We all know that it is good to add more raw food into your diet and most people are trying their best to do this. People are looking for ways to add more raw food into diet and are searching the internet for ideas or possibly visiting raw food restaurants to taste gourmet raw foods.

Salads, salads, salads…..in the winter, who wants to eat salads? When people are looking for ideas they are probably looking for something different. It is exciting to discover the wonderful world of gourmet raw foods! Who wouldn’t be excited about a decadent dairy-free cheesecake? Or a chocolate layer cake made with nuts, dates and coconut and no flour! What about a wrap filled with sauces that are dairy free and the wrap itself is wheat-free?

It is so cool to eat food that tastes rich and delicious, especially the sauces you thought you may never be able to eat again. I say go for it if you are just starting your raw food journey and have recently given up dairy, meat, sugar and gluten…but I want to caution you to: PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU EAT YOUR GREENS!

Raw desserts, sauces, dips, wraps, crackers and breads are great and a better alternative than anything in the SAD food diet. But they are also high in calories and in many cases – high in fat. Of course, having these foods in moderation is fine as long as you continue to eat a lot of greens and fruit.

PLEASE make a salad (or veggies) a BIG part of your meal. If you want something warm, make a raw soup and warm it up or saute some greens in a frying pan with coconut oil, garlic and ginger and then add a bit of braggs (or tamari) and a touch of apple cider vinegar.

A super easy way to get more greens, veggies and fruit into your diet each day is by consuming 1-2 smoothies or juices a day. This is SO EASY yet so many people do not do it. If this is all you start with – that is great. This alone will make a huge difference for you.

ALSO – Remember to eat a variety of vegetables and greens. That way you are getting a variety of nutrients – vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and phytonutrients. These are CRUCIAL to the proper functioning of your body as well as keeping your immune system strong during the “cold and flu” season.

Removing dairy, wheat/and or all gluten as well as white sugar and grains from your diet is going to improve your health, your body and your mind but PLEASE, PLEASE remember to eat your GREENS, VEGGIES AND FRUIT!

Balance is key in any diet or eating plan. Hey, making sure our life is balanced in all ways is important – RIGHT?

I also want to suggest that you get outside and breathe the fresh, crisp air. It is winter but spring is soon upon us and the days are getting longer and warmer so make getting outside for a walk, job or run part of your day also.

In my next post I will have a video on juicing with a nut milk bag for those of you who do not have a juicer. Making juice with a nut milk bag is so easy and inexpensive.

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!

SEAWEEDS TO EAT AND A VIDEO ON THE BENEFITS OF SEAWEED & A SEAWEED SALAD RECIPE

I LOVE seaweed! I like eating Wakame, Kelp, Dulse and of course Nori. I know seaweed (or sea vegetables) are good for me but….I also really like the taste. Maybe it is the salt or the freshness of it. Wakame is the least salty and is often used in Miso Soup. Wakame needs to be soaked and rinsed, it is mild tasting but does have a bit of a slimy texture to it. Dulse seaweed is one of my favourites, it is salty but kind of chewy (at least the kind I buy). Then their is Kelp which is very salty so you can’t eat a lot at one time. If soaked it may become a little milder but I haven’t tried soaking Kelp. I buy the crispy thin Macro Kelp. Nori is salty yet so tasty! I love it as a snack, thinly sliced on salads, in brown rice, in a salad with rice noodles (or kelp noodles) and of course used for Nori rolls.

A great way to begin eating seaweed is to start with one kind (Wakame, Dulse or Kelp) and find ways to incorporate it into a recipe. Since I eat a high raw diet I add it to my salads. I know seaweed is included a lot of hot soups (Asian) and which are very delicious, but for a fast and easy way to eat it – try it in a salad.

In the below video I talk about various kinds of seaweeds you can buy to eat and then show you an easy seaweed salad recipe. I hope you enjoy it and PLEASE give it a try!

Seaweed is high in minerals, trace minerals, chlorophyll, iron, calcium, iodine and protein, just to name a few. I talk more about the benefits in the video. The recipe is also written out below the video.

