showing some skin :)

body by liquiding. juicing soon!

hi my friends!
for me, here is what is coming up.toning coming up, leaner, happier, brighter, shinier.All possible just by drinking your nutrients? YES! IT IS SO EASY. and it gets more fun with every day! try it. you won't be sorry. i promise. lots of love, and lets drink to happiness! ;)

liquids only for 7 days!

i feel great. but the proof is in the pudding as they say ;) skin is smoother and glowing
and the whites of my eyes whiter. and it is just a minute before my "skinny" jeans feel good to wear.. so, this is not boasting. take it as motivation. seriously, you can do it too! xo everybody, Dara

i used to HATE wheatgrass

now i find wheatgrass appealing. not for the way it tastes, but for the way it feels. i am noticing a difference in my skin, my eyes are whiter and even my teeth feel cleaner. i am losing weight (although i have only been drinking smoothies and juices) and i feel great. i used to not be able to get down a wheatgrass shot, now i have 4 oz a day! two in the morning and two in the afternoon. strange. anyway. i highly recommend (as usual) as much green juice as you can manage AND one wheatgrass shot in the am. cheers everybody!
Dara

just liquids. a rest. a luxury.

i am getting ready to go on a 5 day juice fast with Dan McDonald- the life regenerator on April 1st. it is held at an ashram in Grass Valley. i am looking forward to it for a number of reasons. The peace of it, yoga, meditation, being at a place like this with no distractions. Dogs, child caring, food prepping, normal life. i will drive 7 1/2 hours to drive north east to just be, drink juice AND have an infusion of a very like minded soul. Dan Mcdonald spends his time eating and drinking fruits and vegetables and inspiring others via youtube to do the same. he is infectious, enthusiastic, charming, but most of all genuine. i will take a dose of genuine with my fruits and veggies anytime! after this year of prepping gorgeous gourmet raw food, it is a luxury for me to just DRINK. i am giving myself this rest and in prep for it have begun since yesterday a "liquiding" diet. i have wheatgrass first thing. 2 0z. then i have a blended fruit with water drink. pineapple, blueberry, strawberry, mango. i buy two 32 oz containers of veggie juice: beets,celery, parsley,spinach, ginger, garlic and lemon. i am fully equipped and capable of making my own juice. i just don't want to. i need to be away from the kitchen for just awhile. i imagine that in a couple of days i will want to make my own concoctions with watercress and fennel and other fun more obscure things. for now
i am happy to imbibe juice from the co-op. :)
i am doing this and the only thing you need to do if you think you are so far away from this is have ONE GREEN JUICE DAILY. there, i have said it. your body will guide you after that. love to all of you and many, many greens,
Dara

kelp noodles. zucchini is not the only raw PASTA!

I have a friend on the east coast who has just let me know that she is on and loves her raw food diet. I love to hear this and get so inspired to share ideas and recipes. Here i am the next morning sharing one of the most satisfying of all raw dishes. For those of us who crave pasta and get tired of the same zucchini spirals (which are always a good easy standby) try kelp noodles. They are shockingly good, IF prepared the right way. :)
First, where to get them. they are usually by the tofu in the refrigerated section of natural food stores. Cut the bag open and soak them in a big bowl with hot water. rinse and rinse. they are naturally crunchy, but we want to "bring them down" to a softer feel to resemble spaghetti. This is where the trick comes in. Massage fresh lemon juice and himalayan salt into noodles and let sit for a little bit. when the noodles are soft, drain. that is your pasta. sauce comes later...next blog. Go out and get bags and bags of these you will love them!
video didn't post. coming soon!:)

raw fast food/spaghetti

peace of mind, thanks and a tomato

do we all get enough time to ourselves? to lie on the ground and stare up at a tree. to feel the grass, dirt, sand, snow or even concrete? the warmth or chill of the earth is grounding, feeds us like nothing else can. when we were children we would lie down, run around in circles, draw pictures of things without telling ourselves we couldn't. we would giggle and act silly, jump on beds and make up words. where and when on earth did we get so serious? AND when will we stop? when was the last time we lovingly washed a tomato and cut it knowing we were feeding it to someone we love? some of us have never grown a tomato from a seed and lovingly nurtured it until ripe. Those who do grow their own food are more connected and for those of us who don't, let us remember where food comes from, how it grows, honor and marvel at it before we put it into our mouths. if we grew produce we might be less likely to do things to alter it, like cook it, knowing that plant life force is perfect just as it is. we are perfect just as we are. it is time to remember. it is time to be thankful, to lie down, be silly and draw a picture of anything. how about a tomato?
raw, organic if you please. ;)

staying high and happy amongst...criticism

it has occurred to me after recently kicking it up over on Facebook at the RAW: a food and lifestyle page, that if you put your ideas and recipes, pictures and thoughts. you are opening yourself to criticism from ALL kinds of people. luckily the only people who have joined are friends of mine or people into RAW food. here is the thing though about RAW food. there is not just one school of thought. there are many. I realize that a diet that consists of greens plus interesting nut "cheeses" and desserts that may combine fruits and nuts is not the ideal in a utopian situation. i believe that it is important to be able to be decadent at times, promote flexibility spiritually and physically and most of all to appeal to those who are SO FAR from thinking of eating just MONO meals and greens which would be the safest and strictest way to go. i believe that that may happen over night for some and NOT for others. i prefer to entice those who are eating animal flesh and processed chemical food to the other side. to what i call a plant based QWEENDOM. SO, i may make seductive "cheeses" out of nuts and seeds and my desserts might have some register on the glycemic index, BUT here is the THING, once you are comfortable and gloriously happy in my Queendom you will only naturally want to get higher. RAW food makes you feel high and happy. to continue to feel higher and happier you naturally want to lighten up on the fats (avocados, nuts and oils) and eat greens, greens, greens....
i must remember to persevere in my message, despite energetic and quite literal criticism and meet people joyously where they are at!
love to you all and please feel free to tell me where you are at if you would care for me to meet you there :) and share what i think you might add...
here's to being naturally high!

right out of school i got a job with a movie star ;)

Nott a month after graduating with an associates degree from Living Light Culinary Arts, I met an Oscar winning actor. He asked why i was "glowing" and i said, "RAW food." he said that he had tried it but didn't like it. I told him that he might like my food. He texted me within the hour and 2 days later i visited his home with a vibrant lunch. I prepared raw food for for him for three weeks straight after that and before i knew it i was on location for two months on a movie set in New Orleans as his private chef! I have been preparing food for him ever since and it has been a year.
the story is intriguing, longer and far more entertaining than this, but i just wanted to say why i have been an absentee in the world of blogging for this long.
In the upcoming months i will be sharing my stories, tips, ideas, recipes and photos on RAW, the food and the lifestyle and the practical application of RAW in real life.
I can take a breath now that i have figured out how to be a private chef AND still have a life ;).
Welcome back i say. Here's to a lot of fun and DE-MYSTIFICATION of RAW!!!