Healthy Discoveries

Backyard Gardening on the rise

2009-04-20T18:37:00.001-05:00

With products like this one, it’s no wonder Backyard Gardening is seeing an upward trend. I’ve (well … my husband’s) been gardening for years and we love the convenience, savings, and better quality of food we get this way. Now that we’ve moved to another state and rent instead of own, we had to forego the big garden this year. However, I think I am in LOVE with this product from Backyard Botanical and it’s a definite must-have!! I’m already begging hubby to get it for me. I think *I* might even garden like this.

This is the STUFF, if I do say so myself. I really think this would make a great addition to any backyard ~ even if you have a larger garden plot. This would be great for lettuces, herbs, and other smaller items. I could also see this as an excellent solution for older folks who might not enjoy all the bending that a traditional garden requires.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that there is an opportunity to WIN ONE this weekend.

Check here for all the details: http://tinyurl.com/c3634y

Grocery Store Wars ~~ great spoof

2008-12-24T11:53:00.002-06:00

Thought I'd post this cute video that I saw on YouTube. Someone put a lot of thought and time into this one.

*I apologize for those of you who don't like Star Wars. I, for one, enjoy the original movie and found this quite humorous.

Enjoy!

Trustee's Garden in Savannah

2008-11-18T08:06:00.003-06:00

First off, let me start by saying that it's a pleasure to be back on track and looking into "Healthy Discoveries" in a new city and state. For those who may not be aware, we've moved from Nashville, TN to Savannah, GA, and I'm starting this lifestyle journey anew.

Although I've lived in the remote areas of the Deep South before, Savannah is different. To me, it is at the same time remote and yet considered a fairly decent size city. Needless to say, it is much smaller than Nashville and therefore does not have some of the places I was accustomed to (Whole Foods, etc) but I am learning that there are nice options here.

Of course, the growing season is a bit longer here and we have access to local farmers and their produce quite readily in and around the Savannah area. One of the great finds that I have yet to personally visit but wanted to highlight today is the Market at the Trustee's Garden in the historic downtown area of Savannah.

I'm sure many of you reading this blog have visited Savannah and marvelled at the history, architecture, and beauty of this old city. For those of you planning to return or planning your first visit, you will surely want to put the Trustee's Garden on your list of must see places.

History of the Trustee's Garden:
Here's an excerpt from the official website: "From 1733 to 1748 Trustees’ Garden was set aside from Savannah as an experimental farm where peaches, rice, cotton, grapes, flax, hemp, indigo, olives, and the mulberry trees essential to silk culture, were grown. Silk was an early promise, and the town’s largest structure was the filature where the cocoons were unwound into silk thread. Queen Caroline was clothed in Georgia silk. However, large-scale silk production did not happen, so interest waned and the garden closed."

Currently, the area of the former experimental garden is now being used once a week to house The Market at Trustee's garden, a market featuring local organic farmers, eco artists, and more. According to the Market's website, this is "an attempt to reinvigorate the first experimental garden of the United States of America."

Isn't that cool? I've always loved history but I love the fact that Savannah was a "first city" for so many things -- the garden, the first planned city in the US, and so much more.

*You can read more about the Trustee's Garden here: http://www.trusteesgarden.com/home
and more about the market here: http://www.trusteesmarket.com/

More to Come
Stay with this blog in the coming weeks as we highlight local farms and more. And if you have a suggestion for a feature, please leave a comment on this post.

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

Return to Blogging

2008-11-06T22:22:00.001-06:00

I know ... I know ... it's been awhile! I've been in transition from Nashville to Savannah, Georgia, and now that I'm getting settled you can expect more blogging on all the new Healthy Discoveries that I'm uncovering in the Deep South. Yep, that's right -- there are healthy things to discover in the land of deep fried and fat back!

Stay tuned ~ lots more to come!

Heirloom Tomatoes and Strawberries

2008-05-16T10:40:00.002-05:00

That's what I'm after this weekend at the Farmer's Market in Nashville!

I just got my e-newsletter from the market yesterday and I'm excited. Here's what they had to say:

Life is sweet at the Market!

The long awaited Tennessee strawberry season is here. Local strawberries are to be devoured during the scant weeks they are in season and these sweet little orbs are a great way to start off a fantastic spring at the market.

New to the Market this year is Rainbow Hill Farm from McMinnville, with a truck-load of delicious quarts of berries. They've visited the market several times now on Tuesdays and will be coming back again with a truckload of fresh picked strawberries this Friday as well. Walter has been selling out quick as word spreads about new farmers and
fresh berries at the Market, so come early! And if you miss Walter, wander over to our retail area where you can find a great selection of fresh, sweet berries from Cookeville, Portland and Ridgetop, Tennessee.*

Additionally, they have some Heirloom Tomatoes in the sheds too --

Heirloom Tomatoes Already?

Yes! Our intrepid retailer Randy Barnes has discovered a farmer growing with hoop houses and bringing us heirloom tomatoes nearly a month earlier than usual. You'll find all your favorites, like Cherokee Purple, red Brandywine, Gold Medal and, new this year, Kellogg's Breakfast. Come down and get a taste of summer early.*

I don't know what half of those are, but I'm going to find out!! Yum!

So, if you are in the Nashville area, you might want to grab your 'Green' bags and schedule a trip out this weekend to the Market. Directions and more details can be found here: www.nashvillefarmersmarket.org

*Reprinted from the Nashville Farmer's Market E-news.

Tour De Nash
And, if you happen to be downtown on Saturday the 17th, you might want to check out the Tour De Nash. This annual event provides everything from a 2 mile Family Walk to a 50+ mile bike ride around the city.

Additionally, there is a FREE health and wellness fair during the event. Most participants in the free walks get water bottles for their participation too.

Enjoy your weekend!

