tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60873312559088304442024-03-05T13:54:16.649-08:00Simple Life Of Raw AbundanceMy journey with living foods as my focus of healing my body, releasing weight and becoming the best I can be - not always pretty, often painful yet always positive.Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-80761834218224867722013-12-06T08:29:00.001-08:002013-12-06T08:29:33.045-08:00"Go Fruit Yourself" ~ Yes it is all change for me!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am LOVE-ing the title of this post - thank you Freelee Banana Girl for coining the phrase for us all to share!<br />
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This has come at last, the realisation that not all has been a happy ship for me this last year or so, and I am rejoicing that I am finally coming to realise that calorie restriction and eating high fat foods to boost the restricted calories just HAS NOT worked end of.<br />
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I have had a HUGE amount of support and encouragement from dear friends Nichola Fruityroots Sherlock, Em Smedley, Lynn Bunny Paws and all the beautiful Goddesses in the group Raw Till 4 on Facebook since I began this NEW chapter of life and living all things fruity - thank you so much ladies, I know my hand and heart will reach out to you often as the journey continues.<br />
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In my life quest to be the best I can be at 46 years in this mortal body, I have tried so hard with raw and living foods, giving my whole being to sharing the love of foods that are 'better' than all the cooked and fake foods we are deluged with on a minute by minute basis. I was just not resonating with the facts that fruit is Queen of all the foods and as such she ought to be our first and foremost food source, not a tiny end thought as I have been doing for over 18 months, being led to think that fruit was going to stop me releasing weight and stop me healing my body!<br />
NOTHING I have done has brought me the results I sought, no matter how hard I 'tried' the only thing that did work was juice fasting, but that cannot be sustained by myself, with deep seated ED and a love of actually chewing yummy foods - I wonder who out there feels the same? Yeah, sure, if I went on a swanky retreat and paid $£$£$£$ for a month somewhere nice and sunny and was fed fresh green juice every day, I would LOVE that, sadly this is not reality, being a little frugal faery.<br />
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So, it is with GLEE that I embark on the HCLFRV way of being (High Carb Low Fat Raw Vegan).<br />
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Now, at this stage I have been transitioning into eating more fruit, steadily for just 2 weeks now, aiming to increase the amount my shrunken, malnourished stomach can cope with as the weeks go by. At this stage I am not 100% Raw, it is bloody cold here in the UK and potatoes are SO lush AND part of the Raw Till 4 meal plans - the main rule is we are RAW till 4pm so it is all about the FRUIT, some greens if we want them, either all blended into smoothies, or enjoyed as mono meals - all the papaya you can eat if you like!<br />
After 4pm we can either stay Raw, or, as I am at the moment, have a cooked carb meal - aiming for about 1kg in total - I am not there yet - that is a mean feat for me to eat! I get in about 700g of mixed veggies, slowly increasing it so it is always a mix of veggies to even up the taste etc.<br />
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I have just ordered a CrockPot slow cooker to make winter cooking a breeze - this will arrive either tomorrow or Monday! I have to add in here, that we have NO COOKER in our house, so reliant on a camping stove for warm meals - the slow cooker will make this so much easier to create warming stews, casseroles and curries without going outside in the freezing cold and hoping the wind doesn't blow out the gas whilst you are having a pee!!<br />
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We chose not to buy another oven when we moved into this cottage - it would have gotten used far too much - and our desire is to be as raw as we can be - so, the freezer sits in its place, with our EVA water filter system on top, next to our SWAN tea urn which is on constant brew with Chaga tea.<br />
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Today for me is Day 5 of the RT4 plan and it is the 1st day of not eating any salt or added oils as fats in my cooked dinner - this is HUGE for me and has been the toughest change so far. I am hoping that in a couple more days I will wonder why I ever added them in the first place, as my taste buds return to full function.<br />
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What does a typical day for me look like? Well, this is an example of where I am at just now, with changes to come.<br />
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I wake up and drink as much water as I can before having some Chaga Tea<br />
around 9am I have my first banana and mixed fruit smoothie - making about 44oz - which is all I can manage to eat at the moment.<br />
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I drink tea through the day.<br />
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sometimes I will make another smoothie or eat some fruit, just one kind, as much as I like.<br />
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Afternoon I make another 44oz smoothie, adding in some greens this time.<br />
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Dinner is currently either steamed quinoa with spices and herbs plus some form of veggies OR a huge plate of potatoes and veggies - I am aiming for more stews as soon as the CrocPot arrives!<br />
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In all my carbed up calorie intake is coming in around 2000 each day - working on getting it up to 2500 minimum to be able to re-set all the damage my body has been loaded with, and then the weight will release far more easily.<br />
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I am exercising each day too, with 2 brisk dog walks of 45 - 60 minutes each and I work on the CrazyFit vibration machine 2-3 times a day too - I hope this will bring about more fitness and more healing.<br />
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More to come soon xxx<br />
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Love and Faery Dust<br />
Peace xxxPeace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-32744690194822079252013-11-16T09:44:00.000-08:002013-11-16T09:44:00.163-08:00It's All About Chocolate…RAW That is!Hey, we are in November now and I am shunning all the rubbish that is Movember Madness - we all know that the hairy-wash surrounding any cancer charity work is just bullshit - don't we??? Well, if you didn't then please do some digging to find out the truth.<br />
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Right, so, what is this chocolate thing all about? I seem to be inundated with orders and craftings of the raw cacao variety right now and that is making for some mind bending adventures for sure, and a happy cacao faery am I.<br />
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I have always LOVED working with raw cacao, both in ceremony and for fun especially as this little sacred bean was responsible for me taking to the whole raw journey 3 years ago, so I have much to be thankful for.<br />
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These days I am truly blessed to be sharing the how to of crafting raw chocolate and to still be seeking to learn and improve my own way of making cacao look and taste amazing along the way.<br />
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I have even made a little venture into writing an e-book of Alchemical Elixirs - published and awaiting your calling, which contains my love of both the liquid form of magical foods and of course venturing into chocolate and Cakery!<br />
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I actually feel we live on cacao and greens a lot of the time, most days we share a lovely chaga and cacao hot chocolate for a meal and nibble on some goodies when we feel peckish - is that terribly bohemian? Oh GOODY<br />
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As I am writing this, whilst the mac is working rather slowly today, I am wondering if it will indeed be saved and sent as there are error messages coming up every few minutes…oh the joy of technology eh!<br />
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In our little thatched nest, deep in rural idyl, we are enjoying the crisp sunny days walking the fields, Autumn dog and I, occasionally tripping over wild mushrooms (yes those kind too) which I bring back for our neighbour to enjoy - I admire the abundance of a good start to the winter - lots of yummy wild greens still looking good enough to juice - and the wild mallow is in full leaf meaning I know where to pop and forage a root or two next spring to transplant into the garden.<br />
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I ponder how to make my Blog all sexy like a lot of the blogs I see, full of lovely pictures and recipes - I am a bit daffy when it comes down to making stuff on the pc look nice - still my sentiments are there.<br />
I will take time in the coming instalments, to write down some recipes, take a pic or two and throw them on here to see what happens. Will that do you? Argh…<br />
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Oh I do like a good old ramble, writing down any old thought as it comes into my head, free from worry about boring folk stupid - sharing my free flowing cacao fuelled love as I go - I am sure some of you will 'get it'.<br />
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I have been a bit lax juicing for the last couple of days - just been in the other space of eating loads of quinoa, milky shakes (nuts of course, not nasty cow juice) and generally no time to make juice - been making a great deal for orders too so this takes up my juicing time. Still, all is good and balanced and I am feeling in good order mostly. Life is for fun and freedom after all, not dogmatic discipline.<br />
One thing I am really thankful for are my supplements, all of them from Touchstone Essentials and the zeolites are amazing - having big things happen on a small scale, and I know that makes sense some how.<br />
I feel lots of brain work is being thankful of the cacao and quinoa feasting - we are in process of forming a housing co-op and writing a book, nutritional therapy training homework and other interesting gubbins happening, so, juice aside, we are healing our bodies on a high vibrational matrix of love, forming an awesome future for ourselves (you know who you are) and enabling much space creation for assisting many folks shift out of their physical, emotional and energetic bodies crap loads - I am totally committed to feeling awesome and assisting others to feel this way to, no matter what circumstances may be presenting themselves real or imagined! We are more than our bullshit, so there!<br />
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Watch out for recipes coming up soon, until then, keep warm, enjoy breathing the air, grounding on the earth and opening your hearts to the one emotion that matters above all else - LOVEPeace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-19751279940227554082013-11-04T09:54:00.003-08:002013-11-04T09:54:48.539-08:00New look to my blog and new content direction - sharing MY journey with you - warning, may not always be pretty!Hello there! Well, over a year since I last wrote anything here - all I can say is that life has taken me all over the place and it was not in my orbit to blog for such a long time.<br />
I am a bit rubbish when if comes to venturing off FaceBook for posting what is happening in the life of this little raw faery and for that I am deeply deeply, well, not apologetic, just busy!<br />
However, thanks to my FB friend Sarah (you will know who you are if you read this, fellow blogger) I have come back to the fold as it were and here is, I hope, the first of many NEW vibrational blog entries, taking me away from FB land a little in favour of the land of the Blog.<br />
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What I wish to share with you here, and I may not be very technical mind, is just what is going on in my world of living foods and focussing on the healing aspect of raw. <br />
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For the last year I have spent in what I feel is purgatory - in the Welsh wilderness of wet land, damp, cold and darn right not good for my body-ness - I kind of went into a bit of depression as I felt trapped on the side of the hillside, with debilitating knee issues meaning I could not get the exercise and fresh air my body so deeply needed. When we made the choice to return to our home place of Northamptonshire I was so very very happy! We landed another pretty postcard cottage to rent, thatched in a very unique way and a nice sized garden, lovely neighbours and rolling nature all around us. Perfect, for now! More of that in a follow up post.<br />
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So, it is my mission now to get my fitness and health back on track, and I share this with you here - in all the good, the bad and the sometimes ugly details.<br />
