Go Raw & Let Go! by Laurel Marr

Go Raw & Let Go! Become Fully Alive with Living Food!!

A Personal Plan for Ending Emotional Eating Through Raw & Living Food.

Welcome! And thank you for choosing Genesis Raw Food to help you get started moving towards a more vibrant way of eating and living. In this book, you will find sections on the following: Foreward by Marcie Telander, M.A., L.P.C., C.G.P. Ending Emotional Eating How Can Raw Food Help Me? Leaving Diets Behind Introduction to Raw Food Basics Essentials in Aiming for Success Going the Extra Mile: Super Foods, Exercise & Body Care Journal Exercise & Journal Pages Gastronomy Exercise Raw Food Recipes Archive Meal Planning for Success: A One-Week Plan Complete with Shopping List Take the time to read the entire book before getting started. I am glad you are here. This is an exciting journey! Laurel Marr Rediscover Food! www.genesisrawfood.com

Disclaimer: Every Effort is made to ensure that the information provided is accurate and up to date, but no legal responsibility is accepted for any errors, omissions, or misleading statements. This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient and his or her existing physician, nutritionist, counselor, etc.

Foreward

The sensuality of nourishment. The beauty of living. Colorful, intricate, compelling food. RAW FOOD. It is difficult to simply call these provocative, evocative qualities “raw,” without rediscovering what this often misused word means. Raw does not indicate inferior, unfinished or needing extensive preparation to make food palatable. Our ancestors knew, as do indigenous people and healthy food preparers around the world: raw means ready to transfer vibrant nourishment directly from earth-energy sources to the human body. This is what Aliveness means when we consider caring about and curing our contemporary malady of fast food, processed meals and frozen “entrees.” For many of us this means experiencing a revolution and a re-creation—a new beginning to health with live foods, creative recipes and fulfilling lifestyle choices. “Go Raw and Let Go!” This is what Laurel Marr invites us to do in GENESIS RAW FOOD. And she knows what she is talking about. She generously shares her own past challenges with food cravings, eating anxieties, food restrictions and body image awareness. ”I’m an experienced dieter,” Laurel writes, “and thus an experienced failure in dieting.” She reminds us that “we aren’t created to diet and fight balance,” but rather to “move towards real, colorful, nurturing food! Taste it, enjoy it, let it nourish you. Love yourself and your body.” In her brief and straight-forward discussion of the cravings many of us experience around food, she reminds us that when we begin to transition to live foods and leave “comfort foods behind-- truth and reality are exposed.” As a psychotherapist and contemporary woman I strongly agree. I have had to recognize, both personally and professionally, the hold that our literal love/hate relationship with food and eating can produce. Statistics indicate that almost every American adolescent girl will experience some form of eating disturbance, and many of them, full-blown, life threatening eating disorders. Aging female Baby Boomers are another group of recently identified eating disorder candidates. Nor are men immune. Through my own practice in Crested Butte, Colorado, a robust, recreational and outdoor mountain culture, I have worked with a surprising number of adolescent and adult anorexic and/or bulimic male (and female) athletes. The list of compulsions and addictions surrounding the need to be nurtured and nourished fill many research studies and publications. Very simply--Food is a Big Deal. The choices we make in feeding ourselves and our families also profoundly affect our planet. Raising meat requires fifty times more fossil fuel than growing vegetables. Fresh, Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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organic, sustainably-grown, raw food causes the least impact in our resource-challenged world. For that reason alone, it is a responsible choice to add living, raw foods as a growing part of our diets. And yes, many of us have concerns about what is both possible and health-full in our busy work and home environments. What Laurel does for us, is offer an easy-to-follow creative guide and workbook based on the reality of our daily lives. Laurel assists us in thoughtfully considering a transition from fried, baked and cooked foods to recipes which satisfy all of our senses. She shows us that preparing raw foods can be a simple learning-curve--no more time than developing the skills to cook any simple cuisine. She offers streamlined, yet elegant recipes that can build upon each other as we expand our preparation skills and reclaim our ancient taste for raw foods. This process also encourages locally-grown and seasonal ingredients, discouraging waste with creative dishes that transition into delicious “leftovers” and snacks. Laurel reminds us of the many delicious lessons the practice of gastronomy can teach. We can relish, appreciate, create and delight all of our senses without overeating or experiencing imbalance. We can consciously select, pause and savor with an artist’s attention. Most importantly, we can expand our awareness of the healing appreciation that comes with...Eating for Life! Yours in good tastes, Marcie Telander, M.A., L.P.C., C.G.P.

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Ending Emotional Eating Do not feel bad if you have admitted to yourself that food controls more of your energy and time than you would like it to. Truth be told, today’s focus on food has become out of balance. You are not alone, for so many people struggle with finding this balance. My hopes in writing this guide to ending emotional eating is that you can rediscover the right boundaries with food and find your way to better physical & emotional health, increased energy, & finding more time to do things other than worry about food. The journaling section of this notebook is a great place to begin to discover your food habits, addictions, fears, and be honest about how you eat. What you eat is not always the sole cause of emotional eating, but it plays a great part. I found through the years of counseling I did to get through so many years of eating disorders that although I had dealt with the dark side of my past, I still had a fear of food and addictions to contend with. Not until I turned towards raw food did the circle finally feel complete. We will always have stresses and emotionally trying situations come and go in our lives. We must stop emotional eating for what it is instead of focusing on it being a product of a situation. It has become a way we try to deal with these situations, and it only makes everything worse. As I have journeyed farther into raw foods, it has become even clearer to me why I struggled so much with emotional eating in the past. Foods have different energies, which affect the way we feel when we eat them. Certain foods have highly addictive properties. You may recognize a food from your journal exercises: dairy, sugar, bread, chocolate, coffee, wine… Oh my! You might be starting to sweat at the thought cutting these foods out of your diet, but I have good news! Moving towards raw food is not about chalking off one item after another on the bad food list, but instead, learning to tune your mind into choosing what you eat based on what you need physically, not for comfort. If I were to guess, after sometime, you will not need these “comfort foods” or food at all in an emotional moment. You may also find that these foods offer you no benefit at all at anytime. If you come to this realization, you are making the choice to let the food go and find a better choice for you, not abstain from it for dieting purposes. A question I get a lot is “If I go raw, can I still have coffee?” Think he or she might be addicted? If you have a food you can absolutely not live without, you are most likely addicted to it. And yes, I was addicted to fruit! This is not to say that we cannot and should not enjoy what we eat. We need to take a step back and understand the distinction between being addicted and enjoying our food. When we enjoy our food, we look forward to eating it, eat it, and then move on. The thought of food does not weigh heavily on us throughout the day/night and in between meals. Overtime, this burden becomes truly exhausting, and it turns into a vicious cycle where we are caught up in the middle of emotional eating, experiencing guilt over what we eat, trying to correct the imbalance through self-starvation (damage control), experiencing physical and emotional confusion over balanced eating, and finally ending with malnutrition with unwanted weight gain. Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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Why does rediscovering food with raw food eliminate these challenges? By eating more raw food, you will begin to nourish yourself, which will in turn begin to help eliminate over eating and cravings that accompany emotional eating. One reason the cycle is hard to break is that we end it with malnourishment. Being undernourished will make you feel starved even though you don’t really need to eat more calories. The foods we choose today are so full of additives and empty calories it is hard to nourish ourselves and stay within our optimal caloric need range. Portion control is often talked about as a way to curb weight gain. Does it work when your body is starved? Not usually. It is another way to seem to have failed in controlling your eating. There is no need for portion control when you are truly nourished and balanced. Your body can and will learn to get back to eating the way we are made to eat: eating in response to hunger and stopping naturally when satisfied. Having a food addiction can be as serious as a drug or alcohol addiction. For me it was. This doesn’t mean that just because you feel a little crazy over food sometimes that you need to find a rehab center, but just be aware that sometimes obsession over what you eat can spiral downwards. Food can easily be used as a drug. Think about it, when we want to deaden the pain, we often reach for something to eat. It will take away that pain as we are eating, but how about after a binge or snack on something we would rather not have eaten? We feel worse! Do comfort foods really provide comfort? Try this journal exercise on comfort foods: What emotions trigger you to reach for food outside of hunger? Which foods do you reach for in particular? (I doubt it is raw fruits and vegetables!) How do you feel after you eat these foods? I used to play a little game with myself when I was feeling the urge to snack…I would ask myself, am I hungry enough for a carrot or apple? If the answer was no, I realized I was not truly hungry. The chocolate cake from earlier was just tempting me. It is not easy or recommended to go from an emotional eating diet to eating more 100% raw food overnight. There is a small learning curve to prepare and get used to the foods that will keep you on track. Your body is so used to what you have been doing, a slow and steady transition is most likely necessary. As your body naturally cleanses and clears itself, many deep emotions will come forth. These are feelings that have been avoided by eating certain foods or emotionally reaching for food rather than working through the issues. Take your time in facing these emotions. Trying to deal with too much at once could potentially backfire and cause you to overeat. It has taken you a long time to get here so don’t expect a full recovery overnight. Be empowered by your changes and know that there is and end to this, but it will take a little bit of time and patience. Emotional eating is a very complex subject. I have only taken a few pages as a brief description of definition, cause, and effect. If you feel emotional eating is a problem for you beyond journaling and working on changing how you eat to benefit you, finding a counselor may be an additional step. I highly recommend you continue with this guide to make sure that your diet is superior as you work through the issues. Raw food will help you gain clarity and will make the emotions easier to expose and heal. The reason for this is that food is no longer blanketing the pain. Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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When you begin to leave the comfort foods behind, truth and reality are exposed. This can be painful at first, but it really is the best thing. This way you finally take the critical step to deal with your emotions instead of eating. These emotions that cause you to eat will not end until they are faced. I have been amazed at some of the emotions I have uncovered. I have even been able to understand who I really am and what I can contribute to others. Many of my relationships have been strengthened while I have also been surprised at the shallowness of a few of them. Be prepared to make some changes in your life as you become who you really are. There may be decisions you live with that the real you wouldn’t have chosen. Jobs or friends, for instance. If some of these decisions are not reversible, don’t fear! You will discover many strengths within yourself to make these work even better! So, take this opportunity for freedom and growth and find peace in yourself, your relationships, each day, anywhere.

