Raw Goes Mainstream - Day 82

I know that many of you have had an opportunity to see a copy of the June issue of Food & Wine Magazine. But - in case you might have missed it, below is the article that features Ani Phyo as she takes raw food into the mainstream! I especially love it that Ani is positioned right in the middle of the Grilling Issue!

Simply Delicious Raw-Food Recipes -

Ani Phyo isn’t evangelical about raw food; she just wants to create healthy, inspiring meals with ultrafresh ingredients, like zucchini “pasta” with tangy no-cook marinara.

Like leather jackets and bangs, the raw-food diet has reinvented itself every decade since the 1960s. Ani Phyo, who was raised on a mostly “living” diet by her health-conscious parents, is one of the leaders of raw food’s latest cycle, thanks to the clever, uncomplicated recipes she develops for restaurants, athletes and corporations like Adidas. The 39-year-old’s dishes appeal both to raw foodists (who believe heating ingredients above 104°F kills essential enzymes) and omnivores who want to eat more healthfully. “It’s easy to become obsessive about eating raw,” says the author of the recently published Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen. “I don’t want that. I just try to make raw food more accessible to everyone.” Her spaghetti-like zucchini ribbons, dressed with tangy heirloom-tomato marinara, is a vibrant, summery spin on the traditional pasta and red sauce, and her garlicky corn soup thickened with pureed cashews is as flavorful as its cooked counterpart—and much faster to prepare. Phyo’s desserts, like soft cardamom-date bars topped with a crunchy almond crumble, are also universally appealing. “A person doesn’t have to be 100 percent raw to benefit,” she says."

Ani wrote to me today and here is a blurp from her note.... "thanks so much for your support, penni. perhaps you'd consider writing a letter to the editor at food & wine asking them to include more raw articles. would your friends be willing to be the same? that would really be awesome. thanks for sharing the message!
: )
ani"

Won't you please consider logging into Food & Wine to register, then you can give some feedback or write to the editor and encourage more of this type of article in forthcoming issues. I thank you in advance for taking a minute to do so. We should support this incredible raw sister who is shining her light, right in the smack dab middle of the June Grilling Issue!! Big props to Ani Phyo!!

Wednesday's Daily Juice:
All fresh orange juice, all day, w/ spirulina & VitaMineral Green
(I would have rather had a nice shot of vodka, to tell the truth)

Amazing Grace - Day 81

I think something epic happens to the juice feaster at this point along the journey. It seems like there is a battle for the soul of those who make it this far into the process. At least that is the battle that is raging within me. David Rainoshek speaks quite prolifically about juice feasting being a hero's journey. And at Day 81, I concur that long term juice feasting isn't for the faint of heart...nor is raising a teenager who has just been suspended from the last week of 9th grade....nor is supporting your 78 year old father as he faces another serious life change that likely involves divorce. That pretty much sums up my day. Pretty hardcore, yet I find that I am supernaturally anchored and filled with love, compassion and understanding. The human condition is no easy place but I am somehow blissfully aware of God's abundant grace to see it all through.

Tuesday's Daily Juice:
1.5 qt. Green Lemonade.....1/2 head celery, 1/2 bunch kale, 1 cucumber, 3 apples, 1 lemon, tiny chunk of ginger.
1.5 qt citrus blend......grapefruit, orange, tangelo, blood orange w/ Spirulina
water fasted the remainder of the day.

Emotions - Day 80

Today I've been living on juice for 80 days. Whew.....that's a long darn time, people. And in my humanness, I've grown rather bored with juice, if you must know the truth. But it's no secret that I've been feeling this way for sometime now, yet I am not SO terribly bored that I've decided to call it quits. I've come much too far with all of this to throw in the towel. Now don't get me wrong, if I had legitimate symptoms that indicated I should stop this juice train, I would, but I don't feel starved, too thin (in my dreams) or anything else that worries me. It's just that my old human flesh is thinking.....FOOD, give me the good stuff, baby!! I realize that everybody else goes through these thoughts and feelings at this stage, so I am just hanging tight. I am enjoying my raw food books more than ever and I'm lusting for the meals that I will make when my juice feast has fully commenced. But I wouldn't mind if you'd remember me in your bedtimes prayers either :- )

I have thought a lot about how seductive food is over the past 80 days. There's no doubt that we eat so often for reasons other than genuine hunger. So little of what, how, when and why we eat is actually about real hunger. I am so eager to read the latest ebook by Angela Stokes, Raw Emotions. Angela covers this very topic expertly in her book and I've been told it isn't a light read but more of a therapeutic study guide. It is interesting that I read her first ebook, A Juice Feaster's Handbook, when I first started this feast and now I'll be reading her second work as my juice feast comes to a close. Angela....thanks for being there as a trail blazer and for intimately sharing your own personal journey with us.

