Meditation is a Detox for the SOUL

 

 

 

The Beauty of Meditation

 

Meditation has had a profound effect in my quest for personal wellness. I began practicing guided meditation over 20 years ago. It offered me healing from anxiety and mild depression, without harmful prescription medications.

Throughout my life, I would step away from my practice due to schedule limitations and the hectic lifestyle demands of my roles of wife, mom and entrepreneur. It was only a few years, ago that I returned to a regular committed practice. After studying with Deepak Chopra, who was a vital influence on the Health Coaching curriculum, at Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I found meditation again and all the beautiful benefits.

Meditation brings many cognitive benefits and helps me to focus my thoughts, creativity and manage my busy life. As an Integrative Health Coach, I work specifically with women who are trying to balance their lives in a holistic mind, body and soul approach. Meditation is a key ingredient in my “Recipe for Radiance” program. It acts a foundational detox of the mind to help bring about clarity, confidence, vibrant health, and stress free living.

Studies have shown that the physiological changes in the body, while meditating, offer powerful health promoting benefits. The power of mindful meditation can reduce anxiety, increase focus, increase creativity, reduce pain, reduce depression, decrease blood pressure, reduces inflammation in the body, boosts immunity, lowers systemic cortisol levels,  improves sleep and offers more balance to our emotions. I often prescribe my clients to “meditate before you medicate”.

 If you are new to meditation, I suggest following guided meditations that are available online, you tube or even apps that are available for smart phones. Eventually, you will discover you can meditate anywhere and anytime. I find quiet music or being in nature is my que to begin in gratitude and release thoughts that are weighing me down, focus on slowing my breathing and reflecting on specific mindful affirmations.

Bee Well,

Melissa Humphries

www.queenbeewellness.com

Integrative Health Coach, Nutritional Therapy, Organic Skin Care

Retreats, Workshops and Personal Coaching Programs

 

 

 

Home Sweet Home

It was time to come back home to my little, but much negelected, BLOG. I needed to share a lot of BIG changes. I am currently in Northwest Arkansas (Fayetteville, Bentonville, Rogers) and it seems as though the universe has been drawing me back HOME for some time now. You see, this is my birthplace. I have been gone for over 35 years (yikes that was almost scary to type). I have family here and have always remained infatuated with the natural state. However, life just never presented a realistic opportunity to return... until NOW.

A few years ago, my parents moved back to begin feathering their nest for future retirement and to be closer to their extended family.  Eventually my daughter made a proclamation that she would be attending the University Of Arkansas (at Fayetteville) to begin her Biology (Pre-Med) studies. Several visits later and I was swooning over the weather, terrain and beauty of all that is Northwest Arkansas and the Ozarks. Recently, a few daydreams were had , by my husband and I, that it would feel great to move this way in the next few years. I mean the Texas Oil and Gas economy has not been kind to our family finances and hubby's career and the climate (floods and droughts) and its associated expenses were devastating to our FARM investment--it was time to face that reality anyway. We had already been prioritizing our biggest life STRESSORS, and how to remove them one by one. Fast forward (only a few weeks) to my mother having a breast cancer diagnosis and my needing to be here full time to be her lead "Wellness Warrior" and I am HERE!

Its kind of surreal---in that I am HOME but not really. My husband and son (along with my amazing WWOOF interns) are in Texas and will be getting the farm consolidated and ready to sell. The Queen Bee Goats and Bee's will be going to my best friends ranch in Oklahoma (she is 45 minutes from NWA) and the cow to neighbors in Montgomery and chickens and donkeys will be relocated to other farms in the next several months. We will keep a place in Texas for hubby's work and so I can travel back and forth to visit my teenaged son (who is with his (birth)dad until HS graduation). How can you be following your "plan" and journey and suddenly be re-rooted?  It all seems to be THE right move, but is none the less a bit like being thrown out of an airplane. No worries though- I am a connector and have already been searching out my tribe and planting roots in my NEW community. As strange as sudden change can be...I do feel like I am coming HOME.

