Best of Raw 2009 Award Winners :)

WOW...are you feeling the INTENSE energy today? Full Moon, Blue Moon, New Year’s Eve, an Eclipse and Mercury Retrograde are combining into a powerful catalyst, seemingly catapulting us into the new year ;)

Yeeeeeee-HAH ;)

Well, as we bid a hearty farewell to 2009, I’m delighted to say that yesterday the winners of the 2009 “Best of Raw” Awards were announced and Mr. M and I were the happy recipients of *7* award placements:

Favourite Raw Food Company: (TheRawFoodWorld - number 1)

Favourite Raw Food Online Store: (TheRawFoodWorld.com - number 1)

Favourite Raw Radio Show: (TheRawFoodWorldRadioShow.com - number 1)

Funniest Raw Woman (Angela Stokes-Monarch - number 1)

Favourite Community Outreach (The Raw Food World TV Show - number 2)

Favourite Raw Vlog/TV Show (TheRawFoodWorld.tv - number 3)

Favourite Raw Food Event (Raw Union - number 5)

:) THANK YOU to everyone who voted for us – we were very excited and grateful for this sweet recognition – we posted a little video last night to share our glee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecV3oZOLJLM

THANKS :)

On December the 29th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
1 cup green juice
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
3 cups greeeeen juice
2 tbsp bee pollen/probiotics mixture
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
30 chlorella tablets
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
2 cups water

Important Reminder:

For those of you who signed up for the “Organic Acres” organic garden opportunity (mentioned a while back in THIS blog post), you only have until JANUARY the 2nd – this Saturday - to upgrade your account in the Organic Acres system, to claim your garden and “Pioneer Position”.

There are 6 easy steps to confirming your garden and ‘Pioneer Position’ at Organic Acres.

1. Go to the back office: https://myorganicacres.com/plexum.php and
sign in with your username and password.
2. On the page that opens, you’ll see where it says near the top, in
the middle of the page: “For a Garden you must click here.” Click that
link.
3. Read the Terms and Conditions, check the box to say you’ve read
them, enter your email & name, press submit.
4. On the next screen that pops up, the first words are ‘Click here’ –
click that link.
5. On the next page, choose which kind of garden/membership you’d like
(full garden, half garden, 12 month general store membership, etc),
then choose if you’d like to pay by card or Paypal. Enter your payment
details into the fields that pop up beneath.
6. Click ‘Proceed’ and the transacton will process. All being well,
you will then see a screen that says “Transaction approved and account
upgraded successfully.”

CONGRATULATIONS, you now have your own organic garden :)

If you have any issues/concerns/questions about this process, you can contact Organic Acres on admin@myorganicacres.com.

Happy Organic Gardening :)

on December the 30th I loved:

1 quart water
1 cup green juice
shot of wheatgrass juice
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
mug of herbal tea
water with sole (Himalayan sea salt dissolved in water)
3 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
3 tbsp bee pollen
3 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
2 tbsp bee pollen with probiotics
3 cups greeeeeen juice
3 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups water

As I send this out to you all, I know that some of you are already IN 2010 ;) CONGRATS and Happy New Year to you and…indeed to all of us… Here at the Tree of Life there will be a ceremonial Sweat Lodge tonight to mark the transition into the new year – exciting :)
It is also our 16th Day of Green Juice Feasting today – wow, what a way to see in the new year ;) Don't forget to send in any JUICY Juice Feasting questions you may have for David and Katrina Rainoshek and we'll ask them in our interview on January the 7th. Just email Qs for them to angela@rawreform.com...thanks :)

Sending love, light and myriad blissings to all for a sublimely superb 2010 :)

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
--Alfred, Lord Tennyson

All love,
Angela. xxx

2009 in Raw-view ;)

WELL...what a year 2009 has been for us...I’ve been thinking back over the last 12 months with a mixture of joy and amusement the last couple of days... ;)
We started the year in Mexico, launching the LiveLightly Plan and rescuing two dogs, from whom we contracted canine scabies...hmmmmm... I went back to the UK to do USA Immigration interviews, heal from scabies and finish writing “Raw Emotions”. After 2 months or so of self-imposed “quarantine” to help heal afore-mentioned scabies and finish afore-mentioned book, I emerged joyfully in the spring with a scabies-free body, a completed book and a fiance visa for the US, after nearly 2 years in the immigration system – YAY :) Swiftly exited left, to Ecuador, to meet future husband and our land in Vilcabamba for the first time – LOVED it all so very much.
Back to the USA after 10 days and almost immediately straight into raw food talk tour which pretty much ran from April to November this year, allll over the US, with little breaks here and there. Also, finding ourselves under obligation to marry within 90 days of me entering the US, as a condition of my visa, we set about formulating wedding plans immediately too, for the Raw Union Festival ;)

Raw Emotions arrived in printed form, my first printed book – VERY exciting...and onwards we travelled, far and wide all over the US, doing talks, festivals and interviews until June, wedding time for Mr. M and I, in Oregon. Enjoyed a spectacular love-fest of a wedding at the Raw Union festival, on organic farm with 400+ people in attendance and Dr. Wolfe as our minister ;) Morphed into the “Stokes-Monarch”...

