The Raw Chef

Oh, go on then, just one more piece of torte...

Last Saturday was a very important and special day for me as it was the first raw dinner party in conjunction with The Fresh Network.  It was such a pleasure to be able to create and deliver a menu of living foods for our guests and for me to get such great feedback and comments.  I really couldn't have asked for a nicer group of people to share the occasion with.

We have chosen to host the initial few parties at Karen's house to get the format right so it was a very intimate occasion, which worked really well.  I was able to talk to everyone as they arrived while I prepared the first course - pineapple and cucumber gazpacho.  Everyone insisted that I join them to eat, a real treat, not just because of the food but also seeing everyone enjoy my creations so much! :-)

All the time I had spent on prep that day turned out to be worth it as the main course - hemp baby spinach tart with 'braised' vegetables and tomato and cashew romesco, proved to be very popular!  But not as popular as the dessert....chocolate torte with strawberry coulis and cashew ginger cream.  I wanted our guests to leave with their last memory being of an amazing dessert, which, from the noises that were being made as it was eaten, is exactly what happened!  They also left with extra slices of torte!!!  Check out the photos to get some idea of the size of the torte and you'll understand why there was plenty to go round.

I'm really excited about the future of these parties as we plan to take them to London which will enable us to cater for around 30 people.  Once again, thanks to all who came on Saturday and everyone who has already booked for future parties (Feb is already full, and March is filling up too!).  I am so very grateful to all of you for the opportunity to do what I love and provide you with an experience that nourishes you in every way. x

Are you craving cooked food, or are you just hungry?

Bacon sandwiches!  In fact, bacon croissants with brown sauce, tomato ketchup and a cup of milky tea and 2 sugars... that used to me my 'thing'.  Everyone has their 'thing' - that one thing that, when they smell it or even just think about it, it threatens their whole dietary philosophy.  Yesterday you were adamant that you would be 100% raw forever, today, well you just smelt that bacon and you're starting to waver!

I'm at a point now where I just won't eat meat again and I feel I can say that with confidence, but I still love some of the smells of cooked food.  I'm not stupid :-) and I have got a memory, I remember how good those bacon sarnies tasted!  If you can relate to any of this, it's likely you have been in a similar situation, possibly very recently.  Maybe you smelt your 'thing' and fought the urge or maybe you're just wiping the ketchup from your lips as you read this!  My question to you is this...were you craving cooked food, or were you just plain hungry?!!!

Your feeling of hunger is a necessary part of your survival, it's important to listen to your body and eat intuitively.  But how many times have you fallen off the 'raw wagon' because you thought that you couldn't live without the cooked food you just caught a whiff of, only to find that just as the last mouthful goes down, you start to regret it?  Could it have been that you were simply just hungry and didn't have anything raw that was already made, so you convinced yourself that it was ok to eat that pig?

I'm not here to judge, the only reason I know this happens is because I was like it too.  I used to go on sandwhich binges like you wouldn't believe!  I had a serious sandwhich problem that was never quite satisfied.  Then I found a 3-point system...

1. Have your favorite raw foods prepared before you are hungry!  There are some things that you should always have in your cupboard and fridge at all times!  Things such as (if you like these things) flax crackers, granola, raw chocolate fudge, humus and other dips.  Take these with you if you're going to be out for the day.

2. Have your favorite fresh ingredients ready to make a big luscious, juicy salad or a cold, freshly squeezed, bursting with flavour and goodness juice.

3. I would say to myself that I can eat anything I want, including that bacon sandwich but only if I still wanted it after eating my raw meal.  Guess what?  After eating and satiating my hunger, I found that 100% of the time, I no longer wanted to.  I realise this may not work for everyone, in which case you should talk to a professional on these matters about some raw coaching!

Don't get me wrong, I still liked the smell of the bacon but just didn't want to eat it anymore.  It's kind of like how I feel about the tar that they use on roofs!  You know that big vat of black sticky tar that they boil up?  I've loved that smell ever since I was young but i've never felt the urge to eat it!  Oink oink! :-)

Feeding Minds - The Impact of Food on Mental Health

The Mental Health Foundation here in the UK has launched a campaign in association with Sustain to increase awareness and understanding of the links between food and mental health.  The foundation has become increasingly aware of the rise in mental health disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Alzheimer's disease. They are suggesting that one of the major causes of the rise of such conditions is the diet that is being consumed in todays modern society.

"The time is now right for nutrition to become a mainstream, everyday component of mental health care."

Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive, The Mental Health Foundation.

You can read the summary report here, which is written in very clear English, without technical terms, and is actually a very informative read on the effects of food on the mind...

"We know that the brain is made up in large part of essential fatty acids, water and other nutrients.  We know that food effects how we feel, think and behave.  In fact, we know that dietary health interventions may hold the key to a number of mental health challenges our society is facing.  Yet we rarely invest in developing this knowledge, and a relatively tiny - but growing - number of professionals are putting it to effective use."

How great is it to hear someone in such a prominent position talking like this?  We need more people like Dr McCulloch to step forward and start talking sense!  Sign their petition here!

What's in the box?

You may have read about my Magical Creation box in a previous post.  It's a box that helps me bring things into my physical reality.  How does it do that?  The idea is to place pictures or descriptions in there of people, situations, experiences and generally anything I want.  As I drop them in I have to affirm that anything going in there - 'is'.  So far i've put some very tasty stuff in there which may take a little longer to manifest.  So i've decided to share an experiment, right here with you, you lucky people!  I'm going to place 5 things in there that aren't huge but that wouldn't normally come into my experience. 