I will not hold back, I promise you, for I wish it to be as real and authentic as it feels for ME - then, you, the reader, may find some similarities in your own journey perhaps and gain insight as to what moves to shake next?<br />
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I have been through it I can tell you, still am, yet I never stay knocked out for long and always keep focussed on the positive long term outcome of this merry dance with healing I am jigging to.<br />
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I love life and all it has to share with us and this involves eating a rather good amount of raw cake and chocolate - so, please do pour yourself a cuppa herbal yumminess and let us settle down to some serious back to nature stuff - basics and beyond here we come.Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-77685142957854773072012-02-01T12:41:00.000-08:002012-02-03T02:14:46.602-08:00Chef available<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">I'm offering to be of service to you if you need help starting or maintaining your raw food lifestyle </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">~ if you need a chef to cater for your small events or dinner parties </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">~ one to one online/telephone consultations to assist you in finding your way with living foods </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">~ if you need extra help in the kitchen at your raw food restaurant/cafe or retreat center. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br style="background-color: white; text-align: left;" /></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">I have two years practical experience preparing many raw meals, from juice therapy to gourmet meals, buffets and special events. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Currently I am nearing the end of a 3 month juice feast and will be a fully certified juice therapy coach. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">In April I will graduate from the Pure Joy Culinary Academy under the tutorship of Elaina Love and Chris Whitcoe </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">I have also gained much from completing the Raw Nutrition Course with David 'Avocado' Wolfe. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">I am looking forward to travelling the UK this year to be of further service and continue to share the love and benefits of a living food lifestyle. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">I have a passion for raw chocolate and dessert creations. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">My main desire is to work with people interested and engaged in providing amazing health and healing services through simple fresh live menu creation. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">May the Joy continue </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: left;">Dawn </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqaEWGTxJ5WGho7SIP2rICqKeNjMGS3P8HH1liYQXGy4fpt-T7kbe56Mz75R7Ln6q2oNnYiWvnn9ZjQPulkzEThPKAERDKk9gzksAU704hD-wjZv1EyfEaMZIdDED-sM4U1EWXSL8Ng0/s1600/strawberry+flax+smoothie+raw+vegan+recipe+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqaEWGTxJ5WGho7SIP2rICqKeNjMGS3P8HH1liYQXGy4fpt-T7kbe56Mz75R7Ln6q2oNnYiWvnn9ZjQPulkzEThPKAERDKk9gzksAU704hD-wjZv1EyfEaMZIdDED-sM4U1EWXSL8Ng0/s320/strawberry+flax+smoothie+raw+vegan+recipe+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-56231911804111453162012-01-31T13:46:00.000-08:002012-01-31T13:46:12.407-08:00The Juice Feast Journey ~ Day 31<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hurrah! I have made it through a whole 30 days of the juice feast, and wanted to give you a little update on how it has gone so far.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am so happy to have gotten so far with this and not had too rough a ride really. Times have been challenging but nothing I did not foresee. I found the first 2 weeks the easiest to be honest and the last 2 weeks to be the most interesting! I have never been hungry at all, but have craved chewing really badly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The last week has been the toughest to date as I have hit the emotional detox phase plus the healing has begun on old traumas and illness's.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the last 5 days I have had really bad back pain, neck pain, nausea and headaches...all centering from the endocrine system of imbalances. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thankfully I seem to be through the worst of this now and today I feel human again! I can now fully engage in the feast without the need to have any portions of food to eat ~ During the worst of the days I had to eat some root vegetables to slow down the healing and detoxing process or I think I would have just stayed in bed and not done anything!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, yes, a little deviation from full on feasting, but, I remained juicing apart from the root vegetables.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The next 30 days will be going even deeper into the healing process and I am eager to see what happens next.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm going to be adding recipes each week from now on...all juice recipes...to encourage you to experiment with your own juicy journey. So, head on over to the Recipe Page to see the first one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thank you all for keeping me company ~ it is comforting to know this is not a lone journey</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love and peace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dawn xxx</span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-72135999420987173482012-01-02T10:02:00.000-08:002012-01-02T10:02:58.206-08:0090 Day Juice FeastOkay, I must start as I mean to go on as we jump exuberantly into 2012 ~ to do this I have begun a 90 Day Juice Feast!<br />
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Woah, I never thought I would be committing to something like this, after all it does seem an awful long time when you first look at it, but, when you look deeper, it is in fact not that long at all, with how fast time flies and all.<br />
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Only a 1/4 of the year and that will be gone in a flash and Spring will be here in all her glory!<br />
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Now, some of you may or may not know, that I have been on this road of rawsomeness for around 2 years now, with ups and downs and sidetracking galore, with it comes periods of denial about what I am actually eating when in the cooked food world. These foods have ranged from home made veggie soups to the very un-friendly pork sausages when craving meat hits me (thankfully not that often) included in this was bread which became more frequent as did cheese...all with horrible and undesirable bodily effects like bloating, wind and palpitations.<br />
Why eat it if that is what it does? Well, addictions are hard to break aren't they?<br />
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So, here we go, with 2012 to be one of the biggest years for transformation and healing, I pledged to go the whole hog starting on January 1st. This feast will take me up to the end of March, and then in April I fly out to Bali for 4 weeks training with Elaina Love's Pure Joy Culinary Academy and the Raw Chef Certificate!<br />
To ensure that I am not flying out with out breaking my feast correctly I plan to re-introduce solid foods in week 10, with one meal per day of a Green Smoothie, salad or soup, but remain at the level of 90% juice until week 12 when more solid foods will be brought in to get used to chewing again in prep for the course which is 3 weeks of gourmet raw (low Glycemic though).<br />
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How did I prepare to begin this feast?<br />
Well, the week or so leading up to 1st January, I went high juice every day ~ eating an evening meal of cooked or raw foods that were vegetarian and a little fish on occasion.<br />
In the last 3 days preparing I moved the main meal to lunch time so that my body got used to having a juice for supper.<br />
The day before the feast began I signed up for 90 days membership of David Rainoshecks Juice feasting site www.juicefeasting.com<br />
This is an invaluable resource for anyone wishing to do any length of juice feast and the information contained in the site is VAST!<br />
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I began to film my progress, which you can find on here through other YouTube videos, and will be filming almost daily to log all the ups and lows of this 3 month adventure.<br />
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Why am I doing this?<br />
To fully engage my body, mind and spirit in the healing powers of juice feasting<br />
To finally end my addiction to foods<br />
To fully connect to all things in a deeper level and higher vibration<br />
To ensure my body is at it's best to have the mercury fillings removed on the 21st February and continue to heal afterwards<br />
To release that stubborn waste that is no longer serving me as it once did.<br />
To end the pain of a toxic body<br />
To further my knowledge and experience of the Live Food as healer and so further be of service to many who need guidance as they step onto their own healing path.<br />
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So far it has begun well and I have not had any hunger pangs or too much detox symptoms yet...If I feel a little tweak of hunger I grab another pint of juice or a large cup of herbal tea laced with raw honey!<br />
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Stay tuned for more as the weeks turn into months...it is going to be one heck of a journey<br />
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Namaste<br />
Dawn xxxPeace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-46482903039158935062011-10-07T03:23:00.000-07:002011-10-07T03:23:51.592-07:00White Chocolate Raspberry Cheezecake<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I made this dessert the other day and have been begged to share the recipe with you, so here it is!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The recipe is from the book <b>Sweet Gratitude</b> ~ I highly recommend you invest in it if you love desserts as much as we do!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This was my first time at swirling two different coloured fillings, and I do need more practice, but the taste of this is worth all the effort of making it...hope you enjoy xxx</span></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9psTMX6cPtWtk2RKG5RVSDsxS1vlbeCJ_pmN5FuptqGeIfZN0utmaLa83egABXQLWjOP4i-A7RhGsxmEqCyHdav8WmVo3s3CR9lfV8d1i_3sT2X1BKJBQst9vINgINPYtRCNZxBgI6rQ/s1600/cheezecake%2521%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9psTMX6cPtWtk2RKG5RVSDsxS1vlbeCJ_pmN5FuptqGeIfZN0utmaLa83egABXQLWjOP4i-A7RhGsxmEqCyHdav8WmVo3s3CR9lfV8d1i_3sT2X1BKJBQst9vINgINPYtRCNZxBgI6rQ/s1600/cheezecake%2521%2521.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">makes one 10" cheezecake</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">CHOCOLATE ALMOND CRUST</span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3/4 cup almonds</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3/4 cup coconut flakes (not toasted)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">11/2 oz cacao powder</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">5 oz <i>date paste*</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/3 cup cacao nibs</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2 tsp <i>liquid vanilla*</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/8 tsp Himalayan salt</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">process all the ingredients until a fine crumb and press lightly into the bottom of the springform tin. Set aside whilst you make the filling.</span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">WHITE CHOCOLATE FILLING</span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3 cups soaked cashews (soak for at least 3 hours)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2 cups <i>almond milk*</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3/4 cup agave syrup</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2 tbsp lemon juice</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/4 liquid vanilla</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/4 tsp Himalayan salt</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3 tbsp lecithin</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2/3 cup melted cacao butter</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">method:</span></span></span><br />
