I love experiencing in meditation or in waking dreams those few delicate seconds stretched beyond time where puzzle pieces slip magically into place and solutions to problems are revealed with incredible ease and simplicity.

Don’t you wish you could access that tap of wisdom at will? Imagine employing the power of your subconscious to create the life of your dreams…

I contacted my beautiful friend Kelly Sullivan Walden, a dream therapist, to see how she engages the subconscious to do her heavy lifting. Here’s what she had to say about dreaming and her writing process…

“While I was up to my elbows mid-way through writing my recent book, ‘I Had the Strangest Dream…the Dreamer’s Dictionary for the 21st Century’ (Warner Books), I developed the practice of rolling out of bed and into my “writing station.” While still in the in-between-worlds place I would open my laptop, take a deep breath, and with eyes half closed, let my fingers do the tapping. Before my logical brain woke up, I would give myself permission to write whatever wanted to be written from my subconscious/dream state.

This “dream state” writing would often wind its way to being relevant to the particular aspect of the book I happened to be working on. Even if my writing took a detour I would nonetheless find myself opened to a smorgasbord of thoughts and feelings that I could apply to the subject at hand that never would have occurred to me otherwise.

If there was nothing in particular that wanted to be written, I would simply write about my dreams from the night before. This actually has become a practice I believe will be with me ‘til the day I die, and perhaps the most valuable practice I have ever discovered. I believe there is a brief and precarious window period between the realm of sleep and awake, and if accessed, our entire day becomes brighter with a heightened awareness and aliveness. I feel that this may very well be the short cut to truly developing and strengthening our intuition. As a writer, what gift could be more valuable?

I believe it is specifically due to this practice that I was able to “dream up” an entire novel. About a year ago, I awoke at 3am (many writers tell me that their best writing ideas come to them at this god forsaken hour) with the entire story…the beginning, middle, end…the characters, their names, dress, voice tonality, the whole 9, as it were.

Without having to painstakingly figure out these characters and plot line, it was delivered to me, and all I had to do was take dictation.

I’ve talked to many writers that receive their best ideas, or plot lines from their dreams…and why not? Our dreams connect us with the vast aspect of who we are…as we sleep we dance with souls from time immemorial and explore realms about which have heretofore never been written. Why not let your dreams do your heavy plot lifting for you so that you can spend your precious awake time downloading these inspired messages. Who knows, tonight you just may receive the plot twist you’ve been praying for!

May your wildest and most wonderful writing dreams all come true!”

***************
Dream Doctor, Kelly Sullivan Walden is the author of Warner Books’ I HAD THE STRANGEST DREAM, THE DREAMER’S DICTIONARY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. Author of DISCOVER YOUR INNER GODDESS QUEEN, an Inspirational Journey from Drama Queen to Goddess Queen, Kelly is a regular guest on FOX news New York, WZZR FM (Florida) and has recently been featured around the country on ABC, FOX, and NBC news, as well as in Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, SELF, ELLE, Woman’s World, Bride Magazine and the Chicago Tribune. Kelly is the creator of The Dream Project, a local movement for Global change.

We want you! If you’re a Feel Good Guru with something to say about people, ideas and things that make the world a better place, we want to hear from you! Submit your story ideas to moira@feelgoodguru.com

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The collard greens were literally jumping out of their box at me. Large, leafy, deep green, full and fresh, so alive. I grabbed a couple of bunches, along with a yam, an onion, a bulb of garlic and a small bag of cashews. This simple dreamy creamy cleansing vegan soup is how it got deliciously devoured…

Dreamy Vegan Oil-Free Cream of Collard Greens

1 entire bulb garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1 garnet yam, diced

2 bunches collard greens, sliced into ribbons

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup cashews

Sautee onions and garlic with sea salt in a splash of water until they sweat and mingle. Add yams and a little more water to cover. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer until yams are soft (approximately 20 minutes).

Add collard greens and more water to cover. Simmer for a few more minutes until greens turn deep green and soften.

Turn off heat and blend in small batches in a blender or in the pot with an immersion blender.

Add cashews and a tiny splash of cider vinegar. Blend until smooth and adjust the consistency with more water if you like it thinner. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

This is a soothing and delicious soup you could live on for a couple of days as an easy digestive cleanse.

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YikeBike ($4450) goes 10kms on a 30-minute electric charge, will carry you upright at 25kms/hr, and folds up into a little 10kg package you can sling over your shoulder so you can keep it close when you go indoors. Take the stairs, though, cause you’ve just missed out on the exercise you used to get on your 10km pedal to work…

YikeBike = Totally groovin’ with the woowoo! Check out the vid~

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Named the world’s most “livable” city by The Economist, Vancouver is also working hard at being one of the greenest and most sustainable with a detailed roadmap for getting there by 2020.

A leader in green building design, planning and technology, Vancouver is actively implementing ways to improve the quality of life of its citizens while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Chicago’s ex chief environmental officer, Sadhu Johnston, who helped Chicago attain its global green status, recently made the move to Vancouver as “deputy city manager” and found its “green file” on his desk. He’s confident he can take the city’s sustainable quality of living to a new level.

Some of the bold green strategies Vancouver is implementing to become a leading green city within one generation:

• eliminating fossil fuels by 2040
• cutting the carbon footprint of the city’s food supply by 1/3
• cutting water use by 1/3 by 2020
• making trips by foot, bike and public transit the majority of all trips within the city
• making all new buildings carbon neutral while increasing efficiency of present structures by 20%
• planting 150,000 trees

Though these stats and strategies are impressive and promising and groovily green, what makes a city believable as a truly green one is its nature. Nature heals, nature IS green and nature makes us silly happy. No matter how green a city claims to be, the fact that nature is alive and well within a city and its surroundings is living proof it has not been sucked away by buildings and pollution.

Unlike any city in the world, Vancouver is immersed in and surrounded by nature. Stanley Park, an oasis of Douglas Fir, Hemlock, Cedar and Spruce trees in the city’s west end, is one of the largest urban parks in North America, covering over 1000 acres and providing shelter for 200 species of birds as well as coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, skunks and raccoons.

