Green chips

If you make a lot of nut milk and you have run out of ideas on what to do with the pulp, or you are just looking for yummy snack recipe, these green chips are so satisfying and easy on the belly :)

To make these chips, all you need is a decent amount of dried nut pulp, ground to a powder, with a bit of kale, hot red pepper, spring onions, spices, some yellow onion, zucchini  and whatever else you'd like to add. If you have a regular blender like us you may need to add some extra water to help it blend, and simply drain some of it before spreading it out on dehydrator sheets. Dry until no moistness is left.

Who needs popcorn when you have delicious raw snacks? Ha :) Enjoy.

A and J <3

A few words on cannabis.

I want to say, before I begin writing this, that none of what I say is intended to attract people to smoking cannabis nor discourage its use. I am simply going to tell my story, and state some truths that I feel need to be recognized.

Up until a couple of months ago, I used to smoke every day, at least once a day, more if I felt the desire or compulsion to do so. I had been doing this since 2011, when during that summer I was forced to take anti-psychotic medications (which by the way contain heavy metals like fluoride and actually do the opposite of what they are prescribed for; another post on this later), and so smoking cannabis was naturally the best way to counter-act this awful stuff that I, fortunately, was able to stop taking after a short time. And smoking really did help. It helped me to stop feeling so sad, and got me into a higher energy level than I would have been. It helped me to perceive beyond my ordinary limitations. And it gave me a sense of well-being that I so desperately needed.

I stopped smoking this summer. It was something I had been feeling for a long time, and at a certain point in, I think the end of July, I realized that at this point all I had been doing the past few months while smoking was allowing myself to become fixated, lethargic, and lazy. So I stopped. It was actually very easy to do so. I simply knew that it was no longer benefiting me. 

Cannabis is one of the most aromatic herbs in the world. It also happens to be one of the most nutritionally beneficial, in its raw form. When you burn this herb, you activate the psychoactive properties for which it is so infamous. But you destroy all of the beautiful benefits that this herb offers in its pure state. In fact, the raw plant does not even contain THC.

Cannabis, in its psychoactive state, is an inhibitor. Many people know this word but they truly have no idea what it means. To inhibit means to restrain, block, or suppress.  As most of us know, we have cannabinoid receptors in our brains that exist independently of whether we smoke cannabis or not. These are part of what processes it when it comes into our bodies (in the smoke form, of course.) In low doses, it produces extra amounts of serotonin in the brain, one of the chemical compounds that contribute to our sense of well-being. But in large doses, it actually decreases the levels of serotonin in the brain. That's why it can make people feel depressed, tired, and all around lethargic. 

I would recommend, if you are going to smoke, some very small amounts and don't smoke frequently.

But the good news is, if you love the smell and flavor of this delicious herb, than you get to enjoy all the amazing nutrition, too :) Just eat it raw! It contains CBD, an antioxidant that is reportedly stronger than vitamins C and E. It helps all cell types to function more effectively. If you can get large amounts at a time, I've heard that juicing it can be extremely beneficial, and it has the same medicinal benefits as any other form, except it's more potent in the healing sense. 

I hope this was informative and not biased. Thanks for reading this, and I hope it inspires you to do you own personal research. There's much, much more information on this if you are interested. 

