The Raw Cafe Detroit Review

I'm very excited to have found the Raw Cafe in Detroit. It's a lot closer than the Cacao Tree in Royal Oak for me, although they are both great. In fact, the owner of the Cacao Tree is the one who told me about the Detroit restaurant since I said it was a bit of a drive for me.

The outside is really nice, and it's easy to find parking too. (although I had to pass a homeless guy, who thankfully didn't bother us. I'm not passing judgements, just some can get scary. I wish I could help everyone who asks, but I just can't and that bothers me.)

The inside is beautiful, and the food was really good. I am embarrassed to admit that I was in such a hurry to get back home to work that I actually forgot to tip! I have never forgotten to tip before!

Ahh, well when I go back I will make sure to tip extra. We only got take out, but still, I feel a tip would have been appropriate and I want to help support raw food restaurants.

I got a lasagna and an amazing raw cheesecake,and some ginger carrot juice. I also found this wrap, but I didn't order it. I discovered it when I got home. Not sure if it was a mistake or something they throw in with your meal, but it was pretty good also.

Anyways, if you get a chance to check out this restaurant please do. It's a great alternative for those of us who can't get out to Royal Oak and also a nice place to go out to eat if you are in downtown Detroit. Their food is amazing, the restaurant is decorated very nice and the staff was super friendly. What more can you ask for? I only wish their hours were a later because they are closed by the time I get off work, but I think their summer hours will be a little later according to their website.

The end is nigh...

Ok, maybe not. The end of the world didn't happen, but Harold Camping and his family are a lot richer. I grew up in a religious home, and I studied the bible for two years in bible college, so I could see the flaws (and I've done some online marketing as well so I could see the marketing genius in his work as also) in his theories, but there will always be some who can not, or will choose not to(a quick google search would help anybody see his faulty calculations). I have seen how much damage religion has done in people's lives, including my own, and it just makes me angry...and sad.

In sales, if only a few people buy in to your product you did well, and Harold Camping has done VERY well. He should have just stuck to being an engineer if he likes math so much...oh wait, there isn't as much money in that. I'm pretty sure in the bible it doesn't say the person who is the best at math and with the most free time will go to heaven, but he sure knew how to play on people's not wanting to be left out or not being on the "watch"for the end times. Ugh. Makes me so mad. I have also never, ever understood why Christians are excited about the rapture. Just morbid. Ok, I get the going home and eternal happiness crap, but not the part of people being left behind to suffer. Do you just ignore that part? What kind of heartless people would do that?? I mean, ok if God wants to do that that's his call...but me, I would NEVER enjoy that idea, and believe me, there are a lot of people I dislike.



But while there are definitely a lot of people out there taking advantage of people, there are some doing good too. So instead of dwelling on the negatives, I'd rather take a look at something more positive.

You just never know when your life will change, such as this organization helping women in Uganda. I especially love this charity because I love how life can change so quickly, and especially that it helps women out of poverty. To think they were so poor and then one day, they were able to make more than their wildest dreams! If it can happen to them, imagine what you can do in a country not in poverty?

To read about the lovely story about how things got started:

Bead For Life Story


Another really fun charity is Skip1

What I love about this charity is it's so easy. You just skip something. Like the other day I was sick of the food and my house and I was going to get something. Instead, I found a fun recipe to use up some ingredients in my house and ate at home. I donated the $6 I saved to Skip1. And guess what? You get a receipt so it's tax deductible. Little things like this do add up.

While it wasn't the end of the world today, it was for many people living in poverty.

According to one website:

"About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. This is one person every three and a half seconds, as you can see on this display. Unfortunately, it is children who die most often.

Yet there is plenty of food in the world for everyone. The problem is that hungry people are trapped in severe poverty. They lack the money to buy enough food to nourish themselves. Being constantly malnourished, they become weaker and often sick. This makes them increasingly less able to work, which then makes them even poorer and hungrier. This downward spiral often continues until death for them and their families."


So if you have enough money to buy organic foods, and exotic superfoods, if you have a roof over your head...you are doing better than many people. I feel SO blessed and happy to not only have a big, beautiful kitchen and enough money to buy what I want right now, but a little extra to give back. I can only imagine what I would do if I made as much money as most people I know. If you aren't giving back, well, it's your choice, but I just don't see how you couldn't want to help!

Anyways, end of rant :)

Enjoy living another day :)

Raw Way bars made in flint

I haven't tried these out but I have a half off coupon, and I'm pretty excited to try them out. Not only are they raw food bars, but they are made in Flint, Michigan! I didn't know anything was still made in Flint? (sorry Flint!) I am so excited to hear about a new business in flint let alone a raw food one :)