Though Vancouver is the 3rd most densely populated city in North America, quick access to nature makes it easy to get away from the hum of the core. It’s inhabitants live outside, with access to hiking and biking trails at their doorstep.

The locavore, vegetarian, sustainable and slow food movements have hit the foodie scene in a big way, and the demand for community gardens is huge and growing. There’s even a community garden at city hall.

Health of its denizens is an enormous indication of the greenness of a city and Vancouver also has that going on in spades. In studies conducted in cities across Canada, Vancouver residents were found to be by far the slimmest and have the healthiest blood pressure levels.

If you’re considering packing it in and moving to one of the most beautiful, healthiest, most livable, greenest cities in the world, make sure you have a healthy green nest egg. Real estate in Vancouver is the most expensive in Canada.

Take a gorgeous HD tour in time lapse vid:

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“You never change something by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” Buckminster Fuller

British banking heir and “environmental daredevil” David de Rothschild, otherwise known as “Eco Bruce Wayne” is challenging us to consider our waste as a resource. With 12,000 plastic bottles and some cashew glue, he’s built a catamaran he hopes to sail from San Francisco to Sydney, an 11,000 mile journey inspired by the 1947 journey of the primitive raft, Kon-Tiki.

His 60-foot eco-friendly craft, “Plastiki”, will be fully at the mercy of the winds out on the Pacific. It’s housed with solar panels and windmills, and the deck, sails, and cabin, complete with six bunks and a 2-burner stove, are made entirely of re-purposed plastic. Stationary bikes will provide exercise for the 5-member crew, and human waste will provide fertilizer for a small on board organic garden.

The entire project may seem “out there” to many, but de Rothschild was born to be wild. In a talk he gave at TED, he outlined his life formula: dreams ignite adventure which creates stories which inspire more dreams. A spark of curiosity is all you need to set your dreams on fire.

Plastiki won’t have the horsepower of a fossil-fueled speedboat, but it will have the power to challenge our perceptions and change the world - and that’s groovin’ with the woowoo~

Follow David “Bruce Eco-Dude to the Max” de Rothschild on his adventures from the comfort of your laptop on facebook & twitter fo sho!

What did you make with your waste today?

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They’re simple to whip up in a food processor in five minutes and ready to eat immediately. They won’t last long once they’re sitting out on the counter, but if you’re able to ration, they’ll improve with a little rest in the fridge or an overnight, counter-top.

Here’s how for a small pan:

1 banana
1 cup fresh pitted dates (if dates aren’t fresh, soak for a few minutes in just enough water or orange juice to cover them)
1 1/2 cup organic almonds
1/2 cup cacao nibs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
sprinkle dried coconut

Blend almonds first in a dry food processor until they’re broken up but still crunchy chunks. Add the rest of the ingredients except coconut and blend just until they’re mixed well.

Sprinkle coconut on the bottom of a small square pan. Spread mixture into the pan and press down gently. Sprinkle coconut on top.

An hour or more of refrigeration will make it easier to cut and serve, but they’re at their gooey, tasty best at room temperature.

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Raw cacao is particularly good for us because in its purest, whole food form it contains no added sugar, emulsifiers or dairy. Cacao is noted to have very high levels of magnesium, which perhaps explains why women crave chocolate during their menstrual cycles, as magnesium balances brain chemistry and combats depression. Raw cacao is also purported to contain 28 times more heart-protecting, cancer-fighting antioxidants than black tea.

Now let’s talk bliss! Cacao contains a chemical called anandamide, otherwise known as “the bliss chemical” so named because our brain also releases this chemical when we’re feeling good. A small dose of raw cacao may help us hang on to that blissful feeling just a little longer. Beautiful!

This Spiced Love Potion is sexy smooth and will infuse your body and spirit with warmth and wellness. A little goes a long way! Serve it at room temperature in martini glasses as a romantic pre-dinner (alcohol-free) intoxicant.

Spiced Love Potion

(for two)

1/4 cup hemp seeds

25 organic almonds (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup raw cacao nibs

1 1/2 cup spring water

2 whole cloves

1/2 a cinnamon stick + 2 for garnish

2 cardamom pods

2 quarter-sized slices of fresh ginger root

5 medjool dates, pitted

1 small vanilla pod or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Soak the almonds and hemp seeds in purified water for at least an hour. Drain in a fine sieve.

In a blender, starting on low. blend all ingredients except the dates and the vanilla. Work the blender speed up to high and blend until creamy smooth.

Drain again in a fine sieve. You may need to use a spoon to help drain the “milk” through. Save the pulp in a bowl and set aside.

Rinse out the blender and pour the almond and hemp mixture back in. Blend with the dates and vanilla until creamy smooth.

Pour into two martini glasses and garnish with a stick of cinnamon.

*You can make the pulp into a creamy dairy-free spiced cacao icecream by stirring in 2 or 3 Tbsp of agave nectar and a tsp of vanilla extract and freezing!

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This is a perfect breakfast to have on a cold winter day. Toasted buckwheat porridge, or kasha as it’s called in Eastern Europe, is actually a seed, though it looks and tastes like a grain. It’s high in iron, is full of B vitamins, calcium and fiber, and contains all 8 essential amino acids.

Because it’s not a grain, it contains no gluten, so people with wheat sensitivities or allergies can usually eat buckwheat. Read all about its incredible health benefits, including how it can lower blood pressure and help prevent diabetes, here. Dig in! Kasha’s cleansing!

Here’s how:

Rinse toasted buckwheat groats first to get the dust off, then cover with 2 x water. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 15 minutes, keeping an eye on it.

Turn off heat and add your favorite berries and fruit, nuts, seeds, and a splash of rice, almond or soy milk. A tsp of agave nectar will give it that winter morning sweetness you’re looking for. mmm!

