Bunny Berry is back with a new 100-day Raw Fu challenge! If you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to eat more raw in 2009, Bunny Berry’s Raw Fu community may offer you the amazing support you’ll need to meet your goal for the new year. Check it out! Here’s a snippet from Raw Fu:
And we’re BACK! It’s time to ring in the New Year with a New 100 Day Challenge. Take the plunge with 100 days of support, love, and lots of leafy greens. Bunny will be back with daily videos, vision boards, special Raw Fu celebrity guest stars, Breakfast with Bunny calls, and more Cutting Board Cam!
All you have to do is Join the Raw Fu Community to be in for another 100 days of raw food fun. If you are already a member of the community, you’re automatically in for the next challenge. Just jump into the forums, start vlogging, and post your pictures! I’m thrilled to have you back for another Raw Fu Challenge!
Jim and I are both members of this site and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t checked it out. The support there is amazing — just what is needed when you’re eating a raw food diet. And, it’s a fun community, too, with tons of great, friendly people.
Whatever your goals are for 2009, here’s to an awesome New Year for all of us. We’ll be posting a special New Year’s entry next year — tomorrow!
Jim here… Conventional wisdom says we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, right? Well, what about recipes? Should we judge them by their names?
When KDcat was young — well before we followed a raw diet — her friends sometimes scoffed at our typical vegan fare. After all, few kids would voluntarily eat “Pasta with Spinach Sauce.” But, we discovered, change the name and suddenly they’re lining up for seconds. Instead of “Spinach Sauce,” Wendi came up with “Jungle Sauce”! How exciting, right?
So, maybe a good recipe title DOES mean something after all. Maybe it means that you took the time to add that one extra-special “ingredient.” Call it love, call it laughter, call it joy. It’s intangible, yet it alters the ambience and empowers the dishes with what the French might call that je ne sais quoi — that certain “something.”
How this works is a mystery, of course. But, the effects are undeniable! And you too will soon experience the wonder of these higher-vibrational delicacies. This past weekend, Pure Jeevan put the finishing touches on TWO amazing eBooks as free gifts for you!
Since we’re *almost* ready to officially unleash these creations, we thought we’d run a few of our dreamy dish titles past you to stimulate your imagination as well as your appetite! Among the 25+ recipes we’ll be giving away in one of the eBooks, you’ll find:
* Luscious Fruity Shiver
* Cosmic Kale Awakening
* Tahini Genie Spread
* The Herbalist’s Cauldron of Flavor
* Night at the Symphony
Wow, is it close to lunch time, or is this list making me hungry?! You guys are going to LOVE these recipes — guaranteed or double your money back! (Oh, wait, they’re FREE!)
Jim here… again! Isn’t that what all of the Oscar-nominated actors always say — “It’s an honor to be nominated”? Yes, I think that’s the usual response. Who’d have ever thought that a raw foods blog would be saying the same thing?! Well, I’m happy to report that Wendi has received two such honors lately, in addition to being selected as an honoree among one blogger’s nine “top favorite raw girls on the net.” Let’s take a look at these one by one, shall we?
First up is the “Best of Raw 2008” awards. Wendi was nominated in the category “Favorite Raw Vegan Educator for 2008.” You can vote for her here until December 30 at midnight! Show your support; vote Wendi!
Next, our friend Jim Thomas, who posts on Twitter at twitter.com/enzymeluv, nominated Wendi for a Shorty Award. The Shorty Awards honor the world’s top Twitterers. Jim tweeted:
@shortyawards I nominate @wendidee in category #socialmedia because she is genuine and loves spreading good vibes throughout Twitterland.
To nominate someone for a Shorty Award, just post a tweet similar to this:
@shortyawards I nominate @WendiDee in category #socialmedia because [insert reason].
The more nominations Wendi gets, the better, so nominate away if you’re a Twitterer!
Last but not least, Debbie from the rawsome blog “Debbie Does Raw” singled Wendi out as one of her “Nine Ladies Linking” — her “top favorite raw girls on the net.” She wrote that Wendi is a “radiant, beautiful soul who is always there with ‘twinkle dust’ and good things to share.” Wow!
Thanks to everyone who nominated and/or honored Wendi with those wonderful laurels. We hope everyone has a fantastic holiday and a spectacular 2009!