Today I met a good friend whom I've known for many years at Te Kei's for lunch/juice. Karen Wicker is a dear friend and an amazing lady who I admire so much. Believe it or not, Karen once weighed well over 200 pounds. When we had lunch today, we discussed her story and how she has kept her weight off for the last 20 years. Although Karen doesn't consider herself to be a raw foodist, she does eat a high percentage of raw foods and she is also very mindful of everything she eats in general. She also runs and works out regularly, which she says is key for maintaining long term weight goals. Spending time with Karen today was really motivational and very helpful as I am currently working on my post juice feasting plans/progam. Going back into the world of solids isn't something I will take lightly and I want to be fully prepared for the "re-entry." A big shot out to Karen for sharing her wisdom and super good energy with me today!

Cilantro Obsessed - Day 79

I'm not sure what the deal is, but I have been obsessed with adding cilantro to my juices for weeks. Some call it cilantro; others call it coriander, or even Chinese parsley. (It is marketed as coriander when it's dried.) This herb is native of southern Europe and the Middle East and has a pungent flavor, with a faint undertone of anise. The leaves can easily be mistaken for flat-leaf parsley, so be sure to read the tag before buying. Cilantro is widely thought of as one of the most versatile herbs, adding distinctive flavor to salsa, guacamole, raw soups, curries, herb salads, vegetables, and of course green smoothies and juices.

I am growing an ample supply of cilantro in my backyard this year. I've noticed that I generally spend about $1.99+ for a smallish bunch at Whole Foods, so growing my own will translate into a nice saving, given my recent obsession. Many natural health educators discuss the healing properties of cilantro and often refer to the herb's ability to pull heavy metals from the human system within two weeks of regular consumption. There are also a number of related studies that show patients experienced fewer colds and flus after removing the heavy metals from their systems because it seems that viruses and bacteria like to congregate in organs contaminated by heavy metals. Patients also had fewer Herpes outbreaks after removing these heavy metals. BTW....if you live on planet Earth, you have had some heavy metal exposure and even higher levels if you've had lots of metal involved in your dental work.

So, do your body good and add cilantro to your daily diet!

Sunday's Daily Juice:
1 qt. pineapple juice w/ cilantro & VitaMineral Green
1 qt. fruit blend w/ Spirulina
1 qt. green vegetable juice
1 qt. "Cilantro Salsa" - 1 bunch fresh cilantro, 1/2 head green leaf lettuce, 2 pints cherry tomatoes, 1 bunch green onions, 1/2 head celery, 4 stalks asparagus, 2 radishes, 3 cloves garlic, 1 jalapeño pepper, 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, juice of one lime, sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Living Green - Day 78

It was a perfectly gorgeous Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Today I spent the majority of my time working in my yard and in the kitchen.....two of my favorite pastimes. Even though it's still fairly early in the gardening season, my potted garden is already showing signs of thriving! Here is a slide show of how everything is coming along......

I've also been making a plethora of dehydrated goodies over the past couple of days. So far I've made jalapeño corn chips, cranberry goji granola, glazed walnuts, zataar crackers, banana-cacao crispies and maple cinnamon crispies (breakfast cereal). I get like this at least once every quarter......on a full blown dehydrating rampage. I haven't decided if it's a hormonal thing or not, but I always have a blast when I go into the "zone." Lately I've been meeting with more and more people who are integrating raw into their diets, so having these snacks on hand will really help to show people how transitioning to a raw lifestyle doesn't have to be painful at all. I am also sending a care package out on Monday to everybody's favorite new raw foodist, Beth Berry aka Bunny Berry! If you haven't logged on to Bunny's 100 Day Raw Challenge, do yourself a BIG favor and check out her informative, hilarious and totally entertaining site!

It still sounds unbelievable that I've been juicing non-stop for 78 days. I still feel so healthy and alive. I'm over my funk with not wanting juice and thankfully, I'm feeling more balanced. I'm remembering my dreams a lot lately. Last night I had a very real, detailed dream about my first boss, with whom I had a very close relationship. No doubt I'm still transiting backwards in time because the correlation of where I am in "juice feasting regression" days, puts me right at the time when I worked at Aberson's. I find this all so interesting and therapeutic.

Saturday's Daily Juice:
1 qt. fresh orange juice w/ spirulina & ice
1 qt. cucumber, celery, mint, lime, raw honey & sea salt.
2 qt. "Green of the Tropics"
juice of one pineapple
1 bunch cilantro
4 stalks of kale
3 green onions
4 thai peppers (a jalapeño works fine)
1 clove garlic
1 red bell pepper
juice of 1 lime
all of the water from 1 thai coconut
1 tbsp. avocado oil

Juice everything but the coconut water and oil. Put the juiced concoction into your Vita Mix or other high powered blender, & add the coconut water and oil, mixing for 10-20 seconds until blended. Serve at room temp, or over ice, if it's a hot summery day.

