March 16, 2009


Hi {!firstname_fix}

I went for a walk yesterday and the house up the road is filled with daffodils. At the bank they were having a flower sale for hospice. I got a whole bunch of daffodils and they are singing in the kitchen. Then it got cold and windy. I am still acting as if Spring is here. My housekeeper came this morning and scrubbed the walls in the office.

We hired a new person to help David. It was a fascinating process. I put an ad on Craig's list and got 30 applicants. the first screen was whether they could send both a resume and cover letter (as asked). If they couldn't, they did not make the first cut. We are pleased.

We are working on adding a *live chat* function to the store since we are here most of the time anyway. This way, David can tell you when the shake is in Kansas on its way here.

This week I will be going over to the hotel to plan our menus for Ranch. I am trying to be able to respond to all the special needs of those of you who are coming. It should be fun. I will post the menus when we have them. And I know that you come to ranch for the content, LOL, but the food makes a huge difference.

We have put up a new schedule for the classes. I planned it far enough out so you can see what will be happening when.

These classes will begin Wednesday, March 18, 2009. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

Radiant Store Tour (1 week) is a free guided tour of the store. David will be leading this class so if you want to get to know the guy that makes it all work, come sign up.

These classes will begin Wednesday, March 25, 2009. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

Radiant Step 5 (1 week) is one of our favorites. Learn the art of whole grains. Get lots of information that you won't find anywhere else. I picked the brains of one of the world's leading *brown* experts for this class.

What Else is Embedded in the Steps (2 weeks) is a MUST for every person starting and working on the steps. Come take this class to learn how the PROCESS affects you. It is fun, it is eye-opening and you will have a blast.

If you are on disability or low income (your household income is less that $1000 a month), you may take classes for free if you get certified. I have put the guidelines for certification on the class schedule page.

The class schedule is online. Click here to see what is planned. Please do not sign up for classes that are not yet scheduled.

A number of you have asked me how the classes work. Check the class list page for more information on this. And please go read the questions and answers before you write to me. If you have trouble getting through the process, write the tech forum.

Be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery website and Community Forum regularly.

Warmly,
Kathleen

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** Quote From Kathleen **


Resting when you are tired may seem like an outrageous idea, but learning to take care of your body is the focus of your path to recovery.

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** Testimonial of the Week **


Hello! Glad you find this a safe place to share where you are and how you feel.

When I was new here I had a lot of feelings that seemed to control me, and a lot of negativity and even depression. I healed. It took time for my body to heal but it does happen.

What I held on to was the radiant ones saying if I wanted what they had, I needed to do what they do. And, they do the steps, in order.

Breakfast is a big thing. If you are doing that, you're doing great. To me, it is the foundation for the day, and everything else gets better and easier because of it.

You said you wanted to know if people really healed. I started this program on 9 or so meds, and am down to 2. And they are different than what I started with! I started in daily pain, too, which I don't have any more.

I have episodes of pain, but not like before.

Today, I am happy. All the things happening around me are just there and not a part of who I am. I am calmer and have a better sense of who I am.

If you'd like to read some healing stories, go to the radiant recovery website and look for a tab that says About Us. Under that click on Leadership. This will tell you the stories of the helpful radiant people who make these lists a wonderful place for us to learn and grow.

Another thing that really helps is to keep posting. Being connected to a community with the same goals as you can really help you progress in your program.

Therese


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** Radiant Ambassadors **


Kathleen just joined Facebook this week. She got all excited to start learning about it and thought you all might like to come join the Radiant Recovery group there.

Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news.


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** Radiant Kitchen **


Banana Muffins



I was given a lot of bananas earlier this year, so I have a freezer full of them, peeled and placed in plastic boxes with polythene bags separating them. Because bananas price and availability depends on cyclones here, I find it better to have frozen bananas from when they are cheap, and then I have them available whenever I want them to cook with. This recipe works well with fresh or frozen!

Preheat your oven to 180C or 350F.

