Living light in Fort Bragg

I'm finishing up my second week at the Living Light Culinary Institute in Fort Bragg and I already feel like it's a second home.  We had another amazing week at school packed full of new information and learning opportunities.  I'm coming back to Indianapolis ready to impart my newfound "raw" wisdom.  I'm so excited to share what I've learned and help people take the healthier path and feel more alive than they ever have. 
Stay tuned for information on how to take my first raw food class!

Last Saturday and Sunday, we took The Science of Raw Food Nutrition course.  I was excited to take this part of my training but had NO IDEA how informative and enlightening it would be.  Our instructors, the Dinas, did an amazing job of explaining the relationship of food with our bodies.  All I have to say is WOW.  I can't wait to share what I've learned when I get back to Indianapolis.

Monday, we learned how to make raw Vietnamese Salad Rolls, Asian-Style Wild Rice and Not Tuna Pate.  Here's a picture of the pate (a parody of tuna salad and tastes very similar - but even better in my opinion).  Our group got just a little creative with our design :)

Tuesday was raw candy day.  On the list for the day was truffles and fudge.  Carmel, dark chocolate and almond joy...mmm...

Wednesday we made Lemon Tartlets.  I'm a chololate girl - but this is my favorite dessert we've made so far.  So bright in flavor, light and satisfying - and so cute!  I will definitely be making these for the holidays :)

Thursday was a huge learning experience for me.  Each team created an orignial appetizer recipe from someone in their group.  My recipe was chosen and it didn't work out the way I had imagined.  I don't know why I thought pine nuts and tahini would mix well together in the Vitamix blender.  To make a long story short - they don't mix well at all and my Greek Island Zucchini Boats, well, sunk.  But that's okay!  I'm here to learn and boy did I learn a few things this day :)  So, here are a few beautiful appetizers from the other groups :)

We catered a 4 course dinner for ourselves and some guests (36 people all together) on Friday night, which was a really cool experience.  This is a picture of my team, which was responsible for the gazpacho - they're putting on the finishing touches - parsley and seasoned sunflower seeds.

It was a great week, finished off by a relaxing weekend.  Fort Bragg is a beautiful town on the coast so I am lucky enough to take my morning runs and afternoon bike rides right along the water.  Here are a few pictures of my beautiful views.  Enjoy!

View from bike trail Saturday afternoon

Morning Run

Thank you for reading :)  Ciao! 

Life is RAWsome

Wow. I don't really know where to begin! I've finished my first week of my three week Associate Chef culinary training at the Living Light Culinary Institute and it's been nothing short of amazing. The students in my class are all so unique and beautiful - inside and out. The experience of being in a place with so many like-minded people learning about how to nourish our body and minds with raw food is the experience of a lifetime for me.


So our first day (Monday) after orientation and a delicious green smoothie for breakfast, we were off to the kitchen for our first hands-on projects, where we learned to make raw granola, a garden blend soup and almond cheese. Then after our mid-morning green drink, we made flax crackers, cabbage kraut and black forest cherry brownies. Yes, brownies, people, and they were gooooood! Later we made veggie sushi and started our seed sprouting project. That was just our first day :) Below is a picture of the lunch we had - all raw of course. Doesn't it look fantastic?!

Tuesday was a packed day too but my favorite part of the day was making the raw apple pecan pie with Rebecca and Simone.  We were short two people (the other teams had 5) but we did great!

Here are some of the other pies - beautiful!

Wednesday was our "light" day where we ate all fruits and veggies - no nuts or fats.  It was a nice change from all the eating we were doing.  Can I just say again how great the green smoothies are that we have for breakfast?  I will definitely be making these for my friends, clients and customers when I get back to Indianapolis. They are so nutritious, full of energy to start the day and so easy to make.

Thursday was Mexican day.  My favorite flavors we've made so far.  Check it out.  Ya, that's a raw taco...

Friday was my birthday!  And my roomate Lauren's birthday too - how crazy and cool is that?!  Living Light must have known because we made cheesecake :)  A raw version of traditional cherry cheesecake - beautiful.

More than anything, it is so exciting to taste these wonderful dishes and learn how easy and satisfying it is to eat a living/raw food diet.  When you begin adding whole foods into your diet and eating less processed foods and fast food, you are filling your body with living energy - how bad can that be?  :)  

Stay tuned for more to come!

The rAw journey begins...

Well, after two flights and a four and a half hour drive up the coast, I finally made it to Fort Bragg California! My drive here was really too awesome to put into words. There's something about taking a trip and driving for hours by yourself that is so freeing and even healing in a way. When it's scenery as beautiful as the Northern California coast, it's just plain exhilarating.



I've completed the first two days of my 20 day Assistant Chef Certification program at the Living Light Culinary Institute and love every minute. My class is 31 people large and is full of cool people from all over the world - brought together by raw food. Some of us plan to use what we learn to teach classes or be a chef; some are here because they want to help heal a chronic health condition and some want to learn how to create and feed their families healing, beautiful food.

So, why am I here? I'm integrating the knowledge and skills I gain from my experience at Living Light into my holistic practice and offering chef services and nutritional therapy to my clients. I am super excited to bring some raw offerings to the Earth House Collective. Right now, my business, Be Bliss, offers fresh, organic and deliciously raw fruit and vegetable juice to Jenxie's Earth House Cafe. Visit Jenxie's for the After Glow Juice - apple/pear/lemon/ginger...sooo delicious and nutritious :)  Starting in November, Be Bliss will offer a juice bar at the Earth House as well a few mornings a week.  The bar will offer a variety of delicious fresh, organic juices.  More details to come :)

Thank you for reading (this is my first blog) and stay tuned as I post more about my raw food experience at Living Light! 

Namaste

Ready, Set, ....... Not Yet :)

Almost, but not quite time.  Only two more days until I depart for San Franciso and the final steps in my raw food certification course!