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If you can’t make it to the L.O.V.E. Cafe for V-day but you want an eco-sexy gift idea, here are our top 10, from hand crafted natural fiber stockings to soaking au naturel in a hotspring:

• CHOCOLATE Ancient Aztec legends say that cacao seeds had been brought from Paradise and that eating the fruit of the cacao tree would bring wisdom and power. It was also considered an aphrodisiac and therefore women were forbidden to eat it! Thank goddess we’ve come a long way baby. Nowadays, during the rest of the year, 75% of chocolate is purchased by women. In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, the tables turn completely and mostly men make the purchase. Chocolate contains a natural substance which triggers the same reaction in the body as falling in love. We fell in love with ChocoVivo and now no other chocolate compares or even comes close. Lovingly hand-crafted, stone-ground with the finest ingredients, mixed whole, with spices and never any dairy or soy lecithin, it’s medicinal and highly addictive.

• WINE No V-day is complete without at least a sip of nectar of the grapes. The wine crafters at Bonterra Vineyards believe, as we do, that organic grapes make better wine, but at this winery, they go beyond organic, creating phenomenal results with biodynamic farming. At the McNab Ranch in Mendocino County, the land and the fruit rule. Soil, plants and animals work in harmony keeping the environment healthy and balanced. Sip a little of this into your own internal environment and feel the alchemy of nature lift your spirit.

• STOCKINGS Let’s face it. No woman loves wearing nylon pantyhose. They don’t breathe, they’re itchy on the legs, and you always need a pair or two on standby for those hangnail runs or in-a-hurry holes. These cotton jersey knit stockings are the cutest things - ever - on Etsy, made by Jennifer Brown of Under The Root, using reclaimed, repurposed and sustainable textiles. Keep your gorgeous skin healthy, breathing and warm under these sweet stockings under your vintage whatever else you’re dressing up (or undressing) with for sustainable sex appeal.

• BOXERS For him: Hemp-cotton boxer briefs you’ll love the feeling of. They’re a favorite of Sweetskins and Sweetskins is a favorite of ours. He’ll dig ‘em too.

• ORGANIC CLOTHING We can’t get enough of Treehouse 28’s romantic line of organic clothing designs. This light ruffled asymmetrical top will set the mood for a candlelit dinner at home. You know how soft organic cotton feels…dinner might have to be put on pause…

• ECO RETREAT For the ultimate luxurious romantic getaway, perched on the rugged cliffs of Big Sur, California, is the Post Ranch Inn, a perfect eco-sexy sanctuary to escape to for V-day. Winner of “Best for Romance” 2009 by Trip Advisor and “Most Romantic Hideaway” 2009 by Conde Nast Johansens, this stunning boutique hotel is committed to environmental stewardship and has been ranked number 3 of the “Ten Greenest Accomodations in the World”. Get back to your nature with your love. Take in some soul-soothing spa treatments, then catch a breathtaking sunset over the sparkling Pacific. Dine on a four-course dinner overlooking the ocean, then be a true romantic and soak in the stars under the awe-inspiring Big Sur sky.

• ORGANIC SHEETS If you haven’t already given your bedroom some green love, start with organic cotton bedsheets from Rawganique. They’re soft, smooth and silky, sweatshop-free, chemical-free, no bleach, no dyes, no heavy metals, and made with the purest 100% organic European cotton. That’s eco-sexy.

• NATURAL SKINCARE Love up your lover’s skin - and your own - with our favorite wild-crafted, small batch, luxurious, so-natural-you-can-eat-em body butters by Sigrid Naturals. Made with sweet almond oil, extra virgin olive oil, and essential oils like rose geranium and ylang ylang, these sensual body butters, especially the Ylang Ylang, are made to be shared.

• HOT SPRINGS Nothing relaxes and de-stresses a body and soul like a soak with your soulmate au naturel in a natural hot spring. Now you can be totally in the know on the go with this new Hot Springs Finder app for the iPhone. This electronic guide will lead you to road-side soaks, spiritual retreats, commercial spas and natural springs in the deep wilderness. So far just for California, but we’ll let you know when the worldwide edition is out!

• MOVIE If you’re one in a million who hasn’t yet seen Avatar, or even if you have, take your sweetheart to Pandora via the IMAX 3D version. An environmental love story for our time, Avatar will stir your soul, get your heart rate up, and ignite your passion.

*happily, all of these favorite things may be indulged in and enjoyed solo if we happen to find ourselves presently “between soulmates”:)

**awesome photo from mashed musings

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“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”

Is there someone in your life who simply glows with an aura of radiant good health? Do you have a friend or acquaintance who flows with boundless energy, great physical presence and an endlessly positive attitude?

Perhaps this description fits you? Perhaps you’re the one who wakes up every morning fresh and enthused to tackle the challenges of the day. You laugh often, accept what the day brings with a smile, react to events with positivity and a can-do attitude, and have the endurance and stamina to stay present until bedtime. You sleep like a baby and dream sweet dreams, then awake with renewed inspiration for another glorious day on the planet…

…Or maybe you only wish this was you.

I consider my own health constantly. Not because I’m unhealthy, but because I am, and I am grateful. Cancer rates are escalating to all time highs despite leaps in medicine and technology, diabetes and obesity continue to rise despite undisputed evidence linking western diet to western diseases, and people are dropping dead of heart attacks at ever younger ages despite common knowledge that stress kills.

We recognize all around us the fragility of life, yet how many times do we need to hear someone who’s not well tell us we’re taking our health for granted before it sinks in? How often do we use the excuse of being too busy to go to the gym or too hurried to make a meal from scratch? How much longer can we put our trust in the government, the food industry, modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry to care for our good health?

“A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.” Spanish proverb

A friend recently told me he’d put on 40 pounds in a year due to one “harmless” little lifestyle shift. Over the winter, he got into the daily habit of driving three or four blocks to his local Tim Horton’s for a coffee, double double, and a bagel with cream cheese, then driving home and chowing down. I wasn’t surprised that something so seemingly benign could wreak such destruction in his life. To eat, on a daily basis, a heavily refined white flour product topped with a refined dairy product, washed down with acidic coffee laced with too much cream and sugar, coupled with inactivity, is not a healthy habit. Along with the extra weight came depression, and he quickly entered a cycle of being home-bound, car-bound and attached possessively to his unhealthy habit.

