Cherry Star's *FIRST* Birthday :)

Today is the FIRST birthday of our baby horse, Cherry Star :) 

This cheeky little equine angel popped into the world a year ago today, the same day that we landed back here in Ecuador…it’s *amazing* to me that we’ve been here a year non-stop today – it has gone SO fast and soooooo very much has happened…we are so blessed :)

Cherry’s entrance into the world was the most beautiful welcome home present imaginable back then, especially as no-one was really even sure if his mum, Barbie, was pregnant…then suddenly he was just here and…evidently she had been pregnant all along… ;) The pictures here show, from left to right, tiny Cherry the day after he was born, then running down the hill to see me today and finally contemplating whether to chew the vines or not ;) (I posted more photos to Facebook HERE if you'd love to see more ;)

Cherry’s character is very much laced with the cheeky trickster energy, from his “surprise” entrance into the world, to his love of throwing his food all over the floor, to his delight in getting into areas of the garden we’d prefer him to not be, to his constant curiosity about the dogs and daily niggling of the older horses, playing with their tails and manes, trying to provoke them into playing with him – he is a total delight, such a HUGE loving heart, gentle eyes, cheeky horse-anality and always ready for a bum massage... ;)

We give blessings and major gratitude today for the gift of this beautiful little being in our lives –

Happy Birthday, dear Cherry Star :)

on October the 5^th I appreciated:

1 quart water

3 cups watermelon/orange juice

8 granadillas

2 cups pretty intense greeeeeen juice from the garden

water of a young coconut

plate of yummmmmmers raw food goodies at raw potluck, followed by a carob yumball

big mug of herbal tea

chunk of Mr. M's amazing Pili Nut "Chocolate" :)

2 cups coconut water blended with Vitamin C

1 cup water

WOW, I had such fun playing with Google Earth yesterday…have you used it recently…? It had been a while since I’d plugged into it and I got re-inspired after hearing friends talking about using it to “fly to a bazaar in India”, visit their homes and more… So I downloaded the latest version yesterday and Mr. Monarch and I went on a really fun little trip around the globe to some places of significance for us… 

It was AMAZING to be able to show Mr. M exactly where I grew up, without taking a huge trip to England here in this physical reality… ;) Have you used the “street view” function on there…? Unbelievable…with this function I can literally “stand” outside the house I grew up in, turn around 360degrees to see how the whole neighbourhood looks these days, “walk” up the street to the shops I used to go to daily as a child and the pub I used to drink in as a teenager… Really amazing technology…thanks for the entertainment and memory-nurturing, Google ;) 

You can get the latest version of Google Earth from HERE if you’d love to play too... :)

on October the 6^th I loved:

1 quart water

8 granadillas

2 cups greeeeen juice from the garden

water of a young coconut

bowl of cucumber salad with sauerkraut/nori sheets/Sea Clear/lecithin/tahini on the side, followed by a sliced apple

big mug of herbal tea, big chunk of Mr. M’s amazing Pili Nut “Chocolate”

water of a young coconut

 1 cup water

on October the 7^th I was blessed with:

1 quart water

1 quart coconut water blended with Camu powder and Royal Jelly Powder

2 cups greeeeeen juice straight from the garden

bowl of cucumber salad with sauerkraut/nori sheets/Sea Clear/lecithin/tahini on the side, followed by a sliced apple

2 cups water

water of a young coconut

big mug of herbal tea, big chunk of Mr. M’s amazing Pili Nut “Chocolate”

2 cups water

Ooooooooo, one winner is going to be in for an out-raw-geous treat this month...we are blessed and blissed to be able to offer y'all a giveaway gift pack containing ALL FIVE sublime flavours of the supreme Rawtella spreads: Original, Mint, Crunch, Coffee and Silk - wow :)

If you've never tried the Rawtella spreads, they are the stone-ground, raw version of the popular commercial food "Nutella" - the raw versions are handmade with highest quality raw chocolate, hazelnuts, coconut crystals and other yummy ingredients - you can check out all the deets HERE.

To be in with a ch@nce of winning this delicious and generous gift pack, just send in your A to the following Q, to rawreformcontests@gmail.com:

"Which other old favourite commercial chocolate treat would you love to see replicated in a raw version and why...?"


Get your entries in by October the 21st 2011 to be in with a ch@nce of receiving this yummy selection  - the winner shall be chosen at random and with great j0y shortly thereafter...
In the meantime, if you'd love to order some yummmmers Rawtella for your own delight, you can do so HERE - enjoy :)

 
All love and splashes of serene joy, 
A. Stokes-Monaaaaaaaaaaaaaarch. xxx

Is Your Body Care Routine Nourishing or Destroying You...?

