We started ladies night by visiting Batata Cafe. This cafe is great, because they have gluten and dairy free options. We really enjoyed it. They’re food is very good. Their staff was very nice to all of us.
We then proceeded to walk over to the movie night that was showing at the village park. We saw Disney’s Encanto. We all sat down on the grass together with our Ladies Night mascot Millie.
We also did a little group yoga with the girls who participated in this ladies night out at Northport Village field trip.
After watching the movie we went to Ralph’s and all ordered a nice dessert of ice cream.
The village of Northport treated us very nicely and we enjoyed what the village had to offer. We like how the village was right on the water and had a park which we also visited. At the park we did yoga poses together. We really liked our night out.
Some history of Northport is the following; the European settled in 1656 and became known for the Great Cow Harbor. Farming was very popular and the landed was very suited for it. In 1868 was very known for railroads and trolleys. Now, Northport is very involved heavily in commercial use. In 1967 opened the Northport Power Station (LILCO) which stands for Long Island Lighting Company. This power station is the largest oil fired electric generated station on the East Coast.
Storing your food correctly is a crucial part in a zero waste kitchen. It can make the difference between making the most out of your food and throwing it out. The first step in storing your food correctly is checking the labels and following the products storage instructions. Once opened, some food need to go in the fridge and used within a few days, so take note of when you open the package. We recommend having a sharpie on hand to take note. Any leafy greens and salad items have to go into the salad drawer of the fridge. If you’re ripening fruit, don’t chill them but rather leave them out in a fruit bowl until they’re ready. As for your kitchen pantry, this is a great place for shutting out light. Keep spices, oils, and some vegetables- such as onions and root vegetables- dry and dark in here.
Using the right containers can keep your food in the best condition for as long as possible. Transfer dried goods, such as spices, pasta, rice, to airtight glass or ceramic jars to keep them fresh for 6 months or more. Plastic is easy to carry around for food on the go, it should only be used for cold food. High temperatures can cause the plastic to break down. Quick tip: in the fridge, keep asparagus, cucumber, carrots, and celery fresh by putting them upright in a jar of water.
Something new we learned about is blanching vegetables. It is a cooking process in which food, usually fruit or vegetable, is scaled in boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and is then plunged into iced water to halt the cooking process. You can also just place the food under cold running water. Blanching foods can help keep your food fresh for longer. It also brightens the color and slows nutrient loss. Blanching food is usually done before freezing. Transfer your food into an airtight container and freeze and they will keep for up 10 months.
Blanching green beans
NOTE TO SELF
When buying vegetables in large quantities such as from Costco, freeze anything extra to avoid waste.
DR. GRIMALDI’S TAKEAWAY
I am very pleased that my team is learning about sustainability and zero waste. In a mass consumerism world, saving the most essential item of food is greatly beneficial to health and wellbeing of oneself. Zero waste can help immensely in anyone’s life especially in saving money and budgeting. So much food goes to waste every single day, so being conscious of ones consumption and waste is crucial. Making the most of what you have is very important and can go the distance in saving money, food, and time. It teaches our team of all abilities about money management, something they need to know as they launch into the real world.
Learning about sustainability and zero waste is very important in this day and age. I am very proud of my team for taking the initiative of learning and writing about this.
Santana the starfish is like any other starfish, born with thick and tough skin. Her family of starfish taught her to be tough and strong through hard times and situations.
Santana the starfish
Santana has a soft spot. She is very sweet and likes to talk about her feelings and emotions. Santana usually does this through journaling because she feels like her family would not like to talk about it. The family always puts on a tough face despite how hard or sad a situation is. “It’s the starfish nature” tells her dad. Santana feels alone with journaling her thoughts.
She has a clownfish friend named Oscar who always emphasizes the importance of expressing your emotions and feelings. Santana likes to have conversations with Oscar because of this. She tells him of her family ways and culture of suppressing how you feel. “I feel so alone in my family. Everyone seems to be able to put a smile on and move on. But I can’t do that!” Oscar reminds Santana that it’s okay to have feelings whether that be negative or positive, all feelings are valid. “You must accept that you will feel things differently from other people and it’s okay to have bad thoughts and feelings. It’s a matter of how you cope and handle them.”