On December the 27th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
1 cup greeeen juice
1 cup reishi tea
shot of wheatgrass juice
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
2 tbsp coconut oil with 40 chlorella ‘nuts’
1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeen juice
1 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
2 cups water

The rest of the summer seems a blur in my memory of travel, talks, events, boxes, books, people, conversations, in and out of hotels, motels, people’s houses, talk venues and so on...we probably did 100+ talks in around 30+ states this year...we also started the monthly Raw Food World Radio Show in the summer…
We finished our talk tour on November the 22nd and the very next day, on November the 23rd, our car was ‘totalled’ in a pretty intense car accident in Pennsylvania ;O Immediately started 7-day Juice Feast to help expedite healing from shock, cuts, bruises, whiplash, aches etc... As I was due back in California very soon afterwards for my NEXT Immigration interview, we welcomed a second hand jeep into our lives and jiggled gratefully back to CA for interview, only to be thwarted by the question “what colour is the carpet at your mum’s house?” lol ;) Case put on hold for ‘next 6 months’...ho-hummmm...thankfully the interviewer seemed to have a change of heart in the following week and I got a letter shortly afterwards announcing that I am now welcome in the US, as a “permanent resident” – yeeeeeee-HAH ;)

December saw us help our warehouse staff in Ojai expand the premises to three times the size and I also pieced together the free “Profoundly Raw” ebook as a Christmas gift to all...
Then we dallied off to Arizona, where we currently find ourselves resting ooohhhhhhh soooooooo gratefully and joyfully in the kind embrace of The Tree of Life centre, Juice Feasting, parasite cleansing, getting body work and mainly just RELAXING ;)
It’s felt like an amaaaazing journey this year – thank you SO much to all of you who have been a part of this flow in some way – those who came to talks, watched the TV show, listened to the radio show, read this blog, sent in messages, sent healng and love after our car accident, came to our wedding and so on – however you connected, thank you :)
I am really excited for 2010 and send you all the very best wishes for an expansive year of joy, love and wonder too – enjoy :)

on December the 28th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
shot of wheatgrass juice
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
1 cup green juice
1.5 cups DELICIOUS coconut kefir :)))
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
2 tbsp coconut oil with 40 chlorella tablets
3 cups water
samples of spirulina crunchies and new bee pollen – yummm ;)
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
3 tbsp bee pollen with probiotics
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
2 cups water

So, we’re on day 14 of our current intended 30-Day Green Juice Feast here at the Tree of Life in AZ and all is flowing AMAZINGLY well... :)

Alongside this juicy flow, I’m excited to say that on January the 7th, we’re going to be connecting with the lovely David and Katrina Rainoshek of JuiceFeasting.com, for an interview on TheRawFoodWorld TV Show via Skype, alllll about Juice Feasting...and YOU get to ask all the questions... ;)
So, if you have any juicy questions you’d love to have answered by the king and queen of JF-ing, just email those Qs in to angela@rawreform.com by Jan 6th and we’ll aim to get them all answered on Jan 7th with the Rainosheks – FUN :)

All love,
Ms. Stokes-Monarch. xxx

Photos and Freebies :)

Mmmmm, I trust you’ve been enjoying a wonderful Christmas-time, whether you celebrate this holiday or not ;) Mr. Monarch and I had a yummy relaxing Christmas Day yesterday in the sun in Arizona ;) It was day 10 of our current intended 30-day Juice Feast and we enjoyed lots of healing, an inspiring walk in the grounds and labyrinth here at The Tree of Life, some sweet gift sharing and watching some beautiful films from The Spiritual Cinema Circle – love it ;) Tomorrow the guests start to arrive for our 10-day ‘Renew Yourself’ retreat – exciting :)
One of the other activities I really enjoyed this Christmas time was going over my digital photo collection on my computer. As you may know, we recently had a big car crash, during which my ‘puter got smashed up quite a lot...a wonderful friend of ours helped transfer all my data to another computer and set up all my photos in iPhoto, which I hadn’t used much before – it’s SO great :))) Loving it...as I went through the pics, I pulled out some of my favourites from the last few years and put them together in a Flickr album over HERE, if you’d love to peruse them – enjoy ;) (Note: durian features quite a lot in these pics ;)

On December the 23rd I was blissed with:

1 quart water
1 cup greeeen juice
1 quart green juice from The Tree of Life Café
mug of herbal tea
2 cups green juice from The Tree of Life Café
3 tbsp bee pollen with probiotics
2 cups green juice from The Tree of Life Café
1.5 cups coconut kefir
2 cups water
3 tbsp bee pollen with probiotics
2.5 cups green juice
2 cups green juice from The Tree of Life Café
2 cups water


on December the 24th I loved:

1 quart water
1 cup water with sole (Himalayan salt dissolved in water)
1 cup greeeeen juice
double shot of wheatgrass
2 cups green juice from The Tree of Life Café
1.5 cups water
2 cups green juice from The Tree of Life Café
3 tbsp bee pollen with probiotics, 20 chlorella tablets
mug of herbal tea
30 chlorella tablets with 1 tbsp coconut oil – WOW :)
2 cups green juice from The Tree of Life Café
2 cups green juice from The Tree of Life Café
mug of herbal tea
2 cups water

My inner Virgo says it has four little reminders for you today:

1. Mr Monarch will be interviewing Mr. Paul Nison, raw food author/speaker this Tuesday, December the 29th, at 6pm Pacific time. This looks set to be a VERY fun, free interview between these two boisterous raw ‘extremists’ ;) If you’re not already signed up to access this call, just click HERE to register for the call-in details and ENJOY :)

2. December the 31st marks the final day to use the current 17.5% OFF Holiday Coupon Code at TheRawFoodWorld.com webstore. This coupon can be used on ANY size order (except appliances) – see the details HERE and enjoy ;)

on December the 25th it was Jesus’ birthday and I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeen juice
2 cups green juice from The Tree of Life Café
40 chlorella nuts with 2 tbsp coconut oil
1.5 cups coconut kefir
2 tbsp bee pollen
1 quart green juice from The Tree of Life Café
2 cups water
mug of herbal tea
2 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups green juice from The Tree of Life Café
2 cups water


On December the 26th I loved:

