Another Giveaway!

**Edited to add--this giveaway is now opened to Canadian readers too!** You asked, I served!** :) (Well, the kind people at Glass Dharma served!)


Hey Everyone! Looks like I will be having a few more giveaways coming up.. starting with another one today! Last weekend I receive these on my doorstep.. The return address was from Glass Dharma!!! In case you don't know, the glass straws I have been using come from this wonderful company and Glass Dharma was kind enough to send me a straw in every color!
I like to match my straws to my smoothies (a little OCD, YES!). So here is goes: Blue Straw with blueberries, kale, coconut milk, maca, banana, spirulina and Sun Warrior protein.
Amber straw with: Light green smoothie: star fruit, frozen peaches, coconut milk, maca, flax, goji berries, banana and an orange.
Green straw with green smoothie: kale, banana, frozen peaches, coconut milk, spirulina, hemp seeds, and flax.
Red straw with (almost) red smoothie: kale, raspberries, cranberries, banana, coconut milk, green powder and Sun Warrior protein.
Here are some great facts from the Glass Dharma site:

• Glass straws don’t leach toxins into your food as you drink.
• Each time you use your glass straw equals one less plastic straw ending up in your landfill.
• One glass straw replaces thousands of plastic straws. (How many times will you use a straw the rest of your life?)
• Using your glass drinking straw adds a feeling of beauty to your day.

A LOT of you have been asking me about these gorgeous straws, and I want to give you a chance to have one for your smoothies! Well, Glass Dharma was kind enough to offer one U.S. reader a $25.00 coupon code to use on the Glass Dharma website!!!

Here's how to enter: **U.S. AND Canadian Residents Only, Please Leave one comment for each thing you do!**

1. Go to GlassDharma.com and come back here and tell me one thing you have learned (besides the facts I have listed above)!

For Extra Chances To Win:

2. Post a link to this giveaway on your blog and come back and let me know!

3. Tweet this giveaway and come back and let me know!

4. Add me to your blogroll and come back and let me know!

That's all! I will announce the winner a week from today: Friday February 5th, 2010! Good luck!

**P.S. I will be back on Monday (my birthday!), with yummy birthday weekend eats from One Lucky Duck!**

And the winner is...

Happy Giveaway Day!!! I had so many responses for this giveaway that I plan on having another 2 in the very near future!!! A hint for the next one is somewhere in the blog post.. hmm..


Anyway, BITT of A Bitt of Raw is the winner of the Deni Automatic Ice Cream Maker from CSNStores.com and allbarstools.com!

YAY! I am sending you an email now! Congratulations!


Like I said, more giveaways coming soon! Keep reading! :)

On to food, this was a green smoothie I made for lunch yesterday: Kale, Peaches, Starfruit, an Orange, Banana, Flax, Maca, Goji berries, Coconut milk and Spirulina. T's birthday was Monday, as you all know. So we went out for dinner, T had dessert at the restaurant and when we got home I had this: A Raw Pumpkin Pie! T brought it home from the health food store near our parents house. He was working out of town again, and my favorite health food store was right there! :)

Last night I made a Chickpea Stew. I sauteed some onions and garlic added lots of cumin, curry powder and a dash of Himalayan sea salt. When they cooked down a little, I added a jar of tomatoes, seasoned them with Italian seasonings, let it get hot, then added in 2 cans of chickpeas (I use Eden organics) and some no sodium organic vegetable broth. I let this boil added in some South River Chickpea Miso a little salt and pepper to taste and a big bunch of spinach. This was so warming and delicious!

Congrats again to Bitt!! Have a nice day everyone! My next giveaway might be as soon as Friday, so keep watching!

Happy Birthday, T!

Happy Monday everyone and Happy Birthday T!!!