Oscar the clownfish, Santana’s friend
Santana realizes that she wants to change the narrative within her family. She now likes to share how her day went at dinner and not shy away from telling parts of her day that were not so good. Santana is a tough starfish who likes to express herself.
We wanted to write a blog on how to save money post COVID. COVID has ruined the world financially and we want to teach people how to be more sustainable with your kitchen. As a blogger for the newsmakers, we all work together to keep everything organized because to declutter and keep everything organized keeps your mind crisp and clear. So last week we got together at the enrichment center to clear out the refrigerators and we realized how much money is being wasted and how much food is being disregarded. How can we turn that around? In a time of economical distress, we are trying to work together to become a team of healthier individuals while being sustainable at the same time.
What does sustainability mean? Sustainability is about small changes we can make to help look after the planet. We decided to learn how to have “zero waste” in the kitchen. Being zero waste means trying to live a sustainable life. In the kitchen it means buying less food in the first place, reusing whatever you can, and throwing less away. It’s about asking yourself questions such as can you eat it or can you reuse it. Also its about recycling more and even composting. A few small changes can make a big difference.
While in the kitchen clearing out the refrigerators, we realized just how much food was going to waste. There were multiple of the same items such as milk and eggs. This is a lesson we all need to learn as a planet so we can start becoming socially and environmentally conscious. We are really beginning to look at this as a team after the unnecessary death of our beloved mascot Molly due to environmental negligence. Because of our trauma, we are working together as a team to work on our environmental habits. By changing our habits for the better, together we can make an impact.
NOTE TO SELF
Before you buy a new mayonnaise or anything new, make sure you don’t already have it in the fridge.
LEARN AND BURN
As we were relaxing doing the child’s pose on the Body Mantra’s Fit Kids mat, we realized the child’s pose is a pose of humility and it is a bowing down pose. We bow down to Molly’s unnecessary passing and move on with a purpose of teaching environmental sustainability and awareness.
Our mascot Molly
Dr. Grimaldi’s Take Away
I am so proud of my team, for together we will be writing five books on Molly’s unnecessary death due to negligence and we will teach kids world wide about environmental consciousness, using our beloved Molly as the main characters of the books.
The books will be written by the kids and using dear Molly Goose as the first person talking to the kids from the rainbow bridge in heaven.
It is important to be conscious and sustainable with our budgets. Most of these kids are on fixed incomes, so teaching a series of sustainable modalities is very important for so many reasons. Saving money, not letting food go wasted when there are so many impoverished families out there, and being environmentally conscious are the 3 primary factors. We will go more in-depth as the blogs continue.
I want to thank my team in this difficult time of grief and let them all be aware that we will dance through this storm and help out so many with our next projects.
” We miss you our Molly Goose forever, and we know in our hearts that you are directing us from the rainbow bridge”
Please sign the petition below, so no-one will ever have to go through this again..
In honor of Rachel’s grandpa passing, we figured we would make lemonade out of lemons by honoring him from Rachel’s memories of eating ice cream with him. We discussed with Rachel what she wanted to work on today and she said let’s do something to honor him. I asked Rachel if she had any special memories with him and she said eating ice cream together. We decided to find a healthy ice cream recipe to honor grandpa Murray.
Grandpa Murray’s favorite flavor of ice cream is pistachio so we found an easy gluten free pistachio ice cream recipe.
All you need is:
2 frozen bananas
1 refrigerated can full fat coconut milk
6 Tbsp of pistachio paste
4 Tbsp honey
1 hand full of pistachio
Open the refrigerated can of coconut milk and scoop out the cream that separated from the coconut water. Add the scooped out cream to a high-speed blender.
Add frozen bananas, pistachio paste and honey to high-speed blender and blend until smooth (use a food processor if the blender does not work).
Add to a freezer friendly container and freeze for about 4 hours.
Remove from the freezer and let warm for about 10-15 minutes before scooping.
ENJOY!
Grandpa Murray eating some fruitGrandpa Murray and Rachel
NOTE TO SELF
Pistachio adds protein and lots of healthy fats into your system.
LEARN AND BURN
On the fit kids yoga mat we practiced seated poses and offered up our thoughts to grandpa Murray and all the memories we had together.
DR. GRIMALDI’S TAKEAWAY
People with autism often experience difficulty in understanding and expressing their emotions and react to losses in different ways or in ways caregivers do not understand.