Jim here… Wow, we haven’t posted in a few days. That calls for some action! Hmmm… how about taking a look at some delicious mini pizzas Wendi whipped up the other day:
We went absolutely nuts for these little “pizzas.” They were both tasty and fun. If memory serves, I believe she made them by taking slices of firm roma tomatoes, spooning on some improvised pesto sauce that she whipped up, sprinkling on some chopped basil leaves, sprinkling on some “cheese” that she made with ground Brazil nuts, garlic, and salt, and then topping each “pizza slice” off with a half cherry tomato. No recipes necessary here; just take a look at the picture & go try it!
The cat-themed serving plate is optional but, in my opinion, highly preferable. It reminds me to add one final thought: Remember to put joy into everything you eat. Have fun with your experimentations. Celebrate the goodness you’re fueling your body with. Write down or photograph what you did when it tastes great. And when it’s not so good, laugh it off and look forward to next time when you’ll improve your recipe!
Jim here… I was listening to a radio commercial the other day that promised to reveal the “secrets that credit card companies DON’T want you to know.” You hear that kind of rather manipulative marketing all the time, right? It’s a psychological thing, I suppose — filling your mind with intrigue almost instantly. My credit is pretty decent, but I was thinking, “Wow, I wonder what those secrets are!” We humans are curious creatures, aren’t we?
But then I started to laugh to myself, imagining a raw foods radio spot adopting that technique. “Buy our special report and learn all of the Secrets that Raw Foodists do NOT Want YOU to Know!!!” And then I laughed some more. Know why? Because, when you think about it, there are absolutely, positively NO secrets raw foodists don’t want you to know! Isn’t that stunningly cool? In fact, the entire message of the movement is conveniently included right there in the words “raw foods.” It couldn’t be simpler — the cure for what ails so much of the planet, neatly summed up in two words.
Consider it even further: The primary message (“eat raw and living foods”) is actually the direct OPPOSITE of a secret. Most raw foodists are so moved by the lifestyle, so unquestionably more vibrantly healthy than ever before, they wouldn’t dare keep mum about it; they’d rather shout it from the rooftops. You see someone suffering from a condition or disease and you naturally want to tell that person, “Hey, I KNOW what’ll help you!”
Unlike so many other areas in life, the primary message of raw foods is absolutely wide-open, unhidden, easily understandable, and freely available: Feed yourself with raw and living foods, and your body and spirit will become healthier, livelier, and more vibrant as time passes. No secrets here. I guess those are reserved for the credit card companies.
Jim here… Ahh, yes, you noticed, didn’t you? We’d started posting a video series called “Know Your Food” recently, promising to shoot for it being a DAILY series — only to have its presence totally disappear as though Harry Houdini himself had taken control of our blog.
Well, we just wanted to post a quick explanation for you. Short answer: Know Your Food is coming back SOON! We’ve been at work on so many amazing projects here at Pure Jeevan, a few of which we needed to complete prior to officially launching Know Your Food in a big way.
To put it metaphorically, Pure Jeevan can be thought of as an enormous hang glider. With hang gliding, you have to make sure everything’s in order before jumping from the cliff and soaring freely above the landscape. (Ummm, not that we’ve ever actually hang-glided. What IS the past-tense of hang-glide, anyway?) So, we’re just checking the rigging and so forth right now.
When we do step off that precipice, though… wow, you won’t believe the cascade of huge announcements we’ll have for the raw foods community. Know Your Food (which will return soon, prior to all of the huge announcements we have in store) will return in all of it’s YouTube-esque glory very soon. So, thanks for your patience in that matter!
One more thing:
Our friend Kevin Gianni is turning 30 this weekend. When you do the math, that means he was born December 7, 1978, which was pretty much the apex of the disco era in America. It’s no wonder the man struck the above pose in our back yard; dude’s got the Village People in his blood! So, it would be really nice if you boogied down to his site, www.RenegadeHealth.com, and wished him a happy birthday. He’s also on Twitter — cast a shoutout to: @KevinGianni.
Jim here… Thought I’d cross-post a discussion I put up on Give It To Me Raw yesterday.
Recently, I saw an article advocating a ban on banana consumption based on the premise that, if you don’t live in the tropics, you have no business eating tropical fruit. Pointing to transportation costs and the related environmental impact of such transportation, the article argues that, by eating bananas, you’re contributing to the destruction of the environment.
A few counter-arguments, if I may:
First, a raw vegan’s carbon footprint is laughably low, to the point of being negligible. If the world were to convert to raw/organic veganism, it would solve *numerous* issues instantaneously. For example, with no more beef/dairy industry, agricultural pollution would be a thing of the past, as would pesticide use & the toxic runoff from that. Of course, the pesticide *industry* would also vanish, along with, no doubt, many chemicals that informed beings would no longer want to use in their households. The health care industry would shrink considerably, as meat & dairy-induced diseases would become things of the past. This would mean the prescription drug companies would shrink considerably as well, along with all of the toxic crap they use to cook up their wares.