<ol><li><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">add to the blender all the ingredients except the cacao butter and lecithin.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">blend well until smooth and creamy (3-5 minutes)</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">stop blending and add the lecithin and melted cacao butter</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">resume blending until the butter and lecithin are fully incorporated</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">reserve 2 cups of this filling for the swirling</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">make the swirl layer: to the reserved 2 cups of filling add <b>6 oz of fresh</b> <b>raspberries & 2 tbsp lemon juice</b>. blend this until smooth and pink.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">add the white chocolate filling to the springform tin, shake gently to distribute.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">with the pink filling you want to add this now ~ confidently pour the pink filling into the white chocolate filling (only use about 2/3 of the mixture), aim to pour it so it breaks the surface of the first filling and goes into it well, pour at random in blobs as this will create a marble effect that can be seen in each slice of cake. Once you have poured 2/3 of the mixture start pouring lightly so the filling sits on top, make sure you do not cover the entire edges of the cake. Then, take a chopstick or some similar item, and insert it just below the surface of the mixture. Begin swirling the fillings into each other to make a balanced pretty pattern. Don't over swirl though or you will just blend it all together!</span></span></span></li>
</ol><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Once you are happy, put the cake in the freezer for a couple of hours to set, then, with a spatula, gently ease the sides of the cake away from the tin and then remove the tin.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The cake will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge (as if!!!)</span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">MAKING DATE PASTE</span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">take 2 cups of either pitted or Medjool dates and chop them finely. You can add them to a pestle and bash them into a paste or, if you have a high power blender, add them to the blender and pulse them until they make a thick paste.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This will keep in a container in the fridge for a good few weeks.</span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">MAKING LIQUID VANILLA</span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">use 3 or 4 vanilla pods chopped up into small bits, add them to the blender with a cup of water and blend on high power for a minute or two so that the warmth of the blades warms the liquid.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Store this in a glass jar in the fridge and it will keep for several weeks or more.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(I had some vanilla powder so used that instead and infused it in the sun for half an hour)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>MAKING ALMOND MILK</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">soak 2 cups of almonds for 8 hours or more</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b>rinse and drain the almonds and add to your blender</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">cover with 3 cups of water</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">blend on high power until the nuts are broken down</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">strain the liquid nut milk through a nut milk bag ~ squeezing all the liquid out into a glass bowl.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Use the nut pulp to make other lovely foods like nut burgers or add some to a smoothie, OR dehydrate the pulp and keep in an airtight container to use as almond flour for other cakes!!!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-12898367065871960052011-09-05T11:07:00.000-07:002011-09-05T11:07:23.313-07:00Yin~Yang chocolate treats<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here is a little recipe I made today, for yin~yang cacao treats, very simple to make and very light to eat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Enjoy xx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">for the dark layer you need:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">100g cacao butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">100g cacao powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/2tsp spirulina</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">agave/honey to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">pinch of Himalayan salt</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">for the white layer you need:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">100g cacao butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">50g cashew nuts ground to a fine powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">50g lucuma</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">pinch vanilla powder or 1 vanilla bean scraped out</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">agave/honey to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gently melt the butters in separate bowls over warm water ~ make sure no water is mixed into the butters!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Once melted, add the powders after sieving to make sure the chocolate is not lumpy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Stir in really well and add the sweeteners to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Using what ever moulds you like ~ first pour in some of the white chocolate mixture, then place the mould in the fridge to allow this layer to set a little</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Then, take the moulds out and pour over some of the dark chocolate mix until the moulds are full.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Place back in the fridge until set.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Enjoy xxxx</span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-37610297087054943932011-09-05T10:52:00.000-07:002011-09-05T10:52:52.234-07:00Day one of Green Smoothie Detox with Raw Divas<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At Last, I found the hit to make that change back onto this rawsome journey again!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">While browsing all the daily inspiring posts on Facebook earlier today there was a post from The Green Smoothie Queen reminding us that the latest Green Smoothie Detox was starting ~ TODAY!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Well, that did it, with no hesitation I went and signed up, for the full supported program, and felt my body sigh with relief...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To say I have fallen off the raw wagon is not fully true, but, since the end of July I have slid down the cooked food slope more than I wanted to, and found each day one of the worst challenges to keep on track than I have since this journey began 2 years ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have no excuses or reasons why cooked foods hooked me in again, they just did...and I have been getting deeper into a spiral of feeling not too well again, loosing inspiration, confidence, drive and life feeling difficult again.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That is just not where I wish to be at, so, off we go again with this amazing opportunity to get back the mojo, the vavavoom, the sexy, the happy and the ecstacy!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Supper this evening will be a goji berry and strawberry refresher, as I am in no need of anything more than a glass full of sunshine to send me off to dreamland a happy Goddess.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I am so looking forwards to tomorrows smoothies ~ with a garden full of kale, salads, cucumber, melons and tomatoes...this next month is going to be AMAZING.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I will be adding a link to the Green Smoothie Queens on here and on the website soon, so everyone will be able to join the raw-volution!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">for a taster of some green smoothie goodness, here is a very lovely one for you to make:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Kale</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Cucumber</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Apple</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Spirulina (1 tsp)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">simple and fresh ~ make in what ever quantity you prefer</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Love and sparkles xxxxxx </span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-20033521734903107232011-09-01T09:45:00.000-07:002011-09-01T09:45:43.304-07:00lovely light juice recipe<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Okay here is a lovely little juice recipe for you that is so easy and light but packed...PACKED...with vitamins, enzymes and chlorophyll!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">We need to pack in the chlorophyll if we want to be experiencing wellness and healing, so, here is the secret to accessing this in large amounts...</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">WHEATGRASS!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Yes, this is the way folks...actually, in the growing season, your own lawn is an ideal source of it...you heard right...the humble lawn is just as good at providing chlorophyll as wheatgrass, but this needs careful nurturing to keep it clean and fresh, so it may be best, until you get into it, to order in trays of fresh wheatgrass from a reliable source.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">I use Aconbury Sprouts for mine, and have to say it is a great place to go for anything to do with sprouting seeds and the trays of lovely grasses, snow peas shoots and sunflower greens...why not check them out?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">2 trays of wheatgrass cost £9 plus postage but so worth it, particularly as you can harvest each tray several times if you look after it.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">So, the juice?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Okay...you need to juice:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">1 head of celery</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">4 crispy apples</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">1/3 tray wheatgrass</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">1 lemon</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">there you have it!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">This yeilds a pint of juice that will start you off on the right track each morning.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Try and see for yourself</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">NOTE; all produce is organic of course!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Love and peace</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Dawn xxx</span></span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-30017706722077296692011-08-30T07:34:00.000-07:002011-08-30T07:34:22.723-07:00ChangesHello again,<br />
Just a very short visit, and so sorry not to have posted since June! It has been a very busy summer with many activities taking me on the road around the UK ~ more of those soon :0)<br />
<br />
I am in the process of looking at incorporating some changes to this area of the website, to bring you the freshest of my raw food creations as or before I make them...I will aim to give a few days notice of what will be available so you have time to put in your requests :0)<br />
<br />
I am finding that having the 'shop' on the website is far to stagnant and stifling the creative flow, and having 'stock' is often not a good thing with the sometimes delicate ingredients I wish to use in the foods. So, on here may just be the space for all those more spontaneous creations I get the urge to make at silly o'clock in the mornings LOL<br />
<br />
There will always be an abundance of Chocolate Elixir available, but this too may change regarding ingredients, and, with the cold weather coming, I want to make some tea Elixirs for you all...so again here will be the place for those too.<br />
<br />
If you have any requests you can always post them here in the comments area, for any foods you have dreamed of but do not know how to make...I am sure it is possible for them to be made for you xxx<br />
<br />
Also, I will be posting more recipes (one per month) for you all to try out at home...I will aim to keep to fresh ingredients that are as seasonal as possible now we are entering the most exciting time of the year..yes, KALE season is here! LOL<br />
<br />
So, to get the word out there of all these new things coming, please do share this link to your loved ones and together we can change the world, one meal at a time.<br />
<br />
Blessings and love<br />
