Introducing Agent Q

Each of the agents, as well as my clients, all hold a special place with me.  Their ongoing commitment to improving their own wellness, their collaboration to help others change and their successes are often the highlights of my days.  I mentioned in my last post, that I would be introducing our newest agent. This particular individual has dealt with a significant amount of change in their lives.  And, much of that change was not chosen, it was reactive to current circumstance.  In the past couple of months, she has gone Vegan, began training with me regularly, lost weight, changed the diet of her children (they are now vegetarians) and had a growing interest in helping others.  I have said many times before how much I learn from the other agents...and this one is no different.  Experiencing all of these changes with her has meant the world to me.  Now she is joining our movement...and knowing that we will now share in so much more together, well that just makes my day:)

Josh

It all started about 17 years ago at the young ages of 17 & 18. Two kids from opposite sides of the city of Chicago, (Sox vs. Cubs) and an unplanned last minute trip to the city with a girlfriend, which turned into the luckiest day of my life!

That day I met the man that would become my life partner, best friend, father of our two amazing children and so much more.  But the man that I met that day, almost 17 years ago was half the man he is now, and I don't mean that literally.  Today, he is in fact almost half the size he was when I met him, but I am talking about on an emotional, intellectual and spiritual level.

What originally attracted me to Josh (Agent 001) was his sense of humor and determination. As an example...within the first few minutes of meeting him, he whispered to his friend "hands off, she's mine" and I then proceeded to inform Josh that I had very good hearing!  Now normally if any other guy would have said something like that about me, I would never give them a second look.  But there was something about him...and it was at that moment that I knew this was going to become something serious.

Now it may have been the olive green suit and tie, or that he had about a pound of gel in his hair to grease it back, or maybe that his ankle and leg were in a cast up to his knee and he had to use a cane to walk. Oh gosh there were just so many reasons I fell for him! (Anyone who knows me understands the humor in that last sentence!) In actuality he was the complete opposite type of guy I was normally attracted to, but once again there was something very special about Josh.

This is the crazy part, that almost 17 years later, it has only been within the last couple of years that I found out what is so truly special about him!  If you are not aware of Josh's story you need to go to www.joshneimark.com immediately to learn more (after reading my post of course:). There you will learn about the amazing transformation he has gone through and how it has made him the very special person I knew was always in him since the moment we met.

Anyone and everyone who knows Josh can attest that he is quite possibly the most honest person you will ever ever meet (too honest at times perhaps)!  He is always acting with good character and never has a hidden agenda that would only benefit himself.  His transformation has turned him into a vigilante if you will, for good overall health; not only in his own life, but in all the lives in the whole world (well starting closer to home first) His passion and commitment to this barely existent cause in America (Nearly 34 percent of adults are obese, more than double the percentage 30 years ago. The share of obese children tripled during that time, to 17 percent.) has become very contagious within the community where we live.

Every morning at the gym people would constantly approach him with compliments on his self motivation, which was then followed by many questions about how they can achieve results like him! Then one day a very determined observer, mother/career woman with a very busy schedule like most of us today, asked Josh to be her personal trainer.  Well, it was more like she firmly told him he was going to be and he didn't have a choice:)  And of course, without even a second thought he agreed happily because that's Josh!  He wasn't happily accepting the job for any monetary reason, only for the simple fact that he actually inspired someone else to want to improve their overall health. That person is Erin, Agent 003, Josh's first official client.

Soon after working with Erin and seeing all of her positive change, he put an idea he had been working on for some time into effect; "The Agents of Change" The concept is simple, making the choice to better your health through his three pillars of wellness. The first one being physical wellness, the second pillar being nutritional wellness and last but not least emotional wellness.

Now I leave you with this, everyone has the power inside of them to change for the better, but it takes a really special person to inspire others to change for the better!  Thank you Josh for inspiring me and our whole agent family to be the best we can be!  I love you with all my heart and I pray that one day Jack will grow to be half the man/husband/father/friend/ that you have become almost 17 years later!

PS...look for my weekly columns/posts to begin soon.  My topic of choice - How to make healthy choices for your kids in our society.

Susie
Agent Q

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - Even More Good . . .

The good this week actually came from Josh.

For Mother’s Day, Josh stopped by my house and brought me cookies.  I think he did this for all of the “Mother” agents, but it felt special nevertheless.

Now, these weren’t just any cookies. They were whole food, vegan, all organic cookies AND LET ME TELL YOU…they were AWESOME!

So, what I’d like to share this week are some of my new favorite cookie recipes. It IS possible to still enjoy my favorite sweet treats on occasion.

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

·         2 3/4 cup gluten-free pastry flour

·         1 tsp sea salt (I am loving the pink sea salt from Trader Joe’s!)

