Benefits of Apples and Apple Cider

I have been thinking for several months about educating of the benefits of specific raw foods - since before school finished, but have been so busy that I haven't gotten around to it, and  am not sure how consistent this will be, as my husband and I are completely tearing our apartment up, cleaning it and rearranging some things - but here goes. I'll get to it as I can, because I feel that the Father in Heaven created these foods for our food and medicine and we should know what they are for. I am not going to go in any particular order,  as my health books are filled with many different things, but decided to start with apples - as they are generally popular.



Here are the benefits of eating apples:

• They reduce the risk of heart attacks.
• They protect you from lung cancer.
• They lower the risk of asthma.
• They improve overall lung function.
• They contain phenolics, which are powerful disease fighting components. They are antioxidants, which neutralize free radicals before your DNA is harmed.
• Vitamin C in apples provide the bulk of the apple's antioxident power.
• Apples have the second highest total antioxidant activity, as the cranberry is first.
• Apples inhibit liver cancer cells.
• People who eat apples have a lower risk for stroke.
• The apple's fiber maintains a healthy digestive system. They prevent both constipation and diarrhea.
• Apples keep you feeling full and are thus an excellent tool for weight loss.
• Apples possess penicillin-like properties and are excellent infection fighters.
• Eating apples fight tooth decay, and result in less cavities.
• Apples (and their juice) are also efficient in combating rashes, post nasal drip, flus, rosascea, sinus problems and stomach ache. 
• Apple cider vinegar (helps with leg cramps, eliminates gallstones - all by ingestion), (helps heal burns, relieves pain and itchiness of insect bites and stings, removes dandruff when used as a hair rinse after washing the hair, eliminates body odor when replacing deodorant and cures athlete's foot when feet are soaked daily - all topical use).

Love,
Kimberly

Tour of Our Basement and Orbs

Hello everyone. I am sorry I haven't posted anything in a week or better, but since school has been out I have been busy cleaning and reading and haven't really done anything that interesting, plus I forgot to charge my camera for some days. We are cleaning everything, as when I am in school everything just gets surface cleaned and for the most part neglected. Also for the past while we have been using our living room, for the most part, as storage. We live in a very small NYC apartment, and with my husband and I both with a passion for collecting books, that is kind of a complicated situation. We purchased three book cases last year, but it didn't really help a lot. We have books galore! We have actually been going through some lately and have thrown some out, along with some other things, going through closets making more space there, and just generally rearranging things. We still have lots of work.

Wednesday of this week it was 92 degrees in New York City. We always take our window unit air conditions out in the winter, as around them a lot of cold air comes in. We installed the kitchen A/C back in March when there were a few warm days, as it was pretty easy to get too, but our other A/C was stored in the basement, which makes it a complicated task to bring it up, as you will see in a minute, and so we are just now getting to installing it.

Last night we went to the basement to get the A/C, and I took my camera with me as I like old buildings and am kind of enthused about the basement. I read once that our building is either about or over 100 years old - I can't remember exactly, but it's old. Anyway, I just thought that it would be something interesting to share, and boy did I find something interesting - not what I had intended to come up with at all!

Here is our trip to the basement.

This is the basement door, which we have to unlock. No one ever goes to the basement except Con Edison (our electrical/gas company) and rarely the landlord of the building. We have been to the basement maybe 5-8 times in the five and a half years we have lived here.



This is the descent down the narrow steps. That is my bicycle all covered with spider webs. We have to get it out and clean it off, as I intend to ride it some this summer.



Here is a closer view of it. I do not know whose walker and bats those are - perhaps, they were left by another tenant.


Now, I don't believe in ghosts, as I believe the Scriptures when they tell us that when our spirit departs it returns to our Creator (Ecclesiastes 12:7, but I do believe in demons! Some people believe that orbs are demons, and I do. Now, I think that some orbs are caused by light or dust and can be easily explained. Sometimes when you take pictures while it is snowing it gives the appearance of orbs, but other times they are just too unexplainable, and I believe in the basement is one of those times. If it were, why wasn't the dust in all of the photos or why didn't the light affect all of the photos, and also there shouldn't be any dust in the air, as the place is rarely disturbed. Con Edison only checks the meters every few months - the rest of the months they estimate everyone's bills. We had only entered the basement and had barely walked in it - at least not enough to kick up that much dust, especially in the back.

