Greetings people,

It has been a while since any of us has entered anything new on our blog. I have been visiting a lot of other people's blogs and realized that I have not been committing to the things that I am passionate about in regards to wellness, writing, sharing information with you beautiful people out there. So here we are...A new day...A new light...A new opportunity.

The Update:

Brandi is still going strong raw. I am still working to find that balance in my tranisition into raw living. But I continue to have my green smoothies daily and now my morning Mate tea. I also started adding strength training to my morning exercises. Push-ups, crunches and curls (10 lb). It nice to feel strong in my body.

Next post, I'll have some pics of some of the veggies that I have started growing. Til then.

In Greatness and Greens,
GaBrilla

Tomorrow starts the Holy Month of Ramadan and since I am still nursing my son, I am unable to fast. Instead, I will eat only raw foods for the next month. This I know will be very challenging and very rewarding. I know I am surrounded by resources. And the best of all, I know how to take care of myself in my highs and lows. I look forward tot he insights that come from this journey. I will write what I eat daily, as well as some of the insights that I have.

Here are a list of ailments and discomforts that I am experiencing:

- Irritable Moods (short tempered, especially on the road)
- Scatter-brained
- Mild Skin Irritation
- Toe fungus
- Insomnia
- Sjogren's Syndrome
- Mild Achy Joints

Here is my before picture, as I finish off a pint of soy cookies and cream ice cream (yes I said it)















In Greatness,
GaBrilla

Here is an interview Brandi did with HerManna TV (GaBrilla's New Vlog) Enjoy!

A moment worth its weight in gold...

Today, I was in one of my courses. It was the first class and everyone spent a minute introducing themselves and their research interests. I knew several of the students well since they are in my graduate cohort. And as these specific students introduced themselves, I found myself feeling exquisitely happy because I was so proud of their accomplishments, vocal ability, and just their undeniable passion for their work. As they talked, I did not compare myself with them. Actually, I felt abundant. I felt that there is so much opportunity to do well and be recognized. So, I quieted my mind and gave them that moment. I listened, and this allowed me to be truly proud and happy for them.

I have decided to work on my habit of comparing myself to others so that I may have more moments like this. They are indeed glorious.

(Picture: A floating tomato in my garden. It doesn't really float, but this is how my camera took the picture. And I can't really argue with that.)

-Brandi

Today, I was reading Alissa Cohen’s book “Living on Live Foods.” I was inspired by the stories of people successfully changing their lives and living the life they could have only dreamed about before becoming raw. Something she said in the book truly inspired me, “you must have a clearly defined image of what you want to look like, feel like, and be. If you don’t know what you are trying to create, how can you create it?” This is a very simple statement, but for me in this period of my life, it means so much. There are things that I would like to do and qualities that I would like to become, however, I am not there yet and I am not quite sure how to get there. So, it seems that the first step is to write down what I would like to be, feel like, and look like.

1. I want to be in a state of unruly, contagious, and supreme happiness.
2. I want to be in love with my being. I want to be in love with the presence of God that is in all of us and the nature that surrounds us.
3. I want to feel that who I am is enough; that I am worthy of amazing friendships, love, and living the light.
4. I want a beautiful body that is feminine, strong, and prolific (i.e., babies of course).
5. I want to sing, dance, paint, write, and be bold in my creativity. Be bold in my experience of the world.
6. I want to be fun, spontaneous, and not afraid of trying the ideas that pop-up in my mind. I want confidence.
7. I want to be a health educator who helps individuals and families lead happy healthy lives. I want to excel in helping the community.
8. I want to be a wonderful mother, wife, and friend to my future husband and children. I want a raw family.
9. I want to be an example of possibilities, happiness, and personal growth.

So this is what I want. The next step is to begin making these apart of my reality through daily action, meditation, and visualization. I will let you know what happens.

Picture: I am on the left, and Phyllis is on the right (she is one of my favorite people in the whole-wide world).

-Brandi

This was my journal entry to mark my 1-year anniversary of being raw.

7/20/07

Today is the 366^th day that I have been raw. It has been a year since I made a commitment to fulfill my potential. A few days ago a friend said that this was a testament to who I am. And she is right. It is a testament of my commitment to bettering myself so that I can create a healthy environment for my future children, so that they too can fulfill their potential.

