NY Health Coach Conference</h1> <article> <h1>NY Health Coach Conference</h1> <p>This American Mama — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:22:36 +0000</p> <p>It has been a long time since I have felt a transformative awakening rumble inside of me. When I signed up for the Institute of Integrative Nutrition Conference in NY a few months ago, I thought I would learn some great nutrition information. While that did happen, so much more transpired. I felt that each person that spoke said to me exactly what I needed to hear and gave me such a beautiful gift, allowing me to reflect and open up to be my true and authentic self. I got the opportunity to meet such loving and special people and they pushed me to think, go deep inside within myself and the whole experience truly touched my soul. The founder of IIN, Joshua Rosenthal, has been on my ipad screen since Jan. (gotta love online learning).He just seemed to be this “larger than life” figure until I got to meet him in person and talk to him at the conference. I got to speak to him for a few minutes and the way he listened, with so much love and intention in his eyes, just blew me away. Even though he was busy and rushing to get back on stage, he acted like I was the only person that mattered in that moment. What a special man! I can go on and on about each speaker but I wanted to share some points that really stood out and touched me at the conference:<span id="more-602"></span></p> <p>-Just because you have information, doesn’t mean you will act on it. Many people know how to be healthy, but as a health coach you need to be an expert in “Human Transformation” -Michael Ellsberg</p> <p>-People are inspired by your success and your story! -Michael Ellsberg</p> <p>-There is a difference between the evidence of absence, and the absence of evidence. No one gets rich selling kale and so no one funds “those” studies -Michael Ellsberg</p> <p>-Be professional encouragers! (The word “courage: is in that word for a reason). Demonstrate it, be an example and live it! -Michael Ellsberg</p> <p>-Blue Zones: Many people live into their 100s by exercising naturally, eating a plant based diet (with small amounts of meat 2-3x a month), they eat nuts, seeds and beans, drink a little alcohol everyday (shot of scotch/glass of wine etc), have social networks, community and meet with friends on a daily bases, practice a faith, eat a big breakfast/small dinner, take naps and get plenty of sleep, stop eating when they are 80% full and they know their purpose in life -Dan Buettner</p> <p>-The purpose of life is to live your life. You have it all, right now! Don’t live in the mindset,”When I get this or that I will be happy”. -Christine Hassler</p> <p>-By staying comfortable, we feel we have complete control, which is a false perception. We do have choice (but not control) -Christine Hassler</p> <p>-You don’t need to learn to love yourself, you need to remember how to. Courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyways. Where is FEAR stopping you? -Christine Hassler</p> <p>-In between stimulus and response, there is a space, a space of freedom! -Christine Hassler</p> <p>-Other people’s feelings/expectations are not your problem! Fall in love with yourself. Set up boundaries and learn to say NO! -Christine Hassler</p> <p>-Be a student of your life. Learn from your experience. YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM! Have high “involvement” and low “attachment” -Christine Hassler</p> <p>-Instead of spending most of your life avoiding what you dont want, go after what you do! Four steps to change: Awareness (what are your limiting beliefs?), Reflection (How does this show up in your life?), Change in the moment, Integration -Christine Hassler</p> <p>-Celebrate the event, not the food. Remember the 5Ds to curb cravings: Distract, delay, distance, determine, decide -Keri Gans</p> <p><a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/ny-iin-conference-13/img_2058/" rel="attachment wp-att-617"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/ny-iin-conference-13/img_2052/" rel="attachment wp-att-618"></a></p> <p> Besides the amazing speakers I mentioned above it was amazing hearing from Joe Cross (<em>Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead</em>) that inspired me to start juicing months ago. Donna Gates (Body Ecology), who opened my eyes years ago to the issue of Candida. Alicia Silverstone (actress), who spoke about MacroBiotics (fun fact:When I was a teenager I got my first kiss during her movie, Clueless). Dr. Andrew Weil, who made it clear the importance of an anti-inflamatory diet. Alex Jaminson (The Great American Detox) who gave such great advice about detoxing.Watching Latham Thomas from Mama Glow reinforced my passion and desire to work with pregnant women, mamas and children in my practice! Plus so many more!