Make Your Valentine Candy, Then Relax…It’s Good Stuff

For Valentine’s Day, why not give your loved ones a truly delicious and wholesome candy; one with ingredients that you love and can feel good about? Here’s what I make for my family on Valentine’s Day.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate  Layer

• 1 Cup Green Pasture’s coconut oil (One of the best brands)
• ¼ cup organic raw cocoa powder (Found at health food stores)
• Big pinch of Celtic salt
• 1 tsp of vanilla (I make my own, but any organic one will do)
• ¼ cup raw honey
• 1 cup organic almond flour

In a food processor, mix all ingredients except peanut butter. Scrape out ½ of it and make a  smooth layer of the mixture  on a cookie sheet lined in parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Put the other half aside  and keep at room temperature. While the first mixture is cooling begin the peanut butter layer.

Peanut Butter Layer

• 1/2 cup  organic peanut butter
• ¼ cup truly raw honey (the kind that is cloudy and crystallizes when it’s cold)
• parchment or waxed paper

Add peanut butter and  honey in a clean food processor. Smear the peanut butter topping in a  uniform layer on top of the refrigerated chocolate.

Refrigerate.  Once cooled, smear the last chocolate mixture on the top of the peanut butter layer.  Place back in the refrigerator.  When cooled, break up into individual bit-sized pieces and place in paper  crinkle cups or fashion on a doily.  They may remain at room temperature but a distance from the fireplace.(Yes, there’s a story behind this caution.) Usually, I keep them in a glass covered container in the fridge.

 Minty Valentine Candy

Using the above recipe, omit the peanut butter layer and instead, add 10 drops of essential oil of mint.  Oh heavenly day!

 Orange Valentine Candy

Using the above recipe, omit the peanut butter layer and instead, add 10 drops of essential oil of orange. A little twist of orange peel on top is a lovely addition and denotes which candy is the orange one, if you decide to make a variety.

Saturated Fats Are Where it’s At

I love good food.  Even my favorite movies attest to this: Big Night, Chocolat, Julie and Julia. And when it comes to foodstuff, I have

Photo Courtesy of www.trendforfashion.com

a difficult time getting past the low-fat paradigm.

As far as I’m concerned: fat is where it’s at.

Now, not all fats are the same.  Think of the distinction between a Dunkin’ Donut doughnut and my Sunday, homemade, buttermilk pancakes, blissfully fried in cold-pressed virgin coconut oil, and then drenched in raw spring butter and a splash of local maple syrup from my farmer.   If we only examine one aspect, it becomes apparent which is the superior choice.  Look at the oils. The former choice is fried in months-old soybean or canola oil; the latter is in concert with delectable coconut oil, which has the distinct fragrance of fresh coconuts.  Can there be any comparison?

So how do I rationalize the abundance of saturated fats for my family and me?  I did my homework and this is what I learned.

The notion that saturated fats cause heart disease is not only facile but just plain wrong.  Do you remember the Framingham Heart Study?  Well, if not, you ought to know that it’s the mainstay for the low-fat paradigm advocates. Yet, its hypothesis has been turned on its head.

In hindsight, some 40 years after the study became public, the director of the study confessed that “the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the person’s serum cholesterol… we found that the people who ate the most cholesterol, ate the most saturated fat [and] ate the most calories, weighed the least and were the most physically active.”

Can we deduce that arterial sclerosis has little to do with cholesterol and fat consumption? It certainly appears that we can when we consider those telling words from the director of the lipid theorist’s flagship study.

Interestingly, clogged arteries are not choked with saturated fats, but with calcium deposits akin to lime.  This is not what we have imagined all these years.

Instead, we’ve visualized the fats from a fresh, free range, pastured egg fried in extra virgin coconut oil traveling directly from the mouth into the stomach and then straight for the arteries.  It simply isn’t so and there’s plenty of evidence to substantiate this.

Irrespective of the repetitive conventional medical mantra and unsound pop culture advice, we can reconsider the last 40 years of fat phobia to be a wash.

If butter, organic, extra virgin coconut oil, cod liver oil, whole milk, tropical and other saturated fats don’t cause heart disease, then what does?  We know that deficiencies of vitamins A, E and D are one cause.  Where are these vitamins found?  Why, in butter, lard, tropical oils and animal fats…the very same foods we’re advised to eschew!

