New Raw Food Restaurants in Michigan!

There is a new raw food restaurant in Northville! Red Pepper's! It's in downtown Northville, and they don't have a website yet, but here is some contact info:

Red Pepper Deli 116 W. Main Street Northville, MI 48167	Phone: (248) 773 - 7671
Description: For those who are looking to jump start their healthy eating habits by making better choices while eating out, downtown Northville’s newest restaurant, Red Pepper Deli is serving up plenty of fresh (not packaged) delicious options. The menu is 100% vegetarian, highlighted by an 80-90% raw food selection. The menu includes salads and sandwiches made-to-order every day with fresh herbs, greens, and homemade dressings with special entrees, soups and desserts that change daily. In addition to a selection of raw breads the Red Pepper Deli will also carry several Great Harvest Bread Company’s delicious selections. The menu will also feature fresh juices, wheat grass, smoothies, raw desserts made from fruit & vegetables and raw cookies from Michigan’s health-food store, The Tree House. Health tonics made from fresh juices which are good for anything that ails you will also be sold.

Hours of Operation:
Monday: 10:30 AM - 7:30 PM
Tuesday: 10:30 AM - 7:30 PM
Wednesday: 10:30 AM - 7:30 PM
Thursday: 10:30 AM - 7:30 PM
Friday: 10:30 AM - 7:30 PM
Saturday: 10:30 AM - 7:30 PM
Sunday

It's very nicely decorated inside, the food was great, and the people working were very friendly. I'd definitely go back!

I also discovered the Treehouse in Farmington. I always thought it was just for potlucks, but turns out they have a restaurant!

22906 Mooney St
Farmington, MI 48336
(248) 473-0624


I passed up Mooney St. a million times during rush hour-so in case you aren't familiar with the area-it's by a Zap Zone. They had a good selection of other things besides just food-fruits and vegetables, and supplements (I think they were supplements-didn't get a chance to look because I got there kind of late) Red Pepper's is more contemporary, this place is going more for the spiritual, hippy (I use that term in the best way possible lol) vibe...if you are a conservative, close-minded or other type of person with definite beliefs-you may not want to go here....they have certain beliefs and they are very open about them. I'm not the type of person who has a problem with listening to other people's viewpoints-but I know a lot of people do! So, if you think you can handle it, then by all means go visit-the smoothie I had was very good!

Ok,well packing tape is here...back to moving!!!

Is this normal?!

14 days raw food...and I feel amazing! I am NEVER hungry. Yesterday I ran five miles and realized when I got back (around 11:30pm) that I hadn't eaten all day except some supplements and superfood(www.noblelifeelements.com/maximumhealth)! Someone gave me coffee at a coffee shop and I didn't want to be rude so I drank it-but I didn't need it! I was so hyper!! This kind of energy should be illegal! Oh, wait it practically is with the way the government, pharmaceutical industry, stores, restaurants, etc. make it nearly impossible to get quality food!!

It sounds crazy, but if you are eating too much, you really need to eat less....than you will want less food! lol

The less you eat, the less you want. At least for me! But it depends what you eat....if you are eating poor quality, low nutrient food....you will ALWAYS be hungry. If you are eating high quality, nutrient rich food....you will not need to eat as much.

I'm almost wondering if I should force myself to eat though because I am running 5 miles....that's 300 calories alone according to the treadmill. It just doesn't seem healthy! But it's not like I'm starving myself-I have the food! Why doesn't my body want it if I HAVE to eat? When I wasn't on raw foods I used to eat ALL the time, especially if I exercised!!

I think the superfoods (www.noblelifeelements.com/maximumhealth) help, but I just didn't think superfoods plus all raw food would give me THIS much energy, and I wouldn't be hungry.

You know what's even crazier? I'm not really even losing weight! I mean, I was already kind of skinny, but I'm not getting too skinny doing this. Weird. Just weird!!

I'm not complaining, I mean it's nice to have more energy and only eating once a day definitely let's you get more done....but it's a huge adjustment!!!

What ails you?

