Life is more then good....

I woke up in such a wonderful mood today..

Yesterday was just a beautiful day and even though at times the chill was a bit much to bear, I could not of asked for any thing more. Even with the fact that when I got to the Doctors office they had over booked and didn’t even have a room to see me in, it all worked out. Like a trooper I was squeezed in. If they would have had to cancel I wouldn't of minded a bit. Going to the Doctors always gives me a chance to go to Tader Joes! This time I found some sweet Medjool dates, Yummy! 

{see my morning breakfast recipe of a banana and date smoothie on instagram}

Since the doctors office is just a jump skip and a hop, I would of been happy either way!! 

Since I was able to do both I was in Heaven.

The doctors appointment was fast and the test should be in a few days and even though my BP was still a bit high.. {I wont say here what it was just so I don’t get email spanked about it..lol} But I told him my plan and that I made a appointment on the 28^th to show him my progress. He is always the loving skeptic and that is what makes the challenge even finer. To share with him the power of the body not just the devastation of the disease really sets my soul on fire. <3

Well I have been doing great my energy is mixed and I feel like Saturday I might start my Vlog too, just not sure yet. I have been very vigilant about what goes in my mouth but yesterday not planning did leave me a bit hungry at the doctors. During the blood being drawn because it was so much my blood sugar took a dip so the nurse was kind enough to give me some juice. After talking a bit I thought she was going to give me all the fruit from her lunch.. It's nice to see the younger generation getting on board better health..  it warmed my heart and rose my blood sugar .

So yesterdays lesson's:

I love Trader Joes!! God bless you...

Always pack your smoothie in a cooler and a hand grabbing bag of snacks like nuts, dried fruit, cacao and anything else you love.

And last but not least “Life is more the good, it is fabulous”

I am a miracle and so are you....

So Today is the day I go see Dr. V .  I am always excited to see him and check in with what is happening with me,I am also a bit nervous. I always am when I am going to get blood work done. Strange how waiting on a blood test some times can be torture. I remember my first AIDS test back in the late 80 early 90 and those 3 days were like waiting on a death sentence from not only your life but from your social and family circles. Glad those test are faster now, not mine it takes 5 or more days since it is a special test and only a few labs in the country do it. 

So I must wait...

Mixed emotional always run through me on these days and as much as I always want to put that smile on and walk in without a care in the world I know that is not possible. With the last visit to the ER just a few weeks ago I am sure I will get a bit of a “Father knows best talk” .. but he will smile and say “My Angel” you should be dead so remember anything you do is a miracle.”

He has been more then a Doctor he has been my friend and I know how lucky I have been that I landed on his table. You see what we don’t talk about but we both know he got me because NO ONE else knew what to do with me and I got his curiosity going.. I was a challenge to everything he had been taught and experienced. The doctor that passed me to him was the one that said someday I would be in a medical journal, you know the story where I am dead to get in it. So needless to say I would be dead if he hadn't been  so curious, so open minded because Lord knows on the path I was taking I would of died and no one would of known or cared why and it seem Autoimmune disease are on the rise but little to no research is being done. So patients like me are Guinea pigs until more deaths occur or more people are infected. That is another reason why I have been sharing my story and my journey. I know I am not the only one facing these health issues and with the state of health care and obama care people like me are going to need alternatives. Who better to try out things but me.. 

I love to research and experiment so why not on myself, you know I am the best test subject. 

This is the part where my heart aches.. 

these are old teaching nothing new expect they are not the norm and so they are shadowed by fear and misunderstand. I am here to say if it wasn't for alternatives these words would not be on this screen. At one time I was taking 34 PILLS A DAY with 8 different medications just to keep me alive everyday and now I take one when needed and I use tinctures, Chaga mushrooms, tea and food as my medication. So I must say Dr. V is right I am a miracle in my own right and it is time I started living like it. Well off to juice and get this day started. Wish me luck and know that everyday you too are a miracle in your own way to me and the people in your life now GO LIVE LIKE IT!!!!

