PENNY'S PASTRIES

Missing tortillas or bagels or english muffins?  This product is sure to capture your cravings!  This product by Raw Makery is so delicious I'm craving them!  I was eating them for breakfast with some chocolate coconut butter or macadamia nut butter spread on top.  The rawtilla is crunchy but seriously has the flavor of cinnamon raisin bread!  There were about 6 in the package which was definitely not enough :)  I could have probably at the entire package at one sitting, but I wanted to savor them.  They don't sell this specific product at the local raw stores, but they do sell others which I have tried including their garlic bread and their krispys.  All of their products I've tried are packed with flavor, which is a must in the Raw Diet!  My thoughts are to go out and try this product!

~Live in the Raw~

Wow...cinnamon cookies!  I think I need to invest in these...or else figure out how to make them!  These are outstanding!  I picked these up when I went to SunPower Natural Cafe.  These are by far the best raw cookie I have ever tasted (even better than mine I have to say).  The flavor is so delicious, and they are chewy and crunchy at the same time!  I am so in love with these.  ORDER THEM- you will not be disappointed!  They have a carmel-y texture to them so they are perfectly balanced.  I can't talk anymore about them because i'm salivating, am detoxing, and have none of these left in the pantry!  so order some for me too k?













~Live in the Raw~

This bread was a treat!  I wish it was larger so I could buy some and make a sandwich with it :)  The flavor was lemon and the brand was Rayo De Sol.  You can see on their blog they make different flavors.  The pieces are about 2 inch squares and are just enough when you are craving something sweet but not too sweet.  They are soft like bread is and the small little square packs in so much flavor!  The lemon was also very natural with no artificial taste.  I can't wait to order some of the other flavors!  They also had nuts in them (but I don't think the base was nuts-just added in) which gave the texture of banana nut bread to me!  This is definitely a new favorite of mine and I will be placing an order as soon as my detox is done :)

This product I enjoyed for lunch a few days ago with homemade almond milk, was a great mixture of sweet and salty.  It was made with dates, but it wasn't too sweet, which is what I like.  And although there were nuts in it already, the almond milk didn't overpower the flavor of the Muesli.  My favorite part of this mix was the chewiness and crunchiness and how it complemented each other.  No flavor or texture outshone the other. It was a perfect blend and made me very happy to eat lunch!  And the best part was that it was SO filling and lasted me a good few hours!

Other benefits:
- gluten free
- raw (dehydrated at a low temperature)
- no pesticides or gmo
- increases bioactivity and digestability
- all natural

Shout out to Mom and Me for making such a great product!  Maybe some day we can get it in Chicago?!

~Live in the Raw~
Penny

back to reality.

Boo.  It was a fun trip but I'm home safe and sound!

The blog is NOT over!  I am going to try and post at least once a week, if not more of raw products that i find and test!  Stay tuned and let me know if there is a product out there you are curious about and I'll see if I can get ahold of it to try :)

Stay Raw!

Descend back to San Fran today!  Kaili and I woke up and went for smoothies amongst a few other stores looking for dried mango!  Every place was sold out and the only kind Whole Foods had were mango strips!  SOOOOO not the same as the mango slices.  So i didn't get them.  I did get a new product that I hadn't seen which Kaili and I found rather tasty!  I must duplicate them!

Then we went back to Kaili's and Lauren came over.  It was great to see her!  It was great to see them both!  Brought back many memories from Paris :)  I eventually left around 12 and drove to San Francisco!  Of course my first stop was Cafe Gratitude!  I was dying for an ice cream sandwich :)  I also had the spring rolls which were delicious!

Afterwards I went shopping...didn't buy anything :)  Then Joy, who I know from IU, met up with me and we did more shopping!  I didn't buy anything :)  After that we went to Whole Foods and they only had mango strips! WHAT!?!?  i mean...bring back the slices!!!  I hope when i get home they don't have only strips! I bought some.  Then we went to dinner at Alive.  We shared the sushi and I got the mendocino sea palms which were outstanding.  Joy got miso soup and the pesto sunflower burger with shitakes.  We loved our dinners!  Then came dessert.  Joy is allergic to chocolate so she had the tangerine coconut cake and I had the black forest cake...both of them...YUCK!  bland and not even exciting.  Disappointing actually because dinner was so good!

