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On behalf of Karen Knowler and the entire We Like It Raw entourage, I'd like to thank everyone who made it out to our most successful event to date - Successfully Raw NYC.
We'll have a full event recap with photos, pictures, audio and video, but in the mean time here are a few teaser photos by squad member Dawn:
Here are some more great photos from Penni Shelton (and here her blog post about the event):
Since we missed the deal of the week post last week, we're loading our readers up with some great savings this week:
Description: The weight loss queen, Angela Stokes, is offering WLIR readers 10% her new book, Raw Emotions, and everything at the Raw Reform store. Sweet!
Why we love it: Raw Emotions looks at what can bring extra weight on - and it's not just food ;) This book looks at the many changes beyond weight loss that a Living Foods Lifestyle can bring and helps you in your process of unfolding.
Discount Code: Just enter the discount code "welikeitraw" when you check out.
Description: An 8-ounce glass of juice from whole apples takes less than five seconds. Low speed spins at a whisper-quiet 6500 RPMs, which delivers the best results when juicing leafy vegetables, or softer fruits such as watermelons or oranges.
Why we love it: Philip brought this bad boy over to my house this week and man, it was love at first juice. Don't get me wrong, we love the Green Star, but sometimes it takes 45 minutes to make 1 whole gallon of juice. This bad boy can get you 1 whole gallon in 5 minutes. Yes, we know it's refurbished, but these beauties are built strong! Refurbished is also code word for deal.
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Deal 3: Two Complementary Tickets for Successfully Raw
And, as an added bonus, we're giving away two complementary tickets to Successfully Raw. If you want one or both, shoot us an email (blog @ welikeitraw.com) with a note about how you think this even will help you in your journey.
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Note: Things are just that, things. Our Deals of the Week are not there to encourage you to bring more things into your life, but rather to encourage you to spend your money wisely on material or educational items that have the power to support you in your journey. Remember, every time you buy something, you're voting with your dollar - vote wisely and with purpose.
I was on the phone recently with my good friend, Raw Vegan Steven... funniest raw-foodist I know! Well, we were talking about his future garden in Pennsylvania, and I mentioned to him that he should buy seeds of wild weeds like dandelion, purslane, lambs-quarters, and plantain. I mentioned that he could have so much growing naturally in his yard that he would never have to replant again, and he would never run out because wild greens are so prolific.
The best possible greens you could dream of, for the cost of a few packets of seeds.
Then the idea came to me. Why stop at just your yard? Why not replant all public spaces with wild greens?
Parks,
vacant lots, anywhere that wouldn't be sprayed by pesticides. Think
about this. We can become the modern Johnny Appleseeds of the world.
Overgrow the pharmaceutical companies naturally by re-wilding the
suburbs, and even the cities.
Is it illegal to plant wild edible greens in public spaces? I wouldn't be surprised if it was. Nevertheless... I think the idea seed has been planted, if you know what I mean. All areas could be available. City Parks, open woodlots, even the neighbor's untended front yard. And once wild greens are planted, they spread.
Their life force is so strong, which is why these pesticide companies invest so much money into killing these plants... because they are just so indestructible. Just imagine if you started eating those (unsprayed) plants on a regular basis. Embrace nature instead of trying to destroy it. What a concept...
I intend very soon to have my eating habits centered on wild greens and fresh fruit right off the tree. If not right off the tree, then at the local farmer's market. I will still grow tomatoes and cucumbers and melons, but I think the essentials will be taken care of with those previously mentioned items.
"One does not accumulate, but eliminate. It is not daily increase, but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always leads to simplicity." - Bruce Lee
Think about it. The best possible foods you can eat are, in my opinion, by far the easiest and cheapest to grow. Wild greens and fruit trees, and I would include hemp (more about this soon) if the United States was sane enough to let the people plant it. All of these foods require very little to no attention and give the highest nutrition.
The modern raw food diet still rests on cultivated plants that need man to survive. And most come soil which isn't the best possible option. What is more natural? What can we eat to mirror the ancient diet? Plants! What contains the highest sources of minerals and life force? Wild Plants! Can't find wild plants where you live? Buy the seeds and plant them. Here is what I just ordered from mountainroseherbs.com
Sound good?
I intend to plant them anywhere I can regularly visit that is not sprayed. No more waiting in line to buy kale...
It's time to re-create Eden here and now! Start living and start planting!
