Awakening from the cocoon and sleeping

As we reopen to the outside world, lets remember to sleep.

This month I have been focusing on building strong immunity, sleep is the pillar of good health and strong immunity. Its at night, from 10pm-2am, that our organs get a chance to repair, metabolize waste and rejuvenate. However with stimulating technology and to-do lists on our minds it can be easy to get a second wind at 10pm, and then later finding it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep and wake feeling rejuvenated. Nothing depletes us more than being in a cycle of turning the midnight oil.

To honor your immunity, I strongly recommend creating nighttime rituals that support your  transitions from activity to rest. Guided Meditations or relaxing music are a great way to deregulate the nervous system to a more relaxed place. Breathing practices like Nadi Shodhana can be soothing for a busy mind. Another thing you can do is try to use binaural beats to get your brain waves to a certain state.

If your having trouble falling asleep, wear blue blocker glasses in the evening and try turning all screens off by 9pm, dim your lights, sip Golden Milk or Cardamom & Saffron Sleep Tonic before bed. Use tranquil mind essential oils. Transition with an evening meditation and quiet music. Here is a cello, base and singing bowl meditation my husband and I made with a friend of ours. 

If your having trouble staying asleep, try taking a hot bath and massage warm oil onto your feet before bed. Grounding heart centered prayers and intentions before or upon awakening at night help.

If your having trouble waking up, a grounding gratitude practice, where you are thankful to Mother Earth for supporting you and creating the beauty all around you before you ever get out of bed. Try waking before the sun and start the morning with mindful movement, Sun Salutations and breathing practices to wake up your mind and body.

Finally, its good to keep in mind to limit your EMF exposure, especially at night. To do this you can simply turn off your in home WiFi, don’t sleep near your phone, if you do, put a piece of shungite stone between you and the phone. You may also want to consider painting your room with EMF blocking paint or purchasing a Lumerian Plug or a Tachyon Disk.

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Cardamom and Saffron Sleep Tonic

This Ayurvedic tonic recipe is both a remedy for better sleep and building overall vitality. The combination of soaked almonds, ghee, sweet dates and raw honey are considered to be rasayanas ~~ foods that nourish and build vitality.
This recipe uses ashwagandha, a unique adaptogenic herb that enables the body to reserve and sustain vital energy throughout the day while aiding restful sleep at night. It is considered one of the best herbs for supporting the nervous system, which can often cause difficulties staying asleep at night. Saffron is also a potent medicinal spice with many benefits from supporting the reproductive organs to relaxing the nerves. Make this drink after dinner to satisfy a sweet tooth and to help you wind down after a long day and prepare for a restful night sleep.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh almond milk (or organic milk of choice)
1-2 pitted dates
1 TBSP Ghee
1 TBSP raw honey
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
2-3 threads saffron or pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp ashwagandha powder

In a small saucepan, lightly heat ingredients until warm, not boiling. Transfer to blender or use a hand whisk, pour into your favorite mug.
In-Joy!
Much love to all as we reopen and get wonderful sleep!
~Michelle~

Michelle’s Super Green Smoothie

Smoothies are a great way to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet to increase your overall health! If you have kids its easy to get them to participate in making smoothies by having them “experiment” with different ingredients, it also helps if you love making smoothies too because leading by example is the best teacher!

Health Benefits of Green Smoothies:

  • Increase Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables
  • Easy to Digest and Assimilate Nutrients
  • Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
  • Mental Clarity and Focus
  • Increased Fiber Intake
  • Clearer Skin
  • Natural Weight Loss
  • Reduced Cravings For Junk Foods
  • Alkalizing to help maintain a proper pH level in your body.

Now is a good time to try to make your own green smoothie! Try to stick to about 60% greens and about 40% fruit.

Michelle’s Super Green Smoothie:

  • 1 Frozen Banana
  • 1 Large Kale Leaf or 2 Small Kale Leaves
  • 1 cup Blessed Water
  • 1/4 cup Walnuts
  • 1 tsp Friendly Force (Vegan Powdered Probiotic by Healthforce Nutritionals)
  • 1 tsp Vitamineral Earth
  • 1 tsp Spirulina
  • 1 tsp Maca
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp Max B-ND by Premier Research Labs
  • 1/2 tsp Liver Care by Premier Research Labs
  • 1 dropper full Nettle Tincture
  • 1 dropper full Chaga Tincture
  • 4 drops Stevia
  • 1 drop Vitamin D3 by Premier Research Labs
  • Dash of Cinnamon

Put everything in a blender and blend away! How’s that for a super smoothie?

