Gas-guzzlers, Greens and Gardening...

WOW. We watched ‘Who Killed the Electric Car?’ a couple of nights ago. WOW. If you haven’t tapped into that info yet, I’d recommend it – I was pretty amazed at what I absorbed from this documentary. I thought it was really well-made – in general, a documentary about cars is not likely to hold this gal’s interest for that long – THIS one I found fascinating though...I would summarise it thusly: about 100 years ago, pretty much everyone had electric vehicles, if they had one at all, in the US. Then ‘gas’ vehicles started to be introduced and took over (kind of like some people have electric ovens and some have gas ovens ;). In more recent years, primarily due to environmental concerns, car manufacturers started to create electric vehicles again, with greatly improved performance – fast, ‘flashy’, ‘green’, ‘clean’ (compared to gas-guzzlers), cheaper to run and so on. GREAT solution all round, right? Yep...unless you’re part of the petrol industry of course... So, basically, all the new electric cars that had been made got rounded up like some kind of pest and literally CRUSHED by car-crushing machines, left to rust up in car graveyards. :O ??? ...and so, the electric car was effectively snuffed out again...at least at the time this documentary was made... Quite extraordinary...imagine the time, energy, money, effort and resources that went into creating all those cars, that were then just scrapped almost immediately. Well...the documentary fortunately also turned the spotlight onto new solutions at the end too – from ‘hybrid’ vehicles, to the next generation of electric cars and so on – I would be fascinated to know more actually abt what has happened SINCE this film came out, as I’m sure this controversy must have had a big impact on many people...as for me, I thought this was a really well-made piece – it was informative, funny, upbeat, well-structured and thought-provoking...I’d definitely recommend it if you haven’t seen it yet...you can see more abt it HERE if you’re interested... ;)

Ok, double-whammy food log time, peoples:

on April the 9th I had:

1.5 quarts water
2 cups celery/cabbage/lettuce/carrot juice
2 handfuls of fresh figs and 2 apples, all from the orchard here
1.5 quarts water
1.5 cups celery/cabbage/lettuce/carrot juice
meal of mung bean sprouts, pumpkin seeds and wakame seaweed fronds all munched merrily together
1 quart water

on April the 10th I had:

1.5 quarts water
3 cups watermelon/orange juice
3 cups celery/zucchini/cabbage/lettuce/carrot juice
1 quart green smoothie: peach/apple/spinach/parsley/sprouts/dandelion, with goji berries swirled in for chewability ;)
1 quart water
cucumber yum bowl: grated cucumber mushed with avocado, mixed sprouts, finely diced onion, karengo seaweed, served in lettuce leaves
1 quart water

THANK YOU for all the yummy feedback that has been coming in about my latest YouTube outburst ‘Green Leaves’ ;) I know some of you had issues opening the links to the song from the last blog post – apologies for that – here it is as a simple link you can hopefully all use: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz1Uu_r5ROA.
Remember too that you can always see ALL my videos on the RawReform ‘channel’ on YouTube – that can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/rawreform.
‘Green Leaves’ even got its first review, courtesy of Ms. Blaqberry over at Hi-Rawkus.com, who said:

“Here’s another beaut from Ms. Stokes that’s sure to make you smile! I found myself giggling with delight at her absolutely creative lyrics focused on the importance of greens. This tune will be hummed a lot, methinks. I’ll admit that I can imagine myself singing a bit (possibly even a doing quick twirl) while prepping my next green meal. Yes, really. [laugh] How about you?”

THANKS :) You can check out that whole post HERE.

on April the 11th I had:

1.5 quarts water
3 cups watermelon/orange juice
3 cups spinach/celery/parsley/cabbage/sprouts/carrot juice
a cacophony of cracao – UH-OHHHH ;) hemp seed/cacao brownies, butters and trail mix = whacked out of all balance for rest of day, in loved-up, blissed out, cracao-land ;)
1.5 quarts water
3 cups watermelon/orange juice
½ a watermelon
1 cup spinach/celery/parsley/cabbage/sprouts/carrot juice
1 tbsp wheatgrass powder
3 cups water

on April the 12th I had:

1.5 cups water
3 cups watermelon/orange juice
3 cups hardcore green juice: dandelion/spinach/mixed sprouts/celery/zucchini/carrot
handful of fresh figs and persimmons from the orchard
small amount of cracao brownies and spread
1 quart water
2.5 cups hardcore green juice: dandelion/spinach/mixed sprouts/celery/zucchini/carrot
meal of mung bean sprouts/wakame seaweed/pumpkin seeds, followed by a few more bites from the cracao monster ;)
1 quart water

I’ve been pottering muchos in the garden here the last few days and LOVING it – even if I am not yet on a piece of land that feels like ‘my motherland’, I can still nurture someone else’s – especially as after all, ultimately, it’s all the same thing ;) Yes, in response to the question many of you have been asking, the garden in the background of the ‘Green Leaves’ video is the place we’ve been taking care of for the last 2 months – it is divine and we leave in a few days ;( Time to shimmy onwards...in the meantime, it’s been a real blessing to get my hands in the soil here and connect a bit more the last few days – and synchronistically, one reader – Marie – sent in this lovely little article abt the benefits of gardening, which really spoke to me – enjoy ;)

-----------------
Healing Benefits of Gardening
by Melanie Waxman

Exercise - Muscles are developed through digging, lifting and raking. Walking, weeding and mowing provide aerobic activity.
Connecting to the earth helps us to be in the here and now, and to get grounded. Best of all, the enjoyment and focus of working and creating in the garden makes exercise easy.

Stress relief - the serene beauty, sights and smells of the garden are relaxing, calming, can lower blood pressure and inspire meditation and reflection.

Structured learning - gardening stimulates the mind on a daily basis and is considered one of the top three "excellent mental workouts".

Improved Self-esteem - The hard work and dedication in the garden provides a great sense of accomplishment and increased self-esteem.
There is nothing more wonderful than watching your labor transform into flowers, fruits, and vegetables brimming with vitality. Experiencing all the aspects of the growing season provides a great sense of creative achievement.

Social Interaction - Gardening is a marvelous group activity for the whole family as all ages can participate. Harvesting the delicious fruits and vegetables give gardeners the opportunity to share them with friends and neighbors.
April is a great time to get started in the garden. Even if you only have a small space or a balcony, gardening can be enjoyed with containers and pots. I encourage everyone to have a go and harvest the benefits on all levels.
-----------------

One love,
Angela. xxx

Green Leaves :)

Well, the mischievous musical membranes of my right hemisphere appear to have been at it again and here is their latest creation, over on YouTube:

Green Leaves – a Raw Food Medley

Enjoy :)

As I’m sure most of you are aware, this is an adaptation of ‘Green Sleeves’, a beautiful English folk song reputedly written by King Henry VIII for one of his many wives...well, it used to kind of be my ‘signature’ song when I did more singing and less raw food munching...
The inspiration for this raw food interpretation of the song came from dear Mr Monarch himself. During our lengthy road trip last weekend down to Christchurch and back, I was reminiscing about when I once sang ‘Green Sleeves’ on national radio in Sri Lanka. All at once, he piped up that we ought to create a raw version called ‘Green Leaves’ and so...I got to work ;) Car journeys like that are great for headspace and flow for me...

