Raw Food Chick Blog

Happy Spring from the Raw Food Chick

2009-06-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

YAY!!!! Spring has come to the Central Coast. You can see the signs everywhere. The days are getting longer, the beautiful California poppies are in full bloom and colorful wildflowers decorate the hillsides. I have Spring Fever and find myself kicking up my heels and spending every spare moment outside.

One of my favorite pastimes is to visit the Farmer's Market. We are lucky to have several in the area but one of the very best is held at Monterey Peninsula College every Thursday afternoon. I love to meander through the different booths, tasting the samples of the sweet, succulent fruits, exploring the variety of veggies, and of course, the flowers. This is the perfect place to expose yourself to a variety of new raw, organic, taste treats.

The vendors are wonderful and will give you ideas on how to use their products. Not only is there large selection of fresh, organic fruits, vegetables and sprouts but EVERYTHING is very reasonably priced. People often say to me it is too expensive to eat healthy. My response: It is even more expensive not to. If you don't keep your body healthy, you will most likely end up spending much more on medical expenses in the long run. It is these hidden treasures on the Peninsula that will give you the opportunity to eat healthy with minimal cost.

You can wander through the different booths and hand select these beautiful foods in just the amounts you want. There is something so joyful about taking a bite of a big, juicy strawberry or peach and feeling your taste buds come alive. Not only are you nourishing your body but you are truly nourishing your soul.

For more information on Farmer's Market in our area, click on the link here:
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102595984708&s=110&e=001wiW-DP8oOfp2WTLH2CeO4VIMqIJFzHayHoYuZFiejafmIyopWFfqIJ2XHwfWnl13SNugFUQhza91ivobYaaGI66T9XEO3_Lix9HonJOL12At5oqCxwsPcEEV8LEGTxuu. And for those of you who don't live on the peninsula, just Google "Farmer's Market" in your area to find one near you.

It is an experience you won't want to miss.

Veggie Blessings and Kiwi Kisses.

Chef Nancy
http://www.rawfoodchick.com/

Eating for Health and Beauty Lecture / Demo

I have scheduled my new class just in time for summer. Gina Renee and I are teaming up again. You won't want to miss this dynamic duo in action. Get your "Glow On" for those lazy days of Summer.

Eating for Health and Beauty
Join Chef Nancy Broderick- the Raw Food Chick and Gina Renee LAc. on
Saturday, June 20th, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
in Carmel at the Happy Landing Inn.

Learn how to nourish and beautify your body by incorporating more fresh, live foods into your diet. See how easy it is to make these delicious recipes that will make you feel great and enhance your health and beauty:

Beauty Beverage - Pretty Pina Colada
Put the Kibosh on Cellulite Cocktail
Glowing Skin Salad
Shiny Hair Salad Dressing
"Get the Glow" Energy Antioxidant Soup

and much more.

Recipes, tastings, Lunch and fun included - only $35.00

Check out all the details here. Be sure to sign up early because my classes fill up quickly. You won't want to miss this one!!!To register, call Nancy at 831-277-8358 or email me at nancy@rawfoodchick.com. PS Don't miss some RAW TALK on Thursday, June 18th at 4:05 pm. You can listen online at KNRY.com or on your radio at 1240 am. Gina and I will be covering our favorite topic, Raw Foods and our upcoming leacture. Don't miss it.

Spring Cleaning

With Spring, comes spring cleaning. I came across an easy, green recipe to clean your fridge. This is a job that no one likes but this fragrant recipe makes a daunting task a little easier

It is from Sophie Uliano - who wrote the book Gorgeously Green. It will give your fridge a new lease on life.

FRIDGE CLEANER
1 cup white vinegar1 cup warm water
1 tbsp baking soda
10 drops grapefruit essential oil*
10 drops tea tree oil

In a large 4-cup measuring jug, combine all ingredients. Simply dip a rag into the fridge cleaner, wring it out and get to work wiping out all those nooks and crannies.

