Archives for February 2015

Why Natural Toothpaste and Mouthwash is a Smart Choice

February 13, 2015 By Liz Pilotto

Currently the average consumer gets bombarded with toxins they may not be aware of. Some of these toxins are those in the toothpaste and mouthwash that we use everyday. We even let our children ingest these poisons. How much is too much? If someone asked you to put a drop of antifreeze on your tongue, would you?

Here is a list of toxic ingredients that is found in toothpaste and mouthwash:

*polyethylene – a common plastic. It does not dissolve and dental hygienist’s are finding them in the gum line.
*fluoride – highly toxic thought to prevent tooth decay. Can cause teeth to discolor and crumble. Excessive fluoride has been shown to damage the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
*artificial coloring – can cause flare-ups of allergies. Many colorings have been shown to cause cancer when ingested or applied to the skin. Contributes to the hyperactivity in children. May suffer from hives, runny, stuffy nose or breathing difficulties.
*artificial sweetener – scientists are concerned that these sweeteners may alter brain function and behavioral changes. Aspartame could cause neurological damage in children and pass from pregnant mother to unborn child affecting brain development. Implicated in diseases such as MS and Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
*polyethylene glycol – the active ingredient in anti-freeze. PG has systemic consequences such as brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities.
*sodium laurel sulfate – the American College of Toxicology states this substance can cause malformation in children’s eyes and may be damaging to the immune system, especially within the skin.

Is that enough information to at least clean up your mouth?

A pure, natural, yummy, non-toxic approach can be achieved with the Thieves Dental line of products:
KidScents – Slique
Dentarome Plus Toothpaste
Thieves Aroma Bright Toothpaste
Thieves Dentarom Ulta Toothpaste
Thieves Dental Floss
Thieves Fresh Essence Mouthwash

I oil-pull every morning. This is so valuable not only to healthy teeth and gums but also for pulling toxins out of the entire body. My blog, Sanodivita, has everything you need to know about oil-pulling.

Another way to make sure it’s pure is making your own toothpaste.
I purchased a glass jar from Whole Foods.
In my small cuisinart I combined:
*1 cup organic coconut oil
*1/2 cup baking soda
*1/2 tsp. or a few drops stevia
*15 drops Young Living Peppermint Essential Oil
*15 drops Young Living Spearmint Essential Oil
*15 drops Young Living Orange Essential Oil (to whiten teeth)
Add more or less of the oils or any essential oils that you prefer.
Children may enjoy the citrus essential oils.
Of course Thieves is an excellent choice for achieving excellent dental health.
Wintergreen is another minty flavor.

Mouthwash can be made simply by adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil to a couple ounces of distilled water. This can be swished around in the mouth and even swallowed as you would with the thieves mouthwash.

…and of course a Doggie Toothpaste Recipe from K9instinct.com:
* 1 cup unrefined
* 1/2 tsp. turmeric
* 1/2 tsp. kelp
* 1/8 tbs. dried parsley flakes
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend well. Keep in refrigerator.
Brush the teeth with a soft bristle toothbrush or (if you dare) your finger.
Warm up the toothpaste before you brush. NO MICROWAVE!

ref.: Living Balanced by Stacy A. Kimberly
dentalbuzz.com
Health Sciences Institute

CARROT CAKE BARS

February 13, 2015 By Liz Pilotto

Ingredients

2 cups organic Almond Flour (Terrasoul. Terrasoul.com or Amazon)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. cinnamon
1 vanilla bean
1 1/2 cups ground carrots
4 oz. applesauce
4 eggs
2/3 cups organic vegan butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 1/2 tsp. stevia
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 teaspoon Simply Organic cinnamon
1 teaspoon Simply Organic lemon flavor

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8×8 square pan.

Sift all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer until creamy and light yellow. Add the vegan butter, applesauce, stevia, lemon and cinnamon and coconut sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time, so it mixes thoroughly. Place batter in the 8×8 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

CREATING THE PERFECT YOGA PRACTICE or A PERFECT MORNING RITUAL5

February 11, 2015 By Liz Pilotto

*Put yourself in a happy joyous mood. Get your favorite essential oil diffuser going with some Young Living Joy, Bergamot, and Orange essential oils. Produce magnetic energy bringing joy to the heart, mind, and soul with a few drops of Joy essential oil in the diffuser. Add Bergamot essential oil to release anxiety and become uplifted. Boost your immunity and relax with Orange essential oil.

