A Refreshing Vlog

If you haven't already run across "Bunny Berry's" blog, you owe it to yourself to take a look. She's a gal who is chronicling her 100 day Raw Food Challenge in daily video blogs (vlog). As of yesterday, she was on Day 31.

http://bunnyberry.blogspot.com/

She's refreshing in that she isn't this uber-thin, already-got-the-"glow", high raw, I-can-do-this-it's-as-easy-as-breathing type of gal. She makes you feel like all us regular folks can perhaps give raw another shot -- and succeed.

WLIR featured her blog the other day. So, I started poking around on there and really enjoyed her candid, seemingly unscripted commentary.

More fuel for the "Let's Jump Back on the Raw Bandwagon" -- hee hee

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Healthy Discoveries???

I'm sure you've noticed that there have been no 'discoveries' lately -- healthy or otherwise! :o)

Life and Winter sucked me in and I put the blogging aside for a while. Hopefully that will change soon with the onset of summer and loads of all things healthy.

I plan to make my first warm-weather visit to the Farmer's Market soon and will be sure to post photos and details.

One item of Note:
If you are in Nashville or the surrounding area, you will be sure to want the following information:

Raw-N-Ready
A new program devised by Tim Parkison (who teaches classes at Wild Oats, btw) that will provide raw meals on a weekly basis by order only. Check out the details below:

Raw-n-Ready
Thank you all for your tremendous interest, support, and response to
the possibility of prepared raw food by the week. As a result, I am eager to
announce that...
The debut menu for "Raw-N-Ready" is complete!

I am at last poised and ready to create fabulous raw food for you!

Here's how it works:

Each week I'll e-mail a fresh menu for you to order and pick up.The order will consist of:

2 soups (or some weeks a dip or spread w/live flaxseed crackers and a soup)
4 side items
4 entrees
2 delicious raw
deserts
(There are sure to be a few added surprises along the way.)

I will list extras such as live seasoned sunnies, spiced pumpkin seeds, flax crackers, live salad dressings, raw live granola, etc. as they are available. (These items will be offered at an additional cost).

I'll stay as organic with my ingredients as Mother Nature and the market will allow. It is my express intention to support our local growers. So, what is ripened and ready will assist me in creating each week's menu. Keeping your raw food as fresh, alive, and vital as possible!

The minimum order (described above) is $100.00.
Doubling the order (for two) will be $185.00.

You may order and pre-pay a week in advance, then pick up your food the following week.

In the "start up" phase of this adventure I am requesting cash for payment. I will adjust to more modern means as we grow together.

The pick up point will be at 1902 Linden Ave.(near Hillsboro Village in Nashville). Your order will be available between 4-6pm.

It Gets Better!

You are invited to a "tasting"! Please join me to sample some of the items you will be experiencing each week. This gives you an opportunity to preview the menu, ask questions about the program and place your intial order.

Where? 1902 Linden Av. Nashville, TN 37212

When? Thursday, May 15th, 2008 between 6-8pm.

Cost? $10.00

This will be a casual "drop by" kind of event. So, please feel free to come and go at your convenience.

Please RSVP so I can be sure to prepare plenty for you to enjoy! You may reply to this e-mail or give me a call.
615-300-5012

Thank you for enthusiasm! It is you that have inspired me to manifest Raw-N-Ready into reality.

I look forward to meeting you at the tasting!

Sincerely,
Tim Parkison
(a.k.a. "Chef Timio")

He's given me permission to re-post this. So be watching for updates on this
program as well as information on his classes at Wild Oats.

Been Awhile ...

I've been in the Winter doldrums for a bit and, as is apparent, have not posted in a while. But, Spring is on the way and it won't be long before the Farmer's Market is open and raw food goodness is once again center stage.

So, as a wrap up to my experiment, I lasted 10 days on 90-100% raw. I stopped partly because of finances - it's a little pricey. But, I lost about 10 pounds those 10 days and I'm looking forward to giving it another go.

