Many paths to get there

Burger Wrap - great meal for after a swim!

I made a burger analogy - raw style, for lunch on Sunday & then I had left-overs - the rest I had made for dinner. I enjoyed it so much that I made it again yesterday - and made more!

It consisted of a burger (sort-of) with toppings of a spinach-walnut pesto, tomatoes, sprouts and a pine nut sauce topping all wrapped up in a romaine lettuce leaf.
Other great topping ideas: red onion, marinated shitake mushrooms, olives, etc

The Burger = equal amounts (I used 1 c each) of Brazil nuts & sun-dried tomatoes. Thats it, process them together in a food processor & then when it is all blended together form into patties.

Spinach Walnut Pesto = 1/2 bunch spinach, 1/2 c walnuts, 1 garlic clove, 1-2 T olive oil, 1 T agave, dash of Celtic salt & cayenne. Process all together in food processor.

Pine nut Sauce = pine nuts with a bit of lemon juice & water to make a sauce pureed together. I used my little spice grinder.. but it was a little messy. I think next time I'll try the magic bullet (mini-blender).

Happy Anniversary Rawketscience! - Top 10

I just received an e-mail which I need to share. This is great!

Has it been a year? Wow.

My very own - a Rawketscience - Top 10!
: )

1) So many things, so many topics.. I am amazed when I hear someone say they are bored. That is so symptomatic of a junk-food, depressed state of mind and body. Raw food gives you so much energy, enthusiasm, creativity etc etc.. & I truly, truly believe it.
& miracles do happen.. every day!

2) Thank you to the universe, & for being blessed with the knowledge I have about life. Thank you for music and rainbows and laughter and smiles. Thank you for humour, Thank you for love. Thank you for tropical islands.. and colourful fish, and not so colourful fish, and tropical fruit, and not so tropical fruit and green smoothies and babies and sprouts and my computer and my zebra blanket and Hugs and life, and life, and Life! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.


3) It was this.. maybe a little hard to explain or understand unless you've felt it.. but it is a very alive, aware, plugged in, connected feeling.. almost sexual, but not sexual.. something different.. I remember thinking it was like having intercourse with the universe.. very high.. & I'm still tingling


4) I have so much, the beauty & love of the roses & mostly about the breatharian and how he really needs nothing, not even food, he has so much abundance.. we all do. At one point –in the most frustrating moment of being late, I almost felt teary at the worldly frustration/spiritual joy of everything..


5) Am off.. bursting back into real life.. had this image of being a 2d character coming back to 3D.


6) We know a lot less than we believe.
& yet we know everything.
because we are everything

7) my cells were buzzing, I felt in love with everything, that's not so unusual, I get that a lot.. but everything loved me back.. I don't know, it doesn't sound as good as it felt.


8) So we would have freedoms that we don't have now – like we'd be able to have sex on the street.. hey, not hurting anyone (interesting example ; ) Made me think that maybe this is where my authority issues come from. I do have them.. have always been a natural born rebel, in a very peaceful way.. can't help it, its just who I am.

9) For instance once I was really seeking to be more spiritual, and I suddenly saw the light in fruit, literally, like how light shines through it, and it glistens, and I realized that I could become lighter by eating lighter. Fruit literally brings light in to your body.


10) For instance, say I'm red and my partner is yellow, we would both become orangish. If my partner was blue we would both become purplish. However if my partner was green then we would both become mud.. , which is bad.. unless you like being mud.

p.s. that was amazing. I enjoyed that very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

(I would like to give credit for the pic but not sure where it came from.)

Anastasia's Ray

I am reading book 3 in the Ringing Cedar Series about Anastasia. But there are a few things in the 1st book that I keep thinking back on. So I am going back to book 1.. this part, about her Ray, is from Chapter 7.

In it Vladimir tells about the invisible ray she has..in fact a ray that we all have, only most of us do not know about it & are unable to make use of it. She talks about there being nothing in technology, nothing created by Man which is not already in Nature. She tells him about daydreams, visualizing, intuition. She talks about dreams.. and interestingly how we are able to control our dreams. (lucid dreaming). We see our dreams usually as chaotic and random but we have lost the ability to control our dreams. We are meant to be able to control not only them but also other natural phenomena and ourselves.

This invisible ray gives you the ability to see individuals at a great distance and what is going on in their lives. Through it you can "obtain information or transmit. It can cheer up a person's mood or partially take away someone's illness. There are lots of other things it can do, depending on the energy available and the degree of feeling, will and desire."
The ray "consists of information one possesses - concepts, intuitions, emotional feelings and as a result, of dream-like visions consciously controlled by Man's will."