ABOUT WAKAME, DULSE, KELP AND NORI SEAWEED AND A SEAWEED SALAD RECIPE THAT INCLUDES THEM ALL

SEAWEED (Wakame, Kelp, Dulse) SALAD RECIPE (1 serving)

• 1/4 c Savoy cabbage (or another cabbage)
• 1/4 C 1/2 C mixed greens
• Thinly sliced cucumber (amount up to you)
• Shredded or thinly sliced carrots (amount up to you)
• Thinly sliced red and/or yellow bell peppers (amount up to you)
• 1/4 C or less of soaked and rinsed Wakame seaweed
• 2 Tbsp of chopped (or cut) Dulse seaweed
• 2 Tbsp or less of cut kelp
• Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

The salad mixture above is determined by your taste. How many seaweeds are you going to try at once? I like using all three but you can start with one. The veggies and how much of each you add is also up to you.

Soak dried Wakame (about 1/4 C or less) in 1.5 C of water. It will swell. Drain and rinse after about 15-20 minutes. Squeeze with hand to take out excess moisture. Let sit in strainer until you use it.

Seaweed Salad Dressing:

• 1/4 C oil (Olive or Grapeseed oil)
• 2 tsp of grated or finely chopped ginger
• 1.5 Tbsp Braggs or Tamari
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar (I love Braggs brand)
• 1/4 tsp sweetener (such as agave)

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!

DO YOU NEED TO EAT 100% RAW TO FEEL THE BENEFITS?

Being a Raw Food Chef and working at a restaurant that serves raw and vegan food I often get asked if I eat 100% raw. The answer is no. When I started my journey with raw foods (which was about in 2009) I was eating a very high raw diet. I may have been 100% raw for days but didn’t really worry about whether I was 100% or 95% or 85% raw. Personally I don’t think it is about being 100%. It is about becoming and being healthier because you put healthy food into your body. Some days you may consume a lot of healthy food and some days you may consume healthy food but also some food that has no healthy benefits. But still, if you are truly making the effort and being conscious about what you put into your body, you are doing more than most people.

Some people do everything either 100% or not at all. They figure that if you are going to do something do it 100% or not at all. I have never been that way. But….I have never had a weight problem and always been quite healthy.

If you look at all the people who have tried numerous diets they may have dived in 100% and been fully committed and then one day they have a bad day of eating unhealthy, fatty foods and they figure – “well, I screwed up, I will give up and start another time”. If they cannot do it 100% all the time then they should give up. I have known women who have started on a “diet” and then slipped up on the 1st or 2nd day of the diet so stopped and told themselves they would start again “next Monday”. Until “next Monday” comes they figure they can continue with their old eating habits.

I also have good days and bad days (talking about eating). I don’t let them bother me. I always work on getting the best and healthiest food into me everyday. That is my intention but if I have something I probably shouldn’t have, I just make a better choice the next time I eat.

During the summer months I eat a very high raw diet. But then again I LOVE veggies, Farmers Markets and picking fresh food from our garden, so eating higher raw in the summer is a lot easier.

Weather also makes a difference and when it is cold, wet and damp (here on the West Coast), I do have more cooked foods such as sauteed greens, etc.

MY SUGGESTION FOR YOU:

Start your day the healthy way.

• Start by drinking warm water with organic lemon juice
• Then have a green smoothie or juice (or a great veggie juice)
• Then have (for example) chia gel with berries, coconut flakes or chunks, NutraCleanse, buckwheat crisps (sprouted buckwheat then dehydrated)
• What about a fruit salad with chia gel or a pudding with blended fruit and avocado
• Try eating all raw food until noon
• OR Try eating all raw food until diner time
• Go one full day just consuming green smoothies or veggie juices

These are just a few quick suggestions. What do you eat and drink in the morning?

