This smoothie was so good I had to have it TWICE this week. The vibrant, royal blue of this breakfast drink was actually hypnotizing. A few commuters nervously glanced my way yesterday morning when they caught me smiling and giggling into my stainless steel coffee mug.

King Kong’s Smoothie

Ingredients

1 med banana, fresh and peeled
1 cup frozen blueberries
½ cup yogurt, plain
1 cup soy beverage, vanilla
1 scoop Ruth’s Hemp protein powder with sprouted flax & maca
1 tbsp wheat bran

Preparation

Blend until smooth-ie. Enjoy this thick ambrosia!

Nutritional Information

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A great Metro article, “Coughing irks colleagues” last week reported that 68% of us are irritated by sick colleagues. The funny part is that 62% of us also admit that we come to work with a cough and cold. The article’s source, Dr. Brian Levine, medical director of The Cough Centre in Orange County, California, says that we have some control in how long we’re sick.

Doc Levine tells us that there are 4 stages of a cough (and cold) and that there are certain things we can do to move the virus through our systems. Here are the 4 stages, their symptoms and tips you can follow to speed up your recovery:

1st stage. The most contagious but also the least resistant to your cold-thwarting efforts. Symptoms: heavy head, low energy, itchy throat, clearing throat cough.

Tips:

• Lighten your schedule and get lots of rest.
• Drink fruit juices.
• Increase antioxidants by eating more fruits and veggies.

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So you want to feel good, eh? Well, getting high is a grand way to go. But there’s many different ways to get high as we discussed in Part I. Last week, we simplified the definition of `getting high’ to “creating a positive altered state of consciousness”. Anything you find pleasurable positively alters your physiology, giving you the perception of being in a higher state of awareness.

Some methods of altering your state of mind and body are less damaging than others. The most natural alternatives, the ones with fewer chemicals, are the least harmful ones. So if you want to live a little longer and still follow your instincts to get high, add some variety and go natural! Here are 12 more ideas:

1. Hot baths. Having similar affects as exercise, taking a hot bath gets the heart pumping and lowers blood pressure. It counteracts stress, soothing internal organs and the endocrine system.
2. Massages. Deep tissue massage may release the brain’s opiates, endorphins, which promote feelings of happiness and well-being. Massage is known to improve blood circulation and muscle tone, lower blood pressure, and stimulate the lymphatic system for faster detoxification, which in turn decreases the stress on the body. Read the rest of this entry

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I wish I had seen this video earlier today! But hey, I can still use it so I’ll let you know if it works.

Well worth the 5 minutes, this Healing Samurai video is a hoot! And hey, it’s only acupressure – it can’t hurt to try it out:

When you’re ready for a raise, try bringing a cup of tea to the meeting. And go high. New research suggests you might just get it!

Metro’s article, “A cup of warmth” reports Yale psychologists recently found that temperature stimulates different areas of the brain. Hot seems to trigger the emotion center and cold activates the practical part of our organic computer.

The students in the study sipping on the hot drinks were more likely to feel warm towards other people, while those enjoying a cold beverage tended to be more critical. In the second experiment, those holding a hot pack were more generous while those holding a cold pack were more self-absorbed.

So you see, by bringing some tea to your meeting you’ll not only be showing your boss your thoughtful self, but also stimulating their generosity and perhaps even making them more agreeable!

Summary:

• Hot drinks make people open, trusting and more likely to say yes to suggestions.
• Cold drinks make people more rational, skeptical and cold.

I can’t wait to test this out for myself! Where would you start if you were to conduct your own research?

Most of us are high almost all day. Whether it’s sugar, caffeine or food in general, all of these substances create a positive altered state of consciousness. Basically, we have a “normal waking state” that can be measured physiologically, as in heart-rate, brain waves and brain chemistry. `Getting high’ can be boiled down to changing your physiology so that you experience a different state of awareness, usually heightened.

Consider an interesting idea: we’re supposed to get high on a regular basis. Just think, based on this definition, eating gets you high. But there’s a cost associated. When we eat, we create change in the body as it responds to that food. This change stresses the body and slightly damages it. That’s how we age – wear and tear is the result of using our bodies and, well, living.

