Living Rawesome

Dying my Hair Blue

Yes I finally did it. Jason helped me of course:) I now have blue streaks in my hair. They are not permanent. I don’t know if I want it blue for as long as permanent would last. It was so much fun to hang out with Jason after he got out of work. Sebastian even got in on the action. He decided he wanted it done too. It was fun. We both had our hair tied up out of the way of the blue dye. I didn’t want it getting all over my hair.
Jason kept telling me all night and all day how beautiful it looks and how much he loves it. He is always making me feel like a queen. I was worried I might resemble Violet Beauregarde from Charlie in the Chocolate Factory when she ate the gum and blew up like a blueberry. But it’s fun and different and something we could all do it together.

My New Raw Project featuring Matthew Kenney’s recipes

I am officially announcing my new raw project. I recently went to see a movie with my family which I rarely do and a preview sparked my interest. Julie and Julia. I was so intrigued by the idea that someone would think of such a fun and adventurous cooking experience for an entire year. I turned to my husband and said “I want to do that raw.” Of course he smiled at me and said, “Sure you can do it.” He is always so supportive. I really was serious. I started thinking how I could do it with my busy schedule (work, school, kids, husband, housework, homework, working out, raw food classes, etc….) I pondered it and I wrote Matthew Kenney back in May to ask him if I could post his recipes on my website. He responded last week and said “YES”. I didn’t make him aware yet that I want to do this project but I will be writing him today to tell him. I know I need to do it. I have to test my limits and just put one more thing on my RAW PLATE:) It is things such as this that keep me going. I always have to have a plan of something to do. I will be using his books, everyday raw and entertaining in the raw and some other recipes from Raw Food Real World.
Everyday for the next year or until I am through the books I will prepare his raw recipes. If I am swamped I will find one that is easy, but on days when I can play I will prepare more involved recipes. I will share the food with friends and families and hope they will love them.
I am looking forward to this endeavor. I know it will challenge me and take me outside of my limits. I will stay faithful to this project and I intend to blog everyday about my preparation experience. I hope that you will come along with me for the journey of Matthew Kenney’s recipes.
Today is my parent’s anniversary as a tribute to them I will start it today:) July 26, 2009. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! 40 years and counting!!

Day of my Labyrinth Walk

Sebastian and I went to D’Adjoa’s house today. We had so much fun. It was an enlightening day. I was reenergized by her. I have not been feeling like my usual self:( I recently hurt my back and I have been going through many emotional changes. It may stem from Colonics…ever since I went I feel like I’ve been cleaning house of emotions. D is such a dynamic friend. I absolutely love hanging out with her. When I do I feel like I never want to leave.

We went swimming with her grandson who is Sebastian’s age. They had fun and we hung out and talked of course about Fresh, Raw and Living foods. She loves the lifestyle just as much as I do. We chatted about Spirituality and God. She made me think that in this time in my life I really just need to draw closer to God and He will guide me. I know this is true. I have felt and seen many changes He is making in my life. Many signs have been coming to me that I know He is the one who will improve my life and will guide me where I need to go. I must remain faithful.
After swimming we went and had what D calls a Sunday. Super yummy.
2 bananas, sliced
blueberries and blackberries
raspberries with agave in a vita-mix(seeds strained)
Incredible after swimming in the summer’s heat.

Here is D preparing it. She always makes fresh food with pure love. She is always smiling and blessing it with positivity.

Sebastian even loved it. He has really been taking to the Raw and Living foods alot lately. We decided in our family that we would make at least 3 raw meals a week and it has been going great so far.

After our “Sunday” we went for a walk to show see the Spa and Fitness center where she lives. She lives in Terra Vista, which has the fitness facility, pools, tennis courts, raquetball courts, restaurants and gorgeous homes. She can walk to the gym from her house. I have heard so many things about the gym I couldn’t wait to see it. When I walked into every building, it felt like I was at a resort. Nothing around Citrus County compares to the Fitness Center and Spa. It was stunning and I can see how people stay fit in that community. There is no reason why one couldn’t.
When I walked in there was fountain in a courtyard. She lead me to the Labyrinth. I have always wanted to walk one. I was suppose to in college for my religion course but I missed that day:(