Dawn xxxPeace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-72864719308862528302011-06-26T12:08:00.000-07:002011-06-26T12:08:30.282-07:00ups and downs<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here is a progress report on how things are going during the 100 day challenge. I have to say that mostly I have kept to the program but I did have about 3 days or so where I just ate some not so good foods, like oven fries and fried eggs...this was due to me feeling very lazy and lonely and craving some of the old foods that made me so obese and ill for many years :0(</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have until now, been drinking the pint of bicarb water every morning and having the vitamin C smoothie an hour later. I have no idea if it was making a difference or not, but what is for sure is that I have been in a lot of pain and discomfort for the past few weeks - more so than initially.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So, today, I did not have the bicarb water, just went back to a pint of warm water first thing followed by a green smoothie with a hunk of coriander in it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For lunch I ate a courgette pasta salad with olives and hummus, a while later a raw chocolate mousse made with Irish moss (yummy) and mid afternoon some more olives and hummus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What can I say...I fed my stomach and soul today! LOL</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Supper has been for the last 2 days, another green smoothie, again heavy on the coriander, chard and rocket.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The pains have been all over my body, and they are making me feel very down at the moment. Being a little hypochondriac all my life (not to the point of going to Dr's all the time, but being aware of the aches and pains and worrying they may be some dreadful disease), I am of course worried what it all means, but I really have no faith in the NHS system and wish to avoid radiation of any kind when they do explorations as to what is going on in the body...not that the Dr would go that route when mostly they say.."you look too healthy for there to be anything wrong with you"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well, let me tell the world...I don't blummin feel to great at the moment!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am not one to complain much to anyone but my beloved husband, and keep most of how I feel health wise quiet from even him until of late, and I totally hate to come over as being negative or whiny...so this sharing here is a first for me...I hope it is of help to some of you to know how and where I am right now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Being raw is not the be all and end all of life and wellness...not when there are years of healing going on right now, not to mention all the energetic shifts that many of us are experiencing - most of the time we have no idea what is going on and why we are feeling like we do - very disconcerting and frustrating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When I wake up every morning, and most nights, in pain with my back, hip or legs, I wonder what on Earth is going on, where am I going wrong in my diet, what can I do to make it heal easier...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am also having pains in my left breast - so much so that I sometimes cannot bear to wear my bra as I think that is contributing to the pains...and, being well provided for in the chest department, this is not the best option for going out in public...LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">All this is a chore to cope with and a bore for someone who has so much energy I just want to get out there, dance, sing, laugh, play, run, bounce and be on the go all the time...but this soul carrier just cannot keep up with the soul it is holding!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am impatient for the healing to be complete, so my body can carry me to all the glorious places we want to go and have all the experiences we need to be having.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So, onto food again. I have to keep on track and not deviate if I am to allow the healing to continue. If I choose cooked foods I have to ensure they are good choices, like whole foods and not frozen chips and animal embryo's (urgh)...nice baked potatoes and a huge green salad sounds a better choice doesn't it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am happy today for the food I have chosen to eat since Thursday...all high raw, well, almost totally raw really...but, I think to see exactly what I can bring to my healing, I need to stay raw for at least another 4 days or more before I choose any cooked foods for a meal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What I did see when beginning the challenge, was that each day my weight went down by a pound or so...only when I deviated from the raw plan did it go up again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am still lighter than I have been since I was in my late 20's and this is such a positive for me on a mental level.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">To keep retreating from that 15 stone level is a plus every day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My next goal is the number 14.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But, I am no longer on the weight train, but rather have jumped onto the health train, in the mind set that it is better to gain health than loose weight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Today my emotions took a down turn. I have spent the day resting mostly, after a busy few days - making foods for a festival, then the festival yesterday, which left my body in lots of pain which again knocked me for six and leaves me wishing I was able to share the work with a dear one who has the same understanding and passion for sharing raw foods with as many people as possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now, this may not be the case, and there may be huge shifts of change around the corner that are just out of sight right now, and we all have feelings like this - I know that. But, when we get like this it can seem hard to shift out of that energy alone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am determined not to give up and to carry on with the search for where I am supposed to be in this changing Universe, for I know that it is coming. It would be a travesty to give up now and go join the rest of the population on the treadmill of boring 'normality and conformity' just to keep the roof over our heads... being out of the box is often not the most comforting place to be and the faith is certainly shaken today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am eternally grateful for the support and love of Ant and my family up north, for they never give up on me (Only I do that).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am eternally grateful for all of you who read these ramblings here and on Facebook (although I am having a few days off being on there for now)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am eternally grateful for the inspirational people all over the world who share their passions and also their ups and downs on this path to health and freedom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am eternally grateful to wake up every morning to another day of opportunity and blessings to spend time connected to Gaia .</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am eternally grateful to be learning to make some of the best food ever and to share that with beautiful souls at the events we go to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am also eternally grateful to be present in this moment, in this reality, in this breath, to share the deepest darkest hours as well as the highs and vibrational love flowing ever on towards our transformations in this incarnation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am also eternally happy to not be what people expect me to be, to not fit any mould or any box and also to not be defined as anything - I am just ME, I just AM...I just BE, and although I wish to know where I am needed and what to do (an how best to do it) I am happy to do that quietly, behind the scenes and then burst through the chrysalis to blossom and bloom full of light and sparkles so that it is very clear exactly what it is ~ shine time!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Off to dream sleeps now ~ blessing, love and peace to you all ~ may tomorrow be a better day for us all, better than we could ever hope it to be xxx</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-47149718590659909242011-06-08T09:54:00.000-07:002011-06-08T09:54:37.457-07:00June ~ growth and more bounty<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am often stumped as to how to write in this Blog, I sit here with a blank mind even though there is much I could say, but not knowing how to put it all down!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So, just ramble on and let if all flow out...</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">June is here and I must say it is a bit cold for my liking...we are having more stormy days that really should have been here in April, and the evenings have a real chill (I feel the cold anyhow but this is silly)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thank fully we got the tunnel up and covered and now I am working on the bed edging for the planting areas. We planted tomatoes, melons and cucumbers and will add basil, calendula marigold and some more herbs to make it really pretty and productive.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There is bounty in the salad beds outside too, with so much salad leaves we have too much...must get juicing some of it!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This year sees the first success with Henbane too ~ never got it to germinate before but it is doing really well now (I have a passion for deadly plants that is perhaps a bit worrying...LOL)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Today I planted out some mallow and it looks really healthy ~ must look up the best way to eat it and all its benefits.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm pondering how to support the melons but may just let them sprawl as we have water melon which may be too heavy to climb a net. the Charentais will be ok too fingers crossed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>100 day raw food challenge</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Today is day one of a 100 day challenge to be, well, 100% raw and fully cleanse the body mind and soul...I am doing this with the support of Michele at Super Raw Life magazine, and following her book of the same title.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I went out and bought a set of digital scales today so I can now weigh at home instead of going into town, and I am pleased to say I am at my lightest in 20 years...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My weight today is 14st 13lbs</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have been doing good on a high fruit/carb raw diet for 2 months but feel it is lacking something...so I begin this new challenge, with determination to stick to it for the whole 100 days...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Each day has a journal page to fill in and lots of stats to record, at the end of the challenge I hope to collate all the information into some format and share it all with you...</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Today I admit I feel a little scared and very lonely. I have allowed some old patterns back in over the last 2 weeks, even though I maintain a high percentage of my daily food as raw, some of the foods have been real shocks for my body, but I felt that I just need them some how...not sure why.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So, as day one of this challenge comes to an end, I have actually sat down at lunch time and eaten a huge plate of salad with olives and courgette hummus...rounded off with a bar of my raw chocolate ( I always feel the need for cacao after eating a chewable meal)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then I went into the garden for an hour or so, actually I am off out again now to do some more work.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here is what I will be drinking every morning:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Vitamin C Blaster</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>juice ~ 1 lemon, 1 lime, 1 grapefruit, add 1 cup fresh or frozen berries and blend on high power.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Drink one hour after drinking 1 pint of bicarbonate water (1tsp bicarbonate of soda in 16oz water)</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The bicarb water helps flush your system of lactic acid every morning.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>I will let you know in a few days how this routine makes me feel.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Love and blessings</span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-45050253167426365902011-05-17T09:44:00.000-07:002011-05-17T09:44:06.484-07:00A busy month ahead<div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just flying in to add a few words ~ I am trying to keep up with this area so it stays fresh and vibrant with news and happenings!</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the coming weeks I will be making lots of new chocolates including ones with liquid fruit centres...yummy! They don't keep long though, so as soon as they are made they will go out into the world to delight your senses and fill you with dreamy loveliness...</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm also going to be out and about at a few events over the summer, hopefully with some lovely friends to share all the lush raw goodness with.</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We will be at Barefoot Festival in Leicestershire in late July and Gaunts House Summer Gathering in August, plus a few one day local events for Well Being week in June.</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Each month I will be holding a free evening talk and food demo in the Health Studio in Northampton (TLC Holistics) ~ this is the home of my teaching kitchen, so hope to see many new faces in the kitchen and at the free class.</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On a personal note, I am about to begin a green smoothie feast this week ~ no time limit, and there may be little breaks of a meal or two, but I will aim to be as 'liquid' as possible for as long as possible. </span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I find smoothie feasting easier than juice feasting, although I love juices, smoothies are just faster and easier to clean up the machine afterwards! Leaving time to get on with the day rather than dismantling the juicer! LOL</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My favourite smoothie at the moment is strawberry, banana, mint and wild/garden greens.</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Look forward to hearing from you with any news you have xxx peace and faery dust xxx</span></span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-7984442183277085702011-05-10T03:58:00.000-07:002011-05-10T03:58:06.442-07:00<h6 class="yiv1108881176uiStreamMessage" style="font-family: verdana,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="yiv1108881176messageBody">Summer Raw Live & Wild Food Retreat<br />
