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Thursday, February 26, 2009
“Tools of the Trade”
What do I need in the kitchen for my raw food prep? Here are the essentials.
You’ll need a wooden cutting board, a paring knife, a chef’s knife, a blender, & a food processer. I have
a bamboo cutting board that measures about 13.5 x 11 inches. The brand is Totally Bamboo. I totally love it! My main knife
has about a 5 inch blade, by the Cuisinart brand. The blender I currently use is an Osterizer, a regular inexpensive type.
I will be getting the goddess of blenders soon, the almighty Vita-Mix. I can’t wait!!! The food processor I use is a
Black & Decker Power Pro ll. The Vita-Mix is supposed to do the job of a food processor & a blender. We shall see
if it can take the place of my processor. I will give you all a full report asap. I also own an Excalibur
dehydrator. You only need a dehydrator if you wish to make crackers, breads & some gourmet raw food dishes. I don’t
use mine very much at this point. I have enjoyed making flax crackers, flax wraps, & burgers with it in the past. It’s
great to warm your dishes too. I just don’t want you to feel you have to have one to thrive on this diet. A lot of raw
foodies don’t eat any dehydrated foods. You know what? I think that’s great, the more water in your food, the
better! If you are what you eat (more precisely, what you digest), I would rather be like a colorful ripe juicy grape than
a dried up wrinkled raisin. Raisins are great to snack on sometimes. But, they are a concentrated food &should only be
eaten occasionally. One of my first raw food prep book was "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People" by Jennifer Cornbleet.
This is a great one with simple & delicious recipes. No dehydrator needed!
www.totallybamboo.com www.vitamix.com www.excaliburdehydrator.com
www.learnrawfood.com
12:26 pm est
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
“Organic, Conventional
or Local?”
Well, I
generally feel that organic foods are superior to conventional & often better than local foods too. What I mean by
generally, is I am sometimes torn between local or organic produce. I know local can be wonderful, but it’s not
always organic, especially over the winter months. In fact, I find I can get organic produce much more consistently from the
west coast all year round. The only problem is that I am on the east coast. So, what I will sometimes do is buy the “safer”
types of local conventional produce to get the benefits of eating locally. Of course, if it’s organic & local it’s
going in my shopping basket without question. I will purchase conventional avocados for instance sometimes over organic, because
they have often been better & are not as full of pesticides as some other types of produce.
Here is a list
of what you should avoid, and a list of what is lower in pesticide residue as far as conventional produce goes, from the book
“Gorgeously Green” by Sophie Uliano.
Avoid:
Strawberries,
Bell peppers (green & red), Spinach, Cherries, Peaches, Cantaloupe (Mexico), Celery, Apples, Apricots, Green beans, Grapes
(Chilean), Cucumbers
OK (if you cannot get organic):
Avocados, Corn, Onions, Sweet potatoes, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Grapes (non-Chilean),
Bananas, Plums, Green onions, Watermelon, Broccoli
Hopefully,
that helps you out with your shopping. I know organic produce seems very expensive by comparison, but it’s more than
worth it! It really makes a difference for you, for the planet and her many varied inhabitants and elements. Besides, being
vegetarian or vegan you will save a lot on food anyway. Especially, if you don’t buy pre-made packaged items & create
your own fresh meals. It’s so much more delicious & healthy that way. Don’t worry; it does not have to take
hours to prepare your meals from scratch. More on that coming soon on the “Goddess Delights” page!
www.gorgeouslygreen.com
9:22 pm est
Sunday, February 8, 2009
“Sita Sings the Blues”
OMG, what a great film! If you get the
chance please see this one. I have been waiting probably around a year for this & it did not disappoint. First of all
it was about Sita & Rama. Secondly, it was totally gorgeous! Third, there were surprises, and plenty of adventure,
romance & texture. Besides all that, the music & writing were great. The movie was very clever, funny & beautifully
filmed. My only complaint is that it was way too short, just 82 minutes. I could have sat there for at least another hour! Sigh
… I did not want it to end. Everyone I went with said they could have immediately watched it all over again. Sadly,
there was only one showing. I beg you, go to this website & find out if it’s playing near you. It will be well
worth your time. You can even bring the kids! There is something for everyone in this one.
Check out the trailer
while you are there. www.sitasingstheblues.com
This movie is based on the ancient epic, the Ramayana. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayana
“Sita’s Wedding” & “The Adventures of Rama” are two
great old movies made in India about Sita & Rama’s life together. They are available on dvd from www.krishna.com .
 
“Sita Sings the Blues”
by Nina Paley
Sita & Rama
11:39 pm est
Sunday, February 1, 2009
"Beauty Sleep"
We have all heard the saying, “get your beauty
sleep”. I am here to tell you, there really is something to that! When we are very young, beauty sleep is not something
most of us saw the benefit in. We had an early bedtime that our parents imposed on us, against our wishes to stay up until
we fell over. Boy, were we lucky! Our bodies got adequate rest & probably ran without a hitch. Then, we got a little older
& could make our own resting hours. We stayed up until whenever & probably ate very late. We possibly added caffeine,
alcohol, and other stimulants to keep ourselves partying all night. No adverse effects are seen in those early years of abuse
for many of us. Then one day… you look in the mirror & wonder where your eyes are going on their trip with all
of that baggage! OMG! I look dreadful! Well, beauty is not all about sleeping enough. But believe me, it makes a big difference
when you have had a full night of rest & when you are going on 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night! Your body needs recuperation
time. Don’t eat right before bed, or your body will be trying to digest that meal instead of working in rest & repair
mode. Eat at least two preferably three hours before bedtime & don’t eat a huge complicated meal. If you find that
you are so hungry that you cannot sleep, have just enough of one type of food to ease your hunger, no more. I have seen
it in my own bathroom mirror. I overeat the night before & go to bed late, when I wake there is an alien in the mirror.
Follow the body’s rules & get adequate rest, then it’s hello beautiful & what a lovely morning! Here's
another old saying, "The hours before midnight count for double." I always feel (and look) my best when I am in
bed by 10pm at the latest.
Click
on this link to learn more:
http://www.rawlife.com/store/pages.php?pageid=33
Burne-Jones's depiction of Sleeping Beauty, for the Briar Rose series
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