tahini cookies

If you or someone you know struggles with a full-body candida infection, you know how challenging eating can be. In order to starve the candida, which is fed by yeast and sugar, it's imperative that ALL sugar and carbs are totally cut out, at least temporarily until symptoms reduce. That means that, at least for a while, no chocolate, fruit, beets, carrots, dairy, nuts, potatoes, grains, squash, beans, corn...etc. We've been working on this with my husband and although it was overwhelming at first, now that we have most of the essentials for cooking and baking, I'm getting a little more confident. But obviously, when every single thing he's eating is green, the one thing he's craving more than anything is...COOKIES. Enter: stevia, an all-natural sweetener derived from a plant that is totally safe for a candida diet. 

Once we bought some stevia, I decided to get a little crazy and try to make cookies. Peanut butter cookies are one of Dave's favorites, but alas, he can't have peanut butter. I figured that tahini, which is made from ground sesame seeds and is candida-safe, would be close enough to pass in a fake cookie.

Tahini Cookies:

1/4 cup melted coconut oil
About 1 T. or 6 packets of stevia
2 eggs or flax eggs (1T. ground flax to 3T. warm water = 1 egg)
1/2 cup tahini (Here, you could use almond or peanut butter if you can have sugar)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 buckwheat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
About 1 cup of Almond or Coconut Milk (unsweetened)

Mix the first five ingredients - beat well. Mix the last four ingredients and add to the wet mixture. Blend together into a thick dough, adding coconut milk, as needed. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet, press flat with a fork and bake at 350º for about 8 minutes. Makes about 15 cookies. 

Dave was impressed. I thought they tasted a bit like "sugar-free peanut butter cookies," but I'm sure it's better than nothing when you're going through a candida cleanse. If anything, tahini is packed with protein, as is buckwheat flour, so they're filling and super-healthy! Make them for yourself or to impress your diabetic friends! :)

creamy avocado coleslaw

It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of cooking. I think it takes far too much precious time and needs to be done far too often. Not to mention, I truly almost set my house on fire the other night by spilling grease on a hot burner.

In an effort to keep myself out of the kitchen and avoid death, I made a salad. It makes a ton too, so it's great for a potluck or eating throughout the week.

Creamy Avocado "Coleslaw"
5-6 cups shredded purple and green cabbage
2 ripe avocados
1 chopped red pepper
1 half chopped, red onion
3 tablespoons diced cilantro leaves
Lemon juice, sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Use a food processor or blender to mix the avocados with some of the lemon juice until creamy. Stir it into all the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and serve! No fire extinguishers needed. :)

guided meditation - warm valley

This is a guided meditation used at our last meditation workshop at Wholehearter Yoga. It details a small journey deep into a valley of relaxation. Please feel free to read it slowly for yourself, pausing at each break, record it or read it to others to enjoy. Namaste!


Before you begin, get comfortable. You may choose a more relaxed posture leaning against a wall or using pillows, blankets...etc. Find a position that feels natural.

Warm Valley Guided Meditation

Begin by relaxing deeply.
Feel all the muscles in your body melting...from top to bottom....becoming heavy and warm.
Keeping your eyes softly closed, begin to awaken your inner eyes.

You are standing at the top of a large hill....under a tall, green canopy of trees.
You're looking down into a beautiful, lush valley.

The valley is quiet and tranquil.
Late afternoon sun shines warmly on your face, relaxing your entire body.

You begin to descend slowly down the hill, taking in your surroundings.
Thick, green foliage surrounds you and protects you.
You hear the sound of slowly moving water....birds are singing and insects thrum in the trees.
You feel a gentle, warm breeze on your face.
You feel thick, soft moss, cushioning your feet.

As you make your way further down the hill, you continue to feel calm and relaxed.

You smell fragrant, fresh plants....warm earth...and the crisp scent of the water below.

You sink deeper into the valley moving into an even deeper state of relaxation.

As you come to the fresh stream at the bottom of the valley, you feel completely safe...completely relaxed.

The water is crystal clear...and warm.

You sit down at the edge of the stream, dipping your feet into the warm water.

You sip in a deep breath of fresh air...relaxing here.


The sun moves across the sky above you.


After some time has passed, you are ready to return to the top of your hill.
Removing your toes from the water, you dry them on the warm moss of the forest floor.

Slowly padding back up the hill, you again take in your surroundings once more.
The sun has begun to set....the air is crisp with evening.

You hear crickets quietly chirping...the birds are singing their nighttime melodies.

You feel healthy, calm and content.

As you near the top of the hill, the sky has turned to vibrant shades of reds..deep pinks and orange.

You breathe in the fresh air here as you return to your original spot.



Looking out over the beautiful valley once more, you take a long, slow inhale through the nose...and sigh out the air through your mouth.

Taking some time for your body to awaken.

When you are ready to open your eyes, gently place your fingers over them for a moment.
Then, slowly open the fingers as you gently open the eyes.



Welcome back and namaste. :)