August 18th - 21st <br />
</span></span></h6><span style="font-size: small; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span class="yiv1108881176messageBody">Join us for 3 days of rejuvenating raw juices, super smoothies, sumptuous salads, raw chocolate making </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="yiv1108881176messageBody"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">and wild food foraging</span>.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="yiv1108881176messageBody"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,helvetica,sans-serif;">Each day you will benefit from 2 cleansing and energising </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">green juices and 2 super</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">fruity smoothies ~ a real feast for body and soul! </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> In the evening there will be a huge feast of salads and raw delights to choose from ~ and you get to assist in the preparation should you desire.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Day time activities will include wild food forages, walking the lanes around the Tor in search of edible greens for our meals. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Live food talks and discussions daily ~ what is raw food all about and how can it benefit your health and life long term, how to get started, avoiding pitfalls and back tracking, releasing food addictions and negative belief patterns, how much raw food is appropriate for each individual, and how you can design your own 'sun food triangle'!</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> We will also explain the changes we can make when growing our own fruit and vegetables with eating more raw - how to design a juice feasters garden for example!</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> On Saturday 20th will be a daytime session on making raw chocolates, from bars to truffles and even a nut free cake for dessert!</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> There is ample time to relax, share stories and life experiences, chill out and do your own thing, in the supportive environment created by Dawn and the team.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> We will also take a trip into Glastonbury to 'shop' for goodies!</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> This retreat will allow you to create a new and healthier body, mind and spirit - one meal at a time!</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> " The raw food lifestyle is a perfect example of really living 'green' ~ No cooking needed - ever. Our emphasis is on creating a living kitchen in our gardens ~ eat straight from the earth from </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">home grown edibles,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> with minimal preparation, and whole food nutrition from wild greens and locally sourced seasonal organic fruits and vegetables"<br />
</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Investment £195 per person ~ inclusive of all meals and accommodation.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> To book please contact </span><a class="yiv1108881176moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://uk.mc254.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=info@rawalchemy.org.uk" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" target="_blank">info@rawalchemy.org.uk</a><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /> <a class="yiv1108881176moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.rawalchemy.org.uk/" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" target="_blank">www.rawalchemy.org.uk</a><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Tel; 01604 696771</span><br />
</span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-31371021427394033932011-05-09T02:48:00.000-07:002011-05-09T02:48:55.571-07:00Ce~RAW~monial Chocolate Workshop<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Blessings this sunny May morning.</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>I would like to include some of the workshops I will be running, in the blog, so you get advance opportunity to come along and have some fun and learn some new skills too.</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Where better to start than with the next Raw Chocolate class!</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>So, here are the details for you ~ hope to meet some of you soon xXx</b></div><br />
<div style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ce~RAW~monial Chocolate making workshop</b></span></div><div style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Saturday June 18th</b></span></div><div style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>10am ~ 4pm</b></span></div><div style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>investment £90 per person including light lunch (raw of course).</b></span></div><div style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Join me in my chocolate temple where you will learn a brief history of the cacao tree, how it came to the Western world and how we can work with live raw chocolate to create a shift in our conciousness & move us forwards on our journey to wellness.</b></span></div><div style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Of course you will also learn how to make some beautiful raw chocolates! Bring a small container with you to take some home.</b></span></div><div style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Raw chocolate creations make a great 'transition' treat ~ helping us to release our addictions to less healthy snacks and foods.</b></span></div><div style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>To book your place telephone me on 01604 696771 or e-mail me on info@rawalchemy.org.uk</b></span></div>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-22288777601507816082011-05-06T09:50:00.000-07:002011-05-06T09:50:27.905-07:00Sunny day part two<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cJllCne3aNc?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" width="425"></iframe>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-12805622506950854102011-05-06T09:49:00.000-07:002011-05-06T09:49:50.081-07:00Sunny day in raw heaven<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/e8HKNBOqVzM?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" width="425"></iframe>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-79055986112231510772011-05-04T09:13:00.000-07:002011-05-04T09:13:57.917-07:00Alchemist Kitchen day one<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IKYOWx0nczM?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" width="425"></iframe>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-49896830620390133642011-05-03T11:34:00.000-07:002011-05-03T11:34:05.924-07:00So, what am I eating?Merry May Blessings!<br />
As we move towards the warm sunny days of summer ~ finally here and are we blessed or what? Amazing weather for April and although a little cold in the evenings, the days have been perfect for getting out side and eating up our Vitamin D!!<br />
<br />
I wanted to share with you what I am eating at this time of year, now I have moved steadily towards more low fat raw vegan. I hope it is of use to you if you are wondering what it is all about.<br />
Now, there are the odd times when I enjoy a little bit of feta cheese or the occasional egg, but on the whole this is what a typical day looks like for me.<br />
<br />
On waking ~ 6am-ish ~ one pint of warmed water with lemon juice and MSM powder, drank in bed while reading something inspirational ( great way to start the day)<br />
10am ~ smoothie made with 2 bananas, mango, 1/2 pineapple, 2 cups of berries, 1 tsp MSM, 2 tbsp super morning jing powder and 1 tsp E3 live digestive enzymes (I have under performing kidneys and absorption issues so wish to assist them if I can). Cover almost with water then blend until smooth.<br />
OR half a watermelon (shared with Aura the Wonder Dog) or other melon ~ if it is a small melon I eat a whole one!<br />
The smoothies vary in content depending on what is in the house. That amount of fruit makes around 3 pints of smoothie which I drink through to mid afternoon.<br />
2pm ~ Green Smoothie made with 4 sticks celery, 3 handfuls of salad greens from the garden, handful of spinach/kale, 2 cups berries, 1/2 pineapple or 2 bananas (any sweet fruit can replace what I list here) tbsp raw honey.<br />
OR melon.<br />
Supper ~ large green salad with tomatoes, cucumber, celery, sweet peppers sun dried tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil plus some nutritional yeast flakes if I fancy a cheesy taste. Now, I do not hold the olive oil for this is the fat I choose to include in my daily diet, rather than avocados or coconut fats (I do sometimes have them but not often) and I leave out nuts most days too (occasionally I throw a small handful into a morning smoothie).<br />
Occasionally I will make a dressing with balsamic and olive oil or tamari but I tend to like it just with oil.<br />
<br />
Some cooked foods I still include once or twice a week ~ eggs, potatoes, one serving of feta cheese.<br />
<br />
Oh, and I have started to eat some raw chocolate again and so long as it is not a huge amount, I'm loving it again :0) I did over do it earlier in the year!<br />
<br />
What other things do I have? Rooibos tea with fresh lemon and raw honey, water and any herbal tea I have around, but, drinking so much smoothies means I am rarely thirsty and eating melon really helps hydrate.<br />
Coconut water and chlorella 2 x a day ~ to assist removing heavy metal toxins from the blood and cells!<br />
<br />
Since starting to eat this way I have released 1 kilo each week and have found it to be the easiest way so far to not only feel good but remove excess in a steady way without worry.<br />
I'm still working through emotions and 'head stuff' but this is part of the process and it, like toxins, need to come out!<br />
I'm due to book my first colonic since transitioning to raw...no pictures...but(!) I will let you know how it goes!<br />
What have I noticed since upping my game? That I have little or no tolerance to cooked foods other than those I include above ~ they make me feel blocked up, bloated, dull, heavy and sleepy!<br />
<br />
