GAPS Nutritional Program

Anybody that has a child with ADHD, ADD or Autism should probably consider reading “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” by  Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride uses GAPS Nutritional Program to help or even cure these children. It is equally beneficial that the future mothers use this guide in helping them prevent these conditions in their children.

If you do not have time to read or the money to buy the book, you could listen to a little talk here: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/31/dr-natasha-campbell-mcbride-on-gaps-nutritional-program.aspx 

St. Demetrios, The Great Martyr, The Myrrh-Flowing of Thessaloniki commemorated on October 26th.

 

 

Fresco of St. Demetrios by Manuel Panselinos the Great Iconographer, in the Church of Protaton on Mount Athos (circa 1290AD) (icon from http://www.eikastikon.gr/afieromata/agios_dimitrios_2.html)

 

"THE FEAST DAY of Aghios Demetrios is a great feast for all of Orthodoxy, but especially Thessalonica (Greece). His church is a building dating from the ancient Christian era, built one hundred years after his holy martyrdom which was in 296 A.D. But after 300 years it burned, and was rebuilt in the days of Leo the Wise."

 

AGHIOS DEMETRIOS, the Great Martyr and Myrovletes (myrrh-emitting), was born in Thessalonica in 260 A.D. His parents were illustrious people and along with the transitory glory which Demetrios had from his family, he was adorned with imperishable virtues, with prudence, with sweetness, with humility, with justice, and with every noble comeliness of the soul. All these were like precious stones which shone on the crown which he wore, and this crown was the faith in Christ."

Below you can read the amazing life that The Saint had- an example of true faith:

http://fr-d-serfes.org/lives/stdemetrios.htm
 

And since it is important to never forget about our kids on this feast day, I can recommend to you this beautifully illustrated children’s book from Potamitis Publishing-St. Demetrios the Myrrh-Flowing Book & Audio CD:
 

 

 

Oil - free Vegan Menu

Breakfast: Hemp Seed - Banana Smoothie

Lunch: Quinoa Salad

Dinner: Romaine lettuce Salad, Kiwi and Homemade Pear Juice.

 

Hemp Seed, Banana Smoothie

For breakfast I like to make something simple, like a smoothie: ½ cup hemp seeds, 1 cup water, 3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice, 1 banana +/- one of these ingredients: ½ cup (parsley, basil, oregano, cilantro, spinach, raspberries or strawberries etc).

 

Quinoa Salad

4 cups cooked quinoa- (any color you like)- I used white quinoa.

An assortement of vegetables of your choice (celery, orange, grean and yellow peppers, steamed broccoli, onion etc) and raisins.

Served with your choice of oil-free vinagrette (today made from 1 garlic clove, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp tahini, salt, pepper, 1 tsp mustard, oregano , ¼ cup OJ – I put it all in a small chopper to mix it well). It also goes well if adding some sunflower seeds.

 

Romaine Lettuce Salad, Kiwi and Homemade Pear Juice

Just as in the picture: over romaine lettuce I added yellow, red and orange peppers along with tomatoes. The vinagrette was oil-free (see recipe above). For dessert I had kiwi and freshly made pear juice. YUMM!

Thank God for Fasting!

 

The Tale of the Prayer and the Little Fox

This is a great story worth reading to little ones. The story is from the much well known book called: “Everyday Saints and Other Stories.” by Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov).

 

The Tale of the Prayer and the Little Fox

 

“In Egypt, in whose ancient Christian past there had once been many grand monasteries, there once lived a monk who befriended an uneducated and simple peasant farmer. One day this peasant said to the monk, “I too respect God who created this world! Every evening I pour out a bowl of goat’s milk and leave it out under a palm tree. In the evening God comes and drinks up my milk! He is very fond of it! There’s never once been a time when even a drop of milk is left in the bowl.” http://everyday-saints.com/fox.htm

 

Saint Luke - The First Iconographer

Saint Luke (Commemorated on October 18) was an apostle, evangelist, physician, and artist. St. Luke (whose emblem is the calf, the third symbolical beast mentioned by Ezekiel (1:10), which is a symbol of Christ's sacrificial and priestly office, as Saint Irenaeus says) is one of the four evangelists along with: St. Matthew (the man), St. Mark (the lion) and St. John (the eagle). He wrote the Gospel that bears his name and the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, and became the first iconographer. He was a disciple of St. Paul who called him the “glorious physician”.
The icon bellows show how St Luke was painting the icons. The holy tradition tells us that Archangel Gabriel gave to St Luke the boards on which the icons were painted. The Holy Virgin held and blessed these icons when she said, “The grace of the One born of me be with them through me.” Thus, the sacred art of iconography by which our Orthodox Churches are adorned had its beginning with St. Luke. St. Luke's interest in iconography, again, according to Holy Tradition was aroused by the miraculous not-made-by-hand image of Christ.

