Last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to go on an urban forage walk in the Chicago neighborhood of Ravenswood with one of Chicago’s premier foraging experts, Nance Klehm.
I thought I knew I thing or two about wild edibles and I felt pretty happy being able to identify about 10 or so wild edible foods.  But this woman…wow!  She really raised the bar for me and knew not only about wild edibles but about many, many medicinal plants.  I was totally impressed that she actually knew what to do (and did these things herself) with so many of the local plants.  We got to taste Sumac sun tea as well as milk thistle tea sweetened with her homemade plum paste.  Then we went on a two hour walk around the neighborhood.

Here are some of the plants we found on our walk around Waters School Garden (Sunnyside and Campbell near Lincoln Square) and the notes I took on them (not a lot sadly but I was really just enjoying the day, the walk, and the vibration of the whole event!)

-Queen Anne’s Lace: related to the carrot, seeds have been known to have a birth control, or sterile, effect.
-Creeping Charlie: rub between your hands and inhale for the relief of headaches and/or hangovers ☺
-Plantain: chew and apply to bug bites or skin rashes (from poison ivy) for a cooling effect.
-Sumac: can make sumac tea from the berries (pretty tasty—like sour pixie stix candy)
-Milk Thistle: can make a tea or extraction from the seed to heal the liver
-Yarrow: good to stuff in deep wounds until it can be properly bandaged.
-Grapes (with seed)
-arborvitae: can make extracts with for medicinal use
-Pine
-Mint
-Lemon Balm
-Ginko Biloba
-Oregano
-Burdock: dig up the roots in the fall (can juice or eat raw in a salad)
-Voilet: can eat the flowers
-Wood Sorrel: very tasty, adds a lemon flavor to salads
-Yellow Dock: very intense, probably too intense to eat raw.  Very healing for the liver
-Mullein: good for asthma
-Japenese knot weed: I don’ think you could eat this raw.
-Cat nip
-Bee Palm: the petals taste good (reminded me of dandelion flowers)
-Rosehips: will be food to gather, and even eat raw in a few months. Can make a tea out of as well.  Very high in Vitamin C.
-Mugwart
-Wild Arugula

-Garlic Mustard

<—-creeping charlie. take note all your raw food party people

Who knew there was so much to eat and use medicinally for free around here??  Crazy.  And it is SO easy to make your own extracts too.  Just buy yourself some organic or high-quality vodka and soak your herbs in a little of it for a couple days or weeks even. Then strain out your herbs and if you want, expose your extract to the open air for a while so some of the alcohol dissipates into the air.  And then presto! You have just made your own homemade extract.  I haven’t gotten into this yet but I think I will soon!

<–rose hips

For more information on her walks or to RSVP for the next one, please e-mail Amanda at
Amandaroelle “at” gmail.com.  “Nance Klehm has been foraging urban areas and particularly Chicago for medicines, foods and seeds for several years. She believes that urban foraging is a wonderful way to connect directly to all urban land whether managed forest, coddled backyards, heavily trafficked public parks, lonesome transportation ways and so-called vacant lots. Urban forage walks are by donation. ☺ Learn about what plants that are sharing this city with you!”

Happy foraging!
~Lenette

It’s called “Money and the Law of Attraction”: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness.”   This book is really amazing stuff.  It’s the latest Abraham Hicks book and it just came out last week.  I’ve been reading it nonstop since it arrived at my doorstep (I ordered it from Amazon).

Have you ever wondered why some people who exercise regularly and eat the perfect diet experience perfect health and well-being while others who do the same struggle for the same results?  I have often contemplated this.  Especially when my health acts up for a day or two and I’m still eating and exercising like I always do.  It seems baffling but all is being revealed as I am reading this book.

Here are some subjects regarding health, weight, and mind covered in the book that I have found particularly enlightening: (I’m sure David Wolfe would learn a lot from this book too!)

Are Exercise and Nutrition a Health Factor?
What If a Healthy Person Feels Mostly Tired?
What is the Chief Cause of Illness?
To What Degree Can I Control My Body?
Can We Consciously Grow New Muscle and Bone?
A Process to Manage One’s Body Weight?
Regarding Food, Can I Follow My Bliss?