more soon x x x Namaste x x xPeace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-88445575077006896742011-04-30T14:17:00.000-07:002011-04-30T14:17:13.708-07:00things I am loving at the moment<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">a light look at what is great about life in the raw...</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">the sun shining into the bedroom in the morning</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">the cool breeze as I walk down to check the hens and feed them greens and grains</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">morning lemon water...so refreshing and a great aid to waking up the digestive system</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">coconut water with chlorella ~ an awesome meal in a glass and amazing detoxer</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Concious Eating ~ my latest study book!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">my husband...what an amazing man</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Aura the Wonder Dog...she is my guide and soul mate</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">picking baby salad leaves from the garden and making huge green salads...mmm</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">feeling over half a stone lighter!!!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">laughing often</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">eating mangoes and dripping their juice everywhere...</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">mashed banana mono meals...childhood memories</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">long evenings in the garden sipping rooibos tea</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">sharing the love with friends</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">feeling so calm and centred</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">knowing that I am right where I am supposed to be</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">feeling my body changing with my heart and soul</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">being happy to know that all things now make sense</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">not having to feel that life is a struggle or a battle any more...it is just perfect</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">waiting for the melon seeds to germinate...oh how I look forward to watching them grow :0)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">meeting new friends on the raw journey</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">and...</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">just 'being present'</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">shanti xx</span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-36372046972255864122011-04-19T14:34:00.000-07:002011-04-19T14:34:45.983-07:00My Story from the start<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Since I was a small child I and my family have been overweight, mostly on the female side of our family.<span> </span>Mum and Dad raised us on home made foods and we even grew some of our own vegetables over the years, but meals were large and full of the standard ‘meat and two veg’ or pastas dripping in sauces.<span> </span>There were always vegetables on the plate, but I did not really like them – I have memories of the dreaded frozen spinach and boiled cabbage which really put me off anything ‘green’!<span> </span>I loved pizza and chips, eggs and bacon, huge sandwiches and fried anything…salads were not on the menu at all.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>I began to develop an unhealthy attitude to food when going through some tough times in my early teens, and began binge eating on crisps and chocolate bars – I could eat a 12 pack of Wotsits in one go and not think anything of it.<span> </span>Food became comfort to me at an early age, and it helped me to stop thinking and feeling.<span> </span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>My Dad, Dave, died when I was 16 and my brother was only 6 – dad was 37 – he had spent a few years previously having a series of heart attacks which led to a triple bypass operation.<span> </span>It was a massive shock to us all, loosing him so young.<span> </span>I think it was then that I began to spiral deeper into unhealthy relationships – food, alcohol and boyfriends.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Leaving school, going off to Art college and then taking a placement as a student groom in a stables in Hertfordshire took me away from family stability and guidance and my eating habits became erratic and often non-existent!<span> </span>Back then in the 1980’s we had £30 a week to live on being YTS students, and most of my money went on nights out.<span> </span>I lived on baked beans and pot noodles for at least a year!<span> </span>Working with horses meant I lost a lot of weight over time, but it also deepened my food issues and soon led me into an eating disorder where I would often go 2 -3 days without eating, just to make sure my weight stayed off.<span> </span>Then I would go out and binge for a day, feeling terrible again.<span> </span>I was also taking diet pills – a never ending cycle of self abuse, just to keep light enough to do the job I loved!</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>It was my beloved mum who made me see sense when she said that if I didn’t stop and eat something I would be too ill to work, and then I began to start eating ‘normal’ meals again.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Unfortunately I was still drinking more than I ought to and my meals were far from ideal – slim fast meal replacements and Weight Watchers frozen meals were my main diet!</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>In 1988 I had a serious accident while working a very difficult horse, and even though no-one suspected at the time, the damage caused to my pelvis would cause health issues for the following 15 years.<span> </span>Due to the amount of pain I became addicted to strong pain killers, just to get through the days work, and I lost a lot of confidence in riding the competition horses that my job revolved around.<span> </span>Every fall re-opened the tears in my muscles and ligaments, as did moving the heavy jump equipment and mucking out 10 plus horses a day!<span> </span>In the end, whilst lying prone on the floor at the end of a day, I rang the local Doctor who worked with the race trainers near my yard.<span> </span>He examined me and told me that I had to stop working with horses or I would cause even more damage.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Talk about a bombshell hitting home!<span> </span>Ever stubborn, I thought I knew better so carried on for another year or so, until, once again, another fall put me in hospital – then I woke up and realised my mortality.<span> </span>Leaving the love of my life – horses – was a big step, but it had to happen.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>After stopping all that hard work I began putting weight back on and loosing the muscle.<span> </span>Eating really badly increased as did drinking far too much.<span> </span>General life stresses and boring office jobs meant I was sedentary for the first time in almost a decade.<span> </span>Weight gain led to more comfort eating, and so the cycle went on.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>I would put on a few stones, then go and join a slimming group, loose the weight, stop going and put it all on again.<span> </span>Each time a little more went on too.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Before I knew it I weighed over 14 stone.<span> </span>I was working in a pub at this time, and after one relationship broke down I met a man who I eventually married.<span> </span>However, this relationship was the most destructive one in my life.<span> </span>To cut a long story short, the man I married was a manipulative alcoholic, and the following 13 years was spent trying to keep him sober and me sane. At least it made me stop drinking though!</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Even though my weight increased much more during this period I fell in love with gardening, and began growing herbs at home, and a few salad leaves and tomatoes. We had 3 big dogs too which kept me busy walking for hours, so I got a bit of my fitness back, even though I was far too heavy.<span> </span>If I knew then what I know about food now – boy what a difference it could of made! My garden became my sanctuary from life and I became more and more interested in growing organic foods and healing therapies, training as a Reiki practitioner to Master level and studying herbal medicine as a vocation.<span> </span>We could not afford to buy land in the </strong><strong>UK</strong><strong> so we ended up moving to </strong><strong>France</strong><strong> in 1999.<span> </span>I took up a volunteer job as an organic gardener and Reiki therapist at a retreat centre – this was the turning point for me.<span> </span>I learned much more than I ever thought possible from the years in </strong><strong>France</strong><strong>.<span> </span>The main enlightenment was that I did not want to be married any longer.<span> </span>The relationship went from bad to horrendous – booze is so cheap over there – and I had to leave before I lost all of my soul.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Returning home to the </strong><strong>UK</strong><strong> stronger and more focussed than I had ever been in my life – I set about ‘sorting myself out’.<span> </span>The divorce was messy but quick.<span> </span>I lost everything, but that was a blessing.<span> </span>One last shock fell the first week home at mums – my beloved dog Ella had bone cancer.<span> </span>We lost her 3 months later.<span> </span>To this day we miss her and love her. Goddess Bless you little Ella xx</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>So, I am home with my family, almost 19 stones and very depressed.<span> </span>What was I to do?<span> </span>Well, shake myself off and get my self healthy.<span> </span>A few hiccups along the way in the first few months, but I was on the path finally.<span> </span>Slimming groups just do not do it for me, but I had to keep trying.<span> </span>Food was still controlling me on every level – when I was feeling good I would eat well and lots of salads and veggies – feeling down and the cake, pies, chocolate and crisps took over. </strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>At this stage I met a man called </strong><strong>Ant.</strong><strong><span> </span>He is now my husband and the most adorable, loving, gentle man I have ever met.<span> </span>My life became HAPPY, CONTENT AND LOVED.<span> </span>My relationship with people changed - 6 years later I finally began understanding my relationship with food.<span> </span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>In the last six years our eating habits changed slowly.<span> </span>We first made the conscious decision to become vegetarian.<span> </span>Ant did eat meat but was never comfortable buying or handling it, and I ate lots of meat, did all the cooking, but just started to feel that I was ready to stop supporting the cruel farming practices widespread in meat and dairy production.<span> </span>So we went veggie.<span> </span>In came all the TVP, Quorn and tofu, plus lots of soya milk, desserts etc…We did increase our fruit and vegetables and grew lots of our own on our allotments, but this was far from ideal – especially the after effects of all that soya!</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>I had lost a good few stone by now and was approaching a much healthier 14 stones again.<span> </span>I had built up a few gardening jobs locally, so was loving life, doing work I loved, a nice home, studying permaculture and herbalism – perfect.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Then I began feeling ill.<span> </span>I was sore all over, my hair began falling out, I had little or no energy, could not concentrate, was always freezing cold, fell asleep in the afternoons.<span> </span>This was so not right.<span> </span>So I went to the Doctor and had a blood test.<span> </span>A week later the results came in – under performing thyroid gland.<span> </span>Yes, the medication was given, and for the next 3 years altered every few months to get it at the right level.<span> </span>At the same time I began seeing a friend who is a kinesiologist and Vortex healer (and colonic hydro therapist – Oh the joy!).<span> </span>She found that the issue lay with the hypothalamus and not the thyroid on the whole and so supported the medication with natural remedies.<span> </span>I also have mercury toxicity due to amalgam fillings, so I began taking chlorella daily to assist in the elimination of toxins.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Eventually I was able to function again, but all my garden work had to be let go – I just could not do the work.<span> </span>But we did still have the allotment so we continued growing our own foods. <span> </span>We both have a real passion for living as natural a life as we can, close to nature.<span> </span>For a good 3 years we lived almost constantly outdoors, in our van and our amazing Mongolian Yurt! <span> </span>My interest in nutrition started to deepen too.<span> </span>It was not until 2009 that I discovered the issue of soya in the human diet, and we stopped eating any soya products at all. (put link here).<span> </span>This was also the year we were living in </strong><strong>Glastonbury</strong><strong>, </strong><strong>Somerset</strong><strong> and we met people following raw food diets.<span> </span>A good friend of ours lent us The Raw Family by Victoria Boutenko, and I must have read it in 2 days!<span> </span>This book set my mind alight with new ideas to look into.<span> </span>At the time I was addicted to coffee, so much so that my body was highly acidic – which led to my joints being so painful I could not walk at the end of the day.<span> </span>SOMETHING had to change.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Little did I realise, from the moment I read that book, I began to transition to a raw food diet.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>WHAT I DID RIGHT AND WRONG ON THE ROAD TO NOW</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>For me the best thing has been to take every day at a time, often one meal at a time, to allow the changes to come in at a steady pace.<span> </span>Some people can go 100% raw over night, and that is fantastic, but often it is easier to take it slowly.<span> </span>One of the reasons is that, although detoxing takes longer it is also some what less painful.