Kombucha! :0)
Kombucha is one of my fave beverages, and wait, before I go ranting about how much I like it…,I oughta stop and clue ya in on what exactly Kombucha is. Kombucha is a probiotic, living, fermented tea that is LOADED with enzymes, friendly critters to support your digestive system, organic acids and detoxifying elements. Sound awesome? Well it did to me as well when I read the myriad health benefits listed on the first bottle of kombucha I sampled back when I was living in PA.
Amanda and I picked up a bottle of this interesting concoction for the first time around the same time I got started with raw foods. The first sip was reminiscent of carbonated apple cider vinegar…ok….although not delicious, intriguingly the flavor grew on me, and about an hour after finishing it Amanda and I both noticed, not only a warm feeling in our stomachs, but also a burst of energy! I started doing some research on this fizzy living beverage and found that it was brewable/growable at home! Being a DIY kinda guy, and learning that it’s inexpensive to brew your own, I was IN!
Showing off the SCOBY at my first 'bucha workshop at Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe as Glen Colello films
About 2 years ago we picked up our SCOBY (which is short for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) and got brewing! I was so psyched up to add this to my raw and living food concocting experiments, and it really brought me back to those days of raising Sea Monkeys and other weird pets…only this one I would be eating. I did lots of research on this wonderful brew, and watched other home brewer’s adventures on YouTube. After creating some batches that were a wee bit south of that fizzy goodness we had experienced from the health food store, I pulled off a batch that was outstandingly good and cost a fraction of the pre-bottled stuff!! As if that wasn’t neat enough, I can now add my own fun flavorings to the kombucha when I bottle it up for the second fermentation, flavorings such as fresh squeezed ginger juice, blended wild blueberries, or vanilla bean pods! Oh yeah! Turning a ridiculously healthy beverage into a tasty one that could rival soda….now that’s the kinda stuff I’m into! :0)
Fast forward to my life now, doing raw food presentations and talks, I noticed people’s faces light up when I would mention my kombucha brewing endeavors during a raw food workshop. So I did a kombucha creating workshop at Catch a Healthy Habit Café shortly after moving here to CT, which was very warmly received. The videos of this first workshop (taken by Glen Colello of Catch) can be found at his YouTube channel (which I HIGHLY recommend ya check out if you’re interested in raw foods and healthy living! There have been many, many awesome speakers at the Café and Glen has filmed large portions of their talks! So there is a wealth of fun info there waiting to be watched!)
Flash forward to just last night at Catch, where I presented my second kombucha workshop and I shared much of the cool new info I’ve picked up about culturing, brewing and flavoring this bubbly, healthy drink! Again, Glen has shot some awesome footage of my workshop (which I had a blast doing!) and I can now give you a sneak-peek of what it would’ve been like to be there!
This first video gives you a good idea of the equipment you’d need to start brewing your own goodness at home…a lot less than you might assume!
Part 2, I get into some of the other fun uses for your SCOBY….from bath toy to band-aid, a zoogleal mat can perform many tasks! :0)
Part 3, Where (and where not) to brew your culture and putting some love in your brew!
Part 4 Finishing off your brew, other brewing vessel options and why you should or should not use your SCOBY as a hat.
Kevin and Annmarie kickin’ it at Catch!
Kevin and Annmarie Gianni stopped by Catch this past Tuesday for Cinco De Mayo! Kevin did a fun impromptu live video direct from his phone to twitter! Gotta love technology :0)
Click the above pic to check out the video!
Annmarie rockin' the food prep and Kevin talkin' about all things fun and healthy!
The evening was a blast! Kev and Annmarie did an awesome talk/food prep demo! The food was Mexican inspired, in honor of the holiday. An awesome taco “meat” made with sunflower seeds, carrots and spices that could easily win over any carnivore or raw foodies taste buds! This mix was served on romaine leaves with a dallop of spicy mole sauce (featuring raw-cacao powder) , a mix of avocados and tomatoes and generous topping of cashew cheese. Muy Bueno!!
