Raw Bay Area Schedule Updates

Raw Bay Area Newsletter

Dear ,

Summer travel season is almost at a close, but if you have plans to fly soon, in this newsletter you will find tips on foods and food-related book suggestions that fit safely in your carry-on luggage.

If you are staying home, there are many classes coming up to teach you how to make fabulous food in your own kitchen. This Monday you can "Forget Cooking" and on Friday try out Asian Fusion. Consider registering now to fit a few classes into your schedule. Find all the details here. If have never been to a class, and are curious what others think, you can find plenty of reviews here on Yelp.

If you missed the Living Light Expo conference last month, you can still subscribe to the videocast. My three days at the Expo were absolutely fabulous: better than expected. If you sign up, you can see dozens of excellent workshops and seminars. See below for details.

I hope you enjoy the entire newsletter. You will find thoughts on the politics of food, ideas on grocery shopping, an expose on the fabulous watermelon and much more.

Yours in vibrant health,

~Heather

PS. There is still room for the Raw Food and Yoga retreat. Consider signing up now. All the details are at the bottom of this email.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visualize more energy and vitality!

These classes will help you achieve vibrant health.

Forget Cooking! - $45

THIS MONDAY

REGISTER NOW!

6 - 8:30 pm ~ Monday September 21st
Whole Foods / Café Gratitude in Oakland

Eating healthy foods has never been so delicious and easy. After this class, you will have the skills to prepare a variety of dishes for daily breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Basic knife skills and equipment use (blenders and food processors) are covered. You will le kale salad

arn:
· How to make non-dairy nut and seed milks.
· How to make creamy vegetable soup in less than 10 minutes.
· How shredding and marinating kale and other dark leafy greens makes themas tender as cooked, without loss of nutrients.
· How to turn nuts and seeds into protein rich pâtés.
· How to transform zucchini into delicate angel-hair noodles--it's pasta without the starch!
· The secret ingredient in raw chocolate mousse that replaces butter, cream, and eggs.

Menu: Almond Milk, Cream of Zucchini Soup, Mediterranean Kale Salad, Not Tuna Pâté, Zucchini Noodles Marinara, Chocolate Mousse

mango avocado salad

Asian Fusion - $35

NEXT FRIDAY!

6 - 8:30 pm ~ Friday September 25th
Whole Foods in Berkeley

Everyone loves to eat with their hands and to take food "to go"--which explains the popularity of finger foods such as sandwiches. But the typical sandwich is high in carbs and can leave you feeling weighed down. Asian wraps, such as spring rolls and nori rolls, are the solution to energizing food on the go. Pair these wraps with other delicious entrées, sides, and dessert for an over-the-top pan-Asian feast! In Asian Fusion you will learn:

· How to roll picture-perfect vegetarian sushi and spring rolls.

· How to use fresh, young coconuts to make homemade Thai coconut soup.

· How to make a vegetable teriyaki that tastes just like the traditional version-without heated oil, MSG, or white sugar.

· How to make a light, colorful, and refreshing tropical fruit sundae-the perfect finale for any Asian-themed meal.

Menu: Vietnamese Salad Rolls with Mock Peanut Sauce, California Rolls, Sunomono (Japanese Cucumber Salad), Mango Avocado Salad, Tom Kha (Thai Coconut Soup), Vegetable Teriyaki, Mango Ice Cream with Tropical Ambrosia

Raw Food 101 ~ $150 Big House

2 - 6 pm ~ Saturday October 3rd
My house in Oakland

This unique program will be limited to 10 participants per class. Unlike other classes, it will be highly personalized to your interests and skill level. The class includes hands-on preparation, knife skills, specifics on how to set up your raw food kitchen and in-depth handouts. There is nothing in the Bay Area quite like this! You will walk away with a new level of comfort and confidence about working with raw foods.

If you worry that preparing raw foods takes too much time, this class will help you understand how to organize yourself and your kitchen so that eating healthfully feels easy. Of course, in this class you will get to try many wonderful dishes. We will start the class with a delicious green smoothie and receive a full meal. Unlike other classes, this small class format will offer an intimate setting and plenty of time to ask your own questions.

The course will take place in my 1917 Victorian home, recently renovated in an eco-friendly manner with extensive gardens that we will tour.

Menu includes: Almond Milk, Cream of Zucchini Soup, Mediterranean Kale Salad, Not Tuna Pâté, Zucchini Noodles Marinara, Chocolate Mousse

Green Smoothie 2

Green Juices and Smoothies - $20

7 - 8 pm, September 30th
Whole Foods / Café Gratitude in Oakland

5 - 6 pm ~ October 1st
Cafe Gratitude on Harrison in San Francisco

Raw Italy ~ $35

6 - 8:30 pm, Friday October 2nd at Whole Foods in Berkeley

Simple Breakfast Basics ~ $20 Chia Pudding

7 - 8 pm, Thursday October 8th
Cafe Gratitude / Whole Foods in Oakland

Breakfast and Brunches ~ $45
8:30 - 11 am, Thursday October 15th
Cafe Gratitude on Harrison in San Francisco

Mexican Fiesta ~ $45

6 - 8:30 pm, Monday October 19th
Whole Foods / Cafe Gratitude in Oakland

See complete class details - and register - here

www.rawbayarea.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ATTEND THE VIBRANT LIVING EXPO... LIVE!