Here are the lyrics in full:


Green Leaves
By Angela Stokes

Imagine foods that lift you up,
Restore your health and feel balancing.
Green leafy veggies do all of this
And combine well with almost anything...

Packed with enzymes and nutrients,
Greens even give us great protein.
Yet so few people get enough,
It’s time for us all to go more GREEN :)

Green leaves in all our juices,
Green leaves in our smoothies,
Green leaves in our soups and salads,
There’s so many ways to enjoy greens...

Greens can help us to alkalise,
Detox and re-mineralise.
Your skin will glow from the inside
And SPARKLY will be your eyes.

There’s kale, spinach and romaine,
Sprouts, cilantro, arugula,
Parsley, dandelion and purslane
And so many wild greens to discover...

Green leaves in all our juices,
Green leaves in our smoothies,
Green leaves in our soups and salads,
There’s so many ways to enjoy greens...

I would my dear encourage you,
To enjoy your greens more liberally.
You’ll feel more healthy and vibrant too,
So gather your greens up and join me :)

Green leaves in all our juices,
Green leaves in our smoothies,
Green leaves in our soups and salads,
There’s so many ways to enjoy greens... :)


ENJOY :)
All love,
Angelalalalalalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. xxx

Successfully Raw... :)

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
For any of you on the US east coast or ready/willing/able to whisk yourself there very promptly, you are cordially welcomed this Saturday, the 29th at the ‘Successfully Raw’ event being hosted in New York by raw food yumsters of the ‘We Like It Raw’ variety :) As I seem wont to say of late, were I in the States at present, this is another event I would LOVE to experience...as it is, we’ve got eventful unfoldments of our own to enjoy here presently in New Zealand (see more below…)
Successfully Raw looks set to be a truly awe-inspiring event – with 4 different speakers sharing their unique perspectives on healthy raw lifestyles. Your raw-licious line-up includes:

*Dhrumil Purohit, the force behind We Like it Raw, sharing on the link between raw foods and spirituality
*Karen Knowler, British raw food coach extraordinaire and long-term raw foodie, talking about successfully living raw
*Anthony Anderson – Mr. Raw Model himself shares his guidance for inner and outer beauty
*Philip McCluskey – my brother in raw weight loss ;) Philip will be sharing thoughts and tips on Emotional Eating
*Chef Joel Odhner gives guidance on quick and easy raw food recipes

What a line-up :) There will also be a gourmet live food lunch for all to enjoy too – WOW :) You can read all the full details for this event HERE.
The usual investment in your health for ‘Successfully Raw’ is $99, however, you, dear readers, are in for a treat, as dear Mr. Dhrumil has granted y’all access to reduced entry tickets at just $79 per person :) Isn’t he nice? :) If you follow this special link HERE, you can claim your special rate ticket and join the loved-up raw tribe for a day of fun :) ENJOY :) We’d love to hear about your experiences... :)

On March the 28th I had:

1.5 quarts water
3 cups watermelon/mandarin juice
2 cups cucumber/celery/parsley/lettuces/beetroot/cabbage/carrot juice
2 handfuls of fresh figs, straight from the tree
1 quart water
bowl of cucumber yum: grated cucumber mushed with avocado, sunflower seed pate, mixed sprouts, finely sliced broccoli pieces and karengo seaweed, served in lettuce wraps, followed by a little sweeeeeeeet paste: lucuma/yacon/vanilla/maca/cinnamon powders mixed together with a little water
1 quart water
1 pint spinach/lettuce/cabbage/cucumber/carrot/beetroot/pak choi juice
2 cups water

Back in the Southern Hemisphere, myself and the Monarch have quite a few speaking engagements resonating their way through our life tracks the next few weeks...Next Friday, the 4th, we shall present our tales of transformation and joy in sunny Christchurch...Sunday the 13th of April will see us oiling the raw food fascination nodules of minds in Golden Bay...April the 19th will be Wellington’s turn to get juicy and then we finish up in Melbourne on April the 26th with a finale of...exploding eggplants and corn confetti (perhaps...I wouldn’t get your expectations up about that though... ;)
You can see all the left-brain pleasing details of those events HERE... and we hope to see you THERE if you are NEAR :)

All love,
Angelaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahaahaaa. xxx

Juicy News, Green Powders and Gifts from Gaia...

OOoooo La Laalalalalalaaaa – we are now officially launched into liquid world with the start of the Global Juice Feast yesterday on March the 1st. Globaljuicefeast.com is all a-buzz with activity and I’m happy to hear that many of you have also been enjoying listening in to the set of JF conference calls we just put up on the RawReform store. I have three pieces of yummy juicy news for you today:

1. We now have the first, FREE conference call up there for download too. This was the hour-long call we did prior to recording the main set of 4 calls and it’s available now as a free download from HERE. We also put together a little package of all four of the main conference calls for a reduced price of $35 for all 4, instead of $10 each if bought separately :) YAY – you can see that package and access all the juicy info HERE.
2. Those juicy yumsters Justin and Heidi over at RawFoodRightNow.com just posted their review of my book ‘A Juice Feaster’s Handbook’ – thanks guys, glad you enjoyed it :) – you can see their review HERE.
3. I’m also happy to say that I’ve reached a personal conclusion about my participation in this year’s GJF – I’m going to have a straight juicy day once a week – most likely every Monday, depending on scheduling and starting TOMORROW :) Back on the juices for Ms. Stokes on the ‘morrow…yeeeeeeeeeee-HAH… :)

On March the 1st I had:

1.5 quarts water
1.5 cups nettle tea
3 mandarins
20oz celery/cucumber/parsley/kale/radish/lettuce/carrot juice
bowl of raspberry bliss: soaked dried mulberries blended with fresh raspberries, with LSA (ground linseed/sunflower seeds/almonds) stirred in, plus more berries for chewability
1 quart water
2 cups peppermint tea
10 amazing, dark prune plums
18oz celery/cucumber/kale/apple/ginger juice
½ watermelon
1 quart water

Here’s a quick reader Q from Mary:

“A question> How do you consume your green powder? I have been taking it regularily now for some weeks just in water, however, I certainly DO NOT enjoy the taste and sometimes it can make me feel a bit nauseous. You do have any tips on how to do it better? Blessings, Mary”