I love juices. I love the taste and also the fact that you can consume a lot of veggies in a juice. If I have a large juice in the morning I have already consumed:

1. 1 medium beet
2. 2-3 stalks of celery
3. 1/3 – 1/2 cucumber
4. 1 apple
5. 2 carrots
6. lemon juice
7. 1 Tbsp stinging nettles
8. 1 handful of spinach or kale

If you think about it, that is incredible!  How great is it that to consume that many veggies and fruit before noon!

At lunch I usually have a salad (often with some seaweed) which is very high in minerals and proteins.

The foods I spoke about above are also really low in calories so you can consume a lot of them.

What I wanted to say in this one is that JUST START. Don’t worry about ‘HOW RAW” you are going to be. Don’t try to analyze what % raw you are. Just start and make good choices at each meal.

By making consistent improvements and healthy choices you WILL receive benefits and WILL notice a difference.

STAY HAPPY & HEALTHY!

20 WAYS TO EAT CLEANER IN THE NEW YEAR

A new year and a new start. Most people have “eating cleaner” on their lists of things to do in the new year. I hope they do anyway. We all strive to do our best but over the holidays things slide and we do consume too many “good” food (good tasting) that are probably “bad” for us.

I know many people also would like to lose weight and may have that as their focus for the new year. What I encourage people to focus on is improving health. If you really clean up your diet, eat more foods that are healthy for you and get rid of the ones that are not, you will gain health and you will lose weight. The focus really should be on health. There are many ways to lose weight but you may not gain health.

If you are just starting on the healthy path then take it one step at a time, be patient and be consistent. You will notice benefits and that will keep you on the path. Below I have written out some suggestions for you to eat healthier in the new year (note they are in no particular order). The list is also followed by a recipe.

20 suggestions for cleaning up your diet in the new year

1. Stop eating (or cut down on) dairy, meat and junk food
2. Have at least 1 large salad a day
3. Add various greens and veggies to your salads
4. Drink 1-2 green juices or smoothies a day
5. Make almond milk instead of purchasing soy or almond milk from grocery store
6. Consume various greens such as kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, arugula, collards, etc.
7. Make a big batch of coleslaw and have in fridge ready to eat
8. Have a jar of sauerkraut or other fermented veggies in fridge
9. Make raw soups and heat them up a bit if you want something warm
10. Saute various greens along with cabbage, garlic, ginger and coconut oil
11. Add seaweed (such as dulse and wakame, etc) to your salads, soups and/or snacks
12. Make some quinoa and keep in fridge to add to salads, warm up with sauteed veggies or have with any sauce or dressing
13. Make nori rolls (without the rice) and rice wraps for something different. Rice wraps are great because they will last in the fridge for a couple of days.
14. Thaw frozen peas and add with quinoa or in salads
15. Wash and cut veggies, put in storage containers in fridge so are ready throughout the week to add to salads or to make a veggie stir-fry
16. Add Spirulina, Chlorella, Marine Phytoplankton or a powdered greens mixture to your smoothies or juices for extra nutrients such as iron, chlorophyl, iodine, minerals and trace minerals
17. Have chia gel prepared in your fridge to add to smoothies or in a breakfast cereal
18. Have frozen bananas, mangos and berries in fridge for breakfast and smoothies
19. Have some raw truffles or treats in the freezer to have when you want something sweet
20. Try 1 new recipe a week to keep it interesting

Here is a recipe you can try this week (this is not raw but is healthy and warming)

SAUTEED GREENS & CABBAGE (makes enough for 1)

• 3 Cups of chopped kale (or use a mixture of various greens and use as much as you want)
• 2 Cups of chopped or shredded cabbage (any kind or a variety will do)
• 1 clove of garlic
• fresh ginger chopped or grated (about 1 Tbsp)
• 1 Tbsp of coconut oil
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Braggs or Tamari

Instructions:

• Add coconut oil to a sauce or frying pan.
• When heated, add the garlic and ginger
• Add the cabbage and a bit of water. Cover with lid.
• After cooking for about 2 minutes, add the kale and stir
• I keep this covered for a few minutes
• Remove lid and then stir around
• Add 1 cap full of Apple Cider Vinegar (the one with “the mother” in it)
• Add 2 Tbsp of Braggs or Tamari
• Stir and turn heat to low for about 1 minute

Now it is ready to eat! This can be put on some cooked or sprouted quinoa or rice noodles or eaten as a side dish. Sometimes I make a huge batch of this and also add a few other veggies to the mix and eat as my main dish. I just LOVE a TON of greens!!