1 quart water
2 cups green juice at The Tree of Life Café
2 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups green juice at The Tree of Life Café
1.5 cups coconut kefir
2 mugs herbal tea
2 cups green juice at The Tree of Life Café
40 chlorella tablets with 2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups green juice at The Tree of Life Café
2 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups water
3 cups greeeeen juice
2 cups water

3. December 31st also marks the closing date for our current Blendtec Blender Giveaway Contest :) People have been sending in their contest entries streadily for the last month or so and we’re excited to view the submissions in the new year and choose a winner of another shiny new BLENDTEC high-speed blender :) You can check out all the contest details HERE – enjoy :)

4. Voting closes sooooon for the 2009 Best Of Raw awards ;) If you haven’t submitted your votes yet in the 30 or so categories such as favourite raw restaurant, book, film, educator, blog and so on, you can get in on the action HERE right now – there are actually some pretty fabulous giveaway gifts on offer too, for those who participate – you can check out the goodies on offer over at BestofRaw.net :)

All love and blissful unfoldings,
Ms. Stokes-Monarch. xxx

Happy Holidays - 17.5% OFF Coupon Code for TheRawFoodWorld.com :)

WOW, I’m delighted to say that the free “Profoundly Raw” ebook was already downloaded over 1000 times in its first day or so :) People seem to be LOVING it and I’m so happy to know it is being well received and enjoyed :))) Here are a few of the comments coming in:

“Absolutely loved it. Thank You & Merry Christmas to you and Matt”

Karen

“Many thanks Angela - great chapter you wrote - much food for thought :-)”

Shelley

"Thank you so very much! i'm enjoying it all. What a thoughtful gift - cheers!"

Sophie

A lot of people also seemed to have issues trying to download this free ebook via our online store, SOOOO, I found another, MUCH easier way for people to download it :) You can now get the ebook from this page HERE on my website – this seems to be working MUCH more easily for people and if this still doesn’t work for you, then just email us on angela@rawreform.com and we can send the ebook to you as an email attachment as a last resort ;)

ENJOY :)

on December the 20th I loved:

1 quart water
1 quart greeeeen juice
3 tbsp bee pollen/probiotics mixed together
mini-shot of wheatgrass juice (bluh ;)
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
2 cups greeeeeeen juice
mug of herbal tea
2 cups water
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
3 tbsp bee pollen/probiotics mixed together
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
1.5 cups coconut kefir :)
2 cups water

If you didn’t see my latest RawReform Newsletter, you’re missing out on the HUUUGE 17.5% OFF coupon code for TheRawFoodWorld store, which can be used on any order (expect appliances), between now and December 31st...you can check out all the details on my newsletter HERE...ENJOY :)

on December the 21st (Winter Solstice, our 6 month wedding anniversary) I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeen juice
1 tsp royal jelly
30 chlorella tablets
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
1.5 cups coconut kefir
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
3 tbsp jarrah bee pollen with probiotics
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
2 cups greeeeen juice
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
3 cups water


on December the 22nd I was blissed with:

1 quart water
mug of herbal tea
2 tbsp bee pollen, 40 chlorella tablets
1.5 cups greeeen juice
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
3 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
2 cups water
1.5 cups coconut kefir :) LOVE it…
2 cups greeeen juice from the Tree of Life Café
2 cups greeeeeeeeen juice
20 spirulina tablets

Wishing you all an absolutely WONDERFUL Christmas time if you’re celebrating over the next few days...I’m looking forward to a fun Christmas gathering here at the Tree of Life tomorrow evening, with festive singing and gift-swapping :)

ENJOY :)

All love,
Ms. Stokes-Monarch. xxx

Introducing: The "Profoundly Raw" E-Book :)

Very Special Announcement:

I am absolutely THRILLED to say that my new project is ready to share with y’all :)

Introducing: the Profoundly Raw e-book :)

This FREE ebook contains 12 chapters, contributed by 12 well-known raw food authors, combining to offer an inspiring overview of a raw food lifestyle...
I asked 12 raw author yumsters to contribute one of their favourite chapters from one of their books for this free ebook and here is the resulting selection on offer:

Alissa Cohen on Protein, Calcium and Fats

David and Katrina Rainoshek on “Deep Food”

Angela Stokes-Monarch on Emotional Eating

David Wolfe on The Sun

Jinjee Talifero on The Yoga of Nursing

Gabriel Cousens on Vitamin B12

Kate Magic on Raw Magic

Kevin Gianni on Overcoming Potential Stumbling Blocks

Shazzie on How to Start a Child on Raw Food

Matt Monarch on Sensitivity and Stabilizing Out

Tonya Zavasta on A Perfect Bowel Movement

Paul Nison on The Daylight Diet

I’m SOOOOOO excited to share this ebook with you all – it is ready now and you can download it for free HERE...

I have always LOVED giving people special gifts, especially at Christmas time...I remember one yuletide for example hand-making a unique, customised Christmas gift for every one of my classmates at school ;) lol...I LOVE gift-giving, so please consider this free ebook a little Christmas-time offering from me to you – ENJOY :)

I really hope you DO enjoy it – there’s some wonderful information shared in there, generously offered by all the lovely authors...I have had such a GLOW in my being, piecing this together for the last 10 days or so...

In fact this whole project started to manifest a couple of weeks back when I asked the Universe one night to show me a way I could give a valuable, lovely gift to everyone at once...and this ebook is what it IMMEDIATELY suggested back to me...and here we are now with this 118 page ebook to enjoy as a result – it all just floooooowwwwwed as a beautiful co-creation – capped with a gorgeous original piece of artwork as the cover, specially designed for this project by the lovely Dustin Kellogg...and his wife Meredith wrote a very sweet little poem to open the collection too :)

So...there’s a LOT of love in this book...please enjoy hopping over HERE right now to collect your free download of “Profoundly Raw” and enjoy your OWN unfolding into this glorious path… ;)

Happy Holidays :)

All love,
Angelalalalalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. xxx

Green Juice Feasting...

