If you met Santa Claus, the first that you'd do
is find he knows you better than you'd expect him to.
You'd see his eyes, familiar, like those you've known before;
Eyes with the love of Mother, and Father, and much More.
You'd see that when he laughs, his joy is from your joy,
You'd see that what he gives you isn't simply just a toy.
If you met Santa and had a talk with him,
You'd see how he works through loved ones who know your best within.
You'd see his smile when you're tucked in at night,
You'd see that gentle gleam;
You'd know how he can understand just how goods you've been.
The mystery of what you want would be tracked to parents eyes,
to loving ears and questions asked by Santa's secret spies.
You'd understand how magic works,
and how Miracles are born.
You'd see he's more than just a symbol of peace upon the earth.
You'd see that Santa's real, and has loved you from your birth.

*****

• 1 pound of almonds that were soaked 12 hours, dehydrated and ground up.
• 1 cup of lucuma powder
• 2 T of butterscotch extract
• ½ t lemon zest
• ¼ t Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
• ½ cup of almond milk, more if needed
• ¾ t vanilla bean powder or 1 t of pure vanilla extract

Topping:

• 8 to 12 ounces of dried apricots
• Put them in a bowl and cover them with water.
• Soak them for six to eight hours on a counter or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Blend the fruit and soak water into a puree and set it aside.

Directions:

Ground the almonds well into a food processor. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and combine it well. Next add the lemon zest, almond milk and extracts and process it very well.

Press into circular cookies on a dehydrator tray.

Top each cookie with a dollup of apricot topping.

Dehydrate at two hours at 115 degrees. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for eight hours.

Mexican Fiesta Pizza

Crust Ingredients

• 1 lb of ground flax seed.
• ½ cup natural taco flavoring
• ¾ tsp Himilayan or Celtic Sea Salt
• 1 cup of ground sunflower seed (soak it for six hours, dehydrate it until crispy – 105 degrees for 12 hours should do it –  grind it in the food processor. I like to buy 3-pound bags of sunflower seeds and prepare them ahead of time).
• 2 cups of chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped sweet onion
• 3 cups of purified water (you may need more or less add it gradually)
• 1 ½ cup of pecan taco crumble soak water (use whatever’s left from soaking)

Directions: Put all dry ingredients in a food processor and process until combined. Next add the vegetables and process more.  Now gradually add the liquid, putting the flavored water in first. Process it into a thick and creamy dough that makes a wonderful pizza crust and also can be used for bread, taco shells or crackers. For your Mexican pizza crust, pour it into a wide circle on your dehydrator tray and flatten it into a ½ to ¾ inch-high round. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for four hours; flip it and dehydrate it for another 8 to 10 hours until desired consistency at 105 degrees.

Pecan Taco Crumble Topping

• 1 lb of pecan halves
• About 2 cups of water (cover pecans)
• ½ cup natural taco flavoring

Directions:  Soak pecans in water mixed with taco flavoring for eight to ten hours.  Drain.Set soak water aside to use in crust. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 10 to twelve hours until crunchy. Chop.

Simple Guacamole Topping

• Two ripe avocados
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 2 T lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

Directions:  Mix it by hand.

Optional Toppings:

• Chopped Tomatos
• Chopped onions
• Chopped hot peppers
• Salsa
• Chopped romaine or mixed greens
• Pecan taco crumbles (use sparingly so it is not too rich)

Directions For Assembling Your Mexican Fiesta Pizza

• Remove your crust from dehydrator and place on a cutting board.
• Spread guacamole evenly onto the crust.
• Add toppings!
• Cut into beautiful wedges.
• Carefully transfer to a larger circular plate if you have one.
• Serve and enjoy. You may consider garnishing  for a festive look.

********************* 

As our body purifies on live foods, we become more alkaline. Our body is made up of more space and water then matter. Eating  a live food diet we begin to vibrate at a higher frequency. Our consciousness rises and we begin to begin feel a closer connection to  to God. A deep peacefulness overcomes any negative feelings and thoughts. It seems as if our mind is naturally brought to reflecting on the many things we have to be thankful for. Feeling grateful is a daily feeling -- and feeling grateful is healing.   

 Share how thankful you are to those you think of. What a gift that is to others.

 I am thankful for my wonderful family and friends. I am thankful to be able to do what I love each and every day of my life. I am thankful for having  the years of experience and knowledge to be able to help others on their path to wellness and vibrant health. I am thankful for Dr.  Ann Wigmore who loved me and taught me so well as she did many, many others.

