Eat Real: Local Farms

It's a known fact that food in the grocery store is not fresh. It's old actually. Transit time alone can add 3 to 4 days onto the life of the food.

The best way to get food is directly from the farmer. This also allows us to eat locally and eat what's in season.

The CSA - Community Supported Agriculture, is worth researching if you are looking to eat healthy, fresh, in season, local food. These are small farms, the way farms used to be. They sell 'shares' in the farm and you benefit by getting a box of fresh, in season, local food every week for about 22 weeks. Sound good?!

Check around your local health food store, they will most certainly have lists of local farmers. You could also visit a farmer's market in your area on a regular basis. Many CSA farms are represented there. November and December are usually when the CSAs offer membership applications. So get ready for next year now!

Here is a link to get you acquainted with CSA farms in North Carolina: www.ces.ncsu.edu

Be Real: Theta Healing

I have been part of a most amazing experience this weekend and met the most incredible people. Let me tell you about the people first. The majority of them are energy workers. They are in touch with that part of themselves that we all have the potential to be in touch with. I met Psychics, Empaths, Reiki Masters, Theta Healers, Shaman and more. This group of people has always operated on the outskirts of society. They have always been different. It is because they have been in touch with that part of themselves that can transcend space and time. I am one of them and you can be too. Just AMAZING!

This group is beautiful and I have been blessed to be a part of them. They, we want to share our abilities with the rest of our species for nothing other than to help all of us heal. When each of us are operating at our peak of consciousness, then we as a species can move onto the next plane of existence. Compared to them, I'm a newbie. That's fine though. I've been assured that what they can do is not coined 'a gift', but 'a skill'. Anyone can learn these skills. Many of these practitioners of energy actually offer classes to teach their skills.

With that said, let me talk about Theta Healing. I'm still trying to understand it myself! There is an exercise in which you visualize going to the Seventh Plane of Existence. There are seven planes total. The Seventh is the God level where you speak directly. for yourself or another, to co-create with God. There is a specific guided meditation that allows you to leave your body. Yes, you read that correctly. And a command to use when co-creating with God. This command resets limiting beliefs so that they are no longer limiting. There is no good or bad - that is an illusion. There is no such thing as evil - only light or not light. But there is so much more than that. You can send unconditional love to people, to yourself. You can remove 'wayward' entities from your energy field. You can discover and speak to your guardian angels. DNA can be reset, aging can stop. The list goes on! It's real, it's all real!

Theta healing can empower you to heal yourself because all disease really starts at the metaphysical level. "I'm not good enough, feelings of guilt, fear of trying something new" all these things and more can be put to bed forever! You can get out of your own way and move forward on your Soul's Path without interference from your ego. The ego wants enlightenment and this is one way to it.

When you are a Theta Healer, you are actually considered a modern day Mystic. This is someone who operates in two different realities. This person chops wood, hauls water, does the every day stuff to survive, but then also connects to the Seventh Plane and is an instrument of healing. We live a dual life. I've felt this for sometime, but didn't know what to call it. It's nice to have a name!

This is not to be entered into lightly. It is a huge responsibility to co-create with God. Leaving one's body is a learned skill and one must be able to ask for support when reentering is difficult. I know this from experience! Many ask how my family feels about this. All I can say is that I've never been more supported in my entire life than I am right now. Everyone around me, my husband, my kids, my mom, my brother and more are all encouraging and supportive without judgment. It is a blessing. I am so incredibly loved!

And thank you, all of you who read this because I can feel YOUR love and support! Maybe, just maybe, I've created a safe enough space for you to explore these experiences for yourself. The key to lasting happiness is really thinking you already have it. It is beyond believing, it is knowing. Do not say "I want", say "I am or I have". Speak as though you already are living your dream and the dream will manifest. I am living proof!

There are words that must be removed from our vocabulary. They hold us back, limit us. These are the words: don't, can't, try, not, no. Without is ok to use. Treat these words as if they are cuss words. You will notice how you truly think about what you say, how you reformulate your thoughts. This is key. As you can see, I'm still working on removing them!

See you all in two weeks as we will be spending time with family next week. I love you. Be well. Be the change you want to see. Be the love you want to feel. Be the "being" you were meant to be!

Eat Real: I Eat Hemp

They say the first step to rehabilitation is admitting the problem... Ha! Hemp is my new FAVORITE food. No, I don't get high at lunch with 3 little boys running around - although somedays I wonder!