<span> </span>Our daily lives can be so full that to go ‘cold turkey’ from our standard diet could be almost impossible.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>I never thought of being 100% raw in the first year – it sounds great, but I did not want to put that amount of pressure on myself too early.<span> </span>When I commit to something I need to know what is going to happen and analyze it all, inside and out, but the other side of me likes to just go “you know what…give it to me and I will accept it!”</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>So, in came smoothies every day – fruit with organic yoghurt at first, but in a matter of a week or so I just dropped the yoghurt and have never touched it since!<span> </span>We still ate cooked foods most days, but my body was saying it wanted more RAW.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>There is so much information on raw food lifestyles out there – in books, on the internet forums and online communities – it really is an amazing resource.<span> </span>But, there is much confusion too – what kind of foods to eat, what kind of equipment do I need?<span> </span>How much raw should I be…and the rest!<span> </span>I must have read so much my head almost burst!</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Whilst subconsciously transitioning I decided to start my own micro-business, which coincided with our returning home to Northamptonshire.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>We returned to care for Ant’s father Tom, who was diagnosed with bladder cancer in the August of 2009 – it was easier for us to return home and be his carer’s as Ant’s brother Colin and his family work full time. So, not to want to sit back we made a home here again and whilst looking after dad, built a solid foundation to work with, and Raw Alchemy was born.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>For the past year I thought I was doing great on my raw food quest ~ eating lots of raw salads, green smoothies, juicing every few days, making lots of dehydrated and gourmet dishes, rich in nuts and avocadoes and coconut butter, plus all that Chocolate! Oh how yummy life was.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>But, although my health improved tremendously and my energy levels soared, creativity through the roof and lots of other benefits that I had never imagined, my weight did not seem to want to shift much more than a half stone or so.<span> </span>I was still addicted to cooked foods, especially potatoes in any form and often bread and coffee.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>What was I to do?<span> </span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>I wanted to make a deeper commitment to myself so I signed up for not one but two initiatives.<span> </span>The first was my dear friend <i>Tracy Partridge- Johnsons 80%</i> <i>Raw 30 day challenge.</i> The second was a 30 day Vegan Pledge with the Vegan Society.<span> </span>These ran at the same time and it was a great benefit.<span> </span>Out went all the dairy, honey, potatoes, eggs etc.<span> </span>In came more green smoothies, salads and green leafy vegetables plus more juices!<span> </span>It was not easy at first and the detoxing from dairy was horrendous – I never even saw it coming, but it had me feeling so sore and ill for 3 days, but as in all the detoxes, I allowed it and accepted it as a temporary period that would leave me feeling so much better once it had passed.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>At the end of the month I had shed 7lbs and felt great.<span> </span>BUT…as soon as it was over some of the ‘banned’ food came back in.<span> </span>Not the dairy however – that is gone – gone – gone!</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>At around the same time, I decided to come off the thyroid medication.<span> </span>On reflection now I should have done so gradually with the supervision of my Doctor, but hey, I did it my way.<span> </span>I would never advise anyone else to come off ANY medication without their doctor’s guidance though!</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>To ensure that my body was getting the right support I began taking some herbal supplements; spirulina, chlorella, kelp and maca, building them up each dose until I was taking about a teaspoon of each most days – it is important not to let your body get used to the same supplements on the whole, or there may be slight tolerance build ups.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>One of the most beneficial things I did last year was to sign up for David Wolfe’s Raw Nutrition Course with the Canadian Body Mind Institute – this is a year long course in raw living foods and is totally amazing. Check it out for yourself – I signed up for their Affiliate scheme too as the courses are just great.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>This course gave me such a deep understanding of so many aspects of living a raw life that would have taken me so much longer had I just read books about it.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>It also sparked my interest in Superfoods and eating much closer to nature. In turn, taking many more of these healing foods has increased my health ten fold in the latter half of 2010.<span> </span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>By now I was becoming a little more restless at my lack of ability or will power to shed both the cooked foods and my excess ‘pain waste’, and I was starting to feel some of the old thyroid symptoms surface again, so at the end of last year I made a little pledge to my soul that, by May 2011 I would embrace 100% raw, at least for the warmer months of the year.<span> </span>On January 3rd, with over 100 others online, led by SHAZZIE, I went on my first ever juice feast for 7 days!<span> </span>Wow, I never thought it would be so easy – to juice fully for a whole week ~ in Winter!<span> </span>I loved it so much, and the support of other people taking part made is so much better.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>I also went and had that long over due appointment with my Doctor, and got another blood work done.<span> </span>He was fine with my decision to come off meds, so long as I was happy with how I was feeling, but the blood work gave some results that were not great.<span> </span>Of course my TSH and Free T3 levels are not as they should be so more work needed there, but my kidney function reads low for my age – here goes work to improve that area.<span> </span>Also my iron levels are not as good as they could be, what with all the greens I eat – so there is some improvement in my digestion and absorption needed.<span> </span>The great thing is that my B12 levels are fantastic as are my Vitamin and Mineral levels and hormone levels are good too – must be doing SOMETHING right!</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Since then I have gone from strength to strength, finally transitioning to 98% raw well before my goal of May 1st.<span> </span>I honestly can’t say I am 100% raw as I do drink hot herbal teas and elixirs, but the rest of my diet is whole and raw!</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>How did this happen?<span> </span>Well, more research and inspiration from other raw food dudes online led me to invest in 80-10-10 by Doug Graham.<span> </span>Until reading this book I had been restricting my fruit intake greatly, to the point that I believed if I ate more than one banana a day I would never be able to get healthy, and that a fruitarian diet is only for athletes and active people – yeah my mind sucks!</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>But, I read the book from cover to cover, digested it all, threw out some of the bits that just did not resonate with me on a core level, and started out on the path to where I’m at right now.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>I’m seeing great improvements almost daily in my general well being – including the reduction of those thyroid symptoms. Energy levels are increasing again and my food cravings are gone!<span> </span>With the increase of fruit in my diet I am now no longer hungry at all and have found going deeper into raw so much more simple – just by upping the fruit.<span> </span>All the cravings for potatoes and other cooked foods just fell away, virtually over night.<span> </span>I also no longer tell myself that I will enjoy that cup of posh coffee!<span> </span>I feel that I am eating such a decadent diet – full of fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, salad fruits and leaves, herbs and fruity dressings – LUSH.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Now, as I do have quite a bit more healing to do, I must say that I do not eat anywhere near as much fruit as the 80-10-10 book advises – I actually could not eat 11 bananas in one smoothie!<span> </span>But to bring balance to this totally awesome way of eating (for it really is awesome), I try to eat around 45% sweet fruits – 45% green leafy vegetables and non sweet fruits like cucumbers and celery – 10% fats in my daily intake.<span> </span>This, to me is optimum for the time I need to fully heal and complete the detoxification process.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>At this point I must mention the most inspirational resource that helps thousands of people into a healthy raw life, and that is RAW FOOD REHAB – this online community, guided by the very lovely Penni Shelton, is there waiting to welcome you with open arms and lots of love.<span> </span>I have been a member (it’s free) for a year, but only just really got involved last month – joining one of their amazing initiatives to really boost health and connection to raw.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Well, this brings us up to today…it is some read I know, but I hope you find my journey so far of some help and insight as to the life of transitioning to raw.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>There will be plenty of recipes coming up on the site and I look forward to chatting to you and sharing some ideas and inspirations.</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Love, peace & faery dust</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>Dawn xXx</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">This is my personal experience and as such please bear in mind that I do not seek to provide individual medical or nutritional advice and ask that if you choose to embark on your own RAW adventure (which I hope that you do) that you seek the advice of your own medical practitioner or Holistic Health consultant.</span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">To Dad & Tom</span></i></strong></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">The most influential men in my life</span></i></strong></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Love and miss you both.</span></i></strong></div><strong><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">Huge love and thanks to Ant, for being my rock and for testing out all the recipes xx</span></i></strong>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-9441627349125361602011-04-07T05:09:00.000-07:002011-04-07T05:09:19.331-07:00Go Fresh - End of Week One<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Good Morning - and another sunny warm day here in the UK...we are being a little spoiled this far with some really lovely days, but a light frost this morning!</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">One week into Go Fresh and on the whole all is seeming to go really smoothly. Although I'm approaching the weigh in with some trepidation - this is my fear issues coming out, the dreaded scales! I must try not to get too worried about what they will read and focus on the whole 11 weeks instead of the first weeks results :0(</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Since Fridays kick off food has not been an issue at all, each day was taken as a new day, and I'm proud of myself for keeping to around 98% raw ever day.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Yesterday we went out to dinner with friends, and this is the only time all week that I needed to let my normal way of eating go and allow a cooked dinner in. Thankfully today I am not suffering for it, and I left around a 1/4 of the food on the plate as I just could not eat it all.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">I love that I'm feeling much more satisfied now and am beginning to feel a little less sore in my joints, able to do some deep stretches and some 'belly yoga' - outside on the grass, bare foot, connected to Earth, Sun and Moon!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">So, what have I been eating, doing etc?</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Well, every day I wake up and drink some lemon water, warmed, with a 1/2 tsp MSM powder. I sit and read for half an hour while drinking it, to allow my inner system to warm and awaken. About an hour after I make around 4 pints of green fruit smoothie, with any combination of fruits and greens, including wild greens like dandelion and nettle, and add another 1/2 tsp MSM and 2 tbsp super morning jing powder to tonify the kidneys and liver.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">This smoothie lasts me usually until mid afternoon.