What an amazing year! I appreciate you, my readers, and my new friends at RSVP713.com for the opportunity to share my passion for vital food and vibrant living.

I will be practicing extreme self-care this season and encourage you to do the same. Whether you attend holiday parties or entertain in your home, you may find yourself splitting your valuable time between friends, family and community. Make sure to create space for private worship, contemplation, relaxation and hibernation. The greatest gift you can give yourself and others is extreme self-care. Shop online to avoid traffic and long lines in stores. Exercise regularly for stress-reduction and to offset the discomfort of sitting and standing at parties. It's ok to skip an occassional workout and indulge your senses. Keep in mind, however, that your cells and organs do not know that your minds have declared a holiday. Eat lots of vegetables, especially roots, to help you stay grounded when presented with holiday meats, treats and sweets. Plan ahead. Eat a large salad or small meal before heading out to an event. Monitor alcohol and caffeine intake. Drink lots of water! If you're staying in you can create your own mini-spa in minutes.

Sugar Scrub for hands, feet and body:
In a big bowl mix with a wooden spoon 1 cup grapeseed or other mild oil with 2 cups turbinado sugar. Add 20-30 drops essential oil such as lavender or grapefruit or try combinations such as rosemary and sweet orange. Add natural food coloring for fun. Store it in a glass jar. Give some away. It makes a lovely holiday gift.

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Trick or treat. Trick or treat. Give me something good to eat. Humans have always desired sweet tasting food. Before food processing we satisfied our sweet tooths with plants such as tubers, roots, grains and fruit. We also derived nutrients, energy and fiber from these foods.

The first sugar refinery appeared in the United States in 1689. Early settlers began to sweeten their breakfast porridge with sugar. Within 10 years annual sugar consumption rose to 4 pounds. Current estimates of average annual consumption of sugar are between 140 to 190 pounds. Sugar wears many masks and uses many names: brown sugar, confectioner's sugar or powdered sugar, corn syrup, dextrose or glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose or milk sugar, levulose or fructose, raw sugar, sorbitol. mannitol, malitol and xylitol, sucrose or table sugar, and turbinado sugar.
Healthier alternatives include agave nectar, barley malt, birch sugar and syrup(xylitol),brown rice syrup, coconut sugar, date sugar, raw honey,
maple sugar or syrup, molasses, rapadura, stevia liquid, leaf or powder, sucanat and vegetable glycerin.

My favorite sweeteners include dark ormus-rich honey, coconut water, mesquite, lucuma and yacon powder, yacon syrup, and green powdered stevia.

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To celebrate the first day of autumn, an enthusiastic group of health-aware,tea-loving, raw-curious locals joined me at The Path of Tea, Houston's only totally organic tea house for a Raw Power Superfood Lunch. They learned to prepare quick delicious raw-live food dishes that pack a nutritional punch. As the outside temperature drops our bodies require more concentrated energy-rich food. Nature provides roots, squashes, mushrooms, a variety of hearty vegetables, nuts, seeds and herbs.

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Yesterday I had the best time ever teaching high school students at St.Stephen's Episcopal how to prepare raw live plant-based food. Class was facilitated by Norma Collum, director of admissions and attended by Betty Sierra, head of school and Danielle Tschirthart, school counselor.

Students sampled nutrient-dense superfoods: goji berries, raw cacao, coconut and hemp seeds. They used a high-powered blender to make nut milk from water, raw organic almond butter, coconut butter, agave syrup and a blend of local and exotic sea salts. They used the nut milk as the base for chia seed pudding. Tiny chia seeds are similar to flax seeds but much easier to digest.

For the main course, they made delicious veggie wraps. They used large red-leaf lettuce like tortillas. For the filling they mixed blue-green algae into avocado and squeezed a little lime juice into it. There were shredded carrots and local green pea sprouts. They were each able to make their own wraps.

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It was great to see all the beautiful people who came out for the birthday celebration for our "Dating Diva" Lori Geshay. I loved the way her gorgeous eyes lit up when I presented her with a Sacred Chocolate Heart made from raw cacao and natural ingredients.

Raw cacao is a true Superfood with a rich history, amazing health benefits and exciting culinary possibilities. It is always in season and makes a great gift from the heart for the heart.

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This July 4th put your patriotism on your plate. Support American farmers by selecting regional and locally grown food.

I will be heading to the local farmers market early on the holiday to get my fresh reds, whites and blues.

Foods have different color energy, the outward color and the quality of energy they supply. Red foods are mineral-rich and provide quick energy. Red fruits include: cherries, goji berries, pomegranate, raspberries, stawberries, tomatoes and watermelon.

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According to Ayurveda, the ancient Indian medical system based on nature, there are three primary body types: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These basic types correspond to and embody the properties of the seasons Winter, Summer and Spring.

Summer people may be hot and fiery. They are active and adventurous and can be very competitive. They generally don't like hot weather. These people prefer cold food and drinks, especially in the summer. They may metabolize food quickly so they need to re-fuel regularly or they may get light-headed or become short-tempered. In the Houston heat it is likely that Summer people will become imbalanced. This may manifest as heat rashes, inflammation, ulcers, heartburn, disturbed vision, overheating, excessive perspiration, hostility and irritation. Menopausal women may experience hot flashes.
Fortunately, nature alway provides an antidote.

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I first experienced Tai Chi 30 years ago. While walking through my neighborhood in a small town in northwestern New Jersey, I saw a man in a martial arts uniform doing a graceful dance in his backyard. I sat down a safe distance away and watched with fascination. I knew I was witnessing something special and sacred. I respected his level of concentration and did not dare make a move. I never spoke of what I saw as if speaking of it would have destroyed the magic.

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I have always been adventurous, energetic and athletic. As a little girl I was interested in exotic food and made friends with children from different cultures. I was a gymnast and a good student. I sought out different things to make me feel like a Superhero. When I was 5 years old I would roll up pieces of bread into little balls to have with me for energy on long days of playing outdoors. This was my version of the 'adrenaline' pills taken by one of my role models, the Bionic Woman.

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When my Infiniti QX4 had a freak mechanical breakdown earlier this year I sold it to the garage and invested in a bicycle. I challenged myself to move beyond my earth-friendly fashionable, eco-chic image to more fully embrace a greener, cleaner lifestyle. The transition has been easier than I expected with a few pleasant surprises. Since I live in a central location and have a home-based busines I rarely have to venture far from my neighborhood.  I've learned that walking, jogging or riding my bike to my favorite spots or to do errands is more efficient than when I took a car. At the local farmers market or Whole Foods I can fill up my backpack with enough food for myself for a few days. This eliminates the chance of overconsumption. I am enjoying more time outside and noticing things in my neighborhood like the young bees that are thankfully pollinating our flowers.

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