My Rawlicious Life!

Halloween Food & Fun!

2008-10-13T01:05:00.000-07:00

Hurray, it's October! Our family loves Halloween and all the silliness that goes with it. So this year I am determined to have just as much fun with all the holidays while staying Rawlicious!

Our RAW FRIENDS POTLUCK FEAST, this Saturday, October 18th at 6pm will have a Haunted Halloween theme. I am planning all kinds of ghoulish treats like these wacky Monsters With Brain Dip for you to devour. If you want to join in the fun, get creative and surprise us - but please come, whether or not your dish is halloweenish, just be sure it is 100% raw. You are always welcome here!

As usual, I will post photos and recipes on my blog after the Freakish Feast so please bring a copy of your recipe. Send me an email for location information and to RSVP at jana27@byuh.edu

I can't wait to see you there...if you dare!!

Raw Friends Feast 9/20/08

2008-10-02T00:08:00.001-07:00

Our Raw Friends Feast this month was small but yummy! I feel that if I take away one new dish that I love, it is a success! Here are some of the great raw recipes we feasted on:

This is my new favorite recipe - Buckwheat Breakfast Porridge!! I just can't get enough of this hearty comfort food, so sometimes I eat it for lunch or dinner. It reminds me of eating sweetened cinnamon-raisin oatmeal, which I love.

Let me tell you what I learned about buckwheat - it is fantastic!

*It's low on the glycemic index so it doesn't cause a spike in your blood sugar.

*It's a seed not a grain.

*It has a high level of anti-oxidants to protect cells from damage, fight stress and is great for your circulatory system.

*It has more protein than grains like wheat, rice, milet and corn.

*It has essential amino acids that your body can't produce.

*It is gluten free (a lot of people have wheat and gluten allergies).

*It is an unsurpassed cholesterol lowering food according to studies.

*It will reduce and regulate blood sugar levels which helps prevent diabetes and obesity.

*Its higher in the minerals zinc, copper and manganese than grains are.

*The fat content is mono-unsaturated to lower cholesterol and protect your heart.

*It has a lot of soluble fiber for heart health, lowering cholesterol and preventing colon cancer.

*Buy raw buckwheat groats in bulk at the health food store. Soak 2+ hours, rinse well and eat or refrigerate

Buckwheat Breakfast Porridge
By Skya at the Raw Aloha Feast
Serves 3-4

2 C Buckwheat groats, soaked 2 hours or overnight and rinsed well after
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C pecans, broken into smaller pieces
3 TB coconut butter
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 C shredded raw coconut
4 TB Agave, or to taste
1TB Cinnamon, or to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve and enjoy some yummy breakfast comfort food!

We ate The Best Raw Chili, warm out of the dehydrator, as a dip for these wonderful Cilantro-Corn Chips. Find the chili recipe in "Some Of My Favorite Recipes" post dated July 5, 2008 on this blog.

Cilantro-Corn Chips
By Robyn at Greensmoothiegirl.com
In her e-book "Sprouted, Crunchy Snack Recipes"

4 C corn (fresh or frozen)
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 C water
1 large Anaheim pepper
1 TB agave
1 Bunch cilantro
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 C ground flax seed

Mix all except flax in BlendTec blender until smooth, then add flax slowly. Spread in thin layers on teflex sheets in dehydrator. After several hours, flip over and score into large triangles. Finish drying until chips are crispy.

The sauce for this scrumptious Indian Spinach Curry is wonderful. You could use any chopped vegetables you like or clean out your refrigerator and this sauce would save the day!

Indian Spinach Curry
From "raweater" at rawfoodtalk.com

3 C spinach
Chopped zucchini, mushrooms, peas, tomatoes or any other veggies you like
1/2 C water or coconut water
1/2 C macademia nuts
1 tomato
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 tsp ginger (I've tried fresh or dried and they were both good)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp celtic salt
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala (this is a wonderfully sweet smelling dried spice, I found it at the health food store)
1/8 tsp dried red chili pepper
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp turmeric

Place spinach and chopped veggies on serving plates. Put the remainder of ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until it's a smooth sauce, pulsing a few times to break down the nuts. Spoon sauce over spinach and veggies and enjoy!

Dessert was a warm apple crisp straight out of the dehydrator. Oh, so awesome!

Awesome Apple Cobbler

I got this recipe off a web site a long time ago and I forgot to note who submitted it - sorry!

If you are trying to make a really great impression of raw food with your family and friends, you should definitely serve this. Simple, delicious and I can't keep it around for long! I'm going to make it into an Apple Crumb Pie for Thanksgiving, mmmm.

Pie Filling Ingredients:

5 medium apples

1/2 C raisins soaked in water for 2-4 hours, or overnight in fridge

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

juice of half a lemon (or 1 small lemon)

2 TB raw honey

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp sea salt

Cobbler Topping Ingredients:

1 1/2 C pecans, not soaked

3/4 C dates, pitted and not soaked

1/2 tsp sea salt

Peel and chop one of the apples. Place it along with the drained raisins, cinnamon, lemon juice, honey, vanilla, nutmeg and salt in a high speed blender. Puree until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Peel, core and slice very thin remaining apples. Place slices in a large bowl and gently toss with pureed mix. Place in a medium-sized glass or ceramic dish. I used a 9x13 pan.

For the topping, in a food processor pulse the pecans until finely ground then add the dates and continue to grind until evenly mixed. Crumble an even layer of the pecan mixture over the apples.

Place your pan in the dehydrator at 115 degrees for about 4 hours. Serve warm from the dehydrator

It was a yummy night all around and we can't wait to see you on October 18th for our next Raw Friends Potluck Feast when we will have our Halloween Party. I have been searching out some fun and creepy Halloween dishes and treats to give you ideas for making your first holiday of Fall a howling good time!