I started my weekend off with a lovely green smoothie on Saturday morning: Kale, Banana, Coconut Milk, Spirulina, Hemp and Flax seed, Frozen Peaches and Sun Warrior Protein Powder. Saturday night we went out with a bunch of friends (and T's brother and my sister) for T's birthday! We went to this really kitschy place with a 60's/70's theme!
The decor was really cool! I love anything hippie! When we redo our basement I am going to make it really hippie-ish! There were Buddhas and a bunch of other cool statues all over! Pretty groovy! ;)
I did not drink (I don't and haven't in over a year, because of Crohn's), but everyone else did and had a great time! I took home this souvenir! Maria and I were having a text conversation most of the night. She convinced me to grab this! :)
I took a picture of the bathroom because this wallpaper was so neat!! How cool is that? We are going to go back again, this time I am bringing some Kombucha since they gave me an empty glass with a lime for my water. On another note, it is so nice that smoking inside is illegal in NJ. The last time I went to a bar (yes, it was THAT long ago: 2004?), everyone was smoking and it was such a turn off, yuck! P.S. I HAVE been to bars since, but not in a big group and really "hanging out.."
On Sunday, we went to Whole Foods to get some goodies for T while he watches the football games. I grabbed myself a fruit salad.
I made this fruit plate a little while later: Starfruit and Satsuma Oranges.
For dinner, T wanted a special meal = he made himself pork chops.. DOUBLE YUCK! But he wanted brown rice and peas on the side, so I made that and added some Daiya Italian style vegan cheese. I let it melt on top while it was still warm! Mmmm! My main course was a kale salad with grape tomatoes, pickles, olives, avocado and sprouts.
Tonight we are going out to celebrate T's actual birthday! Pheww--finally! Seems like we've been celebrating for a long time! I plan on doing this for my kids as well, making their birthday a celebration for a few days! Especially if it falls on or right after the weekend. Next weekend, the day before my birthday, we are going to see HAIR and having a little dinner at One Lucky Duck! I am going to bring some yummy desserts home to have on my actual birthday as well! Any suggestions? I know the Mallomar is the most popular, so that's a must! I've had the Moon Pie and that was AMAZING! Right now I am thinking about ordering the Falafel Salad! YUM! Have you been to One Lucky Duck? What do you like the best?? The following weekend we are going to Pure Food & Wine to celebrate all the birthdays with my mother in law! Can't wait!

P.S. My ice cream maker giveaway ends Wednesday morning (I will post around 8AM EST)!

Birthday Surprise for Me? :)

Happy Friday!

I am glad to see everyone is excited about my giveaway! I am pretty excited too and no worries if you don't win this one because I have 2 more coming up! Believe me these are things you all are going to want!! ;)


Earlier this week I made a delicious high raw kale salad for dinner. I added sprouts, avocado, Bubbies raw pickles, a crumbled up Sunshine Burger, grape tomatoes and a few small pieces of sweet potato. This was so good!I actually juiced this week! Lately it's been all about the smoothies for me, but I did have this strong green juice: kale stems, broccoli stems, romaine, ginger, apple, zucchini.
On Thursday, I went to a meditation class with my best friend (who will also be my sister in law in a year!). We are making yoga dates! Right now I haven't gone to a class in awhile, I've been doing yoga at home, and it's NOT the same! Anyway, I had this for dinner that night: a high raw sandwich: sprouted grain bread with avocado, sprouts, Bubbies raw pickle slices and mustard. On the side I had a salad: romaine, mushrooms, olives, sprouts and avocado.
My lunch yesterday: blueberries, cranberries, spirulina, hemp, flax and chia seeds, coconut milk, banana, a scoop of Sun Warrior Protein and kale.
I received a lovely surprise in the mail this week! My beautiful, kind, wonderful friend Maria, sent me an early birthday present: 2 Righteously Raw chocolate bars: Goji and Caramel flavor and a beautiful card. Maria is such a kind sweet soul, we met awhile ago on MyCSL and ironically, she lives 2 towns over from my parents (where I grew up). We are going have a juice date one of these days! :) THANKS MARIA! XOXO!
Have a wonderful weekend! T and I will be celebrating his birthday (which is Monday) by going out with some friends and maybe heading to the city!

