About the time I had my 4th child, I noticed that not only was my backside not bouncing back into shape as easily as it used to, but my body was freaking out over what I ate. I craved sugar and treats like mad! I found out that I was suffering from food allergies caused by a systemic candida infection. I tried lots of different pills and powders, but nothing truly changed for me until I started looking at what I was eating.
Fast forward to my 7th kid, and I found raw foods. What a miracle. It seemed too simple to me after all the $$ and time spent trying to figure out how to beat my illness. The first day I made a soup of veggies in my blender and over the next 6 months proceeded to heal and loose 50 lbs on a diet of Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts and Seeds. Nice.
The hardest part of eating a diet made up of vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, was learning how to cook again. I mean really. The women in my family are born KNOWING how to make a nice roast and a peanut butter pie. Blindfolded. How the heck am I supposed to prepare a main dish out of JUST veggies? No pasta? No dairy? NO GODIVA CHOCOLATES?! Not that Godiva had any place in a main dish, well… at least not in front of company, but you can see where my mind is going with this.
I tackled this by getting loads of new cookbooks and dove in. I then started teaching my friends, and then the community. I love this way of life! My kids love it too. We have had to learn how to balance out and not be freaky about it. (Such as, “OH NO! I consumed a french fry! My whole diet is blown and I need to juice fast for three days!) I have learned that my body does well on a 80% 20% raw to cooked food diet, and in the summer I can hold a 95% raw food diet comfortably. I even get Godiva once in a while.
Bonus? My kids are so much more aware of what they put in their bodies than I ever was at their age. They are healthy and strong. I have loads of energy, and find that I function better on so many levels.
Two years ago, I met a lovely woman and we opened a raw kitchen together. She makes the most WONDERFUL deserts, and I made entrees. I have since moved on to just teaching raw food classes locally and she makes both. www.rawmelissa.com
I think the thing I love the most about making raw foods, is how I feel when I am touching the food. Its alive. It holds it’s energy as it transforms into edible art. Its pure edible love.
I’m now in the process of putting together a raw foods cookbook with my kids and am learning more about essential oils and how to use them in my cooking.
Mmmm… essential oils. Now there’s a whole nutha’ subject that I could go off on.
They are amazing. And then put them in food?? Wowzers. I even make my own chocolate with them.
Mint Chocolate Cups for example… holy smokes. Or fruit dipped in Raw Chocolate Sauce. Yummy. I love being raw. I still eat a few cooked things. I just love food too much. Just admitting that feels almost sinful! Then I laugh at myself for feeling that way, and just feel the love.
Mint Chocolate Cups
1/4 cup nut butter
1/2 cup agave (or to taste)
1/2 cup melted coconut butter
1/2 cup raw ch0colate powder
1-2 drops DoTerra Peppermint essential oil
Blend until smooth and freeze in little paper cups. Eat. Melt into a chocolate bliss goo.
Chocolate Sauce with Fresh Fruit
½ C agave
½ C cocoa powder
Whisk together until smooth and use as a dip for fresh fruits. The best fruits for this are strawberries, pineapples, grapes, kiwi and especially bananas.
Animaniacs-Be Careful What You Eat
www.rawfoods.com for more information, support, and recipes
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