*You will be able to find these essential oils at most health food stores

That is all for this issue, I hope you enjoyed it! I am looking forward to seeing you all at my class on June 20th. If you have any questions, call or drop me an email. I love to hear from you.

Enjoy this spring day and don't forget to jump for joy, move your body the best you can and breathe in some of that fresh, spring air.

Bye for now!!!

xoxo,

Support Hug a Vegetarian Day

2008-09-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

Getting Sexy Back

2007-01-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

Wow, here it is, a new year and a fresh start after the holidays. I am glad to say goodbye to 2007 and hope that 2008 is a much better year. This was a tough year for me. Can any of you relate? The holidays can be stressful, and packed with food, drinks and temptation even when you are raw. It can be especially rough if you lost a loved one this past year, as I am sure many of you know.

So for me, I am ready to say goodbye to last year and start fresh. It is interesting that even after being raw for almost 2 years, I still found myself giving into too many cooked treats and fattening foods. Something I hadn’t done in a long time. Old habits die hard and it is amazing what can trigger a relapse but actually I am glad that it happened because it just confirms what I already knew.

When I don’t eat raw, I just don’t feel good. I feel bloated, tired, heavy, and lethargic. It was good for me to test this and to prove again that you are what you eat. Garbage in – Garbage out. And I got the added bonus, (NOT) 5 extra pounds that came on and are still here.

If I ever doubt what raw foods does for me, I hope I remember this experience.
It was like I had a revelation today in my Aerobics class, JT’s song Sexy back was playing and I realized I do want to bring sexy back, just like JT does, and I know it is not going to happen with the cooked, high calorie foods. For some reason, in my psyche, I thought these foods would give me comfort, boy was I wrong. They are addictive, fattening, and just plain bad for you, and they certainly aren’t sexy.

I struggled through my aerobics class feeling heavy and tired I knew I needed to get back on track. I found myself daydreaming about an easy fix. Then Rihannas’s "SOS Rescue me" song played and I realized that no one can rescue me from myself except me. The key part of the lyrics is that "it’s not healthy to feel this way, and boy is that the truth. And the thing is, I know the fix and it is easy, all I need to do is keep eating these healthy, vibrant, live foods and the energy will return and the weight will fall off.

What ever it is we are talking about, food, relationships, career, life, the New Year is the perfect time for a fresh start. I want Sexy Back and I plan to get it, all by myself. I know I don’t need anyone to rescue me. I can do it all on my own and so can you.

So here’s to a fresh raw start, a happy and healthy New Year and to getting Sexy Back!
Be Well,
Nanners

I made it through the week

2006-11-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a week. I made it through the five day green smoothie cleanse and I feel great. It has been a very positive experience in so many ways, physically, mentally and emotionally, I am so glad that I decided to do this.

It is truly amazing the affect this has had on me. I feel lighter, have more energy, my thoughts are clearer and I released about 3 lb. Most of that weight initially is water. A good thing about this cleanse is that the diet contains no salt. So as a consequence, the excess salt is going to be released, along with a lot of water (that you'll pee out), resulting in a weight release.

If you didn't have a chance to try this all week, how about trying it for one day. You will be amazed at what these life giving smoothies can do for you.

I will even start you out with a couple of yummy recipes:

1 cup strawberries
2 cups pineapple
1 cup mango
2 big handfuls of spinach

or:

1 Mango
1Ripe banana
1 Pear
75 g Mixed baby lettuces
handful of spinach
handful of parsley
several sprigs of mint
12 oz filtered water

Try it you like them

For more information on green smoothies check out this great book "Green for Life" by Victoria Boutenko. It contains a lot of helpful information and some really good recipes.

Remember, Green is clean.

Be Well,

Nanners

Green Cleanse Day 3

2006-11-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

Wow, here we are at hump day already. The time has gone by quickly and I am really starting to feel a difference. I feel lighter and energized and have been sleeping better. I have even shed a couple of pounds. I would assume it is mostly water weight because I haven't had anything salty, but in any event, I feel great.