I've been about 50-75% raw most days since then and have kept my weight off. Summertime is really my favorite food time because we have so many fresh veggies in our own tiny garden. Plus, this year, I'll be visiting the Nashville and Franklin Farmer's Markets for things I don't grow myself.


Here are a few recent items you might be interested in:

• Dr. Lou Niles, ND ~ a Health and Wellness DVD
• Raw Food Chat
• Vegan Parmesan "Cheese"

Shameless Plug Time:

I do have, as the title suggests, a shameless plug. My husband has been writing songs for about 5 years or so with Robby Turner (played with Waylon, Dixie Chicks, and many others) and they recently had one of their songs picked up by WSIX for online streaming and rotation.

It's called "The Fool Wants to Marry My Daughter"

You can listen to it here:

http://www.wsix.com/cc-common/artist_submission/player.html?art=137797

Would you do us a HUGE favor? The more people who listen to it all the way through, the more we move up the charts and the more exposure.

So … will you listen and spread the word?

Thanks and enjoy!

Holdin' My Own

The last three days have been more or less 70% raw around here. Mostly because I am in need of a run to the store and partly because ... well, just because.

I've found that I like raw and find myself to be full on less amounts of food and am more aware of when I am just "eating to eat" and when I am truly hungry. So far, I haven't gained anything back but I haven't really lost any more either. Can't complain on that front, though.

I notice that I am picky about what non-raw food I eat though. I don't just want any ol' thing. And the stuff I do eat tastes faintly like cardboard. The flavor of raw fruits and veggies is so amazing now. I know... I know... I sound like one of "them" but it's true! I love how even bananas have a really good taste to me now. I think one of my favorite things in all the world right now is EVOO and lime juice (freshly squeezed) on my salad with just a hint of black pepper. Wow! Lime rocks!

But I've gone a wee bit overboard on citrus lately (grapefruits, lime, lemon, oranges, etc) and have a nice fever blister to show for it. Anyway, I digress ...

Here are a few more sites for you to peruse ...

1. Love Raw Life
2. Raw Food Talk -- the forum at www.alissacohen.com
3. Health Freedom Resources -- some recipes here
4. Green Smoothie Girl -- can't remember if I posted this or not
5. Rawdorable - a blog -- check out the two posts on Raw Dough that she used as 'Trix' cereal
6. Julie's Raw Ambition -- another blog
7. Ann Wigemore Institute
8. The Raw Table
9. Pure Raw Cafe
10. Wheeler's Vegan Ice Cream -- it ain't raw but sometimes you just need a little ice cream

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of Week 1

It's officially behind me -- my first week raw, that is. I'm sure there are places along the way where I wasn't 100% but I can say that I am fairly confident in that I was 98% or better for the duration of the week.

To that end, I saw a weight loss of nearly 8 pounds this first week! I'm extremely pleased and quite motivated to continue. I feel better than I have in months. I have more energy and have accomplished quite a bit around the house. I've even dealt with a very sick little one in the midst of it all and feel more refreshed than fatigued.

From this point forward, I will take it one day at a time. I reached my goal of one week and feel like I can make it through the entire 30 day experiment, but I'm not so arrogant as to say that for 100% certain. :o)

In fact, I am so proud of myself I just might have to get a Larabar as a special treat!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Days 4-5

OK, my friends, I'm at the end of Day 5 and feel human again! I've been busy with mommy things lately and haven't had the time to write long posts. (I've actually been getting more done thanks, in part, to some newfound energy!)

Anyway, things are going well here. I feel really good and am taking it one day at a time. I just wanted to check in with you all and let you know I was still going strong over here.

A couple of Raw Food Cookbooks you might be interested in. I've seen each of them and like each for various reasons:

Alissa Cohen's "Living on Live Food"
I own the DVDs and a friend loaned me the book. Both are informative and the book is HUGE. Part info and part recipes.