She lead the way and we were both quiet and listening to the sound of the fountain. The sun was shining and the landscape was breathtaking. For the first time in a week I felt still inside of myself and wanted to stay there forever. It caused me to reflect on how my emotions have been within this last week. This time made me realize that my problems are so simple to resolve. D is such a spiritual friend to me that she made me reach inside of myself and made me realize that I am stronger than I have been. I will continue to get stronger with God’s food and His guidance. He has placed many people around me that will pick me up if I stumble. His signs and my dreams make me aware that He is here, and He has been, and He will be FOREVER!!
THANKS D’ADJOA

Colonics (Not for a weak stomach)

Now I am on the journey of cleansing my body. I know that eating organic, living, vegan food is a way to clean out my body, but I also know that doing that alone is not enough. I decided that I was ready for my first Colonic. I made an appointment with a Colonic Specialist. She is retired and does it out of her house. At first I was leary of colonics but the more I read about it, the more I knew that I needed a series. I had my good friend call and set up an appointment. I went down on a Friday after work. I was scared but when she opened the door she had a bright smile and I felt so close to her presence that I connected with her right away. She lead me into the room in her house that was set up for colonics. There was a curtain leading to the bed. A bathroom was in this little room also. The room somewhat resembled a closet, but I became comfortable. So she asked me questions about my history and my journey to health. I explained why I was there and that I wanted to be as clean as possible. She understood what I meant. I have never had regular bowel movements since my first pregnancy. She of course asked me how many bowel movements I had a day, I told her if I’m lucky I have 1. Some days I miss a bowel movement. So she did say, “oh then honey you need to do colonics!” The first one was a great experience I know it sounds weird that something as intrusive as a colonic would be great but it was. She talked to me the whole time about raw vegan living and I told her what I do for a living. She became excited about the pies and yummy raw stuff I make. I let her know my whole history about turning to a vegan lifestyle.
Of course I questioned if I should be doing these at all. It became such a spiritual experience for me. After I was done I decided to read a magazine while I waited for her to finish with my friend. Yes I did talk him into getting one. His experience was not as fulfilling as mine. But he did it. Ya gotta give him that:)
I sat down and decided that I would look at her magazines that lay on her table. I was excited to see that she had a yoga journal magazine sitting on her desk. I was wondering why she only had one and why she would keep such an old one. It was December 2008. I began to wonder if she had it out just because of the people that may come to her house and their taste of magazines may include yoga journals. So there I was knocking the magazine and wondering if this lady was legit. So I started reading it and like all the other yoga journals it was great information. I was just fingering through the pages and looking at her back yard which backs up to a forest. Her pool was sparkling that day and I felt so at peace with myself. I asked my Creator, “Am I really doing the right thing for my body?” Welp it didn’t take long for me to get my answer. I turned a few more pages and there I saw my clue. Trevor Hall, my favorite music artist, of all time was in the magazine:) He is a newer artist and I have never even heard him on the radio and there he was in the magazine. I thought, “Wow God you do deliver!” I read the whole article, when I was done she came out and of course I was beaming! She asked what was making me smile and I explained it all to her. She smiled and said, “I’m so happy for you, you can have the magazine.” So of course I hugged her and told her thank you and I would see her again. I continued with 3 more colonics. My series is now over, but I will be going back.

After receiving the series, I feel so much more focused now. I am dedicating this year and many years to come to cleaning out my body, physically and emotionally. After getting the series of colonics. I really have been trying to be very gentle on my body and love it more than ever. I want to cherish the being that I am. I really do feel so different. It is hard to describe. The best way to describe it is, I want to live each and every day with thankfulness and gratitude to my Creator and the person he has made and me and who He intends me to be:) I am focusing on the present and not thinking about the past and what damage I have done to my temple. I know that from now on I will do the best that I can for ME. I am more focused on prayer and meditation. I am doing yoga more and loving it again! Each and every day I am trying to find the balance that I need. I cannot find balance with out God Above!