Here’s a great, SHORT quote from the book: “Get happy and live long.”  Basically, what we do in terms of our actions is way less important and impactful than what we’re thinking, our alignment with our inner being/soul/Godforce, and the words we speak.  Powerful stuff.  I’ve known about the Law of Attraction for a while but this book is really hammering it home for me in terms of how it relates to my health.  Here’s another powerful point Abraham makes: “The beliefs that you hold regarding food are boldly reflected in the experiences you are living.” So if we eat something that we think will make us fat, we put on weight.  If we eat something that we think will improve our immune system, it does.  It really is more about what we believe than what we put in our mouths.  Maybe this is why I can’t eat fresh fruit after a meal while my boyfriend can? (because I’ve learned about proper food combining and really believe this will cause indigestion).

This could mean that we raw foodists are spending a lot of excess time, money, and energy trying to heal ourselves when we could just feel ourselves into well-being, OR it could mean that most raw foodists are so in alignment with ourselves that we are guided towards that foods that will do our bodies the most goods.  I’m not sure.  Either way, this book has helped me tremendously so far and I haven’t even gotten to the money and career part of it!  Life is so good

~Lenette

Happy Belated Green Smoothie Day Everyone!  Woohoo! (meant to post this on Friday)

I had a spinach/frozen grape (with seeds)/soaked fig/chia/bee pollen smoothie.  Yum!  It powered me up for a 20 something mile bike ride too!

I’ve been meaning to write a review on two raw-food related DVDs I recently watched.  The first is called “Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days” and the second is called “The Ultimate Encyclopedia of the Raw Food Lifestyle.”

Do you know anyone with diabetes?  Even if you don’t, I highly recommend watching this documentary.   The movie follows the lives of six people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes who go to the Tree of Life Center in Patagonia, AZ.   Under the guidance of Gabriel Cousins and on-site natural doctors, they commence to eat an all raw-vegan diet for 30 days.  All their meals in this documentary look absolutely gorgeous–I’m warning you.  I was a bit jealous!  The Tree of Life Cafe provided all-you-can-eat buffet lunches and dinners for the participants and event taught them some raw food 101 classes!  Hard to believe, some of them didn’t like the raw food too much, and the looks on their faces when they first saw what they were going to eat for the next 30 days was priceless but you’ll have to see it for yourself!

I think all of the individuals are very easy to relate to because so many of us too have tried to overcome illnesses by doing something we didn’t want to do.  In the end, the documentary makes it’s point and, no surprise, raw food can and DOES cure most cases of diabetes.  It is a very touching documentary on human emotion and support though!

As for the other DVD, the Ultimate Encyclopedia of the Raw Food Lifestyle , I was impressed because it really gives you a comprehensive guide to the hows/whys/and whats of raw food.  It covers the spiritual aspects, detoxing tips, and has TONS of recipe demonstrations as well (which I found to be the most entertaining to watch!).  There are lots of raw food authority figures in both DVDs.  It’s a two disc set and was fun for my raw food meetup and me to watch together (we had a movie night at my place a while back).  If you are interested in learning more about these DVDs, just click on either of the links above.

Exciting stuff–all these raw food dvds coming out.  The Encyclopedia is something very similar to what I’m working on.  Except my DVD will be aimed more for young people and take place in more city-like locations and situations and be more interactive.

On a completely different note, here is an interesting article on the Olympics by Mike Adams if you’ve been watching.  It might make you think VERY differently about the Olympics!:  http://www.naturalnews.com/023862.html

~L

This week Chicago was blessed enough to have the founder of Sacred Chocolate, Steve Adler, speak at two raw food meetups (not my meetup group, but another local raw food one) explaining the creation process and many tastes of his Sacred Chocolate.  Last night, I was there to see him speak at Cousin’s.  I tried to hold myself back from sampling all the chocolate flavors that late at night but it was just too hard.  Needless too say, the cacao definitely opened up some pathways in my brain last night and was up scribbling ideas late into the night.  It was fun though.  My heart wasn’t beating out of control or anything.  I was just awake and happy and thinking of things I wanted to do today and in the future.  When this happens I usually want to get up and get some of these to-dos out of the way so I can go to sleep but I just don’t have the spiritual energy to do it.  Physically and emotionally, I could.  But my spiritual body just does not want to be up doing ANYTHING at those ungodly (or Godly?) hours of the morning.

