Raw4Good: Life After Cancer

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Gluten Free Flour: 1 cup = 1 cup of wheat flour for any recipe

Gluten free? It can be a tough transition at first. Gluten is in almost everything! Or at least it seems that

way. WHAT IS GLUTEN really? I was confused at first too...here is what I found....gluten is a family of grains: WHEAT, BARLEY, & RYE and yes, gluten can be found in many things from breads, salad dressings, hair product, cosmetics, pastas, other condiments, etc...the list just goes and goes.

My husband and I decided with our newly found gluten allergy that we would start simple. Take everything out of our house that had any gluten in it and start fresh. Then we got creative and looked up on Pinterest (which is a new love of mine!) and we found a gluten free flour mix that when used can be used instead of regular wheat flour in any recipe. I got all the supplies together and reached out to my good friend Kobi Brock and we had a flat bread making day to try out this new flour.

OH MY gosh is this flour AMAZING! We loved the flat bread and so did our families! So here it is everyone....one of the best GLUTEN FREE flour mixes ever!!!

The recipe for the Gluten FREE FLOUR is:
1 Cup Coconut Flour
1 Cup Oat Flour
1 Cup Tapioca Flour/Starch
1 1/4 Cup Rice Flour
3 1/2 Tsp Xantham Gum

Take all the ingredients, place them in the mixer and that's it. Once you have the flour mixture ready to go you can use it in any recipe that calls for flour. My first experiment was flat bread....so here it is!

The recipe for the FLAT BREAD with GLUTEN FREE flour:

4 Cups Gluten Free Flour
2 Cups water (warmed but not boiling)
2 Tsp Coconut Oil (if it more solid then oil, place it in the warm
water to dissolve before mixing in with the flour and other
ingredients)
2 Tsp Sea Salt

*From here you can make it your own flavor...adding in onion or garlic powder, pepper, cumin, curry, etc...it all depends on what you are in the mood for. By itself, the mixture doesn't really have much of a flavor...so be creative...maybe a little stivia and cinnamon for a sweet treat - options are unlimited!

Mix all the dry ingredients together first, then when the coconut oil is melted in the water, slowly add it in. Use the coconut oil on your rolling pin or hands as you spread it out. You can make it into whatever shape you want: pita bread squares, circle cracker like snacks, etc...

*Prep the oven at 425 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, spray sunflower oil or usethe coconut oil on the cookie sheet so the flat bread doesn't stick. Place 1 cookie sheet at a time in the over anywhere from 11-15 minutes depending on how crunchy you want the flat bread. The longer it is in the over the more cracker-like your pieces will be. Serve and Enjoy!!

Thank you Kobi for having a fun day of cooking with me!
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Or check out my website: www.Raw4Good.com

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Motivation from the past...

This weekend I went looking for some photos to send to my brother who is in the Navy. What I found was a renewed motivation ... pictures from my past when I was at my healthiest.

I had resigned my self to thinking that I was supposed to be over weight. That is was just in my genetic make up. Even though I have been at a healthy weight before. I had forgotten that my body can get there - it took work then and its going to take work now BUT its possible. Instead of looking in the mirror and being depressed about where I am at, I now have a mental image of where I can get again.

I have always been told that affirmations and mind body connection are important but I never really got it. I would 'say' affirmations, but I rarely FELT them in my gut. The interesting thing is my whole being FELT those pictures - like it re-registered - "Oh, yeah...I remember that...we can do that again!" and I woke up this morning with a new outlook on what the future can be.

There is a real difference in how you approach things when you truly BELIEVE you can get to where you want to go. I think also for me I'm in a place where I am READY to make significant changes in my life. Having cancer changes how I think about everything, from my daily life and habits, what I put in my body, how I react to things, and how I feel about myself.

I'm really excited to see how fast I can get to my goal. I have experience as a personal trainer so I am working out in my basement 5-6 times a week. Anywhere from 30-45 minutes. I have to start slow because I need to give my body time to adjust to working out again...getting back into a routine. But its the nutrition that is really going to get me there. Before I ate healthy, but I was also putting into my body things that I was allergic to: gluten, eggs, almonds, dairy, etc..so it was harder for my body to do what I was asking it because I was constantly putting toxins into my system. The body can only do so much when it is always fighting off toxins. Now that I know what to avoid, I'm learning how to maximize what I have to work with - I know my body will remember what it was like at its healthiest point and be able to get there faster.

I think the toughest part now is going to be patience and consistency. It's never easy to make big

changes in lifestyle...there is the work schedule, the family schedule, and all the other things that come with running a house hold and a business and now I have to work in pre-planning food menus, regular shopping for fresh produce, prep work for cooking, working out, etc...its not easy in the beginning to get all those things to work into a perfect schedule. I've had to make modifications: getting up earlier, and sometimes coming home earlier to get things done. I know that with time, I'll find a good flow...and its getting there already...little by little.

My husband, Eric, and I have started cooking together in the evenings. Its become a fun bonding thing that we do....put on some music, get all the fruits and veggies out and prepped. We're having fun learning new recipes and playing with food. The other night we had turkey with cabbage and steamed

asparagus and 'oh boy' was it good! We have come to figure out its not about what we can't have, but more about what we do with what we do have....I think that's true about a lot of things.

Anyway, I've already worked out, ate breakfast and am now getting ready to juice - so you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend and I'll chat with you all later!

xoxo
Phoenix
www.Raw4Good.com

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Naturopath, Deb Kitt to the Rescue!