What a beautiful day!  I woke up and said goodbye to Dana and was so grateful we reconnected!  It had been about 7 years since we saw each other and were reunited in November at my 10 yr reunion.  It was so nice to be with her and I am forever grateful for the use of her bed and her friendship!  Nothing beats friends you've had since jr high :)  I left and went to Juicy Ladies.  I got a morning smoothie which was delicious, almond butter and cocao powder...yum!  However, I bought a salad for lunch and it was the WORST thing I had on my entire trip.  I was soooo looking forward to it...pad thai salad and it was nasty.






















So anyway, after I left there I proceeded to drive to Monterey back to Kailis'.  I didn't stop for lunch bc I bought that nasty salad and after I tried it, I decided to eat some snacks I had in my bag to tie me over til I got to Kailis'.  I got to her house around 2:15 and she had a migraine so she took a nap and I layed outside and read a bit. Then when she woke up we chatted and decided to grab dinner...we went for mexican...i was craving guacamole :)  Then we came home and watched the movie Australia with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.  We were a bit confused at times and it was VERY long, but overall the movie was ok.  After that I went to bed.  Sun seems to make me sleepy!  One more day left in Cali...and boy am I ready to come home!!!!!

Best day on my trip...sadly it had to come at the end!  I started my day off with the rest of my cinnamon roll which obviously is a great way to start the day!  I drove bright and early, 7 am, to Warner Brothers Studios where I proceeded to get lost a bit!  Luckily I left early!  I then took a 2.5 hr backstage lot tour of Warner Brothers (thank you tom and your friend for getting me into it!).  Some things you may be interested in are, I ran into Ryan Gosling, was on the set of friends, chuck and two men and a half amongst other cool things!


After the tour I met Dana in Hermosa Beach, but the raw vegan place we were going to go to- their chef was out of town so they didn't offer food.  WHAT?!?!  at that point, why even stay open!  strange!  So we went down the street to a vegetarian place in Redondo Beach that offered some vegan food.  It did the job!  Dana and I went shopping for a bit and of course she got lucky :)  Then she left for work and spent an hr on the beach.  I would have stayed longer, but the meters are so annoying and I don't carry change.  I drove back to town and stopped at a place called Elderberries which was on my list.  Well, they didn't have much because they are getting a new menu tomorrow so I just got a drink.  The drink was avocado, carrot, papaya, pinapple and orange!  WOW!  I didn't have a drink like that my whole trip and it was fantastic.  The best part of this story was that I parked out in front not knowing the tow hours.  I was sitting and chatting and the woman next to me asked if my car was parked in front and I said yes.  She goes -RUN- you're gonna get towed.  So i ran outside and low and behold, the tow was right about under my car and the cop was starting to put his pen to his ticket!  I got lucky and told them I was not from here and I moved my car!  WHEW!  That would have been a fun adventure.


After that i went to the highlight of my trip....RICHARD SIMMONS SWEAT CLASS!  No words...no words.  Favorite quote of the night by the man himself "I know it's only thursday, but spread your legs!"  We chatted the entire class and after class.  He said very nice things to me which I don't need to brag about :)  And he was so nice and I told him I'd move to LA just to take his classes!  Maybe i will!!!


After that I drove to Planet Raw again to get some dinner.  I had their mushroom kelp pasta (best dish probably in LA- but WAY overpriced!) and two chocolate mylkshakes, one for me and one for me....jk- I went to surprise Dana at the dance studio with one and she loved it!  I spent some time there watching people krump and pop it.  Don't even bother asking because I dont understand it either!  I came home and since I am driving many hours tomorrow, headed to bed!  BEST DAY EVER!!!

My days are getting longer, maybe because I am anxious to get home!  Today I woke up at 8ish and actually did my hair and put on a dress :)  I wanted to embrace the sunshine and feel great about myself!  It worked!!!!  (slide show at the end!)