Anyway, here are some notes I took in my head from last night that I’d like to share with you all:
•    There are now 17 (wow!) flavors of the Sacred Chocolate Bars.
•    Cacao bars are ALL about the variety of bean.
•    The flavor of each batch of bars could be different (and usually are slightly), depending on the temp it gets to (110 versus 114), the cycle of the moon, the bean batch, etc.  It is the most challenging alchemy to regulate.
•    His cacao never reaches above 114 degrees F.
•    His bars have 100% of the actual cacao fruit skins ground into the bar (this is because he wanted to get all the mystical properties and benefits of the skins into the bars).  This takes the process an extra long time.
•    He’s always coming out with new flavors.  Two of the latest are Immuno Mushroom and White Passion.
•    White Passion will not keep you all night or stimulate you like the other bars would if you’re really sensitive to cacao solids.
•    He is still really happy with his choice to use maple sugar (not raw) in his bars because it is hands down the best tasting and smelling flavor/aroma.  He always exploring other options though.  He may create a bar for diabetics in the future

•    What does he do when he eats too much cacao and needs to get grounded again? Drinks wheatgrass!  Steve drinks 8-16 ounces a day!
•    Steve would like his chocolate facility to one day be in an enormous pyramid (that would be a sight!).

•    He does not currently do public tours but sometimes shows groups of little kids around (he has a six year old daughter).
•    He only has 5-6 employees working with/for him.  Amazing!
•    He would like to one day create celebrity bars–for example: an “Oprah” bar with all of the superfoods she wants in it.
•    The best way to enjoy his chocolate is to let it just melt in your mouth.  No chewing!! (We got to sample ALL of the flavors last night.)

•    The mint and ginger flavors are his favorites; the Vegan Milk is the best selling flavor.
•    The Ginger was my favorite!
•    The Amazonian bar the most medicinal.  If you let it melt in your mouth, you might experience ten or more flavors at different times.

Steve also announced to us last night that his products will now be available through a brand-spanking new Multi Level Marketing (MLM) company called Elements for Life .  I had just signed up to be part of this company/team yesterday morning!  Talk about synchronicities!   It’s the first ever raw superfoods network marketing company and won’t even be unveiled to the public until the Raw Spiritfest , in mid September.  I’ve had a go at Mary Kay and Amazon Herbs before and just didn’t feel a complete connection with either.  But this opportunity has been just the one I (we??) have been waiting for.  Check out the links below if you’re interested.  Even if you’re not, the audio recording with David Wolfe on the superfoods is really educational.  David Wolfe, Gabriel Cousins, Daniel Vitalis, and all of those raw food authorities are behind this company up too!  The energy, integrity, and mission behind this company is completely pure and of the highest vibe.

Please contact me if you’re interested.  I’d love to work with you!

https://www.noblelifeelements.com/usa

http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=3716715

~Lenette

Last weekend, me, my boyfriend, and four other raw foodie friends from the Chicago Young and Raw Meetup Group drove up to a campground about 40 miles north of Greenbay, WI, for a weekend of camping, rafting, and kayaking.  I’ve honestly never had so much fun camping!  It had been a while, I admit, since sleeping outside in a tent and I didn’t know what to expect but it is REALLY easy to go camping (and to travel) when you’re with a bunch of raw foodists (when you’re a raw foodist yourself).  Altogether, the six of us probably had every type of condiment you could think of:
“Does anyone have any olive oil?”
“I do!”
“Does anyone have any cayenne?”
“I do!”
It was so funny ☺
When it came time to eat (and we were all pretty ravished at mealtimes), we got busy preparing our salads and within 10 minutes we were enjoying our meals.  No time wasted roasting, toasting, smoking, etc.  And I think we creating much less waste too.  Most of our trash was compostable.