My mother had a PET scan yesterday to confirm that the Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, of the Breast, has not spread. We have GOT this and the challenge it brings with it. She is a strong woman and is searching all the best in HOLISTIC treatments. I wanted to bring the blog back as an outlet for me to share, vent and communicate about this NEW chapter.

I will be putting an emphasis on completing my "Recipe for Radiance" (Ingredients for living a BEAUTIFUL Life) program to work with my coaching clients remotely and LOCAL workshop venues here. My Queen Bee Wellness products will be available online for shipping still via my store at www.queenbeewellness.com and at the weekly Bentonville Farmers Market as of August 20th, 2016. I will be sharing on all my social media links as this is developed and events scheduled.

I am off to YOGA and a beautiful walk at my favorite little meditation spot in Bentonville, Crystal Bridges and Compton Gardens. Be good to yourselves and remember to nourish your mind, body and soul --"Wellness is Beauty".

Bee Well,
Melissa

Welcome to the HIVE......!

Well, its been a busy few months (it has only been a few months since I blogged, right?)

There has been so much BUZZ around my life and the farm. You may have noticed that I did a BIT of remodeling, rebranding, and updating on a path back to my roots- literally! My name, Melissa, actually means "Honey Bee" in Greek. So the Queen part is simply my personal message of treating our bodies like ROYALTY. We should each be crowned a BEAUTY queen in our lives by practicing exquisite self care (food, movement, meditation, and skin/body care)

So the QUEEN is born.....As you know, I previously blogged as  "Primitive DIVA" and had thrown off my tiara for more natural living. Well, as a queen, I have put my crown back on and am ready to start a new journey. So, for ANY of you still out there (chirp, chirp.....) I welcome you to the HIVE!

After graduating from IIN almost 1 year ago, my wellness coaching style and a passion for a new niche has forever been changed to one that embodies an alchemy of Mind, Body, and Soul integration to create a radiant and healthy life. My message can be summarized in "Wellness Is Beauty"! I have developed new programs like "Recipe For Radiance" (10 steps to reclaiming your authentic beauty) along with a foundational Queen Bee Wellness Therapeutic Skin Care Line that is helping women (and yes, men too) maintain their natural GLOW without harming their health and disrupting their hormones with TOXIC chemical laden products. Its a ROYAL match made in heaven.

I am looking forward to sharing information, recipes, products, and videos in 2016. If you want to visit the Wellness Boutique and see what all the BUZZ is about or visit my Health Coaching site (on the tab above) to schedule a consultation, I would LOVE to chat with you!

Bee Well,

Melissa Humphries CHHC

Queen Bee Founder

Health and Beauty Coach

Do you miss cereal....?

              

Do you miss cereal in the mornings.....? I did too! For those who avoid wheat and a few other inflammatory grains, you will jump up and down with excitement over this new "seed cereal" it's ahhhhmazing! 

Meet Qia, a trio of powerful superfood seeds (chia, buckwheat and hemp )crafted into a lightly sweetened cereal by Natures Path. I tried the cranberry vanilla. It's delicious and loaded with 6 grams of plant based protein, 4 grams of fiber and 1.9 grams ALA Omega 3s. 

I added 4 ounces of raw goats milk and a dash of bee pollen for a little boost and it was a very energizing start to my day. Check out their website www.naturespath.com to find a store near you. Your belly will thank you! 

 

Fermentation Crocks

For those who attended our wonderful fermentation class at Three Goats Farm yesterday, here is the crock that we used for the small 5 Liter kraut batch we started. the pricing has increased slightly since I purchased mine last year- however, still a great bargain. Happy FERMENTING!







The base recipe for the 5 Liter was 4 heads of cabbage at 1 Tbsp salt per head.......from their get your taste buds and seasonal bounty involved in your recipe creation. Now go "get cultured"!

Super charged protein shake

With my history of personal training and being a former gym rat, I have consumed quite a bit of "protein powder meals" As my education, and consequently career,evolved into nutrition over the past 10 years-I became aware of how incredibly toxic these protein powders are and how damaging they can be in the body (in the form of isolates).

