Are You Ready to Fall Into Raw?

This Saturday, October 2nd, I'll be kicking off Raw Food Rehab's final 11 Week Total Health & Wellness Initiative for 2010! You can read the guidelines of what our Initiatives objectives are by clicking here. Hundreds of members of Raw Food Rehab will be participating in our 11 Week Initiative - Falling Into Raw and there will be much support happening all over the website and I encourage you to come join us!

This Initiative will run from Saturday, October 2nd through Friday, December 17th.

If you would like additional support, education, recipes, shopping list and journal pages, I want to encourage you to order the Falling Into Raw digital material. For the last month I've been putting a great deal of effort into putting this information together, as I trust that this collection will be a source of tangible support for you during the coming 11 week as we move into the holiday season.

In this set you will receive 3 digital books:
Falling Into Raw - Finding Simplicity & Balance in the Season (the main book)

Falling Into Raw - In The Kitchen (a collection of nearly 80 seasonally inspired raw food recipes)

and Falling Into Raw - The Photos (over 40 beautiful digtial photographs of many of the finished recipes)

Additionally, there are 2 other documents:
The Falling Into Raw Market & Pantry List (a shopping guide) & 11 Week Initiative Journal Pages

For only $33 dollars you will receive all of this material in your email Inbox. It can be ordered via Paypal by clicking here.

I also, hope you'll let me know if you are planning on joining us on this healthy journey!

If you would like to actively participating in the Initiative, I want to make a few suggestions:

Take a Before Photo of Yourself - If you have weight to lose, taking a full length before photo will be both a reality check and a way for you to track your progress visually.

Take Your Beginning Measurements - As we have learned with members in the Vault, when you change your diet to one that is full of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, you often begin to see very real improvements in your body measurements. The SAD diet is very acidic and causes inflammation and water retention, so even if you don't lose a tremendous amount of weight, you may lose your bloated condition!

Plan to Hold Yourself Accountable Weekly - For some of you, this may mean that you weigh yourself once each week to see how you are doing. If you don't weigh yourself, make a note of how your clothes are fitting throughout the 11 Weeks. Journaling is another way to track your progress, and keeping a food journal is a proven tool for success for many people who have struggled with mindless eating in the past.

Stay Plugged Into Support - We have found that when members allow themselves to become isolated and "out-of-the-loop" it is much easier to slip back into old unhealthy lifestyle practices and ways of eating. NEVER allow guilt, shame or feelings of defeat to keep you away from RFR. We understand that these changes do not happen over night for most people and that we are ALL a work in progress.

Come sign in at Raw Food Rehab and let me know HERE if you're planning to participate in our Falling Into Raw Initiative! I'd also love to know some of your thoughts, goals or plans for your upcoming 11 Weeks. I hope to hear from!

Raw Mom - Cooked Dad....Can You Relate?

You Cry When He Fries...

He Shouts When You Sprout...

Sign Up Today for 10 Days of Support, Inspiration, Recipes and Advice from 40 of the Word’s Leading Experts on Raw Food, Nutrition and
Healthy Living!

Your Family Will Never Feud About Food Again!

This event kicks off on October 10, 2010
(10-10-10!)

Dear Inspired Mamas,

Have you ever noticed that most of the so-called “Raw food gurus” out there are either single, have no children or live on a tropical island?

Okay, I get how you can succeed on the raw food diet if you live under a banana tree and have no children begging you to eat all the foods their friends eat!

What about the rest of us
living in the trenches of the “real world?”

What about family dinners with the grandparents...?

What about school lunches and kids who feel their food is “weird?”

What about how difficult it seems to find raw food recipes our kids actually LIKE?

How are we supposed to live this healthy lifestyle without feeling like a FREAK or slaving over the dehydrator at 3:00 in the morning?!

To help answer a few of these questions and bring forth the tools, the support, the inspiration that will help us all lead healthy lives in the face of a deep-fried world, please click here to find out about all the very special guests we’ve invited to this event and to learn the key topics we’ll be featuring.