The living foods lifestyle is mainstream and I truly believe Dr. Ann's dream of helping to change the consciousness of the world through live foods is coming true. The war is over, our troops are on the way home as I am writing this.

 It is not just about how absolutely incredibly great one feels physically living the Live Food Lifestyle....it is so much more!

 *************

• 2 cups cashews (soaked 10 to 12 hours)
• 1 1/2 t Himilayan or Celtic sea salt
• 1 T nut yeast
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 t mustard powder

Blend all ingredients together in food processor until it has a smooth may-like consistency. Set aside.

• 2 cups sunflower seeds (soaked 6 hours)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t white pepper
• 1 T sage
• 1 T oregeno
• 1 T thyme
• 1 T rosemary

Blend all remaining ingredients in a food processor until the ingredients are combined well. Set aside.

• 2 stalks celery, finely minced
• 3 green onions, whites and 2" of green, finely minced.

Fold all ingredients together. Let stand for 1 hour at room temperature so that the flavors can blend prior to serving. Great rolled up in Romaine with chopped tomatoes and onion. It also makes a great sandwich spread for raw food bread.

*****************

Don’t look at the challenges holidays pose as a negative thing.  Think of it as an opportunity.

It will be easier to resist overeating traditional cooked foods when you plan ahead and take with you your favorite raw vegan main dishes, desserts, snacks and beverages.

Many people who are new to the journey find it uncomfortable to bring their own food to holiday dinners and parties. But if you bring something really delicious, you can share it with everyone.            

When I started on this journey 30 years ago I knew it would be my path for the rest of my life.  I found it a little uncomfortable to bring raw food dishes to traditional holiday dinners and parties. But then I found how much people love it; they always try what I bring with me. Many people in my social and family circles over the years have moved more toward healthy eating. It is rewarding to see how family and friends have become more aware of health. I don’t take credit for it, of course, because their health consciousness is part of a worldwide shift. However, it warms my heart to think the alternative dishes I have carried to holiday parties and dinners throughout the years have played a small part in encouraging others to take steps toward healthier eating.

One nice way to stay on track with your eating goals is to adapt some of your favorite family recipes to raw versions of the dishes. It’s easy and fun to be creative in a raw food kitchen, so think of your favorite family recipes and how to make them raw. One of my favorite raw recipes is based on my mother’s pasta sauce. My family is from Calabria, Italy and there is a very particular way in which we make our pasta sauce. My raw version of the dish tastes just like my mother’s cooked sauce. I warm it up in the dehydrator and serve it with “noodles” made from buckwheat greens, spaghetti squash or zucchini. If I’m craving angel hair pasta, I shreed zuchinni "noodles" very fine. The recipe is amazing. The family loves it. Other raw foodists love it, too, and have asked me to share it with them. But it’s one recipe I just won’t share. My mother and my mother’s mother never shared their sauce recipes so keeping my raw pasta sauce confidential is my little way of sticking to a centuries-old family tradition.

If your intention is to move through the holiday season staying  50-, 60-, 70-, 80-, 90- or 100-percent raw and you don’t achieve that goal, it’s so important not to become discouraged. Don’t beat yourself up about it. It won’t take too many days before you realize you don’t feel as well as you did when you were sticking to your intention.  When you think about how much better you feel when you eat raw living food, it’s a great motivation to get right back on track.

While we’re on the subject of preparing delicious raw foods for the holidays, let me share with you a wonderful drink that anyone can enjoy no matter what their dietary habits.

Here’s a simple and delicious recipe I’ve developed for Raw Eggless Nog.

******************

　Raw Eggless Nog

• 2 1/2 cups of almond milk
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg or 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 Tp rum extract
• 1 tsp dark mesquite powder
• 2 tsp lucuma

　Optional Chocolate Version

• 3 tsp cacao powder
• 1/4 cup date puree

Instructions: Blend all ingredients into a rich frothy drink in your Vitamix or another high-speed blender. Serve at room temperature, chill or blend on high for five minutes and warm it up.

Soak 1 pound walnut halves in 2 cups of apple juice for eight hours. Place half of the apple juice and all of the walnuts in a food processor and process until smooth and put half of the apple juice aside. Place the batter in a bowl and add the dried fruit and chopped almonds. Mix it until the fruit and almonds are combined thoroughly with the batter. Let it set at room temperature for six hours or in the refrigerator overnight. After it is finished sitting, add apple juice if you want your batter to be thinner. Drop your cookie batter from a tablespoon  into 2-inch-wide circles onto a dehydrator tray covered with a non-stick sheet. Pat them down so they are 1/2 to 3/4 inch high.  Dehydrate them at 115 degrees for 5 hours and then dehydrate them at 104 degrees for another four hours.