RAWvolution - Matt Amsden
Melissa loaned this to me tonight and I've already picked out a few I want to make. I love it because it has photos of each recipe!

Ani's Raw Food Kitchen - Ani Phyo
Melodie has this book and let me peruse it for a few days. I really like some of the recipes in there and she seems to have good variety too. I haven't made many yet but liked the book.

Well, have a good night!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guacamole never tasted so Good (aka Day 3)

I totally backed off the nut based "meats" and "sauces." It was just too much for me right now. So, today was much better. Very little headache and I'm already 3.5 pounds down (can't complain about that, right?)

As the title suggests I had guacamole on portobello mushrooms tonight ~ yummy! It's amazing how the simplest things can make one so happy! :o)

On another note: it's been unusually warm (high 60s low 70s) here lately and tomorrow it supposed to be finally heading back toward January temps. Yesterday, I overhead my hubby tell our daughter that he couldn't wait to get back to the garden this year. She typically helps him plant the garden. So, that comment brought about squeals of delight and incessant questions as to when it would be warm enough to start the garden again. I'm glad she enjoys the garden as much as she does.

Anyway ... day three is complete and I'm looking forward to see how I feel tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day 2

Day two is over and I'd say I was about 99% today (factoring in the juice in my smoothie and the mints I consumed before realizing it).

I do need to say -- anything made with nuts is out for me right now. I can't stand the sight, smell, or taste of them --- any kind of them!! I'm really looking forward to guacamole tomorrow. So, that is a plus.

I do feel a little better tonight. My headache is finally easing off and I seem to be able to concentrate again.

My goal is to make it to Thursday morning as close to 100% as possible and see how things are going. I really want to make it to Monday -- and will make a valiant effort, but will be happy with one day at a time right now.

On the bright side, except for his coffee (yes, I know) my meat and taters hubby has been raw since Monday too. And isn't complaining at all. He likes the stuff and is surprisingly full on the food as well.

If you're out there and have embarked on this with me, let me know how things are going for you. Leave a comment or send an email.

Ciao ~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day 1

Today was 100% - except for a little orange juice in my smoothie this AM.

My hubby and I had Alissa Cohen's "Mock Salmon Pate" for dinner in lettuce wraps. It was amazing. Even my hubby liked it and said he was full afterward. Score 1 for raw!

I felt lightheaded around lunch and kept a headache for most of the afternoon, but I'm sure that's just my body revolting against me. After all, it isn't used to so much good stuff. ;o)

Anyway, it's late ... I'm tired ... I'll keep you posted.

While you're waiting here are some websites to peruse:

Going Raw with Ronnie and Minh
Raw Food Art
Live Live and Organic
Voss Water

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the Brink

As I ventured out tonight purchasing all the items I think I will need/want for the next few days, it struck me how odd it is to be so conscious of meals and strategies behind planning them. The modern 'conveniences' that we have at our disposal have made well thought out meals a thing of the past. Instinctively, most folks raised in America know that they can just swing by a restaurant or fast food joint if they forget to plan ahead for a meal or if they are out in the middle of the day and get hungry.

I was reminded of a time in my past (some 20 years ago) when my family was transferred to Italy for three years. Although we still had the Air Force Base Commissary to rely on, we chose to become more Italian in how we experienced life. We had small kitchen appliances (teenie fridge and teenie stove) and few cabinets. We purchased nearly all of our fresh fruits and veggies at the local open-air markets each week, and we typically only had enough on hand for the next few days of meals. Although it took some planning, we ate better and felt better than I ever had before or have since.

As my mind continued to wander on what food preparation must have been like for past generations (I won't bore you with the details) I realized that I was done shopping after visiting the produce section and the nuts/seeds area. That was a strange sensation!

