Here's the latest on Give it to me Raw, our social network for raw foodies.
4,200+ Members Just a few weeks ago GI2MR officially hit 4,000 members. Our focus has never been on quantity, it's always been quality. That being said, we have a lot of community members and a lot of good looking community members! And they are so active! We have a new update on the site almost every 1 to 2 minutes.
iPhone Compatibility I've already been scolded for making GI2MR iPhone friendly. The worry? Now people feel they're not going to be able to get any work done! Well, have no fear. We've setup an outpatient hotline for addicts. If you're one of them, just email us at support [at] welikeitraw [dot] com and we'll get you on the 12 Step Plan.
If you're on your iPhone, just click here to bring up GI2MR mobile.
Improved Designs This one is a small but very important update. This past week we improved the design, fonts and spacing to make GI2MR much more reader friendly. Thanks for all the feedback that helped guide us.
In addition to being a fantastic photographer Jeff is also a wild food and spring water aficionado. You can befriend Jeff and follow his latest on GI2MR and Twitter.
Here are a few of my favorties from Jeff's collection:
Alejandro Junger MD recently wrote an article titled Another Inconvenient Truth for the October edition of GOOP, Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle newsletter.
In the article Dr Junger focused on the two core principles of health: eating real foods and detoxification cleansing.
The human body is a self-healing, self-renewing, self-cleansing organism. When the right conditions are created, vibrant well-being is its natural state. We have departed from the ways of nature and live under less than natural conditions. Like global warming, the toxicity of our planet is undeniable. I call it "Another Inconvenient Truth." The air we breathe, the water we drink and shower with, the foods we eat, the cosmetics we use and the buildings we live and work in, are loaded with toxic chemicals that alone or in combination cause disease, suffering and even death. When we remove these obstacles and add what is lacking, our bodies bounce back into health as if by magic. This is natural, common-sense medicine, enabling the body to heal, regenerate and even rejuvenate itself.
With this in mind, if you live in a modern city and want to stay healthy, there are two fundamental practices to follow: detoxification cleansing and eating real foods, just as nature intended food to be.
For some reason, tourists here in NYC always ask me for directions. I don't mind it a bit though, because it really does feel good to help out. As I was walking home one night, a group of young adults asked me how to get over to the East Village. I stopped and really gave them my attention.
After parting, one of the girls yelled - "You're and angel!!! Thank you!"
You can't buy the feeling that you get from helping others. Seriously. Helping others without expecting anything back is essential to our happiness.
After the quick interaction, I had 20 more minutes until I reached home. This gave me time to think about what the nice girl said to me.
Are we actually angels and don't know it? Who says that angels have to have wings? Is an angel a thing or a state of being? Truth is my authority, not the other way around, so this thought had me going.
What if you believed deep down that you were actually an angel, here on this planet to do good? How would that affect your day to day existence? What if we raised our children that way? Can you imagine the possibilities?
If one reaches "Angel Consciousness", could they create Heaven on Earth quicker for themselves and their loved ones?
Is Angel Consciousness actually god Consciousness? Is it one step away? Do you see yourself as divine? Do you see yourself as an angel? What would ever make you believe that you weren't? Maybe we all are... but somehow we've forgotten.
Here's a story from The Power of Now that Dhrumil shared with me:
The Beggar and His Treasure
A beggar had been sitting by the side of the road for thirty years. One day a stranger walked by.
"Spare some change?" mumbled the beggar.
"I have nothing to give you," said the stranger. Then he asked: "What's that you're sitting on?"
"Nothing," replied the beggar. "Just an old box. I've been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.
"Ever look inside?," asked the stranger.
"No," said the beggar. "What's the point, there's nothing in there."
"Have a look inside," insisted the stranger. The beggar, reluctantly, managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.
I am that stranger who has nothing to give you and who is telling you to look inside. Not inside any box, as in the parable, but somewhere even closer: inside yourself.
Like the beggar sometimes it's easy for us to think that we're living a life filled with void and un-happiness. But when we start to look inside, and awaken that Angel Consciousness, magical things start to happen to us an the people around us. I say awaken because just like the beggar who has no idea what he's sitting on, we too have forgotten what treasures lay deep inside of us.
Just some living food for thought. Your reality is really yours to create. I believe this down to the core of my soul.
Be the source of light for yourself and others around you. Awaken your Angel Consciousness!
Bunny Berry is a blogger, Raw Fu tribe leader, entrepreneur and all out fabulous human being
When Dhrumil invited me to share My Way, the first thing that came to mind was a chubby Elvis in a sequined jumpsuit,
sweating out an overly dramatic rendition of the song in front of a
swooning crowd of 70s housewives in Vegas, baby! How could I resist?
There are so many similarities between The King and The Bunny. We're
both Southern, and as country as cornbread. We share a birthday week:
Bunny- January 6th and Elvis- January 8th. And we both LOVE to eat!