International Day of Juice Feasting - THIS SUNDAY!

This Sunday, September 12th from Noon to 4 pm PST, a spectacular event will be taking place all over the world. This will be the second annual event to honor of the tremendous work that Dr. Gabriel Cousens and the staff of the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona have contributed to the world in the research and development of healing through the practice of juice feasting.

This event was created and spearheaded by Dave the Raw Food Trucker last year and hundreds of people joined together for this first annual Day of International Juice Feasting in Seattle, Washington. It was a standing room only affair and you can check the video coverage of that out here. I had a number of my Raw Food Rehab Seattle Posse in attendance and I suspect we'll have even more peeps representing in the house for this year's celebration.

This year's event has expanded and it will include special guest speakers who are considered experts in the protocol of juice feasting: Matt Monarch, Angela Stokes-Monarch and Elaina Love are just a few of the featured speakers. Both Dave & Tresa will be there to introduce other amazing speakers whose stories of healing and rejuvenation are sure to inspire and delight you. If you are in the Seattle area, please check out the details, as this year's event will be held at the Laughing Ladies Cafe in Shoreline, Washington. You can get more information on this by visiting the main website that was created specifically for this event.

If you are not in the Seattle area, no problem! Just like last year, this event will be streaming live on UStream.tv Be sure to get signed up there so you can join in with people from all across the globe for this epic event. Click here to get plugged in. This is an awesome feature for those of us who want to support Dave and this event but aren't able to travel to be there in person.

You may want to take it a step further and host your own house party or get together with friends and celebrate health on this particular day. The idea is to drink low glycemic juices or smoothies for as long as you feel you need to. You may want to commit to joining with many of us for this one day of juice feasting or you may want to plan for a longer period of time, either leading up to this date or starting on the 12th. Juice feasting gives your body a chance to rest, heal, recuperate, and get back on track. You can learn more about juice feasting by checking out the information that's up at RFR's Liquid Lounge.

Hope to "see" you this Sunday!

Sunday Evening Candlelight Vigil For Dave

Hello Everyone!

I had the opportunity to speak with both Dave and Tresa at length last night on the phone. I want to share that Dave is absolutely blown away by your comments on yesterday's video. The well wishes, prayers and heart-felt love you all are sharing is just what the doctor ordered! He wanted me to be sure to tell you how much all of this means to him and that he will be following everyone's comments here as we move forward.

The best news that has happened today is that Dave has been officially released from the hospital (after 10 days) and now he can begin the next leg of his deep healing journey!

After last night's call, I came away with a couple of thoughts that I want to share with you. I asked what the most pressing needs were at this time and how we as a community can best support his continued healing, and here is what I came up with:

The first thing is that I feel it would be very beneficial to hold a 24 hour corporate prayer/candlelight vigil in honor of Dave. Dave was extremely touched by this idea and would be so honored by our support to him in this way. The plan is that each one of us who feel lead to do so will pause at dusk this coming Sunday evening (September 5th) and pray and/or send our well wises and healing energy to Dave. I also would ask for each one of you to light a candle, for Dave at that time. I show you the candle I will be burning through the night in the above video.

During this time of prayer and sending up of our intentions, we want to ask for our Creator's perfect will to be done in Dave's life. I personally will be praying for a 100% physical recovery. I propose that we also ask for all of Dave's financial needs to be met over the days and months to come. These really are are the 2 most urgent concerns as I see it.

I hope you will take this idea and run with it. Please promote this time of prayerful support on your blogs, on Facebook, on Twitter or on YouTube. Let's come together as a unified community on Dave's behalf.

Also, if you have an thoughts or creative ideas on how we can fund-raise for Dave at this time, please share your ideas in the comment below. I have a couple of good ones that I have rolling around in my head, but I KNOW as a team we can really hit this ball out of the park.