I'm relatively healthy-no major health concerns other than I have suffered from fatigue and depression sometimes (but really, who hasn't?!).I have recently become a distributor for https://www.noblelifeelements.com/maximumhealth and a lot of the products and superfoods (I haven't received or tried all the products yet but I have had other superfoods) have helped me tremendously. I think our ground is depleted, and even organic food can legally have up to 5% chemicals, so superfoods are great for additional nutrients-definitely better than taking medicine or supplements.If you are like most people though, chances are you have something you would like some help with. Here are just some of ailments that superfoods can help with, even if you aren't sticking to a raw food/or healthy diet:

Acidity: Immune Detox, Revitaphi
Allergies,asthma:Marine Phytoplankton
Anxiety: Gold Rush, Revitaphi, Cordyceps
B12 deficiency: Golden Inca Berries
Cholesterol: Cordyceps
Cramps: Maca
Depression:Blue Green Algae, Cacao, Immune Detox, Revitaphi, Maca, Cacao
Diabetes (type 2): Marine Phytoplankton
Digestion: Island Fire
Fatigue: Immune Detox, Revitaphi, Maca, Cordyceps
Fertility: Maca
Focus/Learning:Blue Green Algae, Gold Rush, Immune Detox, Marine
Heart/circulatory function:Marine Phytoplankton, Cordyceps, Cacao
Immune system: Immune Detox, Marine Phytoplankton, Maca, Cordyceps
Impotence: Maca
Insomnia: Gold Rush, Cordyceps
Joint Pain: Marine Phytoplankton
Magnesium Deficiency: Cacao
Memory: Gold Rush, Marine Phytoplankton, Maca, Cordyceps
Menopause: Maca
Metabolism:Blue Green Algae, Maca
Mood:Blue Green Algae, Gold Rush
Motivation: Gold Rush, Blue Green Algae
Overeating: Gold Rush
Physical Performance/exercise stamina: Gold Rush, Immune Detox, Maca, Cordyceps, Blue Green Algae,Phytoplankton,Revitaphi,Maca
Thyroid/Endocrine problems: Maca
Toxins: Immune Detox,
Seasonal Affective Disorder: Gold Rush
Stress: Gold Rush,Revitaphi, Cordyceps

Review of Tasi Juice Bar in Royal Oak

http://www.myspace.com/tasijuicebar

I went to Tasi's recently when I was in Royal Oak. For a raw foodist, it may not be the best place to go-but if you are in downtown Royal Oak, it is one of your best options! The place was nice inside, but very small. If you don't feel like talking, don't eat there because it's set up in such a way that the cash register is facing the people sitting down-it was a bit awkward eating while the people working there had nothing else to do but sit and stare at you! It was a rainy,gloomy day, so it was slow....I'm sure when it's busy it wouldn't be so awkward. The food portions were very small, BUT it is a JUICE BAR...I just would have liked the sandwiches to be bigger portions for the price! They also use soy, and there isn't a lot of room to mix and match. For instance, no sprouted bread, or lettuce wrap options instead of bread. You can't put hemp or rice milk in your smoothies-but it's not a raw food restaurant....it's still better than going to just about any other restaurant in the area! I really liked the tiki bar corner where you could sit. On a rainy day, it was nice pretending I was on a beach in the bahamas! lol

Dearborn Farmers Market!

I went to my first farmer's market today! What have I been waiting for? It was SO nice to meet the people who grow the food, hang out in the sunshine, and the products were amazing! We have so many wonderful products and farms here in Michigan! I got some really good raspberries from
http://www.gibbsberriesfarms.com and some homemade applesauce with no sugar added from http://jemfruit.com

I also LOVE soy candles and I was out so I bought one from Wilde Flower Soap Co. Excellent, all natural soaps by the way. I got a wonderful lilac one which reminds me of the flowers we had in our backyard when I was a kid. It's not one of those candles you can barely smell-it feels like you are next to actual lilacs! You can reach them at 887-290-8628.

Some of the vendors I spoke with were surprised I don't charge for advertising on my site-and you know what, maybe I should since I do actually spend a substantial amount each month-but I love networking and learning from all of the health conscious people in Michigan-that I feel honored and excited just to list their businesses! Maybe if the bandwidth becomes too much a month I'd consider it, but only as an option to keep the site going!

Oh, this was another exciting product I got to try (and Justin bought it):
www.apblends.com

If you have not been to Traverse City, Michigan and tried their cherries, this is a close second! Mmmm, cherries from Traverse City!! Doesn't get better than that!


I ran 5 miles today with no issues, and I really think it has a lot to do with the Gold Rush I'm taking from https://www.noblelifeelements.com/maximumhealth


I can hardly wait to try their other products-I get a shipment in about a week!!