B vitamin and mineral deficiencies are also contributors to heart disease.  These occur as a result of eating foods of commerce, such as soda, preservatives, additives and enhancers, instead of whole, homemade fare.  Vitamin B happens to be abundant in red meat and in organ meats.

Butter, lard and tropical fats, such as virgin coconut oil,  thanks to their antioxidants, protect us against free radicals and are therefore, preventative against diseases such as cancer, heart disease, depression, infections and reproductive disorders.

Get happy!  Ward off hot flashes, heart pathology, allergies, fatigue, memory loss and winter respiratory infections.  Eat like a true gourmet; include plentiful amounts of butter, organic virgin coconut oil and fresh milk.  Then go outside and take a walk.  Your brain, heart, lungs and even your arteries will thank you for a radiant life.

Get Your PhD in Mothering

Recently I heard a mom declare, “I wish I had taken my job as a mother more seriously.  My kids might not have the chronic illnesses they suffer from today.”

Indeed.

Preparation for motherhood ought not to be random or casual.  It needs to be faced with the same kind of intent and commitment as getting your PhD.

Understanding how to prepare nutritious meals is key, setting them on the right moral path is paramount and treating their illnesses without detrimental drugs, downright fundamental.

Only a century ago, that’s just what mothers did.  They learned how to treat fever, coughs, injuries, colic and such without bowing to a modern medical paradigm of a synthetic pill for every ill.

Why?  Well, mostly because moms didn’t trust modern medicine.

Do you?

If you embrace medicine of commerce and seek frequent medical procedures, then the information I’m about to present is not for you.

But if you’re like mothers of old or even modern ones, who celebrate their knowledge of intelligent natural health, then read on.

An important place to begin is in knowing how to treat fever. Here’s the rule of thumb when treating a fever….

DON’T!

No aspirin, no Tylenol, no antibiotics.  Why?  Because fever is not an illness, it’s a symptom.  Treating symptoms is what drugs do. And we don’t like that paradigm because drugs don’t get to the root of the problem.  They only eliminate the signs of illness.

“She was convulsing. I was scared and so I had to give her something.”

Even febrile convulsions are nothing to fear in a normal child. In fact, if your child has them and you rush to the hospital, by the time you get there, they’ll have passed. There’s no conventional treatment anyway.  Further, a convulsion is a normal regulatory response which indicates a fast paced fever, not a high one.

“But the fever was already at 105.  I can’t do nothing.”

Brain damage occurs at 107.6 and it is rare indeed when a fever in a child goes beyond 106.  In fact, the higher the fever up to that point, the more capable of self cure.

“But he could barely sleep and it’s hard to watch him suffer.”

Why, certainly fever’s uncomfortable!  So?

Would you suppress vomiting if he had eaten bad chicken?

These are responses required for genuine health.

It is an understood truth of human pathology that fever cures.  In fact, a fever is often employed in uprooting chronic illness.   One of the foundational principles in homeopathy is that chronic illness is often the result of acute illness that has been stifled.

No tinkering with meds.  Just stand back and watch the miracle of the human body find its way to restoration on its own.

In the process, keep your child hydrated. Dehydration is the only true threat accompanying fever. So insist on quality liquids and maintain bed rest.

There are many methods that as a mom, you need to have in your bag of tricks. The most important is how to interpret illness; when to act and when not.

Join me and millions of educated moms who have found that genuine health begins with the comprehension of genuine health principles.

Get your PhD on how to care for your children as though  it is your only assignment in life.

Because it is.

A Tribute to Chico…..No, Not a Guy, But a Whole Town of Got-Their-Act-Together-People

I’ve just returned to Buffalo after having spent a fantastic weekend in Chico, California. There was a great turnout for my two-day, intensive seminar on homeopathy and I couldn’t have asked for a more lively, warm and welcoming bunch! There were mothers, grandmothers, chiropractors, nurses, farmers, a truck driver, teachers, and herbalists.  The vendors were interesting and  informed, and the food was out-of-this-world delicious.