WELL...I am just LOVING Juice Feasting here at the Tree of Life in Arizona...it feels kind of like a circle completing in fact, me being here to JF, as this is where I first HEARD about JF-ing, from Mr. David Rain himself, back in October 2006...I thought he was a little ‘cuckoo’ at first, when he cornered me at a party in Patagonia one night and talked at greeeaaaat length to me about living on just juice for 3 months ;) Needless to say, the idea sank in and a few weeks later I found myself undertaking a 92 day JF down in Costa Rica...well, now I’m back here 3 years later at the Tree and 4 days into a GREEN Juice Feast...those of you who followed my 92-Day JF or have read my book “A Juice Feaster’s Handbook” will know that I tended to overdo it on fruit juices at many points back then ;) This time round, I’m doing a TOTALLY greeeeeeen Juice Feast and I am truly astonished at how great I feel so far – I have barely felt hungry and am not missing sugars AT ALL, which is very surprising to me...as you can see in my intake lists below, I am mostly doing green juices, bee pollen and chlorella and I feel GREAT :) I am shocked and delighted...and also amazed that I seem to be drinking around HALF what I was drinking on my 92-Day JF and am feeling totally satiated (and without any fruit/sugars ;)...the body truly does change and adapt so much over time...I am certain that being here at the Tree in this supportive community environment is helping enormously with the flow of this JF – people are so kind, fresh juices are provided daily and greeeeeeens are totally the ‘norm’ here ;) I feel so incredibly blessed to be experiencing this deeply healing process here... :) …and remember you can come and join us here from next Sunday if you’d love to – all details HERE (you don’t have to JF too ;)...

on December the 17th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
1 tsp royal jelly
3 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, parsley, spinach, zucchini, romaine
1 cup water with sole (Himalayan Salt dissolved in water)
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
4 tbsp bee pollen, 20 chlorella tablets
2 cups water
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
3 tbsp bee pollen, 20 chlorella tablets
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
3 cups water

Two little updates FYI:

Firstly we’re thrilled to say that Mr. M’s blog is finally back up for TheRawFoodWorld.TV daily video emails :) Blogger locked his blog up a few months back to ‘check it for spam’ ;)…and it just recently got re-opened – YAY :) If you’re already subscribed to get his daily video emails, you ought to hopefully be receiving those emails again now…if not, or if you never got them to begin with, you can subscribe now over at TheRawFoodWorld.tv – enjoy :)
Secondly, the new positions at our Raw Food World warehouse have now been FILLED, so no more applications for now, thank yoooouuuuuu... ;)

on December the 18th I loved:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
1tsp royal jelly
2 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, parsley, spinach, zucchini, romaine, mixed sprouts, lemon, ginger
mug of orange spicy tea
3 tbsp bee pollen, 30 chlorella tablets
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
3 cups water
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
3 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, parsley, spinach, zucchini, romaine, mixed sprouts, lemon, ginger
2 cups water


on December the 19th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
2 tbsp bee pollen
1.5 cups DELICIOUS coconut kefir
30 chlorella tablets
1 cup water with sole (himalayan salt dissolved in water)
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
1 tbsp hemp oil
2 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, parsley, spinach, zucchini, romaine, mixed sprouts, lemon, ginger
3 cups water
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
2 tbsp probiotics mixed with 2 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups greeeeen juice from The Tree of Life Café
1.5 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, parsley, spinach, zucchini, romaine, mixed sprouts, lemon, ginger
2 cups water


Finally for today, I am VERY excited to say that I’m working on a yummy new project right now that is going to be ready for you all to enjoy from Monday or Tuesday next week, all being well...I am working away on it right now and have a warm glow in my whole being to bring this to y’all before Christmas...stay tuned for info early next week and in the meantime, here’s the link again to my “12 Raw Days of Christmas” song, to get you in the mood... ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEk3FM_LNZw

All blessings,
Angelalalaalallaaaaaaaaa. xxx

Seven Tips for Eating Raw in Winter/Cold Places :)

oOOooOOooooooooo, I am DELIGHTED to say that Mr. M and I are now at The Tree of Life in Arizona, for 30 days of Green Juice Feasting, body work and relaxation - YUMMMMMY :)
Yesterday was our first day of Juice Feasting and I'm feeling GREAT so far - I've never done a JF without fruit before, so this is going to be interesting for me I'm sure, digging right into deeeep cleansing...last night I also experienced a three-hour sweat lodge here under the new moon on this sacred land - pheeewwwww ;) The energy here is HIGH ;O
We are hosting a retreat here from December 27th to January the 6th - come and join us if you'd love to (you don't have to Juice Feast with us - lol ;) You can eat the amazing raw food creations at the Tree of Life Cafe...) Mr. M just posted a little video of us last night on our first day at the Tree - see below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l__WP-pRLF8

Hope to see you here, if you can join us ;)

on December the 13th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
shotglass of orange juice
3 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, zucchini, parsley, spinach, endive, fennel, ginger
bowl of energy soup with various munchycrunchies on the side: ginger bread, Nonliand Coconut Crisps, curry flavoured sunflower seeds, followed by a JUICY apple ;)
1 quart water
3 tbsp bee pollen, 2 tbsp goji powder
2 cups water


on December the 14th I was delighted with:

1 quart water
3 cups greeeeen juice: cucumber, zucchini, kale, masses of sprouts, fennel, ginger, lemon
bowl of energy soup with crunchymunchies on the side: curry flavoured sunflower seeds, coconut crisps, followed by a juicy apple
1 quart water
little bowl of amazing green soup and slice of raw pumpkin pie at The Blue Nile café in Tempe, AZ – WOW :)
lots of lovely cinnamon/orange tea
3 cups water

Those of you who get the RawReform Newsletter may have already seen a little article I sent out this week called "Seven Tips for Eating Raw in Winter/Cold Places" - I thought I'd re-post it here today for anyone who didn't see it yet and might enjoy it...(you can see the whole newsletter HERE ;)

 -----------

One of the questions I get asked most often at this time of year (from the Northern Hemisphere at least ;) is: "how can someone eat raw in the winter time?". As I write this, I'm in Arizona, in the blazing hot desert and sweating just BEING here, yet I know many people are feeling cold and shivery this time of year...so here below are seven top tips for keeping warm, healthy and raw during the cold times - enjoy :)

1. Sprout, Sprout, SPROUT ;) Lettuce may be $4 a head and your jaws might be aching from chewing through the mounds of tough winter greens, yet a solution is easy - SPROUT your own baby greens right there in your kitchen, for pennies on the dollar, year-round. It doesn't MATTER where you live, what the weather is like outside or what your budget looks like - sprouting is easy, cheap and provides abundant crops year-round. I suggest picking up a few 'sprouting bags' plus a bag of easy sprouts to start with such as alfalfa or our 'Garden Salad' mix and get going - ENJOY :)


2. Dense Foods - you might find it beneficial to eat more dense foods in the cold/wintertime, to help your body get essential fats and buffer out the cold. Nuts, seeds, coconut meat, avocadoes, durian, olives, oils and other heavier foods might appeal to you more at this time than in the summer/warm climates.


3. Warm Drinks/Meals - I have always found warm herbal teas to be VERY useful for getting through cold times as a raw foodie (and remember, I went raw in Iceland and am from the UK originally ;)... Raw food does not have to equal COLD food. You might enjoy having foods straight from a dehydrator or warmed soups too - if you can keep your finger in a warmed soup without pain, then you're not likely causing too much damage to the enzymes in the food either ;) Avoid eating things straight from the fridge if you're feeling chilly...
 


on December the 15th I loved:

1 quart water
shotglass of orange juice
2 cups coconut water blended with Greener Grasses
20 chlorella tablets, 2 tbsp bee pollen, 2 tbsp goji powder
2 cups water
durian feast with Mr. Monarch :) ("final supper", pre-Juice Feast ;)
1 quart water


on December the 16th (first day of intended 30-day Juice Feast) I enjoyed:

1 quart water
mug of herbal tea
3 tbsp bee pollen
mug of herbal tea
2 cups greeeeeeen juice from Tree of Life Café
2 tbsp bee pollen with 1 tsp spirulina crunchies – YUM ;)
2 cups greeeeeeen juice from Tree of Life Café
1 tsp royal jelly, 3 tbsp bee pollen, 40 chlorella tablets
2 cups water
2 cups greeeeeeen juice from Tree of Life Café
2 cups water
3 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups water

4. Warming Foods - certain foods have a 'warming' effect on the body and you might find these useful during cold times, e.g. ginger, cayenne and hot peppers. I like sprinkling cayenne into my energy soup...I also know many people who love to drink straight ginger juice shots in the winter (NOT me ;)...

5. Dress Warmly - this might seem like an obvious point, yet I'm always surprised how many people complain of being cold in the winter time while wearing little clothing...dress WARMER ;) Just like other animals get their thicker 'winter coats', you might want to thicken out your wardrobe in the winter too, instead of reaching for that thermostat and turning the heating up ;) We lose the most heat apparently from our feet and heads, so keeping those areas especially warm could be beneficial...


6. Exercise/Sweat - don't go into stagnation over the winter time: sweat ;) Do your best to get sweaty at least once a day if you can. Move your body, exercise, get your circulation and metabolism going...rebounding and hot yoga are two excellent indoor winter activities to get sweaty and limber ;)


7. Spleen Support - this last tip especially goes out to all my brethren in the UK, where the winters are typically cold and DAMP...be watchful of your spleen and liver at this time of year, as these organs can often get low in energy in the creeeeeeeping cold dampness...brrrrrrrrrr... ;) You can support these vital organs with warming foods and herbs such as dandelion, astragalus and milk thistle...


I hope that helps...sending bright winter blissings to you all, wherever you are ;)

All love, 
ANgelalalalalalllallllLlllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. xxx

Sunday Raw Inspiration... :)

MMMmmmmm, we’ve got some lovely Sunday inspiration treats for you today, starting off with a selection of raw recipe videos from our very Monarch selves... ;) Yes, being “off the road” seemingly gives us more time to get creative in the kitchen and we’ve been whipping up veggie storms this last week in kitchens across California ;)

Here are a few of our recent recipe vids over at TheRawFoodWorld.TV – more to come ;)

Kale Salad Recipe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8WlzK9elsM

Muscle Building Recipe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkbzX9T8H8E

Dried Mulberries Recipe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUF2r4ZZOTI

Zucchini Pasta/Cheese Sauce Recipe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvaNMDVViVE

More recipe videos to come – Mr. M has a whole reel of them lined up ;) ENJOY...

on December the 10th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2.5 cups greeeeeeeen juice: celery, dandelion, romaine, spinach, parsley, sunflower greens, sprouts, ginger, lemon
bowl of energy soup with some yummy homemade flavoured/dehydrated almonds on the side, followed by 2 little apples
1 quart water
3 cups coconut water/Greener Grasses
2 tbsp goji powder
mug of apple/cinnamon tea
3 cups water

