but wasn’t that happy with it. So here is take 2. It’s funny…I was all ready to discuss different foods that I’ve tried on my workouts, but the song Imagine, just had other ideas for me.

Hope you all are well…

Sam

Ennui means general boredom. Old English I believe.

Well I just got elected by the Garden Association to be a board member, overseeing 100 gardeners. Life is good. So no ennui for me.

Secondly, I was elected or volunteered rather for the position of Charity Garden Coordinator, which is an 8 or 10 plot that produces approximately 5 to 6 thousand pounds of food annually for the local charity food bank. I kinda get dizzy when I think about that one. Time management is the key however. I know I can do it, and do a great job. I have some really great ideas for it too.

So I’m kinda feeling great about everything and kindof overwhelmed!! Overall this will be great! I’m really excited about it!

I now sign off with a new R&B artist named Taio Cruz. Good stuff!

Monday 10 Miles
Tuesday 10 Miles
Wednesday OFF
Thursday 20 Miles
Friday 10 Miles
Saturday ?
Sunday ?

Holy, did I just say 20 miles on the bike…outside? Well, I’m not yet up to the Lance Armstrong level of training, as in 300 miles a week, but it looks like I’ll get maybe 80 to 100? Whazzahoozit? Where is Sam and what did you do with him? This raw recovery is amazing. Absolutely amazing.

Anyways, for your Friday night enjoyment and weekend for that matter, I present to you one of the cutest little stinkers to grace the planet: Cleopatra Stratan

Does anyone else think it’s the most adorable thing when you hear kids speak foreign languages? ACK CUTE ATTACK! (thanks for the link multi!)

and even cuter? Foreign kids speaking english with accents!

I was warned this would happen. And wouldn’t you know it, it actually did. I was warned that when I began eating raw, that as you eat more consciously, your become more conscious, or more aware. No longer is a quart of milk, a quart of milk, but the representation of cows who rarely see the sun. That bacon, comes from pigs, who aren’t allowed to move much, their entire lives. The flavor of things, becomes meaningless.

So as I began to eat food that was full of life and growth, with living vitamins, spinning in the cellular water, I began to notice that it not only affected my physical status, but to some degree my spirituality, personality, emotions, and relationships. Let me say here, eating healthy is not an end into itself. I do believe however it offers us a great leap up as human beings to fulfill our dreams and find our true selves. So far it seems like an amazing tool, that adapts itself to other areas in one’s life.

So here is what has been happening lately in the realm of being conscious. It starts out with a confession. I occasionally watch “What Not to Wear” with hosts, Stacey and Clinton. Usually Saturday night thing that HiHoRosie and I do. I love that show because they have such great talent especially at being able to transform people who were just kindof blah, not only in their clothing, but their personality so to speak.. I believe that it is not the clothes that help the person to feel happy, but the validation they receive. (Let’s face it, 15 years from now we are going to snicker at the clothes Stacey and Clinton were getting those people all gussied up in.) So this show in my opinion is about raising consciousness of our own inherent value as human beings.

It’s interesting to me that clothes for me now, being just a bit more aware, are more than something that looks good, but something that feels good on all levels. Maybe that’s why I am having such a hard time re-doing my wardrobe. Trust me, I need to, I’ve gone to Goodwill, about 3 times now! But I just can’t go out and get the same-o blue jeans, the same-o henleys, button downs etc, makes me want to go bleh. But why?

Consciousness.

I have come to find out that maybe the reason for my disdain for regular clothes goes beyond just fashion. I mean, clothes today are ok. Maybe it has something to do with where those clothes are being manufactured and by whom. Think internal immigration in China. What internal immigration means is that, the Chinese often recruit poor farmers with the hopes of a better job and pull them from their families, making them sit behind sewing machines for nice short 15 hour shifts.

So seeing how I am aware of this, it makes it difficult for me to pull something off the shelf that says “Made in China” because I think it’s just unfair on so many levels.

And is anyone tired of blue jeans? It’s the curse of our age. Almost like looking at an old silver photograph from the 1800’s when everyone couldn’t stop wearing black. BLEH!

Luckily, I have discovered a great site called rawganique.com which specializes in organic hemp and flax clothing. I am so there. These aren’t ponchos either. They’re green, eco-friendly and made by people who get paid for their work.

The goal then, once you do become conscious not only our food sources, but clothing sources etc, you can begin to make your world, your small universe, a Heaven on Earth.