Monthly Archives: July 2010

Submerge Bath Salts

Submerge is one of a new range of beautiful bath salts from the magical emporium that is Raw Living.

Once upon a time, there was a fairy princess who was tired from a long day navigating the perils of consensus reality. She decided a bath would be just the thing to relax and revive her and smooth her aura back to brightness. She thought she would try a new bathing creation from the talented alchemist Miss Magic, and what a treat was in store!

Submerge is more of an 'experience' than a bath. Incredibly soothing, yet deeply magical it inspires visions and clarity whilst you lay back in a pool of purple enchantment. It promoted a deep night's sleep but still left me feeling clearer and more present. Simply beautiful!

Chia Seeds

I just got back from the most fabulous week in Croatia, jumping from Island to Island with my raw foods in tow.  What impressed me the most however was the super powers of my chia seeds!

I saw that Kate drops some seeds straight in to a bottle of water and was intrigued so decided I was going to do this whilst on holiday.  Every day I dropped about 2-3 tablespoons of seeds in to the water bottle and left them to soak up.  My friends lovingly referred to it as 'Emma's Frogspawn'.  To be fair it does look a bit like it after a while as the seeds absorb 10 times their own weight in water.

So what was so impressive about this make-shift easy peasy drink?  Well, it's no secret that I'm a very pale lass from Scotland.  My natural skin colour is off blue and I can literally cope with about five minutes of heat or sun before I crisp up and shrivel in the corner.  But not this time, oh no!  I was able to march up a bloody great hill in the midday sun to find a fortress in Hvar.  I was able to tolerate the hundreds of stairs (up the way) in the mid-afternoon sun looking for an apartment in Korcula.  I was able to withstand the walk across scalding hot beaches to find a shaded spot for me to chill and there is little doubt in my mind that the chia seed water helped with that.  After all, it helped to nourish and energise the Incans when they went on long marches!  I felt much more hydrated and energetic after my chia drink and am convinced it's the answer to all my prayers.  So much so, I'm going to continue to drink it now I'm back!

It's not long till I'm on another trip away and I will definitely be packing my large bag of chia to see this little Scottish princess through the tougher sunny climes :)

Hi-Bath

Last night I tried and tested the sumptuous hi bath bar, cos it was hi time for a hi bath!

The website says: You are beautiful. You are loved. You are pampered…Our bath bar contains all the finest ingredients for a bath straight from heaven.

When I opened the packet I immediately wanted to eat the bath melt.  That’s not anything to be alarmed about as the main ingredient in the bar is cacao butter – for it’s antioxident rich nature and Vitamin E.  The bar also contains clary sage essential oil to promote feelings of euphoria, and geranium for a floral scent.

Pampered is certainly how I felt as I floated around (as much as you can float around in a medium-sized bath) immersed in rose petals and goji berries.  Kate’s idea to put gojis in this bath melt is ingenious!  The last ingredient is the purple corn which gives the water a lovely purple tinge for colour therapy!

It does have a lovely scent and left my body lovely and soft – the way skin should feel!  The hi bath bar is very moisturising once fully melted, so much so I was able to shave my legs just with the luxurious oils in the water – too much information eh?

For that reason I’d probably only use half the bar next time which is good because then you’re getting twice the value for your money!  The bar is very reasonably priced at £3.95 for 40g which is what you’d pay in somewhere like Lush for one of their bars but this one has all the benefits of raw, 100% natural ingredients and NO nasties!!

A word of warning though: be very careful to make sure you clean the bath properly after using it.  The last thing you’d want is your husband getting in for a shower and falling arse over tit…or maybe you would like that

Truth

I wanted to try this one because I really love the Lucky Me bar and wondered if this would topple it from it’s ‘Emma’s favourite raw choc bar’ position.

Truth is Kate’s seventh chocolate bar to be released, following on from Whoosh, Hi-crunch, Be the Change, Hi-Buzz, Hi-Lovers & LuckyMe.  On her site, Kate says Truth ‘contains no cacao nibs or powder, so if you’re looking for a less stimulating bar, without the cacao buzz, this is the bar you’ve been waiting for.'

It contains cacao butter, lucuma, mesquite, agave, mucuna and aulterra.  I hadn’t heard of Mucuna before but having checked it out apparently it’s a source of naturally occurring 5Htp, DMT, and boosts dopamine in the brain!

So, what’s the truth about Truth?