With it you can see the future and the past -"they are pretty much the same thing. It is only the external details that are different. The essence always remains unchanged."
.."for example, a thousand years ago people wore different clothes. They had different instruments at their disposal. But that is not the essence. Back a thousand years ago, just like today, people had the same feelings. Feelings are not subject to time.
"Fear, joy, love. Just think, Yaroslav the Wise,Ivan the Terrible, and the Egyptian pharaohs were all capable of loving a woman with exactly the same feelings as you or any other man today."

Vladimir asks Anastasia about training or exercises that may be developed to make the ray stronger. to which she responds that that may possible help. However, she say there is one absolute condition before the ray can be controlled by the will...
"It is absolutely necessary to keep one's thoughts pure, as the strength of the ray depends upon radiant feelings."
Pure thoughts and radiant feelings are what power the ray.


P.S. in science, a phenomenon like this ray is known as a torsion field.

P.P.S. This reminds me of something that Jinjee wrote before. www.thegardendiet.com/
She said how Storm told her that to stay on the raw food diet one had to be pure of heart. That thought stayed with me ever since I read it. & so if this is true.. raw foodists would have the strongest rays! : ) !!!

pic from http://www.childrensbooksireland.com/childrens_book_festival/2006/opener.shtml

Some great Raw websites

Living Nutrition Health Magazine
http://www.livingnutrition.com/

Chad Sarno (he's one of my very favorite chefs!)
http://www.rawchef.org/

Living Light - Cherie Soria
http://www.rawfoodchef.com/

Loving Foods - Jeremy Safron
http://www.lovingfoods.com/

Rhio
http://www.rawfoodinfo.com/

Alex Malinsky
http://www.rawguru.com/

Karen Knowler
http://www.fresh-network.com/

Nothing's Random!

ENZYME - A protein molecule that catalyzes chemical reactions of other substances without itself being destroyed or altered upon completion of the reactions.

from Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary

Shopenhauer was one of the first major philosophers to realize that most people don't realize they are sleeping until they wake up.



My brother was surprised that I didn't know what a ludite was. ..but, for the record, I am def. not a luddite!
luddite - one opposed to technology and machines.

The Luddites were a social movement of the English textile artisans in the early19th c. who protested — often by destroying textile machines — against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt threatened their livelihood.
(They were named after a mythical leader - Ned Ludd.
- from wikipedia


Thoughts from Jay Douglas :

"Whenever you are given an opportunity to do good - You must take it!"
&
"A talent is a gift from God. It is given to you to share with others. You need to share it with the world."


from Jinjee's Daily Raw Inspiration -4/29/07 Quarter Pounder Facts

http://www.TheGardenDiet.com

Every quarter pound of hamburger was produced via 100 gallons of water, 1.2 pounds of grain, a cup of gasoline, greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to those produced by a six-mile drive in your average car, and the loss of 1.25 pounds of topsoil, every inch of which took 500 years for the microbes and earthworms to build. How can all this cost less than a dollar, and who is supposed to pay for the rest of it?

For more about this and many other interesting environmental facts, see http://www.overpopulation.org/consumption.html

Of stinging nettle, pineapple cores, seedless grapes and men

'To see what is in front of one's nose is a constant struggle" George Orwell

I woke up this morning and was thinking about all the things that happened yesterday. It's kind of an empty atmosphere there now, after Chocosol left on the weekend. I came in & it was sooo quiet & put on some music to fill it up a bit. But then I got the feeling, like you do after a big clean up - kind of like a zen moment, when you can look and appreciate eveything individually. Each person who came, each bit of information and thing they brought was like a gift.

Every day is like a birthday party.
I was thinking of the Gebo rune , it looks like this: X ..it is the rune of exchange and I always think of it like a gift. But Randy told me before that it always has to be returned, in one way or another. It took me awhile to get this concept. I like the idea of giving without anything having to be returned..but he said it doesn't happen that way. Everything needs to balance out & be returned. But the gifts are not only material.. but often and more often they can be an exchange of knowledge.. even a Thanks is a gift. yk?

some of the gifts I received yesterday:
- I learned that the middle part of the pineapple is the best part. Whitney told me this first, that AAron told her hes studying nutrition.. and I said 'Oh I don't think so, thats probably an old wives tale to get you to eat the middle part.' but then in comes Simon & says 'hey, did you know the middle part is the best part' (I was cutting it out) He said that that is where the bromelain is found ( I knew this enzyme came from pineapples & papayas - but not where it was found in them) He said that they dry & powder the middle part to make digestive enzymes.
& all this time I had been throwing it away!