Raw Food Retreat!

I only had to eat once today! This raw food stuff is great if you are on a budget! I always thought I had to eat all the time, but apparently not.


Also, raw retreat Oct. 17-19th in Brooklyn, MI (Near Ann Arbor)

http://home.mi.rr.com/mdwyer1/retreat2008.htm

So many things!

I didn't know what to title this blog, too many topics! :)

I'm a midwest girl and I'm missing my dairy! I've been officially 98% raw food only for 8 days now and was just thinking, man I'd like some ice cream or cheese, but I don't want to make it! Well, I got this in my email:

Great News! Grezzo now ships across the US!

Hello all our ice cream and cheese loving raw food, vegan and vegetarian friends! The time has finally come, and we here at Grezzo are proud and excited to announce that we are ready to begin shipping our fabulous Ice Cream and Cheese across the nation! Please call us at 1.857.362.7288 to place your order Grezzo's Raw Vegan Ice Cream and Sorbet Please see shipping info below Grezzo's raw vegan ice cream and sorbet are gluten-free, dairy-free, wheat-free and soy-free. There are no processed sugars or chemicals and no preservatives or fillers of any kind! Our Ice Creams and Sorbets are 100% Raw and Vegan FLAVORS AND INGREDIENTS: All of our ingredients are locally grown and organic whenever possible. However, certain ingredients such as young Thai baby coconuts, are not always available organic. $15 per pint: Vanilla Chip Ice Cream: Young Thai coconut meat, coconut water, raw cashews, whole vanilla bean, raw cacao nibs, raw agave Mocha Brownie Ice Cream: Young Thai coconut meat, coconut water, raw hazelnuts, raw cashews, raw walnuts, raw pecans, raw cacao, raw dates, raw agave Wild Strawberry Ice Cream: Young Thai coconut meat, coconut water, fresh wild strawberries, raw cashews, whole vanilla bean, raw agave Dark Chocolate Ice Cream: Young Thai coconut meat, coconut water, raw cashews, raw cacao, raw agave Whole Clove Ice Cream: Young Thai coconut meat, coconut water, raw cashews, raw agave, ground whole clove We will also have other flavors available on special by the day, so give us a call to find out about other options we may have available! *Grezzo uses organic raw agave as our sweetener which is a natural raw sweetener made from cactus. It is low in the glycemic index and is acceptable for diabetics and other sugar-sensitive individuals. Organic raw agave allows us to create a raw vegan ice cream that is low in sugar and truly healthy! Grezzo's Raw Vegan Cheese Please see shipping info below Grezzo raw vegan cheese is dairy-free and soy-free. There are no processed sugars or chemicals and no preservatives or fillers of any kind! Our house-cultured cheese is triple-whipped, creamy and spreadable. You can use these cheeses as a spread for crackers and veggies, a filling for vegetables or in your favorite recipes. These are the same cheeses that we use here at Grezzo for our famous Heirloom Tomato Ravioli, Land and Sea and many other dishes including our signature House Salad. We culture these cheeses for 5 days and take great care in making them resemble a boursin style cheese in taste and texture. (We make your cheese to order and then freeze it overnight before sending it to you. We only freeze this cheese in order to be able to extend its shelf life during shipping. We want your cheese to be as fresh as possible when it arrives to you!) Our Cheese is 100% Raw and Vegan FLAVORS AND INGREDIENTS* All of our ingredients are locally grown and organic whenever possible. All of our herbs are fresh, no dried, and supplied daily from our specialty growers and farmers. We also use whole spices and grind them as needed. We do not use extracts or processed powders. $23 per pint: Herb and Garlic Macadamia: Raw macadamia nuts, fresh whole garlic, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, fresh tarragon, fresh chervil, fresh flat leaf parsley, ground black pepper, fleur de sel sea salt Black Olive Macadamia: Raw macadamia nuts, raw black olives, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh flat leaf parsley, ground black pepper, fleur de sel sea salt Cilantro Habanero Macadamia: Raw macadamia nuts, fresh cilantro, raw habanero peppers, fresh whole garlic, ground black pepper, fleur de sel sea salt Curry Cashew: Raw cashews, fresh whole ginger, fresh whole garlic, whole clove, whole coriander, whole garam masala, ground black pepper, fleur de sel sea salt Miso Cashew: Raw cashews, raw miso, scallion, nama shoyu**, ground black pepper, fleur de sel sea salt We will also have other flavors available on special by the day. Give us a call to find out about additional options we may have available! *Note for people with gluten and wheat sensitivities: our cheese are made with rejuvelac. Please sea our website for more information on rejuvelac **The Miso Cashew Cheese is our one product that does contain wheat from nama shoyu. Gluten sensitive people can often tolerate nama shoyu since the wheat that is used in making this product is sprouted. SHIPPING Our raw & living ice creams and cheese are shipped in EPS Styrofoam containers (which are recyclable!). They are kept cool using blocks of dry ice and are shipped 2nd day to ensure that they arrive frozen and fresh. Due to the complexity of shipping, the minimum order is four pints of either ice cream, cheese or a combination. There is a live person available to take your order 6 days a week (excluding Mondays) from 10am to 4pm, for shipping Wednesday. You may also leave a message after these hours and we will call you back to confirm the order. We ship out all orders on Wednesday, 2nd day air, so you can receive your order by Friday (there is enough dry ice in the packaging to last 48 hours). Overnight shipping is also available. You can find a price grid for major cities on our website at www.grezzorestaurant.com/togo Ready to place your order? We're very excited to begin offering this service to you all, and we look forward to hearing from you soon! Please call us at 1.857.362.7288 to place your order Cheers! ~The Grezzo Team (857) 362-7288 www.grezzorestaurant.com info@grezzorestaurant.com