I think about all of us were traveling with a little shaker of Celtic Sea Salt, which I thought was pretty funny (I thought I was the only one who was salt crazy).
We all stopped at a bunch of produce stands and gave those folks TONS of business by buying corn, tomatoes, peaches, etc.  We were all in love with the sweet corn out there!  (I’ve never seen so many corn field in my life, by the way.)  Of course, we started munching on the corn the moment we paid for it and shocked everyone.  “You just eat the corn RAW?”  “Of course!” we said.  How could corn farmers not know how good raw corn on the cob is?  Crazy.
We all drank tons of water and carried a bottle around with us everywhere.  For the first time, I wasn’t the only one not walking around with a water bottle.
Everyone shared their crackers/snacks/desserts with each other so it was almost like a potluck all weekend long.
On the way home, we even got to stop by a small-scale maple syrup producer (although maple syrup is not raw) and learned how it’s made.  So interesting.  And so much work for the stuff!  Honey seems like a breeze to create/gather compared to maple syrup!
This definitely won’t be the last time I travel with raw foodists.  We’re going to organize some ski trips other sorts of trips involving some drive time in the near future.  I’d like to travel to other countries with raw food friends some day.  It would be so much fun, especially as we seem to have similar interests (going to farmers markets, visiting local farms, looking for local wild foods to eat, doing physically active things, etc).

And here’s my latest smoothie invention (another fun cereal imitation)

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Green Smoothie
2 big handfuls of spinach
1-2 ripe pears
Generous shakes or 1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup (approximate) nut milk
Blend!
Optional–stir in chopped bananas for more of a cereal feel ☺
I find that smoothies with pears require a lot more chewing (the “crunch” of the smoothie) because of the pectin in them.  Adding cinnamon and milk really reminded me of the cereal!

~Lenette

I’m going rafting and funyaking with some friends this weekend in Wisconsin .  It’s going to be the best camping trip ever! This will be the first time I’ve actually “camped” since going raw.  Thank goodness it’s with 5 other people from the “Young and Raw” in Chicago group.  We’re going shopping at Whole Foods tomorrow morning and bringing a ton of produce with us.  No problem!  I made lots of flax crackers and am bringing a bag of goji berries and hemp seeds for us too.  I don’t think it’ll be a challenge at all.  It’ll probably be just how it is when I travel to California for a week—tupperware, a small cutting board and knife, and avocado and salt (for dressing) will be key!  I’ll let you know how it goes next week ☺

I found a new raw food website this week.   It’s www.radicalhealth.com .  The raw food expert behind this is David Favor.  There is a TON of audio on the website you can listen to for free.  I’m not sure I agree with him on everything or am about to purchase all of his products—don’t get me wrong—BUT I have definitely picked up some great info from him this past week.  Take what you want and leave the rest from all of these raw food health experts.  Don’t get lost in all of the contradiction or you’ll drive yourself nuts.  My favorite saying happens to be from David Wolfe though: “One person’s panacea is another person’s poison; one person’s poison is another person’s panacea.” Well put.

Now for some really fun news: Coming up on August 15th, we are going to be experiencing the first ever International Green Smoothie Day!!!!  Hey—“if there is a National Hot Dog Day,” I think we really need to have a healthy food day to balance it all out, don’t you?

The whole idea was thought up by the Raw Divas over at www.therawdivas.com .  They’re inviting all of us to step up to a 3 day challenge involving drinking a green smoothie three days in a row.  No problem right?  Let’s all do it together though.  It would be so much fun.  It cost $5 to join in on the challenge but a major portion of this goes to saving the whales—no joke! (Click on the pic below to read more about the Challenge .)

I’m not sure how I’m going to help celebrate this day with my Chicago meetup group, but I’ll think of something fun.  Help me spread the word!  If you don’t “officially” join the challenge online , that’s fine too, but I think we should all raise our green glasses up on this Friday in a huge toast to our health ☺

Now here’s a new recipe I’ll leave you with:  Save your money on raw chocolate bars!  Make your own quick cacao treat in seconds!

Cacao Crunch
2-3 Tablespoons cacao nibs
1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon maca
1 tablespoon agave nectar
(optional) 1 tablespoon goji berries
Mix and eat until satisfied!