</p> <p><a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/ny-iin-conference-13/img_2033/" rel="attachment wp-att-619"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/ny-iin-conference-13/img_2056/" rel="attachment wp-att-620"></a></p> <p>Being in the Big Apple, where it is constant hustling and bustling, everyone rushing to go go go, I found such serenity at this conference at the Jazz at Lincoln Center (not to mention my lunch walks in Central Park). The crazy night life, bright lights, big buildings were shocking to my system but such a fun experience. I feel like I went on a Spiritual retreat, in the city (go figure!) and found an amazing inner peace, amongst the commotion. What a trip! I was happy to return to slow, quiet suburbia and when I saw my children and husband, once I landed in Kansas, I was reminded that there truly is <strong>“NO PLACE LIKE HOME”!</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/ny-iin-conference-13/img_2015/" rel="attachment wp-att-622"></a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p></p><p>The post <a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/ny-iin-conference-13/">NY Health Coach Conference</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com"></a>.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Vegan/Gluten Free RAW Peanut Butter Cheesecake</h1> <p>This American Mama — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:47:27 +0000</p> <p>When I was growing up my favorite restaurant was the Cheesecake Factory. I loved looking at the cheesecake menu and trying to figure out which would be the perfect dessert for me. Of course I wanted all 50 of them! As great as it was, I always felt tired and sick afterwards…I guess 43g. of fat/30g. sugar, plus a whole lot of dairy will do that to you! I now keep Kosher so the days of going to the Cheesecake Factor are long gone. Until I discovered this recipe, nothing came close to fulfilling that craving for rich creamy cheesecake.When I would go to people’s houses and they would serve a non dairy cheesecake, I would get so excited but after my first bite I would be very disappointed, sorry Tofutti, but you just don’t cut it! <span id="more-606"></span></p> <p>A few months ago I discovered the magical wonders of cashews. When they are soaked overnight they become creamy and are a perfect dairy subsitute. People love my mac and cheese (made with a cashew cheese sauce) or my cashew chocolate milkshakes. But I truly fell in love with this nut when I discovered how to make RAW CHEESECAKE. This isn’t just any cheesecake…this is mind blowing, amazing, lick the spoon and sides of the bowl yummy-ness (and not risk salmonella poisoning because there are no eggs)!</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake</strong></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">(RAW/DAIRY AND GLUTEN FREE)</p> <p><strong>Chill Time: </strong>2 hours<br /><strong>Makes:</strong> 12 cupcakes</p> <ul> <li>1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight, drained</li> <li>1/2 cup warm water</li> <li>3/4 cup coconut oil, melted</li> <li>3/4 cup maple syrup</li> <li>1/2 cup smooth, natural peanut butter</li> <li>1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder</li> <li>2 tbsp vanilla</li> <li>1 to 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar</li> <li>1 tsp salt</li> </ul> <p>Blend cashews and water first and then add everything else in. Blend until smooth. Pour into ramekins or cupcake liners and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight). If you freeze it, just give it 20 min. to defrost. ENJOY!!!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p></p><p>The post <a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/vegangluten-free-raw-peanut-butter-cheesecake/">Vegan/Gluten Free RAW Peanut Butter Cheesecake</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com"></a>.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Flour-less Decadent Chocolate Cake</h1> <p>This American Mama — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 06:01:03 +0000</p> <p>Growing up, Pesach always meant too much matzah, stomach issues and packaged food. Dessert mainly consisted of Manischevitz Macaroons or a brick like, dry,potato starch cake. Lets just say…I really could relate to the suffering of our ancestors! Now that I am married and have children, my thoughts about Pesach food have greatly changed. Hardly anything that comes into our house is processed, especially on Pesach. We strive to make Pesach the healthiest time of the year! <span id="more-562"></span></p> <p>My husband and I love to cook and we have fallen in love with coconut oil, mainly for it’s health benefits (i.e reduces inflammation, anti-microbial, softens skin). I use it as a moisturizer, conditioner, lip balm, my daughter’s diaper rash cream and body wash etc. and we love to use it in our cooking/baking. During the year (including Pesach) many people love using margarine in their cooking and baked goods because they feel it is the closest thing to butter, without the dairy. Right now I am going through my certification to be a health coach and the more I learn about margarine, the more I want to shout from the rooftops, “Stay far away from it!”. Margarine contains <strong>trans fat</strong>, which has been found to raise the risk of heart disease and has been declared by a Harvard <a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/transfats/">study</a> to be “the worst fat for the heart, the blood vessels, and rest of the body.” Yes, butter and coconut oil have saturated fats and in the past we were made to believe that kind of fat was bad for us. Research now shows us that we were wrong in thinking that and in fact our body needs this type of fact for many reasons, one being to better absorb Vitamin A,D,E and Calcium.