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Living Life and Living Foods

by Share on February 2, 2009

Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.
~ John Lennon

As we’ve progressed into our super connected era with cell phones that are online and so many people are making a living from computer based technology, the need for quality living has never been greater! We receive a lot of emails asking how to incorporate raw foods into busy lifestyles. Our answer is simple. Just incorporate what you can. If you can achieve 50% living foods into your daily life, that’s great! What a change you will feel. Some days maybe you can eat more living foods. Some days might be less. Forget stressing about it! Just live! The important thing is to love the life we live. Love the foods we eat. That means realizing what impact they have on our bodies and minds. Do you really ‘love’ that chocolate cake or that donut? Does it actually make you feel great and full of energy? If you are in tune with your body, you will hear its response to what you eat. Make conscious choices!

We’ve all done the guilty thing and munched on comfort foods with a broken heart or a disappointed turn of events. We’ve also turned to ice cream and getting wasted to celebrate. Celebrate WHAT?????? I am here to testify that it is much better to celebrate life’s events with living foods and:
a. Remember the celebration!
b. Feel fantastic the next day!
c. Enjoy the moment and feel the full benefit of rewarding ourselves with something that tastes good and is nourishing at the same time.

Yet I know we’ve been told so many confusing things about food. I used to think that milk was good for me! Outrageous! I know better now. I used to think eating chicken was good for me, too. And whole wheat bread. And … on and on and on. Oh, that boxed cereal? Gimme a break! It’s like consuming ‘matter’.

What’s my point? The point is when you have the time to make something truly wonderful and alive and full of nutritional density like true raw vegan food, then do it! When you don’t, make as wise of a choice as you can. Eating 50% raw and then going to McDonald’s ain’t gonna cut it. In fact, it would probably totally stress your body out with a yo-yo effect. Remember that raw foods will detox your system so you want everything else you’re eating to be CLEAN.

Enjoy life. Choose to stop emotional eating habits! Eliminate candy, gum, ice cream, milk, cheese, animal flesh and if you can limit your intake of bread and pasta you will feel better. Change one habit per week and after one year, you’ll have a whole bunch of new habits. That’s all eating is. It’s daily habits. So break it down. Figure out what works for you and find substitutes.

In the meantime, call your friends, smile from your liver, feel worthy of healthful foods and remember … you are loved, loving and lovable.

PS. The pics here are from a lunch we had with our dear, non-raw friend Lisi Grinstein. Bam made raw spinach quiche and raw vegan blueberry cake. It was …. to say the least… amazing! She loved every single bite and we had a wonderful afternoon. Oh, and Bam also juiced apples and ginger for a delicious drink!

Want more info? Feel free to email us: info AT rawpirategourmet.com

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For The Love of Green

by Share on January 10, 2009

It’s a new year and the feeling of fresh starts is upon us! I always find at this time of year, I have a tendency to look back on what has changed, what is different, and what needs improving in our lives.

What Has Changed
One of the biggest positive changes since going raw is that in the last six months we became very serious about juicing. If we don’t juice at least once a day we feel weird. Uneven. Not quite right. It’s like a juicing addiction. What a great addiction to have! The energy I get from juicing is instant. I don’t have to wait for my body to digest it and extract nutrition. It’s immediate. Oddly enough, it’s how I wanted coffee to be for all the years I chugged away at organic espresso. Needless to say, the caffeine had the opposite affect and I usually simply ended up with the shakes and a very acidic stomach. Yes, juicing is a way better lift than any of the standard American diet alternatives! LOL.

The key to juicing is to vary the ingredients from day to day. This way you won’t get bored and your body will get a nice balance of what it needs nutritionally. We’ve included all of the following ingredients in juices at one time or another:
Kale
Parsley
Spinach
Purple Cabbage
Romaine Lettuce
Beets
Beet Greens
Carrots
Celery
Garlic
Tumeric
Ginger
Shiso
Chard
Collard Greens
Cilantro
Pineapple
Lemon

The one thing we do include every single time is some sort of dark leafy green. Our favorite is kale, especially the lacinado variety. It is important to juice organic produce as you wouldn’t want to squeeze the juice out of pesticide now would ya? (ewwwwww!) I highly recommend a masticating juicer if you can afford one, otherwise just love the one you have!

What is Different
Bam and I have both noticed that our health has improved from where it was a year ago. It seems the raw vegan lifestyle keeps improving your health over time. I can only imagine what we’ll be like 10 years from now!

What Needs Improving
Well, quite frankly, Bam is far better at spontaneously creating a raw gourmet feast than I am. I would like to improve at that! I look forward to experimenting this year and surprising him (and hopefully me) with some quickly made raw meals that not only look good but taste amazing too!

Together We Can Make A Difference
It’s been wonderful receiving emails from you and reading your comments online. We listen to everything you have to say and your input is incredibly valuable to us. Thank you! The greenest choice you can make with your life is that of being a raw vegan. Help make the world a greener place and join us! One person at a time. Let’s eat green!

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Staples for a Raw Food Detox Diet

November 12, 2008

The choice to go raw and take control of your health is a big one! We get asked a lot what we keep on hand to make it a little bit easier. Now bear in mind, many raw foods recipes are frightening at first but you will get used to them. Also, grasping the concept [...]

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Leaf Cuisine

July 20, 2008

The best thing about Leaf is the variety! Wow. I love their desserts and have had several of their wraps and salads.  I think the owner, Rod Rotondi set out to do a great thing by making raw, living foods more accessible and very affordable.
KEY: $ – cheap n easy. $$ – modestly priced. $$$ [...]

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Euphoria Loves Rawvolution

July 9, 2008

When I think of the beach, the hippies and laid back vibe of Venice, California, I think of Euphoria Loves Rawvolution. Yep. This cafe on Main Street is chockful of mellow surfer energy and offers a nice blend of great tasting raw foods with a casual atmosphere.
KEY: $ – cheap n easy. $$ – modestly [...]

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Juliano’s Raw

July 9, 2008

In some circles, Juliano is heralded as the ‘King of Raw’. His restaurant attracts an array of Hollywood stars and wanna be stars. Usually, that means that the food is awful. But in this case, it’s the opposite.
KEY: $ – cheap n easy. $$ – modestly priced. $$$ – gettin’ up there. $$$$ – expensive!
PRICE: [...]

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