Why to always buy organic

For the last three weekends I have been volunteering at a local organic farm. Aside from having fun and enjoying the camaraderie with fellow workers, I've been gaining knowledge on the importance of buying organic. The improved taste alone will make you want to switch over, organic veg. can't really be mass produced so the focus is more on quality than quantity. Different pesticides used in regular farming are known to not only shortchange you nutritionally, but are also being suspected of causing autism in developing infants. If veg. are your main source of sustenance I would highly recommend going organic. Not only is it better for you, it can be a great money saver. As part of a vegetable co-op they give you an option of being able to exchange work for money off your monthly bill. You help plant and when they're ready the farmer distributes amounts between everyone. For me its been a great experience and offered an insightful look into the world of farming!

pecan pie cookies

I was looking up raw food bloggers and came across an article in the Washington post that talked about raw pecan pie cookies. I have to get the dates but for anyone who wants to try them out with me here's the recipe:

• 1 cup peacan halves or pieces
  
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 1 t. freshly squeezed orange juice
  
• 8 oz. plump, whole dates, pitted then chopped into chunks

Dates don't have a very intense flavor so these actually look quite tasty. You throw all ingredients in food processor, but add dates after everything is mixed. Put in fridge or freezer and let harden at least 30 min. I know I already had a serious post today so for a bit of humor. My bikram yoga experience: For my last yoga class I had the most hysterical teacher, first off you can tell he is a man's man which makes this even funnier. He decided in our resting position to talk about the infamous scence from flashdance(you know the one with water splashing down on Jennifer Beals) anyway he continued talking into our next pose for which we we're on our stomach holding our ankles with elbows locked. As he was asking if you could get leg warmers in tall I think the heat finally got to me, as I started laughing and honestly couldn't stop. The sweat dripping down my face turned into tears of laughter, and it was at this point that my mom( who was on the mat next to me) decided to no longer claim me. Thankfully I regained my composure long enough to finish the class, but I may have made the worst yogi list.

Sorry I haven't written in a few days. I spent almost all yesterday with my momma, big. sis, and lil' sis, just talking and it was more fun than any date I've been on in the past year! Yes, sad but true :( This leads me to my big topic for today, other than just striving to lead a healthier life my decision to live on live foods was otherwise motivated. I decided a few months ago to find a "cure" for post traumatic stress disorder. My main thought is God only helps those who helps themselves. I've done a lot of research to try and find things that free people from PTSD and came up with raw foods and bikram yoga. This isn't what my blog will be about, but since this isn't a physical sickness that everyone has I wanted other strugglers to know they're not alone. Sharing my feelings is something I suck at, but maybe if I do I can lend a hand to help someone up. I'm not a victim and hopefully I'm not coming across as one, but I tuly believe in every individual's happiness. Now this does not mean I'm always happy, the mere fact that I fall/slip/trip/run into walls(sadly this is true) an average of 5 times a day should say this! What I do know is that every minute is another opportunity to turn something around, regardless of the situation :) With love

Great website

I was searching online for organic raw cacao nibs and found a great website. It's www.nutsonline.com and it has a great selection of products including organic maca powder, goji berries, and organic sun dried tomatoes. Great prices, I'm ordering a few things so hopefully I can tell you how fast shipping is and the exact quality.

My Favorite New Treat

Hey guys, so yesterday I fell off the wagon and had a hot dog, which I honestly don't feel too bad about(being extreme would just lead to a binge). Saying this I think I should say that I have always loved junk food so the first thing I've looked for when doing this is yummy snacks that I know are healthy. My favorite so far has been from "The Idiots Guide to Eating Raw" and is a chocolate almond shake. Its nutty, chocolaty, and is filling enough you can have it for dinner and be satisfied. Not only is it healthy I didn't get the sick feeling that inevitably comes after a milkshake, or the guilt! The recipe is as follows:

• 2 frozen bananas
• 3 cups almond milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 2 TB. raw cacao powder
• 1 TB. almond butter

Throw all ingredients in a blender and enjoy!
For the almond milk the ratio is 1 cup soaked almonds:4 cups filtered water. We buy almond flour in bulk though and as that is just ground almonds I use that instead( as a side note this is a much cheaper option that provides you with two staples in the raw food diet). The agave nectar is a natural sweetner that you can find in whole foods, sun harvest,etc. What makes this shake is the raw cacao powder or cacao nibs. I'm in the process of finding an online wholesaler so I can buy it cheaper, but as of right now i'm getting cacao nibs from whole foods and blending with a coffee bean grinder. As soon as I find the best and most affordable(because this gets exspensive fast) i'll put some links up. Bye for now :)

My intentions for this blog is to primarily share with you my venture into the lifestyle of learning to live on live foods. My raw food interest was piqued 3/4 of the way through my first and last semester of traditional culinary school. I've always had a huge sweet tooth, and my goal was to become a renowned pastry chef. As much as I love sweets my immediate family has been through kidney failure and breast cancer so I've grown up with a moderately healthy diet. This unfortunately made my culinary school experience not so sweet. The amounts of butter and creams that went into "gourmet recipes" made me feel violently ill after eating them. My mom did a month long juicing fast and as she talked about heightened mental clarity and the dissipation of all "bad" cravings I started to think I was entering the wrong profession. That's a little background on me...this officially marks the first week into my living foods journey. I know its only been a week, but already my complexion is better and my mind clearer. I would love any feedback or encouragement from individuals new to a living foods lifestyle or even advice! I plan to update this on a daily basis with videos and posts documenting different recipes I try, different books I review, and so on. This will be ongoing experience in which I share the good, the bad, the ugly, the ups and downs, the successes and failures with you!!