Raw Foods Diet & Raw Food Weight Loss Blog

Wow, who knew so much work goes into meeting up with people all across the country?! It’s going to all be worth it, though, to meet so many of you!! Below are the definite meetups happening. There are more being planned that we’ll share once things are finalized. If you don’t see your town/city here, but it’s on our list of places we’ll be visiting, maybe you’d like to help us put together a little gathering? If so, just let us know! We’ll be updating later next week with a more finalized plan for the trip and various meetups taking place.

• PORTLAND, OR: February 25, a small meetup will happen around 2pm at the Blossoming Lotus restaurant!
   
• CORVALLIS, OR: February 28, meeting local unschoolers at the Sunnyside Up Cafe at 1pm! Thanks, Jon Gold, for organizing this gathering for us!
   
• SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA: March 13, Wendi giving a talk at the meetup group, @6pm. See here for details.
     
• SANTA ROSA/SEBASTOPOL, CA: March 10, raw food potluck meetup and talk, 7-9 pm. (North Bay Living Foods Community)
   
• LOS ANGELES, CA: March 14, raw food meetup at Cru (raw restaurant), at 5:30 pm! Thanks to Debbie Young for organizing this! (Space limited, so RSVPs will be necessary.)
   
• TULSA, OK:  On Saturday, March 27, at noon, the biggest event of the trip is being organized by the lovely Penni Shelton! This will be a Raw Food Rehab Spring Celebration where Wendi will be sharing her story and answering questions. All are welcome, but you must RSVP to attend the event. Please consider attending this event, as it’s going to be great fun! You can find details and a way to RSVP through this link.
   
• CHICAGO, IL:  On Thursday, April 1, at 7:00 p.m., Wendi will be speaking at Whole Foods in Hinsdale, IL (Chicago area). Details on the Downers Grove Meetup site, here.

Healthy raw food snacks for this cross-country tour have been sponsored by the amazing Jeff and Helen Rose of Natural Zing! If you’re planning your own trip, or simply enjoy raw snack foods, be sure to visit their amazing online store (it’s Pure Jeevan’s favorite source for raw food supplies!).

Announcing:  Pure Jeevan’s Halloween Raw Pot Luck – A Costume Party for All Ages!!

When:  October 31, 2009, 6:00 p.m. – ???

Where:  Wendi and Jim’s home – 31 Hillman Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15227 (Google map)

Details:  Wear your costume and bring a raw food dish to share (enough for at least 6 – 8 people) and be prepared to have a howling good time!  If anyone has kids who would like to trick-or-treat, feel free to arrive around 5:30 p.m. to get a good head start on the neighborhood action (expect sugary, non-raw, traditional Halloween fare if you’re trick-or-treating).

Questions, etc? Email Jim — Rawdiant [at] Gmail.com, Google Map Link

Please R.S.V.P.!  Hope to see you here!!! We’ll be in costume (it’s a tradition we never miss). Wendi, the Gypsy, will be reading fortunes, so don’t miss this opportunity, as she only does this once per year, and she’s eerily accurate!

Hi everyone!  We wanted to announce plans for a raw food picnic / potluck / meetup next Saturday, September 19th, at noon, in Berkeley Springs, WV at Berkeley Springs State Park (link to map), a wonderful natural healing destination about half-way between Pittsburgh and D.C. Wendi was just talking with Rawbin from the Capital Area (D.C.) raw food meetup and we all thought that a combo Pittsburgh / D.C. meetup might be fun. So, we all planned something right on the spot!

Berkeley Springs is a really nice (but small) public park in West Virginia about half-way between Pittsburgh and D.C. I traveled there a few weeks back with Melissa, Dave, Ella, and Bethany on the way to Raw Spririt East. We had a super time soaking in the spring water and checking out all of the cool alternative shops. (I did a write-up here on Pure Jeevan a few weeks ago and posted some video of the place). 