Viva la live foods!!
During Annmarie’s demo Kevin gave a great talk about all things health! The main topics were the principles of his new book “High Raw”. The book is awesome for the average person getting started with raw-foods. Its focus is not setting a goal of 100% strict raw but, rather goin’ for a high percentage of raw-foods and the awesome health benefits that go along with it! I agree whole-heartedly with this approach to raw-eating as goin’ “100%” may seem too lofty a goal to start out with. When I first got into raw my goal was 70% and it just went on from there gradually and naturally winding up where I’m at now!
Kevin also got into many other subjects regarding health, from not gettin’ caught up in health protocols without stopping to check and see if they’re necessary, and the importance of not over complicating the simple truth that eating more fresh fruits and veggies is good for you! Great advice and a lot of fun anecdotes from their fun travels in the Kale Whale exploring the many venues and people in the world of healthy living!
After the talk ended and the crowd headed home Kevin and Annmarie hung out for a while chatting with Paul. Glen and myself. I told Annmarie how jealous Isabel was that Amanda and I had got to tour the Kale Whale at their send off party and she suggested right away that I invite them to come down so she could show her around it! Amanda and Isabel arrived and we all had a great time shooting the breeze and goofing off. We love what Kevin and Annmarie are all about with their mission of spreading healthy info through their work and they felt the same way about what Amanda and I are up to with our videos and my raw food classes, they even loved the smoothie jar bags we had given them for their trip! Annmarie hooked us up with a bottle of the Tooth Soap that they’re selling (amongst a slew of other healthy and raw-living goodies they’ve discovered during their travels!) and it’s awesome stuff! Check out Amanda’s post about it.
For an incredible wealth of fun, informative videos and drool worthy recipes I suggest you check out Kevin and Annmaries’ site www.renegadehealth.com and look into Kevins’ book at www.GoHighRaw.com ! Peace and happy healthy wishes everyone! :0)
David Wolfe, Super foods and super cool people!!
DW, myself, Glen Dog, Lisa, AJ and Frankie
This past Tuesday hangin’ at Catch was amazing! I spent the day working (if you can call putting together awesome raw-eats, taste testing them and kickin’ it with some of the nicest peeps ever “work”) I’ll refer to it as “hanging out”! The crew consisting of Glen, Lisa, Violet, AJ Wentorth, Frank Gigglio and myself, were goin’ full throttle getting the place geared up and stocked up with an amazing supply of delicious and ridiculously healthy eats! Wolfe and his crew we’re hanging out and gettin’ their stuff in order and there was a buzz in the air of positive energy!
The day began with an Elements for Life dinner with David for people interested in joining the Elements crew. Frankie G blended up an amazing concoction, containing everything from raw cacao, to cayenne pepper to nutmeg! It was one potent elixir and a heck of a way to kick off the amazing spread Lisa, Violet and AJ put togther! Burgers on onion bread with a mango/cayenne sauce , salad with ceaser dressing, and for desert a chocolate gnocche on an awesome crust drizzled with goji berry/strawberry sauce! WOWSAS! After serving up the dinner guests Lisa had reserved a bunch of goodies for the crew and I. The eats were amazing, and in honor of the event all were infused with various superfoods!
After the dinner I got a chance to chat with David and hooked him up with one of our smoothie jar bags as a thanks for all the inspiration and knowledge he’s shared through his lectures and books. His passion for this stuff can get anyone excited about eating raw! You’ve never found yourself craving a handful of pumpkin seeds as much as you will after hearing him describe their health benefits! It’s a trip listening to him!
Before the talk and during the intermission the crew and I were whipping up all sorts of goodies for the crowd. AJ and I were tag teaming the smoothie dept and having a ball joking about the “torment” of having to taste our creations before serving them *lol* Oh the agony of another cacao smoothie shot. *haha* I’ve never been more sarcastic. :0P There was singin’, blender boogieing and jokes galore much to the delight of the many awesome people who came together for the event! An amazing time!!