Raw Aloha Feast in Honolulu 9/13/08

2008-10-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Travel Tips for Feeling Rawlicious

2008-09-30T00:18:00.000-07:00

This summer I was lucky enough to travel to New Orleans, Louisiana for a business conference. I was really excited to go since I had never been there and I love to see new places! But... this would be the first time I would travel since I began eating only raw foods and to tell you the truth I was really nervous. How would people react to my special requests? Would I feel like I was missing out on all the regional specialty foods? What would I do if there was no raw food around to choose from?

I was very committed to doing my best to remain raw during my trip and I was convinced that if I planned ahead I could do it. I borrowed a little phrase from the scriptures that became my mantra for the month prior to the trip, "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear!"

So I checked with all the ladies I would be rooming with who made the hotel reservations to find out if we would have a fridge or kitchen area - Hurray, we would! Our first day there we went grocery shopping and I was able to stock up on plenty of fresh foods I love for our week's stay. Our hotel also had a big complimentary breakfast buffet that had mounds of fresh fruit every day!

I let the ladies know that I didn't want to make the trip difficult for them, but I would be eating only raw foods. They were absolutely supportive and sweet the entire trip! We had some good discussions about what a raw food diet was and why I was doing it. I think they just thought I was crazy - but that's O.K., I don't mind being unique!

I prepared a huge gallon sized zip-loc bag of raw trail mix with almonds, cashews, macademias, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins and coconut. I kept this in my suitcase in the hotel and used it to refill a small sandwich-sized zip-loc bag I carried with me everywhere that became my LIFESAVER!

I also took on the trip some delicious dehydrated chocolate coconut macaroons I ate when everyone else was having treats and some dehydrated Sunflower Bread to make veggie sandwiches with. I stocked up on Lara Bars from the health food store that are raw pre-packaged bars made from just nuts, dates and maybe fruits or raw chocolate. Great to keep in your purse for emergency hunger pains!

But, lest you think all I did was hide in the hotel room huddled around our little mini-fridge missing all the fun of New Orleans - think again!! We all had a ball and I didn't miss a minute of it!

The gorgeous salad pictured at the top of this post was custom made for me by the chef at K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen. A huge group of us went there for dinner. It's a really nice restaurant, but there wasn't anything raw on the menu, just a tiny side salad :( After I talked to our waiter about what they might have that I could eat, he consulted with the chef and brought out this masterpiece. What a treat to have a personal chef! (I'm sure it will never happen again, so I fully enjoyed it!) Many of the restaurants we ate at had wonderful salads with regional cajun flair. What fun to explore these new tastes and I always left feeling energized and full of excitement to go explore some more.

We had Mardi Gras parties, cajun dancing, sightseeing, shopping, trolley riding, workshops, banquets, meetings, late-night movies and talking, concerts and tons of fun and I felt fantastic!

In the airport on the way home I found several restaurants and booths that had fresh fruits and salads which kept me feeling light and fresh even while travelling all day and night. So - I conquered my fear of travelling raw and I'm ready to go again any time I get a chance!

Other raw travelling tips you might find helpful:

For car trips bring a big cooler that you can stock up at grocery stores along the way and keep things cold and fresh. You can tuck your blender in a corner of the trunk and make fresh smoothies, soups, sauces to go over chopped veggies, salad dressings and dips for flax crackers that you can dehydrate and bring along.

Victoria Boutenko said their family makes home-made dry soup mix by dehydrating chopped celery, mushrooms, garlic, onion, grated carrots, tomato, cucumber, cilantro, parsley, and kale. Place in zip-loc bags which are light and small for packing on overseas trips. To reconstitute add warm water and maybe a few drops of oil and Braggs Liquid Aminos or sea salt. Sounds good to try and could make a great addition to a 72-hour emergency kit, too!

Ani Phyo says that when she travels and is staying with friends or relatives she offers to prepare some of the meals for everyone. This allows her to eat things she loves and is a great favor for her hosts. She says almost everyone she visits has a blender and food processor, so she's all set!

It's also a great idea if you are bringing foods along to choose high water content foods like cucumbers, peaches and luscious things like that. They keep you hydrated and that is important during travel to keep you feeling healthy, happy and prevent jet-lag from hitting you too hard.

And one last thought that sounded so smart when I heard it - if you end up eating nothing for the hours you are in the airport and flying to your destination, that's O.K! Fasting is good for you on occasion, will give your body a rest from the efforts of digestion and leave you feeling light and clear-headed instead of sluggish and tired. No worries!

So everyone go dig out your suitcase and let's go on an adventure!

Raw Friends Feast & Fun!

2008-08-26T00:51:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we got together for our Raw Friends Potluck Feast. It was so much fun! We all got to try new Rawlicious dishes. Sheila, Susan, Chuck and Hiagi got us going through the buffet line.

For an appetizer I made Cashew Cheeze Stuffed Tomatoes and we all loved it. You can also use this creamy mixture to fill baby sweet peppers, button mushroom caps or celery sticks.

CASHEW CHEEZE STUFFED TOMATOES
From Jana Stratton

2 C raw cashews
juice of 2 lemons
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 C water
2 pkgs coctail-size tomatoes

Process cashews in the food processor until fine. Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth. Place the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe into hollowed out coctail tomatoes, baby sweet peppers, button mushroom caps or celery sticks. For a simpler method, just spoon the mixture into the veggies. Top with a cilantro leaf or sprig of curly parsley.

New Rawbie, Eleni, loved trying all the new culinary delights!

This was Sheila's first day going all raw! She brought a wonderful greens and fruits salad with 3 different kinds of salad dressings for us to try out. We all had our favorites, but the one we loved the most was the bright orange one in the middle.

MRS. ACKERLEY'S DRESSING
In Alissa Cohen's "Living on Live Food" book
From Sheila

1/2 C olive oil
1/3 C onion
1/4 C red bell pepper
1 carrot
2 TB apple cider vinegar
1 TB honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
dash pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. This is also great as a veggie marinade. (I tried it drizzled over my Cashew Cheeze Stuffed Mushrooms the next day and it was yummy!)

Shauna was a great sport, trying everything and I think she even liked most of it. What fun we had telling funny, disastrous, food stories!