It is interesting what I have noticed about myself during this time. I am feeling the urge to spread the cleanse into different areas of my life. I have been more productive at work, organizing my office, accomplishing things I have been putting off, and wanting to create a more nurturing environment both here and at home.

By nature I am a pretty organized person and dislike clutter but I feel it has entered into the next level. I am cleaning my house, going through my closet and getting rid of any unused items by donating them to a good cause. I also make sure my refrigerator is clean all the time and stocked with healthy live foods and even bringing fresh flowers into my house.

Maybe it is because I have so much more energy or maybe it is just because once you go through a process like this you want everything that surrounds you to be clean too. But what ever the reason, it is working.

I encourage you to do a cleanse like this. I think you will find it very rewarding. Try it, you might just really like it. See where a cleanse can take you, I know you won't be disappointed.

Be well.

Nanners

Green Cleanse Day 2

2006-11-15T13:02:00.001-08:00

Greetings,

Day 2 of my green cleanse has ended sucessfully. I came up with serveral variations to the smooties I had yesterday. I selected a variety of the following: mix of baby greens, parsley, spinach, mangos, strawberries, bananas, and a couple of dates, with some purified water.

It really is amazing how good the smoothies are. I am completely surprised and was expecting much worse. When I put all the ingredients into the blender it comes out creamy and smooth, like a milkshake. The bright green color might be a turnoff to some, (like my co-workers who refer to it as "pond scum), but it doesn't bother me at all. They just don't realize what they are missing.

After consuming one of these lovely drinks I feel energized and alive. The greens definately help to balance out the sugar from the fruit and I feel strong and healthy throughout the day. I was extremely productive at work and was able to accomplish many things I had been putting off for weeks.

I am also glad to say that I was able to go out with friends tonight and not be tempted into straying. I have to admit it wasn't easy, I was feeling some hunger but I know it was just the emotional pull of socializing. They say the first 2 days are the hardest, but I guess I should define hard. There are many other things in my life that are much harder and I still accomplish them. I just need to keep things in perspective and remember that the food I like to eat will be available next week. I know the reward with be worth it.

Be Well,

Nanners

Green Cleanse Day 1

2006-11-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Well I made it through the first day of my green cleanse. Most of the day went very well. I started out with a morning smoothie of blueberries, apple, bananas and baby greens. It was actually very tasty, even with 100 grams of baby greens it was sweet and flavorful, not at all what I expected it to be.

This smoothie lasted me through the morning until approximately 1:30 so I pulled out my second smoothie of blueberries, bananas, apples and spinach. This kept my energy up the rest of the afternoon and I even felt stong enough to go to the gym after work and get a good workout.

Tonight is a smoothie with Mango, blueberries, banana and Kale. It was filling and the Mango made the smoothie sweet and creamy. I do have to say I miss chewing and it is only the first day but I want to stay focused and try not to get distracted from my goal.

The evening has been the most challenging time of day for me. Although I do hear little voices in my head saying "just have some granola or some guacamole and crackers", I am trying to acknowledge them and let them go. I don't want to give into the excuses I find my mind creating....Why am I doing this, I am too busy, it is too hard, I don't have enough determination, I won't be able to do this all week.....

I know all this chatter is coming from my own fears but I really want to see if I can experience some of the benefits of the green cleanse that I have read about. And that desire is stronger then not doing the cleanse. So if any of you out there are trying this with me, keep strong and let me hear how your are doing.

That's it for day one, I am going to have a cup of warm tea, be gratful that I have made it through the first day and call it a night. See you all tomorrow.

Be well.

Nanners

Green is Clean

2006-11-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

There comes a time in every Raw Foodist to take on a cleanse. There are all types, but I have decided to try a Green Cleanse. I have to admit I am a little nervous, will I be able to stick to it?, how will it make me feel?, will I be hungry all the time?, what do I have to do? Well, I am about to find out.

There are 2 major raw foodist who promote Green for Life. They are Victoria Boutenko - Rawfamily.com and Frederic Patenaude - fredericpatenaude.com. I have followed both of their suggestions and ideas and now I am ready to give it a try for a full 5 days.

