Who Are You Listening To...?

One concept I try to encourage people to think about in my talks, is WHO you are listening to in terms of guidance for your food choices. On a larger level, this might be thought of in terms of listening to family, friends, partners, doctors, mainstream nutritionists, the media and so on...and on a more intimate level, we might think about which part of our beings we are taking our cues from, in terms of what to eat, when and how much...
This more 'personal' level is what I'd like to focus on here. It seems to me that most people listen primarily to a combination of their taste-buds and their minds, when determining when and what to eat...and yet, food is essentially fuel for the physical body, rather than the mind...and the physical body tends to work towards optimal physical health... Your body wants to be healthy, rather than in a state of dis-ease...however, while your body might be yearning for leafy greeeeeeeeens, small portions and lots of fresh juices, your mind and tastebuds may have a completely different agenda ;)

Most of us reading this quite likely grew up in circles of processed food sugar/fat/salt/additives/colourings addiction frenzies...and we may have plodded along that kind of path for a few decades before considering a change in direction...so, with this kind of background in mind, it is understandable that our tastebuds may be more than a little 'perverted' in their desires, especially when we initially switch to eating more raw...

As for our minds, well...if we have any kind of emotional 'stickiness'/dependency around food, our minds may surely be calling for food for any and every reason - because we're happy, sad, lonely, upset...or we feel like we 'deserve' it, we're celebrating, we're stressed, anxious, miserable...you name it ;)
Seldom do we seem to eat because we're genuinely physically hungry...indeed many people do not even seem to recognise what true physical hunger even feels like - it's like a pulling in the stomach, which intensifies if left unfed...

So when we feel an intense pull to eat, we might do well to ask ourselves WHERE this desire is coming from - is this our mind and tastebuds asking for entertainment, or is it actually our body asking for some more nutrition? So often we seem to listen to the whims and demands of the mind and tastebuds over the genuine concerns of the body...yet we can only ignore the body for so long though, before issues start to show up in the form of illnesses, sluggishness, excess weight and so on...

If we want to side-step these sticky patterns, we might do well to ask ourselves a few QUESTIONS as and when we feel the pull to eat...questions such as: when did I last eat? Have I fully digested that last meal yet? How much water have I drunk today? ...and so on...take a few moments to inquire of yourself around these ideas and then, if you do decide indeed to go ahead and consume something, there are three questions I love to encourage people to consider first about their food choices, all of which could be grouped together under the idea of 'could I be making a better choice right now...?'

Here are the three ideas to consider:

*how could I make this meal lighter? (e.g. instead of grabbing a handful of nuts, or a heavy nut+dried fruit bar, how about whipping up a greeeen smoothie in a few minutes instead?)

*how could I make this meal greeeeener? (Search for ways to get more leafy greeeeens into you - juices, smoothies, salads, soups, greens hidden in salad dressings, green powders sneaked into desserts, cookies and so on ;)

*how could I make this meal more nutrient/mineral-dense? (e.g. how might you be able to add seaweed into a meal - kelp sprinkled over a salad, dulse in a soup, salad wrapped in a nori sheet? Instead of grabbing just a banana, how about blending that nana up with some yummmmy nutrient-rich kale or parsley and topping with a few goji berries...? ...and so on...)

I hope these ideas have given you a little extra 'food for thought' when it comes to making food choices...so many of us seem to 'automatically' reach out for food in any given situation, following the promptings of those monkey minds and twisted tastebuds...well, perhaps now you'll feel the desire to listen more to that beautiful body of yours and get lighter, greener and more nutrient-dense by the bite ;)

ENJOY :)

On May the 29th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2 cups water mixed with honey, orange oil, chocolate/vanilla extracts = WOW :)
water of a young coconut mixed with phytoplankton and chocolate extract drops
2 cups greeeeeeen smoothie made by the Monarch
2 cups water
a dragon fruit
2 cups greeeeen juice blended with coconut water, honey and lime juice :)
bowl of chai chia cereal mix with chopped banana and almond milk
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
2 cups water


One RawReform reader, Vera in Burbank, California, would love to let you butterflies know that she has an almost brand new Green Power juicer for sale... It is a Green Power KPE-1304 Twin Gear that she has only used about 15 times...she'd be delighted to receive $250 for it...(usually around $450)...if you're interested, you can contact Vera on: Sophie5378 (at) aol dot com to work out the deets - enjoy :)


on May the 30th, it was my 8th Anniversary of the day I went raw and I loved:

1 quart water
2 dragon fruits
shot of green juice at the market, water and jelly-meat of a young coconut
2 cups greeeeeen smoothie with Mr. M, topped with a few black and white mulberries :)
2 cups water
1 cup *amazing* smoothie: almond milk, banana, orange oil, vanilla and chocolate extracts, 20 chlorella tablets
shared cucumber salad meal with Mr. M, followed by a raw 'apricot scone' from Cosmos Cafe in Vilcabamba
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
1 cup water


on May the 31st, I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 cups greeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 dragon fruits, 3 mandarins
2 tbsp bee pollen
water of a young coconut
cucumber salad meal with leftover 'taco' shells, followed by three almond/orange 'yumballs'
mug of reishi tea
2 cups water


On the subject of bargain juicers, tonight is the last night to get your mittens on the out-RAW-geous juicer and blender bargains over at TheRawFoodWorld.com - below is a quick recap and you can read more HERE...