Raw Food Gathering 6-25-09

Beautiful People and Beautiful Food.  This month turned out to be comfortable and laid back.  We didn’t have a guest speaker.  I figured it was time for us to get to know eachother more and discuss successes, plans for our future meetings, and some struggles that we do have.  We all talked about what we would like to do at each meeting.  Some wrote ideas down that they could bring to the group.  Jason and Denise offered to do demos for growing/juicing wheatgrass, sprouting, Raw Spaghetti with Alfredo Sauce, Raw Pudding.  Joanne would like to teach the value of  “you’re never too old to change.”  She is killing cancer in her own body and she would like to share what she is doing without chemo.  Marsha offered to share website, review books regarding health and raw food.  She also offered to show some of her videos by raw food chefs and Hallelujah Acres.  She attends many seminars and would love to share all that she is learning.  Marsha is sprouting beautifully, she started raw this year and her wealth of knowledge just blows me away.  I’ve learned so much from her already and am excited to be on this journey with her, as well as all my other friends.  They all teach, and inspire  me so much.  Someone else offered to discuss growing organic vegetables.  There is no doubt that we will be learning so much in the gatherings to come.

The foods were striking this month.  The colors were laid out beautifully.  There were so many vibrant colors.  This is the essence of raw food.  It draws you in.  Every gathering that we have gets more vibrant with the presentation of the meals.  It’s so exciting to see what everyone decides to make each month.  Many are challenged to make a better meal each time.  Each bite that I eat is bursting with love!  I can’t wait for the next one.

June Drum Circle

This month’s drum circle was so much fun again!!  D’Adjoa brought her jimbe drums again.  I played for a little bit.  This month seemed a bit harder to keep up with the other experienced drummers.  Most of them are very good.  D’ and I have been taking belly dancing classes so we decided to do some dancing with the belly dancers.  It was fun to dance with them.  We became friends with teacher who is also named Dea.  Funny thing was she found my website when she was looking up Crystal River drum circle.  I received an email from her that night before I left.  I couldn’t wait to meet her and dance with her.  She let me borrow one of her belts since I was the only one without a scarf for my belly.  Belly dancing is pretty difficult for me.  I really have to concentrate and follow the teacher’s lead.  I wasn’t really able to just feel the music.  I do love dancing, though.  We stayed until it got dark.  I think next time I will go later.  They seemed to really get into the drumming when the sun went down.  The time just flies over on the beach at sunset listening to the drums.

Papaya Facials and Avocado Hair Masks

3 things made me realize that a papaya facial was well in order for me.  I was looking in my bathroom mirror one night and decided that my skin was looking dry and worn out.  I thought I want a facial but there are too many chemicals in the masks at a salon.

The next morning before I went to work, I was looking at my new Ani Phyo book that I received from Amazon.  The very page I opened was talking about papaya and how it is an excellent exfoliater.  I thought, wow if that isn’t synchronicity, what is?  I checked my email before work and I received an email about different fruits that are important to eat and use.  And wouldn’t you know it.. it mentioned a study done on 14 different fruits commonly eaten in Mexico to determine their ability to halt breast cancer cell growth.   Papaya was the only fruit studied that halted breast cancer. I was so excited after seeing this in one day that I knew that I had to do the papaya facial.  That day after work I went to visit my mother and she was watching a talk show The Doctors and at the end of it they were showing papaya facials.  I couldn’t believe it.

I asked Sarah, Erica and Destiny if they wanted to do the papaya facials .  So we planned for it that weekend.  Destiny mentioned how avocado would be great for our hair.  We bought some avocadoes and a papaya, met over Sarah’s house and we got busy before the drum circle.

Here she is opening the beautiful papaya.  She thought it would be neat to take out the seeds and make a dish that looks like escargot.  The seeds will definitely help you if you are having problems with bowel movements.  I passed on trying them.

We all did avocado and papaya and relaxed on the floor.  Erica found some soothing music and we just hung out and chatted.  After 20 minutes I washed my face with Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap.  HOW REFRESHING!!  I washed my hair and boy the avocado was not good for my hair.  I had to put 3 different products in my hair so I could get a comb through it.  I will definitely do the papaya facial again!  It was so invigorating!  Once a week would be great!!

Juicing and Earcandling

I wouldn’t say that juicing and earcandling always go together but for me it did today.  It all started yesterday, I went for a walk last night with Jason and my dogs.  What a beautiful trip it was.  Not that far into our walk, I mentioned to Jason that I wanted to do a juice fast.  Of course, he is always supportive and he agreed that I should do it.   So I kept it in the back of my mind as we chatted about our future and all our dreams.  When I returned home I checked my text messages and there was one from Destiny.  It said, “Wanna do a juice fast tomorrow?”  So there it was CONFIRMATION.  Just what I needed to make my decision.  We decided to do blended drinks and juices.