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">OR I will eat half a water melon or other type of melon. If I start with melon then the smoothie comes around lunch time and lasts the whole day.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">During the day I potter around in the garden, do chores, exercise a little, work on my business planning (or plotting), study (raw food nutrition course), walk my beloved dog Aura, read, blog if I have any interesting thoughts or happenings, make raw foods for local stores, things like that.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Today I am making some of the dishes for the lunches on a healing course being held over the weekend, tomorrow will be a full day of food making ready for Saturday delivery, including shopping at the farmers market for ingredients and making LOTS more kale crisps!</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">For supper I make a large green salad with tomatoes, peppers, cucumber etc, and this keeps me feeling full and happy.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">I do like snacking on Kale crisps (common knowledge by now LOL) and try hard to limit them...honest!</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">What makes it easier for me to stay at this level (higher than I have ever been since starting out a year ago) is keeping my foods really simple, basic, and fresh. I have learnt to stay away from nuts, seeds (mostly), avocados olives and dehydrated foods of any kind (apart from kale crisps LOL) and desserts other than a small square of raw cacao if I feel the need for extra stimulation. My main fat portion comes from olive oil on salads or the crisps - no other fat other than what is naturally in the fruits and greens.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">I find it easier to stay satisfied and not getting hung up on what to make to eat or if I am getting enough (hope I am) of the nutrients daily - this has been a new experience for me and really has made it easier to allow cooked foods to fall away. Cooked food smells now actually make me feel a little nauseous unless I am prepared for them in advance! Even then I often cover my nose and get past them asap!!!</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">What I love is that every step of this adventure into raw is NEW...ALIVE...FRESH...and EXCITING.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Wishing you all a fabulous day</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Peace, love and faery dust xxx</span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-19053350746743671252011-03-28T03:58:00.001-07:002011-03-28T03:58:46.874-07:00Getting Deeper into Raw<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">The last week or so has been a bit of an uphill hike through lots of issues around diet and life pathways, and I really hope that now, on Monday, I have come to a turning point.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Go Fresh will be my first real commitment to finally change my diet fully to a higher level of raw than ever, and was a decision I felt needed to be made for me to step up onto the next part of this awesome life.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Until this point I had been working on so many layers of healing through raw foods, some meditations, being my authentic self like never before! And just learning peace and stillness rather than pushing the point all the time. But, cooked food has remained a hook for me, and one that has been the most stubborn to move from. Even as I write this I am having a little be of childish tantrums at the thought of releasing me addiction to cooked starches. But I have to do this if my body is to fully cleanse and heal, and the last week or so the pains in my body have not been good at all, to the point that I had to really look at what is going on with me deeply, painfully and honestly.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Although being high raw has been really helpful in getting more energy and wellness, this refusal to leave the cooked starches alone has, I feel, been the downer in it all, as well as a few coffee's a week, with dairy milk (when out socialising), the odd slice of bread (not often, but still a set back) and even perhaps cooked eggs (no way to eat them raw!)...all this has added up over time to cause the issues now, and, perhaps, it is this cumulative effect that has moved the position to where I'm at right now.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">So, the commitment to go low fat raw vegan has been made, for the period of Go Fresh at the least, to see what the next 11 weeks show up. When I don't think about it it is easy, but once I start thinking about food the triggers come up...how will I deal with food for me and food for my husband, who does not cook or want to, and who cannot stand the thought of raw soups or not eating his normal meals to assist the process whilst at the same time improving his own health? To be fair, if I put a plate of food in front of him he eats it and invariably enjoys it, but this time I am not sure he will go with it, not every day anyhow. So, keeping meals simple and low fat raw is my personal challenge for my beloved Anthony, so that he loves the meals he is eating and feels so good after them that he wants and begs for more!!! LOL</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Back to body stuff - for several weeks I have been in some amount of pain daily, or rather at night...my right hip, which was badly out of line, hurts like a bugger if I lie on it too long, and my spine is generally tight and sore - something that I really hope cutting out the non raw foods will assist, along with some more treatments from my friend. This pain, as you know, is debilitating over time, and darn boring to live with when I am the kind of person who love life and wants to go out and get on with it! But, one thing I am learning is to be gentle with my self, and so long as I am moving around lots and resting when tired, I can't really do more than this, right? </span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Considering my past 40+ years, most of it eating high fat processed, glutinous, meaty, dairy foods with limited fruit and veg, added to several years of hard graft with horses, getting bashed around, falling off, over working the body etc, and then carrying over 6 stones too much waste for the last 16 years, I feel that my body is taking the time to really get all the detoxing and mending done, but this is being hampered when I eat the wrong foods - I have a super sensitive body, I know this, but still I do it...self sabotage! For all the days of eating really pure raw vegan smoothies and juices, then I go and put in a quart of decaf coffee dairy concoction and some starches and eggs...NOT the good thing to do to a system that is attempting to heal! Stoopid!! LOL</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Today this is changing...</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Today I began with half a water melon for breakfast, which I shared with my dog Aura (she is so beautiful)...it took me ages to eat it, but I did it and loved it, for I love fruits and could happily live in a fruit growing country and thrive on greens and fruits and fresh avocados and coconuts all day!</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">I'm still working out supper, but it will either be a soup - to use up the cauliflower and broccoli in the fridge, or some marinade greens, or perhaps both! MMmm sound like Anthony will love that xxx</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">The rest of the day I will make a juice and then a fruit and spinach smoothie - left to my own I would just have this all day :0)</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">I'm just about to order a spiroli to make raw veggie pastas, then this will become an amazing addition to the evening meals, which my love actually really devours with gusto!</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">I feel this point in the path is really liberating and at the same time a little scary, but in a good way.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">The more I learn and the deeper I go, just confirms to me the direction to take with this, and that is to teach and document everything, so others can see and benefit from our progress and transformations. I have never before been so active at documenting emotions and life changes, and hope that it is of use and benefit to others and perhaps will encourage more to do the same?</span><br />
<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Life is truly amazing and once we place trust in the Universe to show us the direction to take, so much opens up to us that it can feel overwhelmingly powerful, like meeting your Dragon and knowing you need to sit up there and take a ride!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Love Peace and Faery Dust xxx</span>Peace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087331255908830444.post-48730618556401901362011-03-25T11:49:00.000-07:002011-03-25T11:49:13.138-07:00New Energy and AdventuresWow, what an amazing year it has been so far, and it is looking like continuing to be an inspiring and enlightening year all round.<br />
As usual lots have happened since I last wrote here, sorry not to have been logging it all down, but getting round to pouring out lots of emotions and thoughts is often not the easiest of things to do.<br />
Life has been turning on though but not as manic as it was last year, mainly due to the bereavement process of loosing Tom (Ant's father) in January. There is so much to deal with and sort out, and so we have been spending time with this. The estate is now being wound up and the house has been sold, so again, an emotional time and quite surreal in a deeply meditative way. Whilst there today I really felt Tom's presence sat behind me in the conservatory as I sat in my favourite place on the top step...nice to know he is keeping any eye on us, even now.<br />
We have has much quiet time to contemplate what we are going to be doing in the coming years, and have not decided on anything for sure, apart from the possibility of investing in a small acreage of land over the channel to have as a bolt hole and a place for friends and family to go away for respite when ever the need arises.<br />
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We have no desire to buy a home over here and are content renting our peaceful cottage. We feel so blessed to live here and have been working on the garden for the coming seasons food supply. Soon we will add a large poly tunnel to extend the season through winter - lots of winter greens! Already there are pots full of rocket, kale and pak choi looking healthy, I so look forward to the first pickings. I have decided to start running some weekly workshops in basic organic food growing to help others get more clean fresh foods on tap, including sprouting and wild greens.<br />
In addition I will post pictures on here and recipes to log all the adventures.<br />
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This is all following on with the raw transition, growing deeper over the weeks and I will add more recipes here to follow the learning experience.<br />
As a member of Raw Food Rehab I have just signed up for the next 11 week initiative - Go Fresh, logged in to the Vault and Weight Room, as a commitment to change and releasing the remaining emotional baggage that has been stalling my progress so far. Although there has been amazing changes in the last year, with my overall health and spiritual journey, the waste has remained somewhat the same, although I have noticed areas where there is less flesh than there was, but it has stuck around my 'centre' of who I 'am' if you know what I mean :0) This has, for me, to do with genetic and historical beliefs and patterns and is also part of the collective conciousness 'stuff', and a lot of us are dealing with many levels of stuck energy that ultimately needs to move and clear for us to be free to evolve into our birthright of longevity and wellness. Every day is a new day, one to release yet more emotions and patterns and allow in the new frequencies -this I wholly embrace even if at times I have no idea what to do that day or even if I want to do anything!<br />
Spending time in the sun helps greatly and thank the Earth for this! Feeling the warm rays brings so much joy.<br />
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So, to add new energy in to this next 11 weeks I will begin omitting cooked meals in the evening, in favour of huge salads, raw warmed soups and sometimes just a raw dessert for supper - needing to keep Anthony well fed and not feeling he is missing out is the challenge as he remains a little bereft of the will to cater for his own food needs :0) But, a nice dessert would certainly disguise the fact there is not a hot meal on the plate!<br />
The initiative begins on the 1st April and runs through until June 16th, so I will aim to log in and record my thoughts and journey work each week, more than likely at the end of the week rather than the beginning.<br />
Please do share your comments here, and if you want to join me on this amazing walk through life, please do log into Raw Food Rehab and gain some awesome support your selves xxx love, peace and faery dust xxxPeace Ravenwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963099236012679376noreply@blogger.com0