We were blessed with another *wonderful* interv!ew last week with the uber-delicious Nadine Artemis of Living Libations, over at http://www.TheRawFoodWorldRadioShow.com - we discussed Nadine's passion for truly natural, nourishing body care, the role of essential oils, damaging effects of mainstream chemical body care products, sunscreen alternatives and much more - you can check out the free playback HERE until Friday, June the 17th  - enjoy :)
 
Here is our upcoming radi0 show line-up for the next few weeks, please note, we've had some reshuffling of events for the coming weeks:

  
RESCHEDULED: Shazzie - June 16th, 6pm Eastern - "Living in Ecstatic Bliss"
Krishna McKenzie - June 23rd, 6pm Eastern - "Sustainable Farming/Permaculture in India"

***New line-up coming soon - it's in the works ;)***

To get the call-in details for any of these LIVE freeee talks, just vis!t http://www.TheRawFoodWorldRadioShow.com - enjoy :) 
 

on June the 10th I was joyed with:

1 quart water
1.5 cups mandarin/passionfruit juice
2 cups coconut water with Elixir of the Lake
chunk of fresh pineapple
bowl of YUMMMERRRSSSSS raw "pasta": mixture of spiralised courgette (zucchini) and Sea Spaghetti with a sauce made from sunflower seeds, lemon cucumber, lime juice, Franky G's Curry blend, sea salt and a little coconut water, followed by a Lucuma Cookie Bite
mug of herbal tea
handful of curry coconut chips


Last month's RawReform giveaway prize was a fabulous set of "Body Care" goodies from the delightful Annmarie Gianni, including  a bottle of her Coconut Body Oil product, along with her all-new Rosemary-Peppermint Body Wash - yummmmy ;)
In order to be in with a chance of bagging these beauty essentials, we asked you to send in YOUR A to the following Q:
"What is the best acronym you can share with us for Annmarie's name (e.g. Amazing New Notion Manifests Awe-inspiring Resplendent Items Effortlessly... ;)"
As usual, you dazzled us with your wonderful responses, all of which we have sent over to the lovely Annmarie for her delectation... ;) A winner was chosen at random and with much joy today and we are delighted to announce that Christina Gustafson is the blessed winner this time around :) Here is the mini-poem Christina sent in:
Annmarie's Natural Nourishment Made Abundantly Rich In Enzymes

THANKS for sharing your creative flow, Christina - your goodies are on the way to you now :) ...and if YOU weren't the fortunate winner this time around, you can still pick up some of Annmarie's luscious products for yourself HERE - enjoy :))


on June the 11th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
3 cups watermelon/mandarin juice
2 cups greeeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
yummmmmmers "potluck" meal with friends - fresh berries, salad, raw "pasta", chai pecans :)
mug of herbal tea
water of two young coconuts


on June the 12th I appreciated:

1 quart water
1 cup mandarin/passionfruit juice
2 cups coconut water blended with Elixir of the Lake
2 tbsp spirulina crunchies
½ tsp powdered Marine Phytoplankton
1tbsp powdered reishi mushroom
bowl of yummmmmmmers energy soup straight from the garden, with flax crackers and sauerkraut on the side, followed by a little hand-stirred yumpot of fresh almond butter, carob powder, stevia, orange oil = YUMMM :)
mug of herbal tea
2 cups coconut water


Our dear raw si*star* Theresa over at the Ulimana Raw Chocolate company is soon launching two brand new products this month: Medicinal Mushroom-Infused Raw Chocolate Truffles ;O Theresa is always at the cutting-edge in terms of experimenting with new products to improve her recipes and products, so when she heard about Debbie Kleven's outstanding new Powdered Medicinal Mushroom products, she jumped in to experiment with using these powerful, potent superfoods in her truffles...the result is a richly royal Reishi Truffle blend and a supersonic 8-Blend Mushroom Truffle - wow :)
Theresa would LOVE to celebrate the launch of these new goodies with a giveaway for y'all...and has very generously offered FOUR sets of prizes, all containing one each of these new medicinal mushroom truffle packs.
To be in with a chance of sinking your gnashers into these delectable delights, just send in your A to the following Q:

"What has been your most heart-opening experience with raw chocolate...?"

Send your answers in by July the 8th to rawreformcontests@gmail.com and FOUR blessed winners shall be picked shortly thereafter at random and with sincere delight :)
In the meantime, if you'd love to indulge in some Ulimana goodness before then, you can order some delectable edibles of your own from Theresa and her crew HERE - enjoy ;)



All love and reverberations of simplicity,
A. Stokes-Monarch. xxx

Women's International Summit for Health Starts Soon :)

Reminder: the second Women's International Summit for Health (WISH) is due to start very soon, on March the 8th, offering an ext*raw*dinary *40* days and nights of FREE insightful interviews with such luminary lovelies as:

Mike Adams, John Robbins, Byron Katie, Marianne Williamson,
Maya Angelou, Brian Johnson, Donna Gates, Colin Campbell,
Joel Fuhrman, Nadine Artemis and many more...

...and covering topics such as: relationships, health, attitude, wisdom, food, fitness, abundance, beauty and more, this summit is set to share a stellar line up of content... To get signed up for this FREE summit, just click over HERE and enjoy :)

On March the 3rd I was delighted with:

1 quart water
3 cups watermelon/orange juice
1 quart greeeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
3 fresh figs from the garden and a few yummy little berries, a dragon fruit
shared cucumber salad with Mr. M; salad stuffed into nori sheets with Sea Clear and a spicy pumpkin dip, followed by a little chunk of raw pecan "fudge"
mug of horchata tea
water of two young coconuts


on March the 4th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
cup of orange juice
1 quart greeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
a yummers dragonfruit
water of a young coconut
shared cucumber salad with Mr. M; salad stuffed into nori sheets with Sea Clear and a spicy pumpkin dip, followed by a little chunk of raw pecan "fudge"
2 mugs of horchata tea

A little reminder for those of you in The Raw Food World Benefits Programme - 'we're into the last few days right now to enter the current giveaway contest to win a copy of "The Abounding River" board game from Cafe Gratitude, along with a goodie pack of their cookies and granola - yummmmmm ;) If you're in the Benefits Programme, just visit the "Contests and Giveaways" section and send in your entry by March the 11th to win this beautiful gift selection from Cafe Gratitude...and if you're *not* yet a member of the Benefits Programme, you can join up HERE - enjoy ;)


on March the 5th I loved:

1 quart water
3 cups watermelon/orange juice
a dragon fruit and a mango
a bountiful shared fruit buffet with wonderful friends at a healing retreat: bananas, strawberries, mango, pineapple etc with a few walnuts
piece of raw "bread" with avocado, Sea Clear, fresh garlic-almond butter and sauerkraut, followed by a chunk of raw pecan "fudge"
2 mugs reishi/shilajit/ormus tea
water of a young coconut


on March the 6th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
juice of two oranges
water of a young coconut
1 quart greeeeeeeen juice mixed with pineapple juice
lovely raw meal shrared with friends; beetroot salad, raw pizza, strawberry-almond milk, amazing pear-almond cake - wow :)
mug of herbal tea
mug of horchata tea
water of a young coconut

OoOoooooo, our inspiring raw friends Aviva and Josef are offering a wonderful retreat in June at the beautiful Ronora Lodge in Michigan - one of our favourite places to stay in the USA...a dynamite combination :)
Aviva and Josef are offering this "Highest Good Retreat" from June 9th to 12th and it includes yoga, meditation, raw foods, ceremonies, talks, sound healing, live music, gratitude and intention circles and much more - *beautiful*.
If I was in the USA I'd be very drawn to be present at this healing retreat - I'm sure it's going to feel very nourishing, joyful, grounding and inspiring - if you make it along to this event, let us know how it flows for you - check out the details at http://highestgoodretreats.com and enjoy :)

All love and bliss-blossoms of joy,
A.C.S-M. xxx

Blendtec Blender Contest - Hilarious Winner Announced :)

OoOOoooo lala, we had SUCH an impressive response to last month's RawReform Giveaway Contest to win a Blendtec Blender. THANK YOU so much to all of you who sent in your video entries...
We asked you to send in a video of no longer than 3 minutes, telling us why you want to win a Blendtec aaaaaaaand getting us gigglin' at the same time ;) We had some hilarious video entries and in this video below you can check out some of the submissions PLUS, see the outrageous WINNING entry...I literally cry with laughter every time I see this winning video - I hope you all enjoy it too :)

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

You can check out the original of that winning entry HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utRo1c1OU9k - I recommend reading the words in the side bar on the right while you watch it, to help make more sense of it - I LOVE it ;)

...aaaaaaaaaaand...we had SO much fun with this contest that we decided to do it all over again :)
This time, please send in your most creative and amusing video entry of no more than 3 minutes in length, telling us why YOU would love to receive a shiny new Blend-Tec :) You can send your entries in to angela@rawreform.com (we recommend you upload your video to YouTube and send us the link) before December the 1st, to be in with a chance of winning...

THANKS again to all of you who sent in your videos and we look forward to seeing the next round of submissions :)

on November the 8th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
30 chlorella 'nuts'
2 cups greeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, lemon, ginger
mixed raw salad selection from the deli at Greenlife store in Asheville, followed by a handful of grawnola
1 quart water
20 chlorella nuts
2 persimmons, samples of kamut and goji berry powders
mug of chaga tea
3 cups water

If you're in the LA area this weekend and would love to learn some yummy Holiday Raw Recipes, Ms. 'Foxy' Laura Fox has some treats in store for you ;)
Join the lovely Foxy to learn how to make Brazil Nut "Turkless" Turkey, Olive-Pine Nut Gravy, Sweet Potato Casserole, Fresh Cranberry Relish, Smashed Notatos, Raw Stuffing Balls and Raw Apple Pie with Whipped Kream - WOH ;O - sounds to me like a fabulous gourmet raw foodie solution to raw holiday tension... ;)
The class is this Saturday, November 14th, from noon to 3:30pm in Marina del Rey. To book your space, you can email laura@visionaryculture.com or go to the EVENTS page at www.VisionaryCulture.com - enjoy :)

on November the 9th I loved:

1 quart water
mug of chaga tea
2 cups greeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, spinach, parsley, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lemon
bowl of energy soup with yummmmmy cumin crackers, followed by a little apple cobbler with cashew cream – yummmm :)
3 cups water
an apple, a persimmon and a pomegranate – YUMMM :)
2 cups water

...and if you're in the UK and looking for 'gourmet' raw treats on the hop, check out the gorgeous new line from the yumsters at GourmetRaw.com - they've just launched a beautiful range of raw brownies and 'flackers' (i.e. flax crackers, LOVE the name ;) which are set to get stocked up soon on health food shop shelves all over the UK...
I am excited to see this, as I've long felt there was a gap in the market in the UK for SAVOURY raw items to 'grab and go' at health stores - it seems like there's tonnes of raw chocolates there and not much savoury stuff, so...HURRAY for this new line ;)
You can check out the products at GourmetRaw.com and you can also suggest a health food store where you would love to get these new gems, HERE.

