Positive Forces

So I have been pursuing this new lifestyle for the past two months (more or less) and could not be happier with the results. I feel better all the time, I'm happy, I'm awake, I'm healthy...
I have not eaten anything off of the avoid list once since I have started and I am astounded at how much I eat and yet I haven't gained any weight. I mean...it really blows my mind
But the reason why I titled this positive forces, is because not only am I receiving support and guidance through all of this, but I feel other people are turning to me for comfort and support and motivation.
And I am encouraging everyone who inquires about the blood type diet to find out their blood type and really research the science behind it. The information is astounding. And if anyone has questions about blood type O, I am always willing to answer to the best of my ability.

go to www.4yourtype.com to research the blood type diet a little further if you are interested.

One of the most positive influences and means of encouragement has come from the Valencia Wellness Center. (www.facebook.com/pages/Valencia-Wellness-Center)

Everyone over there is helpful and welcoming and compassionate and they only have your health and wellness in mind when you come in. They probably think my mom and I are crazy for going in there sometimes 3 or 4 times a week. But I truly trust them with my life at this point.
When I first started trying to figure out what was physically and emotionally wrong with me, all of the doctors checked my blood and told me I was fine. They even tried to put me back on birth control which I had said made me pass out and black out and have hormonal mood swings. They told me that I should try again and that's about all they could do for me. I am not in anyway undermining what doctors do, but they are concerned more with test results than with trying to find the the answer as to why a patient is feeling so abnormal.
The Valencia Wellness Center sought after something more than what was on the test results. They wanted to heal my body, mind and soul. And little by little I am healing without the use of medications, birth control and numerous invasive tests.
Ever since that turning point, I have been researching homeopathy and alternative herbal remedies because I find it extremely interesting. Like for instance, vitamin D levels in the blood should be at a minimum 40ng/ml. When I had my blood work done, I was at 22ng/ml.
Vitamin is the vitamin you get from sunlight (UV rays) but unless you live on the equator and stay outside majority of your day, you don't get enough of it. This vitamin is super important for your immune system. To learn more about the major importance of vitamin d go to www.grassrootshealth.com.

just consider everything. I can testify to the fact that this stuff works.
feel free to contact me with any questions or want to know where to find more information.

you are loved.

Vanilla Plum Cake

I am on a mission to find a good gluten-free cake recipe for my brother who has a gluten allergy and has a birthday coming up.
For my first attempt, I decided to try out a simple vanilla cake but added the plums on top to resemble a recipe my Grammy used to make. I think it tastes good and my mom is a huge fan haha
The cake is a bit heavier than ordinary cakes, but the taste is definietly there and it's guilt free! no wheat, no gluten, no sugar, low fat! And the plums on top add to the beneficial part for blood type O:-D

what you'll need:
*1 cup rice flour
*1 1/2 cup tapioca flour
*1 tsp. baking powder
*1 tsp. baking soda
*1/4 tsp. salt
*2 tsp. vanilla pudding powder
*1/4 cup vanilla soy yogurt
*1/4 cup apple sauce
*1/2 cup almond breeze vanilla milk substitute
*1/4 cup flaxseed/ grapeseed oil mix
*1/4 cup raw honey
*4 tbsp. agave
*4 plums

start your ovens...350 :-D
in a large bowl mix together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla pudding powder. (i used a wooden spoon for all of this)
then add the almond breeze milk slowly and stir. then add the soy yogurt, applesauce and oil and stir.
finally add the honey and agave and stir extremely well... until smooth:-)
pour mixture into oven-safe dish. slice the plums into thin slices and lay on top of batter.
bake for 35-45 minutes.
to see if it is done, stick a toothpick in and if the toothpick comes out clean, it is done.

I really like eating this with a cup of tea!
hope you enjoy!
you are loved.

"Oatmeal" Raisin cookies:D

my dad's favorite cookies are oatmeal raisin cookies so I am starting to experiment with oatmeal alternatives. This was my first attempt but I thought they turned out pretty good and my parents each had three cookies each right out of the oven!
so I'm guessing it's a good start:-)

what you'll need:
DRY
*1/2 cup tapioca flour
*1/4 cup flaxseed meal
*1/4 cup rice flour
*1/4 cup Ezekial 4:9 cinnamon raisin cereal
*2 tsp egg replacer
*2 tsp vanilla pudding powder
*1 tsp baking powder
*1 tsp baking soda

WET
*1/4 cup pumpkin (canned)
*1/4 cup applesauce
*1/4 cup grapeseed/flaxseed oil mixture
*1 tbsp agave
*1 tbsp honey (raw and regular)

start your ovens...350:-)
in a medium bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. add wet ingredients and mix until all clumps are gone.
place a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet and spoon the cookie dough onto the wax paper.
I made about 20 cookies with this recipe but if you make "normal" sized cookies you will probably get around 2 dozen:-)

hope you enjoy!
you are loved.