Second, the problem is NOT that we’re transporting raw foods around the globe; the problem is that we’re transporting too much *other* stuff around the globe. If all we humans did was grow, ship, and eat bananas, the world would be a paradise. So, instead of putting an end to shipping bananas, why not invest our time into putting an end to shipping soldiers, tanks, and bombs all over the world? I guess I’m taking the opposite approach — suggesting that we should stop building destroyers & aircraft carriers and start building MORE banana boats.
In fact, if more people ate *more* bananas, and *increased* their intake of raw foods (be they tropical and/or local), maybe more people would reach a higher level of consciousness when it comes to so many wasteful things that we humans do — and, as a result of this awareness, would stop creating a demand for all of the useless goods that we crave so deeply right now, thus lightening the overall carbon footprint of the global transportation industry.
Maybe I’m wrong about all of this. Maybe I, as a resident of a non-tropical climate, should feel guilty for eating a banana. But, I honestly don’t think so. I read that a raw vegan driving a HUMMER would have a lower overall carbon footprint than a meat eater riding a bicycle. Is that true? Seems plausible to me. So, I’m sorry to say that I do not feel guilt while eating bananas. In fact, I’m happy to say that I do feel rather glad about them.
So, please eat & enjoy bananas.
-Jim
UPDATE: I just wanted to add, in the spirit of this all being IMHO, that I view the above text as just one out of many possible essays representing my personal take on the larger issue of nobility — nobility in the sense of whether something lives up to a certain moral code. Moral codes are, of course, entirely subjective, so you may disagree. But, in my world view, technology (meaning, in this case, using the Earth’s natural resources and accepting the consequences) is not “the enemy.” In fact, it’s our friend. The true enemy is irresponsibility and waste. My point here was that, if we eliminated what I personally view as irresponsible, ignoble uses of technology, the negative effects of rampantly squandering our natural resources would dissolve.
The world, I believe, is like a human body in that it can handle a certain threshold of stress. Just as we have kidneys and livers and immune systems to eliminate toxins, the Earth has its equivalent systems. Sadly, humans have clearly pushed the Earth well beyond wherever the healthy threshold lies. One would hope that, as stewards of this magical place, we’d respect that threshold and implement measures to keep well clear of it. I believe that, if humans brought such responsibility and nobility to the forefront of their concerns for once, then we – yes, all 6+ billion of us – could actually live in sustainable harmony with the planet — and yes, that would include shipping bananas around the globe for us all to enjoy.
David Wolfe Responds to Kevin Gianni’s Cacao Incident Video
Is cacao dangerous or is it a super food? Anyone who’s been learning about raw foods knows about raw cacao (check out a recent episode of Know Your Food: Cacao). It’s raw chocolate without all the processing and additives normally included in the chocolate bars many buy from standard grocery stores. In its raw form, cacao has different nutritional components than typical processed chocolate. Many claim that raw chocolate is filled with mega doses of nutrients, making it a super food, and therefore extremely healthy for the human body. Others claim that even in its raw state, cacao is a stimulant that taxes the human body and cacao is more like a poison than a food. I’ve heard murmurs about negative effects of cacao for many years, but that was always subdued by the vociferous praise of cacao.
Recently, my friend Kevin Gianni (The Renegade Health Show) spoke out about cacao and his experiences with it. Kevin is well known in the raw food community, so his words came as a shock to many people. He explained in his video (below) that he developed a rash on his stomach. After much investigating and diet changes, he came to the conclusion that cacao was causing the rash (eliminating the cacao caused his skin to clear). He also stated that cacao had been stripping his body of vital minerals. Kevin pointed out that he was simply sharing his own experience with cacao, possibly shedding some light on a subject that may need to be further investigated. He advised others to take a look at their own reactions to the food, to see if they are experiencing any problems.
After Kevin’s video aired, a lot of people started to speak out about the negative health they were feeling while consuming raw cacao. The murmur about cacao being unhealthy was no longer so quiet. However, cacao lovers continued to stand behind their beloved superfood, singing their boisterous raw cacao love songs. For many, there is now confusion about the issue of cacao being dangerous or a superfood.
