Sweet Talk

I had a great weekend. Feeling the warmth and hearing echoes of these blessings still.

One decided high point of the weekend was driving out to Hollywood (with no traffic!) on Friday night to so listen to Ani Phyo talk about her new book. You can see a better picture of us than my own and read a little bit about the talk on her website. Ani is a radiant testament to a healthy, active lifestyle and I felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to connect with her in person. Her candor and insights about her own journey through raw food and beyond was inspiring. She discussed her latest volunteer endeavor with the Community Services Unlimited organization. She's bringing education and hands-on involvement with gardening and healthy food preparation to the children of underpriviledged communities. I'm happy to see so many wonderful people taking up the daunting task of starting at the schools to bring knowledge about healthy eating to all of our children.

She touched on the topics of probiotics, agave, moderation and above all, the importance of choosing whole, organic, locally grown fresh produce. At the end of the talk, once the books were signed and the pictures snapped, I had a chance to chat a bit with Ani about my own kids' food preferences and we both agreed that kids have a natural tendency to enjoy healthy food. In fact, we are all drawn to the bright and vibrant colors and the nourishment of fresh whole foods. Unfortunately, the louder colors and voices of marketing, along with the convenience and accessibilty of processed  food has cast a shadow over our farms and gardens. It is our priviledge and responsibility as parents and caring humans to make healthy choices available to all children.

I came away from the evening feeling inspired and grateful.

I can tell you first hand that her new book is outstanding. I sat up late paging through the recipes. She does an amazing job at simplifying the approach to raw food preparation and making it even more approachable and easy. The official release date is June 1st, but I believe that you can get advance copies at Book Soup, Erehwon and Au Lac if you're in Orange County. I woke up Saturday morning needing to rush out the door, so I chose her Super Cacao-Coconut Energizer for my morning smoothie and headed out for my Mindfulness Workshop at UCLA. More on that later.. the smoothie was delicious! It tasted like an indulgent morning treat -- rich, creamy and chocolate-y. I can't wait to try more recipes. Once I do, I'll report back.

Don't forget that tomorrow is the last Super Tuesday at the Co Op until further notice. The much-anticipated remodel is underway -- bigger and better things to come!

I'll leave you with a sweet picture of more of Garcia Farm's beautiful citrus and the cutest tomatoes I've ever seen! Jelly Bean Tomatoes that I picked up at the Mar Vista Farmers Market. They are perfectly ripe -- flavorful and oh-so-sweet. Best part? My daughter asked to have them for breakfast this morning. I wasn't going to say no to that!

Have a sweet week!