- Simon had a big bag of stinging nettle that his Mom brought him. & I had been thinking about it. A lady came in the day before looking for it, and other very nutritious weeds & herbs..but I didn't know much about stinging nettle or where to find it. So then Simon comes in with a huge bag of it for us to juice. He said he completely cured his allergies with this stuff. I wore gloves at first but then took them off to experience the sting.. it wasn't bad & Simon says its really good for you when you get stung anyway. (Hmm.. that sounds familiar! - yes, I am thinking of you John.. and my meditation group - in case you ever read this - I miss you ! Hugs! : )

- Jay cam in & told me how much Sly & Tony loved their sandwiches. I packed up a loaf of bread (raw, of course) & sunflower pate & sprouts & even our lemon-ginger-date dressing for them, I was thinking Sly would need food for the trip home to Jamaica. & Jay said they ate it almost all Fri eve. loved it! : ) & Jay, I have to repeat, I liked this "It takes Amazing to know Amazing" I appreciated the journey in to visit.

-Horace came in & I got to ask him about guava seeds - yes, you eat it all & they are amazing for you. We talked about seeds. It's amazing how everyone wants seedless fruit these days. The seed is where all the nutrients are. Even before I went raw, when I was taking all those supplements from the health food store.. one of the last to go was grape seed - cause I knew it was making such a big difference. But really you can just eat grapes with seeds in them. When you think about it the seed is the whole food..the whole fruit & the whole plant.. it contains everything in it.. all the nutrients. & not only 1 plant but thousands and thousands of plants.. the progression of all of life of the plant, every generation is in that seed.. its endless. when the fruit is gone , it's gone..but the seed can go on forever & ever. Sometimes the most obvious things are right in front of us, right under our noses and we don't even see them.

all these things and so many, so many more.. each & every day!
Love Life!

Exotic fruits

I tried jackfruit last night on my way home from work for the 1st time. It was in a smoothie with mango & honey and water - from Gingers, a restaurant around the corner from work, right across from Organics on Bloor (where I was headed). Most of the food is far away from raw but they have durian and jackfruit & lots of other fruit smoothies.
I was curious to try a jackfruit & still am anxious to try it on it's own. Amy was telling me how much more she likes it than a durian. Its something like a durian in shape but smoother bumps, not as spiky on the outside.

On Sunday I went to Little India to get some saffron for the raw Paella dish I made and tried guavas again. I tried them last year and they were not good.. but I had heard they were. This time they were amazing. Weird seeds in there tho. they're hard - I just ate the whole thing, seeds & all. But I could really use a fruit expert around here.

There are so many amazing fruit - the mangosteen! I have tried this one and it's so good.. but it's expensive - esp for the size of it.

& I haven't tried a cherimoya yet, but hear it's incredible also.






& passionfruit!
I made a passionfruit sauce before.. Mmmm...

Wow! I am looking up so many fruit pics that I have never tried before.. it's amazing. One day I will try them all! granadilla, kiwano, kudoonia, rambutan, salak, vigiimari..

& I could go on & on.. but have to drive Kaiya to her friends & get ready for work.

& Then there's real life. ..and maybe another jackfruit smoothie on the way home. : )


P.S. Simon says K&K market on Spadina, in Chinatown, close to Kensington market.. has the best fruit. They usually have durians and you can get the best papayas there. They let you taste things, theres a guy out in front with fruit who will cut pieces off for you to try. I think I've been there.. will have to go see if it's where I am thinking. yikes, I better run.... later..

Have a most adventurous and triumphant day!!! : )

guava pic - http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/ingredients/glossary/f-guava.jpg
jackfruit pic - http://www.rigual.ee/index.php?lang=est&mid=4&nid=11

cherimoya pic - www.rarefruit.com - home of Leo & Betty Manuel -

At our home in San Diego, you will find such fruit as Mango, Banana, Cherimoya, Pitanga, Guava, Rose Apple, Cherry-of-the-Rio-Grande, Atemoya, Capulin Cherry, Longan, Passion Fruit, White Sapote, Black Sapote, Papaya, Jakfruit, Carambola, Citrus, Jujube, Pineapple, Japanese Persimmon, Pitaya, and a few others. Most people in the United States would call those rare fruit.