Hmmm...well, to be honest, I just eat green powder with a spoon, straight from the package...LOL...I love it – especially the wheatgrass powder we have here at the moment – it is sweeeeeeeeeeeet – gimme a spoonful of that any day over fresh wheatgrass juice ;) Green powders can vary HUGELY in taste though, depending on which you use – an algae, like spirulina or chlorella? Or grasses/veggie mixes? Or smthg that has a huge range of ingredients in it? Personally, I prefer the tastes of ‘cleaner’ green powders usually – like straight wheatgrass, or straight spirulina for example, rather than complex mixes. I do REALLY like Greener Grasses which is from Healthforce Nutritionals and is a simple blend of 6-8 grasses, no fillers...I find that the taste of green powders starts to get a bit ‘messy’ usually when there’s dozens of different ingredients, besides which, sometimes I really wonder about the body’s ability to decipher the mixed messages in smthg complex like that… ;) So, it really all depends which green powder you’re using...for example, I really don’t appreciate much the taste of chlorella – whereas I LOVE spirulina and can often be found with a green ‘spirulina’ mouth when supplies are nearby ;) If it’s spirulina you’re dealing with, I’d suggest a very simple recipe is to mash up an avocado and stir in 1 tbsp of spirulina and the juice of one lemon (or half, depending on how juicy it is). I used to eat that every day at one point – LOVED it :) Other ways to get more green powder into your life: throw it in smoothies/juices or sneak small amounts of it into sweet meals (e.g. sometimes we sneak some extra greenery into things like the ‘blended mulberry’ meals we make, or ‘apple flax’). If you use small amounts of green powder like that, with stuff that tastes yummy, you’re getting your extra nutrients in, without pulling ‘yuck’ faces ;) Also, the ‘nauseous’ reaction you’re having could be for a number of reasons – it might be you’re simply using a powder that doesn’t agree well with you OR it might be that the power of those greens is creating a little detox reaction in you…
Hope that helped – I’d recommend getting on the tasty greens, like Greener Grasses – or better yet, go mainly for FRESH greens, rather than powders anyway ;)

on March the 2nd I had:

1 quart water
3 cups nettle tea
3 mandarins
20oz celery/cucumber/kale/apple/ginger juice
bowl of the Monarch Savoury Speciality: grated cucumbers, avo, sunflower seed pate, garlic, spring onions, arugula, mixed sprouts and karengo seaweed, wrapped in lettuce leaves and nori sheets
1.5 quarts water
few slices of dried papaya, ½ tbsp green powder
bowl of mulberry fruit bliss: soaked dried mulberries blended with fresh blueberries and served swirled with fresh cherries and a little LSA (ground linseed/sunflower seeds/almonds)
1 quart water

I am feeling SO blessed and blissed in this little corner of paradise we currently find ourselves caretaking...this morning I awoke and wandered out onto the dewy grass for my morning yoga and was greeted by a graceful slither of rainbow, positioned directly in the space between the trees that guides our view down to the ocean...quite, quite beautiful...it only lasted a few minutes...I took a photo – you can see it here to the right – not sure if you can make out the rainbow from here – I hope so :) Then this afternoon I went for a delicious wander in this local area and found my way into an incredible grove full of ENORMOUS old rocks and unfathomably twisted trees that have worked their way up from the floor of this shady grove towards the sunlight way above, clinging to the sides of the rocks in the most bizarre formations – it’s an incredible little pocket of life there…take a look at this picture I took and you can see one of the trees with these huge roots stretching all the way down to the ground down the sides of this boulder...it actually almost seemed like a film set, the whole place – it was just so amazing to think that a place like this actually exists, untouched, except for a pathway to gawp from... ;)
While we’re on the subject of beautiful, inspiring locations, dear ladies and gentleman, we have a request for information from a dear raw chap who is seeking guidance on places to enjoy in Kauai for extended stays this summer...anything yummy to share? Or raw-friendly places anywhere in Hawaii would be interesting to know about for that matter...please send any leads to angela@rawreform.com and I’ll compile all the info and post here – thanks :)

One love,
Angelalalalaalalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. xxx

Seaweed Safety and Spices...

I’m writing from the southern tip of Lake Taupo in New Zealand today...what a STUNNING area – the lake is just vaaaaast :) We’ve been travelling quite a lot the last few days, LOVING the scenery here, marvelling at the myriad hues of green, the enormous stretches of land, land, land, sans human settlements, the gorgeous pristine waters...yummy…we also gave talks yesterday in Tauranga – thanks to ye’ all who came out to play – it was fun :) We’re on our way south now...in fact, we’ve just confirmed we’ll be speaking in Wellington in a couple of months' time. We’ll be at the Crossways Community Centre, (Cnr Elizabeth & Brougham Streets) on Saturday 19 April from 3.30pm to 7.30pm, with a raw potluck after...hope to see you there if you’re in the area – you can see full details and book your place HERE: http://www.purewellbeing.com/index1.html.

on February the 22nd I had:

2 quarts water
juice of 3 mandarins juiced in the mouth ;)
20oz of celery/cucumber/parsley/spinach/lambs’ quarters/carrot juice
bowl of fruit salad with chia gel: papaya/dragon fruit/banana/peach/cherries/blueberries
1 quart water
1 tbsp green powders: wheatgrass and barley grass
bowl of homemade tahini/brazil nut butter mixed with mung bean sprouts, diced tomatoes/garlic, karengo seaweed, stuffed in lettuce leaves and nori sheets
1 quart water

This question came in recently about seaweed:

“I wonder about mercury in seaweed? If we must worry about mercury in fish, wouldn't it be in the seaweed also?”

Hmmmm, thanks for the Q...well, while personally I don’t feel that I ‘must’ worry about anything, I was intrigued about the content of this message and so asked our primary seaweed supplier - ‘Maine Coast Sea Veg’ for their feedback – here was what they had to say on the matter:

“Our mercury levels are so low that we actually stopped testing for several years. We started again in response to customer requests for the information.
The levels for mercury have been consistently undetected at 0.04 ppm.

We do testing for heavy metals every year, at the end of the harvest season. I have attached our Statement of Product Testing for 2007, which is the last year for which data is available. You can also check out the same document in our FAQ section online, at http://www.seaveg.com/faq6.php.

I hope that this is helpful. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours in Health,
Rae Urban”

Hmmmmm, interesting, eh? Hope that helps y’all feel even more yummy about munching on the ocean’s weedy wonders...I am SOOO into seaweeds at the moment, as you may have noticed in my daily food logs ;) Karengo, wakame, kelp, nori – LOVING it and it’s definitely nice to know I’m not massively stacking up my toxin load simultaneously... ;)
Ok, double-whammy food log now, due to being ex communicado on the road for a while there... ;)

on February the 23rd I had:

1.5 quarts water
3 mandarins
16oz carrot/cucumber/ginger/mint juice
bowl of cherries
2 cups carrot juice with Greener Grasses powder stirred in
3 cups water
bowl of fruit salad with chia gel: banana/blueberries/cherries/mulberries
1 quart water
2 cups carrot juice
bowl of avo mushed with diced tomatoes/garlic, mixed sprouts, karengo seaweed & cumin powder, served in lettuce leaves and nori rolls
1 quart water


on February the 24th I had:

2 quarts water
3 mandarins
24oz celery/cucumber/cabbage/parsley/spinach/lambs’ quarters/carrot juice
lettuce wraps stuffed with seed pate (soaked sunflower seeds/sundried tomatoes, blended with garlic), diced tomatoes, sprouts and seaweed
1 quart water
1 tbsp green powders
bowl of chia gel with fruit salad – blueberries, cherries, mulberries and apple
1.5 quarts water

Here’s another recent Q – from Ms. Amy...