</p> <p>Since we don’t eat butter, I was so excited when I saw from the OU that, “Spectrum unrefined coconut oil, with a plain OU symbol, is kosher of Passover (2013)”. That is right, no need to find a special “Kosher for Pesach” label! One of my favorite desserts is a decadent rich chocolate cake. This is far from a dry, dense, potato starch based cake. This simple fudge-like dessert is extremely rich and wonderful all year round, not just for Pesach. Since it is so rich, you only need to serve a small slice and it compliments a fruit salad very well!</p> <p><a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/flour-less-decadent-chocolate-cake/2013-03-16-22-13-58/" rel="attachment wp-att-583"></a></p> <p><strong>Ingredients:</strong></p> <p>4 oz. vegan chocolate chips (plus 4-6 Tbsp. of choclate chips to melt at the end, in order to splatter on top, for garnish)</p> <p>3 eggs</p> <p>1/2 cup coconut oil</p> <p>1/4 cup cocoa powder</p> <p>1/2-3/4 cup honey</p> <p>2 Tbsp. of orange zest (optional)</p> <p>1 cup of strawberries and 1 cup of raspberries (for garnish)</p> <p><strong>Instructions:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a round pan (or spring-form pan) with coconut oil. If you don’t have a spring form pan I would recommend lining a round pan with foil (sides included) and then grease it so that you can lift it right out of the pan easily.</li> <li>Melt chocolate chips and coconut butter in a double broiler or in an oven safe bowel and put it in the oven for 4-5min.</li> <li>Combine the chocolate chips/coconut butter mixture with the rest of the ingredients and wisk until completely smooth</li> <li>Pour into greased pan and smooth with a spatula</li> <li>Bake at 375 for 20-25min, until the center looks firm</li> <li>Let cake cool in pan for 15min</li> <li>Place carefully on a plate, dice up strawberries and place on top, in a circular formation. Place the raspberries in the center</li> <li>Melt 3-4 Tbsp.chocolate chips and with a fork, splatter the chocolate over the berries</li> </ul> <p> <a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/flour-less-decadent-chocolate-cake/2013-03-01-16-26-46/" rel="attachment wp-att-568"></a></p> <p> </p> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src=http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=252160&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>'); // ]]></script> <p> </p> <p></p><p>The post <a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/flour-less-decadent-chocolate-cake/">Flour-less Decadent Chocolate Cake</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com"></a>.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Diaper Daisy Review + Gift Card Giveaway</h1> <p>This American Mama — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 01:55:20 +0000</p> <p>Two weeks after my daughter was born, one Sunday morning my husband and I decided to get the kids out of the house and take a drive because we were all getting a little “newborn baby stir crazy”. Some how we ended up lost in Mission, KS (about 15min. from our house) but we didn’t mind since it was a beautiful sunny morning, windows were rolled down and the country music was blasting.</p> <p>We happened upon a store called <a href="http://www.diaperdaisy.com/" target="_blank">Diaper Daisy</a> and decided to stop. We were immediately welcomed in and greeted by the wonderful owners, even though the store wasn’t officially open yet. They were getting ready for their grand opening but took the time to give us a tour of the store and talk to us about cloth diapers. We have always been interested in cloth diapering but were overwhelmed with where to start and after talking with them for an hour, we excitedly walked out of their store with our first stash of cloth diapers! From that day forward we gave away our daughter’s disposable diapers and never looked back! I was also impressed with their wonderful selection of Organic/BPA-free toys, teethers and children’s feeding products. Whether you cloth diaper or not, are pregnant, a new mommy, need to find a toy, gift or diaper bag,buy an organic matreesss, lead-free paint etc. this store has it all! They also have a beautiful line of nursing clothes as well as cloth and natural feminine and breastfeeding products. The vast majority of their items in store are available on their website as well!<span id="more-544"></span></p> <p>For the past 6 months I have made this store my “second home” and love attending their <a href="https://www.diaperdaisy.com/Daisy-Events_c_218.html">classes</a> and have met so many wonderful mamas! I have been to their baby wearing, breastfeeding and cloth diapering mama groups and love being surrounded by like minded mamas. Since having children I have become very passionate about natural parenting and really appreciate the attention and high standards this store gives to the type of products they sell.