Rockin' the smoothie bar!
Now I know a lot of people are doggin’ David Wolfe about everything from cacao to superfoods. Calling him a modern snake oil hocker or worse. But, my vibe about him has always been that his passion is eating the best foods ever and relying on what nature produces to sustain oneself in the best health. And not even so much in the pre-packaged exotic stuff but, to look in one’s own backyard, forest, and garden for the best foods ever! His passion for gardening shined through during the last part of his talk. He and his gardening friends do it all and more when it comes to growing organically, from biodynamic preparations to playing music for the plants, 31 different rock powders and encouraging a natural balance among the garden life. This stuck with me being a passionate organic gardening nerd myself! He even talked quite a bit about guerrilla gardening and sowing Goji berries everywhere including Disney World! LOL
Setting up a healthy kitchen was also a good portion of his talk. His philosophy was to get all the stuff outta your cabinets and check it out. What do you have to work with? Get all the good stuff out in the open, and make your kitchen into your healthy laboratory where you whip up your own delicious creations! This struck a chord with me BIG time, because I’m all about having a pimped out kitchen that inspires me to hang for a bit and throw together my fave raw-eats!! It’s a tip I may or may not have brought up before so I did a piece about it for my Raw-Fu video this past Friday.
Another point he brought up was that when you delve into this healthy way of eating and people notice your results they’re gonna want to start comin’ to your place for eats! He says this works well because you can have them clean the juicer! lol I myself share my eats and know how with all my friends and family who take an interest in it.I love not only the positive reactions to my raw-creations but, takin’ good care of the people I love!
One last brief vid here of Glen checking out Wolfes’ talk . My fave part is where DW describes how no matter what you’re craving we have the technology to make a delicious raw-equivalent! It’s one of the things that inspired me sooo much about raw-foods , that you can have the healthiest foods ever and have them taste great!!
The big 3-0!
Hey everyone! Long time no see! Things have been goin’ good and goin’ full steam since the big move here to CT! It’s been a transition for me and my family but, a very cool one. Lotsa fun stuff to catch you all up on, ain’t that the way it goes? When you have a whole buncha stuff to write about …you don’t seem to have the time to sit down (get in writing mode) and write about it! More of this jabbering to come but, first I wanna get it out there that this Friday April 24th I’m reaching the 3 decade mark! :0)
Check out more of my antics at www.RawFu.com !
Now if you asked me what I thought about turning 30 back when I was around 20 I’d probably have been like “blah” or worse, but after all the changes I’ve went through since gettin’ with the raw-foods and exercising I’m actually looking forward to it! Heck I feel waaaaay better now than I did back then! Besides the weight loss (which was a big change!) I have so much more energy, less aches, pains and stuffiness, and I rarely get sick! It’s been an interesting and sometimes challenging journey to where I’m at now, but it was always fun (as any raw-food journey should be. Keep it fun and you’ll keep with it!). If you want to check out why I went raw, here’s a link to an older post. I’m lookin’ forward to seeing where I’ll go from here and sharing some of my adventures, misadventures and things I learn along the way with everyone in hopes that it’ll inspire others to give this tao of munching a chance and seeing where it leads them!
This was me at 20 years old
This is me at 30!
Who says getting older has to be a bad thing?
I’ve got a lot of other stuff to report and catch everyone up on, but until then I’ll leave ya this fun lil’ video showing some of the cool synchronicities that have been popping up since I’ve landed in CT. What we’re the odds of running into Phil and Shazzie at the same time? I don’t know but, it was a lotta fun! They both have an awesome energy about them and it was kick-@$$ shootin’ the breeze and hangin’ at the cafe.
Peace everyone and keep it rawkin’! :0)
Hangin’ at Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe!