In one bowl, I mix together:

  • 4 ripe bananas, mashed (if they were frozen, mashing them up helps them to thaw faster)
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/2 cup (125g or 4 oz) butter I usually melt this, and mix it into the thawing bananas


To this basic mixture I add spices according to the taste of those I will be serving. Our family love the tang of fresh green ginger (grated or diced and crushed ginger root) I used to grate the ginger root (careful not to get my knuckles bitten by the grater), but more recently I usually cheat and use some from a jar. It is available in places that sell things for Asian cooking, and I use it when making stir frys too.

I use 2 Tbsp of grated raw ginger, or 1 Tbsp of ground dried ginger (this gives a less tangy, more mellow flavour). Some times I have added cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg (1 tsp, 1.4 tsp, and 1/2 tsp). It really depends on your taste!

Now the dry mix, I don't like doing too much washing up, so I simply add the dry to the wet mix. I have used 2 cups of self raising wholemeal wheat flour, or 2 cups of plain wholewheat flour and 2 tsp baking powder, but now that I prefer to avoid wheat, I use:

  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1 cup oat flour (I make this by whizzing rolled oats in a food processor until the right fineness is achieved)
  • 2 tsp baking powder


Fold the flours into the wet mixture, and then you may like to add (some more choices):

Chopped walnuts or pecans (I like about 1/2 cup)
Finely grated fresh orange rind (about 1 tsp)
or nothing! (the recipe is lovely just how it is)

Spoon the mixture into muffin papers or greased muffin tins. Sprinkle the tops of the wet muffins with cinnamon if you please. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, when the tops boing back when lightly touched, or when a wooden skewer inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean, with no uncooked mixture.

Served hot, these are really delicious and dangerously moreish. Fresh, they don't really need butter (though cut in half and letting the butter melt into them is really decadent). But cold, a little butter, or even cheddar cheese would be nice. They get a bit dry as they stale (they are pretty good for about 4 days from baking. After that? I don't have much experience. They are eaten before that in our house).

They keep best at room temperature, if well hidden and the kids didn't help you make them. They also freeze and thaw quite well too. Just don't be surprised if there are none where you thought you put them when you go to fetch them later (smile)

Kath

For more great program-friendly recipes, check out these great cookbooks in the store.



Radiant Recovery
Cookbook


Naomi's Nutritious and
Delicious Cookbook

Sheila's
Kitchen Recipes

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** Your Last Diet - More Than What You Think **


I sure loved our chats last week. And even if the 100-monkey story isn't true, the chat was fun (smile).

If you are not a YLD member, come and join us. Click here if you are ready to change your life or just have some plain ol' fun!


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** Radiant Recovery® Store **

David manages the Radiant Recovery® Store. He is also Kathleen's oldest son.


Well, the hot news of the week is that the new instructional CDs are a huge hit. If you want great information, if you want something fun for your ipod, if you want something for the car, or want something for your spouse to listen to, this is it. They are flying off the shelves. I know Kathleen is going to write about them in her article so you can see how they were born.


I just yesterday received my new Radiant CDs, which were recorded at the last Euroranch in England held in the fall of 2008.

Man, oh man, these are wonderful. The recording is lovely and clear, and Kathleen is in fine form, explaining brain chemistry and the program in her beautiful, simple way.

There is a lot here that will be invaluable for anybody working on breakfast. You also get a sense of the whole program--why sugar-sensitive brains are special; how the steps heal our blood sugar, serotonin, and beta-endorphin; and how that healing starts from day one.

Listening along, I thought of you all and many of your posts I've read on this list lately. I loved one section where Kathleen talks about how you don't have to wait until step 6 or 7 to get results from the program--they start right away.

Oh, and there is a unique perspective on journaling that should be encouraging for anyone who is starting to think about step two :) Really, really cool stuff.

Can you tell I'm excited about these CDs, LOL? I heartily recommend them.

Jeannie

I came home for dinner and the box was waiting at my door. I went yippee! in the hallway, lol. I'm listening to it now while I eat. It's FANTASTIC! Jaki just asked if we (as sug sen's) are born with fewer marbles. Made me laugh (smile). I wish I didn't have to go back to work.

Janice

I am excited too, the cover is beautiful! I listened to the first part while I ate lunch yesterday. It was soooo nice.