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

A Refreshing Vlog

2008-05-15T07:35:00.002-05:00

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???

2008-05-13T15:12:00.003-05:00

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 ...

2008-03-05T09:18:00.005-06:00

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:

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!

NCD Zeolites rock!

2008-01-31T20:27:00.000-06:00

I noticed that NCD is getting some press lately. For those of you who don't know what NCD is, let me explain.

Natural Cellular Defense is an all natural zeolite that helps remove toxins and heavy metals from your system. It also rids your body of pollutants and things that can trigger allergies.

Here's a little info from the Waiora website:

For centuries, the powdered forms of specific zeolites have been used as traditional remedies throughout Asia to promote overall health and well being.
The story of the "volcanic rocks" has been passed down from generation-to-generation as more and more people have experienced its life-changing benefits.
Zeolites are natural volcanic minerals with an unique, complex crystalline structure. It's honeycomb framework of cavities and channels (like cages) works at the cellular level trapping, heavy metals and toxins. In fact, because it is one of the few negatively charged minerals in nature, zeolites act as magnets drawing toxins to it, capturing them in its cage and removing them from the body
More details on what it does:

Supports a healthy immune system.*
Helps remove heavy metals, toxins and other substances from the body.*
Helps balance pH levels in the body.*
100 percent natural and non-toxic.*
Safe for long-term use.*

You can learn more about NCD by clicking here or email me and I'll send you some more detailed info on just what it does for you.

I've been taking NCD for over a year now and love it. When I take it faithfully I don't have any sinus or allergy problems. In fact, it is one of the reasons I joined Waiora.

As a sidenote:

If you are interested in purchasing some for yourself or want to find out more about Waiora or how you can join(so you can get a discount), just give me a holler (email is available on my Waiora page)or send a comment.

BTW ....

Dr. Lou Niles, N.D. believes that NCD is one of the most important supplements you can take.

Also,

Check out what Justin had to say -- he uses NCD in his daily ritual and mentioned it in his juice feasting post

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

Holdin' My Own

2008-01-18T21:29:00.000-06:00

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 ...

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

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

End of Week 1

2008-01-14T21:04:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-11T22:11:00.000-06:00

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)

2008-01-09T23:56:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-08T21:58:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-07T23:06:00.001-06:00

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

2008-01-06T22:49:00.000-06:00

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.

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

Year for New Beginnings

2007-12-28T22:31:00.000-06:00

Numbers are important and associated with symbols, and no one knows that better than our Jewish friends. For them, "numbers have word meaning, which have picture meaning, which have sounds. The Hebraic Year 5768, which will encompass the Gregorian calendar’s Year of the Lord 2008 A.D., is “The Year of Samekh Chet!” That means we are coming into “The Year of the Full Circle of Life.”" Therefore, it is a year of New Beginnings! I've been told that the symbol for this year is an open gate.

That excites me and I fully intend to walk through that gate expectant for what 2008 will bring!

It is a year filled with potential and new beginnings! I'm taking that literally for both my spiritual life and my physical one. Starting the new year with 30 days Raw will be a challenge and, if I make it through, a new beginning with my health.

I want to "up the ante" this year - spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally ...

How about you? Whether you make resolutions, list goals, or simply evaluate your life, the fading embers of the old year and the fresh beginnning of the new one make for an excellent time to re-evaluate, re-prioritize, and re-focus.

Have a Happy New Year!
I'm checking out of the blogosphere for a bit but will be back after the New Year. Posts around here have been few and far between lately. My plan is to post more regularly after the new year -- partly to chronicle my 30 days and partly to sort through the pile of raw/vegan info yearning to be added to this blog.

All the best!

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

Nashville Raw Event

2007-12-21T23:33:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-19T22:15:00.000-06:00

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!!!

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

Cinnamon-y Roasted Veggies

2007-12-10T23:25:00.000-06:00

Here's a recipe from Amanda R.

She says, "I have a recipe I got out of my Vegan Recipe book that James and I absolutely love, so I wanted to share. It sounds a little weird, but it is totally scrumptious!"

Give it a whirl -- credits for the recipe appear below

Cinnamon Roasted Veggies

1 small butternut squash- bite size cubes
1 sweet potato - bite size cubes
1 small red bell pepper or half of a bigger one - bite size pieces
2-3 shallots chopped (Purple Onion works if you can't find Shallots)
Olive Oil
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coriander

Chop up Veggies and spread in a 9 X 13 baking dish. Drizzle Olive oil over veggies and stir to coat. Add Spices and stir again to make sure the veggies are evenly coated. Bake for about 45 min. at 375 degrees or until veggies can be pierced with fork.

Recipe credits:
"La Dolce Vegan! Vegan Livin' Made Easy" by Sarah Kramer

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

Rantings of an Overloaded Newbie

2007-12-07T15:54:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-03T22:45:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-29T07:55:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-26T15:11:00.000-06:00

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!

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

Vegenaise Salad Dressing

2007-11-25T22:56:00.000-06:00

I pray everyone had a fantastic time with family celebrating the holiday and reflecting on the many things for which we each have to be thankful. I spent time with my family and friends this weekend and enjoyed some great food as well.

For a transitioning person, I think the holidays (which hold many fond traditions regarding food) will be the toughest to get used to. So ... this holiday was a mixed bag of raw, vegan, and traditional items in our household.

One really scrumptious item was something Tricia made: Vegenaise Salad Dressing
It tastes much like ranch dressing but yummier!

She mixed up the following items to taste:

Vegenaise (grapeseed oil)
Rice Milk
Tarragon
Mrs. Dash original seasoning

She said that she just added the last three items to the Vegenaise in a blender and continued adding until she had the amount, consistency, and taste that she wanted. I don't know that I can replicate it exactly but plan to give it my best shot.

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