You may not know that Elvis tried a raw food diet. He did. He only
lasted 3 days. And I am sure plenty of people that's how long my
fascination with raw food would last, as well. But here I am, 6
months later, and 30 pounds lighter, kicking it Bunny Style.
Monday Up early to get my 4 year old, Beckett, off to Montessori school.
Beckett has his normal breakfast of free range scrambled eggs, and a
banana. I make myself an outrageous smoothie with a giant handful of
spinach, coconut flakes, frozen blueberries,frozen blackberries, water,
and throw in a Cherry Pie Larabar for a little extra umph! My husband,
Basil drinks the rest straight out of the VitaMix on his way out the
door.
I spend the morning working on the Raw Fu Cookbook, doing my daily Raw
Fu Video, and make a couple trips to the kitchen to grab a handful of
raw pine nuts straight out of the bag. Decadent. For lunch, I enjoy a
typical Bunny tossed salad with romaine, cucumbers, sprouts and a
dressing of olive oil, garlic powder, and lemon juice. Back to work on
the cookbook, the Raw Fu forums, and then it's time for a my full time
paying gig. Basil makes me a smoothie for dinner, and I work on a
PowerPoint Template (sigh, I bet Elvis never had to do this) and
prepare for a corporate shareholder's meeting. I show off some serious
Raw Fu multi-tasking at prime time by finishing the PPT, meeting up
with friends in Chat Fu, and watching David Wolfe on the Rawkathon.
Then it was up to read bedtime stories, play a quick episode of
Spiderman (I'm a mean green goblin), and lights out for Beckett.
Tuesday After getting the boys off to school and work, I drank a ton of water,
and headed into the Raw Fu Kitchen to tape an un-cooking demo. Rosemary pesto with ingredients from my tiny herb garden. After
I pick up Raw Fu tee shirts, try to sneak in a little cookbook time,
put out fires on the Raw Fu Forums, and work the day job. I had green
juice for breakfast, the pesto with carrot noodles for lunch, and
Basil cooked spaghetti squash for dinner. It was cold out, and I was
happy to eat a heaping cup of warm spaghetti squash with my salad.
Tuesday night brought more Rawkathon, more Chat Fu, and Beckett was
already asleep by the time I got up stairs. I pulled him into my bed
to sleep between me and Basil. I missed him all day.
Wednesday I was chained to my desk all day, working on paying gig. Nothing to see
here. I survive on green smoothies, lara bars, and only take one break
during the day. Drove out to see my mother's gorgeous new house, where
she insists of feeding me an iceberg lettuce salad with Thousand Island
dressing. Elvis would have loved it!
Thursday Gathered lettuce for lunch out of my own square foot garden,
which is one of the highlights of my week. The garden is quickly
becoming my favorite place in our little backyard paradise. Not only
has my relatioship with food started to change, my relationship with
Earth is taking on a new life, as well. I realize how disconnected
I've been, and it's good to get back to nature, even on a tiny scale
like the 4 x 4 square foot garden in my backyard. I have twinges of
wanting to sell everything, weave a yurt, and become a full blown
hippie. But then I have to ask myself, "What Would Elvis Do?", and I
snapped out of it to make a jungle peanut and banana smoothie and get
back to work!
Friday Today's mission is simple. Bunny must find PANTS. I am leaving on
Saturday for a business trip to Honolulu, and all of my dress pants are
now falling off because of the weight I've lost from going raw. I grab
a smoothie, head out, and come home with two pairs of pants and a huge
smiled on my face. My pants are two sizes smaller than they were on April 14, 2008 when I started this raw food journey.
I end the week feeling like a hunk a burning love, and decide to stop
by and visit the new Elvis statue in Honolulu while I'm there to pass
on a Raw Fu tee shirt, and to let him know how I'm doing it My Way.
This flavorful combination of napa cabbage, fennel, and the sea vegetable hijiki is one of our all-time favorites when combined with our live hoisin sauce - a sweet rendition of the Chinese cuisine staple.
4 cups napa cabbage, sliced into [1/2]-inch strips
1 cup carrot, peeled, and julienned or grated
1/2 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, and julienned
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced, or soaked dried black mushrooms
1/2 large fennel bulb, julienned (optional)
2 TB. sesame oil
2 TB. + 2 tsp. nama shoyu
pinch salt
1/2 cup hijiki seaweed, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
1 cup raisins
1 1/4 cups filtered water
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 TB. sesame oil
3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or cayenne
1 tsp. dulse flakes
1/2 tsp. unpasteurized barley miso
1/2 tsp. stone-ground mustard
16 leaves butterhead lettuce or 8 large chard leaves, stems removed
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine shredded cabbage, carrot, red bell pepper, shallot, mushrooms, fennel (if using), sesame oil, 1 tablespoon nama shoyu, and salt. Allow to marinate for 45 minutes.