Aside from receiving a hefty discount on Hurom Juicers and/or any Blendtec Blenders, you ALSO get 12-15% OFF anything else ordered alongside these items, which is all pre-programmed into the coupon codes explained below:

Get $43 off the Hurom Juicer if you use the coupon code 'Hurom43'

Get $52 - $63 off all Blendtec models if you use the coupon code 'Blendtec52'

Get $54 off the Hurom Juicer and $60 - $73 off all Blendtec models if you buy a Hurom AND a Blendtec Blender TOGETHER, and you use the coupon code 'HuromBlendtec'

So you get these great deals, PLUS 12-15% OFF anything else you order alongside the appliances, which is all automatically calculated and deducted by the store checkout - yay :)

If you want to read more about all this, you can see Mr. M's last newsletter HERE...
...Or you can jump right in and order the Hurom HERE and/or Blendtecs HERE... enjoy :)

Laaaaaaaaaaaa alalalaalaalalalaaaaaaaaaa...

...it's all done with mirrors...and love... :)
A. C. Stokes-Monarch. xxx

Exclusive Eco-Fashion Discount - Get 20% Off :)

oOOOOoOoOOoooo, I'm so *EXCITED* to share a fabulous eco-fashion discount with you today, exclusively made for YOU, dear RawReform readers - YAY :)

If you've been reading here for a while, you may know that I'm very into eco-friendly clothing (here is an older blog post on this subject, for example)...and one of my absolute FAVOURITE eco-friendly fashion companies in the US is Texture Clothing, run by Theresa in Washington state.

I first met Theresa at the massive Green Festival show in Chicago abt 4 years ago...her creations stood out for me and I bought a terracotta red hemp 'Market Skirt' from her that I've probably worn about half the time ever since and still *love* ;)

Last year Theresa then created her amazing 'Posh Pants' - with the tagline 'good luck finding bigger flares than these' ;) These hempy, stretchy, beautiful flowing leg-lovers are easily my FAVOURITE trousers these days...I have two pairs: 'merlot' and 'seaweed' colours...
These three items from Texture - two pairs of trousers and a market skirt - pretty much comprise the 'bottoms' part of my wardrobe these days - I'm nearly always wearing smthg from Theresa and now, as a very special gift to *you* guys, she wanted to offer you all 20% OFF anything from her store - LOVE it :)))

She just uploaded a TON of new things to the site, including some very cool 'green tea' coloured trousers and skirts, long-length 'Comfy Skirts', gorgeous new cowl tops and more...she makes some fabulous accessories too, like these wrist/arm warmers,pictured to the left... ;)

You can check out all her work at www.TextureClothing.com and be sure to use the coupon code 'raw' for 20% off *any* purchase - I'm so excited about this - thanks Theresa :)))

Enjoy, everyone :)))

on May the 26th I appreciated:

1 quart water
1 cup greeeen juice mixed with pineapple and lime juices
2 tbsps bee pollen
2 cups greeeen juice mixed with pineapple and lime juices
2 cups greeeen juice mixed with pineapple and lime juices
30 chlorella tablets
little bowl of sauerkraut mashed up with ½ an avocado and dulse, stuffed into nori sheets, followed by two mini 'finger' bananas ;)
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
2 cups water


Reminder: 'tis the last few days to enter this month's RawReform Giveaway Contest to win a free copy of Jenna Norwood's fabulous "Supercharge Me" raw food transformation DVD - here's a recap of the deets:

I love Jenna - she made a raw food version of Morgan Spurlock's "SuperSize Me" documentary - with Jenna eating RAW for 30 days, instead of McD's ;) You can read all about Jenna's DVD HERE and if *you* would love to be in with a chance of winning the giveaway copy, just send in your answer to the following question:

"If you were to live on just one raw food for 30 days,
which food would you choose and why...?"

Send your answers in to angela@rawreform.comangela@rawreform.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it by June 3rd to be in with a chance of winning...the winner shall be picked at random and with love, shortly thereafter... :)


on May the 27th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
water of two young coconuts
3 tbsp bee pollen, 30 chlorella tablets
2 cups greeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 cups greeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 cups water
shared raw tacos meal with friends: taco shells, hungle peanut 'beans', coconut sour cream, fresh veggies etc, followed by a few Incan berry bliss balls
mug of resihi/shilajit/ormus tea
2 cups water



on May the 28th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 cups greeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 cups water
a dragon fruit, a cherimoya, a papaya
shared eclectic meal with friends of leftovers/almond butter mixed with honey spread on bananas, sauerkraut in nori rolls and samples from the Sedona 'Chocolatree' range (no chocolate for me though ;)
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
2 cups water


Do you recall the *yummy* green smoothie recipes sent in by Katia in Australia a few weeks back? She shared 11 unique green smoothie recipes with us, which people have been raving about on email ever since ;) Now Madame Katia would love to also share with y'all a couple of green JUICE recipes and three raw cookie recipes too - wow, enjoy :)

Citrus Delight Green Juice

1 head celery
1 to 2 organic grapefruit
1 lemon
1 lime

1 orange (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (optional but highly recommended)
Stevia to taste

Put all ingredients through your juicer or alternatively blend everything in a high-speed blender and strain mixture through nut-mylk bag. Enjoy! 

Citrus Delight II (For Adventurous Souls)

1 head celery
1 to 2 grapefruit
1 lemon and/or lime
1 to 2 cloves garlic

Put all ingredients through your juicer or alternatively blend everything in a high-speed blender and strain mixture through nut-mylk bag. Enjoy!
 

-------------

Banana-Lemon Choc Chip Cookies

Between 1/2 cup to 1 cup almond meal (pulp left over from making almond milk)
1 banana
Juice of half a lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons raw honey or raw agave
Raw cacoa nibs

In a high-speed blender, blend the almond meal, banana, lemon juice and raw honey/agave. Form little 'cookies' and add raw cacao nibs on top of each cookie. Dehydrate for about 20 hours.