It's a bit pricey, but they do all the work for you and Alissa Cohen has some good food! I really enjoyed food made from her cookbook, when I took the raw food class.


My orientation was today....not sure how that will work out or if I'll be able to go back to school for nutrition. Still have to wait awhile to find out.


I am also a distributor for http://www.noblelifeelements.com/maximumhealth

I have done Mary Kay before, so I was skeptical going into it, but the program they have in place is pretty much genius. It's unlike any network marketing/MLM I've ever heard about. I'd love to go over it, or even if you just want to try out the products, let me know! I've been using the Gold Rush and I think it's really been helping with my half-marathon training, so I'm excited to spread the word about products I already believe in.

That's all....oh yeah, and if you want to sponsor/donate for me starting up a raw food smoothie/juice bar, or give me business advice on starting a restaurant, let me know (yeah, right...but doesn't hurt to ask!!)

:P

loveforce.net bars

I found these bars at Zerbo's in Livonia, and if you haven't tried them you should! They are so good! The first raw food bars I have had that taste REALLY good! They are a bit pricey at $4.50 each, but that's cheaper than buying them online actually. Although if you really liked them, buying in bulk is always a good way to go. You can find them in the raw food section at Zerbo's, which is right next to the juice bar. Just thought I'd pass this on, since I am always excited when they get new raw food products!!

http://www.loveforce.net

The "Box"

My orientation for going back to school is rescheduled for tomorrow, so not too much of a wait! yay (for those of you who don't know, I'm going to get a second degree in nutrition...hopefully!)

Anyways, I received my food box from www.rawvolution.com yesterday! I have to say I'm pleased with the quantity of food. It didn't seem like enough to last me through a week (you get ten items, 2 of which are dessert) but it's actually a lot of food. I always eat less raw food than processed because of all the fiber and nutrients, but I still wasn't sure what to expect. The taste of some of the food was a bit, well, different..but not bad. I have to say I'm pretty satisfied with it so far, and think it's worth the money if you are like me and don't want to make your own meals, or just don't have the time. The package also arrived early actually, so I didn't have to worry about not being home for it. I felt a bit like an astronaut with all that food in plastic baggies! They left a nice little piece of paper in there so you know what each bag is, but another ingredient list would have been helpful as well. It seems once a new menu is up, there is no way to check the ingredients again for the current box you received. Here are some pics so you can see what it looked like!

Pictures from Chicago!

Well my orientation for getting a grant to go back to school was postponed today! They had a power outage! :( What luck I've been having lately! I've been waiting for this for awhile! I tried to reschedule and the number has been busy all day. But, I actually have a full day off, so I can finally upload the pictures of the raw food restaurants I went to in Chicago!
My favorite Restaurant, was Borrowed Earth Cafe. Here is the link: http://www.borrowedearthcafe.com/



Here is the inside of the store, and a cool sign they had in the lobby.