I must admit panic set in as I wondered if I would be able to do this ... this new way of eating that was so contrary to all I've ever known. Mercifully, my hubby has agreed to go raw as well, but then I began to panic about his lunches and such (he works in a physically demanding job and is also away from home each day). We talked about it when I returned from the store and we are just going to do the best we can -- after all no one is "making" us do this and we don't "fail" if we aren't 100% raw immediately. (Can you tell the perfectionist in me is rearing her head??)

Anyway, tomorrow is a new day -- the day we chose to give raw a shot. I'm aiming for 100% for this month but we'll see how it goes. Each day, each meal rather, will be a victory in and of itself, I think. I'd like to see what 100% feels like, and what I feel like afterward. I'd like to see what will change with me and what I will lose. I'll wait till a little later on to divulge the dreaded "Before" shot and stats. Suffice it to say that while I'm not the biggest girl on the planet, I sure am bigger than I used to be ;o) -- and that's reason enough to be embarrassed. So, I'll wait until I have good news to report.

I'm headed to bed now to dream about not cooking anything for a month -- LOL
I'll check back in tomorrow night and let anyone who cares know how I did on my first day. Don't expect a blow-by-blow description of what I ate -- that's kinda creepy -- but I will post some about my daily adventures and will post tons more stuff on the raw and vegan finds around the web that I've turned up in preparation for this month long experiment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nashville Raw Event

For those of you who don't get the Nashville Farmer's Market newsletter, here's a tidbit of information you might want.

Sandor Katz on Wild Fermentation
January 6, 3 p.m.
at the studio of photographer Thomas Petillo, 1015 West Kirkland
Avenue, Suite 203, Nashville
(Click for map)

Meet raw food expert Sandor Katz on the ultimate slow food technique: wild fermentation. Sandor is a national speaker and the author of two books, one has the wonderful title of "The Future Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America's Underground Food Movements."
Slow Food is requesting a $25 per person donation. For more details you can visit Slow Food Nashville.

I don't know anything about Sandor or the technique, but figured I would pass along the information in case anyone else was interested.

That's all for now -- sorry it's so short.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Getting Ready for Raw in the New Year

We're edging closer to 2008 and I, for one, am ready for the new year. It can't come soon enough. 2007 seems like a blur and I'm elated that a fresh chapter is about to start.

For those of you participating in the Raw 'Experiment' here's a little update:

We'll be officially kickin' it into high gear on January 7th (that's a Monday). You're more than welcome to start earlier or later. You're also more than welcome to define what RAW will mean to you and those in your household participating.

I've got some folks who have mentioned they will be 80% raw, some raw only on the weekdays and still others raw until the evening meal. Some are even considering 30 days of green smoothies.

The OCD in me is wanting to go 100% but with this being my first venture into RAW, I'm going to aim for 80% and keep track of my 100% days as a bonus.

Also, you might consider checking out Alissa Cohen or The Raw Divas for pointers on going raw. Some folks are able to do this cold turkey from what I have read, but the majority seem to do better by transitioning. Both Alissa Cohen and The Raw Divas have quite a bit of experience in helping folks transition. In fact, I'm pretty sure I will be doing the detox program suggested by The Raw Divas to kick my raw month off.

What day will work for us to get together for our tasting night? I know we're all on hyper-drive right now with the holidays, but think of a evening or afternoon in your schedule that might work for you.

We'll take Before Photos of anyone interested in doing that. They will be your personal photo and you can choose to share or not share the Before/After shot once we complete the 30 days. I'm definitely going to take one so that I can see the difference. I don't know if I would truly notice it otherwise. Plus, photos of me are scarce ... so this is as good a time as any to get a mugshot.

A few Websites:
Let me leave you tonight with a few sites you might want to bookmark and peruse.