“I'm wondering: do you use any kind of spices in your dishes (pepper, oregano, etc)? I'm just curious. I don't know if going without spices is for me, so I'll probably keep them personally, but I was just curious what "real" raw foodies do! Thanks. Making The Transition in Pennsylvania – Amy”

Thanks for the Q Amy :) Well...everyone’s different of course and some raw foodies will use herbs and spices, whereas others aren’t interested in them...I’ll certainly share with you what THIS ‘real raw foodie’ does though ;)
I rarely use spices anymore in foods I make myself – I do go through spates though where I might get REALLY into something – like cumin for example – some of you who’ve been reading this blog for a while might remember I got really into eating cumin with avocado and lime a while back – I was eating it literally every day, then I was just...done, not really interested anymore – though, coincidentally, I did get some out of the cupboard here yesterday in fact and enjoyed a bit with my meal ;) Sometimes I get interested in cayenne pepper and I think that may happen again soon...I feel it coming ;) Cayenne is an extraordinarily healing food – if you’ve never looked into the properties of it, I’d definitely recommend it – especially for anyone in cold, wintery places right now ;) I also absolutely LOOOOOOOVE cinnamon and just got a new bag of it a few days ago, so will start using that again soon, most likely…other than that, hmmmm...I don’t use much myself in the way of spices...
Herbs I enjoy include parsley, cilantro, mint and basil – the first two we use pretty often in juices and sometimes in salads/savoury meals, whereas basil and mint I tend to find more awkward to use in meals – it always seems like when you buy them, they come in huge bunches and unless I make pesto or ice cream or smthg, it just seems like way too much to deal with in one go, so I tend to just not even bother getting either of them ;) I’m not much into using dried herbs myself either... HOWEVER, if I eat some pre-prepared raw food like crackers or smthg that someone’s made, which contain herbs or spices, I usually feel fine about it. Mr Monarch on the other hand has been at this raw game longer than me and is not so enamoured of spices – he’s very sensitive to them and really feels the effect strongly when they’re in foods – he prefers to avoid them. A lot of raw foodists actually don’t feel good about eating herbs/spices – usually it’s people more into Natural Hygiene ideas who feel that way . Here’s a little blurb I wrote recently on spices that might help explain why, if this seems odd to you:

“Spices tend to be powdered forms of certain plants, in concentrations you would not easily come across in nature. Spices are made by powdering down a large amount of some bark, root, or other plant matter. You might even have a spice blend. The concentrated intensity of the spice can throw the body a bit out of balance, as you are getting a much bigger ‘hit’ of this food than you’d naturally be able to get hold of if you were just foraging things to eat in the wild. This can distort taste buds, block your ability to sense when you’ve eaten enough and so encourage eating in excess.”

As for the herbs, well, as mentioned above, some of them just don’t seem that easy to use – if you can’t imagine eating a whole bunch of mint or basil for a meal, some people question the idea of bothering to use them at all...;) Well...different courses for different horses – I hope that’s given you some ideas anyway about raw foodie herb/spice interactions...

One love,
Angela. xxx

Reflections and Rejoice...

WOW...one year ago tomorrow – February the 20th 2007 - I broke my 92-Day Juice Feast...this was my last day in liquid world and this time last year I was busy breaking out the prunes to soak for the next day ;) Here’s a little of what I wrote that day:

"Over the last three months I have lived and juiced through the ups and downs of green juice rejection, pancreas issues, sugar withdrawals, massive mucus expulsion, intrepid hiking trips, housing upheavals and more… You could probably fill a swimming pool with the amount of
juice I’ve consumed…and going by the theory that we ‘go back in time 120 days for each day of juice feasting’, I have gone back in time over 30 years now…which means…I am pre-birth again I guess… ;) well, that’s nice…time to rise like a phoenix again then…"

…wow ;) You can read the whole of that post HERE. It seems I’d also JUST finished editing the Juice Feaster’s Handbook that day too – that crazy juicy energy was obviously working its magic…and what a long way the Juice Feasting world has come since then ;) There are an astonishing number of yumsters out there living la vida liquid at the moment and with the official kick-off of the GLOBAL JUICE FEAST on March the 1st, I suspect supplies of mason jars may very well run dry in N. America ;) To see who’s juicing what, check out the ‘Ultimate List of Juice Feasting Blogs’ compiled by Heidi and Justin over at RawFoodRightNow HERE.
The delightful masters of juicy ceremonies, David and Katrina Rainoshek are doing incredible web-weaving to bring this whole event together and EVERYONE is welcome ;) Just check out juicefeasting.com and you’ll find all the ‘juicy’ details there...(tee-hee ;) BTW – people keep asking if I’m going to JF again now with the global waves...hmmm...to be honest, I’m not sure yet...might be...might do one juicy day a week...I’ll see how it unfolds as the time draws nearer... ;)

on February the 18th I had:

1.5 quarts water
1 quart celery/cucumber/zucchini/radish/carrot juice
bowl of mulberries blended with veggie juice, stirred with fresh blueberries and more dried mulberries to chew on ;)
2 cups water
2 cups rooibus tea
1 cup green smoothie: banana/spinach/weeds
7 little mandarins and 2 nectarines
1 quart water
little bowl of avo mushed with sprouts, diced tomatoes/garlic and karengo seaweed, served in lettuce wraps and nori sheets
3 cups water

Tomorrow - Wednesday, February 20 – also happens to see the Full Moon in Virgo – time for health and healing with a total lunar eclipse, according to the lovely lady of lunar forecasts, Ms. Lisa Dale Miller. Here’s a little of what she has to share about this occasion:

“In truth, we all express our Virgo side when we strive to be our best. Virgo is the healer, the doctor, the nurse, the teacher, the therapist, the worker, the researcher, the scientist, and the engineer. Virgo is the true healer of the zodiac because in its mind, if it causes pain, it warrants attention and a cure. For Virgo, caring comes in the form of finding workable solutions to everyday problems.
This is the Full Moon to celebrate the body and take responsibility for our health. If you are currently dealing with a serious health issue, don’t take anything at face value.
Become an active partner in your healing process. Read the research, ask lots of questions and engage your practitioners in dialogue about your progress. Virgo wants to understand the mechanics of illness so that it can better affect a cure. This kind of questioning may include opening yourself to alternative treatments or new approaches.
By the way, this is the ideal Full Moon to start a weight loss or de-tox program... the Full Moon in Virgo reflects a tremendous desire to throw off unhealthy habits that create sickness and sadness in our lives.
This Virgo Full Moon also gives us all an opportunity to make friends with our inner critic; that slave driver who can be either a helpmate or a hindrance. For those of you with strong Virgo in your charts, this is the Full Moon to tame the perfectionist living inside your head. You know… the one that says, “Nothing I do is good enough.” Those inner voices of self-doubt block the ability to act with conviction. This is the time to talk back to self-doubt and take control! Use this Full Moon to say, “This is good enough!” and get your talent out there.”