The very good spinach dip appetizer. The bread was kind of bland,but overall if you were new to raw food I think you could overlook it because the dip was very good.Next was the cheese perogies. Also very good, although of course it was just a name to describe them, they didn't taste like actual perogies.


Next came the entrees! Justin had the "pizza" and I had the "burger and fries." Justin is picky but he liked his, and even the three side salads (except the cauliflower one, but he just doesn't like cauliflower) Mine was very good. I really liked the bun they used, it was almost sweet tasting, but good. The fries were a bit bland, but the ketchup was amazing! I could have eaten just the ketchup by itself!

Last, but not least....the ice cream and cheesecake! Soo good! Almost tasted like the real thing-I'd even say it was better!


Ok, so this took forever....I have lots more pictures to add from Chicago, and also a quick review from my recent visit at Tasi Juice Bar in Royal Oak, but I'm going to wait because there are other things I'd like to do on my day off! Blogger doesn't make it easy to upload pics, or maybe I'm doing something wrong? Anyone have any tips?!

I have a nephew!

Well, little baby Benjamin decided to make his debut right during the Deidre Currie Festival! Which, ironically, the reason for the festival is in memory of Deidre Currie, who passed away during childbirth. I had asked if I could get a refund, just because I hate to waste money. I feel if I didn't go, it was money not spent well. Well, I looked back at the site and reread the story of how Deidre Currie passed away, and I feel like even if I didn't attend the festival, at least it went to a good cause! I'm very grateful my sister had a healthy and safe delivery, and glad I could help in a small way to someone else who was not so fortunate!

So far, one of my friends has reported back that their house had NO outside damage. How do you have a house in a hurricane, and remain untouched? I mean, yeah, I know they'd say God....but I mean, what did He do-have a bubble over there house? How does it not get touched? Amazing! Wish I could have seen that! I hope the rest of my friends were as fortunate. How frustrating to not be able to go home!

I also ran THREE miles today with NO pain!! :) I am also finding that I giggle more. It's really weird. Does raw food make anyone else giggly? I find complete strangers wanting to chat with me, and babies from across rooms smile and say hi. I think I'm going nuts! lol But I suppose it makes sense-everyone wants to be around you when you are happy!! It's just weird, because I am on a mission when I go shopping or running errands-I certainly don't make chit chat or encourage it! I just like to get things done and get back home. lol.

I'm so excited also-my box from www.rawvolution.com comes tomorrow. I just hope I don't miss the shipment because I have orientation for class tomorrow! What does FedEx do if you miss a shipment for perishable food?! Hmm, I think I need to call about that, although it's a bit late now!

Well, if I get the food ok I'll be sure to let you know how it is!


Oh, and I'd like to say about my previous post about sacred chocolate not tasting good...I am wondering if I had an imposter chocolate heart....I looked on the website and it didn't look anything like what I bought at a store. So, I hope so-because I want to like raw chocolate bars, I really do!!!

Grow where you're planted...

As Hurricane Ike descends on Texas and Louisiana I wonder why anyone would want to live there! I have a lot of friends in Michigan who have moved there, and I just can't understand it. I cower in the basement when we have a tornado warning. I don't even like lightning! But I guess I understand in a way-I think of all the times I've tried to leave Michigan, and somehow I end up back here..I wanted to move to California or NYC to do television...now film seems to be coming to this state. I wanted to move to Arizona for the raw food movement....yet there are so many exciting things going on here. While the Michigan Raw food festival this month http://www.natures-haven.com/index_files/Page411.htm will get far less press than the one in Sedona this weekened...it's still amazing progress for this state. The wonderful people at Detroit Evolution teaching raw food in all places...DETROIT! Give those people an award....oh wait, they just won one for best vegetarian food in Detroit from Channel 4. http://detroitevolution.com/My whole point is....maybe you are going through your own hurricanes right now, and you wish you could escape them-but rest assured, you are exactly where you need to be at this time! Just keep moving on, and trying, and rebuilding!! My prayers are with all of the people going through this hurricane!

I also wanted to add-I was able to run today with NO pain, and I was barely tired at all! I had to stop myself from trying to run more than I knew I should because I felt so great! I know that just because I feel good though doesn't mean I should run too much, I should increase my running gradually. I also did an hour of Kundalini Yoga from Yogi Jim http://www.yogijim.com/index.html

I have been also doing oil pulling and dry skin brushing, and taking enzymes and supplements. I'll let you know what kind of supplements when/if this whole half-marathon training in very little time works lol. But telling what it is every day would get a bit tiring.