Love you guys,

 A <3

Say NO to GMO

Have you ever seen the logo on food products labeled the Non-GMO project? Or the circle with USDA Organic? Both of those mean that the seed of the plant was left in its natural state to grow and was not tested with DNA from another species or spliced with genes from a completely non related organism. GMO stands for genetically modified organism and was introduced by the CHEMICAL company, Monsanto, in the late 80's. This laboratory created seed creates a very unnatural, unstable crossbreed of animals, plants, bacteria, and even viruses in the very food that is sold in the store.
GMO food is not only bad for our health, but they destroy crops and the land the food is grown upon. Genetically modified foods increase the chance of food allergens, intestinal inflammation, Autism, nutrient deficiency, infertility in women, physical mutations, irritable bowl syndrome, cancer, heart problems, and even death. Many lab tested rats who were fed GM corn and soy had defected reproduction systems as well as heart failure. GM foods haven't been around that long so there are probably hundreds of damaging occurances in our bodies that take place that haven't fully developed yet to test anything. We are literally be experimented on by the agriculture industry and most people do not even know it.
The most common genetically modified foods grown are corn, soy, sugar beets, canola oil, cotton, alfalfa, zucchini, and squash. Even though this is a limited number of crops, they are grown  commercially and mass produced and are so processed into syrups, meals, powders, sugars, oils, and products that don't even contain the word of the plant. For example corn makes up corn starch, caramal color, corn syrup, corn meal, dextrose, MSG, malt, iodized salt, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and the list goes on and on. Most of the GM crops are sprayed heavily with RoundUp, and other pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides...
One of the most ridiculous things about GM foods is that there has never been found one benefit from using them. The crops do not grow faster, the food does not taste better at all, it doesn't look better, they aren't less vulnerable to insects or bugs.
I could go on forever talking about this so I suggest watching the 1hr 24 min documentary explaining in detail all the detriments of genetically modified crops. It's called Genetic Roulette, and here's the link: http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/112195/Genetic_Roulette_2012_Full_Documentary/


Also, here's a link the the non-GMO project which promotes organic food and informs people everyday about what we are eating: http://www.nongmoproject.org/

In California on November 6th there was a voting that took place to make it mandatory for the California Department of Public Health to label all genetically modified products. The voting was on Proposition 37. This was initiated by the people and over 60% of citizens support it. The FDA repeatedly denies the damage of GMO and is misleading us all so of course they do not support it and claimed it was misleading when in actuality it only states truth. If Proposition 37 was passed, power would shift from corporate control to consumer education.
Proposition 37 states that GMO foods require a label and anything that is GMO cannot be labeled as natural or healthy.

The best thing we can do is to inform each other the dangers of the agriculture industry, chemical companies, and FDA. They are not working towards our benefit and it us completely up to us to stop them and claim our power. Be the change you want to see in the world.

The beach in October

Our family went to the beach last week for four days. We drove there, to Bethany Beach in Delaware, which took about 6 hours I believe. It was sunset when we arrived, and the wind was strong and cold, but we ran onto the beach and let the breathtaking feeling seep into us.
 When you go to the beach in autumn, it is inevitable that you will eat out a lot. And I mean a lot. We ate salads at every restaurant, which was nice, and the first night we ate a carrot and parsnip soup that was cooked but more gentle than most cooked foods because it was purred. One thing I must say is that going to restaurants is very overrated. I know for a fact that we can make better meals at home, for a cheaper price. And it's often that you find that the salad you ordered is not organic, and possibly GMO. However, many of the meals we ate were very healthy and quite a large number of food-preparers in the East Coast area are conscious of people's different ways of eating, so it was altogether pleasant.

Here are some pictures :)

The Wild Plant Cafe - Gourmet Weeds !

This is amazing. Just watch the video. :)