"When I create my day, and out of nowhere, little things happen that are so unexplainable, I know that they are the process or the result of my creation.  And the more I do that, the more I build a neural net in my brain and I accept that it's possible.  It gives me the power and the incentive to do it the next day."

-Dr. Joseph Dispenza

I won't share what they are until I see/hear/touch them as I believe that should remain between me and the Universe for now.  Stay tuned though as this could get a little bit wild :-)

Ya get me, yeah?

What better way to start the New Year than to purchase a new CD set from Nightingale Conant?  I've treated myself to Roger Love's Vocal Power program, but don't worry, i'm not learning how to sing!  This guy has worked with some of the best musicians, actors, business executives and has also worked with people like Tony Robbins.  Anyone who trains Robbins how to talk effectively is ok with me!  I did have this program in mind to buy last year but never did, for whatever reason.  Then I got an email from NC offering the program for half price so I just had to do it.

Learning that how I see myself isn't necessarily how others see me

"Have you ever seen yourself through the eyes of someone you've already become?

What an initiation.

Have you ever stopped for a moment and looked at yourself through the eyes of the ultimate Observer?"

Ramtha

I have recently become very aware of how I communicate with others.  It's been brought to my attention that I can be very sarcastic and actually quite hurtful sometimes (a classic type 7!!!), I have made some throwaway comments that I see as a joke but that others find difficult to deal with.  If you know me, you will know that I certainly don't mean to hurt people with what I say and that upsetting anyone, especially people close to me is absolutely not something I want.

I'm very grateful to find this out as it explains why i'm so surprised at some people's reactions to me.  I've often wondered why people seem a bit apprehensive when I feel i'm being friendly.

I also got told by someone that when I speak on the phone, I sound like i'm about as excited as I would be ordering from Argos (that's a mail order catalogue for the readers in the USA!)...charming!!!!  I actually couldn't be happier to speak to this person but I just wasn't showing it in my voice.  That's where Roger Love comes in, I need to know i'm communicating exactly what's in my head in a way that expresses my true feelings.  Rog's literature explains this better than I can...

"He will assist you in aligning your voice, movement and energy so that you can articulate your innermost beliefs with ease and extraordinary effectiveness".

Er, yeah, what he just said, innit!

Ever feel like you're being watched?

"Dance as if no one is watching.  Love as if you have never been hurt.  Sing as if no one can hear.  Live as though heaven is on earth."

Firstly, about my New Year...

Well I ended up going to a night club with some of my friends and becoming one of those drunk people that I was talking about!  It only took a couple of glasses of wine though!!!  I actually had a great time and it was nice to go out with everyone before I leave to live in Cambridge in 4 weeks time.  Even though I 'fell off the wagon' I always work on the basis that everything I do is exactly what is needed at that time.  I trust in the Universe and my angels to guide me to things that happen for a reason and provide me with balance.  It's not always clear what the reason is straight away, but it is always revealed along the line somewhere.  I can think of numerous things that are in my life today that wouldn't be if things hadn't happened 'just so', things that even seemed painful at the time.  I think you may be able to relate? :-)

During the day on the 31st I did make it to Vita Organic but I forgot my camera so no food shots this time!  Lel bought me lunch but they weren't doing any raw there as it was going to be so busy, being NYE and all.  So we had a selection from the buffet which is all cooked, but cooked under 100 degrees to maintain the good nutritional goodies.  When I was told there was no raw that day I have to say I was a little bit disappointed but it took over 2 hours to get into London and I wasn't about to get there and not eat.  It was a reminder about the freedom this way of eating has given me.  I have got the freedom to eat exactly what I want and that included a cooked meal on that particular day, because of the situation I was in...and I really enjoyed it, guilt free!

After the meal we hopped on the Underground (the strike wasn't as disruptive as they had made out in the media!) to China Town and to my delight, picked up 8 coconuts!  I can finally make some of those recipes that need coco meat!

The effects of a 'heavy' night

I didn't surface from my bed until after 1pm on New Years Day and it really reminded me of those wasted hang-over days that I used to get when I would go out clubbing - yeeeeuuch!  That's the part I find most troubling now, the waste of a day or in this case, a morning.  Salvaged the rest of the day with making some flax crackers and some quality salad to cleanse myself of the previous nights indulgences.  Also had a really good house clean with Lel and got rid of the Christmas tree which was 'pooping' needles all over the floor.  I think i'm going to be finding pine needles everywhere for weeks.  There was a reason that tree was so cheap!  There's alot to be said for the more expensive 'minimal drop' trees, that's what i'll have next year.

Deeper effects...

For the next few nights I noticed feeling very uneasy in my house - I felt like I was being watched.  I was downstairs late one evening, on my own , having a satsuma before bed time.  I was standing next to the big glass doors that lead out to the long and dark garden and I felt a wave of fear engulf me.  I just imagined someone in the garden watching me, waiting and ready to run at the doors and scare the life out of me.  It took all of my powers of reason not to get out of there!  I usually leave my bedroom window open at night to let the air in but found myself closing it just in case someone got in...I really sound mentally unhinged don't I?

I had very broken sleep and even had a nightmare that woke me up in a panic at 4:30am because I thought I was in a computer game, fighting for my life!  From the very little I can remember, I was fighting it out with 10 different characters who all had their own way of killing you.  I managed to beat the huge, Predator-type monster (do I sound like i'm 5 years old?) that had a gun and had trouble battling with the one who, if you looked in her eyes, it meant you had to kill her! :-(

I'm ok now though - back to chasing off burglars and wrestling alligators with my bare hands, just to make myself feel more masculine again!

Needless to say I won't be over-doing it for a while, it's good to have these little reminders of why we don't do certain things anymore though, don't you think?

Sleep well :-)