And be proud of me, day three of being 98% raw!!! I had two smoothies from Zerbos http://www.zerbos.com/retailer/store_templates/ret_custom_page2.asp?storeID=5DDC50E796734E49AEDE162FFC8CABF9

Although I could only finish half! The turkey sandwich but no cheese, and in a lettuce wrap (There was very little turkey in it, and it was the good kind) and the raw sandwich, also in a lettuce wrap (could only finish half)

On another note, I was supposed to go to the Deidre Currie Festival tomorrow morning but my sister may be going in to labor early! I hope she can hold off one day, so I can report on that to you and take some pictures! If you are interested and reading this, I think it may not be too late to get tickets.....http://www.deidrecurriefestival.com/index.html

The last Weston A. Price foundation festival I attended was a real paradigm shifter for me-really made me think of things in a different way. I love the raw food lifestyle, but I always get other ways of thinking. The Weston A. Price foundation nutrition idea is not as extreme as Raw Food. I'm not saying either is right or wrong, I think that's a person choice. But, it's interesting nonetheless!

Good night, and TAKE A HIKE IKE!!!!!!!

Day 2 of training!

Ok, so today I didn't train because I like to give myself 24 hours to recover. But it was still a day of training as far as eating healthy!! I went to Zerbo's again and had the blue peanut smoothie (lol) and some sprouted sandwich. The smoothie was good,but I didn't like the spread on the sandwich. I don't know, had a weird taste. Hmm, it tasted like....natural, nutritious stuff...lol. blahh. Not what I've been used to lately! But I wasn't hungry at all. It's so nice how when u eat healthy you need less food. When I eat bad stuff I'm constantly hungry, it's like my body is never happy when I eat processed food. I also had a mandarin salad from Wendy's tonight, but I figured a little bit of chicken would be ok since I'm going to push myself tomorrow (Friday) and run an extra mile. Although I'm taking B-12 and iron supplements now since I'm going to eat all raw food. Normally I wouldn't think you need all that,but for marathon training I want to be safe!!!

Training for a half marathon!

Yes, you heard it! NO MORE EXCUSES. I'm going to go all raw, and I'm going to start exercising again. The half-marathon is in only FIVE weeks. Now, before you go telling me there is no way to go from running no miles to 13.1 in five weeks, I am aware of that! I haven't ran in awhile, not since I injured myself in college. Ok, all that walking while living on campus...AND running....that was too much. I went a bit overboard back then!My thing here is this marathon is just motivation. I'm training like I have 6 months...I'm going to take it slow. No injuries for me! (although if it happens, it won't be horrible since I just sit on my butt at home for work anyways all day!) I may not run, but I rebound and do kundalini yoga sometimes. Those are pretty good exercises! Not to mention, this will really test whether raw food can make you do better than the average athlete. Normal people are unable to run 13 miles in 5 weeks...but hey, doing raw food...maybe I can! I've never let people telling me something can't be done stop me before! In fact, I LOVE a challenge. It'll be a fun little experiment for my readers (you are there,right?!)