This got me thinking about habits and how we usually associate the word with something bad or negative. I wondered how my friend could change his habit around. If he could gain 40 pounds in a year with one unhealthy habit, what could he do in a year with a few healthy habits?

It’s been my experience that when I take on new healthy habits, the old unhealthy ones tend to effortlessly fall away. I start to see and feel the benefits of a healthy habit quickly and begin to question my sanity in supporting an unhealthy habit for too long. And within no time, the results of a healthy habit start to show in my body, in my mind, in my emotions. I become my habits and my habits become me. People who take up yoga often find themselves quitting smoking. Not because they set out to quit smoking but because they start feeling so good the need for smoking simply dissolves.

I like to remind myself often that no matter how good I feel, no matter how healthy I believe I am, I can still become stronger, more vital, more balanced, more sound in body and mind, and I can continually strive to be free of ailment and disease. It’s a new year, it’s a new decade - there’s no better time to start a new healthy habit than today! Don’t worry about giving up old unhealthy ones. Just pick a healthy one and go from there.

Here are my Top 10 Daily Habits of Healthy Humans:

1. Take responsibility for your own health.

The number one thing you can do for your health is to claim personal responsibility for it. You can’t hire someone to do your sit-ups for you. Know that the doctor is not responsible for your health. Your yoga teacher is not responsible for your health. Prescription drugs are not responsible for your health. The government and its health care programs are not responsible for your health. Your grocery store is not responsible for your health. Your spouse is not responsible for your health. Your parents are not responsible for your health. Even God is not responsible for your health.

You’ve been given a body and a mind and you’ve been given free will and you are the only one who can choose spring water instead of coke, exercise instead of another hour of tv, laughter instead of conflict, sleep instead of alcohol and cigarettes, whole grain instead of bleached white, carrot sticks instead of candy bars, creativity instead of staring at your computer screen clicking into the rabbit hole…

So each day when you get up, smile, and say to yourself “Today I take full responsibility for my health.” In making that bold statement, you’ll find yourself learning more about what the healthy choices are for you, and you’ll quickly start to see that each and every choice you make affects your health in one way or another.

2. Eat whole foods, mostly plant-based, direct from the organic farmer.

“Your choice of diet can influence your long term health prospects more than any other action you might take.” Former US Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop

This healthy habit is what one whole section of Feel Good Guru is all about. Yes, for those of us not so enlightened that we can live on air alone, we really are what we eat. Food, in its purest form, really is medicine. Nature is miraculous in that it has provided us with every food we need to thrive. Humans, on the other hand, are astonishing in that we’ve managed to destroy so much in such a relatively short period of time. At best, the food industry has leeched most of the planet’s foods of their nutritional value, and at worst, plumped them full of toxins. The trick now is knowing which foods are medicine and which are poison.

Here are some hints for purchasing the highest quality calories:

• Stick to the outside edges of the grocery store - that’s where the real food is. The aisles are filled with packaged, boxed, canned, life-preserved foodstuffs. You’ll not only eat healthier shopping this way, you’ll avoid all kinds of unnecessary garbage in the form of excess packaging.

• Shop at your local farmers’ market. Every town or city has at least one. This is a great opportunity to forge a relationship with your food and your farmer. You’ll know exactly where it was grown, what chemicals or fertilizers, if any, were used, and most farmers, if you ask, will offer up their cooking secrets for the ingredients you’re purchasing. Eating directly from the farmer ensures that you’ll be eating in season, which is the way our bodies like it.

• Become a member in a small co-op where food is provided directly from farm to table, or join a produce delivery club where local organic vegetables in season are delivered weekly to your home in a box.

• Read ingredient labels. If there’s anything in it besides food, ie., anything you can’t pronounce, ditch it - or at least don’t make a habit of eating it.

• Grow your own! More and more people, even urban dwellers, are planting vegetable or herb gardens on their lawns, rooftops and windowsills. It’s a great way to empower yourself. I’m convinced that plants, like animals, respond to human energy. Good energy in = good energy out.

Of course, depending where we live, we can’t always eat organic, but the excuse should not be that it’s too expensive. Organic food, considering the back-breaking work that goes into it and the life-giving benefits we get from it, is still cheap in North America by global standards. By supporting industrial farming, with its widespread use of chemicals and genetically modified seeds, we’re perhaps paying less at the grocery store, but down the road, our costs will be much higher in environmental repair and health care.

So yes. Eat real food every day. Make it a habit and your health will benefit almost instantly. If you think you don’t have time, start with some of nature’s most perfect fast foods: a banana, an orange, an apple, an avocado or a handful of walnuts.

3. Get an hour of exercise every day. Yes - an hour.

“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” Edward Stanley

Our ancestors didn’t need the gym because they were constantly on the move growing food, making everything from scratch, busy from sunup to sundown. We, on the other hand, for the most part, sit at desks, then let the microwave “prepare” dinner, then sit on the couch. We absolutely need to move our bodies for an hour a day. Moving lubricates our joints, keeps our muscles strong and flexible and prevents atrophy.

The most common excuse for not exercising is that there’s no time, yet most of us can find two to six hours each day to watch television. Taking an hour a day for physical activity may require replacing one bad habit with a good one.

When we consider the happy side effects of a workout, this good habit is easy to adopt. Here’s a list of benefits from the Mayo Clinic:

• Improvement in mood. Confidence and self esteem are boosted with regular workouts. Chemicals in the brain are released during physical activity that make you feel happier and more relaxed. Feelings of depression and anxiety can be reduced.

• Combat chronic diseases. Regular working out can prevent or manage high blood pressure, help prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. Bad cholesterol is lowered and circulation improved.

• Weight management. This one truly is a no-brainer. The harder you work, the more calories you burn. A regular good sweat is the best way to lose weight.

• Strengthen heart and lungs. The entire circulatory system is exercised during a workout and that means a stronger heart and greater oxygen capacity in the lungs with translates as more energy for you.

• Better sleeps. Exercise, especially late in the afternoon, promotes deeper sleeps. If you have trouble sleeping, try working out at the end of your work day. You’ll fall asleep quickly and sleep like a baby.

