Raw Indulgence and Decadent Gourmet Giveaway!

Raw Indulgence and Decadent Gourmet Giveaway!

- by Rachelle Fordyce

The past week has been busy! … Not to mention Decadently Indulgent!

Tera Warner and fellow team members Danielle Greason, Rachelle Fordyce (that’s me!), and Tiffany Soricelli met this past weekend near Montreal, Quebec.

…And what did we do?

We drank green juices and green smoothies, ate yummy salads, snacked on organic luxury raw bars, went for a hike in the woods, enjoyed a lovely massage and spent a day at the spa!

Does that sound indulgent and decadent?

It was!

Everyone needs to indulge in a little decadence once in a while. That’s why we’re giving away 3 copies of Decadent Gourmet!

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Raw Food Recipe: Decadent Blueberry Cobbler Bliss!

Raw Food Recipe: Blueberry Cobbler

- from Decadent Gourmet, by Angela Elliott

You’ll be pleased to know this delightful berry treat is a ‘no dehydrator required‘ recipe!

With a little chopping and mixing and setting in the fridge, you can create a raw heavenly and blissful with just a few ingredients.

To find out all about these wonderful little blue bobbles of goodness, check out 7 Great Reasons to Eat More Blueberries.

You’ll find this Blueberry Cobbler recipe in our Decadent Gourmet recipe e-book!

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Frisky Friday Freebies & The Simple Gourmet Giveaway

Frisky Friday Freebies & The Simple Gourmet Giveaway

- by Rachelle Fordyce

Well, today’s Novermber 11, 2011 — the big 11-11-11!  And it just so happens to fall on a Friday… A Frisky Friday, that is!

If you’re new around her, then let me be the first to tell you: Every Friday we start a new giveaway where we give away fun and frisky freebies every week… and it’s really super easy to earn yourself entries in the draw for these awesome-tastic freebies, too! (Just read more for the details on how to enter to win!)

As for last week’s Frisky Friday Freebie giveaway, we announced our intent to give away free sample packs of Tera’s Herbal Loose Leaf Tera to 3 lucky winners!!! …. Well, the winners have been drawn, and the 3 trios of Tera’s Tea Samplers go to… Mel, Nancy, and Jolene! 

Woo hoo! Congratz you three!

We hope you’ll enjoy the soon-to-be yours tasty yet tranquil trio of Tera’s Teas.   Expect to receive an email from us sometime in the very near future to finalize the details for sending you your teas in the post!

Now… for THIS week’s Frisky Friday Freebie, we thought we should do something a little special… you know, it being 11-11-11 and all. And, not being able to beat the inherent simplicity of 1 (and 11),  we’ve decided to give away ELEVEN copies of our recipe e-book The Simple Gourmet!

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Easy, Tasty Raw Food Recipe: Spicy Thai Green Curry

This recipe comes to us care of our in-house kitchen goddess, Angela Elliott. Angela is the author of Alive in 5 and The Simple Gourmet!

Ingredient List

For the curry sauce:

• Water and flesh of 2 Thai young coconuts
• 2 small jalapenos
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 shallots or ½ medium Onion
• 2 tablespoon fresh lemongrass
• 2 tablespoon fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 lime, juiced and its rind minced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, packed
• 1/2 cup cilantro, packed
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

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Raw Christmas Dinner: “Turkey” Without the Bird

- by Angela Elliott

Christmas is just a few short days away. Maybe you’ve decided that this year will be a turkey-friendly feast.  Or maybe you’ve never tried having a raw gourmet dinner?  Maybe you jussssst want to make you mother-in-law’s eyes bug completely out of her head and really give her something to talk about.

If you’re looking for a special raw food delight for your holiday dinner this Christmas, Angela Elliott, the author of  Alive in Five and The Simple Gourmet has a fantastic recipe, complete with the cranberry fixin’s for you to try.