LIVE HEALTHY & HAPPY!

What foods can actually make you thin?

Catchy title and one that makes you go…….  really? Like I mentioned in one of my other posts on this blog, one of my favorite books is “Eat To Live” by Joel Fuhrman. In this post I am going to go over more info from his book. The title “Foods That Make You Thin” is actually from his new revised book (pg 117).

Below I will directly quote and indirectly quote parts of his book (starting on pg 117).

“Appetite is not controlled by the weight of the food but by fiber, nutrient density, and caloric density. …the stomach can hold about one liter of food, let’s look at how many calories are in a whole stomachful of a particular food.

It’s pretty clear which foods will let you feel full with the least amount of calories – fruits and vegetables. Green vegetables, fresh fruits and legumes…. Nothing else in the field is even close.

Green vegetables are so incredibly low in calories and rich in nutrients and fiber that the more of them you eat,

the more weight you will lose.”

Dr Fuhrman talks about the “one pound-one pound rule” which is that you try to eat at least one pound of raw vegetables a day and one pound of cooked/steamed or frozen green or nongreen nutrient-rich vegetables a day as well.

“The more vegetables you eat, the more weight you will lose. the high volume of greens not only will be your secret to a thin waistline but will simultaneously protect you against life-threatening illnesses.”

Dr Fuhrman has some great charts in his book. Below I will summarize two of them. I won’t type them all out but some items from each.

First one is CALORIC RATIONS OF COMMON FOODS

• Oils – 3,900 calories/lb – 0 fiber grams/lb
• Potato chips or french fries – 2.600 calories/lb – 0 fiber grams/lb
• Meat – 2,000 calories/lb – 0 fiber grams/lb
• Cheese – 1,600 calories/lb – 0 fiber grams/lb
• White bread – 1,300 calories/lb – 0 fiber grams/lb
• White meat – 900 calories/lb – 0 fiber grams/lb
• Fish – 800 calories/lb – 0 fiber grams/lb
• Starchy veggies (potatoes & corn) – 350 calories/lb – 4 fiber grams/lb
• Beans – 350 calories/lb – 5 fiber grams/lb
• Fruits – 250 calories/lb – 9 fiber grams/lb
• Green Vegetables – 100 calories/lb – 5 fiber grams/lb

The next chart involves Nutrient-Density Line – which are based on identified phytochemicals, antioxidant activity and total vitamin and mineral content.

NUTRIENT DENSITY OF FOODS

Highest nutrient density = 100 points

Lowest nutrient density = 0 points

• 100 – Dark green leafy vegetables (kale, mustard greens, collard greens, Swiss chard, watercress, spinach, arugula)
• 95 – Other green vegetables (romaine, bok choy, cabbage, brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, string beans, snow peas, green peas)
• 50 – Non-green nutrient-rich vegetables (beets, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, radishes, bean sprouts, red and yellow bell peppers, radicchio, cauliflower, tomatoes, artichokes, raw carrots
• 45 – Fresh fruits
• 40 – Beans (lentils, kidney, white beans, adzuki, black, pinot, split peas, edamame, chickpeas
• 30 – Raw nuts and seeds
• 25 – Colorful starchy vegetables (butternut and other squash, sweet potatoes, corn, turnips)
• 20 – Whole grains/white potatoes (oats, barley, brown and wild-rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, bulgur, whole grain bread, white potatoes)
• 18 – Fish
• 15 – Fat-free dairy
• 15 – Eggs
• 15 – Wild meat and fowl
• 8 – Full-fat dairy
• 6 Red meat

As you can see, the foods that are the most nutrient dense, contain the highest phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals are the foods that contain the least amount of calories.

