Are you enjoying the heat? I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend sipping cool drinks and eating raw, cooling foods. I share more about the benefits of eating cooling foods in the article down below...

If you follow me on Facebook or listened in to my f.ree teleclass last week, you would have heard that the past couple of weeks have been a bit challenging for me. My Dad had a stroke on June 21st and has been in the hospital and stroke rehabilitation center ever since then.

Here's a picture of my Dad with almost all of this grandchildren on Father's Day, just two days before his stroke. We spent a wonderful weekend with him and danced the night away at my sister's big birthday bash the night before Father's Day.

My Dad loves to dance and has been active all 89 years of his life. The stroke affected his right side so it has been frustrating for him to try to do the most simple things like feed himself, shave and get out of bed. He's improving each day, but it will take months for him to regain full mobility.

The doctors, nurses and therapists are hopeful that he will eventually be back to normal. But for someone who is used to being healthy, independent and active, it seems like it's taking forever.

I have to tell you, these past couple of weeks have been full of life lessons for me. My Mom moved in with me so she could be closer to the rehab center, which is about 10 minutes from my house. So, I've been spending time making her healthy food, driving her to the rehab center every day and making sure she has everything she needs.

And it's with great gratitude and honor that I've been able to help my Dad through the healing process by using essential oils on him every day, massaging his right arm at night when it bothers him the most, taking him for walks, bringing him his much missed prunes and encouraging him to replace the negative comments he sometimes gets stuck on with more positive, uplifting comments like, "I'm getting better and better every day."

The thing I find most interesting is that through this experience I feel more empowered and stronger than ever. The teleclass I did last week, "Let Your Light Shine: How to reveal your inner light so you can have greater peace and joy, freedom from dis-ease and the healthiest body you ever imagined" was by far my best and most well-received class ever. So many of the teleclass participants contacted me to comment about how much they loved the class and how inspired they felt just by listening in.

If you haven't heard it yet, I invite you to download the audio here and listen in. You won't be sorry. In fact, you really won't want to miss out on the powerful message I shared.

Here's to a joyous, healthy summer filled with family time, relaxation time and time to get outside and enjoy the weather.

Yours in health, love and gratitude,  

Raw and Cooling Salads     

Why is it that in the summer we naturally crave more fresh and raw foods? These foods have a cooling effect on the body. The lightness and high water, fiber and vitamin content work together to act as our internal air conditioning during these warm months.  

At this time of year we also need less dense, high-energy food because we get so much energy from being outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

There is no better season than summer to have fun creating your own fresh, tasty, creative salad combinations. By simply tossing together several of your favorite raw veggies, naked or with a light dressing, you have a perfect meal for a hot summer's day.  

Try your favorite leafy lettuce with various sliced, diced or grated veggies. The possible combinations are endless. Fresh herbs are a wonderful option to mix in, as they are packed full of flavor.  

Experiment with adding diverse forms of protein to your salads, such as nuts, seeds, beans, fish or poultry. Pick up a light and healthy dressing at your local health food store, or mix up something easy, like lemon juice, minced garlic and hemp seed oil.

This is a great opportunity to try a new vegetable from your market. What are some creative flavors you've never tried before? Fennel and mint? Daikon radish and arugula? Summer squash with watercress? Whatever you choose, have fun with your food and stay cool.   

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1/4 head red cabbage
1/4 head napa cabbage
2 carrots
1 parsnip
1/2 yellow onion
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic

Directions:

1. Slice the cabbages into long slices like a noodle. Use the peeler to peel the carrots into a bowl.
2. Repeat procedure with the parsnip so each of the slices are peels and look like pasta.
3. Add cabbages. Slice onion into long thin slices, add to bowl. In a blender mix tahini, sesame oil, water, lemon and garlic, and blend till well mixed.
4. Add to bowl of veggies and stir well.
5. For more flavor to this one I sometimes add pineapple cubes.