• Jenny Cornbleet -- Learn Raw Food
  You might want to check out the recipe section. And, if you ever find yourself in Chicago, check out the class listings.
• Juice Feasting - information about a program and more
• Love Raw Life -- some good articles and links page
• David Wolfe's Sunfood Nutrition - supplier of raw foods, site also has good articles and an online community.
• High Vibe - another store, plus articles, recipes, and more

Buon Natale! Merry Christmas!
and Happy New Year!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rantings of an Overloaded Newbie

Take all the blogs, websites, advice, recipes, and mix in a helping of being behind in Christmas preparation and you've got a recipe for me ... on overload. :o)

I realized last night when I tried sorting and organizing my new bookmarks for all these raw, vegan, healthy websites and blogs (I think I'm approaching 200), that I am overwhelmed and quickly moving to shut down mode on it all. Not good!

Even wading through websites looking for recipes is overwhelming. "what if my family won't eat it, what if it's nasty, what if I waste my $$ and time and then still have nothing fit to feed them." It needs to be nutritionally balanced and I can't neglect to insure that food combinations are done properly. My customary "go-to" meals are definite "no-go" meals now, if I want to be healthy. And it seems to defeat the point if I fix raw/vegan for me and feed them something different. And I do feel guilty if I, for time, convenience, or lack of other ingredients, resort to feeding them typical fare. Sheesh!

In theory I know that healthy is best but have been programmed for all my life in a different fashion. Re-learning can be interesting but tiresome. I'm grateful that I have the ability to make this choice without any serious health issues prompting the change. However, because of that same fact the motivation for my change can wane. I think I will be great at this in the summer with all sorts of fresh fruit and veggies, but beginning this at the onset of winter might have been insane. ;o)

However, I am confident that my impending weight loss (yes, I am believing for it to come) will be a powerful motivator in and of itself. Now, if I can stand firm until then.

Ok, rantings are now over and we're moving on ...

Melodie B. sent me a link to this site. It's has a video documentary on what happens when folks from different walks of life -- all with diabetes -- go raw for 30 days. Check out the short trailer for the project.

Raw for 30 Days Documentary

It hasn't been released yet and it isn't the 'feel good film of the year' -- emotions run high and they don't sugarcoat some of the reactions - but it is yet another item in the mounting evidence that raw/vegan/non-processed foods are the way to go and the answer for so many.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two Raw Sites from Kristen

I've been wanting to introduce you to a website I found the other day. Before I was able to do so, the funniest thing happened ... The author of this site actually left a couple of comments on this blog. (Yes, this obscure, mostly-for-my-friends, we've-discovered-raw/vegan-now-what-the-heck-do-we-do-with-it blog) But I didn't realize she was the one and the same Kristen until after her second comment.


So, without further ado, I would love for everyone to check out her website and accompanying blog:

Kristen's Raw

Kristen's Raw Blog

According to her website, she "is a former competitive bodybuilder and Associate Chef and Instructor in Raw Gourmet Foods, certified by the world-famous Living Light Culinary Arts Institute in Fort Bragg, California."


You can read more about her personal story here.

Before you jet out of here to explore her site, though, let me break it down and give you some direct links to the nooks and crannies in her site you will definitely want to visit.

For starters, the website is well laid out and each of the pages conveniently lead you through the bulk of the site with connecting links at the bottom of each page. She writes well, is easy to follow, and never tries to overwhelm you with technical jargon. In fact, you will find her approach to this raw journey to be "real" and inspiring. Which is good for me, because I prefer the non-fluff, 'you can do it' version of things! :o)

The FAQ Page is well thought out and answers a bunch of questions I didn't even know to ask. I found the last entry to be especially helpful. It's about food combining which, the more I learn, seems vital to the success of any raw food lifestyle.