• Better sex life. Feeling good about your body, having good circulation, feeling happier and having more energy all translates into a better sex life for men and women.

• Fun! It doesn’t have to be a chore. Find something you love, whether it’s rock climbing, roller blading, tennis, running or yoga. When it’s fun, it’s easy to work into your day every day.

4. Get eight to ten hours of sleep every night.

Doctors claim that lack of sleep is America’s top health problem. People who sleep fewer than six hours a night don’t live as long as people who get seven hours or more. It’s been estimated that hundreds of billions of dollars are lost annually in North America due to stress and reduced productivity on the job caused by sleep deprivation. And countless accidents, on the job and on the road, are caused by drowsiness due to lack of sleep. Oh, and lost sleep can’t be made up.

5. Cultivate community.

It’s been scientifically proven that those around us directly affect our happiness, and people with strong social ties live longer. Giving back and helping our fellow humans triggers the release of the same pleasure chemicals in the brain as chocolate and sex. Much as we sometimes hate to admit it, we depend on others for our well-being.

6. Laugh often.

The old cliche is true. Laughter really is the best medicine. It not only brings people together, it reduces pain and blood sugar levels, it increases creativity and offsets the effects of mental stress, and is proven to be a vascular tonic, helping to bring more oxygen to the heart and brain. The doctor in this study recommends thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis.

7. Learn something new every day.

Study something new every year. Cultivate creativity. A challenged, stimulated brain keeps us juicy and interesting and a curious mind helps us find meaning in our life. Lifelong learning makes us better human beings and the world a better place.

8. Cultivate gratitude.

“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” Ralph Waldo Emmerson

Saying thanks is good for us. When we are feeling appreciative or thankful, we’re experiencing a sense of well-being and joy. And when we express gratitude, that feeling is amplified. People who practice gratitude are able to lower their blood pressure, lose weight and quit smoking and people who are able to maintain that attitude throughout life have lower risks of disorders like depression, phobias and alcoholism. Find something each and every day to be thankful for.

9. Hydrate hydrate hydrate.

We are 60% water. It’s often the last thing we think of consuming, yet water is one of our most powerful healers. We have no trouble drinking caffeinated, sugar-pumped and alcoholic beverages, but most of us don’t drink enough water. Our blood, muscles, lungs and brain contain a lot of water. Our bodies need water to carry oxygen to its cells and remove waste. Water lubricates our joints, delivers nutrients to our organs, and regulates our body temperature. Keep a glass of water with a slice of lemon handy beside you all day and sip between meals.

10. Do what you love.

“If my heart could do my thinking, and my head begin to feel, I would look upon the world anew and know what’s truly real.” Van Morrison

People who are interviewed on their death bed don’t have regrets that they didn’t work harder or make more money. Their regrets are that they didn’t spend more time with the people they love, didn’t do all the traveling they’d have liked, didn’t experience the world in a more meaningful way. We either do what we love or become paralyzed by fear.

It’s 2010. Time to consider that some of the healthiest choices we can make come from the heart. Why not be the author of your own health by choosing habits that enable you to have a more active, more joyful, and more meaningful life? Why not be that person in your life who glows with radiant good health and happiness?

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This family in suburban Pasadena has its own homegrown revolution going on

Formerly social misfits, they now sell their “local” produce to high end restaurants, host children’s educational programs and throw happenin hippy neighborhood potlucks, complete with free entertainment and good vibes.

Though they talk about it being a “frugal” way of life, it is also obvious that it’s a healthy one. Check’em:

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This one’s a fresh green version with arugula and spinach, ripe avocado instead of olive oil and a generous blob of mild miso for a “cheesy” flavor. The avocado gives it a great creaminess that sticks to the noodles.

An awesome parmesan cheese replacement for plant-powered peeps is a blend of walnuts and nutritional yeast sprinkled over the whole thing.

Here’s how for 3 cups of pesto you can toss with penne noodles or any pasta, use as a delicious spread on toast, stir it into rice for a creamy risotto or dollup into carved zucchini or cucumber rounds for an elegant raw h’ors d’oeuvre.

2 ripe avocados

1/2 pound of organic arugula

1/2 pound of organic spinach

1 small bunch of basil

1 small bunch of parsley

5 cloves of garlic

3 Tbsp mild white miso

1 cup of hemp seeds

Blend all ingredients except hemp seeds until creamy. Add hemp seeds and pulse.

for vegan “parmesan”, pulse together about a cup of organic walnuts with half a cup of nutritional yeast and a tsp of Celtic sea salt. mmm

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Oprah Winfrey, Food Inc., and Brammo Enertia among recipients

For Immediate Release

VENICE, CA, January 18, 2010 - The first annual Feel Good Guru WooWoo Awards were held on Sunday at a private function in Venice California, attended by artists, filmmakers, and environmentalists.

Winners included; Oprah Winfrey for “Social Change Wizard”, feature film Food, Inc. for “Consciousness-Raising Communicator”, electric motorcycle Brammo Enertia for “Shiny Thing”, farmed animal sanctuary Animal Acres for “Animal Angel”, and The Great Klondike International Outhouse Race for “Mirthful Gathering”.

Additionally, the “Hero Of The Year Award” was presented to activist Mark Horvath of Invisible People TV, in recognition of his tireless efforts to help shine a light on homelessness throughout America. The award included a $500 cash prize from corporate sponsor Arpix Media.

Presenters at the awards ceremony included United Nations-affiliated Dream Project founder/author, Kelly Sullivan Walden (”I Had the Strangest Dream”), filmmaker/director Allan Moyle (”Pump up the Volume”), music impresario Johnny Brower (”1969 Rock And Roll Revival”), and author/historian Ritchie Yorke (Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, John Lennon).

The show was opened with the official “Dropping of the Sword” - the plunging of a 27-inch sword down the esophagus of world-record-holding sword swallower, Brett Loudermilk of the Venice Freak Show. Additional entertainment was supplied by Albuquerque, New Mexico based artists Fast Heart Mart and Venice boardwalk street musician, Joey.