The next photo I took amazed me! I snapped it and looked at it, and being that the viewer is only 3 1/2 inches in the camera I couldn't quite make out what that large dot was. I looked back at the area where I took the photo and saw nothing, so I zoomed in on the object and saw that it was an orb. When I came upstairs and loaded the camera to the computer I could see that there are actually between 15 and 17, but the large one was the chief one! As soon as we realized what it was we rebuked it in the name of Yahushua (YHWH's  [the God of Israel] salvation in Hebrew). You will see in later photos that after we rebuked it most of the orbs left. Our A/C is to the left in the black Hefty bag, just to keep mice or insects out of it.



 This is where all the meters are from our building. There are five stores in the first floor, and I am not sure how many apartments. I know that there are at least ten,



This is an old sink that I guess someone use to have down in the basement for a purpose, and you can see another view of my bicycle.



 This is the other side of the back of the store. As you can see there are still a few orbs, but after we rebuked them most left. We had our A/C stored on the concrete slab inside of a black plastic Hefty bag.



This is a little room at the front of the basement. I don't know what it is for.



I took one last photo of the back of the basement, just to see the situation of the orbs.



Now we are going back out of the basement.



This is where we go out to the street, and our mailbox, along with our neighbor's, is to the left.



 And this is where we go up the steps to get to our apartment.



I was going to show you the landing and our door at the top of the steps, but the memory card filled up. I will have to get that another time.

And this concludes the tour of our basement and hallway.

Love,
Kimberly

My Mom's Furry Friend

I miss my mom. I really miss my mom, and I worry about her since daddy died. I use to call her every other day or ever three days, but now I try to call her every day, except Saturdays, as I call no one on the Sabbath, and by the time the Sabbath is over it's too late to call as late phone calls scare her. But she's not the only one from her house hold I miss. I miss her cat, as well. He's a beautiful short hair domestic yellow tabby. When she moved there about two years ago the cat also started coming. He was wild and starving to death. For the longest time he would only come to this wall, and she would have to carry his food out there and sit it on the wall.



The first winter came and she told him he was going to have to move to the porch to eat. So he did, but he was still wild and wouldn't her let pet him. Now, that is ancient history. While he's still skittish, he lets a few people pet him and he enjoys for mom and me to sit out on the porch while he winds around the chairs rubbing upon our legs.

Here are some photos of him. It's so hard to get his pretty little face, as when you call his name for him to look up he comes toward you and gets too close for you to get a photo.













I love this one!







And while I chat with Sam, this beautiful lady named Angel from next door also cries for attention.





I hope you have enjoyed looking at the cats as much as I have enjoyed showing them to you.

Love,
Kimberly ♥

Apple Blueberry Bread

My family enjoyed my banana bread when I was in Tennessee, and since I have come back to New York my husband has also been enjoying it, so I decided to try a new recipe - apple blueberry bread. The recipe for the banana bread is here, but here is the recipe for the apple blueberry bread.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor finely chop just about 2 large apples. I used Rome apples.
In a bowl blend together 1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla, tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 cup of oil.
Mix in the apple and about 1/2 - 3/4 cups of blueberries.
Mix in 2 cups of flour.
Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake just about an hour, or until you can stick in a butter knife and it comes back out clean.





Enjoy!

Love,
Kimberly ♥

Fried Okra - How To!

One of my husband's and my favorite dishes is fried okra. We don't have it often, but indulge every once in a while. I don't know too many people from the north yet (terrible thought being that I have been here for over five years now) but my husband informs me that it is a southern dish and not too many people from the north know about it. At least, that is his word, so I thought that this would be a good recipe to share. I just didn't take many photos, however, because it's been a very busy day for me. Anyway, this is for anyone who might not have ever heard of or tried fried okra. I know that everyone from the south has. :)

• Take your fresh, washed, okra and slice into just about 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.
• Mix about 1/2 pint heavy cream with an egg. I use to use milk, but the heavy cream sticks better and seems to make the flour stick on to the okra better.
• Place about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of flour in a bowl.
• Dip the okra into the cream and turn it until it is all covered, then place the okra in the bowl of flour and make sure that all the okra is covered with flour.
• Have about an inch of oil heated in a skillet, place the okra in it and fry for about 8 -10 minutes, then turn and fry until it's all golden brown.