We started this morning with  a cucumber and cantaloupe smoothie. We shared a watermelon, lemon and cucumber smoothie.  We both love ice!! We put about 20 ice cubes into the smoothie.  How refreshing it is in the summer months to share seasonal fruit with friends.  We managed to hold out on solid food until dinner.  Which wasn’t bad for us.  It is better to be prepared when doing a juice or blended fast.  We did it on the spur of the moment decision, next time we will buy the veggies and fruits we need to make it the whole day.

I finally got to help with earcandling.  I have never done it before.  I was excited to be a part of my boss’s session:)  Rich was feeling as if he had water in his ear.  Nothing seemed to be helping until he did the earcandle.  It was a beautiful day outside, so we went outside.  I tried to talk him into staying inside to show the customers.  I am sure the customers would have loved to see the demo, but he didn’t feel the same about my idea.    I have always been skeptical about ear candles.  We sell so many of them at the store.  Many customers come several times a month to purchase them.  We used a paper plate instead of a aluminum pie plate like the directions say.  I was very nervous, but it worked.  He didn’t get burned.  It only took about 10 minutes to burn the candle to the bottom.  He did two of them and after he felt much better:)

My advice is to never do it alone, and just like anything else, it’s always better with friends.

When the candles burned down we opened them up to see if anything came out and we noticed only a little bit.  After viewing many sites online, I still question if what came out is actually ear wax or if it is actually the candle.  No matter what though, he did feel better after the ear candling.

Comfort in the RAW

Yesterday I went to Orlando with my family.  We went to Mall at the Millenia to go clothes shopping for Jason.    I woke up very early in the morning and worked on my Powerpoint presentation for Rutabaga’s Raw Food Class on Monday night (big accomplishmet).  I sat at the computer for many hours and clicked away, so by the time he returned from the gym and shopping at Rutabaga’s for my lentils and thai coconuts, I was ready to go.

But before we left,  he made me vanilla chai tea, because I was not particularly hungry.  It was yummy until 10 minutes after, my stomach was burning.   I figured I should eat something to make my belly feel better.  I ate a huge salad with spinach, sprouts, and some shredded carrots all topped with my favorite simple tahini dressing.  After eating this I felt so alive and energized.   I was very full from eating such a big salad but I felt so balanced.  I enjoy starting my day off with greens and sprouts.  It doesn’t set me into a sugar binge, like smoothies do on many occasions.  Ever since I have been doing more Raw and Living Foods, I have become very sensitive to what my body really needs.  I love listening to my body and allowing my inner voice telling to guide me. I am enjoying My RAW life.

Normally I pack food before we go out of town, but I was full and I didn’t pack anything for our trip.  I figured I would grab some fruit from Whole Foods  if I was hungry.  We stopped at Whole Foods first and the boys ate lunch.  I ate some Rainier cherries, which were tasty and I didn’t feel the need to buy anything else.  I did question if I should though.  I thought , “oh no I’m really taking my chances here, I should buy something because they may not have anything at the mall.”  But I didn’t buy anything.

We arrived at the mall and parked near the food court.  We walked through the food court and we were offered  free chicken samples and of course we turned them down.  Whenever we go places I always seek out what healthy food options there are.  As we walked around looking for healthy choices, I started thinking about how much my life has changed and most of the foods offered in a mall food court are not appealing to me at all anymore. The smell of fresh baked pizza, cinnamon buns, fresh pretzels, even looking at Haagen Daaz ice cream used to make me want some.  Now, I know that this so called “comfort food” is not nourishing my body or making me feel comfort.  I used to get mad that there were not enough fresh choices, outside of a health food store or vegetarian restaurant.  I usually have to settle for salad.  Now don’t get me wrong I do love salad, but sometimes you just want something different.  Looking for the healthiest option,  we came upon Fruit’n Smoothie Sensations.  The cafe is beautiful, they have all fresh fruits such as mango, pineapple, kiwi, berries, cantaloupe and strawberries in the case.  I was excited to see they had 4 vitamixes sitting out and they had ice.  I rarely can order anything directly of a menu , so I always like to make friends with the employees.  I spoke to a man and asked if I could just have a smoothie with fresh cantaloupe and fresh strawberries and water with loads of ice.  He was very friendly and said yes.  I was so pleased in knowing I could get something healthy and enjoy my shopping experience.  I told him I would be back to talk to him later.