OoooOoOoOoo, Madame Jinjee put up a couple of yummy-looking free resources this week – first up is a free guide on how to help children eat more vegetables, written by her friend Brandi, who is a researcher into obesity among children – see HERE. The second inspiring resource is a beautiful recording of raw actor Marcus Patrick reading the Essene Gospel to the sublime background of Storm playing music – NICE :) You can check that out HERE...thanks for sharing the yummies, Jinjee ;)

on December the 11th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
1 quart greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, ginger, lemon
YUMMMMMMMMMY lunch with Mr. M at Au Lac: Chimichurri (raw garlic bread), De La Mamma, Donut Holes – WOW :) Ito is AMAZING :)))
1 quart water
mug of herbal tea
2 cups water


on December the 12th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
3 cups greeeeeeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, zucchini, spinach, parsley, endive, fennel, ginger, lemon
bowl of homemade raw oat porridge with chopped apple, raisins and cinnamon (recipe video coming sooooon ;), with Mr. Monarch’s fabulous homemade raw ‘Cream Cheese’ on the side, spread on pieces of the raw Essene Breads – YUMMMMMY :)
mug of herbal tea
3 cups water
glass of chai milk shake with raspberry/lemon cake at Rawvolution in Santa Monica – WOW :)
3 cups water

I also LOVED this super-sweet little 5 minute video interview with Clent Manich, filmed by Valya Boutenko. Clent saw his diabetes and morbid obesity reversed by going raw and has a very inspiring story to share – see below:

All blessings and gratitude,
Ms. Stokes-Monaaaaaaaaaaaarch. xxx

Voting Open NOW for Best of Raw 2009 Awards :)

OoOooOoo, lots of yummmmmmy news today - first up:

VOTING is now OPEN for the ‘Best of Raw 2009’ Awards :)
The nominations are all in, for around 30 categories of raw people, goodies, places and services…and all those nomiantions have now been neatly arranged into a pretty voting form by the divine goddess Laura Fox over at http://www.BestofRaw.net - hop on over there now and cast YOUR votes in the myriad categories such as favourite raw restaurant, book, educator, media, blog, online store and so on...Mr. Monarch and I are smiling gratefully to be nominees in many categories ;) Thank you :) Winners are to be announced on December 30th – ENJOY :)

on December the 7th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
mug of herbal tea
1 tbsp bee pollen, 3 tbsp goji powder
3 cups greeeeeeeeeeeen juice: celery, tat soi, fennel, romaine, dandelion, fenugreek, spinach, ginger, lemon
bowl of energy soup with a new kind of kale chip sample and the YUMMY raw breads on the side, followed by an apple
mug of spicy tea
3 cups water
handful of AMAZING mini-persimmons in Ojai, 2 tbsp goji powder
3 cups water

NEW JOB POSITION open at TheRawFoodWorld.com :)
We’re very excited to say that expansion is unfolding rapidly at TheRawFoodWorld.com and we’d love to welcome a new gem to the team to help out madame Alara in the customer services dept...here are the deets:

Where: Here in OJAI at the warehouse
Job Includes: answering phones; taking orders
Skills Required:
• Must be relatively FAST on a computer; Comfortable with 5-6 internet windows open at one time...
• Friendly
• Detailed and Organized
• Efficient
• Health Passionate or at least Health Curious
• Also, must have a decent laptop that you can bring to work and use for the job --- nothing gets downloaded...just need email and internet
Hours: 4 hours, 4 days a week - preferably 10am-2pm Mon-Thurs , starting NOW :)
Compensation: $10 per hour with a possible pay increase in 6 months.

If you're interested in this position, please email Alara with your resume or a request to set up an interview...rawworldservice@gmail.com.
(Yesterday Mr. M and I had a meeting with all the staff of TheRawFoodWorld and we filmed a little of the event to help introduce the team to y’all – see HERE ;)

on December the 8th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
mug of herbal tea
glass of straight pomegranate juice – WOW :)
1 tbsp bee pollen
myriad samples of raw recipes as we created dinner for our whole RawFoodWorld crew ;)
3 cups water
plate of raw dinner concoctions followed by a chunk of the triple-layer cake – YUMMMM :) (recipe videos to follow soon, over at TheRawFoodWorld.tv...)
3 cups water


on December the 9th I loved:

1 quart water
3 tbsp fresh bee pollen
3 cups greeeeeeen juice: celery, zucchini, dandelion, tat soi, fennel, romaine, fenugreek, spinach, ginger, lemon
2 tbsp AMAZING honey samples
2.5 cups beet/apple juice
20 chlorella tablets, 3 tbsp goji powder
3 cups veggie juice: celery, romaine, sunflower greens, spinach, carrot
2 tsbp AMAZING new Diviana Nectar product
3 cups water

WONDERFUL update from Living Light about the fund for Elaina Love and her young son Dominic who is currently in the process of reversing leukemia at Hippocrates in Florida. You may recall a few days back I posted a message via Living Light calling for donations to help support the lovely Loves during this challenging time and here is a wonderful little update from Living Light:

“Incredibly, within the first 24 hours, we had received over 200 donations ranging from $5 to $250. Since then, the money, love, and prayers have poured in abundantly - we have been overwhelmed with the response. Just today, we received word that a benefactor will pay $2000 of Dominic's medical expenses and financial support is continuing to flow in. At this point, we are happy to report that we are close to raising the entire $20,000 that Elaina estimated she needs to cover their travel to Hippocrates and the services Dominic requires in attempting to save his young life.”