What is the purpose of a green cleanse? I am doing it for a couple of reasons. I want to experience the full power of green smoothies and see if I will really notice a difference. In addition, I want to give my digestion a rest, detoxify, maybe release a pound or two, and experience even more energy. I am hoping it is also a way to give myself a good jump start and refresh my eating habits before all the craziness and temptations of the holidays begin.

I am going to start the cleanse starting tomorrow - Monday, November 13th - for the week. I am going to eat only green smoothies and fresh fruit. As a raw foodist, I now eat a combination of nuts, seeds, dehydrated treats I make like tortilla wraps, yummy granola, and crackers (all which are raw) in addition, nut pates, guacamole, fresh salads and smoothies. So to give my digestive track a nice break yet still eat foods packed with nutrition, I am going give this a try.

So to prepare, I went shopping yesterday. I cleaned out my fridge and stocked up on a bunch of fresh greens and fruits. I wanted to make sure I was organized so I have no excuses not to follow through with this. I have washed and prepared the greens and the fruit so I can make the smoothies quickly in the morning and throughout the day with ease. I already have a Vitamix (powerful blender) so I can make these yummy treats quickly. I will need to pack a couple of smoothies so I can bring them into work with me...like I said - no excuses.

To give you some ideas here is a list of the fruits and greens I bought to do the cleanse.

Romain lettuce
Baby greens
Kale, red and dino Kale
Parsley
Celery
Sunflower Sprouts
Bananas
Apples
Mangos
Blueberries
Strawberries
Pears
cucumbers
tomatoes
Peppers

But you can use your imagination. Just make sure what you use is organic.

Foods I am going to allow myself this week are all that are easy on the digestive tract. I am going to make green smoothies, basically any recipe I can come up with - I will supply a few in a minute.....
Fresh fruit (oranges, bananas, strawberries, etc)
Fresh veggies (tomatoes, lettuce, celery, etc)

Things I am going to take a break from are:
salt, seaweed,
any type of fat, (avocado, nuts, seeds, oils, etc)
Anything dried or dehydrated, dried fruits, crackers, tortilla
And of course, anything cooked, but that is not issue for me since I am raw.

Here are some smoothie ideas:

1. Green smoothie made of 2 bananas, 1 cup blueberries, 100 grams of some type of green (lettuce, kale, spinach... and so on)
2. Green smoothie of 2 mangos, 1 banana, 100 grams of greens
3. Green smoothie of 4 cups papaya, 150 grams of greens
4. Green smoothie of 2 bananas, 1 apple, 1 cup blueberries, 100 grams of green.

I will have these throughout the day. If I am still hungry I will add some fresh fruit and/maybe a salad (no salad dressing)

I will keep you posted on my progress and what I experience. Please feel free to join me during this cleanse. I would love to hear your comments and what you experience as well.

If you do want to try it, but aren't ready to give up all other foods during this time, how about trying to incorporate a green smoothie or 2 into your diet and see what it feels like.

Either way, I am excited and a little nervous too. But I will let you know how it goes, the good, the bad and the ugly. As I experiment on the recipes, I will post some of my favorites, because the main thing to me is that it has to taste good too.

Wish me luck and remember, green is clean.

Be Well,

Nanners

Going Raw and the dreaded "D" word

2006-10-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hi there, I am back, jumping into the blog again. My cat is here with me, poking at me, swatting my hands as I type on the keyboards, and nudging me with his paw letting me know he is not to be ignored. I laugh and pet him and realize that this is quite similar to how my transition with food in my life has been.

Something was always nudging me, letting me know there was more out there, something different, not to be ignored. So overnight I went straight from being a carnivore to a strict vegetarian. I proudly announced I would never eat anything with a face again... but I was still getting that nudge. I did feel significantly better after becoming vegetarian but my body continued to nudge me, giving me little signals. I was still suffering from the eczema which has plagued me most of my life, still got the bloated, too full feeling, not to mention crash and burning from too much coffee and sugar.