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How Can Raw Food Help Me?

A. Setting goals towards more raw foods: 1. Start eating more organic, whole raw & living food. When food is cooked it looses its natural enzymes. These enzymes die off when food is heated above 118 degrees. An optimal range for a beginner would be to focus on 50%-75% raw and living food. You can increase this amount, as you feel comfortable or you may find your balance within this range. The other foods you eat should be healthy choices that make you feel good or do not disturb your peaceful balance with food. 2. Include many chlorophyll rich foods daily. Greens are very good sources of calcium & protein. 3. Include a significant amount of high-water content foods each day (fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, juices, smoothies). 4. Don’t go overboard with large amounts of sugar (especially dried fruits, raw sugars & syrups) and fat. Even raw sugary, high fat treats can get the best of us, and make it harder to shed unwanted pounds. 5. Lower consumption of animal products and replace with more plant foods. Possibly add a B12 Supplement (more on this later). 6. Eat to hunger. Be aware this may be more frequently throughout the day at first. Fresh fruits and vegetables don’t contain as many calories, and they have higher water content than the foods you may be used to eating. If you let yourself get too hungry, you may be tempted to binge. 7. Get to know your food. Practice gastronomy exercises (details on this later) and think about what you are eating. 8. Keep raw food snacks handy and clean your pantry and fridge of troublesome foods. B. Benefits of eating more organic, raw foods: 1. Peace of mind over food~ raw food changes how we feel about food. 2. Clarity~ you can find a new outlook on life when you feel good about what you eat. You will also find fresh ideas of things to do and enjoy spring up out of the blue when thoughts of food are not consuming that energy and mind space. 3. Increased energy~ your body is not spending so much energy digesting enzyme depleted heavy foods, and you are gaining so many vitamins and minerals from the raw food! You are alive when you eat live food!! 4. Improved health~ omitting less than nutritious foods can only help build your body in so many ways. Raw Food has been proven to help control diabetes, weight-gain, eating disorders, & so much more! 5. The possibilities are endless~ raw food will help you where you need healing. Each person will experience his or her own journey on raw food.

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C. How can I Rediscover Food and begin healing from the burden of emotional and/or addictive eating? 1. Begin to let go of food that causes negative feelings or addictive eating behavior by replacing it with food that makes you feel good. 2. Accept that fact that there are some foods you might need to give up. Unfortunately, some foods can have an addictive grip on us. This is different than abstaining from a food for dieting purposes. Instead, you are letting it go because it holds you back from being who you are. Once you can see the difference in how you feel without certain foods, you will not want to go back. You will find replacements that make you feel so good. 3. Imagine emerging from your old self (cooked, processed foods) into a new you with fresh, living food. Let raw food make you more fully alive! 4. Discover why you eat. Is it because of stress, boredom, addiction, depression, or true hunger? This is no simple exercise, but it can be learned with time through self-assessment. Use the journal pages to find a pattern in your eating habits. This can help you eliminate negative eating patterns. 5. Use gastronomy exercises to define what you should eat. Learn how particular food makes you feel & how to determine what you really need.

