Tweet Meet Down by the Bay

Dea came down the first weekend of August to stay with us and spread out a little. She was renting a tiny apartment in D.C. but wanted to show her Italian family some of beauty of the area. I picked them up at the train station and was able to show them farmland. We picked up produce from my local CSA(community supported agriculture) and then went to a local watermen's restaurant. 

The next day we went to my mom and dad's house for an afternoon of chatting,

swimming, kayaking, and sailing.

The tiny specks out on the water are of us 

and our children paddling or sailing little boats.

Dealivinglotus finally gets to meet Blaq Berry.

My hubs is talking with Alien Implant while Enrico takes pictures of the Chesapeake Bay off in the distance. We had raw treats and sweets to share.

Before the sun began to set, we went off to my friend's farm for a carriage ride. My lifelong friend and best buddy, Susie is always looking for an excuse to hook up the Frank-The-Horse for a little schooling. She loaded up my twitter friends and headed on down the road.

A view from the carriage. Waaay Coool!

Dea is "bonding" with Jane. Keep your fingers away from the teeth!

The long driveway. 

The water in the background leads out to my parent's place around the corner.

Frank poses for a picture before we all say our goodbyes.

The last day was a trip to monuments in D.C. I was chauffeur with Dea as my navigator. I'd drop them off at a monument, circle the block or rest in the shade somewhere. Then they'd hop back in the car for another short trip. It seemed to work out perfectly. The bell tower chimed just as we were standing under it. The American flag billowed out just as we were photographing it. My car stopped right under a rainbow to let them out at the cool new National Harbor... My car wouldn't start again. It was stuck in park, in the middle of a busy street, ontop of a crosswalk. I stopped a passerby and as other drivers honked at the car in their way, I had my photo taken, smiling under a rainbow. What else could I do but laugh about it(I did have a little cry about it, too!) The family from Italy had to take a cab back to their apartment and I got a ride home in a towtruck. Well, almost perfect!

Spirited Away on a Blissful Afternoon

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of going to a raw potluck farm tour at Spirit Bliss Farm. 

The owners, Helen and Jeff Rose, a friendly and down to earth couple who began an online market called Natural Zing nearly 5 years ago.

How Organic Fair Trade describes Natural Zing: 

"Natural Zing, is a company dedicated to feeding the mind, body and spirit. Through two decades of research and consulting with numerous nutritionists and vegetarian specialists they have gathered the best products to develop your natural energy and health, your natural zing. 

In Natural Zing's Market they sell organic food, raw food, vegetarian food and vegan food as well as related chef's tools and personal care products, only the healthiest products for you and the Earth. 

Natural Zing specialize in raw foods, living food, vegan food, organic foods and other products to promote health, including personal care, juicers and kitchen equipment. Their products and resources meet the needs of various dietary and lifestyle choices.

Natural Zing uses 100% recycled paper for its office and printers (e.g. receipts, packing slips, letters and shipping documents). Natural Zing recycles boxes and uses mainly corn based water soluble green packing materials. 

Natural Zing gets its electricity from a 100% Green Bio-Mass generation facility. This is offered via Electric Choice through Pepco Wash DC.

Natural Zing uses a diesel VW which will be converted to bio-diesel, see greasecar.com for more information. They are taking steps to get off the grid in every way we can. 

Natural Zing employees love and prefer to wear hemp clothing, shoes and accesories. They believe in living by example and voting with our dollars. Lift your spirit with hemp."

The picture above is of Helen and Jeff Rose with their one and a half children. I was taking a picture of a piece of purslane and they magically appeared in the background(cute family).

I drove up alone and I wasn't sure I'd recognize anyone there (aside from the owners). But when I first arrived, we all mingled, talked, perused the bookshelves packed with books covering related subjects such as raw vegan food recipes, health & wellness, sustainability, and organic gardening. I met many friendly people; a couple who were going to be camping at a retreat with the Boutenko's in Oregon, some just going raw, and some who were raw for years. I met with an online friend, Sharon from GITMR as well as a friend(Nic) of another friend Jen from Twitter.