</p> <p><a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/diaper-diasy-review/2013-03-04-10-06-01/" rel="attachment wp-att-546"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/diaper-diasy-review/2013-03-04-10-22-36/" rel="attachment wp-att-552"></a></p> <p> A few weeks ago I had a pregnant friend visit me from California. Of course the first thing we did was drive over to Diaper Daisy and check it out. I gave her a crash course in cloth diapering and natural baby products and sure enough she also walked out of there with her first stash of cloth diapers. She was so impressed with their products that she decided to register with Diaper Daisy. She found the website and the registry process very easy and straight forward. Even though her baby shower is in California, she is excited that Diaper Daisy has free shipping on orders over $35 and her friends and family will be able to get her natural baby products (and cloth diapers!). The biggest mistake I ever made was registering at Babies R Us (I will never go back there again!). I sure wished Diaper Daisy was around when I was pregnant!</p> <p><a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/diaper-diasy-review/2013-03-04-10-57-17/" rel="attachment wp-att-553"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/diaper-diasy-review/2013-03-04-10-22-28/" rel="attachment wp-att-554"></a></p> <p>Besides having a vast selection of my favorite cloth diapers, cloth wipes, detergents, wet bags etc. here are my top 10 favorite Diaper Daisy items:</p> <p><a href="http:/http://www.diaperdaisy.com/Green-Toys-School-Bus_p_438.html" target="_blank">Green Toys</a> My son loves his Green Toy Trucks. Green Toys are made from 100% recycled material, and are free of BPA, Phthalates, and PVC or external coating.</p> <p><a href="http://http://www.diaperdaisy.com/Organic-Farm-Buddies-Rattles_p_482.html" target="_blank">Organic Farm Buddies</a> This is my 6 month old daughter’s favorite toy. The raddles are made from 100% organic cotton fabric, hypoallergenic sustainable corn fiber filler and with recycled paper!</p> <p><a href="http://www.diaperdaisy.com/Keekaroo_c_270.html" target="_blank">Keekaroo</a> This is a great highchair that can last for a long time and even be used by an adult. The Wooden Chair is made from Rubber wood and the finish on the Height Right Wood High Chair is a standard plant based lacquer. This company also makes an awesome changer called the <a href="http://www.diaperdaisy.com/Keekaroo-Peanut-Changer_p_479.html" target="_blank">Keekaroo Peanut Changer</a> and the reason I love it is because the solid shell limits bacterial growth and it’s impermeable to fluids.</p> <p> <a href="http://www.diaperdaisy.com/Aden-Anais-Bamboo-Swaddle-Blankets-3pk_p_449.html" target="_blank">Aden + Anais Bamboo Swaddle Blanket</a> These are the only swaddles that really worked for us! The breathable muslin material make it an extremely versitle blanket/swaddle. I use it as a swaddle, blanket, car seat/stroller cover, “mat” on the carpet, emergency diaper pad etc.</p> <p><a href="http://www.diaperdaisy.com/Diono_c_272.html" target="_blank">Diono Radian Car Seat-</a> This is one of my favorite car seats because of it’s safety features (steel alloy frame) and you can fit three of them in one row!</p> <p><a href="http://www.diaperdaisy.com/Beco-Gemini_p_62.html">Beco Gemini Baby Carrier</a>- I love my <a href="http://www.diaperdaisy.com/ERGObaby_c_25.html">Ergo</a> (which Diaper Daisy also sells) but the Beco carrier was so darn cute and comfortable that I am really wanting to add it to my carrier collection! I love the design and the patted material! I also like that, just like the Ergo, the thick waist belt allows the weight to be on your hips rather than your back…and for someone with bad back issues, that is crucial for me!</p> <p><a href="http://www.diaperdaisy.com/Planetwise-Large-Wet-Bags_p_149.html" target="_blank">Planetwise Wet Bag</a>-I love this company’s beautiful wet bag designs, waterproof inner lining and how easy it is to hang with it’s snapping feature.. I have four of them and here is where I put them: changing table, back of Master Bedroom door, diaper bag and back up (just in case!). If you do not cloth diaper, it is still great to have one of these in your diaper bag when that big blow out comes or a place to store your dirty diapers until you can get to a trash can. The smell is well contained, when zipped!</p> <p><a href="http://www.diaperdaisy.com/Sophie-the-Giraffe_p_108.html" target="_blank">Sophie the Giraffe</a>- What can I say, every baby (especially, one that is teething) should have a Sophie! It is made of 100% Natural Rubber (phthalates Free) and food paint. My daughter plays with her Sophie for hours at a time!</p> <p><a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/diaper-diasy-review/2013-03-04-11-29-46/" rel="attachment wp-att-563"></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Go visit their beautiful store, awesome classes and easy to use website…Plus, enter to win a $25 gift card from Diaper Daisy!</strong></p> <p><a class="rafl" id="rc-3ec2b414" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3ec2b414/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></p> <script type="text/javascript" src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><p></p><p>The post <a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com/diaper-diasy-review/">Diaper Daisy Review + Gift Card Giveaway</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.thisamericanmama.com"></a>.</p> </article> </main></body></html>