Mango is my favorite fruit, but Pitahaya (aka Pitaya, Dragon Fruit, etc.) has taken up most of my time and energy in recent years. Paul Thomson in nearby Bonsall has experimented with crossing different Hylocereus varieties. Most of my plants came from him.

mangosteen pic - http://www.fredshouse.net/images/mangosteen.jpg

passionfruit - http://www.naturesflavors.com/images/passionfruit.jpg

Meet me in Vatu Vara

P.S. ABOUT Vatu Vara's Beach House

Vara's is the ONLY backpackers / budget accommodation set right on the beach, from the most popular and prime beach of MURI BEACH and stretching up a private hill estate. Famous for the small islands called 'motus' that you can swim, kayak or walk out to, Muri Beach offers the best location for anyone coming to the islands with the largest lagoon of Rarotonga right infront of our Beach House!!!!. Being the most popular backpackers / budget accommodation in the whole of the Cook Islands, we offer rooms to suit everyone's needs - from those looking for fun and excitement to those wanting peace, privacy and quietness in our lovely hillside estate only minutes stroll from our Beach House, or stay in our deluxe ocean front house where one can explore the reef life and whale watching from the large balcony. Vara's accommodation starts from the beach side of popular Muri Beach and stretches up on the hillside about 5 - 8 minutes walk from the Beach House with fully furnished houses, cottages, villas and bungalows set on a private hill with great ocean and village views, as well as having communal houses scattered along the village of Muri Beach. The Beach House has a huge beach sun deck with sun chairs and hammocks over stretching the beach under swaying palm trees, with the most picturesque view. There is a Beach Hut that hires out snorkeling gear, kayaks and does fishing tours, spear diving tours as well as hires out one of the cheapest scooters on the island. Absolutely convenient to everything with shops, restaurants, cafes and bars, bus stop, dive centers, sailing club, car and bike rentals and much more only minutes stroll. We also offer self-catering accommodation for those looking for something upmarket and more private but still the ability to meet and mingle with others. Please note our accommodation consists of beachside AND hillside rooms, with beachside subject to availability. Vara's has a CAFE/Restaurant, souvenir shop and pharmacy on site, as well as bus stop at front entrance right next to all the local shops. We organise tours and activities and popular island nights and pub crawls. Only 15 min drive to main town Avarua.

HOSTEL RATING INFO This hostel has been graded by 10 Hostels.com customers Character: 93% Security: 80% Location: 100% Staff: 93% Fun: 80% Cleanliness: 80%

The Italian in Thailand who goes to Fruitopia for Paella and shares everything!

Sometimes I have a dilemma.
When I come up with a really good recipe and I want to share it ..and yet I plan on making part of my business with recipes. Should I give them all away now or save them for the upcoming book. Not that I've started a book yet.. other than in my thoughts.

..and yet I love the saying "Share everything with everyone"
and I am getting there..

and I have sooo many recipes. But this one is such a classic. This feels kind of like handing down your grandmother's secret recipe, which normally only gets shared with people close to you.
I last shared it with Amy (of Chocosol) and she made tons of it for their huge Valentines party. ..& I think she did a better job than me of making it. But its so easy to make.. just throw everything in the blender & blend, thats it.

My Favorite Tomato Sauce

3-4 tomatoes
1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1 jalapeno
1/2-1/3 red pepper
1 T olive oil
1 T honey (or agave)
1 T apple cider vinegar
Lots of basil & oregano

herb tip - of course fresh & from the garden is best. I grow lots & at the end of the season, pick it all & blend with some olive oil & freeze it to use during the winter.

Blend and then pour on top of spiralized zucchini. It's so much like the real thing it's incredible.. but honestly, it's even better!

Ok so I wanted to share that with you to share my dinner for the last couple nights.
I love this variation I just came up with.
I was calling it (to myself):

An Italian in Thailand

2 T coconut dream
2 T agave
2 T lime juice
1 T tamari (mine was oriental ginger flavor)
1 t curry
sambal oelek or chilis or hot peppers to taste (last night it was really hot, I was sweating!)
Celtic salt
and 4 heaping T's of Tomato Sauce

Mix all together. I spiralized & then chopped the zucchini pasta a bit and I would have added a bit of chopped cilantro also if I had it.


Tonight I am planning on making Paella. I watched a video on how to make it at Freshtopia.net
It looks so good! see the video here: http://www.freshtopia.net/vlog/
I love this website.. Love Tanja! Thanks for sharing this with us.

Here's her creation which she says is just as good & maybe even better the next day, as the saffron continues to infuse the dish with flavour for up to 24 hours.