The WooWoo Awards make extensive use of technology and social media, using Twitter.com as a call out to online voting site Esurveyspro.com, live internet broadcast on Livestream via livestream.com/fggtv, and Skype, which allowed presenter Yorke to to appear live from Brisbane Australia.

Moira Nordholt, founder of Feel Good Guru and the WooWoo Awards says,

“If we could bottle the enthusiasm, compassion, creativity and love of all our participants, nominees and winners, the world would truly be a better place.”

The WooWoo Awards celebrate people, ideas and things that make the world a better place.

FeelGoodGuru.com is an online destination for wellness and optimism.

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT CAN BE FOUND HERE.

AND HERE.

Contact: Ron Proulx
(310) 450-8034

# # # #

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We’ve created the WooWoo Awards to focus attention on people, ideas, and things that help make the world a better place. And we’ve decided to honor Mark at the First Annual WooWoo Awards with our “Feel Good Guru Hero of the Year WooWoo”!

Mark Horvath works tirelessly to help end homelessness across America through his powerful forum invisiblepeople.tv where he changes perceptions one at a time by giving homeless people a face and a voice. He embarked on an 11,000 mile trek across the country into tent cities, skid rows and cheap motels in order to shine the spotlight on this crisis, and he continues his exhausting work as a homelessness advocate day after day in Los Angeles.

We met Mark last year when we held our first Tweetup with a positive purpose, a gathering we called “Tweetuplift”. Despite being on the edge of homelessness himself, Mark showed up on a rainy Christmas Day with a car full of raincoats to give to homeless people on Venice Beach.

Here’s where you come in!

We’d like to invite you to celebrate with us on January 17 from 1-4 pm in a private Venice garden, where you’ll hear Mark speak, mingle with some local luminaries and taste makers, vote for the People’s WooWoo Awards, listen to musical performances by Venice street musician “Joey” and other surprise guests, and nibble delicious vegan delights!

Other awards to be given will include: “Consciousness-Raising Communicator”, “Inspirational Destination”, “Social Change Wizard”, “Shiny Thing”, “Blissful Afternoon” and “Animal Angel”. Nominees for each category will be announced Monday, January 11.

If you don’t happen to live in L.A., no worries! We’ll be streaming live on the internet at www.livestream.com/FGGtv as well as under the hash tags #tweetuplift and #woowoos on Twitter. Join in the fun live in person or online live. Either way, mirth and merriment are always on the agenda!

The winner of the Feel Good Guru Hero of the Year WooWoo Award will receive $500 from sponsor Arpix Media International Inc. “We look forward to participating in the inaugural WooWoos,” says Ron Proulx, President of Arpix. “I’ve worked in media a long time and I admire Mark’s use of technology to make the world better.”

To R.S.V.P. to the live ceremony, leave a comment below and we’ll email you the deets or contact moira@feelgoodguru.com

Space is limited so don’t miss your chance to be groovin’ in the garden with the WooWoo!

If you can’t make it out but want to support Mark, please consider donating to InvisiblePeople.tv

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I invited my followers from Twitter in the Los Angeles area on Christmas Day 2008 to bring leftovers down to the beach to give to homeless people. Michael Liskin called it “flash philanthropy” after ten people showed up in the pouring rain to give food and raincoats to some cold and hungry people. In my mind a higher purpose for Twitter was affirmed.

One of the people I met that day was Mark Horvath. He drove all the way down to Venice from Glendale, where he’d been working in a homeless shelter feeding people Christmas brunch, to deliver several boxes of raincoats.

Mark told me that he knows homelessness intimately from his own experience on the streets of Hollywood and that he was on the verge of losing everything again. I was deeply touched that someone who was so close to the cracks would show up with a lifeline for others who had fallen through.

I started tuning in more closely to his @hardlynormal Twitter stream and saw that he’d recently created InvisiblePeople.tv giving a face and a voice to homelessness. It’s powerful stuff - maybe even offensive - but Mark’s hope is that by putting up videos of homeless people and their personal stories, unedited and raw, we’ll get mad enough to do something.

This past summer, Mark took a road trip across America, not to have a vacation or see the tourist attractions, but to enter tent cities, skid rows, and cheap motels to give a forum for homeless people to tell their story. All over the country people were moved to take action, inspired by Mark’s mission to end homelessness.

On any given day in Mark’s Twitter stream, you’ll read about and watch videos of real people who have lost their job, lost their family, lost their home, and have ended up in Mark’s van being driven to Target for baby diapers or, on a really happy day, to Walmart for clothes and toys for a single mom and her 9-year-old boy when Mark’s Twitter followers have responded to a plea.

When I talked to Mark recently about what he does, he said, “Believe me, I’d rather be in Hawaii living a comfortable life with a wife and no worries, but when I walk by someone on the street with no socks on, I think ‘Who’s gonna do this if not me?’”

It’s this selfless commitment to “invisible people” I witness from Mark day after day, week after week, month after month that inspires me to name Mark Horvath my Twitter Hero of the Year.

My hope is that Mark’s story will inspire more of us to use social media for its highest purpose.

The next Tweetuplift will be in a private garden in Venice on Sunday, January 17 from 1-4 pm to raise funds for Mark to continue doing his amazing work. Can you make it?

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Every culture in the world but ours, from China to Italy to the Middle East enjoys the benefits of the fava, celebrating and revering the broad bean for its youth-giving energy. Get in on some of that delicious woowoo!

Ful Mudammes is my favorite way to eat’em. In ancient Egypt, ful (favas) were buried (medames) in a sealed pot with water under hot coals. Now we just cook’em, peel’em and eat’em with a splash of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, lots and lots of garlic, and a handful of fresh parsley. So good and so good for you!

Ful Mudammes

here’s how for 4 as an appetizer or protein addition to any meal

2 cups dried favas, soaked overnight

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 juicy Meyer lemon

drizzle of olive oil

1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp sea salt

Wash your dried favas and soak them in plenty of water overnight. They’ll get nice and plump.

Drain and cover again with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour or longer. Take out a bean and bite into it to test for al dente texture.