2. If dehydrating, dehydrate at 110 °F for 45 minutes to soften veggies. Remove, add hijiki, and toss. Allowing the veggies to sit in the oil for 45 minutes, without dehydrating will also soften them up a bit.
3. Soak raisins in water for at least 1 hour. Place in a blender with soak water.
4. Add remaining 2 tablespoons nama shoyu, garlic, sesame oil, crushed red pepper flakes, dulse flakes, barley miso, and mustard and blend for 30 seconds or more, going from low speed to high speed until raisins are blended smooth.
5. To serve Chinese restaurant-style, place vegetable medley on a plate. Stack cabbage leaves on another plate, and pour hoisin sauce into a small bowl. Tear off desired size of chard leaf, wrap some veggies in it, and dip in hoisin sauce.
NOTE: The Moo Shu photo above is how the dish is served at the Blossoming Lotus
Restaurant, in a wrapper made from dehydrated coconut meat.
Ok you caught me, I've been playing in San Francisco again. Right now I'm in San Luis Obispo, but I just spent the last two weeks enjoying the Bay Area, and wanted to share the latest report with you.
Café Gratitude Gives It To Me Raw Ok seriously, Café Gratitude did just open another location in California. Matthew and Terces, owners of Café G, are reppin raw foods in 5 locations now, in just 5 years. That is amazing! From the birth of their “Abounding River” board game came the inspiration to provide a café with nutritious raw food. Now they serve over 1,500 people per day, and are really holding a “space of love” for the transformation and growth of their community.
I also hosted a GI2MR dinner there last Saturday night. We had almost 30 people show up, with some people driving from almost 4 hours away. The night was a blast with conscious conversation, delicious food, as a surprise dance party. That’s right, a dance party! It was the first time the staff ever did it, but they just blasted the music and everyone started dancing for like 10 minutes. All of the staff, and almost every patron got up and started dancing in all the aisles. At one point we even had a giant dance train going throughout the restaurant. It was so much fun and really brought the inner child out in everyone.
There were plenty of old friends there like Kristi, Uti, and Shana, and wonderful new ones like Sara,Elaina Love from Berkeley and Richard the Synergy Chef from Sacramento. Thank you for everyone attending, and for those that went to the afterparty…. the choco with almonds was the bomb.
Party Time The second party I went to was at a guy named Hunters house. We met briefly that night, but then that was that. I was too mesmerized with the two women fire dancing and the outrageously delicious raw cakes and ormus drinks that were graciously fed to me. They also broke out into an inspirational art creating session, complete with airbrushing… both the canvas and their bodies.
And the third party I hit up was at Melodia and Rebecca’s home. You might have caught these two goddesses at Melodia’s clothing booth at Raw Spirit Festival. She designs beautiful Goddess wear designed to hug the spots you want them to, and be flowy in those spots you don’t.
Elaina Love was the master of the kitchen at this party and we all worked together under her guidance to create an amazing Indian meal, complete with naan non-bread. Also got the pleasure to hug my friend Kenny Sunshine who was there, and also Vatra, the fire spinner that rocked out at the Raw Spirit Festival.
Free Food Every street I walked there was fresh fig trees, prickly pears, and citrus galore. I got to harvest a couple handfuls of deliciously red figs… but didn’t want to press my lucky with the prickly pear. Oh, and the farmers market and organic market prices are a joke compared to NY. Some things where literally half price!
Lovingraw… *naked? A friend and I drove down to the Esalen Institute on the Big Sur for a soak in the therapeutic hot springs and a full body massage. Esalen was started in the 60’s and was devoted to the exploration of human potential, and was a bit of a hippie stop over for those traveling the Big Sur. Now it is more of a retreat center where people live and work in a communal setting. Guests are welcomed to join programs ranging from meditation to massage, yoga, psychology, ecology, spirituality, art, music, and much more.
Naked? Yep, you heard it here first; I let it all hang out. Bathing at Esalen is outdoors, co-ed, and nude. I have never been nude in public so there was a little trepidation. First walking into a co-ed dressing room with body parts everywhere. Then co-ed showers, and bathing, in the warm sulfur smelling hot springs. But what I found was the fear dissipated rather quickly as I switched from my left hemisphere to my right a bit, and realized we are all spiritual beings having a human experience, and the thought of being shy is almost ridiculous.
After that was released the rest of the time went fantastic. My masseuse met me at the pool and walked me to the massage table. I laid there naked with nothing but a small hand towel over my butt, vertically… but then received the best massage of my life. I don’t know how many times I fell asleep and woke up in my drool during that 90-minute session but let me tell you, being nude was long forgotten and being in the moment was what it was all about.
Oh and no pics this time around.
