wellness

hi guys-

first some more answers to questions posted on the blog site...be patient with me; i try to get to them all.

kombu is a sea plant; kombucha is a fermented tea, good for digestion. kombu is used in cooking to help tenderize beans and make them more digestible.

ah, my spoons...i love my spoons....made by jonathon's spoons...check them out at www.woodspoon.com.

so i am just back from new mexico teaching the first of many wellness workshops sponsored by campbell's soup to help kids make healthier choices and see that preparing food for themselves is not hard and can be fun.

we had 3 classes of about 25 kids each at the largest elementary school in albuquerque...the kids were spectacular, funny, engaged and completely into playing with their food! some of the salad dressings they created should be bottled and sold! their creative natures and open willingness to try new veggies they had not tasted, to mix ingredients and to create food that they wanted to eat was so much fun and so fulfilling.

the message that was loud and clear for me on this one was simple. if we engage our kids and involved them in the preparation of food, they will try just about anything. they want to learn; they want to prepare food; they want to play. i know it's more work to have the kids in the kitchen with you. it takes more time, more effort and definitely more clean-up...but i see it like this; if we can't invest time in our children's future, what is worth our time?

everyone is tired, overworked and over-scheduled and parenting is the toughest job there is...but i truly believe that if we are to save this generation of children, we need to help them find their way back to the kitchen; back to the basics of health and teach them how to feed themselves in a way that will sustain their health, their lives and their dreams.

next stop, houston...

peace and love,
c

stuff

hi guys-

i know; i know...it's been way too long since i blogged, but it has been a week...or more? yikes, i have completely lost track!

some quick answers to questions i see posted. coffee...i love it, but i reserve it for a treat once a week...it's tough on the adrenals and kidneys and can make you feel chronically fatigued, so be careful with it...if you drink it regularly, wean to drinking less; otherwise headaches can result. but try to drink less...as for remedies, nope...can't really combine them...weird flavors and you will compromise their effects...the vegan cheese i use is made by 'follow your heart.' i love it because it's pretty pure, ingredient-wise and actually has a nice flavor and is low in fat...it's soy based so i use it occasionally.

okay, today's point.

yesterday was a most amazing day. my mentor, bill tara...you have all heard me speak of him...came to philly to create the pilot episode for the new public radio show we are developing. it's called 'well, well, well' and bill will be my co-host. my gratitude to him is without bounds. i remember when i was new to teaching and i had hit a spot of pretty tough adversity...i was thinking about quitting teaching altogether. i was at a conference and i will never forget bill's support and guidance that kept me in the game...and here we are...after all these years, working together. by the way, if you have not gotten his new book yet, get it...'natural body, natural mind.' if you have trouble finding it, we'll be adding it to my site soon.

the show will be a magazine format with lots of segments on healthy living...food, natural health, green living and politics...there will be experts, recipes, interviews, jokes and lots of great information for you to use in your life.

we hope to have the show on the air by next year, so i will keep you posted...i know i am jumping the gun on telling you about it, but i am excited and soooooo thrilled to be adding radio to our repertoire...and since the pilot went so well, i just had to tell you.

so i am off to new mexico to teach healthy cooking at an elementary school in a partnership with campbell's soup, who are committed to helping kids make better choices...yep, you heard me! it's been quite an experience to work with them to develop this program and this school is the first of 6 across the country that i will visit.

so i'll tell you all about it when i get back next week!

have a great week!