No one expected the results that happened, but within a few days my grandmothers clarity had returned,  as well as the color in her face! She had had a pinched nerve in her face that made her smile crooked that completely healed. This was all without any form of exercise. She also started walking without her cane again within a week. Within 2 months the cancer in her throat had disappeared from the side of her neck, and people started to ask what she was doing differently. She had so much more energy that she moved out of her assisted living. And not only was taking care of herself again but also my grandfather. We were blessed to have her full vibrant self back in our lives for another 3 years. While she only followed my diet exclusively for maybe around 1 month in the beginning, and maintained components of it throughout the rest of her life. That small amount gave us all so much extra time with her, and in a state where she was absolutely clear minded and coherent till her last day, In fact, her very final day  she said, "today was a good day", while she smiled and was so happy to have spent it with all of us. She told me every chance I saw her that I was the reason she was alive. I'm honored to have such a woman as my grandmother and I'm happy to be able to share this story with you. I prepare food for healing. I prepare food for health. I prepare food out of compassion for people ailed with health problems as well as out of compassion for the animals who have no say as to what we put on our plates. I prepare foods that support a healthy planet, a planet full of diversity and green life. But I also prepare food for fun, I also prepare food because I am a foodie, I love preparing plant based meals because I love the diversity of colors and flavors one can achieve, and I have unlimited varieties of combinations and creations to play with. 

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In my joy of both eating, healing and sharing my cuisine with family and friends. Somehow word always spreads about my cooking skills which has brought me to experiences such as recipe development for home-chefs, cafes and even a food factory! In addition to catering for events such as a wedding and spiritual and yoga events! 

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I even got hired at the Tree of Life, although I have to admit, as much as I have adored the books by Gabriel

Cousens and the overall philosophies, I couldn't remain there at the Tree of Life, because the way of detoxing there felt a little too harsh in my opinion for people who are unwell. I was hired as a vegan chef and trainer, and unfortunately I couldn't uphold their methodologies because I honestly felt the methods they were supporting were unsafe for participants, cleansing can be a difficult process but it should not be life -threatening, and if a person is feeling faint or weak, something is wrong, and that needs to be addressed immediately.  My job is to help you choose foods that are better for your health and the environment and the animals in a way that is safe for your body. Not to force you to suffer, I am happy to provide guidance on increasing the vitality in your body, in a way that feels strengthening, not depleting.

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My Spiritual Journey

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Apart from my food and health journeys, I am a very sensitive individual. On one hand this is a nightmare. 

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My world is full of super complex emotions that I have had to learn to navigate, and it hasn't always been the easiest path. Yet, on the other hand, it's given me an amazing set of qualities to assist people going through really challenging life circumstances. It's allowed me a unique capacity to understand on a deep level the kinds of human challenges we are facing today and some of the pathways we can put ourselves on in order to rise above them.  I don't speak from a hypothetical knowledge, I speak from the places of my own pain that I've figured out how to mold into my current foundation. 

 

My world has fallen apart more than once, between existential crisis's and failed relationships, including a marriage and diversions in career choices, which have all landed me in situations where I have questioned every component of self and every component of this life and whether it was all worth it, and if somehow there was any value to me, as this identity, as Esther. 

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I faced some hard truths. But ultimately, the answer I found was yes. Just as all of you are absolutely unique and have so much to share with this world. We may not always be able to see our value, even though it's inherent, our value is already fixed, it lives in our very unique expression and gifts that no one else has. It's in finding that, but it's also in being brave enough to put yourself out there, despite all of your inner judgements and possible outer judgments that are ultimately only inner judgements because we only listen to judgements when there's a part of us that slightly believes the worst things about ourselves. But the mind is a tricky place, it's where the evil lurks. So we have to fight this awful voice inside telling us we can't and comparing us to everyone 'better' and all the reasons why we have failed and will never succeed. We have to remind ourselves that no one can be better than us.. because once we find our unique essence... it's the only place that thing exists!