Tina

Ohmygosh, I just got the new CD package, it's G_O_R_G_E_O_U_S. I can't wait to start listening to it. I will put it on my ipod this afternoon, but also in my car. Kathleen, what a great gift to all of us, thank you! I am going to order more copies for friends!

Gretel


Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better.


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** Our Online Groups **


The Radiant Eating Disorders list (or RadiantED as we call it) is set up to provide support for those suffering from anorexia and bulimia. We've found amazing success with healing eating disorders with Radiant Recovery, and having a special place to talk about it has made it only better. We talk about things like restricting, perfectionism, body image, and share our woes and successes. If you have tendencies towards anorexia or bulimia we'd love to have you join us and see what a supportive group we are.

Or come to the group page to find the one that will best support your program: http://www.radiantrecovery.com/list_serves.htm


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**A NEW PRODUCT IS BORN **
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.



I know that you have been hearing us speak about the new CD set we have. I thought it would be fun for you to hear the actual story of its making. It will give you an *insider's view * of what it takes to do something like this.
Last fall, just before we went to Euroranch in Salisbury, we had the idea that it would be fun to record the sessions. I went on line and googled recording studios, found someone who was in the area and called him with Skype. As it turned out, he was free that weekend and was able to do it.
Recording meant a different level of paying attention for me. I needed to plan the material in certain chunks, so I spent a fair amount of time rearranging what I was going to say and in what sequence. On the Saturday morning of Ranch, Steve arranged with his equipment and got set up in the room. He loved ranch and was nodding *YES!* through most of the material. It was clear that it was not just one more job for him.

So he did the recording and he said he would let me know about the editing. After a bit, he emailed and said he thought the material was so good that he wanted to do a whole different level of editing. This meant adjusting the sound volumes for the questions and making sure that everything worked. It was a huge job. Each hour of record takes about 5 in editing. I wasn't quite sure why I went ahead and agreed since it was way more than I had budgeted. But I knew that Ranch had been spectacular and I trusted Steve's assessment. He also inserted tracks on all 3 CDs.

The masters arrived last month. I listened to them and was sort of blown away. When I am presenting, I just sort of present and don't really think about what it is. Listening from the *outside* was a whole different experience. So now I had the masters and wanted to design how we would present them.

In the past we have had a little more informal approach to our packaging. I figured this material was very special and it deserved a different level of packaging. I spent a long time looking for a graphic artist and did a lot of thinking about how to do the packaging. I went on the hunt, found a perfect sunflower, and then learned that the photo was not big enough for the print process. Back to the drawing board. It took 7 iterations to get the front cover. Then we worked on the back. I had to write the text and then decide what to include. Then we had to work out what to put on the actual discs. Now we had photoship files.

The next task was to see who would produce them. I asked my regular person for a quote and about fell off my chair with the cost. Then I went on line and looked at diskmakers.com. This seemed like a reasonable option. It was 30% cheaper. The trade off was it was essentially a *do it yourself* operation. If I made an error, I ate it. I called my Ex, who does all the recording of the Harvard graduation ceremonies. He told me who does his duplications. I called, we talked and it was a go.

I sent the masters off, sent the photo files off, wrote up the specs, sent my credit card number and waited. A week later, the CDs arrived looking gorgeous. The outside looked like the inside. It was awesome. But I didn't know if I was just totally biased. First reports suggest that others feel the same way. David was pretty excited about what people were saying and put some of those quotes in the store section.

This is good work. I am proud of it. And I honestly believe that these 3 CDs capture the essence of the program. So if you are an audio learner, this will supplement the book. And if you are a reader, this material will make the material come alive. I just love these. I have them on my ipod (smile) . I hope you will too.


Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:

Gretel, our webmaster, puts it all together.
David runs the Radiant Recovery® Store.
Selena provides the weekly Ambassadors column.
The banner photograph is by Patti Holden.


©2008 Kathleen DesMaisons. All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your ezine or website as long as you leave the content unaltered, use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®", and notify kathleen@radiantrecovery.com of the location. Please visit the Radiant Recovery® website at http://www.radiantrecovery.com for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction.

You are getting the weekly newsletter from Radiant Recovery® in response to your signup. A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/weeklynewsletter.htm.