One small thing I am starting with is that I am donating 100% of the proceeds of any sale of my book Real Juice Daily to Dave's Recovery Fund throughout this Labor Day weekend (now throughout Monday night).

So that's all for today's update. If you have any questions or additional thoughts, we would LOVE to hear from you in the comments. Much love to you all!

Dave the Raw Food Trucker

The following is a public statement regarding the condition of Dave the Raw Food Trucker, written last night by his dear friend, Tresa:

"Hello Everyone,

Today I have some difficult, personal news to share with you. Dave is in the hospital. He has had a stroke, and possibly a heart attack. The encouraging news is that he's progressing well. None-the-less, we'd appreciate any prayers, healing energy and positive thoughts you can send his way at this time.

I suspect that you're probably just as shocked about this event as Dave and I were... So, I really want to explain "why" this occurred. Sadly, we've already encountered wild speculation from people, so, I want to clarify that, contrary to erroneous assumptions, this situation was not caused by the Raw Food Diet nor Juice Feasting; That's simply NOT the case.

I also want you to know that Dave is strong in his resolve to heal fully! And he remains true to his belief in Live Foods. In fact, he politely refused to eat hospital food; I watched as he calmly stated to doctors & staff that he would gladly fast on water before touching ANY food from the hospital that wasn't "live, organic and vegan." He has repeatedly affirmed that he will NOT be changing his raw food diet, nor his juicing habits. The doctors have thus agreed to allow him to have raw foods & juice at the hospital. Luckily we located a natural & raw food retailer near by called "Natures Food Market & Juice Bar." They've been such a BLESSING! I've been picking up fresh juice & food there each day for Dave.

Here's the truth of the matter: Dave has had a heart condition called Atrial Fibrillation for MANY YEARS, which made him a high-risk candidate for stroke! (This has been his situation since before he became Raw, Organic and Vegan!) In fact, the one final prescription medication he's mentioned still taking, was for that very condition.

Also remember, Dave was morbidly obese for over 23 years, which placed a huge strain on his heart. Medical practitioners have told us that it can take 7 years or more to heal the circulatory system, and reverse the plaque build-up in his arteries. To add insult to injury, several situations occurred recently (not related to his diet) which, Dave believes may have also increased his risk.

And, as if all of this wasn't difficult enough, Dave has now discovered that, due to Department of Transportation Regulations, he will NOT be able to return to work for the next 6 months! Additionally, he'll be undergoing physical therapy & rehabilitation. This is a hugely unexpected change of plans, which has Dave feeling some concern.

Many people have already graciously asked if and how they can assist financially. This has prompted me to reach out, on behalf of Dave, to any of you who wish to compassionately contribute to his recovery. This is the first time in Dave's life where he finds himself "in need" of financial help from others, rather than in the position to "help others"... and it's an uncomfortable new position for him, to say the least.

If you feel compelled to help Dave during this financially difficult period, please go to the link below and give your gracious gift. You need not be a Paypal subscriber to use this service, it will work with any credit card. This service will be active for at least the next six months so that you can make one-time, weekly or monthly contributions... and the funds are made available to Dave immediately.

Click on, or copy and paste, this payment link into your browser to make an online gift contribution: http://ning.it/a2wqbE

Or, if you prefer to send a check or money order, make it payable to: Dave Conrardy. Please clearly note "Gift for Dave's Stroke Recovery" on the check, and send it to:

Dave Conrardy/The Raw Food Trucker
P.O. Box 544
Auburn Washington 98071

On a happier note, Dave should be out of the hospital soon, we will host the 2nd Annual International Day of Juice Feasting on September 12th in Seattle as planned! He looks forward to seeing you there LIVE or via the web- cast if you're not local! (info is available at: (www.DayOfJuiceFeasting.com)

I'll keep you up-to-date on Dave's progress, and we'll also be posting a video with details about this entire experience soon. Please keep Dave in your thoughts & prayers. Your generosity of spirit is so greatly appreciated.