If you don’t have all of these ingredients, don’t worry about it, experiment, taste test, and most of all have fun with it!

Lots of love to you!

Michellesmoothie goodness

Green Goodness

I love to juice! It helps me to feel amazing and improves my energy level!

Green juice helps me to consume a wide variety of produce in any given day.

Juicing helps the body assimilate nutrients faster than eating vegetable on their own, plus you can juice more! Green juice promotes the body to shift from an acid to an alkaline state. Our body needs a balanced pH to function properly, if we are either too acidic or alkaline our body goes through a series of adjustments to try to neutralize the imbalance.

Juicing helps me to maintain balance, youthful, more radiant skin as well as helps me maintain a stable weight because I am getting the nutrients I need without overeating.

These recipes can be used during the 3-Day Juice Cleanse, the 5-Day Juice Cleanse and the 7-Day Juice Cleanse!

I have had a lot of people lately comment on how they love my juices. How do I get them to taste so good? Many people either put too much dark pungent greens in their juices thinking that more is better or they either start using too much fruit because they are addicted to sugar. Its all about balance, use different greens a little sweetener.

A good balance to a good green juice and its usually includes a delicious base like celery or cucumber. From there I like to include kale, chard, romaine, spinach, parsley, cilantro, mint, the list goes on depending on what is in my fridge. To sweeten the juice, I like to add a couple of apples or some pineapple or even some grapefruit. If I want my juice to be a little more zesty, I might add some ginger or lemon or lime.

Some good Green Juice combos to try:

Celery/Kale/Apple/Lemon/Ginger

Cucumber/Kale/Cilantro/Pineapple

Celery/Cucumber/Apple

Cucumber/Spinach/Mint/Pineapple

Celery/Basil/Pineapple

Cucumber/Chard/Parsley/Apple/Ginger

Celery/Chard/Grapefruit/Ginger

Cucumber/Romaine/GreenApple

Experiment, have fun and don’t forget to taste as you go! You can do it!

For those of you who like measurements, try these green juice recipes:

Green Lemonade:
1 bunch celery
5 to 6 stalks kale (any type – I use dino kale because its super green and fits through my juicer beautifully)
1 to 2 apples for sweetness
1 lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (optional)
Green Goddess:
1/2 buch of celery
1 bunch kale
1 bunch cilantro
1 to 2 apples
1 lemon
1 to 2 teaspoons ginger (optional)
As you can see, I like celery but this can easily be interchanged with cucumber or whatever other greens you have on hand.

Amazing ingredients to use while  juicing  for life:

Celery: Is an amazing relief for all inflammation including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, asthma and bronchitis.  Celery helps fight cancer, lowers blood pressure & cholesterol, aids in digestion, elimination & weight loss, helps with insomnia, and it is also beneficial to help those with a weak sexual drive. Juice is the most efficient and nutritious way to eat celery, and people who have these conditions can drink as much juice as desired without overdosing.

Cucumber: Do you remember putting cucumber slices over your eyes to reduce morning puffiness (or seeing women do it in movies)? Well, imagine cucumber doing the same thing for your gut. It contains vitamin C and caffeic acid, both of which may help reduce inflammation and swelling.

Kale: Amazing superfood to include in your diet, whether you are juicing or not. Kale is an incredibly effective anti-inflammatory food and since inflammation is the number one cause of arthritis, heart disease and a number of autoimmune diseases, kale is the perfect leafy green to add to your juices or salads for that matter. It is also a good source of essential omegas 3 & 6, helping not only to get protein into our body but to boost our immune system as well.

Chard: Recent research has shown that chard leaves contain at least 13 different polyphenol antioxidants, including kaempferol, the cardioprotective flavonoid that’s also found in broccoli, kale, strawberries, and other foods. Now what does this mean? I means that chard has unique benefits for blood sugar regulation for people with diabetes, it has powerful antioxidants as well as anti-inflammatory benefits and supports bone health! Who needs a glass of milk when you can just add chard to your green juice?

Cilantro: This herb isn’t just a commonly used leaf or seed, used in exotic recipes, its a powerful cleansing agent! Cilantro helps remove heavy metals and other toxic agents from the body. It works to cleanse the liver and is a powerful anti-inflammatory that may help relieve symptoms of arthritis as well as wards off urinary tract infections and is helpful in fighting anemia. It is anti microbial and anti fungal. Helps with insulin secretion and lowers blood sugar. Contains immune boosting properties, helps ease conjunctivitis, as well as eye-aging, macular degeneration, and other stressors on the eyes. Cilantro is so amazing it helps as an overall digestive aid and helps reduce feelings of nausea. It helps ease hormonal mood swings associated with menstruation and reduces menstrual cramping. What’s not to love about this amazing herb?

