Vol. 3, Issue 64, September 25, 2009

From the Desk of the Diva

This is my mom. She is BEAUTY-FULL! I wrote a letter to her on the blog this week, and if you didn't get the chance to check it out, it's worth taking a peek. From now on every Monday, I'll be writing a letter to my mom--and to all moms out there. I also want to welcome our newest blogging beauty, Mary Delasantos to the blog. She's going to be whipping out recipes and nutritional info regularly. You can check out her latest entry about a meal fit for a man here.

Last night was my first live workshop—a deliciously intimate opportunity to touch and be touched by the lives of other BE-YOU-tiful people about there! Thanks so much to all who came and those who sent their love across the miles wishing me well. We’ll be posting a lot more LIVE events on our calendar, so stay tuned.
This week’s issue of Health in High Heels, with a focus on beauty, comes just in time for a weekend of putting up your feet and pampering yourself. As for the “beast” mentioned in the title, well, our sweet Monkey Mike is still capturing the hearts of little ones with his un-cookbook and we're thrilled about the response we've been getting!

Autumn is here, and the seaon is ripe for detox and cleansing before we settle in to winter. You'll start hearing more about our 6-Week Deep Tissue Detox coming up in October! While it seems a bit early to say this, the holidays are coming. Here in Canada,Thanksgiving weekend is just around the corner. In honor of our true, north, strong and free divas out there, we've included some fresh, new alternatives to old holiday habits. We've got a mock turkey and zingy cranberry sauce by Angela Elliott.
At the end of a busy week, I’m left basking in the serenity of being and sending you peaceful thoughts across the miles. Enjoy your weekend and may you make the time and take the time to do the things you really want to do for yourself.

Love,
Tera

In this week's issue:

Feature Article: "Raw Experts Beauty Secrets Revealed!" by Joanna Steven

Feature Article: "The Wonder Of Aloe Vera on The Skin!" by Tracey Neely

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Meet the BEAST!

He'll Steal the Hearts of Your Little Ones!

Recipes of the Week: "Turkey" Without The Bird

by Angela Elliott

Note: This recipe calls for a dehydrator, but it can be prepared without one.

Ingredients:

2 cups walnuts
2 cups almonds
1 Tbs. unpasteurized Miso
2 Tbs. fresh sage, minced
2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, minced
2 Tbs. fresh thyme, minced
¼ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
6 stalks celery, minced
1 cup fresh parsley sprigs for garnish
Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In a food processor, process herbs and powdered garlic. Add nuts and
miso and process again. Remove and add to a bowl and add onion and
celery. Mold into a turkey shape. Dehydrate at a low temperature of 100
degrees for about 16 hours (8 hours on one side and 8 hours on the other
and teflex sheet removed) hours and then place on a beautiful platter and
garnish with parsley.

Cranberry Sauce Extraordinaire

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh cranberries
Juice of one orange
3 ripe Hichiya persimmons (about 1 lb total)
1 cup dates
Add a small amount of water for consistency

Directions:
Process cranberries, orange, persimmons, and dates in a blender and
serve.

For more amazing recipes, please check out Alive in Five and The Simple Gourmet.

What's Turkey and Cranberry Sauce

Without the Mashed Potatoes?

Make Your Holidays Healthy!

Canadians, CLICK HERE for your Thanksgiving menu planner.

Raw Experts' Beauty Secrets Revealed!

by Joanna L Steven

Moisturizing exotic oils, edible lotions that smell like a flower garden, and cleansers that are as gentle on us as they are on the environment... Raw divas can have it all. We can be girly and pretty, and still care for our health and the environment by using eco-friendly, cruelty-free and effective beauty products.

Raw food experts are often known for their glow and flawless skin, and so we interviewed 5 of them to get all the details. Which brand do they love the most? And what product, while not necessarily considered a cosmetic, is their beauty secret?

Kristen Suzanne of Kristen's Raw

In her photos and videos, Kristen always glows. We knew she'd be a good choice for the article, since she tries hard to exclude any harsh chemicals from her house but still wants products that work. When asked about her favorite beauty line, Kristen said: “My favorite line of makeup and face care is from 100% Pure. Most of their products are vegan, the rest vegetarian. The colors are made with extracts of organic fruits and vegetables. Amazing stuff. I love it!” She particularly loves their Lavender Cleanser, Pineapple Enzyme Mask, and Tomato Face Cream, but also uses their line of make-up products, such as the Fruit Vanilla Sugar Eye Shadow which “makes [her] eyes sparkle”, and their “Cocoa Bronzer which is a must have in [her] make-up drawer”.