Check out their website: Raw Way

Cacao Tree Cafe Royal Oak Review

I FINALLY made it in to the Cacao Tree Cafe in Royal Oak, and I'm so glad that I stopped in! I just haven't been out in the Royal Oak area in awhile, and I'm not a big fan of parking in downtowns. (parallel parking and parking garages give me mild panic attacks, lol) If I can manage it by myself, than you can too. Don't let the parking stop you from visiting. I passed the place up a couple of times before I saw it (and I have been to the Tasi juice bar that was at that location previously!) because it's very small. It's right after the train tracks, and before Noir Leather.(Which has a huge sign, and hard to miss.) There is a parking garage right by, and that's nice because Royal Oak was crowded at lunch time. I had to park on the top of the parking garage, but at least I found a place. (they could label the exits and direction in the parking garage a bit better though!) Parking was free for two hours before 5 pm, which is a bonus as well. Inside, it is very nicely decorated and fun! It's crowded, and I had people cutting in front of me, and kids climbing all over me as well (who, by the way, had the same name as me. Weird.Lol.)The people working were very friendly and happy. You can tell they really enjoy what they do. The food was amazing! I wish my camera phone was working so you could see what I had, but it wouldn't do it justice anyways! I had a tostada, and the crackers were amazing.(and I've been to a LOT of raw food restaurants that mess up the flavor of dehydrated crackers) The ingredients were fresh and crisp. My smoothie was great, and I had the BEST EVER blueberry cheesecake. Oh man, I wish I had the talent for making this stuff! It was sooo good! My only complaints about the place? There were too many great options(I wanted to spend $100 here!), and that they were closer to my home!! So, those aren't really complaints. There were no negatives at all. Yes, it's crowded and small...but well worth it, in my opinion. Prices were a little high, but that's expected with raw food and fresh ingredients...you get what you pay for, and every penny is worth it here. In fact, you pay more,but you will be less hungry later. All I have had today was lunch at Cacao Tree Cafe and I am not hungry still, 8 hours later. When you eat healthy, fresh food you eat less. So, the prices were about what you would expect for the type of food they offered. I wish they had a menu online, but I am guessing they probably change it often. They had a lot of daily specials. So, I will let you just stop in and find out what they offer...you won't be disappointed! Oh, and I heard the owner mention that they will be selling some of their food in the Total Health Food Store in Wyandotte, Mi. I am super excited about that! Definitely stop in, even if you aren't near Royal Oak. It's worth the trip! There are so few places like this in Michigan (although there are more being added each year) and it's a unique place to check out.

Swag Bucks...

Ok, so this has nothing to do with raw food (well, guess you could use your points to buy a juicer?) but it's a lot of fun and my friends on facebook have said it works. You get points for watching fun videos, and searching the internet. The videos are actually interesting unlike a lot of these sites,and I'm already searching online all day for work, so why not?

Nutrition Unlimited Southgate and Total Health Foods in Wyandotte...downriver's healthy hot spots!

Maybe I'm a little late to finding out about these great stores downriver, but I'm thrilled to find them! I'm always excited to find health food stores somewhere other than Oakland County or Ann Arbor!

Nutrition Unlimited has a really nice selection in a large store, and friendly staff. I really hope to see this store around for a long time! I'm most excited though about the Juice Bar which should be opening soon. Please come out and support them, juice bars are expensive for a business to run-but we are so in need of fast, healthy food. Especially in places like Southgate and other down river areas. The store is kind of hidden in a shopping mall that you wouldn't expect to see a health food store in. Like I said,I really hope they stay around for awhile and I want to see them succeed. People in Wayne County need healthy foods. In fact, we need it more probably. Here is their information:


14185 Eureka Road
Southgate, MI 48195-2065
(734) 284-2357

(and I should have told the owner,but didn't think of it- if they need help putting together a website or even a blog,facebook, or myspace page...I'd be happy to put it together for free!)


Total Health Foods in Wyandotte is a lot smaller, but it's large on charm. They have lots of supplements and a pretty good frozen food and dried food selection. You can also find a lot of unique products there. Also, they had a very enthusiastic and fun Zumba class going on. The staff was also very friendly. My concern was parking (hate parking in downtown's-I can't parallel park to save my life!), but there is actually a lot of room in the parking lot in the back of the store. Their website is:
Total Health Foods Wyandotte, MI





So, don't feel like you need to drive out to Livonia, Ann Arbor, or West Bloomfield to be healthy! Have fun downriver, you have some really great options now!

Happy Chickens create healthier eggs...

Ok, so I'm not sure how much "research" has been put into this video I saw, but still...to me, it's just common sense and I don't tend to need a lot of research to back up my gut feeling. I've been telling people for years, if you don't care about animals and how they are treated in factory farms because, well, you are a decent human being with feelings....then please, do it for yourself? Animals who are treated like crap will tend to create crappy food. You really, honestly think you put animals in disgusting, unnatural conditions and then eat them-that it won't have a negative effect on you? I just don't understand people sometimes. I have no problem with eating meat occasionally. I'm not a die hard vegan. I think eggs are an amazing food. I just think we tend to eat too much of it, and the quality is not good. There is no ethical reason to treat animals the way we do. If we are going to kill animals for food, we can do it humanely. I'm not saying we have to spend money to put them up in the Ritz hotel, but we do not need to treat them like a car in assembly lines. They are living, breathing and can experience pain and emotions. They are not just dollar signs.

Animals Have Emotions Videos