Here is one of the holy icons painted by the Holy Apostle and Evagelist Luke, that can found in Cyprus:

(Panagia of Kykkos Holy Icon)

The Virgin of compassion-Panayia Eleousa-the icon of Kykkos, was taken to Egypt by Saint Luke after the death of the Virgin. He had painted it just seven years after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ.

A great children’s book about this icon is: “The Holy Virgin Comes to Cyprus”, by Chrissi Hart:

The Holy Martyrs and UnMercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Arabia

The Holy Martyrs and UnMercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Arabia (Commemorated on October 17) walked through the cities and the villages, preaching Christ and healing the sick by the power of Christ. The saints would not take any sort of payment for the help they rendered. In Cilicia pagans seized hold of the holy physicians and led them before the governor named Lysias. For their refusal to renounce the Christian faith, the governor gave orders for the saints to be brutally beaten, and then to drown them in the sea. But an Angel of God conveyed them from the deeps to shore. The governor asked if he could be instructed in this sorcery. Cosmas and Damian said that they possessed the power of Christ and that others could call on Him as well. They were thrown into fire, but remained unharmed. They were suspended and stoned, but instead the stones struck their tormentors. Arrows were shot at them, but they returned to strike those who shot them. The pagans then beheaded the saints. Together with the holy physicians were martyred also their brothers Leontios, Anthimus and Eutropius. (The UnMercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Arabia ought not to be confused with UnMercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor – Comm. 1 November, or the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome – Comm. 1 July).

(2014 Daily Lives, Miracles and Wisdom of the Saints & Fasting Calendar)

Carrot-Cauliflower Soup

 

A great vegan, oil free soup.

 

Ingredients:
1 cauliflower head, chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp dried tarragon (3 tbsp if fresh)
1 celery stick, chopped
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp cumin
Pepper and salt to taste

Directions:
You do not need to finely chop all the veggies, since you will puree them. Start by boiling 4-5 cups of water in a kettle- this will help speed up the cooking process. In a soup pot add 1 cup of boiling water along with tarragon and onion. Cook until translucent. Add the carrots, celery, cauliflower and cover with more boiling water. Lower heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Remove from stove and add the garlic. Puree the soup with an immersion blender and serve.

Note: You may add ghee, butter or oil when possible. In that case, cook the onion in oil/butter, then follow all the instructions as above.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Psalm 116:15

“ The saints, during their earthly life, are filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. After their departure the same grace remains in their souls as in their bodies. The very same grace is present and active in their sacred images and icons.”

St. John of Damascus

Saint Paraskeva the New

Saint Parascheva please pray for us!

 “In the Eastern Orthodox tradition there are three different saints known as St. Parascheva.

The first one was born in Rome, in the 2nd century, and is considered a healer and a protector of cattle and crops. She is commemorated on August the 8th. The second one was born in Iconia and she died during the reign of the emperor Diocletian in the 3rd century. Her feast day, October 27th, is observed mostly in Dalmatia. The third one, the one whose relics are sheltered in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iasi, Romania, lived around the year 1000 A.D. and is the best known and the most widely revered by Eastern Orthodox Christians. Variations of her name include St. Parascheva of Tirnovo, St. Parascheva the Serbian, St. Parascheva of Belgrade, St. Parascheva the New, St. Parascheva the Young, and St. Parascheva of the Balkans.”

Read more: https://www.facebook.com/notes/saint-paraschiva-of-iasi/st-paraskeva-the-new/61701062891

Friday Fasting and Zucchini-Tahini Salad

Since today is Friday and we fast without oil, I decided to make another zucchini-tahini salad. Tahini has great liver detoxing properties. But if you do not like it, replace it with almond butter.

Ingredients:

4 zucchini, washed and grated

1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

1 small red pepper, chopped

1 small yellow pepper, chopped

 

Tahini Dressing:

1 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey or 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Sea salt to taste.