Susan brought a delicious dish that was reminiscent of Lomi Lomi Salmon. She dubbed it, "Lomi Lomi Stamin-a", a great reflexion of how fantastic you feel eating all this raw living food! Hiagi even brought home fresh coconuts, grated the coconut meat and got the milk out for this recipe. Talk about fresh!!

LOMI LOMI STAMIN-A
From Susan

2 cloves garlic
2 mini red/orange bell peppers
1/8 head cauliflower
2-3 large ripe tomatoes, cut up
1/4 onion, diced finely
1/2 zucchini, diced
1 orange bell pepper, cubed
juice of 1 lime and 1/2 tsp grated lime rind
milk from one grated coconut
1/2 C grated coconut meat

Process garlic, peppers and cauliflower in food processor until chopped. Place in large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Chill and enjoy!

It was so fun to have Carolyn at the Raw Friends Feast. She is a talented, beautiful lady and enjoyed all the yummy food.

David and Jenny brought Jack Fruit. Most of us hadn't ever tried it and discovered that it was really good just eaten fresh. Check out the size of that whole fruit and the pods of fruit inside. We learned that when you cut it open it doesn't smell that great, but the fruit is a treat. If you're going to try this unique fruit you should know the secret tip David and Jenny shared - the sticky sap you will get all over your hands and knife can best be cleaned off with vegetable oil. Yep, sure enough, it worked like magic. Try some of this fruit in your smoothies or freeze the fruit and use a little in your raw ice cream!

Oh, how we love cherry season! We were treated to fresh, juicy cherries by Shauna and Carolyn and what a sweet treat it was!

Dessert was Raw Banana Splits. Gooey, chocolatey banana splits - mmmmm the luxury! Some of us actually started our meal with these! That's one of the beauties of eating raw food, it's ALL so good for you!

JANA BANANA SPLITS

From Jana Stratton

Bananas, 1 for each person

Cut one section of the peel off each banana from stem to base and discard leaving the banana flesh exposed. Slice the banana inside the remaining peel into 1/2" slices. Place in serving dish.

Chocolate Sauce:

1 C cacao powder

1 C agave

1/2 C coconut oil or coconut butter

1/4 C water

In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Drizzle over bananas.

Caramel Sauce:

2 C cashews (soaked for two hours if possible)

1 C agave

1 tsp vanilla

water

Place cashews in food processor and mix until finely ground. Add agave and vanilla and process until mixed. Add water slowly, little by little to achieve a thick, creamy consistency. Chilling will firm this up, but you can use immediately if you like it softer. Drizzle over bananas.

Drizzle a little agave over bananas.

Sprinkle bananas with:

Chopped pecans

cacao nibs

Top it all off with a fresh, juicy cherry, now indulge in banana bliss!

Well, we had a great relaxing evening sharing ideas, jokes and fun. We wished you were there, but hope to see you next month when we get together for our RAW FRIENDS FEAST!

ALL OR NOTHING? NO WAY - EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!

2008-08-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

As some people try to adopt a Raw Diet they get discouraged if they eat something cooked and give it all up thinking that they are a failure and can't do it. Whoa Nelly! That kind of extreme "All-Or-Nothing" thinking is too harsh. Where is the love? Give yourself a break and realize that every little bit of raw, fresh, whole, delicious, nutritious food you add to your diet is a step in the right direction.

If you're not ready to go 100% Raw there are many ways to gradually add raw foods into your lifestyle at a pace that's best for you. The key is to think about what you can ADD to your diet rather than what you cannot have. Look through these ideas and see if any of them sound like they'd work for you:

1. Drink a green smoothie every day! This is the #1, best first step. Just doing this will add a ton of nutrients to your body and decrease cravings for cooked food. You will also find that you start to crave fruits and vegetables because your body loves how they make you feel!

2. Eat raw for breakfast and lunch, then have a healthy cooked dinner. Fruits and smoothies are easy to substitute for breakfast and a big salad is great for lunch. Dinners are a little more difficult because you are usually eating with your family and you are probably used to having a heavier meal. As you discover good raw dinner recipes and learn how great it feels to be satisfied but not stuffed and tired after eating dinner you can switch to a raw dinner, too.

3. Choose one day a week to eat all RAW. After a couple of weeks add a second "All Raw" day, then add another, until soon you're all raw every day!

4. Add fruits and/or veggies to every meal and eat them first. Then if you want other food, go ahead and eat it.

One big key to success is to remember that if you feel hungry - eat more! Fruit is particularly good due to the carbohydrates and natural sugar that is slowly absorbed into your body. Make your own raw trail mix with nuts and dried fruits to snack on when you are out and about. Keep bananas, apples or oranges with you for times when you get hungry but aren't near any good foods. You will naturally start wanting less to eat after you have been eating raw for awhile because you will be getting so much more nutrition from your food you won't need as much of it to satisfy and fuel your body. The best thing is to listen to your body and what it needs. You will find as you start feeding your body the best foods that you will start knowing just what your body needs to thrive!

Just do what you can - improve a little every day - and love yourself enough to take care of YOU. You're awesome and you are worth it!!

Costly? Cooking?... and Cravings!

2008-07-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

This week I've been asked the same questions a few times. They're good ones so let me share my thoughts on them:

Is eating Raw extremely expensive?

When you think of buying lots of nuts and fresh fruits and vegetables it seems that eating raw would be very costly. I find the cost about the same as when I used to buy groceries that included meat, milk and plenty of junk food.

Yes, good food isn't cheap, (I don't know why junk is cheaper, it's annoyingly mysterious. It isn't like we're buying jewel encrusted strawberries) but when you are replacing meat, milk, cheese, eggs, canned foods and lots of convenience foods it comes out about equal. The benefit of the pure nutrition you are getting from your food also makes it so much more value for your money! Plus the big BONUS, you are saving money on the medical bills you won't have because your body will be so strong and full of nutrients that it can fend off those nasty bugs that go around.

Is it possible to be successful eating raw while living with and feeding the rest of your family who eat the Standard American Diet (SAD)?