Kristen's Raw Recipe books
One of the first things you will notice is that she has several extensive Raw Recipe Books for sale. They are all ebooks, which is uber-convenient and quicker than waiting for the postman to deliver your latest purchase. She even has one specific to Holiday Cooking (view the list of included recipes)

Kristen's Newsletter
Be sure to register for her newsletter. I received my first one the other day and it was quite informative and useful. It even included three recipes for raw salad dressing that I can't wait to try. YUM~

She's based in Arizona. So, anyone reading this blog from out that way should definitely check out her classes and live events. (Click here view her event calendar)

Kristen's Blog:
Last, but certainly not least, you will want to subscribe to (or at least bookmark) her blog.
http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/


OK -- now that you've read my short review, head on over to her site and don't forget to sign up for her newsletter!

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Green Smoothie news and other notes

As all of my regular readers know and most of the others will recall, I am very new at this. So, I finally worked up the courage (and finally getting a blender capable of making a true smoothie instead of a 'lumpy' helps too) to make my first neon green smoothie. I kept the ingredient list simple - juiced two apples, added two big handfuls of kale, and then a banana - and I can honestly say that it RAWked! (sorry - I couldn't help it) Now, I'm a big fan and look forward to my neon green fix in the AM.

I don't know much about food combining yet but am learning. So, I'm sure there are better combos out there. The way I figure it though is if I can't choke it down, it doesn't do me any good either. So, at least I am starting to get good stuff in my system, right?

To that end, when I saw this post about Green Smoothie Queen from the Raw Divas I was excited! I think I managed to finagle a few of my friends to give it a try with me. :o)
Even if you are not interested in the Green Smoothie aspect, they have a really cool green jug that they are selling that would work just as well for water or any other beverage. So, go check it out.

Here's a little reading on the benefits of green smoothies (as opposed to just eating greens or juicing): http://www.emaxhealth.com/14/1182.html
They also list a few recipes at the end as well.

Here are a couple more ~
http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-cooking/totally-smoothie.htm
http://goneraw.com/recipes/58-Green-and-Gone-Smoothie


Raw in the New Year Update:
Quite a few of you are jumping on board with the raw "experiment" in the New Year. Just to clarify, you don't have to be 100% raw to do this with us. Some are aiming for 80/20 and others are varying their days of participating. So, feel free to join up no matter your motivation or food plan. The point is to do this as a group, to support one another, and share detox and recipes too. :o)

For anyone interested, we will be taking "Before" pictures at the tasting night. While not required, we thought these "Before" shots would be fun to pair next to an after shot when we have completed the 30 days. We will be planning the rest of the tasting night soon and will keep you posted.

Also, instead of starting January 1 -- what do you think about waiting a few days? This way last minute guests (and the treats they brought) can be cleared from the house and aren't staring you in the face mocking you as you embark on this healthy phase of 2008!

(Leave a comment or send me a message and let me know if you have any preference)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alissa Cohen on YouTube

Ok ... how about a fun post with videos after a busy holiday?!?!

Here are a few videos I found on YouTube that feature Alissa Cohen. The first one is from NBC's Today Show and the second from Tyra Banks.





And here is the one from Tyra's Diet Wars:



Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Revvin' Up the Raw

As I have mentioned before, after the first of the year some of us plan to take the plunge and try a 30-day, 100% raw adventure. Anyone is welcome to join us and if you are in the Nashville area we will get together a few times before, during, and after for encouragement and recipe sharing.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that part of my interest in the raw food lifestyle is for weight loss, and ultimately better health. I know weight loss should not be my only motivation but I can't help but be intrigued by the volume of positive weight loss stories. I'm looking forward to giving that another go. It took me nearly two years to lose 50 pounds (most of which I have regained) with tradional dietary approaches. Prayerfully, it won't take that long when I am eating properly and have certain food items out of my diet altogether.

So, on that note, I thought some Before/After inspiration might be in order for those of us gearing up for the adventure!

Take a look at this site: Raw Reform
This is an amazing site with lots of good information on it. There's a store, a forum, lots of resources (links, recipes, etc.), and basic information on making the switch to raw. But what I'd like for you to notice is that, in addition to the before/after shot of herself on the homepage, she has a large list of other Before/After Shots to inspire you. Not only have they lost weight, their complexion and overall appearance looks better too.