Vanilla-Coconut Cookies

Meat of two young coconuts
One cup organic dessicated coconut
2 teaspoons raw organic vanilla powder (the one I use is the best and I purchased it from TheRawFoodWorld)
1 tablespoon organic raw honey/agave
Coconut water to blend

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender and then form cookies with the dough. Dehydrate for about 20 hours.

Pear-Choc Cookies

For the Cookie Dough:
Between 1/2 a cup and 1 cup raw soaked almonds
2 pear
1 tablespoon raw honey/agave
1 teaspoon raw organic vanilla powder
Half a teaspoon cinnamon powder
Quarter of a teaspoon nutmeg powder

For the Chocolate Drizzles:
3 tablespoons raw organic cacao powder
2 tablespoons raw organic honey/agave
Enough purified water to mix ingredients together

Blend together the ingredients for the cookie dough in a high-speed blender. Form cookies with the mixture. Drizzle some 'chocolate sauce' on each of them, forming nice patterns. Dehydrate for about 15 hours. These are delicious.


ENJOY :)

All love and delicious dabblings,
Ms. Stoooooooookes-Moonaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarch. xxx

Community Living in Vilcabamba...

Ooooo lalaaaa, we have pretty exciting visions forming for raw community here in Vilcabamba, Ecuador...you wanna come live here too? We just made an announcement in our newsletters about possibilities for co-creating kins' domains here...and the response has been HUUUGE already - if you didn't see this already, read on for the Monarch summary of opening possibilities:

-------------

As many of you already know, Angela and I are choosing Vilcabamba, Ecuador as our place of residence. We've looked around the Vilcabamba valley and we feel that we are living in the most prime and beautiful location here. There are currently eight or so owners in the community where we live, who either eat totally raw or seem to be following a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, as one result of the growing raw foods community here, some of our other neighbors seem to also be more interested in the raw foods lifestyle.

Angela and I are in the process of co-creating a project to help bring even more like-minded individuals to our community here (the Hacienda San Joaquin Ranch). In addition to the property where we live, we currently also have a beautiful 2.5 acre piece of land bordering the Vilcabamba river. This land is just feet away from the property where we live. We intend to build three structures on this river-side land - dwelling places for three or more like-minded families who would love to coexist together, alongside us :-). We don't plan on making a single dime of profit on this project; the primary intention is to bring in more like-minded people.

The three structures that we plan on building are:

1. 750 Square Feet House (2 Bedroom, 1 Bath)
2. 750 Square Feet House (2 Bedroom, 1 Bath)
3. 1500 Square Feet House (3 Bedroom, 2 Bath)

Each house will have its own kitchen and living area. Below are the current estimated prices for each structure, which also includes the land they will reside on. If more than one family wants to live in one of these homes, the cost could obviously be split amongst those involved. We are even willing to do payment plans to get you down here :-) Additionally, we'll do all that we can to assist you with getting settled here :-)

1. 750 Square Feet House (2 Bedroom, 1 Bath)
$81,250 or $40,625 each, shared between two
2. 750 Square Feet House (2 Bedroom, 1 Bath)
$81,250 or $40,625 each, shared between two
3. 1500 Square Feet House (3 Bedroom, 2 Bath)
$162,500 or $54,200 each, shared between three

Those who purchase these structures will own the houses and the shared land, free and clear in their names. We intend to start building these structures within the next few months. We wanted to announce this project now, because if anyone is seriously interested in getting involved, we can work with you to transform the plans and better fit your needs. For example, if a like-minded family is interested in the entire land to build their own structure(s) on it, we would be completely happy with that, or if two families know they would love to share the space, yet in a different way than what we have foreseen, we can work with that too. Again, the primary purpose of this project is to help bring in more like-minded people to our community and we are open to how that may unfold. Check out the video below as we discuss this plan and unique opportunity on this piece of land.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHfK34ojdbc



Once this project is complete and the land in question is home to like-minded people, we may be open to buying up more nearby land here, to co-create more kins' domains. The purpose of buying up more land would again be to help bring even more like-minded people to join us... :-)

If you are sincerely interested in getting involved in this project, please contact Angela and I at angela@rawreform.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We feel that this is THE most ideal place for us to live on the ENTIRE planet! Once you have your land/structure/gardens in place here, you are pretty much set for life! The cost of living and food prices are extremely inexpensive here. For example, one HUGE avocado costs .30 cents. A GIGANTIC mango costs .20 cents. An entire 3-foot LARGE bushel of chlorophyll-rich alfalfa costs about .40 cents. Practically everything grows here and the climate is like spring all year round. Angela and I have been here for three months and we're already completely self-sufficient in greens from our land and garden. You can seriously just live off the wild edibles here, in green juices and smoothies. The air, soil and water quality here in the Andes are unparalleled and just by living here you will most likely add 10 years to your lifespan, release excess weight, reverse conditions of disease, sleep better and detox. We look forward to playing in "paradise" with you if you'd love to join us here...!

-------------

Let's co-create this magnificent vision... :)

On May the 24th I was delighted with:

1 quart water
2 cups watermelon juice
1 cup coconut water mixed with Vitamineral Green and sugarcane juice
yummers shared meal with Mr. Monarch of Monarch pizza creation with sauerkraut - wow :) followed by a chunk of *amazing* homemade 'Diviana'-inspired yumminess :)
3 cups water
water of a young coconut
1 cup water


Mmmmmm, one raw yumster, Megumi, who joined us here in Vilcabamba for the recent Raw Food Gathering just posted a *lovely* collection of photos from her time here, which you can see HERE - some very beautiful pics and funny captions too:

http://rawsangha.com/2010/05/24/photos-from-vilcabamba-world-raw-food-gathering/

One of my favourite aspects of this recent raw gathering, which I didn't mention yet, was that at least THREE new couples formed out of the mixture of people who came to visit ;O *LOVE* it :)))
This reminds me of the energy of the gatherings mentioned in the "Anastasia"/Ringing Cedars books, when Anastasia mentions community gatherings where people are commonly looking to connect with others, find a partner and so on, all the while enjoying fun community-connecting-events together ;) I'm so thrilled to think that this little gathering we just held here was flowing with even a little of that kind of energy - how beautiful :)))


on May the 25th it was a juicy day and I loved:

1 quart water
3 cups watermelon juice
2 tbsp bee pollen
1 cup watermelon juice
2 cups greeeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 cups greeeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 cups greeeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 cups watermelon juice
2 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups greeeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 cups water

Dear brother LoveSky Dancer in Glastonbury, England, would love to let y'all know that the world-renowned Maori Healers from Aotearoa/NZ are going to be holding sessions in the UK soon, for anyone who'd love to go along and experience their profoundly healing body work...these are the same Maori Healers who were sharing this amazing energy work at the Longevity Conference with Wolfie a few months ago - now they're on the way to Europe for a few months...

They will be sharing their wonders in Glastonbury from June 1st to the 10th: body work sessions will be available daily from June 1st-10th, then there will also be a workshop on Maori Healing Arts on June 5th-6th. For more info you can connect with Catherine on indigocath (at) mac.com...you can also check the www.maorihealers.com site - I don't think they have much European tour info up there yet though...there are more events in the UK and elsewhere too I believe...

ENJOY :)))

All love and healing dew,
A. C. S-M. xxx

The Longevity Conference Experience :)

Recently I was very excited to access the playback recordings of David Wolfe's "Longevity Conference", held live in California in March this year with hundreds of people in attendance. Some of my favouritist raw/health-orientated beings presented at the conference, including Wolfie, Solla, Mike Adams, Dr. Mercola, Truth Calkins, Nadine Artemis, Ian Clark and Donna Gates, among others - what a stunning line-up :)

I've been watching the playback videos from the Conference this last week and I absolutely *love* them :))) It seems that pretty much the entire weekend of talks/workshops was captured on video and is available now for playback - sooooo much amazing informative entertainment :)

So far I've seen Solla making delicious raw Thai soup and face packs, Mike Adams singing some of his latest song and talking about community, Dr. Mercola answering questions on Vitamin D and fructose, Nadine Artemis sharing an outstanding outline of dental care for raw foodies, Wolfie being his entertaining self, discussing everything from DNA structure to grounding technology, Jason Wrobel giving the most amusing raw chili demo you'll probably ever see and much much more - live experiments, q&a panels, live blood analysis discussions, elixir making...there's SO much packed into this DVD package...

The DVD set just launched last week and can currently be purchased HERE - you get access to all the videos both online AND in physical DVD format, plus you also get a very generous line-up of 'bonuses' too, including three discs of the whole "Elixir Mastery Workshop" after the main conference in March, a downloadable digital sampler of recipes from raw chef Frank Giglio and a downloadable file on Joint Health from Wolfie himself...wow, what a collection ;)

You can get your hands on a copy of all this goodness HERE...and I do believe tickets are already available for the next Longevity Conference in September 2010 too - yeeeeeeee-HAH - I hope to be there this time round ;)

ENJOY :)


On May the 20th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
water of a young coconut mixed with marine phytoplankton and chocolate extract drops
2 cups wild greeeeen smoothie with dried Incan berries and a fresh cherimoya on the side
2 cups water
2 cups greeeeeen juice mixed with apple/pineapple juices
shared yummmmmmy meal with Mr. M of cucumber salad stuffed into nori sheets, followed by three Incan berry balls
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
1.5 cups water


on May the 21st it was a travelling day for us and I appreciated:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeen juice mixed with apple juice
2 tbsp bee pollen
bowl of fresh fruit salad with chia gel
2 cups water
2 bananas with a few freshly shelled nuts
water of a young coconut
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
2 cups water


LOVE this acoustic group permaculture song that our friend Norm sent over to us today - sooooooo SWEEEEET and uplifting :)))

ENJOY :))))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaXfOUC8HZo

on May the 22nd I loved:

1 quart water
water of a young coconut
a delicious dragon fruit
2 cups honey/lime/salt/water electrolyte drink :)
2 cups greeeeen smoothie from Mr. M: bananas, wild greens, dragon fruit, a few dried purple mulberries
2 cups water
2 cups greeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
yummmmmy shared meal with Mr. M: cucumber salad stuffed into nori sheets, followed by a little 'yumpot' of hazelnut butter mixed with honey, orange oil and chocolate extract drops
mug of resihi/shilajit/ormus tea
1 cup water


on May the 23rd I appreciated:

1 quart water
shot of greeeeeen juice at the market, 1 cup sugarcane juice
2 cups greeeeeeen juice mixed with sugarcane and pineapple juices
yummmmmmy shared meal with Mr. M: cucumber salad stuffed into nori sheets, followed by three dried pineapple rings :)
3 cups water
1 cup coconut water blended with Vitamineral Green, phytoplankton and chocolate extract drops
bowl of YUMMY fresh fruit salad: banana, dragon fruit, granadilla, pineapple
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
1 cup water


OoooOooooppps...we forgot to tell you about an important part of the very special current offers on Hurom Juicers and Blendtec Blenders over at TheRawFoodWorld.com...

