by Share on February 28, 2010

Everyone has an opinion on raw cacao these days and the thing is, …. I still love it! Yes, it is a stimulant. Yes, it is gonna hurt your adrenals if you overdo it. Yes, I still love it. There, I said it. So what is a chocolate loving raw foodie to do? She makes raw vegan choco candy with her raw mate who also loves chocolate and just has a blast and inserts lots of joy in the process. My advice? Eat chocolate (raw or otherwise) in moderation. I call it common sense. But sometimes of course, I misplace mine and the old teenager in me unleashes the force and I find myself wolfing, literally WOLFING down piece after piece of yummy choco candy. Oh the joy of it! Ha!
Hey, it’s better than the m&m’s I used to wolf down right? Definitely.
So what is in this choco candy?
- Raw cacao butter
- Raw cacao powder
- Raw lucuma powder
- Raw maca powder
- Crystal manna flakes
- Chaga mushroom extract
- Sea salt
- Org vanilla extract
- Date syrup for sweetening (or raw agave nectar)
- Soaked and dehydrated almonds (from Spain so they are NOT pasteurized!!!)
- Org raisins
The trick is to keep the butter nice and melted (done in the dehydrator slowly) while you add the rest of the ingredients. I don’t really measure so sorry for the list without amounts. Stick it all in the freezer when you’re done, in 30 minutes you have candy!!! Oh, and please… do eat it in moderation and try not to pig out! They are so good, it’s challenging!
A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Follow your own path. Be your own guru. Listen to your heart and soul at all times. Even when they cry out for chocolate.
by Share on February 15, 2010
Truly the list would be more than three but I’m trying to be reasonable here! 
- The easy weight loss (if needed) and then weight maintenance.
- Feeling absolutely amazing!
- Getting to eat a lot of yummy food and lots of delish desserts!
The easy weight loss (if needed) and then weight maintenance.
When we first went raw vegan, we were in a dark place. Having gained quite a bit of weight (for us) and feeling pretty depressed. We jumped in with both feet and went 100% raw right off the bat. It was about one month later that we noticed the huge changes. The weight melted off both of us in spite of not changing our exercise regimen. Some of my friends expressed concern that I was getting too skinny! What they didn’t know was that I was going back to the weight I had been my whole life up until 2 years prior to being raw. Indeed, that is where I have stayed and so has Bam. No dieting! I eat like a MANIAC! In fact, I’m always eating. I’m one of those people who carries snacks with me. To the movies, to the mall, to go visit friends… anywhere. I always have something to snack on … ‘in case I get hungry’.
While not everyone experiences the weight loss that we did, most people do find their weight evens out over a period of time. If you do not lose weight like you want to, then you can watch how many nuts and fatty foods like avocados you consume on a daily basis. Most importantly, love yourself as you are! Accept your whole being! Love yourself, love the food you are preparing, love your life and share that love in a gentle way and you will find your path is a wonderful one.
Feeling absolutely amazing!
I always thought getting older was a terrifying prospect. Arthritis, failing memory, all sorts of aches and pains, weight gain (we covered that!), insomnia… and on and on and on. This what I have heard my whole life and it was what I accepted as ‘truth’. But that acceptance was so incorrect and ridiculous! Today I feel better and more vibrant than I did in my 20’s! That is saying something. The arthritis and insomnia are also gone. Years of playing bass and piano had taken a toll on my wrists and again, I thought this was just ‘what happened to people’. But it didn’t have to be that way as once we went raw, POOF… achy wrists were gone! The insomnia I had suffered from disappeared as well! Energy? Yeah, you betcha. Oh and allergies all went away too. Yeah, it’s good to feel great everyday and it is something I didn’t know I was missing until I had it!
Getting to eat a lot of yummy food and lots of delish desserts!
I know I should be following an ‘eat to live’ train of thought and yet… I really do enjoy food. I mean I love great tasting gourmet dishes! Most definitely as raw foodies, we strive to eat foods that help us live better. Yet within that paradigm, I find myself looking very forward to certain things like …. chocolate candy! However it is not something I have everyday and when I do eat raw desserts, I find I can stop myself from gorging due to the high nutritional density.
We all have many reasons why it’s awesome to eat raw vegan. At the absolute most important center of the whole concept is that you find your own path to optimum health. Ours is always evolving as our bodies change from day to day and week to week. Now, I gotta jump off of here and go make some more chocolate yumminess. Ha ha!