Additionally, she links to several other Before/After Galleries. In addition to being inspiring, they prove to me that you can lose weight, no matter your age, with proper diet and exercise and without modern pills and procedures.
Other Before/After Inspiration:

• Paul Nison's Gallery
• Shazzie's List (be sure to click the names or photos for their story and more photos)
• Alissa Cohen
• Audrey Walker
• Dixie's Story
• Raw Food Info's List -- lots of links to other success stories

So ... after taking a look at that inspiration, if you want to join us please email me or post a comment to this entry and I'll make sure you get all the details in plenty of time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chock Full of Raw Recipe Goodness

The site that follows is just like the title of this post implies. It contains a plethora of raw recipes (I think it has over 1200) and has a forum, blog, and more. So, because it is so huge it probably warrants a post all its own. Therefore today we'll keep it short and sweet with a link and some highlighted recipes.

Gone Raw:
"Gone Raw is a website created to help people share and discuss raw, vegan food recipes from around the world."

Here's the link to their recipe page: http://goneraw.com/recipes
The cool thing is that beside the recipe it has an icon for any special equipment needed (food processor, juicer, etc). So, you can tell at a glance what you will need to have for each recipe. You can also search by category (holiday, party, smoothie, snack) or ingredient which is doubly helpful.

Here are links to a few I noticed while perusing the site that interested me.
"Tuna" Salad Sandwiches
Spicy Avo-Mango Salsa
White Hot Chocolate
Rawtella (raw version of Nutella)
Grilled Steak! for stir frys, BBQ Beef, Kebabs, etc.
Purple Pina Colada Smoothie
Mango Colada Smoothie
Italian IceBox Salad

That's probably enough for now. While you look through the recipes, be sure to add a comment or email with some of the ones that stand out to you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another Recipe Review

Just thought I would compose a quick post about the raw cookies that some of you got to taste last night. I forgot to take pictures of the dough and the process, so we'll have to save that for next time.

I used a slight variation on the recipe that I featured from Raw Nirvana on this post. It basically consisted of the following: (BTW, this is what I did -- it isn't necessarily the recipe as they have it. Watch the video if you want an exact replica)

1. Take about 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup walnuts and a dash of salt
2. Process in food processor until the consistency of meal
3. I added four pitted dates and 1/2 cup (give or take) of raisins and a dash of almond extract
4. Process that well with the nut meal
5. Add to that 1/2 cup of shaved (grated) coconut
6. Blend well in food processor

Voila! You are done!

From there you will most likely want to keep it refrigerated. At least, that is, whatever is not consumed outright! I rolled some of mine in a ball and then rolled it in coconut again, but the majority of it I placed in the fridge and plundered from time to time when I was feeling peckish.

I found it to be surprisingly sweet and rich and it really satisfied my sugar cravings.

Big thumbs up and simple to boot!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Odds and Ends as we wrap up the week

Whole Food Markets in Green Hills is officially open now. Be sure to check it out online and register for their e-news. Also, I just got an email from Brinda noting the cooking class schedule will be posted soon. Check it out here.

Many of the folks I've talked to are intrigued by the Raw Food end of this new healthy way of living. So we are considering doing a 30-day Raw 'adventure' after the first of the year. We'll also have a tasting night to go along with it.

If you are interested in participating in either the tasting night or the 30 day Raw, just email me or reply to this post (either way is cool). The tasting night is simple: prepare enough of a raw food recipe to share and bring it, along with copies of the recipe to give out. This way we get to try new recipes and have recipes to take home from the tasting night.

I figure we might as well have some fun as we go, eh?

Green Smoothies:
I know a lot of us are trying them. Share some recipes of your favorite green smoothie concoctions and we'll put it on the blog for all to try. I have found a few sites that feature them but would rather hear what you all enjoy. Email or reply to this post with your fav!

Ciao~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~