This is why he states that these foods help make you thin. When you eat more of the nutrient dense foods, you fill up and then eat less of the foods that contain more calories and less fiber and nutrients.

Losing and maintaining weight can be easy – just eat MORE of the right kinds of foods. When you eat more of the right foods, you have less room for the “bad” foods.

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!

How to plan and prep so you can eat healthy all week

Below is a video showing how I plan and prep food on Sunday so that it is fast and easy to eat healthy all week.

NOTE – this is not all raw. I am not 100% raw and many people are not so this also shows baked and cooked items. I encourage people to eat more raw foods along with eating healthy, preservative free foods. To me that is more important than eating 100% raw.

I hope this video helps you.  I am working on a recipe book and I talk a bit about that in the video.

QUICK AND EASY PLANNING AND PREPPING TO EAT HEALTHY ALL WEEK

Remember – make the salad (veggies, etc) the largest part of your meal. I love adding seaweed (high in minerals, iodine, iron, chlorophyll) to my salads and when I use the rice noodles and quinoa, I use more veggies than noodles or quinoa. Use a mix of veggies and also include greens such as kale, arugula, mustard greens, bok choy, etc.

LIVE HAPPY AND HEALTHY!

Dairy and Sugar Free Raw Chocolate Truffles

Ahh….chocolate! I just love it! The problem with chocolate is that in most cases it is highly processed, contains dairy, preservatives and way too much sugar!!

These raw chocolate truffles in the video below are made with dairy free and sugar free chocolate.

(Pic above is a picture of some truffles and some raw chocolates that I made)

These are so simple to make and everyone who has tried them – LOVES THEM!! They store really well in the freezer for months so you can make a big batch. I suggest starting with a smaller batch like I make in the video to get used to making them. When you feel you are doing great then you can make larger batches.

Below is the video on how to make them and then below the video I have written out the recipe.

RAW CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

• 2 cups of nuts (Soaked and dried a bit, I used pecans & almonds)
• 7-8 Medjool Dates
• 4 Tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbsp ground (or fine flake) coconut (raw is best, if not make sure no sugar or sulphites)

Put nuts in food processor. Grind them down as in video until fine. Add dates and blend some more. When mixture sticks together when you pinch it, add vanilla and cacao powder. Blend until well mixed. Put mixture into bowl and take out enough to roll into a small ball. Roll mixture into a small bowl and then roll into ground coconut. Do this with the rest of the mixture. Place the truffles on a plate or tray and place in freezer until they set. Once they set place them in freezer bags. These will last like that for months.

These are perfect to pull out of freezer when you want a snack and when you are craving something chocolate or a sweet. So much better than grabbing something at a coffee shop or candy store.

Share with your friends and they make perfect gifts. Put them in a nice decorated box or bring them to a party or when meeting friends for tea.

Enjoy!

LIVE HEALTHY & HAPPY!

I woke up this morning and felt the need to write this post. I haven’t been writing often because of how busy I have been at the restaurant and wanting to just come home, eat, work out or take a walk and then wind down.

I got thinking about all the cancer (especially breast cancer) campaigns that are out there. All the “pink” stuff. It is amazing how many items you see in that bubble-gum pink color – even small appliances!

I have always believed in disease prevention. I do donate and have donated to cancer research and other campaigns but I wonder how much money they get? We just received a HUGE package of cards, a pen, etc from the Heart Foundation. How much did that cost them to send? And to how many people? It just becomes “junk” and “recycling”. Some of these campaigns are more like big business now and we have to wonder how much goes to the actual cause.

I believe that we need to prevent the disease. Of course for someone who has it they want to do anything or take anything that will help them “cure” the disease. My dad is on an experimental drug for bone cancer and is doing really well so of course I am very glad for that.