Yes! It is possible, although not easy. I am doing it now. The 3 teen-age kids I have left at home eat that way and my husband is vegetarian. I come home from work, make them a cooked dinner and then fix my own. It can take a long time unless you do a little planning ahead.

One trick is to make a couple of Raw dishes on the weekend (like taco fixings, the zucchini pasta primavera or raw chili), make enough to last a few days and have all their accompaniments chopped and ready to go in individual containers in the refrigerator. Then, each evening when you're really hungry for dinner you can throw one of them together and have a quick, delicious dinner!

Another idea is to keep your meal really simple. A big green salad with sliced fruit can be thrown together pretty quickly. Nori rolls or lettuce wraps filled with fresh veggies are fast and easy. Make a tomato, cucumber and sprout sandwich in green leafy lettuce leaves with a raw mustard sauce. Green smoothies are quick to whip up or a sweet fruit smoothie.

Be sure to offer some of what you are making to your family, they might just surprise you and try it someday. Then they might surprise themselves and like it! Always keep your comments positive and don't nag them to stop eating the foods they like. If you keep loving your raw food, looking and feeling better and showing them how bright, fresh and delicious raw foods are they will have a much better opinion of it. Actions and results always speak louder than words.

Get your children involved in preparing some of the meals and they're always more likely to eat them. They would love to run the zucchini through the spiralizer to make angel hair pasta! I bought mine on the web site rawfoodtalk.com for $24.95 and you can also find them for sale on several other sites.

You can probably even get them to drink green smoothies if you give them a fun name like, "Shrek Smoothies" or "Hungry Hulk". Offer fresh fruit, ants-on-a-log (with almond butter and raisins) or veggie sticks for snacking - every little bit helps!

How long until the cooked food cravings go away?

When I was trying to eat raw meals only part-time I found it really hard to stick with it. Once I decided to go 100% and eat all raw I discovered my cravings went completely away. I still think cooked food smells good, but I can enjoy the smell without wanting to eat it. I know how sluggish and heavy it will make me feel and I just don't want to feel that way any more.

I used to use this trick on myself - when I would smell something that was tempting me or someone would bring a plate of treats into my office I would repeat over in my mind, "I really want a juicy, sweet apple! I can't wait to get a juicy, sweet, crisp apple!" and I'd picture it (or another favorite fruit) in my mind. No joke, it worked every time. Then when I got to eat that apple, it was like heaven and totally worth the wait! Give it a try!

Well, there you have it - answers to a few recent questions. I'd be happy to share how I've dealt with some of the challenges you might have or answer a question if I can. If I don't know the answer I'll try to find out, and ... I always have an opinion. So feel free to ask. If you are wondering about it, most likely several other people are too!

Cool-As-A-Cucumber Soup For A Hot Summer Day

2008-07-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

When the summer days are hot and steamy try this cool cucumber soup for a delicious, creamy lunch or light dinner!

COOL-AS-A-CUCUMBER SOUP
By Laura Fox, Raw Inspirations
Serves 2

1 medium cucumber, peeled
1 ripe avocado, pitted
Handful of fresh dill, stems removed
1 small clove garlic
Sea salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Lemon juice to taste
1 C water

Place in blender and blend until smooth.

Garnish with:
Cucumber chunks
Red pepper chunks
Pine nuts
Chopped raw olives

Enjoy with raw crackers and a fresh salad or all by its fresh, creamy self!

Summer Party Menu Idea - Great for 4th of July or Labor Day

2008-07-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a summer celebration and the focus is usually on the food. Here are some fantastic recipes to help you stay raw while you party!

Sun Burgers on Sunflower Bread
From Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, by Ani Phyo

2 stalks celery, chopped, about 3/4 cup
1/4 C yellow onion, chopped
1/2 C red bell peppers, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp oregano, fresh or dried
1 C sunflower seeds, ground
1/2 C flax seeds, ground
1/2 C water

Place celery, onion, bell peppers, salt, oregano, sunflower seeds and flax seeds in a bowl, adding water last. Mix well. Form four balls and flatten into burger patties. Place on mesh dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 7 hours turning burgers over half way through.

Black Sesame Sunflower Bread

1 C ground flax seeds
1/3 C whole flax seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TB yellow onion, chopped
1 1/3 C water
2/3 C sunflower seeds
1/4 C black OR tan sesame seeds

Mix ground and whole flax seeds, salt, garlic, onion, and water. Add sunflower and sesame seeds and mix well.

Use the back of a spoon to spread batter evenly on one teflex sheet on dehydrator tray. Dry at 105 degrees for 4 hours. Flip onto mesh sheet and finish dehydrating for another 4 hours or until desired firmness.

To serve, dress your sunflower burger with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sea salt & pepper, raw mustard and catsup.

Fresh Corn-on-the-Cob

Take the husks off fresh corn cobs and wipe off the corn silk. Salt and pepper if you prefer. Bite into a juicy taste treat!

Fruit Kabobs

Make a presentation of your fruit by threading them onto bamboo skewars and poking them into a pineapple or flower vase. Use star fruit, blueberries and star-shaped cookie cutters on watermelon slices to get a patriotic look. Or cut flower shapes for a summer bouquet of fruit. Get creative and take your fruit from simple to spectacular!

Cucumber-Dill Salad
From RAWvolution by Matt Amsden

5 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red onion, diced
2 bunches fresh dill, stems removed and leaves chopped

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients and toss to mix thoroughly.

Dressing:
1/2 C raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 C cold pressed olive oil
1/2 C fresh lemon juice
1 TB sea salt
5 cloves garlic, peeled (less if you prefer)

In a high-speed blender combine the dressing ingredietns and blend until smooth. Pour the dressing over the salad, mix well, and serve.

All-American Apple Pie
From Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen

Crust:
2 C sunflower seeds
1 C raisins, soaked
1/2 apple

Blend crust ingredients in a food processor and form into a pie pan.

Filling:
7 apples
8 dates, pitted and soaked
1/2 C currants or raisins
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp cinnamon

In a food processor, blend 2 apples with the dates until smooth. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

In food processor, pulse chop 4 apples into tiny pieces. Remove from food processor and place in bowl with the dates. (You can slice the apples instead if you like a more traditional looking pie).