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Leaving Diets Behind!! I want to set aside a page where I can emphasize the dangers in the combination of diets and emotional eaters. How many diets have you tried? There are so many popular diet fads that can easily tempt us all with their empty promises. If one diet doesn’t work, try another, right? No! If you have an addictive behavior (most likely you do when struggling with emotional eating), you can easily be caught up in diet addiction, too. The truth is, we aren’t created to diet and fight balance. How more unbalanced can it get to forgo sweet, healthy fruit because you are going lo-carb? Because I am an experienced dieter and thus an experienced failure in dieting, I feel confident in saying that a diet will never cure emotional eating. That is why I want to distinguish moving towards the right foods isn’t a “diet” as we typically think of it. Diet actually has several definitions. I want to focus on two. The first being what we often think of when we hear the word diet: a special course of food to which one restricts oneself. The second leaving the word restrict out of the definition: the kinds of food that an animal, human, or community habitually eats. This guide has been written to help you move away from restriction and move towards habitually eating the right foods. This is where you will find balance. Processed, non-food edibles that we have grown to think of as food do not nurture our bodies. Instead it has addictive properties that make us eat more and more leaving less room for real food. We really want real food. Our bodies are craving it! But we eat more junk food to try and compensate. Then we “diet” because of the excess weight we have gained and we want to “control” ourselves because we feel out of balance. The cycle will never end since diets are doomed for failure unless we change our minds about the food we were created to eat. This is the key to freedom from emotional eating. An important step in healing is to let go. Forget about what you have been eating and the urge to diet for damage control. It is time to move forward in a positive mindset. Move towards real, colorful, nurturing food! Don’t count the calories in an apple or orange. Don’t count the fat in an avocado. Taste it, enjoy it, let it nourish you. Love yourself and your body. It is yours and you are the only you. Your body is your temple full of holiness and you need to honor it. Bodies don’t need to be perfect inside or out to be accepted by our own selves or others. With all of these words expressed, I want to go even further and say that even some Raw Food Diets can become dangerous. There is much literature on the Internet of raw food diets. Some is really great and some is wrong in my opinion. There are raw foodist who will take eating raw food to an extreme level. This is not what you need. There is no freedom there. Rules of food combining (eating only certain foods together and waiting a certain amount of time before eating another food from another category), daily colon cleansing, strict fasting and detoxing, fruitarian diets, x number of this and xx number of that will ruin what you are working towards. At this moment, you won’t benefit from getting caught up in this. There may be certain circumstances when some of these extremes might be taken as in healing from specific diseases, but you are Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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healing from an emotional sickness, and it cannot be corrected by these extremes. Rediscover your food, love yourself, and get to know who you really are as you make yourself well. Beginning to transition to more raw food in your diet will start you on a cleansing path. There is healing for you in whole, living foods! You may be amazed at the toxic effect processed food has on your body once you start changing The way you eat. When we choose to overeat on these toxic substances, we are usually trying to avoid uprising feelings or emotions. Over and over again, we try to suppress them by eating. The problem is that we are only adding to our burdens by overeating on toxic substances. Not only is our body overwhelmed by the emotions we keep trying to force back down, but we have added a toxic load to our bodies that builds and builds and eventually will show up in a form of disease. As we add more and more raw food in our diet to replace this toxic food, our bodies get a chance to release, breath, and heal physically and emotionally. Use this powerful yet humbling function of release and repair to empower you to change! We are truly simple beings not wanting unneeded food in our systems, excess weight, and unnecessary sickness. We can begin to change this by simply letting go of toxic, processed food and choosing more raw food to meet our needs. Realization is the first step in empowering yourself to change. My guess is that you have reached the point of realization if you have found this book. I hope that you can have a smooth transition towards freedom with this guide. Each individual person will have a different pace at switching to raw food that works best. Changing from “junk food” to whole fruits and vegetables might be tough on your system depending on how much “real food” is currently in your diet. Your body will adapt back to the food we are meant to eat, but transition as your body needs. Also, remember that emotional baggage will surface as comfort foods help keep these feelings submerged.

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Introduction to Raw Food Basics

What Items are recommended for preparing raw food? What you choose to buy depends on your budget and what you want to do with raw food. Below are suggestions of appliances I recommend. If it is not in your budget, I would recommend saving for it instead of buying its cheaper counterpart. It will be worth it in the long run. 1. Juicer~There are many types of juicers on the market. I have found the best to be a Greenstar Juicer (www.greenstar.com). There are several models ranging from $475-$525. Another less expensive option is a Champion Juicer (www.championjuicer.com) priced at $225. Both of these juicers are masticating juicers. Specifically, they grind the fruits and vegetables into a paste and the squeeze the juice out. The juice is collected in one location and the pulp in another. Centrifugal juicers are another option. This type of juicer spins at a very high speed, which forces the juice out of the mashed pulp. I have used a Breville Juice Fountain (centrifugal) for years before buying a Greenstar. These retail starting at $150 and are a great juicer. Masticating juicers are more efficient, and I like the option of a blank plate for homogenizing food like nuts for nut butter and frozen fruit for sorbet and ice cream. 2. Blender~I recommend a Vitamix all the way. Not only with the quality and power of the blender, but the customer service as well. I sent mine in for a tune-up after 5 years of heavy use. After no expenses paid (not even shipping), I basically got a new blender! These retail for $450 (www.vitamix.com). You can also blend your fruits and vegetables and strain the juice through a nut mylk bag instead of using a juicer. A cheaper option if you cannot buy both. You can also purchase a dry blade container that will grind nuts, seeds, grains, etc. A Tribest Personal Blender is also a great item to have for quick smoothies or dressings. On occasion, I will even travel with mine! (www.personalblender.com) 3. Dehydrator~I only recommend Excalibur brand (www.excaliburdehydrator.com). There are many models so choose one to fit your needs best. Personally, I was fine with the small 4 tray model until I started making raw food for sale. You can spend anywhere beginning with $110. I do recommend purchasing the reusable paraflexx sheets that fit the trays. An investment for $7 per sheet seems quite high, but I really like the way my crackers, breads, and wraps come out using these vs. disposable parchment paper. A dehydrator is not a must, but I do recommend getting one. It is important to soak nuts to eliminate the enzyme inhibitor, and it is nice to dry them out after soaking. Also, making crackers & breads are delicious and a great way to help you transition into more raw food vs. conventional store bought goods. 4.Food Processor~This is another useful tool in the kitchen; great for making spreads & pates or for quick chopping some vegetables. A blender can be used instead, but it may not create the exact desired consistency of a recipe calling for a food processor. Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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5.Coffee Grinder~These are very inexpensive and can be purchased at a hardware store or even Wal-mart. They are great for grinding chia, flax, & spices. 6.Nut Mylk Bag~These are essential for delicious nut mylks or juicing if you don’t have a juicer. You can also sprout in these, but I recommend other methods. I have used mine to strain pulp from blended soups to make a thin soup. 7.Knives~I use a chef’s knife most. It is also handy to have a nice paring knife and serrated knife as well. I am not a knife expert by any means, but if you buy a reputable brand of these three knives, you should be well taken care of. Take very good care of your knives. Sharpen them often and keep them clean and safe when not in use. It is very rewarding to make your food with fine knives. 8.Glass Containers~You can never have enough sizes and varieties of glass containers. I use mason jars to soak nuts and seeds. You can buy a screen top and sprout using the jar method. I also store dry nuts, seeds, coconut, fruit, cacao nibs in mason jars in my pantry. I keep fresh nut mylks and yogurts in these jars as well. Mason Jars are a great way to transport fresh juices and smoothies. You can buy plastic lids, which I prefer over the metal lids. I buy clear glass containers in all sizes to store food. It makes if very easy and accessible to find leftovers. 9.Spiralizer~There are two different types of spiralizers, a Saladacco and Spirooli. These can be purchased by searching online for spiralizers or at a raw food website. One is not better than the other, but each makes slightly different noodles. I do feel that these are important to keep in your kitchen. Not only can you make a pasta dish, but tossing in leftover vegetable noodles add flair to your salads or wraps. 10.Sprouters and seeds~Sprouting is so easy and inexpensive! Sprouts are also so healthy for you there is no reason not to get going with this once you begin your raw food experience. I buy my seeds and sprouters from the Sproutman (www.sproutman.com). It is great to have a varied assortment so you can rotate what you sprout for different flavors and textures. For easy sprouting, I recommend the jar method or trays and the seeds that grow well with these. The site is a very resourceful place to find all the right answers. Sprouting micro-greens, wheatgrass, & unhulled seeds can be a bit more challenging. What staples are good to keep on hand? It is always a good idea to keep a moderate inventory of crackers, breads, wraps, bars, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, sundried tomatoes, high quality spices, coconut products, fresh fruit & vegetables, lemons, spreads, greens handy. This way you can easily gather ingredients and prep when you see a recipe you want to prepare. The more difficult it is to get it together the less likely you are to make it. Having prepared raw food makes it easier to stay on track when you are hungry. Making some raw dishes does call for ample preparation and planning time. It is not Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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difficult, but does take a little getting used to. Where do I find high quality raw food products? First of all, I recommend buying from me! But I also want to teach you how to find and make amazing raw food. There are a plethora of sites online that you can buy nuts, seeds, coconut, etc. and prepared foods as well. Here are a few that I really like: www.vivapura.net www.greenharmonyliving.com www.rawguru.com www.sunfood.com What should I do with the food I am leaving behind? It is always a good idea to take inventory of your pantry, fridge, and freezer when starting off. If you really want to move forward, I suggest throwing out trouble food. If it is something that doesn’t tempt you, but you find you might use for guests or family members, leave it. This is a good time to designate a place for your raw food and other food. Make a shelf just for your raw food. Choose a place that is easiest to access so you won’t be tempted by other items. Put the other items in harder to reach or less noticeable places. Where do I find raw food recipes? There is no shortage of delicious meals to make with raw food. No more falling into the “what is for dinner rut”. With raw and living food, there are endless ways to prepare foods. So many different vegetables you have never tried, so many spices, so many ways to use nuts and seeds. Here is a list of my favorite books: I am Grateful – Café Gratitude Everyday Raw – Matthew Kenny Raw Food Revolution – Cherie Soria Living on Live Food - Alissa Cohen I have also found the Internet very helpful in recipe searches. If I eat out at a raw food restaurant, I may search for the item I had and see what I can find so I can make it myself. Once you begin to get the hang of it, you will begin to create your own recipes or variations of your favorite recipes. I hear that making raw food is more time consuming than cooking food. Actually, I totally disagree. I will say that there is a learning curve to making raw food, but wasn’t there an initial learning curve to cooking? Maybe those who say this don’t cook, but instead open prepared packaged or frozen food. Beginning a shift towards raw food will require some time in the kitchen. So does cooking! But with raw food preparation, there are no caked on, baked on remnants to soak and scrub from pots and pans! Just thinking how easy it is to clean up Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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a dish excites me! My body has to do to a lot more work to clean up the hard to digest remnants of a cooked meal than a meal of mostly greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, & seeds!! The trickiest part to making raw food is planning your preparation time efficiently. For instance, some recipes call for soaking, sprouting, and/or dehydrating. If this is the case, you can’t always have sprouted buckwheat granola an hour or two after you first decide you want it. But, there are so many recipes that can be immediately prepared if you have the right ingredients on hand. That is why I suggest keeping prepared granola, wraps, crackers, etc. on hand at all times along with a good selection of nuts, coconut, cacao, dried fruits, etc. It is never a bad idea to order raw food crackers, bars, cookies, etc. to keep your pantry stocked as you learn to make them yourself. Many raw food websites sell these. A great resource, but you will save a lot of money when you make them yourself. I am ready to get started! What is my next step? It seems there is so much to do so I suggest starting with a few basic recipes while you begin to work on the other aspects. I have compiled several easy recipes that can be used to get you comfortable with eating more raw foods while you clean out and get organized. I also suggest you use the journal section as you begin seeing changes in yourself as you eat more raw food. This will be very helpful motivation if you ever find yourself stuck on a raw food plateau. It will also be neat to track your progress as you let go of your negative food habits.