Jeff pulled out one of his juicers and I helped him juice up an entire gallon of watermelon juice! We got to talking and the juicer sort of overflowed, but I only spilled a little. The living foods prepared and set out on the tables looked marvelous! In a special bioplastic cup, I sampled lemon grass tea, mint tea, fresh lemonade with agave nectar, a dark musky herbal tea, cabbage rejuvelac, watermelon juice. I should have taken a picture of the main dishes and juice table but I forgot. I did get a few pictures of dessert as well as a few bites of it, too. I know, that wasn't the way to break a juice fast, but I have no guilt. I'm feeling healthier and livelier than I have in years! Life is good.

Jeff gave us a tour of the farm, describing the different plants and growing methods along the way. We saw container gardens, fruit trees & shrubs, greenhouse gardening, and covered crops.

There were fruit trees everywhere. I noticed a ginko in the front yard on my way in, as well as planters at the entrance full of edibles. Jeff said he found a sprouted seed inside his pink lady apple and he planted it. The mulberries were fresh right then and people were eating right from the tree(that's not my arm). There were two baby kiwi trees, one boy and one girl(awwwww). I'm not sure how wild pears taste, but I'll bet I could juice them...

Inside the greenhouse dome, I discovered flats of miniature tomato plants, HUGE dinosaur kale (I always try to call it "elephant kale") and an abundance of greens hanging down, growing up. An efficient use of space, really.

All the desserts looked wonderful, and by the time I pulled out my camera, much of it was gone. In addition to about a gallon of juice, I also ate a bite of raw ice cream, 2 bites of cacao/raspberry(?) pie, and a bite of hemp/coconut crispy. Mmmm!

After the tour, we all sat down to listen to the event speaker. We were back outside as the golden sun cast long shadows on the lawn. Jeff's friend Gus, gave us a talk on organic farming. Gus, owner and farmer of Jasmine Farm, in Howard County, Maryland. Its a certified organic CSA(community supported agriculture), providing weekly fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs during the growing season. He was a handsome fellow, entertaining, and informative. He seemed right at home telling us what he's learned, what works, what doesn't. Some people took notes, others just sat back and enjoyed the whole experience of being out on a sunny evening in a peaceful setting. 

Eventually, I picked up my Natural Zing order, bought one of the books I was admiring (RAWvolution by Matt Amsden), and headed home. I was so happy with how my evening went, that I was still wide awake and peppy all the way home.

Gifts for Mom on Father's Day

My mom enjoys reading, hiking, and music. She enthusiastically attends every ceremony, concert, game, or activity that her children or grandchildren are involved in. She has always tried to encourage us to be the best we can, while doing what we like best. She and Dad even dress up to fit in at the Maryland Faerie Festival each year (check out THIS video). 

Our most recent hike together was a brief one in southern Maryland earlier this spring. 

So, since we did several repairs for our Dad on Mother's Day, it only seemed right to do something nice for Mom on Father's day. As my older, older brother and his family showed Mom & Dad a new pool-side grill I snuck into the house to repair the light switch in the laundry area. Mom said she was only doing laundry during daylight hours because she couldn't get the light to turn on. Now she can spend her evenings doing laundry, just like Lily Tomlin. Then as my brother set up the grill and started a meal for the family, the kids and I vacuumed the pool. 

I think my brother was a little disappointed that I wouldn't eat his cooked food (I was in the middle of a juice feast) but I would have eaten this rawmmmburger, had it been offered. I made this dinner just a few days ago. I made a seed sauce and a mushroomburger. I served it on fresh lettuce and cucumbers straight from my garden. The tomatoes and corn on the cob were from the local produce stand down the road. When we were kids, my friend and I would ride our horses through the corn fields. We'd eat corn right off the stalks as we rode. They were sweet and juicy! Nothing like it!

For my seed sauce:

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup soaked sunflower seeds

1/2 tsp celtic sea salt

1/2 tsp kelp

1/2 tsp dulse

1/2 juiced lemon

1 whole red pepper

1/4 garlic clove

1 TB extra virgin olive oil

1 TB raw apple cider vinegar

First process nuts seeds and dry ingredients into a powder. 