My mouth is watering just remembering the beautiful cheesecake and acorn squash soup. All the foods were locally sourced, organically grown and true to Weston A. Price principles. I’d like to send a heartfelt “Thank You!” to Carol Chaffin Albrecht, the chapter leader for the WAPF chapter of Chico-Butte and all the wonderful folks who made my family and me feel welcom and appreciated.

And because I loved  the meal so much, I thought I’d share a recipe I’ve found for the delicious cream of acorn squash soup.  I can’t say that it will be as good as what the talented volunteers prepared, but it’s likely to come in a close second!

You’ll need:

• 2 acorn squashes, halved and seeded •   1 medium onion,  cut in half •  6 tbsp. unsalted butter • 1/4 c. flour (which can be coconut flour or gluten free,  if necessary)  • 5 c. bone stock • 1 c.raw heavy cream • Celtic Sea Salt to taste • Freshly ground black pepper to taste •

Here’s what you do:   On a buttered surface of a Dutch oven , bake the squash and onion until soft. Scoop out the meat from the squash and discard the skin. Put the squash back in  the Dutch oven, add  the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add raw cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue stirring until just heated through.

Man, oh man…….Chico I’m coming back!

Mint Q & A

Frequently, my clients ask me how and when to avoid mint while they’re using homeopathic remedies.  If you’ve ever had minty questions, I hope you, too, will benefit from my thoughts on the matter.

Because some people are more sensitive to this refreshing herb than others, I like to recommend that you avoid it entirely, until you know for certain that mint isn’t an antidote for you.

But let’s get a little more specific with one recent question: “If I’m taking a dose once every 2 weeks indefinitely, do I need to stay away from mint the entire time?”

 

My answer is both “Yes” and “No”.

If mint is an antidote for you then yes, avoid it; however, some people have no problem with it. If you’re seeing improvement as a result of the remedy/ies, then try mint and see if it has an effect.  If not, then go ahead and use mint.

Sometimes, just a little mint will not antidote, while a larger amount will.

If you’re trying to avoid mint and can’t find mint-free toothpaste, how ‘bout trying my homemade, mint-free tooth powder?  I bet you won’t even miss the old stuff.

Cavities? Try Homeopathy

Cell salts are integrated into the building my sons used to construct. As they grew older, I'd leave it up to them to take their 4 pills while playing with Lego's.

I’d like to thank The Healthy Home Economist for first sharing the following post with her readers. Now, I’m glad to share it with you, too.

 

The quality of the teeth represents the status of the bone structure of the body.

Therefore, it’s important that the teeth be sound. If they are, the bones will be reliable, too.

Sometimes, parents are concerned when their child’s teeth show frequent and large cavities in spite of a  nutrient dense diet.

This is rare when children are raised on raw milk, saturated fats and bone stocks but it indeed can occur in children who have certain predisposing DNA.

In this case,  working with a credentialed homeopath would be in order; however, if the caries are not of a particularly worrisome level, much can be done to remedy the problem at home.

It generally takes a good amount of time, however Calc phos 6x and Calc fluor 12x taken thrice daily, for many months has been shown to strengthen and aid in the growth and integrity children’s teeth.

These two remedies make a great combination since Calc phos “is concerned with formation of bone and teeth and [is] an important remedy for children”; Calc fluor “is found in the surface of bones and in the enamel of teeth.”[1]

But that’s not all.  They’re specific for growth in general and it’s not uncommon to see children who have problems with their teeth display other growth issues.

Lovely!  That means that with these two remedies, we can address the entire child.

Isn’t that what homeopathy is about?

When my children were growing, I had them take Calc phos and Calc fluor on a daily basis in spite of the fact that they were raised on raw milk bone stocks and saturated fats.

During these years, it appeared that two of our boys’ teeth were growing in a crooked fashion.  In fact, I’m sure that if we hadn’t chosen our holistic dentist, we  might have been pressured to consider dental  braces.

Instead, I believed that as they grew, their teeth would grow and straighten accordingly.

That’s exactly what happened.

A simple technique for administering these remedies is to add them directly to jugs of milk.  In one gallon of milk, add 10 or so  pills of each, stir and the job is complete. As your children ingest their milk throughout the day, they’ll get these two remedies in each sip.