Winding down for the night..

As I wind down tonight I must say I am a bit tired. Not from lack of eating but from hours of posting! I am not sure how this younger generation does it with all the social sites. I am juggling three and a 11 year old son and I am not sure how I made it through today. I guess in time I will get a handle on this but for now I am glad the posting, pictures of food and editing are winding down for the night.

Well my first day went well. No problems to speak of but tomorrow might be another story. I have a doctors appointment so I will be up and out the door early. I have a feeling my early morning routine might be ruffled. So busy posting I didn’t do much planning.

Good thing I am more a morning person.

One day I will find balance but until then it's one step at a time...

Meatless Mondays

Tonight being Meatless Monday Austin and I decided to have Tacos.  This is a great transitional meal.  I found this Taco Filling a few weeks back and it has been a staple in our house ever since. I also tried their chilli and it is a must as well.
All you do is trade the filling for your meat, top as usual and wella! A great vegan meal or its your Meatless Monday I forgot what can I make fast meal! What ever the reason we love it! I use to make a side dish of rice but I found it was too much food and both Austin and I are not big rice eaters..  So the tacos suit us fine.
Well I hope everyone had a great Meatless Monday!!

Great Video From Daniel Vitalis On Chaga Mushrooms..

This is the Man who introduced me to Chaga Tea.

Without him and my dear friend Robin I would of never experienced it's healing benefits..  

Cocoa benefits. (Cacao) Properties and medicinal uses of Cocoa tree, lea...

Here is some information on Cocoa..

Let's Talk About My Morning Coffee...

It seems I have came across a winter dilemma. My cravings for coffee. Don't get me wrong I enjoy my nice cup of Justine's tea but on those cold winter mornings I sure crave a hot cup of coffee. After researching on the internet alternatives to coffee I came up with my own recipe. I am sure it will change a bit as I go but it is a great place to start..
Its simple and seems to fit into my eating plan and it taste delicious and is good for me, who knew!

Here is what you will need;
1/2 cup of Brewed Chaga Mushroom Tea
1 tea spoon of Cocao powder
1/2 cup of Hot Water

Add your one teaspoon of cocao powder to your cup, once the water is boiling at it to the podwer to dissolve it.
Then add your Chaga Tea
and I add Stevia for taste but you can use Honey or Agave also
This makes One Cup.

You can make this in larger amounts and keep it in the refrigerator, then heat on stove top or microwave if your still using one. That is what is great about it...  easy anyway you look at it!
I made a cup yesterday and this morning and both times it hit the spot.

If your not familiar with Chaga Tea or Cocoa I suggest you research them and I will post some information both here and Facebook to get you started.

Nice to know on a day like today I can warm my soul and take care of my body all in one nice cup of warmth.. <3

Drum roll please......

Good Morning... I am so excited to be sharing some well thought out news!!!!

As most of you know that for the past few years along with the normal insanity of life I have been dealing with a rare disease that is accompanied by viral complications, one in particular being that I have EBV DNA to put it in the most simplest terms; a rare form of cancer that is a result of acute and chronic mono and shingle breakouts. It is more complex but for right now this information serve my point. February 13 will mark my 1 year anniversary of the news I had finally went into remission from the DNA. YEA!!

Over the past year I have not had much time to not only accept the news or even accept the illness and its underlining cause and effect. Life kept moving and I did my best to catch up and at times I must say life got the best of me. Over all I have been able to slowly close some doors and let go of people, places and things that were still keeping me somewhat sick or at least in that mind set. During my illness I not only was caring for myself but also my 11 year old son. How I must say he has grown amazingly into a brilliant little man over the years, one I am very proud of. Both of us have worked hard over the years to maintain our life and we both made many sacrifices to gain some control of a illness that for years seemed to keep us just reaches away from the life we both desire for ourselves and the world around us.