So much has happened in the last year. Graduate school is going well. I don’t think it would have gone this well without me being raw. I have so much to look back on and appreciate and so much to look forward to. There is so much to achieve and work for. This is the beginning of a new year where I will move further to achieving my full potential.

These are the changes that I noticed in the last year because of the raw diet:

1. I have lost weight. Probably 30 pounds or so, I am not sure. It happened slower than when I was raw the 1^st time. I think because of the stress from graduate school. I still have some weight too loose. But one thing that I love about being raw is that my body gets this amazing shape. It’s very feminine. I can move mountains with these hips.
2. My eyes are clearer. They kinda sparkle. My vision is still the same. Hopefully that will improve a little over time.
3. My menstruation cycle is 1 day shorter and I feel less discomfort. Now I can feel it coming about 2 days prior, and a few minutes before it actually starts.
4. My skin glows. It is pretty amazing. I just have this glow. My face is also becoming clearer and smoother.
5. My BO is horrific. Its means that I am detoxing, but my sweat is like cologne.
6. My temperament is pretty stable. However, the stress from graduate school keeps my mood slightly fluctuating. Especially on the first day of my cycle. My body goes into hibernation, and if I don’t have time to sleep, it can be a dangerous situation (just kidding!). But overall, I am happy pretty much all of the time.
7. In terms of sleeping, nothing has changed. I still like 8.5 hours. However, there was a period of time when 9-9.5 hours was good. So maybe I need less sleep.
8. My stool is very regular. At least once a day, if you wanted to know. And all floaters!

I would like to commit the next year to bringing my mind to the present state. I want to present so that I can truly experience life, be there for others, and experience how I truly am. I want that. I want that patience and happiness in my life.

Here are some before and after pictures.

My first day raw

























1st month raw





























2.5 months raw

























3.5 months raw





















4.5 months raw






















7 months raw























10 months raw

11 months raw























11.5 months raw





























1 YEAR RAW!





























-Brandi

Here is a cute picture of my friend Joche enjoying a grapefruit!




-Brandi

Brandi's Container Garden (an update!)

Hello everyone. I thought I would update everyone on my garden. My plants have been home for 3 weeks and they must love me because they have grown like crazy. Well maybe not like a beanstalk, but more than what I expected. Those peppers that looked raggedy are now almost 3 feet tall and still growing. I have about 4 of them and I still don’t know what kind of peppers they are. Oh, I hope they are cayenne. My tomato plants are starting to fruit. And it is crazy because some of the containers are not deep. They have grown larger than expected.

What I have learned so far in terms of gardening is that plants need love, encouragement, discipline when required, and sun, fertilizer and water. I am using this fish organic fertilizer that is doing an amazing job. If anyone wants the name let me know. I have used organic soil and seeds, so my plants are organic. Pretty cool. Also, I have learned that certain plants need more room while others do well in smaller pots. Like summer squash. They like deep pots, but peppers can do well in medium pots. Interesting.

By the way, I have now added basil and oregano to the garden. How fantastic!

Here are pictures:

These are my tomato fruits!

Here is some pretty looking mint.

And, here is my entire container garden. It has become a jungle of tomato and pepper plants.

By the way, my grape vine has been growing a lot. It has probably grown 2 feet in the last 3 weeks. And my blueberry bush is going strong. It is still producing fruit, which the chipmunks love to eat. The yield is very small, but because it is doing so well I expect a better yield next year.

Isn't abundance wonderful!

-Brandi

My Morning prayer (6/25/07)

This is the prayer that I wrote last night to say this morning:

"Today is a welcome of abundance. I welcome abundance. I will recognize my blessings. Every moment is abundance. So much can be achieved in a moment. Whether it is checking your email or driving to work. A single moment allows you to move to a place you weren't before. So many possibilities. So much abundance! Treasure these moments. They are the source of abundance. Have a wonderful and blessed day. Be a blessing for others."