Wellllll.  Let me begin by saying I very much love this bar!  It really is a much more chilled kind of chocolate bar and it literally does melt in your mouth with a very creamy quality.  I’m usually wary of chocolate bars with mesquite in them because I find mesquite can be quite an overpowering taste and can somewhat detract from the rest of the flavours but this isn’t the case with Truth.  It’s a really subtle flavour reminiscent of the fudge of a Cadbury’s Fudge bar but not as sickly sweet.

As it is more of a fudgey kind of bar if you’re after a cacao buzz then this isn’t the bar for you.  I do like my chocolate bars to have a bit of a kick in them which is why I usually opt for something with cacao powder for an extra buzz but in saying that I’ve already had my quota of raw chocolate today so this is actually really nice for me to have as an after tea-time treat that I don’t have to worry about over-buzzing myself and dancing round the kitchen till 3am

Because it hasn’t any cacoa powder or nibs I think this bar is perfect for you if you are after a subtle cacao hit rather than a smack in the face with a shovel hit that you can get from other raw choc bars!

I’m quite pleased actually because for an awful moment I thought it might knock Lucky Me off the number 1 position but actually it’s up there with it but for a different reason.  To me Lucky Me and Truth are like yin and yang, equal but opposite and very complimentary.

I gave a bit to my husband and he said “nice, but it’s not like chocolate, cos it’s a bit chewier” – there you go, prize winning review from my husband, he has such a way with words don't you think?

I love that it says ‘the truth will set you free’ and I believe it will

Kate's Magic Bubble

Kate’s Magic Bubble is packed with great and useful information, recipes, music, discounts and interviews. Kate loves to get information out there to people which is inspiring and that educates, on not just being a raw fooder but on all aspects of life. I particularly loved Kate’s article on relationships and sexuality. Kate has included many articles which follow her life and her travels, such as her experience in a Hammam, when she travelled through Turkey, to what she eats and keeps in her kitchen cupboard. One hot topic on my mind was how to keep my little boy healthy on a raw diet and Kate’s article helped to ease my mind as well as provide me with the information needed for a happy healthy child. Kate covers topics to inform both the newbie and the experienced raw fooder. Talking about adoptogens to beauty – although it is all linked, right?
And if that wasn’t enough there are audio interviews on kundalini yoga, reiki, colonics, medicinal mushrooms, flax, herbalism and naturopathy, pregnancy and a Q&A session. Most of the interviews were an hour long so a good opportunity to get comfy and listen to some great material. There was so much covered I was taking notes! It was like being in a workshop in the comfort of your own home. The interviews cover everything you need for a holistic lifestyle. Kate’s style of interviewing was relaxed and friendly. Kate really does extract as much information as she can from the interviewees and asks the questions we really wanted to know, that we might have been embarrassed to ask. We not only find out about the subject but also about the interviewee as well, this felt more personal than other interviews.
Did you know Kate is a D.J? Kate provides some banging sets to get you dancing around your front room. The Magic Bubble provides exercise as well as information.... Kate has an extensive knowledge of music as well as an exemplary method of mixing them together, to those who know Kate she is a pretty good dancer too.
Kate not only wants you to learn from her but she also wants to learn from you and your experiences. Kate wants questions from you and wants to hear about your raw experiences. The Magic Bubble is a raw community not a raw dictatorship. In Kate’s book Ecstatic Beings Kate talks about helping each other up to the higher levels of ecstasy; we are all connected all one being.
Last, but not least at all.......RECIPES...........YEAH........ Some of which include, magic milk, pizza, crackers – lots of, soup, kale chips, garlic bread – inspired by Au Lac- yum! And CAKE..... There are so many recipes, I haven’t included them all. I can’t wait to get into my kitchen to try them! Kate has not let us down; her culinary skills are well known. I guess having three hungry boys keeps you on your toes as far as creating new, exciting and yummy food is concerned.
The Magic Bubble has kept me entertained, amused and excited since I opened the web page for the first time. There is so much information in there it would take weeks to read or listen to it all, let alone make all the recipes. I definitely would recommend the bubble to anyone, experienced or new to raw food. Let’s get BuBbllinG X

Kelp Noodles

When I first got into raw, about two years ago now, I still remember the feelings of being overwhelmed at the minefield of new foods/ super foods and ingredients that I had never heard of in my life. I remember texting Kate to ask her what Engevita was.... It was a whole new way of life and living! I am sad to say that I was not brought up as a vegan or vegetarian, although, as I grew and was able to buy my own food and make my own choices in life my diet mainly consisted of pulses and vegetable, which I found I thrived on, albeit cooked.