In a reply to Kevin’s cacao incident video, David Wolfe (Mr. Avocado Cacao, himself) took a few minutes, during a video (below) he was making with Nick Good, to address Kevin’s claim that cacao may not be healthy for everyone. David claimed that although Kevin was having a reaction, it was most likely caused by a mineral deficiency brought about by eating a high fruit diet. He stated that in a healthy, balanced body, cacao will not cause problems.
Are you confused? Is cacao a super food, a poisonous substance, or something else? Thank goodness we are able to think for ourselves, to experiment and come to our own conclusions. I’ve known many people who consume raw cacao on a daily basis and they are in heaven with it–it gives them a sense of euphoria, allows them to go through life with a smile and focused energy. I’ve also known some who have had negative experiences with cacao–their hearts race and they are unable to focus their thoughts. What does that say to you? Are those who have experienced health issues when consuming raw cacao simply mineral deficient, thus leading to their reaction? Or, is the cacao causing the problems? Who do we believe?
My advice is always to believe yourself–deep inside you have all the answers you’ll ever need. Trust your instincts. Do you feel great when consuming raw cacao, experiencing nothing negative when doing so? If so, enjoy! Just continue being in tune with your body, paying attention to the signals it sends. Or, do you feel like your health is diminished when consuming raw cacao? If you do, then maybe it would be best to back away from the chocolate for a bit to see if you feel better without it. While you’re at it, why not look into checking your mineral levels? You never know what you’ll find! Be sure to share your findings with us, however, so we can all learn a bit more about this confusing subject of cacao and health.
How does the following menu* sound for your Thanksgiving meal?
Nut Loaf, Apple un-stuffing, Mac Mushroom gravy,
Cranberry relish, Sweet potato casserole, Sauerkraut,
Mixed green salad, Salad with house dressings, “Un-Roasted” veggies
Pumpkin Pie, Dark chocolate truffles,
Chocolate mint chip ice cream with goji berry sauce,
Apple cake, Chocolate pecan pie, Spirulina pudding,
Pumpkin cheeseless cheese cake
Green smoothies, Cacao shakes, E3 Live shots,
Noni shots, Marine Phytoplankton, Lemonade,
Longevity tea, Ginger brew, Coconut water
Natural Zing is holding their 5th Annual Living Thanksgiving Feast on Thanksgiving Day, from 3-8:00 pm, at their Spirit Bliss Farm located in Mount Airy, Maryland. If you are in the area and interested in joining them, please visit their event page for more details! This event is always popular, so be sure to reserve your spot soon if you plan on attending. I can guarantee you’re going to be eating the best food ever, surrounded by the most vibrant and loving people you’ve ever met!
Date: Thanksgiving Day (Thurs. Nov. 27th) Time: 3pm until 8pm
Cost: 20 FREE spots, $40, or $60
Children 16 and under are FREE!
I had a fantastic time at the 2008 Green Festival in Washington, DC. My wonderful friend, Rawbin, picked me up last Thursday and we had a nice drive back to her place in Maryland. She lives in an almost magical setting with wooded areas, horses, a goat, chickens, dogs, and cats! KDcat will not want to leave when she visits Rawbin someday. Above is a video of Rawbin rescuing a turtle that was in the middle of the road near her home.
Cupcake from Shannon Marie!
When Rawbin showed up in Pittsburgh to pick me up, she brought along a beautiful cupcake created by Shannon Marie, the famous raw food artist (that’s what I call her, since her creativity when it comes to raw foods is amazing!). The cupcake was absolutely delicious! Thanks, Shannon Marie!!! (I’ve written about Shannon Marie’s talent in a previous post. Be sure to visit her blog, if you haven’t already done so.)
Wendi Dee and Rawbin Investigate a Healthy Food Claim
Rawbin and I saw a food vendor on the side of a street in DC and the sign said, “Eat Healthy. All Natural Snacks and Drinks.” I wondered if it was false advertising, or not, so I got the video camera out and we investigated. The employee of On the Fly was very sweet and allowed us to ask him questions about the food. While none of it was fresh, they did sell some Larabars. I was impressed that much of the food was organic, but sad that none of it was fresh for a raw foodie.
Crazy Cucumber Gang: Wendi Dee, Jeff Rose, Rawbin
On Friday, Rawbin and I helped Jeff Rose, the President of Natural Zing, set up his booth at the Green Festival. When Rawbin, Jeff, and I get together there tends to be a lot of silly behavior and laughter. I love the two of them more than words can ever express. They lighten my heart and laughter bubbles up from the deepest areas of body and spill out all over the place. A long weekend is never enough time with friends like Rawbin and Jeff.