I have been giving great thought over the past few months since my visit to California about my life and how I am living it. You could say I took a personal inventory. What I found at times has brought me to my knees and at others times brought tears of joy and release. It is with great pleasure that I have decide to commit fully the next 21 days to My Self, My Health and Well Being... I have decide to put myself to the challenge and I came up with what I am calling “Justine's Boot Camp”!!

Yes I have been studying and allowing my soul to guide me lately and those of you that have been following me know I have already made small changes but it is time to take it all the way. I have recruited Austin and he too is in!!! So we will be doing it as a family. My hope is to journal my experience over the next 21 days and then for the next year. To not only blog, vlog but instagram my transformation as I step into the next stage of my life.

My hope is to not only transform my life but to inspire other as well. I need to build a foundation in which all my dreams can come true and my HEALTH and WELL BEING seem to be a great areas to start with.

So first I think I should tell you briefly some of the medical challenges I face so you can see if what I am doing can help you in any area of your life as well.

Okay here is goes...

EBV {minus the dna.. }

Reoccurring Shingle breakout {can be monthly}

Reoccurring encephalitis {when EBV active can be every three days with medication}

High Blood Pressure

Food Allergies {top ones; Eggs, Chicken, Almonds, Shellfish.. to many more to name}

Gluten Sensitive {borderline}

Inflammation

Diverticulitis

B-Cell Dysfunction or abnormality

Viral Autoimmune Disease {unnamed but summited to NHGRI}

I also suffer from headache, hives and skin rashes from allergens known and unknown

wow, not sure I have ever wrote everything down like that before I just usually give up after one and refer to everything else as my petri dish of a body... { no one really cares anyways.. lol}

It does not help that I am AB- and that I seem to have got infected or sick early in my life maybe even after my first vaccination and went untreated.

I have had acute encephalitis 3 times and this last time again should of killed me. My body has been through the ringer and out the other side, not to mention the amazing things it has done to my brain. So my body too deserve to live life free of disease and pain along with me.

So I hope you will join me on this adventure and I look forward to watching the changes in my body and experiencing the expansion of my mind and most important the transformation of our lives through conscious living and eating...

If you would like to join me on my “Boot Camp”

you can follow me on http://instagram.com/justinebrasil/ and https://www.facebook.com/thewoundedhealer22 along with post here...

Guess it's time to get this started... Let the challenge begin!!!!!

{I must say I cant wait to see what happens over the next 21 days let alone year!}

Checking In.....

It's been a while since I checked in.
Things are moving! In more ways then one.....
Some areas health wise have been tested again and my personal life faced the same wall it always does but overall its nice to be seeing my life in a new light.

So this past weeks I have been working on trying to learn balance with my new Yoga practice and incorporating my Transitional food changes, While enjoying company of friends and myself.  It is a slow process and everyday is different but I am not seeking pattern as much as change. So I figure if I did something every day that would release the pressure of holding myself to a commitment I might not be able to keep.  It seemed to work.

I have battled a few health issues as I detoxed and my body gets use to the food changes. Along with also being a single parent of a sick 11 year old boy things have been a bit scattered. This is usually where I am test and I fail. Not this time. I buckled down, focused on both of us getting better and at least stretching everyday no matter what!! This was not easy but it helped me to see that this time I was serious about moving forward. No sickness, personal tests or even the people in my life were going to derail me this time.

Change is not easy when it has to do with lifestyle changes but I know the hard work and dedication will pay off with better health and a lifestyle that supports "My" body and its needs.

 I  have shared a few videos  and some other post that has helped me on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thewoundedhealer22.  I know I am about to face some tough challenges but I feel I am up for the task if I just set my mind too it. Nothing is impossible unless I imagine it to be.

So this morning I am getting back on the solid track of knowing that changes really come one step at a time and the goal is to keep going no matter what and put my health on the top of the list of  the "to do's" because if I don't nobody else will... and with Obama Care who wouldn't..LOL

If anyone was wondering.....

I heard the Church Bell Today for the first time, ringing loud...... <3

Giving Up TV To Meatless Monday's, Looking back and moving ahead with no REGRETS!!!!