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Can I have my cake and eat it too? A Few Essentials in Aiming for Success

It’s not about being all Raw~ In fact, I wouldn’t recommend it! I love raw food and how it has changed me. Obviously it means enough to me that I spend so much time offering it to others, but personally, I don’t eat 100% raw every day!! Some days I do, but other days I eat lightly cooked veggies or a cooked vegan soup. On occasion I even add a small bit of homemade chicken broth to my raw soup to warm it up. In my opinion, some of the raw gurus have taken natural and healthy too far. There is actually a disorder called, orthoexia, which is a condition of being obsessed with health. It is important to stay balanced and make changes that work best for you. Eating sugar on a raw food diet~ Bad subject, huh? When choosing raw food desserts, you are most likely getting away from refined sugars. Many desserts are made with dried fruits, agave, dates, etc. These ingredients are so much better for you than their sugary counterparts, but the wholesome replacements should still be used in moderation. The reason I stress this point is that sugars are a very addictive food. You can feel good about the ingredients when you choose an occasional raw treat, but remember that a piece of fruit can be the perfect dessert most of the time. If you have a sweet tooth, as you transition to a higher raw food diet, you will probably eat more desserts at first. After some time of raw food eating, your taste for whole food fruit and vegetables will become greater. I believe this is getting back to how we are really supposed to eat. With today’s food choices, our taste buds are spoiled. Leaving this diet of emotional hang-up will take some time to balance out, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Enjoy your food and celebrate that you are on your way to freedom! Understanding the importance of greens~ This is something I have learned through reading and experience after beginning a raw food diet. Greens are something that I cannot express the importance of enough as you begin to choose your food. I find that greens can help combat cravings, balance food choices each day, supply vitamins, minerals, and energy, and more. Greens are a great source of protein, which is important if you choose to lower the animal protein in your diet. Specific greens are also a great source of calcium. When I first started with raw food and continued with my fruit addiction, I began to experience very sensitive teeth. Once I added more greens, the sensitivity disappeared! A great way to get your greens is through blending. Green soups and green smoothies are easy and portable (recipes later). Blending greens in a high-powered blender (Vitamix) breaks down the cell walls so digestion and assimilation of nutrients is so easy! Load up on fresh, hydrating fruits and veggies~ It will take some time as you transition to more fresh fruits and veggies and away from lots of nuts and dehydrated remakes of comforting crackers, bars, breads, etc. I still eat lots of nuts and dehydrated foods, but I really feel best on the days that are full of such refreshing, hydrating whole foods. Again, don’t be too hard on Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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yourself as you transition. And some days you will need more nuts or more fresh. It just depends on your activity level, moods, and other physical or emotional factors. Soaking Nuts & Seeds~ Some raw nuts and seeds contain enzyme inhibitors that can be removed by soaking. You can easily soak your nuts and seeds in pure water for about 8 hours. Rinse and drain the seeds before using. Never use the soak water. If a recipe calls for a dry nut, it is optional to soak and dehydrate. Enzyme inhibitors can make the nut or seed harder to digest. This is personal preference. B12 supplementation~ I am not expert here, but I feel it is important to mention B12. It is a very important vitamin that is not found in adequate amounts in a plant diet. B12 is responsible for so many vital body processes including the nervous system and brain function. Make sure there are no vitamin or mineral deficiencies to begin with. The liver can store this vitamin for several years so many vegans do not notice a deficiency soon after changing their diets. Only you can make the best decision in choosing whether or not to supplement depending on how much raw food vs. animal foods you are eating. You can find this supplement at a health food store. Since I am not a trained nutritionist or health practitioner as of now, you may want to find a holistic health practitioner as you begin to change your diet. It never hurts to see how you are doing! Upgrading Addictive Foods~ Finding foods that will satisfy you and keep you feeling good is very important in your transition. For example, I have found that I do not get the same addictive feelings when I eat raw chocolate vs. processed chocolate. I feel very blissful, but I have am able to have a moderate serving and call it good. I have learned that it will keep me up at night! Raw carob powder is my new favorite. Very satisfying and slightly sweet so I do not need to add as much sweetener. I am also very happy using stevia as a sweetener in most treats. This sweet herb has no calories and no affect on blood sugar levels. It doesn’t work for all recipes and you don’t want every dessert to taste like stevia, but a drop in carob or chocolate Brazil nut mylk will cure almost any craving with absolutely no revenge later on! Raw food crackers, breads, and wraps are great upgrades from refined and processed breads. Bread is such an addictive food that I believe you will find yourself surprised at how you can stop after a few raw food crackers rather than the whole box. Fresh vegetable juices served in a wine glass can replace an evening drink if you wish. It is also a great way to start your day ensuring greens and vegetables early in the day. Nut cheeses and pates are great spreads for replacing snack foods like cheese. You would be surprised to see how easy meal planning (more later) can be when you find that a tall glass of vegetable juice and raw food crackers with pate completely fills you and satisfies you!