**Just to clarify, my birthday isn't until February 1st! :) But the early birthday wishes are always welcomed!**

Ice Cream, You Scream.. GIVEAWAY!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Thanks for all the great feedback on "getting older!" I know, a number doesn't mean anything if you feel great, and I have a feeling 26 is going to be a wonderful year for me. So I am not going to sweat it... too much! :)

Early this week, I made this yummy bowl of broccoli and white bean soup. I topped it off with some Daiya vegan cheddar cheese. As you know, I am not good at following recipes, I like to just go with the flow. So for this I basically through garlic, onions and spices in a pot with olive oil, let it saute, added low sodium organic vegetable broth and the broccoli and let it steam a little. Then added in 3 cups of white beans let it cook down a little. After that, transferred half into my food processor and mixed it, then added it back to the pot. A little more spices and serve then sprinkle Daiya on top along with a little lemon juice! Mmm!
Like I've been saying, every since I got my Vitamix, Lafayette, I've been hooked on smoothies! This one had some delicious Valencia oranges, cranberries, a banana, coconut milk, spirulina and kale. Tart and sweet, the perfect combo! A few of you have asked about my glass straw. This one I actually one a year ago from someone online. They are made by Glass Dharma and they are guaranteed not to break! :) Mine is just the standard, they have all sorts of fun ones. I just love it!
This green monster I had for lunch yesterday. This was a ton of kale, spirulina, coconut milk, a banana, chia, flax and hemp seeds, some chocolate Sun Warrior Protein and some papaya.
A few of you had asked what I thought of the protein. I LOVE IT! My smoothies taste incredible. Sun Warrior is a raw protein. Usually, I am not a big fan of protein powders because I believe we get enough protein from greens. Being that I am going to be trying to get pregnant soon, the extra protein is needed. Also, with Crohn's a lot of it isn't absorbed, so the extra will help. The ingredient list is very short too. I highly suggest this protein if you are looking for one.
I've shifted my focus once again back to healing MYSELF. I know, I know, isn't that what I have BEEN DOING? Yes, but, mostly with food! Now it is time to heal the inside. After noticing this book popping up all over the place in my life, I figured it was a sign and I should read it! So here it goes..
Now, onto the giveaway (finally, right?). The people at CSNStores.com (they also have a site called allbarstools.com) were kind enough to offer me a Deni Automatic Ice Cream Maker!! And the best part, I get to give one away as well! :)

Here's how to enter (US and Canadian readers only, SORRY!):
You can enter up to 4 times (no worries, there are no scavenger hunts involved, I will make this as painless as possible). I will use Random.org to pick a winner and will announce it one week from today (January 27th, 2010). Please leave one comment for each thing you do.

1. Leave a comment here and tell me your favorite ice cream flavor!

2. Post a link to this post on your blog and come back here letting me know you did so!

3. Tweet this post and come back here letting me know you did so!

4. Follow my blog and of course, leave a comment and tell me you did/do!

Easy, peasy, right? :) Now go check out the Stool and Houseware websites. I am in total need of dinning chairs! Believe it or not, we have been sitting on folding chairs for a year and half now! Eeek! :)

My Friday Night Date!

Hey All! I hope you had a great weekend! I am sure you are wondering who I had dinner at Candle79 with on Friday night...? Yup! Kris Carr and some other wonderful Crazy Sexy Life ladies!! From left to right: Michelle, Corrinne, Kris, Gena and I all met up for a lovely "Editorial Staff" dinner filled with love, chatting and yummy food! Kris even convinced me to do the hot pink in my hair again. More permanent this time. She has it and it looks awesome. Maybe my next hair appointment, we will see! Anyway, these ladies are fabulous! What wonderful energy and kind sweet souls! I am still on a happy high from this night!