All are welcome… not only from the Pittsburgh and D.C. meetup groups, but anyone who wants to join in!  If you love fresh spring water, remember to also bring some jugs / bottles so that you can load up on this awesome, healing H2O (all for free!).
 
BTW, I didn’t register or anything with Berkeley Springs State Park. So, this is all unofficial as far as they’re concerned. But it’s a public park, and seems amenable to people gathering and having picnics, so all should be fine. Bring a raw vegan dish to feed 6-8 people, please, as it’ll be a potluck!
 
Hope 2 C U there!!!
-Jim & Wendi
 
ps The park has wi-fi, too.

If you are in the Pittsburgh area this weekend, you are in for a real treat! Rhio will be visiting with us and she’ll also be meeting with others during her two-part presentation for the Pittsburgh Raw Food Meetup on Saturday. You don’t have to be a member of the meetup to enjoy this presentation. Below is information about the event you won’t want to miss!

Two-Part Presentation by Rhio includes Dinner
author of Hooked on Raw
Saturday, May 30, 2009 – 5:00 PM – $20.00
Vault Coffee & Tea Bar, 3619 California Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
RSVP: Janet McKee 724.417.6695 or janetmckee@netscape.net

1) Learn how to make yogurt out of nuts and seeds.
Dairy products contain casein which breaks down in the body to casomorphin, an opioid peptide with addictive qualities… that is why giving up dairy can be hard for some people. Rhio demonstrates how easy it is to make yogurt out of nuts and seeds with tastings of the yogurt and generous tastings of a coleslaw made with the yogurt.

2) Genetically Engineered Foods Explained in Plain Language
In this talk, you will learn the who, what, why, where and how of GE issues. You will also learn what other countries have done to protect their citizens and the environment, and what we can do here to get the same protections and rights. At least 70% of all GE foods are grown in the US, with Canada and Argentina making up most of the balance at this time. The food fight of the century began in the US and what happens here will be pivotal to defeating this technology worldwide.

Recently the results of some long-term feeding studies commissioned by the Austrian Government confirmed that genetically modified corn seriously affects reproductive health in mice. Advocates fighting against the proliferation of GMOs into the open environment have long warned about the infertility link along with other health risks. They are now calling for an immediate ban of all GM crops so that the fertility of women around the world can be protected as well as the health of humankind.

You can find out more about Rhio at the following links:

• www.rawfoodinfo.com
• www.NYTalkRadio.net

Jim here… Today is April 25, 2009 — Wendi Dee’s Birthday!!  She’s asleep now. It’s 1:30 in the morning & I’ve been up for hours assembling something stunningly amazing to share with you.  You see, this year, I asked some friends, family, and foodies to take a page of a sketchbook and offer Wendi some Happy Birthday wishes — and then send it back to me so I could bind it all into a large book!  WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!! Check out the response from 40+ people from around the globe. It’s a little overwhelming to see this much positive energy in one place. What a momentous day she’s in for in another 5 hours or so when she gets up and is greeted by such a surprise! If you’d like to say Happy Birthday, just leave a comment here! Thanks to everyone!

Update:  Just added another digital file to the collection! For any latecomers, any new additions will be added as they come in. Even if you’re just now learning about this special project, I’m sure Wendi would be more than happy to add your loving message to this collection that she will always hold dear to her heart. You can send your original art to her (and I will scan — at 31 Hillman St., Pgh., Pa 15227), and/or send a JPG to me at Rawdiant [at] Gmail.com and I’ll post it on the digital site!
 
Clarifications: (1) Yes, as some of you may have guessed, Wendi’s body has circled the sun more than 25 times. If you visit the site, I explain what the “25th” birthday means a little more. It’s basically about the amazing power of raw foods. (2) No, I didn’t send messages to David Wolfe, Gabriel Cousens, Woody Harrelson, or other raw food celebrities Wendi isn’t friends with. However, if they are huge fans of Wendi’s, they are more than welcome to contribute at the above address! LOL