-Brandi

Good morning everyone,

Today is such a wonderful day. This is the second day of my menstruation cycle and I feel wonderful. I am almost 1 year raw. According to my journal, only 26 more days to go. I woke up this morning, took a shower, and worked on my garden. Most of you don’t know this, but I have a small container garden. I started it over spring break from seedlings, not knowing what to expect. I planted summer squash, basil, sugar peas, parsley, melon, lemon cucumbers, and sunflowers. I also brought 2 grape plants and 2 blueberry trees. I left my plants in my friends care while I was in California for 4 weeks in May, and unfortunately some plants didn’t make it. No fault of theirs, they just needed my love, patience, and fertilizer. So now they are back home and doing very well. Here is a picture of my garden:

I staked my peas and now they look healthier.

My grape vines are still doing well (the one I brought from the farm is doing better than the one I bought from Lowe’s).

One of my blueberry trees is producing small blueberries, which suggest that I will have a good harvest next year. The plant from Lowe’s is not doing as well as the one from the farm (duh!).

I replanted my squash because the container was too small. Also I think that because there wasn’t enough fertilizer, the plant kept producing roots, and the plant became root bound.

Also, there is good news. When I transplanted my plants from their small trays to their pots a few months ago, I used compost from the farm where I pick up my farmshare. Well, the compost had all kinds of seeds in them. Now I have peppers growing, all types of tomatoes, and lettuce. All of which, I did not plant. I can't wait for the fruit to come in (see below).

Also this morning, I made some juice. I juiced rhubarb (no leaves or roots) with lemon and strawberries. I was careful to make sure that I cut off enough of the bottom of the stalk so that it had no roots. Rhubarb contains a lot of oxalates, and the roots and leaves are toxic.

After I made the juice, I mixed in agave and lecithin. I wanted to make a sauce to pour over peaches and strawberries. My peaches weren’t ripe yet, so I poured it over strawberries and it was gooooood. It was tart and sweet. Here is the recipe if you want to make it:

3 stalks of rhubarb

1/2 c. strawberries

1 lemon (meyer preferred)

Agave to sweeten

1 1/2 tbsp lecithin

Juice all the ingredients. I juiced the lemon rind, but you don’t have to. Pour the juice into a bowl. Now add the lecithin and stir until dissolved. Now it is ready to pour over any sweet fruit. Berries work the best with this.

Lastly, I wanted to make mention of my menstruation cycle this month. It was different. I bled more on the first day (can we say a river). I even bled heavy during the night, which is when I usually bleed lighter. I didn’t feel tired like I usually do, or discomfort. I was bloated for the first half of the day and then it went away. And, I had more energy and more patience.

Good times.

-Brandi

Curry Flax Crackers

by Brandi Rollins

This recipe makes a spicy flax cracker. However, if you like strong flavors (like me), you can decrease the amount of flax seeds, water, and oil in half.

2 cups Flax Seeds (soaked 6 hours in 3 cups of water)
2 cloves
4 cardamom pod
1 tsp coriander seeds (a heaping teaspoon)
3 garlic cloves
2 roma tomatoes cubed (or 1 medium sized tomato)
1 tbsp cumin
1 red jalapeno (if green, you may need two)
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp ginger, minced
1/3 cup water
2 tsp salt
2.5 tbsp Curry seasoning
1/2 cup Sesame seed oil or sunflower seed oil (try not to use olive oil)
Soy sauce or salt to taste

You will need a dehydrator and 2 Teflex sheets.

After soaking the flax seeds for 6 hours, remove them to a large bowl. In a small blender combine the remaining ingredients except the oil. It should form a paste. Now add the paste to the soaked flax seeds and then add the oil. Mix the mixture well. Pour half the mixture onto one Teflex sheet and spread to 1/8-inch thickness. Pour the remaining mixture onto another Teflex sheet. Place both in the dehydrator. Dehydrate the flax crackers at 145-degress for 1 hour, and then decrease the temperature to 105-degrees. When the top of the crackers are dry, flip onto the grid and peel away Teflex sheet. Dehydrate until dry.

The crackers will keep for a week in a dry container.

Green Tea Ice Cream

----------------
This stuff is amazing! The cinnamon is a nice touch. This is my roommate’s recipe. All the ingredient measurements are estimates. Enjoy!