Then I was introduced to Raw Foods (check out my previous post - The Beginning), and being the Aires girl that I am, I jumped right in with both feet. I went from being a vegetarian to 100% raw. No dairy, no wheat, no processed foods, no refined sugar and no coffee. Boy that was a tough one. Not that I was a big coffee drinker. maybe 2 cups in the morning and a cup or two if I had a late night at work. But when I cut it out of my diet, I had terrible headaches. Not the first day but they started 2-3 days after my last cup. Then for the next 4 days or so, I was cranky, low energy, headaches, the shakes... I might as well have been trying to get off Crack. I was not a joy to be around, hard to believe :-).

I wasn't sure what was happening to me. There were other symtoms too from going raw. I had blemishes on my face, my skin felt really sensitive to the touch, runny nose, and sugar cravings. I felt too, like I was freaking out a bit, lots of chatter in my head. I started to second guess myself. Was this the right path for me? Is something wrong, is this raw food path really the way I should go? But then I talked to my raw food guru friend and he calmed me and as he put it, " I was just going through the devine throws of detox." Ahh, there it was, the dreaded "D" word. This is what everyone has been talking about. It sure didn't feel devine.

He reassured me that this was to be expected and went on to give me some tips on how to cope. Body work/ massages help move the toxins out of the body as well as anything green. "Green is clean" as he likes to say. Also running or bouncing on a rebounder. These forms of exercise help to stimulate the lymph nodes which helps to carry the toxins out faster. This was a big help to me because I am a runner and it offered a lot of relief, physically as well as mentally. Skin Brushing was another great tip. (stay tuned for a whole blog on just that). All these things helped to alieviate the symptoms. For that I will always be eternally grateful to him.

Now as I look back, I could have incorporated raw foods in a more gradual fashion and I do recommend that now to people who are new to raw foods. I always tell people, don't think about cutting food out of your diet, approach it as adding these beautiful, live, healthy foods, into your life. People always ask me, Can you eat this or can you eat that? It is not about what I can or can't eat, it is what I choose to eat. I don't feel deprived, I feel happy and fulfilled.

Although the detox was tough, and I still experience some symptoms from time to time, especially if I do have cooked foods, I definately know I have made the right choice to go raw. If I compare myself to how I was a year ago, the changes are amazing. I have lost weight, I have so much energy I don't need coffee. I wake up in the morning and have a big glass of water followed by fresh juices or a smoothie later in the morning.

One of the other biggest change I see in myself is no more mindless eating. I use to munch through a meal or a snack without even thinking, still wanting more. I didn't feel nurished but unsatisfied and empty. I realize now that my body was not getting the proper nutrition. Now meals are a joy, I look forward to them, saver them and especially enjoy preparing foods for other people.

The eczema that plagued me since I was a child has disappeared. I use to have to take 1-2 Allegra (perscription) pills a day just to control the itching on my poor, dry skin, but I haven't needed a pill in over 10 months. That alone was worth going through detox. I finally know what it is like to have smooth, soft skin.

I still have a way to go, I am, after all, work in progress. But I just want everyone to experience this and see how much better you can feel. It has completely changed my life.

Well, my cat has given me another nudge, this time he is letting me know he needs attention, so I will be signing off for now.

Just remember, don't ignore those little nudges because they just might change your life.

Be Well,

Nanners

The Beginning

2006-09-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well, its me, Nanners, Starting my first blog. What- oh - what to write about. Adventures of the Raw Food Chick. I have always been fascinated by blogging, what started this craze, why do people want to read it, what keeps them coming back, who actually has the time to write this stuff, let alone read it. All these are valid points but here I am jumping on the bandwagon.

For me personally, I have the urge to write and talk about raw vegan foods, health issues and my own raw self-discovery, even if I am the only one to ever read it. Why you ask??? Because raw foods have changed my life, I feel better, and look better and have tons of energy and I am more physically fit then I ever thought possible - wow, I better slow down, I am beginning to sound like an infomercial.