*In order to boost your energy and keep your endurance up during practice and during the day do a couple of ounces of the super anti-oxidant drink, NingXia Red.

*Rub down all your major muscle groups with some drops of Young Living Cypress which you have added to a carrier oil. This will help relax all those muscles for an even more effective practice. Cypress will also help ground you, calm you, and soothe any anger you may be holding.

*Put a drop of Young Living Lavender oil under your nose to help keep your balance steady. This will especially be helpful during any balance poses. Lavender not only is balancing physically it is also emotionally balancing. It is documented to improve concentration and mental acuity. It will calm and relax.

*Find the physical and mental strength you need for the perfect practice with a few drops of Frankincense on your chest and neck. This will also increase spiritual awareness, promote meditation, and uplift your spirits. Take it to the next level!

*Keep focused and help attention performance with some Young Living Peppermint on the back of your neck. This will not only open your sinuses but it may purify and stimulate the conscious mind.

*Before you begin, balance your energy with Young Living Valor essential oil.
Put a few drops in the palm of each hand. To release the energy in the oil, take your index finger and circle your finger clockwise, stirring the oil in the palm of your hand three times. Now, take each hand and hold on to the bottom of each foot. You will be holding left hand to left foot and right hand to right foot. Hold each hand in the arch of each foot. This will take no more than five minutes to balance. You usually will feel a pulse sensation when it is balanced.

*Keep the lavender close at hand to apply another drop under your nose if you do the alternate nose breathing exercise, Nadi Shodhana.

Ref. Essential Oils pocket reference

APPLE-FENNEL SAUCE

February 2, 2015 By Liz Pilotto

Ingredients

4 apples, peeled and cut into thin slices
2 cups chopped fennel
1 lemon, juiced
1/8 cup agave
3 dates, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic lemon flavor
1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic maple flavor
2 peeled and cubed oranges
1 teaspoon Simply Organic Cinnamon
1/2 – 1 tsp. stevia

Directions

*Put the apples, fennel, dates, oranges in a baking dish.
*In a measuring cup, measure the agave.
*Add to the agave the juiced lemon, lemon and orange flavors, cinnamon and stevia.
*Pour the mixture over the apples and fennel. Mix well. Cover to bake.
*Bake in 350 degree pre-heated oven for 30 min.
*Blend in vita-mix or blender after cooking time is finished.

VEGGIE POT PIE

February 1, 2015 By Liz Pilotto

Make ahead or even the previous day if need be.

Quinoa Nut Crust Ingredients

2 cups cooked organic quinoa
1 organic egg or 1 organic flax egg
1/4 cup organic golden flax meal
1/2 cup finely organic ground walnuts
1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic oregano
Black Pepper to taste

Beat the egg. Add the black pepper and oregano to the egg and mix.
Mix together the flax meal, walnuts, quinoa.
Using spray oil pat firmly and evenly on the bottom and sides of a pie pan.
Pre-cook in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes
Set aside.

Celery Root Topping

2 medium size organic celery root

3 tablespoons organic vegan butter (Nutiva. Thrive Market or Amazon)

1/4 cup organic nutritional yeast

*Pre-cook and prepare the celery root topping.
2 celery roots, washed, peeled and cubed into 1″ pieces
*Place the celery root in a large pot and cover them with water. Bring to boil, lowering flame, so it doesn’t boil over and cooking until tender. (Just like mash potatoes)

*Put celery root in a food processor or vita-mix with the vegan butter, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to taste and blend until smooth. You may have to add a touch of almond milk. Be careful not to add too much and make the celery root soupy. Set aside.

Filling

1 organic egg or flax egg
2 cups Kite Hill Almond Ricotta
3 cups cubed organic baby portabella mushrooms
1/2 cup diced organic carrots
2 cups fresh lightly sautéed organic spinach
1 caramelized organic onion
2 chopped organic cloves of garlic
1/4 cup organic olive oil
1 teaspoon Simply Organic Italian Seasoning
1 tablespoon organic lemon juice

Prepare the spinach. Spray oil the pan and sauté the spinach lightly. Eliminate any water. Season with salt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. You will need 2 cups. Set aside.

Put the 1/4 cup olive oil in a sautée pan. Heat the oil and add the onion. Allow it to cook very slow, on low until caramelized. Add the portabella mushrooms, carrots and garlic and sauté a few minutes.

In a separate bowl beat the egg.
Add the almond ricotta to the egg and mix well.
To the almond ricotta mixture add the portabella mushrooms, carrots, onion and garlic. Mix together.