-Brandi

2-3tsp Green Tea powder
1 banana
1/2c. coconut milk (may need a little extra)
1c. ice cubes (can add more to thicken)
1-2tsp cinnamon
1-1½ vanilla extract
2-4tsp honey

Blend all ingredients in a strong blender. You may need to add more coconut milk to blend the ingredients. If you want a more solid ice cream, place in the freezer.

Note that bananas can be substituted by the fruit of your choice. My roommate has also made this with mangos and peach. They are both very good with the green tea powder.

Note that the fruit can also be frozen. If you use frozen fruit use ½ the amount of ice or no ice, depending on the amount of fruit you add.

A Morning Prayer (read 6/17/07)

Last night, I wrote in my journal a prayer to say in the morning. I thought I would share it with everyone because it is about celebrating your work. I thought it was a wonderful way to start the day and it really helped me stay focused on the day’s tasks. So here it is:

"Today I will work. I will celebrate that work because it is my vocation. It is where I put my time, therefore, it's work that I love and is a reflection of myself. Through this work I will cultivate my power, and gain the skills and experiences needed to serve, further, and commune with the spirit. The spirit of my ancestors, the universe, and the present time me. Thank you for the gift of today. So many opportunities to further the spirit. So, be present, be apart of the living, and just be."

-Brandi

Meeting of the Minds
May 2007

Last month, the raw sistas (plus 2: Shaneca and Omer) got together for the 2nd quarterly Meeting of the Minds. If you don’t already know, this is a meeting where we share our goals and achievements to inspire, support, and encourage one another. This was a special meeting because we were all in the same city at the same time. What a blessing! We met at Café Gratitude in Berkeley, CA. A one-hour breakfast turned into a 3-hour sharing of stories, life plans, and wonderful food (although some ended up on the table thanks to Omer and Shaneca dipped out for some roasted chicken at a nearby restaurant).

We were all in a place of new beginnings: GaBrilla was beginning a new stage in her life as prepared to move to New Orleans. She shared the introduction to her book, and her accomplishments as a mother and an artist. She is such a fantastic mother! Rufiena spoke of her new job as coordinator at EF in Los Angeles, her successful six-month stay in Thailand, and recent certification as an international ESL instructor. Alicia celebrated her induction into the honors society at Columbia University, and looks forward to starting the first year of graduate studies. Shaneca shared her goals of graduating High School, improvement of her grades, and her experiences as a dancer. She plans to study dance at college. Lastly, Brandi talked of her many achievements in Graduate School, including her main accomplishment for being 100% raw for almost a year. She plans to submit 5 publications and attend 2 conferences in the fall.

Here is a picture from the meeting.

In picture: (left to right) Rufiena, Brandi, Alicia, Shaneca, Gabrilla, and Omer (he's eating))

-Brandi and Alicia (our new raw sista)

Greetings everyone,

From here on out I will be breaking my entries into three sections, Gardening, Food and my weekly reading. They are all so connected in my life, that it would not make much since to not include them.

Garden: A Sista Gotta eat

Like I posted last week, we (my son and I ) have moved forward to New Orleans. As soon as I got here, I dove full fledged into my goals, one of which happens to be to grow food for me and my family. At first I thought that it would be more of a way for me to prep myself for my future dream farm, but once I saw the prices of the food here, I knew that planting and growing produce will have to become much more of a priority than it ever was. I have lived in the bay area for the past five years and I have never paid these prices for food before--ever. And the bay area is one of the most expensive places to live in the country. I guess this was to be expected post-Katrina, but how are people who are still not getting a living wage, to find healthy affordable food? This is one of many examples of the inequities that so many locals are faced with. But I’ll rant later. And if ya’ll know me, you know that I am not one to stop at a wall. There are a few organizations in the city who are addressing the problem. Here are a few:

As far as the progress on the garden, I came back to see that I had a lot of baby carrots that grew and tons of mint. See below.

I had to pull all the weeds up and lots overgrown grass. I turned the dirt over and knew that there was some other things that I needed to do to the soil since it is so clay like. See below.

I did some research on the current status of the land post Katrina and I was advised to get the soil tested, so I will be holding off on any planting, growing seedlings indoors and growing compost until I get the results of the test back.