I have clients who will inevitably ask- which protein powder do I suggest. My answer is NONE! Pure, clean, WHOLE food and "Primitive" nutrition is ALWAYS best. 

Manufacturers advertise protein powders as a convenient way to get extra protein to boost fitness gains. These products are marketed to everyone from moms to body builders. But recent clinical research has raised some serious questions about the safety of getting extra protein in isolated form.

Most people get enough protein from their diets and an "over consumption" of protein that has been taken away from it's other nutritional counterparts can create imbalance  in the body. Consequently, stressing eliminatory organs (kidney, liver, etc...) There are many other side effects of consuming synthetic processed forms of protein. One of the more dangerous with long term issues is  an increased osteoporosis risk. Due to calcium leached from bones to offset the acidic PH due to over consumption with no other phytonutrients available in synergy to balance.

So, I wanted to take a moment to point out the obvious......a pretty common, moderately priced whey isolate protein supplement on the market has 32 ingredients (of which half are synthetic chemicals, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, and milk isolates - like soy and whey. While it boasts 26 grams of protein, it's not really FOOD! 

Let's compare that 26 grams of protein to my GREEN smoothie this morning:

2 Cups Raw Goats Milk( you can substitute Almond or Coconut) -- 17grams

4 Cups Raw Organic Spinach --2 grams

1 TBSP Chia Seeds--3 grams

1/4 Cup Raw Sunflower Seeds--7 grams

1/4 Cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds--9 grams

1/4 Cup Raw Almonds--6 grams

1 Cup Raw Organic Blueberries--1.1 grams

1 Raw Frozen Banana--2.5 gram

 

So my grand total is 47.6 grams of protein that was delivered with all the synergistic nutrients, fats and enzymes that my body needs to assimilate and digest the protein. No sugars, synthetics or toxic ingredients! 

So, next time you want a "protein boost" or a meal replacement choose REAL food. Want to boost your smoothie further......add super foods like an egg yolk, turmeric, maca, kefir, etc...

Ready to blend.......

Green Magic........

What is a Froodle......?

Apple Fig Fruit Leather Roll Ups

Over the weekend, I had the chance to visit my dear friend, Health Educator/Nutritionist  and author of "The Pantry Principles", Mira Dessy . We had a wonderful time chatting while we toured her beautiful Lakeside home. She has the most amazing orchard guild on her property with several Fig Trees that were loaded with fruit.

We decided to do our own little "Food Swap" ......she shared her delicious figs, fresh basil, blackberry bushes and many seeds from her garden FOR my fermented habanero kraut, kefir, kale chips and my herbed goat cheese.

Fresh Figs and Basil warm from the sun

I had so many ideas of how I wanted to use these beautiful figs. Like the fig and goat cheese tart, that I am making tonight, and a savory jam. But first, in honor of Mira and her "Ingredient Guru" status, I wanted to REcreate something that is a common store bought snack item. One that claims to be a healthy alternative..... Fruit roll ups! (YUCK: loaded with petroleum dyed high fructose corn syrup)

 So, I combined some of the figs with a few organic apples and made a VERY tasty treat. When I was wrapping the roll ups, I decided to play a bit and cut them (with a pizza cutter) into Froodle. This was a snack that I used to make my kids about 5 or 6 years ago. This is a great way to not only preserve seasonal fruit, but to get those picky eaters(Children AND adults)to consume some extra nutrient dense fruits and veggies. Another favorite combination is a banana and spinach leather.....add lemon juice to create a sour patch flavor. Have leftover green smoothies? Mix with an apple or banana,pour and spread onto teflex/nonstick screen, dehydrate at 105 degrees overnight and slice into fruit noodles, using a pizza cutter AKA "Froodle" and enjoy. will keep for a month or more in an air tight container. I have and LOVE my Excalibur 9 Tray Dehydrator- Its 10 years old and still going strong!

This is "Froodle"......!