Aside from receiving a current hefty discount on Hurom Juicers and/or any Blendtec Blenders, you ALSO get 12-15% OFF anything else ordered alongside these items, which is all pre-programmed into the coupon codes explained below:

Get $43 off the Hurom Juicer if you use the coupon code 'Hurom43'

Get $52 - $63 off all Blendtec models if you use the coupon code 'Blendtec52'

Get $54 off the Hurom Juicer and $60 - $73 off all Blendtec models if you buy a Hurom AND a Blendtec Blender TOGETHER, and you use the coupon code 'HuromBlendtec'

So you get these great deals, PLUS 12-15% OFF anything else you order alongside the appliances, which is all automatically calculated and deducted by the store checkout - yay :)

If you want to read more about all this, you can see Mr. M's last newsletter HERE...
...Or you can jump right in and order the Hurom HERE and/or Blendtecs HERE... enjoy :)

All looooove, light and gratitude,
Ms. S-M. xxx

Is There an Optimal Timeframe for Eating...?

One day recently, we got up at three in the morning, to go on a day-trip to Peru...it felt *very* odd to me to be awake at that time, on 6 hours or so of sleep...odd and disorientating...I'm not sure the last time I was awake at such an hour...and one thing that was very clear to me at that hour was how totally inappropriate food seemed to be right then...my body had been awoken from its cleansing cycles and there was a slight sense of nausea...the idea of eating anything at that point sounded like bodily abuse...
What all of this highlighted for me was that there seems to be a definite timeframe each day where eating seems to be 'appropriate'...in my reality, that timeframe is something like 9am to 5pm, to feel best...which is interesting to me, as that is the exact timeframe many people do 'jobs' in our societies...so, rather than fuelling their physical bodies optimally in the timeframe that might be most appropriate, people might instead be stuffing down some cereal or toast at 6 or 7am before they rush off into traffic, then gobble down some sandwiches for lunch at 12 in between meetings, before arriving home at 6 or later, drained from the stresses of the day, wherein they turn to the fridge and cabinets for solace and end up eating themselves into a spaced-out oblivion before bed time...hmmmmmm, well, maybe this pattern doesn't resonate for everyone - I surely would hope not - I do suspect it is quite a common current reality though...
For anyone currently living this kind of pattern who may be excited to create a different reality, Paul Nison's "Daylight Diet" book/dvd/audio might be interesting for you to explore...eating the 'heaviest'/densest meal of the day in the middle of the day definitely makes sense to me...and being up at 3am definitely doesn't... ;)

Blessings to all our patterns :)

on May the 18th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
1.5 cups watermelon juice
20 chlorella tablets
2 cups greeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
water of a young coconut
2 cups greeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 cups greeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
2 cups greeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
3 cups greeeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
cup of greeeen/apple juice
2 tbsp bee pollen
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
1 cup water

One reader in Minnesota, Jill, would love to let y'all know that she has two used juicers looking for a new home...there is a Champion Juicer on offer and a Juice Factory Juice Press (which she describes as "2nd only to the Norwalk" - I've never met one of these - sounds interesting... ;) Jill is based in MN, yet could send them elsewhere if their new home is further away...the asking price is $450 for both OR $200 for the Champion, $250 for the press...if this speaks to you, you can contact Jill via her wbsite contact form, HERE - enjoy :)



on May the 19th I loved:

1 quart water
water of a young coconut mixed with marine phytoplankton and chocolate extract drops
2 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups greeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
bowl of granadilla seeds, a cherimoya
avocado mushed with sauerkraut and dulse, stuffed into nori sheets, followed by two incan berry bliss balls
2 cups water/honey/lime
glass of superfood smoothie at Cafe Cosmos, ½ a papaya
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
1 cup water


Another reader in the US, Christine, the "Raw Priestess" also just sent in some home-made dehydrator tips for y'all... ;) In my last newsletter I mentioned a few home-dehydrating ideas and Christine stepped up to take it to the next level, sharing her home experiments with drying foods in the damp climes of the Pacific NW, without Excalibur's helpful trays ;)
Here are Christine's tips for y'all - enjoy:

1. Put your item to dry near a stove/woodstove, firepit/fireplace and turn often, if you add a ceiling fan to the mix it really helps. (I use this in the winter, when my woodstove is already on, as I don't like to use much electricity.)

2. Use a hair dryer on the lowest setting in a cardboard box (with holes in the lid), (works surprisingly well).

3. Use any kind of fan in warm weather to dry out most items, to crisp it up, use some external heat source with the fan; if you use in a contained area, such as a cardboard or wooden box, it will help, make sure to leave vent holes in the top of the box, to release excess moisture.

4. Use a warm pizza stone, or rock -- I use this while camping, I use warm rocks to dehydrate crisps, cookies, crackers, etc. A pizza stone also works, and is flat, and easy to keep the right temperature, you can also set these on top of a wood stove, elevated on a metal rack, and it is very easy to dehydrate things, make sure to keep watch on the temperature.

5. Place items in a cardboard box, lined with tin foil, have some holes in the top of the box, to allow for moisture to escape, put this in the sun.

6. Use a green house, place flat mesh trays in your green house with the vents open, turn on the fan, and allow the sun to dehydrate your items.

All of these work in Western Washington where we have very humid areas, if you are in a drier climate, these ideas could work even better.

We don't have super hot days, so our green houses, and foil lined boxes don't get too hot, people in hotter dryer climates, may wish to put those items in the shade, or use shade cloth to keep the temperature down a bit.

Hope some of these suggestions are of help to those who do not choose to use a dehydrator!