Here’s the beginning of my garden. I can’t to see what it looks like six months from now.

Although it is a major blow to have to pay 2.99 for a bunch of organic kale, half the size it is supposed to be, I intend to maintain a healthy diet, comprised of lots of vegetable and fruits. And speaking of food, here is a “living” date torte that I made with a cashew butter frosting--Heaven!!!
Date Nut torte:

(from Living-foods.com)

Base of Tort:
2 cups raisins
2 cups walnuts
Frosting:
1 cup dates, pitted and soaked
1/2 lemon, juiced
For Base:1. In a food processor, combine raisins and walnuts and blend until well blended and moist. (This will take a few minutes and you may see it forming a ball. Just make sure the raisins come out looking like a fudgey mixture and are not still grainy)2. Remove from processor and mold onto a plate in a round circle about 1 1/2 inches thick.For Frosting:1. In a food processor, combine dates and lemon juice until smooth and creamy.2. Spread the frosting on top of the torte

Cashew Butter Frosting:

2 tbl raw cashew butter

1 tbl agave nectar

a dash vanilla

a few dashes of water until smooth and creamy

Note: I like this served at room temperature as the frosting and torte are still sticky, but if you want a firmer texture that will be easier to slice, refrigerate it for a few hours.

GaBrilla’s Weekly Reading

Moving forward to New Orleans, and close to my family, having grown and learned so much, I feel a need to approach my relationships differently. My relationship with my family, my community and the city that I was born and raised in has changed, because I have changed, yet I feel as if I am approaching some things in that same reactionary emotional way that I did five years ago. Some friends of mine and I had a conversation about the thing that kept us coming back to the bay and I thought about it for a while. I realized that we all “grew up” in the Bay. Yes we went there as “legal” adults, but many of us got our first apartments, paid our own bills and had our first children in the Bay. So for the Bay I will always be thankful for all the experiences and all the wisdom gained. I will always consider Oakland my second home. But how does one return home grown and stand in your wisdom and growth without apology or regret?

I said all that to talk about the book (s) that I am reading. As usual, there is always a health book that I have my hands on. This week I have been referencing a gem I picked up called “The Essene Science of Life” by Edmond Szekely (same author of “The Essene Gospel of Peace--Book 1)

But the book that is challenging me the most to grow in ways I assumed I had, is "Nonviolent Communication: a language of life" by Marshall Rosenberg, with the workbook (by Lucy Leu)that goes with it. It is both an empowering book and one that breaks everything I thought I knew about communication fall to pieces. If you practice NVC than you are ahead of most, but if you are like me, I am being broke down, are at least the illusions that I believed in are. And I give thanks for it. It is making me re-evaluate how I communicate with my son, the messages I tell myself and others who are close to me. It makes it very hard to judge and makes me get very clear on how I am feeling. I feel really good when I can hold myself back from raising my voice at my son and get on eye level with him and ask him to something in a loving, but firm tone. Sometimes then yelling slips out, but I am conscious of it and I go back to NVC and he responds so well.

My bedtime book is “Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsch. I can’t and won’t explain. Read it for yourself.

Next week, I will give you all the results of my soil test. And some more pics of the great raw and some cooked foods that I have been making.

Greeting People,

We have arrived safely in New Orleans. I was pleased to pull up carrots from the garden that I started last fall. I also have mint growing all over the place (Lots of cacao mint smoothies!!!) I will be posting some a new blogs in a few days. I will also be including my adventures in gardening. In the meantime, here are a few pics of some smoothies that I have been trying out for size.

Oh, the baby with the Green mustache is my son, Omer. He loves green smoothies.

In Wellness,

GaBrilla

This is the journal I kept while at the Ojai raw retreat organized by Storm and Jinjee, and hosted by Wyn and Cynthia (http://www.therawretreat.com/). Enjoy!

Day 1

This is the end of my first day here at the raw retreat. I have arrived at what I hope to be a wonderful experience. From this retreat, I hope to gain a foothold on my cravings for dried fruit. They are definitely my junk food. Also I hope to relax and have a place where I don’t have to worry about access to great food. Not only do they provide a room, they provide raw meals.