So I left the house early to pick up one of those great banana shakes from Beverly Hills Juice.  This time I got the banana almond with apple cinnamon coconut juice!  I need to open one of those places!

After that I went to my first (of hopefully many more) Kabbalah Classes at the LA Kabbalah Center!  It was so interesting and I feel like it's something I have a passion for, but we'll see!

Then I went to a mtg and then met Jamie Swartz at my favorite place, Erewhon!  We got lunch together and since it was Cinco de Mayo, I ate raw enchiladas by a company I hadn't heard of or eaten at!  They were delicious and not too nutty!  It was SOOOO great catching up with her and I'm so glad we reconnected.  It made me miss home a bit more but also made me understand that living in Cali may not be so bad after all :)  Thanks Jamie!

Then I proceeded to shop for some items at Erewhon.  The organic juice bar was closed and I was told to get the cappuccino ice cream, so i may have to go back!  EEKS!  So my shopping....let's just say I bought enough so that you all can still stay tuned to my blog for a while when I get home!

After that I went shopping on Melrose.  Whoever told me Melrose was so "me" lied!  I didn't like it at all.  And by the time I found Robertson street (which I may have to go back to) I had to leave to meet my other friend Jamie aka CHOTTY!!!!!  It was so good to see him!  We caught up and I am soooo happy he's happy.  It really brightened my day and brought back crazy memories!

Then I was running super late and starving...LA traffic sux!  I drove as quick as I could to Real. Raw. Live!  It was a tiny place and they didn't have much food.  I was actually a bit disappointed until the friendly guy gave me a free shot of lemon juice and ginger and a sample of their ice cream which tasted like mine....good but not the best.   I bought their pesto pasta which I was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful it was.  I also got a habanero cashew cheese they sold (not theirs- another company) which they said was hot.  I was like...yah ok. (i like SUPER hot) well...it WAS super crazy hot which I loved.  I ate it with some raw corn chips I bought which were the perfect consistency!  You can also see on the slide show some raw snacks I had today- raw dried rambutan and a raw jungle peanut but (out of this world!!!).  I got back to Dana's before her, ate my dinner, watched last night's Glee and am getting ready for bed because tomorrow i'm playing tourist again!  WOOHOO!!!  Enjoy the slide show!

I started off the morning with some great morning reading and then relaxing.  I also had gotten a cinnamon roll from Better Life Cuisine where I went last nite and ate half of it this morning!  That cinnamon roll is a MUST if you come to cali!   I didn't get out of the house til 10ish!!  Then I went to just mosey down ventura and shop.  I didn't do too well, but I did find a picture that I can't decide if I should get it or not!  After that I went to meet Dana at Sun Power Natural.  She had never experienced raw food so we had fun trying it!  We tried the tacos, pesto pizza, kale salad and cookie dough pie!  It was great.  I think Dana liked it too!





After lunch we walked around Studio City.  It was cute, but of course I didn't find anything!  Dana hit the jackpot with a dress that was warn by Amy Adams in the movie Leap Year for 30$!  cool store.  Then we went to Target quickly before we went to Dana's work- Debbie Reynold's Dance Studio.  I hung out there, met some people, and then left to meet my friend Joe Komara from IU.  We had one drink and then decided to go grab an early dinner at a new place- only open a few months, Life Food Organic!  It was delicious!  Definitely one of my top spots!  The woman behind the counter let me sample their award winning chili (how can it have no beans and be so amazing!), sprouted black rice pilaf, and the japanese kelp noodles, which i wound up getting!  Joe had the shitake sandwich and then we shared a piece of OUTSTANDING lemon poppy seed cake.  This cake was so light you would have had NO clue that it had nuts in it!  The best part about dinner is that Ani Phyo was sitting next to us, so I casually stroke up a convo!!!!  She is fascinating and told me of places to go, which I already hit!  I hope to have her as a contact in my life!!!