Until we speak again, wishing you wellness and blessings,

Tresa (aka: Beauty, Elegance & Grace)

(on behalf of Dave The Raw Food Trucker) "

To watch/listen to Dave's incredible story of transformation, click here. To sign up for Dave's newsletter, go here. Any messages that you would like to be shared with Dave, please feel free to leave in the comments below. I will make sure Dave will receive each well wish and note of love & concern.

A Taste of Italy

For this week's Foodie Friday I wanted to create a menu around ingredients that I already had on hand either in my raw food pantry, refrigerator or garden. Also since I am still trying to stay with this juice feast, I wanted to create a few recipes that would keep well for my husband to enjoy over this weekend. So I put together a trio of pastas and sauces to choose from and a fairly over the top dessert - raw spumoni ice cream!

Fra Diavolo

This is an Italian-American fusion sauce that is typically served with a pasta that includes seafood. I decided that it would be the perfect compliment to the Sea Spaghetti that Raw Food Rehab member VeganForLife sent me just before my juice feast. I've been curiously staring at that package and couldn't wait any longer.

For the Sauce:

ripe garden tomatoes, chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons dry white wine (optional)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
pinch of freshly cracked pepper

1 package of Sea Spaghetti, soaked overnight & rinsed several times

For the Noodles:
Begin by covering the sea spaghetti with water in a medium bowl, cover and put into you refrigerator for at least an hour. The instructions on the website say the longer you soak them, the less "sea flavor" remains. I would recommend changing the water a couple of times before the final rinse before serving.

Putting it together:
Whisk together the olive oil and white wine and add all of the chopped ingredients, mixing together until well coated. Pour the ingredients over the spaghetti and serve.

Note from me....my husband found the consistency of the noodles to be kind of slimy, but he said all the flavors seemed to go really well together. I did taste on of the noodles out of curiosity and it does have a distinct sea weed-ish flavor. I think these noodles are a really interesting raw pasta substitution.

White Truffle Cream Sauce with Marinated Mushrooms & Fresh Peas

Taylor, our youngest, LOVES the richness of Fettuccine Alfredo so this sauce was created with her in mind. I had a pinky taste of this sauce and it was absolutely delicious!!

For the Sauce:
1 cup soaked cashews
2 - 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoon white miso
2 tablespoons truffle oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil
water, as needed to blend

Put all ingredients into a high speed blender and combine until creamy. Add water if needed to reach the desired consistency. I keep the sauce fairly thick, as it will thin once combined with the noodles.

Marinated Mushrooms:
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I used shiitake from my local market)
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons coconut aminos (you could use nama shoyu or tamari)
2 garlic cloves

Whisk together the marinade and pour over the mushrooms, tossing well to make sure everything is fully coated. Cover the mushroom and allow them to sit for at least an hour to full absorb the flavor.

To Serve:
Open a package of Kelp Noodles and rinse them thoroughly. I have found that these noodles stay well in the refrigerator for days if you allow them to soak in pure water until you're ready to use them. Put some of the noodles into a bowl and scoop some of the White Truffle Sauce over the noodles, stirring well to coat the noodles. Put the sauce covered noodles onto a serving plate and arrange some of the marinated mushroom on top along with a sprinkling of fresh peas.

Creamy Red Sauce with Zucchini Noodles

There used to be an Italian restaurant in Tulsa that my husband and I would go specifically for a pasta dish that had a decadent, rich, cream based red sauce. I put these ingredients together to try to recreate that sauce and my husband said I got pretty close!

For the Red Sauce:

2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped (I coated these with olive oil and dehydrated them for about 3 or 4 hours to bring out a more intense flavor.....like roasting)
1/2 cup cashews, soaked and drained
2 medjool dates
splash of red wine vinegar
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
8 basil leaves
generous pinch of fresh oregano

Start by blending the cashews, dates, vinegar and some juice from one of the tomatoes in a food processor. Process until you reach a smooth consistency and then add in all the other ingredients, pulsing until well combined. This sauce will keep well in a covered container in your refrigerator for several days. Do not combine with the noodles until you ready to serve.