In less exciting news, on Saturday T and I had lunch at Whole Foods. I had a fruit salad of blueberries, strawberries and mango. I also had some guacamole with raw crackers again. This has become my favorite new lunch at Whole Foods.
Saturday night we had some friends over and I drank my usual Kombucha. But when I woke up Sunday morning I felt like I had been drinking something a lot harder! Mostly due to lack of sleep this weekend. So I brightened myself up with a green smoothie! I had ordered some Sun Warrior protein last week and added it to this smoothie along with kale, peaches, bananas, coconut milk, spirulina, green powder, chia, flax and hemp seeds. Needless to say, this perked me right up!
I kept the trend going and had a smoothie for lunch as well. This one was filled with cranberries, blueberries, banana, kale, spirulina, aloe vera juice, hemp seeds and coconut milk. Perfect!
So, 2 weeks from today I will be 26 years old. Usually, birthdays and getting older does not bother me, but for some reason being on the other side of 25 is making think! I don't feel like this is an old age at all! In fact, I will still think I am young when I am 80! I just feel like the years are going by tooooo fast! Feels like my 20's are flying and I want to cherish every second of every year! How do you feel about getting older and age?

A week from today T will be 28! Eeek! ;)

Gardenia Love

Happy Friday!! I have a fun weekend ahead. Tonight I am so excited because I am going to Candle79 with some really special, awesome people. You will have to wait until Monday to find out who! :)

Anyway, T brought me home a new gardenia plant this week! I had one for over a year, but when we were at my in laws, for 4 days, at Christmas, and left the heat off, the poor thing couldn't take it and died. I was so sad, but T was kind enough to surprise me with a new one! Here is Ginger checking it out..I haven't posted a picture of my co-op box is awhile. I still get one every other Thursday, I just always forget to take pictures. This one has onions, apples, mushrooms, Florida avocados, starfruit, grape tomatoes, red grapefruit, broccoli, carrots, Swiss chard, a cucumber, lettuce and bananas.
Here is the bag of greens (lettuce and Swiss chard).
I dove right and grabbed the only rip star fruit and sliced it up. This are amazing!

And finally, a picture of the lovely flower already in bloom on my gardenia.

Have a nice weekend! :)

My Insides are Smiling!

Happy Wednesday All!

Yesterday I completed a green smoothie/green juice cleanse! I followed my own guidelines and took a much needed break for my stomach. All day I just had green smoothies with lots of super-foods and green juices. I also had some coconut water, lemon and cayenne in warm water and teas. I feel super today!

To back track before the cleanse, I made Gena's Raw Falafel with her Tangy Tahini Sauce! These were delicious! I just love falafel and even more raw! I made this green smoothie during my cleanse. This was kale, pineapple, papaya, peaches, coconut milk, goji berries, hemp, flax and chia seeds and spirulina.
Sorry to skip around a bit.. I made this for dinner one night: a gluten free tortilla wrap topped with black beans and Daiya cheddar, heated in the oven until the cheese is melted, then I topped it with avocado and salsa! YUM! Guiltless dinner, that felt a lot less healthy then it was. HA HA!
During my cleanse I enjoyed some Sleepy-time tea that I got at Trader Joes in my new snowman mug! Isn't he cute? My neighbors gave him to us along with Santa Claus one for Christmas. They also gave us some other non-vegan goodies that T enjoyed! I love how these mugs have "tops" so your tea stays hot when you aren't drinking it!
Another lovely smoothie I enjoyed was: blueberries, kale, cranberries, bananas, coconut milk, chia, flax, and hemp seeds and spirulina. Lafayette (my Vitamix) is working his magic!
I had to add a picture of my little sleepy head. When we took her out of bed this morning to feed her, she snuggled up and I covered her with the blanket. Next time I came over, she looked like this..

Have a nice day everyone! XO!

Full Speed Ahead!

Hey Everyone!! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I sure did! Avatar was fantastic!!! T and I really enjoyed it and now I am waiting for Alice in Wonderland to come out in 3D in March! Anyone else see that preview before Avatar? Looks awesome!

Anyway, to go back a little, on Friday T was working out of town again and went to my favorite health food store and brought me home this..Kris Carr on the cover of Get Fresh Magazine!!! When he went for me the other day, I forgot to tell him to grab it for me (they are the only place that I know that carries Get Fresh!). So he went back on Friday and surprised me! Love it!