Tanja's Fresh Paella Recipe

Saffron Dressing:
Whisk together,
Lg pinch saffron soaked in
2T lemon juice for 20 minutes or more
2T olive oil
1t agave syrup or honey
dash sea salt

Marinated Mushrooms:
1/2C oyster or other mushrooms marinated in
1/2C water
1/4C rice-wine vinegar (apple cider would work too)
2T nama shoyu or soy sauce
1T dulse flakes
1t paprika

Paella “Rice”:
1 1/2C turnip, chopped
1/3C pine nuts
1/4C bell pepper
2T onion
1t garlic
2 sm. tomatoes, chopped
1/2C fresh peas
1/4C parsley
1/4C sun-dried tomatoes soaked well, chopped

Pulse turnips, pine nuts, bell peppers, onion, and garlic in food processor until grainy rice-like consistency. Stir in tomatoes, peas, parsley and saffron dressing. Top with drained marinated mushrooms, sliced green olives, additional finely chopped parsley and a dusting of paprika.
Enjoy!

painting - emundi heirloom artscape yr 7 - from http://www.houseoftola.com/gallery/joes/emundi_heirloom_artscape_yr_7

The House of T.O.L.A. (Theater of Life Artistry)

The Galleries within hold the brushstokes of literally thousands of people, all composed live at the event under the hand of the artist Bob Gammage. He has his own gallery and his original artscapes all carry a Certificate of Authenticity.

Bob is a colourist, creating images you can step into. He is a painter, writer, philosopher and sculptor.......a bohemian who lives where his feet are, and he endevours to abide by one rule no harm.

photo from http://www.rcapub.com/Thailand_Full_Moon_Party.htm

Durian and chocolate high, videos, photos and Keiko Ti - Thats me!

Yesterday was my last day with Chocosol @ 720. They were packing up to move on.. over to 6 St Joseph St. I will miss them so much.. I was a little in denial that they were actually leaving.

Toward the end of the day, as it was quieting down .. it was so busy! I got out a durian that the Boutenkos had given to us when they left & we had a durian party. Not that most of the chocosol guys or everyone was into it.. but quite a few of us were, def Matthieu & Simon & Oliver & Mark. Mark is 12 years old & comes in quite a bit to volunteer & help make chocolate. He loved the durian. Said he had The Great Glass Elevator before - this is a recipe from The Naked Chocolate book (D Wolfe & Shazzie). The recipe calls for 1 durian, 30 cacao beans, 1 young coconut & a ball pond. You open the coconut.. eat the durian & the beans and then drink the coconut water w/ a straw & laze around in the ball pond for an hour before resuming any adult activities.
He said it made him high, ..and lazy and tired and happy. He said he's probably been more high than any other kid his age. He's almost raw.. he wants to be & is heading in that direction, says hes 70%.
Durian has a lot of tryptophan, which raises seratonin levels in the brain.. this leads to feelings of bliss and even euphoria.

Durian has a nasty smell though when you open it.. kind of like sulphur.. and the taste is amazing.. vanilla and banana and slight oniony or something but better and has a creamy buttery texture - its an aquired taste & many people wouldn't agree with me - that it's amazing. I didn't like it very much at first either.. but each consecutive time got better & there is something about sharing durain with someone else. Its an intimate experience.. even if there are more than 2. Not sure how that happens.. but a definite bond develops. Durian is an experience as much as a flavor. & most raw foodists think its the best flavour ever!

A woman came in about an hour after we opened it ..she came up to the counter & said.. "whats going on in here, is something happening.. the energy level is so high" 'Oh yeah, I told her we just opened a durian & shared it" she was really intrigued. she had never had one before.. but told me that she just got back from Thailand and there were signs not to take durian up to the hotel rooms (They are banned on the subways in Singapore also, according to Anthony Bourdain's book - A Cooks Tour - my husband is reading that right now) So there was a bit left & she tried some. She gave a bit of a weird look - most people are not sure what to make of it & don't get all the hype - but like I said - aquired and its something more than just taste - theres another level going on here.

Matthieu had some melted cacao and we were dipping the durian in the melted raw chocolate - it was sooo good! Matthieu is my chocosol raw buddy who makes the most amazing green juices.. he hand cranks them - more energy in them ..& uses a lemurian crystal to grind stuff up.. its actually more of a potion than either just a tonic or juice.. this stuff is magical!