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Raw Food Recipe: Fettuccini and Meatzaballs

Recipes of the Week: “Fettuccini and Meatzaballs!”

by Angela Elliott

(Now, just so we’re all clear, here, this is THE Angela Elliott. The bubbly, vivacious, incredibly inspiring Angela Elliott. She is THE culinary wizard who created Alive in 5, The Simple Gourmet aaaaaand she’s got more books on the horizon. Ice-cream lovers, stay tuned!) Enjoy this delectable replacement for a old cooked food classic.)

Fettuccini

ingredients:

5 fresh young zucchini

Sauce Ingredients:

1 ½ cups raw pine nuts
1 cup soaked raw cashews
3 cloves fresh garlic
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons Himalayan salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 ½ cups unsweetened fresh nut milk or Thai young coconut water
Juice of ½ lemon
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Parsley for garnish

Directions:
Using either a saladacco, mandolin, or vegetable peeler, peel the zucchini making long thin strips. Blend everything except the parsley in the blender. Blend until smooth. Mix the zucchini noodles with the sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Meatzaballs!

Special equipment needed: dehydrator

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups walnuts
2 cups young zucchini, shredded
½ cup carrot, shredded
¾ cup celery, minced
1 ½ cups mushrooms, minced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons mellow unpasteurized miso
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1 ½ teaspoons of Spice Islands brand poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon Celtic salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup of freshly ground golden flax seed (take whole flax and powder in a coffee grinder)
Directions:
Grind the walnuts in a food processor until finely ground, remove and place in large bowl. Pulse chop zucchini and add to bowl, pulse chop the carrots, add to the bowl, pulse chop the mushrooms, add to bowl, pulse chop the celery, add to the bowl.
Chop the herbs by hand and add to bowl. Use a garlic press to mince the garlic and add to the bowl. Grind the flax seeds in a coffee grinder and add to the bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix by hand. Form mix ture into little balls and place in dehydrator on a teflex sheet and dehydrate at 104 degrees for 6 hours then remove teflex sheet, turn over and dehydrate for another 6 hours or until desired texture.

For more amazing recipes, please check out Alive in Five and The Simple Gourmet.

Raw Food Cheesecake: Worth. Every. Nanosecond!!

- by Stacey Terry

Have I ever told any of you how much I love my job!?  I tell ya… working for Tera Warner and The Green Smoothie Queen often feels like a dream come true.  Besides getting to read an abundance of raw food and nutritional information that continues to reinforce the lifestyle path I’m on, once in awhile, there’s something special, really special, that comes across my editing desk.

That was most definitely the case when I got a sneak peek at The Decadent Gourmet by Angela Elliott.  And even though I’m a fan of eating green food and always start my day with a good old fashioned glass of lawnmower pulp -  yes, my beloved green smoothies -  I have to admit, reading through all the raw food cheesecake, ice cream, cookies, and cobbler recipes took a bit of a toll on me.  But it was an educational read too.  Anyone like Angela who has found a way to make dessert guilt-free is a dear friend in my heart!  Read more »

(90-Day Detox) Day 89: The Final Countdown

I laughed last night as I watched myself eating something I wouldn’t “normally” eat.

I giggled at the idea that this detox was designed to help me not be so obsessed about what I eat.

Here we are at the end of the program and I can say for  certain that while I am still an intense creature who will continue to live out some extremes related to food and diet, I feel MUCH less obsessed with my foods than I did about 90 days ago.

I’ve learned a lot in the last 3 months and so much has changed!

I’ve been on TV twice.

I met Mr. Right!! (You know what’s kinda neat about that–I had said when I moved into this apartment that before I move I want to have found the person I spend “the rest of my life” with. I know we can’t really predict the bumps in the road, but I can say that things with Mr. Right and I feel SoooooooooOOoooOOoOoOoOooo right that I can easily see happily ever after. Anyway, it happened juuuuust as I’d hoped. I’m moving in one week and stumbled upon him just 6 weeks ago!)

I finally did a day of juice feasting! One day. I know it’s not everyone’s miracle, but I sure was happy to finally get a day in! Who knows, maybe I’ll try more.

I’m moving! That’s very exciting.

I’ve discovered the joys of enemas, probiotics and enzyme supplementation.

