Archive for October, 2009

Class in Midway, part 1 of 2

by GSG Admin on October 13, 2009 in Raw Food with 3 Comments

I taught a class in Midway this week and will tell you more about it tomorrow, including about my accident two hours before the event. It was the most well organized class I’ve ever done thanks to Leslie, who put it together. She is amazing, one of those people who eat “high raw” and looks just like everyone WANTS to look: slender and lovely, younger than she is, pretty hair and skin, energetic, with a positive, sunny outlook on life.

Check out the lovely photos of CHOCOLATE BEET CAKE ( Ch. 11) and HOT PINK BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE ( Ch. 10) that event organizer Leslie made for the class. Her sister Katie is the amazing photographer. This is an email I got from Leslie the next day—check out Katie’s shutterfly link to see photos from the event. Email Leslie (see her address below) to get on her email list if you’d like to attend chef demos at the Zermatt , and my next class with them in January:

Robyn,

Your presentation yesterday was absolutely fabulous! You had the entire group on the edge of their chair the entire time. Many people said it went by so fast that they were wishing you could have continued on for another hour. Everyone that I have spoken to loved your class – I can’t thank you enough for coming to Midway and sharing your knowledge on this subject. I know you inspired many people to make some changes and think about food in a different way.

I have attached some pictures from the event. You really don’t notice that you kissed the pavement earlier that day. (Hope you have recovered without bruises). Here is the link if you want to see more of Katie’s photography [in general and more photos from the class]. http://katiedudleyphotography.shutterfly.com/

Last but not least, I would love to have you return in January to teach another class if this interests you. We would love to see you again at Zermatt. Keep it in mind. I wish you all the best!

Leslie Smoot: lesliesmoot@gmail.com

Sour Dough Bread/Kefir

by wingsofpeace on October 11, 2009 in Raw Food with 12 Comments

I think I might be doing something wrong with my sour dough starter that I bought from the source in the 12 steps book.

I feed and water it everyday and leave it in a jar on the counter. It has a real fermented smell. It forms a waters, bubbly layer each day. I finally had time to watch the video that came with it and she showed where hers had risen (which mine hasn’t) and mentioned that she pulled it out of the fridge. Did I mess this stuff up already? I followed the directions that were sent with it. On the directions is says you don’t have to refridgerate it unless you need it to rest and aren’t going to feed it everyday.

Can someone help me?

Also, I have a question about kefir. We don’t do cow’s milk in our home. I have been making almond milk for years now. My two youngest children and I have a sensitivity to cow’s milk. However, after reading the 12 steps book I hunted for local kefir grains, found them and have been using them ever since. My two little ones (2 and 3) are developing exema again on the backs of their arms and elbows. They didn’t have this before so I feel certain it’s the kefir. I make it with organic 2% cows milk. In our state it’s nearly impossible to find raw milk and I haven’t been able to locate goat milk even after lots of searching around.

I was hoping that it would not affect them like this (it has affected me at all) since the proteins are broken down in the fermenting process. Baby coconuts are not impossible to find, but they are not convienent. I can buy them at an Asian Market in a case of 9 for $15, but I have to drive about 30 minute to buy them. I don’t have an extra fridge to store them, so I couldn’t buy more than 1 box at a time.

Anyone have any suggestions? I want the health benefits, but don’t want the little bumps on the backs of their arms.

Thanks,
Kari

flu vaccine danger

by Robyn Openshaw on October 10, 2009 in Raw Food with 10 Comments

My (ridiculously gorgeous) boyfriend Craig got the H1N1 vaccine on Weds. He took his kids to a free clinic—he said it was pandemonium, with people wearing masks and all kinds of crazy stuff.

I could send you to Mike Adams’ (Health Ranger) or Joe Mercola’s sites to read a lot of fear mongering (or good cautionary advice, depending on how you look at it) about the flu vaccine and the H1N1 virus. That’s not my general purpose here, but I do want to say that my family will not be receiving that vaccine or any other.