After shopping for hours, I did go back and we had a refreshing cantaloupe and strawberries smoothie.  I have Sebastian hooked on them too now.  We did add a bit of Stevia to it, thanks to Jason running to the car and grabbing some for us.

I take comfort now in knowing that I can find choices to meet my RAW needs, but I have to seek, and there I find.  It is always nice to find friendly people who are willing to work with you.  And the people at Fruit’n Smoothie Sensations were very kind:)  It is always a great idea to tip them too.  All juice bar employees should be tipped (Hee Hee)

Veggie Magic in Sarasota, FL

I have been wanting to go to Veggie Magic in my home state of Florida ever since I heard of the movie Supercharge Me!  Jenna Norwood had changed her life through raw and living foods.  I still haven’t seen Supercharge Me:(  I did buy it on my special day down at the restaurant but my television is broken.  (Which I do have mixed feelings about.)   I want it to stay that way, but I miss watching all my raw videos.  I do spend more time on the computer and have been sleeping in my own bed at night instead of the couch, which makes me happy.  Anyway, that’s another story.

My family went down to Sarasota on a Saturday.  It was a great day to go.  Florida had been hit by weeks of rain and on this day it was clear all day.  What a blessing.

Here I am at Veggie Magic.  I was surprised that it was in a shopping plaza.  I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in.  I loved the openness of the restaurant.  It was brightly lit and the walls were filled with articles about the lovely, Jenna Norwood.  On my left there were 2 comfy couches, next to a piano.  Tables for 2 and 4 people filled the room.  The openness of the kitchen gives the store a welcoming environment.  I love a clean kitchen.  You can see them prepare all of the food.

You place your order from the menu which is placed on the wall and they also have paper menus.

This is the menu and the baskets are there for the recipients to get their food.  You are given a word instead of taking your name after you order.  What a cute idea!  We ordered Raw Pizza and Double stack burger.  Our word was Shining.  It explained my feeling on this day.

My lovely hubby was shining too:)  As always!

Veggie Magic has many Raw Food books on a book shelf and they also sell many raw items such as flax crackers, Rawmesan (raw vegan parmesan cheese made from walnuts), tamari and other goodies. 

Here I am checking out the books.  I am always looking for new material to read.

We only waited a short time for our food.  We admired that Jenna decided to use  straws made out of corn.  The boys thought it was so awesome that the straws were green.

Here is Sebastian being silly with his straws.  He still has them.  Funny what kids are interested in.  It’s great for them to see that companies use these items.  They are our future of our planet.  They need to know the more environmental friendly products.

We were waiting patiently with smiles:)  Both boys were anxious to taste their meals.

Here are my two look alikes.

Our meals were just as beautiful as expected.

Here is the lovely and delicious All American Double Stack Cheeseburger.  It is made from seeds, fresh veggies and herbs.  Cheese made from pine nuts and homemade ketchup.  The burgers were used as the bun.  Clever.  It was very good.  My favorite was definitely the Pizza.

Beautifully dressed and  yummier than Papa John’s.  As well as healthier than any common pizza.  There is absolute excellence in this pizza.  God, I am sure, is so proud of this fine dish.  A veggie and flax crust loaded with pine nut cheese, sundried tomatoes, a homemade marinara sauce and spinach.  My children loved it so much they were fighting over it.  We did order another one to make them happy.  I would love to make this at home.  I would say this pizza was my children’s fave raw meal yet.  I do make graham crackers out of Matthew Kenney’s book that they love,  but this was their favorite raw meal.

He really couldn’t get enough.

And of course no meal is complete without dessert.  Here is a carrot cake topped with a whipped cream.  Made from carrot pulp, walnuts, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and raisins.   Very tasty.

The visit to the restaurant was great then we were off to our first time on Sarasota Beach.

We had a safe and wonderful day!