“They have many other great things that I've tried, although they're not vegan, they're vegetarian. For example, the lip colors, eye pencils, and the mascara. Everything stays put all day, which is so important to me. And, I love that the mascara doesn't smell like chemicals. It actually smells good!”

Like many raw vegans, Kristen also loves to add edible ingredients to her beauty routine. “I love using rose water on my face with an organic cotton ball to act as a toner. You can buy rose water online and at most Middle Eastern Stores. It's delightfully refreshing and smells wonderful. I also use a clay mask that requires water to mix it... I use rose water for this instead of plain water.”

*** Kristen Suzanne, owner of KristensRaw.com, is an accomplished raw vegan chef, author, and teacher with a passion for helping people get started and succeed with the raw food diet. She’s been studying nutrition, fitness, and food preparation for over ten years. Kristen is the author of eleven raw vegan recipe and lifestyle books, and maintains her popular blog.

Tonya Kay

As an animal activist and clean, green machine, we knew Tonya Kay would not compromise her ideals for non cruelty-free items, or unsustainable choices. Indeed, she shared that “My favorite beauty product is Alima Pure Mineral Cosmetics. I personally, am not a fan of wearing make up at all. One of my most beautiful assets, after all, is my glow and make up, in general, just covers that beauty up, I feel. BUT my job performing in film and television is make up intensive. I wear make up for auditions, interviews, meetings and then on the shoot - and shoots last 12 hours or more, on a set with hot, harsh lights, under the scrutiny of a high definition camera that picks up every pore.

I used to just let the make up artists use whatever they preferred in their kit on my face until I realized that most of their cosmetic kits were making my skin break out and my eyes red and watery. That's not a good sign of toxicity. And forget about being cruelty-free! I researched long and hard to find Alima Pure Mineral Cosmetics. They are vegan, cruelty-free and offer a used container recycling incentive.
But best of all, this female-owned company provides cosmetics that hold up under even the longest studio shoot days and are gentle on my skin, allowing me to glow as I do naturally when the cosmetics are off.”

And what about that time of the month, which many women dread? “Another female owned company, Luna Pads provides organic cotton menstrual panties and pads because there is nothing worse for a woman than feeling ugly during her period. I personally do not want bleached, unnatural products near my most precious parts and I certainly don't want my femininity to contribute to heaps of landfill waste every month. Luna Pads are washable panties, with a space for removable pads secure enough for me to take dance classes and Bikram yoga wearing. And the organic cotton is so natural, I feel like celebrating my womanhood every time I menstruate."

Tonya Kay is also an adept of dry brushing: “A quick brushing first thing every morning removes unneeded skin cells and encourages my skin to do what it does best - grow, glow and replace itself. A brushing also brings blood to the skin surface. And the blood carries all the oxygen and nutrients my skin needs to stay healthy. Plus, that stimulation in the mornings really wakes me up and feels good, which is really what the skin is for :-) ”

*** Tony Kay is an actress, pro dancer, danger artist and raw food renegade. This year she has been seen on NBC's Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Showtime's Live Nude Comedy, and the History Channel's More Extreme Marksmen. Look for Tonya Kay this October playing a reoccurring role on the new Comedy Central series Secret Girlfriend. In November, this pop culture icon will star in the comic book series Tarot: WIich Of The Black Rose. Tonya Kay is a business owner Happy Mandible Info in her spare time. To find out how Tonya Kay stays in tip top raw athletic shape, read the Raw Nutritional Analysis eBooks. For more info on her upcoming appearances, visit Tonya Kay.

Angela Stokes

Looking at Angela's pictures, most people immediately notice her smooth, soft-looking skin and silky hair. She readily agreed to share her secrets. For her hair, Angela uses “Soignee MSM Shampoo/Conditioner - the BEST hair products I've ever found anywhere!” Soignee MSM shampoo contains no sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, methylparaben, propylparaben, alcohols, chemical foaming agents or preservatives, and is hypoallergenic.

And what is the secret behind her radiant skin? It's not a fancy cream or a special lotion, but simply something we can all do in our own kitchen: “Greeeeeeeeeen juices - nothing helps the skin shine more from the inside-out ;)”. One of her preferred juice contains “celery, cucumber, apple and ginger”. You can see many videos of Angela on YouTube, demonstrating how to make green juices with or without a green juicer.