But here are the facts. I spent a large part of my life in the food industry, studying food, working with food, preparing food, eating food, serving food and for what??? I never really felt good about the food I was eating and serving. I grew up in the Midwest with a very basic meat and potatoes upbringing. Bologna was one of the staples in my life...Is it any wonder I never felt good about food???

No matter how I ate, afterwards I felt bloated or buzzed or just plain lethargic. Not to mention, being a diehard animal lover, I never felt good about killing animals for food. Food has so many emotions tied up with it. It does, after all, rhyme with Mood. It took me years to finally figure out that everything you put in your mouth does have an affect on your body.

There really is a lot of truth to "you are what you eat". Do you want to feel bad about the food you nourish yourself with - No! - of course not. Once I made that simple correlation, it was the first step in me changing my eating habits and life style. I stopped eating meat - cold turkey - no pun intended. Basically anything with a face, I stopped eating. Not a popular decision in the Midwest. No one understood it. How can you survive???? And of course, the ever popular, "Where do you get your protein????"

So I continued on this path, even with all the skeptics, I marched on. I felt better about my food choices, but still had many of the same side affects. Although I became a vegetarian, I was not Vegan, I was still eating Dairy, not to mention sugar, wheat and good old white bread. I was following what was "known" to be a healthy Standard American Diet (or SAD) and following guidelines published by the USDA but my body was telling me something else..... something was just not setting right... I thought I was doing everything right according to my schooling and following the food pyramid of the SAD. But still, I didn't feel like I was giving my body everything it needed.

Then I had one of those moments in life when you just get stopped right in your tracks - my sister was diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal cancer. That is when my survival instincts kicked in full blast. I started researching alternative methods of care and nutrition. It became an obsession with me, on the internet for hours, talking to anyone and everyone, looking for some answers. I wanted to find the something, anything to help my sister.

It was during this time I was introduced to raw foods through the internet and also from my sister's dear friend and massage therapist. RAW FOODS....what is that? Sushi, Steak Tartar, raw cookie dough? No - none of the above. (kind of a shame about the raw cookie dough, :-) It it just a way of eating where the food is not heated about 118 degrees. (The exact temperature varies slightly from source to source) but that is the basis.

It includes fresh, organic, uncooked fruits and vegetables, raw nuts, raw seeds, beautiful, colorful, food that is full of life and energy. No preservatives, dairy, no frozen TV dinners, and no packaged meals that are so full of ingredients and chemicals that I can't pronounce, let alone spell. It seemed like everything finally started to make sense to me.

So I started to experiment. I made healthy smoothies that were coconut water based, packed with nutrition and were really yummy. These smoothies were some of the only food my sister was able to tolerate, especially after a round of chemo. They were nutritionally dense yet very easy for her to digest.

I made her a variety of these super smoothies and they were very comforting to her. They reminded her of a good old-fashioned milkshake, but with out all the side affects from dairy and processed sugar. It was important to her to have some of her comfort foods when she was feeling so ill. It made me happy that I could make a tasty shake and still give her some much-needed nutrition. Although, in the end, these foods didn’t save her because her cancer was so far advanced, I am convinced they helped to improve the quality of her life up to the end.

After her death, I still continued on with the study of raw foods. Seeing what a positive affect they had on my sister and on me. While I was preparing food for my sister, I decided to go raw as well. I had so many wonderful food choices I never felt deprived. I was able to eat a good amount of food and still I lost weight, food was easier to digest, I lost that bloated feeling, I also had so much energy and no sugar highs/lows because I cut out all processed sugar. My body actually seemed to know what to do with the food I was putting in my body and make good use of it.

Even with all the sadness of losing my sister, going raw was a awesome experience for me and that is the bottom line why I decided to start this blog, I want share this with others so they can feel good too. And so it has begun....... That is it for today.

Stay tuned if you like, I will be continuing on with how I went raw and how it affected me, both the good and the bad. I will also be giving suggestions on how to go raw or at least incorporate more of the lovely, vibrant foods into your diet. And believe me, there are lots of tasty foods to choose from. I hope to see you back here. I would enjoy the company.

Bye for now. Be well.

Nanners