Set aside. 

Then blend moist ingredients. Add dry ingredients to make a paste. Add water a tablespoon at a time to get desired consistency. (I like it thin enough to spread, thick enough to stick)

For this rawmmmburger I used portabella mushrooms, but if you use half shitake it keeps it from looking charbroil-burnt! Honestly, I just tossed some stuff into the processor after I finished making my seed sauce so I don't know the measurements, but my friend blaqberry has a wonderful looking "burger buster" recipe here that looks really good! 

MY Last Supper

On Friday, I took my daughter for a procedure at Children's National Medical Center. The x-ray lab technician handed me a large lead apron to wear with an additional lead scarf to wrap around my neck. "To protect your thyroid," she said. So I donned the lead costume and watched as the technician positioned my daughter on the table and then hid behind the wall to the glass booth to push some buttons. As my daughter lay unprotected on the table, I had to fight the urge to run to her, scoop her up and run screaming from the room.

Fortunately it didn't last too long. Once finished, we were both pretty hungry. Since we were in Washington, on a whim, I suggested that we try a new restaurant in D.C. that I'd heard of. Willow wasn't fooled, "What? Is it raw?" It has a great selection of raw vegan dishes. My last chance eat out before beginning my Juice Feast on June 1st. I called my friend Shannon to get directions to Java Green. She reminded me to ask for DJ (the owner), who is our friend on GITMR. She said he'd set me up with something good.

We found the place pretty fast, and Willow ordered the Garden Burger. I didn't see DJ anywhere so I ordered the Spicy Kelp Noodle. While I paid, I asked the cashier if he was around. While we waited for our food, DJ came out to talk to me. We were wearing matching Green Festival t-shirts! I don't know when DJ got his, but Shannon and I got ours at the 2006 Green Festival.

After discussing the menu with DJ and realizing how many other items I also wanted to try, he rushed back to the kitchen and changed my order to a Trio Salad, which was sort of like a sampler platter of the three items I wanted to try most. Mine had Cucumber Radish Salad, Spicy Kelp Noodle and also Kimchi Cold Soup. I really should have taken a picture, but I ate it all before I thought of that. I did get my daughter to take a picture of DJ and me in our matching shirts before we left for home. On the way home, my daughter reminded me about how I've always lectured her about meeting people on the internet. I must admit that it was so nice going out to eat without having to explain to anyone what I mean by raw or meat, wheat, and dairy free. 

Gifts for Dad on Mother's Day

I know that usually you would do something nice for your mother on Mother's Day, but we seemed to have it backwards this year. 

My dad has always enjoyed the outdoors. He's kept our family involved in all kinds of water activities from swimming to sailing. He took us skiing and ice boating in the winter months. He was my brother's scoutmaster, our friends' mentor, and an awesome role model of what a dad should be. 

My younger, older brother came down from New York City to visit on Mother's Day weekend. He repaired Pop's little remote sailboat toy and tested it out in the pool.

Later my sister and her hubs arrived armed with hammers, nails and lumber to repair Pop's dock. This made getting around the big boat a little easier for our dad.The youngest ones hammered down nails that popped up over the winter months and willingly ran to get extra tools as needed.
Once the dock repairs were under control, the little wind powered boat came back out to play in the big waters.

Pop's has been a sailing enthusiast all his life. When he married my mom, they honeymooned in Burmuda. They heard a new song (probably Lawrence Welk) and from that point on, it became "Their Song". Since then all of his sailboats have been named Yellow Bird. He seems to be happiest out on his boat. Of course, with one glance at these pictures, you can see why! 

Wednesday Night Racing

Since we had filled Mom and Dad's place with people (like 12?) we felt we should also fill their home with food. I brought my raw offerings to share:

My Guacamole and Raw Tortilla Chips

1 cup ground flax seeds


1 cup corn kernels


1/4 avocado


1/2 cup soaked sunflower seeds


2 TB minced onion


2 tsp minced garlic

1 TB nutritional yeast


1 tsp chipotle powder


1/2 tsp sea salt


water

Blend, adding just enough water to thin

Place on teflex sheet in dehydrator for 4 hours turn over onto screen and give 4 more hours or until crispy.