Now, our boys have fine, strong and straight teeth without the “aid” of orthodontia.

We saved ourselves not only thousands of dollars, but more importantly,  allowed their bodies to complete the work of bone alignment on their own….with a little help from nutrient dense foods and our beloved homeopathic remedies.

[1] Chapman, J.B. The Biochemic Handbook. St. Louis, Missouri: Formur, Inc. Publishers. 1994.12-13

This is an excerpt from my upcoming system, “How to Raise a Drug Free Family”, which I’ll be using to teach my first year-long webinar course for mothers and others. Stay tuned for the latest updates!

California Here I Come!

Joette Calabrese

I feel like I’ve hit the ground running this New Year’s!

But I couldn’t be more thrilled since I’m busy preparing for my intensive, 2-day seminar in Chico, California. The WAPF chapter of Chico Butte has invited me to teach mothers and others how they can be the healer in their families using homeopathy and plain old common sense.

This is my life’s passion, so it’s all very exciting for me.

And besides, who wouldn’t be eager for the California sunshine? It’s a welcome change from the cold, grey winter that settled into Western New York.

Feel free to check out seminar and registration details here. I hope you’ll be able to join me and learn how YOU can become the sole healer in your family.

Maybe we’ll meet there!

Letters to Share

I always enjoy hearing from my readers and so I was especially grateful for the following message I recently received.

I thought it would be nice to share with you since it embodies so much of what we experience on our journey toward health and wellness.

So, thank you Michael for your great message and I hope you’ll be able to join me in my new webinar system coming up this spring.

It’s called, “How to Raise a Drug Free Family”. It will take you to the next level of understanding in homeopathy.

Stay in touch.  I love to hear how students of homeopathy, like Michael, fare:

“Hi There, I guess you can call me a homeopathic enthusiast.

I’m also a huge fan of the Weston A. Price foundation because they seem to have the pieces put together correctly on what we are supposed to be eating… the same things our ancestors ate and how we evolved… not these pyramids… I took several two day classes on homeopathy for animals a few years ago… I don’t own any animals so I used most of that knowledge on myself and my friends… had some good positive results… and some that left me scratching my head… all in all, it’s been a great learning experience and I will never look at disease the same way ever again.

I would like to try and continue learning more on these fronts and I am glad to have found this website.

Thank you, Mike Gurecki, Bradford, PA”

Christmas Wishes from Homeopathy Works

Have a blessed and happy Holiday!

And remember, a magical Christmas is meant for each and  every one us.

Love, Joette

The Only Eggnog Recipe You’ll Ever Need. Period.

Leave those tacky cartons at the grocery store. Wait ‘till you taste this rich and nutrient dense version of eggnog! This drink will offset any other holiday beverages, which by the way, are not as health supporting.

What you and your family deserve this Christmas is rich, thick eggnog that’s loaded with live enzymes, nutrient dense vitamins and of course, deliciously good cheer.

The quality of the ingredients add a superb benefit, but are not necessary.  Go with the highest quality you can find such as raw, organic milk and cream and free range egg yolks. If the eggs are not free-range, try to have at least organic.  Eggs eaten raw should not be conventionally produced.

Here’s what you’ll need:

12 free range eggs

6 cups raw milk

2 cups heavy, raw cream

1/2 cup raw honey (my 1^st choice, because of the accompanying raw enzymes, but maple syrup will do, too.)

1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg, plus more for dusting

 

Here’s what you do:

Submerge the eggs (still in the shell) in a large bowl of very hot water plus a few drops of dish soap. As the water cools; wash and rinse, then wipe the eggs dry.

Separate the egg yolks and place them in a mixer together with the honey and beat for 10 minutes. Refrigerate the egg whites (you’ll need them later). Allow the egg yolk mixture to cool in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.

30 minutes before you plan to serve, mix the milk into the chilled yolk mixture. If you plan to add brandy, this is the time to stir it in. Along with this, add in 1 -1/2 tsp nutmeg.

On high-speed, in a separate bowl, beat the cream until stiff peaks form.

In yet another bowl, beat the egg whites until you have stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then fold the cream into the egg mixture.

Ladle into frosted glasses and sprinkle with the remainder of nutmeg.   Serves 8 cups.

Oh, yum.