To the date mixture, add the cinnamon, lemon, and currants and mix well. Pour filling into pie curst and let stand for at least an hour.

Banana Papaya Ice Cream
(See recipe on "My Favorite Recipes" post)

Watermelon Mini Delights
From Rawleen on the recipes at goneraw.com

1 Watermelon, cut into squares
2 C cashews, soaked to two hours
1 C Agave
Vanilla, to taste
Water, to taste
Blueberries

Place watermelon cubes on a serving platter.

Put cashews, agave, and vanilla in food processor and process. Add water slowly, little by little to achieve a smooth frosting-like consistency. Place in a zip-lock bag and cut a small section off the bottom corner. Use this as your frosting instrument. Squeeze frosting on each watermelon, then top with a blueberry! You can also include little flags on each one for decoration.

Jana "Before" and "In Process" of Becoming Fabulous on Raw Food!

2008-07-07T00:29:00.000-07:00

This is me before I became raw, I was a junk-food vegetarian. I'm looking pretty round, and why didn't anyone tell me my hair looked like a helmet? Sadly, this picture was taken as a "before" picture for yet another diet/exercise program that I wasn't successful at.

These "before" photos make me sad remembering how tired I always was and dissappointed in myself that I couldn't get my act together and lose some weight.

Here's our family picture in April 2008. I had been raw for only 2 months and already looked and felt so much better. 22 pounds long gone!

3 months raw and looking less "round", hurray! Physically and mentally feeling fantastic and loving life. It's amazing what you're body can do if you feed it pure, natural, nutritious and delicious food. Lost: 28 pounds - Found: energy, enthusiasm for life, good attitude, clear skin and eyes, mental focus, strong body and respect for myself.

July 2008 - 4 months raw. I am enjoying so much more of life, like gardening (and shopping for new clothes)! The extra energy I feel every day is wonderful.

Fourth of July 2008, enjoying the sunshine on the porch. In the past you'd have never talked me into a picture in a swimming suit. It is so liberating not to feel so self conscious! Down 34 pounds and I'm almost to the weight I want. Now I'm concentrating more on firming up and flattening out my poochy stomach that has always been my challenge. The best part is feeling so strong and healthy that I look forward to running on my lunch hours. I can run every day now instead of needing a day for my body to recover from the aches and pains between work outs. I actually love it! Call me crazy...go ahead, you know you want to, and I don't mind!

Green Smoothie Demonstration

2008-07-06T21:29:00.001-07:00

Some Of My Favorite Recipes To Get You Started

2008-07-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

Luscious Green Smoothie

1 apple, cored
1 orange, peeled
2 bananas
1 stalk celery
Handful of spinach leaves

Place about 1 ½ - 2 C water in high speed blender. Add the rest of the ingredients a couple at a time, mixing between. Blend until smooth, green and luscious. Pour into a beautiful glass and enjoy the liquid energy coursing through your veins! Green smoothies are most nutritious when eaten immediately, but if you have some left, refrigerate and have it for lunch.

Note: Try your own variations. Use whatever fruits you like and add a handful of kale and/or spinach. You’ll come up with some delicious favorites and become addicted to how great they make you feel!

Alissa’s Blueberry Pie
From “Living on Live Food” by Alissa Cohen

2 C almonds
½ C dates, pitted & soaked for 20 minutes (no time to soak? Add a little water)
6 C blueberries (I use thawed frozen ones – much cheaper)
2 bananas
1 ½ TB honey

Crust: In a food processor grind almonds until fine. Add dates and blend until smooth. Remove and pat into a pie plate.

Filling: In food processor combine 4 C blueberries, 2 bananas and 1 ½ TB honey. Blend until smooth. Remove from processor and stir in 2 C whole blueberries. Pour into crust. Refrigerate at least 3 hours so the filling can firm up.

Note: I love this even better without the crust! Just mix up the filling, pour into a bowl and chill until firm for Blueberry Pudding. So Simple! A clever friend of mine made the filling with the berries still frozen and it was a yummy blueberry ice-cream treat right out of the food processor.

Coconut Breakfast Cakes
From “Ani's Raw Food Kitchen” by Ani Phyo

Flax seeds are a great source of omega 3, similar to that found in fish such as salmon. Many studies have shown flax seeds lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. Flax seed may also help lower blood triglyceride and blood pressure and reduce the chance of a heart attack. Flax seed is rich in fiber and the antioxidant lignan, known to fight disease and prevent cancer, especially breast cancer. Flax is also very good for relief from arthritis.

3 C flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
2 TB liquid coconut oil
½ C agave
½ tsp sea salt
¼ C water

Put flax meal, coconut oil, agave, salt and water in a large bowl and mix well. Form 8 balls and flatten into a “pancake” shape, about ¼ to ½ inch thick. Place on a plate separated by parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator. Cover extras with saran wrap or place in a zip lock bag.

To serve, top with sliced fruit like bananas and strawberries and drizzle with raw honey.

Orange Cucumber Salad Dressing
From “Ani's Raw Food Kitchen” by Ani Phyo

1 small cucumber, about 5 inches long, diced
¼ C cashews
1 medium orange, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 TB grated fresh ginger
¼ C extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 TB
1 tsp sea salt

Place all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Place in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Simple Sunflower Salad
Makes approx 2 cups

½ C raw sunflower seeds, soaked 8 hours (just soak them overnight and they’re ready in the morning)
1/3 C raw almonds, soaked 8 hours
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 TB lemon juice
½ tsp dry dill weed
¼ tsp Herbemare or Spike seasoning
1-2 TB olive oil

Place all ingredients in the food processor and chop to desired consistency. You might like it a little chunky or completely smooth. Taste and adjust flavors to your liking. Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce and top with sliced grape tomatoes or use as filling for a lettuce wrap sandwich with cucumber slices.

If you prefer a more traditional tuna salad recipe you can fold into the mixture a few tablespoonfuls of homemade vegan mayonnaise.