And a little quote from Elaina too, on email, via Living Light:

“Thank you all so very much for your generous contributions to Dominic's healing. My heart is so touched by you all and I am moved to tears daily. It touches me to my soul to know that you all care so much and to know how much we are loved. Dominic told me this morning that he plans on living to be an old man and that he will outlive us all! I loved hearing that. He is the bravest person I know and my personal hero!!!! One of the guests here told me today that he sets a good example for her and the others because he is so willing to do what it takes.

I know your love and prayers are powerful beyond measure. I appreciate your continued love and prayers, and am so grateful to all of you for the part you are playing in Dominic's return to well-being.

With all the love in my heart,

Elaina Love”

Apparently Brian Clement, director of Hippocrates, has also offered a partial scholarship to the Loves to help off-set the fees too :) Dominic still has a lot of healing to work through and all the love, prayers and support being sent their way are SOOOOO appreciated – it warms my heart so immensely too, to know that when one of the raw ‘tribe’ is in a challenging position like this, the raw ‘family’ gathers around to do our best to support them – LOVE it, thank you all SO much for all the yummy flow to the Loves :)

<3, love, LOVE,
Ms. Stokes-Monarch. xxx

The Raw Mom Summit is BACK :)

I'm excited to say that The Raw Mom Summit is BACK :) If you didn't get a chance to enjoy this fabulous series of free talks earlier this year, then tune in from this Wednesday, Dec 9th, 'cos the raw mama is back in the house ;)
There are some truly outstanding interviews in this collection - I think I've listened to nearly all of them now, while we travelled our way around the USA this summer - I recall finding Daniel Vitalis's interview to be excellent, as were the talks with Jean Liedloff, Elena Tonetti, Katrina Rainoshek, Shazzie, Kate Magic and many other yummy mummies and magical men :) There's actually even an interview with me in there (once again, I am NOT a mother yet, nor am I pregnant or intending to become a parent anytime very soon - I was talking about emotions and food in this interview ;) There are apparently some NEW interviews being added into this free re-run too - exciting :) You can check out ALL the details and sign up to listen in to this wonderful re-run HERE - enjoy...

on December the 4th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
mug of herbal tea
2 Tbsp bee pollen
3 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, parsley, spinach, lemon, ginger
30 chlorella tablets
bowl of energy soup with Lydia's luna nori crackers on the side, followed by an apple
1 quart water
mug of herbal tea
2 cups water

I'm delighted to say that the ever-lovely Katrina Blair of Turtle Lake Refuge is on a mini-tour right now, giving wild food walks/talks all over the west...we were due to go on a walk here in Ojai, California today - it has been postponed until 2pm tomorrow (Monday) though, so perhaps we'll see you there if you're in the area? Katrina is also leading a raw food hike/talk on Dec 9th at the Go Raw Cafe in Las Vegas from 4pm, then on Dec 10th at 'Health Nut' in St. George, Utah. You can contact Katrina on 505-709-0015 if you want more info. If you're not familiar with Katrina's work, she is a major wild foodie/forager, wildlife refuge caretaker, singer and all-round bundle of raw yumminess - enjoy :)))

on December the 5th I loved:

1 quart water
mug of herbal tea
3 cups greeeeeeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, Jerusalem artichoke, spinach, parsley, endive, ginger, lemon
2 tbsp bee pollen, 20 chlorella tablets, 2 tbsp goji powder
bowl of energy soup with Noniland coconut crisps on the side, followed by an apple and new raw bar samples (bluh)
mug of peppermint tea
3 cups water
mug of herbal tea
3 tbsps bee pollen
2 cups water


on December the 6th I loved:

1 quart water
mug of herbal tea
amazing fresh fruit at the Ojai Farmer’s Market: satsuma, strawberries, baby persimmons
3 cups INTENSE, dense greeeen juice with farm-fresh veggies straight from the market (PHEW ;) – fenugreek, sunflower greens, nettles, dandelion, tat soi, parsley, spinach, celery, romaine, endive, fennel, ginger, lemon
2 apples, bowl of YUMMY grawnola with coconut milk
mug of spicy tea
2 cups water

OoOOooooo, The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center just announced a variety of 'Holiday' discounts for upcoming retreats at their centre, including $200 off our New Year's 'Renew Yourself' Retreat :) NICE :)
You can see all the retreat details and call to claim the $200 discount HERE - we look forward to renewing ourselves in unison with you... :)))

All love,
Angelalalalalaaaaaaaaaa Stokes-Monarch. xxx

Love and Support to Elaina Love...

As some of you may have seen already, the Living Light Culinary School yesterday issued an 'Urgent Request' for support for raw chef Elaina Love. Elaina is a dear raw friend whose young son Dominic was diagnosed with leukemia early this year and recently said to have 1-4 weeks to live, by his doctors. We stayed with the Loves back in the summer and were saddened to see Dominic feeling unwell. He is now at Hippocrates with his mum for a three-week intensive healing session. Living Light issued this request for support for Elaina to help cover the $20,000 fee for Dominic's treatment. Donors can send as little as $5 and anyone who sends in over $20 will also be entered into a draw to win either 2 free tickets to the Living Light Expo next year or a free culinary class at the school. Sweet :)
We sent a donation in yesterday and I wanted to post this info here too, to let anyone else who loves and appreciates Elaina know that this donation system has been set up. If you feel drawn to donate to the fund, you can visit THIS LINK to do so...you may also prefer to purchase some of Elaina's wonderful e-books as a form of support - she has a fantastic Irish Moss recipe e-book HERE for example, plus many other inexpensive, fabulous recipe books: Flavours of China, Nuevo Mexican Foods, Kale Chips, Liver and Gall Bladder Flush, Raw Wedding Cake and more - see all her ebooks HERE and consider this a fabulous way to support Elaina with no 'overheads' and get smthg yummy for yourself at the same time :))) If nothing else, I sincerely hope you'll join us in sending our very strongest healing love vibes to Dominic and Elaina at this time - it is all so appreciated :)))) THANK YOU :))))
<3 <3 <3 to the Loves...