Matthieu made the Chocosol Chronicle - 720 experiment video I posted a week or so ago. He is going to teach me how to post videos to YouTube & maybe edit etc. - part of my great plan - a travelling raw video blog - but thats still just such a small part of it. : ) & I have much to learn & do. Matthieu is also going to be my chocolate connection - I am a serious addict! ; )

Mark, on the other hand, came & helped me spread out the bread and get sheets of it into the dehydrater after the durian experience.. I think I may just take over this volunteer help! He offered. : ) & he wrote out a bunch of raw recipes for me to try & lent me his Bible (Naked Chocolate) to read for the week until he can come back. Its one of those books thats been read, read, and reread hundreds of times .. and signed 3 times by David Wolfe.

I am just finishing my lunch as I write this. Rawket Chips (my dehydrated spicy corn chips) w/ guacamole & salsa. Sooo good! ..and I am finally off to go paint now. I brought all my paintings so far up and out into my front hallway & they are stacked 3 high - 6' (they are all 2'x2') and 5 long.. 14 of them so far.. going to go work on the 15th.. but it looks like one big painting, all put together like that - a bouquet or actually a whole garden! I brought them to get ready to be photographed but I kind of like them there.

I should get me photographed also.. I don't have 1 pic of myself on the computer. I joined facebook last week or so. ..under my artist name Keiko Ti. I just signed my paintings all Keiko Ti.. my husband asked what that name was.. new to him. He said I was so weird. Maybe I am (in a good way of course) - I kind of liked that.


durian pic from http://tzuyen.blogspot.com/2005_06_01_archive.html

Ideas! Jay Douglas, Sly Dunbar and Dr Aris Latham of Sunfired Foods - Benefits

For the past 4 nights I have been getting less sleep than usual.
Last night I was up writing, pen and paper - about 14 pages of ideas for our new venture, at about 3 am.
I often get inspired in the middle of the night. Sometimes first thing in the morning.. but if there are a lot of things on my mind, sometimes I wake up & have to write them all down so I can fall back asleep.. which I usually do right away.

The night before I was up late from partying : ) - cd release party for Jay Douglas at the Revival club @ College & Shaw, for his new cd - A Touch of Magic. It was great, Jay has such a great voice & so much soul! .. he was backed by Sly & Robbie. We had such a fun night.
Yesterday Jay, a regular & friend from work, brought in Sly & Tony Greene - sax player.



from wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sly_and_Robbie :

Sly and Robbie are reggae's most prolific and long lasting production team. The rhythm section of drummer Lowell Dunbar (nicknamed Sly after Sly Stone, one of his favorite musicians) and bass guitarist Robert Shakespeare started working together in the mid 1970s, after having established themselves separately on the Jamaican music scene. They are humorously also sometimes referred to as Sly Drumbar and Robbie Bassspeare.

Sly and Robbie may well be the most prolific recording artists ever. One estimate is that they have played on or produced some 200,000 songs [1], considering that some of their riddims such as "Revolution" have been used on over 100 songs.

Sly & I got talking - he's raw also, about the same amount of time as me, just over 2 years.
I told him of some of my ideas and that it included raw travelling and asked if he had a good connection in Jamaica. He hooked me up with this guy: Dr Aris Latham of Sun Fired Foods.

http://sunfiredfood.com/

This guy is huge! He was the head chef at Hippocrates. He's been raw for 30 years.

The 2004 Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America acclaims: ‘…the raw food movement owes much to Aris LaTham, a native of Panama, he is considered to be the father of gourmet ethical vegetarian raw foods cuisine in America. He debut his raw food creations in 1979, when he started Sunfired Foods, a live-foods company in New York City. In the years since he has trained thousands of raw food chefs and added innumerable recipes to his repertoire…’

He is currently engaged in the training of vegetarian and raw food chefs for other major international resorts and hotels. ‘Sunfired Edible Arts’, education, nutrition, detox, catering, and consulting services are available through The VegSoul Retreats and Sunfired Food Health Institute in Negril, Jamaica. Aris is featured every Wednesday, 8-10pm London time on www.villageradio.com


from his website - on the Benefits page:

There are many other benefits of a Sunfired Food Cuisine:

1. INCREASED ENERGY LEVEL

People commonly experience sleepiness and lethargy after consuming a large cooked meal. Many people run out of energy by evening time. This indicates that the body is struggling with something with which it should not be challenged. A meal that has not been cooked does not produce this lethargy, but actually gives the body the natural energy that it needs.

2. REDUCED MINOR HEALTH AND PHYSICAL WORRIES

A. Overweight:

Many people are overweight. It is difficult to maintain an attractive, healthy weight on the typical SAD (Standard American Diet) food consumption. However, weight is virtually no concern to those on a gourmet Sunfired Food Cuisine.