Vegan Mayonnaise
Makes ¾ cup

1/3 C raw almonds, soaked for 8 hours
½ C water
Juice of ½ lemon
¾ TB raw honey
½ TB raw apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp dry mustard
½ tsp sea salt
½ to 2/3 C olive oil

Place all ingredients in a heavy duty blender except olive oil. Puree the ingredients until very smooth. With blender still in motion, slowly pour a thin stream of olive oil through the opening in your blender’s cover. Continue to puree until you reach the right consistency. Taste and adjust flavors to your liking.

Raw Tacos or Taco Salad
I have tried a bunch of different taco meat recipes and this one is by far the best!

1 ½ C raw walnuts

2 cloves garlic
2 TB cumin
1 TB chili powder
Sea salt
Lime juice
Tabasco (optional)

Process walnuts, garlic, cumin and chili powder in food processor until desired consistency; leave it a little crumbly like taco meat. Add a sprinkle of sea salt, squirt of lime juice and Tabasco if using and pulse a few times to incorporate.

Serve rolled in a large lettuce leaf or on a bed of torn romaine lettuce with chopped tomatoes, raw olives, fresh corn salsa and diced avocado.

Fresh Corn Salsa

2 ears fresh raw corn, cut off the cob

1/2 Sweet red pepper, chopped
¼ C Cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
Sea salt, to taste
Jalapeno (optional)

Combine all ingredients and serve over tacos, or spoon into an avocado half.

Zucchini Pasta Primavera
From the recipes on rawfoodtalk.com

Alfredo Sauce:
¾ C water
¼ - 1/3 C lemon juice
½ tsp raw honey

½ tsp sea salt
1 clove garlic
1 ¼ C cashews

Put cashews, sea salt and garlic in food processor and mix until finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth.

1 zucchini, peeled
Cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ C peas, fresh or thawed frozen
Fresh basil, shredded
½ of a red pepper, chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
Lemon zest
Small carrot, grated

Marinated mushrooms (Optional):
1 C sliced mushrooms in a zip-lock bag with 3 TB cold pressed olive oil,
1 TB Nama Shoyu (unpasteurized soy sauce) and 2 TB lemon juice.
Seal the bag, swish the contents and let marinate approx 20 minutes.
Drain and they’re ready to use in whatever dish you want.

Make wide noodles out of the zucchini by drawing the vegetable peeler down the sides of the zucchini to create long “ribbons”. Keep rotating the zucchini as you peel, until you get to the seeds. Place a handful of noodles onto a plate, top with ¼ cup alfredo sauce and sprinkle the rest of veggies, herbs and lemon zest over the top. Very pretty dish and yummy!

Fresh & Yummy Marinara Sauce

10-12 sundried tomatoes, soaked in warm water 15-30 minutes to soften
1 large fresh tomato
1 large red pepper
1 stalk of celery
1 clove garlic
5 fresh basil leaves
Liberal sprinkling of Italian Seasoning herb blend
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Blend all of the sauce ingredients except sundried tomatoes in a food processor. Add the soaked sundried tomatoes last, a few at a time and blend.

This sauce is great over zucchini pasta or on raw pizza!

Almond Ginger Nori Rolls
From “Ani's Raw Food Kitchen” by Ani Phyo

Almond Ginger Pate:

1 TB ginger

1 C almonds, dry
1 clove garlic
1 lemon, juiced
½ tsp sea salt
¼ C water

Place almonds in food processor and mix until fine. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth.

Nori Rolls:

Nori sheets, raw ones are dark purple
Avocado, sliced
Ginger almond pate
Spinach or Romaine lettuce leaves
Green onion, julienned
Carrot, grated
Sea salt
Mung bean sprouts
Pepper
Tomato, sliced into rectangles
Herbamare Seasoning
Cucumber, julienned

Lay out a nori sheet and spread with dry spinach or romaine lettuce leaves on the end closest to you. Top with ¼ C ginger almond pate and any of the other ingredients you like. Roll tightly and serve whole or cut in half so you can see all the pretty fillings. Eat immediately so the nori is still crisp.

The Best Raw Chili
I got this recipe second-hand, but it is from the book “Rainbow Green” by Dr. Gabriel Cousens.

2 carrots
2 stalks celery

1 red bell pepper
¼ - ½ C leek or green onion, cut up small
3-4 cobs raw corn, cut off the cob
¼ C cold pressed olive oil
Sea salt

Using a food processor to make it quicker, individually chop carrots, celery and red pepper into very small (but not mush) pieces, taking each veggie out before chopping the next and placing them in a large bowl. Add onion, corn, olive oil and salt. Stir together. If you have a dehydrator, place this mixture in at 105 – 110 degrees for an hour.

During that time, in the food processor add:
½ C soaked sun dried tomatoes
4 tomatoes
2 avocados
1 TB ginger
Sea salt
2 TB chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
Cayenne to taste

Mix this with the veggies above and put it back in the dehydrator for one more hour. If you don’t have a dehydrator, just mix it all up and enjoy a hearty meal! This makes a lot, share it or freeze some for next week.

Chocolate Macaroons
From “Raw Food Real World” by Matthew Kenney & Sarma Melngallis
Makes 24-36

3 C dried, unsweetened coconut
1/3 C coconut butter (also called coconut oil)
1 ½ C raw cacao powder

1 TB vanilla extract
1 C maple syrup (this is not raw)
½ tsp sea salt

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and stir well to combine. Using a small ice-cream scoop, your hands or a tablespoon, spoon rounds of the dough onto a dehydrator screen. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 12-24 hours until crisp on the outside and nice and chewy on the inside. If you don’t have a dehydrator – just refrigerate them and eat them like no-bake cookies, they are delicious!

Banana-Papaya Ice Cream
From the recipes on rawfoodtalk.com

1 banana, peeled and frozen
½ papaya, seeded, peeled, cut up and frozen (frozen mango is also delicious to use!)