For the Zucchini Noodles:
2 zucchini squash

Using a spiral slicer, a julienne peeler or standard vegetable peeler, create your noodles.

To Serve:
Put the noodles onto a serving plate and cover with the Creamy Red Sauce. Garnish with additional basil leaves.

Raw Spumoni Ice Cream

Spumoni is a molded Italian ice cream made with layers of different colors and flavors, usually containing candied fruits and nuts. Typically it is a blend of three flavors. Chocolate and pistachio are the typical flavors of the ice cream layers, and the fruit/nut layer often contains cherry bits—causing the traditional red/pink, brown, and green color combination. I suggest making three separate ice creams, skipping the molded part...they are all delicious on their own, but especially wonderful serve together as you see here.

Pistachio Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups raw pistachios, chopped
1/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup agave nectar
a couple of drops of almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon coconut butter
2 cups chilled almond milk

In a food processor, combine 1 cup of pistachios, all the almonds, agave, almond extract, salt and coconut butter to form a thick paste. Put this paste into a blender and add the almond milk, blending until well combined. Pour this mixture into an ice cream freezer and add 1/2 cup of chopped pistachios once the ice cream begins to set up.

Cherry Vanilla Ice Milk
Coconut Milk (the meat and water of one young coconut blended together to make a milk)

1/3 cup agave nectar or 1/2 cup raw honey
1 10 oz bag frozen cherries (chop and save 1/4 cup to add in later)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup almonds, chopped

In a blender, combine the coconut milk, cherries and sweetener of your choice. Pour this into an ice cream freezer to process. You can also pour the mixture into a chilled glass bowl or casserole dish and put into the freezer. Stir the ice milk well every hour or so and add in the chopped cherries and nuts once the mixture has started to firm up. This complete process may take about 6 hours until it is fully ready to serve.

Chocolate Cacao Crunch
1 1/2 cup soaked cashews
1/3 cup medjool dates
1/3 cup agave or honey
3 - 4 tablespoons cacao powder
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cacao or coconut butter
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup+ cacao nibs

Combine all ingredients, except the cacao nibs, in a blender. Use the same preparations as the other two ice creams....either a ice cream freezer or the glass bowl method. Add in the cacao nibs as the ice cream begins setting up.

Serve this trio of ice creams together in a pretty serving dish for a splendid raw rendition of Spumoni. Add a fresh cherry and or sprig of mint to serve.

Do You REALLY Make a Difference?

Courtesy of MakeADifferenceMovie.Com

Today's post isn't necessarily related to food, although you could translate it to have meaning in that way. It's geared more toward a spiritual nature and seems appropriate to share this Sunday morning.

I think we all have our days, right? Days where we question ourselves...days where we have been beaten down by the challenges and trials of life and we wonder if we have any real effective value at all. I have days like this, I bet you do too.

Awhile back, I was going through some personal adversity and I happened across a beautiful thought which I’d like to share with anyone who is open to it today:

The next time you're feeling like you've failed, that you're of no use to God or others, or that your life doesn't make a difference, just remember….

Noah was a drunk

Abraham was too old

Isaac was a daydreamer

Jacob was a liar

Leah was ugly

Joseph was abused

Moses had a stuttering problem

Gideon was afraid

Samson had long hair and was a womanizer

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

David had an affair and was a murderer

Elijah was suicidal

Isaiah preached naked

Jonah ran from God

Naomi was a widow

Job went bankrupt

Peter denied Christ

The Disciples fell asleep while praying

Martha worried about everything

The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once

Zaccheus was too small

Paul was too religious

Timothy had an ulcer..AND

Lazarus was dead!

The bible was full of REAL PEOPLE, full of faults and failures, but the good news is......

God used them all and STILL uses their stories as inspiration for us today!!

How is God wanting to use YOUR story to inspire others around you today?