The reason I stopped running is I think there are less traumatic ways to get in shape! lol If I have to walk the marathon though I will....or crawl while crying...lol. If I don't feel ready to do even that, then I won't. I just really need the motivation to eat healthy and work out now, and not just waiting until I move (Oct. 1st) I keep saying, oh I'll do this when I move and that's just crazy. You never know what tomorrow holds! I think my real reason has been lack of motivation. I'm going to just spill my heart out to the world here(as if I don't anyways! I am not sure I can be anything but honest sometimes...it's just no insult hurts me worse than when I find out someone lied, so I try not to!) I think the reason why I've been unmotivated is I figure why bother? Anytime I accomplish anything, or have anything good in my life...it gets taken away. I am just sick of working hard, achieving something...tasting what it feels like to be happy....and then have it taken away and starting over again!! If you kick someone enough, eventually they stop fighting back!!! That's how I feel right now. It's not that I doubt my ability to do something...I doubt how long it will last!!! But I know this is WRONG...it's my emotions. My logical side says that is not a reason to give up! So, I'm hoping this challenge will keep me motivated! I love goals. I am not challenged with my current work. I can't wait to go back to school for this reason! Deadlines, markable indicators of success (good grades) all of these things I LOVE! I used to hate school as a kid, but I really grew to love it. I went to Zerbo's today and stocked up on all kinds of things that they thought would be good for intense training. I ate the Raw Power smoothie, and the raw sandwich, and I'm ordering the Raw Box (10 raw foods prepared and shipped) from rawvolution.com so I have no excuse to not eat raw! I think if its sent to my front door is the only way I'll eat raw food meals. I hate making them, hate cleaning up juicers, blenders, etc...lol. I know, I'm so lazy that way-but it's so hard when there are so many already prepared food options to tempt me!!! I also did an hour of Kundalini yoga, and managed to run one mile!!! I could have done more, but figured to go easy! My left shin was a bit sore, but that's cuz I sit indian style while I'm a the computer a lot and I think I put too much pressure on it. Gotta stop doing that! :) I had a detox headache, but other than that felt good. Oh, and just a warning...I tried that sacred chocolate heart bar...and let me just say, it tastes REALLY bitter. I'll let you decide if that's bad or good....but just be warned it doesn't taste like the chocolate u are used to! I thought they'd put SOMETHING in it to make it a bit sweeter (dates?! Something! ugh) but it was just raw cacao (coco in its natural state) I know it said it was all raw-but there has to be some kind of raw sweetener to add? If you have ever tasted raw cacao you know what I'm talking about! Anyways though-wish me luck and any tips and advice about running, especially on a raw diet, feel free to let me know!!!

Clinic Volunteers Needed and Dearborn Farmer's Market!

Two causes I feel very strong about! I just read that a clinic in Wyandotte is helping the working uninsured. Considering I am going four years on not having health insurance, I believe in this cause (oh, and I have been working full-time!) If you have medical experience, they only need 3 hours of volunteer time.

http://www.wyandotteclinic.com/
Check out the article while the website is under construction: http://www.thenewsherald.com/stories/090708/loc_20080907010.shtml

I also lived and worked in the city of Dearborn for two years, and I do love that city! They have a great Chamber of Commerce that tries to keep the city fun, and thriving in this tough economy. I am really excited at one of their recent ideas. A Farmer's Market! Be sure to go out and support it!
It runs until Oct. 10th!
http://www.dearbornchamber.org/farmersmarket.htm

How great would it be if EVERY city did something like this?

A couple of cool events coming up!

Way too long of a name (lol) Midwest Living Foods and Healthy Living EcoFestival:

http://www.natures-haven.com/index_files/Page411.htm

Deidre Currie Festival:

http://www.deidrecurriefestival.com/index.html

Cold Remedies...

One of the great things about eating raw food is you don't get colds. Sounds like a bold claim, but it really is true. I think a lot of common colds are actually mucous build up from foods such as dairy, and white flour. Gross to think about, but true. You also don't catch virus type flu's because your immune system is higher.

Sniffle, sniffle. Excuse me while I go get another tissue and blow some mucous...

I was recently house-sitting and eating food that was available so I got off of eating raw for awhile, and now am being reminded of why I need to go back. Pounding headache, fatigue, and stuffy nose...and I thought I wasn't motivated to write BEFORE I got a cold. Now I'm really not motivated to work on this website.

I'm probably losing some readers, but my life has been pretty busy lately, besides the cold. I'm moving in less than a month, and also hopefully going back to school soon. So, please be patient with me :)


Some natural cold remedies I really like:

Strep Throat, or sore throats:

Organic, raw Manuka Honey. The higher the bio-availability rating (I try to get the highest possible...you can order it online, or if you are in Michigan...I have found it only at Zerbo's in Livonia) Manuka honey is actually medical grade for treating wounds. It's the most expensive honey you'll ever buy, but it's strong stuff!It really kills any germs. At the first sign of a sore throat, take a few teaspoons of this honey and you will feel better. I also like zinc lozenges, but these must be taken immediately at the first sign of any sore throat symptoms or it doesn't really help.

Allergies: Local bee pollen. It makes sense to get bee pollen from local bee's. If you take bee pollen from other areas, I think it's less effective. The local bee's do whatever it is bee's do (lol) to make the local plant allergies less harmful for you. I hope this makes sense, since I have a really bad headache as I write this....but let's just say I've found it really good during allergy season.


These are just a few of the cold remedies I like. Please feel free to add any of yours, if I still have any readers left! :)