Break up the frozen banana and place along with frozen papaya pieces in food processor. Turn it on and hold it down! The frozen chunks can really get the food processor moving around for a minute. When it starts getting mixed together, stop the food processor and scrape the sides down. Process until you see it becoming creamy and holding together (about a minute or two). Done! So creamy, just like soft serve ice cream but completely good for you. If you want, you can top with chopped nuts, coconut and raw cacao nibs.

Alternate flavors can be created by using different frozen fruits in place of the papaya, such as strawberries. For chocolate, add raw cacao or carob powder to the mixture when you scrape the sides down, then finish processing.

Fresh Mango Cobbler

From the book Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo

Make sure to choose perfectly ripe mangoes, and try to get mangoes with less fibrous flesh if possible.

Crust:
3 cups pecans, dry
1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
¾ tsp sea salt
¾ cup pitted dates

Syrup:
¾ cup pitted dates
3 Tbsp. coconut oil
½ vanilla bean or 1/2 tablespoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
⅔ cup water, as needed

Filling:
3 to 4 ripe mangoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (about 6 cups) OR pineapple

If using the vanilla bean for the crust, slice open the bean and scrape out the seeds. Process the pecans, vanilla seeds (or vanilla extract), and salt into a powder in your food processor. Add the first 3/4 cup dates and process until mixed well. Sprinkle half of the crust onto the bottom of a pie dish and set aside. (Don’t bother rinsing out your food processor after making the crust; the leftover crumbs will add in with the syrup ingredients.)

If using the 1/2 vanilla bean for the syrup, scrape the seeds out. Process the second 3/4 cup dates with the oil, vanilla seeds (or vanilla extract), and water as needed to make a thick syrup. Set aside.

To make the filling, place the sliced mango into a large mixing bowl. Toss with the syrup. Spoon onto the cobbler crust. To serve, top with the remaining half of the crust.

Note: This dish will keep for two days in the fridge but is best eaten right away while the crust is fresh and crumbly. After it is covered in the fridge the moisture makes the crust squishy.

Rawlmond Joy Candy
From the recipes on rawfoodtalk.com

1 C raisins
½ C shredded coconut
1 TB cacao powder
¼ C coconut oil
1 TB agave
Whole almonds

Blend the raisins in the food processor. Add oil and coconut, mix. Add cacao and agave and finish mixing. Shape into small bars and add a whole almond on top. You can eat them right away, but they are better if you can wait and refrigerate them for 30 minutes or more. Very yummy treat!

Raw Truffles
From the recipes on rawfoodtalk.com

½ C raw pumpkin seeds
½ C raw sunflower seeds
½ C raisins
1 C pitted dates, soaked for 20 minutes
½ C shredded raw coconut (plus more for rolling in)
¼ C cacao nibs
Squirt of agave

Put pumpkin and sunflower seeds in food processor and mix until chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Shape into balls and roll in coconut. Chill until firm. Great little energy orbs!

Daily Meal Ideas

2008-07-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

Most people want to know what my DAILY MEALS are like so I'll give you a few ideas.

Breakfast - Green smoothies are the best. Try them! It's a fruit smoothie with a little added spinach, kale, parsley, celery or whatever you like thrown in for tons of nutrition. The fruit/green combinations are endless.

The very best book of recipes for smoothies is by Revvell Revati at this link: http://revvellations.com/shopping/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3 you can even buy it as an ebook and download it right onto your computer immediately.

Also, check out the youtube video demonstration of green smoothies I have put on this blog.

For another easy breakfast I will cut up a few fruits for a simple fruit salad like banana, apple, papaya, pineapple. Or, sometimes I want something a little more traditional or special and I will have one of Ani Phyo's coconut pancakes with strawberries and raw honey drizzled over. If I have made one of the delicious raw pies, I’ll have a piece of blueberry or banana cream pie – yum!

Lunch - I might have half of the green smoothie I couldn't finish from breakfast (It makes a lot), or a greens and fruits salad. I like to put strawberries, apple slices, grapes or other fruit in my green salad so that I don't really need to use salad dressings. Plus I add raisins, pumpkin seeds, cucumbers, tomatoes, grated carrot, avocado, bell peppers, sprouts, mint leaves, green onion… just whatever I have on hand. There are lots of great raw salad dressing recipes, too. I have also discovered a great “tuna” salad recipe I call Sunflower Salad that I love to roll into a lettuce wrap or put on a salad.

Dinner - I like to try new recipes if I have time, but on nights where it has to be quick I will have green/fruit salad or veggie sandwich with tomatoes, cucumber, sprouts, spinach, red bell pepper and mustard sauce wrapped in big lettuce leaves or on dehydrated bread. I also love ants-on-a-log with celery and raisins using raw almond butter (sadly, peanuts aren't raw). Some of my other favorite recipes are: tacos or taco salad made with ground seasoned walnut meat topped with fresh salsa, zucchini pasta primavera, veggie nori rolls, Thai spring rolls w/ “peanut” sauce and fresh veggie chili.

Snacks – Trail mix made with raw nuts (almonds, cashews, macadamia, and pecans), pumpkin seeds, raisins, goji berries, dried banana slices and sunflower seeds. Fresh fruit or veggies of any kind. Something great to keep in your purse or desk drawer for a hunger emergency are Lara Bars, which are packaged raw energy bars (I buy at Down to Earth health food store). My favorite flavors are chocolate coconut chew, cinnamon roll, banana cookie, ginger snap and cherry pie.

Treats – My favorites so far are chocolate coconut macaroons (Raw Food Real World by Matthew Kenney & Sarma Melngallis), blueberry pie (Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen), banana cream pie (an Ann Wigmore recipe in Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen), rawlmond joy candies (web recipe), banana-papaya ice cream (web recipe), fresh mango cobbler (Ani's Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo), raw truffles (web recipe).

You'll have your own favorites in no time!