What I wanted to suggest today is that everyone add more greens into their diet. Lets build up our body so strong that disease cannot touch it. Of course there are many other aspects that can help prevent cancer and other diseases such as dealing with emotional issues and reducing stress, etc. but I want to start with a couple simple things everyone can do every day.

Start your day – EVERY DAY – with a large green smoothie or green juice.

Make salad the main part of your meal. Make a big delicious salad for lunch and supper. That is your main course and then build side dishes around it.

There are so many sites and blogs on internet where you can find great smoothie, juice and salad recipes.

I encourage you to use as much organic produce as you can and local is the best when you can get it. Local small farms that are not “certified” organic (which is a very long and expensive procedure) yet grow their food organically are fantastic. I am lucky to have so many of those in my city.

If you just do these 2 things a day and encourage others to do the same – you will be doing so much more than most people in North America.

My favorite green smoothie is below (I have this numerous times on this blog already):

GREEN SMOOTHIE

• 1 apple
• 1/2 c frozen mango (can be frozen bags you buy)
• 1/2 frozen banana (fresh is fine too)
• 1 C filtered water
• 1 C (or more) of spinach or kale
• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
• fresh ginger (to taste and optional)

That is it! Blend in a blender and it is done. This is very refreshing and soooo good!!

GREEN JUICE

• 1/2 Cucumber
• 1 apple
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 C of spinach or kale
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 C of water

This is a juice you can blend in your blender (if you don’t have a juicer) and pour through a nut milk bag or a sprouting bag. You can even strain it through a fine mesh strainer. I LOVE juices and right now they are my choice over a smoothie.

I must now go and make my juice today and pack my salad to bring to work.

HAVE A GREEN DAY!!

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!

“Eat To Live” by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

I highly recommend this book. If you are interested in learning and maybe having more motivation or a “why” to eat healthier then you will LOVE this book. I am reading it for the 2nd time right now. I gave my first book to someone to borrow and forgot who I gave it to and haven’t received it back so I recently bought it again.

It is loaded with statistics, info on studies, practical suggestions and recipes and it is written in an easy to understand way. He even makes all this info interesting! There are graphs, charts and pictures for us visual people.

I usually highlight important parts in books as I am reading this and this book has yellow highlighter and red pen all through it already. There are pages when almost everything he states on that page deserves to be highlighted.

Whenever someone asks what books I recommend that is one of them. I will go over some of the things in the book below:

Some of these are quotes and some of the below is me summarizing what he says: (my comments are in brackets)

Cancer is a Fruit and Vegetable Deficiency Disease

(I just love that! How true, how true)

Fruits and vegetables are the two foods with the best correlation with lengevity in humans. Not whole wheat bread, not bran, not even a vegetarian diet shows as powerful a correlation as a high level of fresh fruit and raw green salad consumption.

Raw vegetables have the most powerful anti-cancer properties of all foods.

After billions and billions of dollars allocated and donated to cancer research, we have nothing to show for it. We are losing the war on cancer because we are on an incessant search for the impossible-to-find cure, when in fact removing the causes is the only way to win.

A Vegetarian Diet is No Guarantee of Good Health

People who omit meat, fowl, and dairy but fill up on bread, pasta, pretzels, bagels, rice cakes, and crackers may be on a low-fat diet, but because their diet is also low in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, important essential fatty acids, and fiber, it is a conspicuously inadequate and should not be expected to protect against cancer.

Following a strict vegetarian diet is not as important as eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

Research shows that those who avoid meat and dairy have lower rates of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.

Leafy greens, the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, were the best predictor of extreme longevity. (he is quoting a study)

Whether you eat a vegetarian diet or include a small amount of animal foods, for optimal health you much receive the majority of your calories from unrefined plant foods. It is the large quantity of unrefined plant foods that grants the greatest protection against developing serious disease.

In this book Dr Fuhrman quotes and discusses the book “The China Project”. This is another amazing must read book and the research done and discussed in the book is so revealing that no one can deny it. Here is what he says from the book “The China Project”:

“Even those consuming the most animal products in China consume less than half the amount Americans do. As animal-food intake increased from about once a week in the lowest third to about four times a week in the highest third, breast cancer rates increased by 70 percent. Consumption of fresh vegetables in all groups was about the same. There was a strong increase in the occurrence of breast cancer mortality with increasing animal-product consumption.”