Oooohhhh, thank you for that last paragraph, Lisa ;) If MY Virgo has its way, I don’t think ‘Raw Emotions’ will ever be ready for public viewing ;) Breathing deep and extending a friendly hand to Virgo here... ;)

on February the 19th I had:

1.5 quarts water
24oz celery/cucumber/radish/lettuce/cabbage/carrot juice
bowl of magical berry mush: dried mulberries blended with banana and blueberries, with more mulberries and blueberries stirred in
2 quarts water
big handful of cherries
½ a big watermelon
handful of wakame seaweed with pumpkin seeds
1 quart water

Today we walked up Mount Maunganui near Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty. WOW :) Here are a couple of pics I took from the summit. It was a glorious day for it and so beautiful to see the shimmering waters, the fern-clad hillsides and all the sweaty, smiling joggers ;) The mountain is out on a spit, surrounded on three ‘sides’ by water and there are paths around it, as well as up to the summit. This was an especially yummy trip for me today, as when I was last here, I was not really able to reach the summit. Back in the year 2000 I weighed nearly 300lbs and was staying in this area as a volunteer on an organic farming homestead. On my day off, the ‘grand-dad’ of the family I was with suggested I might like to visit the mountain, then hastily added, ‘you won’t be able to walk to the top though’. I wasn’t sure why...perhaps it was closed that day or smthg...? Then his daughter asked him to clarify why and he bluntly said ‘well, look at her...’ I felt extremely uncomfortable and shamed. Indeed, I didn’t climb to the summit on that day 8 years ago. I did today though ;) ...and it was glorious...and I am grateful...

All love,
Angela. xxx

An Attitude of Gratitude...

Three things I am grateful for today:

1. Waking up at 7am, running to the beach and enjoying my morning yoga and meditation with the seagulls in the black sand, crisp morning air and seaspray...
2. Speaking to a delightful crowd at a packed event in Auckland. Thanks to all who turned out – it was a pleasure to connect with so many of the kiwi raw tribe ;)
3. Eating so much seaweed. I recently declared to Mr Monarch that I would happily live on papaya and seaweed...I hold this to be true...the wakame and karengo seaweeds we have at the moment are just diviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine...we found it challenging to find seaweeds in Australia, so are very happy to be munching our way through bags of it again now...if you’d like more info about just WHY one might think it jolly to eat sea shrubbery, pls see this informative video courtesy of Dr Wolfe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkUrgi7pZlY

on February the 16th I had:

1.5 quarts water
30oz watermelon/orange juice
30oz celery/cucumber/zucchini/spinach/carrot/radish/cabbage juice
bowl of fruit salad with chia gel: banana/papaya/kiwi/goji berries/plum
1.5 quarts water
12oz celery/cucumber/zucchini/spinach/carrot/radish/cabbage juice
bowl of ‘apple flax’: blended apples mixed with groud flax/pumpkin seeds, with goji berries and karengo seaweed stirred in...yummmmmmmmmm
1 quart water

Three things I appreciate about New Zealand:

1. The greeeeeeeeeeeeeenery...this morning we drove through what seemed like a primitive rainforest to me – I found the trees and ferns and plant life just staggering in their beauty...I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stretch of greenery that looked so...pristine...I somehow had the impression it had barely changed in many centuries...it was like I imagine the scenery would be if one was to rock up on a deserted island in the South Pacific or somewhere – lush gorgeousness and SO many shades of green...mmmmmmmmm
2. Small population – YES :) I LOVE countries with small human populations...I find that people usually tend to be a lot nicer to each other in these countries...this was one of the things I loved most about Iceland, where I lived for 3.5 years, on and off...you can drive for hours on end in some areas of both these countries and not see a single other vehicle...there are many other similarities betwixt Iceland and NZ too, from my perspective – dramatic scenery, lots of sheep – in fact, quite probably more cattle than humans, glaciers and volcanoes, no major mammal life etc...
3. Maori culture – in no other country which the British and other Europeans decided to take over have I seen as much apparent embracing of the ‘native’ culture as here. Maoris seem vastly more ‘visible’ in society here than, for example, Aboriginis in Australia or Native Americans in N. America...there are Maori statues, sayings and place names all over, museums, businesses, artwork, jewellery, cultural gatherings and so on...not that there aren’t challenges still, I’m sure – I just find it interesting to see the way in which two very different societies seem to have found a way of integrating here, compared to similar scenarios in other parts of the world...

ommmmmmmmm February the 17th I had:

1.5 quarts water
30oz watermelon juice
bowl of fruit salad with chia gel: apple/kiwi/plum/banana
1 quart water
1.5 cups celery/cucumber/leafy greens/carrot/apple juice
½ serving of mung beans/tahini/seaweeds/pumpkin seeds mixture served in lettuce wraps
1lb of cherries
½ serving of mung beans/tahini/seaweeds/tomatoes/pumpkin seeds mixture served in lettuce wraps
1 quart water

The final thing I’d like to express gratitude for today is ‘Asana Kisses’. This cheekily named balm is one of the extraordinary products from yummy skincare company ‘Little Moon Essentials’. It is like a natural version of ‘Deep Heat’ and it performed incredible healing work on my body the last couple of days. I pulled a muscle in my back quite badly a couple of nights ago, when we were moving house. It was VERY painful. I’m not used to injuring myself much and find it a bit bizarre when I do. This injury left me unable to breathe fully into my left lung cavity without pain and any twisting of my torso was agonising. I assumed it would take quite a while to heal. I pulled out the aforementioned ‘Asana Kisses’ balm and slathered it over the painful area on my back before going to bed, for 2 nights in a row. By the third day, I was back to FULL functionality...I was amazed...this product is actually designed for ‘extreme sports enthusiasts’, to help heal injuries quickly...I’ve been carrying this pot of balm with me for quite some time on the road and had never had cause to use it until now...well, WOW is my verdict, this is potent stuff...I’d definitely recommend it for speedy, natural healing – you can check out all their products on the Little Moon Essentials site HERE and I do believe I’ve often seen their things in places such as ‘Whole Foods’ in N. America as well...we actually met Laura, the owner, many mooooons ago, in Arizona on a raw retreat – she’s a magical little raw pixie of joy and I for one am very grateful for these 'Kisses’ she offers the world ;)

One love,
Angela. xxx

New Raw Arrivals...