~Lenette

Hi all,
Last week I talked to the people over at Barefoot Connections and am so happy to now be an affiliate, or representative, of their products.  Like I mentioned in my last post, their bed pad has really changed everything for me in the last three weeks.  I’ve been sleeping about 100 times better.  I’ve been falling asleep quicker, having longer cycles of REM sleep, more vivid dreams (I can remember most of them in the morning too!), and WAY more alertness and focus throughout the day.  It’s really amazing.  This product is not only for sleep though and I definitely encourage you to read more about it on the website, http://www.barefoothealth.com.   Connecting with the earth every night, can also reduce inflammation in the body (great for athletes), rebalance hormones, and throw off EMFs your body has absorbed throughout the day.  And, if you’re already great at sleeping, you may find yourself needing way less and feel refreshed hours before your alarm clock even goes off.  I am not really one that can tell the effects of a new supplement or superfood on my body right away.   This is one of the few products where I actually could feel the difference within the first few days though.

The manufacturer, Earth FX, is selling three products mainly: sheets, bed pads, and a recovery bag.  The bed pads are the most economical product though and with the recommendation of Dale, over at Barefoot Health, I bought the king-sized pad and now have it over my fitted sheet vertically across my bed, so my entire body can lay on it at night, instead of must my legs and feet. (It’s not really a “pad” but more of a sheet of special material with conductive silver yarn woven through it).  I think this is one of the best investments I’ve made in my health in the last year.

So here’s the discount:  Whether you order off the website, www.barefoothealth.com, or call them at 800-620-9912 and speak to Dale (which I recommend—she’s been researching this product and what it does for 7+ years), you will get a 10% discount with the code: BHRC100.

Here is some more great info too:  this is the link to the Barefoot Revolution newspaper.
http://www.barefoothealth.com/pdf/Barefootnewspaper.pdf

This is getting big, I know it.  It’s better than the whole magnet deal too (I believe) in terms of body recovery time.  I just saw on www.thebestdayever.com that an interview with the founder of the company is coming out tomorrow.  David Wolfe, Truth Caulkins, Len Foley and all the others in that group are already onto this company’s products and experiencing the benefits.  I can’t wait to hear this interview ☺

Again, you’ll get a 10% discount if you go to www.barefoothealth.com and use the coupon or gift code section of the shopping cart and use the promotional code:  BHRC100

Please let me know what you think if any of you decide to try this out (and there is a 60 day money back guarantee too!)

~Lenette

It’s funny how you don’t really “hear” or “get” things until you’re truly ready for them.  I’ve heard about the 5 Tibetan Rites dozens of times in books I’ve read by health and detox authorities but I never really saw myself doing it on a regular basis.  I’ve also heard about the seven chakras dozens of times, but never thought too much of them.  When I was at Erehwon in LA, talking to Truth Calkins about health and jing and staying youthful, he mentioned the 5 Tibetan Rites about a dozen times.  He is obviously a HUGE fan of doing them and it sounds like he does them routinely, twice a day.  While there, he turned me onto this book, the Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth: Book 2.   When I got back to Chicago, I got ahold of this book, read it, and ever since I’ve been doing the Rites every day!

It’s just like “going raw” or “going vegan”—it’s critical that you know the WHYS before you do it for yourself.  I guess this is because the WHYS really make you WANT to do it.  It’s not good enough that it sounds healthier or like a good idea.  You really have to arm yourself with the information in order to inspire yourself to reach the higher ground.

Since I’ve been doing them I’ve felt wonderful.  The best I’ve felt in months actually.  I’ve been sleeping better (this may be because of something else I’ll recently added in though), been meditating better, and been experiencing a heightened state of alertness and lucidity throughout the entire day.

It only takes about 10 minutes to do them too.  I follow along with a video I found on YouTube so it doesn’t feel like I’m doing it all by myself.  It kind of keeps me on pace too.  Here’s the video and here’s a printable version of the Rites if you’d like to check it out for yourself: http://www.mkprojects.com/pf_TibetanRites.htm

So my morning routine, now that I’m working from home permanently, is now: water, Tibetan Rites, mediate for 10 minutes, trampoline for 5 minutes, more water, get on the computer till hungry, more water….green smoothie time!