So its Monday and as much as I have enjoyed having Austin home from school it's nice to have us both back on a schedule. Today was a bit of a mess with the Fog and Rain Mix with the melting Snow, it made for an interesting morning walk to the bus stop. We both questioned our sanity a few times but made it through.

Today's topic to the bus stop was "Meatless Monday". As most of you know with all my allergies my meat intake is limited already and along with the things I have learned about food and the food industry I think my body is doing me a favor to be truthful. I don't have to get into discussions over food and morality or even hear judgement. It's simple for me,  Food is what keeps me alive and what I was eating was slowing but painfully killing me.  So my food list has become very little I can choose from and more limiting by the day, especially with the GMO and hormone, not to mention the antibiotics . I would say I am 85% vegetarian, 5%  vegan {working on my  fish & cheese issues..LOL} and the rest; I eat Turkey and Game meat.. I do this sparingly but I do. So Austin's question was why Meatless Monday's?

It is very simple. About 8 years ago I was watching a lot of TV trying to escape from my own reality, living my life through TV icons, Media seduction and fake reality shows.  I had a TV in every room and on at the same time so while I was doing stuff around the house I would not miss a thing. I also could tell you the time by what was on TV, yes I was BAD... it was really sad....
One day I thought to myself instead of watching other people live life on TV I should turn off mine and get to Living. The next thing I read its National Turn Off TV week.. I was in!!! That week turned into 40 days of Lint and let me tell you I broke the addiction and it changed my life and now I have not had broadcast TV in my home in years. Oh and I don't miss it at all!!! I check in every once in a while and still the same garbage but now costing you more money to watch. I remember when advertisers paid for us to watch free TV. Back then the ad's came free along with the shows once you bought your TV and antenna. Not anymore!

 Making that once small commitment for a week made a huge difference in my life. It made me really get out in the world again and look up things, read, spend time with my son and mainly myself. I had never experienced being alone with my own mind without distraction till then.  I just never knew how afraid I was to be alone with my own thoughts until those first few day.  Thought I would {die} if I missed one of my shows and yes I even gave up my Peoples Court!! Like I said it changed my life and the direction it was going extremely. Now it's time to get my eating under the same control. So what a great way to start then Meatless Mondays.

A day where Austin and I can pick out a recipe and cook it together talking about eating healthier and teaching him the basic at the same time. I am very excited. Austin was not thrilled of such a short notice so we compromised. Tonight we will have the Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac and Cheese and Austin will add some Haddock to his plate. { Got to have the Mac and Cheese!!! }. It's a start. It is not about depriving him or me of food but about transitioning to a more conscious way of eating.

 Here is the Mac and Cheese, what a great find! Having Gluten issues I have tried to make some and as much as it got rave reviews I am still a single Mother who loves short cuts to good health!

We also found these on our shopping trip. Yum!!

I know eating healthy can be expensive but my motto this year is; Eat Less Food with Higher Quality and it will be worth the cost!!! Plus sickness can cost you more then Money. Like I have said before it has cost me relationships, careers and almost my life.. So paying more to stay alive and well is worth it!

I will start posting recipes and idea for Meatless Mondays.. who knows maybe we can do Tofu Tuesdays... Wheat Free Wednesday...   LOL

I love my life and I love the fact that I am not afraid to experiment with it!!!! So let the Great Meatless Mondays begin.. Will you join me????

Maybe The Zombie Apocalypse is already here......