And using two recipe suggestions thanks to my raw food friends dealivinglotusflower and iheartrawfoods, I whipped up a cherry cheesecake using the ingredients I had in the kitchen:

My Raw Casheesecake

step 1 crust:

-process together:
1 cup raw pecan meal

1 cup raw coconut pulp leftover from making coconut milk


1/2 cup soaked dates (about 6-8 large)

1/4 cup shredded coconut

crust instructions:

-use spring form pan or 8 inch pie pan


-line bottom of pan with thin layer of shredded coconut to keep crust from sticking

-with moistened fingers, press the crust into the pan working up the sides


step 2 filling:

-blend together:


3 cups cashews (soaked one hour in 1/2 cup lemon juice & 1/2 cup water)


3/4 cup raw coconut oil (softened)

3/4 cup raw agave nectar


1/2 vanilla bean

filling instructions:

-blend (in your strongest blender) the soaked nuts with oil and nectar

-this will warm up, don't let it get hot

-pour/scrape mixture into your crust, using spatula to even it out

-put into freezer.

step 3 serving

top with

1/4 cup raw agave nectar

1 cup fruit

serving instructions:

-let sit out for half hour before serving

-either arrange fresh sliced fruit

or 

-lightly process 2 cups fruit with agave nectar and spread over cheesecake after it has set.

Yard Work and Yard Snacking

So, this morning, my husband woke me early and asked me if I could make him a raw lunch and a green smoothie. I jumped right on the opportunity to provide him something nutritious. If I didn't fix him some greens to go, he'd fix his usual 650mg can of sodium soup. This morning, I made a big green shake and split it 3 ways for me, hubs, and daughter, containing:

1 banana

1 apple

3 dates

half lb spinach

1 carrot

1 celery stalk

a little bit of cabbage

2 Tb green powder (mix of wheat grass, barley grass, spirulina, msn)

2 Tb cocoa powder

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp pure peppermint extract

2 Tb almond butter

a glug of maple syrup (so they'll drink it)

water & ice

I would usually drink 2/3 of this myself for breakfast and save the rest for an afternoon snack, but I can always make more!

For lunch he got kale, arugula, carrots, cabbage, celery, tomato, butter crunch lettuce, and black & garbanso beans. I had the same later, but instead of the beans I added avocado and a raw dressing of apple cider vinegar, tahini, lemon pepper, celtic salt, kelp, and dulse. I snacked in between breakfast and lunch, as you'll see at the bottom of the page.

In exchange for my willingness to climb out of bed so early just for him, he helped me run the fencing material down to the neighbor's front yard. They usually mow it, but with the gas prices, they're more than happy to let my horses chow down. It took less than one hour to set it up. Made of lightweight nylon tape with little strands of wire running through it. It uses a solar powered battery and sends out a mild shock pulse. I really don't even need to turn it on; the horses are happy to stay put. I placed the camera on the neighbor's mailbox, set the timer, and ran out to pose with my equines. This is me and my grey arabian, Sweetie. She's 25 years old. The chestnut (rusty colored)horse is Dusty. She's Sweetie's 6 year old baby half arab, half quarterhorse.

While out doing yardwork, I brought along my camera for picture ideas, and my cell to keep up with Twitters. I had the ipod on to keep motivated. While I was setting up a gate and repairing a fence, I discovered the green briar is putting out new baby shoots. They taste a bit like green beans. I picked a bunch and ate them on the go. I also found some

summer berries that were ripe. Not really sweet, but cool and crisp. I thought about how nice they'd taste in a sweet raw cashew cream... Maybe next time.

My Very First Blog

Greetings! I'm pleased to announce the hatching of Rawbin's Raw Bin. I considered linking a hatching chick here, but I got sidetracked with a peep show. Then I found a video of a Robin that I liked better.