In my quest to give up meat, but not use soy, I discovered hemp seed. Hemp is a true superfood. These are just a few of the benefits:

- contains all 20 amino acids including the essential 9
- easily digested
- free of the tryspin inhibitors which block protein absorption
- no oligosaccharides (as in soy), causing stomach upset & gas
- a perfect balance of protein, fiber, and carbohydrates
- a perfect ratio of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
- full of enzymes
- natural anti-oxidants and plant sterols
- vitamins (especially vitamin E)
- minerals including iron, magnesium and phosphorus

The US imports hemp food products from Canada in the form of hemp seeds, hemp butter, hemp milk and hemp protein powders. Sadly, it is not legal to grow it here in the US. Brands that the local health food store carry are Manitoba Harvest, Nutiva and Living Harvest.

Hemp and marjauana are different varieties of the Cannabis sativa plant. Hemp contains less than 1 percent of the active ingredient THC, the substance that gives a high. Marijuana plants, on the other hand, contain 10 to 20 percent THC.

This plant is also great for the enviroment. It requires no pesticides or herbacides and is a sturdy crop that grows fast and tall. After the grain is harvested for food, the remainder of the plant can be used for non-food items like clothes or paper. Hemp is never genetically modified.

Even if you're not looking to give up meat, it's worth a try. Put it on your ice cream, mix it in yogurt, sprinkle it on salads. If you want to try something new that is real food - you'll be surprised at how much you might like it. I am reminded of Dr. Seuss', Sam I Am - "You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say."

Be Real: Passing Judgment

OK, I thought I was passed passing judgment. I was shown differently last night. The thing with judging, I've discovered is that it is a window into our own soul. What we judge in others is actually what we see in ourselves. Sometimes we don't like what we see and we direct that fear onto another. I was guilty of that last night. I'm sorry, please forgive me, I love you, thank you.

Asking forgiveness from another is really asking to forgive yourself, to release fear and limiting beliefs.

On the bright side, this was another HUGE learning experience for me. It showed me how fear (ego) got in the way. I'm thrilled that I recognized it this time and that the next time fear enters my being, I will recognize it before directing outwardly at another and redirect it inwardly to reflect on what needs attention.

So today will be spent reflecting humbly on the journey we are all experiencing and moving forward with courage. Encourage me to love myself - I will do the same for you. Forgive me my mistakes - I will do the same for you.

Now it's time to move on!

Be Real: Reiki Energy Healing

I am officially certified as a Reiki Practioner! This is so cool. Yesterday, I completed Reiki level II. We practiced sending distant healing. A partner sent us Reiki via a teddy bear while the other person was in another room. This was amazing! I could feel the energy in my body. I knew exactly where my partner was moving her hands. CRAZY COOL!

For those of you who are not familiar with Reiki, it is a healing technique developed by Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese Christian educator in Kyoto, Japan.

Reiki practitioners channel energy from God (also refered to as Source) to heal and harmonize the body. Reiki seeks to restore order to the body whose vital energy has become unbalanced. It can bring about deep relaxation, destroy energy blockages, detoxify the system, provide new vitality in the form of healing universal life energy, and increases the vibrational frequency of the body.

The laying of hands is used in Reiki to administer healing on whatever level the recipient allows it. We place our hands above a particular part of the recipient's body (usually the chakras) in order to release energy and the recipient draws the energy as needed. The individual takes responsibility for his or her healing by allowing God to heal them spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally or at whatever level the soul will allow. Reiki is always used for the Greatest Good. No harm can come from it. The practitioner is the channel for the energy and the recipient is actually the healer - by being open to receiving God's healing on all levels.

I am definitely going to complete the Master level. Just time and money, right? (anybody got some? - Ha!) After this, Theta Healing. But that's another article!

Be well, be love, be open to the opportunities God has for you. Release judgement and just be.

Session Rates: 30min - $50.00 or 60min - $85.00
Contact me to schedule a session: roberta@eatreal.net

Eat Real: Quick & Wheat-free

I've had a couple of friends who've asked for some gluten-free food ideas... you are not bound to prepackaged items that say gluten-free on them. There are lots of foods that are naturally gluten-free and exceptionally good for you.

Some of the grains we use on a regular basis are: wild rice, brown rice and quinoa. Any of these can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for the week. One serving of wild rice is considered to be 1 cup, brown rice is 1/2 cup and quinoa is 1/2 cup. Each serving is roughly 160-180 calories. They are all high in natural minerals and fiber. Quinoa is considered to have a complete amino acid profile which means it a great source of protein! Wild rice is one of my favorite foods - light and fluffy. Brown rice is great with anything. Actually, all these grains are! You do not have to be afraid of complex carbohydrates. Not all carbs are bad for you!