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If we see only apples, we might think we are supposed to look like an apple.. yet if we are actually an orange, yet not recognizing it yet.. we will be painting ourselves red everyday. So of course we are insecure... we aren't an apple... we will never be an apple we will never look like an apple and we will never taste like an apple. And if someone writes a book on recipes with apples and we think that we can follow it, and make something amazing of ourselves... we are mistaken... they are mistaken.. Because you are an orange, and the reality is, you have to make your own recipe. You have to introduce the world to oranges, and the delight of being an orange, and also maybe the pain of being an orange who doesn't look like an apple, and who has a much more bitter skin, but how that's okay, because orange skin is much stronger and if you drop an orange it doesn't bruise as easily and if you cook only with the skin, the flavor will actually enhance a dish... and suddenly the apple might feel insecure that it doesn't have a cool orange skin..  and perhaps because of you, a grapefruit will have a bit of an easier way finding their way in this world because well.. a grapefruit and an orange are a little more similar than a grapefruit and an apple.

 

The point is... apart from wanting to sneak in a vegan food analogy....   :D 

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We are all unique, the world may look like it's full of 'apples' or only one type of success, but actually, success means something very different to each person, and our path to success will always look very different from any one else's,  we get to experience only one true being in this world, ourself. However sticky and however awful the turmoil may be in our lives, it's a teacher. Nothing else really shows us the things that matter most to us, nothing else shows us exactly what we need to feel most alive, nothing else pulls out our strengths, and our weaknesses with such precision. These are our greatest gifts, to discover what is living inside of us. These are the things that can't be learnt or taught, they are extracted from our inner most core, either from hardship in our outer world, or enforced hardship to our inner world -- through practices such as meditation - meditation doesn't start as a calm process, it doesn't finish as a calm practice, there are moments of calm but it's called practice for a reason because it's not always easy and it's a way of building fire in the body, in the soul. There are many practices to build fire and to build heat or hardship to extract what you are made out of it -- in fact the methods are infinite, but whatever you choose, dedicate to that. Dedicate to that regularly, because if we don't build internal 'hardship' through dedication, life will find a way to tap into us, because we came here to unfold ourselves. We came here to engulf ourselves in this life of love and mystery and connection and mess. 

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My challenging turbulent roads and crisis's have given me a unique ability of an absolute non-judgmental disposition. It's given me a unique ability to cut through to the heart of human emotional issues, to the core essence, to your core essence. Bringing out the divine nature in you, helping you, remember your essence.

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Along the journey I have also found many tools which have guided me in some of the darkest corners of this earthly life, among them have been meditation and energy medicines. These are very safe tools that have huge effects on our psyche and our overall wellbeing. 

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My Green Journey

I graduated in Environmental Policy and Law from Binghamton University. I apprenticed at Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute in New York where I obtained a permaculture design certificate. I apprenticed in India with Rico Zook for several months and started the blog, "To India", where I started getting a lot of requests to help people become organic or design permaculture gardens. I decided that I should get more in depth knowledge about soil health, so I went back to school and got my masters in Soil Science, specifically sustainable agriculture. I learned all about soil quality and how to keep plants healthy with what nutrients, and what deficiencies look like and what can be done about them. So I'm familiar with soil tests, and how to read them and what to do to improve the soil situation :) After graduating I traveled to Brazil where I got certificates in Advanced Agroforestry, and volunteered briefly at Chaua, where they harvest native seeds and have a nursery of trees for the Atlantic Forest. 

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I have helped farmers with their soil challenges and dilemmas, I've also helped companies fine tune their green goals into items that can be of maximum service for the environment.  I also have many beautiful connections with pro- permaculturists, EM experts, sustainable technology experts, agroforestry experts... etc. So if you are seeking to put together a project, It's all within reach! 

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I am very passionate about living in a clean vibrant world, whether that is through cooking, addressing our emotions or planting a garden. I am here to share my unique essence, and help others do the same.