When I arrived to the retreat, I met the hosts: Wyn and Cynthia. They are fantastic. I talked with Cynthia for a while and we shared our backgrounds. She has been a massage therapist for 30 years and reads bodies to reveal ancestral patterns of unresolved troubles. She shared some of her stories and in one she helped a Baptist church in Brooklyn. The pastor asked her “I found your book, Bodies Unbound, in a Denver bookstore three years ago. The title intrigued me. Upon reading it I was fascinated about what people discovered about their lives when you massaged them. When we were slaves we left our bodies. We are still living outside of our bodies. I’ve asked you here to find out where we went” (from the book Bodies Unbound). She provides her services her at the retreat so I will definitely take advantage of them.

Wyn has been practicing raw foods for 2-5 years at a time for 30 years. He has so much knowledge on raw foods preparation, sprouting, and is a wealth of nutrition info. Tonight he guided a 15 minute mediation where you listen to the body, allow yourself the feel sensations in the body, and truly experience them.

For dinner, we ate a wrap consisting of a nut pate and chopped vegetables, with a miso dip and kale salad, which I brought with me from Oakland. Below is a picture of us at the dinner table. The meal was fantastic. After the meal we went for a walk on a trail by the house. The weather was beautiful. There were gray clouds in the sky and the city had this mystic feel to it. A picture is below.

The house also has a nice library with books on raw foods, body movement such as chi gong, etc. I read the “Raw Family” book in one sitting and was inspired. This book is amazing. You should read it if you get a chance.


Day 2

This morning I woke up at 6:15am in the most comfortable bed. I wanted to take advantage of this bed so I went back to sleep for a little bit more. At 7:30am I finally got out of bed and turned on my Carolyn Myss cd’s and prepared for the day. When I left the room, a small cup of wheatgrass was waiting for me. I didn’t really want to drink it but I knew that if I want to realize my full potential I needed to drink it. So I did, slowly. Afterwards we went on a 4-mile walk on the same trail as last night, only this time we went farther. I picked an orange from the orange trees along the path. It was fabulous.

When we returned back to the house we experimented and made a smoothie with strawberries, peaches, and red kale. It had a very interesting weird tasted, so I added some honey to make it drinkable. I knew that it was healthy and that is why I am here.

Tonight we went to see David Wolfe speak in Santa Barbara. It was pretty awesome to see him in person. Wyn actually won the raffle gift basket. I can’t wait to taste the raw cashews from the basket.

Day 3

This was the most wonderful day I think I have had all year. So many things happened. I woke up early to watch the sunrise, however, the sky had this haze. Instead, I finished Cynthia’s book. It was amazing. She is such a wonderful writer. From that moment I decided that I would pay the $120 and have a session with her. When I left my room, a cup of wheatgrass and celery was waiting for me. This time it was easier to drink. A little later, I made myself a smoothie with 2 peaches, 2 cacao beans, 3 Brazil nuts, water, and honey. It was amazing. I loved that it had a little crunchiness. I have decided since hearing David Wolfe to try including more juices into my diet. So we will see how it goes. After my amazing smoothie I went on a 4 mile hike and it was fabulous. I tried my best at being present during the walk so that I could appreciate the beauty of Ojai.

After the walk, I juiced amount a ton of oranges to drink during the day. I also ate the soup we prepared for dinner last night. It was fantastic. It was surreal to be on the deck looking over Ojai, drinking a glass of fresh orange juice, and eating the BEST SOUP EVER (my tribute to David Wolfe). Here is a picture of the view.

Soon after, I had my session with Cynthia. It was amazing. We mainly talked about my father and I learned about how I really felt about him and that I still need to learn what a father truly is. It was worth the money and I am so thankful for the opportunity to release these emotions. After the session I felt lighter and happier, and Cynthia noticed it too. Later that night we did a ritual where I wrote a list of all the things I have chosen to forgive my father for and we burned the list underneath the stars and moon.

Today was also very eventful because I met Storm, Jingee, and their family. It was amazing. There were also 2 girls staying with them. We had dinner and talked for a while. We talked about graduate school and how we could possibly work together in the future. The kids are as beautiful as they are in the film. I am so inspired by them all. Here are some pictures.