Today we have an exciting Valentines announcement...I am delighted to say that the very first translation of a RawReform book went on sale today... The name of the book is ‘Élõ ételfinomságok receptkönyve ‘ and yep, you guessed it, it’s the HUNGARIAN version of my Recipe book... ;) WOW – who saw that coming...?
The translation was produced by the talented Ms. Valeria Urban and what a lovely job she’s done on the cover :) (I’m taking her word on the translation aspect however... ;)
Valeria Urban (pictured here below) is a woman on a mission: she is single-handedly bringing the raw food revolution to Hungary :) Yeeeeeeeee-HAH ;) She set up the first (and so far only) Hungarian raw food website - http://www.nyersetel.hu/ - studied live-food cuisine at the luscious Tree of Life in Arizona and has already translated and published Victoria Boutenko’s books ‘Raw Family’ and ‘Green for Life’ into Hungarian. GOOD WORK :)
You can see the PRINTED version of this book at Valeria’s site HERE and in the next few days, we will also add it as an e-book to the RawReform store – stay tuned ;)
If you’re reading this and thinking ‘hang on, I could translate raw books into Italian/French/Swahili’ and so on, do feel free to drop us a line to angela@rawreform.com with a few details and we can get you set up with info on how YOU could be the next star translator, helping spread the raw message ever-further ;)

on February the 14th I had:

1.5 quarts water
16oz carrot/spinach/zucchini/cucumber juice
fruit salad w/chia gel (papaya/peach/golden kiwi/plum) with a bowl of banana/maca ice cream
3 cups water
12oz carrot/spinach/zucchini/cucumber juice
bowl of banana ice cream with cherries and a couple of mandarins
1 quart water

We are so bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeessed :) After the ‘torments’ of inner-city life in Auckland, we have now headed out west for a few nights of recuperation and detox, before our talk in Auckland this Sunday. We are so grateful to now be at a STUNNING beach house, just a few paces from the ocean. Fresh air, the sound of crashing waves, rainforest-clad hills and the sound of bird call rather than truck brakes...aaaaaahhhhhh, breathing deep and giving much gratitude here...plus detoxing at a rate of knots ;) I sense some more beautiful west coast sunset moments in the coming days :) I’ll try to take some pictures this time... Ooo, and if anyone has places to recommend staying in the Golden Bay/Nelson area of the South Island here, please do let us know – angela@rawreform.com...

on February the 15th I had:

1.5 quarts water
30oz watermelon/orange juice
20oz spinach/cucumber/zucchini/carrot juice
bowl of tahini/hemp seed mushed with diced tomatoes and karengo seaweed, served with lettuce leaves and cucumber sticks
1.5 quarts water
12oz spinach/cucumber/zucchini/carrot juice
bowl of fruit salad with chia gel: banana/papaya/golden kiwi/goji berries/blueberries/cherries
1 quart water

Mr. Monarch already mentioned this a bit in his blog yesterday – however, I know not everyone reads both of our posts, so I thought I’d repeat this here too, especially as I’d like to see these beautiful people get as much coverage as possible... Our gloriously raw friends Kathy and Danny Living (yes, that's their real surname) recently opened a new raw restaurant in the Chicago suburbs called ‘Borrowed Earth’ and were featured in a sweet little clip on local TV a few nights ago – you can see the video HERE. Danny and Kathy are SUCH sweeeeeeeet people and it is so heartwarming to me to see their dreams animated into reality in this way...we met them for the first time last year in Chicago, when the Monarch and myself were giving talks – now, I may get some of the details of their stories a bit fuzzy, but it goes smthg like this: they had jobs they didn’t really like, then suddenly they didn’t have jobs...in fact they had no source of income and weren’t sure what direction life was flowing for them...they decided to watch the film ‘The Secret’ every day for a month. They lived by the principles of manifesting our deepest desires through positive thinking...within a few months, they were opening their own raw food restaurant and now they’re living the dream ;) Yeeeeeeeeee-HAH :)))))) LOVE IT and I love them too – they are like deliciousness embodied...friendly, funny, warm-hearted, loving, open, generous...and from this little video clip, Borrowed Earth is looking FABULOUS – it looks SO sleek and pro, yet friendly too – I LOVE the ‘rawluctant gallery wall’ for example – classic ;) Anyway, you can check out the little news item on their place HERE and you can visit Borrowed Earth itself here: http://www.blogger.com/www.borrowedearthcafe.com

We definitely plan to give talks and visit up there one day – hopefully later this year, as and when we get back to the States ;)

One love,
Angela. xxx

Just gimme land, lots of land under starry skies above...

Today I decided to check out what was happening for me this day last year on my blog...February the 1st 2007, I was...74 DAYS into Juice Feasting and amazed to be ‘STILL having solid bowels movements’...lol…;) Those of you who followed my juicy adventures more closely will know I actually experienced solid BMs for the ENTIRE 92 days...quite phenomenal...it really shows me how much there is to release from these structures, after soooo many years of less-than-optimal eating... Here to the right is also a pretty picture I took on this day last year, while visiting a local art gallery in Costa Rica, where I was at that time...seems like a few lifetimes ago now... ;) My, my, how quickly things seem to flow these days...and how JUICILY things seem to flow too – have you noticed how many people out there seem to be Juice Feasting at the moment? It’s quite amazing to see...all power to you if you’re immersed in liquid land at the moment ;) (You can see my full post from this day last year HERE.)

on January the 31st I had:

2 quarts water
1lb cherries
12oz pineapple/cucumber juice – YUMMMM
bowl of avo mushed with diced tomatoes, pinch of salt and assorted micro-greens/alfalfa sprouts, served with cucumber slices and carrot ‘unbread’ sticks
1.5 quarts water
1/5 tbsp green powder
bowl of fruit salad: delicious mix of papaya, banana and blueberries – absolutely GORGEOUS :)
1/5 quarts water

YAY, I’m happy to hear so many of you enjoyed the link to the free Ann Wigmore book over on the ChiDiet site :) REMEMBER that there’s still time to enter the RawReform giveaway contest for January – though it somehow already became February where we are – there’s a few days yet before the next newsletter goes out... The question this month was all about the ‘old school’ raw food pioneers, like Wiggie herself ;) The prize is a free copy of Mr Monarch’s ‘Raw Success’ on e-book and to be in with a chance of winning, just email in your A to the following Q:

If you could speak to any of the Raw Food Pioneers of by-gone days and ask them a single question, whom would you connect to and what would you ask them?