Get the pie pan with the quinoa crust.

Pour the portabella-almond ricotta mixture into the pie pan on top of the quinoa crust.
Layer the sautéed spinach on top of the mushroom mixture.
Pipe the celery root mash on top of the entire pie. (I cut the very tip, corner off a zip lock bag to pipe the dollops on the pie.)

Bake 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH and ALMOND RICOTTA CHEESE GNOCCHI

February 1, 2015 By Liz Pilotto

Ingredients

2 cups firmly packed, 1/2 inch cubed, cooked butternut squash. (Cook the squash leaving it firm enough to cube so it has less water.)
1 1/2 cups Kite Hill almond ricotta
1 egg or one flax egg
2 tbs. dried chives
Black Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
3 cups organic gluten free flour (Namaste. Amazon)

Instructions

Place butternut squash, ricotta, egg, chives, salt and pepper in a food processor or vita-mix and blend until smooth.
Place the mixture into a mixing bowl.
Add 1/4 cup golden flax meal. Fold into the squash mixture.
1 cup at a time add flour to the squash mixture. Get the dough to a rolling consistency by adding more flour if needed.
On a floured piece of parchment paper roll the dough into 1/2″ round logs. Dust the log with flour using a sifter and cut into 1/2″ pieces.
I have a cookie pan lined with parchment paper to transfer the little gnocchi to.
Boil a pot of water big enough to give the gnocchi room to cook. Add salt and a little oil to the water. When the water is boiling add the gnocchi to the water, careful not to crowd them. They will be cooked when they float to the top. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in a serving bowl. Add a little olive oil so they don’t stick.
Cook enough to eat that night. The rest of the raw gnocchi can go into the freezer on the cookie sheet to freeze. When frozen I transfer them to a plastic baggie.

The Sauce

3 heads of roasted garlic
1/4 cup each of olive oil, raw pecans, nutritional yeast seasoning
1 cup arugula
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic lemon flavor
Sea Salt to taste

Instructions

In a mini food processor squeeze the garlic from the bulb then add all the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth.
This sauce will be enough for about 3 cups of gnocchi.

RAW CARROT BARS

February 1, 2015 By Liz Pilotto

CARROT BAR FILLING

2 cups organic carrots grated

5-6 tbs. of raw organic almond butter

1 tsp. Simply Organic Orange Flavor

1 cup dried organic cranberries

8 organic dates

1 cup finely ground raw organic pecans (Terrasoul. Terrasoul.com or Amazon)

1 teaspoon Simply Organic cinnamon

1 tablespoon organic agave

2 teaspoons Simply Organic vanilla

1 cup organic pineapple drained very well (Native Forest. Amazon)

*Grind the dates and pecans to make a paste. Put them in a mixing bowl.

*Add the carrots, agave, vanilla, cinnamon, orange flavor, almond butter. Mix well.

*Add in the pineapple. Mix.

*Spread on top of the Crust (see below)

*Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the freezer.

CRUST:

1 1/4 cup finely ground walnuts

3 tbs. ground organic golden flax meal (Spectrum on Amazon)

1 tbs. Organic coconut butter, butter flavored (Nutiva, Amazon)

1 tsp cinnamon

*Mix all ingredients together well, especially paying attention to the coconut butter so there are no chunks.

*Press down firmly into a square baking dish. Lay a piece of parchment paper on the crust to press down evenly. (I used the Pampered Chef stone, square pan).

ZUCCHINI BAR FILLING:

2 cup grated zucchini (squeeze some of the liquid out).

8 dates

1 tbs. Organic agave

1/2 cup finely ground raw organic pecans

1/2 cup finely ground raw organic pumpkin seeds

1 tsp. Simply Organic cinnamon

3 tbs. Organic, raw sprouted pumpkin seed butter or almond butter. (Jiva. Amazon)

1 cup chopped organic pineapple chunks well drained (Native Forest 14oz can. Amazon)

1 vanilla bean (slit the bean down the middle and scrape out the black seeds) or 1 tbs organic vanilla (Simply Organic Amazon)

*Grind up the dates, pecans and pumpkin seeds to make a paste. I used a cusinart to grind them.

*In a mixing bowl, Mix the ground ingredients with pumpkin butter, pineapple chunks, cinnamon and vanilla.

*Spread on top of the crust in the square baking pan.

*Cover with plastic wrap. Keep these bars in the freezer.

They will cut better and will never freeze solid because of all the nut oils. Let them firm up in the freezer so they are easy to cut.