B. Hair Loss:

Many previously balding men and women have reported new hair growth, even to near normal, on a fresh-raw food diet.

C. Colds & Flu:

The frequency of colds, flu, minor infections, etc. is substantially reduced if not completely eliminated.

D. Sexual Impotency:

There is a dramatic increase in the number of operations and other medical treatments for male sexual dysfunction. Many women suffer from infertility, premature menopause and other reproductive ailments. Normal, vital sexual function is enhanced on a Sunfired Food Cuisine.

3. AVOID MOST MAJOR HEALTH CONCERNS

Nearly everyone agrees that diet affects our health and that most people should change what they eat. What is not as well known is that a mineral-rich, fresh-raw food diet all but assures us that we will not suffer from cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes and many other crippling or fatal diseases that plague us.

4. ENHANCED LONGEVITY AND AVOIDANCE OF GENETIC DETERIORATION

A. Longevity:

People live longer, feel better, and have a higher quality of life on a fresh-raw food diet, avoiding minor and major diseases and deterioration. There is much scientific and anthropological evidence showing this.

B. Genetic Deterioration:

There is an increase in evidence being reported – for instance a NY Times front page article – that unexplained genetic deterioration is occurring from one human generation to the next. It was proven in an earlier published, 10-year research project by Dr. Robert Pottinger on animals and humans that the processed, western diet leads to genetic degeneration in newborn children.

5. REDUCE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC COSTS

Medical costs have become a major element in the economy of many nations as well as families. As costs soar, everyone's well being is threatened. A large part of these expenditures, as well as the lost productivity and human suffering, can be avoided by consistently eating and enjoying a varied fresh-raw food cuisine.

Raw friends in Windsor and Waterloo

I met Cynthia of Divinely Raw in Waterloo a few days ago at work, Toronto Sprouts - with her friend and daughter.
Am looking up her website - she has some great classes (Mexican!Mmmm), events (Raw & Salsa dancing, great combo!), pot-lucks, catering.. lots going on there!!
Best wishes Cynthia, hope to make it out there one day to visit you.
check out her website:

http://www.divinelyraw.ca/

I also met a couple other women, Renee and Alice of Nude Food, located in Windsor, at the Total Health Show recently. They also offer creative raw- living food workshops, events, products and catering. Renee became adopted as my sister that Saturday night at the show.. although I haven't heard from her yet.. sorry sis about not keeping in touch, hope you're reading this, lol. I gained 3 sisters that day though.. so hard to keep up with everyone.. so glad I have my blog!
But, just thought I would mention it was wonderful meeting you.. and I wish you every success in your endeavours. It all looks amazing. (p.s. just copied the recipes - they look great! - thanks)

http://www.nudefood.net/

Not so random thoughts: shaking up belief systems, increasing happiness and the order of randomness

I have been busy conceptualizing an idea that is HUGE.
..and now I need to go present ideas and formulate plans with my co-conspirator and partner to be...
...and, of course, these plans will be disclosed as they materialize.
: )

but for now.. 3 random, or not so random, thoughts

1st - from the book of my writing at the bottom of my bed- this book was written awhile ago & so may or may not have been posted before. (but I like this thought, a good repeat, even if so)

'Imagine that the thing that you believe in the most is totally false and you are wrong about all the things that you held as truths. It's good to shake up the belief system every once in awhile. We know a lot less than we believe. We can get very opinionated, with strong beliefs and stuck on things as human beings. That being said.. we also know everything because we are everything.'
.. Nowthat, my friends, is a 10th dimensional thought!

Thought #2 - from the book on top of that book, also of my writings (I have so many books- of dreams and thoughts and stuff in real life)

'Every night, think of 3 good things that happened to you and analyze why they occurred. This will increase your overall happiness.'
I haven't tried that one, but it makes sense. Think I'll go try it while I make my smoothie..

ok, thought #3 is from a book I just finished -The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. This is a memoir, not the type of book I usually read. I thought it would be a nice easy read, a novel.. but its deep.. incredible insight into another persons life, really fascinating ..and even if it affected and maybe hurt my soul a bit on a very deep level - I would still recommend it.

This thought is from Jeannette's father, who was an alcoholic, but someone quite brilliant.
He was in the hospital, very ill and 'pondering about mortality and the nature of the cosmos'. He had been reading about chaos theory and esp the work of Mitchell Feigenbaum, a physicist at Los Alamos who had made a study of the transition between order and turbulence. He stated that turbulence was not in fact random but followed a sequential spectrum of varying frequencies. This would conclude that every act in the universe that we thought was random (even a spatula flying out in space) actually conforms to a rational pattern. This implies that nothing is actually random and that quantum physics even suggests that there is a Divine creator - her father was an adamant atheist.