My tenant and my son had H1N1 already and although for her, it lasted a month, for him it lasted 2 days. I would rather have the flu than the live or killed vaccine, as I trust our well nourished immune systems more than the scattershot effort at “prevention” currently masquerading as a “vaccine.”

Craig’s family got the live-virus nasal spray. You had to choose between the regular flu vaccine and the H1N1 or swine flu vaccine, because you have to have a month in between shots. Being new, the H1N1 vaccine is untested on humans, of course (that would be unethical, though ADMINISTERING it nationwide apparently isn’t). Mercola and Adams are reporting on a lawsuit and many problems resulting from an unacceptably high rate of people getting ill and having scary side effects. People getting the vaccine right now are the guinea pigs.

The day after getting the vaccine, Craig came home from work ill and is still feeling unwell as of this writing on Saturday.

The vaccine industry is part and parcel of the drug industry. Should drugs be an appropriate part of health care strategy? Yes, I believe so, if we were using them about 5 percent of the level that we currently are, for rare situations to save our lives. I wish we could roll back the clock to when penicillin was invented, knowing what we know now, so we could put that stuff under lock and key and give it only in dire, tested, bacterial-infection situations. I wish we could have M.D.s be empowered to study all the sciences that heal us and prevent disease, rather than focusing exclusively on drugs, technology, and surgery. I wish those who practice other modalities weren’t marginalized as pariahs in their field.

Don’t take my word for it. Please watch this 7-minute video by a veteran pharmaceutical rep called “Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher.” She’s talking about how the Rx industry is in the business of keeping you ill, not making you well, and how it dominates and controls much of what happens in “health care”:

GS Testimony

by Babydoll on October 8, 2009 in Raw Food with 5 Comments

In October 2008, I had some blood work done and my bad cholesterol was a little over the healthy range. I then became more careful of my diet and tried to exercise more. A couple of months later it had climbed 3 more points. During the middle of December 2008, I started drinking green smoothies, watching my diet and exercising more. Well, I had more blood work done in September 2009. My bad cholesterol had dropped 29 points and my total cholesterol dropped 37 points. I am thankful to God I am well within a healthy cholesterol range.

With reports like the one I received in September, I plan on being “green for life.”

bodybuilding and green smoothies, raw food

by GSG Admin on October 8, 2009 in Raw Food with 5 Comments

Dear GreenSmoothieGirl,

I just wanted to thank you so much for inspiring me to try your green smoothies. I am totally hooked on them and I’ve started to crave them as well. I feel so much better and energized. I just came off my contest season and I’m now in the off season and it takes me awhile for my body to adjust to adding in more foods, etc. The green smoothies have made it so much easier and I’m so glad. I’ve never eaten so many greens in my life. I, obviously, needed them after dieting for nine months this year and maintaining a 9% body fat percentage through my contests. I didn’t realize that the more green smoothies you consume the less you want animal products, meats especially. I have more of tendency to eat raw foods. My oldest daughter is a rawfoodist and she loves the green smoothies too. It makes it a lot easier for her to continued success with her own plan.

Also, I am a personal trainer and a lot of my clients are choosing to give the green smoothies a try and loving them. So, thanks again for your continued support. I hope to meet you in person in the future.