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Going the Extra Mile Super Foods, Exercise, & Body Care There is a lot of talk about super foods in the raw food world. In my personal opinion, there are some really great super foods to add into your diet. These foods are good for you and most of them delicious! What is a super food? Super foods are very high in nutrients and contain healing and disease fighting properties. For example, the humble bunch of broccoli is a powerful weapon against cancer. Beets, cabbage, & kale are immune system boosters as well as cancer fighting foods. “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," said Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine. It becomes obvious why the rates of disease and premature death have increased so much when we take a look at the food so many people consume today. Fast food, processed, refined, and artificial food isn’t really food, but fractionated food that slowly weakens us instead of making us well. You will always be better off to choose a super food over a super sized meal! I have discovered some really great super foods on my raw food journey. Most of these I purchase online. You can see the list of my preferred sites in the Introduction to Raw Food section. Among these favorites are: Hemp Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Chia Seeds, Maca Powder, Bee Pollen, Vitamineral Green & Earth (by Healthforce Nutritionals), Raw Cacao & Carob Powders, Cacao Nibs, and Cold Pressed Coconut Oil. There are many other raw super foods to try out, too. And of course, all fruits and vegetables in the raw or minimally processed form will be healing to you on your journey as well. On my website, www.genesisrawfood.com, under “You Are What You Eat!” I have listed many foods and one or two healing properties of each. Now that I have discussed the basics on super foods, I will move on to the benefits of exercise. When you begin to add more of these delicious healthy foods into your diet and leave out the life depleting foods, your feelings about exercise may change. If you are addicted to working out to work off the bad foods you have been eating, you may find a new positive, emotional energy about exercise. No more exercising just to burn calories, but to positively use your good energy to do something fun! Try out a new sport or enjoy the company of a friend on a walk or run. You can enjoy the exercise even more when the burden of burning off the bad food has been lifted. I believe that we are all meant to be active. It feels good in our muscles and in our soul! But we shouldn’t abuse our blessing to be able to be active by filling our bodies with junk and then overexercising to compensate. Our bodies are very sacred requiring good food, good activity, good relationships, and it all begins with loving ourselves. In the many years I struggled with Anorexia and Bulimia, I did not like myself. That in turn caused me to obsess with my weight and exercise, put more distance in between myself and loved ones, and lose the grip on who I really am. Now that I have found who I am created to be, I can accept myself and love myself. That includes my body and my soul.

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In this process of learning to love myself, I have felt the distinction between how good or bad food makes me feel. When I eat real, life-giving food, I feel the power! I am excited and strong! I am happy with my body and who I am, and I want to take care of myself through the right amount of activity and positive food choices. Even when I begin to eat too many fatty, sweet, or dehydrated foods, I slowly loose the love and the clarity I like to feel. I find myself snacking for taste instead of hunger. This ends up fulfilling nothing, and I begin to think about exercising like I did in the past. The reason for this is I am compromising the fresh, whole, hydrating fruits and vegetables, healthy fats like avocado, coconut, and hemp for a raw version of “processed food”. Although, these are still in my diet to a certain degree, too much will slowly take away my freedom from food. In choosing our activities, we are all on different levels and have different time constraints. I am not going to recommend a personal exercise plan in this program, but I do want to give some helpful information to get you started. Choose a few activities that are challenging, but fun, and choose a few activities that are lighter, more balancing and spiritual. Alternate these activities during the week according to your time and energy. Some days it can be more refreshing to do a Pilates or yoga class for breathing, stretching, and balance. Other days, you will benefit emotionally more from getting outside and working hard on a trail run or getting your skis out for a powder day! Don’t make yourself, but take care of yourself! You can best take care of yourself by listening to your needs. Do you need to work up a sweat or simply stretch. Should you go with a friend or take some time for yourself? If you need a day off, take it. If not, enjoy it! Your body will tell you what it wants if you take the time to listen. It will thank you for following its cues. Just as exercising is important for our mind, body, and soul, so is body care. Our skin is our largest organ of our entire body! As we work to change what we are eating to feed our insides, how about changing what we feed our skin? There are many online sources for raw food skin care. It can get expensive so look for homemade ideas from whole foods as well. Just as super foods can feed your body, they can also feed your skin! My favorite skin product is coconut oil. Coconut Oil is anti-viral and anti-bacterial! I use it anywhere or anytime I would use a commercial lotion product and also use it on the ends of my hair to combat tangles. For face washes and scrubs, I mentioned before that you could save the pulp from nut milk to use as an exfoliator. Mix 1 tsp. of pulp with 1/2 tsp. of coconut oil. Use the luxurious scrub to clean away dead skin and then rinse well. Feeling good about your body care, especially face care is another way to give more love and care to your body. Find a scent that makes you feel happy and relaxed. Essential oils (www.youngliving.com) can simply be added to coconut oil. Rub this on your hands & neck! Everyone has different skin types and there are great raw skin products and recipes you can find that work just right for you! Learning to feed your mind, body, and soul with the right foods and exercising as a celebration of your health and love of life will bring you far on the path of healing and learning to love the person you are.

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Journal Exercise Journaling is very important. It may take a little while to get in the habit of jotting down your feelings. I have left this journal with open lines so you can choose to set it up the way you like. I do recommend dating your entries. You can copy a blank page to continue adding to your notebook or buy a small journal to keep handy in your bag. In time, you will find a system that works best for you. Just find one that will keep you journaling! It is important to journal to keep you motivated by following your progress and connected with your hard work. Here are a few simple journal exercises to get you started: 1. Give detail on what you are hoping raw food will do for you. 2. What are your current food choices and eating habits or patterns? How do you feel about these? What do you want to change? What steps will you take to change these habits? 3. What obstacles do you need to remove to be able to change your negative habits? 4. Begin to journal on success and improvements. 5. What are you learning about your eating and food through gastronomy? 6. What moods or situations make you choose positive and negative choices? 7. Do any of these feelings make you reach for food when you aren’t hungry? • Stress and anxiety or worry • Boredom • Frustration, anger, or feelings of helplessness • Loneliness or disappointment • Confusion • Overload or feeling overwhelmed For each feeling you can identify with, list ways to begin to overcome. Let these be ideas to help get you comfortable with journaling. What you write is for you! The possibilities are endless and what you feel you need to express may change on a daily basis. Be open, honest, and free. You can write feelings that are too private or personal to share. NO ONE else will read this information.