I fell in love with green juice, but then after trying to do a 3-day green juice fast, I fell out of love with them again!!

This morning I’m going to make myself a big jug of fresh water with lemon in and I’m going to stick to that until I’m called to something else. My goal was to do 3 days of green smoothies or green juices, but yesterday’s surprise picnic invitation kinda threw that out the window. Today I’m going to keep it simple and then when I’m ready for food, I’ll get on the green smoothie bandwagon.

I thought about including an update for Days 88 and 87, too, but realized that I just need to plough through to the finish line.

Day 87 my computer died when I came to write my update. That had me racing out to the Apple Store to get some much needed equipment and then the day disappeared. Day 88 I barely looked up from my boxes. I’ve been packing and get ready for my move! I’ve not been feeling terribly inspirational, but far more inspired by what is coming around the corner.

I’ve enjoyed this process and bringing it home to a conclusion has been… well… interesting in light of all the other things going on. And that’s the whole thing, isn’t it… I mean, regardless of what happen, what invitations come up or how life sweeps us off our feet, we do have to establish a few guidelines for ourselves–principles to live by and love by.

We’ve covered a lot of different topics over  the last few months and I’m excited about more things to come. I’m excited about having a turf to play on… a new apartment, a fresh beginning. I confess that love in my life has sucked some time out of my schedule, but after years of what feels like a work-a-thon in progress, this is a refreshing taste of balance.

I’m going to leave you with sunny thoughts for the start of this week.

it’s our day to make commitments. Hmmm…

I loved what Nicole did last week. No commitments.

I think this week my priority is getting things all organized for my move. That’s the most important thing for my week and given all the other things I’ll have to fit in around that, I think that’s enough.

REMINDER! Tonight is a teleseminar with Angela Elliott! Very excited about this and hope you’ll join us! Here’s the link!

http://tinyurl.com/r8oavw

This call is a retake on the one we tried to do a week or so ago. How to succeed as a Raw Foodist in a Cooked Food family/environment. There should be lots of helpful tips and suggestions! Hope you’ll join us!!

Love and hugs,

Tera

Green Smoothie Revival: Day One: Get Your Green On!

I admit that my day is off to a spectacular start. The sun has finally broken through after a week of clouds and rain and I dare say, my lovelies, that good things are brewing in the world. It’s probably no coincidence that the sun is shining down on us as we kick off a 3-Day Green Smoothie Revival.

Since I’ve been grooving along as part of the 90-Day Detox and am also enrolled in the 6-Week Detox with Dr. Ritamarie, I will be skipping the fiber on this round of green smoothies and going for a juicier adventure. Those of you who follow the Raw Diva blog know that I’m also trying to get rid of a cyst that developed on the back of my leg and I think this is just the thing to do it!

Today is Day One! The day your commitment feels solid. You’re ready and on track. You can do this good thing and you WANT to do it for yourself. Stay focused and think Green Thoughts and you’ll get through this day victorious.

Remember to eat enough, so you don’t find yourself giving into temptation at the end of the day.

Remember to get to bed at a good time. Fatique is a major reason for late night eating. Don’t get caught in the late night snack trap! If you’re going to do this 3-day adventure with us, give yourself the best chance possible of feeling fantastic. Go for some exercise, too! Break a sweat and release some of those toxins that have been dragging you down!

And hold fast to your commitment to yourself for the next three days NO MATTER what comes up. BEND, but don’t break your desire and need to prioritize your health right now.

Tonight I was invited out for dinner.

I’m sure you can imagine my predicament. Invited out for dinner on the first day of my Green Smoothie/Juice Revival?!!

Guess what I did? C’mon! Guess!!!

I ACCEPTED!

Yup! And I suggested bringing over a whole slew of fresh fruits and vegetables so that we can all make juice together. Now isn’t that a great idea? Last night we had a teleseminar scheduled with Angela Elliott of www.she-zencuisine.com. It was to discuss some of the tips and tricks for raw foodists who are living in cooked food families. There’s a part of me that really dislikes these labels, because it’s really about prioritizing the foods that build and support us rather than the foods that cause us to feel unwell. Not all “raw” food is good for you and not all “cooked” food is “bad”–just wanted to make that clear.

