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Wake Up, Live The Life You Love! This is a great best seller book series, and I have the opportunity to be a co-author along with Dr. Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra in a new book of this series called "Seizing Your Success" . This will be a great book in helping you find success in many aspects of life. Watch for details coming soon!

Feature Article

The Art of Creating in the Kitchen Of all the careers in the world that I could pick from, and of all the things I love to do most, one of my favorite things (other than spending quality time with my family) is being a homemaker. I love being home! I love creating in my home! I love the fulfillment that comes from being creative in my home and kitchen! Creating in the kitchen is an art. It takes time to develop the art of food preparations. It is very fulfilling to me to create in my kitchen. But I know that many do not share my enthusiasm when it comes to being in the kitchen, so I would like to share some reasons why some may not feel the way I do, and also give some helpful suggestions to make creating in the kitchen more enjoyable. Many of us can remember "Grandmother" who just tossed in a little bit of this and a handful of that, and it always turned out prefect! Ever wonder why? Well, Grandmother did it so often that the proportions came natural. Think of something you do really well. Did you learn to do it well overnight, or did it come with lots of practice? The more we do anything, the more easily it comes to perform, or rather it becomes habit. We often get frustrated in the kitchen only because we have not had enough experience or have taken the time to gain the skills to do them well. Everything done well takes practice! The joy of creating in the kitchen ultimately depends on what you have to start with. Face the facts! Boxes and packages of "prepared this and thats" are boring starters! If we want to enjoy what we are creating, we need to really create. How many of the great artists out there paint on a premarked board in paint-by-number fashion? None! They start with raw materials to make their creations and so should you. Start with real foods that are as close to nature as possible to make your most delicious creations in the kitchen. You'll be so much more pleased with the outcome. Don't think of "cooking" or "meal preparation" as work. If you see it as that, it becomes drudgery. Truly see it as an art - as an opportunity to give yourself and your family the very best of foods. The world is full of opportunities, and the art of creating great meals in the kitchen is an opportunity at your fingertips more than once each day. Make the best of it and give it your best efforts. Success comes with good planning, so make a weekly meal plan. It always helps to know ahead of time what you can serve for your meals. If nothing else, have a daily plan of ideas. For example, I plan my meals around the starches (not meats), and have several ideas to plug in just in case I have not preplanned my week. It goes like this: Sunday - tortillas (Mexican food) Monday - potatoes Tuesday - rice or other grains Wednesday - beans Thursday - pasta Friday - my night off (date night out usually) Saturday - miscellaneous (it's always busy) Even though I try to follow through with a weekly plan, if I don't, this daily guide keeps me on track and helps me think and put together a meal quickly. Keep in mind this is only the main dish idea - a large green salad always accompanies it. Meals don't need to be "cooked" or take two hours to prepare to be healthy and delicious. Some of the best ones are the simple ones that can be put together in a short time. Especially as summer time approaches, one meal salads, cool wraps, creative dips, spreads and sandwiches, and even crock pot meals are quick to prepare and can provide some of the best nutritious meals. Good planning is always the greatest key to success in anything, so make a plan. Plan to use good wholesome foods, plan to make good creative meals, and plan to succeed in your kitchen creations! Enjoy the art of creating in the kitchen! You can do it! To a Healthier Lifestyle, Erleen P.S. Look for specific creative and cool meal ideas in the next newsletter!

TOFU VEGGIE DELIGHT

½ lb. Tofu, mashed
¼ C. mayonnaise, tofunaise or almonnaise (find recipes in Enjoy Nature’s Harvest)
¼ tsp. salt (or to taste)
garlic powder
dash cayenne pepper or red pepper sauce
¼ C. each chopped bell pepper, celery, sliced black olives and/or diced tomatoes, etc.

Combine ingredients and mix well. Serve with crackers, rice cakes, vegetables dippers (celery sticks, carrot sticks, sliced cucumbers, bell pepper strips, etc.). Makes 1½ cups.

Erleen loves teaching people down-to-earth principles of nutrition as she sees the positive changes in others lives as they live the principles of good health and eating. She has a passion for wholesome foods and their life giving qualities. Her many personal experiences and years of study and research qualify her as an expert in health education, speaking, and consulting. Contact her now for your next conference, for health consultations, or for an upcoming event!

"The Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle!" is a TEN CD series with all the information you need to begin your journey towards a Healthier Lifestyle! Erleen serves as your guide, distilling over twenty-five years of health education and research into easy to listen to lessons on how to begin, where to begin and more! Check out this CD series today!

Sprouting is great indoor gardening. Learn to sprout easily with the Sprout Master, the best sprouter on the market. And it is a super simple process. Just soak the seeds overnight, drain and pour into the Sprout Master, now just rinse and drain 3 times daily (at every meal). It's that simple! If you want to start out right with some seeds, we also have alfalfa, lentil, mung bean, clover, radish and sunflower. These are all organic too! Check out The Sprout Master and seeds here!

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