Drain and rinse the beans with cold water, then separate them from their thick outer skin by pinching the bean until the “meat” pops out of the shell.

In a large cast iron pan, sautee garlic in a little olive oil. Add beans and heat through. Mash with a fork and add the juice of one lemon and sea salt to taste.

Serve warm with fresh parsley sprinkled and olive oil drizzled on top.

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I actually opted out of Christmas shopping years ago and I can confirm that it’s extremely liberating…

Sure, people eventually stop buying presents for you when it dawns on them that they haven’t had one from you in ten years, but I consider that a great thing. I don’t need anything. I see homeless people steps from my house - they need things.

But most of us, aside from the stress of last-minute shopping, love love love buying gifts for our peeps. The pleasure of giving exceeds the pleasure of getting, so in true holiday spirit, I’d like to help you get some giving pleasure. Here are a few Feel Good Guru faves ~ good gifts for CHUPPIES:

MEDIA FOR MIND BODY & PLANET

Slow Death by Rubber Duck - I know it doesn’t sound like a very sexy gift, but for the eco-activist on your list, this book is as entertaining as it is enlightening. In fact, buy the book and read it yourself before you gift it or buy any other gifts. It’ll teach you about toxins in everyday items and it may save you from buying pthalate-leaching plastic toys for your kids, that evil teflon-surface crepe maker for your uncle and killer fragrance-filled perfumes for your sister. Save a tree and agree to pass it around so everyone can be informed for a healthier household.

Food Matters - What I love most about Mark Bittman is his ability to make healthy eating palatable and digestible to the masses. This book is a comprehensive study of the food industry in North America, where it comes from and how our choices affect our health and the environment. You’ll feel good about doing your bit in increments. There’s no punishment from Bittman - only good suggestions to go “vegan before 6pm” and good science to explain why.

“What About Me?” - I’ve had this soundtrack collaboration of world musicians in my iTouch for months and listened to it hundreds of times. I never tire of it. Perfect for a vigorous workout or a meditative rollerblade at the beach. Some of the most spiritually uplifting music I’ve tuned into in ages.

What Matters Now? - Here’s a gift you can get for yourself and every thinker on your list…for FREE! It’s a compilation of 70 big ideas contributed to Seth Godin by authors and thinkers covering topics from tech to compassion to challenges to conquering fear. I can’t wait to read this over the holidays between parties.

Food, Inc. - Order the DVD for anyone and everyone on your list over eight years old. It’ll change the way they see their food forever and who knows? Maybe you’ll inspire someone to take action to create a healthier food industry in North America.

BODY NURTURING

Sigrid’s Naturals - Wildcrafted, handmade in small batches with local ingredients, lovingly prepared and soooooo good for the skin. Nothing else will do for soft and silky skin that glows with good health. Simply the best skincare you can treat your body’s largest organ with - and it’s ridiculously affordable. All the ladies on your list will love a little Flower Power in their stockings.

Joy Apparel - How would it feel to know there’s a stranger on the other side of the world wearing your image close to his or her heart? Send in a pic of yourself, then choose someone else to wear on your custom organic T. Joy is spread. Simple and beautiful.

Gym membership - Nothing says “I care about you!” like a membership to a gym or a yoga studio. Once your loved one has his membership, don’t forget to encourage him to use it. Don’t forget to reserve a portion of your gift-getting budget for your own gym membership!

ProBar - Stuff your stockings with this real food bar that’ll keep the whole family skiing or skating or constructing snow angels all day.

WAY COOL STUFF

Spiral Slicer - Make beautiful zucchini linguini, carrot swirls, apple spirals, potato sticks and squash noodles in seconds flat with this fabulous and funky kitchen tool any raw foodie or home chef on your list can’t live without.

EcoTraction - If you’re the kind of gift-giver who never forgets Rover, he’ll appreciate a bag of EcoTraction under the tree. Stop using toxic salt that burns his paws and poisons your pet. This natural volcanic mineral melts the ice and won’t harm animals or the environment.

Port-a-Bach -If you’re a super high-spending gifter with a nature lover on your list, why not carve out a little piece of paradise for her to retreat to? On this little piece of paradise, plop a low-impact Port-a-Bach. Chances are good she’ll invite you over for Firepit Paella and a rustic sauna once she’s settled in.

Guru Gear - For all the Feel Good Gurus in your life, we now have T’s, market bags, aprons & stainless steel water bottles with our fun & funky logo. Totally groovin’ with the woowoo!

IF TRIPS ARE YOUR IDEA OF GOOD GIFTS

Maho Bay - Give a special someone an eco-experience of a lifetime by sending them (or bringing them) to the birthplace of ecotourism in the US Virgin Islands - the airy eco-tent cottages of Maho Bay. Pristine white sand beaches, protected coral reefs, flourishing plant and animal life, and uber-conscious business practices make this the perfect place for CHUPPIES to chillax.

The Lodge - Ahh. Beautiful green Grenada…The Lodge in Grenada is the ultimate green gourmet getaway. Swank, secluded and sensuous, this is Vegetarian Heaven on Earth, a perfect high-flying gift for the Caribbean-loving vegan on your list.

Join our Feel Good Guru Grapevine and maybe we’ll have a gift for you to kick your new year off to a great start!

Have any hip, healthy & fresh-picked gift ideas you’d like to share? What’s on your list? Gift-giving CHUPPIES want to know!

Happy Holidays to your and yours~

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So when I met my mom in Ottawa to celebrate her 7 decades on planet Earth, we escaped the first flurries of winter in the womb of wellness upstairs at Holtz Spa, across the street from the Chateau Laurier.

Hot stones have been used in healing since ancient times, but it only caught on in spas when an Arizona woman brought the technique into her massage practice and named it LaStone Therapy.

The stones are the smoothest basalt, polished by river currents to perfectly rounded tools, which, when placed in hot water retain their heat and penetrate the skin to relax the muscles and aid the massage therapist in getting in deep.

Mom and I shared a room and experienced simultaneous massages. I thought we’d chatter up a storm since we had much to catch up on, but almost instantly upon laying face down, we both fell into a blissful relaxed state - the only sound being deep breathing bordering on snoring.