·         1 tsp baking soda

·         4 tbls vegan butter, melted 

·         3/4 cup organic unrefined brown sugar

·         3/4 cup turbanado raw cane sugar

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         2 USPS milled organic flax seed

·         1 tbls water

·         12 oz vegan chocolate chips (or carob chips is you’re THAT picky :)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside.

In a separate large bowl, mix the flax seed and the water together, then mix the butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to this and stir until combined well.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop one inch spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are golden brown.

Some variations? Josh’s cookies had bananas and cinnamon in them and were amazing. Nuts are also a great way to add extra protein.  You could always substitute organic apple sauce or bananas for the vegan butter. The texture will be different, but the fat content will decrease.

These still have lots of sugar in them, albeit the natural kind, so eat in moderation, but enjoy!

Also, don’t forget the most important part of this post. This was a very special gift because Josh made it himself. Do you have a friend who’s having a birthday soon?  Make them some cookies! How about a child with a birthday? Imagine if the two of you made a HEALTHY birthday cake for his/her party together? If you decide to make a cake, I used the recipe listed here last night, but I modified all of the ingredients to fit a “whole food, gluten free vegan” diet (real sugar, gluten-free pastry flour, you get the idea): http://www.instructables.com/id/The-BEST-chococlate-cake-ever...that-happens-to-be/

Helping a parent in the kitchen means a lot to a child. Why buy a cake at Costco when you can make a healthier version and your child can take pride in helping?

Happy eating,

Erin 003

Another Agent Joining the Movement, Our New Logo & a Cool Shopping Tool

Three items on the agenda today...

First I am excited to share our new logo/brand (located above in case you didn't notice:)  From here on out, this is the mark of our movement.  We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with an extremely talented artist.  He really grasped our vision and took it beyond what we ever imagined it could become.  If you or anyone else has design or video needs, we would highly recommend Johnny Hazard...is that a rock star name or what!  Here is a bit more on Johnny's services and his contact information.  Thank you again Johnny!

Johnny B. Hazard:
Phone: (317) 508-2860
(if it goes to voice mail and you get Louis Tully from Ghostbusters, you've dialed the right number)
Email: johnnybhazard@gmail.com
Website: http://johnnybhazard.blogspot.com/
Services: Cartooning, Illustration, Photoshop and Illustrator based projects such as Logos, Posters and Banners, Small Video projects such as YouTube/Vimeo content and the occasional wedding or event.

Item 2:

Another Agent will be joining our movement of change.  I don't want to give away who this person is just yet...but I can tell you that they have a whole lot of experience with change.  Uniquely, much of the change they have experienced has not necessarily been what they were seeking, yet they always roll with whatever life throws at them in the most positive light.  This person has followed my/our entire story, they believe strongly in what we are doing and in recent months undergone some major change of their own (all based upon our methods and madness:).  Any guesses?  Look for their introduction post soon.

Item 3:

There is a lot of talk about organic produce these days...what is safe to buy non-organic, what pesticides are used on what, which produce is a MUST for buying organic only, etc...

Here's a handy guide to buying organic produce.  I found this story/link on Treehugger.com. 

I have pasted the story below...but what's really cool is you can follow a link to a downloadble sheet for your shopping trips.  No more wondering or worrying about which was OK to buy and which wasn't.  With the Dirty Dozen Cheat Sheet you can shop safely.

The Dirty Dozen Cheat Sheet is a handy, compact and easy reminder of which fresh products are high in pesticides and which are low. Cool Hunting calls it " the world's cutest pocket guide to buying organic" and from the look of it, we would have to agree.

It's a very straight forward little piece of paper that takes 27 of the most common fruits and vegetables and divides them into two categories: those that usually have a low pesticide content and those that don't. Just keep it in your purse/pocket and pull it out while shopping. How simple is that.

Created by Heidi Kenney, she has made it so that it is downloadable, and everyone can have their own sweet copy. Very generous and very handy because the biggest complaint about buying organic is how expensive it can be. This guide helps you make the decision on the spot without resorting to the net, the IPhone, your memory.

The information is drawn from the Environmental Working Group , a non-profit that "uses the power of public information to protect public health and the environment."

They have drawn up a list of 47 fruits and vegetables which they have rated according to levels of pesticide.

--Fruits and Vegetables Loaded with Pesticides
The top ten worst, i.e. loaded with pesticides are: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce and imported grapes.
--Fruits and Vegetables with the Least Pesticides
Those with the lowest level of pesticides are: onions (the best), avocados, sweet corn frozen, pineapple, mangoes, asparagus, sweet peas frozen, kiwi, cabbage and eggplant.

You have been warned.