Autism and loss is a subject that needs to be worked on with this beautiful population. As leaders in the field we try to help these kids deal with loss in a more reflective, constructive, thoughtful and ultimately more effective way. We do this with practical exercises that includes engaging activities to the individual and creative improvisation. We use a lot of clarity and repetition so the person is very clear on the subject and ready to absorb the work.
There is so much beauty in autism spectrum individuals. Rachel’s beauty shines with her resiliency and her ability to show such compassion in difficult times. She also has the ability to look at everything with the glass half full while understanding her personal loss. For instance, the first thing she expressed today about her grandpa is “I am remembering the great times we had eating ice cream together.” There is something to be said about simplicity and beauty in the little things
Today we decided to make a healthy dessert to satisfy our sweet tooth. A gluten free lemon pound cake. As Christine teaches us you can still enjoy great things in life while watching what you eat. Everything in moderation to keep yourself in balance. We had Rachel investigate today the benefits of adding lemon to your food. Lemon reminds us of spring which shifts our mood to happiness. Christine taught us the difference between evidence based research and regular articles. Evidence based research shows that:
Lemons support heart health. Lemons are a good source of Vitamin C. Research shows that eating fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke
Helps to control weight. One common theory is that the soluble pectin fiber in the lemons expands in your stomach, helping you feel full for longer.
Prevents kidney stones. Citric acid may help prevent kidney stones by increasing urine volume and increasing urine pH, creating a less favorable environment for kidney stone formation.
Protect against anemia. Lemons contain some iron, but they primarily prevent anemia by improving your absorption of iron from plant foods.
Reduce cancer risk. A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables may help prevent some cancers. Some observational studies have found that people who eat the most citrus fruit have a lower risk of cancer, while other studies have found no effects.
Improve digestive health. The main fiber in lemons is pectin, a form of soluble fiber linked to multiple health benefits. Soluble fiber can improve gut health and slow the digestion of sugars and starches. These effects may result in reduced blood sugar levels.
Ingredients
3/4 cup + 1 Tbs. milk, dairy or non-dairy (soy, almond, cashew, hemp, rice, etc.)
2 1/2 cups (337.5 grams) Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
3/4 cup butter or non-dairy alternative
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbs. lemon zest
3 eggs, room temperature
You’re going to preheat the oven to 325°F. Oil and flour one 9x5inch loaf pan. Measure and mix together the milk, lemon juice and limoncello and set aside. The milk will begin to curdle while you prepare the rest of the batter.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, In a large mixing bowl, whip butter and sugar at medium-high speed for 6-8 minutes, until very light and fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon zest, then the eggs, one at a time, and mixing in between each egg addition.
Slowly stir in the whisked dry ingredients, alternating with the milk mixture and stirring until fully integrated. Pour batter into prepared pan, filling only 2/3 full. If you have extra batter that will not fit into your pan, bake in another small loaf pan or ramekin.
The edges of the cake will become lightly browned as well.
Bake until a toothpick in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs — approximately 65-75 minutes for a large/deep pan. The edges of the cake will become lightly browned as well. If also baking a small loaf pan, bake only about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the loaf springs back to a light touch.
Remove baked cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Add some fruits and dairy whip cream for more taste.
LEARN AND BURN
We did salutations to the sun, a routine that Christine taught us to do everyday on the Fit kids yoga mat upon rising to energize our body and mind for a great day ahead.
NOTE TO SELF
The lemon really gave zest and made this healthy pound cake pop.
DR. GRIMALDI’S TAKE AWAY
I love to teach and educate people of all abilities of how to add simple ingredients to increase health benefits and flavor of all foods. The lemon represents spring, summer, sunshine, radiance, warmth, and joy. I teach the kids how to stand tall in dark times until they find the light. I also use the lemon as a tool when teaching kids communication strategies. They have a lot of fun passing around the lemon when its their time to talk, teaching them communication in a fun way. As an integrative medicine strategy at FUEL we make lemon aroma therapy to help alleviate anxiety which helps alleviate nausea, dizziness, anxiousness, and irritability. Bring some radiance into your life and try our recipe.
Chicken soup has always been the known legend for curing and healing everything from physical ailments to the soul’s health.
Dr. Christine and our newsmaker team mascot went to a farm in California for a few months to help us write our first series of five books using her dogs and Molly the mascot as the main characters of the series that are going to be published in a month world wide. We worked diligently with Christine on Zoom as we developed the stories with the dogs on our side.