Examples of pioneers who have passed to the other side include:
Dr. Norman Walker, Arnold Ehret, Bernard Jensen, Szekely, Paul Bragg, Dr. Ann Wigmore, Herbert Shelton, St Louis Estes and Hilton Hotema... There have been some fascinating Qs coming in so far – keep ‘em coming ;)
Send your answers in to angela@rawreform.com and the winner shall be selected at random and with much joy in a few days... ;)

on February the 1st I had:

1.5 quarts water
1 golden peach and 1lb cherries
3 cups water
delicious fresh sprouts/greens salad, straight from the garden, with diced tomatoes and bell peppers, celery/spinach sauce, salad dressing, avocado and home-preserved olives – yummmmm :)
A few orange slices and a chocolate bliss ball
Shot of INTENSE kombucha
2 cups water
24oz juice: cilantro/cucumber/watercress/kale/carrot/spinach juice
bowl of chia gel with papaya/banana/blueberries and dried figs dunked in tahini on the side
3 cups water

We were so blessed today to meet the lovely Mark and Veronique of Vital Essence, who showed us some places to get organics in Auckland. We were starting to wonder... ;) We’ve actually never been anywhere that seems to have such scant access to organics – we were a bit baffled, especially as New Zealand tends to be renowned for being very eco-conscious and there are MANY organic farms here...a couple of days ago we tried our luck in one supermarket only to discover the interesting ‘health food and soap’ aisle...yes...those of you who’ve heard me give a talk may remember me joking that ‘the middle aisles will kill you’ – well, this ‘health food’ aisle definitely didn’t appear to be an exception to that, with all it’s packaged soya products and the alluring smell of soap wafting along from the adjoining shelves… Fortunately we located a couple of places to get organic goods today – hurray – including Ceres, a nice little health food store :) Then even more exquisitely, we were treated to a delicious fresh salad, straight from Mark and Veronique’s garden – YUMMMM. It was so beautiful to me to see a young family living the kind of life I would LOVE to soon settle into too – a garden full of greens and fruit trees, a beautiful, happy young raw toddler and people who are clearly curious about the joys to be explored here...FUN :)
By the way, I have the full event details now for our talk here in Auckland: we are speaking on Sunday February the 17th (N.B. - not the 16th as previously thought) at the St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont St, Ponsonby. The event runs from 1-5pm and you can see more details on the RawReform homepage HERE. Hope to see you there if you’re in the area ;)

One love,
Angela. xxx

Free Books and Quirky Looks... ;)

KIA-ORA - welcome to New Zealand :)
Today we shifted another couple of time zones and now find ourselves in the delightful land of the kiwis...(birds, fruits and people ;) The last few days have been a whirlwind of packing, tying up loose ends in OZ, cleaning and travelling – we are REALLY happy to have arrived now in our next abode for the coming weeks...it feels a lot less humid here so far than where we have been, which I appreciate, plus FAR fewer insects and a glut of cheap organic cherries – YUMMMMMM :) How blessed we are...We’ll be speaking in Auckland on February the 16th and then in Tauranga on February the 23rd...hope to see you there if you’re also round this way ;)

on January the 28th I had:

1.5 quarts water
1 cup prune soak water, 8oz soaked prunes
½ a green mamey
1.5 tbsps bee pollen
2 cups water
slice of watermelon
bowl of ‘beans ‘n cheese’ – soaked dried figs mashed with egg fruit and tahini
1 quart water
big bowl of cherries
3 cups water

I know a lot of you enjoyed that free book from Revvell a couple of days ago – GREAT :) (If you missed that one, see HERE). Well, here’s another freebie treat for you - in case you missed his comment on a blog post here from a few days back, Mr. ‘Chi Diet’ – Jim Carey – has kindly made available on his blog a FREE book from Dr Ann ‘Wiggie’ Wigmore herself – NICE :) Thanks for spreading the love, Jim :) He also has a very cool, rare video up there of the good doctor, doing a sprouting demo - WOW - nice to see her in action ;) To see the post where you can download the book, click HERE...
ENJOY :)

on January the 29th I had:

1.5 quarts water
2 tbsp bee pollen
½ cup prune soak water, plus 5oz prunes
3 cups watermelon juice
bowl of avo mushed with diced tomatoes/garlic, mixed sprouts and a pinch of salt, served with raw ‘onion bread’, sunflower greens and cucumber sticks
3 cups water
1 pint parsley/bok choi/romaine/cucumber/alfalfa/carrot/apple/ginger juice
bowl of ‘grawnola’ with macadamia nut milk
3 cups water


on January the 30th I had:

2 quarts water
big chunk of watermelon
1 egg fruit
little bowl of avo mushed with alfalfa, finely chopped parsley and a pinch of salt, served with 2 apples cut into slices, sunflower greens and a little piece of ‘raw onion bread’
1 cup water
1 mango
bowl of cherries
3 cups water
1 cucumber dipped in hemp seeds
2 cups water

Did you hear about ‘The Blue Man’, Paul Karason in the US, whose skin reportedly turned blue after repeatedly using colloidal silver? Very interesting case methinks... ;) You can see a little 2 min video clip of him on YouTube below – I no longer remember where this story came to me from – thanks though, to whoever passed it along... ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XV0I6Q70Yw

One love,
Angela. xxx

Travel and Inspiration...

Well, we’re back at base now, after nearly a week of hopping around this great continent. It’s been yummy - today we even saw kangaroos munching in the early morning light in country fields :) We spoke in both Perth and Adelaide to lovely, receptive audiences – thanks to everyone who came along :) I also got to see three stunning western-facing beach sunsets in a row...yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...I just LOVE west coast sunsets – I would love to settle near the sea on a west coast somewhere, to enjoy those kinds of moments regularly...mmmmmmmmm...
We were also extremely blessed to have some wonderful hosts to share with in both locations – the raw tribe seems to be growing daily, with so many beautiful, bright, loving beings stepping onto this path...Oooo, for any of you who may be about to set out on travels soon and are looking for places to crash – HERE’s a great article recently forwarded by a friend, which lists ‘8 Tools to Travel Long Term and Live Rent Free’. Wonderful :) I’ve used many of these services in the last years – I think WWOOF-ing was probably the most rewarding for me – working on organic farms. I ‘WWOOF-ed’ my way around New Zealand, back in 2000...LOVED it...and now we’re heading back there, in just a few days – yeeeeeeeeeeeee-HAH :) (BTW – If anyone has suggestions of where to stay in Auckland or Whangarei, please drop us a line at angela@rawreform.com ;)

Ok, it’s going to be a double-whammy of food logs again now, due to recent blog inactivity ;) Hold on tight, here we go...

on January the 24th I had:

2 quarts water
2 cups parsley/lettuce/chard/ginger/beetroot/carrot juice
2 peaches and 4 nectarines
2 cups water
¾ avo mushed with diced tomatoes, powdered kelp and sliced spring onions (green onions), stuffed in romaine leaves
2 cups green smoothie: banana/mango/romaine/baby spinach
3 cups water
2 little boxes of blueberries, 2 peaches
1.5 tbsp fresh bee pollen


on January the 25th I had:

2 quarts water
4 gorgeous little nectarines
bowl of bananas mushed with ‘LPA’ – linseed/pumpkin/almond meal
1 quart water
bowl of chopped green leafies with some raw pesto, ¼ avo and homemade sundried tomatoes, served with a flax cracker
3 cups water
2.5 cups green smoothie: mango/banana/pineapple/celery/lettuce/spirulina/maca with dried banana strips on the side
3 cups water