Directions:

1.     In a salad bowl add all the veggies and mix well.
2.     Blend together all the dressing ingredients and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.
3.     Serve immediately.
Note: for more antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties one can add to the above dressing 2 garlic cloves.
Another important note: Some people may wonder why fasting is done on Fridays? Orthodox Christians fast on Wednesday in remembrance of the betrayal of Christ and on Fridays in remembrance of His crucifixion and death. For more information visit this page: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/pr_fasting.aspx

What God prescribes for man, we should comply. There is growing scientific evidence on the importance of fasting. Fasting helps to alkalinize the body (especially when oil-less fasting is done). Fasting provides calorie control (especially the strict no food fast) which keeps cancer cells in check since they can’t survive in a nutritionally deficient environment as compared to the more robust normal cells. Also a rich vegan diet during the long periods of fasting (i.e. during a 40 day lent) will simply flood the cells with potassium rich vegetables which restores the whole body’s health. The Orthodox Christian Church has been following a regimented fasting calendar for more the 2000 years. Are you ready to do so too?

Dr. Axe: Food is Medicine

My husband found this amazing site with great recipes. I like that there are 2 main categories of recipes I am very interested in: gluten-free and gut health. Many of the recipes are also vegan, which is always a plus when fasting! One thing to remember is that cruciferous veggies should be cooked or fermented for the best health results.

http://draxe.com/section/recipes/

 

How is your "purple penguin"?

With horror I learned that some schools are all about changing the very human nature of us, starting with such a tender age!!!! Even more interesting, they say that “The agenda we’re promoting is to help all kids succeed”. Succeed? At what, not being boys and girls? I thought the schools are supposed to help children succeed academically. Also, while they feed the kids the most horrible foods, they took upon themselves of  going further and further and changing the name of their gender, instead of cherishing what God created and furnishing the proper nutrition to His creation….in order to really succeed academically! May God have mercy on all of us!

 

“The fine folks who run the school system in Lincoln, Neb., are on a campaign to make their classrooms gender-inclusive. And that means teachers will no longer refer to boys and girls … as boys and girls. “

 

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/10/09/gender-inclusive-school-district-says-drop-boys-and-girls-call-kids-purple/

 

Cranberry Orange Macadamia Muffins

Considering the paleo diet, today I decided to make some gluten-free muffins for the kids for when they come home from school.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of salted macadamia nuts

(if using unsalted, add ¼ tsp sea salt)

1 ¼ cup quinoa flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

¼ cup olive oil or coconut oil or ghee (or butter)

1/3 cup orange juice

1 cup chopped fresh cranberries

(dry cranberries are another possibility)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Place macadamia nuts in a food processor and pulse until a coarse meal forms.

3. In a medium bowl combine the first 3 ingredients together.

4. Add the eggs, oil, vanilla, maple syrup and orange juice and mix well.

5. Stir in cranberries.

6. Spoon batter into prepared muffins cups.

7. Bake for 24-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Note: To make Cranberry Orange Macadamia Cookies use  2 cups of quinoa flour for a thicker batter and form 8 even balls. Flatten each dough ball slightly and place on a parchment paper and bake as above.
Other possibilities are:
- corn flour instead of the quinoa flour
- cashew nuts instead of macadamia nuts
- ghee or butter instead of oil
- omit syrup and cranberries, but add instead 2 cups of grated fruit (persimmons, apples, pears, etc)
- orange, almond, rum or lemon extract instead of vanilla extract

Cranberry Almond Macadamia Cookies

 

Persimmon Cashew Cookies
 

Golden Berry Cashew Orange Cake

In the same manner as above, one can substitute as follows:

Ingredients:

2 cups of cashews

(if using unsalted, add ¼ tsp sea salt)

1 ¼ cup quinoa flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ cup maple syrup or 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp almond extract

2 eggs

¼ cup olive oil or coconut oil or ghee (or butter)

1/3 cup orange juice

1 cup chopped dry golden berries  

Directions: use the directions as above, but pour the batter into a pre-greased glass baking pan. Enjoy!

 

Apple Crumble

We love apple desserts. Today I adventured and made a vegan, gluten-free version of the Apple Crumble.

Ingredients:
5-6 medium apples, washed, grated

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup olive oil

½ cup quinoa flour

½ cup brown sugar

pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Mix the grated apples with 3 tbsp sugar and cinnamon. Put into a greased glass pan (I used an 8 inch square glass pan). Mix remaining ingredients and spread evenly on top of the apples. Bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes. Cover pan with aluminum foil for the first 25 minutes.

Note: if you can eat eggs, replace the olive oil with 2 eggs.