Browsing through my photos, I came across this macro photo I took of some seriously parched earth. It inspired me to write a haiku. Texas went through a monster drought two years ago and has not recovered to this day. The rain has been coming, but we need so much more. Remember! Water is life!
Parched Earth
The ground cracks open.
Life around dries up and dies.
Water the savior.
2013 Albert Moyer, Jr.
Photo taken by me in Southeast Texas
So how does one get energy? Redbull, Monster, sugary drinks, junk food, vending machines, drugs? I hope not!
Energy is supplied to our bodies by consuming delicious natural foods from the Earth. Food should be consumed in it’s purest form which is raw for maximum energy potential. When you cook or process food, it loses much of the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Exercise will help you metabolize food better, but energy itself comes from the food we eat.
So what is the difference in processed vs. raw state? In processing of food, the processing leaves the original raw food dead. When a food is raw, it contains enzymes that are living. Think of it this way. One can have two batteries, both of which are the same size, shape, and appearance, but one of them may be dead. The fresh battery has electricity to deliver energy. The dead battery can fill the the battery compartment, but all it is doing is taking up space. No energy! In terms of food, this is called empty calories. A raw nut can be planted and it will sprout, but a processed nut will rot in the ground. Raw gives life and energy!
The reason so many today pop antacids, allergy meds, or a host of other meds, is because many are consuming dead food. Empty calories. The best health medical plan around is eating raw food. Food that has life! Food that gives us life! Processed food, fast food, sugary drinks, energy drinks, and vending machines are slow suicide. Your killing yourself slowly! Bloating, weight gain, depression, fatigue, and illness are all apart of eating DEAD food. Empty calories!
So what are some of the raw energy foods? Raw nuts, fruits, vegetables, legumes/beans, grains, honey, and olive oil. The best way to eat these are in there natural state. Meat is o.k., but reduce it as much as possible because studies show 95 to 98 percent of toxins in your body are from meat. Especially red meat. Ask yourself, “If I were on Earth 500 years ago, how would I have found these foods?” No grocery stores, no boxes, not frozen, no jars, no processing. Raw! You would have not seen the illness, depression, or lethargy either. Food years ago was alive, and not dead.
Your organs, pancreas, liver, kidneys, and digestive tract suffer considerably on a diet of dead food. They cry out by spewing the toxic garbage right back up your throat to get your attention. Your body screams,”Hey, you are feeding me crap!” Most folks deal with it by popping an antacid. These drugs also effect your organs, weaken your immune system, and body. It doesn’t have to be this way. Chose raw food and life!
Water is another vital part of energy. Often when we are hungry, a glass of water can cure this craving, because we are actually dehydrated to a degree. Drink plenty of water.
I must say it saddens me to have watched so many in life fall apart physically, because of poor lifestyle choices. It saddens me to watch co-workers waddle, limp, and breath like they have ran a marathon with only one flight of stairs walked. I listen to people tell me,”Your food looks so good and healthy.” While they eat dead food at the lunch table. Junk! Again, it does not have to be this way. If you are reading this, and I am describing you, then chose RAW, chose LIFE. Purchase 75% or more of your food from the produce section, and stay out of the grocery store aisles. This is where most of the dead food resides in coffins. I mean boxes. If you must eat frozen, then chose organic foods. Leave energy drinks and fast food alone. This change will help reduce stress on your body, give you ENERGY, and change your whole outlook on life.
For more information, I recommend the following book.
http://www.amazon.com/Raw-Energy-Recipes-Smoothies-Supercharge/dp/1603424679
Many people leave work and the first thought to their mind is relaxation. For me it is time to cook. Why roving through the grocery store last night a vision came to me. That vision was to roast vegetables that I wanted in a pasta. I picked some of my favorites and thought about colors of the Earth. So I ended up with asparagus, spinach, yellow squash, red onion, and yellow and red bell peppers. So today, I prep and chop them, which took no less than 15 minutes. I add some fresh garlic slices, olive oil, cracked black pepper, and a little sea salt. Roast them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes stirring once at ten minute mark.
While the veggies are roasting I prepare a pot of water to cook the Rotini pasta until al dente. Which is about 10 minutes for a pound. I used a steamer basket on top of the pasta to steam the fresh spinach to just slightly wilted which is less than two minutes. Next, I place the spinach in a large mixing bowl along with the fresh cooked pasta. I top this with a jar of Classico Traditional Pesto Sauce. I thoroughly mix it. I then pour in the roasted vegetables and thoroughly mix again. Next, it heads to the plate. Enjoy!
This is a vegetarian friendly dish, but may not be suitable to a vegan due to Parmesan cheese. This dish less than 30 minutes and is heart healthy.
When I am spending time at the park with my kids as they play there are often large groups of mothers with their children, and periodically I get to hear their complaints, and struggles with being a stay-at-home mom. I would like to address a few of them. And let me state upfront this is not meant to slam anyone, but just observations I have made.
One of the biggest complaints I hear is,”I do not have enough time for myself.” What this complaint often boils down to is poor time management. When managing time one must set it up like a bank account and do debits, credits, and decide what is important. Many mom’s look to load their children up with activities to get them out of the house so they have more time. Of course there are mother’s who do this for their child’s social skills, and educational benefit, but I am just going by what I hear off the tongue. What the mom’s thought would be a break, ends up being a daily routine of running from one activity to another. And guess what? Yep! You guessed it. They have no time for the other household duties. The biggest one being a hot healthy meal for their kids. What happens then is the trip to the local fast food joint for some processed slop. Childhood Obesity is a problem in American? No! Really?
Another complaint that I often hear is,”My husband does not spend enough time with the kids.” I see that in many father’s, but often dad’s are locked into rigid employment schedules that do not allow them the time to get away, or the personal finances are so over-stretched he has no choice. By the time father’s have time, most want to just unwind on the golf course, fishing, etc. Unfortunately, many men do not enjoy unwinding with their children after a hard stressful day. And throughout history mom’s have had the child rearing responsibilities. It really wasn’t until the feminist movement came along that some mom’s said,”Hey, what am I doing at home with kids?” Personally, I find that totally weird, but that is my opinion.
The strangest complaint to me is,”My husband does not make time for me.” Men love woman! We are loaded with testosterone. When a man is losing interest the number one area for a woman to look is within herself. What is the biggest turn off for a man? Nagging! Did you do this? Did you do that? Why are you never……? What’s wrong with you? You always do……” Etc, Etc! The Bible makes reference several times in Proverbs that it is better to live on top of the roof, in a desert, or to have a rainy day than listen to a nagging wife. It’s the worst thing ever for a man, and you can look like Ms. American ladies, but if you’re a nag,”Forget it!” Keep in mind the man you are nagging is busting his derriere for you at work to provide all the necessities and more often your wants. Woman I know to be nags often could not earn, or supply what the husband does financially. So in regards to that, I say stay-at-home moms should be thankful for their husbands hard work while they are at home. When thanklessness and nagging exceed acceptable levels, we often see breakdowns in the family unit and divorce. Sadly, these stay-at-home moms, and their children, end up worse off financially.
With these observations, I can conclude there is too much,”What about me?”, poor time management, and thanklessness for one of the greatest jobs on Earth. Stay-At-Home moms be thankful for your role because you are lucky beyond measure, have the most important job, and are truly blessed.
Albert Moyer, Jr. 