Parsley: The inclusion of fresh herbs in your diet can be especially beneficial, as many of them are strong antioxidants. Parsley contains beta-carotene, vitamin C, and a number of phytochemicals with antioxidant properties. It also tastes great in carrot juice!

Apples: You know the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away?” While that may be an exaggeration, apples are a miracle fruit in my mind. Studies have linked the consumption of apples to a reduced risk of a variety of cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and Type II diabetes. They are strong antioxidants, and contain a number of phytochemicals, including quercetin, which is anti-inflammatory.

Pineapple: Packed with the enzyme bromelain which plays a major role in the body’s healing process. Bromelain is a natural potent anti-inflammatory that has many health benefits and encourages healing. According to recent researches, bromelain is very effective in treating bruises, sprains and strains by reducing swelling, tenderness and pain. This powerful anti-inflammatory effect can also help relieve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and reduce postoperative swelling.

Grapefruit: I love grapefruit. I crave Grapefruit. If you are serious about wanting to improve your health, grapefruits are one of many live foods you should consider adding to your regular diet. It helps cleanse the kidneys, digestive and urinary systems, detoxify the liver, ease chronic liver conditions and help to eliminate toxins from the body. It may also help dissolve gallstones, lower cholesterol, aid in weight loss, helps fight cancer & is awesome in fighting candida and parasites in the body. Its anti-inflammatory properties are helpful with chest congestion, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other inflammatory disorders like osteoarthritis.

Lemons: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Lemons are anti-inflammatory and great for detoxification because they have high levels of vitamin C, which can bind to heavy metals and neutralize the toxins in our body. Lemons also stimulate the liver to make glutathione, a special enzyme used by the liver in detoxification.

Ginger:  Ginger ale is historically the tonic of choice for stomach unrest. However, with all the high fructose corn syrup or sugar in ginger ale, your best bet is making your own tea or including a chunk of fresh ginger in your juice. In addition, ginger is known to alleviate migraine symptoms, and my own experience with ginger juice has proven that to be true. Whenever I feel a headache coming on, I make a ginger juice – the worse the headache, the more ginger I add. If you’ve never used ginger in your juice, it can taste pretty strong, so start with a 1-inch chunk and increase the amount over time.

Here is a link to some amazing beet juice recipes: Pre-Workout Juice
Cheers to Life!
Now go on and get juicing!
What is your favorite juice? Please share your recipe!
Love and juice,
Michelle
It goes with your everywhere you go. It is on display at work and at home. People around you are affected by it. It has no shape, color, or size, yet its impact on your life is profound. What is it? Your attitude!
~Lucy MacDonald

A Fresh Start

Welcome to my new site!

Its a new beginning, instead of trying to sell a company or product to you and tell people what they “should” be doing. This site is intended to be an evolutionary exploration on how to be your most radiant self though plant based diet and lifestyle.  Through what I know and am experiencing on an ongoing basis. It is meant to be inspiring and provide you with accurate and scientific information about health, mind-body wellness and spirituality in all aspects of life.

This site is the hub of my communication with the world. I love to share, recipes, health information, information about upcoming classes, as well as  information and inspiration on plant based living and eating.

What are some things you might find on the new site?

~Lots of plant based recipes, highly raw and some cooked, but always highly conscious and made with love!

~Thoughts about life, spirituality and evolving consciousness.

~Thoughts and inspiration on how to be our most beautiful selves through diet and lifestyle.

~Holistic parenting & plant  based nutrition for children of all ages!

~You Tube Channel will be up and running soon with cool recipes and fun in the kitchen! So stay tuned!

~Also this will soon be a connection to Sublime Elements online superstore that my husband and I own together to offer support for holistic health and wellness, both in our community and throughout the world. We offer a diverse range of products which have been designed and hand picked to help everyone create healthy selves and healthy families though body, mind, and spirit. The store will feature organic products that have been carefully sourced and selected are are of the highest quality and effectiveness available. We have temporarily shut down the online store to bring an all new, super groovy and highly informative store so that we will be able to be more interactive with our clients and give more personalized service. Until the new store is live, you can feel free to contact us if you need something particular! If we have it we’ll ship it out to you or you can come by the house and pick it up & if we don’t have it we will try to order it for you!

~Product reviews will be posted on this site. If you have a product and want me to write about it! Hook me up!

If you have any questions or ideas you would like me to include or explore, please let me know! Email me at sublimele@gmail.com

In love and light,

Michelle Berry-Shaffer

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be. ~Patanjali