After dinner I went to a mtg and then met Dana at the college she teaches at where I proceeded to take her hip hop class. hahahahah.  That's all I have to say :)

Today was a strange day, but I survived!  I woke up a little late for myself, around 8:30 but it felt nice to sleep in!  I then felt like I was in a rush, so i missed my morning meditation but got to a mtg.  I did feel out of wack though and not as grateful as I usually am.  I had to focus extra hard today!  I then drove to Venice to visit with an old friend from HS, Ross Golan who has an amazing career and a great band called Glacier Hiking.  It was fun catching up!  Then I drove quite a while to Huntington Beach to try out the restaurant Good To Go.  It was a tiny place but pretty good!  I had their sushi and their outstanding peanut butter chocolate pie (the only non raw thing in it was the peanut butter...so i cheated!)  She said people come from France just to have her pie!  She was right about how good it was!!  I'd prolly go back for the pie alone!






















After lunch I went to a dog beach in Huntington where I layed out for a hott second and played with dogs.  It was very relaxing, but at the same time, my gratitude was lacking so I felt a bit off.  I drove back to Santa Monica and went to the Grove which was supposed to be this great shopping center.  It didn't do anything for me though!!!  I did have an amazing juice which was banana, spinach and kiwi blended with ice!  That mixture is probably my new fav and can't wait to make it at home!!

Then I met my new friends, Dave and Dani, at Better Life Cuisine.  I forgot to take pics of the front and inside because I was so excited to be with my new friends!  But I did remember to take a picture of my HUGE salad I had.  The top are "croquettes" with curry sauce.  It was sooooo good and I did NOT finish it all...way too much!

Today was a 3 star eating day :)  I woke up this morning filled with gratitude and went to 2 meetings!  They were very large and lots of positivity!  Loved being there and can't wait to get to more this week!  Then I went to lunch at Real Food Daily.  They had one raw thing on the menu and the rest was vegan.  So I ordered the one raw thing on the menu which was a red pepper sunflower seed wrap and then I had to try their vegan gluten free pancakes.  I only had a bite...but i was curious!!!!  The wrap was outstanding- especially with a bit of hot sauce on it!












After lunch I went to goodwill and picked up a cheap blanket and then went to the Santa Monica Beach again and fell asleep for a good hr.  Not so smart without tanning lotion on :)  Ooops!  I'm not bad though...but I have some nice color!

Then I drove back to silverlake to Cru where I took an uncooking class which was comprised of ceaser salad, lasagna, and tiramisu.  They were all really good, but really basic.  I didn't learn as much today as I did yesterday, but i still enjoyed the food!












After my mini snack (that class was from 3-4:30 so my day went by quickly!), I drove to dinner which I know sounds crazy but it was about 50 min away.  I was saving it for tomorrow, but I forgot they were closed monday and I HAD to get there because Lenette, my raw friend at home, swears by it!  She was right!  My 3 stars for my blog title were all for Au Lac!  Lenette told me what to get, I did, and now I'm in Raw heaven.  I will send anyone there and will be going back often- no matter how far away the drive was!!!    













I had the chimichurri bread, which looks and tastes like real bread!  Then the main dish I had, imagine, wasn't on the menu but since the chef knew Lenette he made it for me.  Basically it was a seafood risotto!  WOW.













And to top it off- no I didn't finish all of my food or all of the dessert- but Lenette told me I had to try the x-tasy cake and the donut holes.  I got them both and tried a bite of each and then wrapped it up!  The cake was chocolate and mint and coconut and pecans and delicious!  And the donut holes has spirulina in them and when you bit into them, raw cane sugar came oozing out and i'm pretty sure from taste the "powdered sugar" (which is not raw) was ground coconut powder (which IS raw).  OMG!  I will be learning how to make this myself!!!!












I wrapped up the bread and half my meal too...but overall- OUTSTANDING!  the pictures sadly don't do it justice and neither does my lack of writing/describing skills!  But my taste buds were bouncing off the wall!!!

After dinner I had about a 45 min drive home and then stopped at target to get tanning lotion for tomorrow just in case!  heehee.  Now i'm home and getting sleepy so I'll probably read, write, and collapse!  Hope you could vicariously eat through me :)