While this may come as bad news for some, it also means that we have a certain level of control in aging. We can prolong our lives by choosing less damaging alternatives! In addition, because our bodies are smart organisms, we naturally create a resistance after first exposure. We need more of the same thing to get the same effect. Here lies the rub of addiction. Enter: balance and variety!

To help you fulfill your natural instincts to alter your state of mind, here is a list of 20 ways to naturally get high: Read the rest of this entry

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This breakfast protein drink will curl your tongue in impossible angles. The sweet nutty protein of the Brazilian nuts gives this tropical based smoothie the substance we need for a winter diet. Not to mention that it totally tickles the taste factor.

Brazilian Mango Banana Smoothie

Ingredients

1 medium banana, peeled
½ cup fresh mango, peeled and sliced
¼ Brazil nuts
1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
1 cup vanilla soy beverage
½ cup plain yogurt
1 serving Ruth’s hemp protein powder

Preparation

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Nutritional Information

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Ok, get ready. We’re going to get real personal right now. All week has been a struggle. Everything seemed hard, nothing went right, I was stressed and when people were just being honest with me,  I took a lot of it personally. And it didn’t matter how I rationalized what they had said, my feelings were still hurt. The end result: a whole lotta Stephie-bashing in my head.

But today, something magical happened. Two real, good, sigh-inducing bowel movements. I felt instant pleasure. A release. I felt… lighter. Things started getting easier. Even when things still weren’t working as they should (like my computer!) I handled it better. My reaction was more relaxed to the very same kind of “crap” that would have visibly upset me only yesterday.

My point is that I believe my physical relief of a toxic situation cleared up my mental discomfort as well as my physical one. Ah, I hear your skepticism. And by all means, you should question me and ask for more proof. For those of you who still doubt, please read on. But I warn you, we’re about to get even more personal…

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How would you like to make it easy to stop smoking? I mean easy in the way that you’re ecstatic about not smoking and you celebrate a smoke-free existence. In this scenario, you barely feel the withdrawal symptoms and even in the midst of a highly stressful situation, a cigarette is merely a fleeting thought rather than an all-consuming craving.

Saying no to any addiction is tough. But it CAN be made easy. Some people simplify the whole matter: make a firm decision, overcome the physical withdrawals and just do it. For others, it might be a little harder. Many addictions get us on emotional, mental and habitual levels, too. Some believe our spirituality is also affected; one theory even speculates that our addictions are our attempts to fill a spiritual void.

For those who feel the complexities of their addictions, you can make it a little easier with the right preparation and combination of stop smoking tricks (right for you, that is). While there are tons of really good stop smoking tips out there and you may have to try all of them to find what works for you, the following are 7 of the most essential tips that will make it easy for anyone to stop smoking:

1. Find your reasons. If it’s only one trick that you use out of this list, let it be this one. You have to find your motivating force in overcoming your nicotine addiction. It must resonate with you and get you on an emotional level. Some people may use a strong negative emotion, like fear as in: “I don’t want to suffer like Aunt Rose did of lung cancer.” I prefer to use positive emotions, as in: “I appreciate my life and I want to treat it and myself with love and respect.” Read the rest of this entry

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The last few days here in Ontario were absolutely beautiful – it was like springtime! Today the temperature drops back down to normal temperatures and winter will be knocking at our doors once again.

To help prepare, I’ve tried this elimination diet friendly, allergen-free, vegetarian and vegan recipe full of protein and great taste. This time I chose the cashew butter rather than the almond spread, and used beef broth this time. Next time I’m going to mix it up a bit and would prefer it to be a little spicier.

It was a hit with the hubby and the crew at work. I’ve shared this recipe with several people already. But why believe me and my folks?

Check it out for yourself:

Warming Chickpea Stew

Ingredients:

4 cups vegetable stock or water
1-2 onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 med sized yams, diced
2 cups additional vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, carrot…)
2 cups green kale, chopped
1 cup chickpea, cooked
½ cup brown rice, cooked
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ cup cashew or almond butter
2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
¼ cup tamari
1/8 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions: Read the rest of this entry

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