• 1 cup walnuts (soaked 6 to 8 hours)
• 1 1/2 cup cashews (soaked 6 hours)
• 1 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (soaked 6 to 8 hours)
• 1 cup Brazil nuts (soaked 12 to 14 hours)
• 1 1/4 cup chopped celery hearts
• 1 1/4 cup chopped fennel heart
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 t Celtic or Himalayan sea salt
• 1 t white pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• A pinch of saffron
• 1 t fresh sage, minced
• 1 1/2 t fresh thyme, minced
• 1 t fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/4 c nutritional yeast

Place walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, brazil nuts in food processor, process for 30 seconds and add celery and onion and process for one minute. Add salt, pepper and herbs and process for one minute. Place in a large bowl and add nutritional yeast. Stir well. Place on a platter that will fit on the dehydrator tray. Shape into a low flat loaf about three inches high. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 7 hours and serve warm. Serves 6 to 8.

*Cut recipe in half to serve less or make the extra into 3 1/2 inch patties about 1/2 inch thick. Place individual patties onto a dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 8 to 10 hours. Serve warm or store. Great for sandwiches or topped with mushroom gravy.

Holiday/Anytime Stuffing

• 1 cup walnuts (soaked 12 hours)
• 1 cup almonds (soaked 12 hours)
• 5 cup chopped celery hearts (for a lighter stuffing add a cup or two more celery)
• 3/4 cup medium sweet onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 t Celtic salt
• 1/2 t fresh minced sage

Place nuts in food processor and process for 30 to 45 seconds. Add celery and onion and process for another 30 to 45 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and process until thoroughly combined, about 60 seconds. Scoop into a shallow glass bowl and dehydrate for 5 hours at 115 degrees. Serve warm.

************

• 1 cup cashews (soaked 10 hours)
• 2 cups shredded jicama
• 1 cup shredded parsnip
• 1/2 cup sweet onion (chopped)
• 1/3 cup cashew milk
• 1 medium garlic clove
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 t Celtic or Himalayan sea salt
• 1/4 cup sweet corn (fresh off the cob if in season, frozen if not).

After placing shredded jicama and parsnip in food processor, add cashews, onion and garlic and process for one minute.  Add cashew milk, lemon juice, salt and corn and process for another minute or two until creamy smooth. Place in a shallow glass casserole dish, cover, warm in dehydrator at 115 degrees for two to three hours and serve warm. You'll love the buttery flavor!

Mushroom Onion Gravy

• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked 10 hours)
• 1 1/2 cup dehydrated portabella mushroom caps
• 1 cup dehydrated onion
• 1 t sea salt
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups water

Place cashews, salt and water in blender and blend well. Add mushrooms and onions and blend again until smooth. The amount of water depends on how thick and rich you want it. Warm in dehydrator at 115 degrees for about an hour before serving.

 *********************

If you affirm you are a happy, healthy, loveable, joyful person, it will become a reality.

This is one of the affirmations Dr. Ann liked to use:

“I have enough time, energy, money and wisdom to accomplish all of my desires."

That was a powerful affirmation for me. It helped me through some pretty tough times.

When you go through emotionally rough times, you doubt yourself. It is natural. Creating affirmations in the first person and speaking them out loud or silently to yourself instills self-confidence and the disposition necessary to achieve optimal health.

People can be negative when they speak about themselves and it does them no good at all. In fact it hurts them.

Never say ‘my cancer' or 'my diabetes' or 'I can't sleep' or 'I can't do this.' Don’t own a sickness or negative condition. Watch your thoughts and words and it will become a habit. You will no longer have negative thoughts and words.

When you practice your affirmations frequently, your mind actually will start turning to them naturally when it is idle. It is especially good to practice your affirmations at night as you are falling asleep. When you are in a near-sleep state the subconscious is really alert and at work. I also like to repeat my affirmations when I am working out or swimming. You can decide what works for you.

It is a good idea to pick three different affirmations on different areas where you would like to improve. For instance one might be physical, one might be spiritual and one might be financial. Make sure you write your affirmations in the first person. You will achieve prosperity in all aspects of your life. God wants us to all be prosperous. The more we have, the more we can give. The more we give, the more we share love.

Say each of your affirmations thirty times a day and by the 21^st day you will see a major shift.