There’s no question that it can be tough when we make an unusually disciplined commitment to health and find ourselves surrounded by other people who do not share or necessarily understand these commitments. I know I’m not the only one guilty of compromising my intentions in the name of social graces. I know I’m not the only one who has failed at achieving my goals for myself because I “gave in” to the environment around me.

But listening to Angela last night I was reminded of the importance of clarity in our decisions. She hasn’t dipped a finger in cooked food since the day she decided to embark on the raw food path. It’s not a burden for her. It’s not a challenge or a complication. It’s a PLEASURE. She LOOOVEs the way she lives and eats and even though she cooks for her family every day, she’s inspired to pursue her goals for health without compromise.

That’s inspirational.

Our social situations cannot be an excuse for us to hold back on prioritizing our health. We get caught in a trap of justifications and excuses about “why it’s so hard” but the bottom line is there needs to be a DECISION to do what you need and want to do for yourself. When you have that, everything else can and will fall in place effortlessly.

DECIDE today that you’re going to get through this day of Green Smoothies.

DECIDE that you want to feel better than you’ve ever felt before and that you DO deserve to feel that way.

DECIDE that you matter and that your needs are worth prioritizing over certain social graces.

There are ways to get around sticky situations, but when you inherently have an apologetic attitude about what you’re doing–if you feel from the start that you’re an inconvenience or a burden, if you’re frustrated about the “toxic choices” of others then you’re busy toxifying yourself with negative emotions rather than embracing the image of where you want to be and moving towards that.

So today is your day! Buck up and smile at the world! Be the bearer of good tidings, bright colors and health!

Get your green on!

Love and hugs,

Tera

Green Smoothie Revival: Getting Ready for Green

Okay, Sunshine.

Today is your day to stock up on everything you need for the next 3 days. On the blog we’ll be doing 3 days, even though we suggested 1-3 days. You can decide what works best for you. If you’ve never done this before, you might like to just try ONE day and see how that goes.

A few things to consider:

Get the junkfood out from in front of your face!

(Everything you can do to resist temptation will help you over the next three days.

Eat ENOUGH.

If you consistently undereat, you may find yourself getting REALLY hungry and unable to resist the hummous in the fridge or your hubby’s toast and peanut butter. Without overeating, make sure you’re getting enough food. Things that will help you identify when you’re satiated are:

CHEWING!

EATING IN A CALM STATE OF MIND

EATING WITH GENUINE HUNGER

If you’re not sure if you’re hungry, well, drink a tall glass of water and wait an hour. You’ll know if you’re hungry, then. Many people misinterpret rumbling stomachs for hunger, but that’s more likely detox, blood sugar imbalances, etc. Hunger is a natural, pleasant urge. If you’re fussy about what you’re hungry for, then chances are it’s not real hunger, either. Hunger feels like, “Ggrrrrrowl! I could eat anything!”

I recommend getting exercise every day throughout this 3-Day Green Smoothie Revival, too. It will also help you re-establish a healthy appetite and eliminate some toxins by building up a sweat! There are a thousand reasons to get up and workout. Spend less time reading about them and more time running around the block.

Okay, this is just a quick Green Smoothie Booster call. If you’d like to join us on another teleseminar this evening, I think you could get a lot out of it.

Angela Elliott and I will be giving a teleseminar on what it takes to survive as a Raw Foodist in a Cooked Food Family. You can join us by logging into this page tonight around 9pm EST. If you happen to miss the call, this link will take you directly to the recording. There will be a lot of helpful inspiration and food for THOUGHT this evening. Hope you can join us.

Have a GRrrrrrreat Mother’s Day, if you are one or if you have one.

Collard kisses,

Tera

P.S.

If you feel you need a bit more support, recipes, information about the different kinds of greens available and how to find them and use them, then I recommend you check out our e-book, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Green Smoothies” or sign up for our 3-Day Green Smoothie Challenge!