I am sure some of you are wondering how did the unplugging go. It went like a boat out to sea, a bit rocky but it's been an overall nice ride. I have not heard the Church Bell. Maybe its to cold to ring it. Maybe I still don't have ears to hear it yet but either way seeing that unplugging and setting new habits in motion are just as hard as they were last year makes me shake my head.  I should know better. If I have learned anything from the past few years it has been that I need to make certain changes to really heal my body and mind if I want my life to move forward.
Tom Lescher keeps saying that we need to "create" a new paradigm, not keep waiting for one to appear. That it is us who is creating it. Through our thoughts and action. This is what Barbara Marciniak was speaking of in her earlier books. That each one of us living our own truth and following our own passions we could change our lives and in turn the world.  I am start to think this is the mind set behind the saying "We are the ones we have been waiting for" We all have been waiting for our own person saviors to come rescue us... For some it's prince charming or their soul mate, some it is Jesus or Aliens, others it is hitting the Big One, that next big thing that they know then things will be better or will change. It is the waiting that keeps us enslaved in the hamster wheel of life. Repeating the same bad habits like zombies on auto pilot. Letting the world and our dreams pass us by or worse be stolen. Other find an excuse in everything not to change, not to move forward with their lives for themselves or others. The zombie apocalypse is here now and I think 2014 is calling for a resurrection of the Human Spirit and our ability to change and evolve and wake up from our zombie like sleep walking through our own life! If unplugging from my phone more often, doing some yoga and eating consciously will make my life better and make this a better country let alone world why not. If it turns out I'm the the one I have been waiting on then I better get my act together. Like they say somethings you just got to do for yourself. Plus it would be sad to waste my life waiting on something or someone that has been here all along!!!!

Come on admit it, your reading this from your bed right now?!

Okay this morning I had to admit to myself I might have a problem. It's seems I am one of the millions cell phone users that not only checks my phone at least every hour ( okay I might do it more then that but not the every 5 minutes for sure!) but also first thing in the morning. It seems I have become the kind of person that wakes up in like some sort of narcissistic mode and needs to know if I have missed anything or if anybody has missed me. Then rating my value by the number of notifications I get. Then spending endless minutes checking post that once I sit down at my PC that I will be looking at again, and again... and again... I haven't even got out of bed and another animal is suffering, the government is out to get us and it looks like the Aliens still aren't coming. 

 Agg...  How has this happened?!

 I for years fought even having an alarm clock next to the bed because I didn't want the electronic next to my head and now I have a plug in next to my bed that houses at night not only my cell phone but also my tablet. I use to say well I needed it for a clock. What a crock. I have been waking up every morning like clock work for years without an alarm and my internal clock is set for 3:00 to 4:30 depending on the time change for years. I never skip a day. I have no problem waking up without knowing the time. Plus I always hated the pretend to get more sleep game the alarm clock brought. all that changing the time so you can trick yourself into thinking you are gain more time,then you still wake up before the alarm goes off to play the hit the snooze 3 times game, you know that game?! I am tired just writing about it. So that excuse is outdated. 

 When I first moved from the west coast to here Austin was in California and I still had many friends I talked to so my phone went off most of the night, well at least until midnight and sometimes past. That doesn't happen to much anymore. That excuse is out.

I am sure there are many reason why people need their phone close by but not me. I have a new application on my phone that allows me to put my phone on a sleep mode while I am sleeping allowing only the important calls and texts through. Facebook news will be there all day, Emails can wait, years ago it could take three days to get a letter and no one complained. The truth is if something is important they will use a phone and then leave a message. Seems like all the real excuses are eliminated. They don't call me the excuse buster for nothing..LOL 

So this is not a technology problem this is a me problem!

So tomorrow I will place my phone in another room to charge for the night that way when I wake up I can have some time to be in the moment. To maybe going back to hearing the church bell ring. Funny how with the windows closed and my mind locked into checking Facebook, Emails, Blog, ect that I haven't been hearing it even though I know they ring it every morning at 6 am.. 

If I am serious about changing my life then I have to be serious about the changes!! 

The first step in solving any problem it to realize you have one and it's hard to do that when your never present in your life long enough to figure it out. 

I am rededicating my mornings back to me!!! 

Taking time to be with me before I check in with the rest of the world. 

Now that is a dose of healthy Narcissism!!!

Sun Salutation How-to from Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners

Thought I could use a little more information on holding the poses through the salutation.

Traditional Sun Salutation

Just in case anyone would like to join me in my commitment to a daily practice of the
Sun Salutation.
Enjoy...