I don't know about you but I find the medical / health industry as a whole to be a little confusing. Some say do this, others say do that, this worked for me...but not for so and so, etc...After finding out I have Melanoma and a Candida Yeast issue...my search for answers was frantic and somewhat frustrating. It is not my intention to give medical advice but to just share with you what I have decided to do since having some serious health issues and if it seems to make sense to you...by all means, check it out further.

That being said, yesterday I visited a good friend of mine. A local Naturopath and Digestive Specialist Deb Kitt, from right here in Longmont, to see what her thoughts were on all that has been going on with me: Melanoma Cancer, Candida Yeast over growth...the whole thing.

I decided on Deb for advice because she is first a great friends, but also a Digestive Specialist and with the Candida Yeast over growth (which originates in the gut) and other things, I figured she would be the perfect fit. She has a program called: Digestive Rescue, its all about relief and repair so that is the program I am on moving forward. Here are the details about it:

Digestive Rescue not only addresses fast symptom relief naturally, but also gets to the heart of imbalances that are limiting your chances of finding optimum health.

This program goes deeper to gain a better understanding of your unique health situation so that we can tailor a solution that is right for you.

Most people want more energy, less pain, less stress etc. The way to achieve this is by following a 3-step process.

Replenish nutrients that are lacking in your body.
Cleanse out accumulated toxins in your body.
Manage Your Stress.
Symptoms you might be experiencing....

• Gas

• Bloating

• Chronic Pain

• Heartburn

• Cramping

• Irritable bowel

• Constipation

• Diahrrea

• Allergies

• Asthma

• Arthritis

• Diabetes

• Heart Disease

• Fibromyalgia

• Lupus
• Skin Disorders
Your Nutritional/Wellness Assessment will tell you what your imbalances are. We will find out what nutrients you need, what toxins are causing inflammation and how to manage your stress.

I will recommend herbs and supplements that will work with your body and your specific needs to jump start the repair process and help bring you back into balance and optimum health.

Digestive Rescue works with you over a period of 6 weeks to bring you relief and start the repair process. You will be well on your way to optimum health.

This is a great program that gets to the root cause of your problems and gets you started on a program that is personalized for your specific needs.

My MUSCLE TESTING for nutritional deficiencies, toxicities and imbalances showed I still have a long way to go when it comes to optimal health. However, I feel with Deb in my corner I can make it happen!

So, the picture on the right shows each area of my body muscle tested and if that body part, organ, etc...showed it was STRONG or WEAK. As you can see, YEAST is showing way out of control here, which solidifies what the traditional / western doctors have said too - results from blood work and allergy testing. It's important to note when EVERYONE in the field is saying the same things...it is important to pay attention...because it rarely happens, and to me is a significant sign that I am on the right path with what I am doing.

My number one focus is getting the yeast in my system under control - so the Candida Cleanse that I am on it step 1, taking a probiotic, adrenal support and a heavy metal cleanse (I have high Iron as well...Iron sticks to yeast). We will see where I am at in 30 days!

If you have question, Deb Kitt can help you (remotely as well) get some answers. Also, you can follow my blog on my website, and get great raw, whole food, recipes and cooking tips and tricks to eating healthy at www.Raw4Good.com or Follow my Facebook Page: Raw4Good: Life After Cancer

Digestive Rescue Program includes:

Review of Health History
Digestive and Diet Assessment
Food Sensitivity Assessment
Quick relief supplement program

Plus...........

Nutritional/Wellness Assessment

Muscle testing for nutritional deficiencies, toxicities and imbalances
Personalized supplement program
Personalized detox program

Follow up Appointment and Phone Call

A time to fine-tune your program and make sure it is working for you.

Literature and Support Materials

Free Acid/Alkaline food chart to help you create much healthier meals quickly and easily
Receive my hot tips for making better food choices.
Receive my 100% natural digestion guide to use at home so you can improve your digestion in a whole , pure fashion.

Bonus:

Detoxifying and relaxing Ion Cleanse Foot-bath will instantly rid your body of accumulated toxins. You will feel lighter, cleaner and healthier.
Save money with a product discount on quality digestive nutritional support that is right for your body.

Cheers to Good Health!
Phoenix Sagen

Monday, January 6, 2014

Monday Yoga and Quinoa for Breakfast

Hi friends! I started my workout plan for this coming month. Here it is...

Monday: Yoga

Tuesday: Upper Body & Abs

Wednesday: Cardio

Thursday: Lower Body & Abs

Friday: Yoga

I was supposed to start today but I started a little early and have been doing yoga for the past 3 days!! I am already starting to feel stronger and healthier!

This mornings workout was Baron Baptiste Yoga....he is one of my favorites, very easy to follow for beginners but can be just as hard for the experienced yogi! I decided to add yoga into my workout schedule 2x a week because it covers everything that is important about working out...your own body weight used as the "weights" to help build muscle, the breathing from the core which promotes inner core balance and the stretching...which I desperately need. So the mind, the body and soul are working together.

This morning, after yoga for 30 minutes it was onto quinoa for breakfast...mmm....I actually made a big batch of quinoa yesterday using Pinterest and YouTube to learn how to cook it - yes I had no idea how to cook quinoa properly. I learned that washing your quinoa is the best way to prep it. I didn't know

that and every time I have cooked it before it was tough or tasted like I was crunching on half cooked rice - not so good. However, after I rinsed it with a mesh strainer and then cooked it....it came out light, fluffy and WONDERFUL! I added some zucchini and cauliflower with a few spices for flavor and whala...yummy quinoa!