*** Angela lost an amazing 160lbs with a raw lifestyle, reversing morbid obesity. Her website, Raw Reform shares her remarkable story, along with inspiration for others through videos, before/after pictures and blogs. Angela offers books, consultations and lectures internationally. Her book ‘Raw Emotions’ explores raw transformations beyond the physical level.

Sarma Melngailis

The beautifully radiant Sarma Melnailis found it very easy to pick a non-branded beauty product, and immediately mentioned coconut oil. “I LOVE coconut butter.... I use it as makeup remover, put it all over after showering as lotion, rub it on my feet before I get into bed, put it on my face before bed in the winter, lip balm, use it to shave, and my boyfriend uses it to give me coco-foot rubs, or back massages. MMmmmmm. And it's also known to be good for sex. I mean, I'd know nothing about that, of course. Haha. My cats love it too... they lick it off my shins after I put it on when I'm out of the shower. AND it's amazing in shakes!!! Add a big tablespoon full to a pineapple and strawberry shake... SO GOOD.”

Her other food-based beauty secret is aloe vera juice. “I love aloe vera juice...somehow I feel like when I add aloe vera juice to my morning juices, it does good things for my appearance. I can't know for sure, but it just feels that way.”

As for specific beauty products, Sarma loves to use Bee Yummy.

“It's especially good in the summer time when you don't want to be oily... it feels really healing. I also always put it all over the top of my back and chest... those places where sometimes you get little blemishes! And I swear it keeps it all clear. Love this product. Good for guys too!”

*** Sarma Melngailis, proprietor and co-founder of NYC raw restaurant Pure Food and Wine, is harvesting her many talents and varied life-experience towards realizing her vision: presenting raw food and the raw lifestyle as accessible and fun, thereby increasing the appeal of living healthier to the largest possible audience. Sarma is the founder and CEO of One Lucky Duck Holdings, LLC which operates the online boutique One Lucky Duck. Sarma spent 5 years working in investment banking and private equity before she left to attend culinary school. A few years later she found her way to raw food. She is 37 years old and lives in NYC with her two (raw) cats and her boyfriend of 2 years.

Joanna Steven

Joanna Steven, having been plagued by acne well past her teenage years prior to going raw, is always on the lookout for the gentlest yet most effective natural beauty product. Her favorite moisturizer, which has the double advantage of leaving her skin blemish free and hydrated, is Spectrum Natural organic coconut oil. “The first time I opened a jar of coconut oil, I was amazed at how delicious it smelled. I now use coconut oil on my face and body to moisturize, in my shakes for added creaminess, on the tip of my hair when it feels a little dry, and on my lips instead of a lip gloss. I used to spend so much on beauty products, but now, all I need is a jar of coconut oil. And when I travel, it's great to only have to pack a single beauty product!”

Her other skin beautifying product, and her daily addiction, is leafy greens. “Soon after I wake up, I head to the kitchen to make at least 3 cups of green juice. I feel that green juices are very cleansing, and they make me feel amazing. I also always have a daily salads, and try to have a daily green smoothie as well. If I have time to make kale chips, it's even better. It doesn't matter if I look flawless. If I don't feel good inside, I will feel ugly anyway. Leafy greens help me glow and feel my best, and it really shows on the outside. My favorite green juices contain romaine lettuce, cucumber, kale, apples, lemon and lots and lots of ginger. When I remember, I cut off a piece of an aloe vera plant that I keep in the kitchen, and I throw that in the blender too. I then strain everything through a nut milk bag. It's quick, inexpensive, and it's super easy to clean up.”

*** Joanna Steven is the co-author with Tonya Kay of the first ever Raw Vegan Nutritional Analysis eBooks, detailing Tonya Kay's complete diet and nutritional intake in the Fall and Spring. Her latest article was published in the May '09 issue of Get Fresh! and she is currently a writer for the Raw Divas and Raw Mom websites. She regularly updates her blog with easy and tasty recipes, as well as the results of her ongoing research on the healthfulness of the raw food diet.

"Mirror, Mirror on the wall..."

Close Your Eyes, Diva.

You Don't Need a Mirror.

Beauty Starts on the Inside.

Be Yourself.

Authenticity is Your Best Beauty Secret.

The Wonders of Aloe Vera on the Skin

Healthy Meals in Minutes.

A Busy Mom's Dream Come True!

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