All blissings,
Angela Stokes-Monarch, MA. xxx

Your OWN Certified Organic Garden :)

OOooooooo, there's a very exciting new MLM company on the scene that I think y'all might be interested in, as it's all about growing fresh, certified organic foods :) (I'm not usually excited by MLM companies, just as I imagine many of you aren't either - this one seems genuinely very cool though...) The company is called "Organic Acres" and is truly a unique model for sustainable agriculture and business.
The idea is that wherever you live in the USA, you can have your own organic garden plot with them, where you get to choose what is grown and they manage the whole plot for you, even providing 24-hour camera surveillance and you get all the food grown on your plot delivered to you on demand, as you want it...wow...interesting methinks ;)
Now of course the IDEAL from my perspective would be for everyone to be growing/gathering food right where they live, however, for many people (especially in the big cities), that is not yet part of their reality, so if they're going to be getting foods from elsewhere anyway, it seems preferable to be getting certified organic foods from their own garden, from crops they've chosen themselves, non? ;)
The way this company has been set up actually makes it possible for people to pretty much end up getting all their fresh food for *free*, through introducing others to Organic Acres...and even if that isn't something you'd be excited to do, you still get so many benefits, for example, while you pay a $100 monthly maintenance fee for a full garden to be tended, you get BACK in return not only all the produce from your garden but also a $100 debit card to use in the Organic Acres online "General Store" that has many dried/packaged products, just like our store. You can also sell any excess fresh produce from your land in the community online "Farmer's Market"...

Organic Acres is so new that it hasn't even actually launched yet – it is about to go live in 1–2 months probably, so now is a GREAT time to get involved in this revolutionary food production business, if you're interested...and in fact the first 2000 people to join up now (for free) actually become part–owners of the company, receiving 2% of any company profits in the years to come...I think this is a really exciting opportunity for people interested both in green businesses PLUS getting top quality certified organic fresh produce delivered straight to your door from your own plot – love it :) You can sign up HERE to learn more and secure your place as one of the pioneers of this blossoming business...enjoy ;)

on October the 30th I loved:

1 quart water
1.5 cups goji juice blended with camu powder
2 cups greeeen juice: celery, cucumber, parley, spinach, lemon, ginger
bowl of energy soup with AMAZING fermented seed cheese crackers from a friend in Asheville – WOW ;) Followed by a hand–mixed yumpot of lucuma/mesquite/cinnamon/maca powders with pine nut butter, orange essential oil and water
3 cups spring water fresh from the Earth ;)
3 cups goji juice blended with Marine Phytoplankton, Merlin's Elixir and Etherium Products
2 cups water

OooOoooo, yesterday I got to play on the phone with one of my favourite Earth goddesses, Ms. Alexandra Jaye from MyGoddessLife.com :) She interviewed me about the emotional connection with food, reconnecting to nature, handling cravings and lots of other fun visionary explorations...you can check out that interview HERE – it's about an hour long...ENJOY...

on October the 31st I was blissed with:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, parley, spinach, lemon, ginger
bowl of energy soup with amazing fermented cracker samples, followed by samples of fermented GRAWNOLAS – wow, there's some wonderful goodies coming to Asheville sometime soon ;)
3 cups water
2 cups goji juice blended with Marine Phytoplankton, Merlin's Elixir and Etherium Products
an apple and a YUMMY raw 'peanut butter and jelly sandwich' at a raw–friendly Halloween party
2 cups water


on November the 1st I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2 cups goji juice blended with camu powder
2 cups greeeen juice: celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, fennel, asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime
bowl of energy soup with amazing fermented cracker samples, followed by samples of fermented GRAWNOLAS
mug of spicy tea
3 cups water
mug of blended green mush: green powder, irish moss, an apple, tahini and water blended together – yum :)
3 cups water

Eeeeeeeek, so many of you have been writing in to ask what is happening with Mr. M's blogs/The Raw Food World TV Shows...Mr. M's blog was taken down a few days ago by Blogger temporarily while they 'check it for spam'... ;) (This happened to me once before too, while I was Juice Feasting - my site was down for abt a week ;( We'll see how long it takes them to get his site back up...)
In the meantime he's still posting videos daily to http://www.YouTube.com/TheRawFoodWorld, so you can catch up on any you may have missed these last few days, including us talking about the upcoming Raw Food Festie in Vilcabamba, Ecuador in May 2010, our New Year's Retreat at The Tree of Life in AZ, spring water detox aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, very excitingly, a... 

ONE WEEK EXTENSION to the deadline for the Blendtec Blender Giveaway...

...as we realised we hadn't told the TV viewers about it ;) So, y'all now have until midnight Pacific time on Sunday November 8th to send in your entries for the blender giveaway – all the details for that giveaway are in this post HERE if you wanna read up on it...

To your divine YUMMINESS ;) Enjoy that full moooooon...

All blessings,
Ms. Stokes–Monarch. xxx

Join Us For New Year's Eve :)

Would YOU love to spend New Year's Eve with myself and the Monarch, in delightful company with a whole tribe of raw foodies, down at the Tree of Life in warm wintery Arizona? Mmmmmm, if that sounds yummy to you, then I'm blissed to say that we have a 10 day "Renew Yourself" raw rejuvenation retreat lined up for you to come and play at... The retreat is from Dec 27th to Jan 6th and will combine powerful body work with yoga, meditations, delicious raw foods served daily by the Tree of Life kitchen crew and of course, talks with us. Here's a list of some of the activities on offer:

* 5-6x/week yoga classes

* 4x/week food prep classes, on subjects such as breakfasts, savory foods, sauerkraut, and raw 'breads'

* 1x/week sprouting class - wheatgrass, alfalfa, sunflower, buckwheat, mung beans and many other kinds of sprouts

* 4x/week Nutritional Q&A sessions with Dr. Dan Engle, Medical Doctor and Psychiatrist

* 1x/week Qi Gong class

* 7x/week Evening programs/Meditations

* Access to unlimited wheatgrass, non-chlorinated pool, infrared saunas, non-chlorinated hot tubs, the world's largest Chartres labyrinth, sundecks, and nature trails

* Native American medicine wheel, teepee

* New Year's Native American Inipi (Ceremonial Lodge)

* New Year's Day Celebration Party

The arrival date is Dec 27th and the phone number to make reservations is: 866.394.2520 x215 or via email: tolrep2@treeoflife.nu

Included in the retreat fee of $2,890 is lodging (shared double room) at the renowned Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center, an abundance of 100% organic plant-based meals, 5 kundalini-enhancing, intensive "Renew Yourself" body–work sessions with Dr. George Cromack...and all the activities listed above...