The importance of our largest organ: SKIN

The skin is one of the largest organs in, or on, the human body. It is made up of millions of pores that breath to create air flow and proper circulation for an oxygen rich environment. It is connected to our blood stream, hormones, organs, and everything else. What many people don't know is that the skin detoxifies about 25% of the toxins in our bodies, which makes it one of the, if not the largest detoxing outlets. It is constantly pushing out harmful chemicals that are flowing through our bloodstream that can or have hurt us. The skin breathes which means it is also absorbing the pollution and chemicals in the air that have to go through our system and then excreted back out through the skin by sweat. Because of this always occurring cycle our skin is going through, it can become irritated very easily, which is why we need to be extremely nourishing and gentle to it.
I use, and recommend using, raw coconut oil as a moisturizer. It does not clog the pores and it absorbs very easily. In the winter it is essential to avoid dryness.
Many corporate "beauty" brands sell these complex kits including toners, cleansers, moisturizers, creams, and some other whack stuff that they say to do every single day. Well, from personal experience doing this long process with all these different chemically made products does a lot more damage than good. The toners and cleansers strip your face of all the natural oils and leave the skin very vulnerable to infection, inflammation, and burning. Also the ingredients in the products are usually hard to pronounce and I was never sure exactly what I was putting all over my face and near my eyes! Then my face felt stiff and dry (in the winter) and every second it felt like I was growing wrinkles, haha. Plus many of the moisturizers and cleansers are scented with harsh fragrances that create irritation a lot of the time and are not added to benefit your skin at all. Often when you see face cleansers that say acne fighting, pore stripping, or anything along those lines, they contain anti bacterial ingredients. What this does is kill the bacteria on your skin and it leaves it dry, red, and the symptoms of acne usually increase; this is why there are hundreds of products like this being sold, because none of them work!
 The problem is not on the outside, it is internal and the skin is detoxing the chemicals out through the skin on your face or wherever acne appears. So, in order to have clear skin we need to clean the insides of our bodies and make sure to not put chemicals on the outside that leak/absorb to the inside. Using coconut oil has dramatically reduced the redness on my cheeks and my skin feels so much softer and flexible. Using it on my body as well as eating 100% vegan and mostly raw has completely gotten rid of acne I had on my thighs and other places.. I use Dr. Bronner's soap on my body and face as well, but sometimes I like to skip using it on my face because there can be harsh essential oils that may burn, so instead I use this homemade scrub:

1- 1 1/2 Tbsp. preferably raw, organic coconut oil
1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt and/or raw, unprocessed cane sugar
1/2 tsp. raw apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar
just mix it together and use anywhere! :)

This scrub is gentle and extremely moisturizing so it's perfect for dry, cold climates. I like to use it after dry brushing my body, showering, and drying off. Then i use it all over and hop back into the shower for a minute to rinse so the coconut oil doesn't come off much :D

Dry brushing is an amazing tool to help detox your skin and body. It's commonly done before exercise, showering, or sweating to open the pores and get as much gunk out as you possibly can. At first, it may feel hard on your skin because the bristles are kinda thick, but you get used to it. The benefits are endless. It sheds your dead skin cells to open your pores to more light and cell renewal, which improves skin texture and complexion. It increases the circulation to the skin, which speeds up the discharge of toxic materials and waste, and this aids the lymphatic drainage of the whole body! It stimulates the lymph canals to soften the mucous in the colon, when going to the bathroom the mucous can be noticeable because of the large amounts dry brushing can purge. When the colon is cleansed, it can more quickly detox the entire body, even the more stubborn metals. Dry brushing tightens the skin, tones the muscles and stimulates the nerves giving you a more sensual experience. Cellulite is something many women feel is impossible to eliminate without surgery or drastic measures BUT nope! Cellulite is toxic material stored in our fat cells and are really hard to eliminate, but dry brushing evenly distributes the fat on our bodies and can help to detox these cells as well. And lastly, dry skin brushing helps our bodies to absorb nutrients much easier once these pores are emptied. This is very important because the skin is actually the last organ in the body to receive nutrients from our food, but it is the first to reflect signs of imbalance and impurity.

When I first began dry brushing it felt like my muscles could stretch twice as long and I felt the air in them when I inhaled! Not only my lungs, but my whole body was breathing. It was very tingly sensational at the beginning. Also, I found it was easier to gain muscle after I started dry brushing, and my skin cleared up so fast and now I can actually see it glowing. One thing I could never do before becoming raw was get a tan and now I can get one without burning at all and dry brushing has contributed to that tons.

Skin care is so essential and I've done many hours of researching over the past few years and this information is some of the most helpful and beneficial that I've found and tested, through trial and error, so I hope you enjoy!