on December the 2nd I loved:

1 quart water
shotglass of fresh orange juice
3 cups coconut water blended with Greener Grasses
yummy FEAST with Mr. Monarch of grated apples smothered in blended coconut meat and cinnamon, with a side dish of grawnola in coconut water/apple juice 'milk' :) YUmmmmmMMMmmmmmmmmmmm...
1 quart water
mug of herbal tea
3 cups water

We went to see 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' last night at the Pantages Theatre in LA - it was SO fantastic :))) I LOVE live theatre :)))))) I was also especially delighted to see Icelandic actor Stefan Karl in the lead role as the Grinch - he is absolutely fabulous...I'm kinda addicted to the 'You're a Mean One Mister Grinch' song now - here is a YouTube version of it for your enjoyment... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPBS7dVrE1U

on December the 3rd I was blissed with:

1 quart water
3 cups pineapple/celery/cucumber/endive/parsley juice
bowl of energy soup with gingerbread pieces on the side, followed by leftovers of the apple/coconut/cinnamon meal from ystrdy
cup of herbal tea
1 quart water
an apple, 2 tbsps of goji powder and 2 tbsp goji bliss spread
3 cups water
mug of herbal tea

OOoOoooo, Mr. Monarch has decided to extend the entry date for his session of the Blendtec Blender Giveaway until New Year's Eve, Dec 31st 2009 at midnight Pacific time :)

If you want to send in YOUR 3 minute video entry to win a fabulous FREE Blendtec Blender with a 4" Blade, you can read all the contest details HERE on an older blog entry - we look forward to seeing your entries :)

All love,
Angelalalalalaaaaaaaaaa Stokes-Monarch. xxx

December Raw Events :)

OoOoOoooo, I'm excited to say that next up on The Raw Food World Radio Show this month is our dear friend, author and speaker Paul Nison. 

Mr. M and Mr. N have known each other for around 10 years now and have both explored and experimented their 'extreme' ways around the raw foods world, so I suspect this is going to be a very fun interview indeed... ;) 

Topics intended for discussion include the exact protocol Mr. Nison uses to help others heal IBS/Crohn's/Ulcerative Colitis (which he healed by going raw, years ago), Paul's recent announcement that he no longer eats 100% raw vegan after 15 years of this lifestyle, his interest in the Bible and the inspiring message of his wonderful new book 'The Daylight Diet', which we are currently reading in preparation for the interview and LOVING :)

This LIVE, free interview is scheduled for December the 29th at 6pm Pacific time, 9pm Eastern time. To sign up for the call, visit TheRawFoodWorldRadioShow.com and remember that there is only space for 1000 people live on the call, so get in there quick if you want to join us... :)

on November the 28^th I enjoyed:

1 quart water

3 cups greeeeeen juice:" celery, cucumber, zucchini, fennel, spinach, parsley, ginger, lemon

1 quart apple/beet/zucchini juice

2 cups water

3 tbsp royal jelly/bee pollen/propolis/ginseng in honey

2 cups carrot/fennel/celery/romaine juice with Greener Grasses shaken into it

2 cups water

on November the 29^th (6^th Day JFing, International Day of JFing), I gave gratitude for:

1 quart water

1 quart watermelon/tangerine juice

1 cup green juice: celery/cucumber/zucchini/fennel/parsley/spinach/Jerusalem artichoke/ginger/lemon

2 cups apple/beet juice

1 quart green juice: celery/cucumber/zucchini/fennel/parsley/spinach/Jerusalem artichoke/ginger/lemon

mug of spicy herbal tea, 3 tbsp bee pollen/royal jelly/propolis/honey mixture

2 cups water

3 cups apple/beet juice

2 cups water

On the subject of fabulous talks, another dear friend of ours', Ms. Kate Magic will be giving what I believe must be her DEBUT live talk in the USA in a couple of weeks :) (She's been doing talks in the UK/elsewhere for about a decade or more now... ;)

Madame Magic will be giving a FREE live talk at the fabulous Erewhon Natural Foods Market in LA on December the 19th at 12pm. Yeeeeeeee-HAH :) If you're around in that area, I'd strongly recommend you go along and check out this little dynamo of long-time raw energy share her stuff...you can check out more abt Ms. Magic here - enjoy :)

on November the 30^th we broke our week-long Juice Feast and I loved:

1 quart water

1 cup celery/carrot/fennel/romaine juice

1 quart greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, parsley, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lemon

3 cups apple/celery/cilantro/lemon juice

bowl of energy soup with spiced sunflower seeds on the side , followed by a JUICY apple :)

3 cups water

3 Tbsp diviiiiine honey/bee pollen/herbal mixtures

2 cups water

on December the 1^st I enjoyed:

1 quart water

2 satsumas

3 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, parsley, spinach

bowl of energy soup with a few 'quite cheesey' kale chips on the side, followed by a juicy apple

1 quart water

30 chlorella 'nuts'

2 cups veggie juice: celery, cucumber, spinach, carrot

3 tbsp goji powder

mug of herbal tea

3 cups water

There's still room to join us for new years' at The Tree of Life in Arizona, at our upcoming 10-day 'Renew Yourself' Retreat :) This 10-day celebration of rejuvenation, raw food, relaxation and exploration of your infinite possibilities is going to be a fabulous way to see in the new year with vibrant intentions...
You can check out allll the yummy details here - massage sessions, bodywork, raw food talks, Q&A sessions, colonics, food prep demos, inipi and more - we hope to see you there if you can join us :)


All love and unfolding into the divine,
Ms. Stokes-Monarch. xxx