Here’s the other thing I’ve just added into my Health Toolbox: a Barefoot Connections bed pad.  This pad allows me to sleep while “Earthing. ” You can check out the site I got mine from at www.barefoothealth.net  Here is an explanation, from the website, on what “Earthing” is:

“Many people have noticed that they feel better when they spend time barefoot in the outdoors. Now we know why!

“Earthing™ (re-connecting with the earth) is a recent idea. It is based on scientific evidence confirming the long-suspected necessity for barefoot contact with the earth. Modern science has determined that standing barefoot on the earth (or otherwise connecting to the natural frequencies of the earth) has a wide variety of effects on the human body.

“Standing barefoot on the earth (or otherwise connecting to the natural frequencies of the earth) connects the human body with an unlimited supply of free electrons resident in and on the surface of the earth. Standing barefoot on the earth also connects the human body with rhythmic cycles of the earth’s energy field. These are essential for synchronizing biological clocks, hormonal cycles and physiological rhythms.

“Because our modern lifestyle prohibits most people from spending time in direct contact with the earth, Barefoot Connections™ products were designed to help make the connection - in the comfort of your own home or work place. In today’s world, re-connecting with the earth (Earthing™) could be one of the most important things you do!”

The two biggest benefits of this are 1) “Earthing™ supports the neutralization of free radicals that research has revealed cause pain, chronic inflammation, and auto-immune disease” and 2) “Earthing™ supports the synchronization of biological rhythms and influences the hormones that regulate sleep, stress and many other functions.”

Maybe this is why I’ve been sleeping so much better (or maybe it’s this in conjunction with the Rites).  Either way, I’m a much happier girl now, as you can imagine!  (I’m doing a three day fast right now too to add to the rejuvenating and balancing effects I’m experiencing right now.)

Note: if you DO happen to want a barefoot product of your own, please wait a couple more days; I’m working on a discount code that will get readers of this blog a % discount!  Lucky you!!

That’s all for right now.  I hope you’re all having the best summer ever right now.  I went and checked out the farmers market down the street from me last Sunday and made some beautiful kale chips with two HUGE bunches of kale (for only $5 too).  I can’t wait to try them after I’m done with this fast.  I also bought two HUGE heads of cabbage for only $2 each and made a big batch of sauerkraut yesterday.  Now I can’t hardly wait for the 100+ tomatoes in my garden to finish ripening!

If you’re interested in making kale chips yourself, here’s a blog post from last year: http://tinyurl.com/6pkghm

~Lenette

Last Saturday was our Mulberry Maddness Meetup and I have to say, I’ve never had so much fun foraging for wild food!  Gathering fruit is so much more fun to do with others than gathering for greens is.  Maybe because none of my friends out here are really into wild edible greens, but more likely because fruit is just so much more exciting and satiating to pick and eat on the spot.  We found not one, but two mulberry trees at the Magic Hedge and foraged to our hearts content.  One was a white mulberry tree and one was a red mulberry tree.  One berry for me…one for my cup…one berry for me…one for my cup… I’ve never been too crazy about the Navitas dried Turkish mulberries so I wasn’t sure how I’d like them fresh.  Fresh is SOOO much better!  The red ones are even better than the white (IMHO).  I’ll definitely have to do another foraging meetup soon ☺

I’m back to work now after taking a very relaxing month off.  I’m working for myself now on an online business but creating a sort of daily weekday schedule nonetheless.  It feels good.  I work for 45-90 minutes and then take little breaks inbetween (thanks to Dhru from We Like it Raw for this advice).  I don’t get burnt out and I come back to my computer feeling refreshed and inspired for my next round.

Right now I’m working on creating a raw food lifestyle DVD, the content being very similar to what I covered in my classes last year.  I’m currently working on the website and will soon be working on the script and then I’ll be filming.  I just love talking and teaching about raw foods and really spreading the word and inspiration. The website will be www.rawfooddvd.com or www.sunfooddvd.com, not sure just yet (or both!).  As far as I know, this will be the only DVD teaching/showing how to successfully incorporate a predominantly raw food diet into your lifestyle, not just about how to make raw foods.  How exciting!!  I really hope I can make an impact on others this way.