Americans also consume a lot of cheese (I used to LOVE cheese). He states that “Cheese has more saturated fat and more hormone-containing and promoting substances than any other food and the incidence of our hormonally sensitive cancers has skyrocketed.

There is almost no breast cancer at all in populations that consume less than 10 percent of their calories from animal products.

The one food that scientific research has shown has a strong positive association with increased longevity in humans is raw, leafy greens. Leafy greens are the most nutrient-dense of all foods.

Romaine lettuce gets 18% of its calories from fat and almost 50% of its calories from protein.

I could go on and on. Dr Fuhrman has done an incredible amount of research for this book and there are pages and pages of all the research papers and studies he quotes and discusses in the book.

Once you read this book you will start analyzing what you eat and what others eat. I was in Las Vegas recently and I can tell you – THERE IS NOT A LOT OF HEALTHY FOOD (or people for that matter) LIVING IN VEGAS. At least not in the “tourist” areas. I am not saying there is “nothing” healthy there, but you sure see a lot of unhealthy people and unhealthy food. Another things I could not believe is that people can smoke everywhere! YUCK!

So, if you are looking for some good “winter” reading then please, please consider getting the book “Eat to Live”.

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!

RAW FOOD IN SEDONA, AZ

RAW FOOD IN NANAIMO, BC

I just got back from my parents 50th anniversary celebration in Alberta. My parents are truly amazing and seeing so many relatives again and connecting was great. I also spent some treasured time with my daughter.

From Alberta I flew to Las Vegas and then traveled by car to Sedona, AZ. From a family gathering in Alberta (land of the beef) to Las Vegas (land of addictions) to Sedona, AZ (land of the spiritual, outdoor life, fit people and healthy food).

It was quite a journey and a challenge to eat healthy while – visiting relatives at a lake lodge, hoping to find healthy food in Las Vegas and driving through small towns on the way to Sedona. I did bring my some of my own food, healthy bars and bought some fruit along the way.

In Sedona we found healthy eating spots, incredible shops, everything spiritual, Psychics galore and some of the most amazing scenery I have seen.

Below are some pictures of a fabulous vegetarian and raw food restaurant in Sedona called ChocolaTree. Their website is absolutely beautiful and so is there place.  http://www.chocolatreecafe.com/

They don’t refer to the restaurant as Vegan because they use a good quality, healthy, local honey. I myself prefer honey and use a raw, local honey from around Nanaimo.

Here is me eating breakfast: (coconut kefir with raw granola and fruit, along with a “juice of the day”. We also ordered buckwheat pancakes and cinnamon/raison toast)

Here is my lunch which was a burrito (raw style) and it was one of the BEST raw food dishes I have ever tasted!!

This beautiful restaurant also sold high quality supplements, oils, crystals, books, skin care, etc. The energy in it was so peaceful. They had a beautiful garden outside where they grew their own herbs and greens. I could eat there everyday! (I ate there 3 times in 2 days). The food was so wonderful alive, organic and fresh. Just the way food is supposed to be.

The wraps at ChocolaTree were unbelievable and I have now made some which are much like them so I am very excited about that.

RAW FOOD – DEHYDRATING & SPROUTING CLASS

If you want to learn how to make some nutritious, flexible wraps along with kale chips, crackers, energy bars and much more I am holding a Dehydrating and Basics of Sprouting class October 16th in Nanaimo, BC. Info on my blogs page for raw food classes.

RAW FOOD IN NANAIMO

Rawmbas, the restaurant I work at that serves raw and vegan food is having a Grand Opening on Wednesday, October 12th between 10:00 – 2:00 in Nanaimo, BC. Info on the Facebook page “Rawmbas”. Come and try some samples and meet us!

LIVE HAPPY & HEALTHY!