Unfortunately during the time of our intense work while they were on the farm trying to create, Molly our beloved mascot and all the dogs got very sick from the pesticides and sulfuric acid tanks on the strawberry farm. Unfortunately our beloved Molly developed lung cancer and Christine and all of us are beyond devastated.
As us as newsmakers, a team created by Christine, she taught us how to look at everything as a news story and to investigate thoroughly before publishing. We have done our job and found out that sulfuric acid can cause larynx and lung cancer within a month because dogs immune systems are seven times quicker than humans. All the dogs have been sick but Molly’s lungs are failing quickly. How in the worst times of distress and heartache do you find joy in the pain? We decided to put all our love and intention into a healthy chicken soup recipe to assist a miracle we are all wishing for as a team. That miracle is Molly’s survival.
How do you find little moments of joy when you are feeling terrible grief in your life?
We decided to find our joy in making a healthy chicken soup recipe that will assist in the miracle we have set out to the universe to heal Molly. So here is our healthy miracle soup to heal Molly and those who are suffering from a devastating chronic illness.
One certified organic chicken
Two stocks of organic celery
Colorful organic carrots
Organic Dandelion greens
Half a teaspoon Reishi powder
Black seed oil (capsules)
Half a teaspoon Turkey tail powder
Half a teaspoon Essiac powder
Half a teaspoon Organic hemp seed oil
Half a teaspoon Cordyceps powder
Half a teaspoon Himalayan salt
Gallon of alkaline water
Make sure your Crock pot is thoroughly cleaned with organic soap. Then scrub it with Himalayan salt to bless your pot. Put the whole chicken in the pot and pour the gallon of alkaline water in the pot. Turn the Crock pot on low to slow simmer it for 24 hours to create organic bone broth. After 24 hours, cut up the carrots and the celery (chop wood and carry water)-as an investigator, you can research what that means. As you are chopping up your vegetables, say an affirmation to yourself (“the soup I make with love and healthy ingredients will be the healing soup for the soul”). Throw in the organic dandelions (these are great diuretics and hold a lot of anti-inflammatory properties). Put on high for another 2 hours. Let the soup cool for an hour then when you prepare for somebody sick or with cancer, mix in essiac powder, reishi powder, and cordyceps powder. Open up two capsules of black seed oil and put in. Add the organic hemp seed oil and Turkey tail powder. Mix it all together. If you’re making it for a loved on make sure to say a prayer before serving. Eat your soup with belief and hope.
As a team we are praying for Molly and all the dogs healing. As investigators we will be making the farm and all the farms around the world accountable for chemical regulations so nobody ever gets sick again.
NOTE TO SELF
Make sure you are aware of your environmental surroundings when taking a vacation.
LEARN AND BURN
As we were on the yoga mat today, we held warrior one for 5 minutes on each side and breathed in and out deeply to keep our mind and body steady. Warrior one teaches us to be strong in the worst tiumes of life and how to be steady and still and not to react for each action has a reaction and vise versa. “As a team we all pray that Molly, Christine, and the other dogs heal.”
DR. GRIMALDI’S TAKEAWAY
As a positive psychologist the hardest thing to teach and to learn, even for myself, is how to find moments of joy and hope in the worst times of grief in your life. I have spent over 20 years teaching how to do that. I am now in this moment become a student again. I also am known for teaching accountability and resiliency. “I am a student again”. I also pride myself on standing tall in the worst of times. “I am a student again”. I also teach my newsmakers of all abilities how to stand together as a collective group of inspiration and hope. “I will remain that teacher”. Our newsmakers and Mabel & Moon’s production company will be publishing their first 5 books to empower the rest of the world, in honor of Molly and the rest of the dogs in a month. I am beyond proud to call myself their coach, mentor, and most importantly, friend. After this project is completed, our newsmakers will be going full force in investigating and making the farms accountable for what was done to my family and thousands of others out there. Please pray for Molly and all of us effected.
Trying to heal Molly from lung cancer with our healing soup.Molly was Paul’s angel when Paul’s dog was sent to heaven. Now we are praying that Molly will make it.
These are pictures of our healing support dog Molly. Whether in the studio or accompanying us on our trips, Molly is always there for us.