Also on Friday, I was surprised and ecstatic to see my Whole Foods was carrying Daiya Cheese now!!! Daiya is widely talked about in the "Blog World" as being the most fabulous imitation cheese ever. The ingredients aren't filled with yucky unpronounceable things and the taste is delicious! No soy, wheat, gluten, eggs, dairy, corn, casein, barely, nuts. Free of everything that is associated with allergies. **Here are the ingredients: Purified water, tapioca and/or arrowroot flours, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and/or non-GMO expeller pressed safflower oil, coconut oil pea protein, salt, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, natural flavors (derived from plants), xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, vegan enzymes (no animal rennet or animal enzymes), vegan bacterial cultures, citric acid (for flavor), annatto.** We bought the cheddar and had it with broccoli, peas, and brown rice! YUMMY! This is a nice treat once in awhile, but since I am not a fan of cheese anyway, I won't make it a staple in my diet.
On Saturday, we went to my favorite salad place for lunch. I got romaine, mushrooms, broccoli and olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Sunday for lunch we went to Whole Foods. I wanted to stay raw, and have something healthy so I got a fruit salad..
And some fresh made guacamole with raw crackers. Guacamole is my current obsession. I have some of this one left over to use on my kale salads this week.
On Sunday, I also started my vision board!! I still have to add more, but here it is for now. My goals are: Heal my crohn's, lose my 15 pounds of lingering steroid weight before I get pregnant, get pregnant, be healthy, more prayer and affirmations, stress and worry less, love myself, and more money (who doesn't want that?). Anyway, I also added a card that Kris Carr sent me (the peace sign), a Crazy Sexy Life sign because that is part of my heart, lots of pictures of raw foods, juices, smoothies and fruits, and some other words for inspiration. I will post another picture when it is done!
Last night, T wasn't feeling well and today he is home in bed pretty sick with a bad sore throat and congestion. So I made my Lemon Lentil Healing Soup. I can't get enough of this soup when I make it, so warming and comforting!

This month (and next) I have a lot of great things going on, and it all starts Friday! T's birthday is at the end of January and mine is the 1st of February (we are a week apart), so lots of fun things, and we are going to see HAIR! Also, my mother in law is taking us to Pure Food and Wine the first weekend of February for our birthday's and my brother in laws!! I will also be going to Candle 79 two times in the next month. So lots ahead! Can't wait! Have a nice day everyone!

Manifesting Good Things for 2010!

TGIF!! What a long week it was! Especially after a vacation week! Thankfully though, this week had many ups and some yummy meals! Last night we had an amazing chat on My Crazy Sexy Life. Special guest Teri Cole talked to us about vision boards, leaving crappy stuff in 2009 and creating great stuff for 2010! I am going to make my vision board this weekend. Do you have one? Teri also is the Crazy Sexy Life Coach for CSL, you can join her group if you are a member of MyCSL here! Great lady, great discussions, great forum! :)

Anyway, this week was filled with lots of smoothies! This one was Frozen Peaches, Frozen banana, Spirulina, Kale, Goji Berries, Coconut Milk, Hemp, Flax and Chia seeds.Of course I had a ton of green juice as well. This one was: Pears, Kale Stems, Romaine, Lemon, Yellow Squash.
More smoothie action: Mixed berries, Banana, Avocado, Spirulina, Flax, Hemp and Chia Seeds, Goji Berries, Coconut milk.
I also had my favorite raw meal: Rawcos!! I added some avocado, cherry tomatoes and olives. Yum! I ate VERY HIGH raw this week! Two days were almost 100%! Rawk on!
T was working out of town this week and was kind enough (after I begged him) to stop at my favorite health food store and pick me up a raw meal! He told me these looked the best. They are Raw Pizza Rolls!! Good choice, T! These were delicious! I even liked the raw marinara dipping sauce (I usually don't like raw tomato sauce). Yum, Yum, Yum!
Have a lovely weekend everyone! T and I are going to see Avatar in IMAX 3D! We are traveling a little just to go to an IMAX! I already bought our tickets! There is a vegan juice bar/cafe near the theater that also has a co-op downstairs, so we are going to grab dinner and some goodies there afterward! Stay warm! Brrrr!