Some local news: I’ll be giving a talk to Doc’s Juice and Smoothie’s (a 100% organic café in Bucktown) this Saturday at 1pm.  I’ll be talking about the whats, whys and hows of green smoothies.  There will be free samples of several types of green smoothies too so if you’re around, stop on by!  Here is the link if you want to RSVP (please do!)

Above is a pic my bf and I made to bring to out friend’s pizza party last weekend.  While everyone was eating homemade pizza (which I can still appreciate the smell off ) , we were eating some homemade raw pizza of our own.  The crust was a dehydrated buckwheat sprout and flax seed cracker, the cheese was a macadamia nut and cashew pate, the marinara was a recipe from the Raw Foods Made Easy book , and all of this was topped with avo, olives, jalapenos, basil, sprouts, and marinated (in some Braggs) mushrooms.  We made extra so our friends could try some out and it was a good thing because everyone who did loved it.  Raw pizza rocks!  When is someone going to open up a raw food pizza joint??? Hmmm….

Well I’m back from California as of Monday and what a trip!  I went for a wedding I was a bridesmaid in on Saturday but I also really needed to reconnect with my brother and all of my close friends from college.   I also wanted to show my boyfriend around, as he had never been in Southern California before.  We stayed with my brother in Seal Beach in Orange County.

We really crammed it in but we did it all—saw all of my close friends (for the most part), went to four raw food restaurants (two of them twice), went to an awesome farmers market in Santa Monica, experienced 4th of July fireworks at Doheney beach, saw and had a 45 minute consultation with the famous Truth Calkins at Erewhon (he made us the best superfood, Jinged-out ice creams ever!), put in about eight hours of drive time (which is just what you have to do when you live in California), went to an awesome wedding, and went surfing with my bro.

I have to say that my bf and I are quite the experts at traveling and staying raw.  We make killer salads by making a quick stop at a farmers market, Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.  And we just love checking out new raw food restaurants.   This trip, we went to Euphoria, 118 Degrees, AuLac (twice) and Erehwon (twice).  Next time we plan on going to Terra Bella and Cru for sure.  The meal at AuLac was definitely the best EVER.  Really.  Da Bowl was my bf’s favorite salad (the Salad Song is my fav), the Imagine (the risotto with sea veggies) was our favorite entrée ever, and the chocolate ecstasy cake was by far the best raw food dessert we’ve ever had.  It was like an ice cream cake with oreo cookie crust!  I don’t know how they do it.  Chef Ito was there both times too and it was really nice to see him again (although, I have to admit, I don’t know what he’s trying to say to us half the time).  I totally respect his vow of silence and raw food making talent though!

At Erewhon, I had a completely new raw food experience.  Truth made me this drink that wasn’t even on the menu.  Here is a complete list of what it had in it: maca, cacao, mesquite, roasted maca, tocotreinols, protein powder, eucamia bark extract, chaga, ionic minerals, he sho wu, cistanche, ionic minerals, pumpkin seed oil, ghee (that’s right—ghee.  I was totally trusting Truth and his expertise though), stevia extracts of chocolate, vanilla, and English toffee, zylitol, and almond milk.  He made all of this into an ice cream by using ice as a base and it was out of this world.  He even sprinkled on bee pollen for me!  This was so good that I had to go back on Sunday for another ☺

We were also pretty lucky to have gotten what felt like a full-on consultation and tour by Truth as well.  What a treat!  I was also really happy to purchase a couple of his “Cacao of the Tao” chocolates that I had heard about on the bestdayever.com.  (They are pretty darn awesome-tasting by the way.)

All in all, it was one of the best trips to California ever.  It’s so exciting going to a new raw food restaurant too.  Too bad I wasn’t a raw fooder while I was living there.  Oh well ☺  It’s nice to be back in Chicago though.  I have a feeling we’ll be getting some new places to eat at too.  Also—here’s some neat news.  Shazzie from the UK has made an e-book for people to bring to their favorite restaurants that might be open to expanding their menu to include some raw food items.  I checked out the e-book and it’s really great.  It gave me some ideas for some new recipes to try out myself too. Here’s the link to have to e-book mailed to you .

~Lenette