For our first-time-ever Raw Fusion Living contest we want to make this fun and appealing. I'm very passionate about empowering and inspiring individuals wanting to enhance their lifestyle, so my goal is to attract more people to Raw Fusion Living's Facebook page.

The fan page makes a great platform for posting daily recipes for mind, body and spirit as well as tips, techniques, photos and practical wisdom - and makes it easy for our followers to check in at their convenience.

So we've gathered a variety of valuable prizes designed to enhance your healthy lifestyle that can be shared with friends and family, One lucky winner will receive a lot of gifts, CD's, books, Fairy Line products (great for holidays!) and a 1 hour counseling session with me. My good friend and brilliant colleague, Karen Ranzi, is including her ground-breaking "Creating Healthy Children" book! The collective value is over $375!!

The requirements are simple -- the fact that you already receive this newsletter means that "one down, 2 to go!" All of the details are here.
Winner will be chosen on Thanksgiving - good luck!

Recipe for Spirit
If you are feeling depressed, lonely, unfulfilled or anxious (and frankly, who isn't these days?) the one unfailing antidote is to find a way to be of service in the world. Volunteering your time and energy to help another being is the surefire way to get out of your own headspace for at least a few moments. When we are caught up in uncomfortable feelings or negative thoughts, our minds get trapped in a vicious cycle that keeps repeating itself. This is just the way our minds are wired, but doing something to break the cycle will give you some respite from that nagging self-talk, and over time the benefits might surpass anything you could get in a prescription bottle.

There have been several such periods in my life and finding a way to contribute not only brought me back into balance, it also opened up a whole new world of opportunities. What better way to get out of feeling sorry for ourselves or ruminating on what we perceive is lacking in our lives, than to share our time, resources or energy with another being who could benefit enormously from our service?

This holiday season consider that perhaps the greatest gift you can invest in would be to your own soul, by putting yourself in service to someone or something that would benefit from the blessings of YOU. Read more about Service
(artwork by www.dragoart.com)

Great for the holidays!

Since many of last month's classes featured spiralized zucchini, we ordered a case of one of my favorite kitchen tools - the Joyce Chen Spiral Slicer. That case went almost instantly and we have another one arriving any day now. Available for $28.00.

Special Offer: Combine with one of our nut milk bags (nylon or pure hemp) for only $35.00!

A raw foods staple, spiralized zucchini does double duty as a surprisingly palatable pasta. So much so that it fooled my teenage goddaughter. I served her "Cheezy Spaghetti Siciliano" on her last visit and her comment was "Auntie LJ, I thought you didn't eat pasta."

And not just for raw foodies; I have served it as a very popular side dish to non-vegan guests, who appreciate the tantalizing texture, great taste and superior food combining. Substitute this angel hair zucchini for starchy sides when enjoying chicken, fish or meat dishes and you will feel and look fabulous! There are many spiral slicers on the market, but I find this one the easiest to use. It has a convenient cup for catching the spiralized veggies (squash, apples, cucumbers - these are all I've experimented with so far) and best of all you can either achieve an excellent angel hair consistency or flip a switch and get very cool connected spirals, that make lovely cucumber or apple salads and slaws.

Here's one of my favorite Raw Fusion ways to serve the angel hair pasta: In a blender or food processor make a pesto with ½ cup of olive oil, 1 handful of basic or arugula leaves, ½ lemon, juiced, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp salt. Toss into the "pasta" and heat in dehydrator for 3 hours or in a slow oven. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese. Delightful!

I will have them at all of my upcoming events, if you are local. For out-of-towners, would be happy to ship to you. Contact me lj@rawfusionliving.com if you want one of these (we will eventually get them integrated into the online store.)

Aimed at boosting employee morale, health and productivity, our new Worksite Wellness Program has a unique three-way approach, unlike any existing corporate training program. Over 400 million workdays are lost per year in the U.S amounting to billions of dollars in lost revenues. By implementing a strategy to enhance employee lifestyle choices, we can help your company create a thriving and enjoyable workplace.

Dr. Rose's 3-phase sessions include:
* Demonstration - preparing and serving unbelievably delicious, incredibly nutritious dishes most have never tried before.
* Education - teaching you how to make positive lifestyle choices, how to prepare healthy dishes at home, and enlightening you on how each ingredient impacts the mind, body and spirit.
* Hypno-vation - motivating permanent change through Mindset Mastery with proven, easy-to-follow, hypnotherapeutic tips, tools and techniques.

For more information, click here.

(Art from ArtPixel)

Puttering around in the "Raw Fusion Kitchen" the other day, I made this pumpkin custard pie for company. I had purchased a can of organic pumpkin puree and was looking for a way to use it in a recipe.

Naturally you can use fresh pumpkin to make this a completely raw dish, but considering my sketchy knife skills, carving or peeling pumpkins is not my forte, so I was happy to have this alternative. Raw Fusion is a practical approach to integrating more raw and living foods into your lifestyle.

I achieved the custard/gel effect using a very interesting ingredient called "Irish Moss" (Dr. Oz featured this sea veggie on a show, touting its anti-aging properties.) I plan to demo how easy it is to prepare and use this condiment in my upcoming vignettes series, so if you don't have any experience, adding 4 TB. of chia seeds is a good (and wonderfully nutritious!) replacement.

Get the recipe here.

Sunday, November 6th - All Star Chef's charity event at The Rolling Pin - I will be making my signature Portobello Pesto Pizza - only $5.00 per seating and all donated to the Brandon Food Bank.

Wednesday, November 9th - Grand Kitchen and Bath - Healthy Holiday Menu - free class from 5-7 pm but bring 2 canned goods to donate to Metropolitan Ministries. Reservations recommended.

Thursday, November 10th 6:15 pm - 5 Course Gourmet Raw Fusion Holiday Menu at The Rolling Pin - Reservations a must as this will fill up quickly.

Saturday, November 12th. 3 pm - Nature's Food Patch in Clearwater. Fiesta Mexicana! Free Samples.

Tuesday, November 15th - Rich and Gluten-Free live radio show 11 am EDT w4wn.com

Tuesday, November 15 th - Abby's Health and Nutrition, Carrollwood area of Tampa 7 pm - Creme of Mushroom Soup and Curried Apple-Cucumber-Cranberry Boats. Free class with food samples.

Friday, November 18th 11 am Live interview with Tera Warner, founder of the Raw Divas and Raw Mom. She is also a cherished contributor in the Raw Fusion series. www.terawarner.com

Saturday, November 26th 3 pm,Nature's Food Patch in Clearwater, Gourmet cooking class: Leftover Turkey? Fava Bean, Turkey and Sage Soup, Carmelized Quinoa Croquettes.. Free samples.

HEALTHY HOLIDAY PARTIES- DINE & DISCOVER booked throughout the month. We have a few more December openings. Have a singular family or work party that will change their lives! - To book your own private party, wellness workshop or Dine & Discover respond to this email or visih this page for more details. Experience a 5 course gourmet raw or raw fusion dinner with 10 or more of your friends and family members while learning a whole new way of eating spectacularly healthy and delicious foods!
Feedback from a recent Dinner and Learn: I can't thank YOU enough for last night. It was such a well rounded experience. The foods were exiquiste and you empowered us with the tools we needed. I love when someone is PASSIONATE about what they do. You shine when you speak, lovely lady. .CLW

Photograph courtesy of The Rolling Pin