Here's a whiney history about me and food health:

Throughout my youth I was thin, active, energetic, and healthy. I could eat anything I wanted. There were four of us kids,

(I was the baby) all involved in different activities during the day, but as soon as Dad came home from work each evening, we'd all gather together for dinner. We sat at the table to a serving of canned fruit, cooked veggies, meat, and starch on each plate. Mom cooked it, Dad served it up, carefully dividing it between 4 kids and 2 adults. We had to eat fast to make sure we didn't miss out on seconds. There was rarely any left over. We didn't often have dessert, but we always celebrated happy events by going out to eat or by having a bowl of ice cream. Looking back, I think that to me, food was comfort; it represented tradition, family gatherings, celebrations, happiness, success... 

When I married & moved away, eating out ceased. We didn't have much food, but I gained weight quite well when pregnant with 2 children. I lost much of the weight during a separation and divorce. Once I remarried, eating was good. We ate out often and we ate well. There was frequently an excuse to eat out. We usually had dessert most weekends and sometimes midweek. By 2004 I had grown beyond 200 pounds. 

That fall, I had my first attack of diverticulitis(severe pain, intestinal bleeding and blockage). I was hospitalized for a week on antibiotics and clear liquids. A year later, I started to have progressively worsening intestinal infections, repeating monthly rounds of antibiotics. I felt a bit better on clear protein drinks. In spring 2006, because of my illness, I lost a few pounds per month. I was frequently on antibiotics but was feeling exhausted all the time. I opted for the partial colectomy in August 2006, removing 1/3 of my colon, as well as my appendix. They discovered a gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor, which supposedly "increases the risk of forming other cancers of the digestive system".

I was back in the hospital within a month for severe abdominal pains. Back on clear liquids. Back on antibiotics. It seemed that I also had endometriosis and the scar tissue was choking off my intestines, which had caused the perforations and diverticulitis. I began to notice that I felt my best when I just plain didn't eat. 6 months later, still having digestive troubles, I had a total hysterectomy. It helped some. Although I cut out wheat and added pro-biotics, I still had stomach aches/painful digestion daily. The last surgeon said that I should try to put off my next abdominal surgery for as long as possible. "What next surgery?" I thought this was it. I was done, right? He explained, that he had seen my intestines and there will be another surgery.

Due to allergies, I started cutting out foods that seemed to trigger pain and 

indigestion. First I cut out all glutens. For years I knew I had a lactose intolerance, but suddenly I couldn't tolerate any dairy. I was told to eat a bland diet of soft foods; white bread, no salads, just overcooked veggies. I was tired, irritable, foggy headed, achy, had poor color, acne, itchy skin, dry brittle hair. I was craving salads! I felt I wasn't getting enough from the nauseating broth or other clear liquids. I was looking for something different. I started making green smoothies. I'd add some greens to my morning protein shake and immediately felt less wiped out.

I was working with a girl(Shannon) who was into some crazy diet. She kept talking about how she was only eating raw food! I didn't think much of it, "Like, where do you get you protein??"  

Then, in August of 2007, I met Brigitte Mars at the Women's Herbal Conference. I bought her Rawsome! book and video and I quickly switched to about 70-80% raw. By December (when I discovered the support on GI2MR) I began to cut out all dairy, grains, and meats. 

I've noticed that the days after I eat entirely RAW, are the days that I feel best. I have lots of energy and I'm pain free! I began to set daily goals of 100% raw. I hit it most days.

I'm taking in large quantities of fresh greens and I've discovered how raw food makes all the difference. I've had acne since my teen years, but now I can't remember when I last had a bad spot. My hair doesn't need washing nearly as often, but it's shinier and it's not breaking off as much. I used to have trouble sleeping and now I'm not waking with numb limbs and achy joints. My fingernails are not thin and brittle. For the first time in many years, I've got lots of energy, a happy belly and a positive outlook. My food tastes better, I don't eat as much. I'm less hungry. I'm full faster. I take great pleasure in preparing, arranging, tasting, and eating my food. 

I'm down from 208 to 168 and this has granted me feelings of self worth and happiness that I remember from my thinner days.

For those who have actually read this far, I'd like to thank you for letting me share myself with you. I came across a video today. I've listened to this song before, but never actually considered the words or visuals that the artist chose. I felt a connection with it: Exposed and alone, yet loved and renewed.