Celebrating an all-natural lifestyle

Pure Gratitude

Hi all,

Hope you had a lovely weekend. Mine was filled with snow (all hail the great Blizzard of ‘09!), with some cooking, with holiday parties (including a very nice gathering at a friend’s place last night, as the winds raged around us), and with some live performances (a culture vulture friend was visiting).

Thanks to Michelle and Lori, it was also filled with raw treats!

The holidays are wonderful, but they can also be difficult. I know I’ve struggled to purchase all of my last minute gifts this weekend, to bake some last minute goodies for my colleagues, and to keep my head straight as I sort through Christmas plans (being a child of divorce makes the holiday schedule slightly complex). But there are some folks who manage to make time to do kind, thoughtful things for others, even as the holidays test their patience and energy. And the Pure2Raw twins are most definitely such people.

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to recieve the following package:

It was assortment of raw breads (including such scrumptious varieties as swiss chard and black sesame seed flatbread), crackers (some of which I scarfed up immediately, including a kale and pumpkin seed cracker), and sweets (like fudgy chocolate ginger coconut bites):

Lucky, lucky me!

The Twins, as you know, are the geniuses behind Twin Cakes, where they offer catering services, baked goods, and raw cooking class. Their amazing un-baked goods are not only highly delicious, but cruelty free and supremely health-conscious! The Twins, unlike other raw un-bakers, take care not to overdo it on nuts, and they even use a combination of stevia and dates/agave in some of their recipes so that the sugar content is moderate. Good stuff!

The best news for you all is that you can order packages of their excellent products online at the Twin Cakes website, or you can find out more about the opportunity to learn directly from the ladies themselves! The Twins are also offering a special January package of scrumptious, yet all natural and healthy goodies to help you begin the year off right. Paired with participation in the Choosing Raw + Spark! Wellness January Cleanse, I think it’s the best kind of start to a new year!!

Lori and Michelle are some of the warmest, kindest, and most devoted raw folks I’ve met. They believe deeply in good health through raw and vegan nutrition, and they’re 100% committed to the lifestyle. What you see on their blog (that is, kindness, intelligence, and determination) is most certainly what you get in person. I thank the twins for sharing their culinary wizardry with me at Christmas!

I also thank them for bestowing the Beautiful Blogger Award on me! I’m a little late in sharing it, but I was so flattered to recieve it from them.

This award asks me to share seven random things about myself with you all. Here they are, a mix of intimate and trivial, food related miscelleny, in no particular order:

1) I’ve lived my whole block in the same forty block radius of Manhattan. I know I’ve told you this before, but quite honestly, it’s so peculiar to me sometimes that I often repeat it.

2) I’ve wanted to be an editor since I was a kid. Most editors–who are writers who had a change of heart, or academics-to-be who got dissilusioned, or people who couldn’t decide what to do with an English degree–think it’s freakish that I knew so early, and also strange that I never nursed dreams of being a writer myself (which I didn’t, and don’t; editing is my forte!).

3) I was not popular in high school. At all. In fact, I was nerdy and bookish and quiet and often the brunt of teasing; on the other hand, I was a little snooty about my book smarts. I like to think I’ve grown out of the snootiness, and grown into more of a social butterfly.

4) The only vegetables I do not like are radishes and onions. And cooked spinach; I love raw spinach, but cooked spinach gives me the creeps.

5) Though I’m half Greek, I don’t identify with my Greek heritage very much at all; I’m an Episcopalian, not orthodox, and don’t speak a word of the language, save some curse words. It’s neither a good or bad thing, but given how overwhelming Greek culture can be, it’s odd.

6) I went to an all girls’ school in NYC. And we had uniforms. Contrary to what people assume, though, it was about as far from Gossip Girl as can be: I was actually very sheltered growing up, and very well behaved (painfully so), and didn’t even think about dating till my senior year of high school. Far cry from the New York City kid stereotype!

7) I hate watermelon. Like, a lot. I’m not much of a fruit lover in general, but watermelon really sinks to the bottom of my list. I know most people like it, but not me!

And now, seven people to whom I pass the torch!

1) Melissa

2) Jessica

3) Katherine

4) Aletheia

5) Diana

6) Tasha (who’s having a giveaway right now!)

7) LC

Love to you all!

It’s another busy week, but I promise to return with some pre-Christmas recipe posting. Get excited.

xo

Choosing Raw 2009 Holiday Gift Guide!

Hey guys!

Keep your awesome responses to the Choosing Raw and Spark! Wellness Cleanse coming! I’m so excited that many of you have expressed interest in it.

I know that I’m a little late on this (just like me — saving holiday shopping for the last moment), but I’m here with my official Choosing Raw holiday gift guide. I began this baby a few weeks ago, and it seems to have gotten longer and longer as the days of holiday shipping grow fewer and fewer. There are so many wonderful things to give a vegan, a raw foodie, or anyone who takes an interest in health and wellness!

What you don’t see here are my very favorite gifts: handmade ones. I didn’t include those because they’re best when they’re personal and unique, but some great ideas include knit scarves and hats (for a great post on vegan knitting, click here), homemade vegan peppermint donut holes, candied nuts, pickled vegetables or homemade sauerkraut, or homemade kombucha (what a lineup of lovely raw ladies that was!).

If you’re short on time, or you’d like to invest in a gift, though, here are my top picks for everyone on your list! Hope they give you some last minute inspiration.

For a major splurge:

1) VitaMix, Blendtec or Dehydrator

2) Infrared Sauna

3) Rebounder

4) Water Filtration System

5) Trip to an eco-friendly resort

For the Fashionista

1) Kate’s Design eco-friendly bracelets

2) Beau Soleil Groove Dress

3) 7 For All Mankind Organic Slouchy Jeans

4) Non-leather bag from The Sak

5) Stella McCartney shoes

For the Foodie

1) Bamboo knife set from Target

2) Membership to an Organic Wine Club

3) Bell Canning Jar Set

4) Slow Food Apron from MotherTongues

4) New Salad Spinner

5) Indoor Pot Herbs

For the Yogi

1) Jade Yoga Mat (because you can never have too many)

2) Bendie Yoga Bags

3) Lululemon Gift Certificate

4) Yoga Is Yummy yoga DVDs!

5) Sigg Water Bottles

For the Eco-Fanatic

1) Indoor Compost Keeper

2) Donation to The Conservation Fund

3) Voltaic Solar Backpack

4) Buy Carbon Offsets

5) A Rain Barrel

For the Book Lover

1) The China Study

2) Eating Animals

3) Living Raw Food

4) Eat, Drink and Be Vegan

5) Food For Life

Stocking Stuffers

1) Priti Nail Polish

2) Lululemon headband

3) One Lucky Duck Macaroons or Cookies

4) Whole Foods Gift Certificates

5) Food Tee

6) Fine and Raw Chocolate Bon Bons

7) Dry Brush

8  ) Oracle Organics Soap

9) Pacifica Soy Candle

10) Set of Five Reusable, Eco-Friendly Tote Bags

You can also check out TreeHugger for a great eco-friendly gift guide, Melissa’s blog for a fitness-savvy run down, and Bitt’s blog for more raw ideas.

Happy Holidays!

xo