DJ and Jeff Rose
Friday evening we headed over to the Natural Zing Green Festival party that was being held at Java Green. Jeff hired a very talented musician…
Woody Lissauer
…to perform for the evening. My camera didn’t capture great pictures and I’m sad that I didn’t get any great photos of Woody. He’s a fantastic musician, so be sure to check out his site and listen to some of his music (“The Sea Rolls” is my favorite song of his). The party that evening was fun. A group of us hung out on the sidewalk outside Java Green until after midnight, talking about anything and everything. Woody is brilliant and I was impressed with how much he knows about so many subjects. He’s a fun person, so if you ever have a chance to hear him perform or talk with him, don’t miss it!
Joe Kennedy and Rawbin
That evening at Java Green, Joe Kennedy announced that he and Rawbin were recently named as the organizers for Raw Spirit East Coast. He presented Rawbin with her “Raw Spirit East Coast Manager” business cards. Congratulations, Rawbin! I’m sure the event is going to be rewarding for you in so many ways! Another special part of that evening was meeting Jeff’s wife, Helen, and their newborn baby.
Sweet BabyTrinity
Helen has started a blog about her raw mothering, so check it out. She and Jeff are raising two beautiful, healthy Natural Zing babies!
Kris Carr and Wendi Dee
Saturday was nonstop action at the Natural Zing booth, selling all kinds of raw food supplies. I was surprised by how many people attending the festival already know about raw foods. Many are loyal customers of Natural Zing and it was nice meeting so many of them! Kris Carr, of Crazy Sexy Cancer, stopped by the booth.
Khepra, Famous Chef of Senbeb
That evening we visited a fantastic raw food restaurant that I highly recommend to anyone who lives in the DC area. Senbeb Café is located at 6224 3rd St. NW in Washington, DC (202.249.0917) and is worth a trip if you are close enough to get there. The food was the best raw food I’ve ever tasted! The beautifully vibrant chef, Khepra, created an amazing pizza, kale salad, and curried cabbage dish. Wow! It was all so flavorful and delicious! I tried to capture a video of Khepra, but our camera isn’t the best quality and the sound didn’t turn out very well.
Rawbin, BlaqBerry, Wendi Dee
Sunday I met with my best friends, Mamta, Mohtarama, and Deborah for the afternoon. They live in the DC area and came to pick me up for the afternoon. I love them dearly and cherish the time we are together. I didn’t capture any photos of them, since we were so busy talking and having a nice time together! Later that afternoon I returned to the festival and the fun continued with raw foodies hanging out at the Natural Zing booth. BlaqBerry showed up with her lovely husband and they did some shopping amidst talking. At the end of the day we packed up the Natural Zing booth, hung around a bit at the convention center snacking on some food Jeff left on the table, and then hung out some more before saying goodbye. It’s always a fun time being around fellow raw foodies. Be sure to attend as many raw community gatherings as possible, so you can experience a similar joy in your life!
To see more pictures from my Green Festival getaway, visit our Flickr account. I’ve created a folder for the Green Festival weekend.
Rawbin’s Farm
Sunday evening I stayed at Rawbin’s home again. We walked in the woods a bit with her animals and then filmed an upcoming episode of Know Your Food! The sound quality wasn’t great, but we had fun filming it and I think it’s pretty entertaining. Rawbin brings a lot of humor to the show! Stay tuned to view the episode in the near future!
I’ll leave you with a picture of Rawbin, captured on film when she’s on a secret mission.
We’re not ready, yet, to announce one of our big exciting projects that’s going to be coming to life very soon. However, we’re working on something for it and we’d love to hear your opinion about it. So, if you are up for some quick fun this evening, please send me an email (wendidee @ purejeevan.com). We’ll then share something with you that we’ve been doing and ask for your opinion!
We’ll need to receive an email from you tonight by 10:00pm EST to know you’re interested in helping us. Then between 10:30-10:45 you’ll receive a link to see something exciting (in which you’ll learn the inside scoop on a very big project!) and you’ll be asked to send us your opinion by 11:15 pm EST. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes for most people.
So, are you in? If so, send me an email and you’ll receive the link this evening!! I’m super excited about the thing we’re working on this evening. It’s a lot of fun!!!
If you haven't visited our Pure Jeevan web site, please pop over and take a look at what we have to offer. Thanks for visiting, and we hope you'll leave a comment to let us know you stopped by. Lots of love to all of you!
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