Talk soon,

Carmen Demske

www.myspace.com/sportskickinc.com

www.sportskickinc.com

Age 41

National Level Figure Competitor

Mother of 2: Catalina 17 and Maizee 15

September 2009

Could use some advice…

by wingsofpeace on October 8, 2009 in Raw Food with 9 Comments

I have been on my journey since July 27. At that time I started eating a raw food diet. I did this for about 5 weeks. I lost about 17 lbs. Then, I discovered greensmoothiegirl.com. I got the 12 Steps book and started living by this. I work out between 3-5 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour each time.
In the last 5 weeks, I have only lost 3 more lbs and have gone back up a few pounds here and there. To date I have lost 20 lbs in 10 weeks.
I know that this sounds like a good number, but I have been working so hard and eating so well that I just thought it would go faster. The first 5 weeks I lost 17 lbs and in the second 5 weeks I have only lost 3. Yes, the bigger picture of 20 lbs in 10 weeks looks good, but 3 lbs in 5 weeks is not good.
I would love some input!
With the exercise, I eat really well and drink lots of water. I drink a green smoothie nearly everyday. I am vegan with the exception of a cup of kefir nearly everyday. I eat a salad with ever dinner. What could I possibly be doing wrong??? I am tired of being stuck! I haven’t lost any weight in the last 3 weeks. I still have about 25 lbs to lose.

Thanks all!
Kari

we have ORGANIC almonds in the group buy now

by Robyn Openshaw on October 7, 2009 in Raw Food with 19 Comments

Just added a new item, ORGANIC almonds. You can get (with a 100 lb. minimum) regular shelled almonds for $3/lb. Or for $4/lb., you can get 50 lbs.

But now for $5/lb., we can get you ORGANIC, truly raw and unpasteurized almonds (from Spain–impossible to find from California). I have not seen these for less than $8/lb. anywhere.

I personally use regular almonds, and I soak them and discard the water before dehydrating. Your choice. You have to set your price point where you are comfortable based on your budget, paying for organic. My own personal price point is that I’m willing to pay up to 50% more.

Please note the dried apricots and shredded coconut in the store are now ORGANIC and unsulphured.

New Yorkers are nice, and GSG.com just tells the truth

by Robyn Openshaw on October 5, 2009 in Raw Food with 20 Comments

My daughter and I just had a big laugh this morning. She fulfills book orders for me of The Green Smoothies Diet. If you get the book, you’ll see her 14-y.o. handwriting on your package (but the autograph is mine, LOL!).

She just walked into my office and said, “That lady who asked for two free books because she’d already bought 12 Steps and then bought a blender, is so nice! We didn’t hear back from her so I didn’t send her the books, but a month has gone by and her email, reminding us, is so nice. I thought New Yorkers were mean, but she isn’t!”

I said, “Yeah, she is, and plenty of New Yorkers are very nice. And actually, people everywhere who read our site are actually THE BEST, even when we screw something up.” (I love that my daughter gets to do customer service and learn that people are lovely all over the world.)

But then I remembered a notable exception and told my daughter. A woman took the nutrition quiz on the site, which admittedly has a high bar. If you haven’t taken it, here you go:

http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/quiz/nutrition-quiz/

Those on my site who are already well down the path of getting away from the S.A.D. do well on it. Those who are newbies but feeling good about the fact that they are making a first step or two—quitting the coffee habit, starting green smoothies after a lifetime of S.A.D.—are sometimes frustrated by it. Sometimes they want to be told they get an “A” for those first steps.

But one woman wrote me recently and screamed, “I eat better than my co-workers and I got an F on your quiz! AN F!!! Fix your stupid quiz!” Well, I wrote her back a nice email. She wrote a week later and said, “I just looked at your quiz again and you haven’t changed anything! F*** YOU, GREENSMOOTHIEGIRL!”

Anyway, Emma and I ROFLOBO. That’s internet/text-speak for Rolled On The Floor Laughing Our Butts Off. (It’s the nice Mormon version of the more standard ROFLMAO.)

Please don’t have your feelings hurt because my bar is high here. Don’t slash your wrists if you get a bad score on the GSG quiz. We’ve strayed so far from good nutrition like billions of indigenous people have eaten for thousands of years, that the comparison (like what’s on my quiz) can be SHOCKING. If knowing what a phenomenal, disease-preventing diet looks like will upset you, please DON’T take the quiz and just start with Step 1 and enjoy the journey.

If I gave my college students an A for high-school writing, no one would try to write outstanding upper-division papers worthy of an elite business school at an outstanding university. That’s where you are if you’re reading this blog/site: I’m teaching you elite nutrition—on a budget for busy people.

