Raw Luck

It's dandelion season once again! Only this year instead of spraying the life out of them, I'm eating them! While I don't have this as a first-hand experience, I am told that over in Europe, people eat dandelion greens all the time. They don't regard them as predacious aliens in a perfectly green, manicured lawn like we Americans do. They're food. Good food!

This evening, before the Raw Meetup, Shawna Stursa took a couple of us out to forage for wild greens. As luck would have it, I got a tour of a local neighborhood's weeds by two foraging experts. How nice to have such wonderful teachers right here in my home town! In addition to dandelions, we found plantains, clover, chickweed, cleavers, violets, mustard, lambsquarters and elm seeds. We discussed how to use these wild greens and the benefits of several other wild edibles. I really liked what Shawna said, we live in such abundance! Let's face it, with the economy the way it is, it doesn't get any better than walking out the back door and having fresh food at your feet.

While I am sure the homeowners association won't be happy that I will be foraging weeds from my yard this year, I am very happy to have a little bit of this knowledge to get me started on wild greens. The benefits are just too numerous to mention. If cleavers can heal laminitus in thoroughbreds' feet, what can it do for mine?!!!

Also, I live on the edge of a state park and there should be tons of wild greens that I can find for my salads this summer. This is a new avenue of learning that I will be pursuing eagerly. It not only provides a great source of nutrition and healing properties, it gets me out in nature. It's just a win/win situation all the way around.

The Raw Luck was fabulous just as it was last month. The energy, knowledge, love, support and enthusiasm in this group is just way beyond any other group of people I have ever been around. To see such a group of individuals glowing radiantly and being so happy is the best medicine anyone could have. It is such a healing space and I intend to become a fixture in this wonderful group of raw foodists.

The foods tonight were quite varied. There was a green energy soup made with malva (another wild green), zucchini hummus, butternut squash pie, kale chips, a guacamole/vegetable dish for stuffing in romaine leaves, a quinoa/sprout salad and other yummy dishes and desserts I can't even remember.

Allison did a demonstration on growing sprouts which introduced us to a variety of seeds that can be used. I had forgotten about some types and learned about a couple of new ones. She shared one of her favorite ways to grow sprouts by mixing three different kinds of seeds for a wonderful combination of flavors. I will be getting down to the community co-op to find some radish, adzuki, alfalfa, and broccoli seeds this week!

For today I had:
Breakfast: Muesli with a variety of nuts and seeds, goji berries, raisins, dates, coconut, an apple and a banana with almond milk.
Lunch: A couple of "deviled eggs"... cashews, olive oil, lemon juice, agave nectar, and spices in white mushrooms.
Supper: A smorgasbord of raw dishes at the raw luck.

Did my Body Flex first thing this morning.

Pictures from top: Dandelions, chickweed, a cluster of grass, murdock and cleavers, quinoa/sprout salad, and zucchini hummus with crudites and almonds.

A Sharing Circle

Tonight I went to the sharing circle with the Columbus Raw Meetup group. A dear, dear friend from 15 years ago had joined the group online, but had not gone to any of the meetings. I was able to connect with her again and encouraged her to come tonight. She did and it was wonderful seeing her. We laughed and giggled like high school girls and left the meeting arm in arm to continue our conversation at a vegetarian restaurant. It was wonderful to renew our friendship and especially over a shared interest in health and wellness.

The meeting itself was extraordinary. Everyone got a chance to introduce themselves and say whatever they liked. I was humbled by the honesty, authenticity, and humility among my fellow raw travelers. People I have never met before opened their hearts and shared with the group about what it was like being raw. Everyone was so supportive of everyone else. It is so nice to know there are real live people out there who share my vision.

Today I ate:
Breakfast: Skipped...had to go to an early morning eye appointment. (Eyes are still improving!)
Lunch: Salad with spinach and Spring mix, carrots, celery, tomatoes, mushrooms with balsamic vinegar and oil.
Supper: Corn chowder and small salad with lemon, olive oil and sea salt.
Snack: 3 power balls and a juice of carrot, spinach, celery, and apple.

I did not do my Body Flex today and really missed it.

Raw Meetup

After the massive healing that Fred Payne did last night, I thrashed around in bed all night long. Various aches and pains came and went, my stomach started to gurgle and churn, and I had several entertaining dreams. I was ready to spend half the day in bed today, but when morning finally arrived, I felt fine! Fred had recommended a few things to help my body with its detox, so I went out on a mission to gather the necessary supplies. I ran a few other errands along the way and arrived back home in the early afternoon.

I tried to get a few things done around the house, but the phone kept ringing and before I knew it, time slipped away from me. One person from the Fred Payne series called to reconnect and I was really happy to hear from her. We will probably be planning a time to get as many of us as we can back together again.

I had taken some of my power balls to the meeting last night and they were a big hit. Dr. Rosana Domingues, a local homeopath, was thrilled to hear that I was eating raw and wanted to know more about what I was doing. I invited her to join me at the Columbus Raw Meetup group tonight. I got there a little late because I yakked on the phone too long, but Rosana was already there and had found someone she knew. It was my first time, so I didn't know anyone but her. My husband arrived a little later from work, but by that time I was feeling pretty comfortable among the group of 18 or so folks that showed up.

I was pretty impressed by the people who came to this group....one young woman had lost 100 lbs. in a year by eating raw! Her mother was so impressed by her daughter's success, that she too, had gone raw. Another woman, Jane, introduced us to Mona Vie, a "super drink." Will showed us a sensible way to open a young coconut...no machetes involved! Lisa gave me her card for her colon hydrotherapy. Stephanie is leaving on a two week vacation at the Creative Health Institute in Union City, MI. Allison was a gracious hostess to everyone and welcomed me into the group. Shawna Stursa, the main organizer, is arranging an expedition soon to teach us how to forage for wild greens! She is an extraordinary woman who has studied with Dr. Gabriel Cousens and is working on her Master's in Spiritual Vegan Livefood Nutrition Education. There were several other talented people there that I didn't get to talk to this time, but all in all, I felt like I had found my people. It appeared to be salad night tonight but everything looked so colorful and fresh. One person made a really tasty raw baklava. Can't wait to get that recipe!

No question about it. This group has a lot going on and I intend to go back. What a joy to find such inspiration right here in my own back yard!

Today's edibles:
Breakfast: A mango, banana, Mandarin orange smoothie.
Lunch: A small salad of arugula, sprouts, mushrooms, olives, red peppers, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt and olive oil.
Supper: A variety of green salads, a carrot salad, and the baklava.
Snack: A few power balls.

I also drank 3 quarts of water with a whole lemon blended into it (to assist the liver.) I completely forgot to do my Body Flex today. I'll get back on track with that tomorrow.