Dhrumil's Note: Philip, how could you disappoint all the ladies bro! Hah, you know our readership is 75% female. This site isn't called "We Like It Raw" for nothing - we have to live up to our name!
And here’s a little something for your next visit to San Francisco…
If you’re daring, drive south and flash a moon at the Esalen Institute.
Upcoming LA Event And if you’re a little more south catch me at Au Lac restaurant on Saturday the 25th. I will be giving a lecture there on “Transforming Your Life,” followed by an amazing pre-fix dinner from Chef Ito. Click here for event details and to sign up.
Last week we talked about entrepreneurs making money from raw food friendly businesses. Today I have a post about an entrepreneur saying goodbye to a decent some of cash because of raw foods. Say what?
Steve Pavlina just wrote a fantastic post about his recent decision to terminate Google Adsense on his site and the $100,000 of passive income that came along with it.
AdSense is an advertisement serving program that allows site owners
to make money every time someone clicks an ad shown own their site.
Steve's site, which has a reach of 2 million people a month, generates
quite a large amount of ad clicks - $100K worth.
What in the world could have motivated Steve to do such a thing?
This may sound a bit odd to you, but I think the
biggest single factor in making this move was my shift to a 100% raw
vegan diet earlier this year. Once I went 100% raw, the subtle signals
from my intuition became louder and clearer. Acting on these intuitive
sensations has been causing massive ripples of change throughout all
parts of my life. Dropping advertising from my website is just one of
many things I’m doing to bring my external reality into better
alignment with the new person I’ve become on the inside.
Earlier in the post Steve commented on the specific reason that the ads didn't jive with him any more:
Read Profiles were once one of our most popular features on WLIR. I'm not quite sure why we stopped running them, but I'm glad they are back. This time though, we're calling them "My Way". My way profiles follow a featured WLIR reader through the course of a week - what they ate and how they rolled. We've always stressed the importance of creating your own dietary path and My Way is a celebration of just that.
Who better to kick us off this week than the person responsible for setting the My Way idea in motion, Miss Jenny Nelson.
Jenny Nelson is back in Maine after working in Berkeley for a few months. She's currently spending her time juggling metalsmithing, writing, traveling and trying to decide what coast to settle on and what exactly what to do with her days. Jenny's in love with raw food (for 3 years), yoga (since she was young), and the general adventure of every moment. We found out what a few days in her life look like, and we discovered that she readily admits to having an addiction to addictions.
My Way: Jenny Nelson
Tuesday September 31 I woke up and had my usual morning ritual of hot tea... I make it very specifically and could do it in my sleep- hot water, and then a splash of fresh squeezed lemon juice, vanilla stevia and a bit of room temperature reverse osmosis "tap" water (I never ever use bottled water), so it's the perfect temperature to drink all morning out of my beat up (and well-loved!) stainless steel travel mug. It's a bit of an addiction. I can't remember a morning in a really long time that hasn't included yerba mate in this fashion.
My mum and I headed to Portland early in the morning and spent the gorgeous fall day walking along cobblestone streets, in antique shops and art galleries. We went to Morse's, surrounded by pumpkin fields where they make their own live sauerkraut and it's absolute perfection. We sampled some and stocked up on the last of their most recent batch, making plans to return in a few weeks for the next one. As we drove and wandered all day, we snacked on my dehydrated pepitas and raw cacao granola.
A late lunch of organic greens and a homemade raspberry vinaigrette with a glass of Chilean wine each... that made me tipsy because I hardly ever drink at all anymore... more walking, a evening of watching Elizabeth Gilbert speak and then a stop at Whole Foods to get snacks for the two hour drive home... grapes and fresh peas.
Wednesday October 1
A spoonful of raw honey before heading out for a morning hike, and then
the same ritual of yerba mate (which I continue to drink throughout the
morning), and an oatmeal blueberry cookie from One Lucky Duck
that arrived via FedEx the day before, before dashing off to do
errands, swing by a friend's house and then back home for sketching and
metalsmithing.
To make the crust: In a food processor, process pecans, raisins, cinnamon, and salt until the mixture begins to stick together. Press the crust mixture evenly in the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan.
To make the filling: Process the dates, agave, and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth. Add the pumpkin, cashews and coconut meat and process until completely smooth. Add the coconut oil and irish moss and process until well incorporated. Pour the filling onto the crust.
To make the topping: Place the pumpkin and carrot along with the water and lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the dates and pumpkin pie spice and blend again until smooth. Spread the pumpkin topping evenly on top of the filling.
Chill at least 3 hours before serving
Servings: 8
Notes
If you don't have Irish Moss, don't fret. You can make the cheesecake without it, but serve it straight from the refrigerator.
If you have an aversion to eating raw pumpkin, peeled carrots can be substituted for pumpkin at any time.
To make a pumpkin drizzle instead of topping, replace the dates with 2 tablespoons of Agave.