You may find that as you eat real food, including real complex carbohydrates that you will feel more satisfied and less hungry or deprived. And, unless you overdo it, you shouldn't be afraid of weight gain. Remember to avoid 'white' products as they have been processed to a point where much of their nutrients have been stripped away. This includes white rice.

Here are a couple of recipes that you can make ahead of time and eat cold or warm. You can add tofu or chicken to them or any vegetable for that matter! Don't be afraid to experiment!

Quinoa Tabouli:
1 cup of organic quinoa
1 tomato
1 cucumber
3 Tbsp. olive oil salt & pepper to taste
Rinse and drain the quinoa, cook 1 cup of dry grain to 2 cups water. Let cool, add olive oil and fluff. Dice tomatoes and cucumber, add to the cooked quinoa. Salt and pepper to taste. Wild

Rice with Raisins and Walnuts:
1 cup wild rice
raisins
walnuts
salt to taste
Rinse and drain the wild rice, cook 1 cup of dry grain to 4 cups water. Let cool, drain excess water. Add as many raisins and walnuts as you like. Salt to taste.

Eat Real: Good, Cheap, Food

Those are three adjectives that you don't always find together... My dad used to say "My girl, you get what you pay for." This translates directly into the food we eat.

Yeah, you may be getting "a deal" when you shop at a discount grocery store buying prepackaged food in bulk. But that box of brand name snack bars isn't fit to feed your dog let alone your child.

You're wondering how to make your dollars stretch in these economic times? Stop buying what you've been conditioned to think is food - things in boxes and bags with fancy marketing. This is 'synthetic food'. It's not real. These items are designed packages of chemicals we've been brainwashed to think of as food. You are not getting any value for your money or nutrition for that matter.

Do you want good, cheap, food? Start with what your grandmother knew as food. Eggs, raw fruit, raw vegetables, meat in its purest form. Don't know what to feed your kids? That box of poppin' tarts isn't doing them any good - again, just marketing and chemicals. Try bananas and apples. Instead of gummies, try raisins. Get the idea? Read the ingredients in your peanut butter. If there are more than three ingredients, it's not worth the money. Peanut butter should be ground peanuts - that's it. Try almond butter, sunflower seed butter. There are lots of options.

You don't have to buy everything organic to feel you are eating right. A good place to start is buying food in it's simplest form. As close to natural as possible. Look past the marketing, read the ingredient list, figure out what fits in your budget and experiment. Try something new once a week.

Be Real: Powerful Positive Thought

Think in the positive, speak in the positive, take postive action. Make it a habit and eventually you will see a difference. True healing begins at the soul level and only YOU can heal yourself. Acknoweldge your limiting beliefs and change them if you want to.

I have been reminded, again, that you can't help anyone else until you've helped yourself first. And to take it a step further, you really can't help anyone else - only that individual can help themselves. Your only obligation is to help yourself. By helping yourself you are healing yourself and our singular soul. Sound cruel? Not really, this is from love, not fear...

When you are happy, everyone around you is happy and you raise the level of social consciousness through your higher vibrational energy. When you are in disarray, out of harmony, those around you will respond and the level of social consciousness will react in kind.

Your ego leads you to believe that you can actually change someone else's circumstances. Only the individual can change their circumstances. All you can do is share with them what tools you've already discovered.

You can can do a lot to help someone else though. You can empower them with what they need at their individual level of consciousness. Sometimes that's a sandwich for a homeless person, or answering a phone call to a person who needs guidance. But don't create an environment of enabling. Recognize when that individual is not taking your help constructively, but using it to continue in their cycle of confusion. Then it's time to release them to the Holy Spirit with love, not anger (fear). For you have given them all you have to share and they are not using it. It is ultimately their choice to use the tools you have given and your choice to perpetuate their perception that they need you. My friend told me this line: "I forgive you and release you to the Holy Spirit". Say it for those people in your life, say it for yourself!

If you do one thing this week, buy a notebook and start journaling. You don't need another person to help you through your transformation, you just need a dialogue with yourself. Love and trust yourself to know that you have the solutions to the problems you perceive.

Write everything down, it doesn't matter what it is, just get it out of you. Eventually, you will come to see a pattern. Are your thoughts self-defeating, or empowering? YOU can change the negative to positive and recode your DNA. Write down your goals, what you want in life. Change the negative self talk to positive, change the "I wish I had, or I used to have" into "I am, I have". You will see a difference in your life if you say the positive enough times, if you write it enough times. A good book to read is "A Return to Love" by Marianne Williamson.

We each have all the answers we seek to the questions we have inside us already, we just have to listen to that 'voice' - our spirit - and JUST BE IT! Be the change you want to see. Tomorrow is another day...