- Anthony, the Rawmodel
That reminds me of this guy I knew in college. Everything was, “get your (fill in the blank) on,” whether it be “get your groove on,” “get your swerve on,” or in this case, “get your swirl on.”
But enough about that; the rest of this post has absolutely nothing to do with my college days. It goes further back to my childhood and my fond family get-together memories.
Our family gatherings revolve heavily around the food, which was apparent even at our latest celebration. My mom had a list she checked off as each family member arrived with their traditional fare, which included my Aunt Debbie’s baked beans, my Aunt Susan’s Swedish meatballs and various other “usuals” (I brought a selection of “rawified” versions at Christmas time).
They also had a ham, which I never cared for even before I gave up animal products. Now here’s an example of how big a part food plays in our family traditions: My cousin Troy wanted to make sure there would be one, saying, “What’s Easter without a ham?” He followed that with some silly phrases like, “Let there be ham.”
I, of course, didn’t eat any, but I could’ve gone for this raw Apricot Easter Roast Heidi and Justin “cooked” up as part of their e-book. Check it out.
So, what did I have instead? Well, I kept it simple, sticking to a ton of fresh veggies, guacamole (I whipped some up using a kit from Trader Joe’s, which was very economical – only $2.69 for two large avocados, two tomatoes, a lime, a jalapeno pepper, two little onions and some fresh garlic), salad and the dessert I brought to share.
This time I made a raw version of raspberry swirl, a family fave from back in the day. My cousin Brandon was the first to sample it after eyeballing it for quite some time. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a fan, which was no surprise since he never liked the original (he doesn’t dig traditional cheesecake either … and he calls himself a member of this family? As if!)
But I redeemed myself with the next taste-testers, which included my picky husband (he ate a whole slice), my mom, my Aunt Susan and Uncle Doug. The last three are the raspberry swirl aficionados in the family, who brightened my spirits with a glowing review: “hey, this actually does taste like raspberry swirl.”
Now it’s your turn to get your swirl on. Here’s the recipe, so give it a whirl. See if you think it tastes like raspberry swirl. : )
Dentistry
I watched a video a while ago called Uninformed Consent, which went into detail how harmful it was to have mercury fillings in your teeth. I think I always vaguely knew that it wasn’t that good for me, but this really put the spotlight on the subject.
The videos opening scene is a tooth filled with mercury, being held in a pair of tweezers under a special light. Not so startling - until you realize that under this special light you can actually see the mercury outgassing from the filling.
Then the following shocking words appear on the screen:
“This filling was done 50 years ago”
“It was removed 15 years ago”
…and it's still outgassing!
Action
My life is all about action these days. I have said, “I understand” so many times in the past when people would speak to me, and then I would do nothing. Why? They were just words, with no intent behind them.
I now put intent behind my ideas and automatically put them to the test by acting in the moment. For me this is the best way to get things done and really live life, instead of just talking about living it.
How does this relate?
I got 3 mercury fillings removed the other day. I have a mouth full of chrome so I am only a quarter of the way done, but my holistic dentist suggests only removing a little at a time. I have an appointment next week to remove the rest of the mercury on the bottom teeth, and then in April I will remove the fillings on the top.
Then I will be mercury free!
Ask yourself - who have you given uninformed consent to?
Juice Feasting Day 60
This past weekend we hosted the WLIR Garam Masala getaway in the Poconos, and to say it was “Off the hook” would be an understatement. The funny thing was that I did a lot of the food prep for the weekend, but since I was juicing I couldn’t taste the food. So many people were joking with me about it, but what I would do is have other people taste the food and let me know what it needed. It was a cool experience because I stayed true to my juicing, and at the same time got other people involved. If you were walking by me chances are that you were getting a spoonful of food shoved in your mouth with me standing there drilling you with a list of questions.
We also broke out into a spontaneous dance session with DJ MoSoul. Everybody bounced back and forth between dance floors having fun, shaking their butts, even break dancing by Brianna our guest chef. I think most people were fueled by Vanessa’s amazing Gnosis Chocolate, but I rocked out on strictly juice! So many people ask if I have energy on this juice feast and all I can say is, “You have no idea.”
Looking all sexy after a hot night of dancing... You know how we do!
Weight
Total Weight Loss while JF: 36.8 lbs
Total Weight Loss since raw: 176.8 lbs
Keep on dancing,
Philip @ Lovingraw