Internet raw radio host Revvell Revati has a new FREE e-book out, covering the ’10 Most Asked Questions About Raw Foods’. So, next time someone asks...’where do you get your protein...???’, you can feel even more prepared to unveil some nutrition illusions, by downloading this book for free HERE: http://tinyurl.com/29n8y8. (…and in case you missed our interview, HERE’s a link to myself and Revvell having a natter a few months ago ;)

on January the 26th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups dark red mulberries and a few fresh figs
½ an avocado & 2 tbsp raw pesto, stirred together, served with cucumber sticks, fresh tomatoes, a flax cracker and romaine lettuce leaves
1 quart water
handful of cherries, 2 cups mulberries and a few fresh figs
2 cups water
3 cups green smoothie: mango/banana/mulberry/romaine/kale/spirulina
2 cups water


on January the 27th I had:

1 quart water
1.5 tbsp bee pollen
bowl of fresh salad: lettuces/tomato/finely chopped cucumber&carrot/basil pesto/sprouted sunflower seeds, mixed sprouts, served with cucumber sticks
3 cups water
1 mango
2 cups water
big slice of watermelon
2 cups water

Gosh, how very delightful. After passing on the Inspirational Blogger award to a few raw lovelies back in October, it seems as if most of the raw blogging world has now felt the loving touch of this yummy award :) ...and now it’s just come full-circle back to this blog, care of the lovely Melissa and Baby Alex over at rawbabyalex.blogspot.com – thanks petals :) Hmmmm, so, as you’re perhaps aware, this means I get the fun game to play again of passing the award on to 5 more blogs of note – HURRAY :) (You can check out the ‘rules’ of the award HERE.) Ok, so, here are my nominations this time round, in no particular order:

Mr. Matthew Monarch – gotta pass it on to the Monarch ;) His dedication to sharing truth, integrity and giggles inspires me :) I don’t know anyone else who has gone completely raw overnight and never taken a step back again, for example – even 8 years now down the line...his focus is extraordinary and I find his resonance to truth and simplicity delightful...
http://mattmonarch.blogspot.com
Kevin Gianni – Mr Renegade Health has some interesting points to share, including a recent post that gathered over a hundred comments ;O Incidentally, he also has a new free ‘summit’ season about to start this week – on the 28th – with all kinds of speakers, some raw foodies – check that out HERE.
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/

Post Secret – ooooo, here’s a fun one ;) Have you encountered Frank and the fun over on PostSecret before? If not, you’re in for a treat...this blog displays postcards that people send in to Frank in Maryland, sharing their deepest, ‘darkest’, untold secrets...some fascinating things are posted – in fact, he’s even started to make books of them now...check it out HERE:
http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Steve Pavlina – Self-described ‘...left-handed, well educated, vegan, lucid dreaming, happily jobless, reality manipulating...blogger’, Pavlina is well-known in the blogosphere for his comfort-zone-pushing experiences. He is currently trying out a 30-day raw lifestyle – NICE :) A couple of days ago he actually mentioned my weight loss transformation too (see HERE) – thanks for the nod, Steve ;) Thanks also for inspiring people to keep the energy flowing ;)
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog

David & Katrina Rainoshek – yes, the juice masters themselves ;) There seem to be an astronomical amount of people out there Juice Feasting at the moment – it’s incredible to witness and the juicy Rainoshek pair are keeping up the helm on this blog. In March, the ‘Global Juice Feast’ will be kicking off, with people living on liquid the world over...oooo, la la...organic farmers, please PREPARE... ;)
http://juicefeasting.blogspot.com/

One love,
Angela. xxx

Monarch Musings, Beans 'n Cheese...

Oooooooo, look what you started – Mr Monarch had such a jolly time with y’all while he was blogging here that he’s been n’ gone’ n’ started his OWN blog ;) LOL...beautiful :) I think it’s marvellous and am very excited to see what he shares there... If you’d like to visit, or sign up to get his posts emailed to you whenever he writes, just follow the link below – (N.B. the email subscription is a 2-STAGE process – be sure to click the link in the email that is sent to you, to verify and start receiving the Monarch Musings… ;)

http://mattmonarch.blogspot.com

on January the 16th I had:

1 quart water
1 papaya with lime juice, 1 mango
1 pint celery/cucumber/zucchini/lettuce/fennel/lemon juice
bowl of avo mushed with finely chopped garlic and cilantro, stirred in with mixed sprouts, lime juice & salt, served with cucumber sticks and romaine leaves
2 cups water
3 cups straight zucchini juice – yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
bowl of chia gel mixed up with a diced mango and diced dried figs
3 cups water

Time for a little TALK update again for those currently down under or headed this way...we are speaking at Alive Organics in Perth a week from today – January the 23rd from 7pm, then we speak in Adelaide at the Hillcrest Community Centre on January the 26th, from 2pm. You can see full details on Matt’s events page HERE: http://www.rawspirit.org/events.php.
We are also scheduled to move on down to New Zealand and speak in Auckland on February the 16th, then Tauranga on February the 23rd – more details to follow ;)


On January the 17th I had:

1 quart water
big handful of BLUEBERRIES – YummMmMmmmmmmmmm
3 cups watermelon/orange juice
1 pint HARDCORE green juice – red chicory leaves/’tree spinach’/dandelion/unidentified-greens/celery/cucumber/ginger/lemon
bowl of avo mushed with finely chopped garlic and cilantro, stirred in with mixed sprouts & salt, served with cucumber sticks and sunflower greens
1 quart water
3 cups zucchini/orange/ginger juice
bowl of ‘beans ‘n cheese’ :O – dried figs soaked in zucchini juice, blended with tahini and egg fruit, with pieces of egg fruit swirled in...
3 cups water

Ok...that last meal of the day today warrants further discussion...it is absolutely amazing ;) It SMELLS and TASTES exactly like refried beans with cheese...it even LOOKS like it – see photographic evidence to the right... WHO would have predicted THAT one...??? This is the kind of dish I would love to serve to some random person as an experiment, to see if they could guess the ingredients...I suspect there may not be a single person in fact who could guess the ingredients – even raw food chefs... ;) It contains just 4 simple ingredients: dried figs soaked in zucchini juice, tahini, egg fruit. Therein lies the unfortunate aspect of this recipe of course – egg fruit (canistel) is hardly the most widely available fruit…it’s pretty abundant here and in Florida though – maybe reason enough to plan a trip…??? ;) If you DO try this mixture out, we’d LOVE to hear your experience - especially if some unsuspecting volunteer manages to actually guess the ingredients... ;)
(BTW - according to the 'Doctrine of Signatures', it seems this meal would be good for both the male and female reproductive organs, amongst other things. If you haven't heard of the 'Doctrine', you're in for a fun treat - check out THIS LINK sent in recently by reader Sally ;)

One love,
Angela. xxx