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Gastronomy Exercise You have seen the word “gastronomy” mentioned a few times so far. What is it? Gastronomy is a very useful tool in connecting with food. With practice, this tool can be used as damage prevention against binges and teach you how to make the best food choices. It can also help re-teach the basics of why we eat. In practicing gastronomy, it is best to get started with food in front of you. As you get stronger in this exercise, you will be able to imagine your food choices and be just as effective. Gastronomy Exercise: 1. Before you eat, make sure you are comfortably seated with the food in front of you (or pictured in your mind). Take 5 minutes to study (or imagine) your food. Look closely at the colors and textures. Take in the aromas. 2. Imagine what the food will taste like. What is the mouth feel of the different textures? What ingredients do you anticipate from the aroma? 3. Think about how the food will make you feel. Will you feel nourished and satisfied? Are you truly hungry? Will you be able to eat a reasonable portion of this food? Can you put it away and forget about it until it is time to eat again? Will there be any guilt or feelings of purging or “damage control” after eating? 4. Make the decision to eat it or not. If you choose to eat it, fully and slowly enjoy one bite at a time. Be thankful for the taste, smell, and texture. Be thankful that you made the choice to eat a meal that will build you up physically and emotionally. Be thankful for your progress and healing. With raw food, you are not abstaining from troublesome foods, but leaving them behind making room for healing choices. This exercise can be very helpful in preventing the times when one innocent bite can turn into a binge. Let’s take a brownie for example. You see or smell a plate of fresh brownies. Before you pinch off a piece or slice off a corner, take just one minute to remind yourself how you feel after brownies. Can you eat one bite and leave the rest? Will one bite turn into one or more whole portions? Will you experience a sugar rush or negative feelings? If anything negative is possible, leave the brownies and the kitchen! Find a quiet spot to sit and take a deep breath. Brush your teeth (believe it or not, this is a very useful tool!), call a friend, or go for a walk. This is a very difficult moment, but you will be flooded with freedom as soon as the intense desire to feed your craving diminishes. It is possible and it feels wonderful!! These days, we feel more stressed and hurried in many areas of our life. Our eating and food choices being one of them. If you struggle with emotional eating, it is so important that you are aware of this! When we eat, we should always eat in a peace and with awareness. Our eating should be thoughtful eating, where we are conscious of our food and our thoughts. There is no Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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benefit in rushing through a meal. This places stress on your digestive system. When healing from emotional eating, this is a system that needs to be in harmony with your mind. After a meal, give yourself the proper time to digest before eating again. You don’t need to stuff yourself when you eat. The food is not going anywhere and you can have more later. You might have read that satiety doesn’t set in until 20 minutes after eating. That is why you sometimes feel more full than you thought! As you start on this new way of thoughtful eating, listen to your body. Freedom is not found in fullness, but instead this feeling can weigh you down physically and emotionally. It is better to have a snack a few hours after eating than to be so full that your guilt is encompassing your mind. There is a balance to find with your own body, as you don’t want to be intentionally hungry that you cannot stop thinking about food.

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Ready, Set, Uncook! Raw Food Recipe Archives Nut Mylk: 1 cup almonds, soaked 6-8 hours 3 cups filtered water pinch mineral rich salt sweetener (optional) Place soaked nuts, water, & salt in a high speed blender. Strain through a nut mylk bag reserving pulp for another use. Blend mylk with salt & sweetener if desired. Try different nut combinations such as almond hazelnut, hazelnut Brazil nut!! *Soaking will eliminate the nut’s enzyme inhibitors for easier digestion. Almond skins will slide right off after soaking for 6-8 hours. I sometimes will do this for a white pulp, which can be used like flour in crackers and cakes. Nut pulp freezes very well. It can also be used to exfoliate face and body. Your skin is your body’s largest organ; feed it the right food, too! Green Smoothies: Fruit of choice Greens of choice To begin, I would suggest using more fruit than greens until your taste buds recognize the power of greens! Maybe a 60%-40% ratio. As you desire, begin to add more greens and less fruit. Add nut mylk for a creamy taste! Perfect for on the go breakfasts or snacks. Sweet Green Juice: 5 oz.Celery 3 oz. Carrot 2 oz. Kale or Parsley ½ Lemon (Juice with the rind if organic!) splash of ginger juice Juice these vegetables using a juicer. Pour in a fancy glass and enjoy. Ruby Red Refresher: 3 oz. Beet Juice 3 oz. Carrot Juice 2 oz. Celery Juice Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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1 oz. Apple Juice

Juice these vegetables using a juicer. Pour in a fancy glass and enjoy. Cacao & Goji Berry Granola: 1 cup walnuts, soaked 1 cups pecans, soaked 1 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, soaked 1 cup finely shredded coconut ½ cup dates, pitted & soaked ½ cup water ½-1 cup Goji Berries, soaked (reserve soak water) ½ cup cacao nibs zest of 1 lemon (optional) generous pinch of mineral rich salt Make date paste by blending the soaked dates and water. In a food processor, process the nuts until slightly chunky. Add all ingredients to a bowl including the goji berry soak water. If this is not sweet enough for your taste, you can easily add a bit of honey or coconut nectar. Spread the granola mix evenly onto a dehydrator tray with parchment or paraflexx making it as thick as you like. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 6-8 hours, then flip the granola and continue to dehydrate another 10 hours until completely dry. Break it into bite size pieces and enjoy with nut milk. Fermented Cheese and Yogurt (1.5 cups): 1 cup soaked nuts or seeds (I really like cashews for its creaminess, but peeled almonds, macadamia nuts, or sunflower seeds can work, too) 1/4-1/2 cup water 1/8 tsp. probiotic powder Lemon Juice (optional) Blend all ingredients until creamy. Let it sit on the counter in a glass container for 12 hours or until desired taste. Lemon will give it a slightly tart taste. Once it has fermented, you can add sweetener or fruit for yogurt or herbs & spices for cheese. Sprouting: 4 tsp. organic sprouting seeds 16 oz. mason jar sprouting lid filtered water Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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Sprouting is a fun, easy, healthy project. What better way to feel alive than eat sprouts you grew yourself?! Basic sprouting instructions: Soak the seeds 8-12 hours in the mason jar. Rinse the sprouts thoroughly and drain. Invert the jar as sprouts grown to make sure all the seeds don’t sit in any water. You may have to shake the jar a bit to make sure the sprouts are spread around and not too crowded. You will need to rinse & drain your sprouts 2X each day. Sprouts are ready in 57 days. *door screen and rubber bands can also be used to drain your sprouts! Your sprouts will tell you when they are ready~they look absolutely delicious and ready to eat!! Extravagant Salads: I rarely make the same salad twice! My fridge depicts what kind of salad I will make. Once you get the basics on building a satisfying salad, you won’t think of salad as the same ever again. There is an art to building a salad that leaves you and your guests commenting on what a great salad that was. It is as if there is a surprise that raw vegetables can taste that good! Flavor balancing and texture are the two keys to being a salad goddess~ Typically, I don’t use a dressing on my salads. Instead, I take the flavor balancing technique used to make a delicious dressing and find fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seed with these flavor components and vary the size and texture of each for a pleasing mouth-feel. My first rule for my salads is that there must be a fat. How many times have you topped a boring lettuce variety with other low calorie and fat items and topped it off with a tangy vinegar? No wonder you would not prefer to have a salad two times a day. Adding a fat doesn’t mean you must go overboard. The fat can be seasoned sunflower or pumpkin seeds, coconut, chopped raw nuts, avocado, hempseeds, or cold-pressed oil. Next, I make sure that I have an acidic component to my salad. I am not speaking vinegar here. Actually, I never use vinegar to dress my salads. Vinegar is an acid that robs alkalinity from your body. Citrus, another acidic food, actually supports an alkaline system. The more acidic foods we consume, the harder our body has to work to maintain its ph balance. When we eat acid forming foods, we must eat many alkaline foods to help bring our bodies back in balance. That being said, a squeeze of citrus or chopped oranges or grapefruit is a great way to add this component to our salad. Tomatoes are another great acid food to add to your salad. Salt is another important component of a great salad. A pinch of Himalayan, Celtic, Hawaiian, or other high quality, mineral rich salt will help bring out more flavors from your vegetables. Celery is also a salty tasting food. Chopped or minced celery is a nice complement and provides crunch! Olives can be a salt and a fat.