All blessings,

Christine, RawPriestess.com

GREAT, thanks for sharing Christine :)

All love,
angelalalaalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaastttttttooooookkkeeeeeeeeesmmmmmooonnnaaaaaaaaaaaarch. xxx

Experience Your Good Now... ;)

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the fabulous work of Louise Hay, self-healing author, speaker and lightworker of many decades ;) Well, I'm delighted to say that I was invited to participate in the book launch for Louise's latest publication "Experience Your Good Now", which goes on sale TODAY :)

Anyone who purchases Louise's latest book will receive access to an astounding array of freebies alongside the actual book, including 6 free downloads from Louise herself, the whole of my 'How To Go Raw For Weight Loss" ebook, dozens of other ebooks, audios, videos and even a chance to win a place on Louise's next upcoming inspirational cruise - wow :)

You can check out all the details and get your hands on the goodies HERE - enjoy ;)

On May the 15th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
3 cups watermelon/mandarin juice
yummmmmy cucumber salad meal: grated cucumber, sauerkraut, avocado mush (avocado, lime juice, garlic, cilantro), followed by 3 Incan berry yumballs
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
2 cups water
3 cups greeeeen juice mixed with pineapple and lime juices
2 cups greeeeen smoothie: granadilla, berries, wild greeeeeens
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
2 cups water


The last couple of weeks we missed doing our weekly live TV show for The Raw Food World, on Wednesday nights, as we were very involved with things here in S. America for the Vilcabamba raw food gathering... ;)

Well, now the gathering here is over and so we'll continue with regular programming ;) We'd love to invite you all to join us again this Wednesday evening for a LIVE, free, streamed version of the show, from 6pm Pacific time, 9pm Eastern. The site to visit at that time is http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ the-raw-food-world and you can enter the chat room there to connect with others and ask us Qs ;)

See you on Wednesday night, LIVE :)
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ the-raw-food-world

on May the 16th I loved:

1 quart water
cup of sugarcane juice with lime juice
2 cups greeeen juice mixed with sugarcane and lime juices
2 cups greeeeen smoothie (banana, berries, wild greens)
3 cups water
2 cups Monarch Elixir containing coconut water, vitamineral green, chocolate and vanilla extracts and sugar cane juice - wow :)
yummy shared meal with Mr. M of cucumber salad with dulse, avocado, wakame, stuffed in nori sheets, followed by three incan berry yumballs
2 cups water


on May the 17th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
2 cups watermelon juice
3 cups greeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
1.5 cups greeeeeeen smoothie from Mr. M: banana, berries, wild greeens
3 cups water
1 cup fresh sugar cane juice
yummmmmy shared raw taco meal with friends (wild peanut pate, coconut sour cream, guacamole, chopped veggies, etc), followed by a little coconut cream dessert :)
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
2 cups water

Many of you know already that the Hurom is our juicer of preference and the Blendtec Blender with the 4" blade is our blender of choice... ;) We have done many videos and write-ups on these machines in the last year...

WELL...a while back we did some incredible deals on both these machines and there were soooooooooooo many requests to repeat these offers that we're delighted to bring you now, once again, some out-RAW-geous appliance offers - here's Mr. M's explanation of these new deals:

"I just got hold of over 400 Hurom Juicers, NEWEST model, and we are going to FINALLY offer them to you again at a discounted rate! Additionally, I am going to discount my favorite blender at the same time... The Blendtec Blender... Just so everyone gets their FINAL opportunity to get in on these specials, which finish on May 31st. We almost certainly won't be offering these specials again this year, so NOW is the time to take advantage of these offers if you're interested!

Here are the current specials:

Get $43 off the Hurom Juicer if you use the coupon code 'Hurom43'

Get $52 - $63 off all Blendtec models if you use the coupon code 'Blendtec52'

Get $54 off the Hurom Juicer and $60 - $73 off all Blendtec models if you buy a Hurom AND a Blendtec Blender TOGETHER, and you use the coupon code 'HuromBlendtec'

Personally, I feel that it is KEY if you purchase a Blendtec Blender, to MAKE SURE that you purchase one of the models with the larger 3qt (96oz) Carafe.

There are three Blendtec models:

Blendtec with a 2qt (64oz) Carafe $399.95

Blendtec with a 3qt (96oz) Carafe $429

Blendtec with a 2qt & 3qt Carafe $489.95

I almost didn't even offer the $399.95 model here, because I feel and know how beneficial the larger 3qt carafe is. The larger carafe oxidizes the contents less and works much better, in my opinion, than any Vitamix on the market, or the Blendtec 2qt carafe. If you want to see evidence of this, you can check out the write-up and videos I created on this subject by clicking HERE. In the video at that link, you can see a comparison of machines, which shows the food contents oxidizing less in the 3qt carafe compared to the Blendtec 2qt carafe or the Vitamix. I personally bought the Blendtec with the 2qt & 3qt carafes, because I like to have an extra carafe available for various uses and it's the least expensive way to get an extra carafe too.

This is probably the BEST deal that you will ever find on the Hurom Juicer and Blendtec Blenders. Before the Hurom Juicer became available, you could either get a quick juicing and easy-to-clean juicer such as the Breville Juice Fountain, or you could get a slower and harder to clean juicer, which produces juice with a much higher nutrient quality, such as the Green Star juicer. The Hurom Juicer is a REVOLUTIONARY juicer, which combines all of the benefits of HIGH nutrient quality, quick juicing, and easy cleaning.

I feel these are the TOP TWO appliances that are a MUST HAVE in my raw food kitchen. If I had to choose a third and fourth top appliance, it would be a food processor and a Green Star juicer. I am pretty hardcore with juicing my greens and the Green Star juicer can handle even the greens with extreme FIBROUS stems, such as nettles and mature alfalfa, which often ranges from 1-3 feet long. Even the Green Star jams sometimes when juicing these kinds of fibrous greens. When we lived in the USA, we didn't have access to alfalfa and nettles like the kind we have here, so it wasn't an issue for us to use the Hurom for all our juicing. We actually did a video back there, comparing the Green Star and the Hurom Juicer, which can be seen by clicking HERE.

Additionally, here are two more videos we did about the Hurom:

Does the Hurom Juicer do Wheatgrass & Banana Ice Cream?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee0P8-eyHXo

What is the Hurom Slow Juicer?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15VvXtx1cQc

To Purchase a Hurom Juicer, click HERE!
To Purchase a Blendtec Blender, click HERE!"