Nothing random? could it be. I think down deep I kind of felt this.. but on another level I think I will still pretend that things are.. cause I really like the random idea.. it's just fun.

: ) Have a very fun and an orderly-chaotic random day!

Tanning from the inside out - ingesting sunlight and Kirlian photography

I thought of something interesting last night. I am not sure, but I don't think I have ever heard it put together like this. Have you ever noticed that raw foodists have a natural tan? I noticed this right away.. in fact, at first I questioned whether I was eating too many carrots. ..but I wasn't, and it wasn't an orangy color.. it was a natural tan color. But then I stopped thinking about it & just enjoyed it.

Then last night I was thinking about the life force in foods.. and we have heard many times how the food has sun energy.. not just enzymes and nutrients, but a life force energy that you can see with kirlian photography. I have seen pics of a raw foodists hands, which generally have a bright aura around them and a junk-foodists hands, kirlian photographed, which show barely any life force at all. & it occured to me that its the sun that is being ingested through the foods.. the plants get their energy from the sun & when we ingest them we get a natural tan, from the sun, through the foods we eat. Cool!

Kirlian Photography

It was in 1939 that a Russian electrical engineer, Semyon Kirlian, working with a high voltage machine that he thought was turned off, noticed a discharge when his hand came into contact with the machine. He found this discharge could expose photographic emulsion.
Further work has since shown that some form of discharge can be produced from inanimate objects, but that from living tissue fluctuates and appears to vary in intensity, depending on the health of the tissue.

...

Not only animal tissues, but vegetable matter give off a corona. It is strongest in plants when freshly cut, and tends to be equated with 'healthiness'. Thus wholemeal bread has a much stronger corona than non-wholemeal and fresh milk has a corona whereas dried milk has none.
An intriguing feature of plants is the phantom leaf effect. (Fig. 2). For a few seconds after cutting away part of a leaf, a corona discharge in the exact shape of that part removed can be shown.

pic &kirlian info from: http://www.biofieldsciences.com/biofieldsciences.com/IMAGES/kirlian-hand.jpg

nutrient absorption, 10 tips to help the earth, rawviolis

Just a thought
When it comes to our bodies absorbing an utilizing nutrition, I think there is a lot more going on than just what foods and nutrients we put into our bodies. How we picture ourselves, believe ourselves to be - our state of mind, spirit and body have a lot to do with our state of health and our nutrient intake. For instance just as a shaman can absorb nutrients from a plant by just touching it, likewise if we feel we are poor, ugly, sick, unworthy, depressed we can block nutrient intake.


Top 10 tips to help our Earth!

1. Walk, bike or take public transportation to protect air quality
2. Recycle
3. Disconnect downspouts where appropriate, to reduce flooding
4. Make your home energy-efficient
5. Clean up your neighborhood
6. Plant a tree or garden
7. Pick up litter
8. Conserve water
9. Support local farmer’s markets and buy organic produce
10. Use and dispose of hazardous chemicals properly

Tips provided by Mayor Daley in Chicago.
From the raw guru newsletter www.rawguru.com, along with this recipe:

Rawcotta Cheeze Baby Spinach Raviolis by Alex Malinsky

3 cups baby spinach
1 cup pine nuts
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp.Cetlic Sea Salt
2 tbs. distilled water
1 tsp. dried herbs


How to: Blend or process everything except the baby spinach until creamy and smooth. Spread the cheese mixture on each baby spinach leaf and cover it with a second spinach leaf. Repeat until you run out of the cheese mixture. You may warm it up in a dehydrator right before serving.

Happy Special Everyday! Earth Day Videos

Earth



The Miniature Earth



Sorry 2 Interrupt



Conspiracy of Science - Earth is in fact growing.
This video is long - 10 min - maybe not for everyone.. but I find geology fascinating!
A few years ago I took a geology course while at art school (OCAD) and my mark was wayy higher than even painting or anything.. a 91 - couldn't believe how much I loved it.
So.. if you're into it, an interesting theory on earth tectonics.
.. and as Jim says 'it must be true, it's on the internet, right?' lol



Moonshot
(just taking a break.. the wave swinger is one of my favorite rides ; )



and back to Earth...
Earth Day Image Collection

Playing in the streets