When the therapist finishes massaging a particular body part with the warm stone, she leaves it in your palm or on a chakra, creating a warm current of chi circulating throughout your whole body. Any stress, anxiety, tension or chills that may have been lingering melt away; little aches and pains disappear in the candlelight glow.

Like yoga, Thai massage, martial arts or most any body work, LaStone Therapy can help with poor circulation, arthritis pain, insomnia and even depression. Since we rarely indulge in such luxuries for ourselves, and moms indulge even more seldom, it makes the perfect gift for a birthday or any time you just want to honor her for being the incredible woman she is.

We stepped back out into winter in Ottawa warmed to the bone, shimmying in our skin, and chillaxed to the chi, hungry for brunch in the market and a stroll in the fresh fallen snow.

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I’m very attracted to zen-like works with a single color or stroke on a white canvas, yet it’s so difficult to put the brush down after just one stroke, isn’t it? I got to comparing art to life and made the simple connection that in life, as in art, restraint is a powerful tool. As we charge full steam ahead into the holidays, restraint can be invoked often in the supreme interest of keeping Santa belly at bay.

Here are my top 5 tips for not gaining weight over the holidays:

1. Max out at one cocktail. Perhaps the number one reason we all gain weight at this time of year is our increase in cocktail consumption. If we just follow this one rule, we can avoid dreaded flab, some potential dents in our reputation, and inevitable hangovers from hell.

Alcoholic beverages, especially sweetened holiday cocktails, pour on the empty calories that sneak up around your waist faster than you can say Oh Holy Night. You know the drill - one drink turns into two too easily, which then becomes three, at which point you lose all rationale and four, five and six mysteriously pour themselves… You wake up the next afternoon feeling run over by a Mac truck and vowing never to drink again.

Not only is holiday binge drinking toxic to your organs and counter to your longevity plan, one night like this can pack on anywhere from 600 calories for six small glasses of red wine to approximately 2,000 calories for six cups of eggnog. That’s a whole lot of extra energy your body now has to store in fat cells and a whole lot of cross-country skiing you’ll have to do to burn it up.

It’s a discipline, for sure, to have only one drink at a fabulous party, but if you have the willpower, you’ll enjoy the (perhaps unfamiliar and unexpected) benefits of having clear-headed conversations and waking up feeling happily refreshed the next day.

Take a bottle of this as your contribution to the bartender and switch over after your first cocktail.

(If you’re worried people will try and talk you into more alcohol, believe me - nobody cares if you’re not drinking.)

2. Eat before the party. Have something at home before heading out. Party foods are usually high fat, deep fried, cheesy, carby, meaty concoctions made to soak up the alcohol and blow your tastebuds with salt, sugar and fat. If you make a point of filling up on a hearty homemade meal before hitting the social circuit, you’ll be way less inclined to reach for the icky-salty fat-packing party foods.

Plus, it’s flu season. With everyone double dipping and coughing into the cheeseball, it’s just good anti-viral vigilance to stay away from the finger foods.

If something is simply too hard to resist, try having one tasty little tidbit and stopping at that. Ask yourself “Do I really need this?” Then ask yourself “Do I really need another?”

(Of course, this only works when you’ve followed tip 1.) I know. I never said restraint is easy.

3. Maintain your workout schedule no matter what. We’re all super busy at this time of year and the first thing to go is usually the workout. If you keep your gym membership and schedule your workouts into your daytimer as you would any meeting or party or last minute shopping spree, you’ll stay fit and healthy, keep your metabolism grooving and maintain your cool when everything’s boiling and buzzing with stress.

It’s a simple rule that no one can enforce except you. Do your workout no matter what. You’ll love yourself for it.

4. Up your water intake. Hydrate hydrate hydrate. Winter is hellish on our skin. Keep it moist from the inside by keeping your water intake high. Our metabolism naturally slows in winter as well. Staying well hydrated aids digestion and elimination, helping to avoid constipation and sluggishness. Drinking more water has also been found to slightly increase the rate at which we burn calories. Water is a perfect healthy beverage to consume at an office party. No, you’re not boring - you’re glowing.

5. Sleep. Studies have shown that people who sleep less weigh more. There’s new evidence coming to light that sleeping well and sleeping long can release hormones that control your appetite and your cravings for sugary, calorie-dense foods. It’s too easy to become sleep-deprived over the holidays. It’s a simple rule to follow - don’t be the last to leave a party.

Sign up for Feel Good Fast. Regardless how well you do with your experiments in restraint, you’ll be ready for some big changes come January. The new year is the perfect time to commit to a lifestyle overhaul that’ll set your 2010 on a brilliant path to wellness and optimism.

“Feel Good Fast - 21 days the Feel Good Guru way - your seasonal plant-powered guide to a cleaner, greener, leaner lifestyle” will be released as an e-book in January, and we’ll be embarking on our quarterly online community-supported cleanse starting Monday, February 1st. Join our mailing list and get in on a Feel Good Guru subscriber (fit) Santa surprise!

Do you have any great tips for staying fabulous and fit over the holidays you’d like to share with us?

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I have some left over from a dinner party and discovered they’re awesome as healthy breakfast balls. They’re very lightly sweetened so the goodness of the main ingredients comes through.

Cranberries are loaded in antioxidants and phyto-nutrients, especially needed at this time of year to keep the winter nasties at bay. Raw cocoa is also incredibly rich in nutrients, raw coconut butter is so creamy, delish and full of enzymes, vitamins and protein, and don’t worry about the fat content in raw cashews - 75% of the fat in cashews is the same heart-healthy fat as found in olive oil.

Raw Cranberry Coconut Truffles

1 1/2 cups cashews
1 cup dried organic cranberries, soaked for an hour in water or orange juice, then drained
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 cup raw cocoa powder
1 cup coconut butter

Blend all ingredients into a creamy consistency.

Form into balls with your hands.

1/4 cup each, organic cacao nibs, dried cranberries, dried coconut

Pulse together in a dry cuisinart. Spread onto a countertop or cookie sheet and roll truffles to coat.

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