ENJOY :)

All love,
Ms. A. Stokes-Monarch. xxx

Thank You, I Love You, Please Forgive Me, I'm Sorry...

I want to express today how much I love the energy of the Ho'oponopono 'mantra/prayer/blessing': Thank You, I Love You, Please Forgive Me, I'm Sorry. If you're not familiar with this healing process, here is smthg I wrote about it in "Raw Emotions":

Thank You, I Love You, Please Forgive Me, I Am Sorry
One of my favourite ways to dissipate awkward energies and painful emotions is to share these four blessings: thank you, I love you, please forgive me, I am sorry. You may recognise this as the Hawaiian healing process of ‘Ho’oponopono’, which is based on loving yourself and accepting responsibility for all that is within your reality. There is a wonderful story that accompanies this prayer. One ward for the ‘criminally insane’ in the State Hospital in Hawaii was home to those patients who had been declared more or less ‘untreatable’. A healer went to work there. He never met with any of the patients. He simply went and sat in an office and read over their medical files. As he read, he felt loving compassion and blessed each of them repeatedly with the healing prayer: ‘thank you, I love you, please forgive me, I am sorry.’ The transformation in the patients was remarkable. Their conditions shifted to such a degree that in the end, the hospital ward actually closed, as there was no longer any need for it…WOW! I love that story - for me it totally conveys the message of the power of our thoughts. So, next time you feel anger, disappointment, jealousy or resentment towards others, perhaps try saying this prayer - either out loud or internally - and watch the energy transform… You can find out more about this simple healing technique at http://www.ancienthuna.com.

Thank YOU. I Love YOU. Please Forgive Me. I'm Sorry. :)

on May the 11th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeeen juice mixed with sugarcane juice
mug of herbal tea
an avocaco mashed together in a bowl with sauerkraut and dulse seaweed, with spirulina coconut chews, followed by a dried banana
2 cups water
1 tbsp bee pollen, a yummy papaya
2 cups water
big slice of pineapple
mug of Natural Calm


on May the 12th it was a travelling day for us and I loved:

1 quart water
water of a young coconut
2 tbsp bee pollen
bowl of fresh fruit (granadillas, papaya, rambutan) with chia seed gel and coconut jelly-meat
2 cups water
2 cups carrot/orange juice (...??? odd S. American juice combo that's actually quite nice ;)
an orange-coloured fruit fest in the car: dragon fruit, granadillas, mandarin
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
2 cups water


On the subject of "Raw Emotions", a sweet email came in yesterday from someone who had just finished reading the book:

" Just wanted to say I really enjoyed your book. I felt your calming influence radiate from the pages. You gave me a model of what life could be like - what it would be like to be at peace. So thank you for your kind words and honesty, I read your book at a shakey time and it helped me a great deal.

All the best wishes,

Rebecca x"

Mmmm, thanks Rebecca :)
Remember that we have a special offer on at the moment for a four-pack of potentially life-shifting books: Raw Emotions, Non-Violent Communication, Anastasia and Raw Family - see HERE for that offer and...enjoy :)


on May the 13th it was a mostly liquids day for me and I was blissed with:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice and lime juice
cup of mandarin juice combined with vitamin c powder
3 cups coconut water blended with Greener Grasses
cup of intense greeeeen juice
2 cups greeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice and lime juice
small handful of homemade coconut chips
2 cups water
water of a young coconut
2 cups greeeen smoothie made with granadilla, wild greens, cilantro
2 cups pineapple juice/lime juice/honey/water/salt
a papaya
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
2 cups water


on May the 14th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
water of a young coconut
2 cups watermelon juice
2 cups greeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
1 cup greeeen smoothie (granadilla, berries, wild greens, cilantro)
2 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups water
yummy big shared meal at Sambuca Cafe: raw lasagne, tostadas, spirulina coconut chips, horchata tea and an Incan Berry Bliss Ball :)
mug of reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
1 cup water


Today was 'officially' the last day of the 2010 Vilcabamba Raw Food Gathering...what an experience this has been, these last two weeks ;O

It seems there were around 120 or so 'raw' visitors here in the last couple of weeks and today we closed this phase of the gathering with a wonderful 'closing circle' :) We have shared many adventures and delights together in the last days: zip-lining, hikes, horse-rides, farm tours, talks, singing circles, massages, spa treatments, movie nights, potlucks, parties, meditations, work/playshops, yoga classes, healing sessions...what a blessing :) ...and there seem to be emerging intentions to play the game again next year too...more details to come... ;)
For now, there are many pictures on Facebook and the Raw Gathering Ning Community to peruse, plus I posted a set of pics on Flickr HERE and Mr. M has been posting videos regularly from here over at www.TheRawFoodWorld.tv - enjoy :)

Maybe we'll see y'all down here next year for more fun and adventures... ;)

All love,
Angelalaaaaaaaaaaaa. xxx

Three Books to Shape a Life...

Mmmm, a few days ago here in Vilcabamba, a lovely visitor from France, Diane Baran, shared a Non-Violent Communication (NVC) workshop with us all at the Vilcabamba Raw Food Gathering...it re-awakened in me a love for the profound NVC book and work... NVC was one of the first healing tools that opened big doorways on my personal journey, helping me to express my desires and feelings clearly and listen with compassion...if you've read my book "Raw Emotions", you may remember me mentioning NVC in there...well, today I felt inspired to share a quick little list with you of three books that have all helped create significant shifts in *my* life and might be interesting for you to explore too, or perhaps share with loved ones...