Place in a bowl lined with a paper towel to absorb excess grease.

That's it. :)

Love,
Kimberly ♥

Frozen Mango Lemonade

Are you looking for something good and refreshing to enjoy on these upcoming hot days? I made this tonight and it is really good. Now, it does have sugar in it, but you could easily substitute for honey or some other sweetener.

Here are some photos, and I will post the recipe below.







Juice 4 lemons and strain the pulp and seeds out.
Add 3/4 cup of sugar (or substitute with your sweetener).
Add 1/3 cup of mango (mine was frozen to make it colder, but you can use fresh).
Add 2 trays of ice.
Add 3 cups of filtered water.
Blend.

That's it. Tantalize your taste buds with this frosty, easy treat! :)

Love,
Kimberly ♥

Stocked Up at the Store Again: More Inspiration

Wow, this has been a busy week! I flew home on Tuesday, from Tennessee to New York, Wednesday I went and stocked up on fruits and veggies (which is the purpose of this post), and Thursday night my husband and I went out to eat to celebrate our fifth anniversary, which we missed, We went to Panera and I had a Frontega chicken sandwich while he had a roast beef sandwich. That is absolutely my favorite restaurant! I had not eaten a whole lot of raw while at my mom's. Part of the reason is that she doesn't have a car, and I don't have a car and we were on the mercy of her good friends for the most part to bring us food, and I didn't want to impose with heavy fruits and vegetables. The other reason, I believe, is just sentiment. Regardless, once I got home, I was ready to, again, indulge in raw foods.

Here is what we have got in our home now.

Apples are always a staple. These are Rome for juicing.



Six tomatoes... my husband wanted a partially green one to eat with his eggs.



Granny Smith apples (for green juice) and Bosc pears.



Lots and lots and lots of grapes.... this is about six or seven packs.



Ten pounds of carrots.



Two bunches of carots with tops and a package of hot green peppers (just to flavor soups and things. - We eat alot of homemade soup too.)



Cucumbers and zucchini.



A whole lot of beets and a bunch of radish.



Lots and lots of greens... dandelions, California red leaf lettuce, collard greens and chicory lettuce.



Green beans, okra and spinach.




Kale.



Three stalks of celery.



Lemons and Gala apples.



Ginger and shallots.



Sixteen oranges (they were a quarter a piece - bargain!!)



A bunch of bananas and a single red potato.



Some of you may ask why I always show what I come back from the market with, and I will answer inspiration. For many years I did not understand about health. I thought that a hambuger and french fries were healthy because they went under the food pyramid as recommended foods. No one ever taught me about nutrition - until I began learning about raw foods myself. Now, I am not 100% raw, though I think that is the best way to be - or at least above 90%. I am probably over 75%, which is what percentage one who eats raw foods can call themselves a raw foodist, according to Wikipedia. I am still disciplining myself and transitioning myself, but I do try to shoot for 75% raw to have energy and to ward off degenerative diseases, and to control my asthma. I really need to detox first though to make a dent in that. Then I have fibromyalgia and I think I have adrenal fatigue, as well (which I think is what brings about my asthma). But I want to inspire others to eat healthy with more fruits and vegetables as there is so much sickness in this world.

Here's to health.

Love,
Kimberly ♥

Pictures from Tennessee to New York

Well, I am back in New York now. I had a beautiful flight home. I had a bit of a delay as the plane was grounded for 1 hour and 15 minutes before we left Charlotte, North Carolina and for about 15 minutes I was in excruciating pain due to the pressure in the cabin. I felt like there was a combination of my head trying to explode and about twenty bees being in my ears stinging me, but every bit of it glorified our heavenly Father and the whole time I was in the air all I could do was look out the window in amazement and think of Him and His handiwork. I would go through all the pain again to see His amazing creation. I love flying!!! I took 173 pictures from the time I left my mom's home until I arrived in Queens. I have just put them in a slide show as there are too many to paste here, so I will just be quiet and let you go and look at the glory of YHWH (God). Just follow the link where it says, "here".

Go here to see the slide show.

Love,
Kimberly ♥