Raw Monkey Mike Works Magic in the Kitchen

by Joanne Newell

Since the release of our e-book Monkey Mike’s Raw Food Kitchen: An Un-Cookbook for Kids in September last year, we’ve sold heaps of copies of Mike to parents who wanted their kids to get excited about trying raw food.

Recently, we received a beautiful letter from a very happy mom named Kerstin Pichon, who purchased the book for her son (pictured in the photo above).

Kerstin kindly agreed to let us share her letter with you:

“I haven’t been in a hurry to print your book out and give it to my son because he is anti-raw, anti-vegetable, and anti-fruit. So no matter how great I thought this book seemed, I didn’t have any higher hopes that my son would find any kind of interest in it whatsoever.

Which is why I was blown away when I finally did give it to him today, on Mother’s Day, and he was excited! He had been watching me sorting through the pages, and actually said “Monkey Mike? Seriously. Where do you get this stuff, Mom?”. (My son will be ten next week.) He had thought that it was a book for me, to give me inspiration on what to make for him (since he saw the key word RAW). But when he realized that the book was for HIM he got interested. He loves the names of the recipes. He loves the illustrations. I had thought it might be a little too “childish” for him, but no. LOVES it all.

The first thing he made was the Alien Slime Smoothie [see the photos!]. The one thing raw that I have been able to convince him to have is green smoothies daily. So this being no stranger to him, he dug right in. And really liked the smoothie!

Next we created our own recipe (brilliant idea, we will print up more blank pages for that) of the smoothie he usually drinks, which we named “Yo-Mama Smoothie Supreme”, since I created it.

We illustrated ingredients and equipment necessary together and had a blast. To top it off he made the vanilla cashew creme, which we had for dessert with strawberries. As he has seen me do countless times he himself wrote onto the recipes an alteration we did (we used collard greens instead of Swiss chard since we didn’t have it for the smoothie) and he wrote how he liked both the smoothie and the vanilla creme. He has also done the maze etc. and we have colored together in the recipe book.

I cannot tell you how ecstatic I am to have my son try raw food. I have told him that this will be like any other recipe book – he will like some recipes and not like others. If he doesn’t like what he makes, he doesn’t have to eat it, as long as he tries it, and we will just make a note of that he didn’t really care for it for future reference.

It is a joy to see him ingest anything green, and pure pleasure to create uncooked recipes together in the kitchen. And to have him (as well as myself) have a blast doing it!

You are a genius! Thank you so much!!! “

I’m thrilled to bits that Kerstin’s son loves Mike! It’s exactly what I wish for every child who receives a copy. I wrote this book because there wasn’t a raw-food recipe book for children, and because I wanted my own children to get excited about raw – so I know how Kerstin is feeling, knowing that her child has had a new, exciting, and ultra-healthy world open up to him. (And isn’t he just a gorgeous boy?!)

If you haven’t yet grabbed your copy of Mike, and would like to see your eight- to 12-year-old kids (or grandkids, nephews, or nieces) having fun experimenting with raw food, then simply click below to purchase the Monkey Mike book. (It’s a steal at US$19.95.)

Happy un-cooking with your kids!

Love Raw Mom Jo

Monkey Mike’s Raw Food Kitchen – an Un Cook Book for Kids