"Breaded" Tilapia

I was inspired to find an alternative to bread crumbs for this mock meal due to a request from some family members who are blood type O and disappointed to be avoiding the wheat and gluten... I think it turned out really well (plus it's super easy) and I am still experimenting with different alternatives:-)

So for a single serving...
what you'll need:
*one piece of Tilapia or other fish
*1 1/2 tsp veganaise spread
*1 tsp. minced garlic
*flax seed meal
*basil
*1/4 diced tomato

***I used a George Foreman grill for my fish but you can grill them outside or even pan fry if you want.

to start mix in a small dish the veganaise and garlic. spread over both sides of the fish the garlic mixture.
sprinkle the flax seed meal on both sides so its covered but not super breaded...
sprinkle some basil on both sides as well.
I grilled mine for about two minutes then flipped the fish and grilled for another two minutes.
serve it with the diced tomatoes on top (instead of using ketchup) and you're done!

I ate mine with a side of steamed broccoli with melted almond mozzarella cheese on top:-)
quick, easy, and delicious.

hope you enjoy!
you are loved.

Salad Style

Salad Style
807 F St San Diego, CA

Over the long weekend, my mom and I decided to drive down to San Diego and go college touring. And although we had the option of eating the gourmet food in the dining hall of Pt. Loma, we decided to venture out and find someplace else to eat.
We ended up in the gaslight district in San Diego and happened upon a quaint little salad shop on F Street.
The menu seemed pretty good so we walked in and ordered and received the most delicious salads. I got the grilled salmon over spinach with zucchini, peppers, onions, avocados and a lemon vinaigrette. My mom got the soba noodles and vegetables in a miso dressing. Both were fantastic.

The shop was small and only open for lunch hours (I think 10:30am to 3pm) and if you weren't looking for it you might miss it. But if you crave good salads, you wouldn't want to miss it. (By the way, the portions we got were the small portions)

So next time you're in San Diego and want a really great, healthy lunch, check out salad style.

enjoy!
you are loved.

a hearty, healthy salmon dinner

I made this for dinner on a day I didn't have a lot of protein...or really a lot of anything haha
it's good and filling and of course extremely healthy and beneficial!

ingredients:
*salmon (desired amount)
*broccoli
*sweet potato
*olive oil
*lemon juice
*teriyaki sauce
*yellow curry sauce
*savory
*basil
*oregano
*garlic powder


to start put a tablespoon of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of curry sauce and 4 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce into a baking dish and begin to marinate the salmon in it. (the quantity of sauce and oil may vary with the size of the fish)
start your ovens...380:-)
once the oven is preheated, bake the salmon for 15-16 minutes. at this point, my salmon was very moist, but you can leave it in longer if you prefer a dryer fish.
while over in preheating, cut the sweet potato(s) into circular slices about 1/4 inch thick and place them in a pot with about an inch of water in the bottom. set the pot on the stove with a lid at a medium heat. when the water starts to boil, reduce heat. allow the potato to steam until soft.
drain the potato and leave in pot. add a drizzle of olive oil, savory, garlic powder, and basil to the potato and stir a little to spread the flavor.
while the salmon is baking, steam the broccoli on the stove. once soft, drain the broccoli.

place all of the prepared food on a plate. sprinkle basil and oregano and garlic powder over the fish and broccoli.
and you're done!

hope you enjoy:-)
you are loved.

Vegan Express

Vegan Express
address: 3217 Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA

Today I went to IKEA with my mom to buy a desk for my room and we thought "hey, why don't we try a new restaurant since we are here?"
so I went on my phone GPS thing and searched restaurants within 5 miles of IKEA and being devoted to this new diet, I was intrigued by the name Vegan Express. Even though I'm not vegan anymore, at least I knew I could get dairy-free, wheat-free and gluten-free thing there.

so we didn't know what to expect... but the food was absolutely amazing! we both ordered a Thai dish; I got see me with wide rice noodles and my mom got pad Thai. BOTH were delicious!
Portions were huge and for really cheap. But of course we ate all of it:-)

They also offered things like veggie burgers, mushroom burgers, salads, soups, dinners, and breakfast items. I am definitely going back to get a burger sometime!

Don't be deceived by its outward appearance either...it is clean and welcoming and great. It is kind of one of those "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants that turns into a favorite lunchtime place once you give it a try.

I definitely recommend! Lots of options when you're in the Hollywood/ LA area.

oh...and I took a picture with the awesome indie parking sign behind the restaurant. That's when you know it's a home-cooking type restaurant:-)

you are loved.

Quick Update

so the other day I was rushing out of the house and grabbed an apple and some walnuts for breakfast which is fine, but then for lunch I was at school and ended up eating only fruit and carrots. This was basically my diet before starting the blood type diet.
I was full and all, but by 2 PM I realized I was exhausted physically and even a little bit irritable. Crazy! I thought back to what might have triggered it and it wasn't lack of sleep.
The only thing I could attribute it to was lack of protein.
For dinner that night I had a huge piece of salmon and was more alert than I had been all day.
so ya... this diet is constantly making me more aware of what I am putting into my mouth and what my body needs to function at its best.
that's all for now. just thought it was interesting:-)