If you are someone who is interested in your health and the health of the planet, consider registering for your virtual seat at the Vibrant Living Expo and Culinary Showcase Live Encore event. It will give you access to nearly 100 hours of talks, workshops, culinary demos and documentary-style films by some of the world's premier experts in nutrition, health, environmental sustainability, vegetarianism, veganism, raw lifestyles, animal welfare, and more-all at your own convenience on the Internet.

With the Expo Live Encore Program, you will be able to switch channels, fast-forward, rewind, watch again, and skip over segments as you wish. They recorded three full days of talks in four different venues to put together this amazing package that you can now enjoy. You can watch these videos as much as you choose between now and October 31.

Here is the link to find out more info, or cut this and put it in your browser:
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3245459

Yes, their website is a little "gimmicky" which is unusual for Living Light. They are quite down to earth and straightforward, usually. My experience is that the Expo was really quite excellent and would be a worthy investment.

You can check out the free videos here, they are pretty cool. If you decide that you want to be part of this year's event, you will find information about how to sign up . The whole expo will cost $79. I think this is a terrific opportunity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notes from one of America's underbellies:
The Airport
Heather at airport

There is nothing like summer travel to give you a reality check about how most Americans eat these days. I am sitting in Wichita, Kansas waiting for my plane home, and it is very hard to find any fresh food in the airport, much less raw food. A "Tomazzo", not that is easy to find. Apparently a tomazzo is a trademarked snack consisting of a a refined-wheat bagel topped with artery clogging cheese and high fructose corn syrup sweetened tomato sauce. Sounds delicious, no? You can of course find your pizza, nachos, chips and plenty of candy. But very few options that I would call real food.

Lucikly I arrived in Wichita equipped with more tasty items: Sprouts and tomatoes from the farmer's market that I will pair with seasoned seeds I made at home. I think I'll snag some lemon wedges from the bar and have a nice salad. I did bring the lemon cranberry cookies taught in my Desserts Class. So, I think this stop-over won't be so bad.

This morning on the way to the airport I had an awesome chia pudding that I threw together as I headed for bed last night. It was mixed with homemade almond milk, raisins and buckwheat crispies, flavored with cinnamon and other spices plus maple sugar / stevia. I love it as a travel meal because it holds up extremely well unrefrigerated and I don't worry about it in my carry-on luggage (featured here in the picture on the right). I will be teaching this pudding recipe at my "Simple Breakfast Basics" class coming up on October 8th at Cafe Gratitude/Whole Foods Oakland.

Other favorite foods for taking on the airplane:

Kale Salad
Not Tuna Pate
Grapes
Avocados
Dried Fruit & Fruit Leathers
Hardy cookies such as the cranberry cookies

If you are not sure about how to make these, I will teach you at the upcoming class "Forget Cooking" and "Raw Foods 1o1". And, I have a comprehensive travel class scheduled for November 7th at Whole Foods / Cafe Gratitude in Oakland, just in time for the Thanksgiving travel season. See class and registration details here.

Perhaps you want to pair your healthy eating with healthy reading? Two books I have found particularly informative are The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, and No More Bull! by Howard Lyman. Both discuss the nutrition of the Standard American Diet, and successfully challenge assumptions about what "healthy food" really is. They are great reading for the 'arm chair nutritionist" or anyone wanting to gain a greater understanding of what optimum health really looks like.

Getting Real about Cheap Food

If a tomazzo doesn't sound appealing, it is good to know that you are not alone. Good-for-you food is finally being touted in mainstream media. Time magazine recently wrote an article about the real price of cheap food, click here to read it.

This week Michael Pollan published an excellent op-ed piece in the New York Times about the relationship between health care insurance make-overs and agri-business. Read it here.

Even the LA Times is reporting on the benefits of real food. Click here for an article about acid-alkaline balance and what you can do to boost your bone density.

The Buzz on Raw Bay Area

As I mentioned above, the reviews of my classes are growing on Yelp.com. If you want to convince a friend that this "good for you" food that tastes great, send them this link here or go directly to http://www.yelp.com/biz/raw-bay-area-berkeley. I'd like to thank everyone who has "yelped" so far. Congratulations to the winners of the thank you raffle Claudia T and Mollie W.

Raw Bay Area has a facebook page, and you can become a fan by simply searching for "Raw Bay Area" from your account. Its another great way to keep in touch.