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Sweet is another great flavor to be added. Fruits are nice additions to most salads. Most everyone has a sweet tooth after eating so it can be nice to take the edge off by adding something sweet to the meal. Carrots or beets, which are sweeter vegetables can be a sweet component as well. Greens and herbs are bitter and pungent flavors. Adding complementary flavors balance the taste and can even surprise you that raw vegetables can taste so good! The right mix can really bring out the best in each vegetable. Texture and mouth feel are very important in making satisfying salads. Every bite can contain different textures and flavors. Start with your green selection. If you are choosing a salad of larger mixed greens, smaller sized nuts or seeds and fruits and vegetables are necessary. You can chop larger nuts such as almonds and dice different fruits and vegetables that have different textures. Too many crunchy items can be difficult to chew at once. When eating, we should always thoroughly chew our food so too many cruchies in one mouthful should be avoided. A few crunchier foods mixed with softer foods like tomatoes, oranges, peeled cucumber, coconut butter is very appealing to the eater. Try different types of greens, fruits, and vegetables. Kale is one of my favorite greens. Who would have thought? Most people don’t think of eating kale as a salad green. Aren’t we supposed to cook it? Once you learn the kale technique for salads, you will never cook it again! Kale is a very savory and rich green that can deepen your salad enough to make it a satisfying complete meal. Savory Kale Salad: 1 bunch leafy kale, chiffonade or ribbon cut pinch mineral rich salt 1 tbsp. cold pressed oil ¼ cup spiced pumpkin seeds 1-2 tomato, diced 1-2 green onions, minced ½ cup beet or carrot, shredded ¼ cup halved kalamata olives (optional) sprouts fresh ground pepper Place kale in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with oil. With clean hands, massage oil and salt into the kale to create a wilted texture. Kale should be shiny and dark green. Add remaining ingredients and toss gently. If desired feel free to add a little more oil or salt and pepper. Avocado can also replace the oil. Massage the avocado into the kale with the salt.

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Spiced Seeds 1 cup pumpkin seeds*, soaked 1 tbsp. Nama Shoyu or Coconut Aminos 1-2 tbsp. of spices (garlic powder, cayenne, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, pepper, etc.) Rinse and drain seeds & combine with the remaining ingredients. Spread evenly on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 105 until completely dry. At least 12 hours. *You can also use other nuts and seeds. You can also buy Kaia Foods seasoned sunflower seeds. Salad Wraps These are made using any leftover raw food from your fridge. I like to use collard greens, a large leaf of lettuce or wraps I have dehydrated. Spread cheese or pate & fill with any veggies you may have. Sprouts and avocado, juicy tomatoes, crunchy carrots or radishes, leftover salad ~ vary your ingredients for a wide array of flavor and texture! Or make it simple, I have found a leaf of lettuce wrapped around a banana very yummy! Broccoli Bites 1 head of broccoli 1 tbsp. each lemon juice, Nama Shoyu (unpasteurized soy sauce)or mineral rich salt, & olive oil. Cut the broccoli into small florets. Combine the other ingredients and marinate the broccoli 15 minutes. Make sure to rub the marinate into the broccoli. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for several hours until warm! You can use an vegetable in this way. It is a replacement for roasted veggies. Pumpkin Soup: 2 cup raw butternut squash or pumpkin 1 cup Coconut Milk (preferably from a Young Thai Coconut, but canned will work as well) 1-2 dates, pitted 1 inch piece ginger, peeled 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice pinch tumeric (for color) ¼ tsp. salt ¼ cup coconut oil, gently melted below 105 degrees* 1 tbsp. soy lethicin (optional-available at health food stores) Blend until creamy. This may be served at room temperature or slightly heated above body temperature. **to gently heat coconut oil, either place in a glass dish in the dehydrator or in a bowl over a pot of low boiling water. Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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Fresh Marinara: 2 med. tomatoes, chopped 2 tbsp. tomato powder or 4 soaked sundried tomatoes 1-2 cloves garlic 2 tsp. dried basil or other Italian herb(s), or you may use double the amt. of fresh herbs 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1 date, pitted 2 tbsp. olive oil ¼ tsp. salt Puree all ingredients in a food processor & process until slightly chunky. Serve with raw zucchini or cooked spaghetti squash noodles. You can also use this to make pizza sauce. Use 1 tomato and double the powder or sundried tomatoes. Citrus Hemp Dressing (RawVolution by Matt Amsden) 1 ¼ cup fresh orange juice ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ¼ cup Nama Shoyu or Coconut Aminos ¼ cup cold pressed olive oil 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar ½ cup hemp seed 2-3 cloves fresh garlic 2 in. piece of ginger ½ tsp. mineral rich salt Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Serve with crudités or over greens. Mint - Hemp Seed Pesto: 3 cups Basil, packed oz. Mint 1 clove Garlic, minced 1 tbsp. Almond Butter 1/3 cup Hemp Seeds 2 tbsp. Olive Oil Salt & Pepper to taste Place Basil, Mint, & Garlic in the food process and puree to break it down. Scrape down the sides if necessary, add Almond Butter & Olive Oil and puree again. Finally, add Hemp, Salt, & Pepper & pulse to combine. Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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Macadamia Nut Hummus 2 cups macadamia nuts, soaked for 2-3 hours 3/4 cup raw Tahini (I like Artisana brand available at most health food stores) 2 tbsp. Olive Oil 2 tbsp. Lemon Juice 1-2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ tsp. mineral rich salt or more if desired Smoked Sweet Paprika Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process or blend until creamy. It is ok to add a small amount of water if needed. Garnish with paprika. Onion Bread (I am Grateful by Terces Engelhart) 1 ¼ lb. sweet onions, chopped ½ cup golden flax seeds, ground ½ cup sunflower seeds, ground ¼ cup olive oil 1 ½ oz. Nama Shoyu or Coconut Aminos 2-3 tbsp. Coconut Nectar Grind the flax in a coffee grinder to a powder. Grind the sunflower seeds in a food processor fitted with the s-blade. Place both ground seeds in a bowl. Place the onions in the food processor and pulse to break down into small pieces, but not to a mushy consistency. Add the onions to the bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Spread the batter on a teflex covered dehydrator tray (about ¼ in. thick). Dehydrate 1 hour at 145 degrees and then lower the temperature to 115 until dry. Cut with a pizza cutter and store in an airtight container. This bread freezes well, so make a few batches at a time. When dehydrating very wet ingredients, it is best to start with the temperature at 145 for 1-2 hours. This prevents bacteria from growing. The enzymes will still remain intact as the core temperature is still low since you are only at the higher temperature for a short time. Goji Berry Orange Balls: 1 cup Walnuts (soaked & dehydrated optional) 2 tbsp. Raw Almond Butter 2 tbsp. Raw Tahini ¼ cup Raw Honey ½ cup goji berries, soaked (reserve water) 4-5 drops Orange Essential Oil (orange zest and 1 tbsp. of juice can substitute, but oil is best) Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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¼ tsp. vanilla powder or ½ tsp. liquid extract pinch salt fine coconut flakes (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Puree until slightly chunky, using goji soak water if ingredients are too dry. Form into balls and roll in coconut if desired. Store in a airproof container in the fridge. Maca Brownies: 2 cups Pecans (soaked & dehydrated optional) ½ cup Carob or Cacoa Powder (or use ½ of each) ½ cup dried apple pieces (chop dried apple rings into small pieces in a food processor) ½ cup coconut oil (gently melted) 1/4 cup coconut crystals 2 tbsp. Maca Powder Pinch Vanilla Powder or ¼ tsp. liquid extract ¼ tsp. mineral rich salt Several drops Lemon Essential Oil (optional) Process the pecans into a flour like consistency. Don’t over process as it will turn into a butter. Add the remaining ingredients and process until a batter forms. Press the batter into a small glass dish. Chill 1-2 hours to set. Cut as desired and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

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What will I have today? Meal Planning for Success

A few notes I would like to mention as food for thought before focusing on the menu: There is a raw food option listed for each day and each meal. If you are new to eating raw food, I will leave it up to you to decide how much raw food you want to eat every day. It will be different for everybody. It may be too much of a drastic change or you simply may not have the time to prepare it all. This plan allows you to be flexible with adding raw meals into your daily regime. As you learn to prepare raw food, it will not seem as time consuming to plan and prepare these meals. You can be comfortable knowing that the meals that you do choose to eat or experiment with will leave you feeing peaceful over your food choice. No self-loathing for bad food decisions. If you do choose to begin by preparing a few meals, circle or star those you want to focus on first. Find the preparation details in the notes so you are prepared. You can then use this plan for several weeks. You will notice I have not suggested quantities because everyone has different needs. An important step in rediscovering food is being able to know how much you need when you are eating. Each day or meal may be different. Practice gastronomy exercises to be aware of what you need. I recommend eating a good breakfast and lunch with snacks (see end of plan) and a reasonable dinner. If you are too hungry in the evening, it can be challenging to prepare and eat a sensible dinner. Also, you are most likely busier during the day so consuming more calories while you are using them is optimal. Eating too much in the evening to catch up on calories and going to bed on a full stomach can disrupt sleep, and it takes away from your bodies healing time if it’s energy is spent digesting. Having prepared raw foods on hand is essential. Whole Foods sells many raw food granolas, crackers, nuts, seeds, & sweets. Use the weekends to shop, pull recipes, and begin to prepare foods for the week.