I could certainly tell you a bunch of raw-food sites to go to, where the bar is HIGHER.

But this is, in fact, a high-bar kinda place. If I could find a way to TRUTHFULLY tell you that much of anything about the Standard American Diet is good, I would! You’d certainly love me more. (Ditto letting my kids sit around here watching TV without responsibilities—they’d think I’m nice, and fun, but my parenting would be lousy! It’s not going to happen.)

I’m going to just tell you the truth here at GSG. Unvarnished and plain though it may be.

co-op organizing is fun and rewarding

by Robyn Openshaw on October 3, 2009 in Raw Food with 6 Comments

Here’s an email I got yesterday.

Dear GreenSmoothieGirl:

I am taking your advice on getting a small health food co-op going in my local area. I thought I might could round up 10 or 15 people that would show some interest. However, we are now up to 50!!!

One thing I noticed on your website is that you only have orders once a year? My group is beginning to ask questions about how often we will be able to order. So, this is a question I need to ask since I am sure this will affect the amount we order this time around. How often can I place an order?

This is such a fabulous idea and I had no idea there would be such a demand for it in our area! I am really excited! It’s actually attracted so much attention and folks are asking for produce and other items (such as grains and legumes). So, my husband and I are looking to expand.

By the way, I saw you are making an affiliate program. I am so interested in this since all I do is sing the praises of your 12 Step book! When are you planning on doing this???

Answer: Thanks for your support of GreenSmoothieGirl.com and my efforts to educate people and flatten the learning curve towards a healthy, whole foods lifestyle. I’m thrilled that you’re finding lots of people interested in the great deals on high-nutrition items to have in your pantry. Remember Sally’s comment, which parallels my experience: every time you do a buy, your list will double.

We have done the group buy once a year, each of the past three years. This year is a much bigger undertaking, with many more products available and a longer window to order (60 days). I don’t know if we’ll do it more than once a year, so I don’t dare promise. Tell your folks to order based on these items being available just once a year. Our main problem in a second buy would be obtaining enough raw almonds, because once the growers declare them to the almond board, they are pasteurized. So getting in as the crop is harvested is helpful. I will evaluate the situation based on supply and demand when we close this one, after Nov. 30.

You can place as many orders as you want in this once-annual event. But unless each order is 1,100 lbs. or more, you won’t be getting the best shipping rate. So consider that as you plan.

You asked about the affiliate program. For those who don’t know what that is, you’re assigned a unique GreenSmoothieGirl.com URL, and anyone you send through that link tracks to you, so you’re paid commission on any purchases they make. We’ll have a link to get your own GSG business cards. The program is so that BlendTec or VitaMix Costco demo folks, naturopaths, M.D.s, chiropractors, clinic owners, mom bloggers, or health site owners can refer people to GSG and earn money doing so. We have done absolutely zero advertising in the 2 years since I put the site up, so growth of GSG and 12 Steps has been totally organic, word-of-mouth. Those who are referring people here already might as well be paid to do so.

I have a list of people who have expressed interest, and I will notify y’all via email when we kick it off. That will be as soon as we have the expanded 12 Steps course manufactured and ready: printed and bound steps and recipes, journal, demo DVDs, audio CDs. That way if you are building a business around health, you have a more substantial product to earn a commission on. This should happen in the next month.

Vitamineral™ Green

by Phil on October 1, 2009 in Raw Food with 9 Comments

Robyn,
How does this product fit in to the Total Health Profile?
See you in San Diego!

Archive for October, 2009

Class in Midway, part 1 of 2

Sour Dough Bread/Kefir

flu vaccine danger

GS Testimony

bodybuilding and green smoothies, raw food

Could use some advice…

we have ORGANIC almonds in the group buy now

New Yorkers are nice, and GSG.com just tells the truth

co-op organizing is fun and rewarding

Vitamineral™ Green

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Treatments and testing at Oasis Irvine….part 5 of 7

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