Josh 001

Green Tips from The Coal Miners Daughter - Tip # 2 - Your Garden

Agent 004's latest tip...building your own garden.  Are you ready to make the change to growing your own veggies?

Now that you know how to water your garden let’s talk about building one.

First things first. Do you know what your soil is like under that beautiful grass you have growing? More than likely clay. I have lived in Indiana and Texas and have had to do a raised bed in both cities because you just cannot grow on clay.  I know that there are one or two of you that will tell me otherwise and I think it is great that you can grown right into your ground I wish I had your soil.

I know you are thinking …Well Sarah, what do I use to build my garden?? I have some thoughts on this and some facts to go along with it. This year when designing my garden I have decided to go with a plastic raised bed kit from Menard's http://www.menards.com/  each kit was $70 and allows you to build either a 12 inch high bed that is 4 foot by 4 foot or you can build 2 six inch high one and so on. Now this is not something that I would choose if I was in my “forever” home but this will work for the next few years. I will fill this with organic topsoil and back fill with some organic mushroom compost. If I was however in my forever home I would be using 2x12x12 cedar. Why? You do NOT want to use pressure treated lumber… more on this in a minute. So your options most of the time for untreated are Pine and Cedar. You use the Cedar over the Pine because the Cedar will last at least 10 years where as the Pine you are only looking at 3-5 years at best. You use the 2 inch thick because the one inch will split within a year and you will be back in the same boat.  The average cost of a 12x6 foot raised bed in Cedar will be about $200, but you will have this garden for a long time to come. In short, plastic for short term, Cedar forever.

OK, so why no treated wood??? Here is a great article about the process and what happens to your wood over time http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/pressure-treated-wood-in-beds.aspx  The article basically says that what they treat the wood with can leach into the soil and cause it to become very toxic and causing the veggies in your new garden to become toxic as well. NOT GOOD.

When you go to build your garden talk with the people at the store you go to. Ask them about what they recommend. They have a ton of knowledge and would love to tell you all about what they do.

Next week… veggies in your garden….

Sarah, 004

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - More Good . . .

My friend Laura’s son and my daughter have been friends since just about the day they were born and we try to get together for play dates as often as we can.

Two weeks ago I was excited to learn that Laura had turned to (organic) veganism around the same time that I had.  This meant that I could look forward to our play dates even more.

Do you know how challenging it is to have play dates with mothers who feed their children poorly?

You find yourself cringing slightly as they pass their little one Ho Hos,  white bread sandwiches, and pesticide-laden fruit.

Now that I know Laura and I have the same eating habits, we have been trading recipes, educational websites, and other informational emails regarding our new way of life.  This has not only, in my humble opinion, made our friendship stronger, but is really helping me find more creative ways to make meals.

On Sunday we joined forces at a bounce place in Carmel so the kids could release their “sillies” and we could have some chit chat time.  Imagine my surprise when she gives me the amazing book “Radiant Health, Inner Wealth” http://www.radianthealth-innerwealth.com/newbook.html.  The book is loaded with advice, recipes, and solutions for vegan challenges.  It has been in my possession for less than 24 hours and I have already read through the entire book, made one of the recipes, and planned a menu for the upcoming week.

A trip to your local Whole Foods-type store will probably be necessary for many of the recipes, but items like “cilantro lime rice” can be made easily without a lot of fanfare.  The book also acknowledges the many challenges with gluten and soy and has a variation for almost every recipe to make it soy-free or gluten-free.  Some of the most commonly endorsed ingredients in the book include: almond milk (or any dairy-free milk you use), quinoa, millet, whole wheat flours (I use almond flour or other gluten free flours), milled flax seed as an egg substitute, rolled oats,  all organic vegetables, and tons of herbs and spices for the recipes.

Her theme is easy to follow. Whole grains, loads of veggies, and anything that is sweet should use real maple syrup, REAL sugar, fruits, and spices.  She also has an organic whole food recipe for chocolate chip cookies and one could certainly replace the chips with carob ones if they were so inclined.  One of her recipes is “Apple Pie Acorn Squash” and I can’t wait to give it a dry run before Thanksgiving! In fact, my whole Thanksgiving meal may come from this book.
Her recipe for mashed potatoes looks DIVINE.

And the best part of the book for parents? A kids section!

Trying to raise a vegan child? OR even just trying to get your little person to eat veggies?  She gives you ideas on where to begin and what to try. Her recipes for kids are great!  Sydney and I already made the eggplant chips and she loved them! We dipped them in hummus and had a great late day snack together.

I am so thankful to Laura for giving me a copy of this book. The recipes are simple and book is easy to understand. This book is a win for the GOOD team.

Signing off,
Erin 003