Turn a trip to the grocery store into more fun

An idea for children from Jinjee Taliafarrow: One thing I really like to do to help my children enjoy the Raw Food Diet is to take them to the store and tell them that I will buy them anything that they want from the Organic Produce section. Their eyes (and my heart) light up as they run around picking out their favorite foods to feed their little superhero bodies. :-) Yay! We all win!

Speaking of grocery stores: Whole Foods Market in Berkeley is having a great event this Friday 9/18. They are offering a 20% off discount to any customer that spends over $100 this Friday night 9pm-11pm. They will have live music (an awesome 1940's gypsy jazz band, tons of samples and some amazing sales. It is a great way for Whole Foods to appreciate customers and help them stock up on some delicious all natural groceries -- especially the expensive raw items like coconut oil and granola.

Readers corner

It would be fun to host a 'readers' corner where we could spotlight enthusiasts on their raw food journey, and offer food tips that have come directly from you. If you have a tip to share, or would like to interview other readers and write about them, please let me know by emailing me here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoga and Raw Food Retreat

Big House Chairs

Friday, November 6, to Sunday, November 8
Join us for an inspiring weekend at Leonard Lake near Ukiah - just 2.5 hours north of the Bay Area.

This is an opportunity to relax, cleanse and find a quieter, more centered self.

Leonard Lake is a private retreat center and ecological preserve outside of Ukiah, CA. The resort includes 3,840 acres of pristine forest land and a lovely lake for fishing and kayaking. Yoga, horseback riding, hiking and other activities are options for your weekend stay - as well as plenty of napping and reading. Leonard Lake is truly a magical place.

We will share four delicious raw meals, with additional refreshments available throughout the day. Meals will be made by our own private chef Nikki Gilmore and include fresh, organic ingredients.

A "Holiday Traditions" class will be offered on Sunday afternoon. You will learn:

How to make rich and creamy nog without dairy or eggs
How almond mayonnaise can replace unhealthful bottled mayo in Waldorf salad and ther favorite dishes
How to use a dehydrator to make delicious low-carb stuffing with almonds instead of bread
How to make two raw vegetable side dishes that you can proudly present at any holiday party
How to make a show stopping "I can't believe it's not cooked!" pumpkin pie

Menu: Holiday Nog, Waldorf Salad, Almond Stuffing, Cranberry-orange relish, Christmas Kale, Green Beans Amandine, Mock Pumpkin Pie with Cashew Cream

Please go to www.rawbayarea.com
for the entire retreat description and rates

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watermelon Juice

Late summer is when melons are in season. Of all the melons, I always get most excited about the watermelon. Perhaps because I associate "watermelon" with PARTY.

Some people believe that melons are best eaten alone. They digest so quickly that if they get stuck in the digestive track with other foods, gas and other muck can build up. This may or may not be true for you. If it is, don't let it deter you from the mighty melon!

I love to drink my water-melon. Here is a quick an easy way to do it.

Use a seedless watermelon, or a watermelon with seeds.
Cut it in half (the long way).
Use a large spoon and scoop out the watermelon directly into a blender.
Add ice if neccessary.
Blend until smooth.

More ideas:

Sometimes I like to add a pinch of salt to bring depth to the drink.
Rarely do I add sweetener, but if I did it would be light agave nectar or stevia
It is fun to add a little lemon or lime juice, and some mint before you blend. Blend all the ingredients together with the watermelon.
Drink watermelon any time of the day. I definately would have a pitcher ready for a party. And pair it with the items you learn in the upcoming "Mexican Fiesta" class - its agua fresca after all.

Watermelons taste great, but did you know that they are amazingly good for you? This delectable thirst-quencher may also help quench the inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis. According to the website "The World's Healthiest Foods", "sweet, juicy watermelon is actually packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature.

Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin A, notably through its concentration of beta-carotene. Pink watermelon is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene. These powerful antioxidants travel through the body neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are substances in the body that can cause a great deal of damage. They are able to oxidize cholesterol, making it stick to blood vessel walls, where it can lead to heart attack or stroke. They can add to the severity of asthma attacks by causing airways to clamp down and close. They can increase the inflammation that occurs in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and cause most of the joint damage that occurs in these conditions, and they can damage cells lining the colon, turning them into cancer cells. Fortunately, vitamin C and beta-carotene are very good at getting rid of these harmful molecules and can therefore prevent the damage they would otherwise cause. As a matter of fact, high intakes of vitamin C and beta-carotene have been shown in a number of scientific studies to reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce the airway spasm that occurs in asthma, reduce the risk of colon cancer, and alleviate some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. A cup of watermelon provides 24.3% of the daily value for vitamin C, and, through its beta-carotene, 11.1% of the DV for vitamin A."

Want to know more about watermelons as fuel? Click here for an interesting study that revealed leftover watermelons from farms' harvests in America could be converted into nearly ten million liters of clean, renewable ethanol fuel.

Wow! For now, have fun with your liquid health - its fuel for the body!

Heather Haxo Phillips
2930 Domingo Ave #122
Berkeley, California 94705
heather@rawbayarea.com