We are very excited to bring in the New Year this way, with raw family :) We're especially looking forward to the Inipi (ceremonial lodge) on New Year's Eve, which we intend to all emerge from at exactly midnight... Then we're going to have a New Year's Day party on January the first, with music and delicious food, where we'll enjoy an intention circle and collectively set the course for a totally flowing, synchronous, divinely healthy 2010 ;)
We hope that you'll join us for this AMAZING, powerful, life–shifting retreat...

on October the 27th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
2 cups veggie juice: celery, fennel, spinach, carrot, ginger
2 Tbsp bee pollen, 2 Tbsp spirulina crunchies, an apple
bowl of energy soup with sauerkraut and spicy sunflower seeds, followed by a YUMMY slice of raw blueberry cheesecake :)
3 cups water
2 cups goji juice with marine phytoplankton, Merlin's Elixir and Etherium Gold
an apple with ½ a bag of Noniland Coconut Crisps and an apple–oat cookie
3 cups water

I've been doing a lot of 'mindless' work for the last week on the computer (repetitive stuff that doesn't require much of my actual attention) and when I'm doing tasks like this, I LOVE to listen to inspiring information. As a result I've been tuning into Raw Vegan Radio and also Raw Inspirations Radio – love them :) Both of these shows provide masses of free interviews with fascinating people in the raw foods movement and beyond – I'd recommend tuning in for some inspiration if you don't already and big KUDOS to Steve and Laura for providing these great services... :) What do YOU like to listen to at times like these? Any recommendations...?


on October the 28th I loved:

1 quart water
3 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, lemon, ginger
big bowl of chia–pomegranate pudding with a couple of fresh figs and tahini on the side
3 cups water
2 Tbsp spirulina crunchies and bee pollen
two small apples with a big handful of spicy sunflower seeds
3 cups water


on October the 29th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2 cups goji juice with Marine Phytoplankton, Merlin's Elixir, Etherium Products
2 small apples with spirulina crunchies and bee pollen
bowl of energy soup with spicy sunflower seeds on the side, followed by a hand–mixed yumpot of lucuma/mesquite/maca/cinnamon powders with a little pine nut butter and water
3 cups water
2 cups goji juice with Marine Phytoplankton, Merlin's Elixir, Etherium Products
bowl of grawnola with fresh apple and macadamia milk ;)
2 cups water

The video entries are pouring in for the current RawReform Giveaway Contest to WIN a Blendtec Blender (worth $399) – thank you all SO much for your very amusing, creative flow and sharing...the closing date for this contest is Nov 1st (this SUNDAY) and here is a little reminder of the deets again for those of you who'd still love to enter:

How do you get in on this free piece of mechanical magic for your kitchen? Well, get us giggling and you could be on to a winner ;)

To be in with a chance of winning the spangly new machine, we'd love for you to send in to us a video of no more than 3 minutes in length, explaining WHY you'd love to win the Blendtec blender, what you currently use as a blender (if anything) AND...we wanna giggle too - whoever gets us laughing the most (whether from your stage presence, hilarious costuming, witty anecdotes, charming interaction, stand-up comedy routine or whatever it is...) will win the blender...
Oooooooo, how exciting - we very much look forward to enjoying your submissions :)
You have until November the 1st to get your entries in. We suggest the easiest way to send the videos to us is to upload your entry to YouTube (or another online video hub such as Google Vids or whichever you like ;), then send us the link to the video, to angela@rawreform.com. You can set your video to 'private' if you don't want 'the general public' to see your video quite yet...;) If you would like to send us a video in any other way, you can contact us on that same email address to arrange that - please DO NOT email us massive video files however ;)
Thanks...and ENJOY :)))

All lovings and shimmy-ings,
Ms. Stokes-Monaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarch. xxx

Climate Change and Food Production...

Did you know that today is Blog Action Day, worldwide? One day a year, bloggers everywhere unite to address a certain topic and this year is: Climate Change.
Hmmmmmm, Climate Change...what would the Stokes–Monarch mind like to share about that I wonder...? Let's see…well, one thing that struck me deeply recently was the wonderful dad of the Dervaes 'Urban Homesteading' family over in Pasadena, CA speaking about food growing patterns in recent years.
In an interview, Jules Dervaes, who has been growing food all around his home for many years, noted that he always used to feel clear and confident about how to direct gardening newbies with growing their own foods. In the last few years however, things have changed so dramatically in his area with the climate and seasons that there is seemingly no longer any pattern to follow...it has all gone more than a little random...he said he has tried planting tomatoes out FIVE times in the last 12 months and none of the crops have yielded much harvest...
This really struck me, as it illustrated for me at a very simple, hands–on, practical level the result that climate change is having...and as someone who is very keen to learn more about growing food and to get my hands in the soil on our land down in Ecuador sometime in the next year, all being well, I am VERY interested to know how climate changes may be directly affecting food yields...
So, aside from eating raw (and hence potentially producing a lot less waste, plus a smaller footprint if you're eating lots of local, organic, wild foods), what ELSE might help curb Climate Change? HERE is a wonderful list of 10 solutions for Climate Change from Scientific American – ENJOY ;)
Here's to Mama Earth...WE LOVE YOU :)))

on October the 13th I loved:

1 quart water
3 cups goji juice blended with camu powder
3 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, zucchini, endive, fennel, spinach, romaine, ginger, lemon
bowl of energy soup with flax crackers on the side, followed by some of the Goji Yum Balls and a mug of hazelnut tea – YUMMMMM ;)
3 cups water
1 quart water

Mmmmm, would you LOVE another opportunity to win my book 'Raw Emotions'? If so, you might enjoy hopping over to Nwenna Kai's blog HERE where you can read a recent interview I did with the lovely Ms. Kai AND get in on the opportunity to win a free copy of my book at the same time ;) The giveaway closes next Monday, the 19th – so get in there quick if you'd like to be onboard...

ENJOY :)


on October the 14th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
3 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, endive, romaine, spinach
bowl of energy soup with spiced pumpkin and sunflower seeds on the side, followed by a little 'yumpot' of lucuma/mesquite/maca/cinammon powders hand whipped up with a little almond butter, vanilla and water – YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ;)
mug of hazelnut tea
3 cups water
2 cups greeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, endive, romaine, spinach
2 Tbsp bee pollen
2 cups goji juice with Etherium products, Marine Phytoplanton, Merlin's Elixir
3 cups water

…and while we're on the subject of interviews and offers, be sure to tune in tonight to Mr. Monarch's LIVE call with Gabriel Cousens, M.D., for The Raw Food World Radio Show. The call is FREE, LIVE and starts at 7pm Pacific time, 10pm Eastern time...you can sign up to participate HERE if you're not already onboard...they will be discussing spiritual aspects of nutrition, candida solutions, energy, meditation and much more...plus expect the usually special offers abounding ;) Remember, there is only room on the call for 1000 people, so get in there quick if you'd love to participate ;) We'll connect with you sooooooooooon...

All love and gratitude,
Angela. xxx

Tooth Issues and Raw Food...

Lately we seem to have had a rush of Qs about teeth issues with a raw lifestyle. I thought it might be useful therefore to post here some info on this topic – here we go:

Many raw foodists seem to develop issues with their teeth. I recommend using natural toothpaste that does not contain glycerin, such as the 'Tooth Soap' products. Glycerin coats the teeth, meaning calcium and other beneficial ions cannot easily reach the enamel to help it regenerate. Teeth can regenerate, like all bones in the body, if given the chance. Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide is a great alternative choice for keeping the mouth clean. (Use only in a 3% solution. Add a drop or two of this solution to your toothbrush before brushing.) Eating mineral-rich black rock salt from India/Pakistan has been reported to strengthen and support tooth health as well. Most importantly, floss and brush your teeth daily, rinse your mouth out with water after eating/drinking anything sweet/acidic and...smile :)

Other than that, getting PLENTY of green leafy vegetables and mineral–dense foods into the body is KEY for getting lots of calcium into your system that can be used effectively by the body...plus sesame seeds/tahini/figs are great for calcium...we also now have the Raw Calcium/Grow Bone products from Garden of Life, if you want to supplement that way...
We also have some GREAT books on dental care on our site HERE.

I hope that helps :)

on October the 8th I loved:

1 quart water
3 cups goji juice blended with camu powder and Merlin's Elixir
bowl of chia pudding: chia soaked in blended apples with maca, lucuma, cinnamon and incan berries = YUMMMMM ;)
1 quart water
2 cups goji juice with Marine Phytoplankton
handful of spirulina cruchies and bee pollen
2 cup water

THANK YOOUUUUU to all of you who sent in your applications for the jobs at The Raw Food World warehouse in Ojai – these positions have now been FILLED. We are delighted to welcome two happy shiny new beings to the team – they will be filling your orders with pleasure and love in the coming months (see if you can feel their love vibes when you receive your packages... ;)
Enjoy...

on October the 9th I adored:

1 quart water
1.5 cups mixed juice, 2 Tbsp bee pollen/spirulina crunchies
shot of wheatgrass, 2 cups greeeeeeeeen juice
2 AMAZING persimmons
bowl of energy soup with flax crackers, followed by a yumpot of almond butter mixed with lucuma and maca, with some dehydrated banana chips on the side – YUMMMMM :)
1 quart water

Would you love to win a pack of ALL the ebooks by myself and Mr. M? If so, you might wanna hop on over to the Raw Epicurean site, where the lovely Ingrid has just posted an interview with me and a giveaway of the complete package of our ebooks – FUN :) You can check it out HERE...ENJOY… ;)


All blessings and abundant delights,
Ms. Sto–Mo. xxx

WIN Sarma's New Book :)

Ooooooo, here's an exciting opportunity to show your support for what Mr. M and I are up to, if you'd love to take part – big 'alternative' news website The Huffington Post is looking for nominations for 100 top people/sites moving and shaking things up on the web and helping to catalyse shifts in the world, through new media. There is a 'health' category and we would naturally be delighted if you feel moved to nominate there the work that we are doing through TheRawFoodWorld.tv videos, this blog, our newsletters, websites, books or whatever else speaks to you – lol ;) You can post a nomination by visiting HERE, creating a username if you don't have one and leaving a comment. THANK YOU in advance if you are willing/able to play the game – we appreciate you :)

on August the 15th I had:

1 quart water
1 quart organic watermelon juice
2 cups greeeeeeeeen juice – celery, cucumber, fennel, parsley, zucchini, ginger, lime
summer fruit medley of blueberries, peaches, figs and cherries with almond butter :)
3 cups water
2 cups goji juice with Marine Phytoplankton
2 cups coconut water with Greener Grasses and Merlin's Elixir
2 cups water

Are you READY ladies and gentlemen, for the next RawReform Giveaway Contest...? After the swamp monster green mouth pics from last month's chlorella giveaway, I thought maybe we'd get all classy on you this month with a giveaway of the beautiful new recipe book from gorgeous raw goddess Sarma MeIngailis of Pure Food and Wine in NYC.
Sarma's new book 'Living Raw Food' just came out recently and is a welcome follow–up to the classic 'Raw Food Real World' book she published previously with chef Matthew Kenney, which we see in probably the majority of raw food houses we visit ;) Well, this stunning new book is set to surely become a raw recipe treasure–trove favourite too and we are very blessed that Sarma is generously offering a personally signed copy of this new book PLUS a oneluckyduck tote bag to whichever lucky duck is picked as the winner of this month's giveaway contest :) Read on below for the contest details...


on August the 16th my grandma Lily would have been 103 and I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2 cups coconut water with green powder and Merlin's Elixir
double wheatgrass shot (actually I felt nauseous after this ;)
peaches, cherries and figs with almond butter, with a gorgeous little pot of peachy pudding from the delightful Meredith of TheRawSeed.com
1 quart water
2 cups greeeen juice from Meredith
an outrageously delicious raw soft shell taco from TheRawSeed.com – WOW – probably the best food of this kind I've EVER had :)
3 cups water

SO, if you would love to be in with a chance of winning Sarma's beautiful book+bag, here's the game this month:

We want to see your BEST acrostic poem about Sarma and her yumminess :) Here's an example:

Simply
Astounding
Raw
Magic
Abounding

or here's another one:

Sassy
And
Raw–markable
Made
Accessible

You might use the words 'Sarma' 'Sarma MeIngailis', 'Pure Food and Wine', One Lucky Duck', 'Living Raw Food' or anything along these lines that speaks to you ;) You can also of course make each line longer than one word if you'd love to – let your inner poet loose ;) Send your poems in to angela@rawreform.com and the winner will be picked in the beginning of September with joy and jubilation.

All love,
Angela Stokes–Monarch. xxx

How Much do YOU Chew...?

We were out walking in nature recently and I was struck by the realisation that so many of the plants we were walking past are most likely fantastic food for humans, yet we don't even recognise them as such because we've never had any modelling for eating that way...we can of course take cautious, intuitive and/or educated 'guesses' at what might work for us as food – it just struck me as very odd in comparison to other creatures that we have very little idea what suits us as food out there...I imagine that butterflies, grasshoppers or otters are seldom found scratching their heads in the wild, wondering what to eat – they just seem to know or get natural modelling of what to consume, from their wild kin...whereas most humans in western societies seem to get modelling of how to go to a supermarket and buy cans/boxes/plastic packages...most of us humans are chronically disconnected from nature and this little observation of my own disconnection from what I could potentially eat out in the forest/meadows really underscored this for me...more foraging for the Stokes–Monarch, please ;)

on July the 23rd I loved:

1 quart water
1.5 cups goji water with Marine Phytoplankton
2 cups greeeen juice: celery, cucumber, spinach, carrot tops, ginger, lemon
big bowl of blueberries with almond butter
3 cups water
2 cups water with marine phytoplankton, 25 chlorella 'nuts'
fresh fruits: plum, few cherries/grapes, blueberries with tahini
3 cups water

While we're on the subject of the contrasts between wild animals and most humans, I got a very interesting little link in my inbox yesterday all about chewing...now, those of you who have heard me give a talk will know that I often speak about the importance of chewing our food very thoroughly as a key to vibrant health and that most people seem to not chew very much at all (more like inhale ;)...
Well, it seems one researcher, Richard Wrangham, went off to closely study our friends the chimps in Tanzania and imitate their lifestyle and one of the main contrasts he noted was the LARGE amount of time apes pass daily chewing their food. In the article it states that the average person in 'civilised' western societies chews food for around 36 minutes a day or 5% of their time, whereas to match the chimps' chew rate, we'd be chewing more like 42% of our time, or around 5 hours a day... ;O WOW...
Chewing raw food really thoroughly is KEY for accessing the nutrients and assimilating better...you can read all about the 'power' of raw food and the importance of chewing in the classic old raw food text 'Raw Food and Health' by Dr. St Louis Estes...
I think this is smthg that is overlooked repeatedly by all people, raw foodies or not – and it seems it is especially key for those of us who choose to eat raw, so this is one reason why I speak about it so often... ;)
Now, Mr. Wrangham seems to not at all be in favour of eating raw, which is of course his own bag'o'beans to rattle – I do like the chewing stats shared in that article though, so that's why I wanted to share this and I hope it gives you smthg to 'chew' on... ;)


on July the 24th I was blessed to enjoy:

1 quart water
pot of pineapple chunks
romaine wraps stuffed with avocado, dulse, tomato, mixed sprouts, sauerkraut, kim chee
3 cups water
1.5 cups goji water with marine phytoplankton
bowl of blueberries with almond butter
3 cups water


on July the 25th I savoured:

1 quart water
1.5 cups green smoothie from Mr. Tim Van Orden – plum/banana/spinach – yummmmmmm :)
1.5 cups goji water with marine phytoplankton
2 oz wheatgrass juice
1 cup mint/honey water
2 cups water
2 Tbsp bee pollen
2 oz wheatgrass/sunflower greens juice
chunk of AMAZING cultured lemon cheesecake, with fresh blueberries and almond butter
3 cups water
2 curry noriwraps
2 cups water


Un petit reminder, my dears – the current RawReform Giveaway Contest to win a free bag of our yummy chlorella 'nuts' closes on August the 5th...if you'd love to green up your gnashers chewing some chlorophyll–rich greeeeens, then here's a reminder of the contest details:

We're giving away a bag of our SUPER-popular, SUPER-tasty Chlorella 'Nuts' - one of my absolute favourite raw food snacks :) (I usually can't STAND the taste of chlorella, yet these crunchy tasty little tablets of pressed chlorella powder are delicious - to my taste buds at least, lol ;)
Chlorella is a yummy algae with massive amounts of chlorophyll, protein and B vits to share with you...eating it is also a great way to get the classic raw food 'green mouth' look - see evidence to the left.
To be in with a chance of winning a bag of these yummable munchables, we'd love you to send in your best creative raw green mouth picture; yes, get out your spirulina, your blue-green algae, your green smoothies, your wheatgrass or whatever other greeeeeeens you love to green yourself up with and show us your most outstanding green face...here is another favourite from my personal album:


You can send your entries in to rawreform@gmail.com before August the 5th to be in with a chance of winning the chlorella tablets - enjoy ;) The winner will be drawn at random and with a giggle around the start of August. We look forward to seeing your entries...

With love, gratitude and green teeth,
Ms. Sto–Mo. xxx

WIN a Signed Copy of 'Raw Emotions' :)

Yeeeeeeeeee–HAH, in this month’s RawReform Giveaway Contest you can win a copy of my shiny yummy new book 'Raw Emotions', signed with my very own actual hand ;) To be in with a chance of wrapping your digits around a physical copy of this love tome, please email in your answer to the following Q:

What is your TOP suggestion for handling food cravings?

Send your answer to 'angela@rawreform.com' and the winner shall be picked at random and with startling efficiency around the beginning of June...

There have already been masses of amazing contest entries coming in from my newsletter announcement – thanks :) If you’re not signed up for my main newsletter, you can do that HERE and be the first to know about contests like this...

on May the 11th I had:

1 quart water
3 cups veggie juice: spinach, romaine, fennel, carrot
3 romaine wraps stuffed with avo/dulse/tomato/sprouts etc, followed by a little persimmon ice cream
3 cups water
double shot of E3 Live
fresh cherries with chia–maca pudding (chia mixed with maca powder and water)
2 cups water

…and if you’re on my newsletter list, you’ll also already know abt Mr. M’s outstanding ‘At Cost’ and ‘Below Cost’ offers for this month :) I thought I’d share them here too in case anyone missed them, so here we go:

‘At Cost’
*Coconut Butter
*Cacao Bliss
*Lucuma Powder (YUMMMMMMMMMM)
*Brazil Nuts

‘Below Cost’
*Dried Durian
*Nutiva’s Hemp Protein Enviro Pack, 30oz

A message from Mr. M:
To access these offers, click the link below, or type - wddg - in the search field at the top right hand corner of www.TheRawFoodWorld.com.

Additionally, you can redeem this coupon at www.TheRawFoodWorld.com by typing in - WEDDING - in the coupon number section, to get an additional 7% off your order. This coupon will be good through May 31st 2009 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 12th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups veggie juice: spinach, romaine, fennel, carrot
fresh fruit salad (strawberries, blueberries, cherries, mango, blackberries) with a dollop of chia–maca pudding (chia mixed with maca powder and water)
3 cups water
2 cups veggie juice: spinach, romaine, fennel, carrot
1 tbsp bee pollen
meal at Au Lac restaurant (YUMMMMMMMMMMMM) – shared meal of ‘De La Mamma’, ‘Fried Chicks’, ‘Donut Holes’ and ‘Frozen Strawberry Pie’ – soooooooo GOOD – we love Chef Ito :))))
3 cups water


on May the 13th I had:

1.5 quarts water
2 Tbsp bee pollen
little bowl of chopped apple with chia/maca pudding, soaked in a ‘juice’ made by blending cherimoya/romaine/spinach/alfalfa/water, then passing that mixture through a nut milk bag...yum ;)
3 cups water
40 chlorella ‘nuts’
1 quart veggie juice: spinach, celery, cucumber, parsley, carrot
cup of energy soup and mini pot of spicy salad, followed by a slice of gorgeous raw lemon cheesecake
2 cups water

OoOooo, I’m excited to say that we now have raw ice cream for sale in the Raw Food World store :) I’ve been LOVING raw ice cream lately in the hot weather here and now we’re able to supply it to everyone :) YUMMMMMY :)
There are five delicious flavours: chocolate, vanilla, goji berry, mint–chocolate chip, mango and it is smooooth, creamy and gorgeous. Even non–raw people seem to LOVE it – Matt filmed his brother and other family members doing a taste test of the chocolate ice cream a few days ago and they said it tasted ‘just like the real stuff’ to them ;) Very cool – you can see that video HERE and you can get a goodie pack of 12 pints of ice cream HERE.

ENJOY ;)

All love,
Miss Stokes. xxx