- J



P.S.
Just to name some of the ingredients in the harsh products to look out for here is a list of some of the most irritating ingredients commonly used in drugstore and even department store toiletries and cosmetics:

aluminum sulfate, ammonium chloride, amyl cinnamate, amyl salicylate, anacyclus pyrethrum, anisaldehyde, barium sulfate, benzoin extract, butylated hydroxytoluene, borate, borax, bronopol, calamine, camphor, capsaicin, capsicum, cetyl, chitosan, chlorhexidine, clary oil, cocamide DEA and MEA, cola acuminata extract, coleus barbatus, coltsfoot, cyclamen aldehyde, cinnamon extracts, citrus extracts, essential oils, floralozone, fragrance, galbanum, hedione, hyssop, mentha or menthol, pentadecalactone, rosa or rose extracts, anise, volatile oil, denatured alcohol, dimethyl ether, elecampane, ethanol, esculin, eucalyptus, eyebright, fennel, fumaric acid, guaiac wood, guarana, hedera helix, horse elder, horseradish, hypericum extract, isopropyl alcohol, kathan CG, lavender, lye, para-aminobenzoic acid PABA, photosensitizer, potassium hydroxide, potassium myristate. pyrus cydonia, quaternium-15, quince seed, resorcinol, retin, riboflavin, rosemary oil/extract, SD alcohol, SD alcohol 40-2, soap, sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium cocoate, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium silicate, sulfur, thioglycolate, thyme, zinc carbonate, ginger, zingiber, bronopol, chlorphenesin, methylchloroisothiazolinone, preservatives, sulfate, styrax benzoin, sodium lactobionate..... just to name a couple for ya


Usually essential oils are irritating and cause burning when used alone but you can dilute them by mixing a couple drops in a large amount of coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, or many nut oils and the irritating properties should disperse :)

Finished results of the pumpkin pie

With a little scoop of 

Cashewtopia's delicious raw vegan pistachio ice cream :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian friends!

Mayan astrology...

I know this is not food related, but this is an amazing resource for finding out the Mayan energies for each day, as well as any date you'd like to look up, such as your or a friend's birthday. It includes the Dreamspell calendar, the Tzolkin, and the Haab calendar glyphs. It also shows the moon phase, and has lots of wonderful resources for people who want to truly understand what all the talk about the Mayan calendar really means.

This is a quote on the website that explains a little about how this can help re-align you with your Essence Self and the new energy on earth that is accessible to us at this time in our planet's rapid transformation:

"How? through the use of the Dreamspell Oracle to arouse and reconstruct the memory of galactic time. By reconstructing the third-dimensional space suit, the human body, with its fourth-dimensional holon, galactic time is the direct revelation of the law of the kin. In the law of the kin, all kin are equal. It is for the planetary kin, equal and free, to create a path of power for the rainbow nation that is completely liberated of all institutions, money, war, poverty." From "The Mayan Factor, Path Beyond Technology" Dr. Argüelles. The Mayan Dreamspell calendar by Jose Argüelles is based on the Mayan Tzolkin Calendar.

Please check it out, and look at it every day if you so wish. It has helped us immensely in every aspect of our lives, and if you are interested, I recommend downloading the Mayan Oracle which is available through the website. We we blessed to be given a copy by our friend Kate who knew Jose during his life on earth. Thank you for reading this. The more of us who expand our awareness, the easier it is for everyone to access these understandings.

with love,
-A

Some of the delicious wonders we've created...

Sprouted wheat berry pizza with raw tomato sauce, vegan cashew cheese, olives, mushrooms, onions, and peppers!

Beet, mineola, and orange juice!

Green smoothie with cashew milk, pumpkin pie spice, almonds, banana, and agave. And kale!

Guacamole with wild mushrooms!

pink juice yay!

Pie crust for pumpkin pie! 

with brazil nut flour, dates, almond butter, cacao butter, a little agave, cinnamon, and paprika!

Pumpkin pie filling made with raw pumpkin, soaked goji berries, brazil nut milk, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, cardamon, and lots of raw cane sugar and love!