Answers To Nutrition Questions I Am Most Frequently Asked

2008-07-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

One question I am always asked is, “Where do you get your protein?” First, it is interesting to know that human breast milk is 5% protein. This is the perfect food for babies who are growing more quickly than at any other time in their lives (they are doubling their weight in 180 days!). Since older children and adults are not growing at such a rate, we do not need any more protein than that. The United Nation’s World Health Organization recommends that men and women obtain 5% of their calories as protein. The USDA puts this figure at 6.5%. Our need for protein is easily met with fruits having 4 - 9%, nuts/seeds/sprouts 10 – 25% and vegetables 15 - 50% of their calories from protein.

How about calcium? Plenty of calcium is found and more easily absorbed into your body from plant foods. In fact, only 30% of the calcium in a cup of milk is actually absorbed by the body. Your body would get twice as much calcium from a cup of broccoli. The problem is that the body uses a lot of calcium in the process of excreting all the excess animal protein and will leach it out of your bones if necessary to get the job done. Plant protein doesn't create that kind of problem. Plus, there is more calcium in many fresh green vegetables, fruits and nuts than there is in milk. Almonds have 245 mg, figs 269 mg, broccoli 123 mg and milk has only 115 mg/100g.

Many people worry about getting sufficient iron. Gabriel Cousins, author of Conscious Eating has this to say about anemia (shortage of iron in the body): “Why do vegetarians have less anemia? The answer, I believe, lies in the leafy greens, which often have a higher concentration of iron than flesh foods. For example, according to the USDA Handbook No. 456, gram for gram, kale has fourteen times more iron than red meat. Spinach has approximately eleven times the iron as ground beef. Strawberries, cabbage, bell peppers, and even cucumbers have more iron per weight than ground beef or sirloin steak. Researchers have also found that Vitamin C, which is high in fruits and vegetables, significantly enhances the body’s ability to assimilate iron.”

A Little Info to Get You Started

2008-07-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

Let me just tell you that I started by having raw breakfast and lunch, then eating a cooked vegan dinner for a couple of months and it was O.K. for a transition. I felt a little better, lost a little weight, got used to how it felt to be satisfied after a raw meal, but it was hard sticking to it! When I decided to get on board 100% it was so much easier to resist cooked food – I didn’t even want it. Cooked food smells good to me, but it is like smelling flowers, I enjoy taking nice big sniffs but I don’t want to eat them. And then the weight just started falling off. It was amazing to me!

I also exercise most days. You will want to, too and your body needs it! Aerobic exercise gets your energy up, your mood happy and keeps everything moving through your body, plus it keeps that weight coming off if you need it to. Add weights to firm, tone up and make your bones strong to avoid osteoporosis.

Some of the exciting benefits you will gain by eating raw and living foods are:

Increased physical energy
Rapid weight-loss
Phenomenal health
Greater mental acuity
Vibrant and glowing skin
Spiritual growth
Balanced emotional states
Youthfulness and longevity

No kidding! You will experience great physical and mental changes. It is an adjustment getting used to cold food and you need to change your attitude about how “full” you need to feel all the time or what a meal consists of. But feeling a clean and energetic body is a great payoff for the small sacrifices you will make.

So, now that you know my story I’m sure you are excited to get on with yours.

My Raw Food Beginnings

2008-07-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

I have been vegan (I don’t eat animals or animal products like milk, eggs or cheese) since 2003.

My mother had triple heart bypass surgery in 2002 which was a scary wake-up call for all my family and really made us think long and hard about what we were eating. I read the book “The Word of Wisdom Food Plan, a Medical Review of the Mormon Doctrine” by Kenneth E. Johnson, M.D. that had lots of quotes and stories about early church leaders who felt it was better to eat mostly vegetables and fruits. I was immediately convinced that was the right thing for us to do and Chuck and I became vegetarians. Chuck is such a good sport!

I had vaguely heard for a long time about the powerful health and healing benefits of a raw diet.
I got started on Raw Foods by loading some health themed podcasts from itunes onto my ipod to listen while I was exercising. Some of them were talking about raw eating, like “Celebrating Your Potential with Raw Foods” and “Raw Vegan Radio”, and every time I heard them it just rang true to me. A raw food diet consists of fresh raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts. Nothing is heated or cooked above 115 degrees F to retain as many vitamins and enzymes as possible.

I am really scared of getting some kind of cancer. The devastating effects, painful sickening treatment, debilitating symptoms and especially the heartbreaking thought of leaving my children and husband. I always thought to myself, “If I am ever diagnosed with cancer the first thing I will do is go on a raw diet!” Then I started to think, “How stupid is that to wait until I am deep in the throes of cancer to try to get better? Why not feed my body pure nutrition now so that it can have the strength and power to fight any diseases that I might be developing already and take care of it before it gets out of hand?”

I also had a strong prompting while praying that I was being guided to all of this information (vegetarian, then vegan, then raw progressively) because even though I wasn’t feeling any immediate health problems Heavenly Father knew what was going on inside my body and what was developing already or what was to come and I’d better pay attention to the knowledge that he was blessing me to find. So – I jumped in with both feet, 100% committed, excited and grateful to my Heavenly Father! I try not to let anyone discourage me who might be pessimistic about raw and living foods, want to prove me wrong or tell me it’s just too inconvenient for me to always need special food. I do think it’s special and I’m worth it! Every single one of us is worth the special effort!

I needed more information so I went to the websites of the people who were being interviewed on those podcasts and started learning more, I got some raw books at the library and read all I could. I bought a few books that I thought had some good recipes and didn't require a lot of equipment I didn't have. I mostly use my food processor, just a Black & Decker from Walmart but it works great. I'd love to have a Vitamix blender, but I'm still saving for that. A regular blender will just leave a few bits unchopped and will wear out faster. I recently got a food dehydrator, it is nice but you can make plenty of meals without it. I have also got a few little gadget things that are fun like a Spiralizer that cuts veggies such as zucchini into spaghetti shaped noodles.

As I learned more I realized that almost every raw person does it a little differently. They each have different levels of commitment and standards of what is really raw. This was confusing but when you think about it that is the way life is. You just have to find out all the information you can, and then decide for yourself how strict you can be and what feels right to you. The closer you can follow 100% raw eating, the more health benefits you will gain. But everyone isn’t ready for that, so figure out where you are and START.