Love is in the Air - Day 76

I haven't been to the Asian market since much earlier in my juice feast, so today I meandered across town to the stinkiest store in Tulsa, Nam Hai. I was pleasantly surprised when I entered because this time my eyes didn't start watering right away. Normally the fish stench is enough to cause an instant gag reflex, but all I noticed was Babel incense, which is a marvelous change. Anyway....I scored big today! I got lemongrass, limes, mint, thai basil, oranges, thai bird peppers, jalapenos, young thai coconuts, cilantro, onions and a variety of unidentifiable leafy greens for $ 24.76. That's a freakin' miracle! I would have spent $84.49 at Whole Foods for this same load. Oh, but I'm probably going to get slowly Napalm poisoned by this stuff....does anybody know if it's safe? I doubt it's organic. Duh.

I've got a little secret. I won't divulge all the dirt, but there is a possibility that I might have a little match maker magic flowing through my veins. I'll just say this.....I know two unbelievably awesome people that are preparing for a spiritually serendipitous meeting on Monday in NYC. One lives in Manhattan and the other in the south of Florida. If you believe in the power of love, could you mutter a little prayer or send a little of your own "bibbidi-bobbidi-boo" that direction this coming Monday? I'm pretty sure that their babies are throwing a tantrum to be born!

Thursday's Daily Juice:
Drank a couple of quarts of Master Cleanse until 3 pm, but I felt great and even got a number of errands done.
1.5 qt. "Indian Green Curry Surprise"....2 stalks of lemongrass, 4 stalks of celery, 3 carrots, 2 jalapeños, 1 small read bell pepper, 3 green onions, 1 small knob of ginger, 1/2 cup fresh basil, 1 large handful of cilantro, juice of 2 limes. Push everything through your juicer then put the juice into your Vita Mix and add the water of one young coconut, 1 tbsp. olive oil (or avocado oil, if you have it!) 1/2 tsp. Indian curry, and raw honey to taste. Blend this for about 20 seconds and enjoy!

Home Stretch - Day 75

I feel like I'm speeding into the home stretch now! 75 days of living on juice....whew! Earlier today I was looking over my list of symptoms that I had compiled at the beginning of this feast and I can't believe I was feeling that compromised just over 2 months ago. No longer do I have signs of eczema, bronchitis, brain fog, allergies, hives, PMS, irritability and regular intestinal issues that included gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea. I've also dropped just under 30 pounds along the way so far. I no longer give any regard to what the skeptics may have to say about juice feasting....I am a total believer in it's amazing healing and rejuvenating power.

Tonight my step daughter, Jessica, and her super cute boyfriend, Morgan, came to dinner. Jessica is my husband's youngest child (she's 26). Jess has the greatest personality and I love her so much. This newish boyfriend seems like a real keeper as they are so wonderfully compatible and comfortable around one another. Gordon grilled chicken and I roasted potatoes and made a huge salad for everyone. I guess I am over being bothered when I'm asked to cook on occasion. Even though I enjoyed the smells, it felt really freeing to be around all of that savory food yet still be fully content while sipping one of my favorite juices for dinner. My comfort with not eating even when surrounded by seducing cooked foods is real progress for this former gourmet foodie.

Terry Moses, our friend who I've spoken about, is on day 3 of his juice feast today. He also came by this evening to borrow some juicing recipes books and to discussed his progress. His biggest challenge is that he is juicing for both he and his wife (she's a school teacher and too busy to help in the juicing process). The amount of time he's spending on juicing for the two of them is more than he had anticipated, yet they are both starting to feel really great after just 3 days! Here is a link to my friend Melissa's juice feasting blog where she shares her time saving techniques for juicing. Terry also shared that he is saving money by buying some conventional produce in bulk. Of course, organic produce is always optimal, but it is not necessary for a successful juicing experience. Although it's not the most flattering photo, here is shot of Terry & I in my back yard....you can see a tiny bit of my potted garden in this picture.
Wednesday's Daily Juice:
1.5 qt. pineapple. cilantro, spinach, jalapeño w/ VitaMineral Green
2 oz. wheat grass shot
1 qt. mystery green juice (something they whipped up at the Whole Foods Juice Bar)
1.5 qt. Salsa Verde Redux - 7 tomatillos, 1 cucumber, 1 small bunch cilantro, 1 orange bell pepper, handfull spinach, serrano chile, lime juice, coconut water, 1 tbsp. raw honey, 1 tbsp. macadamia nut oil.
Today I also had my MSM supplement, B12/folic acid supplement