And to end the day, I talked to my friend Rufiena. And it was so fantastic to hear about her life and what she has been up to. Tomorrow, instead of going home I will drive to LA and spend some time with her. We will drive back to Oakland together.

Day 4

Today I slept in. After a very eventful day, I needed my rest. I woke up this morning and had my cup of wheatgrass and celery juice. I updated my journal and snacked on brazil nuts and gogi berries. Today I really wanted to relax and be lazy, however, thanks to Wyn I was able to fight it and go for a hike. The hike was just what my body needed. It was uphill and challenging. I haven’t sweated like this in a long time.

Here are pictures:
I ended my retreat with Wyn at a raw food restaurant in Ventura. The food was wonderful. I drunk a drink called ‘Mother’s Milk’ and ate raw ravioli. A picture is below.

I must say that this retreat was the best decision I have made in the last few months. It gave me an environment where I can relax and engage with others who are incorporating a raw food diet into their lifestyle, and a way to deal with the emotional issues I have been holding on to. Thank you Wyn, Cynthia, Jinjee and Storm for this amazing gift.

Getting my Greens
posted by Gabrilla Ballard

It has been a long time since any of us has written anything. Partly because of changes in local and lifestyle. I am making a commitment to blog at least once a week to keep the blog fresh and to have a log of my own progress in living a holistically healthy life.

For the past week or so, I have making a lot of fresh fruit smoothies, in an attempt to get more fruit in my diet. I often go to the website http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com. Afew weeks back, I found that they had a whole piece on greens. I was immediately inspired by the information. I also realized that I could not remember the last time I had raw greens. I assumed that I was getting enough by adding green powders to my drinks. But I was not. So on the greems I went. Being that I had recently bought a bunch of organic kale, I decided to add about a cup to my fruit smoothies and see how it came out... I loved it. I wanted to know more about green smoothies and their health benefits, so I went out and bought a copy of the book “Green For Life” by Victoria Boutenko. This book is really opening up a new world for me in regards to how I look at what I am consuming, especially greens. I have always thought that I was a pretty conscious eater, but I am learning that I have been way off track, eating a diet that was vegetarian, but largely carbs and refined ingredients. I can honestly say that I have consumed more greens this week than I have in years and I am already experiencing results. I am a recovering sugar addict and this past few days, my cravings have decreased substantially. It does not take as much will power. Which is a HUGE thing for me.

What I love is that, it is such a simple thing to add greens to my smoothies, I ofetn ask myself why had I not done it before? Now I leave the farmers market with an armful of beautiful, fresh, organic greens. My son even likes them.My mother is in town right, visiting and she is hooked. Here are a couple of recipes that I have been working with this past week.

Gabe’s green smoothie 1

1 banana
1 apple or pear peeled
3-4 kale leaves
enough coconut wtaer to fill half way (about one cup) or water
agave nectar or unrefined sweetener (optional)

Blend until smooth and enjoy

Gabe’s green smoothie 1

1 banana
1 mango
1 handful of spinach
1 cup freshsqueezed orange juice or water
agave nectar or unrefined sweetener to taste (optional)
1 tablespoon goji berries (optional)

Blend until smooth and enjoy.

For those of you out there who may not have been consming as many greens as you would like, try these, they are both delicious and good for you. And here are a few resources to check out that I have found extremely helpful:

“ Green for Life” by Victoria Boutenko
http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com

Next week: Alkalizing my body

Peace and Sunshine People,

It has been a while since any of us has posted any entries. It has been a series of transitions for all of us. Brandi has just celebrated her sixth month of being raw, I am constantly celebrating my improvements in my diet. I have not quite met my 80/20 goal of being raw, but I am making some headway in regards to eliminating refined sugar from my diet. More on that later.

While you all wait for our next entry, here are some books and websites that you all should check out in the meantime:

www.freshtopia.net
www.rawfoodmedia.com
www.rawyogi.blogspot.com
www.rawveganradio.podomatic.com

Books:
" Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine" by Dr. Gabriel Cousens
" Baby Greens- a live-food approach for Children of all ages" by Micheala Lynn and Michael Chrisemer

GaBrilla
Raw Sistas