Whilst In Connecticut I had to check out CT’s hot-spot for raw-foodies… Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe! Me and my sis (who’s gettin’ all into raw food!) went there for Steve “The Sproutman” Meyerowitz’s workshop on sprouting. Learned a lot of great stuff, got hear about the how’s, why’s, and importance of sprouting, and got to taste some awesome radish, broccoli and lentil sprouts! My sister enjoyed it so much that she picked up a couple of his hemp sprout bags (unbeknownst to me at the time, one was to be an early Christmas gift for me! Thanks sis :0) ). After the workshop I ran into Glen Colello, owner, operator, health counselor and all around cool mofo! He recognized me from my videos and we got to talkin’ about my experiences with raw-living. ~
After talkin’ a bit more Glen invited me to get in on a raw chocolate workshop he was presenting at the Cafe later in the week. Schweeeeeet!! I had a chance to co-create some awesome cacao laden treats including, cinnamon pecan rolls with a inner spiral of cacao sauce, ice cream, and some raw chocolate hearts. Between the fun of it all, sharing some raw-food info and my story with the attendants, chillin’ with Glen and sampling some cacao alchemy, I was buzzin’! Great times!
Glen explaining the use and cleansing powers of the cassia pod
After the workshop Glen asked if I had any good, quick and easy chocolate recipes up my sleeve and it just so happened that I had whipped one up several days prior to the workshop.. My sister had stocked up her kitchen with all sorts of raw goodies for me to tinker with and I was enjoying some Artisana tahini when I was inspired to try making a raw version of Nutella (that yummy but, not-raw, hazelnut spread). My sis loved it and we experimented dipping all sorts of stuff in it and found it to be really great spread on banana slices and topped off with pecans! Glen and I gathered the ingredients and did another video to share the recipe!~
I had a great time chilling at the Cafe, which has a comfortable and fun energy to it. I’m so happy to see such a cool place thriving in my ol’ hometown of West Haven. Glen and friends host a ton of workshops, get togethers, parties and potlucks at the cafe and I’m realllly lookin’ forward to our move and being able to stop in more often! If you’re in the area go check it out! And in the meantime check out their website and see what cool goings on are in the works!
Rawdawg and G-man!
Back from CT!
At last we’re back, settled in and gettin’ back to bloggin’ !
Drivin' the Boston Post road
The trip was awesome to say the least. It really did my heart good to see my family, some of whom I hadn’t seen in over two and a half years. Missed you all. Everyone was surprised and amazed at my transmograwfication. After our christmas party I had to deflate my head a bit! Compliments are always nice but, the greatest thing to hear was more of my family is gettin’ interested in eating raw.
Bear, my fave doggy!
We stayed with my sister and her family during our time there, and they spoiled the heck out of us! They stocked the kitchen with an assortment of raw staples so that I could prepare and show her and my mom how to create some delicious stuff! I was on a raw-prep marathon! Raw pie, a cake for the christmas party, pates, marinated mushroom wraps with seed cheeze, raw-vegan sushi with a faux tuna salad filling, and a chocolate tahini spread that was to live for when spread on a banan slice and topped off with a pecan! (more info and recipe for this treat comin’ soon!)
Delicious Tahini cream pie!
Amanda and I had a fun time checkin’ out Whole Foods for the first time, here in PA it’s a four hour drive to get to the nearest one so we hadn’t bothered to before. But, wow that place was freakin’ cool and only a half an hour from my sis’s place. We spent about five hours in there hangin’ out, checkin’ out and trying some raw-goodies and enjoying some delicious stuff from their salad bar (which actually had a superfood trail mix as an option *Bonus!*) it was like mecca for raw-foodies!
Chocolate mint smoothies at my sisters!
I got some cool news to report… we’re actually planning on moving to CT this spring! Gonna miss all the cool PA people but, we’re really excited about the change of scenery and all the cool stuff goin’ on in CT, from the Raw-scene to the museums, beaches, hanging with my family and setting up an awesome organic garden (with some permaculture influences) at my sisters house!
On the drive back we headed over an icy mountain top it looked un-real!
I leave you for now with an awesome song we heard for the first time on the ride back. Thanks for stopping by and more about my experience at Catch comin’ soon! Peace and goodness to everyone!
