Happy Spring from the Raw Food Chick

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,

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Getting Sexy Back

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

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

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

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

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