Pumpkin seeds! yay!










Yummy thai-style salad with assorted greens, pineapple, peppers, red onion, cherry tomatoes and spicy dressing made from coconut vinegar.

Liquid Fast/A Piece of Encouragement

Hello there! :) so I've been very curious about doing a liquid diet/fast for a couple days to see how I feel. Basically on a liquid fast you would be drinking only fresh fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies and of course water. This is to give your jaw and body a break from chewing food and from the complex process of digestion; drinking your vitamins, minerals, and enzymes makes it smoother for your body so you can more fully integrate and feel more energized! I've personally never done this before and I feel like it could really help me to let go of eating meals throughout the day and to let go of cravings. If you've ever done a liquid fast comment below and let me know how it made you feel :) i would love to hear from you.
Eating has become a habit in a lot of people's lives in this country. There's food everywhere we go and when we eat 3 meals or more a day our bodies and minds become hooked on doing this even when we aren't that hungry. We can become unaware of what our bodies are signalling to us and what we truly need to heal. Habits can be hard to break and it takes some serious determination and will, but after we've done it the relief and freedom is sooo worth it and we feel better than we could have even imagined.
 If you are considering a raw food diet but are scared that it'll be too hard or that you don't have to will power to do it, simply incorporate it little bits at a time. For example, instead of eating cooked foods in the morning start with a fresh smoothie and then eat fruit and a salad for dinner. Try to balance the cooked and raw foods so you don't feel too overwhelmed! Also if you need some encouragement there are hundreds of people on the internet, in your community, who have written books, etc. that can give you great advice and a mood booster if you're feeling doubtful.

Love you guys
-J

The Protein Delusion

Ever since I became a vegetarian I noticed how many people talk about protein as if its only source is from killed animals. Some others will say, sure you can get protein on your diet, but you have to eat lots of beans and nuts! I really want to clear this up.
Protein exists in every living organism, and it's especially abundant in leafy greens. I will talk more about this later but I want to explain why eating dead protein is worse than not eating any protein at all. I'm going to give you a visual analogy.
Visualize a layer of complex liquids, that move and breathe and take action based on their innate understanding of how to self-heal. And then visualize taking a big chunk of rock, something with a completely different chemical make up than the liquid layer, and trying to mix it into the liquid, expecting it to magically morph into it. Even if you grind up the rock into the finest sand, it still will not be liquid. You could not drink this liquid, because it would be full of grit.
Now, in the same way, when you put dead protein in your body, it only sits on top of the muscles, never full integrating with them or building any muscle whatsoever. What you think is muscle building from all those meaty meals is really just you GETTING FAT and overexerting yourself.
Eat living protein. It's the only way to truly build muscle and real, raw strength.

-A

growing things are everywhere

we're sitting in our computer room, one of us eating a pear and the other drinking some beautiful pink juice. listening to the sounds of the shower running and some other ruckus. our home is far from "ideal" for a raw foodie- our kitchen is tiny, and a huge microwave sits in the focal point (which we always turn off right away when we notice it's been left on by our other family members), and we don't have a fancy blender or an expensive juicer. but we love raw food. it's delicious. and you don't need to buy a bunch of things to make it work. we are very blessed to have our parents paying for so many wonderful fruits and vegetables every week, and it's been amazing to see how their eyes have been opened just by seeing us go on this journey.
we're deeply passionate about organic farming, and someday we hope to have an orchard in a warm climate where we will grow so many fruits and vegetables. at the moment we have a little vegetable garden, and it's been a process of experimentation this year as amateur growers. we've been blessed to find so many wonderful hidden treasures growing right in our neighborhood. we've picked apples, pears, so many different kinds of tomatoes, peppers, a pumpkin, grapes, and even indian corn. and it's like this everywhere, if you are curious enough to go look.
we hope this blog gives some inspiration, ideas, and helpful advice to anyone who is interested about a raw way of living.
in lakech
I am another you.

-A & J