Non-Violent Communication (NVC) by Marshall Rosenburg
This outstanding book opened huge doorways into my heart. Rosenburg outlines a simply wonderful technique for communicating with others from a place of honesty, integrity, responsibility and compassion. Training in NVC can be accessed worldwide.

Anastasia by Vladimir Megré
The ‘Ringing Cedars of Russia’ series of books have affected me more than any others in recent years. Megré’s real-life accounts of his meetings with Siberian forest-dweller Anastasia are simply spellbinding for me. I find the richness of Anastasia’s connection with the whole web of life incredibly inspiring. To me, she represents a modern-day powerhouse of truth, light, integrity and beauty.

Raw Family by The Boutenkos
This is the simple little book I read in May 2002 that kick-started my raw journey. It’s a very inspirational, quick read that offers the Boutenko family’s testimony of how their lives completely shifted after going raw. As their illnesses receded, they set off walking the Pacific Coast Trail, from Mexico to Canada, with many adventures along the way. They’ve since inspired countless thousands into improved health. A wonderfully uplifting book.

I *love* all three of these books so much that I asked the Monarch if we can do a special package deal on all three of them for this newsletter...he agreed that this would be a fabulous gift pack to share, so we are now offering discounted packs containing one of each of these three inspiring books, for just $35, rather than $42.85 if purchased separately. We also made another special pack of these three books PLUS my book "Raw Emotions" - you can get all four of those for $58 instead of $72.80.

Click HERE to see both of these special offers and ENJOY :)

On May the 7th we hiked Mandango and I loved:

1 quart water
big chunk of watermelon
1 cup intense greeeen juice
cup of yummmmy mixed veggie juice
3 incan berry balls, 2 apples, 1 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups water
water of a young coconut, slice of frozen raw strawberry cake
2 cups horchata tea
beautiful meal at "Raw Ecuadorian Night" at Papayas Cafe - involving raw versions of traditional Ecuadorian foods ;)
2 cups water


on May the 8th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2 cups greeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
3 granadillas
raw lasagne at Sambuca Cafe, followed by two raw cookies
3 cups water
plate of YUMMMY, eclectic raw food potluck treasures :)
shots of raw 'orange creamsicle' drinks
2 cups water


That marvellous Monarch is up to his monkey-mind tricks again, bringing y'all the best possible deals that he can find on exciting raw lifestyle items...let's see what he's got on offer this month over at TheRawFoodWorld.com:

The following specials are available until May 31st...

"At Cost":

Turkish Figs, 16oz - $6.97, Normally $9.95 - with 7% coup0n $6.48, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $6.13

Clear Agave, 16.9oz - $8.37, Normally $11.95 - with 7% coup0n $7.78, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $7.36

Clear Agave, 1 Gallon - $52.47, Normally $74.95 - with 7% coup0n $48.79, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $46.17

Maggie's Soap Nuts, 1 kilo (200 Loads) - $24.47, Normally $34.95 - with 7% coup0n $22.75, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $21.53

Maggie's Soap Nuts, 4.7oz (36 Loads) - $6.99, Normally $9.99 - with 7% coup0n $6.50, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $6.15

Maggie's Soap Nuts Liquid, 64oz (128 Loads) - $17.49, Normally $24.99 - with 7% coup0n $16.27, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $15.39

Maggie's Soap Nuts Liquid, 32oz (64 Loads) - $10.49, Normally $14.99 - with 7% coup0n $9.76, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $9.23

Brazil Nuts, 16oz - $9.07, Normally $12.95 - with 7% coup0n $8.43, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $7.98

Almond Flour, 16oz - $12.57, Normally $17.95 - with 7% coup0n $11.69, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $11.06

Pomegranate Seeds, 16oz - $13.27, Normally $18.95 - with 7% coup0n $12.34, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $11.67

Raw Transformations DVD - $12.95, Normally $24.95 - with 7% coup0n $12.04, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $11.40

To access these offers, click the link below, or type - hnymn - in the search box at the top right hand corner of www.TheRawFoodWorld.com.

Click Here For "At Cost" Specials
Additionally, you can redeem this coup0n at www.TheRawFoodWorld.com by typing in - HONEYMOON - in the coup0n number section, to get an additional 7% off your order. This coup0n will be good through May 31st, 2010 and can be redeemed at: www.TheRawFoodWorld.com

You can get 12% off your order and ALL FUTURE ORDERS by joining the Inner Circle Community HERE for ONLY $9.97 a month.

on May the 9th I appreciated:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeen juice with pineapple juice
cup of sugarcane juice with lime juice
6 granadillas, a handful of rambutan
cup of sugarcane juice with lime juice
yummmmmmy bowl of cucumber salad with crackers and coconut chews on the side, followed by a couple of slices of dried pineapple :)
3 cups water
a raw 'scone' from Cosmos Cafe
2 cups water


on May the 10th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
cup of mandarin juice
2 cups greeeeeen juice mixed with sugarcane juice
bowl of granadilla seeds - tastes like *cereal* :)
an avocado with lime juice, dulse and a few coconut chews, followed by pieces of raw cookie 'batter' while preparing new batch of raw cookies
2 cups water
water of a young coconut
raw 'burger' and raw 'carrot cake' from Cosmos Cafe
2 cups water


We're still celebrating vibrant raw lifestyles here in Vilcabamba this week - it seems like around 120 or so people have come to the Valley of Longevity for the Raw Gathering here (a little hard to be sure of numbers, as this free-flow event keeps on floooowing... ;) I just uploaded another 20 photos to Flickr from the last few days here - hiking, raw dinner events, traditional dancing, farm tours etc - I put all of the photos from this gathering so far into one new set on Flickr, which you can see at the link below (newest 20 pictures are at the end of the set... ;)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29292390@N08/sets/72157624039839196/

With jubilation,
A.S-M. xxx