Clean Out and Organize! Clear the clutter of bad food. Or just move it around if others in your house absolutely need it! Put the best food out front where you will see it. Put your appliances in easy to reach places. Wipe out cabinets, shelves, and fridge draws! Starting clean is important.

Saturday:

(B)Nuts & Green Smoothie(1 Banana, 2 Strawberries, ½ bunch Parsley, water) (L)Savory Kale Salad, whole fruit for dessert. (D)Spaghetti Squash Noodles (Split in half, lightly bake, & scoop out flesh – it is noodle-like!) and Fresh Marinara. Sprinkle with Hemp seeds! For dessert, split a date and stick a nut inside! See end of plan for snack options! Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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(To do) ~Go grocery shopping! See the list at the end of your Staying on Track Plan. You can buy for the entire week or buy for the first several days and shop again. On other weeks, find several recipes and prepare a list. ~Make Cashew Yogurt (1 cup of cashews need to soak at least 2 hours). ~Soak 1 cup of nuts overnight for making nut milk on Sunday. ~Soak seeds for sprouting in the AM, rinse and drain before bed. ~Soak Walnuts for Goji Berry Orange Balls in the AM, dehydrate overnight.

Sunday: (B)Sweet Green Juice, Cashew Yogurt and or Nut Milk & Prepared Granola. (L)Store bought Hummus or *Macadamia Nut Hummus, Prepared Crackers, Whole Fruit or vegetable crudités. (D)Large Savory Kale salad, Goji Berry Orange Balls. See end of plan for snack options! (To do) ~Rinse & Drain Sprouts 2X ~*Macadamia Nuts do not contain enzyme inhibitors, but soaking 2-3 hours will give the hummus a creamy consistency. ~Make Goji Berry Orange Balls!

Monday: (B)Fresh Juice or Green Smoothie, *oatmeal or granola with almond milk and cashew yogurt. (L)Salad Wrap with Hummus, sliced vegetables, sprouts. Goji orange Balls or Fruit. (D)Left over Spaghetti Squash & Marinara. Green Salad and fresh vegetables with Citrus Hemp Dressing. See end of plan for snack options! (To Do) Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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~*You can buy unprocessed oat groats. Soak these overnight to soften. In the morning, drain if necessary & mix with chopped nuts, dried or fresh fruit, honey, etc. Or you can buy oatmeal. ~Rinse & Drain Sprouts 2X ~Make Pesto! ~Soak nuts for milk if needed

Tuesday: (B)Spinach-Fresh Mint Smoothie(1 Banana, Spinach, Mint, ½ cup Almond Milk, 2 tbsp. Hemp Seeds, ½ cup Water), (L)Pesto, Crackers, Crudites, & Whole Fruit. (D)Kale Salad with Citrus Hemp Dressing, Olives, spiralized or shredded Zucchini, other vegetables desired. Maca Brownies. See end of plan for snack options! (To do) ~Rinse & Drain Sprouts 2X ~Make Onion Bread!

Wednesday: (B)Juice or smoothie of choice, Granola or oatmeal with nut milk. (L)Salad Wrap, Brownie. (D)Onion Bread Sandwich. Use left over cashew yogurt as cheese, pesto, lettuce, tomato, avocado, store bought sprouts or anything desired! Fruit for Dessert. See end of plan for snack options! (To Do) ~Rinse & Drain Sprouts 2X

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(B)Juice or Smoothie, Nuts.

(L)Onion Bread with Pesto and/or crudités & Citrus Hemp Dressing. Brownie. (D)Pumpkin Soup, a simple salad, Fruit. See end of plan for snack options! (To do) ~Make Goji Berry Cacao Nib Granola! ~Rinse and drain Sprouts 2X ~Soak Nuts for making more milk if needed.

Friday: (B)Juice & bars, granola, or fruit. (L)Spinach-Fresh Mint Smoothie(1 Banana, Spinach, Mint, ½ cup Almond Milk, 2 tbsp. Hemp Seeds, ½ cup Water), Hummus & veggies. (D)Pumpkin Soup, Onion Bread Sandwich. See end of plan for snack options! (To do) ~Harvest Sprouts!! Top any sandwich or soup, blend in smoothies or juice! ~Plan menu for next week, make a grocery list. SNACKS! Raw Food snacks can vary from whole pieces of fresh fruit, vegetables & dips, smoothies, juices, small portions bars & sweets with nut milk, small salads or cups of soup. Really anything you could put with a meal. Since all food is good and healthy, you can eat in whenever you are hungry! Learn to feel what you need that will satisfy you and keep you feeling good!

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Shopping List Always buy Raw & Organic or the best quality available!! Pantry: (Always have a good supplies of these items on hand!) Cashews Almonds Sunflower Seeds Hemp Seeds Flax Seeds Chia Seeds Walnuts Pecans Pumpkin Seeds Almond and other nut butters Tahini Other nuts & seeds desired Olive Oil Coconut Oil Sundried Tomatoes Olives Cacao Nibs Coconut Flakes Dates Unsweetened dried Cherries Stevia Raisins Raw Honey or Coconut Secret Coconut Nectar Vanilla Extract, preferably alcohol free Cherry Extract, preferably alcohol free Other Alcohol free extracts desired Raw Carob/Cacao Powder Oats Ginger Garlic Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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Sweet Onions Cayenne Good Quality Pepper Raw or healthy granola, bars, cookies Good Quality Sea Salt Crackers (raw or other healthy crackers) Bragg's Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar Miscellaneous Spices & Flavorings Miscellaneous glass jars, containers, lids, sprouting lids Nama Shoyu or Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos Frozen: Assorted Berries, Mango, Pineapple Can store nuts & seeds for a longer time in the freezer rather than the pantry. Fresh: (all of these ingredients will be used during the first half of your first week!!) A normal size of these should get you through. If you buy spinach for smoothies, but don’t use it all, throw it in a salad!! Bananas Strawberries Apples Oranges Lemons Hemp or Flax oil Sprouts Avocado Kale Parsley Mint Basil Carrots Beets Spaghetti Squash Butternut Squash or Pumpkin Tomatoes Copyright Genesis Raw Food, LLC 2011

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Zucchini Celery Cucumber Peppers Green Onion Large collard leaves or other leafy green for wraps Spinach Hummus Other whole fruits and vegetables deisred *Flax or Hemp Oil (must be kept in fridge! A great way to get Omega 3!) (all of these ingredients will be used during the second half of your first week!!) More Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for Juices, Smoothies, Snacks Endive Carrots Avocado Cilantro Blueberries (or Frozen) Bananas Strawberries (or Frozen) Tomatoes Italian Seasoning Limes Scallions Parsley Mango (or Frozen) Oranges Hummus Lemons

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