My raw adventure really began at a talk I attended by Kate M herself. Kate talked about the triangle of foods and the importance of seaweed in the diet. How seaweed is an essential part of the raw diet, as it is one of the only few unfarmed and unpolluted resources left. Kelp in partiular is full of good stuff like iodine and more than 60 minerals, elements and amino acids. Kelp is amazing as it can be helpful for encouraging weight loss and for treating low blood pressure and fatigue, all of which may be caused by a sluggish thyroid. Eating Kelp could help to ensure that you are getting some of the vitamins and minerals in you that your body needs daily to perform OpTiMaLly, which is great to know.

When I first heard about Kelp noodles I thought, hum interesting.... I had remembered what Kate had talked about in her workshop and ordered some from Raw Living. I imagined them to taste salty with a really strong flavour like Kelp powder, maybe even slimy like seaweed you see on the beach after a storm.

I got my packet and opened with caution..... The mind can play funny tricks with you when you are unsure as to what you are eating. I gave the noodles a good wash with cold water. I had looked at a lot of recipes and they all advised to either soak the noodles in water to soften them up or marinade them in lemon juice. I soaked mine in water as my sauce was quite delicate. I actually like mine a bit crunchy but my friend was looking unsure about eating KELP!!!..... After half an hour they had tenderised nicely. I chopped them up with scissors to bite sized chunks and I added my sauce which was raw sweet corn chowder.

Wow!!!! They tasted just like Chinese noodles, a bit of consistency to them but they pretty much take the flavour of the dish itself. They are extremely versatile and look great. You could add them to any dish to add a bit of bulk and extra nutrition. I have used them in many dishes now and the choices are endless.......

Greener Grass

It took me a while to get round to trying Raw Living's green powder blend, Greener Grass, as I had most of the individual ingredients at home and I didn't think it necessary to buy the blend. Having started including it my diet recently however, I think it ranks among my favourite nutrient-dense food supplements ever. Here we see a wonderful example of how the whole is sometimes greater than the sum of its parts as Miss Magic has once more lived up to her name and created an alchemical mix of superfood and herbal powders that is detoxifying, alkalising, blood building, deeply nourishing and balancing to the mind and emotions.

If there is one type of food that is necessary in today's world, I believe it's these kinds of high quality greens which can help us get many of the trace minerals that are missing from modern foods without having to resort to expensive pills. Greener Grass powder is very easily digested by the body, which many multi vitamin/mineral supplements are not, so you need less to get a beneficial result. Many people in our culture have a highly acidic diet which is lacking in many of the most vital nutrients. Even those of us that eat a well balanced diet high in raw foods can often suffer from the stress that accompanies our modern, fast-paced lifestyles and stress is one of the most acidifying things for our bodies. Stress also depletes magnesium so it's essential that we correct this balance with high magnesium foods like Greener Grass. What's wonderful about Greener Grass is that not only does it help us deal with the damaging effects of stress, it actually prevents it as many of the trace elements it includes help to keep the mind more balanced. I have certainly noticed this effect from taking the powder, much more so than when using any of the individual ingredients separately.

You can enjoy it in a number of ways; stirred into most foods, sprinkled on greens, added to a spouted quinoa and seed salad, mixed into creamy hemp or cashew dressings and blended with raw soups to name but a few. If you're not completely raw, never fear, you can add it to cooked foods too, I've enjoyed it with cooked quinoa and millet, just make sure you add it after cooking so as not to destroy any of the vital nutrients by heating it.

Greener Grass, fresh leaf and sea veg salad with seeds and a lemon and flax dressing.

Greener Grass contains a lovely blend of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and amino acids and the protein in it makes it a great food for vegans. With barley grass, hemp protein, spirulina, he shou wu, purple corn, crystal manna, kelp, crystal salt and a wee kick of chilli it'll get you up and at 'em in no time.

Algae is an ancient food with the memory of the world stored within its simple cells. It offers us these things, simplicity and connection to the world around us when we consume it regularly and with gratitude. To me, Greener Grass is a vital food which keeps me connected to the here and now in a balanced and nourished way. That's why I think the grass is greenest here and now, at least when you have some Greener Grass to sprinkle on your dinner!

With blessings for all that is green and good,

Lucinda x